marina star trek

Marina Sirtis

Born March 29 , 1955 · London, England, UK
Height 5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
Marina Sirtis was born in London, England, to Greek parents, Despina (Yianniri), a tailor's assistant, and John Sirtis. Her parents did not want her to become an actress. As soon as Marina completed high school, she secretly applied to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After her graduation, she worked in musical theater, repertory and television. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles, California to boost her career. For six months, she auditioned for roles but was unsuccessful. Just before she planned to go back home, she got the role of Counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) . After the series ended, she reprised her role for a string of successful Star Trek films: Star Trek: Generations (1994) , Star Trek: First Contact (1996) , Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) , and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) . In 1992, Sirtis married rock guitarist Michael Lamper. She occasionally attends Star Trek conventions so that her loving fans can meet her, and she can meet the fans. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Patrick Ceuppens
Spouse Michael Lamper (June 21, 1992 - December 8, 2019) (his death)
Parents Despina Sirtis (Yianniri) John Sirtis
Counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
The voice of Demona on Gargoyles (1994)
Seductive deep voice
Natural brunette hair
Fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) cast members Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn were groomsmen at her wedding. Ann Turkel was maid of honor at her wedding.
Speaks Greek fluently.
When Marina came to the United States to pursue a career as an actress and got the role on Star Trek, Marina's mother did not believe her and thought that she was making this up as an excuse to stay in the States. This was not until season four of Star Trek that her mother really started to believe her. She saw a Deanna Troi trading card from Star Trek.
Wore black-colored contact lenses during the seven-year run of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and the subsequent films because her character had black eyes. Marina's eyes are light brown.
After her audition for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) , Marina felt her audition was unsuccessful and was just about to jump on a flight home to London. Only minutes before she did so, they called back and told her she had gotten the role of Counselor Deanna Troi.
I was originally cast to be the brains of the Enterprise. Somehow, I became The Chick. There's a little ugly girl inside of me going "Yay! I'm a sex symbol!".
On her character Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) : We knew that she ate chocolates and that she worked out, but that was really boring. I wanted to know what she did when she went on the holodeck. We basically never saw her off-duty or going on holiday. We knew she was a psychologist -- and a pretty good one -- but that was all we knew about her.
On being typecast after Star Trek: I've been getting a lot of science fiction scripts which contained variations on my Star Trek character and I've been turning them down. I strongly feel that the next role I do, I should not be wearing spandex.
On the Star Trek uniforms: We hate our uniforms. We've said it a gazillion times. It's like a chant that we have to say every day. They're hot, they're uncomfortable, and we can't wait to get out of them. But even when we get to wear something else, it's usually something hot. So I'm in a nice leather jacket in the mountains, on a day when the temperature turns out to be ninety degrees! (1998)
On her scene in Star Trek: Generations (1994) where she's piloting the Enterprise: It was a fascinating sequence. What was funny was that my chair caught fire and burned my bottom. When we did the next take, I stopped in the middle of all the confusion and made sure there was nothing burning on my seat before I sat on it again. I think they had to cut that take out of the movie. (1994)

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She Played ‘Deanna Troi’ on Star Trek. See Marina Sirtis Now At 69.

July 16, 2023 by Mariska Lee Leave a Comment

For fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Marina Sirtis will forever be known as Counselor Deanna Troi, the compassionate Betazoid advisor aboard the USS Enterprise-D. As one of the iconic sci-fi series’ principal cast members, Sirtis became a staple at Trek conventions and developed a dedicated fanbase from 1987 to 1994.

Nearly 25 years after TNG signed off, we take a look at the projects that have kept this fan favorite performer busy over the past two decades.

Background Information

Born in London, England on March 29, 1955, Marina Sirtis is the daughter of Greek parents John and Despina Sirtis.

While she wanted to become an actress from a young age, her parents preferred she pursue a different line of work. So Marina decided to follow her dream in secret!

As a result, she applied for and was accepted to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she graduated in 1976.

Ten years later, she would move to the United States in order to pursue her acting career in Hollywood.

Early Career

Prior to her migration to LA, Sirtis’ early acting days revolved around British theater and television.

Her first credited acting performance was in the TV show “Raffles” in 1977 where she played the character Faustina.

From 1977-1987, Sirtis would test the acting waters with one-off parts in sitcoms and drama series as well as roles in bigger budget features like The Wicked Lady (1983) with Faye Dunaway and Death Wish 3 (1985) starring Charles Bronson.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Sirtis most notable role is as Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which she appeared in 176 episodes.

In the show, Deanna Troi was a hybrid Betazoid and human, and she served as counselor on the USS-Enterprise-D and -E.

She appeared in every season and all of the films associated with the series.

Originally, creator Gene Rodenberry wanted Deanna Troi to be known primarily for her looks and sex-appeal.

Sirtis was relieved, however, when the series ultimately took her in a new direction , offering depth and emotion to a character who was already an empath herself.

Following the success of her character in The Next Generation, Sirtis went on to reprise Deanna Troi in four feature films including Star Trek: Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis.

The counselor showed up again in several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Thanks to the initial lack of creative vision for the character, fans were torn about Counselor Troi’s presence in the crew.

However, all of that changed when Troi was officially welcomed as a member of Starfleet.

As such, she is consistently featured in fan- and media-created rankings in online and print publications, highlighting the character’s likeability.

Her ability to sense the emotions of others, as portrayed through Sirtis’ powerful performances, truly connects with audiences.

Sirtis’ time on the show and in the Star Trek universe has made her one of the most beloved female cast members, alongside Gates McFadden , Jeri Ryan , Jolene Blalock , Kate Mulgrew and Nana Visitor .

What did she do after Star Trek?

After her initial run on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in between her various appearances in other Star Trek titles, Sirtis continued acting.

Some of her notable television credits include parts in The Outer Limits, Stargate SG-1, Without a Trace, NCIS, Scandal, The Orville, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Marina Sirtis - Little Dead Rotting Hood

Horror aficionados should check out Sirtis taking on entertaining roles in movies like Little Dead Rotting Hood and The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time.

Longtime fans of Sirtis will recognize her voice-over work in dozens of cartoons including Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Adventure Time, and more.

Most prominently, she provided the voice of Demona in twenty-six episodes of the children’s cartoon series Gargoyles.

What is Marina Sirtis doing now?

Recently, Sirtis reprised her iconic Troi character in Star Trek: Picard from 2020-2023, allowing her to revisit the beloved sci-fi franchise.

Some other major credits in the past 5 years include starring in the 2022 TV movie Love’s Greek to Me and landing recurring voice roles on animated shows like OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes and Young Justice. Sirtis has also made guest appearances on series such as The Orville and Titans.

Additionally, she has acted in several independent films like 2021’s The Bezonians and 2019’s Crossing. Sirtis has also done video game voice work, voicing Matriarch Benezia in the Mass Effect remaster. Now in her late 60s, she continues acting while engaging with fans on the sci-fi convention circuit. Though past her leading lady days, Sirtis remains a working actor with loyal niche appeal.

She sometimes shows up at fan conventions and has even interacted with fans at the Star Trek: The Cruise .

Sirtis has been open about her past struggles with eating disorders related to childhood trauma. In the 1990s, she began undergoing therapy to address these challenges and was able to move forward.

Her husband was a huge support system during this time. Sirtis was married to Michael Lamper, a musician and fellow actor, for twenty-seven years.

They even met on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which Lamper played an Acamarian gatherer.

Unfortunately, Lamper passed away in his sleep in 2019, prompting Sirtis to move back to London. From there, Sirtis resumed her film and television career.

For the die-hard Trekkie and fans of her work in general, requests for personalized video content from the star can be made through her Cameo profile.

Marina Sirtis worked her way into the hearts of millions of fans around the world thanks to her iconic portrayal of Deanna Troi!

Anything she decides to do next is sure to delight and entertain the next generation as well.

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Marina Sirtis: TNG Cast “Cherished” In ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 After Being “Discarded” In ‘Nemesis’

| June 8, 2022 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 82 comments so far

The third season of Star Trek: Picard will feature the return of the main cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation and now two members of that returning cast are talking about what we can expect—and when.

Sirtis on TNG’s proper sendoff in Picard season 3

Speaking to Red Carpet News at a UK movie premiere in April, Sirtis gave an update on her work for season three of Picard :

We’ve shot it already… I just got back from two months shooting in LA. It was so much fun to get with my pals again. It’s a great storyline. We have some great guest stars.

Marina Sirtis appeared along with her TNG co-star Jonathan Frakes in the first season of Picard , but she made it clear that for season three, she and her co-stars are not just doing cameos:

We’re in it! We are in it a lot.

Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard; Jonathan Frakes as William Riker; Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi in “Nepenthe”

Marina Sirtis has been critical of the final TNG film, Star Trek: Nemesis, in the past and agreed with the interviewer that getting another go was cathartic, adding:

Well the producers—before we even started filming when they were talking to us about the project—did say that they felt that we hadn’t been given a proper send off in Nemesis . And that they wanted to send us off the right way, which I appreciated because this is something that’s taken up my life on and off since 1987. And I did feel that we were kind of discarded a little bit. But we were definitely cherished on this project.

When the TNG stars were announced for season three, executive producer and showrunner Terry Matalas stated, “It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor.”

Sirtis also imagined that she could be back playing Deanna Troi in a live-action Star Trek series, picking up on some of the talk about a potential spin-off :

Never say never, right? I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future… There are so many Star Trek shows on right now. I can’t imagine that if this is really successful, that maybe some of the more successful characters might have a spin off. I don’t know. That’s kind of the way Hollywood works, isn’t it?

The actress, who recently moved back to the UK, doesn’t want to be parted from her dogs, so she had only one stipulation: “They have to fly me in a private jet with my dogs… Fly me in a private jet there and back and I’ll be there!”

The cast of Star Trek: Nemesis

Spiner says season 3 is coming next February

Brent Spiner was a guest at FedCon in Bonn, Germany last weekend. When the subject of season three of Picard came up he told the crowd that due to his NDA (non-disclosure agreement) he wouldn’t say much, joking they (and he) could all end up in prison. But Spiner did offer some brief thoughts:

I think it’s going to be a really interesting season. We’ve already shot all of it. I think it’s going to be airing sometime around next February. I don’t know why it’s taking that long, but hopefully, you like it. It’s very different than the other two seasons of Picard .

Spiner has appeared as Data and two new Soong family characters in the first two seasons of Picard , but when pressed, he wouldn’t say what character he plays in season 3.

Brent Spiner at FedCon 2022 (Photo: Sebastian Bittins)

Season 3 music using multiple Trek themes

Post-production on the season is already underway. On Tuesday, Matalas took to Twitter to share his “chills and tears” hearing four different Star Trek themes interwoven into the music.

Listening to a music cue in #StarTtekPicard Season 3 that has themes from four different Treks interwoven… chills and tears. pic.twitter.com/4bjKKKVCFB — Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) June 8, 2022

Special thanks to Sebastian Bittins of Euderion for his photo contribution to this article.

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Star Trek: Picard

‘Picard’ Season 2 Was Rewritten After Paramount Deemed It “Too Star Trek,” Says EP

I love anyone who’s first priority is making sure their animals are looked after! I never travel without my little guys (they are special needs and elderly, respectively) and would never trust them to strangers, either

Am I the only one who liked season 2? Asking for a friend.

I liked most of the elements but not the chaotic, uneven they were presented. Like with S1: very good ideas but a disasterous overall arc, Sorry.

I liked it. But then, I like all Trek. I just recognize some efforts are better then others. Season 2 was an improvement over season one, which I thought was disjointed.

Wait there has been TWO different Phil’s here the whole time? Which is the one everyone thinks is an idiot? Have I been wrongly accusing someone else of being an idiot? I feel so bad now. :(

That was a twist for sure. That evil Doppelgänger thing is like a plot right out of TOS.

I loved the first two episodes, but I felt the story arc from episode 3 onwards was an absolute mess with way too many incoherencies and plot holes. I still can’t wrap my head around how Soong and Renee were important to Q’s plan, or why Borgati coincidentally recruited Soong right after his encounters with Q.

I still can’t understand why Q created an alternate timeline if his goal was to get Picard to address his childhood trauma. What does one have to do with the other?

Temporal paradoxes and deadly tests are Q’s love language.

Renee was important to Q’s plan because it was a means to show Picard an example of the fallacy of using duty as a means to avoid love. (Tallin swore only to ever “watch” Renee, but ultimately the solution of the time crisis hinged upon her breaking that vow and getting directly involved with her, the person she cared most about.)

Soong was just a means to an end when Q started losing his powers and needed another way to execute his plan. (I think.)

Maybe it’s just because I’ve watched a lot (probably too much) television in my life, but I saw it as one of the worst pieces of expensive entertainment ever made. It had all the energy of a CBS procedural with none of the procedure, more money than any fan film with a tenth of the heart. Hard to know if Patrick Stewart’s age or the brevity of the shoot impacted his performance, but there was just nothing interesting about the work he did. Again, to me. If people enjoyed it, good for them. You are probably far healthier human beings overall. (And certainly better than me.)

Oh. You nailed it. I was trying to identify what S2 reminded me of and it was NCIS:LA. It had the same sort of structure of a manhunt / mystery-of-the-week, a team split up to follow different leads while someone stays back at the base to do the Science Stuff, a dangerous antagonist. And the streets of Los Angeles.

What I found strange in retrospect was that Picard’s team never met (or knew about) Kore. Why (and how) would the image/memory of Kore persist over hundreds of years, so much so that Data painted a picture of her, and Adam’s far-distant descendent Alton would create multiple new androids in her image (partly cloned from Data’s neurons?) Who was the original cell donor, if any?

I bagged out on the last two episodes because I thought the season fell apart so badly after a compelling start. I’ll probably go back and watch them before S3 starts, but no burning desire to do so right now and don’t feel like I missed anything.

I liked the first half quite a bit, but the season completely started to fall apart for me in episode 6 and in the end the season didn’t come together and retroactively ruined the elements I did enjoy. The ending was also rushed and it looks like some of the newer elements introduced at the end like the jurati borg and that anomaly won’t be seen again. Easily the worst season of all the new Trek shows for me…and it’s not even close. It’s one of those shows where I actually feel kindve bad for the great cast. They deserved so much better.

I kindve saw the writing on the wall when people involved with the show were hyping season 3, not 2, before season 2 even started airing. And I was right.

I loved it to be honest. It’s probably my favourite season of Trek since DS9 Season 4. My only niggle with it was that it felt like it was written with the intention that it would best watched in a binge instead of weekly releases. But hey, it still rocked!

I liked one episode, which is more than I could say about the first season. So… an improvement, I guess.

I’m half way through it and I’ve enjoyed it.

Like many, loved the first two episodes. Some of the best Star Trek in years. It fell after episode 3 and just kept falling sadly.

I liked episodes 1, 2 and 10, the rest I felt were disappointing filler.

i liked season one better tbh… the starting point and heading of it held together way more than the ones in season 2 did

and for me at least you just can´t buy that away by throwing okudagrams at my nose LOL

Interestingly after watching season 2, I enjoyed season 1 much more as well. At least it was a little bit more focused than season 2.

I really liked it too! It had its issues, but I enjoyed it enough to finish it. Although it might be because I got into Trek through Discovery (it got me to watch Picard, which got me to watch TNG) so my opinion might be closer to the mainstream audience’s than hardcore trekkies’. (For what it’s worth, I couldn’t stand S4 of Discovery, didn’t enjoy the first two episodes of SNW, and love the idea of a S31 show – apparently these aren’t uncommon opinions with more casual fans)

I absolutely loved it from beginning to end.

I enjoyed it… but it felt (to me, at least) like they were milking 10 episodes out of a three-episode arc.

I enjoyed season 2 a lot! Great character sent of for Q, and Wesley as well. They brought back the post TNG movie look with an nice update. Well written, great show.

I have not watched Season 2 yet, not sure why. I never felt like it was “must watch”, even though I am a big Trek fan. I have read on this and other sites, that a person only really needs to watch the first 2 episodes and the last 2 and I can skip all the middle “filler”. Is that true? Interested to hear others’ opinions.

REALLY CAN’T WAIT! Back to my childhood…..one last time….

Yeah Ha!!!! Me too!!!!!

I am rather hopeful for this season, despite season 2 being perhaps the worst Star Trek season ever (I actually thought s1 was all right). It seems like Spiner is aware of the fan reception to PIC so far, so it’s a good sign that he’s saying s3 is different.

The reaction you’re getting at is literally limited to this fan site from what I can tell. On social media, the praise for the season has been overwhelming. But go off.

On various Facebook groups, Season 2 got mostly negative reaction after the firsts two episodes.

Yeah that’s what some said about Nemesis as well lol.

Dude, on Rotten Tomatoes the audience rating score for Picard season 2 is at 41%.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/star_trek_picard

So will you please stop pretending it’s only this one site where people are negative about it? There are plenty and plenty of places people are quite bitter about it. I guess maybe you only come to this site and ‘social media’.

If you liked season 2, I think that’s great! It’s good for people to like things, and I really wish I felt the same way. However, the idea that PIC s2 completely fell off the rails is a broad consensus beyond just this site. Check out IGN’s review below.

https://www.ign.com/articles/star-trek-picard-season-2-full-review

It’s one thing when you genuinely like something but have a hard time listening to negative opinions over it. Yeah, it’s not always easy. We’ve all been there at some point. So I can understand how frustrating it feels when people are tearing down something you thought was good; especially for shows where it can be season after season. That’s human nature.

But it’s another when you’re in such denial over how negative those opinions are that you want to pretend it’s only this one site of a few dozen posters who apparently has the issue with the show; but it’s supposedly loved and adored everywhere else. It’s not only wrong . it’s disingenuous.

We ALL have the same access to information these days. Anyone can do a random search and see it’s not this site and this site alone that had a problem with the season. It doesn’t mean everyone hated it or even most. But it’s not a small vocal minority group either people constantly try to tell themselves whenever they like something others don’t. I saw the same disillusioned arguments with Discovery too.

I wish I loved the season. I enjoyed season 1..I enjoyed the first half of season 2…but it ended up being just a complete mess and letdown. Like they didn’t even know what they were doing despite having extra time due to the pandemic. Mystery box writing at its worst.

No, I acknowledge that some people loved it of course, but I think the negative reaction is pretty widespread. There was major negative reaction on social media and Trek forums as the episodes were airing. Major review sites also rated it poorly. IGN gave the season a 4 out of 10 and called it maybe the worst season ever of star Trek

For me, this season is the worst season of Star Trek. Before that it was Discovery season one, which I didn’t think was ALL bad, but just too uneven and dark with a lot of silly soap opera plot twists concluding with a very anti-climatic ending to ever want to watch it again mostly. But Picard season 2 is on another level of bad for me. And what’s sad about it is it had some of the best components to make a great season. A time travel and alternate timeline story featuring Q and the Borg Queen?? This is all in Trek’s wheelhouse. How badly can you mess that up? Apparently, very badly.

I think it’s the worst season of Trek as well, and maybe by a wide margin.

I meet no real person who liked it… All of them were trekkies… Yeah one Guy Said it wasn’t all Bad. 10 Said it sucked.

Talking about that “potential spin-off”… A follow-up to PIC could be like that…

Remember Spock training the young cadets on the Enterprise as a training vessel at the beginning of TWOK?

That “honor” should go to Worf, and he’s not very happy looking after those spoiled young brats… That takes a cue from the proposed Worf comedy as well as the Academy show. But don’t get to the classrooms, let’s start right onboard a training ship.

And here we are: Miral Paris, Yoshi O’Brien, Kestra Riker-Troi, offsprings of all three Trek shows of that period and some new characters, and on their first mission they get stranded in the Gamma Quadrant post-Dominion War…

A starship based academy show Would be really cool but I think if we’re getting any sort of academy show it’ll be in the discovery timeline helmed by Tilly.

Just please don’t ruin Worf. He’s not a punchline.

… Well. Actually… Sometimes He is…

Yeah, and it almost always sucks when he’s used that way. DS9 really did that character justice and the movies (save FC) didn’t really do anything with him, I’m just dreading what the new regime will do with the character (“Well, we’ve gotta do an in joke about that 10 minute video of Worf being denied — the fans will love that!”).

I shall give the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard a try. I hope for a kid-friendly, computer-generated series that would serve as interquels within the four Next Gen movies as well. Hopefully, it would called either The New Enterprise or The Next Enterprise or The Continuing Mission(s) or The Mission Continues or The Missions Continue or The Ongoing Mission(s) or The Next Mission(s).

The Third Generation

“Interquels.” Angels and ministers of grace, defend us.

Hamlet, Act I, Scene 4

Program complete, enter when ready.

I really really want to be excited about season 3, but season 2 was so utterly bad I still have no motivation for next season at all, even though they are bringing back my favorite cast in the entire franchise.

But hopefully what Sirtis is saying is right. I mean it can’t be as bad as Nemesis, can it? Wait, Picard season 2 was in many ways worse because at least Nemesis was only 2 hours of bad, not 8 hours like Picard. But I want to be a positive fan who generally loves most of the franchise so my mind can be changed of course. I’m hoping when they show that first cast photo from the season it will give us a buzz we haven’t felt in over 20 years!

And a Picard spin-off is 100% inevitable at this point. It’s only a matter of what and when. Would love to see a few TNG characters as part of it which there probably will be too since they got rid of practically every new character from first season minus Raffi. Still say a Stargazer show starting Captain Rios would’ve been perfect but blame season 2.

A Stargazer series with Captain Seven won’t do? Personally, I’d watch a spin off of Rios in the 21st century, but that would be quite a departure from established Trek formula….

‘To boldly work a 9 to 5 and raise a family,’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Shame, as Rios is the only character here i’ve actually liked.

Oh yeah a Captain Seven Stargazer show would definitely work great too! I just don’t know if her being made Captain was temporary or not because how can someone be made a permanent ‘Captain’ if they are not even in Starfleet? But yeah, this is one of the m-a-n-y reasons season 2 was so bad lol. But if they stick to that, I won’t be complaining. ;)

As far as a Rios show in probably what would be in WW 3 since that starts in 2026, sure interesting but since they already told us when and how he would die, a bit less so for me. And yeah it will probably be too much of a departure. But would be up for a mini-series!

It’s not out of the question though. A Noonian-Singh descendent in SNW, the project Khan tease at the end of Picard season 2 and the fact that Kurtzman seems to have a thing for that particular character could all point to a potential Eugenics War series in which the likes of Rios, the new Guinan and whichever Soong that Spiner was playing in the last season could all appear. That might seem a little far fetched at the moment but stranger things have happened with Trek…

You know, I have to admit, laying it out that way, it may not be a bad idea!

But I still rather see that as a mini-series. I don’t think we need five seasons of it. And knowing the brain trust running these shows today, they are just going to make it worse since keeping to past canon is a very difficult thing for them it seems. The fact we are talking about moving Eugenics wars up a few decades kind of says it all.

I’d agree a mini would be best but I think it would be a much more interesting Khan show than Ceti Alpha V. I’d be nervous of course, it’s impossible not to be given their cavalier attitude to canon but I’m an optimist and a glutton for punishment so I’d definitely get onboard with it. I’d even be down with them retconning Rios’ death. Nobody ever really dies in Star Trek and with Wesley and the travellers/watchers in the mix now anything is possible.

I’m less enthusiastic about a Stargazer show. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a 25th Century Starship series and I’m more than happy for Seven to lead a show, I just don’t have any particular affinity to that incarnation of the ship. I personally think that if they want to have a show based around the Stargazer then base it on the OG. That won’t happen for a while but eventually they will cast a younger Picard to tell that story, probably in a way that completely contradicts established canon ;). In the meantime I say give Seven Voyager or a brand new ship if they want to have her lead a new series.

I’m not super tied to a Stargazer show either. I think for most people, it was the ship they happen to present in the season and of course being connected to Picard’s original ship. But yeah I would take another Voyager ship over it in a heartbeat. Or another Enterprise lol. But I think everyone knows that probably won’t happen because of SNW. I still think we will see one next season now thanks to the TNG cast being back. Could be wrong, but really hope I won’t be. ;)

For me though, I just want another 25th century show more than anything. I never needed a single TNG character back for it. I didn’t need it with Picard coming back, but it was a great addition of course. And I had accepted every idea that was presented in Picard, it just didn’t work out very much in the end. Probably why they have the entire TNG cast back next season, but I suspect that would’ve been the case if CBS or Kurtzman got their way from the start and just did a TNG revival show.

Hopefully next season will be good and be a jumping point to something else down the line.

To be fair I do get that it’s the starship setting rather than the specific vessel that fans are clamouring for. That’s the reason I put it out there for discussion though as it’s clear the producers do look at fan feedback but sometimes you get the impression that they get fixated on a specific aspect without addressing the real problems. I agree on the Enterprise, I’d love a 25th century show on it but I accept it’s not a realistic expectation while SNW is still on air. I’d be shocked if an Enterprise is not the mystery ship that Matalas has been teasing for season 3 though.

Oh yeah fully agree. It’s definitely a starship setting. I actually said that when the first episode of season 2 aired. You can feel just how excited people were because we were back to Starfleet officers doing Starfleet things on a Starfleet ship again. And of course the producers KNEW that too. That’s why they set up the first episode and threw most of the cast back in Starfleet. It’s why every nugget of info about season 3 is assuring fans it’s going to be lots and lots of starship porn! LOTS!!!!!!!

So not surprised at all. There are people who really want to see the universe expand and find different premises and settings to do it. But I’m guessing those are in the minority. The overwhelming majority just want to see more Starfleet officers in cool uniforms on a sleek and shiny starship exploring planets or raising shields to confront the Romulans. And it’s nothing wrong with that, that’s what Star Trek is end of the day. And it’s exactly why after we got DS9, they never did anything that dramatic again and instead did VOY and ENT which went back to basics. People complained it was too much of the same stuff, but the network was just giving something most fans really wanted; especially more casual ones.

And twenty years later they are back doing the exact same thing with SNW! The circle is now complete lol. Because as you say they DO listen to feedback and 90% of that feedback is saying just put more legacy characters on cool Starships and we’ll be happy to subscribe. Next year, all five shows will be ship based and three of them based on a ton of 23rd and 24th century legacy characters from multiple shows.

If they did an Eugenics war show, I know people will watch, but the majority would just prefer another show set on an Enterprise hundred times over.

TO SUMMON THE FUTURE Rios helping to bridge from now to the future, great idea.

I would watch a Stargazer show, but it would need a real hook beyond being a legacy sequel featuring Seven. They’d need to be on a very specific mission like DS9 or Voyager that doesn’t let the show become a retread of TNG/SNW.

And I have to admit that I’m less excited about this blander version of Seven of Nine, she has retained very little of what made her so fascinating to watch in the past. It has never felt like a good evolution of the character to me.

I think that Worf show that Michael Dorn was pitching for so long could be a Picard spinoff.

I joked when it was announced they were all coming back that maybe Dorn will finally get his show! I mean it would be perfect. We know they are going to replace Picard with another show eventually. Worf is hugely popular in the fanbase obviously and many want to see him as a Captain. It’s a total no-brainer where to take the next show and if they want to anchor it with another TNG character.

But it probably means they won’t do it. ;)

I’d like to see the Deep Space Nine characters again, at least those who weren’t killed off or whose actors died irl. I never bought the idea of them not being cinematic. That show was firing on all cylinders once Worf joined the cast. It was utterly fantastic.

Oh yeah definitely want to see DS9 characters and Matalas did hint we may see some of them and more VOY characters in another article so fingers crossed.

And DS9 is my favorite Star Trek show bar none! TNG is my second so I would be in heaven in if they get season 3 right!

I think there’s a decent chance that we will get a Worf show but I think it’s more likely to be based on the pitch that Kurtzman spoke about a while back rather than the premise put forward by Dorn.

Worf was my favourite character on TNG, but anyway I don’t think he should ever become a Starfleet captain. Picard wrote in his files, Worf should consider leaving Starfleet, Sisko wrote in his files he should never become a captain. Not everyone is designated to be a leader.

Alright, here’s my guesses on “great guest stars”…. 1) Admiral Janeway, 2) Ro Laren, 3) Miles O’Brien, 4) the original EMH

Would love to see everyone on that list!

I would add Diana Muldaur, Dr. Pulaski did appear in 20 TNG episodes after all. I would also like to see Patti Yasutake return as Nurse Ogawa.

I’m surprised they were even able to get 4 films in the TNG series when Insurrection underperformed, and Nemesis flopped. And Generations mostly coasted on the popularity of the show, and the novelty of having its first film and Bill Shatner. They had one run away hit with First Contact. I don’t think they ever captured the essence of the show on film. I disagree on not having their send off though that was All Good Things. All Good Things was their Star Trek VI. They had one good movie. They had 7 seasons. Not everything lasts forever.

It’s just more proof Star Trek belongs on TV than movies. For some reason when they make a movie it has to involve a villain and lots of explosions. I don’t get it but there it is.

I like most of the movies including TNGs (Nemesis the only one I think is truly awful) but they dumb them down so much they are rarely at the level you find a solid episode. It probably explains why I haven’t loved a single film since First Contact. Pretty depressing lol.

Some things are just better on TV and not trying to translate everything for the masses.

I wish Star Trek would take a hint from Pixar. In the last Pixar movie I saw, there was no villain at all, only people who had hurdles to take, some tumbled but in the end everyone came through. That was more satisfying than seeing a villain fall.

Pixar is a great example but I wish they would just take a page from Star Trek itself. There are over 800 episodes of Star Trek. Some certainly have your stereotypical villain (and yes certainly in Picard and Discovery) but the majority doesn’t have a villain at all and are considered some of the best Trek in the franchise. Or if they do have a villain, it’s not always trying to blow up or take over the Federation. Stories like Drumhead is a great example. But that would feel waaaaay too nuance for movies I guess.

I don’t know where they got it in their heads it has to be someone creating the highest stakes possible in every movie but it is tiresome now. The irony is it started with Khan of course in the second movie but that was such a personal and smaller story. He mainly just wanted Kirk dead and because what happened to him on the planet. But he wasn’t trying to take his anger out on the entire Federation.

But by the time we get to the 09 movie we now have characters like Nero who not only want Spock to suffer over Romulus but now wants to destroy every Federation planet in the process. It just got to the point it’s destruction porn and overkill.

They can’t send off TNG fast enough. Can’t we use the spore or quantum slipstream drive or something to speed this along? Can we fast forward the holodeck recreation? Sure would have been cool to have the TNG cast have to help robo-Picard escape the Borg that were farming the Fed for tech and now wanted him given he is more advanced than V’ger where AI=organic life. Why not give these excellent actors/actresses a great adventure? But that’s ok, detoothing the Borg and making them want to just suddenly be friends of the UFP after centuries of acts of genocide across the galaxy, that’s pretty TNG I’ll give you that. Kind of flies in the face of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine too but bad political analogies told as boring unexciting stories I guess can be considered the roots of TNG.

Spiner: “[Season 3 will be] very different than the other two seasons of Picard.”

Oh, you mean it will be good?

FWIW, Frakes also was at FedCon, and when a fan asked if we’ll see the relationship of Troi and Riker, he said “in fact, that relationship is pivotal to season 3”. So, whatever you’ll make out of it, that’s some food for thought. ;-)

Wow nice! I always love seeing the Troi’s front and center. A bit more excited now at least. Thanks for the info!

What will be the four Trek themes I wonder? PIC, TNG, VOY, DS9 ?

There was some James Horner Trek music in the teaser for season 3 so I can imagine some of that used in the season as well.

We celebrate the self-awareness, empathy, and wisdom of women in midlife.

Marina Sirtis: The Truth About The Iconic ‘Star Trek’ Actress

Here’s everything you need to know about Star Trek actress Marina Sirtis.

Marina Sirtis at the 10th Annual Indie Series Awards in 2019

(Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com)

Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation will recognize Marina Sirtis , who played Counselor Deanna Troi for the show’s entire seven-year run. But the 65-year-old actress—who was born in Hackney, London—has many other TV and movie credits to her name, including a number of popular British productions. Here, we take a look at this talented performer and find out what she’s up to today.

Marina Sirtis Played Deanna Troi In The Star Trek Franchise

Born on March 29, 1955, Sirtis was born with the itch to act. “I always wanted to be an actress,” she once said. “My mum told me that when I was about three, I used to stand up on the seat on the bus and entertain the other passengers and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. So after school, instead of going off to university, I went to drama school and then into the theatre.”

Throughout the late ‘70s and early ’80, Sirtis worked steadily, scoring roles in movies such as The Wicked Lady with Faye Dunaway and Death Wish 3 with Charles Bronson, and appearing in British TV shows like Up the Elephant and Round and The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

In 1986, the British-American actress relocated to the United States and landed her career-making role as Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (often called TNG by Trekkies) . “ I had six auditions,” Sirtis recalled . “Of course, with every audition, you get more and more nervous because you know that you’re getting closer and closer. I wasn’t a big Star Trek fan. In fact, I didn’t really like sci-fi but it was a guaranteed 26 episodes and that would have been the best job I’d ever had at that point. The next six years were a bonus!”

As the half-human, half-Betazoid counselor with the ability to sense emotions, Sirtis appeared in almost every episode of the series and became one of TNG’s most beloved characters. She was also in all four of the Next Generation movies and guest-starred on episodes of other Star Trek series, including Voyager and Enterprise .

Sirtis said she loved her time on TNG and had a blast filming the show with her fellow castmates. “We laughed for seven years,” she said . “We were very noisy, we laughed all the time and we’re all still best friends, which I think is a testament to how well we got on.”

What Has Marina Sirtis Worked On Outside Of Star Trek?

While she’s best known for playing Deanna Troi, Sirtis has a long and impressive acting resume. In addition to appearing on popular American TV shows such as NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, and Without a Trace, she’s also an accomplished voice actor, appearing on animated series such as Young Justice and video games like XCOM 2: War of the Chosen .

What Is Marina Sirtis Doing Now?

In 2020, Sirtis reprised her TNG role once again on an episode of the CBS All Access show Star Trek: Picard. Fans were thrilled to see Deanna return to the small screen, though the highly anticipated appearance almost didn’t happen.

“When I did hear about [the offer to guest star], I actually had to turn it down because I was doing a play in London,” she said . “The dates clashed. But, the wonderful people over there at Picard basically fixed it so that we shot out of sequence. I shot my stuff with Jonathan [Frakes] in the middle of a different episode. Everything is streaming now, so they can do that kind of stuff. It’s not like when we were shooting on actual film and shot a month in advance before the show was on the air, it was a very different time. So, it worked out and I am very happy it worked out.”

While it had been about 15 years she the last time she played Deanna Troi, the actress said that getting back into character was a piece of cake. “She’s so in my DNA now that I just open my mouth and it’s her,” Sirtis explained .

In January 2021, Sirtis got the attention of her fans on Twitter by announcing that she would be leaving California and returning to the UK to live full time.

The actress didn’t say what the move means in terms of her chances of returning to Picard for season two, but she did hint to her Twitter fans that she might pop up on Strictly Come Dancing , the UK version Dancing With the Stars.

We’re wishing Marina all the best with her move—and we’re still keeping our fingers crossed for a Deanna Troi return on season 2 of Picard!

Why Star Trek's Marina Sirtis Doesn't Think Picard Season 3 Is The Best Work She's Done In The Franchise

The actress shared some blunt thoughts.

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi in Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 was meant to give a proper send-off to The Next Generation cast, and I think most fans would agree that it succeeded. The actors were happy to be back together once again, but apparently, not everyone would call it their best performance. Marina Sirtis confirmed that as she explained why she felt her latest appearance as Deanna Troi was not her best.

As the fans wait for more information on upcoming Trek shows , Marina Sirtis was asked how she felt about her performance in Picard by TrekMovie after receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award alongside the rest of The Next Generation cast at the Saturn Awards. It was mentioned that Jonathan Frakes , who we at CinemaBlend thought deserved awards for his performance in Season 3 , called his return as Riker his best. Sirtis didn't feel the same about her latest run as Troi and shared why:

I think Jonathan said that because he got to do stuff that he'd never done before. It was outside of the box for him. I don't think that it was my best work. I don't think I was in it enough for it to be my best work. But it was fun. It was definitely fun.

While Sirtis was given a part that ensured she wasn't playing " the same old Troi " as she had in past Star Trek adventures, her screentime was limited. Showrunner Terry Matalas did acknowledge the lack of the ship counselor in Season 3 on X , and noted that Sirtis living in London made it difficult to schedule more scenes for her.

The actor shared the reality of what's holding up a Picard spinoff.

While Marina Sirtis wouldn't call it her best performance, she had fun and has confirmed she was amazed and grateful for Season 3 .

Given the context of the conversation, I can also see why she'd give that response, considering Jonathan Frakes really did step outside the box of what he'd done previously as Riker in Star Trek . Troi was interwoven into the story in an interesting way, but I would say that her role wasn't quite on the same level as some of the other returning cast members in Season 3.

The world is still waiting to hear if this is the final adventure for the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation , and are getting mixed messages. While the odds of a Picard spinoff happening seem slim, Patrick Stewart revealed a script was being written for a Jean-Luc Picard movie. The assumption is we'd see Marina Sirtis and the rest of The Next Generation crew in that movie if it gets made, but we can only wait and see. If it does happen, perhaps she'll get a chance to give her best performance as the character.

Until we know more about a TNG follow-up, Trekkies can stream all sorts of Star Trek content from the 2024 TV schedule and beyond with a Paramount+ subscription . There's no shortage of good Troi moments available in past episodes for those willing to make the jump and find out.

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Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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Beckett Mariner

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Beckett Mariner was a female Human Starfleet officer who lived during the late 24th century .

Both of her parents served in positions of command in Starfleet: her mother (and later captain ), Carol Freeman , attempted to keep a close eye on her activities aboard the USS Cerritos , while her father Alonzo Freeman was an admiral . Mariner has gained considerable experience and formidable skills as a Starfleet officer, but untreated survivor guilt from having to serve in the Dominion War almost right out of Starfleet Academy before she could recover from a friend being killed in action caused a serious psychological fear of the responsibilities of command that has impeded her career. As such, for all her professional accomplishments, she preferred to remain at the rank of Ensign and endeavored to keep herself there by deliberately engineering demotions and reckless behaviors with the outward veneer of an arrogantly defiant and self-destructive attitude that often brought her to the risk of court martial .

1 Childhood
2 Starfleet Academy
3.1 Deep Space 9
3.2 Atlantis
3.3 USS Quito
3.4 USS Cerritos
3.5 Starbase 80
3.6 Return to the Cerritos
4 Personal interests
5.1.1 Carol Freeman
5.2.1 Quimp
5.2.2 Bradward Boimler
5.2.3 D'Vana Tendi
5.2.4 William T. Riker
5.3.1 Jennifer Sh'reyan
6.1 Appearances
6.2 Background information
6.3 External links

Mariner was the daughter of Starfleet captain Carol Freeman and admiral Alonzo Freeman . ( LD : " Second Contact ")

As a child, Beckett dressed up as Toby Targ each Halloween , even after she became too old for the character. ( LD : " Crisis Point ")

According to Beckett, her mother became a "jerk" when she was eight years old. ( LD : " Crisis Point ")

For a time, Mariner lived on Starbase 25 , during which she went by "Becky", a name her father still used later in her life. ( LD : " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers ", " Grounded ")

Mariner was left handed . ( LD : " I, Excretus ")

Mariner had taken two and a half years of horseback riding lessons, though this did not help her in 2381 when she unsuccessfully attempted to ride a horse within Starfleet's Old West Planet holographic training drill . ( LD : " I, Excretus ")

Starfleet Academy

Marriner attended her first year at Starfleet Academy in 2368 . ( LD : " Old Friends, New Planets ") Mariner excelled in the Academy, getting the best grades in her class. She was often noted as being a bit of a role model for her class, and that she always made sure her class kept up with her. Many, such as her friend and classmate Amina Ramsey predicted that Mariner would be the first of her class to get promoted to captain.

Together, the two got to a lot of mischief, such as stealing Professor Rubichik 's old special car and driving it into the bay . ( LD : " Much Ado About Boimler ")

Cadets Mariner and Sito

Mariner was also friends with fellow cadet Sito Jaxa , who encouraged Mariner to pursue a degree in xeno-history . Her first taste of the topic came during her first year, at which time she was excited to learn about the Xindi and Preservers . ( LD : " Reflections ", " Old Friends, New Planets ")

Mariner idolized Sito for not letting her mistakes as a cadet define her and succeeding in spite of having to repeat a year, and was devastated to hear that Sito was presumed killed in action . ( LD : " The Inner Fight ")

Starfleet career

Beckett Mariner during the 2370s

Mariner prided her ability to think for herself in critical situations, as she had served aboard five different Starfleet vessels, including the USS Quito , and had "seen stuff". There was a time when she was interested in advancing in rank , though her views regarding promotion and the importance of the senior staff had become somewhat jaded by 2380 . ( LD : " Second Contact ", " Cupid's Errant Arrow ")

On one harrowing occasion, she was trapped in a sentient cave for weeks , describing it as "a dark place that knows things." She also noted that she had almost been decapitated by a singing crystal , and was once held in a Klingon prison where she had to fight a yeti for her shoes merely because the yeti wanted to be antagonistic. ( LD : " Envoys ")

She kept her battle scars from a fight with a tentacled man that stabbed her with a barnacle blade in the chest , a fight on Magus III that left a scar on her right shoulder , a scar on her left bicep from Nanibia Prime , and a scar on her hip from a fight in Scottsdale . After Commander Jack Ransom stabbed her left foot with a crystal sword on Gelrak V , she intended to allow the skin to heal into a new scar as well. ( LD : " Temporal Edict ")

At some point, she befriended and blood bonded with General K'orin . Years later, she recalled that she and K'orin had done some " off-the-books grey ops stuff back in the day, " and together had worked on Jaxxa Prime , Vulcan , and Earth . ( LD : " Envoys ")

At another point in time, Mariner became acquainted with her mother's mentor , William T. Riker . Riker was indebted to Mariner, and despite being responsible for "hooking" her up with all of her contraband , such as Romulan ale , she insisted that Riker saving the Cerritos from the Pakleds did not make them "even". ( LD : " No Small Parts ")

Mariner had once been promoted to lieutenant junior grade , but was demoted for crashing an Oberth -class starship . ( LD : " Parth Ferengi's Heart Place ")

Deep Space 9

Sometime between 2372 and 2375 Mariner served aboard Deep Space 9 . During this time, she once broke Worf 's mek'leth , and, apparently, had it mended before he noticed it was gone. ( LD : " We'll Always Have Tom Paris ") Mariner later described hating the station, and had, in fact, incurred a sizable tab at Quark's , which equated to "a stack of latinum ." The tab was cleared years later when Mariner blackmailed Quark with a data chip copy of "that hologram with your head on Kira's body " that Kira Nerys had altered to his embarrassment, and had deleted what he thought was the only copy in 2373 . ( LD : " Hear All, Trust Nothing ")

During this time, Mariner fought in the Dominion War . The widespread death and destruction that surrounded her exacerbated the trauma of learning of Sito's death so much that she began to associate promotion with sending people to their deaths, leading to severe survivor guilt that caused her to continually self-sabotage and get herself demoted. ( LD : " The Inner Fight ")

Mariner's Atlantis profile

Also sometime during the 2370s , Mariner served aboard the starship Atlantis , when nearly half of the ship's crew succumbed to a Kerplickian lice infestation . Since Starfleet was embarrassed by the situation, it was never logged in official records. Mariner took advantage of that fact when she started a rumor that she was a specially trained black ops spy who had killed those who had otherwise simply and officially had mysteriously disappeared.

In 2381 , Honus , a Cerritos bartender , shared these rumors about what happened aboard the Atlantis with Ensigns Brad Boimler and Sam Rutherford which caused them to briefly second guess their relationship with Mariner. ( LD : " Mugato, Gumato ")

Mariner during her time aboard the Quito

While aboard the Quito , she participated in establishing first contact with the Galardonian High Council in 2379 . Sometime during 2370s (after stardate 47025.4 ), she experienced the death of her good friend and crew mate, Angie , who was eaten alive by a Harvongian while their ship was docked at Deep Space 9. The experience was traumatic, causing her to be on high alert in 2380 when she thought something similar could be happening to her friend Boimler. ( LD : " Cupid's Errant Arrow ")

During her time aboard the Quito , she spent time in the brig on many occasions and was eventually demoted to ensign and transferred to the Cerritos by her father, under the command of her mother, Captain Carol Freeman. Carol agreed to the transfer under the condition that if their daughter didn't fit in with the crew, Alonzo would transfer her back to the Quito . ( LD : " Second Contact ")

USS Cerritos

Mariner aboard the Cerritos in 2380.

The Cerritos was Mariner's fifth ship posting. ( LD : " We'll Always Have Tom Paris ") Her fellow command division officer and eventual friend Brad Boimler noted that she hated to give the orientation liaison tour, but offered to provide a tour to Ensign D'Vana Tendi to get her to help moving shore leave contraband . By this time, she had been serving on the Cerritos for a year, and could only really be considered to be friends with engineer Sam Rutherford before Tendi's arrival.

In 2380, while supporting second contact efforts with the Galardonians , Captain Freeman asked Ensign Boimler to monitor Mariner's activities. He eventually believed he had caught her selling Federation weapons, but she had actually been providing needed farming equipment to local farmers in an effort to bypass Starfleet bureaucracy . ( LD : " Second Contact ")

Mariner's greatest fear was ranking up.

Aboard the Cerritos , Mariner's assigned bunk was A12001 on Deck 11, in the LD sleeping quarters shared by lower deck officers on beta shift . ( LD : " Envoys ", " Terminal Provocations ") For a brief time, she received another promotion to lieutenant , and as such, received her own quarters , before being demoted back to ensign. Her promotion was actually a scheme to get her to resign to another ship after she disrespected Captain Freeman in front of Captain Durango . ( LD : " Moist Vessel ")

Starbase 80

Mariner was transferred to Starbase 80 by Captain Carol Freeman after being accused of besmirchcing the USS Cerritos and its crew. She briefly served there before before resigning from Starfleet. ( LD : " Trusted Sources ") She then became the partner of Petra Aberdeen in the Independent Archaeologists Guild . ( LD : " The Stars At Night ")

Return to the Cerritos

Following her short-lived resignation from Starfleet, Mariner returned to the USS Cerritos , where she was welcomed with open arms. Furthermore, Mariner realized that she preferred being part of Starfleet with its ideals. To that end, Mariner explained to her mother that she had a new resolve to seriously advance in the ranks, and persuaded the Captain to have a most reluctant Commander Ransom assigned as her mentor. ( LD : " The Stars At Night ")

Shortly after her return, she was promoted to lieutenant junior grade after the Cerritos transported the USS Voyager to Earth. ( LD : " Twovix ") At this development, Mariner's reflexive self-destructive behavior flared up again and she began to resist this change. However, despite her reluctance and insubordinate behavior during an away mission on Narj's Miraculous Menagerarium , Ransom refused to allow her to self-sabotage. During the mission, two Humans accidentally displayed at the menagerie that her away team had been assigned to retrieve released a moopsy from its enclosure in order to murder proprietor Narj , forcing Narj and the away team to flee the bone -drinking creature. After taking refuge in the main control room , Ransom got her to realize and acknowledge that her behavior made no sense. After the moopsy broke in and consumed Narj, Mariner unknowingly trapped it in the control room, resulting in the moopsy causing the station's orbit to decay. Ransom stopped her from sacrificing herself to lure the moopsy out and allow him and Ensign Gary to restabilize the orbit, instead ordering her to punch his teeth out to lure it out and back to its enclosure safely. As they went to retrieve the Human exhibits, Mariner noticed that a painting of an umbrella was upside-down, leading to the away team discovering their culpability and abandoning them at the menagerie. ( LD : " I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee ")

However, the survivor guilt that caused her erratic conduct was not addressed at this time, resulting in her self-destructive behavior continuing and her emotional state becoming increasingly unstable. This did not go unnoticed when the Cerritos was on a diplomatic mission to Ferenginar ; after Mariner got into a bar fight, Quimp noted that while immature rebellion was hardly out of character, it was especially noticeable this time as she had nothing to be upset about for once, something Mariner was unable to refute. Although the two parted on good terms, Quimp asked Mariner to figure out what was causing her issues before it was too late. ( LD : " Parth Ferengi's Heart Place ")

Unfortunately, after the Ferenginar mission, the issue started to escalate into suicidal behavior, resulting in several violent away missions. On one occasion, she leapt out of a shuttlecraft to fight "a pile of junk" after mistaking it for a Borg drone ; on another occasion, during a visit to an outpost on Persioff IX , she responded to to tremble lizards breaking through a force field fence by going outside without donning an antivenom suit to lure the extremely dangerous creatures away and repair the fence. This eventually prompted Freeman to distract her from a search for Nick Locarno , apparently targeted by a mysterious ship that was stealing non-Starfleet vessels, by sending her on an away mission to a disabled weather satellite orbiting Sherbal V . Unknown to anyone, Locarno was the pilot of the ship, Nova One , and Sherbal V was the planet mutineers he was recruiting into Nova Fleet were marooning their commanding officers on. As such, the away team was attacked by the IKS Che'Ta' and forced to beam onto the planet. Mariner got into a fight with Ma'ah , but the duel was suspended when the two were forced into a cave to shelter from a glass storm . With nothing else to do and Ma'ah noticing that she seemed troubled, Mariner ended up pouring her heart out to Ma'ah about how Sito's death and the Dominion War had left her disillusioned with Starfleet and afraid of promotion because she was terrified of ordering friends to their deaths. Ma'ah responded by telling her that she was not honoring Sito's memory and that Sito would never approve of her erratic behavior, causing Mariner to reevaluate her attitude and come to terms with Sito's death; while her stance on Starfleet's flaws was unchanged, she conceded that Sito would think she was " acting like an idiot ". With newfound faith in herself, Mariner then rallied the stranded crews together, only for Locarno to abduct her and bring her to the Detrion system . On Nova One , Locarno greeted Mariner as an old friend even though she only vaguely knew him through Sito, and, much to her horror, introduced her to Nova Fleet.

Locarno attempted to use her as an anti-Starfleet symbol, but she instead condemned Locarno and his plan on a live subspace broadcast, stole a Ferengi-made Genesis Device Locarno was using as a deterrent, and fled on the USS Passaro . Unable to leave the system due to a trynar shield , she was instead forced to evade Nova Fleet within the system. All the while, she refused to fire a single shot on her pursuers, instead attempting to reason with them. Knowing the Genesis Device needed to be kept out of Locarno's hands permanently, she attempted to reach the lifeless Detrion 9 to detonate it there, only to be forced into an ion storm . Locarno, following Mariner in, called her an apologist for Starfleet, but she retorted that she would never put people in danger the way he was and refuted his claim that Sito died for no reason. She then flung Joshua Albert 's death in his face, and, when he tried to blame the Academy professors for not letting Nova Squadron practice the Kolvoord Starburst , bluntly told him that the tragedy was the result of his own narcissism. When Nova One caught up with and disabled the Passaro , Mariner activated the Genesis Device before Locarno could board, and briefly fought him before being unexpectedly beamed onto the Cerritos captain's yacht as he attempted to shoot her; during the cat and mouse between the Passaro and Nova One , the Cerritos had breached the trynar shield by flinging the Orion destroyer Retribution at it. Mariner begged for Locarno to be saved, but Locarno, unaware that the full deactivation sequence was locked behind a paywall , refused rescue by raising shields and stubbornly attempted to disarm the device, and the captain's yacht was forced to flee the imminent Genesis Wave. The detonation transformed the ion storm and all matter within into a new planet, named Locarno since Locarno's atoms were part of it. Mariner returned to the Cerritos and apologized for her recent behavior, but then received some bad news: in exchange for the Retribution , Tendi had been forced to agree to leave the Cerritos and return to her role as Mistress of the Winter Constellations. ( LD : " The Inner Fight ", " Old Friends, New Planets ")

Personal interests

Mariner was highly proficient at hand-to-hand combat and was a master of anbo-jyutsu . She was well-practiced at martial arts because it could be done alone, and she often lacked friends at her postings. ( LD : " Mugato, Gumato ")

Mariner enjoyed spreading rumors about herself because she liked "having a mystique." ( LD : " Mugato, Gumato ")

Mariner claimed her "secret" was never eating after seven o'clock. ( LD : " No Small Parts ")

Mariner was skilled in playing the electric guitar , preferring the hard rock genre and used an amplifier when performing. ( LD : " Temporal Edict ")

Personal relationships

Carol freeman.

Freeman congratulates Mariner on her promotion

Mariner and her mother in 2380

Mariner's relationship with her mother was often rocky, and conflicting to the point where both of them hoped to keep their relationship as mother and daughter a secret from the rest of the crew. Mariner did not want to be seen as any different from the rest of the crew, and Freeman didn't wish for it to be known that one of the most rebellious officers of the fleet was her daughter. They managed to keep this relationship secret, until Boimler stumbled upon the secret by accident, and inadvertently revealed the relationship to the crew of the Cerritos via an open communications channel. ( LD : " Crisis Point ", " No Small Parts ")

Freeman's patience with Mariner was very often tested, and in 2380, she sought numerous ways to get her transferred off the ship, though none of these methods was successful, and Mariner even caught on that Freeman was trying to have her transferred.( LD : " Second Contact ", " Moist Vessel ")

Despite this conflicting relationship, Mariner still loved her mother, and when the two cooperated together, they could accomplish impressive feats together. At one point, Freeman had Mariner briefly promoted, initially with the hopes of transferring her off the Cerritos , but with how effective the two worked together in a crisis, she wondered if Mariner would actually be a good addition to her senior staff. While Mariner ultimately got herself demoted again, the two would later agree to work together to provide a positive change in the ways Mariner was good at but Freeman was limited to do under Starfleet protocol. ( LD : " Moist Vessel ", " No Small Parts ")

While Mariner was not above taunting Freeman often, and giving her a piece of her mind, the two would learn to see past their differences and their quarrels and find a new respect and love for one another. While the two didn't always understand one another, their conflicts never hurt their love for one another, and Mariner logged that as much as Freeman could be a "pain in the ass", she would do anything for her. ( LD : " Crisis Point ", " I, Excretus ")

In 2381 , Freeman accused Mariner of besmirching her and the Cerritos to FNN reporter Victoria Nuzé when she had done no such thing and transferred her to Starbase 80 as revenge, leading to an outraged Mariner resigning. Freeman was not notified of Mariner's resignation until she contacted the station in a desperate attempt to apologize upon learning that Mariner's unauthorized interview had contained nothing but praise. Despite this, Mariner came to the aid of the Cerritos without a second thought upon learning of the Texas -class crisis, and, once the crisis was over, forgave Freeman for her actions, noting that her own poor behavior likely contributed to Freeman's rash decision making. ( LD : " Trusted Sources ", " The Stars At Night ")

Friendships

Mariner and Quimp

Quimp was one of Mariner's oldest continuous friends. He helped her out on occasion and genuinely cared for her well-being. ( LD : " Envoys ", " Parth Ferengi's Heart Place ")

Bradward Boimler

Mariner and Boimler having a drink

Mariner considered Boimler her best friend, and the two often worked together on missions. She used affectionate nicknames like "Boims" for him.

Though their friendship started a bit rough, and though their personalities and approach to their missions could be drastically different, with Boimler being more by the book, while Mariner would act more on instinct, they worked well together, and developed enormous amounts of respect for one another. As a show of friendship, Mariner decided to become Boimler's mentor with the intention of getting him into a captain's chair . She also helped restore some faith in himself as a Starfleet officer by deliberately making herself look bad when he got close to quitting Starfleet. ( LD : " Second Contact ", " Envoys ", " Strange Energies ")

When Boimler accepted a promotion, and transfer to the USS Titan , Mariner was very angry and hurt that he didn't say goodbye and held a grudge against him for a brief period of time. While she missed him, she did eventually understand his decision, and was happy for him. Even three months after the transfer, Mariner, Tendi, and Rutherford would keep up the habit of leaving an open booth for Boimler when using the sonic showers due to his discomfort with public nudity.

Boimler's time on the Titan was limited, however, and when he returned to the Cerritos, Mariner was very excited to see him return, and welcomed him back instantly (though she wasn't above giving him a little flack for leaving). While she welcomed him back, she did hold a small bit of anger at him, which was revealed during a visit with Boimler to Starbase 25 . While Mariner was angry with him for never apologizing, Boimler was angry that she was being selfish, and that he earned his promotion to the Titan . The two eventually reconciled, with Boimler giving her the apology she had been waiting for. ( LD : " No Small Parts ", " Strange Energies ", " Kayshon, His Eyes Open ", " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers ")

Despite the arguments Mariner and Boimler could often find themselves in, the two were practically inseparable to the point where Tendi did not dismiss the assumption that they're dating, and they were often mistaken for a couple. They affectionately teased one another, and Mariner considered Boimler her "number one." ( LD : " We'll Always Have Tom Paris ", " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers ")

D'Vana Tendi

Mariner and Tendi were friends, but did not have a very close relationship for a while. Since Tendi was closer with Rutherford more often than not, for the first year that Tendi served aboard the Cerritos , Mariner was completely unaware that Tendi even had a first name. Tendi was also unaware of a lot of Mariner's service history with Starfleet. Mariner also had a habit of associating Tendi with common stereotypes associated with Orions, much to the discomfort and frustration of Tendi, who was trying to distance herself from such stigmas. ( LD : " Crisis Point ", " We'll Always Have Tom Paris ")

Despite this, the two did grow closer as friends as time went on to the point where in a single mission, Tendi disclosed more information about herself than even Rutherford knew. Mariner saw Tendi as a very kind and good person and was willing to take the blame for her when she'd get into trouble.

William T. Riker

Mariner was friends with Riker and his former mentee . He would often provide her with contraband , such as Romulan ale . ( LD : " No Small Parts ")

Mariner was pansexual and had dated " bad boys, bad girls, bad gender nonbinary babes, ruthless alien masterminds, [and] bad Bynars ." ( LD : " We'll Always Have Tom Paris ")

Mariner once dated an Anabaj to make her mother angry. ( LD : " Envoys ")

Aboard the Cerritos , Mariner went on one date with Lieutenant Steve Levy in 2379 , but ended it because he believed conspiracy theories , such as that " Wolf 359 was an inside job." ( LD : " No Small Parts ")

Jennifer Sh'reyan

Sh'reyan and Mariner kiss.

Mariner's relationship with the Andorian , Jennifer Sh'reyan , started incredibly rocky. She claimed to hate her at first, and was particularly annoyed by Andy Billups calling her by Jen's name. ( LD : " No Small Parts ", " Strange Energies ") This tension between the two would continue through 2381, until the Cerritos had to engage in a rescue of the USS Archimedes . Mariner and Sh'reyan worked together to help Ransom manually navigate through a debris field by sight. When the Cerritos collided with a piece of debris, Sh'reyan saved Mariner when she became dislodged, and nearly drifted out into space. Mariner later thanked her for saving her, and they both apologized to one another for how they'd been treating each other. ( LD : " First First Contact ")

The two started dating shortly afterward, though Mariner was a bit shy about it. It was implied that Mariner was afraid of long-term commitment. Her friends would tease her about it, though they were ultimately supportive of their relationship. Mariner at one point was very shy about meeting Sh'reyan's friends. When she was invited to Castro 's salon , she went out of her way to be overly polite, as she was worried that Sh'reyan would break up with her if her friends didn't like her. Sh'reyan saw through the act and assured her that she liked Mariner for her short tolerance of people, and has been looking forward to seeing Mariner go hard on her friends. Reassured, Mariner proceeded to stun them all when they were panicking in a blackout, much to Sh'reyan's amusement. Sh'reyan would later tell Mariner that it was her unpredictability that she loved the most about her. ( LD : " Mining The Mind's Mines ", " Hear All, Trust Nothing ")

Mariner's signature

Appearances

" Second Contact "
" Temporal Edict "
" Moist Vessel "
" Cupid's Errant Arrow "
" Terminal Provocations "
" Much Ado About Boimler "
" Veritas "
" Crisis Point "
" No Small Parts "
" Strange Energies "
" Kayshon, His Eyes Open "
" We'll Always Have Tom Paris "
" Mugato, Gumato "
" An Embarrassment Of Dooplers "
" The Spy Humongous "
" Where Pleasant Fountains Lie "
" I, Excretus "
" wej Duj "
" First First Contact "
" Grounded "
" The Least Dangerous Game "
" Mining The Mind's Mines "
" Room for Growth "
" Reflections "
" Hear All, Trust Nothing "
" A Mathematically Perfect Redemption "
" Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus "
" Trusted Sources "
" The Stars At Night "
" I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee "
" In the Cradle of Vexilon "
" Something Borrowed, Something Green "
" Empathological Fallacies "
" Parth Ferengi's Heart Place "
" A Few Badgeys More "
" The Inner Fight "
" Old Friends, New Planets "
SNW : " Those Old Scientists "
" Holograms All the Way Down " (background hologram)
" Walk, Don't Run " (background only; archive footage)

Background information

Mariner was voiced by Tawny Newsome .

In developing the characters for Lower Decks , Mike McMahan described all four leads in an 10 August 2020 TrekMovie.com interview as a combination of other Star Trek characters, parts of himself, and people in his life. Mariner had elements of Captain James T. Kirk , Kathryn Janeway , and Jean-Luc Picard , " she knows the rules, but also sometimes feels like she should bend them because she knows better. "

Beckett Mariner in a Paramount+ commercial

He further compares her to " Maverick in Top Gun ... he's great at flying a jet, but he also buzzes the tower. " [2]

McMahan named Mariner after his sister, Beckett Mariner McMahan, and based her relationship with Captain Freeman on his sister's relationship with their mother " when my sister was younger and would throw down with my mom occasionally. " [3] [4]

No explanation has been given for Mariner having a different surname than either of her parents.

Beckett Mariner appears as a duty officer in Star Trek Online .

External links

Beckett Mariner at StarTrek.com
Beckett Mariner at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
3 USS Antares (32nd century)

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Series & Movies

Published Nov 5, 2015

Sirtis Talks 5th Passenger, Internity, Trek Cruise & More

Marina Sirtis couldn't resist. Scott Baker and Morgan Lariah approached the former Star Trek: The Next Generation actress with the notion of her playing a role in 5th Passenger , an indie sci-fi movie that would feature actors from Star Trek, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Hellboy , with much of the budget for the production raised by crowdfunding. The team raised the necessary $65,000 and cameras rolled, with Sirtis joined by Tim Russ, Armin Shimerman, Manu Intiraymi, Doug Jones, Hana Hatae and Lariah, who also co-produced and co-wrote the film with Baker, who directed it. Now, the film is nearing completion and a new Indiegogo campaign is underway to help cover the cost of visual effects. The campaign will run through November 13, and so Sirtis jumped on the telephone the other day to lend her support, talk a bit about Trek and share with fans news about an crowdfunded project of her own.

How different an experience was 5th Passenger , given the crowdfunding element of it?

Well, it was the first thing I've ever done that was crowdfunded. I was a little bit nervous about that, if I'm being honest. I suppose it's the English part of me. I don't know what it is. It doesn't sit well with me to ask people for money. It just doesn't. But they came to me about 5th Passenger and said, "Would you be in our movie?" I said, "Well, let me see a script." I read it and said, "Yes, I will be in your movie." They used my name and other names of people who'd agreed to be in it to help raise the money, or some of the money. And they were able to make it. But these people, these kids, they really knew what they were doing. They had it down. They were organized. They had a schedule. It was so professional. We shot really fast. They had a wonderful, female Romanian director of photography who lit it beautifully. We had to cheat so much. My set was basically one angle, and we had to use trigonometry or whatever it is we all learned in math class -- I hated math -- to figure out how to shoot things because the set didn't move. So we had to move. But they did it and it looks fantastic. I'm really proud of it. My contribution, I think, was minute compared to the work everyone else put into making it. And really, they've pulled off something that I thought was just impossible. We know the basic setup of the movie is that there are five passengers on a spacecraft meant for four, but we don't know anything about your character. So, what do you play and how does she fit into the action?

The story is a little bit like Extant , the Halle Berry show that was on last year and this year. There's a lifeform that kind of inhabits the people on this ship. So there's the sci-fi element of it, which is that. And then there's a whodunit element, as in Who's the murderer? I love a murder-mystery. That's my favorite, favorite thing in the world. That's basically all I read, and maybe the occasional fat novel. So, for me, it was wonderful. My part is basically the investigator. I'm trying to find out what went down on this spaceship. She's very professional and she's nothing like Deanna Troi. I actually don't think I've done anything like Deanna since I stopped playing her. Isn't that amazing? I think it's kind of fantastic. Who else did you work with that you knew? Really, it was just Manu. I also made a new friend. I have scenes with Herman Wilkins, and he and I and Michael Dorn are trying to get our own little project off the ground. So it was wonderful to do 5th Passenger just on its own, but also to meet Herman and have him be excited about my project with Michael. Tell us about this project of yours with Michael... It's something for TV. The idea came from a very, very clever young man called Joey Adams. He is actually Cindy Adams' nephew. He wrote this wonderful script called Internity , which is obviously a play on the words intern and eternity. My role, which is actually the leading role, is a woman in her 50s who starts again. She gets out of an unhappy marriage. Her kids have gone off to school. So she's on her own and she decides to do what she's always wanted to do, and that's become a doctor. So she's kind of this den mother to a group of kids who are interns with her at a hospital. It's a lovely role. I really hope this gets made. It's at Indiegogo. If people want to help with 5th Passenger and Internity , that would be great. So many wonderful, interesting projects are coming to life through crowdfunding. So, fingers crossed.

And you have another projects in the works with Michael, right? Yes, that would be either a movie or a miniseries about Maria Callas. That's my passion project, and it's something Michael and I have been working on for maybe a decade now. I want to do it because I think it's time that Maria Callas was finally played by a Greek woman. I'm the right age for it. I look like her. With my hair up in a bun, we're twins. I've always been fascinated by her because she was a monster, but a divine monster. And I relate to her in so many ways. I feel I know her so well, with the mother issues and everything. So that's something we're working really hard to get that off the ground, and it's something that Herman Wilkins is involved with as well. We have just one Trek question for you... How excited are you to be on board for The Official Star Trek Cruise? I am so excited. I will be doing Love Letters with Johnny (Frakes)! I've done Love Letters in the past with Dorny, but never with Johnny, and I can't wait to do it. I love Dorny. He's my best friend. Everyone knows that. But with Johnny, it was like fairy dust was sprinkled on us when we were acting together. Chemistry... that's the word I'm groping for. So I can't wait.

To learn more about 5th Passenger and contribute to the project, go to www.indiegogo.com/projects/5th-passenger-vfx-funding#/ . And to learn more abou Internity and contribute to that project, go to www.indiegogo.com/projects/internity-a-newbie-series#/ .

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The Future of ‘Star Trek’: From ‘Starfleet Academy’ to New Movies and Michelle Yeoh, How the 58-Year-Old Franchise Is Planning for the Next Generation of Fans

“I can’t believe I get to play the captain of the Enterprise.”

“Strange New Worlds” is the 12th “Star Trek” TV show since the original series debuted on NBC in 1966, introducing Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a hopeful future for humanity. In the 58 years since, the “Star Trek” galaxy has logged 900 television episodes and 13 feature films, amounting to 668 hours — nearly 28 days — of content to date. Even compared with “Star Wars” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Star Trek” stands as the only storytelling venture to deliver a single narrative experience for this long across TV and film.

In other words, “Star Trek” is not just a franchise. As Alex Kurtzman , who oversees all “Star Trek” TV production, puts it, “‘Star Trek’ is an institution.”

Without a steady infusion of new blood, though, institutions have a way of fading into oblivion (see soap operas, MySpace, Blockbuster Video). To keep “Star Trek” thriving has meant charting a precarious course to satisfy the fans who have fueled it for decades while also discovering innovative ways to get new audiences on board.

“Doing ‘Star Trek’ means that you have to deliver something that’s entirely familiar and entirely fresh at the same time,” Kurtzman says.

The franchise has certainly weathered its share of fallow periods, most recently after “Nemesis” bombed in theaters in 2002 and UPN canceled “Enterprise” in 2005. It took 12 years for “Star Trek” to return to television with the premiere of “Discovery” in 2017; since then, however, there has been more “Star Trek” on TV than ever: The adventure series “Strange New Worlds,” the animated comedy “Lower Decks” and the kids series “Prodigy” are all in various stages of production, and the serialized thriller “Picard” concluded last year, when it ranked, along with “Strange New Worlds,” among Nielsen’s 10 most-watched streaming original series for multiple weeks. Nearly one in five Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S. is watching at least one “Star Trek” series, according to the company, and more than 50% of fans watching one of the new “Trek” shows also watch at least two others. The new shows air in 200 international markets and are dubbed into 35 languages. As “Discovery” launches its fifth and final season in April, “Star Trek” is in many ways stronger than it’s ever been.

“’Star Trek’s fans have kept it alive more times than seems possible,” says Eugene Roddenberry, Jr., who executive produces the TV series through Roddenberry Entertainment. “While many shows rightfully thank their fans for supporting them, we literally wouldn’t be here without them.”

But the depth of fan devotion to “Star Trek” also belies a curious paradox about its enduring success: “It’s not the largest fan base,” says Akiva Goldsman, “Strange New Worlds” executive producer and co-showrunner. “It’s not ‘Star Wars.’ It’s certainly not Marvel.”

When J.J. Abrams rebooted “Star Trek” in 2009 — with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldaña playing Kirk, Spock and Uhura — the movie grossed more than any previous “Star Trek” film by a comfortable margin. But neither that film nor its two sequels broke $500 million in global grosses, a hurdle every other top-tier franchise can clear without breaking a sweat.

There’s also the fact that “Star Trek” fans are aging. I ask “The Next Generation” star Jonathan Frakes, who’s acted in or directed more versions of “Star Trek” than any other person alive, how often he meets fans for whom the new “Star Trek” shows are their first. “Of the fans who come to talk to me, I would say very, very few,” he says. “‘Star Trek’ fans, as we know, are very, very, very loyal — and not very young.”

As Stapf puts it: “There’s a tried and true ‘Trek’ fan that is probably going to come to every ‘Star Trek,’ no matter what it is — and we want to expand the universe.”

Every single person I spoke to for this story talked about “Star Trek” with a joyful earnestness as rare in the industry as (nerd alert) a Klingon pacifist.

“When I’m meeting fans, sometimes they’re coming to be confirmed, like I’m kind of a priest,” Ethan Peck says during a break in filming on the “Strange New Worlds” set. He’s in full Spock regalia — pointy ears, severe eyebrows, bowl haircut — and when asked about his earliest memories of “Star Trek,” he stares off into space in what looks like Vulcan contemplation. “I remember being on the playground in second or third grade and doing the Vulcan salute, not really knowing where it came from,” he says. “When I thought of ‘Star Trek,’ I thought of Spock. And now I’m him. It’s crazy.”

To love “Star Trek” is to love abstruse science and cowboy diplomacy, complex moral dilemmas and questions about the meaning of existence. “It’s ultimately a show with the most amazing vision of optimism, I think, ever put on-screen in science fiction,” says Kurtzman, who is 50. “All you need is two minutes on the news to feel hopeless now. ‘Star Trek’ is honestly the best balm you could ever hope for.”

I’m getting a tour of the USS Enterprise from Scotty — or, rather, “Strange New World” production designer Jonathan Lee, who is gushing in his native Scottish burr as we step into the starship’s transporter room. “I got such a buzzer from doing this, I can’t tell you,” he says. “I actually designed four versions of it.”

Lee is especially proud of the walkway he created to run behind the transporter pads — an innovation that allows the production to shoot the characters from a brand-new set of angles as they beam up from a far-flung planet. It’s one of the countless ways that this show has been engineered to be as cinematic as possible, part of Kurtzman’s overall vision to make “Star Trek” on TV feel like “a movie every week.”

Kurtzman’s tenure with “Star Trek” began with co-writing the screenplay for Abrams’ 2009 movie, which was suffused with a fast-paced visual style that was new to the franchise. When CBS Studios approached Kurtzman in the mid-2010s about bringing “Star Trek” back to TV, he knew instinctively that it needed to be just as exciting as that film.

“The scope was so much different than anything we had ever done on ‘Next Gen,’” says Frakes, who’s helmed two feature films with the “Next Generation” cast and directed episodes of almost every live-action “Trek” TV series, including “Discovery” and “Strange New Worlds.” “Every department has the resources to create.”

A new science lab set for Season 3, for example, boasts a transparent floor atop a four-foot pool of water that swirls underneath the central workbench, and the surrounding walls sport a half dozen viewscreens with live schematics custom designed by a six-person team. “I like being able to paint on a really big canvas,” Kurtzman says. “The biggest challenge is always making sure that no matter how big something gets, you’re never losing focus on that tiny little emotional story.”

At this point, is there a genre that “Strange New Worlds” can’t do? “As long as we’re in storytelling that is cogent and sure handed, I’m not sure there is,” Goldsman says with an impish smile. “Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!”

This approach is also meant to appeal to people who might want to watch “Star Trek” but regard those 668 hours of backstory as an insurmountable burden. “You shouldn’t have to watch a ‘previously on’ to follow our show,” Myers says.

To achieve so many hairpin shifts in tone and setting while maintaining Kurtzman’s cinematic mandate, “Strange New Worlds” has embraced one of the newest innovations in visual effects: virtual production. First popularized on the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” the technology — called the AR wall — involves a towering circular partition of LED screens projecting a highly detailed, computer-generated backdrop. Rather than act against a greenscreen, the actors can see whatever fantastical surroundings their characters are inhabiting, lending a richer level of verisimilitude to the show.

But there is a catch. While the technology is calibrated to maintain a proper sense of three-dimensional perspective through the camera lens, it can be a bit dizzying for anyone standing on the set. “The images on the walls start to move in a way that makes no sense,” says Mount. “You end up having to focus on something that’s right in front of you so you don’t fall down.”

And yet, even as he’s talking about it, Mount can’t help but break into a boyish grin. “Sometimes we call it the holodeck,” he says. In fact, the pathway to the AR wall on the set is dotted with posters of the virtual reality room from “The Next Generation” and the words “Enter Holodeck” in a classic “Trek” font.

“I want to take one of those home with me,” Peck says. Does the AR wall also affect him? “I don’t really get disoriented by it. Spock would not get ill, so I’m Method acting.”

I’m on the set of the “Star Trek” TV movie “Section 31,” seated in an opulent nightclub with a view of a brilliant, swirling nebula, watching Yeoh rehearse with director Olatunde Osunsanmi and her castmates. Originally, the project was announced as a TV series centered on Philippa Georgiou, the semi-reformed tyrant Yeoh originated on “Discovery.” But between COVID delays and the phenomenon of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” there wasn’t room in the veteran actress’s schedule to fit a season of television. Yeoh was undaunted.

“We’d never let go of her,” she says of her character. “I was just blown away by all the different things I could do with her. Honestly, it was like, ‘Let’s just get it done, because I believe in this.’”

If that means nothing to you, don’t worry: The enormity of the revelation that Garrett is being brought back is meant only for fans. If you don’t know who the character is, you’re not missing anything.

“It was always my goal to deliver an entertaining experience that is true to the universe but appeals to newcomers,” says screenwriter Craig Sweeny. “I wanted a low barrier of entry so that anybody could enjoy it.”

Nevertheless, including Garrett on the show is exactly the kind of gasp-worthy detail meant to flood “Star Trek” fans with geeky good feeling.

“You cannot create new fans to the exclusion of old fans,” Kurtzman says. “You must serve your primary fan base first and you must keep them happy. That is one of the most important steps to building new fans.”

On its face, that maxim would make “Section 31” a genuine risk. The titular black-ops organization has been controversial with “Star Trek” fans since it was introduced in the 1990s. “The concept is almost antagonistic to some of the values of ‘Star Trek,’” Sweeny says. But he still saw “Section 31” as an opportunity to broaden what a “Star Trek” project could be while embracing the radical inclusivity at the heart of the franchise’s appeal.

“Famously, there’s a spot for everybody in Roddenberry’s utopia, so I was like, ‘Well, who would be the people who don’t quite fit in?’” he says. “I didn’t want to make the John le Carré version, where you’re in the headquarters and it’s backbiting and shades of gray. I wanted to do the people who were at the edges, out in the field. These are not people who necessarily work together the way you would see on a ‘Star Trek’ bridge.”

For Osunsanmi, who grew up watching “The Next Generation” with his father, it boils down to a simple question: “Is it putting good into the world?” he asks. “Are these characters ultimately putting good into the world? And, taking a step back, are we putting good into the world? Are we inspiring humans watching this to be good? That’s for me what I’ve always admired about ‘Star Trek.’”

Should “Section 31” prove successful, Yeoh says she’s game for a sequel. And Kurtzman is already eyeing more opportunities for TV movies, including a possible follow-up to “Picard.” The franchise’s gung-ho sojourn into streaming movies, however, stands in awkward contrast to the persistent difficulty Paramount Pictures and Abrams’ production company Bad Robot have had making a feature film following 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond” — the longest theaters have gone without a “Star Trek” movie since Paramount started making them.

First, a movie reuniting Pine’s Capt. Kirk with his late father — played in the 2009 “Star Trek” by Chris Hemsworth — fell apart in 2018. Around the same time, Quentin Tarantino publicly flirted with, then walked away from, directing a “Star Trek” movie with a 1930s gangster backdrop. Noah Hawley was well into preproduction on a “Star Trek” movie with a brand-new cast, until then-studio chief Emma Watts abruptly shelved it in 2020. And four months after Abrams announced at Paramount’s 2022 shareholders meeting that his 2009 cast would return for a movie directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”), Shakman left the project to make “The Fantastic Four” for Marvel. (It probably didn’t help that none of the cast had been approached before Abrams made his announcement.)

The studio still intends to make what it’s dubbed the “final chapter” for the Pine-Quinto-Saldaña cast, and Steve Yockey (“The Flight Attendant”) is writing a new draft of the script. Even further along is another prospective “Star Trek” film written by Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and to be directed by Toby Haynes (“Andor,” “Black Mirror: USS Callister”) that studio insiders say is on track to start preproduction by the end of the year. That project will serve as an origin story of sorts for the main timeline of the entire franchise. In both cases, the studio is said to be focused on rightsizing the budgets to fit within the clear box office ceiling for “Star Trek” feature films.

Far from complaining, everyone seems to relish the challenge. Visual effects supervisor Jason Zimmerman says that “working with Alex, the references are always at least $100 million movies, if not more, so we just kind of reverse engineer how do we do that without having to spend the same amount of money and time.”

The workload doesn’t seem to faze him either. “Visual effects people are a big, big ‘Star Trek’ fandom,” he says. “You naturally just get all these people who go a little bit above and beyond, and you can’t trade that for anything.”

In one of Kurtzman’s several production offices in Toronto, he and production designer Matthew Davies are scrutinizing a series of concept drawings for the newest “Star Trek” show, “Starfleet Academy.” A bit earlier, they showed me their plans for the series’ central academic atrium, a sprawling, two-story structure that will include a mess hall, amphitheater, trees, catwalks, multiple classrooms and a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge in a single, contiguous space. To fit it all, they plan to use every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage, the largest in Canada.

But this is a “Star Trek” show, so there do need to be starships, and Kurtzman is discussing with Davies about how one of them should look. The issue is that “Starfleet Academy” is set in the 32nd century, an era so far into the future Kurtzman and his team need to invent much of its design language.

“For me, this design is almost too Klingon,” Kurtzman says. “I want to see the outline and instinctively, on a blink, recognize it as a Federation ship.”

The time period was first introduced on Season 3 of “Discovery,” when the lead character, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), transported the namesake starship and its crew there from the 23rd century. “It was exciting, because every time we would make a decision, we would say, ‘And now that’s canon,’” says Martin-Green.

“We listened to a lot of it,” Kurtzman says. “I think I’ve been able to separate the toxic fandom from really true fans who love ‘Star Trek’ and want you to hear what they have to say about what they would like to see.”

By Season 2, the “Discovery” writers pivoted from its dour, war-torn first season and sent the show on its trajectory 900-plus years into the future. “We had to be very aware of making sure that Spock was in the right place and that Burnham’s existence was explained properly, because she was never mentioned in the original series,” says executive producer and showrunner Michelle Paradise. “What was fun about jumping into the future is that it was very much fresh snow.”

That freedom affords “Starfleet Academy” far more creative latitude while also dramatically reducing how much the show’s target audience of tweens and teens needs to know about “Star Trek” before watching — which puts them on the same footing as the students depicted in the show. “These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before,” Noga Landau, executive producer and co-showrunner, says. “They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

In the “Starfleet Academy” writers’ room in Secret Hideout’s Santa Monica offices, Kurtzman tells the staff — a mix of “Star Trek” die-hards, part-time fans and total newbies — that he wants to take a 30,000-foot view for a moment. “I think we need to ground in science more throughout the show,” he says, a giant framed photograph of Spock ears just over his shoulder. “The kids need to use science more to solve problems.”

Immediately, one of the writers brightens. “Are you saying we can amp up the techno-babble?” she says. “I’m just excited I get to use my computer science degree.”

After they break for lunch, Kurtzman is asked how much longer he plans to keep making “Star Trek.”

“The minute I fall out of love with it is the minute that it’s not for me anymore. I’m not there yet,” he says. “To be able to build in this universe to tell stories that are fundamentally about optimism and a better future at a time when the world seems to be falling apart — it’s a really powerful place to live every day.”

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Things To Do | WonderCon 2024: Star Trek, Spider-Man, Star…

Things To Do

Things to do | wondercon 2024: star trek, spider-man, star wars fans and more assemble in anaheim, now in its 36th year, the comics convention, which brings together costumed fans, artists, authors and celebrity guests, runs through easter sunday..

With a large, lively gathering of Star Trek redshirts posing for a group photo, WonderCon kicked off at the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, March 29. Now in its 36th year, the comics convention runs through Easter Sunday and brings together costumed fans, artists, authors and celebrity guests sharing their love and enthusiasm for pop culture.

The redshirts – who are renowned for often dying in “Star Trek” episodes – were among the throngs of Spider-Men, Batmen, pirates from the anime “One Piece” and Disney princesses who posed in front of the “Ocean Fountain” just outside the entrance to the convention center.

Miguel Capuchino, and his wife Lucy Capuchino, dressed as Vulcans, helped organize a Star Trek meet-up in front of during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Kasandra Higgins is dressed as Sun, the Daycare Attendant from Five Nights at Freddy’s, during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Photographer Kyle Matthew directs Troy Booth, dressed as Superman, outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. Booth traveled from the U.K. for the comic convention. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Adrian Ramirez, dressed as Spider-Man, cuddles with Gianna Barrera, dressed as Doc Ock, outsdie WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Marina Sharpe, dressed as Barbie, takes a video of Melissa Matteson, dressed as Thumbelina, during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Alec Zarate, dressed as Symbiote Spider-Man, balances on top of a trash can outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Andrew Dougherty is dressed as a Stormtrooper mashup outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

RIgby Ramirez checks out books at Phantom Zone Comics booth, during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Troy Booth, dressed as Superman, soaks up the sun outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. Booth traveled from the U.K. for the comic convention. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sara Zitney and her daughter, Evelynn Zitney, 7, are dressed as Nimona, in different forms, from the movie of the same name, during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Morgan Summers is dressed as Queen of the Damned during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Joshua Turner is dressed as Super Saiyan 3 outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tess Ramtohul, dressed as Supergirl, poses for photographers outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. Ramtohul traveled from the U.K. for the comic convention. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Octave Villar, dressed as The Riddler, Darius Villar, as Batman, Octavius Villar, as The Riddler and Elizabeth King-Villar, dressed as Poison Ivy, outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

David Sander dons a biker jacket from the 501st Legion during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Cosplayers outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Shari Haynes, dressed as Lt. Nyota Uhura from Star Trek, holds on to her communication device during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bridget Arias, dressed as Wonder Woman, takes pictures of Morgan Summers, dressed as Queen of the Damned during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Armani Catlin, dressed as a samurai Miles Morales from the Spiderverse, during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ezra Robles, 9, plays a Jaws pinball machine during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Robles family plays Jaws pinball machines during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Natalie Dodgen, dressed as Rey, wanders the aisles of WonderCon with R2-D2 in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dinah Salas tries on a handmade leather mask at the Mad Masks booth during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Husband and wife, Rachel and David Quintana, at their Mad Masks booth during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Christopher Canole, 77, dressed as his own creation – Dude Vader, says he’s the oldest cosplayer at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

While waiting for more Spider-Men to show up for a prearranged group photo, Alec Zarate from Whittier, dressed as Spidey’s Venom symbiote, struck the superhero’s classic crouch position on the top of a garbage can by the fountain. A mask of the alien symbiote’s face sprang from the neck of Zarate’s black outfit on a wire, as a nod to Venom’s bond with Peter Parker.

“Venom’s really rowdy, but he’s friendly,” Zarate joked.

Zarate said he hopes to see a Saturday panel with Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel, co-creators of the animated series “Smiling Friends” from Adult Swim. This year, WonderCon’s panels will spotlight comic books writers and artists like Gail Simone and Dustin Nguyen , as well as the cast and crew of TV shows and movies such as “The Spiderwick Chronicles” with Christian Slater and “Boy Kills World,” with Famke Janssen.

Low-key con

Run by the same organizers as San Diego Comic-Con , the largest comics and pop culture convention in the world, WonderCon is known for being a friendly, more chill experience for attendees. There’s no nerves-shredding lottery system for badges, nor are the lines for panels and merchandise anywhere near as exhaustingly long as those at SDCC. At the time this article was written, badges were still available for sale on-site.

Inside the convention center on the exhibition floor, Barbara Robles and her family were playing pinball on a “Jaws”-themed pinball machine. Robles, her husband and stepdaughter were respectively dressed as Dark Phoenix, “Beast” and “Rogue” from “X-Men.” Her son Ezra, 9, was dressed as Sebastian from the children’s book, “The Impossible Quest.”

“He wanted to do his own thing this year,” Robles said with a laugh. “We all like to dress up, and usually we vote on the group costume we want to do. Last year, we dressed as Scooby-Doo characters, and we even had the Mystery Machine van.”

Regular WonderCon-goers, Robles said they traveled down from Lompoc to attend WonderCon, although they will head back home for Easter. “Even though we’re not here long, it’s a great family event for us.”

Droids from Star Wars roamed the exhibition hall, stopping every few feet for photos and videos with fans. Five-year-old Alison Yao from Pasadena struck a pose with R2D2.

“I’m a huge Star Wars fan,” said her father, Tony Yao. “So she recognizes R2 now.”

Yao hopes WonderCon sees good crowds this year, even with the rainy forecast for Saturday and Sunday. “I’m worried that the weather will put a damper on it a little bit. But it’s a fun weekend, so I hope folks still come out.”

A toy designer, Yao was attending WonderCon as both a fan and a creator of action figures. He works with some of the companies presenting merchandise on the floor, including Toynami.

Rather than the industry giants at SDCC, WonderCon’s floor tends to run to independent artists and small press. A couple of the bigger names this year are IDW comics, which will host a few of its artists for signings, and FiGPiN, which will have exclusive Star Wars Rebels , My Hero Academia and Scooby-Doo collectibles only available to con-goers.

Fans who needed masks for their cosplay could visit the “Mad Masks” booth run by Rachel and David Quintana of Mission Viejo. Rachel Quintana said they began making masks from their home 12 years ago.

“My husband was dressed as the Joker and I was doing Harley Quinn, but the mask that came with my costume didn’t fit properly,” she said. “So I made my own, and a couple extra, and sold them on eBay, and they were just snapped up.”

The couple have been selling their handmade leather masks at WonderCon for the last four years, and will also have a presence at San Diego Comic Con this July.

“I love WonderCon and Comic Con because I love seeing my customers in person, and just the buzz of the whole atmosphere,” Quintana said. “I look forward to it every year.”

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Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery brings back picard season 3’s portal weapon with a twist.

Star Trek: Discovery introduced an updated version of the portal weapon used by Vadic in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

A handheld portal weapon featured in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premiere is a portable version of a Vadic's Star Trek: Picard season 3 technology.
Moll and L'ak use the portal weapon against Captain Burnham, setting the stage for an action-packed galactic treasure hunt.
Uncertainty surrounds the fate of Section 31 in Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd century.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 - "Red Directive" A new version of the portal weapon from Star Trek: Picard season 3 made an appearance in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. In Picard season 3, a portal weapon was used by Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and her renegade Changelings in their attack on the United Federation of Planets. The Changelings stole the experimental technology from Starfleet's Daystrom Station and used it to destroy a Starfleet Recruitment Center as a precursor to a much larger attack. Vadic's powerful warship, the Shrike, was also equipped with a portal weapon that Vadic used in a battle against the USS Titan-A.

With Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd-century setting, technology has improved significantly since the 25th century of Star Trek: Picard . Although the Federation of the far future was nearly destroyed by the Burn, they managed to hold onto and continue to develop much of their technology. Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew, for example, regularly use advanced personal transporters, phasers, and programmable matter. Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive" reveals that even the non-affiliated couriers of the 32nd century have access to advanced technology, including a handheld portal weapon.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery makes picard’s portal weapon portable & handheld, moll & la'k use a handheld portal weapon against captain burnham..

Star Trek: Discovery's season 5 premiere sends the USS Discovery on a galactic treasure hunt in a race against two couriers, Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis). After Moll and L'ak raid an 800-year-old Romulan ship, they find a traditional puzzle box containing a book that could lead to the creators of humanoid life, introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "The Chase." Captain Burnham and her team arrive just after Moll and L'ak have taken the artifact, but not before they have made their escape. The two groups exchange phaser fire, but Moll and L'ak possess more advanced weapons.

In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Vadic used her portal weapon to send the Titan back into a dangerous nebula and to send the Titan's photon torpedoes back at them, causing massive damage.

When Captain Burnham tells the two couriers to hand over the puzzle box, L'ak pulls out a small disc and tosses it at Michael. As Moll and L'ak make their escape, the disc explodes, creating a portal and a massive hold in the deck of the Romulan ship. Burnham is sucked out into space, but her programmable matter suit deploys just in time. Moll and L'ak's portal weapon works a bit differently than Vadic's and, thankfully, only delays Michael, but it remains to be seen what other unique tech the two couriers may possess. See Moll and La'k's portal weapon in the clip below:

Does Section 31 Still Exist In Star Trek: Discovery’s 32nd Century?

Could section 31 have survived the burn and the near-collapse of the federation.

The portal weapon used by Vadic in Star Trek: Picard season 3 was housed at Daystrom Station, a Starfleet black site where Section 31's most dangerous technology was kept off-the-books. The weapon Moll and L'ak possess do resemble those of Section 31. Although Star Trek: Discovery explored the Section 31 of the 23rd century in its first two seasons, the show has not acknowledged whether Section 31 exists in the 32nd century. Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) joined Section 31 in Discovery season 2, but her upcoming film, Star Trek: Section 31 , will take place in the early 24th century, also known as Star Trek's "lost era."

One of the most mysterious characters in Star Trek: Discovery , Dr. Kovich's (David Cronenberg) exact role remains unclear, leaving the possibility open that he could be involved with Section 31 or its 32nd-century equivalent.

Considering the Burn destroyed numerous Starfleet ships and decimated the Federation in 3069, it seems unlikely that Section 31 would be a priority as the Federation rebuilds. None of the higher-ups introduced so far in Discovery have made any mention of Section 31, even with the multiple galaxy-threatening events the Federation has faced. The black market appears to the thriving in the 32nd century, however, so a covert Starfleet Intelligence organization would likely prove useful. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 could still reveal something about Section 31, but perhaps the black ops organization has become a thing of Star Trek's past.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery stream Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Star trek: picard.

Star Trek: Discovery Introduces Its Own Data

Discovery season 5 introduces a Soong-type synth similar to Data, connecting to TNG and Picard storylines.
Fred, a synthetic with ties to Data's creator, Noonien Soong, showcases advanced technology in the 32nd century.
With themes of humanity and artificial intelligence, Star Trek: Discovery continues to explore interesting connections and mysteries.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 - "Red Directive"

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere introduced a Soong-type synth who looked a lot like Data (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: The Next Generation . Throughout TNG , Data became one of Star Trek's most popular characters, with his child-like curiosity and lifelong quest to explore his humanity. Created by cyberneticist Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) in the 24th century, Data was the most advanced android of his time. With his enhanced strength and ability to process massive amounts of information in seconds, Data proved invaluable as a crewmember on the USS Enterprise-D.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 begins with a bang, as Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery are thrown into a galactic treasure hunt hundreds of years in the making. In Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive," Discovery sets out in pursuit of a mysterious Romulan artifact from 800 years ago. When their target is stolen by couriers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis), Michael reaches out to Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) for insight as to where the couriers might try to unload their haul. This leads Discovery to a fence named Fred (J. Adam Brown), a synthetic with the same distinctive pallor and yellow eyes as Data.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery has its own data-like android named fred, in only one episode, discovery season 5 has more connections to tng than any previous season..

Moll and L'ak reach Fred first in Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere with their prize of a Romulan puzzle box. When they present the Romulan artifact to Fred, he remarks that he has "not encountered one of these for 622.7 years," revealing a clue about the android's age. Fred makes quick work of the box, as well as the handwritten journal found inside. After reading the entire contents of the book in mere seconds (as Data often did on TNG ), Fred makes an offer that's too low for L'ak and Moll. Sensing Fred's upcoming double-cross, L'ak remarks that "it's been a while since we've seen a synth anxious."

When Fred attempts to keep the book, Moll and L'ak attack, eventually killing the android fence. Michael and Book arrive too late to catch Moll and L'ak, but they beam Fred to Discovery to look through his memories. As Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) examines Fred, he discovers the android's serial number to be AS0572Y, remarking that AS must stand for Altan Soong (Brent Spiner) , the son of Data's creator, Noonien Soong. Introduced in Star Trek: Picard season 1, Dr. Altan Inigo Soong created a population of synths on the planet Coppelius, all using one of Data's positronic neurons.

Data returned in Star Trek: Picard season 3, with a newly upgraded synthetic body, as well as the ability to experience organic emotions and physical touch. These upgrades brought Data as close to being human as he could possibly be.

Discovery Already Has A Synthetic Like Picard

Jean-luc picard received a golem body in star trek: picard, as did gray in star trek: discovery..

While it appears that Fred is dead (unless Stamets can find a way to revive him), Star Trek: Discovery already has another, more advanced synthetic in Gray (Ian Alexander). The partner of Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), Gray was thought to be dead, but they were later revived when their consciousness was transferred to a synthetic golem body. Gray followed in the footsteps of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who received the same kind of synthetic body in the final episode of Star Trek: Picard season 1, after succumbing to a terminal brain condition.

Even if Fred remains dead, here's hoping Star Trek: Discovery reveals more information about the intriguing android and his connection to Data.

Even during the 25th century of Star Trek: Picard , synthetic and android technology improved significantly since the creation of Data, although very few beyond the Soong family understood the science behind it. Still, Picard's golem body , like Gray's, was indistinguishable from a human (or a Trill, in Gray's case). It's unclear why and how a synth resembling the earliest version of Soong's androids would exist in the 32nd century, and Fred's admission that he is over 600 years old certainly raises some interesting questions. Even if Fred remains dead, here's hoping Star Trek: Discovery reveals more information about the intriguing android and his connection to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Data.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery air Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Cast Blu del Barrio, Oded Fehr, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Callum Keith Rennie

Writers Alex Kurtzman

Where To Watch Paramount+

Release Date September 24, 2017

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Directors Jonathan Frakes, Olatunde Osunsanmi

Showrunner Alex Kurtzman

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Writers Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore

Release Date September 28, 1987

Directors David Carson

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Star Trek: Discovery Introduces Its Own Data

IMAGES

Marina Sirtis, Star Trek The Next Generation
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troy in Star Trek TNG
Star Trek
Deanna Troi Marina Sirtis by gazomg
Marina Sirtis, Star Trek TNG, "Encounter at Farpoint," 1987
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

VIDEO

'Star Trek: Picard': Marina Sirtis from the red carpet
Marina Sirtis -- Who was the hardest person to work with on Star Trek TNG?
Marina Sirtis Star Trek the Next Generation S06e03
Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis Set The Record Straight On Relationship With Shatner
Rewind: Marina Sirtis of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" on show's connection to the classics -2002
Marina Sirtis

COMMENTS

Marina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis (/ ˈ s ɜːr t ɪ s /; born 29 March 1955) is a British actress.She is best known for her role as Counselor Deanna Troi on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and four Star Trek feature films, as well as other appearances in the Star Trek franchise.
Marina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis. Actress: Star Trek: The Next Generation. Marina Sirtis was born in London, England, to Greek parents, Despina (Yianniri), a tailor's assistant, and John Sirtis. Her parents did not want her to become an actress. As soon as Marina completed high school, she secretly applied to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After her graduation, she worked in musical theater, repertory ...
Marina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis. Actress: Star Trek: The Next Generation. Marina Sirtis was born in London, England, to Greek parents, Despina (Yianniri), a tailor's assistant, and John Sirtis. Her parents did not want her to become an actress. As soon as Marina completed high school, she secretly applied to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After her graduation, she worked in musical theater, repertory ...
Interview: Michael Dorn And Marina Sirtis On Wanting Laughs For Troi
Among those honored this year at the Saturn Awards were Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis, who picked up lifetime achievement awards as part of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation.TrekMovie ...
9 Things You Should Know About Marina Sirtis
To mark the occasion, StarTrek.com is pleased to share 9 Things You Should Know About Marina Sirtis. And they are... The Early Days. Born in London to Greek parents, Sirtis attended the Guild Hall School of Music and Drama. After graduating, she became a member of the Worthing Repertory Theater, where she made her debut as Ophelia in Hamlet.
Marina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis (born 29 March 1955; age 69) is the English-American actress best known for playing Counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation. She later played the role in four Star Trek films, as well as episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise, episodes of Star Trek: Picard, and an episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Along with Colm Meaney (Miles ...
Marina Sirtis, Part 1: From Convention Queen To Evil Queen
Ask anyone who's attended Star Trek conventions on a regular basis to name their favorite guest and chances are that he or she will reply "Marina Sirtis" at the speed of light. Once and forever the Convention Queen, Sirtis has always immersed fans in her love for them, her appreciation of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deanna Troi, and her energy for, well, just about anything.
Star Trek Star Marina Sirtis On Her Childhood, Her Early ...
Star Trek Star Marina Sirtis On Her Childhood, Her Early Career, The Enduring Popularity Of Star Trek, & How Hollywood Has Changed Over Her 46-year Career.
Her Fans Are Her Friends: A Conversation with TREK's Marina Sirtis
There's no such thing as a post-Star Trek world for Marina Sirtis, as she continues to be in contact with her former cast-mates, and she also has a longstanding history of plentiful and positive fan experiences — but looking for new directions is a must for any performer, regardless of what stage of their lives they are in.
Marina Sirtis, Part 2: From Convention Queen To Evil Queen
Today, in part two of our exclusive interview with Marina Sirtis, the beloved Star Trek: The Next Generation actress talks more about her Trek experiences, spanning from TNG and the TNG films to guest shots on Voyager and Enterprise.She also shares her enthusiasm for her latest project, co-starring with Neil Patrick Harris in a theater production of A Snow White Christmas, which is a panto ...
Marina Sirtis Confirms Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Role Isn't The 'Same
Until then, Star Trek fans can check out Marina Sirtis in the upcoming movie Control, which follows a USSR-raised man named Andrei who's struggling in America's great recession in the late 2000s ...
Star Trek: TNG's Marina Sirtis & Counselor Troi Explained
Counselor Deanna Troi's return in Star Trek: Picard season 3 came a bit later in the season than many fans were expecting. Marina Sirtis lives in London and had scheduling conflicts with the filming of Picard season 3, meaning she was only available for certain episodes.After the first few episodes of Picard season 3 had aired, some fans took to social media to express their disappointment ...
Why Star Trek's Marina Sirtis Is Amazed By Picard Season 3
published 29 November 2022. The actress shared some love for the Picard crew. (Image credit: Paramount+) As psyched as Star Trek fans are to see Picard Season 3 and their favorite actors from The ...
She Played 'Deanna Troi' on Star Trek. See Marina Sirtis Now At 69
For fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Marina Sirtis will forever be known as Counselor Deanna Troi, the compassionate Betazoid advisor aboard the USS Enterprise-D. As one of the iconic sci-fi series' principal cast members, Sirtis became a staple at Trek conventions and developed a dedicated fanbase from 1987 to 1994.
Marina Sirtis: TNG Cast "Cherished" In 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3
Marina Sirtis has been critical of the final TNG film, Star Trek: Nemesis, in the past and agreed with the interviewer that getting another go was cathartic, adding: Well the producers—before we ...
What has Marina Sirtis Been Doing Since Star Trek?
Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images Marina Sirtis poses for photographs during the Destination Star Trek event at ExCel. It's been over 30 years since Marina Sirtis joined the Star Trek universe as ...
Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis.Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid, and has the psionic ability to sense emotions.She serves as the ship's counsellor on USS Enterprise-D.Throughout most of the series, she holds the rank of lieutenant commander.
Marina Sirtis: The Truth About The Iconic 'Star Trek' Actress
Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation will recognize Marina Sirtis, who played Counselor Deanna Troi for the show's entire seven-year run. But the 65-year-old actress—who was born in Hackney, London—has many other TV and movie credits to her name, including a number of popular British productions. Here, we take a look at this talented ...
Brent Spiner and Marina Sirtis on Star Trek's enduring appeal
Star Trek's Brent Spiner ("Data") and Marina Sirtis ("Deanna Troi") talk about the enduring appeal of the long running Star Trek franchises ahead of the prem...
Why Star Trek's Marina Sirtis Doesn't Think Picard Season 3 Is The Best
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 was meant to give a proper send-off to The Next Generation cast, and I think most fans would agree that it succeeded. The actors were happy to be back together once ...
Beckett Mariner
Beckett Mariner was a female Human Starfleet officer who lived during the late 24th century. Both of her parents served in positions of command in Starfleet: her mother (and later captain), Carol Freeman, attempted to keep a close eye on her activities aboard the USS Cerritos, while her father Alonzo Freeman was an admiral. Mariner has gained considerable experience and formidable skills as a ...
Sirtis Talks 5th Passenger, Internity, Trek Cruise & More
Marina Sirtis couldn't resist. Scott Baker and Morgan Lariah approached the former Star Trek: The Next Generation actress with the notion of her playing a role in 5th Passenger, an indie sci-fi movie that would feature actors from Star Trek, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Hellboy, with much of the budget for the production raised by crowdfunding.The team raised the necessary $65,000 and cameras ...
Star Trek's Future: 'Starfleet Academy,' 'Section 31,' Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh just wrapped filming the first "Star Trek" TV movie, "Section 31," a spy thriller that the Oscar winner characterizes as "'Mission: Impossible' in space.". And this ...
WonderCon 2024: Star Trek, Spider-Man, Star Wars fans and more assemble
Shari Haynes, dressed as Lt. Nyota Uhura from Star Trek, holds on to her communication device during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, March 29, 2024. The three-day comic convention takes place ...
Star Trek: Discovery Brings Back Picard Season 3's Portal Weapon With A
Star Trek: Discovery's season 5 premiere sends the USS Discovery on a galactic treasure hunt in a race against two couriers, Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis).After Moll and L'ak raid an 800-year-old Romulan ship, they find a traditional puzzle box containing a book that could lead to the creators of humanoid life, introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "The Chase."
Star Trek: Discovery Introduces Its Own Data
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 begins with a bang, as Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery are thrown into a galactic treasure hunt hundreds of years in the making ...

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She Played ‘Deanna Troi’ on Star Trek. See Marina Sirtis Now At 69.

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