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Star Trek: Discovery

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Watch Star Trek: Discovery with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Cast & Crew

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Everything You Need to Know About 'Star Trek: Discovery'

New aliens, new ships, and a new story in the Final Frontier.

The Star Trek franchise has taken fans to fantastic new worlds over the last 50 years, with 13 films, five live-action television shows, and one animated series. Finally CBS is creating something new for Trek fans to chew on— Star Trek: Discovery.

Set to launch on CBS All Access service later this year, Discovery is the first Star Trek show in more than a decade. But how will Discovery fit into the universal canon? Can we expect some familiar friends and foes? What about the Enterprise, the Federation, the Tribbles?!

This is all the news, rumors, and theories about Discovery so far, and what we can expect when we finally return to the final frontier.

[ This post will be updated as new details about Discovery emerge ].

Update: CBS released a trailer for Star Trek: Discovery giving us a good look at the new series, confirming it will take place 10 years before Kirk's Enterprise.

Update: CBS released a new trailer at San Diego Comic-Con, and it's full of mystery and explosions.

As the first TV show in the franchise since Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled in 2005, Discovery will be chock-full of new characters, ships, and likely some fresh intergalactic confrontation between the Federation and some familiar foes. Set a decade before the events in James T. Kirk's original five-year mission, this new show will focus on the crew of the USS Discovery , and in some way we don't know yet, another ship called the Shenzhou will also play a role.

With the introduction of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films, the franchise's canon fractured in two. There is the Prime Universe of the original series, The Next Generation, and so on, and the alternative universe of the new films, known as the "Kelvin Timeline." Discovery will exist exclusively in the Prime Universe, so no, we won't be seeing any Chris Pine cameos.

The main character will be human First Officer Michael Burnham, and she will be referred throughout the first season primarily as "Number One," a name that's used by many but most notably by Jean-Luc Picard in reference to his first officer William Riker in The Next Generation .

In August last year, Bryan Fuller (who was then the showrunner but has since left the project) said the character would be an homage to the original first officer, played by Majel Barrett in the original series pilot "The Cage." In that episode, Barrett, whose character never receives a name, is Captain Pike's cool-headed and decisive first officer. Although her character was eventually removed from the show, Roddenberry grafted her personality onto the Vulcan first officer Spock.

With some Klingon casting already announced, it's likely the familiar alien warrior race from Kronos will be the main bad guys—or at the very least, a major one. In Star Trek canon, hostilities would've broken out decades before Discovery but would still be ongoing, it's possible that Discovery will be tossed into the middle of it.

However, when asked about the focus of Discovery this is what Fuller had to say:

"There's an incident and event in Star Trek history, that's been talked about but never been explored. To do this series, we're telling a much more serialized story, to dig deep into a very tantalizing [storyline]. And we have a character who's on a journey, and in order to understand something that is alien she first has to understand herself."

To further complicate things, Fuller also tweeted that the classic Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror," an episode all about Romulans, is a "touchstone" for Star Trek: Discovery . Fans have speculated that this could mean the Earth-Romulan War. However, it would've taken place a full century before the reported timeline of Discovery . It's also possible that this Romulan-heavy episode is just a thematic touchstone, not a literal connection to the new series.

Update: Sources report that the first season of Discovery will mostly focus on the war between the Klingons and the Federation, and that a yet unofficial second season will tackle the aftermath of the war.

What Does the USS Discovery Look Like?

Whether the round dish of the Enterprise or spiked towers of Deep Space 9, the starship or base at the heart of any Star Trek show is as important as the characters who occupy its corridors, nacelles, and atriums. When CBS gave fans a peek at the USS Discovery , it was met with mix reactions with some saying the ship design closely resembled a Klingon ship and more generally that the overall effects weren't very good.

But we've also seen a few other glimpses of the new vessel in Star Trek: Discovery . At last year's San Diego Comic-Con, Bryan Fuller said the Discovery was based on 1970s USS Enterprise designs by Ralph McQuarrie, the lead visual architect of the first Star Wars films. But his reimagined Enterprise ship was and never saw the light of day—until now.

It looks like McQaurrie might have had a hand in that asteroid spacedock shown in the trailer as well.

Darkness, Water, Font, Night, Atmosphere, Space, Tree, World, Photography, Earth,

From these images it looks like Discovery is adopting the design pretty liberally, cementing the artist's sci-fi legacy even five years after his death.

As for the interiors of this new ship, it's hard to say what we'll be getting. Another teaser shows only partially constructed sets. Fans did get a good look this past January at a royal blue uniform (possibly a science officer?) with gold trim and the familiar delta shield insignia.

Update: The new trailer gives us a good long look at the Federation and Klingon outfits and makeup.

When asked about the uniforms, Fuller said , "It's really something completely different, a 'Happy transporter accident.' 'It's a little bit of this, it's a little bit of that,' and you'll say, 'Oh, I see it.'" We don't know who will wear these uniform, but it's a hint that the main characters will likely be clad in something similar yet noticeably different than the crew aboard Kirk's Enterprise .

Of course, the Discovery itself is a different kind of vessel—a science vessel. This makes it different from every other main ship in any series thus far. Unlike the Enterprise or Voyager, science vessels aren't supposed to travel for too long, so Discovery might be docked much more than previous episodes.

What Is the USS Shenzhou Anyway?

The show seems like it will focus on the crew aboard the USS Discovery , based on the title. But some fans think the creators are intentionally trying to throw fans off. There are many theories surrounding the USS Shenzhou . Some believe that the Shenzhou might be the same ship as the Discovery but renamed. It wouldn't be the first time as Deep Space Nine renamed Empok Nor, the Cardassian space station, to the titular name and the USS Defiant was originally named the USS Sao Paulo .

Another more simple answer is that the USS Shenzhou is destroyed in an early episode, as ships blowing up tend to be the norm for Star Trek shows. However, seeing that several members are crew members on this ship hints that the ship is likely important beyond one episode.

Shenzhou is also name of a spacecraft for China's spaceflight program, and its name means "divine craft." The creators likely picked this name for this reason. It could even be a codename for the USS Discovery .

Cast and Characters

Creative team

Star Trek: Discovery was created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman. Fuller created the TV show Pushing Daisies and also wrote for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, while Kurtzman has worked on several TV shows, including Xena: Warrior Princess , Alias , Fringe , and Sleepy Hollow .

Fuller acted as the showrunner until he left the show last fall to reportedly focus on other projects, namely the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods . He created the main story arc of the first season, but he is currently not involved with the show in post-production. This news is worrying for fans who were happy to have a longtime fan and Star Trek veteran at the helm, but CBS said that it was "committed to seeing [Fuller's] vision through."

Executive producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts are now running the show, who are relatively new of the franchise compared to Fuller. However, the series still includes Star Trek vets, including Joe Menosky (TNG, DS9, STV) and Star Trek novelist Kirsten Beyer . Rod Roddenberry, the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, is also listed as an executive producer.

Although Fuller and Kurtzman wrote the pilot episode. David Semel, who has directed pilots for several TV shows, including Person of Interest and Amazon's The Man in the High Castle , will direct Star Trek: Discovery 's premiere .

The Federation

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It's the stars of the show who will likely determine whether Discovery is another Next Generation or a Star Trek flop.

Although Jason Isaacs (known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films) will be leading the Discovery as Captain Lorca (a character he described as "more f***ed up" compared to your average Starfleet captain), the show will focus on the second in command—First Officer Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green ( The Walking Dead ). Rounding out the Federation will be Terry Serpico ( Army Wives ), playing a high-ranking officer named Admiral Anderson, who would obviously outrank Lorca, so the power dynamics on the Discovery are sure to be interesting.

According to Entertainment Weekly , Martin-Green says her character was the first human to attend the Vulcan Learning Center and the Vulcan Science Academy, sort of like a reverse Spock. She goes on to say that Burnham has been serving on the U.S.S. Shenzhou for seven years.

Update: At San Diego Comic-Con, Martin-Green shockingly revealed that her character is the adoptive daughter of Sarek and Amanda, making Burnham Spock's adoptive sister. This, of course, raising an entire series and six movies worth of questions, but Star Trek creators say it doesn't break cannon. According to SFX Magazine , the Klingons killed Burnham's parents while she was at the Vulcan academy, necessitating her adoption by Spock's parents.

A couple other USS Discovery crew members include Mary Wiseman as Cadet Tilly, who is in her final year at Starfleet Academy, and Anthony Rapp ( Rent ) plays a science officer and fungus expert named Lt. Stamets. His character will also be the first openly gay character in any Star Trek TV show.

As for the Shenzhou , Captain Georgiou will be played by Michelle Yeoh ( Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ) with other confirmed including Sam Vartholomeos as junior officer Ensign Connor and Maulik Pancholy ( 30 Rock ) as chief medical officer Dr. Nambue.

Also, " there will be robots . "

Hand, Finger, Human, Human body, Photography, Flesh, Gesture, Performance art, Chest, Performance,

But perhaps the most intriguing character announced for Star Trek: Discovery is Lt. Saru, played by Doug Jones. Jones' is known best for his role in Hellboy as the water-dwelling Abe Sapien and that super-creepy eye guy from Pan's Labyrinth , meaning Jones has some experiencing acting with heavy makeup and prosthetics. He'll likely need to be as Jones will be an all-new (currently unnamed) alien species never before seen on Star Trek.

Saru continues a Star Trek tradition of outsider species aboard starships, like Spock, Data (an android), and Seven of Nine (a post-assimilated Borg).

Update: Entertainment Weekly got its hands on the first image from Star Trek: Discovery (released later by the Star Trek team ), and it's not quite what you'd expect:

Human, Outerwear, Scene, Landscape, Obi-wan kenobi, Fictional character, Screenshot,

The image shows Federation officers Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou and Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham on some sort of desert planet. Although at first glance the image looks very un- Star Trek , you can actually spot an old school communicator and tricorder on Burnham's belt, harking back to the original series. That makes sense since this shows reportedly takes place a decade before Kirk's five-year mission.

Update: This image is now part of the series' first official trailer.

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Star Trek history is filled with amazing Klingons. Although Worf is the most memorable, the shows and films love their blood-boiling Klingons spoiling for battle by Bat'leth. Only matched in ruthlessness by the Romulans, they're a fearsome, but most importantly, deeply complex villain for the Federation, and Discovery is going to be full of them.

Actors Chris Obi, Shazad Latif, and Mary Chieffo are all confirmed as Klingons. Obi, who starred in 2017's Ghost in the Shell film, plays Klingon leader T'Kuvma who's trying to unite the Klingon houses (which are infamous for infighting). Latif, who played Dr. Henry Jekyll in Penny Dreadful , stars as commanding officer Kol, and Chieffo plays L'Rell, a Klingon battle deck commander.

Update: Latif has reportedly been recasted as Federation officer Kenneth Mitchell.

The most exciting aspect of T'Kumva and his crew is that it might give a good glimpse into Klingon society, something fans only caught brief glimpses of through Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation . But a leaked photo from set in February reportedly showed what the new Klingons might look like. Apart from the armor, they look quite different.

Fashion, Armour, Games, Knight, History, Middle ages, Art,

The original onset leaker has gone on record saying he has no idea if these creatures are Klingons or just some other race, but with rumors that Star Trek: Discovery would be making a somewhat noticeable stylistic departure from its forebears, this could be the Klingons new look. After all, it wouldn't be the first time .

Update: They're Klingons, and according to showrunners, the Klingons somehow play into America's current political climate, similar to how The Original Series was subtle commentary on the Cold War.

And as we said earlier, Romulans might make an appearance ( as well as Tribbles ) but that leaves no news of dozens of other races—but the Star Trek universe is a very big place.

The Familiar Faces

Although Discovery is an all-new story, that doesn't mean there won't be a few hat tips to its past. In April it was announced that Rainn Wilson ( The Office ) would be casted as a younger version of Harry Mudd, a conman Captain Kirk encountered a few times on the original show. It's unclear how big a role Mudd will play in Discovery , but it will likely give some much-appreciated context for Mudd's villainy.

The other familiar face (announced so far anyway) will be none other than Spock's father—Sarek. James Frain ( Orphan Black ) will portray of the legendary Vulcan diplomat who famously opposed Spock's decision to attend Starfleet Academy. It's unclear if we'll see a younger Spock on the show (probably not), but we may find out more about Sarek's early involvement in the Federation and why he so adamantly resisted his son's enlistment.

Finally, the character with a surprising amount of fan support is Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan from The Next Generation . A long-lived alien known as an El-Aurian, Guinan ran the bar on the USS Enterprise-D . Because of her longevity, Guinan making an appearance in Discovery, which would take place nearly a full century before, isn't impossible. In fact, Bryan Fuller responded to the Twitter hastag #BringBackGuinan and Goldberg said she'd love to reprise the role . So far, though, it's just Star Trek fan fiction.

Where Can You Watch It?

Despite all these details and teasers building up to its release, Star Trek: Discovery has been plagued with delays and was even delayed indefinitely though it thankfully resumed production a few weeks later , and will air on September 24, 2017 . We also know the titles of the first four episodes: "The Vulcan Hello," "Battle of the Binary Stars," "Context Is for Kings," "and "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry."

Despite the hope that Star Trek will be arriving soon, some sites are reporting that not everything is well within the Federation. CBS execs have said that sci-fi has no place on television (probably one reason why it's streaming only), and delays have been caused by creative differences and worries that Discovery is straying too from its source material. There's also a tremendous amount of pressure to get a show with such a strong legacy and huge fanbase exactly right. For now, however, it sounds like things are only getting worse .

The first season will consist of 13 episodes and air in the U.S. on CBS All Access, the network's subscription streaming service. Outside the U.S., the show will arrive on Netflix.

Update: According to Star Trek 's twitter , the Star Trek: Discovery will have 15 episodes and also receive a companion aftershow.

Now, if only we could warp factor 9 to this premiere date.

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Star Trek: Discovery TV show 2017: Cast, characters, episodes and everything you need to know

Bryan Fuller is reviving the science-fiction classic - but what's beyond the next frontier?

CBS are planning to boldly go where no man (or network) has gone for over a decade – returning Star Trek to television, some 11 years since Enterprise went out with a whimper.

Star Trek TV series: When will it air, and will we get it all in one go?

In the US, Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on CBS and CBS All Access on Sunday, September 24 at 8.30/7.30c – but it's been a long journey to get there.

Discovery was supposed to set off on its maiden voyage in January 2017 , with Hannibal 's Bryan Fuller as showrunner and Alex Kurtzman (producer on the movie reboots) as executive producer. But its launch date was later pushed to May 2017 – to allow more time to fine-tune the scripts.

In a joint statement, Fuller and Kurtzman said: "Bringing Star Trek back to television carries a responsibility and mission: to connect fans and newcomers alike to the series that has fed our imaginations since childhood.

"We aim to dream big and deliver, and that means making sure the demands of physical and post-production for a show that takes place entirely in space, and the need to meet an air date, don't result in compromised quality.

"Before heading into production, we evaluated these realities with our partners at CBS and they agreed: Star Trek deserves the very best, and these extra few months will help us achieve a vision we can all be proud of."

But then, in February 2017, Discovery was delayed AGAIN – with CBS chairman Les Moonves announcing that the series would launch " sometime [in] late summer, early fall " rather than the spring.

"It's important to get it right," he said. "And Star Trek is the family jewels. We're not going to rush it. There's a lot of post production. But I'm very confident based on what I've seen so far."

(Bryan Fuller's determination to secure his top pick for lead actress is also said to have contributed to the delay , as she was attached to another series at the time.)

Related: Here's why Star Trek: Discovery was delayed – twice

In the US, only the series premiere will air on CBS, with the rest of the series then streaming exclusively on the network's subscription VOD service, All Access. It's going to be split into two halves, with the mid-season finale airing in the US on Sunday, November 5 .

"Sci-fi is not something that has traditionally done really well on broadcast," CBS Interactive CEO Jim Lanzone explained . "It just fit the with the digital audience, and having that digital Star Trek audience."

Outside of the US, the new Trek will be available on Netflix in 188 countries – including the UK, with new episodes dropping a day after US transmission. So the series will debut on Netflix from Monday, September 25 – with the mid-season finale dropping on Monday, November 6 . The second half of Star Trek: Discovery 's first season will premiere some time in January 2018.

Star Trek TV show 2017: Who's reviving the series?

Fuller was originally on board as showrunner and co-producer – having begun his career working on Trek spinoffs Voyager and Deep Space Nine back in the '90s.

"Bryan is not only an extremely gifted writer, but a genuine fan of Star Trek ," said CBS Studios president David Stapf in February 2016 – and Fuller went on to prove his geek credentials by hiring both Gene Roddenberry's son Rod and The Wrath of Khan writer-director Nicholas Meyer in producer roles.

But then came the stunning news in October that Fuller was pulling out of Discovery – at least as showrunner – in order to focus on his Starz series American Gods and a reboot of the anthology show Amazing Stories for NBC.

Bryan Fuller speaks during the 14th annual official Star Trek convention

CBS TV Studios said: "Due to Bryan's other projects, he is no longer able to oversee the day-to-day of Star Trek , but he remains an executive producer."

The statement added that Fuller "will continue to map out the story arc for the entire season" and though the man himself insisted " not involved in production, or post-production ", Jim Lanzone - head of CBS Interactive - has insisted that the show will continue to follow his " vision ".

"With Star Trek , ultimately it was about not being able to do what CBS needed to be done in the time that they needed it done," Fuller explained to Digital Spy in December 2016 .

"Part of that was [down to] my responsibilities to American Gods , which I'm very dedicated to, and so it was unfortunate to take a step back away from that show... and mainly because of the opportunity that I believe that Star Trek provides - for a conversation about progress, for humanity and the planet, and being able to tap into that."

He concluded: "I will miss doing Star Trek , but this is the best path."

Kurtzman will now oversee the show alongside Gretchen Berg & Aaron Harberts - veterans of Reign and Revenge - plus fellow execs Heather Kadin (late of CBS's Limitless )and Trevor Roth - (producer of 2010 fan-doc Trek Nation ).

The show's writing staff includes Hannibal 's Jesse Alexander, playwright Kemp Powers, Voyager veteran Joe Menosky, Trek novelist Kristen Beyer and Aron Eli Coleite of Heroes.

Vincenzo Natali - who helmed the cult movie Cube and six episodes of Hannibal - has been hired as the show's producing director, though he will not direct the first episode.

That honour goes to Emmy-nominated David Semel, who's previously launched series including Heroes and Person of Interest . (Semel's hiring was apparently a point of disagreement between CBS and Bryan Fuller - the latter wanted Edgar Wright to helm the series opener.)

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Jonathan Frakes - best known as Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Commander Riker - will also helm an episode , having previously directed episodes of of TNG , Deep Space Nine , Voyager and the 1998 movie Star Trek: Insurrection .

Moon and Warcraft director Duncan Jones has also expressed an interest in working on the new Trek - one to keep in mind for season two?

Related: Star Trek: Discovery cast are apparently banned from mentioning God on the show

Star Trek cast: Who's in it?

sonequa martin green, star trek discovery

The first trailer, revealed by CBS in May, promised "new heroes" and "new villains" so expect an entirely fresh roster of characters to board Discovery .

With the news that Netflix had secured international rights came formation that this Trek would feature "a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation."

"When we introduce our protagonist, she is called Number One," Fuller revealed in late August - though we will learn our hero's name by the end of the first season.

In casting the lead role, Fuller said he was seeking an actress who embodies "strength, sensitivity and an amusing neurosis that goes with exploring space, which is extraordinarily dangerous and has the potential to be terrifying."

The Walking Dead 's Sonequa Martin-Green was announced to have nabbed the much-coveted part in December 2016 - with the character's name and rank later confirmed as First Officer Michael Burnham.

(If you were wondering, giving a female character a traditionally male name is a motif that appears in several of Bryan Fuller's works... plus, it's the future, so who cares?)

Our first official nugget of casting, though, came a month earlier, with writer/producer Meyer revealing that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 's Michelle Yeoh will appear in Discovery - playing Han Bo , captain of the good ship Shenzhou.

Later that month, Hellboy 's Doug Jones - playing alien science officer Lt. Saru, and Broadway veteran Anthony Harp - as Lt. Stamets - were also confirmed for Discovery .

Harp's character will be involved with another officer on the ship ( Wilson Cruz ) in the Trek franchise's first LGBT+ relationship .

December 2016 saw the series add a trio of Klingons to its ranks: their leader T'Kuvma (played by American Gods ' Chris Obi), his protege Kol ( Penny Dreadful 's Shazad Latif) and their battle deck commander Rell (Mary Chieffo).

(Latif would later switch roles and will appear in the final series as Starfleet's Lieutenant Tyler, with Kenneth Mitchell replacing him as Kol.)

More casting was confirmed in February 2017 , with newcomer Sam Vartholomeos playing Ensign Connor, a Junior Officer in Starfleet Academy assigned to the starship Shenzhou, and 30 Rock 's Maulik Pancholy as Dr Nambue, the Shenzhou's Chief Medical Officer,

Terry Serpico ( Designated Survivor ) was also added to the cast as Admiral Anderson, a high-ranking Starfleet official, with Clare McConnell and Damon Runyam ( Degrassi: Next Generation ) playing Klingon Empire leaders named Dennas and Ujilli, respectively.

Finally, TV veteran Rekha Sharma ( The 100 ) will star as Commander Landry, the Discovery's security officer.

And, in a nod to The Original Series, Spock's father Sarek will play a significant role in Discovery - with James Frain stepping in for the late Mark Lenard.

Likewise, Rainn Wilson will replace Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd , an intergalactic criminal seen going up against Kirk and Spock in the '60s.

March 2017 saw the show land its biggest name yet as it signed Harry Potter 's Jason Isaacs to play the captain of the Starship Discovery - and we've been told Captain Gabriel Lorca is a "f**ked up" character with a lot of "rough edges".

DO NOT REUSE: Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery

Michael Dorn, beloved of Trek fans for his role as Lieutenant Worf, hinted that he'd had "a couple of conversations" with producers but wouldn't be appearing in the series after all . Sorry, TNG fans.

Star Trek TV reboot: What's it about?

"We're using the DNA of and using the spirit of what Star Trek offers, both in terms of high-concept science fiction storytelling and really wonderful metaphors for the human condition," Fuller said early on.

It appears the television show will be set in "classic" continuity and NOT the new cinematic universe - so d on't expect any crossovers with the JJ Abrams / Justin Lin film series.

"There was the cleanliness of keeping our series independent of the films," Fuller explained . "That way we don't have to track anything [happening in the movie universe] and they don't have to track what we're doing."

An earlier trailer - showcasing the U.S.S. Discovery (NCC-1031) - had some fans speculating that the show could be another Trek prequel, owing to the retro design of the craft.

This was confirmed by Fuller in August 16, with Discovery being set a decade prior to Kirk's five-year mission.

"That gives us an opportunity to bridge the gap between Enterprise and the original series, and also to help us redefine the visual style," Fuller said, while also hinting that younger versions of the original show's cast could make appearances - but not for a while.

captain kirk william shatner and spock leonard nimoy in 'star trek'

"For the first season, we're going to be keeping to our own universe - it's very tightly wound so there's not a lot of room to encounter some of the established characters," he explained.

"But since we are in that timeframe, moving forward it is absolutely within the possibilities of our universe… but [for now] we're kind of digging the characters we came up with."

We could be in for a more graphic Trek , too - though we're not talking Hannibal levels of gore. Nor should you expect any bad language.

"Because we're CBS All Access, we're not subject to network broadcast standards and practices," Fuller said in June 2016 . "It will likely affect us more in terms of what we can do graphically, but Star Trek 's not necessarily a universe where I want to hear a lot of profanity, either."

Green, too, has promised a " rawer and grittier " Star Trek - with executive producer Alex Kurtzman even citing HBO's Game of Thrones as an influence .

" Game of Thrones changed television," series boss Berg said . "They almost made it difficult to fall in love with people because you didn't know if they were going to be taken away from you. That show's had an influence on all TV dramas that have come after it."

Co-showrunner Harberts added: "Death isn't treated gratuitously on this show. It's not for shock value. But when it happens we want to make sure that people really feel it."

Discovery will even go so far as to break one of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's integral franchise rules: an outlawing of any conflict between Starfleet crew members.

"We're trying to do stories that are complicated, with characters with strong points of view and strong passions," producer Aaron Harberts explained . "People have to make mistakes — mistakes are still going to be made in the future. We're still going to argue in the future."

And the latest sneak preview , unveiled at the CBS upfronts, raised some serious questions about first officer Michael Burnham's (Sonequa Martin-Green) connection to the planet Vulcan, Sarek and the Klingons.

There was even speculation that Martin-Green's character might be half-Vulcan like Mr. Spock, but turns out that while Michael is all-human , she's actually Spock's adopted sister !

"Sarek (Spock's father) plays an important role in her life, which has been completely planned until she makes a very difficult choice that sends her life on a very different path," revealed Harberts .

"When we meet her, she's the First Officer on the Starship Shenzhou, and Burnham's choice that we're alluding to is the most difficult choice you can make: it affects her, affects Starfleet, affects the Federation, it affects the entire universe.

"That choice leads her to a different ship, the Discovery, and there we begin what Gretchen and I call our 'second pilot'."

So why didn't Spock ever mention his sis Michael before? That gap will be touched upon , according to producer Alex Kurtzman.

"The first Vulcan you're going to think of when you think of Vulcans is Spock, so as the story evolved, it became an interesting exploration of, 'Wait, how could they have been potentially living in the same home, under Amanda and Sarek, and Spock has never mentioned her?'

"When we got into that dramatic questioning, it became a fascinating idea and we locked in on it."

Discovery is shaking up the Star Trek formula : Burnham isn't the captain even though she's the main character. In her place are two captains: Jason Isaacs' character aboard the Discovery, and Michelle Yeoh's on the Shenzhou. Two ships for the price of one.

In mid-August, Kurtzman confirmed that a war with the Klingons will dominate the show's first season. Series lead Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is an expert on alien races - and has an obsession of sorts with Klingons, Kurtzman told Digital Spy .

"She is fascinated and fixated on alien races; particularly the Klingons, for reasons that we'll come to understand are very personal for her," he explained. "Given the fact that we're at war with the Klingons in the show, she's going to have a lot to say and do about it."

The war with the Klingons will also allow the new Trek to draw parallels with issues afflicting present-day America . "The Klingons are going to help us really look at certain sides of ourselves and our country. Isolationism is a big theme," said showrunner Harberts. "Racial purity is a big theme.

"It provides a backdrop to how we want to be as a society, and that analysis and self-reflection is new for Trek . They've done it in certain episodes in the past, but this is a true journey for the institution in itself."

With the war as season one's major plot arc, Kurtzman suggested that a second season of Discovery would tackle the aftermath, as well as new stories.

"Each season needs to be about a different thing," he said. "I wouldn't necessarily want to bring the Klingon War into season two.

"However, the results of the war are going to allow for a lot of new storytelling that will be the result of everything that happens and the people that are left behind; the casualties, the things that have grown in Starfleet as a result of the war. That's what we'll inherit in the second season."

And why is the show called Discovery ? Well, according to Martin-Green, the show is all about discovery – uncovering new life in the depths of space, but also within ourselves . Deep.

Star Trek TV episodes: How long will it run?

We'll be getting 13 episodes of "flexible" length. with Bryan Fuller originally suggesting that a longer season would " fatigue the show ", saying: "I would strongly recommend that we never do 26 episodes. Ideally I would like to do 10 episodes. I think that's a tighter story."

Again, taking advantage of the streaming format, the show " won't be episodic " but will instead tell longer stories, like a novel.

Here are the episode titles for Discovery 's first four outings:

'The Vulcan Hello'
'Battle at the Binary Stars'
'Context is for Kings'
'The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry'

Fuller and Kurtzman have written the series premiere together, while Wrath of Khan 's Meyer was responsible for episode two.

Speaking of Meyer, he's hinted that he's working on another Trek project besides Discovery - but it's not a movie. Could there be a second new TV series in the works? There are rumours of a prequel exploring the origins of Trek villain Khan ... though, we stress, they're just rumours at this stage.

Kurtzman has said that more Trek TV shows could potentially follow Discovery - including a series that revisits Fuller's original anthology idea.

Star Trek TV show filming locations: Where's it shooting?

Filming will begin in Toronto in September 2016 – to be specific, in Pinewood Toronto Studios, taking advantage of the facility's 46,500-square-foot mega-stage for some truly epic adventures.

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Star Trek TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer

Updated: September 8, 2023

The Star Trek universe kicked off in 1966 with the original series , created by science fiction visionary Gene Roddenberry , and later exploded into a massive film and TV juggernaut.

While the original series, which starred William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, saw only three seasons, it made an indelible impression on the sci-fi genre. Live-action TV follow-up Star Trek: The Next Generation , with Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard leading an ensemble cast, captivated viewers from 1987–1994 and inspired three more series that would air within the next decade: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager , and Star Trek: Enterprise .

Starting with 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Paramount Pictures has been regularly cranking out Trek films with the original series and Next Generation casts, as well as a rebooted version in 2009 with Chris Pine as Starfleet Academy cadet James Kirk and Zachary Quinto as young Spock. ( See the Star Trek films ranked here. )

In 2017, Trek returned to small screens with season 1 of CBS All Access streaming title Star Trek: Discovery , set during a tumultuous wartime era about a decade before the original and starring Sonequa Martin-Green . The new series marked a TV franchise reboot by Alex Kurtzman , writer on the 2009 Star Trek film and its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness .

RELATED: All Star Trek Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

The year 2020 gave fans a celebration of one of its most iconic characters with the premiere of Star Trek: Picard and Stewart reprising his role in the new streaming series that launched its second season in 2022. New live-action series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was also released in 2022, and its first season was quickly Certified Fresh with a 100% Tomatometer score (it has since dropped to 99% on one review). The show’s second season, released in 2023, was nearly as well received and is Certified Fresh at 97% on the Tomatometer.

The TV franchise has since introduced two animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks , about the misfit support crew on one of Starfleet’s least-important ships, and kid-friendly Star Trek: Prodigy , which tells the story of a diverse group of teens who inadvertently become the crew of a prize starship and learn important lessons in their subsequent adventures. The latter series — No. 3 on our list below — has since been canceled by Paramount+, but a petition to save the show has gathered over 33,000 signatures.

Have a look below to find out which series score highest with critics in our Trek TV by Tomatometer list.

Disagree with the results? Tell us in the comments which series you think should have been ranked higher (or lower).

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) 98%

Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973) 94%

Star Trek: Prodigy (2021) 94%

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020) 92%

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) 92%

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) 91%

Star Trek: Picard (2020) 89%

Star Trek: Discovery (2017) 84%

Star Trek (1966) 80%

Star Trek: Voyager (1995) 76%

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) 56%

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Published Nov 2, 2015

New Star Trek Series Premieres January 2017

CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new Star Trek television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access , the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

The next chapter of the Star Trek franchise will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.

The new program will be the first original series developed specifically for U.S. audiences for CBS All Access , a cross-platform streaming service that brings viewers thousands of episodes from CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month. CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous Star Trek television series.

The brand-new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.

Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new Star Trek TV series. Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the blockbuster films Star Trek (2009) with Roberto Orci, and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) with Orci and Damon Lindelof. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.

The new series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers. Kurtzman is also an executive producer for the hit CBS television series Scorpion and Limitless , along with Kadin and Orci, and for Hawaii Five-0 with Orci.

Star Trek , which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016, is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. The original Star Trek spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Almost half a century later, the Star Trek television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in more than 190 countries, and the franchise still generates more than a billion social media impressions every month.

Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry , the original Star Trek series debuted on Sept. 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons – a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. The series also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores, providing a progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics and the environment.

“There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”

“This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access ,” said Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media. “We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access , expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek , and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”

“Every day, an episode of the Star Trek franchise is seen in almost every country in the world,” said Armando Nuñez, President and CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We can’t wait to introduce Star Trek's next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”

CBS All Access offers its customers more than 7,500 episodes from the current television season, previous seasons and classic shows on demand nationwide, as well as the ability to stream local CBS stations live in more than 110 markets. Subscribers can use the service online and across devices via CBS.com , the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, as well as on connected devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku players and Roku TV, with more connected devices to come.

The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.

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When is the 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 finale? Release date, cast, where to watch

Warning: May contain spoilers .

U.S.S. Discovery's final mission is almost at its end, with the last episode of "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 5 scheduled to release this Thursday.

The fifth and final season of the hit TV series had followed Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncover a mystery that sent them on "an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries," according to Paramount+.

"Star Trek: Discovery" debuted in 2017 and is the seventh in the Star Trek series. Here's what to know about Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery," and when the final episode will be dropping.

When is 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 finale?

The final episode of "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 5 will release on Paramount+ on Thursday, May 30. Paramount+ did not specify what time the episode will be available on its platform.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Nine episodes of Season 5, and Seasons 1 to 4 are available to stream on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Discovery' on Paramount+: Subscribe

Will 'Star Trek: Discovery' have another season?

No. Paramount+ had earlier announced that Season 5 will be the last in the "Star Trek: Discovery" series.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 cast

Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery" brings back new and old faces along with recurring guest stars. Cast members include:

Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham
Doug Jones as Saru
Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly
Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber
David Ajala as Cleveland “Book” Booker
Blu del Barrio as Adira
Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner
Elias Toufexis as L’ak
Eve Harlow as Moll

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 trailer

Paramount+ dropped the official trailer for Season 5 on Feb. 23.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Looking for reliable options to stream "Star Trek: Discovery" on Paramount+? Check out USA TODAY Home Internet for broadband service plans in your area.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

Star Trek (2017 TV series)

A to-be-retitled Star Trek series is an upcoming American television series co-created and showrun by Bryan Fuller for CBS All Access , the first series produced specifically for that service, and the first Star Trek series since Star Trek: Enterprise ceased production in 2005. It is set to premiere on CBS in January 2017 before moving to All Access. The series will introduce new characters to the Star Trek franchise and will not be related to the 2016 film Star Trek Beyond .

2.1 Development
2.2 Filming
4 References
5 External links

New characters to the Star Trek universe seek new worlds and civilizations, while exploring the franchise's signature contemporary themes. [2]

Development

On November 2, 2015, CBS announced a new Star Trek television series to premiere in January 2017, "on the heels" of the original series ' 50th anniversary in 2016. [2] [3] It is the first Star Trek television series since Star Trek: Enterprise concluded in 2005, [3] and is "not related" to the 2016 film Star Trek Beyond . [2] Alex Kurtzman , co-writer of the films Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness , and Heather Kadin serve as executive producers on the series, the first to be developed specifically for the CBS All Access on demand service. [2]

In January 2016, new CBS president Glenn Geller revealed that he and the CBS network were not involved in the production of the series, saying, "It really is for All Access. While the network will be broadcasting the pilot, I actually can't answer any creative questions about it." [4] The next month, Bryan Fuller , who began his career writing for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager , was announced as the new series' showrunner and co-creator as well as one of its executive producers. [5] Nicholas Meyer , writer and director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , also joined the series as a writer and consulting producer. [6] In March, Rod Roddenberry , the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry , and Trevor Roth of Roddenberry Entertainment also joined the series, as executive producers. [7]

In May 2016, at CBS's upfront presentation, a teaser for the series promising "new crews, new villains, new heroes, new worlds" was released featuring an official logo, simply titling the series Star Trek , with "a more specific title to be unveiled at a later date." [8]

The series will be filmed at Pinewood Toronto Studios , [9] starting in the fourth quarter of 2016. [10]

The series is set to premiere with a "special preview broadcast" on CBS in January 2017, with that pilot and all subsequent first-run episodes to then be streamed weekly in the United States on CBS All Access. [2] [11] The series will be distributed on multiple platforms around the rest of the world by CBS Studios International . [2]

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'Star Trek: Discovery' ends as an underappreciated TV pioneer

Eric Deggans

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham in Season 5, Episode 9 of Star Trek: Discovery.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham. Michael Gibson/Paramount+ hide caption

First, an admission: Though this column will offer a lot of discussion and defense of Star Trek: Discovery as a pivotal show, it won’t spend much time talking up the series’ current, final season or its finale episode, “Life, Itself,” dropping Thursday on Paramount+.

That’s because, for this critic, the last few seasons of Discovery have been a bit bogged down by the stuff that has always made it a tough sell as a Trek series: overly ambitious, serialized storylines that aren’t compelling; new characters and environments that don’t impress; plot twists which can be maddening in their lack of logic; big storytelling swings which can be confusing and predictable at once.

'Star Trek: Picard' soars by embracing the legacy of 'The Next Generation'

The show’s finale features the culmination of a sprawling scavenger hunt which found the crew of the starship Discovery bounding all over the place, searching for clues leading to a powerful technology pioneered by an alien race which created humanoid life throughout the galaxy. Their goal was to grab the technology before another race, ruthless and aggressive, could beat them to it, laying waste to everything.

It's no spoiler to reveal that Discovery ’s heroes avoid that nightmarish scenario, wrapping its fifth and final season with a conclusion centered on Sonequa Martin-Green’s ever-resourceful Capt. Michael Burnham and fond resolutions for a multitude of supporting characters (there’s even a space wedding!)

Still, this good-enough ending belies Discovery ’s status as a pioneering show which helped Paramount+ build a new vision for Star Trek in modern television – breaking ground that more creatively successful series like Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would follow years later.

And it all began with a singular character: Michael Burnham.

A take on Star Trek for modern TV

Discovery debuted in 2017 on CBS All Access — the streaming service which would become Paramount+ — facing a serious challenge.

As the first new Trek series in a dozen years, it had to chart a path which offered a new vision of the franchise without going too far — carving out a new corner in the universe of Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock not long after the release of Star Trek Beyond , the third feature film produced by J. J. Abrams featuring rebooted versions of those classic characters.

Producers set Discovery ’s story 10 years before the days of Kirk and Spock (originally depicted on NBC for three seasons starting way back in 1966). The new series wouldn’t be centered on a starship captain, but its second in command: Burnham, a Black woman who also happened to be the hitherto unknown adopted daughter of Vulcan ambassador Sarek, Spock’s father (she would get promoted to captain of Discovery much later).

A Black human woman who was raised among the emotionally controlling, super-intellectual Vulcans? Who Trek fans had never heard of over nearly 60 years? Before I actually saw any episodes, my own feelings ranged from cautiously intrigued to cynically pessimistic.

But then I saw the first episode, which had an amazing early scene: Martin-Green as Burnham and Michelle Yeoh as Discovery Capt. Philippa Georgiou walking across an alien planet – two women of color marking the first step forward for Star Trek on a new platform.

People once sidelined in typical science fiction stories were now centerstage — a thrilling, historic moment.

Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou and Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham in the very first episode of Star Trek: Discovery. Jan Thijs/CBS hide caption

And it got better from there. Back in the day, Trek writers often felt hamstrung by creator Gene Roddenberry’s insistence that, in the future depicted by the show, humans were beyond social ills like greed, prejudice, sexism, war, money and personal friction. The writers chafed, wondering: How in the world do you build compelling stories on a starship where interpersonal human conflict doesn’t exist?

But Discovery found a workaround, putting Burnham in a position where logic led her to mutiny against her captain, attempting a strategy which ultimately failed — leaving humans in open combat with the legendarily warlike Klingons. Discovery also featured a long storyline which played out over an entire season, unlike many earlier Trek shows which tried to offer a new adventure every week.

'First, Last And Always, I Am A Fan': Michael Chabon Steers Latest 'Star Trek'

The show’s first season had plenty of action, with Harry Potter alum Jason Isaacs emerging as a compelling and unique starship captain (saying more would be a spoiler; log onto Paramount+ and check out the first season). Fans saw a new vision for Trek technology, leveraging sleek, visceral special effects and action sequences worthy of a big budget movie, with design elements cribbed from several of the franchise’s films.

Later in its run, Discovery would debut Ethan Peck as Spock and Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, classic Trek characters who eventually got their own acclaimed series in Strange New Worlds . So far, five other Trek series have emerged on Paramount+ from ideas initially incubated on Discovery – including a critically acclaimed season of Picard which reunited the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Not bad for a series one TV critic eventually called among “the worst in the [ Trek ] franchise’s history.”

Discovery’s unappreciated legacy

Unfortunately, Discovery has taken some turns which didn’t work out quite so well. At the end of Discovery ’s second season, the starship jumped ahead in time nine centuries – perhaps to remove it from Strange New World ’s timeline? – placing it in an environment only distantly connected to classic Trek .

And while Discovery initially seemed cautious about referencing classic Trek in its stories, later series like Strange New Worlds and Picard learned the value of diving into the near-60-year-old franchise’s legacy – regularly tapping the show’s longtime appeal, rather than twisting into knots to avoid it.

There are likely fans of Discovery who would disagree with this analysis. But I think it helps explain why the series has never quite gotten its due in the world of Star Trek , initially shaded by skeptical fans and later overshadowed by more beloved products.

Now is the perfect time to pay tribute to a show which actually accomplished quite a lot – helping prove that Roddenberry’s brainchild still has a lot of narrative juice left in the 21st Century.

Den of Geek

The Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast’s Best Non-Star Trek Roles

The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation put in good work before and after their time on the Enterprise.

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LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge, Brent Spiner as Data, Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher, Michael Dorn as Worf, Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker and Patrick Stewart as Picard in "The Last Generation" Episode 310, Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+.

When Star Trek returned to television screens after two decades in 1987, it looked very different from its predecessor. Gone were James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Bones, most of whom planned to return in the original sequel series Star Trek: Phase II . In their place stood a bald Shakespearean actor, the breakout star of the television miniseries Roots , and a member of Muppet creator Jim Henson’s team.

From those unlikely beginnings, Star Trek: The Next Generation grew to match and, for some, exceed the original series. Much of that success came from the cast, who had a far easier camaraderie than their predecessors and, some might argue, a more impressive resume. Before and after Trek , these actors became beloved figures in genre cinema and television, proving that they are even more than the crew who boldly went where no one had gone before.

Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier in Logan (2017)

Although he had only a few film credits to his name, including playing Gurney Halleck in Dune because David Lynch confused him with another actor, Patrick Stewart came to Star Trek with a respected actor on stage and television. He played John le Carré’s Russian intelligence agent Karla on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley’s People , V.I. Lenin on the BBC historical series Fall of Eagles , and numerous parts in Shakespeare productions. Although Stewart suffered from some typecasting, he managed to continue an impressive post- Trek career, playing against type in films such as Conspiracy Theory and Green Room . Also, he voiced a Poop Emoji in The Emoji Movie .

However, Stewart’s most impressive performance came as an aging and confused Charles Xavier in the third Wolverine solo movie Logan . Stewart’s stately and kind Professor X in X-Men made use of the persona he built as Jean-Luc Picard, a take on Xavier so pure that not even Kitty Pryde would call him a jerk. But Logan pushes Stewart to flex his acting muscles, playing Xavier as a man both bitter and saddened by his decline into dementia. Even more than Hugh Jackman ’s take on Wolverine without a healing factor, Stewart’s Xavier shows the tragedy of mutant powers in old age.

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LeVar Burton as Host of Reading Rainbow (1983 – 2006)

LeVar Burton came to Star Trek as one of the top-billed actors in the cast, thanks to his breakout role as Kunta Kinte in the television adaptation of Roots . Although Brent Spiner’s Data eventually ate up most of the screen time initially intended for Geordi LaForge, Burton remained a warm presence on the show, even when writers gave him terrible romance stories. That innate likability came through in Burton’s work, before and after Trek . In addition to directing several episodes of the series and its spin-offs, Burton appeared on Murder She Wrote and Christy , lent his voice to Captain Planet and the Planeteers and Family Guy , and poked fun at himself in a wonderful episode of Community .

But even those who grew up with TNG have to acknowledge hosting Reading Rainbow as Burton’s most important role. Burton took the job in 1983, several years before coming aboard the Enterprise , and continues to work with the series in its various forms. In every episode, Burton invites viewers to experience the joy of reading. Burton’s encouragement and kindness taught generations of fans (including this writer) how to read, building a legacy that outshines even the best Trek tale.

Jonathan Frakes as David Xanatos on Gargoyles (1994 – 1996)

The tall, handsome Jonathan Frakes seemed like an apology for fans who couldn’t accept the patrician Stewart in command of the Enterprise . Frakes’s good looks and swagger recalled the swashbuckling attitude of James T. Kirk, and with good reason. Before getting cast as William T. Riker, Frakes portrayed Captain America for Marvel in-person events and had a recurring part on the soap opera Falcon Crest . However, Frakes discovered his true passion while shooting TNG : directing. Frakes directed eight episodes of TNG , and has become a mainstay of the franchise’s bullpen, helming the movies First Contact and Insurrection as well as episodes of Discovery , Picard , and Strange New Worlds . In addition, Frakes hosted 45 episodes of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction , a role that lives on in the form of internet memes, and continues to do voice work on Lower Decks and Very Short Treks .

In fact, voice work gave Frakes his best non- Trek role, playing villainous David Xanatos on the Disney adventure series Gargoyles , a show that employed several TNG cast members, including Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn. As the rich and devious Xanatos, Frakes puts his smooth baritone to good work, breathing menace into every line reading, especially when pitted against Gargoyles leader Goliath. However, Xanatos also gives Frakes layers to play, as the seemingly heartless businessman carries a soft spot for his wife and child.

Brent Spiner as Earl Mills on Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)

One need only watch the TNG episode “Masks” to see that Brent Spiner can be so much more than an emotionless android. The episode, in which an alien community possesses Data via the titular headgear, functionally operates as Spiner’s demo reel, showing off the talents he brings to other roles. Spiner worked on and off-Broadway throughout the 1970s and enjoyed a few credits in film and television, including six episodes on the comedy Night Court . TNG raised Spiner’s profile, leading to regular work in genre shows and movies, appearing in Independence Day , voicing the Joker in Young Justice , and playing a police captain on Penny Dreadful: City of Angels .

However, Spiner’s most impressive work came in a drama, the HBO movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge , starring Halle Berry. Spiner plays Earl Mills, Dandridge’s manager and romantic interest, a man whose love and admiration for the titular actress and singer drives him to advocate for her against racist restrictions. Spiner earned a Satellite Award nomination for his performance and with good reason. As Mills, he got to not only show off his considerable charisma, but also play notes of anger, hurt, and resolution against the bigots his client encounters on a daily basis.

Marina Sirtis as Orli Elbaz on NCIS (2013 – 2016)

Of all the main cast members in TNG , Marina Sirtis had it the worst. Writers rarely knew what to do with Counselor Deanna Troi, too often forcing her to sit on the bridge and sense anger from the raging aliens on the viewscreen. Thankfully, writers did occasionally let Sirtis show off her acting chops in off-beat episodes such as “A Fistful of Datas” and with the drunken rant she delivers in Star Trek: First Contact . However, these parts appear too rarely in Sirtis’s filmography, overshadowed by ignoble roles as an assault victim in Death Wish 3 or adding some gravitas to cheapies like the 2007 sci-fi production of Grendel .

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However, Sirtis did get some parts equal to her abilities, including stints on Titans , Grey’s Anatomy , and the teen series Make It or Break It . Among these guest appearance run came Sirtis’s best part outside of ship’s counselor. Sirtis made three stops on the military procedural NCIS as Mossad Director Orli Elbaz. Elbaz allies with NCIS protagonist Agent Gibbs (Mark Harmon), but Sirtis gives the character a slightly untrustworthy air. In all three of her episodes, Sirtis plays Elbaz as a savvy player on the complex international stage, willing to work with other nations, if doing so advances the goals of her country.

Gates McFadden as Allison Rourke on Mad About You (1995 – 1996)

If you’re reading this, you know Gates McFadden as the actor who plays Dr. Beverly Crusher on The Next Generation , as well as bit parts in The Hunt for Red October or The Muppets Take Manhattan . However, you may also know the name Cheryl McFadden as a choreographer in the Jim Henson Company , where she directed the dance numbers in Labyrinth and other productions. The two names refer to the same person, even if McFadden likes to keep the two sides of her work separate. That professional pride allowed McFadden to stand up to sexist writers in the first season, eventually leading to her firing from the series after season one, only to return — with better-written parts — for season three.

Although McFadden has only two post- Trek film credits to either of her names, she did plenty of television before returning as Dr. Crusher for season three of Star Trek: Picard . While she remains regal and impressive in every case, McFadden shows off her full skills during a four-episode stint on 1990s must-see TV staple Mad About You . McFadden plays Allison Rourke, Paul’s (Paul Reiser) boss at a new job. The role gives McFadden plenty of mistaken identity sitcom bits to play, which she does with as much verve as she ever has, whether using a tricorder or getting goblins to dance, baby, dance.

Michael Dorn as Steel on Superman: The Animated Series (1996 – 2000)

As the third season of Star Trek: Picard reminded viewers, Michael Dorn has always been the funniest member of the cast. However, with his rich voice and physical presence, it’s no wonder that he got the part as Worf, the noble Klingon warrior, raised by humans and blazing new trails in Starfleet. While Dorn has been able to exercise his comic chops elsewhere, especially as the narcoleptic Sandman in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause , most of Dorn’s non- Trek work included either nods to Worf, as in Ted 2, and voice acting roles.

So it comes as no surprise that Dorn’s best part beyond the Son of Mogh was a vocal performance, namely playing John Henry Irons aka Steel on Superman: The Animated Series . Steel debuted in the season one episode “Heavy Metal,” in which Irons donned his signature armor to help Superman fight the Kryptonite-powered cyborg Metallo. Steel made full use of Irons’s vocal range: the intelligence of a scientist, the playfulness of an uncle, and the pride of a hero.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

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By Noel Murray

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The Disney streaming platform has hundreds of movie and TV titles, drawing from its own deep reservoir of classics and from Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic and more. These are our favorites.

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The 50 Best Movies on Max Right Now

In addition to new Warner and HBO films, the streamer has a treasure trove of Golden Age classics, indie flicks and foreign films. Start with these.

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Stream These 8 Movies Before They Leave Netflix in February

A handful of great titles are leaving the service for U.S. subscribers soon, including a bona fide comedy classic. See them while you can.

The 2006 Zach Galifianakis comedy special “Live at the Purple Onion” is one of Netflix’s first original comedy productions.

Where to Stream ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ ‘Elvis’ and More 2023 Oscar Nominees

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Colin Farrell in “The Banshees of Inisherin.”

‘MoviePass, MovieCrash’ Review: When They Take Your Company Away

An illuminating documentary about the ill-fated (though now-revived) subscription service finds an unexpected story.

By Alissa Wilkinson

“MoviePass, MovieCrash,” a new documentary by Muta’Ali, premiering Wednesday on HBO, answers a lot of questions about what, exactly, happened to the too-good-to-be-true subscription company.

‘Selling the Hamptons’: Real Estate Drama on Long Island

On the reality TV show, a motley crew of camera-ready real estate agents navigates the cutthroat market of multimillion dollar houses.

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Michael Fulfree, center, is one of the stars of “Selling the Hamptons.” On a recent Monday, he visited a home he hopes to sell with Albert Bongiorno, left, and Edmond Zenuni, right, who are both agents on his team.

Jean Smart Is Having a Third Act for the Ages

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Hannah Marks’s adaptation of John Green’s blockbuster young-adult novel builds a dynamic depiction of a teenager with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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Anne Hathaway Is Done Trying to Please

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The second season of Trek’s most underrated series is coming.

The USS Protostar in the second episode of 'Star Trek: Prodigy.'

The continuing mission of the crew of the USS Protostar is coming to Netflix at warp speed. After previously having b een yanked from Paramount+ , the nascent animated Star Trek spinoff series Star Trek: Prodigy is staging a massive comeback. After its apparent cancellation in 2023, it was later announced that Netflix would pick up the distribution of the series. And now, Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 is almost here. Here’s when the new episodes will hit Netflix, how many episodes there will be, and how to catch up on this Trek show if you missed it the first time around, back in 2021.

Mild spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1.

Set in the late 24th century — after Voyager , but before the flashbacks in Picard — the events of Prodigy mostly focus on a group of rag-tag teenage aliens who find an abandoned experimental Starfleet ship called the USS Protostar. Because all these kids are working in a horrible slave-mining situation (think Temple of Doom in space) they use the downed Protostar to escape. Armed with the life-changing Trek technology of the universal translator, this crew can suddenly understand each other, and, in search of a better life, leave the Delta Quadrant to find the Federation and Starfleet.

Consisting of 20 episodes in its first season, Prodigy began in a kind of vague Star Wars-ish universe, and then, gradually, brought the characters into the Star Trek universe. Creators Kevin and Dan Hageman viewed the show as the kind of series a young person could watch, and be introduced to various Star Trek ideas little by little. And, by the second half of Season 1, the crew of the Protostar is fully integrated into the machinations of Starfleet, in the familiar 24th century setting. By the end of Season 1, the crew was under the tutelage of Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), and set for a new adventure, possibly on a brand-new starship.

And now, after an almost two-year wait, Season 2 is finally coming.

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 release date

The crew of the Protostar in the season 1 finale of 'Star Trek: Prodigy'

The crew of the Protostar need a new ship. Will Season 2 deliver?

According to a tweet from showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman, Season 2 of Prodigy will hit Netflix on July 1 on Netflix. But, there’s a bit of a twist here. Like Season 1, this season of Prodigy is a full 20 episodes long. So, the question is, will all 20 episodes drop at once, as per standard Netflix practice? Or, will the season be split up somehow?

While some outlets are claiming all 20 episodes will drop on July 1, there’s been no confirmation from Netflix, CBS, Paramount, or the Hagemans on that detail. As of this writing, all we know is that Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 begins on July 1, 2024, on Netflix. Between then and now, it seems likely the distribution schedule of the episodes will be made clear, but until then, some Trekkies are preparing for one of the longest binges in Star Trek history.

Phasers on Stun!: How the Making — and Remaking — of Star Trek Changed the World

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Netflix’s Eric, Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale, and more new TV this week

Plus: The end of Hulu’s Under the Bridge, Hacks season 3, and more

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Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham standing on the bridge in a still from Star Trek Discovery

The week has barely started (if you’re in the U.S. and reading this on the Monday holiday: even less so!), and already there’s a whole lot of TV to get through.

With any luck, the long weekend gave you some time to catch up with things — after all, as our summer preview is any indication, there’s only gonna be even more coming soon. But while a bunch of new stuff might be coming up, there’s plenty to watch this week alone. Under the Bridge and Hacks are both wrapping up really strong seasons, while shows like Pyramid Game and We Are Lady Parts are just ramping up.

Here are all the best new TV premieres and finales this week.

New shows on Netflix

Genre: Drama miniseries Release date: May 30, with all episodes Showrunner/creator: Abi Morgan Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Gaby Hoffmann, and more

Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a puppeteer happily living and working in 1980s New York City. Then, his 9-year-old son goes missing on the way to school, plunging Vincent into a dark, volatile depression. Vincent believes his son will come back if only he can get Eric, a monster based on a drawing his son did, to the screen.

Genre: Teen show Release date: May 30 Based on the book by: Holly Smale Cast: Emily Carey, Sarah Parish, Emmanuel Imani, and more

Harriet (Emily Carey) is just another geek trying to get by in high school, even if it means brushing off some mean girl bullies to do it. But everything changes when — against the odds and Harriet’s wishes — she finds herself scouted to be the next hot supermodel.

New shows on Hulu

The veil season finale.

Imogen (Elisabeth Moss) kneeling behind a car with a gun out

Genre: Spy thriller Release date: May 28 Showrunner/creator: Steven Knight Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan, Josh Charles, and more

The stage is set in London for a deadly attack. But Imogen (Elisabeth Moss) and Adilah (Yumna Marwan) are also on the move. And with Imogen keeping her master plan secret from even us, it seems likely that this attack could go either way.

Under the Bridge finale

Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough in a still from Under the Bridge

Genre: True-crime mystery Release date: May 29 Showrunner/creator: Samir Mehta, Quinn Shephard Cast: Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and more

There’s nothing about the murder of Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) that feels easy to swallow, and it’s a testament to Under the Bridge that the show has been able to balance the complexities of that reality in its seven episodes so far. Now, it’s coming to a close — one that no doubt will carry the weight of every ounce of tragedy in this story.

New shows on Max

Hacks season 3 finale.

Deborah (Jean Smart) sits smiling with Ava (Hannah Einbinder) on the arm of her chair in a still from Hacks

Genre: Comedy Release date: May 30 Showrunner/creator: Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky Cast: Hannah Einbinder, Jean Smart, and more

It’s all happening for Deborah (Jean Smart), now that she finally got her dream of hosting a late-night show. Only suddenly, there’s some last-minute doubt: Will Ava (Hannah Einbinder) be allowed to come along for the ride?

New shows on Paramount Plus

Pyramid game.

Genre: Thriller Release date: May 30, with all 10 episodes Showrunner/creator: Choi Sui Cast: Bona, Jang Da-a, Ryu Da-in, and more

Seong Su-ji is a new student at the Baekyeon Girls’ High School, and everything is already feeling like a fight for survival as she battles bullies and studies alike. And then she’s introduced to a new ranking system that lets people secretly vote for who they think should be a class outcast. Now, Su-ji has to decide whether to keep going along (and possibly accepting the violence that comes with it) or else lead an uprising against this shadowy “Pyramid Game.”

Star Trek: Discovery series finale

L-R Alfredo Narciso as Ohvahz and Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery. They are wearing hand-made alien garments, and conversing calmly while sitting on the floor in a stone room.

Genre: Star Trek Release date: May 30 Showrunner/creator: Akiva Goldsman Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, and more

The end of an era! By which I mean not only the season we got of 900 years in Star Trek’s future, but also Discovery , which wraps up this Thursday. It’s the end of the first Star Trek show of the modern era, and is free in a way Star Trek hasn’t been in a long, long while , all while paving the way for more Trek to come.

New shows on Peacock

We are lady parts season 2.

Genre: “Yeah, I’m in a band” teen comedy Release date: May 30, with all episodes Showrunner/creator: Nida Manzoor Cast: Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, and more

We Are Lady Parts is back and ready to record their debut album. Which means it’s the perfect time for more bandmate shenanigans — including battling a rival Muslim band, playing a festival, exploring your “villain era.” All that and Malala Yousafzai is supposed to show up sometime this season!

New shows on Apple TV Plus

Loot season 2 finale.

Genre: Comedy Release date: May 29 Showrunner/creators: Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard Cast: Maya Rudolph, Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon, and more

The Wells Foundation — and Molly (Maya Rudolph), the billionaire woman who runs it — are nearing their greatest success yet. Which, of course, means reality is about to come crashing in with some major personal decisions. How will the dust settle in the season 2 finale?

New shows on Showtime

Couples therapy season 4.

Genre: Documentary series Release date: May 31, with one episode; on-air premiere at 10 p.m. EDT on June 2 Showrunner/creator: Dr. Orna Guralnik Cast: Real-life couples in therapy

It’s a new season of Couples Therapy, and an all-new cast of couples to undergo real therapy with Dr. Orna. The result will be unpredictable — couples therapy, after all, is about figuring yourselves out together, not necessarily saving the relationship. The good news? It will most likely be cathartic, one way or another.

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Star TREK TV cast "reunion" KIrk/checov ! stardate 2024
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COMMENTS

Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series 2017-2024)
Star Trek: Discovery: Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman. With Sonequa Martin-Green, Anthony Rapp, Doug Jones, Mary Wiseman. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien.
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery is an American science fiction television series created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+).It is the seventh Star Trek series and was released from 2017 to 2024. The series follows the crew of the starship Discovery beginning a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series in the 23rd century.
Star Trek: Renegades (TV Series 2015-2017)
Star Trek: Renegades: Created by Ethan H. Calk, Sky Douglas Conway, Jack Treviño. With Walter Koenig, Adrienne Wilkinson, Manu Intiraymi, Gary Graham. Set a decade after the U.S.S Voyager's return to Earth, a rag-tag crew of renegades and outcasts must covertly work with Admiral Chekov and Tuvok to stop forces threatening the Federation from outside, and within.
Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series 2017-2024)
October 15, 2017. While on a mission, Lorca is captured by the Klingons and unexpectedly finds himself in the company of prisoner of war Starfleet Lieutenant Ash Tyler and notorious criminal Harry Mudd. 7.3/10 (5.5K) Rate. Watch options.
Star Trek: Discovery
TV-MA 2017 - Present 5 Seasons Sci-Fi Drama TRAILER for Star Trek: Discovery: Season 5 Trailer List View All /tv/star_trek_discovery/videos videos Star Trek: Discovery: Season 3 Trailer Star Trek ...
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery. TRY IT FREE. While investigating an 800-year-old Romulan vessel, USS Discovery uncovers a mysterious piece of technology believed to hold the key to unlocking the galaxy's greatest mystery. Discovery isn't alone, however, and quickly becomes embroiled in an epic race across the cosmos to protect the artifact at all costs ...
Watch Star Trek: Discovery
After a century of silence, war erupts between the Federation and Klingon Empire, with a disgraced Starfleet officer at the center of the conflict. Watch trailers & learn more.
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV "Star Trek" channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain ...
A Discovery Premiere Primer
Discovery follows characters aboard two ships, the U.S.S. Shenzhou, captained by Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), and the U.S.S. Discovery, led by Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs).Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) - a human raised since childhood as the ward of the Vulcan, Sarek -- is the series' protagonist, a real first for Trek, as the tale will be told through the eyes of someone ...
Star Trek: Discovery Sets Premiere Date
Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV "Star Trek" channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain ...
Everything We Know About 'Star Trek: Discovery' 2017 TV Series So Far
The Plot. As the first TV show in the franchise since Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled in 2005, Discovery will be chock-full of new characters, ships, and likely some fresh intergalactic ...
Star Trek TV show 2017: Everything you need to know
The show's writing staff includes Hannibal 's Jesse Alexander, playwright Kemp Powers, Voyager veteran Joe Menosky, Trek novelist Kristen Beyer and Aron Eli Coleite of Heroes. Vincenzo Natali ...
Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series 2017-2024)
Michael Perfitt. ... score engineer and mixer / music sound design / scoring engineer and mixer / score engineer / score engineered and mixed by / score mixer / sound engineer and mixer (56 episodes, 2017-2024) Eric Shetzen. ... musician: bass (55 episodes, 2017-2024) Gina Zimmitti.
STAR TREK DISCOVERY Official Trailer (2017) Netflix, TV Show HD
STAR TREK DISCOVERY Official Trailer (2017) Netflix, TV Show HD© 2017 - NetflixComedy, Kids, Family and Animated Film, Blockbuster, Action Movie, Blockbuste...
List of Star Trek television series
Star Trek: Discovery debuted in 2017, ... Star Trek: Picard, like Discovery, is a serialized drama created for CBS All Access; it premiered on January 23, 2020. ... In 1996, TV Guide published the following as the ten best Star Trek episodes for the franchise's 30th anniversary:
Watch Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 7: Star Trek: Discovery
54M MAY 09, 2024 TV-14. S5 E7: Discovery becomes embroiled in a diplomatic crisis with a menacing foe. ... 2017 . The Vulcan Hello . SUBSCRIBE . S1 ... Star Trek: Discovery To Conclude With Fifth And Final Season In Early 2024
Star Trek TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer
(Photo by Paramount+/CBS) Star Trek TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer. Updated: September 8, 2023. The Star Trek universe kicked off in 1966 with the original series, created by science fiction visionary Gene Roddenberry, and later exploded into a massive film and TV juggernaut.. While the original series, which starred William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, saw ...
New Star Trek Series Premieres January 2017
By StarTrek.com Staff. CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new Star Trek television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States ...
'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 finale: Date, cast, where to watch
The 5th and final season of the TV series followed Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery embark on "an epic adventure across the galaxy." ... "Star Trek: Discovery" debuted in 2017 ...
Star Trek (2017 TV series)
A to-be-retitled Star Trek series is an upcoming American television series co-created and showrun by Bryan Fuller for CBS All Access, the first series produced specifically for that service, and the first Star Trek series since Star Trek: Enterprise ceased production in 2005. It is set to premiere on CBS in January 2017 before moving to All Access. The series will introduce new characters to ...
'Star Trek: Discovery' ends as an underappreciated TV pioneer
A take on Star Trek for modern TV Discovery debuted in 2017 on CBS All Access — the streaming service which would become Paramount+ — facing a serious challenge.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast's Best Non-Star Trek Roles
The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation put in good work before and after their time on the Enterprise. ... (2017) Although he had only ... TV Star Trek Just Showed How TNG's Worst Episode ...
What to Watch
The 50 Best TV Shows and Movies to Watch on Disney+ Right Now. The Disney streaming platform has hundreds of movie and TV titles, drawing from its own deep reservoir of classics and from Star Wars ...
Netflix Is Finally Getting A New Season of Star Trek: Prodigy
While some outlets are claiming all 20 episodes will drop on July 1, there's been no confirmation from Netflix, CBS, Paramount, or the Hagemans on that detail. As of this writing, all we know is ...
Netflix's Eric, Star Trek Discovery's series finale, and more new TV
Genre: Thriller. Release date: May 30, with all 10 episodes. Showrunner/creator: Choi Sui. Cast: Bona, Jang Da-a, Ryu Da-in, and more. Seong Su-ji is a new student at the Baekyeon Girls' High ...