From time-traveling womanisers to space dads who make a mean plate of jambalaya, here’s our ranking of every Captain to sit in the Chair.

There’s no question more likely to divide the Star Trek fandom than “who’s the best captain?” Ask it in a room full of Trekkies and you’ll hear impassioned speeches about diplomacy, charisma, and maybe even hairlines. And while there’s no real right or wrong answer, (whatever floats your boat—or ship) it’s fun to debate and Trekkies have spent many a happy hour comparing personal rankings.

While there are some who would argue no one could live up to the commanding presence and charisma of James T Kirk in Gene Roddenbury’s Original Series, over its nearly 60 years of films, animated series and spin-offs, Star Trek has given us a whole host of Captains, each facing different challenges and each inspirational in their own way. While Star Trek Shows are very much an ensemble effort, the captain does tend to appear front and center, so for this list, we’re focusing only on main-series captains in Star Trek canon—the ones whose names appear in the opening credits and who command their ship week after week. That means no one-off favourites, no First Officers who took the con once or eventually got their own command, no Mirror Universe warlords like Lorca, and no animated anomalies like Dal (sorry Prodigy fans).

With those ground rules in place… Engage!

7) Michael Burnham (Star Trek Discovery)

Michael Burnham’s journey to Captaincy in Discovery is one of the more unusual in Trek history—she starts out as a disgraced first officer, mutineer, and prisoner, only to eventually become captain of the ship she helped save more times than we can count. She certainly eared her place in the chair, but she doesn’t get there until season three, and some fans have argued the series would have felt less disjointed had she been made Captain from the start. Making Burnham the protagonist of the show felt a little odd when she didn’t yet have the rank and authority to support her adventures (there’s a reason Captains are usually the focus). Sonequa Martin-Green anchored the series with undeniable charisma, but the early seasons often tied Burnham’s story too tightly to Spock’s and her family legacy.

Once she finally took the captain’s chair in Season 3, Burnham became the clear leader she was born to be, and she truly came into her own when Discovery traveled to the 32^nd Century. Sometimes her storylines skewed a little too far toward her being the “galaxy’s chosen one” for comfort, and she suffered a little from main character syndrome. Still, her empathy, emotional intelligence, and persistence made her a worthy addition to Starfleet’s upper ranks—even if her captaining style sometimes felt a little unorthodox.

6) Jonathan Archer (Star Trek: Enterprise)

The first captain of the original Enterprise, the first Warp 5 capable starship, had the unenviable job of writing the rulebook as he went along—and sometimes, it showed. We have to cut him some slack; Jonathan Archer’s pre-Federation missions meant no Prime Directive, no First Contact protocols, and no long history of Starfleet diplomacy to look back on for inspiration (and yet he still navigated first contact with many species including Klingons and Andorians). Unfortunately, it also meant more than a few instances where he seemed to make rash decisions, or go against his own morals.

Scott Bakula definitely brought an inherent relatability to Archer in Enterprise, especially when hanging with his dog Porthos, but too often the character came across as reactive instead of visionary, stubborn and set in his ways, rather than diplomatic and curious to explore, which some would argue are essential qualities for a Starship Captain. The Xindi and Temporal Cold War arcs gave him more to do in later seasons, but he never quite reached the inspirational heights of his successors, despite being arguably more down to Earth.

5) Christopher Pike (Star Trek Strange New Worlds)

Before Discovery and most recently Strange New Worlds, Christopher Pike was a more of a footnote in Star Trek history—the “other” captain of the Enterprise first seen in the Pilot episode of The Original Series “The Cage.” Anson Mount’s portrayal of the character in Season 2 of Discovery changed that instantly, leading to the actor securing his own show with the creation of Strange New Worlds and firmly securing Pike in Star Trek History. His Pike is a warm, collaborative leader who cooks for his crew, gives them room to shine, and even after learning of his fate (as seen in The Original Series in “The Menagerie” Parts 1 and 2) he somehow makes his tragic future into a challenge to live better, not a death sentence to fear.

Unlike some Captains, Pike doesn’t hog the spotlight; he’s happy to let Spock, La’An, or any of his very competent crew take center stage in any given mission, deferring to their expertise—but that humility is part of his charm. He’s even got a sense of humor, showing us throughout Strange New World’s that he’s a space dad in the best way possible, with just enough swashbuckling energy to remind us of Kirk but setting himself apart by showing the maturity and wisdom that comes with age.

4) Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek: Voyager)

Kate Mulgrew’s Janeway was the first female Captain to lead a Star Trek series, and she did it while stuck 70,000 lightyears away in the Delta Quadrant, cut off from Starfleet, with a decimated crew made up of trigger-happy Starfleet officers and Maquis rebels at each other’s throats—RESPECT! That alone should be enough to cement Voyager’s Captain as one of the most resourceful captains in Trek history, but she’s also a romantic at heart and her occasional loneliness and crises of confidence made her one of the most human of all the captains.

She didn’t like bullies, and she didn’t like threats, and boy did she make it known! Janeway could occasionally be stubborn, but above all, she was fiercely protective of her crew. Despite some inconsistent writing, with her clipped cadence and calm but powerful presence, Kate Mulgrew created a consistency in her character that made her feel trustworthy to her crew and audiences. Whether negotiating with the Borg or deciding the fate of Tuvix (sorry, Tuvix…), Janeway always made choices she could and would stand by—even if they weren’t always easy. Fans were delighted to see Kate Mulgrew reprise her role in Prodigy, where she has rightly made the rank of Admiral. She’s the kind of captain you’d follow into uncharted space.

3) Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space Nine, had a somewhat different job from other captains. Tasked with running a space station instead of a starship, he nonetheless gave his all to the role, delicately balancing Starfleet’s orders with the needs of the many different species aboard the station. He navigated some complex political situations, and he proved he wasn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty, commanding from the front lines playing a vital part in the war effort during the Dominion War.

As if that wasn’t enough, he managed to balance duel responsibilities, also acting as the Bajoran Emissary of the Prophets. Avery Brooks gave Sisko a commanding and serious presence, necessary for one of Star Trek’s darker shows, but he also gave his character a warmth and emotional intelligence that made him endlessly compelling. He could be a spiritual leader, a baseball coach, and above all a loving father to his son Jake. In short: Sisko got things done, whether Starfleet liked it or not!

2) James T. Kirk (The Original Series)

What?! Kirk’s not top of the list?! Kirk is undoubtedly Star Trek’s original action hero—bold, charming, occasionally reckless, but always decisive. William Shatner’s performance gave the character a swagger that’s often imitated but rarely matched. Kirk showed he could outthink his enemies as often as he could outshoot them. The Original ‘Golden Trio’, ‘The Triumvirate’ of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was a friendship for the ages, that would never again be matched in Trek, and Kirk clearly valued the counsel of his friends as much as his own instincts.

Yes, some aspects of his character, like his tendency to flirt with any female alien who might stray in his vicinity, are firmly products of the 1960s, but Kirk’s adaptability, curiosity, and willingness to risk himself for his crew remain timeless. Without him, the idea of a “Starfleet captain” simply wouldn’t exist as we know it. In many ways, Kirk was the show in The Original Series. It’s no surprise that the iconic character has made a come back in recent years, with Chris Pine’s portrayal of the Character in JJ Abrams reboot films bringing the character to a new generation of fans and Paul Wesley being the latest actor to step in to the famous shoes, giving us a younger, less refined version of Kirk in Strange New Worlds.

1) Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

If Kirk was the blueprint, then Jean-Luc Picard is the gold standard. Patrick Stewart’s unflappable Captain of the Enterprise-D, redefined what a Starfleet captain could be: not just a warrior or an explorer, but a philosopher and diplomat with a strong moral compass. Preferring a good cup of Earl grey to a one-night stand, Picard led with reason, empathy, and an unshakable belief in the ideals of the Federation, making him the ultimate embodiment of Trek’s vision for the future. Gene Roddenbury famously didn’t want Patrick Stewart in the part, he certainly had some big boots to fill coming straight after Shatner’s Kirk, but the Shakesperean actor soon proved himself more than worthy of the role.

Sure, Picard’s leadership style might have been a slightly less entertaining than Kirk’s (a little less avant-garde) preferring to do things by the book, but you couldn’t really fault it when, there were lives at stake after all. Whether delivering a spine-tingling speech, outmaneuvering the Borg, or defending Data’s right to self-determination, Picard always placed principle above ego. Fans were delighted to see Stewart return to the role in Picard. He wasn’t perfect—nor was he infallible—but he was the kind of leader who made you want to be better. Every captain since has been measured against him, and for good reason.

Who’s your favorite captain? Let us know in the comments!

All seasons of Star Trek are streaming now on Paramount+.

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Leaders of the newly-merged Paramount Skydance Corporation held a press conference on last week to discuss their plans for the entertainment company going forward, from broad strokes plans to specific franchises and minutia. They had promising things to say about many of their biggest properties, but the Star Trek franchise may have the most to gain from this change. The whole organization is overhauling its approach to streaming, and executive Dana Goldberg said that the company will be investing heavily in the Star Trek franchise. Most excitingly, she said the wall between the streaming productions and the movie productions will be torn down, putting the full might of Paramount at Starfleet’s disposal for the first time in decades.

“Star Trek is absolutely a priority, and it’s a priority across the company,” said Goldberg — who is both the co-chair of Paramount Pictures and the chair of Paramount Television — according to a report by Variety. “We’re not going to be siloed off so that there’s a conversation happening about television and another conversation [about film plans].”

This is a huge win for the Star Trek franchise, which has sadly been limited by internal divisions for years now. Back when Star Trek was a huge hit for CBS on broadcast TV, it only made sense that CBS’ parent company Paramount would capitalize on that success, leading to big screen movies like The Wrath of Khan. However, Paramount and CBS split in 2006, which is why Paramount’s movie trilogy from 2009 to 2016 had no synergy with the TV world at that time.

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The canonical positioning of those movies frustrates many fans to this day. They take place in a separate in-world continuity known as the Kelvin timeline, named for the attack on the USS Kelvin which was the first major event to differentiate this story from the original. For some, the Kelvin timeline has become a fun addition to the worldbuilding, but even those fans would likely be excited to see a new approach behind the scenes.

Fans of the newer, streaming-era Star Trek shows on Paramount+ also have a lot to look forward to here as the talent and resources of the movie studio backs up the ongoing successes of the serials. As it is, the streaming team has consistently put out big hits, and has even handled a made-for-streaming movie called Section 31 that was well received.

Made-for-streaming movies will not be a part of Paramount Skydance’s strategy going forward, according to the company’s new streaming executive Cindy Holland. The company has not announced any specific new plans for the Star Trek franchise, but the strategy alone already has many fans excited. For now, you can stream the Star Trek catalog on Paramount+.

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Even a sci-fi masterpiece isn’t immune to a few glitches in the space-time continuum!

A fan favourite amongst Trekkies, the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is widely regarded as one of the better Star Trek movies and proved a hit after the somewhat lackluster response to The Motion Picture. A tense, emotional, and deeply human story, it helped revitalize the franchise, proving Star Trek was just as relevant as ever nearly 20 years after Gene Roddenbury’s Original Series began in 1966 and paving the way for The Next Generation and many more spin-offs in the years that followed. From Ricardo Montalbán’s return as the legendary antagonist Khan, to Spock’s heartbreaking sacrifice to save the crew, the movie ticks all the boxes and hits hard on both the action and emotion front.

But even the best Sci-fi blockbusters can’t escape a few filming hiccups and continuity errors. Whether it’s a background prop behaving strangely, a uniform that won’t stay put, or a line that got changed after filming, The Wrath of Khan certainly has its fair share of mistakes. We’re not sure how these gaffs slipped through into the final cut, but once you notice them, they’re impossible to unsee!

1) Creepy Corpse

A key part of the appeal of The Wrath of Khan for die-hard Star Trek fans was the return of iconic villain, the genetically engineered superhuman Khan Noonien Singh, first seen in The Original Series episode “Space Seed,” with actor Ricardo Montalbán returning to reprise his role in the film. At one point in the movie, Khan cradles his dying first officer, who then dies suitably dramatically with his eyes left wide open. Khan embraces the body, then looks up at the viewscreen to vow his vengeance on Kirk. It’s a chilling scene, however eagle eyes viewers may have noticed something rather odd about the body Khan is holding—if you watch closely, the “corpse” blinks.

It’s a split-second error and obviously simply down to a very human reflex from the actor, but unfortunately once spotted, it does somewhat shatter the illusion that we’re looking at a lifeless corpse! For a death scene meant to cement Khan’s rage, it’s hard not to focus on the blinking body below him and it does rather detract from the poignancy of the scene.

2) Where’s the Funeral?

While repairing the Enterprise’s warp Core, Spock takes a lethal dose of radiation poisoning, sacrificing himself to save the crew. The death of the Enterprise’s usually seemingly unflappable and indestructible first officer came as a true shock to fans. Spock’s funeral is one of the most emotional scenes in the film, and indeed Star Trek history, but its location is… somewhat confusing. The script and exterior shots establish the funeral is happening in Torpedo Bay 1, cool, gotcha… But the interior footage shows the ceremony is clearly taking place in Torpedo Bay 2—you can even see the “2” label and the airlock from earlier in the movie. The arm lowering Spock’s torpedo coffin as the crew prepare to send him in to space, is also marked with a “2.”

Now this doesn’t sound like so much of an issue. Maybe it could be chalked up to an extremely last-minute change in location by the Enterprise crew—except Torpedo Bay 2 was destroyed in the battle with the Reliant earlier in the film, meaning there shouldn’t even be a Torpedo Bay 2 left in which to hold the service! Apparently, Starfleet regulations don’t cover continuity at funerals…

3) Magic Mirror

One of the key appeals of The Original Series which continued throughout the subsequent films and has kept fans enthralled by the franchise time and time again is the bromance between Kirk and Spock. It’s a friendship that defined the ages, and some of the best Star Trek scenes are those where we get to take a break from the action and see Kirk and Spock talk it out—there’s nothing better than a heart to heart amongst friends!  However, in the Director’s Cut of Wrath of Khan during one such moment in Spock’s, there’s an odd quirk that rather detracts from this sweet moment.

During a front-facing shot, we can clearly see that in the background on the wall, right behind Spock’s head, is a mirror. But when the camera then cuts to a slightly different side angle, the mirror has vanished and Spock is suddenly sat farther away from the wall. The change in perspective doesn’t explain the disappearance of the mirror, as it should definitely still be in shot and visible from the new angle, making it a simple set slip presumably when setting up in-between shots that’s hard to unsee once spotted!

4) Tighten the Tunic!

During Spock’s emotional death scene, some viewers may have had a hard time paying attention to his moving final words as something else far more riveting is happening in the shot. Kirk’s red uniform tunic seemingly has a mind of its own!

When Kirk races to engineering to see Spock as he meets his untimely demise in the radiation chamber, his tunic is open as Scotty and McCoy desperately hold him back to stop him entering the chamber and meeting the same fate as his friend. Then, as Kirk first begins to talk to Spock through the radiation chamber glass, the tunic is suddenly partially closed with only the top button undone. Moments later, it’s fully fastened. The constant changes suggest the scene was filmed over multiple takes with little regard for button continuity. Given the emotional weight of the moment, it’s likely the heart wrenching dialogue covered a multitude of sins for many fans—until now!

5) The McCoy Head Shuffle

During the Kobayashi Maru training simulation at the beginning of the film, Doctor McCoy gets “knocked out” and “collapses” onto the deck. In one shot, his head is resting on the floor, another shot it’s high on Sulu’s hip. Cut to the next, and it’s lying much further down on Sulu’s leg…

No, shifting the head position of an unconscious patient isn’t some lesser-known Starfleet medical technique—it’s just continuity editing that forgot to keep the good doctor in one place. However, there is an in-universe argument to be made that perhaps all this flailing around was simply McCoy’s attempt to get comfortable during the scene. As Kirk later remarks when asked to comment on the Doctor’s acting skills, ‘I’m not a drama critic.’

6) Glasses, I Can’t Find My Glasses!

After Kirk and his former flame, Doctor Carol Marcus, along with their son David, are marooned on a planetoid by Khan, Carol asks David to show them the cave where the Genesis Device, a new terraforming technology designed to transform unlivable planets into habitable worlds is being hidden. Kirk puts on his glasses to check his watch. In the very next shot, the glasses are gone—without him taking them off.

The sequence is jarring because there’s no movement or cutaway to explain the disappearance; it’s as if the glasses were simply beamed off his face between shots. Perhaps, as hinted at earlier in the movie, Kirk simply dislikes the reminder of his age and wanted to do away with the glasses as soon as possible!

7) Slip of the Tongue

Early on in the film, when Kirk orders “Stop energizers,” take a closer look at William Shatner’s mouth—he’s actually clearly saying, “Stop engines.” According to Mike Okuda, (a graphic designer who has worked on multiple Star Trek projects), who pointed out the gaff in the text commentary on the Director’s Edition DVD, the line was apparently dubbed in post-production after someone pointed out that stopping the engines instantly wouldn’t really be possible or make sense in the context of the scene.

The fix makes sense in-universe, but once you’ve seen the mismatch between Shatner’s lips and the audio, it’s impossible to miss on future rewatches.

Notice any more continuity quirks in The Wrath of Khan? Drop them in the comments!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is streaming now on Paramount+

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With David Ellison’s Skydance now owning Paramount Pictures, reviving this film studio’s biggest franchise is priority number one for the new owner. To wit, two new Star Trek movies are reportedly coming down the pipeline, one of which would unite the Kelvin timeline characters from 2009’s Star Trek. No official release dates have been announced for these projects, but the plan is to get Star Trek back up and running theatrically after roughly a decade of absence from movie theaters. While Star Trek: Discovery in 2017 started an ongoing and expansive Star Trek TV universe on Paramount+, Star Trek on film has been impossible to get back on track.

If Star Trek wants to become a big deal theatrically again, there are some major maneuvers this saga needs to incorporate. If there’s any hope for further Starfleet adventures in multiplexes, then the Star Trek movies must follow these seven steps.

7) Introduce New Characters

The new Star Trek movies cannot lean on pre-existing characters (save for one final movie providing a “send-off” to the Kelvin timeline) to save the day. This saga’s reputation on the big screen is already beleaguered enough. Weighing everything down with new appearances from Picard, Tribbles, Bones, and other Star Trek staples would just reaffirm that the saga only appeals to pre-established fans. Give 2020s moviegoers new Star Trek characters that belong to them.

Better yet, provide new characters suggesting an inspirational vision for eventual unity across communities, like the original show’s vision of Russian officers and Black women just being additional members of the crew. Translating that to the 2020s optics could make a fresh cast of Star Trek characters uber relevant and accessible to modern moviegoers.

6) Don’t Just Make Big-Screen Extensions of the TV Shows

Similarly, don’t make any new Star Trek movies extensions of modern Star Trek programming like Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy. That option might sound exciting to some Paramount executives, given how pre-2009 Star Trek movies (especially the 90s Next Generation features) just plopped the casts of famous TV programs into big-screen adventures. However, there’s a big difference in popularity between the 60s Star Trek show and Paramount+ programming. Plus, the MCU has struggled in the 2020s thanks to it tying streaming and theatrical movies too closely. Keep these strains of Star Trek separate; it’ll make the movies more special.

5) Don’t Forget the Hopefulness

2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness ramped up the grimness in this saga, as indicated by the foreboding color palette and a finale involving Zackary Quinto’s Spock endlessly punching the film’s main villain. 2020s Star Trek cinema can’t go down that route. This is a saga about future hopefulness, after all. It’s also a franchise that began with William Shatner punching people in lizard suits. Don’t be afraid to lean into hope and silliness. 2025’s uber-successful Superman proved modern audiences are down for classical, uplifting takes on recognizable characters. The Star Trek Into Darkness approach isn’t necessary.

4) Keep the Budgets Smaller

Star Trek movies have always struggled to really flourish at the overseas box office. The disappointing international grosses for the first and third Kelvin timeline movies in the 21st century have only reaffirmed that truth. Given that the 2020s have seen international demand for many American blockbusters decline to the point that many MCU blockbusters can no longer hit $425+ million worldwide, Star Trek movies need to be made frugally. Chris Pine’s 2023 comments about how these films can and should be made cheaper need to be taken to heart. It’ll dilute the box office pressure on individual installments and potentially open the door for greater creative risks.

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3) Do Star Trek Films Need to Be Action Movies?

While the Star Trek TV shows, like Strange New Worlds, have the flexibility to do musical or puppet-centric episodes, the movie side of this franchise seems boxed in to doing just action films. What if new Star Trek films, though, embraced other genres or tones instead of just punching? After all, one of the most beloved Star Trek films, The Voyage Home, is all about saving whales rather than delivering John Wick-style fight choreography. Given the glut of action films in the modern cinematic marketplace, it’s time for the Star Trek movie saga to go back to its sci-fi roots.

2) Set the Films In New, Unexplored Parts of the Timeline

Returning to the topic of accessibility, new Star Trek movies must occupy places in the franchise’s timeline occupied by either minimal or absolutely no additional Star Trek properties. Uncluttered points in the timeline would just make it all the easier for the general public to leap into a new Star Trek movie. Better yet, the greater place in that timeline should largely be superfluous to enjoying whatever new installments this saga produces. After choosing a clutter-free point in the Star Trek timeline, just focus on making a good story rather than how a specific story connects and reflects past movies and TV shows.

1) Hire Young, Exciting Directors to Helm New Movies

To make Star Trek movies relevant to younger moviegoers and the current era of cinema, Paramount will need artists who can bring a fresh perspective to this saga. What does Star Trek even mean to people under the age of 35? Rather than hiring middle-aged and older filmmakers still riding waves of nostalgia from the original 60s Star Trek show, this movie franchise needs fresher eyes to bring something new to the table. Given how much these films have deferred to the past, hiring an exciting young filmmaker would give upcoming Star Trek movies an aesthetic that immediately offers modern audiences something new. If you want new generations of fans to love seeing Star Trek in the theater, then make sure artists in their age range are making these movies.

Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are now streaming on Paramount+.

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Star Trek built its franchise on the back of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), the intrepid explorer who led his crew into the far regions of space, always carrying with him the mission directive and values of Starfleet – even when those directives and values were put to serious test. The new era of Star Trek television has taken things back to those formative years in Starfleet before Kirk and Spock led the USS Enterprise out on its mission to explore new regions of space and any new lifeforms encountered along the way. Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 delved into Spock’s backstory, as well as the Enterprise’s time under the command of Kirk’s predecessor, Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Now Pike’s spinoff series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, is coming full circle, by finally revealing the story of Kirk’s first time sitting in the captain’s chair of a Starfleet vessel – and the terrible lesson he was forced to learn about leadership, which would change him forever.

Captain James T. Kirk of USS Farragut

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 6, “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail”, both the USS Enterprise and USS Farragut become the targets of an ambush by an enormous scavenger vessel that is feared across the galaxy. The Enterprise is captured for power-siphoning and parts-stripping, while the Farragut’s captain, V’Rel (Zoe Doyle), is severely injured in the attack, leaving First Officer Kirk as acting captain. Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) all beam onto the Farragut before the Enterprise is captured, leaving them stranded with an overwhelmed Kirk, who must figure out how to rescue the other ship and take out the scavengers before they counter-attack.

The crux of the episode tracks Kirk as he goes from a cringeworthy start at commanding a ship to slowly but surely gaining the advice, support, and respect of the officers we know will one day become his crew and surrogate family. That includes a warming scene of Kirk confiding in Spock for the first time about his doubts as a captain, and Spock being the level-headed and stoic foil Kirk needs for balance. However, the episode throws in a dark twist to break up all the warm nostalgia, as Kirk learns the true price of command and the kind of calls a captain must make.

Kirk’s First Time As Captain Ends In Horror

Eventually, Kirk and the officers left on the Farragut devise a plan to use the scavenger’s ship’s own weapons against it, causing the massive vessel to blow a fuse. The Enterprise is able to escape, while the Farragut goes on the offensive, annihilating the scavengers’ vessel. Kirk is riding high on his first successful mission as a captain – that is, until scans of the wreckage reveal a startling truth: the scavengers, beings who appeared in clunky steampunk-style armored spacesuits, are in fact humans.

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Research turns up the startling truth: the scavengers are descendants of a 21st-century space mission that the nations of Earth united for, to help heal the scars of devastation from WWWIII. The mission was meant to underscore a new era of hope, peace, and discovery for humankind; instead, the vessel vanished into space, and the crew was presumed dead. It becomes a haunting mystery for the crew to ponder how an advanced group of humanity’s best scientists ended up being roving savages; it becomes even more haunting for Kirk to know he gave the command that wiped out an entire community of human beings, people whom they’ll never get answers from.

The episode ends by showing the formative mentor-mentee bond taking shape between Kirk and Pike. The latter man informs Kirk that his trauma must become the bedrock of his outlook as a captain: empathy. Always remembering that your supposed enemy may not be that different from you than you think.

As any Star Trek TOS fan knows, that’s advice Kirk would take to heart for the rest of his days as a captain.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming on Paramount+.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is gearing up to say goodbye in the near future, but the show’s viewership figures are still strong. The third season of the series premiered on Paramount+ about a month ago, proving to be a sizable draw for the streaming service. Per TrekMovie, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was one of the most-watched streaming originals during the week of July 14th-20th (Season 2 debuted on July 17th). Data from Nielsen’s tracking shows Strange New Worlds was streamed for 471 million minutes in that week, good enough for seventh place on the Top 10. It’s also a new record for the series, topping the mark of 393 million minutes during the week Season 2’s second episode premiered.

Strange New Worlds is the only Paramount+ original to place in Nielsen’s Top 10 for the aforementioned week. Over half the list consists of titles available on Netflix, including Untamed, Amy Bradley is Missing, and Squid Game. Peacock (Love Island USA) and Prime Video (Ballard; The Summer I Turned Pretty) are the other streamers represented.

Shortly after the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 trailer was released earlier this summer, it was announced the show would end with a shortened fifth season. Strange New Worlds Season 4 started filming back in March, but no release date has been set. The fifth and final season will consist of six episodes, helping lead the story into the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.

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In the wake of the cancellation news, Strange New Worlds executive producers Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers teased the possibility of a sequel series — one that perhaps would explore some untold stories set during the time period of The Original Series. “But [the characters are] not dying. And we have those sets …” Goldman said during an appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nothing has been confirmed at this point, obviously, and any follow-up would still be years away.

As a prequel to The Original Series, there was always going to be a shelf life on Strange New Worlds. However, with the show breaking viewership records in its third season, it’s a little surprising to see Paramount pull the plug on it. The reasoning may boil down to shifting studio priorities. Now that the Skydance Media-Paramount merger is complete, Star Trek has become a top priority for the studio’s film division. There are multiple Star Trek movies in development — one that would follow a new cast of characters and another chronicling the adventures of the classic Enterprise crew. It’s possible Paramount wants to dial back the franchise’s output on streaming as it relaunches the property on the big screen.

Taking a “less is more” approach could help Star Trek avoid the pitfalls of other high-profile franchises that have attempted to balance small- and big-screen offerings. In the early days of the streaming wars, the likes of Star Wars and Marvel oversaturated the marketplace with a bevy of spinoffs. Even Kevin Feige realized it had become too much like homework to follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so he changed how the studio operates. Paramount hitting the refresh button on Star Trek and focusing mainly on films instead of TV shows would help create an easy entrypoint for newcomers who don’t have to worry about watching anything else to understand storylines. In the meantime, it’ll be interesting to see if that Strange New Worlds sequel show every comes to fruition for the long-time fans who will miss it.

The post Canceled Star Trek Series Hits Record Streaming Numbers (so Why Is It Ending?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Exciting things are happening in the world of Star Trek comics. IDW Publishing has been the home of Star Trek comics for over a decade and is currently releasing new titles that will continue to captivate Trekkies of all generations. If you want to capture new readers and generate some buzz around your next hot comic, it needs just the right hook. Or in the case of Star Trek: The Last Starship, you can have two hooks. That’s one of the great things that Star Trek: The Last Starship has going for it. The story tackles a legendary event from Star Trek lore, and also brings Captain James T. Kirk back from the dead. What more could you ask for out of a Star Trek comic?

I’ll admit up front that I’ve never been the biggest Star Trek fan. Whenever the “Star Trek vs. Star Wars” debates rise up, I’ve always sided with Star Wars. So with that in mind, I went into Star Trek: The Last Starship with an open mind that wasn’t already filled with Star Trek history, because I didn’t know much of it. However, this introductory issue is accessible for new readers. I’m sure you’ll get much more out of the reading experience if you’re already familiar with The Burn and the lore behind Captain Kirk being alive again, but it’s not necessary to enjoy the comic.

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The creative team does a great job of having Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 carry the same emotional weight as a feature film or TV series. The tense opening moments introduce readers to Captain Sato as he holds a tense negotiation that could impact the future of Starfleet and the Federation. Then, the calm of victory is quickly snatched away from us in the blink of an eye. Being able to convey the cost of death in a comic is no easy feat, but with Star Trek: The Last Starship, the fear and grief just oozes off the pages. And speaking of pages, there’s a neat data page that piggybacks off of the “cost of death” discussion that I rather enjoyed.

What can’t be overlooked is the work that the art team is putting in. You can feel the drama as the surviving Starfleet captains debate what their next move is going to be, especially when an unexpected outsider enters the discussion. There is a saying in comics that sometimes the writer needs to step aside and let the art do the talking, and that’s definitely the case in a couple of panels. The combination of art, colors, and shadows increases the level of suspense.

I won’t spoil how Captain Kirk is alive again, but the scenes leading up to that moment are sure to bring goosebumps to longtime Star Trek fans. Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 reads and feels like an event comic, and it’s only the first issue. I’ll take that as a good sign of things to come.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 goes on sale September 24th.

The post Star Trek: The Last Starship #1 Has All the Makings of the Next Great Star Trek Epic (Review) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Now that Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media is complete, the studio is looking to bring Star Trek back to the big screen in a massive way. A new report in Deadline provides an overview of Paramount’s plans for its film slate, and there are multiple Star Trek films currently in development. One movie, set to be directed by Toby Haynes (Star Wars: Andor) and written by Seth Grahame Smith, would follow a cast of “brand new characters.” The other project said to be in the works is all about familiar franchise faces of Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise crew. Steve Yockey is writing that film.

It’s unknown when (or if) either of these films will begin production. No release dates have been set. The only other extra bit of information in the Deadline report is that Star Trek is a “high priority” for Paramount moving forward.

Details about these new Star Trek films come on the heels of claims the franchise is “the immediate priority” for Skydance and Paramount as they try to figure out their tentpole blockbuster slate. There hasn’t been a new Star Trek movie since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, which coincided with the property’s 50th anniversary. Despite earning positive reviews, Beyond underwhelmed at the box office, earning $343.3 million worldwide against an $185 million production budget. It was the lowest-grossing installment of the Kelvin Timeline series that started with J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek.

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Over the past several years, there’s been no shortage of Star Trek films in development, but nothing came to fruition. A fourth installment starring the Kelvin Timeline crew has cycled through multiple writers and directors. At one point, Quentin Tarantino was considering directing a standalone Star Trek film. Noah Hawley’s planned movie was cancelled during the casting process in part because Paramount felt uneasy moving forward with a film that had a plot centering around a pandemic.

Hawley’s film was set to star an all-new crew of characters, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see Skydance hasn’t completely abandoned that angle. Haynes’ film is different from the one Hawley had in mind, but it’s still great to see the studio is interested in it. In the era of legacy sequels and nostalgia, it’s easy to keep things focused on the familiar, bringing back classic characters audiences know and love. But Star Trek is a franchise renowned for its ability to create entirely new ensembles for viewers to fall in love with (see: The Next Generation). It’s important for Haynes’ film to take this direction since it’s how Star Trek can remain viable for years to come. Properties can’t be afraid to innovate and push forward. Constantly replaying the hits with Spock and Kirk will get old.

This isn’t to say it’s bad Paramount is also developing another Kirk/Spock film. The Kelvin Timeline cast is a highlight of those films, and most people would agree they deserve to headline at least one more movie. Assuming those actors do return for Yockey’s project, there’ll be a great deal of excitement surrounding it. It’ll be interesting to see which one emerges as a higher priority. Moving forward with Haynes’ film could be a great way to give the series a proper, fresh new start for moviegoers. But there’s also an appeal to giving the fan-favorite Kelvin cast a last hurrah before they symbolically pass the torch to a new crew. Perhaps both will see the light of day.

The post Star Trek Confirms Two New Movies In Development (& One Is Surprising) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

This weekend, Star Trek writer and producer Michael Sussman went public with his pitch for a new spinoff series called Star Trek: United, which would star Scott Bakula reprising his role as Jonathan Archer. Sussman shared his general ideas for the series in an interview with TrekMovie.com, along with the history of its development and his renewed hopes for the future. The potential series had fans buzzing all weekend at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention, but Bakula only spoke about it towards the end of his final panel appearance on Sunday. Even then, he was careful with his words, which might be a sign that his hopes are also high, and he doesn’t want to spoil it by sharing too much too soon.

“There’s nothing I am going to say about United, at this point,” the actor said cautiously. “There’s a great writer [Sussman] and I have had conversations about the possibility… I’m just going to say — and we will close on that — you never know.”

Bakula played Captain Jonathan Archer in the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise, captaining Starfleet’s first vessel with Warp Five technology on humanity’s very first deep space exploratory mission in the Star Trek universe. In one of the series’ final episodes, we get a glimpse into the future, including a bio of Captain Archer’s life after the series is over. It’s easy to miss, but if you pause and read it, it says that Archer rises to the rank of Admiral in Starfleet, then pivots to politics and ultimately becomes President of the United Federation of Planets.

That’s the story Sussman hopes to tell in United — “a political thriller and a family drama set in those chaotic, formative years of the Federation.” He came up with the idea while watching Star Trek: Picard, and made it quite far in the pitching process. However, Paramount executives ultimately felt it had too much overlap with Starfleet Academy, which had already been greenlit. On top of that, Paramount+ was drastically cutting its spending on streaming originals at that time.

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Now, Paramount’s merger with Skydance is underway, and executives have promised an increased investment in original content, with a particular eye to major franchises and brands, including Star Trek. Sussman hopes this will give United another chance, and Bakula seems to be onboard. The actor a major asset to Paramount twice over now, between Enterprise and NCIS. Earlier in his panel, he mentioned the parts of Archer’s story that he had always hoped to return to one day.

“Because we were being canceled… we got an extra season 4 to kind of complete the whole Xindi thing, which thank goodness we did, because I thought that was pretty amazing television,” he said. “I loved that, and it really was great writing… So, we crushed the ending of the show to wrap things up, but I think the goal was for that to happen more slowly, and for Archer to kind of start forming the bones of the Federation. And I think that would have been really, really exciting to do. So I’m sorry we didn’t get to really kind of lean into that.”

Hopefully, Star Trek: United will give Sussman and Bakula the chance to tell these stories that have simmered on the back burner for two decades now. In the meantime, Enterprise is streaming now on Paramount+, along with the rest of the Star Trek catalog.

The post Star Trek: United: Series Details Revealed by Returning Star and Creators appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Created by Chuck Lorre in 2008, hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory was, at its heart, a show for and about nerds! Over an impressive 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory became famous for its fan-culture references, weaving in nods to everything from Star Wars to Doctor Who. Owing to its popularity, the show even gained attention from and featured some impressive cameos from icons in both the Science and Science fiction fields such as Stephen Hawking, and even legend of Marvel Comics Stan Lee.

However, no doubt owing in part to Jim Parsons’ (Sheldon’s) personal love of the show, few fandoms were as lovingly — and frequently — celebrated in The Big Bang Theory as Star Trek. From conversing in Klingon to donning costumes and quoting scenes verbatim, the show became something of a love letter to Gene Roddenberry’s creation. And The Big Bang Theory didn’t just reference Star Trek — it brought in some of its most legendary stars for some truly memorable appearances. From legends of The Original Series to recurring guests from the Next Generation, here are all the Star Trek actors who made their mark on The Big Bang Theory.

1) Wil Wheaton

No Star Trek actor has joined The Big Bang Theory cast quite so frequently as The Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton! Known for playing Wesley Crusher, the son of ships Doctor Beverly Crusher, Wheaton seemed all grown up playing a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory, becoming a favorite recurring guest star and appearing across all but three seasons of the show.

His appearance in the Season 3 episode “The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary,” was the first of many to delight fans. Sheldon however, is less impressed to see the actor as it turns out Wheaton is his sworn nemesis after failing to turn up at the ‘1995 Dixie Trek Convention’ where a young Sheldon had been waiting to meet him. Sheldon decides the comic book store’s ‘Mystic Warlords of Ka’a tournament’ in which Wheaton is participating, is the perfect setting for revenge. Although the animosity between the pair turned into a long running gag, they did eventually become friends in later seasons. Wheaton’s appearances on The Big Bang Theory are so frequent that he is the only Trek actor to have something of an arc on the show, blending sitcom storytelling with real-world fan culture.

2) William Shatner

Despite his lengthy career and many credits, William Shatner is still probably best remembered for his role as the legendary Captain James T Kirk on Star Trek: The Original Series. After constant clamouring for him to make an appearance on the show, fans were delighted when Shatner finally joined The Big Bang Theory in Season 12’s “The D & D Vortex.” In this delightful episode, Shatner joins a star-studded Dungeons & Dragons game hosted by fellow Trek actor Wil Wheaton, which Leonard, Howard, Raj, Sheldon and Stuart desperately scheme to get an invite to!

The episode was notable for its inclusion of many other high-profile guest stars including Joe Manganiello, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kevin Smith. Sheldon of course, is barely able to contain himself upon finally meeting his hero Kirk. Shatner plays it cool, delivering some hilarious meta-humor about his own fame and Trek legacy. His fending off Sheldon’s awkward fanboy attempts at friendship made for a truly hilarious scene. It was a long-awaited appearance that had been teased for years, and it didn’t disappoint!

3) Leonard Nimoy

While Leonard Nimoy, the infamous Mr Spock, never actually physically appeared on The Big Bang Theory, his presence was certainly felt in the Season 5 episode “The Transporter Malfunction.” In the episode, Sheldon and Leonard (the character, not Nimoy) are gifted a mint condition Spock action figure and transporter toy each by Penny. After succumbing to temptation and opening and subsequently breaking Leonard’s, then panicking and switching the toys, Sheldon has a dream where his ‘Tiny Spock’ action figure, voiced by Nimoy, lectures him on the ethics of his behavior!

Hearing Nimoy’s iconic voice interact with Jim Parsons’ Sheldon created a perfect blend of Star Trek gravitas and sitcom absurdity — and a hilarious and poignant reminder of Nimoy’s warmth and humour. Interestingly, Leonard Nimoy’s son, Adam Nimoy, also appeared on the show in the Season 9 episode, “The Spock Resonance,” in which he conducts an interview with Sheldon while supposedly in the process of creating a documentary about his late father.

4) LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton is best known for his role as Geordi La Forge on The Next Generation and subsequent Star Trek films and most recently in Star Trek: Picard. He was also the host of the PBS series Reading Rainbow, from the 1980’s to the early 2000’s. But the actor still found the time to delight fans with several cameos on The Big Bang Theory. Burton’s first appearance came in the Season 4 episode “The Toast Derivation,” where he unexpectedly shows up to Sheldon’s (admittedly dead) party after an invite via X (formerly Twitter) only to leave immediately upon arrival.

A suitably bemused looking Burton returned to help Amy and Sheldon on their web-info series in the episode “The Habitation Configuration.” His final appearance came in Season 8 in “The Champagne Reflection” where he’s once again a ‘Fun with Flags’ guest for Sheldon, playing himself with tongue-in-cheek charm. Both appearances leaned into his iconic status and showed off the actors comedic timing.

5) Brent Spiner

Best known as Data, the lovable Android from The Next Generation, a role which he reprised in Star Trek films throughout the 1990’s, Brent Spiner certainly gets around, having also acted in the Independence Day Movies as well as providing the voice of the Joker in Young Justice. Spiner’s cameo in the Season 5 episode “The Russian Rocket Reaction” sees him attend a party thrown by Wil Wheaton, much to the delight of Sheldon and the gang.

However, he accidentally incurs Sheldon’s eternal wrath by ripping open a signed limited edition collectible action figure of Wesley Crusher that had been gifted to Sheldon by Wheaton, instantly drastically reducing its value. Despite offering a signed Data figurine in its place, he is firmly placed on Sheldon’s sworn enemy list! The appearance highlighted Spiner’s playful willingness to poke fun at himself — and at Star Trek fandom’s obsession with collectibles!

6) George Takei

George Takei, who plays the legendary helmsman of the Enterprise, Hikaru Sulu, in The Original Series, proved he is up for anything when he appeared in a Season 4 episode of The Big Bang Theory “The Hot Troll Deviation” — and not in the way you might expect!

When Howard (Simon Helberg) breaks up with his girlfriend Bernadette, he attempts to fill the gap left by her absence with ahem… suitably nerdy fantasies. In one such erotic fantasy, Takei himself shows up, much to Howard’s surprise as he briefly questions his sexuality! The addition of Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica, dressed as her character Kara Thrace, makes for comedy gold as her and Takei enter a debate on type casting. Takei’s signature wit and impeccable delivery made this surreal sequence one of the show’s funniest moments, proving that his comedic chops are just as sharp as his sci-fi credentials.

7) Brian George

Brian George may not be as easily recognizable to Star Trek fans, as he’s better known for his role on Seinfeld as restaurant owner Babu Bhatt. Or you might recognise him as the voice of Guru Pathik in Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, the actor does in fact have a couple of Star Trek credits, having appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the father of Julian Bashir in “Dr. Bashir, I Presume?”, and in Voyager as Ambassador O’Zaal in “Drive”.

On The Big Bang Theory, he played Dr. V.M. Koothrappali, Raj’s father, in 16 episodes spanning from Season 1, Episode 8, “The Grasshopper Experiment” onwards. Despite mostly only appearing over video call accompanied by Raj’s mother (played by Alice Amter), he does in fact appear in every season of the show. George’s dry comedic delivery helped make Raj’s overbearing (yet oddly charming) parents a reliable source of laughs, and his repeated appearances gave him one of the largest roles for any Star Trek alum on the show.

8) Mark Harelik

Mark Harelik’s acting career spans popular shows such as Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, and Bones. Harelik appears in The Big Bang Theory, in a total of 5 episodes across the show’s first two seasons as Dr. Eric Gablehauser, head of the physics department at CalTech where Sheldon and the guys (reluctantly it would seem) work. The most notable thing about the character is probably the unexpected romantic interest he develops for Sheldon’s no nonsense mother Mary (Laurie Metcalf) after she comes to the office to mediate a conflict between him and Sheldon, though nothing ever came of the pairs surprising connection.

Harelik’s Star Trek appearance is admittedly also somewhat brief. He appears as Inspector Kashyk for a single episode of Star Trek: Voyager, “Counterpoint,” But none the less, he makes our list. Harelik brought an unamused, deadpan to his interactions with Leonard and Sheldon, demonstrating how utterly exasperating Sheldon must occasionally be as an employee and playing perfectly against Jim Parsons chaotic energy as the genius-nerd.

Which Trek cameo on The Big Bang Theory was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

All seasons of The Big Bang Theory are streaming now on Max. Star Trek series are available on Paramount+.

The post Every Star Trek Actor Who Appeared on The Big Bang Theory appeared first on ComicBook.com.

This weekend, Star Trek fans learned a lot about the a spinoff series that is no longer in development, and is not expected to air anytime soon, Star Trek: Legacy. The series would have been a follow-up to Star Trek: Picard, created by showrunner Terry Matalas for Paramount+. Matalas attended the Star Trek Las Vegas convention this weekend, and he answered plenty of questions about Legacy while repeatedly reminding fans that this is a concept on the shelf, with no current plans for a revival. Among his revelations was his surprising plans for bringing Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) back into the story.

Fans theorized that Shaw would be revived from the dead using Borg technology, and the idea took off. Discussion got pretty in-depth before Matalas relented and told the panel his real plan for Shaw. “I will say, since we’re so far away from the possibility of Legacy, that he wasn’t going to come back to life with Borg nanites,” he said, according to TrekMovie.com. “He was going to be the Emergency Engineering Hologram who did not want to turn off and was really pissed off that the Titan was turned into the Enterprise, and would refuse to call it the Enterprise, until late.”

This idea hit hard with everyone in the room, including Stashwick, who joked, “We call it the ‘Shawlogram.'” However, fans still shouldn’t hold their breath for this project to come to fruition. Although Paramount’s merger with Skydance and its pledge to invest more in original programming has stirred hopes for some shelved projects to be revived, Matalas said that Legacy is not one of them.

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“You know, never say never,” he said. Matalas even declined to reveal some of his ideas and plans for the show just in case it moves forward one day, but in the meantime, he has his hands full as the showrunner of Vision Quest for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He revealed that Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige recruited him for the job specifically because he was impressed with Star Trek: Picard Season 3.

Matalas also confirmed here that Vision Quest is now in post-production, which is good news for the series’ timeline. It will need a lot of special effects to bring Marvel’s robots back to life before its projected 2026 release date. In the meantime, Matalas said that his contract does not dissuade him from returning to the Star Trek franchise, saying, “I can work on whatever.”

Star Trek: Picard is streaming now on Paramount+, along with the rest of the franchise titles. Legacy is still just a shelved dream project for now, but many fans are holding out hope for big changes at Paramount to bear fruit soon.

The post Star Trek: Legacy Would Bring Back a Beloved Dead Character in a Surprising Way appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Trek writer and producer Michael Sussman just revealed lofty goals for a Star Trek spinoff series that would center around Jonathan Archer, the captain of the NX-01 on Star Trek: Enterprise, played by Scott Bakula. Sussman told TrekMovie.com the overall premise of the show this weekend at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention, confirming that Bakula is onboard to reprise his role. He revealed just how long this idea has been in development, and the tragic timing that led Paramount to pass on it before. However, now that the company’s merger with Skydance has been approved, Sussman is hoping the parent company will reconsider, especially if fans are excited for the series he’s calling Star Trek: United.

Bakula played Captain Jonathan Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise — a prequel set about 100 years before The Original Series. Archer is the captain of Earth’s first Starship capable of traveling at Warp Five, and the first to be named the Enterprise. Of course, because the show is a prequel, fans are particularly inclined to wonder what happens to these characters between the end of Enterprise and the rest of the franchise, and Sussman answered that question in an on-screen graphic in his final episode.

The graphic, visible in the episode “In A Mirror, Darkly, Part II,” says that Archer rises to the rank of Admiral in Starfleet before retiring, then seeking a career in politics. He eventually becomes the President of the United Federation of Planets. Sussman and Bakula hope to set Star Trek: United during this time, following the life and work of President Jonathan Archer.

“It’s a political thriller and a family drama set in those chaotic, formative years of the Federation,” Sussman told TrekMovie. “We did 98 hours of Enterprise and I think [Bakula] felt he really explored that character, but this was a very different direction for Archer to go in. And I think he was really intrigued by that.”

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“One of my aspirations would be that the series could do for Star Trek, what Andor did for Star Wars,” Sussman added. “It’s a show where you can tell adult stories about adults and tell them in a very grounded, realistic way.”

Sussman brought this idea to Star Trek producer Alex Kurtzman and his production company Secret Hideout, where he said was very well received. From there, he landed meetings with CBS Studios and Paramount+, and things seemed to be going well until Paramount abruptly needed to slash spending on streaming projects. However, according to new Paramount CEO David Ellison, that’s about to change after the Skydance merger, and Sussman is hoping that may give him another chance.

In the meantime, unveiling this concept to fans has already sparked a lot of chatter on social media and forums, which could prove helpful in pitching the viability of the series going forward. There’s no telling if or when Star Trek: United might move forward, but Enterprise is streaming now on Paramount+.

The post Star Trek’s Most Underrated Captain Working on Return Series With a Big Twist appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Orville may have started as a sci-fi comedy taking heavy inspiration from and with a clear love for Star Trek, but over time, it evolved into a heartfelt tribute to the franchise, and became a worthy successor. Created by Seth MacFarlane (best known for his work on Family Guy, American Dad and Ted) in 2017, The Orville blends action, drama, and philosophy in ways that feel deeply familiar to Star Trek fans whilst maintaining its own unique comedic tone, somewhat reminiscent of the early days of Star Trek: The Original Series.

And it’s not just the themes and structure that these shows have in common — many actors have (literally) jumped ship, taking up roles (whether blink-and-you-miss-it cameos or longer-standing parts on The Orville, long after appearing on Star Trek. Some are easily recognizable Trek legends, while others are those with surprising behind-the-scenes connections or background roles.

From longstanding Trek icons to hidden guest stars, these actors boldly went… to The Orville.

1) Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane is the heart and soul of The Orville — writing and starring as down-and-out Captain Ed Mercer of the Planetary Union on a mission to explore the galaxy. But the MacFarlane had been doing Star Trek long before The Orville, littering his animation work with Star Trek jokes, most notably in Family Guy‘s infamous Captain Kirk skit, and fans might be surprised to know he also has a couple of minor canonical Star Trek cameos.

McFarlane guest-starred on two episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, first in 2004 as an (at the time unnamed) engineer in the episode “The Forgotten” and again in 2005 this time credited as ‘Ensign Rivers’ in the episode “Affliction.” Though his Trek role was small, it clearly left an impression. The Orville is filled with loving nods to Star Trek style storytelling, and MacFarlane himself has credited his Enterprise experience as a major influence on the show’s creation.

2) Robert Picardo

Best known to Star Trek: Voyager fans as the sardonic Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH), Robert Picardo has in fact made a name for himself across the sci-fi landscape, also appearing in both Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. On The Orville, he guest-stars in two episodes as Ildis Kitan, the overbearing father of security officer Alara Kitan, firstly in the season one episode “Firestorm.” He returns in the Season 2 episode “Home,” joining other notable Trek alumni in the form of John Billingsley, Molly Hagan, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, and Jason Alexander (more on those later), turning the episode in to something of an impromptu Trek Reunion!

Picardo’s performances in both series highlight his range — going from a snarky, high-functioning hologram to a disapproving alien dad. His casting on The Orville was a clear love letter to Trek fans, and a perfect example of the show embracing and paying homage to its roots.

3) John Billingsley

Fans of Star Trek: Enterprise will probably recognize John Billingsley as Dr. Phlox, the iconic Denobulan chief medical officer. But on The Orville, Billingsley highlighted his acting range, giving us a very different kind of character as Cambis Borrian, joining Robert Picardo and other Star Trek old timers in the episode “Home.”  When The Orville’s Chief of Security, Alara Kitan returns home to her planet Xelaya, she encounters Cambis, a devoted father grieving the loss of his son, supposedly indirectly caused by Alara’s father Ildis (Robert Picardo).

Billingsley’s distinct and powerful presence as Cambis, (who in his grief decides to seek revenge on Ildis), made it a brief but notable cameo that thrilled longtime Enterprise fans, and he remains one of the most beloved actors to make the cross-universe leap. Actor Molly Hagan (who played a Vorta in the Deep Space Nine, episode “The Jem’Hadar”) also joined the episode as Alara’s mother Drenala Kitan.

4) Marina Sirtis

Counsellor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) of Star Trek: The Next Generation is a core member of the Trek Family, having reappeared in Star Trek: Voyager, Enterprise, Picard and even Lower Decks. In The Orville Season 2 episode, “Sanctuary,” directed by none other than her Star Trek: The Next Generation co-star Johnathon Frakes, she played a teacher in an alternate timeline, adding a small but memorable moment that delighted TNG fans.

Frakes, along with MacFarlane, had reportedly been searching high and low for the right actor for the part of the schoolteacher aboard their ship, but drawing a blank. It was Frakes who finally decided to offer the part to Sirtis and as the story goes, she arrived on set a mere 48 hours later! Sirtis’ appearance was especially poignant given how many other Trek actors joined her. Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, F. Murray Abraham, and Tony Todd all stepped aboard, making Sanctuary another great reunion episode for Star Trek Alumni.

5) Tim Russ

Tim Russ, best known as Tuvok, the Vulcan Chief of Security and Chief Tactical officer on Star Trek: Voyager, made a cameo in The Orville’s Season 2 episode “Lasting Impressions.” Russ played the enthusiastic human historian Dr. Sherman, with a keen interest in 21^st century history (well that doesn’t make us feel old…) enlisted to help examine a recently excavated time capsule. The moment was brief but a treat for Trek fans — with Russ demonstrating his usual screen presence, even without the famous pointed appendages.

In an interview with TrekMovie, Russ spoke of his joy at being part of the project and working with those like MacFarlane who clearly held such a deep love for Star Trek and for what they were doing with The Orville as a show. His casting continued The Orville’s trend of bringing in Trek veterans, imbuing its growing universe with a sense of history and gravitas.

6) Penny Johnson Jerald

Penny Johnson Jerald is probably best known for playing Dr. Claire Finn, ships Doctor and mother of two on The Orville. But Trek fans may know her for her recurring role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Kasidy Yates — the freighter captain and eventual love interest of Captain Benjamin Sisko. The couple eventually marry and even conceive but her ending is left open as we never do see if Sisko returns to her after the series final episode “What You Leave Behind.”

 Jerald has a further Star Trek credit as she actually made her Star Trek debut as Dobara in The Next Generation episode “Homeward” in 1993. While her role on The Orville is more front and centre, Jerald’s presence on DS9 adds an extra layer of legacy to her performance. She’s a rare example of someone who made an impression in both franchises as a longer running and well-developed character. Interestingly the role of Finn was actually written by MacFarlane with Jerald in mind. She appeared in both “Home” and “Sanctuary” alongside fellow Trek actors.

7) F. Murray Abraham

F. Murray Abraham was first seen in Star Trek in the 1998 movie Star Trek: Insurrection as the villainous Ru’afo, leader of the Son’a who are seeking to wipe out the peaceful Ba’ku race in a bid to steal their planet. To the shock of the Enterprise crew, they discover that Starfleet Command are conspiring with the Son’a as they too want to exploit the planets rejuvenating properties.

But eagle-eyed viewers of both series may have spotted that Abraham makes a brief appearance in The Orville as a Xelayan council chair in Season 2’s famous Johnathan Frakes directed episode and Trek fest “Sanctuary.” With so many Star Trek stars in one episode it would have been easy for a smaller role to go under appreciated but Abraham certainly makes sure that his only appearance on The Orville doesn’t go unnoticed!

8) Jason Alexander

Known for his work on Seinfield, and for being a die-hard Star Trek fan, it must have been somewhat of a dream come true for Jason Alexander when he had the opportunity to guest star as alien spokesperson Kurros in a Season 5 episode of Voyager, “Think Tank.” It’s not surprising Alexander would jump at the chance to further his involvement in anything Trek related or adjacent!

He went on to take up a role in Season 2 of The Orville as the ship’s reptilian bartender Olix, after Ralph Garman who played Kanoot, the ship’s original barman left the show due to suffering with Claustrophobia and struggling with his heavy prosthetics. Alexander appeared in “Home” alongside many other Star Trek alumni discussed on our list.

9) Tony Todd

Tony Todd will probably be best known to Trekkies for his guest appearances as Klingon Security Officer Worf’s younger brother Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, but he also portrayed an older version of Captain Benjamin Sisko’s son Jake Sisko in the episode “The Visitor” as well as appearing (all be it in heavy latex!) in Star Trek: Voyager as an Alpha-Hirogen Hunter.

In The Orville, he joined F. Murray Abraham and others in “Sanctuary,” as the Moclan Delegate Dojin. “Sanctuary” is a fascinating episode in not only in that it boasts a large number of Trek alumni, with whom you’re bound to be in safe hands, but it is also a great example of an episode that successfully pulls off, and in fact thrives on, some deeper character exploration.

10) Scott Grimes

Best known for providing the Voice of Steve Smith in American Dad, Scott Grimes may not have had the most memorable role in Star Trek, with most of his part as ‘Eric’ (a friend of Wesley Crusher) in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 episode “Evolution,” being cut. However, he can still be seen in the odd shot in the background of the episode and so earns his place on our list.

Grimes had of course worked alongside MacFarlane on American Dad, and was subsequently cast as Captain Mercer’s best buddy Malloy and the ships somewhat childish helmsman on The Orville. He appears in both of the famed Star Trek heavy episodes of The Orville “Home” and “Sanctuary.”

11) Brian George

The Seinfeld, The Big Bang Theory, and The Expanse, actor also portrays Julian Bashir’s father Richard in Deep Space Nine and O’Zaal, in the Star Trek: Voyager season 7 episode “Drive.”

On The Orville, he pops up in the very first episode as Aronov, the director of the Epsilon Science Station which comes under threat from the Krill, offering an intense performance during a pivotal political moment. He went on to return for multiple episodes of the show.

12) Ron Canada

Another frequent sci-fi guest star, Ron Canada appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as a Klingon Advocate, Voyager as a waste controller, and The Next Generation as a Judge.

In The Orville he portrayed Admiral Tucker — a key figure in some of the show’s more political storylines. Canada’s presence helps ground The Orville in the tradition of ‘sci-fi diplomacy’ that Trek pioneered, giving familiar weight to its interstellar politics.

13) John Fleck

John Fleck first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation and went on to play Silik the Suliban in Star Trek: Enterprise.

In The Orville, though almost unrecognisable under many layers of make-up, he plays the Krill Ambassador K.T.Z. in the Season 2 episode “Blood of Patriots”

14) Steven Culp

Steven Culp boasts a couple of lesser-known Star Trek credits, portraying Commander Martin Madden, Will Rikers intended replacement of the Enterprise in an unfortunately cut scene of Star Trek: Nemesis as well as MACO Major Hayes in Season 3 of Star Trek: Enterprise.

He went on to play Willks, a publicity officer in The Orville Season 1 episode “Majority Rule.”

15) Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson – Best known for his role as an alien bounty hunter on The X-Files, Thompson also boasts many Star Trek appearances including playing Klingons in several episodes and even Star Trek films. In Deep Space Nine, he plays a Jem’Hadar soldier. He can also be seen as Admiral Valdore in three episodes of Enterprise. Thompson also plays Drogen, a native inhabitant of an unnamed moon in one of The Orville‘s more sombre episodes, “Into The Fold.”

Did we miss your favorite Trek–Orville crossover? Let us know in the comments!

The Orville is streaming now on Hulu and Disney+. Classic Star Trek series and Enterprise are available on Paramount+.

The post Every Actor Who Appeared in Both The Orville and Star Trek appeared first on ComicBook.com.

We gobble up science fiction for things like time-traveling robots and epic showdowns across parallel realities, but some series have done way more than entertain. A few sci-fi television shows have basically predicted the actual future. Flip phones, robocars, and even geopolitical conflicts are among the very real things shown to us in fictional worlds before manifesting in the material world. 

At its core, science fiction and its more earthy cousin, speculative fiction, ask: What if? These stories often begin as simple thought experiments about the future, and wind up holding a mirror to the present. That’s what makes them more important than they initially seem; they play out cautionary tales, and sometimes get eerily close to the truth. The TV screen has occasionally proven to be a crystal ball of sorts, even if we don’t know it at the time, prophesying where we’re headed long before we get there. 

The Simpsons may be the best at it, overall, but these 9 sci-fi TV Shows also got it right.

9) Star Trek: The Original Series

In the 60s, Star Trek: The Original Series introduced the “communicator,” a handheld flip device used for voice calls over distance. According to Forbes, this Trek device actually inspired Martin Cooper, the real inventor of the first cellphone. It’s hard to imagine, but the mere ideas of these communicators were revolutionary at the time, and they now mirror the functionality of modern smartphones, making long-distance and even video calls. The series also pictured futuristic medical tools like the hypospray, a no-needle injector that inspired pain-free transdermal delivery devices developed decades later.

In addition to all the fun gadgets, TOS foresaw the ethical and social qualms associated with emerging technologies. Episodes like “Space Seed” explored genetic engineering long before CRISPR made headlines, while “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (via Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone parallels) anticipated job displacement by automation and AI. As Science Fiction Classics reports, the show’s creators consulted scientists in their imagining of plausible future tech.

8) Knight Rider

In the 80s, Knight Rider introduced KITT or the Knight Industries Two Thousand, a sentient, AI-powered car that could drive itself, analyze its surroundings, and interact conversationally with its human counterpart. KITT predicted many of the core features of today’s autonomous vehicles, including voice control, environmental sensors, and decision-making algorithms that assess road risks in real time. The car’s capabilities, which seemed outlandish at the time (like auto-navigation, obstacle avoidance, and voice interaction), are now commonplace in major cities, integrated into Waymo and other self-driving platforms.

According to AI Theology, KITT’s seamless coordination between sensors and dialogue is a near-perfect match for the artificial intelligence computing behind today’s most advanced autonomous driving systems, which employ sensor fusion, LIDAR, and machine learning to identify pedestrians, map routes, and communicate with riders. Basically, Knight Rider predicted the future… and gave it a killer voice modulator.

7) Black Mirror

Netflix’s Black Mirror has become the poster child for disturbingly accurate dystopian predictions. In the chilling anthology, showrunner Charlie Brooker concocted storylines that take today’s tech issues to their extreme edges. There are too many to list here, but a few episodes whose fictional ideas mirrored recent developments include: mind-recording lenses in “The Entire History of You” (resembling wearable recorders like the Rewind Pendant), grief chatbots in “Be Right Back” (now offered by AI companies like Project December), and even robot dogs in “Metalhead” (like Boston Dynamics’ Spot, even adopted by military and police forces).

One of the show’s most worrying predictions came from “Nosedive”, which imagines a society where every human interaction is rated on a five-star scale, determining everything from job offers to housing access. That concept is no longer fictional, as according to Dazed Digital, China has already been experimenting with a real-life “social credit system” that ranks citizens based on their behavior, influencing travel, loans, and more. Meanwhile, apps like Uber, Airbnb, and even LinkedIn all use versions of social reputation scoring that affect our lives. 

6) The Jetsons

More comedy than serious sci-fi, The Jetsons still nailed the idea of a fully automated household, aside from the floating in the air part. The animated 60s sitcom also predicted video calls via wristwatch-style devices, voice-activated appliances, and household robots like Rosie the maid. What’s wild is that these futuristic gadgets, which were inconceivable at the time they aired, have now become everyday tech that some of us can’t imagine living without.

Meanwhile, the other Jetsons predictions include: treadmill desks (Rosie’s version for pets!), moving sidewalks, smart cars, and robotic chefs that whip up meals on demand. Las Vegas is even now boasting a “Jetsons-style” smart home neighborhood with digital control over lights, climate, and robotic assistants, citing the beloved cartoon as the inspiration for the community’s high-tech living.

5) The Lone Gunmen

The very first episode of The Lone Gunmen aired on March 4, 2001, and featured a storyline in which a rogue U.S. government faction hijacks a commercial airliner and remotely crashes it into the World Trade Center in a false flag attack. The horrifying similarity to the actual 9/11 attacks, which occurred just six months later, stirred widespread shock and controversy.

The Lone Gunmen Fandom reports that the creators maintained the plot was purely fictional, sprung from Cold War-style conspiracies and aviation vulnerability. Still, the timing and specificity of the plot led many viewers to revisit the episode after September 11, raising debates about fiction intersecting too closely with reality and earning The Lone Gunmen Pilot its place as one of the eeriest coincidences in TV history.

4) Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation expanded the universe of TOS and doubled down on practical tech predictions. The series, which premiered in ‘87, introduced PADDs, or Personal Access Display Devices, which are essentially lightweight touchscreen tablets used throughout the Enterprise. Modern tablets and, funny enough, iPads, now function almost exactly like Trek’s PADDs in design and purpose, enabling portable access to information and communication.

TNG also showcased the LCARS computer interface and voice-activated computing, with crew members routinely commanding “Computer” to access ship systems, much like we might say “Hey Siri” or “OK Google” today. Additionally, the influential series depicted replicators capable of producing food, clothing, and spare parts on demand; a fictional analog to today’s 3D printing tech and even synthetic/cultured meat, which is just barely creeping its way onto grocery store shelves.

3) Max Headroom

UK TV movie Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future and the follow-up series The Max Headroom Show envisioned a future where television and media were omnipresent and all-powerful. The show’s portrayal of nonstop programming, invasive advertising, and a computer-generated television personality prefigured today’s insidious ads, algorithm brain rot, and AI influencers. The character of Max himself was an AI with attitude, born from a human mind and engineered to be the “perfect pitchman for the new age of television.” The show was 80s cyberpunk at its finest and a warning that came decades before deepfakes and virtual celebrities were realities for us to contend with.

The series brilliantly dissected the effects of corporatized media. Advertisements were so condensed and glitchy that they became part of the narrative (“blipverts” compressed for runtime), and network suits manipulated news for ratings and control. Corporate greed disguised as art, driven by invisible algorithms? Sounds like a pretty accurate reflection of some current issues. 

2) Futurama

Who knew a show about delivery bots and frozen humans would predict the future so accurately? Futurama has delivered some spot-on satire that became real in surprising ways. For example, the show joked about head-in-jar technology, but today, real-life organizations like California’s Alcor Life Extension Foundation are already offering head and body cryopreservation, a form of speculative longevity research. 

Even the show’s throwaway puns like “Planet Express” visiting a two-sun system, weirdly, came before astronomers confirmed the existence of exoplanets with multiple suns. Some of the beloved show’s satirical tech, like AI mailmen, could now easily feature in a serious speculation piece on tech futurism and even become reality in the not-so-distant future. 

1) The Expanse

The Expanse is widely praised for bringing hard sci‑fi to television, with realistic physics, grounded world-building, and futuristic tech that feels entirely plausible. According to The Debrief, the show’s portrayal of asteroid mining, ice harvesting, and colonized moons closely matches early designs from actual aerospace firms exploring space resource extraction. Meanwhile, Looper highlights how The Expanse visualizes quantum-style grav drives, vacuum combat suits, and sustainable large-scale habitats… all elements now appearing in conceptual research for Martian colonies and lunar settlements.

The show also shines in its depiction of geopolitical tensions in space: the cold but escalating power struggle between Earth, Mars, and the Belt. It played out how water and other resources could become tipping points for conflict, as nations and corporations vie for control. These political themes and their technological approaches reflect concerns real strategists are already mapping out for us. If The Expanse weren’t entirely speculative, you might call it predictive. With industry leaders planning asteroid mining operations and space agencies drafting legal frameworks over space resource rights, the series may have even portrayed a future still yet to come.

Which sci-fi series best nailed our reality? Let us know in the comments.

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The Star Trek franchise has boldly gone where few other sci-fi sagas dare — especially when it comes to romance. Gene Roddenberry’s vision for Star Trek: The Original Series was to showcase a future where people, planets, and species lived (mostly!) in harmony. Across nearly six decades of television, feature films, and spinoffs, it’s no surprise that Star Trek has explored romance in all its forms, giving us everything from passionate alien entanglements to some truly beautiful love stories. Some might argue that whether platonic or romantic, relationships are at the heart of the franchise. But not every coupling was written in the stars!

Whether due to poor chemistry, out-of-nowhere plot twists, or just plain weird vibes, some relationships stand out in Star Trek history for all the wrong reasons. Here are five of the most cringe-inducing, controversial, or just plain confusing romances to ever beam aboard our screens, ranked.

From awkward hookups to flat-out mismatches, these romances left fans scratching their heads.

5) Neelix and Kes – Star Trek: Voyager

Early seasons of Star Trek: Voyager brought us a romance between Neelix — Voyager’s resident quirky Talaxian cook — and Kes, a kind-hearted Ocampa girl with a nine-year lifespan. But it would turn out to be a relationship that raised a lot of eyebrows. While she appeared physically mature, Kes was technically only one year old when first introduced on the show, and despite assurances of Ocampa’s differing life spans, the dynamic between the pair always felt uncomfortable, since it started out oddly paternal.

Beyond the unsettling age implications, Neelix’s jealousy and at times downright controlling behavior toward Kes whenever she attempted to forge a friendship with other crew members (especially Tom Paris) only made matters worse. When the pair was eventually said to have broken up off-screen during Season 3, their separation was more of a relief for viewers than anything. However, in an interview with StarTrek.com, actor Ethan Phillips expressed regret that the breakup wasn’t portrayed on screen, giving greater closure to this chapter of the character’s life.

4) Chakotay and Seven of Nine – Star Trek: Voyager

In the final season of Voyager, writers introduced a romantic arc between Commander Chakotay and Seven of Nine, seemingly out of the blue. The two interacted only briefly in episodes like “Human Error” before their surprise pairing in “Endgame.” Given that the writers had spent years seemingly teasing a relationship between Chakotay and Captain Janeway, a romance between Chakotay and Seven never felt fully earned. Fans and even some cast members criticized the last-minute move as forced, with scenes between the pair often coming off as stiff or awkward.

It didn’t help that the relationship was unceremoniously dropped after Voyager ended. When Jeri Ryan returned as Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard in the episode “Absolute Candor,” long-time fans might have been hoping for an eventual clarification on the relationship status of the pair, but poor Chakotay doesn’t even get a mention! However, this may be due to Robert Beltran’s lack of involvement in the project. The actor was initially offered the chance to reprise his role as Chakotay, but turned down the opportunity, citing dissatisfaction with the producers’ plans for his character in an interview with TrekMovie.com.

3) Worf and Deanna Troi – Star Trek: The Next Generation

This one still sparks debate among longtime fans. Toward the end of The Next Generation, the show introduced a budding romance between the ship’s Counselor Deanna Troi and everyone’s favorite Klingon security officer, Lt. Worf. While both were prominent and beloved characters in their own right, pairing them together made them feel more like side characters in an experimental subplot. The relationship had little organic development, with even Marina Sirtis herself saying she disliked the coupling.

Worf and Deanna had clashing personalities and priorities and no real romantic connection before Season 7, when the relationship was introduced in “Parallels.” In the episode, Worf encounters an alternate reality where he is married to Deanna, which leads to the idea of pursuing a relationship with her in his timeline. Their relationship was never revisited in later films — and Deanna eventually married longtime love interest Will Riker in Star Trek: Nemesis, effectively relegating the Worf/Troi arc to the history books. Worf, meanwhile, was left to enter into another much-debated relationship with Jadzia Dax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, though we think this one at least made a little more sense!

2) Tasha Yar and Data – Star Trek: The Next Generation

Tasha Yar and Data’s brief liaison in the infamous The Next Generation episode “The Naked Now” was… odd, to say the least. In a storyline involving intoxicated crew members, the normally emotionally guarded Tasha Yar seduced the lovable android Data. While the moment gave fans a famous (and often memed) quote about Data being “fully functional,” the ill-judged dalliance felt oddly uncomfortable given Data’s innocence and never evolved into a deeper connection.

The aftermath was mostly ignored by the show, save for a few references to the event after Tasha’s untimely death in “Skin of Evil.” The one-night stand felt like a bizarre footnote in both characters’ arcs, and left fans wondering why it was included at all — beyond giving Data a pivotal human experience which ultimately just felt a little like he was taken advantage of.

1) Spock and Uhura – Star Trek (Kelvin Timeline)

J.J. Abrams’s reboot universe didn’t shy away from reimagining the iconic The Original Series characters fans knew and loved — after all, what’s the point in an alternative timeline if you can’t have a little fun? But by far one of the bolder moves made in the films was the establishing of a relationship between Spock and Uhura. While there was never a romantic link between the pair in The Original Series per se, there were certainly some moments of mild flirtation, notably in early episodes such as “The Man Trap” and “Charlie X”, so it’s easy to see where Abrams got the idea.

While the dynamic certainly brought some emotional depth to the characters, many longtime fans felt the romance was out of character for both. Uhura’s role in the films often revolved around managing Spock’s emotional state, arguably sidelining her as a character, while some fans argued that being in a relationship undermined Spock’s core struggle between logic and emotion — a battle that defined the character for decades. However, the Vulcan has since been portrayed in other relationships, including with Christine Chapel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and most recently with fellow officer La’An Noonien-Singh, proving a relationship isn’t necessarily off limits for the Vulcan, and can in fact add to the character.

Which Trek couple didn’t live long or prosper for you? Let us know in the comments!

The post The 5 Worst Relationships in the Star Trek Universe appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Paramount is looking to revive one of its classic franchises on the big screen. A new report has detailed where things stand regarding the studio’s movie slate following its merger with Skydance Media. Of particular interest are updates concerning valuable IP under Paramount’s roof, as the new owners look to complement successful series such as Sonic the Hedgehog and A Quiet Place with other franchise fare. And the studio is apparently looking to boldly go where they’ve gone before.

According to The Wrap, while there hasn’t been a new Star Trek film in nearly a decade, that could change in the near future: “Star Trek is the immediate priority as far as tentpole films are concerned,” said a “top talent agent” quoted in the Wrap article. It’s unknown if a new movie would also bring about a “fresh start” for Star Trek on TV, as there are multiple existing series that are still ongoing.

Prior to the release of 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, there were plans in place for a fourth installment in the Kelvin Timeline reboot that launched with J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot. However, perhaps partially due to Beyond‘s muted box office performance ($343.4 million worldwide, the lowest in the rebooted series), development on Star Trek 4 has stalled. The project has cycled through multiple filmmakers, including The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman. In 2024, The Flight Attendant co-creator Steve Yockey was brought onboard to write a Star Trek 4 script.

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While the movie lingers in development hell, the current Star Trek film cast remains committed to getting the film off the ground. Spock actor Zachary Quinto remains hopeful Star Trek 4 will eventually happen, highlighting the franchise’s ability to tell a wide variety of stories (he pointed out the original cast was making films into their 50s and 60s). In contrast, Zoe Saldana emphasized Star Trek 4 needs to happen sooner rather than later if the Kelvin Timeline cast is to return.

Though Star Trek is a top priority for Paramount’s film division, details are slim on what its approach will be. The studio could opt to hit the reset button again and go with a full reboot starring an all-new cast, creating an easy entrypoint for newcomers as the franchise gets a fresh start. Making a legacy sequel with the Kelvin Timeline ensemble is another plausible option. While the Kelvin Timeline films themselves were polarizing at times (see: Star Trek Into Darkness‘ infamous handling of Khan), most fans were in agreement that the cast was always a highlight, as the actors put their own spins on the classic characters while also honoring what came before. A compelling argument can be made that they deserve to carry another Star Trek film.

Both routes have their pros and cons. Paramount is likely hoping Star Trek can re-emerge as a viable film series, and that might be easier to accomplish with a younger, relatively unknown cast. Similar to Marvel targeting younger actors for its X-Men reboot, Paramount would be able to keep Star Trek production costs in check — which is arguably a must. The franchise never broke box office records during the Kelvin Timeline’s heyday, so there’s no guarantee a new film will be a huge draw in this new post-pandemic theatrical landscape where even Marvel movies underwhelm.

That said, recasting the Enterprise crew is a risky proposition; the fans would once again have to buy into fresh faces bringing life to beloved characters, so it might be easier to just bring the Kelvin Timeline actors back and showcase that crew in a different part of their lives. It’ll be interesting to see what happens (maybe the filmmakers will create entirely new characters for a fresh spin on the mythos) but it’s exciting to know Paramount is committed to Star Trek.

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A new documentary from OTOY and The Roddenberry Archive has been released that gives an insight into a long-forgotten Star Trek television series that many fans probably don’t even know was once in the works. The video, available to watch in full on YouTube, deals with the troubled production of Star Trek: Phase II. The series was a proposed direct follow-up to the original show, acting as a sequel with most of the familiar cast returning. The project began life after unsuccessful attempts to create a live-action film and would have acted as a flagship show on a planned Paramount Television Service.

Lost Voyages: Phase II and the Rebirth of Star Trek is a 30-minute mini-documentary that features input from many of those who were involved in the production before it was shelved, and other important Star Trek figures and archivists. This includes set designer Daren Dochterman, writer Jon Povill, and Star Trek historians Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. The group discusses the challenges the series faced and how it first emerged following two prior revival scripts written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry — The God Thing and Planet of the Titans—that went unproduced. The footage also shows digital versions of some of the sets that were designed and partly built in pre-production. 

According to the documentary, Star Trek: Phase II was cancelled due to a number of factors. Chief among them was the fact that Paramount dropped the idea for its new network and therefore didn’t need a flagship television series. Meanwhile, the success of both Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind proved that sci-fi movies could be big box office hits, leading to Star Trek being reborn with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Several key concepts and characters that were to be introduced in Phase II were subsequently repurposed for the franchise’s first feature film.

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That’s not to say that Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a walk in the park for those involved. Visual effects legend Douglas Trumbull looked back on the film in an exclusive interview with ComicBook, recalling how, by the time he finished work on the film, he was admitted to the hospital with several ulcers and was also suffering from exhaustion. 

Other Star Trek projects have also had troubled productions over the years. Most recently, there have been reports that Star Trek 4 is still stuck in development hell. The proposed new entry in the rebooted movie franchise has been in development since 2016 and has seen numerous actors, writers, and directors attached in that time, including The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ director Matt Shakman.

That Star Trek: Phase II was shelved just a month after it was officially announced means that a lot of fans of the franchise are not even aware of its existence. Even those who did know about the series were unlikely to realize just how far along production was before its cancellation. This mini-documentary is a great way to preserve a small but important part of the property’s history, as well as debunk some myths that have spread over the decades.

What do you think of the new documentary, and are you glad that it was cancelled in favor of Star Trek: The Motion Picture? Let us know in the comments!

The post Star Trek’s Forgotten Sequel Most Fans Don’t Know About Returns in New Video appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There’s no character quite like Spock. The stoical, logic-driven Vulcan First Officer of the USS Enterprise has long become the ultimate symbol of the Star Trek Universe. A mixture of intellect, compassion, and dare we say humour, Spock appeals to the misfit in all of us. Whether you first encountered him in Star Trek: The Original Series, the J.J. Abrams Kelvin Timeline films, Discovery or Strange New Worlds, Spock has been a steady presence in Trek. Of course, Leonard Nimoy’s portrayal remains the gold standard, but the role has lived on through a wide range of actors, each adding their own nuance to the character.

Over the nearly 60 years that Star Trek has graced our screens, no fewer than 14 actors have portrayed the Vulcan in some form or another (though granted some are more honorable mentions!) From reboots to fan productions and TV legends to heroes of alternate timelines, here’s every actor who has portrayed the iconic Vulcan First Officer over the decades.

1) Leonard Nimoy: Our Original Mr. Spock

Leonard Nimoy was the first — and for many, the one and only — Spock.  Making his debut in Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966, Nimoy’s performance defined not only the character, but in many ways helped shape the essence of the show. His mixture of calm rationality and poorly concealed humanity made Spock an instant favorite. Nimoy’s Spock manned the science station through three seasons, an animated series, eight feature films, and even two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Nimoy’s impact on the role was such that nearly every portrayal since has paid homage to his cadence, mannerisms and ‘fascinating’ take on the character. Nimoy’s final appearances as Spock Prime in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), were a full circle moment for fans and while Star Trek Beyond (2016) canonised Spock Prime’s death, who knows what future storylines will hold for the iconic character.

2) Zachary Quinto: The Kelvin Timeline’s Spock

Zachary Quinto had some big Vulcan boots to fill when he took on the role of Spock in J.J. Abrams’ ‘Kelvin Timeline’ reboot in 2009, which aimed to introduce the franchise to a new generation. Quinto’s Spock gave us a more emotionally volatile version of the Vulcan — one shaped by the pressures of being half-human and the personal tragedy of losing both his mother and entire home planet of Vulcan in quick succession.

His portrayal spanned three films (Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond) and while reactions were mixed at the time (especially amongst longtime fans) Quinto’s Spock has since become appreciated for blending a fresh take on the character with a true homage to the original. Quinto had the invaluable opportunity to act opposite Leonard Nimoy himself, creating a rare scenario of two versions of the same character appearing on screen and bringing together generations of fans in the process.

3) Ethan Peck: A familiar face in Strange New Worlds

Ethan Peck is the latest actor to take on the iconic role. Having first appeared as Spock in Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, in the episode “Light and Shadows,” he now portrays the fan favorite Vulcan in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, giving us a glimpse of the Prime Timeline version of the character during his younger years pre The Original Series.  Peck’s Spock is a younger, more emotionally vulnerable character, struggling to reconcile Vulcan logic with very human family and relationship drama!

Peck has brought his own take to the character by imbuing Spock’s character with subtle moments of emotional growth as we follow his journey through young adulthood. His chemistry with Captain Pike and rocky romance with Nurse Chapel adds a fresh dynamic that gives fans new insight into formative events in Spock’s life — long before he called Kirk Captain.

4) Jacob Kogan: A Young Spock in Star Trek (2009)

Before Quinto donned the ears, audiences were introduced to a young Spock in the form of Jacob Kogan in Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek. Early scenes in the film depicted Spock’s difficult childhood on Vulcan, facing bullying from classmates for his mixed heritage. Kogan’s performance was brief but powerful, especially in one memorable scene where Spock finally loses control and attacks his tormentors.

These scenes helped humanize the character’s inner identity conflict early on and set the tone for Quinto’s adult portrayal. Kogan gave viewers a rare look at Spock’s childhood and the forces that shaped his commitment to logic — and the pain that sometimes lies underneath it.

5) Liam Hughes: An Even Younger Spock in Star Trek: Discovery

The youngest actor to make our list, Liam Hughes, became the latest actor to portray a child Spock when he appeared in three episodes of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, “Brother,” “Light and Shadows” and “If Memory Serves”.

Despite his young age, Hughes’s credits already include The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Supernatural, and The Flash. He certainly brought some stellar acting to the role of Spock, underscoring the lifelong identity struggle that has defined the Vulcan. He made a lasting impression by showing just how early on the character begins to be torn by the pull between logic and emotion.

6) Todd Haberkorn: Fan-film Hero in Star Trek Continues

One of the more left-field additions to our list comes from the acclaimed fan webseries Star Trek Continues (available on YouTube). Best known for his voice acting work and English Language Dubs in anime, actor Todd Haberkorn stepped into the role of Spock for this unofficial fan project. Star Trek Continues offered an authentic continuation of The Original Series, and Haberkorn brought possibly the most faithful take on Spock, carefully mirroring Nimoy’s cadence and posture.

Fan reactions to Star Trek Continues were overwhelmingly positive, with fans praising its attention to detail and Haberkorn’s performance often cited as a standout. While not officially canon, the series and its cast captured the spirit of the original show — and for many fans, filled the void left by the original series’ abrupt end.

7) Jeffery Quinn: Spock in Star Trek: New Voyages

Star Trek: New Voyages (also known as Phase II), another acclaimed fan project, was appreciated by die hard Trekkies for its amazing production value, including extensive standing sets based on original blueprints which were eventually licensed by CBS as a ‘Studio Set Tour’ in 2016.

The series of course featured yet more actors as the iconic Vulcan. Jeffery Quinn, an actor and visual effects artist took up the role for the initial episodes of the project. Quinn also served as co-producer on the episodes in which he appeared and later went on to secure a background role as a Vulcan scientist in 2009’s Star Trek!

8)  Brandon Stacy: Another New Voyages Spock

After Jeffery Quinn stepped down from the role, another New Voyages Spock, Brandon Stacy, stepped up to the plate. Stacy actually served as Quinto’s stand in and photo double in the 2009 film and body double in Into Darkness, so it’s no wonder he proved a perfect choice to don the ears!

Under the loving care of Stacy and his co-stars, New Voyages became so successful as a fan project it even began to attract attention from Star Trek royalty, featuring guest appearances from notable veterans of the series Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Walter Konig and George Takei to name just a few over the course of its run.

9) Billy Simpson: Voice of Child Spock in The Animated Series

Billy Simpson was the first of many actors to portray the pointy-eared science officer as a child, lending his voice to the role in a memorable episode of the underrated Star Trek: The Animated Series, “Yesteryear.”

When Kirk and Spock find themselves in an alternative timeline where Spock died at age 7 whilst completing his Kahs-wan ritual, Spock must travel back in time to save his past self and set history back on track. Simpson gives a masterful performance as an adorably young-sounding Spock which provides a fantastic contrast to Nimoy’s dulcet tones and illustrates just how far the character has come, especially when we get to see a young Spock use the Vulcan nerve-pinch for the first time on some school bullies.

10) The Many Spock’s in The Search for Spock!

Few Star Trek projects can claim to have played host to as many different actors playing Spock in one sitting as the 1984 film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock! A previously presumed dead Spock is resurrected by the Genesis Device in the form of a child and undergoes a period of rapid aging to return to his previous state. A 9, 13, 17, and then 25-year-old Spock is played by Carl Steven (best known for his role as Tommy Pervis in Honey I Shrunk the Kids), Vadia Potenza, Stephen Manley, and then Joe W. Davis, respectively. 

Frank Welker, who’s many credits in voice acting include roles in the Transformers franchise, Scooby-Doo, Garfield, Curious George, Baby Kermit, and The Simpsons, provided Spock’s uncharacteristic screams in the film, meaning a total of 5 actors (not including Nimoy) contributed to this short sequence and earned their names on our list.

Which Spock is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!

The post Every Actor Who Played Spock in Star Trek (There’s More Than You Think) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Legendary sci-fi screenwriter Ronald D. Moore does not shy away from his reputation in the Star Trek fandom, even when he is credited with work he didn’t necessarily set out to do. Moore had all kinds of work to promote at San Diego Comic-Con last week, and he sat down with ComicBook for a look back at his career and from Star Trek: The Next Generation to For All Mankind. Moore’s early work fleshed out the culture and society of the Klingon race substantially, with ripple effects still impacting the franchise to this day. He told us he is grateful to be regarded as the “true father of Klingons,” and credited his colleagues at the time with setting him up for success.

“I own it with pride,” Moore said of the title. “It was happenstance, it wasn’t something I set out to do. It was an assignment to do one Klingon show with Michael Piller. The late Michael Piller asked me to do it, and then it became, ‘Well, Ron should do the next Klingon show.’ And I refer to myself as the Margaret Mead of the Klingon Empire.”

Klingons were first introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series in 1967, towards the end of the show’s first season. They were first created by writer Gene L. Coon as an unflattering foil to humanity, with all the divisive social and political practices the show was trying to avoid in Starfleet. Early stories showed Klingons to be enemies of humanity as they fought to spread their authoritarian regime through war, but in Moore’s time, they became allies of humanity and learned to co-exist.

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Moore wrote or co-wrote 27 episodes of The Next Generation, and went on to write more on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The Klingon character Worf (Michael Dorn) followed Moore from TNG to DSN one season later, allowing him to continue his exploration of Klingons with a singular perspective.

Moore left Star Trek behind a few years later, though he continued to shape the sci-fi genre with shows like Battlestar Galactica. In the meantime, Klingons have continued to develop into one of the most rich fictional cultures in speculative fiction, while Moore’s ideas have permeated the franchise through prequels and alternate timelines.

Moore was at SDCC promoting For All Mankind, his sci-fi drama that is currently approaching its fifth season on Apple TV+, with the spinoff Star City moving along as well. Those that want to revisit Moore’s older work can find all of his Star Trek episodes on Paramount+.

The post Ron Moore Reflects on Being Dubbed Star Trek’s “True Father of Klingons” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the Trek show with the most consistent hit rate. It’s also the first Trek show with multiple serialized arcs, and one of the biggest supporting casts in the franchise’s history. It was helped by the fact that it was also the first Trek show to take place on a space station; while other shows often visited stations, Deep Space Nine being set on the former Cardassian station orbiting the newly free Bajor (at the start) allowed it to focus intently on characters and their individual stories and arcs, as opposed to missions of the week. It also built upon the Cardassians and Bajorans, first established in The Next Generation, and it eventually became the showcase for a major war.

It aired 176 episodes in total, and it might actually be easier to assemble the worst 10 episodes as opposed to the best 10 episodes. Deep Space Nine quickly developed the reputation for being consistently good from week to week and season to season, and it’s kept that reputation over the years, in a franchise that can be… rocky, when it comes to quality. This list will count down the best 10 episodes of Deep Space Nine, but with the acknowledgment there’s at least 145 other episodes which are also very, very good.

10) “Little Green Men” (Season 4, Episode 8)

Every DS9 season had an episode, or episodes, dedicated to Quark, the station’s resident bartender, and the rest of his family, who were Ferengis. Ferengis, before Deep Space Nine, were entirely profit-driven and often, ruthless in their pursuit of gold-pressed latinum. Why Quark had decided to make a home and business on Deep Space Nine, back in its Terok Nor days, under Cardassian occupation, would be eventually revealed. Quark and his entire family, of course, turn out to be far more complex than the original Ferengi characterization.

“Little Green Men” is probably the most clever of his episodes; Quark, his brother Rom, and his nephew Nog get stuck back in time on Earth, roughly around the era of the Roswell incident, in 1947. Odo is also there, because he’s always in pursuit of catching Quark in the middle of a crime. What follows is a pretty funny episode, but it also allows Quark to say a lot of truth about the “hu-mans” to Nog, who is about to enroll in Starfleet Academy.

9) “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” (Season 7, Episode 4)

If you give the station commander a love of baseball in the pilot, you have to let him have his own baseball team before the series finale. Sisko’s love of baseball had been established for years when “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” helped open the final season, so it makes sense that he would use it as both a way to blow off steam during an intergalactic war, versus his longtime Vulcan rival.

DS9 always understood how best to use the holosuites on the station, with many of the holosuite-centric episodes being excellent; this is probably the best example of a how a holosuite would realistically be used in the 24th century, and it gives the series’s excellent ensemble a chance to play a comedy together. “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang” towards the end of the season also did this well. DS9 has had more “important” episodes, but when they land a comedic premise, they really land it.

8) “The Wire” (Season 2, Episode 22)

Elim Garak was one of the first of DS9‘s excellent recurring characters to appear on the show, in the first episode following the pilot, “Past Prologue.” He quickly establishes a friendship with Dr. Julian Bashir, the station’s young chief medical officer. “The Wire,” in Season 2, is only his fourth episode, but we learn a lot more about him, and it might be one of the best-acted episodes of the show, if not the franchise. Garak, Bashir quickly finds out, is a disgraced Cardassian spy, with an implant in his head, originally designed to help Garak resist torture. The implant is breaking down, and the episode traces Garak’s withdrawal from his long-time addiction, as well as Bashir’s efforts to help his friend. It’s well done, and reinforces that the Garak and Bashir relationship will be important for years to come — including in the penultimate episode of Lower Decks.

7) “Civil Defense” (Season 3, Episode 7)

In the first three seasons of DS9, there are multiple highlights; they’re probably the strongest early seasons of the shows in the franchise that went longer than three seasons. DS9 had a lot of talented writers, who were willing to take risks and bend the rules of Trek, as well as a stable of actors who did brilliant work over its seven years. “Civil Defense” taking a spot on this list, in that light, might seem surprising; it’s technically a bottle episode, in the classic sense. It takes place entirely on the station; the only one-off character in the episode is a random Cardassian character in an archival video, who could’ve been anyone. O’Brien and Jake, Commander Sisko’s son, manage to set off a Cardassian occupation-era security program during one of O’Brien’s eternal repairs of the station. What follows is darkly funny: the program keeps getting more and more severe, in part because Gul Dukat designed it, when he was in charge of the station. Eventually, he shows up, and manages to make everything even worse.

It’s an episode, on the whole, that is, again, really well done. DS9 rarely had episodes where you thought another script pass was needed, or the production values didn’t quite convince, but it also had a lot of episodes, which, due to the nature of having often unrelated A-plots and B-plots, which were half excellent and half merely okay. “Civil Defense” doesn’t have a B-plot. Characters might be separated from each other, but they’re all fighting towards the plot’s main goal: survival. It’s a tight episode, and how it’s structured feels contemporary today.

6) “Trials and Tribble-ations” (Season 5, Episode 6)

By the time Deep Space Nine hit its fifth season, it was in its stride; the Dominion War arc was really starting to spin, and the cast played well off of each other, no matter the scenario. The show got the fun task of paying tribute to The Original Series, since it was airing during its 30th anniversary. The DS9 cast gets flung back a century to save Kirk’s life during “The Trouble With Tribbles,” and special effects seamlessly put characters like Sisko and Dax on the bridge of the original Enterprise. There’s a lot of fun interactions between the past and the present; the crew here working so well in the Original Series sets and costumes really is a joy to see.

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5) “Duet” (Season 1, Episode 19)

A lot of the episodes on this list, so far, have been the funnier ones; DS9 did comedy very well, because they had a lot of clever premises to work with, and the cast didn’t tend to oversell absurdity. But what DS9 is ultimately known for is how well it handled drama, and how well it handled the grim circumstances it often placed the crew in. “Duet” is not the only good episode from the first season, but it is the one that stands out the most. While the occupation of Bajor has been acknowledged and discussed up until this point, “Duet” decides to really enforce how brutal and terrible it was, and not just for the Bajorans. Major Kira is forced to face a Cardassian with the face of a known war criminal, but it gets complicated when it seems he is not actually the war criminal. Who he actually is part of the mystery and the horror of the episode; DS9 begins its drumbeat, that it will continue until the end of the show, that war is not glorious, no matter what side you find yourself on. “Duet” is also incredibly well acted, giving Nana Visitor a chance to shine alongside veteran character actor Harris Yulin.

4) “The Visitor” (Season 4, Episode 2)

“The Visitor” is often lauded because it doesn’t necessarily feel like Trek, which is a back-handed compliment, really, and also, it isn’t true. Sisko, now a captain, disappears due to a malfunction that is ultimately best explained through technobabble. The episode is mostly told deep into a possible future, from an older Jake Sisko’s perspective, in a timeline where his father disappears and mostly stays gone. When it originally aired in the fourth season, this seemed unthinkable; watching with the hindsight of the series finale, it feels like a tragic self-fulfilling prophecy. Jake, of course, is a different person by the finale of the show; he’s still very young in the present of this episode.

This is a very good DS9 episode; it really showcases the Jake and Sisko relationship in a new light. While the show utilized the father-son dynamic well in its first two seasons, Jake was clearly growing up by Season 4, and this episode begins to show that he can be his own man. The older Jake is played by the legendary Tony Todd. The core of the episode, a son trying to save his father as the sands of time pass him by, is actually very Trek in its futility; it’s a reminder of other excellent Trek episodes, like “City of the Edge of Forever” and “The Inner Light”.

3) “It’s Only a Paper Moon” (Season 7, Episode 10)

Nog starts his journey on Deep Space Nine as a mischievous prankster, and ends it as a hardened veteran of war. Nog was an ambitious young Ferengi, who saw how his father Rom was often treated, and who hoped to become something different. He enlists in Starfleet, goes to Starfleet Academy, and serves in the Dominion War. In another excellent episode, “The Siege of AR-558” he is part of a brutal battle, where he loses his leg. “It’s Only a Paper Moon” shows him struggling not just with that, but also with the effects of PTSD. It’s also good showcase for both Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog for all seven years, and James Darren, who played the hologram nightclub crooner Vic Fontaine. It handles a difficult issue, PTSD, very well for the late 90s, and it also allows us to understand the effects of the Dominion War on the main and supporting characters.

2) “In the Pale Moonlight” (Season 6, Episode 19)

DS9 never shied away from uncomfortable moral dilemmas, and it never took to the TNG viewpoint that humanity had completely evolved morally by the 24th century. Of course, DS9 also took place during a harsh war, and TNG was created with the idea (initially) that the time of wars with Federation involvement had passed. Sisko told Q (and us) all the way back in season one that “I’m not Picard!”, and “In the Pale Moonlight” insists upon that. What Sisko does in “In the Pale Moonlight” (authorizing former spy Garak to deceive the Romulans) goes beyond legal action in a time of war, and he knows that. The episode is framed by him trying to record a captain’s log, and while he manages it, he also deletes it in the end, in one of the most powerful monologues television has seen to date.

1) “Far Beyond the Stars” (Season 6, Episode 13)

Only Deep Space Nine could’ve done an episode like “Far Beyond the Stars”: not only is Sisko the only captain it would’ve made any sense for, it also incapsulates one of the show’s key ethos perfectly. Progress is not perfect, not quick and efficient, and is anything but linear. Deep Space Nine made that point frequently, and as much as some people might feel it flies in the face of Star Trek, it really doesn’t. If anything, it’s in line with both The Original Series and their films, where we don’t see peace with the Klingon Empire until the final movie with the original cast (and even that peace isn’t perfect).

Deep Space Nine takes the opportunity to let Avery Brooks do career-best work (and he directs the episode too), as a version of Sisko, “Benny Russell” lives life in mid-20th century New York City. The episode has a fair amount of ambiguity throughout: is any of this real, or is this just the Prophets reminding Sisko of Earth and humanity’s not so distant past, full of racial strife? It’s a meta moment for the show, too. There is a point of “look how far we could go,” not, “look how far we’ve come.” Avery Brooks, a Black actor, was the lead of a major spin-off in a science-fiction franchise; at the time, in the ’90s, this felt unusual. While things have definitely gotten better in the last thirty years, watching “Far Beyond the Stars” is still a call for more agency for creators from all backgrounds.

All of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is available to stream for free on PlutoTV, and it’s also available on Paramount+. What would be your picks for the top 10 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine? Let us know in the comments below!

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A new episode of Star Trek has just answered a lingering mystery about Starfleet’s most famous ship that’s persisted since the days of Captain Kirk. The latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has addressed the mystery, giving fans a definitive canonical answer to one of the most famous bits of Starfleet technology, and a hole in older Enterprise lore.

Since the holodeck was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, fans have wondered why it didn’t exist aboard Kirk’s Enterprise in The Original Series. The question has been lingering for decades, with confusion only growing thanks to conflicting details in subsequent spinoffs. Star Trek: The Animated Series depicted the tech fitted to the early Enterprise, and in Discovery, the holodeck was shown to exist before Kirk’s era. However, at long last, we have an answer.

Strange New Worlds, Season 3, episode 4, directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Dana Horgan and Kathryn Lyn, titled “A Space Adventure Hour,” offers up an explanation for the holodeck’s absence in the TOS era. The episode introduces the tech for the first time in the series and creates a story around a test run of the “recreation room” aboard the Enterprise. It even gives us the fallout, filling a big gap in the timeline while delivering a wonderful genre-bending episode that ties the retcon elegantly into deep space innovation.

Star Trek Finally Answers A Decades-Old Mystery

In “A Space Adventure Hour,” the Enterprise is selected to test an early prototype of the holodeck or “recreation room.” Starfleet has high hopes for the technology as a possible solution for the mental fatigue experienced during long-term space missions. The hope is that with access to immersive recreation, starships could extend missions well beyond the traditional five-year limit. Captain Pike, played by Anson Mount, approves the test, and Lieutenant La’An Noonien-Singh, played by Christina Chong, volunteers to be the first to use the system.

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La’An chooses a simulation based on a 20th-century Earth murder mystery due to her childhood obsession with detective novels. However, once inside, she becomes trapped and isolated from the rest of the crew. When the holodeck begins consuming an alarming amount of the Enterprise‘s power and resources, the ship’s safety protocols are compromised. The holodeck, still in its infancy, was never designed with the safeguards required for live deployment. Trapped inside the simulation, La’An must solve the mystery and deactivate the holodeck before the ship is destroyed by a nearby star. 

While La’An works to find a way out, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn) analyzes the power drain and formulates a possible fix. He proposes giving the holodeck its own dedicated power source and a separate processing system. This would prevent the technology from disrupting vital ship functions. His idea reflects the design used in later ships like the Enterprise-D, where the holodeck operates independently from the main systems. Scott’s proposed solution is sound and would likely solve the problem, but the Federation isn’t ready to invest in reengineering ships for a piece of recreational tech.

Pike hears Scott out but ultimately rejects his suggestion, and in his eyes, the holodeck poses too many risks in its current state. Given that the Enterprise is a space exploration vessel, basic functionality obviously takes precedence over experimental leisure activities. Pike understands the potential value of the holodeck but places crew safety above everything else. His decision closes the book on the holodeck for the era when Starfleet backs out of integrating it.

Given that SNW directly precedes The Original Series, Pike’s decision becomes key to understanding why Kirk’s Enterprise never had a holodeck. The tech did exist at that time; it was tested, found to be dangerous, and voluntarily set aside. This now crucial episode of Strange New Worlds shows the consequences in action and lets the outcome speak for itself in a way that feels plausible. The failure of the holodeck is covered, and the logic of the timeline finally aligns.

Strange New Worlds Honors and Adds to Star Trek Canon

One reason Star Trek has endured for nearly sixty years is because the universe feels so expertly mapped out. Yet for all its meticulous world-building, the franchise also has its share of inconsistencies, an inevitable byproduct of storytelling that spans centuries of fictional time and decades of real-world production. It’s a bold move to retroactively tie up a major loose thread, but when executed well, it strengthens the logic of the entire Trek canon. 

In the years since TNG, the holodeck has become central to the identity of Star Trek in the modern era. From Captain Picard fencing in TNG to The Doctor gaining sentience in Voyager, it’s been the rec room for some of the franchise’s most memorable episodes. The concept turned the ship into a stage for any genre. It allowed Trek to stretch its boundaries, to be noir, or Shakespearean, or surreal, while still remaining grounded in its own reality. For many longtime fans, the idea that this essential piece of tech had no place aboard the original Enterprise created a fracture in the internal logic of the world.

Trek has weathered similar inconsistencies before. The disappearance of the Eugenics Wars from 1990s history, the shifting backstory of the Klingon forehead ridges, and the varying warp scale calibrations across series are all examples of canon drift. In some cases, the writers have left these contradictions alone, trusting the audience to accept them as artifacts of serialized storytelling. But other times, a little retcon has gone a long way.

This kind of attention to detail is essential within Trekkie culture. So much so that Trek writers’ rooms are often staffed with actual Trekkies. Many of these writers understand how a passing mention of a piece of tech in The Animated Series can have ripple effects, and they see the canon as something to be upheld. Nearly sixty years after TOS, it’s certainly not an easy task, but we’re thankful to the creators who know their lore and take it seriously.

You can stream Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+. Let us know what Trek mysteries you still want solved in the comments.

The post Star Trek Finally Answers A Decades-Old Mystery appeared first on ComicBook.com.

He was, in every sense of the word, originally padding for a pilot that needed to be longer. The god-like character of Q, as originated by John de Lancie in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s pilot “Encounter at Farpoint,” mainly existed because the episode was twice as long as most TV episodes were at the time: an hour and a half as opposed to the usual 45 minutes. What might have been a one and done, a metaphysical oddity in a franchise full of them became a recurring role for de Lancie, and a way for Gene Roddenberry and many other science fiction writers to explore the nature of omniscience — or the way us puny linear mortals think of it.

Q has since shown up in nearly every Trek property since; he’s never appeared in the movies, and he never showed up in Enterprise, but his people, the Continuum, have been referenced in Discovery, and de Lancie recently had a cameo (as Q) in a Strange New Worlds episode. Q and the Continuum, a race of aliens (possibly) with god-like powers, operated strictly as a dull bureaucracy. Q often upheld the rules of that bureaucracy while causing chaos wherever else he could, particularly in the life of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Q offers a consistency in a franchise that doesn’t always have that; here are all of the “Q”s in Trek so far.

1) Q (The Original)

John de Lancie’s Q is, of course, the most well known Q. He might be the leader of the Q Continuum, or he might just be a higher up, but he’s clearly important. He also has some degree of free will, which he exercises to drive Picard, Benjamin Sisko, and Kathryn Janeway absolutely crazy. He only ever meets Sisko once (where Sisko notably punches him), but he would become a reliable figure on Janeway’s Voyager. de Lancie has also appeared in animated form on Lower Decks, and in Picard as a somehow older but not wiser Q. de Lancie appeared in the Strange New Worlds episode “Wedding Bell Blues,” where he voices that show’s iteration of the trickster Trelane’s father. (More on that later.)

2) Quinn

Quinn’s introduction on the second season of Voyager was the introduction of the idea that beings with godlike powers get bored — so bored, in fact, that merely messing with the heads of dedicated Starfleet officers isn’t nearly enough fun. Quinn is seen as suicidal by the Continuum, because he’d rather not be immortal, and they refuse to remove his immortality, so he keeps trying to remove himself from existence instead. Quinn briefly does get to be a mortal, thanks to the Voyager crew’s interference, but it’s not enough — he won’t ever fit in, so he kills himself, becomes a martyr for other Q, and sets off a civil war inside of the Continuum itself.

3) Lady Q

Lady Q appeared in the season 3 episode “The Q and the Grey,” which introduced the idea of the Q having civil wars, largely due to the above Quinn’s desire to cast off the bonds of godhood and immortality. She’s mostly a device, in the end de Lancie’s Q wants to have a child, but she’s not thrilled about the idea; so he tries to get Janeway to have one with him instead. Ultimately, Lady Q does agree to make another Q with Q the First, and we meet their offspring, Q Junior, later.

4) Trelane

Trelane is technically the first Q we ever meet; while it was long a sort of a sub-canon that Trelane, who pre-exists Q on a meta level, was a Q, Strange New Worlds decided to make that proper canon. de Lancie voices an unnamed Q as Trelane’s father in the episode, which calls back to when Trelane’s father similarly interferes in his Original Series appearance. Whether Trelane is a full Q is unknown; he’s definitely an offspring of Q, but Q has implied he can have offspring with mortals, as he propositioned Janeway in the same Voyager episode with Lady Q. Whether The Original Series trickster is a full Q or not, he certainly has his father’s more devilish streak.

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5) Amanda Rogers

Amanda Rogers’s parents are not the Q, but they are members of the Continuum who decided to try being human long before Quinn asked for it. She’s conceived and raised as a human on Earth, before the Continuum kill her parents off for rebelling, but she still doesn’t know of her true nature, so she’s raised as a normal human by adoptive parents. Her powers start flourishing when she begins serving on the Enterprise-D, so in a season six TNG episode, “True Q,” Q is sent to test her, and ultimately, welcome her back into the fold. She was the first introduction of a Q ‘child,’ so to speak, bringing into the ageless and timeless Continuum the idea there could, in fact, be ages.

6) Q Junior

The final Q, of course, is Q Junior, the offspring of Q and Lady Q; he appears in the Voyager episode “Q2” as a disappointment to Q, who drops him off on Voyager in the hopes that the crew will teach his son something worthwhile. Q Junior is ultimately helpful, but the Q Continuum is less impressed and nearly threaten to blot him out, until Q decides he will actually look after his son for the rest of existence. Who knows if that actually does stick, but it’s a nice thought.

Addendum: Q2

Q2 as a character feels like an oddity if only because he’s the first Q other than de Lancie Q to actually make an appearance. In the TNG episode “Deja Q,” we get the first understanding that while de Lancie’s Q is mostly respected, he’s also kind of a pain to his own people. Q2, played by an uncredited Corbin Bernsen, is tasked with stripping Q of his powers for an episode. He reinstates them in the end. He’s an oddity in this line of Qs; he seems to be higher up in the Continuum hierarchy than de Lancie’s Q is, and he’s not directly related to him, or adopted by him in any way. He also never appears again, and he is never referenced again, even when the Continuum goes through its civil war.

In a way, the Q are a perfect representation of the fluid nature of canon in Star Trek as a whole; the truth of them exists on many different levels, and they seem to duck in and out wherever the writers deem them relevant. de Lancie’s Q is arguably still the one who entertains the most, although Trelane, with the new portrayal by Rhys Darby, has always been beloved, too. Discovery, the series that takes place furthest in Trek’s future, decided the Q stopped interacting with humans around the 26th century; one wonders if the why of that will ever be answered.

The post Star Trek: Every Q In The Franchise appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Trek: The Next Generation took time to find its footing, but by the end of its seven-season run, it had become a thoughtful and emotionally resonant entry in the franchise with its own unique voice. The adventures of Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D expanded the Star Trek universe beyond its borders, delivering stories that remain just as powerful today as when they first aired.

These episodes, whether philosophical showdowns or heartbreaking character pieces, represent the strongest writing, direction, and performances the series ever achieved. Whether you’re revisiting the show or watching for the first time, these ten episodes are essential TNG; each an example of why the series still holds such a firm place in pop culture.

10) “Tapestry”

When Captain Picard dies suddenly after a routine mission goes sideways, he finds himself in a surreal afterlife with Q (John de Lancie), who offers him a second chance to relive a key moment from his reckless youth. What follows is a blend of alternate history and self-reflection, anchored by two of the show’s most iconic performances.

Season 6’s “Tapestry” was written by Ronald D. Moore and has fun with Picard’s Academy days while landing a lasting blow with its message: we are the sum of our regrets. Director Les Landau’s careful pacing and Stewart’s layered performance make “Tapestry” one of the most personal and surprising hours of the series.

9) “The Offspring”

Data (Brent Spiner) builds an android daughter named Lal, but what begins as a hopeful experiment in parenting quickly becomes a heartbreaking examination of rights and autonomy. The Enterprise crew tries to protect Lal, but Starfleet bureaucracy has other plans.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes (who plays Commander Riker), this Season 3 gem was written by René Echevarria and still resonates today for its nuanced exploration of artificial intelligence, family, and institutional control, all while maintaining its emotional core. It’s easily one of Spiner’s best performances in the series. Lal’s final line, “I love you, father,” remains one of the show’s most emotionally devastating moments.

8) “I, Borg”

The Borg return in this iconic episode, but this time not as a threat. When the crew discovers a young, injured drone cut off from the Collective, the question becomes: Can you weaponize someone who’s becoming self-aware? Or should you?

Season 5’s “I, Borg,” also penned by Echevarria, flips the script on one of TNG’s most terrifying enemies. Hugh’s introduction doesn’t just humanize the Borg; it forces the crew, particularly Picard, to confront what vengeance looks like. The episode marked a turning point in how Trek portrayed its villains, opening the door for more nuanced interpretations in Voyager and beyond.

7) “The Drumhead”

What begins as an investigation into a systems failure spirals into a full-blown inquisition in this Season 4 episode written by Jeri Taylor and directed by Frakes. Admiral Satie, played with chilling confidence by Jean Simmons, descends upon the Enterprise looking for enemies, real or imagined. Picard is forced to take a stand for due process and reason.

It’s a standout, and one of the tightest scripts the show ever produced, proving that Trek doesn’t need space anomalies to be compelling. It’s about fear, politics, and how easily liberty can erode under the guise of security. According to fans, the episode’s famous quote: “With the first link, the chain is forged,” has supposedly even been cited in real-world legal arguments.

6) “Chain of Command” (Parts 1 & 2)

Written by Frank Abatemarco for Season 6, this two-parter features Picard being captured and tortured by the Cardassians. Meanwhile, Ronny Cox’s Captain Jellico temporarily takes over the Enterprise and immediately butts heads with the crew. It’s two stories—one physical, one psychological—and both are relentless.

“Chain of Command” delivers one of the most intense, performance-driven arcs in the series. Stewart’s “there are four lights” breakdown is unforgettable, but the political subplot with Jellico adds an extra layer of tension. The minimal sets in Picard’s scenes create a strangely claustrophobic psychological warfare. Notably, this is the only TNG episode where Troi (Marina Sirtis) is seen in a regulation Starfleet uniform.

5) “Darmok”

In this Season 5 episode, Captain Picard is abducted and stranded on a remote planet by the Tamarian people, an alien species whose language is built entirely from metaphor. The universal translator can convert their words, but not their meaning. To communicate, the Tamarian captain, Dathon (Paul Winfield), references mythic stories like “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra,” hoping shared struggle will forge understanding.

Written by Joe Menosky, “Darmok” is a high-concept episode that has long been a favorite among Trekkies. It’s frustrating and poetic in equal measure, asking the audience to sit with confusion and trust in empathy. The payoff is worth it, and it’s one of the most cited examples of Trek’s commitment to communication over conflict. The alien phrases like “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” became instant classics and a fan shorthand for misunderstood unity.

4) “All Good Things…”

In the series finale, Picard finds himself unstuck in time, jumping between three distinct points in his life: the days before the Enterprise-D’s first mission, the present, and a speculative future where the crew has scattered and Starfleet is a memory. The mysterious force behind it all is none other than Q (John de Lancie), who returns to deliver the bombshell that the trial of humanity, which began in the series premiere, never truly ended. As Picard wrestles with his own perceptions and choices, he begins to realize that his actions in all three timelines are interconnected, and that a wrong move could lead to the destruction of all life in the galaxy.

Written by Moore and Brannon Braga, “All Good Things…” caps off Season 7 and the series as a whole with an ambitious and beautifully executed bookend. It’s a rare finale that feels like a reward for longtime viewers while staying true to its characters. The future timeline offers glimpses of what could be, and the finale’s message, that exploration of the self is just as vital as exploration of space, feels like the final thesis of TNG.

3) “The Inner Light”

Captain Picard collapses after being struck by a probe from an unknown alien vessel, and wakes up in another man’s life. On the surface, he’s Kamin, a scientist on the dying planet Kataan. Days turn to years as he slowly accepts this new reality, raising a family, playing music, and watching the slow march of ecological collapse. Meanwhile, just minutes pass aboard the Enterprise.

Written by Morgan Gendel (with teleplay by Gendel and Peter Allan Fields) in Season 5, “The Inner Light” offers one of the most mind-bending premises in all of Star Trek. However, the episode is also emotionally charged, exploring themes of mortality, legacy, and the fragility of memory, anchored by a career-defining performance from Stewart. The Ressikan flute melody Picard learns became a symbol of the life he lost and carries with him forever. Its place in the top three is earned by how it expands the idea of exploration beyond ships and stars, diving instead into the depths of personal identity. 

2) “The Best of Both Worlds” (Parts 1 & 2)

The Borg arrive, and nothing is the same after. In this two-parter that bridges the end of Season 3 and the start of Season 4, the stakes skyrocket when Picard is captured and assimilated into the Borg Collective, emerging as Locutus. Frakes’ Commander Riker is left in command, facing an impossible moral crisis. The Season 3 finale ends on a legendary cliffhanger, with the Enterprise preparing to fire on their own captain.

Written by Michael Piller, “The Best of Both Worlds” not only raised the bar for TNG, it redefined what serialized storytelling on TV could look like. It marked a tonal shift for the series and featured the Borg as a terrifying, existential threat. The trauma of Picard’s assimilation would echo for the rest of the series and even into Picard decades later. Both the sheer narrative power and its long-lasting influence on Star Trek have earned the two-parter a top spot.

1) “Yesterday’s Enterprise”

Written by Trent Christopher Ganino and Eric A. Stillwell (with a teleplay by Ira Steven Behr, Richard Manning, Hans Beimler, and Ronald Moore), the best episode of TNG is actually a Season 3 standout. A rift in spacetime pulls the Enterprise-C into the 24th century, altering the timeline so that the Federation is at war with the Klingons, and Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby), long dead in the prime timeline, is still alive. The crew of the Enterprise-D senses something is wrong, especially Whoopi Goldberg’s Guinan, who knows in her bones that history has changed. The only way to restore the timeline is to send the Enterprise-C back to certain doom, reigniting a sacrifice that once ensured peace.

The juggernaut episode combines gripping war drama with a heady moral dilemma that strikes at the heart of Trek. It deepens TNG’s lore, redeems Tasha Yar’s arc, and gives one of the best alternate timeline stories in the franchise. “Yesterday’s Enterprise” earns the top spot for how expertly it gives us a little of everything we want, blending action, character, and philosophy, while showing just how much history can hinge on one selfless act.

All seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation are streaming now on Paramount+.

What’s your pick for the best episode? Let us know in the comments!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds still has three more seasons to air before its planned ending, but executive producers are already teasing a possible sequel series. The show is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, following the adventures of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) in the years immediately prior to James T. Kirk (Paul T. Wesley) taking over. However, TOS did not actually start with Kirk assuming command of the Enterprise — it picked up about two years into the vessel’s five-year exploratory mission. With that in mind, showrunners say they would love to continue their story with what they’re calling Star Trek: Year One, but they need fans’ support.

Showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers broached the idea of Star Trek: Year One on Saturday during the show’s panel in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, along with EP Alex Kurtzman. The long-awaited third season of Strange new Worlds premiered this month and continues into September, while Season 4 recently wrapped filming. Paramount has announced an order for Season 5 as well, but it will be shorter with only six episodes, and it will be the end of the series.

Goldsman, Myers, and Kurtzman acknowledged that they have a long way to go before their series is over, and they “gotta stick the landing,” but with the finish line in sight, they can’t help but begin to speculate about the possibility for a few more seasons under Captain Kirk. They told attendees of their panel to consider a letter-writing campaign to let Paramount know that they are enthusiastic about a successor series. Later, they spoke about it at greater length with Entertainment Weekly.

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“Nothing would make us happier than to be able to continue telling the stories of how Pike’s crew transitions to Kirk’s crew and how Kirk’s crew sets off,” Myers said. “Obviously, when we come into TOS it’s not the first day of the job… Fundamentally, there are relationships that already exist. How did they happen? And, obviously, we have the opportunity for Sulu, and we have the opportunity for McCoy in a longer life, and opportunity for Chekov. So it would be awesome to be able to continue.”

Strange New Worlds shares many familiar characters with TOS, as some crew members had long tenures on the Enterprise already. Others won’t be on the vessel for Kirk’s mission, but Myers said that doesn’t mean a new show couldn’t follow their stories. He said that he and his colleagues haven’t had “concrete discussions” about a possible sequel yet, but it sounds like they have several ideas to start with.

Of course, the looming question mark for this and all Paramount productions is the company’s impending merger with Skydance. Myers said that enthusiastic, outspoken interest from the cast, crew, and fans is the best hope for making this long-shot a reality. “We dream it loudly,” he said. “We like to say vocally that, ‘Hey, we have all of these really great sets. You guys own them. You make money off them.'”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 is already underway, with three episodes streaming on Paramount+. New episodes premiere on Thursdays through September 11th. Season 4 has wrapped filming and is expected to premiere in 2026.

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Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Original Series ran for only three seasons from 1966 to 1969, but it launched a decades-long franchise and changed science fiction forever. Introducing a blend of optimism, diversity, and real-world commentary via space adventures, TOS set the stage for every Star Trek title that followed. Iconic imagery like Captain Kirk’s gold tunic, Spock’s eyebrows, and the Vulcan salute are forever embedded in the cultural lexicon. Even its mid-century modern aesthetic has survived in the still-thriving franchise. 

However, some TOS episodes are better than others, with some leaning into action, others focusing on philosophy or tragedy, and a few that got famously weird. The best episodes consistently struck a balance between strong character development, sharp writing, and memorable moments that fans still think about decades later. Here are the 10 best episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series. 

10) “Space Seed”

First aired late in Season 1, “Space Seed” introduces Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically engineered tyrant from Earth’s past, who is found in stasis and quickly tries to take over the Enterprise. Ricardo Montalbán’s Khan is raw, charismatic, and dangerous, and the chemistry between Khan, Kirk (William Shatner), and Lt. Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue) is excellent across the board.

This episode, written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels, has aged remarkably well due to the enduring relevance of its themes. Khan is intelligent, persuasive, ruthless, and the exact kind of leader who seduces people into giving up freedom for strength. Even if Wrath of Khan never existed, this episode would still stand on its own. That it launched Trek’s best movie villain is just the icing on the cake.

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9) “Mirror, Mirror”

Written by Jerome Bixby and directed by Daniels, Season 2’s “Mirror, Mirror” follows Kirk, Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Scotty (James Doohan), and McCoy (DeForest Kelley) as they’re accidentally transported to a parallel universe where Starfleet is a brutal empire. The evil versions of their crewmates are violent and power-hungry, and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock wears a goatee.

Beyond the extremely fun concept, the story explores how ideology shapes behavior. Even though it’s an alternate universe, the characters feel wonderfully grounded in the sharp performances. The episode introduced the concept of the Mirror Universe, which would later appear in multiple Trek shows, but the original remains the most effective… and the most entertaining.

8) “The Corbomite Maneuver”

Another Season 1 episode stands as one of the first true tests of Kirk’s leadership. When the Enterprise is threatened by a massive alien ship, Kirk bluffs that their vessel contains “corbomite,” a substance that will destroy any attacker. The episode, written by Jerry Sohl, builds tension slowly, almost in real-time, highlighting the characters’ palpable nerves and the fraught decision-making process that became a signature of the franchise.

What remains effective is how much it reveals about Federation values. Instead of meeting power with violence, Kirk uses logic and imagination to escape. It’s a quiet, cerebral hour of TV that sets the tone for everything Trek would become.

7) “The Doomsday Machine”

In contrast to #8, this episode from Season 2, written by science fiction author Norman Spinrad, is all action. A massive, automated planet-killer is tearing through the galaxy, and Kirk must stop it while simultaneously navigating a situation with Commodore Decker (William Windom), a fellow Starfleet officer shattered by grief.

The episode mixes space combat with psychological drama, and it’s widely heralded as one of the best, thanks to a strong script and a memorable guest performance by Windom. The themes of trauma, obsession, and self-sacrifice give it weight. It’s also one of the rare TOS episodes that feels like it could have been adapted into a blockbuster.

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6) “Journey to Babel”

D.C. Fontana wrote this rich, character-driven episode, which sits smack in the middle of Season 2. In “Journey to Babel,” the Enterprise is hosting a diplomatic mission when things spiral into sabotage, murder, and political intrigue. It also introduces Spock’s parents, Sarek and Amanda, played by Mark Lenard and Jane Wyatt, and puts Spock in a position where he must choose between his duty and saving his father’s life.

What’s so great about the episode is how much it deepens the show’s universe without losing its pacing. You get worldbuilding, emotion, backstory, and action in equal measure. The family dynamics still resonate today, and they helped widen our understanding of one of the Franchise’s most beloved characters.

5) “Amok Time”

Season 2 kicked off with another landmark Spock episode, written by acclaimed sci-fi author Theodore Sturgeon. The episode starts with Spock acting erratically, then he asks to return to Vulcan, where he must face a ritual mating ceremony… or die. Kirk gets dragged into it and ends up fighting his best friend to the death.

This was the first time Trek explored Vulcan culture with any real confidence. The story is dramatic, strange, and somehow both a little funny and downright gut-wrenching. The fight music became iconic, and the emotional payoff — the moment when Spock realizes Kirk is alive — is still one of the most genuine moments in the series.

4) “Balance of Terror”

Written by Paul Schneider for Season 1, “Balance of Terror” plays like a submarine movie in space. The Enterprise must track a cloaked Romulan ship that has been testing the boundaries of the Neutral Zone. As Kirk and the Romulan commander (Lenard) engage in a cat-and-mouse game, tensions rise, and so does bigotry among the crew, as some distrust Spock simply for looking Romulan.

This episode is strong for two reasons: one, it showcases some of the show’s best tactical thinking. Kirk is still a bold explorer here, but he’s also a wartime commander, weighing lives with every move and forced into a pressure cooker of impossible decision-making. Two, the episode’s poignant social commentary on discrimination and prejudice remains as resonant as ever. The writing is tight, the drama is grounded, and the Romulans are instantly compelling villains. “Balance of Terror” is one that appears on the all-time favorites list of most Trekkies. 

3) “The Menagerie, Parts I & II”

Sure, we’re cheating a little bit here, but Roddenberry cleverly repurposed the unused pilot (“The Cage”) in this two-part Season 1 story, which he also wrote. The mini-saga follows Spock as he risks everything to bring his former captain, Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter in archival footage, Sean Kenney as the disabled Pike), to the forbidden planet Talos IV, where Pike can live in peace under the care of the telepathic Talosians.

Spock’s loyalty and the way the story explores the line between duty and compassion make this episode extremely compelling, and earn it a spot in the top three. We also get a rare early glimpse of Starfleet’s legal proceedings, along with fantastic emotional payoffs that reframe Spock as a deeply principled figure. It’s one of the boldest narrative experiments in TOS, and it sticks the landing as one of the best in the series. 

2) “The Devil in the Dark”

This standout from late Season 1 features Miners being killed by what they believe is a deadly, brute monster. However, Spock discovers that the creature, the Horta, is an intelligent being that is trying to protect its eggs. His mind-meld with the beast reveals its inner complexity, sentience, and pain, changing the crew’s entire understanding of the conflict and posing one of TOS’s most powerful moral dilemmas. 

The rubber-suit creature might feel a little dated to a modern audience, but the message couldn’t be more timeless. It’s an episode about empathy, misunderstanding, and how fear often drives violence. “The Devil in the Dark” encapsulates the kind of morally aware future Roddenberry was pointing optimistically towards. The writing by Coon and performances from Nimoy and Ken Lynch as Chief Engineer Vanderberg brilliantly subvert the tropes of a classic monster story, turning it into a plea for compassion, and making it one of the most memorable and meaningful episodes of the series.

1) “The City on the Edge of Forever”

Written by Harlan Ellison (and heavily rewritten by staff writers), this Season 1 finale is often considered a masterpiece, and the best Star Trek episode ever made, even beyond TOS. After a time-travel accident, Kirk and Spock end up in 1930s New York. There, Kirk falls in love with Joan Collins’ Edith Keeler, a woman whose survival would lead to a Nazi victory in World War II. Posing the ultimate ethical dilemma: in order to restore history, he must let her die.

The moral and emotional stakes are devastating. It’s at once a love story, a time-travel paradox, and a meditation on personal sacrifice and the greater good. Shatner’s performance is one of his best, and the episode’s final moments are still haunting. “The City on the Edge of Forever” isn’t just a great Star Trek story—it’s perhaps one of the best hours of science fiction ever aired on television.

The remastered Star Trek: The Original Series is streaming on Paramount+. What’s your personal pick for the best TOS episode? Leave us a comment!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds just teased its fourth season in one of the most unexpected, imaginative ways possible. During Star Trek‘s universe Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic Con, Paramount+ not only confirmed that Season 4 of Strange New Worlds has finished shooting, but also reiterated that the series has been renewed for a fifth and final season. And as part of the next run of episodes – which are expected to drop in 2026 – Star Trek is going to a strange new world even the boldest sci-fi show of all time has never visited.

Paramount revealed at Comic-Con that a puppet-themed episode will be released as part of Strange New Worlds Season 4, and revealed a preview of Captain Pike (Anson Mount) as a puppet thanks to the talented folks at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. In the preview, puppet Pike searches for the rest of his crew and concludes they left him on the U.S.S. Enterprise for the new season.

On the stage at Hall H, producer Akiva Goldsman set up the episode: “There might have been an unexpected and terrible transporter accident. Which might have had some unexpected felt-like effects.” And we should have known it was coming. Back in 2024, Goldsman dropped a major hint to Variety, when asked if there was any genre Strange New Worlds couldn’t cope with: “As long as we’re in storytelling that is cogent and sure-handed, I’m not sure there is. Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!”

This is obviously not the first time the Star Trek series has played with different genres and formats on the show. In Season 2, Strange New Worlds did a musical episode titled “Subspace Rhapsody“, in which the crew enters a mysterious “subspace fold” that in turn causes the crew to sing about their feelings as if they were Broadway stars. Tom Polce and Kay Hanley of the alternative rock band Letter to Cleo penned the original music for the episode, and though it was certainly an unconventional Star Trek story, “Subspace Rhapsody” was generally positively received.

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While an entirely puppet-themed episode of Strange New Worlds is a similar gamble, like with “Subspace Rhapsody”, the series’s executive producers and showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have enlisted the best in the business to pull it off. In addition to the iconic Jim Henson’s Creature Shop transforming the U.S.S. Enterprise crew into puppets, the episode will be helmed by director Jordan Canning, who’s directed several episodes of AppleTV+’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock series.

Star Trek Surprised Hall H Attendees with Advanced Screening

While we’ll have to wait until next season for Strange New Worlds’s all-puppet episode, Star Trek surprised its Hall H audience with a surprise advanced screening of this season’s latest episode “A Space Adventure Hour”, several days ahead of its streaming debut on July 31. Though it doesn’t goes as far to bring in musical numbers or puppets, “A Space Adventure Hour” also plays with genre. The episode, which was directed by Jonathan Frakes, is a murder mystery. Its official description is as follows “When La’An (Christina Chong) tests a prototype holodeck with a fictional case only she can solve, the consequences of failure get greater and greater, with the Enterprise hanging in the balance.”

Though the rest of us will have to wait until Thursday to watch “A Space Adventure Hour”, Paramount+ did reveal that they’re making the episode completely free to stream across the internet. From Thursday, July 31 through Wednesday, August 6th, “A Space Adventure Hour” will be free to watch Pluto TV, Paramount+ channels on Amazon, Apple and Roku, the Free Content Hub on Paramount+, and the Paramount+ YouTube channel.

Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered on July 17th, and is currently streaming on Paramount+ with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays until its finale on September 11th.

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For almost all the six decades that Star Trek has boldly gone, Klingons have persisted as one of the sci-fi franchise’s most enduring icons. First introduced in The Original Series their presence stretches right through to Strange New Worlds, with some fairly significant – and often controversial – changes along the way. In that time, the ridge-headed aliens have evolved from Cold War allegories to richly developed warriors with far more dimensions. They’ve also been a vital part of the evolving canon of Star Trek, and will continue to be as part of the new 32nd century-set Star Trek show Starfleet Academy. Not only are Klingons back, they’re changing again.

Ahead of Star Trek’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Entertainment Weekly unveiled the first look at Starfleet Academy, set 800 years after The Next Generation. Among the preview images are several obviously Klingon-like characters, including Karim Diané’s cadet, who has a more typical design than we initially saw in Star Trek: Discovery, and Paul Giamatti’s so-far-unnamed villain. His hybrid status is so far not confirmed, but Alex Kurtzman, series co-creator, has confirmed that “Klingon hybrid species” will be central to the new story. Hybridization is nothing new in Trek, of course. From Spock (half-human, half-Vulcan) to B’Elanna Torres (Klingon-human), to Worf and K’Ehleyr’s son Alexander, hybrids have long reflected Trek’s deeper themes of identity and duality. But one new confirmed character takes this idea into unprecedented territory.

A Female Klingon-Jem’Hadar Hybrid Raises Big Questions About Star Trek Canon

Among the first-look images, Gina Yashere’s Starfleet instructor appears. She’s a new take on Deep Space Nine’s Jem’Hadar, but intriguingly is also confirmed to be half Klingon. The visual clues were there in her forehead ridges, which differ somewhat from the usual Jem’Hadar features (which is not exactly a new thing for the timeline created by Discovery). The even bigger, but far more subtle flag to her mixed genetics is her uniform, which appears to be a custom Starfleet tunic that also includes a pattern repeating the Klingon emblem. Now that Paramount have confirmed the character details, that looks like a clever little touch.

Yashere’s character is now confirmed as Commander Lura Thok, a Klingon/Jem’Hadar who is the chancellor’s First Officer and Cadet Master. An interesting role for someone of her background, but this wouldn’t be the first time Star Trek played with the idea of genetic determinism. That means somewhere along the Star Trek timeline, a Klingon and a Jem’Hadar produced offspring, creating what could be one of the most terrifying warrior races in Star Trek lore. But that’s almost not the most important thing here.

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The confirmation makes Yashere’s character the first female Jem’Hadar depicted on-screen. And that detail alone upends thirty years of Star Trek lore, because the Jem’Hadar, created by the Dominion Founders, engineered in birthing chambers for war: they were designed to be loyal, drug-dependent, and, crucially here, entirely male. It’s never been suggested they could reproduce naturally, nor that any female Jem’Hadar exist, which makes the idea of a Klingon-Jem’Hadar hybrid not just unusual, but almost impossible without a change to canon. So how did this character come to be?

There are several possibilities, each with pretty sizeable implications. If Yashere’s character was genetically engineered, it could mean that the Jem’Hadar design has evolved (or been repurposed) in the centuries since the Dominion War, which is entirely possible, of course. Alternatively, if she was born naturally from Klingon and Jem’Hadar parents, that would imply a level of biological compatibility and… let’s call it procreative ability never before seen from the Dominion’s soldiers. Either way, it would mean Starfleet Academy is rewriting Jem’Hadar history and possibly biology.

And then there’s the gender question. A female Jem’Hadar breaks from the species’ original function as an all-male, controlled fighting force. Are we seeing a sign of liberation from the Founders’ influence? Or is this character the result of 32nd-century genetic experimentation herself, or a complete accident of biology and forbidden love? Presumably, a natural pregnancy would require the equipment to procreate, and so far there’s nothing in Star Trek canon (but probably a lot in the less conventional side of fan fiction) to suggest Jem’Hadar were bred to be anything other than Action Man smooth.

Kurtzman has already hinted that these hybrids are more than window dressing. If Yashere’s character and Giamatti’s villain are both part Klingon – or potentially something else entirely – it suggests that identity, heritage, and the fusion of past legacies will be key themes of Starfleet Academy. There’s a lot to find interesting there, even if the promise of further political storylines – which is totally in line with Rodenberry’s original vision – will inevitably spark… discourse.

More details on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will come out of Star Trek’s Comic-Con panel today at 12.30pm PT.

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has released its teaser trailer online, after it premiered at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, with executive producers and co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau there to make the introduction. The Star Trek universe is now entering a new era: the first generation of Paramount+ streaming series has come to an end (Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy), while the next generation of series (Strange New Worlds, Starfleet Academy) takes the spotlight. Starfleet Academy will move Star Trek to its furthest point in the franchise timeline, chronicling how the Federation attempts to rebuild its ranks in the 32nd century, after the galaxy was knocked into a new dark age by the loss of transwarp travel (see: Star Trek: Discovery). Some seasoned instructors will try and shape an eclectic group of recruits into the kind of Starfleet officers the precarious times call for.

The trailer features series star Holly Hunter (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) as Chancellor Nahla Ake, giving an impassioned speech to the cadets about the duty ahead of them. It’s a speech that reflects the true subtext of Starfleet Academy: getting Gen Z re-inspired in the themes of scientific curiosity, exploration, and inclusivity that have fueled the series all along.

Check out the SDCC2025 teaser trailer for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, below!

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Trailer & Everything to Know

As the latest tagline reads: “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy follows the adventures of a new class of cadets in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves, and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.”

Paramount+ has also released more detailed character descriptions for the show, which you can read below:

● Academy Award winner Holly Hunter plays Nahla Ake, the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy and Captain of the U.S.S. Athena, who also happens to be a long-lived half-Lanthanite.
● Sandro Rosta is Caleb Mir, an orphan with a troubled past – and unlikely Starfleet
cadet.
● Karim Diané is Jay-Den Kraag, a Klingon cadet who dreams of becoming a medical officer.
● Kerrice Brooks is Series Acclimation Mil, a.k.a. Sam, the first of her kind to ever attend Starfleet Academy.
● George Hawkins is Darem Reymi, an aspiring captain from a wealthy home world.
● Bella Shepard is Genesis Lythe, an admiral’s daughter determined to make her own name in Starfleet.
● Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal, the daughter of the president of Betazed.
● Robert Picardo, reprising his iconic role as The Doctor.
● Tig Notaro, reprising her role as Jett Reno.
● Oded Fehr, reprising his role as Admiral Vance.
● Recurring guest star Gina Yashere plays Commander Lura Thok, a Klingon/Jem’Hadar who is the chancellor’s First Officer and Cadet Master.
● Recurring guest star and Academy Award nominee, Paul Giamatti, will play Nus Braka, the season’s villain and a man with an ominous past connected to one of our cadets.

The series looks to be on par with the other Star Trek series that Paramount+ has released, visually speaking, and while the monologue from Hunter is inspired, the teaser feels like just that: a tease of what the full scope of the series will offer.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be released on Paramount+ in “early 2026.”

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Star Trek has a long history of compelling villains. Few are as memorable as the Borg Queen, or Data’s brother Lore; few were as deplorable as Gul Dukat; and none were more entertaining than John de Lancie’s Q. The unifying thing about all of them is that despite defeat – and even death in Dukat’s case – the best villains always return in Star Trek. And arguably the most famous of all Star Trek villains – and indeed, one of the best sci-fi villains – is coming back for a new series in 2025 that has just received its first trailer.

Close to a decade after the original plans to make a 3-episode miniseries focused on Khan, Kurtzman’s plans are finally coming to fruition. That’s thanks to new audio series Star Trek: Khan, which is set to release later this year. The series was already confirmed to star Lost alum Naveen Andrews as Khan, and Wrenn Schmidt as Enterprise historian and Khan’s wife in exile, Marla McGivers, who was played in The Original Series by Madlyn Rhue. And now there’s a brand new trailer thanks to the Star Trek panel at Comic-Con, and more new cast additions. Here’s the trailer:

Reacher season 3 star Sonya Cassidy joins the cast as Starfleet doctor Rosalind Lear, who sets out to discover more of Khan’s lost past in exile on Ceti Alpha V. Excitingly, Star Trek: Khan will also see the return of two Star Trek icons to the franchise. First, George Takei returns as Captain Hikaru Sulu, Lear’s commanding officer (aboard his ship the USS Excelsior), having appeared relatively recently in both Star Trek: Very Short Treks and Lower Decks. Alongside him, Voyager‘s Tim Russ returns as Tuvok, who, at this point in the timeline, is just an ensign and served as Excelsior’s junior science officer. Russ reprised his role most recently for Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: Khan promises to fill in some of the gap between Khan’s first appearances in Star Trek and the 20 years he spent in exile. It was initially optioned in 2017 but canceled over the prohibitive cost of making a three episode miniseries, before it was then retooled in 2022 as part of Alex Kurtzman’s plans to expand the franchise with serial podcasts. Official word on the series says it will explain how Khan went from being a “beneficent tyrant and superhuman visionary” to the vengeful monster who returned in The Wrath of Khan. While it’s not a new TV series, it’s a good reward for Star Trek fans looking to celebrate the franchise’s upcoming 60th anniversary.

Star Trek: Khan‘s nine-episode series will premiere on all major podcast streaming platforms on September 8, 2025.

The post Star Trek’s Most Iconic Villain Returns in New Series (And the Trailer Just Dropped) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Six years on from the revelation that his dream was to appear in Star Trek, Paul Giamatti’s upcoming character in the new Trek series finally has a first look. In 2019, Giamatti told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show that his most enduring professional wish has always been to play one of Star Trek‘s most popular aliens: “My dearest wish in the world as a child until this moment is to play a Klingon, basically. Or to be something. I sort of play a Klingon on Billions. But I would love to play a Klingon, or something. I’ve never – for some reason, those jobs don’t come to me.”

That dream has now been realized, with an intriguing twist thanks to upcoming show Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which is expected to be released in 2026 (though no date is yet set). Ahead of the show’s hotly-anticipated panel at Comic-Con, EW has revealed first look images from Starfleet Academy, including a look at Giamatti’s unnamed alien. There’s a twist however, as it appears Giamatti is playing a Klingon/Vulcan hybrid, which may well be Star Trek‘s most intriguing alien evolution. A character whose moral core swings between cold logic and fiery aggression sounds like a contradiction in terms, and in Giamatti’s hands, it’s even more exciting. He could, of course, also be a Klingon/Romulan hybrid like minor character Ba’el in The Next Generation‘s Birthright double-header. Here’s the reveal:

Kurtzman reveals that Giamatti’s casting happened when the Oscar nominee spoke about his Star Trek dream again during the press tour for The Holdovers: “We looked at each other and we went, ‘Is he kidding?! Well, let’s call his agent and find out. Within, I think, less than an hour, [his agent] called back and said he would love to meet.” 

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The feature also reveals more details on the character, who “represents a tide that has swept across the world in a very profound and upsetting way. I say this without taking a political stance. That is part of what it means to invite everybody into the tent. One of my favorite things about Star Trek is that it reaches across the aisle. People on all sides of the political spectrum love it for different reasons. That is something that we really wanted to hold true to here.”

The suggestion is that Giamatti’s hybrid will be a heavily politicized character, with a real world allegory thrown in, as Kurtzmann hints here: “One of the things that we see all across the world now is how much hate is relied on to sow division between things that connect us as human beings and how hate is used as a bludgeon to destroy empathy, which I think is ultimately what Star Trek is about. At its core, it’s about: We may not look the same, but we are the same. Finding that common ground and figuring out a way to understand our differences is at the heart of what [Star Trek creator Gene] Roddenberry was talking about.”

Holly Hunter’s New Captain in Starfleet Academy Revealed

There’s a lot of other character reveals in the EW feature, but the arguably the most important is the first look provided of Holly Hunter’s lead of the series, who is both the captain and chancellor of the academy. In the words of Kurtzman’s co-showrunner Noga Landau: “We’ve never seen a captain like this before.” Details so far have been less than sparse, but Kurtzman also revealed that Hunter’s character will have a key relationship with Sandra Rosta’s newly recruited cadet: “Once the cadet enters into the school and meets all the other cadets, the balance of the storytelling begins to shift slightly. By the end of the season, you really feel like you have this incredible understanding of everybody and how they function as a group.”

More details for Starfleet Academy will be revealed at the Star Trek panel at Comic-Con today at 12:30 p.m. PT.

The post Star Trek Reveals First Look at Paul Giamatti’s Dream Villain Role & Holly Hunter’s New Captain appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Love them or hate them, the Star Trek reboot films are here to stay. It’s safe to say that these movies divided the fanbase, with some loving the fresh take on beloved classics, while other fans were upset about how many changes J.J. Abrams and team made along the way. There’s no denying that the modern remakes embraced a more action-focused mentality, but at least having them set in a different timeline makes many of the ensuing changes more palatable. That said, some things can’t be explained away with the wave of a hand, and they’re still confusing all these years later.

J.J. Abrams’ first Star Trek hit theatres in 2009, rebooting a franchise that so many sci-fi fans grew up with. Set in a different timeline, the story goes quite differently from what viewers may have expected, with a slightly different origin story for Kirk, Spock, and Uhura. This film set the tone for the next two films, both of which continued to lean heavily into the newly established action sci-fi format. On the bright side, the franchise has a whole lot of star power to back it up, and that helped bring Star Trek to an even broader audience.

1) How Kirk Climbed the Ranks So Quickly

Star Trek was a fresh start for some favorite characters, and that included James T. Kirk. The first film shows this character get pulled into Starfleet Academy by Captain Pike, but we don’t exactly get to watch him go up the ranks. More like he makes a massive leap. One could argue that it made for a compelling story, but it’s just confusing.

To start with, Kirk got on board the USS Enterprise immediately following his near-expulsion, through a loophole. He then makes his way onto the bridge, and while his argument does save lives (thank goodness), what follows doesn’t make complete sense. Captain Pike puts Spoke in charge, with Kirk the second in command. Was there really nobody else on the Bridge that Pike trusted? Sadly, we’re going to have to agree with all the arguments Spoke tried to make at this moment, as it wasn’t a rational decision fueled by careful thought. It may have worked out, but let’s be real: that’s movie magic for you.

To put it more simply, in the course of a single movie, Kirk goes from civilian to cadet and then straight to Captain! It’s a massive leap that kind of spits on all the hard work of those who came before him. The trend borderline repeats in Star Trek: Into Darkness, as Kirk gets demoted, only to become Captain again within a few minutes.

2) Since Nero Went Back In Time, Why Not Warn the Romulans?

Next, we have to talk about Captain Nero, aka the time-traveling Romulan. He’s the driving force behind this movie, after all. Nero is a fantastic-looking villain, but his motivations and plan are somewhat questionable, no offense. Following Spock’s failure to save Romulus in time (despite his best efforts, mind you), both Nero and Spock get blasted into the past. At this point, Nero had a few choices he could have made. He could have run home to warn his people of the event that would happen years from now. In doing so, give them the time they didn’t have in his timeline. He could have even aided Spock (the one from his timeline) in fixing what was broken.

Nero did neither, instead blaming the man who tried to help save his people. He blamed Spock for his failure and began targeting Starfleet, starting with USS Kelvin. The whole thing makes no sense when you stop to think about it, but then again, grief is like that sometimes.

3) What Exactly is the Red Matter, and Why Does Spock Have So Much Of It?

One of the key points in the Star Trek movie is Spock’s Red Matter, which was originally meant to help save Romulus from the supernova. However, once Nero and his crew got their hands on it, this Red Matter became a weapon capable of taking out Vulcan, and that was just a drop! Naturally, we have a few questions. Starting with – what exactly is this Red Matter? We know it can create a black hole, but how?

Second, why on Earth did Spock have so much of it? Since one drop can create a black hole (or destroy a whole planet), why would he ever want so much of it? The only thing that makes sense is that the process of creating Red Matter (whatever that is) naturally produces this much. Likewise, perhaps it is only safely stored in larger quantities? It’s still strange and largely glossed over.

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4) Why Did the Starfleet Deploy So Many Cadets at Once?

Fans who watched all three Star Trek films can easily point out one common thread: mass casualties, especially among the Starfleet. Every movie put the USS Enterprise at risk, and that means everybody on board was at risk of dying. The first film went all out with this threat, as Starfleet seemingly sent out every single new cadet to respond to the Vulcan distress call. We all know how that went, with only the USS Enterprise surviving the encounter. If we stop and think about the massive number of casualties that happened here, it might make our brains freeze up.

Why did Starfleet send out so many fresh members on an unknown mission? Were they that desperate to fill in the ranks? If so, they’ve undoubtedly made that problem exponentially worse, albeit unintentionally. From what we understand, sending out so many under-trained cadets may even violate Starfleet’s protocols, which are obviously in place for a reason. Is this a sign of a larger problem? If so, the pattern of Enterprise (and a large portion of its crew) getting destroyed in each film may indicate as much.

5) Was There No Investigation into the USS Kelvin’s Destruction?

At a glance, this may seem like a small complaint, but was there no investigation into what happened to the USS Kelvin? The ship had survivors and presumably had sensors recording everything that happened, yet Nero’s ship consistently blindsides people when it shows up. To put this into perspective, if Starfleet had the records of the attack on the USS Kelvin, they had 25 years to investigate. Perhaps they also have 25 years to largely forget about the attack, as Kirk seemed to be the only one who held onto the lesson.

Given where Starfleet is at this point in time, it may be reasonable to assume that a Romulan ship wasn’t easily recognized (yet). But if that’s the case, this actually raises more questions, like how nobody reacted to the appearance of the Romulans (this was historically a major point).

If we continue to assume that Starfleet had no idea who or what attacked the USS Kelvin, then why were no new security measures put in place to prevent this from happening again? From Starfleet’s perspective, a mysterious ship popped in, utterly decimated one of their own ships, and disappeared. Is that not a major cause for concern?

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6) Scotty’s New & Improved Transwarp Beaming Tech

The Star Trek reboot tried a lot of things, including introducing a new form of Transwarp Beaming Tech. It comes about when Kirk and Scotty desperately need to get back onboard the Enterprise, with Spock giving a little insight into something Scotty had figured out from his timeline. This raises a few questions. First, if Scotty had perfected the formula in his timeline, why do we never see it get used? Was there a safety concern we’re unaware of? Realistically, that would be a good reason to avoid utilizing the technology.

Second, if this is something Scotty invented in another timeline, why is Spock okay with giving it to a younger version of the character? It may seem like a small quibble, given how much the timeline is being altered by Nero, but it’s still a concern worth mentioning. Admittedly, the technology itself is incredibly impressive and powerful, which may explain why future films don’t play around with it all that much.

7) There’s No Department of Temporal Investigations?

Last, but not least, we need to address the elephant in the room. The whole premise of the Star Trek reboot is that it is a different timeline, yes? Yet there are several characters, including Nero and Spock, running around. So, where’s the Department of Temporal Investigations? From what fans have seen through years of Star Trek adventures, there are multiple organizations and individuals dedicated to preventing contamination of the timeline(s). So, where are they?

Looking back, it’s easy to see how hard Spock worked to prevent contamination on his part, but Nero clearly didn’t care. He destroyed the USS Kelvin and half a dozen other Starfleet ships, followed by the destruction of an entire planet. That seems like a pretty big contamination, no matter how one looks at it. Perhaps this timeline didn’t have a Department of Temporal Investigations yet, but the odds are good that one got formed after what Nero did.

Star Trek (2009) is available to stream on Paramount+ and Amazon Prime Video.

The post 7 Things That Still Don’t Make Sense About J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Captain James T. Kirk is undeniably one of the most legendary leaders in sci-fi, and Star Trek‘s original starship captain continues to impact the franchise across every era. Whether you were first introduced to him through Star Trek: The Original Series, J.J. Abrams’ reboots, or the more recent Strange New Worlds, there’s no denying the character’s staying power. And while William Shatner may always be Kirk number one in the canon, he’s far from the only actor to have stepped into the gold command tunic.

Across six decades of Star Trek, eight different actors have played some version of the captain, from major Hollywood stars to the fringe players of the final frontier. We’ve compiled a list of each and every one of them, including a few names that might surprise even hardcore Trekkies.

1) William Shatner: The Original Captain Kirk

When you think of Captain Kirk, an image of the iconic William Shatner probably pops into your head. As the original commander of the USS Enterprise, Shatner defined the role with charisma, charm, and a penchant for ripped shirts. First appearing in The Original Series in 1966, Shatner’s Kirk commanded the bridge across three seasons, seven feature films, and even an animated series.

To this day, Shatner’s performance remains the definitive portrayal for many, blending 1960s machismo with bursts of philosophical reflection and moral conviction. Shatner was so popular that Paramount executives even hired him to direct Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, although many, including Shatner himself, think he probably should have stuck with acting. His last chronological appearance as Kirk is his death on Veridian III in Generations, although fans still debate whether his fate might be undone in some future Trek storyline. 

2) Chris Pine: The Kelvin Timeline’s Kirk

In J.J. Abrams’ rebooted Star Trek films, Chris Pine took on the role of a younger, brasher Kirk from an alternate timeline dubbed the Kelvin Timeline. Pine’s 2009 portrayal in Star Trek, as well as his subsequent appearances in Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, captured the spirit of Shatner’s Kirk while modernizing it for a new generation.

Pine’s version of Kirk leaned into recklessness, with his arc charting a shift from rebellious cadet to mature, self-sacrificing leader. Though the future of the Kelvin movies is muddy, Pine’s Kirk remains a fan-favorite version of the character, especially among newer generations of Trek fans.

3) Paul Wesley: A New Face in Strange New Worlds

Paramount’s 2022 series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introduced a surprising new Kirk in the form of Paul Wesley, previously known for his role in The Vampire Diaries. The latest live-action Kirk debuted in Season 1’s finale, “A Quality of Mercy,” an episode that reimagined the TOS classic “Balance of Terror” through a different timeline, giving fans a glimpse of an alternate Kirk.

Wesley returned in Season 2 in a more grounded capacity, playing the real (Prime Timeline) Kirk in several episodes, including “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” which showed a more human, pre-Enterprise side of the captain-to-be. Wesley has described his approach as understated, aiming to show Kirk’s intellect and curiosity as much as his swagger.

4) Sandra Smith: The Body Swap in “Turnabout Intruder”

One of the most unlikely turns as Kirk came from actor Sandra Smith, who appeared as Dr. Janice Lester in the infamous TOS series finale, “Turnabout Intruder.” In the episode, Lester, a scientist and Kirk’s former lover, uses an alien life-energy transfer device to swap bodies with the Captain, allowing her to take command of the Enterprise. As a result, Smith plays a version of Kirk, inhabited by his consciousness, for the bulk of the episode.

Though the gender politics of the episode remain controversial, Smith’s performance was widely praised for its nuanced and spot-on portrait of Shatner’s Kirk. It’s a unique credit in Star Trek history that technically makes Smith the first and only woman to portray James T. Kirk on screen. 

5) Jimmy Bennett: An Even Younger Kirk in Star Trek (2009)

Before Chris Pine stepped into the captain’s chair, twelve-year-old child actor Jimmy Bennett portrayed Kirk as the rebellious Iowa farm boy in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. Appearing in the film’s early scenes, Bennett’s brief role showed a young James racing a stolen Corvette and yelling into the wind, setting the tone for the hot-headed hero he would become.

Although it was a brief appearance, Bennett’s performance helped us understand Kirk on a deeper level and raised the emotional stakes of the Kelvin Timeline’s origin story.

6) Vic Mignogna: Fan-Film Hero in Star Trek Continues

Another surprise on the list comes from the acclaimed fan series Star Trek Continues, in which actor Vic Mignogna took on the role of Kirk in a loving continuation of the original show’s legacy. The webseries was praised for its production value and faithfulness to the TOS aesthetic, down to the lighting, camera work, and dialogue rhythms.

Mignogna’s take echoed Shatner’s cadences and mannerisms, creating an immersive experience that, to many Trekkies, felt like the TOS Season 4 they never got. While unofficial, the show earned significant respect from fans.

7) James Cawley: Kirk in Star Trek: New Voyages

Another major fan production, Star Trek: New Voyages (also known as Phase II), featured James Cawley in the role of Captain Kirk. A professional Elvis impersonator turned Trekkie, Cawley starred in the early episodes and even poured his personal resources into recreating the Enterprise.

His attention to detail extended to set design, props, and costumes, all built using original blueprints and studio specs. Cawley eventually stepped down from the captain’s chair to focus on producing. Episodes like “World Enough and Time” (featuring George Takei) brought notable Trek alumni into the project and earned praise from fans, as well as from CBS.

8) Brian Goss: Another New Voyages Kirk

After Cawley stepped away from the role, Brian Goss took over as Captain Kirk in the final episodes of Star Trek: New Voyages. While Goss had less screen time, he continued the tradition of honoring the original series through meticulous attention to detail and storytelling fidelity.

His performance helped wrap up one of the longest-running Star Trek fan projects of all time with grace and authenticity, earning praise from the fanbase for carrying the torch.

Catch Star Trek: The Original Series and other official Star Trek titles streaming on Paramount+.

Which Kirk is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

The post All 8 Actors Who’ve Played Captain James T. Kirk In Star Trek appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The executive producers of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have hinted that a new series centered on Captain Kirk could be in the works to follow the fan-favorite show. In a new interview with Screen Rant, co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers addressed the possibility of continuing the crew’s story into the era of The Original Series. As the show’s third season has just begun streaming on Paramount+, the producers’ coy but optimistic responses suggest that active discussions about the future of the USS Enterprise crew are happening behind the scenes. The news gives fans a hopeful sign that the adventures will continue long after Strange New Worlds completes its planned five-season mission.

“We can neither confirm nor deny,” Alonso Myers said, deploying the classic non-committal answer that often suggests behind-the-scenes development. Goldsman, however, was more forthcoming with his interest in exploring Captain Kirk’s command. “We are very interested in continuing to tell stories,” Goldsman elaborated. “We are very interested in telling stories of Kirk’s Enterprise that we might not yet know about yet.”

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered on Paramount+ in 2022 as a direct prequel to The Original Series, following the adventures of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, Kirk’s predecessor. The series was an instant hit with both critics and longtime fans, earning near-universal acclaim for its return to episodic storytelling, its optimistic tone, and its compelling new takes on classic characters. The first two seasons hold exceptionally high scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics and fans praising the show as one of the best entries in the modern Star Trek era.

How Strange New Worlds Is Paving the Way for The Original Series‘ Return

The potential for a sequel series is being deliberately woven into the narrative fabric of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Goldsman has confirmed that Strange New Worlds will conclude after a planned five-season run, with the final six-episode season dedicated to bringing the story right up to the doorstep of The Original Series. The prequel will end with Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) relinquishing command of the USS Enterprise, leading directly to the moment James T. Kirk begins his legendary tenure as captain. This narrative handoff provides a seamless transition, allowing the story to continue without a time jump or a jarring cast change.

A new series focused on Kirk’s Enterprise would have a rich and largely uncharted territory to explore. While The Original Series famously depicted the ship’s five-year mission, the show itself only ran for three seasons, leaving at least two years of its journey unaccounted for in canon. Furthermore, the 1966 series began with Kirk’s mission already underway, offering a perfect opportunity for a new show to depict the very beginning of his command. This would allow the writers to tell new Trek stories, reintroducing iconic crew members like Dr. Leonard McCoy, Hikaru Sulu, and Pavel Chekov as they join the Enterprise, without contradicting the established timeline.

The biggest asset for a potential sequel is the cast that Strange New Worlds has already assembled. The show has been widely praised for its portrayals of younger versions of classic characters, including Ethan Peck’s Spock, Celia Rose Gooding’s Nyota Uhura, and Jess Bush’s Christine Chapel. A new series would allow these actors to continue developing their beloved characters, graduating them from key players in Pike’s story to the core ensemble of Kirk’s adventures.

The first two episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 are now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes released weekly.

What classic Star Trek characters would you most want to see join the crew in a potential Kirk-led series? Let us know in the comments.

The post Star Trek’s New Captain Kirk Show Chances Addressed As Fan-Favorite Show Returns appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Trek canon is not an easy thing to play with, as the series’ fandom tends to be particularly judicious about new interpretations of Gene Roddenberry’s original vision. However, Star Trek: The Next Generation was a triumphant example of what a sequel/reboot (or “requel”) series should be; it honored the spirit of the original Star Trek series while forging its own path, selling fans on new sets of characters, and even expanded old lore into exciting new areas. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has picked up that baton and run with it, nailing the original series’ spirit of the formative years on the Enterprise before Kirk and Spock took over, while selling that vision to a whole new age of fans. And, in Season 3, Strange New Worlds is taking one of the boldest steps to confirm one of the biggest fan theories that stretches all the way back to the earliest days of the franchise.

Strange New Worlds Confirms A Major Star Trek Family Line

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 2, “Wedding Bell Blues”, sees Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) and Spock’s (Ethan Peck) official breakup taken to a cosmic rom-com level, thanks to the machinations of a mysterious alien being played by actor Rhys Darby. The alien messes with the memories of the crew and reality itself. The alien’s flamboyant style, not to mention the entire framework of the episode, was a clear ode to the Star Trek TOS episode “The Squire of Gothos” (S1E17) and the character of Trelane.

Trelane (played by William Campbell) was a”puckish, childlike” alien being who made a barren planet his playground, stealing Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise crew to use as his living playthings. A cat-and-mouse game with the alien ended when his “parents,” two energy-based beings, appeared and collected their child, freeing Kirk and allowing the Enterprise to leave.

20 years after “The Squire of Gothos” aired in 1967, Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered with the now-classic two-part episode “Encounter at Farpoint”, which introduced the alien entity “Q” to the franchise (played by actor John de Lancie). Like Trelane, Q was an entity who was part of a collective of godlike beings, able to alter reality on a whim. John de Lancie’s performance as Q, and particularly his chess game rivalry with Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard, made him a major franchise staple. Q would continue to appear throughout TNG‘s run, and de Lancie even made sure to return for a couple of appearances in the sequel series Picard. As Q’s fame grew within the fandom, so did a popular fan theory: Q is actually the father of Trelane. The theory has been discussed in detail for quite some time, going as far back as Peter David’s 1994 Star Trek novel Q-Squared.

We never received any onscreen confirmation from Star Trek that Q and Trelane are related – until now. Strange New Worlds’ new “Wedding Bell Blues” episode ends with energy-being parents once again coming to collect their mischievous offspring – and this time, the voice of the father is definitely that of John de Lancie. That’s about as official as an indirect confirmation gets.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds creators confirm Q & Trelane’s Family Connection

Strange New Worlds showrunner Akiva Goldsman has confirmed that the unnamed alien in “Wedding Bell Blues” is who fans think it is. “Is that Trelane? Yes, it is,” Akiva told Inverse. “We couldn’t have our characters hear his name for continuity reasons. But that’s him.” 

He went on to confirm that John de Lancie’s Q was indeed included as an Easter egg that’s meant to finally cement this fan theory as official canon: “Greater minds than ours put it together, and we were like, ‘Well, let us reward that brilliant thinking by making it canon.'”

Finally, for the Star Trek diehards who will wonder: Goldsman teased that, due to the nature of the Q and Trelane, we this episode of Strange New Worlds could arguably have the extra-dimensional beings revisiting the Enterprise after Trelane had already gotten reprimanded once by Q for messing with Kirk and Co. in the original series: “We know that Q can be early Q or late Q,” Goldsman teased. “Or proto-Q or old Q. Or are there actual individuals in the Q Continuum?”

In any event, Trelane’s connection to the Q is now locked into Star Trek canon. And Strange New Worlds Season 3 is only just getting started. Catch it streaming on Paramount+.

The post Star Trek Officially Confirms The Best Theory & Permanently Changes Canon appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Over the past few years, Paramount has tried numerous times to return to the Star Trek franchise on the big screen. The studio had successfully launched a reboot of the long-running sci-fi franchise with J.J. Abrams’ 2009’s Star Trek, but after 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the franchise has been in a state of uncertainty. With the studio eager to get back to the Enterprise, Paramount has hired various directors to helm the project over the years, including Matt Shakman, who ultimately left the film to direct Fantastic Four for Marvel Studios. Now, Shakman briefly talks about that Star Trek movie, and whether or not it could still come to fruition with another director.

Speaking to Variety, Shakman revealed that in the Spring of 2022, the director decided to take meetings with Marvel Studios for Fantastic Four, despite stages having been built for Star Trek 4 and crew having been hired. As the director explains, though, by the Summer of 2022, everything seemingly changed. The stages were torn down, and the crew was fired, but most notably, the story had changed drastically. The director, however, wasn’t willing to fully note what his Star Trek 4 would have entailed, despite having left the project. Only stating, “The core idea, I think, remains the same. I really hope they get a chance to make that movie.”

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Matt Shakman was initially hired to direct Star Trek 4 for Paramount in July 2021. He was meant to direct the sequel from a screenplay by Captain Marvel writers Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. He was hired after three other directors had been brought on board to direct Star Trek titles for the studio. Toby Haynes (Andor) was initially set to work on an origin film for Paramount. The studio then hired S.J. Clarkson to direct Star Trek 4, but she ultimately left the project and went on to direct Madame Web for Sony. Noah Hawley was then brought in, before Shakman was ultimately hired. Since his departure, Paramount has not brought on another director for the film.

In March of last year, Paramount did hire a new writer for Star Trek 4. Steve Yockey was hired by Paramount to pen the screenplay for Star Trek 4, although no further details have been revealed since Yockey’s hiring. Yockey has built quite a vast resume over the years, having worked on The Flight Attendant for Max, Awkward for MTV, Supernatural for CW, and Scream for MTV. With the hiring of Yockey, it seems that the current iteration of Star Trek 4 will be something different from what Shakman was on board to direct.

It remains to be seen whether or not Star Trek 4 ever does make it out of production. Especially given the film’s countless delays and changes behind the scenes. However, Shakman — and the stars of Paramount’s Star Trek reboot — seem keen to see the story come to life someway, somehow. For now, the first three films of Paramount’s Star Trek reboot can be streamed on Peacock, along with an impressive selection of critically acclaimed television shows including Star Wars: Discovery, Star Wars: Strange New Worlds, and Star Wars: Lower Decks.

The post Fantastic Four Director Addresses Abandoned Star Trek Film (Could It Still Happen?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

If you’re a Star Trek fan, then you’re probably very familiar with the trope regarding the infamous Red Shirts. The security officers of Starfleet are known for the bright red shirts they wear, along with constantly being the first officers to die in the field. Star Trek fandom loves to debate the “Red Shirts always die” trope because that’s the type of thing fans enjoy doing. You can look at series such as Star Trek: The Original Series and The Next Generation for examples on both sides of the debate. Just as it appeared that the Red Shirt trope was debunked, a new Star Trek comic officially puts the debate to rest. WARNING: Spoilers for Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 below.

Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 is by Christopher Cantwell, Megan Levens, Charlie Kirchoff, and Jodie Troutman. It takes readers behind the typically nameless faces inside the Red Shirts and humanizes them. Yes, we do lose some Red Shirts in the issue, but what it really accomplishes is embracing the idea that Red Shirts are more likely to die. This runs counterpoint to a Facebook post from 2024 that “busted” the Red Shirt myth. The post used statistics of mortality rates in Star Trek projects to make the point that Red Shirts don’t have a higher mortality rate than any other Star Trek officers. But Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 tosses this debate to the trash bin and embraces Red Shirt deaths.

Red Shirts Die A Lot In Star Trek, And That’s Okay!

The opening pages of Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 show all the gruesome ways that Red Shirt officers die in the line of duty. We’re talking death by gun ray blast, head squished by a robot, falling off a cliff, head pounded by an alien, evaporating, body turned to jello, and eaten by a giant ant-looking creature. One by one, a Red Shirt falls. Star Trek: Red Shirts leans into the popular trope that all they do is die. Honestly, it’s probably what the majority of the readers picking up the book at their local comic book store are expecting, and the main reason why they bought it.

We learn that the Starfleet handbook basically dictates that Red Shirts must be cannon fodder. “Security is the first line of defense in Starfleet,” Ensign Chip Miller says. And he should know, since he almost had his eye ripped out by a mugato on his first security assignment as a Red Shirt. It left Miller with permanent scars over his right eye. He then gets recruited on a mission to Arkonia 89, where Starfleet is trying to sniff out mysterious spies. In true Red Shirts fashion, the team can’t merely teleport to the surface. No, they have to do something outlandish, like being shot onto the planet’s surface while inside torpedo casings.

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All but two of the Red Shirts make it onto Arkonia alive. The other two crashed to the surface and died when Lt. Webster Cromarty lost power to the satellite he was controlling. Cromarty has been embedded on Arkonia for nine months and doesn’t look kindly at having to babysit a team of Red Shirts. You can’t blame him, since he’s fully aware of what comes with being a Red Shirt.

Star Trek Closes The Book On The Red Shirt Debate

Anyone working a security detail goes in with the knowledge that it comes with an inherent risk factor. This is true for Red Shirts in the Star Trek Universe. It’s also apparent from how Red Shirts were used right from the start. Of course, you couldn’t kill main characters like Captain Kirk or Spock, so enter the Red Shirts. It helped bring a level of danger and excitement to Star Trek episodes. Instead of taking time to try and debunk the death rate of Red Shirts, fans should embrace it.

Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 makes it very clear that there were a lot more deaths of security officers than were shown, and makes a bit of a mockery of the “debunking” debate. Let the Red Shirts die already. It’s literally what they’re there for. The good thing about Star Trek: Red Shirts as a series is that it features nothing but Red Shirts, so fans will become attached to them while slowly losing them one by one.

The post After 60 Years, Star Trek Officially Rewrites The Oldest Red Shirt Debate appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It looks as though Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will end satisfyingly for fans of the series, with executive producer and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman revealing plans for the fifth and final season. The Star Trek prequel’s final season will be told across a six-episode run, abbreviated from the standard 10 episodes as was the norm for the series. While the third season is set to begin airing on July 17th, Goldsman has explained that he and co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers have already developed plans for concluding the series meaningfully in a way that makes sense, allowing the team to tell the story effectively. 

Speaking to TrekMovie, Goldsman stated that the fifth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will wrap up with Kirk being promoted to captain and taking command of the USS Enterprise. That would essentially bring it up to just before Star Trek: The Original Series begins canonically. “We will take the show to Kirk’s first day of command, which is, by the way, not actually The Original Series. The Original Series starts a bit into Kirk’s command,” Goldsman told the site.

Goldsman also explained that the executives at Paramount and CBS initially wanted to end the series after four seasons but were convinced to greenlight a final season of six episodes to allow it to reach the Star Trek: The Original Series era as planned. 

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“Unfortunately, Star Trek: Discovery’s loss was our gain,” said Goldsman. “So they basically said, ‘Look, we think we’re done after four seasons.’ And we said, ‘Hey, what about our whole Let’s get the fans to the TOS era?’ And they were like, ‘No, that’s fair. That’s true.’ And they said, ‘What do you need to get there?’ And we said, ‘Six episodes’ and they said okay.”

Goldsman continued:  “The good news was, when I say ‘they,’ really the folks who make this show wanted this to happen too, but there are fiscal constraints that are real. You know what’s going on with Paramount. So, to move things forward in that environment was a challenge. So it wasn’t really a negotiation, but it was a heavy lift for pretty much everybody, because everybody wanted not to have another Discovery circumstance where it felt abrogated in a way that wasn’t thorough.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Will End Where Star Trek Began

News that Strange New Worlds would end with its Season 5 emerged earlier this year, with Paramount+ confirming that the show would continue after its third season. Goldsman and fellow co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers had also previously teased that this show would lead directly into The Original Series and perhaps even feature some of the five-year mission that was unaccounted for, as the 1966 incarnation began with the mission already underway.

The fact that Strange New Worlds already has an ending planned out and that the creators are aware of exactly when the series will end can only be a good thing. This gives the team plenty of time to conclude the story, and means fans won’t be left disappointed, as some were with the way Discovery wrapped up.

What do you think of the way that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will end? Let us know in the comments!

The post Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Confirmed To End in the Perfect Way appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Doctor Who predates Star Trek by at least a year. While the concept for Trek probably existed before the concept for Who, Doctor Who first broadcast on November 23, 1963, on the BBC. The production for Star Trek‘s first pilot, “The Cage,” would begin a little over a year later. It seems unlikely either production knew much about the other; Doctor Who being sequestered within the BBC’s facilities in the UK, while Star Trek shot exclusively in and around Southern California. The writers of each probably did eventually get to see their parallel shows eventually, but The Original Series is unique in all of the Trek properties that no Who actor ever guest starred (conversely, no actor from The Original Series ever guest starred on Who).

The streams started crossing a lot more when Star Trek got its first big revival in the ’80s, as the original series movies released (mostly to acclaim), and The Next Generation premiered in 1987. Doctor Who had been running the whole time, from 1963 through to the eighties, when the original run ended in 1989. Doctor Who would get a brief revival with a TV movie in 1996 (and the franchise’s first foray into productions in America), but it wouldn’t get a proper revival until March 2005 — ironically, Trek‘s first great revival would end quietly two months later, with the finale of Enterprise.

Still, for two massive science fiction franchises, there have been surprisingly few actors who have appeared in both. Considering how many guest stars Who tends to go through, and how many guest stars the various Trek spinoff series have had, this feels unusual. The most likely cause is probably the most obvious, though: they’ve both typically been produced on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

The Torchwood: Miracle Day Caveat

This list comes with the serious caveat that the American co-production of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood‘s fourth season (subtitled Miracle Day) threw a wrench into the rare occasion that was a Who actor appearing in the Trek franchise (and vice versa). Torchwood: Miracle Day, which was in part filmed in the United States (rare for the Who franchise overall), has at least thirteen actors with credits in both Star Trek and Torchwood: Miracle Day. The most notable of those thirteen actors are John de Lancie and Nana Visitor. De Lancie plays the oft-recurring space deity “Q” in Trek — at this point, the character has appeared in some capacity in The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Picard and Lower Decks. Visitor played Kira Nerys on Deep Space Nine as a series regular; she’s also lent her voice to the character’s appearance on Lower Decks.

The eleven other actors (that we know of) all had small parts in the films or one-time guest spots in the shows, including: Alan Dale, Van Epperson, Robin Sachs, Amy Benedict, Bari Hochwood, George Murdock, Richard Wharton, David Youse, Kelvin Yu, Eric Steinberg, Paul Hayes, and Jason Brooks were all credited in at least one episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day. Since Torchwood isn’t exactly Doctor Who, we thank them for their service to the over hanging umbrella of both franchises before moving on — a lot of actors have also surely appeared in various Trek properties (such as the many video games, including Star Trek Online) and the countless Doctor Who audio dramas. They’re both massive franchises, and it would hard to do justice to every single actor who has lent their talents to both franchises.

1) David Ajala (Star Trek: Discovery)

David Ajala is known to many Star Trek fans as the enigmatic Book in Discovery at this point — he first appears at the start of season three, and would recur until the end of the series. He was a fun addition to the first Trek series since Enterprise, injecting life into a show that didn’t always know how to use its colorful cast of characters. Well before Discovery, however, he starred as Peter, a cyborg in the Doctor Who episode “The Beast Below,” which was just Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith’s second episode. Peter was the chief of the Winders, who patrolled Starship UK, which the UK built in the far-flung future to save its population.

2) Daphne Ashbrook (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Daphne Ashbrook is a rare example of an American actor who appeared in Doctor Who before the reboot (and that’s still rare); Ashbrook appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Ensign Melora Hardin in a 1993 episode of the series. Then, she was cast in the 1996 attempt at rebooting Who: the TV movie, where she played Dr. Grace Holloway. She’s the Eighth Doctor’s companion, and while we’d all love to see her return in some capacity, any return of Dr. Holloway is wrapped up in complicated rights issues, according to Ashbrook (via Radio Times). Ashbrook herself has appeared in various Big Finish audio dramas, however. Melora Hardin in DS9 was notable for being a disabled Starfleet officer; she used a wheelchair.

3) Steven Berkoff (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

That a longtime English actor appeared in a Trek show long before he would eventually make an appearance on the Doctor Who reboot seems odd. Steven Berkoff was active when the original Who was on the air, but his one and only appearance in the franchise is 2012’s “The Power of Three,” where he played an unnamed Shakri, who were meant to be a pest control species. In Deep Space Nine, Berkoff played Hagath, an arms dealer, in “Business as Usual,” a fifth season episode. Berkoff has had a long and legendary career in theater outside of his many film and television appearances.

4) Orla Brady (Star Trek: Picard)

Orla Brady has two Trek characters under her belt: Laris, Jean-Luc Picard’s Romulan housekeeper, who has a bit of a crush on him, and Tallinn, her doppelganger, who revives the Supervisor archetype from Star Trek: The Original Series. Brady was a new face to the cast of Star Trek: Picard, which increasingly relied on fan favorites for its casting. She brought a genuine warmth to the characters she originated. On Doctor Who, she played the final Mother Superious of the Papal Mainframe, Tasha Lem, in the Eleventh Doctor’s final chronological appearance.

5) Dominic Burgess (Star Trek: Picard)

Dominic Burgess’s first ever TV credit was his Doctor Who role. He played Agorax, a doomed game show contestant on the show’s send-up of The Weakest Link. On Picard, he played Mister Vup, a bodyguard for a crime lord. Interestingly, Burgess recently joined the rare group of actors who have appeared in Who, Trek, and Star Wars. He had a recurring role in Skeleton Crew as Beef, a pirate.

6) Christina Chong (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)

Christina Chong is the only actor on this list to be a series regular on a Star Trek show, in addition to her appearance in Doctor Who (Ajala would probably be considered a recurring character on Discovery). Chong plays La’an Noonien Singh, a descendant of Khan on the prequel series Strange New Worlds where she is the Enterprise‘s Chief of Security. On Doctor Who, she played Lorna Bucket in “A Good Man Goes to War,” the mid-season finale of the sixth season of the Who reboot.

7) Noel Clarke (Star Trek Into Darkness)

Despite personal controversy as of late, Noel Clarke was a series regular in the second series of the Who revival, playing lovable Mickey Smith. Mickey was often used for comic relief, and he was Rose’s boyfriend at the start of their appearances, but not by the end. Clarke made a short appearance in Star Trek Into Darkness as a Section 31 agent who is bribed by Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan into committing a terrorist attack.

8) John Franklyn-Robbins (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

John Franklyn-Robbins was in so many early TV shows it’s almost hard to keep track. Those shows included the original run of Doctor Who, in the 1975 serial “Genesis of the Daleks,” where he played a Time Lord opposite Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, he played Macias in “Preemptive Strike,” the penultimate episode of the show. This episode was directed by Patrick Stewart, so perhaps Franklyn-Robbins, who was also a Shakespearean actor, was cast in a sort-of tribute. Franklyn-Robbins’s Star Trek credit is one of his few American film and TV credits.

9) Sonita Henry (Star Trek reboot)

Sonita Henry’s Star Trek role is essentially a cameo, but it’s included because the design of the alien she plays in the first twenty minutes of the 2009 film was so interesting, and threw a lot of fans, initially, for a loop. Because Star Trek (2009) is set before The Original Series, fans were curious how alien designs would be handled, given many of the original designs in the show itself were… minimalist at best. Henry’s doctor on the Kelvin still has a minimalist design, but she’s clearly an alien. Her Doctor Who appearance comes later; she played Colonel Meme in “The Time of the Doctor,” the same episode that Orla Brady appeared in.

10) Barrie Ingram (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Barrie Ingram is another English actor on this list who had a long and historic career, where appearances in both Doctor Who and Star Trek are mere footnotes. In Doctor Who, he was in both in the film Dr. Who and the Daleks and in the third series serial “The Myth Makers,” which were both released in 1965. Over twenty years later, he appeared in “Up the Long Ladder” as the very Irish Danilo Odell. Another notable Ingram role is Basil of Baker Street in The Great Mouse Detective: he takes on the voice of the mouse modeled after Sherlock Holmes with aplomb.

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11) Christopher Neame (Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise)

Christopher Neame is one of the few entries on this list who starred in an unfinished Who serial, “Shada” in 1979. It never aired at the time, due to production being halted because of a strike at the BBC. Decades later, the BBC sought to reconstruct it, and Neame happily contributed his voice to that effort. It was released on home video in 2017 and aired in 2018. Neame later played Unferth, a take on a Beowulf character, in the first season of Voyager, and a German general in a fourth season episode of Enterprise set in an alternate United States during World War II.

12) Chris Obi (Star Trek: Discovery)

Chris Obi played George, a friendly enough security guard in the Doctor Who episode “Closing Time;” he ends up being converted into a Cyberman, in the Eleventh Doctor’s first full episode with one of the show’s frequent antagonists. Obi also played a Klingon captain, T’Kuvma, in the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.

13) Simon Pegg (Star Trek reboot film trilogy)

Simon Pegg is nerd royalty at this point. When he appeared in the first series of the Who revival as the sinister Editor in “The Long Game,” he’d done Shaun of the Dead and Spaced, but the bulk of his career was still to come. That includes his turn as the Star Trek reboot trilogy’s Montgomery Scott. Pegg’s Scotty is pretty different than James Doohan’s was: Scotty in the films is a scatter-brained, neurotic genius, while Scotty in the original show was usually a reliable source for calm on the ship. Still, his Scotty fits the overall tone of the reboot trilogy, and he also helped write the Star Trek Beyond script.

14) Olaf Pooley (Star Trek: Voyager)

Olaf Pooley starred in the Doctor Who serial “Inferno” in 1970; he played the dual roles of Professor and Doctor Stahlman in the Third Doctor outing. Pooley is interesting because he moved to the States in the 1980s; he would make one of his final appearances in the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Blink of an Eye.” “Blink of an Eye” is currently the highest user-rated Voyager episode on IMDb; it’s a unique, unusual time travel story for the show.

15) Maurice Roëves (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Maurice Roëves played Stotz in the Fifth Doctor serial “The Caves of Androzani” in 1984, and less than a decade later, played a Romulan in “The Chase,” a Next Generation episode directed by series star Jonathan Frakes. Roëves was active from 1966 until 2020, the year of his death. One of his last credits is the Michael Fassbender Macbeth in 2015; appropriate, because Roëves was a proud Scotsman.

16) Deep Roy (Star Trek reboot film trilogy)

He’s been in probably every beloved franchise at least once, even if you didn’t recognize him: Deep Roy has played a host of aliens and other creatures over the course of his career. In Doctor Who, he’s made two appearances, with one uncredited. First, in “The Talons of Weng-Chiang” as Mr. Sin, and then as a Posicarian delegate in “Mindwarp”. Roy has also appeared in multiple Star Wars productions (including as an Ewok), Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Blake 7, and The X-Files. The role that has probably given him the most to do has been Keenser in the Star Trek reboot film trilogy; the cheeky alien sidekick of Simon Pegg’s Scotty added some great comic relief to the films.

17) William Morgan Sheppard (TNG, Voyager, and More)

William Morgan Sheppard is one of two entries on this list who appeared in multiple Trek franchise entries, but who only ever appeared in Doctor Who one time. Sheppard appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Dr. Ira Graves, in Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country as the warden of the Klingon prison camp, in Star Trek: Voyager as Qatai, and also had a final, uncredited appearance as the Vulcan Science Minister in the 2009 Star Trek. He didn’t appear in Doctor Who until the season premiere of the sixth season, where he played the older version of the character his son, Mark Sheppard played, for most of the episode. Most of William Morgan Sheppard’s credits, despite being English, are for American films and shows; he spent most of his career in the United States. This probably explains the multiple Trek credits, as well as shows like Babylon 5 and seaQuestDSV.

18) Mark Sheppard (Star Trek: Voyager)

Mark Sheppard’s career has been as legendary as his father’s, he’s best remembered as his recurring role as Crowley on Supernatural, but he’s also had guest parts in the 2004 Battlestar Galactica series, Leverage, Warehouse 13, and he’s recently appeared in Doom Patrol. One of his early credits is as the Borg foundling Icheb’s father on Star Trek: Voyager. Doctor Who fans were delighted when he appeared in the first two episodes of the sixth season’s revival as Canton Everett Delaware III, as an FBI agent who helps the Doctor battle the Silence. He suggested his father, William Morgan Sheppard, play the older version of his character.

19) Guy Siner (Star Trek: Enterprise)

“Genesis of the Daleks” is responsible for two entries on this list: John Franklyn-Robbins and Guy Siner. Siner played Ravon, a Kaled General, who both worked against and with the Fourth Doctor over the course of the serial. On the Trek front, Siner played the father of armory episode Malcolm Reed in Star Trek: Enterprise. Stuart Reed only appeared in one episode, “Silent Enemy,” but Malcolm’s difficult relationship with his father would come up a few more times in the series.

20) David Warner (Star Trek: The Final Frontier, Undiscovered Country, TNG)

The last entry on this list is probably the most prominent one: David Warner. Warner appeared in so many genre properties it’s hard to keep track of them all, but they include films like The Omen, Time After Time, and the original Tron. He was the voice of Ra’s al Ghul in Batman: the Animated Series. He played many roles on stage, and his filmography seems to go on forever. In Trek fandom, he’s remembered for playing back to back roles in the films: he plays a nervous Federation diplomat in The Final Frontier before playing the heroic and doomed Chancellor Gorgon in The Undiscovered Country. He played the villainous Gul Madred in The Next Generation‘s “Chain of Command;” his portrayal of the cruel but intelligent Cardassian reestablished the species’ characterization just in time for Deep Space Nine. He popped up in various Who animations and audio dramas, but his one and only on-screen Who appearance came in 2013’s “Cold War”. He played kindly Soviet scientist Professor Grisenko, who was an ally to the Doctor and Clara in the submarine set episode.

Who is your favorite actor to play roles in Star Trek and Doctor Who? Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Every Doctor Who Actor Who Appeared in Star Trek appeared first on ComicBook.com.

AMC’s latest series, Nautilus, set sail to huge ratings. According to Deadline, the series secured 2.6 million viewers during its premiere on June 26th. That makes for the network’s biggest premiere night audience since The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which debuted on the network last year. The series is also a hit for AMC+, where the network claims it is currently pacing as one of the top new series in both viewership and acquisition. The AMC series is based on the beloved science fiction classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by French author Jules Verne and stars Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery).

Nautilus has had a bumpy journey to the small screen. The series was originally developed as a Disney+ series; however, the streaming service opted to cancel the show before it had a chance to premiere. With production already wrapped, the show was then shopped around to other networks, and AMC ultimately picked up the series just two months after Disney+ cancelled it, intending to air it in 2024. While the show failed to premiere in 2024 as originally planned, the move seemingly paid off for AMC and AMC+, with the show delivering strong ratings upon its debut.

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Disney+ originally cut Nautilus as a cost-saving measure, with the streaming service hoping to recoup some of the money it invested in the sci-fi series. With the series being a strong performer for AMC, it appears the network made the right decision in opting to purchase the series from Disney.

What Is Nautilus About?

Latif stars as Captain Nemo in the series, an Indian Prince robbed of his birthright and family, a prisoner of the East India Mercantile Company, and a man bent on revenge against the forces that have taken everything from him. As part of his revenge mission, Nemo steals a prototype submarine and sets off into the ocean with a motley crew of prisoners. He is joined on screen by Georgia Flood, Thierry Frémont, Muki Zubis, Pacharo Mzembe, Arlo Green, Chum Ehelepola, Tyrone Ngatai, Ling Cooper Tang, Andrew Shaw, Ashan Kumar, Céline Menville, Kayden Price, Damien Garvey, Richard E. Grant, Benedict Hardie, Jacob Collins-Levy, and Luke Arnold.

The series hails from Moonriver TV’s Xavier Marchand and Seven Stories’ Anand Tucker, who both developed and produced the project. The series was written and executive-produced by James Dormer.

Before headlining Nautilus, Latif starred in shows like Penny Dreadful as Dr. Henry Jekyll, Star Trek: Discovery as Ash Tyler, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, where he voiced Kylan. On the big screen, he’s appeared in films like The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Nautilus will continue airing its first season on AMC and AMC+ with new episodes premiering every Sunday. The first season of Nautilus will wrap up with its season finale on August 17th. As of now, it’s unknown whether or not the show will receive a second season. That decision will likely come following the season finale when the network has a better idea of its overall performance. If you missed the premiere of Nautilus, the show’s premiere episode is streaming exclusively on AMC+.

The post AMC’s New Sci-Fi Show Starring a Star Trek Actor Is Streaming & Ratings Hit appeared first on ComicBook.com.

When Paramount+ first launched back in March 2021, the streaming service quickly found success with its Star Trek offerings which included Star Trek Discovery. Eager to deliver more quality Star Trek content, Paramount+ began investing in new offerings, including Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Sadly, not all of the streaming service’s Star Trek titles were as successful, though. Star Trek: Prodigy, while a fan-favorite, was short-lived on Paramount+ and eventually licensed to Netflix. Now, TV Line reports that the show’s future has seemingly been decided.

Star Trek: Prodigy, which aired originally on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon, was a hit among critics and fans alike earning a Fresh 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it looks as though a third season is not going to happen.. The show focused on motley crew of young aliens in the Delta Quadrant that happen upon an abandoned Starfleet ship named the U.S.S. Protostar. The first season aired on Paramount+ before it was canceled and saved by Netflix for a second season. Now, as the series prepares to leave Netflix later this year, it appears the show will need yet another home if a third season is to actually happen. That seems unlikely, though, as Paramount Global Content Distribution has reportedly billed Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy as the final season.

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News of the show’s second cancellation comes as the show’s second season was recently nominated for an Outstanding Achievement in Family Programming by the Television Critics Association. The series will face off against stiff competition that includes the likes of Doctor Who, Heartstopper, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This marks the second time the show has been nominated for a Television Critics Association award, as Season 1 of Star Trek: Prodigy was nominated in 2023, but ultimately lost the award to Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel.

The animated series was created by Kevin and Dan Hageman with the intention of bringing Star Trek to a younger audience with the series also airing on Nickelodeon. The show featured an all-star cast including Jason Mantzoukas, Ella Purnell, John Noble, Kate Mulgrew, Jimmi Simpson, Daveed Diggs, Jason Alexander, Robert Beltran, Jameela Jamil, and Wil Wheaton. While Prodigy’s future seems bleak, fans can still enjoy other Star Trek offerings on Paramount+, including Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Star Trek: Section 31 – the first Trek movie produced for the streaming service.

Fans are currently trying to find a way to save Star Trek: Prodigy and have created a petition following the success of their petition to save the series after Season 1. Unfortunately, though, with Star Trek: Prodigy having failed to be a hit among viewers for Netflix, unless the show finds a third home, it simply doesn’t seem as if it’ll happen.

The first season of Star Trek: Prodigy has already been removed from Netflix. The second season, consisting of twenty episodes, will follow suite when it leaves the streaming service on January 1st, 2026. As of now, it’s unclear if – or where – fans will be able to stream the series once it leaves Netflix. Both seasons of Star Trek: Prodigy are, however, available now on Blu-Ray and DVD.

The post Fan-Favorite Star Trek Series’ Future Seems Bleak After Disappointing Update appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Aliens have been one of the most enduring elements of science fiction. Sometimes they’re terrifying, sometimes they’re wise, and sometimes, they’re just as confused and neurotic as us with humans. Across decades of TV history, aliens have helped define the genre with memorable characters who transcend their extraterrestrial origins.

From sitcom standouts to philosophical explorers of humanity, we’re ranking the 10 best aliens from sci-fi TV shows. These are both fan favorites and iconic characters that shaped the way we view the great unknown. So, beam yourself up, phone home, and get ready to revisit the greatest aliens TV has ever given us.

10) Mork from Ork (Mork & Mindy)

Long before most of us were even a twinkle in our parents’ eyes, an iconic character was landing on Earth. Before Mork & Mindy debuted in 1978, few could have predicted that Mork — a zany alien from planet Ork, who wore bright clothes and rainbow suspenders — would become a pop culture phenomenon.

Set in Colorado, Mork arrives on Earth in an egg-shaped spacecraft that looks like it was designed by Dr Evil. He’s been assigned to observe human behavior by Orson, his mostly unseen and long-suffering superior. He meets Mindy who offers to hide him. They initially start as friends but eventually get married.

Played with chaotic brilliance by the late great Robin Williams, Mork was first introduced on Happy Days in a rather random episode, as the showrunners wanted to capitalize on the Sci-fi success of Star Trek. Mork stated he was from the future before spinning off into his own show, proving even 1950s Americana wasn’t immune to a little interstellar absurdity.

Mork & Mindy has been seen as one of the most unlikely phenomenon in television history, and much of that miracle came down to Williams’ rapid-fire improvisation and surreal comedic timing.Whether sipping water through his finger or ending every report with “Nanu Nanu,” Mork was an outsider who made Earth—and TV—just a little weirder, and a lot more fun.

9) ALF (ALF)

What happens when a wisecracking alien crashes into a suburban garage and refuses to leave? You get ALF, short for Alien Life Form (original, right?). Also known as Gordon Shumway, the furry Orbit Guard from Melmac spends four seasons hiding out with the Tanner family while cracking jokes and dodging the government.

ALF was a pop culture juggernaut in the late ’80s, inspiring toys, cartoons, and even TV movies. But it’s the sitcom that cemented his legacy. He became so popular, in fact that Marvel even created a comic book series that ran for four years under the Star Comic banner. Voiced by series creator Paul Fusco, ALF brought a mix of sarcasm, curiosity, and genuine heart to his Earthly escapades, and if you’re looking for an alien that eats neighborhood cats, ALF is your guy!

ALF might have been outlandish, but fans connected with his fish-out-of-water struggles, making him one of TV’s most lovable aliens.

8) Roger (American Dad!)

There’s never been an alien quite like Roger. Voiced by American Dad! co-creator Seth MacFarlane, Roger is part social chameleon, part sociopath, and 100 percent chaos. With hundreds of personas — each more unhinged than the last — Roger thrives on identity swaps, disguises, and utterly derailing every episode he touches, he even has the power to poop bejeweled gold that causes humans to go wild with greed and kill one another for the artefact. Though, actually, it simply powers his spaceship.

Yet behind the wigs, costumes, and schemes lies an alien with genuine emotional depth. In fact, some of Roger’s best episodes balance comedy with vulnerability. He’s not just the show’s wild card — he’s its heart, buried under several layers of spandex, neuroses, campy cattiness, and deception.

7) Harry Vanderspeigle (Resident Alien)

Alan Tudyk’s performance in Resident Alien is a masterclass in alien awkwardness and slow-burn empathy. Disguised as a small-town doctor named Harry Vanderspeigle — who was the first victim of Tudyk’s alien — he came to destroy Earth, but found himself… kind of liking it here. Harry’s powers include shapeshifting, super-strength, and telepathy, but his greatest strength is comedic timing. Tudyk makes every offbeat line delivery land, often in ways that make Harry more endearing than he has any right to be.

Over three seasons, Resident Alien has used the alien Harry’s point of view to dissect humanity’s contradictions It shows how we can be both beautiful and terrible, loving and destructive. And yet, Harry remains a hilariously weird observer of it all. Resident Alien is both a fish-out-of-water comedy and an unexpectedly moving character study, thanks entirely to its alien-in-chief.

6) The Solar Opposites (Solar Opposites)

It’s hard to choose just one alien from Solar Opposites, the animated Hulu series created by Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan. So we’ve decided to cop-out and make the whole alien family of Korvo, Terry, Jesse, and Yumyulack a package deal.  It’s their dynamic as a group is what makes the show shine.

The aliens’ constant confusion about human behavior, and their catastrophic responses to it, drive much of the comedy. From shrinking people and trapping them in “The Wall” to trying to fruitlessly fix their spaceship every other episode, this crew redefines what alien sitcoms can be.

Though from the same creators of Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites carves out a different tone, focusing less on nihilism and more on cultural absurdity. The show’s wild humor is balanced by its surprisingly thoughtful arcs, making the Solar Opposites more than just another set of aliens on Earth, they’re a chaotic mirror to our own bizarre world.

5) Worf (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

When Star Trek fans talk about legacy characters, Worf always makes the shortlist. Played by Michael Dorn, Worf is the franchise’s most prominent Klingon, a warrior raised by humans who must constantly reconcile two worlds. Worf’s character development is one of the most impressive arcs from The Next Generation and moving into Deep Space Nine. From honor-bound soldier to a father grappling with vulnerability, Worf proves that alien characters can be deeply human.

His stoic demeanor, sense of duty, and occasional deadpan humor made Worf a fan-favorite early in his screen time. And even the loss of Tasha Yar in Season 1 of Next Gen helped spotlight Worf’s growth as a tactical and emotional force. Star Trek is filled with iconic aliens, but few match Worf’s strength, loyalty, and surprising depth.

4) Zoidberg (Futurama)

Dr. Zoidberg is an alien that’s similar to a lobster… crab… thing. He’s also technically a doctor. And he is definitely one of TV’s most beloved alien oddballs. Voiced by Billy West, Zoidberg is Futurama’s perpetually misunderstood, dirt-poor, and hopelessly lonely member of the Planet Express crew. Yet somehow, that blend of pitiful and hilarious made him a standout among a cast full of scene-stealers.

With a mix of Marx Brothers, Vaudeville veteran comedian George Jesse, and Canadian character actor Lou Jacobi, Zoidberg is a beloved member of the Planet Express crew, with as much heartfelt moments as humorous ones. He might not know human anatomy, but he knows how to make us laugh… And cry… But mostly laugh.

3) Dick Solomon (3rd Rock from the Sun)

If you ever wanted to see an alien completely unravel under the weight of human emotion, John Lithgow’s performance as Dick Solomon is your answer. In 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dick is the High Commander of an alien expedition, but here on Earth, he’s a flustered physics professor who can’t make sense of relationships, etiquette, or why breakfast isn’t served all day.

Many of the show’s most ridiculous moments (of which there are many) involved Solomon and beautifully highlighted Lithgow’s range, earning him three Emmy Awards for the role, and making Third Rock from the Sun one of the most iconic alien sitcoms out there. 3rd Rock took the classic “aliens learning to be human” premise and gave it a chaotic brilliance, thanks largely to Dick’s spiraling meltdowns and awkward sincerity. He may be from another planet, but he captured the cosmic struggle of simply trying to be human.

2) Spock (Star Trek)

No alien in TV history embodies the struggle between logic and emotion better than Mr. Spock. Leonard Nimoy’s half-Vulcan, half-human character defined what it means to be an outsider searching for identity—and changed Star Trek forever. Spock was often at his best when he was a little more Vulcan, yet his very human moments made his rare displays of emotion hit harder. Whether raising an eyebrow or uttering a quiet “Fascinating,” Spock’s presence grounded the Enterprise crew with measured wisdom.

Nimoy’s performance inspired generations of fans and creators alike. And more than 50 years later, new iterations of Spock — from Zachary Quinto to Ethan Peck — continue to explore that duality. Furthermore, he has even transcended the Star Trek IP and beamed its way into numerous pop culture references, including becoming a key character for Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory. Spock isn’t just an alien, he’s a symbol of what it means to belong in two worlds, and the inner strength it takes to walk that line.

1) The Doctor (Doctor Who)

There’s no alien more versatile or more enduring than Doctor Who’s titular Time Lord. With the ability to regenerate into a new body, The Doctor has been portrayed by 15 actors, each of whom have brought their own take on the enigmatic adventurer from Gallifrey. But no matter the face, The Doctor is always the same at their core: curious, compassionate, clever, and ever hopeful. They fight monsters, solve galactic crises, and, most importantly, never give up on the goodness of humanity.

The Doctor is both fascinated by and in love with the human race because they are such an unpredictable species. And through his many companions, we see the universe as something worth saving, one strange planet at a time. From William Hartnell to Ncuti Gatwa, The Doctor isn’t just a great alien character, they’re one of television’s greatest and most enduring characters, period.

The post 10 Best Sci-Fi TV Show Aliens Ranked appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Paramount just made it even easier to watch catch up on its best modern Star Trek series. Star Trek: Strange new Worlds Season 1 is streaming for free in its entirety on YouTube, where anyone can catch it with or without a subscription — or even a login. This generosity is probably meant to entice new or lapsed viewers to catch up before Season 3 premieres on Thursday, July 17th on Paramount+. The first season was recently added to Pluto TV as well — likely for the same reason. However, considering that it is likely a promotion for the new season, don’t expect these freebies to last too long.

All ten episodes of Strange new Worlds Season 1 were added to the Paramount Plus YouTube channel on Monday, and even organized into a handy playlist so that they’ll autoplay one after another for fans who want to binge-watch them. On YouTube or Pluto, they’ll play with ad breaks, but fans who like what they see will have to subscribe to Paramount+ to watch more, including Season 3 airing week-to-week.

Strange New Worlds is a prequel series set in the years immediately preceding Star Trek: The Original Series. It’s about the travels of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), the predecessor of Kirk. That means many of the most beloved and iconic characters are already onboard, and the exploratory mission leaves room for the same kinds of one-off adventures that the series is best known for.

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At the same time, Strange New Worlds is a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, and it’s closely related to the other franchise’s other streaming-era series. It binds these two parts of the continuity together well, and it makes the whole setting feel more densely populated than ever. The show has been praised for its “genre-hopping” style, and it has promised to continue that trend as it heads towards its conclusion.

Strange New Worlds Season 3 was severely delayed by the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes, and while it was on hiatus, it was renewed for a fourth season, which is in production now. Last month, Paramount announced that the series was renewed for a fifth season as well, but that will be its last. Season 5 will end the show with just six episodes, but due to its popularity, there is already talk of spinoffs and sequels. Whatever the show evolves into, it’s clearly a climactic time for the Star Trek franchise.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 is streaming now for free on YouTube and Pluto TV, as well as on its usual home on Paramount+. Season 3 debuts on Thursday, July 17th with two episodes, and continues week-to-week after that.

The post The Best Star Trek of the 21st Century Is Streaming Free (but Not for Long) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

If you talk with Star Trek fans about Star Wars, or Star Wars fans about Star Trek, you’re still trying to mix water and oil by hand. Despite decades of stories and shifting allegiances by fans, both franchises continue with new streaming shows, potential movies, and a sea of other related media. And within each, you can sense some of the DNA mixing or similarities bubbling to the surface. Both franchises are still about as different as can be from each other, and the cold war between fandoms has softened in recent years. That leaves the door open for some hypothetical fun.

There are very few parallels between characters when comparing the Star Wars factions and the Star Trek collectives, but it did spark some interesting thoughts. Let’s say the Star Wars universe and Star Trek universe start to overlap and create some new opportunities for characters to make the jump to the other franchise. We wanted to look through a few figures from both Trek and Wars who might thrive and fit in within the other universe.

While it is a somewhat tough task, a few notable names could feel at home on the Enterprise or in the seediest corner of Mos Eisley if they make the jump. Below, we’ve listed out a few characters from Star Trek that could thrive in the Star Wars universe, and vice versa.

1) Harry Mudd

A con artist, smuggler, swindler, and crook. All fine ways to describe Harcourt “Harry” Mudd and his 23rd-century life. Mudd is likely the character that you could pick up from Star Trek and drop directly into the Star Wars galaxy without issue. While his character gets some fleshing out in Star Trek: Discovery, played by The Office alum Rainn Wilson, at his core, Mudd is still a colorful piece of the Star Trek universe.

Drop him in the Star Wars universe, and he might thrive. Each of his encounters with the Enterprise ends in failure, with Mudd either being exiled or imprisoned. He continues to escape time and time again, so none of the punishment is doing any rehabilitation for him. In Star Wars, Mudd would have a few crime syndicates to play off of, a war to profit off, and no shortage of planets he can hide on.

2) Admiral Thrawn

Star Wars features a few names that could also thrive in the Star Trek universe if you go in the opposite direction. A big one is Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Chiss Imperial officer who becomes the head of the Imperial Remnant following the end of the Galactic Civil War. As creator Timothy Zahn said in a Wired interview, Thrawn values “strategy and loyalty” in his subordinate crew, standing apart from his fellow officers due to his thinking and his motivation to protect his race of people.

In Star Trek, Thrawn could easily be in the captain’s chair for the Federation. His desire to lead through loyalty and accept creative ideas, and his focus on protecting his people over cartoonish evil, echoes with the goals of at least the Federation, but he could also be in opposition with another force, too. He’s only firmly a villain in his Star Wars appearances due to the circumstances around the storyline. Remove him from that, and it’s quite possible to see him as more of an anti-hero.

3) Quark

Another character you could plop directly in the Star Wars galaxy and they’d thrive is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Quark. The Ferengi bar owner was always looking for a scheme to hatch, typically against the wishes of Commander Benjamin Sisko and security chief Odo. While primarily a comic relief character, Quark does have his moments of importance when it comes to brokering deals with other races in the Gamma Quadrant with the Ferengi.

If you dropped Quark into the Star Wars universe, would he land at his bar once again? Or is it possible that he could work his way to controlling the Trade Federation? Would he always try to cut a deal with the Empire to walk away? Or would he just explode with joy over all the profits he could make off the Galactic Civil War?

4) Lando Calrissian

While he’s become one of Star Wars’s most beloved characters, the gambler and scoundrel Lando Calrissian also could easily fit with the Star Trek universe. This becomes especially true when you consider where Calrissian has landed by the time of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, acting as administrator of Cloud City on Bespin. This role could easily become one of the many random encounters and single-episode storylines the Enterprise would experience on the original show and The Next Generation.

Beyond being an interesting choice for a leader or a foil during a random Star Trek episode, who couldn’t see Lando owning and operating a bar like Ten Forward on a Federation ship or a place like Deep Space Nine? While he lacks the mysterious background and ability to counter the Q Collective, Calrissian is the perfect figure to listen to and offer counsel to the members of the crew. Plus, he’s smooth as hell.

5) Deanna Troi

The Next Generation‘s resident half-human and half-Betazoid empath is one of the Enterprise‘s key figures, holding the rank of lieutenant commander and acting as the ship’s counselor. Most Betazoids are psychic, but her mixed heritage only makes her an empath.

Why is this a good fit for Star Wars? Well, as part of the Rebel Alliance, Troi could be a good support to find out like-minded recruits using her talents. There is also an entire piece of her character that would have some interesting interactions with the Force and the Jedi. Troi also has the elegance and style to match up with the upper echelons in the Senate, giving Mon Mothma’s fashion choices in Star Wars: Andor a run for their money.

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6) Leia Organa

A good replacement for Deanna Troi on the Enterprise due to her Force sensitivity, Leia Organa’s role as a strong leader within the rebellion/resistance offers a lot to the work on the bridge. What she brings to the table that Troi lacks is the attitude. A large chunk of this is due to actress Carrie Fisher’s natural presence, but she also comes from a different background than Troi growing up.

She’s got what it takes to be firm and professional on the bridge, but she could also be a fun friend and passionate defender. All while getting time to grow her force powers and master them within her adventure.

7) Data

The final Star Trek character that would fit in with the rest of the Star Wars galaxy is Data. While C-3PO manages throughout the series and puts his talents to good use when needed, Data would be the improvement to that model. He’s an outsider despite his growing humanity in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Away from Data’s struggle for humanity and his “emotion chip,” Data would still be an improvement over the typical protocol droid.

Not only is his positronic brain a bit quicker with its computations versus 3PO’s, but he is also an effective warrior and growing into humanity as he experiences it firsthand. If C-3PO could throw hands or take out the Borg without getting an obituary ready, then he might be just as good.

8) Jabba the Hutt

While the main focus of Star Trek is exploration and diplomacy, there is still crime throughout the galaxy. The Enterprise is typically running into time-displaced criminals or aliens built on the look and feel of old Earth gangs, but there are also crime syndicates like the Orion Syndicate that aren’t too dissimilar from what we’ve seen in Star Wars.

Enter Jabba the Hutt. The slug-like crime boss loved his palace in the Tatooine desert and seemed to have his hands in almost everything. The Hutts were a mighty crime family, and they managed to cover a lot of territory despite their makeup. I could see Jabba moving in and consolidating his own power over the existing criminals in the galaxy. He would also not hesitate to sign treaties with other clans and groups to help boost their progress.

Do you agree with the choices? Did we miss an obvious character? Let us know in the comments.

The post Star Trek Characters We Want to See in Star Wars Instead (And Vice Versa) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will end after Season 5, but as fans know, the story of the USS Enterprise goes on from there. This weekend, Strange New Worlds Season 3 premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and executive producers Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers spoke to fans at a panel event. They alluded to plans for the series to go on, perhaps even venturing into the territory of Star Trek: The Original Series. They didn’t say much, and if it were to happen at all, it would be a long way off, as Strange New Worlds Season 3 doesn’t premiere until July 17th on Paramount+. Still, it’s an exciting time for fans.

Goldsman and Myers addressed fans publicly for the first time since Paramount announced that Strange New Worlds will conclude with a shortened fifth season. Season 3 is finally airing next month after being delayed by the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes, and Season 4 is in production now. The producers mentioned how grateful they are to have made it this far, and remarked that it’s easy to end a prequel like this on a high note, since it leads right into the fan-favorite TOS setting.

“So the real thing for us that I think is important is that we get to do the show and the ending. And it’s not really an ending, but the ending to the series as good as possible – as good as we would like it as fans of this genre, as fans of Star Trek. We want to make a show that we would like,” Myers said.

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“And then we run into TOS,” Goldsman said, taking on a conspiratorial tone. “But they’re not dying. And we have those sets…” He and Myers said nothing else directly on this topic, but it wouldn’t be a huge stretch for this cast and crew to tell some stories set during James T. Kirk’s captaincy of the Enterprise. The intro to The Original Series always mentions the ship’s five-year exploratory mission, but the show only got three seasons, hypothetically leaving two years of their journey unaccounted for. The series began with their mission already underway, leaving room at the beginning for new stories.

Strange New Worlds is a prequel to The Original Series, depicting the Enterprise‘s previous mission under Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Several characters from The Original Series are already present on the ship at this time, with more joining each season. Season 3 includes Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Chapel, M’Benga, and Kirk. With two more seasons, the show could introduce more characters like Dr. McCoy, Sulu, and Chekov before Pike’s captaincy is over.

We can only speculate about what Goldsman might have been alluding to here — he might be interested in making a movie to bridge the gap between Strange New Worlds and The Original Series, or he might be hoping for a full-on series. Whatever the case, most commenters seem to be on board. Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres on July 17th on Paramount+.

The post Star Trek: Strange New Worlds EP Teases Sequel Series (With Original Series Crew?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

William Shatner’s Captain Kirk is back from the dead in a new Star Trek series. Fans saw Captain Kirk die back in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations, but there’s always been a lingering feeling that he would eventually be brought back. Picard revealed that Starfleet has Kirk’s body in stasis, so there has been speculation that he could return in another series down the line. That time has come, but instead of it happening in a live-action series on Paramount+, this Captain Kirk-focused project comes from an IDW Publishing comic book.

Star Trek: The Last Starship is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, with art by Adrián Bonilla. The comic takes place during The Burn, a galaxy-wide disaster that caused the destruction of every active warp core, killing trillions and shattering the peace, stability, enlightenment, and mutual protection the United Federation of Planets provided for seven centuries. Facing a true wild west in space, a mysteriously resurrected Captain Kirk will lead a new crew and ship in a seemingly impossible effort to uphold Starfleet’s mission of unity across the cosmos.

It would appear that Star Trek: The Last Starship takes place in the centuries between Picard and Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, since later seasons of the latter are set in the far future and deal with the ramifications of The Burn.

“Forget everything you know about Star Trek,” Lanzing said. “The Last Starship is a new crew, a new era, and a completely different tone; our aim is to be literary, intense, innovative, and most of all, accessible. We’re bringing you into the Federation’s darkest hour through the brilliant, noir-soaked lens of artist Adrián Bonilla with zero homework required.”

He added, “Longtime Trek fans will have a deep and fascinating reading experience, to be sure – this is a pivotal moment in Trek history that’s never been even glimpsed before – but above all, The Last Starship is a dark and complex sci-fi you can hand to anyone. We’ve spent the last eight years celebrating all that Trek has ever been. Now, it’s time to rebuild it from scratch and discover all it can be.”

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“The only familiar face is the one you’d never expect to see in this era: Captain James T. Kirk,” stated co-writer Kelly. “William Shatner’s iconic performance transcends borders – Kirk is one of the great characters of the modern fiction canon with a timeless actor to match. He was also the first Star Trek character we ever wrote – a leader and warrior poet with boundless tragedy and contradiction. Now, we’re honored to be taking this character into truly uncharted, groundbreaking territory in The Last Starship – as the Federation’s greatest pioneer must face down the inferno that threatens to consume his entire legacy.”

Star Trek: The Last Starship joins three more Star Trek limited series launching this year from IDW. Those are Star Trek: Red Shirts, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Seeds of Destruction, and Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming.

Are you excited for Star Trek: The Last Starship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! The first issue goes on sale September 24th.

The post Star Trek Is Resurrecting Captain Kirk for a New Series Set After Picard appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Both the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises have been around for about a half a century, plus both possess richly complex and diverse universes set in space. With two pop culture mythologies that span films, television, books, video games and more, it’s no surprise that a crop of 30 actors have appeared both in the Star Trek and Star Wars universe. After all, J.J. Abrams presumably got the gig helming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens due to his success directing Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness. Here are the actors who have pulled off the impressive feat of having both beloved franchises on their resume.

1) Jason Issacs

In a galaxy far, far away, Isaacs in famous–or should we say infamous–for voicing The Inquisitor on the animated series Star Wars: Rebels and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire. Yet in the Star Trek universe, Isaacs played Captain Gabriel Lorca on Star Trek: Discovery and in the video game Star Trek online.

2) Karl Urban

Though he’s perhaps better known for playing Dr. “Bones” McCoy in the recent Star Trek feature films, Urban did sneak in a secret cameo in Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker as a Stormtrooper.

3) Simon Pegg

While Star Trek fans know and love Pegg as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in the Star Trek films, Star Wars fans may not be so hot on him. The reason? He played Bakku junk dealer Unkar Plutt who gave Rey a bum deal in The Force Awakens. Pegg reprised his role as Plutt in the video game Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also voiced bounty hunter Dengar on a Season 4 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the Star Wars: Battlefront game.

4) George Takei

While George Takei is one of Star Trek‘s most recognizable faces as Hikaru Sulu, Takei has lent his voice to the Star Wars universe too. He voiced Neimoidian general Lok Durd in an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as well as provided the English voice for travel guide Senshu in the series Star Wars: Visions.

5) Ron Perlman

Perlman voiced Trandoshan salvage ship captain Gha Nachkt on two episodes of The Clone Wars, and appeared in live-action as Viceroy in the 2002 film Star Trek: Nemesis.

6) Brian George

George has made his mark on both franchises in not one, but several roles each. He guest-starred as Richard Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1997, then appeared on Star Trek: Voyager as Ambassador O’Zaal three years later. In the Star Wars universe, George has voiced multiple characters on shows and games, including in The Clone Wars, Tales of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

7) Ian Abercrombie

The late, great Ian Abercrombie was revered for voicing Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious in The Clone Wars and several other media in the Star Wars universe. Yet, fans may not know he also guest-starred on two episodes of Star Trek: Voyager as two different characters: The Abbot and Milo.

8) Olivia d’Abo

D’Abo has played Jedi Luminara Unduli in countless Star Wars media, both animated and live-action. However, sixteen years before she joined the Star Wars universe, d’Abo guest-starred on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as a Q named Amanda Rogers.

9) Sam Witwer

Sam Witwer began an illustrious voice acting career in the Star Wars universe in 2008, most notably voicing Sith Lord Darth Maul. That didn’t stop him from voicing a view minor characters in the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks comedy series though in 2024.

10) Brent Spiner

Data? In Star Wars?! Believe it or not, the Trekkie icon voiced Gall Trayvis, a senator-turned-rebel, in a recurring role on Rebels, proving the versatile actor can really do it all.

11) Fionnula Flanagan 

Flanagan actually played three different roles on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Enterprise. In the Star Wars universe, she only played one: Catarine Towani in Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure in 1984.

12) Carel Struycken

Dutch actor Carel Struycken played King Terak in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor in 1985, but he’s perhaps better known for playing Mr. Homn on Star Trek: The Next Generation in two years later.

13) Ethan Phillips

Though he played Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager for 168 episodes, Phillips has since found time to lend his voice acting talents to three Star Wars video games.

14) George Coe

Before his passing in 2015, Coe had guest-starred on an episode of The Next Generation as Malcorian politician Avel Durken. He also lent his voice to two Star Wars video games and brought the pacifist Lurmen leader Tee Watt Kaa to life on Clone Wars.

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15) Patty Maloney

After playing Lumpy in The Star Wars Holiday Special, Maloney appeared in an episode of Voyager nearly twenty years later as the Little Woman in the second season episode “The Thaw.”

16) Greg Grunberg

A childhood friend of J.J. Abrams, it’s no wonder that Grunberg has had roles in both franchises. He had small roles in both Star Trek and Star Trek Beyond, and then he played Resistance pilot Snap Wexley in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

17) Deep Roy

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek movies are only a few of the iconic films Roy has appeared in over the course of his career. He brought Yoda to life along with Frank Oz in The Empire Strikes Back, then went on to play Keenser, a Starfleet engineering division crewmember in all three Star Trek films from Abrams.

18) Felix Silla

Though he passed in 2021, Silla left behind an incredible legacy. After playing a Talosian on the original Star Trek series, he went on the play an Ewok in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

19) Clancy Brown

Brown boasts a whopping 346 acting credits, so we’re not exactly surprised he managed to appear in both the Star Trek and Star Wars universes. He appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise as Zobral, and then in Star Wars, he voiced several characters in several episodes of both Rebels and Clone Wars.

20) David Birney

Before the podcast boom, Birney voiced Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – The Original Radio Drama in 1996. Two years later, he guest-starred Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the Romulan senator Letant.

21) Jason Wingreen

Wingreen left an indelible mark on the Star Wars universe as the voice of Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Wingreen was also on an episode of Star Trek as Federation scientist Dr. Linke in the episode titled “The Empath”.

22)  Ed Begley Jr.

1996 was a busy year for the actor. Begley Jr. voiced Boba Fett in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – The Original Radio Drama, then he recurred on Star Trek: Voyager for a two-episode arc as shady tech mogul Henry Starling.

23) Greg Ellis

After ten years of popping up in various Star Trek series and video games, Ellis played Chief Engineer Olson in Star Trek. It’s a similar story with the Star Wars universe, Ellis has voiced several different small parts in different media, though he stuck around the longest in Rebels.

24) David Warner

The British actor voiced not only Grand General Brashin in video game Star Wars: Commander, but he appeared in various media within the Star Trek universe including two episodes of The Next Generation as Cardassian officer Gul Madred.

25) Cully Fredricksen

Fredericksen played a Vulcan in the Oscar-nominated Star Trek: First Contact, but he is likely better known for voicing General Rahm Kota in four Star Wars video games.

26) Clive Revill

Star Trek fans will remember Revill as Sir Guy of Gisbourne on The Next Generation, while fans of Star Wars aficionados will recognize Revill as the voice of the Emperor in The Empire Strikes Back.

27) Christopher Lloyd

Before he was Doc Brown, Christopher Lloyd was Klingon Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. He recently joined the Star Wars universe as Helgait on the third season of The Mandalorian.

28) Malcolm McDowell

Most Trekkies will remember that McDowell played Soran in the film Star Trek: Generations. For those scratching their heads on how he factors into the Star Wars universe, McDowell voiced Minister Hydan on two episodes of Rebels.

The post Every Actor Who Appeared In Both Star Wars and Star Trek appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Captain Pike himself has weighed in on the fate of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. On Thursday, Paramount announced that the series was renewed for a fifth season, but that would be its last. It was bittersweet news for fans, who were happy to have a guarantee of more episodes, but sad to have the finish line in sight. Star Anson Mount summed up his feelings in one word — “grateful.” He re-posted the announcement on Instagram on Thursday, thanking those who made this series possible and kept it alive. He also assured fans that the ending is a long way off, with a lot of adventures in between.

“I grew up watching Bill Shatner strut his stuff across the bridge and sit in a chair that I could not fathom would one day be mine to occupy,” Mount wrote. “It has been a dream fulfilled. Thank you to Paramount, to [series creators Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman], and [showrunner Henry Alonso Myers] who all believed in me, to Sonequa [Martin-Green] for lighting the way, and to all of you for your faith and support. But stick around. We still have many more stories to tell before we hang up these phasers.”

This announcement puts Strange New Worlds in a unique place, because the end is now in sight, yet there are currently more new episodes ahead than there are previous episodes behind. The series premiered in 2022 with 10 episodes, then dropped 10 more in 2023, but production was then delayed by the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes. Season 3 is finally premiering next month, and Season 4 is filming now. Both of those are expected to be 10 episodes long, while the fifth and final season will have just six episodes.

[RELATED: Star Trek Reveals Exclusive New Look at Red Shirts, Strange New Worlds Series]

Strange New Worlds is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series following the travels of the USS Enterprise in the years before it came under the command of James T. Kirk. Mount plays his predecessor, Captain Christopher Pike, but many other fan favorite characters are already onboard the ship including Spock, Nyota Uhura, and soon, Kirk himself.

The ending of this series may be the most difficult maneuver of all, as the showrunners have promised it will lead right into The Original Series, dovetailing the whole story together. The Original Series began with the Enterprise’s five-year exploratory mission already underway, so it’s unclear if this means we will see the beginning of Kirk’s captaincy, or simply see Starfleet commission him with the crew we know.

There are plenty of other plots to wrap up, not to mention this show’s genre-hopping adventures along the way. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres on July 17th on Paramount+. Previous seasons are streaming there now.

The post Anson Mount Breaks Silence on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Ending appeared first on ComicBook.com.

I’ve been on the more forgiving side of the new Star Trek Universe that’s taken shape on TV/streaming. I enjoyed Star Trek: Discovery for the bold swings it took at re-invention; I appreciated the nostalgic delight of seeing Patrick Stewart and Co. continue the adventures of Jean-Luc Picard and The Next Generation crew, and have even been impressed wth the brands attempt at diversifying into animated comedy/satire (Lower Decks) and children’s programming (Prodigy). The premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in 2022 felt like a coronation of sorts: “New” Star Trek finding perfect balance with the spirit and sci-fi storytelling of the original series.

However, since Strange New Worlds arrived, Star Trek has felt like it’s in something of a rut. Many of its series (Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy) were cancelled between 2023 and 2024; meanwhile, only one new series has been announced, Starfleet Academy, but it still has yet to set a firm release date. The first of the Star Trek Universe films, Section 31, landed with a major “thud” despite years of fan anticipation and left big questions hanging over the future of Star Trek features on streaming platforms. Now comes news that Strange New Worlds is ending in Season 5, adding a dour note to excitement for the show’s upcoming third season.

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Star Trek: Picard’s Jeri Ryan Keeps Legacy Hopes Alive With Latest Update

As of now, the ending of Strange New Worlds and the beginning of Starfleet Academy look like the only onscreen content we’re getting from Star Trek between 2025 and 2027. So the question is…

What Is Going On With Star Trek Right Now?

Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) followed every other Hollywood studio in betting too heavily on the COVID pandemic and its cultural shift to streaming content. Excluding Discovery, every one of the new Star Trek streaming series has been part of a larger strategy to build “blocks” of content on studio streaming platforms like Paramount+; in 2024, that bubble finally started to burst as consumers refused to commit to paying for multiple streaming services, with each offering fragmented libraries of “exclusive” content. Like the Star Wars Universe projects on Disney+, Paramount+ saw diminishing returns, critically and commercially, with additional seasons of its various Star Trek series. At this point, Paramount+ as a whole has gone down in brand value, and Star Trek right along with it. On the movie side, any efforts to either continue J.J. Abrams’ alt-universe canon with Star Trek 4 or get a new installment under a different director have all been stalled for years.

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Then there’s been the high-profile sale between Paramount and Skydance, which has forced the former to reconsider its entire portfolio of assets (including, full disclosure, the sale of this very site). With Strange New Worlds now having a clear ending date, it seems like the Star Trek end of the portfolio is presumably being trimmed down to fit the parameters of the Paramount-Skydance deal – a deal which, by the way, is still facing serious hurdles before completion. Two series seem to be the entirety of the franchise for the foreseeable future.

However, the larger question is what should Star Trek be in its next iteration? More than ever, sci-fi fans need a hopeful vision of the future to believe in, and you would think Star Trek would be the first franchise filling that void. Starfleet Academy seems like it could have YA appeal, but fans are still waiting on the next big project that gives the franchise a shot of new life. Is that a film? Or maybe a refined series reboot like the Star Trek Legacy series fans want? You tell us in the comments.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 begins on Thursday, July 17th, with new episodes every Thursday through September 11th on Paramount+. Season 4 is in production now. Starfleet Academy is expected to premiere sometime in 2025-2026.

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On Thursday, Paramount+ announced that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fifth season, but that will be its last. It’s a surprising update for a series whose third season has not even premiered yet, indicating confidence in the show even as it is technically coming to an end. Strange New Worlds Season 3 was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes, but Paramount’s in-house streamer ordered a fourth season during production. Now, the final plans for the series have been cemented with a shortened Season 5. Fans have a clear idea of where the show is going as we head into the Season 3 premiere on July 17th on Paramount+.

Strange New Worlds has been a hit with Star Trek fans of all ages — as well as critics — in the 20 episodes that have aired so far. We know that Season 3 will have 10 episodes, and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman has indicated that Season 4 will have 10 episodes as well. However, on Thursday, Paramount+ announced that Season 5 will eventually wrap up the story with six episodes. The prequel is intended to lead seamlessly into Star Trek: The Original Series.

“From the very beginning, Strange New Worlds set out to honor what Star Trek has always stood for — boundless curiosity, hope, and the belief that a better future is possible,” Goldsman said in Thursday’s press release. “We’re deeply grateful to Paramount+ for the chance to complete our five-season mission, just as we envisioned it, alongside our extraordinary cast and crew. And to the passionate fans who’ve boldly joined us on this journey — thank you. With three more spectacular seasons ahead for you to see and enjoy, this adventure is far from over.”

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Strange New Worlds Season 4 officially began filming in early March, but so far, Paramount+ has not announced a release date for the series. Production on Season 5 will reportedly begin later this year, so the two seasons will be filmed practically back to back. At the same time, Season 3 begins with a two-episode premiere on, and will then air week to week, concluding on September 11th.

Strange New Worlds is about the USS Enterprise‘s mission immediately preceding The Original Series, meaning that many of the familiar characters are shared between the two shows. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) is present, but the ship is under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), and the first officer is Number One (Rebecca Romijn). Seeing how these roles are handed over to Kirk and Spock (Ethan Peck) respectively is one of the looming mysteries for this show to explore.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 begins on Thursday, July 17th, with new episodes every Thursday through September 11th on Paramount+. Season 4 is in production now.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 is skipping ahead a bit by putting James T. Kirk in the captain’s seat on the USS Enterprise. The latest trailer for this long-awaited season is packed with action and stunning special effects, but it’s all balanced on a character moment that will have fans doing a double take. It shows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) sternly warning Kirk (Paul Wesley) that “The choices you make in that chair — they are yours to make, and yours to live with.” It’s an exciting scene for the prequel, but it raises a lot of questions about where this story is going, especially as Strange New Worlds has already been renewed for a fourth season.

The scene with Kirk apparently taking control of the Enterprise is cued up with a dramatic swell in the music. He stands on the command deck looking awed and excited. After Pike’s line, Spock turns in his chair to deliver more nostalgic dialogue — “We await your orders, sir.” The circumstances of this scene are not clear at all, so we can only speculate about how it happens and how long it lasts.

Strange New Worlds is a direct prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, set in the years before Captain Pike retires and Kirk becomes the full-time captain of the ship. This means many fan-favorite characters are already onboard, including Spock, Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and others. It also means that Strange New Worlds has a clear end point, though there’s no telling when it might get there.

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The transition of power on the Enterprise has not been depicted on screen, except for the “Kelvin timeline” movies starring Chris Pine, which take place in an alternate reality. The Original Series only depicts three years of the Enterprise’s five-year mission, and does not show how it all began. However, if Strange New Worlds is to show us Pike handing the reigns over to Kirk, it’s not likely to happen just yet. There is another season of the show in development, and the ship must return to Starfleet for its new commission to begin.

The scene in this trailer may be a hint of things to come for these two characters, building up to a satisfying climax for this show. We’ll find out for ourselves soon enough, as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres on July 17th on Paramount+. Other titles, including The Original Series, are streaming there now.

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