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Sonequa Martin-Green Has 'Settled Into' Her 'Worth as a Black Woman in a Way That I Would Not Have Imagined' (Exclusive)

"It has meant a great deal to stand in this position and to have, in a way, grown to fit the position," the actress told PEOPLE of playing Star Trek's first Black female captain

Sonequa Martin-Green is embracing her worth.

The actress portrays Star Trek: Discovery ’s Michael Burnham, the first Black female captain in the long-running franchise, and recently spoke with PEOPLE about how the groundbreaking role has changed her.

"Since the impact that the show has had on my life has changed over time, it's really hard to answer that question because I feel a certain way about it right now, but I'm going to feel even differently a month from now,” Martin-Green, 38, said at SCAD TVFest in Atlanta on Feb. 8 when asked how being on the series has changed her career. “I'm going to feel even differently five years from now. And it's hard for me to say how it's impacted me when I know that there is still more to come from it.”

Reflecting, Martin-Green shared that playing the protagonist has helped her realize and accept a new level of “worth.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"I've settled into my worth as a Black woman in a way that I would not have imagined that was facilitated by the story, that was facilitated by playing Michael Burnham and then Captain Michael Burnham,” she continued. “And then, by the connections that I've made with the people that tell this story. Those connections, they're the kind that ripple throughout the rest of your life.”

Still, Martin-Green doesn’t plan on stopping — and said there’s room for even more personal evolution, telling PEOPLE, “It has meant a great deal to stand in this position and to have, in a way, grown to fit the position. And I'm still growing to fit it.”

She explained, “It's like on one hand I understand that I don't need to do that, but then at the same time it's like that position is greater than me, so I'll just always be growing into it.”

The Walking Dead alum became emotional at the idea of being able to show her 9-year-old son, Kenric Justin III, the CBS series one day, giving him a chance to see her star as a Black lead.

“He hasn't seen it yet,” said Martin-Green, who shares Kenric III and 3-year-old daughter Saraiyah Chaunté with husband Kenric Green, 41. She added that she’s “excited” for the moment Kenric III and Saraiyah — who wasn’t born yet when Martin-Green began playing Captain Burnham — are ready to tune in to the series.

“I mean, I could really cry talking about what I might be able to lead by example, what I might be able to show them by example and teach them from what I've experienced and how they might benefit from it,” said the mom of two. “That's everything right there.”

Watch CBS News

Nichelle Nichols advocated for women and people of color in STEM. Now, "Star Trek" actress Sonequa Martin-Green is continuing her legacy

By Caitlin O'Kane

August 2, 2022 / 9:47 AM EDT / CBS News

"I knew this was going to be difficult to talk about her," Sonequa Martin-Green said, tears in her eyes. The "Star Trek" actress was talking about the late Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers on the same show more than five decades earlier. "She's very much 1,000% actually a hero."

Nichols died this week at the age of 89. She was one of the first Black actresses to star in a television series, paving the way for countless others. But for Martin-Green, the connection to Nichols runs deep. Martin-Green plays Michael Burnham, the first Black female captain in "Star Trek" history – something that might not have been possible without Nichols' role before her.

Not only did Nichols inspire her as an actor, but as an advocate for women and girls, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields – also known as STEM.

After "Star Trek," Nichols dedicated her time to recruiting women and people of color to apply to be astronauts at NASA.

Decades later, Martin-Green is working to help women and girls in STEM too. She has partnered with Million Girls Moonshot, an organization that aims to get 1 million more girls into STEM learning opportunities and programs. Frito-Lay has donated $100,000 to further the program's mission, and to send girls to Space Camp.

Martin-Green surprised 16 girls, the first group that the organization is sending to Space Camp, presenting them with ceremonial stars named after them. "I was so excited for them to see my face and see my love and support for them," she said. "I really hope this is an experience that they carry with them, something that they always remember. I hope it sets them on their path."

"There's such a dearth of women in STEM careers and especially Black women, Latina women, Indigenous women, it's 10 percent in STEM careers today," Martin-Green told CBS News. "So, we need more of us out there and that's why I jumped at the opportunity to do this."

Martin-Green said programs like this that aim to recruit girls wouldn't be possible without Nichols. "It's all because of her, really. Because she's the one that helped integrate NASA way back then," she said, crying at the thought of Nichols.

"She's the one that said, 'Wait a second, I don't see what I need to be seeing. I don't see equality here.' And she dedicated the rest of her life to it — from 1977 to 2015 — to establishing these programs in NASA," Martin-Green said. "And now here we are, and these girls can have this experience. And I'm grateful to be a part of it."

Now, Martin-Green hopes to continue Nichols' legacy – on and off screen. "I know she said when she was still here, 'If I've inspired you at all, I just ask that you continue this legacy.' So, of course now all of us that have been inspired by her. And I hope these girls can do that too."

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

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How Sonequa Martin-Green became the first black female lead of Star Trek: 'My casting says the sky is the limit for all'

We talk to the cast and visit the set ahead of netflix's all-new reboot, 'star trek: discovery', with each episode rolling out as a weekly episodic show, article bookmarked.

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Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham in Netflix's 'Star Trek: Discovery'

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Star Trek pioneered diversity long before diversity was a hot-button issue. When the series first launched 51 years ago, its original crew featured black, Asian and, yes, females actors – not merely as eye candy – among its cast.

But an all-new reboot, Star Trek: Discovery , goes boldly where no Trek has gone before by placing two women of colour in command of a starship: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Michelle Yeoh and Walking Dead’s Sonequa Martin-Green.

Trekkies have always been a passionate crowd, although even Star Trek: Discovery’s genial show-runner Aaron Harberts was caught off guard by the intensity of the internet trolls and haters. “It’s our job to reflect the world we live in; a world where more than half the population are women. Quite frankly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about,” argues Harberts when The Independent meets him and his cast.

If Yeoh brushes off the pressure – after all, the Malaysian martial-arts dynamo has quietly been shattering glass ceilings for the past four decades – then much of the burden falls to Sonequa Martin-Green taking centre stage as (arguably) Trek’s first black female lead (some fans point to Nichelle Nichols, who played Uura from 1966-91, as the rightful owner of that honour).

“My casting says that the sky is the limit for all of us. I think what we’re seeing now in our media is this push to diminish and to devalue and to make people feel that the sky is not the limit for them, that they are meant for the ground,” says Martin-Green, a force of energy so bubbly and exuberant, its hard to imagine she was chosen to play a human raised as a Vulcan. Not only chosen, but actively waited on; production halted until her Walking Dead contract ran out.

“So having me as the first black female lead of a Star Trek just blasts that into a million pieces. I am eternally grateful that the diverse casting of our show means that we are now a part of the conversation and hopefully a part of making the world a better place, as cliché as this sounds. Because I really believe it and think its vital for us all right now,” she says, the spectre of Trump lurking unspoken.

Not that she views her casting as a triumph for women alone. “I think it sends a message to any minority group that’s been disenfranchised. We all benefit when we can see a picture of ourselves in a position of leadership and I think that goes not just for women and people in minority groups – but for everyone to see that this is possible. I think that it will help people see the beauty of women in power and also the beauty of minorities in power, and to incite change.”

It should be noted that Martin-Green is the first black female first officer, rather than captain. There has previously been a female captain, played by Kate Mulgrew who made franchise history in 1995 when she was anointed as Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager; however, there has yet to be a black female captain.

Star Trek: Discovery is a prequel to Gene Rodenberry’s original series, set about 10 years prior in a world at war. An interesting experiment from Netflix, fans will not be able to binge on the series, each episode rolling out as a weekly episodic show.

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One of the most popular pop culture franchises in history, now returning to TV 12 years after the last Starfleet was cancelled, Harberts and fellow show runner Gretchen J Berg have plotted a very different course for Star Trek: Discovery .

“I believe this is the first time that it’s a serialised telling of a tale and an exploration of just one character [Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham] along the path of discovering what it means to be human and finding her individuality,” says Harberts. “Those stories have been well told in the movie spin-offs, but were impossible to do on TV where each episode was closed-ended.”

While visiting the Discovery set at Toronto’s Pinewood studios, plot-lines are shrouded in secrecy and many sets are off-limits, although we are allowed a peek inside the quarters shared by the crew’s first gay couple – Anthony Rapp’s Lieutenant Paul Stamets and Wilson Cruz’ Dr Hugh Culber.

“We don’t want to make a big deal about it. Its just treated as perfectly normal – which it should be,” says Harberts.

Trekkies have long been divided into Captain Kirk or Spock camps, and Martin-Green herself has always favoured Leonard Nimoy’s Spock from the original series. “Spock is my favourite in the canon. I loved what Leonard Nimoy did,” she says, reverently referring to the three original seasons as “ TOS ”.

Jason Isaacs, who plays Discovery’s war-mongering Captain Gabriel Lorca, is likewise a Trek fan from a different era, admiring Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard from the big screen versions of the late 1990s.

Unsurprisingly, the new cast all geeked out when Jonathan Frakes, who played Riker alongside Stewart in the early film versions, recently guest-directed an episode.

“I’d never met Patrick Stewart before and Jonathan was excited to introduce us at an event we were both attending,” recalls Isaacs, best-known for his role as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. “But Jonathan couldn’t come at the last minute so I wandered up behind the world famous silhouette, heard the echo of the magnificent voice, saw the mob of gorgeous well-wishers and... chickened out. So I still don’t know him.”

Born and raised in Alabama, Martin-Green marked her entry into TV nine years ago with a guest spot on an episode of Law & Order , a rite of passage for all New York-based actors, progressing onto episodes on The Good Wife , Gossip Girl and Once Upon a Time before making her name as The Walking Dead’s fiesty Sasha Williams.

“My parents, in particular my mom, were always supportive of my wanting to act but I don’t think either of them viewed it as a legitimate career until they saw me on Law & Order . I played a bisexual high school lacrosse player involved in the beat-down of a high school boy. So much fun,” laughs the actress who has a two-and-a-half-year-old son with husband, Kenric Green.

Its no accident that her captain takes a male name, Michael Burnham. “It is on purpose. It was Brian Fuller’s idea,” she says referring to the writer who conceived the Star Trek reboot, lobbying for a black woman at the fore, before falling out with CBS executives. “A lot of Brian’s female leads have male names. So I am named after my biological father and I love that because I think it really speaks to the gender fluidity. It’s a subtle yet powerful nod to that.”

Certainly Star Trek: Discovery presents a darker narrative. “It‘s grittier and raw in a way that the other iterations have not been. I think that’s one of the ways we’re going boldly where no-one has gone before,” she winks.

She’s excited to meet Nichelle Nichols, 84, who played Uhura on TOS .

“She reached out to me via social media and it will be a glorious day when we meet.”

If the reboot proudly promotes diversity and gender equality then Martin-Green admits her costume fits way too snugly, a common complaint among all previous female Trek cast.

“It’s tight, but its goood,” she says letting the vowel spread like syrup. “It makes you stand up straight so I appreciate it for that. They’re beautifully made and designed. Nor am I complaining about the lipstick after years of running around with zombies in the dirt.”

Empowered by the strong women in her family, she will tell you, “My mother and my older sister are heroes. Also God, right? Because he’s a woman too. He is all things; that’s what I believe.”

And lest you be wondering – yes, the new Star Trek crew do actually repeat the immortal line, “Live long and prosper”.

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ begins streaming on Netflix on 25 September

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Sonequa Martin-Green takes the chair as captain in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 trailer

Martin-Green's character Michael Burnham is the first Black woman captain in a live-action Star Trek series.

Sonequa Martin-Green is boldly going where no Star Trek has gone before in Discovery 's fourth season.

After Martin-Green's Michael Burnham was promoted to captain in the season 3 finale, season 4 of the Paramount+ series will see her taking charge as the first Black woman to occupy the captain's chair in a live-action Star Trek show. A new trailer for Discovery 's fourth season, unveiled Saturday at New York Comic Con , teases the crises ahead for Burnham and her crew in the new batch of episodes.

"Today we seek to understand a threat like none our galaxy has faced before," Burnham says in the trailer. The fourth season will see the starship Discovery 's crew dealing with a massive anomaly that threatens life throughout the galaxy, putting Federation and non-Federation worlds alike at risk. The crisis forces these various worlds to work together to confront the unknown and ensure a hopeful future for all.

Multiple new Star Trek series are slated to hit Paramount+ over the next year, including the animated kids' series Star Trek: Prodigy and the Captain Pike-focused Strange New Worlds . Star Trek: Picard is also slated to return for its second season in February.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4, meanwhile, premieres Nov. 18 on Paramount+. Check out the season trailer above.

As Star Trek's First Black Female Captain, Discovery's Sonequa Martin-Green Reflects On Inspirational Words From Franchise Vet Nichelle Nichols

Sonequa Martin-Green shared some kind words about the Star Trek icon.

Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols is retiring from the convention circuit, which is bittersweet but nonetheless a milestone worth celebrating. Fans at L.A. Comic-Con 2021 did precisely that for Nichols’ final convention appearance, and celebrities were full of reverential praise as well. Many were quick to credit Nichols as a factor in their careers, and Star Trek: Discovery 's lead actress Sonequa Martin-Green was definitely part of that crowd.

For a video tribute that was recorded and played during Nichelle Nichols final panel, Sonequa Martin-Green shared memories of meeting Nichols at the premiere for Star Trek: Discovery . As the star of the diversity-driven sci-fi series, Martin-Green was anxious about meeting the actress who broke barriers so many years ago as Uhura on the original series. And here's how that meeting played out:

I remember the great ball of nervousness that was in my stomach as I was approaching her, but she whispered to me in my ear so delicately she said, ‘Take care. It’s yours now.’ And I melted. And I needed that. I needed that blessing. She made me feel welcomed. She made me feel justified, and she made me feel empowered.

Now a few years later, Sonequa Martin-Green is well into her run on Star Trek: Discovery and made history as the franchise’s first Black female to lead a Trek series as a Starfleet captain. Not that either one of the actresses was likely aware of that in the moment, making it all the sweeter an encounter.

Nichelle Nichols knows a little something about history herself, of course, as she had the honor of one of television’s first interracial on-camera kisses , smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. With her key role within the Star Trek universe in the 1960s, Nichols served as an inspiration to many, and was proof that racial equality wasn't so unthinkable a scenario in the future. At least the fictionalized kind.

Sonequa Martin-Green continued on with her praise and championed Nichelle Nichols’ impact not just on the Black community , but other people of color and women in general. In a kind and humble statement, Martin-Green explained that had it not been for Nichols, she might not be in the position she’s in today .

Nichelle's legacy can be described as that of sacrificial, heroic contribution. She decided to stay and ultimately devoted her entire self to the progression of Black people, people of color, and women. And she gave everything. She gave her time, her energy. She gave her intelligence, her wisdom, her leadership, and her heart for the betterment of the world and the future. I am only here because of her. I also owe it to Nichelle to continue her legacy of heroism through sacrifice. And that is what she has taught me.

It’s a beautiful sentiment that honors Nichelle Nichols in quite the fitting way to mark the icon's potential retirement from public life. She’ll be missed at future Star Trek and sci-fi events, I’m sure, but after the time she spent giving to fans , she certainly deserves to take some time off amidst her health and conservatorship issues.

Nichelle Nichols may soon be mostly gone from the public eye, but fans can still re-live her greatest moments in Star Trek with a Paramount+ subscription . They can also catch new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery , which streams on Thursdays.

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

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Sonequa Martin-Green Reveals The Sage Advice She Got From Nichelle Nichols: "It's Yours Now" (EXCLUSIVE)

Aug. 13 2022, Published 10:49 a.m. ET

Sonequa Martin Green

Whoever said the sky is the limit has never met Star Trek: Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green . Along with her breakout role in The Walking Dead , the actress has a long list of television credits under her belt. But of all the characters that Sonequa has portrayed in the past, none are as iconic as Michael Burnham.

The actress broke the glass ceiling as the first Black female to captain a Star Trek fleet in television history, and we love to see it.

She follows in the footsteps of veteran Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols — who died in late July. In an exclusive interview with Distractify , Sonequa got candid about the challenges she’s encountered since taking on the role and shared the sage words of wisdom she got from the Nyota Uhura actress before her death.

Plus, the actress hinted at what’s next for Burnham in Season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery . Here’s what she said!

Sonequa Martin-Green

Sonequa Martin-Green talks the challenges of being the first Black female captain on ‘Star Trek: Discovery.’

Sonequa took one giant leap for women of color when she joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. But according to her, making history isn’t as easy as she makes it look. “The most challenging part for me, in the beginning, was the pressure,” she told Distractify.

“People like Nichelle [and] people like Whoopi [Goldberg] have done so much through this franchise. And I was reeling from it. Like, oh my goodness, I gotta do everything just right… I gotta make everybody proud.”

But it wasn't long before she got the nod of approval she didn't know she needed.

Sonequa Martin-Green on the sage piece of advice she got from ‘Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols.

Tearfully, Sonequa recounted the first time she met her predecessor in person. On the red carpet for the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery , Nichelle pulled her aside and whispered a message that Sonequa says she’ll “never forget.”

“The first time that I met her was on the red carpet for the premiere of the show. And she whispered in my ear. ‘Take care. It's yours now.’”

She told Distractify , “Now that I'm a mother of a daughter and just growing up and settling more into my womanhood and into my motherhood – that opened my eyes to the work that [Nichelle] did, and how sacrificial it was... and how heroic it was.”

Nichelle Nichols, Sonequa Martin-Green

With those words, the pressure that she previously felt was alleviated. In the years since the Season 1 premiere, Sonequa has taken the time to “grow and sort of rest into who I really am more and more and more as a character.”

“You can barely recognize Burnham from Season 1 to Burnham on Season 4, and especially Burnham on Season 5,” the actress teased. “There has been so much growth and transition and maturity.”

Here's how ‘Star Trek: Discovery’s Sonequa Martin-Green is keeping Nichelle Nichols' memory alive with Frito-Lay’s Million Girl Moonshot.

After Nichelle’s death, Sonequa honored the late Star Trek star's memory through her partnership with Frito-Lay . As part of their Million Girls Moonshot campaign, the company has committed $100,000 to send more than a dozen girls aged 12-18 to NASA for an all-expense paid week at space camp.

“When I think about it, it makes me want to cry. I was able to give them the news,” she said with tears in her eyes. “They get to have the full space camp experience at NASA. And these girls may not have been able to get there on their own.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sonequa Martin-Green (@therealsonequa)

Sonequa urged, “We really have to encourage these girls early, that not only is it possible for them, but it's necessary for them to be a part of the STEM careers, and to have roles in these careers.”

“I wanted to be involved in whatever way that I could. With Nichelle passing and knowing that none of this would be possible without her... it's really a special moment.”

Seasons 1-4 of Star Trek: Discovery are available to stream now on Paramount Plus.

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EXCLUSIVE | Star Trek: Discovery's Sonequa Martin-Green on Her Role and Impact as a Black Captain

Own Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 on Blu-ray, DVD, Limited Edition Steelbook, and Digital now!

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, Limited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook, and Digital on December 6 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, fans can enjoy every thrilling episode from the Paramount+ original series with the four-disc collection, packed with over 90 minutes of special features, including exclusive cast and crew interviews, gag reel, deleted scenes and episode commentary.

To celebrate the announcement of the release, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment provided StarTrek.com with an exclusive clip featuring series lead Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham) discussing the impact of her role as the first Black woman Captain, how it contributed to her inner-reflection, and her understanding of self. Martin-Green also speaks of Burnham's living quarters, including the significance of the props and her contribution to the set. To learn more about this release, head over to the announce !

Star Trek: Discovery currently streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. Internationally, the series is available on Paramount+ in Australia, Latin America, the UK, and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. It will also stream exclusively on Paramount+ in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria later this year. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Discovery is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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New 'Star Trek' Series Makes History With First Ever Black Female Lead

Sonequa Martin-Green has been cast in the lead role for the forthcoming Star Trek: Discovery series, which marks the first time in the history of the Star Trek canon that a black woman has held such a position.

Instead of being a captain (as is usually the case in the Star Trek franchise) The Walking Dead actress will serve as a lieutenant commander on the series, according to a report from Entertainment Weekly. However, not much else is known about Martin-Green's character, including her name.

" Star Trek started with a wonderful expression of diversity in its cast. We're continuing that tradition," Bryan Fuller , the show's former showrunner and executive producer, said at the Television Critics Association Summer Tour. "We wanted to paint a picture of Starlet that's indicative of encountering people who are much more different than we are."

According to Fuller the decision to cast a nonwhite woman in the lead role was inspired by Mae Jamison (the first black female astronaut), as well as Nichelle Nichols , the only recurring black and female cast member from the initial Star Trek series.

Fuller also added that the change in the lead role's description adds to the evolution of the upcoming series, providing a different perspective not seen in the franchise's predecessors.

"We've seen six series from the captain's point of view," Fuller said. "To see a character from a [new] perspective on the starship — one who has different dynamic relationships with a captain, with subordinates, it gave us richer context."

Martin-Green's role on the series adds her to a list of other Black Star Trek actors from the past such as LeVar Burton and the late Don Marshall ( who passed away back in October of this year).

Aside form having its first lead role done by a black woman, Star Trek: Discovery will also have the TV franchise's first openly gay character, a lieutenant played by Anthony Rapp . CBS will be premiering the series in May on its All Access streaming service.

The New Star Trek Series Finally Realizes Gene Roddenberry's Ultimate Vision

We finally know who will be taking the lead in Star Trek: Discovery , the first new Trek TV series in over a decade, when it launches on CBS' streaming platform next May: Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Sasha on The Walking Dead . While she won't be a captain, Entertainment Weekly reports , she'll be playing Rainsford, a lieutenant commander "with caveats," aboard the U.S.S. Discovery.

Regardless of insignia, Martin-Green's casting in Star Trek: Discovery fulfills a long held ambition on the part of the show's original showrunner. Bryan Fuller, who has since departed from the show, has said for years that he wants an African-American woman to play the lead in his *Star Trek *project. But more importantly, this news also brings Discovery closer to living up to the ideals that Star Trek always tried to live up to.

From its beginnings more than 50 years ago, Star Trek has always been about humanism. Creator Gene Roddenberry was famously a secular humanist himself, and he spoke eloquently about wanting to portray a future in which people use science to solve our own problems. That commitment to humanism is why Captain Kirk is always meeting gods—and refusing to worship them—in the Original Series. And it's why Captain Picard, in The Next Generation , tells the all-powerful Q that humanity has left behind our old bloodlust. Picard would always rather talk than fight.

It's all too easy to see Star Trek 's humanism as merely a matter of embracing science and rejecting barbarism—but that's missing what makes Trek 's version of humanism so powerful. Diversity was always a key part of Star Trek 's vision of a better future for humanity. In the ideal world of the 24th century, every human being has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential, either in the sciences or elsewhere; anything less doesn't represent real progress.

The purest expression of this comes towards the end of the first season of *Star Trek: TNG *season one, in the episode "The Neutral Zone." Talking to a man who's been frozen for hundreds of years, Picard explains that the purpose of life in a post-scarcity world is "to improve yourself." And TNG , in particular, is full of moments where the improvement of the individual is shown to be the most important value of all—even if it means an awful lot of Riker's trombone-playing and Data's various artistic endeavors..

I sometimes get the impression that people who love Star Trek 's humanism view the show's commitment to diversity as a mere sideshow—as if the show's core message is about science, exploration and progress. But the more I rewatch Trek , the more I see those messages about the dignity of the individual as central to the franchise. And you can't believe that everyone has the potential to become a Starfleet officer without wanting to see that reflected on screen.

Andy Greenberg

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That's why Roddenberry inserts all those dorky messages about "Infinity Diversity in Infinite Combinations." It's why he and his successors pushed for representation of marginalized groups among Star Trek 's heroes, beginning with Lt. Uhura and continuing with Captains Sisko and Janeway. Inclusion isn't a distraction from Trek 's humanism; it's the very heart of that ethos. And Discovery 's other recent casting news keeps that heart beating, with Michelle Yeoh as the captain of another starship and Anthony Rapp playing the first openly gay Starfleet officer on TV.

Meanwhile, I'm stoked to see three talented actors cast in recurring roles as Klingons . The Klingons have always been among the most interesting versions of the "other" on Star Trek . From the Cold War to the New World Order, the Klingons have always served as a versatile metaphor for real-world geopolitics, and I'm dying to see how they're portrayed in the Trump era. Since Discovery takes place in the Original Series era, we'll once again see Klingons as the Federation's enemies—which makes them an even bigger challenge to human values.

And no matter how the U.S.S. Discovery chooses to face up to that challenge, I'm just glad that it'll do so with representatives of all of humanity on board.

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Black Women In Star Trek

In detail view, you will see the Star Trek character portrayed. Enterprise - Discovery - Short Treks - Strange New Worlds The Original Series - The Animated Series The Next Generation - Deep Space Nine - Voyager Lower Decks - Prodigy - Picard Star Trek Movies Information Credit: Memory Alpha | Daystrom Institute - Peace and Long Life

1. Nichelle Nichols

Actress | Star Trek

Nichelle Nichols was one of 10 children born to parents Lishia and Samuel Nichols in Robbins, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. She was a singer and dancer before turning to acting and finding fame in her groundbreaking role of Lt. Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek (1966) series. As long as she could remember,...

Star Trek: The Original Series (TV Series) Uhura / Lt. Uhura Star Trek: Renegades (TV Series) Admiral Grace Jemison Star Trek First Frontier Nyota Uhura

2. Whoopi Goldberg

Actress | Ghost

Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in the Chelsea section of Manhattan on November 13, 1955. Her mother, Emma (Harris), was a teacher and a nurse, and her father, Robert James Johnson, Jr., was a clergyman. Whoopi's recent ancestors were from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. She worked in...

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Guinan Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Guinan (Farewell - The Star Gazer)

3. Sonequa Martin-Green

Actress | Star Trek: Discovery

Sonequa Martin-Green (born March 21, 1985) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her television role as Sasha Williams on The Walking Dead, a role she played from 2012 to 2017. Before that, she had starred in several independent films before gaining her first recurring role as ...

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Michael Burnham / Cmdr. Michael Burnham

4. Tawny Newsome

Actress | Space Force

Tawny Newsome is know for playing Angela Ali in Netflix's Space Force, Ensign Beckett Mariner in Star Trek: Lower Decks, Gabby in IFC's Brockmire, and Chelsea Leight-Leigh in Pluto's Bajillion Dollar Properties. You may have also caught her in fun comedies like NBC's Superstore, IFC's Sherman's ...

Star Trek: Lower Decks (TV Series) Ensign Beckett Mariner Pakled Delegate

5. Michelle Hurd

Actress | Blindspot

Michelle Hurd was born in New York City, New York, USA. Michelle is an actor and producer, known for Blindspot (2015), Star Trek: Picard (2020) and The Glades (2010). Michelle has been married to Garret Dillahunt since July 6, 2007.

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Raffi Musiker

6. Celia Rose Gooding

Actress | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Celia Rose Gooding is an American actress and singer. They made their Broadway debut and rose to prominence for the role of Mary Frances "Frankie" Healy in the rock musical Jagged Little Pill for which they won a 2021 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and was nominated for a 2020 Tony ...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV Series) Cadet Nyota Uhura

7. Dawnn Lewis

Actress | A Different World

Dawnn Lewis was born August 13, 1961. She is remembered mostly from her role as Jaleesa Vinson on A Different World (1987). Dawnn composed the theme song with Bill Cosby and Stu Gardner that was used for the series. She left the show in 1992 to join the cast of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992) as ...

Star Trek: Lower Decks (TV Series) Captain Carol Freeman

8. Oyin Oladejo

Oyin Oladejo was born in Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria. She is known for Star Trek: Discovery (2017), Orah (2023) and Endlings (2020).

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Lt. Joann Owosekun / Joann Owosekun

9. Raven Dauda

Actress | Murder at 1600

Raven Dauda is known for Murder at 1600 (1997), Greta (2018) and Bulletproof Monk (2003).

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Dr. Tracy Pollard / Dr. Pollard

10. Penny Johnson Jerald

Actress | 24

Penny Johnson Jerald is an American actress. She played Beverly Barnes on the HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show, Kasidy Yates on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sherry Palmer on the Fox series 24, Captain Victoria "Iron" Gates on the ABC comedy-drama series ...

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Dobara (Homeward) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Kasidy Yates / Kasidy Yates Sisko / Cassie What We Left Behind: Star Trek DS9 (Documentary) Self

11. Zoe Saldana

Actress | Avatar

Zoe Saldana was born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, to Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. Her father was Dominican and her mother is Puerto Rican. She was raised in Queens, New York. When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for ...

Star Trek Star Trek Into Darkness Star Trek Beyond Uhura/Lieutenant Uhura

12. Aisha Hinds

Actress | The Next Three Days

When Aisha Hinds' junior high school tap dance instructor observed that she needed an outlet for expression that surpassed her tap shoes, she was guided to the High School of Performing Arts in New York - where her formal acting training began. Hinds' numerous television credits include a supporting...

Star Trek Into Darkness Navigation Officer Darwin

13. Alfre Woodard

Actress | Star Trek: First Contact

Alfre Woodard was born on November 8, 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the youngest of three children of Constance, a homemaker, and Marion H. Woodard, an interior designer. She was named by her godmother, who claimed she saw a vision of Alfre's name written out in gold letters. A former high school ...

Star Trek: First Contact Lily

14. Alex Datcher

Actress | Passenger 57

Alex Datcher was born on June 6, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Passenger 57 (1992), The Expert (1995) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Ensign Zandra Taitt (Descent, Part II)

15. Allison Wilson-Forbes

Actress | Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

Allison Wilson-Forbes was born and raised in Toronto. She is an actress known for Saving Hope (2012) and has appeared in critically acclaimed The Expanse (2015) and most recently Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020). A recent graduate of UCLA's TV Writing Program, she's also ...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Agent Ymalay (Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow)

16. Akua Williams

Self | Kith Park: Spring/Summer 2019 at NYFW

Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) Akaali citizen (Civilization)

17. Alyma Dorsey

Stunts | The Matrix Resurrections

Alyma started singing opera at 8 years of age which led to her Vocal Performance Degree at Florida State University. After playing on the Junior Olympic volleyball team, Alyma was recruited by Florida State University volleyball team. A budding modeling career soon approached and after graduating, ...

Star Trek: Picard Romulan guard (Broken Pieces) Stargazer security officer (The Stargazer) stunt performer for Michelle Hurd

18. Amirah Vann

Actress | Underground

Amirah Vann was born on June 24, 1980 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Underground (2016), Tracers (2015) and Arcane (2021).

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Zani

19. Andrea Davis

Actress | The Expanse

Andrea Davis is best known for her work in the Amazon Prime hit series The Expanse where she plays Admiral Tesfaye. Andrea is also known for her standout performance as Sal in Thyrone Tommy 's film Learn to Swim (2021) (a 54th NAACP Image Awards (2023) Nominee and an Official Selection of Canada's ...

Star Trek: Short Treks (TV Series short) Teacher (Children of Mars)

20. Anele Lundborg

Actress | The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead

Anele Lundborg is a South African born actor, writer and director based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known for her voice over role as Boomer in PlayStations hit game 'Horizon Forbidden West'. She is fluent in three South African languages which was vital for her voice acting on 'Black Panther: ...

Star Trek: Short Treks (TV Series short) Voice (The Girl Who Made the Stars )

21. Angela Meryl

Stunts | Skyfall

Veteran stunt woman and actor. Year after year, Meryl reaps rewards of acknowledgment including a historical two-time, Taurus Award nomination for her performance in the opening scene of Quentin Turentino's blockbuster-- Kill Bill; A Taurus Award for "Best Overall Stunt By A Woman," for the movie ...

Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) Stunt Performer - The Augments and Borderland

22. Antonette Rudder

Antonette Rudder is known for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022), The Hot Zone (2019) and People of Earth (2016).

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Majalan Aide (Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach)

23. April Grace

Actress | Magnolia

April Grace was born in Lakeland, Florida, USA. April is an actor and producer, known for Magnolia (1999), I Am Legend (2007) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Transporter Technician Maggie Hubbell Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Transporter Technician Maggie Hubbell (Emissary) Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Admiral Sally Whitley (The Star Gazer)

24. Ariel D. King

Actress | American Crime Story

Ariel D King is an actress, model and singer who was born on the 4th of July in Riverdale, Illinois. Ariel was awarded the Hollywood Discovery Award at the Hollywood Film Awards in 2010. She portrayed OJ Simpson's daughter Arnelle Simpson on American Crime Story, an anthology series centered around...

Star Trek Into Darkness Starfleet Civilian

25. Bahia Watson

Actress | The Handmaid's Tale

Bahia Watson was born in Carman, Manitoba, Canada. She grew up in Winnipeg. An actress, artist and storyteller when she is not on stage or in front of the cameras, Bahia is always writing as well as always imagining. A selection of her stage credits include playing the young princess Elizabeth in "...

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) May (Saints of Imperfection - An Obol for Charon - Point of Light - New Eden)

26. Arista Arhin

Actress | Lockdown

Arista Arhin is an Emmy-nominated actress from Toronto, Canada. At the age of 10, Arista decided to pursue her passion for acting. Her first big break came when she was cast as Ozlyn in the award-winning children's live-action educational television series Odd Squad (TVOKids/PBS Kids). Since then, ...

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Young Michael Burnham

27. Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut

Actress | Star Trek: Picard

Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut was born in Gainesville, Florida, USA. She is an actress, known for Star Trek: Picard (2020), Cruel Summer (2021) and The Good Fight (2017).

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Ensign Sidney La Forge

28. Barbara Eve Harris

Actress | FUBAR

Barbara Eve Harris was born in Tobago to Jamaican parents and moved to Canada at the age of 6 with her family. Raised and educated in Ottawa, the national capital, she graduated from the University of Ottawa with a B.A. (concentration in Theatre and Philosophy). The initial plan was for Law School,...

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Emily (Emmy) Bosch (The Impossible Box)

29. Bahni Turpin

Actress | Crossroads

Bahni Turpin was born on June 4, 1962 in Pontiac, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for Crossroads (2002), Malcolm X (1992) and Cold Case (2003).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Ensign Swinn / Swinn (Resolutions and Tuvix)

30. Barbara Mamabolo

Deep Impact

Barbara Mamabolo was born in 1986 in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress and writer, known for Deep Impact (1998), Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) and Stranger (2017).

Star Trek: Short Treks (TV Series short) Bounty Hunter (The Escape Artist)

Actress | Ass Parade

Bronze was born on December 3, 1971 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress.

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Resort woman (aka Erica Samuel) (Darkling)

32. Beverly Hart

Actress | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Beverly Hart is known for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), The Nude Bomb (1980) and X-Ray (1981).

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier High Priestess

33. Breece Wilson

Actress | Brown Sugar

Breece Wilson is known for Brown Sugar (2002).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Vulcan Starfleet cadet

34. Brit Manor

Actress | Ray Donovan

Brit Manor is an actress, dancer, model and recording artist from Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) and New York University TISCH School of the Arts in Drama as a University Scholar. Among her film, TV and international theatre credits, Brit ...

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Tough Fuelie (Maps and Legends)

35. Candice Renee

Actress | Star Trek Into Darkness

Candice Renée is an L.A. native who began her acting career at age 12 when she booked her first play while training. After that, there was no turning back. She received an acting degree while in New York and continued to perform on stage. After transitioning to TV/Film, she has landed roles on ...

Star Trek Into Darkness Additional Voices

36. Caprice Crawford

Producer | Fatal Rescue

Caprice Crawford is an American producer and actress based in Berlin. She has been acting and singing in front of the camera since the age of 16. In 1990, she moved to New York City to attend the William Esper Studio, the world's foremost studio dedicated to Meisner based actor training. By 1992, ...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Bajoran Comfort Woman (Wrongs Darker than Death or Night)

37. Candace Crump

Stunts | Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit

Candace Crump is known for Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000) and Made in America (1993).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Stand-in for Whoopi Goldberg

38. Chelsea Harris

Actress | Snowpiercer

Chelsea Harris was born in Columbus, Georgia, USA. She is an actress, known for Snowpiercer (2020), Designated Survivor (2016) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Dr. Naáshala Kunamadéstifee (Maps and Legends)

39. Chandra Galasso

Actress | Warehouse 13

Chandra Galasso is known for Warehouse 13 (2009), Soft Deceit (1994) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022).

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Lieutenant (Strange New Worlds)

40. Claire Qute

Actress | Lady Ada's Secret Society

Claire QUTE was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. From a very young age, she has been incredibly passionate about acting and filmmaking. Growing up as a biracial girl with big dreams in a small town had its challenges, but she channeled all of her experiences into creative outlets like acting, ...

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Teen May Hologram (New Eden)

41. Cynthia Addai-Robinson

Actress | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Cynthia Addai-Robinson is an English-born actress. She was born in London; her mother is from Ghana and her father is an United States citizen. She moved to US when she was four, and was raised by her mother in a suburb of Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver ...

Star Trek Into Darkness San Francisco Woman

42. Cynthia Graham

Actress | Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force

Cynthia Graham is known for Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force (2000), The Bernie Mac Show (2001) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Lt. Wheeler (Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges) Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force (Video Game) Crewman Elizabeth Laird / Klingon (voice)

43. Daphney Damaraux

Actress | All Night

Daphney Damaraux is known for All Night (2018) and Las Vegas (2003).

Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) Crewman / Alien Ambassador

44. Darwyn Carson

Actress | True Confessions

Darwyn Carson was born in Ohio, USA. Darwyn is an actor and writer, known for True Confessions (1981), The Last Halloween (1991) and Signs and Wonders (1995).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Romulan Tal Shiar operative ("Improbable Cause")

45. Dawn Stern

Actress | The Sentinel

Dawn earned her B.S. in Theatre Performance from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIU-E) and has been a proud Equity member since 1987. Early in her career she worked in St. Louis and Chicago markets where she earned her AFTRA, AEA, and SAG union cards. Dawn moved to Los Angeles in ...

Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) Latia Female (Two Days and Two Nights)

46. Davida Williams

Actress | Quantum Leap

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Davida Williams began acting at the age of eight. She began by guest starring in roles on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Star Trek, Sister Sister, Days of Our Lives and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. Her first big screen performance was in Younger & Younger a film ...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Lisa (Children of Time)

47. Dawn Lovett

Actress | Exit to Eden

Dawn Lovett is known for Exit to Eden (1994).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Klingon bar patron (Preemptive Strike) Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Sikarian (Prime Factors)

48. Deborah Lacey

Actress | Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story

Deborah Lacey was born on September 12, 1956 in South Pasadena, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story (2016), Straight Outta Compton (2015) and Mad Men (2007).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Sarah Sisko / The Face / Sarah (What You Leave Behind - 'Til Death Do Us Part - Penumbra - Shadows and Symbols - Image in the Sand)

49. Deni Tyler

Self | Disney's California Adventure TV Special

Deni Tyler is known for Disney's California Adventure TV Special (2001).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Tyran technician (The Quality of Life)

50. Debra Wilson

Actress | Over the Hedge

Debra Wilson was born on April 26, 1962 in South Ozone Park, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Over the Hedge (2006), Batman: The Enemy Within (2017) and Scary Movie 4 (2006). She has been married to Cliff Skelton since April 8, 2006.

Star Trek Prodigy Miners (A Moral Star, Part 2 - Lost & Found: Part 1) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Lisa Cusak (The Sound of Her Voice) Star Trek: The Experience - The Klingon Encounter (Short) Security Officer

51. Donna Duplantier

Actress | Bullet to the Head

Is a New Orleans native. Her family's history in the city has been traced back as far as the 1800s. Her father was one of the first African American geologists at Texaco oil and her mother was a nurse for over 30 years throughout the metropolitan city. She graduated from George Mason University ...

Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) Georgia Tandy Prostitute #2 (Carpenter Street)

52. Elizabeth Goldstein

Actress | How to Be a Player

Elizabeth Goldstein is known for How to Be a Player (1997), Bloomers (2011) and The Stolen Moments of September (2007).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Allantra (Alliances)

53. Etalvia Cashin

Etalvia Cashin is an actress born of French Creole descent - with primary roots from the Ivory Coast of West Africa, she is also a distinctly special mix of Irish, Spanish, & Native American. Originally from Houston Texas, she is a prime example of the Creole woman from the bayous of Southeast ...

Star Trek Starfleet Cadet (uncredited)

54. Faye Barge

Actress | Young & Hungry

Faye Barge is known for Young & Hungry (2014), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) and True Jackson, VP (2008).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Stand-in duties were Felecia M. Bell in the episode "Through the Looking Glass", Tina Lifford in the episodes "Past Tense, Part I" and "Past Tense, Part II", and Penny Johnson Jerald in episodes such as "The Dogs of War"

55. Felecia M. Bell

Actress | Night Man

Felecia M. Bell was born on June 12, 1960 in Valley Village, California, USA. She is an actress, known for NightMan (1997), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Smallville (2001).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Jennifer Sisko (Shattered Mirror - Through the Looking Glass - Emissary What We Left Behind: Star Trek DS9 (Documentary) Self (as 'Felecia Bell Rutkowski')

56. Fran Bennett

Actress | Wes Craven's New Nightmare

Fran Bennett graduated from the University of Wisconsin with an M.A. and subsequently spent twelve years acting and as voice and movement director with the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Her Broadway debut was a leading role in the short-lived play Mandingo at the Lyceum Theater in 1961. ...

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Fleet Adm. Shanthi (Redemption II)

57. Gina Ravera

Actress | Showgirls

Gina Ravera was born on May 20, 1966 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Showgirls (1995), Kiss the Girls (1997) and The Great Debaters (2007).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Ensign Tyler (Phantasms)

58. Gabrielle Union

Actress | Bring It On

Gabrielle Union was born on October 29, 1972, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Theresa (Glass), who managed a phone company, and Sylvester E. Union, a military sergeant and business executive. When she was eight, her family moved to Pleasanton, California, where she grew up and attended high school. There, ...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) N'Garen (Sons and Daughters)

59. Galyn Görg

Actress | RoboCop 2

Galyn Görg was an actress, professional dancer, and producer. She is known as an actress for Point Break (1991), RoboCop 2 (1990) and Judgment Night (1993). Galyn was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Gwyn Gorg (Gwyndolin Lee Görg), is a writer, storyteller, and educator. Her father, Alan ...

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Nori (Warlord) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Korena (The Visitor)

60. Geri-Nikole Love

Actress | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Geri-Nikole Love is an American Actress. Born in Oxfordshire, England on an Air Force Base, she split her childhood in Central Florida and Atlanta, GA. She moved to New York City after high school to obtain a BFA in Theatre at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Since graduating, she became a ...

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Lieutenant Urtern (Farewell - The Star Gazer)

61. Gioya Tuma-Waku

Actress | FBI: Most Wanted

Gioya Tuma-Waku is a Congolese stage and screen actress who was raised in South Africa before relocating to the US in pursuant of her career. Her love of performance started at a very young age and by age 10 she knew that her passion and future lay in acting. In 2015 she graduated from the American...

Star Trek: Short Treks (TV Series short) Multiple (The Girl Who Made the Stars)

62. Grace Harrell

Actress | Manband! The Movie

Grace Harrell is known for Manband! The Movie (2007), Relationships (2021) and Don't Touch If You Ain't Prayed (2005).

Star Trek: Generations Alien Civilian in Ten Forward (uncredited) Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Operations Division Officer / Waitress Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Female Peliar Zel native ((The Maquis, Part I) Holographic Alien Masseuse (A Man Alone) Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Ocampa (Before and After)

63. Golden Brooks

Actress | Girlfriends

Golden Brooks was born on December 1, 1970 in Fresno, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Girlfriends (2000), The Darkest Minds (2018) and Beauty Shop (2005).

Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) Alicia Travers (Storm Front, Part I and II)

64. Hanelle M. Culpepper

Director | Within

Selected for the inaugural class of 2019 ReFrame Rise directors, Hanelle M. Culpepper is an energetic and unflappable award-winning director whose television credits range from superhero action adventures to thrillers and genre films to character-driven dramas. In 2019, she was chosen to direct the...

Director Star Trek: Discovery Star Trek: Picard

Actress | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Iman was born on July 25, 1955 in Mogadishu, Somalia. She is a producer and actress, known for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), L.A. Story (1991) and No Way Out (1987). She was previously married to David Bowie , Spencer Haywood and Hassan ?.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Martia

66. Isis Carmen Jones

Actress | Sister Act

Isis Carmen Jones is known for Sister Act (1992) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Young Guinan (Rascals)

67. Inez Edwards

Actress | Moonlighting

Inez Edwards is known for Moonlighting (1985), Family Matters (1989) and Talkin' Dirty After Dark (1991).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Science Division Officer (Frame of Mind - Tapestry) Klingon (Birthright, Part I & II) Klingon Pilgrim (Rightful Heir)

68. Iona Morris

Actress | X-Men

Iona Morris was born on May 23, 1957 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and director, known for X-Men: The Animated Series (1992), Robotech: The Movie (1986) and Megazone 23 (1985).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Umali (Workforce Part I & II) Star Trek: The Original Series (TV Series) Little African American Girl (Miri)

69. Jajube Mandiela

Actress | Red Lights

Jajube Mandiela was born and raised, and is based, in Toronto, Canada. Best known for 8 seasons as Chantay on Degrassi, she also voiced Pristine on Crash Canyon and appeared in Disney's Jump In! and feature film Red Lights. On stage, her acting highlights include Blue Planet and El Numero Uno (Young...

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Holo Officer #2 (Die Trying)

70. Ito Aghayere

Ito Aghayere is a Nigerian, Canadian, American born in Alberta, Canada. She is an actress, known for Star Trek: Picard (2022), Carol's Second Act (2019) and Logan Lucky (2017). She graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and received her Master of Fine Arts ...

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Guinan (Mercy - Monsters - Watcher)

71. Jamillah Ross

Actress | Polar

Jamillah Ross is known for Polar (2019), Slumberland (2022) and Firestarter (2022).

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Vulcan officiant (in The Broken Cricle)

72. Janelle James

Actress | Black Monday

Janelle James is a New York- and Los Angeles-based comedian who can be seen on The Comedy Lineup on Netflix, Black Monday on Showtime, and Abbott Elementary. James has toured with Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, and David Cross among others, and runs the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival (now the Janelle ...

Star Trek: Lower Decks Katrot (Empathological Fallacies)

73. Janet MacLachlan

Actress | The Thirteenth Floor

Janet MacLachlan was born on August 27, 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Thirteenth Floor (1999), Tick, Tick, Tick (1970) and Tightrope (1984). She died on October 11, 2010 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Star Trek: The Original Series (TV Series) Lt. Charlene Masters (The Alternative Factor)

74. Jasmine Akakpo

Actress | Dave

Jasmine Akakpo is known for Dave (2020), Queen Sugar (2016) and Reasonable Doubt (2022).

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Titan Ensign (No Win Scenario)

75. Jasmine Pierce

Writer | Saturday Night Live

Jasmine Pierce is known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Lucky Hank (2023) and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014).

Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II (TV Series) Lieutenant Uhura / Uhura

76. Jayne Dineo

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Discovery Sciences Crewmember (Terra Firma, Part 1)

77. Jenifer Lewis

Actress | The Princess and the Frog

Jenifer Lewis is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television. Dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com, Jenifer stars on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics ...

Star Trek: Lower Decks (TV Series) Bartender (An Embarrassment of Dooplers)

78. Jennifer Gatti

Actress | Star Trek: The Next Generation

Jennifer Gatti was born in Manhattan, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), The Young and the Restless (1973) and Vice Principals (2016).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Libby (Non Sequitur) Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Ba'el (Birthright Part I & II)

79. Jenna Z. Wilson

Actress | Island Prey

Jenna Z. Wilson was born on January 6, 1981 in Long Beach, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Island Prey (2001), Carver (2015) and Beckinfield (2010).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Dancer (Homestead)

80. Jenny Lumet

Writer | Rachel Getting Married

Jenny Lumet was born on February 2, 1967 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Rachel Getting Married (2008), The Mummy (2017) and The Man Who Fell to Earth (2021). She has been married to Alexander Weinstein since May 2, 2007. They have one child. She was ...

Producer Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Star Trek: Discovery Star Trek: Picard Writer Star Trek: Short Treks Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Star Trek: Discovery

81. Jenny Itwaru

Actress | xXx: Return of Xander Cage

Jenny Itwaru is known for xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017), The Invisible Man (2020) and Titans (2018).

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Star Fleet Bridge Crew (The Wolf Inside)

82. Johnetta Anderson

Actress | Rebel Highway

Johnetta Anderson is known for Rebel Highway (1994) and Girls in Prison (1994).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Holographic bar patron

83. Jessica Boss

Actress | PostDates

Jessica Boss is an American actress of Nigerian descent. In high school, Jessica was on track to become a medical doctor. That all changed when she had to choose between taking art or theater as an elective class. Since she could only draw stick figures, she decided to take theater, and to her ...

Star Trek Bridgeport Cadet (uncredited)

84. Joan Pringle

Actress | Original Sin

Joan Pringle was born on June 2, 1945 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Original Sin (2001), The White Shadow (1978) and The Lost City (2022). She is married to Vernon L. Bolling. She was previously married to Teddy Wilson .

Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) Rianna Mayweather (Horizon)

85. Joni Bovill

Actress | Better Call Saul

Despite being born the daughter of a poor sharecropper and a maid, Joni Bovill went on to become the first in her family to graduate from college. The multi-talented Mississippi native is best known for her recurring role as Ida in Amazon's hit show, Bosch, where she appeared in all seven seasons. ...

Star Trek: Odyssey (TV Series short) Praetor Yeshva / Procounsel Yeshva

86. Jordana Blake

Jordana Blake is known for The Handmaid's Tale (2017), Star Trek: Discovery (2017) and Riot Girls (2019).

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Betarian Girl (The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry)

87. Joy Brunson

Actress | This Is Us

Joy Brunson is the Founder and CEO of The Joy of Acting Studio based in Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from Spelman College with a degree in Women's Studies, focusing on the performative nature of the Black female body. Inspired by her love of golf and mentorship, Joy created the non-profit ...

88. Judyann Elder

Actress | Seven Pounds

Judyann Elder graduated from Emerson College in Boston as the first recipient of the Carol Burnett Award in the Performing Arts. She began her professional career in New York off-Broadway as a founding member and resident actor with the Tony Award-winning Negro Ensemble Company. She originated ...

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Lt. Ballard (The Offspring)

89. Joyce McCoy

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Mari (Random Thoughts) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Terran Slave (Through The Looking Glass)

90. Joyce Agu

Stunts | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Joyce Agu was born on July 4, 1960. She is an actress, known for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996) and The Bold and the Beautiful (1987). She is married to Uchenna Agu .

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Ensign Gates / Dead Body Star Trek VI: the Undiscovered Country Excelsior Crewmember (uncredited)

91. Kandyse McClure

Actress | Battlestar Galactica

Kandyse McClure is a Canadian actress born on March 22, 1980 in Durban in South Africa. She graduated from West Vancouver Secondary School in 1998. She is an actress, known for main roles in TV series Battlestar Galactica (2004), Hemlock Grove (2013), and from the movies Carrie (2002) and Seventh ...

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Mira

92. Karen Robinson

Actress | Narc

Karen Robinson was born on February 28, 1968 in Leslieville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Narc (2002), Schitt's Creek (2015) and Lars and the Real Girl (2007).

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Trill Leader Pav (That Hope Is You, Part 2 - Forget Me Not)

93. Karole Selmon

Karole Selmon is known for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), The Soloist (2009) and Wacko (1982).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Yareena (Code of Honor)

94. Kelli Dawn Hancock

Actress | Shameless

Kelli Dawn Hancock was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She is an actress, known for Shameless (2011), Star Trek: Picard (2020) and The Rookie (2018). She was previously married to Asante Jones .

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) Officer Stauss (Watcher)

95. Karen Washington

Actress | Zombie Nation

Karen Washington is known for Zombie Nation (2004), Blood Sugar Rising (2020) and The Un-Adventurers (2020).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Qomar dignitary (Virtuoso) Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) Civilian ceremony attendee (These Are the Voyages...)

96. Kiara Groulx

Actress | Odd Squad

Kiara Groulx is known for Odd Squad (2014), Star Trek: Discovery (2017) and The Bold Type (2017).

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) Rose (New Eden)

97. Keisha Tucker

Stunts | Black Panther

Keisha Tucker was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in the suburbs. She is known for Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Keisha is always training and working on honing her skills. With her determination and passion for performing, there will be much more to come as this rising...

Star Trek: Picard (TV Series) xB (Nepenthe - Stardust City Rag)

98. Kelli Kirkland

Actress | Little Fockers

Kelli Kirkland was born in New York, USA. She is known for Little Fockers (2010), All About Steve (2009) and Dexter (2006).

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Rinna (Favorite Son)

99. Kim Floyd

Stunts | Catwoman

Kim was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on December 17th to parents James and Margarett Floyd. She relocated to Los Angeles, California to pursue her acting career. Before moving to California, Kim worked in politics in Washington DC on Capitol Hill. She is the niece of former US Secretary of Defense...

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) T'Pel (aka Kimber Lee Renay) (Bliss)

100. Kim Stinger

Actress | Star Trek: New Voyages

Kim Stinger is known for Star Trek Phase II (2004), Star Trek Continues (2013) and Star Trek Continues: The Vignettes (2012).

Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II (TV Series) Uhura Star Trek Continues (TV Series) Uhura Star Trek Continues: The Vignettes (TV Series) Uhura

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Star Trek: A History of Female Starfleet Captains on TV

As Star Trek: Discovery readies for production, we look back at the franchise's varied history of women Starfleet commanders...

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Star Trek: Discovery launches this Sunday, continuing on the tradition of depicting women in high-power roles. Not only will Sonequa Martin-Green star as the show’s main character, First Officer Michael Burnham, but Michelle Yeoh will be appearing as Captain Georgiou.

As we head into Star Trek’s next era, let’s take a look back at its history — the good, the bad, and the ugly — of representing women in positions of power. Here are the woman who have either held the rank of Captain or who have commanded a starship on screen in the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek has always had the best of intentions when it comes to its portrayal of female characters, even when the attitudes of the times (such as the studio’s request for the removal of Majel Barrett’s female Number One following the original pilot episode) or sheer circumstance (Denise Crosby leaving The Next Generation , resulting in a regular cast made up of five men and only two women, both in broadly care-giving roles) have been against it.

Unfortunately, the first instance of a woman taking command of a starship on screen was, shall we say, not good. In fact, it was very, very bad. Awful. No amount of excusing it on the grounds of it being the 1960s can possibly make up for the portrayal of Dr. Janice Lester in what was, sadly, the last episode of The Original Series broadcast during its original television run.

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Granted, she was supposed to be insane when she swapped bodies with Captain Kirk so that she could command a starship, but the problems with her command are clearly indicated in the dialogue to be at least partly due to her gender, and the nature of her “insanity,” largely expressed in excessive emotion and what Doctor McCoy refers to outright as “hysteria,” a word that comes from the ancient Greek word for “womb,” clearly relates her inability to command to her femininity.

Kirk finishes the series by lamenting that “her life could have been as rich as any woman’s” — but not, apparently, as rich as any man’s.

Fortunately, the next on screen portrayal of a woman in command of a starship is more positive, and it is perhaps not a coincidence that it occurs in The Animated Series , which was executive produced by a woman, D. C. Fontana. The episode “The Lorelai Signal” itself is, it has to be said, not much less sexist than “Turnabout Intruder,” focusing on a race of space sirens who call to and then drain the life force from men (no word on whether homosexual female crew members are affected because it’s still only 1973 and the show will not yet acknowledge their existence).

With the men trapped in a future episode of Red Dwarf , Lt. Uhura, the highest-ranking female on the ship, takes command. The story may be ridiculous and the situation tied up in ideas about gender and sex that literally go back to ancient Greece, but it’s a rather wonderful moment all the same. Uhura’s look to the side as she takes command, while constrained by the cheap animation, is rather fabulous.

The five characters to lead a Star Trek series so far have been three white heterosexual men, one black heterosexual man, and one white heterosexual woman, carefully allowing only one deviation from “white heterosexual man” at a time, but the franchise has been more willing to embrace diversity in its minor characters.

The first female captain we see on screen is, like Uhura, a woman of color, the unnamed captain of the starship Saratoga in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Her appearance now, along with the also non-white Captain of the starship Yorktown, seems almost routine, but at the time it was still unusual to see a woman of color (or a man of color, for that matter) portrayed in such a position, and demonstrated a clear commitment to Star Trek ’s ideals on the part of the production.

As time moved on, and Star Trek: The Next Generation went into production in the late 1980s and early 1990s, we started to see women of higher rank more often. Interestingly, several early examples bear the rank of Captain or Admiral, but are rarely seen actually commanding starships; Picard’s old flame, for example, Captain Phillipa Louvois, commands the Judge Advocate General office in “The Measure Of A Man.”

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It’s a shame we never got to see more of Lt Commander Shelby’s career on screen beyond “The Best Of Both Worlds,” as this character really showed how far things had progressed since Janice Lester in 1969; a female officer openly aiming to become a starship captain, who is perfectly capable and whose story could just as easily have featured a male officer, because none of her characterization (beyond a tiny bit of perving on her from an older officer that she has no control over) is tied to her gender.

The Next Generation introduced the only example so far of a woman bearing the rank of Captain who has been assigned to command a starship named Enterprise; Captain Rachel Garrett, Captain of the Enterprise-C, seen in “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” a tough and likeable character who we actually get to see in action as a starship commander.

Garrett’s actions and choices, unbeknownst to her, saved the Federation and the Klingons from years of warfare, and she is on her way to repeating the feat when she’s unfortunately spiked in the head in the line of duty. Like Shelby, Garrett’s character and story have nothing to do with her gender, and we finally get to see a woman command the Enterprise without requiring dire circumstances to gain the position.

The series also provided opportunities for both its remaining regular female characters to take command. Captain Beverley Picard (formerly Crusher) commands the starship Pasteur in an alternate future in the series finale “All Good Things,” but the really interesting example is Lt. Commander Deanna Troi’s brief stint in command of the Enterprise in “Disaster.”

Troi is manifestly unprepared for this responsibility, not because she is a woman, but because she is a counselor and unused to making life or death decisions, despite her high rank, though she manages to rise to the occasion in the end.

The writing carefully ensures, unlike “Turnabout Intruder,” that none of this can be attributed to femininity by giving the emotional, please-save-everyone argument (the McCoy argument) to the male Chief O’Brien, whose wife and almost-born child are trapped in the other part of the ship, while the cold, logical, cut-our-losses argument (the Spock argument) is put forward by the female, battle-scarred Ensign Ro.

When The Next Generation ended, we finally got a chance to see a Star Trek series headed by a woman, as Captain Kathryn Janeway commanded the starship Voyager for seven years of television.

Millions of bad jokes about the only female starship captain getting lost, complaints about inconsistent characterisation and her almost Kirk-like ability to do diplomacy by flirting cannot take away the fact that any time we see an alternate future featuring a “Captain Chakotay,” we know something is very wrong (Janeway’s reappearance among the living in the backwards episode “Before And After” is a great moment).

Meanwhile, Deep Space Nine , running throughout the end of The Next Generation and the beginning of Voyager , semi-regularly featured female guest captains, as well as having Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax command the starship Defiant.

Back in “Turnabout Intruder,” Janice Lester had told Kirk: “Your world of starship captains doesn’t admit women,” implying that in the progressive, far-flung future of the 23rd century, women were barred from this position until at least the time of Star Trek IV .

Luckily, of course, Enterprise has since corrected this impression, leaving fans to assume that Lester was referring to a glass ceiling rather than a concrete ban, one which could be borne out by the lack of any other female starship captains seen on screen during that time (or, of course, they choose to ignore the episode all together, probably wisely).

Like Janice Lester and Phillipa Louvois, Captain Erika Hernandez is an old flame of the current male lead/Captain of the Enterprise, but she seems to have survived Archer dumping her due to a conflict of interest following his promotion and represents a very rare thing indeed – a recurring female Captain (she only appears in three episodes, but that’s more than most of the female Captains on this list, barring Janeway).

From a rough beginning, then, Star Trek has produced an interesting and varied collection of female Captains and women in command of starships, though to date they are still vastly outnumbered by their male colleagues.

Here’s hoping that the new commanding officers we see in Star Trek: Discovery will be as tough as Garrett, as ambitious as Shelby, as likeable as Jadzia and as interestingly flawed as Janeway.

Star Trek: Discovery premieres this Sunday, September 24th on CBS and CBS All-Access.

Read and download the full Den of Geek SDCC Special Edition magazine here!

Juliette Harrisson | @ClassicalJG

Juliette Harrisson is a writer and historian, and a lifelong Trekkie whose childhood heroes were JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. She runs a YouTube channel called…

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‘Star Trek’ Makes History With First Ever Black Female Director

Hanelle Culpepper, first Black female director

Star Trek has always had a diverse cast from George Takei who is Japanese and Nichelle Nichols who is African-American. And, now, the popular TV series has Hanelle Culpepper, its first Black female director in the franchise's history of more than 50 years.

Later, she worked as an assistant to a couple of established directors and then for the Sundance Institute. She was also in the prestigious American Film Institute and was selected by NBC’s diversity program. Culpepper’s big break came when she was offered to direct an episode of Parenthood starring Robert Townsend and then 90210 , both of which aired in 2012. She later directed various episodes of other TV shows including Criminal Minds , The Flash , Gotham , and more, and even was nominated for an Image Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2015.

The path she has traveled has led her to make history as the director of several episodes of Star Trek: Picard , which features Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard.

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

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

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

Call it that Star Trek life.

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

Denise Crosby onboard Star Trek: The Cruise VII (with "Armus")

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

Killing Tasha Yar (One Bad Script at a Time)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Did Denise Crosby make the right decision when she left Star Trek: The Next Generation?

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

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

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

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

Crosby returned for the classic episode "Yesterday's Enterprise."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The regret is that they didn't.”

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

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

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12 star trek female villains ranked, worst to best.

Star Trek has a long list of female villains that have faced off against Kirk, Picard, Janeway, and Sisko, but who's the best at being the worst?

The best Star Trek female villains include complex characters like the Intendant and the Female Changeling.
The Female Romulan Commander and Alixus offer early examples of intriguing female villains in Star Trek.
While some female villains like the Borg Queen excel, others like Seska from Voyager fall short of their potential.

While the canon of iconic Star Trek antagonists can often feel like an exclusive boy's club, many of the franchise's best villains have been complex female characters. For nearly 60 years, many of the best known villains in Star Trek movies and TV shows have been male, from Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) to Shinzon (Tom Hardy). Looking back, it feels quite regressive, and speaks to a wider issue with how women were written in early Star Trek .

For example, the notorious Star Trek: The Original Series finale "Turnabout Intruder" features Dr. Janice Lester (Sandra Smith), who was presented as a hysterical woman scorned, rather than a multi-layered and complex villain. However, even in those early days, there were one or two memorable female villains that could hold their own against Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). While Star Trek 's movie villains have been predominantly male, the TV shows of the 1990s and 2020s introduced some truly iconic recurring female villains to the franchise .

Every Major Star Trek Villain Species, Ranked

12 alixus (gail strickland), star trek: ds9, season 2, episode 15, "paradise".

The impact of Alixus (Gail Strickland) is relatively minor. However, Alixus is an incredibly compelling Star Trek: Deep Space Nine villain who deserves to sit alongside some franchise greats. In DS9 season 2, episode 15, "Paradise", Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) are stranded on a planet that has abandoned technology in favor of a more simple life. Alixus is the leader of this traditionalist community, but Sisko and O'Brien soon unearth the darkness at its core. Alixus was a Federation scientist who had theorized that a return to nature would be better for humanity in the long run.

Gail Strickland had previously appeared with Avery Brooks in Spenser: For Hire .

To prove her point, she sabotaged the colony ship, the SS Santa Maria, forcing it to crash-land on a remote planet. Alixus installed a duonetic field generator that prevented all technology from operating, forcing the colonists to live by her new vision. To prove her thesis, she resorted to cruel punishments and stood by and let her colonists die from easily curable ailments. Gail Strickland plays Alixys with such nuance, transforming "Paradise" from a filler episode into an underrated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine classic . Her electric scenes with Sisko foreshadow the DS9 captain's later conflicts with other zealots.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

11 Seska (Martha Hackett)

Star trek: voyager, seasons 1 to 3.

Star Trek: Voyager 's Seska (Martha Hackett) was a fantastic idea for a character, but very poorly executed. Introduced as one of the secondary Maquis crew members of the Valjean, it quickly became clear that Seska was hiding something. Not only did Seska want Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) to lead a mutiny against Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), she was also a Cardassian spy in disguise. These two elements combined ended up confusing Seska's character in Voyager , as an outnumbered Cardassian would surely have set their sights on an alliance with Janeway, not the Maquis .

Martha Hackett previously played the Romulan Sub-commander T'Rul in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's season 3 premiere "The Search, Parts I & II".

Eventually, Seska left the USS Voyager, to make an alliance with the Kazon in an attempt to capture the ship. The motivations for Seska's plan to capture Voyager were seemingly rooted in her disappointment at being scorned by her former lover, Chakotay. Disappointingly, one of Star Trek: Voyager 's most interesting villains was reduced to the level of Captain Kirk's evil ex-girlfriend, Janice Lester . The most successful plot by Seska was only discovered after she'd died, when a holodeck simulation of a Maquis mutiny turned into a deadly trap in Voyager season 3, episode 25, "Worst Case Scenario".

Star Trek: Voyager

The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they've never faced before.

10 Asencia, The Vindicator (Jameela Jamil)

Star trek: prodigy season 1.

Janeway's ship was once again infiltrated by an enemy alien in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1. Masquerading as a Trill ensign, Asencia helped track the USS Protostar, in the hopes of activating its deadly Living Construct weapon and destroying Starfleet. Asencia's true identity was discovered after Janeway and the USS Dauntless rescued the Diviner (John Noble). Hoping that the two Vau N'AKat could work together, Asencia was shocked when the Diviner chose his daughter Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) over their plan to destroy Starfleet. In the Prodigy season 1 finale, Asencia successfully activated the Living Construct and returned to her own time .

Asencia's story will presumably continue in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 , as Admiral Janeway heads into the alternate future to rescue Captain Chakotay and his crew from the Vau N'Akat. It's therefore hard to rank Asencia higher until her story plays out in full. However, judging by the ruthlessness and cunning that Asencia displayed in Prodigy season 1, it's clear that Janeway and the crew of the USS Voyager-A will have their work cut out for them.

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.

9 Female Romulan Commander (Joanne Linville)

Star trek: the original series, season 3, episode 4, "the enterprise incident".

In Star Trek: The Original Series , season 2, episode 4, "The Enterprise Incident", Captain Kirk is tasked with stealing a Romulan cloaking device . Part of the plan requires Lt. Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to seduce an unnamed Female Romulan Commander (Joanna Linville), who is attracted to the Vulcan. However, unlike Seska in Star Trek: Voyager , the Female Romulan Commander's ambitions lie far beyond romantic interests. She believes that capturing the USS Enterprise for the Romulan Star Empire will be a boon for her career progression, and wants Spock to serve alongside her.

Years after the events of "The Enterprise Incident", the Federation was banned from developing cloaking technology thanks to the Treaty of Algeron.

Having seemingly turned on Kirk and even killed him in a fight, Spock keeps the Female Romulan Commander interested while Kirk infiltrates the ship. However, the Commander saw through the ruse and beamed aboard the Enterprise to try and take it by force, or have it destroyed. The plan to steal the USS Enterprise is foiled, and the Female Romulan Commander is left embarrassed by falling for Kirk and Spock's fight and losing the cloaking device to the Federation. Interestingly, Spock doesn't throw the Female Romulan Commander into the brig, and instead takes her to standard quarters, implying his seduction wasn't all pretend.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

8 Lursa and B'Etor Duras (Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh)

Star trek: tng, ds9 and star trek generations.

The House of Duras were sworn enemies of Worf, Son of Mogh (Michael Dorn) in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . After Worf killed the House's patriarch in TNG season 4, episode 7, "Reunion", Duras' sisters Lursa (Barbara March) and B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh) were left seeking vengeance. The House of Duras tried to instigate a Klingon Civil War, and even provided a Bajoran terrorist with the explosives needed to destroy the wormhole in DS9 season 1. Following the aborted Klingon Civil War, the Duras sisters effectively became guns for hire, placing them in the orbit of Dr. Tolian Soren (Malcolm McDowell) in Star Trek Generations .

Star Trek Generations was a disappointing end for the Duras Sisters, as they never really got a final confrontation with Worf . Sidelined as Soran's muscle, the sisters and their Klingon crew did manage to destroy the USS Enterprise-D, but their own ship was destroyed soon after. Weirdly, Generations never lingered on what a big deal this would have been for Worf, given how the House of Duras had been behind many of his issues with the Klingon Empire. This dissatisfying ending means that the Duras Sisters can't make it into the top tier of female Star Trek villains.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

7 Sela (Denise Crosby)

Star trek: the next generation, "redemption" and "unification".

Sela was the Romulan daughter of Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby), who spent years working for the intelligence services. Sela's first notable operations against the Federation were brainwashing Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) to assassinate Klingon governor Vagh (Edward Wiley) in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Mind's Eye". Sela tried again to destabilize relations between the Klingon Empire and the Federation when she supported the Duras Sisters' attempt to take control of the Klingon Empire. Sela's plans were foiled by Captain Picard and a Starfleet armada that prevented Romulan reinforcements from entering Klingon space .

Denise Crosby conceived the character of Sela as a means to return to Star Trek: The Next Generation after enjoying the experience of making "Yesterday's Enterprise".

Sela became the mastermind behind an attempted Romulan invasion of Vulcan, by manipulating Ambassador Spock's reunification mission. Using a holographic duplicate of Spock, Sela hoped to convince the Federation that an incoming fleet of Vulcan ships contained a Romulan peace envoy, and not an invasion force. Picard, Data, and Spock foiled Sela's plan, and she was incapacitated with a Vulcan nerve pinch, never to be heard from again. It was an ignominious end for Star Trek: The Next Generation 's best Romulan villain.

Spock’s Star Trek TOS Romance Explains His TNG Vulcan & Romulan Dream

6 valeris (kim cattrall), star trek vi: the undiscovered country.

Lt. Valeris (Kim Cattrall) is a great Star Trek villain because there's a genuine emotional impact on the crew of the USS Enterprise-A. It may have been better if Saavik betrayed Spock in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , but the weight of Valeris' betrayal is still impactful. Valeris' cold Vulcan logic dictated that peace with the Klingons was illogical , which is why she joined the Khitomer Conspiracy. Spock's protégé helped to frame Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) for political assassination, and deliberately hindered the investigation.

While Gene Roddenberry objected to her inclusion, Saavik was actually written out of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country because Kirstie Alley declined to return to the role.

Valeris' coldness makes her quite a compelling Star Trek villain, as she genuinely believes her many crimes are based on logic. It's a fascinating insight into how interpretations of logic can differ from Vulcan to Vulcan, as proved by Spock and Valeris' clash in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Interrogated by Kirk and forced to endure a controversial mind meld with Spock, Valeris finally revealed the identities of the conspirators, and was taken to the Khitomer Conference to publicly unmask the conspiracy.

5 Vadic (Amanda Plummer)

Star trek: picard season 3.

Vadic was one of the most unpredictable foes ever faced by Admiral Jean-Luc Picard. A Changeling tasked with delivering Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) to the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), Vadic took some big swings to achieve her goals in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Vadic's awesome ship, the Shrike, almost destroyed the USS Titan-A and its crew during their multiple skirmishes in the course of Picard season 3 . Vadic even found time to kidnap Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) in an attempt to secure the assistance of Captain William T Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

Amanda Plummer is the daughter of Christopher Plummer, who played the villainous General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

It's a testament to Amanda Plummer's unique portrayal of a Star Trek villain that it wasn't immediately clear that Vadic was a Changeling . The scenes in "Dominion" in which Vadic described the brutal treatment of Changeling prisoners during the Dominion War were beautifully performed by Plummer, adding depth to Star Trek: Picard season 3's villain . It even elicited a degree of sympathy, but Vadic soon lost that when she began executing members of the USS Titan-A's crew. Eventually, she was blown out into space by Jack Crasher, where, ironically, her Changeling body solidified then exploded into pieces.

Star Trek: Picard

After starring in Star Trek: The Next Generation for seven seasons and various other Star Trek projects, Patrick Stewart is back as Jean-Luc Picard. Star Trek: Picard focuses on a retired Picard who is living on his family vineyard as he struggles to cope with the death of Data and the destruction of Romulus. But before too long, Picard is pulled back into the action. The series also brings back fan-favorite characters from the Star Trek franchise, such as Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn), and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

4 The Intendant (Nana Visitor)

Star trek: deep space nine (various).

The Intendant, the Mirror Universe variant of Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) is one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's most memorable villains. DS9 brought back the Mirror Universe in a big way, and the Intendant played a key role in each return visit. Kira's dark opposite was effectively the Gul Dukat of the Mirror Universe's Terok Nor, ruling the station with intimidation, manipulation, and violence. She was assisted in her tyrannical role of the station by Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson), who opposed some of the Intendant's more holistic methods .

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine producer Michael Piller had been rejecting Mirror Universe episodes since his days on Star Trek: The Next Generation . However, he and Ira Steven Behr finally figured out that the most interesting story to tell would be the aftermath of the fall of the Terran Empire, as seen in DS9 's Mirror Universe episodes.

The Intendant eventually lost control over the Terran rebels, thanks to various Mirror Universe incursions by Kira and Captain Sisko . This led to her losing her position, and being imprisoned aboard Regent Worf's flagship in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7. Hoping to win favor with Worf, the Intendant orchestrated a plot to have the flagship fitted with a stolen cloaking device. However, the cloak was sabotaged, leaving the flagship open to attack from the Terran rebels, striking another blow against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, and giving the former Intendant a chance to escape with her life.

3 Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher)

Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher) was one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's most fascinating characters. First introduced in the DS9 season 1 finale, Vedek Winn was a religious zealot who objected to Sisko's closeness to the Bajoran Prophets. This jealousy of Sisko eventually poisoned the calculating religious leader even further, pushing her to more and more extreme lengths to bring herself closer to her gods. Played by Oscar winning actress Louise Fletcher , Kai Winn's descent into hell across seven seasons of DS9 was compulsive viewing.

Louise Fletcher and Michelle Yeoh are the only two Star Trek stars to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.

While Kai Winn had a redemption of sorts in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's finale, it was still rooted in the cowardice and pettiness of her character. When she realized that the Pah wraiths wanted Gul Dukat as their emissary and not her, she decided to put her faith back in Sisko. While that saved Bajor from destruction, it's hard to ignore that Kai Winn's motivations were once again rooted in Bajor's higher beings ignoring her.

2 The Female Changeling (Salome Jens)

The Female Changeling (Salome Jens) was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's most interesting female villain . The spokesperson for the Dominion Founders, she was a master manipulator, and a steely villain with little regard for the "solids". The Female Changeling's attempts to manipulate Constable Odo (René Auberjonois) were compelling viewing, and ultimately solidified the Constable's loyalty to his friends aboard DS9. Seen as a god by the Vorta, the Female Changeling also appeared to delight in manipulating Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs) by playing him off against the Breen in the latter stages of DS9 's Dominion War .

Salome Jens also played the First Humanoid, now referred to as a Progenitor, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "The Chase", which Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a sequel to.

Salome Jens' performance as the Female Changeling was utterly compelling, delivering her lines with an icy sense of superiority befitting a species that set themselves up as gods. When the Dominion War ended in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finale, the Female Changeling was taken into custody for her multiple war crimes. However, despite Odo's attempts to educate his people to move past the Female Changeling's ideology, those like Vadic still wanted to destroy the Solids following the Dominion War.

1 The Borg Queen (Alice Krige)

Star trek: first contact, voyager, picard.

Introduced in Star Trek: First Contact , the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) is the greatest female villain that the franchise has produced . Unlike her drones, Star Trek 's Borg Queen had a personality, and used that to seduce others into joining the Collective. Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) seemingly fell under the Borg Queen's spell in First Contact , but was merely distracting her so he could avert the Collective's plan to sabotage the Phoenix's first warp flight. The Borg Queen's consciousness was stored elsewhere, able to be downloaded into a new body, which is why other actress have played the role originated by Krige.

Each Borg Queen performer has brought something new to the character, the most notable being Annie Wersching and Alison Pill's partnership in Star Trek: Picard season 2 . Their co-dependent relationship revealed new information about the Borg Queen that humanized her somewhat. Through her connection to the Queen, Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) discovered that the Borg long for connection, and the Queen is ultimately lonely. Rather than being a retcon, this was a callback to the Queen's previous relationships with Data and Picard, confirming that they were the only matches for Star Trek 's most enduring female villain.

Star Trek: First Contact is available to stream on Max.

Paramount announces yet another Star Trek prequel

M ovie-industry shindig CinemaCon was the venue at which Paramount Pictures announced it has started work on a new Star Trek movie. Slashfilm reports Untitled Star Trek Origin Story will be a prequel to Star Trek (2009), J.J. Abrams’ glossy prequel to Star Trek (1966). It’ll be directed by Toby Haynes, most famous around these parts for helming episodes of Andor and Black Mirror’s USS Callister . The screenplay has been written by Seth Grahame-Smith, who wrote The Lego Batman Movie and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies .

So that we’re clear, Untitled Star Trek Origin Story will serve as a prequel to the 2009 origin story and a sequel to 2001’s origin story, Enterprise . It will likely be set before Discovery, which was conceived as a prequel to Star Trek (1966) and Strange New Worlds , which is a prequel to Star Trek (1966). And, look, if you’ll allow me to get a little personal for a moment, I am deeply overjoyed at the news. Given the dearth of origin stories, prequels and nostalgia-parades in the Star Trek universe, an Untitled Star Trek Origin Story is a welcome, necessary and life-giving addition to the franchise.

Let’s be honest, it’s high time we got something insular and backward-looking after so many years of non-stop groundbreaking, original adventures shorn from the burdens of continuity.

Paramount announces yet another Star Trek prequel

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Nichelle Nichols, who performed Nyota Uhura on Star Trek, dies at age
Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura in "Star Trek" http://www.imdb.com/name

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