star trek discovery young spock actor

'Star Trek: Discovery' Casts Ethan Peck as Young Spock

The 32-year-old actor has joined the CBS All Access as the iconic 'Star Trek' character.

Star Trek: Discovery  has found its Spock.

Ethan Peck (TV's 10 Things I Hate About You ), who is Gregory Peck 's grandson, has landed the iconic role made famous by the late Leonard Nimoy and most recently, Zachary Quinto , ET has learned. The 32-year-old actor will be introduced in season two as Spock, the half human, half Vulcan Science Officer of the USS Enterprise and foster brother of Sonequa Martin-Green 's Michael Burnham.

"Through 52 years of television and film, a parallel universe and a mirror universe, Mr. Spock remains the only member of the original bridge crew to span every era of Star Trek . The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn between logic and emotion," showrunner and executive producer Alex Kurtzman said in a statement.

"We searched for months for an actor who would, like them, bring his own interpretation to the role. An actor who would, like them, effortlessly embody Spock’s greatest qualities, beyond obvious logic: empathy, intuition, compassion, confusion, and yearning," he continued. "Ethan Peck walked into the room inhabiting all of these qualities, aware of his daunting responsibility to Leonard, Zack, and the fans, and ready to confront the challenge in the service of protecting and expanding on Spock’s legacy. In that spirit, we’re thrilled to welcome him to the family.”

Following the announcement, Peck shared a photo with the Nimoy family on Twitter. "Thanks to the Nimoy family for your open arms, warm welcome, smiling curiosity and support, for making me feel worthy, as I embrace and take into my heart the iconic half alien we know as Mr. Spock. It is an incomparable honor," Peck wrote.

Kurtzman confirmed at Comic-Con in July that Spock's arrival was imminent, saying, "Yes, you will be seeing Spock this year." 

There had been speculation that Spock would be coming into the  Star Trek: Discovery  universe following the events of the finale , when Captain Christopher Pike ( Anson Mount ) sent a distress call to the USS Discovery. The official trailer revealed major teases to Spock's arrival, as Captain Pike assumes control of the USS Discovery after mysterious red bursts are detected, prompting Michael to toy with the idea that Spock may be "linked to these signals."

Star Trek: Discovery  follows the voyages of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new life forms, and one Starfleet officer, Michael Burnham, must learn that to truly understand all things alien, you must first understand yourself. Martin-Green leads an ensemble that includes Shazat Latif, Mary Chieffo, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Doug Jones and  Mary Wiseman, along with new additions Mount, Peck, Rebecca Romijn  and Tig Notaro. 

Star Trek: Discovery  returns in early 2019. You can watch the entire first season on CBS All Access.

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Ethan Peck is Ready to Beam Up

Star Trek 's newest Spock has been on a journey to become "worthy" of the iconic role. Now, he's a changed man.

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When Ethan Peck was cast as Spock, Star Trek ’s legendary science officer, two extraordinary things happened. First, he nearly blacked out. Then, he embarked on a journey of “profound evolution” to become someone worthy of wearing those iconic pointy ears. The pursuit of living up to Spock changed him—made him more confident, more deliberate, more considered. Four years after his fateful debut, the imposter syndrome has worn off, but the journey of becoming remains ongoing. “I’m still trying to grab the Vulcanism in myself,” he tells Esquire .

Peck is the third actor to shave his eyebrows and suit up as everyone’s favorite Vulcan; the late Leonard Nimoy originated the role in Star Trek: The Original Series , then passed the baton to Zachary Quinto for J.J. Abrams’ three Star Trek films. Peck joined Paramount’s ever-expanding Star Trek universe in 2018, when Spock figured into season two of Star Trek: Discovery as the estranged brother of protagonist Michael Burnham. Spock and his reimagined Enterprise colleagues made such a splash on Discovery that fans clamored for a spin-off—and got their way, luckily for the rest of us. This spring, that long-awaited series arrived in the form of Strange New Worlds , a back-to-basics return to the episodic storytelling of The Original Series , set during the captaincy of Christopher Pike (Captain Kirk’s predecessor). Strange New Worlds is the best Trek outing in years: uplifting, optimistic, and gloriously retro, it’s a character-driven series where each episode pairs a top notch sociocultural story with some good, clean, spacefaring fun.

Part of the secret sauce behind Strange New Worlds is, of course, Spock. Peck has nailed everything fans know and love about this legendary character, from his arch formality to his bone-dry humor, while also boldly going where no one has gone before. For the first time ever, viewers get a peek into Spock’s sex life; in one standout episode, a soul-sharing ritual gone wrong sees Spock and his fiancée swap bodies, leading them to profound insights about duty and sacrifice (and, of course, some funny hijinks). But Peck doesn’t want too much credit for his rendition of the role. “I don’t feel like I have any ownership over Spock,” he tells Esquire. “I’m just a custodian.”

A lifelong science fiction fan and a deep, scholarly thinker, Peck has been thrown into the deep end of a multi-decade phenomenon—and come out the other side grateful and changed. He Zoomed with Esquire to discuss all things Star Trek , from what it’s like wearing the Vulcan eyebrows to how he ended up on an ocean cruise full of Trek fans. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Esquire: What was your relationship to Star Trek before you joined the franchise?

Ethan Peck: I'm a big science fiction fan, but in my younger years, I somehow avoided or overlooked Star Trek . Then I became a big fan of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies. I remember the very first time I saw the posters. Each character looked so developed and thrilling. I thought, “I wish I could do something like that.” Now I'm on Star Trek. It's crazy, but it’s exactly where I want to be in terms of genre.

ESQ: What are some other meaningful science fiction touchpoints for you?

EP: It started with Golden Age science fiction books. I recall reading Isaac Asimov’s The End of Eternity when I was around twelve years old—that was really seminal in terms of how I perceive the universe, and the bigger philosophical quest it sent me on. From a young age, Akira was huge for me, too. It asks so many big questions. It’s an allegory for the threat of nuclear war and the mass destruction we can wreak on ourselves, but it also asks: what is consciousness? That was the first time I'd been exposed to those ideas in a way that I could begin to understand. Of course, 2001: A Space Odyssey made a huge impact, too. Oftentimes a book comes out before a movie, but with 2001: A Space Odyssey , Kubrick reached out to Arthur C. Clarke and said, "I want to create the quintessential science fiction film. Will you help me?" The script was actually completed before the book. I remember reading the book and thinking, “I wish hadn't seen the movie so I could create my own imagery for this,” only to discover that it came out after. I love that book.

ESQ: When you first auditioned for Discovery , how did you feel about stepping into the iconic role of Spock?

EP: When I first auditioned, I didn’t even know what I was auditioning for. The project had a code name, so I was blissfully unaware. We knew that it was code for Star Trek , but I had no idea what the role was. I assumed it was something small. By the time I learned what the role was after two auditions, I was quite frankly terrified. I was terrified of the audition, but also of the need to live up to this mythical icon, as Spock has become. I blacked out the very last audition—I barely remember what I did. After getting the part, I was still terrified. I felt unworthy of it. I felt I had so much personal growth to undergo in order to fulfill the needs of this character. Spock is such a vast-minded person—he’s otherworldly, hyper-intelligent, and has great integrity. I’m constantly working to live up to him.

ESQ: What’s been your experience of joining and navigating this robust fandom?

EP: The conventions are surreal. You have a big group of people who love the concepts, the ideals, and the openness that Star Trek is a vessel for. They’re sometimes marginalized for different reasons, and they find a lot of commonality among one another. That’s a beautiful and incredible thing. I've been plugged into something much bigger than me. I don't feel like I have any ownership over Spock; I'm just a custodian. People come to me at these conventions, and it's almost like they want confirmation of some sort—to be seen by this character and this universe. They're not there to see Ethan. They're there to see Spock, and I just happen to be a representative of this character at this one point in time. These people are so thrilled and excited and moved by the world that we are a part of as actors, and they come with such vulnerability—that’s very special and unique. In the year after Discovery ’s second season, I did thirteen conventions that culminated in Star Trek: The Cruise , which was wild. I kept thinking, “Wow, I get to have this experience. I get to see these people in this light and in under these circumstances.”

ESQ: I need to hear more about Star Trek: The Cruise .

EP: It's everything I've just described, but hyper-condensed and intensified, because you're on this floating skyscraper. I think there were around 2500 to 3000 guests on the ship, with about 30 "talents," as they refer to us. I would walk out of my little suite, which is basically a room with two double beds, and people would say, "Ethan Peck?" You're there with everybody. It’s mostly a celebration of the community that Star Trek has created, which is infused with the show's ideals and vision and optimism.

ESQ: Now that you've played Spock across multiple television shows, what keeps you coming back to him?

EP: I'm still trying to grab the Vulcanism in myself. I felt that I was called to undergo profound evolution to serve the needs of this character, because he’s just so extraordinary. I've been pushed to develop in ways that maybe I wouldn't have if I hadn't been cast in this role. I was cast in 2018, but I'm only just starting to feel like, “I’m here, and I’m doing this, and I'm capable of it.” I still have doubts about that sometimes because there's so much nuance to the character. That challenge is what brings me back. I don't see that it ever would get old or stale or known to me, because the writers keep presenting me with new challenges for this character, and I'm on my toes constantly.

ESQ: What are some of these ways that Spock has driven you to develop?

EP: He challenges me to be more confident. To have more useful thoughts. I found that I spent a lot of time thinking about ways in which I wasn't worthy or good enough, and that wasn’t useful. Spock would never have these thoughts—he would never think about something that doesn't have great utility. That rubbed off on me in the best way, though I’m still on that journey of weeding out toxic and circuitous thinking. I see Spock as a monument in motion, because he’s so pure and pristine in his decision-making, his actions, and his philosophy. As an artist and a person, that feels like a very worthy pursuit, to be in search of Spock.

ESQ: I feel like there’s a book here: The Spock Guide to Self-Help .

EP: It would be a bestseller. CBS should probably think about that.

ESQ: How did you approach making your Spock distinct from the previous iterations of the character?

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EP: I’m still figuring that out. I'm so fundamentally different from Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto, so I don't think I have to do too much work to differentiate myself, because I’m inseparable from my work. Another one of the reasons I knew I had to develop personally was because I needed to become greater and more myself to distinguish the character. Leonard Nimoy is inimitable; he brought certain qualities that I can observe and attempt to internalize, but I can't impersonate him, because that would be such a misstep. I had to understand the character and what he meant to me personally. What I bring to Spock is the impression that I have of him, which is unique to me, I think. I hope, anyway.

ESQ: Strange New Worlds finds a lot of new shades in Spock. Within the first fifteen minutes of Episode One, he's falling into bed his fiancée, T’Pring. Spock has had romances, but now, for the first time ever, he has a sex life. What was that like, to be the actor who gets to take him there?

EP: It was really scary, because there's no blueprint for that. Unfortunately, Leonard Nimoy is not alive to offer me any guidance or advice. Those moments are quite terrifying, because I'm treading into the unknown, and I'm captaining whatever ship is taking me there—albeit with a huge amount of support from the people that I work with. During my preparation for that scene, I thought, “What's too human? What's too sexual? What's too Vulcan? What's weird enough? What's so weird that it doesn't feel relatable to viewers?” That discussion was ongoing with Akiva Goldsman, who directed the episode, and Gia Sandhu, who plays T'Pring. It was a very careful and cautious process.

ESQ: Another shade you bring out in Spock is his capacity for humor. How do you make this guy who has no sense of irony or sarcasm so funny?

EP: A lot of that has to do with the writing. It’s always funny to see Spock in a situation where you think, “Oh no, this is going to be bad for Spock. He's going to do something awkward and goofy and strange.” When he comes into conflict with his own social constructs, that presents a lot of possibilities. For example, there’s a moment where Captain Pike smacks Spock on the shoulder, and he's mystified by the idea of someone touching him. The writers do such a great job of putting him in humorous situations and allowing him to be jocular.

ESQ: How has your grandfather Gregory Peck's legacy figured into how you approach your own work as an actor?

EP: I didn’t know him very well. Ten or fifteen years ago, I wanted to reject the part of me that comes from him, because I felt so undeserving of that pedigree. There’s nothing I did to earn a position in my family tree—I could have been born anywhere. That’s something I ruminate on quite a lot, and now, I feel extremely lucky to be a part of this family, because it does come with perquisites. I think the greatest gift from my grandfather is the possibility of huge success. A lot of people are born into families that don't have this level of recognition, so to attain that seems like an impossible, otherworldly thing. For me, that level of respect and public appreciation felt achievable. In terms of success, it’s given me an openness to the strange or the weird. I’m so proud of being on this show. I can't believe it. I feel so lucky to be a part of Star Trek and to be Spock; that feels like a really big achievement. I can trace that sensation of success back to being born into this family.

ESQ: In the series premiere of Strange New Worlds , we learn about World War III on Earth. Humanity tore itself apart in its own hubris, with thousands of species and hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Star Trek has provided half a century’s worth of commentary on human society, but what does Strange New Worlds have to say about our current moment?

EP: There's a useful scientific analogy called the Great Filter. I'm probably not going to speak very knowledgeably about it because I'm not a scientist. Essentially, civilization will obtain a level of technological development that enables us to destroy ourselves, and that point in time becomes a filter. Will we destroy ourselves, or will we evolve beyond that primal warring state? I think that’s where we’re at. When you look at the news, it's just people killing people because of ideas. People are so afraid of other people's ideas. Strange New Worlds reminds us, “Be careful about your fear, and about the violence that your fear inspires.” That’s a message we can never hear often enough.

One of my buddies always says, "We're just monkeys, man." There's a hopelessness about where we're at, because the behavior of destroying ourselves and killing one another has become so redundant. Strange New Worlds is trying to highlight the tragedy of that, and it's begging us to move beyond it—to move forward, to unite and combine our energies, to be curious about what more is out there.

ESQ: I’ve got just one last question for you—the question every actor playing Spock has to answer. What’s it like walking around with these eyebrows?

EP: I honestly don't even think about it. My friends will say, "Oh man, your eyebrows are so fucked up.” I'm sure other people are thinking, "What's going on with your face?" But I don’t even care. It’s all so worth it.

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5 Things to Know About Ethan Peck, Star Trek: Discovery's New Spock

This casting choice is not highly illogical

On Tuesday, CBS All Access announced that Ethan Peck would be putting on the ears as Spock in Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery . Spock, the iconic half-human, half-Vulcan Science Officer of the USS Enterprise was first played by Leonard Nimoy in the original series and has been played in the recent movie series by Zachary Quinto . The character and the actors who have played him are all highly recognizable, but Ethan Peck is not. In fact, you may be saying "Who tf is Ethan Peck?" Well, we have the answers. Here's what you need to know about the new Spock.

1. He's a descendent of Hollywood royalty. His grandfather is the late Gregory Peck , who won an Oscar in 1962 for his iconic performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird , and who also starred in Spellbound , Roman Holiday and Cape Fear . Ethan's middle name is "Gregory" in honor of his grandfather.

2. He's been acting for awhile, but this is by far his biggest live-action role. His first role was at age 9 in a short-lived ABC crime drama called Charlie Grace . In between then and now, he's appeared on That '70s Show as a young version of Ashton Kutcher 's character Kelso, starred as Heath Ledger's Patrick Verona on ABC Family's series adaptation of 10 Things I Hate About You and appeared on two episodes of Gossip Girl as director David O. Russell 's assistant. Gamers will recognize his voice and likeness from Halo 4 , where he was the CG model for Spartan Gabriel Thorne.

3. He's a model. Peck was the face of Salvatore Ferragamo in 2015. But you don't need to wait for an ad campaign to gaze at all this gorgeousness; his Instagram is basically a one man runway show.

I wink at danger? Celebrating #100Years100Days at #GancioStudios for @Ferragamo. A post shared by Ethan Peck (@ethangpeck) on Dec 8, 2015 at 6:48pm PST

4. He likes Aphex Twin The t-shirt he's wearing in this photo bears the logo for experimental electronic musician Aphex Twin. Aphex Twin is basically Vulcan music , so he has the right kind of brain to nail Spock's logical/emotional balancing act.

Goodbye, Houston. #AphexTwin was sufficiently weird. #DayforNight @ryotnews 4/4 A post shared by Ethan Peck (@ethangpeck) on Dec 18, 2016 at 7:03pm PST

5. His Spock will be different than previous Spocks Discovery is a prequel to The Original Series , and Peck's young Spock hasn't even met Captain Kirk yet. Instead, his story will be tied to his adoptive sister Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ). And his personality won't quite be the same as it is later on. "This is not entirely the Spock who has been formed enough to be the Spock that we know from TOS . There's a lot of story about who Spock was before he becomes the Spock that is the yin-yang to Kirk," executive producer Alex Kurtzman told TV Guide . "What I'm so excited about is that we have an opportunity to present a version of Spock that's both totally consistent with the Spock everyone knows but very, very different. And it's all gonna tie to how we sync up with canon."

Star Trek: Discovery will return for Season 2 in 2019 on CBS All Access .

(Full disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS, the parent company of CBS All Access)

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Published Jan 15, 2019

Grokking Discovery's Spock

Ethan Peck is ready to live long and prosper in his role as Spock

StarTrek.com

And now, logically, it’s time to talk to Ethan Peck, who will step into the role of Spock when Star Trek: Discovery kicks off its second season Thursday on CBS All Access. The young actor, whose film and television credits include Passport to Paris, That '70s Show, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, 10 Things I Hate About You, In Time, Madam Secretary and The Curse of Sleeping Beauty , is the grandson of Hollywood icon Gregory Peck. Proudly sporting a Borg T-shirt, Peck spoke with a small group of journalists at a Manhattan hotel the day after his first New York Comic-Con appearance in October. During the 20-minute conversation, he addressed his familiarity with Trek, discussed how he prepped to play Trek ’s most-beloved Vulcan and shared his thoughts about the heightened fame he’ll surely experience as part of entering the Star Trek universe.

How familiar were you with Trek before hooking up with the franchise?

Mildly. I'm a huge science-fiction fan, and obviously Star Trek falls under that category. I'm a big fan of the Abrams movie that Kurtzman worked on, but I'm really becoming a Trekkie now, as I do my studies.

You’re playing arguably one of the most famous Trek characters of all time...

Yeah. It's pretty wild.

No pressure, right?

No pressure.

How much research do you go into? Did you sit down and try to watch all the movies, and all the series?

I'm still working my way through The Original Series , because that's a ton of hours. I had to catch up first with season one of Discovery . I met with the Nimoy family, which was an incredible experience. I wanted to and CBS made that happen, and that was the first step in feeling like I am worthy and I can do this.

Did you want to meet them to get their blessing?

I was just curious to meet them because, obviously, Leonard is not with us, but there's some of him with them. Sure, of course I wanted their blessing in some way, shape or form, and they definitely gave me that. They really inspired me to be curious about what Leonard did with the role. I was curious… “What did he do to prepare?” And they were like, "You shouldn't… Just watch The Original Series ." I was like, "OK." That's the most Spock thing I could have done, just to be deeply curious and observing of what he's done. I read I'm Not Spock , and I'm reading I Am Spock now, and watched Wrath of Khan the other night. The Spock that we are creating, that I'm a big part of, isn't immediately recognizable as the Spock you will see, because it wouldn't be very fun to just have him. So, we need to get him to where he is shaped and molded to the Spock that we will see in The Original Series .

I've done my best to capture and internalize the spirit of Nimoy's Spock, which is really my benchmark. Quinto obviously did an amazing job with his Spock, but that's an alternate universe. My light at the end of the tunnel is Nimoy's Spock. From what I've seen of TOS , the conversations and the dialogue I've had, I don't think we've ever seen such complex inner-world ruminations or explanations. So, just in the writing alone, there's more Spock, there's farther down into the depths of Spock. There's a lot of freedom there to creating an inner emotional world that's much more on the surface, but, as I said, with utter respect and reverence for who he becomes and within cannon, and all that.

Is this a more emotional Spock?

I guess you could say that, yeah. When we first see him, he's sort of unraveled. This is a time when this epic conflict within him, human, Vulcan, in one being is really on the surface and plays out on the surface.

You auditioned not knowing what role you were up for, right?

That was something I discovered on my own. The first set of scenes I got were disguised, and I had no idea who it was. About three weeks later, a couple days before my final audition, essentially, I got a scene that revealed that Michael and I shared a father. I was like, “What? What? No! What?" Watching Discovery, at this point, I realized that Burnham was Sarek and Amanda's child, adopted child. I just couldn't believe it. I was like, "No farking way, man! That's not... how's this possible?" I just never thought he'd be again.

When did you start to feel like Spock? Was it the ears? Was it getting the eyebrows shaved and raised?

As you know, he starts in a place that we don't immediately recognize him. Even in that way, I didn't feel like Spock, because he's not. That's kind of a gift for me as an actor because it's such a daunting task. I have time as Ethan to grow as an actor, to grow into Spock as an actor, and Spock himself is growing into Spock. I think that you'll see hopefully will be authentic, but I think the first time I really felt like, well, that Spock was… We did a big press shoot at the weekend. I hadn't really seen photos of myself yet. I'd seen photos of screens from the monitors, and I was like "Wow! This is real" and "That's me and that's Spock."

Before this, what was the most logical role you had played?

This small movie called Adopt a Sailor , I played a sailor who's trying to make sense of a very traumatic experience. He has a near-death experience. It's a very intellectual process for him. So, probably him.

To you, how fascinating is the conflict between emotion and logic?

Very fascinating, because what a gift as an actor, and as an audience member to have somebody who's in this struggle. These are the touchstones of humanity: logic and emotion. We are primal. Civilization has given knowledge and discovery and desire to understand and communicate with each other what's going on here in this universe and in this world, and to have that played out in a character is just such a gift, such an opportunity. And I think as an audience, as a viewer to see that is really exciting, because we can all relate to that. There are times when you're like "Ah, man! I really overreacted." Or, "I shouldn't' have said that" or "I don't even remember what I said because I was so angry." He's really teaches all of us what it is to be human. I think that's really special.

Can you talk about working with Sonequa Martin-Green?

Sonequa is so amazing. My nickname for her is “Strength” because she is so full of energy and so full of life, both on and off camera. The amount of work she has to do for the show would make your head spin because it's just non-stop for her, and she's a mother, which blows my mind. The amount of work she puts in for Discovery is vast, and very few people could do that. She's really special and really inspiring to me and I admire the heck out of her. It's such a joy to work with her, too. She's been a huge part of me feeling like I can do this, and that this Spock is my own. We've been through a lot together, on and off camera, especially on camera. I'm really excited for the world to see it. Hopefully, it is as good as it felt.

You will be a fresh face to a lot of people. How ready are for the fame element that comes from being part of Star Trek ? And the follow up is, in a perfect world, what will this lead to for you going down the road.

Great question. It's funny, I had so much excitement about the audition process. “Wow! This is a dream come true.” It really is. This is something every actor's dream is to have moment like this, where you get this role that's going to put you on the map, as they say. My aim is not to be famous. That gives me a lot of anxiety. I really appreciate and enjoy my anonymity and being able to observe the world as a normal member of the world. Fame really can be distorting for both the self, if you become famous, and for other people and the way they view you. The night before I found out I got it, I was actually in tears talking to a friend of mine, like “Am I worthy of this? Will this change my life in a way that's irreversible and unpalatable?” So, I definitely have anxiety about that, but at the same time I'm glad that it didn't happen any earlier in my life because I feel like I'm really coming into my own as a person, and I'll have that forever and hopefully I can hold on to that. Whatever happens with this, whether it makes me famous or not... And further down the line, I’d love to continue playing roles like this. I have to bring up my grandfather because he played such inspiring and beautiful characters that I think epitomized paradigms for humanity, in a way, such dignified and noble people. I think Spock falls into that category, and it really moves me that I get to play this character and I hope to get to do more characters like him.

How cool is the Six Degrees of Separation element that your grandfather worked with Patrick Stewart on Moby Dick ?

Crazy! And that DeForest Kelley was in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit . It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. So, there are all these kind of ties to the past there.

Star Trek: Discovery 's second season will premiere on Thursday, January 17, 2019 on CBS All Access in the U.S. and on Space Channel in Canada. The series premieres in 188 countries on Netflix on Friday, January 18, 2019.

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finds Its Young Spock

Where No One Has Gone Before

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Star Trek: Discovery has added an important, new cast member.

The CBS All Access series announced Ethan Peck will play young Spock, “the half human, half Vulcan Science Officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and foster brother of Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green),” according to a press release.

“Through 52 years of television and film, a parallel universe and a mirror universe, Mr. Spock remains the only member of the original bridge crew to span every era of Star Trek ,” executive producer Alex Kurtzman said. “The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn between logic and emotion. We searched for months for an actor who would, like them, bring his own interpretation to the role.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Cast on New (Old) Faces, Family Dynamics & Life Post-War in Season 2 (VIDEO)

“An actor who would, like them, effortlessly embody Spock’s greatest qualities, beyond obvious logic: empathy, intuition, compassion, confusion, and yearning. Ethan Peck walked into the room inhabiting all of these qualities, aware of his daunting responsibility to Leonard, Zack, and the fans, and ready to confront the challenge in the service of protecting and expanding on Spock’s legacy. In that spirit, we’re thrilled to welcome him to the family.”

Peck has acting in his blood — he’s the grandson of legendary actor Gregory Peck. His past acting roles include ABC Family’s TV series 10 Things I Hate About You , CW Seed’s I Ship It , and ABC drama pilot For Love .

Spock & Number One Together Again? Plus, More Scoop From the 'Star Trek: Discovery' Comic-Con Panel

In other Star Trek  TV series casting news, Patrick Stewart is slated to reprise his role of Jean-Luc Picard, who has played the character off and on on the small and big screens since 1987, in a new series for CBS All Access.

“Make it so! @SirPatStew will be returning to his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard in a new @cbsallaccess #StarTrek series that tells the story of the next chapter in Picard’s life,” the Star Trek: Discovery  account tweeted.

The OG cast member couldn’t contain his excitement. He tweeted:

It is an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him. Read my full statement in the photo. #StarTrek @cbsallaccess Photo: @shervinfoto pic.twitter.com/8Ynuj3RBNm — Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) August 4, 2018

Check out the Season 2 teaser trailer below:

Star Trek: Discovery , Season 2, Early 2019, CBS All Access

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Actor ethan peck talks taking on iconic role of spock for star trek: discovery s2, emoting through unwieldy prosthetic eyebrows was the least of the challenges..

Jennifer Ouellette - Apr 11, 2020 8:31 pm UTC

Star Trek: Discovery takes an admittedly leisurely approach to storytelling, particularly in S1, but that's frankly part of its appeal. It's very much a character-driven show, taking the time to explore complex emotions and relationships. As we  wrote in our year-end roundup , "when Discovery shines, it's like a supernova against the night sky—and much of that light comes from the stellar cast." One of those sources of light is actor Ethan Peck , who plays Spock on the series. Peck recently sat down with Ars Technica to talk about the challenge of stepping into some pretty big shoes to portray the canonical character.

(Some spoilers for first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery below.)

Discovery is a prequel to the original Star Trek , set roughly 10 years before Captain James T. Kirk and his intrepid crew took over the USS Enterprise and boldly went where no man had gone before. It stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham, an orphaned human raised on the planet Vulcan by none other than Sarek (James Frain) and his human wife, Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner)—aka, Spock's parents, which makes her Spock's adoptive sister. (Certain purists might object that this violates Star Trek canon; Ars' own Kate Cox prefers to call it "sanctioned fanfic . There was undefined room around the edges to fill in, so they did.")

In S1, Michael has a promising career as first officer of the USS Shenzhou under Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh)—until a desperate act to prevent a war with a united Klingon race drives her to defy orders and essentially commit mutiny. Lots of casualties ensued. The season's broad narrative arc is partly her redemption story, as she joins the crew of the USS Discovery at the behest of Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs). The rest of it involves fighting the Klingons and traveling to a mirror universe, with some pretty major consequences. The final shot showed Discovery meeting up with the USS Enterprise , no doubt igniting excited "squees!" from diehard fans.

For the second season, Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) has temporarily replaced Lorca as captain of the Discovery  while the Enterprise is undergoing repairs. There was more of a return to the classic standalone episode structure, with a season-long arc involving mysterious appearances of a "Red Angel" and a rogue Starfleet AI called Control who seeks to wipe out all sentient life in the universe. That's where Spock comes in: he has had recurrent visions of the Red Angel since childhood and teams up with his estranged sister, Michael, and the rest of the Discovery crew to foil Control's nefarious plan.

Peck readily admits to feeling considerable trepidation about taking on such an iconic role, following in the footsteps not just of the original Spock, the legendary Leonard Nimoy, but also Zachary Quinto, who portrays the Vulcan in J.J. Abrams' rebooted film franchise. "I was initially kind of in denial about it, because you never expect that kind of role to come around," Peck told Ars.

Once he snagged the role, "I had to overcome a lot of self-doubt," he said. "I wasn't sure I was ready to take on that much responsibility. I knew it could change my life dramatically. On the one hand, I'd dreamed of something like this. On the other, when you get your dreams, that's when the real work begins, and you have to figure out what you're made of."

Fortunately, the actor thrives on tackling difficult challenges and rose to the occasion. He found inspiration in past Spock portrayals and in the 1984 film, Starman , which starred Jeff Bridges as an alien grappling with his new human body and the messy world of human emotions. And as he settled into the character, a bit of Spock started to rub off on him, particularly when it came to wasting mental energy on self-doubt.

"I realized Spock would never think this way," he said. "With Spock I learned the importance of honing your own programming. There was a culling of thoughts that were bad for my preparation for the role. That really came from always thinking, 'what would Spock do?' As an actor, you have to weasel your way into minds that are not your own."

"What makes Spock so compelling is the perpetual conflict within him."

Part of that challenge lies in conveying emotion and Spock's essential human side, when the character is famous for being logical, precise, and distrustful of emotion. Nimoy was a master of the expressively arched eyebrow. While Peck says he, too, has "articulate eyebrows," he was hampered in exploiting that feature by the fact that his makeup called for "eyebrow blockers": a prosthetic placed over his actual eyebrows, in lieu of shaving them into the classic Vulcan shape. "I had to make sure I raised my eyebrow enough every time I had to do that," he said.

Instead, he focused on the eyes and vocal cadences to emphasize the character's thoughtfulness and introspection. "What makes Spock so compelling is the perpetual conflict within him," said Peck. "The conflict between logic and emotion, between Vulcan and human. I always saw in Nimoy's eyes a depth of understanding of the emotion around him and an empathy with those around him. That wasn't always communicated verbally. But you see it in the time he takes to consider moments or situations. That, I think, expresses his humanity very well."

The gradual humanization of Spock arguably began in the 1980s with Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home  (1986) after (spoiler alert!) Spock's death and resurrection, becoming more pronounced in the Abrams franchise. Discovery 's incarnation of Spock is probably the most humanized to date, best characterized by his difficult relationship with his estranged adoptive sister Michael—a key thematic arc for the season. We don't actually meet Spock until well into S2, when Michael finds him on Vulcan, psychologically tormented by the return of his childhood visions of the Red Angel.

"As I understood it, Spock had spent so much time compartmentalizing his humanity that it was now harming him," said Peck. "I think Michael really teaches Spock about his humanity. Her childhood of abandonment of him is what forces him to close off his feelings, plus he's raised on a planet that's not accepting of emotion. So when they do reconnect, it's a bit of a re-education that emotion and instinct give us something above pure logic." In other words, Michael helps him to become the best version of his dual-natured self.

Alas, Spock seems unlikely to play a role in Star Trek: Discovery 's forthcoming third season , since in the S2 finale, the spaceship was forced to travel over 900 years into the future to defeat Control. Spock was unable to join Michael and the rest of the crew on that journey, if for no other reason than to preserve the canonical timeline. The good news is that a spinoff series featuring Pike, Number One (Rebecca Romijin), and Spock, together on board the USS Enterprise , is already in development —likely also a prequel to TOS,  given what we know of Pike's ultimate fate .

While there's no guarantee such a series will eventually transpire, and the current pandemic has put the brakes on everything in Hollywood for the time being, Peck would be delighted to reprise the role, relishing the opportunity to further explore the character's inner world. "I would love to continue playing this character and being a part of this world," he said. "Sure, I am biased by now because I'm part of it, and I've drunk the Kool-Aid, but there's almost something religious about Star Trek . Its ideology provides a hope that people can hold onto. Just look at the community it's created. It celebrates what makes us special as human beings, illuminates what makes us great."

Maybe we need Star Trek now more than ever. So go on, get your Trek on this weekend with a Star Trek: Discovery marathon. It's still streaming on CBS All Access, along with Picard  and seasons past.

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‘star trek: strange new worlds’ star ethan peck discusses initial “nearly unbearable” weight of playing spock and profound fan appreciation.

His journey to become the iconic sci-fi character first brought to life by the legendary Leonard Nimoy has been intense, but thoroughly enjoyable and fulfilling, he tells THR.

By Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker

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[Warning: This story contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “Ghosts of Illyria.”] 

For Ethan Peck, each episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a journey into a character whom he has come to know well — and yet remains a mystery. The actor, who debuted as Spock on Star Trek: Discovery , finds great beauty in that notion.

His journey to becoming the iconic sci-fi character first brought to life by the legendary Leonard Nimoy has been intense, but thoroughly enjoyable and fulfilling, he tells The Hollywood Reporter .

And while it was his guest work on Discovery that led throngs of fans to demand he, along with Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn , be given a spinoff, it is the format and writing of Strange New Worlds that has allowed Peck to truly embody and understand the half-Vulcan, half-human character.

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The new series on Paramount+ is only three episodes in, and yet, no time was wasted in exploring Spock’s internal trials and tribulations, including his love life struggles with T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), who was bonded to Spock as a child. Peck is reveling in the exploration of his character’s dueling identities, crediting the writers for Spock’s nuance and complexities.

The Original Series nostalgia comes through so well. How does it feel to make this series compared to your time on Discovery ? 

It’s obvious we are in an episodic format, so each episode is its own adventure, its own world, its own conflict to be overcome by the bridge crew of the Enterprise. The challenges are new every single time, and that’s exciting for me as an actor because I don’t know what’s coming up. Oftentimes, at the beginning of the season of a serialized show, you kind of get an idea of what your character will be going through. And in this case, it’s kind of a surprise where Spock is going. That’s really thrilling.

You, Anson and Rebecca struck such a chord with fans in these characters, they demanded via petitions there be a spinoff. Has the level of that love, respect and trust set in yet? 

It’s still crazy to wrap my head around that. Fans are such a big part of why we’re here now, and I’m so grateful to the fans. It’s also been really inspiring for us because we’ve just poured our hearts and souls into this series, and I think it shows. You can feel it. But yes, I’m still kind of grasping the reality of my situation — that I’m playing this character and on this show. It fills me with wonder and honor.

I so appreciate that, right off the bat, the series deals with Spock’s exploration of his inner turmoil and conflict — trying to find his true self, as opposed to who he thinks others want him to be. You’re really pulling double duty at times in that battle.

Absolutely. I’ve been really fortunate with the level of nuance they’ve given to me in the writing. It’s also been very scary. This is such a precious character, not just to the fans, but to me. And like I said, one of the gifts of the episodic format is that every episode’s a new adventure, not knowing what Spock is going to be doing. So I feel like I’m constantly kind of searching for the character and understanding the inner details, which again is a gift.

Spock wants to be accepted by Vulcan, by his people whom he’s grown up with, but he has never been accepted because he’s half human. This is a struggle that exists on our planet, and I may not be the best representative of that, but we have amazing writers who do experience that today. I know that they contribute quite heavily to Spock’s life in that way. His human side is undeniable. He must explore it. And I think eventually his understanding of his humanness is what makes him who he will become later in the Original Series . His emotional side draws in valuable information that he can use in his problem-solving. He’s a beautiful person to be portraying and to be discovered.

I am also enjoying the exploration of his love life with T’Pring, which was only briefly touched on in the Original Series . Can you talk about that additional, mostly unexplored layer of Spock? 

It’s really complicated, and we really handle it with a lot of thought and caution because we don’t want to put anything down that doesn’t ring true for these characters and for these cultures. It’s so interesting playing against Gia because she is expressive in an even more quiet way, in my opinion, than Spock can be. And when I’m working with her on-camera, I feel he needs to be more Vulcan to be accepted because I want her to like me. I want to be accepted by her. So that’s always kind of on the back burner of Spock’s mind, that he just doesn’t belong there, he belongs with Starfleet. So it’s interesting to explore those moments with her.

There is a wild away mission for Capt. Pike and Spock in “Ghosts of Illyria.” Safe to assume away missions are more fun to shoot, especially when it is just you and Anson getting to play in the sandbox? 

Away missions can be more fun. Oftentimes, though, they’re logistically more complicated, so we might have to wake up even earlier to travel someplace to film. This particular episode we actually filmed in Ontario Place in Toronto. So in that way, they can be a little more complicated. There are more unknowns, but it’s always really fun to be in a new environment with these characters because our team just does such an amazing job with set design and decoration, and it really brings life to my work. But this specific episode is such a classic Spock and captain episode.

And Anson and I get along great. We share a lot of science fiction books with each other, both being big sci-fi fans. So, we’re often both reading on-set. I think we both approach our work with the same amount of intensity and consistency, and that’s just really special. Everyone on our show works hard, and I think Anson really sets the bar for the level of work that exists in our show, and that is something I’ve admired.

How did you build that bond between you two? Did you spend extra time paling around when the cameras weren’t rolling? 

When I was doing Discovery , I saw Pike as an uncle figure to Spock or an older brother. On Discovery , Spock became close with his adopted sister Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ), but I think Pike was the human role model for him. And so with that in mind, we went into our off time between Discovery and Strange New Worlds and did as many conventions together as we could. We just had a blast and got to know each other better, discovered that we just have great chemistry on- and off-camera. And of course, working together now on Strange New Worlds , you become family. You see each other in your highs and your lows, and you learn to accept each person for who they are in every moment. And that’s a rare opportunity because we must be united and be coordinated with one another and work together. So that’s really special.

You and Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura are doing an extraordinary job with your incarnations of these beloved classic characters. I assume there was extra pressure initially. Do you still feel it now? 

That’s a question that I can answer in so many different ways as time goes on because it changes. In the beginning, yes, the weight was nearly unbearable, and I wondered if I would be kind of broken by, “I’m not sure that I quite feel worthy.” I’m still growing into Spock in many ways. And you know, now the pressure isn’t quite as great as it was during Discovery .

I’m trying to have an experience as Spock. I’m not thinking of what the final product will be or how it will look. But I definitely did a bunch of research, and I’m constantly checking in with the voice of Spock in my head. Leonard Nimoy made such an impression on me and that’s with me always. I’m constantly checking in with that.

Celia and I maybe have added pressure because of the characters we’re playing, but at the same time, I think Star Trek is such a beautiful burden for all of us and a heavy one, too. It represents something so special to so many people. It’s hopeful and aspirational and inspiring and curious and accepting. And I think it’s always anecdotal to all of the important things that are happening in the world.

Interview edited for length and clarity. 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount+.

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Hughes has appeared in a number of television productions since 2016. That year, he appeared in two episodes of Wayward Pines and an episode of Travelers . 2017 saw him in an episode of The Magicians and several episodes of The Flash (with Victor Garber ) as a young version of the series lead character, Barry Allen. He also appeared in the television movies Infidelity in Suburbia and A Bramble House Christmas .

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• Star Trek: Discovery’s NYCC trailer reveals young Spock

A new actor is taking over the role after the Kelvinverse trilogy

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Star Trek: Discovery finally gave fans what they’ve been anxiously waiting for: Spock.

A new trailer for CBS All Access’ popular series debuted today at New York Comic Con, and the most notable addition to the show is the return of a TOS favorite. Spock, originally played by the late Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series in the 1960s, will be played by Ethan Peck, grandson of To Kill a Mockingbird star Gregory Peck.

Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told Variety in August Peck was the best actor who encompassed the spirt of every Spock iteration to date, from Nimoy to Zachary Quinto in the later movies.

“Through 52 years of television and film, a parallel universe and a mirror universe, Mr. Spock remains the only member of the original bridge crew to span every era of Star Trek,” Kurtzman told Variety. “The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn between logic and emotion. We searched for months for an actor who would, like them, bring his own interpretation to the role.”

Peck will play a much younger Spock, considering Star Trek: Discovery takes place 10 years before the events of the original series.

Star Trek: Discovery returns Jan. 17, 2019.

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 2, Episode 7: A Young Spock

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By Sopan Deb

• Feb. 28, 2019

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 2, Episode 7: “Light and Shadows”

Finally. It took seven episodes, but we get our first extended look at Ethan Peck’s portrayal of Spock.

Here are the people who have played Spock so far in Trek history: Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto and several children and young adults who barely had any lines.

But Peck will be the first to flesh out a younger version of Spock. In “Light and Shadows,” he is portrayed as either catatonic or repeating the same words over and over again. He also has a beard. And as it turns out, even though Starfleet has apparently placed a high premium on finding the Vulcan, he’s actually able to sneak back into Vulcan undetected. Not even Sarek or Section 31, who are supposed to be keeping an eye out for this kind of stuff, realize this.

Peck’s Spock seems to have more personality than previous iterations of Spock. He seems to lean in to his humanity a bit more, whereas Quinto and Nimoy shied away from it, perhaps as a result of playing an older version.

Amanda Grayson points out that Sarek is performing a Vulcan ritual called tokmar — which can “bring lost souls back home.” I don’t know if I spelled “tokmar” correctly so perhaps I am a lost soul as well. But the ritual isn’t working. Because Grayson, the mother of Spock and Burnham, knows the truth, which is that Spock is home, hidden in a sacred crypt that apparently no one else on Vulcan is aware of.

We see Spock etching the Red Angel into the walls of the crypt. We know, because of Burnham’s personal log at the start of the episode, that it is now believed that the angel is a humanoid being from the future.

“But whose future? And why?” Burnham asks. It’s the key mystery of the season, and finally, we’re making some progress in finding out, because we’ve found Spock.

The writers of “Discovery” keep hitting the point home that as children, Burnham and Spock were close. There are multiple flashbacks in this episode, which is directed by Marta Cunningham, showing them together. It throws more gasoline on the questions that Trek fans have been asking ever since before “Discovery” premiered: If they were that close as children, why did we never find out about Burnham in any previous iteration of Trek? More on this in a bit.

Grayson reveals, in an unusually tense conversation with Sarek, that as children, Spock had a learning disability, which made him an outcast on Vulcan. Sarek responds with dripping condescension. Vulcan gaslighting, one might say.

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“You never truly respected humanity,” Grayson says piercingly. She has a point, considering the way Sarek looks down upon the way humans act.

For a race based on logic, Sarek’s decision to turn Spock over to Section 31 really makes no sense.

“Outside of this room, no one is more motivated to heal Spock than Section 31,” Sarek says. Really? The counterintelligence group with advanced technology that counts Evil Georgiou among its ranks and is currently chasing after Spock assuming he’s murdered multiple Starfleet officers? And why does Sarek think not turning over Spock to Section 31 would jeopardize Burnham’s Starfleet career?

Of course, Section 31’s intentions aren’t pure. Georgiou, as a good deed, warns Burnham that the group intends on extracting Spock’s memories, which would ruin him. They stage an elaborate fight. Burnham rescues Spock and now they’re on their way to Talos IV, the home of the Talosians and a reference to the first pilot episode of the original Trek.

The other story line in the episode is that the rest of the Discovery crew gets caught near a time loop anomaly of some sort. This story line is a bit derivative of some past Trek episodes, like “Cause and Effect” from “The Next Generation.”

Pike and Tyler go to investigate, for no real reason other than to serve the plot. The “Discovery” writers seem to be straining to give Tyler things to do this season, but the action sequences within the loop are compelling. Tyler openly defying Pike in a life-threatening situation where time is a factor? Unnecessary.

Back to Spock, because it’s no coincidence that the strongest parts of the episode involve him and the Red Angel mystery. This is my wild prediction, based on what we’ve seen so far: We seem to be headed toward some sort of time travel catastrophe that will wipe out entire timelines because of the Red Angel, which will explain why in future Treks, we never hear about Burnham. The “Discovery” writers have consistently showed a willingness to take ambitious risks and Trek has historically had no problem erasing timelines — hello J.J. Abrams!

All in all, I’m glad we’ve made some progress on the season’s central mystery.

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"Star Trek: Discovery" casts Ethan Peck as young Spock

By Andrea Park

August 14, 2018 / 3:21 PM EDT / CBS News

The wait is over: "Star Trek: Discovery" has cast its young Spock. Actor Ethan Peck, who starred on the TV adaptation of "10 Things I Hate About You," will play the role originated by the late Leonard Nimoy for Season 2 of the CBS All Access series, CBS announced Tuesday. 

Main character Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, is Spock's adopted sister. Their father, Sarek, made several appearances during Season 1. 

The search for Spock is over! @ethangpeck will step into the legendary role in season 2 of #StarTrekDiscovery . 🖖 #LLAP pic.twitter.com/zZpVaKZv1J — Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) August 14, 2018

Peck was recently on "Madam Secretary" and CW Seed's "I Ship It." He is also the grandson of Hollywood legend Gregory Peck. 

Recently, executive producer and series co-creator Alex Kurtzman  revealed the first look trailer at "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 2 at San Diego Comic-Con, and confirmed that the most famous Vulcan in "Star Trek" history would be part of Season 2.

It's not clear when in the season Spock will appear, but the first look hints that he appears to be linked to the central mystery of the season.

• CBS expanding "Star Trek" with five-year deal for new shows
• Makeup experts reveal how they recreated Klingons on "Star Trek: Discovery"

Wilson Cruz, the actor who plays Dr. Hugh Culber, revealed that he will return to the show, though he was  killed off last season . Back in January, showrunner Aaron Harberts said the plan to kill Hugh was always in the works, but added, cryptically, that this was meant to be the "first chapter in their story."

"We thought it was going to take a little while for the audience to bond with them, get to know the characters. We didn't realize how this couple was going to resonate with audience, and they bonded so so quickly," he said on CBSN. "Our intention was to really start their story with what happens [on this episode]."

Earlier this month, CBS announced that Patrick Stewart will reprise his iconic role of Jean-Luc Picard in a new "Star Trek" series. It will be streamed on CBS All Access. The still-unnamed series will explore the "next chapter" of Picard's life.

"Star Trek: Discovery" returns to CBS All Access in January. Watch the trailer for Season 2 below. 

Andrea is an entertainment producer at CBSNews.com

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Every actor who has played Spock on 'Star Trek'

The saga of spock.

Ever since we saw the USS Discovery rendezvous with the USS Enterprise in the season one finale of "Star Trek: Discovery," fans have been frantic to find out more. We have since learned that Capt. Christopher Pike (to be played by Anson Mount) is at the helm of the ship made famous by "Star Trek: The Original Series," and this cosmic encounter is set in the "Star Trek" timeline before the events of the original series episode "The Cage," which means that somewhere on the NCC-1701 is a certain celebrated Vulcan science officer. With bated breath we waited; who would be cast as Spock? In August, "Discovery" representatives announced that Ethan Peck would appear in the role. Peck will be the ninth actor to have portrayed Spock either on television or in a film — and just in case you can't remember them all, here's the complete list. (Movie and TV credits are via the "Star Trek" fan reference site Memory Alpha and IMDb .)

Leonard Nimoy

• "Star Trek: The Original Series" (1966-1969) … as Mr. Spock
• "Star Trek: The Animated Series" (1973-1974) … as Mr. Spock
• "Star Trek: The Next Generation" — "Unification" parts I & II (1991) … as Ambassador Spock
• "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979) … as Mr. Spock
• "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982) … as Capt. Spock
• "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984) … as Spock
• "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986) … as Capt. Spock
• "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (1989) … as Capt. Spock
• "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991) … as Capt. Spock
• "Star Trek" (2009) … as Spock Prime
• "Star Trek: Into Darkness" (2013) … as Spock Prime

Billy Simpson

• "Star Trek: The Animated Series" — "Yesteryear" (1973) … as Young Spock

Carl Steven

• "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984) … as Spock, age 9

Vadia Potenza

• "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984) … as Spock, age 13

Stephen Manley

• "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984) … as Spock, age 17

Joe W. Davis

• "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984) … as Spock, age 25

Jacob Kogan

• "Star Trek" (2009) … as young Spock

Zachary Quinto

• "Star Trek" (2009) … as Mr. Spock
• "Star Trek: Into Darkness" (2013) … as Mr. Spock
• "Star Trek: Beyond" (2016) … as Mr. Spock

• "Star Trek: Discovery" (2019) … as Mr. Spock

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When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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Star Trek: Discovery

Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien.

• Bryan Fuller
• Alex Kurtzman
• Sonequa Martin-Green
• Anthony Rapp
• 4.5K User reviews
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• 21 wins & 87 nominations total

Episodes 65

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• Lt. Cmdr. Paul Stamets …

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• Lt. Gen Rhys …

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• Trivia The Starfleet vessels seen in the first season, including the Discovery, the Shenzou and the redesigned Enterprise, were all designed by production artist John Eaves. Eaves' work with Star Trek spans three decades. Probably his most notable contribution was the design of the Enterprise-E for Star Trek: First Contact (1996) .
• Goofs With Michael being the adoptive sister of Spock, the series has many flashbacks to their childhood and upbringing on Vulcan. Spock's Vulcan half-brother, Sybok, does not appear nor is mention during these scenes. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) , Spock says that he and Sybok grew up together. However, since it's never stated when Sybok joined Sarek's home - only that he did so following his mother's death - or when he was exiled from the family, it's not impossible Sybok moved in after Burnham, and left before she graduated (the two extremes of the flashbacks). Also, since Sybok was never mentioned before Star Trek V, it seems reasonable the family never spoke of him again after his estrangement.
• Alternate versions The serif-font legends and subtitles in the "broadcast" episodes are absent from the DVD versions, where they are replaced with the standard DVD subtitles.
• Connections Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Female Lead TV Shows You Should Be Watching in 2017 (2017)

User reviews 4.5K

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• Jan 6, 2022

April 2024 TV and Streaming Premiere Dates

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• Why do the Klingons in this series look completely different to how they look in all of the previous Star Trek shows and films?
• Do I need to have seen any previous Star Trek TV series and movies in order to be able to understand and follow this show?
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• September 24, 2017 (United States)
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• Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Star Trek Discovery’s L’ak Actor Told Us About Learning His Character's Most Exciting Details At A Point When He Couldn't Immediately Freak Out

I would be losing my mind too.

Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Discovery episode "Mirrors." Watch the episode with a Paramount+ subscription before hopping in!

Star Trek: Discovery snuck in a significant reveal in its latest episode, and it answered a question that many fans have wondered for decades. We finally know what the Breen look like, and it turns out we've been looking at one almost the entire season. L'ak has the honor of being the first Breen face for fans to see, and actor Elias Toufexis had a great story of geeking out when he first learned about it.

For those who follow him on X , Toufexis is a massive Star Trek fan, but he didn't find out how significant his role as L'ak in the final season was until he was in a spot where, understandably, wild reactions and jerky movements are discouraged. The actor shared the details of when he first found out he was going to be a Breen and how he felt about it:

When I went to the makeup test I had, I had to go put on the whole plaster where you sit there for 20 minutes and try not to pass out, try not to freak out. But I said, ‘Can I look at what I'm going to look like?’ And they showed me some concept art and I said, ‘What is he?’ And they said, ‘Oh, he's, he's gonna be a Breen.’ And I was like, ‘Breen don't take their helmets off.’ That was the first thing I said, that's a much of a nerd I am. And I'm like, ‘Are you telling me I'm gonna be the first Breen that takes his helmet off?’ …The makeup guys are geeks too. So it's like, ‘Yeah, it's gonna be cool. It's gonna be the first time in Star Trek!’ And so that really got me excited.

I can't express how much I love it when a big fan of Star Trek finds themselves in a role for the franchise. Being the first unmasked Breen may not mean a ton to every actor who would get the honor, but I know Elias Toufexis was as enthusiastic as he stated in the quote above. At the same time, what awful timing to figure it out when you're in the makeup chair and have to contain your excitement physically for a set period of time!

The Breen were first mentioned Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1990, and then six years later, the species would make its debut in the Deep Space Nine episode "Indiscretion" but remained unseen until just recently. According to a quote from showrunner Ira Steven Behr from the Deep Space Nine Companion , Breen were originally fully covered up because he "wasn't in the mood" to design a new alien race.

Fast forward to now, we've seen an unmasked Breen on the run from his species with his lover, Moll (who is nothing like Ahsoka 's Shin Hati ). The couriers are searching for the Progenitors' device in hopes they can exchange it with the Breen for freedom and no longer have to live as fugitives.

I'm getting really excited about this.

Michael Burnham, being the inspiring captain that she is , offered to protect L'ak and Moll from the Breen, but her offer was rejected. The two made their escape, are off to continue to search for more clues and, hopefully, evade the Breen capture.

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It is cool to see Star Trek still surprising fans with reveals decades later, and I wonder if we'll see more unmasked Breen in upcoming Star Trek projects going forward. Perhaps whatever comes out of this conflict with the Breen will play a part in the story of the upcoming Starfleet Academy series , which is also set in the 32nd century. I can imagine we'll see at least one or two members of the Discovery cast there, though Mary Wiseman wouldn't spill the beans when I asked. Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying!

Star Trek: Discovery streams new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. We're officially at the midpoint in the final season, so now would be a good time to remember what we've learned so far and gear up for the final episodes.

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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• April 25, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Reflects On Its Choices In “Mirrors”

Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Reflects On Its Choices In “Mirrors”

| April 25, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 109 comments so far

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 – Debuted Thursday, April 25, 2024 Written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco Directed by Jen McGowan

A solid episode with plenty of lore and character development gets weighed down with a bit too much exposition.

No, I didn’t kiss you in the past last week, what makes you say that?

WARNING: Spoilers below!

“Maybe we’re not so different.”

As the crew regroups following the time bug incident that lost them 6 hours, they try to trace the trail of their main rivals in the search for the Progenitor tech. Book takes this time to reflect on the choices he has made in life and how it isn’t too late for Moll; perhaps he can redeem the daughter of his mentor and namesake Cleveland Booker. Stamets and Tilly figure out the trail didn’t disappear into nowhere: Moll and L’ak went through a wormhole. The aperture isn’t big enough for the Disco, so the captain assigns herself to shuttle duty—over the objections of her new XO, who is still struggling a bit. After a little bonding over old Kellerun poetry, she leaves him with “I know you can lead this crew” and heads off with her ex. Returning to their old banter, including some teasing about what happened during her time tour last episode, Book and Michael head through the wormhole. Things get really choppy as they fly through exotic matter “deaf and blind,” losing comms with the Disco, and dodging debris. Skilled piloting and good ol’ Starfleet engineering saves them, but things aren’t so hot for Moll and L’ak, whose ship is spotted cut in half. Their only hope for survival is another relatively intact ship that looks familiar. A 24 th -century scientist hiding a clue in this pocket dimension on a shipwreck from another universe makes as much sense as anything.  It’s the ISS Enterprise—and that’s no typo. If the “Mirrors” title wasn’t clue enough, the ISS does it: Things are about to get Terran, again.

After docking, Michael and Book make their way through the mess of a ship to the bridge with more playful banter. The warp drive has been bricked and all shuttles and escape pods are gone, very out of character for ruthless Terrans. They track three quantum signatures in sickbay, but start with a trace in the transporter room, which looks more like a makeshift refugee camp. A chronicle reveals the crew mutinied after the Terran High Chancellor (aka Mirror Spock) was killed for making reforms. A certain Kelpien rebel leader (aka Mirror Action Saru) led refugees to the Prime Universe, where they abandoned ship. While Book expositions, Michael puts a piece of her badge (and its important Prime Universe quantum signature) in a locket she finds. Pay attention BTW, or you will be confused later. In sickbay, they find Moll and L’ak, Moll and L’ak, and Moll and L’ak—until they take out the holo-emitters so the four former couriers can face off for real. Book tries the “I knew your father” gambit and is immediately rebuffed by Moll’s serious daddy issues. The baddies figure they have the clue so they have all the leverage, but Michael uses that locket as a bluff, claiming she has the real clue. Still, no deal with the Federation is good enough because they need the Progenitor tech to get rid of an Erigah… a Breen blood bounty. That’s right, L’ak is Breen. Holy refrigeration helmet , Batman.

Mirror McCoy was a bit of an evil pack rat.

“You both still have choices .”

Cut to a series of Burn-era flashbacks when Moll was delivering dilithium to the Breen Imperium. The “bucket heads”  are not amused by the wisecracking courier who gets into a fight with one of them, but she turns the tables, revealing she knows he’s a disgraced member of the royal family—and she even knows his name. It’s L’ak, of course. He is intrigued by her plan to skim more latinum, getting payback for being humiliated for this cargo duty demotion. Soon enough, this unlikely pair is hooking up between cargo containers and he even takes off his helmet to show her his face, as well as his “other face.” It turns out the Breen have two: the one we have been seeing with L’ak and a glowing eyed translucent one.  Later, the star-crossed romance is threatened when Moll is drawn to the lure of even more latinum by delivering to the Emerald Chain. Before they can sort out if he should join her, Uncle A-hole shows up, not happy about his nephew’s little interspecies exchange program. He’s also not cool with L’ak using that old face and not the “evolved” glowy face. L’ak is given one chance at redemption: Kill Moll. He picks door number 2, killing some guards but sparing Primarch Ruhn, who declares the Erigah. L’ak knows this means they will never stop hunting him, but Moll is all-in on being a fugitive, so they escape together. Ah, true love.

Back on Mirror Enterprise, the standoff devolves into another quick firefight as the Breen/Human duo chooses not to take the offered off-ramp before going too far down the bad guy road. Moll and Book end up outside force fields that pop up around sickbay, so she reluctantly agrees to a ceasefire. The current Cleveland Booker tries again to connect, but Moll only has bad memories of a brutal childhood of abandonment after her Cleveland left her on her own at age 14. L’ak is all she has. L’ak feels the same about Moll, telling Michael that he would die before being separated, but seems open to the idea of them sharing a cell in the Federation pen. On the bridge, Book pivots to use his relationship with Michael to connect, but Moll’s need to get back to L’ak means no waiting for computer hacking, so she starts yanking out wires. The resulting short does lower the forcefield, but now the ship is out of control. Their shuttle is flung off with the jolt and there’s only eight minutes until the Big E is squished in the little wormhole. Book takes his final shot, handing over his phaser and telling Moll she is the only family he has left. She finally relents and they head to sickbay, where Michael and L’ak have resumed fighting. The captain gets the upper hand and ends up with the clue L’ak was holding and the Breen is left with a knife in his side, but impressed by the locket bluff. Moll arrives and is super pissed, so the Disco duo makes a quick exit before things escalate into yet another phaser fight. This former courier couple’s double date is over.

Uh, can you go back to the other face now?

“Maybe we can shape our own futures too.”

As Moll tries to patch up her boyfriend, Michael and Book work through the problem on the bridge, deciding that the tractor beam as their only hope. Over on the Disco, they detect an oscillating pattern, 3-4-1-4, which means something to Rayner. He now wants the nerds to figure out how to open the wormhole aperture big enough for a ship, offering kegs of Kellerun booze for the best idea. Adira sparks a team effort and Rayner rallies around the crowdsourced solution involving a hexagon of photon torpedoes. “We are only going to get one shot at this. I trust you will all make it count, red alert.” That’s the stuff. With what may be the last seconds of her life, Michael lets Book know she shared a “happy” moment with his past self during the whole time bug incident. Discovery fires the torpedoes and the crew is surprised to see the ISS Enterprise emerge at the last minute from the permanently collapsing wormhole. Everyone releases their tension as the captain informs her crew they saved her… but why is the Enterprise about to fire? A warp pod is launched! It’s Moll and L’ak. Before you can say “plot armor,” they escape to another episode. The captain returns to the Disco to tell Rayner she’s impressed with how he handled the crew during her time away, and he tells her how impressed he was with her subtle “3-4-1-4” message using the Kellerun “Ballad of Krull.” Alien poetry FTW!

In the background of the episode, Tilly has been noticing that Dr. Culber seems out of sorts. Everyone else leans on him, so she offers to be a friendly ear. As things wrap, Hugh takes her up on her offer over drinks at Red’s, admitting that ever since he was possessed by a Trill a few episodes back, he has been feeling a bit off, and he’s beening having some trouble coming to grips with the quest they are on with questions “so big and impossible to grasp.” He is not sure his matter-of-fact husband will understand what Tilly points out is a sort of spiritual awakening. This thread is left unresolved, unlike Adira’s mini-crisis of confidence: They were losing their science mojo due to guilt over the time bug, but got it back through Rayner’s tough love and being the one to come up with the hexagon of torpedoes solution. Things wrap up with Michael and Book looking over their prize, the latest piece of the map and a mysterious vial of liquid hidden inside, ready to set up the next episode once Stamets unlocks its secret. Burnham is starting to see a pattern with these clues and how the scientists who left them were trying to teach lessons along the way to the successful questers. The clue hidden in the ISS Enterprise came from Dr. Cho, a former Terran junior officer who later became a Starfleet Admiral. This happy ending for her and the others from Saru’s band of Mirror refugees fills them with hope as they can’t wait to find out what they will learn when they put the map together. There are just 2 more map pieces and 5 more episodes to go.

I think I have a thing for being possessed—no judgment.

Love stories

This halfway point episode is a bit of a mixed bag. Strong performances were a highlight, bringing extra life to welcome character development for both heroes and villains. But valiant attempts to expand upon franchise lore got weighed down in overly complicated exposition. And for an episode with a strong (and yes, often repeated) theme about choices, some of the directorial choices just didn’t work, potentially leaving some audience members confused or requiring a second viewing to follow the narrative. On the other hand, the episode carried on the season’s reflection on Discovery’s own lore and the evolution of its characters. David Ajala stands out as the episode MVP as he shows Book’s struggle to navigate the emotional complexities of his own choices and those of Moll while desperately trying to forge a new family connection. While some of the action scenes in this episode felt a bit perfunctory, the show is still getting better (for the most part) in finding moments for those character sidebars to talk about their emotional journeys and relationships. That was especially important in this episode, which took a closer look at how the events of the season are impacting some of the key romantic pairings of Book and Michael, Paul and Hugh, and Moll and L’ak.

Eve Harlow—and especially Elias Toufexis—stepped up to add layers and nuance to Moll and L’ak, with Discovery finally embracing how fleshing out adversaries and their motivations goes a long way towards making your plot hold together. The nicely drawn-out reflection of their love story with the rekindling one between Michael and Book adds another layer to the more obvious meaning behind the episode title “Mirrors.” Moll’s single-minded anger and L’ak’s desire for safety now all make sense, as does their unshakable bond. The episode also did a good job weaving in a handful of substories, including Rayner’s growing connection with the crew, with a nice sprinkling of Kellerun lore-building — adding some color to his character. Callum Keith Rennie continues to be a stand-out addition for the season, although Doug Jones is sorely missed, presumably not appearing in two episodes in a row for some scheduling reasons. Culber’s spiritual journey also gets just enough time, as it and these other substories all feel like they are heading somewhere without distracting or spinning their wheels, something that often weighed down mid-season Discovery episodes in past seasons.

Okay, let’s just agree we both have daddy issues.

Under the mask

The reveal that L’ak is a Breen was a surprise, but also nicely teased through the previous episodes. Fans of Deep Space Nine should relish finally getting some answers about this enigmatic race and finally having a first look under those helmets. “Mirrors” picked up on many elements from DS9, including the Breen language, refrigeration suits, neural truncheons, and the position of Thot , while adding lots to the lore, including some worldbuilding behind this new Breen Imperium and its “faction wars.”

Setting the Breen up as what appears to be the real big bads for the season involved a lot of data dump exposition here, surely keeping the editors of Memory Alpha busy for the next week. The notion that Breen have two forms with their signature suits and helmets allowing them to hold the more “evolved” form and face makes sense. If one were to get nitpicky, the Breen aren’t supposed to bleed, but perhaps that was a function of his suit; fill in your own headcanon. L’ak’s desire to hold the other, less evolved form making him a pariah in Breen society has echoes of allegorical episodes such as TNG’s “The Outcast.” That being said, the nuances are still not entirely clear, and fans who like the lore shouldn’t have to rewatch scenes to pick up the details. It feels like some details were cut, perhaps because this episode was already trying to cram in too much exposition with the Breen, Kelleruns (they boil cakes?), and the Mirror Universe.

Like the previous time travel adventure, this was a mid-season bottle show, this time using the conveniently located Strange New Worlds sets. Bringing back the ISS Enterprise was clever and fun, with the twist of how this time the Mirror Universe came to us. If you follow closely, “Mirrors” did a nice job of filling in some lore gaps and tying together the MU storylines from the first visit in “Mirror, Mirror” to follow-ups in Deep Space Nine , Enterprise , and Discovery . There is now a nice throughline from Emperor Georgiou saving Mirror Saru through to Mirror Spock, killed for the reforms he instituted after being inspired by Kirk. However, the redress of the Enterprise sets was not very inspired, with only a smattering of Terran wall sconces and some repainting, instead of demonstrating the brutality of the Empire with elements like agony booths. But what was even more missed was the promise of any character crossovers. There was a lot of talk about Mirror characters like Spock, Saru, Dr. Cho, and others, but we don’t get to see any, one of the many examples of how this episode broke the golden rule to show not tell. There were plenty of opportunities for a flashback or holo recording. Burnham longingly gazing at her brother’s science station is no substitute for Ethan Peck with a goatee.

We’re back!

Final thoughts

“Mirrors” is a decent episode, but it could have been much better with a few tweaks here and there. While not falling into the pointless plate-spinning trap of past mid-season Disco outings, it still dragged a bit for something so jam-packed with lore and revelations. Still, it provided a nice hour of entertainment, and possibly more with rewatches to catch up on the little details. The episode also continues the season’s welcome trend of weaving in the show’s own past, which makes it work better as a final season, even if they didn’t know that when they crafted it. Season 5 hits the halfway mark, and it’s still the best season yet, and hopefully the second half of the season will nail the landing.

Wait, we’re in this episode too? Anyone remember their lines?

• Like the previous episode, “Mirrors” began with a warning for flashing images.
• The episode is dedicated “to the loving memory of our friend Allan ‘Red’ Marceta ,” the lead set dresser who died in a motorcycle accident in 2022.  Presumably the USS Discovery bar “Red’s” was named in his honor.
• This is the first episode where Book’s personal log starts it off.
• Stardate: 866280.9
• Booker examined wanted notices for Moll from the Federation, Orion/Emerald Chain (who have a new logo), and the Andorian Empire.
• Tilly was able to reveal the wormhole by compensating for the “Lorentzian Coefficient,” referencing the real Lorentz Factor used in special relativity equations.
• A new ensign on the Discovery keeps a Cardassian vole as a pet.
• The ISS Enterprise was built at Tartarus Base, possibly referencing Tartarus Prime , from the TOS novel The Rings of Time .
• Moll refers to Breens as “bucketheads” (just as Reno did to Emerald Chain Regulators last episode). This could be a nod to the use of “ bucketheads ” in Star Wars as a derogatory term for stormtroopers.
• Moll’s mother died on Callor V in a mine for Rubindium , a substance first mentioned in TOS “Patterns of Force.”
• Linus can play the piano.
• Breen Primarchs may be a nod to the genetically engineered Primarchs from Warhammer 40,000 .
• How does Book know that Pike’s catchphrase is “Hit it”?
• This is the third (of five) season 5 episodes in which Oyin Oladejo and Emily Coutts do not appear, but their characters, Detmer and Owosekun, are mentioned when they get the honor of escorting the ISS Enterprise back to Starfleet HQ.
• Even though we didn’t see it warp away, presumably the missing intermix chamber was replaced, otherwise Owo and Detmer’s trip is going to take a very long time.
• Tilly says her long day makes her feel like she has been through a Gormangander’s digestive tract.

Remember when Mudd hid inside a Gormagander? Gross.

More to come

Every Friday, the TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek Podcast  covers the latest news in the Star Trek Universe and discusses the latest episode. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Pocket Casts ,  Stitcher and is part of the TrekMovie Podcast Network.

The fifth and final season of  Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery  will also premiere on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuts on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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waste of ISS Enterprise

While I enjoyed the episode overall, the ISS Enterprise was a huge letdown and not even worth being an easter egg with what little they did with it. They should have just made it a generic constitution class ship from the mirror universe.

It felt like it was nothing more than a budget saver. Use existing sets from the other show. Which is weird because one of the arguments in favor of mini seasons is it allows more money to be spent.

That’s exactly what it felt like. Along with the missing, yet again, Detmer and Owosekun.

There must have been some deep budget cuts for the season.

Detmer and Owosekun were replaced by other characters so I don’t think they are missing for budget reasons. It’s more likely that the actresses were unavailable.

I get the budget issues considering what’s going on with the studio. But the end result was it showed that there isn’t much difference at all in the 900 years between the SNW Enterprise and the aesthetic of Star Trek Discovery. They both look as if they were set in the exact same era.

And there really shouldn’t be much. Discovery is from the same era, as the Enterprise. While the ship gets a technological upgrade, why would it get an interior design makeover?

Since it was deemed important (Stamets certainly makes since) that the crew stay on the Discovery, I would certainly think that psychologically having its design aesthetics stay similar to what it was would help give the crew a little bit of their past to hold on to, versus having all physical interactions be with a timeline that they aren’t native to.

Now where we should see it is in native places in this time. And we have seen some differences in design from standard Starfleet settings, versus Starfleet settings on this time (I actually wish we got more).

I did wish for a little more of self reflection from Burnham’s point of view as the ISS Enterprise should of course remind her of Spock (the Enterprise tie in), but also Georgiou (the ISS tie in). We get a small brief nod to Spock, but nothing to Georgiou (and while I still question the use of the character, there is no question that Burnham did have a connection with her, even if its primarily transference from her former Captain, not the mirror Universe Empress.

That’s always been my issue with Discovery.

Agreed. The last two episodes just felt very budgeted and basically bottle episodes. And this just felt like a twofer, a way to use an existing set and add a little fan service but that’s all it was. I thought the Enterprise itself was going to be a viral part of not just the episode but the story overall.

Instead it was just a backdrop. And yeah it’s obvious they cut the budget for this season but all the live action shows have felt this way starting with Picard season 3 and SNW season 2. That all felt pretty bare a lot of the times. I guess this was all during Paramount+ belt tightening and probably not a shock why the show was cancelled.

And maybe the I.S.S. Enterprise should have been the refit or maybe the Phase II Enterprise? That would have been a lot of fun but combine a lack of vision with a reduced budget and this is what you get.

Looking back on “In a Mirror: Darkly”, season 4 of Enterprise was dealing with a reduced budget but managed to recreate sets from TOS, introduced a few new set pieces and did a lot of great effects work.

This was a missed opportunity.

Which was added by stretching that story over two episodes, so that they had the budget to recreate the sets they used. Having half the episode count, doesn’t really help avail yourself to planning out a two parter for a way to save costs.

If Picard could pull off recreating the bridge of the Enterprise D for three days of shooting with barely half the budget of Discovery season 5, they could have done something equally as fun for Discovery on the cheap without actually having to building anything new and using the Enterprise as a crutch. They could have come across Deep Space Station K-7, where the exterior would have been immediately familiar and with interiors served by redressed sets from virtually anything available from Discovery or SNW.

I thought Discovery is basically the PII Enterprise?

The Phase II Enterprise looks like a slickly modified version of the Enterprise from TOS, falling squarely between the Enterprise from TOS and the refit. The “Star Trek: Phase II” fan series did a great job bringing it to screen.

No, Discovery resembles the Enterprise concept for the Planet of the Titans movie.

I don’t get that. I never assumed that the Enterprise (or its mIrror Universe history) was going to feature in significant manner (certainly the producers and promotional department didn’t make a significant deal about it). Perhaps it’s the time difference. But I literally assumed it would be as significant as the Defiant going in and out of phase like TOS “Tholian Web” the time difference. And that was primarily set dressing. That’s not a bad thing. I mean Tholian Web is considered one of the better third season episodes.

And the only reason I assumed it was the Enterprise versus another Connie, is simple to give Burnham a moment to reflect on Spock. Now I do freely admit that I wish this was a slightly larger moment. But I never expected it to be anything but a small moment. Roughly my preconceived notion would be something like Spock’s Mind Meld scene with La’an in SNW where she is able to get a peak into Spock thinking about his sister and the emotion that comes with it. It’s a very brief scene, but I thought SNW did a good job in conveying the emotional aspect, especially from a half Vulcan/ Half Human.

Ok fair enough. This is probably more my hang up and to be fair since they never really promoted the the Enterprise being back then clearly they weren’t trying to make it that big of a deal.

But same time a lot of people do feel there could’ve been more done. The main problem is it just feels like a ridiculous stretch this ship itself is even there. It’s a ship from 900 years ago from a DIFFERENT UNIVERSE that conveniently happens to be the ship that gives them their next clue. I know it’s Star Trek so whatever lol. But when you go through the effort to present it I think it would’ve nice to build a bigger story around it. It could’ve just been any ship.

When you feel like the Mirror Universe has been nothing but a let down after the initial TOS episode, It’s really not a surprise. There’s really nowhere to go with it, but I did find that the fulfilling of the promise that Prime Kirk spoke to Mirror Spock about from the original TOS episode quite satisfying. The ship’s inhabitants embraced the benevolence of the prime universe, and I thought that was great.

I felt the idea that the MU people just easily adapted was pretty ridiculous. But then, they admitted SNW was an alternate timeline. It’s not a stretch that alternate extends to all the Secret Hideout productions.

I’m not sure I would feel the same about Picard given it depicts the Prime events of ST:2009. The others tho yeah I think of it that way too. Although The Chase does make that harder to swallow about DISCO

I liked the MU in DS9. It was fun to revisit and a great reminder of the Prime Directive. But… after that it got tiresome.

It was pretty benign there, but the problem with it, is finding it plausible. It was a fun idea in the 1960’s, and it had a good message. After that, it an indulgence. The notion that that the same people would even exist in the same fundamental places, and that the same ships would exist with virtually the same crew just seems like too much of a stretch even for modern Star Trek.

That’s my only complaint about this episode. Seeing the tantalus field show up would have been really cool. When Michael talked about how she was sure that Mirror Spock was a savage just like the other Terrans, I was sure that we would see a recording or something of Ethan Peck in a goatee to prove her wrong. Or flashbacks with Ethan Peck and Paul Wesley as their mirror counterparts would have also been cool.

All the stuff with the Breen and Mol and Lak was really cool though.

“ waste of ISS Enterprise” should be the official episode description.

waste of series

They ate Mirror Saru in season one…

Was that Saru or another Kelpian? It’s been a while since I watched Season 1, but I recall Mirror Saru saving Burnham from Tyler just as Voq’s personality re-emerged. I know Mirror Georgiou served Burnham some Kelpian, I just didn’t remember it being Mirror Saru.

Mirror Saru saved Michael from Tyler in The Wolf Inside, which was the episode that preceded the one in which they ate the food made from a Kelpien (Vaulting Ambition).

Looking at Memory Alpha now, it says that the chosen Kelpien ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVQSipQlJR8 ) was played by someone other than Doug Jones, but they look so much alike that I thought for sure she had chosen Mirror Saru.

As per Memory Alpha, we never saw him again after The Wolf Inside until season three, but that was in the alternate timeline Carl sent Georgiu to, so it wasn’t the same Mirror Saru.

Nope, that was another Kelpien.

“They ate Mirror Saru in season one…”

They didn’t.

Wasn’t Mirror Saru established as having survived in Season 3 (can’t remember the episode name).

A s per Memory Alpha, we never saw Mirror Saru again after The Wolf Inside until season three, but that was in the alternate timeline Carl sent Georgiu to, so it wasn’t the same Mirror Saru.

Loved this episode. I liked seeing the I.S.S Enterprise though i would of loved to of seen maybe a video log of Mirror Spock.

As a big fan of DS9 I’m glad we finally get to see what a breen looks like and the 32nd century breen outfits look great.

I enjoyed seeing Book/Burnham trying to get through to Moll/L’ak and i hope they can eventually get through to them. With this season about connections and 2nd chances i can see Book and Burnham talking both of them down before they do something that they can’t come back from.

The shot of the I.S.S Enterprise coming out of the ‘wormhole’ is probably one of my favorite CGI scene in all of Trek.

I’m glad they didn’t. I think the conceit of using the I.S.S. Enterprise was not much more than a budgetary decision to be able to use the sets. Could have made it a different constitution class, but then they don’t get to tell the story of the crew’s transformation into our society. Just don’t think about it too much.. because that universe is just pushing out its own doppelgängers into our universe.. which seems problematic. lol.

As a big fan of DS9 I’m glad we finally get to see what a breen looks like and the 32nd century breen outfits look great.

Any kind of big reveal was bound to be disappointing, I suppose. Still, the idea that they were just another latex alien was a letdown. I had always hoped that the Breen were gaseous or plasma creatures.

Ethan Peck with a goatee would have been EPIC

“This is the way.” 😉

But seriously that was a pretty good episode. I’d like to see a 31st century restored Terran empire that never went through “the burn.”

“ The reveal that L’ak is a Breen was a surprise ”

It really wasn’t, though. That was many viewers’ guess since the beginning of the season, and it’s been a common discussion on many websites. The surprise would have been if he HADN’T been a Breen.

I am on a lot of other sites and I haven’t heard anyone thinking he was Breen. And I don’t believe anyone voiced that in Trekmovie either.

LOL. It’s been a common theory.

Obviously not THAT common. LOL

I’ve seen the theory mentioned in the comments here on TrekMovie.

Yes, quite common from what I’ve been reading. I just commented on this very site a couple weeks back that I liked the idea, when somebody else theorized it (forget who it was)!

I guess it’s just where you go for these discussions but yeah the first YouTube review of episode one I saw theorized Lak was a Breen in the first scene he was in when he took off his helmet. And this was obviously before the species was mentioned on the show.

So yeah some people caught on the first episode the way others theorized Tyler was Voq the first time he showed up. Others needed more convincing.

I never saw it but I certainly don’t read the majority of comments. And almost never watch video reviews. Now Voq, was something I remember seeing in many places. Though in fairness, the amount of conjecture done about any Trek series for its Pilot and early couple episodes has been in my experience far more than what you see for most regular episodes. So that shouldn’t;t surprise me.

It was a surprise to me.

The Breen being so ordinary looking was a bit of a surprise.

Well, one of their forms are. It explains the frozen wasteland/tropical paradise. Their “evovled” form needs cryo suits, their “normal form” doesn’t

Was a surprise to me. Then again, I don’t run around the internet and over analyze the show.

This season started out so well. What happened? It’s falling apart.

I hate to a agree. But its once again a long slow burn (pardon the bun) that I fear is going to lead to another whimper of a conclusion. I feel like the season could have been a movie instead. Where is Chapel?!

Wrong show. Chapel is on SNW. The ending was rewritten and new scenes were shot to make it a series finale. They had already started shooting when they got the word that it was ending after season 5.

presumably on Her show, SNW?

“pardon the bun” …🍔⁉️

What’d that poor bun do for it to be in need of a pardon? 😋

This is what happens in every single season of Discovery. Two lovers who want to destroy the galaxy so they can get to paradise was the plot of season four, and now they are recycling the exact same plot for this season.

Did you watch the show. In no seasons has two lovers wanted to destroy the galaxy….Period. L’ak and Moll want to pay off their bounty. Nothing about what they are doing is about wanting to destroy the galaxy.

Outside of the destruction caused by the aliens referred to as 10-C, did any character want to destroy the galaxy let alone a couple. The only couple we had, was one person wanting peaceful means of communication to prevent destruction, while the other wanted to use force to ensure the destruction doesn’t occur. In no case does that equal people wanting to destroy a galaxy.

I can understand not liking the show, but to have such a misconstrued concept of the plot of the seasons shows a shocking lack of basic understanding of what the plot and motivations of the characters are.

I mean the show has plenty that one can find legitimate issues with. Thats not one of them.

They want to pay their bounty by giving a weapon of potential mass destruction to the Breen, thus destroying the galaxy, as seen in the time jumps last episode. They want to do that so they can escape to the Gamma Quadrant while the Breen take apart the Alpha Quadrant.

Last season the scientist wanted to let the 10-C species bulldoze the Alpha Quadrant so he could get across the galactic barrier to meet his lover in paradise, without caring what happened to trillions of other lives.

It is the same basic plot point. Your analysis is incorrect, Wood.

I think you’re overreacting a little. As always.

This episode was disappointing and fell flat. The return of the ISS Enterprise from the mirror universe was of no interest. I had hoped to possibility see a video log from Kirk, Spock, or another familiar character. Why not explore other Constitution Class Starships like the ISS Lexington, Hood, or Potemkin? Enterprise, Enterprise, Enterprise. (Sigh)

Maybe cause the enterprise is the trek ship pretty much everyone knows even if they are a new trek fan or a casual trek fan or not even a trek fan it is so engrained and intertwined with the name Star Trek that is why they chose to make it the iss enterprise instead of one of the others you mentioned

Because exploring a random ship isn’t the plot of the episode. It’s basically set dressing. Having it be the Enterprise versus a different Connie, gives it a tie to the lead character and part of her family she left behind. That it sorry wise. Another ship wouldn’t have any emotion aspect to the characters. Now production wise its to save a ton of money, as creating a random ship with multiple settings to take use of takes money (if your trying to give it the same level of production that you see for the primary ship). Now of course they could have just created a redress of an existing set to be random alien ship of the week. Those usually aren’t done to the same level of using the existing bridge set of another show. So it serves a small story purpose (ie a setting), it serves a small character purpose *reflection for Burnham, and it serves a production purpose (having high quality set pieces without having to build or do a serious redress and thus saving some money).

Seems rather obvious, to me.

I’m annoyed by what they seem to be doing with Owosekun and Detmer this season. I assume that the actors are absent because Paramount wanted to pay them less, and that’s poor treatment for characters who have been around since practically the beginning of the series.

“ I’m annoyed by what they seem to be doing with Owosekun and Detmer this season. ”

…as opposed to the previous four seasons, when all they did was sit in chairs and look meaningfully at each other?

Which is all Sulu and Chekov do in the average TOS episode. So yes, it’s aggravating for them to be replaced by other actors who are doing the same thing.

I doubt they are paid exorbitantly as recurring guests. It could be similar to what happened in season 4 and Bryce Ronnie Rowe Jr’s absences – he had another gig.

I have a theory that before it was decided that Disco would be cancelled, they were going to replace some of the characters. I think Owosekun and Detmer were going to be replaced, and also that Rayner would become captain and Burnham would go away to do something else. But then that didn’t work out, and so to us it just makes no sense why those two main characters are suddenly missing.

You might be right — I hadn’t considered that revamps due to cancellation might be involved.

Well… It is what it is . This was easily the worst episode of the 5. Tropes galore and really bad plot contrivances.

It feels like the reshoots for when they got the cancelation news are getting dropped in throughout the season. A lot of scenes appear grossly out of place. It feels like they just aren’t even trying anymore to be honest. As flawed as the show has been one thing that never came across among the other problems was a lack of trying.

I am loving the addition of Rayner and the professional Starfleet officer energy he is bringing to the ship. I also liked when he told Burnham the mission was too dangerous for the captain to go on. He is turning out to be a nice counterbalance to the unusual way Discovery has been run as a Starfleet ship after season 2.

I hope he doesn’t get killed off.

Sorry but this was another big fat ‘meh’ for me. This was very very disappointing. Nothing of consequence happened. We learn Mol and Lak backstory basically and it is cool we learn that Lak is a Breen which has been the leading theory since he showed up but it just felt sooo bare overall. Like another Discovery infamous spinning wheel episode where they do the bare minimum to move the plot along but just through a lot of action scenes and inconsequential dialogue to feel like we were getting any real development.

And the biggest elephant in the room (or dimensional wormhole) was the ISS Enterprise. Such a let down. It almost felt like a gimmick or just shoehorned fan service. There was no real reason it needed to be there other than HEY THE ENTERPRISE IS BACK!

Again one of the problems with this show, no real development just there for another connection. Think about what they did with In a Mirror Darkly on Enterprise. They brought in the Defiant as obvious fan service from TOS but the ship had a very vital part to the story. It helped changed the dynamics of the MU. It wasn’t there just for show like this was. And Anthony made a great point the redress felt like a joke. It just felt like an excuse to use the set but little else.

Here it was nothing more than just a backdrop and a really forced one at that. And the whole Saru thing just felt very contrived.

I did like all the Breen stuff though and hopefully they will be the big bad the rest of the season. I still think they should’ve used the Breen as the main villain for SNW instead of the Gorn but I digress.

But yeah this is probably the weakest one for me which is disappointing since last week is my favorite so far. I’m getting a little nervous now. It’s usually the second half of the season this show begins to falls apart but still open minded. Still enjoying it overall but please don’t end up a tedious bore like last season felt once it got to its mid season.

You have one last chance Discovery, make it count!

I never considered the Breen in SNW before, but that’s a cool idea. Yeah, I would’ve liked that much more than the Gorn.

For me it was literally the first Gorn episode I thought the Breen would’ve been a better idea. You get the same type of stories and it doesn’t feel like it’s breaking any canon like the Gorn obviously does. I ranted enough about it but nothing about their appearance on SNW feels remotely canon anymore.

But the Breen could’ve been a great substitute if they wanted a known species not named Klingons and zero canon issues.

Agreed. I always enjoyed the mysterious quality of the Breen. Seems ripe for exploration.

This season is largely working for me. Not as good as last week, but the chase is enjoyable. I have a little trouble buying that Mol and L’ak fell in love so fast. I would have liked to have seen that handled better.. but the slow burn of the plot works because of what they do to sustain individual episodes. Only episode I thought was kind of wasteful was the one on Trill.

That is a big part of the problem, yes. The characters have little chemistry.

The flashbacks took [place over an extended period of time, it wasnt THAT fast

They both felt like outcasts in their family/society, fusing them together like lightning. I had no problem with that as it gave me a Bonnie & Clyde-vibe which is historical.

It’s fine, but the romance piece just isn’t clicking for me.

Tarka was a similar situation last season with the reveal of his motivation not really moving me, but I’m also not the biggest fan of waiting several episodes to fill in a lot of backstory in a flashback. It’s not easy to pull off, and Discovery hasn’t really perfected it.

It’s a wonder I stuck with Lost as long as I did, now that I think about it.

“ it’s still the best season yet ”

Well, it was for the first two episodes, but the three since then have been a downward spiral. Seasons one and two were much better than this week’s episode and last week’s.

I’ve enjoyed it all except for the Trill episode. I think it’s been fun with a faster pace.. which has helped with a lot of issues that haven’t gone away. Raynor has been a very welcome addition to the cast.

Overall, very entertaining!

For complaints: any other constitution ship would be cool – but I also feel like we don’t know what happens next – there could be some Prime Mirror Universe people out there. & the “hit it!” joke felt like Dad was in the writer’s room.

Otherwise, I the pairings felt very TOS. Rayner is a little bit Serious Scotty when performing a captain’s role. And he took pride in rescuing her – which is feels good.

For me, this season has been 5/5.

Personal Log. Stardate: Today.

Week 4 of not-watching Discovery continues without incident. Opinions gleaned from critics on the latest episode seem to confirm that ‘mid-season malaise’ has been reached right on schedule.

Based on the collective opinion of commentators, there have been a grand total of one episode out of five that qualifies as “actually good”.

In conclusion, it appears the decision to not-watch until the penultimate episode has been vindicated. The plot points I am privy to following the one episode I watched are:

– There is a chase (or ‘The Chase 2.0’) for the Holy Grail / the technological marvel Salmone Jens left behind.

– The Cylon is now the First Officer.

– The Trill and the Robot are no longer together.

All in all, I remain confident that the recap at the beginning of the penultimate episode should be sufficient to fill in all the key points required.

Again, my thanks go out to the resolute souls who manage to endure what I could not.

these threads are for people to talk about the episodes they have seen. CLOSED.

Am I wrong or did the DS9 episode Through the Looking Glass make a reference to the Mirror Spock being on Romulus? Also given all the DS9 cross overs with the Mirror Universe you would think Burnham would have known something more about her brother’s counterpart.

Spock was not mentioned in Through the Looking Glass. We know between Crossover and the new dedication plaque of the ISS Enterprise that he reformed the Terran Empire and was killed for it. Burnham has clearly boned up on a lot of info since coming to this century, but easy to assume the future history of the mirror universe wasn’t part of that. Also, that info could have been lost or been classified.

Wow! The Breen. From CGI to burn victim.

Does anybody think the Commander Rainer is gonna become the Commandant of Starfleet Academy?

Everything involving Book is incredibly tedious. They brought back the ISS Enterprise as a way to resurrect the OG Enterprise in continuity. Perhaps it ends up as the Enterprise Q or whatever, if Saru is in command then ok. Burnham insisting on going on the away mission is diametrically opposed to how TNG dealt with this – e.g., when Riker as captain insisted on boarding the Borg cube in Best of Both Worlds, and his senior officers reminded him his place was on the bridge. I guess everyone got much dumber in the 32nd century, but “dumber” is Discovery’s whole concept.

This post missed an important Easter egg towards the end: Morn was at the bar “Red’s” just like he did on Quark’s on DS9.

We don’t call out or find every little egg, but when the bar was introduced last season we noted the Lurian (Morn’s species), who has been there ever since. We don’t usually do repeated easter egg bits for each episode

Yay! Good seeing the Breen again and their evolved design in the 32nd Century is great.

Boo! Pretty much everything else except Rayner who is the best character in the show.

Imagine they used the Star Trek: Tour set in Trekonderoga for the ISS Enterprise? What a cool surprise that would have been. But nope, we got the generic canon-breaking Discoprise. Not surprised.

I swear if they make the new Enterprise in the 3190s a refitted Constitution, I will facepalm. Just a stupid idea, when you have far superior tech and designs in the future time period. Please don’t, Disco-writers. Bad enough they did it with the Ent-G (one of my few criticisms of the great PIC S3).

Would it have been too much if Dr. Cho was instead Marlena Moreau? Just saying. Kind of like Dax in Jinaal… I feel like they are making all of these deep cuts, why not make them count a bit more to the overall lore, instead of just throwing the ISS Enterprise in with no good reason. Making these deep cuts actually count towards the overall lore might make the obvious (potential) budget cuts, set reuses, etc. be a bit more forgiving. Giving loved characters some finality that affect the course of this in our face galactic scale quest… might make it hit harder? Maybe I’m wrong, I’m sure someone here will think so lol

Overall the episode was okay. I do understand using the ISS Enterprise since this is supposed to be the final season of Discovery it was a nostalgia play and kind of wrap up the history of that ship in regards to the series. But overall it just seems kind of mashed together. Have to see how it ties in with the rest of the season.

I would say this episode along with the one before it were definitely the weakest of the season. They started out with a bang on the first few, and while I know that they tend to slow down in the middle of the season before ramping up the action for the final few, this episode dragged. There were also a few things with the Breen and the Enterprise that seemed a bit confusing:

– The Breen have 2 faces…great! Awesome twist to the species and fantastic to finally be able to see them after all the mystery around them in DS9. If the second face is supposed to be the more evolved one though, why do they need the masks and the suits? Can the more evolved face not breathe in a standard atmosphere? When L’ak and his uncle opened up their masks, they seemed fine, so there’s still quite a bit we don’t know about why they use that whole setup, especially when they’re around their own people

– Does the more evolved form extend past the face?

ISS Enterprise

– The stardate on the commemorative plaque is 32336.6. Popping that number into a couple of online stardate calculators puts that around mid-2355, which would be a few years before the prime universe Enterprise-D was commissioned in 2363. They mentioned that Dr. Cho came back to the Enterprise to hide the clue, so the assumption is that she also placed the plaque there at the same time. The timing doesn’t quite add up though because The Chase took place in 2369. Nobody would have known about The Progenitors or their technology before that, so they were at least 14 years off with the plaque

– If this Enterprise has been caught in extradimensional space since at least 2355, that means it’s been there for over 800 years by the time it’s discovered. How does it still have power?

– It’s been discussed by the Disco production team that the Discovery-era Enterprise was designed so that it could eventually be refit into the TOS Enterprise. The ISS Enterprise was contemporary with Kirk’s version and was seen on screen in TOS in that configuration. Why is the version in this episode the Discovery one? I know the real-world explanation is that it was easier to just re-use that model to align with the sets, but we saw a TOS-era Constitution class USS New Jersey at the Fleet Museum in Picard, so they had that model available to use. Just a bit sloppy

– How did Stamets immediately know that the ship exiting the wormhole was the ISS Enterprise and not a different prime Constitution class ship?

Photon Torpedo

– The solution to hold the wormhole open for the Enterprise to escape was to remove the payload from the torpedoes and replace them with antimatter. Photon torpedoes are matter/antimatter weapons, so this is a little confusing. Are they taking out the matter and just loading them with more antimatter?

I don’t know that it’s been there for 855 years.. not sure if it’s kind of like the Nexus or the black hole in Trek 09, where time does things differently. My guess is, that’s how the people on board were able to integrate into society. Their doppelgängers were long deceased.

Here’s the other thing… if the idea of revolution started with Mirror Spock, and the crew of the Enterprise more or less went along with him.. this is a way of explaining how they didn’t spread the idea to teh rest of the Empire.. they were lost in space and didn’t have much, if any, influence off of their own ship.

But they did spread the idea enough to weaken the empire to the point where it could be conquered.

Yeah I was wondering that also. It’s possible since it was extradimensional space that it didn’t put them in exactly the same time that they left. Also odd that they said Dr. Cho went BACK to the Enterprise to hide the clue. That’s a pretty risky trip unless the wormhole was more stable back in the 24th century.

It is strongly implied, if not explicitly stated, that the wormhole’s instability was caused by the Burn. So, it had to be more stable in the 24th century.

I feel like I’m seeing the same episode over and over, what a waste this series is became.

Great episode! This season has really been fantastic so far. The writing has been consistent, the acting of the principals is fantastic, and the pacing has been great.

I really loved the scenes with Rayner in command. That worked so well!

Loved getting the backstory about Moll and L’ak – it really did add layers to their characters and their story. And the reveal that L’ak was a Breen! I never saw that coming! Was great to know more about the most underdeveloped and mysterious alien race in Trek history.

Seeing the ISS Entreprise was a treat! I am guessing it was lost quite some time after mirror Spock took over from mirror Kirk. Nice Easter Egg… better than having some unknown ship in there.

Looking forward to the remaining episodes.

Did anyone else see “Morn” (or one of his species) sitting at the bar in Red’s?

Yes, I did catch that. It was a fun detail.

Seriously, an episode doesn’t go by without at least one eye roll over the touchy feely huggy share my feeling vibe that is shoe-horned into worst places. I wonder what this series would be like if Bryan Fuller had stayed on…

It would had been .. a Star Trek show, not this happy sad feeling sharing at all costs every single time somebody speaks.

I have a question because I’m really confused:

So discovery originally was set less than a decade before ToS. (And then they ended up far in the future)

The ISS enterprise is a reference to the ToS episode about the mirror universe. So that means the ISS enterprise is a contemporary with ToS and the USS enterprise, which means Dr Cho (who was expressly stated to be Terran) was about back in Kirk’s day.

However the progenitor technology and science in general was only discovered in TNG under Picard and i think it was expressly stated that the scientists that hid this research were originally asked to research it after the discovery by Picard in the first place.

TNG is set in the 24th century but ToS is set in the 23rd century – theirs about a hundred years between them.

So I’m trying to understand the timeline here because at the moment, from what I understand, it’s a human from the 23rd century somehow became a scientist on a study in the late 24th century and then stole the research and helped hide it with her 4 pals.

I thought for sure the Real Captain Lorca would be found in the transporters.

What a waste of an episode… filler and feelings…. Rinse and repeat

Star Trek's Biggest Badass Reveals His Starship's Secret Name

From The Dark Knight to Discovery , David Ajala is a man of action.

David Ajala’s journey in the Final Frontier is coming to a close. Although Ajala only joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery in 2020, at the start of Season 3 , it certainly feels like his rugged space courier with a heart of gold — Cleveland “Book” Booker — has been on in the series longer than he really has. As Book, Ajala brought some Indiana Jones swagger to Discovery , albeit with a touch of Gene Roddenberry idealism .

The fifth episode of Discovery’s final season puts Book and Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) into a perilous and very familiar setting, one which connects back to The Original Series, Deep Space Nine , Discovery’s second season, and even Strange New Worlds.

Inverse caught up with Ajala — best known for his roles in The Dark Knight and Supergirl — to get his take on where he’s been, how Star Trek has “blessed” his life, and which franchise he wants to jump to next.

Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Episode 5, “Mirrors.”

Book and Burnham fly a shuttle in a new daring mission to...the Enterprise !

While in pursuit of the latest clue to unravel the secret of the Progenitor tech , “Mirrors” leads Captain Burnham and Book into a wormhole where they find the ISS Enterprise NCC-1701, the wicked Mirror Universe version of the classic 23rd century Enterprise from The Original Series and Strange New Worlds. (ISS stands for “Imperial Star Ship.” Whereas USS means “United Star Ship.”) This evil Enterprise first appeared in the 1967 TOS episode “Mirror, Mirror.” But, for the sake of current visual continuity, it’s now clearly a redress of the USS Enterprise set from Strange New Worlds.

“We wrapped shooting before [ Strange New Worlds ] started to commence their next season,” Ajala reveals. “So, sadly, the crossover didn’t happen.” But, Ajala notes that being in the physical sets of the Enterprise sickbay and bridge was a refreshing change from some of his other work in Discovery .

“There is a lot of green screen usually, and you have to tap into your childhood imagination. You’re playing cowboys,” Ajala explains. “But, there was something very, very special about shooting that scene that made it a lot easier for me to act. Part of it was what Sonequa [Martin-Green] was doing. How she held the space in such reverence, how she really channeled into the memory of her brother [Spock]. It was really wonderfully special and the fans are just going to love it.”

When Ajala joined Discovery as Book in 2020, he was probably best known to genre fans for his role as a bounty hunter working for the Joker (Heath Ledger) in The Dark Knight . But, he’s equally recognizable as Manchester Black from CW’s Supergirl . Then again, he was also one of the “Smilers” named Peter in the 2010 Doctor Who episode “The Beast Below.” From Star Trek, and the DCEU to the Whoniverse, that’s a lot of sci-fi geek cred for one man. And now, that Discovery is winding down, Ajala doesn’t mind looking back on his pre-Star Trek work with fondness, and even, a hypothetical part of his future.

David Ajala in 2024, a man for all seasons, and dimensions.

“There was once upon a time, a possibility. There was a very strong invitation to go back into one of those worlds,” Ajala says cryptically. Does this mean he was almost in the multiverse shenanigans of The Flash ? Another CW Arrowverse show? Even a later episode of Doctor Who ? Ajala can’t say outright, so we’re just guessing. But it seems like it almost happened and could happen again. “The timing didn’t work out,” he says. “If and when that opportunity does present itself, I would gladly take that invitation again.”

Ajala is also open to the idea of tackling franchises he’s never been a part of before. And because he was born in London, his accent does make some wonder if he could be the phantom menace of future James Bond contenders .

“That is a vicious rumor!” Ajala says with a laugh. “But it’s also a massive compliment. In all honesty, it’s a wonderful thought to even entertain the idea of [playing Bond]. My main thing is to always pursue roles that excite me, that turn me on, and that challenge me. Stranger things have happened.”

It’s not hard to see why some folks might think of David Ajala as James Bond material in the 2020s. When he debuted in Discovery Season 3, as Book, he was a space pirate with a heart of gold, a guy whom we believed was poaching alien animals, but, in reality, he’s an empath, bringing space creatures to better homes. But, Book’s also a badass, who had, for two seasons, his own Star Trek version of the Millennium Falcon. Sadly, Book’s sleek scout ship — complete with its morphing tech — was destroyed in Season 4. So, pour one out for... wait. What was Book’s ship called anyway?

“It was called Electric Chocolate ,” Ajala reveals with a grin. “Not many people know that, but I’ll share it with you.” Hopefully, the Star Trek fan wiki, Memory Alpha is paying attention, since, prior to this Book’s ship is referred to, off-screen, as either “the Nautilus” or “Vessel - C.” And, let’s face it, Electric Chocolate sounds way better.

David Ajala at SXSW 2024, flashing a classic “live long and prosper” in support of Star Trek: Discovery .

Still, with or without his cool ship, Book’s story in Star Trek: Discovery will end this year. But, David Ajala’s journey with Star Trek will likely never be over. Recently, he was a part of the 2024 Star Trek Cruise, where he says he was thrilled to connect with Trek actors from the other series. “I got to hang with Michelle Hurd, Anthony Montgomery, and Todd Stashwick ! It was incredible.”

Ajala also says that he will continue to do Star Trek conventions for as long as he can, but that he will probably only select about “three conventions” a year. His reasoning for doing fewer is simply because he wants to be present for the fans when he is there.

“I'd probably choose three a year, but when I'm there, I'm fully there with very healthy energy,” Ajala says. “I think it's just been deeply humbling and special. We're not superheroes. We’re real people. So, I want to be really, really be there, when I’m there. I want to sign however many autographs I need to sign and give as many hugs as I need to.”

Star Trek: Discovery streams on Paramount+.

• Science Fiction

Screen Rant

7 biggest star trek secrets spock kept.

From Star Trek: The Original Series to Strange New Worlds, Mr. Spock has been able to keep some of Star Trek's most important secrets to himself.

• Spock kept many secrets to maintain continuity with Star Trek TOS, only revealing what was relevant or life-threatening.
• Lt. Spock's tight-lipped nature and trustworthiness were evident in keeping Number One's love for musicals a secret.
• Spock's knowledge of Pike's tragic future and encounters with Lower Decks ensigns were also secret-keeping priorities.

Star Trek 's Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) kept a surprising number of secrets over the course of his long life. In Star Trek: The Original Series , Spock volunteered very few details about his own life, and the crew of the Starship Enterprise rarely pried into the Vulcan's private affairs. Those who did ask generally received sideways answers or a raised eyebrow that said enough. Instead, Spock only disclosed personal information if it was relevant to the Enterprise's current missions , if people from Spock's past came back into his life as a plot point, if it was a matter of life and death -- or, in at least one case, all three.

The inclusion of Ethan Peck's younger Lieutenant Spock in the streaming era of Star Trek , starting in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and continuing in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , all but assured that more new stories featuring Spock would translate into more secrets for Spock to keep in order to maintain continuity with Star Trek: The Original Series. Obviously, the things that were invented for new shows couldn't be referenced in Star Trek: The Original Series, so there had to be reasons that Spock never spoke again about meetings with new characters, insights into the future, and even some of Spock's own relationships. Fortunately, Mr. Spock has always been relatively tight-lipped.

Star Trek’s Ethan Peck: Strange New Worlds’ Spock Actor Explained

7 commander una chin-riley is a fan of gilbert & sullivan, spock kept number one's love of old musicals a secret until her hearing..

Admittedly, it's not one of Star Trek 's biggest secrets, but by keeping Number One's secret love of theater to himself, Lt. Spock proves his trustworthiness to Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) and Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Spock keeps this tidbit of personal information about Number One locked tight until Una's hearing in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2, "Ad Astra Per Aspera" , when Spock is asked if he ever believed that Una was hiding something. Lieutenant Spock is beholden to the truth, so he must answer in the affirmative: Commander Chin-Riley is hiding the fact that she loves old musicals.

In Star Trek: Short Treks season 2, episode 1, "Q&A", Commander Una Chin-Riley encourages a fresh-faced young Ensign Spock to ask questions to the point of being obnoxious. Spock takes that advice to heart when he finds himself trapped in a turbolift with Number One shortly thereafter. While Spock's questions steer clear of digging for personal information about Una herself, the time in the turbolift drags on, and Number One willingly confesses her love for Gilbert & Sullivan musicals with a rendition of "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General", which Spock is ordered to forget.

Number One's penchant for Gilbert & Sullivan is referenced in Una's duet with Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 9, "Subspace Rhapsody", in the style of the song itself and also a lyric.

6 Captain Pike Will Suffer A Tragic Accident

Spock kept his knowledge of pike’s future in a wheelchair a secret..

In Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 8, "If Memory Serves", Captain Christopher Pike encounters a Klingon time crystal in the temple on the planet Boreth, and learns of the horrifying future that awaits him after Pike saves Starfleet Cadets during a terrible accident. Pike's knowledge of his future becomes a major theme in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, as Chris ruminates on whether his fate is actually sealed or if it can be changed.

Captain Pike met his future self in Star Trek: Strange New World s season 1 finale and learned that if he tries to change his destiny, it will be Spock who would be horribly disfigured instead.

Rather than bear the burden of this knowledge alone, Captain Pike decides to tell Commander Una Chin-Riley and Lieutenant Spock about the vision of Pike's future in a wheelchair that the time crystal revealed in the Klingon Temple. It's a risk, but Pike trusts both Spock and Number One to keep the secret of Pike's future, so they can help Pike navigate the present.

5 Spock Met Star Trek: Lower Decks Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler

Spock kept meeting the 24th-century ensigns from star trek: lower decks a secret..

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2's crossover episode, "Those Old Scientists", the USS Enterprise crew under Captain Pike come face to face with Star Trek: Lower Decks ' 24th-century Ensigns Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome). After Mariner and Boimler accidentally activate a time portal that takes them into the 23rd century, both Starfleet Officers end up on the 23rd-century Starship Enterprise. What could have been a temporal catastrophe is, thankfully, avoided.

Boimler telling Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) that none of the books he read about Spock in the future mention her leads to Chapel breaking off her romance with the Vulcan.

Of course, Boimler can't help being excited about working with Spock, one of his personal heroes, and Mariner says young Spock is hot with a certain amount of surprise, implying that Spock's legacy lasts well into the future. Although the Temporal Prime Directive hasn't been invented yet, Spock knows that he'll have to keep anything that Mariner and Boimler say about the future a secret, and won't even be able to speak of the meeting after they return to their own time.

Mariner and Boimler prove they can keep a secret too, when Mariner reminds Boimler about "the Pike thing we're not supposed to talk about" in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 1, "Twovix".

4 Spock Knows About Talos IV

Spock risks his career to give captain pike peace on talos iv..

In Star Trek: The Original Series , season 1, episodes 10 & 11, "The Menagerie", Spock comes under fire for violating Starfleet's General Order 7, which states, " No vessel under any condition, emergency or otherwise, is to visit Talos IV. " Spock is one of the few officers to have actually been to Talos IV before its very existence was classified as Top Secret, and the ban on landing there was established, having previously visited Talos IV with Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and the USS Enterprise. In keeping with the spirit of General Order 7, and to disavow anyone but himself from coming under scrutiny for violating it, Spock remains tight-lipped about what is actually on Talos IV, and why Spock must take Captain Pike there after Pike's disfiguring accident.

Spock's motive for committing mutiny by taking Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kenney) to Talos IV is sound, however. The Talosians' are powerful psychics who would allow Christopher Pike to live the rest of his days peacefully in an illusion instead of in agony after his accident. Because Spock also knew that Captain Pike's accident would happen, it's likely Spock had the return trip to Talos IV already planned well before the accident actually occurred.

Leonard Nimoy Always In Ethan Peck's Head Is Why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Spock Is So Good

3 star trek: discovery's michael burnham is spock's adopted sister, spock kept the uss discovery's fate a secret after star trek: discovery season 2..

Star Trek: Discovery reveals that Spock's adoptive sister, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) , comes to live with Spock's family on Vulcan after Michael's scientist parents were killed by Klingons. Although Spock is originally skeptical of Michael's presence in his family's home, Spock and Michael eventually come to regard each other as siblings, thanks in part to the intervention of Spock's human mother, Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner).

Spock's visions of a lifeless future play a crucial role in Star Trek: Discovery season 2's Red Angel mystery, which reunites Spock with Michael after years apart. In the final battle against Section 31's threat assessment AI, Control, the USS Discovery leaps forward in time, so Discovery's crew, including Michael Burnham, are officially declared dead. All information about Discovery is classified by Starfleet , ensuring that Spock would have to keep Michael Burnham a secret after Star Trek: Discovery season 2.

2 Spock Has A Vulcan Fiancée, T'Pring

Spock kept t’pring a secret from kirk’s enterprise until “amok time”..

One of Spock's closely-guarded secrets is revealed early in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 1, "Amok Time", when Spock's mysterious illness turns out to be pon farr , the onset of the 7-year Vulcan mating cycle. The existence of pon farr isn't widely known at this point, which is how Spock would prefer it, but Spock also knows that he must redirect the Enterprise to Vulcan in order to cure this ailment, so Spock has to come clean about another secret: Spock has a wife, T'Pring (Arlene Martel), who lives on Vulcan.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds explores Lieutenant Spock's doomed relationship with T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) before TOS. Thus far, Strange New Worlds takes care to preserve the fact that most of the officers serving on Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) USS Enterprise, including Kirk himself, don't know that T'Pring exists in Star Trek: The Original Series.

Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) serves with Lt. Spock on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' USS Enterprise but, conveniently, Uhura has not seen T'Pring, preserving Lt. Uhura's (Nichelle Nichols) surprise in Star Trek: The Original Series' "Amok Time."

1 Spock Has A Rogue Half-Brother, Sybok

Spock kept sybok a secret until star trek v: the final frontier..

In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , the USS Enterprise is pulled out of drydock to pursue a renegade Vulcan who has kidnapped ambassadors on Nimbus III, and the target of the chase turns out to be Spock's half-brother, Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill). With Sybok's existence now relevant to the current mission, Spock is a little more forthcoming with information about his previously unmentioned sibling, who rejects the traditional, logical teachings of Surak in favor of unbridled emotion. Spock's half-brother Sybok was disowned by their father, Sarek, for his dangerous philosophy, and Spock was instructed to do the same. Because Sybok had no place in Spock's family due to his beliefs, it makes perfect sense for Spock to keep the secret that he even had a brother in the first place.

Sybok makes a brief cameo in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 7, "The Serene Squall", but doesn't appear in Strange New Worlds season 2.

As a private person by nature, Spock is predisposed towards keeping his personal life secret to focus on the matters at hand, from missions to cultivating more current friendships. Spock's exemplary record as a Starfleet officer also demonstrates that Spock will abide by orders from superior officers to keep their personal secrets, as well as secrets that are necessary to ensure the safety of the timeline. Between Star Trek: The Original Series , Star Trek: Discovery , and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Mr. Spock shows that he can be trusted with Star Trek 's important secrets, regardless of the reason for keeping them.

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is streaming on Max.

FlickSphere

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