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Star Trek: Discovery

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Star Trek: Discovery is the seventh series set in the Star Trek universe. Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman , Discovery was originally set roughly a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series , set primarily aboard the starship USS Discovery , before jumping from the 23rd century to the 32nd century .

The series was announced by StarTrek.com on 2 November 2015 . According to the press release, " The brand-new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966 . " [1]

It is produced by CBS Studios and Secret Hideout ; the executive producers are Fuller, Kurtzman, and Heather Kadin .

The first series to be developed for the CBS All Access subscription platform, it began airing on 24 September 2017 , with a preview broadcast of the premiere episode, " The Vulcan Hello ", on the CBS network ; the second episode being released on All Access on the same day. In the US, subsequent episodes were released exclusive to CBS All Access. The first season ran for a complete fifteen episodes, being released on successive Sundays, finishing on 11 February 2018 , with a mid-season break between November and January. [2] [3] The second season ran for fourteen episodes, between 17 January 2019 and 18 April 2019 , again released via CBS All Access, this time on successive Thursdays. The third season ran for thirteen episodes, also on Thursdays, from 15 October 2020 to 7 January 2021 .

Outside the US, the series was available on Netflix from 25 September 2017 and ending on 16 November 2021 , except in Canada, where Space and Z carry the series in English and French, respectively. The series was slated to begin a global rollout on Paramount+ in 2022. [4] However, on 24 November 2021 , it was announced that the program would instead release beginning on 26 November 2021 with the first two episodes in all markets where Paramount+ is currently available, with new episodes releasing weekly. In those markets still without the service, it will be made available on the free ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV on the same timetable. [5]

CBS aired the first season of Discovery on terrestrial broadcast, beginning on 24 September 2020 , exactly three years after " The Vulcan Hello " first aired. [6]

Discovery was the first official Star Trek live-action production the former franchise owner, Paramount Pictures , neither owned nor was involved with on any level (although since Viacom and CBS re-merged to form ViacomCBS in 2019 , Star Trek television is once again under the same corporate umbrella as Paramount – a distinction made even less significant after ViacomCBS rebranded itself as Paramount Global in February 2022 ).

On 2 March 2023 , it was announced that the series' fifth season would be Discovery 's last and will air in 2024 . [7] [8]

• 1.1 Special guest star
• 1.2.1 32nd century
• 1.2.2 23rd century
• 2.1 Season 1
• 2.2 Season 2
• 2.3 Season 3
• 2.4 Season 4
• 2.5 Season 5
• 3.1 Writing
• 3.4 Casting
• 3.5 Participation interest
• 3.6.1 Tie-ins
• 3.6.2 Products
• 4 Reactions
• 5 Related topics
• 7 External links
• Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
• Doug Jones as Saru
• Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
• Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly
• Wilson Cruz as Hugh Culber (2019–)
• Shazad Latif as Ash Tyler (2017–2019)
• Rachael Ancheril as D. Nhan (2020)
• Blu del Barrio as Adira Tal (2021–2024)
• Tig Notaro as Jett Reno (2021–2024)
• Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner (2024)
• Jason Isaacs as Gabriel Lorca (2017–2018)
• Anson Mount as Christopher Pike (2019)
• David Ajala as Cleveland Booker (2020–2024)

Special guest star

• Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou / Philippa Georgiou (mirror) (2017–2020)

Recurring characters

32nd century.

• Ian Alexander as Gray Tal
• Andreas Apergis as Xi
• Noah Averbach-Katz as Ryn
• Avaah Blackwell as Ina
• David Cronenberg as Kovich
• Orville Cummings as Christopher
• Luca Doulgeris as Leto
• Shawn Doyle as Ruon Tarka
• Oded Fehr as Charles Vance
• Rothaford Gray as Tareckx
• Eve Harlow as Moll
• Ache Hernandez as Kyheem
• Chelah Horsdal as Laira Rillak
• Vanessa Jackson as Audrey Willa
• Hiro Kanagawa as Dr. Hirai
• Janet Kidder as Osyraa
• Ian Lake as Tolor
• Alex McCooeye as Lee'U
• Linford Mark Robinson as L'Teis Kardashev
• Seamus Patterson as Harral
• Katherine Trowell as Bandra
• Tara Rosling as T'Rina
• Phumzile Sitole as Diatta Ndoye
• Giovanni Spina as Sta'Kiar
• Elias Toufexis as L'ak
• Jake Weber as Zareh
• Annabelle Wallis as Zora
• Adrian Walters as Taahz Gorev

23rd century

• Jayne Brook as Katrina Cornwell
• Mary Chieffo as L'Rell
• Conrad Coates as Terral
• Emily Coutts as Keyla Detmer
• Raven Dauda as Tracy Pollard
• James Frain as Sarek
• Riley Gilchrist as Shukar (mirror) / Shukar
• Harry Judge as Gorch (mirror) / Gorch
• Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson
• Patrick Kwok-Choon as Gen Rhys
• Clare McConnell as Dennas
• Kenneth Mitchell as Kol , Aurellio
• Sara Mitich and Hannah Cheesman as Airiam
• Sara Mitich as Nilsson
• Ali Momen as Kamran Gant
• Chris Obi as T'Kuvma
• Oyin Oladejo as Joann Owosekun
• Ethan Peck as Spock
• Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley
• Ronnie Rowe, Jr. as R.A. Bryce
• Christopher Russell as Milton Richter
• Damon Runyan as Ujilli
• Sonja Sohn as Gabrielle Burnham
• Hannah Spear as Siranna
• Alan van Sprang as Leland
• Terry Serpico as Brett Anderson
• Rekha Sharma as Ellen Landry / Ellen Landry (mirror)
• David Benjamin Tomlinson as Linus
• Sam Vartholomeos as Danby Connor
• Chris Violette as Britch Weeton
• Romaine Waite as Troy Januzzi
• Bahia Watson as May Ahearn
• Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd

Episode list

DIS Season 1 , 15 episodes:

DIS Season 2 , 14 episodes:

DIS Season 3 , 13 episodes

DIS Season 4 , 13 episodes

DIS Season 5 , 10 episodes [9]

Development

William Shatner claimed that a " 3 movie deal and then a new series [has] been in the cards since 2007 - 2008 . " [10] After the release of the Star Trek reboot in 2009 , Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci pitched an animated series to CBS, similar to their series Transformers: Prime for The Hub (now Discovery Family). [11] However, Orci said the success of the first film did not indicate whether a new show would be viable, explaining, " One movie doesn't make a trend. Two movies starts to indicate that there is a trend and it's viable. It will become more real as the year goes on. " [12]

By 2009, Bryan Fuller desired to produce a new live-action Star Trek series. " I told my agent and told the people of J.J. Abrams ' team I want to create another Star Trek series and have an idea that I'm kicking around, " he explained.

" I would love to return to the spirit of the old series with the colours and attitude [...] [of] the '60s fun and I would love to take it back to its origin [...] Star Trek has to recreate itself. Otherwise, all the characters start to feel the same. You always have a captain, a doctor, a security officer, and you have the same arguments based on those perspectives. It starts to feel too familiar. So all those paradigms where it takes place on a starship have to be shaken up. " [13]

In 2013 , after the release of Star Trek Into Darkness , a CBS Broadcasting representative reiterated interest in reviving Star Trek for television, in response to a comment from Abrams that he had heard the studio was not interested. [14] On 19 January 2014 , Fuller stated he "would drop everything" in order to become the showrunner for a Star Trek television series, commenting,

" I think it's finding a philosophy about it [that would be important], and I think there is such an interesting philosophy happening now with our identity as a planet and taking responsibility for what's happening on the planet, and I think I would make it about identity, in a specific way. " [15]

Meanwhile, however, Brannon Braga mentioned "the word on the street" was that " they probably won't do one until the movies have run their course, " while Rod Roddenberry concurred with this by saying he believed there would not be another series until after the conclusion of the films. [16] [17] In an October 2015 interview, comics writer Mike Johnson suggested the Tholians might "cause major trouble for the Federation" in the next Star Trek television series. ("Top 50 Alien Species!", Star Trek: Ongoing issue #50, " Live Evil, Part 1 ") Another idea for a new live-action Star Trek series, conceived by Worf actor Michael Dorn , would have focused on Worf as a captain . As early as 7 November 2015 , Dorn confirmed the newly announced series will not be the concept he had wanted. [18]

Netflix , Amazon , and Hulu all offered money to distribute the show, [19] but CBS Corporation President and CEO Leslie Moonves opted to develop the series as CBS All Access' first piece of original content, anticipating that millions would subscribe to watch the show. He also revealed,

" Our international distribution guy is going crazy; he can't wait to get out to the marketplace and sell [it]. Right away, we're more than halfway home on the cost of the show from international alone. The risk is small in seeing the track record. " [20]

Robert Hewitt Wolfe speculated the decision also " allows for good budgets so it makes sense for Star Trek." [21]

On 9 February 2016 , it was officially announced that Bryan Fuller would serve as showrunner on the new Star Trek series. David Stapf, President of CBS Television Studios, explained,

" When we began discussions about the series returning to television, we immediately knew that Bryan Fuller would be the ideal person to work alongside Alex Kurtzman to create a fresh and authentic take on this classic and timeless series. Bryan is not only an extremely gifted writer, but a genuine fan of Star Trek . Having someone at the helm with his gravitas who also understands and appreciates the significance of the franchise and the worldwide fan base was essential to us. "

Fuller himself said, " It is without exaggeration a dream come true to be crafting a brand new iteration of Star Trek with fellow franchise alum Alex Kurtzman and boldly going where no Star Trek series has gone before. " Added Kurtzman,

" Bringing Star Trek back to television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan's devoted care. His encyclopedic knowledge of Trek canon is surpassed only by his love for Gene Roddenberry 's optimistic future, a vision that continues to guide us as we explore strange new worlds. " [22]

On 26 February 2016 , it was announced that Nicholas Meyer would be joining the show as a consulting writer and producer. [23] In an interview conducted the next day , Meyer expressed hope in getting to write some episodes, but was not yet sure how big the writing staff would be. Still to begin work on the show, Meyer said he was waiting to be notified when to do so. He did, however, have some ideas about what the new show would entail. Meyer elaborated,

" I think it's going to be a different Star Trek . It will go in a different direction. And I think that is probably good. Because the thing that mainly troubles me about Star Trek is the fear of it being maybe re-treads of itself [....] And I think that Bryan [Fuller] – who is a very clever fellow – has ideas – some of which I’ve heard – that are innovative and different. Different is what got me interested. "

Meyer also said Fuller considered Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country to be his touchstone for the new series. [24]

On 3 March 2016 , it was announced that Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth would be joining the show as executive producers. [25]

On 17 March 2016 , two photographs apparently showing behind-the-scenes test shots surfaced, but were later proven to be from an unrelated project. [26]

On 22 April 2016 , Pop Goes The News reported that it would be filmed in Toronto, Canada, saying CBS had booked studio space back in September 2015. [27] According to CBS' VP of communications Kristen Hall, however, CBS hadn't yet confirmed the shooting location by this point. [28]

Also in April 2016, Mark Worthington was confirmed as the series' production designer. Worthington's resume, in addition to confirming his own involvement, also revealed that Alex Kurtzman would direct the pilot episode. [29]

On 30 April 2016 , it was reported that the show would be filmed at Toronto's Pinewood Toronto Studios . [30] On 2 May 2016 , the Toronto location was confirmed in a tweet by CBS. [31] This marked the second time (after Star Trek Beyond ) that a Star Trek live-action iteration was not to be produced physically in Hollywood, [32] in itself a further indication of the diminishing relevance of Hollywood as a motion picture production hub, a trend that had set in in the early 2000s. [33] [34]

On 3 May 2016 , it was reported that the show would be available in weekly installments rather than a whole season all at once. Its premiere would simultaneously air on CBS' TV network and All Access, with subsequent episodes exclusive to All Access (for US viewers). [35]

On 18 May 2016 , the first teaser trailer, along with the logo for the show, was released, simply naming the series as " Star Trek ". [36]

On 6 June 2016 , it was reported that the project's code name might be "Green Harvest". [37] The Canadian industry union IATSE 873 confirmed the working title as "Green Harvest" and dated the filming between 26 September 2016 and 15 March 2017 . [38]

In a red carpet interview at the Saturn Awards on 22 June 2016 , Fuller revealed that the first season would be comprised of a thirteen-episode story arc. Filming was scheduled to take place from September 2016 to March 2017 . [39] This was to be the second season-long story arc in Star Trek history, the first having been in season 3 of Enterprise .

Fuller noted, " We are not subject to broadcast standards and practices. So we can have profanity if we choose – not that I want to see a Star Trek with lots of profanity. But we can certainly be more graphic than you would on broadcast network television. " [40] That also meant episodes could be longer than a typical broadcast show. [41]

On 18 July 2016 , Netflix was announced as the international broadcaster for the series in countries where it is available outside the US and Canada. In Canada, the series would air on Space in English and on Z in French. [42]

On 1 August 2016 , Bryan Fuller suggested that the series would be set prior to The Original Series , stating that the registry number of the Discovery was a clue as to the placement of the series in the timeline. He also stated that it would be possible to read a connection, "or not", to Section 31 in some aspect of the first season. [43]

On 8 August 2016 , Bryan Fuller tweeted a picture on Twitter for a makeup test for Discovery which was possibly a hint for the inclusion of an Andorian . [44]

On 10 August 2016 , Bryan Fuller announced that the series would take place in 2255 . [45] According to Fuller, the basis for the first season would incorporate "an incident in the history of Starfleet that had been talked about but never fully explored." [46]

In a radio interview on 27 August 2016 , Fuller revealed more details. The female lead would be the first officer of the Discovery and referred to as " Number one ", honoring Majel Barrett-Roddenberry 's character from TOS : " The Cage ". [47]

On 9 September 2016 , Fuller tweeted that the events of TOS : " Balance of Terror " would provide the "touchstone" for the series' story arc. [48]

On 14 September 2016 , Fuller announced that the series premiere would be delayed until May 2017, in order to ensure the quality of the show was not compromised. CBS agreed with the move. [49]

Variety reported, on 26 October 2016 , that Bryan Fuller would no longer oversee day-to-day operations on the show, but would remain executive producer. He was to remain involved in breaking stories and providing support for showrunners Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts . Sources indicated that CBS, while satisfied with the materials he had created, was concerned that Fuller had too much on his plate with his involvement in other work. This included Starz's then-upcoming drama American Gods . [50] Akiva Goldsman joined the show to provide additional support. [51] Fuller later clarified with Newsweek , on 2 December 2016 , that he was no longer involved with the production. [52]

According to issue #1 of the 2017 Emmy Magazine (p. 21), Star Trek: Discovery has a reported budget of US$6 to US$7 million per episode. [53]

At the CBS upfront presentation on 17 May 2017 , it was announced the first season had been extended to fifteen episodes. Talking Trek (now After Trek ), a post-episode discussion show, was also announced. [54]

The premiere date for the series was announced on 19 June 2017 , when it was revealed that the first season would be split into two airing blocks. [55]

On 23 October 2017 , it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which began filming in April of 2018. [56] [57]

On 27 February 2019 , it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third season, with Michelle Paradise becoming co-showrunner with Alex Kurtzman . [58]

The renewal for the series' fourth season was announced on 16 October 2020 ; the renewal for the fifth season was announced on 18 January 2022 . [59] [60]

Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg have said the characters will be more conflicted and not as perfect as characters from previous Star Trek series. Harberts said they would hold true to Gene Roddenberry's idealised view of future Humans with " how we solve those conflicts. So we do have our characters in conflict, we do have them struggling with each other, but it's about how they find a solution and work through their problems. " [61]

Having the female protagonist be given the traditionally male name of Michael is one of Fuller's signature motifs: other examples include Chuck in Pushing Daises and Jaye on Wonderfalls . [62]

In contrast to previous shows, the writers are ready to kill off characters even if their actors aren't planning to leave the series. [63]

Due to Gene Roddenberry 's belief religion would die out by the 23rd century , writer Kirsten Beyer felt references to God should be avoided, quipping to Jason Isaacs when he ad-libbed on set "for God's sakes", that "for f–'s sake" would be more likely. [64] Gretchen Berg later clarified, " I don't necessarily agree with [Isaacs'] quote. On a show about diversity and with different points of view, I feel like you have to accept that some people believe in God, some people want to worship a potato, and some people don't want to believe in anything. I think there is room for that on Star Trek . " [65] Harberts later confirmed that the incident had been taken out of context and was specific to Lorca at that juncture, not the show in general. He also expressed interest in exploring the issue of faith or lack of it in later episodes. [66]

Even when the series was yet to begin airing, a second season had already been mapped out, with a third season beginning to be mapped out. [67]

The writers regularly consult Memory Alpha. According to Harberts, the series' writing team are themselves "fanatical" about fact-checking the information they discover on the wiki. For example, they sometimes rewatch, or ask researcher Anthony Maranville to rewatch, an entire episode based on a single detail from one of Memory Alpha's many entries. [68]

Writing for Season 2 began in January of 2018. [69]

In August 2020 Kurtzman said that writing for Discovery had continued during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the writers' room meeting via Zoom. [70] On 16 October 2020 Season 4 was officially announced.

The teaser title card for Discovery

Bryan Fuller was adamant the Klingon make-up be updated for the show. Aaron Harberts noted, " In the different versions of Trek , the Klingons have never been completely consistent. We will introduce several different houses with different styles. " [71] According to Neville Page , who also designed the Klingons for Star Trek – though the Klingon scenes were cut from that film as released – and Star Trek Into Darkness , Fuller mandated most of them should be bald. [72] Page, and fellow lead designer, Glenn Hetrick  continued to identify the baldness as an enduring part of Fuller's intentions for the Klingons, allowing them to reveal what was on their heads (such as in AT : " Lethe ").

The lead costume designer is Gersha Phillips . The Starfleet uniforms were originally similar to those in the original series. [73]

The teaser clip presented at the San Diego Comic-Con on 23 July 2016 was scored by Fil Eisler as an audition for the show. At the following year's panel, Jeff Russo was announced as the series' composer, and it was revealed that he had already completed work on the Discovery theme. [74] Russo recorded the theme, along with the score for the first episode, with a sixty-piece orchestra in Los Angeles on 27 July 2017 . [75]

Russo returned for Season 2. [76]

The show was announced to have a female lead. [77] The first cast member, Michelle Yeoh , was revealed by Nicholas Meyer in an interview on 22 November 2016 . [78] Anthony Rapp and Doug Jones were confirmed the following week. [79]

Bryan Fuller commented that the cast should be diverse. "Star Trek is a show of firsts. And in researching the characters for this new iteration of Star Trek , I've been talking to Mae Jemison , who's the first black woman in space, and who saw Star Trek in the '60s and who saw Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of a ship and said, 'I see myself in space.' So there's something wonderful about the legacy that Nichelle Nichols represents as giving a gift to people who weren't previously able to see themselves in the future. We are going to be continuing that tradition of progressive casting and progressive character work to be an inclusive world. " He also said "eventually, eventually" there will be appearances from previously established characters. [80]

On 24 May 2016 , it was reported that some fans wished to see Castle and Firefly alumnus Nathan Fillion in the series. [81] It was even suggested that this was why Fillion ended his commitment to Castle . [82] Bryan Fuller ideally wanted Angela Bassett and Rosario Dawson ; Bassett declined due to prior obligations, and there is no evidence Dawson was ever approached for consideration. [83]

Star Trek alumnus Tony Todd also expressed interest in working on the new series and even confirmed he is on a casting list of the studio. [84] [85]

In late October, it was reported the cast would feature, in addition to the female lead, an openly-gay male lead, a female and a male admiral , a male Klingon captain, and a British male doctor. [86]

Early news stories of Sonequa Martin-Green's casting in December 2016 identified her character as "Lieutenant Commander Rainsford"; [87] CBS' official announcement on 3 April 2017 changed the name to "Burnham".

On 28 April 2017 , it was announced that Shazad Latif had been re-cast as Lt. Tyler, being replaced in the role of Kol by Kenneth Mitchell. Three other cast members were also added: Rekha Sharma as Commander Landry, Clare McConnell as Dennas, and Damon Runyan as Ujilli. [88]

Wilson Cruz's casting as Dr. Culber was revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con panel on 22 July 2017 .

Participation interest

Marina Sirtis has expressed interest in reprising her role as Deanna Troi in a phone interview with MZNOW , saying, " I loved playing her... It would be interesting to me to go back now, twenty years later and kind of go 'who did she become? Who is she now?' I would find that very interesting, and I would love to do that. " [89]

Both Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan have expressed interest in reprising their roles as Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine respectively. In an interview with the TODAY show, Mulgrew said, " I want to be the admiral and I want to boss them around. " Ryan, in an interview with Digital Spy , said, " My understanding is that it's in a very different world from any of the previous shows – but never say never. It'd be fun to just drop in and revisit her – not that I want to revisit her all the time! " [90]

Scott Bakula , Jonathan Frakes , and Nichelle Nichols have also expressed interest in appearing on the series. [91] [92] [93]

In an interview with "Variety", Martin-Green's Walking Dead co-star Andrew Lincoln expressed his desire to appear on the show, possibly with alien make-up on. [94]

According to Michael Dorn 's publicist, brief discussions were held between Discovery producers and Dorn about a possible role on the show, but that there are no plans for him to appear on it at this time. An Orlando Sentinel writer expanded on the publicist's statement by stating that Dorn was offered less than one percent of what he had been paid for his last appearance as Worf. [95]

Robert Duncan McNeill has stated that he had to turn down the chance to direct an episode of Discovery due to being unavailable but that he would "love to do it". [96]

The show's title was revealed by Bryan Fuller at the San Diego Comic-Con on 23 July 2016 with a clip of the title ship, the USS Discovery (NCC-1031). [97] [98] The promo was produced in three weeks and scored by Fil Eisler as an audition for the show. It greatly resembled the Ralph McQuarrie concept art for the canceled film Star Trek: Planet of the Titans , which the staff could not confirm at the time for legal reasons. [99]

Fuller also announced, at a press junket immediately thereafter, the show would be set in the prime timeline, though Fuller declined to say exactly when in that timeline it would be set.

↑ John Van Citters has chosen "DSC" as the series' official abbreviation. [100] This is consistent with the studio's use of "VGR" for Star Trek: Voyager , but MA will use the abbreviation "DIS" for Discovery , for consistency with using "VOY" for Voyager .

On 31 January 2017 , a trailer was released, showing behind-the-scenes footage of early filming. [101]

Ahead of the CBS upfront presentation on 17 May 2017 , the first official promotional image of the series was released, featuring Yeoh and Martin-Green in character on location in Jordan. [102] At the presentation, Martin-Green appeared to debut the first full trailer for the series, which was released online immediately afterward. [103] A trailer featuring the same footage recut was released by Netflix at the same time. [104]

The first official teaser poster for the series was released alongside the trailer, with a second released to accompany the announcement of the season premiere date. Two further limited edition posters were released at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2017 . At the Discovery panel on 22 July 2017 , a second full trailer debuted, featuring the first footage of Isaacs' Captain Lorca and Wilson's Harry Mudd. The trailer was released online shortly after the panel. [105] [106]

The overall first year publicity efforts of CBS Television Studios on behalf of Discovery were coordinated by its Vice President Communications Kristen Hall , [107] which earned her an industry award nomination in 2018, the ICG Publicists Award; she did not win, however. [108]

Season 3 title card

At the Mission New York convention in September 2016 , it was announced that IDW Publishing would produce comics (written by Mike Johnson ) and that Gallery Books would produce novels (the first by David Mack ) tying into the series. Both tie-in lines are coordinated with the events of the series, and are supervised by Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer. [109]

In August 2017 , it was announced that Star Trek Timelines would be updated to include characters and ships from Discovery , including Philippa Georgiou, Michael Burnham, and Saru. [110] [111] In October 2017 , more Discovery characters were added to the game including Gabriel Lorca, Ash Tyler, and Harry Mudd. [112] A month-long event, Discovery: A New Frontier , gave players the opportunity to acquire other characters and ships from the series. [113]

In September 2017 , to mark the start of the series, Perfect World made Discovery 's Starfleet uniform available to players of Star Trek Online for a limited period. [114] In January 2018 , the publisher announced that the " Discovery Lock Box" would be added to the game, giving players the chance to win ships, weapons and equipment based on those of the series, including the Crossfield -class , the Sarcophagus , and the Walker -class . [115] Starting in the autumn of 2018, Age of Discovery allows players to create a character from the Discovery era. [116] Later additions include the uniforms worn by the crew of the ISS Charon and ISS Shenzhou and several weapons used by the Emperor .

Under Eaglemoss Collections ' Hero Collector imprint, Penguin Random House published the Star Trek: Discovery Designing Starships volume of the Designing Starship reference book series on 3 September 2019 . From an in-universe perspective, a number of DIS ships are also covered in the Star Trek: Shipyards - Starfleet Ships 2151-2293 volume from the Shipyards series. Starfleet ships from the show's third season will also be covered in the second edition of the Star Trek: Shipyards - Starfleet Ships 2294 to the Future reference book . [117]

Anovos produced a phaser pistol prop replica in December 2017 [118] and released a phaser rifle late in 2018. It began to retail Starfleet uniforms (replica costumes) in the summer of 2018 [119] and markets upscale "Studio-Scale Filming Miniatures" of the USS Discovery , USS Shenzhou , and USS Enterprise ( as seen in DIS ) along with a number of Eaglemoss and QMx products. [120] [121] Rubie's Costume Company also produces DIS costumes.

In January 2018, Eaglemoss Collections ' Hero Collector brand premiered the Star Trek: Discovery The Official Starships Collection partwork , featuring starship miniatures , dedication plaques , and a figure from the series. Other ships from the series were also released as larger models within the Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , and polyresin busts of DIS characters were featured in the company's Star Trek: The Official Busts Collection . Following the release of its 33rd (numbered) issue in 2021, the company's DIS starships will be marketed as part of the Star Trek Universe: The Official Starships Collection .

QMx debuted its magnetic DIS Starfleet insignia badges at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2017. FanSets launched its first wave of collectible Discovery pins in August 2017. [122]

Hallmark released a Keepsake Christmas ornament depicting the USS Discovery in July 2018. Another DIS ornament that featured Commander Saru and Michael Burnham was released a year later.

Beginning in August 2018, McFarlane Toys began to retail a series of seven-inch articulated figures which will eventually feature characters from DIS. [123] [124] [125] Toy weapons and accessories for role-play were planned but the production of phaser pistol toys was halted after regulatory issues (and the ensuing retailer reticence) came to light, due to the toys' perceived resemblance to real firearms.

Titan Merchandise debuted DIS "Titans" vinyl figures at a 2018 convention and planned to put them into wide retail release during 2019. [126]

Gentle Giant released a Saru bust in the summer of 2018, followed by figurines of Michael Burnham and the Torchbearer. Its toy division, Gentle Giant Toys , announced that it planned to release Fleet Flyers "starship danglers" in the autumn of 2018 but they did not reach retail and had been placed "on hold" as of February 2019. [127] [128] [129]

Branded as Polar Lights products, Round 2 began to release plastic model kits (and display models) of DIS starships in early 2019. [130]

Ukonic/Robe Factory released a USS Discovery pizza cutter in 2021.

On 13 July 2021 , ViacomCBS Consumer Products and Playmates Toys jointly announced that the latter had acquired new licensing for " action figures, vehicles and ships, role play and other toy categories ", and slated the first of these products for retail release in 2022. Among other Star Trek series and films, this licensing encompasses Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Lower Decks , Star Trek: Picard , and Star Trek: Prodigy . [131]

Rick Berman responded to the new series with cautious optimism. On his Twitter feed, he tweeted, " I wish them nothing but good luck and smooth sailing. Just hope it stays true to Gene's vision. " [132]

Brannon Braga likewise wished the new series well, commenting on his Twitter feed, "Star Trek is a vast canvass with many artists. Constantly evolving. Godspeed to Mr Kurtzman. " [133] Braga additionally remarked, " Hopefully with the new series they can get back to more meditative storytelling. " In Braga's opinion, the new series is vital to ensuring Star Trek continues for another fifty years. He stated, " It's all about making sure the next television show is really good and finds a new generation of viewers to keep it going. " ( SFX , issue 270, p. 68) He later commented, " With Discovery , I am honestly as excited to see it as any other Star Trek fan. I devour each new trailer the moment it comes out. " [134]

Robert Hewitt Wolfe admitted to not knowing anything about the new series, apart from having read about it online, and stated he is currently too busy to write for it. He also commented, " Sounds like it could be great though. " As for the way the new series will be released, he stated, " Subscription streaming is an extremely successful model & allows for good budgets so it makes sense for Star Trek." Wolfe tweeted a "congrats" message to Bryan Fuller, upon him being named as the series' showrunner, adding, " You have the conn. Do us proud. " [135] [136] [137]

David A. Goodman reacted to news of the series by saying, " Hope it's good, will watch it even if it's bad. " [138]

As for whether he and wife Denise Okuda will be involved in working on the new series, Michael Okuda remarked, " We'd love to be involved. Kurtzman already has a talented, experienced team from the last two films, but who knows? " [139] Regarding the announcement that the series will be run by Bryan Fuller, Michael Okuda stated, " Congrats, Bryan! Go boldly! " [140]

Rene Auberjonois dismissed the notion that the new series will feature himself and Nana Visitor portraying their respective Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters of Odo and Kira Nerys . [141]

On Seth MacFarlane 's Twitter feed, he recommended, " Let's make this new Star Trek series optimistic, eh? I think we're all dystopia'd out. " [142] MacFarlane incidentally, actually put his money where his mouth was, as he is the creator/star/producer of the Star Trek: The Next Generation inspired science fiction series The Orville , adopting the former's upbeat tone and which almost simultaneously premiered with Discovery in September 2017 on FOX TV, thereby de facto becoming a competitor for the latter, as it has inevitably led up to many fans and reviewers making head-to-head comparisons between the two. The overlapping airings continued when the respective second seasons of both series started their run in January 2019.

Former Star Trek , but now- The Orville , science consultant André Bormanis has stated, " When it comes back to TV, I hope they do something more in the spirit of the original. Everybody in Hollywood who has ever had even the smallest association with Star Trek I'm sure has a 'How would you do the next Star Trek ?' answer. I would probably do something a little more like Captain Pike's adventures. Go back to that era where it was a little more rugged, a little more fifties' sci-fi sensibility. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 39)

Press reactions to the series' announcement pondered how Star Trek could appeal to a new generation and compete against darker, more mature shows of the 21st century, like Game of Thrones , The Walking Dead , and Ronald D. Moore 's reboot of Battlestar Galactica . [143] [144] [145] [146] National Post felt there was no need for a new series, arguing Star Trek had become a quaint retrofuture series akin to Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers . [147] The Independent was one of the few to argue the optimistic future of Star Trek would make a welcome antidote. [148]

Other articles concentrated on the decision to produce the series for streaming, with some expressing deep cynicism over the idea. [149] [150] [151] Others noted the decision was a win-win in terms of keeping the series going. [152] [153] [154] [155]

Den of Geek and io9 noted most fans would prefer the show be set after The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Voyager instead of in the same timeline as the film series. [156] [157] UK magazine SFX reported that was the most wanted request for the series. Other requests, in order of most desired, included: having the new crew undertake a multi-year mission in a starship rather than having them occupy a space station; focusing on controversial social issues; retaining a sense of fun; and introducing new alien species and technology. The magazine also determined that their readers' "dream cast" for the series included Dan Stevens as the captain, Rooney Mara as the first officer, Gina Torres as the doctor, Nick Frost as the engineer, and Wil Wheaton as the Federation President . ( SFX , issue 270, pp. 36-37) USGamer expressed hope that the series' success could revive interest in Star Trek video games after the failure of the movie tie-in . [158]

During an interview given at CinemaCon (11-14 April 2016), Brent Spiner commented that "looking at such a pedigree" working for the show, he thinks it is going to be fantastic. He also remarked that J.J. Abrams allegedly just became a producer of the show. [159] In an interview with SFX magazine (issue 275, p. 67) that was published around the same time, Spiner remarked, laughing, that all the new series had to do in order to work in the 21st century was simply "to be there." He added, " And just be entertaining [....] And I think there's a good chance it'll work. There's a really great bunch of people attached to that project, really talented people. I have no doubt that's going to be a really huge success. "

A lawsuit alleging that elements of Discovery had been copied from an unreleased video game called Tardigrades was filed on 19 August 2019 , and dismissed on 20 September 2019 . The judge found that Discovery "is not substantially similar to [ Tardigrades ] as a matter of law." Memory Alpha was cited in the finding. [160] The case was appealed, but on 17 August 2020 the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the lower court's decision. [161] [162]

In April 2021 , the third season of Discovery won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series. The show had previously been nominated in 2018 and 2019 for each of the first two seasons. [163]

As of 2021, Discovery has been nominated for ten Emmy Awards , mostly in "technical" categories such as visual effects and makeup. It has won two: "Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special" and "Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Single Episode".

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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
• 102 Critic reviews
• 21 wins & 87 nominations total

Episodes 65

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• Michael Burnham …

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• Lt. Keyla Detmer …

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• Dr. Hugh Culber

• Lt. R.A. Bryce …

• Lt. Nilsson …

• Discovery Computer …

• Cleveland Booker

• Lt. J.G. Linus …

• Ash Tyler …

• Admiral Charles Vance
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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)

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• Feb 9, 2022

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• September 24, 2017 (United States)
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Full Cast of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 - Every Main Character & Actor Who Appears (Photos)

As Star Trek: Discovery ’s final season commences, the principal actors from the hit series must say goodbye to characters they have played for several years.

When Star Trek: Discovery premiered in 2017, it was met with its fair share of backlash. Trek die-hards criticized the show’s design, cast, and even the time period in which it was set.

Still, Discovery won over a good portion of fans, many of whom were just glad to have a new Star Trek series again, after the franchise’s extended absence from television. Now, the show has launched Season 5, set to be the show’s final voyage.

The Characters & Actors of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

Sonequa martin-green - michael burnham.

Sonequa Martin-Green plays Captain Michael Burnham, the adopted sister of Star Trek icon Mr. Spock. Burnham was given command of the series’ eponymous starship, the USS Discovery, at the end of the third season, after the cast wound up in the far-flung future of the 32nd Century.

Apart from her work on Discovery , which is undeniably her most well-known role, Martin-Green has also been a part of shows like The Walking Dead and The Good Wife .

Doug Jones - Saru

Veritable chameleon Doug Jones portrays Saru, Burnham’s first officer. Saru is a Kelpian, a species with a kind of biological early warning system that acts like a sixth sense. Saru has served as a fan-favorite since the series began, with many viewers calling for him to take on Discovery’s captain‘s chair.

Doug Jones has appeared in many major projects, but he is often completely unrecognizable, buried under prosthetics and makeup. He was Abe Sapien in the Hellboy movies and the Amphibian Man in 2017’s The Shape of Water .

Anthony Rapp - Paul Stamets

Anthony Rapp plays the groundbreaking role of Commander Paul Stamets, a science officer and one of the two first openly gay Star Trek characters (The other being Stamets’ husband Dr. Hugh Culber).

Rapp has long been a fixture of stage and screen, having performed as a part of several high-profile Broadway shows, such as Rent , in which he was an original cast member. 

Mary Wiseman - Sylvia Tilly

Sylvia Tilly, brought to life by Mary Wiseman, started the series as a quirky but very driven cadet on board Discovery. Later on in the series, after the crew’s one-way trip to the future, she took a teaching position at Starfleet Academy.

Mary Wiseman is most famous for her part as Tilly but she’s also appeared in Baskets and the Western show Longmire to name a few.

Wilson Cruz - Hugh Culber

Wilson Cruz plays Dr. Hugh Culber, one of the USS Discovery’s physicians. Earlier in the series, Culber was killed by another, out-of-control officer. But eventually, the good doctor was brought back to life through the use of the mycelial network.

Cruz cut his teeth on the classic 1990s teen drama My So-Called Life , playing Rickie. He’s additionally had roles on hits like Grey’s Anatomy , Monk , and The West Wing .

Blu del Barrio - Adira Tal

Adira Tal is portrayed by Blu del Barrio. The character’s backstory involved them becoming the host for a Trill symbiont called Tal, which they inherited from their romantic partner. Currently, Adira is a Starfleet ensign, having been granted commission in Season 3.

Blu del Barrio holds the significant distinction of being Star Trek ’s first openly non-binary actor. They are also a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Callum Keith Rennie - Rayner

Callum Keith Rennie’s Rayner is a new character for Season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery . Rayner is a Kellerun, which is a species first introduced in the 1994 episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , “Armageddon Game”.

Rennie has a lengthy resume, starring in a vast array of Canadian shows and films. He has also acted in the Battlestar Galactica reboot as well as Showtime’s Californication .

David Ajala - Cleveland “Book” Booker

David Ajala plays Book, a man introduced to the crew upon their arrival in the year 3188. As a Kwejian, Book can empathically connect with plant and animal life, including his pet cat Grudge. He also has a close personal bond with Michael Burnham.

Alaja previously had roles in Nightflyers and CW’s Supergirl , where he played the villainous Manchester Black.

Eve Harlow - Moll

Moll, played by Eve Harlow, is a pirate who is seeking an ancient technology that has ties to the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Chase”.

Eve Harlow has acted in favorites such as NCIS: Los Angeles and The Rookie . She also played the recurring character Tess on Agents of SHIELD .

Elias Toufexis - L’ak

L’ak, a green-skinned alien of unknown descent, is played by Elias Toufexis. He serves as Moll’s literal partner in crime.

Toufexis has appeared in another popular sci-fi series The Expanse , as well as several other television series, like Shadowhunters and Criminal Minds .

Oded Fehr - Charles Vance

Oded Fehr plays Admiral Charles Vance, who was introduced to Star Trek: Discovery in Season 3. As commander in chief of Starfleet, Vance wields a considerable amount of influence within the spacefaring organization.

Fehr would be best recognized for his character of Ardeth Bay in 1999’s The Mummy and its 2001 sequel. He’s also guested on shows such as The Blacklist and How to Get Away With Murder .

Chelah Horsdal - Laira Rillak

Laira Rillak, in addition to serving as Federation president, is of multi-species descent, a hybrid of human, Cardassian, and Bajoran genetics. Typically, Starfleet and Federation top brass are portrayed as having lesser quality moral fiber, but Rillak has stood out as an exception.

Chelah Horsdal has appeared in a wide variety of movies and series including Arrow , Hell on Wheels , and Rise of the Planet of the Apes .

Tara Rosling  - T’Rina

T’Rina is a Vulcan woman who first showed up in Discovery in the seventh episode of the third season. Since then, she has become romantically linked with Saru. T’Rina is also president of Ni’Var, the planet formerly known as Vulcan.

In addition to her Star Trek role, Rosling has also cropped up in The Expanse and The Handmaid’s Tale .

David Cronenberg - Kovich

David Cronenberg portrays Dr. Kovich, a Federation agent and galactic historian. Kovich first appeared in Discovery ’s third season and has gone on to become a well-liked recurring character.

As a veteran filmmaker, David Cronenberg is credited with bringing the genre of body horror into popular culture. His newest film, The Shroud , will hit theaters this year.

Tig Notaro - Jett Reno

Comedian Tig Notaro breathes life into Jett Reno, the fast-talking, wise-cracking Discovery engineer with a heart of gold. Reno has more than cemented herself as an audience favorite.

Alongside Notaro’s standup work, she’s had parts in Community , Bob’s Burgers , Suburgatory , and many more.

Star Trek: Discovery can be streamed exclusively on Paramount+ . The next new episode premieres on Thursday, April 11.

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10 Best Star Trek Discovery Episodes, Ranked

Star Trek: Discovery is ending, with Sonequa Martin-Green leading the Discovery crew as Captain Michael Burnham. Here are the show's best episodes.

With Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 closing out the groundbreaking series, it's a good time to look back on how much it accomplished in the first four. Discovery changed the game for the franchise when it premiered in 2017, effectively launching the current Star Trek resurgence and fully updating its core concepts for the age of streaming. In that sense, it might be the most important effort the franchise has made since Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987.

Finding the 10 best episodes among the 55 of the first four seasons is more challenging than it sounds. Discovery is built around single-season mega-plots, which is an echo of its original concept as an anthology series. Individual episodes are thus difficult to separate from each other without marring Discovery's unique style of Star Trek storytelling . That said, the show has certainly delivered its share of high points in its first four seasons, and there's no reason to think that the fifth won't follow suit in good order. For now, here's a look back at ten standout episodes from a standout Star Trek series.

10 'If Memory Serves' Is a Spiritual Sequel to 'The Cage'

Star trek: discovery sets premiere date for fifth and final season.

Spock and Michael Burnham begin Season 2 with vast emotional gulfs between them, which they must slowly close if they're to stop the threat of Control. "If Memory Serves" is their great reconciliation, as Michael confronts her childhood cruelty to Spock, and the two siblings forgive each other for their trespasses.

It brings Spock out of his unbalanced state while fully justifying the franchise's decision to make Michael his adopted kin. It does so while more or less serving as a direct sequel to the original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage," bringing the Talosians into the equation and revealing the lingering connection between Pike and his lover Vina. To top it all off, Stamets and Culber continue to struggle in the wake of Culber's resurrection, rendering "If Memory Serves" the most heartbreaking episode of the entire series.

9 'All Is Possible' Shows Star Trek at Its Most Hopeful

Season 4 switches gears in a big way from Seasons 1-3 in its central MacGuffin: a race of highly advanced aliens unaware of the vast destruction they are wreaking throughout the galaxy. Ironically, it becomes the show's most openly hopeful season to date, where reason and communication prevail instead of vanquishing a genocidal foe.

"All Is Possible" pauses mid-route to celebrate that potential, as Tilly and Adira lead a cadet mission that turns dangerous, while Captain Burnham participates in Ni'Var's negotiations to re-join the Federation. That includes sharing data about the Burn, which Burnham believes can track it to its source. She isn't necessarily prepared to take "no" for an answer. It highlights Discovery's Captain Burnham at her best while giving her a chance to reconnect with her long-dormant Vulcan roots.

8 'Brother' Leans Into Michael's Relationship with Spock

Strange new worlds' upgraded tech has a simple explanation.

One of Discovery's boldest high-wire acts was making its central character a previously unknown sister for Mr. Spock. The danger of continuity errors is staggering, but Discovery makes it work largely by giving Spock's father Sarek a different child with whom to debate. Season 1 used Spock as a peripheral character, but "Brother" announced a big change for Season 2. Not only would Spock play a central role -- seeking answers to Control at the possible cost of his own mental health -- but it would give Burnham an opportunity to interact with him.

The episode also marks the arrival of Anson Mount's Christopher Pike , who takes temporary command of the Discovery during the crisis. He proved so successful that Paramount soon launched Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to continue his adventures onboard the Enterprise. It's one of the smartest inclusions Discovery has made, helping "Brother" set a strong pace for what turns out to be a terrific season.

7 'The Vulcan Hello' Sets the Bar High for Discovery

Previous Star Trek series had far more room for error than Discovery . The Next Generation, for instance, had time and room to grow out of a subpar first season to become an evergreen classic. Similarly, earlier series often continued a lot more episodes per season -- 26 on average -- which allowed fans to forgive a few shoddy outings now and then. Discovery had none of those advantages. If the first season had failed, there wouldn't be a second, and the franchise itself might have come to an end.

"The Vulcan Hello" steps onto that high wire with confidence and poise, signaling the first season's ability to hit the ball out of the park without requiring a mulligan. It doesn't look or feel like any other Star Trek series that preceded it, introducing new species like the Kelpiens, as well as a previously unseen chapter in older Star Trek history. It even brought a long-lost sister to Mr. Spock in the lead. And yet it couldn't be mistaken for anything but Star Trek , starting the series off with a bang and never looking back.

6 'Will You Take My Hand?' Marks Michael Burnham's Vindication

Star trek: discovery's doug jones recalls 'daunting' beginning for sci-fi series.

No other captain in Starfleet history has endured as much as Michael Burnham to claim her seat. It doesn't happen until the end of Season 3, by which time she has gone from being an unjustly convicted felon to the savior of the galaxy. But no moment on that journey feels as vindicating as "Will You Take My Hand?" in which she's exonerated for her crimes and formally restored to Starfleet.

It stems from bringing an end to the Federation-Klingon War , which she was falsely imprisoned for starting. Her actions in "Will You Take My Hand?" end up saving the Klingon Empire and ending the war in one fell stroke. Few events in the series feel more satisfying than word of her pardon and reinstatement in Starfleet. It speaks profoundly to the show's central message of triumph after long hardships.

5 'Unification III' Shows Spock's Dream Coming True

The title "Unification III" may come as a surprise to casual fans, since there are no episodes named "Unification I" or "Unification II" on Discovery's roster. They can be found in Star Trek: The Next Generation as a two-part episode that features Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock returning to the franchise in an effort to bring the Vulcans and Romulans together as a people.

"Unification III" explores the ramifications of that, with the former world of Vulcan renamed Ni'Var and the longtime foes now coexisting as a single species. It comes amid a shocking reminder of the effects of the Burn, with even the Vulcans abandoning the Federation. It also fulfills Spock's long-held dream. It allows Michael to reflect on her brother, and mourn his loss centuries after his death. It also adroitly demonstrates how 32nd Century politics look absolutely nothing like those of the 23rd Century.

4 'That Hope Is You, Part 2' Puts Burnham in the Captain's Chair

Why klingons look different from discovery to strange new worlds.

Star Trek: Discovery has delivered a bumper crop of great villains for the franchise, including Harry Mudd, the rogue AI Control, and various denizens of The Mirror Universe . Season 3's Osyraa may be the best of the lot as an Orion criminal warlord whose Emerald Chain is the biggest impediment to rebuilding the Federation. She stands out not for her ambition or cruelty, but for her cynicism and choosing not to care in favor of a payday.

"That Hope Is You" delivers a fittingly epic end to the villain, as Micheal Burnham finishes her off in a battle to the death and breaks the Emerald Chain in the process. The episode ends with a restored Starfleet setting out to rebuild the Federation, and a triumphant Burnham taking the captain's seat at last. Not only is it one of the series' most hard-earned season finales, but the sight of Burnham in command is one of the franchise's all-time highlights.

3 'Such Sweet Sorrow' Is a Masterful Piece of Retcon

Discovery's first two seasons pull off a daring game of nerves with franchise continuity by setting it before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series and facing a host of potential paradoxes in the bargain. It dodged those issues with seemingly effortless ease, even bringing in the likes of Christopher Pike and Mr. Spock into its narrative. Sooner or later, however, that was going to turn around and bite it, while simultaneously limiting its creative choices by forcing it to adhere to established canon.

"Such Sweet Sorrow" teaches a master class on how to resolve that issue with elegance and grace, as the crew of the Discovery commit to leaping into the 32nd Century in order to ensure the destruction of Control. Officers present for their journey are forbidden from discussing them or their ship in order to prevent the possibility that another Control will arise. Not only does that neatly keep canon intact, but it allows for some tearful goodbyes, specifically Michael bidding adieu to her brother Spock for the last time.

2 'Terra Firma' Says Goodbye to Phillippa Georgiou

Star trek: section 31 starts filming, first set photo and cast members revealed.

Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou has always been Discovery's secret weapon: a ruthless refugee from the Mirror Universe with schemes that put the Romulans to shame. "Terra Firma" brings her story to a richly satisfying conclusion, as she faces her destiny thanks to the Guardian of Forever.

Both she and Michael confront how much they've come to mean to each other, while offering hope that Georgiou's time in the Prime Universe has truly changed her for the better. It's another potent moment of emotional catharsis for Discovery , and as usual, the show plays it to perfection. It provides the character with a proper goodbye while working organically with the larger Season 3 storyline. It even sets the stage for the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 movie . Small wonder the franchise has a hard time letting her go.

1 'That Hope Is You, Part 1' Has One of the Franchise's Best Moments

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 opens with an epic twist. 900 years in the future, the Federation has been shattered: torn apart by an incident called "The Burn" which destroyed Starfleet and dismantled interstellar travel for over a century. Discovery arrives with the mission of restoring it, which forms the crux of Season 3's over-arching plot. "That Hope Is You, Part 1" presents the opening salvo of that mission, as Michael Burnham arrives in the 32nd Century and joyously celebrates the defeat of Control in Season 2.

Cleveland Booker soon joins her -- beginning their all-important relationship -- and Discovery as a whole boldly announces that it's playing by its own rules in an era that it alone would define. The highlight is a quiet moment that embodies everything great about Star Trek : it depicts a Starfleet officer named Aditya Sahil , who has spent his entire life manning a lonely Federation relay station, calling out for ships that no longer exist. One day, Michael Burnham answers, and he asks her to raise the Federation's flag for him, since he is of insufficient rank. She promotes him on the spot, and they raise the flag together, signaling the return of hope in an era that has lost sight of it.

Star Trek: Discovery

Celebrate ‘Star Trek: Discovery’s’ Farewell With the Franchise’s Best Black Characters

As ‘star trek: discovery’ begins its final adventure, we celebrate the universe’s most memorable black characters..

As enduring as the “Star Trek” franchise is, there are still countless timelines and ships left to explore. The universe was reinvigorated and rebooted a little in 2017 with the debut of its seventh series, “Star Trek: Discovery.” As the series enters its fifth and final season on Paramount+, we’re showing it some love for its diversity, inclusivity and originality. Not only did it give us Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham, the first Black woman to lead a series as a Starfleet captain, it also championed representation with LGBTQ+ characters, beautiful stories of Black love and a captivating expansion of “The Original Series.”

Ahead of the April 4 premiere of Season 5, Martin-Green spoke to The Root about Burnham’s legacy and what she learned from the character.

“I hope that people look to this character, see themselves reach higher, go further, do what they never felt comfortable enough to do or confident enough to do,” Martin-Green told The Root. “For me personally, I learned how to not fight for my value or my worth. When I came into ‘Discovery,’ that’s very much where I was coming from. A lot of internalized racism was in my heart and I felt that I needed to prove that I belonged there, deserve to be there. I learned over the course of ‘Discovery’ that’s not the case. God used it to show me that my value is intrinsic and, and I pray that’s part of the legacy as well. Especially for Black women.”

“Star Trek: Discovery” Season 5 premieres April 4 on Paramount+, with new episodes debuting every Thursday. The streaming service is also home to the entire “Star Trek” Universe.

Lt. Uhura (‘The Original Series’)

Any examination of “Star Trek’s” Black characters must begin and end with Nyoto Uhura. Nichelle Nichols literally changed the course of history, inspiring generations of Black scientists and astronauts.

Benjamin Sisko

What’s great about Capt. Sisko is that he was never afraid to take chances. His chief concern was doing what’s right and protecting people, not following regulations.

Dr. Richard Daystrom

This brilliant scientist is the literal architect of the Federation’s future. He created the computer program that ran all Starfleet’s ships. He made the future possible.

Cleveland “Book” Booker

When Book and Burnham are together on a mission they give off “03 Bonnie & Clyde” vibes. Even when they’re being the good guys, it feels like they’re going rogue.

Raffi Musiker

Michelle Hurd is fantastic at playing complex, authentic characters. In “Picard,” Raffi is a brilliant, badass, compassionate, flawed, fully humanized woman, which makes her fascinating to watch.

Michael Burnham

Capt. Michael Burnham is logical, courageous, loyal, clever and not afraid to occasionally play dirty. Nothing is more important to her than her crew, making her one of the franchise’s best leaders.

Geordi LaForge

A brilliant engineer, Geordi is one “Star Trek’s” rare scientists who’s led more by his heart than his exceptional brains.

She’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma that we’ll never really figure out and we love every minute of it. No one else but Whoopi Goldberg could’ve played Guinan.

Travis Mayweather

We never spent enough time with “Enterprise’s” Lt. Mayweather. We knew he was an expert pilot who basically grew up in space, giving him a perspective the rest of the crew would never understand. He’s the kind of character we could definitely see rising through the ranks of Starfleet, but never gives up on the action.

Cadet Uhura

It’s truly captivating to watch “Strange New Worlds’” Celia Rose Gooding take a character like Uhura and effortlessly combine all the familar elements of her origin with brand new stories and developments. She simultaneously honors Uhura’s legacy while also making the character feel new.

Dr. M’Benga

The balance between M’Benga the healer and M’Benga the warrior is fascinating to watch. No offense to Dr. McCoy, but we don’t want to see him leave the Enterprise.

Lily Sloane

“First Contact” is one of the best films in the franchise and big part of that is because of Alfre Woodard. The way she deftly puts Picard in his place while evading the Borg is something every Black woman has had to do to co-worker. Plus you know she really did all the work on Cochrane’s warp flight.

Emory Erickson

As the inventor of the transporter, there would be no “Star Trek” without Emory Erickson. We need whoever is working on this technology in the real world to speed things along, as traffic is out of control.

Neera Ketoul

As Number One’s lawyer in the heartbreaking “Strange New Worlds” episode “Ad Astra per Aspera,” Yetide Badaki is the foundation for one of the franchise’s most unforgettable stories. She brings a regal authority to the courtroom, providing authenticity to the futuristic outing.

Tuvok’s Vulcan logic was always at the forefront, but “Voyager’s” Delta Quadrant setting away from the main universe gave him a chance to showcase the character’s emotional influence from his human friends. He was a relatable Vulcan.

Lt. Uhura (‘Star Trek’ Kelvin Timeline)

Zoë Saldaña made Uhura into a fiercely independent action hero in the new “Star Trek” film trilogy. We always knew that Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura was more than she was allowed to be, so it was thrilling to see this version of the character in the thick of the action.

Star Trek Discovery: 9 Best Episodes (So Far)

These episodes of Star Trek: Discovery are (so far) some of the highlights of the show.

As Star Trek: Discovery hastens towards its fifth season, now is as good a time as any to look back at all the stories that got the series to this point. The CBS follow-up to the J.J. Abrams-directed film series which rebooted Star Trek for the modern generation, Star Trek: Discovery took a more serialized approach to its storytelling, bucking the series' trend of "adventure-of-the-week" episodes in favor of telling a more harmonious story.

RELATED: A History Of Star Trek Video Games

This change was met with mixed reactions that continue to this day. Many long-time fans feel that the new direction betrays what makes Star Trek special. Meanwhile, new fans appreciate the more focused narrative that maintains the franchise's world-building while spending more time developing the characters that inhabit its world. While it may be divisive, for new and old fans looking to dive into the modern era of Star Trek, here are the best episodes of Star Trek: Discovery .

9 "...But To Connect" (Season 4, Episode 7)

While Star Trek flourishes when it comes to Starfleet's adventures in space, it's always good to come back down to Earth (so to speak) for a good ol' fashioned battle of wits and logic. "...But To Connect" gives viewers exactly this, as a strategy summit of Federation and non-Federation planets gather to debate the merits of attacking or communicating with the galaxy-destroying anomaly created by aliens known only as Species 10-C.

The debate boils down to a philosophical disagreement between Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker. Booker's home planet had just recently been destroyed by the anomaly, and his only goal is to prevent a similar tragedy from happening anywhere else. Meanwhile, Burnham sees the potential for a much greater conflict (and subsequent destruction) if the Federation attacks the anomaly without fully understanding it. This fundamental disagreement forms the crux of the episode, but the fallout from it persists for the rest of the season.

8 "An Obol For Charon" (Season 2, Episode 4)

This episode takes place amid the complicated process of the USS Discovery transitioning from its old captain - Captain Lorca - to the newly-assigned Captain Pike. However, the drama surrounding that change is quickly squashed by the arrival of a 100,000-year-old sphere, which rips Discovery out of warp and begins wreaking havoc on its systems, including its universal translator, which causes the entire crew of Discovery to lose the ability to understand each other.

RELATED: Star Trek: Discovery's New Status Quo Is Perfect For The Series

There is a ton going on in this episode. Tilly goes on the Star Trek equivalent of a mushroom trip. Saru contracts a disease unique to Kelpiens called the vaharai and soon discovers the true extent of his own species' subjugation. Then there's the ancient sphere, which eventually identifies itself as an organic, living library, filled with a millenniums-worth of galactic data. All three plot lines run in parallel to each other, and each has a significant impact on both the show's characters and the season's story arc.

7 That Hope Is You, Part 1 (Season 3, Episode 1)

Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes where the franchise has never gone before: to the far future. It's worth noting that, while Discovery is a prequel to the other Star Trek series, the "future" in question here is not in line with those other shows. We're talking far, far future, nearly 1,000 years beyond any other Star Trek series. This episode drops Michael Burnham out of a wormhole and right into the hot seat, as she encounters bounty hunter Cleveland "Book" Booker for the first time.

"That Hope Is You, Part 1" does a fine job of taking things slow. This is the Star Trek universe as viewers have never seen it before. Technology and alien races all exist in states that are completely different from how fans have known them previously. The viewers adapt to those changes along with Burnham, and it helps keep things relatable. There's also a cat, named Grudge, who steals most of his scenes. Hard to beat that.

6 "The Red Angel" (Season 2, Episode 10)

The central mystery of Discovery's second season revolves around the repeated appearances of a mysterious Red Angel across the galaxy, with the entity so named because of a vision Spock saw as a child that also features the Angel. As the season progresses, it gradually becomes clear that the Angel is a time traveler in a suit made of advanced technology.

That plot line comes to a head in "The Red Angel," where the identity of the suit's pilot is finally revealed, along with the motivations behind their actions. This episode does a fantastic job of grounding a seemingly-fantastical entity in the realm of science, and then tying it directly to Michael Burnham, making the ensuing conclusion to the Angel's story intensely personal to Discovery's lead character.

5 "Context Is For Kings" (Season 1, Episode 3)

The episode where Discovery truly gets the ball rolling as a series. Convicted of treason for essentially starting the Federation-Klingon War, Michael Burnham is picked up off a prison ship by the USS Discovery, where she is brought on board to consult on the science vessel's secretive project involving mycelium that may lead to a functioning warp drive.

Despite the episode being told almost exclusively through the perspective of Burnham, it introduces many of the characters that continue to grace the series to this day. No one sticks out more than the enigmatic Captain Lorca, however. He remains one of the most unique and unusual figures ever to Captain a Federation starship, and "Context Is For Kings" was the first glimpse viewers ever got of him.

4 "Species 10-C" (Season 4, Episode 12)

Finally coming through on the promise that Discovery's season 4 arc lays out in its early goings, "Species 10-C" introduces viewers to a truly alien alien: a species from another galaxy whose anomaly is feasting on the Milky Way's planets and destroying all life on them in the process. Discovery is finally able to make contact with these aliens. Then comes the tricky part: communicating with them.

RELATED: Star Trek: Lower DecksCreator Isn't Bothered By Fan Complaints

As the anomaly makes headway towards Earth, Burnham and Discovery undertake the fascinating process of trying to determine how Species 10-C communicates, and how they can communicate back. It's part Arrival and part Close Encounters of the Third Kind , and it makes for a gripping hour of television that highlights all the features that set Discovery apart from the rest of the Star Trek universe.

3 "Terra Firma, Part 2" (Season 3, Episode 10)

Philippa Georgiou's return to the Mirrorverse (where she is known as Emperor Georgiou) concludes in grand fashion in "Terra Firma, Part 2." Despite her hardass nature, the effect that Prime Universe Burnham has had on Georgiou is palpable throughout her return home; from her newly-discovered penchant for mercy to her desire to provide Kelpiens with autonomy.

The whole thing is anchored by some fantastic acting by Michelle Yeoh (no surprise from the newly-minted Oscar nominee) which makes the campiness of the Mirrorverse far more believable than it might be otherwise. In the end, the episode marks a touching sendoff to one of Discovery's best characters. Godspeed Philippa.

2 "Project Daedalus" (Season 2, Episode 9)

For several episodes prior to "Project Daedalus," there are hints that there is a sleeper agent on board the USS Discovery. Finally, that agent is revealed, although their motives are far more horrifying than expected. Commander Airiam is not simply a spy, her systems have been commandeered by a probe from 300 years in the future.

Throughout the episode, viewers are given glimpses into Airiam's tragic backstory, including how she became the cybernetically-enhanced human that made her way onto Discovery's crew. Those same cybernetics are how the probe eventually takes control of her body and slowly turns her against her crewmates. It's a tragic end to a tragic character, but it makes for a fantastic hour of television.

1 "What's Past Is Prologue" (Season 1, Episode 13)

The conclusion to Captain Lorca's story arc is one for the ages. Once again in the Mirrorverse, Lorca is seeking to return to his position as Emperor after vanishing into the Prime Universe for years. His plans are not to kill his way to the top, however, but to lead through charisma and strength, something not often seen in the Mirrorverse.

The action setpieces in this episode are fantastic, from choreography right through to special effects, and that carries over to the ship battle taking place in the Prime Universe. Add to that actor Jason Isaacs having an absolute blast bringing Lorca to the conclusion of his story, and "What's Past Is Prologue" follows up Discovery's best narrative twist with an excellent payoff. Now one can only wonder where Prime Lorca wandered off to...

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is set to premiere sometime in 2023.

MORE: Patrick Stewart Characters That Are Completely Different From Star Trek's Picard

All 4 Star Trek: Discovery seasons ranked from worst to best

Welcome aboard the USS Discovery! Let's see where each season of this fantastic show ranks when it comes to giving us a galaxy's worth of intrigue, adventure, and drama.

Set roughly a decade before the events of the original Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery boldly takes the franchise into uncharted territory, blending the beloved traditions of its predecessors with a fresh, modern touch. As we journey through the stars and nebulas with this most diverse and dynamic crew, we're not just exploring strange new worlds ; we're going deep into rich, complex narratives that both challenge and captivate viewers.

From the very first season, Discovery has been a trailblazer, introducing us to Michael Burnham and her journey from disgraced Starfleet officer to respected commander. With its cutting-edge special effects, intricate storylines, and a deeper dive into the emotional and ethical dilemmas of space exploration, each season of Discovery builds upon the last, continually raising the stakes. The series creates a tapestry of politics, timeless themes of hope and humanity, and the ever-present quest for knowledge and understanding.

In this ranking, we'll navigate through the highs and lows of all four seasons, exploring what makes each one unique and why they resonate with fans. Strap in and prepare for warp speed as we rank the seasons of Star Trek: Discovery  from the ground-breaking first season to the latest epic voyage in Season 4.

4. Season 1

Star Trek: Discovery season 1 blasted off into uncharted territory, aiming to boldly go where no Star Trek series had gone before. It was a season filled with high expectations, introducing us to a vibrant galaxy of new characters and a fresh, visually stunning take on the beloved universe. However, despite its ambitious start and eye-popping visual effects, season 1 encountered some turbulence along its voyage.

Critics and fans alike noted that the season sometimes struggled with its pacing, like a starship trying to find its warp speed. Some episodes felt like they were moving at impulse power when fans were craving warp-speed excitement.

Moreover, certain story decisions in season 1 stirred up plenty of debates among Trekkies. While every Star Trek series has boldly tackled complex themes, the narrative choices in this season left some fans scratching their heads, wondering if the series had strayed a bit too far from the franchise's core principles.

It was as if the series was testing the waters of this vast and storied universe, still searching for its unique voice in the middle of a chorus of established Star Trek tales. Despite these stumbles, season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery laid the groundwork for the adventures to come, promising a journey of growth and exploration in true Star Trek spirit.

3. Season 3

Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery was akin to a high-stakes, warp-speed jump into a future that's as dazzling as it is daunting. Imagine the crew, used to dealing with the politics and perils of the known galaxy, suddenly thrust into a time where the very fabric of what they know is radically altered. It's like waking up in a future where everything and everyone you knew is just a whisper in history. This season offered vibrant new worlds, enigmatic characters, and futuristic tech that would make any Trekkie's heart skip a beat.

But here's the catch: in this new universe, some fans felt a sense of disconnect, like a favorite song remixed beyond recognition. The essence of Star Trek – its hopeful gaze into humanity's future, the rapport and friendships aboard each starship, and the philosophical issues – seemed to drift into the background.

While the season was an undeniable visual spectacle complete with intriguing story arcs and deeper dives into character psyches, it sometimes veered off the well-trodden Star Trek path. There were moments of brilliance, where the series touched on classic Trek tenets like unity and discovery, but they were like stars twinkling sporadically in a vast, unfamiliar space backdrop.

Season 3 was a rollercoaster ride through time – exciting and adventurous, but leaving some fans nostalgic for the familiarity of the earlier Star Trek universe.

2. Season 2

Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery is a thrilling warp-speed ride that rejuvenates the series with its welcome mix of action, heart, and a sprinkle of nostalgic Trek lore. This season is like a perfectly brewed cup of Earl Grey tea – familiar, and comforting, yet with a bold new twist.

The introduction of Captain Christopher Pike and a younger Spock breathed fresh life into the series, connecting it to the cherished legacy of the original series, Star Trek, and setting the tone and crew for the incredible series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The excitement as we fans watched these iconic characters navigate the uncharted territories of the Discovery universe, their stories entangling with the existing crew in a symphony of interstellar drama, was only turned into satisfaction as the characters we've all loved and grew up watching showed a new (and younger) side of themselves.

The narrative arc of season 2 is a rollercoaster of emotions and adventures, seamlessly weaving in elements of classic Star Trek lore with the edgy, modern storytelling that Discovery is known for. From the mysterious signals to the epic Red Angel storyline, each episode is packed with intrigue and character-driven plots that keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

The season dives deeper into the complexities of its characters, exploring their backgrounds and relationships, making them feel more real, and more relatable. It's not just about the battles and the sci-fi spectacles – it's the human (and alien) heart at the core of it all that truly makes season 2 stand out. This brilliant combination of old and new, of space-faring action and deep emotional journeys, is what cements this season as a stellar example of sci-fi television done right.

Also, did I mention Anson Mount's beautiful face Captain Pike and Spock are in this season?

1. Season 4

Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery takes the series to new heights. Imagine the crew of the USS Discovery, more cohesive than ever, having to navigate not just the mysteries of space but the complexities of their personal journeys. This season stands out for its deep dive into character development – each crew member's story is given room to breathe and evolve, making them feel more real, and more relatable. It's like watching a group of friends grow stronger together, facing challenges that test their courage, resilience, and moral compass.

But it's not just about the crew's personal growth. Season 4 tackles some hefty themes – think ethical dilemmas, the pursuit of scientific truth, and the struggle for peace and understanding in a universe brimming with unknowns. The storytelling is top-notch, weaving these themes into exciting space adventures and heartfelt moments, all while maintaining that quintessential Star Trek optimism about the future.

It's this unique mix, the exploration of both the final frontier and the inner depths of its characters, that makes season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery such a standout. It's a season that takes fans on a journey through space and soul, proving that even in the far reaches of the galaxy, the human heart remains the most compelling story of all.

And there you have it: every season of Star Trek: Discovery ranked, each with its own flavor of drama and discovery. From the pioneering first season that introduced us to the complex world of the USS Discovery, to the fourth season's masterful blend of character depth and heavy themes, each chapter of this series has added its unique flair to the expansive Star Trek universe.

As we wait for the fifth and final season of  Discovery , we keep our eyes peeled for details and these amazing four reasons replaying on repeat.

You can watch all four seasons of  Star Trek: Discovery on Paramount+.

Following Star Trek: Discovery’s Latest Wild Episode, Callum Keith Rennie Teases What’s Next For Rayner And Burnham And His Character’s ‘Gnawing’ Backstory

Burnham and Rayner went through a lot this episode.

Warning: SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Discovery episode “Face the Strange” are ahead!

The final season of Star Trek: Discovery has introduced a notable character to its main cast: Rayner, the former Starfleet captain-turned Michael Burnham’s new first officer, played by Callum Keith Rennie, who has previous sci-fi cred from B attlestar Galactica . A veteran of The Burn, Rayner’s command style sharply contrasts with how Sonquea Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham captains Discovery . However, the events of “Face the Strange,” which is now available for Paramount+ subscribers to stream, sees Rayner and Burnham overcoming their differences to deal with a time-twisty threat, and Rennie teased to CinemaBlend about not just what’s next for the two characters’ dynamic, but also how we’ll soon learn about Rayner’s backstory.

“Face the Strange” saw the USS Discovery being affected by a time bug, a weapon left over from The Temporal war designed to, as Rayner explained, “paralyze an enemy ship by cycling through time.” This particular bug took everyone through different points in Discovery ’s past, present and future after Moll, who’s serving as Season 5’s main antagonist alongside L’ak, discreetly panted the time bug onto Adira on Trillin the last episode. Luckily, Burnham, Rayner and Paul Stamets weren’t impacted by its effects. The trio worked together to disable the bug, and now Rayner and Burnham are on better terms with one another.

So when I interviewed Rennie ahead of the episode’s arrival on the 2024 TV schedule , I asked him if this means it will be smooth sailing between the two or if more conflict could lay ahead, and he answered:

I mean, it’s set the groundwork to go, ‘We can actually work together.’ And I love 5x04 because it’s a bonding episode, and so much stuff is happening, and inside of that is two characters that are stumbling towards a type of unity… and they get the job done, and some of how she does it I understood. I learned a little something. I can learn.

It didn’t take long for Rayner and Burnham to start clashing with one another at the beginning of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5’s newest episode, which started when the former bluntly shot down a suggestion from Rhees about how to track down Moll and L’ak. This led to them debating about the different ways they handle leading, as Burnham encourages the crew to be engaged and speak freely, whereas Rayner thinks this familiarity is detrimental to their effectiveness. By the end of “Face the Strange” though, Rayner realizes Burnham’s style has his merits, and from what Callum Keith Rennie told me, it sounds like we don’t need to worry about them getting into any more fights going forward, although that’s not to say they still won’t occasionally disagree.

Of course, as one notices when looking closely at Rayner, he’s not a human but rather a Kellerun, an alien species that’s only been shown once before onscreen, in the Deep Space Nine Season 2 episode “Armageddon Game.” Later in the interview, I inquired about if Rayner’s Kellerun background would be explored in Discovery Season 5, and he had this to say:

You get a bit of backstory of what’s sort of gnawing away at him. So that gets explained through one of the episodes. But there wasn’t a lot on Kellerun history or style. They just left that up to whatever I designed for myself. I can’t remember which episode it is, but he’s held a grudge, he’s held a resentment for such a long time from a moment that happened when he was young that he actually may not have been functioning well for quite some time.

Because Star Trek: Discovery was cancelled after Season 5 finished filming, Callum Keith Rennie felt that decision led to “missed opportunities,” as he was getting used to working with this cast and crew. So it’s a shame that Discovery will just be a one-season affair for him, but it is good to hear that some light will be shed on Rayner’s past in the weeks ahead. As far as Discovery ’s current events go, the end of “Face the Strange” saw the ship’s crew discover a warp signature that matches Moll and L’ak’s ship, although their trail has mysteriously disappeared. To complicate matters, Burnham and Rayner briefly ended up in a future where the Green obtained the Progenitor technology from Moll and L’ak and wreaked havoc with it, so now there’s extra incentive to stop the duo.

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Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for our overage on Star Trek: Discovery ’s last six episodes. It’s also important to remember that one of the upcoming Star Trek TV shows is Starfleet Academy , which will be set in the 32nd century too, so maybe that will allow certain Discovery characters to come back, including Rayner.

Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.

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40 (Okay, 40+) Best ‘Star Trek’ Characters Ever

I love Star Trek and am not shy about shouting that fact at the top of my lungs. (Hopefully, Klingons would be proud.) So, believe me when I say how difficult it was to whittle my list of best franchise characters down to only 40 (well, 40-ish, as some entries include more than one).

Because of the difficulty of this task, I’m the first to admit that many notable fan favorites don’t appear on this 40 best Star Trek characters list, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love them.

42. T’Pol ( Star Trek: Enterprise )

As the first Vulcan to serve in Starfleet , T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) paved the way for Sarek’s children, Spock and Michael Burnham, to serve on human vessels. One night, while dining with Jonathan Archer and Trip Tucker onboard the Enterprise NX-01, she tells the two Starfleet officers a story about Vulcans, including her second foremother, T’Mir, who crash-landed on Earth in 1957 and lived in Carbon Creek, PA. If true, the first contact between Vulcan and Earth actually happened much sooner than the date officially celebrated.

41. Neelix ( Star Trek: Voyager )

Neelix (Ethan Phillips) has the most important job to do onboard the U.S.S. Voyager , keeping everyone fed.

40. Grilka ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )

Grilka (Mary Kay Adams) is one of a few Klingon women in charge of her house in a predominantly male-dominated society. Although the character only appeared in two episodes of Deep Space Nine , she inspired High Chancellor L’Rell, according to Mary Chieffo herself.

39. Elnor ( Star Trek: Picard )

No Star Trek list would be complete without the addition of a sexy sword guy. In Picard , Elnor (Evan Evagora) joins Tasha Yar and Jadzia Dax in the done dirty on the Black Mountain shortlist.

38. Mirror Philippa Georgiou ( Star Trek: Discovery )

Mirror Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) can kick so high that she could have been a can-can dancer, not a ruthless empress. And when she teams up with prime universe Burnham, her moves get even better.

37. Captain Angel ( Star Trek: Strange New Worlds )

The Serene Squall ‘s Captain Angel, played by trans actor Jesse James Keitel, not only brings Spock’s emotional brother Sybok back into the Star Trek Universe but also shows that being trans doesn’t mean you have to be good .

36. Seven of Nine ( VOY / PIC )

Always intended to be a queer character, per behind-the-scenes conversations , Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) finally came into her sexuality when she started a romance with Raffi in Picard . Originally, Seven’s return was going to be complicated by the return of her Voyager love interest, Chakotay (Robert Beltran), but luckily, that storyline fell through when Beltran declined to return to his role.

35. Rok-Tahk ( Star Trek: Prodigy )

Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui) is a Brikar, an alien species originating in the Beta canon (dope!). A whiz kid in science and mathematics, the young Brikarian is a great role model, showing young girls that STEM is cool and inspiring the next generation of Star Trek fans .

34. Mae Jemison ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )

Real-life hero, NASA astronaut, and engineer Dr. Mae C. Jemison was the first Black woman to travel to space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1992. On more than one occasion, Jemison has been open about being inspired to become an astronaut after seeing Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series. A few years after her historic space flight, the astronaut appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6 episode “Second Chances.”

Honorable Mentions: Captain James T. Kirk actor William Shatner has also gone to space, and the overlook effect changed his whole perspective on life , as well as astronaut Katya Echazarreta, another real-life hero citing Star Trek as part of what inspired her to start a flagship program for South American youth hoping to go to space, according to a Comics Beat interview .

33. Kathryn Janeway ( VOY / PRO )

Star Trek’ s first female captain. ‘Nuff said.

32. Hoshi Sato ( ENT )

Hoshi Sato (Linda Park) is such a badass in linguistics and language that even communications genius Nyota Uhura cites her as a hero. Sato, who, in a fit of delirium, bypasses all of the Enterprise NX-01’s security codes, stating mathematics is just another language.

31. D’Vana Tendi ( Star Trek: Lower Decks )

We don’t blame D’Beckett Mariner for having a crush on D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), ex-Mistress of the Winter Constellations. As the first Orion to join Starfleet, Tendi has overcome her fair share of obstacles to get placed in the Science Officer training program, including the prejudices of her fellow crew.

30.* Top Dog Noonien Singhs ( TOS / SNW )

All I’m going to say is I would bet a whole crate full of gold-pressed latinum Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán) would prevail against Darth Vader. Plus, Khan’s ancestors are way more compelling: give me La’An (Christina Chong) over Luke any day; after all, she can sing and kick ass.

29. Agnes Jurati ( PIC )

Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) has one of Star Trek ‘s most satisfying character arcs—from a Daystrom Institute lackey to an ascended leader of the Jurati collective. I’d karaoke Pat Benatar with Jurati any day of the week ( Star Trek Musical, Part 2?).

28. Christine Chapel ( TOS / SNW)

Always an understated badass in Star Trek: The Original Series , Christine Chapel (originated by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, now played by Jess Bush) finally came into her own in SNW .

27. Worf ( TNG / DS9 / PIC )

Worf (Michael Dorn) might be the worst father in Starfleet, but he’s a damn fine Klingon warrior, security officer, captain, ambassador, and husband to Jadzia Dax.

26. Charles Tucker III ( ENT )

Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer), whom I fondly call “Florida Man” because of where he is from, serves as Chief Engineer aboard the Enterprise NX-01, fielding all the poop questions sent in by Earth’s children.

25. Pavel Chekov ( TOS )

It might not seem like it now, but it was a big deal when TOS introduced Russian navigator Pavel Chekov, originally played by Walter Koenig, who also wrote one of the best Star Trek: The Animated Series episodes, “The Infinite Vulcan.” In Picard , we learn that Chekov’s son “Anton,” named after the late actor Anton Yelchin, who played the character in the Kelvin universe, also serves in Starfleet.

24. Michael Burnham ( Star Trek: Discovery )

The first leading Black woman captain says on the Star Trek: Discovery season 2 commentary that her appearance in the role has actually changed the minds of racists. ‘Nuff said.

23. Katrina Cornwell ( DISCO )

Sometimes it seems like Starfleet is full of badmirals, not Admiral Cornwell (Jayne Brook), who has the difficult task of leading the Federation through a war with the Klingons.

22. Harry Kim ( VOY )

Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) deserves all the promotions he was never given. GIVE US MORE KIM! Live logs and proper, Captain Kim.

21. Nyota Uhura ( TOS / SNW )

Nyota Uhura’s (Nichelle Nichols) role in TOS significantly impacted the number of Black women entering STEM. In fact, it had such an impact that when the actress considered leaving the series, Martin Luther King begged her to reconsider. Today, Nichols’ legacy is being honored by a trailblazing Black queer actress, Celia Rose Gooding, in SNW .

For fans of J.J. Abrams’ movies, a third triple threat joins the two triple threats: Zoe Saldana, who does a superb job playing Uhura in the Kelvin Universe.

20. Borg Queens ( VOY / PIC / LDS )

What’s better than one Borg Queen? All Borg Queens, whether it’s Jane Seymour, Alice Krige, Susanna Thompson, or Annie Wersching.

19. Lwaxana Troi ( TNG / DS9 )

Deanna Troi’s mother, Lwaxana (Majel Barrett-Roddenberry), loves hard-to-get men like most Betazoids. But she doesn’t need a man to feel sexy; sometimes, a puddle is enough.

18. Raffi Musiker ( PIC )

To celebrate Raffi’s sobriety NA-style: Happy Birthday, Raffi (Michelle Hurd)! As the second sober woman of Star Trek after T’Pol’s brush with addiction in ENT, she’s the living embodiment of why not to judge a book by its cover.

17. Dr. T’Ana ( LDS )

The furry fandom finally got a well-developed character to love when Star Trek: Lower Decks ‘ introduced the Caitian Chief Medical Officer, Dr. T’Ana (Gillian Vigman), to the franchise. Meow!

16. Geordi La Forge ( TNG / PIC )

There are a lot of bad dads on this list. Not Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton); he’s a good dad to Sidney and Alandra. In Picard , we learn Geordi has been promoted to commodore, a rank fitting the engineering genius who inspired Captain Shaw.

15. Dr. Julian Bashir ( DS9 )

“It ain’t easy being an augment” should be Julian Bashir’s (Alexander Siddig, who was originally considered to play Captain Ben Sisko) catchphrase. Fortunately, he has BFF Chief Miles O’Brien and his bisexual lover Garak.

14.* Star Trek: Discovery ‘s Queer Fam

Gay icons Wilson Cruz and Anthony Rapp made history as Star Trek ‘s first major queer couple, Doctor Hugh Culber and Paul Stamets, respectively. After the couple’s GLAAD Award-winning debut, the couple adopt two more members into Star Trek: Discovery ’s queer family: Adira and Gray Tal.

13.* All Known Jeffrey Combs Characters

Andorian Imperial Guard Commander Thy’lek Shran, played by Star Trek all-star Jeffrey Combs, is significant in strengthening ties between Andoria and Earth. No list would be complete without Shran, IMO, but the list of important characters played by Combs is out of this world. It includes Brunt, a liquidator for the Ferengi Commerce Authority; the Weyoun clones, all instrumental in the Dominion-Federation war; and AGIMUS, a sentient supercomputer who tricked a planet into fighting a century-long civil war and dated Peanut Hamper.

12. Katrina Cornwell ( DISCO )

11.* tribbles ( tos / ds9 / disco ).

One of the most reproductive species in the galaxy was presented in an all-new light in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery. What the heck is Captain Gabriel Lorca doing with a Tribble on his desk? How does one use a Tribble recreationally?

Honorable Mention: Moopsy !

10. Guinan ( TNG / PIC )

“My name is Guinan. I tend bar, and I listen.” Yup, hailing from a species of listeners, the El-Aurian confidant of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the rest of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D crew is the bartender we all wish we had—even Mark Twain valued her advice.

9. Harcourt Fenton Mudd ( TOS / DISCO )

Rainn Wilson’s agent, thank you for persistently getting your client cast as Harry Mudd. Star Trek was funny long before LDS . Watch Mudd kill Lorca while eating a cheeseburger in DISCO season 1, episode 7, “Magic to Make the Sanest Mad,” if you don’t believe me.

8. Mr. Saru ( DISCO )

Saru (Doug Jones) is the first Kelpian to receive Starfleet’s Medal of Honor. He also speaks 94 languages!

7. Queen Grudge

Partnered with courier Cleveland “Book” Booker, Queen Grudge is a Maine Coon, the largest domestic cat breed and one of the oldest bred cats in North America.

Honorable Mention: Spot, the OG Star Trek cat.

6. Erica Ortegas

M’Ortegas! The badass captain of Pike’s Enterprise deserves more away missions, and NOW!

5. Ensign Walking Bear

Ensign Walking Bear (James Doohan) is a descendant of the Comanche. Russell Bates, a member of the Kiowa tribe, wrote the character.

4. T’Lyn ( LDS )

T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) continues the tradition of sarcastically humorous Vulcans.

3. Christopher Pike ( TOS / SNW )

“You have really beautiful nail beds,” Sylvia Tilly tells Captain Pike the first time she meets him, which, to me, sums up how we all want to greet the man.

2. Jett Reno ( DISCO )

Engineer Jett Reno, played by long-time Alex Kurtzman friend Tig Notaro, is the Han Solo of the Star Trek franchise. ‘Nuff said.

1. Dal R’El ( PRO )

Dal (Brett Gray) is the most snubbed captain in Star Trek, especially now that Paramount Pictures has eradicated Star Trek: Prodigy . As an augment accepted into the ranks of Starfleet, it’s especially sad that we may never see this storyline continue. 

Check out Gray’s music if you can’t get enough of this captain. Oh, and be sure to write to Paramount to complain. Go Trekkies, thanks for making Bjo Trimble proud.

(featured image: Paramount Pictures/CBS)

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5's Captain Rayner Ran His Ship Like a Pirate

Callum Keith Rennie also discusses coming into 'Discovery's final season, getting into prosthetics, and how much he has in common with Rayner.

The Big Picture

• Callum Keith Rennie's Captain Rayner brings conflict and depth to Star Trek: Discovery 's final season.
• Rennie discusses his experience on Star Trek: Discovery , praising the supportive cast and crew, despite the initial challenges of joining an established series for its last season.
• In Season 5, Episode 4 "Face the Strange," Burnham and Rayner must work together within a time bubble to save the universe.

As Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) embarks on one last adventure with her crew, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is bringing a few new characters along for the ride. Chief among those newcomers is the blunt, war-worn Captain Rayner. Played by Battlestar Galactica alum Callum Keith Rennie , Rayner is Burnham's new second in command on the Discovery , taking over after Saru ( Doug Jones ) took a different position at Starfleet.

Having lived through The Burn, Rayner doesn't have time for niceties and butts heads with Burnham almost immediately — so naturally, she takes it upon herself to give him a second chance when Starfleet is ready to cut him loose. Last week's episode saw him, rightfully, put in his place a bit as Tilly ( Mary Wiseman ) attempted to help him connect with the crew, much to his chagrin. In Season 5 Episode 4, "Face the Strange," Rayner and Burnham are thrown into a time bubble, forcing them to work together if they ever want to get back to the correct timeline and prevent the universe from being destroyed.

Ahead of the episode, I sat down with Rennie to dig into Rayner's backstory, what we can expect from him in the rest of the season, and what it will take for Rayner to truly connect with the crew of Discovery . During our conversation, we also discussed Rennie's history with sci-fi, what it was like joining Discovery for the show's final season, and what he's taking away from the whole experience.

Star Trek: Discovery

*Availability in US

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Taking place almost a decade before Captain Kirk's Enterprise, the USS Discovery charts a course to uncover new worlds and life forms.

Rennie is no stranger to science fiction, having had roles in such series as The Umbrella Academy , Jessica Jones, and Battlestar Galactica. As Battlestar Galactica was the series that turned me into a sci-fi fan, and perhaps Rennie's most recognizable role, I had to ask him about being a part of such massive and beloved franchises within the genre. "It's amazing," he said. For Rennie, even though Battlestar was also a reboot of a classic series , the show's success was a lot less predictable than the mainstay that is Star Trek . He explained, "Like, say Battlestar , when I started on that I had no idea where that one was gonna go. Discovery was already very established , but I actually didn't let any of that into my [head], because I went, “That's not gonna help.” So, I didn’t. Now, I'm feeling the world of it. Now, I'm sensing what the world of Discovery is and how many people love it, and how it fits. "

Discovery also isn't his first experience with Star Trek , "I watched the original. That was my thing, and that was it," Rennie told me. While he may have missed some of the series' in between, saying, "There's big chunks of time where I just didn't watch a lot of TV, so I missed all of the other stuff," he'll always make time for The Original Series when he comes across it, "even if the old Star Trek comes on, I'll still watch it because that was my Star Trek . Jim Kirk, and all of that. "

While we've gotten a pretty good sense of who Rayner is in these first four episodes, most of his backstory remains a mystery. Rennie revealed that "some backstory comes up in a few episodes." Part of his gruff exterior will be explained as we'll "get a sense of why he's maybe got a chip on his shoulder and has some unprocessed resentments about a bunch of things that maybe have played out in his work in a negative way."

Rennie Calls 'Star Trek: Discovery's Latest Episode "Amazing"

"Face the Strange," is such a classic Star Trek episode, employing the ever-entertaining sci-fi trope of sticking our main characters in a time loop, both to put an obstacle in their path as well as to bring them face to face with some of their own demons. For Rennie, the episode really put the science in science fiction. "It was like, 'Whoa! What's happening? I don't get it.' There's just so much science stuff and talk, so much jumping about to places and history and stuff." But he had high praise for his fellow castmates as well as the crew behind the camera." Lee [Rose] being the director, you're in great hands. Being in scenes with Sonequa, you know that you're gonna be in it , and it was great. I watched it again last night, and there’s just an amazing amount of stuff in there. It was just an amazing episode. "

In this episode, Burnham and Rayner are tossed back in time to the first season of Discovery , bringing them both face to face with the version of Burnham who's fresh off her own demotion in Starfleet . Throughout the episode, it becomes quite clear that Burnham and Rayner have a lot more in common than either of them might have realized. When asked if this experience might put them more on equal footing, Rennie confirmed that "he's learned an understanding of the crew." He went on to point out that we haven't seen the relationship that Rayner had with his own crew.

He explained: "We're not on the Antares talking about his crew, which I think is an important part that we missed, where you go, 'How did I see my people on my particular ship? And how well did I know them?' No one's asking me how well I knew everybody because I did, but if I've only been there a brief time, you're only gonna have facts." He admits that it is important for Rayner to connect past the surface level. "Through that particular episode, you learn and go, 'Yes, it is good to know what people are up to and where they're from,' because in that particular instance, it saved us. So, I learned a thing, and I give a, 'Yes. Got it. Thank you.'"

Rayner Will Have to Shorten the Distance Between Himself and the Discovery Crew

While it doesn't sound like we'll be getting any flashbacks to Rayner's time on the Antares Rennie believes that he'd spent a similar amount of time with that crew as Michael has with hers. "We didn't get to inhabit that, I get to make it up in my own mind," he said. "But for me, it was more like a pirate ship that I had. " While Rayner comes off as the more stubborn, stick-to-the-mission Captain between him and Burnham, Rennie doesn't think he was quite so strict on his own ship. He said:

"That's the way I perceived it. It wasn't some rigid, completely stoic, boss fest, but a little bit of a wild card ship. We're gonna go into things that nobody else wants to go into, or knows how to deal with, but we would. "

While the walls around Rayner are still pretty high, Rennie explained that we will see him "shorten the distance" he's put between himself and the crew of the Discovery. "There's a great bit, there's an episode where Burnham leaves me again to take control of the ship. There's an interaction with everybody in a certain way because they don't like me yet. [Laughs] And I need some help a little bit, but I've created a distance, and I have to shorten that distance between everybody." He went on to say there are plenty of "fun dynamics" to look forward to and Rayner's insistence on keeping everyone at arm's length will likely come back to bite him.

Star Trek has quite a long list of original alien species created for the franchise, and Rayner just happens to be a Kellerun, a race that hasn't been seen since Deep Space Nine . In classic Trek fashion, Kelleruns appear mostly human with the most visible difference being the shape of the ears. As he follows in the footsteps of the likes of Leonard Nimoy and any actor who has ever played a Vulcan or a Romulan, I asked Rennie about getting into prosthetics for the role. "Those guys are great. Rocky [Faulkner] was great, Nicola [Bendrey] was great." While it was certainly an extra step the process was brief enough that it didn't bother him to come to set a bit earlier than usual. "That was probably an hour, and I really didn't think about that enough to go, 'Oh, that's right. I have to get up earlier.' But I think we got it down to an hour and a bit for just the ears because there’s a lot of stuff on them."

Despite the agonizing wait of sitting in front of a mirror for an hour, Rennie noted that Faulkner and Bendrey made the make-up experience as fun as it could possibly have been. He said: "I don't love just sitting there looking at myself for an hour, but there's music and great company and coffee, and it became a really sweet part of the day, and then another sweet part of the day where I download. " It wasn't his first time getting into prosthetics, but his previous experience had been brief. After playing Rayner across an entire season, Rennie admitted by the end, removing the glue actually started to feel like you'd expect pulling costume glue off your ears to feel. "There was a point near the end where the glue-on, glue-off became quite painful for a while."

The Support of the Cast and the Fans Are Highlights of Rennie's 'Star Trek' Experience

While this is Rennie's first season on the show, it's the final bow for Star Trek: Discovery . When asked what he'd be taking away from this experience, he had nothing but high praise for the cast and crew. As a newcomer on a well-established show, jumping into the fifth season had a bit of a learning curve. "I found that coming into the show was difficult for me because it was unlike a show that I'd been on before. It was already very well established." He went on to say:

"I pat myself on the back because I made it through, and there was this wonderful group energy that helped me do that. The good naturedness of the show was something that I maybe haven't worked on. There was a wholehearted goodness about it, which was quite nice, which overlapped into how people treated each other and mutual respect. Also, I kind of blocked out all Star Treks in my mind, so I'm there not thinking of Star Trek history. I'm just doing scene-to-scene and working on this stuff, and then it finishes, and then I forget that there's an incredible vast following of the show that somehow you are now part of it like that. All of that, this is all relatively new to me."

As a new addition to an already established group, I pointed out that it seemed as though Rennie's experience mirrored that of his characters, and he agreed. "I'm excited for people to see the season. And then, coming into it playing, “I don't want to be liked. It doesn't matter if I'm liked. I'm there to do my job, like Rayner, and I'm doing it. And then there's the after-effect of an incredible fan base that seems to be very supportive ."

You can watch our full conversation in the player above, and catch the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery now on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 Review: One Hell of a Final Ride

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Published Apr 16, 2024

WARP FIVE: Callum Keith Rennie on Discovery's Gruff First Officer

The Star Trek: Discovery actor talks Rayner's second chance, command style, and more!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for the fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery.

Getty Images / StarTrek.com

Welcome to Warp Five, StarTrek.com's five question post-mortem with your favorite featured talent from the latest Star Trek episodes.

We're only three episodes into Star Trek: Discovery 's final season, but the stakes could not be higher. Not long after saving the entire galaxy from the Dark Matter Anomaly, Captain Michael Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery is handed a Red Directive mission from Dr. Kovich.

An 800-year-old science vessel was found on the edge of the Beta Quadrant. Aboard that ship is "something vital to the security of the Federation." They are to retrieve that artifact; however, they're not the only ones on the hunt for the artifact's ancient power. While chasing two criminals in the fifth season opener, " Red Directive ," Burnham comes across Captain Rayner and the U.S.S. Antares who is also hot on their trail and unwilling to let Moll and L'ak go as easily as the Discovery captain.

StarTrek.com had the opportunity to speak with actor Callum Keith Rennie on making first contact with Star Trek , demotions and second chances, his approach to Discovery 's newest distinguished yet gruff first officer, and more.

Point of First Contact

"Under the Twin Moons"

StarTrek.com

Like many others, Rennie was first introduced to the franchise with The Original Series in his youth.

"My first contact with Star Trek was watching it on TV with the original," remembers Rennie. "That's the one that I always reference. If it comes on, I watch it still. For me, I did see all of those other variations as they came out, but I held onto my Spock and my Jim Kirk."

For the Love of the Federation

"Red Directive"

In "Red Directive," as Burnham and Discovery is in hot pursuit of this season's main antagonists, Moll and L'ak, they soon learn that the Antares captain has been pursuing them for quite some time, and he refuses to let the slippery pair go each time they're within grasp.

When asked how big of a threat Moll and L'ak, as well as the Progenitor tech, pose to the Federation? Rennie teases that more will be revealed in time, "He has a history [with them] that will be explained later."

Speaking on the choices we've seen Rayner make in response to the two criminals, he shares, "That's Rayner's style of command. His is, 'We're to get those people; we're not to make concessions.' There's no other way outside of what he wants to do. His drive is to succeed; 'Pick a thing, I'll go do it.' That's what he knows how to do."

The distinction is clear; Rayner is a gruff, smart Starfleet captain who holds a clear line between commander and crew — he leads, they follow. His approach is, you get the job done and apologize later.

In an earlier discussion with StarTrek.com , executive producer and co-showrunner Michelle Paradise noted, "What's interesting about [Captain Rayner] is that he is going to be a bit of an antagonist, but not in a bad guy way. He's going to push Burnham, and we'll get to see new sides of Burnham and new growth in Burnham because of her interactions with him."

He has a storied track record of wartime success. In " Under the Twin Moons ," Federation president Rillak has to remind him that times have changed and they're no longer at war. However, the Antares captain sees threats everywhere, arguing that the Breens are in-fighting, the Orions are regrouping, and war is always a possibility. Not only that, Moll and L'ak now have a head start at retrieving a piece of technology with unbelievable power. He wants everyone to stop living in a "candy-colored holo fantasy."

The Fallout of Q'Mau

During Burnham and Rayner's first run-in, while Discovery 's captain sabotages the fleeing thieves' ship while on the hull of their ship, she tells the Antares captain to release its tractor beam hold as the enemy vessel's warp bubble is starting to collapse and her ship can't beam her out to safety while she's in the diminishing bubble. Then, while on Q'Mau together, Rayner continues to pursue Moll and L'ak on his own leaving Burnham and Cleveland 'Book' Booker behind; stating he doesn't have time for their "strategic advantages." Rayner plans to thwart their getaway by detonating the explosive charges hidden in a mountain's entrance, risking the potential of harming those living on the settlement of Q'Mau. Burnham reminds him they're on a non-Federation planet undertaking a highly sensitive and classified mission. When the detonation spirals into a fast-moving avalanche that would decimate the local inhabitants, Discovery requests Antares aid them in creating a shield to block the avalanche as there is not enough time to evacuate. However, Rayner holds off on letting Antares leave orbit at the risk of allowing the two thieves to evade them again.

When Rayner is held accountable for his actions as Federation Headquarters holds an inquiry to the events on Q'Mau. Despite his commendable 30 years of service to Starfleet, and his longstanding friendship with Admiral Vance, the Antares captain was forced to take an early retirement.

"Here's a guy who's been in command for 30 years," Rennie distills. "He goes in to help Burnham and her crew, and then the next thing you know, he's dismissed. So, all of that is bad. If he didn't show up to participate in any of that, he would still just be running his own crew and doing his own thing. He'd be happy on the Antares until the end of time. But he went to help, he made a decision that caused a problem, and then he was fired, sent out to pasture, and he has to make a decision to go, 'Am I done or am I not done?'"

Second Chances and Second Contacts

"Jinaal"

Valuing Rayner's aid he provided her crew while she was on Lyrek, Captain Burnham tells Rayner she'd like for him to be part of her crew — her first officer position has opened up — and she knows he's not ready to end his Starfleet career here. After all, no one understands the value of a second chance more than Burnham herself.

Reflecting on the opportunity presented to his character Rayner, Rennie notes, "He wants to try to be a better person. He's looking at his stuff going, acknowledging at times that he's been too impulsive and doing the the thing that he shouldn't have done, and but doing it anyway."

On his second chance, Rennie adds, "Does he want to be retired or does he still want to be part of the Federation and Starfleet? And he makes that choice, believing, 'What's the worst that can happen? They'll fire me again.'"

An important component of modern Star Trek has been to show the many facets of Starfleet and the Federation. It's not a monolithic institution incapable of faults.

"You do the best job you can at the given moment, and sometimes that works out and sometimes that doesn't," reflects Rennie. "You have to be, 'Well, let's take that risk.' From a commander standpoint, nothing's infallible. There's certain missions that only certain people will be assigned to because of their style. He's the man for the job," before teasing, "You'll soon discover why he's a little harsh at times."

In " Jinaal ," while Burnham heads to the surface of Trill to unlock their latest crew, Rayner is tasked with getting to know the senior crew better. While his first impression wasn't great, he now has the opportunity to make a second first impression. Unfortunately for him, his second contact isn't off to a great start when he offers the crew 20 words to provide him insight into them.

It's not going to be an overnight scenario for Rayner to change his ways. "He doesn't want to participate with the Discovery crew the way Burnham wants him to be a team player," he explains. "He's not in that space yet. He's not good at, 'Let's all be friends.' It's not his style."

Joining the Discovery Family

Rennie's experience joining a series in its final season mirrors Rayner's experience joining a tight-knit crew.

"Coming into a show, you're a new kid in school, you don't know who you're going to be friends with," states Rennie. "You don't know if you're going to get along with anybody. Much like Rayner is there to do his work, I'm there to do my work. But, my [personal] experience was fun. Episode to episode, time spent with everyone, you warm up. There's a warmth that just grows as you move along [with Sonequa Martin-Green and this cast], and you've become part of something."

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

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

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The best Star Trek series, ranked

Ready to settle in and watch some Star Trek episodes? Since there are so many, we’ve ranked all of the different series to help you get started on your quest.

Star Trek is one of the greatest franchises ever created. If you're new to the world of transporters and holodecks, you have so much wonderful content to catch up on — of course, some would say too much content.

Since there are over 850 episodes and counting (all of which you can stream on Paramount+ ), watching all of Star Trek can be more difficult than fighting a Gorn in the desert. To make things easier for you to get started, we've ranked every series (besides the short-form series Short Treks ) of this long-running franchise. Some of these choices were a bit daunting to play favorites with, but, like Jim Kirk, there's no belief in the no-win scenario.

Without further ado, here's our list of every Star Trek series ranked from worst to best.

11. Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Star Trek: Picard was meant to be like comfort food to fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation . And whether fans were turned off by the changes in franchise direction with shows like Discovery or just wanted to see Patrick Stewart back in action, Paramount clearly thought this show would be almost universally beloved.

That didn't happen . The warm and fuzzy feeling of seeing a few familiar faces in the first season evaporated because of an often-confusing plot about androids. The second season continued this confusion with a time-travel story that often bordered on incoherence. While many Star Trek shows take a few seasons to hit their stride, it was shocking that so much of this relatively short series was seemingly created with "make it so-so" in mind.

10. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974)

If you're in the right mood (or you've been sipping on some Saurian brandy), Star Trek: The Animated Series has some wacky entertainment value. Any given episode had the writers throwing in stories like a giant version of a beloved character. And the animators threw some fun curveballs, including making the embodiment of evil into a shirtless hottie that would make even shirtless Kirk jealous.

However, this animated show was often caught between two very different worlds. It wasn't fully a return to the (relatively) grounded exploration of space, science, and morality of The Original Series . And it didn't fully lean into the chaotic possibilities of a cartoon world (something Lower Decks would later handle much better). So, while more and more elements of The Animated Series have become canonical thanks to shows like Discovery , and it's fun to hear the voice acting of the Original Series cast, this cartoon is one that all but the most hardcore fans can skip.

9. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

Despite what you might have heard, Star Trek: Enterprise is not a bad show. It just didn't start as a very good show. The series was tragically canceled after the fourth season, which was arguably when it had just begun to hit its stride (thanks in part to longer story arcs and a really fun glimpse into Trek 's popular Mirror Universe).

At the end of the day, Enterprise is a show best enjoyed by Star Trek fans that like to pore over the Memory Alpha wiki and familiarize themselves with Trek minutiae. As a prequel show, it laid the groundwork for everything from Starfleet policy to alien interactions that other shows explore in more detail. If you don't have a shot at winning any Star Trek trivia contests at your local bar, it's still worth watching how captivating Scott Bakula can be in the captain's seat.

8. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–present)

Star Trek: Prodigy was very difficult to rank. Unlike the other two Trek cartoons, this series was explicitly designed for younger audiences. Paramount clearly wants to use this show as a gateway for these younger fans to explore the wider world of Star Trek , but there are enough elements (most notably the return of Kate Mulgrew , reprising her role as Captain Janeway via a holographic form) to keep veteran franchise fans invested.

Ultimately, your enjoyment of this series will be largely dependent on how much you enjoy animated/YA entertainment. If nothing else, you should check out the first two episodes of this show to see just how beautiful the CGI animation can get.

7. Star Trek: Discovery (2017–present)

If Enterprise is the Star Trek show cut off too soon, Discovery may very well be the first Star Trek show to outlive its welcome, though it will end after its fifth season . There are many things the show gets right, from nifty effects to quirky characters to amazing casting (seriously, Sonequa Martin-Green is electrifying whenever she is on screen).

The show veers from a disjointed-but-interesting first season to a mesmerizing second season, which gets a real shot in the arm by introducing Captain Pike (played by the inimitably charming Anson Mount ) and Spock (played as a perfect homage to Leonard Nimoy by Ethan Peck). Later seasons, however, prove that the series can't get away from galactic-level threats, and character drama begins overriding plot development enough that we want to slingshot around the sun and return this series to its earlier roots.

6. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)

Like many Trek series, Star Trek: Voyager had a rocky beginning, and it was often overshadowed by the excellent Deep Space Nine . Ironically, Voyager dramatically improved with what could be a cynical casting stunt: adding the alluring Jeri Ryan (constantly wearing a catsuit, no less).

Though it really looked like a desperate ratings stunt, Ryan turned the reformed Borg Seven of Nine into the most interesting character on the show. And, despite their alleged clashes behind the scenes, the actress helped to elevate every scene she shared with Kate Mulgrew. Between the new cast member, improved writing, and Mulgrew being nothing short of a damned icon, Voyager soon became appointment television, and it's definitely worth binge-watching for modern audiences.

5. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–present)

Lower Decks is an impressive show for many reasons, including the fact that its execution elevates its initial premise, which focuses on the lives of the lower-level staffers aboard the starship. Because showrunner Mike McMahan previously wrote for Rick and Morty and the animation takes its cues from the cartoon adventures of Rick Sanchez, many fans may have assumed Lower Decks would simply be " Star Trek meets Rick and Morty ."

Thankfully, that's not the case. Aside from animation similarities, the main element these two cartoons have in common is a breakneck, borderline chaotic pace. But as entertaining as it can be, Rick and Morty is an often nihilistic show with gags revolving around how nothing really matters. Lower Decks , however, is a lighthearted series that serves as the cure to modern Trek . If you've dismissed other contemporary series such as Discovery and Picard because they are grim, violent, and serious, Lower Decks is a wonderfully lighthearted alternative that is never afraid to poke fun at its own franchise.

4. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a truly pleasant surprise to fans of the franchise. Set years before Captain Kirk sat in that famous chair, we see Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount reprising the role) lead the U.S.S. Enterprise into bizarre adventures alongside some familiar characters (Ethan Peck returning as Spock, for example) and a few new ones.

Part of what helps this show shine is that it marks a return to episodic Trek in that every installment is a self-contained adventure as opposed to other newer series like Discovery and Picard , which build entire seasons around a single plot. The characters all ooze with the same swashbuckling charm of The Original Series characters, and we can't wait to see more of their adventures. We also can't wait to see more of Anson Mount's amazing hair (arguably the most awesome practical effect in the franchise).

3. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)

Star Trek: The Next Generation has the dubious honor of being the first Trek show where veteran fans warn against new fans starting at the very beginning. Early episodes ranged from stupidly horny (planetary inhabitants in the episode "Justice" were barely wearing scraps of clothing) to ridiculously racist ("Code of Honor" may very well be the worst Star Trek episode ever made). Many of these problems stemmed from the fact that despite being called "The Next Generation," the show was trying to recreate The Original Series (right down to using some of the same writers and shamelessly reusing scripts from the scrapped Star Trek: Phase II series).

As fans like to joke, the show got better as Commander Riker's beard got longer. Season 2 was a major improvement, which was then usurped by season 3, which brought in new uniforms, new sets, and Michael Piller to head up the writing team. Just like that, TNG embraced its differences from its famous forerunner (Picard was cerebral whereas Kirk was impulsive, Data yearned for emotion whereas Spock detested it, and so on). At last, the gamble paid off, and the next generation of this franchise ushered in the next generation of Star Trek fans.

2. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)

What can we say about The Original Series that hasn't been said already? Gene Roddenberry successfully fused science fiction with American pioneer spirit to create his vision of this " Wagon Train to the stars." The episodes were both fun and thought-provoking in equal measure, and William Shatner as Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, among many others, turned in performances that seared themselves into our collective pop culture consciousness.

The Original Series offered social commentary about racism, imperialism, and (often to Spock's annoyance) the human condition. And the blend of big acting, ambitious sets, and poignant plots helped this show become something truly transcendent. The OG Star Trek shaped not only the future of the franchise but television itself, and it's not hard to see why it continues to win over new generations of fans year after year.

1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)

Placing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the top spot is perhaps a contentious decision. However, this series did more than measure up to the quality of The Next Generation (a lofty feat in and of itself). The show also made a number of storytelling and production choices that have helped DS9 seem more relevant in recent years than ever before, including tackling issues about race, religious fundamentalism, and war on a regular basis.

Perhaps the main way DS9 feels so pertinent is that the show broke the longstanding Trek rule of making only standalone episodes. As the powers that be focused more on creating their next show, Voyager , DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr was able to get away with creating long story arcs and frequent episode callbacks. The end result of this is that Deep Space Nine is the first of the pre-streaming era Trek shows that is perfect for binge-watching.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

stories about "Star Trek"

• "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" considers the weight of Khan's wrathful legacy
• How "Strange New Worlds" uses Rebecca Romijn's Number One to place prejudice on trial
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Melanie McFarland is Salon's award-winning senior culture critic. Follow her on Twitter: @McTelevision

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‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed for Season 4; ‘Lower Decks’ to Conclude With Season 5 (EXCLUSIVE)

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

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“ Star Trek : Strange New Worlds,” currently in production on its third season, has been renewed by Paramount+ for Season 4. Meanwhile, “ Star Trek: Lower Decks ,” the first animated “Star Trek” comedy, will conclude its run on the streamer with its fifth season, which will debut in the fall.

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“Lower Decks” charted brand new territory for “Star Trek” when it debuted in 2020, as both an animated comedy and a series that focused on the junior officers of the USS Cerritos: Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) and Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). Set in the years following the feature film “Star Trek: Nemesis,” the series has included voice cameos from many beloved “Star Trek” alumni, like George Takei, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, John de Lancie, Will Wheaton, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor and Robert Duncan McNeill.

Given its premise, concluding “Lower Decks” make sense considering the main four characters all received promotions in Season 4. But in a message to fans, Kurtzman and executive producer and showrunner Mike McMahan left the turbolift doors open for continuing the characters’ stories following their time at the bottom of the Starfleet pecking order. 

The “Star Trek” TV universe, overseen by Kurtzman through his Secret Hideout production company and produced by CBS Studios, has enjoyed a robust expansion since “Star Trek: Discovery” first premiered in 2017. Along with “Strange New Worlds,” the made-for-television movie “Star Trek: Section 31” recently concluded production with star Michelle Yeoh, and the new series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” will begin shooting later this year.

“It has been incredibly rewarding to continue to build the Star Trek universe, and we’re so grateful to Secret Hideout and our immensely talented casts and producers,” said Jeff Grossman, executive vice president of Programming at Paramount+. “‘Strange New Worlds’ has found the perfect blend of action, adventure and humor. Similarly, ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ has brought the laughs with an ample amount of heart to the franchise across its four seasons. We can’t wait for audiences to see what is in store for the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos in this final season.”

“‘Lower Decks’ and ‘Strange New Worlds’ are integral to the ‘Star Trek’ franchise, expanding the boundaries of the universe and exploring new and exciting worlds,” said CBS Studios president David Stapf. “We are extraordinarily proud of both series as they honor the legacy of what Gene Roddenberry created almost 60 years ago. We are so grateful to work with Secret Hideout, Alex Kurtzman, Mike McMahan, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers and the cast, crews and artists who craft these important and entertaining stories for fans around the world.”

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9 star trek characters who can hide discovery season 5 treasure hunt clues.

The race is on for Star Trek: Discovery season 5's treasure hunt, and the remaining clues could be hiding with characters from Star Trek's past.

• The search for Progenitor technology in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 involves collecting 5 physical clue pieces that form a puzzle.
• The USS Discovery crew already has 2 clues, obtained after proving the 32nd century Federation is ready to wield the technology.
• The answers to the mystery may go beyond the physical clues, found in the very nature of life itself.

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 serves as a season-long sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 20, "The Chase", and revisits the concept first that a single ancient humanoid race called the Progenitors seeded life across the Star Trek galaxy. Once discovered in the 24th century, the Federation President secretly gathered a team of scientists to study the Progenitors' technology but deemed it too dangerous for their own time. The team, which included Romulan Dr. Vellek (Michael Copeland), hid a series of clues leading to the Progenitor technology's location , with the hope that future generations would prove worthy enough to wield it.

Dr. Vellek's notes point to Promellian ruins on the planet Lyrek, which reveal a clue pointing to Trill. In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3 , "Jinaal", the Trill clue was hidden on Trill by Jinaal Bix, a scientist and host of the Bix symbiont who was a colleague of Dr. Vellek's. Just as the structures on Lyrek are guaranteed to last, the Trill symbiont Bix is also still alive after 800 years. The remainder of Star Trek: Discovery season 5's clues need to stand the test of time, and might be found with any number of Star Trek characters who could still be around in the 32nd century.

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

9 zora (annabelle wallis), discovery's computer could answer the mystery of her own sentience..

One of the clues to Progenitor technology may be found aboard the USS Discovery itself, buried deep within its own computer systems. Discovery's computer downloaded a hundred thousand of years of intergalactic data from the Sphere in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, in order to protect the information from the genocidal A.I, called Control. As a result, Discovery's computer develops sentience in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, choosing the name Zora.

The sheer amount of knowledge Zora possesses may lead to one of Star Trek: Discovery 's answers.

With the question of how sentient life is created at the center of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Zora herself may hold at least part of a clue. Although it's impossible for Zora to be part of the race planned by Dr. Vellek's team in the 24th century, the sheer amount of knowledge Zora possesses may lead to one of Star Trek: Discovery 's answers, whether to the Progenitor technology's location or how it works to imbue life forms with sentience.

8 The Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle)

A final clue might be in the progenitors' past..

The Guardian of Forever was first seen in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 28, "The City on the Edge of Forever", as a sentient gateway through time. To obtain the Trill piece of the puzzle in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa-Martin Green) must pass Jinaal's test to prove that people in the 32nd century are responsible enough to use the Progenitor technology wisely. One way this could happen is if the Guardian of Forever allows Burnham to pass through time to meet the Progenitors themselves, so the creators of all sentient humanoid life can decide for themselves if their own creations are worthy.

There's a precedent for the Guardian of Forever in Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century . The Guardian appeared as a human named "Carl" in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 9, "Terra Firma, Part 1", to administer a cosmic test to Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). Upon passing the test, Georgiou was allowed to return to an earlier time by entering the Guardian of Forever's gateway.

Michelle Yeoh will return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 made-for-streaming movie on Paramount+.

7 Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks)

Time isn't real to the emissary of the bajoran prophets..

At the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) fulfills the duties of the Bajoran Emissary and becomes one with the Prophets, the non-corporeal aliens native to the Bajoran wormhole. Time has no meaning for the Prophets, who exist throughoutwithout a sense of linear progression from past to present to future. As an entity on their level, Sisko also ceases to experience linear time, and can exist at any point in the Star Trek timeline ; as the Prophets' Emissary, Sisko is the one who would speak on their behalf to the corporeal world, but to Bajor in particular.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 22, "Explorers", suggests that Cardassians and Bajorans were once one people, just as TNG 's "The Chase" proves that all sentient humanoid life had a single origin with the Progenitors. As one of the species present to hear the Progenitor speak in "The Chase", Cardassians may have had a representative in the 24th-century science team studying the Progenitors' technology . Even if Sisko doesn't return as the Emissary, it would still make sense to link the wormhole aliens in the answer to the question about the origin of life.

The Progenitor hologram revealed the origin of life to the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 20, "The Chase".

6 Q (John de Lancie) or Q Junior (Keegan de Lancie)

A game that leads to incredible power is right up q's alley..

The Q Continuum was certainly around at the time the Federation science team needed to disperse their clues to Progenitor technology in the 24th century, and as an immortal being with a vested interest in the worthiness of humanity, John de Lancie's Q might even be interested in being part of the treasure hunt that Vellek and his colleagues designed for the future. Q's apparent demise in Star Trek: Picard season 2 was seemingly negated by Q's Picard season 3 appearance , but Q's son (Keegan de Lancie), from Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 18, might take up his father's mantle of poking at the Federation.

The Federation of the 32nd century has had "no contact with the Q Continuum for 600 years."

Although Q is certainly immortal enough to hold one of Star Trek: Discovery season 5's clues, there's the small matter of what happened to Q in Star Trek: Discovery , because the Federation of the 32nd century has had "no contact with the Q Continuum for 600 years," according to Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) in Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 5, "The Examples."

5 Great Lessons Star Trek: Discovery Learned From Picard Season 3

5 soji asha (isa briones), synthetic life forms can live for centuries..

The Progenitor technology creates life, but synthetically created life is already a part of Star Trek , in the form of androids like Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), and Star Trek: Picard 's Soji Asha (Isa Briones) . Soji was created by Dr. Bruce Maddox (John Ales) and Dr. Altan Inigo Soong (Brent Spiner), based on the work of Alton's father, Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner). After Soji declined to join the android colony on Coppelius at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1, Soji was last seen in Picard season 2, episode 1, "The Stargazer".

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive", introduces a 600-year-old synth named Fred (J. Adam Brown), who looks like Data and is based on Alton Soong's work. Unlike Fred, Soji appears human in every conceivable way but is still an android, so unlikely to age like the golems inhabited by Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Discovery 's Gray Tal (Ian Alexander). It's possible Soji could be alive in the 32nd century, like her cousin Fred, and might be connected to the life-giving nature of Progenitor technology.

Isa Briones also played Soji's twin sister Dahj in Star Trek: Picard season 1 and Kore Soong in Star Trek: Picard season 2.

4 A 32nd Century Changeling

There could be a connection between the changelings and the progenitors..

When they take a humanoid shape, the Changelings in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine bear a strong resemblance to the Progenitors, the creators of the powerful technology at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5's treasure hunt. Part of this is due to the same actress, Salome Jens, playing both the Progenitor in Star Trek: The Next Generation and DS9 's female Changeling leader, but there may be something more primal at work. Maybe the Changelings' Great Link could contain the basic building blocks of life as it's known in Star Trek , given solid form by the Progenitors' technology.

Star Trek: Picard filled in the gap between what happened with the Changelings between the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Picard season 3, and the appearance of a Changeling in Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 8, "All In", proved that Changelings survived through the 24th century and into Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century . Not much is known about what happened to the Changelings after the end of Star Trek: Picard , however, so if a Changeling possesses a clue in Discovery season 5, the rest of that story might be told.

Actress Salome Jens plays both the Progenitor in TNG and DS9 's female Changeling leader.

3 The Doctor (Robert Picardo)

Voyager's emh is a likelier candidate than you think..

In Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 23, "Living Witness", a backup program of the USS Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram is reactivated in the 31st century, proving that the Doctor's program can actually last for centuries without degradation. The events of "Living Witness" take place 700 years in Star Trek: Voyager 's future, estimated to be around 3074. Star Trek: Discovery 's Burn happens circa 3069, placing both events in roughly the same time period of the Star Trek timeline .

Through Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), Jinaal explains to Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Dominion War was raging while Jinaal's team was studying the Progenitor technology. Although the USS Voyager doesn't return home until after the war, the Doctor makes contact with the Alpha Quadrant prior to the end of the Dominion War. In Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 14, "Message in a Bottle", the EMH is sent via subspace to the USS Prometheus, which is being commandeered by Romulans. Could one of those Romulans plant a clue deep within the Doctor's subroutines? It's a stretch, but it's not impossible.

2 Commander Pelia (Carol Kane)

Strange new worlds' lanthanite engineer has been around forever..

As a Lanthanite, Commander Pelia has already lived a long time before becoming the USS Enterprise's Chief Engineer in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, and may actually be functionally immortal. After all, Commander Pelia looks pretty much the same age in the 23rd century and in the 21st, when Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) meets the younger Pelia in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3 , "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow".

After living for centuries, it's entirely likely that Pelia is still around in Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century, and could have even been part of the Federation committee studying Progenitor technology in the 24th century. Even though it'd be a far cry from starship engineering, Pelia's interest in ancient artifacts and long, long memory of the past might make Pelia a prime candidate to possess a link to the search for Progenitor technology in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

When Star Trek: Discovery Takes Place In Star Trek's Timeline (Every Season)

1 wesley crusher (wil wheaton), the travelers could be the ones guiding the progenitors..

Wesley Crusher appears at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 2 as a Traveler, confirming Wesley's fate at the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 20, "Journey's End". As an ascended being who exists uncoupled from the constraints of time and space, Wesley's powers as a Traveler could let Wesley appear in Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century.

It's likely that the Travelers, and Wesley in particular, could be connected to the origin of life in the galaxy.

The Travelers' mission is never made completely clear during the first Traveler's (Eric Menyuk) appearances in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but Wesley reveals to Kore Soong (Isa Briones) in Star Trek: Picard that the Travelers are committed to ensuring the survival of sentient species, with an added implication that the Travelers have a guiding hand in the development of the universe. With such a strong connection to space-time, and the ability to focus pure thought into creation, it's likely that the Travelers, and Wesley in particular, could be connected to the origin of life in the galaxy.

The Travelers are committed to ensuring the survival of sentient species.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's search for Progenitor technology involves collecting 5 physical clue pieces that form a puzzle, though a 6th clue could exist if the exterior ring on the puzzle's shape is included. The USS Discovery crew already has 2 clues, obtained after Captain Michael Burnham proved to Romulan and Trill scientists that the 32nd century Federation is ready to be found . The bearers of the remaining clues might require Burnham to pass similar tests, according to their own definitions of ready, but the answers to the mystery of Progenitor technology in Star Trek: Discovery may well be beyond the physical clue pieces, found in the very nature of life itself.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery