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Star Trek S1 E0 "The Cage" » Recap

The original Pilot Episode of Star Trek: The Original Series . Written by Gene Roddenberry and produced in late 1964, it preceded the series itself by a good two years. While this pilot was not considered to have been a success at the time, the network executives did like it enough to finance a second pilot episode. And you all know how well that turned out.

The episode begins with the USS Enterprise (under the command of Captain Christopher Pike) on a routine patrol. Pike is suffering from self-doubt, having just come from a mission where a number of his landing party were killed in action (including his close friend and Yeoman).

The ship receives a belated S.O.S from survivors of an Earth spaceship that crashed on the nearby planet Talos IV some time ago. Once they arrive on this barren and desolate planet, they find a ragtag bunch of survivors, but something doesn't feel quite right about them. While the landing party does a thorough examination of the group, a young woman named Vina lures Captain Pike to a secluded spot, where he gets zapped by humanoid aliens and taken deep underground.

The survivors vanish, having been revealed to be an illusion created by the alien Talosians. Captain Pike has been placed inside a zoo. The Talosians aim to pair him off with Vina, who is in fact the only true survivor of the earlier spaceship crash. While the aliens use their telepathy to try and bring Pike and Vina closer together, in illusionary versions of his recent near-death encounter, his home city of Mojave back on Earth, and a Orion slave harem; the crew of the Enterprise attempt to breach the underground complex and rescue their kidnapped captain.

The Talosians finally kidnap two further females from the Enterprise crew, giving Pike the choice of three potential mates. The Enterprise 's female first officer sets her hand phaser to self-destruct, forcing the Talosians' hand and giving them no option but to let the three of them go. Pike watches sadly as the true extent of Vina's injuries are revealed, explaining why she cannot come with them.

Footage from this unaired pilot was later re-edited as a two part regular episode called "The Menagerie", where the events were presented as something that had happened to a former crew of the Enterprise , ten years prior to the start of the main series. The original version, however, eventually made its broadcast premiere in 1988, as part of the TV special The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next , which previewed the writers' strike-delayed second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation . "The Cage" was also the last of the digitally remastered TOS episodes to air, debuting the week before Star Trek (2009) opened in theaters.

Star Trek (2009) takes place in an Alternate Timeline and predominantly takes place at about the same time as this episode, reimagining Pike as played by Bruce Greenwood and a mentor figure for Kirk before showing the change of command. In the main timeline Captain Pike is recast with Anson Mount as the USS Enterprise shows up at the end of the first season of the prequel series Star Trek: Discovery , Pike appears in the second season. This is chronologically about two years after the events of this episode. In 2022 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuted, set shortly after the events of Discovery and about seven years before the first season of TOS.

"The Cage" provides examples of the following tropes:

• Adam and Eve Plot : The Talosians kidnap Captain Pike, and then Number One and a female yeoman (Colt), to act as breeding stock. To avoid it being a "polyg" situation, the Keeper mentions that "with the CHOICE of female...", in keeping with 1964 TV broadcast standards, but what would have been done with the two women Pike didn't choose is unclear. Had the Talosians intended to produce a race of human servants, it'd have made sense to have Pike sire children with ALL THREE of them. At the end, safely back aboard the ship, Yeoman Colt, her "unusually strong female drives" and curiosity getting the best of her, asks her Captain WHO would have been "Eve", much to Number One's annoyance. Number One: "Offspring" as in... he's Adam.
• Aggressive Negotiations : Pike tries to negotiate the life of the Magistrate for his crew's freedom and to Take Him Instead but Number One threatens mass suicide before they respond.
• Alien Blood : When threatening the Talosians, Pike wonders along about what color their blood would be. Pike:  I'll break out of this zoo somehow and get to you. Is your blood red like ours? I'm going to find out.
• Alien Geometries : The alien prison has weird angles and perspectives (done purposefully with optical illusions), and also Bizarrchitecture : slanted walls and weird shapes. Notably, the form of their monitor display is in a really weird shape.
• Aliens Are Bastards : Pike certainly thinks so and he's right, at least at the start. Then we learn the Talosians do just as many benevolent things as they do malevolent. They saved Vina's life, try to find a suitable man to keep her company as she's lonely, and, later on , allow Pike to peacefully retire with them to be with Vina after he's also disfigured.
• Alien Sky : The first illusion where Pike is placed has a lilac sky dominated by an immense moon and distant ringed planet.
• All Planets Are Earth-Like : Of course there is a planet that is conveniently "Class M" (Trek for Human Habitable). Spock: Solar system similar to Earth, eleven planets. Number four seems to be Class M, oxygen atmosphere.( In the series proper, "oxygen-NITROGEN" atmosphere is used, anyone familiar with the Apollo I tragedy knows the extreme fire hazard of a pure oxygen atmosphere! )
• Spock is shown to be limping when the party first beams down to Talos IV. According to the script, Spock was one of the crewmen mentioned as having been injured on Rigel VII.
• A few novels have theorized as to the cause for the vast differences between Spock's highly emotional behavior in this episode and his reservedness in the regular series. Examples of this include Spock possibly not having complete control of his emotions at that point, as he was still quite young, and that he achieved full control of his emotions by observing Captain Pike. In fact, the novel Burning Dreams establishes that indeed, whether Pike liked it or not, Spock did consider him a mentor and so Pike tried his best to live up to that assignment. The novel The Fire and the Rose establishes that Spock was simply emulating Human behaviors such as smiles, and that there was truly no emotion behind his own smile. He eventually stopped though when his crew mates came to distrust him, believing him not to be truthful about himself to them.
• Ambiguous Gender : Enforced: Producers went out of the way to ensure ambiguity to the point of dubbing male voices over the female actors.
• Anatomically Ignorant Healing : Vina turns out to have been left disabled and disfigured by the Talosians' well-intentioned efforts to heal her — they were able to successfully restore her to physical health, but their unfamiliarity with human anatomy led to them putting her back together as a scarred hunchback.
• Baby Factory : The aliens present the women to Pike so he can "choose" the best specimen for intelligent offspring .
• The Bartender : Dr. Boyce brings some alcohol with him during his visit to the Pike's quarters, and mixes him a martini as a part of the captain's Epiphany Therapy . Boyce: Sometimes a man will tell things to his bartender that he'd never tell his doctor.
• Beneath the Mask : The Talosians put Captain Pike in a fantasy where he's a decadent Orion slave trader with a Green-Skinned Space Babe dancing erotically for him. Earlier Pike had been griping about The Chains of Commanding and let slip a thought about giving it all up to be an Orion merchant. Vina: A person's strongest dreams are about what he can't do . Yes, a ship's captain, always having to be so formal, so decent and honest and proper. You must wonder what it would be like to forget all that.
• Bizarre Alien Biology : Inverted with the Talosians. They've never seen a human before Vina and have no idea how to properly heal her injuries beyond making her basically functional.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead : The Talosians, who want Captain Pike to breed them a race of slave workers, offer him blonde fellow captive Vina and, later, his own crewmembers — the coldly intelligent Number One ( Brainy Brunette ) and his pretty female yeoman (a redhead with "unusually strong female drives").
• Blue-and-Orange Morality : Although they keep sentient beings enslaved For Science! , the Talosians aren't exactly evil; they just don't understand why humans hate being held captive. When they do figure it out, they release the humans — not out of respect for their desires, but because their hatred of captivity makes them unsuitable for the Talosians' plans.
• Body Horror : Downplayed, but real Vina has been left scarred, withered and exaggeratedly hunchbacked as a result of her ship's crash.
• Book Ends : The Crash-Into Hello is replayed again at the end, with Captain Pike repeating his exact same words.
• The Bridge : Ur-Example ! Although movies and series with crews in space are known (see Forbidden Planet and Lost in Space ), on The Bridge most action revolves around the Captain's Chair as the center of the bridge.
• Yeoman Colt; ironically her presence makes Captain Pike uncomfortable as he's not used to having a woman on the bridge. note  Colt actress Laurel Goodwin ultimately became the last surviving credited cast member to perform in the episode, dying in 2022 at the age of 79.
• Averted and Lampshaded HARD by Number One, who gives Pike a Death Glare until he leaves the bridge.

• The Captain : Roddenberry confessed he styled the captains on Horatio Hornblower . The Captain is the Hero Protagonist to whom everything happens around him.
• The Chains of Commanding : Pike lays out how tired he is of being responsible for the lives of his crew, and making decisions that include "who lives, and who dies".
• Characterization Marches On : Spock's emotional outbursts, such as his joyful reaction to hearing the singing plants on Talos IV and his panic when he realizes the women have been kidnapped, contrast with his later deliberately emotionless persona. According to Spock's actor Leonard Nimoy , this is because he felt that Spock needed some warmth to balance out how Hunter played Pike. At this point, Spock was just supposed to be an alien, "probably half Martian". Vulcan heritage and stoicism weren't part of his character yet. He is also a fairly minor character in the plot, serving as third in command after Pike and Number One and not having much of a focus on his personality compared to the others or Dr. Boyce.
• Cool Starship : The Enterprise itself, the basis for the whole series where they use it to travel through the stars. But note that is our only look at the Pike-era Enterprise, distinguished by the spikes on the red warp nacelle caps.
• Crash-Into Hello : Introduces Colt, embarrasses the Captain, and establishes her as a one of the possible Love Interests .
• Cross-Cast Role : Although male voices were dubbed in for the Talosians, the Talosian actors were actually women. Robert Butler and Gene Roddenberry struck upon using this casting method at about the same time as one another, Butler reckoning that it would lend the Talosian characterizations an alien-like androgynous quality. Roddenberry believed that the lighter builds of females might suggest that the Talosians had allowed their bodies to atrophy while instead choosing to concentrate on advanced brain development. Upon searching for suitable performers to play the parts, Roddenberry scoured Hollywood for short actresses with faces that he deemed to be interesting. Character actress Meg Wyllie was cast as the Talosian Keeper on Butler's recommendation, as they had previously worked together.
• Crystal Spires and Togas : Deconstructed with the Talosians. Their manner of dress and their city is very elegant, but they're also completely detached from any kind of adventurous spirit, not understanding why anyone wouldn't choose a pleasant dream over unpleasant reality, and being unable to grasp the more primal emotions.
• Damsel in Distress : Complete with medieval dress , screams and ineffectual defense. Might actually be a Deliberately Distressed Damsel as she already knows it is All Just a Dream .
• Despair Event Horizon : The Talosians reach this point with the failure of their plan: Captain Pike: And that's it. No apologies. You captured one of us, threatened all of us... Talosian: Your unsuitability has condemned the Talosian race to eventual death . Is this not sufficient?
• Pike's fantasy of being an Orion trader is implied to be this, as he mentioned it during his gripe session with his doctor. " Glistening green. Almost like secret dreams a bored ship captain might have..."
• After beaming Number One and Colt down to Pike's cell as alternate mating choices, the Talosian Magistrate tells him that Number One's Ice Queen demeanor is a façade and she's often had fantasies about him, while Yeoman Colt has assumed the captain was out of her reach , "but now is realizing this has changed ".
• Dirty Old Man : The doctor pointedly inquires about Colt's impertinent question "Who would have been Eve?" Boyce: Eve as in... Adam? Pike: Adam as in all ship's doctors are dirty old men.
• Distress Call : One of these kickstarts the plot, with a radio wave keyed to trigger the sensors of a passing vessel (it initially appears to be an oncoming object) thereby drawing the attention of its crew. In a subversion, Pike's initial response is to ignore the signal on the grounds that a 20 year old distress signal with no indication of survivors doesn't warrant changing course, so the Talosians send another indicating that there are survivors in distress.
• Double Entendre : The Talosians comment that Yeoman Colt has "unusually strong female drives." One assumes they weren't referring to an urge to shop.
• The Dulcinea Effect : Pike correctly deduces that the Talosians are trying to make him feel protective of Vina so that he'll fall in love. However, after he points to the illusions that cast her as a Damsel in Distress , he protests against their treatment of her in the real world, proving that their ploy is indeed working.
• Dying Race : The Talosians. Turns out being able to create illusions indistinguishable from real life but better makes you largely uninterested in real life.
• Early-Installment Weirdness : Everything, from the characters, to the uniforms, to some details of the USS Enterprise itself. Some of it could be explained through changing uniforms and refits, but some dialogue like their Faster-Than-Light Travel being described as both "Time Warp Factor 7" and "Hyperdrive" before it settled into being a Warp engine in the series proper.
• Enemy Scan : To properly get to know the capabilities of humans, the Talosians scan through the ship's computer to learn all about them.
• Energy Weapon : The huge laser cannon that gets wheeled out on the planet surface to use as a Laser Cutter during the Enterprise crew's attempt to break into the Talos compound.
• Epiphany Therapy : Dr. Boyce's attempts to help Captain Pike get over his Heroic BSoD . Boyce: A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on and licks it, or he... turns his back on it and starts to wither away. Pike: Now you're beginning to talk like a doctor, bartender. Boyce: Take your choice. We both get the same two kinds of customers — the living and the dying.
• The Evils of Free Will : The fact that humans would prefer death to any form of captivity is a sticking point on why they are unsuitable for the Talosians' plans. Pike tries to console the Keepers, suggesting some sort of mutual cooperation to solve their population problem. The Keeper, however is savvy enough to know what will happen if humans eventually acquire the Talosian power of illusion . All of this at least explains why there is a General Order forbidding any contact with this planet.
• Expy : The main crew members have identifiable counterparts in the series that eventually developed. Pike is an early version of Kirk, Number One was combined with Spock , Dr. Boyce is early McCoy , and Colt is early Rand. Of course, this pilot came first, so it's technically the characters of the eventual series who are the expies. The notion of referring to the First Officer as "Number One" returned in Star Trek: The Next Generation .
• Face Palm : Vina does this when Pike gets punished for thinking wrong thoughts.
• Facial Dialogue : When the captain refuses to respond to the distress call, a couple of blueshirts exchange a puzzled shrug after he leaves the Bridge.
• Failed Pilot Episode : Zig-zagged . On the one hand, the network rejected this as the pilot for ST:TOS and ordered another one which led to the show that started the franchise. On the other hand, this episode was repurposed as a two-parter in the series, making it canon. On the other other hand, season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery would feature Pike, Spock, and Number One along with the Enterprise , which would lead to them getting their own show — so in a sense, this pilot did get its own show, just a few decades later than anyone thought.
• Fantastically Challenging Patient : Inverted. The ship that crashed on Talos IV years ago had but a single survivor, a girl named Vina. The Talosians were able to save her life, but they had never seen a human before, so their reconstruction of Vina's critically injured body was sadly inept. She lived, yes — but with a crippling sideways hunch, a permanent limp, and a cruelly scarred face.
• Fantastic Flora : Talos IV's surface is home to turquoise plants that emit eerie, almost singing sounds, which give the planet a distinctly alien atmosphere. Pike and Spock touch them to discover what exact sound each leaf produces.
• Fate Worse than Death : Rather than allow Pike to submit to Talosian captivity, Number One puts her phaser on overload to destroy all three of them. Vina elects not to retreat underground either, since it would mean the Talosians would just grab another man later.
• Fire and Brimstone Hell : The Talosians invoke the feeling of being tapped in a fiery Hell on Pike any time they want as punishment, and threaten to outdo that trauma if they have to.
• Food Pills : With a slight variation: all the nourishment Pike needs is in liquid form in a small slender glass.
• While talking with Doctor Boyce, Captain Pike talks about the battle on Rigel Seven and two activities he might partake in after retiring: going on a picnic on Earth or becoming an Orion trader. Each of these is used as the basis for one of the telepathic illusions the Talosians use on him later.
• Throughout the episode it's implied that Vina is not who she seems. At first this seems to be explained by her pretending to be a Talosian illusion in hopes of more easily seducing Pike; then Number One offhandedly mentions that, rather than Vina having been born right as the Columbia crash-landed on the planet, she was listed on manifests as an adult crewman. This foreshadows her true appearance, that of a much older, deeply scarred and disfigured woman.
• Glassy Prison : One wall of the cells the humans are kept in is made of a crystal material, so the specimens can be put on exhibit and analyzed.
• Green-Skinned Space Babe : The Trope Codifier . Although strictly speaking, Vina is only pretending to be a green-skinned space babe. However, she's still the first one ever seen in Star Trek .
• Happy Place : The aliens construct visions of Pike in "Happy Places", back home and as an Orion slave trader (actually a Psychological Torment Zone , as he is perturbed and runs out of the harem), but Pike immediately knows it's All Just a Dream .
• Heroic BSoD : Captain Pike is going through one of these when the episode begins, having lost several crewmen (including his personal yeoman) on a mission.
• Humans Are Special : The Talosians desire humans for their adaptability, but then they access the records of the Enterprise and conclude that humans have "a unique hatred of captivity" that renders them unsuitable for their purpose.
• Ice Queen : Number One, whom Vina sarcastically compares to a computer when she's kidnapped as another potential mate. There are several hints that this is a façade however.
• Inertial Impalement : How Pike finishes off the barbarian in the illusory battle.
• I Need a Freaking Drink : Inverted, Boyce implies to Pike: "YOU need a freaking drink!".
• In Medias Res : The story begins as the Enterprise has completed a mission that resulted in serious casualties and is returning to base.
• Instant Sedation : The aliens spray a gas in Pike's face and he falls down to the ground immediately.
• It Only Works Once : As Pike foiled their plans for breeding a Slave Race , the aliens just give up and accept the fate of their failed civilization . To be fair, they indicate they had already tried out several other species (possibly the ones Pike saw in the zoo) but none of them had shown the same adaptability as humans. Pike was their "last hope".
• I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure : Pike doesn't know Vina and doesn't especially like her, but he objects when she's punished for his lack of cooperation. This is all part of the Talosians' plan to make him breed with her, because it causes Pike to feel empathy for Vina over her unjust punishment.
• Knockout Ambush : Pike was led by Vina where the aliens surprised him, knocked him out with a gas, then took him away.
• Labcoat of Science and Medicine : Averted. It's rare where scientists are not portrayed in labcoats, and in this case they appeared in normal clothes, but ragged and tattered.
• Loafing in Full Costume : Averted; Captain Pike is shown passing by a couple of off-duty crewmembers dressed in civies.
• Lost in Transmission : A distress message inexplicably just "fades" away before it can explain a certain crucial danger. Rather than concealing a crucial plot point, this was just a lure by the Talosians to Pike, who had previously turned down answering the earlier (and genuine) Distress Call .
• Love at First Sight : Both Pike and Vina are attracted to each other and explicitly say so.
• Lured into a Trap : Pike is coaxed to walk right into a trap where the aliens capture him. Vina mentions that he's been feeling tired, and Pike is noticeably distracted by her , so he's likely not as alert as he should be.
• Magical Security Cam : When the crew are greeting the survivors, the aliens see the scene through an alien monitor, but there are no cameras or devices that anyone can see.
• Male Gaze : There's a shot of an off-duty female crewmember walking away from the camera in a pleated skirt.
• Master of Illusion : The Talosians force Captain Pike to partake in a series of illusionary worlds. When he resists, they are also able to punish him with a Fire and Brimstone Hell and then believably threaten to go deeper into his mind for experiences even worse ! Similarly, the Enterprise crew actually easily breaks into the Talosian base, but their powers of illusion made it appear that they'd been doing no damage at all, so they didn't realize they'd succeeded until Pike was already released.
• Meaningful Background Event : Lt. Tyler, the navigator, is shown wearing a bandage on his right hand/wrist. Although it is never acknowledged, but it presumably happened during the landing on the previous mission on Rigel VII.
• Mind Probe : The aliens probe Pike's mind and discover "excellent memory capacity". This is not shown and the Captain does not seem to even notice or show any signs of the probe.
• Mind Rape : Pike is tortured with visions of fire and brimstone .
• Moving the Goalposts : Pike agrees to pick an illusion to share with Vina if she answers his questions. After she does, he says that he made a "bargain with someone that didn't exist" and it doesn't count, which forces her to admit that she was lying about being yet another illusion.
• My Brain Is Big : The aliens have very visible bigger craniums with pulsing veins, which give them great mental power. Spock: Look. Brains three times the size of ours. If we start buzzing about down there, we're liable to find their mental power is so great they could reach out and swat this ship as though it were a fly.
• My Greatest Failure : Pike is troubled by the fight at Rigel 7 where he lost three crew and seven were injured. He claims It's All My Fault , establishing a Guilt Complex (he is tired of being who decides "who lives and who dies") so bad he is in Heroic BSoD and considers retiring. Boyce does respond with the typical You Did Everything You Could .
• Named After Their Planet : Talosians. From Talos IV.
• No Name Given : Majel Barrett's character is referred to throughout simply as "Number One".
• Nondescript, Nasty, Nutritious : One of the "sustenances" given to Pike while in the holding cell is a glass of blue mystery liquid, which the Talosian Keeper claims contains a "nourishing protein complex". They compensate for its blandness by using their mental powers to make it seem like whatever food is desired.
• Not Like Other Girls : When Pike complains about how unused he is to having a woman (Yeoman Colt) on the bridge, he says that Number One doesn't count. He doesn't seem to realize that she is apparently insulted at the way he differentiates her from other women.
• Number Two : Number One, actually, who goes by no other name in the pilot. Spock is present but is not the First Officer as he would become when the show went to series. (He appears to be third-in-command behind Pike and Number One, as he takes command after Number One is abducted, but this isn't definitely established in dialogue.)
• One of the Boys : How Captain Pike treats Number One regarding her presence (as a woman) on the bridge.
• People Farms : The aliens try to make Pike "breed" with any female, and were planning to make them a Slave Race to rebuild the surface of the planet.
• Pet the Dog : After their plan fails, the Talosians release Pike without harm, but allow Vina to have an illusion of him staying with her. They also refuse Federation aid to prevent other races from falling into the same trap that they did.
• A failed one, in fact, but it showed enough promise for the network to commission a second pilot.
• Trope Namer ! When asked for an example of a pilot of a show, this episode is commonly used as an example.
• Plot Twist : Survivor Rescue plot is actually Aliens Want to Breed Us .
• The Power of Hate : Pike lunges at the glass wall of his cell, causing the Keeper to flinch. Since the Talosians can read his thoughts, and should have known he was going to do that, he deduces that his powerful, 'primitive' emotion was able to block their telepathy. Pike then concentrates on feeling intense hatred for his captors.
• Psychic-Assisted Suicide : The Talosian Keeper tries to get Pike to release him by threatening to destroy the Enterprise . Vina confirms that he's not bluffing about his capability — the Talosians' illusion power could reach the orbiting starship and trick the crew into operating the wrong controls — but it turns out that he's bluffing about his willingness to follow through on the threat.
• Psychic Static : The Talosians can't read "primitive" emotions like anger or violence, so Pike uses that as a Psychic Block Defense . However Vina points out that it's impossible to maintain such emotions over a long time.
• Raised by Dudes : Vina claims to be this at first, acting awkward and unfeminine around Captain Pike because she was raised by a group of old male scientists.

• Recycled with a Gimmick : The start of the Horatio Hornblower In Space subgenre of sci-fi. Pike's ruminations on choosing which crewmen will live and die are remarkably similar to Hornblower's thoughts on being a Valkyrie "chooser of the slain" in Hotspur.
• Red Alert : A red flashing light goes off and an alarm sounds when the ship seems to be in danger, but the alert is not vocally called.
• Refusal of the Call : Pike refuses to answer an eighteen year-old Distress Call because they have their own wounded to take care of (it's also implied that Pike is tired and his morale is low after recent events). Only when another message arrives confirming that there are survivors in need of help does he order the Enterprise there.
• Rubber-Forehead Aliens : The Talosians have entire rubber heads. They are more elaborate than later makeups in the series, and they also cast female actors but dubbed-over male voices in an attempt to make them more alien.
• Same Language Dub : Clegg Hoyt played the transporter chief, Pitcairn, but his voice was dubbed in by Bob Johnson, who was the voice on the tape (and disc) in Mission: Impossible .
• Script-Reading Doors : Dr. Boyce knocks on the door and it opens automatically before the Captain responds.
• Secret Underground Passage : Actually an elevator, but the doors are hidden from view, camouflaged as a rock wall, and they do lead underground.
• Shrug Take : Right after Captain Pike refuses to look for survivors and leaves the bridge.
• Signature Sound Effect : Averted (in later episodes) with the "singing" plants of Talos IV. Pike and Spock verify (in a lovely bit of non-verbal acting) that the plants are the source of the low, eerie wailing heard in the surface scenes. Future episodes re-used the same sound on many — if not most — of the other planets the crew visited, without explanation.
• Sole Survivor : The aliens confess there was an actual crash of an Earth vessel, but with only one survivor, Vina.
• Space Clothes : The Talosians (and Vina) wear shiny, silvery clothes. Averted with the crew of Enterprise, whose uniforms are deliberately mundane.
• The Spock : An Ur-Example . The Stoic , computer-mind character was supposed to be Number One, a female. As Roddenberry said, the network didn't want a woman in a position of power (the executives denied this), so he passes the traits to Spock.
• Stay in the Kitchen : Pike starts to chastise Colt when she interrupts him, explaining that he asked for the report. He then openly says he is not used to women on the bridge.
• Strictly Professional Relationship : Colt: Sir, I was wondering. Just curious. Who would have been Eve? One: Yeoman! You've delivered your report.
• Subspace Ansible : Averted; the distress call has taken eighteen years to reach the Enterprise 's current position.
• Surveillance as the Plot Demands : The Talosians seem perfectly capable of seeing everything that goes on in the cell as well as reading minds, but the Keeper doesn't see Pike waiting to ambush him. Probably masked by Pike's anger and treachery. That should have been a big, fat, hint to the Talosians that the humans would prove unmanageable, but they might have been too desperate to save their race to recognize the hint.
• Technobabble : Spock's initial utterance sounds too simple, but it is used to establish that something "Techy" is going on. First Star Trek words recorded. Spock: Check the circuit.
• Technology Marches On : An in-universe example. The consoles on the Enterprise bridge are here fitted with what look like personal computer printers (which print out messages on paper), and the Yeoman is seen using a clipboard with paper sheets on it. The beam weapons are called lasers instead of the later phasers. And the weapon used in the attempt to blast the Talosian entrance is a bulky device transported from the ship instead of ship-mounted weapons. By the time of the series proper, both would be replaced by more futuristic devices. Medical science is presumably more primitive than it's portrayed in TOS, as Pike doesn't even speculate about the possibility that Vina's disfigurements might be repairable with Trek -era medicine. But technology has also already marched on, as one crewman enthusiastically says to the "survivors": space travel is now incomparably faster than 18 years before. Nearly 60 years later, things like printers and paper on clipboards would seem "old school", but Science Fiction tends to predict the future with things we're still familiar with. Besides, the special effects involved in showing hi-resolution imagery on something like an iPad were somewhat beyond even what a high-budget movie could do in those days.
• Telepathic Spacemen : The Talosians are telepathic, and it's how they create their illusions.
• Teleporters and Transporters : To avoid the hassle and cost of showing travel by shuttle, the Landing Party travel by the Transporter.
• 10-Minute Retirement : Albeit only an illusory one for Captain Pike, indulging in activities he talked about. As soon as He's Back! on duty: Pike: What are we running here, a cadet ship?
• This Is the Part Where... : The Talosians note that, after hurling himself in frustration at the glass, Pike will now threaten them with the power of his starship . Hearing this, Pike chooses a more diplomatic (but equally futile) approach.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works : Pike tries throwing a sword at the barbarian during the illusory battle; it hits at the right angle and with enough force to embed itself in the barbarian's back.
• Too Good to Be True : Pike realizes too late that the Columbia 's heroic survivors they've seen were just playing into their ideal fantasies. Also, Boyce suspects something fishy is going on, as all survivors are in perfect health.
• TV Telephone Etiquette : Mr. Spock calls on the ship's video intercom to deliver exposition and cuts the call immediately.
• Between Pike and J.M. Colt in particular. According to the Talosians, possibly also Number One.
• This was the entire purpose of the Talosians capturing Pike: to get him to develop enough tension with Vina that he would give in and help them breed a new race to reclaim the surface.
• Unusual Ears : Mr. Spock is alien, of course. Don't you see the Pointy Ears ?
• Wagon Train to the Stars : Ur-Example . This was the first pilot presented to the network to show this concept.
• Year Inside, Hour Outside : After Number One and Yeoman Colt beam down, the Keeper punishes Pike for "wrong thnking." While the two are wondering what is going on, Vina just cradles her head in her hand. She knows that Pike is being punished and while it seems like a couple of seconds, for him the punishment could be lasting for hours.
• Your Heart's Desire : Orion women are presented as a dark male fantasy come to life . They're exotic , animalistic Sex Slaves , from a culture where they actually want to be taken advantage of so you don't have to feel guilty about doing so. Orion slave trader: Suppose you had all of space to choose from, and this was only one small sample. Wouldn't you say it was worth a man's soul?
• Your Mind Makes It Real : According to the Talosians, Pike could visualize the vial of nourishment liquid provided by the Talosians as any meal he wished. Presumably, as long as he was able to somehow forget that it really was nothing more than a vial of blue liquid . Whether Pike's mind could fool his GI tract enough to turn it into dietary fiber, OTOH...

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The enterprise bridge.

In the opening of the first "Star Trek" pilot, the Enterprise picks up a distress signal.

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• Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
• Star Trek S1 E1 "The Man Trap"

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The Eye of the Beholder (episode)

Beaming down to a planet to search for the crew of a missing ship, the crew is captured by its alien inhabitants.

• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Story and script
• 4.2 Production
• 4.3 Continuity
• 4.4 Reception
• 4.5 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring the voices of
• 5.2 Also starring the voices of
• 5.3 Background characters
• 5.4 References
• 5.5 External links

Summary [ ]

Their computer intones, " It is now 32 minutes since our last contact with the three members of our crew on the planet's surface. As the senior officer aboard I, Lieutenant Commander Markel , have made the following decision. The three remaining crew members, myself included, will beam down to effect a rescue. If for any reason we do not return, be it known that... " Kirk cuts off the log while the senior staff sits around the briefing room 's table and says, " It was against all orders. " McCoy claims, " The crew was apparently desperate. " Kirk states, " The captain of a ship , no matter his rank , must follow the book. " Spock remarks, " A capability, I'm afraid, out of the reach of most Humans . " Kirk wants a landing party to beam down to the last known coordinates the crew used. " Gentlemen, we'll travel light. Phasers , tricorders , communicators and medical kit . " Kirk, Spock, and McCoy assemble in the transporter room and are beamed down to Lactra VII by Montgomery Scott .

Their communicator picks up a short signal, but there is no trace of sentient inhabitants. They are attacked by a gigantic beast that seems similar to one on Canopus III , which is many light years away, but the desert area they now occupy is the same. As they continue walking the environment changes. Spock doesn't think that two such disparate ecologies could co-exist so closely. Scott communicates to the landing party that ship's sensors have discovered a large concentration of lifeforms 98.5 kilometers north east. Apparently a city or some sort of central gathering place. Spock's has a theory that they have found a plethora of different habitats and their inhabitants. The various environments have been manufactured, not created by nature.

They are attacked by other creatures, but before any harm can befall them the creatures are stopped by a force field . The crew meets the Lactrans , a group of twenty-foot slugs who capture them. Spock discovers the Lactrans are telepathic , but the speed at which their thoughts flow is too difficult for him to comprehend, except for the most fleeting image. He realizes that they are advanced as much beyond Kirk as he is to a colony of ants. They are taken to an environment like Earth and imprisoned along with the three remaining Ariel crewmembers, Lieutenant Commander Markel, Lieutenants Randi Bryce , and Nancy Randolph . They have become exhibits in a Lactran zoo .

The Lactrans are unaware Ariel 's Lieutenant Randolph has become ill, and they were too late to save the first landing party. They have tried every means of escape they could. They have attempted communication with the Lactran lifeforms but only aroused a quivering motion. Kirk asks Spock to try to make contact but he can't. His impression is that they are laughing at him. They all concentrate their need to have McCoy's medical kit that is located outside a force field and ultimately succeed.

"Enterprise, this is Captain Kirk. Beam us aboard! "

Spock notices that the Lactrans can pick up specific thought transmissions from them if they care to go to the trouble. He suggests that one of them should appear to be ill and the rest of them should put strong thoughts in their minds that a communicator is needed for recovery. A child responds, gives them the communicator and Kirk quickly flips it open and contacts the ship, ordering to be beamed up immediately. However, the child snatches the communicator from Kirk's hand and dematerializes up to the ship. The elders are worried about the child and think Kirk made the child disappear. The child's parents are worried and almost kill Kirk in an attempt to contact him. On the starship , the child enters the bridge carrying Scott and reads the chief engineer 's brain , all the information contained in the library computer , and sends the Enterprise flying out of orbit . Scott convinces the child that Humans are not pets and to return and let his parents know what he has learned. The child does so and the Lactrans release the crew from their confinement and allow them to leave because the Lactrans do not feel the crew belongs in their zoo. They send a final telepathic message to Spock – that Federation visitors will be welcome back in twenty or thirty Lactran centuries. Spock adds that it will take " some time to figure out how long that is. " Kirk replies, " Either way Mr. Spock, it will hardly be our problem. "

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2269
• Ship's log, USS Ariel

Memorable quotes [ ]

" You Vulcans are the most impossible, unimaginative... " " Bones, that's not helping the situation. " " Sorry, Jim. "

" Jim, if the others are lost, why take the risk? " " Because they may not be dead. We have to find out. " " It's still a risk. " " That's why we're here, Bones. "

" My shoes are full of sand. " " Doctor, your lack of scientific interest is amazing. " " I'll be happy to discuss that with you, Mr. Spock, next time you drop in to my medical lab. "

" They don't seem very interested in communicating with us, if they can communicate at all. " " Perhaps not in a way we understand. I keep receiving impressions. " " Any ideas, Doctor? " " Well, I've got one and I definitely don't like it. I'd guess they're doing exactly what we would do. " " Which is? " " Well, if we came upon an alien creature we'd never seen before, the first thing we'd do is to make sure it was free of harmful bacteria. Then we'd see if it was intelligent. " " Congratulations, Doctor. A most logical assumption. "

" Are the aliens telepathic? " " I've come to the conclusion they are, captain, but the speed at which the thoughts flow is too great for me to comprehend, except for the most fleeting image. " " Surely we can communicate with them someway. " " They appear to be as advanced beyond Earth civilization as you are from a colony of ants. "

" We are considered simplistic, but in the process of evolving into a higher order. " " Even Vulcans? " " Yes. Even Vulcans. "

Background information [ ]

Story and script [ ].

• The writer of this episode, David P. Harmon , had previously written TOS : " The Deadly Years " and co-written (with Gene L. Coon ) " A Piece of the Action ". Harmon recalled about "The Eye of the Beholder", " I did that for Dorothy Fontana . " ( Starlog issue #117, p. 44)
• The text commentary for this episode supposes that the USS Ariel "may have been" named after the character of a certain magical spirit from the Shakespeare play The Tempest .
• The final draft of this episode's script was submitted on 24 October 1973 .

Production [ ]

• The text commentary for this episode, written by Michael and Denise Okuda , speculates, " Like many animated Star Trek episodes, 'The Eye of the Beholder' could easily have been an episode of the original series . Assuming, of course, that the original series could have afforded the sets and the effects. " These elements would actually not have been possible, though, for the original Star Trek , as the text commentary explains. " [The] sea creature [near the start of this episode] illustrates the advantage of animation over traditional live-action filmmaking. It would have been very difficult for the original Star Trek to afford such a creature [....] The slug-like Lactrans are far beyond anything that would have been attempted on the original series. Similarly, the other animals and [the Lactran city's elaborately] futuristic architecture would all have been beyond the resources of the original series [....] [The Lactrans' tentacle-like] snouts would have been a significant challenge if attempted in live-action puppetry. "
• The episode's text commentary implies that the effect of both the landing party from the Enterprise beaming to Lactra VII and steam that can be seen rising from a marshy lake upon the group's reintegration were classed as special animation effects and, as such, were included in the purview of Reuben Timmins .
• The shots of the Enterprise that are shown when Kirk contacts the vessel were an economical measure, as they lessened the amount of character animation that had to be created for the installment. Another such measure was the fact that the Maravel dragons that attack the Enterprise landing party used a recycled character design that appear as the Swoopers in the earlier TAS installment " The Infinite Vulcan " and are seen again as the mechanized sentinels in the episode following this one, " The Jihad ". These cost-cutting measures enabled Filmation to concentrate on the unique designs needed for this episode, such as the Lactrans and their city. ( TAS DVD text commentary)
• The design of the Lactrans was well-suited to animation. For example, their mode of travel was very economical, since the animators did not need to illustrate moving feet, and the large eyes of the aliens proved an effective means of conveying emotion without dialogue, thereby helping to minimize not only the quantity of lip movements that had to be drawn and synced with the speaking in the episode's soundtrack but also the amount of dialogue that had to be recorded for the episode. The Lactrans' snouts did require a considerable number of drawings, but only when they were moving. (TAS DVD text commentary)

Continuity [ ]

• Kirk's response to McCoy worrying about the risk involved in the captain's plan of beaming a landing party to the last known coordinates of the USS Ariel 's crew (specifically, " That's why we're here ") is a subtle reference to a well-known speech that Kirk makes in TOS : " Return to Tomorrow ", wherein he says, " Risk is our business. "
• The predicament that the captured Starfleet officers find themselves in (i.e., being confined to the Lactra VII zoo) is similar to a situation in which Captain Christopher Pike finds himself in TOS : " The Cage " (wherein Talosians are the zookeepers).
• The characters of Arex and Hikaru Sulu appear very briefly in an overhead shot of the bridge at 19:25, but do not appear otherwise.
• This is one of three TAS episodes in which the character of Uhura does not appear, the others being " Yesteryear " and " The Jihad ".

Reception [ ]

• David P. Harmon was dissatisfied with this episode, later remarking, " I wasn't that happy with it. " He went on to relate that this was because he didn't believe animation, which disappointed him generally, was suitable for the emotional depth of Star Trek . ( Starlog issue #117, p. 44)
• The editors of Trek magazine collectively scored this episode 3 out of 5 stars (a rating that they termed "good"). ( The Best of Trek #1, p. 111)
• In The Star Trek Files magazine, John Peel commented, " A pretty straight-forward story that works quite well, despite the obviousness of the plot. The idea of the Lactrans being so advanced that they do not recognize the crew as intelligent seems a little far-fetched, but it isn't impossible, I suppose. One thing that puzzles me about the story is the logic of it, however. " In particular, Peel struggled with the plot point that three crew members from the USS Ariel had beamed down in search of a lost landing party, leaving the vessel unoccupied. " Aside from the fact (as Kirk points out) that this is against Starfleet regulations, " said Peel, " one thing occurs to me – how did they expect to return to their ship, since there is no-one up there to manipulate the transporter? It couldn't work on automatic, since they would have moved from their original beam-down point. It seems like a very silly error to make. " ( The Star Trek Files: The Animated Voyages End , pp. 26-28)
• In the unofficial reference book Trek Navigator: The Ultimate Guide to the Entire Trek Saga (p. 80), co-writer Mark A. Altman rates this episode 2 and a half out of 4 stars (defined as "average") while fellow co-writer Edward Gross ranks the episode 2 out of 4 stars (defined as "mediocre").
• In Star Trek Magazine 's "Ultimate Guide" ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 163 , p. 26), this episode was rated 2 out of 5 Starfleet arrowhead insignia.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release ( CIC Video ): Volume 5 , catalog number VHR 2539, 17 February 1992
• As part of the The Animated Series LaserDisc collection
• As part of the The Animated Series DVD collection
• As part of the The Animated Series Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring the voices of [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk
• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Also starring the voices of [ ]

• Randi Bryce

Background characters [ ]

• Nancy Randolph
• Lactran captors (×3)
• Lactran child
• Lactran parents

References [ ]

2263 ; alien ; animal ; ant ; apple ; area ; Ariel , USS ; Ariel landing party, USS ; assumption ; atmosphere ( air ); banana ; bacteria ; bearing ; beast ; " Bones "; biologist ; brain ; builder ; Canopus III ; Canopus III dinosaur ; captain ; central gathering place ; century ; chance ; child ; choice ; city ; city cluster ; civilization ; class M ; colony ; communicator ; communicator signal ; companionship ; computer ; conclusion ; contact ; coordinates ; cosmos ; creature ; crowd ; curator ; data ; day ; desert ; desperation ; diagnosis ; display case ; dozen ; dragon ; Earth ; Earth normal ; ecology ; environment ; eon ; evaluation ; evolution ; exhibit ; exhibit table ; fate ; feeding time ; fever ; food ; force field ; friend ; grape ; grass ; gravity ; guard ; head ; hello ; home ; hour ; house ; Human ; idea ; image ; impression ; infant ( baby ); information ; insect ; IQ ; jail ; kilometer ; knowledge ; Lactra VII ; Lactra VII insect ; Lactra VII zoo ; Lactran city ; Lactrans ; lake ; land ; landing party ; laughing ; learning ; lifeform ; light year ; logic ; Malaria-like disease ; malaria ; mattress ; Maravel ; Maravel dragon ; medikit ( medical kit ); medical lab ; medical supplies ; mental strength ; mind ; minute ; mission ; month ; mother ; motion ; mythology ; navigator ; neck ; northeast ; northwest ; observation ; opportunity ; orange ; orbit ; order ; parent ; pattern ; pear ; pet ; phaser ; physician ; place ; platter ; problem ; question ; race ; rain forest ; rank ; rescue ; risk ; sand ; science crew ; science ship ; scientific contact team ; Scots language ; senior officer ; sensor scan ; shoes ; shouting ; solution ; space ; specimen ; specimen animal ; speed ; speculation ; square kilometer ; star system ; strength ; surface ; survey ship ; table ; tail ; telepathy ; terraforming ; theory ; thing ; thought ; thought screen ; thousand ; toy ; transporter ; tricorder ; tunnel ; voice contact ; Vulcans ; water ; week ; yard ; zoo

External links [ ]

• " The Eye of the Beholder " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Eye of the Beholder " at Wikipedia
• " Saturday Morning Number Eight " at MissionLogPodcast.com
• " The Eye of the Beholder " at the Internet Movie Database
• 2 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Alyssa Ogawa

This Is The Correct Order In Which To Watch The Star Trek Franchise

Don't look now, but "Star Trek" is a thing again. It's been a while — after redefining television in the 1960s and enjoying a resurgence in the '80s and '90s, the final episode of ""Star Trek: Enterprise" in 2005 marked the beginning of a dark period in which there was simply no "Trek" to be had. Then, in 2017, the drought ended with the premiere of " "Star Trek: Discovery ," and when it rains, it pours. "Discovery" heralded the arrival of a whole new era of ""Star Trek," and that's just the beginning — Paramount+ will soon play host to two new "Star Trek" shows, with three more currently in development, and there's a new movie scheduled for release in 2023 . Suddenly, we are awash in "Trek," which means that if you're unfamiliar with Gene Roddenberry's universe, it's a pretty good time to jump on board. Only where do you start with a franchise this big — and more importantly, what's the proper watch order?

These are the questions we're here to answer. While it's tempting to try and watch "Star Trek" chronologically, using either the fictional timeline or release dates, we recommend an order that's a bit of a blend of both. Following this list should result in an experience that provides a complete picture of what "Star Trek" is while also remaining easy to binge. With that in mind (and with the understanding that a few spoilers are unavoidable ), it's time to boldly go where every previous "Star Trek" installment has gone before!

The Original Series

When you watch "Star Trek," you really need to begin at the beginning. Not with Enterprise, which is set earlier in the "Trek" timeline than any show, but with "Star Trek" — or as it's lovingly called these days, "The Original Series." This is the show that ran on NBC from 1966 to 1969, forever altering the television medium, the science fiction genre, and the experience of being a fan. While some viewers may find the special effects laughable or the political themes unsubtle, the most astonishing thing about "TOS" is how well it holds up, even more than 50 years later. The first two seasons, in particular, are absolutely riddled with classic episodes, and while the third season is significantly worse due to changes in the creative team, it's still fun to watch William Shatner ham it up as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy raise a single Vulcan eyebrow as Mr. Spock, and the original Starship Enterprise soar through space. Most importantly, though, those first 79 episodes introduce rules, concepts, and even characters that "Star Trek" is still playing with today, from Class M planets and the Prime Directive to Khan and the Klingons.

The Animated Series

The unofficial fourth and fifth seasons of "Star Trek," "The Animated Series" aired on NBC from 1973 to 1974, after tempers had cooled somewhat between NBC and Roddenberry, who left "Star Trek" after its second season out of frustration with the network. Not only was the entire original cast back (minus Walter Koenig), but so was Roddenberry, and so was D.C. Fontana, Roddenberry's longtime assistant who had grown into one of the most celebrated "Trek" writers and had also departed after Season 2. Between the return of some of the show's original creative minds and cast, and the fact that animation allowed them to do so much more than live action special effects of the era, "TAS" is pure, undiluted "Star Trek."

It's never been made explicitly clear whether "TAS" is canon, but considering the number of "TAS" ideas re-used in later live-action shows, plus the introduction in "TAS" of canon pieces of backstory, like Kirk's middle name, it's silly at this point to believe otherwise. And it's required viewing for completists who want to see every televised adventure undertaken by the original Enterprise crew.

The first six films

"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was released by Paramount in 1979, and while it's not an especially good film, it holds historical importance as the launching point for the "Star Trek" movie franchise. The real highlights in this part of the list, though, are the three films that followed. The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home essentially form their own trilogy of movies within the larger "Trek" saga, and are some of the most popular and critically acclaimed installments in the franchise. "The Wrath of Khan," in particular, tends to show up near the top of "best science fiction films in history" lists, making the titular Khan such an iconic villain that he was recast for the J.J. Abrams reboot movies, while "The Voyage Home" is probably the most charming "Star Trek" film, as the Enterprise travels to the past to rescue the humpback whale species from extinction.

Even the most dedicated binge-watcher can safely skip the horrendous fifth movie, "The Final Frontier," but "The Undiscovered Country" is an absolute masterpiece, and taken together, these six films provide a worthy capstone to the franchise's inaugural era.

It might seem counterintuitive to follow up the oldest "Star Trek" series with one of the newest, especially given that "Star Trek: Discovery" actually takes place prior to "The Original Series." But there's a good reason to jump from the tales of Kirk and Spock to the tales of Michael Burnham and...well, and Spock, who shows up in Season 2. "The Original Series" and its accompanying animated and film extensions are foundational to "Discovery," which is set shortly after the events of the rejected "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage." And characters from "The Cage" show up in Season 2 and are also appearing in their own spinoff, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

While an in-universe chronological watch order would put the first two seasons of "Discovery" before "TOS" and the third season at the very end (as the crew travels forward in time to the far future) it makes more sense to us to treat "Discovery" as its own story. The third season does occasionally reference "past" events from other shows, but that does lead nicely into the next "Trek" installment...

The Next Generation (Seasons 1-5)

For many Trekkies today, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was their introduction to the franchise, and for good reason. If any one series beyond the original can lay a claim to being the single most iconic "Star Trek" story, it's Next Generation, which premiered in 1987 and went on to not only have seven seasons of its own, but to jumpstart a chain of interlocking "Star Trek" shows that would thoroughly dominate the 1990s. Before that, though, the first five seasons of Next Generation stood alone, and if you're trying to get somebody instantly hooked on Trek, this might actually be the place to start, despite the fact that the first couple of seasons don't hold up incredibly well.

If you're absorbing all of "Star Trek," though, "Next Generation" has to be the place to start. After all, it's the next generation of what, exactly? The answer is the Starship Enterprise, which comes with an entirely new cast and crew, introducing the world to Worf, Data, Counselor Troi, and Geordi LaForge, and permanently branding the hearts of a thousand Trekkies with the image of Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

The Next Generation (Season 6) / Deep Space Nine (Season 1)

Okay, this is where it gets weird. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" debuted in January 1993, just a few months after "Next Generation" kicked off its sixth season — a season full of unmitigated classics, incidentally, from the return of Montgomery Scott in "Relics" to the legendary two-parter "Chain of Command." Picard even makes a cameo in the first episode of "DS9," which takes place aboard a space station and uses the ideas and events of earlier "Next Generation" episodes to inform characters like Commander Benjamin Sisko and Quark. It's essentially impossible to understand Sisko's backstory, for example, without first having seen the "Next Generation" episode "The Best of Both Worlds."

Despite the fact that they take place over roughly the same time period, we recommend watching the entirety of Season 6 of "Next Generation" followed by the entirety of Season 1 of "DS9," if for no other reason than the former has more episodes than the latter, making it a complicated process to intercut between them. But however you choose to do it, these two seasons really should be watched back to back.

The Next Generation (Season 7) / Deep Space Nine (Season 2)

Similarly, the second season of "DS9" coincides with the last "Next Generation" season. While it might lack the standout episodes of earlier seasons, Season 7 manages a few achievements. For one thing, it puts a bow on one of the most beloved shows in television history with a flourish, ending the program with an ambitious, timeline-jumping two-parter that ties directly into the events of the very first episode. It also inadvertently lays the groundwork for a much more modern "Trek" show with an episode about junior officers called "Lower Decks." But most importantly, it ties into and reinforces "Deep Space Nine," most notably in the penultimate episode "Preemptive Strike," which deals with concurrent "DS9" problems like the Cardassians and the Maquis.

By the end of Season 2, "DS9" has already proven capable of standing on its own, having picked up and ran with the Maquis threads from earlier "Next Generation" episodes, returned to the Mirror Universe first introduced in the original series, and introduced the Dominion and the Jem'Hadar, who will serve as the series' primary antagonists. But the stories of Picard and company were far from over...

Generations

The four feature films built around the cast of "Next Generation" are a direct continuation of the movies that came before, not least because the first one, 1994's "Generations," serves as a bridge between "TOS" and its descendant, and between Kirk and Picard, in about the most literal way you could imagine. This movie marks the final appearance of several characters from the original show, including Kirk himself (the one played by William Shatner, at any rate) which makes it a crucial piece of the "Star Trek" timeline, as does the introduction of Data's emotion chip. Of course, some might consider the movie worth it just to see Malcolm McDowell chew the scenery like he hasn't eaten in three days, and we can't say they're wrong.

"Generations" launched Picard's crew onto the big screen almost immediately after their exit from the small one, meaning they would continue to be the face of "Star Trek" for the remainder of the decade. But back in the realm of "Trek" TV, things were only heating up, as a new series prepared to take the field and challenge "DS9" for television dominance.

Deep Space Nine (Season 3) / Voyager (Season 1)

Once again, it's time to switch between two seasons of "Star Trek," as the third season of "DS9" overlaps with the debuting "Star Trek: Voyager." The first "Trek" series to feature a woman (Kathryn Janeway) in the captain's chair, "Voyager" also had a unique and fascinating premise. Much of the "DS9" action is driven by the existence of a nearby wormhole that leads to the Gamma Quadrant, a section of space far away from the Federation's native Alpha Quadrant. This allows the titular space station and its intrepid crew to encounter any number of new and dangerous alien species. "Voyager" goes even farther, literally — a solitary ship finds itself transported to the even more distant Delta Quadrant and spends the rest of the series trying to get home.

Due to this premise, there's no reason whatsoever to jump between individual episodes of these two seasons, as the events of one show don't affect the other in any way. But jumping between shows by the season provides a fun and accurate experience of what it was like to watch the interlocking "Star Trek" programs of the 1990s.

Deep Space Nine (Season 4) / Voyager (Season 2)

Like most "Star Trek" shows, "Voyager" takes a couple of seasons to find its feet, and Season 2 in particular contains some of its most notoriously bad episodes, from the tone-deaf Native American implications of "Tattoo" to Janeway and Voyager pilot Tom Paris turning into salamanders and having salamander babies together in "Threshold" to the utter abomination that is "Tuvix." At least it has the consideration to get them all out of the way early on.

"DS9," meanwhile, was encountering its own problems in Season 4, which took a sharp turn away from the burgeoning conflict with the Dominion and instead spent most of its time dealing with the newly antagonistic Klingon Empire. Fortunately, even as the overarching plot went briefly off the rails, the writing was getting better and better, and the diversion is, if nothing else, entertaining. As a bonus, Season 4 features one of television's first lesbian kisses, and also brings in Worf, the Klingon security officer from "Next Generation" — until Picard, Michael Dorn was the only actor to star in the main casts of two different "Star Trek" shows.

First Contact

As a result of his dual roles, Worf would spend the next several years hopping back and forth between television and the movies. One reason it's important to watch Season 4 of "DS9" prior to watching "First Contact," the second film starring the "Next Generation" cast, is because in order to include Worf in the story, the latter is obligated to include a scene in which the Enterprise rescues another ship called the Defiant, introduced in "DS9" and captained by Worf himself. Future "Next Generation" movies, which decline in quality moving forward, come up with increasingly hand-wavy reasons for his presence on the Enterprise bridge.

"First Contact" itself, however, is by far the best of the "Next Generation" films and one of the best "Star Trek" films in general, as the crew travels back in time to prevent the cybernetic hive mind known as the Borg from altering history. Not only is "First Contact" a great movie (and the film directorial debut of Jonathan Frakes, who plays Commander William Riker), it also kicks off a spectacular "Star Trek" run that can stand up against any other period in franchise history.

Deep Space Nine (Season 5) / Voyager (Season 3)

With Season 5, "DS9" gets back on track after the previous outlier season, quickly focusing around a single unified threat thanks to an alliance between the show's original antagonists the Cardassians and the Dominion. The presence of the sinister Changelings adds an intrigue element to the story, as any character could potentially be a Changeling in disguise — a concept that would be used to great effect years later in the 2004 reboot of "Battlestar Galactica." The season concludes with the official start of the Dominion War, a conflict that would dominate the remainder of the show.

"Voyager," meanwhile, was also getting back on track in its third season, which generally sees an uptick in quality — particularly toward the end, with episodes like "Before and After," "Real Life," and "Worst Case Scenario." Robert Picardo, who plays Voyager's holographic doctor, also gets to make a cameo in "DS9" as the Doctor's creator, Lewis Zimmerman, in the episode "Doctor Bashir, I presume." And Season 3 ends with the first installment of "Scorpion," which catalyzed "Voyager's" official rise to greatness in part thanks to a memorable new character.

Deep Space Nine (Season 6) / Voyager (Season 4)

These two overlapping seasons, airing in late 1997 and early 1998, represent the pinnacle of "Star Trek's" '90s golden age. In "DS9," the Dominion War is in full swing, the series' much-discussed religions themes are building in prominence, the mysterious Section 31 is introduced, foreshadowing its prominent role in both "Enterprise" and "Discovery," and most memorably, the showrunners do what almost no iteration of "Star Trek" has ever dared to do: permanently kill off a member of the main cast.

Casting changes are also a major part of Season 4 of "Voyager," which jettisons the little-loved character of Kes and officially introduces Seven of Nine , a liberated Borg drone played by Jeri Ryan who quickly joins the ranks of the franchise's most widely known characters. It's an oversimplification to suggest that the overall brilliance of Season 4 is the direct result of Ryan joining the cast, but no matter how much of it you attribute to her, it's a phenomenal season of television, filled from start to finish with some of the best "Voyager" episodes (and also "Retrospect," but we don't talk about that one).

Insurrection

It's not "First Contact," but 1998's "Insurrection" is still a pretty good "Next Generation" movie, another solid offering from Jonathan Frakes. While "Insurrection" doesn't interact much with the events of "DS9" or "Voyager," watching it at this point in the "Trek" timeline provides an overall context for the state of the Federation, which has been intermittently challenged, as the movie's primary villain points out, by the Borg, the Cardassians, and the Dominion. A sense of the Federation being assailed from all sides isn't strictly necessary for the film's story of familial betrayal on a planet that confers immortality, but it does make viewing it a more interesting experience (though again, the perfunctory inclusion of Worf simply because he's expected to be in "Next Generation" movies is potentially jarring for "DS9" fans who have become invested in his character development, which "Insurrection" largely ignores).

"Insurrection" is Frakes' last "Star Trek" movie as director (though he would later direct episodes of "Discovery" and "Picard") and marks the beginning of the end of the '90s "Trek" boom. There's still plenty of great "Trek" ahead, but the curve is now pointing down.

Deep Space Nine (Season 7) / Voyager (Season 5)

The final season of "DS9" represents one of the single greatest creative accomplishments in "Star Trek" history, as no "Trek" show to date has managed to stick such an ambitious and satisfying landing. In a unique move, the last 10 episodes of the season form a single, series-ending story, and the feature-length finale, "What You Leave Behind," is considered one of the greatest "Trek" episodes of all time. "DS9" had been great for at least two seasons prior to this one, but the success of Season 7 cemented it as a foremost jewel in the crown of the "Star Trek" franchise.

"Voyager," meanwhile, continued its stellar run of episodes, capping off a three-year rehabilitation effort that saw one of the franchise's shakiest shows become one of its best. It was good timing, too, because with "DS9" wrapping up ("What You Leave Behind" aired the week after the Season 5 "Voyager" finale, "Equinox"), Captain Janeway and her crew were suddenly the only starship in the galaxy. And you, intrepid binge-watcher, can finally stop switching between two different shows.

Voyager (Seasons 6-7)

Unlike "DS9," the final seasons of "Voyager" are not its best, though admittedly, after Seasons 4 and 5, that's a high bar to clear. Season 6 comes close with a steady stream of classics, introducing both the popular Holodeck scenario Fair Haven and the "Pathfinder" storyline that sees "Next Generation" vets Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi join up as recurring characters. By Season 7, however, the quality of "Voyager" has begun to dip noticeably — the final season contains few memorable episodes and at least one extremely ill-conceived romantic subplot. It earns some redemption, however, with the two-part series finale "Endgame," which, whether you like it or not, at least fulfills the promise of the show's premise and comes to a definitive conclusion about whether the ship and its crew are ever getting back to the Alpha Quadrant. It's a moment that would have been easy to shy away from, and "Voyager" meets it head on.

"Endgame" aired in May 2001, and in retrospect, the title didn't only apply to "Voyager." The continuous story that "Star Trek" had been telling for the past 14 years over the course of three different shows and three different movies was over. There was, however, one last (incredibly depressing) chapter to get through.

The final "Next Generation" film, released in 2002, is by far the worst of them, and the worst "Star Trek" movie in general since 1989's "The Final Frontier." It was so bad, in fact, that it notoriously killed "Star Trek" — plans for a fifth "Next Generation" movie were scrapped after "Nemesis" bombed at the box office, and creatively, it's an absolute nightmare, introducing a Romulan sister planet with the unfortunate name of Remus, blatantly attempting to restart Data's entire character arc via a literal copy with the also unfortunate name of B-4, and tying these and other unfortunate decisions together with a nonsensical plot featuring Tom Hardy as a secret clone of Picard. After "Nemesis," the scuttling of future franchise installments can honestly be seen as a mercy killing.

"Star Trek" wasn't quite dead in 2002, however. While we've now officially made it through the combined stories of "Next Generation," "DS9," and "Voyager," there's one more show, independent from the others, that now enters the viewing order. And watching it involves going back to the very beginning... and even before that.

In a chronological viewing, "Star Trek: Enterprise" would actually be the first show you watch, since it takes place a hundred years prior to "The Cage." Indirectly spinning off from the events of "First Contact," it tells the story of Earth's first warp starship, appropriately named the Enterprise and captained by Scott Bakula's Jonathan Archer, and of humanity's early relationships with alien species like the Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, and Andorians. Despite its status as a prequel, the sheer degree to which "Enterprise" relies on its audience having knowledge of other "Star Trek" properties makes it almost impossible to recommend as an entry point. It fits much better here, as the official end of the franchise's second major era, especially given that the final episode, "These Are The Voyages...," frames itself as a holodeck simulation being watched by the Enterprise crew from "Next Generation."

"There Are The Voyages..." aired on May 13th, 2005. There wouldn't be another "Star Trek" show for more than 12 years. At this point, our watch order breaks away from order of release, but we feel strongly that it's how "Star Trek" from 1987 to 2005 should be watched.

Lower Decks

If you think 12 years is a long gap between "Star Trek" installments, that's nothing compared to the 45 years that went by between "Trek" stories told via animation. "Short Treks" was technically the first "Trek" show since "The Animated Series" to include animated episodes, and that aired in 2019, but 2020 gave us the first season of "Lower Decks," an entirely animated show about the people who don't get to hang out on the bridge.

The first franchise installment to ever concern itself primarily with characters who are not in command of a starship or space station, "Lower Decks" is the "Star Trek" equivalent of shows like HBO's "Harley Quinn" — an irreverent, adult-oriented comedy that revels in its TV-MA rating, delivering violence, sex, and swearing at warp speed frequencies. Chronologically, it's set shortly after the events of "Nemesis," but more importantly to the binge-watcher, it's the dessert following a feast — a vital dose of pure fun after absorbing almost four full decades of space drama.

The Kelvin timeline

After the box office failure of "Nemesis" brought an abrupt end to the "Next Generation" movies, there wasn't a new "Trek" film until 2009. And far from being a continuation of the existing movie franchise, this new version, simply called "Star Trek," was a reboot of "The Original Series," casting new, younger versions of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the first Enterprise crew. Sequels to the reboot followed in 2013 and 2016.

Watching these three movies as part of a "Star Trek" binge is pretty much entirely optional, since they take place in an alternate timeline created when the USS Kelvin was destroyed in battle with time-traveling Romulan ship from the 24th century, leaving an infant James T. Kirk without a father in the process. Moreover, the trilogy is widely considered to be of uneven quality (though the third movie, "Star Trek Beyond," is considerably better than its predecessor, possibly due to the departure of director J.J. Abrams). Still, if you're going to watch them, this is the place in the viewing order to do it, as a key plot point of the first film — the Romulan sun going supernova — plays a major role in "Picard."

Short Treks

The Kelvin movies might not exert much direct influence over the larger plot of "Star Trek," but they played a major role in the future of the franchise by bringing in Alex Kurtzman. Kurtzman is the showrunner on "Discovery," and with the exception of "Lower Decks," he has been directly involved in every modern "Trek" series. In 2018, after the successful first season of "Discovery" led to a new expansion of the "Star Trek" franchise, Kurtzman and co-creator Bryan Fuller (formerly a writer on "DS9" and "Voyager") premiered "Short Treks," an anthology series of short, unrelated stories. As of this writing, there have been two seasons and 10 total episodes, some live-action, some animated.

"Short Treks" spans almost the entire "Star Trek" timeline — two episodes are set in the period of time between "Enterprise" and "The Original Series," while a third takes place in the far future. As a result, watching it requires a sense of the entire scope of the "Trek" universe. It's the penultimate entry in this watch order, however, because the Season 2 finale, "Children of Mars," leads directly into the final entry: "Picard."

"Star Trek: Picard" is the first of the modern "Trek" offerings to look forward rather than back, giving us a story set after the events of "Next Generation," "DS9," and "Voyager." Indeed, not only does the series follow up with Jean-Luc Picard 20 years after we last saw him (and 12 years after the Romulan sun went supernova) but it also brings in an older version of Seven of Nine, once again portrayed by Jeri Ryan. As mentioned, Picard also ties into the most recent installment of "Short Treks," which involves a terrorist attack by synthetic life forms that eventually leads to a ban on their creation — one of the many plot elements of "Picard" that has drawn criticism for being inconsistent with the original utopian vision of "Star Trek."

With so many new "Trek" shows on their way, this list will quickly become outdated. But all the upcoming series will reward previous "Trek" viewing, from Janeway's return on "Star Trek: Prodigy" to a show focused entirely on Section 31. So if you're going to binge all of "Star Trek," you might want to get started now!

Meet Moopsy, The Cutest Murder Alien On Star Trek: Lower Decks

The second episode of the fourth season of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" is called "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee," which is a fun reference to Harlan Ellison's 1967 post-apocalyptic short story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream." The plot sees Lieutenant Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Commander Ransom (Jarry O'Connell), and a traditional "Star Trek" Redshirt trekking to a distant alien zoo where a pair of humans have accidentally been put on display. Mariner notes that this sort of thing happens all the time and that rescuing humans from alien zoos is a regular occurrence in Starfleet. 

The alien zoo in question is overseen by a sentient humanoid root vegetable named Narj. Narj, a mild-mannered figure, explains that imprisoning humans was a mere accident and that the animals in his menagerie are all happy in their respective artificial biomes. This is a peaceful place, and Narj even abides by a no-weapons policy in the zoo.

This policy proves to be a terrible idea when the Cerritos crew members are introduced to Moopsy, a cute, toyetic, marshmallow-like critter that isn't too many steps removed from a Pokémon. Because of its appearance, Mariner and co. assume Moopsy to be harmless and cuddly, which is, of course, incorrect. It seems Moopsy is a vicious predator that can "drink your bones." The animal can sprout massive fangs, puncture its prey, and biologically liquefy any bone matter therein before slurping it down. It literally drinks bones. Moopsy will drink many bones before the episode's end. 

Also like a Pokémon, Moopsy can only say its own name. 

Heck. I'm calling it now: Pokémon exist in "Star Trek."

Moopsy, Space Tyrant?

Moopsy may also be more than a mere creature of animal intelligence. When Moopsy escapes from its enclosure — perhaps an inevitable plot detail — it makes its way to the space-bound zoo's central control room, attempting to take control. It can only say "Moopsy," but Moopsy is clearly thinking deeply, hatching some kind of scheme.

Of course, the "animal that appears cute but is actually a vicious predator" is not a new gag. One might think of the killer rabbit from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," Nibbler from "Futurama," the blue-skinned aliens from "Galaxy Quest," Goose the flerkin from "Captain Marvel," Stitch from "Lilo & Stitch," the adipose creatures from "Doctor Who," Pooka from "Pooka," or the Nubbins in "Sanctuary" for precedents. Moopsy probably owes its biggest debt to Deborah Howe's and James Howe's 1979 children's novel "Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery," a book about a vampire rabbit that may be savaging the household vegetables. 

"Star Trek" even had its own version of the "killer cutie" back in the 1960s in the form of the tribbles. Tribbles, one might recall, were harmless balls of fur whose cooing seemed to pacify and sedate most humanoids. The tribbles weren't vicious, but they were dangerous vermin; they bred quickly and could wipe out massive food supplies in a matter of days. On an episode of "Short Treks," it was also revealed that tribbles could multiply so quickly, that they could fill and explode an entire starship. It wouldn't be until "Star Trek: Picard" that audiences would be introduced to the vicious, fanged Attack Tribble. 

Little else is revealed about Moopsy apart from its predatory streak and unusual intelligence, but knowing the way the "Lower Decks" writers' minds operate, audiences haven't seen the last of it. 

Command Performance

• Edit source

Command is all about the balance between inspiring confidence in your leadership and knowing when to trust your people. 🔈 ℹ︎ — Doctor Claire Finn [1]

Command Performance is the second episode of the first season of The Orville . The Captain and First Officer vanish during a visit to the USS Blériot and it is up to Lieutenant Alara Kitan , as acting commander , to find them.

The episode was written by creator Seth MacFarlane and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill , who is perhaps best known for playing Tom Paris in the show Star Trek: Voyager . Music was composed by John Debney . Jeffrey Tambor and Holland Taylor cameo as Ed Mercer's parents, Bert and Jeannie .

The episode aired on Fox following Sunday Night Football. The game went into overtime, pushing Command Performance to 9 p.m. (EST), and fans feared that the episode's ratings would suffer at a time when the show most needed to build a viewer base. Fortunately, the episode seemed unaffected by the late start. 6.63 million United States viewers watched the episode, the second highest number of the season.

• 3.1 Filming
• 3.3 Preparing to air
• 4.1 Viewership
• 4.2 Critical Response
• 5.1 Timeline
• 5.2 References
• 5.3 Episode titles
• 6.1 Main Cast
• 6.2 Recurring Cast
• 6.3 Special Guest Star
• 6.4 Guest Cast
• 6.5 Uncredited
• 8 References

As the second episode of the show, Fox produced a longer-than-usual promotional teaser for Commander Performance , which aired on September 10, 2017. (Later teasers would be about 30 seconds.) Unlike previous promotional materials that relied upon the show's humor, this teaser emphasized adventure and mystery. Interestingly, much of the video is in fact from the fourth episode, If the Stars Should Appear

The Orville Promo "Command Performance"

Plot Synopsis [ ]

Second Officer Bortus enters Captain Ed Mercer 's office to request leave of absence. The Moclan species reproduces by laying eggs, which require 21 days brooding to hatch. Bortus will nest an egg for the next three weeks.

With the Captain, First Officer, and Second Officer gone, it is up to Chief of Security Alara Kitan to fill the captain's chair.

The USS Orville receives an emergency distress message from the USS Blériot , which has been attacked by the Krill . The ship is battered but the passengers and crew are alive; to Captain Mercer's surprise, his parents are on board. Mercer and First Officer Kelly Grayson go to the Blériot via shuttle . With Bortus on leave, Chief of Security Alara Kitan is left in command of the Orville.

As soon as Mercer and Grayson enter the Blériot, it disappears with Mercer and Grayson in it. The ship was a holographic simulation .

The bridge is in chaos, frantically searching for the missing commanders . Kitan panics and runs to Bortus's quarters for guidance. Bortus tells her that she must find them, but that he cannot leave his egg to help. "I will not risk the life of my child," he concludes.

The holographic projection was from a remote buoy . Kitan orders Navigator John LaMarr retrieve the buoy via their tractor beam , overriding Isaac 's warning. The buoy explodes in space between the spatial tensor coils and the Shuttle Bay , seriously compromising hull integrity in the bay. Kitan leaves the bridge to check on the bay. Chief Engineer Steve Newton reports that there are minor injuries but fortunately the ship's protective force field separating space from an opening in the ship "snapped on like it's supposed to."

Kitan sees that a subordinate officer she knows, Ensign Parker , was seriously injured in the blast and feels wracked with guilt. Doctor Claire Finn exhorts Kitan to return to the bridge and lead.

Meanwhile, Mercer and Grayson find themselves in a replica of their old apartment in New York City , New York from when they were married.

Ed Mercer and Kelly Grayson share a drink and a piece of chocolate cake in their reconstructed apartment.

Isaac discovers a molecular trail that may lead to where Mercer and Grayson were sent. The ship is already on emergency power due to the explosion's damage to the ship. Kitan orders power temporarily rerouted to the scanner array to follow the trail, overriding another objection, this time from Newton that the ship is "dead in the water" with power rerouted.

Mercer and Grayson begin to bond in their new "cell." They discuss the past and why their marriage failed; "I may have been wrong... maybe things could have been different," Mercer says. Grayson wishes him 'goodnight.'

The scanner array follows the trail to a Calivon world . Admiral Tucker explicitly forbids the Orville approach the planet: the Calivon are an extremely advanced species who view all other life as inferior and simplistic.

Mercer and Grayson awake to a new day but find the window of the New York City skyline is now a window to the true outside: a Calivon zoo .

Mercer and Grayson survey their new home in the Calivon Zoo.

Other captive beings in nearby zoo enclosures explain to the commanders that the Calivon think any technologically inferior species can be freely imprisoned in a zoo.

Time goes on and repairs are completed. Kitan follows Tucker's orders to return to Earth , and the missing commanders will be considered lost in the line of duty. The Orville's crew strongly objects but Kitan is unmoved.

"They hate me," Kitan bemoans privately to Finn. Though Finn is sympathetic, she says that Kitan is the only one who can decide to follow orders or disobey.

In the Mess Hall , Kitan sits with LaMarr and Helmsman Gordon Malloy , the two most opposed to Kitan. With permission to speak freely, Malloy says that Mercer would have disobeyed orders and try to rescue her had the situation been reversed. Kitan tells the hall that she will rescue the Captain and First Officer.

Isaac modifies the buoy's holographic projector so that the Orville can be masked as a Calivon ship and enter Calivon space. Via a holographically cloaked shuttle, Isaac and Kitan will fly down to the zoo.

The novelty of living together again wears off, and Ed and Kelly become irritated with each other's behavior.

On the planet, Isaac pretends to be the pet owner of Kitan. Isaac is a Kaylon , a highly advanced species on par with the Calivon, which means that the Calivon respect Isaac. Kitan offers the zoo something valuable in return for their officers.

Thanks to her daring leadership, Kitan is awarded the Sapphire Star.

Safe on board the Orville, Mercer awards Kitan the Sapphire Star for her exemplary leadership. At a celebratory party, the Captain and First Officer promise to play office politics with Planetary Union Central to spare Kitan any severe punishment. Kitan reveals to Newton and others that she offered archives of reality television from 21st century Earth in exchange for Mercer, Grayson, and a small child the commanders found imprisoned in the zoo.

Bortus and Klyden notice their egg beginning to hatch. They are shocked to see that the baby is female.

Production [ ]

Creator Seth MacFarlane completed the script some time in mid-2016 as the show's third episode. [2] While never officially acknowledged, the plot seems to be an homage to the Star Trek episode The Menagerie : The highly advanced Talosians, diminutive aliens with huge brains, trick the USS Enterprise with holographic simulations of familiar humans. The Talosians capture Captain Christopher Pike, reveal the humans to be fake, and imprison the captain in a glass exhibit in a zoo. Visiting Talos is strictly forbidden by Federation law, but Spock, as acting captain , disobeys orders not to visit Talos and undergoes court martial for the good of the captain. (See also Influences of The Orville .)

For nearly a year, the production crew began work building sets, designing costumes, and writing other scripts. The entire set of the Calivon zoo was built inside the set of the Orville's Shuttle Bay . [3]

Filming [ ]

Filming Ed awarding Alara the Sapphire Star.

Filming took place during the week of April 14, 2017. [4] Later shooting took place in mid-April for the visual effects department. [5] (See footnote for call sheet schedule from April 26. [6] )

MacFarlane turned to Robert Duncan McNeill to direct, famous for playing Tom Paris on Star Trek: Voyager . McNeill is part of a long line of Star Trek veterans taking a significant leadership role on The Orville . Significantly, McNeill turned down an opportunity to direct an episode of Star Trek: Discovery that same year. [7] "Seth's show [The] Orville is so good," McNeill said at a convention in 2017.

MacFarlane chose three episodes from Voyager as example pieces for McNeill: Body and Soul, Someone to Watch Over Me, and an as-yet undisclosed episode. While McNeill prepared to direct The Orville, MacFarlane

Actor Mark Jackson (Isaac) was very pleased with the episode's ratings. "It seems like things are going very well."

According to The Orville: Original Television Soundtrack - Season 1 , the songs composed by John Debney for this episode are "Distress Signal Received / Alara Freaks Out / Explosion," "Alara Gets the Cold Shoulder / Approaching Calivon," and "Extermination Process Continues / Bortus Hatches His Egg."

• Debney intended "triumphant, triplet-laden" music in "Distress Signal Received." [10]
• For "Alara Freaks Out," Debney recalled "there was a scene where Alara has to take over the ship ... and she goes to get a shot of tequila. I did a number of versions because Seth wanted to comment on it musically without it being comedic. He'll guide me and say, 'We can play that action.'" [10]

This episode intentionally turned to performing styles typical of older science fiction scores, including col legno instructions and the use of the blaster beam instrument. [11] "I've been using the blaster beam on every show I've been on," Debney stated. [11]

Preparing to air [ ]

Originally, Command Performance was the fourth episode of Season 1 , but was moved to the second when If the Stars Should Appear performed poorly with test audiences. [12] Scenes were added to adjust for continuity, such as Bortus brooding his egg, which allowed the episode to segue neatly to About a Girl .

Reception [ ]

Viewership [ ].

Command Performance was the second of two episodes that aired on Sunday nights (the first being Old Wounds ), with subsequent episodes airing on Thursday nights. Fans were concerned that Command Performance 's ratings would suffer as Fox scheduled the episode to play after Sunday Night Football. If the game stretched on, the episode would not air till late, reducing the number of viewers at a time when the young show needed to build its viewer base.

The game did stretch on, going into overtime, and Command Performance did not play until 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Fortunately, the show's ratings seemed unaffected by the late start. 6.63 million United States viewers tuned in, the second most of the show's first season (although by week-long metrics, Majority Rule is the second highest). [13]

"I was speaking to Seth yesterday, and the ratings for the second showing were really good," actor Mark Jackson ( Isaac ) said a few days later. "So, it seems like things are going pretty well." [14]

General audience opinion of the episode was positive. Although Command Performance holds a 7.9 on IMDB, tied for third-lowest of the season, it is above-average for the television science fiction genre as a whole. [15]

Critical Response [ ]

Michael Ahr of Den of Geek awarded the episode 3.5 stars, writings that the character development and the dramatic elements of the story were wonderful, but the episode was brought down by comedic scenes that fell flat. "It’s a damn good thing The Orville had a good story this week following Alara Kitan’s journey as a leader because man-oh-man, the attempts at humor at the start of the episode were difficult to slog through." [16]

Jammer of Jammer's Reviews gave the episode two stars of four, noting that the episode is an improvement over the pilot with a better storyline. [17] Nick Wanserski of the AV Club believed the episode's problems were its "flat characters," but he did enjoy the episode and agreed it was an improvement over Old Wounds . [18]

• Originally, Command Performance was the fourth episode of Season 1 , but was moved to the second when If the Stars Should Appear performed poorly with test audiences. [12]
• Due to Fox's Sunday Night Football going into overtime, this episode did not start until around 9 p.m. (EST).
• Bortus and Klyden give birth to a baby female Moclan, a seemingly very rare occurrence among the species, as it was believed to happen only once every 75 years. [19]
• When the Calivon watch reality television in the zoo exhibit, Lurenek can be seen in the background watching the show as well.
• Two Calivon spectators in the Zoo are in fact cameos by Tory Belleci and Kari Byron of the show Mythbusters . The two are not credited but their appearance was confirmed by Byron in a Facebook post on the day the episode aired, including five behind-the-scenes photos of her and Belleci as Calivon as well. [20] [21]
• It is very rare for actors to deviate from the show's script, but Scott Grimes (Gordon Malloy) says his line "you suck... sir " was improvised. [22]
• Ed recalls a bad experience with marijuana while at an opera, where he was convinced he would become paralyzed if he stayed seated for longer than two minutes. An extremely similar experience happened to Seth MacFarlane , which is why he no longer uses it:

Timeline [ ]

• The episode takes place over 21 days in the year 2419 , probably in September and October.
• Ed lost his robe two years earlier, around 2417 .
• The Calivon captured Ock'or 31 years ago, or in 2388 . They captured Lurenek eight months before the episode and Baral several weeks later, around January 2419.
• It takes roughly six minutes, 21 seconds for the Orville to reach the USS Blériot .
• Ed and Kelly spend two days and a night in the zoo.

References [ ]

• The reality show clip that plays in Mercer and Grayson's old cell in the Calivon zoo is from Season 1, Episode 10 of Real Housewives of New Jersey .
• Ed quotes Elvis Presley's last words, "I'm going to read on the toilet," because he cannot think of something original.
• Doctor Claire Finn calls herself Alara's "Obi-Wan," a reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi mentoring a young Luke Skywalker in the movie Star Wars: A New Hope.
• Use of the blaster beam instrument invented by Craig Huxley for Star Trek: The Motion Picture ; [11]
• Several unspecified musical licks inspired by James Horner (composer of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn ), Jerry Goldsmith (composer of The Motion Picture), and Gerald Fried and Sandy Courage (composers for Star Trek: The Original Series ). [11]
• See also Influences of The Orville .
• The tone of this episode was modeled after the Star Trek: Voyager episodes Someone to Watch Over Me , Body and Soul , and an as-yet undisclosed third episode, [9] which is almost certainly The Menagerie from Star Trek: The Original Series . See also Influences of The Orville .

Episode titles [ ]

Names and titles are as they appear in the credits unless otherwise noted.

Main Cast [ ]

• Seth MacFarlane as Capt. Ed Mercer
• Adrianne Palicki as Cmdr. Kelly Grayson
• Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn
• Scott Grimes as Lt. Gordon Malloy
• Peter Macon as Lt. Cmdr. Bortus
• Halston Sage as Lt. Alara Kitan
• J. Lee as Lt. John LaMarr
• Mark Jackson as Isaac

Recurring Cast [ ]

• Chad L. Coleman as Klyden
• Larry Joe Campbell as Steve Newton
• Ron Canada as Admiral Tucker
• Andrew Bering as Technician Jennings
• Alaina Fleming as Technician Reed
• Dirk Rogers as Alien Bartender

Special Guest Star [ ]

• Jeffrey Tambor as Bert Mercer
• Holland Taylor as Jeannie Mercer

Guest Cast [ ]

• Brett Rickaby as Lurenek
• JD Cullum as Calivon Zoo Administrator
• Jerry O'Donnell as Captain of the USS Bleriot
• Jeremy Guskin as Furry Alien
• Mike Gray as Ensign Parker
• Maxwell Hurlburt as Baral ( as Greenish Alien )
• George Tsai as Shuttle Bay Officer #1
• Ryan Dietz as Calivon Official #1
• Shannon McClung as Calivon Official #2
• Sarah Buehler as Calivon Mother
• Armen Nahapetian as Nidal ( as Calivon Child )

Uncredited [ ]

• Carey Jones as Ock'or
• Tory Belleci as Calivon Alien
• Kari Byron as Calivon Alien
• Erin St. James as Calivon
• Teresa Guidice as Reality-Show Performer (archive footage)
• Danielle Staub as Reality-Show Performer (archive footage)

See also [ ]

• Season 1 DVD
• The Orville: Original Television Soundtrack - Season 1
• ↑ Command Performance
• ↑ The Orville: Season 1 Call sheet . Ebay. Last accessed Aug. 11, 2020.
• ↑ " The Orville Fan Podcast w/ Jason Roberts (The Orville Unit Production Manager) ". Planetary Union Network. April 19, 2018.
• ↑ @SethMacFarlane. " The awesomely talented Robert Duncan McNeill directing on #Orville this week-- In other words, Tom Paris back at the helm. ". Twitter. April 14, 2017.
• ↑ INT. SHUTTLE BAY Reverse of Shuttle Bay doors closing. Reverse of Doors as debris crashes through. Clean Plates of Shuttle Bay. Reverse through Shuttle Bay Viewing Port (Alara's POV). Clean Plate of 'Do Not Walk' area where damage is. Spark elements against Black. Smoke elements against Black. Cryo elements against black. INT. ED'S OLD APT - AGAINST BLACK Burning potted plant and bonsai tree. The Orville: Season 1 Call sheet . Ebay. Last accessed Aug. 11, 2020.
• ↑ Lovett, Jamie. " Star Trek: Voyager's Robert Duncan McNeill Was Offered A Directing Job On Discovery ". comicbook . Aug. 20, 2017.
• ↑ " Voyager (Part 2 of 2) at the 2017 Star Trek Convention ". 2017 Star Trek Convention - New York. Aug. 9, 2017.
• ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ulster, Laure. " Interview: Garrett Wang & Robert Duncan McNeill On Tuvix, Lizard Babies, & ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Podcasting ". TrekMovie . June 17, 2020.
• ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Voyage to Utopia" in The Orville: Original Television Soundtrack - Season 1 by Jeff Bond (2019). Pg. 7.
• ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Voyage to Utopia" in The Orville: Original Television Soundtrack - Season 1 by Jeff Bond (2019). Pg. 8.
• ↑ 12.0 12.1 " The Orville Fan Podcast w/ Jason Roberts (The Orville Unit Production Manager) ". Planetary Union Network. April 19, 2018.
• ↑ " The Orville: Season One Ratings ".  TVSeriesFinale.com . Last accessed Dec. 6, 2017.
• ↑ Lovett, Jamie. "' The Orville' Star Mark Jackson Talks Science Fiction, 'Star Trek,' And A Brighter Future ". ComicBook . Sept. 27, 2018.
• ↑ " "The Orville" Command Performance (TV Episode) ".  IMDB . Last accessed Feb. 12, 2018.
• ↑ Ahr, Michael. " The Orville Episode 2 Review: Command Performance ". Den of Geek . Sept. 17, 2017.
• ↑ Epsicokhan, Jamal. " Command Performance ".  Jammer's Reviews. Last accessed Feb. 12, 2018.
• ↑ Wanserski, Nick. " A trip to the zoo helps elevate an otherwise average Orville ". AV Club . Sept. 17, 2017.
• ↑ Episode 3: About a Girl
• ↑ Byron, Kari. " Tory Belleci and I make an incognito appearance on The Orville tonight. Recognize us? " Facebook. Sept. 17, 2017.
• ↑ @torybelleci. " Take us to your craft service.@theorville @therealkaribyron @hoops511#orville #aliens 👽 " Instagram. Sept. 18, 2017.
• ↑ " NYCC 2017: Adrianne Palicki & Scott Grimes - The Orville ". WithAnAccentTV . Oct. 13, 2017.
• ↑ JayBird, " Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane says he won’t smoke pot anymore ", CeleBitchy ( July 8, 2008) ( quoting "Seth MacFarlane Says He Swears Off Marijuana", Starpulse (July 3, 2008)).
• The Orville

Den of Geek

Star Trek Streaming Guide: Where to Watch All the TV Shows and Movies

Find out where you can stream all the voyages of sci-fi’s longest-running franchise.

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Launched on September 8, 1966 — nearly 54 years ago — the NBC-TV series Star Trek was the beginning of a new age of science fiction on television and, eventually, the big screen. The first show to echo the sophistication and vision of sci-fi literature , Star Trek was only a cult hit at the time of its initial run but refused to die even after its cancellation, with the original 79 episodes running for years in syndication.

More than five decades later, Star Trek encompasses eight TV series (a total of 764 episodes and counting) and 13 films, plus countless books, comics, games and more. It’s had its ups and downs, its high points and its misfires, but it remains one of the most beloved and durable franchises in all of pop culture.

Now, thanks to streaming, all those episodes and movies are available to watch any time (we know you diehard Trekkers have the Blu-rays and DVDs, but you don’t have to break those out anymore). Below is a handy guide to where you can stream every iteration of Trek , from The Original Series to the movies to the new Star Trek: Picard . Grab your remote and boldly go…

Star Trek TV

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)

The one that started it all, the original Star Trek came along at a time when most screen sci-fi (movies and TV) was still just monster movies or kiddie fare ( Lost in Space , anyone?). Gene Roddenberry ’s vision of an intelligent, allegorical sci-fi series, which used actual genre writers for much of its first two seasons, was groundbreaking in ways that reverberate to this day. And its cast, led by William Shatner as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock and DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy, became iconic.

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Available in the US on Amazon , Hulu , Netflix , CBS All Access

Available in the UK on Netflix UK , Amazon UK * (*purchase only)

Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)

Using the voices of many of the original cast members and even employing writers from the original series, TAS had a genuine chance to extend the original show with the visual freedom animation offered. But the format turned out to be its enemy, as clunky, cheap animation and frequent reuse of shots gave the show a shoddy, amateurish reputation. Some of the stories are quite good, however.

Available in the US on Amazon , CBS All Access

Available in the UK on Netflix UK

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Set nearly a century after the original series, with Gene Roddenberry mandating that conflict between the crew members be diminished by that point, ST: TNG proved to be enormously popular even with a brand new, unfamiliar crew. It took most of three seasons for the show to find its footing, but Captain Picard (a magnificent Patrick Stewart ) and company went on many captivating and genuinely outstanding adventures of their own.

Available in the US on Amazon , Netflix , CBS All Access , Hulu

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Many fans consider DS9 the best Trek series ever , and they certainly can make a good argument for it: the first Trek show not set on a starship, but instead on a remote space station, DS9 addressed cultural divides, character conflict, religion and war in a bolder fashion that any Trek entry before it — while also utilizing the kind of serialized storytelling that is now the standard across the medium.

Available in the UK on Netflix UK , Amazon UK* (*purchase only)

Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

Voyager found members of a Federation starship and the rebel Maquis stranded together 70,000 years from Earth in the Delta Quadrant, facing a 75-year journey home. Headed by Trek ’s first female captain , Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Voyager encountered all kinds of interesting new races as well as old enemies the Borg during the long and often compelling journey home.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)

The first series to act as a prequel, set a decade before the creation of what would become the United Federation of Planets, Enterprise followed the crew of the first ship to bear that name. Uneven in quality and struggling to find resonant stories, Enterprise was canceled after four seasons and ended an 18-year run for Trek on TV. 

Available in the US on Amazon , Netflix , Hulu , CBS All Access

Star Trek: Discovery (2017- )

Set 10 years prior to TOS , Discovery ’s troubled birth (it went through numerous delays and several showrunners) led to the most polarizing show in the franchise to date. Focusing for once on a central character other than the captain — mutinous anthropologist Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), who turns out to be the adopted sister of one Mr. Spock — it has often ignored or played fast and loose with Trek continuity while painting Starfleet in a more conspiratorial light. Season 3 will debut in 2020.

Star Trek: Picard (2020- )

Like Discovery before it, Picard has divided Star Trek fans with its depiction of a Federation in decline, marked by bigotry, deception and treachery. But there is no questioning the powerful presence of Patrick Stewart, playing an older, flawed Picard for the first time in 18 years, and the thrill of seeing old friends like Seven of Nine, Will Riker and Deanna Troi. The show has certainly had its moments ; we’ll see if more are to come in the already-announced season 2 .

Available in the UK on Amazon UK

Star Trek: 50 Best Episodes

The 15 best worst episodes of star trek: the original series, star trek movies.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

After an aborted attempt at a second TV series ( Star Trek: Phase II ), Paramount Pictures brought Trek to the big screen in a lavish, $40 million epic (the most expensive movie of its time) that reunited the original crew in a 2001 -like encounter with a massive, mysterious space probe. Slow-moving, alternately impressive and shaky visually, ST: TMP nevertheless proved that the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise could hold their own on the big screen — and strangely, the film has actually aged better than most.

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Available in the US on Amazon , Hulu

Available in the UK on NOW TV , YouTube *, Amazon UK *, Sky Store * (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Still considered the finest Trek movie of all , and rightfully so, The Wrath of Khan focused — like the original show — on character and story instead of visual effects and esoteric concepts. Bringing back a deadly enemy from the first season, the generic superman Khan (Ricardo Montalban), the movie was thrilling, dramatic and, with the death of Spock at the finale, incredibly moving.

Available in the UK on NOW TV , *YouTube , *Amazon UK , * Sky Store (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Even though the end of Star Trek II strongly hinted at Spock’s return, it wasn’t a given. But Leonard Nimoy did come back for Star Trek III — as director (and yes, as Spock too in the film’s closing minutes) of this somber and often underrated entry . Captain Kirk loses almost everything — his beloved ship, his commission and his newly reconciled son — to save his friend’s life in a poignant story about friendship and loyalty. And there’s a bad-ass villain too, a Klingon captain played to the hilt by Christopher Lloyd.

Available in the UK on NOW TV , * YouTube , * Amazon UK , * Sky Store (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Leonard Nimoy’s second outing as director is both a comedy and an environmentally themed adventure — and it turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the franchise. This light-hearted romp sent Kirk and the gang back to 20 th century San Francisco to rescue a pair of humpback whales, and the fish-out-of-water (pun intended) antics of the crew provide plenty of laughs and a ton of heart.

Available in the US on Amazon

Available in the UK on NOW TV , * Amazon UK , * YouTube , * Sky Store (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Shatner got behind the camera for this turgid, unfunny mess , which regularly rates near the bottom of any Trekker’s list. The old “alien pretending to be God” trope, a long-lost brother we never knew Spock had and the other cast members acting by and large like buffoons make this perhaps the most embarrassing of the Enterprise ’s big screen voyages. There are a few nice moments — there always are — but this nowhere near first on our revisit list.

Available in the UK on NOW TV , * Amazon UK , *YouTube , * Sky Store (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

The classic Trek cast bounced back from Star Trek V with a final adventure that was also one of their best . A suspenseful, urgent meditation on aging, grievance and the end of the Cold War, Star Trek IV was a remarkable example of how Trek could show us at our finest even while facing down our lingering demons. Plus it ends with both a great space battle and one of the greatest cast send-offs ever (which was emulated by none other than Avengers Endgame ).

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

What could have been a magnificent passing of the torch from the classic Trek cast to the TNG crew ends up looking and feeling more like a tepid extended TNG episode with weak cameos from Kirk, Scotty (James Doohan) and Chekov (Walter Koenig). Patrick Stewart and his team are all solid, as is villain Malcolm McDowell, and the crashing of the Enterprise is a genuinely gripping setpiece. But the story and motivations are undercooked — as is most of the movie.

Available in the UK on NOW TV , * Amazon UK , * Sky Store , * YouTube (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Easily the best of the TNG quartet, First Contact travels back in time to the very start of Earth’s push into space, where the Borg intends to cripple humanity once and for all. The crew of the Enterprise follow them to make sure history isn’t changed, even as Picard confronts his fear and hatred of the Borg . Jonathan Frakes does a nice first-time directing job, balancing the action and character work ably, while Alice Krige steals the show as the sensual Borg Queen.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Like Generations , the third TNG theatrical outing feels like a mediocre TV segment stretched to feature length; even Frakes’ direction seems uninspired. One difference: with Picard fighting a secret plan (engineered by F. Murray Abraham, above) to uproot the natives of a “fountain of youth” planet, the seeds were planted for later Trek entries that portrayed an increasingly corrupt Federation. Otherwise, this is a forgettable, often cheesy film.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

The final big-screen outing for the TNG cast is better than its reputation suggests , as Picard squares off against a renegade Romulan who happens to be his clone. Tom Hardy chews the scenery fabulously as the latter, and the climactic battle between his massive ship and the Enterprise is well handled by director Stuart Baird. There’s also a surprising emotional payoff for Data (Brent Spiner) that ends up being the hook for Star Trek: Picard 18 years later.

Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams does what many thought couldn’t be done — he reboots Star Trek with a fresh, young cast inhabiting the original roles made iconic by Shatner, Nimoy and their crew. The new cast, led by Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, is the best thing about the film, which also uses a clever plot device to position this timeline just slightly to the side of the original one. The reliance on action over ideas is a bit of a letdown, and unfortunately would carry over to the next two movies.

Available in the UK on Netflix , NOW TV , * Amazon UK , * Sky Store , * YouTube (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

One of the worst Trek films ever , right down there with The Final Frontier . STID insults both fans and casual viewers with a brain-dead script, frantic action and massive contrivances (such as the sudden ability for someone to beam across the galaxy or the screenwriters’ well-worn “magic blood” gimmick). But its most egregious offense is turning into a half-assed remake of The Wrath of Khan that’s as dumb as it is pointless. This is what happens when people tackle Trek with no understanding of it.

Available in the UK on * Amazon UK , * Sky Store , * YouTube (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Still too reliant on action over depth, and featuring the third revenge-driven storyline in a row, Star Trek Beyond is nevertheless better than its predecessor . It mostly works as a standalone adventure, and once again the Pine/Quinto cast delivers with heart. But even though Beyond does occasionally capture the vibe of classic Trek , there’s a vague sense of desperation at work — like the franchise knows it’s run out of gas (and crashing the Enterprise for the third time in 13 films doesn’t help).

Available in the UK on * Sky Store , * Amazon UK , * YouTube (*purchase/rent only)

Don Kaye | @donkaye

Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…

Star Trek: The Original Series

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STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES follows the 23rd century adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise, a powerful interstellar spacecraft dispatched by Starfleet to explore the galaxy and seek out new life and civilizations.

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Live Long, and Prosper: The Ultimate Star Trek Quiz

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About This Quiz

Space: the final frontier. An even though the original "Star Trek" series aired over 50 years ago, space still remains the final frontier. Maybe that's what makes all the "Star Trek" episodes so relevant and popular even today. But can you remember all the details about your favorite "Star Trek" episodes, the crew of the Enterprise or those aliens who threatened the safety of others? Time to test yourself. Check out this stellar quiz and enjoy the ride.  

Gene Roddenberry created the hugely popular "Star Trek" concept. He would take moral dilemmas and put them against a space background for an added twist. The drama and conflicts were relatable, yet otherworldly. The success of the original series spawned countless other space TV series and several "Star Trek" movies. The public's imagination and enchantment with space can only be measured in light years. 

But how about you? Do you remember "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode or the episode when Spock is betrothed? How about Lieutenant Uhura's first name (Nyota)? What was Bones always saying to Jim? If these are easy to answer, you'll love this quiz. It's for you and the Trekkie in all of us. Take the quiz now. The future is waiting. 

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All 13 star trek movies are free on pluto tv now.

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Every Star Trek Movie Ranked (From Worst To Best)

After 57 years, star trek settles the truth about trelane's godlike species, 9 star trek characters who ran away to starfleet.

• Stream all 13 Star Trek movies for free on Pluto TV, from the originals to the reboot films.
• Includes iconic titles like "The Wrath of Khan" and "First Contact," spanning different Star Trek eras.
• Enjoy adventures with Kirk, Picard, and the Kelvin timeline crew at no cost for a limited time on Pluto TV.

All 13 Star Trek movies are streaming free on Pluto TV for a limited time. Star Trek officially became a movie franchise in 1979 with the premiere of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Five more movies starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series followed until 1991. Patrick Stewart and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation then took over the franchise for the next four films from 1994-2002. Director and producer J.J. Abrams then took over with three rebooted Star Trek movies from 2009-2016.

For a limited time, all 13 Star Trek movies are now available to stream for free on Pluto TV. Star Trek: The Motion Pictures is Pluto TV's dedicated Star Trek movie channel for every cinematic adventure of the Starship Enterprise whether it's Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), or the alternate Kelvin timeline's Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) is in command. The full list of Star Trek movies available for free on Pluto TV is below:

There have been thirteen Star Trek movies over the last 40 years, but which is the boldest big-screen adventure to go where no man has gone before?

Will There Be More Star Trek Movies?

Star trek movies are coming to streaming and theaters.

Star Trek Beyond was released in theaters in 2016, which means it's been nearly a decade since there was a new Star Trek movie. However, this is about to change thanks to Star Trek on Paramount+. Originally slated as an ongoing series starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, Star Trek: Section 31 is the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+. With Yeoh leading a cast including Sam Richardson, Kacey Rohl, Omari Hardwick, and Humberly Gonzalez, Star Trek: Section 31 will premiere in 2025 on Paramount+.

Hopefully, in time, these next Star Trek movies will join the previous 13 films on Pluto TV.

With Star Trek 's 60th anniversary in 2026 imminent, Star Trek theatrical movies are also planning to go in a new direction - to the past. Director Toby Haynes is in production on a Star Trek Origin prequel movie expected to start filming in late 2024 for a possible 2026 theatrical release. Details on Haynes' untitled Star Trek prequel film are scarce except that it will be set on Earth and in space, and will deal with humanity's first steps to the stars. Hopefully, in time, these next Star Trek movies will join the previous 13 films on Pluto TV.

Source: Pluto TV

Star Trek (2009)

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Watch an exclusive clip from Hulu's 'Solar Opposites' Season 5 (video)

Hulu's hit adult animated series returns with 12 new episodes streaming Aug. 12, 2024.

With due respect to " Futurama ," one of Hulu's funniest adult animated shows over the past few years has been " Solar Opposites " and its wacky gang of marooned aliens on our Big Blue Marble adjusting to life amid humans.

With four seasons already in the can after a successful 2020 launch, 20th Television Animation's irreverent sci-fi series from executive producers Mike McMahan (" Star Trek: Lower Decks ") and Josh Bycel ("Happy Endings") returns on Aug. 12 with a 12-episode fifth season. To reignite fan enthusiasm and bring everyone back up to speed, Hulu has graciously provided us with a hilarious sneak peek clip to share.

In this joke-packed preview on top titled "Trap King of Admissions," pulled from Episode 504, "The Educational Sprinkler Device," Terry and Korvo open a private school called Mr. Korvo's Academy for the Exceptional and the Grotesque. It's billed as "the best pre-school academy in all four corners of David Attenborough's Planet Earth," and comes complete with politically incorrect equine classes, STEM studies, immersive holographic book nooks, and even a giant Giving Tree.

Here's the official series synopsis:

"In 'Solar Opposites,' a team of four aliens escape their exploding home world only to crash land into a move-in ready home in suburban America. They are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome. Korvo (Dan Stevens) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone) only see the pollution, crass consumerism, and human frailty while Terry (Thomas Middleditch) and Jesse (Mary Mack) love humans and all their TV, junk food and fun stuff. Their mission: protect the Pupa (Sagan McMahan), a living super computer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them and terraform the Earth. In Season 5, now that alien mission partners Terry and Korvo are married, the whole 'Solar Opposites' team are focused on family values."

As seen in the new Season 5 trailer above, the series' popular subplot named "The Backyard" that was teased in Season 4 will be explored further. It centers around miniaturized societies created by Yumyulack that exist in a hidden, wall-set terrarium inside his and Jesse's bedroom. 

These imprisoned people called The Wallians begin to organize societies, families, commerce, military forces, agriculture, and even a quasi religion before many of them rebel and escape outside. Some of the Lilliputian clans suddenly existing outside The Wall are now enjoying fulfilling, tiny-sized lives in the verdant bucolic backyard until the sprinklers are mysteriously shut off and total chaos erupts.

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Hulu's "Solar Opposites" drops all 12 episodes of Season 5 on Aug. 12, 2024.

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

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

• Gene Roddenberry
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 279 User reviews
• 99 Critic reviews
• 16 wins & 31 nominations total

Episodes 80

Photos 2016

Top cast 99+

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• Mister Spock …

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• Trivia In the hallways of the Enterprise there are tubes marked "GNDN." These initials stand for "goes nowhere does nothing."
• Goofs The deck locations for Kirk's Quarters, Sickbay and Transporter Room vary (usually between decks 4-7) throughout the series.

Dr. McCoy : "He's dead, Jim."

• Crazy credits On some episodes, the closing credits show a still that is actually from the Star Trek blooper reel. It is a close-up of stunt man Bill Blackburn who played an android in Return to Tomorrow (1968) , removing his latex make up. In the reel, He is shown taking it off, while an off-screen voice says "You wanted show business, you got it!"
• Alternate versions In 2006, CBS went back to the archives and created HD prints of every episode of the show. In addition to the new video transfer, they re-did all of the model shots and some matte paintings using CGI effects, and re-recorded the original theme song to clean it up. These "Enhanced" versions of the episodes aired on syndication and have been released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
• Connections Edited into Ben 10: Secrets (2006)
• Soundtracks Star Trek Music by Alexander Courage

User reviews 279

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• How do they maintain Gravity on the the U.S.S. Enterprise ? .
• All aliens on all planets speak the English language?
• What does "TOS" mean?
• September 8, 1966 (United States)
• United States
• Star Trek: The Original Series
• Backlot, Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
• Desilu Productions
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