star trek picard director

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Director Hanelle Culpepper on Collaborating With Patrick Stewart, Being Part of the Inaugural ReFrame Rise Class

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

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Although Hanelle M. Culpepper has directed episodes of more than 30 shows, it wasn’t until CBS All Access’ “ Star Trek: Picard ” that she got to helm her first pilot. And that was before she joined the inaugural class of the ReFrame Rise program. Now, the sky’s the limit.

Given how many “Star Trek” series there have been, what visual approach did you want to take with the first three episodes of “Picard”?

I wanted it to feel inspired by where Picard was on his emotional journey. He was living in a vineyard; he felt trapped. So I wanted to have a little bit more of a static frame, and then go handheld once his world is rocked [in the pilot]. We switch to handheld cameras pretty much as much as possible after that. It’s “Star Trek,” we have to get those big, cinematic shots with drones and cranes and stuff, but we always wanted to not forget that it’s really a character- driven series with Picard at the heart.

How did you balance that cinematic approach with a character-driven show?

We went for a warmer color palette and a more contrast-y look. I used anamorphic lenses. We embraced flares. We embraced shadows. The main thing [executive producer] Alex Kurtzman wanted was to always see both eyes, so the DP and I worked to make sure that when we came into close-ups, you could see both eyes and all the emotional expressions that the actors were giving.

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What was it like directing patrick stewart in a role that he’s been playing for decades.

Because he was so involved with the writers, a lot of the things that he felt about his character were already incorporated into the script. So for me, it was just about creating the safe space where he could do the things he wanted to do. He was still collaborative with me. But ultimately, it was nice to be in a situation where the actor and the writers are all on the same page for who this character is.

You were part of the inaugural class of the ReFrame Rise program, which was created to help support female directors to advance their careers. What have you seen happen as a result?

It was absolutely thrilling and an honor to be accepted. The other seven women who are in the program with me are all inspirations. What’s so great about it was the commitment to people mid-career. They have these ambassadors, high-level executives all over the industry who’ve made this commitment to supporting this program. Those people go to bat for you, make the call for you. With pilot season, they helped me with preparing for my pilot pitches and making calls on my behalf. I credit them with helping me get the pilot for “Kung Fu.” It gives people less of a reason to say no when you have enough people who are saying, “She’s a good one, you should work with her.”

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By Hanelle Culpepper

Hanelle Culpepper

Editors note: Hanelle Culpepper received an NAACP Image Award nomination earlier this month for her work directing the pilot for CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Picard , which made her the first Black director and first female director to launch a movie or series in the Star Trek universe. The veteran TV helmer, who directed three episodes of Picard ‘s Season 1, has penned a guest column for Deadline about her personal and professional perspective on the industry and the challenges achieving equality.

Two years ago, right about this time, pre-pandemic and pre-BLM summer, I got the call. Alex Kurtzman loved my vision and was entrusting me to guide the return of a beloved hero – Captain Picard. Today, I’m honored to be nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for the Star Trek: Picard pilot .  When I got the job, I didn’t realize that I was the first Black director and first woman director to launch any Star Trek movie or series. Why? It never crossed my mind; I was too busy thinking about the work.

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Yet race and gender always take the headlines, and I’m torn on that. I’ve never strived to be considered a Black female director, but rather a director who happens to be Black and female. People ask me all the time what it’s like to be a Black female director. I don’t really know how to answer that – it’s not like I have anything to compare it to. Do they ask white male directors what it’s like to be them? I work hard, try to evoke and enhance the vision of the script, bring the best out of the actors, frame interesting and unique shots, keep the pace going and do all this while making my days. This is what all directors strive to achieve.

Aesthetically, I enjoy directing everything from cinematic action — superhero shows like The Flash, Supergirl and Gotham — to all kinds of diverse human stories that may not necessarily have anything to do with my race or gender, such as Sorry for Your Loss, NOS4A2, Counterpart and my new pilot Kung Fu . I’m thankful Alex Kurtzman saw in my work a balance of strong visual style and attention to intimate, emotional human moments, both of which were so important for Picard , that he felt comfortable having me take the reins.

Like the Star Trek series that came before, diversity and inclusivity were important to me and the producers. In fact, the NAACP Image Awards are an appropriate venue for honoring the Star Trek universe, because the franchise has been speaking to issues of diversity and representation for well over half a century.

Before creating S tar Trek , Gene Roddenberry was the creator behind an NBC military base drama called The Lieutenant . In it, he strived to portray society and its contemporary struggles in a realistic way, including an episode in which two soldiers – a Black soldier played by Don Marshall and a Caucasian soldier played by Dennis Hopper – got into a racism-fueled altercation. A young Nichelle Nichols played Marshall’s girlfriend in one of her earliest roles.

The Pentagon, who had been assisting the series, refused to support the episode, and NBC yanked it from the air, canceling the series a short time later. Legend has it that a frustrated Roddenberry set his next series in outer space in the distant future at least in part so that he could continue to tell stories about contemporary societal issues, including racial struggles, in a more allegorical manner that would challenge audiences while avoiding the controversy and restrictions had he made the stories more literal. The Star Trek Universe was born.

…Current awareness of representation in front of and behind the camera has increased both the appetite for Black stories and opportunities for Black women directors; Shonda, Ava, Issa — we know these creatives by their first names!

Playing Lt. Uhura in the original series and subsequent movies, Nichols was one of the first Black female actresses to have a starring drama series role in primetime television. When she decided to leave the show after the first season for other career pursuits, it was Martin Luther King Jr. who convinced her to remain in the role, declaring her “a part of history.” The character ultimately inspired generations of young Black children to dream of becoming astronauts, including the first Black female astronaut Mae Jemison.

We continued to see ourselves on screen decades later when Avery Brooks led Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and today, as Sonequa Martin-Green leads Star Trek: Discovery . Additionally, there are the many supporting Black characters we love like Anthony Montgomery from Star Trek: Enterprise , Tim Russ of Star Trek: Voyager , Cirroc Lofton of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and of course Michael Dorn, Levar Burton and Whoopi Goldberg from Star Trek: The Next Generation , and our new favorite, Michelle Hurd from Picard .

The Star Trek Universe’s commitment to diversity and representation is much more than a commitment to showcasing Black characters. Regardless of trends, Star Trek shows and movies have also contained characters of Asian, Hispanic and other underrepresented communities; Star Trek: Discovery currently features a prominent gay relationship among its storylines.

I’m proud to be a part of this tradition and commitment. Even more importantly, current awareness of representation in front of and behind the camera has increased both the appetite for Black stories and opportunities for Black women directors and writers across the industry; Shonda, Ava, Issa — we know these creatives by their first names!

There has been a lot of progress made on the TV side and hopefully we’ll see more on the feature side. We all know the sobering statistics and if you don’t, Google them. The recent announcements that the next installments of big-budget franchises Captain Marvel and Tomb Raider would be led by Black women directors was exciting news and heartening for directors like me who work in that space. When you are constantly confronted by the stats, their successes energize you to keep striving. And so, until true parity is reached, race and gender will and should be a part of the headline because it inspires other Black women to pursue directing and for those of us already doing it, to keep on keeping on.

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“Star Trek: Picard” Director Hanelle Culpepper Charts a Diverse Path in Hollywood

America had its eyes locked on Mars this past week as the NASA rover, Perseverance, landed on the red planet and sent color photos back to Earth. It’s an optimistic step in space exploration that may expand human understanding of the Milky Way, but things don’t rest so peacefully in the galaxy on the first season of Star Trek: Picard .

The latest critically acclaimed series in the Star Trek franchise follows a synthetic attack on Mars that set the planet ablaze and propelled former admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) into retirement. Director Hanelle Culpepper was charged with navigating the fallout that had widespread effects on the galaxy as she sculpted the first three episodes of Picard . Her work on the standout series pilot “Remembrance” landed her a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Director in a Drama Series.

As the first female director to be at the helm of a new Star Trek series, Culpepper had a lot of decisions to make. “We have flexibility, but I think because I and the other creative people I work with are all Star Trek fans, we really love what has come before. It is a matter of taking what has been established and pushing it a bit . You want to expand the canon and add to it.” Like a true Captain, Culpepper relies on her crew. “It is a big undertaking, but you have to surround yourself with a team who appreciates and loves the work as much as you do who also bring their A+ game.”

Of course, the franchise has expanded infinitely and real-life technology has rapidly developed since the original series premiered in 1966. Wireless “communicators” used by Captain Kirk and his crew have become a reality with what we now know as cell phones. That means Culpepper has to keep peering into the future to get a clear signal for what life will be like in 250 years.

She laces each scene with savory sci-fi details even when they aren’t plot-driven. “A lot of those touches that you see are based on giving the audience an authentic flavor of that world and fully immersing them.” The results are incredibly effective. Paired with the gorgeous cinematography and production design, the scenes are truly transcendent. “[We’re] trying to pick what are the details that are interesting for futuristic things. What will we do that’s different? If we’re going to do something that’s the same as we do now, what is a fun way that we can play around with that and give it a future element? It’s a hard balancing act.”

It can be challenging to catch all the spectacular details. Fans may consider it elementary trivia to recite the registry of the USS Enterprise or identify what color a character’s uniform indicates, but no one knows the secrets of an episode quite like the director. Culpepper pointed out a few Easter Eggs that fans may have missed. “Recreating Ten Forward was one of my favorite details,” she said of the ship’s lounge on Picard. “Obviously, that’s not a small thing, but you’re really trying to bring as much from that actual room as possible. We were looking at stuff to bring in details from the poker game that Picard always plays. The flute is buried in his bedroom. His flute is from one of my favorite episodes and you can barely see it.” Culpepper added with a laugh, “I love that his dog is named Number One.”

One of the most special homages to the franchise’s history is a sentimental one that Culpepper planned with care. “Actually, one of my favorite details was when we were trying to figure out what costume he should be wearing and what costume Data should be wearing when we find them. Should they be in the uniform from the movies or from the series? What we went with, Data is in the uniform from the last time that Picard saw him.”

In nearly every scene, Culpepper features sweeping vistas of a gorgeous and sometimes terrible world that’s centuries away. Panoramic views give way to intimate exchanges between characters embroiled in personal and political conflicts. “To me, whenever I read a script, it’s that human story, the humanity of it that grabs me first,” Culpepper revealed. “To me, those wide shots are composed around what is happening to the character as well. They’re a key part of the storytelling. I leave more time in my day for shooting closeups , obviously , because it gives the actor time to warm up. Even if someone is amazing on take one, you just want to go again so they can try to explore different things. In a pilot when you’re establishing characters, the writers want to try different types of performances so we can craft the entire arc of the character. It’s all important, but I love wide shots. I love that scope. And I love jumping right into the character and getting right with them.”

Star Trek: Picard is centered around the Romulans, synthetics, and a wide range of characters beyond humans, but still makes a point to feature a diverse and talented cast. Culpepper reminds us that representation in entertainment can have an impact far beyond Hollywood. “When you learn that Nichelle Nichols inspired a young Black girl to become an astronaut, it really hammers home how images of representation are so powerful. They can change hearts and minds for the better and, sadly as we have also seen, for the worst. I’m always thinking about that when I’m casting and creating these environments. We hopefully have people seeing characters of different races and even different species work together and respectfully settle their differences. I hope that kind of behavior will carry more and more into our own society. “

When asked what it means to be nominated for her second NAACP Image Award, Culpepper points to fellow creators who inspired her work. “I am just always striving to do the very best that I can so that I don’t mess up any opportunities for people who come after me. The true trailblazers came before me.” Oscar Micheaux, Melvin Van Peebles, Spike Lee, Julie Dash, Kasi Lemmons, and Robert Townsend are just a few who influenced her creative journey. “They’re the true trailblazers and I’m just following behind them to make sure the weeds don’t grow again. Keeping that path clear for any directors coming up after me.”

Culpepper steadfastly bears the torch of telling stories from diverse perspectives. She’s currently in the casting phase of the upcoming film 1000 Miles based on the real-life slave couple, Ellen and William Craft, who made a daring escape to freedom in the 1800s. “[Ellen] could pass for white, so she dressed as a white man and her husband as her slave,” Culpepper explained. “They traveled first class on trains and steamers and arrived in the north and got to freedom on Christmas Day. As exciting and as tense as that journey was, even when they got to freedom, their story doesn’t end. Two years later, you get the Fugitive Slave Act where slave owners were able to send people to the north to bring their slaves back home, so the Crafts were on the run again. It’s just one of many true stories from Black history that haven’t made it onto the silver screen.”

Whether the script stems from history or an imagined future worlds away, preparation and research are the primary ingredients in Culpepper’s captivating stories. “When you’re doing something historically based, then it is just a lot more digging deep into all those little details that would be true to that time. Some of it the audience won’t even notice. It will just feel right as they watch it. Part of the reason why it will feel right is because when the actors go into this space, it feels right for them. As much as I can transport them back into that time, that gives us even more from their performance, which then, of course, brings the audience even deeper into that time.”

Culpepper’s body of work is strikingly varied. Just before the pandemic hit, she was four days into shooting her upcoming pilot, Kung Fu . The project emphasizes her range that includes credits on N0S4A2 , Criminal Minds , and Supergirl. “It really would make my life less complicated if I just loved one genre and I could just be an expert on that genre,” Culpepper joked. “Ultimately, that’s why I became a director, right? I became a director so that I could spend time in other shoes and other worlds. The audience gets to do that when they tune in for two hours of a movie or the 42 minutes of a TV show. But as a director, I get to live in that world for weeks or months, or even years. I get a chance to step into a completely new world for a while.”

Season one of Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on CBS All Access and the NAACP Image Awards are presented on BET Sunday, March 27 at 8:00pm/7:00pm CT.

Featured image: Hanelle Culpepper and Patrick Stewart. Photo Cr: Trae Patton/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelle has written about film and TV for The Credits since 2016. Follow her on Twitter @molaitdc for interviews with really cool film and TV artists and only occasional outbursts about Broadway, tennis, and country music. Please no talking or texting during the movie. Unless it is a musical, then sing along loudly.

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Star Trek: Picard -- trailer, cast, plot, release date and more

Patrick Stewart beams back into the world of Star Trek as Jean-Luc Picard. Here's all the latest news on the cast, plot, release date, prequels and dog.

He's coming back.

Patrick Stewart is going where no Starfleet captain has gone before: into his very own series, decades after wrapping up his original Star Trek run. He'll have a furry companion, old crew mates along for the ride and plenty of new characters to contend with.

Caution: There may be minor spoilers below.

Star Trek: Picard , a CBS All Access streaming show, will debut on Jan. 23, 2020. The show follows on the heels of Star Trek: Discovery , but the two series take place at very different points in the Trek universe. 

CBS All Access is feeling pretty confident about the show. It has already been renewed for season 2 . (Disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CNET.)

A  trailer  for Picard came out of San Diego Comic-Con  in July, and it was a surprise-packed doozy. The trailer revealed that Star Trek icons Brent Spiner (Data) and Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) will appear in the new series. 

Picard will hook up with a new non-Starfleet crew in a quest to protect a mysterious woman named Dahj (Isa Briones) who comes to him for help. The Borg, one of the most imposing Star Trek villains ever created, will play a role in the plot.

Jonathan Frakes (William Riker) and Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi)  will appear in Picard as their Next Generation characters. We also know Jonathan Del Arco will reprise his role as Hugh the Borg.

A teaser trailer beamed in on May 22, 2019 , shows that Jean-Luc Picard, who was promoted to admiral, led a rescue armada on a mysterious mission 15 years prior to the show's events. He then left Starfleet, leaving us to wonder what prompted his exit and why he's reappearing now. 

CBS first revealed the official Star Trek: Picard name on May 15 and posted a look at the show's logo. The Starfleet logo takes the place of the "A" in Picard. 

A Star Trek: Short Treks episode Children of Mars set up some backstory for Picard, highlighting attacks from "rogue synths" on Mars while Picard was still a Starfleet admiral. The main series should fill in the blanks here.  

NYCC drops hints

This Seven of Nine costume explainer talks about the former Borg member's changes over the years.

New York Comic Con in October 2019 quickly became a hot spot for mining new details on Picard . 

Star Trek had a booth on the convention floor stocked with costumes and a few character details related to the new show. 

A set of descriptions explaining the costuming didn't give us much news about our admiral, but one of them clued us in to what former Borg member Seven of Nine has been up to since the events of Star Trek: Voyager. 

"Seven of Nine has become more comfortable with her humanity in the intervening years," the description read, saying this is represented in her "more casual, stylish and decidedly human clothing."

We also learned the mysterious Dahj arrives at Picard's vineyard in France "with a cut on her head and a strong feeling she can trust Picard implicitly."

A pup for Picard

Stewart and CBS revealed the key art for the show on July 10, just ahead of the star's appearance at San Diego Comic-Con .

The official #StarTrekPicard key art is here. Will you be joining @SirPatStew at @Comic_Con next week? #SDCC #StarTrekSDCC pic.twitter.com/sf7ZnDmXlL — Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) July 10, 2019

The dog, a pit bull, is particularly notable. Zoom in on its ears. They may have been cropped, but they also look a lot like pointy Vulcan ears. Stewart is known for his work fostering rescue dogs. His most recent foster, Emma, is a pit mix with cropped ears.

“No Emma, I’m NOT going to give you any plot details...” #startrek #fosteringsaveslives #adoptdontshop #pitbullsarelove #pitbullsarefamily #adoptmissemma pic.twitter.com/Zwbh04Zlkp — Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) April 11, 2019

Stewart shared a photo of Emma along with his hidden Picard rehearsal script in April. The dog in the poster sports a Starfleet emblem tag on its collar and his name is now confirmed as "Number One." 

Revisiting Jean-Luc Picard

Stewart, who on Jan. 13 created an imprint for display at the iconic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, has a long history with the Star Trek franchise. He first warped into the iconic role of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise with the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. That means Stewart will be back in Picard's shoes more than 30 years after originating the role. He last appeared on screen as Picard in the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis .

More Picard

• Picard trailer -- possible reasons Captain Picard left Starfleet
• Picard memes: Patrick Stewart's best viral Star Trek moments
• The Next Generation finale has me pumped for new Picard series
• Picard is the hero we need, says Star Trek writer Michael Chabon

He's been plenty busy in the meantime, continuing his role as Professor X in the X-Men movies , up through a farewell performance in 2017's  Logan . He has a lot of voice acting credits to his name, including Poop in The Emoji Movie . Fans can also catch him as Bosley in a 2019 version of Charlie's Angels .

Stewart announced the new Picard series in August 2018 at the Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas. He called his return "an unexpected but delightful surprise" and said he hopes "to research and experience what comforting and reforming light [Picard] might shine on these often very dark times."

Who's making Picard? 

Stewart is doubling as an executive producer along with Alex Kurtzman, the creator of Star Trek: Discovery. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon is on board as an executive producer and writer. Chabon described Picard as "the hero we need right now."

Stewart shared a behind-the-scenes photo in September 2018 from a Picard meeting where he's sitting with Chabon and other members of the show's production staff. Stewart has been involved with the writing for the show from early on.

The journey has begun. Kirsten Beyer, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, Diandra Pendleton-Thompson, James Duff, and yours truly. #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/GxhwkTIgWQ — Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) September 24, 2018

Hanelle Culpepper will make history as the first woman to launch a new Star Trek television show. Culpepper directed the first two episodes. She has an extensive TV resume, which includes Star Trek: Discovery, The Flash and Gotham.

Frakes, who will appear as Riker in the show, has a long career as a director that includes multiple Star Trek franchise entries on both the big and small screens. He directed some episodes of the new series. Frakes posted a photo of himself with Stewart to Twitter on May 21, 2019, and tagged Star Trek on CBS.

Back on the floor w this guy ⁦ @SirPatStew ⁩ ⁦ @startrekcbs ⁩ pic.twitter.com/zPvHltPUts — Jonathan Frakes (@jonathansfrakes) May 21, 2019

The Picard plot

CBS and Stewart had kept pretty quiet on the details of the show's plot until the teaser and full trailer arrived. We already knew it takes place around two decades after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. 

The teaser lays out a big plot point when a voiceover says Admiral Picard commanded a rescue armada that "led us out of the darkness" 15 years before the series picks up. It asks the questions: What did it cost him and why did he leave Starfleet? That's a huge cliffhanger to contemplate ahead of the show's debut.

The Star Trek: Picard poster shows a Starfleet logo formed from grapevines.

Both the teaser and trailer start in a vineyard, which is a callback to the final TNG television episode in 1994, All Good Things  that showed one possible future Picard working in a vineyard in France. That Picard had become an ambassador. We know the Picard in the new show was promoted to admiral at some point.

A poster for the series shows a vineyard with the Starfleet logo formed out of grapevines along with the catchphrase "The end is only the beginning."

Picard's history ties strongly in with the Romulans. "Picard's life was radically altered by the dissolution of the Romulan Empire," Kurtzman told The Hollywood Reporter . 

The 2009  Star Trek  reboot movie covered the demise of the planet Romulus at the hands of an exploding star in 2387. Could this event have been the focus of Picard's rescue armada? 

The reboot movies take place in the alternate Kelvin timeline, but Picard is firmly located in the prime Star Trek timeline, in the lineage of the TV shows that came before it.

"We're in the prime timeline. Events from the Kelvin timeline impacted Picard. If you look at that movie, the destruction of Romulus was in the prime timeline," Kurtzman clarified during a Television Critics Association press event in January .

Picard has a complicated history with the Romulans. In Nemesis, he tangled with a Romulan clone of himself. 

The trailer features a Borg ship that may be acting as a prison vessel staffed by Romulans. A sign says it has gone 5,843 days without an assimilation.

Don't expect a mere reboot of The Next Generation. "Patrick was very clear to us in the beginning. He didn't want to repeat what he had already done. And by the way, it's been 20-plus years, so he couldn't possibly be that same person anymore," Kurtzman told reporters in January 2019 .

We have a lot of questions about what Picard has been up to all those years, and some of them were answered in a series of prequel books . CBS, Simon & Schuster and comics publisher IDW released Star Trek: Picard -- Countdown, a three-issue comic book miniseries in November. This focused on a life-changing mission for Picard.

A full Picard tie-in novel called The Last Best Hope is due in February 2020. Una McCormack, author of several Star Trek novels, is the author of the book.

Picard's place in Trek

Stewart's Picard took on the weight of Star Trek's future when he stepped up to captain the Enterprise-D. Until then, the Trek universe had revolved around the original crew led by Capt. James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner. Kirk and the gang had re-emerged from the shadow of the original series' cancellation in the '60s and were born again through a string of successful movies starting in 1979. 

Stewart's character couldn't have been more different from the leap-into-action, kiss-the-aliens Kirk. Picard created a new mold for Starfleet captains. His Picard was cerebral, wise and measured, but also passionate. If you need a reminder, watch his defense of android crew member Data as a sentient being in the season 2 episode Measure of a Man.

How to watch

Star Trek: Picard will debut on Jan. 23, 2020. It'll stream in the US on CBS All Access and on the Space Channel in Canada. Internationally, Amazon Prime Video will host each episode within 24 hours of the US premiere in over 200 countries and territories. That's a change from how Discovery is distributed internationally through Netflix.

Star Trek: Picard unveils first look at costumes, props at San Diego Comic-Con

Meet the cast

We all know the star of the show, and more casting details are emerging. We're still waiting for several character names to be confirmed.

• Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
• Santiago Cabrera  as Cristobal "Chris" Rios
• Michelle Hurd  as Raffi Musiker
• Alison Pill  as Dr. Agnes Jurati
• Harry Treadaway  as Narek
• Isa Briones as Dahj
• Evan Evagora as Elnor
• Brent Spiner  as Data (or a related android)
• Jeri Ryan  as Seven of Nine
• Jonathan Del Arco  as Hugh the Borg
• Jonathan Frakes as William Riker
• Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

15 famous Star Trek guests who brought their own star power (pictures)

Originally published May 17 and updated regularly as more information on Star Trek: Picard comes in.

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Season 1 – Star Trek: Picard

Where to watch, star trek: picard — season 1.

Watch Star Trek: Picard — Season 1 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

Anchored by the incomparable Patrick Stewart, Picard departs from standard Starfleet protocol with a slower, serialized story, but like all great Star Trek it tackles timely themes with grace and makes for an exciting push further into the final frontier.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Patrick Stewart

Jean-Luc Picard

Isa Briones

Alison Pill

Agnes Jurati

Santiago Cabrera

Cristobal "Chris" Rios

Michelle Hurd

Raffi Musiker

Harry Treadaway

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Tv news & guides, this show is featured in the following articles., season info.

Lea Thompson on directing Star Trek: Picard and her plan to make a Howard the Duck sequel

Actor and director Lea Thompson reveals she’s pitched a Howard the Duck follow-up to Marvel and hopes her experiences directing Star Trek: Picard might help make it so

Studio Publicity Still from "Howard the Duck", which starred Howard the Duck and Lea Thompson © 1986 Universal Pictures File Reference # 32633 900THA Photo: PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Lea Thompson straddles three of the biggest entertainment franchises of all time.

She is perhaps most famous for playing Lorraine McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy. Remember, the mother who has a crush on her time-travelling son? And 47- and 77- year old versions of the character across the films.

Then she starred in an early Marvel Comics adaptation, which became one of the most infamous films of all time.

Before the MCU came to dominate cinema, there was the quackers attempt to bring Howard the Duck to the big screen in 1986.

Although it drew on a Marvel character and was produced by George Lucas, Howard the Duck failed to take off in quite the same way as Star Wars did, due to its incredibly bizarre tone and not so special SFX.

But over time, the film about the foul-mouthed fowl with its feathery sex scenes has become a cult favourite.

In recent years, Thompson has moved behind the camera. She directed two episodes of the second series of Star Trek: Picard , which has not long concluded. In the episodes she helmed, the crew happen to go back to their past, which is still our future, Los Angeles of 2024.

Star Trek is a big gig, but Thompson told The Big Issue why she really wanted to direct on the show.

“I actually went into Marvel with a pitch,” she said.

“That’s part of the reason I’ve been doing these big, special effects jobs. I want to prove to them that I could direct one of those movies.”

Thompson said that she’s surprised about how many people tell her that they still love watching Howard the Duck.

She continued: “I’d love to do, not a reboot of Howard the Duck, but a new version now that they have the technology that would make Howard the Duck much better.”

So what was the pitch she took to Marvel?

“I can’t tell you my pitch! Can’t do it, not doing it.”

But she confirmed that Marvel have some plan for the character who has already popped up in the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Thompson said: “They don’t want any of those characters to go to waste. There’s just too much money to be made.”

Of course, another direct link between Star Trek and Marvel is Sir Patrick Stewart . Alongside Captain Jean-Luc Picard, his most famous character is X-Men leader Charles Xavier, who he played most recently in SPOILER ALERT!

Lea Thompson talked about what it was like to work with the acting legend and how a visiting director engages with characters and plots that have a history of decades.

She said: “I’ve acted a lot. So my first thing is that you don’t say ‘your character wouldn’t do that’. Then you’re dead.

“Like, I’m going to tell Sir Patrick Stewart, I don’t think that your character would do that?!

“It’s about creating a space that gives them the most fertile environment so that they can do the best job. Don’t wear them out with too many takes. Be an ally and a good audience, make them feel comfortable. That’s something I know a lot about since I’ve been working in the business for 40 years.

Thompson added: “What I got from Patrick was mostly just that some people are just stars. You put the camera on and you just can’t take your eyes off them.

“That’s who Patrick is. His voice is amazing. He has so many levels of delicious emotion that makes him just completely fascinating to watch.

“I enjoyed every minute of working with him. He’s got such a great sense of humour, such a sense of excitement about the day and about working with new young people. And he cares so much about the work. He wasn’t jaded one bit.”

Not gonna lie…We had a blast making episode 3 of #startrekpicard ! BQ had some fun too 😉 Directed masterfully by the time traveling @LeaKThompson ! Also. How AMAZING is Ms Alison Pill?! 🙌🏻👏🏻🙌🏻 #Picard #BorgQueen pic.twitter.com/1icLif8ap5 — Annie Wersching (@Wersching) March 19, 2022

Directing episodes of Star Trek was a dream come true for Thompson, especially because she got to address big issues.

“The little flaming liberal in me loved Star Trek when I was a little girl. I love that science fiction can use the future to talk about the present. And so I felt completely lucky to be able to talk about racism in America in Star Trek: Picard.”

Thompson directed the third and fourth episodes, in which Picard and his posse travel back in time. A new incarnation of a favourite character is also introduced.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Whoopi Goldberg played wise El-Aurian barkeep Guinan. In the LA of 2024 she’s played by Ito Aghayere.

Thompson said: “I had this new, beautiful, amazing actress and it was her first time on the show. I felt lucky to be able to be her advocate and to help her be comfortable with what she had to say. Because it was specific about racism and how she felt about it.

“It’s a lovely time now where people are more respectful of how minorities are represented and care about their voices being heard. In my business, representation makes the story more interesting.

“Because a pretty white girl and a pretty white guy falling in love? We’ve seen that story a lot. It’s more interesting if the girl is a little heavyset, the guy’s East Indian.

“I feel lucky to be able to represent women and be an ally for other people that are marginalised.”

Lea Thompson appears in new romantic comedy Unplugging. The film stars Eva Longoria and Matt Walsh who play a could trying to reboot their marriage by cutting themselves off from technology.

Lea Thompson plays a prepper, who she describes as a grown up version of the character she played in Red Dawn. There will be more from Lea Thompson about that in The Big Issue magazine next week.

But until then… Star Trek: Picard leading to a Howard the Duck sequel? Make it so.

Unplugging  is on Digital Platforms 13th June

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‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 Cast and Character Guide (Photos)

Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise embark on one final adventure in space

The crew of the “U.S.S. Enterprise” reunites for one final mission in Season 3 of “Star Trek: Picard.”

It marks the first time the entire cast from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (“TNG”) — Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton and Michael Dorn — have reunited on screen since 2002’s “Star Trek Nemesis.”

See what your favorite “TNG” cast members look like now.

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard

Now retired and residing at his family vineyard, the Starfleet admiral is called into action for one final mission after receiving a distress call from Beverly Crusher.

Aside from Picard, Stewart is best known for playing Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” movie franchise. His character recently crossed over to the MCU, appearing as a member of the Illuminati in “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.”

Jonathan Frakes as William Riker

Picard calls upon his former first officer for assistance. Riker, no longer in command of the U.S.S. Titan and needing some time away from his family, jumps at the opportunity.

After “TNG,” Frakes appeared in numerous shows and hosted “Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.” He’s also a prolific director, with episodes of “Roswell,” “The Librarians,” “Star Trek: Discovery” and even “Picard” under his belt.

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

Troi is the former ship’s counselor and is married to Will Riker. They have a daughter, Kestra. As a half-Betazoid, she is able to read the emotions of others.

Sirtis (and Frakes) voiced lead roles in the animated series “Gargoyles.” She’s appeared in numerous shows in the U.S. and U.K. including “NCIS.” She reprised the role of Troi in Season 1 of “Picard.”

Brent Spiner as TBD

Data, the beloved android who served on board the Enterprise and perished in a battle against the Romulan warlord Shinzon. Whether Spiner is playing Data, his evil brother Lore, or some other being is to be determined.

Although his character Data was killed in “Nemesis,” Spiner has played various characters with familial connections to Data in other “Trek” series and films. He’s also known for playing Dr. Okum in the “Independence Day” films.

Michael Dorn as Worf

Worf is the former Enterprise security chief. Despite being raised by humans, his Klingon heritage imparts a strong sense of honor, particularly in battle.

After “TNG,” Dorn joined the cast of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” He’s appeared in more “Trek” shows than any other character. He’s also lent his voice talent to numerous shows.

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

La Forge is the former Enterprise chief engineer. He is currently running the Starfleet museum. He also has two daughters in Starfleet.

Prior to “TNG,” Burton was the beloved host of “Reading Rainbow.” There was a campaign to have him replace Alex Trebek as the host of “Jeopardy,” and he even guest-hosted. Like Frakes, Burton has directed numerous episodes of “Trek” series.

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher

Crusher is the former Enterprise chief medical officer. She lost contact with her crewmates but reaches out to them in a time of need. She and Picard had a former romantic relationship that became a close friendship.

McFadden starred in “Marker” and “Mad About You” after her stint on “TNG.” She’s also reprised the role of Dr. Crusher on “Star Trek: Prodigy.”

Jeri Ryan as Annika Hansen/Seven of Nine

After being rescued from the Borg, Seven joined the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager. She later joined the Rangers, a space vigilante group, before re-enlisting in Starfleet. She is currently the first officer on the U.S.S. Titan, where she goes by Annika Hansen, her human name before assimilation.

Ryan wasn’t a part of the “TNG” cast. She joined “Star Trek: Voyager” in 1997. Her character was extremely popular, and she reprised her role in Season 1 of “Picard.” After “Voyager” Ryan starred in “Boston Public.”

Michelle Hurd as Raffaela “Raffi” Musiker

Musiker served with Picard late in his Starfleet career but burned out. She eventually helped him root out Romulan spies. She re-enlisted in Starfleet and joined the U.S.S. Excelsior crew, but has since taken on a special mission.

Hurd is best known for playing Monique Jeffries in “Law and Order: SVU” and Ellen Briggs in “Blindspot.”

Amanda Plummer as Vadic

Very little is known about the villainous Vadic. She captains the warship Shrike and has a grudge against Picard and the Enterprise crew.

Plummer, the daughter of legendary thesp Christopher Plummer, had had a long career on stage and screen. But her most memorable role might be playing “Honey Bunny,” one of the restaurant robbers in “Pulp Fiction.”

Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as Sidney La Forge

La Forge is the eldest daughter of Geordi La Forge and the helmsman on the U.S.S. Titan.

Chestnut has had recurring roles in “Rap Sh!t” and “NCIS: Los Angeles.”

Todd Stashwick as Liam Shaw

Shaw is the no-nonsense captain of the U.S.S. Titan. He took over command from Will Riker. He previously served on the U.S.S. Constance, one of 40 ships destroyed in the Battle of Wolf 359 against the Borg and an assimilated Picard.

Stashwick is no stranger to the “Trek” universe, having appeared in “Star Trek: Enterprise” as Talok. He appeared in the sci-fi show “12 Monkeys” from 2016-18.

Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher

Speleers’ character is the son of Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard. He never knew his father while growing up.

Speleers played the title role in the fantasy film “Eragon,” and had a memorable stint playing Jimmy the handsome footman on “Downton Abbey.”

Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren

Ro served aboard the Enterprise as an ensign before defecting to the Maquis. She is back with Starfleet working in the Intelligence division. She is sent to interrogate Picard and Riker for treason.

Forbes previously appeared on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Battlestar Galactica.”

Mica Burton as Ensign Alandra La Forge

Alandra is the youngest daughter of Geordi La Forge who works with her father at the fleet museum. She has an interest in engineering.

Burton is the real-life daughter of castmember LeVar Burton.

Daniel Davis as Moriarty

Moriarity was a hologram created to be a foil to Data’s Sherlock Holmes. He gained sentience and outwitted the Enterprise crew. Eventually, he was placed in a memory module to continue running but appears to have escaped his program.

Davis is best known for playing Niles, the sharp-tongued butler on “The Nanny.”

Tim Russ as Tuvok (doppleganger)

Tuvok was the former security officer aboard the U.S.S. Voyager. Seven of Nine turns to her former crewmate for information about the kidnapped Captain Riker.

Elizabeth Dennehy as Elizabeth Shelby

Admiral Shelby is the commander-in-chief of the U.S.S. Enterprise F during the Frontier Day celebration. She previously served aboard the Enterprise D during the Federation’s earlier encounter with The Borg.

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Director Lea Thompson Enters The Ready Room

The time traveling director details the latest episode of Picard.

Spoilers for season two of Star Trek: Picard to follow!

On this week's installment of The Ready Room , Wil Wheaton is joined by director Lea Thompson to discuss Star Trek: Picard , plus a closer look at a major returning character in today's episode!

Star Trek: Picard streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed concurrently by Paramount Global Content Distribution on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

'Picard' director Lea Thompson on the making of one of Star Trek's scariest scenes

The  Back to the Future   star-turned-director reveals how she took Captain Picard on a very scary trip back in time.

Comedy and horror are, tonally, hard to pull off in any hour of television. And that's especially true if it's on Star Trek. But, with her recent episode of Star Trek: Picard , Lea Thompson makes it look effortless.

"Assimilation", directed by Thompson ( Back to the Future ), is the third episode of Picard 's very entertaining second season and it takes audiences on a slingshot around the sun, Star Trek IV -style, on a mission through time back to 2024 Los Angeles. Once there, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Raffi (Michelle Hurd) engage in a comical, fish-out-of-water, "who's on first?"-esque routine with a dim security guard, while Patrick Stewart's Picard and Allison Pill's Jurati struggle to steal vital information from the mind of the scariest villain in Trek history: The Borg Queen (Annie Wersching, the third actor to play the iconic baddie). That tonal tightrope requires navigating both the demands of a complex narrative and the even more complicated canon of Star Trek , but Thompson was more than game for the challenge. Ironically, she wasn’t even supposed to have time travel in her episode.

“Originally, when I first got the script [for the third episode], I didn’t get to take them back in time. It was all supposed to happen in episode two,” Thompson tells SYFY WIRE. “But due to rewrites or whatever, I got to do the part when they go back in time. Which made me so happy, because I was like: ‘I did Back to the Future . I’m a time travel expert!”

Her first trip through time by way of Star Trek required her to find a way to make what is a very tried-and-true trope of the franchise look unique visually and also feel emotionally resonate. Lucky for us, Thompson found a way to do it in post, resulting in one of the most beautiful visuals Trek has ever done: Sparks rain down from the ceiling of the La Sirena, only to start moving backwards once the crew break the laws of physics.

“I can definitely say I came up with that” Thompson says. The tear rolling backwards up Jurati’s cheek was also Thompson’s addition to the scene.

“Time travel is such a big part of the Star Trek canon," Thompson adds. "There are so many different ways of taking them back in time, and I was really grateful to [Executive Producer] Akiva [Goldsman] and [showrunner and Executive Producer] Terry [Matalas] because they do have respect for the director, and they were like: ‘Do the way you think you want to do it.’ But I was really happy that they kept my ideas there.”

Another noteworthy moment in the episode is where the scary stuff comes in to play, when Jurati infiltrates the Borg Queen’s mind. It’s just the two of them, and a worried Picard, in a dark room with the Borg Queen’s signature green hue. Which adds to the scene’s very unsettling tone. Thankfully, the show never takes on a CG tour of whatever brain vault Jurati is raiding, or a more economically viable alternative, like Pill running around a maze of hallways choked with smoke machine fog. The script’s minimalist approach creates a surplus of tension, one that hangs over both the characters and the audience. 

Part of the big draw for Thompson in helming this sequence was joining the handful of directors lucky enough to have a scene with Borg royalty: Locutus (Stewart) and the woman that wanted him to be her counterpart in the Collective.

“I was so excited to work with the Borg Queen,” Thompson says, “specifically with Annie, who was just trying to figure it all out still when I started working with her, trying to find how to be that character, which is really difficult. This is a big character, and I think she created such a big character so subtly, she is great. And the way Akiva and Terry and Alex have come up with such a beautiful way into this character, and her relationship with [Jurati], who is just drawn to the Queen. They are just drawn to each other. And the fact that, Patrick, who was Locutus, is also drawn to her — it’s emotional. It’s not just a plot device.”

With Wersching being the third actor to play the Queen, albeit in a new iteration, and this being the first time Thompson ever worked with the character, both actor and director relied on each other to shape this tricky scene. It’s the big set piece of the episode, one that culminates with a leg-less Borg Queen scurrying on the floor while staring down a pensive (but also somewhat enamored) Jurati.

“It’s a really, really creepy scene. I can’t wait to see it, I haven’t seen the final episode yet, so I’m really excited to see what the incredible visual effects team has done.”

The scene, according to Thompson, was also really difficult to light and conceive.

“Crescenzo Notarile, the DP, we had such long discussions about the lighting of the episode, which for that set, is extreme. That set is huge, and we had to go through all these lightning changes — for when they whip around the sun and go back in time — we really took a lot of time, and a lot of thought, and a lot of effort on the part of the grip and electric crews, to figure all that out. The flashing lights, and the sparks, and the strobes… it took a very long time. When you come [to set] and see on your call sheet that you’re gonna [shoot] like one-eighth of a page [of script] all day, when you’re normally doing like six or seven, you’re like: ‘Good. Because we have a lot to do.’”

And there’s even more for Thompson to do in the fourth episode of this season, which airs next week. If it’s even half as good as “Assimilation,” fans are in for another great hour of Trek .

New episodes of Star Trek Picard drop Thursdays on Paramount+.

Watch Resident Alien

• Back To The Future
• Lea Thompson
• Patrick Stewart
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Picard
• Star Trek: The Next Generation

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Star Trek: DS9 Guest Star Was Almost TNG's Captain Picard

• Armin Shimerman reveals Stephen Macht was second choice for Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• Macht portrayed Bajoran General Krim on Deep Space Nine, leading a coup against Starfleet to gain control of the station.
• Although Macht lost out on the role of Picard, he played Krim with diplomatic honor and made a memorable adversary on DS9.

It's hard to imagine anyone else besides Sir Patrick Stewart in the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation , but a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest star was almost cast as the Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, according to DS9 's Quark actor Armin Shimerman. As a hub of activity near the Bajoran wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, the Deep Space Nine station was host to many Bajorans, Starfleet officers, and colorful visitors, so it's not surprising that casting directors might turn to actors who had previously auditioned for Star Trek roles to portray Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's recurring characters and guest stars.

As the director of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 1, "Encounter at Farpoint", Corey Allen was able to offer input regarding the casting process for TNG . Allen went on to direct 4 more episodes of TNG and 4 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , including DS9 season 2, episode 2, "The Circle". When it came time to cast actors for the guest roles in "The Circle", it's possible that Star Trek director Corey Allen referred back to the shortlist of actors considered for Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and recommended a memorable standout to portray a role on DS9 that required a similar sense of leadership.

Star Trek: TNG Cast Outrageous Actor As Riker Before Jonathan Frakes

Anyone but Jonathan Frakes playing Commander William Riker is unimaginable, but Star Trek: TNG originally cast someone else for the role.

Stephen Macht Was Second Choice for Star Trek: TNG's Captain Picard

Patrick stewart famously won the role of picard.

During a discussion of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 2, "The Circle" on The Delta Flyers podcast, Armin Shimerman reveals that Star Trek: DS9 guest star Stephen Macht, who played Bajoran Over-General Krim, was in the running to play Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation . Macht actually got far enough in the audition process for TNG to be the second choice for Picard, but of course, Patrick Stewart ultimately won the role. Read Shimerman's quote below and listen to The Delta Flyers , starting at the 10:20 timestamp.

Armin Shimerman: "Stephen and I have worked together many times, doing theater together, so I know this for a fact: Stephen Macht was the second choice for Picard. It is interesting to me ... that here's Corey Allen, who directed the pilot [of Star Trek: The Next Generation] and had a choice in who was going to play Picard. Was it Corey who said we're going to get Stephen Macht to play this part?"

Stephen Macht is Bajoran General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 2

Krim only made one appearance on ds9.

Stephen Macht played Bajoran Over-General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episodes 2 & 3, "The Circle" and "The Siege". As the highest-ranking officer in the Bajoran militia, Krim led Bajor's coup to take DS9 from Starfleet, believing the move was in Bajor's best interests, instead of being designed by the Bajoran extremist group, The Circle. Krim made an interesting adversary to Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), and respected Sisko as a military peer. In The Delta Flyers , Armin Shimerman points out script notes in "The Circle" suggesting Krim could have returned, but Stephen Macht's Krim was never seen again after DS9 season 2's 3-part opener .

As Bajoran Over-General Krim, Stephen Macht wasn't among the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest stars who was hidden beneath heavy prosthetic makeup, so genre fans may recognize Macht from his other guest starring appearances on 1990s sci-fi television . Macht appeared in guest roles in FOX's Millennium and Sliders , and another acclaimed space station show, Babylon 5. Earlier in his career, Stephen Macht starred in 1980s films The Mountain Men and The Monster Squad. Although Stephen Macht ultimately lost the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation to Patrick Stewart, Macht portrayed Over-General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with similar diplomatic honor.

Source: The Delta Flyers season 10, episode 2, "The Circle"

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Cast Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer, Michael Dorn, Andrew Robinson, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig

Release Date January 3, 1993

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Network CBS

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller, Ronald D. Moore

Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller

Rating TV-PG

Where To Watch Paramount+

Screen Rant

A classic star trek movie alien returns in discovery season 5 episode 8.

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

Star trek: discovery reveals seven of nine's surprising legacy, 5 star trek: discovery characters who left burnham’s ship (& who came back).

Warning: This Article Has SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

• Meet Hy'Rell, the Efrosian librarian in Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 8, "Labyrinths".
• The Breen are after ancient power to create life, putting Discovery in danger.
• Efrosians were last seen in the movies Star Trek IV and Star Trek VI.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 8, "Labyrinths" introduces Hy'Rell (Elena Juatco), who hails from an alien species last seen in the movies Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Written by Lauren Wilkinson and Eric J. Robbins and directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, "Labyrinths" brings Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery to the Eternal Gallery and Archive for the final clue to the Progenitors' treasure . However, the Breen, guided by Moll (Eve Harlow), are hot on Discovery's trail and want the ancient power to create life.

On X, Jörg Hillebrand (@gaghyogi49), who was a renowned researcher for Star Trek: Picard season 3, posted about Hy'Rell in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 8, "Labyrinths", identifying the alien librarian and guide as an Efrosian . Hy'Rell has the same ridges on her brows and hairstyle as previous Efrosians seen in Star Trek IV and Star Trek VI . Check out Hillebrand's post below:

As verified by Memory Alpha , an Efrosian helmsman played by Nick Ramus appeared on the USS Saratoga in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Kurtwood Smith played the Federation President in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Check out a preview of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 8, "Labyrinths" from The Ready Room hosted by Wil Wheaton below:

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Brought Back Many Classic Aliens

Discovery has more callbacks to star trek lore.

The Efrosian Hy'Rell joins an exciting list of classic Star Trek aliens appearing in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. Two of Star Trek: Discovery season 5's new major characters hail from species known from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) is a Kellerun while L'ak (Elias Toufexis) is Breen who made history as the first of his species to remove his helmet and have a three-dimensional character. Other DS9 species seen in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 include the Ferengi bartender and his Lurian barfly in the USS Discovery's bar.

Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd century feels more like Star Trek than ever before.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase", which introduced the ancient humanoids who seeded the galaxy with life. In Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century, the ancient humanoids are called the Progenitors, and the scientists who found the Progenitors' treasure include a Trill, a Romulan, a Betazoid, and a Denobulan. Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere also introduced Fred (J. Adam Brown), a Soong-type android similar to Data (Brent Spiner). With the new addition of an Efrosian, Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century feels more like Star Trek than ever before.

Source: X, Memory Alpha

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

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 7 'Eirgah' is the best yet of this final season

So, just to clarify, Moll and L'ak are chasing the ultimate power in the universe, to trade it so they can, in essence, elope..?!

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 7

Almost immediately, we're treated to the return of Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril), who we last saw in the episode " Rubicon " S04, E09, just like we called a couple of weeks ago with episode 3, "Jinaal." And you know, this new episode, entitled "Eirgah," starts off strong and actually holds our attention throughout. In short, with just three more episodes remaining until the end of " Star Trek: Discovery " forever and ever, we actually get a pretty good installment. 

Yes, it seems the writers aren't quite sure what to do with Captain Rayner's character, and that was always a danger. Callum Keith Rennie is an actor of the highest caliber, and a reoccurring B-character was never going to be worthy of his talent. And so we seem to continually walk the very thin line between a basic, two-dimensional character and someone who teases the tiniest hint of Mariana Trench -like depth.

Regardless, we are at least given a little more insight into his background, and, of course, it leaves us wanting so much more — though his character is so disappointingly clichéd at times, you really have to wonder how Raynor actually made it through Starfleet and ended up with his own command in the first place. 

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

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Another interesting observation is the mention of the USS Mitchell, clearly a nod to the actor Kenneth Mitchell, who popped up a number of times in "Star Trek: Discovery" playing various roles, but who tragically died from complications of ALS back in February . Possibly an indication of when this scene was actually filmed, which seems really rather recent, but it's a small matter. 

Arguably the most important issue to focus on here is that Malinne "Moll" Ravel (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) are in fact chasing the ultimate power in the universe, to trade it ... so they can, in essence, elope? It's less of a romantic gesture and slightly more of a staggeringly irresponsible and breathtakingly selfish thing to do, don't you think? 

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"Oh, darling, let's go and visit Risa, the pleasure planet, for our honeymoon," purred Moll as she gently shifted under the bed sheets, her skin enjoying every moment of contact with the luxury one-billion-thread Vulcan cotton. 

"We could do that," he replied, his arms still wrapped around her. "But don't forget, absolutely everyone in the galaxy is dead, so we'd have to make our own Samarian Sunsets..." he added almost as an afterthought. 

But enough of all of that. There are a number of reasons, many beyond the obvious, as to why this is a pretty good episode. The obvious ones include the fact that this episode didn't rip off any decades-old sci-fi that the millennial scriptwriters have only just discovered, so you know, that's always a plus. It happens, sure. It's like discovering the music of T-Rex for the first time, 20 years later, then trying to form a band, aged 13½, believing beyond any doubt that you have a rock-star future ahead of you, basically by copying their songs. The difference is, you were prepubescent, no one in the band could actually play an instrument — and the writers on "Discovery" are Paid Professionals.

Interestingly, this episode is the first major directorial role that Jon Dudkowski has had, and frankly, it shows a lot of promise. He too, we suspect, has studied the work of the legendary Vince Gilligan, and some of the camera angles and edits reflect this. The problem with all of Nu-Trek is that a ton of different directors are hired to come onboard and churn this stuff out. " Picard " was practically a case study on how not to production line principal photography as quickly as possible. Because every director has their own style and when you have a minimum of say, six different styles, more often than not, it jars, making the show inconsistent and harder to enjoy, ultimately driving a wedge between the viewer and the experience. 

"Discovery" too suffers from the same problem, but if they'd given Dudkowski the whole season to direct, well, we might have had better episodes, and certainly a more consistent experience. Having the same showrunner isn't the same as having the same director, and having a variety of such notably different styles, in this instance, is a bad thing. Each episode should be a labor of love, and, as such, in a show where the season is only 10 episodes long, both the season and the show would really benefit from being seamless. 

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Of course, quite how much actual control Dudkowski had we'll never know. But this installment definitely benefits from good dialogue, good pacing, some creative cinematography and even little touches like how Burnham is never quite given the chance to use a catch phrase, lame or otherwise. And that self-aware-style of writing has been noticed and appreciated.  

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

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

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

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‘star trek: picard’ showrunner says goal was to make “best ‘next gen’ movie we never got to see”.

Terry Matalas dives deep into the season three premiere and reveals the emotional conversations he had with the cast of the '90s show to sign them up for one final voyage.

By Phil Pirrello

Phil Pirrello

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Thanks to the third season of Star Trek: Picard , good things continue to happen in threes for the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew.

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The former co-creator of SYFY’s 12 Monkeys and his team reached back into what Piller did with Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D, while also deepening the characters and their relationships in ways that fans have never seen before. And, in the process, pulled off one of the biggest creative turnarounds in recent TV history. 

The first two seasons of the popular series — which centers on Sir Patrick Stewart’s now-retired iconic sci-fi hero, Jean-Luc Picard — proved to be a mixed and somewhat underwhelming affair for Trekkers. Picard didn’t so much “boldly go where no one has gone before” as he played space pirate-ish and spent a lot of time terrestrial-bound. Matalas, a lifelong Star Trek fan and former Star Trek: Voyager PA, was driven to make the third and what’s billed as the final season of Star Trek: Picard feel like one worthy of the title.

“It was important to me to give these characters and the fans an adventure that felt not only like Star Trek , but also like the best Next Gen movie we never got to see. That they deserved to have,” Matalas tells The Hollywood Reporter in an interview prior to the Feb. 16 season three premiere, “The Next Generation.” 

Matalas and his collaborators looked at the best of the Berman era of TNG , as well as that of the Star Trek feature films starring The Original Series crew, to give Picard’s final mission its biggest stakes yet.

And it always started with Dr. Crusher. 

“I always had this idea to meet her in a way that felt totally unexpected,” Matalas explains. “You’d see [Beverly] sort of waking up, popping into frame, but not being in a traditional Starfleet uniform,” Matalas explains. “She would be on a kind of older, rundown ship — having to grab a phaser rifle and defend her property.”

It was also important to Matalas to show that she’s still a doctor, albeit more of a “Doctors Without Borders”-type. She’s out there on the edge of the Final Frontier, without Starfleet’s protection, determined to help those struggling to help themselves as her oath to “do no harm” is sorely tested. Also tested was Matalas’ budgetary limits when it came to bringing Crusher’s opening phaser rifle battle to life. Much like his counterparts on TNG , he and his VFX crew were very mindful of how much each weapons blast costs to render on screen.

What Matalas also counted on was having to meet with each of the main TNG cast members and pitch his take to give their characters what their final big-screen voyage, 2002’s disappointing Star Trek: Nemesis , could not: A compelling, character-driven sendoff. 

“Beverly was the least explored character in all of the feature films, especially in Nemesis ,” Matalas says. “And certainly [the writers and I] knew what the big overarching story was going to be this season, and it begins with her. So she would be the very first person you see this season.”

But the first person Matalas spoke to was the show’s lead actor. 

“I had to sit down with Patrick, at his dining room table, and take him through the story I had in my head for the season. And I was lucky that he was one hundred percent onboard,” says the showrunner. “And then, one by one, I met with everyone else and, once again, I was lucky enough to have them onboard to help shape this story together.” 

The most emotional story conference occurred between Matalas and LeVar Burton, who plays the once-blind, former chief engineer Geordi LaForge.

“I had this vision of seeing Geordi as a family man. It’s a story that will pay off for him towards the end of the season that I thought was emotional and satisfying,” says Maltas. “And when I got to explaining that part to him, tears were running down his face. And, seeing that, triggered me to do the same exact thing.” 

Burton has spoken about his hurt that Geordi did not have a real love interest in TNG , making this development all the more meaningful for him.

The emotional real estate devoted to everyone from Picard to LaForge gives each member of the cast more dramatic scenes to play than they had during all seven seasons of TNG and the four movies combined. That meant that the creatives and the actors had to be in lockstep with developing the season’s storyline.

“It was important to me that the entire cast feel comfortable and onboard with where their characters were. And where they were taking them,” Matalas says. “I didn’t want any of them doing anything they did not want to do, or did not feel would be right to do, for their character. They’ve been living with their characters for over 35 years, they know their characters better than I ever will. And it was an incredibly satisfying, collaborative experience.”

“I think it was the first thing I said when I sat down to write it was: I cannot wait to take the ship out of Spacedock,” Matalas recalls, mindful of the fact that the TNG crew never had such a moment on the big screen. “I wanted to do it with that sense of wonder [from the original movies], that sense of nautical tradition. Of going out into the Final Frontier on a starship.”

To do so, composer Stephen Barton ( 12 Monkeys ) helped reprise classic Trek melodies from Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner and blend them into his new score. Also key to pulling the sequence off was locking down the design of the new-but-familiar spacedock, which first made its appearance on screen in 1984’s Search for Spock .

“Those poor visual effects artists,” Matalas says with a laugh. “They went through many, many revisions because – it’s not an ILM model. It’s digital. And some considerable time has passed, so Spacedock can’t just look like it used to. But you want to see it in a new way as well, to use it in this 25th Century-set story and honor what came before, so it requires a lot of back and forth but, wow, they did an amazing job.” 

“It was really hard,” Matalas recalls. “Poor Dave Blass must have submitted no less than 600 Shrike designs. I think of Kirk’s Enterprise facing off against the Bird-of-Prey and that those two are perfect rival starships. And so I wanted something that felt kind of equal in size, but was something kind of scary and also something you kind of want on your shelf. Something you wanted to pick up and fly around, and it was important that the ship would have a signature sound that you could make when you picked it up [to play with], the things I would do when I was kid. We just wanted to make the ship feel iconic, have a distinguished design and presence.  We finally got it to that place with this one.”

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

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REMEMBER! CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF STAR TREK III w/ EDDIE EGAN INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS

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THIS VOYAGE, the Treksperts MARK A. ALTMAN (author, The Fifty Year Mission, writer/producer, Pandora, Agent X, The Librarians, writer/producer Free Enterprise), DAREN DOCHTERMAN (associate producer, Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Director's Edition) and ASHLEY E. MILLER (showrunner; DOTA: Dragon's Blood, writer, X-Men: First Class, Thor) return to Genesis as they are joined by Star Trek III Unit Publicist EDDIE EGAN to talk about The Search For Spock and the final voyage of the Starship Enterprise. Don't miss another great look back at the 40th anniversary of this classic motion picture. **Join us on our new INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS DISCORD Channel at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/7kgmJSExeh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUBSCRIBE TO TREKSPERTS PLUS TODAY... and get every episode of INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS and our new podcast, INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS presents DECK 78 along with additional bonus content and surprises all season long. For more details, visit trekkspertsplus.com. Don't miss us as the TREKSPERTS INGLORIOUS TOUR 2024 LIVE TOUR continues as we beam down to Trekonderoga in Ticonderoga, NY, Galaxycon in Oklahoma City, OK, San Diego Comic-Con, Raleigh, NC, Star Trek Las Vegas, San Jose, CA and many more this year!  For more information, go to galaxycon.com and comic-con.org. Learn all that is learnable about Star Trek in Mark A. Altman & Edward Gross' THE FIFTY-YEAR MISSION, available in hardcover, paperback, digital and audio from St. Maritn's Press.  Follow Inglorious Treksperts at @inglorioustrek on Twitter, Facebook and at @inglorioustreksperts on Instagram. And now follow the Treksperts Briefing Room at @trekspertsBR, an entirely separate Twitter & Instagram feed. "Mark A. Altman is the world's foremost Trekspert" - Los Angeles Times #StarTrek #TOS #TAS #TNG #DS9 #VOY #ENT #DISCO #PICARD #LLAP #comics #IDW #Marvel #DC #GoldKey #Discovery #DeepSpaceNine #STTMP #StarWars  #CaptainPike #StrangeNewWorlds #55YearTour  #casting #ST55 #StarTrek55 #TheCage #StrangeNewWorlds #SNW #Voyager #Janeway #Enterprise #TheSearchForSpock #StarTrekIII #BSG #TMP #Trekkies #Alien #Aliens #DavidFincher #BestofTrek #EnterpriseIncidents #IDW #comics #DS9 #DeepSpaceNine #PicardSeason3 #StarTrekPicard #Picard #Borg #PicardSeason3 #StarTrekPicard  trekspertsplus.com

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Crowdfunded ‘Space Command: Redemption’ Released, Features Star Trek’s Doug Jones, Robert Picardo & More

| May 7, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 12 comments so far

A dozen years after its first crowdfunding campaign , the first installment of Marc Scott Zicree’s Space Command has been released, with several Star Trek actors in the cast. “Space Command: Redemption” is out now on Tubi, VOD, and physical media, with more installments from the series in the works.

Space Command finally arrives

Space Command is a sci-fi series inspired by Star Trek. The ensemble cast for “Space Command: Redemption” features Star Trek: Discovery’s Doug Jones in a leading role. Other franchise stars include Robert Picardo ( Voyager ), Armin Shimerman ( Deep Space Nine ), Faran Tahir (J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek ), and the late Nichelle Nichols (TOS). The cast also includes several Babylon 5 stars including Bill Mumy,  Bruce Boxleitner, and the late Mira Furlan.

Check out the release trailer…

Here is the official synopsis for “Space Command: Redemption”…

Captain Kemmer rescues xeno-archeologist Vonn O’Dara high above Mars, setting into motion a revolution that changes galactic history. The thrilling new space-set film follow the bold adventures in space of the United Planet’s Space Command, a dedicated group of scientists, soldiers and adventurers exploring and taming the vast expanse of our solar system for human colonization.

Here is how Doug Jones described his role in Space Command in a 2018 interview with TrekMovie :

Dorn Neven is an android in Space Command . I loved his character so much. He is much like other characters I have played, in that he is tall and lanky, but very poised and very mannered. He is an android that served as a servant for rich people in this future setting, but he ended up getting a heart and soul of his own, getting more human characteristics and asking questions he wasn’t supposed to ask. So, they end up demoting him and putting him in the salt mines, and that is how you meet him in the beginning of  Space Command .

Doug Jones with Robert Picardo, Jelena Mrdja, and Mira Furlan in Space Command

Space Command was written, directed, and produced by Marc Scott Zicree, who worked on shows like Sliders and Babylon 5 , as well as authoring the influential book The Twilight Zone Companion . Zicree has also been involved in Star Trek, writing the stories for the Next Generation episode “First Contact” and DS9’s “Far Beyond the Stars.” He also wrote and directed the 2007 Star Trek Phase II fan film “World Enough and Time,” starring George Takei. His concept for Space Command was to make something more like Star Trek, in reaction to the dark and dystopic sci-fi of the early 2000s.

“Our idea was an uplifting show like the original Star Trek , which came out when I was 10, blew my mind, and inspired my lifetime fascination for this whole realm. Star Trek was truly revolutionary,” says Zicree in a statement. “Like Star Trek , the stories we present in Space Command are hopeful, taking on various challenges that show we can make a future worth living and not just passively accept defeat. The whole philosophy of the film is that we can achieve all of this through empathy, compassion, and inclusivity. We want to change millions of lives for the better.”

The initial crowdfunding campaign brought in $221,000 in 2012, which helped launch the independent Space Command Studio based in Los Angeles, California. Over the past decade, Zicree has raised $4 million between crowdfunding and selling investment shares. Filming and post-production work on the Space Command series has been ongoing over the last decade with work recently completed on the 2-part pilot, which is the newly released “Space Command: Redemption” movie. Zicree has planned out a 12-part “season” for Space Command with filming for part 6 recently completed and parts 7 and 8 already begun.

For more about the development of Space Command , check out TrekMovie’s 2018 interview with Marc Zicree .

You can watch “Space Command: Redemption” now for free on the ad-supported streaming service Tubi . You can also rent or buy it at Amazon and Google Play . There is also a DVD and Blu-ray release with special features and director’s commentary available at the official site  spacecommand-theseries.com .

Keep up with more Trek-adjacent Sci-Fi news here at TrekMovie.com

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This looks like a slice of classic 80s Sci-Fi cheesiness. Hope it’s enjoyable in that way.

Looks like something I would have rented from Hollywood Video in 2001… So yep, I’ll watch it!

This has been out for years. Not sure what this is about.

Yeah, I wondered this as well when I saw it posted up on YouTube as if it was a new thing. Marc Zicree, bless him, can sometimes be a bit over the top with ‘marketing’. As in, reposting, clipping, whatever. Amusing that such a repost has made its way here as a story though. I guess a correction is in order!

I’ve never heard of this but I’m curious now. I am definitely interested in watching anything that has the classic Star Trek spirit of optimism and hope.

Mira Furlan passed away a couple years ago. A damn shame, she was an underrated actress, and her personal story was equally compelling.

Nichelle Nichols has been gone almost two years now as well…

How is this different from Space Command 2020? It’s on youtube as Space Command Streaming Series (10 parts). Very poor Imdb reviews, two fake 10*s. Space Command Redemption is also on Imdb, no reviews, incomplete cast list. Some poor acting in the trailer.

I watched the original version of “Space Command” some time ago and was not too impressed. Nevertheless, I wish Zicree nothing but the best in this project, and will hopefully get around to checking it out myself eventually. I met him many years ago at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles for a screening of the Trek pilots which also included his excellent “World Enough and Time,” and he seemed like a very nice guy.

He’s a cool dude, for sure. And Space Command (2020-2022) is packed with cool people. I’m not sure what happened. Perhaps an avalanche of issues. Or maybe it’s just not for me – which is, you know, fine.

But I didn’t so much watch that production as I endured it!

Watching it myself, I went with the second possibility. And you’re correct; that’s fine. If I were 14 and had just finished reading my first Heinlein juvenile, where the characters tended to say things like “gadzooks!,” I probably would have loved it.

A dozen years??? I had thought that the Axanar crowd were the world – class slackers! LMAO.