romulan ships star trek fleet command

• Romulan Ships

D’deridex Battleship

Vrax survey ship.

Other Wikis

Clash of clans wiki, minecraft wiki, starfield wiki.

• Augment Faction Officers
• Federation Faction Officers
• Klingon Faction Officers
• Neutral Faction Officers
• Rogues Faction Officers
• Romulan Faction Officers
• Command Class Officers
• Engineering Class Officers
• Science Class Officers
• Common Officers
• Uncommon Officers
• Rare Officers
• Epic Officers
• Another Time
• Auxiliary Controls
• Blood & Honor
• Discovery Crew
• Discovery Origins Crew
• Enterprise Crew
• Glory in the Kill
• Khan’s Crew
• Klingon Patriots
• Mudd’s Company
• Nero’s Crew
• Next Gen Officer Group
• Romulan Patriots
• Shakedown Cruise
• Starfleet Academy
• Surveyors & Miners
• Terran Empire
• TOS Enterprise Crew
• TNG Crew Officer Group
• Unimatrix Twelve
• Officer Badges
• Federation Ships
• Klingon Ships
• Augment Ships
• Rogue Ships
• Neutral Ships
• Battleships
• Explorer Ships
• Interceptor Ships
• Survey Ships
• Common Ships
• Uncommon Ships
• Ship Refit List

Related articles

Federation, Romulan and Klingon Scouts

Scouts spawn after 30 minutes in a system. You can plan a route that will take you from one to the next, enabling you to farm them. The best route for you will be different, as everyone has different warp speed and research, so play around till you find the best one.

Faction Reputation, and How to Get It

Carnac | August 2, 2020 June 5, 2020 | Strategy

If you’re looking to advance in Star Trek Fleet Command, finish missions, win battles and get bigger ships, you’re going to need faction reputation.

How do I get Faction Reputation?

• Killing hostiles of the other factions.
• Completing your daily goals
• Completing missions
• Spending resources in the various daily Faction Reputation Events
• Defeating armadas (the only way to gain faction rep without losing any).
• Spending charged nanoprobes in the event store.

Getting Faction Reputation from Killing Hostiles

As with most everything in Star Trek Fleet Command, it’s all about triangles. So if you kill a Federation ship, your Romulan rep will go up a lot, your Klingon rep will go up about half as much, and your Fed rep will go down. Higher-level ships will give you more reputation than lower-level ships. Survey ships will get you more reputation than warships. And scout ships not only give you messages, but they provide you with more reputation than survey ships.

Reputation Levels

Faction “lock”.

When you get your reputation with any of the factions to 10 million, it will lock, meaning that it will never fall below 10 million. No matter how many ships you kill, or missions you do, the lowest your faction rep will go will be 10 million. Dual faction lock and triple faction lock will open up a lot of ships and resources for you.

What’s the Faction Store?

Here you’ll find ship blueprints, loyalty packs, recruit packs, raw materials, avatars, and commendation ranks. You’ll spend the faction credits that you’ll earn on these. In general, you’ll want to save your faction credits for ship blueprints. The loyalty packs are good too but don’t go nuts with those.

And here’s the answer to the question that everyone has asked so far – no, you shouldn’t buy the commendation ranks until you absolutely have to for a mission . They don’t do you any good beforehand, and yes, I really wish someone had told me this before I bought a few.

I can’t imagine why anyone would spend faction credits on avatars… but to each his own.

What About the Augment Faction?

Augments are a horse of a different color. Augment reputation is earned in events, or purchased in the faction store. You can’t get it by destroying ships. It never goes down. Once you get to 10,500,000 you never have to worry about it again.

USS Saladin

T’pring – your max protect and gas officer.

• More Networks

• D’vor and D’vor Feesha
• Faction Ships
• Franklin and Franklin-A
• ISS Jellyfish
• USS Cerritos
• USS Defiant
• USS Titan-A
• Vi’dar and Vi’dar Talios
• USS Voyager
• Ships Base Warp Range
• Automated Shipyards
• Borg Armadas
• Borg Expansion Cube
• Borg Solo Armadas
• Cardassian Armadas
• Dominion Solo Armadas
• Doomsday Armadas
• Federation, Romulan, Klingon & Pirate Armadas
• Formation Armadas
• Rare Armada Directives and How to Source Them
• Swarm Armadas
• Uncommon, Rare and Epic Armada Packs
• Base Defense
• Base Raiding
• Combat Triangle
• Isolytic Damage and Isolytic Cascade
• Mission Bosses
• PVP Level Restrictions
• Starbase Assaults
• Bajoran Reputation
• Farming Reputation
• Federation, Romulan & Klingon Scouts
• Non-Reputation Systems
• Romulan, Klingon and Federation Reputation
• Alliance Starbase
• Away Teams Mission Guide
• Away Team Missions
• Away Team Officers
• Away Team Store
• Away Team Traits
• Best Officers by Stats
• Battle Pass and Story Arcs
• Lower Decks Officer Abilities
• Mining Rates
• Morale, Hull Breach and Burning
• Prime Research from Scrapping
• Mantis Refinery
• Vi’dar Talios Borg Refinery
• Scrapping Guide

Ship Refits

• Weekly and Monthly Chests
• Anomalous Phenomena
• Apex Outlaw
• Crucible of War
• Exterminate SLB/SMS
• Jellyfish Brawl
• Latinum Monday
• Return of the Mega Cube
• Second Contact
• Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
• Swarm Sunday

Amalgam Calculator

• Base Upgrade Requirements
• Hostile Damage Reduction Calculator
• Mining Calculator
• Ripper’s STFC PC Client Mod
• Useful Links
• Battlepass Calendar

© 2024 Star Trek Fleet Command Test Site

The Amalgam is the raider’s choice of ships. But it’s also rather a good miner in it’s own right, with a strong mining laser from even tier one, and more importantly at higher tiers the ability to reach deep space. This makes it invaluable in your early deep space days of having another miner that can get there.

What makes the Amalgam such a good raider? If you attack a base, it will take a percentage of that base’s cargo. As the ship levels up, that percentage gets higher. AND that percentage is on top of the normal cargo capacity of the ship, which means that you can carry way more than your normal full cargo.

Enter how many resources your target base has and what level (not tier, but level) your amalgam is versus your max cargo on your biggest miner. This will determine when you should use the Amalgam or your miner.

Sourcing the Amalgam

The Amalgam can of course be bought in the real money store with 100 Euros for a full unlock or 50 Euros for a half, but there is a free to play sourcing option available. When a battle pass is going on, during the Galactic Cleanup event, you are able to buy 8 of the blueprints. That means for a full hundred blueprints you’d be required to do this event 13 times.

Its blueprints are also sometimes found in the Event Store at the end of story arcs.

Amalgam Refinery

Plundered cargo.

To refine with the Amalgam, you need plundered cargo. This is farmed off Romulan and Klingon Supply Ships. These can be found in the systems with High Council Skirmishers and Star Empire Skirmishers. These ships count as Klingon and Romulan ships for missions and dailies, but have no reputation change either positive or negative when you kill them. For a list of systems, check here: Non-Reputation Systems

To farm the cargo, you should get the exocomp from the amalgam refinery, called “Plunder!”.

With this exocomp, when you kill the Supply Ships, you get 9900% of the normal loot, but only on the amalgam. This means you can fill your cargo in just a couple kills, as each kill is about 1,000,000 plunder.

All the Amalgam refineries are on 72 hour cooldowns, so you can refine once every three days.

Plunder Refinery

You can get plunder tokens from the refinery as well, to get you a huge amount of more cargo from these ships for an hour. This means you don’t have to farm them very often at all.

If anyone has the rest of Amalgam Refinery by tier/level I would love it if you sent it to me so I can add it to the site. 🙂

Amalgam Special

You use your Amalgam refinery tokens in the recruit tab to get Honorguard Worf Shards, Exocomps, and Skin Shard trackers.

You can trade in the Ship Skin Shard Trackers you get from the Token Refinery for ship skins. These will improve your ships in different ways. They do not need to be activated, once you have acquired them their bonuses are applied to any ship they work on whether they have the skin applied or not.

© 2024 Star Trek Fleet Command Test Site. Star Trek Fleet Command is owned and created by Scopely .

Star Trek Fleet Command best crew combinations

Officers belong to factions, and based on that, they share some general characteristics and abilities as follows:

• Federation:  Officers of this faction are defense-oriented.
• Ability : Morale
• Klingon : Klingon Officers are mainly focused on attack.
• Ability : Hull Breach
• Romulan:  This faction's Officers offer utility and health growth.
• Ability : Burning

• Engineering

In addition, they are also members of various groups .

Like ships, their rarity varies from 'Uncommon' to 'Epic'. Based on that, they have a set number of traits that can be used on ' Away Team Assignments ':

• Uncommon : 0

Captain's Maneuver

Crew Synergy

Deploying crew members of the same group , will provide a synergy bonus to the Captain's Maneuver ability, increasing its effectiveness.

Diverse experience provides the most benefit to the Captain. Putting an officer of each class (but of the same group) on the bridge, will grant the maximum synergy bonus.

Best Crews in Star Trek Flee Command

For example, a crew that increases the mining rate of gas is great for mining gas, obviously, but it's not beneficial when it comes to battle.

Additionally, each faction complements the strengths of a certain ship type as follows:

• Federation : Explorer
• Klingon : Interceptor
• Romulan : Battleship

Synergy bonus, as powerful as it is, it's not everything in some cases. There are Officers abilities that work extremely well against a certain type of enemy, or compliment another officer, regardless of their group.

So in that sense, we can't say that there's one crew that's the best at everything. For better or worst, that's not how Star Trek Fleet Command works.

Fighting Hostiles

If you have these two, even at lower levels, you are set, at least when it comes to farming hostiles. Pike and Moreau are the core, but the 3rd member of your crew can be either Chen or T'Laan depending on the enemies you are facing. 

But of course, especially as a new player, it's more likely not to have Epic or even Rare officers. In that case, you can go with high level Cadet or Next Gen combinations. 

A Next Gen crew would look something like this:

• Joachim 
• Marla McGivers

• Barot 

These are just some examples of great crew combinations against certain game content. Hopefully, with the information we've provided here, you can figure out on your own which of your available officers are the best for the ships that you have.  

Discover more Sci-Fi games on our top 25 Sci-fi games list for iOS and Android devices! If the strategic aspect of Star Trek: Fleet Command is what you enjoy the most, better check our top 25 strategy games list for Android and iOS systems! 

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Dreamlight Valley
• Lethal Company
• Monopoly Go
• Jujutsu Chronicles
• UGC Limited
• Call of Duty
• Legend of Zelda
• Ethics Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Review Policy

Star Trek Fleet Command: What the Best Faction Is

What the Best Faction is in Star Trek Fleet Command

When you’re first starting out in the popular mobile game, Star Trek Fleet Command , you’ll have to decide what faction you want to align with and that decision can affect the rest of your time with the game. Here’s what the best faction is in Star Trek Fleet Command .

While you’re free to decide exactly what route in the galaxy you wish to go, we recommend starting with The Federation. Not only is it the easiest route, but they also has the best start in terms of storyline.

In the Federation, you will have some of the worst ships in the game — they aren’t bad by any means, but rather, baseline — but the most variety in those ships, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Klingon Defense Force comes with cruisers and escorts that far outweigh those of the other factions. They’re basically the same ships, but with more strategic setups (and less customization). For example, a KDF ship might have a cloaking device and dual heavy cannons, something a Romulan ship is not likely to have.

Beyond the ships, the KDF also includes Nausicaan Bridge Officers which come with the pirate space trait. This trait gives you a 1.5 percent damage bonus and an additional 150 point stealth bonus in space.

Finally, there’s the Romulans, which we believe to be the best faction in the game. Not only are they cool (it’s Romulans, come on), they can fly their allied ships as well.

Because they can ally with the Federation and KDF, this gives them a leg up in things like space combat. The bridge officers of the Romulans also come with awesome stat bonuses like increased critical hit chances.

Furthermore, the Romulans are also the DPSs of this game and with combat being the best thing about the game, you can’t go wrong with this faction. Finally, the Romulans have one of the most story-driven narratives so if you’re looking for some Star Trek lore, this faction is for you.

That’s all for  what the best faction is in Star Trek Fleet Command. For more information about Star Trek Fleet Command, be sure to search Twinfinite . We’ve got a handy  beginner tips guide  you might find useful.

Question: What is the best faction in Star Trek Fleet Command?

Answer: We recommend starting with The Federation.

Officers/Romulan Patriots

• View history

Officer Group: Romulan Patriots [ ]

New Officer Group Pages will have information on Each Officer including unique abilities, soon

Characters of the Star Trek franchise, STFC Game. Click For an Officer Guide

• 2 The Swarm
• 3 Faction Reputation

• Game Guides
• Apps & Lists
• Review Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Terms Of Service
• Affiliate Disclaimer

How to Find Supply Ships in Star Trek Fleet Command

Star Trek Fleet Command is one of the most popular mobile games in the Star Trek universe. Players need to assemble a powerful crew of various officers and captains. Each of them will give different bonuses to your ship. And, of course, you will have to fight a lot in the game. Therefore, in this guide, we will tell you how to find Supply Ships in Star Trek Fleet Command.

How to Find Supply Ships

There are many different activities in Star Trek Fleet Command. In addition to building a powerful ship, you can join various alliances and fight in epic battles. Moreover, many events are constantly taking place in the game. And for some of them, you need to take resources from Supply Ships.

And for many players, such events become a headache, since finding Supply Ships is quite difficult. Moreover, the game does not give any hints on how to do this. But fortunately, there is an easy way to find these Ships.

Related: Where to Find Cardassian Hostiles in Star Trek Fleet Command

To do this, you need to use a third-party site STFC Database . On this site, you can view a lot of useful information about the game, including where to find Supply Ships. Going to STFC Database you must open the section Hostiles. Then type Supply Ship in the search bar.

There you will see the Klingon Supply Ship and the Romulan Supply Ship. Click on any of them to see in which systems Ships can be found:

• Klingon Supply Ship – Quo’Kor, Cha’Takla, Uklor, Kus’Rok, Hro’Lug, Hig’Qar, Xa’Lomk, Embek, Alarek, Mokba.
• Romulan Supply Ship – Morvani, Velnor, Saetel, Bildari, Olas, Rekar, Elaisik, Tulris, Ormilek, Lilanei.

That’s all you need to know about how to find Supply Ships. Follow our advice, and you will be able to find them without any problems. And while you are here, take a look at our guide on  how to access DS9 Missions .

Write A Comment

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Star Trek: The Next Generation's 'Skin of Evil' Story And Impact Explained

Quick links, what happens in 'skin of evil', how does 'skin of evil' end, the reputation of 'skin of evil' and its impact on the star trek franchise.

“Skin of Evil” remains one of the most shocking and controversial episodes in the long-running saga of Star Trek . More often than not, the different eras of the franchise have taken a while to find their space legs, and that’s particularly true of the first live-action sequel to The Original Series . Star Trek: The Next Generation may have presented a more enlightened Federation of the 24th century than its 1960s predecessor, but its first year was notoriously troubled.

The show suffered from a revolving door of writers, with many falling out with Star Trek ’s creator Gene Roddenberry, who kept a tight grip on the series' direction. Roddenberry rewrote 15 episodes of the first year’s run, which also included some blatant remakes of The Original Series episodes. The result was a dysfunctional environment that found actors like Denise Crosby, who played Security Chief Tasha Yar, unhappy with their character development. Crosby’s decision to end her contract during The Next Generation’s first year resulted in the events of the 23rd episode of the first season. The repercussions of “Skin of Evil" would be felt for a long time.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - 10 Things You Didnt Know About The Shows Production

“Skin of Evil” finds the crew of the Enterprise-D attempting an unusual rescue mission. When a shuttlecraft transporting Counselor Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Ben Prieto mysteriously crashes on the deserted planet Vagra II, the Enterprise crew is blocked from beaming up their missing personnel. An away team comprising Data, Dr Crusher, and Lieutenant Tasha Yar, led by Commander Riker, discovers why: A sentient ‘oil slick’ that calls itself Armus is using its impressive powers, including psychokinesis and teleportation, to block access to the crashed shuttlecraft.

Picard frowns at Riker’s description of Armus as “Trouble,” but the Enterprise’s first officer is soon proved right. When Yar attempts to cross to the craft, Armus lashes out, apparently killing her instantly. Despite Crusher’s best efforts on board the Enterprise, the ship’s security chief is pronounced dead.

Star Trek Fans Explain Why The Next Generation Cast Should Never Return

The remainder of the episode is split between somber scenes aboard the Enterprise and return trips to the planet as the crew desperately tries to rescue their hostage shipmates without any further loss of life. While taunting Troi, who’s conscious aboard the crashed craft, Armus reveals itself as a single-minded, rage-filled creature driven by loneliness and emptiness. As the counselor discerns that it’s the rejected side product of an alien culture that managed to separate and maroon their “dark and vile” side, the enterprise notices power fluctuations in the shield Armus has projected around the craft.

The game of oily cat and Starfleet mouse continues, including some haunting visuals when Riker is sucked into the creature and held captive. It ends when Picard beams down to confront the creature, and Armus reveals its goal is to leave the planet to rejoin those who abandoned it. Picard bargains a meeting with Troi, confirming his suspicions that the creature’s powers diminish as its rage grows. He then taunts it into a fury that weakens its shield enough for the Enterprise to beam up everyone safely . Armus, the skin of evil, is left raging on the surface as Picard orders the remote destruction of the shuttle so there’s no chance it can ever leave its prison planet.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's Most Boring Episode

Despite declaring Vagra II off-limits and ensuring Armus cannot escape, Picard admits that "the damage has been done." The senior crew steps into a blue-skied paradise aboard one of the ship’s holodecks, where the captain conducts a short and emotional memorial to his lost Security Chief. In a farewell unlike any Star Trek fan had seen before, Picard hands over to a holographic recording of Tasha Yar.

In a moving speech, she praises each of the assembled crewmembers for their contributions to her life, explaining that she had expected to die quickly and on duty. It’s a lovely narrative move that makes good use of the innovation of the holodeck, although it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny unless Yar regularly re-recorded it during her year aboard the Enterprise-D.

Where it succeeds is putting an emphasis on the crew she’s left behind, with “no goodbyes, just good memories.” That’s summed up in the final lines of the episode when Data queries why his thoughts are not with Tasha but how empty he will feel without her presence. Picard simply confirms that the android’s “got it’.”

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best Data Episodes

Unsurprisingly, “Skin of Evil” was instantly controversial, and its bad reputation has persisted for 30 years. Star Trek supremo Gene Roddenberry intended Yar’s blunt and senseless death to show the dangers facing security officers. However, the general response was that the result was that Yar’s death just felt pointless. It’s even worse that it fails to add any real threat to the villain Armus, who, despite some ingenious physical effects, is barely remembered beyond being a relatively shapeless dark blob.

The decision to kill Yar was prompted by Crosby’s disappointment with the character’s development over the season. However, it was fitting that the show’s eulogy turned attention to the surviving crew. With Worf’s immediate promotion to Acting Chief of Security, taking point behind the command chairs, the core crew started to resemble the one the show became famous for.

Geordi La Forge would become Chief Engineer in the second year, and Yar’s departure allowed secondary characters like Chief Miles O’Brien to become more prominent. It was this restructured team that helped propel the series’ massive success. However, Tasha Yar’s death also provided the show’s creators an opportunity they couldn’t resist, leading to one of The Next Generation ’s classic episodes.

Star Trek: The Next Generations 'Cause and Effect' Explained

In the third season’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise, ” the USS Enterprise-D’s crew is amazed to see the long-destroyed USS Enterprise-C emerge from a spacetime rift. However, the ship’s arrival in 2366 immediately transforms the 24th-century timeline. Picard now commands a warship in a fleet locked in a devastating war with the Klingons, with a crew including a survived Tasha Yar as tactical officer. Only the El-Aurian bartender Guinan senses something is wrong and that Yar shouldn’t be there — a neat touch, as Whoopi Goldberg’s Guinan was a female character introduced to fill the gap left by the departure of Denise Crosby.

“Yesterday’s Enterprise” is regarded as one of Star Trek ’s greatest time travel episodes , featuring a solid meditation on fate and choice. Picard must wrestle with the decision to restore a timeline he doesn’t remember by sending the crew of the Enterprise-C back to its death, including volunteer Tasha Yar, who realizes she doesn’t quite belong. However, this great episode was also a clever way for Crosby to retain a role in the franchise.

Star Trek: The USS Enterprise's Best Commanding Officers, Ranked

Future seasons brought the actress back as the villain Sela, the half-Romulan daughter of Yar, born from the paradox of her mother being sent back in time to 2344 and captured before the destruction of the Enterprise-C. Sela’s vengeful masterplan as a Romulan commander was the backbone of the Season 4 cliffhanger two-parter “Redemption,” and she would later become a primary antagonist in Star Trek: Online .

For a little-loved episode, overshadowed by a significant but poorly received death, “Skin of Evil” had major repercussions for Star Trek: The Next Generation . Yar never gained the chance to enjoy the celebrity of her crewmates, but her death was more than the repeat of Spock’s legendary death five years before in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . This was the first time Star Trek permanently killed a regular character, and thanks to the show’s time-twisting potential, her tragic journey didn’t stop there. The Security Chief is one of very few Star Trek characters with the tragic distinction of dying twice.

Star Trek is a space exploration franchise originally created by Gene Roddenberry. The series has spanned shows like The Original Series, The Next Generation, and Voyager. More recently, developer Scopely came out with Star Trek Fleet Command, a mobile title where you get to be captain of your own ship.

Star Trek: 5 Deaths That Rocked The Franchise's Foundation

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Apr 5, 2024

RECAP | Star Trek: Discovery 501 - 'Red Directive'

There's never a dull moment for the U.S.S. Discovery!

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

StarTrek.com

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery opens with " Red Directive, " where Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery are sent to retrieve a mysterious artifact hidden inside a 800-year-old Romulan vessel – but find that they’re not the only ones on the hunt. Meanwhile, Saru is offered the position of a lifetime.

• Michael Burnham
• Hugh Culber
• Paul Stamets
• Sylvia Tilly
• Laira Rillak
• Charles Vance
• Christopher
• Joann Owosekun
• Keyla Detmer
• Cleveland "Book" Booker

• Federation Headquarters
• U.S.S. Discovery -A
• U.S.S. Antares

As a vessel traverses the stars at high warp, Captain Michael Burnham experiences exhilaration as she clings to its hull in her environmental suit. The captain quips that there’s "never a dull moment" and proceeds to use her phaser in a bid to knock out the starship's engines. Burnham notes that they need to retrieve an item taken from a vault over the comm channel. As her suit advises her that warp bubble stability is declining rapidly, the captain remarks that this is not what she expected to happen when the night started…

"Red Directive"

Four hours earlier, Burnham joyfully converses with Ensign Adira Tal, Lt. Sylvia Tilly, Commander Paul Stamets, and Dr. Hugh Culber at Federation Headquarters, where Cadet Ross introduces them to Tonic 2161 — the official cocktail of the millennium celebration. Though the Federation was founded in 2161, the Burn prevented any widespread festivities when the holiday actually occurred decades before in 3161. Paired with a blue liquid, the beverage’s "floaty bits" — which taste like Bajoran jumja sticks — honor the Federation flag and its starry features.

The captain offers a smile, stating that it’s good to see that the Federation is back and at peace. Stamets nevertheless comes off as melancholic, and Culber discloses that the astromycologist just found out that Starfleet is shuttering the spore drive program. Paul expresses trepidation over his new title of "Scientific Luminary," adding that the Federation’s new Pathway Drive "won out" as the propulsion system of the future. Adira chimes in, remarking that this means the U.S.S. Discovery -A will always be one-of-a-kind, but Stamets replies with skepticism, believing his legacy was destroyed along with Cleveland "Book" Booker’s ship.

Certain he would have figured out the spore drive's navigator problem one day, the scientist emphasizes the potential for rolling out the technology to the whole fleet. His friends exchange concerned glances, but Captain Burnham then assures him that they will all find a new purpose and raises a glass in a toast to change. An aide informs Burnham that her presence has been requested by Federation President Laira Rillak, leaving Stamets to chastise himself for mentioning Book as the captain departs. While Tilly assures him that Burnham has not even talked about Book in months, Culber applies his psychiatric expertise and highlights the significant difference between locking something away and moving on. Tilly notices a fellow officer and goes to visit him, and the rest of the group disperses to "mingle."

On the dance floor, Captain Saru chats softly with Ni'Var's President T'Rina, who recognizes that the Kelpien has news and playfully wonders if she'll be "forced" to mind meld with him in order to learn what has transpired. President Rillak would like Saru to serve as a Federation Ambassador to a coalition of smaller worlds, ensuring that their needs are addressed as the Federation continues to expand. T'Rina appreciates the government’s effort to avoid repeating its past mistakes and observes that the planets’ locations could leave them open to influences from the Tholian Republic or the Breen Imperium.

Saru cites the Federation's need to remain unified, but the post would require that he resign his Starfleet commission. However, as an ambassador, he would be based at Federation HQ, in close proximity to T'Rina and her own duties. Ni'Var's president interrupts her dance partner, stating that — despite their deep love for one another — it is only logical that their relationship not factor into Saru's decision, an observation which seems to unsettle the Kelpien.

Across the room, Admiral Charles Vance approaches Captain Burnham and hands her an infinity-shaped device. The two retreat to a secure location — a featureless, all-white area known as the Infinity Room — and rendezvous with Dr. Kovich, who acknowledges the facility’s over-the-top theatricality. Turning to Burnham, Vance explains that an 800-year old science vessel was just found at the edge of the Beta Quadrant. Discovery needs to jump there immediately, but Kovich will only say that the ship contains "something vital to the security of the Federation." Burnham begins to object, but Kovich silences any disagreement when he reveals that the mission is a Red Directive.

Saru beams into Discovery 's Bridge and receives status reports from Lt. Christopher, Lt. Linus, Lt. Commander Joann Owosekun, Lt. Naya, Lt. Commander Gen Rhys, and Lt. Commander Keyla Detmer. Burnham and Kovich transport aboard and share that the crew will be going on a Red Directive classified mission. Their target? A 24th Century Romulan science vessel that will most certainly attract the attention of scavengers and other nefarious characters. A second Starfleet ship is already en route, but Discovery will arrive first — or so they believe…

Across the quadrant, two helmeted figures pillage the derelict Romulan starship, ultimately removing their protective gear and taking in the ship’s breathable atmosphere. The female — Moll — comments that the U.S.S. Antares is on its way, and her male cohort L’ak sees a second Starfleet ship on their scanners. L’ak believes this means that the Romulan cargo must be "extra shiny," but he suggests they call it a day and enjoy a holodeck for two. Moll asks if L’ak wants "the pebbles or the mountain," convincing her partner to stay the course.

Discovery enters scanning range, and Owosekun detects two lifeforms on the Romulan ship — at least until their lifesigns suddenly vanish. Burnham gathers Owosekun and Rhys for the away team, but Kovich offers some disturbing insight — setting weapons to stun might not be enough, so they are authorized to use lethal force. Shock covers Burnham's face, and Kovich orders her to successfully complete the mission by any means necessary.

The three Starfleet officers beam over to the Romulan vessel's darkened corridors with phasers drawn and begin searching for the trespassers. Aerosolized water droplets notify them that the intruders had not been gone long, and Burnham advises Rhys and Owosekun to keep their phasers on stun. The trio continue on and locate an 800-year old Romulan corpse and an uncloaked — and empty — vault. Realizing the scavengers must be close, the Starfleet officers spin around and open fire. Moll and L'ak materialize in front of them, managing to capture Rhys and Owosekun in containment fields and making their escape.

Captain Burnham pursues, converting her weapon into a phaser rifle and exchanging volleys with her opponents. Moll and L'ak step forward, holding the prize they acquired from the vault and tossing an explosive charge toward the captain. As the intruders beam away, Burnham is tossed through an opening and into space. Fortunately, her programmable matter EV suit automatically activates, and the captain jets toward the outline of Moll and L'ak's ship. Burnham magnetizes her suit as the craft enters warp.

As Burnham works to sabotage the engines, the U.S.S. Antares follows and grabs the ship with a tractor beam. Captain Rayner signals Burnham, who notices the warp bubble has started to collapse and urges the U.S.S. Antares to release its hold on the fleeing vessel. Operating on Burn-era tech and lacking a state-of-the-art Pathway Drive, Rayner knows the Antares can’t pull the enemy craft out of warp. Having previously encountered Moll and L'ak, Rayner is hesitant to let them elude him

Checking in from Discovery 's center seat, Saru informs Burnham — who doesn’t want to miss her upcoming saxophone lesson — that Owosekun and Rhys are being treated in Sickbay. Detmer pilots the Crossfield -class vessel into position and Lt. Gallo prepares to transport the captain to safety. The ride is bumpy, but Kovich resolves to remain on the Bridge until the mission is completed. Burnham repeats her warning to Rayner, advising that the breakup of Moll's ship would also destroy the Antares . Believing that every mission is personal, Rayner pushes back on Burnham's own record, but he eventually concedes.

The three starships, as well as Captain Burnham, drop out of warp. The intruders' vessel spouts numerous probes, and they all leap to warp on different courses. Burnham is beamed right to Discovery 's Bridge, barely able to catch her breath before Rayner's hologram appears to discuss what he describes as the "cherry that they just dropped on our shit sundae." Appearing with a stern face and pointed ears, Rayner states that the probes left behind 20 warp signatures, meaning it will take days to determine which course Moll and L'ak actually took. Kovich voices his displeasure, but Burnham admits she knows someone who can help them find the thieves.

Discovery jumps to a ringed planet, and its captain nervously strolls into the shuttlebay to greet Cleveland "Book" Booker, who beams in and requests permission to come aboard. The somewhat awkward reunion shifts into Discovery 's corridors, where Burnham announces her suspicion that Moll and L'ak used to be couriers. The Federation is expanding and most of the old networks are closed, but Burnham hopes Book's experience, expertise, and insight can assist them in determining the correct warp signature. The two acknowledge that it has been a while since they spoke, and Burnham commends him for the work he has done with the refugees who were affected by the Dark Matter Anomaly. Book is eager to "make things right" in the wake of stealing the experimental spore drive for his own ship.

Burnham and Book confer with Saru, Kovich, Vance, and Rayner in the Ready Room, where the Antares ' captain briefs them on what is known about Moll — a human — and L'ak, a member of an unknown species. The duo, who showed up in the sector approximately two years ago, procured a tan zhekran — a traditional Romulan puzzle box — from the science ship. Kovich claims he is not at liberty to share details about the item and shifts the conversation to Book's detective skills. Factoring in the need to avoid Federation territory and the few fencers who would have interest in a 24th Century haul, Book determines that Moll and L'ak are headed to meet with a broker named Fred — just "Fred" — on Q’Mau. Vance orders Burnham and Rayner to investigate, insisting that they try working together.

The officers begin to walk out, but Saru stays behind to speak with Captain Burnham in private. Noting that a tan zhekran can contain almost anything, including a weapon or a pathogen, the captain is concerned that Kovich won't even tell her the name of the Romulan scientist who owned it. Saru slyly suggests that someone outside of Discovery 's chain of command with access to different databases might be able to assist. Burnham responds with a joyous smile, her expression turning serious as she remembers Saru could soon be leaving for another post.

Back at Federation HQ, Lt. Tilly enters her quarters in the midst of an energetic chat with Lt. Jax. Lamenting over a cadet who refuses to leave the lab during the Academy's Simulation Week, Tilly outlines collaboration's importance to Starfleet's future and — very briefly — ponders whether she could crash every cadet onto an ice moon in order to teach them that lesson. Tilly attributes her talkativeness to the champagne served at the after party, and the two officers exchange flirtatious gazes.

Tilly and Jax — who both love walking and talking — share a clumsy goodbye that nevertheless elicits a smirk from the Academy instructor. Now alone, Tilly orders up a coffee from the replicator. The respite is short-lived, as an incoming communication from Captain Burnham provides another boost to Tilly's energy reserves. Theorizing that Tilly must have had some Andorian champagne, Burnham adopts her "serious voice" and asks Tilly for her help. Always available for her friends, Tilly gleefully responds, "Whatever it is, I’m in."

Discovery arrives at Q’Mau, where Burnham and Book beam down to a small settlement that is surrounded by a desert landscape and rocky outcroppings. Book remarks that it feels like their old courier days, and Burnham asks about Grudge — the Queen is great, she says, "Hi." They disagree about who should have made more of an effort to contact the other, but Rayner's arrival disperses the mounting tension.

Elsewhere in the marketplace, Moll and L'ak are scanned and welcomed into Fred's establishment. Fred, who has the distinctive appearance of a synthetic lifeform, maintains a friendly demeanor, though his guards supply the room with an air of hostility. Fred notices Moll and L'ak's "togetherness," spiritedly contrasting the bilabial nasal of "Moll" with the voiceless velar plosive of "L'ak." The thieves present Fred with their recent finds — isolinear coprocessors, vintage PADDS and tricorders, self-sealing stem bolts, and the mysterious puzzle box.

Intrigued, Fred mentions that he hasn’t encountered such an item in 622.7 years. He unlocks the box by shifting its features into a new configuration, revealing a handwritten diary. The android skims the text, happily offering Moll and L'ak three bars of latinum for the entire lot. The duo replies with a laugh, unsatisfied with the price. Fred refuses to return their items, prompting the pair to burst into hand-to-hand combat with his guards. Moll is struck by an energy blast from the synth’s weapon, and — though her wound is not fatal — L'ak launches into a violent frenzy that results in Fred’s demise.

Book, Burnham, and Rayner locate Fred's lair soon after and confiscate the synth's body so that Discovery can scan his memory. Rayner hurriedly sets off on his own, but Book and Burnham remain to plot their next move. As they realize that Moll and L'ak must have cloaked their ship outside the settlement, Dr. Culber observes Fred's corpse in Sickbay. The android is an old model — dozens of generations before the tech used for Gray’s body — marked with the serial number "AS0572Y." Stamets deduces that the "AS" was intended to honor Altan Soong*, marveling at the 24th Century scientist’s legacy. The astromycologist needs wires to interface with Fred's memory drive, quipping that — luckily — Culber had married a packrat.

Down on the planet's surface, Moll and L'ak speed by Rayner on sand runners — swift transports used by locals to navigate the terrain. Thanks to their patience and foresight, Burnham and Book had anticipated the chase and already rented three of the vehicles. Rayner isn't impressed by Burnham's "strategic advantages," leaving Discovery 's captain to tell Book that she hasn’t disliked someone this much in 930 years.

Meanwhile, at Federation HQ, two security officers burst into Tilly's quarters as the lieutenant prepares to break the shifting fractal encryption which safeguards a secure Federation database. Vance marches in and intervenes, who astonishingly agrees that Captain Burnham deserves to know why her crew is risking their lives for an 800-year old Romulan ship. The admiral says that it is a "shame" he didn't get to stop Tilly in time and allows her to unlock the file. A shaky holo-recording manifests, depicting Doctor Vellek* — the Romulan whose body they had found. The Romulan scientist warns that his knowledge of an ancient technology beyond all comprehension — hidden in the "shadow of twin moons" — must not be lost or fall into the wrong hands.

On Q’Mau, the Starfleet officers close in on Moll and L'ak, but Rayner ventures ahead once again. Book teases Burnham by claiming that Rayner reminds him of another captain he knows, but the situation intensifies once the thieves reach their starship. Moll and L'ak set course for a nearby mountain's tunnel system so as to avoid detection by Discovery and Antares , and sensors detect an explosive charge in one of the tunnel's entrances. Aware that their foes planned ahead to distract their pursuers with an avalanche. According to Saru, Zora estimates there to be a 30% chance that the disaster would decimate the settlement.

Captain Rayner proposes an unorthodox plan — detonate the charge themselves and block Moll and L'ak's escape route. Burnham disagrees, yet her counterpart insists that she is letting stats get in the way of strategy — though possible, an avalanche is unlikely. As Rayner orders Antares to lock phasers on target, Burnham contends that they are on a non-Federation planet and undertaking a classified mission, but Rayner follows through with his plan. Phaser beams strike down from orbit and seal the tunnel, yet Saru confirms that scans show the mountainside remains stable… at least until Moll and L'ak launch a photon torpedo that sends the rattled cliff into a freefall.

Burnham, Book, and Rayner flee from the rising debris cloud on their sand runners, but Zora announces that the avalanche is reaching speeds of 200 kilometers per hour — there is not enough time to evacuate the local encampment. In Engineering, Stamets and Adira run through several solutions, ultimately landing on the idea of combining Discovery and Antares ' shields to serve as a "brake" for the avalanche. Will it work? Stamets thinks — no, hopes — it will work, finally deciding, "Let’s go with 'hope.'"

Captain Saru starts to organize the maneuver, but Rayner does not want Antares to leave orbit and lose track of Moll and L'ak. Burnham emphasizes that the safety of the civilians in the avalanche's path is now their primary mission, and Rayner relents. Discovery and Antares burst through the atmosphere in a tight formation, fusing their shields together and burying their forward saucers into the planet's desert. The avalanche ripples against the energy barrier, but the starships triumphantly hold the line and inspire cheers from the settlement. The relief is lost on Rayner, who watches as Moll and L'ak escape to warp.

Rayner beams back to the Antares , giving Burnham and Book a moment to enjoy each other's company and confess that they both should have called one another. Still bruised from the ordeal, Burnham takes her admission a step further and reveals that she's not sure how to be around him anymore. Book considers the statement, countering that some things are hard to move past. The heart-to-heart is interrupted by a transmission from Tilly, who tells the captain that she has "wild" answers to her pressing questions.

The Discovery -A employs its spore drive to return to Federation Headquarters, where Captain Saru resolves to have his own private conversation with his partner. T'Rina expresses concern over rumors of Saru's eventful mission. The Kelpien reflects on the danger the civilians had faced and recalls something Tilly had once told him — "life is just a blink." Saru struggles to elaborate, aware that fear had constrained him from embracing love while dealing with the cullings of his youth.***

Had he been endangered by the avalanche, Saru would only have been able to think of T'Rina, therefore their relationship must be factored in as he considers his future. T'Rina is his home, his family, and so much more, and he intends to accept the ambassadorship to be alongside her — always. T’Rina welcomes the news, pleasantly surprising Saru when she proposes they "codify" their bond through marriage.

On Discovery , Captain Burnham enters Sickbay to get an update on Fred from Culber and Stamets. They downloaded the last 15 teraquads of data from his ocular processing unit, giving them an extended look at the pages of Vellek's diary. A handwritten diagram depicting the Vileen system's "twin moons" catches the captain's attention, sending her on a mission to meet Kovich on a holographic representation of a barren planetary surface. Kovich admires her tenacity but claims this Red Directive has been classified for centuries. His threat to pass the assignment to another team doesn't phase Burnham, who knows she holds the key to their target's location.

"The Chase"

Kovich lets out a sheepish grin, aware that Tilly and Vance played key parts in briefing the captain. He discontinues the holo, and — as the two stand in his office — he recounts the details. As one of the greatest scientists of his day, Dr. Vellek, was present when a Starfleet captain — Jean-Luc Picard — found a message left by a race of ancient beings — referred to as the "Progenitors" — who created every humanoid species in the galaxy.** Vellek discovered the technology that the Progenitors used to design life itself, but its location was lost when he disappeared 800 years ago.

Now, either Moll and L'ak know where this powerful find is or the diary is the first piece of the puzzle. Starfleet must track down this technology to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Burnham divulges that Lyrek, a planet situated in an outer sector of the Beta Quadrant within the Vileen system, has three moons — two of which move in perfect sync. Pleased, Kovich proclaims that the greatest treasure in the known galaxy is out there, lightheartedly asking the captain what she’s waiting for. Burnham flashes a smile and replies, "Let’s fly."

* " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 " — The dealer in Q'Mau, Fred, is a Soong-inspired synthetic possessed a memory drive that had a serial number with an attribution to Altan Soong. The self-described "mad scientist" is the son of Noonien Soong , the creator of Soong-type androids. Altan Soong would continue his work despite the Federation's ban on synths. His work (and Dr. Maddox's research), known as the Soong Method, on transferring sentience into an artificial golem body was what helped create Gray Tal's new synthetic body's design in "Anomaly."

** " The Chase " — This Star Trek: The Next Generation adventure was where Captain Jean-Luc Picard found himself in a race with the Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans to solve a four billion year old genetic puzzle. The Romulan Dr. Vellek, one of the greatest scientists of his day, was among those present when Picard discovered a message left by a race of ancient beings known as Progenitors, who created life as we know it — every humanoid species in the galaxy.

*** " An Obol for Charon " — Following Saru's survival of Vahar'ai , he discovered that the maturation process didn't signal death. It was in fact a biological event in the Kelpien's evolution that removed their suppression of fear. Concerned with their own survival, the Ba'ul who lived on Kaminar with Kelpiens exploited their binary nature to oppress the later group.

• Written by Michelle Paradise
• Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi

"Red Directive" features a dedication:

For JP, with love.

Get Updates By Email

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

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 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.

• Movies & TV
• Big on the Internet
• About Us & Contact

Let’s Fly! ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Is Available Now

Star Trek: Discovery ’s final season has officially taken flight. Sonequa Martin-Green returns as Captain Michael Burnham, and she’s joined by Doug Jones’ Saru, Anthony Rapp’s Lt. Commander Paul Stamets, Wilson Cruz’s Dr. Hugh Culber, Blu del Barrio’s Adira , David Ajala’s Cleveland Booker, Callum Keith’s Rennie Rayner, and Mary Wiseman’s Lt. Sylvia Tilly.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is available now on Paramount+ in both the U.S. and the U.K. (The most basic Paramount+ plan costs $5.99 in the U.S. and £6.99 in the U.K.). The first two episodes have been released as part of a celebratory premiere, and the new season certainly begins with a bang. Though Michael is still reeling from Booker’s departure, she and the crew of the Discovery are soon sent on a classified mission—a red directive—to track down a previously missing Romulan science vessel, which was last seen 800 years ago. But Star Fleet isn’t the only one looking for the Romulan ship (and whatever it contains), and soon enough, all hell breaks loose.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 will have a total of 10 episodes—this is shorter than previous seasons of Star Trek: Discovery , which have all had between 13-15 episodes, but it is more in line with other modern Star Trek episode counts, like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . New episodes will be released individually on Thursdays from now on. The finale will be available to watch on May 30. The episode titles and release dates for Star Trek: Discovery ’s final season are as follows:

• “Red Directive”—April 4
• “Under the Twin Moons”—April 4
• “Jinaal”—April 11
• “Face the Strange”—April 18
• “Mirrors”—April 25
• “Whistlespeak”—May 2
• “Erigah”—May 9
• “Labyrinths”—May 16
• “Lagrange Point”—May 23
• “Life, Itself”—May 30

If you’re in need of a recap before diving into Discovery season 5, Whoopi Goldberg is here to help. Watch the video, below.

So, are you ready to say goodbye to the crew of the Discovery?

(featured image: Paramount+)