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Star Trek: The 50 Best Alien Races

From Tribble to Andorians, we're ranking the 50 best alien life forms explored in the Star Trek universe...

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The crews of the various iterations of Star Trek boldly went where no one has gone before — and then boldly met a crap ton of alien species.

Star Trek may be the human adventure, but there have been countless non-human beings, critters, menaces, gods, and blobs that have been introduced in the Star Trek  universe. From The Original Series to The Animated Series , to The Next Generation , to Deep Space Nine , the Delta Quadrant and Voyager , to the early adventures of Enterprise , to the modern day films, Star Trek has gifted fans with unforgettable species after species as the five-year mission has turned into five decades of first contact.

There have been vile races bred for combat, omnipotent races that use humankind as puppets, and even a bunch of cute little furry things.  Star Trek just keeps on delivering the cool aliens show after show, film after film. Just imagine the species that will soon be coming to Star Trek: Discovery ! But now is the time to celebrate the past as we present the fifty coolest Star Trek aliens ever to appear in films or TV.

50. Arcturian

First appearance: star trek: the motion picture (1979).

The Arcturian didn’t have a great deal of Star Trek screen time, but this alien race that resembled melted wax (eww) makes our list because it stands as a prime example of the story richness of the Star Trek  galaxy. An Arcturian can briefly be seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the Mego toy company even made two versions of this blink and you’ll miss him creature (one 3 ¾ inch one 12 inch). But what intrigues us the most is this melty guy’s backstory…

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Star Trek costume crafters extraordinaire Fred Phillips and Robert Fletcher came up with a rich history for the Arcturian. According to Philips and Fletcher, the Arcturians were actually a race of clones that made up the bulk of the Federation’s infantry. While never seen on screen, there are legions of these guys running around, just waiting to be sent to some hostile planet to go to war. The Federation has always been portrayed as peaceful and benevolent, but it has the potential to unleash billions of melty looking monsters at a moment’s notice. Yikes.

Arcturians also appeared in the Star Trek daily comic strip and their back story continues to stand as a great example of the vast richness of the Star Trek galaxy, a place where billions of stories exist at all times. Including one about a race of wax soldiers that can be replicated and sent to do the Federation’s will. Eeep.

49. Edosian

First appearance: star trek: the animated series “beyond the farthest star” (1973).

Edosians are a tripedal species and are skilled at using their three arms and three legs in navigation and piloting. Lieutenant Arex, the loyal Enterprise navigator that first appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series , is a proud member of the Edosian species and was a recurring character during this era of animated Trek. Arex was voiced by Scotty himself James Doohan and was a standout character in the era between The Original Series and The Next Generation .

Arex popped up in comics and novels and took his place of honor among the original crew. Arex also was a character that fully utilized animation as the six limbs and distinct alien features of this character would have been impossible to pull off in live-action back in the day. But thanks to The Animated Series , the distinctive Edosians live on and prosper in Trek lore.

48. Excalbians

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the savage curtain” (1969).

Listen, any species responsible for bringing Abraham Lincoln into the Star Trek  universe has to make this list. The Excalbians are a silicon based life form that possessed the ability to shape shift. These rock beings, who honestly looked like something Steve Ditko would have designed for Doctor Strange, were fascinated by the human notion of good and evil.

So they did what anyone would do in the same situation: they made a recreation of Abraham Lincoln and teamed it with Kirk, Spock, and famous Vulcan goodie-good Surak and sent them up against four representatives of evil — Kahless the Unforgettable of Qo’noS, Genghis Khan, Colonel Green of Earth and Dr. Zora of Tiburon. How’s that for a traditional Survivor Series match?

For this wonderful bit of schlock and for making us believe that Ben Grimm could work in live action in 1969, we salute the ever curious Excalbians.

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47. Caitian

First appearance: star trek: the animated series “the survivor” (1973).

The cat-like Caitians were represented in Enterprise history by M’Ress, a feline female that served both as engineer and a communications officer during The Animated Series . M’Ress spoke in a purring voice and was a skilled operative that stood side by side with the more iconic members of the Enterprise.

Now, I would like to talk about how cool the Caitians were. I would like to talk about how M’Ress was the main character in the Power Records’ Star Trek book and record set Star Trek: Passage to Moauv (1975). I would also like to talk about how a Caitian also appeared in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home …

But I just can’t help but wonder if Captain Kirk did what he does and somehow at some point bed down with this cat woman. This would make Kirk’s TV sci-fi’s first furry and I’m sort of fascinated by this idea. I don’t want to focus on this idea because it kind of reduces M’ress as a character and the Caitian as a race… But then I read that the alien twins that Kirk hooked up with in the first Abramsverse film were confirmed to be Caitian and everything just stirs up again and I fell absolved of all responsibility.

Anyway, M‘Ress and the Caitians might be considered obscure now, but she was a pretty big deal to Trek lore during The Animated Series era. So this race is a purr-fect addition to our list. Did the Enterprise come equipped with a giant litter box? Okay, I need to stop now; this is going to some bad places.

46. Bolians

First appearance: star trek: the next generation (1988).

The Bolians have been a perennial background species since their first Trek appearance in 1988. The first Bolian fans witnesses aboard the Enterprise was an ambassador, but many other Bolians have appeared around the Trek verse since. They have been seen as barbers, manicurists, Federation troops, and high ranking officials.

Bolians are distinctive due to their blue skin and their ridge that bisects their anatomy. They are highly friendly individuals and compassionate. In fact, an episode of Voyager puts forth that Bolians were  supportive of assisted suicide. These deep seated beliefs make the Bolians an intriguing species ripe for future Trek exploration.

45. Lurian

First appearance: star trek: deep space nine “the emissary” (1993).

Lurians were a very rarely encountered species that possessed multiple hearts, lungs, and stomachs. Fans got to know this ellusive species through DS9 regular/bar fly Morn. Yes, Morn is an anagram for Norm, because, like the famed Cheers fat man, in Quark’s Bar, everyone knew Morn’s name.

Morn was a bombastic and talkative fellow who fans never got to actually hear speak. He was a former thief that barely moved away from his bar stool. Morn was also fiercely loyal to Quark and got his little Ferengi pal out of many a jam. But mostly, Morn just sat there and drank stoically.

Although we only ever met one Lurian, we will always remember his name because Morn was such a constant (and inebriated) presence on Deep Space Nine . He also once had a torrid love affair with Jadzia Dax but that is a tale for another time. Raise a glass to the Lurians!

First appearance: Star Trek (2009)

So far, the rebooted Trek films have not really given funs much by way of alien species. The only classic races to get good screen time in the reboots have been Romulans and Vulcans. But the films did give us Keenser the Roylan, Scotty’s diminutive engineering pal.

Keenser first appeared in the first Trek reboot film as Scotty’s ever present companion when Scotty was exiled on the Federation outpost on Delta Vega. When Scotty beamed to the Enterprise, he left Keenser behind which was kinda sad. JJ Abrams and company must have thought so too as Keenser was all of a sudden part of the Enterprise’s crew in Star Trek: Into Darkness .

Keensar is ever loyal to his pal Scotty as the two share one of the best bromances in the galaxy. The fourteenth issue of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek comic gifted fans with Keensar’s origin. It also revealed the name of his species — Roylan — for the first time.

In this issue, fans learned that Keensar was constantly mocked by his peers because he was so tall (heh). It also revealed that Keensar served with distinction aboard the USS Kelvin and was shipmates with none other than George Kirk.

Keensar the Roylan is a constant presence in the new Trek Universe and I’m sure this member of the Roylan species will have many adventures to come.

43. Mugato

First appearance: star trek: the original series “a private little war” (1968).

Because sometimes in space, there are giant, poisonous horned gorillas. What’s not to love about Mugato? He’s kind of cute, very fuzzy, and is as poisonous as the nastiest snake. Poisonous gorillas in space, this is why we love Trek. Sadly, Mugato only appeared briefly, attacking and poisoning Kirk before being disintegrated by Doctor McCoy.

But, remember: as you watch the hard sci-fi and techno jargon of Trek, as you witness the human adventure of Roddenberry’s galaxy, as you watch carbon-based life forms achieve full potential and enlightenment, remember , in this same world there are fuzzy, horned, albino gorillas that will poison the crap out of you.

42. Acamarians

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the vengeance factor” (1989).

The Acamarians are an advanced race of humanoids that have found a peaceful existence very late in its history. For centuries, the tattooed Acamarians lived in rival clans and their planet was split apart by warfare. One of the clan wars lasted three centuries and wiped one of the combating sides out of existence. When Picard’s Enterprise encountered the Acamarians, the people finally almost found peace.

However, a splinter group known as the Gatherers could not overcome centuries of clan warfare and refused to negotiate, so Picard had to navigate the complex web of Acamarians politics and bitterness as well as the assassination of the Gatherer ambassador to finally forge a peace with the Acamarians.

Despite all these issues, the Acamarians have a rich culture and mirror many contemporary Earth societies that have been splintered by war. Sci-fi works best when it reflects reality, and through the Acamarians, Trek fans got to see some really effective social commentary about tribalism and societal bitterness.

41. Denobulans

First appearance: enterprise “broken bow” (2001).

A Denobulan served aboard the very first Enterprise as the ship’s doctor, thus making the species vital to the origins of the Federation. Our medic in question, Phlox by name, was one of the main protagonists in Enterprise and was a staunch example of the exemplary qualities of the Denobulan race.

Denobulans are loyal but quite hedonistic by human standards. Denobulan males can take up to three wives while the entire race embraces polyamory. As humanity headed off into space aboard the first Enterprise, Phlox served as a constant reminder of the varied belief systems and practices the people of Earth would encounter as space exploration began.

Phlox and the Denobulan held ethics in high regard as Phlox would never allow a sentient being to suffer. Even though the ridge faced Denobulans had fierce tempers, they also were gentle and kind, and valued knowledge and pleasure over confrontation and violence.

Denobulans also have the propensity to puff out their faces when they were threatened — so, yeah, there’s that. Plus, Denobulans have really long tongues. What was it that I said about hedonism and Denobulans? Anyway, these cunning linguists were great doctors as seen through Enterprise ’s first mayor of the sickbay: Doctor Phlox.

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40. Orions

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the cage” (1966).

The green Orion slave dancer that shimmied into the dreams of Trek fans has been an iconic bit of Star Trek lore since her Shakiraesque debut, but the history of the Orions did not stop there…

Although a cosplay staple, the slave girl was just one Orion. Others have appeared in The Animated Series , Enterprise , novels, comics, toys, and one even prominently appeared in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek timeline as Uhura’s roommate and an early romantic partner of one James T. Kirk.

Orions are a species with close ties to the Federation — ties that are explored in some of the better episodes of Enterprise . Although the Orions will long be remembered because of the grinding of the hips of a slave dancer, there is so much more to this green-skinned humanoid species that has been part of Star Trek lore since almost day one.

39. Ocampans

First appearance star trek: voyager “caretaker part ii” (1995).

The Ocampans carry an importance to the Star Trek  universe because Kes, a noted member of the Ocampan species, was a member of the lost Voyager crew for three years. Ocampans are a race with powerful telekinetic powers but, sadly, this race of elf-like humanoids only have a life span of nine years. (So… combine Jean Grey with a mayfly and you get the idea.) 

Ocampans are very accepting of their short life span and a rather enlightened species. Through Kes, the crew of Voyager learned a lust for life as the wide eyed Ocampan enjoyed every minute of her existance even though she was trapped with the Voyager crew. When Kes’ power grew out of control, she left Voyager and her friends, including her constant companion Neelix, and used her abilities to push the lost Voyager out of Borg space and a year closer to home. This sacrifice taught the crew of the Voyager and fans of the show the innate nobility of the Ocampan race.

38. Vidiians

First appearance star trek voyager “the phage” (1995).

While the Ocampans were a nice, little, Tinkerbell-like species that fluttered about Voyager , there were also these Wes Craven nightmares… The Vidiians suffered a disease known as the Phage. The Phage is kind of like a hardcore space Ebola that utterly destroys the infected’s body and organs. So, yeah, Bones McCoy was sort of right about space being a petri dish of death and pain.

The ravaged Phage would wander the galaxy and rob sentients of their organs and body parts. So there you are, doing warp three with caution around the Delta Quadrant, and, all of a sudden, a few Vidiians beam unto your ship and rip out your liver and intestines. Then, they use said liver and intestines to replace their own — whether you filled out your Federation organ donor cards or not.

The Vidiians were eventually cured by the crew of the Voyager, but you have to assume that in a galaxy so big there are still some Vidiians cruising around out there taking hearts and lungs from innocent travelers. Yeesh.

37. Breen

First appearance: star trek deep space nine “indiscretion” (1995).

First off, cool points for the Breen because the helmet that this species wears looks kind of like the helmet Princess Leia used to disguise herself as a bounty hunter in Return of the Jedi . But the space awesomeness of the Breen doesn’t end there…

The Breen’s fighting prowess and technology are so advanced that even the Romulons and Klingon talk about this mysterious species in hushed whispers. And, indeed, when the Breen made themselves known to the Federation during the Dominion War, things got intense. These mighty warriors allied themselves with the Cardassians and the Dominion to take on the combined might of the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulons.

During this conflict, the Breen destroyed the USS Defiant, the flagship of the Deep Space Nine space station, and managed to attack the Earth city of San Francisco. The Federation managed to develop counter weaponry to defeat the Breen, but many will remember these armored badassess as race of military specialists to be reckoned with.

The alliance with the Dominion cost the Breen, though, and — after the War — it wasn’t easy being Breen.

36. Hunters

First appearance star trek deep space nine : “captive pursuit” (1993).

Imagine a Trek alien that is pretty much Boba Fett mixed with Kraven the Hunter and you have these big game-tracking motherfuckers. The Hunters popped out of the Bajoran Wormhole and had their first contact with the Federation in the DS9 episode “Captive Pursuit.” In this stirring installment of this reporter’s favorite Trek show, fans were introduced to the Hunters and their chosen prey: the genetically enhanced Tosk.

The Hunters (whether this was the species name is unknown) would alter their Tosk prey in order to make the hunt more difficult. The pursuing of the Tosk was an obsession with the Hunters that rubbed members of the freedom loving Federation the wrong way.

The Hunters even gave the Federation a run for its money as the race of killers had advanced tech to assist them in their eternal hunt for Tosk. Sadly, the Hunters only appeared in one episode of Deep Space Nine , but their fighting skills and bloodthirsty rituals will be burned into the minds of Trek fans for a long time.

35. The Salt Vampire

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the man trap” (1966).

Old Salty here, or creature M-113, is a reminder that space can be a really, really dangerous place because there are things out there called Salt Vampires. And, no, this thing doesn’t just hang around a Pringles factory, it freakin’ shape shifts and then kills innocent people and drains them of their salt. Kirk and his crew first encountered this thing as it took the form of a number of the Enterprise’s crew. It almost killed Sulu, Yeoman Rand, Spock, and Kirk before being shot and killed by Dr. McCoy who had no time for such foolishness.

I suppose Kirk could have kept the Salt Vampire alive and just fed it Wetzel’s Pretzels (those things are like licking the ocean), but I guess Kirk felt that a shape shifting thing that looks like it was spat out of the ninth plane of hell that brutally kills people and drains them of sodium probably needed to be deleted from the universe. One has to wonder what special M-114 might be: Cinnamon Vampire?

34. Cheron

First appearance star trek: the original series “let that be your last battlefield” (1969).

When we first met the Cheron, there was only two members of this species left: Bele (played by the Riddler himself, the great Frank Gorshin) and Lokai. Bele was hunting Lokai whom Bele deemed a traitor after the planet Cheron was wiped out due to centuries of racial wars.

Apparently, some Cheron were black on the left and white on the right while other members of this advanced species possessed the opposite skin alignment. Due to this difference, the entire population — save Lokai and Bele — were eradicated. Bele hijacked the Enterprise and used his vast array of mental capabilities to hunt for Lokai.

The whole opposite was a thinly veiled, but powerful allusion to the destructive potential and sheer idiocy of racism — a message as powerful today as it was in the ’60s. Of course, you know I’m going to say that Mego made a Cheron doll, a toy I treasured in my childhood and called Oreo Man.

We should all have an Oreo Man during our most innocent years. But who knew my beloved Oreo Man was actually a genocidal racist madman that used his vast power to almost destroy the Enterprise? Oh, Oreo Man…

33. Nausicaans

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “tapestry” (1993).

One of the surlier races in the galaxy, Nausicaans are big hairy warriors that hire themselves out as mercenaries throughout the galaxy. A Nausicaan had quite the impact on the life of Jean-Luc Picard. When the future captain of the Enterprise was an ensign, he played a stirring game of domjot with some Nausicaan thugs (as one does). Picard and his pals accused the Nausicaans of cheating and the bad-tempered badasses stabbed Picard through the heart. This required Picard to get an artificial heart. (The more you know!)

The Nausicaans gave the crew of Deep Space Nine a hard time as well. This hairy race of pirates even encountered Captain Archer and the original crew of the Enterprise back in the day, proving that big hairy thugs that cheat at domjot remain big hairy thugs that cheat at domjot.

All that aside, Nausicaan fighting prowess is equal to the fighting prowess of Klingons and the only thing that keeps the Nausicaans from being more of a threat is their mistrust and their inability to come together as a species. Instead of being intergalactic conquerors, the Nausicaans have remained bullies, raider, and cheaters. But they do have killer 80s rocker hair, don’t they?

32. Kazon

First appearance: star trek: voyager “caretaker” (1995).

The Kazon were the first race that the crew of the Voyager encountered when they arrived in the Delta Quadrant, and — as far as d-bag, aggressive alien species go — the Kazon take the space cake (because when you put the word space in front of something, it sounds like you are in the future).

The Kazon race was separated into rival sects, which made negotiating with them as a whole almost impossible. They were once a slave race that served the Trabe, but the Kazon were a fractured species before and during its enslavement. Despite their disloyalty to each other, the Kazon were fierce combatants who were unwilling to negotiate a peace treaty with the Trabe or Voyager.

The Kazon had advanced technology and a back-stabbing blood thirst that introduced the crew of the Voyager to the Delta Quadrant and caused Voyager to be trapped in what was going to be a very hostile place, if the battle-hardened Kazon were any indication.

31. Metrons

First appearance: star trek: the original series “arena” (1967).

We do so love the Gorn. And what alien species was responsible for Kirk’s immortal battle with the Gorn? Why that would be the shiny and nigh omnipotent Metrons.

The Metrons possess tremendous mental powers and can control matter and energy. These human like aliens fiercely guard their sector of space and regard even the most minor intrusion as a great trespass punishable by death. When the Enterprise and a Gorn vessel find themselves in Metron space, the Metrons mentally teleport both Captains to a remote planet and force them to fight.

The Metrons are intensely xenophobic and regard other races as barbaric, so when Kirk spares the Gorn, the aloof Metrons are impressed and free both vessels. You see, a simple act of kindness was all it took to free the Enterprise from the Metrons’ wrath and impress a race of people that do not impress easily. Also, the Metrons wear sparkly evening gowns so they have that going for them…

30. Horta

First appearance: star trek: the original series “devil in the dark” (1967).

The Horta may look like a pile of bile soaked dog puke, but, hey, it was featured in William Shatner’s favorite Star Trek episode, so we have to give this blob of silicon its props.

The Horta was first encountered by a group of miners. After a miner was killed, Kirk and company were called to see what was up. They encounter the Horta, an extremely alien-looking beastie. After the creature is injured, Spock attempts a mind meld but the creature is in too much pain for Spock to connect with it. Soon, the crew of the Enterprise learns that the creature is the lone survivor of its race charged with protecting the eggs of the next generation of Horta. So Kirk and his pals dedicate themselves to protecting the thing’s little vomit eggs from the angry miners.

All jokes aside, the Horta was classic Trek alien: a semi-cheesy-looking beastie that stars in an episode with a powerful theme. The Horta was a prime example that all life has merit and even something that looks like a half-digested taco only wants to survive and thrive. By saving the Horta, the crew of the Enterprise shows that their most important mission is to contact and understand all life, no matter what it looks like. Thank you for that valuable lesson, Mr. Horta.

29. Greek Gods

First appearance: star trek: the original series “who mourns for adonis” (1967).

Wait, what? Oh, by the bristling beard of Zeus, the Greek Gods exists in the Star Trek  universe. 

The legendary deities of ancient Greece were actually super-powered aliens that lived on Pollox IV. They would visit Earth back in ancient times and bask in the worship of primitive humans. Well, the humans of the Enterprise were no primitives, and — when the Pollox IV alien that called itself Apollo trapped Kirk and his crew on the planet and refused to allow them to leave — Kirk and Spock fought back, kicking a god’s ass in the process.

Sadly, we never saw the other Greek gods. (Because could you just imagine Kirk versus Zeus?) But, it was established the other gods existed — and that they wore togas and laurel leaves like they were going to a frat party. The fact that this all exists in the same galaxy as Klingons and Borg just makes me very happy.

28. Hirogen

First appearance: star trek: voyager “message in a bottle” (1998).

The Hirogen are a nasty Delta Quadrant species of reptilian hunters that view any other sentient beings as prey. When the Hirogen chose a victim, the religious ritual of the Hunt began and all aspect of Hirogen culture centered on this blood sport. After the Hirogen tracked and captured its prey, they would remove the victim’s skeletal system, muscles, internal organs, ligaments, and tendons and keep these parts as trophies.

The Hirogen ran afoul of the Starship Voyager a number of times and Captain Janeway and her elite crew always found ways to defeat these hunters. In one of the Hirogen’s more bone headed moves, they created advanced holograms that could feel fear and pain. These thinking holograms quickly became more advanced than the Hirogen and turned the hunters into the hunted.

Despite this addlepated move, the Hirogen were always a feared species for those that traveled through the Delta Quadrant because they were essentially Predators dropped into the middle of the Star Trek universe.

27. El-Aurians

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the child” (1988).

El-Aurian were a race of wise and peaceful people that transverse the galaxy to listen to the stories of others. When the Borg wiped out the El-Aurian’s home world, the galaxy lost a race of wise listeners… Or it almost did, because the surviving members of this race spread out across the galaxy.

Fans met the El-Aurians when The Next Generation introduced Guinan, the proprietor of Ten Forward, the bar of choice for the crew of the Enterprise. When Guinan came aboard, the members of the Enterprise had a kind and quick-witted being to bounce their problems off of, and Guinan listened. It was a shame that so many people like Guinan were lost to the Borg as the El-Aurians long lived goodness was a boon to the galaxy.

But not all El-Aurians were benevolent. Tollan Soran was an El-Aurian survivor that was aboard a ship of refugees with Guinan when the ships ferrying the El-Aurians refugees was lost to the fiery Nexus ribbon. It seemed that the legendary Captain Kirk was killed in this rescue attempt, but it turns out Kirk was trapped within the Nexus.

Soran became obsessed with returning to the Nexus and his Ahab like need for knowledge led to the first and only meeting between James T. Kirk and Jean Luc Picard. Soran was an anomaly to the El-Aurians species as most of the race used their centuries of wisdom to spread enlightenment wherever they went.

26. Tellarites

First appearance: star trek: the original series “journey to babel” (1967).

Along with Andorians and Vulcans, Tellarites were one of the first species to join the United Federation of Planets. A Tellarite first appeared in The Original Series episode “Journey to Babel,” where Sarek, Spock’s father, was framed for the murder of a Tellarite ambassador.

Sarek was able to solve the crime, freeing his name and forging a long-lasting peace with the Tellarities. Early contact with the Tellarites was recounted in Enterprise , but members of the specials also popped up in The Next Generation and even in a couple of films. Tellarites, with their distinctive beards, hooves, and stubbornness, have long been one of the backbone species of the Federation.

25. Tamarians

First appearance star trek: the next generation “darmok” (1991).

“Temba, his arms wide. Shaka, when the walks fell.” Who can forget these poetic, yet somewhat ominous phrases spoken by Dathon the Tamarian to Captain Picard when the two were trapped on a hostile world together?

Trek lore has it that the Federation and the Tamarians only had seven encounters over the years because the Tamarian language was so hard to comprehend. Well, if he was to survive, Picard would have to understand it (and fast) because Dathon beamed Picard down to the planet in order to teach the human captain a language that was as complex as it was beautiful.

It turns out Tamarians only communicate in metaphors (I’ve had grad school professors like that), and in order for the Federation and the Tamarians to build an accord, Picard would need to understand those metaphors. “Shaka when the walls fell,” has become quite a famous little moment of Trek myth as the Tamarians stand as a metaphor themselves — for cultural understanding and empathy.

24. Species 8472

First appearance: “star trek: voyager” part 1 (1997).

Species 8472 are so deadly that they even make the Borg poop their cybernetic underroos. (Hey, do you think when the Borg poops they all go at once? Or does one go make while the rest of the Collective just snickers? This is now the most ever written about Borg poop on the internet. Or is it? I’m not googling that.)

Anyway, Species 8472 existed in an extra-dimensional bit of hell known as fluidic space. When the Borg discovered the fluidic dimension, the ever deadly race of cybernetic killers busted through the dimensions and attempted to assimilate Species 8472. 8472 was having none of that and fought back, creating weapons that could slay the Borg with ease. In fact, 8472 was able to destroy the Borg Cubes in seconds. (Man, that’s like taking down the Death Star with a single bullet.) Sadly, Species 8472 also took out many innocent Delta Quadrant planets, which forced the crew of Voyager to get involved.

The Borg and Voyager had to form an unlikely alliance to drive Species 8472 back to fluidic space. 8472 was one of the closet things Trek fans ever got to Lovecraft-like cosmic horrors, as even the Borg could not stand up to these waling nightmares. This species appeared a few more times on Voyager until Captain Janeway was able to broker a peace with these terrors that exist behind the fabric of time and space.

23. The Gorn

Oh, the Gorn. Who doesn’t love Gorn? Of course, this rubbery looking and cold blooded reptilian monstrosity first appeared in the classic TOS episode “Arena,” where Kirk had to go mano-e-lizardo with the captain of a captured Gorn vessel. What followed was one of the most classic fights in Trek history as Kirk had to fashion a makeshift cannon to defeat this alien monster.

Despite its primitive appearance, future novels established the Gorn as a technologically-advanced race and, you just have to admit, Trek lore has not even scratched the surface of the Gorn. Imagine the spin offs. The Gorn Identity. Gorn to be Wild. Gorn on the Fourth of July. Fans were able to witness the Gorn home world for the first time in DC Comics’ Star Trek the Next Generation: The Gorn Crisis .

The Gorn were also one of the aliens made by Mego in its second set of Trek dolls. Fun fact: Mego’s Gorn looks nothing like the TV Gorn, as Mego just reused Marvel’s Lizard mold, painted it brown and decked old Gorny in the outfit used for the Klingon doll. Despite this lack of toy respect, and despite one of the cheapest prosthetic heads ever seen on TV, the Gorn’s battle with Kirk is still forever burned into Trek lore.

22. Tholians

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the tholian web” (1968).

Get a load of these psychedelic xenophobes. Yeah, the Tholians might look like a funky black light album cover come to life, but, really, they are brutal, territorial, hateful, and will do anything to keep other species out of Tholian territory. But, hey, they are known for the punctuality, so take heart in the fact that, when they kill you, it’ll be done in a timely fashion.

The Tholians cruise around their sector of space in geometric rainbow ships, making the aesthetic of the race more Yes album cover and less cool space despots. The Tholians first encountered the crew of the Enterprise when the USS Defiant flew too close to Tholian space.

Always protective of their borders, the Tholians phased the Defiant out of real space and into an interspace dimension. Kirk himself was phased out of time and space (for Shatner, it wouldn’t be the first or last time this happened), but Spock and the Enterprise were able to get their captain back and pimp-slap the Tholians.

The Enterprise under Jonathan Archer also ran afoul of these crystalline killers. The Tholians are a great example that in space, threats can come in any shape and even rainbows can kill you.

21. Talaxians

First appearance: star trek: voyager “caretaker” (1995).

One of the friendlier species of the Delta Quadrant, the Talaxians — or more accurately, an individual member of the Talaxian species — was pivotal to Voyager’s survival during the years it spent trapped in the Delta Quadrant.

Talaxians became dispersed throughout the Delta Quadrant after a devastating war with the Haakonian Order. Talaxians had no real home world, but that did not break their spirits. Talaxians are a very spiritual, upbeat, and whimsical race that — when confronted with two unpleasant paths to take in life — will find a third, happier path to traverse. This spiritual ability to find light and hope in any circumstance made the Talaxian Neelix indispensable to the crew of the Voyager.

Neelix was the cook and morale officer aboard Voyager and helped his friends out of many spiritual and literal crises. Throughout its wanderings in the Delta Quadrant, Voyager encountered many Talaxians that were always willing to lend a hand. Sadly, many aggressive species like the Borg also targeted the peaceful Talaxians — but, like Neelix, the Talaxians always found that third path.

Keep going, because we’ve got more aliens for you!

20. Organians

First appearance: star trek: the original series “errand of mercy” (1967).

When Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the Enterprise first encounter the Organians, a non-distinct humanoid species, this new race appeared to be akin to an 18th century agrarian Earth society. Spock commented that his tricoder has more technology than the entirety of the Organians planet.

Sadly, the Organians home world became caught up in a war between the Federation and the Klingons. Kirk warned the Organians leaders that war was coming but the Organians were completely unconcerned… When the Klingons arrived and began to take Organians hostages, the Organians remained unconcerned — because, apparently, the Organians are millions of years more advanced than either Klingons or humans. The Organians mentally disabled the Klingon and Federation ships in orbit around their planet and calmly disarmed Kirk, Spock, and the Klingons.

The Organians have an advanced form of ESP and can predict future events. They also can possess the bodies of others. An Organian told Kirk that, one day, Klingons and humans would be friends — something ‘ol James T. couldn’t wrap his head around, but something Next Gen fans would know to be true. So here’s to the Organians, the Amish space gods of the galaxy.

19. The Traveler

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “where no one has gone before” (1987).

Now, let’s all be honest. Yeah, we love Wil Wheaton as he is truly nerd royalty and has done a great deal over the last few years as a sort of geek ambassador. But, real talk: no one really liked Wesley Crusher. We love Wesley’s mom, Dr. Beverly Crusher, but Wes was kind of the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek . The Traveler freed us of all of that.

The Traveler is a member of a mysterious race of immensely powerful beings. The Traveler could transverse time, space, and heavenly bodies at will and could use his thoughts to manipulate nature and reality. The Traveler seemed to be second only to Q in terms of power and omnipotence.

When the Traveler first met ‘lil Wesley Crusher, he compared the lad to Mozart. This caused Captain Picard to promote Crusher to ensign. Later in his Starfleet career, Crusher began to have doubts about his lot in Starfleet. The Traveler convinced Crusher to leave Starfleet after Crusher began to develop powers similar to the Traveler.

As Crusher’s powers grew, the Traveler took him on as protégé, teaching the former ensign how to best use his vast powers to help the galaxy. Wesley left the Enterprise with the Traveler as his very own Yoda and, for this, Trek fans hold a great debt to the Traveler as he freed us from the oft times insipid Crusher.

You know, looking back, I wouldn’t mind a novel or two explaining what happened to Crusher later in life. So, I guess we can give the Traveler credit for not only freeing us from Wesley, but also for making Bev’s boy into an interesting part of the Star Trek universe.

18. Crystalline Entity

First appearance: star trek: the next generation: “datalore” (1988).

The Crystalline Entity is basically the Galactus of the Star Trek  universe. The Entity is a giant, electromagnetic engine of cosmic death that lives to consume organic matter. It goes from planet to planet, absorbing all organic matter and leaving dry husks of death behind. A Crystalline Entity destroyed the outpost where Commander Data was created, essentially making Data an intergalactic android orphan.

Despite its destructive power, the Crystalline Entity is a beautiful sight: huge and multi-faceted, colorful and shimmering — frankly, an artist’s dream. But, behind the beauty, lies a bite that can lay waste to entire species.

This giant snowflake of death was pivotal in the origins of Data and is one of the most feared species in the entire galaxy. There are other Crystalline Entities out there in the void of space, but, thankfully, encounters with them are very rare. As of yet, no Crystalline Entity has been seen hanging out with a silver guy on a surfboard… but we remain hopeful.

17. Betazoid

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “encounter at farpoint” (1987).

For seven seasons and a handful of films, Star Trek fans got to know a very special Betazoid: Counselor Deanna Troi. Troi was an exemplary member of the Betazoid race — a mostly peaceful people that possess empathic and telepathic powers.

Most Betazoids, including Troi, use their powers for the benefit of others. The Enterprise was saved many times thanks to Troi and her fantastic abilities as she served with honor and distinction about the Federation flagship. Betazoids are indistinguishable for humans except for their all black irises. It’s a very cool thought that there is a race of Charles Xaviers in the Star Trek  universe and, with more Star Trek coming our way soon, let us hope we have the honor to meet more Betazoids.

Fun fact: Gene Roddenberry wanted the Betazoid women to have four breasts. Can you imagine trying to take Troi seriously with four breasts? Thankfully, Roddenberry was talked out of this silliness and the Enterprise’s resident Betazoid counselor became the stuff of Trek legend.

16. Talosians

First appearance: star trek pilot “the cage” (1965).

You know we had to include the first aggressive alien species ever encountered in a Trek episode. And, yes, we’ll get this out of the way quickly: the Talosians’ heads look like asses. We know. ‘Ol fanny foreheads. Butt heads. Get it all out of your system. Okay, done? Good.

The Talosians were the sole survivors of a nuclear holocaust. The remaining Talosians manifested the power to create illusions. These beings grew addicted to the illusions and abandoned technology. Like the Lotus Eaters of old, their existence was now tied to their narcotic-like illusions. Soon, the Talosians grew bored. The buttheads lured alien races to their planet and fed off the psyche of their victims.

Captain Pike of the Enterprise and his science officer Spock were drawn to the Talosian home world. The Talosians tempted the Federation officers with everything they could desire, but — through the minds of both men — the Talosians learned that humans hated captivity. The Talosians showed compassion and let Pike and Spock go. Later, Spock would return to the Talosian planet after Pike was left paralyzed. The Talosians once again showed compassion as they allowed the broken Pike to live his life on the planet.

The Talosian story ends sweetly, but just remember that, somewhere in the galaxy, there are siren-like, androgynous aliens (the male Talosians were actually played by female actors), ready to lore victims into a life of captivity. The Talosians were Trek’s first encountered, named alien species and they are also some of the most memorable as these illusion-casting humanoids set the standard for all Trek species going forward. Not bad for a bunch of ass-heads.

15. Vorta

First appearance: star trek: deep space nine “the jem’hadar” (1994).

The Vorta were genetically bred by the Founders to be the perfect military commanders and strategists of the Dominion. Vorta are sly, cunning, and corrupt. Try to imagine an entire species of Littlefingers and you get the idea.

In addition to the strategic acumen baked into Vorta DNA by the Founders, Vorta are also programmed to believe that the Founders are gods — and the Vorta serve their gods in all things. The Vorta created the Jem’Hadar and could clone themselves so the Dominion would never be without its master strategists for long. Even after death.

But, like the Jem’Hadar, the Vorta were programmed to serve. Upon capture or defeat, a Vorta was programmed to commit suicide, and during the Dominion War, many Vorta pulled the trigger on their own demise. The Vorta was one of the most cunning and immoral races Starfleet ever faced, even if the immorality was inserted into their genetic makeup by another species.

14. Xindi

First appearance: star trek: enterprise “the expanse” (2003).

The Xindi are a collective of six subspecies — avian, arboreal, primate, reptilian, insect, and aquatic — that form a single race. As a whole, the Xindi posed a great threat to the early Federation.

The Xindi worship a race known as the Sphere Builders and, when this mysterious race warns the Xindi that they will be involved in a war with Earth, the Xindi preemptively strike, killing millions of humans. Jonathan Archer and his crew take the fight to the Xindi who provide the first crew of the Enterprise its greatest challenge.

The Xindi was one of the first warnings to humanity that not every race is benevolent as the six races of this advanced culture reined death upon an Earth that was still getting used to the idea of contact with alien life.

13. Trill

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the host” (1991).

Trills are an advanced species of humanoid that are passionate and kind in most of their dealings. Some Trills are joined with wise Symbiotes that chose different member of the Trill species with which to share a mutual bond. The Symbiotes retain the personalities and memories of each host and pass these aspects on to the new hosts.

The first Trill Trek fans encountered was named Odan. Odan quickly struck up a romance with Dr. Beverly Crusher and, when Odan was tragically killed, the Symbiote was moved into the body of William Riker. Riker had long been friend-zoned by Crusher, so this began one of the most awkward romances in Trek history.

It also gave fans the legacy of the Trill, a legacy that continued into Deep Space Nine with the beloved Jadzia Dax. Through Dax, fans learned about almost every aspect of Trill life. It was a fascinating meditation of duality, sexuality, and identity and the character of Jadzia Dax was almost a dozen disparate characters in one. When Jadzia was lost, the Symbiote moved into Ezri Dax, a wonderful new character that continued the exploration into what it is like being many beings at once.

12. Tribbles

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the trouble with tribbles” (1967).

They’re fuzzy, they squeak, they can be deadly — who doesn’t love Tribbles? Ask any casual fan to name a Trek alien, and there’s a good chance Mr. Joe on the street guy will say Tribbles because these bundles of fur are just that darn famous.

“Trouble with Tribbles” — The Original Series  installment that first introduced these puff balls — allowed Shatner, Nimoy, and company to really flex their comedy chops. But, when you break down the threat the Tribbles represented, they actually are pretty terrifying… Imagine a species that reproduces so fast, a ship can be suffocating on the things in a matter of days. That’s a bit more Giger than Pokemon.

Despite the threat, the Tribbles also brought the laughs to generations of fans. Of course, the Tribbles were revisited in the classic DS9 episode “Trials and Tribble-ations” and also played a major role in the recent film Star Trek: Into Darkness . To quote a great man from a rival space franchise: “Not bad for a little fuzzball.”

11. Jem’Hadar

One of the greatest and most efficiently deadly militaries the galaxy have ever seen, the foot soldiers of the Dominion — the Jem’Hadar — are also one of the more tragic species that can be found in the Trekverse.

Jem’Hadar reach maturity in the span of about three days. They are genetically programmed to be the perfect galactic foot soldier by their masters, the Vorta. To insure control, the Vorta have withheld an essential enzyme from the Jem’Hadar genetic makeup. This enzyme is supplied to the Jem’Hadar in the form of The White, a liquid that the Jem’Hadar has filtered into their systems through a tube in their necks. Essentially, Jem’Hadar are drug-addicted soldiers unleashed upon the galaxy.

The Jem’Hadar were the main Dominion force that laid siege to Deep Space Nine during the Dominion War and were nearly unstoppable. The need for The White was a religion to the Jem’Hadar, who became one of the most feared species in any quadrant.

Jem’Hadar are incredibly resilient and possess keen minds that help them plan for battles. Despite all this, most Jem’Hadar die very young due to the fact that they are essentially cannon fodder for the Dominion. Yet, the Jem’Hadar value duty and loyalty above all else as they embrace their lot as pawns of the Dominion. All for The White.

The Top 10 Star Trek aliens await on the next page!

10. Changeling

First appearance: star trek: deep space nine “the emissary” (1993).

As we all know, life in the Trek universe can take many and varied forms. One of the most profoundly different races of the Trek galaxy are the Changelings, a race of intelligent liquid-based shape shifters that reshaped the political climate of the galaxy with the same ease that they reshape their bodies.

The Changelings were also known as The Founders and were the puppet masters behind the Dominion War. From their wormhole homeworld, the Changelings manipulated the universe. The Founders used entire races like chess pieces showing the Federation and its enemies that there are beings that exist within and behind the galaxy that are willing to go any lengths for power.

But not all Changelings were adversarial. Through Odo, Trek fans saw another side to this fascinating species. Odo was the constable aboard DS9 , a by-the-books cop who went to any lengths (literally) to solve crimes. He was a defender of his Federation friends, particularly Kira Nerys the woman he learned to love. When the Founders merged their liquid forms with Odo, they learned about humanity, and his love and bravery spread even to the hidden spaces of the galaxy.

Plus, The Changelings are an alien species that can easily disguise themselves as furniture. You can’t teach that!

9. Andorians

First appearance: star trek: the original series “journey to babel” (1968).

The Andorians are an aggressive yet advanced race that was one of the first alien races that formed the original Federation of Planets with humanity.

The Andorians have distinctive blue skin, white hair, and two protruding antennae. The blue skinned humanoids have an advanced armada and a long history of conflict with the Vulcans. This conflict was put aside as Andorians entered into the Federation and, with it, decades of peace. But peace wasn’t easy, as seen in Star Trek: Enterprise,  in which Federation Captain Archer and Andorian Captain Thy’lek Shran developed an adversarial relationship that, thankfully, culminated in a friendship based on mutual respect.

The Andorians are more than a bit xenophobic as they refer to humans and Vulcans as “pink skins” and have a long standing mistrust of everything not Andorian. In fact, the Andorians don’t even trust their offshoot race, the very rarely encountered, white-skinned, psychic Aenar.

Enterprise is a bit unfairly-maligned by some Trekkers, but it will always be the show that took the Andorians from background characters to a narratively-explored race with deep contradictions. Of course, I need to mention that the Andorian was also one of the final Trek dolls Mego produced. It is very sparkly.

8. Ferengi

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the last outpost” (1987).

I would  tell you some facts about the Ferengi, but I’d have to charge you about ten bars of (snarl, drool) gold-pressed latinum first. Because that’s what drives the Ferengi race: cold, hard, glimmering, wonderful cash-money.

By the time fans met the crew of the Kirk’s Enterprise, most races in the galaxy had abandoned cash-based economies to focus on the improvement of science and technology for all beings. But not the Ferengi. These big-eared, fanged critters utilize science and technology to procure cash and heaven help any sentients that stand in their way.

Fans first me the Ferengi in Next Gen as the greedy race of miscreants became the first real adversaries Picard’s crew had to face. The Ferengi in Next Gen were vile and greedy, sort of like spacefaring Daffy Ducks. But, in Deep Space Nine , fans were introduced to Quark, Rom, Nog, and other Ferengi that had a streak of nobility. Oh, they were still as greedy as they come, but this Ferengi family, saved the DS9 space station more than once. Heck, Nog even became the first Ferengi to serve in Starfleet.

In DS9 , fans learned many of the finer points of Ferengi culture. For example, Ferengi women aren’t allowed to wear clothes. In addition to their odd dress codes, the Ferengi live by the Rules of Acquisition, an almost religious text that teaches the Ferengi the best ways to make money. Quark constantly had to choose between loyalty to his friends and his Ferengi impulses for cash and this often humorous double nature led to some fun dramas.

But, if you have a piece of latinum in your pocket, be warned that there are many Ferengi out there who would kill for it because that is the Ferengi way.

7. Romulans

First appearance: star trek: the original series “balance of terror” (1966).

All sentient races in the galaxy have a good, healthy fear of the Romulans — and with good reason. In many ways, the Romulans are like the anti-Vulcans. In fact, Romulans are an offshoot of the Vulcan race. Centuries ago, the Romulans rejected the Vulcan idea of repression of emotions and struck out on their own, finally settling on the twin planets Romulus and Remus and forging an empire.

Where Vulcans are cold, collected, and benevolent, Romulans are fiery, aggressive, and often power hungry. This passionate need to conquer led to the Earth/Romulan war, the first time humanity experienced total war on an intergalactic scale. Earth was eventually victorious and, during the conflict, no human ever actually saw a Romulan. Years later, it was the crew of the Enterprise that actually saw what Romulans looked like and it was Mr. Spock that postulated a common ancestry between Vulcans and Romulans.

The Romulans were based on the aggressiveness and culture of the Roman Empire, which is seen through the race’s military aggression and clothing. Despite years of ill will, the Romulans sided with the Federation in the Dominion War. A Romulan also changed reality, as fans of the new Trek films know…

A Romulan named Nero used a Red Matter device to destroy Romulus and punch a hole in time and space. Nero then went back in time and destroyed the USS Kelvin, causing a new reality to splinter off from the original Trek timeline — a reality Trek fans are currently enjoying in films.

Romulans have touched every part of Trek history and have even created a huge amount of it. They continue to serve as a counterpoint to the Vulcans and their name brings fear and respect throughout the Trek galaxy.

If you can imagine God in the Star Trek   universe, you understand Q. Q isn’t a kind god or an emotionally-distant god, hungry for worship. Q is a curious god that wants to test the intelligent races of the galaxy — particularly Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise.

Q is a member of The Q, a race of omnipotent beings that observe the universe from afar and interfere in the lives of mortals when it suits their whims. The Q are a force of nature, appearing when and where they want to bring gifts or utter destruction to lesser beings. It all depends on a Q’s whims. Q became a sometimes-ally, sometimes-antagonist to the crew of the Enterprise and even popped up on DS9 and Voyager . (And, really, how awesome would it be to see Q pop into J.J. Abrams’ Kelvin Universe?)

Q is everywhere and everything. Wherever Q went, great storytelling followed — mostly because of the deeply complex and often comedic relationship between Q and Picard. Whether it was TV, comics, or novels (most notably the eminently readable Q Continuum trilogy by Greg Cox), The Q’s force of nature omnipotence have made them one of the most feared and gloriously divine species in the Trek universe. Yes, in Trek, Q definitely stood for quality.

5. Bajorans

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “ensign ro” (1991).

It is apropos that the Bajorans and Cardassians are so close on this list because the two races are forever linked in the mind of Trek fans. Trekkers first met the Bajoran through Enterprise Ensign Ro Laren, a fiery and ultra-capable young Starfleet cadet.

Ro had everything it took to get ahead in Starfleet. She was loyal, dedicated, brilliant, and strong willed. Yet, the past of her people, the Bajorans, was filled with so much tragedy. The loyalty to her race led Ro away from Starfleet and into the waiting arms of the Marquis, a group that abandoned Starfleet to form a renegade fleet of rebels dissatisfied with Federation doctrine.

Ro’s discontent was expanded upon by the inclusion of the Bajorans in Deep Space Nine . In DS9 , fans learnt of the suffering that the Bajorans were forced to endure at the hands of the Cardassians. Bajorans were a race of freedom fighters, a highly scientific and artistic race that had to embrace militarism and xenophobia in order to survive.

In DS9 , fans learned almost every aspect of the Bajoran race. What began with Ro continued the Kira Nerys, the second in command of the Deep Space Nine space station and a woman who would do anything to keep her people free and punish her former oppressors.

DS9 introduced many Bajoran notables in its many seasons, and not all of them were benevolent. Of all the races introduced in Star Trek , the Bajorans might be the most tragically human as they had to see their own darkness in order to survive the unthinkable in order to survive the Cardassians.

4. Cardassians

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the wounded” (1991).

Nowhere in the Trek universe have there been a race more troubling, more complex, and more narratively-interesting race than the Cardassians. Fans first met the lizard like, leathery Cardassians in the Next Gen episode entitled “The Wounded,” in which the martial struggle between the Cardassians and the Bajoran was introduced.

The Cardassians were first seen as Nazi-like war criminals that committed a horrible genocide against the Bajoran people. The anger against the Cardassians, amongst other points of discontent, caused a large segment of Bjorn sympathizers to break off from the Federation and form the Marquis.

Cardassians warred with both the Federation and the Klingon Empire and took both fleets to the absolute limits. When the Cardassian/Bjorn conflict ended with the Bajoran victorious, it was up to the Federation to help the galaxy heal. The Federation set up the Deep Space Nine space station to oversee this transition of power as Cardassians began to be tried for war crimes that were simply unthinkable in such an enlightened galaxy. 

At this time, fans met Gul Dukat and Garak. Garak in particular demonstrated that there was more to the Cardassians than violence. He became a DS9 wildcard who, for the most part, was loyal to peace and harmony.

However, both Garak and former Cardassian military leader Gul Dukat had spilled their fair share of blood and the Cardassians began to stand-in for any race that committed genocide. Parallels were drawn not only to the Nazis but to Imperialistic Europe and to America’s treatment of indigenous peoples as well.

The Cardassians were a difficult mirror to look into because they exposed many societal flaws of the contemporary world. Through rich, powerfully crafted characters like Garak, Trek reminds viewers that in all species, there is the capacity for tremendous good and unthinkable evil.

3. Borg

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “q who” (1989).

Throughout Trek history, the wonderful men and women who have crafted stories for Star Trek have often reminded fans that space can be a cruel and terrible place — but no race has represented the horrors of the Final Frontier more than the Borg.

The Borg is a race of cyborg drones that share a hive mind. Their only aim is to assimilate the universe and make all Borg. Borg are mindless automatons that answer to the Borg Queen and the Collective. They are unstoppable and fiercely efficient. The Borg roam the galaxy in their distinctive Borg Cubes and, when they encounter any organic race, that race is forcibly assimilated into the Borg. All hopes, history, art, passion, and individuality become part of the Collective while the individual becomes a living weapon, a husk dedicated only to the Borg. Famously, Jean-Luc Picard fell to the Borg and was transformed into Locutus. As Locutus, Picard came an eyelash away from assimilating the Enterprise.

Later, through characters like Hugh Borg and Seven of Nine, some humanity was given to the Borg. Hugh was an injured Borg healed by Picard’s crew, while Seven of Nine broke her programming and served on Voyager. Through both characters, more and more history was revealed about the Borg. Fans even got to meet the Borg Queen in the film Star Trek: First Contact  — and what an H.R. Giger nightmare that was.

Throughout the decades, Star Trek has been the most hopeful of sci-fi franchises. Trek is infused with humankind’s potential for greatness and a hope for an enlightened future. The Borg serve as a reminder that technology can lead to paradise, yes, but it can also lead to a cold future of pure horror where individuality is worthless and resistance is futile.

2. Klingons

When we first met the Klingons, they were classically humanoid aliens that mirrored the worst of humanity. In the earliest Klingon appearances, Klingon society was portrayed as brutal and despotic. They were slave masters that would do anything to crush any opposition.

The Klingons were constant threats. At times, the Klingons seemed to be analogous to the Nazi Third Reich. In other instances, they resembled Communist Russia. But whatever real world nightmare the Klingons represented at any given moment, whenever a Klingon Bird of Prey warped into a confrontation with the Enterprise, fans know that intense action would follow.

When the Klingons returned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , this brutal race’s appearance was altered. Suddenly, Klingons were shown to have deep forehead ridges and a more bestial appearance. The real reason this was done was because Trek now had a budget, but there has never been an in story reason for the Klingon alteration. This just adds to the mystique of the Klingon race.

Klingons take the next step of their story evolution in Star Trek: The Next Generation . Now, a Klingon served on the bridge of the Enterprise, and it could be argued that this Klingon — Mr. Worf — was the very model of what a Starfleet officer should be. Through Worf, Next Gen explored every aspect of Klingon culture and made it more like a race of honorable technologically-advanced Vikings or Mongols than an analogy to fascism. That exploration continued into Deep Space Nine and, through the half Klingon-half human engineer B’Elanna Torres, onto Voyager .

There is an actual a Klingon language that exists in the real world. A whole freakin’ language has been created inspired by these honorable and violent warriors of the cosmos. So, raise a glass of Klingon Warnog, grab your Bat’leth, and salute the Klingons — a race that started out as typical villains, but evolved into one of the most engaging and inspiring races in the galaxy.

1. Vulcans

Is there any race in genre fiction more beloved than the Vulcans? This race of logic-driven, emotionless, pointy-eared people have defined the Star Trek experience since day one.

In the Star Trek pilot, “The Cage,” the world was introduced to science officer Spock, a cold, calculating yet brave and benevolent alien who loyally assisted his captain. Fifty years later, Spock is still the strong right hand of the Enterprise. The Vulcan’s lack of emotion serves as a perfect narrative contrast to human nature, with the interactions and differences between Spock, McCoy, and Kirk as the beating heart of Trek since Roddenberry first put pen to paper.

But the wonder of the Vulcans don’t end with Spock. Over the decades — through countless books, films, TV episodes, and comics — many Vulcans have taken center stage and have, in the words of the most famous Vulcan of them all, fascinated fans for generations…

There has been Sarek, Spock’s father who dared to follow his emotions and take a human wife. There has been Tuvok, the brave and able Vulcan officer who served on Voyager. There has been T’Pol, the sometimes cold but always loyal commander that served as the first officer of the first Enterprise. By being so alien, all these characters and so many more have shown the world what it means to be human.

Trek lore has delved deeply into Vulcan history, creating one of most fully-functioning and detailed fictional worlds in all of sci-fi. Sadly, in the latest set of Trek films, Vulcan has fallen and this magnificent race is endangered. But take heart that Spock, Vulcan and Earth’s favorite son, is endeavoring to rebuild the race that has long made Star Trek so awesome.

Marc Buxton

Marc Buxton is an English teacher/private tutor by day,and a super-hyper-uber geek by night. Marc spent six years on the frontlines as a comic retailer before…

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Published Oct 5, 2011

Bill Blair: Alien Actor Extraordinaire

You might not know the name Bill Blair, but you know his face. Actually, you might not know his face, either. Let’s put it this way: if you regularly watched Deep Space Nine , Voyager and/or Enterprise – not to mention loads of other sci-fi shows from Alien Nation to Babylon 5 – then you’ve seen a lot of Bill Blair over the years. Blair is one of Hollywood’s busiest, most in-demand portrayers of aliens and, as such, often finds himself buried deep beneath makeup and prosthetics. He’s so accomplished at it that he’s become prolific, and he’s so prolific at it that on Sunday, October 9, he will be honored for having set the Guinness World Record for “most special effects characters portrayed in a career.”

Those who do know Blair, know him real well. He’s written a book. He’s got a big, active fan base and a popular web site, and he counts among his fans and friends everyone from Walter Koenig Robin Williams and Gary Graham to George Takei , Kevin Sorbo and Rod Roddenberry. Many of those fans and friends are expected to join Blair on Sunday, as the Hollywood Rotary Club honors Blair first with a press conference and red carpet event for fans at the Guinness World Records Museum in Hollywood and then at a star-studded red carpet event and party at Trastevere Restaurant in Hollywood. StarTrek.com recently caught up with Blair to talk about his life, career, the upcoming Guinness World Record event and more. Entering the Guinness Book of World Records for "most special effects character portrayed in a career" is a very singular and specific honor. What does it mean to you to have earned it? Blair: This is a feeling of accomplishment, something I didn't even think of until about five years ago. When I first began looking into this type of record I learned from the Guinness people they had nothing like it and they invited me to submit for what became this category. I am proud of this accomplishment and it tells me I spent a lot more time in make-up and latex than I had ever imagined. It truly is a great honor to be a part of the Guinness World Record files and I hope that I can continue to add to the record number over the time I (continue to)  spend in the entertainment business Oct. 9 should be a very memorable day. Take us through the schedule and what excites you most about what's in store. Blair: I plan to arrive in a very special character at around 3:15 p.m. that my make-up artist and I will put together ahead of time. Exiting the limo will be the biggest moment for me, as I see all the fans, friends and press there to observe this day and to honor and learn more about me and the life I have led to reach this goal. After greeting everyone and stopping for some photos on the red carpet in character, we will have a press conference and during that time reveal the true me under the character. It will be a joy to see the expressions of those that have never seen the real me before and how the transformation comes about, followed by more time to take pictures with fans and friends on the red carpet with the real Bill. The VIP reception party and charity fundraiser will start at 6 p.m., and I will greet more fans and friends and the press on the red carpet. There will great food, music and entertainment during the next three hours and, of course, the opportunity to raise lots of money for a great charity organization: The Global Alternative Energy Alliance. So, what's the secret to playing a convincing alien character? Blair: Being someone that can live in a make-believe world and can also believe he/she is form somewhere other than here and has fun with it. Also, the ability and personality to wear all the make-up and costuming for long, long hours, doesn't hurt either. How did you land your first gig on DS9 , and what episode was it? Blair: My first memorable episode was “ The House of Quark ,” where I was a member of the Klingon High Council listening to Quark's explanation of the financial facts of the situation. I got the job by being available at the right time when casting called me after another actor had to cancel at the last minute. Right place, right time – and luck. You appeared in three dozen episodes of DS9 . What were one or two of your most memorable experiences on the show? Which one or two characters did you most enjoy playing? Blair: Overall, number one is having been able to work with an amazing cast and crew on set. That always made the job and experience so great, which made every episode special. The best individual experience was when I played four different alien races in the same episode, and that was the last two-part episode to conclude the series. I always enjoyed playing Klingons and Cardassians the most, as I liked the character make-up for them the most and I liked how much I could do with each personality. Once I was a Cardassian jail guard who let Kira out of jail; it was a silent, straightforward part, but oh-so-important in character and attitude. You appeared in at least seven episodes of Voyager . What were a couple of the more memorable experiences on that show, and which one or two characters did you most enjoy playing. Blair: My best memory of Voyager was being a Klingon traveler in the episode “ Prophecy ” - lots of fun reactions and moments as B’Elanna told her story. And then there was “ Friendship One ” as one as one of the alien races that had suffered terrible radiation. I got to guard Neelix, and it was so important to hold the stern character and attitude during the scenes. I also have fond memories of “ Critical Care ,” where I went through three character options before I was finally cast as the assistant to the doctor, a very important role as a plot point and a constant in certain scenes in the show You were also in Star Trek: The Experience , in the Borg Invasion 4-D film, and in one of the fan films, New Voyages: Blood and Fire . How did you enjoy working on them? Blair: I loved playing the Borg. Hot as the set was, I never thought about it as much, as I enjoyed the 3-D filming experience and getting to play yet another classic character from the Star Trek franchise. Playing Commander Blodgette in Blood and Fire was so great, as I got to co-star with Denise Crosby . She was excellent to work and play off of as an actor, and the rest of the cast was so open and welcoming to me. I also did all the special effect make-up for part two of that episode. You returned to Trek again for Enterprise , appearing in several episodes. How did the first one come about? Whose idea was that? Was it an audition? And how was the experience. Blair: I auditioned/interviewed for a part in the episode “ The Andorian Incident .” I got to work with Scott Bakula for the first time since one time long ago on Quantum Leap as a waiter in a restaurant. We had a great interaction in one scene that made the whole episode so special. It was also only the second time in my career getting to play a Vulcan, another great, classic race from the Star Trek franchise that I’d wanted to do at the time. I returned to Enterprise three more times as different Vulcans and also a homeless vagrant in another. There are a lot of Trek fans out there who are Bill Blair fans and many people who don't realize that you appeared as so many characters in so many episodes. How amazed are you to have a devoted fan base and what's the reaction you get from people when they put two and two together and realize that this character and that character and that character and... were all you? Blair: When I attend the conventions around the world it is true that most (people) have never seen the real Bill, and they are fascinated by the stories and remembering all the characters one by one as I go through the series and episodes. The most memorable of all of them involved Armin Shimerman at a con in Las Vegas. I went up to speak to him, and he knew my voice but not the face. I introduced myself. He knew the name and remarked how he loved finally meeting me in person rather than in alien as it were. Aside from Trek , what would you say are some of your most familiar/popular roles, in and out of makeup? Blair: From my very early days, people remember me as a recurring face on the series Dallas and then Knots Landing . In more recent years, from an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and the popular series Heroes . Those were all, of course, as the real Bill. In makeup, I recall fondly the time at Disney World when a young fan recognized me from a specific Minbari I played on Babylon 5 . I was standing in a ride line and he came up to talk to me and we got into some more of the characters I played. He then found out why they are not supposed to approach celebrities, as I was then hounded by about 20 young ladies, all with cameras wanting photos with me. It was a lot of fun and I had a great time with everyone there that night. The overall most-popular roles have to go to the Brakiri priest I played in the Babylon 5 episode “Day of the Dead,” and the Vulcan I played on Enterprise . What are you working on these days? Blair: Most recently, last year, I was on Mad Men , NCIS and Men of a Certain Age . This year, I have been working on and off in the TV series Raising Hope , How I Met Your Mother , also Jane by Design , iCarly and films like a yet-to-be-released movie. It’s still untitled, but is a major film that will be known in 2012). I’ve also shot Argo (with Ben Affleck and Bryan Cranston) and Gangster Squad (with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone).To learn more about the Guinness event in Hollywood, click HERE . And to visit Blair’s official site, click HERE .

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• Why Aliens Are So Important to <i>Star Trek</i>

Why Aliens Are So Important to Star Trek

Excerpted from TIME’s Star Trek: Inside the Most Influential Science-Fiction Series Ever . Available at retailers and at Amazon.com .

Since the time of the Greek philosopher Anaximander, humans have gazed up at the heavens and wondered: Is anyone else out there? For some, the idea that we might be the most advanced beings in all of creation offers a sense of supremacy. Others find it a lonely thought.

Reality has yet to offer a conclusive answer one way or the other, leaving our imaginations to run wild. If aliens do exist, what might they look like? How would they behave? And crucially: Would they be friend or foe? Thinkers no less great than the physicist Stephen Hawking have warned of the latter possibility. “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans,” Hawking remarked in a 2010 documentary on the subject.

Thankfully for the curious among us, science-fiction writers have stepped up to fill our imaginations with myriad possibilities.

Their creations have extended far beyond the archetypical “little green men.” H.G. Wells’s 1898 War of the Worlds, widely hailed as an exemplar of the genre, gave us terrifying Martian invaders and their tripodal death machines. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) offered Klaatu, who visited Earth to urge humanity to end our warlike ways. And of course there was E.T., the disarmingly cute alien simply in need of a ride home.

But nothing in science fiction has contributed to the depth of the extraterrestrial encyclopedia like Star Trek. From the Bajorans (a proud people struggling to recover from another species’s hostile occupation of their world) to the Tamarians (a seemingly incomprehensible race that turns out to communicate through mythology and metaphor), Star Trek’s writers have dreamed up nearly 300 different alien species and counting, according to the fan website Memory Alpha. And that’s just the humanoids.

How can one franchise spawn so many aliens—and so many memorable ones, at that? Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Science fiction typically uses spaceships, death rays and time travel as devices to offer ominous warnings about the ways humanity can go awry. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry flipped that script, introducing to a 1960s audience a future in which an interated cast of humans (and, just to drive the point home, one actual alien) work together to better understand their universe.

That utopian vision was essential to Trek’s DNA, but it was also a tremendous challenge for one group of people: Star Trek writers, who faced the daunting task of writing stories in which the main characters all got along just fine.

“Gene was very big on not wanting to create conflict among the characters on the show,” says Rick Berman, who led the Star Trek franchise after Roddenberry died in 1991 until 2005 and produced several series and feature films. “He felt that humans, especially Starfleet humans, had evolved to a point where he didn’t want to see conflict between them.”

Yet conflict is at the core of all great storytelling. So if the Enterprise crew couldn’t squabble with one another, Star Trek writers had to find friction elsewhere. Aliens came to the rescue. “Often we were telling stories of how humans had progressed, or not, in the far reaches of space,” says longtime Star Trek writer D.C. Fontana. “But sometimes the theme of the tale was better told by demonstrating how aliens approached or solved problems, or how they failed.”

Things got off to a rocky start. Putting aside Spock—a full-fledged member of the Enterprise crew—the first extraterrestrial to appear on Star Trek was a C-list monster that could have been pulled from any bad ’50s sci-fi flick. A shape-shifter with a serious salt craving, the nameless creature killed off Enterprise crew members by sucking the sodium out of them. The so-called “salt vampire” wasn’t a big hit. Thankfully, matters improved from there.

Humans are complex creatures, capable of being logical, tactical, aggressive, greedy and lustful all in a single one-hour episode. But Star Trek aliens are typically guided by one prime mover. Often it is some trait shared by many people. A desire for conquest, perhaps, or the pursuit of wealth or the urge to protect one’s offspring. That made them a thinly veiled stand-in for whatever driving force they represented, giving the writers a way to craft stories that were less about aliens and more about us. Simply put, Star Trek aliens are a mirror in which we see the best and worst of ourselves—and one in which we see that we’re not as different from one another as we might think.

“The concept of having aliens on a week- to-week basis, sometimes new, sometimes ones that the audience was familiar with, gave the writers the ability to represent all the different qualities of humanity,” says Berman. “Whether it’s avarice or whether it’s a hive-like mentality or whether it’s emotions or whether it’s a desire to be more human, these were all qualities that the aliens allowed us to play with. We could not have done the show without that.”

Case in point: In the third-season Next Generation episode “The Survivors,” Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his crew find a couple who appear to be the only survivors of an attack on a Federation colony. But when they are offered safe harbor aboard the Enterprise, they refuse, insisting they be left where they were found. It’s an odd request, given their situation. A series of other strange happenings, such as a warship appearing to drive the Enterprise away from the planet, convinces Picard that something is amiss with the pair, who are named Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge. Picard is eventually able to trick Kevin into revealing the truth: he’s not a human but a member of an all-powerful species called the Douwd. Kevin admits that he created a fictional version of Rishon after she was killed in an attack by a murderous race called the Husnock. What’s more, Kevin, who considers himself a pacifist, reveals that in his rage over losing his wife, he killed the Husnock. And not just the Husnock who attacked his world but all of them, everywhere in the universe.

Kevin’s reaction is perfectly “human.” Who hasn’t wished ill will on those who do us wrong? The difference, of course, is that Kevin has the power to satisfy his rage to a horrific extent. Picard, typically motivated by justice, admits that the Federation has “no law to fit” Kevin’s crime, instead letting him live in exile on the planet. The captain concludes, “We leave behind a being of extraordinary power and conscience. I am not certain if he should be praised or condemned. Only that he should be left alone.”

With the possible exception of Spock and the rest of the Vulcans, Star Trek’s best-known aliens are the Klingons. A ruthless warrior race obsessed with battle and honor, the Klingons originally served as a two-dimensional foil for Kirk and company. Many have viewed them as a bellicose stand-in for the great space-race enemy of the original series’ era, the Soviet Union. But so popu- lar have the Klingons become over the decades that theirs is the most widely spoken fictional language in the world, according to Guinness World Records. (Take that, Lord of the Rings fans.) There’s even an ongoing copyright battle over who owns the Klingon language, which has generated some of the more entertaining legal briefs of our time.

At least some of the credit for that popularity is due to actor Michael Dorn, who played the Klingon bridge officer Worf in The Next Generation. That series took the original, more-cartoonish Klingons and gave them depth and relatability. Klingons, as it turns out, are a lot like us. The Klingons are warmongers, like some humans. The Klingons are obsessed with rituals, like some humans. The Klingons are driven by a fierce dedication to their family, like some humans. One of Star Trek’s best Klingon stories came in “Sins of the Father,” a third-season Next Generation episode in which Worf’s late father is accused of treason. As much as it pains him to do so, Worf decides to shoulder the blame in accordance with Klingon custom, despite his father’s innocence, a move that will help preserve the Klingon Empire’s political status quo and keep the empire from spiraling into chaos that could ultimately harm millions. It’s a deeply human story, a meditation on family pride as much as it is a revealing look into the intricacies of Klingon politics.

If the Klingons were Star Trek’s original villains, the Borg were the show’s best. A technologically advanced race of cyborgs, the Borg are bound together into a hive mind called “the Collective.” Just looking at the Borg, a terrifying hodgepodge of man and machine, is enough to send shivers down your spine. But the real terror lies in their motivation: intergalactic racial purity. When the Borg encounter a new species, they either add it to the Collective through forced “assimilation” or simply kill it off.

It’s unclear which is the worse fate. In part, Star Trek is a celebration of humanity’s individuality. The Borg are everything Trek’s humans are not: obedient, robotic, conformist. So great is the fear of assimilation that in the Star Trek film First Contact, an Enterprise crew member who’s going through the horrific process begs Capt. Picard to kill him out of mercy. Picard—who had once been assimilated himself but was saved in a daring rescue by his crew—obliges. “The concept of being assimilated was terrifying, because it seemed like you had no control over it and no ability to combat it,” says Jonathan Frakes, who played Star Trek’s Cdr. William T. Riker and directed First Contact as well as Star Trek: Insurrection.

The Borg, who first appeared in a 1989 episode of The Next Generation, are typically considered a commentary on fascism and racial cleansing. But in a sense, they are aliens posing questions we didn’t even realize we would soon be facing. Can we real-world humans be addicted to constant connectivity through our smartphones, as the Borg are to the Collective? (Cut a Borg off from the hive mind, and the alien’s nonplussed reaction is not unlike that of a teenager stripped of an iPhone.) Does social media give us a platform on which to connect with others to enhance our common understanding, or does it create a hive mind that rejects unpopular opinions, as does the Collective? Should we enhance our physical and mental capabilities with technological implants, as the Borg do? Watch the Borg stories with these pressing questions in mind, and they only become more fascinating.

Given the prominence of races like the Klingons and the Borg, it might seem as if Star Trek’s aliens are almost always villains. That’s far from the case. The greedy Ferengi, introduced early in The Next Generation, were intended as such at first. But fans considered them too silly to be a serious threat. Instead, the Ferengi soon turned into walking, breathing commentaries on the advantages and flaws of unbridled capitalism. If Donald Trump were a Star Trek alien, he would be a Ferengi. They’re driven entirely by making money; they always want the better part of the deal. (They also happen to be some of the most sexist creatures in Trek: they outright ban women from business, though their society undergoes reforms as their story line progresses.) These characteristics put them in stark contrast with Star Trek’s humans, who work not for money but “to better ourselves and the rest of humanity,” as Capt. Picard once put it.

Star Trek’s quintessential Ferengi was Quark, a seedy intergalactic businessman and bartender who was brought to life by actor Armin Shimerman in Deep Space Nine, the franchise’s third television series. Quark often quoted from “the Rules of Acquisition,” a sort of Ferengi guidebook that could double as Gordon Gekko’s personal manifesto. Example rules include “Never place friendship above profit,” “Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity” and “War is good for business.” But Deep Space Nine’s writers went beyond using Quark as a mere punching bag for Wall Street. In the season-three episode “The House of Quark,” for instance, we see him use his business-like cunning to escape certain death in a duel with a Klingon. The lesson? Sometimes greed is good.

Star Trek writers were skilled at constantly adding depth to the aliens who reappeared through the series. Just as the Klingons’ belligerence was leavened with stories about their love of honor, the warlike Romulans turned out to be literally related to the Vulcans—a glimpse at Trek’s most logical race with the worked only in pairs, providing a lesson about the power of cooperation. And Star Trek: Voyager’s “Year of Hell” offered the history-alerting Annorax, who aimed to use his time weapon to restore his people’s empire to its former glory but killed his own wife in the process, revealing the cost of stubborn pride.

On one level, Star Trek is a science-fiction show about a group of intellectually enlightened humans exploring the far reaches of the galaxy, all to better their understanding of their world. But the show is really about us, back here in the present day, and the common ties that bind us. What better way to show us we’re all alike than through the lens of outsiders? “Aliens are really important in science fiction because they give a little distance character-wise and story-wise so that you can actually have stories about beauty and youth and racism, and on and on and on,” says John de Lancie, who played Star Trek’s godlike character Q. “It puts it on the character of an alien to be able to say things that sometimes you can’t say straight out. I think the aliens in Star Trek and the aliens in most science fiction have a lot of value in that respect.”

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‘the rings of power’ actress nazanin boniadi on her decision to depart series ahead of season 2, ‘star trek: prodigy’ first look images: alien starship crew, voice cast revealed.

By Greg Evans

NY & Broadway Editor

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Paramount + today offered up a first-look at the alien starship crew – and the voice actors behind it – for the upcoming all-new animated children’s series Star Trek: Prodigy .

See all of the new images below.

Joining the previously announced Kate Mulgrew, who will reprise her Star Trek: Voyager of Kathryn Janeway, will be Rylee Alazraqui, Brett Gray, Angus Imrie, Jason Mantzoukas, Ella Purnell and Dee Bradley Baker, all voicing the series’ young aliens. In the series, Mulgrew’s Janeway will serve as the starship’s built-in emergency training hologram.

Produced by the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and CBS Studios, Star Trek: Prodigy will premiere on Paramount+ in the U.S. later this year. Developed by Kevin and Dan Hageman, the CG-animated series is the first Star Trek series aimed at younger audiences. According to Paramount+, the series will follow “a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search for a better future. These six young outcasts know nothing about the ship they have commandeered – a first in the history of the Star Trek franchise – but over the course of their adventures together, they will each be introduced to Starfleet and the ideals it represents.”

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The cast and characters are, as described by Paramount+:

• Rylee Alazraqui ( Home Economics ) as “Rok-Tahk,” a Brikar and an unusually bright eight-year-old girl. Rok is a bit shy, but not when it comes to her love for animals;
• Brett Gray ( On My Block ) as “Dal,” 17 years old and an unknown species, he fancies himself a maverick, who even in the toughest times, holds strong onto his unwavering hope;
• Angus Imrie ( The Crown ) as “Zero,” who is a Medusan: a noncorporeal, genderless, energy-based lifeform. Since others would go mad at the sight of their true self, Zero wears a containment suit they made themselves to protect others;
• Jason Mantzoukas ( Infinite ) as “Jankom Pog,” a 16-year-old Tellarite. Tellarites are known to relish an argument, and Jankom is no different. Regardless of opinion, he will always play ‘devil’s advocate’ for the sake of hearing all sides;
• Ella Purnell ( Army of the Dead ) as “Gwyn,” a 17-year-old Vau N’Akat who was raised on her father’s bleak mining planet and grew up dreaming to explore the stars;
• Dee Bradley Baker ( SpongeBob SquarePants ) as “Murf,” whose age and species is unknown but who is an endearing, indestructible blob with curiously good timing and an insatiable appetite for ship parts.

Star Trek: Prodigy is from CBS’ Eye Animation Productions, CBS Studios’ new animation arm; Nickelodeon Animation Studio, led by President of Animation, Ramsey Naito; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, Katie Krentz, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers alongside co-showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman. Ben Hibon directs, co-executive produces and serves as the creative lead of the all-new animated series. Aaron Baiers also serves as co-executive producer.

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• View history

The Pakleds were a rotund humanoid species native to a planet known to them as Pakled Planet .

• 1 Physiology
• 2 Society and culture
• 4 Government
• 5 Technology
• 6 List of Pakleds
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2 Background information
• 7.3 Apocrypha
• 7.4 External links

Physiology [ ]

The Pakleds were a humanoid species with a distinctive appearance. They had a round, mostly bald head with large brows covering much of their sloping forehead, and eyes slanted downwards. Their skin was a pale grayish-white, and their bodies were thick and muscular. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ")

One of the most notable aspects of Pakled was their low intelligence . They were often regarded as one of the least intelligent species in the galaxy . However, despite their intellectual deficiencies, the Pakleds were physically strong and tough.

Rumdar's scan

Pakleds possessed a high tolerance for pain and were known to survive injuries that would be fatal to other species. They were durable enough to survive the vacuum of space , as evidenced when Rumdar accidentally ejected himself from an airlock aboard the USS Cerritos after mistaking it for a bathroom . He was recovered some time later and revived on his own while in sickbay . According to the Cerritos ' chief medical officer , Doctor T'Ana , she had no idea how Rumdar was able to survive, but said that he "[was] totally fine." According to Rumdar himself, "Pakleds [were] strong." ( LD : " The Spy Humongous ")

Society and culture [ ]

The Pakleds were a species known for their limited intelligence and simplistic way of life. Their culture and society reflected this, with a focus on survival and acquiring technology by any means necessary.

Pakled society was highly stratified, with a clear hierarchy based on strength and ability to acquire technology. The strongest and most capable Pakleds were the leaders, while weaker and less capable individuals were relegated to lower positions in society. This was exemplified in that large headwear was a representation of status and power in their society. ( LD : " The Spy Humongous ")

Despite their lack of intelligence, the Pakleds were highly skilled in acquiring technology, often through theft or bartering with other species. They were known to ambush passing ships, using their own ships as bait to lure unsuspecting travelers into their trap. Once captured, they would demand technology or goods in exchange for the release of the ship and its crew. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ")

Despite their aggressive tendencies, the Pakleds were not completely without compassion. They valued loyalty and trustworthiness, and were known to form strong bonds with those they considered allies or friends. However, these bonds were often based on mutual gain, with each party benefiting from the other's skills or resources. Pakled society was highly insular, with little interaction with other species. They were often viewed as a nuisance or a threat by neighboring civilizations, who were wary of their aggressive tactics and tendency to steal technology. ( LD : " wej Duj ")

History [ ]

By the 2360s , they had had contact with the Federation , Klingons , Romulans , and Jarada .

Because their own technology was significantly less advanced than that of many other spacefaring races – a fact that Data found to be "a genuine curiosity [regarding] how they ever mastered the rudiments of space travel" – the Pakleds sought things that made them "go" – and they especially liked things that made them powerful. They were driven by their unwillingness to develop technological knowledge on their own, and desired to instantly gain the power that other cultures enjoyed. They therefore tried to acquire technology from other species, generally by theft through coercion . To the casual observer, the Pakleds appeared to be intellectually challenged, especially in their verbal skills. However, despite the apparent lack of intellect, they proved to be far more cunning than they appeared and used their innocuous appearance to deceive other races. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ")

In 2365 , a Pakled ship named the Mondor sent out a Mayday in Rhomboid Dronegar Sector 006 in order to lure in other ships whose technology could then be stolen. They were offered assistance by the crew of the USS Enterprise -D , who lent the Pakleds their chief engineer , Geordi La Forge , to help fix the Pakled ship. The Pakleds kidnapped La Forge, but eventually returned him, after the Enterprise demonstrated its "force" with a harmless pyrotechnic display involving its Bussard collectors . ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ")

In 2366 , a Pakled trade ship found and retrieved Lore after he had drifted in space for nearly two years. Following his rescue, he was given Pakled clothing to wear. ( TNG : " Brothers ")

By 2370 , Pakleds frequently visited Deep Space 9 and were likely to be found either at Quark's or on the Promenade . ( DS9 : " Melora ", et al.)

In the middle of the same year, while in a search for the Duras sisters , Lursa and B'Etor , the USS Enterprise -D entered the Kalla system , which was held by the Pakleds. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

Later the same year, a Pakled transport crossed the Demilitarized Zone to supply the Cardassians with a shipment of retro-viral vaccines . ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

Pakleds were also known to work as refuse merchants , and messy ones at that, a fact that Quark echoed while describing the condition of his brother Rom 's quarters . ( DS9 : " Prophet Motive ")

By 2380 , the Pakleds' level of accumulation had created powerful ships, known as Pakled Clumpships , which contained components salvaged from over thirty different species – including the Klingons, Romulans, Bajorans , Arkonians , and Ferengi – to the point where they could easily be a threat to some Federation starships. As a result of the Federation's persistent failure to monitor species they had encountered, much of this development happened under the galaxy's nose. ( LD : " No Small Parts ")

In an apparent attempt to seek revenge against the Enterprise , a group of Pakled rebels began attacking Federation shipping routes. A group of Klingon extremists , who believed the Klingon Empire had lost its way during the time of peace, sought to use the Pakled's own hunger for power to their advantage. Seeing the Federation beginning to destabilize, some Klingons, such as Dorg , began to share weapons and information with the Pakleds to further fuel their conflict with the Federation, in hopes it would lead to an eventual war. ( LD : " wej Duj ")

Their threat escalated when one of the rebels' Clumpships destroyed the USS Solvang , and seriously damaged the USS Cerritos before Lieutenant Shaxs and Ensign Sam Rutherford were able to destroy the attacking vessel with a computer virus created by the demented hologram Badgey . Three more Clumpships then arrived, threatening to destroy the Cerritos , but were driven off after the USS Titan arrived and overpowered them. ( LD : " No Small Parts ")

As 2381 began, the Titan continued to engage the Pakleds. ( LD : " Strange Energies ", " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers ") Suspecting that the Pakleds are being led by a third party, the Titan crew were sent to investigate the Pakled takeover of a Varuvian mining colony on Karzill IV , but were unable to determine whether any other power was involved in the operation. ( LD : " Kayshon, His Eyes Open ")

On Stardate 58105.1, Starfleet sent the Cerritos to the Pakled homeworld in order to negotiate a cease-fire , much to the confusion of Pakled Ambassador Grubdin . The visit prompted a rebel attempt to plant a spy aboard the Cerritos . Their arrival coincided with the escape of the rebel prisoner Rumdar , who arrived aboard the Cerritos , sent to acquire information about the ship's shields , crimson force field , warp core , and the crew's access codes , under a poorly executed ruse of posing as a refugee seeking asylum .

In response, Captain Carol Freeman and Lieutenant Shaxs were held, for seemingly assisting the rebels, until their former prisoner was returned. Freeman met with several levels of Pakled leadership, before witnessing a Pakled " rebelution ".

With the new leader installed, the spy returned to report the "success" of his mission aboard the Cerritos . Freeman was able to trick Rumdar into revealing the Pakled's plot to smuggle a Varuvian bomb onto Earth . With information in hand, Freeman returned to the Cerritos , and left the Pakleds believing that they had actually defeated her . ( LD : " The Spy Humongous ")

Later, Dorg's actions with the Pakleds were exposed after a failed mutiny by his commander, Togg . After anointing Ma'ah his new first officer, they rendezvoused with the Clumpship Pakled to discuss a weapons transaction. While the Pakled 's captain, Rebner , and Dorg negotiated, they were interrupted with the arrival of the Cerritos and joined forces to take out the Cerritos before it could report of their alliance. Ma'ah did not believe Dorg's actions in manipulating the Pakleds to fight a battle for them were honorable, and successfully killed Dorg, intending to reveal his actions to the Klingon High Council . A short time later, on Stardate 58130.6, Pakled Planet was destroyed by a Varuvian bomb that was apparently planted in the capital city , Big Strong City by the Klingon extremists. Upon investigation, Starfleet Command came upon evidence that Carol Freeman was in league with the extremists, and promptly arrested her. ( LD : " wej Duj ", " First First Contact ")

In 2381 , an elite group of Starfleet officers, led by Captain Morgan Bateson and aided by Commander Tuvok , discovered that the evidence concerning Freeman was actually fabricated and that the destruction of their planet was done by the Pakleds themselves in order to trick the Federation into a new, resource-rich planet. Freeman was exonerated as a result and the true culprits arrested. ( LD : " Grounded ")

Government [ ]

The Pakleds had an unusual and rather incoherent system of government that served more to baffle and frustrate diplomats than it did effectively govern the species. They were at one time ruled by an emperor , followed by a subordinate king , then queen . They had a rudimentary class system where an individual's status was indicated by the size of their helmet .

In 2381 , the ruling elite were overthrown in a brief " rebelution " and replaced by the rebels , with the emperor's killer declaring himself the new leader . ( LD : " The Spy Humongous ")

Technology [ ]

The Pakleds, although somehow Warp capable, had technological capabilities that were relatively limited and primitive compared to those of most spacefaring civilizations . However, they were known to be resourceful and cunning in their use of technology, often relying on brute force and trickery to achieve their goals. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ")

One notable example of Pakled technology was their starship the Pakled Clumpship , which was a conglomeration of salvaged parts from various other ships. Despite its hodgepodge appearance, the ship was equipped with basic warp drive and weapons systems, allowing the Pakleds to travel through space and defend themselves if necessary. ( LD : " wej Duj ", " First First Contact ")

Another piece of technology commonly used by the Pakleds was their "enhancement device", which they use to boost their own strength and intelligence. The device was a crude combination of various technological components, and its effectiveness was questionable at best. However, the Pakleds firmly believe in its power, and often use it as a bargaining chip in negotiations with other species. Despite their limited technological capabilities, the Pakleds have demonstrated a talent for acquiring technology from other cultures through theft or deception. In one instance, they managed to steal advanced weaponry from the Klingons by posing as a hapless and innocent species in need of assistance. This tactic allowed them to gain access to the Klingon vessel, where they proceeded to take the weapons and escape undetected. ( LD : " wej Duj ", " First First Contact ")

Overall, the Pakleds' technology was rudimentary and often reliant on scavenging and theft from other civilizations. However, their resourcefulness and willingness to use underhanded tactics often allows them to punch above their weight and achieve their goals despite their technological limitations. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ")

List of Pakleds [ ]

• Jackabog's ship personnel
• Mondor personnel

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TNG : " Samaritan Snare "
• " Rules of Acquisition "
• " Whispers "
• " Playing God "
• " The Collaborator "
• " Prophet Motive "
• " Life Support "
• " Visionary "
• " The Way of the Warrior "
• " Accession "
• " The Sword of Kahless "
• " Starship Down "
• " Sons of Mogh "
• " Bar Association "
• " The Muse "
• " Broken Link "
• " Let He Who Is Without Sin... "
• " No Small Parts "
• " Strange Energies " (ships only; no visual contact)
• " Kayshon, His Eyes Open "
• " The Spy Humongous "
• " wej Duj "
• " First First Contact " (photo only)
• " Grounded " (photo only)

Background information [ ]

"PACK-led" was the pronunciation of this species' name from the script pronunciation guides for "Samaritan Snare" and "Firstborn". [1] [2]

The Pakleds were created by "Samaritan Snare" writer Robert L. McCullough . He thought them up in the knowledge that, no matter how bizarre the aliens were, the TNG production staff would most likely be able to find some way to portray them. " I wanted to do something fun. In all these space shows, the aliens are so damn smart and sophisticated, I thought, 'How about having them come across as dummies?' As all the aliens were malevolent and intuitive like Q , I felt it would be neat to find some aliens left out of the loop of development, " McCullough laughed. " Third world aliens! They appear to be stupid, but they're not: they're just needy. They're so needy, they become desperate. " He was extremely pleased to create the "dull, laughable and grossly overweight aliens." ( Starlog , issue 187, p. 54)

Robert McCullough took a logical approach to naming the aliens. " They were called Pakleds, which is pretty obvious – they were sheep, " he noted. The two members of the species named in "Samaritan Snare" – Grebnedlog and Reginod – " were names I learned in junior high school, " McCullough explained. " My last name used to be Goldenberg and my best friend's was Donager, and we had a code of calling each other by our last names backwards. " ( Starlog , issue 187, p. 54)

The script of "Samaritan Snare" described the Pakleds as "slothful, droopy-eyed humanoids" with "typically wistful Pakled hypoplastic speech, almost a sense of hopeful longing in their every word." [3]

An early concept sketch of a Pakled, by Make-Up Supervisor Michael Westmore

When designing the Pakled appearance, the make-up department had to bear in mind that the Pakleds were to be introduced as a race of aliens intended to appear slow-witted and harmless, incapable of creating their own technology, but in reality, were a sharp and nefarious race who would steal anything they wished. To aid the make-up department in representing the aliens' dual nature, the casting department hired portly actors whose expressions were naturally benign, in order to convey a sense of innocence. ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , pp. 111 & 113) Robert McCullough commented, " They got the biggest actors they could find, and with those costumes, they looked huge. " ( Starlog , issue 187, p. 54) The make-up itself consisted of appliances for the foreheads, cheeks, and a pointed lower lip. The make-up department also came up with a set of eyebrows that went up to the center of their foreheads, intended to project a sense of helplessness about their situation. For the mouth, a set of double-size teeth was used. ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , p. 113)

"Samaritan Snare" Director Les Landau was careful to show the Pakleds in a balanced way. Of their appearance in the episode, he recalled, " What I had to deal with was a race of people who appeared to be dimwitted and unattractive, but yet had a need for things to make themselves sufficient. I didn't want them to appear silly, foolish or unrealistic, or rather unbelievable, so it was a constant self-conscious awareness to keep them threatening yet simple. " ( The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 21 , p. 42)

According to an internal reference document, listing all the aliens seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation , which was circulated around the time of the production of TNG Season 5 , the Pakleds were given the description of "A rotund, lethargic scavenger race."

Following their introduction in the TNG Season 2 episode "Samaritan Snare", the Pakleds were also mentioned in the TNG Season 4 installment " Brothers " as having rescued Data's brother, Lore. The Pakleds were originally to have been led by him in the sixth season two-parter " Descent " and " Descent, Part II ", though they were ultimately replaced with the Borg in that pair of episodes. ( TV Zone , issue 61, p. 38) A person wearing a Pakled costume can be seen in a bar on Ronara Prime in TNG Season 7 outing " Preemptive Strike "; however, he lacks the unique Pakled facial features.

Subsequently, the Pakleds went on to appear in the background of several Star Trek: Deep Space Nine installments. They frequently appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from the second thru the fifth seasons. David Livingston commented on why the Pakleds were brought back in " Rules of Acquisition " which he directed: " I asked for them. We were doing a comedy and they're the funniest, goofiest-looking guys. I love the Pakleds ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 98))

The Pakleds were briefly considered to feature as main antagonists in DS9 : " One Little Ship ", when that episode was in pre-production, by which time it was too late to make such a drastic change to the episode. " During prep I started saying, 'We should have used someone like the Pakleds from TNG,' " offered René Echevarria . This idea was dismissed by Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr in favor of Harry Mudd instead being used as the villain, despite neither of them ultimately being used. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 531))

In the script for Star Trek Nemesis , the android B-4 revealed, in a lengthy speech, that he had told a group of Talosians that he originally had been rescued from his homeworld by the Pakleds, whom he referred to as "fat," prior to him having ended up in space for a long duration and then being found by the Talosians. In the first draft script of Nemesis , B-4 out-rightly informed Data that he had been rescued by the Pakleds and had later relayed news of the rescue to the Talosians, though, in the shooting script, B-4 phrased it by saying only that the Pakleds' involvement had been what he had told the Talosians. Also, in the first draft script, he mentioned that the Pakleds had traded him to a Bolian ship, which he didn't say in the shooting script. [4]

Apocrypha [ ]

In the Strange New Worlds 10 short story " A Dish Served Cold ", set in 2373 , a Borg cube en route to Sector 001 encounters a Pakled freighter, but the Collective considers them unintelligent and an inefficient use of resources to assimilate. However, they are later assimilated when the Borg need extra reinforcements in their battle with Starfleet forces in Earth orbit. They are designated as Species 95012.

The Star Trek: A Time to... novel A Time to Die reveals Pakleds have purplish blood .

The Star Trek Role Playing Game supplement Aliens established that the Pakled homeworld was called "Pakled." This was before Lower Decks established that the planet is called "Pakled Planet."

A ship of Pakleds is also featured in the video game Star Trek: Klingon , in which Gowron coaxes the Pakled captain to come over to his ship to explain why he could not come over to his ship.

In Star Trek Online , Pakleds are a playable race for Starfleet, which may indicate they have become a member of the Federation. Visually, the Pakleds are a lot less bulky than in Star Trek canon (though their appearance can be modified in the character customization editor).

Pakleds are also one of the races that can be discovered in the video game Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birth of the Federation .

External links [ ]

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

Planet Of The Titans: The Lost Star Trek Movie You'll Never See, Explained

F ollowing the monumentally successful run of "Star Trek: The Original Series," creator Gene Roddenberry set his sights on a feature film adaptation of "Star Trek" in the mid-1970s. His initial idea was given the title "Star Trek: The God Thing" -- a story featuring the "Star Trek" cast encountering an alien referring to itself as God, who plans to destroy Earth -- though this concept didn't get very far and was eventually canned. Then came the next big idea called "Star Trek: Planet of the Titans," which had all the potential to be quite a wild watch.

Throughout this journey, "Star Trek" fans would've been in for some real surprises, twists, and turns. The cast of the original "Star Trek" series would reunite aboard the USS Enterprise, visiting the homeworld of the fabled Titans of Greek mythology. Along the way, they'd encounter Klingons and Cygnans and get sucked into a black hole that sends them back to the earliest days of humanity. They'd even teach these prehistoric people how to create fire, thus kicking off the rapid advancement of human civilization (via "The Greatest Science Fiction Movies Never Made" by David Hughes)

With writers Chris Bryant and Allan Scott writing the script, Captain James T. Kirk and Spock themselves, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, on the cast list, and legendary artist Ralph McQuarrie putting together concept art, "Planet of the Titans" seemed like a sure thing. However, it ultimately didn't make it to the finish line for various reasons.

Multiple Factors Contributed To The Death Of Planet Of The Titans

"Star Trek: Planet of the Titans" entered pre-production in 1976, though the script by Chris Bryant and Allan Scott wasn't completed until the early months of 1977. Paramount Pictures rejected the draft, thus sending the entire production, which had taken quite a while to get off the ground already, into a tailspin. The decision was subsequently made by the powers that be to give up on "Planet of the Titans" -- then called "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" -- altogether due to multiple supposed factors.

According to sources such as "Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series" by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens and  "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages" by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, there are three main contributors said to be behind the death of "Planet of the Titans." In addition to production taking forever to get rolling and becoming increasingly expensive, the undeniable success of 1977's "Star Wars" allegedly gave Paramount leaders cold feet. Also, Paramount Studios Chief executive officer Barry Diller reportedly felt the story treatment drifted too far from the original "Star Trek" TV series.

With that, "Planet of the Titans" was abandoned in favor of a TV revival called "Star Trek: Phase II" that also never became a reality. Thankfully, "Star Trek" fans would see all their favorite characters, from Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) to Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), reach the big screen for the first time in 1979 when the "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" we all know finally premiered.

Read this next: Star Trek Stories That Are Actually Horrifying

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Star Trek: Discovery Boss Breaks Down That ‘Calypso’ Nod, Kovich’s Surprising Reveal in Emotional Series Finale

Keisha hatchett, staff editor.

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The following contains major spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery ‘s series finale on Thursday. Proceed accordingly.

After five ambitious seasons, Star Trek: Discovery has sent its last transmission.

In Thursday’s 90-minute series finale, Burnhum found herself cut off from her crew after following Moll through the portal that contained the Progenitors’ life-altering tech and, to her astonishment, doors to other worlds. While the captain fought the latter inside, her Discovery cohorts battled Breen warriors out in space.

 When the dust settled — Action Saru having fended off the Breen army — later scenes set in the future reveal that the Kelpian ambassador and T’Rina married. Book and Burnham also wed, then settled on Sanctuary Four (where Book planted Kwejian’s World Root) and had a son named Leto. The series wrapped with an older Burnham, now an admiral, taking Discovery out to space one last time, where it will sit abandoned for a thousand years until someone else finds it.

Read on for our interview with co-showrunner Michelle Paradise, who breaks down the episode’s biggest reveals and how it all came together.

[Note: Season 5 was originally filmed as a season finale. Following its cancellation , cast and crew were given an opportunity, aka a coda, to film additional scenes that wrapped up the show.]

The other thing it gave us is the chance to resolve the character of the ship because Discovery itself, Zora, is a huge character in the show. In the same way that it was emotionally important for us to wrap up Burnham’s story and know what had happened with her and Book, and just to know that they had their happy ending and she’s become an admiral, we wanted to have an emotional wrap-up for the ship Discovery and know what was going to happen to [it]. And so, tying it in with “Calypso” felt like a way to honor the fans who had seen the short and had that question, and it also felt like honoring fans who hadn’t ever seen the short but would want to know, ‘What’s going to happen to the ship now?’ Well, it has a very important mission. She’s going to go out and it’s going to take some time, but she has something very important to do as well.

TVLINE | You had a very short window for this coda, so was there any story that you wrote but had to unfortunately leave out? No, because we were very clear. We knew from the time we found out that we were going to have three days to shoot, which tells us, ‘OK, we can do maybe 10 to 12 pages or so.’  We knew that there were certain limitations with the sets because some sets had already been struck, but we had the bridge. [EP Kyle Jarrow], [co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman] and I just sat down and said, ‘OK, what are the most important things?’

TVLINE | We did learn that Book and Burnham have a son who is now going to be a captain. Talk to me about the importance of that and carrying their legacy. Is this setting him up to potentially be seen somewhere else in the future? We wanted to know what would happen with Burnham and Book in the future. It felt like, ‘Oh yeah, they would start a family,’ that their son would be the combo platter of the two of them. And we were very intentional about all of that, including his name Leto, which is the name of Book’s [nephew], who we met back in Season 3 and who was on Kwejian [in Season 4, Episode 1 when the DMA destroyed the planet]. Being able to honor his [nephew] in that way by naming their son after him, and that their son is going into Starfleet and following in mom’s footsteps by becoming a captain, it all felt right for the characters and also like a happy ending for us to be able to see that.

TVLINE | I loved the reveal of Kovich as Agent Daniels, the temporal agent from Star Trek: Enterprise . How early on did you know that would be his true identity? Where’d that come from? It was a pitch in the writers’ room. Carlos Cisco and Eric J.  Robbins know every iteration of everything, and they really love Enterprise . And from the moment David Cronenberg started playing that role, we all found ourselves leaning in whenever he was on screen. He plays that character so wonderfully and mysteriously that from moment one, I was asking myself, ‘What is happening? Who is this guy? There is a mystery here.’ We wanted to answer that question and we knew we would be doing the fans a disservice if we didn’t answer whatever that mystery was going to be.

It was probably Season 4 when this idea for him to be Daniels came up… In Season 5, we started planting little seeds: him writing with pen and paper as opposed to the holoPADDs that everyone uses. Even just his choice of wardrobe. When we meet him, he’s in glasses and a tie. This is a guy that, from the moment he joined the show, has been a little out of time. And so, Daniels felt like the perfect choice to highlight all of that.

TVLINE | Do you think that this series finale will be a satisfying ending for longtime Star Trek fans? Why so? I hope it is. I hope it feels emotionally satisfying for people who have invested seven or eight years in the five seasons of this show. We didn’t want any hanging questions. We wanted it to be an emotionally satisfying, happy ending for people who have loved the show [and] these characters. And for folks who are fans of Discovery and all the other iterations, we hope it will also be satisfying. We’ve put our hearts into it and we are fans of the show as much as we also work on the show. We know what this show means to people, and what the characters mean to people and what they represent to people. And so, we really wanted to honor the characters and the fans in the way that we ended. I hope it will feel satisfying and that people won’t feel like anything was left out. Hopefully, they’ll come away and feel joy for having been on the ride with us.

What did you think of Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale? Grade the episode below, and then sound off in the comments.

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33 comments.

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I’m glad for those who enjoyed Discovery but it never seemed like Trek to me but instead its own special story.

It’s a shame that Surik, Spock, and Georgiou couldn’t return for the finale.

They all have other shows to appear on

I meant Sarek.

Move over Star Trek: Enterprise, we have a new undisputed worst Trek finale of all time. What better way to say what a waste of time this season was than have a finale that resulted in nothing of consequence happening despite stringing along the Progenitor’s saga for ten episodes.

I completely disagree with you. This episode was very Star Trek and it had a satisfying ending for the series.

Exactly, wasted 10 episodes really. Terrible ending. Instead of focusing on the crew it was all about Burnham and Book.

Also, is it that hard for Burnham not to whisper her way through half the episode?

I’m glad we got to see Detmer and Owosekun for a brief moment in the bridge scene as Burnham reflected on her Discovery family, but it’s still a complete mystery to me why the actors were essentially not in the final season. Yes, their characters were piloting Enterprise back to Starfleet. But why make the decision to have their characters to that? I’ve not found an answer to this.

We have an answer for you. Stay tuned!

Great! My first thought was these 2 actors were doing a side project together so they weren’t available to ST:D but my searches have come up empty… Looking forward to your reveal!

They were not available for much of time during filming of the season. It’s been reported before around the Star Trek socials

They reportedly had scheduling conflicts. That’s what I read in another article released yesterday on a different site.

When she flew it out one last time, didn’t some need to be in engineering that was a compatible pilot to activate the spore drive?

In the intervening 40ish years, presumably they solved that problem.

Really loved the finale! I couldn’t tell that it was originally planned as a season finale- they did a good job steering the ship to a satisfying finale and wrapping things up. I’ll miss this crew.

So Discovery ended as it began then…as a show about one. Never understood why they took the route of making Burnham the sole focus of this show when every other Trek show has thrived by being an ensemble piece. One thing I’ll never slight this show on though is the effects. Absolutely top notch.

The original series focused on Capt. Kirk, Deep Space 9 focused on Capt. Cisco.

Might want to go back and re-watch those shows. Discovery was all about Burnham, at least with TOS and DS9 they fleshed out the bridge crew, and DS9 went so far as to flesh out the secondary cast as well.

Look at those episode counts per season between Discovery and ENT, TNG, DS9 and VOY. This was also always a story of Burnham’s journey. However, there was still plenty of room for Saru, Tilly, Stamets, Culber, Book, Adira and Georgiou.They were the main cast. Not the secondaries on the bridge

For being the DEI Trek and the strange need to go against established cannon the writting wasn’t so bad.

For me, season 5 was a little lackluster compared to the other 4 seasons. While I do understand the need for reflections and the emotional settling for the characters, I was expecting a little more. Just my opinion.

I watched each episodes and the final was to much like Alice In Wonderland/ Darkside of the Looking Glass. I will also comment that these last two series of Star Trek have been the worse! Picard and Discovery. I definently looking forward to seeing the next season of Strange New Worlds. The acting and story lines are superb compared to the two previous series.

I think it was maybe the best possible way to end the show. I liked season 5, and I liked how the main part of the finale resolved the storyline, and I think the coda was a nice sendoff. Nobody died, and everybody lives happily ever after. To quote podcaster Tom Merritt, thank you for your service, Discovery.

As usual, STD was terrible. Grateful it’s over just like Prodigy and Lower Decks

We all really know why you don’t like this show. Afraid of black women all over “your” Trek.

Utter nonsense. You’re projecting your own issues onto the commenter. The show stank from episode one, to episode last, for all the reasons that been stated a million times. Nothing to do with “black women”.

It was the best Trek show on television.

Ah, so you hate Star Trek. The only time Discovery was decent was when it was it introduced the cast of Strange New Worlds. The rest of its seasons fill the bottom of the rungs in the Star Trek universe.

The series was a mess from day one. From non-canon Klingons to a season long antagonist – Moll – who just sort of goes away – this was the least coherent, interesting and satisfying iteration of Trek. Bring on Academy and please, for the love of God, Legacy (or whatever it’s to be called) with 7 in charge.

I really enjoyed the episode until they got to the Calypso part, I have always hated Calypso because it felt so unfair to Zora, and after getting to know Zora for 3 years, I hate it even more. It is so stupid on many levels to leave Zora there alone — the waste of a star ship, the waste of the spore drive, and especially forcing a sentient ship to sit alone for a thousand years FOR NO REASON AT ALL other than to take a character who we know nothing about and care even less home. Calypso is cruelty against a sentient creature and ending it this way has ruined the series for me, No rewatching here.

Did burnam take the ship out alone? I did not see anyone else on the bridge. If she was alone, how did she get back from deep space?

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12 Star Trek Actors Who Appeared On The X-Files

5 reasons star trek: picard fans need to watch terry matalas' other sci-fi show, 12 star trek actors who crossed over into stargate.

• Star Trek fans can explore other sci-fi shows like The X-Files, Fringe, and Farscape while awaiting new Star Trek content.
• Series like The X-Files offer similar episodic storytelling structures and intriguing mysteries for fans of Star Trek to enjoy.
• Shows like Battlestar Galactica provide a different, gritty take on sci-fi compared to the more optimistic Star Trek universe.

With Star Trek: Discovery coming to an end, it will be a long wait before another live-action Star Trek series is available to stream, but there are several great science fiction shows available to watch in the meantime. As one of the longest-running science fiction franchises, Star Trek currently includes 11 television series and 13 movies, with multiple new projects in the works. Not only did Star Trek: The Original Series spawn a mega-franchise, but it also inspired countless other films and television shows that came after.

While the wait for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 or the premiere of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy may seem long, there are plenty of other compelling sci-fi shows out there. While space operas like The Expanse capture the space exploration aspects of Star Trek , procedural dramas like The X-Files have a case-of-the-week structure similar to a lot of early Trek . For viewers who have already watched every available Star Trek story, here are seven other science fiction shows worth checking out.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

Star Trek is ending series like Discovery and Lower Decks but renewed Strange New Worlds while setting up new streaming and theatrical movies.

7 The X-Files

All 11 seasons streaming on hulu & disney+, the x-files.

Following FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), The X-Files takes place in a version of our world where aliens and other paranormal creatures exist. Throughout the series, Mulder and Scully travel across the country investigating strange cases, while also working to uncover a massive government conspiracy. One of television's best will-they-won't-they couples, Mulder and Scully's relationship alone makes The X-Files worth watching .

From exploring strange new worlds to fighting to uncover the truth, many actors have appeared on both Star Trek and The X-Files.

Considering The X-Files aired throughout the 1990s alongside multiple Star Trek shows, it's no surprise that the shows are similarly structured. Like the Star Trek: The Next Generation- era shows, The X-Files is mostly comprised of episodic, standalone stories, with the occasional two-parter and a loose overarching storyline. With its numerous close encounters, alien coverups, and bizarre creatures, The X-Files has plenty for Star Trek fans to love.

With two feature-length films and a limited two-season return in 2018, The X-Files remains incredibly popular. Another reboot is currently in the works with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler at the helm.

All 5 seasons streaming on Max

A spiritual successor to The X-Files, Fringe follows FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and her task force as they investigate cases relating to fringe science. Brilliant and eccentric scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson) work alongside Olivia after she recruits them to her team. Although Fringe begins with case-of-the-week stories involving strange phenomena, the show later explores a more serialized story involving parallel universes.

Fringe's most significant Star Trek connection is Leonard Nimoy himself, who portrays Dr. William Bell, the former lab partner of Walter Bishop and the founder of Massive Dynamic. A shady research corporation, Massive Dynamic ends up connected to many of the cases investigated by the Fringe team. While Fringe may not feature space travel, Star Trek is no stranger to parallel universes and weird science.

All 4 seasons streaming on Peacock

Produced by The Jim Henson Company, Farscape tells the story of astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) , who accidentally flies into a wormhole that sends him to a distant part of the galaxy. Crichton ends up on a sentient ship named Moya, with a ragtag group of escaped prisoners who are running from the brutal and militaristic Peacekeepers. As he searches for a way home, Crichton befriends his fellow crewmembers and makes his fair share of enemies.

Along with runaway Peacekeeper pilot, Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), Crichton and his crew do their best to evade the Peacekeepers, often finding themselves in absurd situations. Thanks to animatronic puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, as well as make-up and prosthetics, Farscape's creatures look truly alien. After Farscape's abrupt cancelation at the end of season 4, a three-hour miniseries called Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars wrapped up the series.

4 12 Monkeys

All 4 seasons streaming on hulu.

Created by Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas , 12 Monkeys offers a unique take on time travel and post-apocalyptic stories. When scavenger James Cole (Aaron Stanford) is brought into Project Splinter, he must travel back in time to prevent a devastating plague. Things don't quite go as planned, which results in numerous trips through time and a complicated search for a mysterious group known as the Army of the 12 Monkeys.

While fans await news of the proposed Star Trek: Picard spin-off, Star Trek: Legacy, they should check out Terry Matalas' other fantastic sci-fi show.

With its compelling characters (Todd Stashwick's Theodore Deacon and Emily Hampshire's Jennifer Goines are particular standouts) and twisty storylines, 12 Monkeys is an incredibly fun show that comes to a satisfying conclusion at the end of its four seasons . Although the first season of 12 Monkeys received mixed reviews, the show hit its stride in season 2 and didn't let up until the end.

3 The Expanse

All 6 seasons streaming on amazon prime, the expanse.

For those who enjoy Star Trek's intergalactic politics, The Expanse tells a complex, often dark story of ruthless leaders and competing factions. When James Holden (Steven Strait) and his makeshift crew aboard the Rocinante become embroiled in a massive conspiracy , they fight to uncover the truth. Over six seasons, The Expanse grows in scope as war looms between Earth and Mars and alien technology complicates matters.

Based on the series of novels by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse is incredibly intelligent sci-fi with a cast of bold, realistic characters. Although The Expanse was canceled after three seasons on Syfy, it was picked up by Amazon Prime for three more seasons. The Expanse ended with season 6 , without adapting the last three books in the series, leaving several storylines unresolved.

2 Stargate SG-1 / Stargate: Atlantis

All 10 seasons of sg-1 & 5 seasons of atlantis streaming on amazon prime, stargate sg-1, stargate atlantis.

With three films and three television series, the Stargate franchise has many similarities to Star Trek . Beginning with the 1994 film, the franchise follows an Air Force special operations team as they investigate various planets by traveling through an alien portal known as a Stargate. Stargate SG-1 has the most in common with Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation , as Colonel Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) leads his team to explore strange planets and keep Earth safe.

Although several Star Trek actors guest star on Stargate, Robert Picardo is the only actor to play a main character in both franchises — The Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager and Richard Woolsey on Stargate: Atlantis.

The first spin-off of SG-1 , Stargate: Atlantis, takes after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . When Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) discovers the lost alien city of Atlantis in the distant Pegasus Galaxy, Stargate Command sends a team to investigate. Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and his military team spend the next five seasons exploring planets in the Pegasus Galaxy and fighting off the dangerous Wraith.

Many recognizable Star Trek actors made appearances in another iconic science fiction franchise: Stargate.

1 Battlestar Galactica

All 4 seasons streaming on amazon prime, battlestar galactica.

Widely regarded as one of the best sci-fi television shows of all time, 2004's Battlestar Galactica follows the last remnants of a human civilization as they search for a new home after a devastating attack. With a fleet of ships led by the Battlestar Galactica, Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) do their best to hold humanity's survivors together .

As the orchestrators of the attack, the Cylons continue to plague the survivors, as sentient robots indistinguishable from humans infiltrate the fleet. Developed by Ronald D. Moore (who worked on Star Trek: TNG, DS9, and Voyager ), Battlestar Galactica offers a gritty and realistic take on science fiction, without any of the colorful aliens or technobabble Star Trek is known for. Still, both franchises have left their mark on popular culture and established themselves as science fiction classics.

Every live-action Star Trek show is available to stream on Paramount+.

International Space Development Conference 2024 beams up Star Trek's William Shatner and more in Los Angeles

Sci-fi meets space fact in Los Angeles at the ISDC 2024 conference this Memorial Day Weekend.

The stars of Star Trek are about to get a taste of real-life space exploration when they beam into the 2024 International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles this weekend, and you have a chance join them to get your space fix. 

On Friday (May 24), actor William Shatner, who originated the role of Captain James T. Kirk and launched into space on a Blue Origin rocket in 2021, will receive the Robert Heinlein Memorial Award "for his deep impact on public perception of the human expansion into space, which boldly highlighted diversity and inclusion previously unseen on television," conference officials said in a statement . The award, which is given annually by the nonprofit National Space Society at ISDC, is just one event featuring Star Trek actors. If you're in the Los Angeles area, you can learn how to attend the ISDC conference at the at isdc.nss.org .

" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds " actor Melissa Navia, who portrays helm pilot Lt. Erica Ortegas, will host the 2024 ISDC conference. NSS officials have also recruited her fellow Trek alums in a May 26 panel "Science Fiction to Science Fact" featuring Nana Visitor (Major Kira Nerys on " Star Trek: Deep Space Nine "), John Billingsley (Doctor Flox on " Star Trek: Enterprise ") and other Trek and sci-fi veterans to discuss "how science fiction has, and will continue to, transition into our everyday lives, and ultimately, the exploration of space." 

But real science fact is the main draw for ISDC, which is expected to draw over 1,000 attendees to its talks at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport.

"ISDC 2024 talks will cover the exploration, development, and settlement of the Moon, Mars, and cislunar space; deep space exploration; innovative spaceflight technology; the commercialization of space and space infrastructure; life support systems; collaboration in space; living in space; space solar power; space debris mediation solutions; planetary defense ; space law; and both national and international space policy, among others," organizers wrote in an overview. This year, the conference's theme of "No Limits" has drawn in retired astronauts Susan Kilrain and Jose Hernandez , as well as Alan Stern (who leads the New Horizon mission to Pluto and beyond, as well as Vast Space CEO Max Haot, Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin and YouTube creators Isaac Arthur and Brian McManus.

“The ISDC is the only major space conference that is intended for everyone, from space professionals to students to the lay public. It is the largest and longest running space conference anywhere,” Aggie Kobrin, NSS Event Manager, said in a separate statement . "We're thrilled to be holding the conference in Los Angles this year. It's wonderful and to have these amazing speakers appearing before an audience ranging from seasoned NASA professionals to hundreds of young people, all of whom are deeply interested in space."

You can learn more about the 2024 International Space Development Conference, which runs from May 24 to May 26, at the website  isdc.nss.org where you can also find a full list of speakers and conference schedule.

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Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network . To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik .

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Inside the ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Series Finale: The Last-Minute Coda, the Surprise Easter Eggs, and What Season 6 Would Have Been About (EXCLUSIVE)

SPOILER WARNING: This story includes descriptions of major plot developments on the series finale of “ Star Trek : Discovery,” currently streaming on Paramount+.

Watching the fifth and final season of “ Star Trek: Discovery ” has been an exercise in the uncanny. Paramount+ didn’t announce that the show was ending until after the Season 5 finale had wrapped filming — no one involved with the show knew it would be its concluding voyage when they were making it. And yet, the season has unfolded with a pervasive feeling of culmination. 

Popular on Variety

“I think there’s more to it than just, ‘Oh, it was a coinkydink!’” the actor says with a laugh, before explaining that she’s thinking more about subtext than direct intent. “I’ve gotta give Michelle her flowers. She has always asked the deeper questions of this story and these characters. Those questions of meaning and purpose led to questions of origin and legacy, and, yes, that is quite culminating.”

Martin-Green and Paradise spoke exclusively with Variety about filming the finale and the coda, including the surprising revelation about the origins of one of “Discovery’s” most memorable characters and what Paradise’s plans for Season 6 would have been.

“It’s the Most Complicated Thing I’ve Ever Seen”

Once the “Discovery” writers’ room decided the season would be organized around a search for the Progenitor’s technology, they also knew that, eventually, Burnham would find it. So then they had to figure out what it would be.

“That was a discussion that evolved over the course of weeks and months,” Paradise says. Rather than focus on communicating the intricate details of how the technology works, they turned their attention to delivering a visual experience commensurate with the enormity and complexity of something that could seed life across the entire galaxy.

“We wanted a sense of a smaller exterior and an infinite interior to help with that sense of power greater than us,” Paradise says. Inspired in part by a drawing by MC Escher, the production created an environment surrounded by towering windows into a seemingly endless procession of alien planets, in which it’s just as easy to walk on the walls as on the floor. That made for a daunting challenge for the show’s producing director, Olatunde “Tunde” Osunsanmi: As Burnham battles with the season’s main antagonist, Mol (Eve Harlow), inside this volume, they fall through different windows into another world, and the laws of gravity keep shifting between their feet.

“It’s the most complicated thing I’ve ever seen, directorially,” Paradise says. “Tunde had a map, in terms of: What did the background look like? And when the cameras this way, what’s over there? It was it was incredibly complex to design and shoot.”

Two of those planets — one in perpetual darkness and rainstorms, another consumed by constant fire — were shot on different parking areas on the Pinewood Toronto studio lot.

“The fire planet was so bright that the fire department got called from someone who had seen the fire,” Paradise says. “It should not be possible to pull those kinds of things off in a television show, even on a bigger budget show, with the time limitations that you have. And yet, every episode of every season, we’re still coming in on time and on budget. The rain planet and the fire planet we shot, I believe, one day after the other.”

Martin-Green jumps in: “Michelle, I think that was actually the same day!”

“It Felt Lifted”

The last time a “Star Trek” captain talked to a being that could be (erroneously) considered God, it was William Shatner’s James T. Kirk in 1989’s “Star Trek: The Final Frontier.” The encounter did not go well.

“I had my own journey with the central storyline of Season 5, just as a believer,” Martin-Green says. “I felt a similar way that Burnham did. They’re in this sort of liminal mind space, and it almost felt that way to me. It felt lifted. It really did feel like she and I were the only two people in this moment.”

It’s in this conversation that Burnham learns that while the Progenitors did create all “humanoid” alien species in the galaxy in their image, they did not create the technology that allowed them to do so. They found it, fully formed, created by beings utterly unknown to them. The revelation was something that Martin-Green discussed with Paradise early on in the planning of Season 5, allowing “Discovery” to leave perhaps the most profound question one could ask — what, or who, came first in the cosmos? — unanswered.

“The progenitor is not be the be all end all of it,” Paradise says. “We’re not saying this is God with a capital ‘G.’”

“There’s Just This Air of Mystery About Him”

Starting on Season 3 of “Discovery,” renowned filmmaker David Cronenberg began moonlighting in a recurring role as Dr. Kovich, a shadowy Federation operative whose backstory has been heretofore undisclosed on the show.

“I love the way he plays Kovich,” Paradise says of Cronenberg. “There’s just this air of mystery about him. We’ve always wanted to know more.” When planning Season 5, one of the writers pitched revealing Kovich’s true identity in the (then-season) finale by harkening back to the “Star Trek” show that preceded “Discovery”: “Enterprise,” which ran on UPN from 2001 to 2005.

In the final episode, when Burnham debriefs her experiences with Kovich, she presses him to tell her who he really is. He reintroduces himself as Agent Daniels, a character first introduced on “Enterprise” as a young man (played by Matt Winston) and a Federation operative in the temporal cold war. 

This is, to be sure, a deep cut even for “Star Trek” fans. (Neither Cronenberg nor Martin-Green, for example, understood the reference.) But Paradise says they were laying the groundwork for the reveal from the beginning of the season. “If you watch Season 5 with that in mind, you can see the a little things that we’ve played with along the way,” she says, including Kovich/Daniels’ penchant for anachonistic throwbacks like real paper and neckties.

“I didn’t know that that was going be there,” Martin-Green says. “My whole childhood came back to me.”

“We Always Knew That We Wanted to Somehow Tie That Back Up”

Originally, Season 5 of “Discovery” ends with Burnham and Book talking on the beach outside the wedding of Saru (Doug Jones) and T’Rina (Tara Rosling) before transporting away to their next adventure. But Paradise understood that the episode needed something more conclusive once it became the series finale. The question was what.

There were some significant guardrails around what they could accomplish. The production team had only eight weeks from when Paramout+ and CBS Studios signed off on the epilogue to when they had to shoot it. Fortunately, the bridge set hadn’t been struck yet (though several standing sets already had been). And the budget allowed only for three days of production.

Then there was “Calypso.” 

To fill up the long stretches between the first three seasons of “Discovery,” CBS Studios and Paramount+ greenlit a series of 10 stand-alone episodes, dubbed “Short Treks,” that covered a wide variety of storylines and topics. The second “Short Trek” — titled “Calypso” and co-written by novelist Michael Chabon — first streamed between Season 1 and 2 in November 2018. It focuses on a single character named Craft (Aldis Hodge), who is rescued by the USS Discovery after the starship — and its now-sentient computer system, Zora (Annabelle Wallis) — has sat totally vacant for 1,000 years in the same fixed point in space. How the Discovery got there, and why it was empty for so long, were left to the viewer’s imagination. 

Still, for a show that had only just started its run, “Calypso” had already made a bold promise for “Discovery’s” endgame — one the producers had every intention of keeping.

“We always knew that we wanted to somehow tie that back up,” says Paradise, who joined the writers’ room in Season 2, and became showrunner starting with Season 3. “We never wanted ‘Calypso’ to be the dangling Chad.”

So much so, in fact, that, as the show began winding down production on Season 5, Paradise had started planning to make “Calypso” the central narrative engine for Season 6. 

“The story, nascent as it was, was eventually going to be tying that thread up and connecting ‘Discovery’ back with ‘Calypso,’” she says.

Once having a sixth season was no longer an option, Paradise knew that resolving the “Calypso” question was non-negotiable. “OK, well, we’re not going to have a season to do that,” she says. “So how do we do that elegantly in this very short period of time?”

“I Feel Like It Ends the Way It Needed to End”

Resolving “Calypso” provided the storytelling foundation for the epilogue, but everything else was about giving its characters one final goodbye.

“We want to know what’s happening to Burnham, first and foremost,” Paradise says. “And we knew we wanted to see the cast again.”

For the latter, Paradise and Jarrow devised a conceit that an older Burnham, seated in the captain’s chair on Discovery, imagines herself surrounded by her crew 30 years prior, so she (and the audience) could connect with them one final time. For the former, the makeup team designed prosthetics to age up Martin-Green and Ajala by 30 years — “I think they were tested as they were running on to the set,” Paradise says with a laugh — to illustrate Burnham and Book’s long and happy marriage together.

Most crucially, Paradise cut a few lines of Burnham’s dialogue with Book from the original Season 5 finale and moved it to a conversation she has with her son in the coda. The scene — which evokes the episode’s title, “Life Itself” — serves as both a culminating statement of purpose for “Discovery” and the overarching compassion and humanity of “Star Trek” as a whole.

To reassure her son about his first command of a starship, Burnham recalls when the ancient Progenitor asked what was most meaningful to her. “Do you know how you would answer that question now?” he asks.

“Yeah, just being here,” Burnham replies. “You know, sometimes life itself is meaning enough, how we choose to spend the time that we have, who we spend it with: You, Book, and the family I found in Starfleet, on Discovery.”

Martin-Green relished the opportunity to revisit the character she’s played for seven years when she’s reached the pinnacle of her life and career. “You just get to see this manifestation of legacy in this beautiful way,” she says. “I will also say that I look a lot like my mom, and that was that was also a gift, to be able to see her.”

Shooting the goodbye with the rest of her cast was emotional, unsurprisingly, but it led Martin-Green to an unexpected understanding. “It actually was so charged that it was probably easier that it was only those three days that we knew it was the end, and not the entirety of season,” she says.

Similarly, Paradise says she’s “not sure” what more she would’ve done had there been more time to shoot the coda. “I truly don’t feel like we missed out on something by not having one more day,” she says. “I feel like it ends the way it needed to end.”

Still, getting everything done in just three days was no small feat, either. “I mean, we worked ’round the clock,” Martin-Green says with a deep laugh. “We were delirious by the end — but man, what a way to end it.”

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Simon kinberg in talks to produce ‘star trek’ movie franchise for paramount.

Paramount is looking to the ‘X-Men’ producer to boldly go and relaunch the property on the big screen.

By Etan Vlessing , Borys Kit May 21, 2024 9:28am

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Longtime X-Men producer Simon Kinberg  is beaming up to a new franchise.

The multi-hyphenate is in talks to produce a new Star Trek feature for Paramount Pictures , The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. If all goes well, the door would open to him taking active creative roles on the rest of the storied franchise’s film side. Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman are the main creative producers on Star Trek ‘s television side.

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William shatner willing to return to 'star trek' as de-aged captain kirk, william shatner on living boldly throughout acting career: "the future is unheralded".

Abrams remains involved with the new project as a producer. There is no release date for the feature, but the studio has signaled that it would like a 2025 opening. The machinations of the franchise take place against the backdrop of a potential sale of Paramount, which could find itself under the ownership of Sony or Skydance.

There hasn’t been a Star Trek movie since Star Trek Beyond , which was released in 2016. In recent years,  Trek  primarily has lived on the small screen, boldly finding new life thanks to numerous streaming shows on Paramount+, among them  Star Trek Discovery ,  Picard and Strange New Worlds . Efforts to relaunch the film side, including reuniting the Abrams Trek cast that included Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg, among others, have ended up stranded on rocky alien shores. Paramount is also understood to still be developing a fourth Trek  to feature that cast that is being described as the final chapter for this crew.

Puck was the first to report on Kinberg being in negotiations to reboot the Star Trek movie franchise.

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ is over. Now Alex Kurtzman readies for ‘Starfleet Academy’ and ‘Section 31’

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In “Star Trek” terms, and in the real world of “Star Trek” television, Alex Kurtzman, who oversees the 21st century franchise, might be described as the Federation president, from whose offices various series depart on their individual missions. Indeed, to hear him speak of it, the whole enterprise — honestly, no pun intended — seems to run very much on the series’ ethos of individual initiative and group consensus.

The first series to be launched, “ Star Trek: Discovery, ” has come to an end as of Thursday after five seasons on Paramount+. Others in the fleet include the concluded “ Picard, ” which brought “The Next Generation” into a new generation; the ongoing “ Strange New Worlds, ” which precedes the action of what’s now called “The Original Series,” from which it takes its spirit and several characters; “Lower Decks,” a comedy set among Starfleet service workers; and “Prodigy,” in which a collection of teenage aliens go joyriding in a starship. On the horizon are “Starfleet Academy,” with Holly Hunter set to star, and a TV feature, “ Section 31, ” with Michelle Yeoh back as Philippa Georgiou.

I spoke with Kurtzman, whose “Trek” trek began as a writer on the quantum-canonical reboot movies “ Star Trek ” (2009) and “ Star Trek: Into Darkness ” (2013), at Secret Hideout, his appropriately unmarked Santa Monica headquarters. Metro trains glide by his front door unaware. We began the conversation, edited for length and clarity here, with a discussion of his “Trek” universe.

Alex Kurtzman: I liken them to different colors in the rainbow. It makes no sense to me to make one show that’s for everybody; it makes a lot of sense to make a lot of shows individually tailored to a sect of the “Star Trek” audience. It’s a misnomer that there’s a one-size-fits-all Trekkie. And rather than make one show that’s going to please everybody — and will almost certainly please nobody — let’s make an adult drama, an animated comedy, a kids’ comedy, an adventure show and on and on. There’s something quite beautiful about that; it allows each of the stories to bloom in its own unique way.

Do you get pushback from the fans?

Absolutely. In some ways that’s the point. One of the things I learned early on is that to be in love with “Star Trek” is to engage in healthy debate. There is no more vocal fan base. Some people tell you that their favorite is “The Original Series,” some say their favorite is “Voyager” and some say their favorite is “Discovery.” Yet they all come together and talk about what makes something singularly “Trek” — [creator] Gene Roddenberry‘s extraordinarily optimistic vision of the future when all that divides us [gets placed] in the rearview mirror and we get to move on and discover things. Like all great science fiction, you get to pick your allegory to the real world and come up with the science fiction equivalent. And everybody who watches understands what we’re talking about — racism or the Middle East or whatever.

What specific objections did you find to “Discovery”?

I think people felt it was too dark. We really listen to our fans in the writers’ room — everybody will have read a different article or review over the weekend, and we talk about what feels relevant and what feels less relevant. And then we engage in a healthy democratic debate about why and begin to apply that; it seeps into the decisions we make. Season 1 of “Discovery” was always intended to be a journey from darkness into light, and ultimately reinforce Roddenberry’s vision. I think people were just stunned by something that felt darker than any “Trek” had before. But doing a dark “Star Trek” really wasn’t our goal. The show is a mirror that holds itself up to the times, and we were in 2017 — we saw the nation fracture hugely right after the election, and it’s only gotten worse since then. We were interpreting that through science fiction. There were people who appreciated that and others for whom it was just not “Star Trek.” And the result, in Season 2, Capt. [Christopher] Pike showed up, Number One showed up, Spock showed up, and we began to bring in what felt to people more like the “Star Trek” they understood.

‘Star Trek’ is the greatest sci-fi franchise of all. Why it’s stood the test of time

Full of ideas and emotions, the ever-expanding ‘Star Trek’ canon is still finding new ways to go where no TV show has gone before, 55 years on.

Oct. 28, 2021

You’re ending the series after five seasons. Was that always a plan?

You know, we were surprised we didn’t continue, and yet it feels now that it was right. One of the things that happened very quickly as streaming took off was that it radically changed watch patterns for viewers. Shows that used to go 10, 12 seasons, people would tap out after two — like, “I got what I want” — so for any show to go five seasons, it’s a miracle. In ways I don’t think we could have predicted, the season from the beginning feels like it’s the last; it just has a sense of finality. The studio was wonderful in that they recognized we needed to put a button on it, we needed a period on the end of the sentence, and so they allowed us to go back, which we did right before the strike, and [film] the coda that wraps up the series.

“Discovery” is a riot of love stories, among both heroes and villains.

There’s certainly a history of that in “Star Trek.” Whether or not characters were engaged in direct relationships, there was always a subtext of the love between them. I believe that’s why we love the bridge crew, because it’s really a love story, everyone’s in a love story, and they all care for each other and fight like family members. But ultimately they’re there to help each other and explore the universe together. If there’s some weird problem, and the answer’s not immediately apparent, each of them brings a different skill set and therefore a different perspective; they clash in their debate on how to proceed and then find some miraculous solution that none of them would have thought of at the outset.

One of the beautiful things about the shows is that you get to spend a long time with them, as opposed to a two-hour movie where you have to get in and out quickly and then wait a couple of years before the next one comes along. To be able to be on their weekly adventures, it affords the storytelling level of depth and complexity a two-hour movie just can’t achieve in that way.

For Patrick Stewart, Jean-Luc Picard is ‘the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me’

The actor discusses his ‘Star Trek’ character at the beginning and end, from his first impressions of Gene Roddenberry to saying goodbye to ‘Picard.’

April 20, 2023

It’s astonishing how much matter you got into these things. Some storylines that only lasted an episode I remembered as seasonal arcs.

The sheer tonnage of story and character we were able to pack into “Discovery” every episode was kind of incredible. The thing to keep in mind is that “Discovery” was made as streaming was exploding, so what I think you’re also seeing there is a lot of writers who were trained in the network world with an A, B and C story applying it suddenly to a very different kind of storytelling in a much more cinematic medium. And when you have that kind of scope it starts to become really, really big. Sometimes that works really, really well and sometimes it was too much. And we were figuring it out; it was a bunch of people with flashlights in the dark, looking for how to interpret “Star Trek” now, since it had been 12 years since it had been on a television screen.

Are you able to course-correct within a season?

Sure. You get people you really trust in the room. Aaron Baiers, who runs Secret Hideout, is one of my most important early-warning systems; he isn’t necessarily in the room when we’re breaking stories, but he’s the first person who’ll read an outline and he’s the first person who’ll read a script. What I value so much about his perspective is that he’s coming in cold, he’s just like, “I’m the viewer, and I understand this or I don’t understand it, I feel this or I don’t feel it.” The studio executives are very similar. They love “Star Trek,” they’re all die-hard fans and have very strong feelings about what is appropriate. It then goes through a series of artists in every facet, from props to visual effects to production design, and they’re bringing their interpretations and opinions to the story.

Did “Strange New Worlds” come out of the fact that everybody loved seeing Christopher Pike in “Discovery?”

I really have to credit Akiva Goldsman with this. He knew that I was going to bring Pike into the premiere of the second season of “Discovery,” and said, “You know, there’s an incredible show about Capt. Pike and the Enterprise before Kirk takes over; there’s seven years of great storytelling there” — or five years, depending on when you come into the storyline. I said, “We have to cast a successful Pike first, so let’s see if that works. Let’s figure out who’s Number One, and who Spock is,” which are wildly tall orders. I hadn’t seen Anson Mount in other things before [he was cast as Pike], and when he sent in his taped audition it was that wonderful moment where you go, “That’s exactly the person we’re looking for.” Everybody loves Pike because he’s the kind of leader you want, definitive and clear but open to everyone’s perspective and humanistic in his response. And then we had the incredibly tall order of having Ethan [Peck] step into Leonard [Nimoy’s] and [Zachary Quinto’s] shoes.

He’s great.

He’s amazing, just a delight of a human being. And Rebecca Romijn‘s energy, what she brings to Number One is such a contemporary take on a character that was kind of a cipher in “The Original Series.” But she brings a kind of joy, a comedy, a bearing, a gravitas to the character that feels very modern. Thank God the fans responded the way they did and sent that petition [calling for a “Legacy” series], because everybody at CBS got the message very quickly. Jenny Lumet and Akiva and I wrote a pilot, and we were off to the races. Typically it takes fans a minute to adjust to what you’re doing, especially with beloved legacy characters, but the response to “Strange New World” from a critical perspective and fan perspective and just a viewership perspective was so immediate, it really did help us understand what was satisfying fans.

How the latest ‘Star Trek’ spinoff resurrects the Buck Rogers brio of the original

‘Strange New Worlds,’ premiering Thursday on Paramount+, spins the franchise into a series with roots in its original rejected pilot.

May 4, 2022

What can you tell me about “Starfleet Academy?” Is it going to be Earth-based or space-based?

I’m going to say, without giving anything away, both. Right now we’re in the middle of answering the question what does San Francisco, where the academy is, look like in the 32nd century. Our primary set is the biggest we’ve ever built.

So you’re setting this —

In the “Discovery” era. There’s a specific reason for that. As the father of a 17-year-old boy, I see what my son is feeling as he looks at the world and to his future. I see the uncertainty; I see all the things we took for granted as given are not certainties for him. I see him recognizing he’s inheriting an enormous mess to clean up and it’s going to be on his generation to figure out how to do that, and that’s a lot to ask of a kid. My thinking was, if we set “Starfleet Academy” in the halcyon days of the Federation where everything was fine, it’s not going to speak to what kids are going through right now.

It’ll be a nice fantasy, but it’s not really going to be authentic. What’ll be authentic is to set it in the timeline where this is the first class back after over 100 years, and they are coming into a world that is only beginning to recover from a cataclysm — which was the Burn, as established on “Star Trek: Discovery,” where the Federation was greatly diminished. So they’re the first who’ll inherit, who’ll re-inherit, the task of exploration as a primary goal, because there just wasn’t room for that during the Burn — everybody was playing defense. It’s an incredibly optimistic show, an incredibly fun show; it’s a very funny show, and it’s a very emotional show. I think these kids, in different ways, are going to represent what a lot of kids are feeling now.

And I’m very, very , very excited that Holly Hunter is the lead of the show. Honestly, when we were working on the scripts, we wrote it for Holly thinking she’d never do it. And we sent them to her, and to our absolute delight and shock she loved them and signed on right away.

And then you’ve got the “Section 31” movie.

“Section 31” is Michelle Yeoh’s return as Georgiou. A very, very different feeling for “Star Trek.” I will always be so grateful to her, because on the heels of her nomination and then her Oscar win , she just doubled down on coming back to “Star Trek.” She could have easily walked away from it; she had a lot of other opportunities. But she remained steadfast and totally committed. We just wrapped that up and are starting to edit now.

Are you looking past “Starfleet” and “Section 31” to future projects?

There’s always notions and there are a couple of surprises coming up, but I really try to live in the shows that are in front of me in the moment because they’re so all-consuming. I’m directing the first two episodes of “Starfleet Academy,” so right now my brain is just wholly inside that world. But you can tell “Star Trek” stories forever; there’s always more. There’s something in the DNA of its construction that allows you to keep opening different doors. Some of that is science fiction, some of it has to do with the combination of science fiction and the organic embracing of all these other genres that lets you explore new territories. I don’t think it’s ever going to end. I think it’s going to go on for a long, long time. The real question for “Star Trek” is how do you keep innovating, how do you deliver both what people expect and something totally fresh at the same time. Because I think that is actually what people want from “Star Trek.” They want what’s familiar delivered in a way that doesn’t feel familiar.

With all our showrunners — Terry Matalas on “Picard,” the Hagemans on “Prodigy,” Mike McMahan on “Lower Decks,” Michelle Paradise, who has been singlehandedly running “Discovery” for the last two years, and then Akiva and Henry Alonso Myers on “Strange New Worlds” — my feeling is that the best way to protect and preserve “Star Trek” is not to impose my own vision on it but [find people] who meet the criteria of loving “Star Trek,” wanting to do new things with it, understanding how incredibly hard it is to do. And then I’m going to let you do your job. I’ll come in and tell you what I think every once in a while, and I’ll help get the boat off the dock, but once I hand the show over to a creative it has to be their show. And that means you’re going to get a different take every time, and as long as those takes all feel like they can marry into the same rainbow, to get back to the metaphor, that’s the way to keep “Star Trek” fresh.

I take great comfort because “Star Trek” really only belongs to Gene Roddenberry and the fans. We don’t own it. We carry it, we try to evolve it and then we hand it off to the next people. And hopefully they will love it as much as we do.

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

Eric Deggans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A take on Star Trek for modern TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discovery’s unappreciated legacy

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

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

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

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