star trek season 6 episode 25

Star Trek: Voyager

The Haunting of Deck Twelve

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Manu Intiraymi

Marley McClean

Zoe McLellan

Kurt Wetherill

Cody Wetherill

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Star Trek: Voyager - Episode Guide - Season 6

It’s unfortunate for Star Trek: Voyager that by season 6 its viewing audience had dissolved to essentially only the more passionate devotees, because only here do the scriptwriters feel consistently comfortable with the material and resources available. As the production certainly realized that season 7 would be the final run for Voyager, a sense of getting closer to home of the Federation more directly influencing the Voyager crew’s lives was imparted.

Second-banana Reginald Barclay, along with Next Generation refugee Deanna Troi, gets some quality screen time in Voyager season 6 and some good ol’ Federation-based conspiracies poke up now and again. This season also brings us a re-sendoff for Kes and the seriously underrated classic “Blink of an Eye.” With a fantastic run of a half-dozen episodes at the end of this bunch, season 6 of Voyager could well be its strongest altogether.

1. Equinox, Part II – After unleashing the nucleogenic aliens on Voyager, captain Ransom and the Equinox crew escape with Seven aboard as well as Voyager’s version of the EMH program. As Janeway obsessively and single-mindedly pursues the Equinox, Ransom inversely becomes more humanized and thus regretful about his stunningly immoral stand. ***

2. Survival Instinct – This one’s sort of a cross between the TNG episode “I, Borg” and Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit. Three Borg units who were formerly part of Seven’s unimatrix have become separated from the great collective but remain enslaved to one another’s thoughts. ***

3. Barge of the Dead – When knocked into a coma, B’Elanna finds herself on the titular vehicle and ultimately in Gre’thor, a.k.a. Klingon Hell. It’s not nearly as badass as it sounds. ***

4. Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy – A seriously funny Doctor-centric episode features the EMH’s new penchant for daydreaming. Things go from humorous to hilarious when would-be invaders on a cloaked ship tap into the holographic matrix and believe the Doctor’s over-the-top heroism is real. ****

5. Alice – Alice? Who the f*** is Alice? In short, a shuttlecraft which has some strange telepathic qualities over the easily-obsessable man with a thousand hobbies, Tom Paris. **

6. Riddles – Tuvok is attacked by aliens whose plot is easily solved by Janeway et al, but Tuvok must recover psychically in ways sadly predictable for anyone who’s ever seen such an episode about a Vulcan character. **

7. Dragon’s Teeth – In fleeing an attack, Janeway lands Voyager on an alien planet where hundreds of humanoids are in stasis and hidden from the surface. ***

8. One Small Step – Not dissimilar to a Voyager version of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Chakotay, Paris and Seven check out a classic mysterious cloud which contains within bits of the Ares IV, a 22nd-century Mars mission. ***

9. The Voyager Conspiracy – Seven downloads too much information from the Voyager databases and becomes a conspiracist. This one is reminiscent of Twin Peaks, in keeping the viewer’s attention until he/she realizes that there is actually far less below the surface-level story here than he/she thought. **

10. Pathfinder – How do you feel about Reg Barclay and Deanna Troi of TNG? It will directly affect your enjoyment of this episode. In an effort to locate Voyager, Barclay creates holodeck versions of the ship and its crew to help advance his theories. Unfortunately, his superiors believe that Barclay is suffering again from holodeck addiction; of course, if Barclay were merely holo-addicted, this wouldn’t be an episode of Voyager now, would it…? ***

11. Fair Haven – Janeway falls in love with a holodeck program character and … oh, just skip it. *

12. Blink of an Eye – As though to make up for “Fair Haven”, the Voyager production team slated this, one of the single best Voyager episodes, directly thereafter. In a sort of reverse “The Inner Light”, Voyager is trapped in orbit around a planet on which, due to relativistic effects, times progresses tens of thousands of times more slowly. The planet’s entire history is affected by the continuous sight of Voyager for thousands of years until space travel is finally developed. *****

13. Virtuoso – The Doctor becomes an interplanetary celebrity when aliens without music hear him singing. Some good stuff here, but couldn’t the Doctor’s range have been displayed a bit beyond opera? Did not the Qomar appreciate the Beatles as well…? ***

14. Memorial – The title gives away the twist a bit, but if you’ve missed it, what follows is a strange story about an away team of non-favorites (Chakotay, Tom Paris, Harry Kim, Neelix) have flashbacks of a military exercise in which none of them ever participated – and the rest of the crew soon follows. ***

15. Tsunkatse – Can you smell what the Rock is replicating? B’Elanna, Chakotay, Paris and Neelix are huge fans of the ultra-violent combat sport Tsunkatse. It’s all fun and games watching combatants beat each other senseless – until Seven is kidnapped and forced to face off against 24th-century Dwayne Johnson, that is... ***

16. Collective – Chakotay, Kim, Paris and Neelix, a quartet who really should not have pushed their luck after hogging much screen time in the past two episodes, are captured and brought aboard a Borg cube manned by just five drones – all children. Not nearly as unwatchable as it sounds. ****

17. Spirit Folk – As though “Fair Haven” weren’t lame enough and holodeck-centered stories already rife in six years of Voyager, here’s “Spirit Folk.” The people of the quaint Irish town Fair Haven suddenly gain consciousness and … ah, come on. *

18. Ashes to Ashes – A Red Shirt so insignificant her death was not even shown during an episode returns in the body of a Kobali, an alien race that reproduces by genetically altering dead bodies. (How the hell did this species ever evolve in the first place?) And apparently she digs on Harry, which gives Paris another chance to nauseatingly run through the stupid list of Kim’s crushes through the years. **

19. Child's Play – The parents of one of the four Borg children taken aboard Voyager after the events of “Collective”, are found. The usual stuff about arguing where the lad “belongs” precedes a revelation about the boy’s origin. **

20. Good Shepherd – In an effort to prevent them from someday becoming Red Shirts, three, likesay, below-average Starfleet crew members are taken on an away mission with Janeway; naturally, things go south in a hurry. Also, the dude from Rage Against the Machine is in this one! ***

21. Live Fast and Prosper – Three con artists pose as Janeway, Tuvok and Chakotay and start pulling jobs based on Voyager’s ever-burgeoning reputation in the Quadrant. Often quite funny with a couple of nice twists. ****

22. Muse – B’Elanna Torres crash lands (no, really?) and soon “The Away Mission of B’Elanna Torres” is a highly successful play by the Bronze Age culture’s leading poet. Said poet pumps Torres for information to write more scripts while Harry Kim somehow takes two weeks to walk 200 kilometers (124.2 miles). Dude, seriously? Just 14¼ km/8.2 miles a day? Dude, I’m older than you and not as fit as a Starfleet officer and I can do nine miles in three hours. ****

23. Fury – Nobody’s favorite character returns to Voyager in greatly aged form. Obviously carrying some grudge or another, she proceeds to kick a lot of ass and travel four years back in time, so that we get double Kesses (?) as Old Kes attempts to change the past. Tuvok and Janeway solve the complex time-travel paradox in such fashion that we wonder why this kind of answer is deployed more often in the ST universe. Though the ending is well too pat, “Fury” is at least a more proper sendoff episode for Kes – no matter how one feels about her. ***

24. Life Line – More fun with Troi and Barclay! The Federation establishes a method of communicating massive compressed messages to Voyager once a month. So when ol’ Reg informs the Doctor that his creator, Lewis Zimmerman, is dying from a Phage-like disease, he insists that his program be compressed and sent in to help. In a Doctor-style take on TNG’s “Brothers,” Robert Picardo shines. ****

25. The Haunting of Deck Twelve – Finally, Neelix made not insufferable! When the Enterprise must power down for a few hours, Neelix regales the Borg children with a “ghost story” about a mysterious space-dwelling alien which – yep – still haunts Deck Twelve. Good stuff here is sadly missing an- “The End – or is it?” payoff. ****

26. Unimatrix Zero, Part I – Voyager’s producers heap old-fashioned bloody horror onto the pre-existent existential horror that is Borg. Seven discovers Unimatrix Zero, a shared virtual reality entered via dream state. Only a tiny number of “mutant” Borg drones can experience individuality in this manner, but Janeway sets the task of freeing/rescuing these few. Soon, an away team of Janeway, Tuvok and Torres board a Borg cube and are apparently assimilated…****

• May 17, 2000

Summary Star Trek: Voyager follows the adventures of the Federation starship Voyager, which is under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway.Voyager is in pursuit of a rebel Maquis ship in a dangerous part of the Alpha Quadrant when it is suddenly thrown 70,000 light years away to the Delta Quadrant. With much of her crew dead, Captain Janeway is ... Read More

Directed By : David Livingston

Written By : Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, Mike Sussman, Kenneth Biller, Bryan Fuller, Michael Taylor, Robert Doherty

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Created By : Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor

Season Episodes

Kate Mulgrew

Capt. kathryn janeway, captain jenkins, shannon o'donnell, robert beltran, cmdr. chakotay, cmdr. katanay, roxann dawson, lt. b'elanna torres, b'elanna torres, dreadnought, robert duncan mcneill, lt. tom paris, ensign tom paris, lt. (j.g.) tom paris, ethan phillips, robert picardo, the doctor, dr. lewis zimmerman, equinox emh, lt. tuvok, tulak, tuvok, garrett wang, ensign harry kim, ensign kymble, tarik ergin, lt. ayala, satan's robot, security guard, majel barrett, voyager computer, computer voice, computer, seven of nine, three of eight, two of three, jennifer lien, kes, palaxia, richard sarstedt, william mckenzie, ankari trader, crewman henard, starfleet admiral, scarlett pomers, naomi wildman, martha hackett, susan henley, ensign brooks, manu intiraymi, jennifer gundy, science division officer, ensign, alexander enberg, ensign vorik, third malon engineer, susan lewis, operations division officer, transporter technician, mikhal traveler, user reviews.

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VOY Season 6

• View history
• 3 Background information
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest and co-stars
• 4.5 Uncredited
• 5 Media releases
• 6 External links

Episodes [ ]

Summary [ ].

Star Trek: Voyager 's sixth season was the first to be televised without running concurrently with seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and can be characterized as having the feel of being oddly disconnected from seasons four and five that preceded it. As a result, Voyager's season six could be said to have more in common with the story-telling of season one , being populated by numerous episodes with story lines wholly independent of each other and the greater series arc, which by this point, was very well established. There are of course exceptions, most notably in " Pathfinder " when real-time communication is made with Starfleet, with the help of an obsessed Reginald Barclay . However, it was not until the end of the season in " Life Line " that this significant plot development was revisited.

Numerous new aliens were introduced throughout the season, again indicative of the reliance on wholly independent story lines. However, the Hirogen make a re-appearance in " Tsunkatse ", the Klingons in " Barge of the Dead ", the Borg make a (by now familiar) resurgence in " Survival Instinct ", " Collective ", " Child's Play " and the season finale " Unimatrix Zero ". The Vidiians also return in " Fury ", as does a vengeful Kes intent on sabotaging the ship, killing B'Elanna Torres in the process. Only one of the newly introduced alien species (the Hierarchy ) reappeared later, in the seventh season episodes " The Void " and " Renaissance Man ".

Worthy of particular note in the sixth season is the introduction of the treacherous Vaadwaur in " Dragon's Teeth ". While being vaunted as a possible season six nemesis for Voyager during a conversation towards the end of the episode, it was perhaps a missed opportunity on the part of the show's producers that the possibility of having the Vaadwaur return later on, was never taken up;

" I doubt we've seen the last of them ."

Despite Janeway's warning, and aside from a couple of conversational "nods" in the season seven episodes, " Nightingale " and " The Void ", the Vaadwaur were in fact, never seen again.

" Collective " halfway through the season added a significant development to the evolution of the series as Voyager 's crew manifest grew by four with the introduction of the "Children of the Borg". Season six storylines featuring the children served as an addition to Seven of Nine 's learning curve, as she took on the role of surrogate mother to the lost, and disconnected children. Although never directly spoken of in the script for either episode, with the knowledge of hindsight it is possible to note that in " Child's Play ", a surreptitious link to the series finale " Endgame " is planted when Icheb 's parents send him back to the Borg full of neurolytic pathogen . It is this same pathogen that Admiral Janeway uses when assimilated by the Borg Queen during the climax to the series finale, which infects the Collective and disables the transwarp hub, enabling Voyager to return home, and deal a crippling blow to the Borg at the same time.

A couple of small "jumps" closer to home were realized in the episodes " Dragon's Teeth " and " The Voyager Conspiracy " but nothing like the huge leaps which helped characterize the previous two seasons, and for the majority of season six, any significant "jumps" forward were missing, again likening the sixth season to the first.

The process of overcoming the difficulty in portraying Janeway as both authoritative and feminine that had dogged most of the first four seasons may have begun with season five's " Counterpoint " and her dalliance with the Devore Imperium 's Kashyk , but the dilemma finally found some resolution with the introduction of another of Tom Paris ' holodeck programs and the character of Michael Sullivan . In " Fair Haven " and " Spirit Folk " Janeway is finally able to let her hair down (in more ways than one), and the issue of fraternizing with her subordinates is happily laid to rest. This resolution however, was not without its detractors, including Kate Mulgrew herself.

" When I read that one, I went right over to (Rick) Berman's office and I said "What are you smoking?" I mean, how desperado is this broad! "

Voyager 's sixth season culminated in the assimilation of Janeway, Tuvok , and Torres, as the crew again went head to head with the Borg Queen, this time to assist an underground Borg Resistance threatened with annihilation.

Background information [ ]

• This is the first Star Trek season since TNG Season 6 , in 1992, to premiere on its own. This coincided with the end of the seven season run of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in June 1999.
• Discounting season premieres/finales, this was the first season since season 2 not to feature a two-part/movie length episode during its run.
• " Barge of the Dead " featured Karen Austin as B'Elanna Torres' mother, one of the actresses apparently short-listed for the original role of Kathryn Janeway.
• "Survival Instinct" is the first time since "Living Witness" in Season 4 that Jeri Ryan appeared in a full Borg outfit.
• When asked what stood out about season six, Robert Beltran commented that he didn't have fun during this season, calling it " dreary and tedious " for him. [1]
• Characters that " crossover " from other incarnations of Star Trek : Deanna Troi and Reginald Barclay (" Pathfinder " and " Life Line "); Admiral Hayes (" Life Line "); Borg Queen (" Unimatrix Zero ")

Credits [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

Also starring [ ]

• Robert Beltran as Chakotay
• Roxann Dawson as B'Elanna Torres
• Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris
• Ethan Phillips as Neelix
• Robert Picardo as The Doctor
• Tim Russ as Tuvok
• Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
• Garrett Wang as Harry Kim

Guest and co-stars [ ]

• VOY Season 6 performers
• Rick Berman
• Brannon Braga
• Joe Menosky
• Michael Piller
• Jeri Taylor
• Peter Lauritson
• Merri Howard
• Robin Burger
• J.P. Farrell

Co-Producer: Dawn Velazquez Associate Producer: Stephen Welke Executive Story Editor: Bryan Fuller Story Editor: Michael Taylor

• Robert Doherty

Unit Production Manager: Brad Yacobian Production Coordinator: Diane Overdiek

• Jerry Fleck
• Arlene Fukai
• Michael DeMeritt
• David Trotti
• Cosmo Genovese
• Jan Rudolph

Science Consultant: Andre Bormanis Production Designer: Richard James Art Director: Louise Dorton Senior Illustrator/Technical Consultant: Rick Sternbach Scenic Arts Supervisor/Technical Consultant: Michael Okuda

• Wendy Drapanas
• James Van Over

Construction Coordinator: Al Smutko Property Master: Alan Sims Set Decorator: Jim Mees Director of Photography: Marvin Rush , A.S.C. Chief Lighting Technician: Bill Peets Key Grip: Randy Burgess Special Effects: Dick Brownfield Stunt Coordinator: Dennis Madalone Video Supervisor: Denise Okuda Hair Designer: Josee Normand

• Charlotte Parker
• Viviane Normand
• Gloria Montmayor

Make-Up Designed and Supervised By: Michael Westmore

• Tina Hoffman
• Scott Wheeler
• James Rohland
• Suzanne Diaz

Costume Designer: Robert Blackman Wardrobe Supervisor: Carol Kunz

• Susie Money
• Matt Hoffman
• Lazard Ward
• Steve D'Errico

Casting Executive: Helen Mossler

• Junie Lowry-Johnson

Original Casting By: Nan Dutton , C.S.A.

• Daryl Baskin
• Bob Lederman

(Not a complete list)

• Jay Chattaway ("Equinox, Part II", "Riddles", "Dragon's Teeth", "Pathfinder", "Collective", "Spirit Folk", "Fury", "The Haunting of Deck Twelve")
• Dennis McCarthy ("Survival Instinct", "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy", "The Voyager Conspiracy", "Virtuoso", "Tsunkatse", "Ashes to Ashes", "Life Line", "Unimatrix Zero")
• David Bell ("Barge of the Dead", "Alice", "Fair Haven", "Memorial", "Child's Play", "Muse")
• Paul Baillargeon ("One Small Step", "Blink of an Eye", "Good Shepherd", "Live Fast and Prosper")

Music Editor: Gerry Sackman Visual Effects Producer: Dan Curry

• Ronald B. Moore
• Mitch Suskin

Sound Mixer: Alan Bernard Post Production Coordinator: Monique K. Chambers Pre-Production Coordinator/Script Coordinator: Lolita Fatjo Assistant Script Coordinator: Maggie Allen

• David Rossi
• Maril Davis
• Michael O'Halloran
• Nicole Gravett
• Eric Norman
• Terry Matalas
• Rodney Dugins
• Christopher Petrus
• Gerald Saavedra

Transportation Captain: Stu Satterfield

• Larry Dukes
• Cameron Calder
• Ray McLaughlin

Location Manager: Lisa White DGA Trainee: Melissa St. Onge

Filmed with Panavision cameras and lenses

• Santa Barbara Studios

Post Production Sound by: 4MC Sound Services Digital Optical Effects: Digital Magic Special Video Compositing: CIS , Hollywood Editing Facilities: Four Media Company

• Foundation Imaging
• Digital Muse

Uncredited [ ]

• Emmerson Denney - Voice/Dialogue Coach for Albie Selznick ("The Voyager Conspiracy")
• Jo Ann Phillips – Hair Stylist ("Dragon's Teeth")

Media releases [ ]

• VOY Season 6 UK VHS
• VOY Season 6 DVD

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: Voyager season 6 at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: Voyager Season Six Credits at StarTrek.com
• Star Trek Voyager Season 6 episode reviews  at Ex Astris Scientia

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Episode list

Star trek: voyager.

S6.E1 ∙ Equinox, Part II

S6.E2 ∙ Survival Instinct

S6.E3 ∙ Barge of the Dead

S6.E4 ∙ Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy

S6.E5 ∙ Alice

S6.E6 ∙ Riddles

S6.E7 ∙ Dragon's Teeth

S6.E8 ∙ One Small Step

S6.E9 ∙ The Voyager Conspiracy

S6.E10 ∙ Pathfinder

S6.E11 ∙ Fair Haven

S6.E12 ∙ Blink of an Eye

S6.E13 ∙ Virtuoso

S6.E14 ∙ Memorial

S6.E15 ∙ Tsunkatse

S6.E16 ∙ Collective

S6.E17 ∙ Spirit Folk

S6.E18 ∙ Ashes to Ashes

S6.E19 ∙ Child's Play

S6.E20 ∙ Good Shepherd

S6.E21 ∙ Live Fast and Prosper

S6.E22 ∙ Muse

S6.E23 ∙ Fury

S6.E24 ∙ Life Line

S6.E25 ∙ The Haunting of Deck Twelve

S6.E26 ∙ Unimatrix Zero

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 6, Episode 25

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'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 6 goes old school and benefits because of it

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Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 6

Here we are then, the other side of the halfway mark of the very last season of " Star Trek: Discovery ." Will the plot actually advance any further? Or does the chase across the galaxy for the Progenitors MacGuffin continue, offering another chance to insert a stand-alone, episode-length adventure along the way? Interestingly, a look at the IMDb top 10 rated episodes of "Discovery" there isn't one single entry beyond the second season.

This week's curiously named installment is entitled "Whistlespeak" and it's almost a throwback to old school-style of sci-fi storytelling, more typically found in something like "Stargate SG1." And a 10 episode-long chase for an alien artifact would be just fine in that show, because each season was typically 22 episodes long. Sadly, that's one reason why "Discovery" has been deteriorating, rather than improving, because each season — and it's far more obvious in seasons 3, 4 and 5 — seems to follow a very cookie-cutter formulaic approach.

Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

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There's always a threat facing all life in the universe (killer AI, exploding dilithium, gravity waves, Progenitor tech), there's always a series of clues-of-sorts that have to followed and that usually entails a set of standalone adventures before finally everything concludes in a disappointing payoff. Tragically, "Discovery" never really found its identity and it struggled from the outset when the original concept was not to focus on the captain of a particular starship, but rather the first officer.

That combined with the fact that big-budget TV sci-fi has shifted to shorter seasons with more expensive episodes over longer seasons and more expansive storylines. Just remind yourself what other sci-fi shows have managed to achieve in five seasons; "Stargate: Atlantis" and " Babylon 5 " both had five seasons, "Battlestar Galactica" only had four and "Stargate: SG1" had 10. (Although the less said about the whole Ori storyline, the better.)

All that aside, this particular episode was a quirky little number that was actually quite enjoyable. So, that's nice. Yes, there are one or two enormous small plot holes and the super-convenient tech has somewhat taken a turn for the ridiculous. This is not swallowing a pill to genetically alter you temporarily, these are easy-install "optical tricorders" — yes, indeed, you need never have the burden of having to actually carry a tricorder anymore, because now they can be worn like contact lenses.

This week, Capt. Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) beam incognito down to the surface of a pre-warp, pre-industrial world much like the Planet Vancouver that we often saw in just about every incarnation of "Stargate." And why-oh-why do these primitive, unevolved civilizations always have traditions that seem harmless at first, but upon further examination almost certainly seem to involve decapitation, disembowelment or any one of a hundred different, excruciating ways of dying, all in the name of glorious sacrifice to some god or another. Was the human race ever like tha...oh wait, hang on. Damn .

In this particular instance it's simply suffocating. Of course if you blew the fires out that also happen to be burning in the room, you know, using up all the precious air that's left, you might last a teeny-tiny bit longer. But that's probably not covered in standard Starfleet training, rather undergraduates are instead taught how to rebuild an illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator using only a discarded toothbrush, a clothes peg, an empty washing up liquid bottle and sticky-back plastic.

You also have to wonder how the local population had such an in-depth knowledge of the sacrificial chamber if no one ever survived, but we'll look past that, just like the writers did. And boy-oh-boy, there's along time to kill before you get killed. On the up side, the dialogue is pretty sharp this week and despite all its flaws, this is a well-paced installment. Still, a cliffhanger might be nice at some point before the show wraps permanently. All things considered though, given the low bar "Discovery" has sadly set itself, this one isn't terrible.

In other, somewhat related news, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish has stepped down and it's rumored that the entertainment giant is going to create an "office of the CEO" and have a team making the important decisions rather than a rich, white man who doesn't seem to have much of a clue. Sounds like a plan, right? Well, wait for it... Instead, three rich, white men will be making all the important decisions. George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Paramount Media Networks and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures.

Needless to say, Paramount's share value has taken a nosedive this week. Now while most of this is related to Paramount Global, it will of course affect the future of Paramount Plus, including programming choices, budget and just about everything else that determines whether or not we'll get to see any "Star Trek" going forward, let alone quality "Star Trek." Let's face facts, the only reason we're getting a Section 31 TV series TV movie is because of contractual obligations.

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery," and every other episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US, while "Prodigy" has found a new home  on Netflix.

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on  Paramount Plus  in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

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Den of Geek

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6 Review – Whistlespeak

Discovery’s search for the Progenitors’ technology takes the crew to a pre-Warp planet and runs afoul of the Prime Directive.

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This Star Trek: Discovery review contains spoilers .

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6

Star Trek: Discovery (mostly) gets its final season back on track after last week’s flashback-filled snoozefest , but Michael and company’s search for the next clue hits a snag when the trail leads to a pre-Warp planet whose lack of technology makes accessing it more of a challenge than anyone expected. It’s a shift that comes as a welcome relief—the best part of this more adventure-oriented season has been its old-fashioned space explorer feel as Burnham and her crew bounce from planet to planet (or random interdimensional pocket of space). And it’s nice to finally get back to that, even if the planet Halem’no isn’t quite as exciting a side quest as some of us (read: me) may have wanted it to be.

The planet is largely arid, with a habitable zone that’s been created thanks to the work of Denobulan scientist Hitoroshi Kreel. A weather tower disguised as a sort of mountain peak, the tech emits a low-grade force field that protects the land around it from dust storms and pulls rain from the atmosphere on a semi-regular basis. All in all, it’s a technology that’s wildly advanced for the pre-Warp, pre-industrial society that lives on its surface and may have been built as part of some kind of humanitarian mission to help the people on its surface survive. The question of how, precisely, Kreel managed to do this without anyone on the planet noticing or why he chose this particular spot to hide his clue is something the episode is happy to handwave away. But, sure! Why not!

But, then again, very little about this consortium of old scientists determined to hide the Progenitor technology makes a ton of sense. Thanks to Kovich, we at least learn the identities of all five participants—Jinaal Bix (Trill), Carmen Cho (Terran), Marina Derex (Betazoid), Hitoroshi Kreel (Denobulan), and Vellek (Romulan)—who each came up with their hiding places and clue themes tied to their own lives or areas of expertise. ​How they all joined forces is anyone’s guess, but at least we have something of a roadmap as to where we’re headed now. (And I have to assume the Betazoid scientist is named in honor of Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s Marina Sirtis, which I admittedly already love.) 

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After Tilly and Michael disguise themselves in shabby, planet-appropriate attire (complete with convenient retinal tricorders that only make them look a bit like they belong in The Matrix ), they beam to the surface of Halem’no, which—at least in its habitable zone—is lush and green. The conceptualization of this planet and its society is the most intriguing part of this episode—particularly the phonetic elements of their language, known as Whistlespeak, which sounds like birdcall, doesn’t have words to denote things like class or status, recognizes at least three distinct genders, and prioritizes connection amongst its people. A timely reminder that simply because a society is not advanced in one way, doesn’t mean it isn’t in another. 

To find the next clue, Team Discovery must make their way inside the High Summit, the weather tower that the locals see as a place to commune with their gods and pray for the rain that keeps them all alive. A sacred place, access is restricted to those deemed especially holy or chosen through a race called the Journey of the Mother Compeer. Michael and Tilly immediately decide to participate in this very specific ritual without doing any research in it or even asking around about why everyone who’s won it appears to no longer be alive. To the surprise of no one, it’s actually a method of choosing those who will be sacrificed within the tower, trading their lives for the promise of rain and the chance to commune with their gods before they die. Tilly wins, because of course she does, and she allows a kind young woman named Ravah to tie with her so that she can too fulfill her dream of proving herself to her father, and now they’re both essentially marked for death. Good times! 

Not that any of us likely really expected Tilly to suffocate during this episode or anything, but truly the speed with which Michael jettisons the Prime Directive in the name of saving her friend is…honestly, something I wish the show would explore in a bit more depth. Because it actually ought to be an interesting story about how important Tilly is to her! Instead, it’s…just another example of the way that Michael’s constantly allowed to break the rules in ways that others are repeatedly punished for. Because, let’s face it, Rayner was demoted and publicly humiliated for doing much less.

And, for whatever reason, Discovery feels the need to overtly justify Michael’s choice, deliberately leaning into the idea that because she’s in for a penny, she might as well be in for a pound. I mean, it’s one thing to explain that the High Summit is a weather machine rather than the seat of vengeful gods. But it’s quite another to literally ferry Ravah’s dad Ohvanz up to their actual spaceship that is parked in space and show him what his planet looks like from orbit! Did she leave a spare warp drive behind her to top everything off? ( Ed note: Thank you to the eagle-eyed commenters who pointed out Michael only showed him Halem’no from space using the tech her team brought down with them. Is that better? I guess?) Maybe it all would be less annoying if it had truly ever felt as though Tilly was in some kind of real danger, or if it seemed as though the show was finally ready to tackle the cost of Michael’s reckless choices in a more serious and lasting way. Instead, it’s just another convenient shortcut she’ll inevitably face no consequences for. 

If every one of these clue hunts is supposed to either teach or test the person doing the searching—to ensure they’re trying to find the Progenitor technology for a good reason—what is this search (and Michael’s response to it) meant to show us? That friendship is magic? That climate change is real? That false gods exist? That you shouldn’t allow your loved ones to participate in poorly explained and potentially deadly rituals? Or it’s okay to do whatever it takes to save someone you care about, even if it means breaking rules to do so?

It’s particularly jarring when much of this episode is about unintended consequences—about what can happen when technology is used irresponsibly, even with the best intentions of the world behind it. The Denobulan scientist Hitoroshi Kreel tried to do a good thing by disguising high-tech weather equipment in what is essentially religious iconography, but it still ended up giving rise to ritual sacrifice and murder in the name of bringing rain. Discovery isn’t normally very subtle about such parallels, so I think we can all assume that whatever the Progenitors did leave behind for future generations to find, the question for Michael and the Federation will be more about whether anyone should have access to it at all. 

With just one more clue to go—and four more episodes in the season—-it’s anyone’s guess what’s coming as the Discovery enters the final phase of this story. Will Michael manage to unearth the Progenitors’ ancient, potentially galaxy-changing secret? Or will it turn out that the real advanced technology was actually the friends we made along the way?

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Lacy Baugher

Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,…

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

Star trek: discovery proves starfleet academy show doesn’t make sense without tilly, wilson cruz killed it playing star trek: discovery's trill.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak".

• Burnham's decision to break the Prime Directive saved Tilly and the Halem'nites from certain death.
• Tilly's struggles with Starfleet Academy students hint at a future storyline for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
• Culber's spiritual awakening challenges Star Trek's rationalism, leading to a deeper exploration of his character.

By the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak", Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew are one step closer to the Progenitors' technology, following a mission to a pre-warp society that risked the life of Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman). After last week's big revelations about the Mirror Universe, Moll (Eve Harlow), L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and the Breen Imperium, "Whistlespeak", written by Kenneth Lin and Brandon Schultz, and directed by Chris Byrne, is a more traditional Star Trek adventure. Seeking the next clue on the planet Halem'no, Burnham and Tilly join the Journey of the Mother Compeer.

This religious pilgrimage takes the form of a race to prove devotion to Halem'no's gods, in the hope of making it rain again. However, this religious pilgrimage has life-threatening consequences for Tilly , providing Burnham with a dilemma over whether she breaks Star Trek 's Prime Directive to save her friend. Elsewhere, on the USS Discovery, Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio) is struggling to settle into their new role as science officer on the bridge, while Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) gets closer to coming to terms with his spiritual awakening, courtesy of some wise words from Cleveland Booker (David Ajala).

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

Captain Burnham Broke The Prime Directive To Save Tilly

The halem'nites and tilly would have died without burnham..

Believing that the next clue to the Progenitors' treasure was hidden in the High Summit, a weather tower disguised as a mountain, Burnham and Tilly joined the pilgrimage in the hope of making it inside. However, it quickly transpired that once inside the tower, there was no way out. Designed by Denobulan scientist Hitoroshi Kreel , the towers were designed to protect the Halem'nites from the punishing dust storms that take place on their planet. Tilly and young initiate Ravah (June Laporte) became trapped inside the vacuum chamber, meaning that they would suffocate to death unless they were rescued.

The Denobulans were introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise via the Enterprise NX-01's Denobulan Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley).

Discovery was unable to beam Tilly and Ravah out of the weather tower due to the walls being made of tritanium, making it impossible to get a transporter lock . Which is why Burnham made the difficult decision break the Prime Directive by beaming into the weather tower's control room to reveal the truth to Ohvaz (Alfredo Narciso). Burnham was right to break the Prime Directive , because the Denobulan weather towers were failing, and in drastic need of repair. Without Burnham's intervention, Tilly and Ravah would have died for no reason, and the Halem'nites would have eventually been driven to extinction .

While it's definitely a breach of the Prime Directive, Burnham is still very careful not to destroy Ohvaz's beliefs , telling him that " Nothing we have shown you means gods don't exist ". Indeed, Burnham's quest for life itself is proof of some higher power in the Star Trek universe . While Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), Tilly, and Burnham all lament the inevitable ramifications, it seems likely that Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg) will brush off this breach of the Prime Directive in favor of Discovery's Red Directive mission .

There is a Prime Directive exception to allow repairs to existing "contamination" as long as it doesn't interfere with the natural growth of the populace, which is effectively what Burnham did on Halem'no.

Tilly's Away Mission Sets Up Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Starfleet academy is failing its new students..

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak" appears to set up Star Trek: Starfleet Academy by revealing more about Tilly's struggles to get through to her students . Discussing her new career with Burnham, Tilly reveals that one of her students wants to quit the Academy to take a position aboard a cargo freighter. Later, when they meet Ravah, Tilly notes the similarities between the young woman keen to prove herself to her gods and the Starfleet Academy cadet who wants to get out into the stars as soon as possible.

The cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has yet to be announced, but Mary Wiseman's Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly should definitely be a part of it.

Tilly and Ravah's instant connection is a welcome reminder of why Tilly's such a good fit for Starfleet Academy . Tilly's empathy for Ravah, and the gut-wrenching guilt when she realizes that she's signed her death warrant demonstrates the huge responsibility involved in training new Starfleet officers. Confiding in Michael, Tilly reveals that she thinks Starfleet Academy is failing their students, perhaps focusing more on the theoretical than the practical. Tilly's final mission on the USS Discovery, and interactions with characters like Ravah could help her to reform the institution when she returns to Starfleet Academy.

The Meaning of Denobulan's Progenitors Clue Explained

"...we need to be so careful.".

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 , "Mirrors", Burnham and Book realized that each of the clues to the Progenitors' treasure contained important lessons. For example, the clue hidden on Trill, in the heart of an Itronok nest, was designed to test whether Book and Burnham valued life-forms different from their own. As with all the previous clues, the one left behind by Denobulan scientist Kreel contains a message, which is discussed by Burnham and Tilly, after they secure it from the dormant fifth weather tower.

It transpires that the cultural impact of the technology installed on Halem'no by the Denobulans was the lesson . When the towers began failing, the Halem'nites began sacrificing themselves to make it rain, something that the Denobulans could never have predicted. It's a reminder to Burnham and Tilly that when they eventually find the Progenitors' technology they have to be very careful with how they use it. The fifth and final clue, located in the fifth weather tower, is written in Betazoid text, left behind by the fifth and final scientist, Marina Derex.

Dr. Culber Is Coming To Terms With His Experience On Trill

Culber's had a "thrilling" spiritual awakening..

Dr. Culber's spiritual awakening has been one of the most interesting storylines in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, as it challenges the franchise's stance on religion . The clash between Star Trek 's rationalism and Culber's spiritualism is exemplified by his discussions with a hologram of his Abuela (Maria del Mar), a spiritual woman who raised Hugh to be a man of science. However, after spending the episode trying to find a scientific explanation, Culber instead realizes that there isn't one , and that his mind is instead opened up to new possibilities and something larger than himself.

At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, Dr. Culber discusses his new awakening with Book, who acknowledges that it " sounds kind of wonderful ". Book advises Culber not to be so concerned that his husband, Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) doesn't quite understand Hugh's new perspective . Reflecting on Culber's situation as a Kwejian, Book helps Hugh come to terms with it by sharing an observation of human relationships, and the obsession with sharing a personal passion with a partner:

"It's an odd quirk, really, this human tendency to consider something less meaningful if it's just for yourself."

Wilson Cruz got to play a different character in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, and he absolutely nailed the performance as an 800-year-old Trill.

Will Book And Michael Get Back Together In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5?

"one answer at a time, doc".

To return the favor, Dr. Culber tries to get Book to open up about his break-up with Michael at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 4 . It's been clear throughout Discovery season 5 that Book and Burnham still have feelings for one another, but they're yet to act upon them . Michael got a reminder of how happy they were in "Face the Strange" when she time traveled back to an earlier point in their relationship. In "Mirrors", their relationship was a reflection of that between Moll and L'ak, and there was a strong sense of Burnham and Book still being a great team.

Dr. Culber quizzes Book about Burnham at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, seeing through Booker's front. Asked whether he thinks he can get back what he once had with Michael, Book simply replied " One question at a time, Doc ", proving that affairs of the heart can be even more complex than the search for the Progenitors' treasure. As Book is still determined to get through to Moll after the events of "Mirrors", his "sister" could still provide a major stumbling block for a romantic reunion between Burnham and Booker in Discovery season 5.

Discovery Is Taking A Detour To Deal With Moll And L'ak

The uss locherer just found moll and l'ak..

At the start of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak", Burnham is ordered by Dr. Kovich to forget about Moll and L'ak and focus on the next clue. By the end of the episode, Federation Headquarters informs the USS Discovery that Moll and L'ak have been located by the USS Locherer . This feels suspicious given Kovich's insistence that Burnham focus on her Red Directive mission and forget all about tracking Moll and L'ak. It remains to be seen if the USS Discovery is about to enter a trap or instead engage in another desperate attempt to bring Moll and L'ak on side.

T he title of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7, "Erigah", is a reference to the Breen blood bounty placed on Moll and L'ak by Primarch Ruhn (Tony Nappo) . It's likely, therefore, that the translation of the Betazoid clue will be taking a backseat in the next episode, as Burnham and the crew reckon with the ramifications of a Breen blood bounty. As the Discovery crew is so close to the finish line with the Progenitors' treasure there could be no worse time to engage the Breen as Star Trek: Discovery season 5 continues.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

• Star Trek: Discovery (2017)

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 6 Review: “Whistlespeak” Deconstructs the Prime Directive

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 6 takes the crew on a classic Star Trek mission but offers a unique perspective on the Prime Directive.

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 5, "Mirrors."

For better and worse, when Star Trek: Discovery debuted on Paramount+ in 2017, it did a lot of things differently from past iterations of Gene Roddenberry's universe. While this seems like a smart thing to do in a six-decade-old narrative universe in order to keep things fresh, fans do expect certain kinds of adventures for these characters. Star Trek: Discovery got off to an awkward start with longtime Trekkies when it tried to be an epic space opera rather than a diplomatic procedural in space. Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 addressed this by going back to franchise roots, with Episode 6, "Whistlespeak," going as far as giving the USS Discovery crew a classic Star Trek away mission.

Here, Captain Michael Burnham and Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly are sent on an undercover away mission to retrieve the next clue on their hunt for the Progenitors' technology. The society on the planet is a pre-warp civilization, meaning the Prime Directive is in play. Sneaking around a pre-warp society is as classically Star Trek as it gets. It happened in Star Trek: Insurrection , the pilot episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , and even Captain Pike's second Star Trek: Discovery episode . In all these previous cases, the ship's crew broke the Prime Directive and revealed themselves to the indigenous people by the episode's end. However, "Whistlespeak" added a unique twist that examined Starfleet's General Order Number One and tied in neatly to the season's overall quest. Meanwhile, on the ship, members of the crew dealt with the events of previous episodes that shook them to their cores. With only four episodes left in the series, this is likely the last time fans will get to see a mission like this on Stark Trek: Discovery .

“Whistlespeak” Put the Spotlight Back on Sylvia Tilly

Captain michael burnham and her old roommate get one last adventure together, star trek: discovery's alex kurtzman & michelle paradise talk final season.

Sylvia Tilly is a "Mary Sue" in the most idealized sense of the term. She's a fan-insert character who was practically perfect in every way. Yet, there is more to the infamous fanfiction caricature coined by Paula Smith in "A Trekkie's Tale." Smith's story satirized early Star Trek fanfiction writers who had a habit of bungling the legacy characters to prop up their self-inserts. Lieutenant Mary Sue doesn't represent bad writing because she was inherently awesome. Rather, it's because the amateur authors made James T. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew fools around her. Tilly is brilliant and beloved, but she doesn't "ruin" the other characters by being too good at what she did. Rather, they were defined by their relationship with her.

Tilly successfully completed the Mother Compeer's Journey, a ritualistic race that granted access to a sacred space. Along the way, she bonded with Ravah, the child of the society's high priest, Ohvahz (Alfredo Narciso). This was another subtle proof that Tilly's superpower was connecting with people, not being flawless. Even though they were competing on this journey, Tilly helped Ravah complete the race. Unfortunately, she discovers the "prize" for winning the race was sacrificing one's life to the gods the people believe control the weather. Naturally, Captain Burnham saved them, but only because of Tilly's ability to connect with Ravah.

Like what "Under the Twin Moons (Season 5, Episode 2)" did with Captain Burnham and Saru, "Whistlespeak" is a chance for the captain to have one last mission with her roommate and best friend, Tilly. At the start of the mission, Tilly was insecure about her effectiveness as a teacher, and unsure if she was actually reaching her students. The relationship she built with Ravah indicated that Tilly can't help but be effective in that role. From the moment the awkward and affable theoretical engineer was introduced in Star Trek: Discovery , it was clear that she wasn't the typical Starfleet officer. However, in the 32nd Century, Tilly was the best person Starfleet had on hand who could mold cadets into the kind of heroes they need to be.

Star Trek: Discovery Examines the Consequences of the Prime Directive

With great technological power comes at least some responsibility, 'they're not really villains': star trek: discovery's moll & l'ak actors defend their characters.

The undercover away mission in a less advanced civilization and the eventual revelation of the larger galactic society are staples of Star Trek storytelling. The Prime Directive was a creation of Star Trek writer Gene L. Coon, who was responsible for many of the iconic elements established in Star Trek: The Original Series . Instead of conquering other planets or revealing themselves to the locals, Starfleet doesn't interfere with developing societies. However, many of Coon's own stories for Star Trek: The Original Series were about breaking the Prime Directive for better and worse.

The Denobulans who built the weather control towers on Halem'no may not have even been Starfleet, thus the Prime Directive didn't technically apply . Nonetheless, they built these towers to save the indigenous society from catastrophic storms like the ones on their own planet. In their own way, they broke the Prime Directive out of genuine concern for others and a sincere desire to help. The Denobulans perhaps assumed the towers would buy time for the society to advance, discover the technology and eventually learn to maintain it. Instead, the locals built a religion around the towers, believing that the gods were punishing them when four of the five towers fell to entropy.

In fairness, Captain Burnham didn't want to break the Prime Directive until she learned of the threat to Tilly and Ravah. Yet, in doing so, the captain helped the indigenous people learn to maintain and, possibly, repair the weather control towers. "Whistlespeak" showed how breaking the Prime Directive for even the best reasons can lead to regrettable consequences. Conversely, it also showed how breaking the rules can save others. This ethical dilemma fit right in with classic Star Trek's most famous interrogations of the Prime Directive.

The USS Discovery Crew Is Also on a Search for Purpose and Meaning

The crew are fully-fledged heroes in star trek: discovery season 5, but they want more, star trek: discovery's callum keith rennie shows a new side of starfleet.

In "Jinaal (Season 5, Episode 3)," Adira Tal broke up with the love of their life, Gray Tal, and then brought the Time Bug on the ship in "Face the Strange (Season 5, Episode 4)." In light of these, it makes sense that the capable young officer now feels insecure about their place aboard the USS Discovery. While some might expect Tilly, Paul Stamets or Dr. Hugh Culber to support them, it was actually the ship's new gruff First Officer, Commander Rayner, who helped Adira out. The people closest to Adira treated them with kid gloves because, in a very literal sense, they're still a kid. As of this writing, Adira is still a teenager. Commander Rayner showed confidence in their abilities, and his brusque style may be what Adira needed to rebound from the hits they took this season.

Tilly, Adira's training officer, also had her own crisis of faith, though it was far removed from this season's overarching story. Perhaps as setup for the upcoming spin-off Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , Tilly blamed herself for the surge of cadets dropping out of training. That Adira is so uncertain of their abilities and place in the bigger picture may be another blow to her confidence in her abilities as a teacher. Similarly, one of Adira's two found fathers, Paul, is desperate to crack the secret of the Progenitors' technology.

After Starfleet abandoned the project to recreate the USS Discovery's Spore Drive , Stamets began the season feeling aimless and despondent about his life's work. Yet, it doesn't seem like he's looking to replace the Spore Drive with this new discovery. Rather, he's likely hoping that the knowledge of the Progenitors will allow him to replicate the technology so it can still replace warp drive. Despite finally becoming the kinds of heroes Star Trek fans are used to seeing on TV, the USS Discovery's crew aren't done evolving and growing as people. With just a few episodes left in the season, fans now hope that the crew realizes their fullest potential before bowing out.

One Discovery Crewmember May Have Already Found What They’re Searching For

Dr. hugh culber is still struggling to process his personal journey, star trek: discovery's sonequa martin-green embarks on one final voyage.

The first scene with Dr. Culber in "Whistlespeak" builds on all the mentions he's made of his "abuela" this season. Dr. Pollard, the USS Discovery's other physician, developed a hologram technology similar to Tony Stark's B.A.R.F. system from Captain America: Civil War . The main difference was that instead of being made from programming software and provided data, the hologram was rendered from other people's memories of the digitally "resurrected" subject. As such, despite Culber's memories of his grandmother's spirituality, she reminds him that he's a man of science.

Ever since participating in the Trill zhin'tara ritual with Jinaal , he's felt strange. He learned that he was not only in good physical condition, but in good spiritual shape as well. Dr. Culber's journey across Star Trek: Discovery's five seasons was rough, even by Star Trek standards. He was killed in Season 1 and resurrected via the mycelial network. Just a few months later, he was whisked 1,000 years into an arguably worse-off future. Through solving the Burn and the planet-destroying Dark Matter Anomaly, he's been dealing with this trauma and serving as the ship's counselor. However, joining Jinaal and searching for, ostensibly, humanity's creators finally brought him a level of serenity.

As Dr. Culber stumbles into spiritual awareness, the exact opposite is happening on the planet below. His abuela may have raised him to be a doctor who trusts science, but the Progenitors' advanced science made him a man of faith. In a good use of irony, the revelation of advanced alien technology may rob Ohvahz and his people of their belief. He told Captain Burnham that past attempts to end the practice of sacrifice led to violence. Unfortunately, this well-crafted contrast just sort of sits there at the end of the episode. Perhaps it's a deliberate choice, because such things never align so easily in real-life either.

Star Trek: Discovery debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

• Offers a fresh perspective on Star Trek's Prime Directive philosophy.
• Excellent use of the ensemble on the ship in stories that were narratively and thematically germane.
• No villains or violence in the episode is another classic staple of Star Trek storytelling.
• While well-crafted, the lack of strong resolution for the stories about Faith may be a missed opportunity.
• Saru's continued absence makes his earlier arc feel disconnected from the Season's narrative and like an afterthought.
• The episode deploys a third Star Trek staple: vague sci-fi reasons robots or the transporter can't be used to complete the mission.

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• May 11, 2024 | Interview: Elias Toufexis On Making Star Trek History Playing L’ak And Nerding Out In ‘Discovery’
• May 10, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Debuts On Nielsen Streaming Top 10
• May 10, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Breens Out On “Erigah” With Commentary From Elias Toufexis Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
• May 9, 2024 | Star Trek Franchise Wins Peabody Award
• May 9, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Gets Cool Under Pressure In “Erigah”

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Debuts On Nielsen Streaming Top 10

| May 10, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 37 comments so far

Star Trek: Discovery has arrived for the first time on Nielsen’s top streaming chart. It is the third Paramount+ Star Trek show to make the list.

Top 10 Disco

The Nielsen Top 10 original streaming program chart for the week of April 8- 14 in the USA was just released, which covers the first full week following the 2-episode season 5 debut of Discovery on April 4th (with “Red Directive” and “Under the Twin Moons”). Discovery ranked at number 10 on the original programs Top 10 with 257 million minutes viewed. It’s the only Paramount+ show to make the chart that week, with most of the chart featuring shows from Netflix, with the top spot going to Amazon Prime’s Fallout (starring Star Trek: Prodigy’s Ella Purnell).

Nielsen just started tracking Paramount+ shows in 2023 so we don’t know how season 5 is doing relative to previous seasons. Last year the second season of Strange New Worlds and the third season of Picard both appeared several times on the chart . With the lowest market share of the tracked subscription streaming services, Paramount+ only has had a handful of original shows make their way into the Top 10, including Halo and some of the Taylor Sheridan-produced shows including 1923 , and Special Ops: Lioness , starring Zoe Saldaña (which was just renewed yesterday for a second season).

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham and Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner in “Under the Twin Moons” (Marni Grossman /Paramount+)

Bonus video – making “Under the Twin Moons”

Here is a behind-the-scenes package about the location shooting for episode 502.

The fifth and final season of  Discovery  debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on  Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery  also premiered on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuted on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Find more stories on the  Star Trek Universe .

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Discovery’s not so terrible after all, I see.

Glad to see so many people checking out Discovery. They can make up their own minds from there. It will be interesting to see if Disco gets a few more episodes in that top ten.

I’m actually surprised by this but certainly good news. I’m enjoying the season for the most part but still feels like people have moved on or no real passion for it. It’s very odd but at least it’s being watched and does feel like more are enjoying the season as a whole. It’s become a season of the 24th century greatest hits so it’s more fun for me lol.

DSC will likely find new viewers after it’s complete. Other than Trek, I wait for seasons to be complete before I watch them. I think that it might be the best way to watch a serialized show like DSC.

final season bump….god i hope this doesn’t “embiggen” Kurtz and Co. as a sign that we really like DSC and to have Tilly be the lead in Starfleet Academy.

The irony for me is I thought this would get huge views in the beginning because it was the final season and people were raving about the first episodes. I honestly thought we would have another Picard season 3 situation. But it feels like the total opposite for what is a generally decent season so fa and no one is really talking about it.

And I’m not a Discovery gusher, far from it lol. I think the show has been mostly awful but I don’t pretend my opinion is a consensus either. I am mostly enjoying this season though even with some of the same issues I always had with it.

I mean, they’ve got their scripts and the show starts filming in the next few months. We can’t say with absolute certainty that Tilly is the lead, but how this season of DSC is received won’t change it.

Of these, “Shogun” is still the one I really want to see.

Very encouraging news.

This is an important metric to have confirmed, and it makes sense that the show has had strong ratings considering the rash of new series it helped spawn and the lengths Paramount Global was willing to go to to claw back international rights. It’s just caught up in the reality of streaming – by year four an original streaming show is old news and more likely to be replaced than renewed.

I find Discovery to be remarkably mediocre but I’m still happy to see it succeed and I wouldn’t dream of talking anyone out of enjoying it who is.

Fair play. I had thought that most of the established audience had walked a view supported by how few comments it seems to be getting on sites such as this one. Looks like I was wrong. Well done Discovery and if people are enjoying it and want to see more Trek then great. Imagine the numbers though had it stayed on Netflix…….

These are USA-only figures, and Discovery was never on Netflix there.

Thanks for clarifying.

Real numbers will be reflected in merchandizing. TOS and TNG were successful in this realm. Kevin timeline and Kurtzman Trek, I think it’s nonexistent.

In fairness, that’s not just a Star Trek thing. It seems like shows don’t get merch anymore, unless it’s a smash mega-hit, as with Stranger Things.

One caveat… While they’re on the chart, the metric Nielsen is using for the chart (minutes viewed) shows Discovery performing below the numbers for Strange New Worlds season 2 and Picard season 3. And, technically, they have more episodes to achieve a higher (possible) number than the other 2 shows, if it was in theory drawing in new viewers willing to give the entire series a chance and binge it.

But that’s fine. Engagement is engagement, it has a Paramount+ show, even with its competitive handicap, in the top 10.

It shows how Star Trek has fallen from the cultural zeitgeist though. I mean, everyone is talking about Fallout and the numbers dwarf anything Paramount + can achieve.

In other words, in principle no different from when DS9 and Voyager were not getting talked about as much as The X-Files or The Phantom Menace.

Star Trek is a niche. TOS, TNG and the JJ films crossed over to some mainstream success and every series since TNG has flirted with it on occasion. But Star Trek is not Game of Thrones or Stranger Things or Star Wars. It’s popular in its own lane and Paramount has found ways to make lots of money from it, which keeps it going strong for us. This has always been the case, so there’s no point in trying to spin this into more naysaying. It achieves nothing we haven’t already known (and not cared about) for decades.

DS9 and VOY did fine in the TV ratings.

My point is, none of the new Star Trek shows can be breakout hits locked behind Paramount +

Now, if Disney or Amazon or Netflix had the rights, it’d be a bigger success than it has already shown itself to be.

Voyager is surprisingly popular on Netflix still.

DS9 barely clawed its way back to #1 syndicated drama in 1999 after a couple years of playing second fiddle to Xena and Hercules in a rapidly shrinking and less relevant first run syndicated market. It was under-publicized and no publications outside of sci-fi mags and TV Guide gave it the time of day after the 30th anniversary.

Voyager was on the struggling #5 network, usually 5th in its timeslot, even falling below WWF Smackdown! as the top rated show on UPN. If it weren’t for 7 of 9 it too would have been totally ignored, and even then you could hardly accuse it of commanding a huge chunk of the zeitgeist outside of hardcore Trek fandom.

And that was enough for us, and we still got TNG movies and Enterprise greenlit at that level of niche success. Trek viewer demos were desirable, and erosion was evident but not as bad due to loyalty. The Trek shows were the bigger fish in rather small ponds. I’m under zero illusion that they’d have lasted as long as they did if broadcast on a big four network with higher performance benchmarks.

I see very little difference between that situation and where things stand today, except that now viewership is highly fragmented with so many streaming services and people being able to easily choose when and how they watch thousands of shows and movies. Star Trek shows are consistently breaking through that and on a smaller streaming outlet where they have more value to their owner. If you want to point to what Trek would look like if it breaks out even bigger and is scrutinized and popularized, just look to the JJ films and the debate that still rages about how faithful they are to what makes for good Star Trek.

Netflix’s model is to binge-consume and move on, and shows get buried there and the conversation tends to die down fast. They also don’t usually last more than 4 seasons, so again, being a bigger fish in a smaller pond is better for Trek. There’s no guarantee a Netflix deal would mean season 6 of Disco and Lower Decks (based on their history, season 5 would have been highly unlikely) or Star Trek: Legacy being greenlit. We’ve had two 5 season runs of new shows, 6 series and a tv-movie greenlit, reliable press coverage from Internet outlets including magazines that wouldn’t have given DS9 this much attention 30 years ago. I don’t know what definition of “breakout hit” will satisfy you, but I really don’t think it’s necessary to achieve.

Star Trek is in the top ten series in a streaming space of infinite content. To the degree that anything is in the cultural zeitgeist, Star Trek is still in the conversation.

To be fair, it’s lucky to sneak in. Star Trek Picard squeaked into the top ten with 400 million minutes vs DISCO at 257 million minutes.

So, not exactly a smash hit performance.

Considering the sheer volume of streaming content produced, this a big deal.

I don’t know if any pre-streaming Trek TV series were ever in Neilsen’s top ten.

And the whole “but Marvel/Star Wars/Harry Potter/whatever else is more popular than Trek” has always been the case, and I suspect it always will be.

Even in the Berman days, Trek did well – but it was never insanely popular with general audiences. I don’t think it needs to be.

TNG and DS9 were often top 10 shows in the syndicated charts. It would take a bit of a deep dive to see how that would correlate against the ratings for the network shows, it’s not exactly apples to apples.

But just based on number of viewers, “All Good Things…,” TNG’s highest rated episode by a long shot, would have ranked #2 the week it aired, behind Roseanne. “Emissary,” the highest rated episode of Star Trek (and I believe any drama) in syndication history would have been #5 the week it aired. These are major outliers.

“Caretaker” was Voyager’s highest rated episode – it managed to rank 22nd in the charts that week. “Parallax” was 45th.

Star Trek rules a comfortable niche. One that can be harnessed for some well-viewed premieres and finales and stunts now and again, and #1 box office debuts, but it’s not popular on the same level as many other über franchises – the public has affection for it, but it’s never going to be Marvel. And that’s as okay now as it’s always been. It’s always going to be better to be king of a smaller castle than vying for attention at a bigger one.

I don’t have anything to add, but I want to echo y’all’s sentiments 100%.

Let’s be honest here: You’re cherry-picking Picard’s best result. During a different week, PIC made it into the Nielsen Top 10 with 276 million minutes viewed, which isn’t so far off what DSC made.

Very interesting and surprising to me since Discovery is not MUST SEE TV for me – but it perhaps shows that the show has developed its own audience outside of the legacy fans who read this website and who are older and long-time fans of the franchise.

Maybe it doesn’t have quite the numbers of Picard or SNW which are popular with the grey beards like me, but that is not the audience the show is targeting.

I for one hope the franchise continues for another 60 years and long after my departure from this planet. The only way that happens is for the show to reach out to a younger more diverse audience and that is exactly what Discovery did, especially in the last 3 seasons. Kudos to Kurtzman and the cast and crew of Discovery.

So…? When’s the campaign starting?

What campaign are you talking about?

Save Enterprise.

This is the first season of Discovery, and I have looked forward to each episode. I’ve watched all of the season, as I will watch anything Trek (even the awful “Lower Decks” show), but I never rushed to watch an episode when it dropped. Season 2 for a few episodes – but the AI storyline was brutal, followed by “The Burn” story in season three, which was almost unwatchable.

I’m glad the show has found its footing, but it’s too bad it took seven years (and five-mini season) for it to happen.

I must admit to being a bit shocked by this. I think there is a genuine desire out there for Trek content.

Sadly, I’m feeling the exact opposite. I feel the franchise has been mishandled to the point where barely anyone, collectively, cares anymore. I feel like Trek is neither in demand or relevant these days. It used to be special in the cultural zeitgeist, and it’s just not anymore. And again, I say that with a distinct feeling of sadness. My opinion, of course. Old Trek, still popular. New Trek, overall lack of depth and quality. There are exceptions, but just not what it used to be.

Even though I am enjoying it this season more I actually agree with you. It’s just weird. People are watching it obviously but it doesn’t feel like anyone really cares either. I thought no one was really watching it this season with so little talk about it. Now I think people are watching but mostly because there has just been a serious lack of Star Trek on more than any real excitement for the season itself.

Just kind of going through the motions so to speak.

And I think only hardcore fans like us are really watching at this point.

For me, this has been the weakest season of Discovery so far. It feels like a complete mess. I’ve never loved the series but until this point it at leas felt it improved with every season.