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Star Trek Just Set Its 'All Trek , All the Time' Schedule for 2022

Paramount+ reveals just when to expect more discovery , picard season 2, strange new worlds , and somehow even *more* star trek ..

If you thought 2020's 23-week-run of Lower Decks into Discovery was a considerable amount of Star Trek to consume, well, 2022 is looking like it’s going to dunk your head into a holodeck and not let go for quite some time.

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Today Paramount+ announced a swath of new premiere dates and renewals throughout 2022 for every current ongoing Star Trek series on the platform, including live action and animation. The slate, beginning with this month’s return of Star Trek: Prodigy and next month’s return for Star Trek: Discovery season four , essentially lays out the groundwork for a new episode of Star Trek dropping every Thursday on the platform from now until middle of July... and perhaps more Star Trek even beyond that. You know, as a treat.

Things kick off with the aforementioned returns of Prodigy and Discovery . The next batch of Prodigy episodes began on January 6, and will wrap up with the 10th and final episode of season one on February 3. That’s just in time for the previously announced February 10 return of Discovery season four, which will air its five remaining episodes weekly.

That means there’ll actually be some Trek overlap, as Star Trek: Picard has been given a March 3 premiere date for its 10-episode second season —meaning Discovery and Picard will air together for three weeks. As Picard wraps up, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — the Discovery spinoff that, thanks to timeline shenanigans , is both a sequel and a prequel, following Captain Pike and the crew of the pre-Kirk U.S.S. Enterprise after the events of Discovery ’s second season—will begin its debut season on May 5.

It’s... a lot of Star Trek , but there might be even more consecutive boldly going along the way. Although no specific dates were given, Paramount+ also noted that on the animation front, Lower Decks would return for a third season in summer 2022, while Prodigy will air the remaining 10 episodes of season one “later in 2022.”

Also included in the announcement was a season renewal for Discovery , which will return for a fifth season—which io9 has confirmed will be, in line with the other live-action Trek series, a 10-episode run, down from the previous 13-episode runs. Plus, Lower Decks will be returning for a fourth season, and Strange New Worlds is   gaining a second season. Prodigy had already been previously renewed for a second season, and no details were revealed for Picard ’s future, likely because the series doesn’t need to yet: production is currently underway on the already-announced season three for the series, returning from a brief pause due to a covid-19 outbreak on set .

Even before Star Trek: Discovery had barely just begun, ViacomCBS execs envisioned an incoming period for Trek where it would be airing basically all the time . With a whopping five different shows running practically consecutively throughout 2022, and still a few more on the way at some point, it’s safe to say that just a few years later... they’re getting pretty damn close to just that.

Wondering where our RSS feed went? You can pick the new up one here .

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Star Trek: The Original Series episode 22 review

How does Space Seed fare in our retrospective look at Star Trek's original series, now in high definition?

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Episode: 22 Title: Space Seed Star Date: 3141.9 Writer: Gene L. Coon First Shown: 16th February 1967

In the original series, some episodes are so good that they entirely changed the Star Trek mythology and Space Seed is certainly in that group. It’s a relatively simple story, but presented in a very tight way that elevates the characters and their ambitions. Written by Gene L. Coon, prolific writer and producer for the show, it extrapolates what might happen if a historical character and dictator was deposited through time onto the Enterprise, and how the crew might react to him.

In deep space the Enterprise encounters a derelict ship, the US Botany Bay, originally launched in the 20th century. The ship’s name is something of a subtle warning, but no one on the Enterprise seems to get the hint. On the Botany Bay are passengers frozen in cryogenic suspension, one of those being Khan Noonien Singh. He’s a genetically engineered super-human, who was an infamous tyrant from Earth history. Evidently, during the late twentieth century in Trek lore, a Eugenics war is raging, and Khan and his allies are remnants of this period.

Being smart, devious and very strong Khan soon realises that if he can defrost the other super-soldiers on the Botany Bay then he’ll be able to take control of the Enterprise and rule the universe, quadrant, whatever. But he starts by entrancing the lovely Lt. McGivers, who soon falls for his direct approach and lethal charm.

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Soon he’s controlling life support to kill all those on the bridge, and throws Kirk into a decompression chamber in an attempt to get him to instruct the crew to follow his orders.

Where this goes from just being Kirk trying to stop a madman to something more spectacular is in the portrayal of Kahn by the expressive Ricardo Montalbán. He gives Kahn plenty of passion and energy, and not a little degree of swagger. In many respects he’s a dark version of Kirk, and they share the overconfidence that will ultimately be his undoing.

Kirk stops Khan taking the Enterprise, and decides to maroon him and his crew on the then lush world of Ceti Alpha V. This turns out to be a really bad plan, as 15 years later Khan escapes that now desert world and comes looking for Kirk and more than a little revenge. Spock even says prophetically in this episode, “It would be interesting, Captain, to return to that world in a hundred years, and learn what crop had sprung from the seed you planted today.”

The strengths of this episode stand out on reviewing, and it seems now an entirely obvious choice for great source material for the second and best original cast film outing in Wrath Of Khan . The only bizarre thing I noticed was that in that film Chekov is recognised by Khan, which is odd because he’s not a TOS season one character and as such they’re never seen to meet. That minor plot hole aside, Space Seed created some wonderful unfinished business that the original series never addressed, but Wrath Of Khan immortalised.

The remastering work done on this work isn’t major, although they’ve made the Botany Bay a more believable vessel.

The next review is another favourite of mine, the frighteningly logical A Taste Of Armageddon .

Mark Pickavance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Star Trek 22kt Gold Card Collection Now Available

The Danbury Mint continues to venture to the final frontier with its Star Trek Gold Card Collection, 60 22kt paper-backed gold-foil trading cards that feature characters and vessels from the various Star Trek TV series and films from TOS through to Star Trek 2009 . Figures included in the Star Trek Gold Card Collection are Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, Khan, Uhura, Troi, Captain Sisko, Captain Janeway, Seven of Nine, Captain Archer and T’Pol, as well as the newly added Young Kirk, Young Spock and Nero.

Fans are invited to sample the Collection by ordering a free Commander Spock Gold Card, paying only a modest shipping and service fee. The Commander Spock Gold Card is a $12.95 value, and there’s no obligation to purchase additional cards. The Danbury Mint is also offering a free Deluxe Collector’s Album in which to house, protect and display your cards.

All of the cards are in stock now and ready to order. Click HERE to purchase your Commander Spock Gold Card.

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S1.E0 ∙ The Cage

S1.E1 ∙ The Man Trap

S1.E2 ∙ Charlie X

S1.E3 ∙ Where No Man Has Gone Before

S1.E4 ∙ The Naked Time

S1.E5 ∙ The Enemy Within

S1.E6 ∙ Mudd's Women

S1.E7 ∙ What Are Little Girls Made Of?

S1.E8 ∙ Miri

S1.E9 ∙ Dagger of the Mind

S1.E10 ∙ The Corbomite Maneuver

S1.E11 ∙ The Menagerie: Part I

S1.E12 ∙ The Menagerie: Part II

S1.E13 ∙ The Conscience of the King

S1.E14 ∙ Balance of Terror

S1.E15 ∙ Shore Leave

S1.E16 ∙ The Galileo Seven

S1.E17 ∙ The Squire of Gothos

S1.E18 ∙ Arena

S1.E19 ∙ Tomorrow Is Yesterday

S1.E20 ∙ Court Martial

S1.E21 ∙ The Return of the Archons

S1.E22 ∙ Space Seed

S1.E23 ∙ A Taste of Armageddon

S1.E24 ∙ This Side of Paradise

S1.E25 ∙ The Devil in the Dark

S1.E26 ∙ Errand of Mercy

S1.E27 ∙ The Alternative Factor

S1.E28 ∙ The City on the Edge of Forever

S1.E29 ∙ Operation -- Annihilate!

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Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 505 With New Images, Trailer And Clip From “Mirrors”

| April 22, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 46 comments so far

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery hits the halfway point on Thursday with the fifth episode, and we have details, new photos, trailer and a clip WITH SPOILERS .

Episode 5: “Mirrors”

The fifth episode of the season, “Mirrors,” was written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan. It debuts on Paramount+ on Thursday, April 25.

Captain Burnham and Book journey into extradimensional space in search of the next clue to the location of the Progenitors’ power. Meanwhile, Rayner navigates his first mission in command of the U.S.S. Discovery, and Culber opens up to Tilly.

Co-showrunner Michelle Paradise previously teased this episode saying, “I’m trying to think of something that won’t be spoilery! Surprising encounters and surprising new information about our heroes.”

NEW photos:

Wilson Cruz as Culber and Mary Wiseman as Tilly (John Medland/Paramount+)

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham and David Ajala as Book (John Medland/Paramount+)

Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner (Paramount+)

Mary Wiseman as Tilly, Blu del Barrio as Adira and Anthony Rapp as Stamets (Paramount+)

Previously released photo:

UPDATE: Trailer

You can see a clip from “Mirrors” from the latest episode of The Ready Room below …

Season trailers

Here is the trailer released in February.

And the season preview released with the first episode…

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

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Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 506 With New Images. Trailer And Clip From “Whistlespeak”

Okay, I haven’t even watched any of Season 5 yet – I fell away during season 4, but because season 5 sounds interesting, I just jumped in again to finish season 4, and by now, I actually quite like it (Book and Stamets being my favourites). Reading about season 5, I keep wondering why they would revisit the Kellerun. I love DS9, I remember liking that episode, but there was really nothing about that species that made them particulary interesting, right? So I was wondering whether maybe they’ll tie the progenitor plot to the Harvester weapon – maybe it was based on progenitor tech? Any hints in the episodes yet about why it’s the Kellerun?

They haven’t revisited the Kellerun. His species hasn’t entered into the story so far. It’s just a fun Easter egg. His inclusion is about his personal arc, not his people. He just happens to be a Kellerun. And so far, he’s the best thing about the season.

“ And so far, he’s the best thing about the season.” – which probably all but guarantees his death

Ha! Probably, yeah. :)

Burnham and Book, the only characters who actually do anything of consequence on this show.

That’s a rather forced interpretation.

What’s forced is pretty much everything on Discovery. Relationships, casting, storylines, emotion …

I kind off agree with some of that. Not all, but some.

It’s pretty accurate. It’s become the B&B show.

Much in the same way that Voyager essentially became the Janeway & Seven show and Enterprise was the Archer, Trip & T’Pol hour.

We -just- had an episode last week that was all about Burnham, Rayner and Stamets.

I would love for Burnham to not be leading almost every away mission and come up with so many solutions totally on her own, but let’s at least recognize when they do change things for the better.

Well, that’s a bit of a tip off that someone looking to complain isn’t actually watching the show….

I know Burnham was front and centre, yet again. Whilst the others supported her, as usual.

Book was in one scene last episode and had zip to do with saving the day.

That’s because she is the main character.

Book was hardly even in the last episode.

I wouldn’t have minded Michael maybe going with another character on this mission though. Detmer, for example, is described as being an excellent pilot.

Nope, she takes her boyfriend (well ex) who isn’t even in Starfleet.

The person best suited to the mission, who has personal ties to the subject under pursuit. By the way, Seven wasn’t in Starfleet until Picard season 2, Odo never was in Starfleet, neither was Martok.

I have also seen you on here claiming that Sisko was wrong to be mad at Worf for abandoning the mission to bring his girlfriend home.

All you are doing is proving that you don’t watch the show at all but come here to fraudulently piss and moan about it.

I did that back when Enterprise came out. I refused to watch because I can’t stand Bakula from Quantum Leap days. I complained non stop about Enterprise, never watched a single episode until after it was cancelled when a player in my D&D group told me I should at least watch the show before I ran my mouth. I was indeed a stupid clown to act that way. I am glad I’m not one now.

I think you may have me confused with someone else as I actually agreed with Sisko’s decision to reprimand Worf.

I watch the show every week, actually more than once because I watch on Thursdays at 6 and again over the weekend.

There are also three separate people who post to Trekmovie with a name similar to mine, by the way.

Is this the episode where the Mirror Enterprise guest stars (as seen in the season preview clips)? If so, does that mean that Mirror Pike and/or Mirror Kirk and Mirror Spock, et al. will show up too, played by the SNW cast?

I expect the Enterprise to be abandoned or something, much cheaper for the show, then they’ll probably just blow it up, because well they can.

Blowing up the Enterprise…a Star Trek tradition since 1984…

You bring up a good point. When the original Enterprise was destroyed in The Search for Spock, it was shocking and tremendously sad.

Even when the D was scuttled in Generations, there was some poignance.

After that, with all these letters and the like, it’s become expected. Whenever the Enterprise is destroyed, it’s replaced by another Enterprise with another letter.

Very very doubtful lol. . And unless the episode is time travel based (which I doubt) it’s more likely its been abandoned and found in the 32nd century.

The clip describes it as an interdimensional wormhole so I don’t see why people can’t be on it.

We have seen clips inside the ship, nobody on board. We saw inside the ship in the first trailer for the season. Check trekculture.

I’ve seen the trailer, thanks.

Really looking forward to this one, especially after how much I loved the last one.

It’s exciting to go back to the ISS Enterprise and just like I watched The Chase to get me more motivated for the first episode I’m going to watch Mirror Mirror again for this one.

I’m truly rooting for this show to go out big. So far I’m mostly liking what I’m seeing.

Question: Why does everyone LOVE Shatner but Hate SMG? Aren’t they equa-diva? Isn’t the person playing say……Linus, going to be the Walter Koenig-type of the 2050s talking about all the shit she did and said? :)

Um not many love Shatner either…

Shatner is bigot, he steals other people’s work (to be fair he learned that from Gene), he was a murder suspect who has been likened to OJ Simpson by many people.

I haven’t seen any criticizm of Sonequa that was based on her behavior or history or anything but the fact she’s a she. So until there is something actually real and concrete it’s just sexism from Tate’s little minions.

Shatner is bigot, he steals other people’s work (to be fair he learned that from Gene), he was a murder suspect who has been likened to OJ Simpson by many people.

George Takei named him as a bigot he plagiarized every single book that carries his name and he was in fact a suspect in the death of his wife and many people believe that he was guilty I’m not saying I do but people do

Ah yes, the old “people say it’s true so it must be true” argument. Takei is an over-sensitive egomaniac who’s had a grudge on Shatner for over 55 years. Taking his bias opinion as fact doesn’t make it fact. Try a little critical thinking.

I don’t recall Shatner ever being a murder suspect. He was cleared early in the Nerine Shatner drowning.

It’s not SMG. It’s the writing. I think SMG is fantastic and doing the best she can with the drivel they write her. I think that’s people’s biggest issue.

The people who are making the complaints show by their complaints that they’re not actually watching the show therefore they can’t possibly be complaining about the writing

It’s too early in the day to be reading this kind of kindergarten logic. I’ve been watching the show since the beginning. I agree with some of the complaints about SMG and all of the complaints about the writing. Actually my complaints are more about Burnham than SMG and I find that season 5 is greatly improved. The point is let people have their opinions instead of being judgemental. Nobody needs to agree with you.

Agreed. This board has been bliss since you know who got the boot last month. Just let people say how they feel for good or bad instead of trying to get on their case about it. Seriously it’s going to be OK.

And the irony is this season so far has been the most civil I seen this board in years concerning Discovery. Yes there are still issues some people have with it, that will never go away but it’s been pretty balanced overall. Everyone has been giving their opinions and just moving on.

I been enjoying the season as well, probably more than I thought I would. It can still suck lol but right now I’ve had few complaints and that’s saying a lot with this show.

I also think SMG is a wonderful actress. I generally like her character, but, I think that there is a some inconsistency about the writing for her character. I also, like others, get a bit turned off by all the weepiness and emotion in this show. I read one article where a reviewer said that the Discovery crew kind of acted unprofessional compared to the TOS and TNG crews.

I had NO idea he was suspected in killing one of his wives. Dang……..And I guess I was overstating the love of Shatner. My bad. I stand corrected.

He wasn’t a suspect. LAPD cleared him of wrongdoing, because there was no case there. He was only a suspect to the lazy online rumormongers who didn’t bother to closely study it.

Not sure if you were expecting a civil discourse to come out of such a baiting question, but it prompted ugly aspersions about Shatner and Takei with a dig against Discovery’s critics, but nothing against SMG as a person. So… congrats?

What an odd and off topic question for an article that is simply a preview for the next episode of Discovery.

Shatner is fun to watch, SMG is annoying to watch. Simple as that.

To Boldly Go: How ‘Star Trek’ Inspired NASA’s Planet Hunters

The 1960s "Star Trek" series, canceled after only three seasons for want of stronger ratings, roared back from oblivion to become one of the world’s most successful film and television franchises. As its 50 th anniversary approaches, the show remains a palpable presence within NASA.

Some scientists and engineers are partial to the original series, with its 1960s hairdos, quick-drawing Captain Kirk and soaring musical score. Others prefer the “Next Generation” and its Shakespearean Captain Picard, or fondly recall other "Star Trek" spinoffs such as “Deep Space Nine,” “Voyager” and “Enterprise.”

All of them say various "Star Trek" manifestations, on television or the big screen, made a lasting impression, helping fire their passion for space exploration.

Vulcan(fictional exoplanet)

While Mr. Spock's home planet Vulcan (orbited here by the Enterprise) is imaginary, the triple-star system where it's said to orbit--40 Eridani--is real. In the full system view, the orange and blue X's in this visualization indicate the barycenters, or the gravitational centers around which the stars orbit.

Varoujan Gorjian

Astronomer and astrophysicist at JPL who hunts for planets beyond our solar system using the Spitzer Space Telescope and other instruments.

Aki Roberge

Astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center who studies planet formation and is helping conceptualize a possible future space telescope called LUVOIR (Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared surveyor).

Growing up without a TV at home, I didn’t see "Star Trek" til I went away to college at MIT. At my coed fraternity there, we would go to the dining room, put our dinners on plates, and take them to the TV room. A whole gang of us would watch “Star Trek: the Next Generation” together every day. I took to it like a duck to water. Obviously, my captain is Captain Picard, although my favorite series is probably “Deep Space Nine.” For me, it wasn’t only a vision of the diversity of worlds and life that might be out there that drew me in. It was also "Star Trek’s" vision of how humanity itself is changed by the exploration of space and then by meeting others who are genuinely, fundamentally different from ourselves. The "Star Trek" vision is a very optimistic, sunny vision of humanity at peace with itself, and with a greater appreciation for—and a greater value placed on—personal development and satisfaction in your work.

Nick Siegler

Technology manager for NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program, based at JPL.

I dedicated my Ph.D. dissertation to several folks, and one of them was to the "Star Trek" series. I dedicated it to "Star Trek," Carl Sagan, the scientists and engineers of Voyager 1 and 2, Isaac Asimov and my father.

When I was a younger man I was fascinated by exploration. All the books I read were biographies of explorers, but mostly sort of the Italian and Spanish explorers of the 15 th century and onward. Along that theme, "Star Trek" was all about missions of exploration. It wasn’t doing science. They figured, “We’ll do the science later. Let’s go out and explore, see what we can find.” That just took my interest in exploration to the ultimate level: the exploration of the cosmos.

Sara Seager

Professor of planetary science and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a JPL affiliate whose research seeks to analyze light from planets orbiting distant stars to learn which gases are present in their atmospheres.

Watching TV and doing math were just totally separate things in my mind. ("Star Trek") didn’t really necessarily inspire me, in the sense of, “Wow, I want to go travel to another planet.” I think what it did was really incredible: It was that it made it okay. Even though the TV shows defy logic in traveling faster than light and teleportation and everything—the transporter—it still makes it part of our cultural consciousness: there are planets, probably life out there.

Karl Stapelfeldt

Chief scientist for NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, based at JPL.

In the 60s, for the "Star Trek" first run, I was little—five years old. I know I saw it back then because it is in my kindergarten coloring books. One episode, with the planet-killer machine, must have made a big, scary impression on me, because I made drawings of it blasting things. "Star Trek" presents a widely accessible vision of what might be out there in the broader universe. People's interest in the show can be a launching point to discover the real science of astronomy and the real engineering of space travel. A lot of people in aerospace or science are fans of the show, not because we want to act out episodes, but because we'd love to travel/explore/learn about our universe. We’d like to do this not just for ourselves but for the whole world, for all people who are curious about what's out there and how humanity fits in.

Marc Rayman

Director and chief engineer for NASA’s Dawn mission, which orbited the two most massive bodies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter; Rayman is based at JPL.

I started watching the "Star Trek" original series when it was on in reruns, when I was a youngster. I was a very avid "Star Trek" fan. I’d already been a very serious space buff; I knew in the fourth grade that I wanted to get a Ph.D. in physics. I only ever wanted to work for NASA. I started writing to JPL when I was nine years old. Two of the missions I worked on at JPL were Deep Space 1 and Dawn, which I’m working on now. Those are NASA’s only two planetary missions to use ion propulsion. The first time I ever heard of ion propulsion was in a "Star Trek" episode called “Spock’s Brain.”

Before I ever heard of "Star Trek" I was committed to the exploration of space, but "Star Trek" depicted the future I wanted to live in. They get to go to a new planet every week. They have all this wonderful technology. Sure, there was action and adventure, and that appeals to many people, including me. But more strongly appealing was the adventure of exploring the cosmos, at the same time expressing this vision of opportunity for everybody, and peace, and a noble spirit of adventure.

Gary Blackwood

Program manager for NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, JPL.

It started real early for me in my household. "Sesame Street" and "Star Trek" were required watching. My mother said this was very important.

I still remember my first episode. It was the Horta [“Devil in the Dark”]. My parents were very interested in the space program, the moon landing, the space age. My mother projected this onto us, but "Star Trek" really gave me a sense of wonder—going to other stars on a spaceship, the stars flying by, that image on the screen. "Star Trek" always spoke to that greater vision, that greater achievement, what mankind could become. And it was set in the future, when many of the troubles of the current day have been worked through. That was the real theme Gene Roddenberry [the creator of "Star Trek"] worked into the episodes.

Steve Howell

Project Scientist, NASA K2 Mission (Kepler space telescope), NASA Ames Research Center.

What really struck me about the "Star Trek" shows was that there were a lot of moral issues in them. It was kind of hidden, but not hidden that well. The other thing that struck me is that they would go to planets. They would find lots of planets. That was cool at the time, because we didn’t know about exoplanets. They never talked about what kind of star it was, or the orbit, or anything. They never really talked about the habitable zone, things like that. I just always loved science fiction. I liked that it showed the possibilities, let me dream about what I might like to do someday.

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TREKNEWS.NET | Your daily dose of Star Trek news and opinion

New photos from Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 4 “Face the Strange”

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New photos from the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5

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Preview: Star Trek: Discovery 505 “Mirrors”

The fifth episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s fifth and final season “Mirrors” premieres this Thursday, April 25 . The episode is written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan .

Today, we have a video preview, a clip, and a few new photos from the episode — featuring Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham, David Ajala as Book, Mary Wiseman as Tilly, Blu del Barrio as Adira, Anthony Rapp as Stamets, and Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner

You can check out the new photos below. Please be aware of some minor spoilers.

Official description:

Captain Burnham and Book journey into extradimensional space in search of the next clue to the location of the Progenitors’ power. Meanwhile, Rayner navigates his first mission in command of the  U.S.S. Discovery , and Culber opens up to Tilly.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 castmembers include Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Callum Keith Rennie (Rayner). Season five also features recurring guest stars Elias Toufexis (L’ak) and Eve Harlow (Moll).

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Prodigy , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Lower Decks, and more.

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Star Trek: Voyager – Season 7, Episode 22

Where to watch, star trek: voyager — season 7, episode 22.

Watch Star Trek: Voyager — Season 7, Episode 22 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

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Cast & crew.

Kate Mulgrew

Capt. Kathryn Janeway

Robert Beltran

Roxann Dawson

B'Elanna Torres

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Episode Info

Constable Odo's 10 Best Star Trek: DS9 Episodes

• Odo's best DS9 episodes focus on criminal investigations, his origins, and ideological clashes with Changeling Founders.
• Odo's relationships with Quark and Kira define many episodes, showcasing his softer side and developing romantic connections.
• Odo's characterization shines in episodes like "The Begotten" and "Treachery, Faith and the Great River" with emotional depth.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's best episodes about Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) focus on his criminal investigations, the search for his origins, and his ideological clash with the Changeling Founders. Played by acclaimed actor Rene Auberjonois, Odo's best episodes of DS9 are characterized by some incredible acting, delivered from underneath heavy layers of prosthetics . Across seven seasons, the beloved Star Trek: DS9 character had to grapple with prejudice, unrequited love, and the sins of his past in episodes that showcased the thematic heft of the Star Trek: The Next Generation spinoff.

Odo's relationships with Quark (Armin Shimerman) and Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) also define many of the Constable's best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes . As DS9's Chief of Security, Odo was the perfect foil for the Ferengi bartender, but Quark and Odo's rivalry had an undercurrent of mutual respect that bordered on affection . Odo also had a close friendship with Kira, formed by a fateful moment from years earlier. Odo and Kira's friendship eventually developed into a romantic relationship, and that progression can be seen in some of the Constable's best DS9 episodes.

Every Star Trek: DS9 Episode Directed By Rene Auberjonois

Star trek: ds9 season 1, episode 17, "the forsaken", teleplay by don carlos dunaway & michael piller, story by jim trombetta.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 17, "The Forsaken" is one of the more successful DS9 and Star Trek: The Next Generation crossover episodes . The episode paired up the unlikely duo of Constable Odo and Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett) for a two-hander that revealed the insecurities of both characters. Odo's relationship with Lwaxana allowed DS9 's gruff Chief of Security to show his softer and more vulnerable side , improving the character as a result.

In the episode, the incorrigible Lwaxana Troi falls in love with Odo, and tries to woo the irascible Constable. Lwaxana's attempts are hindered by an alien intelligence that saps Deep Space Nine's power, stranding her in a lift with Odo. "The Forsaken" was one of Rene Auberjonois' favorite episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Discussing the episode in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , Auberjonois stated that:

" It helped to establish Odo and give him more dimension than he'd had up to that point "

Star Trek: DS9, Season 7, Episode 22, "Tacking into the Wind"

Written by ronald d. moore.

"Tacking into the Wind" is one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's best Worf episodes , as it primarily focuses on his attempts to bring Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) into line. However, there's also some very strong and emotional material for Odo and Kira as the morphogenic virus continues to ravage the Changeling's system . Kira, Odo, and Garak (Andrew Robinson) are sent on a dangerous mission to retrieve information about a devastating Breen weapon.

By infecting Odo, Section 31 effectively prove the Founders' belief that the "Solids" are barbaric and cruel.

Odo's determination to continue the mission despite his worsening health is heartbreaking. However, it speaks to the strength of Odo's character that he never lets Section 31's betrayal cloud his feelings about the "Solids". By infecting Odo, Section 31 effectively prove the Founders' belief that the "Solids" are barbaric and cruel , but despite the cruelty meted out to him by Section 31, Odo knows that it's wrong to reduce all of Starfleet to the actions of some rogue operatives.

Section 31s 5 Worst Crimes During Star Trek DS9s Dominion War

Star trek: ds9, season 7, episode 6, "treachery, faith and the great river", teleplay by david weddle & bradley thompson, story by philip kim.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , season 7, episode 6, "Treachery, Faith and the Great River" explores Odo's status as a god . Odo is shocked to discover that Weyoun ( Jeffrey Combs ) wishes to defect from the Dominion to the Federation. However, the Dominion and the Cardassians are determined that Odo and Weyoun 6 never return to DS9.

What follows is an exciting prisoner transport thriller that also tackles some big themes around religious belief. "Treachery, Faith and the Great River" showcases Odo's courage under fire , as he tries every trick in the book to avoid the combined forces of the Cardassians and the Jem'Hadar. Weyoun 6 eventually sacrifices his life to save Odo in the episode's heartbreaking climax, forcing the Changeling to confront how his people have turned themselves into deities.

Star Trek: DS9, Season 3, Episode 14, "Heart of Stone"

Written by ira steven behr & robert hewitt wolfe.

For the majority of "Heart of Stone", Odo believes that Kira has become trapped in an expanding silicon rock formation. The more the formation increases in size, the more it consumes Kira, slowly crushing her to death. Tragically, Odo realizes that he's not trying to save the real Kira when the Major professes her love for him , revealing that it's an elaborate ruse by the Female Changeling (Salome Jens).

"Heart of Stone" is a great Odo episode because the impossible situation forces him to confront, and finally vocalize, his feelings for Kira . That journey is fascinating to watch, and Rene Auberjonois' performance of Odo, recognizing that he's been duped, is incredible. Veering from pragmatism about how Kira sees him as a friend to fury at the Female Changeling's plan, it's exactly the sort of multi-faceted performance that audiences have come to expect from Rene Auberjonois at this point in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Nana Visitor wasn't a fan of the rock prop in "Heart of Stone", telling the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion that it made her look " like a big old hot fudge sundae ".

DS9's 7 Best Love Stories & Romances Ranked

Star trek: ds9, season 2, episode 12, "the alternate", teleplay by bill dial, story by jim trombetti and bill dial.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 12, "The Alternate" is an early episode that sheds more light on Odo's origins. It introduces the character of Dr. Mora Pol (James Sloyan), the Bajoran scientist who first discovered Odo in his liquid form . Dr. Mora believes that he's found clues as to where Odo originated from, but their research mission is cut short when the away team are stricken by some noxious gas, triggered by the removal of an ancient monument. The gas also has an adverse effect on Odo, turning him into a terrifying monster.

[Odo] comes to realize that this problematic scientist is actually the closest thing he's ever had to a father figure.

"The Alternate" is a brilliant take on Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde , that gives Odo actor Rene Auberjonois some challenging material to perform. The scenes between Odo and Mora are incredibly powerful, as the Changeling comes to realize that this problematic scientist is actually the closest thing he's ever had to a father figure. The scene in which Odo implies that he doesn't trust Mora while becoming the monster is an incredible moment .

Star Trek: DS9, Season 6, Episode 20, "His Way"

Written by ira steven behr & hans beimler.

When Odo hears that holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine (James Darren) gave Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) some helpful pointers on love, he decides to seek the singer's advice about Kira. Fontaine helps to bring Odo out of his shell, turning him into a suave pianist, while also making him more at ease socially. Eventually, Vic orchestrates a first date for Kira and Odo, albeit under false pretenses .

"His Way" was the first appearance of Vic Fontaine in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

By showing a completely new side of Odo in "His Way", Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showrunner Ira Steven Behr and writer Hans Beimler make this one of the character's best episodes. The transition from the drab brown Bajoran security uniform into a sharp tuxedo is a hugely positive one for Odo , not least because it finally allows Kira to see just how charismatic and charming he can actually be.

Nana Visitor and Rene Auberjonois never wanted Kira and Odo to become a couple in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , preferring their bond to be purely platonic.

Star Trek: DS9, Season 5, Episode 12, "The Begotten"

Written by rené echevarria.

For the first half of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Odo is turned into a "Solid" . It's fascinating to see how Odo contends with the frailty of a humanoid body, but it's equally fascinating to see how this plot thread is resolved. After he buys an ailing Changeling infant from Quark, Odo teams up with Doctors Bashir and Maura to cure the sick child and teach it to shapeshift. Odo becomes a doting father, and it's a strong sequel to "The Alternate", as he seeks to avoid the mistakes made by his own surrogate father.

Tragically, the infant Changeling in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is too sick to live, but it does give Odo a parting gift. By bonding with the infant, Odo regains his shapeshifting abilities, giving him a renewed sense of purpose. It's a touching metaphor for parenthood that finally allows Odo and Mora Pol to reconcile their differences. "The Begotten" is a standout episode for Rene Auberjonois in a strong season for the character of Odo .

Star Trek: DS9, Season 5, Episode 9, "The Ascent"

"The Ascent" is the best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode about Quark and Odo's antagonistic relationship. Transporting Quark to testify against the Orion Syndicate, Odo's runabout explodes and strands the two old enemies on a barren planet. Watching Odo and Quark work together to survive is an absolute joy , and Rene Auberjonois gets some fine opportunities to deploy his dry wit. The scene in which Odo requests his ashes be tossed into his bucket and launched into the Gamma Quadrant is darkly funny.

The final scene of "The Ascent" is one of the best moments, as it sees Odo and Quark come closer than ever to telling each other how they feel. While they both say they hate each other, it's very clear from their laughter that the two Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters love each other. "The Ascent" is also a great Odo episode because it shows a new side to him, as he has to deal with the fragility of his humanoid body , succumbing to the cold and breaking his leg.

Star Trek: DS9, Season 5, Episode 8 "Things Past"

Written by michael taylor.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5 has two classic Odo episodes in a row, as "The Ascent" is preceded by "Things Past". The episode sends Odo, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) and Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson) back in time to when DS9 was Terok Nor . They're forced to live through a brutal tragedy from Odo's past, when he accidentally condemned three Bajoran men to death .

Rene Auberjonois is excellent as a repentant Odo, who is realizing with gut-churning inevitability what's about to happen. The final scene, in which Odo and Kira discuss his culpability in the execution is a quietly devastating exchange between the two friends. "Things Past" is, therefore, a spiritual sequel to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Necessary Evil" , which revealed how Odo and Kira first met.

Star Trek: DS9, Season 2, Episode 8, "Necessary Evil"

Written by peter allan fields.

"Necessary Evil" is the best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode about Odo , because it firmly establishes the Constable's moral code. While investigating the attempted murder of Quark, Odo discovers that the crime is linked to his first case. Through flashbacks, "Necessary Evil" reveals how Odo came to Terok Nor, employed by Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) as a security officer. Tasked with investigating the murder of a Bajoran collaborator, Odo was unable to close the case, letting the killer walk free.

The killer is revealed to be Major Kira Nerys, and in one of the most complicated scenes in all of Star Trek , Odo and Kira contend with this new information. It's a crucial episode in Odo's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine story. Not only does it establish his origins as Chief of Security, it also reveals the depth of Odo's relationship with Kira, and how it's strong enough to weather the storm of her past crimes.

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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.

Cast Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer, Michael Dorn, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig

Release Date January 3, 1993

Network CBS

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller

The Unexpected Resurrection of Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison died in 2018. Now, thanks to J. Michael Straczynski, he’s back. And louder than ever.

In 1968, a notoriously caustic science fiction writer accused Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry of peddling “utopian bullshit.” In 1978, this same writer — in an introduction written for Doctor Who paperbacks — mocked Star Wars , decrying it as “adolescent nonsense.” In 1983, when he learned that James Cameron had admitted to “ripping off” one of his stories, he sued and got his name put in the end credits of The Terminator . In a 1979 interview in Starlog , Mark Hamill, baffled by this angry, impish contrarian, said: “I don’t want to get on a panel with Ellison… I thought he was like a game show host.” So who the hell was Harlan Ellison? And more importantly, why did he matter?

For generations of science fiction and fantasy aficionados, saying the name Harlan Ellison is like uttering a dark spell. Ellison’s writing — primarily in short story format — is fantastic and provocative, but his reputation for contentiousness was equally potent, often overshadowing the art itself. And for younger genre fans, the name Harlan Ellison might not mean anything at all. If you’re into science fiction and fantasy and came of age in the new millennium (and his 2014 Simpsons cameo went over your head), there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Ellison.

“There was a time when he was one of the hottest speakers on college campuses anywhere, and now, he’s fallen between the cracks,” J. Michael Straczynski tells Inverse . “It was really important for me to introduce people to Harlan’s work again. A lot of his work just hasn’t been available for the past 10 or 20 years.”

Following Ellison’s death in 2018, Straczynski — comic book writing legend and creator of Babylon 5 — set out to reboot the legacy of the most energetic, and perhaps misunderstood, figure in all of speculative fiction. But this mission isn’t an attempt to sanitize or censor Ellison. Instead, with the release of a new book Greatest Hits (edited by Straczynski, with introductions from Neil Gaiman and Cassandra Khaw), Ellison’s specific brand of fantasy has re-emerged from those cracks, zombie warts and all.

The Leader of the New Wave

Harlan Ellison in 1977.

Harlan Ellison hated labels. Especially the label of “sci-fi writer.” In a 2013 profile written by Jaime Lowe for New York Magazine , Ellison said, “Call me a science-fiction writer and I will come to your house and nail your dog’s head to the coffee table!”

Part of his animosity stemmed from his tireless work to undo the genre stereotypes and constraints put on writers who worked outside of the mainstream. From the beginning of the 20th century up to the 1960s, the genre of science fiction was very different from what came next. A huge part of that change was the revolution of the “New Wave” of science fiction writers who pushed back against the stodgier and stuffier traditions of “Hard SF” and infused the genre with more literary and poetic sensibilities. Some started saying the written genre of “SF” stood for “speculative fiction,” not just science fiction. But without Ellison, science fiction (or speculative fiction) might never have grown up.

“What Harlan did in particular was to codify the New Wave,” Straczynski says. “With Dangerous Visions , he pulled it all together into one place and made it an event.”

Published in 1967, Dangerous Visions was a massive SF anthology of short stories, all edited and acquired by Ellison. (It’s just been republished, complete with a new introduction from Patton Oswalt. ) The goal was to give writers a home for short stories that were so extreme or taboo that even science fiction publications wouldn’t touch them. The first volume included edgy tales from Philip K. Dick, Robert Bloch, and J.G. Ballard, while the second volume, Again, Dangerous Visions , boasted classic short stories from the likes of Ursula K. Le Guin, Kurt Vonnegut, Joanna Russ, and Kate Wilhelm. As something of a trademark of Ellison, each story contained a lengthy introduction about the author, written in a rapid-fire, off-the-cuff style that would make Hunter S. Thompson blush. In his introduction to Dangerous Visions , Ellison brazenly declared : “What you hold in your hands is more than a book. If we’re lucky, it will be a revolution.” In a sense, he was right.

“There’s the whole thing about social movements,” Straczynski says. “Often, one person stands up and sort of embodies all of what they’re saying, and then it becomes a movement, and then it becomes a thing. And with Dangerous Visions and the New Wave, Harlan became that movement and that spearhead.”

But beyond bolstering the careers of others (he was Octavia Butler’s mentor and champion) Ellison’s own writing was unlike any other science fiction stories in the field. His two most famous stories, “Repent, Harlequin, Said the Ticktock Man” (1966) and “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” (1967), are simultaneously arresting and, for their time, extremely creative. In the first, a future society obsessed with time subtracts minutes from people’s lives when they are late or break the law. In the second, a sadistic AI keeps six human beings alive and tortures them to the ends of the Earth. But that’s just the tip of the dark matter iceberg that is Harlan Ellison.

“He pulled it all together into one place and made it an event.”

He pioneered stories about super-powered telepaths with his classic “Deeper Than Darkness” (1957) and touched on concepts of immortal, undying evil in “Mefisto in Onyx” (1993). When read today, his doppelganger story “Shatterday” (1977) feels like a condensed version of a David Lynch movie, combined with the parallel worlds antics of contemporary Apple TV shows like Constellation and Dark Matter .

But Ellison’s brand of dark speculative fiction wasn’t just limited to the page. He was also part of a growing trend in the 1950s and 1960s, in which authors of prose sci-fi began writing for TV. With thrilling episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Outer Limits , plus authorship of what is considered to be the best episode of the original Star Trek , Ellison was like a one-person Black Mirror . Indeed, one of his sci-fi horror stories, “Life Hutch,” was adapted as part of Love Death and Robots in 2021.

So with all of this success and brilliant output, why was Harlan Ellison so angry?

The Antichrist of Science Fiction

Writer Harlan Ellison at Mile High comics book store in 1982.

Harlan Ellison wrote Star Trek ’s seminal time-travel tragedy, the 1967 episode “The City on the Edge of Forever.” For almost six decades, this single story has often been cited as the best episode of Star Trek , ever, and its legacy continues to be relevant to the canon today — Michelle Yeoh’s upcoming Section 31 movie is a direct result of her character, Philippa Georgiou, stepping through the Guardian of Forever , a time portal originally introduced in Ellison’s episode.

Ellison infamously hated the aired version of the episode. While at least one entire book has been written about this kerfuffle, Ellison’s frustration basically comes down to a rowdy, and utterly divergent rewrite, which he said compromised his artistic integrity. Ellison felt steamrolled by Gene Roddenberry, which was ironic because just one year prior he’d formed “The Committee” — a select group of massive science fiction authors, including Frank Herbert , A.E. van Vogt, and others — with the express purpose of making sure Star Trek remained on the air.

“I think he just saw a lot of sloppiness going on [with Star Wars ].”

“What Star Trek really did was popularize science fiction in ways that hadn’t been done before,” Straczynski says. “It brought a new language in the vernacular to the popular culture. It galvanized the space program. There will never be another Star Trek any more than there’ll be another Beatles, and their place in the culture cannot be overestimated. The downside of that is that it codified a certain kind of storytelling in ways that limit other opportunities.”

Ellison clearly saw the rise of big franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars as a double-edged sword for the larger world of speculative fiction. Yes, it made SF more mainstream, but it was also reductive. So he went on the attack. In the humorous and raunchy story “How’s the Nightlife on Cissalda?” (1977), Ellison, still annoyed by his Star Trek experience, depicted a fictionalized version of William Shatner unsuccessfully trying to seduce an alien creature.

The classic Star Trek episode “City on the Edge of Forever.”

When it came to Trek , Harlan Ellison liked to bite the hand that fed him.

“He could dine off of ‘I wrote for Star Trek ’ for quite some time,” Straczynski says. “He was able to parlay that to success in many respects, even though he hated the process.”

While his anger over being rewritten explains some of his animosity with Star Trek — and its fans — why was Ellison so anti Star Wars ? As someone from the print world of science fiction who had tried to start a more progressive, literary trend in the genre, Ellison almost certainly saw the gee-whiz swashbuckling brand of Star Wars’ heroism as inherently regressive, more reminiscent of the conservative era of SF publishing in the ’30s and ’40s, than anything from what was then the modern era of speculative fiction.

“I think he just saw a lot of sloppiness going on [with Star Wars ],” Straczynski says. “Harlan was fairly rigorous in his writing, and there was just so much there that didn’t make sense.”

Ellison was hardly a voice in the wilderness on this topic: His friend and colleague Ursula K. Le Guin also trashed Star Wars in 1978, writing , “What is nostalgia doing in a science fiction movie?”

Because of his acerbic and often petty put-downs, Ellison behaved in public more like a bratty rock star than a writer. In a 1977 issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction , he even referred to himself as “the antichrist of science fiction.” In 1982, in the introduction for Ellison’s book Stalking the Nightmare , Stephen King acknowledged that not everyone was down with Ellison’s brand of iconoclasm but defended his artistic idealism, writing, “People who are afraid don’t like people who are brave.”

A Rebirth Before Death

Harlan Ellison and lifelong friend Walter Koenig (of Star Trek fame) at the Star Trek Las Vegas Convention in 2014. Ellison’s animosity toward Trekkies lightened up in the last years of his life.

Because he cared about human rights (and the often tramped-on rights of writers), Ellison didn’t make things easy on himself. As Straczynski writes in his introduction to Greatest Hits , it was “exhausting” to be Harlan Ellison.

But then, after 2006, following a surreal acceptance speech at the Hugo Awards, something unexpected happened: Harlan Ellison, publicly, appeared to repent for some of his bad behavior. He was no longer giving terse and angry interviews. He was apologizing. He allowed a documentarian to chronicle his life. He even lightened up on Trekkies. In 2014, with the full cooperation of the Star Trek licensing division, IDW Comics published Star Trek: Harlan Ellison’s City on the Edge of Forever, a five-part miniseries that presented Ellison’s original award-winning teleplay as an episode of the classic Trek. In the letters pages, Ellison even walked back long-held assertions about how his script was misinterpreted, admitting, among other things, that despite decades of complaining about other writers not knowing the difference between “runes” and “ruins,” it turns out no such confusion ever existed.

In 2011, I was asked to call Harlan Ellison, after having written a review of his short story, “How Interesting: A Tiny Man.” Fearful of his litigious reputation (I had compared Ellison to the Gallagher brothers from Oasis in my essay), I dialed the number with trepidation. But it turned out that the angry old man had merely wanted to thank me, saying “I appreciate you taking the time to read my story and say something about it.”

So, what happened? Why did Ellison mellow out later in his life? While it’s a much longer tale — that Straczynski plans to tell in due course — let’s just say that the lighter, more ebullient side of Ellison was partially because of the influence of Straczynski himself. There’s a reason why Ellison chose Straczynski to take on his literary estate, and their friendship and trust for each other is part of why Ellison’s final years were ones of good humor and grace.

A Writer’s Writer

Harlan Ellison, around the time he edited Dangerous Visions in 1967.

Ellison disliked the pretension of writers and often insisted it shouldn’t be thought of as a “holy chore” but a job like any other. He often would sit in the windows of bookshops with his typewriter and write short stories based on prompts that were put in sealed envelopes ahead of time. In the final short story in Greatest Hits — “All the Lies That Are My Life” — Ellison makes a working-class distinction between an author and a writer . The former was someone who liked awards and prestige, the latter was “someone who gets hemorrhoids from sitting on his ass all his life… writing .”

This kind of attitude is probably best exemplified in his epic “Pay the Writer” rant , which highlights the ways in which the act of writing is so brutally devalued in the capitalist nightmare. Celebrated writer Patty Lin — the author of the recently published memoir End Credits: How I Broke Up With Hollywood — remembers Harlan Ellison’s staunch support of the rights of writers fondly. At the end of the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike, Lin recalls Ellison being furious that the WGA had capitulated too easily. Wearing “rumpled pajamas,” Lin says, Ellison chastised the union leadership for not going far enough. “We had them by the balls,” Lin remembers Ellison saying, depressed that the WGA didn’t get a better contact.

“It was that no-bullshit, justifiably angry way he expressed it that was so on brand.”

“I loved Harlan Ellison for what he said that day,” Lin tells Inverse . “It was exactly what I was thinking and what many other people in that room were probably thinking. It was that no-bullshit, justifiably angry way he expressed it that was so on brand. And that dramatic flair was what made him a great storyteller.”

As the title suggests, Greatest Hits is a kind of historical document. These are stories that don’t necessarily reflect where science fiction and fantasy are going but where the genre has been, as seen through the dark lenses of Harlan Ellison. Some of the stories (like “Shatterday”) hold up beautifully. Some, as Cassandra Khaw points out in her introduction, have problematic elements.

But unlike recent reissues of books by Roald Dahl or Ian Fleming , these stories remain uncensored. The fight against censorship was one of Ellison’s lifelong passions, and so, other than a few content warning labels in the book, the sex, sci-fi, and rock ’n’ roll of this writer's vision remains intact and raucous. Like the punk rock of genre fiction, Ellison’s stories are as jarring and blistering as ever.

“No, no, you don’t touch Harlan’s stuff, man,” Straczynski says. “Even if he’s dead, he’ll come after you.”

Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits is out now from Union Square and Co.

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Star Trek Discovery Season 5 Episode 4 Recap and Review Star Trek Discovery Pod

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This week Myrriah and Clyde are joined again by Jessie Earl! And Paul might finally make it out of the pattern buffer. The crew will be recapping and reviewing the forth episode of season five: "Face the Strange" Follow Jessie on YouTube!  Support entertainment workers impacted by last year's strikes: https://entertainmentcommunity.org/ Star Trek Discovery Pod is a companion podcast for all the new and classic Star Trek TV series and movies with reviews, commentary and more. Find us at http://startrekpod.co  Join our Slack Channel and Patreon https://www.patreon.com/startrekpod  Buy some merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/star-trek-discovery-podcast  Watch the Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wu2W9TGLlI&ab_channel=StarTrekDiscoveryPodcast

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