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Shore Leave (Episode)

Stardate 3025.3 : On shore leave, the crew's thoughts come to life.

Captain Kirk decides to give his crew shore leave on an inviting Earth -like planet—but trouble begins when McCoy sees a giant, talking White Rabbit being chased by a little girl . Sulu is menaced by a samurai ; other crewmen are strafed by aircraft , chased by tigers , and threatened by swordsmen. Kirk meets Finnegan , an old nemesis from his Academy days, and Ruth , an old flame. Then McCoy is killed by a Black Knight on horseback, and as the perils become progressively deadlier, Spock and Kirk realize their thoughts are being brought to life. A kindly old man appears, identifying himself as the planet's Caretaker and explains they are in an " amusement park " where advanced alien science synthesizes the "entertainment" from the thoughts of the "vacationers." McCoy reappears, alive and well in the company of two Rigel cabaret girls. Kirk decides that, with the proper mental precautions, this can be a good shore leave planet after all—just as Ruth reappears.

Image Gallery

Amusement Planet

Amusement Planet surface

samurai thrusting his katana

cabaret showgirls

White Rabbit

White Rabbit 's footprints

Tonia Barrows

Tonia Barrows in a fairy tale princess dress

Black Knight

Black Knight 's face

Esteban Rodriguez

Angela Teller

police special

Vought F4U Corsair

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

Related Data

Starring William Shatner

Also Starring Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock

Directed by Robert Sparr

Written by Theodore Sturgeon

Produced by Gene L. Coon

Executive Producer Gene Roddenberry

Created by Gene Roddenberry

Associate Producer Robert H. Justman

Script Consultant Steven W. Carabatsos

Co-Starring Emily Banks as Tonia Barrows Oliver McGowan as Caretaker and Perry Lopez as Rodriguez

Featuring DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy George Takei as Sulu

Theme Music by Alexander Courage

Music Composed and Conducted by Gerald Fried

Director of Photography Jerry Finnerman

Art Directors Rolland M. Brooks and Walter M. Jefferies

Film Editor Fabien Tordsjmann

Assistant to the Producer Edward K. Milkis

Assistant Director Gregg Peters

Set Decorator Marvin March

Costumes Created by William Theiss

Post Production Executive Bill Heath

Music Editor Robert H. Raff

Sound Editor Douglas H. Grindstaff

Sound Mixer Jack F. Lilly

Photographic Effects Westheimer Company

Script Supervisor George A. Rutter

Music Consultant Wilbur Hatch

Music Coordinator Julian Davidson

Special Effects Jim Rugg

Property Master Irving A. Feinberg

Gaffer George H. Merhoff

Head Grip George Rader

Production Supervisor Bernard A. Widin

Makeup Artist Fred B. Phillips , S.M.A.

Hair Styles by Virginia Darcy , C.H.S.

Wardrobe Mistress Margaret Makau

Casting Joseph D'Agosta

Sound Glen Glenn Sound Co.

A Desilu Production

In Association with Norway Corporation

Executive in Charge of Production Herbert F. Solow

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Star Trek: The Original Series episode 15 review

Our high definition retrospective of Star Trek's first season takes some Shore Leave...

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Episode: 15 Title: Shore Leave Star Date: 3025.3 Writer: Theodore Sturgeon First Shown: 29th December 1966

One of the charms of the original series is its ability to have serious and dark stories followed by ones that are quirky and weird. Shore Leave is one of those odd episodes that seem designed to bemuse the viewer rather than tell us anything new about the characters or their lives.

The crew of the Enterprise is tired, and they arrive at an uninhabited world looking for some shore leave. The planet seems ideal, being entirely devoid of animal life, but soon those in the first away party start to encounter figments of their imaginations that appear entirely real.

Bones is the first to see something peculiar, when he sees a time obsessed white rabbit followed by a small girl with an English accent. He thinks he’s hallucinating, but it’s soon not only him that sees objects and people from their memories.

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Kirk imagines up a nemesis from his academy days, Sulu a pistol and a yeoman is attacked by Don Juan. Actually the two very attractive women they bring with them are rather revealing that this future reflects the sexist views of the era in which it was made; the girls scream, are in need of protection, and get excited by new outfits.

Not that the interest of Doctor McCoy in Yeoman Tonia Barrows (the lovely Emily Banks) isn’t understandable, but their blossoming romance isn’t continued beyond this story as this was the character and actress’ only Star Trek appearance.

The other Yeoman has appeared before, although a strange identity crisis surrounds her. Kirk calls her ‘Teller’, and in the script she was Mary Teller. But the actress Barbara Baldavin appeared previously in Balance Of Terror where she was Ensign Angela Martine, and in the credits she’s ‘Angela’. She’d appear in four episodes in all, three as ‘Angela’ and once as a ‘Communications Officer’.

Having watched this story again, this is a relatively easy one to pick holes in both the plot and the continuity. There is obviously something strange going on, but McCoy seems entirely distracted by Tonia, to the point where he doesn’t actually make rational choices. He’s not alone. Kirk takes a pistol away from Sulu, leaving him with a phaser. And it takes Spock to work out the connection of thoughts to the appearance of the real things, where it’s rather obvious early on what’s occurring.

What’s better is that in the final act there’s a deft switch from bemusing to lethal, when McCoy is killed by the Black Knight, and then Angela is shot by the Thunderbolt, Corsair, Harvard, Zero (pick your choice from the stock footage). And suddenly the crew need to start thinking more about what’s going on than just accepting it’s weird.

And then, almost like Mr. Benn, the Caretaker appears and explains that they’ve wandered into a galactic amusement park, somehow missing the visitors centre and numerous concession stands. Then McCoy reappears having been ‘fixed’ by the race that runs the facility, conveniently. We never actually get their names or what the cost per head entrance fee is.

What’s good about it is that almost the entire show is shot on location, at both ‘Africa, USA’ (where Tarzan was shot) and the famous angled formations of Vasquez Rocks near the Antelope Valley. The mischievous Finnegan character that Kirk imagines is also really interesting, and many people wondered, with some of the new movie occurring at Star Fleet Academy, if he’d reappear.

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The story was directed by Robert Sparr, who, according to at least one book written about this era, wasn’t much liked by the cast, explaining his single contribution.

Theodore Sturgeon was an experienced sci-fi writer, and would go on to produce the seminal Amok Time story that opened season two.

The remastering to Blu-ray of this episode is both interesting and revealing. They’ve replaced the ship graphics as expected, although in the original series the strangeness of the planet was signalled by the Enterprise orbiting left to right, which for whatever reason they didn’t recreate. The other changes are mostly to bring the colours out of the existing footage, which they’re done a spectacular job of.

However, in places the colour is distracting when it appears where you’re not expecting it. There are some scenes with McCoy where the amount of make-up he’s got on is very obvious. But the part that made me chuckle most was one at the end where McCoy reappears uninjured with Rigelian cabaret girls, one of whom ends up draped around Spock. She’s wearing some bright yellow fluffy creation, and when she moves away large amounts of the yellow colouring adhere to Spock’s tunic.

Shore Leave isn’t a pivotal story or much substance to deliver, but it did demonstrate that the show could be different when it wanted to be.

Next up is one of my personal favourites, when Mr. Spock briefly gets his own command in The Galileo Seven.

Mark Pickavance

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YMMV / Star Trek S1 E15 "Shore Leave"

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• Awesome Music : The piece that plays throughout the episode, often referred to as "Finnegan's Theme".
• Bizarro Episode : One of the most delightfully surreal episodes. In fact, the script was initially re-written because it veered from science fiction into straight up fantasy.
• Dr. McCoy tries to tell everyone he saw this giant rabbit (meant to be the White Rabbit of Alice in Wonderland ). After TOS was cancelled, DeForest Kelley starred in Night of the Lepus , which featured Giant Killer Bunny Rabbits .
• And the extra detail of "a little blond girl" being seen with the rabbit.
• Phelous milked these similarities for absolutely everything in his review of this movie.
• It won't be the last time a Sufficiently Advanced Alien called "The Caretaker" causes trouble for a Starfleet crew .
• TOS did Holodeck Malfunction episodes before it was cool (and before the holodeck had even been invented!)
• The episode opens with Kirk complaining about his stiff back. Yeoman Barrows, standing behind him, takes it upon herself to massage the kinks out. Kirk enjoys this, but thinks it's Spock, who was also standing behind him. When Spock enters Kirk's field of vision (just as Kirk was about to tell him to "dig in there,") Kirk curtly orders the Yeoman to cease the backrub. So, Kirk would rather get a massage from his best friend and first officer than the cute female yeoman, huh?
• Still under the happy effect of one of the constructs, Kirk is notified that something is amiss by both McCoy and another officer. He doesn't snap out of the happy daze until Spock himself contacts him about it.
• Like You Would Really Do It : Few viewers were actually convinced that McCoy was dead after being seemingly killed by a lance.
• The antenna that apparently scans the thoughts of the crew to generate the constructs. It's a pretty flimsy TV aerial clearly held in front of the camera by a stagehand crouching below frame.
• The supposedly wild and dangerous tiger has a chain around its neck and is pretty chill around the actors (the chain is far more noticeable in HD rereleases).
• Thanks to stitching together Stock Footage , the airplanes morph between approximately three different designs depending on the shot. And in one shot there are two planes.

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Finnegan was a male Human who was born in 2232 , who later attended as a cadet at Starfleet Academy during the mid- 23rd century .

Android recreated in the likeness of Finnegan as he appeared in 2252

In 2252 , Finnegan, a flamboyant Irish upperclassman , tormented cadet James T. Kirk in his first year at Starfleet Academy . Looking back from the perspective of years, Kirk described himself as "positively grim" during that era, a fact that delighted jokester Finnegan immensely. Finnegan tormented Cadet Kirk mercilessly as he was an avid practical joker who would put a bowl of cold soup in Kirk's bed , or leave a bucket of water propped over a half-open door .

In 2267 , Kirk encountered a robot version of Finnegan when the USS Enterprise discovered the Shore Leave Planet . ( TOS : " Shore Leave ")

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

This character was only mentioned in dialogue.

The android duplicate representing Finnegan was portrayed by actor Bruce Mars .

In the script of "Shore Leave", Finnegan was described as "a big, freckled bully boy."

Finnegan was the only significant character to wear the mid-23rd century Starfleet cadet uniform . Since Finnegan was a cadet in the 2250s , we can assume this uniform Kirk remembered him wearing was from that era. Since the costume was reused, unchanged, on Starfleet extras in late- 2260s episodes, it established that cadets of both eras wore the same design of uniform. ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles ", " Wolf in the Fold ")

At one point, Finnegan referred to Kirk as a " plebe ". Assuming this usage corresponded to modern naval usage, this would mean Kirk was a first-year cadet at the time Finnegan tormented him. There was a modern US Navy tradition of upperclassmen inflicting various sorts of odious duties on plebes at the United States Naval Academy, but Finnegan's antics seem to go beyond what was currently tolerated.

Apocrypha [ ]

Finnegan appeared in the comic book stories " Starfleet Academy! " ( Star Trek Annual (DC) volume 2 #2), " Old Loyalties " and " Finnegan's Wake! " ( DC TOS volume 1 #54-55). The latter two stories depicted him in the 2280s , as a commander serving as an investigator in the Federation Security Legion who was sent to the Enterprise to investigate the attempted murder of Kirk. Although he took the investigation seriously, Finnegan was still a prankster much to the frustration of "Jimmy" Kirk who fell in his own attempts to get even. Finnegan does acknowledge, in private, that Kirk had a genius for commanding crew loyalty.

His first name was spelled "Sean" in the comic book Old Loyalties and "Shaun" in the novel Academy: Collision Course .

A family member of Finnegan's made an appearance in the first of Peter David 's Starfleet Academy books, remarking after playing a prank on Worf that he came from a long line of Academy pranksters before Worf taught him a lesson.

His mirror universe counterpart ( β ) was mentioned in the short story "The Greater Good" contained in the anthology Shards and Shadows . While he was an upperclassman, he took great pleasure in bullying Kirk. However, with Simon Van Gelder 's assistance, Kirk murdered Finnegan while still attending the Academy. Kirk later commented that "[e]ven death couldn't wipe that stupid grin" off Finnegan's face.

External links [ ]

• Sean Finnegan at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

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

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Sean Finnegan

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Biography [ ]

Finnegan was born around 2230 , likely in Ireland , and entered Starfleet Academy in 2247 . While at the Academy he was well known for tormenting junior cadets , including James T. Kirk .

In late August 2250 , Finnegan supervised a group of cadets during training aboard the USS Enterprise , then undergoing a refit. Also aboard were Kirk and Spock , who were posing as cadets. Finnegan supported Kirk and Spock when they pointed out inconsistencies in a second-year cadet's story. In so doing, he played a key role in the prevention of the theft of dilithium from the Enterprise . ( TOS episode : " Shore Leave "; TOS novel : Academy: Collision Course )

One of his pranks in 2250 was filling then-Cadet Kirk and Gary Mitchell 's dorm room with sheep . ( TOS comic : " Starfleet Academy! ")

During his final year at the academy, he received a promotion to ensign . He took particular pleasure in tormenting Kirk that year. He graduated from the Academy in 2251 , and was assigned to a starship patrolling the Romulan Neutral Zone . ( TOS novel : Captain's Peril ; TOS - My Brother's Keeper novel : Republic )

As a commander in Federation Security , Finnegan returned to tease Kirk in late 2286 , after an attempt on the latter's life aboard the starship Enterprise -A . Finnegan surmised the secret behind the attempt, but was attacked and rendered unconscious before he could inform anyone that Garth of Izar , once again mad, was bent on Kirk's murder, disguised as various unwitting accomplices. ( TOS - Who Killed Captain Kirk? comics : " Old Loyalties ", " Finnegan's Wake! ")

Appendices [ ]

External link [ ].

• Sean Finnegan article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 The Chase
• 3 Preserver (race)

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Published Aug 3, 2020

15 Times Star Trek Proved That it's Here For the Lolz

Get ready to laugh with Lower Decks by rewatching these classic Trek episodes.

StarTrek.com

With the debut of Star Trek: Lower Decks , the Final Frontier will do something it’s never really tried before: A weekly comedy series. But, despite Lower Decks going fulltime funny, humor is, arguably, at the core of why Star Trek has been popular since the very beginning. Even in episodes of The Original Series with decidedly unfunny premises (like “Mirror, Mirror”), the whole story often ended with a joke or an uproarious laugh session on the bridge of the Enterprise . Captain Kirk may have famously said “Risk is our business,” but the truth is, jokes are the business of Starfleet, too.

So, in honor of the comedy of Star Trek: Lower Decks , and as proof that Star Trek has always gone for laughs, here are 15 of the funniest Trek s across the universe.

“Shore Leave” ( Star Trek: The Original Series , season 1, episode 15)

In the opening scene of this episode, Dr. McCoy meets Alice and the Rabbit from Alice and Wonderland and it only gets wackier from there. The premise of “Shore Leave” is kind of like what would happen if the robots in Westworld were created from random thoughts you just happened to be thinking. That giant rabbit might be the thing we remember the most about this episode, but true fans know the most hilarious person in this episode is Kirk’s old academy nemesis, Finnegan.

Watch it here.

“The Trouble With Tribbles” ( Star Trek: The Original Series , season 2, episode 15)

Sometimes considered the most famous episode of Star Trek of all time, David Gerrold’s script for “The Trouble With Tribbles” is hilarious. But, it’s not funny just because adorable furballs overrun the Enterprise . Everyone in this episode is on their snappy one-liner game, meaning the funniest thing about it isn’t the Tribbles, but all the regular characters. In fact, Kirk probably gets the best joke in the entire classic run when he snaps at Barris saying, “I think of this project as very important. It is you I take lightly.” BURN!

“A Piece of the Action” ( Star Trek: The Original Series , season 2, episode 17)

For many longtime Trek fans, this episode is probably the very first exposure many of us had to old-timey mobsters— the type prone to say things like “we’re gonna put the bag on you.” When the Enterprise encounters a planet populated and controlled exclusively by mobsters, things could have gotten dark real fast. Instead, “A Piece of the Action” is one of the most effortless blends of over-the-top comedy and high-concept science fiction, ever. Come for the hysterically funny mobster planet, stay for the moment when Spock becomes “Spocko.”

“The Practical Joker” ( Star Trek: The Animated Series , season 2, episode 3)

Years before The Next Generation got the holodeck, Star Trek: The Animated Series had the holographic Rec Room. In some ways, you could argue that this episode is a precursor to all holodeck-run-amok stories form TNG, DS9, and Voyager . Without spoiling the episode, let’s just say the identity of “The Practical Joker” isn’t exactly a person. This episode also is a must before you watch Lower Decks if only because it contains the phrase: “Kirk is a Jerk.”

“Data’s Day” ( Star Trek: The Next Generation , season 4, episode 11)

If you’ve never seen the episode “Data’s Day,” you’re going to be so deliriously happy when you finally do. The entire episode plays out nearly like a sitcom, complete with Data opening the episode by making a terrible faux pas by cheerfully telling Chief O’Brien that Keiko has canceled their wedding. Data also asks Dr. Crusher to teach him to dance, but again, if you’ve never seen it, I refuse to ruin how this scene plays out. Heartwarming, smart, and filled with some actual stakes, “Data’s Day” is a TNG classic for a reason.

“Q-Pid” ( Star Trek: The Next Generation , season 4, episode 20)

If turning the entire crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise into characters from Robin Hood sounds like a Monty Python sketch, but in space, you’re not wrong. Because of the return of rogue archeologist Vash, the episode “Q-Pid,” is, in theory, a sequel to “Captain’s Holiday,” but that’s not why anyone loves it. We love it because it’s freaking great to see the crew of the Enterprise-D in tights, and brandishing swords. Again, no spoilers, but you may already know that Worf gets his greatest line in all of Trek : “Sir, I must protest; I am not a merry man!”

“Rascals” ( Star Trek: The Next Generation , season 6, episode 7)

Picard, Ro, Guinan, and Keiko are transformed into 12-year-olds. Yes, adults getting stuck in the bodies of children (or vice versa) isn’t exactly a new sci-fi premise, but the brisk and heartfelt script by Allison Hock (with a story from Ward Botsford & Diana Dru Botsford and Michael Piller and an uncredited rewrite from Ronald D. Moore) is one episode that will make you smile pretty much from the first scene to the very last. Particularly good in this episode is the actor David Tristan Birkin, who plays the 12-year-old Captain Picard, and previously played Picard’s nephew René Picard in the season 4 episode “Family.” The episode was also the first episode of any Star Trek directed by Adam Nimoy, son of Leanord Nimoy. That’s right, the real-life son of Spock directed an episode about the Enterprise crew turning into kids

“Trials and Tribble-ations” ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 6)

It’s a sequel to the most famous funny episode of Trek , ever. In 1996, on the 30th anniversary of Star Trek , the crew of the Defiant on DS9 traveled from the year 2373 all the way back to 2268. This episode is singular not only because it’s fantastically funny, but also because it’s the only episode of Trek that actually occurs inside of another episode. From jokes about why Klingons look so different in TOS to the fashion of the 23rd century of Kirk’s time, this episode is jammed with non-stop smart and big-hearted, jokes. If it’s been a while since you’ve since “The Trouble With Tribbles,” it might be more fun to watch this one first.

“One Little Ship” ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 14)

With most funny things, the stakes have to be pretty small for the laughs to work. And, things don’t get much smaller than this super-underrated Deep Space Nine episode. Arguably starting with Fantastic Voyage (1966), there’s a long science fiction tradition in which people or ships get shrunken-down to teeny-itsy-bitsy sizes, but Trek ’s best version of it is this DS9 gem in which a shrunken runabout containing Dax, O’Brien, and Bashir is the only hope for the crew of the Defiant . It’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids meets Star Trek and it’s exactly the kind of premise that made Lower Decks possible.

“Take Me Out to the Holosuite” ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, episode 4)

The crew of Deep Space Nine challenges an all-Vulcan crew to a game of baseball on the holosuite. That’s right. Everything in this episode revolves around whether or not the crew (the Niners) will beat the Vulcans (The Logicians.) You don’t have to be a baseball fan to love this episode. And, perhaps more importantly, if you have somehow slept on Deep Space Nine , this episode will make you fall in love with the characters instantly. This episode has bonus points for creating the coolest bit of Trek fashion; the Niners baseball cap.

“Bride of Chaotica!” ( Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 12)

If aliens took all our antiquated TV shows and movies to be factual accounts, things could get complicated. But, in the 24th century of Star Trek: Voyager , they don’t have outdated TV shows. Well, actually, in the form of Tom Paris’ “Captain Proton” holodeck program, they totally do. In this cheeky send-up of black-and-white serials from the early days of 20th-century science fiction, aliens mistakenly believe that a black-and-white pulpy sci-fi holodeck “show” is real life. And when self-aware black-and-white holograms come to life, things get outrageous. Not all zany holodeck stories are everyone’s favorite episodes. However, it seems impossible for any fan of science fiction not to love this one. As Tom Paris says in the opening minutes of the episode, it’s all about “the lost art of hyperbole.”

“Carbon Creek” ( Star Trek: Enterprise season 2, episode 2)

Most people know that one easy way to create a funny set-up is to create some kind of fish-out-of-water story. In the Enterprise episode, “Carbon Creek,” the fish-out-of-water are a trio of crashlanded Vulcans, trying to blend in a small American town in 1957. Told as a family story by T’Pol in the relative present, this story is unique insofar as almost none of the characters are actually Trek regulars. (Although, T’Pol actress Jolene Blalock does play her own great grandmother, the Vulcan, T’Mir.) This episode also contains one of the best meta-fictional jokes about Star Trek in a Trek episode. At one point, the Vulcan named Mestral says he can’t go out at a particular time because “ I Love Lucy is on.” In 1965, it was Lucille Balls’ Desilu Studios that produced the original Star Trek .

“The Escape Artist” ( Star Trek: Short Treks , season 1, episode 4)

Written by Star Trek: Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan, “The Escape Artist,” is perhaps the best confluence of what a funny Trek episode can be. Rainn Wilson reprises his role as Harry Mudd from Star Trek: Discovery , but this time, he’s got to use his scheming con-artist skills to talk himself out of not one, not two, but three separate predicaments. How will Harry Mudd break himself out? What’s his secret? Telling would be a spoiler, but in this case, the spoiler is one of the greatest punchlines in all of Star Trek . “The Escape Artist” was also directed by Rainn Wilson and the collaboration between him and Mike McMahan is something we can only hope we’ll see again.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

No list of funny Star Trek would be complete without a mention of The Voyage Home . Although this Leonard Nimoy-directed Trek film supports a serious ecological message, it’s also, literally, one of the funniest movies ever made. From the moment Spock mind-melds with a humpback whale (while swimming in his underwear) to the rescue of Chekov from a San Francisco hospital to the epic moment where Kirk and Spock confront a punk blasting music on a city bus, The Voyage Home is the funniest Trek ever. In college, my roommate had never watched any Star Trek ever, until I convinced her to watch The Voyage Home . She later went on to write for sitcoms in Hollywood. True story!

Honorable mention

“lower decks” ( star trek: the next generation , season 7, episode 15).

The new animated series Lower Decks takes its title from the TNG episode of the same name. Similar to the basic set-up of the new show, “Lower Decks” was an episode of TNG that focused on junior officers aboard the Enterprise . Because the audience gets a full perspective flip on the TNG crew, there’s a lot of funny stuff in this episode, even if the whole story isn’t exactly a comedy. Still. If you’re going to binge a bunch of relevant Trek before you watch Lower Decks, you can’t really go wrong with the original, “Lower Decks.”

Ryan Britt's (he/him) essays and journalism have appeared in Tor.com, Inverse, Den of Geek!, SyFy Wire, and elsewhere. He is the author of the 2015 essay collection Luke Skywalker Can't Read. He lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and daughter.

Star Trek: Short Treks streams exclusively in the United States on Paramount+ and in Canada on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively in the United States on Paramount+, on Amazon Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan, India and more, and in Canada, airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

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Forgotten Star Trek: TNG Episode Filled With Original Series Easter Eggs

Posted: April 24, 2024 | Last updated: April 25, 2024

If most Star Trek: The Next Generation fans are being honest, they’d rather take a phaser blast to the face than watch the majority of the first season. However, depending on what you are looking for from the franchise, there are some real gems hiding inside some otherwise forgettable episodes. For example, “The Battle” isn’t really a great episode of The Next Generation, but it contains some great Easter eggs (including special effects and a different ship model in Picard’s Ready Room) referencing The Original Series.

Has it been a while since you watched this Star Trek episode, or maybe you’ve never had the dubious pleasure of seeing “The Battle?” Here’s a quick breakdown: in this episode, a Ferengi commander brings Captain Picard the derelict Stargazer, which Picard is happy to receive because this is the first ship he ever captained. It all turns out to be a ploy on the part of the Ferengi, who uses a strange orb to affect Picard’s mind and make him think he’s living in the past and that he must use his famous Picard Maneuver to defeat the Enterprise. 

Shut Up, Wesley

Much of this early Star Trek episode is painful to watch, and it even includes some particularly cringeworthy Wesley Crusher dialogue that Wil Wheaton is convinced turned the fandom against him. However, the episode is notable for giving us plenty of fascinating insights into Captain Picard’s early Starfleet career. If you know where to look, the episode also includes some great homages to The Original Series, something that was a real rarity in the early days of TNG.

What Kind Of Ship?

For example, Picard’s earlier ship Stargazer is a new design, and it is listed as a Constellation-class vessel. Originally, though, it was going to be a Constitution II-class vessel, allowing the show to re-use the Enterprise model from the early Star Trek films. The decision to change what class of ship this was came late in the production of “The Battle”, and the class name “Constellation” was chosen because it roughly matched the lips of LeVar Burton and Wil Wheaton, who are clearly saying “Constitution-class” in some of their scenes.

The Star Trek: The Next Generation producers were very committed at one point to making the Stargazer a Constitution-class vessel, and this was going to retroactively explain why Picard has what appears to be a silver model of a Constitution-class vessel in his Ready Room in “The Battle” and earlier episodes. After the decision was made to turn Picard’s original command into a Constellation-class vessel, however, that model was swapped out for the more familiar golden Stargazer model we see in future episodes.

Old School Warp

There is one more Original Series Easter egg hidden in this Star Trek episode, and it involves the famous Picard Maneuver. In “The Battle,” we find out this is a kind of slick warp speed tactic invented by Picard to win a showdown with an attacking Ferengi vessel. At one point, Picard takes the Stargazer into warp, and if you look closely, this vintage ship has the same warp speed effect from movies like The Wrath of Khan rather than the newer TNG warp effect.

We Never Said It Was A Good Story

Again, if you go into this Star Trek episode expecting great storytelling, you’re likely to be disappointed. However, if you approach “The Battle” as a chance to learn more about Picard’s career and to see some sly nods to the days of Captain Kirk, you’ll find plenty to love. 

By the way, if you love the episode enough to repeatedly watch it, can someone please explain how the heck the Picard Maneuver foils enemy ships’ sensors? I tried to get a former boy genius to explain it to me like I was 12, but Wil Wheaton never picks up the communicator when I call.

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Star trek: discovery season 5, episode 5 ending explained.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 contains two major reveals about the Mirror Universe and the Breen. We break down what the ending means.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"

• Star Trek: Discovery's next clue is hidden aboard the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise trapped in interdimensional space.
• L'ak is a Breen with a blood bounty on his head, and his backstory with Moll is revealed.
• The USS Discovery crew, led by Commander Rayner, helps save Burnham and Book and bring the ISS Enterprise into the Prime Universe, but Moll and L'ak escape.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors," ends with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery's crew grappling with jaw-dropping reveals about the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise, L'ak's (Elias Toufexis) species, and the next clue in the hunt for the Progenitors' treasure. Written by Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan, the thrilling "Mirrors" sends Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) into interdimensional space after Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak and the third Progenitors' clue , but they found a lot more than they bargained for.

In Star Trek: Discovery s eason 5, episode 5, Captain Burnham, Cleveland Booker, Moll, and L'ak are all trapped aboard the derelict ISS Enterprise after Burnham's shuttle and L'ak's ship are destroyed by interdimensional space, a dangerous region between Star Trek 's Prime and Mirror Universes . Michael ingeniously uses the Enterprise's tractor beam to send a distress signal to the USS Discovery, where Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) and the bridge crew find a way to keep the aperture of the interdimensional space wormhole open to fly the ISS Enterprise through. However, L'ak and Moll make their escape, leaving Burnham, Book, and the Starfleet heroes to grapple with the third clue to the Progenitors' treasure, and what they learned and found in the wormhole.

The ISS Enterprise's first and only previous appearance was in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2's "Mirror, Mirror", which introduced the Mirror Universe.

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

Captain kirk's mirror universe iss enterprise now belongs to 32nd century starfleet, it's been a long road for the iss enterprise.

The Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise becomes the property of the 32nd century's Starfleet and United Federation of Planets at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors." Captain Burnham assigned Lt. Commanders Kayla Detmer (Emily Coutts) and Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) - who don't actually appear in the episode - to fly the ISS Enterprise back to Federation HQ to be put into "storage". However, the acquisition of a major historical find like a 23rd-century Constitution Class starship filled with Terran Empire technology from the Mirror Universe is bound to be of interest to Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg).

After the Temporal Wars, crossing over between the Mirror Universe and Star Trek 's Prime universe is now impossible, but the ISS Enteprise was trapped in interdimensional space for centuries, which crossing over could still happen.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5's ISS Enterprise scenes were filmed on the USS Enterprise sets of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Discovery season 5's production took place at the end of 2022, after Strange New Worlds season 2 had wrapped in June and long before Strange New Worlds season 3 filming started in December 2023. The USS Enterprise's bridge, medical bay, transporter room, and hallways were redressed to turn the starship into its Mirror Universe counterpart.

Commander Michael Burnham previously came aboard Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Discovery season 2.

Star Trek: Discovery's Mirror Universe Revelations

We found out what happened to mirror spock and mirror saru.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5's ISS Enterprise appearance answered some big questions about the events of the Mirror Universe after Star Trek: The Original Series ' "Mirror, Mirror." Cleveland Booker learned from the plaque where the Enterprise's missing crew left their story behind that the Terran High Chancellor was assassinated after making reforms. This refers to the Mirror Universe's Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who was urged by the Prime Universe's Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) to make reforms to prevent the inevitable collapse of the Terran Empire, which happened anyway.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Mirror Universe episodes revealed that the Terran Empire, weakened by Spock's reforms, was conquered by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.

Refugees led by a Kelpien slave-turned-rebel leader - Saru (Doug Jones) - used the ISS Enterprise to flee the Mirror Universe for the Prime Universe in the 23rd century, but the starship was trapped in interdimensional space. The Enterprise's crew eventually used the ship's shuttles and escape pods to abandon the starship in an effort to make it to the Prime Universe. Some did make it through, including the ISS Enterprise's junior science officer, Dr. Cho , who later joined Starfleet and became a branch Admiral in the 24th century.

Jinaal Bix redacted the names of the scientists who found the Progenitors' technology, including Dr. Cho.

Moll & L'ak Escaped Discovery With A Breen Bounty On Their Heads

L'ak is the nephew of the breen primarch.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 revealed the backstory of Moll and L'ak, including the revelation that L'ak is Breen . Years before Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Moll was a courier who sold latinum to the Breen Imperium, where she met L'ak, the nephew of the Breen's Primarch Ruhn (Tony Nappo), who had fallen out of favor and was working in the shuttle bay. Moll and L'ak fell in love , and L'ak committed a crime against the Breen by consorting with "a lesser being" and removing his helmet to show Moll his true face. Confronted by his uncle, L'ak shot the Primarch and fled with Moll.

Moll and L'ak used one of the ISS Enterprise's remaining warp pods to flee capture.

Moll and L'ak both have an Erigah, a Breen blood bounty, on their heads, and they hope that finding the Progenitors' treasure and selling it to the Breen will buy their freedom. Neither Moll and L'ak want the Federation's help offered by Captain Burnham, and they would "rather die" than be separated in a Federation prison. L'ak was injured in a brawl with Burnham, but instead of seeking medical attention from the USS Discovery, Moll and L'ak used one of the ISS Enterprise's remaining warp pods to flee capture. However, this time, Moll and L'ak left behind a warp trail Discovery can follow.

Cleveland Booker Tries To Connect With Moll

Booker's mentor was moll's absentee father.

Cleveland Booker has personal reasons to connect with and save Moll. Moll's real name is Malinne Booker, and she is the daughter of Book's late mentor, Cleveland Booker IV . Moll's father abandoned her and her mother to become a courier and raise the funds needed to move his family to a new home in the Gamma Quadrant. However, Booker IV's dangerous life as a courier and dealings with criminal organizations like the Emerald Chain made him keep his distance from Malinne, who blamed him for leaving her behind.

Moll doesn't want Cleveland Booker in her life.

Moll became a courier like her father to do what he didn't and earn enough latinum to move to the Gamma Quadrant, but Moll's entire world shifted when she fell in love with L'ak and the Breen placed a blood bounty on their head s. Moll doesn't want Cleveland Booker in her life , but she relents when she has the chance to kill the man who took her father's name. Whether Moll will ever come to see Book as the "only family" she has left, the way Book sees her, remains to be seen.

Commander Rayner Got The Best Out Of USS Discovery's Crew

Citrus mash for everyone.

Captain Burnham left Commander Rayner at the conn of the USS Discovery while she and Book went on their away mission, despite Rayner's reservations about leading Burnham's crew. However, Rayner was impressed that Burnhum learned Kellerun literature to connect with her new First Officer. This knowledge was the key to Rayner saving Burnham from interdimensional space. Burnham used the ISS Enterprise's tractor beam to send a signal the Kellerun commander would understand.

Rayner gained a new appreciation for Discovery's crew and how to work with them as his own crew.

Commander Rayner placed his trust in the USS Discovery's crew to "science" a way to open the wormhole's aperture and pull the ISS Enterprise into the Prime Universe. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp). Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), Lt. Commander Gen Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon), Lt. Christopher (Orville Cummings), Lt. Linus (David Benjamin Tomlinson), Lt. Naya (Victoria Sawal), Lt. Commander Asha (Christina Dixon), and Lt. Gallo (Natalie Liconti) all rose to the occasion and found a way to save Burnham and Book. In turn, Rayner gained a new appreciation for Discovery's crew and how to work with them as his own crew.

Dr. Culber Reaches Out To Tilly

Culber has questions science can't answer.

The USS Discovery's counselor, Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), needs a counselor of his own. Culber continues to deal with the unimaginable experience of Trill scientist Jinaal Bix occupying his mind and body in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3, "Jinaal." Being taken over by a Trill has left Culber with existential questions, and he hopes finding the Progenitors' technology will provide him with the answers he seeks.

Hugh finds a sympathetic ear in Lt. Sylvia Tilly.

Unfortunately for Hugh, he doesn't believe he can share his feelings with his husband, Commander Paul Stamets because Paul is a man of science, and Culber's questions are ineffable. Hugh finds a sympathetic ear in Lt. Sylvia Tilly, but the answers Dr. Culber seeks are tied to what the USS Discovery finds when they locate the Progenitors' treasure - or so Hugh hopes. Culber, who has already died and been resurrected, may find himself in a new scenario that has pivotal life-or-death decisions in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Dr. Hugh Culber's dilemma in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a rare attempt by Star Trek to address spiritual questions.

Where Star Trek: Discovery's Next Progenitors' Treasure Clue Leads

The next clue involves water.

Captain Burnham acquired the third clue from Moll and L'ak, which is a vial of water contained within a piece of the Progenitors' treasure map. Burnham is waiting for Commander Stamets to conduct a chemical analysis of the water, which will reveal where the USS Discovery must go next for the 4th clue . However, Michael told Book that Dr. Cho, the former Terran scientist who became a Starfleet Admiral, went back to the ISS Enterprise in interdimensional space and hid her clue to the Progenitors' technology there.

Michael also told Book she saw him in the past during Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange's" time loops, and that they were happy back then.

Burnham and Book mused over the lessons attached to each clue. On Trill, finding Jinaal's clue was dependent on Burnham and Booker proving they value lifeforms other than their own. On Lyrek for the first clue, the lesson was the importance of cultural context. Michael surmised that the lesson Dr. Cho left behind with her clue on the ISS Enterprise was to have the hope to shape your own future in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 as the search for the Progenitors' treasure and the answers to life, itself, continues.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 Review: The Crew Solves Two of the Series’ Biggest Mysteries

While on the hunt for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5's powerful alien technology, Captain Michael Burnham solves two decades-old franchise mysteries.

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 5, "Mirrors."

One thing about Star Trek: Discovery fans is they are very observant. The big surprise in Season 5, Episode 5, "Mirrors," was slightly spoiled by the trailers, particularly when these eagle-eyed fans captured and examined screenshots. While the return of the ISS Enterprise after 58 years is a big deal, there is more that happens in the episode than solving an old mystery from Star Trek: The Original Series . However, the answer that Captain Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker uncover is a great one, and fans finally get a long-awaited first look at a mysterious alien species.

After dealing with the Time-Bug in the previous episode , the crew of the USS Discovery tries to figure out where Moll and L'ak disappeared to. While the space criminals have been very capable villains (almost too capable), they're not doing very well in the race. "Mirrors" marks the first time that Moll and L'ak put their hands onto one of the pieces of the Progenitors' puzzle before the Discovery crew. Of course, they aren't able to hold onto it for long after L'ak suffered a serious injury. Still, for the first time, both Burnham and Booker talk to their rivals, approaching them with the kind of compassion that Starfleet is known for. However, they still have to accomplish their mission, and L'ak's determination to be there for Moll gets in the way of any common ground they could've found. Thanks to flashbacks, viewers finally learn why the two are so eager to find this treasure, and where L'ak is coming from.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Continues To Put the USS Discovery in Classic Star Trek Situations

“mirrors” shows the crew rising to meet the challenge in classic star trek fashion, star trek: discovery's callum keith rennie shows a new side of starfleet.

From the lack of galaxy-ending stakes and major interpersonal drama among the crew, Season 5 is Stark Trek: Discovery at its most fun. This episode, in particular, is full of classic Star Trek moments, from forcing enemies to work together to sci-fi technobabble that provides a dramatic resolution to a major problem. The impetus for this race for the Progenitors' technology stems from Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Chase (Season 6, Episode 20)," but there are major connections to all eras of Gene Roddenberry's universe throughout the season.

While they don't get a lot of screentime, the USS Discovery's crew under Commander Rayner's authority is an equally interesting part of the episode. The recently-demoted captain is hesitant to take full command of the ship in a crisis. In "Jinaal (Season 5, Episode 3)," he took command while Burnham and the away team were down on the surface of Trill. Yet, as far as he knew, their lives and that of the crew weren't in serious danger. His focus was on finding Moll and L'ak, and personally connecting with the crew in 20 words or less. That's not to say that the stoic commander was above some of the series' most emotional beats.

An early scene in the episode, where Captain Burnham tells her new Number One that she believes in him, was subtle but touching . After Rayner showed that he studied Earth customs and sayings, such as "breaking the ice," Burnham returns the favor and cites a historical epic from the Kellerun people. This comes into play when she's able to reference that story later on as a distress call for herself and Book. Instead of badgering the crew, Rayner uses his newfound personal connections (and a friendly offer of Kellerun Citrus Mash) to inspire the crew to solve the problem. This was as classic a Star Trek moment as any, and one longtime franchise fans will surely love.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Reveals the Face of the Breen Imperium Through Moll and L'ak

Star trek fans have wondered what the breen looked like under their armor for decades, star trek: discovery's mary wiseman, wilson cruz and blu del barrio hype finale.

First introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the Breen Imperium was a galactic seat of power outside of Federation space who allied with the Dominion. The armored aliens look like something out of Star Wars , particularly their helmets, which were reminiscent of Princess Leia's Boussh disguise in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi . The Breen's appearance and who they really were was one of the most enduring mysteries in Star Trek canon. Even the Dominion didn't know what their Breen allies looked like under the armor. Star Trek: Discovery finally reveals the armor keeps their bodies in a translucent, almost liquid-like state. L'ak, as viewers have seen them, are what the Breen call their "other face."

Moll originally teamed up with L'ak to cheat the Imperium out of some faulty dilithium, a commodity that became scarce because of the Burn . They soon fell in love and when L'ak's uncle, the Primarch of the Sixth Fleet, found out, he ordered L'ak to kill Moll. He instead killed his uncle's guards, but spared the Primarch because, as L'ak said, "he raised me." This defiance earned him an "Erigah," a Breen bounty that is impossible to lift. He now hopes that bringing the Progenitors' technology to the Primarch will lift this death sentence.

Moll also bonded with her quasi-brother Cleveland Booker, though he's the fourth to use that name. Her father was the third Booker, which made him desperate to "save" Moll. Knowing that all she really wants is to live a quiet life, "Mirrors" could be the start of Moll and L'ak eventually joining forces with the USS Discovery crew. Captain Burnham is, after all, a big fan of second chances and redemption . If Season 5 is to have a big villainous threat, it will clearly be the Breen trying to collect on L'ak's Erigah, not two petty criminals.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Reveals What Happened to the Mirror Universe Enterprise

The iss enterprise was introduced in star trek: the original series “mirror, mirror (season 2, episode 4)”, star trek: discovery actors doug jones & david ajala prepare for their last adventure.

"Mirrors" also reveals another, older Star Trek secret, specifically the ultimate fate of the ISS Enterprise, formerly under the command of Tiberius Kirk . Previously, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Crossover (Season 2, Episode 23)" revealed what happened to the Mirror Spock and the Terran Empire. He started the revolution that Kirk suggested and was successful in conquering the Terran Empire to usher in galactic peace. Unfortunately, an alliance of Klingons and Cardassians attacked their weakened forces and took over the galaxy -- or at least the sector containing the Cardassian and Bajoran territory. The fate of Spock himself and his flagship was left open for other storytellers to explore.

Star Trek: Discovery still leaves Spock's ultimate fate an open question, though it seems unlikely that he would have fled his universe. His ship, however, became a refugee vessel for Terran reformers who fled, either in the face of Klingon-Cardassian attacks or a resurgence of the Terran Empire's xenophobic and warlike ways . Their goal was to cross over to the Prime Universe, where they knew the universe they hoped to build already existed. Along with Doctor Cho, the Federation scientist who hid the clue, the Mirror version of Saru (who also became a revolutionary) came with them. This placed the crossover sometime in the Kelpien lifespan, but close enough for Doctor Cho to still be alive. The use of the ship at all is mostly fan service, but it doesn't take away from the story's importance.

In Star Trek: Disocovery Season 3, a holographic interrogator told Philippa Georgiou, the former Terran Empress, that there was a subatomic "chimeric strain on the Terran stem cell" which explained their "evil" natures. Georgiou doubted this, and the ISS Enterprise's refugees are more evidence that the Empress was right. The ideal of Star Trek is that anyone welcomed into this utopian society would discover the logic and practicality of Federation morality, and thus abandon their more outdated worldviews. It obviously worked on Dr. Cho, who hid the clue to the Progenitors' technology instead of using it like a Terran out to reshape an ordered universe in their vainglorious image .

Moll & L'ak Are Bigger Wildcards Than Starfleet's 'New' Enterprise

Star trek: discovery season 5 suggests the uss discovery is headed for a confrontation with the breen imperium, star trek: discovery's sonequa martin-green embarks on one final voyage.

Thanks to the crew of the USS Discovery, the Federation is now in possession of a 23rd Century Constitution-class Terran warship. That said, its value is likely little more than that of an ancient relic from the Terran dimension. If anything, the dilithium left in the ship's stores is worth more than the rest of the ship's parts put together. However, one piece of it -- a warp-capable Terran life-support and escape vessel called a warpod -- disappeared with Moll and L'ak inside of it. The Breen's fate is an open question, but Moll will certainly return for the final piece of the puzzle. She doesn't have to solve the clues; she just has to follow Booker.

This episode is the middle point of Star Trek: Discovery 's final season , and the crew are just two pieces away from the full clue device. The race against Moll and L'ak will probably end in three episodes at most, leaving two for a different, more difficult mission. Whether or not L'ak survives, the Erigah placed on his head means that the Breen and the USS Discovery are headed for conflict. It's looking more likely that Star Trek: Discovery is going to go out with a big space battle. Star Trek is a sci-fi action-adventure story, too, which makes episodes like these even more special.

Star Trek: Discovery examines the kinds of big questions that Star Trek is supposed to. A happy ending for some of the "good" Terrans is reminiscent of how Picard brought the Borg into the Federation . In this universe, the heroes don't defeat their enemies; they convince them to become their allies. As Commander Hugh Culber and

Sylvia Tilly discussed in the lounge at the end of "Mirrors," the characters of this universe are essentially going to meet God, and not that phony one on Sha'Ka Ree. The fights ahead will be fun, but the biggest challenge facing Star Trek: Discovery from this episode onwards is making the discovery of the Progenitors' "prize" as meaningful as it needs to be.

Star Trek: Discovery debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

• Moll and L'ak get overdue screentime to tell their side of the story.
• Commander Rayner begins to find his place as a true member of the USS Discovery crew.
• The fate of Mirror Saru and the other Terrans is good Star Trek storytelling.
• Moll and L'ak's escape feels convenient, continuing the 'cards-down' approach to their telling story.
• The use of the ISS Enterprise could reasonably be called 'fan service' because the ship itself means nothing to the characters.
• The choice to keep the sequences on the ISS Enterprise so dark might be visually unappealing to some viewers.