star trek enterprise captain name

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Star trek: every captain of the enterprise.

Star Trek has featured many starships named Enterprise. Along with Kirk and Picard, here's every Enterprise Captain from each movie and TV series.

Here is a breakdown of all USS Enterprise Captains across the various Star Trek movies, live-action series, comics, and books. Beginning with Star Trek: The Original Series , the Starship Enterprise has been at the very heart of the enduring sci-fi franchise created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966. Of course, the two most famous Captains of the Enterprise are James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who shared the big screen together in 1994's Star Trek Generations, but Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is quickly achieving greatness in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Star Trek has introduced other successful spinoffs set on different starships like Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Discovery , as well as the space station-based Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . But, in the eyes of many fans, it isn't truly Star Trek unless it's about the Enterprise . The men and women who have commanded the Enterprise rank among the greatest heroes in Star Trek, because they know that when they sit in that chair, they can make a real difference. These are the accomplishments of all USS Enterprise Captains from every TV show, movie, and alternate reality.

The 22nd Century - USS Enterprise NX-01

Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) - Star Trek: Enterprise 's titular starship was the first United Earth starship that could travel at Warp 5. Captain Archer commanded it during its missions which created pivotal alliances that ultimately led to the founding of Star Trek 's United Federation of Planets, which Archer presided over in 2161 – marking him among the most important of all USS Enterprise Captains.

The 23rd Century - USS Enterprise NX-0002

Admiral/Captain Charles Rasmussen - A Federation Starfleet Admiral and instructor at Starfleet Academy, Charles Rasmussen captained the Constitution-class ship NX-0002, during which Rasmussen also sacrificed his life to save his crew. This occurs in an issue of the Star Trek: The Original Series comics called "Shakedown."

The 23rd Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Captain/Admiral Robert April - Captain April first appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series , where he was voiced by James Doohan. In the 23rd century, Robert April was the first Captain of the Constitution -class USS Enterprise NCC-1701 deep space heavy cruiser when it launched in 2245. Christopher Pike was his First Officer during the starship's first five-year mission. Admiral April (Adrian Holmes) is a recurring character in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Captain/Fleet Captain Christopher Pike - The Captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Christopher Pike leads a new five-year mission of exploration. Pike counts Enterprise legends like Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) among his crew. In a few years, Fleet Captain Pike will suffer a horrific accident that leaves him trapped in a wheelchair. Jeffrey Hunter played Pike, Leonard Nimoy played Spock, and Majel Barrett played Number One in the original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage."

Vice Admiral/Captain Katrina Cornwell (Jayne Brook) - Starfleet Vice Admiral Katrina Cornwell temporarily assumed command of the USS Enterprise and then later transferred it back to Pike in 2258. This was part of the efforts to keep the Enterprise out of the war with the Klingons. At the Battle near Xahea, Cornwell ends up sacrificing her life in order to save the ship from an undetonated photon torpedo. Before that, in 2257, Cornwell also temporarily commanded the USS Discovery.

Captain/Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) - The most legendar y Enterprise Captain of the 23rd century, Kirk's five-year mission was seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) held the dual role of the Enterprise 's First Officer and Science Officer. Kirk's Starship Enterprise engaged in numerous pivotal missions that resulted in Kirk's promotion to Admiral at the end of his voyages. Outside of the main series and movies (and often even outside of the Star Trek universe), Captain James T. Kirk continues to be referenced in animated series such as Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy.

Captain Zarlo - In the Star Trek comic book series, Kirk gets assigned to take on a secret mission against the Klingons on the planet of Mobita, and Captain Zarlo gets assigned to replace Kirk as Captain of the Enterprise.

Captain Willard Decker (Stephen Collins) - In Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Captain Will Decker was in command of the retrofitted Starship Enterprise when Admiral Kirk demoted him to First Officer and took command of the mission to intercept V'Ger. Decker merged with V'Ger at the end of the film and was listed as "missing in action".

Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) - In 2285, Spock was promoted to Captain and commanded the Enterprise , which was primarily used as a training vessel. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Admiral Kirk once again assumed command when Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) stole the Genesis Device, which resulted in Spock's death.

Captain Lawrence H. Styles (James B. Sikking) - The arrogant and appropriately named Styles was actually the captain of the experimental USS Excelsior , which chased but failed to catch up to the Enterprise , ending up stolen and used in Kirk's mission to resurrect Spock. In the Star Trek novel "Prime Directive," Styles temporarily assumed command over the Enterprise during its refit after it was severely damaged. Styles has a similar attitude to Kirk, which is why they severely dislike each other (and mainly why their dynamic works).

The 23rd Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A

Captain James T. Kirk - After stealing the Enterprise to resurrect Spock, and subsequently saving Earth from a space probe seeking to communicate with humpback whales in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Admiral Kirk was demoted to Captain and given command of the new USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A. Kirk's Enterprise-A in Star Trek V : The Final Frontie r and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country met God and helped secure peace with the Klingon Empire before the Enterprise-A was decommissioned.

The 23rd Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B

Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck) - The Excelsior -class USS Enterprise-B was launched in 2293 under the command of Captain John Harriman. Their shakedown cruise is infamous for encountering the Nexus, which resulted in the presumed death of Captain Kirk, as seen in the prologue of Star Trek Generations.

The 24th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C

Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O'Neill) - The Ambassador -class USS Enterprise-C made only one appearance, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise". The Enterprise-C was meant to be destroyed at Narendra III while defending a Klingon outpost from a Romulan attack, but it fell through a time vortex that altered the timeline. Captain Garrett died before the Enterprise-C could return to its proper era and set the timeline right.

The 24th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) - Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Galaxy -class USS Enterprise-D was designated as the flagship of the United Federation of Planets. Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the Enterprise-D's numerous missions involved multiple first contacts with new species, diplomatic and military engagements, and scientific pursuits. The Enterprise-D was destroyed on Veridian III in Star Trek Generations but the D was rebuilt and saved the galaxy one last time in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Acting Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) - In TNG 's "The Best of Both Worlds" two-parter, Captain Picard was abducted by the Borg and turned into Locutus. Commander William Riker became the Enterprise-D's Acting Captain and led the successful rescue of Picard and defeat of the Borg, after which Picard resumed his role as Captain of the Enterprise.

Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) - Perhaps the most despised Captain of the Enterprise, Edward Jellico was assigned to take over the Federation flagship when Picard went on a secret mission and was captured and tortured by the Cardassians in the "Chain of Command" two-parter. After alienating the crew and clashing with Riker, Jellico returned the Enterprise-D back to Picard once he was rescued.

The 24th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E

Captain Jean-Luc Picard - The Sovereign -class USS Enterprise-E was the most advanced starship in the Federation when it was assigned to Captain Picard prior to Star Trek: First Contact. Continuing as the Federation flagship, the Enterprise-E was the setting of three Star Trek: The Next Generation movies and the crew successfully faced the Borg, the Son'a, and the Remans led by Picard's clone, Shinzon (Tom Hardy).

Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) - Captain Picard was promoted to Admiral and left the USS Enterprise-E to lead the Federation's mission to rescue the Romulans from their sun going supernova. Worf was promoted to Captain of the Enterprise , but the ship was lost under mysterious circumstances. In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Worf insisted what happened to the E was "not my fault."

The 25th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-F

Admiral Elizabeth Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy) - The Odyssey -class USS Enterprise-F made its lone appearance in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Under the command of Admiral Shelby, the F was intended to lead Starfleet's Frontier Day celebration before the starship was retired. Tragically, the Enterprise-F and the rest of the assembled Starfleet were assimilated by the Borg, and Shelby was apparently killed at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3.

The 25th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) - In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Commodore Geordi La Forge oversaw the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime where he painstakingly restored the USS Enterprise-D in secret. Geordi got to unveil his surprise to Admiral Picard and his fellow Enterprise-D crew mates as they warped off to save the galaxy on Frontier Day. When Picard beamed to the Borg Cube to rescue his son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), Geordi became Acting Captain of the Enterprise-D. La Forge led the Enterprise's assault against the Borg Cube and successfully rescued Picard and friends before ending the threat of the Borg, at last.

The 25th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-G

Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) - The Constitution III-class USS Titan-A was rechristened as the USS Enterprise-G at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3 . The Titan's First Officer, Seven of Nine, was promoted to Captain of the Enterprise, with Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) as her First Officer and Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) appointed as Special Counselor to the Captain. Seven also makes history as the first LGBTQI Captain of the Enterprise.

Star Trek Alternate Reality Enterprise Captains

The 22nd century mirror universe - iss enterprise nx-01.

Captain Maximilian Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong) - In the Mirror Universe, the NX-01 ISS Enterprise was commanded by Captain Forrest. In the Star Trek: Enterprise "In a Mirror, Darkly" two-parter, Forrest engaged in a tug-of-war for control of the Enterprise with Commander Jonathan Archer until he was killed by Tholians. However, Archer took command of the USS Defiant, a 23rd-century Constitutio n-class starship from the Prime Universe.

23rd Century United Earth Fleet Timeline - USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) - In an alternate reality created by Romulan interference in Earth's 21st-century history, Captain James T. Kirk commanded the USS Enterprise, a starship in the United Earth Fleet . The UEF was mired in an endless war with the Romulans, which humanity was losing. Kirk and Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) traveled back to 21st-century Toronto to reset the course of history back to Star Trek's proper Prime Timeline, but Captain Kirk was tragically shot and killed by a Romulan time traveler named Sera (Adelaide Kane) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow."

The 23rd Century Mirror Universe - ISS Enterprise NCC-1701

Captain Christopher Pike - The ISS Enterprise' s original Captain was assassinated by James T. Kirk prior to the events of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 episode, "Mirror, Mirror".

Captain James T. Kirk - After he killed Pike, Captain Kirk maintained his control over the Enterprise thanks to a device called the Tantalus Field, which allowed him to vaporize his enemies remotely. Kirk was briefly switched with his Prime Universe counterpart, who posed as the Mirror Kirk until they were switched back to their proper realities.

Captain Spock - When the Mirror Kirk returned to the ISS Enterprise , Spock relieved him of command, took the Tantalus Field, and also Kirk's mistress Marlena Moreau (Barbara Luna).

"All Good Things..." Timeline - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Admiral William T. Riker - In the future reality seen in TNG 's series finale, "All Good Things..." , the refurbished Enterprise-D (which had a third nacelle allowing the starship to reach Warp 13) was Riker's personal flagship.

26th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-J

Captain Dax - In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Azati Prime", Captain Archer was brought to a potential 26th-century timeline where the Universe -class U.S.S. Enterprise-J was under the command of Captain Dax, a Trill who hosts the Dax symbiote that once joined with Jadzia (Terry Farrell) and Ezri (Nicole de Boer) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

J.J. Abrams Star Trek Kelvin Timeline - USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) - In the alternate Kevin timeline created by J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 2009 reboot, Christopher Pike was Captain of the Enterprise, which was the Federation flagship, when Starfleet mobilized to save Vulcan from the time-traveling Romulan named Nero (Eric Bana).

Acting Captain Spock (Zachary Quinto) - After Pike was abducted by Nero, First Officer Spock became Acting Captain, which was challenged by cadet James T. Kirk, who later assumed command of the Enterprise as Acting Captain, leading to Nero's defeat.

Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) - As thanks for saving the Earth from Nero, Kirk was promoted to Captain and given command of the Enterprise. Kirk remained Captain in Star Trek Into Darkness and then launched a five-year mission of exploration.

Kelvin Timeline - U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A

Captain James T. Kirk - Three years into their five-year mission, the Enterprise was destroyed by Krall (Idris Elba). After Kirk saved the Starbase USS Yorktown from Krall, he was given command of the newly-built Constitution -class USS Enterprise-A at the conclusion of Star Trek Beyond .

Star Trek: Every On-Screen Captain of the USS Enterprise, Ranked

Make it so; the best on-screen captains of Star Trek, at the helm of the most iconic ship in Starfleet, ever.

When Star Trek first aired on network television on September 8th,1966, no one could've ever guessed that it would become one of the greatest science fiction franchises of all time. Only lasting three seasons, the original series failed to gain a firm foothold over television audiences at the time, but once Star Trek moved to the big screen , the world never took it for granted again. Now, with more than half a century of television spin-offs, blockbuster movies, comic books, and novels fully fleshing out the universe, it's clear that the most iconic stories of the franchise have always centered around the starship Enterprise and the legendary captains that command its crews. But, to make this list of elite on-screen captains, you can't just be an acting commander, or given the chair in an act of emergency; no, you have to be the real deal. With that out of the way, here's a list of the best onscreen captains to ever command the USS Enterprise.

7 Captain April

While Captain April may be the most unknown of starship captains to make this list, he's also regarded as one of the most important, carrying the distinction as the first captain to ever command the Enterprise after its christening. Having taken command of the very first Enterprise commissioned by the United Federation of Planets on April 11th, 2245, April makes his on-screen debut in 1974's Star Trek: The Animated Series , The Counter-Clock Incident , where as commodore he travels with the Enterprise to the dilithium-rich world of Babel to usher in his retirement, and reminisce to Captain James T. Kirk about his time aboard as captain of the Enterprise. Not much is known of him if you only visit his on-screen appearances, but Star Trek lore is filled with references to him in novels, comic books, and encyclopedias, filling in the blanks of his legendary career. His most recent onscreen appearance occurs in the new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' television series, where he makes his live action debut, and serves as an admiral in Starfleet.

6 Captain Spock

Spock is best known for his loyal service as first officer aboard the starship Enterprise, and even more so for the timeless friendship he shared with Captain James T. Kirk. His decorated career as first officer overshadows his short stint onscreen as captain of the Enterprise, but as one of the most iconic characters of the Star Trek mythos , his service in that capacity should not be diminished. Our first glimpse of Spock as captain of the Starfleet flagship comes at the beginning of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , where he's been training a new generation of crew members aboard the Enterprise . When the Enterprise receives a distress signal from Regula I, Admiral James T. Kirk assumes command of the Enterprise , and enacts Spock as his first officer. But, what isn't well known, is that Spock had been serving as captain of the Enterprise since 2280, having taken command five years before the events of The Wrath of Khan in 2285.

In the Kelvin universe that director J.J Abrams introduced, Spock remains a formidable force in the study and application of logic, but it is this fundamental adherence to strict logic that, while often seen as one of his greatest strengths, hinders him from a more developed role in the big chair. This weakness is personified during the Kelvin timeline's Star Trek , where Spock, while serving as acting captain, is forced to resign by Kirk, and accept the role that his emotions play in his ability to lead; something that Kirk had already come to realize. With that said, Spock remains one of the greatest all-time decorated Starfleet officers, regardless of rank, granting his onscreen stint as captain of the Enterprise a worthy and iconic addition to this list.

Related: Leonard Nimoy's Original Spock Ears Arrive at the Smithsonian

5 Captain Archer

Starfleet in the era of Captain Archer's command, operates in a completely different reality than the one audiences have come to know and love. Making his onscreen debut in Star Trek: Enterprise , the United Federation of Planets didn't exist yet, marking Archer as one of the earliest pioneers of interstellar travel in the Star Trek universe. As commander of the Enterprise NX-01, the first starship of the United Earth alliance capable of reaching warp factor five, and having soared the cosmos nearly a hundred years before Captain Kirk's five-year mission with the Enterprise NCC-1701 as part of the United Federation of Planets, Archer traces his distinct lineage to some of Earth's earliest explorers.

His role in establishing the framework on which the United Federation of Planets would later build upon included forging diplomatic missions with new alien species, and developing closer ties with the Vulcan race, who nurtured humanities early foray into interstellar politics, culminating in one of the first conflicts with the Klingon empire. Under his leadership, the Enterprise became associated with the level-headed diplomacy needed to nurture closer ties with allied space faring civilizations, and he is credited as one of the architects of what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, serving as president of the newly formed alliance in 2184. While regarded as one of the least favorite Star Trek television series, Enterprise did have some bright spots , giving fans their fix before a new era of Star Trek films hit theaters later in the decade.

4 James T. Kirk [Kelvin Timeline]

In 2009, J.J Abrams introduced audiences to the alternate Kelvin timeline in the rebooted Star Trek film of that year, upending the established canon of Star Trek for all time. Documenting the travels of Spock as he time travels back in time after being attacked by a Romulan mining vessel commanded by Nero, we're soon introduced to a young James T. Kirk who has grown up without the guiding hand of his father, George Kirk, an instrumental presence that inspired Kirk to join Starfleet in the Prime timeline. In the Kelvin universe , Kirk is selfish, brash, and unfit for anything resembling the bridge of a starship. That is, until he's brought under the guidance and influence of another leading father figure; Captain Pike. Growing into his leadership potential over the course of three films, audiences witnessed one of the most unforgettable captains of the Enterprise endure the growing pains of becoming a Starfleet officer, worthy of the name, Kirk.

Because of his youth, this Kirk suffers from not being as settled or measured as his Prime timeline counterpart, and is often ready and willing to defy the orders of captains, admirals, the federation itself, and even the most sacrosanct of federation ideals; the Prime Directive. Because of the absence of his father while developing through Starfleet, Kirk's measuring stick becomes Captain Pike himself, who leads with a sense of assuredness, calm, poise, and dignity that serves as the greater example of leadership within the Star Trek mythos. When Pike dies from a surprise attack led by Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness , Kirk is motivated to become the Star Trek captain of legendary ethos, and while he continues to make mistakes along the way, we can't help but love him for the way he leads with his heart.

3 Captain Pike

Captain Pike has been a stalwart presence in the Star Trek universe since the very beginning, making his debut in The Menagerie episode during season one of the original series. While not as iconic as some of his contemporaries, his more recent appearances in Star Trek films and television have established him as a capable and distinguished leader, catapulting him into the hearts and minds of Trekkies everywhere. While many of his earliest years in Starfleet were spent under the command of Captain April, he still emerges as the more iconic presence due to his continued relevance in Star Trek storylines.

His leadership has nurtured, inspired, and set the example for the careers of legendary commanders like James T. Kirk himself, and Spock has the distinction of serving as first officer under Pike during his first five-year mission as commander aboard the Enterprise. For many audiences, their first taste of Pike's leadership was during the alternate Kelvin timeline introduced in the Star Trek films directed by J.J Abrams, where he played an instrumental role in developing James T. Kirk as a capable leader worthy of the chair, and sacrificed his own safety for the survival of his crew. His time as captain of the Enterprise is documented in the new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds television series, and like many other captains on this list, Pike has become one of the most decorated, and iconic captains in Starfleet history.

Related: Zoe Saldana Comments on Star Trek 4 Getting Delayed Yet Again

2 Captain James T. Kirk [Prime Timeline]

The original onscreen captain of the U.S.S Enterprise, James T. Kirk set the bar high for any Starfleet captain lucky enough to be seen on film and television after him. While not the first to captain the Enterprise according to canon, Kirk arguably remains the most iconic leader to ever grace the big chair, and it's this iconography that catapulted Star Trek into the zeitgeist of science fiction royalty, now and forever to come. Kirk led with a sense of swash-buckling bravado, fearless bravery in the face of combat , and a heroic presence that allowed audiences to trust him the same way the crew of the Enterprise did. While he often defied Starfleet during the course of his five-year assignment as captain of the Enterprise, his leadership was never based on defiance, and at no point was his independence unwieldy. During its initial run on the NBC network, Star Trek failed to gain a true foothold on television, but renewed popularity through heavy syndication allowed the television series to gain a cult following, and gave Paramount reason enough to take a chance on the first Star Trek movie in 1979, some 13 years after its debut on television.

That movie is where Star Trek took off into the stars, and the true legend of Captain Kirk would begin. Over the next decade, audiences would follow Kirk and crew through some of the greatest adventures ever captured onscreen, with films like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan regarded as some of the best science fiction storytelling ever. The movies allowed Star Trek to expand further into comic books, novels, and spin-off television projects, like Star Trek: The Next Generation , where Kirk would cross over into new adventures and films with new captains of the Enterprise, like Captain Picard. As new fans joined the adventure decade after decade, Star Trek generated the kind of passion necessary to catapult itself into the new millennium, and beyond. For that, Captain Kirk and his original crew of the Enterprise remain the catalyst behind that legacy.

1 Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted Sept. 26th, 1987, and lasted for seven seasons, becoming the most successful Star Trek television series of all time. The show introduced a new generation of audiences to the newest Enterprise starship at the time, the iconic NCC 1701-D, and the crew that would take her on new missions to explore the cosmos. It was during this show that viewers would be introduced to the greatest captain to ever command the bridge of a federation starship bearing the name Enterprise; Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Over the course of seven seasons, and four films, Picard became the standard-bearer for Starfleet captains, leading with a sense of calm, level-headed excellence, and distinguished poise that one couldn't help but be inspired by. By the time Star Trek: First Contact , considered the best film from that era , hit theaters in 1996, Picard's legacy was established, and audiences never once questioned his ability to command.

While one might argue that Kirk stands as the more iconic captain of the Star Trek mythology, Picard sets himself apart by the way in which he commands his crew with dignity, poise, and unquestionable competency. While Kirk was known to be an erratic leader at times, and more prone to emotional outbursts that could potentially undermine his crew and their safety, Picard stands as the more even-keeled and capable starship captain, commanding the Enterprise with an unwavering sense of duty and accountability. New series outings, like Picard , further expand upon his legend, and give fans a deeper look into the ethos of Jean-Luc by creating a more intimate experience with the beloved captain, allowing us to submit to his powerful leadership once again, knowing that he alone has the ability to "make it so."

Star Trek's Enterprise Captains, Ranked From Worst To Best

With over a dozen movies and a growing number of television series, the  Star Trek  franchise boasts an impressive list of captains . And we're pretty confident that there isn't a single captain that at least one  Trek  fan doesn't call their favorite. After all, there are plenty of debates about whether Picard is better than Kirk, whether Janeway is better than Sisko, and so on and so forth. It's all subjective, and for the most part, it's all in good fun. 

But with so many captains now a part of the  Trek  universe, we thought we'd narrow in on a more specific question. Who are the best and worst captains of the many ships with the name of the vessel that started it all, the  Enterprise ? After all, we've been introduced to quite a few of them over the years, even beyond the more recognizable leads of Kirk, Picard, and Archer.

In order to answer this question, we're sticking to Enterprise  captains of the Prime  Star Trek timeline. That's not meant as disrespect to fans of the Kelvin timeline , but if we consider those captains, then we open it up to all the other alternate timeline  Enterprise  captains, like those from the Mirror Universe , from non-canonical media, and even that shaggy-bearded Will Riker from the Borg-ruled timeline in  The Next Generation 's ( TNG ) "Parallels." And since we don't have as much bandwidth as your average Starfleet supercomputer, we've got to make tough choices. 

John Harriman isn't ready for the challenge

In the opening scene of 1994's  Star Trek: Generations , we meet the bottom captain on our list — Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck) of the Enterprise -B. The ship's maiden voyage is meant as little more than an opportunity to show off for the press, and to celebrate the occasion, James Kirk (William Shatner) and some of his retired officers are welcomed aboard as honored guests. Harriman only has a quick trip around Earth's solar system planned, but things get more complicated when they pick up a distress call from ships caught in a severe gravimetric distortion. 

Initially, Harriman tries to get another ship to answer the call, giving the excuse that this new Enterprise  lacks the crew and the outfitting. Pressured by the presence of the legendary Kirk and by the press, Harriman decides to get involved. Once arriving at the distortion causing all the trouble, Harriman is hesitant to get too close. Eventually, he swallows his pride and asks Kirk for his suggestions.

Now, we need to be fair to Harriman. Ultimately, he rises to the occasion, and it seems likely the experience will make him a better captain. Also, canonically speaking, this is the only scene in which we get the chance to judge him. Still, even with these considerations, it's impossible to imagine some of the more well-known  Enterprise  captains acting quite so skittish or indecisive, even during their first time in the big chair.

Edward Jellico is too narrow-minded to captain the Enterprise

Ronny Cox has the distinction of not only appearing on one of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's most beloved two-parters — season 6's "Chain of Command" — but of playing one of the franchise's most hated captains. Captain Edward Jellico transfers from the USS Cairo  to the  Enterprise  in order to replace Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) indefinitely. The change is made so Jellico can conduct negotiations with the Cardassians while Picard is sent on what some believe is a suicide mission.

A lot of the fan hatred for Jellico can be boiled down to the fact that he's the new guy. For example, two moments that irk fans are when he orders Livingston, Picard's pet fish , removed from the Ready Room and when he insists Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) start wearing her uniform on the bridge. While, yes, these are big changes, they aren't unreasonable ones. Honestly, it makes you wonder why Troi has gotten a pass as far as uniforms are concerned all this time.

Where Jellico really does deserve some of the fan rejection is his unwillingness to listen to his officers, particularly when it comes to Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes). It's part of the first officer's job to discreetly express any concerns to the captain about their orders. But Jellico treats any questioning from Riker like a full-blown mutiny. Thankfully, Picard survives his mission and resumes command of the Enterprise . 

Will Decker is a good man who doesn't get much of a chance

Will Decker (Stephen Collins) gets a raw deal in 1979's  Star Trek: The Motion Picture . After James Kirk completes his five-year mission, he recommends Decker to be his successor as captain of the  Enterprise . But Decker doesn't get very long to enjoy his promotion. Instead, he oversees the refit of the  Enterprise , only to have his rank abruptly taken away from him.

In the beginning of the film, Kirk — now an admiral — gets himself back in the  Enterprise 's chair when a powerful space-borne "intruder" is detected heading toward Earth. While it's clear that there's some validity to Kirk's experience making him the best choice for this particular job, it's just as obvious that he's unhappy behind a desk and is using the situation as an opportunity to get himself back in the thick of things. 

While we never get to see much of Decker as a captain, he takes his demotion just about as well as anyone could. He still serves aboard the ship and even saves it a couple of times during the journey to intercept the intruder, which eventually turns out to be an evolved Voyager probe originally sent from Earth in the 20th century. Decker volunteers to become one with the intruder — which calls itself V'ger. Clearly heroic and willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, Decker would probably have a higher spot on this list if he'd had more time in the captain's chair.

Robert April deserves his accolades

Perhaps one of the lesser-known  Enterprise  captains is Robert April ( voiced by James Doohan ), who precedes both Kirk and Christopher Pike as captain of the  Enterprise . He only has one canonical appearance — in the  Star Trek: The Animated Series  season 2 episode "The Counter-Clock Incident" – and it's set long after most of his  Enterprise  missions. Regardless, the story gives us a good idea of what kind of captain April must've been.

In "The Counter-Clock Incident," April and his wife, Sarah, are in their 70s and aboard the Kirk-commanded  Enterprise  as passengers on their way to the planet Babel, where April is meant to be honored on the occasion of his mandatory retirement. On the way there, the ship is caught in a negative universe, and in order to escape, the ship needs to travel to a dead star ... which causes everyone on the ship to age backwards. Eventually the entire regular crew is so young that completing or even understanding their tasks aboard the Enterprise  is impossible. It's only because of the younger but still adult April and his wife that the  Enterprise  escapes the negative universe intact. 

April's relatively low spot on our list is mainly because we don't get much time to see him. Considering it's said he's one of the most decorated officers in Starfleet, he'd probably rate a higher spot if we had the chance to watch his canonical adventures.

Rachel Garrett gives everything for the Federation

In the season 3  TNG  episode "Yesterday's Enterprise," we meet the only woman to be appointed captain of the  Enterprise who's been revealed thus far. Tricia O'Neil plays Rachel Garrett, captain of the  Enterprise -C, who finds herself and her ship transported to a bleak future. Responding to a distress call from a Klingon outpost, Captain Garrett faces off against four Romulan warbirds. The exchange of fire causes a temporal rift, sending the  Enterprise -C over 20 years into the future, where Starfleet is fighting a losing war against the Klingon Empire. 

While we only get this one episode to see Garrett's leadership, it doesn't take long before her quality as a captain is obvious. While she's just as shocked as anyone would be about being hurled decades into the future, she doesn't let it interfere with her duty. She immediately sets to repairing the  Enterprise -C to help with the war effort, including refusing Dr. Crusher's (Gates McFadden) insistence that she rest in Enterprise -D's sick bay. 

Once Captain Picard makes it clear the best way Garrett can help is to return to her time — something that will almost certainly mean the death of her and her crew, considering the Romulan firepower waiting for them — she accepts her fate and that of her ship. Unfortunately, Garrett doesn't make it back to the past. She's killed during a Klingon attack, forcing her first officer to step in.

Christopher Pike is one of the Enterprise's best

Captain Christopher Pike has been played by more actors on TV than any other Enterprise captain. The first actor to play him was Jeffrey Hunter in the  Star Trek: The Original Series  pilot episode, "The Cage," and in flashbacks in the two-parter "The Menagerie." Sean Kenney plays the chair-bound version of Pike in "The Menagerie," and Anson Mount plays him in the second season of  Star Trek: Discovery .

Ironically, in spite of so many actors playing him, we actually haven't seen him as an Enterprise  captain much. There's his time as captain in "The Cage," but for most of  Discovery 's second season, he's captaining the titular ship rather than the  Enterprise . However, he does return to the  Enterprise  in  Discovery 's two-part season 2 finale, and he'll reportedly reprise the role in the upcoming  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

However, we still have a good idea of what kind of  Enterprise  captain Pike was. He performs just as well or better than most captains in "The Cage," and while it may not be the  Enterprise  he's captaining for most of his time on  Discovery , it's a good bet he's just as solid and courageous in the face of danger and mind-bending discoveries on the bridge of the  Enterprise . Not to mention that — as is revealed in "The Menagerie" — we know the crippling injuries he eventually suffers are the result of Pike sacrificing his own safety to save a ship full of Starfleet cadets. 

Will Riker defeats the Federation's worst enemy

There are plenty of moments in both the  TNG  TV series and the  TNG  era of films in which Will Riker takes over the bridge from Captain Picard. For example, Riker is in charge during the battle that ultimately destroys the Enterprise -D in Star Trek: Generations , and he also takes command when the Enterprise -E races to warn the Federation of the villains' plans in 1998's Star Trek: Insurrection . But no single story more clearly proves Riker's worth as an Enterprise captain than the events of one of the best  TNG two-parters, "The Best of Both Worlds," which bridges the series' third and fourth seasons. 

Ironically, Riker is wrestling with why he keeps turning down promotions when one is thrust upon him. When Captain Picard is kidnapped by the Borg and assimilated into their collective, Riker is given a field promotion to captain and names Commander Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy) as his first officer. In spite of the assimilated Picard — now calling himself "Locutus of Borg" — having intimate knowledge of Riker's personality and tactics, Riker manages to outmaneuver the Borg, catch them off balance, and save both Picard and the Federation from assimilation.

"The Best of Both Worlds" makes it clear that — while no one would want to see Picard taken away from the Enterprise  – Riker could've taken his mentor's place permanently, if necessary.

Spock becomes a better captain over time

Along with multiple instances of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) taking charge of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series , he takes the reins completely a couple of times in the films. Spock is the captain of an  Enterprise  mostly full of trainees between the events of  Star Trek: The Motion Picture  and 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . He also takes command in 1991's  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country after Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) are arrested by the Klingons. 

We don't get to see much of Spock as a captain in between the first two Trek movies, but the fact that his trainees manage to help the Enterprise  survive what proves to be one of their deadliest duels in Wrath of Khan  is evidence of his worth as a teacher. And it's difficult to imagine anyone else being able to prove Kirk and McCoy's innocence as Spock does in  Star Trek VI . 

If it weren't for Spock's evolution as a character, he might find himself a bit lower on our list. In early commands Spock enjoys during the original series — such as his time trying to save his shuttle crew in "The Galileo Seven" — Spock's overreliance on logic makes it difficult for him to serve as an effective leader. But by  Star Trek VI ,   he's learned, as he tells Kim Cattrall's Lt. Valeris, that "logic is the beginning of wisdom" and "not the end."

Jonathan Archer was a trailblazer

By the time Star Trek: Enterprise started showing us the adventures of Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), there had been five other  Star Trek  series and nine movies, all taking place chronologically  after  the events of  Enterprise . So most fans watching  Enterprise  for the first time had already seen the experiences of captains like Kirk, Picard, Janeway, etc., and as such, some of the decisions Archer makes can seem insane .

For example, take the episode "Strange New World." When T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) warns caution before sending crew members to explore a planet that no human has set foot on before, Archer and some of the other bridge officers laugh at her concerns. When you see something like that, it's tough to ignore about a million and a half situations in Star Trek  that would make Archer want to punch himself for laughing. 

In light of this, Archer sometimes comes off as less than his future counterparts, but you have to remember that while the idea of going where "no one has gone before" is often (but not always) hyperbole in the case of future captains, it's much more literal in Archer's case. Until the very end of Enterprise , the United Federation of Planets doesn't even exist. Archer makes long lists of mistakes, but he does it because he goes down paths no other human has trod before. And like the best captains of  Trek , he does it with passion and stubborn idealism.

James T. Kirk is the Enterprise captain all others are judged against

For those more used to later captains like Picard and Janeway, James T. Kirk makes some decisions that are mind-boggling. For example, while later captains would take great pains to protect the integrity of the timeline, when Kirk beams a 20th-century fighter pilot aboard the  Enterprise in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," you practically expect him to give the guy a tour of the ship. And you would rarely expect the kind of vengeance in other captains that you see in Kirk as he pursues the Gorn in "Arena." And no Starfleet captain makes quite as many mistakes due to the "feminine wiles" of antagonists as Kirk does.

But then, there are the great moments in  Trek  that no other captain could've achieved. Kirk makes it possible for peace to be made with the Klingons in  Star Trek VI , which has far-reaching consequences in the franchise's continuing narrative. Plus, he stops the Romulans from seeing the Federation as easy prey and gives them a couple bloody noses in the meantime. 

At heart, Kirk is more of a pure adventurer than just about any other captain in the franchise, but he doesn't shirk his duty. And sometimes, his less civilized side makes him a better captain. Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that when he tells Picard in Generations , "I was out saving the galaxy when your grandfather was in diapers," there isn't a single lie in his mouth.

Jean-Luc Picard is the best the Enterprise has ever known

Probably no two  Star Trek captains are weighed against each other more often than Kirk and Picard. Picard is often treated as a more timid, snootier answer to his predecessor, but those comparisons aren't fair. Yes, Picard certainly is older than Kirk was when he took over the  Enterprise , and his overall affect feels more intellectual. But when you actually consider his actions, Picard is no diplomatic shadow of Kirk. 

Sure, he's not quite as brash, but that doesn't stop him from going against Starfleet's orders when he feels it's necessary, like when he ignores their insistence that he stay out of the fight with the Borg in  First Contact  or when he disobeys Admiral Dougherty's (Anthony Zerbe) orders in  Insurrection . He's just as passionate about meeting the unknown as Kirk, but that passion is tempered with experience. While he's often portrayed as being more academic, that isn't a weakness. It's in part Picard's education that makes him the only captain who could defend Data as well as he does in "The Measure of a Man" — or, for that matter, himself in "The Drumhead." And it also helps him to keep saying no when more quick-tempered crew members like Worf want to arm photon torpedoes every time they meet someone new. 

Overall, no other  Enterprise  captain has matched the perfect balance of sophistication, intellect, passion, and unmovable idealism as Sir Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. That's why there can be no other choice for the top spot of  Star Trek 's  Enterprise  captains.

Who is Christopher Pike? Get to Know the Enterprise's Third Captain Before 'Strange New Worlds'

Captain Kirk's predecessor is much more thoughtful and considerably less amorous.

The USS Enterprise is one of the most iconic starships in all of science fiction. Throughout the decades-long tenure of the Star Trek franchise, the Constitution-class vessel has seen numerous refits and thousands of people pass through its halls. In all likelihood, the most notable individuals to have graced the ship are its captains. Trek fans know them well, and pop culture fans likely know them in some capacity as well. The rough-and-tumble James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ), the mindful Jean Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ), and the many Starfleet officers who occupied the captain's chair both before and after.

Speaking of before, there's one captain, in particular, getting plenty of attention in the franchise as of late. As a matter of fact, he appeared as the Enterprise's captain in the original Trek series' pilot episode "The Cage." This episode was rejected by NBC and was later re-purposed for the two-part story, "The Menagerie." Before there was Captain Kirk, there was Captain Christopher Pike, originally portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter . Hunter would retract his services in Star Trek after the original pilot failed to air, and the character's next appearance would be during "The Menagerie," featuring a debilitated Pike ( Sean Kenney ) who had met with a horrible fate. Throughout the rest of Trek 's franchise, Pike would primarily be referenced, but not seen. However, this changed when Pike was featured in the Kelvin Timeline's Trek films Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek : Into Darkness (2013), where he was played by Bruce Greenwood .

Time would pass, and Pike's on-screen presence would begin to fade, as Star Trek had a lull in franchise production after J.J. Abrams ' films. Enter Star Trek: Discovery (2017), where Pike returned as the captain of the Enterprise and became a main character in the show's second season. Taking over command of the show's titular starship, the USS Discovery , Pike (now portrayed by Anson Mount ) became a force in Discovery 's second season. Mount's portrayal of Pike was well-received by Discovery 's fans, leading to a spin-off series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022).

According to the showrunners, this series follows Pike's early adventures on the Enterprise, favoring an episode-centric format similar to Star Trek: The Original Series and Rick Berman 's run on the franchise ( Star Trek: The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , Voyager , and Enterprise ). With Pike getting his own show predating the escapades of Captain Kirk in The Original Series , it doesn't hurt to take a look at Captain Pike's adventures pre-dating Strange New Worlds .

Childhood, the Academy, and Starfleet Service

Christopher Pike was born in Mojave, California. His father's name has been somewhat disputed among fans. According to the Star Trek 2009 movie's app, Christopher was born to Charles and Willa Pike. However, Pike's father in particular has also been referred to as Charlie Pike and Josh Pike. Regardless of what name you'd consider canon, Pike's dad was an established science teacher who also taught about different religions. This allegedly caused a bit of confusion in the young captain, leading to more than a few philosophical and moral disagreements with his old man.

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Casts Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk — See the First Image

As for Pike's mother, there's not much we know about her. The most notable aspect of her that we're aware of from comes from "The Cage," where Pike reminisces about the chicken tuna sandwiches she made. It's admittedly a very thin backstory, but maybe we'll get a little insight into Willa's character in Strange New Worlds . The young Pike also had two horses in his family named Tango and Mary Lou, who he occasionally rode about Mojave.

Before the year 2224, Pike took the oath to join Starfleet and enrolled in its academy in the Presidio of sunny San Francisco, not too far from his hometown. As he trained to become a Starfleet officer, Pike cleaned up in almost all of his classes, save for sucking pretty badly in Astrophysics (not ideal for a career in space). While at the academy, he also met Discovery 's Phillipa Georgiou ( Michelle Yeoh ), who prided herself on drinking her fellow cadets under the table, Pike included. After an indeterminate amount of damage to their livers, Pike graduated from Starfleet Academy in the class of 3201.14.

Right after graduating, Pike was commissioned as a test pilot before going on to serve on three ships: The USS Antares , Chatelet , and Aryabhatta . His distinguished service then saw Pike become the first officer of the USS Enterprise, serving under the ship's second captain, Robert April ( James Doohan ).

Becoming Captain

After his five-year exploration mission came to a close, Robert April was promoted to commodore within Starfleet, and he abdicated the captain's chair to his first officer. Pike inherited a hell of a bridge crew on the Enterprise , including his first officer Una ( M. Leigh Hudec / Rebecca Romjin ) aka "Number One," chief engineer Louvier, and science officer Lynne Lucero ( Rosa Salazar ). However, Lucero was promoted to a captain in her own right, leaving an opening for a new science officer. Fortunately, Pike would be blessed with the addition of a young half-Vulcan wunderkind, Ensign Spock ( Leonard Nimoy / Ethan Peck ).

Four years after becoming the Enterprise's captain, Pike was met with tragedy on the planet Rigel VII. The native warrior people known as the Kalar took Pike captive and killed three of the Enterprise's crewmen, injuring seven more, Spock included. Though Pike managed to escape the planet with his remaining crew members, he questioned whether he was still worthy as a captain. On the way to a colony to have his crew treated for their injuries, the Enterprise intercepted a signal coming from a crash site on the planet Talos IV. When the Enterprise made its way to the planet, Pike went planetside to investigate. Strangely enough, however, the survivors of the crash were all gathered at a nearby camp, including a young woman named Vina ( Susan Oliver / Melissa George ).

The only catch? The camp was an illusion, created by the native Talosians, whose mental powers could manipulate one's perceptions. Vina was in fact the only survivor of the shipwreck. Much like on Rigel, the Talosians managed to capture Pike and Vina, and placed them in an exotic zoo. There, the Talosians attempted to use their skills at manipulation and illusion to trick Pike and Vina to breed a population of humans subservient to the Talosians' mental powers. The Talosians also played on Pike's doubts, showing him the life he could've had if he walked away from Starfleet. After refusing to breed with Vina, the Talosians captured and tossed in more female crew members, including Una.

Pike, resourceful as always, managed to take the keeper of the "menagerie" hostage, threatening to kill him if the Talosians continued their activities. The Talosians dropped their illusions, yet still pursued Pike and his crew. When Pike ordered Una to set her phaser to overload, the Talosians were convinced that humans were too aggressive to subjugate. They reverted Vina's appearance to her original look, a frail older woman. Pike negotiated for the Talosians to restore the illusion of her youth and beauty before leaving Talos IV. Pike's faith in himself returned, and Starfleet ordered a directive for all personnel to avoid Talos IV under the threat of execution.

Star Trek: Discovery

In 2256, a conflict known as the Battle of the Binary Stars led to an all-out war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Enterprise was currently undergoing a five-year exploration mission, but Pike wanted to join the battle against the bloodthirsty and united Klingons. However, Starfleet ordered the Enterprise to continue its mission, believing that Enterprise was too precious to deploy in battle unless absolutely necessary. One year later, the war came to a close, and Spock requested to temporarily leave Starfleet to receive mental health evaluations at Starbase 5, something he requested Pike to keep from his family.

As Spock's departure, Pike and the Enterprise were tasked with investigating the appearance of seven red lights that had appeared in the far reaches of space. However, the Enterprise's systems took a huge turn for the worse, leaving the ship stranded. Fortunately, Enterprise's emergency signal was picked up by none other than the USS Discovery . Coincidentally, the ship had both Spock's father Sarek ( Mark Lenard / James Frain ) and his adoptive sister Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) onboard. Under Starfleet regulations, Pike assumed the role of Discovery's commanding officer from Saru ( Doug Jones ), the acting captain.

While investigating the red lights, Pike and Discovery's crew met a society of refugees from World War III, which was fought in the 21st century. The refugees had joined together in a religious congregation and had claimed they were saved in the past by a "red angel," which Burnham claimed to have seen before. No sooner had Pike and his shore party returned to Discovery before they were contacted by Amanda Grayson ( Jane Wyatt / Mia Kirshner ), who requested Pike to assist Spock, who had allegedly killed many members of Starbase 5 and had escaped. Clearly, Spock didn't seem like the murderous type, and the Discovery set off to find the beleaguered officer.

With the help of Captain Georgiou, Pike tracked Spock back to Talos IV, where Burnham had managed to make contact with him. This led to conflict with Section 31, Starfleet Intelligence's division for subterfuge and espionage. Thanks to an appearance by Vina, Section 31 was deceived during their pursuit of Spock and Burnham. Both officers managed to return to Discovery safely, but violating the statutes around Talos IV and openly antagonizing Section 31 led to Starfleet charging Pike and by extension Discovery with treason, charges Pike ignored as he continued Discovery's investigation.

After struggling against the AI running Section 31's Headquarters known as Control, Discovery made its way to the Klingon planet of Boreth to recover a time crystal. This crystal inflicted harrowing visions on Pike, forecasting a terrible fate if he continued his current course in life: During an inspection of a starship during a training exercise, one of the ship's plates would rupture, leaking harmful delta radiation into the ship's engineering deck. The radiation would deal severe burns and damage to Pike's body, rendering him infirm in a life support chair. Despite his abject terror at what he saw, Pike would nonetheless press onward.

As Pike and the crew returned to Discovery , they were attacked by a large group of Section 31 ships hijacked by Control, now unfettered as an AI. Outgunned, surrounded, and containing a raw time crystal, losing the precious cargo was not an option. Pike sent a distress signal to the Enterprise to assist under maximum warp speed. He also made preparations to self-destruct Discovery and evacuate its crew complement to prohibit Section 31 from obtaining the ship's data and the crystal. After a massive battle against the AI-driven ships, Discovery entered a wormhole to the future. To cover their tracks and keep the Federation from pursuing them, Pike reported to Starfleet Command and informed them that Discovery was destroyed, and its entire crew was KIA.

With Discovery in the 32nd century, Pike and the Enterprise resume their mission of exploration, investigating a new moon that had appeared around a planet in the Erdrin star system. This is the most recently we've seen Pike and the Enterprise , and it's unclear whether Strange New Worlds will pick up at this juncture or build up to it beforehand. Regardless, more adventures with Pike, Spock, and Number One are on the way. Even if the cast of Discovery remains off-screen, the crew of the Enterprise and its stoic captain will likely have plenty on their hands as they explore the unknown reaches of space and go where no one has gone before.

Thy'lek Shran

• View history

Thy'lek Shran was an Andorian commander in the Imperial Guard in the 2150s . Despite his aggressive and xenophobic background, Shran became an unlikely ally of Starfleet Captain Jonathan Archer and a proponent of strengthened ties between Andoria and Earth . ( ENT : " The Andorian Incident ", " Cease Fire ", " Proving Ground ", " Zero Hour ", " United ")

• 1 Early life
• 2.1 Raid on P'Jem
• 2.2 Coridan Uprising
• 2.3 Deployment to Weytahn
• 2.4 Deployment to the Delphic Expanse
• 2.5 Defense of Earth
• 2.6 Vulcan Invasion of Andoria
• 2.7 Destruction of the Kumari and the Babel Crisis
• 3 Married life
• 4 Return to duty
• 5 Alternate timeline
• 6 Awards and honors
• 7 Memorable quotes
• 8.1 Appearances
• 8.2 Background information
• 8.3 Apocrypha
• 8.4 External links

Early life [ ]

Several members of Shran's family were members of the Imperial Guard. His older brother joined while Shran was still in school and was assigned to a forward surveillance unit . ( ENT : " Proving Ground ")

When Shran was a boy, he stumbled into a large den of ice-bores . As a result, Shran wound up with third-degree burns over half his body. ( ENT : " The Aenar ")

Commander of the Kumari [ ]

In 2142 , Shran was promoted to commander of the warship Kumari . ( ENT : " Babel One ")

Raid on P'Jem [ ]

In June 2151 , Shran led an Andorian commando team which raided the Vulcan monastery at P'Jem . The Andorians long accused the Vulcans of hiding a clandestine long range sensor array in the monastery for illegal surveillance of Andorian territory . The Andorians had mounted two previous raids and found no conclusive evidence. Despite this, they remained convinced that the sensor array was there. During this third raid, Captain Archer accidentally stumbled into the confrontation while on a courtesy visit to the monastery. Shran, believing the Humans to be collaborating with the Vulcans, imprisoned Archer, along with Trip Tucker and T'Pol , who were accompanying him. T'Pol's presence with the Humans only amplified Shran's suspicions . Shran interrogated and tortured Archer for information, but learned nothing of use.

Shran expressing his gratitude to Archer for exposing the listening post

The prisoners managed to stage an escape with support from security officers from Enterprise NX-01 . In the ensuing firefight , Archer and Shran accidentally uncovered a passage into an advanced listening post ; the Andorians had been right all along. As a gesture of peace , Archer gave Shran detailed sensor readings and images of the facility and allowed him to leave freely. As he departed, Shran said he was in Archer's debt . ( ENT : " The Andorian Incident ")

Coridan Uprising [ ]

Later that year, Shran was assigned to an Andorian covert ops unit supporting an uprising on Coridan , a world allied with Vulcan . When a shuttlepod from Enterprise carrying Archer and T'Pol was shot down by the rebels, Shran contacted the security team sent to extract them and provided assistance. Shran, claiming that he had "lost sleep" over his debt to Archer, wanted to arrange the Captain's freedom as payment of that debt. His information proved crucial in releasing the Enterprise crewmen, and Shran also helped avoid a fire-fight with a commando squad from the Vulcan starship Ni'Var by shooting Traeg , a Coridan rebel who was about to fire on Vulcan captain Sopek . With T'Pol having been wounded taking a shot for Sopek, Shran angrily told the Vulcan captain that it should've been him who was shot. ( ENT : " Shadows of P'Jem ")

Deployment to Weytahn [ ]

In late 2152 , Shran was commanding ground forces deployed to Weytahn , a planetoid strategically located between Andorian and Vulcan space and referred to by the Vulcans as Paan Mokar . Recognizing a dangerous stalemate with the Vulcan forces, Shran sought to negotiate a truce with Vulcan ambassador Soval , with the talks mediated by Captain Archer. Although the Vulcans resisted the inclusion of Archer due to their innate disdain toward Humans, Shran took the unusual step of insisting on Archer's presence, stating that he trusted Archer to be objective based on their previous encounters. Despite some pitfalls in the process (Shran's lieutenant Tarah disobeyed his orders and opened fire on Archer's shuttlepod), the negotiations proved successful, and a final cease-fire was arranged. During the negotiations, Shran and Soval negotiated for weeks over little details and Soval never once lied to Shran. As a result, Shran grew to trust and respect Soval. ( ENT : " Cease Fire ", " Kir'Shara ")

Deployment to the Delphic Expanse [ ]

Shran in 2153

In December 2153 , the Kumari was deployed to the Delphic Expanse with orders to capture a prototype of a Xindi weapon for use as a deterrent against a potential Vulcan invasion. Shran followed Enterprise 's warp trail, hoping to save time as the Human ship was also searching for the Xindi weapon following the Xindi's unprovoked attack on Earth. The Kumari provided tactical and engineering assistance to Enterprise , helping to repair major damage the latter ship had incurred in an encounter with several spatial anomalies. The Kumari and Enterprise launched a joint assault on a Xindi weapons-testing area, and Shran captured the Xindi prototype. Shran had not informed Archer ahead of time of his intentions to take the weapon to Andoria. Furious, Archer used the weapon's remote activation codes to force Shran to jettison the weapon before it was destroyed. Their plan foiled, the Kumari returned to Andoria. Prior to leaving the Expanse, Shran secretly relayed all technical and tactical sensor readings his ship had taken from the weapon to Enterprise ; this information proved to be of enormous use in preventing a second Xindi attack on Earth. ( ENT : " Proving Ground ")

Defense of Earth [ ]

During the Xindi weapon's attack on Earth, Shran and the Kumari appeared out of high warp, having managed to track Degra's shuttle through a subspace vortex to Earth. Shran offers his help to Archer in saving Earth, having the Kumari fly cover for Degra's near-defenseless shuttle against a Xindi-Reptilian warship commanded by Councilor Dolim . Shran's intervention allows Archer and an away team to beam to the superweapon and ultimately destroy it while Shran battles Dolim's ship. After detecting Dolim's transport to the superweapon, Shran orders his crew to target the warship's unshielded engines and the Kumari destroys the Xindi ship, rendering Dolim unable to escape. Shran states that he and Archer are no longer even, Archer now owes him for his help. ( ENT : " Zero Hour ")

Vulcan Invasion of Andoria [ ]

In 2154 , the Vulcan High Command planned an invasion of Andoria . Shran led a group of Andorian ships who were hiding in a nebula . Enterprise , with help by Soval, located Shran and attempted to alert him to the invasion. Not fully convinced, Shran kidnapped Soval and restrained him. Using a machine to prevent Soval from blocking his emotions, Shran attempted to retrieve the real location of the Vulcans' fleet. Shran did not want to harm Soval and simply wanted the real location of the fleet, growing more desperate and upset as he tortured Soval. When Enterprise found out about Shran kidnapping Soval, he was returned to the ship. Having been convinced by Soval's continuing insistence on his innocence, Shran shows remorse for his treatment of Soval and genuine concern for his condition, stating he did what he had to do and Soval would understand. After being convinced, Shran and Enterprise set forth to the location of the incoming Vulcan fleet. Shran only had a fleet of seven ships while the Vulcans had twelve, though more Andorian ships were on the way. When the Vulcan fleet arrived, the first fights occurred just between the Vulcans and Andorians. When Enterprise was ordered to be destroyed, Shran attempted to stop the Vulcans from doing so, stating that Archer now owed him twice. When problems in the Vulcan High Command ended, the battle halted. ( ENT : " Kir'Shara ")

Shortly after this, Shran became romantically linked with his tactical officer Talas . She initiated the pairing; Shran later told Jonathan Archer that he had the choice between arresting her and mating with her. He chose the latter. ( ENT : " Babel One ")

Destruction of the Kumari and the Babel Crisis [ ]

Shran on the Kumari bridge

In November of the same year, the Kumari was destroyed by a Romulan ship posing as a Tellarite vessel. Shran made it to an escape pod . Shran, Talas, and eighteen other crew members were rescued by Enterprise . Determined to make Gral , the Tellarite ambassador , confess to the attack, Shran and Talas burst into Gral's quarters and held him at gunpoint. Archer eventually cooled the dispute, but Gral's aide Naarg wounded Talas with a phase-pistol . The wound proved mortal, and as she lay dying, Talas asked Shran to avenge her. After her death, Shran challenged Naarg to the Ushaan , a traditional Andorian duel, but Archer, fearing the collapse of the fragile Andorian-Tellarite-Vulcan alliance, invoked the right to substitute for the Tellarite. Shran was hesitant to fight the Captain because he did not want to hurt someone he considered a friend. During the duel, Shran wounded Archer and urged him to give up, while the captain retorted that he "was merely making Shran look good in front of his soldiers."

Shran missing an antenna after an Ushaan with Archer in 2154

The duel ended when Archer lopped off Shran's left antenna, rendering him defenseless. He was expected to compensate for the loss of the antenna in a few days and regrow it in nine months, or half that time with therapy. ( ENT : " Babel One ", " United ")

When evidence suggested the Romulan ship was being controlled via telepresence by an Andorian Aenar , Shran and Archer traveled to Andoria to meet with them. After enlisting the assistance of an Aenar female named Jhamel , they were able to contact the Romulan ship's unwilling pilot and stop the attack. Shran assisted Jhamel during this time, showing deep care for her. Before departing the Enterprise , Shran tells Archer that he may not get a new ship so it could be some time before they see each other again. Archer and T'Pol offer any assistance they can give him in the matter. ( ENT : " The Aenar ")

Married life [ ]

Shran holding Talla in 2161

Shran eventually married Jhamel. In 2156 , she gave birth to their first child, Talla . Two years later , Shran had quit the Imperial Guard, even though he was considered a hero. He thought he needed some change as he had a family. As a civilian he made some poor choices and had friends involved in questionable businesses. As they thought he had taken a Tenebian amethyst that belonged to them, Shran was forced to fake his death. With the help of some old colleagues from the Imperial Guard, Shran managed to disappear for three years until he was discovered. Shran emerged from hiding in 2161 , just prior to the signing of the Federation Charter , after his daughter was abducted. With the assistance of Archer and Enterprise , Shran was able to rescue his daughter. ( ENT : " These Are the Voyages... ")

Return to duty [ ]

Sometime prior to 2164 , he had rejoined the Imperial Guard and was promoted to general . In 2164 , he appointed Jonathan Archer an honorary member of the Andorian Guard. ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")

Alternate timeline [ ]

In the alternate timeline where the Xindi destroyed Earth, Shran had been promoted to general sometime prior to 2165 . He assisted the Human colony on Ceti Alpha V , providing Enterprise with deflector shields to replace its polarized hull plating . ( ENT : " Twilight ")

Awards and honors [ ]

The 23rd century Federation starship USS Shran was named after the general, as was the 25th century starship USS Thy'lek Shran . ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ", PIC : " The Next Generation ")

Memorable quotes [ ]

" You should be the one dying, not her. "

" Captain Archer. Look at the trouble you've gotten your pink skin into this time! "

" Your world is in jeopardy, and where are your friends, the Vulcans? Where is their mighty fleet? They couldn't even spare one officer! She was forced to abandon her career to remain on your ship – a remarkably selfless act… for a Vulcan. But we've come to your aid. We've come into the Expanse when they refused. We're here to help you. "

" So… how did you get picked for this assignment? " " I volunteered. It made sense. I've had the greatest amount of contact with pink… with Humans, and the last time we met you helped my people avert a war. I don't like unpaid debts. " " We keep doing each other favors. " " Isn't that how alliances are born? "

" The Andorian Mining Consortium runs from no one. "

" This was a failure?!" " A spectacular one – but, yes. "

" For two hundred years, all that's kept them from invading Andoria is the threat of massive retaliation. With a weapon of this magnitude at our disposal, they wouldn't dare attack us. " " You're putting Earth at risk because of a border dispute with the Vulcans?! " " We disrupted the Xindi test, took their weapon. We may have helped save your world! " " I guess I'm not familiar with the Andorian concept of help! "

" You're not using your head, pink skin. That ship you're on is no match for the Reptilian. "

" Tell Archer… we're not even anymore. He owes me ! "

" One Reptilian transported to the weapon… " " Let's make sure he has nowhere to go back to. "

" Tell Archer that's two he owes me! "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Andorian Incident " ( Season 1 )
• " Shadows of P'Jem "
• " Cease Fire " ( Season 2 )
• " Proving Ground " ( Season 3 )
• " Zero Hour "
• " Kir'Shara " ( Season 4 )
• " Babel One "
• " The Aenar "
• " These Are the Voyages... "

Background information [ ]

Shran was played by Star Trek veteran Jeffrey Combs .

The first name "Thy'lek" and Shran's rank as general in 2164 were mentioned in Jonathan Archer's biography , seen in " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ".

In the script for " The Andorian Incident ", Shran was introduced with the description, " His white hair and blue skin make his teeth appear sickly gray by contrast. "

Filming Shran as a combatant in "The Andorian Incident"

Without auditioning for the part, Jeffrey Combs was offered the role of Shran by Executive Producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga . [1] Braga later explained, " Casting the role of Shran was a daunting challenge, because you've got to have some blue guy with antennae be threatening. When you have someone like Jeffrey, who you know is going to nail it and bring it dimension, you're like, 'Let's use him.' Plus, the fans love him. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 139 , p. 24)

A fan of Star Trek: The Original Series himself, Jeff Combs thought it would be interesting to explore the Andorians, a race which was rarely seen on-screen prior to Enterprise . He made a point to ask whether the character would be killed off at the end of the episode, recalling his experience of playing Weyoun . Once informed that Shran would survive "The Andorian Incident", Combs readily accepted. [2] In a 2011 interview, Combs recalled, " Shran was a gift. I loved Shran. I got to play a completely different color, and I was excited about that. And I don't mean blue. Shran gave me a totally different spectrum than I had with Brunt and Weyoun. I got to play a captain, someone with a real chip on his shoulder. My prototype… I looked at the Vulcans as if they were the British and the Andorians as if they were the Irish, and Jimmy Cagney was my ideal. That's the kind of the guy I saw Shran as, a tough little guy who holds his ground, and you've got to go through him, not around him. " [3]

As the director of "The Andorian Incident", Roxann Dawson was delighted with Combs' initial work as Shran. She later remarked, " He really created an extraordinary character there, didn't he? " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 143 , p. 32)

Combs first day on set as Shran for "The Andorian Incident" was Wednesday, 22 August 2001 , with a makeup call at 5:30 AM and a set call at 10:00 AM. He filmed his scenes until the final day of production on this episode, Wednesday 29 August 2001 , on Paramount Stage 8 and 9 . It was also the first time on this episode, he worked with his stunt double Kim Robert Koscki . ( Call sheets )

Between the filming of "The Andorian Incident" and the production of "Shadows of P'Jem", Rick Berman stated about the character of Shran, " He's not necessarily an Andorian terrorist in the sense of being destructive. There's a little of that but I think he's more of an Andorian James Bond . He's an Andorian on a very important reconnaissance mission. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 136 , p. 15)

Filming "United"

The final draft script of " United " stated, " Shran is a student of history. "

Along with Ambassador Soval , Daniels and Porthos , Shran is one of only four characters, outside of the ensemble cast, to appear in all four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise .

Manny Coto has stated that, had the series been given a fifth season, Shran may have joined the crew of Enterprise , as an "auxiliary or an advisor." [4] [5] Jeffrey Combs himself was unaware of this idea until after the series ended. He commented, " I deeply appreciate it. At the same time it sort of hurts. 'Ah, man, the one that got away! Dang it! Coulda, shoulda, woulda.' But I take it as the huge compliment that it is. I was quite involved in that fourth season and so it sounds like it would have been a natural progression, and it would have been a cool one, to have a new alien on the bridge adding another dynamic. That would have been really, really interesting. " [6]

Ultimately, Jeffrey Combs felt that, of all the characters he had played on Star Trek , Shran was the one he'd most like to play again. " I like his attitude and his complexity. And there was still some stuff to explore about him. I think I'd like that. " [7]

Shran was also popular with other production staffers, including married writing couple Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens . The latter noted about Combs' portrayal of the character, " Jeffrey is sort of everyone's favorite Andorian. " Added Judith Reeves-Stevens, " Jeffrey as Shran, you're not concentrating on the fact that he has blue antennae that move, he sells the character. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 37, No. 2, p. 40)

Shran's appearances during Enterprise were watched by Noah Averbach-Katz in preparation for his Star Trek: Discovery role of the Andorian Ryn . According to Averbach-Katz, aside from TOS : " Journey to Babel ", Combs for all intents and purposes "invented" Andorians by his portrayal of Shran. [8]

Shran was also a character in the aborted film Star Trek: The Beginning .

Apocrypha [ ]

In the non- canon Pocket Books novel The Good That Men Do , Shran's complete name is "Hravishran th'Zoarhi". Later novels establish that "Thy'lek Shran" is the Aenar form of his name. In the "Age of Discovery" expansion of Star Trek Online , Shran's great-grandson, Captain Thy'kir Shran (voiced by Jeffrey Combs), serves as captain of the USS Sebrova during the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-57.

His mirror universe counterpart appeared in the novella " Age of the Empress ".

External links [ ]

• Thy'lek Shran at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Thy'lek Shran at Wikipedia
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Star Trek: The Origin of the Enterprise's Name Is Absolutely Wild

The USS Enterprise has been a part of Star Trek for over half a century, but the iconic ship almost had a different name.

Star Trek has always been successful at rewarding fans with consistent comforts they’ve come to identify with the brand. Decade after decade, Star Trek has kept essential parts of its universe consistent, including what things are called. But the origin story of where the Enterprise got its name and why Star Trek keeps using it is steeped in a proud tradition, legacy and symbolism. So, it is no accident that one of the most famous fictional starships is just as hallowed as its many real predecessors -- but it almost didn’t happen at all.

In Star Trek lore the USS Enterprise is a name most associated with Captain  Kirk  and  Picard . But the name has been a constant throughout the more than half-century-old brand. In the Star Trek universe, all major flagships have been called Enterprise, including the first pre-Starfleet vessel. More recently, the Star Trek: Enterprise  put the ship's name right in its title.

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Enterprise 's opening features real footage of NASA’s Enterprise space shuttle. It was the first space vehicle of its kind (although it never flew to space). In 1976, the shuttle earned its name because the " hundreds of thousands " of letters the U.S. government said represented millions of passionate Star Trek fans. The shuttle was originally going to be called Constitution, but President Gerald Ford directed NASA to make the change due to the huge public wave of support. However, the name was familiar to the government. Enterprise has a long tradition in U.S. military history, dating back to confederation.

In 1775, a group of revolutionary forces led by Benedict Arnold raided a British shipyard in Quebec and stole a sloop-of-war, Liberty, and renamed it, Enterprise. Since then, the name has adorned significant American ships of war for nearly 250 years. Something military veterans like Star Trek ’s creator Gene Roddenberry would surely know.

Roddenberry served his country in the pacific theater during World War II. In that time, two very prominent American aircraft carriers, the U.S.S. Enterprise & U.S.S. Yorkton (which tragically sunk), earned distinguished places in history. Roddenberry initially wanted to call his Star Trek starship the S.S. Yorktown. But a big pop culture influence changed his plans and, ultimately, influenced history for generations.

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During the mid-’60s when Star Trek was being created, the U.S. Navy had recently unveiled its first-ever nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Enterprise, which attracted lots of public and media attention. Roddenberry was also proud of its predecessors' legacy and wanted to use the name. Eventually, the Yorkton became the Enterprise. In a fourth-wall head-spinner, the actual carrier would later have its own cross-over into the Star Trek universe.

In 1989’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , members of Kirk’s fictional USS Enterprise starship crew travel back in time to the 1980s. While there, they sneak aboard the real USS Enterprise aircraft carrier to steal energy from its nuclear reactor to help get them home. It's an ironic twist considering the ship's atomic power was the very thing that helped name the first fictional Star Trek  Enterprise.

In real life, the Enterprise name made another re-emergence in the U.S. Naval fleet, with a brand-new class of aircraft carriers expected to begin operations in 2028. As for Star Trek 's fictional universe, the name Enterprise remains as integral to its future as it does to its past.

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Star Trek: The Story Behind The Enterprise’s Name

Iconic, dignified, and majestic, the name of the famous ship from science fiction has a long and storied naval history.

The 1960s were a wild time for many reasons, but it was also a great time for scientific discovery and exploration, the moon landing being at the pinnacle of all this in 1969. Before this, however, the interest in what lay among the stars had been fascinating humans since prehistoric times. It only makes sense that one massive leap for mankind in the distant future will be to explore the stars — or as a wise captain once put it: ‘boldly going where no one has gone before’.

S tar Trek tracked this progression of humanity into a utopian future where such a thing is possible, using highly advanced spaceships capable of traveling faster than the speed of light . Most iconic of all these ships was the USS Enterprise, in all its iterations. The ship has appeared in multiple movies and shows throughout the franchise, but how exactly did the most famous craft in Federation history get its name?

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While many will think of Kirk or Picard's Enterprise, it’s easy to forget about the most important variation of the USS Enterprise: The Enterprise NX-01, Captain Johnathan Archer’s spacecraft, and the first of the warp 5 capable Enterprises in the Star Trek universe. There are to date eight warp-ready Enterprises in the timeline. However, this number may be closer to twelve if counting the Kelvin universe variation , as well as the other universes explored and shown in Discovery .

While Archer's was the first of the fictional Enterprise vessels, it was not the first ship by that name. The name Enterprise in fact has a long navel history and has been fairly common over the years, starting with the HMS Enterprise for the 1700s. While it may not look at all like the Enterprise audiences know and love today, this French frigate is the oldest known ship to have the famed name carved into its side, built in 1705. Back then it was called L’Entreprise, but was later captured by the Royal Navy in 1707 and was renamed the HMS Enterprise. Under the new English name, the ship served for two years in the Mediterranean Sea before being sunk of the coast of Lancashire. While not too much of a groundbreaking legacy, the name was passed on from ship to ship, with countless others going by variations of this same name.

The next most notable of these, and the first to use the USS prefix, was a Continental Army sloop built in 1775, a ship weighing a whopping 70 tons. Unfortunately, it too only lasted two years of active duty, but its destruction was something that seemed fairly fitting of the Enterprise name. To avoid capture, the ship was deliberately destroyed in 1777 — essentially, an 18th century version of the self-destruct sequence. This shares a striking resemblance to not only Picard and his self-destruct trigger fingers, but also the third Star Trek film The Search for Spock. In this movie, Kirk deliberately blows up the Enterprise to stop it from being captured by the Klingons. Are these events pure coincidence, or were the writers taking inspiration from real-world Enterprise related shenanigans?

The next to bear the honor of the name was a US Navy schooner built in 1799, which was at the forefront of The First Barbary War. The Enterprise started the conflict that lasted between 1801 and 1805, firing the first shots for the United States in their first overseas war against the ‘Barbary States’ in North Africa. Skipping over a few less notable ships, the next most prominent Enterprise was an aircraft carrier built in 1936. The Enterprise CV-6 played a part in World War II , being one of the ships at Pearl Harbor at the time of attack. Despite seeing plenty of action at the start of the war, including several battles in the Pacific War, this Enterprise survived the entire conflict, being one of only three aircraft carriers to survive. The ship was nicknamed “The Big E” by the Americans and was the most decorated ship in WWII. It was also dubbed “ The Grey Ghost ” by the Japanese who claimed to have successfully sunk it three times — each time it came back without a scratch.

While all these vessels are notable in one way or another, the most credited inspiration for the name was the USS Enterprise CVN-65. It was the States' first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, built in 1961. Gene Roddenberry, the show's creator , would have likely heard of it as it was fairly big news in the time he was writing the first drafts of Star Trek. In fact, he had originally wanted to call the ship the USS Yorktown after another WWII aircraft carrier, but thankfully changed that name once production started.

While the CVN-65 is noted most commonly for being the inspiration for the name, Roddenberry actually claimed in a 1973 interview that while this ship perhaps unconsciously reminded him, his real inspiration was the CV-6 ship from WWII. This is probably because of the much larger legacy the ship created, and the amazing things it accomplished. It’s also possible to look at the USS Enterprise from the show to be a mixture of the two: the scientifically groundbreaking science found on the CVN-65, combined with the naval history and legacy created by the CV-6.

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Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Resurfaces Decades After It Went Missing

The model used in the original series’ opening credits is now back with Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the show’s creator

Julia Binswanger

Daily Correspondent

Nearly 50 years after it went missing, the original model of the  USS Starship Enterprise from the hit show “ Star Trek ” is finally voyaging home. The 33-inch model—the same one that appears in the opening credits of the original series—is now back with Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the show’s creator.

“After five decades, I’m thrilled that someone happened upon this historic model of the USS Enterprise ,” says Roddenberry, who goes by “Rod,” in a Heritage Auctions statement . “I remember how it used to adorn my dad’s desk.”

The tiny model has been missing since Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry (who died in 1991), lent it to the makers of 1979’s  Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the first Star Trek feature film. Unfortunately, he never got it back. What happened to it at that point is unknown.

Last fall, the spaceship popped up on  eBay —with a starting bid of $1,000. The listing was titled “Rare Custom Star Trek USS Enterprise Spaceship by Richard Datin .” Datin, a model maker from the Howard Anderson special-effects company, built the original model out of solid wood. The  New York Times ’ Emily Schmall reports that the seller came across the item after discovering it in a storage unit. After receiving many inquiries about the item, the seller contacted Heritage Auctions.

“Once our team of experts concluded it was the real thing, we contacted Rod because we wanted to get the model back to where it belonged,” says Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, in the statement. “We’re thrilled the Enterprise is finally in dry dock.”

The ship’s whereabouts after its disappearance remain a mystery; unfortunately, the missing years aren’t described in a captain’s log. The younger Roddenberry says there had even been rumors that he’d thrown it into a pool as a boy, per Jamie Stengle of the Associated Press (AP).

While the model would “easily” sell for over $1 million at auction, it’s a “priceless” piece of television history, Maddalena tells the AP.

Since Star Trek ’s debut in 1966, the Enterprise has become an instantly recognizable image—and a pioneering design that inspired many other fictional spacecraft.

“We didn’t want the Enterprise to look like something currently planned for our space program,” said Walter Jefferies, the Star Trek art director who designed the fictional craft, in the 1968 book The Making of Star Trek , per the auction house. “We knew that by the time the show got on the air, this type of thing would be old hat. We had to go further than even the most advanced space scientists were thinking.”

The younger Roddenberry rounded up a group of Star Trek production veterans to help authenticate and restore the model. One of them was Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who worked on the 2016 restoration of an 11-foot model of the Enterprise for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum . Kerr still had old photos of the model sitting on the elder Roddenberry’s desk.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Roddenberry tells the Times . “It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one.’”

While other models of the Enterprise exist, the newly discovered ship is the original. Looking ahead, Roddenberry wants to ensure that this one-of-a-kind artifact is accessible to the public.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” he tells the AP. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it, and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”

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Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ,  Chicago magazine,  Rebellious magazine and  PC magazine. 

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Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Is Found After Being Missing for Decades

The 33-inch model surfaced on eBay after disappearing around 1979. An auction house is giving it to the son of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek.”

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By Emily Schmall

The first model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series , has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the creator of the series, decades after it went missing.

“After a long journey, she’s home,” Mr. Roddenberry wrote on social media on Thursday.

For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Red alert,” someone in an online costume and prop-making forum wrote, linking to the listing.

Mr. Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry, created the television series, which first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons. It spawned numerous spinoffs, several films and a franchise that has included conventions and legions of devoted fans with an avid interest in memorabilia.

The seller of the model was bombarded with inquiries and quickly took the listing down.

The seller contacted Heritage Auctions to authenticate it, the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said on Saturday. As soon as the seller, who said he had found it in a storage unit, brought it to the auction house’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif., Mr. Maddalena said he knew it was real.

“That’s when I reached out to Rod to say, ‘We’ve got this. This is it,’” he said, adding that the model was being transferred to Mr. Roddenberry.

Mr. Roddenberry, who is known as Rod, said on Saturday that he would restore the model and seek to have it displayed in a museum or other institution. He said reclaiming the item had only piqued his interest in the circumstances about its disappearance.

“Whoever borrowed it or misplaced it or lost it, something happened somewhere,” he said. “Where’s it been?”

It was unclear how the model ended up in the storage unit and who had it before its discovery.

The original U.S.S. Enterprise, a 33-inch model, was mostly made of solid wood by Richard C. Datin, a model maker for the Howard Anderson Company, a special-effects company that created the opening credits for some of the 20th century’s biggest TV shows .

An enlarged 11-foot model was used in subsequent “Star Trek” television episodes, and is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , where it was donated by Paramount Studios in 1974.

Mr. Roddenberry, who said he gave the seller a “reward” for its recovery but did not disclose the terms, assembled a group of “Star Trek” production veterans, model makers and restoration specialists in Beverly Hills to authenticate the find.

The group included a “Star Trek” art supervisor, Michael Okuda, and his wife, Denise, an artist on “Star Trek” television series and films, and Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who served as technical consultant for the Smithsonian during a 2016 restoration of the 11-foot model.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Mr. Roddenberry said.

“It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one,’” he said.

Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 , kept the original model, which appeared in the show’s opening credits and pilot episode, on his desk.

Mr. Kerr compared the model to 1960s photos he had of the model on Mr. Roddenberry’s desk.

“The wood grain matched exactly, so that was it,” he said on Saturday.

The model went missing after Mr. Roddenberry lent it to the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979, Mr. Maddalena said.

“This is a major discovery,” he said, likening the model to the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” a prop that was stolen in 2005 and recovered by the F.B.I. in 2018, and that Heritage Auctions is selling.

While the slippers represent hope, he said, the starship Enterprise model “represents dreams.”

“It’s a portal to what could be,” he said.

Emily Schmall covers breaking news and feature stories and is based in Chicago. More about Emily Schmall

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Published Apr 26, 2024

RECAP | Star Trek: Discovery 505 - 'Mirrors'

No matter how bad things get, the one thing you always have is a choice.

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

StarTrek.com

Previously, in " Face the Strange ," Moll and L'ak unleash a time bug aboard the U.S.S. Discovery, designed to paralyze them and keep them stuck as they're randomly cycled through time. Once they're ahead of Discovery and on to the next clue, they can escape the bounty on their heads and finally be free.

In one time loop, Zora informs Burnham and Rayner one of the outcomes they feared had come to pass — the Breen gained control of the Progenitors' tech and destroyed everything, leading the Kellerun to believe the Breen must be the ex-courier's highest bidder. Thankfully for the crew, they're back in the mix and only lost six hours. Plus, they discovered a warp signature matching Moll and L'ak.

In Episode 5 of Star Trek: Discovery , " Mirrors ," Captain Burnham and Book journey into extra-dimensional space in search of the next clue to the location of the Progenitors' power. Meanwhile, Rayner navigates his first mission in command of the U.S.S. Discovery , and Culber opens up to Tilly.

• Cleveland "Book" Booker
• Michael Burnham
• Paul Stamets
• Sylvia Tilly
• William Christopher
• Dr. Hugh Culber
• Moll (Malinne Ravel)
• Breen Primarch

• U.S.S. Discovery -A
• Discovery shuttle
• I.S.S. Enterprise
• Breen warship

In his quarters aboard the U.S.S. Discovery -A, Cleveland "Book" Booker contemplates advice given to him by his mentor and namesake, "No matter how bad things get, the one thing you always have is a choice." Book gazes at a holo of Moll — real name Malinne Ravel, the daughter of his predecessor — certain that she is capable of turning things around just as he had. Aware that Cleveland Booker IV saved his life, Book believes he owes it to him to do the same for his daughter.

With Discovery at Moll and La'k’s last known coordinates, Book makes his way to the Bridge, where Captain Michael Burnham gives the stage to Commander Paul Stamets and Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly. Though it appeared as if the couriers' ship left a warp trail which disappeared into empty space, adjusting the viewscreen to compensate for the Lorentzian coefficient in high-energy spectra reveals the presence of a fluctuating wormhole. Stamets states that it leads to a pocket of interdimensional space and is collapsing and expanding due to matter-antimatter chain reactions, likely caused by the Burn.

Captain Burnham surmises that the next clue resides within the wormhole, and Tilly notes that Moll and L'ak are probably in there, as well. Lieutenant Gallo, Commander Rayner, and Lieutenant Christopher brief the captain — sensors can’t penetrate the aperture, the opening isn’t large enough to fit Discovery’s saucer, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to maintain comms contact. Burnham nods, ordering Lieutenant Linus to prepare a shuttle with boosted comms and fortified shields before requesting that Lt. Commander Gen Rhys place a security team on standby.

"Mirrors"

The captain's declaration that she will accompany Book on the away team draws Rayner's interest, and the two senior officers convene in the Ready Room. The Kellerun first officer expresses his view that he should be the one risking his life to lead the mission. She assures Rayner that she needs him on the ship and refuses to bring additional security with her, citing that the implied threat of armed guards would undermine Book's personal connection to Moll. Recalling the devastating future they had witnessed during the time bug ordeal, Rayner observes that it was only one possible outcome.

Captain Burnham senses there is more to Rayner’s unease and quotes the Ballad of Krul , " Serve it without a grum of osikod ." Though impressed by his captain's reference to Kellerun culture, Rayner still holds back. Burnham theorizes that his concern is related to taking the conn while she's away, and he begrudgingly admits it has been some time since he took the chair from another captain. The first officer makes eye contact, confessing that he doesn’t want his tenuous rapport with the crew to jeopardize the mission. Burnham reassures Rayner that she believes in him, leaving the demoted captain to swallow his protest.

Book joins Burnham to embark on their journey and pilots their shuttle away from Discovery . Relaxation floods the former courier's expression as he notes the craft is "purring like Grudge when she’s killed something." Hoping to emphasize his connection to Moll's father in the event they locate her, Book playfully shifts the conversation to the captain's temporal escapades when the time bug overtook the ship. Burnham makes a "my lips are sealed" gesture, only willing to disclose that she encountered some surprises.

The shuttle approaches the aperture, and Book plans to charge the impulse capacitance cells and release them into the drive coils to give the vessel a boost. Book offers a saying from his own culture, Never return from a hunt without enough bait for the Carrion Reaver . Burnham laughs off the "catchy" phrase, and the shuttle launches toward the wormhole's pulsating light. Turbulence causes the ship to tremble, and a bright flash overwhelms the two occupants.

Commander Rayner observes from the Bridge and is initially greeted by static. Burnham's voice cuts through the interference, informing the first officer that they made it through. Rayner’s relief is short-lived, as Discovery loses the shuttle's comm signal. He orders Stamets to the Science Lab in a bid to boost comms and conveys confidence as he takes the ship to Yellow Alert.

Meanwhile, in the wormhole, exotic matter has rendered the shuttle's sensors and holopadds inoperative. Book and Burnham narrowly dodge debris — "debris is not a good sign" — and spot the smoldering wreckage of Moll and L'ak's ship, or at least half of it. The nebulous environment clouds their vision, and Book wonders if the couriers survived. Burnham stands as she spots another vessel through the murkiness, its I.S.S. markings indicating it originated in the Mirror Universe. Shock envelops the captain's face as she reads its full designation — I.S.S. Enterprise* — and postulates that how the vessel arrived in interdimensional space must be "one heck of a story."

Book sees the Constitution -class starship's battered hull as evidence that it became trapped during a battle, and Burnham declares that it must have been ages ago — crossing from the Mirror Universe has been impossible for centuries. A shipwreck in a hidden wormhole sounds like a secure place to hide the next clue, though the captain is only acquainted with her brother Spock's U.S.S. Enterprise . They glimpse the other half of Moll and L'ak's broken vessel and assume that, if the couriers are alive, they must be on the Terran ship.

Back on Discovery , Tilly tracks an EPS conduit to a panel in Sickbay — after having followed it across three decks, including through the quarters of a new ensign who keeps a Cardassian vole as a pet. Sensing that Dr. Hugh Culber feels troubled, Tilly lets him know that she's always available to talk — at least until Stamets chimes in over the comm system to check on the status of her work. Culber maintains that he is fine and promises to find Tilly later, though his demeanor leaves her unconvinced.

In the Science Lab, Stamets notices that Ensign Adira Tal is undergoing some uncertainty of their own while working on their graviton pulse idea. The ensign rechecks their calculations for a third time, prompting the astromycologist to tell them that the time bug was not their fault. Rayner strolls in with confidence and requests an update on attempts to boost the comm signal. Stamets begins to explain, but the commander interrupts and states that he does not need to know how the cake is boiled. Adira is taken aback by the Kellerun culinary insight — Rayner assures them not to knock it until they try it — but Stamets presses forward with a proposal to hold the interdimensional aperture open. Unfortunately, there's a 43.7% chance that a graviton pulse would cause the aperture to close with the captain and Book still inside. Visibly frustrated, the first officer urges them to get the comm signal back.

Phasers drawn, Captain Burnham and Book enter the I.S.S. Enterprise 's bridge, which is adorned with Terran insignia and dimly illuminated by flickering lights and control panels. Intent on using the ship's sensors to track quantum signatures from the Prime Universe in order to locate Moll, L'ak, and the clue, Burnham pauses when she realizes that Book is standing at the science station — her brother's station, at least on the U.S.S. Enterprise . Though she had never met Spock's Mirror counterpart, she assumes he was just as ruthless as the Terrans.

Using a hack Book had previously applied on an Andorian transport ship, the captain successfully accesses the Enterprise 's sensors, and — after the former courier elicits words of praise from her — they detect that the intermix chamber has been ejected from the warp drive, all shuttles and escape pods are gone, the captain's log was erased, and the crew had apparently abandoned ship. Evacuation is a last resort in Terran culture, but the starship's damage was not terminal. The situation leaves them puzzled, but they turn their attention to the three Prime quantum signatures located in Sickbay — Moll, L'ak, and the clue.

En route to their quarry, Burnham and Book spy bedding, blankets, clothes, and other objects one wouldn't expect to find on a warship strewn about in the transporter room. Book gets a glimpse of the I.S.S. Enterprise 's dedication plaque, which itself bears an unorthodox phrase for Terrans, " Light of hope shines through even the darkest of nights. " The inscription describes the starship’s story, and Book relays that the new Terran High Chancellor had been killed while trying to make reforms. The crew mutinied, escaped, and attempted to shuttle refugees from the Mirror Universe into the Prime Universe, and a Kelpien slave-turned-rebel leader helped them. As she listens to the tale, Burnham picks up a locket and places a piece of her uniform inside of it. The mention of the Kelpien — likely Mirror Saru — catches her attention, and she supposes the crew fled when the ship got stuck within the aperture.

The pair continue on and move through the Terran ship's sparking corridors, only to be confronted by a batch of Moll and L'ak holo-doubles whose phasers are pointed toward Sickbay's entrance. Unable to determine which Moll and L'ak figures are real or target the room's holo emitter from their location, Book and Burnham rush their opponents and dodge a storm of phaser fire. They take out several holographic doubles before striking Sickbay's emitter, and the two couriers' true forms are revealed. Everyone heads for cover, but Burnham's diplomatic appeals don’t sway Moll or L'ak.

Book steps out from his concealed position. The captain follows with her phaser up, but Book tries to relate to Moll via their shared connection with her father. Moll grimaces with pain and anger as she states that Cleveland Booker IV was garbage, and L'ak holds up their bargaining chip — a device containing the next clue. Moll pitches a compromise; if she and L'ak are given a ride out of interdimensional space, they’ll let Starfleet replicate the clue. Burnham counters, bluntly replying that the couriers don’t have the clue. Referring to the decoy stanzas on Lyrek, the captain displays the locket she had procured and notes it has a Prime quantum signature.

The standoff remains steadfast, and Book draws Moll's ire when he guesses the couriers would not risk each other's lives over latinum. The exchange intensifies, and Moll contests that not even the Federation could lift an Erigah . Burnham recognizes the term, stunned to learn that the mysterious L'ak is actually Breen. An Erigah is a Breen blood bounty, and Moll and L'ak clearly hope to exchange whatever is at the end of the clue trail for their freedom. Book questions Moll about what they did to receive such a sentence, and the courier reflects…

…back to one of her regular visits to a busy Breen space station some years ago, where two helmeted Breen investigated one of her deliveries. Moll is unafraid when a third Breen approaches, introducing herself by quipping that she enjoys latinum and long walks on the beach. The Breen responds through his helmet's metallic speech processor, but rather than using the Breen sounds deemed unintelligible by most species, he speaks to Moll in her own language and accuses her of cutting her dilithium shipments with impurities. The human denies the accusation levied by "Green Eye," and the two square off in hand-to-hand combat.

Moll's lighthearted conversation persists even as they fight, and she points out that the Breen's belt insignia indicates he is royalty. Rumors have swirled that the Primarch's nephew — an independent thinker named L'ak — has been demoted to shuttlebay duty. Moll suggests that she can help L'ak get payback and admits she does cut the dilithium, leading the Breen to place her in handcuffs. Moll never relents, pitching that having a partner on the inside would make her operation go smoother. She senses L'ak is intrigued and faces him — she knows what it's like to be on the outside and alone — before slipping out of the cuffs. L'ak ponders why Moll would make a deal with someone she didn't know anything about, and Moll resolves to change that unfamiliarity.

Back in the present, Moll refuses to disclose what she and L'ak did to receive their bounty. Captain Burnham cautions them to not let love lead them down the wrong road, but Moll and L'ak opt to open fire once again. An errant phaser blast strikes a control panel, raising a containment field that traps Burnham and L'ak in Sickbay while preventing Book and Moll from re-entering the room. Book intends to resolve the dilemma with the Bridge's security controls and requests Moll's assistance. She agrees to the temporary truce, but threatens to dust Book if he makes one wrong move. They depart, but L'ak and Burnham stay put and keep their weapons drawn.

In another memory from their time on the Breen space station, L'ak receives payment from Moll and declares that her dilithium is clean. She quietly asks if he’d like to inspect her ship again to make sure she didn’t smuggle any tribbles on board, but L'ak's needs to shine his boots in anticipation of his uncle's upcoming inspection. The Breen clarifies that this isn't a euphemism, as the Primarch really likes their boots to be shiny. Moll thinks his uncle sounds like an asshole and brings up the promise that "Green Eye" had made during her last visit. L'ak delays, but Moll is adamant that he show her what he looks like. Though she has seen his face, she wishes to view his other face. L'ak seems self-conscious, and Moll maintains that both faces are a part of him. L'ak concedes, holding his breath and retracting his helmet to reveal his translucent green features. Moll greets him with warmth…

...however, aboard the Enterprise , Moll's demeanor is icy. She walks defiantly through the ship's corridors and rejects Book's appeals about her father. Aware that Cleveland Booker IV left Moll and her mother, Book shares that his mentor made the difficult choice to stay away from them in order to keep them safe. Moll emits a strained laugh, believing that Book must have his own "daddy issues" to have believed her father's story. Even though her father had promised to get his family off of Callor V and take them to a safe-haven colony in the Gamma Quadrant, he eventually just stopped coming home. Her mother was forced to get a job in the rubindium mines, ultimately falling victim to the harsh conditions when Moll was 14. Left alone, Moll tearfully emphasizes that L'ak is now the only person who matters to her.

Down in Sickbay, L'ak and Burnham retain their suspicious stares. Seated, yet still aiming their phasers at each other, they discuss the "power beyond all comprehension" that the Romulan scientist's diary and the subsequent clues would guide them toward. The captain warns L'ak what could happen if they Breen acquired that technology, and her observation that the Federation is all about second chances seems to resonate with him. Though Burnham promises she'd advocate for Moll and L'ak to serve their time together, L'ak is emphatic — he'd rather die than be separated from Moll.

On the Enterprise 's Bridge, the security system's firewall prevents Moll and Book from accessing the containment field. Moll pounds the console in frustration, but Book takes the opportunity to compare Moll and L'ak’s bond with the one he had shared with Burnham. With the exception of Grudge, who bites him when he doesn't feed her, Michael was the first friend Book made after Cleveland Booker IV died. He apologizes for what Moll endured because of her father and explains his troubled relationship with his own father, though Moll's thoughts continue to drift to L'ak…

…and to their time on the Breen space station. Concealed by a force field among the cargo containers, Moll and L'ak kiss. The human pauses, hesitant to mention that she received a new contract in Emerald Chain territory. L'ak calls Osyraa a butcher, but Moll responds that the Breen Imperium's faction wars don't make this region much safer. Her pursuit of higher paydays is a byproduct of her desire to discover the peace and freedom of the Gamma Quadrant paradise that her father had described. L'ak confesses that he only stays in Breen space because he has nowhere else to go, prompting Moll to propose he leave with her. The sound of footsteps interrupts the tender moment, and the Breen Primarch marches in with two Breen soldiers by his side. He disables the privacy field, his visored face locking eyes with the human.

With the memory of that confrontation fresh in her mind, Moll comes to attention on the Enterprise 's Bridge and knocks open a panel underneath the con. She creates a power surge to burn through the security system and short out the containment field, but her actions cause violent explosions to rock the ship. The Sickbay force field drops, though Burnham’s attempt to block L'ak's exit results in another round of fisticuffs that shatters glass and takes its toll. Book reports that impulse engines are overloaded and nav systems are fried — they have no control over the ship. Discovery 's shuttle becomes dislodged, tumbling away from the Terran ship and leaving the Enterprise eight minutes from impacting the aperture.

Book tries to develop a plan, but Moll aims her phaser at him. Nevertheless, Book is still determined to not let anything happen to Burnham or Moll. As a Kwejian, he lost his planet — everything that he cared about is gone. Though Cleveland was a "shit dad" to Moll, he was a great mentor to Book. In a heartbreaking tone, Book informs Moll that she is the only family he has left. He carefully picks up his phaser but chooses to hand it to her. She reacts with suspicion and directs both weapons toward him. Moll wrestles with indecision but opts not to kill him, a choice which elicits a sigh of relief from Book.

Burnham and L'ak's physical confrontation rages in Sickbay, but the Breen's reliance on a bladed weapon proves to be a tactical error. The Starfleet officer subdues him and retrieves the clue — the locket was a decoy. However, L'ak was inadvertently stabbed with his own blade during the attack. Moll runs in at this unfortunate moment, filled with concern for her partner and rejecting Burnham's plea to get L'ak to Discovery for treatment. Now a mere five minutes from colliding with the aperture, Book and Burnham speed off to the Bridge, leaving Moll to assist L'ak in Sickbay…

…and remember the moment when the Breen Primarch caught them together. As a guard holds L'ak, a second Breen strikes Moll. The Primarch prevents his nephew from intervening, then airs his grievance — L'ak carries the genetic code of the Yod-Thot, they who rule . While the Primarch campaigns for the throne of the Imperium, L'ak has been consorting with "lesser beings." His uncle describes L'ak's use of his more humanoid face as an insult to his heritage. The Primarch retracts his own helmet, gesturing to his translucent visage and proclaiming, " This is Breen." L'ak argues that their ability to change is a sign that both faces are a part of them, but his uncle claims they have evolved past a need for that form — holding it makes L'ak unfocused, inflexible, and weak.

The Primarch reseals his helmet and hands L'ak a weapon. His nephew must kill Moll to gain redemption. Resigned to her death, Moll tells "Green Eye" that their relationship was fun while it lasted, but L'ak elects to shoot the Breen guards instead of her. His uncle allows L'ak to place the phaser at his chest. Swayed by the fact that the Primarch raised him, L'ak only wounds his uncle. Alarms blare through the cargo area, and L'ak urges Moll to flee so that he will know she's safe. The blood bounty that L'ak just earned does not dissuade Moll from wanting him to join her. Holding onto his face, she says they can be happy together. L'ak voices his love for Moll…

…which snaps her back to the present, where L'ak reiterates his love for Moll in the Enterprise 's chaotic Sickbay. However, she is unwilling to give up and vows to get them out of this predicament. Meanwhile, Burnham and Book burst onto the Bridge and intend to activate a tractor beam. Book brightens the Terran light panels — "can’t save the day if we can’t see" — and winks at the captain as he takes the helm.

On Discovery 's Bridge, Commander Rayner asks Christopher for an update on comms. Naya interjects, reporting that something is happening at the aperture. A tractor beam can be seen emanating from within the wormhole, and it is oscillating with a repeating pattern: 3-4-1-4. Rayner grins in understanding and calls Stamets, Adira, and Tilly to the Bridge. The first officer doesn’t just need them to hold the aperture open, he also wants them to make it bigger — large enough for a starship. Discovery isn't going in, but their captain is coming out.

Stamets and the senior staff are perplexed by Rayner's announcement, and the Kellerun's reference to the Ballad of Krul doesn't give them any additional insight. Returning to the task at hand, Tilly affirms that such a procedure would require more energy than the entire ship can safely produce. Rayner pushes them for ideas, promising a cask of Kellerun citrus mash for whoever lands this solution. The Bridge is abuzz with chatter — inverting the deflector array would take too long, discharging the spore reserve would leave them unable to make an emergency jump, and pulling power from gravitational systems would cause everyone to float around… but replacing the photon torpedo payloads with antimatter would add fuel to the reactions already present in the aperture! Adira confirms that hitting it precisely with a sequential hexagonal pattern should keep it open for approximately sixty seconds. Rayner questions why it must be hexagonal, but Stamets points to him in a mischievous manner and notes, "It doesn’t matter. It’ll work." Satisfied, the commander awards the citrus mash to the entire Bridge crew and trusts that they'll make their only chance to succeed count.

As Captain Burnham sits in the I.S.S. Enterprise 's center seat, the ship's computer pronounces that only 60 seconds remain until impact with the aperture. Driven by the perilous countdown, she confesses to Book that he was one of the surprises she encountered while ensnared in the time bug's grip. She reflects on how nice it felt and how happy they seemed. Book offers an appreciative nod, but the pull of the aperture shakes the Enterprise .

On Discovery , Rayner orders a volley of torpedoes to be launched at the wormhole, and their detonations cause the opening to expand and generate even more light. The Enterprise 's tractor beam rattles the ship as it makes contact with Discovery . Book awaits Burnham's order to act and asks if he should "hit it." Captain Christopher Pike's signature phrase draws a quizzical and bemused look from Burnham, who replies, "Feels weird. Let’s just fly." The Terran ship's saucer section begins to emerge from the aperture, and its secondary hull clears it just before it collapses and releases a radiant surge of energy.

A relief-filled Captain Burnham communicates her thanks to Rayner over the comm channel, but she and Book then notify Discovery about a Terran warp pod being fired by the Enterprise . Scans detect two lifesigns and sickbay equipment aboard — Moll and L'ak. The pod launches and jumps to warp before it can be captured, though Rayner hopes to follow their warp signature and put out an alert throughout the fleet.

As the I.S.S. Enterprise and U.S.S. Discovery station themselves opposite one another in deep space, Rayner accompanies Burnham on a stroll through Discovery 's halls and compliments her on her "3-4-1-4" signal. The captain's message had referred to Section 4, Verse 7 of the Ballad of Krul , in which Krul calls to his war brothers for rescue with a repeating drumbeat of three taps, followed by four, one, and four. Although impressed, Rayner has doubts about how the mission played out. Burnham encourages him to take the win and relays that she is ordering Commanders Owosekun and Detmer to head a team and fly the Enterprise back to Federation HQ storage.

Discovery 's crew takes some much-needed downtime in Red's, where Culber follows through on his promise to confide in Tilly. The doctor leans beside her at the bar, and Tilly remarks that the day has left her feeling as if she has been through a gormagander's digestive tract. Highlighting the unique experiences he's had — dying, being resurrected, and staying present in his own body while Jinaal Bix inhabited it during the zhian'tara — Culber can only classify these events as "weird." Coupled with their current quest to find the technology that created life, Culber has found these questions to be both impossible to grasp and exhilarating. Since Stamets hates the unknown, Culber isn't sure how to talk to his partner about these emotions. Tilly advises him that the intellectual and the spiritual are not that far apart in the sense that they each bring understanding and can take you to new places. Initially taken aback by Tilly's use of the word spiritual, the doctor lets his friend's words sink in.

Captain Burnham welcomes Book into her Ready Room as she finishes reading a file on the Progenitors. There's no news about Moll and L'ak's whereabouts, but every ship in the sector is on high alert. She extracts a vial of liquid from the device containing the clue and shares that Stamets is preparing to do a full chemical analysis on it. Burnham secures the third object alongside the other two clues, which Book observes always seem to be presented hand-in-hand with a lesson. The ordeal with the itronok on Trill demonstrated that they valued lifeforms different from their own and the necropolis planet evoked the importance of cultural context, so why did a scientist leave the third clue on a Terran warship? 

The query draws a smile from Burnham, who discloses that the scientist had been a Terran named Dr. Cho — the junior science officer aboard the I.S.S. Enterprise . The captain had Zora search for the names from the vessel's manifest, and most of them had turned up in various Federation databases. The crew did make it to the Prime Universe and started new lives, and Cho herself became a branch admiral in Starfleet. The Terrans had hope, found freedom, and overcame the odds. Burnham supposes that those qualities were the reasons Cho returned to the aperture and concealed the clue on the Enterprise . Perhaps the lesson is that they can shape their future in the same way the Terran refugees had.

Book catches sight of the Enterprise getting underway outside of the Ready Room's viewport, prompting the captain to turn and gaze at the vessel. She brings up the time bug secret she had shared with Book when death appeared imminent, but he grins and acknowledges that they had been happy. Stamets' voice rings out over the comm system to let the captain know he is ready for the vial. Burnham grabs the container and makes her way to the door, but Book wonders what happens when they finally put these clues together. Captain Burnham concedes that she doesn't know, but she can't wait to find out.

* " Mirror, Mirror " — The I.S.S. Enterprise was last seen in this Original Series classic when a transporter malfunction sends the U.S.S. Enterprise crew into a mirror universe.

• Written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco
• Directed by Jen McGowan

"Mirrors" features a dedication:

In loving memory of our friend, Allan "Red" Marceta

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

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

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In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

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Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage

The first model of the USS Enterprise is displayed at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, left, and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, shake hands over the recently recovered first model of the USS Enterprise at the Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, left, and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, view the recently recovered first model of the USS Enterprise at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

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DALLAS (AP) — The first model of the USS Enterprise — used in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series — has boldly gone back home, returning to creator Gene Roddenberry’s son decades after it went missing.

The model’s disappearance sometime in the 1970s had become the subject of lore, so it caused a stir when it popped up on eBay last fall. The sellers quickly took it down, and then contacted Dallas-based Heritage Auctions to authenticate it. Last weekend, the auction house facilitated the model’s return.

Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, said he’s thrilled to have the model that had graced the desk of his father, who died in 1991 at age 70.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” Roddenberry said. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”

AP AUDIO: Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage.

AP correspondent Margie Szaroleta reports on the return of the original model of the USS Enterprise from the TV show “Star Trek.”

Heritage’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said the auction house was contacted by people who said they’d discovered it a storage unit, and when it was brought into their Beverly Hills office, he and a colleague “instantly knew that it was the real thing.”

They reached out to Roddenberry, who said he appreciates that everyone involved agreed returning the model was the right thing to do. He wouldn’t go into details on the agreement reached but said “I felt it important to reward that and show appreciation for that.”

Maddalena said the model vanished in the 1970s after Gene Roddenberry loaned it to makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979.

“No one knew what happened to it,” Rod Roddenberry said.

The 3-foot (0.91-meter) model of the USS Enterprise was used in the show’s original pilot episode as well as the opening credits of the resulting TV series, and was the prototype for the 11-foot (3-meter) version featured in the series’ episodes. The larger model is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The original “Star Trek” television series, which aired in the late 1960s, kicked off an ever-expanding multiverse of cultural phenomena, with TV and movie spinoffs and conventions where a fanbase of zealous and devoted Trekkies can’t get enough of memorabilia.

This USS Enterprise model would easily sell for more than $1 million at auction, but really “it’s priceless,” Maddalena said.

“It could sell for any amount and I wouldn’t be surprised because of what it is,” he said. “It is truly a cultural icon.”

Roddenberry, who was just a young boy when the model went missing, said he has spotty memories of it, “almost a deja vu.” He said it wasn’t something he’d thought much about until people began contacting him after it appeared on eBay.

“I don’t think I really, fully comprehended at first that this was the first Enterprise ever created,” he said.

He said he has no idea if there was something nefarious behind the disappearance all those decades ago or if it was just mistakenly lost, but it would be interesting to find out more about what happened.

“This piece is incredibly important and it has its own story and this would be a great piece of the story,” Roddenberry said.

Thankfully, he said, the discovery has cleared up one rumor: That it was destroyed because as a young boy, he’d thrown it into a pool.

“Finally I’m vindicated after all these years,” he said with a laugh.

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Nbc news now, 'star trek' uss enterprise model found on ebay after nearly 50 years.

The original USS Enterprise model used in the introduction of the show "Star Trek" was found after being missing for nearly 50 years. The model went missing in the 1970s and was found being sold on eBay with a starting bid of $1,000.  April 26, 2024

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• April 28, 2024 | Interview: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Writer Carlos Cisco On Unmasking The Breen And Revisiting The ISS Enterprise
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Interview: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Writer Carlos Cisco On Unmasking The Breen And Revisiting The ISS Enterprise

| April 28, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 36 comments so far

The fifth episode (“ Mirrors “) of season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery was co-written by Carlos Cisco, working with Johanna Lee. Cisco joined Discovery in season 3 as a writers’ assistant, moved up to staff writer during season 4, and is now a writer and story editor in season 5.

In our SPOILERS interview, TrekMovie had a chance to talk to Cisco about getting a chance to expand on some big pieces of Trek lore in “Mirrors” and more.

Can you give a bit of background on your fandom and how you came to work on Discovery ?

I am a huge fan now, but I wasn’t always that way because I didn’t have TV growing up in the ’90s. I had seen some of the original movies, a handful of Next Gen episodes and the J.J. Abrams movies before coming onto Discovery . It was intimidating because didn’t know the franchise really well but I love sci-fi and genre. Once I started on season 3, I began to watch Next Gen episodes and when it became clear we were dealing with Andorians and Orions, our then-staff writer Brandon Schultz suggested I watch Enterprise because that is when they were the most featured and I really came to appreciate it. I had been a huge fan of Jeffrey Combs before any knowledge of Trek, and to find how deep he was in Trek was a delightful surprise. So I watched Enterprise all the way through, I watched all of Next Gen , DS9, TOS, I got up to season 4 of Voyager …

So you did an almost complete binge of the franchise during your first year as a writers’ assistant?

Yeah, I was watching like two to four episodes a day. It was a lot. I am an extremely online person and understand how fandoms work and understand that Trek is the fandom that created the sort of framework for all modern fandom. I also love researching things. I love fake histories of and diving into the lore of something. So yeah, I went through all of it and eventually finished up Voyager during the pandemic and kept on, I am current with all the Trek shows.

Was this just extra obsessiveness because it was your job, or because you were you getting into it?

I really enjoyed Next Generation . Deep Space Nine is among my favorite TV series of all time and the one I go back and rewatch the most because it’s just that good, I love it. I will go back to other ones like if we are referencing it in the room.

Carlos Cisco beamed to the set of Star Trek: Discovery

So having watched it all so recently, did you find yourself as one of the quasi-experts in the room?

Yeah. I would have upper level writers texting me asking like, “What’s something I can inject in here?” Yeah, I became one of the experts in the room. I feel like the most passionate people about a religion are the recent converts, and that became one of my positions in the room. So I was always trying to push how could we recontextualize Trek canon for the 32nd century? How can we better worldbuild each season? That was something that was important to me.

For an episode like “Mirrors,” it must occur to you that you are about to double the page on Memory Alpha for the Breen and also the Kelleruns and even the Mirror Universe. Do you find that exciting or terrifying?

Both. Trek fans, they know their shit. It’s a really terrifying and great responsibility to get to be that additive to canon. The Breen were one of my strongest pushes for the season. Early on a couple of us who were really into the lore were asked for ideas on the season big bads and [staff writer] Eric [Robbins] was pushing for the Vidiians and I was like we should do the Breen.” Because, A: They’re not going to have horrible makeup, and B: We can just put a bunch of big guys in suits and they don’t need to talk. Being mindful of the COVID protocols, the suits and masks would be really great. And then there were all the possibilities for the Breen because in every season Discovery is trying to do something we have never seen before. And getting to unmask the Breen was a really big privilege.

“Mirrors” showed how there was more to just unmasking them with the two faces. Can you talk about the look and inspiration behind that?

I don’t remember where in the process we landed on “gelatinous” but when we hit the art team with that they came back to us with deep sea fish like the Barreleye Fish with a see-through head. We got really excited about that. So we started talking about what is this species? Why do they wear the suits? So, the thing we landed on is they have this soft gelatinous form and also a hardened form. Our thinking was that the Breen came up on a very harsh planet with a harsh environment. So they developed a way to protect themselves which was hardening their outer shell into basically a skin, but that takes an immense amount of concentration and energy, making them slower, more sluggish, less intelligent, basically. Over time, they compensated for that by creating the refrigeration suits. Then culturally, it became anathema for them to display that solid face, especially to outsiders, because it was essentially a sign of weakness.

L’ak in his gelatinous state

This idea of a taboo reminded me of episodes like “The Outcast.” So L’ak is part of a segment of Breen society that chose to go against this norm?

Yeah, I think that the Breen that would do that would be outcasts in their society. We still wanted to leave a lot of mystery with the Breen. One of the most appealing parts of being a writer in Trek, is you can see something that was mentioned once in Trek and go, “I’m going to build a whole episode about this, or a whole character arc that explores this.” The Breen started as a single line in TNG and then got one of the most important arcs in DS9. Getting to build and expand off that of that was really cool.

One quick question: Is this the same Breen ship we saw next to the destroyed Federation HQ in the future in the time travel episode?

Yep, that big honking thing next to Federation HQ is the Breen ship. It’s not a space station, it’s a ship. That was one of the things I was super proud of pitching. I had been looking at Breen ship designs, including the Star Trek Online ones, which were these colossal, city ships that could house entire armies and fleets inside of them. And again, talking about what haven’t we seen and what could we have as our adversary. Like, Osyraa’s ship was big in comparison to Discovery, but we wanted to do something – this thing was just a behemoth. Like a Discovery-sized ship could fly into its shuttle bay.

Using the ISS Enterprise was a way to sort of visit the Mirror Universe again. What came first: a creative way of using the available Strange New Worlds set in Toronto, or the decision to revisit the Mirror Universe?

We were given access the sets so we could pitch ideas that could take place on those sets, whether it is the Enterprise or not. There were a few pitches, like one with an old science vessel from the 23 rd century stuck inside a planet of liquid mercury. And one pitch was it was a Mirror Universe ship sort of trapped like a ship in a bottle, which became the pocket of dimensional space. We even considered fluidic space, trying to bring in one more little reference [laughs]. So once it was settled to do the Mirror ship, the opportunity to define what happened to the ISS Enterprise after the events of “Mirror, Mirror” was really cool.

Was there any talk about also bringing in some Mirror characters?

We had considered Ethan [Peck] as Mirror Spock early on but there might have been availability issues, I don’t know.

Burnham and Book on the ISS Enterprise bridge

So you say you are the lore guy, so how about a nitpick speed round? Starting with: The Breen aren’t supposed to bleed, right?

They don’t have a circulatory system, it’s just the jelly spilling out. I know they don’t bleed! Come on. [laughs]

The solution to open the wormhole was to replace the photon torpedoes with antimatter, but aren’t photon torpedoes anti-matter torpedoes?

I think they were adding more, okay? [laughs]

Final sort of nitpick: Owo and Detmer were tasked with taking the ship back to HQ, but the warp drive was disabled.  We don’t see it go to warp, so are they not going to show up at HQ for years?

In my headcanon, they are being met by a Federation tug, the 32 nd century version of the California-class like the Cerritos. They are heading off to meet them and it will tug them to spacedock. [laughs]

ISS Enterprise leaves for Starfleet HQ

We have talked a lot about lore, but season 3 was a way for the show to kind of jump past all of Star Trek canon. Now in season 5, it feels like the show is reembracing the lore, is that by design?

Yeah, I think the studio and Secret Hideout, [co-showrunners] Alex [Kurtzman] and Michelle [Paradise] all wanted this season to sort of connect Discovery back to the greater body of Trek a little more. That didn’t mean we had to really dig into canon, but there was a greater desire to see what we are familiar with from the past and what it looks like in 32 nd century and how it’s different or how it’s not different, and why. Obviously, this is a season that has focused on an episode from the 24 th century [TNG “The Chase”] and so naturally because of that, every episode focused on the clues is going to be focused on the whims of a 24th-century scientist. So that is naturally going to have more connections back to what people would consider classic Trek.

Discovery is ending and the writers room wrapped up a while ago. Are you hoping to return to the franchise? If there is a second season of Academy , are you hoping to get back to the 32 nd century?

I’d love to, if they’d have me. But if this is the last episode I get to write of Star Trek, I’m very proud that this is my final contribution. I’m hoping to pitch some games to the franchise and stuff like that as well down the line. I’m a game designer on the other side of my career. But yeah, I would love to come back and write for Trek, anytime. We’ll see if that happens.

Finally, last year you played a big part in organizing for the WGA strike, which included rallying Trek writers. Can you talk about that?

Yeah, one of the proudest things I’ve contributed to the franchise didn’t even take place while I was employed on Star Trek. Or [employed] at all. I was a lot coordinator and strike captain. Followers of the strike might remember we did theme days to boost morale and turnout. I, along with fellow captain and Strange New Worlds writer Bill Wolkoff was one of the architects of the Star Trek strike day in May. It was one of the first theme days, and we didn’t advertise. But the turnout from franchise was immense. We had actors, writers, and designers from every single Trek TV show attend. It was, as a fan and a writer, an immensely emotional day and an incredible few hours where folks who worked on the show could fan out on other folks whose shoulders we stand on. There were reunions that hadn’t happened in years and it was a really joyful celebration of the shows we all put our blood, sweat, and tears into.

Carlos Cisco (highlighted) at Star Trek-themed picket day in May 2023 (Photo: JW Hendricks)

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

Note: The interview has  been edited for brevity and clarity.  

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I’m not sure I like the reveal. To me, this is one of those things like the Klingon headridges where I think the mystery was more interesting than the answer they came up with. I so wish Enterprise had not explained the headridges and Worf’s “we don’t discuss it with outsiders” joke in DS9’s “Trials and Tribbleations” was the end-all be-all for it.

Also, the behind-the-scenes thinking and explanation for the Breen doesn’t fit with DS9.

Their idea that the Breen come from a harsh planet and harsh environment is directly conflicted in dialogue by Weyoun, who states the environment of the Breen homeworld is actually normal. In DS9, it gave the Breen a mysterious quality that I think made them stand out.

Good point. Pretty much everything about this episode was badly done.

Frankly, given what a disappointment Discovery seasons 3-5 have been, I truly hope Carlos Cisco and Johanna Lee are not invited back. They just aren’t good writers.

as all Disco writers are…

You dislike all the writers on all current trek shows. Not actually sure what you consider a “good” writer.

Just to be sure, it would be nice if we can put all Disco writers in one big box and ship them to Antartica.

DS9 built up a real mystique about the Breen. To find out that they are really green jello people was a bit anti-climatic.

In fairness, though, what would have been exciting enough as an answer to the mystery? Some things are better left unanswered. It brings to mind Steven Moffat teasing a reveal of The Doctor’s (as in Doctor Who) name, abut then admitting he never would. To parapgrase, he said, “What could it possibly turn out to be? Keith?”

but on the other hand, who trusts anything Weyoun says?

The Typhon Pact books dug into the Breen in an interesting way, and this doesn’t stray too far from that (in some respects) which is refreshing to see.

Two unnecessary reveals in one episode.

Anyone who says DS9 is their favorite show is already alright in my book!

However I did have a lot of problems with this episode. The whole MU connection and it also being the Enterprise just felt beyond a stretch and very unnecessary. And he confirmed what I think a lot of us assumed and that they were able to use the Enterprise sets and just came up with a story around it instead of the opposite and came up with a story first that warranted it. I really wish it was just another Constitution class ship from the prime universe instead of the ham fisted stuff they came up with that added really nothing to the story.

As for the Breen I do like they are using them again since this is a species many fans wanted to see again. I’m torn with the head reveal but OK with it. But would’ve been fine if they didn’t show them.

I also like the idea of using the Vidians too although IIRC weren’t they already cured by the end of Voyager? But this is why it’s fun to go so forward in the future because now you can use species from any part of the galaxy.

And I suspect we will see a lot more of them in the Academy show.

Agreed on all fronts.

agree on everything ;)

Yep Jason Alexander cured the Phage.

Yeah, I don’t think every mystery or open question needs to be answered by our franchises. I don’t understand the compulsion to answer every open question from past series or movies.

Things like the Breen and Bobba Fett were cooler with less said.

yes. for sure. let the secrets be secrets, don’t explain them, create new ones!

The shame of it all, though, is that this just wasn’t a good episode. It was badly written, L’ak and Moll were really boring, and the Breen’s other face was cheesy-looking. This may have been the worst episode of DISCO since the ship left the 23rd century. What a disappointment this season has turned out to be; after two really fun opening episodes, it’s gone downhill fast and has turned into the same padded schlock that was seasons three and four.

You literally complained about the first two episodes when they aired and now you are saying that were great? And you’re making sweeping judgements about a season being disappointing even though you haven’t seen it all? There’s a word for this: trolling.

That’s nonsense, and you know it. I don’t know why you have a bug up your butt about me, but if you don’t like my posts, stop replying to them. I’m clearly not a troll. I’ve been an active member of this group for years.

Also, I just looked up my comments about the early episodes on this board.

Episode 1: “Now THAT was good.”

Episode 2: I made no comment at all.

Episode 3: “Oh, boy. After two stellar episodes, this was one of the worst in the show’s history. If this is setting the tone for the rest of the season, I’m frankly worried.”

So, M1701, when exactly did I “literally complain about the first two episodes when they aired?” It’s pretty clear which one of us is the troll. So get off my back. You don’t out-rank me and you don’t have pointed ears.

I don’t know. I thought it was a very good episode. The pacing was great. I like the added backstory to Moll and L’ak. I found it added depth and meaning to their characters. And I did love that the MU ship was the Enterprise. As a long-time fan of Trek and loving “Mirror, Mirror” – I often wondered what happened to the ISS-E. This was quite satisfying to me to know where she ended up. Being a writer myself (I wrote several episodes or ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK and other series from time to time), I quite enjoyed the story telling here and in this season. I work more in the technical field now but I still write from time to time. Funny enough, I did write a fan fiction years and years ago that find the ISS-E in the future with Mirror Spock at the helm.

Oh neat I used to watch AYOTD when I was a kid good show.

This awful story is what you get when you assign a novice to write this episode. No offense to Carlos Cisco, but the ‘Mirrors’ episode is a huge mess.

The ‘no offense’ made a huge difference indeed… LOL

What they should’ve done with the extra pages they got in the end (to wrap up the series) is go back and ‘fix’ certain things they would’ve done, had they known it was their last episode. Like bringing in Ethan for at least a cameo or recorded log scene and Lorca in the previous one. Would’ve fixed the ‘talk in stead of show’ issues.

Guess we can add the Breen to the list of things the First Splinter did better (a list that already includes the MU).

I still hate the 32rd century, the entire thing completely destroys world building in the Star Trek Universe to me.

If it was the late 25th century or early 26th century, just a difference in Number really, the jump in tech capabilities would be entirely reasonable and no more than from the late 23rd to the late 24th century. All of the things that happened in the meantime, the burn, the reunification of vulcan etc would have all been much more plausible in a shorter period of time and honestly opening the possibility for many more interesting stories to tell. Even the federation continuing on as a shadow of its former self, the way it is presented in the show, would make much more sense if the burn had been just, say, 30 years ago – and not over 100!

Look at how our real world changed just within the last 80 years since WW2, how a society such as Korea could evolve into two completely different cultures, how entire populations were displaced in Europe, yet that reality became totally normal now. In star trek, on the other hand, somehow progress and change completely ground to a crawl, apparently, following the 2400s.

Again, that baffling decision completely destroys world building and plausibility of the events in Disco for me. Such a minor thing as the number of the date has have such profound ramnifications towards the plausibility of the story (which was probably only chose because it was beyond ANY mentioned events in Canon) and it is just so disappointing that this decision has been apparently been made on a whim.

And now they are doubling down with SF Academy. Just leave it in peace and call it an “alternate Timeline/split timeline” or whatever.

This. I just can’t even bring myself to watch Disco anymore (stopped after season 2). Have seen every episode of every other series excluding Prodigy (am getting to that one), but Disco just doesn’t feel like the same universe, and I’m simply not interested.

This episode was damn fantastic and I find Trekmovie’s comments section for this article a bit more wearying than most.

Ah, thank you. The comments here are becoming grumpy central. I liked the episode and this interview was honest and fun.

I love the Trekmovie podcast and the news coverage, but nowadays I do kind of see the Trekmovie comments as obnoxious haters looking for shallow excuses to flex what they think is their creative writing muscle vs. the comments at Trekcore that are a little more down-to-earth and rational. The comments over there are also much more discussion-based as opposed to the reaction-based dramaticism of the jerks over here. I want to be clear, I’m just talking about the comments. Anthony and Laurie’s podcast and this site’s news coverage is one of the shining lights of the fandom in general. It’s just that the comments section make my eyes roll so hard they occasionally fall out.

A. It’s just people giving their opinions. I don’t think people are trying to be ‘haters’ just honest. Yes people are passionate.

B. It’s literally been like this here since 2009. It’s actually better today than a decade ago after STID came out. That was brutal lol.

I liked that TNG mostly didn’t revisit TOS aliens (but when it did, it overused them – see: Klingons — or made them lame – see: Vulcans and Romulans).

I wish Discovery had tried to do its own thing.

Honestly I think it is Enterprise that made the Vulcans lame. Outside of Spock and Sarek we didn’t really even get many Vulcans in TNG

I agree to an extent. That being said I’d rather use an established adversary than invent something new out of whole cloth.

I for one am happy to see the Breen back as they were one of my favorite parts of DS9. I wouldn’t have shown their faces but I like what we got. Im also glad we’re using and expanding on something established as opposed to inventing something brand new. I hope we see the Tholians too as they were name dropped earlier in the season.