Actress Marina Sirtis played the role of Deanna Troi in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Next Generation, which remains the defining iteration of the sci-fi franchise for a large section of fans. As a result, Star Trek fans have often taken issue with some of the depictions, themes, and storylines in the series that ran for seven seasons.
Marina Sirtis in a still from Star Trek: Picard
One of the major issues with the show was the portrayal of Deanna Troi, which initially lacked any sort of nuance as she was reduced to a decorative item. Marina Sirtis has voiced her concerns with her character’s sexualized depiction in the series, which will only add to the displeasure of fans. Here is what Sirtis has said about playing Deanna Troi.
Marina Sirtis Criticized Deanna Troi’s Costume in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi in...
Marina Sirtis in a still from Star Trek: Picard
One of the major issues with the show was the portrayal of Deanna Troi, which initially lacked any sort of nuance as she was reduced to a decorative item. Marina Sirtis has voiced her concerns with her character’s sexualized depiction in the series, which will only add to the displeasure of fans. Here is what Sirtis has said about playing Deanna Troi.
Marina Sirtis Criticized Deanna Troi’s Costume in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi in...
- 3/24/2024
- by Pratik Handore
- FandomWire
"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" isn't quite like any other "Star Trek" show, and when it debuted in 1993, it was quite the departure from both the original series and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Instead of following intrepid explorers on starships trekking across the galaxy, "Deep Space Nine" followed the stories of the people who lived on board the space station Deep Space Nine (DS9) — civilians, Bajoran militia, and Starfleet officers alike. Showrunner Rick Berman was in charge of taking the "Star Trek" universe in a new direction following the success of "The Next Generation," but he ended up looking to a rather old television series for inspiration.
In an interview with StarTrek.com, Berman explained the inspiration behind "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and revealed that he and writer/producer Michael Piller got their biggest idea from a classic 1950s Western. That's pretty great given the fact that "Star Trek...
In an interview with StarTrek.com, Berman explained the inspiration behind "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and revealed that he and writer/producer Michael Piller got their biggest idea from a classic 1950s Western. That's pretty great given the fact that "Star Trek...
- 3/22/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
The "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Game" begins with Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) on vacation on Risa, having enjoyed a wild sexual fling with a woman named Etana (Katherine Moffat). The opening scene depicts Riker and Etana prancing about a hotel room, giggling in post-coital bliss. During their play, Etana introduces Riker to a V.R.-style video game that latches over his ears and beams images directly into his eyeballs. The game involves using your brainwaves to manipulate animated discuses into awaiting purple funnels. If you insert a discus successfully, the game rewards you by stimulating the pleasure centers of the brain. Riker is instantly hooked.
Perhaps predictably, the game is more sinister than one might initially assume. It will later be explained that playing the game erodes the brain, kind of hypnotizing a player, leaving them in a highly suggestible state. Those who play the game urge others to play,...
Perhaps predictably, the game is more sinister than one might initially assume. It will later be explained that playing the game erodes the brain, kind of hypnotizing a player, leaving them in a highly suggestible state. Those who play the game urge others to play,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Star Trek quandaries are most provocative when they illustrate a solid "What if?" scenario.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Episode 10 offers renegade miscreant Nick Locarno up as a "What if?" foil to Mariner, embodying a potential future Beckett where rage and ego have derailed skill and talent.
Meanwhile, Tendi must live out the "What if?" of her returning to her family of pirates because the needs of the many outweigh her dream of being a Starfleet scientist.
This season finale does what Lower Decks has always done well, building a fast-paced action comedy on the foundation of Star Trek canon.
At this point, it's pretty meta, as much of the canon it references is its own.
I'll admit that this season has managed to subvert many of my expectations.
Theorizing based on the seeds planted in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, I had forecast an AI uprising leading to some...
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Episode 10 offers renegade miscreant Nick Locarno up as a "What if?" foil to Mariner, embodying a potential future Beckett where rage and ego have derailed skill and talent.
Meanwhile, Tendi must live out the "What if?" of her returning to her family of pirates because the needs of the many outweigh her dream of being a Starfleet scientist.
This season finale does what Lower Decks has always done well, building a fast-paced action comedy on the foundation of Star Trek canon.
At this point, it's pretty meta, as much of the canon it references is its own.
I'll admit that this season has managed to subvert many of my expectations.
Theorizing based on the seeds planted in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, I had forecast an AI uprising leading to some...
- 11/3/2023
- by Diana Keng
- TVfanatic
This post contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 finale
As we all know, “Lower Decks” is about a quartet of ensigns in the shadow of big important Starfleet ships like the USS Enterprise-d. Despite their unenviable position, the four officers remained committed to their mission, even to the point that one of them sacrificed their lives.
What? No, I’m not talking about Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, Sam Rutherford, or D’Vana Tendi. No, I’m talking about the original “Lower Decks” crew: Sam Lavelle, Sito Jaxa, Alyssa Ogawa, and Taruk.
One of the standout episodes of the uneven seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Lower Decks” followed Nurse Ogawa, a longtime background character working with Dr. Crusher, to focus on her and her oft-ignored friends. That episode ended with the death of Bajoran Ensign Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill), redeeming her participation in a dangerous...
As we all know, “Lower Decks” is about a quartet of ensigns in the shadow of big important Starfleet ships like the USS Enterprise-d. Despite their unenviable position, the four officers remained committed to their mission, even to the point that one of them sacrificed their lives.
What? No, I’m not talking about Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, Sam Rutherford, or D’Vana Tendi. No, I’m talking about the original “Lower Decks” crew: Sam Lavelle, Sito Jaxa, Alyssa Ogawa, and Taruk.
One of the standout episodes of the uneven seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Lower Decks” followed Nurse Ogawa, a longtime background character working with Dr. Crusher, to focus on her and her oft-ignored friends. That episode ended with the death of Bajoran Ensign Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill), redeeming her participation in a dangerous...
- 11/2/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Beckett Mariner's self-sabotaging nature has been a part of the fabric of Star Trek: Lower Decks for so long that it's become accepted canon.
The daughter of two high-ranking Starfleet officers with her own exceptional skills and strong moral compass, it's been a profound mystery why she's determinedly undermined any promotion that has come her way.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Episode 9 finally reveals her reasons behind the behavior, as Ransom's refusal to demote her has recently driven her to extreme levels of risk-taking, alarming everyone who cares about her.
In a near overload of narrative convergence, this penultimate piece also begins to draw together the threads originally spun in Season 2 with the glorious tale that was "Wej Duj," wherein we first meet T'Lyn and Ma'ah.
Revisiting -- yet again -- my belief that Ma'ah is a Klingon Boimler and T'Lyn is Vulcan's answer to Mariner, it shouldn't surprise...
The daughter of two high-ranking Starfleet officers with her own exceptional skills and strong moral compass, it's been a profound mystery why she's determinedly undermined any promotion that has come her way.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Episode 9 finally reveals her reasons behind the behavior, as Ransom's refusal to demote her has recently driven her to extreme levels of risk-taking, alarming everyone who cares about her.
In a near overload of narrative convergence, this penultimate piece also begins to draw together the threads originally spun in Season 2 with the glorious tale that was "Wej Duj," wherein we first meet T'Lyn and Ma'ah.
Revisiting -- yet again -- my belief that Ma'ah is a Klingon Boimler and T'Lyn is Vulcan's answer to Mariner, it shouldn't surprise...
- 10/27/2023
- by Diana Keng
- TVfanatic
This Star Trek: Lower Decks article contains spoilers.
In “The Inner Fight,” the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks‘s fourth season, the big bad is revealed to be someone we haven’t seen in a long time. Once a promising Starfleet Cadet and talented pilot, he let his youthful arrogance get the better of him, ending his career in disgrace. Even before Beckett Mariner opened a bunker door and the shadowy figure emerged, we heard the smarmy voice of Robert Duncan McNeill and realized who was back.
No, not Tom Paris. It’s Nick Locarno!
Yes, McNeill did play Lt. Jg./Ensign./Lt. Jg. Tom Paris for seven seasons on Star Trek: Voyager. And yes, he was a gifted pilot whose career ended in disgrace due to his arrogance. And Star Trek producers would have us believe that McNeill never appeared as a member of Starfleet before the Voyager premiere “Caretaker.
In “The Inner Fight,” the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks‘s fourth season, the big bad is revealed to be someone we haven’t seen in a long time. Once a promising Starfleet Cadet and talented pilot, he let his youthful arrogance get the better of him, ending his career in disgrace. Even before Beckett Mariner opened a bunker door and the shadowy figure emerged, we heard the smarmy voice of Robert Duncan McNeill and realized who was back.
No, not Tom Paris. It’s Nick Locarno!
Yes, McNeill did play Lt. Jg./Ensign./Lt. Jg. Tom Paris for seven seasons on Star Trek: Voyager. And yes, he was a gifted pilot whose career ended in disgrace due to his arrogance. And Star Trek producers would have us believe that McNeill never appeared as a member of Starfleet before the Voyager premiere “Caretaker.
- 10/26/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Spoilers for "Star Trek: Lower Decks" follow.
The overarching thread of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 4 so far has been a mysterious ship attacking a variety of ships throughout the Alpha Quadrant: we've seen it take one Klingon, Romulan, Orion, Ferengi, and Bynar ship each.
The season's penultimate episode, "The Inner Fight," reveals the pilot of this hostile ship, and it's a twist that no one saw coming. The ship doesn't belong to a new alien race, but someone with a more personal connection to Starfleet: Nicholas Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill), a Starfleet Academy washout turned pilot for hire. The Cerritos crew discovers blueprints for the ship at Locarno's hideout while he abducts Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) to the ship. The episode ends with Mariner and Locarno face to face, and they seem to have a history.
Now, the episode doesn't explain why Locarno built the ship and has been attacking others.
The overarching thread of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 4 so far has been a mysterious ship attacking a variety of ships throughout the Alpha Quadrant: we've seen it take one Klingon, Romulan, Orion, Ferengi, and Bynar ship each.
The season's penultimate episode, "The Inner Fight," reveals the pilot of this hostile ship, and it's a twist that no one saw coming. The ship doesn't belong to a new alien race, but someone with a more personal connection to Starfleet: Nicholas Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill), a Starfleet Academy washout turned pilot for hire. The Cerritos crew discovers blueprints for the ship at Locarno's hideout while he abducts Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) to the ship. The episode ends with Mariner and Locarno face to face, and they seem to have a history.
Now, the episode doesn't explain why Locarno built the ship and has been attacking others.
- 10/26/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks."
In a recent episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," the one called "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place," Lieutenant Mariner (Tawny Newsome) was assigned to review resorts on the Ferengi homeworld of Ferenginar. Rather than have a good time and write down hotel amenities, Mariner became determined to drink too much and get into bar brawls. Cantankerous and intoxicated, she threw fists, hurt people, got punched a few times herself, and was thrown into a Ferengi prison. A friend, Quim (Tom Kenny), had to bail her out.
Afterward, Quim asked Mariner why she, of all people, was always so violent and unhappy. Mariner was raised in a Starfleet family and was always taken care of. Why does she feel the need to self-sabotage her life? Mariner was taken aback by the question, unsure as to what the answer was.
In a recent episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," the one called "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place," Lieutenant Mariner (Tawny Newsome) was assigned to review resorts on the Ferengi homeworld of Ferenginar. Rather than have a good time and write down hotel amenities, Mariner became determined to drink too much and get into bar brawls. Cantankerous and intoxicated, she threw fists, hurt people, got punched a few times herself, and was thrown into a Ferengi prison. A friend, Quim (Tom Kenny), had to bail her out.
Afterward, Quim asked Mariner why she, of all people, was always so violent and unhappy. Mariner was raised in a Starfleet family and was always taken care of. Why does she feel the need to self-sabotage her life? Mariner was taken aback by the question, unsure as to what the answer was.
- 10/26/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Back in 1986, Patrick Stewart famously balked at playing the role of Jean-Luc Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The role was contracted for six seasons, and the actor had never made that enormous of a commitment before. Many of Stewart's professional colleagues encouraged him to sign the contract, feeling that it was to be lucrative, and that "Star Trek: The Next Generation" would be swiftly canceled and he could walk away and work on other projects. Only his friend Ian McKellan discouraged Stewart from moving to TV, feeling that they both had more important things to be done on stage.
But Stewart signed the contract, went to Los Angeles, and crashed with a friend for a few weeks at a posh mansion in Bel Air. Strewart's rich friends provided him with good food, access to a swimming pool, and fascinating conversation. In exchange, Stewart only needed to bring...
But Stewart signed the contract, went to Los Angeles, and crashed with a friend for a few weeks at a posh mansion in Bel Air. Strewart's rich friends provided him with good food, access to a swimming pool, and fascinating conversation. In exchange, Stewart only needed to bring...
- 10/21/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Sir Patrick Stewart is a legend of stage and screen. By the time he took the defining role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," he had spent decades on the stage as an esteemed member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He won the Laurence Olivier Award in 1979 for his performance in "Antony and Cleopatra," and by the time he stepped foot on the Starship Enterprise he had already appeared in films like John Boorman's "Excalibur," David Lynch's "Dune," and Tobe Hooper's "Lifeforce."
So, when you hear that this absolute madman, this revered actor's actor, approached his role in "The Next Generation" with anything but the full confidence he's always projected as a performer ... well, it makes you question everything you think you know to be true. That goes double when you find out the reason for his insecurities.
There was one member of the...
So, when you hear that this absolute madman, this revered actor's actor, approached his role in "The Next Generation" with anything but the full confidence he's always projected as a performer ... well, it makes you question everything you think you know to be true. That goes double when you find out the reason for his insecurities.
There was one member of the...
- 10/17/2023
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
In many ways, "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry was a very progressive thinker. His hit TV series depicted a future wherein humanity had outgrown concepts like prejudice, war, and greed, and it stood as an open criticism of Cold War politics, corporate malfeasance, and the damage the religious right was doing to the country. Roddenberry pictured a semi-idealized future without want, and posited that humans would eventually come to embrace intellect, diplomacy, open-mindedness, and a benevolent -- not a warlike -- relationship with technology.
When it came to sex and women, however, Roddenberry was perhaps a little less philosophically graceful. He famously had multiple affairs and long-term girlfriends while he was married, and oversaw multiple "Star Trek" episodes that were, more or less, sexual fantasies for him. He was a free love advocate, often speaking crassly about the importance of sex in his life. In the book "The Fifty-Year Mission:...
When it came to sex and women, however, Roddenberry was perhaps a little less philosophically graceful. He famously had multiple affairs and long-term girlfriends while he was married, and oversaw multiple "Star Trek" episodes that were, more or less, sexual fantasies for him. He was a free love advocate, often speaking crassly about the importance of sex in his life. In the book "The Fifty-Year Mission:...
- 10/15/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Star Trek: Insurrection was a disappointing entry for the Next Generation crew – both creatively and at the box office. It made $117 million worldwide, which was only about $30 million less than Star Trek: First Contact, but the budget was pretty hefty, thanks mainly to salaries, with the film costing $70 million, making it the most expensive Trek movie to date. While the studio likely eeked out a profit once it hit home video, the margins were slim. Thus, Paramount, which still hoped the franchise could bounce back in another movie, opted to shake things up for the ambitious Star Trek Nemesis. Yet, all the pricey talent they went after, at the sacrifice of some of Tng’s key creative players, could save the movie from being an all-out disaster that ended the Next Generation crew’s adventures on the big screen for good.
Jump back to 1998. Star Trek: Insurrection wasn’t a hit,...
Jump back to 1998. Star Trek: Insurrection wasn’t a hit,...
- 10/15/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Patrick Stewart had a rough start behind the scenes at Star Trek: The Next Generation.
As candidly detailed in an exclusive audio excerpt (hear Stewart narrate the story below) from his new autobiography, Making It So: A Memoir, the veteran British actor clashed with his castmates early on.
But first, Stewart detailed how nervous he was about playing a Star Trek captain, how industry insiders were predicting the syndicated series was doomed to fail, and how he was determined to take the part quite seriously. It was the British Shakespeare stage actor’s first regular TV series — he was being paid more money than he had ever imagined earning — and he wanted to prove naysayers wrong while respecting the legacy of the franchise.
So when he was on set shooting the show’s debut season and co-stars like Jonathan Frakes, Denise Crosby and Brent Spiner would tease him or ad-lib...
As candidly detailed in an exclusive audio excerpt (hear Stewart narrate the story below) from his new autobiography, Making It So: A Memoir, the veteran British actor clashed with his castmates early on.
But first, Stewart detailed how nervous he was about playing a Star Trek captain, how industry insiders were predicting the syndicated series was doomed to fail, and how he was determined to take the part quite seriously. It was the British Shakespeare stage actor’s first regular TV series — he was being paid more money than he had ever imagined earning — and he wanted to prove naysayers wrong while respecting the legacy of the franchise.
So when he was on set shooting the show’s debut season and co-stars like Jonathan Frakes, Denise Crosby and Brent Spiner would tease him or ad-lib...
- 10/3/2023
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the chief medical officer on board the U.S.S. Enterprise-d was Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), a fearlessly moral, mature character who was already at the peak of her professional career. Dr. Crusher was a great character as she was always eager to speak her mind and always knew where she stood on any ethical issues. Unlike many other characters on the show, who were still discovering their humanity, their career tracks, or their identity, Dr. Crusher had already arrived, as it were. She was one of the few "adults" on the show.
She was also hated by one of the "Next Generation" producers, Maurice Hurley. As Trekkies likely know, the first season of "Next Generation" was a tumultuous time behind the scenes, with show creator Gene Roddenberry, his personal lawyer Leonard Maizlish, and multiple other showrunners and producers...
She was also hated by one of the "Next Generation" producers, Maurice Hurley. As Trekkies likely know, the first season of "Next Generation" was a tumultuous time behind the scenes, with show creator Gene Roddenberry, his personal lawyer Leonard Maizlish, and multiple other showrunners and producers...
- 9/12/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the expansive "Star Trek" universe, some of its brightest stars embarked on unforeseen journeys, abruptly departing the franchise to both the dismay and intrigue of fandom.
Why didn't Kirstie Alley return as the beloved Lt. Saavik? What prompted Jeffrey Hunter to relinquish the role of Captain Pike? Who ejected Gates McFadden's Dr. Crusher from the airlock? How come Diana Muldaur, her replacement, endured only a single season? Why did Wil Wheaton part ways with Wesley Crusher? And why was Grace Lee Whitney, as Yeoman Janice Rand, dropped from the cast even before the original series premiered in 1966?
These departures stemmed from a myriad of forces: financial constraints, contract negotiations, miscasting, yearnings for new horizons or strange new opportunities, life-altering events, creative and personal conflicts, or a blend of these influences. Most were unexpected and frequently controversial. Whether these exits bolstered or hindered the franchise, the judgment is yours,...
Why didn't Kirstie Alley return as the beloved Lt. Saavik? What prompted Jeffrey Hunter to relinquish the role of Captain Pike? Who ejected Gates McFadden's Dr. Crusher from the airlock? How come Diana Muldaur, her replacement, endured only a single season? Why did Wil Wheaton part ways with Wesley Crusher? And why was Grace Lee Whitney, as Yeoman Janice Rand, dropped from the cast even before the original series premiered in 1966?
These departures stemmed from a myriad of forces: financial constraints, contract negotiations, miscasting, yearnings for new horizons or strange new opportunities, life-altering events, creative and personal conflicts, or a blend of these influences. Most were unexpected and frequently controversial. Whether these exits bolstered or hindered the franchise, the judgment is yours,...
- 9/3/2023
- by Maurice Molyneaux
- Slash Film
Actor Alexander Siddig, who played the plucky, handsome young medical officer Dr. Julian Bashir on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," began the series credited as Siddig El Fadil, his professional name from the start of his career until he changed it in 1995. Dr. Bashir was something of a naïf in the show's first few seasons, and would, in subsequent seasons, come to outgrow his once-firmly-held immature notions that practicing medicine in desperate locations is a bright, plucky adventure. He quickly came to realize that he merely needed to work hard to help people in need, and that righteousness was a reward unto itself. Unlike a lot of the "young" characters on "Star Trek" (Wesley Crusher and Harry Kim come to mind), Dr. Bashir was allowed to grow up; he had personality traits other than his youth.
In the indispensable oral history book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The...
In the indispensable oral history book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The...
- 9/3/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The start of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was a difficult and tempestuous time. Many Trekkies will be able to tell you the series of events: "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" wasn't the enormous hit that Paramount wanted when the film was released in 1979, and "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry was uninvited from participating in any further sequels. Smarting from the rejection, Roddenberry eventually turned back to TV, developing an all-new "Star Trek" show at the studio's behest. This show was to be the purer version of "Star Trek," complete with Roddenberry's infamous "no infighting between the characters" mandate that so frustrated his writing staff. Roddenberry was also determined to retain as much control as possible over "Next Generation," causing him to butt heads with, well, just about everyone around him.
In brief, in the show's first two years, there was a lot of chaos. One of the show's main cast -- Denise Crosby,...
In brief, in the show's first two years, there was a lot of chaos. One of the show's main cast -- Denise Crosby,...
- 8/13/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
According to My Navy Hr, "consumption of alcohol in the Nwu [Naval Working Uniform] off-base is not permitted. Consumption of alcohol in the Nwu on base is authorized as promulgated by Regional Commanders. The Area or Regional Commander may further restrict uniform policies within their geographical limits regarding wear of the Nwu." According to actual naval code, drinking is not at all permitted on military vessels, as stated, "the introduction, possession or use of alcoholic beverages on board any ship, craft, aircraft, or in any vehicle of the Department of the Navy is prohibited." The website Recovery First says naval veterans are at a higher risk of alcoholism than other military branches.
I mention the Navy as that is the closest present-day comparison we have for Starfleet on "Star Trek." They use the same ranks, have a lot of the same nautical jargon, and seem to abide by a similarly militant sense of propriety.
I mention the Navy as that is the closest present-day comparison we have for Starfleet on "Star Trek." They use the same ranks, have a lot of the same nautical jargon, and seem to abide by a similarly militant sense of propriety.
- 5/23/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard.
To be sure, Star Trek: Picard season three pulled off something of a magic trick, bringing back not only the main cast of The Next Generation but also featuring surprising cameos. But by the time the credits rolled on the final episode, there was one main character conspicuously missing from the original lineup of Tng characters: Wesley Crusher.
Wesley’s absence from Picard season three seemed particularly glaring given the overall plot of those final 10 episodes, in which Picard and company go on a spacefaring trip to rescue Beverly Crusher and her son Jack. It’s a mission somewhat familiar to the once and future crew of the Enterprise-d, as they did the same a few times for Beverly’s firstborn, Wesley.
That is until Wesley’s special talents led him to become a Traveler, an explorer across space and time (think...
To be sure, Star Trek: Picard season three pulled off something of a magic trick, bringing back not only the main cast of The Next Generation but also featuring surprising cameos. But by the time the credits rolled on the final episode, there was one main character conspicuously missing from the original lineup of Tng characters: Wesley Crusher.
Wesley’s absence from Picard season three seemed particularly glaring given the overall plot of those final 10 episodes, in which Picard and company go on a spacefaring trip to rescue Beverly Crusher and her son Jack. It’s a mission somewhat familiar to the once and future crew of the Enterprise-d, as they did the same a few times for Beverly’s firstborn, Wesley.
That is until Wesley’s special talents led him to become a Traveler, an explorer across space and time (think...
- 4/25/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
This post contains spoilers for the "Star Trek: Picard" series finale.
"Star Trek: Picard" has officially come to an end, closing out with a warm and wonderful scene of Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Marin Sirtis, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, and Brent Spiner hanging out in a bar, playing poker, and shooting the breeze. This was their moment of reunion and relaxation after an elaborate scheme involving Changelings, the Borg, and mysterious X-Men-like brain powers that Picard passed on to his son Jack (Ed Speleers), a son he didn't know about for the past 20 years. After all was said and done, Picard (Stewart) accepted that he was Jack's father, and he and Dr. Crusher (McFadden) seemed to have worked out their long-standing personal acrimony.
A long-standing drama with Jean-Luc Picard has been his solitude. He wasn't lonely, necessarily, but his professional station as a starship captain prevented him from...
"Star Trek: Picard" has officially come to an end, closing out with a warm and wonderful scene of Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Marin Sirtis, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, and Brent Spiner hanging out in a bar, playing poker, and shooting the breeze. This was their moment of reunion and relaxation after an elaborate scheme involving Changelings, the Borg, and mysterious X-Men-like brain powers that Picard passed on to his son Jack (Ed Speleers), a son he didn't know about for the past 20 years. After all was said and done, Picard (Stewart) accepted that he was Jack's father, and he and Dr. Crusher (McFadden) seemed to have worked out their long-standing personal acrimony.
A long-standing drama with Jean-Luc Picard has been his solitude. He wasn't lonely, necessarily, but his professional station as a starship captain prevented him from...
- 4/21/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
This Star Trek: Picard article contains spoilers.
What’s behind the red door? No matter how much Star Trek: Picard keeps insisting that we’ll soon learn the truth about Jack Crusher, the son of Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard, the show keeps moving the goalposts, shoving the explanation off to the next episode. Unsurprisingly, the internet has filled in the gaps with their own theories. One of the latest would bring back one of the most mysterious villains from Deep Space Nine: the Pah-wraiths.
For those who don’t recall, the Pah-wraiths are the evil counterparts to the Prophets, central figures in the Bajoran religion. Where Bajorans worship the Prophets for their benevolent guidance, they fear the Pah-wraiths for their destructive meddling. Through Benjamin Sisko‘s encounters with the Prophets, we learn that they are not gods, but an alien race living in the wormhole outside of Bajor.
What’s behind the red door? No matter how much Star Trek: Picard keeps insisting that we’ll soon learn the truth about Jack Crusher, the son of Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard, the show keeps moving the goalposts, shoving the explanation off to the next episode. Unsurprisingly, the internet has filled in the gaps with their own theories. One of the latest would bring back one of the most mysterious villains from Deep Space Nine: the Pah-wraiths.
For those who don’t recall, the Pah-wraiths are the evil counterparts to the Prophets, central figures in the Bajoran religion. Where Bajorans worship the Prophets for their benevolent guidance, they fear the Pah-wraiths for their destructive meddling. Through Benjamin Sisko‘s encounters with the Prophets, we learn that they are not gods, but an alien race living in the wormhole outside of Bajor.
- 4/10/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Starfleet wants you!
That, or whatever the Federation’s recruiting slogan would be, is something you’ll hear over the next couple of years, as Paramount+ has given a series order to a new live-action show, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” the streamer announced today just two days after confirming multi-season orders for “Strange New Worlds” and “Lower Decks.”
Paramount+ will not confirm this to be the case, but the “Starfleet Academy” series is likely a spinoff of “Star Trek: Discovery,” which will conclude in early 2024 with its fifth and final season. The speculation then is that it would be set in that show’s 32nd-century timeline. A Season 4 plotline on “Discovery,” in which Mary Wiseman’s Ensign Tilly served as the in-the-field instructor for a group of Academy cadets before leaving the show altogether to continue being their teacher, feels like a backdoor pilot.
Paramount+ is not announcing casting for the series,...
That, or whatever the Federation’s recruiting slogan would be, is something you’ll hear over the next couple of years, as Paramount+ has given a series order to a new live-action show, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” the streamer announced today just two days after confirming multi-season orders for “Strange New Worlds” and “Lower Decks.”
Paramount+ will not confirm this to be the case, but the “Starfleet Academy” series is likely a spinoff of “Star Trek: Discovery,” which will conclude in early 2024 with its fifth and final season. The speculation then is that it would be set in that show’s 32nd-century timeline. A Season 4 plotline on “Discovery,” in which Mary Wiseman’s Ensign Tilly served as the in-the-field instructor for a group of Academy cadets before leaving the show altogether to continue being their teacher, feels like a backdoor pilot.
Paramount+ is not announcing casting for the series,...
- 3/30/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
This Star Trek: Picard article contains spoilers.
When most people think about the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard, Riker, Geordi La Forge, Worf, Beverly Crusher, and Data immediately come to mind. They might even think of some of the side characters, like Wesley Crusher and Chief Miles O’Brien, the latter of which went on to play a much bigger role on Deep Space Nine. But Trekkers would agree that when it comes to the best of the recurring characters of Tng, there’s one who stands above even Lieutenant Barclay and Doctor Pulaski: Michelle Forbes’ Ensign Ro Laren.
Introduced in the season five episode that bore her name, Ro was a Bajoran Ensign who clashed with Picard almost immediately. Played with a chip on her shoulder by Forbes, Ro brought an essential bit of conflict to the Enterprise crew, adhering to a moral code that sometimes...
When most people think about the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard, Riker, Geordi La Forge, Worf, Beverly Crusher, and Data immediately come to mind. They might even think of some of the side characters, like Wesley Crusher and Chief Miles O’Brien, the latter of which went on to play a much bigger role on Deep Space Nine. But Trekkers would agree that when it comes to the best of the recurring characters of Tng, there’s one who stands above even Lieutenant Barclay and Doctor Pulaski: Michelle Forbes’ Ensign Ro Laren.
Introduced in the season five episode that bore her name, Ro was a Bajoran Ensign who clashed with Picard almost immediately. Played with a chip on her shoulder by Forbes, Ro brought an essential bit of conflict to the Enterprise crew, adhering to a moral code that sometimes...
- 3/16/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Each "Star Trek" show is, despite its tendency to focus on starship and space station captains, an ensemble drama. Each series (the first two seasons of "Picard" notwithstanding) is about the workplace dynamic on board a space vessel, with characters of different backgrounds and personalities working together to solve crises. The characters may occasionally butt heads, but "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry (in)famously discouraged that sort of conflict, preferring to depict a future where everyone got along, or at least treated each other with professional respect.
The group dynamic of "Star Trek," however, occasionally led to a perhaps-unconscious reliance on certain archetypes. Each Trek show, for the most part, features Stalwart Captain, Approachable Guy, Sensitive Soul, Culture Shock Alien, The Muscle, The Broody Outsider, Impatient Weirdo, Nerdy Tech-Head, and Inexperienced Noob. These broad "types" could alternately be combined into a single character or spread among many, but one can...
The group dynamic of "Star Trek," however, occasionally led to a perhaps-unconscious reliance on certain archetypes. Each Trek show, for the most part, features Stalwart Captain, Approachable Guy, Sensitive Soul, Culture Shock Alien, The Muscle, The Broody Outsider, Impatient Weirdo, Nerdy Tech-Head, and Inexperienced Noob. These broad "types" could alternately be combined into a single character or spread among many, but one can...
- 3/14/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
This Star Trek article contains spoilers for Picard season 3.
Between 1966 and 2005, Star Trek fans were introduced to the franchise’s first five leads: James T. Kirk in The Original Series, Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation, Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space Nine, Voyager‘s Kathryn Janeway, and Jonathan Archer from Enterprise.
Archer has not been seen since the end of Enterprise because that show’s storyline ended just over 100 years before Kirk’s mission began (though his Kelvinverse counterpart was apparently long-lived enough for Scotty to beam his beagle into space). But Kirk has appeared in two later series — the original spin-off, The Animated Series, in the 1970s, and more recently in Strange New Worlds, plus of course the Kelvinverse films. Janeway is a recurring character in Prodigy, which functions almost as a sequel series to Voyager, and Picard got his own spinoff named after him, with a third and...
Between 1966 and 2005, Star Trek fans were introduced to the franchise’s first five leads: James T. Kirk in The Original Series, Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation, Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space Nine, Voyager‘s Kathryn Janeway, and Jonathan Archer from Enterprise.
Archer has not been seen since the end of Enterprise because that show’s storyline ended just over 100 years before Kirk’s mission began (though his Kelvinverse counterpart was apparently long-lived enough for Scotty to beam his beagle into space). But Kirk has appeared in two later series — the original spin-off, The Animated Series, in the 1970s, and more recently in Strange New Worlds, plus of course the Kelvinverse films. Janeway is a recurring character in Prodigy, which functions almost as a sequel series to Voyager, and Picard got his own spinoff named after him, with a third and...
- 3/14/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard article contains spoilers.
When we first met Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, creator Gene Roddenberry and his producers took pains to differentiate him from his 23rd-century predecessor. Where James Tiberius Kirk was all swagger and daring do, squinting dramatically into key lights and romancing ladies with his surely very real and not replicated hair, Picard was bald, patrician, and French.
But even as the show off-loaded Kirk’s galivanting qualities and middle initial to Number One William T. Riker, writers did make clear that neither man would make a good father. Kirk, for all his infamous alien romancing, had truly only one love: the USS Enterprise, with whom he always wanted to spend the rest of his life.
In early seasons of Tng, writers leaned heavily on Picard’s dislike of children. And while that character trait largely faded away, trotted out...
When we first met Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, creator Gene Roddenberry and his producers took pains to differentiate him from his 23rd-century predecessor. Where James Tiberius Kirk was all swagger and daring do, squinting dramatically into key lights and romancing ladies with his surely very real and not replicated hair, Picard was bald, patrician, and French.
But even as the show off-loaded Kirk’s galivanting qualities and middle initial to Number One William T. Riker, writers did make clear that neither man would make a good father. Kirk, for all his infamous alien romancing, had truly only one love: the USS Enterprise, with whom he always wanted to spend the rest of his life.
In early seasons of Tng, writers leaned heavily on Picard’s dislike of children. And while that character trait largely faded away, trotted out...
- 2/24/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
This post contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Picard" season 3, episode 2.
If you're caught up on your "Star Trek: Picard," then you know we find out that Jean-Luc (Patrick Stewart) and the young Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) have more in common than the retired Starfleet admiral thought. That's right — Jack is Picard's son, the result of his and Beverly Crusher's (Gates McFadden) romantic entangling before she mysteriously disappeared a couple of decades ago.
We don't know yet why Beverly decided to keep Jack away from Jean-Luc, but when I asked showrunner Terry Matalas when the idea to give the show's titular character a son was hatched, he shared that he wanted to explore this type of relationship for Picard from the get-go.
"The first question I asked, even before the 'Next Generation' characters came into it, was, 'What's the last unexplored relationship in Captain Picard's life?'" he told me in...
If you're caught up on your "Star Trek: Picard," then you know we find out that Jean-Luc (Patrick Stewart) and the young Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) have more in common than the retired Starfleet admiral thought. That's right — Jack is Picard's son, the result of his and Beverly Crusher's (Gates McFadden) romantic entangling before she mysteriously disappeared a couple of decades ago.
We don't know yet why Beverly decided to keep Jack away from Jean-Luc, but when I asked showrunner Terry Matalas when the idea to give the show's titular character a son was hatched, he shared that he wanted to explore this type of relationship for Picard from the get-go.
"The first question I asked, even before the 'Next Generation' characters came into it, was, 'What's the last unexplored relationship in Captain Picard's life?'" he told me in...
- 2/23/2023
- by Vanessa Armstrong
- Slash Film
This Star Trek: Picard article contains spoilers.
Part of what makes Star Trek: Picard season 3 so compelling for old-school Tng fans is the endless love these episodes have for the ‘90s era of Trek. But the references and easter eggs actually go way beyond just The Next Generation. In fact, what makes this season so interesting when it comes to the deep cuts is the fact that some references extend way beyond the Star Trek universe, and into other fandoms and franchises.
So, with that in mind, here are all the best easter eggs we caught for Picard season 3, episode 2, “Disengage.”
The Shrike Hiding in the Star Trek Logo Introduction
Since Strange New Worlds, the new shows have opened with a Star Trek logo, complete with whichever ship is the “star” of the particular program. But there are sometimes small easter eggs lurking in these intros. For example, in the Lower Decks intro,...
Part of what makes Star Trek: Picard season 3 so compelling for old-school Tng fans is the endless love these episodes have for the ‘90s era of Trek. But the references and easter eggs actually go way beyond just The Next Generation. In fact, what makes this season so interesting when it comes to the deep cuts is the fact that some references extend way beyond the Star Trek universe, and into other fandoms and franchises.
So, with that in mind, here are all the best easter eggs we caught for Picard season 3, episode 2, “Disengage.”
The Shrike Hiding in the Star Trek Logo Introduction
Since Strange New Worlds, the new shows have opened with a Star Trek logo, complete with whichever ship is the “star” of the particular program. But there are sometimes small easter eggs lurking in these intros. For example, in the Lower Decks intro,...
- 2/23/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
In Roger Nygard's 1997 documentary film "Trekkies," actor Wil Wheaton, who played teenage Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," pointed out that few groups of fans spend more time, energy, and finances on their object of affection than Trekkies. Anyone who has been to a "Star Trek" convention knows the sheer volume of "Star Trek" merchandise in the world. There are models of ships, tricorders, uniforms, communicator badges, and trading cards, not to mention t-shirts, phone cases, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, and any number of household items emblazoned with Trek indicia. This author owns a pizza knife in the shape of the U.S.S. Enterprise, with the ship's saucer section serving as the cutting blade.
Trekkies aren't as keen on action figures as their "Star Wars" fan counterparts, but one can find just about any character they want. Having been to Trek conventions, I recall actor Jonathan Frakes...
Trekkies aren't as keen on action figures as their "Star Wars" fan counterparts, but one can find just about any character they want. Having been to Trek conventions, I recall actor Jonathan Frakes...
- 2/21/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
“You’ll probably find this inspection boring for the likes of you,” a Starfleet official tells Admiral Picard and Captain Riker at the start of the latest trailer for the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard. “Well, we won’t be blowing things up,” he goes on to explain when Picard responds with incredulity. “Or taking or engaging in fire, crash landing expectedly or unexpectedly.”
Leaving aside that those things didn’t happen nearly as much in Star Trek: The Next Generation as this trailer seems to suggest, the official’s litany forgets one of the things that excites people most about the upcoming season: the debut of the Enterprise-f, the latest iteration of the ship Captained by Picard and his predecessor James T. Kirk. This will be the third version of an Enterprise under Picard’s command, as the Enterprise-d and the Enterprise-e first appeared in Star Trek: First Contact,...
Leaving aside that those things didn’t happen nearly as much in Star Trek: The Next Generation as this trailer seems to suggest, the official’s litany forgets one of the things that excites people most about the upcoming season: the debut of the Enterprise-f, the latest iteration of the ship Captained by Picard and his predecessor James T. Kirk. This will be the third version of an Enterprise under Picard’s command, as the Enterprise-d and the Enterprise-e first appeared in Star Trek: First Contact,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Maybe all good things don’t need to come to an end? We knew that was already the case when the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew continued to appear in four feature films and now will reunite for season three of Star Trek: Picard. But despite reports that the third season of Jean-Luc’s adventures would be his last, producer Alex Kurtzman may have changed his tune.
When a member of the Televisision Critics Association asked if there would be more Picard after the third season, Kurtzman responded with a non-commital, “Who knows?” According to Variety, star Patrick Stewart took it even further, insisting that this show “leaves the door open” for more of the Next Generation crew and that he would be interested, provided that the show can “maintain the work quality” of its first three seasons.
While the news may come as a surprise to some, it...
When a member of the Televisision Critics Association asked if there would be more Picard after the third season, Kurtzman responded with a non-commital, “Who knows?” According to Variety, star Patrick Stewart took it even further, insisting that this show “leaves the door open” for more of the Next Generation crew and that he would be interested, provided that the show can “maintain the work quality” of its first three seasons.
While the news may come as a surprise to some, it...
- 1/10/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
“These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.” The Star Trek franchise may be filled with beloved characters, who serve on a wide range of ships and stations, but it always comes back to the Enterprise. Even the sequel series Star Trek: Picard, which has kept the titular Captain away from the ship he commanded for seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and four feature films, will feature the Enterprise-f in its third and final season.
First introduced in the video game Star Trek Online as the Enterprise of the 2400s, the ship’s inclusion in Picard season 3 will finally make it part of the Star Trek universe’s main canon. As you might expect, the arrival of the Enterprise-f to live-action has certainly filled Tng fans with the hope that they’ll finally see their beloved captain and crew back on an Enterprise bridge.
But in an interview with Trek Central,...
First introduced in the video game Star Trek Online as the Enterprise of the 2400s, the ship’s inclusion in Picard season 3 will finally make it part of the Star Trek universe’s main canon. As you might expect, the arrival of the Enterprise-f to live-action has certainly filled Tng fans with the hope that they’ll finally see their beloved captain and crew back on an Enterprise bridge.
But in an interview with Trek Central,...
- 1/4/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
"Star Trek: Prodigy," which just wrapped its first season on Paramount+, takes place in a distant corner of the "Stat Trek" universe that hasn't yet been explored by the Federation. A group of teenagers, fleeing the man who has enslaved them in a mine, discover a derelict Starfleet vessel called the U.S.S. Protostar. On board, they are instructed by a hologram of Capt. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) on how to operate the ship, but also how to work together as a Starfleet crew might. The teens have to work through their anxieties and inexperience, but find that they do work well as a team. Their goal is to return to Federation space, while solving the mystery of their abandoned vessel.
"Prodigy" is set about five years after the events of "Star Trek: Voyager," and it is the third animated series in the vast "Trek" franchise. It's also the first...
"Prodigy" is set about five years after the events of "Star Trek: Voyager," and it is the third animated series in the vast "Trek" franchise. It's also the first...
- 1/3/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks."
The newest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," called "Trusted Sources," is about a new Starfleet initiative proposed by Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis). Tired of constantly performing Second Contact missions -- the less glamorous expansion of First Contact missions -- Freeman has suggested the U.S.S. Cerritos take part in what she calls the Planetary Follow-Up Initiative that would require ships to drop in on planets Starfleet hasn't looked into for a while. If successful, Project: Swing-By would become standard operating procedure across every California class starship. Yes, Second Contact and Swing-By missions are pretty much the same thing. That's the gag.
Audiences will also recognize that Operation Swing-By also gives the "Lower Decks" writers an organic excuse to write sequels to just about any Trek episode they want. If a viewer is in the habit...
The newest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," called "Trusted Sources," is about a new Starfleet initiative proposed by Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis). Tired of constantly performing Second Contact missions -- the less glamorous expansion of First Contact missions -- Freeman has suggested the U.S.S. Cerritos take part in what she calls the Planetary Follow-Up Initiative that would require ships to drop in on planets Starfleet hasn't looked into for a while. If successful, Project: Swing-By would become standard operating procedure across every California class starship. Yes, Second Contact and Swing-By missions are pretty much the same thing. That's the gag.
Audiences will also recognize that Operation Swing-By also gives the "Lower Decks" writers an organic excuse to write sequels to just about any Trek episode they want. If a viewer is in the habit...
- 10/20/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In "Reflections," the fifth episode of the third season of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," Ensigns Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Mariner (Tawney Newsome) have been assigned to work the Starfleet booth at what is essentially the "Star Trek" version of a college jobs fair. As anyone who has ever attended a jobs fair (or anyone who has ever had the bad luck of working in one of those 10-foot-by-10-foot sunshade tents) knows, the experience can be miserable. Working a booth entails performing a series of dry sales pitches for only vaguely interested passersby, hoping that maybe one person in every 50 will write their e-mail address on your clipboard. One hopes they haven't just stopped at your booth for your bowl of free York Peppermint Patties.
While it may seem logical that Starfleet would have recruiting booths at jobs fairs, Trekkies watching may experience a slight pang of cognitive dissonance. Why,...
While it may seem logical that Starfleet would have recruiting booths at jobs fairs, Trekkies watching may experience a slight pang of cognitive dissonance. Why,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Prior to "Star Trek: Lower Decks," the experiences of lower-ranking Starfleet officers were largely placed in the hands of the notoriously goody-goody character of Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Wesley was exceptionally bright, and despite having lost his father in the service, dreams of joining Starfleet himself. He is supernaturally motivated, and is constantly seen studying, reading, and conducting scientific experiments in his spare time. He is also obnoxiously squeaky clean, once notoriously asking Lt. Yar (Denise Crosby) why anyone would ever want to do drugs. Wesley is, in short, a narc.
Wesley would eventually make some pretty rash mistakes at Starfleet Academy, and end up leaving the service to galavant about the galaxy as a semi-supernatural energy being. But Starfleet was presented as -- as Wesley seemed to feel -- the ultimate goal of a youth well spent. It was the best possible career.
Wesley would eventually make some pretty rash mistakes at Starfleet Academy, and end up leaving the service to galavant about the galaxy as a semi-supernatural energy being. But Starfleet was presented as -- as Wesley seemed to feel -- the ultimate goal of a youth well spent. It was the best possible career.
- 9/15/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) has long been one of the most controversial and divisive characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The character was first introduced in season 1 episode “Encounter at Farpoint,” and is the son of Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), the chief medical officer for the Enterprise. Thanks to his mother’s job and his late father’s working relationship with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), Wesley feels destined to lead a life as a Starfleet Officer for a majority of the series until he decides to leave that life behind and join The Traveler (Eric Menyuk).
Longtime Star Trek fans undoubtedly know that much of the controversy surrounding young Wesley stems from how the character is written on the show. Because Wesley spends so much of his time in The Next Generation with the adults on the Enterprise rather than with kids his own age, some Trekkers find...
Longtime Star Trek fans undoubtedly know that much of the controversy surrounding young Wesley stems from how the character is written on the show. Because Wesley spends so much of his time in The Next Generation with the adults on the Enterprise rather than with kids his own age, some Trekkers find...
- 9/14/2022
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
The first full trailer for the third season of "Star Trek: Picard" was released today, the 56th anniversary of the U.S. premiere of the original "Star Trek." The third season of "Picard" has already been announced as the show's last, and it will see the return of more familiar faces from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Patrick Stewart will return as the title character, and Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner have also already appeared on "Picard." Joining them will be LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, and Michael Dorn. Apart from Wil Wheaton (who did reprise his role as Wesley Crusher in "Picard" last season) and Denise Crosby, all of the central cast members from "Tng" will return.
The last time audiences saw this cast in the same place, it was at the end of "Star Trek: Nemesis," where Picard and the crew were sadly toasting the passing of...
The last time audiences saw this cast in the same place, it was at the end of "Star Trek: Nemesis," where Picard and the crew were sadly toasting the passing of...
- 9/9/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
A recent article on /Film argued that the characters on "Star Trek: Lower Decks" are seeing an accelerated growth arc, perhaps by mere dint of the show's 30-minute format. "Lower Decks" is downright jaunty, forcing a great deal of madcap incident into its brief runtime and comparatively reduced season lengths. It also helps that there are only four main characters on "Lower Decks," whereas most other Trek shows hover around seven or eight. When it came to the franchise's average format, showrunners could take their time in developing characters, using entire hours to develop one small facet of only one person.
It's also notable that most of the characters that typically appear on "Trek" shows are already mature and achieved and professional when audiences meet them. Their primary concern is doing their job well, and petty anxieties have, it is presumed, already been dealt with. As such, growth arcs tend...
It's also notable that most of the characters that typically appear on "Trek" shows are already mature and achieved and professional when audiences meet them. Their primary concern is doing their job well, and petty anxieties have, it is presumed, already been dealt with. As such, growth arcs tend...
- 9/2/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
It should come as no surprise to anyone that William Shatner, 91, thinks the original "Star Trek" is the best one. Shatner has, according to various rumors over the years, always felt that "Star Trek" was a three-character show -- Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy -- with Kirk in the center. Anyone who has been to a "Trek" convention have heard stories from most of Shatner's co-stars that he was aloof on set, and that Shatner wasn't too keen on acknowledging the show's entire ensemble. He behaved "the star." One can find a spate of stories from Nichelle Nichols, or George Takei about how much they disliked Shanter for his implied insistence that he remain the very center of the galaxy.As such, any "Star Trek" show that isn't about Kirk and doesn't star William Shatner, according to William Shatner, is the lesser "Trek." One might argue that "Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry...
- 9/1/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for episode two of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 3.
There's an episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series" called "The Apple" that exemplifies one of the franchise's most superficially goofy tropes. The Enterprise crew visits Gamma Trianguli VI, a beautiful planet that they soon learn features exploding rocks, poisonous plants, and Vaal, a god-like technological system that looks like a crudely made dragon's head statue. There are also rust-skinned, blonde-haired townspeople who are both scantily clad and prohibited from having sex. It's fun, hokey, and convoluted as hell.
Some "Star Trek" tropes have withstood the test of time, while others have naturally died out. Luckily, "Star Trek: Lower Decks," with its group of Starfleet superfan characters, is in a unique position that allows it to gently poke fun at past "Trek" lore by revisiting the best "Trek" moments along with the worst. "The Apple" isn't exactly the worst,...
There's an episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series" called "The Apple" that exemplifies one of the franchise's most superficially goofy tropes. The Enterprise crew visits Gamma Trianguli VI, a beautiful planet that they soon learn features exploding rocks, poisonous plants, and Vaal, a god-like technological system that looks like a crudely made dragon's head statue. There are also rust-skinned, blonde-haired townspeople who are both scantily clad and prohibited from having sex. It's fun, hokey, and convoluted as hell.
Some "Star Trek" tropes have withstood the test of time, while others have naturally died out. Luckily, "Star Trek: Lower Decks," with its group of Starfleet superfan characters, is in a unique position that allows it to gently poke fun at past "Trek" lore by revisiting the best "Trek" moments along with the worst. "The Apple" isn't exactly the worst,...
- 9/1/2022
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” cast members Patrick Stewart and Gates McFadden reunited on stage at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, to promote the third and final season of the Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Picard.”
Though they were not able to make it to Hall H, Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) and McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher) will be joined in the new season by “Tng” costars Jonathan Frakes (William River), LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Worf), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) Brent Spiner (who played the android Data on “Tng” and plays Data’s human brother Alan Inigo Soong on “Picard”), and fellow “Picard” costars Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and Michelle Hurd (Raffi Musiker).
According to series executive producer Alex Kurtzman, Picard will have to set out to find and reunite his old crew, who are spread out across the galaxy. “I think we took two seasons to earn the...
Though they were not able to make it to Hall H, Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) and McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher) will be joined in the new season by “Tng” costars Jonathan Frakes (William River), LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Worf), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) Brent Spiner (who played the android Data on “Tng” and plays Data’s human brother Alan Inigo Soong on “Picard”), and fellow “Picard” costars Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and Michelle Hurd (Raffi Musiker).
According to series executive producer Alex Kurtzman, Picard will have to set out to find and reunite his old crew, who are spread out across the galaxy. “I think we took two seasons to earn the...
- 7/23/2022
- by Adam B. Vary and Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
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