ensign meaning star trek

Star Trek: Every Ensign Ranked From Worst To Best

It's time to give Starfleet's lower deckers the attention that they deserve.

Typically, when someone graduates from Starfleet Academy in Star Trek, the first rank they are given is ensign. The title originates from traditional naval ranks, and is one rank below lieutenant or lieutenant junior grade.

In Starfleet, the role of an ensign is usually to assist senior officers with assignments in a department they specialised in while at the Academy, and to learn and grow their skills. This isn't always the case though. Some ensigns, like Pavel Chekov and Harry Kim were even given permanent postings on the bridge once they proved themselves capable.

In this list, we're going to rank every ensign from the main casts of all of the Star Trek series in order of how well they performed and how much they accomplished while they were ensigns. As Lower Decks has shown us, captains and commanders love to take all the credit, but they'd be hopeless without talented junior officers.

11. D'Vana Tendi

Few ensigns embody the unapologetic optimism of Starfleet as much as D'Vana Tendi from Lower Decks. Even when put in an uncomfortable situation (like being forced to manually pump a crewman's heart with her own hands), she always did it with a smile.

In her past, Tendi was an Orion pirate known as The Mistress Of The Winter Constellations, but she soon decided to leave her homeworld to join Starfleet, as she didn't feel like she fit in with her fellow Orions. She actually got rather upset when people would compare her to other Orions, who were known as pirates and smugglers throughout the Alpha Quadrant. This gave her a strong desire to prove herself.

Upon arriving at the Academy, she became so engrossed in her studies that she didn't even get a chance to explore places on Earth outside of San Francisco. She graduated as a member of the sciences division and eventually became one of the top junior medics on the Cerritos, and also worked on plenty of side projects like her genetically modified dog.

The only reason she's placed at the bottom of this list is because her achievements (so far, at least) are the least impressive out of all of the main character ensigns.

Marcia Fry is a writer for WhatCulture and an amateur filmmaker.

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Published Aug 23, 2023

The Starfleet Insignia Explained

No Star Trek symbol captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta.

StarTrek.com

"The Starfleet Symbol." "The Arrowhead." "The Delta."

Star Trek uses symbols to convey a lot of things, but none captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta. In the years since The Original Series first aired, fans have tried to determine the meaning behind the various insignia shapes we see in the show. To most, it seems that the iconic delta shape is some sort of ship assignment patch meant to represent the U.S.S. Enterprise .

Some arrive at this conclusion because they see various Starfleet personnel wearing a number of different insignia. However, like any puzzle without a key, it’s impossible to precisely interpret the meaning of these other insignia.

The hidden key to the puzzle was finally uncovered a few years ago. The discovery was a memorandum written by producer Robert H. (Bob) Justman to  costume designer William Ware (Bill) Theiss . The subject? STARSHIP EMBLEMS.

A copy of that memorandum has been digitized from the Gene Roddenberry  Star Trek  Television Series Collection (held in the Library Special Collections division of the Young Research Library at UCLA in Irvine, California) and is shown below:

This memo, written during the production of the episode "The Omega Glory," and referencing Captain Ron Tracey, nullifies the long-held assumption that Starfleet assigned different insignia shapes to starships during TOS. Theiss’ inclusion of an alternate insignia for the  Exeter 's captain and chief medical officer, unfortunately, downplays how genuinely ubiquitous the delta insignia is within the  Star Trek  universe. As a result, fans of the series are left with conflicting visual information regarding the meaning of the insignia worn throughout the original series.

Nearly 50 years after Bob Justman wrote his memo, we now have the opportunity to clarify the use of each and every Starfleet uniform insignia used in   TOS. With a wee bit of Scotty's ingenuity, and a pinch of Vulcan logic, the complete picture of what Gene Roddenberry envisioned for the delta insignia should snap into focus.

There are six Starfleet duty insignia used in The Original Series:

• Starship Duty Insignia (Fleet personnel emblem)
• Spacecraft Duty Insignia (Auxiliary Fleet/ Merchant Marine personnel emblem)
• Outpost Duty Insignia (Outpost and Colony personnel emblem)
• Cadet Duty Insignia (Starfleet Academy student emblem)
• Starbase Duty Insignia (Headquarters,  Space stations, Drydocks, and Ground installation personnel emblem)
• Fleet Command Insignia (Senior field commander personnel emblem)

In the  Star Trek  universe, the delta emblem is a direct descendant of the vector component of the old NASA (and later UESPA) logos in use during Earth’s space programs of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Those symbols were worn by some of the first space explorers and adorned uniforms and ships during humanity’s first steps into the final frontier.

United Earth Space Probe Agency integrated with Starfleet as the leading United Earth space exploration service.

The delta insignia was first drawn in 1964 by costume designer William Ware Theiss with input from series creator Gene Roddenberry. The delta — or “Arrowhead” as Bill Theiss called it — has evolved into a revered symbol and one that's synonymous with  Star Trek  today.

The delta also conveys information about the wearer’s duties aboard ship using a series of division symbols. When paired with a distinctive, elongated “star,” the insignia represents someone assigned to the Command division aboard ship. When it displays the “planet” symbol, it represents the Sciences division, a stylized “e” stands for Engineering (later Operations), and a red “Swiss Cross” is worn by starship personnel assigned to the Nursing Corps.

Captain James T. Kirk wearing the Starship Duty Insignia, Command Division.

Let’s continue our study of  Star Trek ’s insignia with personnel assigned to other starships that are wearing the delta insignia.

Before we knew about this memo, we assumed that each ship had its own unique insignia, but there are problems that theory doesn't account for. For instance, does it bother you, or at least seem odd to see the surly guys in Starbase 11’s Officer's Club (in the episode "Court Martial") giving “their captain” a hard time over the presumed death of their mutual friend Ben Finney? Or, to see deceased crew members aboard the  U.S.S. Defiant  (in the episode "The Tholian Web") wearing the delta insignia?

If different starships had different symbols, why weren't they wearing them? Simple. The memo makes it clear that those Starfleet officers are not assigned to the  Enterprise ; they are simply wearing Starfleet’s standard-issue Starship Duty Insignia.

Non-Enterprise Starfleet personnel in Starbase 11’s Officer’s Club in Court Martial, and Below: Deceased U.S.S. Defiant crew member wearing the Starship Duty Insignia in "The Tholian Web."

By now, you might be saying, “What about U.S.S. Exeter ’s Captain Ron Tracey and his chief surgeon, Dr. Carter?” As these two insignia patches are the error being addressed in the memo, they need no further explanation. They alone are the anomaly (an anomaly Theiss never repeated), which led to the misconception that every ship has its own assignment insignia.

Above: Captain Ron Tracey of the U.S.S. Exeter, and Below: his CMO, Dr. Carter.

As you can see here, Theiss thoughtfully, if erroneously, provided both officers with unique assignment insignia patches, and in keeping with his fastidious reputation, insured both patches included their appropriate division symbols.

Early in TOS, we get our first look at non-delta insignia. In the episode "Charlie X,"  Antares ’ Captain Rampart and his first officer are wearing the Spacecraft Duty Insignia, which indicates that they are assigned to an auxiliary spacecraft serving in Starfleet's Merchant Marine Corps — just as Justman points out in his memo. 

Antares' Captain Rampart, and his XO wearing the Merchant Marine Spacecraft Duty Insignia.

Not long after that, we get a look at another new insignia. The Outpost Duty Insignia is worn by Starfleet personnel assigned to outposts on the very edge of Federation space, the frontier. This emblem is characterized by a gold spikelet against a black background. Warning: Do not put yourself in a situation where this insignia goes on your uniform. Personnel wearing this badge never seem to live happily ever after.

Outpost Crew from "Balance of Terror" & "Arena" pictured wearing the Outpost Duty Insignia.

A few episodes later, the Enterprise takes shore leave and Kirk reminisces about his days at the Academy. Worn by students attending Starfleet Academy, the Cadet Duty Insignia is characterized by a pewter colored, smaller version of the Starbase Duty Insignia.

Second Class Midshipman Finnegan wearing the Cadet Duty Insignia.

First seen in "The Menagerie," the Starbase Duty Insignia is worn by personnel assigned to Federation Starbases, which include Starfleet Headquarters, space stations, drydocks, and other ground installations. The emblem, which is devoid of any departmental symbol, is a stylized representation of an “Evening Starflower” (a flowering plant native to the western hemisphere of Earth).

Above: Admiral James Komack of Starfleet Command - Sector 9, and Below: Admiral Fitzpatrick.

Miss Piper, assistant to Commodore Mendez, and Lt. Areel Shaw Starbase 11 JAG Officer wearing the Starbase Duty Insignia.

So how does Commodore Wesley in "The Ultimate Computer," or Commodore Decker in "The Doomsday Machine," fit into the spectrum of Starfleet insignia?

Well, let’s talk about commodores for a moment. A commodore is a flag officer rank, one position above captain. A starship captain usually commands a single vessel, but a commodore ordinarily commands more than one ship. Usually, commodores command a group of ships (either close to their flagship or distant), or in the case of TOS, they normally command a starbase.

In charge of evaluating the operational performance of the M5 computer while it's in total control of a starship, Commodore Wesley sits in temporary command of the  U.S.S. Lexington  to lead a battle fleet in war games against the  Enterprise . Throughout the episode, Commodore Wesley continues to wear his Starbase Duty Insignia, while the  Lexington  crew would have been wearing the delta.

Commodore Bob Wesley in the transporter room briefing Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock about the M5 computer.

Finally, we come to one of my favorite characters ever — Commodore Matt Decker in "The Doomsday Machine." We saved him for last because we could only properly discuss his insignia and what it means after we talked about Starfleet’s other symbols first.

William Windom as Commodore Matt Decker

Unlike Commodore Bob Wesley, who was only in temporary command of the  Lexington , Matt Decker is a Flag Officer with permanent field command of a starship. In fact, he's the only Flag Officer we see in  Star Trek  with a field command. As a consequence of Commodore Decker's rank and status as Commander of the  U.S.S. Constellation  (his flagship), he wears the Fleet Command Insignia denoting his status as a Flag Officer in the field. If we had seen Commodore Decker's crew (may they rest in peace), we would have seen the delta shape insignia in use on their uniforms. Commodore Decker's own first officer would have held the rank of Captain and worn the Starship Duty Insignia.

It should be noted that "The Doomsday Machine," which was filmed early in Season 2, is not referenced in Bob Justman’s memo. Some speculate that Decker’s absence from the memo is further indication of the inconsistent use of emblems in  Star Trek , but that presupposes that the production staff missed that detail. However, the very existence of the Justman memo, and a whole forest of others just like it, demonstrates that the opposite is true.

The production team of  Star Trek  worked diligently to ensure that every aspect of the future they were busy creating held up under scrutiny. Gene Roddenberry was notoriously rewriting scripts himself to ensure no less than exactly what he wanted ended up on-screen, and that fastidious nature permeated the entire production staff. That Decker’s unique emblem is not mentioned in the production memo indicates that his particular insignia isn't an error at all; but represents something else.

Check out Commodore Decker's insignia. Remember that when Theiss created the insignia for Captain Ron Tracey, he went out of his way to ensure it was emblazoned with a Command Star department symbol. Commodore Decker has no such departmental symbol in his insignia patch, which places it in the same design lineage as the Starbase Duty Insignia, which is also devoid of any departmental symbol.

At this point in  Star Trek , we’ve seen a number of flag officers; but they have all worn the Starflower shape, which indicates assignment to a starbase, while Matt Decker alone in TOS series serves as a flag officer in permanent command of a starship. He is wearing an insignia that conveys his unique status, the Fleet Command Insignia, and if you look closely, you'll see that Matt Decker’s emblem is visually related to the Starbase Duty Insignia. Decker’s insignia is a stylized representation of an individual petal from the same “Evening Starflower” emblem that comprises the starbase symbol. This insignia isn't mentioned in the production memo because it's not an error at all.

Hopefully, by now, you can see how consistent the  Star Trek  costume department really was in their use of insignia, and that Bill Thiess never repeated the error he made during "The Omega Glory" after it was pointed out by the memo.

Returning to the delta, Roddenberry and Justman intended it to be a very special symbol that communicates something important. The insignia worn on Starfleet uniforms is the equivalent of the badges worn by U.S. Service members — to show how they serve, not where they serve. Both men served with distinction in World War II. Roddenberry was an Army Air Corps pilot and Justman was a radio operator in the Navy. In the air and at sea, they understood the value of visual communication. In uniform, they themselves carried those values on their chests, on their collars, and on their sleeves. Twenty years after they wore their own various insignia, they helped to create something new — a symbol to inspire others. In the 1960s, the Starfleet delta had far more in common with the golden pin awarded to a NASA astronaut than a simple mission patch, and it was intended to equal that proud emblem in both use and sentiment.

The NASA Astronaut Pin. There are two versions of this pin, a silver pin awarded to those who complete their training, and a gold pin awarded only to astronauts who have flown in space.

The delta proclaims that the person wearing it has achieved the goal of every cadet entering the Academy, and the dream of many a devoted fan — to serve aboard a starship and set sail in an endless sea of stars.

Starfleet Insignia Badge, Command Division from Star Trek Discovery

They used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to.

Captain James T. Kirk

I am grateful to have an experienced and learned group of expert Star Trek fans who helped with the research on this article — Steve Fronczek, Creative Services Manager, ANOVOS; Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Quigley, United States Navy; and Dayton Ward, Star Trek author.

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This article was originally published on October 7, 2018

John Cooley is a lifelong Star Trek fan.

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Ensign is a rank used in Earth Starfleet and Federation Starfleet . Ensign is the most junior officer grade subordinate to lieutenant and lieutenant junior grade . Most graduates of Starfleet Academy , both Federation and Lyran , are assigned this rank and spend their first year or two earning their promotion to the lieutenant grade.

The corresponding rank in the Romulan Star Navy is sublieutenant , in the Marines is second lieutenant , and in Federation Starfighter Corps is lieutenant.

The rank was also used by the Kellarian System Defense Forces ( Star Trek: Remington ).

Also, the Hydran Royal Navy used the rank of ensign in both its ground forces and space forces. In both cases, the rank of ensign was the lowest rank of commissioned officers. The rank of Cornet was equivalent and used interchangeably among Hydrans. ( RIS Bouteina : " Forlorn Hope ")

• 2.1 Alternate realities
• 3 Other insignia
• 4 Starfleet ensigns
• 5 External links

History [ ]

The term comes from the armies of France's Ancien Régime , where the ensign was the flag bearer of a battalion or a regiment. However, it was used in the wet navies of that era as well. The United States Navy abbreviation was ENS.

Starfleet insignia [ ]

Alternate realities [ ], other insignia [ ], starfleet ensigns [ ].

• See Category:Starfleet ensigns

External links [ ]

• Ensign article at Memory Alpha , the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Ensign article at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
• Ensign article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• 1 Daniels (Agent)
• 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-H) (Endurance class)
• 3 Avalon Universe

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Star Trek’s Best Ensigns

Walking Bear

Long before Lower Decks , fits and starts. Case in point: Ensign Dawson Walking Bear, Trek ‘s first Native American officer.

Ensign Walking Bear only appeared in one episode ” “How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth” ” but he played a vital role, navigating the history of the Kukulkan for the officers around him who couldn’t recognise its roots in some of Earth’s oldest civilizations and cultures.

Wesley Crusher

Yeah, it’s cool to hate on Wesley. Even his peers went about yelling at him to shut up. But a) he’s a child, Picard should know better, and more importantly, b) he’s a child and he still got to operate on the bridge of one of the most important flagships of Starfleet . First as acting, and then provisional Ensign, Wesley got to do the actual job of people way older and more experienced than him, and was only a snotty brat about it… let’s go for a good 60% of the time. But hey! He’s a kid doing the job of an adult while also, like, being on the bridge of a starship during first contact and combat situations?

And that was before he even actually went off to the Academy! He may have only been a provisional ensign on the Enterprise , but he was an actual ensign in our hearts.

Roger Lemli

Poor Lemli. Out of his many appearances as a background character in the original series, he has a single line of dialogue in the very last episode of the show. He barely even had his name mentioned on-screen, with Kirk and the crew simply calling him Ensign more often than not. But you don’t make 33 appearances in classic Trek as an Ensign ” a security Ensign! ” and come out of the other end of it having not been killed off on an away mission without doing something right. That’s not just consistency, that is a killer survival instinct aboard the Enterprise .

[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/07/star-treks-jeffreys-combs-ranked/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/11/efxctdmkhay39zz3vbgq-300×169.png” title=”Star Trek’s Jeffreys Combs, Ranked” excerpt=”Star Trek is filled with fantastic guest actors, but there are perhaps few more prolific, as prominent, or as downright varied as Jeffrey Combs.”]

Samantha Wildman

The life of an Ensign is hard enough, given all the menial tasks you need to do but with none of the recognition, regardless of your division. But Samantha Wildman had to do all that while also becoming a vital guinea pig in Voyager ‘s long trek home: having become pregnant before the ship was sent into the badlands (and promptly flung into the Delta Quadrant), Sam had to go through pregnancy while on the job ” that job being her normal job and also “Oh god, survive in space 70 years away from Earth with no support and with occasional angry aliens trying to steal your ship or kill you” ” give birth to her daughter, Naomi, and be a mum that had to prove whether, should the need have arisen, Voyager was capable of being a generational vessel. You do you, Ensign Wildman.

A lot of the Ensigns we’re highlighting here are on the list because they’re the very model of what good Starfleet Ensigns should be, but Ro Laren is on here for being… well, the opposite. And cool as hell .

A Bajoran who grew up at the height of the refugee crisis created by the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, Ro’s career in Starfleet was a wild one, to say the least. Originally court-martialled for disobeying orders that got multiple people killed on an away team, Ro was re-recruited first as an undercover officer on the Enterprise before Picard saw her potential and asked her to stay on board after her real mission came to light. That push and pull between the trauma of her upbringing and the desire to live up to that potential defined Ro’s arc on TNG , and even when she ultimately left Starfleet behind, it made her one of the most fascinating Ensigns the franchise has ever given us.

Enterprise thrust some of the most vital tasks on its lowest rung on the chain of command (shoutout to poor Ensign Mayweather, the helmsman that the show… mostly forgot about?). Hoshi wasn’t just an important part of the bridge crew as the NX-01’s comms officer, sometimes, she was literally a universal translator, using her xenolinguistics background to step in where tech failed. An Ensign! Guys, I get you’re meant to be scrappy humans badgered by snooty Vulcans at this point, but c’mon. Give these Ensigns more respect.

Also, she did all this despite spending early parts of Enterprise absolutely out-of-her-mind petrified of being on a spaceship. Which, to be fair, would probably be most of us on one of humanity’s first long-range exploration missions into the great beyond Trek ‘s earth had found itself flung into. But Hoshi grit her teeth and got on with it regardless.

Pavel Chekov

Ah, Trek ‘s first “hero” Ensign! Chekov may have often been portrayed as the naive young kid aboard the Enterprise bridge, helping Sulu at the helm, but he was absolutely just as heroic as any one of the original show’s legendary stars. Chekov set the standard for all Ensigns to come after him, that playful mix of inexperience and knowledge that thrust him at the heart of the action, showing more often than not that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with his higher-ranked peers.

On DS9 , Nog faced many prejudices ” from his Federation peers to his own family ” when he revealed his desire to join Starfleet. But not only did he defy those prejudices to nail his entrance to the Academy, he found himself flung into the heart of the Dominion War, one of the most hellish conflicts the Federation had seen in centuries, as a newly commissioned Ensign. Nog’s early life in Starfleet wasn’t doing menial tasks for the officers around him, it was fighting on the front lines, watching the officers above him get blown apart or crumble under the strain of war. He faced tragedy himself, learning to cope with the trauma of survival, all while he was practically still a kid, barely out of training. It was the least they could to make him a Lieutenant in the finale, frankly.

Sylvia Tilly

Sure, sure, Tilly captured our hearts as a Cadet before she got promoted for like, you know, helping end a war that nearly destroyed the Federation. Plus, she’s always got her eye on the next rank up, eager to become a Captain much more than she ever was an Ensign.

But Tilly represents that eager, excitable wanderlust that defines the very best of Starfleet’s junior officers: she can’t hold in her passion for the work she does, even if sometimes that passion and can-do attitude mean she like, gets bonded with weird fungal aliens from a layer of subspace from time to time. God bless you, Tilly. Hopefully, now you’re far-flung into the future someone will see that you’re well due for that promotion.

Ah, Harry. Harry, Harry, Harry. If all the other Ensigns on this list have been emblematic of the Ensign rank’s most noble traits, Harry is emblematic of Ensigns because… well, he did so much shit while Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant and never got credit for it!

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What Do the Different Uniform Colors Mean on ‘Star Trek’?

By jason serafino | mar 30, 2023, 3:23 pm edt.

Gene Roddenberry may have dreamed of a perfect future when he created Star Trek , but parts of his vision were firmly rooted in the real world, specifically in the physical makeup of the crew of the Enterprise itself.

Roddenberry, along with the show’s producers, decided to take numerous cues from the United States Navy when creating the official ranks on the show, including a captain overseeing a crew made up of a commander, a handful of lieutenant commanders, lieutenants, and several subordinate roles. But it’s the different colors of the Starfleet uniforms that really tell the story of how the Enterprise operates.

Fans know the basics: an array of blue, red, and gold shirts line the bridge of the ship every episode. Those colors weren’t just randomly picked for the sake of diversity, though. They actually correspond to the ship’s various service roles . The gold shirts are worn by the command division, which includes Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Sulu, and Pavel Chekov. Red uniforms belong to the engineering/communications division, including chief engineer Scotty and communications officer Uhura. The blue shirts are worn by the science/medical staff, including McCoy and Spock .

As with everything in Star Trek , though, it’s a lot more complicated than all of that. In addition to the red shirts belonging to engineers and communications personnel, they are also assigned to the security division. What’s the purpose of the security division on the Enterprise ? Well, they’re usually the supporting characters who are immediately killed whenever the crew is confronted by a new enemy. This is something of a running gag for fans of the franchise, as whenever one of the “Red Shirts” is seen on screen, you know they’re not long for this world .

Also, those gold shirts worn by Kirk and crew might not have been so gold after all. According to an interview with Star Trek ’s costume designer, William Theiss, the idea was for the show’s uniforms to be red, blue, and green. In fact, on the set, Kirk’s outfit certainly looked to be an avocado (or lime) green, but the end result was a little different when the studio lights finally hit the uniform.

“It was one of those film stock things,” Theiss said, “it photographed one way—burnt orange or a gold. But in reality was another; the command shirts were definitely green.”

This might come as a surprise to Trek fans until you remember that Kirk actually did wear green on a few occasions, including the times he was in formal dress and his seldom-seen alternate green get-up, seen in the clip below.

These alternate uniforms were all the exact shade of green Theiss describes, but they were made from a different material than the standard Enterprise shirts and apparently had no issue retaining their natural color scheme when lit on set. The gold shade may have been a production mishap, but the color has since entered the Trek canon as the official hue of Kirk and his command staff. So, in the Star Trek universe, Kirk wears gold; in the real world, though, the bridge of the Enterprise was designed with a completely different color palette in mind.

It gets more confusing when you look at the later Trek series, like The Next Generation , which had the command staff in red and operations in yellow—basically the reverse of the original series. Then, of course, the movies switched costumes and colors with nearly every entry, including the powder blue monstrosities worn in Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

Roddenberry’s eye for detail was unique for sci-fi TV at the time, and everything on the Enterprise had a specific purpose. Despite some production fumbles, ill-fated redesigns, and inconsistencies later on, the colors that make up Starfleet’s uniforms tell a story that many viewers probably never even noticed.

A version of this story originally ran in 2016; it has been updated for 2023.

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Star trek: discovery season 5 episode 6 ending explained.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery proves starfleet academy show doesn’t make sense without tilly, wilson cruz killed it playing star trek: discovery's trill.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak".

• Burnham's decision to break the Prime Directive saved Tilly and the Halem'nites from certain death.
• Tilly's struggles with Starfleet Academy students hint at a future storyline for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
• Culber's spiritual awakening challenges Star Trek's rationalism, leading to a deeper exploration of his character.

By the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak", Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew are one step closer to the Progenitors' technology, following a mission to a pre-warp society that risked the life of Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman). After last week's big revelations about the Mirror Universe, Moll (Eve Harlow), L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and the Breen Imperium, "Whistlespeak", written by Kenneth Lin and Brandon Schultz, and directed by Chris Byrne, is a more traditional Star Trek adventure. Seeking the next clue on the planet Halem'no, Burnham and Tilly join the Journey of the Mother Compeer.

This religious pilgrimage takes the form of a race to prove devotion to Halem'no's gods, in the hope of making it rain again. However, this religious pilgrimage has life-threatening consequences for Tilly , providing Burnham with a dilemma over whether she breaks Star Trek 's Prime Directive to save her friend. Elsewhere, on the USS Discovery, Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio) is struggling to settle into their new role as science officer on the bridge, while Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) gets closer to coming to terms with his spiritual awakening, courtesy of some wise words from Cleveland Booker (David Ajala).

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

Captain Burnham Broke The Prime Directive To Save Tilly

The halem'nites and tilly would have died without burnham..

Believing that the next clue to the Progenitors' treasure was hidden in the High Summit, a weather tower disguised as a mountain, Burnham and Tilly joined the pilgrimage in the hope of making it inside. However, it quickly transpired that once inside the tower, there was no way out. Designed by Denobulan scientist Hitoroshi Kreel , the towers were designed to protect the Halem'nites from the punishing dust storms that take place on their planet. Tilly and young initiate Ravah (June Laporte) became trapped inside the vacuum chamber, meaning that they would suffocate to death unless they were rescued.

The Denobulans were introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise via the Enterprise NX-01's Denobulan Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley).

Discovery was unable to beam Tilly and Ravah out of the weather tower due to the walls being made of tritanium, making it impossible to get a transporter lock . Which is why Burnham made the difficult decision break the Prime Directive by beaming into the weather tower's control room to reveal the truth to Ohvaz (Alfredo Narciso). Burnham was right to break the Prime Directive , because the Denobulan weather towers were failing, and in drastic need of repair. Without Burnham's intervention, Tilly and Ravah would have died for no reason, and the Halem'nites would have eventually been driven to extinction .

While it's definitely a breach of the Prime Directive, Burnham is still very careful not to destroy Ohvaz's beliefs , telling him that " Nothing we have shown you means gods don't exist ". Indeed, Burnham's quest for life itself is proof of some higher power in the Star Trek universe . While Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), Tilly, and Burnham all lament the inevitable ramifications, it seems likely that Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg) will brush off this breach of the Prime Directive in favor of Discovery's Red Directive mission .

There is a Prime Directive exception to allow repairs to existing "contamination" as long as it doesn't interfere with the natural growth of the populace, which is effectively what Burnham did on Halem'no.

Tilly's Away Mission Sets Up Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Starfleet academy is failing its new students..

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak" appears to set up Star Trek: Starfleet Academy by revealing more about Tilly's struggles to get through to her students . Discussing her new career with Burnham, Tilly reveals that one of her students wants to quit the Academy to take a position aboard a cargo freighter. Later, when they meet Ravah, Tilly notes the similarities between the young woman keen to prove herself to her gods and the Starfleet Academy cadet who wants to get out into the stars as soon as possible.

The cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has yet to be announced, but Mary Wiseman's Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly should definitely be a part of it.

Tilly and Ravah's instant connection is a welcome reminder of why Tilly's such a good fit for Starfleet Academy . Tilly's empathy for Ravah, and the gut-wrenching guilt when she realizes that she's signed her death warrant demonstrates the huge responsibility involved in training new Starfleet officers. Confiding in Michael, Tilly reveals that she thinks Starfleet Academy is failing their students, perhaps focusing more on the theoretical than the practical. Tilly's final mission on the USS Discovery, and interactions with characters like Ravah could help her to reform the institution when she returns to Starfleet Academy.

The Meaning of Denobulan's Progenitors Clue Explained

"...we need to be so careful.".

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 , "Mirrors", Burnham and Book realized that each of the clues to the Progenitors' treasure contained important lessons. For example, the clue hidden on Trill, in the heart of an Itronok nest, was designed to test whether Book and Burnham valued life-forms different from their own. As with all the previous clues, the one left behind by Denobulan scientist Kreel contains a message, which is discussed by Burnham and Tilly, after they secure it from the dormant fifth weather tower.

It transpires that the cultural impact of the technology installed on Halem'no by the Denobulans was the lesson . When the towers began failing, the Halem'nites began sacrificing themselves to make it rain, something that the Denobulans could never have predicted. It's a reminder to Burnham and Tilly that when they eventually find the Progenitors' technology they have to be very careful with how they use it. The fifth and final clue, located in the fifth weather tower, is written in Betazoid text, left behind by the fifth and final scientist, Marina Derex.

Dr. Culber Is Coming To Terms With His Experience On Trill

Culber's had a "thrilling" spiritual awakening..

Dr. Culber's spiritual awakening has been one of the most interesting storylines in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, as it challenges the franchise's stance on religion . The clash between Star Trek 's rationalism and Culber's spiritualism is exemplified by his discussions with a hologram of his Abuela (Maria del Mar), a spiritual woman who raised Hugh to be a man of science. However, after spending the episode trying to find a scientific explanation, Culber instead realizes that there isn't one , and that his mind is instead opened up to new possibilities and something larger than himself.

At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, Dr. Culber discusses his new awakening with Book, who acknowledges that it " sounds kind of wonderful ". Book advises Culber not to be so concerned that his husband, Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) doesn't quite understand Hugh's new perspective . Reflecting on Culber's situation as a Kwejian, Book helps Hugh come to terms with it by sharing an observation of human relationships, and the obsession with sharing a personal passion with a partner:

"It's an odd quirk, really, this human tendency to consider something less meaningful if it's just for yourself."

Wilson Cruz got to play a different character in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, and he absolutely nailed the performance as an 800-year-old Trill.

Will Book And Michael Get Back Together In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5?

"one answer at a time, doc".

To return the favor, Dr. Culber tries to get Book to open up about his break-up with Michael at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 4 . It's been clear throughout Discovery season 5 that Book and Burnham still have feelings for one another, but they're yet to act upon them . Michael got a reminder of how happy they were in "Face the Strange" when she time traveled back to an earlier point in their relationship. In "Mirrors", their relationship was a reflection of that between Moll and L'ak, and there was a strong sense of Burnham and Book still being a great team.

Dr. Culber quizzes Book about Burnham at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, seeing through Booker's front. Asked whether he thinks he can get back what he once had with Michael, Book simply replied " One question at a time, Doc ", proving that affairs of the heart can be even more complex than the search for the Progenitors' treasure. As Book is still determined to get through to Moll after the events of "Mirrors", his "sister" could still provide a major stumbling block for a romantic reunion between Burnham and Booker in Discovery season 5.

Discovery Is Taking A Detour To Deal With Moll And L'ak

The uss locherer just found moll and l'ak..

At the start of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak", Burnham is ordered by Dr. Kovich to forget about Moll and L'ak and focus on the next clue. By the end of the episode, Federation Headquarters informs the USS Discovery that Moll and L'ak have been located by the USS Locherer . This feels suspicious given Kovich's insistence that Burnham focus on her Red Directive mission and forget all about tracking Moll and L'ak. It remains to be seen if the USS Discovery is about to enter a trap or instead engage in another desperate attempt to bring Moll and L'ak on side.

T he title of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7, "Erigah", is a reference to the Breen blood bounty placed on Moll and L'ak by Primarch Ruhn (Tony Nappo) . It's likely, therefore, that the translation of the Betazoid clue will be taking a backseat in the next episode, as Burnham and the crew reckon with the ramifications of a Breen blood bounty. As the Discovery crew is so close to the finish line with the Progenitors' treasure there could be no worse time to engage the Breen as Star Trek: Discovery season 5 continues.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

*Availability in US

Not available

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

What Star Trek: Enterprise's Linda Park Wanted For Hoshi, But Never Got

On "Star Trek: Enterprise," the character of Ensign Hoshi Sato, played by actress Linda Park, served as the communications officer on board the titular ship. "Enterprise" takes place a century before the events of the original "Star Trek" series , so the franchise's notorious universal translator hadn't yet been refined, leaving human translators like Hoshi to fill in the gaps. Hoshi had a talent for xenolinguistics, but didn't quite have the constitution for long-range space missions or combat situations. She was young and inexperienced, and had to constantly face her anxieties head-on. As the show progressed, Hoshi came into her own, displaying more and more confidence. 

The problem with characters that can be defined as "young and inexperienced" is that eventually they will have to become adult and experienced. They will then require other character traits to define them ... and TV writers don't always think that far ahead. Many of the "youthful" characters on "Star Trek" seem to lose personality as they get older. 

In Hoshi's case, she began the series relying on Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and her fellow crewmates for support. As she gained confidence, however, the character started to become more isolated. Most of the Hoshi Sato stories on "Enterprise" involved many scenes of the character alone, experiencing transporter psychosis or gallivanting off with an alien co-star. She didn't have too many notable, one-on-one scenes with her co-stars, with only John Billingsley (who played Dr. Phlox) notwithstanding. 

Park talked to StarTrek.com in 2010 , and aired her grievances about her issues with Hoshi, while also citing the episodes wherein she felt she had the most to do.

Park wanted more personal interaction with her Star Trek co-stars

When asked what more Park wanted to see for Hoshi on "Enterprise," the actress was quick to answer, saying:

"What I would have liked to have seen was more personal interaction. A lot of what Hoshi did in her side stories was very introverted and personal and isolated. Except for the Mirror Universe episodes, her personal scenes were usually isolated from the rest of the crew. She did have the one where she went off, that kind of Beauty and the Beast episode, and she was away from everybody else." 

The Mirror Universe episode was called "In a Mirror Darkly" (April 22 and 29, 2005), and featured an evil version of Hoshi Sato who connived and manipulated other characters in order to become empress of the galaxy. The Beauty and the Beast episode was called "Exile" (October 15, 2003), wherein Hoshi was telepathically contacted by a handsome alien (Maury Sterling), only to find that he was beastly in person. Hoshi was left alone with the alien to aid a translation project, but she soon learned that he wanted to keep her on his planet indefinitely; he was very lonely. It's a fine story, but it did indeed keep Hoshi isolated from her fellow crewmates. 

Park continued:

"'Vanishing Point' was kind of in her own mind, and even then she couldn't really interact with anybody else because she was becoming a non-entity. I did get some interaction with Phlox, which I loved because I loved acting with John Billingsley and I loved being around him. We actually had a lot of great personal scenes, and that's my own personal taste." 

"Vanishing Point" (November 7, 2002) saw Hoshi mysteriously phasing out of existence after using the ship's transporter. The entire episode was eventually revealed to be a dream.

Park hoped for deeper relationships between Hoshi Sato, Captain Archer, and Trip Tucker

Park noted that "Star Trek" was great in its ability to tell deeply personal stories inside a fantastical, futuristic context . She felt, however, that Hoshi's stories were personal to the point of loneliness. She felt that Hoshi's relationship with Captain Archer could have been more deeply explored, or perhaps her interactions with the ship's engineer, Trip Tucker, played by Connor Trinneer. She didn't even care what kind of relationship Hoshi had with these characters, so long as they were richer than what she got: 

"I love sci-fi and drama and comedy, but the unifying thread of the shows I like is that the personal stories are ingrained very richly into whatever else is going on. So I would have loved more interaction with Connor and Scott, more coloring outside the lines of the boss-employee relationship, whether it was conflict or romantic. I don't mean to the level of soap opera, but they're out in space and they're going to fight and have awkward moments." 

Park went on to reiterate that her favorite episode was "In a Mirror Darkly," as she was allowed to play against type, and turn Hoshi into an aggressive, evil person. She also got to end the episode becoming Empress, which was likely fun for her. She noted that it was her favorite, however, merely because it broke with the status quo; if she played an evil character in every episode of "Enterprise," and was suddenly asked to be kind and meek, then she would likely have liked that, too. 

Star Trek: TNGs There Are Four Lights Meaning & Why Its Still Quoted 32 Years Later

• Captain Picard's defiance in TNG's "There are four lights" scene showcases his unwavering resolve against torture and manipulation.
• TNG's "Chain of Command" episodes bring out the complexities of leadership through the clashes between Picard and Captain Jellico.
• The emotional depth in Picard's confession post-rescue reveals vulnerability beneath his stoic facade.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) delivered several now-iconic quotes on Star Trek: The Next Generation , including "There are four lights!" , but what does this particular quote mean? While this quote makes little sense when taken out of context, it remains one of Jean-Luc Picard's most powerful moments, even 32 years after the TNG episode aired. As Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, Jean-Luc Picard was unflappable, remaining calm and level-headed while coming face to face with the unknown. Aside from the Borg, few enemies could rattle Picard, and he almost never let his fear show, especially in front of his crew.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episodes 10 and 11, "Chain of Command," Cardassians kidnap Captain Picard when he is on a covert mission. What follows is one of Star Trek's most brutal and difficult-to-watch sequences, as Cardassian Gul Madred (David Warner) tortures Picard for information about the United Federation of Planets. With incredible performances from Patrick Stewart and David Warner , Madred employs a range of tactics, including torture and gaslighting, to break down Picard, but the Enterprise Captain refuses to yield. To asset his power, Madred blinds Picard with four bright lights, ordering him to say that there are five lights, and then causing Picard pain when he insists: "There are four lights!"

Patrick Stewart and screenwriter Frank Abatemarco both consulted with Amnesty International to ensure the torture scenes were realistic and accurate.

Captain Picards 10 Best Star Trek TNG Episodes, Ranked

Captain Jean-Luc Picard anchored every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but some episodes let him take more of a spotlight.

What Star Trek: TNGs There Are Four Lights Means & Why Its So Important For Picard

"tell me how many lights you see. how many how many lights this is your last chance.".

While on a covert mission to uncover and destroy a Cardassian biological weapon, Captain Picard, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) inadvertently walk into a trap. After Picard's capture, Gul Madred works hard to break the Enterprise Captain's will, using various means of torture and brutal interrogation. Even while suffering intense pain, Picard refuses to say there are five lights when there are only four. As a final effort, Gul Madred tells Picard that the USS Enterprise-D has been destroyed in a battle with the Cardassians. Picard can either remain in captivity for the rest of his life or say there are five lights and live a comfortable life.

In the midst of the torture, Picard tells Madred: "In spite of all you've done to me, I find you a pitiable man."

Picard hesitates before guards enter and reveal that a ship is ready to take him back to the Enterprise. Before he leaves the room, Picard defiantly shouts "There are four lights!" Safely back on the USS Enterprise-D, in the final scene of the episode, Picard sits in his ready room with Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). In a heartbreaking moment, Picard admits that, if his rescuers had not arrived when they did: "I would have told him anything. Anything at all. But more than that, I believed that I could see five lights." Picard has never been so broken, but he kept his composure just long enough that Madred and the Cardassians never saw him break.

Star Trek: TNGs Chain Of Command Also Introduced Captain Jellico

"forgive me for being blunt, but the enterprise is mine now.".

When Picard, Worf, and Dr. Crusher left on their undercover mission, Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) took over command of the USS Enterprise-D. Jellico then began negotiations with the Cardassians regarding the strategically important Federation planet Minos Korva. Jellico had experience dealing with the Cardassians, as he had previously helped establish an armistice between the Federation and the Cardassian Union. With his by-the-book command style and tendency to micro-manage, Jellico clashed with Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

Jellico has been mentioned several times since his appearance on TNG , and the character returned in Star Trek: Prodigy as an Admiral stationed at Starfleet Headquarters.

When the Cardassians inform the Enterprise that they have Picard, Jellico refuses to admit the Captain was on a Starfleet mission, which would have given him the rights of a prisoner of war. Riker protests strongly, questioning Jellico's orders, and the Captain relieves Number One of duty, assigning Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) as First Officer. Jellico later needs Riker's help to plant mines in the nebula where Cardassian ships are hiding. With the threat of the minefield, the Cardassians withdraw their fleet and release Picard. With its tense scenes and memorable characters, the "Chain of Command" two-parter remains one of Star Trek: The Next Generation and one of Captain Picard's best storylines.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Where To Watch Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 9: "Lagrange Point" Is Discovery's Last Classic Adventure

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The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 9, "Lagrange Point ."

Throughout Star Trek: Discovery , especially Season 5, the ship and her crew took on many of the classic missions that Gene Roddenberry's beloved universe is known for. In "Lagrange Point," directed by Star Trek legend Jonathan Frakes, the crew gets one more go-round with a familiar franchise premise. Here, they disguise themselves as aliens, sneak aboard a ship and steal nothing less than the "power of creation" itself from the Breen. With the series finale following this episode, this is likely the last time Star Trek: Discovery fans will get this sort of adventure.

All season long, the USS Discovery chased technology from the Progenitors, the alien race first revealed in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase (Season 6, Episode 20)." These beings lived billions of years ago and "seeded" life throughout the galaxy when they took to the stars and found themselves alone. At first, this revelation was just a way for the show's creators to answer the fan quibble that most Star Trek aliens were bipedal humanoids, or human actors clearly wearing face paint and/or rubber costumes. However, Star Trek: Discovery took this idea and wove it deeper into the very fabric of Star Trek, which always argued that everyone is connected.

Meanwhile, a human woman named Moll and a Breen man named L'ak, were also after this technology. They originally planned to steal it then sell it to the highest bidder. In this case, their top client would've been the Breen Imperium. But now with L'ak dead, Moll's goals shifted from wealth to bringing her lover back to life. In this episode, she and her Breen allies beat the USS Discovery in their season-long race for Progenitors' ancient power. But after five seasons facing down multiple galaxy-wide threats, viewers should know not to count out Captain Michael Burnham and the USS Discovery crew.

"Lagrange Point's" Title Is Quite Literal

The uss discovery finds the progenitors’ prize in between black holes, star trek: discovery star reveals han solo inspiration for jett reno.

Comedian Tig Notaro reveals the inspiration for the Star Trek: Discovery’s commander.

The title "Lagrange Point" is a term that identifies how an object in space can be "parked" between the gravitational forces of two large objects. In the previous episode, "Labyrinths (Season 5, Episode 8)," Captain Burnham faked the USS Discovery's destruction and jumped away from the Breen dreadnought firing on them. After repairing the damage to the ship, they made the rest of the way to the location from the clues. There, they discover that they were caught between two primordial black holes. The ship was now in the titular Lagrange Point.

The technology they've hunted over the past nine episodes was also there, hidden in a duranium shell built by the scientists who laid the trail of clues. The Progenitors parked this technology at the Lagrange Point between these two black holes. It sat here for 800 years, waiting for their worthy successors to find it and introduce this technology to a more peaceful world.

Since their proper introduction in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the Breen have always been technologically superior to Starfleet. Moll's ship arrives and obtained the Progenitor's object before the USS Discovery could get it and use their spore drive to jump away .

In the immediate aftermath, the crew seems defeated, but this only makes Captain Burnham that much more determined. Like every good Star Trek series lead , she doesn't know how they're going to get out of this mess; she just knows they will . After gathering her most trusted officers, the answer is simple: a space-heist like only Star Trek can do. Disguised as Breen, they have to sneak aboard the vessel and steal the technology out from under them.

Saru Returns to Starfleet Headquarters & His Fiancée T’Rina

After an extended absence, the first officer-turned-ambassador is back in action, elias toufexis calls star trek: discovery's l'ak 'a dream come true'.

In an interview with CBR, Star Trek: Discovery actor Elias Toufexis details the tragic last stand of Season 5's major recurring antagonist L'ak.

Even after leaving the ship and the show in "Under the Twin Moons (Season 5, Episode 2)," Saru's career as an ambassador and his relationship with T'Rina were never forgotten. In the penultimate Star Trek: Discovery episode, everyone's favorite Kelpian returned with flowers for his fiancée.

But then he discovered that his crewmates were in dire straits and under threat from the Breen. Saru volunteered to force diplomatic relations with other Breen not affiliated with Moll, something that could result in his destruction. Thus, he and T'Rina were given an emotional scene in which they talk about their commitment to duty and each other.

Of all the ongoing love stories in Star Trek: Discovery , Saru and T'Rina got the most narrative real estate. Gray and Adira broke up in "Jinaal (Season 5, Episode 3)," and Captain Burnham and Cleveland Booker are still separated. For what it's worth, this episode at least features an aside where the two talk about their relationship status (or lack thereof).

That it happened on the Breen ship during the heist is one of those moments that will frustrate fans. Thankfully, instead of causing a problem, this ill-timed emotional discussion saved them from being caught in the corridors by the Breen shift change.

One thing Star Trek: Discovery did much better than previous Star Trek series is handling its ongoing romances. The serialized nature of the series' storytelling helps with that. Character relationships, like those between Saru and T'Rina or Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber , took center stage in certain episodes. It made for great moments where the characters professed what they meant to each other while still affirming their commitment to duty and service.

Star Trek: Discovery Gave Fans One Last Old-Fashioned High-Tech Heist

“lagrange point” tapped into a tradition of undercover starfleet missions, why michael burnham was right to violate star trek's most sacred rule.

In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Captain Michael Burnham violates a major Federation rule, but was right to do so for a reason that's not so obvious.

Dressing up like aliens and sneaking onto ships or planets is a Star Trek staple. In fact, Captain Burnham did it just two episodes ago in "Whistlespeak (Season 5, Episode 6)," with Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly. Only this time, they aren't trying to avoid breaking the Prime Directive. Now, they're venturing into hostile territory. They were able to replicate Breen uniforms thanks to their conflict in the Great Eternal Gallery and Archive, where the away teams got the Iron Man treatment for their closeups inside the Breen's helmets.

The Alpha Team, Gen Rhys and Adira Tal, have to sneak onto the bridge, which turns out to be the easier of the two tasks. This gives the unsure Ensign Tal a chance to prove themselves as a capable Starfleet officer, though they were the only person they had to convince of that. The Bravo Team, Book and Captain Burnham, make their way through hallways, encountering suspicious Breen along the way.

Beyond being classic Star Trek fun, these sneaking missions allow the characters to shine. Michael again drew on her background in xenoanthropology to figure out some untranslated words from the Breen. Book caused a distraction by flirting with a Breen guard while Michael tried to take down the forcefield that blocked them from the Progentiors' technology.

Ultimately, the episode ends with Captain Burnham and Moll diving into the unknown, a perfect set up for next week's series finale. In the meantime, the crew gets to show off their Starfleet prowess, from those on the away team to those on the ship. Seeing the USS Discovery barrel towards the Breen dreadnought and into the larger hangar bay to rescue the crew and try to get the technology was one of the better action sequences of this year. Frakes's direction and the visual effects team outdid themselves with the big and small moments of "Lagrange Point."

Commander Rayer Steps up & Eventually Sits Down (In the Captain’s Chair)

After a rough start, commander rayner now has the crew’s respect and loyalty, 'she's almost died a couple times': star trek: discovery star on tilly's season 5 journey.

In an interview with CBR, Mary Wiseman talks about bringing Tilly back in a Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 episode that almost killed her... again.

The show's most prominent newcomer, Commander Rayner , replaced Saru as the ship's first officer. He and Sylvia Tilly brushed up against each other early on, but this episode shows how that's changed with time. He names Tilly as his acting First Officer when Captain Burnham puts him in command of the ship. Throughout this season, he hasn't sat in the Captain's chair, at least since losing his own command.

Commander Rayner finally took the captain's hair in this episode, but only after Tilly and the crew affirmed their trust in his ability to lead. This was a beautiful payoff to Commander Rayner's season-long arc, which saw him step out of his comfort zones to win his new crew's faith in him. His plan to go into head-to-head combat with the Breen dreadnought was risky, but it was another bit of classic Star Trek action. Firing everything the ship had, the USS Discovery was almost destroyed but survives as so many ships do, on the will of her crew alone.

But now with Captain Burnham being declared MIA (Missing In Action) inside an "extra-dimensional portal," there's not much Commander Rayner, Saru or anyone in Starfleet can do to get her back. Audiences also find themselves in the same quandary and, much like USS Discovery's crew, can only hope for the best when Star Trek: Discovery returns for the last time next week.

Star Trek: Discovery's series finale will debut May 30, 2024, on Paramount+, where it will stream with the rest of the completed Star Trek series.

Star Trek: Discovery

• Brilliant action and cinematic visual effects give the episode an epic feel.
• Excellent use of the ensemble characters, both on the away mission and on the ship.
• Moved the story forward while evoking a classic Star Trek scenario.
• Saru's return bears the hallmark of storytellers stalling (or saving budget).
• The subject of Rayner's hesitation to take the captain's chair could've been examined more.
• Moll's disappointment in the destruction of Discovery last episode wasn't examined at all.

• May 31, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Says Farewell To ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ With “Life, Itself”
• May 30, 2024 | Alex Kurtzman Explains Why ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Is Set In The ‘Discovery’ Era
• May 30, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Pulls It All Together For “Life, Itself”
• May 29, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 4 Filming Set For 2025; Anson Mount Thanks Fans For Patience
• May 29, 2024 | Watch: Saru Has A Daring Plan To Save The Federation In Clip From ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Finale

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 4 Filming Set For 2025; Anson Mount Thanks Fans For Patience

| May 29, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 25 comments so far

Star Trek: Discovery may be coming to an end tomorrow, but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will live on, for years to come. The new anchor show for Star Trek on Paramount+ wrapped up production on its third season last week. Now we have the first indication as to when the crew will be returning to Toronto for season 4.

Beaming back to Canada in spring 2025

Strange New Worlds star Anson Mount is back in the USA after finishing up over five months of work on season 3, which is filmed at CBS Stages Canada in Mississauga, Ontario. On Tuesday Mount posted a message on Instagram praising Canada, thanking the country for its hospitality. He added, “We’ll see you again in the spring when ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ goes back into production for season 4!”

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Anson Mount (@ansonmount)

Paramount officially announced they had ordered a fourth season of the series last month. It looks like the soonest cameras will start rolling on again on Captain Pike’s USS Enterprise would be late March 2025, the official beginning of next spring. While ten months may seem like a long hiatus, that is the same amount of time between the end of production on season 2 in July 2022 and the originally planned start of production on season 3 in May 2023. However, the double strikes of 2023 extended the hiatus until December.

Mount thanks fans for their patience

Speaking of that extra-long hiatus between seasons 2 and 3, Anson Mount has a message for the fans. After our report that filming on season 3 was going to wrap up at the end of last week, Anson Mount took to Instagram to make it official. He filmed himself exiting the studio, announcing “That is a wrap on season 3.” As he tried to keep “stuff going on” out of the shot to avoid spoilers, the actor thanked fans for being patient following the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, saying, “Thank you for sticking with us and understanding our need to fight.” He talked about how he is also a fan and was thankful he gets to live out his dreams.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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I’m sorry it will be so long before they start filming Season 4, but I guess the writers need time to think and write, and of course Paramount isn’t in great financial shape at the moment.

To the cast, writers, directors, costumers, prop people, set makers, lighting folks, camera operators and all the rest — thanks for all your hard work, folks; we fans surely do appreciate it!

I’m curious why it takes so long for season 4 to start production. Any thoughts? Is another production using their sets?

The new Academy series would be my guess. It’s a working studio so I would guess they don’t just leave the sets standing. they break them down and store them so the stages are available for other work or even rented out (hey, it’s money.)

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. There was a reason why they brought that old-ass ISS Enterprise to the futue. LOL

So confused by the financialization of this situation. The strikes pushed them into being a 2023-2024 preproduction/production/wrap show. And now they’re going to wait until 2025, indeed, nearly an entire calendar year, to start this all up again? Surely, it’s cheaper to film 20 episodes in a 12-month span and pay for storage, wrap, and setup just once? I guess this is a cash flow issue. Paramount has the $ for a season at a time? Seems inefficient to an absurd degree. Then again, given the parties involved, far from surprising.

Yeah, I’s sure they had another 10 completed scripts (and all the cash/financing available) to just start right up. I mean writing a good script doesn’t take time – it just springs into existence fully realized…

Oh, wait…actual film production doesn’t work like that…

True, but the timeline is a bit wonky there. Were they not all set to begin filming one year ago but everything stopped because of the two strikes? It really takes 20-ish months (May 2023 to early 2025) to write ten more episodes? Yet the NCIS or Chicago franchises can crank out 50-ish in that same amount of time? I suspect there is more going on here than we’re being told.

Renewal for season 4 was only announced publically a few weeks ago. It’s possible that work on season 4 didn’t start before the producers knew they would actually get another season (although they may have learned before the public announcement)

While filming these episodes they could’ve been writing the next batch of 10. Have fun watching your dunk attempt fly off the backboard, redshirt.

No, it’s clearly a sign of financial limitations. In the past, 26 episodes were written and filmed within a 12-month period. They ran a tight and efficient ship (no pun intended). Modern showrunners and studios just don’t seem to have the same level of financial level-headedness.

I’m glad for the upcoming seasons of SNW. Mount is a solid Captain Pike and seems like a genuinely smart, humble, friendly guy.

I just hope we do actually get season 4 and it isn’t scrapped due to business shenanigans after the impending sale of Paramount, whenever that happens.

I imagine movies and TV are still handled quite differently, but we’ve had 8 years of promise after promise, announcement after announcement, change after change with plans for the movie franchise—and nothing to show for it.

We thought for sure we were getting a season 2 of Prodigy on Paramount+ and, welp. (Thankfully the show itself lives on.)

There is absolutely no need for all these announcements so far in advance that significant things can change, as in ‘oh sorry, that thing we talked about is not actually happening.’ Doesn’t Paramount realize this undermines trust and hurts their brand rather than helping increase streaming subscriptions? Then again—it’s a failing company, so… we’ve not had the brightest officers at the helm of Paramount Global, one assumes.

Anyway, we’re being well trained not to count our Trek chickens before they hatch. I’ll believe it when I can stream it.

sadly anson is a zionist propaganda spewer and beliver and he was called out for it on twitter by most snw fans and alor odf general trek fans and started blocking fans for even trying to show him the facts that the zionist propaganda was all lies by the israilie government and that they were infact commiting genocide and war crimes

Wow that’s allowed to be posted, and when I mock Kurtzman it is banned.

It is truly a pleasure to read your entries. :)

Five misspellings, at least seven incorrect capitalizations, and no punctuation. Or as michelle might write: 5 mispelings, at least Seven incorrect capitalizations and no punctuation

what ever grammar nazi

i type with one hand my left hand and generally on my refurbished early 2015 model MacBook Air so no autocorrect and i am generally watching something while i type or i am pacing around my house while typing so plus my mind runs fast so i have to type out quickly so i do not loose what i want to say

so at least you can read it well enough to get the gist of what i saying

I for one am relieved that the time table suggests a more “regular” interval between seasons (just hoping that SNW will run for more than five seasons). Some seven to ten months to write all the scripts and begin pre-production doesn’t seem exaggerated, even though it would be kinda nice to have SOMEWHAT longer seaons – 12 episodes maybe… but that’s just wishful thinking.

5 seasons and its done.

I think I figured out the Mount hair thing — he is trying to subtly suggest himself for The David Lynch Story.

That’s funny (and true), Kev! :)

My hair tends to fly up in the front too, but since it’s thinning fast, it reveals my shiny head under the white hair! If you remember my dad, my pate looks a lot like his! Now where’s my baseball cap? ;)

His hair is turning into its own Star Base.

i lost all respect for mount and anything he says when he started spewing zionist propaganda that the israilie goverment and military were not comming genocide and other war crimes on Palestinian civilians in gaza and when snw fans and general trek fans called him out on it and tried to show him that what he was beliving and saying was lies and that there were war crimes and genocides being done by the isailie military and goverment he just blocked the fans

well now i have another actor i will be replacing the name of with the character’s name in the opening titles and ending credit much like i have to do with andromeda and the lead actor who is a maga nutjob blacklisted hasbeen

Thanks for sharing

I hope there is a time jump between season 3 and 4 and season 4 opens up with pike now fleet captain stationed at Starfleet head quarters on earth with just a video call to una in the first episode and that is for the rest of the series and una is now captain of the enterprise with James t Kirk as her first officer and the new assistant chief medical officer is Leonard McCoy and the replacement for Sam Kirk is a ensign sulu and then another time jump between seasons 4 and 5 and we see Kirk take over the enterprise from una and McCoy becomes kirks cmo and Spock his first officer and Scotty his chief engineer and the second episode of season five is a remake of the second pilot and the 3rd episode has a newly promoted to lt sulu take over helm officer and uhura is also promoted to full lt and then new episodes for the rest of the season and that leads to snw being retooled into a much needed visually updated remake of tos and the episode prior to the menagerie will have a mid credits scene of pike being burned and crippled by radiation and being placed in his chair

Season 4 and 5 will be the last. They better stretch it out. LOL

• View history

Vorik was a male Vulcan engineer in the 24th century Starfleet . He served aboard the USS Voyager while it was lost in the Delta Quadrant in the 2370s .

• 1 Early life
• 2 Life on Voyager
• 3.1 Appearances
• 3.2 Background information
• 3.3 Apocrypha
• 3.4 External links

Early life [ ]

When Vorik was young, he spent several summers exploring the Osana caverns on Vulcan , which included some particularly advanced rock climbing . Like most Vulcans, as a child, Vorik had a young Vulcan girl chosen to be his future wife when the two came of age. ( VOY : " Blood Fever ")

Life on Voyager [ ]

In 2373 , he assisted B'Elanna Torres with maintenance on the plasma injectors during the ship 's visit to the Nekrit Expanse . He also adjusted the control interface on Neelix 's food replicators and was present in engineering when Neelix came down to steal some warp plasma . ( VOY : " Fair Trade ")

Later that year , Vorik surprised Torres by reserving a table for two at Neelix's luau with a view of the lakeside . Torres had mentioned in a conversation five days previously that she enjoyed the view. Later, he worked with Torres and Harry Kim troubleshooting the ship's mysterious engine problems. ( VOY : " Alter Ego ")

Ensign Vorik in plak tow

Vorik experienced his first pon farr on stardate 50537. Believing his intended bride would have declared him lost and lacking another Vulcan mate, he declared koon-ut-so'lik , the desire to become one's mate, with Torres. She declined, but after a brief physical contact was made between them, Vorik accidentally initiated the Vulcan telepathic mating bond , which caused Torres to suffer the same neurochemical imbalance that Vulcans undergo. While Torres was on an away mission , he tried to use meditative techniques to purge himself, preferring to handle it privately. The Doctor soon attempted to help him complete the pon farr by creating a holographic mate, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. Instead, Vorik disabled communications with Voyager and beamed down, intending to mate with Torres. Vorik saw Thomas Paris with her and challenged him in the ritual kal-if-fee , but Torres insisted she fight him herself. Chakotay reluctantly allowed them to, and soon Vorik's pon farr was ended. ( VOY : " Blood Fever ")

In 2374 , Vorik participated in Voyager 's failed attempt to open a transwarp conduit . He controlled the temporary tachyon matrix that was set up in the main deflector and subsequently, when tachyons began to flood the warp core , tried unsuccessfully to stop the leak. ( VOY : " Day of Honor ")

Torres and Vorik were in the middle of an electro-plasma system recalibration when an alien posing as Tom Paris called Torres away for a surprise in the transporter room . ( VOY : " Vis à Vis ")

When the Voyager was forced to land on a demon class planet , Vorik and Torres tried to keep the life support systems online. Vorik advised Torres that they shouldn't "lose their cool" - a phrase he learned from Tom Paris . Torres stated there was "hope for him yet". ( VOY : " Demon ")

In 2375 , Vorik was also a member of the development team that designed and built the Delta Flyer shuttlecraft . He was initially assigned to be on the trial-run team, but Torres insisted on replacing him. ( VOY : " Extreme Risk ")

Later that year, Vorik, along with crewmates Tuvok and Jurot , was suspended in a transporter loop to avoid detection from Devore inspections who were seeking out telepaths . ( VOY : " Counterpoint ")

In 2376 , the ship's on-board computer reported that Vorik was in Engineering, Level 2, when the ship's systems were failing due to possession by an electromagnetic lifeform . ( VOY : " The Haunting of Deck Twelve ")

Vorik and Torres working in engineering

In early 2378 , he assisted Torres in repairing a damaged power conduit in main engineering . Later, when The Doctor was impersonating Lieutenant Torres, he asked Vorik where they kept the spare gel packs . Vorik was confused about why she wouldn't know this, but reminded her that they were in locker gamma-5. She acted surprised not to remember, but then looked lost. Vorik reminded her that locker gamma-5 was "on the upper level", to which she responded angrily, claiming that she knew where they were. Vorik hadn't realized at the time that "Torres" was actually The Doctor in disguise.

Later, when The Doctor impersonated Chakotay and told Torres to evacuate engineering, Vorik led the engineering crew out while Torres tried to stay behind, unaware that there was no actual breach imminent. ( VOY : " Renaissance Man ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Fair Trade "
• " Alter Ego "
• " Blood Fever "
• " Day of Honor "
• " Extreme Risk "
• " Counterpoint "
• " Renaissance Man "

Background information [ ]

Vorik was played by actor Alexander Enberg , who had previously played the similarly-named Vulcan Ensign Taurik in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode " Lower Decks ". Producer Jeri Taylor (who happens to be Enberg's mother) once suggested that Taurik and Vorik were twin brothers.

Vorik was on the writers' shortlist of recurring characters to kill off in " Friendship One ", though Bryan Fuller and Michael Taylor ended up deciding on Joe Carey . ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 2 , p. 87)

Apocrypha [ ]

According to the video game Star Trek: Starship Creator , Taurik and Vorik were twin brothers. They were born in Raal, Vulcan to parents Tybik and T'Sara. They also have two sisters named T'Bal and T'Shara. Prior to his assignment on the USS Voyager , Vorik served aboard the USS Independence .

In the Voyager relaunch book series, Vorik was promoted to lieutenant and served under Captain Chakotay as chief engineer of Voyager until 2381 . He then transferred to the USS Hawking and, following that ship's destruction, eventually chose to remain on Earth and take a posting at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards . He also appeared in the novel Pathways , volunteering to be the first to undergo a risky transport through a transporter made from scavenged parts.

Vorik made a brief appearance in the video game Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force while the playable character was in engineering. If you press the interact button while next to him, he'll say something along the lines of " I'm busy ", but Torres ordered him to do something after a near warp core breach . He was also seen in the mess hall. He was voiced by original actor Alexander Enberg, who was already providing the voices of several other characters. He also was seen playing chess with Hazard Team member Elizabeth Laird later in the game, and was also seen in the expansion. In the expansion, he could be found again at the warp core.

External links [ ]

• Vorik at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)