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Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S2E11 "Contagion"

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Original air date: March 20, 1989

The Enterprise is called into the Neutral Zone to help a fellow Galaxy -class ship, the USS Yamato , which is in the grip of a series of system malfunctions. They arrive too late to help , and Yamato quickly explodes from an antimatter breach . A Romulan warbird decloaks moments later, denying that they had anything to do with the Yamato 's explosion but threatening that the Enterprise will go the same way if she doesn't leave the Neutral Zone.

Geordi confirms that the Romulans weren't responsible for the Yamato 's destruction, but Picard isn't convinced. After a thorough study of the ship's logs, Picard determines its previous mission: its captain believed he had found Iconia, a mythological planet of "Demons of Air and Darkness," on the Romulan side of the Neutral Zone. They met... something... that seems to have caused their system failures. Since Iconia is said to have insanely powerful technology that the Romulans could use to crush the Federation, Picard sets course to the planet the other ship's captain believed was the fabled planet.

Unfortunately, the Enterprise starts coming down with its own set of systems failures, which Data and Geordi fail to solve or determine the cause of. Once they get to what is believed to be Iconia, a probe is launched from the planet's surface, which Geordi—finally realizing what's going on by that time—convinces Picard to destroy before it has a chance to do anything. By his calculations , the probe contained an Iconian computer program that transferred itself into the Yamato's systems when it visited the planet, then into the Enterprise with the ship's logs, and which is attempting to rewrite all of the Enterprise's software in its own image. If they can't get rid of the contagion, the ship will likely explode just like Yamato .

Running out of options, Picard takes Data and Worf down to the surface, into an underground installation discovered by the ship's sensors and proceeds to scout around, looking for anything they can use to determine the origin of or a means to destroy the program. What they discover is something more complex and sinister: an ancient transport union ripping open holes in the space-time continuum to travel through, thus earning the Iconians' nickname of "Demons of Air and Darkness" by their enemies. Picard can see how this technology could be used as a weapon by the Romulans, who promptly show up again to lay claim on the planet. Fortunately, the Romulan ship has come down with their own case of the Iconian computer flu, preventing them from acting on their threats.

This episode contains the following tropes:

• Actually Pretty Funny : Deanna quips that were it not for the life-threatening danger from the Enterprise 's malfunctions and the Romulans, various systems going on- and off-line for no reason could be funny.
• Ambiguously Evil : The Iconians had a mythical reputation as conquerors, and the probe launched from their homeworld causes the destruction of the Yamato by forcibly reprogramming it's computer with Iconian code. However, as the Iconians themselves are long since extinct, Data's analysis suggests the portal room wasn't for military purposes, and it's acknowledged that the probe's effects may be completely accidental, it's never confirmed whether or not the Iconians were a hostile species.
• Apocalyptic Log : Picard specifically searches Varley's log entries for those including the terms "Romulan" and/or "Iconian", unaware that the log entries including the Iconican program that led to its demise.
• Automatic Door Malfunction : The Enterprise crew witnesses its sister ship, the Yamato , explode with all hands lost due to a failure of its antimatter fuel containment. note  Antimatter + Matter + No way to keep them from interacting = boom. The clue leading them to the cause is within the Yamato Captain's personal log; a long-abandoned planet known as Iconia, and an alien scanning probe that the ship encountered while in orbit. As the Enterprise travels towards Iconia, they begin having systems problems, including the invoked trope of the automatic doors failing at random times. When they arrive, the Enterprise encounters an identical probe launched from the surface, and Captain Picard plans to tractor it into the ship to study it. Geordi, suddenly discovering the cause of the malfunctions, desperately tries to hail the bridge, but the communication systems go down at that very moment. The trope is then invoked for drama, as he also tries to use a turbolift in Main Engineering to quickly get to the bridge, but the doors fail to open there as well. Geordi is just barely able to get to the bridge in time, after being thrown about in the malfunctioning turbolift on his way, to warn Picard and the bridge crew of the danger that the probe poses.
• Blind Jump : Played with. Picard triggers the sequence that will destroy the Iconian facility, planning to use the gateway to escape. Even if he can't get to Enterprise , which the gateway will cycle to eventually, wherever he ends up will be better than being blown up. Fortunately, the gateway cycles to the nearby Romulan ship, which Picard figures is better than nothing. By this point, the Romulans have computer failure so bad that their ship is going to blow itself up, and the commander doesn't feel shooting Picard is even worth the effort. He's beamed off when Enterprise detects his signal.
• Captain Obvious : After the Yamato explodes, Data reports that he can detect no life signs on the ship currently disintegrating before the bridge crew's very eyes.
• Characterization Click Moment : In amongst the main plot and some world-building, another important moment in this episode is the establishment of Picard's fondness for tea, earl grey (hot), as well as his recurring archeological interest.
• Chekhov's Gun : In his Captain's Log , Varley mentions being scanned by an Iconian probe. This turns out to be the cause of his ship's malfunctions, as well as those on the Enterprise thanks to uploading some of the data through the comm system.
• Wesley references this trope during his conversation with Picard when he says the ancient Iconian technology sounds more like magic.
• Captain Varley of the Yamato compares encountering the Iconian technology to a caveman confronted by a tricorder.
• Contagious A.I. : The Iconian probes scan ships and try to reprogram them with Iconian software, possibly by complete accident. Unfortunately, said ships tend to get very explodey when the alien software overwrites the programs that keep things like the antimatter fuel safely contained in magnetic fields...
• Continuity Nod : Geordi references Bruce Maddox from " The Measure of a Man " after futilely attempting to repair Data, saying someone with his level of expertise on androids might have had a better chance at figuring out how to set up a proper repair.
• Curiosity Killed the Cast : Captain Varley's curiosity about the Iconians (and a more pragmatic desire to keep their technology out of Romulan hands) leads to the destruction of the Yamato and the deaths of of the 1,000 people aboard, as well as nearly causing the deaths of everyone aboard the Enterprise and the Romulan warbird.
• Disney Death : Data appears to die as a result of the Iconian programming, but after a quick cut to Picard on Iconia, Data wakes up, his own self-repair systems having saved him by wiping his affected memory.
• Does Not Know His Own Strength : When Geordi is unexpectedly shocked by a computer panel, Data pulls him away, but accidentally uses too much force and winds up tossing his friend to the floor.
• Due to the Dead : When Data appears to have succumbed to the Iconian programming, Geordi takes a moment to close his eyes respectfully.
• The Dreaded : Legends of the Iconians describe them as dangerous conquerors and "demons of air and darkness", though Picard notes that such accounts were written by the Iconians' enemies after the Iconians were gone .
• Elevator Failure : When the comm system fails before Geordi tells Picard to destroy the probe, he hurriedly tries to take the turbolift to get to the bridge in time. However, the turbolifts are also messed up, so he's thrown around upwards, downwards, and sideways before being flung out once it miraculously reaches the bridge.
• Failsafe Failure : The Yamato 's warp core breached because the computer dropped the antimatter containment field prior to all the antimatter being ejected.
• Flawed Prototype : Picard asks if the recurring malfunctions that destroyed the Yamato are an inherent issue with the newly-designed Galaxy -class starships. Geordi isn't able to rule the possibility out until they actually start experiencing the malfunctions for themselves.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus : Most of the Captain's Log entries from the Yamato are by Captain Varley, but the screen in Picard's ready room also lists entries by Commander Steven Gerber and Lt. Commander Beth Woods (presumably the Yamato 's first and second officers, respectively).
• Gallows Humor : When Picard leaves to lead the away team to Iconia, he informs Riker that "the Enterprise is yours". As soon as Picard is out of earshot, Riker mutters "for as long as she lasts".
• Good Old Ways : When one of the nurses in sickbay complains they can't use the bone-knitter to heal a fracture, Pulaski tells them to use a splint instead.
• Great Offscreen War : The war that destroyed Iconia. The only known facts is that it happened 200,000 years ago and that Iconia was devastated by Orbital Bombardment , wiping out all life on the planet.
• Have You Tried Rebooting? : After Data's "self-correcting program" resets him, Geordi reasons they can do the same thing with the Enterprise computers to wipe out the Iconian programming.
• Hero of Another Story : Captain Varley and the Yamato .
• Hope Spot : When the Yamato loses antimatter containment, the ship's primary hull is briefly thrown clear of the explosion intact, suggesting that people may still be alive on board (and prompting Data to run a scan), but within seconds, the entire saucer section's hull burns off, probably from sheer heat or radiation , meaning everyone on board is very dead.
• Idiot Ball : The problems on the Yamato begin almost immediately after they are "scanned" by the Iconian probe, and those of the Enterprise after downloading the logs of the Yamato , yet neither crew make any connection between the malfunctions and the probe, and Geordi only realises what is going on just seconds before the Enterpise is scanned herself, after twelve hours of research.
• It Never Gets Any Easier : When Wesley has trouble accepting the deaths of everyone on the Yamato , Picard tells him that it's no less painful for senior officers, nor should it be. Picard: If ever the time comes when the death of a single individual fails to move us ...
• Laser-Guided Amnesia : Data's positronic brain purges the Iconian programming from his system by shutting him down and deleting the affected memory files, leaving Data with a small gap in his memory from when he was on Iconia to when he awoke aboard the Enterprise . Justified due to Data's artificial nature and the fact that very specific memories were deleted.
• Lost Language : Iconian is a lost language, the Iconians having been wiped out roughly 200,000 years ago. The language is not known by any living being, though Data is able to approximate a rough translation by comparing Iconian glyphs to three other ancient languages (Dewan, Dinasian and Iccobar) believed to be derivatives of it. Very rough. Data: This would appear to be manual override. [presses a control and an Iconian gateway opens] Data: That was not manual override.
• Mood Whiplash : Picard's insightful speech on how dealing with death never becomes easy, even for experienced officers is interrupted by his ordered tea appearing in the replicator as a small potted plant.
• Morton's Fork : Riker isn't keen on Geordi's reboot plan, since it involves turning everything off including the deflector shields while they're "nose-to-nose with a Romulan Warbird." Geordi points out whether it's Romulan disruptors or their own malfunctioning warp engines, they're just as dead if they don't do this.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast : The Iconians' nickname of "Demons of Air and Darkness." Though Picard does put forth the theory that they were only called that because their technology appeared to be magic to those they interacted with, and those species were frightened enough to attempt to destroy the Iconians.
• Narrow Annihilation Escape : Picard, Worf, and Data beam down to the complex the probe was launched from on Iconia and find a control room for the probes, as well as a gateway that can transport individuals to distant planets and places. To keep the technology there from falling into Romulan hands, and prevent the probes from ensnaring anyone else, Picard jams the system by launching a probe, but keeping the bay doors shut. He is only just able to use the doorway to transport to the Romulan Warbird as the complex self-destructs. (Thankfully, the Enterprise crew have figured out the problem and are able to beam Picard away safely.)
• Not Worth Killing : When Picard suddenly teleports onto the Romulan bridge, security surrounds him before the commander calls them off, as the ship is about to self-destruct anyway. Picard is then beamed away by the Enterprise .
• No, You : Picard and Romulan Commander Taris go back and forth like this in their first conversation. Picard: Explain your illegal presence in the Neutral Zone. Taris: Explain yours.
• Oh, Crap! : When Geordi realizes that Picard was about to take the Iconian probe in tow.
• Portal Door : The Iconian gateway connects distant locations by ripping holes in space. It's technology beyond what the Federation can do.
• Rousseau Was Right : When an Iconian probe heads for the Romulan ship, the Enterprise has lost its weapons and can't destroy it, so the fate of the Romulans rests on whether they trust Riker when he says that they need to destroy the probe themselves. Though very suspicious, they decide to trust him and destroy the probe, saving themselves.
• He also previously insisted that Taris destroy the Iconian probe being sent to investigate them, since the direct scan by the probe would only accelerate the virus's progression. With the Enterprise's own weapons systems going up and down, he couldn't do it himself, but he makes sure that the Romulans are able to do it and prevent their own destruction.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! : Varley entered the Neutral Zone in violation of treaty because he discovered the location of Iconia and knew the Romulans could not be allowed to have any technology left there. Picard takes up the mission himself when he reviews Varley's logs and learns of the probe that scanned his vessel.
• Picard finagles one to destroy the gateway by launching all of the probes and forcing the launch bay doors to channel the rocket exhaust into the gate room.
• The Romulans have to deal with theirs being triggered (and then locked) by the Iconian virus.
• Skewed Priorities : Several Romulan officers take the time to surround Picard when he appears on their ship... which is about to explode. Their commander, at least, recognizes the futility of the act and calls them off.
• Smug Snake : Subcommander Taris tries to claim Iconia for the Romulan Empire and threatens to destroy both the Enterprise and the away team, but, given how obvious it is that her ship is suffering from the same problems plaguing the Enterprise , her threats have little weight. Troi suggests that Taris is just trying to project confidence out of pure frustration with her situation.
• Tempting Fate : When Picard asks if Captain Varley would like all the Yamato 's non-essential personnel to be beamed around the Enterprise as a safety measure, Varley declines, saying it would be too "presumptive". It's only a short minute later that the entire ship explodes.
• Thrown Out the Airlock : Varley mentions that he lost an entire maintenance team when the force field in the open shuttle bay they were working in shut off.
• Unusual User Interface : The Iconian console, which processes commands based on tapping different coloured portions of a logo.
• What's an X Like You Doing in a Y Like This? : When the Enterprise makes contact with the Yamato . Picard: Donald, what's a nice Starfleet Captain like you doing in a place like this? Varley: It's good to see you again, Jean-Luc, despite your antique humor .
• Written by the Winners : Picard mentions this when he figures that the warlike depiction of the Iconians may have been wrong, passed down by those who feared and eventually defeated them.
• The Worf Effect : The USS Yamato , a starship of identical build and design to the Enterprise , being destroyed (complete with the saucer separating and then its hull burning off in front of the main characters!), is meant to show us and the crew that the Iconian computer virus is serious business.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S2 E10 “The Dauphin”
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S2E12 "The Royale"

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Episode list

Star trek: picard.

S2.E1 ∙ The Star Gazer

S2.E2 ∙ Penance

S2.E3 ∙ Assimilation

S2.E4 ∙ Watcher

S2.E5 ∙ Fly Me to the Moon

S2.E6 ∙ Two of One

S2.E7 ∙ Monsters

S2.E8 ∙ Mercy

S2.E9 ∙ Hide and Seek

S2.E10 ∙ Farewell

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History and specifics [ ]

Physiology [ ].

By the 25th century , and probably millennia before that, the Iconians had evolved/altered themselves in such a way that they were partially energy beings, capable of using their own "essence" to power up different types of equipment, such as their Gateway technology . Despite this incredible capability, using their own energy for such purposes could be dangerous and even deadly. They were apparently immortal beings, not being affected by aging. However, time itself had a very unusual effect on their minds, as they were chroniton-based. This meant the Iconians themselves could not travel through time. If an Iconian traveled to the past, their mind would "reshape" to that time period, meaning that all the memories this individual had gained after their arrival would be lost. ( STO mission : " The Iconian War ")

Before the fall of their empire 200,000 years ago , the Iconians — not just as a species , but the very same individuals — appeared fully organic. Instead of being able to generate energy blasts, they used weapons similar to the kinds they would later use to arm their Heralds . It was theorized that they altered themselves to become living weapons after their civilization fell.

Throughout their history, the Iconians were a small population (apparently only female, with parthenogenic children born rarely) and with lifespans that lasted millennia. At least three and probably all of the twelve survivors of the fall of their empire lived into the 25th century. Whether this was entirely due to natural lifespan or augmented by their medical technology is unclear.

The Iconians has a religious belief of some kind. ( DS9 - The Secret of the Lost Orb comic : " The Search ")

History [ ]

The Iconians were the first species on worlds seeded by the Preservers to arise to sentience, and at some point came to know their creators. ( STO mission : " The Iconian War ")

The ascendancy of the Iconian race began thousands of years ago, when their race made use of the Dream Gem to develop their Gateway technology. ( TNG novel : The Devil's Heart )

What was unknown to many was that the Q Continuum had a certain fondness for the race and provided them the means to create gateways with the most casual piece of their technology in order for them to reach other worlds in the Milky Way galaxy . ( VOY - Gateways short story : " In the Queue ")

Using this technology, they formed the Iconian Empire which spread across space. During the deployment of the network, they discovered the existence of a race of beings that dwelt within the Bajoran wormhole . Out of respect for these entities, the Iconians did not deploy any gateways within ten light-years of the wormhole or those worlds that the entities watched over. ( DS9 - Gateways short story : " Horn and Ivory ")

Always few in number, the Iconians uplifted a semi-sentient species from their planet and called them "the Heralds ", using them as servants and trusted companions. The Heralds showed gratitude to the Iconians they served. Iconian civilization was believed to have reached its zenith around 200,000 years ago or more, when they had developed the technology to easily spread across the Milky Way. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

The Iconians developed a philosophy resembling the Federation 's Prime Directive , believing it dangerous to give certain technology to less developed species and also believing that each sentient species had its own destiny. Excessive interference in other species would mean denying them that destiny. Unlike with the Prime Directive, warp travel was not considered a sufficient cultural threshold to receive all advanced knowledge. This led to resentment from some of the less developed species they contacted. ( STO - The Iconian War mission : " Midnight ")

The Iconian philosopher Senega warned her people that the disparity of technology between their race and others would become a source of conflict. Her words were proven true when suspicion and fear motivated other species to unite against the Iconian Empire, to whom they gave the nickname "Demons of Air and Darkness" , due to their gateways. ( TNG novel : The Devil's Heart )

Despite using their technology for benevolent purposes, the other races' fear motivated them to attack the Iconians, which meant that the gateways were the source of the downfall of their civilization. According to ancient stories, various worlds of the galaxy banded together in order to destroy the threat posed by the Iconians. These races journeyed to the homeworld of Iconia where they bombarded its surface, and it was believed that the "Demons of Air and Darkness" were finally destroyed. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

During the last days of the Iconian Empire, a group used the Gem to activate the gateway network and take the remnants of their race to other worlds in order to survive. Thus, Iconian settlements were formed on the planets of DiWahn , Ikkabar and Dinasia . One of the last of the survivors was Kanda Jiak , who sought to take the Gem to safety, but after entering the gateway, she was instead transported to Vulcan , where she died and the stone passed to the Vulcan race. Around 200,000 years ago, the Iconians were supposedly wiped out following an orbital bombardment of Iconia. ( TNG novel : The Devil's Heart )

At the same time, another Iconian, L'Miren , recovered the database of all Iconian knowledge, called the World Heart , with the aid of a 25th century time traveler from the Delta Alliance , who the Iconians would later call " the Other ." However, just before L'Miren passed through a gateway to Dewa III , the time traveling former Romulan Empress Sela , seeking revenge for the Iconians' future destruction of Romulus , shot one of the Iconian survivors and took the World Heart. This led another Iconian, T'Ket , to swear vengeance against the Romulan people, leading to the Iconians eventually causing the Hobus supernova . After the surviving Iconians passed through the gateway, the Other took the World Heart from a distraught Sela and bore it through a time portal into the 25th century. ( STO - The Iconian War mission : " Midnight ")

While their homeworld was destroyed, the species survived and secretly lived in remote corners of the galaxy. ( VOY short story : " In the Queue ")

History later recorded that the Iconians were a race of brutal conquerors. Among the Iconians, it was believed that one of the things that doomed their civilization was that their gateway technology meant they could no longer actually travel and thus they had lost sight of the journey in their desire to reach their destination. ( DS9 - Gateways short story : " Horn and Ivory ")

It was known that no other race had achieved the same level of greatness as the Iconian Empire. In fact, in over two hundred thousand years, no other civilization had come close to recreating the transportation system of the Iconians. ( VOY - Gateways short story : " In the Queue ")

Though the Iconians were believed to have been extinct, the survivors who moved to various remote colonies had in fact survived and continued to live for thousands of years. A number of Iconians were able to escape to outposts on Ikkabar, DiWahn (also Dewa III ), and Dinasia. The climate on Ikkabar proved too unstable to sustain a population, and all but one of the Iconians on Ikkabar died out. The DiWahn and Dinasian climates were more suited for settlement, and the claimed descendants of the Iconians survived on both worlds. ( TNG novel : The Devil's Heart )

One of the last strongholds of the Iconians remained in the Alpha Quadrant , but had been reduced to a primitive state, and it was at this location where the Master Resonator keys were left behind. A faction of the race retained the use of their technology and had left known space in order to be on their own in order to pursue new interests and not to be bothered by other species. They, however, formed a group called the Sentries that were charged with watching over the gateway network. While they retained the use of the technology, these descendants of the Iconians were largely ignorant of their heritage or the workings of their equipment. ( TNG - Gateways novel : Doors Into Chaos , DS9 - Gateways novel : Demons of Air and Darkness , TNG short story : " The Other Side ")

The twelve Iconians who passed through a gateway to Dewa III adapted both themselves and their Heralds into beings specialized in war in order to defend themselves. They also acquired servitor races including the Solanae , the Elachi , and eventually the Vaadwaur . They created the Bluegill parasites as a means of controlling some of their servants, though they did not require all of their servitors to be possessed.

Some speculation was held on whether the Guardian of Forever was a product of Iconian technology. Hundreds of worlds hold traces of Iconian influence, or visits, with legends showing their kind as being a conqueror, as well as warmongering, people. However, very little was actually known of the species as their actual history was almost inseparable from folklore. Hundreds of planets held legends of their almost magical technology, and stories painted them as being a warlike species. Some theories, however, held that the Iconians may have been a peaceful race, but were in fact victims who were attacked by those that feared their advanced technology to the point that these other races destroyed what they could not understand. Some even speculated that the descendants of the Iconian race still wandered the galaxy though the identity of them was unknown. By the 24th century , the United Federation of Planets had discovered only a few remains of the Iconian race, though their empire remained an enigma. ( Decipher RPG module : Worlds )

In the year 2365 , the planet Iconia was discovered by the crew of the USS Enterprise -D who destroyed the gateway on the world as well as disputed the characterization of the species as being Demons of Air and Darkness. ( TNG episode : " Contagion ")

The Iconians also possessed territory in the Gamma Quadrant , such as Vandros IV and its surrounding territory. ( DS9 episode : " To the Death ")

During the Gateways Crisis of 2376 , the Petraw species masqueraded as the Iconians and activated the gateway network as part of a demonstration in order to sell the technology to the highest bidder. This led to a number of disasters such as the dumping of Theta radiation by a Malon freighter which threatened the Europa Nova colony that was accomplished through a gateway linking the world to the Delta Quadrant . It was only through the effort of Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise -E , who met with the Sentries, did he find a means of shutting down the system by locating the thirteen resonator keys and deactivating the network. ( TNG - Gateways short story : " The Other Side ")

Both variants of Smyt were Iconian. ( NF - Gateways novel : Cold Wars )

By the early 25th century, the Iconians were responsible for crossing into Fluidic Space where they attacked the native Undine race. This chain of events saw the Undine being provoked into believing that they had faced hostility from the other universe. As such, the tripedal aliens began a campaign of infiltration and destabilization of the Milky Way Galaxy. Unknown to anyone, this all went in line with the Iconians' plans to set the various races against one another in order to keep them all divided. ( STO - Undine Advance mission : " A Light in the Dark ")

In 2409 , an investigation was conducted into the Hobus supernova, which led to a trail to Iconia itself. A Romulan Republic captain, following clues from classified Tal Shiar files, discovered a base in the remains of the Hobus system, where Taris was discovered. ( STO mission : " Revelation ")

Although she escaped from Hobus through an Iconian gateway, a Starfleet vessel working with a Republic agent tracked a Reman commander in Taris's employ from Hobus to a facility on Iconia, where the Starfleet captain captured Taris, and discovered evidence linking her to the Hobus supernova. ( STO - Romulan Mystery mission : " Taris ")

Obisek , who headed the Reman Resistance , also learnt that the Tal Shiar had allied themselves with the "Demons of Air and Darkness" . He believed that this threat remained in the shadows and intended to get revenge on those that had driven them from their homeworld. ( STO - Romulan Mystery mission : " Frozen ")

Colonel Hakeev revealed the ties the Tal Shiar had with the Iconians on Nopada Prime along with his goal in finding ways of provoking conflict amongst various races. ( STO - Romulan Mystery mission : " Coliseum ")

After Hakeev's death, a battle erupted at Brea III where Empress Sela's flagship, the IRW Leahval , was seemingly captured by an Iconian ship that had emerged from a gateway. ( STO - Romulan Mystery mission : " Cutting the Cord ")

Following these events, Obisek wondered about the threat the Iconians posed to the galaxy. ( STO - Romulan Mystery mission : " Darkness Before the Dawn ")

This worry was also voiced by Captain Va'Kel Shon during the Borg conference at Deep Space 9 . ( STO - Cardassian Struggle mission : " Second Wave ")

According to Commander Mesi Achebe , Taris seemingly managed to escape during the riot at Facility 4028 with the apparent aid of the Iconians. ( STO - Cardassian Struggle mission : " Facility 4028 ")

Investigators on New Romulus revealed the ties the planet had with the ancient Iconians. ( STO mission : " Secrets of the Ancients ")

In 2410 , when the Federation and Klingon Empire agreed to cease war after the Undine attacks on Earth and Qo'noS , a female Iconian came through a gateway to give a cryptic warning to the Federation, Klingon Empire and Romulan Republic about things that would happen if they drew the Iconians' attention again. ( STO - Solanae Dyson Sphere mission : " Surface Tension ")

While following a lead by Sela, who had escaped capture, members of the Alpha Quadrant Alliance entered a Dyson sphere hidden in the Andromeda Galaxy , where they discovered a massive Iconian invasion force inside. The members escaped, though not before the Sphere jumped to a location near the Iconia system . During this mission, Sela revealed that the Iconians themselves cannot travel through time. The arrival of the Alliance and Sela, however, was the last straw, an Iconian warning them that their galaxy was now forfeit. These events would lead to what became known as the Iconian War . ( STO mission : " Uneasy Allies ")

Although many of Heralds died in the war, only one Iconian, M'Tara was killed, and another, T'Ket, lost her arm in combat with Emperor Kahless . ( STO - The Iconian War mission : " House Pegh ")

At the war's end, the Other, newly returned through time from the day Iconia fell, offered the World Heart to the Iconians in return for peace. All the Iconians, save for T'Ket, agreed, taking their Heralds and weapons to Iconia. They demanded to be left alone for at least a millennium before being contacted again, and that it be recognized that they would neither help nor hinder continued hostilities on T'Ket's part. ( STO mission : " Midnight ")

T'Ket's fleet, however, fell into the backdrop as more pressing threats such as the Hur'q came to the forefront. However, her forces movements were tracked by Starfleet Intelligence . Months after the events of the Battle at Midnight, Quark , Rom , Nog , Brunt , and Leck made plans to steal back the Sword of Kahless from T'Ket's personal vault on her flagship. The group was successful, despite the treachery of Brunt, who tried to steal the sword from under them. During the mission, Quark and Nog encountered T'Ket herself who was prepared to kill the duo for robbing her. Fortunately, Quark had placed a Hurq lure on her ship. Noting that even Iconian forces would be overwhelmed by the Hurq's numbers, T'Ket was forced to let them go on the condition they disabled the lure. Unfortunately, the control device for the lure was destroyed by the Hurq while Quark and Nog were trying to escape. What became of T'ket and her fleet are unknown. ( STO - The Iconian War mission : " Quark's Lucky Seven ")

By the 28th century , the Iconians had mostly disappeared from history. This information was provided to the Suliban during the Temporal Cold War , and accessed by Subcommander Kail of Romulan Temporal Defense during a Romulan Republic mission to the Suliban helix in 2409 . Kail wondered where the Iconians went. ( STO - From the Ashes mission : " The Helix ")

In 3190 the Federation considered the descendants of the Iconians as possible creators of the dark matter anomaly along with the Q , Metrons and Nacene . ( DSC episode : " The Examples ")

Known individuals [ ]

Appendices [ ], connections [ ], references [ ].

• DS9 - The Secret of the Lost Orb comic : " The Search "
• ↑ STO mission : " Sleepers ".

External link [ ]

• Iconian article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Iconian article at The Star Trek Online Wiki .
• 1 The Chase
• 2 Preserver (race)
• 3 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition

From Discovery to Picard to Lower Decks , Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds , there's a lot of New Star Trek to love.

Seven years ago, in 2017, after a 12-year absence, the Star Trek franchise returned to TV. On Sept. 24, 2017, the two-episode debut of Star Trek: Discovery was risky, bold, and, up until it dropped, shrouded in secrecy and more than a little bit of behind-the-scenes drama.

But, the Star Trek franchise survived this rocky start. After all, The Next Generation had several different writing staffs and production teams until it finally stabilized around 1990. And of course, The Original Series had its fair share of big production pivots across its three seasons. Radical change is built into the DNA of all Star Trek, though for some haters, the “NuTrek” that began with Discovery wasn’t what they wanted. Maybe it was the paywall on CBS All-Access. Maybe it was those all-blue uniforms in the first two seasons of Discovery . Or it was a million other, totally unfair complaints trolls had against the new Trek regime under Alex Kurtzman.

But, now, we’re nearly a decade into this brave (and strange) new world of Star Trek on TV. And, even for the most stubborn Trekkie, there are, in fact, episodes of so-called “NuTrek” that can convert a hater into a lover.

With representatives from every single new series, here are 10 episodes from the new era of Star Trek, all of which are just as good as great episodes from the classic eras that came before. Very mild spoilers ahead.

Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 2: “I Have No Bones, Yet I Must Flee”

The Moospy is coming!

With a title liberally stolen from Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” the sci-fi deep-cuts in this brilliant Lower Decks romp are never-ending. When the USS Cerritos encounters an alien zoo (classic!), the most deadly creature may also be the cutest.

Brilliantly, this Lower Decks takes a common Trek trope about misunderstood monsters and flips it on its head. The most dangerous creatures in this episode aren’t the aliens, but instead, well, you can guess.

This Lower Decks episode is also essential because it introduced the aforementioned bone-sucking (but otherwise adorable ) alien monster known as the Moopsy. Forget facehuggers from Alien. Moopsy will destroy all of them.

Prodigy Season 1, Episode 13: “All the World’s a Stage”

The kids of Prodigy discover the shuttlecraft Galileo from the classic USS Enterprise .

Can Star Trek do a version of Galaxy Quest ? The closest proof that the answer is yes, exists in the form of this extremely charming episode of Prodigy .

In “All the World's a Stage,” the kids of the USS Protostar roll up on the planet in which the inhabitants are all pretty much cosplaying as members of Starfleet from The Original Series . But, something has been lost in translation, because these folks call themselves “Enderprizians,” and refer to Starfleet as “Star Flight.”

Eventually, we learn that Ensign Garrovick, a redshirt Kirk saved in the episode “Obsession,” crashed a shuttle on this planet over a century prior. The Protostar tweens have to band together with these in-universe TOS fans to save the planet, and themselves. It’s a smart cross-generational story that sends a love letter to 1960s Trek fandom, while telling a great story that non-Trekkie kids can love, too.

Discovery Season 2, Episode 14: “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2”

Spock gets ready to send his sister Michael where no Trek time traveler has gone before.

With Discovery Season 5 taking place roughly in the year 3191, it’s hard to remember that the first two seasons happened in the 2250s. While Season 1 alternated between the depression of the Klingon War and the bleakness of the Mirror Universe, Season 2 was the moment in which Discovery actively moved closer to the ethos of The Original Series , with a dash of J.J. Abrams-reboot zest.

While the universe-destroying killer AI called “Control” feels like a rough draft of several other Trek villains, the emotional core of Discovery Season 2 — mostly focused on Spock and Burnham — truly delivers in this epic finale. When the classic USS Enterprise has to team up with the USS Discovery , the sensibilities of various Star Trek aesthetics collide. This was the moment when Discovery jumped into a new future to reboot itself for Season 3, and the moment that Discovery also created what became the proto-pilot episode for Strange New Worlds .

Picard Season 3, Episode 6: “The Bounty”

All your favorite characters await the arrival of even more of your favorite characters.

Midway through Picard Season 3, just when you thought the sweet nostalgia couldn’t get any sweeter, we get this episode. Even explaining why this episode is called “The Bounty” is, oddly, a really cool spoiler.

While it's fashionable to complain about fan service in a big geek franchise, “The Bounty” (and Picard Season 3 in general) proves how fan service can be done well by making massive Easter eggs integral to a real and heartfelt story.

Bottom line: between the Fleet Museum of awesome starships and the Daystrom Institute’s vault of strange devices and creatures (and apparently, the bones of Captain Kirk!) this episode has so many Star Trek goodies in it that it feels like opening a pack of trading cards or something. Did we mention the holographic Moriarty is in this one and an HD flashback to the first Next Generation episode, ever? If ever even had a passing interest in Star Trek, this episode will remind you why just the basic stuff in this universe is so damn cool.

Strange New Worlds Season 1, Episode 5: “Spock Amok”

Chapel and Spock discuss just how bad Spock is at being engaged.

Star Trek meets Freaky Friday in perhaps the most tender and hilarious body-swap sci-fi TV episode, ever. In order to work out their relationship problems, Spock and T’Pring decide to swap katras, and briefly inhabit each other’s bodies. But, of course, the swap seems permanent, and so, Spock has to pretend to be T’Pring, while T’Pring has to convince everyone’s she’s Spock.

While Ethan Peck’s take on Spock has been pretty much spot-on since the ending of Discovery , Gia Sandhu was put in the unique position of not only having to play T’Pring in this episode, but Spock too! Sandhu was more than up to the challenge, and this episode solidified her as one of the most memorable Strange New Worlds recurring guest stars.

But “Spock Amok” isn’t just about body-swapping shenanigans. There’s also a great subplot here involving Pike trying to work out a bizarre diplomatic problem, while another delightful storyline focuses on La’an and Una playing “Enterprise Bingo.” So, come for the body swap that leads to the Chapel-Spock-T’Pring love triangle, but stay for an episode that will give you all the warm and fuzzy Trekkie feelings.

Short Treks Episode 5: “Q&A”

Number One AKA Una (Rebecca Romijn) shines in a one-of-a-kind minisode.

Although the anthology format of Short Treks seems to have not stuck long term, the fifth episode, “Q&A,” represents perfectly why the concept is so great. Do we need an entire episode that explores Spock’s very first day on the USS Enterprise in 2253? Probably not! But, in the anthology world of Short Treks , this small, very specific story could be told without too much fuss.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (and Picard co-creator) Michael Chabon, “Q&A” finds Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) trapped together after a turbolift malfunctions. Here, Michael Chabon specifically attacked a real-life truth and combined it with a slick retcon. In Gene Roddenberry’s original conception of Star Trek , Number One would have been more like Spock. But when “The Cage” was rejected as a series pilot, and Roddenberry retooled the concept of Spock, many of Number One’s personality traits were given to Spock.

So, how does that work in canon? “Q&A” provides the answer. Spock clearly looks to Number One as his North Star when it comes to balancing his outward persona with his innermost feelings. Strange New Worlds has slightly walked back some of these themes more recently, but then again, several years have passed between “Q&A,” “The Cage,” and the most recent Number One-centric episode, “Ad Astra per Aspera.”

Discovery Season 1, Episode 7: “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad”

Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson) stops by Discovery to shake things up with a time loop.

Despite being the NuTrek series that launched the entire franchise, the serialized nature of Discovery makes it difficult to pick out just one episode, since so many episodes rely on dense season-long arcs. However, smack-dab in the middle of Discovery’s first season is a wonderful stand-alone episode called “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.”

In it, Rainn Wilson makes his second appearance as Harry Mudd, a reboot (pre-boot?) of an actual mustache-twirling villain from Star Trek: The Original Series . This version of Mudd has time crystals, which allow him to turn the whole episode into a delightful time loop story. If more Discovery Season 1 episodes had been like this one, the show probably wouldn’t have faced such early opposition from fans and critics. This was an instant classic in 2017, and it holds up still.

Lower Decks Season 1, Episode 10: “No Small Parts”

The Easter egg in this opening scene is one of the deepest, and best cuts in all of Lower Decks . You either know who Landru is...or you’re not of the body.

Although you could populate this entire list with Lower Decks episodes that would convert cranky or confused fans, the Season 1 finale of the show might remain the most impressive. Although the internet will tell you that Lower Decks is just Rick and Morty with Trekkie jokes, nothing could be further from the truth. With “No Small Parts,” showrunner Mike McMahan took the structure of a TNG season finale and married that sensibility with the ethos of what the series is all about.

The crew of the USS Cerritos is often doing the mop-up chores of Starfleet, and so it makes sense that their greatest nemesis would be extremely silly alien pieces from TNG . And yet, when things really start to hit the fan, Lower Deck pulls out the big phasers with an unforgettable cameo that will put a smile on the face of even the most casual or jaded Star Trek fan. After you watch “No Small Parts,” you’ll immediately want to watch the next season, and guess what? You’ll find most Lower Decks episodes are just as good.

Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 9: “Subspace Rhapsody”

Captain Pike, seconds before hearing Klingons burst into song.

Although the notion of a Star Trek musical episode might sound like the ultimate example of NuTrek jumping the space shark, the truth is, the zany premise of “Subspace Rhapsody” is exactly the kind of concept The Original Series would have floated if it had had the budget.

When the Enterprise gets hit by an improbability field from a subspace fold, suddenly, they’re enveloped in a kind of reality that operates on the rules of a musical. Getting to the end of this musical reality is the goal of the episode, meaning the musical premise is what drives the entire episode.

That said, “Subspace Rhapsody” does an incredible amount of character work for nearly every member of the crew. This episode establishes the canonical fact that Nurse Chapel has to leave the Enterprise at some point in order to make sense of her wonky TOS chronology. Plus, Chapel dumping Spock in the song “I’m Ready” leads to Spock’s lament “I’m the X,” which effectively retcons the more emotional Spock we’ve seen throughout this series, Discovery , and the 1964 pilot episode “The Cage.”

All in all, “Subspace Rhapsody” represents what Strange New Worlds does best: it takes a huge risk by playing it safe. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Picard Season 3, Episode 10: “The Last Generation”

Raffi and Seven take charge of the USS Titan, which may have a totally different name now, but no spoilers!

The series finale of Picard is a weird episode to watch as your very first episode of NuTrek but, for longtime fans of the 1990s version of the franchise (which is an era that lasted from 1987 to 2005), this big, bold episode will remind you of all your favorite Star Trek toys.

While watching this episode out of context with the rest of Picard Season 3 could be disorienting, combined with its predecessor — the penultimate episode “Võx” — you’re getting a TNG movie that is much better than most of the actual TNG movies. Heartfelt, action-packed, and with nods to all corners of Trek fandom, “The Last Generation” is also a not-so-secret backdoor pilot for yet another Trek series that has yet to materialize. Fans and showrunner Terry Matalas have dubbed this hypothetical spinoff show as Star Trek: Legacy . Will we ever see it? There are always possibilities, but for now, the most crowd-pleasing NuTrek episode of them all will remain this absolute banger.

Picard, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, and Discovery all stream on Paramount+. Prodigy streams on Netflix.

• Science Fiction

Iconian gateway

• VisualEditor
• View history

An active Gateway on Iconia.

Iconian gateways are transdimensional transporters that were used by the Iconian civilization to maintain their vast interstellar empire during its height 200,000 years ago. Though the Iconians' empire apparently collapsed long ago, several working gateways have been found in recent decades.

Iconian gateways can target multiple locations for travel, and a trip through a gateway is typically one-way; the presence of a second gate at the destination is not required. However, a number of Iconian gateways, most notably the space gateways located within the Iconians' Dyson Spheres, are permanently locked to a single gateway on the other side, allowing for two-way transportation at the expense of the ability to change destinations.

• 1 Known gateways
• 2 Background
• 3 Missions involved
• 5 External links

Known gateways [ | ]

Numerous Iconian gateways remain in existence and the Iconian Gateway network was activated by the player in “A Step Between Stars” . Since then, many gateways were destroyed but several remain in operation, including several which are available for the player to use in travelling across the Galaxy (said network is highlighted in green below).

Background [ | ]

• In 2365 , the planet Iconia was discovered in the Romulan Neutral Zone by the U.S.S. Yamato . A gateway was found in the ruins, which was then destroyed by Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise -D .
• Seven years later , another gateway was discovered by the Dominion on Vandros IV . Several rogue Jem'Hadar attempted to rebel against the Founders using the Gateway, but they were defeated and the Gateway destroyed by a joint Starfleet /Dominion strike force.

Missions involved [ | ]

A map of all (re-)activated Iconian gateways in the Milky Way .

• “Revelation” : Undercover within the Tal Shiar , Romulan Republic players discover Taris in the Hobus System but she manages to escape through an Iconian gateway.
• “Taris” : Another working gateway is discovered by Starfleet on Iconia, where it is being used by Taris in an attempt to contact the Iconians and convince them to undo the effects of the Hobus supernova .
• “Coliseum” : Hakeev has established a gateway in his facility on Nopada Prime . He uses it to help the Iconians fulfill their plans.
• “Cutting the Cord” : Two gateways are found on Brea III , and a third built into an asteroid in orbit.
• “Fluid Dynamics” : It is discovered that the Iconians have used gateways to send fake Alpha and Beta Quadrant ships into Fluidic Space to provoke the Undine .
• “Secrets of the Ancients” : The player discovers a gateway in a lava tube on New Romulus , which was responsible for a catastrophic seismic event 150,000 years ago.
• “Sphere of Influence” : The Romulan Republic invites delegations of the Federation and the Klingon Empire to New Romulus to witness the activation of the newly-restored Iconian gateway beneath the surface. This event leads to the entire gateway network being reset. The player learns that there are 7,255 gateways in total, and that some are located in the Andromeda Galaxy . A massive gateway is revealed in the Jouret System .
• “Elachi Alert” : Federation, Klingon, and Romulan ships have to be defended against Elachi entering the Alpha Quadrant from previously undiscovered Iconian space gates.
• “Circles within Circles” : The player uses the Iconian Gateway in the Jouret System to travel to the Solanae Dyson Sphere , located in the Delta Quadrant .
• “A Step Between Stars” : Players are forced to activate an Iconian gateway near the star at the center of the Solanae Dyson Sphere in order to disable the sphere's jump capabilities. This gateway leads to the Jenolan Dyson Sphere , located deep within the Delta Quadrant.
• “Surface Tension” : An Undine invasion fleet uses the gateway in the Jenolan Dyson Sphere to launch an attack on the homeworlds of the Federation and Klingon Empire . After the battle, an Iconian appears in the Great Hall on Qo'noS via a gateway to threaten the players' factions.
• “Escalation” : The player uses the gateway in the Jouret System to travel to the Jenolan Dyson Sphere in order to report to their factions' Delta Alliance liaison.
• “Uneasy Allies” : The player accompanies Sela on a mission to discover the Iconians' plans, traveling through the gateway on Nopada Prime to the Andromeda Dyson Sphere in the Andromeda Galaxy where they discover the Iconians preparing to invade the Alpha and Beta Quadrants . The player then escapes back through a gateway to Nopada Prime in order to warn the Milky Way of the coming danger.
• “Blood of Ancients” : Herald forces attack the gateway on New Romulus, using it to locate the Preserver archive on Lae'nas III . the player then uses the gateway to travel there before the Heralds destroy it.
• “Midnight” : The time-travelling player, along with Sela and Kagran , assist the evacuation of ancient Iconia via a gateway.

Gallery [ | ]

The gateway at the Hobus base.

The gateway on Iconia.

The gateway on Nopada Prime.

The small gateway on Brea III.

The larger gateway on Brea III.

The gateway orbiting Brea III.

The gateway on New Romulus.

Holographic representation of Dewans and an Iconian at the New Romulus gateway.

A gateway at the Solanae outpost in subspace.

The gateway in the Jouret system.

The gateway in the Solanae Dyson Sphere.

The gateway near the star at the center of the Solanae Dyson Sphere.

The gateway in the Jenolan Dyson Sphere.

The gateway in the Dyson Sphere from the Andromeda Galaxy.

One of twelve gateways within the Herald Sphere.

The gateway on ancient Iconia.

External links [ | ]

• Iconian gateway at Memory Alpha , the Star Trek Wiki.
• 1 List of canon starships
• 3 Playable starship

When does the final season of 'Star Trek: Discovery' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch

It's time for U.S.S. Discovery's final mission.

Paramount+'s hit TV series "Star Trek: Discovery" is returning for its fifth and final season this week and there is a lot to look forward to.

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

"Star Trek: Discovery" debuted in 2017 and is the seventh in the Star Trek series. Here's everything you need to know about the final season of the series.

When does 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 premiere?

The finale season of "Star Trek: Discovery" is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ on Thursday, April 4.

The first two episodes will be available to stream on the premiere date, with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays. Paramount+ did not specify what time the episodes will be available on their platform.

'Star Trek: Discovery' on Paramount+: Subscribe

Kenneth Mitchell: 'Star Trek: Discovery' actor, dies after battle with ALS

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 episodes

Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery" has 10 episodes in total. The first two will be available to stream on April 4, with the remaining dropping weekly on Thursday on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 cast

Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery" brings back new and old faces along with recurring guest stars. Cast members include:

• Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham
• Doug Jones as Saru
• Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
• Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly
• Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber
• David Ajala as Cleveland “Book” Booker
• Blu del Barrio as Adira
• Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner.
• Elias Toufexis as L’ak
• Eve Harlow as Moll

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 trailer

Paramount+ dropped the official trailer for Season 5 on Feb. 23.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

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Published Apr 3, 2024

Star Trek: Discovery's Five-Season Mission

In the lead up to Discovery's final adventure, the cast and creatives behind the hit series reflects on their journey so far.

StarTrek.com

We're mere days away from Star Trek: Discovery launching its final adventure with the premiere of its fifth season on April 4.

In need of a catch up of where we last left off with each character? We've got a guide for that . Want a spoiler-free tease of what's to come for the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery ? We've got you covered there as well .

Ahead of their last mission, the cast and creatives behind the hit series that relaunched the Star Trek universe seven years ago has been reflecting on their experiences on- and off-screen during their latest stints on Star Trek: The Cruise VII, SXSW, WonderCon, World Premiere junket, and more. Here are the biggest takeaways from their promotional tour!

"Under the Twin Moons"

Following the finale of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005, it would take the franchise 12 years to return to television screens with the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017.

Speaking directly to StarTrek.com during the press junket at SXSW, executive producer and showrunner Alex Kurtzman detailed how they selected Sonequa Martin-Green to usher in the modern era of Star Trek . "Sonequa's amazingness just radiated off the screen, and that was just from an audition," shared Kurtzman. "We actually didn't meet her in person; she was in New York at the time. It's that beautiful thing. We had been looking for so long for the right Michael Burnham. And it's that miracle moment that you always wait for when you're in a casting process where just the right person shows up and starts saying the lines, and you go, 'That's my Michael Burnham.' That's what we got with her just out of the gate."

"On top of being a brilliant Michael Burnham, she's also just the most amazing Number One ever," continued Kurtzman. "She's such a beautiful human being, such a wonderful leader. She created a space on set for everybody to be joyful and to do their best work. I honestly don't think we can say enough about how amazing she is."

This sentiment was echoed amongst all the cast members, including the newest addition to the series, Eve Harlow , who praised Martin-Green during an exclusive conversation with StarTrek.com during Star Trek: The Cruise VII, "She is that captain, and she treats everyone like an equal. I've just never been on a set where everyone, the crew is so appreciated. She knows everybody's names. She knows what they do. She knows their family life, what's going on with them. She genuinely cares, and being around that, that spirit is infectious."

"The Hope That Is You, Part 2"

Sitting in the SXSW Studio , Sonequa Martin-Green reflected on being the first Black woman to helm a Star Trek series. "This is one of the things that I'm most proud of," exclaimed Martin-Green. "There's no way that i could not be. We made television history twice. First, it was the first Black female lead, and then it was the first Black female lead and captain. Those moments mean so much to me even being able to just sit in the chair. I could distill it to that moment of being able to sit in the chair. I was carrying my daughter at the same time. So being able to share that with her, and then being able to become a producer and then an executive producer behind-the-scenes."

During the Discovery panel at WonderCon, executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi reflected on Michael Burnham's journey throughout Star Trek: Discovery. " [Sonequa] is an incredible human being, and she's an incredible actor. Here she was playing these multiple roles, lieutenant to prisoner at one point. It takes an actor of incredible range and incredible capability to be able to pull that off. To be believable in each of the different roles of each of the different phases of her life. It was really fantastic to be able to see and have a front row seat to that. It's one of those things I'll cherish for the rest of my life."

During the WonderCon panel, executive producer and showrunner Michelle Paradise added, "She surprises me every episode. She just really incredible. I remember when I first started on the show, one of the first things Alex said to me is that there's nothing Sonequa can't do, and he's absolutely right. I saw that very early on. And as a writer, that is just a gift because you can take the character anywhere. She's a formidable presence and performer, and just so emotional, and the tiniest moments, she just brings them to life. It's a real treat honestly to get to work with her."

"Coming Home"

In the SXSW Studio, Doug Jones shared how Saru helped fans as well as himself. "Science fiction does parallel real life a lot," noted Jones. "That's why i think the fandom for this genre is so strong because people do see that they can watch something fictional and then go into their real life and go, 'I've got the power to face my demons or whatever is coming in my way that day.'"

"With my character on this [series], I found that the fans seem to be responding to Saru's imposter syndrome, his fears, his anxieties that he starts with in this series," explained Jones. "Watching him work through it, watching him evolve past it, watching him find confidence and courage in himself. That's a theme that so many people have related to and told me, 'Oh my gosh, watching Saru has helped me through this, this, that.' And me too. Me watching Saru go through this has been 'Oh gosh, i don't have to have imposter syndrome anymore. I actually do belong here dagnabbit."

Blu del Barrio also reflected on how their character Adira and Ian Alexander's character Gray has resonated with fans as well as themselves. "It was really perfect timing because the way that Ian and I were introduced," stated del Barrio. "Right after this massive time jump was really perfect, and the way that we were introduced was very nonchalantly, which I think was the right way to do it. There's very rarely a trans character on a TV show. There's never two, and they're never in a relationship. So the fact that I got to do that with Ian is definitely what I'm most proud of in all of the way that I've done here. I feel immensely grateful to have been allowed to. [To Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise,] you guys gave us this platform."

"I didn't realize the effect that it would have, and I'm hugely grateful for it every single day" added del Barrio. "I love the way that we were portrayed. I love the way that I got to bring a lot of my own life and transition into Adira, and that I got to do that on-screen. Although it was very scary, I'm grateful for it. I'm glad that I could do it, and I'm glad that it was not the most interesting thing about either myself or Ian's character. In fact, we literally never talk about it which is perfect. I love that."

Wilson Cruz echoed the same sentiment earlier in the conversation, "I'm feeling grateful for the experience, for people to have been introduced to all of these people who have become a part of my life. I'm grateful for being able to tell this story with this incredibly diverse cast, and finally give voice and face to communities that had been longing to see themselves in this franchise for so many years."

Get ready for Discovery 's final adventure when Season 5 premieres with the first two episodes later this week!

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

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 through 4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, 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. In Canada, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. Star Trek: Discovery is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery season 5, episode 1 ending & tng treasure explained.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere dropped a bombshell that ties all the way back to Star Trek: The Next Generation. We break it down.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 - "Red Directive"

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5 reveals a bombshell treasure hunt that ties back to Star Trek: TNG "The Chase."
• Mysterious villains Moll and L'ak create chaos, leaving behind a trail of destruction on Kumal.
• Captain Saru to become a Federation Ambassador, leading to the first Kelpien-Vulcan wedding in Star Trek history.

The ending of Star Trek: Discovery 's exhilarating season 5 premiere dropped a jaw-dropping bombshell that the treasure Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is hunting for comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 20, "The Chase." Written by Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Discovery 's season 5 premiere, "Red Directive," introduces three new major characters, the villains Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and Starfleet Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), and sets up Discovery season 5 as a sequel to the classic TNG episode about who created humanoid life in the galaxy - and how .

Moll and L'ak escaped the clutches of Captain Burnham, Captain Rayner, and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) on the desert world of Q'Mau. After a synthetic merchant named Fred (J. Adam Brown) opened a Romulan puzzle box Moll and L'ak stole from an 800-year-old Romulan starship , Fred double-crossed Moll and L'ak and was killed by the renegade lovers. L'ak and Moll then detonated an explosive in the mountains, creating an avalanche. The combined shields of the USS Discovery and the USS Antares protected the people of Kumal, but Moll and L'ak escaped with the Romulans' journal. However, Captain Burnham knows more than the rogues do about the treasure thanks to Discovery's crew. And, as Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) said, the answers are wild.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 - Everything We Know

Star trek: discovery season 5's treasure & progenitors explained, who were the progenitors in star trek: tng's "the chase".

"The greatest treasure in the known galaxy" in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is the technology Ancient Humanoids used to create sentient humanoid life. A hologram of an Ancient Humanoid (Salome Jens) was encountered by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), members of the USS Enterprise-D crew, as well as a group of Romulans, Klingons, and Cardassians in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase". The Ancient Humanoid revealed that her long-dead race seeded the galaxy billions of years ago to create humanoid life forms in their image, and that the humanoid species in Star Trek 's galaxy share a common ancestry.

"The Chase" was Star Trek: The Next Generation 's attempt to explain why so many aliens in Star Trek are essentially humans with bumpy foreheads and physical variations.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere reveals that the United Federation of Planets and Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg) dubbed the Ancient Humanoids "The Progenitors". 800 years ago, a Romulan scientist named Dr. Vellek (Michael Copeman) found and hid the Progenitors' technology, which can literally create life and would be catastrophic if it fell into the wrong hands . However, Moll and L'ak (and, logically, whoever hired them) learned about the Progenitors' technology. The ability to create, and possibly destroy, humanoid species is an existential threat to the galaxy, which is why the Federation needs Captain Burnham to find it first.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere, President T'Rina (Tara Rosling) said the Tholian Republic and the Breen Imperium are rising, and they could be looking for the Progenitors' technology.

Moll & L'ak Keep Escaping, But Who Are They?

Star trek: discovery's new villains are a mystery..

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's version of Bonnie and Clyde, the villainous Moll and L'ak are mysterious former couriers who have had several past encounters with Captain Rayner of the USS Antares. Moll is human but L'ak is an unknown species with no known information in the Federation database. They are also hired guns, so they must have an employer yet to be revealed.

While little is revealed about Moll and L'ak, what is clear is they are lovers with deep affection for each other. Cleveland Booker doesn't know Moll and L'ak from his years as a courier, but he could tell by the way they escaped from the USS Discovery and USS Antares that L'ak and Moll are in love and are having fun together. In a way, Moll and L'ak are an echo of what Book and Michael Burnham were like when they were couriers traveling the galaxy together in the year before the USS Discovery arrived in the 32nd century.

Saru Will Become A Federation Ambassador & Marry T'Rina

Wedding bells are coming to star trek: discovery..

Captain Saru accepts Federation President Laira Rillak's (Chelah Horsdal) offer to become a Federation Ambassador. Saru has been serving as First Officer of the USS Discovery despite his higher rank since Star Trek: Discovery season 4, but being Captain Burnham's Number One is not really a role that utilizes the Kelpien's skills and potential. Saru also chose to leave Discovery and become an Ambassador to be closer to his love, President T'Rina.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 will soon have the first Kelpien-Vulcan wedding and the first wedding between 2 major Star Trek characters in 22 years.

Originally, T'Rina told Saru not to factor her into his decision to take the Ambassador position, but she actually wanted Saru to leave Discovery, which would allow them to spend more time together. And T'rina went a step further and proposed to Saru in a very Vulcan-like fashion, suggesting they "codify our mutual agreement in a more official capacity". Saru seemed to say yes, which means Star Trek: Discovery season 5 will soon have the first Kelpien-Vulcan wedding and the first wedding between 2 major Star Trek characters in 22 years since Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) married Deanna Tro i (Marina Sirtis) in Star Trek: Nemesis.

Burnham & Book Are Still Broken Up

They should have called each other..

Star Trek: Discovery 's top love story, Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker , didn't quite heat up in season 5's premiere. Burnham and Book have been separated (but with no hard feelings) ever since Book commenced his penance for the Federation after breaking multiple laws to destroy the Dark Matter Anomaly in Star Trek: Discovery season 4. Burnham turned to Book for his courier expertise to help her catch Moll and L'ak , and if she's honest, because she wanted to see Book again.

Michael and Book agreed not to restart their relationship.

Book remains penitent and is committed to righting his wrongs with the Federation and with Michael, but there is now an understandable awkwardness between them. Book has a role to play on the USS Discovery as long as Moll and L'ak are at large , but on Kumal, Michael and Book agreed not to restart their relationship. However, this isn't the end of Burnham and Booker's love story, and it's hard to imagine they won't get back together at some point in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Captain Rayner Is No Fan Of Burnham

What is rayner's problem.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 introduced Callum Keith Rennie's Captain Rayner of the USS Antares as a new series regular character, and he brings a new dynamic to the show. Gruff, impatient, and no-nonsense, Rayner evokes previous hardliner Star Trek Captains like Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Rayner is also resentful of Captain Burnham for some reason , and he finds humor in mocking Michael, asserting his command authority, and countermanding her orders.

Rayner seems jealous of the USS Discovery's spore drive, and he mentions his displeasure that he doesn't have a Pathway Drive on the USS Antares.

Although it wasn't mentioned or factored into Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere, Captain Rayner is a Kellerun , a species first introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2's "Armageddon Game". Rayner's interest in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is fulfilling his Red Directive mission objective, which is retrieving the treasure, as well as capturing Moll and L'ak, whom he has tangled with before. There is plenty more to learn about Captain Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Star Trek: Discovery Now Has Their Own Data

Fred could be good for commander paul stamets..

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere introduced Fred, a Soong-type synthetic who is a merchant and fence on the planet Q'Mau. Fred obviously evokes the most famous Soong android, Data (Brent Spiner), which is another link between Star Trek: Discovery season 5 and Star Trek: The Next Generation , L'ak and Moll killed Fred after he double-crossed them, but after Fred's body was beamed onto the USS Discovery's medical bay, Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) determined from his serial number, AS-7502Y, that Fred was built from the design of Dr. Altan Inigo Soong (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: Picard .

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere, Stamets lamented the Federation's scuttling the spore drive program in favor of the Pathway Drive . Although Fred was "killed", it's possible Stamets and his husband, Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), can reactivate Fred. The 600-plus-year-old android may contain other secrets and answer many questions about events between Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery 's era. There are intriguing possibilities for Fred in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 , and it would be odd if Fred really is dead after his lone appearance.

The USS Discovery is now "one of a kind" since it has the only working spore drive in existence.

The Next Clue In Discovery's Treasure Hunt

Discovery is going to a planet with twin moons..

The USS Discovery's next stop on the treasure hunt in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 2, "Under the Twin Moons," is Lyrek, a planet in the Vileen system, on the outer sector of the Beta Quadrant, that has 3 moons, 2 of which move in perfect sync. Captain Burnham figured this out after seeing images of Dr. Vellek's Romulan diary pages retrieved from Fred's database. One of the pages had a circular image which could be a literal treasure map, and the clues point to the Vileen system and the planet with twin moons . What Burnham will find on Lyrek remains to be seen in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 2, but the chase is on to answer one of the biggest questions left behind by Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is streaming on Paramount+

The Future of ‘Star Trek’: From ‘Starfleet Academy’ to New Movies and Michelle Yeoh, How the 58-Year-Old Franchise Is Planning for the Next Generation of Fans

“I can’t believe I get to play the captain of the Enterprise.”

“Strange New Worlds” is the 12th “Star Trek” TV show since the original series debuted on NBC in 1966, introducing Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a hopeful future for humanity. In the 58 years since, the “Star Trek” galaxy has logged 900 television episodes and 13 feature films, amounting to 668 hours — nearly 28 days — of content to date. Even compared with “Star Wars” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Star Trek” stands as the only storytelling venture to deliver a single narrative experience for this long across TV and film.

In other words, “Star Trek” is not just a franchise. As Alex Kurtzman , who oversees all “Star Trek” TV production, puts it, “‘Star Trek’ is an institution.”

Without a steady infusion of new blood, though, institutions have a way of fading into oblivion (see soap operas, MySpace, Blockbuster Video). To keep “Star Trek” thriving has meant charting a precarious course to satisfy the fans who have fueled it for decades while also discovering innovative ways to get new audiences on board.

“Doing ‘Star Trek’ means that you have to deliver something that’s entirely familiar and entirely fresh at the same time,” Kurtzman says.

The franchise has certainly weathered its share of fallow periods, most recently after “Nemesis” bombed in theaters in 2002 and UPN canceled “Enterprise” in 2005. It took 12 years for “Star Trek” to return to television with the premiere of “Discovery” in 2017; since then, however, there has been more “Star Trek” on TV than ever: The adventure series “Strange New Worlds,” the animated comedy “Lower Decks” and the kids series “Prodigy” are all in various stages of production, and the serialized thriller “Picard” concluded last year, when it ranked, along with “Strange New Worlds,” among Nielsen’s 10 most-watched streaming original series for multiple weeks. Nearly one in five Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S. is watching at least one “Star Trek” series, according to the company, and more than 50% of fans watching one of the new “Trek” shows also watch at least two others. The new shows air in 200 international markets and are dubbed into 35 languages. As “Discovery” launches its fifth and final season in April, “Star Trek” is in many ways stronger than it’s ever been.

“’Star Trek’s fans have kept it alive more times than seems possible,” says Eugene Roddenberry, Jr., who executive produces the TV series through Roddenberry Entertainment. “While many shows rightfully thank their fans for supporting them, we literally wouldn’t be here without them.”

But the depth of fan devotion to “Star Trek” also belies a curious paradox about its enduring success: “It’s not the largest fan base,” says Akiva Goldsman, “Strange New Worlds” executive producer and co-showrunner. “It’s not ‘Star Wars.’ It’s certainly not Marvel.”

When J.J. Abrams rebooted “Star Trek” in 2009 — with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldaña playing Kirk, Spock and Uhura — the movie grossed more than any previous “Star Trek” film by a comfortable margin. But neither that film nor its two sequels broke $500 million in global grosses, a hurdle every other top-tier franchise can clear without breaking a sweat.

There’s also the fact that “Star Trek” fans are aging. I ask “The Next Generation” star Jonathan Frakes, who’s acted in or directed more versions of “Star Trek” than any other person alive, how often he meets fans for whom the new “Star Trek” shows are their first. “Of the fans who come to talk to me, I would say very, very few,” he says. “‘Star Trek’ fans, as we know, are very, very, very loyal — and not very young.”

As Stapf puts it: “There’s a tried and true ‘Trek’ fan that is probably going to come to every ‘Star Trek,’ no matter what it is — and we want to expand the universe.”

Every single person I spoke to for this story talked about “Star Trek” with a joyful earnestness as rare in the industry as (nerd alert) a Klingon pacifist.

“When I’m meeting fans, sometimes they’re coming to be confirmed, like I’m kind of a priest,” Ethan Peck says during a break in filming on the “Strange New Worlds” set. He’s in full Spock regalia — pointy ears, severe eyebrows, bowl haircut — and when asked about his earliest memories of “Star Trek,” he stares off into space in what looks like Vulcan contemplation. “I remember being on the playground in second or third grade and doing the Vulcan salute, not really knowing where it came from,” he says. “When I thought of ‘Star Trek,’ I thought of Spock. And now I’m him. It’s crazy.”

To love “Star Trek” is to love abstruse science and cowboy diplomacy, complex moral dilemmas and questions about the meaning of existence. “It’s ultimately a show with the most amazing vision of optimism, I think, ever put on-screen in science fiction,” says Kurtzman, who is 50. “All you need is two minutes on the news to feel hopeless now. ‘Star Trek’ is honestly the best balm you could ever hope for.”

I’m getting a tour of the USS Enterprise from Scotty — or, rather, “Strange New World” production designer Jonathan Lee, who is gushing in his native Scottish burr as we step into the starship’s transporter room. “I got such a buzzer from doing this, I can’t tell you,” he says. “I actually designed four versions of it.”

Lee is especially proud of the walkway he created to run behind the transporter pads — an innovation that allows the production to shoot the characters from a brand-new set of angles as they beam up from a far-flung planet. It’s one of the countless ways that this show has been engineered to be as cinematic as possible, part of Kurtzman’s overall vision to make “Star Trek” on TV feel like “a movie every week.”

Kurtzman’s tenure with “Star Trek” began with co-writing the screenplay for Abrams’ 2009 movie, which was suffused with a fast-paced visual style that was new to the franchise. When CBS Studios approached Kurtzman in the mid-2010s about bringing “Star Trek” back to TV, he knew instinctively that it needed to be just as exciting as that film.

“The scope was so much different than anything we had ever done on ‘Next Gen,’” says Frakes, who’s helmed two feature films with the “Next Generation” cast and directed episodes of almost every live-action “Trek” TV series, including “Discovery” and “Strange New Worlds.” “Every department has the resources to create.”

A new science lab set for Season 3, for example, boasts a transparent floor atop a four-foot pool of water that swirls underneath the central workbench, and the surrounding walls sport a half dozen viewscreens with live schematics custom designed by a six-person team. “I like being able to paint on a really big canvas,” Kurtzman says. “The biggest challenge is always making sure that no matter how big something gets, you’re never losing focus on that tiny little emotional story.”

At this point, is there a genre that “Strange New Worlds” can’t do? “As long as we’re in storytelling that is cogent and sure handed, I’m not sure there is,” Goldsman says with an impish smile. “Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!”

This approach is also meant to appeal to people who might want to watch “Star Trek” but regard those 668 hours of backstory as an insurmountable burden. “You shouldn’t have to watch a ‘previously on’ to follow our show,” Myers says.

To achieve so many hairpin shifts in tone and setting while maintaining Kurtzman’s cinematic mandate, “Strange New Worlds” has embraced one of the newest innovations in visual effects: virtual production. First popularized on the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” the technology — called the AR wall — involves a towering circular partition of LED screens projecting a highly detailed, computer-generated backdrop. Rather than act against a greenscreen, the actors can see whatever fantastical surroundings their characters are inhabiting, lending a richer level of verisimilitude to the show.

But there is a catch. While the technology is calibrated to maintain a proper sense of three-dimensional perspective through the camera lens, it can be a bit dizzying for anyone standing on the set. “The images on the walls start to move in a way that makes no sense,” says Mount. “You end up having to focus on something that’s right in front of you so you don’t fall down.”

And yet, even as he’s talking about it, Mount can’t help but break into a boyish grin. “Sometimes we call it the holodeck,” he says. In fact, the pathway to the AR wall on the set is dotted with posters of the virtual reality room from “The Next Generation” and the words “Enter Holodeck” in a classic “Trek” font.

“I want to take one of those home with me,” Peck says. Does the AR wall also affect him? “I don’t really get disoriented by it. Spock would not get ill, so I’m Method acting.”

I’m on the set of the “Star Trek” TV movie “Section 31,” seated in an opulent nightclub with a view of a brilliant, swirling nebula, watching Yeoh rehearse with director Olatunde Osunsanmi and her castmates. Originally, the project was announced as a TV series centered on Philippa Georgiou, the semi-reformed tyrant Yeoh originated on “Discovery.” But between COVID delays and the phenomenon of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” there wasn’t room in the veteran actress’s schedule to fit a season of television. Yeoh was undaunted.

“We’d never let go of her,” she says of her character. “I was just blown away by all the different things I could do with her. Honestly, it was like, ‘Let’s just get it done, because I believe in this.’”

If that means nothing to you, don’t worry: The enormity of the revelation that Garrett is being brought back is meant only for fans. If you don’t know who the character is, you’re not missing anything.

“It was always my goal to deliver an entertaining experience that is true to the universe but appeals to newcomers,” says screenwriter Craig Sweeny. “I wanted a low barrier of entry so that anybody could enjoy it.”

Nevertheless, including Garrett on the show is exactly the kind of gasp-worthy detail meant to flood “Star Trek” fans with geeky good feeling.

“You cannot create new fans to the exclusion of old fans,” Kurtzman says. “You must serve your primary fan base first and you must keep them happy. That is one of the most important steps to building new fans.”

On its face, that maxim would make “Section 31” a genuine risk. The titular black-ops organization has been controversial with “Star Trek” fans since it was introduced in the 1990s. “The concept is almost antagonistic to some of the values of ‘Star Trek,’” Sweeny says. But he still saw “Section 31” as an opportunity to broaden what a “Star Trek” project could be while embracing the radical inclusivity at the heart of the franchise’s appeal.

“Famously, there’s a spot for everybody in Roddenberry’s utopia, so I was like, ‘Well, who would be the people who don’t quite fit in?’” he says. “I didn’t want to make the John le Carré version, where you’re in the headquarters and it’s backbiting and shades of gray. I wanted to do the people who were at the edges, out in the field. These are not people who necessarily work together the way you would see on a ‘Star Trek’ bridge.”

For Osunsanmi, who grew up watching “The Next Generation” with his father, it boils down to a simple question: “Is it putting good into the world?” he asks. “Are these characters ultimately putting good into the world? And, taking a step back, are we putting good into the world? Are we inspiring humans watching this to be good? That’s for me what I’ve always admired about ‘Star Trek.’”

Should “Section 31” prove successful, Yeoh says she’s game for a sequel. And Kurtzman is already eyeing more opportunities for TV movies, including a possible follow-up to “Picard.” The franchise’s gung-ho sojourn into streaming movies, however, stands in awkward contrast to the persistent difficulty Paramount Pictures and Abrams’ production company Bad Robot have had making a feature film following 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond” — the longest theaters have gone without a “Star Trek” movie since Paramount started making them.

First, a movie reuniting Pine’s Capt. Kirk with his late father — played in the 2009 “Star Trek” by Chris Hemsworth — fell apart in 2018. Around the same time, Quentin Tarantino publicly flirted with, then walked away from, directing a “Star Trek” movie with a 1930s gangster backdrop. Noah Hawley was well into preproduction on a “Star Trek” movie with a brand-new cast, until then-studio chief Emma Watts abruptly shelved it in 2020. And four months after Abrams announced at Paramount’s 2022 shareholders meeting that his 2009 cast would return for a movie directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”), Shakman left the project to make “The Fantastic Four” for Marvel. (It probably didn’t help that none of the cast had been approached before Abrams made his announcement.)

The studio still intends to make what it’s dubbed the “final chapter” for the Pine-Quinto-Saldaña cast, and Steve Yockey (“The Flight Attendant”) is writing a new draft of the script. Even further along is another prospective “Star Trek” film written by Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and to be directed by Toby Haynes (“Andor,” “Black Mirror: USS Callister”) that studio insiders say is on track to start preproduction by the end of the year. That project will serve as an origin story of sorts for the main timeline of the entire franchise. In both cases, the studio is said to be focused on rightsizing the budgets to fit within the clear box office ceiling for “Star Trek” feature films.

Far from complaining, everyone seems to relish the challenge. Visual effects supervisor Jason Zimmerman says that “working with Alex, the references are always at least $100 million movies, if not more, so we just kind of reverse engineer how do we do that without having to spend the same amount of money and time.”

The workload doesn’t seem to faze him either. “Visual effects people are a big, big ‘Star Trek’ fandom,” he says. “You naturally just get all these people who go a little bit above and beyond, and you can’t trade that for anything.”

In one of Kurtzman’s several production offices in Toronto, he and production designer Matthew Davies are scrutinizing a series of concept drawings for the newest “Star Trek” show, “Starfleet Academy.” A bit earlier, they showed me their plans for the series’ central academic atrium, a sprawling, two-story structure that will include a mess hall, amphitheater, trees, catwalks, multiple classrooms and a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge in a single, contiguous space. To fit it all, they plan to use every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage, the largest in Canada.

But this is a “Star Trek” show, so there do need to be starships, and Kurtzman is discussing with Davies about how one of them should look. The issue is that “Starfleet Academy” is set in the 32nd century, an era so far into the future Kurtzman and his team need to invent much of its design language.

“For me, this design is almost too Klingon,” Kurtzman says. “I want to see the outline and instinctively, on a blink, recognize it as a Federation ship.”

The time period was first introduced on Season 3 of “Discovery,” when the lead character, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), transported the namesake starship and its crew there from the 23rd century. “It was exciting, because every time we would make a decision, we would say, ‘And now that’s canon,’” says Martin-Green.

“We listened to a lot of it,” Kurtzman says. “I think I’ve been able to separate the toxic fandom from really true fans who love ‘Star Trek’ and want you to hear what they have to say about what they would like to see.”

By Season 2, the “Discovery” writers pivoted from its dour, war-torn first season and sent the show on its trajectory 900-plus years into the future. “We had to be very aware of making sure that Spock was in the right place and that Burnham’s existence was explained properly, because she was never mentioned in the original series,” says executive producer and showrunner Michelle Paradise. “What was fun about jumping into the future is that it was very much fresh snow.”

That freedom affords “Starfleet Academy” far more creative latitude while also dramatically reducing how much the show’s target audience of tweens and teens needs to know about “Star Trek” before watching — which puts them on the same footing as the students depicted in the show. “These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before,” Noga Landau, executive producer and co-showrunner, says. “They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

In the “Starfleet Academy” writers’ room in Secret Hideout’s Santa Monica offices, Kurtzman tells the staff — a mix of “Star Trek” die-hards, part-time fans and total newbies — that he wants to take a 30,000-foot view for a moment. “I think we need to ground in science more throughout the show,” he says, a giant framed photograph of Spock ears just over his shoulder. “The kids need to use science more to solve problems.”

Immediately, one of the writers brightens. “Are you saying we can amp up the techno-babble?” she says. “I’m just excited I get to use my computer science degree.”

After they break for lunch, Kurtzman is asked how much longer he plans to keep making “Star Trek.” 

“The minute I fall out of love with it is the minute that it’s not for me anymore. I’m not there yet,” he says. “To be able to build in this universe to tell stories that are fundamentally about optimism and a better future at a time when the world seems to be falling apart — it’s a really powerful place to live every day.”

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Where to watch Star Trek: Discovery free — Final season starts today

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The newest season of Star Trek: Discovery is officially underway. Season 5 marks the final season of the Star Trek spin-off, and it's shaping up to be an action-packed swang song. Whether you're looking to stream the new episodes or get caught up on the past four seasons, we've got everything you need to know about the show, including where to watch Star Trek: Discovery free via a TV channel abroad. 

Star Trek: Discovery premiered in 2017 and follows in the decades-long tradition of Star Trek stories. The series is set about five years before the original Star Trek, which chronicled Captain Kirk's five-year journey. In Star Trek: Discovery, the U.S.S. Discovery travels through space on a mission of exploration. Season 5 sees Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the U.S.S. Discovery crew on the hunt for an ancient power that others are also seeking.

The first two premiere episodes are currently streaming. Keep reading to learn how to watch the series no matter where you are in the world.

• Where to watch American Horror Story | Where to watch 9-1-1 | Where to watch Game of Thrones

Where to watch Star Trek: Discovery in the US

New Season 5 episodes of Star Trek: Discovery land on Paramount+ on Thursdays. The premiere week includes two episodes, and then one new episode will drop weekly after that. Episodes should be available starting at about 3 a.m. ET. All four past seasons are available to stream through the service. Subscriptions start at $5.99 a month and come with a one-week free trial.

Paramount Plus' Essential tier is a steal at this price and only has limited ads. It features tons of on-demand content from Paramount, CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, and MTV. And you get NFL and Champions League soccer live streaming. There's a 7-day free trial, then it's $6 a month or $60 a year. The only way to ditch the ads is by opting for the Showtime bundle.

Where to watch Star Trek: Discovery in Canada

Paramount+ is also the home to Star Trek: Discovery in Canada. Plans start at CAD$6.99 and come with a one-week free trial. All episodes are available to stream here.

Where to watch Star Trek: Discovery in New Zealand

Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream for free on TVNZ+ . You'll need to create a free account to start streaming. In addition to new season 5 episodes, Seasons 1-4 are also streaming on the site. New episodes are available on Thursdays.

How to watch Star Trek: Discovery from anywhere

If you're not in New Zealand at the moment, you can access streams with a VPN (virtual private network). VPNs alter your electronic device's location so you can use websites that might not be available in certain regions. They're also solid ways to boost your online privacy. We recommend ExpressVPN , a user-friendly option with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Check out our ExpressVPN review for additional details and see below to learn how to use a VPN. 

With its consistent performance, reliable security, and expansive global streaming features, ExpressVPN is the best VPN out there, excelling in every spec and offering many advanced features that makes it exceptional. Better yet, you can save up to 49% and get an extra three months for free today.

How to watch Star Trek: Discovery with a VPN

• Sign up for a VPN if you don't have one.
• Install it on the device you're using to watch Star Trek: Discovery.
• Turn it on and set it to New Zealand.
• Go to TVNZ+ and create a log-in profile.
• Watch Star Trek: Discovery.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

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• Main content

Iconian Empire

• View history

The Iconian Empire was an empire that existed over two hundred thousand years ago . The empire was ruled from the capital planet Iconia in the Beta Quadrant , in the Romulan Neutral Zone . ( TNG : " Contagion ")

In 3190 , Federation Security suggested that any possible surviving members of this long dead empire could have the technological ability to create the Dark Matter Anomaly . ( DIS : " The Examples ")

• 3 USS Antares (32nd century)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Teases A Muppets Episode, And We Hope They're Not Joking

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" might be considered the most lighthearted show in the vast canon of "Trek." It's a series that returned to an episodic structure, allowing its stories to conclude at the end of an hour, rather than stretching them across an entire season — and sometimes well past their breaking point. The old-world structure has allowed the showrunners to experiment with genre in ways not previously tried on "Star Trek." One episode may be a body-swap comedy, while the next is a terse horror tale. There are a few steely, soul-crushing wartime dramas sprinkled throughout, but their headiness is leavened by lightweight time-travel stories, party-animated crossovers, and an episode in which Spock becomes a human and eats too much bacon . The most notorious "Strange New Worlds" episode is likely "Subspace Rhapsody," a full-on musical . 

Trekkies who prefer more professional, mature characters may bristle a little at the constant levity of "Strange New Worlds," but the writing is slick enough on the show to offset any legitimate concerns. The characters are strong, the nostalgia is wielded correctly ("Strange New Worlds" features mostly legacy characters), and the plots are classically "Trek," no matter the genre. 

In a profile on the current state of "Star Trek" printed in Variety , the current regime of showrunners said that they're not done experimenting. "Strange New Worlds" is currently between its second and third seasons, and ideas are being floated for what might lie ahead. Director Jonathan Frakes noted that he's working on a murder mystery episode. And, although it was only a joke, executive producer Akiva Goldsman floated the idea of a Muppet episode. "As long as we're in storytelling that is cogent and sure handed, I'm not sure there is," Goldsman said with an impish smile. "Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!"

Given the tone of "Strange New Worlds," there's no reason this couldn't happen.

Pigs in spaaaaaace!

I'm sure Goldsman meant felt puppet characters on "Star Trek," and not literally the Disney-owned Muppet characters. My deepest apologies to those who wanted to see Captain Pike (Anson Mount) converse with Kermit the Frog, or Spock (Ethan Peck) butting heads with Sam the Eagle. Plus, the Muppets already had their own sci-fi segment via their "Pigs in Space" shorts that date back to the original "Muppet Show." The ship on "Pigs in Space" was called the Swine Trek, so the two franchises are already somewhat chummy. 

There was also precedent for a Muppet episode of a mainstream sci-fi/fantasy show in an "Angel" episode called "Smile Time" from 2004. In that episode, the titular vampire (David Boreanaz) is transformed into a living Muppet-like puppet creature by an eerie magical egg. As a puppet, Angel and his compatriots must do battle with the makers of a demonic children's show. Don't worry: Puppet Angel returns to normal after a few days. "Angel" is a show about vampires and spells, so turning a character into a puppet is more narratively organic than whatever situation might arise for it to potentially happen on a science-based program like "Star Trek." 

But then, if "Star Trek" can orchestrate technobabble to explain a musical episode, a puppet episode wouldn't be too far behind. The tone of "Strange New Worlds" matches the whimsical lightness of "Angel" anyway, so the showrunners have every excuse to make good on Goldsman's little joke. 

And, yes, Trekkies would love to see a silent episode. But a quick reminder: "Star Trek: Voyager" already did a few black and white episodes.

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Star Trek: Discovery is cracking open a box Next Gen closed on purpose

The USS Discovery is on a mad chase across the galaxy for one of Star Trek’s biggest secrets

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Calling back to a single 30-year-old episode of television is a time-honored Star Trek tradition , one that’s led the franchise to some of its most fascinating detours. And in its two-episode season premiere, Star Trek: Discovery seems to be kicking off an entire season calling back to one particular episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

And not just any episode! The 1993 installment of Next Gen in question delivered a revelation so seemingly earth-shaking that it should have rewritten galactic politics on a massive scale. But then, as was the way in the 1990s era of episodic TV, nobody ever mentioned it again.

At least until now.

[ Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5.]

Writer Michelle Paradise and director Olatunde Osunsanmi lay out the connection at the end of the first of two episodes released this week, “Red Directive.” Discovery’s mission is to follow a series of ancient clues leading to a cache of ancient technology, and to get there before a couple of professional thieves, Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis), do.

The technology, as Doctor Kovich (David Cronenberg) explains, belongs to the so-called Progenitors, a barely understood ancient spacefaring species that “created life as we know it […] every humanoid species in the galaxy.” Presumably such tech holds the key to understanding how the Progenitors did that, and how that power could be used again.

The Progenitors are from the Star Trek episode “The Chase”

Kovich also calls up a helpful video presentation of the moment the Progenitors were discovered by an assembled group of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Cardassian captains, including Jean-Luc Picard. But you don’t have to be a Star Trek lore nerd to know you’re actually just looking at clips from an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Specifically, from the 20th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s sixth season, “The Chase,” in which Picard and crew discover pieces of a computer program hidden inside the DNA of species from dozens of different planets. Questions abound: What does the program do? And what kind of entity could have been so ancient and powerful that it had determined the genetic legacy of most of the known galaxy before sentient life had even evolved here — and then left no trace of its existence except the genetic codes themselves?

In a nutshell, the mysterious death of Captain Picard’s old archeology professor (did you know that if he hadn’t gone into Starfleet, Jean-Luc was studying to be a space archeologist? Well, now you do) sets the captain and the Enterprise on a search for the missing DNA fragments necessary to complete his unfinished work.

The action of the episode becomes a grand chase, as Klingon and Cardassian captains come to believe the program must be a great weapon or dangerous secret. Eventually Picard and his rivals all discover the lonely planet with the final DNA strain — and when they get there, some Romulans who’ve been secretly following all of them show up, too, just to make things even more tense.

In the end, the program isn’t a weapon or a secret, but a message from an ancient race of humanoids that apparently created sentient life in our galaxy as we know it.

Actor Salome Jens appears as a Progenitor hologram, and delivers a speech that’s stirring by any standard of Star Trek monologues, telling the story of a race of sentients that took to the stars and found them empty. They had evolved too early to meet other forms of sentient life, and knew that their time was too limited to ever expect to.

“We knew that one day we would be gone; that nothing of us would survive, so we left you,” Jens’ Progenitor explains. The Progenitors seeded humanoid life across the galaxy in their own image; life that tended to evolve into bipedal, tailless, largely hairless creatures with two eyes and two arms and five fingers on each hand. And they left clues in the genetic signature of their work, broken up among the stars.

Wait, was this really all about lampshading the limits of Star Trek’s alien design?

Kinda, yes! The writers of “The Chase,” Ron Moore and Joe Menosky, were inspired by elements of Carl Sagan’s Contact , but also by Menosky’s pet fascination creating an in-universe explanation for why all the common alien species in Star Trek are basically shaped like humans (albeit with latex on their faces).

In other hands, it would be hokey and trite, but even under heavy makeup, Jens sells the hell out of her single scene on voice and stance alone — it’s no wonder she was asked back to the Trek fold to play a major antagonist role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

“It was our hope that you would have to come together in fellowship and companionship to hear this message, and if you can see and hear me, our hope has been fulfilled,” the Progenitor hologram concludes, with gentle compassion. “You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence. That was our wish: That you, too, would know life. [...] There is something of us in each of you, and so something of you in each other.”

But though “The Chase” carried a sweeping revelation, nothing ever really panned out from it. You’d think that a message of togetherness that fundamentally rewrote the origin of life in the universe would have to have tweaked Star Trek’s galactic politics a bit, right? Seems like this would give the Star Trek setting a radically different understanding of the origins of life than we have in the real world — this is literally intelligent design! At the very least there’d be some other characters talking about how humans and Vulcans, Klingons and Romulans and Ferengi and Cardassians and Trill and Bajorans, all share the same genetic ancestor.

But nope: The Pandora’s box of Progenitor lore remained closed. Gene Roddenberry’s successor and Trek producer Rick Berman seems to have been disenchanted with the episode’s reveal — and you can’t really blame him for not wanting to rock the whole cosmology of Star Trek in an episode that’s mostly about explaining how if you turn the DNA snippets like this they make a cool spiral. Now look at this computer screen with the spiral :

Except now, Star Trek: Discovery is opening the box and rocking the boat. This new mad, puzzle-box chase around the galaxy promises to expand on the Progenitors, an idea so big that not even The Next Generation was willing to touch it. It’s a tall order, but Discovery has never been more free to shake up Star Trek continuity than it is right now — we’ll have to wait for more episodes of the show’s final season to find out how free it intends to be.

Star Trek: Discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants

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