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Love Is Always the Answer on Star Trek: Discovery

"mirrors" sits our heroes and villains alike down in a surprising setting, to come to a conclusion discovery has come to many times before..

We’ve said this many times before, and will no doubt say it a least a few times before as it nears its final end this season: Star Trek: Discovery is not a subtle show . It never has been, but ever since it really found its confidence and understood where its strengths were, it has never shied away from yelling them loudly in the audience’s faces.

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Sometimes this works in Discovery ’s favor, like it did in last week’s stunningly tight time-twisting adventure—the show firing on all cylinders to play with a format it knows it’s really good at, and using it to do the character reflection it’s also really good at. Sometimes, it means you get an episode like this week’s “Mirrors,” a perfectly perfunctory episode that ties together three different stories—that needed to be told at this point in the season , so you might as well shove them all into the blender and get it out at once—under a familiar dramatic message: Discovery loves Love. It loves romantic love, it loves the love between friends, it loves the bonds love creates to help people change and grow. You, the protagonist: have love! You, the villains of the arc: have love! You, the background support crew: have some love, too!

You know what else this season of Discovery also loves, apparently? Set re-use. After the premiere gave us some clever re-dresses of Discovery hallways and rooms to become the Romulan science ship that kickstarted this whole race-for-progenitor-tech off in the first place, and last week cleverly used the time-hopping conceit to dress and re-dress Discovery again for different eras of the show, this week Michael and Book take themselves on an inadvertent crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , but not like Lower Decks did. More so that they’re simply just on the Enterprise sets instead! After discovering that Moll and L’ak are hiding out with the next clue in the pocket of extradimensional space—safeguarded by a rapidly opening and closing wormhole entrance—Michael races into action to find them, leaving Commander Rayner in charge back on Discovery and dragging Book along with her, where they discover that the duo, and the clue they seek, is hiding out in the damaged, abandoned remnants of the ISS Enterprise : the Mirror Universe version of the iconic ship.

Alas, Discovery really doesn’t do much to interrogate its own history with Trek ’s famous alt-reality; at this point in continuity, Discovery has previously told us, it’s now truly separated from the prime reality, having interdimensionally drifted to the point there’s not been crossover for centuries. Discovery also doesn’t even really explore what it means that the most iconic version of Starfleet’s flagship, twisted into its Terran Imperial form, is now just hanging around, not just as ancient 23rd century technology but filled with materials not of this reality. Sure, at the end of the episode it’s how everyone escaped the destabilizing extradimensional pocket, and Michael taps Owosekun and Detmer to go drag it back to Starfleet for preservation. But really, the ISS Enterprise is here for set dressing: it is the arena in which “Mirrors” dumps its boatload of backstory to fill us in on what’s driving Moll and L’ak.

That is, at least, the interesting thing about “Mirrors”—while it is unsurprising that it turns out Moll and L’ak’s story is about two people cast aside by their societies and former families who find strength and love in their connection, the show does at least give some interesting twists to it all. It turns out L’ak is in fact a member of the classic Trek species the Breen, and cast-out royalty at that, giving an interesting bite to the idea floated last week that it could be them who they ultimately sell the Progenitor tech to should they get their hands on it. It’s also necessary at this point in the season, half-way through, that, well, we actually get motivations for our villains beyond them just getting the thing our heroes want: L’ak has a Breen blood bounty on his head for betraying his people to be with Moll, and all they want is just the opportunity to be free and together and live a life that they define.

It’s interesting! It’s well done! It’s a nice twist for the villains to not just be antagonists for antagonism’s sake! But the show does have to get this all out by slamming the proverbial brakes on its adventure—which happened last week already, but happened last week to give us a really smart use of a classic Star Trek storytelling structure to tell a story that Discovery could only tell knowing it was coming into its final journey, to look back on how far it had changed. Here, the brakes are slammed on to dump a bunch of flashbacks to one specific Breen hangar while our characters hang out on the dimly lit Strange New Worlds backlot. And it’s what we get in the other threads of “Mirrors” too—as we see Michael and Book reflect on their own past together, while Book tries (and regularly fails) to connect with Moll over their shared connection to Booker the Fourth, and as, back on Discovery , we see Rayner try to bring together everything he’s learned about working with this crew to help pull its captain back out from the breach when things start going sideways.

Alone, these are all interesting and necessary kernels of ideas, but mushed together into one story to once again smash over our heads that Connection, Understanding, and Love For Each Other Are Good undermines those ideas a little, and renders them clunkily explored in their own ways. Moll and L’ak largely escape this unscathed as “Mirrors” gives most of itself to their backstory. But that in and of itself feels clunky because it means the thread with Michael and Book half-heartedly acknowledging each other just in case they die feels like an addendum rather than a satisfying point in their shared arc. It means back on Discovery, with barely any time to spare for Rayner’s first big command test without Burnham, we go from knowing absolutely nothing about his Kelleran culture to us and everyone on the ship knowing about five or six different allegedly important parts of its cultural tapestry that it turns out are fundamental to understanding Rayner as a person too. (Admittedly, this is also a Star Trek classic— Trek loves pointing at a single member of a species and tying their entire sociopolitical or theological systems to our understanding of their character.)

Ultimately, it just leaves “Mirrors” as a series of interesting parts that, as a whole, are simply fine. At the end of the day, everyone gets out the extradimensional pocket fine, Mol and L’ak get to half-heartedly escape, and the quest can continue. It’s just now we all know all these characters just want love in the end , and perhaps, most likely—because this is Discovery and it’s what it loves to do most—in the end, the vast majority of them will get it. Necessary stage setting perhaps for this season, but after such an incredible way to center those ideas in the legacy of the show last season, all this feels a bit more like a bump in Discovery ’s road.

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

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Reveals Moll & L’ak’s Backstory — Plus, What’s Next?

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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for  Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 “Mirrors.”]

It’s far from a meet cute and in no way the start of a rom-com, but  Star Trek: Discovery does offer a look at how Moll ( Eve Harlow ) and L’ak ( Elias Toufexis ) first crossed paths and what led them to become Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) and her crew’s foes in the latest episode.

“Mirrors” takes Michael and Book ( David Ajala ), who has realized Moll is the daughter of his mentor, into a pocket of interdimensional space and onto the abandoned  ISS Enterprise , where they try to get through to Moll and L’ak with both pairs after the same thing: the next piece of the puzzle that will unlock the ultimate power everyone’s after this season. Book tries to get through to Moll, and L’ak ends up injured. But rather than turn themselves in, as Michael and Book try to convince them to do, Moll and L’ak set off as soon as they get the chance.

Read on for insight from Ajala, Harlow, and Toufexis about this episode, filming on the  ISS Enterprise set, and more.

When L’ak Met Moll

As flashbacks detail, Moll was a courier who met L’ak on one of her deliveries; he was the primarch’s nephew who’d been demoted to shuttle bay duty and ultimately took her side, leading the two to flee and now there’s a blood bounty on them. Both Harlow and Toufexis had hints about their characters’ backstory, but it wasn’t until the script for this episode that they got the full picture.

“I was bugging them for the script to 505 because they told me [the backstory] was [that episode],” Toufexis tells TV Insider of what he says is his favorite episode he’s in. “They gave me a little bit of background so I could play it in the other episodes, but when I saw the episode, I was so happy because I play a lot of bad guys on TV, and more often than not, you don’t get to find out why they’re bad or why they’re doing what they’re doing—not that these guys are bad inherently. The fact that we get to go back and literally show and play everything, almost everything, at least for the reasoning why they’ve made these decisions and why they are who they are—that combined with the love story was my favorite thing about these characters for sure.”

Playing a love story as an antagonist was different for him, he explains. “They very rarely have a counterpart,” he says. “I was really happy that I have this to play, this reason to go on is Moll for L’ak. And that love story is the most interesting part of it for me, just being in love. Especially in sci-fi, it’s really rare, especially for antagonists. I just want to be in love and free is original, I think.”

'Star Trek: Discovery' Stars Tease How Series Ends for Their Characters

Harlow, too, enjoyed getting to “run around being in love” as what she calls her favorite character she’s played. She recalls that the sides she auditioned with, while fake scripts, are situations like in Episode 5. “Every episode that came out was really exciting because we didn’t know what we were getting and [we were] seeing it unfold in such an interesting way and getting more layers,” she says. “These characters are nuanced.”

Can Book Get Through to Moll?

When the episode begins, Book thinks Moll can turn things around and he might be able to reach her, and he does try to do so when they’re split off from Michael and L’ak. But while her father was his mentor, to Moll, he was just the person who left her and her mom.

“It’s like Moll has now offered a bit of a lifeline, someone who’s known Cleveland Booker, who was this Cleveland Booker’s mentor, to kind of understand more about his character, which Book assumed would have been positive,” says Ajala. “But then to hear Moll speak so negatively about Cleveland Booker gives him pause for thought.”

Book wasn’t able to get through to Moll, and Harlow doesn’t think he stands a chance of ever doing so. “Anyone who has mommy or daddy issues knows, it’s years of therapy. I think that those parent relationships are really difficult and I think that always the knee jerk reaction is, ‘No, I don’t want to face it,’ until you’re forced to face it. It’s her own resistance and the way that Moll has survived is with this hatred and pushing away of her father. It would require a complete 180 [and] years of therapy,” she says with a laugh. “Spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery – Moll in Therapy .”

But even so, is that connection to Book something that L’ak might be worried about? Toufexis admits it’s not something he had to consider. “L’ak is very untrusting of anybody, especially people that show particular interest in Moll,” he shares before teasing, “The trust grows more between Moll and L’ak because of her decisions towards Book.”

John Medland / Paramount+

Still, Book isn’t willing to give up on Moll. “This season is all about second chances,” Ajala points out, adding that his character has received one. “He now wants to afford the same grace to Moll. It does get more challenging as the season progresses and it gets more complicated, but I feel that Book just has to try and see it through to make it worth it.”

For Book, the best-case scenario is this ends with “Moll finding favor amongst Starfleet and not going sown a destructive path,” says Ajala, but just because he wants this to work out doesn’t mean that it necessarily will—or that he doesn’t have a line when it comes to her. “If she makes a decision that she would never be able to come back from, that would be really, really sad.”

What’s Next for Moll & L’ak?

Last we saw the two, they were heading off with medical supplies and L’ak was injured. You’ll have to watch to see exactly what’s next but, “he’s fine,” says Toufexis.

As for the next time Book encounters Moll, “there will be drama,” Ajala teases. “It’s a very nuanced, complicated situation, and I think they’re both in very unfamiliar territory, but it’s going to be very important that they make the right decision or it will have a dramatic effect.”

What he’ll probably have to keep in mind is that there doesn’t seem to be anything that could make Moll or L’ak turn on the other and there isn’t a limit to how far they will go for one another. “This sounds so corny, but we only have each other,” says Harlow. “It’s us against the world.”

But that doesn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t surrender. At one point, Michael tries to convince L’ak to do just that, and he asks if he and Moll would serve their time together.

“I remember specifically playing that and thinking, ‘Okay, he’s looking for at least a way out, recalls Toufexis, “but the end result has to be they’re free and together, or at least they’re together and safe. There are some rules that they both really need people to accept if they’re going to give in, and I don’t think they are.”

Harlow agrees that it would take “freedom and safety” for them to surrender, “and no one’s giving us that, so we have to get it ourselves in whatever way we can.”

Marni Grossman / Paramount+

Filming on the ISS Enterprise

Most of this episode takes place on the  ISS Enterprise , and as a big Star Trek fan, Toufexis was thrilled. Before getting the script for Episode 5, “I had heard a props guy or maybe a set deck guy talking [about] the Enterprise , and I was like, ‘I’m sorry, what was that? We’re going to the Enterprise ?'” he shares, admitting that he did take photos on the set that he will never publish. “I love being on that ship. I was texting my family, ‘Can you believe this? I’m on the freaking Enterprise . This is crazy.’ There’s footage of me at 15 years old doing a Star Trek TV show in my friend’s basement where we built an Enterprise out of cardboard. So the fact that I’m on the actual Enterprise now, that’s pretty crazy.”

Harlow chimes in to share that Toufexis surprised people on set by knowing what all the props were in the first episode of the season (see photo above).

Ajala chose to wait until he stepped on the set to film to see it. “I was quite intentional about that because I didn’t want to become too familiar and take this wonderful set for granted,” he explains. “I literally laid eyes on it when the camera was rolling. One would say that’s a slightly unorthodox way of working, but I found it really, really informative and it was a super special moment to just be in that space.”

What did you think of Moll and L’ak’s backstory? Let us know in the comments section, below.

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Screen Rant

David ajala on star trek: discovery season 5, michael & moll relationships, and grudge's farewell to set.

Screen Rant interviews David Ajala about Cleveland Booker's relationships with Michael Burnham and Moll in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

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

• Cleveland Booker's expertise is crucial in catching new Star Trek: Discovery villains Moll and L'ak in Season 5.
• Book reunites with Burnham in their hunt for the Progenitors' treasure.
• David Ajala talks about Book's growth, Grudge, and that he is open to return in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy .

David Ajala returns as Cleveland Booker in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, as the former courier's expertise is vital to catching Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis), Discovery season 5's new villains. Booker's pet cat, Grudge, is also back.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Cleveland Booker joins Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery's hunt for the ancient treasure of the Progenitors , which has the power to create life. Book's reunion with Burnham is awkward as they have been estranged since their romance ended. Meanwhile, Book realizes Moll is the daughter of his mentor, Cleveland Booker IV, and he is desperate to connect with Moll, who is the closest thing Cleveland now has to family.

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

Screen Rant interviewed David Ajala about Cleveland Booker's need to connect with Michael Burnham and Moll in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, filming on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Enterprise sets, and the potential of returning as Book in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy .

Grudge Took The End Of Star Trek: Discovery Hard

Screen Rant: When you and the cast found out that Discovery season 5 is the final season , who told Grudge and how did Grudge react?

David Ajala: I had to tell Grudge. And you wanna know a secret? Grudge took it pretty well, actually. I mean, she's far from being overly sentimental. But I think the main thing that she was just disappointed by is that she will no longer have a whole trailer to herself. She was a bit bummed out by that. I told her, 'Hey, you've got me.' She's like, 'Yeah.'

Did she get on the phone and call her agent?

David Ajala: So you know she's got an agent, then. So you know that she has a whole entourage. It's an agent, manager, stylist, groomer. Someone who feeds her cat treats. Myself. I'm part of the entourage. There's a few. It's a bit embarrassing, but we love her.

When Discovery ended, did you keep anything from the set? Tell me you kept one of Booker's coats.

David Ajala: Absolutely, I kept something, John, but I don't wanna get in trouble. So I can't say what. I may have taken one thing. (laughs) You have to.

Although Discovery isn't over yet, looking back, what's your lasting impression of Cleveland Booker and Michael's relationship, and playing it for three years with Sonequa?

David Ajala: When Sonequa reached out to me, [and] I knew that I was joining the show or I had been cast, she said, ‘Welcome to this wonderful world where everyone supports each other, where we're so excited to be on set, where we literally believe that we have lightning in a bottle.’ I believe that their relationship is lightning in a bottle, but it's lightning that feels, dare I say it, safe. It's exciting, and it feels safe. I think these two will always be in each other's lives. I think they bring out the best in each other. And behind every great woman is herself.

What It Was Like Filming On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Enterprise Sets

This week's episode of Discovery is one of my favorites of season 5. You, Sonequa, Eve Harlow, and Elias Toufexis spent most of the episode on the Enterprise set. I need to know what that was like for you.

David Ajala: Oh, it was amazing. Like, truly, because it's one thing, seeing it on the screen. And having seen it many times over the years, and then now to physically be in that space... It was tricky. It was. And I think seeing it for the first time, my reaction was captured on camera because I wanted it to be that. And just to see how Sonequa looked around and took in the space, and held the space in such reverence and awe just really helped to enjoy the magic of that moment.

You guys shot that episode during Strange New Worlds' hiatus, right? They had already finished season 2.

David Ajala: That's right.

When you were on Strange New Worlds ' sets, did you notice a difference between their set and Discovery' s set? Is there something they have that you guys don't, and you were like, 'Hey, how come they have this and we don't?' Or was it vice versa?

David Ajala: It was more vice versa? Oh, man, y'all don't have this, but we do? All right, then. It is what it is. There were few little tiny details that we were very grateful for at the time. But you can tell the distinct difference between the two sets. They're not too dissimilar, but I definitely prefer our set. And that's not being biased. I think it's just more fun, because there's a lot of little hidden things that we have that helped us to get through our days when we're filming. I'll say that much without getting in trouble.

Booker Tries to Connect With Burnham & Moll In Discovery Season 5

I love that Book is very zen this season. In season 4, he was in dire straits. His planet blew up. He lost his family. He lost Michael. He went to prison. But Book is very centered now. Can you talk about this new approach to playing Book and where he's at in season 5?

David Ajala: Thank you, by the way, John. I appreciate that. I think with this version of Cleveland Booker, he is someone who, loosely, I'll say this, he has had a fall from grace very, very publicly, but with the best of intentions. He's also someone who has been given a second chance. And I feel that he understands the grace he's been afforded to be given a second chance. And I think he grabs that second chance like a life raft. It helps to be intentional again. So I think he's operating from a place of a much deeper level of intentionality. And I think, also, he loves Michael, and he wants to be seen in the best light with regard to Michael because he care. Beyond the ego, I think he cares deeply for her.

I honestly think Michael and Book is one of the greatest love stories ever told in Star Trek. And you know, it's not over yet. But the depth of it, the honesty, just the beauty of the two of them, the way they support each other, even when they're at odds, I think it's just beautiful to watch.

David Ajala: That's wonderful. Thank you, John.

Talk to me a little bit about Booker's desire to connect with Moll . I understand Book's feeling that she's the closest thing to family he has left.

David Ajala: Exactly. And it's such a profoundly huge idea to digest, but his whole planet, Kwejian, was obliterated. There is nothing left of it whatsoever. In fact, the only physical thing he has is the chain, the necklace around his neck. That's the only thing he has of Kwejian. And then, now, to be in such close proximity with an individual who is the closest thing to family that he has, this feels also like another second chance. But this second chance, I guess, is a lot more complicated. But I think because of the need Cleveland Booker has to connect. I think he will do the utmost to try and reach Moll.

I also really like how Moll and L'ak remind Book of himself and Michael during the courier days. I just love that.

David Ajala: Yeah, I'm really happy you picked up on that, John. That is such a lovely little detail, which I think charges the energy better and increases the stakes because now he's looking at a parallel version of him and Michael Burnham. He gets them. He understands the thrill they seek, the thrill of the chase. Better the devil you know, right? I love that. And more will be revealed as the episodes continue.

Book's Future In Star Trek After Discovery

This is the final season. If Discovery had continued, was there ever a chance of Booker actually joining Starfleet? Is that something you or he would have wanted?

David Ajala: Potentially. I think it's an invitation that he would have been gracious enough to accept and not to claim. But I think what's important to Cleveland Booker is to be the master of his fate, and to keep and maintain that autonomy. So, if there's a hybrid version of being able to maintain that autonomy, and also be of service to Starfleet, whatever that role looks like, Cleveland Booker would gladly take that role.

Before I let you go, I'm gonna float an idea about you, and tell me what you think: Professor Cleveland Booker - Starfleet Academy.

David Ajala: Done deal. But you missed one key ingredient and feature: Professor Cleveland Booker and Grudge - Starfleet Academy. I ain't trying to get no enemies out here, John. I need to make sure I put some respect on the Queen's name.

Yes. I've got it: Chancellor Grudge - Starfleet Academy.

David Ajala: There you go. There you go. I love that. Done deal. Love that so much. And so will Grudge.

About Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well … dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.

Check out our other Star Trek: Discovery season 5 interviews here:

• Sonequa Martin-Green
• David Ajala and Doug Jones
• Wilson Cruz, Mary Wiseman & Blu del Barrio
• Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise
• Callum Keith Rennie
• Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis

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

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6 Streaming: How to Watch & Stream Online

By Anubhav Chaudhry

Are you eager to stream Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6 online? Prepare for the epic finale as Captain Burnham and the U.S.S. Discovery crew embark on a galaxy-spanning quest to unveil a centuries-old secret, thrusting them into an exhilarating adventure. As they seek to unearth an ancient power shrouded in mystery, they face formidable adversaries bent on thwarting their mission by any means necessary.

Here’s where you will be able to watch Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6 online.

Is Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6 streaming online?

Yes, you will be able to   watch and stream Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6 on Paramount Plus.

You will be able to watch the episode below:

The show features the following cast:

• Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
• Doug Jones as Saru
• Mary Wiseman portraying Sylvia Tilly
• Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
• Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber
• Blu del Barrio as Adira Tal
• David Ajala portraying Cleveland ‘Book’ Booker
• Callum Keith Rennie appearing as Raynor

How to watch Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6 and stream online

As Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is available to watch via Paramount Plus, you will be able to watch its episodes by signing up.

Paramount Plus provides two subscription options:

• Paramount Plus Essential plan: Priced at $5.99 per month, this package offers streaming with ads.
• Paramount Plus with SHOWTIME plan: Available for $11.99 per month, this subscription provides ad-free streaming and grants access to SHOWTIME content.

The official synopsis of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 reads:

“The fifth and final season finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well … dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.”

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Peacock schedule april 22-28 2024: new tv shows & movies being added, paramount plus schedule april 22-28 2024: new tv shows & movies being added, netflix schedule april 22-28, 2024: new tv shows & movies being added.

Anubhav Chaudhry serves as an SEO Content Writer for ComingSoon.net, blending his profound love for cinema with expertise in search optimization. When he's not analyzing films or series, Anubhav passionately follows football and enriches his entertainment knowledge with streaming content binges. With Anubhav's pieces, expect a confluence of SEO acumen and cinematic insight.

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Every Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode Gets Big Hints From Showrunner

Warning: Minor Spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

• Season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery premieres on April 4 with Captain Burnham leading an intergalactic treasure hunt.
• Showrunner Michelle Paradise hints at a super-secret mission and surprises in upcoming episodes of the final season.
• Prepare for mind-bending adventures, gorgeous locations, unexpected encounters, and classic TOS-style episodes.

Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise drops some big hints about season 5 by describing each of the final 10 episodes of the series. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres Thursday, April 4, with the first two episodes releasing on the same day on Paramount+. Discovery season 5 sees Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) lead an intergalactic hunt for a mysterious treasure with ties to an 800-year-old Romulan starship.

SFX Magazine features a cover story about Star Trek: Discovery season 5 where Michelle Paradise sheds light on each episode of the final season. Check out her clues below:

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 - “Red Directive” (Written by Michelle Paradise) Launching the mission. The mission is a red directive. An exciting mission that launches us into our season, and it’s super-secret.

Star Trek Discovery, Season 5, Episode 2 - “Under the Twin Moons” (Written by Alan McElroy) A lovely Burnham and Saru episode.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 3 - “Jinaal” (Written by Kyle Jarrow & Lauren Wilkinson) Culber like you’ve never seen him before.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4 - “Face the Strange” (Written by Sean Cochran) Mind-bending and exciting, and a heck of a lot of fun.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - “Mirrors” (Written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco) [Long pause] I’m trying to think of something that won’t be spoilery! Surprising encounters and surprising new information about our heroes.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 6 - “Whistlespeak” (Written by Kenneth Lin & Brandon A. Schultz) Oh, classic TOS-style adventure!

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 7 - “Erigah” (Written by M. Raven Metzner) Tense and unexpected.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 8 - “Labyrinths” (Written by Lauren Wilkinson & Eric J. Robbins) Oh, just an incredibly gorgeous location, incredible scope, and a singular journey for Burnham.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 9 - “Lagrange Point” (Written by Sean Cochran & Ari Friedman) Discovery in a location where you’ve never seen her before.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 10 - “Life, Itself” (Written by Kyle Jarrow & Michelle Paradise) Part of me wants to say the end of an era. But that just sounds so sad. I don’t wanna say that! Hopefully, it’s all the things that Discovery has always been. Action, adventure, heart, family, love, sci-fi wonderfulness, beautifully acted, beautifully directed, production values, gorgeous VFX. It’s everything we have always had in Discovery in one episode.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 - Everything We Know

Why star trek: discovery season 5 is different from previous seasons, adventure is the name of the game in discovery season 5.

Star Trek: Discovery has always centered around threats to the United Federation of Planets and the galaxy at large, but Discovery season 5 goes in a different direction. Captain Burnham's chase for "the greatest treasure in the known galaxy" is a shift in tone to more adventure as opposed to the dire menaces that the USS Discovery has faced down in the past. An intergalactic treasure hunt means Burnham and her Crossfield Class starship can visit more strange new worlds to find the clues that lead to the treasure.

Although not originally planned to be the final season, Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is also about endings.

This isn't to say Captain Burnham's treasure hunt won't be dangerous. The treasure is an ancient power source that could be deadly if it falls in the wrong hands , and some of the 32nd century's most fearsome powers want the prize, including Discovery season 5's new villains L'ak (Elias Toufexis) and Moll (Eve Harlow). Although not originally planned to be the final season, Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is also about endings. Thus, season 5 turned out to be the ideal last chapter of Discovery , and fans now have some more clues to connect the dots about Star Trek: Discovery season 5's mysteries.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres April 4 on Paramount+

Source: SFX Magazine, TrekMovie.com

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

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 4 Recap

Episode 4 of Star Trek: Discovery sees Burnham and Rayner team up to save the Discovery and its crew from a time travel wormhole.

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What happened in star trek: discovery episode 4, how does star trek: discovery episode 4 end.

Episode 4 of Star Trek: Discovery aired on Paramount Plus this week,as it approaches the halfway mark in the fifth and final season. The sci-fi spin-off series consists of ten episodes, with one airing each week until the finale on May 30. The show began in 2017, and Season 5 has been praised for its serialized storytelling and exciting visual effects. Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Callum Keith Rennie, Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp.

The fourth episode of Star Trek: Discovery 's final season sees Burnham and Rayner put their differences aside when they realize they are in a wormhole and have traveled back in time. They must fight to save the Discovery and the crew on board, by facing off with bounty hunters, Moll and Lák.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 3 Recap

Star Trek: Discovery Episode 4 sees Moll and L’ak meeting with a dodgy dealer. They hand him a bag of the latinum and the dealer tries to raise the price of it, and it turns out Moll has poisoned the latinum, and takes the item from the dying dealer. L’ak is uncertain. But Moll assures him they’ll get ahead of the USS Discovery . She continues that once they have the Progenitor’s tech, they’ll be free. She tells him they have to hurry to catch Discovery on Trill. It is revealed that the device obtained from the dealer is the same one planted on Adira Tal in the final moments of the previous episode.

Elsewhere, the device activates in Adira’s quarters on the Discovery, and the device hops off the uniform and runs across the room and disappears into a girder.

In his lab, Stamets spots the bug and watches as it disappears into the wall. Captain Michael Burnham gets a report from Owo, revealing that she’s picking up some odd readings, and something has broadcast a signal from the ship. Burnham and Captain Rayner try to beam to the bridge, but they go nowhere.

The ship is moving but the lights flicker and a klaxon sounds. Rayner asks if they are under attack, as Burnham tries to contact the bridge but nothing seems to be working. Burnham and Rayner head to the bridge on foot and find the rest of the crew unconscious and wearing 23rd-century Starfleet uniforms. Rayner and Burnham realize they’re in a wormhole and have traveled back in time. Discovery follows Burnham as she goes through the wormhole into the future. Turns out, they haven’t just traveled back in time, but they’re actually jumping through time.

Burnham arrives in the future and explains the situation, and that she's undertaking an important mission for the future Discovery . Burnham demonstrates her personal knowledge of several crew members to prove her story , as Airiam, Tilly and the rest of the crew are confused at her appearance.

They remain skeptical of Burnham’s claims, but she says she will convince Airiam, and everyone will trust her judgment in the end. Burnham reveals she saw Airiam die, and she recounts the climax of “Project Daedalus.” Airiam convinces the rest of the crew of Burnham's legitimacy, and asks what help Burnham needs from them. Elsewhere, in the lab, Rayner and Stamets prepare to tackle the temporal shield, but a phaser wielding TB and Rhys interrupt their plans.

YB orders Stamets to shut down the warp core, but Rayner suggests Burnham come down, but there’s no time for that, and she urges Rayner to handle the situation. Rayner convinces Rhys they’re from the future with the knowledge he learned during interviews, but YB is still not convinced.

Rayner tells the story about Burnham arriving at the bridge and not feeling like she belongs. He tells YB she deserves to be there, and pleads with her to trust her instincts, which he knows are currently telling her to stand down, with YB seemingly convinced. Discovery ’s warp bubble is broken, and Rayner puts the device on the chronophage. Another time jump occurs, and they arrive back to the present day, which is fully intact.

Burnham orders Rayner to go to see Culber to tend to his hand injury, while Rayner states that it isn’t lost on him that what made them successful was their closeness with the crew. He admits he can be stubborn like Burnham used to be, but Burnham concludes they make a good team.

Star Trek: Discovery episode 4's ending sees the rest of the crew caught up on the chronophage. In the six hours since the time jumps began, the DOTs have found a warp signature that matches M’ak’s ship. Rayner compliments Rhys on his theory, which proved to be accurate. However, M’ak’s trail disappears, as Burnham orders the bridge crew to get to work on solving the mystery.

Star Trek: Discovery

Star trek 4: paramount needs to let this sequel die.

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Episode Preview | Star Trek: Discovery - Face the Strange

Are you stuck in a time loop?

SPOILER WARNING: This clip may contain spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5's fourth episode, "Face the Strange"!

In  Star Trek: Discovery  Season 5's fourth episode " Face the Strange ," on the way to the next clue, the U.S.S. Discovery is sabotaged by a mysterious weapon, leaving Captain Burnham, Rayner, and Stamets as the only crew members who can possibly save the ship in time.

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

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 3 'Jinaal' is a slow but steady affair

Humans have evidently evolved beyond the need for stairs in the 32nd century as teleportation has replaced the simple act of actually walking to places

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 3

The latest installment of "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5 on Paramount Plus adds a little water – and possibly some fertilizer – to the various different story seeds sewn last week. 

Entitled "Jinaal," the primary plot revolves around a revisit to the planet Trill and as you may recall, the last time we spent any length of time here was the episode " Forget Me Not " (S03, E04), which was not terrible. In fact, it was undeniable highlight of the third season, which itself had some of the best we've seen from "Discovery." Incidentally, that was first look at the Trill homeworld since " Star Trek: Deep Space Nine " episode "Equilibrium" (bizarrely, also S03, E04). (If you need a recap on how to watch Star Trek: Discovery, check out our Star Trek streaming guide for Paramount Plus .)

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Curiously, in that episode "Forget Me Not," Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) was given a rare and welcome chance to shine and he does so once again in this episode as well. To briefly recap, Adira (Blu del Barrio) and her lover, a Trill named Gray (Ian Alexander), were aboard a generation ship way back when. They were both orphans, very much in love, and Gray had just received his symbiote when the ship was struck by an asteroid and everyone was ordered to evacuate. Unfortunately, Gray was fatally injured and the only way to save the symbiote was for Adira to join with it. And that's how it was for all of season three right up until the fourth season episode " Choose To Live " (S04, E03). 

Then, after all of that, Gray Tal has his consciousness transferred out of Adira and into an artificial synth golem before heading back to Trill to complete all that monk-style studying. And now you're all caught up. 

While a trip back to Trill is nice, you can't help but start to wonder if this fifth and final season will end up a 10-episode long epilogue as it ties up all its loose ends, almost like season five of " Babylon 5 ."  Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) pops up in this episode at last, which more or less just leaves Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril), whom we last saw in the episode " Rubicon " S04, E09, to make an appearance. Although Ancheril's IMDb page does currently say, "Coming up in 2024, Rachael will be seen again in 'Chucky' season three [and] 'Star Trek Discovery' for its final season," so who knows. 

The big highlight this week was, as we alluded to above, Cruz's chance to stretch his acting chops just a little bit and he does not disappoint. The two biggest grumbles however, are the dialogue written by a writer who just saw "Lethal Weapon II" for the very first time and that the notion of teleporting around the place instead of just walking, has been taken to ludicrous extremes. 

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"Star Trek: Discovery" seems to be at peace with lifting from other IPs, sci-fi or otherwise. We've seen a nice " Close Encounters of the Third Kind " reference with mashed potato and we've even seen a fun nod to "Scooby-Doo," but these were all subtle. Then there was the extremely unsubtle " Die Hard " thing and then in " Scavengers " (S03, E06) the writers went  way  beyond homage and practically lifted a set piece directly from the 1987 movie "The Running Man." The premise was the same, the effect was the same and even the setting was practically identical.

This week's insight into what classic movie the Gen-Z writers of "Discovery" have recently discovered comes from a legendary scene with equally legendary dialogue between Sgt. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Sgt. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) during a rescue attempt after the latter learns that the toilet he's been sitting on has been rigged with a bomb in the first "Lethal Weapon" sequel. Lest we forget, this underrated action extravaganza also gave us Leo Getz and immortalized phrases like "diplomatik immunitee." and "but, but...you're blick."

Still, at least it was just a line or two of dialogue this time and not an entire set piece. My other main grumble with this episode as we mentioned above is the carefree abandon with which transporters are used. And I've touched upon this before. Despite beaming becoming a very common part of everyday life of the 32nd century, to the extent that folk use transporters instead of stairs and even to just change outfits, like we saw in the season four premiere episode — but the thing is, transporters kill you .

The creators of " Star Trek " have never officially confirmed that transporters kill you. However, solely based on the science, transporters do kill you. In simple terms, these teleportation devices scan every molecule in your body and briefly store them in the pattern buffer, while at the same time, the original body is to all intents and purposes, disintegrated. The transporter then converts the scanned copy into energy and beams the data stream to the desired location, where the body is rebuilt, from a sub-atomic level, using technology similar to a replicator. It's comparable in principle to a fax, except this fax machine destroys the original, to prevent duplication, although that has been known to happen.

The issue is essentially an existential one. Since our bodies are made up of identifiable matter, why won't transference of consciousness occur? What makes our consciousness so unique? What's the difference between an identical copy and you? If you were to put your copy into a different room that you hadn't been into, would you be able to see it? No. It's a perfect copy, but it's not you. There is a good article on Ars Technica that really goes into detail on this.

Still, all of this banter aside, this episode is not ... terrible. It is very evenly paced and that, despite the not-exactly edge-of-seat storyline, makes it bearable. Every sub-story seems to be given equal time and brief-but-enjoyable interplay between Lt. Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) is fun. Plus, of course, we get to see the Trill homeworld again, which is nice. 

In other "Star Trek" news, " Strange New Worlds " has been renewed for a fourth season, while " Lower Decks " will end with its previously announced upcoming fifth season, expected to air sometime this year. Creator Mike McMahan and executive producer Alex Kurtzman posted a statement on the Star Trek website: “While five seasons of any series these days seems like a miracle, it’s no exaggeration to say that every second we've spent making this show has been a dream come true. Our incredible cast, crew and artists have given you everything they have because they love the characters they play, they love the world we've built, and more than anything we all love, love, love Star Trek."

Meanwhile, "Strange New Worlds" is currently in production on its third season, which is set to debut in 2025. It seems that all of this combined with the fact that "Section 31" ended up as a movie , casts doubt over the future of the Starfleet Academy spin-off and hopefully signals the end of the idiotic idea of "Star Trek: Legacy." Perhaps Paramount should look to cancel other ludicrous endeavors like the proposed Picard movie instead of cancelling decent shows in their efforts to tighten purse strings. 

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" and every episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US while "Prodigy" has found a new home o n Netflix.  

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on  Paramount Plus  in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

 —   Watch the bittersweet trailer for 'Star Trek: Discovery's final season (video)

 —  'Spaceman' sees Adam Sandler shine as a cosmonaut in crisis in Netflix's somber sci-fi film (review)

—  Star Trek's Seven of Nine returns in new novel 'Picard: Firewall' (exclusive)

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

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The 10 standout episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series

Ready to explore (or revisit) strange new worlds and smart sci-fi adventure? Launch into the Final Frontier with our list of 10 essential episodes of the original Star Trek.

A five-year mission that's now headed into its seventh decade, the Star Trek franchise is still boldly going where no one has gone before. More installments of the franchise are on air then ever, with something to offer almost every Trekkie in its rapidly expanding universe. However, Star Trek: The Original Series is the big bang that started it all. Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future — produced by Lucille Ball , no less — debuted in September of 1966 and ran for three seasons on NBC before finding new life in syndication.

While the series' Prime Directive seemed to be shredding Capt. Kirk's shirt as often as possible, our mission is to represent a variety of agreed upon classics from the U.S.S. Enterprise's maiden voyage that would delight both the original and next generation of fans.

So fire up your favorite snacks in the replicator, silence your tricorder, and beam on down our list of the 10 must-watch episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series , all of which are available to stream in remastered form on Paramount + .

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" (Season 1, episode 3)

After the Enterprise goes through an energy rift at the edge of the galaxy, Captain Kirk's ( William Shatner ) friend and shipmate, Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), begins to develop terrifying ESP abilities that grow stronger by the minute. As he makes the transition from man to "god," he becomes increasingly more dangerous and detached from humanity. Ship psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dehner ( Sally Kellerman ) believes his mutation can help mankind evolve, but Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) is adamant he must be killed before he destroys them all. Will Kirk choose his best friend over the best interests of his crew — and the universe?

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is most famous for being the second pilot filmed for the series, and introducing viewers to Captain James T. Kirk, Chief Engineer Scotty (James Doohan), and Lieutenant Sulu ( George Takei ). It's also just a great hour of sci-fi storytelling. This superior first episode seamlessly mixes action, high stakes emotions, and tough ethical questions, setting the blueprint for the franchise.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" (Season 1, episode 28)

When a time disruption from a nearby planet rocks the Enterprise, Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ) — aka Bones — accidentally injects himself with an overdose of a dangerous drug. Driven mad, he flees to the planet below and goes through the time warp, changing history and erasing the Federation of Planets from existence. Kirk and Spock follow him to set things right, and find themselves in 1930s Depression-era New York.

As they search for Bones, Kirk meets and falls in love with a social worker named Edith Wheeler ( Joan Collins ) whose fate, it turns out, will determine the course of humanity. Once again, Kirk must choose between someone he loves and the greater good. One of Trek 's most emotionally charged hours, "The City on the Edge of Forever" — scripted by Harlan Ellison — is considered by many to be the greatest episode of all-time.

"Space Seed" (Season 1, episode 22)

The Enterprise team stumbles upon the marooned S.S. Botany Bay in deep space and awakens the crew from suspended animation. They soon discover these lost spacefarers were exiled from Earth during the infamous Eugenics Wars of the 1990s, and our heroes have unwittingly unleashed a genetically enhanced super-tyrant named Khan Noonien Singh ( Ricardo Montalban ) in the 23rd century.

Montalban's magnetic, calculating would-be-ruler serves as a perfect foil for Shatner's compassionate, tactical Kirk, leading to a great one-on-one showdown between the two for control of the ship. This season one episode is the introduction of the series' most infamous villain, who 15 years later will headline Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , widely regarded as the best film in the franchise.

"Amok Time" (Season 2, episode 1)

Kirk vs. Spock! Kirk's shirt ripped open (again)! Spock in heat! This episode has everything a fan of the duo that launched a thousand slash fics could want. Every seven years, a Vulcan must return home for an ancient mating ceremony called "pon farr." When Kirk and Bones accompany him, they find themselves dealing with (farr) more than they bargained for when the Captain is forced to battle Spock in a ritual fight to the death.

In addition to the showdown between the leads, "Amok Time" has several other firsts: the first use of the Vulcan Salute, the first appearance of Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), and the first glimpse of the planet Vulcan itself. This perennial favorite is also heavily referenced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' fifth episode — titled " Spock Amok " — on Paramount +.

"Mirror, Mirror" (Season 2, episode 4)

An away team consisting of Kirk, Bones, Uhura ( Nichelle Nichols ), and Scotty are sent to an alternate dimension when they are caught in an ion storm mid-transport. This "mirror" dimension is populated by violent doppelgangers of the Enterprise crew who serve the Terran Empire instead of the Federation of Planets. The foursome must navigate the cutthroat nature of this universe and find a way back before their secret is exposed — all while surviving a mutiny to overthrow this reality's Kirk. Hip daggers, bare midriffs, and Spock's goatee are just a few of the signs that things in this universe are askew.

Although Evil Bearded Spock is certainly fun to see, George Takei gives the standout performance as a delightfully evil Sulu, complete with a badass facial scar. This episode is a highlight of the original series and forms the foundation for several stories in future Trek franchises like Deep Space Nine , Enterprise , and Discovery .

"The Trouble with Tribbles" (Season 2, episode 15)

A fan favorite episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles" is a comedic left turn that shouldn't work, but absolutely does. Starring adorable little furballs who are "born pregnant" and multiply at a rapid pace, this zany hour allows the heady sci-fi questions of morality to take a back seat in favor of punchlines and hijinks.

The actual plot of the episode revolves around Kirk protecting a supply of space grain essential to Starfleet's sovereignty over a contested planet. The fun begins, however, when Uhura picks up one of the tiny tribbles while on shore leave at Space Station K-7 and unleashes an infestation on every corner of the Enterprise — including Kirk's lunch. The Captain's exasperated responses to the growing tribble crisis are comedy gold, especially as he seems to be the only one immune to their cooing charms. "Tribbles" also features a fantastic slapstick bar fight between Scotty, Chekov, and a handful of Klingon officers for the honor of the Enterprise. This episode is a fun detour into the lighter side of the crew's five-year mission.

"Balance of Terror" (Season 1, episode 14)

Kirk and company find themselves in an action-packed showdown with the Romulans when they investigate a mysterious loss of communication with Federation outposts near the Neutral Zone. Despite a history of war with Earth, no one has ever laid eyes on an actual member of their species — until now.

As the Romulans are believed to be the violent cousins of the Vulcans, Spock becomes the subject of suspicion and xenophobia from some of the crew — particularly Lt. Stiles (guest star Paul Comi) — whose ancestors were killed in the Earth-Romulan War. The story's point-of-view shifts between the two vessels, allowing the viewer to see that the warring foes are more alike than they realize.

This season one classic features the first appearance of the Romulans — who will go on to be recurring antagonists for the heroes of the franchise. Also, keep an eye out for actor Mark Lenard as the Romulan Commander. He'll return to the series in a recurring role as Spock's father.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" (Season 1, episode 10)

While exploring an uncharted area of space, the Enterprise is pursued by a mysterious cube emitting harmful radiation. To protect themselves, they lay waste to it, and incur the wrath of Balok, commander of a technologically superior alien race. He takes control of the Enterprise's systems and declares the ship, and everyone onboard, will be destroyed in 10 minutes. A tense hour with a really wild twist ending, this installment showcases Kirk's ingenuity and characteristic refusal to lose — one of the many times the Captain will boldy bluff where no man has bluffed before.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" is also the first time DeForest Kelley (McCoy) and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) played their iconic characters, although they appear earlier in the series due to NBC originally airing episodes out of production order.

"The Doomsday Machine" (Season 2, episode 6)

Our intrepid explorers receive a distress signal from fellow Starfleet ship the U.S.S. Constellation and rush to its aid. Upon arrival, they find Commodore Matthew Decker (William Windom) — the ship's commander and sole survivor — wracked with guilt and suffering from PTSD. Decker's entire crew was annihilated by a massive energy weapon of unknown origin that destroyed the entire star system.

Pulling rank, he takes command of his rescuer's ship, and puts the crew of the Enterprise in the crosshairs of the unstoppable world-killing device. Kirk, marooned on Decker's derelict starship, must figure out a way to rescue the Enterprise from both the machine and an out-of-control superior officer. Introducing a planet-ending energy weapon 10 years before Star Wars , this episode features a real nail-biter of an ending.

Fun fact for the continuity-conscious : Decker's son, Willard Decker ( Stephen Collins ), will play a prominent role in 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

"Arena" (Season 1, episode 18)

Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones, and an unfortunate " Redshirt " arrive at the Cestus III Outpost for a diplomatic mission and find it annihilated by an alien race called the Gorn. Seeking revenge, Kirk pushes the Enterprise to pursue the Gorn starship and destroy it. The chase leads into an unmapped sector of space ruled by a powerful force calling themselves the Metrons. Outraged by the brutality of both ships, the Metrons force the two captains to settle their dispute in a fight to the death on a desert planet. The winner will leave the sector unharmed, while the loser, and their crew, will die.

The bulk of this episode involves William Shatner being chased by an actor in a giant rubber lizard suit — and honestly, it rules. Yes, the suit looks goofy, but the showdown is fun as hell and the message of the story is classic Star Trek : sometimes there is more going on beneath the surface than we realize. Very few Star Trek villains are ever just one-dimensional bad guys, and the Gorn are no exception.

Fun fact : Ted Cassidy, who provides the voice for the Gorn captain, also provided the voice of Balok in "The Corbomite Maneuver."

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Paramount Plus dropped its big Star Trek crossover episode early, and it’s a delight

If you’re a paramount plus subscriber, you can go watch boimler of lower decks geek out over the cast of strange new worlds right now..

By Alex Cranz , managing editor and co-host of The Vergecast. She oversaw consumer tech coverage at Gizmodo for five years. Her work has also appeared in the WSJ and Wired.

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There might not be any actors or big casting announcements at San Diego Comic-Con this year, but Paramount Plus did find one way to surprise fans. It’s dropping the next episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds five days early. The episode also happens to be the very anticipated crossover episode featuring the live-action version of some of the cast of Star Trek: Lower Decks . Having already seen this episode, I can confirm this is all exactly as delightful as it sounds.

With the actors on strike, SDCC has been much more muted than in previous years. There aren’t as many star-studded panels and zero major casting announcements. This has meant studios need to rely on something besides the labor of actors to promote their shows, and Paramount Plus settled on this surprise drop.

Episode 7, “Those Old Scientists,” is available right now and manages to bring the characters of Lower Decks , a very frenetic animated show, into the more traditional Star Trek world of Strange New Worlds remarkably well. Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome move seamlessly between the two mediums, and much of their outrageousness is easily explained away because, you know, they’re from the future. Things are just weirder in the future.

The characters of Strange New Worlds struggle to match the energy of the Lower Decks characters, but the actors playing them develop an easy rhythm that really helps bridge the two very different shows well. Even when it’s supremely goofy, it all feels like Strange New Worlds , not like a weird and forced crossover.

That took me by surprise when I tuned in. I’d been tentatively excited about this episode since they announced it last year at SDCC . I was curious how they’d pull it off. One show is about a group of extraordinary heroes who travel the stars and save the universe. The other is a frequently raunchy comedy about the people who keep the ship running while the heroes are out heroing. Meshing those two tones together could have been disastrous, but Strange New Worlds has always been good at hopping from genre to genre and tackling bit tonal shifts with aplomb.

Also, it turns out that when you put a bunch of really good and really committed actors on a sound stage together, they can work some magic.

With episode 7 now airing today, the rest of the rest of the season will be airing a little earlier than expected. Strange New Worlds episode 8 will air this Thursday, July 27th. Episode 9, the musical episode , will air the Thursday after that, and episode 10, the season finale, will air on August 10th.

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NCIS Just Wasted A Fan-Favorite Star Trek Actor

Contains spoilers for "NCIS" Season 21 Episode 8 — "Heartless"

"NCIS" has had its share of guest stars whom fans might have forgotten appeared on the show.  While this is typically not the series' fault, the Season 21 episode "Heartless" happens to feature a "Star Trek" legend who was used to less than proper effect, leading to a forgettable appearance.

That was Tim Russ as cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Erik Harper in the episode, but his time on-screen is remarkably brief. He's seen in a single scene at the beginning of "Heartless" as he trains a team of first years to save their patient's life. They fail, and when they take a break to regroup and he can order them dinner, a group of masked men confronts Dr. Harper. He is kidnapped, driven 200 miles away, and killed. The rest of the case involves tracking down Harper's killers, resulting in Alden Parker (Gary Cole) and Harper's colleague Dr. Clara Logan (Christina Kirk) ending up in close quarters when the thieves come after them. This teases a new possible romance for Parker, and Harper's death is the catalyst.

Though the appearance is decidedly a pivotal one that gets the episode's plot going, for a talent of Russ' caliber, it's quite a waste. Russ is perhaps best known as Tuvok on "Star Trek: Voyager,"  but he's also popped up in two different branches of the "NCIS" world.

Tim Russ has appeared in an NCIS universe program before

Tim Russ has appeared in three episodes across multiple "NCIS" shows, playing a different character in each of them. His first time was in Season 3's "Jeopardy," where Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) is accused of murder after a suspect dies in her custody. But while the team commences investigating the death, more bodies connected to Ziva begin to pile up around them. Later, NCIS Director Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) is kidnapped. Russ plays Jerry Kemper, who works security at a car rental service connected to a high-end hotel where Shepard has been staying; he's there when Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) finds the body of another person in the director's trunk.

Russ appears in "Ties that Bind," from Season 4 of "NCIS: New Orleans." He plays Felix Hill, the proprietor of a jazz club called Delilah's, where Dwayne Pride's (Scott Bakula) mother performed when he was a child. Memories complicate Pride's investigation of Hill and his daughter, who are tangled up in the death of a petty officer in the Navy, as well as in the local drug trade. It's the meatiest role Russ has been given in the "NCIS" universe so far. Hopefully, his next time on will be as complex as his time on "New Orleans."

Bread and Circuses (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Production timeline
• 4.3 Story and script
• 4.4 Production
• 4.5 Syndication cuts
• 4.7 Sets and props
• 4.8 Continuity
• 4.9 Reception
• 4.10 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest star
• 5.4 Co-starring
• 5.5 Featuring
• 5.6 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.7 Stunt doubles
• 5.8 References
• 5.9 The Gallian references
• 5.10 External links

Summary [ ]

Flight Officer William B. Harrison (right) battles Claudius Marcus in black-and-white news footage.

Near the planet 892-IV , the USS Enterprise discovers the wreckage of the SS Beagle , a merchant ship missing for the last six years , and whose commanding officer is R.M. Merik , an old friend of Captain Kirk from the Academy . When the Enterprise enters orbit to look for survivors, it intercepts a 20th century -style television news broadcast, shown on the viewscreen in black-and-white, in which a Roman gladiator defeats and kills a " barbarian ." The casualty is named William B. Harrison , whom Spock identifies as the Beagle 's flight officer . Kirk assembles a landing party to the surface of the planet to investigate.

Act One [ ]

Kirk, Spock , and McCoy beam down, outside the city where the broadcast originated, mindful of their duty under the Prime Directive not to interfere with the society's natural development. Almost immediately after their materialization they are captured by the " Children of the Sun " – runaway slaves who are hiding in caves to avoid recapture. Flavius Maximus , a former gladiator, regards the officers as Romans who should be killed to avoid disclosing the hiding places. But the rebels' leader, Septimus , abhors violence, and Kirk's use of his communicator convinces him they are not with the authorities but are from an "offshore ship." Septimus says the Children of the Sun teach peace and brotherhood but are persecuted for their beliefs.

In a cave, the crew looks at magazines that show astonishing parallels with Earth 's ancient Rome , though with 20th century technology. However, when Kirk mentions the loss of Captain Merik six years earlier, they conclude that he is now Merikus , the First Citizen. Kirk explains to the Children of the Sun that such interference would violate an "important law," for which he needs to be removed for punishment. Septimus orders Flavius to lead them into the city.

However, the group is quickly spotted and captured by the police.

Act Two [ ]

Captain R.M. Merik, now First Citizen Merikus

The captives are taken into the city. Kirk uses their captors' fear of reprisal to angle for a meeting with "Merikus". He is indeed Merik, and he takes them to Proconsul Claudius Marcus , who knows all about their off-world origins. Merik explains that, after the shipwreck of the Beagle , he was forced to beam down all 47 of his crew. They were given two options: "adapt" to their new world or fight in televised gladiatorial competitions for the entertainment of its inhabitants. Kirk sees that Merik has violated his oath and has ordered his own crew to their deaths. Claudius hands Kirk his communicator and tells him to do the same. Kirk initially plans for Spock, McCoy, and himself to be beamed up, but Claudius' guards enter with machine guns pointed at Kirk. Abandoning the attempt, Kirk gives Montgomery Scott the code condition green , a signal that the landing party is in trouble, but forbidding a rescue attempt. Claudius elicits from Merik that Kirk has a starship commission that Merik sought but for which he could not qualify. The livid Claudius dispatches Spock and McCoy to "the games" to die.

Act Three [ ]

On the Enterprise , Scott notes in his log that Kirk ordered him to carry out condition green, which prohibits him from taking any action to save the troubled landing party. Scott orders Ensign Chekov to locate power sources down on the planet and to determine how much their beams will take to overload them. Scott announces that, although he is forced to not take any action on the planet below, there is nothing stopping him from frightening the planet's inhabitants about what a starship's power capabilities truly are.

On the planet, Kirk is forced to watch as Spock and McCoy are condemned to fight Flavius and another gladiator named Achilles in the arena, which is being broadcast ("in color," according to the event's announcer) by the television network Empire TV . Spock holds his own against his opponent, but McCoy is severely outmatched, only surviving because Flavius is reluctant to kill him. Claudius again tries to pressure Kirk into ordering his crew down, but Kirk calmly refuses. Flavius is threatened and whipped to encourage him to attack, whereupon he gives McCoy some tips to make it "look real." Spock overpowers both opponents and incapacitates one with a Vulcan nerve pinch . This violates the rules, and the lives of Spock and McCoy are left in the hands of Merik and Claudius. They spare the two to maximize their influence on Kirk.

Act Four [ ]

Kirk enters Claudius's quarters, and a blonde woman emerges, pouring wine . She tells Kirk that her name is Drusilla and she is the proconsul's slave . Tonight, though, she is Kirk's slave. Kirk yells out to Claudius that this will not work on him and he still refuses to cooperate. Drusilla assures Kirk that they are indeed alone together.

McCoy and Spock seek a way out of their cell – and McCoy seeks a way past Spock's determination to control his emotions, remarking that the Vulcan is not afraid of dying – he is more afraid of living for fear in that one day, his Human half might "peek out", as McCoy puts it. For a moment, Spock appears to admit it but then turns to McCoy and simply says " Really, Doctor? " McCoy then tells him, " I know. I'm worried about Jim too. "

Kirk is eating the food given to him by Drusilla. He finds the food good, and Drusilla informs Kirk that she is here to please him. Kirk tells her that he has been to many worlds with strange customs; perhaps what he is experiencing is torture on her planet. Drusilla does not understand, as she does not wish to see Kirk tortured and gives him a kiss . She asks Kirk to tell her when he feels the first sign of pain, and they continue to kiss. Much later, Kirk wakes up alone and Merik tells him that the crew of the Enterprise will eventually come down to the planet's surface, but Kirk still refuses to cooperate.

The Enterprise intercepts broadcasts announcing Kirk's execution in the arena. Scott, though forbidden to mount a rescue because of the Prime Directive, devises a way to disrupt the execution and warn the city through the power demonstrated by the Enterprise .

Claudius tells Kirk that his night with Drusilla was a favor to a condemned man rather than an attempt at interrogation, in the process dealing an insult to Merik. Kirk is taken to the arena for his execution, one that Marcus promises will be swift. On the way, Merik has a change of heart; he is too late to save Kirk, but tells him he will try to save the other two. The execution, however, is interrupted by Flavius, and by a power blackout induced by beams activated by Chekov from the Enterprise . Flavius is killed by the guards's machine guns during Kirk's execution, but the captain escapes and runs to free Spock and McCoy from their cell.

The Romans intercept Kirk's rescue attempt from both sides, and thus draw swords rather than firearms to avoid crossfire. During the fighting, Merik signals to the Enterprise with a stolen communicator just before he is stabbed by Marcus. The dying Merik still manages to toss the communicator to the feet of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Locking onto the signal, Scott beams them back aboard, just as the Roman guards open fire.

On the bridge , Spock muses about the remarkable parallels between Earth during the time of the Roman Empire and the planet 892-IV – except that Rome had no sun worshipers – at least none that well organized; Spock points out that sun-worshiping cults tend to be more primitive and superstition-oriented. But Lieutenant Uhura , who has been monitoring the planet's broadcasts, that what the Children Of The "Sun" are worshiping is not the planet's sun but the "Son Of God." Kirk is astonished. The planet 892-IV had had both a Caesar and a Christ , and its evolution will proceed, implying that Rome will fall, in due time.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2268
• Ship's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Once, just once, I'd like to be able to land someplace and say, 'Behold, I am the Archangel Gabriel!' " " I fail to see the humor in that situation, Doctor. " " Naturally. You could hardly claim to be an angel with those pointed ears, Mr. Spock. But say you landed someplace with a pitchfork… "

" What do you call those? " " I call them ears. " " Are you trying to be funny? " " Never. "

" May the blessings of the Son be upon you. "

" Medical men are trained in logic, Mr. Spock. " " Really, Doctor? I had no idea they were trained. Watching you, I assumed it was trial and error. "

" Are they enemies, Captain? " " I'm not sure they're sure. "

" I know you, Flavius. You're as peaceful as a bull. "

" My world, Proconsul, is my vessel, my oath, my crew. "

" You bring this network's ratings down, Flavius, and we'll do a special on you! "

" We believe men should fight their own battles. Only the weak will die. "

" The games have always strengthened us. Death becomes a familiar pattern. We don't fear it as you do. "

" Fight, you pointed-ear freak! " " You tell him, buster! Of all the completely… ridiculous… illogical questions… I ever heard in my life! "

" I'm trying to thank you! You pointed-eared hobgoblin! "

" Do you know why you're not afraid to die, Spock? You're more afraid of living! Each day you stay alive is just one more day you might slip and let your Human half peek out. "

" You're a Roman, Kirk, or you should have been. "

" You may not understand because you're centuries beyond anything as crude as television. "

" They threw me a few curves. "

" I pity you, Captain Merik. But at least watch and see how men die. "

" Caesar and Christ. They had them both. And the word is spreading only now. "

Background information [ ]

Production timeline [ ].

• Treatment by John Kneubuhl , based on an idea by Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon : 5 March 1967
• Revised treatment: 17 March 1967
• First draft teleplay "The Last Martyr": 12 April 1967
• Second draft teleplay: late- April 1967
• Revised draft "Bread and Circuses": 2 May 1967
• First draft teleplay by Coon: 21 July 1967
• Final draft teleplay: 9 August 1967
• Revised final draft: 15 August 1967
• Additional page revisions: 24 August 1967 , 5 September 1967
• Second revised final draft by Roddenberry: 11 September 1967
• Third revised final draft: 12 September 1967
• Additional page revisions: 13 September 1967 , 14 September 1967 , 20 September 1967
• Filmed: 12 September 1967 – 20 September 1967
• Original airdate: 15 March 1968
• First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 8 June 1970
• First UK airdate (on ITV ): 20 February 1983
• Remastered airdate: 2 June 2007
• The title, " Bread and Circuses ", " panem et circenses " in Latin, comes from a line by the Roman satirist Juvenal , and refers to the practice in ancient Rome of providing a regular free bread (or grain) dole to the lower classes and free entertainment in the city's arenas and circuses, both of which had the effect of preventing civil unrest in the populace. Juvenal also provided the title of " Who Watches The Watchers ".

Story and script [ ]

• Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon wrote this episode's teleplay from a story by playwright and television writer John Kneubuhl . However, Roddenberry and Coon received sole writing credit for the episode. Roddenberry's and Coon's bitter arguments over its tone, coupled with the fact that Coon was suffering from the throat cancer of which he died in 1973, is believed to have hastened Coon's departure as operating producer; he recommended John Meredyth Lucas to take over by suggesting the idea to him directly, noting Meredyth Lucas's work on Ben Casey, The Fugitive, and other series programs.
• Roddenberry revised the shooting script as the episode was being filmed. Director Ralph Senensky remembers picking up the day's script pages when arriving to the set in the morning. [1]

" You bring this network's ratings down and we'll do a special on you! "

• The episode parodies the television industry in several ways. Fake applause and catcalls are used to simulate a studio audience, and the race for high television ratings is lampooned several times. The TV station manager (Master of the Games) threatens the now-pacifist runaway slave that he had better fight convincingly: " You bring this network's ratings down, Flavius, and we'll do a special on you! " Later, the proconsul sneers at Kirk about the captain's impending death, to be televised from the arena, by telling Kirk that " You're centuries beyond anything as crude as… television. " Kirk replies, " I've heard it was… similar, " an oblique reference to the series' own ratings difficulties. Comic relief is in the scene where McCoy and Spock heckle each other on the TV stage during the gladiatorial duels.

Production [ ]

• The caves where the Children of the Son hide out are one of the most-used locations in television and movies. In addition to being the entrance to the Batcave , they are also seen in Invasion of the Body Snatchers , Kung Fu , and various police and western shows. They are located right below the famous Hollywood sign.
• During the location shooting for this episode, the new producer John Meredyth Lucas visited the set, accompanied by Gene Roddenberry . Lucas was struck by the tension and bad atmosphere among the cast. " Shatner came around the corner, and when he saw Gene, he turned around and went the other way. And the cast was fighting too. All the actors complained to me about all the other actors. " ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p. 354)
• The newsreel scene of the arrest was filmed in front of an office building at Paramount Studios. [2] Paramount production buildings were also utilized for location filming in " Patterns of Force " and " Assignment: Earth ".
• One of the shots of the planetary capital (in the opening of Act II), the last one, is of the Great Dome at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whose words can be read (somewhat) above the pillars. The first shot shows the Legion of Honor on the Left Bank in Paris; its motto honneur et patrie is not Latin but French. The middle shot shows a drive-by view of the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland.
• This is one of only two TOS episodes featuring dialogue in act one before the title of the episode appears on-screen. The other episode is " A Private Little War ".
• Jack Perkins had a line which was supposed to read, " If they refuse to move out on cue, skewer them " but instead said, " Screw them! ". After viewing that take in the dailies, Gene Roddenberry wrote a memo to director Ralph Senensky , suggesting that all dialogue should be "carefully enunciated in the future". ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p. 370)
• Ted Cassidy appeared out of nowhere dressed as Injun Joe from his work on The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and carried Shatner off just before he was going to shoot the lock off of Spock and McCoy's cell. While he was being carried, Shatner yelled out " Hey, I don't know about you, but this is not the way it should work! I want you to know! " This was the first scene to be filmed that day, and when Cassidy visited the set, the cast and crew came up with this small prank to start the day's work in a happy mood. Everyone on the set knew about it, except Shatner. [3]
• As the police closed in on the landing party after they escape their cell, one of the extras slipped and fell; this is the reason there is a quick cut before the policemen reach the main corridor.

Syndication cuts [ ]

The VHS box for the episode, referencing the cut McCoy-Spock dialogue

Although this episode officially received no syndication cuts, many local television stations were known to cut the " You're more afraid of living " speech which McCoy gives to Spock when the two are alone together in the Roman jail. The reason for this was that the dialogue was not considered essential to the plot, and local stations often used the extra time to insert extra commercials to boost advertisements. This practice was so widespread that the VHS box for the episode stated, " Contains one of the finest McCoy/Spock dialogues ever, usually cut in syndication! " (Viacom-CBS) In addition, the opening log entry of Kirk, where he laments on the Roman buildings (including an obvious stock footage shot of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ), was likewise frequently cut by local television stations to add more advertising time.

• George Takei ( Sulu ) does not appear in this episode. He was shooting The Green Berets at the time.
• Voice-over artist Bart LaRue makes one of his two on-camera appearances in the series in this episode. The other is in " Patterns of Force ".

Sets and props [ ]

Claudius Marcus' insignia

• Proconsul Marcus' insignia is not a Roman symbol (a legionary eagle or a fasces), but rather the coat of arms of the English playwright William Shakespeare .
• The automatic weapons that the Roman guards wield are Danish Madsen M-50 sub-machine guns.
• A number of costumes and props were recycled from Paramount 's storage vaults, including the Roman guards' outfits. Many of these items were originally made for Cecil B. DeMille 's epics such as The Sign of the Cross , Cleopatra , and The Crusades . ( Star Trek: The Original Series 365 [ page number? • edit ] )

Continuity [ ]

• This is the only TOS episode in which it is explicitly stated that the planetary natives are speaking in English . (This was perhaps done to make the characters' misinterpretation of "Son Worshipers" as "Sun Worshipers" more plausible, as "Son" and "Sun" would likely not be homophones in another language; they are not in either Latin or Greek , the two main languages spoken in the Roman Empire.)
• Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development was used to explain the close similarities to Earth but the writers were very inconstant with it; the most blatant is " Patterns of Force ", which at episode number 52 was after this, which was number 43, and so it makes even less sense if the episodes are watched in production order.
• The names of the Roman gods mentioned in the episode all mirror Earth counterparts which were based on earlier Greek counterparts. Kirk and crew had actually encountered the god Apollo prior to this point, although Captain Kirk shows little reaction to the Roman gods when he learns of them. ( TOS : " Who Mourns for Adonais? ")
• McCoy remarks that "Rome had no sun worshipers," but this is inaccurate; the cult of Sol Invictus ("the Unconquerable Sun") was prevalent in ancient Rome around the same time as the emergence of Christianity.
• Two different characters have the same name in this one episode: the primary Claudius Marcus is the proconsul, while his namesake is mentioned as the gladiator who slew William B. Harrison , the last of the barbarians.
• This episode marks the final appearance of Kirk's second season light green wrap-around tunic. Beginning with " Assignment: Earth ", the next episode that followed in airdate order and when the series returned for its third and final season, Kirk resumes wearing his standard gold and black V-neck tunic full time.
• Spock states that six million died in Earth's first world war , eleven million died in the second , and thirty seven million died in the third . The actual real-world numbers are much higher for World War I and World War II: fifteen to nineteen million and fifty to more than eighty million, respectively.

Reception [ ]

• Most reviewers cite the satire of network television and the race for ratings (the main adversary of Star Trek during its original three-year run) as the high point of this episode. Allan Asherman notes in The Star Trek Compendium : " In the hands of Star Trek 's dominant Genes [Roddenberry and Coon] this episode also becomes a marvelous satire of the television industry. " (p. 87)
• Director Ralph Senensky claims that the tight schedule resulted in the episode turning out to be of lower quality than it could have been under better circumstances, especially regarding the arena scenes. " The scenes in the arena are the part of "Bread and Circuses" most harmed by the time restrictions imposed by the new management. The sequences were literally shot on the run. The satiric look at live television was there, but the spectacle of the Roman arena was far less than it should have been. (…) There was so much more that could have been done that would have been exciting and entertaining, but it required the time to stage and rehearse, with necessary care taken to avoid injury to the actors involved. That set piece should have been the highlight of the production; but those bloodhounds in black suits were nipping at our heels. " [4]
• When first screened in the United Kingdom in 1970, the BBC edited much of the televised fight and Drusilla's encounter with Kirk. The episode was first screened uncut in 1993. [5]
• The advertisement for the Jupiter 8 automobile depicted in the magazine The Gallian states that it comes equipped with, among other things, "super-grip white sidewall tires". The photograph, however, clearly shows black tires.
• McCoy's claim that " Rome had no sun worshipers " is incorrect. Rome, in fact, had several cults that revered sun gods including Helios Apollo and Sol from the Greeks, Mithras from the Persians, and Elagabalus from the Syrians. In addition, from the 3rd century on there was Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun"), which may have been a new sect or a revival of an old one. Therefore at least two of these gods would have been called "Sun" in English.
• According to The Autobiography of James T. Kirk , the slave woman Drusilla gave birth to James Kirk's natural son Eugino.
• The Roman planet, known as Magna Roma to its inhabitants according to some published Star Trek reference material, is revisited in the novel The Captains' Honor set a hundred years after the encounter by the original Enterprise crew. The novel details how the alternate Rome conquered their world and explains that one hundred years after the events of "Bread and Circuses" the Romans are now Federation members and are participating in galactic affairs utilizing at least one Constitution -class starship, the former USS Farragut , renamed the USS Centurion ( β ), and run according to their own methods and principles rather than those of Starfleet .
• According to the novel The Poisoned Chalice , the people of Magna Roma were descended from humans transplanted from Earth by the Preservers . By 2385, a Magna Romanii named Atia served as first officer of the USS Lionheart .

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original US Betamax release: 1986
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 23 , catalog number VHR 2358, 2 April 1990
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.5, 5 May 1997
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 22, 24 April 2001
• As part of the TOS Season 2 DVD collection
• As part of the TOS-R Season 2 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

Also starring [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Guest star [ ]

• William Smithers as Merik

Co-starring [ ]

• Logan Ramsey as Claudius
• Ian Wolfe as Septimus
• William Bramley as Policeman
• Rhodes Reason as Flavius

Featuring [ ]

• James Doohan as Scott
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
• Walter Koenig as Chekov
• Bart LaRue as Announcer
• Jack Perkins as Master of Games
• Max Kleven as Maximus
• Lois Jewell as Drusilla

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Paul Baxley as Policeman 2
• William Blackburn as Hadley
• Tony Dante as Legionnaire
• Frank da Vinci as Brent
• Chester Hayes as Empire TV sound man
• Roger Holloway as Roger Lemli
• Shep Houghton as Empire TV cameraman
• Slave woman
• Bob Orrison as Policeman 3
• Eddie Paskey as Leslie
• Gil Perkins as Slave 3
• Paul Stader as Claudius Marcus
• Tom Steele as Slave 2
• Joe Walls as Slave 1
• William B. Harrison
• Empire TV cameramen 2 and 3
• Passersby 1 and 2
• Policeman 4

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Allen Pinson as stunt double for Leonard Nimoy
• Unknown performer as stunt double for DeForest Kelley

References [ ]

3rd century ; 19th century ; 20th century ; 2262 ; 892-IV ; 892-IV cities ; 892-IV large city ; 892-IV native ; advice ; afternoon ; " all right "; amateur ; Amity Commander wallet; amount ; amplitude modulation ; amusement ; angel ; anger ; annoyance ; antimatter nacelle ; archangel ; arena ; arena bait ; arena games (aka gladiator contest or gladiatorial game ); army ; atmosphere ; atomic power ; audience ; authority ; automobile ; automatic transmission ; barbarian ; battle ; Beagle , SS ; blackout ; boasting ; body ; broil ; Brother of the Son ; brotherhood ; bull ; bullet-ridden ; buster ; butcher ; Caesar, Augustus ; Caesar, Julius ; cage ; car ( unnamed ); carbon monoxide ; carbon steel ; cave ; cave dweller ; century ; chance ; " checks and balances "; chief engineer ; Children of the Son ; Christ, Jesus ; City Arena ; City Prison ; civilization ; class 4 stardrive vessel ; class M ; clothing ; coast ; coat of arms ; colloquial term ( colloquial ); color ; commendation ; commercial ; communicator ; condition green ; confidence ; contamination ; corpse ; creature ; crowd ; custom ; day ; dealer ; death ; debris ; demonstration ; density ; despotism ; device ; diameter ; disobedience ; dissident ; distance ; door ; ear ; Earth ; Earth history ; efficiency ; emperor ; emotion ; emotional need ; Empire TV ; enemy ; Engineering Officer ; English language ; engineering officer ; entertainment ; equator ; era ; evening ; evidence ; evil ; execution ; existence ; explanation ; fact ; false god ; Federation law ; feeling ; First Citizen ; First World War ; fish ; flight officer ; folk dance ; fool ; " for your sake "; foul ; freak ; friend ; freedom ; French language ; frequency modulation ; frustration ; Gabriel ; Gallian, The ; garum ; gladiator ; gladius ; gram per cubic centimeter ; gratitude ; hand ; heat ; heaven ; hiding place ; historian ; hobgoblin ; Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development ; hospital ; hour ; Human ; humor ; hydrocarbon ; idea ; identification ; infatuation ; " in full force "; " in just a moment "; insecurity ; internal combustion engine ; iridium ; joke ; Jupiter ; Jupiter 8 ; land ; landing party ; land mass ; language ; law ; leader ; lecture ; liar ; life ; light ; line of fire ; load factor ; location ; logic ; Lord of the Games ; love ; Mars ; Mars Toothpaste ; medical men ; medicine ; Merchant Service ; Merikus ; message ; meteor ; Milky Way Galaxy ; million ; mind ; mission ; moons ; murderer ; name ; Name the Winner ; navigator ; Neptune ; Neptune Bath Salts ; news broadcast ; night ; nitrogen ; oath ; ocean ; " of course "; old age ; opinion ; orbital bombardment ; order ; ore ; outbreak ; " out of your head "; overload ; oxygen ; pain ; parsec ; peace ; pension ; percent ; petty thief ; phaser ; phaser bank ; philosophy ; pitchfork ; place ; planet ; pointed-ear ; political strongman ; pollution ; Praetorian Guard ; Prime Directive ; proconsul ; professional ; province ; psychosimulator test ; quarters ; question ; radio communications ; radio wave ; rags ; ratings ; rebellion ; recon party ; reference ; religion ; report ; rescue party ; result ; reunion ; right ; risk ; road system ; roast kid ; Roman ; Roman Empire ; Rome ; rule ; rumor ; running ; screen ; Scots language ; sea ; second ; Second World War ; senator ; shape ; ship ; ship's surgeon ; sky ; slave ; slavery ; smog ; social development ; society ; Son ; sound effects ; space ; Space Academy ; spaceship ; sparrow ; special ; speed ; spokesman ; sports ; standard orbit ; " stand by "; star ; Starfleet regulations ; starship ; story ; stranger ; subject ; sun worship ; superstition ; surface ; survey vessel ; survivor ; sword ; System 892 ; System 892 sector ; System 892 sun ; television ; television channel ; television network ; television program ; term ; thing ; Third World War ; thought ; toothpaste ; torture ; " to that effect "; training test ; transmission ; transmission beam ; transporter room ; treason ; trial and error ; trick ; tricorder ; truth ; uniform ; victory ; video ; Vulcan ; Vulcan neck pinch ; war ; water ; weapon ; wine ; word ; worry ; worship ; year

The Gallian references [ ]

American Fork ; California ; Camillo (aka George Kirgis ); general ; gold ; London ; Miss Snider ; New Helvetia ; Sutter ; " Tigers Are For Jungles "; United States

External links [ ]

• " Bread and Circuses " at the Internet Movie Database
• "Bread and Circuses" at StarTrek.com
• " Bread and Circuses " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Bread and Circuses " at Wikipedia
• " Bread and Circuses " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Episode list

S1.E0 ∙ The Cage

S1.E1 ∙ The Man Trap

S1.E2 ∙ Charlie X

S1.E3 ∙ Where No Man Has Gone Before

S1.E4 ∙ The Naked Time

S1.E5 ∙ The Enemy Within

S1.E6 ∙ Mudd's Women

S1.E7 ∙ What Are Little Girls Made Of?

S1.E8 ∙ Miri

S1.E9 ∙ Dagger of the Mind

S1.E10 ∙ The Corbomite Maneuver

S1.E11 ∙ The Menagerie: Part I

S1.E12 ∙ The Menagerie: Part II

S1.E13 ∙ The Conscience of the King

S1.E14 ∙ Balance of Terror

S1.E15 ∙ Shore Leave

S1.E16 ∙ The Galileo Seven

S1.E17 ∙ The Squire of Gothos

S1.E18 ∙ Arena

S1.E19 ∙ Tomorrow Is Yesterday

S1.E20 ∙ Court Martial

S1.E21 ∙ The Return of the Archons

S1.E22 ∙ Space Seed

S1.E23 ∙ A Taste of Armageddon

S1.E24 ∙ This Side of Paradise

S1.E25 ∙ The Devil in the Dark

S1.E26 ∙ Errand of Mercy

S1.E27 ∙ The Alternative Factor

S1.E28 ∙ The City on the Edge of Forever

S1.E29 ∙ Operation -- Annihilate!

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