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K'Ehleyr was a female Klingon -human hybrid introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Emissary , and the first wife of Worf .

She was portrayed by Suzie Plakson, who also portrayed Doctor Selar, a Female Q, and an Andorian named Tarah in other Star Trek related productions.

The product of a Klingon father and a human mother, K'Ehleyr was born in the first half of the 24th century. In the 2350s she was an emissary leading a group of Klingon cadets when she met a young Starfleet cadet named Worf . Working with Worf and the other cadets they were able to save a joint Klingon-Federation colony from an attack. She and Worf entered into a relationship in 2359 but didn't proceed as neither were ready to commit to a relationship.

K'Ehleyr and Worf met again in 2365 when K'Ehleyr was dispatched to the USS Enterprise -D to help deal with the Klingon ship IKS T'Ong , which had on an extended mission where the crew had been in cryosleep for over seven decades. The crew awoke not knowing the Federation and Klingons were now allies. Her visit forced her and Worf to confront their feelings for each other, and the pair made love after a Klingon exercise session on the holodeck, resulting in the conception of a child. Afterwards Worf wanted to immediately marry K'Ehleyr, but she refused to take the oath with Worf and become his wife.

Working with Worf and the Enterprise crew, the pair were able to successfully devise a means of peacefully resolving the situation with the T'Ong without having to destroy the vessel. K'Ehleyr boarded the T'Ong and spent the next three days bringing the Klingons up to speed on the 24th century until other Klingon ships could arrive and escort the T'Ong back to base.

Shortly after having her and Worf's child, who she named Alexander, K'Ehleyr was named the Federation 's ambassador to the Klingon Empire. She spent most of her time working out of the Federation embassy on Qo'noS, and Alexander never left the compound when he lived with her.

K'Ehleyr and Alexander accompanied the dying Chancellor K'mpec to meet Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise in 2367. With K'mpec dying the threat of a Klingon civil war was high as various contenders would fight for control of the Empire. She also wanted Worf to meet Alexander. Recently discommended by the High Council, Worf was unwilling to acknowledge K'Ehleyr as his wife nor acknowledge Alexander as his son.

Determined to figure out what happened to Worf, K'Ehleyr began her own investigations, which had the unfortunate effect of alerting Worf's enemy Duras when she used her diplomatic codes to access Klingon computer files on Duras and the Klingon High Council's inquiries into the Khitomer massacre. K'Ehleyr was then murdered by Duras. She died in Worf's arms with their son Alexander present. As this was the first time Alexander had seen someone die, Worf told him to look upon his mother's deceased form and always remember death. Boarding Duras's ship, Worf claimed the right of vengeance against Duras on the grounds that K'Ehleyr was his wife.

After her death K'Ehleyr's body was transported to Earth and buried in New York City's Woodlawn Cemetery. After Worf himself became Federation Ambassador to the Empire, he visited her grave for the first time. He told his friend Martok about K'Ehleyr during the Dominion War when Alexander joined the crew of the Rotarran during the war.

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'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Alexander Actor Tragically Dies

Jon Paul Steuer died of unconfirmed causes on New Year's Day.

Punk rocker and former child actor Jon Paul Steuer, perhaps best known for his role as the young Klingon Alexander Rozhenko on Star Trek: The Next Generation , died of unconfirmed causes on Monday, January 1, at age 33. Steuer’s friends and P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. bandmates announced his passing on the band’s Facebook page on Wednesday, writing, “It is with heavy hearts and saddened minds that we announce the passing of our dear friend and singer Jonny Jewels, AKA Jon Paul Steuer.”

Steuer was the first young actor to portray Alexander, Lieutenant Worf and K’Ehleyr’s son, on TNG . Though he only played Alexander in a single episode of the series, Season 4’s “Reunion,” Steuer still marks the first actor to take on the role; Alexander was later portrayed by Brian Bonsall, Marc Worden, James Sloyan, and Richard Martinez. According to an interview with Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker) in a TNG Season 4 DVD special feature, Steuer was probably recast because he “was too shy, not a warrior.”

K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson) and Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) with Jon Paul Steuer as their son, Alexander Rozhenko.

After Star Trek: The Next Generation , Freuer went on to star in the hit ABC sitcom Grace Under Fire from The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre. Freuer left the series after the first three seasons, quoting struggles with substance addiction, rehabilitation, and relapse. Steuer quit acting after Grace Under Fire , picking up a music career and later opening a vegan restaurant.

In the Facebook post announcing his death, P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. wrote:

The addition of Jonny to our dysfunctional band family was one of the best choices that we have ever made, and he brought a much needed sense of fun and lightheartedness to everything we did. He was only with us for a little more than a year, but we managed to cram a lifetime of great experiences into his tenure as our singer: dozens shows at home in Portland and across several states, an amazing European tour, and our best full-length release yet.

We’ve lost our singer, but far, far more than that we’ve lost a friend. Rest in peace, Jonny…we love you.

Alexander Rozhenko

Character » Alexander Rozhenko appears in 34 issues .

Son of Worf and Klingon Warrior

Summary short summary describing this character..

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Defiant

Star Trek: The Next Generation Special

Alexander Rozhenko last edited by mshirley27 on 10/06/23 05:38PM View full history

Star Trek Canon Special Note Not everything listed in the origin is Canon.  That is because only television shows and movies are considered canon for Star Trek.  This being a comic website there are many things here that are not canon.  So unless it is contradicted in film it should be listed as part of the character biography.     The son of Lieutenant Worf and  Ambassador K'Ehleyr , Alexander is 3/4 Klingon and 1/4 human.  For the first few years of his life, he never knew his father, or even that he had one, as K'Ehleyr never told Worf he had a child.  She did this knowing that Worf would insist on marriage and she had no interest in changing how she lived her life for a man.  

Alexander was created for the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Character Evolution

Alexander met his father when K'Ehleyr's job required her to return to the U.S.S. Enterprise D a few years later to guide Jean-Luc Picard in arbitrating  the selection of a new C hancellor for the Klingon Empire . His mother was killed by Duras and he watched as she died in Worf's arms.  Feeling inadequate to raise his son, Worf sent Alexander to Earth to be raised by his parents Helena and Sergey Rozhenko after K'Ehleyn's death.    One year later, Helena brought Alexander back to Worf. He'd had problems adjusting and was causing trouble, and Mrs. Rozhenko felt that his father's influence would help. However, the young Klingon resisted. Following in his mother's footsteps, Alexander swore off all things Klingon from an early age. Despite Worf's best efforts, he had no idea how to raise a child and he and Alexander kept butting heads.  Perhaps because of this, he ended up bonding even closer with Deanna Troi.  This relationship between Worf and Troi became romantic for a time.  

Somewhere along the line though, they must have had more problems, because Alexander ends up some years later serving on board the  Klingon ship Rotarran under General Martok , claiming to belong to no family or house. When Worf confronts him, Alexander reveals that he felt Worf abandoned him by sending him back to Earth (although why or when has never been disclosed). After a while, serving on board the  Rotarran again, they make up and seem to get along. Alexander ended up joining the  House of Martok  and acted as Worf's Tawi'Yan (swordbearer) in his marrage to Jadzia .

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Published Sep 29, 2022

A Tribute to Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Recurring Characters

Looking beyond the Bridge crew to some noteworthy additions who added to the series’ greatness!

StarTrek.com

This week, 35 years ago, Star Trek: The Next Generation made its way on television sets everywhere with its premiere episode, “Encounter at Farpoint.”

The third Star Trek television series followed Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-D and their voyages across the Alpha Quadrant in the 24th Century. We previously focused on the senior officers on the Bridge, highlighting their most underrated episodes . During the summer Villain Showdown , we covered several treacherous encounters Picard and his crew had with the likes of Q, the Borg, and the Cardassians.

Now, we’re going to shine a spotlight on a couple recurring characters who add to what makes this series so special!

Lwaxana Troi

If there was ever a character who could stop Picard in his tracks, the distinction would belong to Lwaxana Troi — daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed. When she’s not trying to seduce to Picard, Deanna Troi ’s eccentric mother sought to enjoy the fruits of middle age. Her over-the-top behavior was balanced by her magnitude of compassion. After enduring the tragedies she had in her family life, it's no wonder she sought out misfits such as Worf's son Alexander and the brilliant Dr. Timicin bound to his home world's Resolution, and wanted to ease their loneliness.

To see the depths of Lwaxana's character, be sure to watch " Half a Life ," " Cost of Living ," and " Dark Page ."

Despite only appearing in eight episodes across the latter half of the series, Ensign Ro Laren made an impressionable impact on the crew and the show. The arrival of Ro gave audiences their first look at Bajor and the Bajorans as well as their plight during the Cardassians' occupation of Bajor.

While she was not initially welcomed by the crew of the Enterprise due to her defiant nature and court-martial, she would eventually be taken in by the senior officers. Not only that, she got Guinan's seal of approval and developed a father-like/mentor relationship with Picard. Her presence serves a greater purpose in ultimately demonstrating the limits of Picard's ideals, the Federation's approach, and sowing the seeds of his disillusionment.

Ro’s standout performances include episodes “ Ensign Ro ,” “ Rascals ,” and “ Preemptive Strike .”

Reginald Barclay

When the senior Bridge crew seemed too infallible, it was officers like Reginald Barclay and Miles O’Brien who proved Starfleet, let alone the flagship Enterprise-D , would not function as smoothly as it does without the likes of everymen such as themselves. Not everyone can be as charismatic as first officer Will Riker, nor should they be expected to be. Plus, nothing could be more relatable than escaping to the Holodeck to release your day-to-day work tensions. Besides, he won over the toughest critic aboard the starship — Spot.

Key Barclay episodes include “ Hollow Pursuits ” and “ The Nth Degree .”

Alexander Rozhenko

As a senior Starfleet officer and series regular, Worf is easily one of the best Klingons on the show. One of Worf’s recurring struggles was trying to embrace his dueling cultures as a Klingon warrior and an orphan raised by humans who would find a home within Starfleet. Like father, like son, this dichotomy would later extend to his estranged son Alexander Rozhenko .

Shortly after learning about his son, Worf was thrusted into the life of a single parent when Alexander’s mother K’Ehleyr was murdered by Duras as she investigated the Khitomer Massacre and Worf’s discommendation. Still duty bound to Starfleet, Alexander would live with Worf’s adoptive parents, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko, on Earth. However, every time he visited Worf, he would challenge Worf’s rigid beliefs of duty and honor. However, he used the Holodeck to great affect when he forced Worf to take some much-needed time off on an Old West-program, designed by Barclay, or receiving lessons from Lwaxana Troi on breaking rules.

Alexander’s standout episodes include “ Ethics ,” “ A Fistful of Datas ,” and “ Firstborn .”

Miles O'Brien

One of the more prolific recurring characters is Miles O'Brien , who would go on to be series regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The sensible, working class man gave us a glimpse of the crew that comprised the Federation flagship — of someone who's damn good at his job but didn't need the glory of being a senior officer on the Bridge. Not only that, he was able to have what many couldn't — a family. His trauma from the Federation-Cardassian War, nor his possession by an antagonistic alien entity, didn't prevent him from a life-well lived; in fact, we get to see wake up each day full of pride and determination to be the best dad and husband he can be.

To further cement the everyman’s significance, Star Trek: Lower Decks has deemed O’Brien as “the most important man in Starfleet history.” Head on over to an interview with series creator and showrunner Mike McMahan to learn about this excellent Easter Egg.

Stand-out TNG episodes for O'Brien include " The Wounded ” and " Power Play ."

HONORABLE MENTION: James Moriarty

While villains got their due during the summer’s Villain Showdown, we’d be remiss not to mention Professor James Moriarty among our list of spectacular recurring characters on TNG.

The crew of the Enterprise highly enjoyed their time on the Holodeck, none more so than Captain Picard and Data. They would find a worthy foil in Moriarty. Beginning as a hologram character in one of Data's Sherlock Holmes program, Moriarty's character evolved into a sentient being following a power surge as La Forge commanded the computer to create an adversary with "the ability to defeat Data," as opposed to Sherlock Holmes. Aware that he's not real, but discovering the banality of the program limiting, Moriarty yearned for a life beyond the Holodeck and Data's program.

"You - or someone - asked your computer to program a nefarious fictional character from 19th Century London, and that is how I arrived. But I am no longer that creation. I am no longer that character; I have changed. I am alive. I am aware of my own consciousness," proclaimed the Sherlock Holmes' foe. Moriarty's two episodes, " Elementary, Dear Data " and " Ship in a Bottle ," are definite must-watch. Be sure to check out Daniel Davis' interview with StarTrek.com on the development of Moriarty.

Tell us your favorite recurring TNG characters on social!

Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E10NewGround

Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E10 "New Ground"

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Original air date: December 30, 1991

As the Enterprise prepares to take part in a test for a new propulsion system, Worf gets a surprise visit from his adoptive mother, Helena Rozhenko, and his son, Alexander. When Worf asks them how long they plan to stay on the Enterprise , Alexander emphatically states: "I'm not going back!"

Helena explains to Worf that she and her husband, Sergei, are getting too old to continue caring for a child, so they wish to leave Alexander in Worf's care, explaining that he "needs his father" to help temper his behavior. Worf reluctantly obliges and takes Alexander to Miss Kyle, the ship's primary school teacher, to enroll Alexander for classes, where it becomes clear that Worf knows painfully little about his son, not even his birthday.

Dr. Ja'dar briefs the senior staff on the upcoming propulsion system test: a soliton wave would be generated on the surface of the planet Bilana III and envelop a test ship, which would ride along the wave to achieve warp velocity without the need of a warp drive, with the Enterprise following behind the test ship to deal with subspace interference from the wave to monitor it. The test would conclude at Lemma II, where a scattering field would be generated to dissipate the wave.

At Troi's suggestion, Worf decides to step back from his duties to attempt to connect with Alexander. He accompanies him on a field trip with Miss Kyle's class to the biolabs, which goes poorly for both father and son when Alexander takes a model of an extinct Earth lizard and lies about it. Worf lectures Alexander about how dishonorable his actions are for Klingons. To demonstrate his point, Worf tells Alexander about Kahless and Morath, two brothers from Klingon mythology who fought bitterly for several days after Morath told a lie and dishonored his family: for Klingons, to lie is to dishonor one's family, and Alexander's lie dishonored Worf. Alexander promises his father that he will not lie again.

Afterwards, the soliton wave experiment commences. At first, the experiment seems to work out, as the test vessel achieves warp velocity after becoming enveloped by the soliton wave, with near-total power efficiency. But then the experiment begins to go horribly awry, and the test ship is destroyed by the soliton wave. Unfortunately, their problems extend beyond the destruction of the test ship: the soliton wave is still travelling to Lemma II, gaining speed and power—too much power for the planned dissipation to work. If the wave reaches the planet, it would cause devastation on a massive scale.

Meanwhile, Worf learns that Alexander has continued to steal and lie in class. He finds Alexander in a holodeck running his calisthenics program, attempting to fight with the bat'leth he took from Worf's room. With Alexander continuing to lie and acting rebellious, an exasperated Worf decides the only course of action is to have Alexander sent to a Klingon school. When Alexander protests, Worf orders him back to his quarters.

Worf discusses his difficulties with Alexander to Troi, with Troi speculating that when Worf had sent Alexander to live with the Rozhenkos after the death of his mother, K'Ehleyr, it was like losing both of his parents at the same time. Worf was still emotionally wounded over the fact that K'Ehleyr had kept her pregnancy and Alexander's birth a secret from him. Troi suggests that both father and son should work together on healing. However, Alexander is seen packing his bags in Worf's room. Worf tries to explain why he is sending him to Klingon school, but Alexander is convinced his father resents him. Worf instructs Alexander to stay in his room when he is called to meet with Riker.

The problem with the soliton wave has grown more grave, with the wave gaining both size and strength the longer it travels. La Forge has two ideas on how to stop the wave: an inverse resonance wave, which would be difficult due to the wave's constantly changing frequency and amplitude; or a photon torpedo spread detonated directly in front of the wave. At the wave's present size and velocity, moving around it to intercept is no longer an option: the Enterprise would need to travel through the wave, which poses dangers of its own to the ship.

The Enterprise moves through the soliton wave to intercept, which causes some damage to several decks. One of them is Biolab 4, where a fire has broken out and fire suppressant systems have malfunctioned. Picard orders the lab vented, but to Worf's horror, there is one humanoid occupant in Biolab 4: Alexander Rozhenko! With Alexander not replying to messages from the captain, Picard grants Worf leave to rescue his son with Riker in tow. Time is of the essence, though; thanks to the damaged shields, detonating the torpedoes to stop the wave will flood the lab with ion radiation!

Worf finds Alexander trapped under rubble in the lab. With flames roaring around him and smoke choking him, and Alexander hurt and scared, Worf calls upon all of his strength to remove the debris, take Alexander, and escape from the lab just as Picard orders torpedoes fired at the soliton wave, dissipating it and saving Lemma II from certain destruction.

Tropes featured in this episode include:

• Action Dad : Now that Worf is a dad, he's an example. He becomes an action hero in the final act.
• Bait-and-Switch : When Worf arrives late to a meeting with Picard and then gets repeatedly interrupted by messages about his child, the captain seems to become increasingly frustrated. But then Picard simply tells him that it's perfectly fine to postpone their meeting and smiles as Worf leaves.
• Bratty Half-Pint : Alexander, who steals toys and starts fights while claiming other kids started it. This behavior stems from his feelings of anger and abandonment regarding his father.
• Charles Atlas Superpower : Despite already normally being presented as extremely strong, Worf is capable of lifting a piece of debris that that Riker judges is too heavy for both of them combined.
• Doesn't Know Their Own Child : Worf is embarrassed when he doesn't know Alexander's birthday.
• Extinct in the Future : Miss Kyle mentions that the white rhinoceros went extinct.
• Foreshadowing : Geordi is almost giddy at witnessing the soliton wave test, calling it a historical moment akin to seeing Chuck Yeager break the sound barrier or Zefram Cochrane fire up the first warp drive. Later on in the series , he actually does get to take part in the latter.
• First Gray Hair : Upon greeting her son, Helena Rozhenko notes the appearance of a few grey hairs in her adoptive son's beard. She tells Worf not to worry, saying all Rozhenko men have beards of iron gray.
• The Ghost : Worf's father Sergei doesn't come to the ship, with no explanation given.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold : Despite being in pain and barely conscious during the climax of the episode, Alexander still pleads with his father and Riker to save the endangered animals the Enterprise is transporting.
• Like Father, Like Son : Alexander is spirited and difficult to handle, just like Worf was at his age. Only this time, Worf's parents are too old to deal with it.
• Mama Didn't Raise No Criminal : When Alexander's teacher tells Worf that he swiped a model lizard, Worf objects, since stealing is dishonorable. But then, at Miss Kyle's insistence, Worf searches Alexander and finds the model.
• The Main Characters Do Everything : Worf is one of the four people working on the soliton wave experiment even though he's the security chief, not an engineer or scientist. He never actually has anything to say about it. (Granted, he is also the ship's tactical officer, so there MIGHT be a justification in that role, but it would still definitely be a stretch to involve him in the actual test prep work.)
• Misery Builds Character : Judging from what Worf tells Alexander at the end, this is a guiding principle of Klingon schools (which is hardly surprising , really).
• Mook Chivalry : Enforced. When Alexander is fighting a monster in Worf's calisthenics program, he gets knocked down. The monster hangs back and beckons him to keep fighting rather than attack him while he's at a disadvantage. Given that the program is set to "novice," this is apparently part of the program.
• Oh, Crap! : Worf, when the computer says that Alexander is trapped in a fire.
• Papa Bear : While Worf isn't called upon to fight anyone, he shows his protective instincts by ripping off a ship's panel with his bare hands to open the biolab doors and lifting a huge metal pillar off of Alexander to save his son.
• Race Against the Clock : Worf and Riker have three minutes to rescue Alexander. We cut back to the bridge a few times as their time diminishes.
• This Is Going to Be Huge : Geordi begins the story by talking about how the soliton wave is going to change spaceflight forever and potentially render warp drive obsolete. It still might, but the destroyed test ship and danger of an Earth-Shattering Kaboom surely set it back a fair while.
• Two Lines, No Waiting : The two storylines don't intersect until the final act.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E9 "A Matter of Time"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E11 "Hero Worship"

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Star trek: what happened to worf's son, alexander rozhenko.

Star Trek: The Next Generation featured Worf's son Alexander Rozhenko, who returned in Deep Space Nine — what happened to the young Klingon after?

Worf's son in  Star Trek: The Next Generation , Alexander Rozhenko, returned in  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  — but what happened to the young Klingon after? Worf is a Klingon warrior and a Starfleet officer who was raised by adoptive human parents, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko. Being a Klingon by blood but having been raised in a human environment, Worf occupies a difficult realm between two very different worlds — which makes his unexpected parental responsibilities for his part-human, part-Klingon son, Alexander, even more complicated and difficult.

Alexander was the result of a union between Worf and K'Ehleyr; the daughter of a Human mother and a Klingon father, K'Ehleyr was uniquely suited to be an Ambassador between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Worf and K'Ehleyr became romantically involved in the  TNG  episode "The Emmissary," but after she rejected Worf's marriage proposal, the two parted ways. Alexander was the result of that union, and although Worf initially rejected welcoming Alexander into his life — due to the "shame" on Worf and his descendants due to him receiving a Klingon discommendation — K'Ehleyr's death left him little choice but to take responsibility for his son.

Related:  Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, Episode 7 Is A Sequel To TNG's Spock Two-Parter

Alexander appeared several times in TNG ,   despite not being a series regular; however, he did not follow his father to Deep Space Nine, instead opting to live with Worf's human parents on Earth. Alexander's future was hinted at in the  TNG  episode "Firstborn," which featured an adult version of the character from 40 years in the future. Future Alexander, calling himself K'mtar, reveals that he travelled to the past with the intent on making his younger self a great warrior, in order to prevent Worf's murder in the future. While "Firstborn" reveals a brief summary of Alexander's life as an adult, a number of events occurred in  Deep Space Nine  that suggest this alternate Star Trek  timeline never happened: chief among these is the Dominion War.

Worf became a series regular on  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  in season 4. His son Alexander only appeared in two episodes of  DS9 , although he was referenced in others (like the time Worf sweetly commented to Miles O'Brien that he regretted not having seen his son as a toddler). When Alexander does appear, in the season 6 episode "Sons and Daughters," he is now an adult — Klingon's age much quicker than humans do, so even though he's only approximately 9 years old, he appears as a teenage male. The episode's plot revolves around Alexander's misguided attempts to reclaim his heritage by enlisting in the Klingon Defense Force in order to support the Klingon war against the Dominion. He is stationed on the Rotarran, on which   his father is a commanding officer. Alexander repeatedly demonstrates that he lacks the "warrior" abilities Klingons value — but he tries hard, and eventually, Worf realizes his his son's brave spirit and willingness to try are virtues in their own right.

Alexander later appears in the season 6 episode "You Are Cordially Invited," in which he is asked to be the " Tawi'Yan"   (or "swordbearer") at Worf and Jadzi Dax 's wedding. The role is similar to being "best man" in the wedding party. The episode reveals that Alexander is still clumsy, but he informs Worf that the Klingon crew of the Rotarran has come to accept him as such, referring to him affectionately as a good luck charm. In the season 7 episode "Penumbra," Ezri Dax states that Alexander was made a weapons officer on his new assignment on the Ya'Vang and was starting to lose his clumsiness.

Although nothing in  Deep Space Nine  disproves the future described in  TNG 's "Firstborn," the path Alexander finds himself on as a young adult is unlikely to result in him becoming the same pacifist and diplomat described by K'mtar. Worf is still alive during  Star Trek: Picard , but because K'mtar was vague about when the murder was to have taken place, it's currently unclear if this is proof that Alexander's future was changed as a result of him (and Worf) meeting his future self. Worf has yet to appear in  Picard , although fans hope actor Michael Dorn will reprise the role for season 2. If so, it would be the perfect opportunity for Alexander to return to the franchise — perhaps on a crew serving underneath his father once more.

Next:  Star Trek Hints Q Will Return In Picard Series

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Discovery Is Opening Star Trek 's Biggest Pandora's Box

The fifth and final season of star trek: discovery has put a reveal that even the next generation dared not touch at its heart, in some fascinating ways..

This week, Star Trek: Discovery kicked off its final season with a bold adventure—one with intimate ties to a classic Star Trek: The Next Generation story no other show in the franchise has dared to follow up on. In doing so, it’s opening up the kinds of opportunities that only Discovery really can—but it requires a delicate balancing act in the process.

It’s fitting that Discovery ’s fifth season premiere opened on the week of what is known as First Contact Day to Star Trek fans. Just under four decades from today, during the events of, well, Star Trek: First Contact , humankind meets its first alien civilization in the Vulcans, and finds itself thrust into a much bigger galaxy than it could have ever imagined after years of devastating nuclear conflict. What better reveal then, that Discovery ’s last season will build itself around the mystery of the ultimate first contact—a chase for the alien civilization that kickstarted humanoid life across the galaxy in the first place?

This is the twist Michael Burnham discovers at the climax of Discovery season five’s first episode, “Red Directive.” The mysterious mission she’s been kept in the dark about all episode, racing after mysterious pirates and a centuries-old Romulan puzzlebox, involves a species now dubbed “The Progenitors,” an ancient precursor civilization that first became known to Starfleet and other galactic societies during the Next Generation season six episode, “The Chase”.

It’s an episode with fascinating parallels to the season-arching narrative Discovery wants to go out on, though it’s an adventure in just one hour of TV instead of a whole season. After crossing paths with his old archaeology professor, Captain Picard finds himself on a treasure hunt across the galaxy, with rival factions in the Klingons, Cardassians, and eventually the Romulans (leading to Discovery ’s way in, fictional centuries and actual decades later), after it’s discovered that the professor had discovered a secret that could either bind the whole of galactic civilization together—or shatter it to pieces, just as Burnham is warned of her own mission. While his rivals believe they’re on the hunt of an almighty weapon, ultimately what Picard and the other powers at play discover on Vilmor II is truth, and knowledge.

A holographic message from a bald, humanoid being—played beautifully such a short time by Salome Jens, who would go on to play a similar looking but altogether more horrifying Star Trek alien in her role as the Female Changeling heading the Dominion’s invasion of the Alpha Quadrant in Deep Space Nine —reveals that her species, long dead, evolved too soon to meet similar sentient life in the galaxy. So, in the hopes of spreading their legacy across the stars, they seeded life in their image—bipedal, humanoid, smooth-skinned, and (for the most part) hairless—across the galaxy, and left clues so that one day when that life evolved and took to the stars as they had, they could discover their shared origin, and do so together .

“The Chase” concludes on an optimistic, but non-committal note, in spite of the gravity of its reveal that intelligence design doesn’t just exist in Star Trek , but is both a fun metatextual answer to why most aliens in the franchise conveniently look like humans in various color palettes and with extraneous latex bits, and also a piece of worldbuilding that fundamentally reshapes its whole universe. While the Klingons and Cardassians, who’d assumed they were hunting for power and technology, are disgusted by the thought of common ancestry, Captain Picard and his Romulan counterpart express that the revelation could one day bring peace—not just between their own civilizations, but across the entire galaxy.

Star Trek promptly never went there again, boldly or otherwise.

There have been Star Trek stories since that examine the evolution of life across its universe—like Voyager ’s fascinating “Distant Origin,” where a scientist from a Delta quadrant species called the Voth discovers they are descended from Earth’s dinosaurs—but it took three decades for the franchise to pick up directly where “The Chase” left things off as Discovery did this week. It’s already expanded upon the episode, giving the alien species an alternative name in the “Progenitors,” as well as the revelation from Michael’s quest that they did not just leave behind their knowledge, but elements of the actual technology they used to shape life after the decline of their civilization... technology that yes, now, as the Klingons and Cardassians dreamed of in “The Chase,” could be weaponized in certain hands.

It’s already interesting that Discovery would take what was, well, a discovery of knowledge, and turn it into a more tangible, galaxy-threatening object. But it’s also interesting in what Star Trek says about itself only just picking up on the potential of “The Chase” now , not just in terms of the actual, literal decades its been since that TNG episode, but in picking it up in Star Trek: Discovery , a series now set in the furthest point of time any series of the show has regularly taken place in, the 32nd century. We already know that the Progenitors’ dream of unity among its myriad descendants has not happened—just four years after “The Chase,” the Alpha Quadrant is torn apart with Salome Jens’ return as the Female Changeling, and with her the start of the Dominion War . We know further still that, by the time Burnham and her crew have jettisoned themselves into the 32nd century, the galaxy is no more united that in was in their original time—if anything, it’s more divided than it had been in centuries, the Federation and Starfleet shattered into disparate pieces by the impact of “The Burn” and the diminishment of warp travel explored in Discovery season three.

Star Trek is forever in the process of progress toward the utopia it’s always maintained it has attained in the first place— always challenging its ideals to strengthen them, and challenging them through conflict and division. But it says a lot that 30 years ago the franchise laid out the ultimate pathway to peace, and that utopic aim across the stars, and then simply... did not touch it again until now.

And yet, perhaps it’s perfect that it is Star Trek: Discovery that’s decided to pick up the pieces. Time will tell just what happens in Michael and her crew’s adventure across the galaxy to find all the puzzle pieces they need, and just what shape this Progenitor technology will eventually take. But Star Trek: Discovery has, across its lifetime, always championed the power of connection—on individual and galactic scales—in the face of adversity, and come out on top time and time again. In season four , Captain Burnham already achieved the seeming impossibility of peaceful first contact with an extragalactic race unlike anything the shared-ancestry siblings of Star Trek ’s galaxy had ever really known before. After that, exploring the untouched legacy of one of The Next Generation ’s most fascinating episodes—and perhaps finding a way to make that power of connection really tangible across its universe—is definitely something that could be on the cards. For a show that has pushed Star Trek ’s continuity further and further forward across its life, doing so would be a fitting achievement to go out on.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

Brian Bonsall

• View history

Brian Eric Bonsall ( born 3 December 1981 ; age 42) is a former child actor who played Alexander Rozhenko in seven episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Bonsall took over the role from Jon Steuer , who played the toddler Alexander in his first appearance, in the fourth season episode " Reunion ". When the producers decided to make Alexander a recurring character, they realized that an older child actor would be required to fulfill the demands of regular filming. Bonsall had extensive television experience, having played the youngest Keaton child, Andy, on the sitcom Family Ties from 1986 through 1989.

Bonsall filmed his first Trek episode, "New Ground", on Tuesday 8 October 1991 and between Thursday 10 October 1991 and Wednesday 16 October 1991 on Paramount Stage 9 and 16 . For "Ethics", he filmed his scenes on Thursday 12 December 1991 and between Monday 16 December 1991 and Thursday 19 December 1991 on Paramount Stage 8 , 9, and 16. For "Cost of Living", he filmed his scenes between Tuesday 4 February 1992 and Thursday 13 February 1992 on Paramount Stage 8, 9, and 16. For his brief appearance in the episode "Imaginary Friend", Bonsall filmed his scenes on Monday 2 March 1992 on Paramount Stage 9.

Bonsall won three Young Artist Awards for his role on Family Ties . After Family Ties ended in 1989, Bonsall starred in the made-for-television movie Do You Know the Muffin Man (co-starring Graham Jarvis ), for which he earned a Young Artist Award nomination.

He went on to participate in many more television movies and specials, including Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990, with Terri Garr and Ben Vereen ), Angel of Death (1990, with John de Lancie and Ray Walston ), and False Arrest (1991, with Dennis Christopher , George Hearn , and Jeremy Roberts ). In 1994 he starred opposite Bob Saget in the family television movie Father and Scout , which co-starred Heidi Swedberg and David Graf .

He also made guest appearances on such television shows as The Young Riders (starring Anthony Zerbe ) and Shades of L.A. (starring Kenneth Mars ). He began appearing on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991, appearing semi-regularly during the show's fifth through seventh seasons.

Brian Bonsall as "Andrew Keaton" from "Family Ties", for which he is best known.

In addition to his television work, Bonsall starred in several feature films. He played the title role in the 1992 horror thriller Mikey , about a demonic young boy who terrorizes his adoptive parents. This was followed with a supporting role in the 1993 thriller Distant Cousins , co-starring with Mary Crosby . That same year, Bonsall co-starred in the comedy Father Hood , also featuring Adrienne Barbeau and Bob Gunton . Bonsall then starred in the 1994 Disney film Blank Check , about a youth who comes into the possession of a blank check, which he fills out for $1 million. Miguel Ferrer also starred in this latter film, playing the criminal who unwittingly gives Bonsall the blank check.

Bonsall training with stunt coordinator Dennis Madalone for "Firstborn"

After starring in the 1994 television movie Lily in Winter (with Salli Elise Richardson ), Bonsall left acting for music. In 1998, he formed a band with his friends, called Late Bloomers, and was most recently a member of the punk rock band Thruster. He has stated that he has no interest in returning to acting.

Since leaving the screen, however, Bonsall has had several run-ins with the law. In 2001, he was convicted of driving under the influence, and in 2004, he was arrested under suspicion of drunk driving. [1] On 28 March 2007, Bonsall, who lives in Colorado, was arrested for charges of second-degree assault and false imprisonment after an altercation with his girlfriend. In a plea agreement, Bonsall pled guilty to third-degree assault and the other charges were dropped. He was then sentenced to 24 months' probation on 31 August 2007. [2] (X)

In June 2008, Bonsall was accused of violating the conditions of his probation by failing to pay for domestic violence classes, missing daily Breathalyzer tests, failing one Breathalyzer test, and walking out on a urine test. [3] (X) [4] (X) He was due to appear in a court hearing scheduled for 16 July 2008 to answer for these alleged probation violations. Bonsall failed to show at the hearing, however, and authorities issued an arrest warrant for the former actor, coupled with a $2,500 bond. [5]

On 5 December 2009, Bonsall was arrested in Boulder, Colorado, for allegedly assaulting his friend with a bar stool. [6] [7] (X) Bonsall has since been sentenced to two years probation. [8] (X) [9]

Appearances as Alexander [ ]

• " New Ground "
• " Cost Of Living "
• " Imaginary Friend "
• " Rascals "
• " A Fistful of Datas "
• " Firstborn "

External links [ ]

• Brian Bonsall  at Instagram
• Brian Bonsall at X (formerly Twitter)
• Brian Bonsall at the Internet Movie Database
• Brian Bonsall at Wikipedia
• 3 USS Antares (32nd century)

Why ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Built Season 5 Around a Classic Episode From a Legacy Series

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

• Why ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Built Season 5 Around a Classic Episode From a Legacy Series 4 days ago
• ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Star Sonequa Martin-Green on the Show’s Unexpected Final Season, the ‘Pressure’ of Representation and Taking the ‘Trek’ Cruise 5 days ago
• Jerrod Carmichael Was Terrified of Being Seen, So He Made a Reality Show: ‘This May Be Unhealthy. It Is a Little Dangerous’ 2 weeks ago

SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments in Season 5, Episode 1 of “ Star Trek : Discovery,” now streaming on Paramount+.

By the end of the episode, however, the mission has pushed Burnham and her crew to their limits, including slamming the USS Discovery into the path of a massive landslide threatening a nearby city. Before they risk their lives any further pursuing this object, Burnham demands that Kovich at least tell her why. (MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW.)

Kovich’s explanation evokes the classic “ Star Trek: The Next Generation ” episode “The Chase” from 1993 in which Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) — along with teams of Romulans, Klingons and Cardassians — learn that all humanoid life in the galaxy was created by a single species that existed billions of years earlier, and seeded thousands of planets with the DNA to pass along their legacy. (Along with presenting a profound vision of the origins of life, the episode also provided an imaginative explanation for why almost all the aliens in “Star Trek” basically look like humans with different kinds of forehead ridges.)

Kovich tells Burnham that the Romulan scientist was part of a team sent to discover exactly how these aliens — whom they call the Progenitors — made this happen; the object they’re seeking winds up being one part of a brand new “chase,” this time in the 32nd century, to find the Progenitors’ technology before it can fall into the wrong hands. 

“I remember watching that episode and at the end of it just being blown away that there was this huge idea where we all come from,” Paradise says. “And then they’re going to have another mission the next week. I found myself wondering, ‘Well, then what? What happened? What do we do with this information? What does it mean?’”

Originally, Paradise says the “Discovery” writers’ room discussed evoking the Progenitors in Season 4, when the Discovery meets an alien species, the 10-C, who live outside of the galaxy and are as radically different from humans as one could imagine. “As we dug deeper into the season itself, we realized that it was too much to try and get in,” Paradise says.

Instead, they made the Progenitors the engine for Season 5. “Burnham and some of our other characters are on this quest for personal meaning,” Paradise says. Searching for the origins of life itself, she adds, “feels like a big thematic idea that fits right in with what we’re exploring over the course of the season, and what our characters are going through.”

That meant that Paradise finally got to help come up with the answers to the questions about “The Chase” that had preoccupied her when she was younger. “We had a lot of fun talking about what might’ve happened when [Picard] called back to headquarters and had to say, ‘Here’s what happened today,’” she says. “We just built the story out from there.”

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews
• Episode aired Oct 2, 1993

Geordi is distracted by the news of the possible loss of his mother while he uses a new remote probe technology to search for a downed spacecraft. Geordi is distracted by the news of the possible loss of his mother while he uses a new remote probe technology to search for a downed spacecraft. Geordi is distracted by the news of the possible loss of his mother while he uses a new remote probe technology to search for a downed spacecraft.

• Robert Wiemer
• Gene Roddenberry
• Joe Menosky
• René Echevarria
• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• LeVar Burton
• 15 User reviews
• 8 Critic reviews

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker

• Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge

• Lieutenant Worf

• Doctor Beverly Crusher

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Commander Data

• Capt. Silva La Forge

• Adm. Marcus Holt

• Dr. Edward La Forge

• Ensign Gates
• (uncredited)

• Starfleet Ensign
• Crewman Martinez

• Ensign Russell
• Sciences Officer

• Command Division Officer
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Madge Sinclair was suffering from leukemia at the time of production. She was first diagnosed about 10 years earlier and, at the time of production, had already far surpassed doctor's expectations for survival. She would live another 26 months after this show aired and die at the age of 57.
• Goofs (at around 13 mins) Geordi walks into a room of dead people. As the camera is walked backwards, you can see a 'dead' person pulling a barrel over to support herself. It must have slipped and the film crew thought it was off-camera.

Commander William T. Riker : My mother died when I was a baby. All I had was pictures and the stories that my father used to tell me about her. I begged him to tell those stories over and over. When I was five and I went to school, I started to tell my new friends those same stories, pretending that she was alive. Then I started believing that she was alive, that she had just gone away, but that she was coming back. The teacher got wind of this. She and my father had this talk with me. They told me it was important to accept the fact that my mother was dead and that she wasn't coming back and all the hoping in the world wouldn't make it so. In my mind, that was the day that my mother actually died. I cried all that night, but after that, it started feeling better.

• Connections Featured in Top 10 Star Trek Technobabbles (2008)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User reviews 15

• Nov 24, 2017
• October 2, 1993 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 45 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Star Trek: Discovery’s TNG Connection Explained - "The Chase" & Who Are The Progenitors?

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episodes 1 & 2!

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5 continues the story of the Progenitors discovered by Captain Picard 800 years ago.
• Captain Burnham embarks on a treasure hunt to uncover the Progenitors' technology with potential for peace or conflict.
• The legacy of the Progenitors in Star Trek: Discovery raises questions of power, unity, and morality in the 32nd century.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a surprising sequel to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Chase", continuing the story of the enigmatic Progenitors 800 years after they were discovered by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). As Discovery is set 800 years after the TNG era, it can often feel forced when the show tries to marry up these two ends of the Star Trek timeline . However, the magnitude of Picard's discovery about the Progenitors justifies the secret being hidden for centuries, and it could have fascinating implications for the future of Star Trek 's 32nd century.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive" opens with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) exploring an 800-year-old Romulan scout ship at the behest of Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg). Kovich was less forthcoming than usual with information about the USS Discovery's "Red Directive" mission , forcing Burnham to seek help from Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) in learning more. Tilly uncovered recordings left by the Romulan scientist Dr. Vellek (Michael Copeman), revealing Discovery 's links to Star Trek: The Next Generation 's original Progenitor treasure hunt, led by Captain Picard.

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

Picard’s original progenitor treasure hunt in tng explained.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 20, "The Chase", Picard's former archeology teacher, Professor Galen (Norman Lloyd) asked the Enterprise captain to join him in solving a 4.5 billion-year-old mystery. Picard initially declined Galen's offer, but circumstances forced him to reconsider when his mentor's shuttle was attacked. Galen left behind files that contained huge blocks of numbers that were indecipherable without further information . Picard had the Enterprise retrace Galen's journey in the hope of finding out more about the archeology professor's strange code.

"The Chase" was directed by Jonathan Frakes, who returned to direct the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Eventually, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) discovered that the numbers refer to DNA strands of multiple different alien species. The combined strands form a shape that resembles an algorithm, a program implanted in the DNA of multiple species, for reasons unknown . It quickly became clear that Picard was not the only person seeking answers about Galen's mystery, as the Cardassians and Klingons also sought to understand what this ancient program could be. Negotiating a truce between the two factions, Picard and Crusher gained enough information to lead the Enterprise, Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans to the planet Vilmor II, where they make a monumental discovery.

TNG’s Progenitors Created All Humanoid Life In The Star Trek Universe

The treasure on Vilmor II was knowledge about life itself, delivered via a holographic message left behind by an ancient humanoid species. The sole humanoid species in the universe, these aliens wanted to leave a lasting legacy after their own extinction. And so, 4.5 billion years earlier, the ancient humanoids seeded their DNA across multiple planets in the Star Trek universe , influencing the evolution of countless species. Star Trek: Discovery reveals that since Picard revealed his findings, Starfleet have been calling the ancient humanoid species The Progenitors.

The Ancient Humanoid in Star Trek: The Next Generation was played by Salome Jens, who would go on to play the Female Changeling in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Not unlike the broken treasure map from Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 2, "Under the Twin Moons" , the Progenitors' message was broken into fragments and contained within multiple alien species' DNA. The Progenitors' intention was that, upon coming together to piece the fragments together, the disparate alien races would unite under their common origins. Sadly, this wasn't the case in Star Trek: The Next Generation , as the Klingons and Cardassians refused to believe that they could possibly originate from the same species . However, the Romulans were more thoughtful, setting up Discovery 's season 5 premiere.

Star Trek: Discovery's Huge Season 5 TNG Connection Explained By Showrunner

Discovery’s romulan scientist and his tng link explained.

At the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase", Captain Picard discusses the Progenitors' message with a surprisingly open-minded Romulan commander. The message has had an effect on the Romulan, who tells Picard that he hopes to one day stand alongside humanity as friends. Star Trek: Discovery reveals that one of the members of TNG 's Romulan landing party, Dr. Vellek, continued to research the Progenitors and eventually found where their ancient technology was hidden. However, Vellek was very aware that such technology could be as deadly as it is profound, and went to extraordinary lengths to hide his findings .

Both the crew of the USS Discovery and intergalactic outlaws Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) have access to Vellek's journals. However, both parties have very different intentions for the Romulan scientist's life's work. Captain Burnham hopes that recovering the Progenitors' technology will provide a sense of meaning, while Moll and L'ak are attracted by the price tag . Vellek remained hidden for 800 years, until his corpse was discovered in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, which proves just how desperate he was to keep the location of the Progenitors' technology a secret.

What Does Star Trek: Discovery’s Progenitor Link Mean For Its Final Season?

In Star Trek: The Next Generation , the Progenitors had hoped the truth about humanoid life in the galaxy would bring a new era of peace and understanding . However, rather than become inspired by their commonality, the Klingons and Cardassians instead feud with each other, disgusted that they could be somehow genetically related. 800 years later, and in the wake of the hostilities caused by The Burn, the Progenitors' message could be the very thing that finally unites the galaxy in Star Trek: Discovery 's finale . However, it may not be that simple.

For one thing, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will continue the story of the 32nd century, and the Progenitors' message of commonality will dramatically reduce any sense of conflict in the universe. More interestingly, Dr. Kovich seems to want to get his hands on the technology, not the message. The Progenitors' technology would allow Starfleet to influence the evolution of other species , power that would set them up among the gods. This feels like too much power for a shifty character like Kovich to possess.

Whoever possesses the Progenitors' tech in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has the very building blocks of life itself. In the right hands, that could lead to profound discoveries that lead to renewed peace and prosperity for the Federation in the 32nd century. In the wrong hands, enemies of the Federation could use those building blocks for their own nefarious purposes. That's a huge concern as Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery continue their treasure hunt. Sooner or later, Captain Burnham will have to make a choice about how she deals with the legacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Progenitors.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery

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

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.