star trek cast blonde

This Is What The Actress Who Plays Jaylah In Star Trek Looks Like In Real Life

" Star Trek Beyond " wasn't quite the success that everyone involved in it likely hoped it would be. While the film received mostly positive reviews (it holds an 86% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes ), it failed to be a box office hit. "Beyond" only managed to gross a little over $343 million at the worldwide box office — falling short of the box office totals of the two previous "Star Trek" films . As a result, Paramount Pictures has yet to make a sequel to "Star Trek Beyond," though, a number of new "Star Trek" TV shows have premiered in the five years since its release.

However, despite the film's disappointing financial returns, there are actually a number of things that "Star Trek Beyond" does right. That includes the introduction and creation of some memorable new characters, like Idris Elba's villainous Krall and Sofia Boutella's likable alien scavenger, Jaylah . An escaped survivor of the camp run by Krall, "Beyond" shows Jaylah become a quick and helpful new ally for the Enterprise crew.

Boutella made an instant impression with her performance as the character, despite being covered in heavy makeup and facial prosthetics throughout the entirety of the film. Indeed, the actress is totally unrecognizable in the role, so much so that viewers may be surprised to learn not only what Boutella looks like in real life, but also that "Star Trek Beyond" is far from the only notable project that Boutella has starred in.

Jaylah is played by dancer-turned-actress Sofia Boutella

Sofia Boutella has been steadily carving out an impressive film and television career for herself over the past several years. Boutella got her start as a professional dancer, and many of her earliest credits are for music videos from notable musical artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson. Her first major film role came in 2012 when she appeared as Eva in " StreetDance 2 ," but she achieved breakthrough success with her performance as the deadly Gazelle in 2014's "Kingsman: The Secret Service." Two years later, she appeared as Jaylah in "Star Trek Beyond" and followed up that sci-fi blockbuster with her memorable turn as Delphine — the seductive-but-well-intentioned love interest of Charlize Theron's Lorraine — in 2017's "Atomic Blonde."

That same year, Boutella starred alongside Tom Cruise in a live-action reboot of " The Mummy ," where she played the film's titular character. Meanwhile, in 2018 she appeared as Clarisse McClellan in the Michael B. Jordan-led HBO film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," and earned major acclaim for her performance as Selva in the trippy, dance-driven indie film, " Climax ."

On the smaller screen, Boutella has also appeared as Yasmine in two episodes of the Amazon anthology series, "Modern Love," and is currently set to star alongside Alfie Allen and Jack O'Connell in the upcoming historical miniseries, " SAS: Rogue Heroes ." In other words, not only has Boutella already amassed some truly impressive credits for herself, but she's also shown no signs of slowing down any time soon, either.

Denise Crosby on Leaving Star Trek: I Wasn’t Going to Be ‘The Token Hot Blonde’

The tasha yar actress on that next generation life (and after-life)..

Some days you’re hard at work, trying to make a deadline on a Friday night. (That’s right now as this is being written.) Others, you’re sitting in the VIP lounge with Tasha Yar herself, Denise Crosby, sipping a cocktail as you sail through the Caribbean Sea onboard a cruise ship.

Call it that Star Trek life.

And so it went on the Star Trek cruise recently – a.k.a. Star Trek: The Cruise VII – and not just for me, either. Crosby has become something of a fixture at the annual event, and she’s certainly one of the participating Trek castmates who gets out and mixes it up with the fans who are sailing. Crosby is almost like a brand ambassador for the Star Trek cruise experience – just out there loving it with her fellow castmates and fans alike. Just look at this amazing photo of her being chased by “Armus” – a cosplay version of the alien that infamously killed her Trek character back in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s first season.

But as we sat down to talk, it became clear that Crosby has no regrets about her abrupt departure from the show back when it was still in its infancy. We talked about that, Tasha’s eventual return for one of the all-time great Trek episodes, and much more.

Killing Tasha Yar (One Bad Script at a Time)

In 1987, Crosby was cast as one of the original cast members of Star Trek: The Next Generation as Enterprise security chief Tasha Yar. Tasha was a fierce fighter with a complicated past, and a striking presence on the bridge of the Starfleet flagship, but the actress found herself bumping up against a familiar Star Trek problem – being relegated to a “hailing frequencies” capacity while more prominent characters were given all the good storylines.

I suggest to her that, when she decided to move on, half of Hollywood probably thought she was crazy. She agrees.

Nobody leaves a TV show. You have a contract. I had a signed contract. -Denise Crosby

“And half of me thought I was crazy,” laughs Crosby. “It was like I saw it, I had to do it. And yes, 99% of people that have an acting job with a six-year contract are not going to ask to go out. And I don't know that I would have 25 years later in my life, but I was young enough and perhaps naive enough to know that I was willing to gamble and take a chance. I was young enough that I knew I didn't have a mortgage. I didn't have children. I didn't have private education to pay for. I didn't have an ill relative that I was caring for. I didn't have the things that would necessitate a different way to think about doing a job for a paycheck. So I was free to purely live creatively at that moment.”

Looking back on it now, she also points out that TV in 1986 was a very different beast than it is today, and first-run syndicated dramatic television – which Next Gen was an early adopter of – was virtually unheard of.

“It wasn't the be-all, end-all for a young actor,” she says. “We were going to these amazing acting classes where we were reading all the great classics … I saw stuff in my acting class I still haven't seen to this day, the level of talent.”

But getting out of her contract would’ve been much more difficult if it weren’t for Trek guru Gene Roddenberry, who had created and was still in charge of Next Gen at that time.

“Nobody leaves a TV show,” Crosby continues. “You have a contract. I had a signed contract. The only way I was able to do it was because Gene Roddenberry had total control. He wouldn't have made another Star Trek if that were not the case, because he had been so abused by the process in the ‘60s. So he finally makes Next Gen, and he is given real autonomy. And he and I sat down like this together and he said, ‘Look, I wish you wouldn't leave. I don't want you to leave.’”

But Roddenberry ultimately gave his blessing, which meant Crosby was able to leave the show. It’s a funny thing though, because she says that the producers actually loved the character of Tasha Yar. But for some reason the scripts were not servicing the character; indeed, Season 1 of Next Generation is widely regarded as one of the lower points of the show’s run. And there was a lot of behind-the-scenes turmoil as well. Marina Sirtis, who played Counselor Troi, has said she was on the verge of being fired. And Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Crusher, was fired at the end of the season (she would return in Season 3). Still, this meant the first year ended with two of the three female leads leaving the show.

“And now they're like, ‘Oh my God, there's no … women,’” remembers Crosby. “So now we’ve got to keep Marina and Gates we'll recast. … It kind of wreaked havoc. That wasn't my intention. My intention was to get somebody in the room and tell me, ‘What is this going to be? What is this character?’ It's such an incredible opportunity. You have so much here, but I'm not going to just be the token hot blonde on the show. But they had a ’60s mentality. It was all these old white dudes in the room until, God love them, until Gene passed. And it shifted. There was a shift when [showrunner] Michael Piller came onto the show [in Season 3] and things changed.”

Denise Crosby’s Star Trek Return (and Tasha Yar’s Redemption)

Tasha was oil-slicked off the Enterprise, but Denise was beamed right into a successful career in both movies and TV, while also becoming something of an expert on the Trek fan community thanks in no small part to her successful documentary Trekkies, which she produced and hosted.

But of course, she did return as Tasha Yar to the bridge of the starship Enterprise two years after she had left, for the Season 3 episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” Through a bit of time travel and alternate timeline trickery, the episode gives us a version of the Star Trek world where Tasha is still alive. Not just that, but Starfleet is at war with the Klingons and things are, to quote Picard, “going very badly for the Federation, far worse than is generally known.” That even includes all the lights onboard being set to “dim”!

“I always make this joke at cons and stuff: I had to die to get a good script,” laughs Crosby.

The episode works on many levels, from its sci-fi conceits to its great cast of guest actors (Christopher McDonald and Tricia O'Neil as doomed crewmembers from a different starship Enterprise), to the off-kilter lighting and design touches which subtly place the story in a different universe. But perhaps most effective is the redemption of Tasha, who as the episode itself says, had died a senseless death the first go-round. Not this time!

“[Executive producer] Rick Berman called me at home,” she recalls. “It was a long time since I talked to him. Out of the blue. And he said, ‘We have this episode that brings Tasha back.’ … It was such a shock – never saw that coming. … And I said, ‘Okay, ew. That sounds weird.’ And he goes, ‘But it's really good, the script. Will you read it?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. Of course.’ Read it over the weekend. And I called him Monday. I said, ‘Oh my God, this is so good.’ This is what I wanted! It's ironic.”

I had to die to get a good script. -Denise Crosby

Yes, Tasha did have to die in order for Denise to get a good script. Of course, by Season 3 Next Gen had finally hit its stride and was consistently knocking out strong episodes, but there’s a special resonance to “Yesterday’s Enterprise” because of the meta aspect of Crosby coming back to make right by Tasha. In fact, the actress just recently watched the episode for the first time in 35 years.

“It's so good,” she says of the hour. “It was such a delight. It was such a beautiful surprise that I couldn't have anticipated to be able to come back on the show and almost redeem her on many levels. … It's better than I thought it was. It's really good. Not only is the writing amazing, Whoopi [Goldberg] brings so much. Christopher McDonald is incredible. And Tricia O'Neil, who plays Captain Garrett. … I mean, those guys bring it. Everybody's better when you have good actors.”

Crosby would return a few more times for guest shots, first as Sela, Tasha’s half-Romulan daughter (long story), and then in the series finale, “All Good Things…”, where she got to play Tasha once more. But still, she says she had and has no regrets about leaving the show.

“There was no turning back,” says Crosby. “I knew I had to go. I never liked to cause problems or rifts. I sometimes feel I made the other guys uncomfortable, or I stirred something in them, which wasn't, again, the intention at all. Not all of them. … But sometimes I wonder if deep inside there was a period – I don't think anymore – but there might've been a period of resentment that, ‘Hey, we're going along here as a unit, and you feel the need to go rogue.’ That's just a natural thing, and that makes me uncomfortable. … But I could not have stayed on. I could not have stood on that thing, that horseshoe, and go ‘Aye-aye, Captain’ for five more years. No one has a crystal ball. Had I known what was to come and that maybe with Michael Piller we could have gotten in there and we could've done something with this character...

"The regret is that they didn't.”

Talk to Associate Director of Features Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura , or listen to his Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3 . Or do both!

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Meet The Cast Of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’

| September 8, 2021 | By: Matt Wright 285 comments so far

A new promotional video was just shared with the Star Trek Day audience. In it we are re-introduced to Anson Mount(Pike), Ethan Peck (Spock), and Rebecca Romijn (Number One), who we saw in Discovery season 2 and Short Treks , and then the new cast members are introduced.

Internationally viewable version

Most of the new cast members were announced in March but not their characters—now we know who they’re playing, and there are some familiar character names among them:

●  Jess Bush is Nurse Christine Chapel ●  Christina Chong is La’an Noonien-Singh ●  Celia Rose Gooding is Cadet Nyota Uhura ●  Melissa Navia is Lt. Erica Ortegas ●  Babs Olusanmokun is Dr. M’Benga ●   Bruce Horak is Hemmer

In this new video, we can see that Number One’s full name is Una Chin-Riley, which had been used in some novels, and is now canon.

Other things of interest: the last name Noonien-Singh, a rather infamous name because of Khan, but we weren’t given any more context there. And Hemmer appears to be an Aenar , a subspecies of Andorian. Aenar are usually blind and rarely leave their isolated region of Andoria. Actor Bruce Horack is an eye cancer survivor who is blind in one eye and has severely limited sight in the other.

New sets and uniforms

As we had heard before, the sets and uniforms were not going to be identical to the ones seen in Discovery season 2, since new sets were built in CBS’ new studio space in the Toronto area (Mississauga).  We get our first look at the transporter room behind the actors and a look at the new (more comfortable-looking) take on early TOS uniforms.

Anson Mount as Captain Pike in his new uniform

Ethan Peck as Lt. Spock in new uniform, and a haircut more like Spock in “The Cage”

For reference here’s Spock in “The Cage”

Transporter room

We see the transporter room from a few different angles. The new set seems to have a blend of influences from TOS, Discovery , and the Kelvin movies.

Ethan Peck on the transporter room set

Melissa Navia on the transporter room set

More to come

There is much more to come on this big Star Trek Day, with more announcements expected. So stay tuned to TrekMovie for  our full Star Trek Day coverage .

Keep up with the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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Another character named Noonien-Singh? Are they still trying to find Roddenberry’s lost friend named that?

Descendent.

I know long time not comment… I still lurk, but this brought me out!! I am soooo excited about this show.

Small universe, heh?

This is a bit of my issue with stuff like this. As much as I love classic Trek, why are they so beholden to it? Haven’t we seen that starfleet is a huge organization? Isn’t civilization spread out throughout the galaxy at this point?

Ditto, I hope they don’t turn Trek into Star Wars, where literally everything revolved around the Skywalker family.

Skywalker/Palpatine family. The prequels hinted at Anakin being the son of Palpatine. And Disney made Rey Emperor Palpatines daughter and granddaughter. Its really messed up.

Yeah. Not thrilled about that at all. Wonder what the connection is.

Another point no one else has made. Though I’m glad to see better East-Asian representation (obvious reference to a recent movie), it seems as though Indians (also Asians???) are getting a raw deal yet again.

Three ‘Noonien Singhs’ so far (I think). One played by a Mexican Actor (the best incarnation). One by a White-British Actor. And now an East-Asian Actress. I get that with descendants they can be of any ethnicity. It just seems as though the ‘Noonien Singhs’ are going the way of ‘Captain Nemo’. A little uncomfortable to watch given all the rightful emphasis on representation these days.

Anyway, looking forward to this show, but to steal a Doctor Bashir phrase:

”I hate the uniforms. I do”.

These are a slight upgrade over the DSC unis, but surprisingly, the Kelvin uniforms still look better. Of all the things you didn’t need a huge visual retcon from the original series (and i’m a big advocate of updating the visuals), it’s the uniforms. Give them a bit of texture for HD cameras, maybe a stiffer fabric, and you’re golden. I might have retconned them to be tuck-in shirts with a belt like TNG, but otherwise, no need for unecessary detail.

I like the Discovery version of the colourful uniforms better.

agreed. I am not a fan of the Kelvin movies and I HATE the JJ-Prise, but they did a fantastic job with the uniforms. They look exactly like what the TOS uniforms might have looked like had it been shot in 4K.

I loved Ryan Church’s design, i only wish that had been translated to film. For some reason the changes they made when translated to a 3 dimensional cgi model ruined the concept. Not sure who wanted those changes JJ, or if ILM did them.

I had less of a problem with the design itself as I did with how radically different it was from the TOS Enterprise. I mean just because something is old doesn’t mean you throw it away. But the bridge? That I seriously couldn’t stand.

The Star Trek Beyond uniforms were excellent; like so much else, the ST09 uniforms were off, resembling baseball jerseys.

I did like the Beyond uniforms, but the collar was a little funky (but I did like it). My ideal would be the TNG uniforms, withou tthe black top or sleeves: a single color top, and a black color. I like the shape of it, and that it’s tucked into a belt.

The thing that bothered me about the original uniforms (and this followed through to the JJ movie) was that the top is just shapeless– it hangs like a t-shirt, and with the vibrant colors it makes them look like they’re wearing pajamas. Fitted tops, tight like TNG S1 or otherwise, don’t work.

Which is another strike on DSC: you’d think after season 1 of TNG, they’d have learned that those extremely tight fitting tops don’t look good.

Oh God…. I missed that. Had to go back and look at the clip to be sure. Good grief…. For the love of God WHY???????

I’m flabbergasted as well, ML. My level of interest has plummeted. Everything leads back to Khan, he is the Darth Vader of Trek.

So, has Mr. Mount been working on his monologuing skills? He’s gonna need them for log entries, and of course, the intro.

I’m sure he has been.

Anson does a really good podcast called The Well, so I think his voiceover skills are at the top of their game.

it truly is an excellent podcast.

Loving the uniforms. Surprised about the younger versions of Uhura and Chapel.

Thank Kahless they did away with those weird Discovery collars. Just never needed to be there. And I also have a feeling now all the Discovery uniforms will have just suddenly disappeared completely for these uniforms, but I’m ready to be proven wrong (but REALLY hope I’m not ;)).

Yep and even Discovery crew themselves no longer wear them in the 32nd century.

Those uniforms never seemed practical and so many of those wearing them seemed very uncomfortable to the point that their movements looked awkward.

I’ve got cosplay with the blue DSC uniforms. It’s actually one of the most comfortable ones I have. Well, except for my Saru cosplay, the boots are murder.

I always said they’d update the uniforms for SNW and I’m glad they have. For the sake of continuity I’d be happy to still see a few Discovery uniforms from time to time. I never actually disliked the actual outfit I was just disappointed with the way they attempted to visually reboot the franchise in season one but the idea of multiple uniforms being in use has been there from very early in Star Trek.

I don’t mind seeing the DIS uniforms either, just as long as they are no longer the main ones going forward.

The uniforms are way better than the disco enterprise uniforms. The collars on those were superfluous and too busy

The collars were less of an issue than the “too much bling” factor on the sides and shoulders.

They keep saying it’s filmed in Toronto. It’s filmed in Mississauga. The ‘sauga never gets any love……….

“Perky ‘Canada’ Has Own Laws, Government”

Haha poor Mississauga! Remember the audience is not only the US, but also a global one. When I lived down in the States, almost everyone knew Toronto but nobody knew about Etobicoke which is where I was from so of course I would always say I was from Toronto. Pretty cool that CBS built that studio out by the 401 and Dixie – I will have to drive by there sometime to check it out.

I’ve been waiting for a USS Mississauga or a Mississauga-class ship.

C’mon Lower Decks show the fam up at CBS Stages Mississauga some love!

Is Missiassauga a suburb of Toronto, or a completely separate town in its vicinity?

Distinct separate city but is attached to Toronto separated by “Etobicoke Creek”

I didn’t even know that and I live in Ottawa. We call all that Toronto too :D

Mississauga is a separate city, adjacent but in the County of Peel.

It includes Toronto Pearson International Airport just to be extra confusing.

Toronto was amalgamated in the 90s to be one huge city such that a lot of towns (Etobicoke included) were rolled in. When people refer to the Greater Toronto Area or GTA, adjacent municipalities, Mississauga, and all of Peel, would be included.

Mississauga used to be the butt of running jokes as Canada’s 4th largest city that was really suburbia and the land of car dealerships.

Now, the ‘sauga has fallen to sixth in population but looks urban. It has astonishing tall modern towers and the car dealerships are lobbying for zoning protection from things like movie and television studios.

I mean, no more confusing that DCA (which is in Arlington) or SFO (which is owned by the City of San Francisco but is physically in Burlingame).

I live in Skokie which is so close to Chicago I can be there in less than 10 minutes. Anyone outside my area I just say I’m from Chicago which is known worldwide

Mississauga has more than ten times the population of Skokie and is the sixth largest city in Canada.

It’s not quite the same thing.

It’s a suburb. It’s exactly the same thing. Mississauga isn’t known worldwide, Toronto is.

It still doesn’t look that urban (I live in the GTA, too).

I actually don’t live in the GTA, and never have for more than a month here or there for a project.

So it’s not loyalty…more just frustration that we’re expected to know about Santa Barbara or San Diego or Brooklyn or the Bronx, but it would be too much to suggest that it might be the same for Mississauga.

To me that’s a little like people from Orange County whining that they get lumped in with Los Angeles. The fact is Orange County is part of the LA area just as Mississauga is a part of the greater Toronto area. So deal with it.

Super excited! glad to see legacy characters, but not totally surprised. Looking forward to it!

Thanks. Just had to throw my jacket in my lap…🚀

Laurie called it.

Dr. M’Benga! Yeah!

Pretty cool.

M’Benga made a good impression on me during the two episodes he was in; I’m very happy that they’re adding his character.

They really need more Asian characters, though. Asians are like a third of Earth’s population, so on a human-heavy ship, there should be lots.

(No, I’m not Asian. It’s just that I can count. :-D)

Gene Roddenberry had tentative plans to spin-off a hospital show with Dr. M’Benga as the lead. That’s why they gave him so much to do. Too bad that show never happened, sounds like it would have been a cool concept for a 60’s show.

Ah, interesting! I didn’t know that. I’ve read that Booker Bradshaw was asked to play doctors frequently and was rather bored with that, so maybe it’s good the spin-off didn’t happen. :-)

The 60’s and and 70’s was full of hospital shows in the US. Setting one in space wouldn’t be so Surprising. I think the UK had a sci-fi show like that. Got canceled I think.

I’m not sure how the actress playing La’an identifies, but her father is of Asian descent.

Yes, but one out of all those characters is not one-third…

Is it too much that they actually cast a Sikh, or even a non-Sikh Punjabi, actor to play a descendent of Khan Noonian Singh?

Agreed on Asian characters. And Southeast Asian.

I recall being kind of against the idea of Olusanmokun playing M’Benga principally because the actor is about a decade older than the guy who originated the role and he’s playing a version of said character that is almost a decade younger than when we last saw him. That ships sailed now though with this announcement and to be honest I no longer care, I’m just really exited to learn more about M’Benga.

Inconsistensies like that are just opportunities to tell a cool story. Maybe M’genga encountered some strange energies that rejuvenated him? Not like that’s never happened on Star Trek :D

To be fair I was only basing this argument on the actors actual age when he played M’Benga but in my opinion he did look older than 27 so I guess I can just ignore it. You never know though, they could factor it into that story. For all we know it might not even be that M’Benga but an older relative although the marketing certainly seems to be stating that they are one and the same.

It’s a tv show. They picked the best actor for the roll. Think of TOS as a rough draft of ST.

It’s kind of cool that they recast BOTH Majel characters.

Now, I’m waiting for Lwaxana Troi to time travel back in time and meet Nurse Chapel and Number One/Una..

And the voice of the computer.

Well, then. They’re bringing in quite a few more legacy characters than I’d expected. I was thinking maybe Yeoman Colt or some other such characters from “The Cage”, but Uhura? M’Benga? Chapel? Also someone named Noonien-Singh, and we all know the connection there…

I regret feeling so ambivalent. If I didn’t have my own personal history reaching back decades experiencing these characters and the others we already know (most especially Spock), I’d probably be super-excited. As it is, I can’t help but feel like this show will feel like an interpretation of the “real” thing (even if a lot of these versions will likely be far more fleshed-out than the incarnations we see in TOS and the other older productions, Spock excepted). But if I were a newcomer to the franchise, I’m sure I’d be over the moon right now.

I’m afraid they’re going to ruin Spock. Avika Goldman wants to use the emotional Spock we saw in “The Cage,” and that will totally destroy the meaning of the character.

Spock was emotional in “The Cage” because Number One was the emotionless character back then. When the second pilot was written, that lack of emotion was transferred to Spock. The human-Vulcan hybrid who was determined to act completely Vulcan no matter what is now going to be playing with emotions? That’s NOT who Spock is!

Also, Ethan Peck’s ears look ridiculous. They need to get a better prosthetic maker to re-do his ears ASAP.

So much fake melodrama.

What a mean thing to say. What did I ever do to you?

Yea, that was uncalled for. Mods need to step in on that person — lot’s of personal snarky comments like that from them lately.

You have a legitimate opinion. If someone disagrees then they should tell you why.

Oh, give it a rest.

Nothing at all, and I wasn’t saying anything mean. I was agreeing with you. There will likely be a lot of fake melodrama involving Spock since they’re basing this on the overly emotional version of the character from The Cage. We even saw that in season two of Discovery. Sorry if my comment somehow seemed mean, but it was actually meant to agree with you.

I misunderstood your comment; I thought you meant my concern about their approach to Spock was melodramatic! Sorry for the confusion.

Wow Lorna Dune. You’re treading on thin ice. Been seeing lots of unpleasant things from you recently. Consider this your warning.

Wait, what? I don’t understand what I said that was unpleasant. I was agreeing with Corylea. There will likely be a lot of fake melodrama involving Spock since they’re basing this on the overly emotional version of the character from The Cage. We even saw that in season two of Discovery. So I fail to see how my agreeing with a comment is mean, unpleasant or cause for a warning.

LOL! Nice move. Still time to use the same apology to Brennon in the Prodigy thread. He might have “misunderstood” you too when you said the exact same thing to him ;))

I don’t know what that response refers to.

https://trekmovie.com/2021/09/08/full-length-star-trek-prodigy-trailer-drops-with-premiere-date/#comment-5535989

Corylea was actually voicing concerns. To which you replied “So much fake melodrama.” I’m not sure what you thought was going on there, but that looked like you’re telling Corylea they were being “fake” and “dramatic.” Please try to be aware of how your reply looks to others before posting.

OK, so noted. But this has all been taken entirely out of context. I know she was voicing concerns, and I was agreeing with her. Anyway, I’m just going to walk away now, perplexed.

You have a record on this board of calling members melodramatic or odd and you are perplexed if they take that as an insult? I don’t have an issue with your snarkiness but your hypocrisy and pretended innocence is a little hard to take serious.

I have no idea who you are, odradek, so your opinion of me and my supposed “record” doesn’t matter in the slightest.

I think he looks a lot like Nimoy in Where No Man Has Gone Before . Not quite the look Spock finally ended up with.

The hairstyle, yes, and I assume that’s deliberate, though I wish they hadn’t done it. The ears, no; the ears are just bad.

I’m with you on this. Supposedly, this takes place after the events in Discovery.. the Spock from the Cage has already progressed beyond that stage. You could see that in Discovery. Doesn’t mean he can’t struggle with his human side still. I’m holding out judgement but Akiva’s comments along with little things like his hairstyle in this trailer, make me wonder if they’re trying to make him regress. That, or perhaps they are going further back than the events of Discovery.. I’m just not sure. Either way, I just have concerns that they’re not honoring what has been portrayed before the same way they did that on Discovery. I would love to be wrong and hope that I am.

Remember this is Akiva Goldsman we are talking about the guy who wrote Batman and Robin. So I think a little trepidation goes a long way with him.

Even when he won the Oscar, I couldn’t get past that he was the writer on those two Batman movies… because of those I groaned when it was announced he was coming over to Trek.

His Involvement with Star Trek Discovery doesn’t help his standing very much either.

Yeah. I’m happy for them to flesh out Uhura and Chapel and M’Benga however they want, because those characters weren’t very well developed during TOS. But we KNOW who Spock is! They really need to honor the TOS portrayal of his character. Leonard Nimoy’s acting was good enough to show us that Spock DID have emotions, but Mr. Nimoy was so very good at being subtle that they were only hinted at, and the audience had to pay attention to see them. I would hate to see Mr. Nimoy’s excellent work undone.

Mr. Nimoy worked very hard — not just on his acting, but with lots of behind-the-scenes memos — to keep Spock IN character. I doubt Mr. Peck has the clout to force the producers to keep Spock in character, even assuming he wants to.

In some ways they already have. Spock’s story in Discovery is not well weaved into the Spock we know. The biggest, to me, is how they try to supplant Kirk with Burnham as being the impetus for his journey forward. Is their room for both? Maybe.. but it really devalues Spock’s friendship and growth as a character to retread ground already told.

I agree; I didn’t care for their trying to make Burnham be the most important thing in Spock’s development. She’s already saved the universe; she can leave Spock alone. :-)

Right. I don’t mind that Burnham was a lost sister of Spock’s that we have never heard of before. But what I do mind is that Kirk never knew of her if she was THAT important to Spock. It just ring true to me.

As I said MANY times, everyone should know who Burnham was and her history in Starfleet, at least if you were IN Starfleet at the time, being both the first mutineer and supposedly started the Klingon war on top of it. She would be infamous at this point.

I agree from the perspective she started the Klingon war. But that doesn’t bother me nearly as much as how an entire division of StarFleet (section 31) was completely lost a mere 80+ years later.

We could go on and on with all the problems with the Burnham character. And you are correct in your assessment here too. One of my many issues is the fact that Spock actually says there’s never been a mutiny when his own adopted sister was known to have lead one. I know there are liberties to be taken with this sort of thing but when a major line of dialogue openly contradicts what you do in your “prequel” then you have a problem. And as we have all seen, there is a laundry list of problems.

Really?! The same Kirk who didn’t even know that his First Officer’s father was the Vulcan ambassador?

(Which, truth be told, was some pretty poor writing on the part of the usually awesome D.C. Fontana, who should’ve understood better than anyone that storytelling logic shouldn’t be sacrificed for a cheap, melodramatic hook before the opening credits.)

Whatever the real-world reasons for Spock’s behavior in “The Cage,” the performance nevertheless has been filmed canon for going on sixty years now, not only as an unaired pilot but as a two part, Hugo-winning episode. I don’t know what rationale they’ll come up with for exploring Spock’s more emotional side, but have no objections to it on principle if it’s done well.

Which is, of course, a big ‘if.’ Mount said it himself: SNW is a real high-wire act, and whatever they do some fans will be unhappy. But I can say that I thought Ethan Peck did a very credible job with Spock on Discovery, all things considered. With the rare exception of an Arlene Martel or Mark Leonard, many of the actors portraying Vulcans have been just terrible. Peck was far better than most, including (at least for my money) Zack Quinto.

That was an excellent post, Blondie-Wan. You summed up my feelings pretty exactly, there. I too feel ambivalent, and as you suggested, perhaps it’s just because my own decades-long relationship with the franchise is coloring everything coming now for me as simply a flashier remake of what’s come before. And the fact DSC has disappointed me so much. I’ll give this a chance, though.

I’m a little disappointed it looks like we aren’t getting Colt. 3 legacy characters does feel like a bit much. Especially when the one that fist the best wasn’t even among them! (Scotty)

I’m curious as to who is going to be the Chief Engineer.

That has always been an important character on Trek starships.

Not on Discovery. For a show that focuses on science and engineering there is a very odd discomfort with the idea of showing the engine room.

On the other hand, there’s been a semi-tradition on Trek series to only confirm the chief engineer some ways into the first season. Perhaps there’s someone more to come.

But Star Trek Discovery is weird in that they seem to have NO senior staff. We have yet to see the CMO (unless what’s her name is is) or a Chief Engineer. When the captain gets his staff together it’s the show characters and no department heads. That was always weird. But then, Star Trek Discovery has decided that “sense” (among other things) was something they didn’t seem to care about.

I’m guessing Hemmer or Ortega at the moment.

Except in TNG prior to LaForge taking over as Chief Engineer.

UHURA and CHAPEL ARE BACK!!!!!!!!

OMG, crazy! Most people assumed that was Uhura but I didn’t expect Chapel at ALL!! And even M’Benga is there who I admit I utterly forgot about as a character until my grand rewatch of TOS earlier this year! So welcome aboard brotha! This is pretty amazing! I was already excited about the show but now much more hyped for it!

No one should kid themselves thinking we weren’t going to get more TOS characters on this show. All these new shows are basically fan service for the old ones lol. It was 100% guaranteed just like we are getting more TNG and VOY characters on the other shows. I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. I haven’t looked any other place yet but I’m guessing the news is blowing up everywhere.

Kirk will show up in the second season

Or sooner maybe. Ethan Peck made some cryptic comments about Spock’s established relationships with characters being explored in SNW.

I fully expected that. Can’t wait to read all the angry comments. :)

OOOF, I don’t know. Kirk is a hard one to pull off. Pine has way more power over his character IMHO than Quinto has over Spock. But then again CBS and Paramount are merged now so I guess anything can happen.

Like a few folks I called Uhura. Really surprised by the others. I never would have guessed they would bring back a fairly minor character like M’Benga.

Yeah I was pretty certain that was Uhura too. As far as Chapel, it’s funny how I never even considered she would be on this show, but yeah nothing stops it either (and not being played by the same actress helps ;)).

As for M’Benga, as said, I honestly completely forgot who he was until recently and I been watching the show since the late 70s lol. But that’s probably why they brought him in, he has a ‘name’ to the hardcore fans (VERY hardcored ;)) but was just in two episodes so they can literally do anything they want with him, like Pike himself basically. It’s smart to make him the head doctor on the show although it may be a Culber situation and he’s not the CMO himself, but kind of is. ;)

Don’t ask me which, but I think M’Benga got some love in a few novels.

Yes! I found him in some novels too and didn’t know who he was. I recognized him in TOS afterwards.

I don’t think him being the CMO is a good idea. It raises some questions. None are good for M’Benga. I brought them up in my initial post which should be below…

I was also one of those that called Uhura. I didn’t get Chapel though, I’d guessed Colt for that particular actress and whilst I conceded there was a possibility of M’Benga I was against that casting at the time because this actor is a lot older than the guy who played him in TOS was at the time.

Honestly I didn’t see this coming. They could have gone with all new characters (aside from Pike, Spock and Number One) but that’s already basically happening on Picard, Discovery, Lower Desks, and soon Prodigy, so I was blown away by all these legacy characters who I honestly have wanted to know more about. Along with this being more episodic Trek (which I loved about the old shows) and the high production value (which I love about the new shows). My anticipation level is at a fever pitch now. If we get a teaser trailer anytime soon I’m going burst lol

My personal preference was to have Scotty be the only legacy character. To me he makes the most sense. If he was already on board under whoever was the actual Chief then he gets promoted when Kirk takes over it fits with his odd love of the big E. He would have spent years working on her and then to finally be responsible…. It just fits better than anyone. Even Chapel.

M’Benga, Uhura and Chapel all served with Pike before? I know nothing contradicted that but it sure seemed like only Spock had any attachment to him in the Menagerie. Maybe those other 3 were secretly helping Spock take Pike to Talos offscreen…

I don’t remember Uhura or Chapel playing a large role in the Menagerie. Have to go back and look sometime.

Unless this is set before the events of Discovery, this is a few years after The Cage .

discovery season 1 takes place in 2257 the cage takes place in 2264 and the first 2 episodes of discovery take place in 2256 so there is only a year between the cage and discovery and from what has been siad before this picks up were season 2 of discovery leaves off which is 2258

The Cage was 13 years before The Menagerie according to dialogue, and The Menagerie was in 2265 or 2266. That puts The Cage at 2252 or 2253. If Discovery Season 2 is 2258 as you say, that is five or six years later.

nope the cage took place in 2254 that has been extablished as canon even the canon discovery novels say as much so does everyones favorite resource memory alpha says 2254 and only the final 2 part episode of discovery season 2 takes place in 2258 the rest of the season 2 takes place in 2257 like most of season 1 except the first 2 episodes which take place in 2256 and the menagerie two part tos episode takes place in 2267

Novels are not canon. Canon by definition is what is depicted on screen.

Where are you getting that The Menagerie (in the middle of Season 1) was set in 2267?

Where are you getting that there was a one-year time jump between Through The Valley Of Shadows and Such Sweet Sorrow ? Or do you mean the final few minutes (where Pike, Spock and Una say the Discovery was destroyed) was a year later? Even that is debatable, since that means they were still being debriefed about those events a year later.

they state the years in thew show with the stardates

also cbs viacom and the creators of the shows have siad the discovery and picard novels and comics are canon tie ins and they had to delay the picard comic so it it was accurate to the show since it was a last minute decision to have la forge survive the destruction of utopia planetia in the show the reason is they are using the books and comics as canon tie-ins is the same as disney uses thier star wars novels,comics and games as canon tie-ins to give back stories to characters and events from the movies and shows

Yes I know when the show takes place. I just don’t recall any significant Pike/Uhura interaction.

This is why I come to this forum. To be corrected on mistakes I never made. It’s fun.

I was just pointing out that a few years have passed since the Talos IV incident. Plenty of time for Uhura or Chapel to have come aboard the Enterprise while Pike was still Captain.

The post mentions The Menagerie (Pike in wheelchair, Commodore Mendez etc) — not The Cage.

Uhura and Sulu (in xenobiology not as pilot) were on board before Kirk arrived. So it’s canon that they serves with Pike, but not as to when they joined the crew.

That has never been said onscreen, no.

Nope. Nichelle Nichols did not appear in either “The Cage” (the first pilot) or “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (the second pilot.) Her first appearance was in “The Corbomite Maneuver.” So it wasn’t canon that she served with Pike until SNW put her there.

Sulu was in WNMHGB but was not in “The Cage,” so it’s also not canon that he served with Pike. And Sulu wasn’t a xenobiologist; he reports himself as being in Astro Sciences in WNMHGB.

You’re right about Uhura. Also Chapel says she signed up with Starfleet fairly recently in the hopes of finding her fiancé Roger Corby in “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”, so she shouldn’t be on SNW either. However, there’s grey area with Sulu. Remember The Cage (2254) and WNHGB (2265) are separated by 10 years. DSC S2, and thus SNW, takes place a few years after The Cage. So while I don’t love more legacy characters being included, Sulu actually could have served with Pike during his second 5 year mission.

I’m not saying that they COULDN’T have been on Pike’s ship; I was responding to TG47’s saying that it’s CANON that they WERE. It is not canon that they were … at least, it wasn’t until SNW came along. :-)

Ahh gotcha.

These won’t be the only original characters we see. Sulu or someone similar will probably show up at some point, even if they don’t become series regulars. I don’t think this braintrust running the show can help themselves. To me, Scotty seems the most logical as we get closer to the time Kirk takes over. I’d bet real money that this series ends with the transition to Kirk, and we get him.

Well Scotty is the oldest and has served the longest so he makes the most sense. I hope if he shows up they adhere to the canon of the career he had prior to the Enterprise established in Relics.

My thoughts exactly. A Lt Scott on the Enterprise who reports to the Chief Engineer works perfectly. And flows best with what we know of the character. I was kinda hoping they find a way to get him in but with 3 other legacy characters I now think it will be overkill,

But still hoping the show works.

We were specifically responding to the above comment “ Uhura and Sulu (in xenobiology not as pilot) were on board before Kirk arrived. ” even though no canon stories ever said they were.

I suppose it’s true that Sulu could have been there and I can’t refute canon. I just grew up assuming that just like Leonard Nimoy was the only actor that came over from the original pilot, Spock was the only crew member from Pike’s command to stay under Kirk’s command.

Uhura could have been on a different shift in WNMHB and SNW is after The Cage. I think she was actually on the Enterprise under Cage in the novel Enterprise.

Yes, she COULD have been on the ship; I was replying to TG47’s statement that it’s CANON that she was on the ship. It isn’t. Or at least, it wasn’t until SNW came along. :-)

That’s the beauty of prequels….now it is! ;D

I have a disturbing doubt. the presence of Uhura in this period of time gives space to the love story with Spock. it’s a possibility that scares me!

Uh. No. No way. Let’s leave that in the Kelvin Universe HOWEVER they could have some origin story regarding Chapel developing her crush on Spock…

Chapel is supposed to be engaged, so her crush on Spock before “What Are Little Girls Made Of” is kinda strange to begin with, unless she’s polyamorous.

I don’t see the conflict, actually. I think it could set up some interesting love triangle kind of thing. Could be just an attraction that is never consummated or really acted upon, but palpable and conflicting for her (to me, that’s the most interesting, and most logical. I don’t see Spock intentionally violating someone’s relationship), or they disregard anything already established and have it be some sort of romance, even if she is canonically married prior to this show airing.

She did try to flirt with him in several episodes of TOS, and Goldsman’s saying that they could include relationships that were only hinted at during TOS makes me think that may be where they’re headed.

I never considered that but ouch I hope not. An officer so should not be dating a cadet. So illogical.

She’s still only a cadet in SNW so it doesn’t necessarily follow that she would be get the Enterprise when she graduates Starfleet Academy but she likely would aspire to get back there. Now if SNW goes multiple seasons like Discovery then they’ll have to cross that bridge and if she remains on the show then she would realistically have to be assigned to the ship but then again she might only be on one season of the show for all we know. Interestingly Kurtzman brought up the Starfleet Academy project when being interviewed by Wil Wheaton for Star Trek day and he reiterated that this is a concept that they remain excited about. For all we know this might be being developed as another TOS prequel show and Uhura could transfer onto that series.

All that could be true but I have a feeling they aren’t thinking that hard about it. My guess is Uhura will just stay on the ship through the end. If so, she and Spock will be the Kolbe Bryant of Starfleet and their entire career will be on one ship (OK, technically two ;)).

uhura is a cadet in strange new worlds so she is either 3rd or 4th year much like how tilly was serving on the discovery as a cadet

I would think it would be more like Nog being a cadet and serving on DS9. Which I thought was a bit weird that he would be there for very long as he still has his studies to deal with.

Just like Chekov played a role on season 1 of TOS. 😉

Will Spock have Ponn Farr on Strange New Worlds? Will Pike help him deal with: Una, Uhurah and Chapel? Are there other choices?

Will Spock have a relationship be with M’Benga that is sort of “straight” as an alternative to the humor of his relationship with McCoy? Or just nothing special?

IIRC there was a bit of flirtation between Spock and Una in one of the Short Treks so maybe something will come out of that

Chapel doesn’t make an appearance in “The Menagerie” at all. Uhura actually has a fair amount of screen time by the standards of the character, but there’s little in the episode to suggest that she has any personal connection to its events.

Crew on a ship of that size would rotate in and out, and there would be multiple shifts. Ops would likely have crew cross train, so it would be possible any given crew member could be serving anywhere on a large ship, depending on circumstances.

And that is another reason why I feel like too many legacy characters could be a bit of a continuity problem.

Wish there was a teaser trailer. Yet with these streaming shows they don’t release trailers until 6-8 weeks before release start date. Wonder if they’ll make minor design changes to the Discoprise Enterprise.

going by a produxction crews shirt they gave the enterprise tmp refit pylons and might have moded the nacelles a bit but the rest looks relitivly the same

Yeah the biggest disappointment. THIS was the trailer everyone was hoping to see. But knowing Paramount, they will probably drop one 2 days later or something just to throw people off. ;)

Is there some in universe explanation for why the Discoprise becomes the actual Enterprise of Shatner Kirk, or its just because its modern day and they like to do a modern take. It would be hilarious if the 60s design was the first refit.

they have visually updated the 60’s designs and they used the tmp refit/1701-a as a reference for the basis for the visual update while keeping certian elements to the 60’s design in it

Yeah. Say what you will about the Discoprise, it is orders of magnitude better than the Kelvinprise which just looks utterly ridiculous. Both of them.

Agreed. I still prefer Matt Jeffries’ original, but can easily live the Disco interpretation of it. The broad strokes are mostly fine; it’s the lighting and texturing of the model on Discovery that I had a problem with. Hopefully, as with the uniforms (and, it appears, the bridge lighting) SNW will take a different approach.

I think the notion that the look of Star Trek was part of canon was thrown out the window the second Discovery aired. Canon had always honored the look of TOS up until then. Some say it never was, but if that was the case, why was Archer on a faithful looking Defiant? Why did Scotty stand on an accurate TOS Bridge in TNG? Why was DS9 so faithful in Trials and Tribulations? I get the need to update the look, but I do think they aren’t faithful enough. The sets look great, including the Enterprise Bridge. I appreciate the effort they made to pay homage to the TOS design, but I also think they went to far. The design of the model Enterprise in Discovery was baffling to me in the liberties they took to make it look different that they didn’t have to. I think they could have done better.

*Should read “I don’t think they are faithful enough.” sorry… typo

I totally agree. I get this isn’t 1960’s and you can’t make sets out of cardboard and jellybeans and ships are CGI, etc… But you can be more faithful to the iconic TOS design than they are being. But I will say they did a great job with the bridge. The exterior of the ship (esp the nacelles and the slanted pylons) not so much.

Wish it wasn’t geolocked! As usual,all the Trek stuff is just for the US. Oh well,might check it out one day,lol.

The official site has the promos and should be region free: https://www.startrek.com/day

Thanks Matt,will try that. Sometimes they work,sometimes they don’t. Great that you post a few pics from these though. Thanks for that too!

I was hoping to see a trailer but the cast intro was just as good. We not only saw some great legacy and new characters but we got a first peek at the new uniforms (I am sure many will be happy they got rid of those collars) and a look at the slightly revised bridge. Can’t wait to take a closer look when they release a video we can pause haha. This was definitely worth checking out on Star Trek Day and I hope they can give us a premiere date soon.

well i don’t think the cgi vfx are finished yet the show just finished filming a month or two ago they explained that all the computer monitor displays on the sets are live and react to the cast tapping and pressing on the screens

I am so, so, so, SO happy they got rid of those strange collars. There were so many ‘what were they THINKING???’ ideas they did in Discovery first season that is now thankfully being fazed out between both shows, especially DIS being throwing a thousand years into the future and all.

Like many (or everybody ;)) I was hoping for a trailer too, but we’ll live. We are getting a lot in general on all the shows, so it’s fine. I haven’t really went back and looked at the SNW sets yet since I’m still watching but can’t wait to hear all the analysis over the tiniest bit of minutiae we come to know for decades! ;)

Oh wow!! Very different from what I’d thought it would be… Especially the uniforms. Uhura and Chapel… Didn’t see that one coming either. nevertheless, very exciting.

Especially their haircut. Very strange (new world) to see Uhura which such short hair.

An Aenar! That’s awesome!

The most awesome part about that being that this time they’re using an actor who is actually blind. From a representation standpoint, that’s honestly great.

That said, I wish they weren’t bringing back all these legacy characters with new performers. Honestly, I wish they just had a totally different ship and a crew we’ve never met before in some other era. But oh well. I’m sure the cast will be great and all.

I’m fine with it all if they truly forge ahead and don’t keep trying to recreate TOS. A little dipping in to characters we know and love can be ok, but coming from this group of creatives, some of the character choices in this are concerning to me… not because they are there, but because the people behind Discovery have, so often, delved into Trek’s past at the expense of propelling the show forward. Trying to be reverent is a fine line. I hope I’m wrong.

I agree with you on these new announcements, but exploring Pike’s era is a part of Trek lore that I believe is warranted, coupled with Mount’s performance of the character. He was the best part of Discovery so far, and I do want to see more. If he can bring what he brought to Star Trek in Discovery, and they build off of that, then I remain hopeful.

Honestly, I’m in the camp that Akiva Goldsman as the driving force behind this series may be the biggest problem with being full on optimistic about this. I’m not her to bash Akiva.. I just think he’s over reliant on the past of Star Trek in the wrong way.

OMG, wow that IS cool! I didn’t catch that. I just thought he was an odd looking Andorian. LOVE to see more and more Enterprise canon making it onto the shows. I don’t love prequels but that is the one cool thing about them, that, if done right, it bridges aliens and old story lines more. In this case, a new prequel building on the previous prequel.

He might be an Aenar (sorry the spelling may be wrong) who decided he wanted to see the outside world.

Well, experience the outside world, anyway.

Haha yes so true and I forgot that they are blind.

I noticed that and didn’t comment on it. I HOPE they know he’s not blue! But my main deal with the Andorrans is that their antenna move with their emotional state like they did on Enterprise. That was the best classic alien upgrade I have ever seen!

The actor Bruce Horath is one of a very few legally blind actors. He is completely blind in one eye and has very limited vision in the other.

More, his blindness was caused by a childhood cancer that clouds the visible portion of the eye like the Aenar were depicted in Enterprise.

So, this seems like very fortuitous and intentional casting of an Aenar to represent people with visual limitations in-universe.

I would really hope to see the animatronics back in the antenna too. I’m trying to recall though if that was as much a thing for the Aenar though. Their antenna were different than Andorians and serves different purposes.

I don’t remember if their antennae showed emotions, but they definitely moved around when they were reading people’s minds.

Man, Anson Mount is HANDSOME, Ohh Myyy! Exciting that we get to see young Uhura, how cool for that actress to be stepping into such an iconic role! Awesome that it appears that they’ve hired a blind actor to play a blind character – can imagine that that will be really empowering and inspirational for a lot of people out there. And very glad to hear that it’ll be more episodic in nature – hopefully in the same vein as The Mandalorian was episodic in that each episode featured a unique chapter in the journey that can be enjoyed on it’s own, but also connected to a larger story and always keeping it simple and character driven. Would love to see that type of approach here, and mixed with this cast I’m sure we’ll all be very happy with the results. LLAP

 Jess Bush is Nurse Christine Chapel!!!! Celia Rose Gooding is Cadet Nyota Uhura!!!! Babs Olusanmokun is Dr. M’Benga!!!! Transporter room looks good. ANDORIAN ON THE SHIP!!

WARP SPEED!!!!

I AM ALSO EXCITED!!!

It’s going to be fun to have TOS characters on this show and TNG era characters on the others again. And then there is Discovery. ;)

Once they confirmed Uhura was showing up my excitement level jumped even higher than it was! Chapel was just the extra icing needed.

It’s an aenar played by a blind actor!

Do I really gotta be the one to point out how annoying it is when writers shoehorn in connections to future stories as nostalgia bait? Noonien Singh, really?? And young Uhura too? For crying out loud, not every character in a show has to be connected to the shows we’ve already seen. This means, what, we get exactly 2 new characters in this entire show? I’m so sick of this… Despite all its claims to the contrary, Star Trek in its current iteration has become a conservative, regressive show. Instead of taking chances, it falls back on the familiar like every other media franchise in production today. Discovery is rooted in nostalgia, Picard even more so. Lower Decks is entirely referential. These writers know nothing except how to take established characters and change them into their own hollow interpretations. I was so excited for SNW to show us a new crew of the Enterprise, and literally we’re getting exactly what we had before or someone with some completely unnecessary connection to Khan, because everything in Star Trek has to connect back to Khan somehow, it was the movie that everyone loved so it’s gotta be about Khan. God I hate our modern media diet… Rant over 🖖🏼

Dude, I’m so with you on this. This franchise and its creatives cannot get past Khan. Every single movie from TNG forward can’t seem to get away from the villain motivated by revenge format.. or directly trying to recreate the character, which is damn near impossible… so now we see this character name and have to wonder… why? And not wondering why in an intriguing way.. why in a “WTF does that mean” way. The obsession with Khan and recreating Star Trek II is the one thing they really need to get away from.

Rant appreciated, actually. All good points. I really wish I had any faith at all in the writing teams at Kurtzman & Co.

Fully understand the frustration. I am with you to a point. I agree with SH constantly hardening back to what Trek has done before. Unfortunately they do it because it’s usually safe with most fans. Most fans love the call backs. Just look at this board when they brought in Talos and the Guardian of Forever. Many ate it up. I knew they would have a call back and at least one legacy character. But was hoping for fewer.

And the Singh thing…. Good grief. I really hope there is no relation.

Okay, now I officially miss the strange DSC uniform collar. Their necks look naked without it :-)

Concerning the characters: I only guessed Uhura right.

M’Benga? Chapel? Those I had thought to be Clark Terrell and Carol Marcus.

But instead of those TWOK characters we get… a Noonien-Singh??? La’aaaaaaaan! La’aaaaaaaaaaan!

The only huge disappointment is the name Erica Ortegas. I was so much hoping they’d call her Macha Hernandez, Tasha’s original name from an early TNG draft.

But yeah, hit it! Let’s fly…

Oh man… having Clark Terrell and Carol Marcus would have been awesome too!!! Dr M’benga I think had to be there now. That being said still think we should see Dr. Boyce, Lt Tyler and Colt… hope they show up..

Carol Marcus? I dunno. I don’t think everyone in Kirk’s life needs to have had to have come from the Enterprise.

Wow, never thought they’d include Dr M’benga but that is cool. I always thought he was an underrated character in TOS. Including Uhura and Chapel were unexpected but I knew these producers couldn’t help themselves to include legacy characters. They always take the easy way out. By the way is the actress playing Uhura related to Cuba Cooding Jr? It would have been fun if Rebecca Romijn had actually played the Chapel role as well, but probably too much work so it didn’t happen.

Of course not. We all knew the second SNW was announced, half of TOS will probably show up before first season is over. I joke, but…

The people making Trek today are ultimate fanboys and girls. It’s why we have everything from Q to the Guardian of Forever back (I still want them to team up like the strangest buddy cop story in history). It’s ALL coming back kids. All of it by the time they are done.

As far as the actress being related to Cuba Gooding Jr, since it hasn’t been brought up once since she was first announced, doubtful. But you know I’m usually wrong. ;)

But when is it starting? After Picard in mid/late 2022?

They didn’t say, but based on production/release schedules I would guess starting shortly after Picard in late April/early May 2022.

So I will hold out on subscribing to Paramount+ until then. SNW is the only Star Trek show I am looking forward to, so I will wait until then to subscribe. I will watch the other shows then, but I can be patient with those.

Same here, VZX. I’m in no hurry to sign up for yet another service as it is.

knowing picard comes out on either febuary 17th or 24th 2022 depending on if discovery season 4 has 13 or 14 episodes in season 4 that would put strange new worlds coming out either april 28th 2022 or may 5th 2022 since we know picard will have 10 episodes

I’d say 22.2.22 (or 2.22.22) would be the perfect date. As long as it’s not February the 29th… :-P

:D Would be nice date!

But right after Picard S2, would make it to first half of 2022, would be great! Nevertheless its like 3/4 of a year :o

Anyone knowing, if they are already working on scripts for a S2? Maybe it would give them enough time, to take enough care on the details and logic.

What about Dr. Boyce who was seen in The Cage? Or Dr. Piper in Where no man has gone before? (A bit offtopic, but interesting: in the german dubbed version, which was notorious for getting things wrong, they made it right and presented Dr. Piper as “replacement for Dr. McCoy” ;-) Also with the eugenic wars which were placed in the 2090s and almost with the time period of TOS: “it’s the year 2200”)

This is years after The Cage, so Boyce could be retired or even dead. But we still might see him. At the very least they will probably reference him in some ways. Dr. Piper is the complete opposite, he didn’t show up until years later, so I don’t it matters much.

Even though its wrong, it would actually make a lot more sense if the Eugenic wars took place in the 2090s. Or at least be the direct cause of WW 3.

At the very least they will probably reference him in some ways. 

Maybe again in the german dubbed version “I’m the replacement for Dr. Boyce”. ;-) (No, not really… it’s not 1972 anymore, when german viewers didn’t have any knowledge about the original version.)

Oh I see what you mean now. But as said it was dubbed wrong. And of course, they may just ignore stuff. Everyone is trying to piece together every little thing, but this is the group that skipped over the part about visiting Talos IV warrants the death penalty or pretends Sybok never even existed (or maybe I’m wrong and he shows up next season ;)).

Other words, they know most won’t care about every obscure piece of minutiae, especially something from a single episode that didn’t have any real story basis.

The uniforms can never alligne anyway. The Cage and WNMHGB had the same uniforms. Doesn’t matter. That’s production history.

I’m more concerned with SNW being called the “maiden voyages” of the NCC-1701. There was Robert April before Pike and that is canon due to TAS…

Discovery had Robert April as one of Saru’s inspiration’s for commanding a ship.

The German dubbed version :-) Oh my, we got Sol Drive instead of Warp Drive back then and Gary Seven was called Felix Sevenrock because of a ZDF guy named Siebenrock :-) They only broadcast half of the TOS episodes in the 70s with the other half to arrive in the 80s… Amok Time was depicted as a dream and Patterns of Force premiered in the late 90s…

Funniest thing about the German dubbing is Picard’s voice. First three and a half seasons and in the movies he had that old man’s voice that would NOW perfectly fit for older PIC Picard (the great voice actor has sadly passed though). Seasons 5-7 had that spot-on younger Stewart’s voice…

Piper was only in WNMHGB because DeForrest Kelley, who Roddenberry wanted, wasn’t available to play the ship’s doctor. So the character became a historical footnote. But it was the actor’s connection to Trek which landed him a similar role on “Battlestar Galactica” a dozen years later, which I’m sure was much appreciated.

Interesting Cast, but i feel a bit disappointed because Kurtzman ignored the Wish to hire Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Boyce.

Nah, I’m glad that it’s not Jeffrey Combs as Boyce as a regular CMO.

But I am hoping that Shran is still alive and that we’ll see him.

The Aenar population was so small in the 22nd century and Shran both married into the community and lived with them for a period. In a community of few thousand everyone knows everyone.

So, it would be actually unexpected that Hemmer didn’t know Shran. More, Shran would not be able to resist keeping tabs on an Aenar serving on a ship named Enterprise.

I the guy playing M”Benga the charcter we know from TOS or that character’s father? Because beside not looking anything like him, regarding his age he has to be his father. Dr M”Benga would be in his early twenties.

The last scene of the series finale:

(INT.) Enterprise bridge

The turbolift doors open and all hands look to see who is entering the bridge.

Enter the new boy: CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK, confident and cocky along with his friend, the new ship’s physician DR LEONARD MCCOY. Striding to the captain’s chair as if he has been on this ship his whole life, KIRK sits, leans back, and surveys his new crew one by one. He is ready to begin his new adventure.

KIRK: Helmsman, take us out. Half thrusters.

SULU: Aye, sir.

SULU turns back to the helm and begins piloting the ship. The rest of the bridge crew turns to look at the viewscreen as the structure of the drydock passes from view and is replaced by a field of stars.

SULU: Captain, we have cleared spacedock. What is our heading, sir?

KIRK: (Smiling) Helmsman’s discretion. Let’s see where destiny takes us.

MCCOY: (Mutters sarcastically) Oh boy, this is gonna be good.

SULU: Course plotted, sir.

KIRK: Ahead, Warp Factor five.

SULU: Warp Factor five, aye.

KIRK: Engage!

The stars on the viewscreen rush by ever faster until there is a flash of white, and…

This is what I love about message boards, the show hasn’t started yet and fans are already thinking how the last episode will play out lol. And sure, I can see something like that playing out. But I have a feeling we may see both McCoy and Sulu before then, even if they are not on the ship.

Where is Yeoman Colt? She should have been in the show, perhaps at a higher rank.

But this cast looks great! This is the only Star Trek show I am looking forward to.

Agreed… I’d have her start low and work up the ranks. Also fun to have a noncommissioned officer on the crew, plus aren’t there unresolved feelings between her and Pike?!?

Not on Pike’s side.

So whats Dr. M’benga do to get demoted from CMO so that McCoy can take over?

Perhaps he was never CMO. After all we already have Boyce and Bryce.

Why does he have to get demoted? Maybe he’s just transferred after Pike retires and McCoy takes over at the request of the new Captain?

Absolutely. The length of time that senior officers stay with the hero ships on Star Trek shows is really unusual.

I expect that Mbenga is CMO and off doing other things at a new posting during TOS. The acting when he covers for McCoy is an acting role during the absence of the officer who holds that role rather than an acting rank.

My thought is M’Benga goes to Vulcan for a tour, having learned about the Vulcan Science Academy from Spock.

He may not be the CMO, just on staff like Culber is in Discovery.

All very good points, could’ve went to Vulcan, could just be a doctor on staff, after all they just said he was playing dr. M’benga, mayyyyybe there’s a smalllll chance that Boyce will be a recurring character playing by our favorite recurring character actor…

As a TOS fan, this preview gave me goosebumps throughout. I love that they are honouring TOS characters both well known and less so. So looking forward to seeing an actual trailer.

Why can they not stay away from trying to tie everything in and revisit stuff? This is the show I’m most looking forward to. As excited as I am to see a character like Uhura.. is she really necessary? Are they painting the franchise into a corner? But the single most puzzling and potentially maddening? The Khan reference. On one hand, If the Noonien-Singh name is an Easter egg, that kind of lack of imagination is frustrating to see. If it’s a relative, that’s downright concerning at this early stage. I really hope they don’t screw this up. After Discovery and Picard, I was hoping this would be the Trek that would quench my thirst. There is a lot to like about this (Anson Mount as Pike, the episodic format) but this seems less fresh and new than It should be after the cast announcement. God, I hope I’m wrong.

Maybe Uhura is a recurring character or is assigned to a another ship that Enterprise encounters on its way. I agree with you about having too many legacy characters but I also think we should be patient and see if the writers/producers surprise us. Also now that Q is officially part of Kurtzmans Trek universe I believe he/it can be the grand deus ex machina that sets everything (all the continuity problems etc….) to as it was at the very end of all these series.

I’d probably feel different if the creative braintrust hadn’t let me down before…. if this were truly brand new. I’m hoping I’m wrong, and I guess my point is I don’t have a warm and fuzzy that they’re forging ahead. That’s all. I will be open minded as I watch this new series.. I promise.

A main character being named “Noonien-Singh” is too big of a thing to be an easter egg. A descendant is really all she can be. With maybe .001% Augment DNA in her. Enough that she doesn’t display any abilities and can serve in the fleet. But it wouldn’t stop people from showing her resentment. That’s my take anyways.

Interesting to see that the uniforms have been given a few tweaks since what we saw on DISCOVERY.

But just as I prefer to view ‘The Cage’ pilot episode as being an ‘alternate universe’ storyline of different characters and elements to the main TOS show crew to allow for the differences (I happily skip the ‘The Menagerie’ two-parter during a rewatch to allow for this, by the way)….I’m also going to look on STRANGE NEW WORLDS as being an ‘alternate universe’ show to TOS too.

Looking forward to some good new characters and stories hopefully!

Well, if you think so. But I think they did an awesome job with those uniforms. The zipper jackets actually have some sort of collar. And with at least three sets of uniforms, it’s easy to imagine the Cage uniforms being there or having been there as well…

Is this the first year ever that we may get Trek year round, from October to October, perhaps with small breaks in between?

-Prodigy in October -Discovery in November -Picard in February -Strange New Worlds in May -Lower Decks in August

Pretty exciting.

Yeah seems that way. We may get a few weeks break between whenever SNW airs and a new season of LDS but it may not be that long at all.

And its a bit surprising Prodigy and Discovery will be airing the same time as each other. They kept saying they didn’t want any of the shows to overlap but I’m not complaining. ;)

I love the idea of having at least 1 Trek show airing at every point of the year.

José Tyler must have gotten killed somewhere along the way. Or transferred. It will be interesting to see if any of the other Cage characters (Tyler, Boyce, Colt) are referenced in this new show.

Continuity question now that we have Nurse Chapel. I’m completely convinced there is going to be a Roger Corby episode somewhere in this series. There is much to elucidate since she is in a relationship with her professor and by today’s standards, this would be inappropriate and perhaps a warning sign for them both.

So my question is: would an episode set during SNW be set after they were engaged? After they broke up? How does that fit with the backstory in TOS that she too was doing research with him?

This was the best part of the whole Trek Day show. Our friends around the country were watching the same thing were were but once the character reveal happened. My phone exploded with text messages. My wife was happiest that Uhura was back on board. So…. doers this mean we will see more TOS characters in the various episodes? Lt Kirk on the Farragut? Scotty on one of his other ships? Sulu in the Astrophysics Dept? Maybe even Dr Boyce serving Pike a chilled martini.. the possibilities are endless.

I’m so in for this! Everything looks on point, and Mount is an excellent captain.

TBH the one TOS character I was most expecting to see was Scott. He’s the oldest and most experienced in TOS, and even at that point the old girl was at least as much his as Kirk’s.

In the penultimate episode we’ll see the death of the chief engineer, and in the last scene of the finale, a ship will arrive with new personell, and the the transporter chief will read out the name, “It’s our new chief engineer, Captain. Name? Looks like…(beat) Mr… S…C…(looks up at Pike)…O.T.T…

Cut to black. Cliffhanger.

The more I think about it, the more I think I’d prefer a wholly original crew for Pike and to explore how they grew and left. In some ways, a fresh Kirk coming aboard and taking over Pike’s last crew kind of diminishes him a bit. Kind of like a new manager taking over a massively successful football team.

I wouldn’t mind Scott being there, or Bones in a lower medical role, as they are older characters (age wise). But the younger ones being there before Kirk? We largely got to see Picard choose his team in Encounter at. Farpoint.

They are adding unnecessary questions to those that already exist. Existing: why does Commander Chin-Riley not become Captain? Why does M’Benga not become CMO? Why does the name Noonien-Singh not ring a bell even before Space Seed (they recognise it quick enough in that episode)?

Yep, I know I’m griping before I’ve watched a scene, but this was the show I was looking forward too. I wanted Boyce, Colt, and Tyler.

The only point I do get is M’Benga not becoming CMO… The other issues I do not share at all…

Cpt. Chin-Riley may either die at some point or get another command. Since we don’t see her on TOS, that isn’t an issue at all yet.

La’an bearing that infamous name may be adressed directly. Khan could have had many offsprings. Maybe she’s even an augment created from his DNA. That may be illegal but that could be the whole plot point. Who knows? It offers great opportunities.

Boyce probably has retired, Colt is an outdated role model and Tyler… well, he may be there, but not as a main character. There were many recurring characters on TOS…Probably didn’t do him because there already has been a Tyler on DSC…

M’Benga could have transfered to Vulcan for a tour, maybe further his studies at Vulcan Science Academy while Mc’Coy elsewhere becomes a hot shot MD. Plus Kirk could have requested McCoy from his past command.

Given that Mbenga was a specialist physician who McCoy asked to come back to the Enterprise to cover for him during an absence, it actually makes sense that he had previously served on the ship.

He could already be the CMO, and comes back to act. Bringing back former department heads for an assignment is often better than promoting someone on an acting basis in cases where specialized expertise or experience are crucial.

There’s no reason expect that he would have stayed on as CMO with a new captain. As a Vulcan specialist, he would want to be somewhere with more than one Vulcan patient in the long run, like the medical base that has been envisaged in the TOS back door pilot.

I’m coming around to the logic around this one.

I wonder if this series takes place after the events of the Cage. Boyce has retired, M’Benga will be “acting Chief Medical Officer” while they await the arrival of new personel. I said it jokingly in another comment but the finale could see new crewmembers arrive, including Chief Engineer Scott and CMO McCoy.

Give us something big to look forward to.

They already said the show takes place after the events of Discovery season 2. It would basically box them in if they started before that season or some crazy time jump later.

Yeah there are a lot of possibilities they could do.

Chin-Riley (not loving that name so far, but fine) could just be a Riker situation and get her own ship by the end of the series. Or yes, just die, but I think she will just get an opportunity to start fresh somewhere else. Or here is a CRAZY idea, maybe she just leaves Starfleet and does something else? I know seeing so many characters through the years where being part of Starfleet is basically like being part of a religion is almost sacrilege to leave, but yeah in the real world some people would just leave and do other things. Not exactly sexy I know but yeah that is actually possible (but no I don’t EVER see it happening lol).

Or this being Star Trek get lost in another universe or time period. ;)

M’Benga just may decide he doesn’t WANT to be CMO. I mean not everyone in life is concerned about moving up to the next rank or position. Maybe he just likes doing what he does and more concerned about his research instead of running sick bay on his own. It could just be that simple but it’s not exactly hard to find a reason for a character not being promoted.

La’an Noonien Singh now that’s not very simple and launches a huge can of worms lol. You can’t really get around that too much. IF Space Seed was just an obscure episode the way the episodes M’Benga showed up in TOS, then maybe they can just retcon whatever they wanted and no one cares. I know A Private Little War is famous, but it’s pretty self contained in general. But in this case they have to somehow tow the line that she is somehow related to Khan (and obviously she is or what would be the point) and yet surprised by who Khan is when he shows up in 10 years or whenever.

Honestly this is one of those things where you wonder WHY do they do this to themselves? Why give yourself this kind of extra work that is not needed? But we also know these people are real fanboys and girls and they clearly want a way to bring up Khan even in the vaguest ways possible so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Many are wondering will she be an augment herself, but I don’t see how that could be possible seeing how much Starfleet is so against genetic engineering. Up through the 24th century they are literally still jailing people who dabbles in it, but again we’ll see.

I didn’t really think about it that much because I was so excited for Uhura and Chapel coming back but yeah this one will be interesting for sure.

But most of these are not huge deals. The reality is with the exception of Spock NONE of these characters are developed much, even Uhura and Chapel. Their entire backgrounds are based on a few lines they said on the show mostly. The others were literally in just 1 or 2 episodes, so yeah. Like they done in every show they will probably just ignore or retcon a few things but overall they can do basically what they want for most of them.

I hope they bring in Boyce, Colt, and Tyler.. if only as minor characters on another shift. Colt for sure, she could have been a Tilly but as a non-commissioned officer. Maybe have an arc where Starfleet ends up not being her thing yet she endures because of her family legacy or something and finds happiness on a colony. Also I am pretty sure The Cage set it up where she had unresolved issues with Pike!

Uhura, Chapel, M’Benga wow! This looks great, what a thrill. I can’t stop smiling.

Excited and fascinated of the choice to bring back the Aenar and cast an actor who is blind in the role.

I must admit it’s the original characters more than the legacy ones that I’m looking forward to. Having more than half the cast be legacy characters seems overkill.

I’m also looking forward to see if any of the other bridge crew that we saw on the Enterprise in Discovery’s S2 finale are brought back.

Yes me too TG47!

In a weird way seeing an Aenar aboard got me the most excited lol. Because we still don’t know THAT much about them and it will be really fun to see how they are developed. When they appeared on Enterprise, they were really a fascinating species. Related to Andorians but have also evolved differently from them. The fact some have telepathic powers also made them more distinct.

It never occurred to me we would even see them again because they have been completely ignored in both the Kelvin movies and Discovery. That’s the beauty of Star Trek, eventually everything comes back again. It may take years, even decades lol, but it can happen.

I’m still looking for the day to see the Xindi show up again, maybe on this show or even on one of the 24th century shows or Discovery!

Agreed, having an aenar and developing the character grows the universe while having too many legacy characters just makes the universe smaller. I think M’ress or Arex would have worked better instead of Noonien-Singh and Uhura.

I really like having the opportunity to get to know new characters, but perhaps a fresh take on the episodic format will allow these characters the chance to lead the occasional episode.

Uhura and Chapel were mostly background in TOS. While Uhura got more line and time in the movies, it was actually TAS where she was given the opportunity to lead and shine.

So, depending on how they’re used it could work, especially as 10 episode seasons don’t give much opportunity to build out a large number of new characters. The creators may have felt that starting with characters that are somewhat but not deeply known would avoid the first season drag that Star Trek series often suffer from.

Interesting tidbit about Una Chin-Riley having some connection to another “legacy character”… If she was born a Riley married to a Chin she may actually have some relations to Kevin Riley from TOS. His parents were killed by Kodos on the Tarsus colony so maybe she’s his sister and an orphan, too.

La’an Noonien-Singh is also pretty exciting. Maybe she’s an offspring of Khan or of those 22nd century augments on ENT. Maybe she’s on a covert operation for Section 31. They have a thing for augments.

Also excited about Hemmer being played by an actual blind actor. The Aenar are blind, too, so this is yet another stance of authentic representation. The sad aspect: the actor has got the MUCH better name for a Star Trek character. I wish it was Horak played by Bruce Hemmer :-)

And as far as puns go: Horak is almost as near to Hulk as Bruce Hemmer is to Bruce Banner ;-)

I hope she’s not a direct offspring of Khan. She would have to be over 300 yrs old and even for an augment that is OLD. And also augments should not be serving in Starfleet.

How long before the hate starts pouring into this show? I can already see the dripping.

Why would I want to “hate” THAT show? It’s the closest thing to classic Trek one could ever hope for. Minor canon-violations, should they occur, don’t bother me at all.

I also do not “hate” DSC, especially after they have arrived in the future to be explored and fleshed out. The two issues I had with DSC were tech issues and the Klingon redesign…and some grizzly stuff in S1…

LDS is a mixed bag for me as my mind doesn’t “get” animated comedy. It’s so frantic and superficial. But I’m beginning to like the characters for what they are.

PIC is a bit of an issue, both stylistically and content-wise. The writing of S1 was just all over the place and the TV-MA aspects felt forced and overdone. The cursing admiral, Icheb, drinking smoking, taking drugs…It didn’t feel very Trek-ish. S2 quite obviously tries to get around those issues by placing it in an alternate timeline and in our present. That way, they can get down and dirty without contaminating the primeverse any further with their TV-MA shenanigans…

But SNW and PROD are the shows I’m looking forward to the most. The one brings back classic Trek, the other one appeals to my inner child… where is the pew-pew-pew-button :-)

JJ Trek is the best Classic Trek in my opinion. You haven’t seen anything of this show yet. This reminds me of when the first trailer of Picard aired.

This +1 If it’s action/adventure on the final frontier where inperfect people confront challenges – I am all in. Especially love when a starship is something special, not a dime a dozen, where they are on their own, and response from Starfleet Command is days away let alone reinforcements and any screw up on their part and half the quadrent ends up learning to speak Klingonese. I think shows with perfect people who play holodeck in hotels when they aren’t taking marching orders or having whatever they did made obsolete by reset buttons deserve some hard defendable scorn for being generic forgetable snoozefests.

I don’t think SNW will be perfect and frankly I wouldn’t be too shocked to see some of the same issues that plague both DIS and PIC seeing its by the same people. BUT I do think they have at least learned from their mistakes they made in DIS a lot more, at least in terms of how they deal with the prequel setting. Again, don’t expect it to be perfect…but better.

And yes DIS is just a better show being in the 32nd century. It should’ve been a post-Nemsis show from the start, but they wanted the TOS tie ins. Now they have the best of both worlds. SNW can REALLY tie in to TOS as much as they want basically and it won’t feel so forced while DIS can just be its own thing and actually create new canon the way TNG did when it premiered. And if you still hate that show it’s VERY easy to ignore it now lol. For me however, I’m just happy to finally see a new time period explored and going forward again.

That’s what is fun about all these shows though, they really can be their own thing on one hand but dig into nostalgia or canon when they want, especially all the 24th century shows. Between the three of those, they have an embarrassment of riches of taking whatever they want from the TNG era in terms of characters and storylines but STILL be their own thing.

And since none of them take place at the same time as each other they can put their own stamp on whatever they want (well SNW still can’t as much but that’s OK too now).

Uniforms are such an improvement

Hoping this is good, but very disapointed there seems to be no Dr. Boyce. His relationship with Pike was well established and memorable.

I’m pumped for this, now we need a premier date.

nice…looking forward to this one.

Surprised at how excited I am for this given TOS is well, it’s a product of its time, but Pike, Spock and Una were such highlights of Discovery season 2 that it’ll be a joy seeing them again.

Hopefully there’s a nice juicy lost era plot.

Could the new series’ timeline might be happening before Pike and company met the crew of Discovery? Or do we know for sure this will follow after Discovery disappeared?

I just don’t see it taking place before season 2 of Discovery. They would have to do a time jump at some point and they would have to adhere to stuff like the DIscovery uniforms (not the crew but Starfleet in general). I’m pretty sure its after Discovery jumps through the wormhole.

And we know Uhura or Chapel wasn’t on the ship then.

La’aaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The costumes look great — and Peck looks so much better as Spock here (love the hair). I kind of hoped they wouldn’t have red for security, as per the first twoTOS pilots – but it looks fine.

The sets look brighter/cleaner than the Disco versions, from the little shown here –which is great.

• Starfleet enlisted personnel
• USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel
• Starfleet Headquarters personnel
• USS Excelsior personnel

Janice Rand

• View history

Janice Rand was a female Human Starfleet officer in the 23rd century . She began her service career in the operations division in the mid- 2260s , serving aboard the USS Enterprise during its five-year mission under Captain James T. Kirk . ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " The Man Trap ", " Charlie X ", " Miri ", " Balance of Terror "; Star Trek: The Motion Picture ; VOY : " Flashback ")

• 1.1 The five-year mission
• 1.4 Communications officer of the USS Excelsior
• 2.1 Appearances
• 2.2.1 Serialized appearances
• 2.2.2 Exclusion
• 2.2.3 Later appearances
• 2.3 Rank ambiguities
• 2.4 Woman in cafeteria
• 2.5 Apocrypha
• 2.6 External links

Service career [ ]

The five-year mission [ ].

Rand was a non-commissioned officer serving aboard the USS Enterprise in 2266 , under the command of Captain James T. Kirk . She was assigned as the captain's personal yeoman by Starfleet Headquarters . ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ") Rand was first quartered in room 3C 46 on Deck 12 . ( TOS : " The Enemy Within ") She was later moved to room 3F 125. ( TOS : " Charlie X ")

Initially, the fact that Starfleet had assigned a female yeoman to his command annoyed Captain Kirk. Much to his surprise, Rand delivered dietary salad to him, incorrectly believing he was aware his diet card had recently been changed by Doctor Leonard McCoy . Furthermore, the way Rand attended to Kirk at first frustrated him but, moments later, he thanked her. To that, Rand politely replied he was welcome, then exited, which left Kirk and McCoy to comment about her during her absence. ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ")

Soon thereafter, Rand heated a pot of coffee . Since the power was out in the Enterprise 's galley , she used a phaser to heat the pot. Rand then served the hot coffee to the bridge personnel. ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ")

An artist as a hobby, Rand had several paintings she had created hanging in her quarters aboard the Enterprise . ( TOS : " The Enemy Within ")

At one point in 2266, Rand was sitting at the office area of Captain Kirk's quarters, holding a batch of crew manifest microtapes when Kirk arrived. She was unaware that, due to a transporter malfunction, the captain had been split into two distinctly different versions of Kirk, one of whom was weak and indecisive whereas the other was bestial and lustful. Without knowing the newcomer was actually the former manifestation of Kirk, Rand gave him the manifest records and, interrupted by him, was summarily dismissed.

Rand encountering the aggressive and bestial side of Captain Kirk , created from a transporter accident. ( 2266 )

Soon thereafter, Rand was sought out by the aggressive and bestial version of Captain Kirk, who hungered for her while drunk on Saurian brandy . So, the inebriated duplicate Kirk entered her quarters and laid in wait for her to return. Later, she returned to her quarters and was attending to her hair in a mirror, all the while believing she was alone, when she was suddenly startled to see the person she believed to be the whole Captain Kirk emerging from the shadows in her bedroom holding a bottle of Saurian brandy. Rand was surprised to the point of speechlessness – meanwhile under the impression her visitor was Kirk himself – when the duplicate Kirk began speaking to her intimately. He amorously mentioned to her the feelings they'd been hiding, claiming she was " too beautiful to ignore, " " too much woman, " and that they had both been " pretending too long. " Rand screams, however, when he suddenly grabs her and begins to violently kiss her. While she is fighting back, he pushes and pins her to the floor and attempts to rape her; but Rand fights back in self-defense, leaving a large scratch on the duplicate Kirk's face, a distinguishing feature which ultimately helps the crew differentiate between the two Kirk "halves." The situation was resolved, and the two halves of Kirk were merged in the transporter. ( TOS : " The Enemy Within ")

Rand's efficient work ethic was observed by the real Kirk, while he grew to respect her as a crewmember and friend. Despite their professional relationship, an undercurrent of sexual attraction remained between the two. Rand's feelings for Kirk couldn't be requited by him, however, due to his position as ship's captain. Nonetheless, in certain crises, Rand and Kirk were instinctively drawn together and reached out for each other. ( TOS : " The Naked Time ", " Balance of Terror ", " Miri ")

Rand with Sulu in 2266, finding Barnhart 's body aboard the Enterprise

During her service aboard the Enterprise , Rand developed a close relationship with several officers and crewmembers, including Lieutenants Uhura and Sulu. Rand frequently struck up conversations with, and delivered meals to, Enterprise officers other than Captain Kirk, and she accompanied them throughout the ship. She enjoyed a more informal relationship with them as compared to the professional relationship she maintained with the captain, which implied she was doing it out of friendship rather than an assigned duty as a yeoman. ( TOS : " The Man Trap ")

After a waterborne virus spread through the Enterprise , affecting the emotions of the crew, Kirk suddenly shouted to Spock, " I have a beautiful yeoman! " Later, in the center seat on the bridge, befuddled by the virus, he reached a hand out to his "beautiful yeoman" standing next to him looking away at the screen and whispered under his breath, " No beach to walk on, " meaning he and Rand, in other circumstances, might have had a life together. ( TOS : " The Naked Time ")

Rand off duty, with her hair down (2266)

Later that year, orphaned teenager Charles Evans came aboard the Enterprise . Rand's maternal instincts were drawn out by the troubled boy, and she quickly befriended Evans, hoping to help him ease back into regular life. Evans, the sole survivor of a transport crash , had little experience with other Humans and quickly became infatuated with Rand. She, unsure how to deal with Evans' crush, asked Captain Kirk to speak to the boy on her behalf. Soon thereafter, the Enterprise crew discovered Evans' secret – while Evans was alone on Thasus , the mysterious Thasian race had taken pity on the boy and granted Evans special powers. Rand turned down Evans' advances, so he literally made her disappear from the Enterprise . The Thasians intervened and quickly returned Evans to Thasus. After her return to the Enterprise , Rand was shocked and troubled by the Thasians' actions. Having seen how desperately Evans wanted to stay aboard the ship, Rand confided to Kirk her feelings of friendship for the boy . ( TOS : " Charlie X ")

Rand, in the arms of the Captain during a Romulan attack ( 2266 )

Yeoman Rand was among the most popular female members of the Enterprise 's crew, second only to Lieutenant Uhura , who was her good friend. ( TOS : " Charlie X ") She was known for her compassion and thoughtfulness toward others. Rand was regarded highly by Kirk for her hard work and diligence. In 2266, the Enterprise played cat and mouse with a Romulan ship in the Neutral Zone . When Kirk was in his quarters resting during a lull in the battle, Rand entered without knocking to check up on him and found him lying in bed. Alone with the captain, she was hoping to console him, as he was preoccupied by the potential for a second Romulan war , so she offered to bring him food or coffee to help him. Rand was on the bridge, with Kirk, when the Romulans fired a plasma torpedo at the Enterprise . As the torpedo got closer to the ship, Rand immediately walked up close behind the Captain for protection, and rested her chin on his shoulder. For a very brief moment, Kirk protested, but as the torpedo was just seconds from hitting the ship, Kirk turned and let Rand fall into his arms for protection. ( TOS : " Balance of Terror ") ,

Rand suffering from life prolongation project (2266)

Rand encounters Lenore Karidian on the bridge (2266)

During one mission, Rand, Kirk, and other members of a landing party were trapped on Miri ; adults on the planet had quickly developed a virus which had been accidentally as a result of a life prolongation project conducted there. Eventually, Rand began showing signs of the disease. She admitted that for a long time she tried to get Kirk to admire her legginess, but this time she needed Kirk to see her legs in a professional manner as Bones was unavailable. Kirk did look at her legs, and was shocked to see lesions and sores present. Alone in a corridor with the captain, crying and upset, she found comfort in his arms. Miri , a teenage girl whom the team had befriended, witnessed this, became jealous of Rand, and later briefly betrayed them by having her abducted by the other children. Kirk, under stress from the disease, became preoccupied with Rand's whereabouts and was desperate to find her, affectionately using her first name whenever he referred to her. ( TOS : " Miri ")

Transporter chief in 2270s

By the mid- 2270s , Rand had been promoted to chief petty officer and transporter chief of the Enterprise . Before Rear Admiral Kirk assumed command of the Enterprise , she also served under the command of Captain Will Decker while the ship underwent a major refit in spacedock . ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

At Starfleet Headquarters in 2286

In 2286 , Rand was a communications officer assigned to Starfleet Command on Earth . When the Whale Probe began vaporizing the Earth 's oceans , she was on duty and reported that Juneau , Alaska had ninety-five percent cloud cover . Later, Rand attended the trial of Kirk and his senior officers at the Federation Council Chambers. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Communications officer of the USS Excelsior [ ]

By 2293 , Rand was promoted to the rank of Commander and was the communications officer on the USS Excelsior , under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu . Sometime before this year, she had completed her officer training, and was promoted in three years to commander . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ; VOY : " Flashback ")

That year, Captain Sulu violated his orders in order to attempt the rescue of Captain Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy from the Klingon prison colony Rura Penthe . Rand understood his motivations and agreed with his decision. She even chided Ensign Tuvok for questioning the captain's decision. ( VOY : " Flashback ")

The Excelsior later played a key role in the Khitomer Conference that same year, by assisting the USS Enterprise -A in its battle with General Chang 's prototype Klingon Bird-of-Prey , thereby preventing the assassination of the Federation President and Klingon Chancellor Azetbur . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Corbomite Maneuver "
• " The Enemy Within "
• " The Man Trap "
• " The Naked Time "
• " Charlie X "
• " Balance of Terror "
• " The Conscience of the King "
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• VOY : " Flashback "

Background information [ ]

Serialized appearances [ ].

Janice Rand was played by Grace Lee Whitney . She once joked that, even aged four months old, she "was already working on my Yeoman Rand beehive!" ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 18) Janice Rand was the third find for the role of the captain's yeoman, following Laurel Goodwin as Yeoman J.M. Colt and Andrea Dromm as Yeoman Smith . Whitney was handpicked by Gene Roddenberry to portray the role. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p. 156) Her casting as Rand was precisely because a part she had played in Roddenberry's unsold pilot, Police Story , had been hugely popular with a test audience. ( The Best of Trek , p. 177) Whitney's part in "Police Story", flirtatious Sergeant Lily Monroe, not only served as her screen test for Star Trek but was actually transferred by Roddenberry into the latter series, whereupon it became the Janice Rand character. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , pp. 70-71) Herb Solow commented, " Unlike the two prior 'model-type and cute' Yeoman actresses, she [Whitney] appeared to him as what she was – pretty, sexy and vulnerable. Yeoman Janice Rand was piped aboard the USS Enterprise." ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p. 156) Offered Whitney herself, " By the time he had cast me in that role for the regular series, he had given a lot of thought as to how Yeoman Rand would fit into the chemistry of the Star Trek ensemble. " ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , pp. 73-74)

In the first draft script of " Mudd's Women " (written by Stephen Kandel in May 1965 ), Rand was to appear with Spock on a screen in Captain Kirk 's quarters (referred to in a memo from Robert H. Justman to Gene Roddenberry, dated 20 April 1966 ).

In April 1966, a phone call from Grace Lee Whitney's agent which she waited at home to receive, in hope her agent would announce to her that Police Story had been sold, actually informed the actress that, though Police Story had been unsuccessful, Gene Roddenberry wanted her to play a part in Star Trek . After she arrived at Roddenberry's office at Desilu , she learned more about the character she was to personify. " He explained the part of Yeoman Janice Rand, and how she would fit into the overall chemistry of the show as the captain's yeoman and the object of his repressed desire, " remembered Whitney. " It was a sexy part, with lots of possibilities. I instantly loved it. I signed the contracts without a moment's hesitation. I couldn't wait to get started […] Finally, I had what I wanted: a continuing role on a weekly series. " As such, Whitney considered herself "one of the first actors signed to do Star Trek ." ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , pp. 72 & 10)

The character of Janice Rand was originally thought to be elemental to the series. " The way Gene outlined the role, Janice Rand was an important character to the show, " recalled Grace Lee Whitney. " Sort of a sci-fi Miss Kitty to Captain Kirk – a confidant and trusted adviser. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 55) Whitney elaborated, " I had signed [to appear on Star Trek ] as a lead, not a featured player. " ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 10) In fact, during the pre-production phase of the first season , Whitney as Rand was advertised as the show's third star, along with William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock. She was featured in many promotional photographs made at the time, posing with the other two. Also, Whitney's credit for playing Rand was, in the end credits, on the same card as Doctor McCoy actor DeForest Kelley . ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 10)

In a revised draft of the teleplay for " Mudd's Women " (written by John D.F. Black and dated 17 May 1966 ), Rand appeared in a scene at the start of the episode's second act, standing beside "her station," in the words of Robert Justman. Later in the script, she asked Dr. McCoy , " Shall I order you a half dozen for Christmas , Doctor? " In a memo of notes that Justman wrote about that version of the script and sent to John D.F. Black (on 18 May 1966), Justman suggested about Rand's scene at the beginning of the second act, " Since she has nothing to do in this short scene, perhaps it would be better not to see her here. " In the same memo, he additionally expressed confusion at precisely what Rand was offering to order McCoy for Christmas and asked, " Is she referring to Mudd's Women? "

As scripted for " The Corbomite Maneuver ", Janice Rand was to initially appear in a scene set in Captain Kirk's quarters, where she firstly prepared Kirk's uniform then, after he arrived, was dismissed by him. In the final version of the installment, however, Rand doesn't appear until later in the episode, when she serves him dietary salad. Her way of doing things, in the episode's second revised final draft script (dated 20 May 1966), was repeatedly referred to as "professional".

When a revised draft of the "Mudd's Women" script was submitted by John D.F. Black (on 23 May 1966), Rand was still included in that story. However, she wasn't in the final draft of the teleplay (issued on 26 May 1966), apart from in the cast list at the start of the document. Rand was also mentioned in a memo from Gene Roddenberry to Robert Justman (dated 31 May 1966). The memo declared to Justman that Rand's name would be excised in a corrected version of the cast sheet.

Because the Women's Liberation movement had not yet gained widespread publicity when the first season of TOS was produced, there was no influence from that political movement on the creation of the Rand character. " But it did upset me, " expressed Grace Lee Whitney, " that she had to shake, cry, and fear so much. I suppose the only part of me that was in the character of Rand was the innocent little girl part of me. " ( The Best of Trek , p. 177) On the other hand, Whitney was delighted to play Janice Rand in the series. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 56) " In Yeoman Janice Rand, I had a character of my own to explore and develop, week after week […] I had no idea how soon it would all be ripped away from me, " the actress stated. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 1)

During Grace Lee Whitney's first few weeks of filming Janice Rand's scenes in Star Trek , Leonard Nimoy was Whitney's acting coach, helping her portray Rand more believably. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 6)

In a developmental memo Robert Justman wrote Gene Roddenberry about the second draft script of " The Man Trap " (the memo was dated 2 June 1966 , while the episode had the working title "Damsel with a Dulcimer"), Justman commented, " I do wish there was some way to combine the parts of Yeoman Janice and Uhura in this story and possibly give the part of Janice. "

Although Grace Lee Whitney not only acted but also sang, she was concentrating more on her acting career than her singing when she appeared as Janice Rand in TOS. In retrospect, Whitney cited this as a reason why the character never sang on the show. She also attributed the exclusion of her singing to her role lacking development time. ( The Best of Trek , p. 179)

In Adrian Spies ' original script for " Miri ", Rand was revealed to be twenty-four years old at the time, suggesting a birth year of 2242 . [1]

Portraying Janice Rand tied up by children in "Miri" was difficult for Grace Lee Whitney. " I was so much into the role, I found it hard to separate fantasy and reality, " she remembered. " It was a genuinely scary experience, being tied up, trapped and victimized. " ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 3)

Following a day's filming midway through production on "Miri" (on 26 August 1966 ), Grace Lee Whitney became intrigued when an executive on the Desilu lot told her, " I think Yeoman Janice Rand has been under-utilized. The character has been developing some interesting possibilities in the past few episodes. I have some ideas – Why don't we find a place to sit down and talk about it? " After finding a private room on the lot, the man persuaded Whitney to adopt the persona of Rand in some sexually oriented role-playing, the man assuming the role of Captain Kirk. Decades later, Whitney recollected, " 'You know,' he said after we'd been talking a while, 'the thing that is so fascinating about Janice Rand is her repressed desire – her hunger for sex.' 'Not sex,' I said. 'Love. She loves the Captain.' 'Same thing,' said The Executive. 'She wants the Captain so badly, but she represses it. She doesn't admit it – not even to herself. We all know what she really wants – but she herself doesn't know. She denies it. Janice Rand can't face her own desires, her own sexuality.' 'Absolutely,' I agreed. 'That's the key to the character.' " The man then insisted the sexual repression in Rand was also in Whitney and, later that night, committed a terrifying sexual assault on the actress. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , pp. 1-6)

On the morning of Monday 29 August 1966, Grace Lee Whitney – with two more days of shooting "Miri" scheduled – was again made-up in preparation for playing Janice Rand, in the make-up room of Desilu Stage 9 . " I sat down in the chair next to Leonard [Nimoy], so that hairdresser Virginia Darcy could attach Yeoman Janice Rand's trademark beehive wig to my head, " said Whitney. " As Virginia worked on my hair, [Makeup Supervisor] Fred Phillips looked over at me and seemed to groan a silent 'Oh, no!' He saw he had quite a reconstruction job to do on me as soon as he was through with Leonard. My face was swollen and distorted from a weekend of too much crying and too much drinking. I know I looked sick, not only from anxiety but from being hungover. " Darcy finished working on Whitney's hair before Phillips started on the performer's face. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , pp. 7-8)

Exclusion [ ]

The first draft script for TOS : " Court Martial " (which had the working title "Court Martial at Star Base 811") suggested that Janice Rand's place on the bridge of the Enterprise was at the science station . In a memo Gene Roddenberry sent Gene L. Coon about that teleplay (dispatched on 15 August 1966 ), Roddenberry pointed out that Rand had been incorrectly placed at the station which was rightfully meant to be manned by Spock instead. Roddenberry also remarked about Rand, " We should keep her playing her role as Captain's secretary-aide-valet. If we want to keep her alive in the story we can arbitrarily say that the filing of Kirk's log, notes, memos, and so on, are her responsibility. " Ultimately, however, Rand was evidently omitted from the entire installment.

The character also went through a similar process of exclusion during the writing of TOS : " The Galileo Seven ". An early draft of that episode's script featured her among a group of characters who crash landed in the shuttlecraft Galileo . In a memo to Gene Roddenberry regarding that script draft (dated 23 August 1966), Robert H. Justman asked Roddenberry, " Are you happy with the Janice-Kirk routine on page 8? " Evidently, Rand was again later written out of the episode altogether.

After wrapping production on "Miri" (on Tuesday 30 August 1966), Grace Lee Whitney received a call from her agent, Alex Brewis, about her character of Janice Rand, while the actress was at home just a couple days into a two-week hiatus before shooting was to begin on the next episode, " The Conscience of the King ". Brewis first ensured Whitney was sitting before telling her the news that the decision had been made to remove Rand from Star Trek , with Whitney about to be written out of the show and with no intent to replace her. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 9) In reply to Whitney asking why this choice had been made, Brewis relayed to her that he had been told Rand's romantic relationship with Captain Kirk was becoming too obvious and that – because the network NBC insisted on depicting Kirk having a more varied romantic life with numerous women played by a succession of guest-starring actresses – it would seem Rand was being cheated on by him, if her relationship with him was too intense. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 9; The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 120; The Best of Trek , p. 178) It was obvious to Whitney that this reasoning was the opposite of what the executive who had violated her had said the previous Friday night: that Rand's relationship with Kirk could be strengthened and that many story possibilities would result from expanding the participation of the Rand character on the show. Brewis told Whitney, " You have a contract for thirteen episodes. You'll have one more episode to shoot. You can finish out your contract, and then you'll be through. " ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 9)

Grace Lee Whitney was utterly distraught by her character being written out of the show. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 56) " I had lost my favorite role among all the roles I had performed, " she reflected. The first person she informed about Rand's departure from the show was James Doohan , who was similarly shocked. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , pp. 13 & 10) Robert Justman protested Rand leaving the series, wanting the character to at least be brought back on a guest-starring basis in future episodes, though this did not come to pass. ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 67) Whitney at first felt bitter resentment toward Gene Roddenberry and the studio as well as feeling even suicidal, upon first learning of Rand's exclusion, but by 1976 , those feelings had subsided. ( The Best of Trek , p. 178) In a 1998 interview, Whitney stated, " I am still often hurt when Yeoman Rand is left out of things […] I thought I had lost a part of myself – that it was me, Grace, that had been written off, not the character. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 56)

Grace Lee Whitney formed her own unsubstantiated theory to account for Janice Rand's expulsion from Star Trek , suspecting it was related to the incident between her and an executive. " Because those events happened just a few days apart – the Friday night sexual assault and the call informing me that I had been written out of the show – there has always been a clear cause-and-effect linkage in my mind, " she related. " I have always believed that The Executive had me removed from Star Trek because he didn't want to be reminded of what he did to me that night […] Because I never received any official explanation, there was always that faint glimmer of doubt in my mind – the nagging suspicion that maybe I was jettisoned from Star Trek for some other, unknown reason […] A number of conflicting theories have been advanced in various Trek -oriented books and magazines to explain why I was let go from the series, yet no single, definitive, once-and-for-all answer was ever put forward. No internal memo ever surfaced that said, 'The producers of Star Trek have decided to toss Yeoman Janice Rand out the nearest airlock because…' " ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 15) Gene Roddenberry later repeatedly expressed regrets that, instead of keeping Rand in the series, he had given in to the pressure from the network. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 120)

The excising of the Janice Rand character happened during the making of TOS : " Dagger of the Mind ". As a result, Rand's part in that outing was instead rewritten for the character of Helen Noel , whom Marianna Hill acted out in the installment. ( The Best of Trek , p. 178; The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 41) According to Whitney, " The hardest thing was to watch somebody else say my lines. " ( Starlog #105, April 1986 , p. 49)

Grace Lee Whitney found that one of the most challenging aspects of her departure from Star Trek was having to return to the studio for her final appearance in "The Conscience of the King", in which Rand is present for about six seconds in only one scene and without any dialogue. At some point during the week of Monday 12 September 1966 , Whitney arrived for her last early morning call and was offended to see that her name on the parking lot she used there had already been painted over. " I walked into Stage 9 and reported to makeup, where Fred Phillips applied my hair and makeup one last time, " she said. " Then I went out to the set of the Enterprise bridge and waited to be called. " ( The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , p. 11)

Though Rand's on-screen appearance in "The Conscience of the King" is minimal, that wasn't always the case. In the episode's final revised draft script, she made a brief appearance in an additional scene, set on the Enterprise 's observation deck , where she interrupted a tour Kirk was giving Lenore Karidian . The script's stage directions indicated that Rand had been searching for the captain, as she had a duty roster to give him. She also had one line of dialogue in the scene, in which she stated to Kirk, " Excuse me, sir… you said you wanted this roster as soon as it was completed. " After handing the roster to Kirk, she exited "without batting an eye." Subsequently, Lenore Karidian commented that Rand was "quite lovely," to which Kirk added, " And very efficient. " Shortly thereafter in the teleplay, Lenore admitted that she believed Rand didn't like her, due to being attracted to Kirk, but he protested that Rand's relationship with Kirk was "strictly business," though Lenore was sure that wasn't the case and that Kirk was simply naive about women. Some of these references to Rand were also included in a deleted scene from "The Conscience of the King", beginning with Lenore's line about having felt that Rand didn't like her, and proceeding from there on. ("Swept Up: Snippets from the Cutting Room Floor", Star Trek: The Original Series - The Roddenberry Vault special features)

Rand was also featured in the writer's first draft script of " The Squire of Gothos ", though her part in the script was rewritten to become Teresa Ross by the time the episode's first draft teleplay was issued.

Grace Lee Whitney's TOS performances of Janice Rand had no great lasting effect on the actress' career in show business. " It was just another role, " she said. " But it had a profound effect on my ego, first up, then being shattered. " ( The Best of Trek , p. 179)

Later appearances [ ]

When the decision to make Star Trek: The Motion Picture came about, it was also decided to include Janice Rand in the movie, again portrayed by Grace Lee Whitney. Unlike the other returning cast members from TOS, Whitney was not given a character description – from the Writers'/Directors' Guide for the ultimately aborted television series Star Trek: Phase II – to help with her performance in The Motion Picture , as she had not been intended to reappear in Phase II . The actress nevertheless found that reassuming the role for the film was not too problematic. Susan Sackett wrote, " Grace Lee was left on her own in developing this character. But this was not too difficult, for the talented actress and singer had always remained close to Star Trek , delighting fans at conventions with original songs about Yeoman Janice Rand's adventures aboard the Enterprise . She and Janice are old friends. " ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 120)

Janice Rand's appearance in The Motion Picture is in keeping with the fact that long hairstyles were disallowed in that film. ( The Making of Star Trek , p. 142)

In the script of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , Rand was referred to merely as the "Communications Officer" of the Excelsior and she – instead of an unnamed officer played by Christian Slater – was written, at one point, as awakening Sulu to inform him that Starfleet was looking for the Enterprise . Despite the fact this scene was rewritten to replace Rand, Grace Lee Whitney considered her role in Star Trek VI to be "better" than it had been in Star Trek IV . Whitney said of how she prepared for Star Trek VI , " I had been hired for the part a few months before the movie had been shot. As it got closer to the filming date, I still had no script. I called casting and asked for a script, wondering if it was because I had [a] no speaking part. Well, this went back and forth until the morning I went to work on Star Trek VI and I still did not have a script. They sent me a few pages of the scene they were doing on that day which I read. We then shot about half the day and [director] Nick Meyer said to me, 'Can you cry real tears on camera?' As I was talking to him, I was mentally recalling a recent event where my daughter-in-law was pregnant and got very sick and was in the hospital taking intravenous feedings in her arms because she could not retain food or fluids by mouth. I began to cry just looking at him. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 22, No. 3, p. 20)

Rand later appeared in the episode " Flashback ". In the script of that installment (both the first draft and the final draft of the teleplay), a scene description remarked, " Rand is a communications officer who has served for many years, and is nearing the end of her career. She has an easy-going, friendly manner. " At one stage during production on "Flashback", Brannon Braga informed Grace Lee Whitney that the Rand character might later return, remarking, " We're not killing you off, Grace, so we can bring you back! " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 108 ) However, this possibility never came to fruition.

Rank ambiguities [ ]

Interviews with Grace Lee Whitney have suggested that Janice Rand held the rank of chief petty officer in The Motion Picture . ( citation needed • edit ) In the film, her character had the chief petty officer rank insignia. This was probably also how Associate Producer Jon Povill thought of Rand. Shortly after mistaking her for an ensign , Povill sent a memo to Costume Designer Robert Fletcher that recognized the error, stating, " Rand is not an ensign. She is a transporter chief. This means there should be no sleeve on her costume. Sorry about that, Chief. " ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 126-127) The designation "Chief" was often assigned to Chief Petty Officers.

According to the script for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Rand was either a master chief petty officer or a lieutenant . [2] She was identified in the credits as "Commander Rand".

A costume worn by Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand in Star Trek VI was auctioned off in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction and included two ten-year service pins and a five-year service pin, corresponding to the fact that she had served in Starfleet for around thirty years. [3]

Woman in cafeteria [ ]

"Woman in cafeteria" from Star Trek III

Grace Lee Whitney played a command division officer in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . This character was a commander. The credits for the film identified the character as “Woman in Cafeteria”. The script for the film had no mention of Rand.

Since there was no part for Whitney in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan or the script for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Director Leonard Nimoy corrected the oversight by giving her a cameo near the beginning of the film. She explained " Leonard was way up on the boom directing me as I was looking. And of course, there was no Enterprise there. It was simply a blank wall. I had to do all this imagining in my head. So Leonard talked me through it. He said, 'OK. You're seeing the ship. It's coming in. There it is. It's the Enterprise .' And I would look a certain way. And he would say, 'But it's hurt.' And then I would look at it sadly. Then, he would say, 'Look at it now and see the things that are wrong with it. And Captain Kirk is in trouble. And Mr. Spock is dead.' He was talking me through all of these things as I was watching it. He was putting into my mind what he wanted me to show in my eyes and my face. " ( Starlog #105, April 1986 , p. 49)

Apocrypha [ ]

Janice Rand in the alternate reality

Her male counterpart

Some of the comics set around the time of Sulu taking command of Excelsior not only supported Janice Rand's rank as a lieutenant commander, but also implied she was the Excelsior 's first officer.

In the comic book " Blaise of Glory ", Rand's name is displayed on a computer screen as "Rand, Janice L".

Star Trek II: Biographies gives her name as Janice Rand Dale, presumably after she got married.

According to the novel Enterprise: The First Adventure , she had two brothers named Benjamin and Sirri. The novel The Captain's Daughter reveals that Rand had a daughter named Annie who died from an illness at the age of two.

According to the video game Star Trek: Starship Creator , Rand has an ex-husband named Jenneth Royce and a sister named Paula.

In the 1997 Marvel Voyager comic book " Ghosts ", two prominent characters, Josh Rand ( β ) and Athena Rand ( β ), were said to be relatives of Janice. They were noted for coming from a long line of Starfleet officers.

In IDW Publishing 's alternate reality adaptation of " The Galileo Seven ", in the third and fourth issues of the Star Trek: Ongoing comic series , Yeoman Rand was one of several landing party members who became stranded and survived the experience on Murasaki 312 , taking the place occupied by Mears in the TOS episode.

In " Parallel Lives, Part 1 ", her male alternate reality counterpart is seen.

The Janice Rand from the prime universe appears in one panel in " Connection, Part 2 ", the sixtieth and final issue of Star Trek: Ongoing .

External links [ ]

• Janice Rand at StarTrek.com
• Janice Rand at Wikipedia
• Janice Rand at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Janice Rand at the Star Trek Online Wiki
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein
• 3 John Paul Lona

• More to Explore
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Published May 3, 2015

Remembering Grace Lee Whitney, 1930-2015

StarTrek.com is deeply saddened to report the passing of Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand on Star Trek: The Original Series , in several of the TOS features and also on Star Trek: Voyager . According to her family, the actress and singer died on May 1 at the age of 85, passing away peacefully in her home in Coarsegold, California.

Whitney, a blue-eyed blond beauty, represented one of Star Trek ’s greatest cautionary tales and also one of the franchise's most satisfying renaissance stories. She played the deeply professional Rand in eight first-season TOS episodes before being dropped from the series and slipping into an abyss of drugs and alcohol that left her, quite literally, on Hollywood’s Skid Row. She finally got help, found God, and reclaimed her life and career, with an assist from Leonard Nimoy, and spent decades helping others overcome their own addictions.

Star Trek even came full circle for Whitney, as she was invited back into the fold and appeared in The Motion Picture, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home , and The Undiscovered Country, as well as in the “ Flashback ” episode of Voyager and the fan films “World Enough and Time” and “Of Gods and Men.”

Her revealing autobiography, The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy , was published in 1998 and, to her death, she remained a beloved figure at Star Trek conventions around the world.

Beyond the realm of Star Trek , Whitney's credits included the Broadway show Top Banana , such films as Some Like It Hot and Irma la Douce and also many TV guest spots on shows including, The Outer Limits, Death Valley Days, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Bewitched and the pilot for Police Story , which also featured the talents of Gene Roddenberry and DeForest Kelley.

StarTrek.com interviewed the vivacious Whitney in 2011, and she had this to say about the early days of playing Rand. "I was supposed to be innocent, dedicated, excellent in my motives for wanting to be on the Enterprise, but very green, with no experience. Rand was willing to learn to be a secretary to the captain, whom, of course, I immediately had a crush on. But, it was unrequited love, like Kitty and Matt on Gunsmoke . It could not be consummated. It had to be love from afar, an unrequited love between the captain and me."

Back in 2011, when StarTrek.com interviewed Whitney, she spoke excitedly of living on a 30-acre property near Yosemite National Park, with a running creek, and helping to care for her grandchildren. "(My son) Jonathan built a home down at the end of my property, where he lives with his family, including my grandchildren," she enthused. "They’re going to take care of me as I move through life to my home in heaven. But right now I take my grandchildren to school and cart them around, and I’m of maximum service to them... I also line dance one night a week and I go to the gym three days a week. So, my life is happy, joyous, free, sober and saved, and a lot of fun, too. I have a lot of fun."

Please join StarTrek.com in offering our condolences to Whitney's family, friends, colleagues and fans. She will be missed.

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Denise Crosby on Leaving Star Trek: I Wasn’t Going to Be ‘The Token Hot Blonde’

The tasha yar actress on that next generation life (and after-life)..

Some days you’re hard at work, trying to make a deadline on a Friday night. (That’s right now as this is being written.) Others, you’re sitting in the VIP lounge with Tasha Yar herself, Denise Crosby, sipping a cocktail as you sail through the Caribbean Sea onboard a cruise ship.

Call it that Star Trek life.

And so it went on the Star Trek cruise recently – a.k.a. Star Trek: The Cruise VII – and not just for me, either. Crosby has become something of a fixture at the annual event, and she’s certainly one of the participating Trek castmates who gets out and mixes it up with the fans who are sailing. Crosby is almost like a brand ambassador for the Star Trek cruise experience – just out there loving it with her fellow castmates and fans alike. Just look at this amazing photo of her being chased by “Armus” – a cosplay version of the alien that infamously killed her Trek character back in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s first season.

But as we sat down to talk, it became clear that Crosby has no regrets about her abrupt departure from the show back when it was still in its infancy. We talked about that, Tasha’s eventual return for one of the all-time great Trek episodes, and much more.

Killing Tasha Yar (One Bad Script at a Time)

In 1987, Crosby was cast as one of the original cast members of Star Trek: The Next Generation as Enterprise security chief Tasha Yar. Tasha was a fierce fighter with a complicated past, and a striking presence on the bridge of the Starfleet flagship, but the actress found herself bumping up against a familiar Star Trek problem – being relegated to a “hailing frequencies” capacity while more prominent characters were given all the good storylines.

I suggest to her that, when she decided to move on, half of Hollywood probably thought she was crazy. She agrees.

Nobody leaves a TV show. You have a contract. I had a signed contract. -Denise Crosby

“And half of me thought I was crazy,” laughs Crosby. “It was like I saw it, I had to do it. And yes, 99% of people that have an acting job with a six-year contract are not going to ask to go out. And I don't know that I would have 25 years later in my life, but I was young enough and perhaps naive enough to know that I was willing to gamble and take a chance. I was young enough that I knew I didn't have a mortgage. I didn't have children. I didn't have private education to pay for. I didn't have an ill relative that I was caring for. I didn't have the things that would necessitate a different way to think about doing a job for a paycheck. So I was free to purely live creatively at that moment.”

Looking back on it now, she also points out that TV in 1986 was a very different beast than it is today, and first-run syndicated dramatic television – which Next Gen was an early adopter of – was virtually unheard of.

“It wasn't the be-all, end-all for a young actor,” she says. “We were going to these amazing acting classes where we were reading all the great classics … I saw stuff in my acting class I still haven't seen to this day, the level of talent.”

But getting out of her contract would’ve been much more difficult if it weren’t for Trek guru Gene Roddenberry, who had created and was still in charge of Next Gen at that time.

“Nobody leaves a TV show,” Crosby continues. “You have a contract. I had a signed contract. The only way I was able to do it was because Gene Roddenberry had total control. He wouldn't have made another Star Trek if that were not the case, because he had been so abused by the process in the ‘60s. So he finally makes Next Gen, and he is given real autonomy. And he and I sat down like this together and he said, ‘Look, I wish you wouldn't leave. I don't want you to leave.’”

But Roddenberry ultimately gave his blessing, which meant Crosby was able to leave the show. It’s a funny thing though, because she says that the producers actually loved the character of Tasha Yar. But for some reason the scripts were not servicing the character; indeed, Season 1 of Next Generation is widely regarded as one of the lower points of the show’s run. And there was a lot of behind-the-scenes turmoil as well. Marina Sirtis, who played Counselor Troi, has said she was on the verge of being fired. And Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Crusher, was fired at the end of the season (she would return in Season 3). Still, this meant the first year ended with two of the three female leads leaving the show.

“And now they're like, ‘Oh my God, there's no … women,’” remembers Crosby. “So now we’ve got to keep Marina and Gates we'll recast. … It kind of wreaked havoc. That wasn't my intention. My intention was to get somebody in the room and tell me, ‘What is this going to be? What is this character?’ It's such an incredible opportunity. You have so much here, but I'm not going to just be the token hot blonde on the show. But they had a ’60s mentality. It was all these old white dudes in the room until, God love them, until Gene passed. And it shifted. There was a shift when [showrunner] Michael Piller came onto the show [in Season 3] and things changed.”

Denise Crosby’s Star Trek Return (and Tasha Yar’s Redemption)

Tasha was oil-slicked off the Enterprise, but Denise was beamed right into a successful career in both movies and TV, while also becoming something of an expert on the Trek fan community thanks in no small part to her successful documentary Trekkies, which she produced and hosted.

But of course, she did return as Tasha Yar to the bridge of the starship Enterprise two years after she had left, for the Season 3 episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” Through a bit of time travel and alternate timeline trickery, the episode gives us a version of the Star Trek world where Tasha is still alive. Not just that, but Starfleet is at war with the Klingons and things are, to quote Picard, “going very badly for the Federation, far worse than is generally known.” That even includes all the lights onboard being set to “dim”!

“I always make this joke at cons and stuff: I had to die to get a good script,” laughs Crosby.

The episode works on many levels, from its sci-fi conceits to its great cast of guest actors (Christopher McDonald and Tricia O'Neil as doomed crewmembers from a different starship Enterprise), to the off-kilter lighting and design touches which subtly place the story in a different universe. But perhaps most effective is the redemption of Tasha, who as the episode itself says, had died a senseless death the first go-round. Not this time!

“[Executive producer] Rick Berman called me at home,” she recalls. “It was a long time since I talked to him. Out of the blue. And he said, ‘We have this episode that brings Tasha back.’ … It was such a shock – never saw that coming. … And I said, ‘Okay, ew. That sounds weird.’ And he goes, ‘But it's really good, the script. Will you read it?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. Of course.’ Read it over the weekend. And I called him Monday. I said, ‘Oh my God, this is so good.’ This is what I wanted! It's ironic.”

I had to die to get a good script. -Denise Crosby

Yes, Tasha did have to die in order for Denise to get a good script. Of course, by Season 3 Next Gen had finally hit its stride and was consistently knocking out strong episodes, but there’s a special resonance to “Yesterday’s Enterprise” because of the meta aspect of Crosby coming back to make right by Tasha. In fact, the actress just recently watched the episode for the first time in 35 years.

“It's so good,” she says of the hour. “It was such a delight. It was such a beautiful surprise that I couldn't have anticipated to be able to come back on the show and almost redeem her on many levels. … It's better than I thought it was. It's really good. Not only is the writing amazing, Whoopi [Goldberg] brings so much. Christopher McDonald is incredible. And Tricia O'Neil, who plays Captain Garrett. … I mean, those guys bring it. Everybody's better when you have good actors.”

Crosby would return a few more times for guest shots, first as Sela, Tasha’s half-Romulan daughter (long story), and then in the series finale, “All Good Things…”, where she got to play Tasha once more. But still, she says she had and has no regrets about leaving the show.

“There was no turning back,” says Crosby. “I knew I had to go. I never liked to cause problems or rifts. I sometimes feel I made the other guys uncomfortable, or I stirred something in them, which wasn't, again, the intention at all. Not all of them. … But sometimes I wonder if deep inside there was a period – I don't think anymore – but there might've been a period of resentment that, ‘Hey, we're going along here as a unit, and you feel the need to go rogue.’ That's just a natural thing, and that makes me uncomfortable. … But I could not have stayed on. I could not have stood on that thing, that horseshoe, and go ‘Aye-aye, Captain’ for five more years. No one has a crystal ball. Had I known what was to come and that maybe with Michael Piller we could have gotten in there and we could've done something with this character...

"The regret is that they didn't.”

Talk to Associate Director of Features Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura , or listen to his Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3 . Or do both!

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'Star Trek: The Original Series'

• " Star Trek " debuted 56 years ago on September 8, 1966.
• After the show, the cast of the original series remained sci-fi icons.
• Only three stars of " The Original Series " are alive today, after Nichelle Nichols' death in July.

William Shatner led the crew of the USS Enterprise as Captain James T. Kirk.

"Star Trek" was originally going to be focused on a different  captain, Captain Christopher Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter. A pilot was even filmed, called "The Cage," but it didn't make it to airwaves until the '80s. Gene Roddenberry, the creator, eventually retooled the show and cast Shatner as a new captain, Kirk. Some footage from "The Cage" was then reused for a season one episode called "The Menagerie."

Before "Star Trek," Shatner was famous for his role in an iconic " Twilight Zone " episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which he played a man recently released from a mental hospital who becomes convinced he can see a creature on the wing of the plane he's flying on. It aired in 1963, three years before "Star Trek."

In addition to his "Star Trek" roles, Shatner acted in "T.J. Hooker" and "Boston Legal," hosted "Rescue 911," and he has written numerous books. He finally made it to the final frontier in October 2021.

Though he's 91 years old, Shatner has shown no signs of slowing down. After "Star Trek" was canceled in 1969, he briefly returned to voice Kirk for the "Star Trek" animated series. In 1979, he again reprised his role as Kirk in " Star Trek: The Motion Picture ." He'd continue to do so regularly until 1994's "Star Trek Generations." He even directed one of the "Star Trek" movies: " Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. "

Besides "Star Trek," Shatner starred as the titular police officer on the '80s procedural "T.J. Hooker" and narrated " Rescue 911 ," a show that consisted of dramatic reenactments of real crimes.

Other roles that you might recognize Shatner from: a pageant host in " Miss Congeniality ," attorney Dennis Crane in " The Practice " and its spin-off " Boston Legal " for which he won two Emmys , and in the 2016-2018 reality show " Better Late Than Never ," in which Shatner, Henry Winkler, George Foreman, and Terry Bradshaw traveled around the world and experienced different cultures.

The actor is set to appear in the upcoming "Masters of the Universe: Revolution" series on Netflix. He also finally made it to space himself during a Blue Origin flight in October 2021, making him the oldest person to go into space at 90.

Shatner has written multiple books, both fiction and non-fiction over the course of his career. His 2016 book, " Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man ," was about his friendship with "Star Trek" co-star Leonard Nimoy, who played his on-screen better half, Commander Spock.

Walter Koenig was cast as Ensign Pavel Chekov because of his resemblance to the Monkees' Davy Jones.

While Chekov was Russian, Koenig was born in America and based his accent on his parents' accents — they were Russian immigrants. Koenig was cast because, according to legend, he was supposed to help attract young girls as viewers due to his resemblance to teen idol Davy Jones. He even wore a Davy Jones-esque women's wig for the first seven or eight episodes, he told TV Insider in 2016.

Koenig's mainly recognized for his on-screen role as Chekov, though he became a pretty prolific screenwriter in the '70s. He wrote episodes for the "Star Trek" animated series, anthology series "What Really Happened to the Class of '65?" and children's series "Land of the Lost."

Koenig appeared in the 2018 film "Diminuendo."

Koenig, 85, (he's turning 86 on September 14) still makes frequent appearances on the "Star Trek" convention circuit, as well as acting in the occasional film. He appeared in 12 episodes of " Babylon 5 " in the '90s, voiced himself in an episode of "Futurama," and also voiced Mr. Savic on the Netflix animated series " Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters. "

While not all of the "Star Trek" cast were on great terms, Koenig and his co-star George Takei remain close. Koenig was even the best man in Takei's wedding in 2008.

George Takei played Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, a helmsman on the Enterprise.

Over the course of the show, Sulu was revealed to have many interests outside of Star Fleet, most famously fencing. At the time, Sulu was one of the first Asian characters on TV who wasn't explicitly a villain, and instead was a fully formed hero.

"Up until the time I was cast in 'Star Trek,' the roles were pretty shallow — thin, stereotyped, one-dimensional roles. I knew this character was a breakthrough role, certainly for me as an individual actor but also for the image of an Asian character: no accent, a member of the elite leadership team," Takei told Mother Jones in 2012.

Takei originally was supposed to play Sulu as an astrophysicist, but the role was changed to helmsman. Before "Star Trek," Takei also appeared in " The Twilight Zone " like his co-star William Shatner, among other '50s and '60s procedurals.

Takei is still acting to this day, though many people know him now for his social media presence.

Who says an 85-year-old doesn't know how to use social media? Takei's Facebook page has 9.5 million likes to date, and he has 3.4 million followers on Twitter .

In addition to his continued acting in films like "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank," " Kubo and the Two Strings ," "Blazing Samurai," and "Mulan," and TV shows like "Heroes," "Supah Ninjas," and " Star Wars: Visions ," Takei is an activist. He came out as gay in 2005  and began working as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.

Takei also starred in the 2012 musical "Allegiance," which was based on his and his family's experiences during Japanese internment in World War II.

Nichelle Nichols played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a translator, communications officer, and linguistics expert.

Uhura was one of the first Black television characters that didn't have a menial job — instead, she was in a position of power. She and Shatner were also involved in what is thought to be the first interracial kiss on American TV.

Nichols stayed with the show for all three seasons, but it wasn't without drama. She was tempted to leave during the first year, but none other than Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay. She told the New York Post in 2011 that when she told him that she wanted to leave, he told her, "You can't do that. You have the first non-stereotypical, non-menial role on television. You have created strength and beauty and intelligence. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen. It's what we're marching for. You're a role model and whether you like it or not, you belong to history now."

She also released an album in 1967, "Down to Earth." In between "Star Trek's" cancellation and its return on the big screen, Nichols starred in the 1974 blaxploitation film " Truck Turner ," as Dorinda, a madam.

Nichols died in 2022 at the age of 89. She had retired from public appearances in 2018.

From 1977 until 2015, Nichols was involved with Women in Motion, a recruiting program for NASA to help get more women involved in the space program. In July 2020, a documentary about the program finally secured distribution and will be released in 2021, Deadline reported. 

"Nichelle Nichols not only was a trailblazer in Hollywood, she was a trailblazer for the future of our society. She took the fight for Civil Rights, diversity and inclusion and gender equality to new frontiers with NASA which continue to serve America's space program today. She was ahead of her time," said executive producer Ben Crump.

Nichols also appeared in " The Young and the Restless, " "Heroes," and " Futurama ." She was diagnosed with dementia in 2018 and subsequently retired from public appearances.

In July 2022, Nichols' son announced on social media that Nichols had died at the age of 89 .

Leonard Nimoy played Captain Kirk's first officer and close friend Commander Spock.

Spock was the only alien member of the original crew, as he was half-human, half-Vulcan — an alien race from the planet Vulcan whose residents operate solely from a point of logic, not feelings. Much of the show's comedy came from Spock and Kirk's differences and their amusement at each other. His frequent farewell, " Live Long and Prosper ," accompanied by the Vulcan Salute, are among the most recognizable pieces of the "Star Trek" canon.

Nimoy had multiple small parts in B movies and TV shows before booking "Star Trek," including an episode of " The Man from U.N.C.L.E. " alongside future co-star William Shatner, as well as an episode of " The Twilight Zone ."

But once "Star Trek" premiered, Nimoy would be forever linked with his Vulcan counterpart, and he mainly did voice work after the show ended. He also reunited with Shatner for an episode of his show, "T.J. Hooker."

Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83. He played Spock for the final time in 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness," meaning he played the role for almost 50 years.

Nimoy is the only actor from the original series to appear in JJ Abrams' rebooted films, as he appeared in 2009's "Star Trek" and its 2013 sequel " Star Trek Into Darkness " as an older version of Spock who was trapped in an alternate universe.

In addition to acting, Nimoy was a photographer, recording artist, author, and director. He directed two "Star Trek" movies (" The Search for Spock " and "The Journey Home"), and "Three Men and a Baby," which became the highest-grossing film of 1987 .

Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

DeForest Kelley played the ship's curmudgeonly chief medical officer, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

Bones, as he was affectionately called, was one of the oldest members of the crew, and thus got to be a bit more obnoxious than the rest of them. His frequent catchphrase, " I'm a doctor, not a ___, " is one of the most parodied lines of dialogue from the show.

Like his character, Kelley was older and a more established actor than the rest of the cast. Before the show, he had appeared in Westerns and historical films like " Gunfight at the O.K. Corral ," "Warlock," and " Raintree County " in the '50s.

Kelley died in 1999 at the age of 79, nine years after playing McCoy for the last time.

Kelley essentially retired from acting, besides playing McCoy, after the success of "Star Trek." He appeared in all six films starring the original cast, and appeared in an episode of " Star Trek: The Next Generation " as McCoy, as well.

While he wasn't much of a sci-fi fan, Kelley was proud of his "Star Trek" legacy. When asked what he thought his legacy would be, he explained that his character inspired people to enter the medical field. He told the New York Times , "These people [fans] are doctors now, all kinds of doctors who save lives. That's something that very few people can say they've done. I'm proud to say that I have.''

He died in 1999 at the age of 79 due to stomach cancer .

Majel Barrett had a recurring role as Nurse Christine Chapel.

Barrett was originally cast in the first version of "Star Trek" as Pike's first officer, but when that episode was scratched, so was her character. However, due to her romantic relationship with "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry (who she later married), she was brought back as Nurse Chapel (a divisive character).

Before the show, Barrett was in various bit parts in '50s and '60s shows, but her big break was " Star Trek ," which she stayed involved in for the rest of her life.

Barrett died in 2008 when she was 76 years old. Up until her death, she had been involved with every "Star Trek" series in some way, leading fans to call her the First Lady of "Star Trek."

Barrett reprised her role as Chapel in " Star Trek: The Motion Picture " and " Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ." She also appeared in " Star Trek: The Next Generation " and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" as Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Deanna Troi, a main character in "Next Generation." Her other involvement in the series was the voice of the computer in many of the other " Star Trek" films: "Generations ," " First Contact ," "Nemesis," and 2009's reboot.

She died in 2008 at the age of 76 due to leukemia . 

James Doohan played chief engineering officer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.

Contrary to popular belief, the phrase " Beam me up, Scotty " is never actually uttered in the original series. The man on the other end of that command, Scotty, was played by Doohan, who was Canadian in real life, not Scottish.

Before "Star Trek," Doohan served in the Canadian military and was even on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, and was a pilot as well. After the war, he began acting and became a successful radio actor. Like his co-stars, he also appeared in an episode of " The Twilight Zone ," and other popular procedurals. 

In the animated series, Doohan proved to be indispensable, with his talent for voice acting and accents. He voiced over 50 characters during the show's run.

James Doohan died at the age of 85 in 2005.

Doohan didn't find much success outside of the world of "Star Trek," and thus embraced his role as Scotty. He appeared in "Generations," as well as an episode of " The Next Generation ." 

However, his impact on the field of engineering cannot be overstated. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Milwaukee School of Engineering "after half the students there said that Scotty had inspired them to take up the subject," according to the BBC .

Towards the end of his life, Doohan suffered from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and retired from public life in 2004. He died the following year, at 85, due to complications from pneumonia .

Grace Lee Whitney appeared in the first season of the show as Yeoman Janice Rand.

Rand appeared in eight episodes of the show's first 15-episode season as a clerical and administrative worker aboard the ship, before Whitney was released from her contract. At the time, the story was that the show didn't have enough money to keep everyone, but years later in her autobiography, Rand accused an unnamed executive producer , whom she called "The Executive," of sexually assaulting her.

"I tried to do what he wanted me to, so I could get it over with. I knew, deep down inside, that I was finished on 'Star Trek.' At that moment, however, I didn't care about that. Nothing else mattered — not my tarnished virtue, not my career, not my role on 'Star Trek.' The only thing that mattered was getting out of that room alive," she wrote.

Whitney died in 2015 at the age of 85.

After getting written off the show, Whitney struggled with her career, and alcoholism. She credited co-star Leonard Nimoy with helping her get back on her feet and involved with "Star Trek" once again. She reprised her role in four of the original "Star Trek" films, and in an episode of " Star Trek: Voyager " alongside George Takei.

She died in 2015 due to natural causes at the age of 85.

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Screen Rant

Fallout cast & character guide.

The wasteland of Fallout is a huge world, and there's an equally huge cast of unique characters to fill it and give it an offbeat charm.

• A star-studded cast brings Fallout's characters and wasteland to life.
• The post-apocalyptic world of Fallout is shaped by a nuclear war over 200 years earlier.
• The show's main three characters are played by Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, and Walton Goggins, with many more actors in supporting roles.

It takes an all-star cast of actors to bring the characters and wasteland of Fallout to life, and the show luckily has just that. Fallout is based on the series of video games of the same name. Though it will likely make multiple changes to its source material, the Fallout show still boasts an intricate world rich with lore. Such a complicated world with such a long backstory needs compelling characters to work.

The main factor affecting the world of Fallout is its apocalypse , as the wasteland was created by a nuclear war over 200 years before the Fallout show takes place . In the wake of that nuclear destruction, the entire world changed . Before the war, brands like Nuka-Cola were important to Fallout and its people, but after, technology like the Pip-Boy was vital to Fallout and surviving the wasteland. Selling such a different world is a difficult task, but the cast of Fallout should be able to accomplish it.

Fallout Season 1 Review: Prime Video's Stellar Adaptation Leans Into The Offbeat & The Brutal

Ella purnell as lucy maclean, purnell is 27 years old.

Actor: Ella Purnell was born in Whitechapel, London, England on September 17, 1996. She has been acting since she was a child, and she appeared in several roles like Never Let Me Go and Wildlike . Purnell's first breakout role was in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in 2016, where she played Emma Bloom , one of the super-powered main characters. Since then, she has landed other prominent roles in both film and television, most notably in Yellowjackets , where she played the younger version of Jackie.

Notable Movie & TV Roles:

Character: In Fallout , Purnell plays Lucy MacLean, a woman from Vault 33 and the main character of the show. In Vault 33, Lucy was hard-pressed to find someone to enter a relationship with, as she was related to most of her fellow vault dwellers. For some reason, she was forced to leave Vault 33 and search through the wasteland, and survive all the dangers it had to offer.

Fallout is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on April 10 at 5:30 p.m. PST.

Aaron Moten as Maximus

Moten is 35 years old.

Actor: Aaron Moten was born in Austin, Texas on February 28, 1989. He started acting in plays and short films as early as 2006, but his first TV role wasn't until 2014, when he appeared in an episode of NCIS . Moten's breakout role was in Disjointed , where he played Travis, one of the main characters who ran the show's cannabis dispensary . Since his role on Disjointed , Moten has gone on to appear in both TV shows and movies, such as Emancipation and Father Stu .

Character: Moten plays Maximus in Fallout , who was raised by the Brotherhood of Steel , the most well-armed militant group in the wasteland. Due to his troubled past, Maximus uses the power and violence he's capable of as a member of the Brotherhood to protect himself from the wasteland.

Walton Goggins as Cooper Howard AKA The Ghoul

Goggins is 52 years old.

Actor: Walton Goggins was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 10, 1971. He's had a long history in Hollywood, and some of his early work, like in The Apostle , helped prepare him for his much larger roles later on. Goggins' big break came from The Shield , where he played Detective Shane Vendrell, a corrupt police officer . Since then, he's had several cameos and more notable roles in both movies and TV, such as his time with Justified . Goggins has also been involved in the production side of the film industry, as he briefly ran a production company responsible for an Oscar-winning short film.

Character: In Fallout , Goggins plays Cooper Howard, also known as simply the Ghoul. Cooper was alive before the Great War, but due to the radiation from the nuclear bombs, he was turned into a ghoul. Since ghouls in Fallout are immortal, Cooper has been surviving in the wasteland for over 200 years. As the Ghoul, he makes a living by working as a bounty hunter, and he's armed to the teeth to help him excel at his job.

Fallout Supporting Cast & Characters

Kyle MacLachlan as Hank MacLean: Kyle MacLachlan plays Hank MacLean, the overseer of Vault 33 and Lucy's father. Hank has been described as a benevolent and idealistic leader. MacLachlan has had several prominent roles before, such as in Twin Peaks and the 1984 version of Dune .

Xelia Mendes-Jones as Dane: Xelia Mendes-Jones plays Dane, an initiate of the Brotherhood of Steel and a friend to Maximus. They are a firm believer in the Brotherhood's mission and their main goal is to become a fully-fledged knight. Mendes-Jones is most known for playing Renna in The Wheel of Time .

Mike Doyle as Mr. Spencer: Mike Doyle plays Mr. Spencer in Fallout , though not much is known about his character. Doyle is most known for recurring roles in New Amsterdam and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit .

Moises Arias as Norm MacLean: Moises Arias plays Norm MacLean, Lucy's brother and a fellow member of Vault 33. Unlike the other vault dwellers, Norm isn't as enthusiastic about his community and the work he's assigned. Arias is known for movies like Ender's Game , The King of Staten Island , and Nacho Libre .

Johnny Pemberton as Thaddeus: Johnny Pemberton plays Thaddeus, a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. He was described as a bully, and he particularly targeted Maximus in his harassment. Pemberton is known for playing Delroy in 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street .

Cherien Dabis as Birdie: Cherien Dabis plays Birdie in Fallout , though not much is known about her character. Dabis is mostly known for her work behind the camera, as she directed films like Amreeka and shows including six episodes of Only Murders in the Building , but she has appeared on-screen as well, such as in May in Summer .

Dale Dickey as Ma June: Dale Dickey plays Ma June, a trader from Filly. Ma June has a rough temperament and a big personality, and isn't afraid to threaten, and use, violence. Dickey is most known for movies like Hell or High Water and The Pledge .

Matty Cardarople as Huey: Matty Cardarople plays Huey in Fallout , but there isn't much available information about him. Cardarople is known for shows like Stranger Things and A Series of Unfortunate Events , though he has also appeared in a large number of small roles.

Sarita Choudhury as Moldaver: Sarita Choudhury plays Moldaver, a mysterious and morally grey character in the wasteland. Choudhury is most known for A Lady in the Water and A Perfect Murder .

Michael Emerson as Siggi Wilzig: Michael Emerson plays Siggi Wilzig, a mysterious person Lucy meets during her travels. Emerson is known for Saw , Lost , and Person of Interest .

Chris Parnell as Ben: Chris Parnell plays Ben, the one-eyed overseer of Vault 32, Vault 33's sister shelter. It isn't clear why Ben has one eye, but he seems to provide comedic relief to Lucy's journey. Parnell is known for comedies like Rick and Morty and Hot Rod .

Frances Turner as Barb Howard: Frances Turner plays Barb Howard, Cooper's wife from before the Great War. It isn't known if she survived the war yet, but she'll certainly have an impact on his character either way. Turner is most known for The Man in the High Castle and New Amsterdam .

Teagan Meredith as Janey Howard: Teagan Meredith plays Janey Howard, Cooper's daughter. She'll likely suffer the same fate as her mother, so her involvement in the wasteland is unknown. As a child actor, Meredith has only appeared in The Calling before her role in Fallout .

Dave Register as Chet: Dave Register plays Chet, another member of Vault 33. Chet is well-connected to the MacLean family, as he's attracted to Lucy, even though they're cousins, and he's Norm's best friend. Register is known for FBI and Heightened .

Leslie Uggams as Betty Pearson: Leslie Uggams plays Betty Pearson, a member and de facto leader of Vault 33's governing council. She's most concerned with the vault's safety and security. Uggams is most recently known for the Deadpool series of movies and American Fiction .

Zach Cherry as Woody Thomas: Zach Cherry plays Woody Thomas, who is also on the governing council of Vault 33. He's been described as more inexperienced and naive than Betty. Cherry is most known for Severance and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings .

Rodrigo Luzzi as Reg McPhee: Rodrigo Luzzi plays Reg McPhee, the final member of Vault 33's governing council. In contrast to his fellow councilmembers, Reg puts himself above the good of the vault. Luzzi is known for Dead Ringers and other, smaller roles.

Annabel O'Hagan as Steph: Annabel O'Hagan plays Steph, a pregnant member of Vault 33. Steph is Lucy's best friend and very active in the community. Fallout will be O'Hagan's biggest role, as she is known for an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and some short films.

Matt Berry as Mr. Handy: Matt Berry voices Mr. Handy, a RobCo robot that tried to harvest Lucy's organs in the wasteland. Berry is known for What We Do in the Shadows and Toast of London .

Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Fallout is a drama series set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. The series follows the survivors of the human race in an alternate 1950s timeline, where nuclear war laid waste to the Earth, spawning large irradiated areas and mutated humans who now roam the planet.

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Star Trek Prequel Movie In The Works With Star Wars Director

Toby Haynes, who directed episodes of Black Mirror, Doctor Who, and Andor, is lined up to make a Star Trek movie.

By Eddie Makuch on April 11, 2024 at 12:06PM PDT

A Star Trek prequel movie is in the works with Star Wars director Toby Haynes attached to direct, Paramount announced during CinemaCon. This has been rumored since January , and now it's confirmed. The movie is set for release sometime in 2025.

Haynes previously directed episodes of Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Sherlock, and the Star Wars series Andor. Collider reported on these details from CinemaCon.

Seth Grahame-Smith, who wrote The Lego Batman Movie, is writing the untitled Star Trek film. Haynes has never directed or written a Star Trek movie, but he directed Black Mirror's Star Trek-inspired USS Callister episode.

The film is said to be an "origin story" that will take place prior to the events of 2009's Star Trek, which took place in 2255 and was itself an origin story. This likely means it will feature a different cast. The stars of the latest series, including Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana, have been rumored to be coming back for a fourth film in their series, but it hasn't happened yet.

2016's Star Trek Beyond is the latest entry in the main Star Trek movie series, but the franchise has lived long and prospered on streaming with the TV shows Picard and Strange New Worlds.

The 2009 Star Trek reboot and its 2013 sequel Into Darkness were directed by JJ Abrams, before he handed off directing duties to Justin Lin for Star Trek Beyond. The three movies collectively earned around $1.2 billion at the global box office.

In addition to Pine, Saldana, and Quinto, the latest Star Trek movie series featured John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. Yelchin tragically died in 2016 at the age of 27 after a motor vehicle accident in his driveway.

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