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Star Trek Just Dropped a Huge Clue About Kirk & Spock’s “Missing” Year

Lower Decks just gave us insight into one of Star Trek's most interesting historical gaps.

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This Star Trek: Lower Decks article contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 5, “An Embarrassment of Dooplers.”

The first year of Kirk’s five-year-mission on the Enterprise is mostly missing. Although several non-canon sources have taken a stab at the moment when Kirk first took command from Pike—notably the 1986 Vonda N. McIntyre novel Enterprise: The First Adventure and the 1985 DC Comics story “The First Mission”—the  actual non-book Trek canon has almost nothing. Basically, our knowledge of how the year 2265 shook out for Kirk and Spock is very limited.

However, a sweet little Easter egg in Star Trek: Lower Decks just provided a fairly big clue as to Kirk’s status in Starfleet in the early 2260s. And, if we read between the lines, it seems very likely that, at first, James T. Kirk was a very unpopular starship captain. Here’s what a small Easter egg in Lower Decks tells us about Kirk’s early days as captain, and might give us a sense of that missing year of Star Trek: The Original Series . .. 

In “Embarrassment of Dooplers,” Boimler and Mariner are obsessed with getting into a fancy Starfleet cocktail party. After a variety of misadventures, not only do they not get into the party, but end up drinking at a different dive bar on the same space station. However, that particular bar is filled with all sorts of nostalgic knicknacks from the past, including an etching on the bar from Kirk and Spock. The bartender tells Mariner and Boimler that “the blond one” did more drinking, and we’re led to believe this was in the 2260s. 

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So, at what point in Kirk’s five-year-mission would Starfleet have not let him and Spock into a fancy and prestigious party? When in their careers would Kirk and Spock have tried to gate-crash a fancy party, only to get turned away at the door? There’s not a direct answer, but the best theory I can muster is that Kirk and Spock hit up this bar sometime in 2265, perhaps right after the events of the TOS episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”

First of all, Lower Decks is obsessed with Gary Mitchell and the events of “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Not only was Gary Mitchell mentioned and explained in the recent Lower Decks Season 2 opener “Strange Energies,” but Mariner also name-checked Gary Mitchell in the first Lower Decks episode ever, “Second Contact.” So there’s that.

Second, if Lower Decks is positing that at some point Kirk and Spock were regarded in a similar way that Captain Freeman and the Cerritos crew are viewed by Starfleet top brass, we have to start looking for moments when their collective reputation might not have been so hot. Obviously, after the conclusion of Kirk’s five-year-mission (2265-2270) the crew become “living legends,” as Captain Harriman says in Generations . But what about before then? Spock was fairly well respected in Starfleet when he served with Captain Pike, right? Well, as we learned in Discovery Season 2, Spock was briefly disgraced in 2257, and by 2258, basically kept a bunch of secrets for Starfleet and Section 31. So, it’s totally conceivable that by 2265, Spock is respected within Starfleet, but perhaps not popular .

The question then is, if Kirk and Spock were denied entry to a snobby Starfleet party, what was the reputation of the Enterprise in 2265? It’s a fairly big assumption that Kirk and Spock carved their names into this bar in 2265, but if we think about any other point in the timeline of the Enterprise it feels unlikely Kirk and Spock would be excluded from a party like this. By 2266, Kirk and the Spock had already tangoed with the Romulans in “Balance of Terror,” and made peace with the “First Federation” in “The Corbomite Maneuver.” And after that, Kirk’s exploits get even more heroic. (“The Doomsday Machine,” and “Errand of Mercy” come to mind.) The point is, it’s really hard to believe that Starfleet wouldn’t let Kirk and Spock into a fancy party after 2266. This is why 2265 feels like the only time they could have ended up at this bar.

So, what has just happened to Kirk and Spock in 2265? Well, for one thing, they’re actually starting to become friends for the first time. If Kirk and Spock were in this bar after the events of “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” that means Kirk has just murdered his best friend, and is dealing with what that feels like. In the final scenes of “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” Spock admits to Kirk that he “felt” for Mitchell in the end. And Kirk says, “there may be hope for you after all, Mr. Spock.” In every way, that moment is the moment (in Prime canon) of the beginning of Kirk and Spock growing closer as buddies. As far as what we’ve seen in The Original Series , Kirk and Spock play chess together in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” then roughly a year passes, and you’ve got the rest of TOS .

At the start of his career as captain, it’s very possible that James T. Kirk wasn’t popular with Starfleet at all, and the mission on the edge of the galaxy was regarded as a huge embarrassment for Starfleet. When the Enterprise heads back into Federation space after “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” you can totally imagine a situation where Kirk wants to go to a fancy party and get some cocktails. And, if he and his First Officer were denied entry to that party, it makes a lot of sense they would end-up in a dive bar next door.

Star Trek: Lower Decks airs new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+.

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Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Den of Geek! He is also the author of three non-fiction books: the Star Trek pop history book PHASERS…

Star Trek: Lower Decks Delivers the Series’ Most Poignant Moment Yet

Star Trek: Lower Decks' latest episode delivers a subtle nod to Kirk and Spock that helps create the series' most poignant moment yet.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2, Episode 5, "An Embarrassment of Dooplers," streaming now on Paramount+ .

When Season 1 of Star Trek: Lower Decks came to a close, Ensign Boimler left the U.S.S. Cerritos to serve aboard the U.S.S. Titan under the command of Starfleet legend Captain William Riker. Boimler's departure infuriated Mariner, but Boimler quickly rejoined his crew in Season 2. While Mariner was initially angry at Boimler, she was quick to welcome her friend back to the Cerritos, and the two rapidly moved forward. But now, in  Lower Decks '  latest episode, Boimler's departure and the rift it created between him and Mariner comes to the forefront. However, as the two work to patch things up, "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" delivers the series' most poignant moment to date -- one that reveals a connection with Star  Trek: The Original Series .

In "An Embarrassment of Dooplers," Boimler and Mariner try to sneak into the supposedly legendary after-party of the Command Conference at Starbase 25 . Since they are not on the invite list, Brad poses as his transporter twin from the U.S.S. Titan, with Mariner as his plus one. Unfortunately, Mariner doesn't make it past the bouncer. This separation brings old wounds to the forefront, as Mariner equates Boimler leaving her behind for the party to him leaving the Cerritos for the Titan. The two begin to fight when Mariner tells her friend that she is still waiting for him to apologize for leaving in the first place.

RELATED: Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Trailer Features Time Travel, Q And The Borg Queen

The dispute ends with Brad going to the party while Mariner remains behind. Once inside, Boimler is initially excited to be at such an exclusive event, but he quickly realizes that it just isn't fun without Mariner by his side. Boimler then opts to leave the party, and he later finds Mariner at an old dive bar elsewhere on the space station. Both sit at the bar and share a drink, and Boimler finally apologizes to Mariner for leaving the Cerritos without telling her. The two effectively bury the hatchet and strengthen their friendship.

When the two still appear disappointed about missing the party, the bartender tells them they aren't the first officers who have tried to sneak into the after-party. She points to the counter, and Boimler and Mariner find the names of Spock and Kirk etched into the wood. The two are understandably fascinated, realizing that they are following in the footsteps of these two Starfleet giants.

RELATED: Star Trek: It Smells Like Adventure In Lower Decks Mid-Season Trailer

The moment is incredibly endearing because it reveals a previously unknown escapade of Kirk and Spock. To know that the duo once attempted to sneak into a Starfleet party, failed and found refuge at a bar is a perfect Kirk and Spock moment. It reveals a hidden gem from their early days that makes their friendship all the more illustrious.

As the two Ensigns add their own names to the counter, it cements Mariner and Boimler as the Star Trek franchise's next big, iconic duo. In a season that has been dominated by big action scenes and huge laughs, it's great to have Mariner and Boimler take a beat and reaffirm their friendship in such a touching manner that simultaneously deepens Star Trek history. They may not be on the same level as Kirk and Spock yet -- but their story is only just starting.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 is now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes premiering every Thursday.

KEEP READING: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Introduces Its Uhura, Chapel And M'Benga

Screen Rant

Star trek's new cave monster calls back to spock & classic tos alien.

The new cave monster on Star Trek: Lower Decks calls back to a classic TOS alien with Lt. Rutherford using Mr. Spock's ingenious solution.

• The new episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks features a cave monster called the Grafflax, which is reminiscent of the Horta from the original Star Trek series.
• Lieutenant Rutherford takes on a similar role to Mr. Spock in the Original Series by using his engineering skills to find a non-violent solution and communicate with the Grafflax.
• Rutherford's approach echoes the Star Trek philosophy of understanding and promoting peace, focusing on the sentient motives of seemingly dangerous creatures.

Warning: Contains Spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 8, "Caves"

A new cave monster on Star Trek: Lower Decks calls back to a classic Star Trek: The Original Series alien, with Lieutenant Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) taking the job originally filled by Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). While trapped in a cave on an away mission gone awry, the USS Cerritos' Lower Deckers take turns recapping previous cave-themed missions in Lower Decks season 4, episode 8, "Caves". Rutherford recounts when he and Dr. T'Ana (Gillian Vigman) faced off against the fearsome Grafflax, a cave-dwelling monster thought long gone by the people of Balkus 9, including their guide Thusa (Dawnn Lewis).

Star Trek: Lower Decks ' episode flashback sent Rutherford and T'Ana to Balkus 9 to gather a type of fern essential for formulating a needed medication that's found only in the shallow pools of the planet's caves, a classic Star Trek: The Next Generation -era plot.. Thusa shows Rutherford and T'Ana how to gather the plant, assuring them that the Grafflax hasn't been a problem for generations, right before the monster emerges from the darkness to attack her. At the moment of her death, Thusa implants her offspring into Rutherford, leaving Samanthan and Dr. T'Ana to care for the infant version of her while searching for a way out. In a later encounter, the Grafflax notices the child, which leads directly to the Cerritos away team's escape.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Cast Guide - Who Voices Each Character In All 4 Seasons

Star trek: lower decks' new cave monster calls back to tos' horta.

The Grafflax in Star Trek: Lower Decks's "Caves" episode is a callback to the Horta in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 26 "The Devil in the Dark". Like the Grafflax, the Horta is a cave-dwelling creature responsible for killing outsiders who enter its territory, which is being stripped of resources through an invasive mining operation. As the USS Enterprise investigates the mysterious deaths, Spock surmises the slug-like, silicon-based Horta is intelligent, based on how it reacts to Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) calling for violence. While mind-melding with the Horta, Spock learns two things: she is sentient, and she's defending her eggs.

The Grafflax, likewise, is protecting its young from invaders stealing resources from the caves it calls home. As Rutherford finds out, the biomatter that he and Dr. T'Ana need to synthesize the medicine grows on the backs of juvenile Grafflaxes, easily mistaken for plants in the cave's shallow pools. There's no way anyone could have known they were there, since the Grafflax appendages are excellent camouflage that separate from the creatures upon being harvested. Instead, the people of Balkus 9 assume that the Grafflax is a monster that kills indiscriminately, just as the Grafflax assumes the humanoids are there to intentionally harm its children.

How Lower Decks' Lt. Rutherford Echoed Spock In TOS

Star Trek: Lower Decks ' Lieutenant Rutherford echoes Mr. Spock from Star Trek: The Original Series through a shared ingenious solution. The Horta's attempts at communication are lost on the miners and Kirk, who call for its death in order to save themselves. Spock, however, is able to discern the Horta's motives through a mind meld, which lets her communicate through him that she's in pain and doesn't want to die. Through Rutherford's quick thinking and engineering skills, he turns his tricorder into a makeshift translator for the Grafflax's vocalizations. The Grafflax notices Rutherford's child, and the two bond over being parents before the Grafflax explains it's just defending its children.

As a Starfleet officer well-versed in historical records, Lt. Rutherford might even be drawing on Spock's mission report itself for inspiration. Rutherford, like Spock, is unlikely to resort to killing anyone, even in self-defense, and Spock's solution of reaching out to communicate prioritizes peace over violence. Both Spock and Rutherford ensure not just their own survival, but everyone else's, because they both think to consider the sentient motive of a seemingly violent creature. It's an excellent strategy that promotes understanding between oneself and the unknown, which has always been a staple tenet of Star Trek and continues to work on Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks stars enter the world of live action in first look at Strange New Worlds crossover

Tawny Newsome's Mariner and Jack Quaid's Boimler have arrived!

The Lower Decks crew have entered live-action!

The new trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, premiering on Paramount+ this June 15, brings with it our first look at the big crossover event. Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome , who voice the animated characters Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler on Star Trek: Lower Decks , will embody their characters in live-action form.

"Surprise!" Newsome's Mariner tells a perplexed Captain Pike ( Anson Mount ) and Spock (Ethan Peck), alongside a noticeably purple-haired Boimler.

Quaid and Newsome will appear in a season 2 episode directed by Jonathan Frakes , a.k.a. Captain Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard . The hour will also feature animation in addition to the actors' live-action performances.

Quaid previously teased the television event to EW by saying, "Ethan Peck and I have a bromance for the ages. We call it Spoimler: Spock and Boimler. It's amazing, but that whole cast is so friendly and welcoming and cool. We just had a ball, and we got to be directed by Jonathan Frakes. So what could be better?"

The trailer teases that Spoimler bromance with Spock giving Boimler the Vulcan salute as he's about to beam off ship. "Live long and prosper, Mr. Boimler," he says.

The footage also gives fans a fresh look at Paul Wesley 's James T. Kirk and new addition to the cast Carol Kane , who will portray the recurring role of Pelia.

Returning are Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley, Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La'An Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, and Babs Olusanmokun as Joseph M'Benga.

Episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will drop weekly every Thursday starting June 15. Watch the trailer above.

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From Discovery to Picard to Lower Decks , Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds , there's a lot of New Star Trek to love.

Seven years ago, in 2017, after a 12-year absence, the Star Trek franchise returned to TV. On Sept. 24, 2017, the two-episode debut of Star Trek: Discovery was risky, bold, and, up until it dropped, shrouded in secrecy and more than a little bit of behind-the-scenes drama.

But, the Star Trek franchise survived this rocky start. After all, The Next Generation had several different writing staffs and production teams until it finally stabilized around 1990. And of course, The Original Series had its fair share of big production pivots across its three seasons. Radical change is built into the DNA of all Star Trek, though for some haters, the “NuTrek” that began with Discovery wasn’t what they wanted. Maybe it was the paywall on CBS All-Access. Maybe it was those all-blue uniforms in the first two seasons of Discovery . Or it was a million other, totally unfair complaints trolls had against the new Trek regime under Alex Kurtzman.

But, now, we’re nearly a decade into this brave (and strange) new world of Star Trek on TV. And, even for the most stubborn Trekkie, there are, in fact, episodes of so-called “NuTrek” that can convert a hater into a lover.

With representatives from every single new series, here are 10 episodes from the new era of Star Trek, all of which are just as good as great episodes from the classic eras that came before. Very mild spoilers ahead.

Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 2: “I Have No Bones, Yet I Must Flee”

The Moospy is coming!

With a title liberally stolen from Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” the sci-fi deep-cuts in this brilliant Lower Decks romp are never-ending. When the USS Cerritos encounters an alien zoo (classic!), the most deadly creature may also be the cutest.

Brilliantly, this Lower Decks takes a common Trek trope about misunderstood monsters and flips it on its head. The most dangerous creatures in this episode aren’t the aliens, but instead, well, you can guess.

This Lower Decks episode is also essential because it introduced the aforementioned bone-sucking (but otherwise adorable ) alien monster known as the Moopsy. Forget facehuggers from Alien. Moopsy will destroy all of them.

Prodigy Season 1, Episode 13: “All the World’s a Stage”

The kids of Prodigy discover the shuttlecraft Galileo from the classic USS Enterprise .

Can Star Trek do a version of Galaxy Quest ? The closest proof that the answer is yes, exists in the form of this extremely charming episode of Prodigy .

In “All the World's a Stage,” the kids of the USS Protostar roll up on the planet in which the inhabitants are all pretty much cosplaying as members of Starfleet from The Original Series . But, something has been lost in translation, because these folks call themselves “Enderprizians,” and refer to Starfleet as “Star Flight.”

Eventually, we learn that Ensign Garrovick, a redshirt Kirk saved in the episode “Obsession,” crashed a shuttle on this planet over a century prior. The Protostar tweens have to band together with these in-universe TOS fans to save the planet, and themselves. It’s a smart cross-generational story that sends a love letter to 1960s Trek fandom, while telling a great story that non-Trekkie kids can love, too.

Discovery Season 2, Episode 14: “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2”

Spock gets ready to send his sister Michael where no Trek time traveler has gone before.

With Discovery Season 5 taking place roughly in the year 3191, it’s hard to remember that the first two seasons happened in the 2250s. While Season 1 alternated between the depression of the Klingon War and the bleakness of the Mirror Universe, Season 2 was the moment in which Discovery actively moved closer to the ethos of The Original Series , with a dash of J.J. Abrams-reboot zest.

While the universe-destroying killer AI called “Control” feels like a rough draft of several other Trek villains, the emotional core of Discovery Season 2 — mostly focused on Spock and Burnham — truly delivers in this epic finale. When the classic USS Enterprise has to team up with the USS Discovery , the sensibilities of various Star Trek aesthetics collide. This was the moment when Discovery jumped into a new future to reboot itself for Season 3, and the moment that Discovery also created what became the proto-pilot episode for Strange New Worlds .

Picard Season 3, Episode 6: “The Bounty”

All your favorite characters await the arrival of even more of your favorite characters.

Midway through Picard Season 3, just when you thought the sweet nostalgia couldn’t get any sweeter, we get this episode. Even explaining why this episode is called “The Bounty” is, oddly, a really cool spoiler.

While it's fashionable to complain about fan service in a big geek franchise, “The Bounty” (and Picard Season 3 in general) proves how fan service can be done well by making massive Easter eggs integral to a real and heartfelt story.

Bottom line: between the Fleet Museum of awesome starships and the Daystrom Institute’s vault of strange devices and creatures (and apparently, the bones of Captain Kirk!) this episode has so many Star Trek goodies in it that it feels like opening a pack of trading cards or something. Did we mention the holographic Moriarty is in this one and an HD flashback to the first Next Generation episode, ever? If ever even had a passing interest in Star Trek, this episode will remind you why just the basic stuff in this universe is so damn cool.

Strange New Worlds Season 1, Episode 5: “Spock Amok”

Chapel and Spock discuss just how bad Spock is at being engaged.

Star Trek meets Freaky Friday in perhaps the most tender and hilarious body-swap sci-fi TV episode, ever. In order to work out their relationship problems, Spock and T’Pring decide to swap katras, and briefly inhabit each other’s bodies. But, of course, the swap seems permanent, and so, Spock has to pretend to be T’Pring, while T’Pring has to convince everyone’s she’s Spock.

While Ethan Peck’s take on Spock has been pretty much spot-on since the ending of Discovery , Gia Sandhu was put in the unique position of not only having to play T’Pring in this episode, but Spock too! Sandhu was more than up to the challenge, and this episode solidified her as one of the most memorable Strange New Worlds recurring guest stars.

But “Spock Amok” isn’t just about body-swapping shenanigans. There’s also a great subplot here involving Pike trying to work out a bizarre diplomatic problem, while another delightful storyline focuses on La’an and Una playing “Enterprise Bingo.” So, come for the body swap that leads to the Chapel-Spock-T’Pring love triangle, but stay for an episode that will give you all the warm and fuzzy Trekkie feelings.

Short Treks Episode 5: “Q&A”

Number One AKA Una (Rebecca Romijn) shines in a one-of-a-kind minisode.

Although the anthology format of Short Treks seems to have not stuck long term, the fifth episode, “Q&A,” represents perfectly why the concept is so great. Do we need an entire episode that explores Spock’s very first day on the USS Enterprise in 2253? Probably not! But, in the anthology world of Short Treks , this small, very specific story could be told without too much fuss.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (and Picard co-creator) Michael Chabon, “Q&A” finds Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) trapped together after a turbolift malfunctions. Here, Michael Chabon specifically attacked a real-life truth and combined it with a slick retcon. In Gene Roddenberry’s original conception of Star Trek , Number One would have been more like Spock. But when “The Cage” was rejected as a series pilot, and Roddenberry retooled the concept of Spock, many of Number One’s personality traits were given to Spock.

So, how does that work in canon? “Q&A” provides the answer. Spock clearly looks to Number One as his North Star when it comes to balancing his outward persona with his innermost feelings. Strange New Worlds has slightly walked back some of these themes more recently, but then again, several years have passed between “Q&A,” “The Cage,” and the most recent Number One-centric episode, “Ad Astra per Aspera.”

Discovery Season 1, Episode 7: “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad”

Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson) stops by Discovery to shake things up with a time loop.

Despite being the NuTrek series that launched the entire franchise, the serialized nature of Discovery makes it difficult to pick out just one episode, since so many episodes rely on dense season-long arcs. However, smack-dab in the middle of Discovery’s first season is a wonderful stand-alone episode called “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.”

In it, Rainn Wilson makes his second appearance as Harry Mudd, a reboot (pre-boot?) of an actual mustache-twirling villain from Star Trek: The Original Series . This version of Mudd has time crystals, which allow him to turn the whole episode into a delightful time loop story. If more Discovery Season 1 episodes had been like this one, the show probably wouldn’t have faced such early opposition from fans and critics. This was an instant classic in 2017, and it holds up still.

Lower Decks Season 1, Episode 10: “No Small Parts”

The Easter egg in this opening scene is one of the deepest, and best cuts in all of Lower Decks . You either know who Landru is...or you’re not of the body.

Although you could populate this entire list with Lower Decks episodes that would convert cranky or confused fans, the Season 1 finale of the show might remain the most impressive. Although the internet will tell you that Lower Decks is just Rick and Morty with Trekkie jokes, nothing could be further from the truth. With “No Small Parts,” showrunner Mike McMahan took the structure of a TNG season finale and married that sensibility with the ethos of what the series is all about.

The crew of the USS Cerritos is often doing the mop-up chores of Starfleet, and so it makes sense that their greatest nemesis would be extremely silly alien pieces from TNG . And yet, when things really start to hit the fan, Lower Deck pulls out the big phasers with an unforgettable cameo that will put a smile on the face of even the most casual or jaded Star Trek fan. After you watch “No Small Parts,” you’ll immediately want to watch the next season, and guess what? You’ll find most Lower Decks episodes are just as good.

Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 9: “Subspace Rhapsody”

Captain Pike, seconds before hearing Klingons burst into song.

Although the notion of a Star Trek musical episode might sound like the ultimate example of NuTrek jumping the space shark, the truth is, the zany premise of “Subspace Rhapsody” is exactly the kind of concept The Original Series would have floated if it had had the budget.

When the Enterprise gets hit by an improbability field from a subspace fold, suddenly, they’re enveloped in a kind of reality that operates on the rules of a musical. Getting to the end of this musical reality is the goal of the episode, meaning the musical premise is what drives the entire episode.

That said, “Subspace Rhapsody” does an incredible amount of character work for nearly every member of the crew. This episode establishes the canonical fact that Nurse Chapel has to leave the Enterprise at some point in order to make sense of her wonky TOS chronology. Plus, Chapel dumping Spock in the song “I’m Ready” leads to Spock’s lament “I’m the X,” which effectively retcons the more emotional Spock we’ve seen throughout this series, Discovery , and the 1964 pilot episode “The Cage.”

All in all, “Subspace Rhapsody” represents what Strange New Worlds does best: it takes a huge risk by playing it safe. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Picard Season 3, Episode 10: “The Last Generation”

Raffi and Seven take charge of the USS Titan, which may have a totally different name now, but no spoilers!

The series finale of Picard is a weird episode to watch as your very first episode of NuTrek but, for longtime fans of the 1990s version of the franchise (which is an era that lasted from 1987 to 2005), this big, bold episode will remind you of all your favorite Star Trek toys.

While watching this episode out of context with the rest of Picard Season 3 could be disorienting, combined with its predecessor — the penultimate episode “Võx” — you’re getting a TNG movie that is much better than most of the actual TNG movies. Heartfelt, action-packed, and with nods to all corners of Trek fandom, “The Last Generation” is also a not-so-secret backdoor pilot for yet another Trek series that has yet to materialize. Fans and showrunner Terry Matalas have dubbed this hypothetical spinoff show as Star Trek: Legacy . Will we ever see it? There are always possibilities, but for now, the most crowd-pleasing NuTrek episode of them all will remain this absolute banger.

Picard, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, and Discovery all stream on Paramount+. Prodigy streams on Netflix.

• Science Fiction

'Star Trek: Lower Decks' takes center stage at NYCC 2023

The 'Star Trek' Universe panel at NYCC 2023 showed off a new episode of 'Lower Decks' and checked in with some other upcoming shows.

NEW YORK — If nothing else, the "Star Trek" Universe panel at NYCC 2023 was a treat for fans of the animated comedy "Lower Decks." 

In addition to screening a whole new episode, a full week in advance of its launch on Paramount Plus, fans got to see series creator Mike McMahan talk about where he intends to take the series next, and what " Star Trek " means to him.

Beyond that, however, there wasn't a tremendous amount of new information. The panel, which Space.com attended in person, didn't provide us with any new announcements or trailers, focusing instead on " Lower Decks " and a brand collaboration with hip-hop artist Kid Cudi. For the Trekkies in attendance, it was a good opportunity to watch an episode with like-minded fans and get some good insight from Kid Cudi, as well as McMahan and some of the series' other producers. Those who have been eagerly awaiting new "Star Trek" news, however, will have to keep waiting for now.

Related: 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' drops a wild new Season 4 trailer and official poster (video)

Watch Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount Plus: <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/221109/175360/3065?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F" data-link-merchant="paramountplus.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Get a one month free trial 

Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.

The 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' crew explores 'Caves'

The highlight of the "Star Trek" Universe panel was probably the screening of "Caves," the eighth episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" Season 4. The episode won't officially air on Paramount Plus until next week, but a few hundred fans at NYCC 2023 got to see it early.

The panel's moderator, Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, asked those in attendance to not spoil the story for fans who haven't seen the episode yet. All we can say for the moment, then, is that "Caves" follows the "Lower Decks" crew as they explore — contain your shock here — a cave. Complications ensue almost immediately, followed by some sci-fi action, character drama, and offhand comedy. If the audience at NYCC 2023 was any indication, fans who have been following "Lower Decks" thus far will probably like this one as well.

After the screening, McMahan joined Horowitz onstage for some Q&A, along with executive producer Alex Kurtzman, whom Horowitz described as "the man captaining the ship of the 'Star Trek' universe."

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Horowitz explained that, during the episode's screening, he couldn't find McMahan and Kurtzman backstage. That's because they had sneaked out to watch it with the rest of the audience and gauge their reaction firsthand. McMahan enjoyed the experience.

"I would love to watch any 'Star Trek' episode with this many fans," he said. He then opened up a bit about what it's like to write "Lower Decks," and how the show fits into the bigger "Trek" universe.

"Lower Decks is based on being in your 20s, early 30s — you're getting your first jobs, you're meeting your best friends you didn't know you were going to meet, having new responsibilities when work is pulling friendships apart. How do friendships survive that moment? … If you lose that shared experience, do you still have friendships, and which friendships last past that?"

The situation should sound familiar to fans who have been following "Lower Decks" Season 4, as the four lead characters have all received promotions and started to pursue separate assignments more often than they used to.

McMahan also talked Moopsy: the diminutive bone-drinking fuzzball from S4, which he described as "watching a meme happen live."

"It takes a year to make 'Lower Decks,'" he said. "We love all this stuff, and we never know what you are all going to love."

(Supposedly, McMahan's instructions to Moopsy's animator were to "Make it look like a kid going to town on a Capri Sun. He nailed it.")

This season, the show also got a new main cast member in the form of T'Lyn, an exchange officer from the Vulcan Expeditionary Group.

"So many of us see ourselves in Vulcans," said McMahan. "They're ostensibly alien , but there are a lot of times in life when you feel like a Vulcan." He also praised voice actress's Gabrielle Ruiz's performance, and likened the character to a Vulcan version of freewheeling lieutenant Becket Mariner.

Toward the end of the Q&A, McMahan got to the heart of the show, when he discussed how writing for "Lower Decks" differs from writing for other sci-fi comedies, such as "Ricky and Morty," which he also worked on.

"You get to be ethical, and you get to be moral, and you get to be friendly," he said. "Comedy goes cynical a lot of the time, and that can be very funny. But there's no place for that in 'Star Trek.' You have to have an optimistic sense of humor. When you're writing it and when you're watching it, it feels like you're hanging out with your friends."

Related: 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' security chief shines in special 'Star Trek: Day of Blood' prequel

Kid Cudi collaboration

Another major guest at the "Star Trek" Universe was rapper Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi, who's worked on three significant media collaborations with "Star Trek." There's a song, a video game tie-in and a whole line of clothing.

First, Kid Cudi recorded "Heaven's Galaxy," which is a song all about the relationship between exploring space and looking inward to find personal truths. He said that the song is, in part, a love letter to his late father, who bonded with him while watching " Star Trek: The Next Generation " decades ago.

The song has appeared in the online shooter "Fortnite," along with a downloadable skin of Kid Cudi in a Starfleet uniform.

Finally, Kid Cudi has helped the Paramount team design a whole line of "Star Trek"-inspired clothing, including a brightly colored varsity jacket with patches of Kirk, Spock, the Vulcan hand sign and the USS Enterprise . Fans attending NYCC can preorder the merch at Booth 2653; fans at home will have to wait a little longer.

"'Star Trek' is something that's so mega," Kid Cudi said. "You say, 'Hey man, it would be so cool to be a part of that,' but it seems so far-fetched … It's been ingrained in me since I was a kid."

— 'Star Trek:' History & effect on space technology

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Other 'Star Trek' shows

At the end of the panel, Kurtzman gave a brief update on other "Star Trek" projects currently in the works, although the message across the board seems to be "they're moving along."

Fans of "Star Trek: Prodigy" probably know that the show's wayward second season has finally found a home on Netflix. Kurtzman said that's "because you guys brought it back," indicating the audience. "Star Trek belongs to two entities: Gene Roddenberry and the fans."

On the fifth and final season of " Star Trek: Discovery ," Kurtzman said that "we have finished it, and it will be airing early next year. It's an incredibly satisfying ending to a show that is so near and dear to my heart. Sonequa Martin-Green [Captain Michael Burnham] gave the performance of her life."

" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds " "was just about to start before the strike," he continued. "We're not back on our feet yet. Everything is getting resettled … But it's definitely in the works."

Similarly, " Star Trek: Starfleet Academy " is "back in the writers' room, and we officially start shooting next year," said Kurtzman. 

Michelle Yeoh went to bat for " Star Trek: Section 31 ," which is also back on track after the strike. Kurtzman called the " Everything Everywhere All at Once " actress, who plays operative Philippa Georgiou in the "Star Trek" universe, "just the most extraordinary person on every level."

The common denominator among the shows seemed to be that the recently concluded WGA strike and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike had both complicated matters considerably. But everyone in attendance was firmly on the side of the writers and actors involved.

"We support what they're doing," McMahan said, spurring a round of applause from the fans."They need to be able to get what they're asking for so they can keep working on these amazing shows, but also so they can live their lives."

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi. 

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Published Nov 3, 2023

Below Deck with Lower Decks: Genesis? What’s That?

The Lower Decks Season 4 finale brings back a former disgraced Starfleet cadet and infamous piece of tech.

SPOILER WARNING: Discussion for Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 4, Episode 10 "Old Friends, New Planets" to follow!

StarTrek.com

How are we already at the fourth season finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks ? How did that happen? Wasn’t it just last week we were talking about all those wacky holograms chasing our favorite Lower Deckers around the U.S.S. Voyager ? No? Then where did that time go? Make it make sense!

"Old Friends, New Planets"

In the previous episode, our Cerritos heroes came face to face with one of the more troubled characters in Star Trek history, Nick Locarno, who may or may not bear a striking resemblance to legendary Voyager helm officer Tom Paris depending on whether you ask Lieutenant Boimler or literally any other living being and probably most of the dead ones. We provided the lowdown on Nick’s history as a disgraced former Starfleet Academy cadet in last week’s edition of Below Deck, so suffice it to say he hasn’t gotten any less diabolical in the week you were waiting for this big finale episode.

Indeed, it’s Locarno who’s behind all the mysterious attacks on various ships across the quadrant, but he wasn’t destroying them. Instead, he’s using them to build his own independent, unaligned fleet, and he’s inviting to join him anyone who feels overworked on their ship, unappreciated by their superior officers, or who just wants freedom from the bureaucracy of all the other fleets. He’s even taken over an entire star system and surrounded it with its own indestructible energy shield. To make sure nobody tries anything silly like trying to force their way through the shield, Locarno’s even bought himself some insurance — a Ferengi black market knock-off version of the infamous Genesis Device!

“Genesis?” I can hear Admiral Kirk asking. “What’s that?”

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Of course longtime fans know the Genesis Device was introduced in 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Developed by Dr. Carol Marcus and a team of scientists — which included her and James Kirk’s son, David — the device was intended as a means of quickly terraforming otherwise lifeless planets or moons to make them inhabitable.

Unfortunately for Marcus and her people, Kirk’s arch nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, seized the device after escaping Ceti Alpha V and the exile into which Kirk sent him and his crew of augmented superhumans years earlier (as chronicled in the original Star Trek episode “ Space Seed ”). Khan saw the device’s enormous destructive potential as a way to assert his will on a defenseless galaxy, and he might well have succeeded if not for Kirk and the Enterprise .

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

( We pause here for Spock . “ Remember .”)

Of course it didn’t take long for other parties — namely the Klingons — to learn of the Genesis Device and the power it represented (see Star Trek III: The Search for Spock for all the deets on that). Although it was generally understood Dr. Marcus and her people only built one Genesis torpedo, there’s no conclusive proof of that.

The bigger question is: How did a Ferengi black market dealer come to have one they could sell to Nick Locarno? Are there any more out there?

It’s a thought that’s gonna linger, isn’t it?

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Dayton Ward (he/him) is a New York Times bestselling author or co-author of numerous novels and short stories including a whole bunch of stuff set in the Star Trek universe, and often collaborating with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore. As he’s still a big ol' geek at heart, Dayton is known to wax nostalgic about all manner of Star Trek topics over on his own blog, The Fog of Ward .

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The series will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and South Korea.

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Star Trek Fans Sometimes Make Spock Actor Ethan Peck Feel Like A Holy Figure

T here's meeting your favorite celebrity, and then there's meeting Spock. Though we all understand on some level that actors Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto, and Ethan Peck aren't actually the beloved pointy-eared first officer "Star Trek" fans know and love, well, humans aren't really that logical, are we?

"Star Trek" has a long history of inspiring passionate fan reactions, and Peck, who plays the half-Vulcan, half-human fan-favorite character in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is certainly getting a taste of them. In a cover story for Variety about the future of the Paramount-owned franchise, Peck spoke about what it's been like adjusting to playing Spock and described fan encounters as a sort of ritualistic experience. "When I'm meeting fans, sometimes they're coming to be confirmed, like I'm kind of a priest," the actor told a reporter while in the middle of filming season 3 of the excellent Paramount+ prequel series.

Read more: Star Trek's Gene Roddenberry Always Regretted Cutting One Character From The Show

'They Want Confirmation Of Some Sort - To Be Seen By This Character'

Peck, who first took over the role of Spock for a guest stint on "Star Trek: Discovery," elaborated on this phenomenon — sans the religious language — in an interview with Esquire in 2022. "People come to me at these conventions, and it's almost like they want confirmation of some sort — to be seen by this character and this universe," Peck said, noting that fans from marginalized communities can find a sense of togetherness through the fandom. "They're not there to see Ethan," he continued. "They're there to see Spock, and I just happen to be a representative of this character at this one point in time."

With this fuller context in mind, it makes sense that Peck would compare himself to a religious figure whose job is to try to share the spirit of something far larger than himself — in this case, Gene Roddenberry's legendary, enduringly optimistic vision of humanity. "These people are so thrilled and excited and moved by the world that we are a part of as actors, and they come with such vulnerability — that's very special and unique," he told Esquire. As intense as I can imagine it would be to have "Star Trek" fans constantly appearing before you to share a special moment, Peck had at least one magnified version of that experience: he went on a "Star Trek" cruise.

A Job That Never Gets Less Surreal

"It's everything I've just described, but hyper-condensed and intensified, because you're on this floating skyscraper," Peck told Esquire, explaining that he would hear fans call his name whenever he left his bedroom aboard the ship. Peck seems to have gotten into the swing of things when it comes to facing fans and taking on the pressure that comes with the role , but it doesn't make taking on such an immense role less surreal. "I remember being on the playground in second or third grade and doing the Vulcan salute, not really knowing where it came from," he told Variety. "When I thought of 'Star Trek,' I thought of Spock. And now I'm him. It's crazy."

Peck's Spock will return in the third season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," which is due out next year. Details about the plot of season 3 are sparse so far, but the Variety piece also revealed that it features a new science lab set and will include a Hollywood-style murder mystery episode directed by William Riker himself, Jonathan Frakes (Frakes also directed season 2's "Lower Decks" crossover, "These Old Scientists"). The 10-episode third season features a directorial slate that also reportedly includes returning directors Jordan Canning and Valerie Weiss. The series will stream on Paramount+ in 2025, but the season 3 premiere does not yet have a release date.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

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The now-tossed Star Trek 4 went through many iterations since the first announcement in July 2016 , including a story by legendary Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino, a surprise 2022 Kelvin cast announcement that apparently Chris Pine and company only learned about through the press, and prequel story set “decades before the 2009 film.”

Following the new Star Trek 5 announcement, star Chris Pine reportedly reacted “with a deep sigh” according to Deadline . “Chris is excited learn about this new film through today’s studio announcement,” said a representative for the actor, “because it went really well the last time this happened, right?”

Also expected for the Trek 5 reunion are co-stars Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (“Bones” McCoy), and John Cho (Sulu). Actor Anton Yelchin, who portrayed Chekov in the first three films, passed away in 2016.

While little is known about the planned story of this new film, sources close to Trek 5 development hear that Paramount is pursuing  Dune and  Wonka star Timothée Chalamet for the role of “Sybok,” half-brother of Spock, originated by actor Laurence Luckinbill in 1989.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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• April 8, 2024 | Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 503 With New Images And Clip From “Jinaal”
• April 7, 2024 | Star Trek Coffees Launching In May With Several Blends
• April 6, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Showrunner Explains Why They Reopened A TNG Mystery To Start Season 5
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• April 5, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Reviews The First Two Episodes Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5

Watch The ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Premiere For Free On YouTube In USA

| April 4, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 19 comments so far

As they do for each new season for all of their shows, Paramount+ has made the entire season 5 premiere of Star Trek: Discovery available online for free. Except this time the did it on the same day as the premiere on Paramount+. You can watch episode 501 (titled “Red Directive”) below via YouTube.

Watch “Red Directive”

The episode will be available to stream on YouTube (in the USA) for free for one week.

Episode 2 ( “Under The Twin Moons” ) was also released today, exclusively on Paramount+ .

Check back later for TrekMovie’s recap/reviews of both episodes.

Season preview

Here is a preview of what’s coming for the rest of the 10-episode final season of Discovery .

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

Find more stories on the  Star Trek Universe .

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It was awesome! Love that this season is a kinda sequel to TNGs The Chase. So many great Easter eggs. Loved the Soong type android… and the Roman ship… and did anyone else notice the tribble in the hall of Disco? Such fun.

You’re spoiling a lot here. Please don’t be this specific.

You can watch it for free, so spoilers are fine. If you are worried about them, why are you here? I’m here to hear a discussion on the episode.

The season preview shown at the end of the first episode had a quick shot of what looked like a constitution class starship. I’m actually excited to see how this season plays out.

Legacy ships.

Silly me for giving Discovery credit for being the only show not to rely on nostalgia-bait.

Any excuse to trot out the same tired complaint, huh?

When Trek stops troting out the same, tired nostalgia-bait, I’ll stop complaining. I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

For the love of God what exactly is wrong with building off previous canon from within a franchise? It’s not that they are playing off general interest nostalgia like pogo sticks and oldies music. And you know what? I love nostalga? Life is to short and painful at times. Let us be serviced

In 50 years people will look back at all of Star Trek as Nostalgic. So does it really matter in the long run?

You’re absolutely right.

PUSH THE FRANCHISE *FORWARD* AND BUILD NEW CANON AND LORE THAT PEOPLE IN 50 YEARS WILL BE NOSTALGIC ABOUT.

You have GOT to stop gatekeeping the right way to handle references in this franchise and dictating an end to pulling anything from previous canon.

I keep telling you this is not a normal franchise – it has 58 years of stories it can interconnect with and reference and build from. That’s a rare privilege for the writers and the fans, long term or no. There is no precedent for our situation beyond Doctor Who and Star Wars, really, and I’d say by telling stories that span 1000 years of continuity, Star Trek has done better than Star Wars which until Dawn of the Jedi has been hyper focused on a small sliver of time and space.

OMG did you see what register number that was??? #nospoilers

Calm down. It was in a preview for the season, and it was a blink and you’ll miss it shot.

I saw that too. And it reminds me that (I can talk about spoilers of this ep now right?)

The Progenitors or the idea of them did not originate on TNG’s the Chase. They were a theory of Spock as to why so many species across the galaxy are humanoid and that an ancient race must have populated several worlds across the Galaxy.

Why is the old guy in the ep keep referring to the Projenitors of a 1000’s of year old secret? The very notion that they are responsible for humanity makes them millions if not billions years old.

I took that as it’s the secret of their existence that a thousand years old- not the race themselves.

Ahhh gotcha.

Has anyone ever noticed that The female Progenitor not only looks like a changeling but is also played by Salome Jens? HMMMM…..

I’ve always noticed that… and always hoped that it was just a coincidence. “The Chase” was strong enough on its own without Changeling conspiracy theories throw in.

Plus, the Changelings only adopted their “solid faces” to mimic Odo’s poor shifting abilities and make him feel more comfortable with his own people.