ruk on star trek

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Who did Ted Cassidy play in ‘Star Trek’?

Standing six feet nine inches tall, Ted Cassidy was an imposing actor. He is perhaps best remembered for playing the gloomy butler Lurch across 64 episodes of The Addams Family from 1964 to 1966. But he also appeared multiple times in the original series of Star Trek .

Cassidy first brought his talents to the show in the early episode “The Corbomite Maneuver,” voicing the terrifying puppet guise of the alien known as Balok. He also did superb voicework as the Gorn Captain in the brilliant first season episode “ Arena .” As Captain Kirk and the Gorn are locked in a gladiatorial combat to the death, it is Cassidy’s voice that taunts him with iconic lines: “This is your opponent, Earthling. I have heard every word you have said.” Likely due to expensive insurance, it was Trek stuntman Bobby Clark who actually donned the styrofoam suit of reptilian hideousness.

Cassidy shines as Ruk

But all 205cm of Cassidy showed up for the often-underrated but always interesting episode “ What Are Little Girls Made Of? ,” where he played a rather depressed android with a seemingly eternal lifespan.

Cassidy brought a nuance to the role beyond that of being a simple henchman. Ruk is an android whose creators have long since died. He maintains the facility at Exo III, going through the motions of his previous life, but lacking any purpose. That all changes when Federation scientist Roger Korby lands on the planet. Suddenly, Ruk’s existence has meaning again. He can look after Korby and help him with his research. Despite his high level of intelligence and conviction, Ruk becomes Korby’s dogsbody.

After some years, Captain Kirk and Nurse Chapel of the USS Enterprise arrive. Kirk’s first encounters with Ruk are unnerving, and as Kirk eventually begins to unravel Korby’s deranged plans, Ruk sets out to hunt him down.

The plot takes a turn, however, when Kirk attempts to convince Ruk to resist Korby rather than serve him. In one unforgettable scene, Cassidy lifts William Shatner clean off the floor, holding him in the air like a ragdoll. It is at this moment Ruk realizes that he has been used by Korby and must rebel, exclaiming “ That was the equation! Existence! Survival must cancel out programming!”

Cassidy seems to have had a lot of fun on set. In one famous anecdote relayed by William Shatner , Cassidy helped to chase off a persistent salesman who was hanging around the set. In full makeup as Ruk, he pretended to be showrunner Gene Roddenberry. incredibly, the salesman was unfazed by this, and proceeded to try and sell the hulking android an oversized suit.

With Strange New Worlds beginning the Christine Chapel/Roger Korby arc at the end of the last season, the episode is well worth a rewatch.

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The Exo III androids were originally created by the inhabitants of Exo III after their star began to steadily fade, forcing them underground to avoid the frigid conditions on the surface. Finding their creators illogical and ultimately self-destructive, the androids rebelled, killing their creators. All but one, Ruk, was deactivated or destroyed by 2261 , when Roger Korby —nearly dead from exposure to the surface conditions—found Ruk. Using the machines that Ruk had maintained for millennia, Korby transferred his mind into an android body. He then used the machines to create a doppelgänger of his deceased colleague, Dr . Brown , as well as a female companion, Andrea . When the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 arrived in orbit of the planet on Stardate 2712.4 , Korby created a duplicate of Captain James T. Kirk , and attempted to use the ship to infiltrate the Federation with androids. Kirk violently rebelled against Korby's plan, resulting in the deaths of all of the androids, including Ruk. [1]

Notes and References

• ↑ Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" . Star Trek , season 1, episode 7 (Production number 10). Directed by James Goldstone . Written by Robert Bloch . Desilu Productions . 20 October 1966 .
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Ruk is a Super Rare [4-star] crew member.

Ruk is a version of Ruk from the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" (1x09)

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Bringing food and classic television together, born on this date: ted cassidy.

Ted Cassidy was born July 31, 1932.

The 6-foot-9-inch actor was best known for playing Lurch on The Addams Family from 1964 to 1966. He also played Ruk in a Star Trek episode titled “What are Little Girls Made Of?” and appeared in character roles on various other series. In addition, the deep-voiced actor had an impressive career in voice acting. He died in 1979 at age 46.

As the harpsichord-playing butler Lurch on The Addams Family, Cassidy would answer the door, growling, “You rang?” Viewers might not have been aware that Cassidy also played the role of Thing (a disembodied hand).

Below, Cassidy performs a dance called “The Lurch” on a 1965 episode of  Shindig!  In character as Lurch, he stands like a pole while the Shindig Dancers move around him, before he literally lurches into dance. “The Lurch” was released as a novelty song earlier that same year.

Ted Cassidy performs The Lurch on Shindig! (Oct. 30, 1965)

“The Lurch” lyrics (Gong) Lurch: You Rang? Singers: Hi, Lurch! Lurch: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Singers: Hey, Lurch, we just heard the news around town Lurch: Newwwwwwwws? Singers: And we’re here to see what you’re putting down Lurch: Ahhhhhhhhh ha-ha-ha! Singers: We thought you might give us a chance and teach us how to do the Lurch daaaance annnn-ance Lurch: My pleasure Singers: Hey, Lurch, teach us how to do the Lurch dance Lurch: Your servant Singers: Yeah, Lurch, we wanna learn to do the Lurch dance Lurch: Follow me. Yah ah ah ah ahhh ah ah ah ahh. It’s a brand new bag! Yeah! Yah ah ah ah. Don’t just stand there! Lurch! Ah ah aha. Good. Now you got it! Singers: Hey, Lurch, thanks a lot for turning us on! Lurch: You’re welcome! Singers: To a dance that we can do to any song. Lurch: Any time! Singers: Now everybody, c’mon and do itIt’s easy and there’s really nothing to it! oooooh Lurch: Ah ah ah ah Singers: Hey, Lurch, we’re really glad we learned to Lurch. Lurch: To know it is to love it! Singers: Hmm hmmm, we’re really glad we learned to Lurch. Do the Lurch! Lurch: Satisfaction, jubilation! Singers: Hmm hmmm, we’re really glad we learned to Lurch. Do the Lurch!

And to close out the post, here is some Lurch beefcake. It never occurred to me to wonder what “Lurch” looked like in a bathing suit, but now I know.

Happy birthday, Ted Cassidy!

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A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

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He was created in response to The One 's sapping of Exo III's primary star. ( TNG novel : Q-Strike )

He and his fellow androids eventually rebelled against the Old Ones when they realized that they were superior to their creators. The Old Ones began to deactivate the androids but they could not avert their own extermination as the androids overcame their programming and slew their masters. ( TOS episode & Star Trek 11 novelization : What Are Little Girls Made Of? )

Whilst their creators were dead, the androids developed a degree of paranoia toward all organic life , who they believed were a threat to their existence. As the Old Ones never developed space flight technology , the androids were restricted to Exo III and hoped that another intelligent, organic species would discover them. When such an event occurred, the androids planned to take over the invaders' space craft and use it to escape in order to find a solution to their inherent problem that the Old Ones denied them. Until that time, the androids decided to enter into stasis and left one of their own, Ruk, behind to serve as caretaker as well as watchman, while they were slumbering. Ruk tended to the machines left behind by the Old Ones throughout the intervening millennia. ( TNG novel : Immortal Coil )

Another account suggested it was the Old Ones themselves who left Ruk on stand-by mode for approximately 500,000 years. ( TNG novel : Q-Strike )

Ruk was discovered by Doctors Roger Korby and Aaron Brown in 2261 . Korby eventually managed to reprogram Ruk, who assisted him in the creation of four additional androids: Andrea , a duplicate of Korby himself and two of Brown after the deaths of their Human bodies. ( TOS episode & Star Trek 11 novelization : What Are Little Girls Made Of? , TOS novel : Double, Double )

By 2266 , Korby had developed a plan to slowly infiltrate android duplicates into society with the end goal of replacing all humanoid lifeforms in the galaxy with androids. When Captain James T. Kirk and Nurse Christine Chapel of the USS Enterprise arrived on Exo III in that year, Ruk imprisoned them on Korby's order and assisted him in the creation of an android duplicate of Kirk. Kirk was able to convince Ruk that his survival was threatened by Korby by reminding him of the rebellion against the Old Ones which had occurred hundreds of thousands of years earlier. Ruk turned against his new master but was almost immediately vaporized by Korby.

Ruk described himself as "more complex than Brown. Much superior." He was considerably taller, larger and stronger than most humanoids, being able to effortlessly lift Kirk with one arm. He also had the ability to mimic voices perfectly. ( TOS episode & Star Trek 11 novelization : What Are Little Girls Made Of? )

Alternate reality [ ]

In an alternate reality , Ruk was a member of the Imperial Elite , the super-powered enforcers of the Imperial Planets Science Police . In this reality , Ruk had been reconstructed with one-half of his body built with different technology . With his robotic brain, Ruk was able to control fellow Elite member Validus —a similar arrangement to the way an alternate Validus was en slaved by the cyborg Tharok in the reality of the Legion of Super-Heroes . When encountering Ruk, Captain James T. Kirk recognized the android after having encountered him in the primary universe .

When the Legion and a landing party from the Federation starship USS Enterprise were trapped in the Imperial Planets' timeline , Ruk and the Imperial Elite squared off against the time-travellers and were defeated. Ruk in particular was defeated when Captain Kirk tried to lunge the android, allowing himself to be grabbed into a stranglehold—much as he was in his first battle with the other Ruk—giving Cosmic Boy a chance to immobilize Ruk with magnetic power. ( TOS - Legion of Super-Heroes comic : " Issue 3 ")

External links [ ]

• Ruk article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Ruk article at DC Comics Database , the DC Comics wiki.
• Ruk article at the Star Trek Timelines Wiki .
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Old Ones (Exo III)

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The android duplicator was perhaps the greatest invention of the Old Ones

"The Old Ones " was the name of a particular race that lived on planet Exo III , given by one of their creations, an android named Ruk .

When the surface of Exo III began to freeze as its star died, its people moved underground, sacrificing their open environment for the possibility of survival within dark caves on the planet. Roger Korby discovered evidence confirming a theory he had: that freedom of movement and choice produced the Human spirit – as the people of Exo III moved underground, they exchanged freedom for a more mechanistic culture.

Eventually, they developed the technology to construct androids. The best of these machines were remarkably capable: physically strong, mentally agile, capable of functioning without guidance for centuries. The Old Ones continued to improve their machines, eventually giving them the ability to feel emotions . Perhaps their greatest technical achievement was the android duplicator , a mechanism that could manufacture a copy of a living being, including his memories.

Giving their androids emotions turned out to be a mistake, as the machines became frustrated with the illogical, inferior beings that had created them. The Old Ones grew afraid of their creations, and began to turn them off. Their survival threatened, the androids overcame their programming and destroyed their builders.

When Korby arrived in 2261 , Ruk was still tending the ancient machinery, and had been doing so for longer than even he was capable of remembering – many centuries, at least.

According to Ruk, all of the Old Ones were killed. In 2266 , Captain James T. Kirk visited Exo III, attempting to contact Korby. Ensuing events led to the destruction of Ruk and all of the androids created by Korby. The ancient records, Korby's notes, and the android duplicator survived. ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

• 1.1 Background information
• 1.2 Apocrypha
• 1.3 External link

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Given that the episode in which they appeared was written by horror author Robert Bloch , a fan of horror author H. P. Lovecraft (and wrote frequently for the Cthulhu Mythos ), the Old Ones here were based on the Old Ones of Lovecraft's writings. ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., pp. 40-41)

Bloch also wrote " Catspaw ", which makes reference to another " Old Ones ".

Apocrypha [ ]

According to the novella " The Worst of Both Worlds ", the mirror universe James T. Kirk of the ISS Enterprise destroyed the last surviving member of the android society (presumably Ruk's mirror counterpart) on Exo III, which had likewise turned on their masters ( β ) and killed them.

External link [ ]

• Old Ones at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

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How L'ak's Costume In Star Trek: Discovery Sneakily Hinted At His True Identity

This post contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Discovery."

In its final season, "Star Trek: Discovery" has reintroduced a species of aliens that "Star Trek" fans haven't seen in live-action in decades. The Breen, a mysterious warrior race that first appeared in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," have made their surprise return in recent weeks thanks to the gooier half of ill-fated courier duo Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis).

In their original incarnation, the Breen appeared clad in metal helmets with snout-like protrusions and green laser-like eye bands. They were typically covered up in outfits featuring diagonal metal bands, and though characters on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" often made offhand comments about what the then-unseen aliens might be like, little was explained about their culture in the 20th century "Star Trek" shows . Enter "Discovery," which has a long track record of building upon and deepening existing in-universe lore. The final season's fifth episode revealed L'ak (who died soon after, R.I.P. to a real one) as a member of the Breen, but according to costume designer Anthony Tran, the clues to his identity were there all along.

The new Breen have cool refrigeration suits

In a recent episode of the "Trek" aftershow "The Ready Room With Wil Wheaton," Tran explained how he came up with the costumes for Moll and L'ak, who he said were described to him as "a futuristic Bonnie and Clyde." While he cited biker gangs as the main inspiration for the duo's outfits, Tran also noted that he was able to design L'ak's getup with the Breen in mind after being told where the season was headed. "L'ak, knowing that he was a Breen from the beginning and trying to nod to that, we look at the tubing that we also used in our Breen as kind of the idea of this kind of coolant refrigeration thing," Tran explained, showing off the details of the costume.

Writer Carlos Cisco explained the thought process behind L'ak's "refrigeration suits" further on the podcast "The 7th Rule" ( via ScreenRant ):

"The thinking was that the Breen always had these refrigeration suits, at least as far as we'd seen them. Our thinking was the Breen as sort of a natural species were bifurcated in the sense that they can be both gelatinous and solid in that sense. But the solid state takes an intense amount of focus and concentration in order to maintain. And it was basically there as this is your protective shell. This is how you stay safe."

L'ak's costume included clues to his Jelly Breen status

According to Cisco, the show's writers decided that, over time, the Breen had evolved away from showing their "solid face," going so far as to nickname the current version of the Breen audiences are seeing as "the Jelly Breens." It's those Breen who, like L'ak, are able to show off a funky gelatinous version of their own faces. Since Tan knew L'ak was a Breen, he was able to design the costumes to include nods to the "Deep Space Nine" version of the beings, including plenty of diagonal metal tubing that looks like an updated version of the outfits from the very '90s TV show. "All of his seams are all kind of diagonal, which again was meant to kind of give a subtle nod to the Breen, as was this kind of grid texture that comes from the 'Deep Space Nine' Breen," Tran explained.

Interestingly, this is actually the second time the Breen have popped up in a modern "Star Trek" series. "Star Trek: Lower Decks" portrayed the species back in late season 3 , though the animated series' vision of the species was more in line with the "Deep Space Nine" version of the Breen, glowing green snout masks and all.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery" premiere Thursdays on Paramount+, with the series finale set to arrive on May 30, 2024.

• 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”
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• May 29, 2024 | Watch: Saru Has A Daring Plan To Save The Federation In Clip From ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Finale
• May 29, 2024 | Interview: Doug Jones On ‘Space Command,’ And Saru’s Legacy After ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Series Finale

Watch: Saru Has A Daring Plan To Save The Federation In Clip From ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Finale

| May 29, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 18 comments so far

The season 5 finale (which is also the series finale) of Star Trek: Discovery arrives tomorrow. A new clip gives us a clue of what Saru’s role will be wrapping things up. Watch it below, with SPOILERS .

One last mission for Saru…

Here is the brand new preview (via IGN ) for “Life, Itself” with Doug Jones as Saru and Rachael Ancheril as Commander Nhan and Oded Fehr as Admiral Vance…

For more from Doug Jones, check out our brand new interview with the actor . We will have more from Doug after the season finale debuts.

ICYMI: Episode Trailer

Here is the episode preview…

“Life, Itself” debuts on Paramount+ on Thursday, May 30.

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

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And sir it’s the Enterprise

I’ve seen some theories online it shows up…

I’m willing to bet money on this, yes.

NCC-1701-P , the “Picard” Enterprise

I’m sure the yields are exponentially bigger, but it’s a little wild to think Starfleet is still using photon torpedos after 1000 years.

The Enterprise coming to the rescue would make me forget all the annoying things about DSC… I forget how the ISS 1701 even reappeared this season but isn’t it still a 900 year old ship? What can it do against the Breen, unless they gave it a refit…

Yeah it would make no sense. It’s an ancient ship that has basically been sitting stagnant for nearly a millennium. And against the Breen???

And it would be crazy they gave it a complete refit in a week lol. That said this is still Discovery, so…

I’m not sure where people are getting the idea that the Enterprise could be coming to the rescue. The clip only mentions Saru’s shuttle.

Besides, I rather see the Voyager-J come to the rescue with command hologram Janeway.

Yeah the Voyager J would actually make sense. Fully onboard with that idea.

They did it for Discovery.

However, the 32nd Century DOES have an Enterprise. It was mentioned in Season 4.

As someone who hasn’t watched Discovery since season 1, does the camera ever stop shaking?

Yeah, same here. For some reason I thought the shaky cam had gone out of style in recent years. Guess it’s still hanging in there.

I would say it’s less shaky than just constantly moving. In any given shot there’s almost always a subtle pan/zoom – not so much as to be distracting, but it’s definitely noticeable if you’re paying attention.

Farwell Commander Nhan

And Saru too? They seem to be telegraphing that those guys are going to die.

Honestly, I’m just excited that we might see this oft talked about new fangled pathway drive, after it’s been teased since the first episode of season 4.

Uh, which midnight? Not Eastern.

Probably the same time that’s always been in your time zone.

How Kirk Came Back to Life In Star Trek Into Darkness and Why It's a Problem

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• Star Trek Into Darkness was controversial due to its misleading marketing about Benedict Cumberbatch playing Khan.
• The film remixed classic Star Trek moments, like Captain Kirk's resurrection using Khan's blood, creating narrative issues.
• The revelation of a potential "death cure" in Starfleet, via Khan's blood, was a major story thread left unresolved.

When creating a new installment of a beloved storytelling universe, whatever story it tells is bound to be controversial to fans. Yet, Star Trek Into Darkness is perhaps the most controversial of the 2010s reboot movies for a number of reasons. However, the biggest problem with the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline is tied to how Captain James T. Kirk came back to life in Into Darkness after dying of radiation exposure.

During the marketing for Star Trek Into Darkness director J.J. Abrams, the cast and anyone involved swore on a stack of Starfleet manuals that Benedict Cumberbatch was not playing classic villain Khan. This was a lie, which Abrams admitted was a mistake and it hurt the film. Yet, even if they'd been upfront about what they were trying to do, the whole story would've still been problematic and not just because of casting. The film "remixed" one of the classic Star Trek moments earned after decades of stories. Beyond the impact on the viewer, the way Doctor McCoy is able to revive Captain Kirk from death created a massive problem the successive film simply never mentions again. Khan's blood is, effectively, a "cure" for death.

Why It Was a Mistake to Try to Revisit The Wrath of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness

The new star trek series could erase the kelvin timeline, but shouldn't.

Since the Kelvin Timeline movies debuted, some Star Trek fans want them erased from canon, and the Paramount+ series could do it. But it shouldn't.

Spock's death in The Wrath of Khan is a singular moment in Star Trek and, arguably, cinema. In the docuseries The Center Seat - 55 Years of Star Trek , director Nicholas Meyer talked about shooting that scene and how it brought the crew to tears. The history between Kirk and Spock, as well as William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in those roles, gave it a poignancy that can't be matched or imitated . The two characters -- who mean so much to fans and each other -- are separated by a simple pane of glass, creating a heartbreaking closeness and distance in those final moments. The scene in Star Trek Into Darkness , which swaps Kirk and Spock, has none of that.

When filming that scene, legendary Star Trek producer Harve Bennett realized they needed an "out" for Spock. On that day, Leonard Nimoy improvised the mind-meld with an unconscious Doctor McCoy, saying the word "Remember." They knew they needed a way to bring Spock back from oblivion, and it took two full movies to do it: The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home . Both the Spock character and Nimoy continued, even appearing briefly in Star Trek Into Darkness to offer some sage advice to his younger self. Yet, this universe and these versions of the characters had neither the history nor the narrative space to do justice to their version of this moment .

Fans and critics alike can quibble about whether Khan should've been used in the story or not. In fact, Khan is barely a villain in the movie, with Admiral Alexander Marcus as the true "heavy" of the film. The inclusion of Khan , and this clunky remix of Spock's death, undercut what was a relevant and, arguably, powerful story about American foreign policy over the past 30 years like Star Trek: The Original Series often did with the politics and conflicts of its day. Like with the prescient political allegory in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Star Wars prequels, fans missed all that. Only rather than being too far afield from what they expected, Star Trek Into Darkness tried to recapture the magic of one of the universe's best stories of old.

Star Trek Into Darkness Used Khan's Super Blood to Bring Kirk Back to Life

Star trek into darkness is a better movie than fans remember.

From the Khan deception to a corrupt Starfleet, Star Trek Into Darkness was a controversial movie, but a decade later, it's better than fans remember.

While the Star Trek films of the past took two sequels to bring back the version of Spock audiences recognized, the Kelvin Timeline had no such luxury. Kirk needed to be alive and back in command of the USS Enterprise when credits rolled. In fact, the film ends with the beginning of the "five-year mission" the ship was on in Star Trek: The Original Series . Spock was revived thanks to "the Genesis Device" which created life on dead planets. Kirk was revived by Khan's genetically-augmented blood which didn't create life, but it did bring one of Star Trek 's fuzzy little tribbles back from the dead .

In the scene in which Kirk regains consciousness -- apparently two full weeks after Khan's defeat -- McCoy mentions he was "barely dead." Earlier, he places Kirk's body in a cryo-tube to "preserve brain function." This suggests that without this device, Kirk's death would've been more permanent, Khan's "super-blood" notwithstanding. Beyond this, the characters don't turn to Star Trek 's signature "technobabble" used to explain the magical, impossible things they do with their future technology. How Khan's blood reanimated the tribble, or Kirk for that matter , is left to viewers' imaginations.

Similarly, Into Darkness doesn't reveal what happens to Khan or his genetically augmented "family" in the cryo-tubes. There is a single scene of them all laid out in a dark, sealed room, reminiscent of the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark . While this is something of a story problem, it also creates an in-universe problem that pushes at the limits of scientific ethics and how far these scientists of the future can go to preserve life . After all, that is one of the central missions of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. Khan's blood, even if only in certain cases, is a cure for death.

Has Starfleet Found a Way to Reverse Death in the Kelvin Timeline?

Every enterprise captain in star trek, ranked.

There is no ship more venerated in Star Trek than the Enterprise, and many officers have served as captain, but how do they rank against each other?

In the film, McCoy is insistent that it has to be Khan whose blood is used to bring Kirk back. Despite the fact there are more than ten dozen other genetic augments in cryo-tubes on the ship. Again, this is not explained, but it's easy to surmise why it had to be Khan. In Star Trek: Enterprise , other genetic augments like Khan appeared in a story, showing not all of them were created equal .

As a prequel, Enterprise is technically part of the Kelvin Timeline , too. With Kirk's life on the line and time being of the essence, McCoy is insistent on using Khan's blood to synthesize his death cure simply because he knows it will work. But what about after the events of Star Trek Into Darkness ? Unless Starfleet Medical would be able to synthesize McCoy's cure without more of Khan's blood, he and any augments with this specific modification could reverse countless unnecessary deaths .

Anyone who succumbs to radiation poisoning or similar maladies could be revived and healed with a simple infusion, provided they were frozen before brain function ceased. While the film makes it clear that using Khan and his fellow augments as instruments of death is evil, would it be so bad if their blood was used to save lives? Since Khan and his fellow augments simply want to live their lives in peace, they might even consent to allowing Starfleet to "use" them to create a bulwark against death.

Should Star Trek Revisit Into Darkness in the Final Kelvin Timeline Movie?

Everything we know about michelle yeoh's upcoming star trek movie.

Star Trek: Section 31 is the next film in the Star Trek franchise, though information is scarce. Here's what's known about Michelle Yeoh's new movie.

Star Trek Beyond didn't bring up Khan, his super-blood or McCoy's death cure, even though they could've used it. With a fourth and final Kelvin Timeline film on the horizon, should this topic be broached again? At the very least, storytellers could hand-wave it away like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker did with "the Holdo Maneuver" from Star Wars: The Last Jedi . With a few lines of technobabble, McCoy or someone else could explain Kirk's resurrection was a fluke and successive attempts to resurrect the recently dead had failed.

It's been almost ten years since this cast joined together to make a Star Trek film. The tragic passing of Chekov actor Anton Yelchin only adds to the reasons never to mention this again. Still, without sufficiently addressing McCoy's serum that resurrected Kirk in Into Darkness , the question of whether Starfleet is sitting on a "death cure" is a very large story thread left dangling. For all the questionable decisions made during the making of and release of Star Trek Into Darkness , this is perhaps the biggest mistake.

Star Trek Into Darkness is available to own on DVD, Blu-ray, digital and streams on Paramount+ .

Star Trek Into Darkness

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction

Star Trek (TV Series)

What are little girls made of (1966), full cast & crew.

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

Star trek: discovery's commander rayner is the new riker, saru is missing from star trek: discovery season 5 - doug jones explains why.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 9, "Lagrange Point".

• Commander Rayner leads a thrilling rescue mission in a final battle against the Breen Imperium on multiple fronts.
• Burnham and Moll venture into an ominous portal, facing dangers and potential past adversaries.
• Saru returns to negotiate with the Breen Imperium, setting up a dramatic encounter for the finale.

The end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 9, "Lagrange Point", sets up a final battle with the Breen Imperium on military and diplomatic fronts. The climax puts Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) and Ambassador Saru (Doug Jones) in a race against time to save Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and protect the Progenitors' treasure. Taking its name from a gravitational phenomenon which has implications for the episode's climax, "Lagrange Point", written by Sean Cochran & Ari Friedman, directed by Jonathan Frakes , is a thrilling heist movie that sends Burnham and an away team to infiltrate the Breen Imperium.

As "Lagrange Point" opens, the USS Discovery has just about recovered from the damage it sustained at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 8 , "Labyrinths". Unfortunately, their repairs put them behind Moll (Eve Harlow) and the Breen, who acquire the structure which houses the Progenitors' treasure. Placed inside a Lagrange Point between two primordial black holes, the structure contains an interdimensional gateway to where the five surviving 24th century scientists hid the Progenitors' technology. As Commander Rayner launches a daring rescue mission to get his people back to Discovery, Moll and Burnham become trapped in another dimension.

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.

Burnham and Moll Have Vanished - Where Does The Progenitors Treasure Portal Lead?

At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 9, Moll escapes into the Progenitors' portal, desperate not to lose her chance to resurrect L'ak (Elias Toufexis). Desperate to secure the treasure for the Federation, Burnham follows her into the rather ominous looking white void. It's unclear what's on the other side, whether it's a blank white space like Discovery 's infinity room or a fully formed alternative dimension. While Moll and the Breen were investigating the portal earlier in the episode, two soldiers were lost on the other side, which doesn't bode well for either Moll or Burnham.

Following Moll into the Progenitors' portal is particularly ominous for Burnham as she's going in alone. If the two Breen soldiers survive, then Moll will have backup on the other side of the gateway, meaning that Burnham will be outnumbered. Worse still, Moll has a portable pattern buffer that contains L'ak , so that she can resurrect him with the Progenitors' treasure. If Moll's successful, then Burnham will have to take on Moll and L'ak alone, which didn't go well for her back in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1.

Preserved in Moll's portable pattern buffer, L'ak joins Star Trek characters like Captain Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) and Rukiya M'Benga (Sage Arrindell) who were both kept alive by Starfleet's transporter technology.

Rayner Takes Command Of The USS Discovery To Save Burnham

With Burnham lost in another dimension with Moll, it's up to Commander Rayner to lead the USS Discovery crew in saving their captain and securing the Progenitors' treasure. The final scene of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 9, "Lagrange Point", is a punch-in-the-air moment for fans of Commander Rayner. Since his demotion in Discovery season 5, episode 2, Rayner has struggled to take the conn from Burnham . This hasn't escaped Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) or Commander Gen Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon) , who are both uncomfortable with Rayner's pacing, and his refusal to sit in the center seat.

Chosen by Rayner as his acting Number One, Tilly gives him some of her " warm and fuzzy encouragement ", by affirming that the crew are 100% behind Burnham's Number One. It's a touching moment in an action-packed hour that sets up Tilly and Rayner as Star Trek: Discovery 's most unlikely friendship. It's incredibly satisfying, therefore, to see Rayner take this on board, and finally sit in the center seat, ready to lead his crew on a daring mission to defeat the Breen and secure the treasure. Rayner even gets an appropriately matter-of-fact catchphrase; " Let's do this ".

Star Trek: Discovery's new Number One, Commander Rayner, shares many similarities with TNG's Commander William T Riker that go beyond the beard.

Burnham & Rayner's Plan To Steal The Progenitors Portal Calls Back To Star Trek II

While Burnham and Saru are Star Trek: Discovery 's Kirk and Spock , the captain of the USS Discovery does have a similar shorthand with her new Number One, Commander Rayner. Trapped behind enemy lines, Burnham sends Rayner a message that she hadn't got her " grum of osikod ", which pricks up the Kellerun's ears. Burnham then goes on to describe her first confrontation with Moll and L'ak , highlighting their " fried " shields and the fact she was sent out into space but saved by her crew.

Burnham's reference to " a grum of osikod " is taken from the Kellerun poem The Ballad of Krul , which she previously used as a code for Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors".

All of which communicates to Rayner that Burnham wants him to fly the Discovery right into the Breen Dreadnought's shuttle bay, destroying the Breen's shields and blasting Burnham, Booker, and the structure into space. It's similar to how Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) communicated his plans to Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Their conversation about hours seeming like days when it came to the Enterprise was a coded discussion that ordered Spock to wait two hours before rescuing Kirk and the landing party from Regula 1.

Burnham's communication with Rayner is similar, not because of the words or the orders, but because it's done " by the book ". Starfleet regulation 46A states that " If transmissions are being monitored, no uncoded messages on an open channel " , which is why Burnham delivers her own coded message from inside the powerful Breen Dreadnought . The plan largely works, although Discovery is too late to beam the structure aboard, leaving it to remain in position between the two blackholes.

Ambassador Saru Returns To Negotiate With The Breen

Doug Jones finally returns to Star Trek: Discovery after a short absence as Saru prepares to assist the Federation in negotiating with the Breen Imperium. Moll's murder of Primarch Ruhn (Tony Nappo) in Discovery season 5, episode 8, has plunged the Imperium into even more chaos , leading to further in-fighting. To stake her claim to leading the Breen Imperium, Primarch Tahal is on her way to the Discovery's location to acquire the Progenitors' treasure. Putting his life at risk, Saru volunteers to do the " logical" thing by taking a shuttle, equipped with Discovery 's spore drive replacement , to negotiate with Primarch Tahal.

Saru hasn't appeared in the last few episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, and Doug Jones explains why the Kelpien is missing.

Primarch Tahal is a key figure in the tragic backstory of Commander Rayner , which sets up a cathartic encounter for the Kellerun in Star Trek: Discovery 's finale. It was revealed in Discovery season 5, episode 7, "Erigah", that the Breen conquered Kellerun, and placed Primarch Tahal as ruler. The Breen Primarch posioned the seas and blackened the skies on Kellerun, which has left deep psychological scars on Discovery 's Commander. Rayner, still traumatized from his experiences, helped the Federation to leverage Primarch Ruhn by negotiating the release of Moll and L'ak with Tahal. It remains to be seen how Saru will fare with Tahal in Discovery 's feature-length finale.

Burnham Has One Final Progenitor Clue Moll Doesn't Know About

What does burnham’s final progenitor clue mean.

Trapped in another dimension with Moll, the remains of L'ak, and potentially two Breen soldiers, Burnham is outnumbered going into the Star Trek: Discovery finale. However, she does have one final clue from the Progenitors' scientists that Moll isn't even aware of. Explaining that there is one last obstacle between them and the Progenitors' treasure, Burnham tells her senior staff that she was given a phrase that would help her pass it. That phrase is " Build the shape of the one between the many" , but what could it mean?

Star Trek: The Next Generation revealed that the Progenitors were the original humanoids that seeded their genetic data across the galaxy , creating most humanoid life in the Star Trek universe. That would surely make the Progenitors " the one", as in the originators of humanoid life, which means that " the many " are their progeny. Alternatively, given season 5's allusions to the Indiana Jones movies, it could be literal instructions to a final puzzle that protects the Progenitors' technology. Whatever the clue means, Burnham will first have to put some distance between her and Moll if she stands any chance of securing the technology and the future of the Federation in Star Trek: Discovery 's finale.

The Star Trek: Discovery finale streams on Paramount+ on Thursday, May 30th.

Star Trek: Discovery

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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.