who played minuet star trek

Carolyn McCormick

Series: TNG

Character(s): Minuet, Min Riker

Carolyn McCormick is a Texan actress who played the roles of Minuet in the Star Trek: The Next Generation first season episode “11001001” and Min Riker in the fourth season episode “Future Imperfect”. Archive footage from her first appearance was reused in the second season episode “Shades of Gray”.

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Carolyn Mccormick Biography (1959-)

Full name, Carolyn Inez McCormick; born September 19, 1959, in Midland, TX; father, an owner of an oil drilling company; married Byron Jennings (an actor), 1994; children: two. Addresses: Agent: Bresler Kelly and Associates,11500 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 352, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

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OTHER SOURCES Periodicals Entertainment Weekly, September 11, 1992, p. 32 TV Guide, March 7, 1987, pp. 41-43

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Carolyn McCormick

Highest Rated: 72% The Last Thing Mary Saw (2021)

Lowest Rated: 20% Burnzy's Last Call (1995)

Birthday: Sep 19, 1959

Birthplace: Midland, Texas, USA

Trained at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater (ACT), McCormick played in her first feature, the interesting science-fiction saga, "Enemy Mine" (1985), while completing her graduate studies. She joined the company of the ACT for a time thereafter, but TV work picked up when she joined the cast of the ABC detective series, "Spenser: For Hire," during its second season in 1986 to play Rita Fiori, feisty young assistant D.A. and romantic sparring partner for series star Robert Urich. McCormick subsequently did regional stage work and played a recurring role as Minuet, a computer-generated ideal woman, on the popular science-fiction series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Occasional feature work, as in "A Simple Twist of Fate" (1994), came her way, but McCormick was primarily seen as intelligent police psychiatrist Elizabeth Olivet, another recurring role, on most of the series episodes of NBC's acclaimed "Law & Order" from 1991 to 1997. In the fall of 1997, she moved to ABC as the unhappy wife of a police psychiatrist played by Robert Pastorelli in the short-lived Americanized version of "Cracker."

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Published Apr 17, 2012

TNG & DS9 Director Paul Lynch Looks Back, Part 1

Paul Lynch will always be cool in our book. This is the guy who directed Prom Night , one of the better 80’s slasher flicks and the one that cemented Jamie Lee Curtis’ scream-queen status. The very same Paul Lynch was also an in-demand television director from the 1970s through the early 2000s, calling the shots on everything from Moonlighting , Beauty and the Beast and The Twilight Zone to RoboCop , Xena: Warrior Princess and So Weird . He played a pivotal role in the Star Trek universe as well, directing five early episodes each of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine , and helping to establish characters and relationships on both shows. His episodes included TNG ’s “ The Naked Now ,” “ 11001001 ,” “ Unnatural Selection ,” “ A Matter of Time ” and “ The First Duty ,” as well as DS9 ’s “ A Man Alone ,” “ Babel ,” “ Q-Less ,” “ The Passenger ” and “ Battle Lines .” StarTrek.com recently caught up with Lynch – who was born in England, spent much of his career in Canada, and currently splits his time between Los Angeles and Hamilton, outside of Toronto, Canada -- for a wide-ranging interview in which he commented in detail on his Star Trek work and updated us on his current projects. Below is part one of our two-part conversation, and tune into StarTrek.com again tomorrow to read part two.

How did you land your first TNG directing assignment?

Lynch: I don’t know how they found me, but I went over for an interview with them, and I talked to Bob Justman and Rick Berman. Rick had been an executive at Paramount, and he seemed to be second to Bob, who was with Gene Roddenberry forever. Rick became the show runner when Bob left, and Bob was a terrific guy and we got along great. Bob hired me for what was the first episode after the TNG pilot.

What were you thoughts on the cast that had been assembled?

Lynch: They put together a really terrific cast. Everybody was top-notch and they were nice people. Corey Allen had done the pilot. He’d been an actor. He was in Rebel without a Cause . He’d also taught acting. So he’d set the tone for everyone. Patrick Stewart was an incredible pro actor. People think I say this because I was born in England, but it’s not true. English actors, because of the way they come into the business, through crummy little theaters, tend to be incredibly professional. Their body is their instrument, and they’re pros. I remember Richard Harris telling me that the worst thing that English actors ever did was get drunk in the night, otherwise they were pros, and even the drunks had found ways to know their lines, always. So there was a level of professionalism. Patrick had it, and he just had a force of personality. He was the nicest and humblest man, ever, for the talent he had. And with that force of personality, if an actor dropped a line, all he had to do was look at them and they’d never drop it again. So, by the time I got there, they already had a great-knit group that was taking their cue from Patrick. So it was effortless.

Lynch: First of all, that was a remake of another show that they’d done the show. D.C. Fontana wrote the original and she’d worked with Gene a long time, and she wrote this, too. What stands out for me was Brent Spiner’s performance with Denise Crosby. They were wonderful together. They were like Ricky and Lucy. That’s what immediately stood out, their fun scenes, and that’s what stood out, the humor, which is why I think I got the job, actually. I’d come over from doing Moonlighting .

OK, since we’ve got you, we must ask about a strange little detail. What was up with that greased, twisted bit of hair on Crosby's forehead?

Lynch: I don’t remember. Sorry, I don’t remember that.

So the debate will continue. Let’s move on to “11001001”...

Lynch: That was the one with the Bynars in it, who talked together. That was another kind of light, light, light show, and it had the romance in it between Riker and the hologram girl. Carolyn McCormick played Minuet, and she, not long after that, went on to a major part on Spenser for Hire with Bob Urich. I worked with him years later. Carolyn was a nice woman, very talented, and she and Jonathan (Frakes) had a very hot thing going on in this (holodeck) fantasy lounge.

“Unnatural Selection”…

Lynch: That was a heavy Diana Muldaur episode and it was, I’m told the first episode in which Colm Meaney was listed as a guest star. Colm, like Patrick, was an absolute pro. Diana was just great in it, just terrific. She’d come into the show maybe because she was bored or something. I didn’t get the impression that she needed the job. By this time, Gates McFadden had left, and so Diana was terrific.

“A Matter of Time”…

Lynch: That had a very good script by Rick Berman, and Matt Frewer was perfect for the episode. He was the guy who was stealing things, but they think he’s somebody else. It was really a nice little mystery and a very entertaining episode. Matt was another Canadian, and he’s studied in London, which was where he started doing Max Headroom. That’s what brought him to America. He was another pro.

Your last TNG episode was “The First Duty”...

Lynch: I didn’t even realize this, but I had hired (guest star) Robert Duncan McNeill for a Twilight Zone that I did. He was really terrific. Compared to young actors today he was like Marlon Brando. It was a 40-minute Twilight Zone . So I brought him in to audition for “The First Duty” and they agreed that he was great, and they hired him. It was a really interesting episode and now, because of this relationship the producers now had with Robbie, they brought him back later to star in Voyager . As you know, he started directing on that, and now he’s a very respected television director. We also had Ray Walston in that episode. He was a wonderful guy with wonderful stories and a great, old pro. I was very busy on the set, but out of the side of my eye I’d see Patrick Stewart and Ray Walston hanging out, and that seemed right to me. An American pro and an English pro, equal, and they were terrific together.

Of the five TNG episodes you directed, which did you feel turned out best and which were you most disappointed in?

Lynch: That’s a toughie. I was very lucky that I got really good scripts. I think “A Matter of Time” would be my least favorite and my first one, “The Naked Now,” would be my favorite.

Really? Most Star Trek fans would consider “The Naked Now” to be the weakest and “Unnatural Selection,” “A Matter of Time” or “The First Duty” to be the best…

Lynch: I think there’s a reason for that, for the negative reaction to “The Naked Now,” and that is that it presented the cast from the pilot in a completely different way, so it was hard for people to accept that. But that is what I liked about it. You saw the pilot. You saw the actors being straight dramatic actors. That first episode, they went off on this wonky trip. Then, in the next episode they’re back to being what they were. I liked that -- and this was Gene and Bob – because it set up that you don’t know where the show was going to go. That’s what made the show so incredibly entertaining, that it wasn’t just a detective show or a comedy. It could be a detective show this week and a comedy the next week or a thriller or an action show. Then you had the science fiction and the special effects. That was one of the big plusses of the show, but I’d heard that people didn’t like “The Naked Now” as much because the characters changed way out of what they knew.

Check back tomorrow to read part two of our interview with Paul Lynch, in which he recounts his DS9 experiences, looks at his non- Trek career and talks about what he’s working on now.

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

Warning: May contain spoilers .

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Star Trek: Discovery' on Paramount+: Subscribe

Will 'Star Trek: Discovery' have another season?

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

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 cast

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

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

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 trailer

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

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Star Trek Characters Who Look Completely Different In Real Life

When the crew of the starship Enterprise first embarked on their twenty-year mission, the goal was to "seek out new life and new civilizations." As it turns out, most of the planets in most of the galaxies across the universe are inhabited by beings that look remarkably similar to Earth's humans. Apparently evolution ends up happening in almost the exact same way on any planet that can support life. 

But in all seriousness, the fact that the different alien races in the "Star Trek" universe either look indistinguishable from humans — or like a human but with an unusual skin color or some slightly exaggerated facial feature — likely originally stemmed from it being a network TV show from the 1960s and not having the makeup or VFX budget for much else, which for a time was one of the  worst things about the franchise .

Luckily, as time has gone on, new alien races have been introduced, with some actually getting much further from humans visually. Some even require the use of extensive prosthetics or special effects, making the characters look very different than the actors portraying them. Here are some of the more extreme examples of that, mostly sticking to either fairly significant characters or more well-known actors. 

Marc Alaimo as Dukat

Often making lists of not only the best "Star Trek" villains but also of fan-favorite "Star Trek" characters in general, Gul Dukat is the franchise's most prominent member of the Cardassian race. Though the Cardassians made their debut on an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Dukat was a recurring character on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" where he took turns being both friend and foe to Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks).

Dukat was portrayed by actor Marc Alaimo, who not only looks different in real life but helped to originate the Caradassians as a whole. This is because Alaimo had also played another Caradassian, Macet, in the species' first appearance on "The Next Generation." Additionally, he played four other non-Cardassian characters across the run of "The Next Generation." Among his more noteworthy roles in which he doesn't appear under intricate prosthetics that completely transform his face are Mars Security Force Captain Everett in the original "Total Recall," and eight episodes as Gene Scapizzi on the 1980s police procedural "Hill Street Blues."

Alaimo told a crowd at a 2015 convention that, while he wasn't officially retired from acting, he was no longer actively seeking roles (though the official "Star Trek" X account tweeted that he was retired back in 2013). His most recent screen credit is a 2010 episode of "Family Guy."

Doug Jones as Saru

When prequel series "Star Trek: Discovery" debuted on streaming service CBS All Access — which would eventually evolve into Paramount+ — in 2017, it served as the launching point for one of the most active periods in "Star Trek" history. Since then, there have been two more live-action series as well as two animated ones, plus a slew of new characters that have been added to the "Star Trek" universe debuting in those shows.

Among those debuts is Saru, who also introduced the entire Kelpien race to the "Star Trek" franchise. A first officer of the titular starship who also serves as captain for a time, Saru is played by Doug Jones — an actor who has built his entire career out of completely disappearing behind makeup and prosthetics. Even if you wouldn't recognize Jones if he passed you on the street out of costume, you're most certainly familiar with his work.

His breakout role was as wisecracking zombie Billy Butcherson in the Halloween classic "Hocus Pocus," a character he revisited for "Hocus Pocus 2." He later became a frequent collaborator of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, playing Abe Sabien in "Hellboy" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," the Faun and terrifying Pale Man in "Pan's Labyrinth," and the unnamed amphibian man in "The Shape of Water." As for roles where he actually shows his face, Jones was Baron Afanas in 10 episodes of "What We Do in the Shadows" and played the Arrowverse's Jake Simmons aka Deathbolt.

Paul Winfield as Dathon

The Children of Tama — also known as the Tamarians — have thus far had the strongest screen presence on the animated series "Star Trek: Lower Decks." Beyond showing up in a couple of novels connected to "Star Trek: Voyager," Tamarians have almost no prior history in the "Trek" universe — with the notable exception of their original debut. Once again, that happened on an episode of "The Next Generation," in Season 5's "Darmok." That episode not only introduces the Tamarian race but also its most prominent live-action ambassador thus far — Captain Dathon.

"Darmok" is often considered one of the best "The Next Generations" episodes of all time, as well as one of Patrick Stewart's greatest performances as Jean-Luc Picard in the series. But respect must also be paid to actor Paul Winfield, whose portrayal of Dathon went a long way in making the episode — and the character — so memorable. Winfield, who was an Emmy winner and Academy Award nominee, had previously played Captain Terrell in the film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." 

Other career highlights include "The Terminator" and recurring roles on the series "227" and "Touched by an Angel," plus the "Picket Fences" guest appearance that earned him his Emmy. Winfield remained active in both film and television right up until his death in 2004.

Eric Bana as Nero

After the disappointing critical and commercial performance of "Star Trek: Nemesis," the "Star Trek" film series needed a break. With none of the subsequent TV series having enough cultural cache to justify building big-budget theatrical movies around them, the only choice was to go the big-budget soft reboot route — which is how we got to J.J. Abrams' 2009 release, simply titled "Star Trek." Providing a new origin story for the crew of the Enterprise, while conveniently having it set in an alternate timeline so the original canon could still be returned to if need be, "Star Trek '09," as its often called, successfully breathed new life into the flailing franchise.

Much of the plot of the "Star Trek" reboot revolves around a new character named Nero, a Romulan captain who travels back in time to destroy Vulcan in an act of revenge — inadvertently creating the two branching timelines in the process. Both actor Eric Bana and the movie's makeup team did such a convincing job of transforming Bana into Nero that even Bana's own agent failed to recognize the actor when he was on set in his full Nero makeup and costume. 

Prior to becoming a Romulan, Bana had portrayed Bruce Banner in Ang Lee's "Hulk," Trojan prince Hector in the action epic "Troy," and lead character Avner Kaufman in Steven Spielberg's historical drama "Munich."

Armin Shimerman as Quark

When the Ferengis were conceptualized by "Star Trek" creator Gene Rodenberry and "The Next Generation" writer Herbert J. Wright, they were originally meant to be a dark and menacing villain presence. But that didn't pan out, and they very quickly became comic relief instead. Quark was the standout member of the Ferengi race, to the point that he became one of the main cast members on "Deep Space Nine" as the station's bartender for all seven seasons of the show.

In both his original "The Next Generation" appearances as well as on "Deep Space Nine," Quark was portrayed by actor Armin Shimerman. The geek-minded might better recognize Shimerman — sans the extensive prosthetics used to transform him into a Ferengi — as Principal Snyder on the "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" TV series. Shimerman is also a prolific voice actor, playing General Skarr in "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" and Dr. Nefarious across the entire "Ratchet & Clank" video game franchise. When he's not acting, Shimerman occasionally moonlights as a writer, even penning a Quark-focused "Deep Space Nine" novel called "The 34th Rule" with David R. George III. He's also open to returning as Quark, but on one condition : that it not be anything more than a recurring role, noting the difficulty of wearing the prosthetics that the role requires.

Pancho Demmings as Kradin soldier

Resembling the Predator alien species from the franchise of the same name, the Kradin are one of the scarier-looking species to ever make an appearance in any "Star Trek" media. Apart from a few quick glimpses elsewhere, they only played a significant role in the franchise in just a single episode of "Voyager" — the Season 4 episode titled "Nemesis." Even so, the Kradin left a lasting impression among "Trek" fans, not only for their gruesome appearance but for the episode itself being a favorite among fans of the series.

The performers that brought Kradin to life in that episode include Peter Vogt, Chuck Borden, and Louis Ortiz, though the most well-known actor among all the Kradin soldiers is likely Pancho Demmings. Demmings also played Gerald Jackson, assistant to Ducky Mallard (David McCallum), on 15 episodes of "NCIS." He's appeared on shows like "Bones," "CSI: NY," "24," and "Alias," and he most frequently plays police officers or members of the medical profession. Demmings also played a character named Alpha 7 in the "Babylon 5" TV movie "In the Beginning."

Hannah Cheesman as Airiam

While cyborgs are no strangers to the crews of various Federation starships — most notably, Voyager's former Borg drone, Seven of Nine — Airiam was still special in that regard. She rose all the way to the rank of lieutenant commander on the Discovery, though she was ultimately killed when she had to be ejected from the ship for fear that the entity that corrupted her would jeopardize the entire crew. Her sacrifice was at the center of one of the saddest "Star Trek" episodes ever , though some fans complained that it was too little too late for a character that never got the development she deserved.

In the first season of "Star Trek: Discovery," Airiam was played by Sara Mitich. In Season 2, Mitich switched to playing operations officer Nilsson, while actor Hannah Cheesman was brought in to take over as Airiam for the remainder of the series. It has never been officially revealed why the swap happened, with a popular (but as of yet unsubstantiated) rumor suggesting it had something to do with Mitich having an allergic reaction to the prosthetics. Either way, Cheesman held the role the longest and saw it through to not only Airiam's demise but one last appearance in the show's final season. Cheesman's biggest part outside of the "Star Trek" universe so far was a recurring role on the Nickelodeon series "Max & Shred."

Jeffrey Combs as Shran

Shran is an Andorian who was a recurring character on "Enterprise." He spent the first few seasons as one of the show's more prominent villains, eventually flipping sides and allying with the crew towards the end of the show's run. Though Shran himself hasn't appeared on screen since "Enterprise," he was referenced years later when a ship called the USS Shran was used during the Battle of the Binary Stars that occurred during Season 2 of "Discovery." A high honor, indeed.

It was actor Jeffrey Combs underneath Shran's blue skin, white hair, and heavily textured forehead. Before playing Shran, Combs had also portrayed the characters of Weyoun, Brunt, Officer Mulkahey, and Tiron across 32 episodes of "Deep Space Nine." Prior to "Enterprise," Combs also played Penk in an episode of "Voyager." And he wasn't done with "Trek" even after playing Shran, having most recently voiced AGIMUS in "Lower Decks."

With all that being said, Combs isn't even best known for his "Star Trek" work — that distinction likely belongs to his portrayal of scientist Herbert West in all three installments of the "Re-Animator" film series, as well as his work in many other cult classic horror films. 

Ethan Philips as Neelix

Though he was introduced in the series premiere of "Voyager" and was a main cast member for all seven seasons of the show, Neelix has never been one of the better-liked "Star Trek" characters, particularly among those who have been series regulars. Of course, he has also occasionally found himself brought up in discussions about the most underrated "Star Trek" characters — so perhaps the most accurate way to refer to him is divisive. As for the character himself, his main job on the ship was its cook and also its morale officer, serving a similar role to previous "Trek" characters like Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) and Quark as food service workers and also de facto therapists for the crew of their respective ships.

Whether you love or hate Neelix, you can't fault the actor who portrayed him. Ethan Philips definitely made the best of a character that was perhaps intentionally designed to be unlikable — which he honed after having been a working actor for 15 years at that point. He was no stranger to television, playing recurring character Pete Downey on the classic sitcom "Benson." He also played Ferengi Dr. Farek in an episode of "The Next Generation" and another one-off Ferengi in "Enterprise." More recently, Philips has made multi-episode appearances on "Girls," "Better Call Saul," and "Veep." 

Michael Dorn as Worf

OG "Star Trek" fans remember the Klingons as one of the deadliest antagonists groups in the franchise, with several of the "The Original Series" movies in particular featuring them as the primary antagonists. But at this point, Klingons as a whole have been allies to the Federation far longer than they've been adversaries — and Worf played a pivotal role in that initial changeover. Not only was he the first Klingon to be a main character in a "Star Trek" show, but he was such an integral part of the universe that he appeared in all seven seasons of "The Next Generation" and was a series regular for Seasons 4 through 7 of "Deep Space Nine," the highest number of total seasons (11) as a main character of any character in "Star Trek" history." And that's to say nothing of his recurring role in Season 3 of "Picard."

Actor Michael Dorn played Worf in varying degrees for 36 years. He clearly doesn't have issues with Worf being his legacy. But it's not the only character the seasoned actor has played. Dorn played Dr. Carver Burke across six episodes of "Castle," as well as portraying the magical being Sandman in two of the three "Santa Clause" movies plus the Disney+ series "The Santa Clauses." However, the bulk of Dorn's non-Worf roles over the past few decades have been voice performances, lending his distinctive baritone to a number of animated series and video games. 

Heather Langenkamp as Moto

The second installment of the rebooted "Star Trek" movie series was "Star Trek Into Darkness," which loosely retells the story of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" with Benedict Cumberbatch as the iconic villain originally immortalized by Ricardo Montalbán. Also in that movie in a minor role is a being known as Moto, which has a much more exaggerated extraterrestrial look than a typical "Star Trek" character and really put the movie's makeup artists to the test. In fact, it was a member of the makeup team that is underneath Mojo's very elaborate prosthetics — but not just any member.

The makeup work of "Into Darkness" was done by AFX Studio, which is owned by David Leroy Anderson and his wife, Heather Langenkamp. Of course, before Langenkamp was working behind the camera, she was in front of it — most notably as Nancy Thompson in three of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" films. Langenkamp said she had fond memories of watching Robert Englund sit in the makeup chair as he was transformed into Freddy Krueger, and always wanted the chance to experience that sort of transformation herself. So when a few alien extras were needed to fill out a scene in "Into Darkness," Langenkamp jumped at the chance, and she was put into an alien prosthetic that was created for a different project but never used.

Alice Krige as Borg Queen

Several actors have portrayed Borg queens over the years, include Alison Pill, Susanna Thompson, Jane Edwina Seymour, and the late Annie Wersching. And each brought their own unique spin to the character, undoubtedly one of the biggest bads in the entire "Star Trek" franchise. But if any one actor gets to claim herself as the "definitive" Borg queen, it's definitely Alice Krige. Not only was she the originator of the role in the character's first appearance in the film "Star Trek: First Contact," but she also portrayed her in episodes of "Voyager," "Lower Decks," and took over to voice her in her final "Picard" appearance after Wersching passed away — making her the actor who has played the Borg Queen the longest and in the most different projects. But what does the Borg Queen look like today , and what else has Krige been up to? 

Krige is a veteran actor whose screen credits go back to the 1970s. Her first big role was portraying real-life singer and actor Sybil Gordon in the Oscar-winning 1981 film "Chariots of Fire." Today, she's more recognizable for her recent roles as Eir in "Thor: The Dark World," Holda the witch in "Gretel & Hansel," and Nancy in Netflix's "The OA." She also played Queen Helena in all three installments of the holiday-based rom-com series "A Christmas Prince."

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

Star trek fomo: discovery actor regrets missing jonathan frakes’ final episode, i love the symmetry of star trek: discovery’s beginning & final episodes.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Discovery finale, "Life, Itself".

• Captain Burnham leads USS Discovery on a final mission, setting up a meeting between Zora and Craft in Star Trek: Short Treks.
• New Captain Leto Burnham follows in his mother's footsteps, seeking meaning in his mission while inheriting his father's confidence.
• Michael and Book have a happy ending on Sanctuary 4, where they have rebuilt and found a new home with their World Tree.

The ending of Star Trek: Discovery introduces the show's next generation in the form of a brand-new Captain Burnham. Written by Kyle Jarrow & Michelle Paradise, and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, the Star Trek: Discovery finale, "Life, Itself" ends with an epilogue set decades after Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) made the decision to leave the Progenitors' technology undiscovered . The epilogue opens with Admiral Burnham living in relative peace and quiet on Sanctuary 4 with Cleveland Booker (David Ajala). However, Admiral Burnham has one final mission to do before Discovery ends for good.

The Star Trek: Discovery finale's epilogue reveals that Admiral Burnham is tasked with piloting the USS Discovery on one last mission. Discovery's final mission sets up the eventual meeting between Zora (Annabelle Wallis) and Craft (Aldis Hodge) in Star Trek: Short Treks , season 1, episode 2, "Calypso" . Escorting Michael on her way to the USS Discovery is Starfleet's newest captain, Captain Leto Burnham (Sawandi Wilson), fresh from his recent promotion and bound for Crepuscula, after a quick detour to Sanctuary 4.

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

Star Trek: Discovery’s New Captain Burnham Explained

Captain Leto Burnham is the son of Burnham and Book , and is following in his mother's footsteps, albeit without the early career mutineering. Leto and Michael Burnham's heart-to-heart in the shuttle reveals how much he's inherited from his mother, as he too appears to seek meaning in the mission. The new Captain Burnham is anxious about finding the right words to inspire his crew, and Michael has some words of advice for her son:

"...at the end of the day, every member of your crew has to find their own sense of meaning. [...] In time, you and your crew will become family..."

Leto is named for Book's nephew, who was killed when Kwejian was destroyed by Species 10-C's Dark Matter Anomaly in Star Trek: Discovery season 4. As well as the name Leto, Discovery 's new Captain Burnham has also inherited his confidence and swagger from Book. Book's parting words to his son to " get that swagger on in outer space " sets Leto up as the perfect combination of his mother and father's best qualities, proving that the future of Starfleet is in safe hands.

Star Trek: Discovery’s Epilogue Gives Michael & Book A Happy Ending

Michael and Book finally reunited at the wedding of Ambassador Saru (Doug Jones) and President T'Rina (Tara Rosling) before they headed off on a Red Directive mission for Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg). Decades later, and the couple may have slowed down, but Michael and Book's happy ending remains intact as they live out a quiet semi-retirement on Sanctuary 4. Book makes Michael coffee every morning, while she tends to the fences around the house to keep out the local wildlife.

Having lost his home in season 4, Book finally finds it again in the Star Trek: Discovery finale...

It's also revealed that Star Trek: Discovery did resurrect Book's dead planet , Kwejian, via the World Tree cuttings he received from the Eternal Gallery and Archive in season 5, episode 8. Book planted the cuttings some time after he and Michael settled on Sanctuary 4, where they've now grown into an impressive World Tree. As the Kwejian believed that they were all connected by the roots of the World Tree, this effectively makes Sanctuary 4 the new Kwejian . Having lost his home in season 4, Book finally finds it again in the Star Trek: Discovery finale with Michael, Leto, and their World Tree.

All episodes of Star Trek: Discovery are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Future Imperfect (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 1.7 Log entries
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and script
• 3.3 Cast and characters
• 3.4 Production
• 3.5 Continuity
• 3.6 Reception
• 3.7 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Co-stars
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stunt double
• 4.7 Stand-ins
• 4.8.1 Other references
• 4.8.2 Deleted references
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

Commander Riker is having his birthday party in Ten Forward . In front of everyone, he plays the trombone and fails to hit a high note. Everyone laughs as he wishes for music lessons when blowing out the candles on his cake. Captain Picard and Lieutenant commander Data are leaving to join the party on the bridge when Ensign Gleason detects some unusual subspace frequencies. The source is determined to be coming from the M-Class but uninhabited planet Alpha Onias III near the Romulan Neutral Zone . Picard mentions a rumor about a secret Romulan base in the sector, and sends Riker to lead an away team and investigate whether the Romulans are involved. Riker, Worf and La Forge beam down to the surface. The mission is aborted after the surface unexpectedly fills with methane gas . The away team falls unconscious and transporter chief Hubbell tries to have them beamed up but informs Picard that there is too much interference to obtain a positive lock.

Riker awakens in sickbay to nurse Alyssa Ogawa . Doctor Beverly Crusher comes over, happy that Riker remembers her and asks him what else he remembers, calling him "captain." In the mirror, Riker sees himself aged.

Act One [ ]

Crusher gets some water to go through the explanation she clearly expected with Riker and tries to calm him. He explains the last thing he remembers was being on Alpha Onias III. She states that was sixteen years ago. She explains to him that he is recovering from Altarian encephalitis he picked up on that away mission all those years ago. This virus has caused a form of amnesia , destroying all his memories from the moment he became infected to the present. Riker tries to piece together what has happened in the sixteen years since that away mission. He is now captain of the Enterprise , a position he has held for the past nine years. Crusher suggests they try associational therapy to see if he can gain back those memories. Riker tells her he wants to get started, as nothing is more familiar to him than the interiors of the Enterprise . Crusher warns him that in many cases, the memory loss is permanent.

Lots of changes on the Enterprise in 16 years

Crusher leads Riker to his quarters, but he changes the destination to the bridge, saying that will be most likely location to jog his memory. On the way, he notices a significant delay in the computer. Crusher explains that La Forge is running a diagnostic due to a malfunctioning processing attenuator. As he enters the bridge, he is surprised to see La Forge no longer needs his VISOR due to having cloned implants, Data is now his first officer with Worf in Data's old position, and his helm officer is a Ferengi ensign .

Captain Riker temporarily places the Enterprise on red alert when a Romulan warbird decloaks . He is quickly informed by Data that the warbird was expected and there is no cause for alarm. The Enterprise opens communications, and Admiral Picard appears on screen with Deanna Troi to say hello, and they beam over. It turns out that the admiral and a Romulan ambassador have arrived to sign a peace treaty between the Romulan Empire and the Federation . Captain Riker has been a key figure in these negotiations after having saved some Romulans in a prior encounter.

After the briefing, Troi goes with Riker to his quarters to talk more. He still does not remember anything. Suddenly, he hears a trombone in the next room. It is his son.

Act Two [ ]

Riker's son, whose name is Jean-Luc after the admiral, starts talking about school, however, it's clear he doesn't remember him. Troi asks to talk to Riker alone. She explains she didn't tell Riker since shocking him might produce a better effect. He asks who the mother is. Troi calls her Min, an "excellent captain's wife and ship's counselor," and says she died two years prior. After Troi leaves, Riker has a brief exchange with Jean-Luc on the trombone, and then tries to call up his service record, but the computer stalls again.

Later, Riker goes with Troi and Picard to the transporter room to meet the ambassador and give him a tour of the ship. However, it is revealed that the ambassador is none other than Tomalak . Riker is surprised as the last time the ambassador encountered the Enterprise at Nelvana III , he stated he would take the Enterprise 's hull back to Romulus as a trophy. Troi privately tells him that was a long time ago.

When they reach the bridge, Riker asks to speak to Troi and Picard privately to express concerns with trusting Tomalak given all the previous events. He is especially alarmed that they'll be taking Tomalak to Outpost 23 to sign the treaty, since it is the key to the Federation's defences in the Neutral Zone. Picard assures Riker that Outpost 23 no longer serves that purpose. Breaking the conversation, Crusher informs Riker that Jean-Luc is hurt in sickbay.

Act Three [ ]

Jean-Luc was playing parrises squares and broke his arm. Riker initially scolds him, but Crusher asks if he was hurting himself like this when he was his son's age. Riker starts taking to a fatherly role and tells Jean-Luc that he is the most important to him, and explains that his father wasn't there for him. He commits to building new memories with Jean-Luc, mentioning his Curtis Creek program . Back in his quarters, he calls up family records. However, he recognizes his wife in the video as really Minuet , a holodeck character who appeared to Riker three years prior . Thus, he immediately realizes all is not as it seems, and becomes angry. La Forge calls him to the bridge.

On the bridge, Riker interrogates La Forge on why he shut down the warp engines. La Forge responds he has discovered that the antimatter containment fields are fluctuating and he will have the warp core back online. Riker then questions him on the constant computer delay and La Forge responds he is running a level 1 diagnostic . But this has taken thirty hours, and Riker observes the task would never take La Forge more than four. He tells La Forge he is incapable of that level of incompetence. Next, he asks Worf where he received one of his scars, but Worf is unable to answer or provide any details at all. Riker then confronts his first officer, who cannot complete computations as fast as Data ordinarily would. In fact, Riker catches Data saying "can't" instead of "cannot," immediately calling him out for using a contraction when the real Data would not. When Picard arrives on the bridge and interrupts Riker, he shouts at the Admiral to "shut up". He then loudly asks if anyone else has anything to say, or if instead they should end the charade of what he has been experiencing.

Tomalak walks away from the others and agrees. The Enterprise and all its people disappear as holograms. He appears now to be in a Romulan holodeck.

Act Four [ ]

It seems that this has all been a holodeck fantasy put on by the Romulans for their own purposes in getting information from Riker. Tomalak asks how he figured it out, and he explains the time lag is due to the neural scanners. Riker informs him that Minuet is really a holodeck character. Tomalak is surprised, since, in Riker's mind, she is quite real. Riker is skeptical of the situation, asking why can't the neural scanners figure out the location of Outpost 23. Tomalak says they are calibrated for Romulan minds. Riker is unconvinced, given the incredible detail of the entire program, but Tomalak ends the conversation and orders that Riker be taken away.

He takes Riker to a cell while explaining that he and his "colleagues" beamed down a kilometer away from the location of the Romulan base. La Forge and Worf were allowed to beam back to the Enterprise , which has left the area. In the cell, he sees the child whose image was used for Riker's son. He has apparently been abused in some way. Tomalak leaves him to "give careful thought" to his situation. The child identifies himself as Ethan, the son of researchers on Miridian VI which is close to the Neutral Zone. Riker is surprised that the Enterprise didn't know about this research station, but promises to help him escape.

Suddenly, Tomalak comes in with a guard to question Riker again. Riker doesn't answer, but Ethan charges at the guard. Riker subdues them both and fires their disruptor at a few other Romulans on the way to Ethan's secret hiding place which Ethan had found earlier.

Act Five [ ]

The chasing Romulans use their scanners to find them, but leave. Ethan says he heard them earlier say that the rock masks the scanners. Ethan takes Riker even further into the hiding place and shows him he has mapped the area and knows how many guards there are in different areas. Ethan suggests going to the shuttlebay and stealing a ship, but Riker says the best plan is to reach the communications array and send a message to the Enterprise. Ethan immediately says the array is protected by voice print identification and the only person who has access is Ambassador Tomalak. Riker catches this, explaining that Tomalak is a Romulan Captain and was only an ambassador in the simulation, something he never told Ethan. The Romulans break in and demand Riker's weapon, but Riker has realised it is the boy who is behind everything and demands it be brought to an end, refusing to play along in his fantasies any more. The Romulan base disappears, leaving Riker with Ethan in a large cave -like structure.

" To me, you'll always be Jean-Luc. Two to transport. "

At the same time, the Enterprise finds his signal and successfully contacts him. After confirming with Picard that La Forge and Worf were beamed up to the Enterprise an hour before and are alright, Riker turns to the boy. He reveals that he was stranded here by his mother intentionally to save his life from invaders that killed his people, and was given technology up to the level of a sophisticated holodeck. She promised that she would return at a later time, but as Riker notes, it's clear that she wasn't able to keep it. He has lured Riker into this because of his desperate loneliness. Riker sympathizes and offers to take him back to the Enterprise, telling him he doesn't need to be alone anymore. The boy then shows his true identity as an insectoid child named " Barash ". Just before the two transport up to the ship, Riker says, " To me you will always be Jean-Luc. "

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2367

Memorable quotes [ ]

" So, what did you wish for, Will? " " Music lessons. "

" Number One? Happy birthday. "

" Dr. Crusher? He's awake. " " Beverly. " " Will, you remember me. That's good. What else do you remember, captain? "

" What's the problem? " " I had to shut down the warp engines, captain. " " Why? " " Antimatter containment fields are fluctuating. It's nothing to worry about, though. " " We're on the edge of the Neutral Zone, at impulse power and you're not concerned? " " I'll have the engines back online in no time. " " Like you tracked down that faulty processing accelerator… " " I'm running a level 1 diagnostic! " " For thirty hours? That would never take you more than four. You're incapable of that level of incompetence, Mr. La Forge! "

" WORF! Where did you get that scar? " " In combat. " " What battle? When? Which sector? Which unit?! "

" Mr. Data, if we left immediately, when would we arrive at Outpost 23? " " At warp 1: three days, four hours – " " What about at warp 7? At warp 8? AT WARP 9?! " (Data is unable to answer) " What's the matter, Data? What happened to those millions of calculations per second? " " Pardon me, sir. I am experiencing sub-space interference which limits my abilities, I can't operate as quickly as I… " (interrupting) " …What did you say? " " I said I cannot operate as… " (interrupting) " No, that's not what you said. You said I CAN'T. You used a contraction didn't you? " " Sir, I can explain if you would just give me a moment " " No, you CAN'T, don't even try! "

" Captain, perhaps it would be best if we discussed this… " " SHUT UP. " " …I beg your pardon? " " I said SHUT UP! As in close your mouth and stop talking! " " Will, I sense how upset you are. You're angry and impatient. " " Deanna, back off. " ( pause ) " Well, would anyone else like to speak up? Or shall we end this charade? "

" My name is Barash. " " To me, you'll always be Jean-Luc. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Final draft script: 13 September 1990 [1]
• Premiere airdate: 12 November 1990
• First UK airdate: 25 May 1994

Story and script [ ]

Gene Roddenberry visits the set during production

• Brannon Braga recalled, " We've had some amazing pitches, but the most notable we ever heard was in 'Future Imperfect,' where the team came in and said we have a story where Riker wakes up from an accident fifteen years in the future… Riker has a son, is the captain of the Enterprise and has no idea what happened. Mike Piller said, 'Stop, we'll buy it.' " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 211)
• The only major change to J. Larry Carroll and David Bennett Carren 's pitch was the addition of the Romulan fantasy within a fantasy. Michael Piller commented, " The first draft was a little flat after we got into the story, just like " Remember Me ". You had a situation where you are into it and something strange is happening and yet it can't just turn out to be a dream at the end of the show because it's not satisfying. What you do is you get to the third act and you need to do something that moves the action forward. This is one of the best examples of the notion that you shouldn't censor yourself. I just talked and David Carren said, 'You mean that he thinks it's a real Romulan plot for an act?' and I said, 'That's not what I mean at all' – then I said, 'Stop, wait a minute, what if that's exactly what we do and play it out as a Romulan gag for an act.' That's what I think made that show work. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 211)
• The turbolift scene with Riker and Barash was added because the episode was running short. Carroll and Carren met with Rick Berman and Michael Piller to create a new scene the night before it was filmed. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 148))
• This episode's title is a play on words. In grammar, an imperfect tense is one where the verb describes an unfinished action (is doing) ; the future imperfect therefore takes the form will be doing . In the episode, the false reality (set in the "future") created by the alien for Riker was inaccurate (or "imperfect") in ways that allowed him to find out what was going on.

Cast and characters [ ]

• Guest star Andreas Katsulas was not comfortable with his recurring role as Tomalak in this episode. " I felt much more comfortable when he was an incredible giant on the screen, just a face. Suddenly when I had to account for everything else, I didn't feel support and nothing was supporting what I was doing. I was happy not to recur unless it would have gone back to a screen character. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 211) Katsulas would subsequently appear as Tomalak one final time in " All Good Things... ", once again seen only on a viewscreen.
• This episode marks the first appearance of Alyssa Ogawa , albeit only in the illusory future.
• Wil Wheaton ( Wesley Crusher ) does not appear in this episode.

Production [ ]

• Michael Westmore recalled that the aging make-up in this episode was intentionally more subtle than in previous installments. " Each member of the TNG cast was supposed to have aged sixteen years. The producers decided that rather than having each actor sit in a makeup chair for two or three hours, it would be a better idea to suggest their age by changing the hairstyles, and maybe doing a little rubber stretching around the eyes. I thought it was a sensible approach, because most of the actors were in their thirties, and even aging them sixteen years would only put them somewhere in their forties. Most people don't look dramatically different at that age, and it would have been a waste of time and energy using prosthetics to achieve that effect. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 180)
• The song Riker plays on his trombone is Misty by Errol Garner.
• The sets for the Romulan base in Barash's illusion were redresses of the Borg interiors from " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ". ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 148))
• In the episode's trailer, Riker's line " Shall we end this charade? " has him using the British pronunciation "shuh-RAHD", whereas in the finished episode, the line is dubbed with the more familiar American pronunciation, "shuh-REYD".
• Several items from this episode were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including a component from the Romulan holodeck. [2]

Continuity [ ]

• Riker comments on the unlikelihood of a Ferengi ensign, though Nog became an ensign just seven years later in DS9 : " Favor the Bold ".
• A female Klingon appears as a Starfleet officer on board this version of the Enterprise . About four years after this episode airs, a female half-Klingon by the name of B'Elanna Torres works as a chief engineer of USS Voyager , a Starfleet vessel.
• Geordi La Forge 's eyes have been replaced with cloned organs, so he doesn't need his VISOR anymore. In Star Trek: First Contact , his visor is replaced with technological implants and in Star Trek: Insurrection , the regenerative effects of the planet Ba'ku's rings temporarily regenerated his retinas.
• The events of this episode state that Riker becomes a captain seven years after the away mission on Alpha Onias III. However, Riker takes command of his own ship, USS Titan , twelve years after the events of this episode.
• The simulation supposedly takes place sixteen years into Riker's future. This would be 2383 , four years after the events seen in Star Trek Nemesis . Admiral Picard states that the peace talks with the Romulans originated in an event four years prior, the same time period as Nemesis . And Riker's ship was in charge of the task force handling discussions with the Romulans.
• Picard is an admiral in the simulated 2383, working on relations with the Romulans. Canonically, Picard is promoted to admiral between 2379 and 2381 , in order to take charge of the Romulan rescue armada. ( Star Trek Nemesis , PIC : " Remembrance ", " Absolute Candor "; LD : " The Stars At Night ") (Non-canonical material, including the press kit for Picard and the novel The Last Best Hope indicate Picard was promoted in 2381 .)
• Troi appears in a standard uniform in this episode. She begins wearing a standard uniform with TNG : " Chain Of Command, Part I ".
• The Starfleet communicator features horizontal bars, rather than an oval, around the Starfleet insignia, in a design similar to the design seen in Star Trek Generations , and also used in " Parallels ". The bars are used to replace the rank insignia from the collar of the uniform. Officers have silver arrowheads with gold bars (for full pips), silver bars (for hollow pips), and black bars (used to fill out the design to have four bars). The admiral's communicator uses inverted colors, with a gold arrowhead, with a silver star, and silver bars. Given that the admiral has four bars and a diamond in the center, he is a full admiral.
• Although apart from the rank insignia, the uniforms seen in Barash's simulated future resemble those in use in 2367 , Admiral Picard's uniform bears a slight resemblance to those actually in use in the 2380s .
• The relationship between Riker and his son is strikingly similar to that of Benjamin Sisko and his son, Jake , at the beginning of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , only three years later. Most notably, both fathers lost their wives a few years prior and fishing is an important hobby.
• Riker references the claim Tomalak made in " The Defector " that he would display the broken hull of the Enterprise in the Romulan capitol. He also recalls Picard's comment from the same episode, " You've always said it's a chess game with the Romulans, " where, indeed, Picard had previously stated, " It's always a chess game with them, isn't it? "

Reception [ ]

• Director Les Landau observed, " It was an opportunity for Jonathan to take charge of an episode and it just shows the dynamic quality of Riker to have to deal with not only having aged fifteen years, but to discover that you have a son and have been married and [are] captain of the Enterprise . Can you imagine waking up one day and finding out that you've skipped fifteen years on your CD? There were lots of tricks and false leads, and yet there was something universal about the theme of this alien at the end which was the embodiment of this little boy. The final moment where Riker sees this alien being in the caverns of this other world and says I will take you with me and you will always be a part of me, goes back to the basics of what Star Trek is all about. It's that caring for the Human condition, love for the universal being. It sounds very esoteric and snobbish to talk this way, but that's when Star Trek is at its best. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 211)
• A mission report for this episode by John Sayers was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 15 , pp. 50-53.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 41, 9 March 1992
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 4.3, 4 June 2001
• As part of the TNG Season 4 DVD collection
• As part of the TNG Season 4 Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard / Jean-Luc Picard (hologram)
• Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge / Geordi La Forge (hologram)
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf / Worf (hologram)
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher / Beverly Crusher (hologram)
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi / Deanna Troi (hologram)
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data / Data (hologram)

Guest stars [ ]

• Andreas Katsulas as Tomalak (hologram)
• Chris Demetral as Jean-Luc / Ethan
• Carolyn McCormick as Min Riker

Co-stars [ ]

• Patti Yasutake as Alyssa Ogawa (hologram)
• Todd Merrill as Gleason
• April Grace as Transporter Chief Hubbell
• George O'Hanlon, Jr. as Transporter Chief

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Arratia as Alfonse Pacelli (hologram)
• Rachen Assapiomonwait as Nelson
• Majel Barrett as USS Enterprise -D computer voice
• Bowman as sciences division officer
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Debbie David as Russell
• Gilbert Combs as Romulan officer
• Nyra Crenshaw as operations division officer
• Robert Daniels as illusory Romulan officer
• Michele Gerren as science division officer
• Tim McCormack as Bennett
• Michael Moorehead as civilian
• Keith Rayve as civilian
• Joycelyn Robinson as Gates (hologram)
• Richard Sarstedt as command division officer
• Dana Tjulander as Barash
• Natalie Wood as Bailey (hologram)
• Command division officer
• Female Klingon crewman
• Female science division officer
• Ferengi ensign
• Science division officer
• Six Romulan officers
• Ten Forward waiter
• Ten Forward waitress
• Two civilian women

Stunt double [ ]

• Unknown stunt performer as stunt double for Andreas Katsulas

Stand-ins [ ]

• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• James Washington – stand-in for Michael Dorn

References [ ]

2366 ; 2367 ; 2374 ; 2379 ; 2381 ; 2383 ; ability ; accident ; advice ; age ; agreement ; alliance ; Alpha Onias III ; Alpha Onias system ; Altarian encephalitis ; angry ; antimatter containment field ; Apollo spacecraft ; arm ; association ; associational therapy ; away team ; Barash's mother ; Barash's species ; Barash's species homeworld ; battle ; battle cruiser, Romulan ; birth ; birthday ; birthday cake ; birthday party ; brain ; brain pattern ; brain tissue ; calculations per minute ; candle ; case ; cavern ; celebration ; cell ; Celsius ; charade ; chess game ; class M ; colleague ; coma ; combat ; communications ( communications system ); communicator transponder scan ; compression attenuator ; computer ; concern ; contraction ; Curtis Creek ( creek ); Curtis Creek program ; damage ; " damn it "; day ; D'deridex -class ; debate ; deceit ; Decius ; defense ; delirium ; desire ; distrust ; DNA ; dream ; Earth Outpost Station ; embouchure ; Ethan's parents ; " explanation ; eye ; family record ; fantasy ; Federation ; Federation space ; feeling ; Ferengi ; fever ; fictional Starfleet uniform ; first officer ; fish ; fishing ; Fornax Disaster ; Fornax Disaster sun ; friend ; Galaxy class decks ; Greenburg ; guard ; gym ; hail ; hand ; heavy metal ; " hello "; hiding place ; holodeck ; holographic program ; home video ; host ; hour ; " house of cards "; hull ; Human ; hydrogen sulfide ; idea ; image ; impatient ; implant ; impulse power ; incompetence ; infection ; information ; invaders of Barash's homeworld ; " jog my memory "; kidnapping ; kilometer ; Klingon ; level 1 diagnostic ; life sign ; life support ; living quarters ; location ; marriage ; Melbourne , USS ; memory ; memory banks ; memory loss ; memory pattern ; methane ; million ; minute ; mission ; Miridian VI ; mistake ; Misty ; mouth ; mouthpiece ; musical note ; muscle ; music lesson ; name ; namesake ; Nebula -class ; neck ; negotiation ; negotiator ; Nelvana III ; neural scanner ; neural synapse ; nova ; number one ; Onias sector ; opportunity ; order ; Outpost 23 ; Parrises squares ; particle-wave emission analysis ; patient ; peace ; picnic ; picture ; power emission ; pressure ; problem ; processing accelerator ; question ; ramp ; recovery ; red alert ; report ; research station ; response time ; retrovirus ; Riker, Kyle ; rock ; Romulan ; Romulan base ; Romulan battle cruiser ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; Romulan territory ; scar ; sector ; security survey ; security system ; service record ; session ; ship's counselor ; shuttle ; shuttlebay ; smell ; song ; sound ; spokesman ; Starfleet Command ; storeroom ; strain ; subspace frequency ; subspace interference ; subspace message ; subspace transmitter ; sulfur dioxide ; supply depot ; surface ; survey team ; thought ; " Three Blind Mice "; time lag ; tone ; tooth ; tour ; Transporter Room 6 ; transporter signal ; treaty ; tricorder ; trombone ; truth ; tunnel ; turbolift ; unit ; vacation ; VISOR ; visual record ; voice ; volcanic gas ; war trophy ; warbird, Romulan ; warp coil ; warp engine ; water ; weapon ; week ; " whoa "; wife ; wrist ; year

Other references [ ]

• Service Record – Captain William T. Riker (remastered) : Alpha Onias expedition ; Axanar ; Beta Quadrant ; Brettner ; Deneva Special Congress on Interstellar Affairs ; Enterprise -D, USS ; Excalbian Campaign ; Gamma Hydra sector ; Grankite Order of Tactics ; Karagite Order of Heroism ; Praetor Campaign ; Preantares Ribbon of Commendation ; Sargon Region ; Starbase 384 ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry ; Starfleet Medal of Honor ; Titan , USS ; Zavolta Planetary Geosciences Survey Expedition

Deleted references [ ]

External links [ ].

• " Future Imperfect " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Future Imperfect " at Wikipedia
• " Future Imperfect" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "Future Imperfect" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• " Future Imperfect " at the Internet Movie Database
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)

What will it take for William Shatner to reprise ‘Star Trek’ role? ‘Injection of speed’

Beam him up, Scotty.

William Shatner exclusively told The Post what it would take for him to return for another “Star Trek” project.

“An injection of speed or something,” the 93-year-old actor said with a laugh while promoting his new children’s album, “Where Will the Animals Sleep? — Songs for Kids and Other Living Things!”

“I don’t know,” he added. “It’s a commitment I don’t know if I’m ready to make at this point in my life.”

Shatner played the popular Capt. James T. Kirk in the original run of the sci-fi series from 1966 to 1969 and in several “Star Trek” films.

All these years later, Shatner has nothing but fond memories about the job that made him a household name.

“What I loved most about playing Captain Kirk was the writing. The way they wrote for the character was wonderful,” he said. “It was a real kick, a real joy to try and find ways of playing what they wrote for me.”

Shatner is best known for his “Star Trek” role, but he’s just a regular guy to his family. In fact, he said that his own grandkids aren’t Trekkies.

“I don’t know that they’re aficionados,” the dad of three said, adding, “They’re not. They haven’t seen much of it. I’m not a prophet in my own life. Just grandpa. Pops.”

Actor Paul Wesley took over the character in the Paramount+ show “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which debuted in 2022.

“He’s actually a lovely guy. He’s been nothing but supportive, which obviously means the world to me, because his support is all that really matters,” Wesley exclusively told The Post about Shatner in March.

“Did I feel pressure? Yes. Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?” he went on. “I was, like, ‘OK, do I do an impression of William Shatner? Do I do my own thing?’ I ended up going, ‘I’m going to do my own thing,’ because it’s free enterprise. I’m going to try to create my own career, maybe have him slowly develop into more of the Shatner version of Kirk.”

In 2021, Shatner had a real-life “Star Trek” experience when he flew to space  on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin shuttle .

In January, it was reported that the ashes of the series’ creator, Gene Roddenberry, and his wife, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who played nurse Christine Chapel on the TV show, would be sent to space on a United Launch Alliance rocket, appropriately named Vulcan Centaur. Also scheduled to take flight were the remains of the late “Star Trek” actors DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy; James Doohan, who portrayed engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott; and Nichelle Nichols, who starred as communications officer Lt. Uhura.

“The universe changes so rapidly,” he said. “There’s such a ferment going on in the universe, which includes us. Tectonic plates move and stars explode and your ashes … I don’t know. It’s a desire for immortality, and I don’t believe that exists.”

Although Shatner has been successful in his career, the two-time Emmy Award winner said that he wants to be remembered for “raising money for people in need,” rather than his acting performances.

“I don’t think there is such a thing as legacy. You know, I mean, who remembers? Leonard [Nimoy] for example, was so popular and played such a great character [Spock] and all that kind of thing,” he said about his late “Star Trek” co-star, who died in 2015 at 83.

“But, you know, if you say to somebody, ‘Who was Spock?’ they barely know. What is it,

10 years later? He’s barely being remembered in terms of, ‘Oh, my God, Spock.’ It’s all disappearing.”

“The only legacy, in my opinion, that’s worth anything is helping other people,” Shatner continued. “And that reverberates till the end of time. You help somebody, they help somebody else. Suddenly there’s this whole activity going. I think you need to help other people, whether it’s financially or physically, and that’s your legacy.”

Shatner’s new children’s album is out now.

‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Series Casts Holly Hunter in Main Role (EXCLUSIVE)

The “ Star Trek: Starfleet Academy ” series at Paramount+ has cast Holly Hunter in a lead role, Variety has learned.

Hunter’s character will serve as the captain and chancellor of the Academy, presiding over both the faculty and a new class of Starfleet cadets as they learn to navigate the galaxy in the 32nd century.

“It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius,” said co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau. “To have her extraordinary authenticity, fearlessness, sense of humor, and across the board brilliance leading the charge on ‘Starfleet Academy’ is a gift to all of us, and to the enduring legacy of ‘Star Trek.'”

Popular on Variety

With its focus on higher education — from the throes of budding romance to the pressures of academic achievement to the angst of painful self-discovery — “Starfleet Academy” is part of a wider strategy to expand what a “Star Trek” show can look like.

“These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before,” Landau told Variety in a March 27 cover story about the future of “Star Trek.” “They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

Hunter is part of an elite society of actors to boldly go into “Star Trek” after winning an Academy Award, including Whoopi Goldberg, Louise Fletcher and F. Murray Abraham. Hunter earned an Oscar for best actress for her performance in 1993’s “The Piano,” along with nominations for 1987’s “Broadcast News,” 1993’s “The Firm” and 2003’s “Thirteen.” Her career has spanned five decades, from her breakout role in the Coen brothers film “Raising Arizona” in 1987 to her iconic role as the voice of Elastigirl in 2004’s “Incredibles” and 2018’s “Incredibles 2.”

Hunter is repped by CAA, Entertainment 360, and Ziffren Brittenham.

Kurtzman and Landau serve as co-showrunners and executive produce “Starfleet Academy.” Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa, and John Weber also executive produce. The series premiere episode was written by Violo. CBS Studios produces in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

“Starfleet Academy” is the latest addition to the “Star Trek” TV universe at Paramount. Next year, “Section 31” will explore Starfleet’s cloak-and-dagger black ops division in the first “Star Trek” streaming movie, starring recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh (reprising her role from “Discovery”). Elsewhere, “Lower Decks,” the first “Star Trek” animated comedy, will conclude its run after five seasons in the fall, while “Discovery” — the flagship show of the revamped “Star Trek” TV projects — will end its run after five seasons on May 30. The popular series “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” has been renewed for a fourth season ahead of the third season premiere.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

11001001 (1988).

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Late UWF professor joins U.S. presidents, Star Trek cast on endless journey through space

The last class University of West Florida physics professor James "Jim" Marsh taught before his retirement in 2008 was on black holes, those mysterious regions of spacetime where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape its grip.

Who knows? Maybe Marsh will run into a black hole during his perpetual flight that will travel to deep space.

Partial remains of Marsh, who died in 2022 at the age of 85, were launched into space on Jan. 8 as part of the Enterprise Flight , a venture by the Houston-based memorial space flight company Celestis .

On the spacecraft that departed from Cape Canaveral are 234 flight capsules, most of which contain DNA or cremated remains of its 264 participants . The remains of many from the original "Star Trek" series are onboard, including the show's creator Gene Rodenberry and series actors Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley and James Doohan. Also onboard are hair follicles from presidents George Washington, John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

What would Marsh think of his physical fate?

"Nifty," piped in his daughter, Rebecca Marsh of Pensacola.

Her siblings ‒ Jessica Marsh, Samantha Wachob and Jacob Marsh ‒ nodded in agreement.

"Nifty," Wachob echoed. "He would think it's nifty."

"Expensive," he would say. "But nifty."

Once the Enterprise Flight completes its approximately two-year journey to its deep space destination it will be renamed Enterprise Station − humankind’s furthest outpost − where it will remain in heliocentric orbit around the sun and journey endlessly (Deep space refers to space well beyond the Earth and Earth/moon orbit).

Celestis invited family members to the launch and allows them ‒ and the public ‒ to track the mission on satellite through its website .

Marsh was a beloved presence at UWF, where he began teaching in 1969 and was named a UWF professor emeritus in 2008. A true eccentric in the most wonderful sense of the word, Marsh dabbled in many fields, though he preferred wearing one hat ‒ a Greek sailor's hat he often wore, along with boots and a leather jacket. On a motorcycle, the bearded Marsh cut a dashing figure. In the classroom, he was cutting edge, teaching young minds about subjects ranging from holograms, lasers and optics to black holes, general and special relativity, as well as quantum mechanics.

He was also a college radio disc jockey, a founder of the Pensacola International Folk Dancers, a musician with both the Dogwood Dulcimer Association and the Blues Angel Music ukulele group.

Now, he's out there, traveling a world he could only study and peer up at while confined to Earth. He's part of the cosmos now, fitting for a man who seemed to explore new possibilities and challenges while here.

"He was such a good dad and so involved," said Jessica Marsh, the oldest of his children. "I looked up his name, his Google footprint in the last few years, and found all these physics articles he published. I wouldn't even understand the titles. But it struck me because at the end of the day after writing these articles, he would come home and dance around the living room to Disney music with me. He was a genius, but he was my dad."

Marsh's children ‒ his wife and the children's mother, Judith, died in 2005 ‒ learned about Celestis and the company's various memorial flights when looking over options for his remains.

"It seemed like something that was special, kind of crazy and off the wall while also very science minded," Jessica Marsh said. "Of course, it's perfect for him because that's how he was ‒ special and off the wall yet very science minded. It was perfect."

The Enterprise Flight launch was Celestis' 22nd memorial flight since the company's founding in 1994.

Celestis offers various memorial flight services ranging from Earth Rise ($3,495), where remains are flown to space then back where they are delivered to family members, to Voyager Service, which includes flights similar to the Enterprise Flight ($12,995). Flights also deliver remains to the moon, or into earth orbit where the capsule will eventually reenter the atmosphere, harmlessly vaporizing in a final burst of glory. For details, go to www.celestis.com .

Enterprise Flight, which will eventually become Enterprise Station, is charting new territory in terms of human burial ceremonies and rituals, said retired Air Force veteran Colby Youngblood, Celestis president who joined the company in February 2022.

"It will be there long after the Earth is gone," Youngblood said. "It will be become the longest lasting memorial in human history, and it will always be the first of its kind."