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• Klingon military personnel
• Klingon command personnel
• Klingon starship commanders
• Klingon officers

Klingon captains

• View history

This is a list of Klingon military personnel holding the rank of captain .

Unwritten articles [ ]

All items (113)

• Ardak Kumerian

• Cha'DIch, son of hiJaK

• Dorrek, son of M'Raq

• Ganok, son of Ganthet
• G'mtor

• H'Ta, son of Kahmar

• J'kral

• Karg (Captain)

• Karten (24th century)

• K'Draq, daughter of Sangra

• Klag, son of M'Raq (mirror)
• K'lavut

• K'mtec

• Kothulu commander

• K'retok

• K'Tar (Captain)

• K'tran

• Kilmarac tai Mrith
• Nu'Daq

• Torlek, son of Ro'vagh

• Ya'Vang

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

• Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock's body.
• In the wake of Spock's ultimate deed of sacrifice, Admiral Kirk and the Enterprise crew return to Earth for some essential repairs to their ship. When they arrive at Spacedock, they are shocked to discover that the Enterprise is to be decommissioned. Even worse, Dr. McCoy begins acting strangely and Scotty has been reassigned to another ship. Kirk is forced to steal back the Enterprise and head across space to the Genesis Planet to save Spock and bring him to Vulcan. Unbeknownst to them, the Klingons are planning to steal the secrets of the Genesis Device for their own deadly purpose. — Colin Tinto <[email protected]>
• Admiral Kirk's defeat of Khan Noonien Singh and the creation of the Genesis Planet are empty victories. Mr. Spock is dead and Dr. McCoy is, seemingly inexplicably, being driven insane. Then an unexpected visit from Spock's father, Sarek provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence. With one friend alive and one not, but both in pain, Kirk attempts to help his friends by stealing the Enterprise and defying Starfleet's Genesis quarantine. However, the Klingons have also learned of the Genesis Device and race to meet Kirk in a deadly rendezvous. — Robert Lynch <[email protected]>
• The Federation Starship Enterprise returns to Earth following a battle with the superhuman Khan Noonien Singh, who tried to destroy the Enterprise by detonating an experimental Terraforming device known as Genesis. The casualties of the fight include Admiral James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) Vulcan friend, Spock (Leonard Nimoy), whose casket was launched into space and eventually landed on the planet created by the Genesis Device. On arriving at Earth Space dock, Doctor Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) begins to act strangely and is detained. Starfleet Admiral Morrow visits the Enterprise and informs the crew the ship is to be decommissioned; the crew is ordered not to speak about Genesis due to political fallout over the device. The Crew members are James Doohan, as Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer; George Takei, as Hikaru Sulu, Enterprise's helmsman; Walter Koenig, as Pavel Chekov, navigation and acting science officer; and Nichelle Nichols, as Uhura, the ship's communications officer. David Marcus (Merritt Butrick)-Kirk's son, a key scientist in Genesis's development-and Lieutenant Saavik (Robin Curtis) are investigating the Genesis planet on board the science vessel Grissom. Discovering an unexpected life form on the surface, Marcus and Saavik transport to the planet. They find that the Genesis Device has resurrected Spock in the form of a child, although his mind is not present. Marcus admits that he used unstable "proto-matter" in the development of the Genesis Device, causing Spock to age rapidly and meaning the planet will be destroyed within hours. Meanwhile, Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), the commander of a Klingon vessel, intercepts information about Genesis. Believing the device to be potentially useful as a weapon, he takes his cloaked ship to the Genesis planet, destroys the Grissom. Spock's father, Sarek (Mark Lenard), confronts Kirk about his son's death. The pair learn that before he died, Spock transferred his Katra, or living spirit, to McCoy. Spock's Katra and body are needed to lay him to rest on his home world, Vulcan, and without help, McCoy will die from carrying the Katra. Disobeying orders, Kirk and his officers spring McCoy from detention, disable the USS Excelsior, and steal the Enterprise from Space dock to return to the Genesis planet to retrieve Spock's body. On Genesis, the Klingons capture Marcus, Saavik and Spock and before Kruge can interrogate them their ship signals that the Enterprise has arrived and Kruge immediately beams back to the Bird of Prey. In orbit, the undermanned Enterprise is attacked and disabled by Kruge. In the standoff that follows, Kruge orders that one of the hostages on the surface be executed. David is killed defending Saavik and Spock. Kirk and company feign surrender and activate the Enterprise's self-destruct sequence, killing the Klingon boarding party while the Enterprise crew transports to the planet's surface. Promising the secret of Genesis, Kirk lures Kruge to the planet and has him beam his crew to the Klingon vessel. As the Genesis planet disintegrates, Kirk and Kruge engage in a fistfight; Kirk emerges victorious after kicking Kruge off a cliff into a lava flow. Kirk and his officers take control of the Klingon ship and head to Vulcan. There, Spock's Katra is reunited with his body in a dangerous procedure called Fal-Tor-Pan. The ceremony is successful, and Spock is resurrected, alive and well, though his memories are fragmented. At Kirk's prompting, Spock remembers he called Kirk "Jim" and recognizes the crew.

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The Complete History of the Klingons in Star Trek's Next Generation Era

After the Star Trek heroes began the historical peace process, relationship of the Federation and the Klingons still weren't always allies or friends.

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The next generation introduced the klingon-federation alliance, deep space nine changed klingon and federation dynamics in an explosive way, the klingon and federation go to war against the dominion, the end of the 24th century brought a return to klingon and federation peace.

While Klingons are thought of as the biggest antagonists in the history of the Federation, the majority of Star Trek stories take place when they are at peace. The end of Star Trek: The Original Series era of films included the beginnings of an alliance initiated by Spock and Captain Kirk, though reluctantly. While peace was never easy or all that long-lasting, the Klingon Empire and Starfleet are just as often allies as enemies. Making peace with the Federation was always something controversial among the war-obsessed Klingons. Through multiple versions of treaties, alliances and agreements, some Klingon ship and its crew were always hassling some Starfleet or Federation target. However, the Romulan Star Empire's reemergence helped bring them closer together.

In 2344, a Klingon outpost on Narenda III was attacked by the Romulans. The USS Enterprise-C under Captain Rachel Garrett tried to help and was destroyed after a brief time-travel excursion changing Star Trek canon. This sacrifice led to very productive peace talks, which themselves came under attack by Romulans two years later. Ja'rod of House Duras betrayed the Klingons, but he blamed Mogh (Worf's father), whose son was sent away and was raised on Earth. Another prominent Klingon, Martok was given a field commission while fending off a Romulan attack. The most solid alliance between the Federation and Klingons came in 2349 when Riva (whose name came to mean "peacemaker") negotiated a lasting peace with Federation leaders, including Sarek, father of Spock.

William Shatner Joins Leonard Nimoy's Family in Remembering the Star Trek Legend

The treaty Riva negotiated led to a powerful political alliance between the Federation and the Klingons . The Empire was even described as being a tertiary part of the United Federation of Planets. However, errant Houses continued to attack Federation targets, and anti-alliance leaders like Korris emerged because they believed their leaders were traitors. Still, Starfleet and the Klingons participated in officer exchanges, and they even fought in some battles together, mostly against Romulans. Klingons assisted the USS Enterprise-D in trying to help Admiral Jarok defect, and provided a Bird of Prey for Picard and Data's covert mission to find Spock on Romulus.

Still, there were Klingons who chose the Romulans over the Federation. Ambassador Kell who worked with Sela (the daughter of an alternate timeline Tasha Yar ) to frame the Federation for the murder of a Klingon governor. While the peace with the Federation was maintained, it wasn't so for the Klingons themselves. A civil war broke out in the Empire deposing the longest ruler in Klingon history, K'mpec. Duras, son of Ja'rod, led a faction that wanted to break ties with the Federation and make the Klingons more warlike. He was killed by Worf in revenge for Mogh's death around 2367. After this, Worf's half-brother, Kurn, had to live in hiding as "Rodek"

Klingon women could not lead a house, so Duras's sisters Lursa and B'Etor put forth their half-brother Toral to stand against the more Federation-friendly successor to K'mpec, Gowron. However, the previous chancellor named Captain Picard as the "Arbiter of Succession," rejecting Toral's claim. The ensuing Civil War was fanned by Sela and her new Klingon Ally, General Movar. As the Enterprise and Starfleet tried to maintain a blockade of Romulan and Klingon space, quick-thinking by Data revealed the cloaked Romulan ships providing aid to House Duras. Gowron won the Chancellorship, and he was mostly friendly to the Federation .

Star Trek 4 Gets Back on Course With New Screenwriter Revealed

Under Gowron, the Klingons helped to engage the Borg, though it is unclear if they were aiding Starfleet or being attacked themselves. Also, in 2369 clerics at a monastery in Boreth cloned Kahless the Unforgettable , the legendary Klingon leader. This was to fulfill the prophecy that he would return from Klingon Heaven, Sto-va-kor. However, he became a "moral" leader while Gowron retained his position. When the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant was discovered near Bajor and Deep Space 9, relations grew tense, especially once the Dominion became a threat.

Before the outbreak of open hostilities, the Changeling Founders replaced General Martok with an imposter, who forced Gowron to antagonize the Federation, even ending the alliance. At the same time, the Klingon Empire invaded the Cardassian Empire, which Starfleet and the Federation opposed. Captain Benjamin Sisko convinced Gowron to end his campaign, but the alliance was not restored. The phony Martok's influence created tension between Starfleet and the Klingons, but Gowron's desire to appear in complete control made them think he was the Changeling imposter.

Eventually, the Klingons declared war on the Federation over territory on the shared galactic border. The two forces battled for weeks until Starfleet revealed the Changeling infiltration and return the true Martok. At the same time, the Cardassian Empire joined the Dominion. These reinforcements almost decimated the Klingon Fleet. Gowron and the survivors travel to Deep Space 9, where he rejoins the Khitomer Accords and allies with Starfleet to fight the Dominion in 2373.

Star Trek: Section 31 Will Debut a Younger Version of a Next Generation Character

The Federation and Klingon alliance was effectively based out of Deep Space 9, with Captain Sisko and General Martok leading the forces . Each had to answer to their respective superiors, but the two leaders formed a bond. A year later, the Romulan Empire joined the alliance , after Sisko aided the Cardassian spy and tailor Garak in framing the Dominion for the death of a Romulan ambassador. The three-way alliance turned the tide of the war and put the Dominion on the defensive.

Eventually, the Dominion recruited the elusive Breen species into their Empire, and with them a weapon that drained power from starships. The Klingon fleet was the first to adapt to this weapon. However, instead of helping their allies, General Martok led these forces on an ill-fated offensive against the Dominion. This was a ploy by Gowron to sully Martok's reputation, lest he become a political rival. If he won the war without the help of Starfleet or the Romulans, it was Gowron's plan. If he failed, then Martok took the blame and Gowron's position was safe. Martok didn't fail.

Gowron eventually took over the command of the Klingon forces at Deep Space 9, sidelining Martok. Worf, an adopted member of Martok's house and the first Klingon in Starfleet, challenged Gowron in a fight to the death for leadership of the Empire . Worf won the battle and named Martok as the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire. Under his leadership, the alliance defeated the Dominion in a decisive battle on Cardassia Prime.

Section 31: First Image of Michelle Yeoh in New Star Trek Movie Released

Since the end of the Dominion War, the Klingons have kept mostly to their own territory . Starfleet intelligence estimated the Klingons would take a decade or more to recover from their losses of people and material from the Dominion War. Worf took a leave of absence from Starfleet to work with Martok, though he did return for select missions on the USS Enterprise-E until it was destroyed. By the first years of the 25th Century, Worf was both a member in good standing of the Klingon Empire and working as an intelligence contractor for Starfleet.

In the late 24th Century, a group of Klingons was part of former Starfleet cadet Nick Locarno's plan to create his own fleet, complete with Genesis Device. Beckett Mariner and the crew of the USS Cerritos were able to stop him. Otherwise, the Klingons have kept mostly to themselves. If they are still traveling space and picking fights, but not with Starfleet. In the 32nd Century ( where the USS Discovery time-traveled to from 2258), the galaxy had been decimated by "The Burn." This cataclysm destroyed most of the dilithium in the galaxy, which powered warp drives for all species.

The crew essentially found a planet made of dilithium, and the space-faring civilizations of the Federation and its adjacent territories returned to normal. However, the USS Discovery has not encountered any Klingons in that time period. It's possible after the Burn, they resorted to war, both with other species and within the Empire, again decimating their population. If not, the Klingon Empire continues to keep to itself and stay out of galactic affairs .

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

The Star Trek DS9 And TOS Episodes That Influenced Strange New Worlds' Darkest Episode

In the "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" episode "Under the Cloak of War" (July 27, 2023) , a Klingon ambassador named Dak'Rah (Robert Wisdom) comes to visit the U.S.S. Enterprise on a diplomatic mission. "Strange New Worlds" takes place immediately after the Klingon War, and several of the ship's crew remember the conflict vividly, expressing prejudice and consternation to see a Klingon on board. Captain Pike (Anson Mount) reminds his officers to keep an open mind, but Dr. M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) cannot. 

Through flashbacks, audiences learn the horrible wartime conditions that both Dr. M'Benga and Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) served under, and they were bleak. There weren't enough medical supplies to go around, and Dr. M'Benga had taken to storing injured soldiers inside a transporter pattern buffer, hoping to rematerialize them when more could be done. He also secretly develops a rare and dangerous steroid called Protocol 12 which temporarily increases strength and stamina but also robs one of their ability to discern right from wrong. The drug turns people into berzerk killing machines. 

Dak'Rah was present at the same battle Dr. M'Benga barely survived, and the doctor resents the Klingon's attempts at diplomatic contrition, knowing of the blood on his hands. Later, it will be revealed that Dr. M'Benga has an even darker secret and that more violence happened during the war than he initially communicated. War, the episode argues, will break everyone and everything. 

This is in keeping with Trek's usual attitudes toward war, often depicted as humanity's ultimate failing. 

In a new interview with TrekMovie , "Cloak" director Jeff Byrd pointed to other bleak, war-themed episodes of "Star Trek" as precedent, showing that the franchise has a dim view of armed conflict and that anytime it happens, morals decay. 

A Private Little War

The TrekMovie interviewer was astute enough to recognize the two episodes in question. The first was the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "The Siege of AR-558" (November 16, 1998), and the other was the original series episode "A Private Little War" (February 2, 1968) . 

"A Private Little War," often referred to by Trekkies as "the Vietnam War episode" featured a peaceful, primitive planet that inexplicably started fighting each other with flintlock rifles, a technology centuries beyond their capabilities. Kirk (William Shatner) finds that the locals have been given the weapons by a Klingon named Krell (Ned Romero), a cruel interloper who wants to perpetuate a primitive Civil War for his own nefarious purposes. Kirk faces a moral dilemma. He can provide more weapons to the losing side of the Civil War, giving them a better chance for survival, but forcing him to actively perpetuate the conflict. Or he can step out and let one side be killed. 

Byrd summed it up, saying: 

"Yes, the one where they are selling the weapons and keep upgrading. So a lot of those were brought into this script-wise and then realized by me on set visually." 

"The Siege of AR-558," meanwhile, is an out-and-out combat episode of "Deep Space Nine." At that point in the series, the Federation had been at war with the Dominion for over a year, and capturing communications relays was key to winning. Sisko (Avery Brooks) managed to fend off an attacking Dominion force, but lost many Federation officers in the process. The episode if violent and bleak. Everyone is injured and horrified. War is Hell. Davy Perez, the writer of "Under the Cloak of War," knew both "Private" and "Siege" when he penned the episode.

The Siege of AR-558

"The Siege of AR-558" also features a scene wherein Ensign Nog (Aron Eisenberg) has his foot blown off . Medicine in "Star Trek" is advanced enough to easily grown him a new one, but Nog still has to face horrible trauma. Byrd also noted other war movies outside of "Star Trek" that influenced the battle scenes in "Under the Cloak of War." 

"Obviously, there are comparisons in here to ' Apocalypse Now' and there is a little ' Hamburger Hill' in there, and even some ' Born on the Fourth of July .' We discussed, on set, a lot of little Easter eggs [you would see] if you're looking really closely at certain little moments. We wanted to make sure that we got some iconic moments and framing and different things of these iconic war films so that it feels familiar but it's in a different time.

It's notable that the three films Byrd cited are all about the Vietnam War, the infamously messy quagmire that killed about 3.8 million people and achieved very little. That war was surrounded by lies and deceit, and the American soldiers knew it. Vietnam was proof that the United States war machine was an ignoble enterprise that cost billions and murdered the poor. It's no coincidence that the notoriously pacifistic "Star Trek" was created in the shadow of Vietnam. In a very real, living sense, "Star Trek" exists as a direct refutation of combat-forward thinking. Gene Roddenberry looked at the horrors of war and envisioned a future when it would be futile. 

Very occasionally, "Star Trek" has to depict war, however, to remind audiences of how horrible it is. 

"Star Trek: Discovery" makes a case for Michael Burnham as the last great Starfleet captain

Our "discovery" protagonist was never going to have it easy. the start of her last run solidifies her greatness, by melanie mcfarland.

Michael Burnham's " Star Trek " journey was destined to be among the franchise's toughest and most complex. Some of us knew this from the moment Sonequa Martin-Green was cast to play her, especially Black women who are sci-fi geeks. We have never been few, but until recently, we were far less visible than we are now.

To some, this visibility symbolizes everything that has supposedly gone wrong with this franchise and others. The reach of " Star Trek: Discovery " goes even further by assembling a truly inclusive cast that blew apart the original series' longstanding heteronormativity.

All this further angered culture war trolls and self-appointed arbiters of what is so-called "real" "Star Trek." These people have a vested interest in downvoting any such divergences from what has gone before.

Mainly it was — as it continues to be — the purists who wrote off "Discovery" as "not Trek" during  its first season in 2017 . Looking back from its final season — and from the perspective of Burnham's 900-year journey — we can say that despite how its thematic shading looked to us then , "Discovery" never abandoned Gene Roddenberry's optimism . It has simply evolved its interpretation.

In the first season, not even Burnham would believe this to hold true. A human raised on Vulcan by Spock's  father, Sarek, and as his sister, Burnham earns her first officer role through superior conduct and logic, divorcing herself from sentiment.

Burnham's smug sense of rectitude gets her superior officer killed. She is charged with mutiny, stripped of her rank and sentenced to life in prison.

From there, she stops a rogue galactic A.I. from annihilating the Federation and leaps nine centuries into the future (thereby largely freeing herself and the show from restrictive canon) to find a universe where Starfleet as it used to be is a dream, and the Federation and its ideals are broken.

"Discovery's" swansong season finds Burnham in the year 3191, with enough of the Federation's trust to take on a highly classified mission alongside Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), who has already earned the same commendations as Kirk and Picard. His reputation precedes him, in other words. Their quest relates to a Picard-era discovery that Starfleet fears can be used to eradicate all humanoid life in the universe.

"Discovery" never abandoned Gene Roddenberry's optimism. It has simply evolved its interpretation. 

Their success should place her on par with the greats, an honor that showrunner Michelle Paradise and the show's co-creator Alex Kurtzman have been driving toward all this time.

Some indicators of that goal aren't as obvious as others, like the sequence in which Rayner defies Burnham during an away mission, trusting in his overconfidence instead of her strategic acumen. His snap judgment endangers a planet's civilian population, leaving her to fix the crisis he has created.

Women watching this — especially Black women, I would wager — might have experienced a slight rage triggering in their soul that was mollified by Burnham pulling the very Obama-esque move of asking Rayner to replace her trusted friend Saru (Doug Jones) as her first officer. (The job was coming open, anyway; Saru is shifting into diplomacy mode and getting married.)

This is the move of a great leader. Then again, like Kate Mulgrew's long underappreciated Captain Janeway, it may not be appreciated by the fandom for many, many years.

Burnham's arc contradicts what we know about the great Starfleet captains profiled in this franchise, most of whom are white and male.

Burnham's arc contradicts what we know about the great Starfleet captains profiled in this franchise, most of whom are white and male, though if that were the extent of what differentiates her from the rest, it would barely be worth mentioning.

Records of their histories come to us as snippets of dialogue from secondary characters or contextualizing conversations from what the official logs have to say about past missions. We hear about who served under whom, granting legitimacy to the likes of, say, Christopher Pike to claim the captain's chair long before Anson Mount made us ecstatic to see that happen.

Burnham's path to the helm's command begins with what should be a life- and career-ending mistake. It's constantly defined by humility and doubt. No one is harder on Burnham than she is on herself — and nobody takes as many risks with their career or reputation to keep their crew alive. Her optimism is one guided by the hope that all obstacles can be overcome and all outcomes are possible, including for herself.

Despite all of this, it will take a lot of convincing for some people to consider Burnham among the top ranks of Starfleet captains in those occasional fan polls that tend to place Jean-Luc Picard or James T. Kirk in the top positions, though Captain Pike has offered stiff competition since "Strange New Worlds" first aired.

But our relatively newfound love of Pike and that show wouldn't be possible without "Discovery" venturing into the unmapped asteroid field that is the public's willingness to boldly go back to a dormant franchise in a wildly disunified era.

This doesn't merely refer to the role of "Discovery" introducing Mount's Pike, in addition to launching every other new "Trek" spinoff along with the streaming service currently known as Paramount+ . It did all this along with shouldering the more precarious mission of serving as the franchise's vanguard in a cynical age.

If you love "Lower Decks" and "Strange New Worlds," this is in part due to the producers' listening to the fandom's programming desires accordingly. Notice, for example, how unlike the first season of "Picard"  is from the third . Initially, "Picard" tried to do something different with the beloved character. It ended his adventures by reassembling the band for the spectacular last ride their films denied them. The new "Star Trek" series have a goal of delivering something for everyone, including kids. "Discovery" helped its custodians figure that out.

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And if you love "Discovery," its devotion to showcasing those who long felt unseen in this franchise may kindle that affection. "Discovery" gave us an Asian woman as a Starship captain in Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou and a happily married duo to root for in Wilson Cruz's Dr. Hugh Culber in Anthony Rapp's Paul Stamets.

It introduced Tig Notaro in its second season as Jett Reno, a decision for which everyone should be grateful. The third gave us the franchise's first transgender and non-binary characters in Ian Alexander's Trill Gray and Blu del Barrio's Adira Tal.

Through it all, we have also entirely fallen for Mary Wiseman's Sylvia Tilly, a woman who also knew a few things about self-doubt and, therefore, values being understood.

What some would cite as humanizing traits, others might write off as maudlin, along with the fact that Burnham was able to experience a fully realized love affair that began with a partnership of equals with a courier named Booker (David Ajala).

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter , Crash Course.

It's only one of the many ways that "Discovery" is consciously disparate from "Star Trek" as we have long known it, daring to change everything from the look of the Klingons to its star character's role in igniting a war between them and the United Federation of Planets.

That was then. Hundreds of years after that moment, Captain Burnham has figured herself out, proving to the many who doubted her that she deserves to be there.

She has traveled the longest road through imposter syndrome of any Starfleet captain — most of a millennium, actually — and we have witnessed every major moment that forged her. Burnham may never win the major "Star Trek" popularity contests for favorite captains, but without a doubt, she's the last great one we may ride with in this universe.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery" stream Thursdays on Paramount +.

stories about "Star Trek"

• "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" considers the weight of Khan's wrathful legacy
• How "Strange New Worlds" uses Rebecca Romijn's Number One to place prejudice on trial
• "Pike made jambalaya": How "Strange New Worlds" Captain Pike expresses care and diplomacy with food

Melanie McFarland is Salon's award-winning senior culture critic. Follow her on Twitter: @McTelevision

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10 Star Trek Worlds Discovery’s AR Wall Needs To Recreate

• Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds use an AR Wall to bring classic Trek planets to life in a new, realistic way.
• The AR Wall technology creates stunning backdrops that move with the characters, enhancing the on-screen environments.
• Revisiting classic locations like Shore Leave Planet and Sha Ka Ree with the AR Wall opens up endless possibilities for storytelling.

Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds both use an AR Wall to bring alien locations to life, and there are many classic Star Trek planets the shows have yet to visit. Since the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) began with Star Trek: The Original Series , the franchise has explored numerous strange new worlds, first using matte paintings as backdrops before moving to green screens. Discovery and Strange New Worlds have already shown some classic Trek planets, like Trill and Vulcan, but many others have yet to be revisited.

Star Trek's AR Wall in Toronto consists of a massive 270-degree LED screen that tracks camera movements to create a realistic backdrop that moves with the characters. Not only does this allow the actors to feel more connected with their environment, but it also looks amazing on screen . Star Trek: Discovery season 4 began using the technology and the screens have since been used to render numerous alien locations and Federation buildings. While there will always be something charming about the matte paintings and styrofoam sets of TOS , the AR Wall could breathe new life into many classic Star Trek planets.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

Shore leave planet, first seen in star trek: the original series season 1, episode 15 - "shore leave", star trek: the original series.

Cast Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

Release Date September 8, 1966

Showrunner Gene Roddenberry

Where To Watch Paramount+

When the USS Enterprise arrives at a pleasant-looking planet, Captain Kirk and his crew beam down to enjoy shore leave. Soon after they arrive, Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) sees a human-sized white rabbit and Alice (Marcia Brown) from Alice in Wonderland . As more strange things happen, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) determines that the planet is somehow bringing the crew member's thoughts to life. After McCoy is seemingly killed, Kirk orders the crew to stop thinking up new things.

Most of "Shore Leave" was filmed in Africa USA, an animal training preserve in Redwood City, California.

The Shore Leave planet's Caretaker (Oliver McGowan) then appears, saying that the world is meant to be an "amusement park," and that no harm will come to them. McCoy is revived and Kirk allows more of the crew to beam down. With the technology of the 1960s, TOS was limited in what it could depict on the Shore Leave planet, but with Star Trek: Discovery's AR Wall, the possibilities would be endless.

Guardian of Forever Planet

First seen in star trek: the original series, season 1, episode 28 - "the city on the edge of forever".

After Dr. McCoy accidentally injects himself with a dangerous drug, he beams down to a strange planet. Kirk and Spock quickly follow, and find a sentient time portal called the Guardian of Forever. Kirk and Spock follow McCoy through the portal, finding themselves in 1930s New York City. Kirk then meets and falls in love with Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), who runs a local soup kitchen.

Tragically, Keeler is soon killed in an accident, and Kirk must allow her death to happen in order to preserve the future. Although the Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle) did appear in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, it had gone into hiding far from its original planet. With its ancient ruins and obvious history, the original Guardian planet would be an interesting location for Star Trek to revisit using the AR Wall technology .

First seen in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , Spock's half-brother Sybok (Lawrence Luckinbill) goes on a quest to find the mythical planet at the center of the galaxy, Sha Ka Ree, which is supposedly where God resides. Sybok takes control of the Starship Enterprise and makes it through the Great Barrier to find a planet he believes to be Sha Ka Ree. The rocky and barren planet initially seems uninhabited, but then a being emerges claiming to be God.

When "God" asks for a starship, Captain Kirk grows suspicious of the supposed deity.

When the being attacks Kirk and Spock, they discover that it's not God (George Murdock), but a malicious entity that was imprisoned on the planet long ago. While the entity on Sha Ka Ree was apparently destroyed at the end of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , it's unclear what remains of the planet. Sha Ka Ree is located at the very center of the galaxy, but very little is revealed about the planet itself, making it a perfect candidate for further exploration.

Genesis Planet

First seen in star trek ii: the wrath of khan.

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) and her son David (Merritt Butrick) created the Genesis Device, a technology powerful enough to turn any planet into a habitable M-class planet. In the wrong hands, the device could become a weapon of mass destruction , which was what the genetically engineered villain Khan Noonien-Singh (Ricardo Montalban) had in mind when he stole the Genesis Device.

The Genesis planet's energies caused Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to be resurrected, aging the Vulcan rapidly from rebirth to adulthood.

At the climax of Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan , Khan detonates the Genesis Device, and the resulting explosion forms a new Genesis planet. The Genesis planet then began aging rapidly due to the unsyable protomatter used in its creation, and it eventually degraded, becoming entirely molten and uninhabitable. If Star Trek ever revisits the Genesis Planet, it would be fascinating to see its unstable climate and ecosystems on Star Trek: Discovery's AR screen.

Every Star Trek Movie Ranked (From Worst To Best)

First seen in star trek: the next generation season 3, episode 19 - "captain's holiday", star trek: the next generation.

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Writers Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore

Directors David Carson

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Known as Star Trek's "pleasure planet," Risa became famous for its beautiful beaches and resorts, making it a popular tourist destination. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) once visited the planet, but got pulled into an archeological treasure hunt while he was trying to relax. The Enterprise NX-01 also stopped by Risa in Star Trek: Enterprise , becoming the first official Earth starship to visit the planet.

If the characters of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ever find time for shore leave, they should visit Risa.

Risa has been mentioned in numerous Star Trek shows and visited by many of the main characters. With its gorgeous tropical landscapes, Risa would make a great candidate for the AR Wall. If the characters of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ever find time for shore leave, they should visit Risa and let the AR Wall show audiences everything the vacation planet has to offer.

First seen in Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4, Episode 14 - "The Aenar"

Star trek: enterprise.

Cast Dominic Keating, Connor Trinneer, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Jeffrey Combs, Anthony Montgomery

Release Date September 26, 2001

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Writers Rick Berman, Manny Coto, Brannon Braga

Showrunner Manny Coto, Brannon Braga

On the opposite end of the spectrum from a tropical paradise, Andoria (or Andor) is a planet covered in snow and ice with a surface temperature that rarely rises above freezing. For this reason, Andorians build their cities underground and use geothermal energy to power them. Both the Andorians and the Aenar live on the planet, but they remained mostly unaware of one another until contact was established in 2104.

The snowy surface and underground cities of Andoria would likely look even better with the AR Wall.

Andoria was one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets, and both Andorians and a few Aenar served in Starfleet, including former USS Enterprise Chief Engineer Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak). Star Trek: Strange New Worlds already depicted the icy planet of Valeo Beta V in season 1's "All Those Who Wander," but the snowy surface and underground cities of Andoria would likely look even better with the AR Wall.

First seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2 - "Emissary"

Star trek: deep space nine.

Cast Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer, Michael Dorn, Andrew Robinson, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig

Release Date January 3, 1993

Writers Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller, Ronald D. Moore

Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller

The homeworld of the Bajorans, Bajor was once a spiritually and culturally rich planet focused on learning. Beginning in about 2319, the Cardassian Union took control of Bajor, decimating the population, destroying cities, and poisoning the planet. After the occupation ended, Starfleet took command of Space Station Deep Space Nine, with Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) as a Bajoran liaison officer.

When the Cardassians withdrew from Bajor in 2369, a Provisional Government began the slow process of rebuilding.

When Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) (re)discovered a wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, Bajor became an important hub for travelers as the Federation helped the planet rebuild. Although Bajor and the Federation have long been close allies, Star Trek has not confirmed if or when Bajor officially joined the Federation . A future Star Trek project could potentially reveal this, and the AR Wall could bring new life to Bajor's landscapes and temples, which Captain Sisko often raved about because of the planet's lush beauty.

Cardassia Prime

First seen in star trek: the next generation season 6, episodes 11 & 12 - "chain of command".

Due to the lack of natural resources on Cardassia, the Cardassians became a militaristic society and set out to conquer and occupy numerous planets, including Bajor. Cardassia controlled Terok Nor , the space station that would become known as Deep Space Nine, until they withdrew from Bajor. Although the Cardassians served as the main antagonists for much of DS9 , they were introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation .

In the TNG season 6 two-part episode, "Chain of Command," Captain Picard was kidnapped and tortured by Gul Madred (David Warner) on Cardassia. However, a full cityscape of Cardassia was not shown until DS9's "Tribunal," and the planet has not been seen on screen since DS9's series finale. Whether a future Star Trek project depicts Cardassia after the Dominion War or flashes back to an earlier period, the industrial planet would undoubtedly look great rendered on the AR Screen.

Why Star Trek's Coolest Cardassian Embodies DS9

First seen in star trek: the next generation season 5, episodes 7 & 8 - "unification".

After the Romulans left the planet Vulcan, they eventually settled on Romulus in the Beta Quadrant and established the capital city of the Romulan Star Empire. Although Romulus was briefly seen on the holodeck in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 10, "The Defector," the actual planet does not appear until TNG's "Unification, Part 1." In "Unification," Captain Picard finds Ambassador Spock on Romulus, working underground to reunite the Vulcans and Romulans .

Romulus and Remus were seen in Star Trek: Nemesis.

In 2387, Romulus's sun went supernova, which eventually destroyed the planet. Picard helped with the evacuation efforts until they were halted when synths destroyed the fleet of rescue ships being built on Mars. The Romulan survivors of the supernova became refugees, settling on various nearby planets. Although Romulus was destroyed prior to Star Trek: Picard , the AR Wall could be used to render the planet during an earlier time period.

First seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 17 - "Sins of The Father"

The homeworld of the Klingons, Qo’noS, was first seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Sins of the Father" when Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) travels there to defend his father Mogh's name. In the Star Trek timeline, humans first visited Qo’noS in 2151 when the Enterprise NX-01 returned an injured Klingon in the Star Trek: Enterprise series premiere. In 2293, the Klingon moon, Praxis, was destroyed in a mining accident, resulting in considerable damage to the atmosphere of Qo’noS.

Star Trek: Discovery season 1's finale visited Qo'noS, showing a dangerous underground habitat and marketplace.

As depicted in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , the Klingons sought peace with the Federation after the destruction of Praxis, knowing that they could not afford to continue the war. Despite being an incredibly significant planet in the Star Trek universe, the Klingon homeworld has not been shown on screen that often, and Star Trek: Discovery's AR Wall could finally depict Qo’noS in all its Klingon glory.

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

Star Trek: Discovery

Cast Blu del Barrio, Oded Fehr, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Callum Keith Rennie

Release Date September 24, 2017

Directors Jonathan Frakes, Olatunde Osunsanmi

Showrunner Alex Kurtzman

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Apr 10, 2024

A Brief History of the Progenitors in Star Trek

They designed life itself!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery 's "Red Directive ."

StarTrek.com

Captain Burnham's top-secret mission in the final season of Star Trek: Discovery has finally been revealed. But this time, the Discovery crew isn’t stopping a future-destroying A.I., or a lethal, extra-galactic force. Instead, they’re investigating the basic mysteries of why most species in the Star Trek universe look vaguely human.

As revealed in " Red Directive ," the search for technology used by ancient "Progenitors" sets-up a massive treasure hunt for the season. But, who are the Progenitors? What did Jean-Luc Picard know about the secrets of inter-species alien DNA? And how does all of this fit in with Gene Roddenberry’s earliest ideas for Star Trek ?

Here’s a brief history of the Progenitors, from the early 1960s, to the 24th Century, all the way to 2024, and the 31st Century.

The Real World-Origins of the Progenitors

"The Cage"

When the U.S.S. Enterprise first set out to seek out "new life and new civilizations," a huge swath of those alien lifeforms turned out to look a lot like human beings. And the primary reason for that, at least behind-the-scenes, was two-fold.

First, human actors are more affordable, and second, Gene Roddenberry wanted the classic Star Trek to avoid the sci-fi trope of "Bug-Eyed Monsters." And so, in one of the original 1964 pitch documents for Star Trek , Roddenberry floated the idea of "The Parallel Worlds" concept . The idea was that the format of Star Trek — from a writing and production standpoint — would generally deal with "...plant and animal life, plus people, quite similar to Earth. Social evolution will also have interesting points of similarity with ours."

Unlike a huge swath of science fiction on TV at the time, the promise of strange, new worlds, that were, in fact, populated by people , is something that set Star Trek apart, and was the cornerstone of what gave the series its humanist angle. But, the side effect of course, was an in-universe question — why were so many aliens humanoid?

The Old Ones, Sargon, and The Preservers

"The Paradise Syndrome"

The first two seasons of The Original Series are sprinkled with hints that, in the distant past, the galaxy was visited by super-powered aliens with technology far more advanced than anything in the Federation.

In " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ," we meet Ruk, an android built by "The Old Ones," an alien race capable of creating humanoid androids that were basically immortal. In " Return to Tomorrow ," the disembodied soul of Sargon, refers to humanity as "my children." While Dr. Muhuall says this idea flies in the face of evolutionary theory, Spock mentions the idea that aliens seeded life would "explain certain elements of Vulcan pre-history."

Then in Season 3, in " The Paradise Syndrome ," Bones and Spock tackle the question head-on. When they realize an ancient race of "Preservers" helped various humanoid species throughout the galaxy, the idea of an ancient alien race guiding and "seeding" a ton of humanoid species became less of a myth and more of a working theory. "I’ve always wondered why there were so many humanoids scattered through the galaxy," Bones says. To which Spock replies, "So have I. Apparently, the Preservers account for a number of them."

And then, the questions about an ancient humanoid species went answered. At least, until The Next Generation . 

"The Chase"

Directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Ronald D. Moore and Joe Menosky, " The Chase " was a sixth-season episode of The Next Generation , which, according to The Next Generation Companion , was considered in the writers' room the most "Roddenberryesque" episode of TNG at that time. The story itself took cues from Carl Sagan's novel Contact , and posited that yes, ancient aliens not only seeded most of the humanoid species, but also hid a message in the DNA of all those species.

Captain Picard's interest in archeology comes in handy during the quest to locate all the DNA strands and reveal the message, which was also represented metaphorically by the ancient artifact known as the Kurlan naiskos .

At the end of the episode, representatives from the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Empire, the Cardassian Union, and the Federation, all witness the truth — an ancient Progenitor (played by Salome Jens) makes it clear that all the humanoid species in the galaxy don’t exist out of pure hubris, but instead, out of a kind of desire for legacy. "You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence…. Remember us."

Ronald D. Moore pointed out that there's no reason to believe that the Progenitors from "The Chase" and the Preservers from TOS aren't one in the same. Though not explicitly stated in the script, he said, "But this could be them, and be internally consistent."

Discovery Brings It All Home

"Red Directive"

While The Next Generation established a canonical fact that TOS only danced around, that only answered the question of why . With Discovery Season 5, a stranger, and more complex question is getting broached — how ?

"The Chase" told us why there are so many humanoid species in the galaxy, but we had no idea how the Progenitors specifically pushed life to evolve on various planets toward the exact form of life we’re all so familiar with. As the crew of Discovery — and other forces — are in pursuit of this ancient tech, Star Trek is boldly speculating on one of the biggest questions of all time.

If there was a supreme intelligence behind the creation of life, what was their method? While these kinds of questions are somewhat mind-boggling in real life, what Discovery is doing now is what Star Trek has done all along: Ask provocative questions that are beyond what we know now, so that maybe, in the future, we’ll be better prepared.

We don’t know that the Progenitors exist in real science, but the "panspermia hypothesis," is a very real scientific concept. A friendly alien may not have consciously sparked life on Earth eons ago, but, in reality, it is possible that some building blocks for life itself may have come from the stars.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

• Star Trek 101

'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Season 4 blasts onto Blu-ray and DVD on April 16

Paramount+'s rowdiest gang in the galaxy hits home video starting today (April 16).

Things are definitely heating up in the "Star Trek" universe this month.

The fifth and final season of Paramount+'s " Star Trek: Discovery " rolled out on April 4, and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is fast approaching the completion of principal filming for its upcoming third season in Toronto.

And sprinting onto home video to join the spring festivities is " Star Trek: Lower Decks" Season 4 , whose Blu-ray and DVD versions were released today (April 16). The show stars the crazy crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos and their often-chaotic adventures in the final frontier.

This deluxe edition is packed with all 10 episodes of the most recent " Lower Decks " run, in addition to exclusive cast and crew audio commentaries revealing personal details on the show's creation, fresh featurettes, and plenty of bonus content.

Related: 'Star Trek:' History & effect on space technology

Watch Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount Plus: <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/221109/175360/3065?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F" data-link-merchant="paramountplus.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Get a one month free trial 

Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.

Here's the official description:

"Created by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan, in Season 4 of 'Star Trek: Lower Decks,' an unknown force is destroying starships and threatening galactic peace. Luckily, the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos isn’t important enough for stuff like that! 

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"Instead, Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and Provisional Ensign T'Lyn are keeping up with their Starfleet duties, avoiding malevolent computers and getting stuck in a couple caves — all while encountering new and classic aliens along the way.

"The Starfleet crew residing in the 'lower decks' of the U.S.S. Cerritos includes Ensign Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome; Ensign Brad Boimler, voiced by Jack Quaid; Ensign Tendi, voiced by Noël Wells; and Ensign Rutherford, voiced by Eugene Cordero. The Starfleet characters that comprise the U.S.S. Cerritos' Bridge crew include Captain Carol Freeman, voiced by Dawnn Lewis; Commander Jack Ransom, voiced by Jerry O'Connell; and Doctor T'Ana, voiced by Gillian Vigman."

— 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' will get a choose-your-own-adventure graphic novel

— 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' takes center stage at NYCC 2023

—  Join the crew of the USS Cerritos in 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' role-playing game

Paramount's two-disc assembly is fortified with every Season 4 episode and showcases a constellation of guest stars such as Jack McBrayer ("30 Rock"), Andy Richter ("Late Night with Conan O'Brien"), and Wil Wheaton (" Star Trek: The Next Generation ").

Special features listed are: audio commentaries by Jack Quaid, Mike McMahan, and Brad Winters for Episode 401; Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells and Gabrielle Ruiz for Episode 404; Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Chase Masterson and Mike McMahan for Episode 406; Dawnn Lewis, Tawny Newsome and Mike McMahan for Episode 409; and Robert Duncan McNeill and Mike McMahan discussing Episode 410. Also included in this comprehensive home entertainment collection are the featurettes titled "Lower Decktionary: Setting Up Season 4" and "Old Friends."

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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• View history
• 2.1 Appearances
• 2.2 Background information
• 2.3 External link

History [ ]

Initially, as a lower decker, Ma'ah was focused on advancement in rank . Having noticed that First Officer Togg had been frequently undermining the captain, Dorg , Ma'ah assumed that Togg would soon be killed and wanted to be in the position to be named the new second-in-command. Soon after Togg was killed by Dorg in a challenge, Ma'ah showed his support of the captain by disposing of Togg's body, refilling the bloodwine in officers' mess , and then praised Dorg's pet targ by comparing it to Kor's hound at the Battle of Klach D'kel Brakt . Pleased, Dorg allowed Ma'ah to tend to his targ , and named Ma'ah his new second-in-command after Ma'ah agreed with him that the Klingon Empire had become weak and soft.

Their interaction was cut short when the Che'Ta' arrived at the rendezvous point with the Pakled Clumpship Pakled , when it was then revealed that Dorg had been collaborating with the Pakleds . Ma'ah's began to question his support of the captain after he learnt that Dorg was supplying the Pakleds with weapons and information in a bid to destabilize the entire quadrant. Furthermore, Ma'ah saw Dorg's use of the Pakleds to do his bidding as a dishonorable act, as Klingons should not allow others to fight their battles for them.

When the USS Cerritos warped in to the meeting place between the Pakleds and Dorg to investigate the surge in metreon particles , Dorg ordered his crew to fire on the Cerritos. Additionally , he wanted to allow the Pakleds to take the would-be final shot at the Federation starship so as to alleviate suspicions from himself and the Klingons, which Ma'ah saw as another dishonorable act. However, the odds were quickly evened when the Vulcan cruiser VCF Sh'vhal joined the battle, assisting the Cerritos. However, they were still unable to withstand the combined firepower of the Pakled ship and the Che'Ta' .

Appalled at Dorg's dishonorable actions towards their Federation allies, Ma'ah rose to challenge Dorg in a personal combat, but the taller and stronger Dorg easily gained the upper hand. As Dorg was about to kill Ma'ah with his sword, his own pet targ bit his hand and forced him to drop the sword. Undeterred, Dorg knocked away the targ and then threw Ma'ah across the room. As he approached the downed Ma'ah, Ma'ah suddenly rose up and stabbed Dorg using Dorg's sword, killing the captain.

As Ma'ah stood above Dorg's body to catch his breath, a bridge officer addressed Ma'ah as the new captain of the Che'Ta' , and asked for his command. Ma'ah sat in the captain's chair, with the targ affectionately accepting him as its new master, and ordered the crew to set a course for Qo'noS , in order to report Dorg's actions to the Klingon High Council . ( LD : " wej Duj ")

Sometime later, the Che'Ta' came across an apparently inactive mysterious ship in Klingon space . Ma'ah initially hailed the vessel, but received no response and decided to leave it alone figuring there was no honor in destroying an incapacitated ship. After ordering his crew to mark the ship's location before resuming their journey to Qo'noS, the ship began moving and charging weapons. Ma'ah then ordered the destruction of these qoHpu' but the Che'Ta' 's weapons were rendered inoperative for reasons unknown. The Che'Ta' was subsequently fired upon by the unknown vessel, with the fate of the crew uncertain. ( LD : " Twovix ")

As it turned out, the ship was not actually destroyed. Ma'ah was betrayed and marooned by his shipmates on Sherbal V , in apparent cooperation with the unknown vessel that also attacked other non-Federation ships and deposited their commanding officers on the planet. During his time there he encountered Beckett Mariner and attempted to fight her to the death, but the intervention of glass rain forced them to seek shelter.

During the duel, Ma'ah noticed that Mariner seemed troubled and, while waiting out the rain, decided to mention this to her. He then listened as Mariner, realizing she could trust him and convinced one of them would die regardless, vented her frustrations that were causing her reckless behavior. The death of Mariner's friend Sito Jaxa and subsequent outbreak of the Dominion War caused her to develop survivor guilt and disillusioned her to Starfleet, causing her to refuse promotions for fear of sending her friends to their deaths. Ma'ah pointed out Klingons used to believe Humans were weak, but eventually they proved their toDuj . He advised her that Sito died to uphold Starfleet's ideals and Mariner's behavior wasn't honoring that. Mariner saw his point and hugged him, causing him mild disgust, and while Ma'ah initially insisted on resuming their fight he followed her out of the shelter as he began to see her point in cooperation so they could escape the planet.

Outside a monitoring station linked to an orbiting weather satellite , Ma'ah helped Mariner in attempting to convince the other stranded alien crews to work together. However, she was unexpectedly transported off-planet. In her absence Ma'ah formulated a plan to get themselves a ship so they can fly out of there. The Che'Ta' was lured onto the planet by a distress beacon coming from the monitoring station, and Ma'ah rallied the others to jump onto the Bird-of-Prey when it descended close enough to the ground. They succeeded in taking the ship and Ma'ah wrested the captaincy from his treasonous former crewmates by Klingon means. ( LD : " The Inner Fight ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " wej Duj "
• " The Inner Fight "

Background information [ ]

Ma'ah was voiced by Jon Curry .

Episode writer, Kathryn Lyn , noted in the episode's audio commentary on the LD Season 2 DVD that she named this character after "the Klingon word for 'small'."

Though his name was spelled as "M'ach" in the subtitles, which was also the way it was pronounced in the episode's English AD, the subtitles were incorrect, according to Brad Winters . [1] Lower Decks series creator Mike McMahan later explained in the episode's DVD audio commentary the difference between the spelling ("Ma'ah") and the pronunciation ("Mach"), and how "it confuses a lot of people." Coincidentally or not, StarTrek.com lists his name as is it pronounced, "Mach".

McMahan described Ma'ah as the Klingon analog of Brad Boimler . ( LD Season 2 DVD , Lower Decktionary: Season 2 ) McMahan had also stated with regards to this character, " I love Ma'ah! My whole thing with Klingons is that I just love a Klingon that doesn't backstab. A Klingon that's like, the most honest in their motivations. " [2]

External link [ ]

• Mach at StarTrek.com
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein
• 3 John Paul Lona

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery’s enterprise crossover made 1 of burnham’s crew very happy.

One member of Star Trek: Discovery's crew loves Constitution Class starships and Disco meeting the USS Enterprise must have made him happy.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 3 - "Jinaal"

• Lt. Commander Gen Rhys, Discovery's Chief Tactical Officer, revealed his love for 23rd-century Constitution Class starships.
• The USS Discovery fought alongside the Constitution Class USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, which must have thrilled Rhys.
• Star Trek: Picard's Jack Crusher is also an admirer of Captain Kirk's Constitution Class USS Enterprise.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 reveals one of the USS Discovery's crew was very happy when the USS Enterprise crossed over. In a shocking twist, the Starship Enterprise intercepted the USS Discovery in the final moments of Star Trek: Discovery season 1's finale. This opened the door for Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) to take command of the USS Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. Pike, along with Number One (Rebecca Romijn) and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) proved to be so popular, that they received their own spinoff, which became Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery have left their 23rd-century lives long behind. Now living in the year 3191, Burnham and Discovery are hot on the trail of the Progenitors' ancient technology that can create life , itself, which was discovered by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D in the 24th century of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Aboard the USS Discovery, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) is under orders to get to know his new crew, which led to a revelation about Lt. Commander Gen Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon) and his love for Constitution Class starships.

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

Star trek: discovery's gen rhys loves strange new worlds' uss enterprise, discovery teamed up with the enterprise in season 2.

During Lt. Commander Gen Rhys' extremely brief meeting with Commander Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3, "JInaal," he was asked to describe something personal in 20 words or less. The USS Discovery's Chief Tactical Officer revealed he loves Constitution Class starships. Rhys told Rayner and Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman:

"I'm a real ship-head. Love the Crossfield, but something about the curves of a 23rd-century Constitution Class just gets me."

Rhys was the USS Discovery's Tactical Officer throughout Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and Gen must have secretly been thrilled when the Disco teamed up with the USS Enterprise . The classic Constitution Class Enterprise, NCC-1701, was kept out of the fighting during the Klingon War, but it saw plenty of action when it joined the Crossfield Class USS Discovery in the final battle against Control. Lt. Rhys, as he was ranked at that time, likely enjoyed being so close to the most legendary Constitution Class ship in Starfleet before Discovery jumped to the 32nd century.

Star Trek: Picard's Jack Crusher Also Loves The Constitution Class USS Enterprise

"all those perfectly clean retro lines.".

Long after Starfleet retired the 23rd century Constitution Class, the USS Enterprise found another admirer in the 25th century: Star Trek: Picard' s Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). In Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 6, "The Bounty," Jack confessed his love of Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) USS Enterprise-A to Commander Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) when the USS Titan-A was docked at the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime :

"Well, this one's my personal favorite. Kirk's Enterprise. All those perfectly clean retro lines. Yep, I'm definitely a Constitution Class man."

The reverence Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard have for the 23rd-century Constitution Class isn't surprising. The Starship Enterprise boasts an iconic design, and it's one of the most distinctive and unforgettable spaceships in pop culture. Star Trek has featured numerous beautiful starships, but the Crossfield Class USS Discovery and the Constitution Class USS Titan-A are essentially variants of the original USS Enterprise design . The 23rd century Constitution Class USS Enterprise is a true classic, and Lt. Commander Gen Rhys got to see it up close in Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2.

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