star trek old guy

“Frankly, I’m amazed any of you survived.”

The strangest Star Trek character in years is the key to its multiverse

Kovich, played by the legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg, represents the past, present, and future of Star Trek. Here's how.

The 32nd century has a shadowy guiding force. In the year 3189, as seen in Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery , the enigmatic Dr. Kovich wears a vintage 21st-century suit and giant glasses. In the world of Star Trek, only the legendary James T. Kirk wore glasses in a future where poor vision is corrected with technology. But with Kovich, the big spectacles are an effect. When questioned why he wears them, Kovich replies, “I like them.”

In 2021’s Discovery Season 4, Kovich returns, and the more we see him, the more questions we have. Played by legendary film director David Cronenberg , Kovich might be the future of Star Trek, while holding the keys to its past.

SCENE STEALERS is a countdown that salutes the unforgettable small-screen characters of the year. Kovich is #27.

In Season 4’s fourth episode, “All Is Possible,” Kovich deepens the mystique surrounding his character. At the same time, he set a course for an entirely new direction for the franchise. In the stand-out episode of the season so far, Kovich recruits Tilly (Mary Wiseman) — Discovery’s pluckiest audience surrogate — to lead a training mission with cranky Starfleet cadets. Because so many planets have been separated from one another, Kovich is worried Starfleet officers won’t cooperate as in the days of Kirk, Picard, Janeway, and Sisko.

“That’s why I’ve been asked to consult,” Kovich says coldly. “One might say that today’s exercise is about the very future of Starfleet.”

Who is Kovich?

• Best Quote: “Frankly, I’m amazed any of you survived.”
• Know For: Giant glasses, being a silver fox
• The Scene-Stealing Episode : Season 4, Episode 4, “All Is Possible” ( Star Trek: Discovery)
• Super Power: Knowing about the multiverse
• Their Scientific Element : Scandium. Like Kovich, scandium is silvery-white and is tremendously rare to find.
• Walk-up Song : “Scanners (Main Title)” by Howard Shore

In Star Trek: Discovery , the mysterious “Kovich,” played by filmmaker David Cronenberg, returns for a scene-stealing appearance in Season 4 to recruit Tilly (Mary Wiseman) for a new mission.

For Star Trek fans, Kovich is a fascinating confluence of continuity. When he first debriefed the crew, after they time-traveled forward to the 32nd century in Season 3, fans speculated he was from the Mirror Universe, a member of the spy group Section 31, or both. In the episode “Terra Firma, Part 1,” Kovich revealed his knowledge of the multiverse. For the first time since 2009, the canon of the J.J. Abrams films (the “Kelvinverse”) connected with the Prime Trek timeline, proving that both universes are, in fact, aware of each other, all thanks to him.

But who is Kovich, really? In Season 4, the fact he’s “consulting” with Starfleet Academy suggests it’s not his regular job. What exactly is his role in the Federation? And why does he know more than anyone about anything? With Kovich, the more questions we ask, the less we know.

Speaking to Star Trek Explorer in 2021, Cronenberg said Kovich “is not just an interrogator” but “kind of a cultural historian.” Despite all the deep-cut questions fans have about his character, Cronenberg himself is blissfully unaware of these implications. He mentioned many times his appearances on Discovery are because he’s “cheap and available.”

Cronenberg is better known for his work as a film director of sci-fi horror classics like The Fly and Scanners . As a self-professed fan of 1960s Star Trek , he may have been inspired by classic Trek in his capacity as an artist. In 2020, the director told Variety that he was a fan of the original.

“Especially in the ‘60s — when the original series was playing — I considered myself a potential novelist,” he said. “I never thought that I would be in film at all.”

“He unites different forces on the screen.”

There are not any direct connections between Cronenberg’s career as a film director and Star Trek. But as Discovery proves repeatedly, the story of Star Trek isn’t a straight line. Even if his past is shrouded in mystery, Kovich is boldly going where even Star Trek hasn’t gone before.

Not only does he reboot Starfleet Academy, but he poaches Tilly from her role on the USS Discovery . By the end of the episode, Tilly departs to join Kovich and teach the next generation of Starfleet. Could there be a spinoff series? Is the long-rumored Starfleet Academy show actually going to be about Kovich’s cold-hard personality butting heads with Tilly’s warm enthusiasm? The future of Trek is as vast as the final frontier.

Cronenberg joining Discovery is poignant. While Twitter might make you think new era Star Trek is a cultural and generational battleground, Cronenberg’s presence proves that kind of thing matters less than fans think it does. Cronenberg’s an old-school Star Trek fan. He’s a famous film director. And he’s on Discovery , bridging the gap between old and new. His brief scenes with Tilly are so wonderful because he unites different forces on the screen.

Alluring yet unknowable, Kovich is #27 in the Inverse Scene Stealers of 2021.

Cronenberg is part of a huge legacy of genre filmmaking, and Discovery is just one part of the science fiction TV renaissance right now. Just as Kovich knows about alternate dimensions and timelines, Cronenberg proves that loving the past doesn’t mean you should fear the future.

Star Trek: Discovery is streaming now on Paramount+.

This article was originally published on Dec. 9, 2021

• Science Fiction

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'Star Trek: The Original Series'

• " Star Trek " debuted 56 years ago on September 8, 1966.
• After the show, the cast of the original series remained sci-fi icons.
• Only three stars of " The Original Series " are alive today, after Nichelle Nichols' death in July.

William Shatner led the crew of the USS Enterprise as Captain James T. Kirk.

"Star Trek" was originally going to be focused on a different  captain, Captain Christopher Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter. A pilot was even filmed, called "The Cage," but it didn't make it to airwaves until the '80s. Gene Roddenberry, the creator, eventually retooled the show and cast Shatner as a new captain, Kirk. Some footage from "The Cage" was then reused for a season one episode called "The Menagerie."

Before "Star Trek," Shatner was famous for his role in an iconic " Twilight Zone " episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which he played a man recently released from a mental hospital who becomes convinced he can see a creature on the wing of the plane he's flying on. It aired in 1963, three years before "Star Trek."

In addition to his "Star Trek" roles, Shatner acted in "T.J. Hooker" and "Boston Legal," hosted "Rescue 911," and he has written numerous books. He finally made it to the final frontier in October 2021.

Though he's 91 years old, Shatner has shown no signs of slowing down. After "Star Trek" was canceled in 1969, he briefly returned to voice Kirk for the "Star Trek" animated series. In 1979, he again reprised his role as Kirk in " Star Trek: The Motion Picture ." He'd continue to do so regularly until 1994's "Star Trek Generations." He even directed one of the "Star Trek" movies: " Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. "

Besides "Star Trek," Shatner starred as the titular police officer on the '80s procedural "T.J. Hooker" and narrated " Rescue 911 ," a show that consisted of dramatic reenactments of real crimes.

Other roles that you might recognize Shatner from: a pageant host in " Miss Congeniality ," attorney Dennis Crane in " The Practice " and its spin-off " Boston Legal " for which he won two Emmys , and in the 2016-2018 reality show " Better Late Than Never ," in which Shatner, Henry Winkler, George Foreman, and Terry Bradshaw traveled around the world and experienced different cultures.

The actor is set to appear in the upcoming "Masters of the Universe: Revolution" series on Netflix. He also finally made it to space himself during a Blue Origin flight in October 2021, making him the oldest person to go into space at 90.

Shatner has written multiple books, both fiction and non-fiction over the course of his career. His 2016 book, " Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man ," was about his friendship with "Star Trek" co-star Leonard Nimoy, who played his on-screen better half, Commander Spock.

Walter Koenig was cast as Ensign Pavel Chekov because of his resemblance to the Monkees' Davy Jones.

While Chekov was Russian, Koenig was born in America and based his accent on his parents' accents — they were Russian immigrants. Koenig was cast because, according to legend, he was supposed to help attract young girls as viewers due to his resemblance to teen idol Davy Jones. He even wore a Davy Jones-esque women's wig for the first seven or eight episodes, he told TV Insider in 2016.

Koenig's mainly recognized for his on-screen role as Chekov, though he became a pretty prolific screenwriter in the '70s. He wrote episodes for the "Star Trek" animated series, anthology series "What Really Happened to the Class of '65?" and children's series "Land of the Lost."

Koenig appeared in the 2018 film "Diminuendo."

Koenig, 85, (he's turning 86 on September 14) still makes frequent appearances on the "Star Trek" convention circuit, as well as acting in the occasional film. He appeared in 12 episodes of " Babylon 5 " in the '90s, voiced himself in an episode of "Futurama," and also voiced Mr. Savic on the Netflix animated series " Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters. "

While not all of the "Star Trek" cast were on great terms, Koenig and his co-star George Takei remain close. Koenig was even the best man in Takei's wedding in 2008.

George Takei played Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, a helmsman on the Enterprise.

Over the course of the show, Sulu was revealed to have many interests outside of Star Fleet, most famously fencing. At the time, Sulu was one of the first Asian characters on TV who wasn't explicitly a villain, and instead was a fully formed hero.

"Up until the time I was cast in 'Star Trek,' the roles were pretty shallow — thin, stereotyped, one-dimensional roles. I knew this character was a breakthrough role, certainly for me as an individual actor but also for the image of an Asian character: no accent, a member of the elite leadership team," Takei told Mother Jones in 2012.

Takei originally was supposed to play Sulu as an astrophysicist, but the role was changed to helmsman. Before "Star Trek," Takei also appeared in " The Twilight Zone " like his co-star William Shatner, among other '50s and '60s procedurals.

Takei is still acting to this day, though many people know him now for his social media presence.

Who says an 85-year-old doesn't know how to use social media? Takei's Facebook page has 9.5 million likes to date, and he has 3.4 million followers on Twitter .

In addition to his continued acting in films like "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank," " Kubo and the Two Strings ," "Blazing Samurai," and "Mulan," and TV shows like "Heroes," "Supah Ninjas," and " Star Wars: Visions ," Takei is an activist. He came out as gay in 2005  and began working as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.

Takei also starred in the 2012 musical "Allegiance," which was based on his and his family's experiences during Japanese internment in World War II.

Nichelle Nichols played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a translator, communications officer, and linguistics expert.

Uhura was one of the first Black television characters that didn't have a menial job — instead, she was in a position of power. She and Shatner were also involved in what is thought to be the first interracial kiss on American TV.

Nichols stayed with the show for all three seasons, but it wasn't without drama. She was tempted to leave during the first year, but none other than Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay. She told the New York Post in 2011 that when she told him that she wanted to leave, he told her, "You can't do that. You have the first non-stereotypical, non-menial role on television. You have created strength and beauty and intelligence. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen. It's what we're marching for. You're a role model and whether you like it or not, you belong to history now."

She also released an album in 1967, "Down to Earth." In between "Star Trek's" cancellation and its return on the big screen, Nichols starred in the 1974 blaxploitation film " Truck Turner ," as Dorinda, a madam.

Nichols died in 2022 at the age of 89. She had retired from public appearances in 2018.

From 1977 until 2015, Nichols was involved with Women in Motion, a recruiting program for NASA to help get more women involved in the space program. In July 2020, a documentary about the program finally secured distribution and will be released in 2021, Deadline reported. 

"Nichelle Nichols not only was a trailblazer in Hollywood, she was a trailblazer for the future of our society. She took the fight for Civil Rights, diversity and inclusion and gender equality to new frontiers with NASA which continue to serve America's space program today. She was ahead of her time," said executive producer Ben Crump.

Nichols also appeared in " The Young and the Restless, " "Heroes," and " Futurama ." She was diagnosed with dementia in 2018 and subsequently retired from public appearances.

In July 2022, Nichols' son announced on social media that Nichols had died at the age of 89 .

Leonard Nimoy played Captain Kirk's first officer and close friend Commander Spock.

Spock was the only alien member of the original crew, as he was half-human, half-Vulcan — an alien race from the planet Vulcan whose residents operate solely from a point of logic, not feelings. Much of the show's comedy came from Spock and Kirk's differences and their amusement at each other. His frequent farewell, " Live Long and Prosper ," accompanied by the Vulcan Salute, are among the most recognizable pieces of the "Star Trek" canon.

Nimoy had multiple small parts in B movies and TV shows before booking "Star Trek," including an episode of " The Man from U.N.C.L.E. " alongside future co-star William Shatner, as well as an episode of " The Twilight Zone ."

But once "Star Trek" premiered, Nimoy would be forever linked with his Vulcan counterpart, and he mainly did voice work after the show ended. He also reunited with Shatner for an episode of his show, "T.J. Hooker."

Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83. He played Spock for the final time in 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness," meaning he played the role for almost 50 years.

Nimoy is the only actor from the original series to appear in JJ Abrams' rebooted films, as he appeared in 2009's "Star Trek" and its 2013 sequel " Star Trek Into Darkness " as an older version of Spock who was trapped in an alternate universe.

In addition to acting, Nimoy was a photographer, recording artist, author, and director. He directed two "Star Trek" movies (" The Search for Spock " and "The Journey Home"), and "Three Men and a Baby," which became the highest-grossing film of 1987 .

Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

DeForest Kelley played the ship's curmudgeonly chief medical officer, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

Bones, as he was affectionately called, was one of the oldest members of the crew, and thus got to be a bit more obnoxious than the rest of them. His frequent catchphrase, " I'm a doctor, not a ___, " is one of the most parodied lines of dialogue from the show.

Like his character, Kelley was older and a more established actor than the rest of the cast. Before the show, he had appeared in Westerns and historical films like " Gunfight at the O.K. Corral ," "Warlock," and " Raintree County " in the '50s.

Kelley died in 1999 at the age of 79, nine years after playing McCoy for the last time.

Kelley essentially retired from acting, besides playing McCoy, after the success of "Star Trek." He appeared in all six films starring the original cast, and appeared in an episode of " Star Trek: The Next Generation " as McCoy, as well.

While he wasn't much of a sci-fi fan, Kelley was proud of his "Star Trek" legacy. When asked what he thought his legacy would be, he explained that his character inspired people to enter the medical field. He told the New York Times , "These people [fans] are doctors now, all kinds of doctors who save lives. That's something that very few people can say they've done. I'm proud to say that I have.''

He died in 1999 at the age of 79 due to stomach cancer .

Majel Barrett had a recurring role as Nurse Christine Chapel.

Barrett was originally cast in the first version of "Star Trek" as Pike's first officer, but when that episode was scratched, so was her character. However, due to her romantic relationship with "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry (who she later married), she was brought back as Nurse Chapel (a divisive character).

Before the show, Barrett was in various bit parts in '50s and '60s shows, but her big break was " Star Trek ," which she stayed involved in for the rest of her life.

Barrett died in 2008 when she was 76 years old. Up until her death, she had been involved with every "Star Trek" series in some way, leading fans to call her the First Lady of "Star Trek."

Barrett reprised her role as Chapel in " Star Trek: The Motion Picture " and " Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ." She also appeared in " Star Trek: The Next Generation " and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" as Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Deanna Troi, a main character in "Next Generation." Her other involvement in the series was the voice of the computer in many of the other " Star Trek" films: "Generations ," " First Contact ," "Nemesis," and 2009's reboot.

She died in 2008 at the age of 76 due to leukemia . 

James Doohan played chief engineering officer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.

Contrary to popular belief, the phrase " Beam me up, Scotty " is never actually uttered in the original series. The man on the other end of that command, Scotty, was played by Doohan, who was Canadian in real life, not Scottish.

Before "Star Trek," Doohan served in the Canadian military and was even on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, and was a pilot as well. After the war, he began acting and became a successful radio actor. Like his co-stars, he also appeared in an episode of " The Twilight Zone ," and other popular procedurals. 

In the animated series, Doohan proved to be indispensable, with his talent for voice acting and accents. He voiced over 50 characters during the show's run.

James Doohan died at the age of 85 in 2005.

Doohan didn't find much success outside of the world of "Star Trek," and thus embraced his role as Scotty. He appeared in "Generations," as well as an episode of " The Next Generation ." 

However, his impact on the field of engineering cannot be overstated. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Milwaukee School of Engineering "after half the students there said that Scotty had inspired them to take up the subject," according to the BBC .

Towards the end of his life, Doohan suffered from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and retired from public life in 2004. He died the following year, at 85, due to complications from pneumonia .

Grace Lee Whitney appeared in the first season of the show as Yeoman Janice Rand.

Rand appeared in eight episodes of the show's first 15-episode season as a clerical and administrative worker aboard the ship, before Whitney was released from her contract. At the time, the story was that the show didn't have enough money to keep everyone, but years later in her autobiography, Rand accused an unnamed executive producer , whom she called "The Executive," of sexually assaulting her.

"I tried to do what he wanted me to, so I could get it over with. I knew, deep down inside, that I was finished on 'Star Trek.' At that moment, however, I didn't care about that. Nothing else mattered — not my tarnished virtue, not my career, not my role on 'Star Trek.' The only thing that mattered was getting out of that room alive," she wrote.

Whitney died in 2015 at the age of 85.

After getting written off the show, Whitney struggled with her career, and alcoholism. She credited co-star Leonard Nimoy with helping her get back on her feet and involved with "Star Trek" once again. She reprised her role in four of the original "Star Trek" films, and in an episode of " Star Trek: Voyager " alongside George Takei.

She died in 2015 due to natural causes at the age of 85.

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Published Jan 19, 2020

The Gorn Identity

53 years of "Arena" in pictures.

StarTrek.com

The Gorn is 53 years old. Actually, he’s probably much older than that, but Star Trek fans first met the big, lumbering green guy in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Arena,” 53 years ago today.

The Gorn, in his birthday suit, on the set of “Arena.”

The Gorn costume was created by Wah Chang while actor, stuntman and Star Trek convention favorite Bobby Clark actually got into the character to play the Gorn. “[Director] Joseph Pevney hired me as a stunt actor,” Clark told StarTrek.com in a 2011 interview. “Now, for ‘Arena,’ I was hired as an actor who could do my own stunts. That’s how I’d say it. Regardless of what the critics say about the fight with Bill Shatner, I think the Gorn was pretty interesting. I was supposed to be cumbersome, I was supposed to be awkward and I was supposed to be slow. That was the reptilian nature of the Gorn. But, definitely, I was hired as an actor who had the capability to do the stunts.” Clark, for the record, went on to appear in three other TOS episodes: “The Apple,” “Mirror Mirror” and “The Return of the Archons.”

The Gorn return to action, albeit cartoon style, in “The Time Trap,” an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series that aired in 1973.

The Gorn figured into a number of Star Trek books and video games, but didn’t return to live-action television until the Star Trek: Enterprise Mirror Universe episode, “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II.” That was stunt coordinator Vince Deadrick, Jr. in the costume, with his performance enhanced by VFX.

Let’s not forget that there was a whole 96-page Wildstorm graphic novel devoted to the Gorn, The Gorn Crisis.

The Rura Penthe prison sequence in Star Trek (2009) also initially included a Gorn, but the creature hit the cutting room floor.

William Shatner and the Gorn reunited in 2013 for a very funny commercial touting NAMCO Bandai’s Star Trek: The Video Game .

And, of course, there are Gorn characters in Star Trek Online , where they are a playable race and belong to the Klingon Empire faction. The Phalanx Science Vessel, Draguas Support Vessel and Varanus Fleet Support Vessel are the only playable Gorn ships in-game, though there are Gorn-style C-Store costumes for the Vo'quv Carrier and Vor'cha Battle Cruiser.

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Star Trek turns 50: A look back at the desperately sad first episode

A half-century later, 'The Man Trap' has only gotten weirder... and better.

The original Star Trek TV show is half a century old, and I’ve never loved it more. It is talky, stagebound, narcotically slow. The alien planets look like sets, or they look like hiking trails in greater Los Angeles. The characters never change, no matter how many times they watch a world die, no matter how often they watch a fellow officer get murdered by aliens carved from rubber and nightmares. There is no running story — though there are semi-abstract will-they-won’t-theys, Nurse Chapel and Mr. Spock, Captain Kirk and Yeoman Rand, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. Science-fiction storytelling is now synonymous with serialized storytelling. We expect that events that happen in one episode will matter in the next episode. Watching the original Star Trek now, the characters’ complete lack of interest in their own history reads dispassionate, almost inhuman.

“ Star Trek is old” — that’s not what I’m saying at all. Fifty years of creative evolution — in television storytelling in general, in science-fiction television storytelling in particular, in Star Trek storytelling to be laser-precise — have only made the original Trek look more wondrously strange, more cosmically lysergic. The realism vogue long ago took hold in popular genre storytelling; for this franchise, that trend apexed with Star Trek Into Darkness , shot in real, expensive places and gilded with real, ludicrous sociopolitics. So when you see the original Trek – the episodes are all on Netflix – what you glory in is the marvelous unreality.

The colors, first and foremost! The episodes on Netflix are remastered versions, and that’s a bit of a double-edged sword. There is added CGI – mostly for scenes where the Enterprise floats around the latest mission-planet. Really, this just means the primitive and unconvincing original effects are now primitive and unconvincing digital effects. But the remastering adds wild new dimensions to the show. The worldscapes look more garish, painted-red skies almost Sirkian in their intensity. In “The Man Trap,” the first episode of Star Trek to air on television, the crew beams down to a planet called M-113. It’s a cruel name, clinical, bureaucratic. Surely, it had a real name once, but all we see is disparate carved stones across desert waves, the very abstraction of ruin.

Watching the original Trek in high-definition adds another level, too. Fifty years ago, television was shot with the expectation that the audience would experience the absolute worst viewing conditions. The season Trek debuted was the first year ever that the major networks aired all-color schedule, and the majority of American households still had black-and-white televisions. (There’s a story that Trek was so primary-colored because NBC’s parent company wanted to sell color TVs; there is a counter-myth that Trek was shot with such bright-dark contrast so that it would play well in monochrome.)

The point is: It’s unlikely anyone working on Star Trek 50 years ago was imagining a future where viewers could experience every frame in microscopic count-the-pores-on-Shatner’s-face detail. Like a lot of television back then, “The Man Trap” seems to be at least 50 percent composed of close-ups, and the close proximity to the actors’ faces becomes intense and merciless in high-definition. You can see the make-up; you can see them sweat; some say you can even see where the real hair ends and the wig begins.

Actually, one of the most fun parts of “The Man Trap” is an effect that I can’t believe anyone experienced properly on 1966 televisions. At one point, Kirk and Spock beam down to planet M-113. (Strange things keep happening; people keep dying.) William Shatner’s face positively glistens with sweat; you can feel the spotlight just off screen. But Leonard Nimoy doesn’t seem to sweat at all.

I’m guessing this is the makeup Nimoy wore — Spock’s skin color is vaguely yellow-gray, though the remastering makes the reddish tinge of his cheeks freakishly vivid — but it deepens the character’s essential strangeness. Kirk runs hot; Spock’s ice-cold even when they’re taking fire.

This might sound like I’m somehow criticizing the remastering, or declaring that the people who worked on Star Trek somehow failed. Nothing could be further. “The Man Trap” was directed by Marc Daniels, a lifer who helped create the look of I Love Lucy , which itself became the look of all sitcoms for an eon. There aren’t many flourishes, but half a century later, the professionalism of Trek is its own flourish. I love how some episodes become face-parades, a close-up cacophony. And I love the moment toward the end of “The Man Trap,” when a furious Dr. Leonard McCoy comes very close to betraying everything he believes in for a woman who isn’t a woman, and the camera can’t quite find the right focus on DeForest Kelley’s face.

Was that a “mistake”? Did they figure nobody would notice, on black-and-white televisions slurping grainy content through fragile antennas mom and dad can’t afford to fix? That mistake has become a haunting effect all its own, dreamlike, wall-bursting. A lot of Star Trek feels like that, 50 years on. It’s primitive the way cave paintings are primitive; unadorned by aesthetics, the obvious fakeness plunges you into some weird deeper truth.

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“The Man Trap” wasn’t the first first Star Trek episode, nor the second. Gene Roddenberry tried in late 1964 and produced “The Cage,” a famously half-stoned slow-groove adventure about brain-aliens and the illusion of reality, man. Another pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” cracked the code. In that episode, Captain Kirk watches Gary Mitchell — one of his best friends, old pal from the Academy, claims that young-man Kirk was a dweeb! — go mad with god-power. Ultimately, Kirk has to kill Mitchell. Like everything that happens on Trek , this is never mentioned again. You wonder if, in the 23rd century, people have evolved beyond grief, or if they’ve just gotten much better at compartmentalization, at pretending trauma never happened.

But “The Man Trap” aired first. It throws you right in. The Enterprise is on an assignment, and the task couldn’t be more banal. Kirk literally describes their mission as a “routine medical examination.” An archaeologist named Robert Crater has been working on planet M-113, “in the ruins of an ancient and long-dead civilization,” with his wife Nancy. (“Robert Crater” sounds like a porn star; “Nancy Crater” sounds like a Bond girl.) Says Kirk, “All research personnel on alien planets are required to have their health certified by a starship surgeon at one-year intervals.” Is this what the Enterprise crew’s life would be, if aliens didn’t keep attacking them? Checking boxes on a file form?

A twist: Nancy Crater is an old flame of Dr. McCoy’s. (“That one woman in Dr. McCoy’s past,” per Kirk’s narration — are all Captain’s Logs so saucy?) In an old temple, McCoy finds Nancy, remarkably unchanged in 10 years.

Or at least, McCoy thinks she looks unchanged, “like a girl of 25.” In Kirk’s eyes, though, Nancy looks very different.

“She’s a handsome woman, yes,” Kirk admits, “but hardly 25.” Like a lot of Star Trek ‘s dialogue, this line has aged weird; it is accidentally funny and oddly cruel. The actress who plays Nancy, Jeanne Bal, was 38 at the time. Perhaps you sense some ambient cruelty in how the episode purposefully ages her, with an excess of gray hair and the implication that she’s the same age as DeForest Kelley, not quite 50 yet somehow unmistakably an old man.

There’s a third member of the Enterprise crew, a Michael Phelps-looking doofball with “expendable” tattooed across his forehead. When he looks at Nancy, he doesn’t see Nancy at all:

Fake Phelps and Blondie Nancy walk off screen left. There’s a scream, and then viewers see their first dead Enterprise crewman, a man trapped.

Nancy says that the crewman ate a poisonous plant; if you believe that, there’s a bridge on Planet M-113 I’d like to sell you. Between the episode’s title and the lead creature’s male-gaze-baiting superpower, you could argue that “The Man Trap” belongs to a particularly debased sub-subgenre of Star Trek story: The Dizzy Dame Strikes Back. Nancy, malicious ex-girlfriend of Dr. McCoy, will very soon run rampant through the Enterprise , at one point even taking the form of Dr. McCoy. This first episode rhymes uncannily with Trek ‘s last episode, “Turnabout Intruder,” the episode where a malicious ex-girlfriend of Captain Kirk runs rampant through the Enterprise , even taking over Kirk’s body.

“Turnabout Intruder” has the baddest of raps — it does gender politics the way UnReal did police shootings — although there’s something desperately Joan Crawford-esque about that last episode’s villain, and the bare residual hint that Starfleet still runs on Sterling Cooper sexual politics. There are many episodes of the original Star Trek that make as much or vastly more sense if you pretend the villain is the tragic hero.

That is certainly true of “The Man Trap,” which we quickly learn isn’t just about trapping men — the thing we know as Nancy shapeshifts once, twice, thrice. She becomes a man, and flirts with Yeoman Rand. She becomes another man, and flirts with Uhura – in Swahili!

So Nancy is a woman who is also a man; can be white, can be black. That fluidity actually feels more convincingly human, 50 years later, than Kirk’s brash assurance. And Kirk won’t notice when McCoy starts acting funny, won’t even barely realize that one of his best friends is a shapeshifting monstrosity. Actually, Kirk mainly seems annoyed with McCoy throughout the whole episode. When the Doctor begs Kirk not to leave Nancy all alone on planet M-113, Kirk brushes him off: “You need to get some sleep.”

Entertainment Weekly’s Ultimate Guide to Star Trek is available now .

Eventually, it becomes clear that the thing bedeviling the Enterprise isn’t Nancy at all. Kirk and Spock battle Professor Crater, played by Alfred Ryder with mad-scientist poignance.

Subdued, Crater spins quite a story. There is a creature on the planet, the last of its kind; a species gone extinct, like “the Earth buffalo.” The Craters found this creature, and it’s implied that they took care of it. But it needed salt to live, and their salt stores ran out. It’s never entirely clear what happened. It’s implied that the creature attacked Nancy, but Crater also says, with no explanation, “Nancy understood,” which sounds like a sacrifice. Either way, Nancy’s long-dead, “buried up on the hill.” (The budget was too small for a hill; much sadder to imagine it, I think.)

What happened to Nancy is a mystery; what has happened since Nancy is deeply weird. “I loved Nancy very much,” Crater says. “Few women like my Nancy. She lives in my dreams. She walks and sings in them.” The shapeshifter becomes Nancy for him: “It needs love as much as it needs salt.” Oh yeah: Crater’s been cratering . But he casts his xenophilia in noble, philosophical terms. “It isn’t just a beast. It is intelligent, and the last of its kind.”

Kirk has no time for this. In the first great Shatner soliloquy, he provides his own straightforward summation of the matter at hand:

You bleed too much, Crater. You’re too pure and noble. Are you saving the last of its kind, or has this become Crater’s private heaven, here on this planet? This thing becomes wife, lover, best friend, wise man, fool, idol, slave. It isn’t a bad life to have everyone in the universe at your beck and call, and you win all the arguments.

“You’re too pure and noble.” Ironically, that line would become an all-encompassing critique of Star Trek in the years to come. Roddenberry, a utopian thinker and the foremost evangelist of his own cult of personality, didn’t care much for interpersonal drama nor grime nor grit; this is why nobody likes the first Star Trek movie, or the first season of The Next Generation , or, hell, “The Cage.” (Though of course, everyone’s entitled to their own goofy opinion .)

So I love how, in this first aired episode, Kirk’s defining trait is that he isn’t pure, that he isn’t too noble.

Crater’s response to Kirk is beautifully simple: “You don’t understand.” And we never will; a couple minutes later, Crater’s dead, killed by the creature he tried to protect. (It’s impossible to tell if Crater died accidentally or on purpose; so much of Star Trek ‘s action happens off screen, probably a budget thing, accidentally making major plot turns into open-text ambiguities.)

Things progress quickly now. The creature flees to McCoy’s cabin, once again takes on the form of Nancy. Kirk walks in, phaser out, demanding McCoy step aside. McCoy refuses. A monster? Needs salt to live? What is his Captain ranting about? McCoy grabs the phaser out of Kirk’s hand — and then Nancy somehow stops Kirk from moving, maybe telekinesis, maybe mind control. (The creature’s powers are tantalizingly ambiguous; sometimes it seems to be physically shapechanging, and sometimes it must just be beaming images into people’s heads.) Spock runs in, tries to convince McCoy to fire his phaser. “I won’t shoot Nancy!” says McCoy. “If she were Nancy,” yells Spock, “Could she take this ?” And then Mr. Spock swing-punches Nancy seven or eight times.

Jeanne Bal really gives a great performance in this episode. She’s coy, freaked out, her salt-lust playing out like smack-addict desperation — and, in this final scene, she’s Terminator-precise. She knocks Spock over, returns to Kirk for her feeding. She looks back at McCoy — and she changes into her true form.

I think this true “Nancy” is one of the great horrific cosmic visions. It is the definition of a nightmare, gillman-green skin and madwizard hair, Birdo mouth and suckling tentacular fingers. Yet there is something so sad in that face; you feel how completely this thing cannot help itself. Worth pointing out, by the way, that there aren’t really any bad guys in this first Star Trek episode. The creature seeks salt, because it has to; it might be “intelligent,” but it’s also an animal that will do what it has to do to survive, like the buffalo, like a human. Crater just wants to save the thing, even if it kills him. McCoy battles Kirk, but only because they both think the other has gone crazy, fighting for their own good. Everyone winds up depressed, or dead.

McCoy shoots the creature. It turns back into Nancy: “Leonard! Leonard, no! Leonard, please!” McCoy asks the Lord’s forgiveness, and shoots again. In that moment, of course, McCoy must know that Nancy is already dead — yet in that moment, he also has to feel like he’s killing her. (He never loved but one woman, and today he lost her twice.)

The creature lies dead; Kirk says he’s sorry. And then we’re back to the bridge. Sulu asks, nonchalantly: “Ready to leave orbit, Captain?” Kirk’s got Spock on his right, McCoy on his left. McCoy looks magnificently sad; Spock looks like Spock. Kirk’s mind is elsewhere:

Kirk looks at McCoy. And then McCoy does this.

What’s your read on that expression? Why the smile? It doesn’t quite seem to connect with Kirk’s summation line, unless McCoy’s realizing that all things must pass, old lovers and bison both, and somehow that realization gives him peace. There’s a “snap out of it” quality to McCoy’s expression, too — a sense that the time for mourning is finished, that there are further adventures (and creatures, and crazy ex-girlfriends?) awaiting out in the cosmos. Maybe McCoy’s smile expresses some deeper understanding that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy universe.

When the Enterprise arrived at Planet M-113, there were two lifeforms on the surface. Now the planet is empty, an unmarked grave for a species lost to history. “Warp one, Mister Sulu,” Kirk concludes. They leave orbit. There are more planets to seek out, more graves to dig.

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George Takei

Japanese American actor George Takei played Lieutenant Sulu in the original 'Star Trek' television series and movies and is a popular social-media presence.

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Early Years

Stage and screen, public service and private revelations, quick facts:, who is george takei.

George Takei overcame the racial barriers of his time to launch a successful acting career. He starred as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu during the three-year television run of Star Trek , and later reprised the role for six movies. Prominently involved with gay rights and Japanese American groups, Takei has become a highly popular social-media presence.

George Hosato Takei was born on April 20, 1937, in Los Angeles, California. At the age of 5, he and his family were uprooted from their home and forced to live at Japanese internment camps in Arkansas and northern California. They returned to Los Angeles after World War II, and Takei enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley to study architecture.

While in college, Takei responded to a newspaper ad looking for Asian voiceover actors for the English version of the Japanese monster movie Rodan (1956). That led to more voiceover work, as well as small parts in television programs such as Perry Mason and the film Ice Palace (1960). Deciding to focus on acting full time, Takei transferred to the University of California Los Angeles, where he earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in theater.

In 1966, Takei became one of the few Asian Americans to be featured prominently on TV when he starred as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu on the science-fiction series Star Trek. He returned after taking time off during the second season to film The Green Berets (1968), but his role as Sulu was temporarily shelved when Star Trek was canceled in 1969.

Takei continued to make regular TV appearances in the 1970s, on such programs as The Six Million Dollar Man and Hawaii Five-O , while providing the voice of Sulu for the Star Trek animated series. Momentum gathered for the making of the movie, and Takei reunited with the rest of his old castmates for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and five sequels over the next dozen years.

The 1990s brought a steady stream of voiceover gigs, with Takei's signature baritone surfacing in the Disney animated feature Mulan (1998) and episodes of The Simpsons . The veteran actor also became a semi-regular guest on the Howard Stern Show , and in 2006, he was named Stern's official announcer following the shock-jock's move to Sirius XM Radio.

Takei was involved in a project close to his heart when he took on a starring role in Allegiance , a production about the World War II internment of Japanese Americans. The play premiered at San Diego's Old Globe Theater in September 2012.

Takei has remained a busy man away from show business. After narrowly losing his bid for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council in 1973, he joined the board of directors for the Southern California Transit District from 1973 to 1984.

Takei served on the board of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission for President Bill Clinton and was conferred with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan in 2004. He is also chairman emeritus of the Japanese American National Museum's board of trustees and serves as chair of the council of governors of East West Players, a renowned Asian-American theater organization.

In 2005, Takei publicly announced his homosexuality to Frontiers magazine. He married his longtime partner, Brad Altman, in September 2008.

In recent years, Takei has earned a following from a new generation of fans with his funny, incisive posts on Facebook. His expansive social-media presence, along with the 2013 release of Star Trek Into Darkness , has helped keep this accomplished actor and activist in the public eye.

FULL NAME: George Takei, born Hosato Takei BORN: April 20, 1937 BIRTHPLACE:Los Angeles, California

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Already Explained ‘Old Man’ Q

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It was recently announced that John de Lancie would reprise his role as fan-favorite villain Q in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard . The character first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as a recurring foil for Picard and the crew of the Enterprise. An all-powerful member of the Q Continuum, Q is an immortal being with abilities akin to a god. Given these omnipotent powers, Q is a character that isn't limited by time, meaning, when he next returns, he should look just like he did when fans last saw him, as a young John de Lancie .

But since the very human actor has aged in the years since The Next Generation concluded, Q will undoubtedly look much older in Season 2 of Picard . Fans have already begun to wonder how the Paramount+ series will explain this change, with the prevailing theory being that Q will take on an "old man" appearance of his own accord. And that seems increasingly likely, especially considering that this is a trick Q previously pulled off in The Next Generation .

RELATED: Star Trek: Discovery Faces An Unknown Terror In Season 4 Teaser

In "All Good Things...," the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation , the Q Continuum once again puts Jean-Luc Picard on trial as a representative of humanity. The captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D is thrust across three separate timelines, where he must solve the mystery of a temporal anomaly that threatens to destroy all mankind. Picard continuously hops between the past, present and future, as he tries to figure out what is happening to him, and how he can save all of humanity. In the past, Picard has just settled into his position as the captain of the Enterprise, while in the future, he is now a retired, elderly man suffering from Irumodic Syndrome.

As Picard starts to put the pieces together, Q makes several appearances in these timelines. At one point, Q appears in the future to face the elderly Picard, only for the villain not to look like his usual self. Instead, he appears far older himself, which, of course, is only for show. Q has merely used his powerful abilities to make himself look old, in his continued effort to toy with Picard.

RELATED: Picard: Patrick Stewart, John De Lancie Tease Q's Star Trek Return

This "old man" look lasts only for this one scene. But when looking back on the episode, one can surmise that this scene essentially serves as a prelude for what could happen in the next season of Picard .  Decades later, Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc is now an old man in his spinoff series, just like he was in the future segments of The Next Generation 's final episode. And with Q set to return, the all-powerful being may simply recreate his previous trick by giving himself an "old man" appearance in order to toy with Picard.

Star Trek: Picard stars Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera and Harry Treadaway. The first season is available on Paramount+.

KEEP READING: Star Trek: Picard: Does The Season 2 Trailer Hint At A Time Travel Story?

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" Old Man " was Benjamin Sisko 's nickname for Curzon Dax who was host of the Dax symbiont , which he continued to use with later hosts of the symbiont. He used it both with Jadzia and Ezri Dax . ( DS9 : " Emissary ", " Afterimage ")

Sisko also called Yedrin Dax "Old Man" when they met on Gaia . ( DS9 : " Children of Time ")

When Jadzia decided to stay on Meridian in 2371 , which would have meant the two would not see each other for sixty years, Jadzia joked that she could call Sisko "Old Man" when they would see each other again. ( DS9 : " Meridian ")

• Cast & crew
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The Man Trap

• Episode aired Sep 8, 1966

Dr. McCoy discovers his old flame is not what she seems after crew members begin dying from a sudden lack of salt in their bodies. Dr. McCoy discovers his old flame is not what she seems after crew members begin dying from a sudden lack of salt in their bodies. Dr. McCoy discovers his old flame is not what she seems after crew members begin dying from a sudden lack of salt in their bodies.

• Marc Daniels
• George Clayton Johnson
• Gene Roddenberry
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• 46 User reviews
• 12 Critic reviews

• Captain James Tiberius 'Jim' Kirk

• Mister Spock

• Nancy Crater

• Prof. Robert Crater

• Yeoman Janice Rand

• (uncredited)
• Crewman Sturgeon

• Lieutenant Hadley
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Although this was the first episode to air on NBC, it was actually the sixth episode produced. NBC chose to air this episode first because they felt that it had more action than any of the first 5 episodes and it also featured a monster.
• Goofs Professor Crater identifies human incisor teeth as having once been fangs. This is incorrect. The canine teeth were originally fangs.

Mr. Spock : Miss Uhura, your last sub-space log contained an error in the frequencies column.

Uhura : Mr. Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word 'frequency' once more, I'll cry.

Mr. Spock : Cry?

Uhura : I was just trying to start a conversation.

Mr. Spock : Well, since it is illogical for a communications officer to resent the word 'frequency'... I have no answer.

Uhura : No, you have an answer. I'm an illogical woman, who's beginning to feel too much a part of that communications console. Why don't you tell me I'm an attractive young lady, or ask me if I've ever been in love? Tell me how your planet Vulcan looks on a lazy evening when the moon is full.

Mr. Spock : Vulcan has no moon, Miss Uhura.

Uhura : I'm not surprised, Mr. Spock.

• Alternate versions Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
• Connections Edited into Star Trek: What Are Little Girls Made Of? (1966)
• Soundtracks Theme From Star Trek (uncredited) Written by Alexander Courage

User reviews 46

• BA_Harrison
• May 7, 2022
• September 8, 1966 (United States)
• United States
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• Norway Corporation
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Technical specs

• Runtime 50 minutes

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Why star trek’s “city on the edge of forever” is so important.

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20 Best Star Trek Time Travel Episodes & Movies, Ranked

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• "The City on the Edge of Forever" explores Captain Kirk's moral dilemma: love or duty.
• The greatest Star Trek episode centers on personal stakes with a no-win scenario and great sacrifice.
• Edith Keeler's death remains a riveting tragedy for Captain Kirk.

Star Trek: The Original Series ' "The City on the Edge of Forever" is often hailed as the best episode of Star Trek , but what makes this classic time travel episode so great? In "The City on the Edge of Forever", Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) chase a psychotic Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) to 1930s New York City via the Guardian of Forever (Bartell La Rue), a sentient gateway to other times. Arriving too early before McCoy, Kirk and Spock are taken in by the 21st Street Mission, operated by Sister Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), a woman with boundless hope for the future whom Kirk falls in love with.

The crux of Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 28, "The City on the Edge of Forever", written by science fiction author Harlan Ellison, is discovering Edith Keeler's death in a traffic accident has consequences for the future as the Starship Enterprise crew knows it. If Edith lives, her activism keeps the United States out of World War II, leading to victory for the Axis powers, and a future without the United Federation of Planets. Allowing Edith Keeler to die in 1930, however, means Star Trek 's timeline is kept intact, but condemns the love of Kirk's life to an early grave. There are no easy answers, especially for a Captain who doesn't believe in no-win situations.

The Star Trek franchise has done a lot of time-travel stories in various shows and movies, and some have been undeniably better than others.

Why “The City On The Edge Of Forever” Is So Important To Star Trek

This award-winning episode made star trek's time travel personal.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" is one of the most important episodes of Star Trek . As a critical masterpiece, it won the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, and a Writers Guild of America award for Harlan Ellison. It was named one of TV Guide 's 100 Best Episodes of Television, and both William Shatner and Gene Roddenberry call "City" their favorite Star Trek episode. As a seminal Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "The City on the Edge of Forever" centers on Kirk's personal stakes in the moral dilemma. Edith matters to Kirk and the audience alike, so the human element becomes a template for Star Trek moving forward.

The Guardian of Forever returns, voiced by James Doohan, in the critically-acclaimed Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "Yesteryear", and is played by Paul Guilfoyle in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episodes 9 & 10, "Terra Firma".

Later Star Trek series inherit the DNA of "The City on the Edge of Forever" with episodes using Star Trek 's time travel rules, in which actions in the past have consequences for the future. Time-traveling Star Trek characters must blend in, and make difficult choices with personal stakes in the past. Notably, in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3 , "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) loses the alternate reality Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) that La'an loves, and keeps a young Khan Noonien Singh (Desmond Sivan) alive to ensure Star Trek 's Eugenics Wars ultimately lead to the future's United Earth, despite the high death toll ahead.

“The City On The Edge Of Forever” Is Star Trek’s Greatest Episode

Kirk's moral dilemma is quintessential star trek.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" is an unusual entry to top the lists of Star Trek 's greatest episodes so frequently. There are no space battles or starships, and nary a Klingon in sight, but after all the expected Star Trek trappings are stripped away, what remains is quintessentially Star Trek. "The City on the Edge of Forever" asks Kirk whether loving Edith is more important than the existence of the Federation. It's the classic question of whether the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and Star Trek 's philosophy to prioritize the needs of the many is born with Edith Keeler's death.

With pure anguish, Kirk prevents McCoy from saving Edith's life.

And yet, Edith Keeler represents Starfleet's ideals of hope, compassion, and cooperation when these virtues are in short supply. Edith is us , the viewers, trying to make a difference now that gets us closer to the Star Trek future we want to see. Naturally, Jim Kirk and Edith Keeler are a great match, united in philosophy but separated by time and fate, but Kirk knows the stakes and actually accepts the no-win scenario. With pure anguish, Kirk prevents McCoy from saving Edith's life, and we feel the weight of responsibility with Kirk's heartbreaking sacrifice that makes "The City on the Edge of Forever" a Star Trek classic.

Star Trek: The Original Series is streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Original Series

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One Scene Helped Star Trek Icon Finally Understand His Character

Posted: May 24, 2024 | Last updated: May 26, 2024

In all of Star Trek, the Ferengi bartender Quark has proven to be one of this franchise’s most memorable characters. He helped to cement the Ferengi’s change from barbarous bad guys to conniving capitalists, and Armin Shimerman’s humorous performance on Deep Space Nine helped to anchor some of that show’s best episodes. As for Shimerman, he credits a single scene in a forgotten DS9 episode for helping him finally understand what his character was all about.

Armin Shimerman Found Quark’s Purpose In Season One

The Star Trek episode that inspired Shimerman’s understanding of his Quark character was “Babel,” the episode in which a replicator accident causes an infection that prevents the afflicted from communicating. In typical Ferengi fashion, Quark’s lies about his replicators being fixed end up spreading the infection and risking a stationwide pandemic.

What isn’t typical, however, is that Quark ends up taking command of Ops as one of the only people left uninfected (something he credits to a strong Ferengi immune system).

Quark In Control Shocked Everyone

Seeing Quark take control of Ops was as shocking to audiences as it was to Major Kira. It was also a bit of a shock to Armin Shimerman as he read the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine script and saw what Quark would be doing near the end of the episode. That shock turned into a pleasant surprise, however, when he realized that he now had a better handle on who this character was and how to portray him.

Fun-Loving Spirit And Delight

According to Armin Shimerman, the moment Quark was left in charge of Ops was the moment that he realized who the Ferengi really was: “Ah, this is the character, this guy who likes to have a good time, who enjoys life and who feels that no problem is insurmountable.”

To hear the actor tell it, this was a rather momentous moment in Star Trek history because it did nothing short of defining who Quark was. “That fun-loving spirit and delight became ingrained in my character at that moment.”

Quark’s Schemes

As Star Trek fans, we had never really thought of Quark’s character quite like this, but Shimerman has an important point that the Ferengi’s personality can be distilled down to that of an enthusiastic problem-solver.

For example, why does he constantly try to run schemes when he knows that the shapeshifting Security Chief Odo almost always ends up busting him? Simple: if he truly sees no problem as insurmountable, then he would simply see each new scheme as an opportunity to finally achieve victory by successfully deceiving Odo.

Fighting The Dominion

Shimerman’s revelations about the Ferengi even help to explain some moments that would otherwise seem a bit out of character.

For example, some Star Trek fans find it unrealistic that Quark helps with a rebellion against the Dominion on Deep Space Nine, going so far as to fatally shoot a Jem’Hadar in “Sacrifice of Angels” to save his brother from execution. Certainly, Quark is no hero, but he loved both his brother and life under Starfleet rule so much that he saw fighting as just another way to solve the dilemma in front of him.

One Of The Greatest Star Trek Characters

For fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, it’s notable that “Babel” is only the fifth episode of season one, so Shimerman got a handle on who Quark was very early in the series. That’s one of the reasons why his character remains a delight during even some of the worst early episodes (“Allamaraine, count to four,” anyone?). Now that Lower Decks has been canceled, we can only hope future shows and films find creative ways to bring everyone’s favorite Ferengi back.

It’s what the fans want, Paramount. And we hope you remember the 57th Rule of Acquisition: “Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them.”

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Why 2024 is the ‘year of the drone’ after iran’s attack on israel.

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On May 20 a group of young people had gathered at an outdoor lounge as darkness fell in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

As they enjoyed their evening, an explosion lit up the sky over the Red Sea.

Footage showed a bright orange burst far in the distance.

It was one of two drones that had flown more than 500 miles from Iraq.

The drone attack on Eilat from Iranian-backed militias was only one shot in an Iranian drone war on Israel that has been increasing since Hamas launched its attack on the nation’s south last Oct. 7.

On April 13 that war reached previously unimaginable levels when the Islamic Republic launched a massive attack on Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles.

The attack began with a wave of 170 kamikaze  drones — also known as the Shahed 136 and Shahed 131 in Iran.

The drones aren’t that large, 11 feet long, with an eight-foot wingspan. They weigh around 400 lbs and have a speed of 115 mph. This makes it about the size and dimensions of a large stingray, which the drone actually resembles in its delta-wing design and grey color.

The massive Iranian drone attack was the largest assault using kamikaze drones in history. It was akin to sending 170 small aircraft flying into battle.

Unluckily for Iran, the Israelis were ready.

Along with the US, UK and neighboring Arab nations, Israel had prepared for this moment.

Advanced F-35I warplanes  were scrambled from southern Israel.

They hunted down most of the drones before they reached the nation’s airspace.

The drones didn’t stand much of a chance because they are relatively slow, and with the aid of radar and early warning, they can be detected and intercepted.

The battle that night in the skies over the Middle East was a watershed moment in the new era of drone warfare — helping to make 2024 quite possibly the year of the drone. 

Drones have been used by countries for decades, but now drones are taking over the battlefield.

Iran’s drone attack is just one curtain-raiser — lifted the veil on how drones can serve as a kind of instant air force for countries, like Iran, with weak air defenses.

This type of ad-hoc air force “is one of the most frequent threats we face from Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, Iraq, and also from Gaza” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser, a senior project manager at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) and a senior research fellow at Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.

Kuperwasser served as director-general of the Strategic Affairs Ministry and as head of the IDF Military Intelligence’s Research Division, and he is familiar with the emerging threats Israel faces.

He said the Israeli air force has developed numerous methods to deal with these threats, but newer generations of drones pose newer generations of challenges.

Air defenses like the Iron Dome claim high rate of success intercepting rockets, but today’s drone are managing to evade the Iron Dome, striking IDF soldiers, bases and other sites. 

“We should improve those methods. We did extremely well with the threat coming from Iran, we had a high interception rate. [However], especially with Hezbollah . . . we have to do better,” he said.

Better, because Hezbollah has been attacking Israel with kamikaze drones. “They [Hezbollah] have their eyes on suicide drones but also on drones that can . . . attack [by firing missiles] from the drone, which is something they have been recently boasting about,” he said last month.

Kuperwasser added that Iran and groups like Hezbollah have historically had a steep learning curve when it comes to drones — but have now revved up production with its partners in order to continually launch into Israel.

That partner, Iran, exports drones not only to proxy terror groups such as Hezbollah, but also to the Houthis in Yemen — where they been used to attack Red Sea shipping vessels — and to Russia where they are used in Ukraine.

The past decade has seen drones reach new levels of sophistication and ubiquity as they’re increasingly deployed by militaries and militias around the world.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s only a handful of countries, such as Israel and the United States, had access to drone technology.

At its most basic a drone is a pilotless, remote-control aircraft.

They are ideal for use in areas where risking a pilot’s life makes little sense.

When they were first invented in Israel in the early 1980s, drones looked like a large model airplane.

However, by the 1990s the iconic Predator drone was being flown by the US, with its sleek shape, slightly bulbous head and thin wings.

The Predator was huge — 66 feet long with a wingspan of 36 feet, similar to jet fighter aircraft.

For years drones, like the Predator, were seen as useful primarily for “dull, dirty and dangerous” missions.

This meant for surveillance missions where they might fly for 24 hours at a time, the dull part.

The “dirty” refers to missions such as strikes against terrorists in places far from home; and “dangerous” means missions in enemy airspace where drones might get shot down, saving pilots’ lives.

This perception began to change in the 2000s.

An article in the  Air, Space and Power Journal in 2013 noted  that US Predator and Reaper drones had now surpassed the flight hours of F-15s and predicted that drone pilots, operating remotely, would outnumber F-16 pilots in the US Air Force.

By 2019 the Bard College Center for the Study of the Drone  concluded  that more than 95 nations were using military drones.

“A lot of countries, not just technologically advanced countries . . . have gone out to create drone programs,” Dan Gettinger, co-director of the center, said at the time.

Drones were now being used by poorer countries and those without access to the latest satellite communications or electro-optics.

As access to this technology increased it meant that countries like Iran, under sanctions, could develop drones.

It also meant terrorist groups could acquire them as well. 

And so a drones arms race began, with the military drone market expected to be valued at nearly $28 billion by 2032.

This shift is similar to the race between countries in the early 20 th  century to build new types of battleships, or the race prior to the Second World War to deploy new types of tanks.

Each country has pursued its own concept of drone warfare.

China, for instance, has invested in a large number of relatively cheap drones and now dominates the commercial drone market through dronemaker DJI.

These small quadcopters are often found in everyday backyards, but have also been embraced by militaries who now view drones as a necessary battle-field evil.

Neighboring India is also pursuing an ambitious — yet still nascent — drone program.

Pakistan, Turkey and Taiwan have also joined the production push toward “drone independence.”

The Ukraine war has served as a pivotal proving ground for drone use in battle.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 it had the advantage in the air.

But Ukraine has managed to turn the tide by investing in small and medium-sized drones.

Upwards of 200 local companies have been tasked with building drones for the frontline.

Ukraine contracted  for 300,000 drones in 2023, according to a recent report in Reuters. 

Drones are now so common at the front — up to 100,000 are being launched monthly — that they are second only to the rifle in terms of sheer battlefield numbers.

Also common are newly developed portable anti-drone defense systems that Ukrainian soldiers can wear like backpacks.

The Russian invader has also resorted to drones to terrorize Ukraine.

It has imported thousands of Shahed drones, the same type Iran used in the April attack on Israel.

“Iranian drones are extremely cheap and quite effective. They can inflict significant damage, especially to old buildings and civilian infrastructure,” said Ksenia Svetlova, an executive director of ROPES and non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “Ukraine has improved ways to deal with this threat, but then also the drones were modified and are now armed with [newer] Qaem-5 guided bombs,” she noted.

The “Iranian-Russian drone project poses dangers to Europe and the Middle East: Russia is working hard on increasing its mass production while Iran is focusing on technological improvements.”

For Iran and Russia, the Shahed drone provides a number of benefits. Unlike American or Israeli drones — expensive and intended for complex missions — the Shahed 136 is cheap and expendable.

For a relatively small investment, Iranian-backed groups can threaten the world’s best militaries, such as Israel and the US.

Interestingly, it’s the US — which helped pioneer drone development — that is now playing catch up.

According to an article in the Telegraph last month, the US has a serious drone problem — and “could not survive for long in a Ukraine-level drone war.”

Today, drones have become true battlefield equalizers, major powers, poorer nations and terrorist groups alike. Some are armed with missiles and can hover targets for more than 24 hours.

Others are used for short-term missions, such as helping artillery spot enemies and monitor the battlefield, like by Israel in Gaza.

Increasingly though, drones are now deployed like Iran’s kamikazes — akin to cruise missiles — or are called “loitering munitions,” because they “loiter” over a target and then fly into it.

As the world enters a new era of drone warfare the types and uses of drones will only continue to evolve.

This year may be remembered as the year of the drone, a break with the evolution of the past and a shift into a new airborne era.

Seth Frantzman is an Adjunct Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and author of   Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing machines, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future  (2021)

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