Star Trek’s Top 15 New Characters (2009-Present)

So, despite what some clickbait grifter on YouTube will have you believe, Star Trek is alive and well. This past decade has given us three feature-length movies, two full seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, and of course, the debut season of Star Trek: Picard just closed out, and that was just as enjoyable. And that’s not to mention that Discovery’s third season is coming our way later this year, alongside the debut of Star Trek: Lower Decks. And even still, that’s not factoring in the growing rumors of a Pike series, the eventual start of the Section 31 series, a couple animated shows, and other live-action shows that are all getting talked about and are hopefully still on the table, despite the current global situation. Everything I’ve seen so far has not only given us a lot of fun stories and concepts, but I’ve been focused a lot on the characters of these shows, their stories, and what they would contribute to each show.

I have been anything but disappointed.

There’s a reason I said that Star Trek: Discovery had given us some of the best character development and overall characters since DS9 in the 90’s, and honestly, Star Trek: Picard may be following suite. With so many new characters to follow and get invested in, it’s time to talk about them. So I’m going to rank what I believe are the best new characters of these shows and films. Now it needs to be said that aside form one notable exception (who I will talk about why I include when I get there), I will not be talking about characters who were established prior to 2009. As much as I love Ethan Peck’s Spock in Discovery’s second season, as much as I love seeing Picard and Seven return to the small screen, as much as I love Kirk and his crew in the films, I won’t be talking about them really since they’re already known and beloved. I’m here to talk about why the new characters are awesome. Let’s get started.

(Be warned of potential spoilers here!)

15. Narek (Star Trek: Picard)

“The key to opening the tan zhekran is taking the time to understand what’s keeping it closed.”

Admittedly, the young mysterious Romulan Tal Shiar agent took a bit longer for me to warm up to. It wasn’t until a bit after the debut season’s halfway point that I started to warm up to him, and admittedly, he still has some work to do in development, but I am very eager to see if that development will improve in the eventual Season 2. Narek shows a lot of promise as the next memorable Star Trek villain, maybe in some ways similar to Dukat in DS9. He’s shown to be manipulative, careful in approach, and very devious. That’s not to say he’ll be the same caliber of villain as Dukat, but I mean, he’s here, isn’t he?

Outside that, I actually found myself very drawn to a few small traits that I actually related to about the character. His meditative fidgeting for one thing is something I actually quickly grew a soft spot for. I loved his toys. I want a tan zhekran. Thanks to him, I bought an infinity cube, and still use it. It can help me focus, and can help calm me down when I need a little calm in my life. It definitely soothes my ADD mindset. It’s nice to see a character like this in Star Trek. It humanizes them and makes them feel more relatable. I mean sure, Narek right now is still kinda an antagonist, and I do believe they need to seriously flesh out his relationship with Soji more than they did for me to buy it, but for now, it’s a good start to the character.

14. Nero (Star Trek)

“Kill him? I’m not gonna kill him. I’m gonna make him watch.”

This choice might arguably make a few eyebrows raise since many consider Nero not particularly strong as a character, and admittedly, he mainly makes the list here because I absolutely love how external material fleshes out his backstory into just how this man thinks, and what life threw his way. I find his character fascinating in how he goes from an honest miner of the Romulan Empire, to a broken man hellbent on destroying the Federation because the pain he feels in the loss of Romulus is that great. And while his motivations may seem very shallow, I do believe that Eric Bana did a fantastic job in bringing him to life. One of the best scenes of the movie is when he interrogates Captain Pike on his ship, and his emotions boiling over when Pike tells him that Romulus wasn’t destroyed is borderline perfect.

And look, even if you throw out the external material, I think he’s a great villain (I still highly recommend reading Star Trek: Countdown, and Star Trek: Nero to get a better picture of this man). Sure, some may see him as this guy who just yells “FIRE EVERYTHING” a lot, or whatnot, but I see a truly grief-stricken man who has nothing left to live for, and nothing left to lose. How he spares Ambassador Spock’s life just to make him watch the destruction of Vulcan is a level of deviousness I’ve never seen in Star Trek before, and I do find it truly tragic that he is so broken, that when offered assistance in his final moments, he outright denies it. I certainly understand if he’s not everybody’s cup of tea, and certainly understand that a few scenes that were cut from the film really should have been left in the film, but regardless, I believe Nero deserves a mention here, and I will always find him a truly fascinating character.

13. Michael Burnham (Star Trek: DIscovery)

“Before I was a mutineer, I was a first officer in Starfleet. I’ll never bear that rank, or any other, again. But it is who I am, and who I always will be. It is by the principles of the United Federation of Planets that I live, and by them I will most certainly die.”

Okay, so I might not be completely out of the woods yet as far as controversial characters are concerned. Of all Star Trek’s lead characters, I can’t think of one that has generated more controversy than Michael Burnham. Whether people whine about her being a Mary Sue, or whatnot, I really could care less. While admittedly, she didn’t exactly shine in my eyes, over the last two seasons, she has very much grown on me in all the right ways. Not only did I enjoy her redemption arc in the debut season for her actions in instigating a deadly war between the Federation and Klingon Empire, but seeing her relationships and friendships with other crew members, the nature of her relationship with her foster brother, Spock, it’s all really well done, and I find myself invested each time.

There’s also something very awesome about the fact that despite being responsible for some atrocities in the Federation at the start of the series, Despite nearly everyone in Starfleet being distrustful of her, despite many having a reason to hate her, she never loses faith in Federation principle. She never tries to excuse herself, she never tells anyone that they’re wrong. She willfully accepts what’s to happen to her, and it makes her redemption and development through this show all the much better. And it makes it that much more satisfying when her friends and crew finally start to forgive her for past transgressions. Is she a perfect lead? No, and there are still a few characteristics about Burnham that I don’t exactly care for, but I am very excited to see where this third season goes, and I cannot wait to see what she brings to the table in that season.

12. Gabriel Lorca (Star Trek: Discovery)

“Universal law is for lackeys. Context is for kings.”

Gabriel Lorca is a character I hope we see more of very soon. Maybe not in the same iteration as we saw in Season One, but he’s definitely a character I hope to see brought back in another iteration. I mean come on, I’m hardly the only one saying “Find Prime Lorca.” And of course that pretty much gives away that the Gabriel Lorca we know is a bit of a baddie. And it was a twist that admittedly… I never saw coming, despite many people theorizing it beforehand. But before the big twist reveal, I absolutely loved the stern short temper of Gabriel Lorca. Granted, before everything, we got a picture that revealed that Lorca wasn’t exactly the best person. He was a broken man, battle-scarred, reckless, defiant, and it was what made him so fascinating. There is something undeniably charming when his officers ask to do a task, cite their specialization, only for him to say “I don’t give a damn. I just want it done.” And that’s not to mention the intimidating presence he gives with his fascination of weapons of war, and his mindset which feels like an antithesis of everything the Federation stands for. But the reason this works is because he’s serving on a ship in a bloody war, and one can understand how that might change a man’s outlook to life.

And this is precisely why I didn’t see the Mirror Universe twist happening when it did. And arguably, after this twist, Lorca does kinda get weaker as a character in an obvious parallel to Trump, going as far as saying that he will make the Terran Empire glorious again. It definitely doesn’t exactly hit all the right marks it should have. But regardless of how it played out, the buildup to this twist is something I will never forget, and I do stilll believe that despite the weak twist, Lorca was a great character. And I am right there with the many who are curious as to whether or not we’ll eventually see Prime Lorca. Time will tell.

11. Laris & Zhaban (Star Trek: Picard)

“After so long, I worry sometimes you’ve forgotten what you did, who you are. We have not.”

I don’t care if this is technically two characters, you just cannot separate these two. The two Romulan housekeepers for Picard demonstrated that they were instantly likable from the time you first see them. Not only does it show you just how much Picard touched some Romulan lives during the events leading up to the tragic destruction of Romulus, but it shows that despite Picard having lost himself in this time, that many Romulans hold no ill feelings towards Picard in his failure. Laris and Zhaban, two former Tal Shiar agents, show just this as they help Picard in his day to day routines, and their heartwarming approach to their new life won me over instantaneously.

And though they live a quiet life now, they show that they can still kick serious ass and take names, like a Tal Shiar agent likely should. And despite kicking ass and taking names, I love that they make an attempt not to resort to their old Tal Shiar methods. They feel like a small antithesis for what a Tal Shiar agent should be, even if we’ll get to the true antithesis of the Tal Shiar later. The dialogue they share with Picard in each scene hits the spot each time and you truly feel like the three are family. The only negative thing I can say is that it’s a damn shame these two characters weren’t seen again after the third episode. I have hopes we will see them again soon.

10. Sylvia Tilly (Star Trek: Discovery)

“I told you I would try to help you. Where I come from, we try to keep our promises.”

Sylvia Tilly is quite possibly the most adorable character on Discovery right now. I hear a lot of people saying that they find her quite annoying, but to me, that just says that they really don’t identify with the very real struggle that many people have when handling a social life, or being socially interactive with other people. Sure, Tilly’s ramblings and stutters may sound annoying to the average human, but I’d argue that you really don’t understand just how much some people like that try to fit in, or try to work on their social skills. I see a lot of TNG character, Reginald Barclay in Tilly, and for the longest time, he was one of the few people I could truly relate to in this franchise.

I also feel that people who write Tilly off as annoying fail to see the bigger picture when it comes to her character. She’s one of the most optimistic characters on the show, and she’s rather humble when it comes to mistakes she makes, and the people she calls friends. How she’s at first very cautious and wary around Burnham, before becoming likely her best friend really goes to show this humble spirit in her. How she’s the first to forgive Ash Tyler after the things that happen in the last half of the first season, how open she is with Paul Stamets in his struggles, how upset she is when she learns that Burnham is willing to sacrifice her place in time if it means stopping Control, you can tell that Tilly has a very big heart, and it goes beyond her friends, as we see with her experience in the mycelial network. Her young eager persona won me over instantly, and I really do hope that she will eventually make big bounds towards a position of command. And that’s not to mention the light-hearted comedy relief that can come alongside her ramblings. It’s good for a chuckle almost every time. And hey, as the character to be the first speaker of an English F-bomb, why wouldn’t I include her here?

9. Raffi Musiker (Star Trek: Picard)

“Nice work, honey. You got us here really damn fast, and I am never going to do that ever again.”

A lot of people really don’t like Raffi for reasons I just kind of laugh at. “Why does she call Picard ‘JL’?! It’s so annoying!” “She’s a pothead! What the hell?!” “She’s so abusive with alcohol!” Honestly, Raffi’s flaws are really what make her such a standout character. I find it truly fascinating that on Earth, she lives not so much in poverty, but definitely in a state that likely isn’t as desired by most people, and I’ve seen a lot of people say that this breaks continuity, as Earth has eradicated poverty, but the thing with Raffi is that she very much brought a lot of this on herself. The way I see it, Picard has said that humans work to better themselves and the rest of humanity, rather than focus on material gain. Raffi is the first character we’ve seen that shows us that people can fail in this aspect. It’s not unreasonable to assume that her addictions and thought patterns did not exactly do much to help her situation, and it’s obvious that no one took her seriously after the events that led to this life played out. So why wouldn’t Raffi be in such a state?

That and, her conspiracy jargon really hits home with this to the point where her own family wants nothing to do with her. How heartbreaking is that? But ironically enough, it’s this bizarre mindset that she has, leading her to come up with ideas and theories that no one else can see which also makes her a standout character in my eyes. And I feel this side of her isn’t explored nearly enough. We see way too many people complaining about nicknames, and who she’s holding hands with than we do the true essence of her character. I feel like that would be the equivalent of me saying I think Picard is a terrible character because he drinks Earl Grey, and doesn’t like children. It misses the true essence of the character. That and relationships can be platonic. Just because she tells Picard “I love you”, does not mean she’s looking to pursue a romantic interest. Just because she’s holding hands with Seven of Nine, does not mean there’s a serious love interest. I feel way too many people are jumping to conclusions and getting worked up about it when the full story hasn’t been told. And bite me. I think her calling Picard JL is adorable.

8. Paul Stamets (Star Trek: Discovery)

“Never hide who you are. That’s the only way relationships work.”

Star Trek’s first openly gay character (if you’re not counting Sulu in Star Trek Beyond) is one of the most interesting characters of Discovery right now in so many ways. Not only is it wicked awesome that his specialty, and work directly mirrors that of the real life scientist of the same name (just a little salt for those who think Discovery’s science is more fantasy), but his arc that he goes through in both seasons of Discovery can be absolutely gut wrenching. A lot of people have come forward of being critical of Discovery for its decision to kill off Paul’s romantic partner in Hugh Culber, saying that it fell under the Bury Your Gays trope, but not only do I disagree with this claim, I believe the show handled it in such a delicate and respectable way that only strengthened Paul as a character, which stands in defiance for everything the Bury Your Gays trope stands for. Hugh’s death does a tremendous amount of development to Paul as he goes through the various stages of grief for a very long time, and what his character goes through when Hugh is brought back from death, and how their relationship isn’t exactly what it once was really goes to show what his mental state must be like when it comes to how they are both handling it.

But even outside this arc of development that both he and Hugh go through, Paul Stamets is just a gem of a character. He easily has some of the best techno jargon of the show, and his explosive banter between any character will almost always be entertaining. Like other characters, how he develops a friendship with Michael Burnham is really kinda heartwarming, and I absolutely adore his love-hate relationship with the next character we’re going to be talking about. His spontaneous decision-making, his immersive knowledge of the mycelial network and the space-time continuum, and the love of his work all add up for one hell of a character that is far more memorable than him simply being the gay character of the show. Paul Stamets thankfully has so much more going on for him, and I can only imagine what is in store for his character in this upcoming season.

7. Jett Reno (Star Trek: Discovery)

“You don’t know me, doc. I’m un-insultable, especially by a guy who thinks he can run a ship on mushrooms that I pick off my pizza.“

Jett Reno is easily one of the best characters of the whole damn show. And I am begging this show to showcase her more in Season 3. I’m begging to simply SEE her in Season 3. Beforehand, I had no idea who Tig Notaro was, and it’s thanks to Discovery, that I am quite a big fan of Tig’s stand-up material. Looking into the background of getting Tig onto the show is delightfully charming, but her character is just fantastic. The same dry delivery that Tig is pretty known for by now is present, and it results in such a fun character. The first time we see her, arms deep in alien blood, and being this dry smart ass immediately made me realize we were in for one very fun character.

Her “give no shits” attitude to almost every character in the show, and her delivery to some of the technobabble that happens with her from time to time makes for some memorable moments in and of themselves, but she’s shown that she can have the heart of gold as well, particularly when she confronts Hugh Culber about his troubled relationship with Paul Stamets. Not only do I find it awesome that she’s another example of representation for the LGBTQ Community in Star Trek, but I feel shows that despite losing so much already, she still has a lot to fight for, and is willing to help those in need, much like Hugh and Paul, despite having a rocky relationship with the latter. But whether it’s her dry humor one liners, or anything else, Jett Reno is truly one of the better recurring characters of Discovery, and I cannot wait to see her brought back. I mean she went with them to the future… she was on the ship. We gotta see her! Don’t let me down!

6. Jaylah (Star Trek Beyond)

“I like the beats and the shouting!”

Before 2016, it felt like a very long time since we’d had a character as charming as Jaylah. As much as I hate crediting this guy, Cinemasins was right that Jaylah presented a much needed breath of fresh air for the Star Trek franchise. There is so much potential for this character to just soar with these other character that I am practically begging for one more Kelvin Timeline movie, simply because I want to see Jaylah brought back. I want to see this character become so much more. Arguably, while Star Trek Beyond doesn’t exactly handle her backstory the best, they handle pretty much everything else absolutely wonderfully, from her badass survivor persona, to her willingness to help those who are in need.

Even the small things about this character, such as the way she speaks is absolutely fantastic. How she knows English, but doesn’t quite have a full grasp of it, leading her to call people names like “Montgomery Scotty” or “James T. Also if there was ever a character in Star Trek that could help me get into rap or hip hop, I’m sure Jaylah would be that person. I absolutely love how she finds the music of an old Earth starship and learns English and discovers music from it. Hell, I just love her survivalist personality. So many of her traps and fighting techniques are so awesome and underrated. I don’t care what it takes, PLEASE bring Jaylah back! I don’t care if you find a way to include her in Discovery, or if she appears in some other show or film, but I am begging for her return.

5. Cristóbal Rios (Star Trek: Picard)

“I said I would never do it again, and then I fucking did it again.”

If there was one actor I had to choose that really demonstrated his acting chops in Star Trek: Picard, it would easily be Santiago Cabrera. He not only does such a wonderful job portraying the brooding ex-Starfleet Officer in Cristóbal Rios, but a fantastic job portraying the various holographic projections of him, each with their own distinct persona and whatnot. I have no idea what Santiago had to do to prepare himself for this role, but he absolutely succeeded with flying colors.

When I first saw him, I had a lot of comparisons to Han Solo of Star Wars, and that can be understood, but I’m thankful that it doesn’t really feel like a ripoff. By the time Rios’ story is revealed to us, it’s actually kinda shocking, and it makes his exchanges with Picard in the later half of the series that much more impactful. Rios feels like he has a lot to learn from Picard, and sure enough, it feels like most of Picard’s big speeches tend to be with Rios. Seeing this broken Starfleet Officer getting consoled and healed by Picard makes for a fantastic story in and of itself, but seeing Rios rise up at the end makes me only more excited for what’s to come for his character. I have a feeling it won’t disappoint.

4. Philippa Georgiou (Star Trek: Discovery)

“It’s my experience, it’s often our best intentions that cause us to do the most harm, especially to those we care for.”

Philippa Georgiou has the potential to be the next character of Star Trek similar to that of Elim Garak. Someone who doesn’t exactly favor the ideals of Starfleet, but admires them enough in the way they can accomplish things. I hear a lot of people express an interest to see the prime counterpart of Georgiou’s explored, and I’m sitting here, absolutely giddy for what her upcoming Section 31 show might give us. Georgiou is more than a fantastic, and charming character. She represents a vessel to really give us an ideal look into the mindset of a Terran in the mirror universe. She is what Worf was for the Klingons, or Kira was for Bajorans, or Quark was for the Ferengi. Hearing some of the things she can say to other people can be downright disturbing at times, and I absolutely love it. I love seeing her use Terran thought to win the day, or come up with a solution. Even if most of the time it tends to get shot down.

But even outside of this, I love her very shaky relationship with Michael Burnham. I cannot think of a better relationship in Star Trek in this area where there is obvious distrust between them, yet at the same time, they have little choice but to trust one another. And I absolutely love that despite everything, Georgiou still very much cares for Burnham as if she were her own daughter. Not only does it result in some awesome development for the two of them, but some awesome chemistry between her and Sarek of all people. Of all the recurring characters of Discovery, Georgiou also has developed the most, showing noticeable change in her tone and mindset from her debut season as she seemingly starts to embrace Federation ideals… though not enough to warrant abandoning her Terran side. And that’s not to mention some of her absolutely delightful dialogue which not only is lovably devious a lot of the time, but can be quick to give an awkward atmosphere in the room she’s standing in. I could honestly go on about Georgiou for all the right reasons, but without a doubt, I am absolutely excited for what she will bring to the third season.

3. Christopher Pike (Star Trek: Discovery)

“Be bold. Be brave. Be courageous. Black alert.”

And here’s that borderline call I was talking about before. Before I get a bunch of angry comments about how Pike is a pre-established character, and shouldn’t qualify here, here’s my reasoning for including him. Before 2009, what exactly was memorable about Pike as a character, aside from the fact that he was at one point, captain of the Enterprise? Honestly, there was nothing really going for him. He was in a failed pilot, and a two-parter of TOS that I don’t really care about. Pike wouldn’t really get on my radar until the 2009 film, and even then, I had no idea just what Discovery would end up doing with this character a decade later. In short, Discovery has turned Captain Pike into a captain that rivals that of Jean-Luc Picard, and you can quote me on that.

Not only do I feel that Pike presents a much needed breath of fresh air for Discovery after the fiasco with Lorca, but I mean you can tell that Pike, despite not spending a lot of time on the Discovery, cares deeply about his crew and will do anything he can to show them that. His love and respect for other cultures screams Starfleet, and his presence as a Captain is everything I would expect to see for the guy commanding the flagship of Starfleet. His actions especially towards the end of Season 2 of Discovery really hammer his place here. I mean there was a reason a particular moment stands out as the best moment of Discovery so far. There’s a reason so many people right now are begging for a Pike show. Why wouldn’t they? Discovery knew what to do with Pike, and even if they didn’t come up with his character they finally made his character stand out, and feel alive. And if that doesn’t qualify him for this list here, then I don’t know what else to tell you.

2. Elnor (Star Trek: Picard)

“Please, friend. Choose to live.”

You really don’t know just how excited I was for this character when Picard was still just getting teased at us. When I heard that we were finally going to get a Romulan protagonist in with the crew, I was bouncing off the walls. Truthfully, I don’t know what I was expecting, but with Elnor, all I can say is that none of my expectations were met, and yet all of my expectations were exceeded. How is that even possible? I still can’t figure it out, but good God is this character awesome! Every time he was onscreen, I was absolutely captivated. And you can throw around your space elf memes and conveniently ignore that space elves have been in Star Trek since 1966. Elnor is still a fantastic character.

Whether it’s his awesome lifestyle of unfiltered emotions, literally saying anything on his mind without hiding anything which can land him in some absolutely adorable social awkwardness, or his badass fighting abilities, Elnor won my heart over immediately in Picard. But it was far more than this. I saw in Elnor ironically enough, everything Starfleet stands for. He binds himself to people who have lost hope, he fights to protect them, he fights so that they can have even a scrap of hope, and if that doesn’t SCREAM Starfleet, I don’t know what does. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from his character in Season 2, but I am absolutely GIDDY with excitement in what his character will go through in the future. I cannot wait. I just have one request… please… please please please please PLEASE show him a damn cat! It’s the one thing I want for this character! Let him see a cat!

1. Saru (Star Trek: Discovery)

“I saw hope, in the stars. It was stronger than fear. And I went towards it.”

Saru quite simply is the best character I’ve seen in Star Trek since… well… anyone on DS9. I’m not at all saying that there have been no good characters since DS9, but Saru seems to outshine a vast majority of them in just two seasons. There is no character I am more invested in, there is no character I am pulling for, no, not even Elnor quite reaches the excellence that Saru has brought to Star Trek (yet… I doubt Evan Evagora will ever really read this, but I still love Elnor, I promise!). Saru has come such a long way in these two seasons of Discovery that I’m at a point where I am practically demanding the show to give him the Captain’s Chair in this upcoming season of Discovery. I will be pretty disappointed if he doesn’t get it, because he has more than earned it.

Much like other alien characters of this franchise, Saru has brought forth a distinct lifestyle of the Kelpiens, and he’s done it in a way that not even Spock could do with the Vulcans in the same amount of time. That to me is incredibly impressive. And it goes beyond that, every time we get a development arc for the character, or a look into his mindset, I cannot help but be endlessly fascinated by what I see. His journey from being this fearful second officer on the Shenzou to an intimidating powerhouse for Discovery has been more than fulfilling. It’s been an experience. His stories are always so damn interesting, and that’s not to mention simple things like his demeanor and behavior. Quite simply, without writing an essay, Saru has embodied everything I love about Star Trek characters in less than 30 episodes. And I don’t think any other character has accomplished such a feat.

And here’s a few honorable mentions…

• Krall/Balthazar Edison

There’s something tragic about The antagonist of Star Trek Beyond. I actually kinda feel for the guy who feels like he is just a guy who never could adapt to the times. It is a shame that a veteran of Earth’s Xindi and Romulan Wars would feel betrayed when Starfleet would eventually make peace with them, and while it’s a shame he wasn’t properly fleshed out, I do believe he made for a good antagonist for the film.

• Katrina Cornwell

Katrina Cornwell’s time was short lived on Discovery, but I loved how despite being taken to the brink of doing some arguably questionable acts, you can tell that she still very much holds the ideals of the Federation close. This shows when she’s willing to listen to the crew of the Discovery and when she interacts with Pike. It is a shame she was killed off, but you know what? I believe she went out on the best note possible.

• Kirsten Clancy

Okay, I admit it. The main reason Clancy is getting the mention is her tendency to swear at Picard. There’s a reason both of her F-bombs are so damn memorable.

• L’Rell

L’Rell I feel is the middle finger to the Klingon TNG ideal that women may not serve on the Klingon Council. Enter L’Rell, who not only helps unite the Klingon Empire, but becomes just a badass character. I mean it, she’s an absolute badass in the season two finale.

• Ash Tyler

Just barely missing the cut is Ash Tyler. A very complex character, and wonderful love interest for Michael Burnham, and an equal badass. It’s a shame that it’s not known as to whether or not we will see him in the coming seasons of Discovery since He does not leave with the ship, but with a Section 31 spinoff coming, I wouldn’t be surprised if we haven’t seen the last of him.

And there you have it. The best characters of new Star Trek so far. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to voice your thoughts, and as always, thanks for reading.

Top Ten Best Moments of Star Trek: Discovery (So Far)

Black alert!

So if you haven’t gotten the general hint yet, I do love me some Star Trek. It doesn’t matter what era, what producer, what visual aesthetic, I don’t think I’ve analyzed any other franchise quite as closely, or as frequently as Star Trek. My father raised me on episodes from the Original Series, to Deep Space Nine, and I am a proud owner of all 13 films, and own the complete series of each show, except the Animated Series. And yes, this includes both seasons of the new Star Trek: Discovery.

While I will admit that Discovery has work to do in its series, I am very much enjoying it, and am eagerly awaiting its third season. I tend to roll my eyes at the appropriately named fandom menace in its views of the show, and find myself disagreeing with a lot of other fans when they complain about certain… well, rather trivial things. I understand that Discovery or even Picard isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea, and is likely challenging a to of viewers of Star Trek, but I very much applaud them for challenging the average Trek viewer in their shows, and I find it absolutely dumbfounding that so many say that this show doesn’t feel like Star Trek when it is absolutely full of moments that scream elements of this universe.

Well, I’m highlighting the best moments of the show so far. Yeah we’re still enjoying Picard for a few more weeks, but we have a lot to look forward to in Season 3 of Discovery if you ask me, and to help build a little anticipation for it, here’s what I believe are the ten absolute best moments of the show so far.

A quick note, I won’t be including moments from the Short Treks series in this list, and it’s fairly safe to say that I will be talking spoilers here, so if you haven’t seen this show yet, you might wanna look away.

10. Burnham and Spock Play Chess (Project Daedalus)

“All right, Michael. Let’s play chess.”

One of the more gutsy moves of the show’s second season was bringing in Spock, and showcasing the strained relationship that both he and Michael share with one another as estranged foster siblings. This is a move that could have backfired so easily, and yet, I cannot help but feel like they executed it with precision and care that really makes both of these characters stand out in so many ways. I’m not saying their relationship was absolutely flawless (there were a few moments, I thought were not properly earned), but I saw these two, and I saw a very believable relationship between the two, and I think it really came to life in this scene here.

The chess match between the two is a true highlight of character tension and drama between these two, and not only does it perfectly highlight the years of frustration and bitterness the two have held to one another all this time, but it really showcases the acting chops of Ethan Peck, who absolutely owns the role in this show. It is true that no one will ever truly replace Nimoy, but to say that Peck did a disservice to the role is absolute bonkers. Not only does he pull off the emotionless stoic persona of the character remarkably well, be he also brings to life a new side of the character that I can totally see in a younger side of Spock, and he works so well with the role. Their entire game, and exchange of dialogue leave me on the edge of my seat every time from start to finish.

9. Lorca Reveals the Spore Drive (Context Is for Kings)

“We are creating a new way to fly.”

One of the biggest areas of controversy when it comes to Discovery is its use of the ship’s spore drive, with many saying it feels too advanced for the time period, unscientific, or even straight up ripping off some concept from an unfinished video game (a lawsuit that is full of nonsense I might add). I have yet to hear a single complaint about the spore drive that I sympathize with, and the way that Gabriel Lorca shows it to us is actually really intriguing. When we first see Lorca, we are introduced to a battle-scarred war torn man who many thought he was hiding something. And granted he was, but if you ask me, he played his part really well, especially since this scene is as good as it is. This is a scene in which Michael Burnham is still a convict, and doubting not only herself, but Lorca’s intentions. And the way he wins her over to show her just what the Discovery is doing is just… really good.

Not only is it visually appealing in how he demonstrates the idea and concept of the Spore Drive, but how he tells her that they aren’t creating a weapon, but a new propulsion system just feels very Starfleet. Now granted, it can be said that he does end up weaponizing the spore drive, and again, that big secret of him not exactly being who he says he is factors heavily into how he behaves and how he acts, but still, you take away everything that is happening in that moment, stick this in a typical episode of TNG or TOS even, and this would fit right in. And his assurance of Michael Burnham also feels right at home in more ways than one, but if I go too far here, I’ll be digging into major spoilers. All that needs to be said is that our first glimpse into just what the spore drive is meant to be? It’s all Star Trek.

8. The Klingons and Kelpiens Join the Fight Against Control (Such Sweet Sorrow Pt. II)

“Sorry it took us a while to get here, Captain.”

The season two finale of Discovery is full of awesome moments, but I don’t think there’s one moment that sends chills down my neck quite as much in this episode as the moment when the Kelpiens and Klingons join in the fight against Control, joining the battle alongside the Discovery and the Enterprise. While it is heartwarming to see Saru’s sister, Siranna, and the rest of the Kelpiens fly into this battle, especially since they’re flying Ba’ul fighters; ships belonging to a race that persecuted them for hundreds of years, as it shows that the two races have likely reached a truce or understanding of one another, it’s really the Klingons who steal the show here.

When the Klingon cleave ship decloaks and just rams into two of Control’s ships, I tend to lose it. Seriously, I really hope we haven’t seen the last of the cleave ships. Those things are awesome. Why wouldn’t the Klingons fly what are essentially giant bat’leths in space? And it’s just awesome to see how the Klingon Empire, despite remaining on hostile terms with the Federation, will recognize that cooperation in light of a bigger threat is what matters. There’s not much more to say here. It’s just a really badass moment of the finale of season two. Nothing more, nothing less.

7. The Universal Translator Malfunctions (An Obol for Charon)

“Am I the only one who bothered to learn a foreign language?”

It’s moments like this that baffle me when I hear people say that this show feels creatively bland or unoriginal. “An Obol for Charon” was already one of my personal favorite episodes of Discovery so far (if not my all-time favorite so far), but moments like this feel so unappreciated. Star Trek has always danced around the language barrier by using the universal translator. And while we’ve had episodes that wonderfully dissect how understanding communication is important (such as TNG’s “Darmok”), we’d never seen the Universal Translator go haywire, until now.

After a mysterious sphere sends a mysterious transmission to the Discovery, we get one of the funniest, and one of the most clever malfunctions I’ve ever seen in all Star Trek, as people begin speaking different languages all over the ship. It’s a near perfect representation of how I feel this kind of thing would play out, making Pike straight up compare it to the Tower of Babel, fantastic wordplay. And it’s just a fantastic concept put in motion.

6. Ensign Tilly Becomes Captain Killy (Despite Yourself)

“Their strength is painted rust. It’s a facade. But you have the strength of an entire crew that believes in you. Fortify yourself with our faith in you. That’s what a real captain does.“

The Mirror Universe Arc of the debut season was another point on controversy for some, but was another thing I absolutely loved about the debut season. I can’t say that any other mirror universe episode of Star Trek really intrigues me as much as “Despite Yourself” did. And it is absolutely full of awesome moments, particularly when Ensign Tilly is forced out of her comfort bubble to impersonate her mirror counterpart as Captain of the ISS Discovery. The pep talk that Michael Burnham gives her in how she doesn’t have to be afraid of her role is really kinda heartwarming, especially considering the fact that Michael Burnham has been helping her train for command this season.

And when she’s actually in the command chair? She demands respect as any mirror universe captain would. Some of her lines Are disturbingly fantastic as I would expect them to be. She plays the part remarkably well, and it makes me think that one day, she’ll be just as good a captain… just not nearly as evil. For her first time in a backwards universe? She really pulls it off.

5. Saru Reunites with Siranna (The Sound of Thunder)

“So different, and yet…”

Saru has a pretty major development arc in the second season of the show, and it’s arguably one of the best arcs of the season. We’ll talk a bit about how it starts later on, but it results in a conclusion that is absolutely jaw-dropping, as we see him wrestle with a newfound truth about his people, and his oath to uphold Starfleet principles, including the Prime Directive. The reason this is such a big deal is because his people, the Kelpiens fall under the Prime Directive, and Saru’s status with Starfleet is little more than a special exception.

But when the circumstances come into play where he is once more put back in touch with his people, the scene in which he is reunited with his sister Siranna is exceptionally well done. Siranna’s reaction not only to seeing him again, but meeting Michael Burnham is absolutely fantastic. Her reactions to everything she is hearing, such as the principles of the universal translator, to the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of life forms in the galaxy is absolutely fantastic. Even the moment she compares her own hand to that of Burnham to see the similarities and differences. And the way she simply asks at the end of this scene if humans drink tea? It’s the perfect bit of Star Trek in an exceptional scene.

4. Reno’s Advice to Dr. Culber (Through the Valley of the Shadows)

“Yeah, it’s funny. People like us always find people like them. And thank God.“

One of the absolute best additions of the second season was the character Jett Reno, portrayed magnificently by stand-up comedian, Tig Notaro. Whenever this character was onscreen, you knew there was some comedy coming your way, but while Tig’s dry delivery and snark attitude was good for a well-earned laugh most of the time, she proved that she was just as capable of giving us a very heartfelt scene, like this one here, in which she confronts Dr. Hugh Culber, who if you follow the series, likely know that he was killed, and brought back to life, and found himself in a bit of an identity crisis this season, which led to him separating himself from his partner in Paul Stamets.

The talk that both she and Culber have is impossible not to smile at as she brings a bit of that snark dry delivery to the table (she even references some of her own stand-up material in this conversation!), before recollecting on her own previous message. Not only do I greatly applaud this scene for fleshing out the personal lives of two characters who are a member of the LGBTQ community, but I can’t help but feel like wanting to get a little emotional when Reno describes her deceased partner, and just how much she obviously meant to her. You can tell that her experiences greatly impact Dr. Culber. Her parting words to him are as blunt and to the point as you can imagine, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is a scene that can make you laugh, make you cry, and for all the right reasons.

3. Burnham Gives Georgiou’s Telescope to Saru (Choose Your Pain)

“You should have the privilege to see the universe The way she did.”

Season one’s best moment undoubtedly comes in the form of some absolutely phenomenal character development between both Michael Burnham, and Commander Saru, who for a good chunk of the season are at odds with each other over the events of the pilot episodes. As Michael Burnham is responsible for the death of their former captain, Philippa Georgiou, Saru sees her as a threat to the crew of Discovery, and resents her for a lot of very valid reasons. When he’s forced to take command of Discovery during this episode when Captain Lorca goes missing, he finds himself doubting himself since he never got the chance to learn how to take such a role, and had hoped to learn from Georgiou as Burnham did. This conflict results in some absolutely stellar conflicts between the two in this episode (Doug Jones is quickly becoming one of the best actors of the franchise if we’re being honest with each other), but it also results in the moment that shows that the two are ready to move forward together, and rekindle their friendship.

When the two have a heart-to-heart in the last act, and Saru finallly admits how he holds Burnham in envy over the fact that he never got the chance to serve as First Officer to Georgiou, Burnham really steps up as his friend, and assures him that everything he did in his time as acting Captain would have made Georgious proud. The discussion they have is enough to get me smiling, but it’s the very end of this scene that gets to me, in which Burnham gives Saru the telescope that Georgiou had left to Burnham in her last will and testament. This little gesture I believe is what truly puts them both on the road to healing in their relationship as fellow Starfleet Officers, and friends. And Saru’s last order as acting Captain, for her to go and save the Tardigrade (long story)? Just as heartwarming.

2. Saru’s Vahar’ai (An Obol for Charon)

“I am sorry. I know how hard this is for you. How many people you’ve already lost…”

There’s a reason I said “Obol for Charon” was among my favorite episodes of the show, and this moment is one of the big reasons why. This moment was so powerful that I actually ranked this episode number four in a list concerning Star Trek’s saddest episodes out there. And yeah, when it was happening, I was fighting tears, because I straight up though we were going to lose Saru, who is arguably one of the best, if not the best character in Discovery right now. Throughout the episode, Saru is fighting a terminal illness, unique to Kelpiens , called Vahar’ai; a disease which lets a Kelpien know that they are ready to die. And towards the end of the episode, when Saru’s weakened body is on the verge of shutdown, he asks Burnham to kill him.

Now I said in the last entry here that both he and Burnham have some incredible development together throughout the run of these two seasons, and it’s this moment where that development shines in full glory when they truly realize just how much the two mean to each other. Seeing Burnham struggle to find the strength to do what Saru asks, really feels real and is an emotional curveball that I tear up at every single time. But thank God she hesitates because it’s this hesitation that gives Saru a major revelation about the true nature of Vahar’ai. And it’s this moment that sets in motion his inner struggle with the knowledge of this truth of Vahar’ai, and his dedication to the Prime Directive in the episodes ahead. Seeing his disturbing realization that everything he thought about life was nothing more than a lie is something straight out of Plato’s Cave allegory, and sets in motion some fantastic developments down the road ahead. But regardless, it’s this moment that really stands out in it all.

1. Captain Pike Seals His Fate (Through the Valley of the Shadows)

“A warning, Captain. The present is a veil between anticipation, and horror. Lift the veil, and madness may follow.”

I could probably fill this list with moments in how awesome Captain Pike is in the second season of Discovery, but if I had to choose one moment, it would easily be this one, and I don’t think there’s much room for argument in it. So long story short, the Discovery is in need of a time crystal to power a specific suit that can travel through time and space, and Pike visits some Klingon Monks in isolation who guard these crystals. Not only does this set in motion some really fun time concepts for this scene alone, but it of course reveals the eventual fate that Captain Pike will face in life. If you’ve seen the TOS episode, “The Menagerie”, you’d know that eventually, Pike will end up in an accident that will forever change his life, and cripple him. Before this episode, it always felt like such a poor send off to a character who was originally meant to be what Captain Kirk was of TOS. Here? Pike finally gets some well needed and well deserved vindication for the events to come.

Upon touching the crystal, he is of course taken to the moment in his life where he will be forever crippled and changed. He comes face to face with his forever crippled form, housed in a wheelchair, unable to even speak, and Pike’s reaction to it all is powerful in and of itself, but it’s the moments that follow that really cement this moment at the number one spot. The monk who guides him informs him that it is very much possible for him to walk away from this fate, but that if he takes the crystal, it will eventually happen. Pike has a choice here to save himself, and you can tell that for a moment, he contemplates it. The thing is, he knows that if he walks away, he will likely doom everything around him to extinction, and it’s this self-sacrifice that he willingly makes as he takes the crystal that makes me shout at CBS to give him a damn show already. And how he carries this bit of information throughout the rest of the show is just as impactful. This willful notion of him accepting what will eventually happen to him I truly believe puts him along the same level of Picard as a Starfleet Captain, and I will defend that claim to the grave. It turns what originally was a senseless tragedy into a very meaningful triumph, and it will likely be very tough to top in my eyes as far as Discovery’s best moments in the show are concerned.

We’ll just have to wait until Season 3.

And there you have it. The ten moments I feel are the best of Star Trek: Discovery so far. There were a lot I really wish I could have talked about, but these are well earned if you ask me. You’re free to let me know about moments I maybe missed that you yourself enjoyed down below, and as always, thanks for reading.

Live Long, and Prosper.

‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ – Do Star Trek Fans Want Star Trek To Be Unsuccessful and Unpopular?

In the wake of my review recently, I had a lot of great responses both here and on Facebook from fans and non-fans alike.  It appears that the piece opened up a good dialogue about the subject of Trek-fandom and their disdain for the Abramsverse.  What I found out, and I really kind of knew this, is that there is a segment of the fandom that really didn’t like the first film for all of the goofiness and, well, f*cking with the established history of the franchise, but don’t necessarily hate the film or the Abramsverse.  They’re skeptical of the new film, but they aren’t the butt-hurt, hater crowd. I just want to make clear that my criticism of the negative attitude by a certain segment of the fanbase is by no means a criticism overall of fans who are skeptical and have issues with a lot of the goofy shit present in both of the Abrams films. After all, there’s seriously a lot of goofy shit in both of these films (more blatantly in the first) and I wouldn’t expect fans to not take issue with them or to dismiss them out-of-hand.

This… is a BIG “no-no”

I recently noted that that it had just dawned on me that the aft-end of the nacelles (engines) on the Enterprise in Star Trek (2009) glowed (and glowed brighter when the engines were “revving up”) and how as a Trek fan that annoyed the piss out of me because Roddenberry was insistent on the fact that the propulsion methods should not bare any resemblance to contemporary methods of propulsion, i.e., nothing coming out of the tailpipe. This is why the end-caps went from having all of those little round vents on them in the first pilot to just being those round globes during production.

That’s an important detail that the producers just ignored. To make matters worse, what did they do with the engines this time? F*cking CONTRAILS. 

Then something very unexpected occurred: I realized those contrails looked bad-ass. Yes, they are in complete contradiction with everything I know about the franchise, but eff me if they don’t look wicked awesome and if I think that (considering I hate the concept in general) you damned-well know that the non-Trek fan in the audience thinks so, too. And that’s kind of where I think a lot of us fans stand. There’s a bit of self-loathing going on and guilt, here. “I shouldn’t like this but I do,” and that’s what kind of made me realize that you have to take these films in from the objective perspective of someone who’s just being introduced to the franchise… or just likes kickass action films. The foundation for the principles of the franchise are certainly there even of they eff up some of (or a lot of) the details of the minutiae but, on that note, Ron D. Moore does make a very good point that it is that minutiae that has contributed to making the franchise inaccessible to new audiences.

What I think has made it difficult for the fanbase in general to not be skeptical was the shock over the destruction of Vulcan in the first film. That hit me like a ton of bricks because of how integral Vulcan is to the mythology and because there wasn’t even any setup to get us prepared for it. It was like, “Pew, pew, pew… BOOM… Vulcan’s gone.”

“And of course, our intention is to completely ass-rape the entire franchise…”

That being said, having issues with the goofy shit is normal. Being cautious is normal, but I have to tell you that there really is a certain segment of the fandom that has hated this new vision of Trek since the Vegas Trek Convention of 2008 when Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy were on stage on the last day discussing it and warning the fans that it’s going to be different but they’re going to like it.  This carried on through December of 2008 when more and more details were starting to come out and the chorus of hate was reaching a fever-pitch… even though they had not seen a single frame of the film. That just seemed absurd to me and it especially seems absurd when I see the irrational hate spewed at this new film by the fans who hate it for the sake of hating it at this point. I get skepticism as a reaction to the first film, but the “haters” have the exact same complaints about this film that they did the first one (or they’re just contriving false criticism about the plot) and I don’t even know how one could rationally come to that considering how much better EVERYTHING is about the new film and how it actually felt like Star Trek.

Lens flares… seriously? Spock and Uhura having a relationship? It’s not Star Trek, it’s Star Wars? C’mon… seriously?

They have spoken… and they do not approve.

I’ve come to a conclusion about this irrational hatred toward the Abramsverse and I’m not saying that my conclusion is right or wrong, but it is something to consider. I have a feeling that this segment of the fanbase doesn’t want Star Trek to be popular. Whether they realize it or not, their issues have nothing to do with the quantifiable changes to the franchise, just the idea of change itself.  Allow me to explain.

Star Trek, for better or worse, has a justly earned reputation for having a strong appeal for kids who were, shall we say, less than popular. A lot of these kids felt excluded by the more popular and athletic kids because they were different. These “nerdy kids” were smarter, they were more intuitive, they were more curious, they were more creative and they were also socially awkward and they were non-conformists. There’s nothing worse than being a non-conformist during elementary and high school.

Future Scientists? Perhaps. Future All-American Athletes and Prom Kings? Not so much…

Then they found Star Trek which provided an outlet for their personalities and interests as well as an escape but more importantly they found a community of other like-minded folks to belong to, and that’s very important for all human beings. Star Trek is theirs and theirs alone and I can tell you from my own personal experience, the Trek fandom that was excluded socially easily transitioned to becoming the excluders when they found their niche.

I wasn’t always a Star Trek fan, I became one in 1997 because of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. When I was growing up, I was a casual viewer. I would watch Star Trek and then Star Trek: The Next Generation when it happened to be on but I wasn’t ever scheduling time to watch the franchise. I enjoyed it but my life certainly didn’t revolve around it. I was 18 when Star Trek: Generations came out and I was at a friend’s house on opening night and some of his friends had come over who had just seen the new film. Even if you weren’t a Trek fan, you knew that the big deal in that film was the “rumor” of the death of Kirk. When I casually asked one of these guys whether or not Kirk was killed, I was given a response something along the lines of, “Yeah, but it’s complicated… the Nexus, blah, blah, blah…” with eye-rolling and dismissive short responses pretty much implying, “You’re not a Trek fan, you wouldn’t understand and I’m not explaining it you.” To sum it up, instead of embracing my interest in Trek, they basically rejected me from their clique the same way they had been rejected socially… which was a mistake because I was good at getting girls and booze… which they weren’t good at.

“That bastard Abrams even brought his f*cking Stormtroopers with him to MY Convention! Where is he?!”

And this is kind of the attitude that I’m reminded of and I’m seeing, now. These same people who bitched (and still do) relentlessly about what producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga did to the franchise in the mid-to-late 90’s and into the 00’s want to see Trek in 2013 go back to those days. Not because it was better, but because it was their exclusive domain. They may hate Rick Berman (which is something that Berman alludes to on the Star Trek: Enterprise Season One Blu-ray Special Features and seems very taken back and upset by even to this day about)  for being “the sonofabitch who ruined the franchise” (a sentiment that I believe is unfair, in general… there were many factors involved) but he’s their sonofabitch.

Oh, that’s EASY! What’s wrong with the picture is that a pretty girl who’s not a castmember is wearing a Starfleet uniform.

Trek is their club and it shall not be interfered with by that Star Wars lover and non-fan J.J. Abrams and the legions of other non-fans that now like it.  As I noted, my wife liked the first film and her interest in Star Trek is so beyond limited that when it’s on, she stares at the screen like one of those magic eye pictures waiting for the sailboat to appear and the last thing a Trek fan wants is for pretty women to like it (despite the fact that if they cleaned off the coke-bottle glasses off and opened their flippin’ eyes they’d notice that there are plenty of hot Star Trek fans right at their damned conventions).  They want Trek to be just popular enough that it only gets other Star Trek fans involved.

Well, unfortunately for them, this is an absurd goal because as I pointed out in the review, there simply aren’t anywhere close to being enough of us to support the franchise and keep it successful. Trek has to make its tent bigger in order to survive and if that means tearing down a lot of the established aspects of the franchise and introducing more ‘splosions and action, well that’s just a reality that has to be accepted or we’ll lose Trek forever.  Sorry, but the best thing for Trek to be successful is that it has to get fans of Star Wars (which is pretty much everyone) to watch it.  Historically, it has been rare to find Star Trek fans that weren’t also fans of Star Wars.  On the other hand, however, it was rarer yet to find Star Wars fans who were also fans of Star Trek.  There’s a reason why that has held true until recently and it comes down to accessibility.

At its core, the principles and concepts of Trek have been able to find mass-appeal for more than 46 years regardless of race, creed, age, income level, educational level, sexual orientation… whatever. The issues the franchise has had to overcome have been in regards to execution in production, not theory or principles.  And that’s really, at this point, what the major changes have been about; how Trek goes about telling its stories and from my perspective, if telling Trek’s stories in a manner that appeals to all audiences requires an execution more like that of Star Wars and less like that of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, that’s what needs to be done and it should be embraced by all of us… provided that the finished product isn’t total shit.

REVIEW: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ & A Message To Star Trek Fans: Get Over Yourselves, You’re Not That Important

This summer director J.J. Abrams takes “Star Trek Into Darkness” as the young officers of The U.S.S. Enterprise set course for their most epic journey yet. Abrams reunites with the team that created the fun, the humor, and the spirit of 2009’s acclaimed hit reboot of the beloved franchise. On this second voyage, they’ve amped the action, raised the emotional stakes and launched the Enterprise into a high-wire, life-or-death game of chess with an unstoppable force of destruction. With everything the men and women of The Enterprise believe on the line, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn and sacrifices must be made for the only family Captain Kirk has left: the crew he commands.

It begins with a homecoming, as The Enterprise returns to earth in the wake of a controversial galactic incident, its brash Captain still itching to head back into the stars on a longer mission of peace and exploration. But all is not well on the Blue Planet. A devastating act of terror has exposed an alarming reality: Starfleet is being attacked from within and the fall-out will leave the entire world in crisis. Captain Kirk leads the Enterprise on a mission like no other spanning from the Klingon homeworld to the San Francisco Bay.  Aboard The Enterprise the enemy among them has a shocking talent for destruction. Kirk will lead them into a shadowy mirror-realm of doubts where they’ve never gone before – navigating the razor-thin lines between friends and enemies, revenge and justice, all-out war and the infinite potential of a united future. – Paramount

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND EXPLANATIONS OF CERTAIN PHRASES AND TERMS, PLEASE FOLLOW THE HYPERLINKS PROVIDED THROUGHOUT THIS PIECE.

Our Score: 92/100

A Very Non-Plussed (Perhaps, Terrified) Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Myself, 2008

I have to be honest, as much of a fan of Star Trek that I am (to the point where I have a room in my house dedicated to my fandom, I paid for a lifetime membership to Star Trek: Online before it was free-to-play and I have gone to Star Trek Conventions every year since 2003), after the first installment from J.J. Abrams of the rebooted franchise, I wasn’t really expecting that much from Star Trek Into Darkness.  Don’t get me wrong, the first film was a lot of fun and it was certainly great to see the franchise being given the big-budget treatment it deserves and has been lacking and it was also great to see Trek introduced to a whole new generation who overwhelmingly embraced the 2009 film (to the tune of almost $400 million worldwide).  When I reviewed the first film, however, my biggest complaints were that Abrams was playing it safe (other than the gratuitous and unnecessary destruction of Vulcan) and basically delivering us a cookie-cutter summer blockbuster that was really shiny but lacked substance with its plot and had holes big enough to drive a truck through.

Four years later, although I stand by that assessment, I’ve realized that upon reflection, there were a lot of things about the first movie (that I generously gave a 7.5/10 when I reviewed it) that didn’t sit well with me and mostly because it appeared that though Abrams and his go-to-team of Damon Lindelhof, Alex Kurtzman, Robert Orci and Bryan Burk (who are all admittedly passionate fans) had an appreciation and reverence for the franchise as a pop-culture icon, they didn’t seem to have any interest in keeping the core principles and concepts of the franchise intact.  Granted, Star Trek was created for television and television shows never translate well to feature film (see: Star Trek: Insurrection which is basically a two-hour episode of the Star Trek: The Next Generation with a $58 million budget) and the price of making a successful Trek film is that you have to sacrifice a lot of what the franchise is about to capture the imagination of the audience.

Yes, That Is Indeed Tom Hardy and He Pretends That Star Trek: Nemesis Didn’t Happen, Either.

That being said, just looking back at the first nine films (as far as I’m concerned Star Trek: Nemesis never happened), even though they lacked a lot of the more cerebral elements and social commentary that the franchise is known for, they still had the sense of adventure and exploration that are certainly hallmarks in their own right.  This wasn’t the case with Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) and all indications were that this new film was going to be more of the same and although I expected it was going to be big and loud (and mind you, I do love big and loud), it wasn’t going to have much in the way of substance or plot.

I couldn’t have been more wrong, and old-school Trek fans who hate the Abramsverse are going to hate this review and me by the end of it.

STID begins with a fantastic opening action sequence a la the Mission Impossible films with Kirk (Chris Pine) and McCoy (Karl Urban) being chased by a bunch of less-than-friendly natives who are obviously part of a primitive aboriginal society.  In the background, there’s a pissed-off volcano that’s ready to blow.  Through all of the madness we discover that Kirk and McCoy (who were in robes to hide their identities) are frantically trying to avoid contact with this alien culture in order to not violate the Prime Directive. For those who aren’t Trek fans, the Prime Directive is the most sacred law in Starfleet. General Order One prohibits, among other things, interference with the natural development and evolution of less-developed cultures.  So, while all this is going on there’s a little bit of exposition and they explain why they are trying to avoid the native folks and why it’s so important.  As a Trek fan, I sat there, cautiously optimistic and thinking,”OK… this is a good start.  They’ve incorporated the Prime Directive and they are more-or-less accurately explaining it.”

Then the other shoe drops…

Kirk and McCoy manage to make it back to the Enterprise by jumping off of a cliff into the water and swimming to her.  Y’see, they hid the Enterprise underwater.  Now, unlike the other butt-hurt fans out there who have been bitching about this scene for the last six months or so, I don’t really have a problem with that because other than an episode of Star Trek: Voyager (30 Days) where they had to send a shuttle into a planet that was basically a big ball of water floating in space because Voyager couldn’t handle the pressure of the water at a significant depth, there has never been anything mentioned in the franchise that said it was impossible for a starship to be submerged underwater (seriously, it can travel exponentially beyond the speed of light through the pressures of the vacuum of space but the damned thing can’t survive in a few feet of water?).  No, what I had a problem with was what came next and we find out what the true purpose of their mission was: to go into the volcano and put a device in there that will render the volcano inert, thereby saving the lives of the primitive culture.

Stop. Right. There.

Just when I was thinking that they had FINALLY gotten the essence of Trek right (open with a scene exploring a planet, inclusion of the Prime Directive), they have Spock (Zachary Quinto) intentionally violating the Prime Directive… which they had just said they were trying to adhere to no matter what the cost.  This really caught my attention because the dilemma of allowing a culture to go extinct in order to follow the Prime Directive’s position of the natural development of said culture has come up on more than one occasion on Trek and it’s been dealt with in a variety of ways.  The difference between how the issue has been dealt with before and this time, however, is that in the past they at least acknowledged the conflict with the Prime Directive, sometimes followed the Prime Directive despite the ethical conflict and sometimes just said, “F*ck it… we’re violating the Prime Directive.” Kirk, McCoy and Spock in this film, on the other hand, are yapping incessantly about how important the Prime Directive is in these sequences when the concern is about being seen… and then they don’t even acknowledge that they are violating it by saving these people to begin with.

What the holy f*ck was that?  At this point, I started looking at my clock on my phone and wondered how much longer I was going to have to sit through this nonsense… and then it happened; the most important scene of the film (that most people probably didn’t realize was the most important scene) and how I knew STID was vastly superior to its predecessor.

After the scene was over and Kirk again violates the Prime Directive by flying the Enterprise out of the water in order to save Spock from inside of the volcano in the nick of time (thereby exposing the big freaking spaceship to the guys in loin-cloths with spears… whoops!) they go back to Earth and Spock is mad because Kirk violated the Prime Directive to save him and Kirk is annoyed because Spock doesn’t seem to understand that saving his friends is far more important to him than that pesky Prime Directive. They both get called into Admiral Pike’s (Bruce Greenwood) office and he dresses both of them down for the violation of the Prime Directive (and the fact that Kirk lied in his Captain’s Log about the incident… again… whoops!).  Pike explains (basically to the audience) that their mission was ONLY to observe and report.  Kirk objects asking if he was supposed to let those people die and Pike tells him, “Yes!” which is exactly what he should have told him. So now, as Pike explains, there are consequences.  Kirk gets his command of the Enterprise taken away and is ordered to go back to Starfleet Academy to finish his coursework (remember, they give him a field commission at the end of the first film in his third year).

So, not only did the film redeem itself by addressing the morally questionable side of the Prime Directive, it also addressed the issue of consequences for following a moral code that is sometimes in contradiction with your orders.  This sets the tone for the entire film. Classic Kirk, classic Trek.  Bravo, and it’s about flippin’ time.

Section 31: Starfleet’s Very-Own Men in Black.

It only gets better from there, with a storyline full of moral conflicts, wonderful references to fan-favorite aspects of the franchise spanning everything from the Klingon homeworld (although, it’s Qo’noS not  Kronos, you dopes) to model ships of the NX-01 Enterprise (Star Trek: Enterprise), the Phoenix (Star Trek: First Contact), The XCV-330 (an Original Matt Jefferies design for use in a Gene Roddenberry project that never happened in the 1970s ) and the NX-Alpha (from the ENT episode First Flight) as set pieces and of course an epic adventure spanning across the stars (you’ll recall that the space adventure of the last film was fly to Vulcan, watch it blow up, maroon Kirk on Hoth to get eaten by a vagina monster and then they go back to Earth).  But the best fan-favorite inclusion in this film and perhaps of any Trek film ever is the active role of Section 31, the rogue, technically non-existent, clandestine shadow organization operating within Starfleet Intelligence first seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that is determined to protect the the Federation regardless of the costs, how many laws it breaks or how many people it kills. It’s one of the darkest and most unseemly aspects in the Trek Universe and it’s in complete contradiction with all of the values and principles of the Federation and Starfleet… which is exactly why we love it.

One of the great things about this film from the perspective of a Trek fan that wasn’t really present during the first go-around is that these actors, although bringing their own unique style and personalities to these classic characters, really feel like their beloved original counterparts from the original series and the original feature films. Chris Pine is a young James Kirk, Zachary Quinto is a young Spock, Karl Urban… well it is quite possible that Karl Urban is actively channeling the spirit of DeForest Kelley and he may have been doing so since he learned the role was available and lobbied for it. He’s even more McCoy-like in this film (as if it was possible) than he was in the last one.  With the exception of Urban, this “becoming the character” didn’t happen in the last film.  Yes, Chris Pine may have been called James T. Kirk, but I really didn’t feel that he was Kirk.  This positive development of the characters was present for the entire ensemble cast.  Zoe Saldana is very convincing as the self-assured and passionate Uhura, Anton Yelchin plays the part of the brilliant, albeit young and self-conscious Pavel Chekov with aplomb and Simon Pegg nails Montgomery Scott (Scotty) as well as James Doohan did, bringing a sense of comic relief while at the same time applying his brilliant engineering skills to prove to be the miracle worker he is known for being. And yes, I know that’s blasphemy to even suggest.

As far as villains go, this time around we are given two of them but in true Trek-fashion, they are very complicated, shades-of-gray adversaries… again, as opposed to the very one-dimensional, bent-on-revenge Nero (Eric Bana) from the first film. Peter Weller makes his mark on the franchise again (he also appeared as the main villain, John Frederick Paxton in the ENT penultimate two-parter Demons and Terra Prime, arguably, the two best episodes of the series) by playing the dedicated but ruthless Admiral Marcus whose goals are slowly revealed to the audience.  Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) plays the mysterious and elusive Starfleet Officer John Harrison who is responsible for a horrific terrorist attack and finds an unlikely ally with Kirk and crew until his true identity is ultimately revealed as is the danger he presents.

Is the film perfect? Please, it’s a summer blockbuster and a Trek film… how could it possibly be perfect?  Even if you’re not a Trek fan, you have to laugh at some of the absurdity when it comes to the science in the film.  I was hoping to forget about Scotty’s magical transporter that can “beam” people across the galaxy and even onto starships traveling at high warp speed, but of course they had to use that dopey piece of tech again in ST:ID. I’m just wondering: has it occurred to anyone that a transporter capable of doing this would make starships completely unnecessary, and thus, make Starfleet pointless? And I seriously could do with a whole lot less of Spock crying.  Spock is only allowed to cry when he is under the influence of a space virus that makes him drunk.  He is not allowed to cry simply because he is sad.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Harrison O’Halloran)

If you are a Trek fan like myself, there are plenty of cringe-worthy moments that induce serious eyeball-rolling where they just absolutely rape the original source material with their references to the original series and films (these moments are VERY integral to the film and not casual) and to be quite honest it seems  intentional.  It’s kind of a big “F*CK YOU” to the old-school Trek fans who are critical of the Abramsverse and hate it for the sake of hating it.  On the other hand, looking at these references from the perspective of objectivity, the truth is that no one except for the most dedicated fan would know any different (they dipped their toe in the water in the first film with this approach with the Kobayashi Maru scene but it wasn’t very effective because there was no context). The real purpose of these references, however, which we grant completely violate the established storyline (because… y’know… the franchise has NEVER contradicted itself over the past 46-plus years) is to make a very strong statement to the fandom about where these new adventures fit within the franchise.  You’re right, this is not the Star Trek that you remember but it is indeed Star Trek and we are firmly establishing ourselves within the franchise by taking the spirit, theme, characters and even the established plotlines and re-envisioning them all for a contemporary audience while staying true to the original principles of the franchise… and you’d better get used to it because the fact of the matter is that your kids like our new Star Trek far more than your old Star Trek.

The bottom-line, though, is that as much as the old guard fandom complains about nonsense like the overuse of the “lens flare” effect technique (it’s been four f*cking years… sing another tune, already), the Anheuser Busch brewery used as the engineering set (which no one would have even known about to complain about if the producers hadn’t made such a big deal about it during the last film), the design of the Enterprise herself, experimentation on Tribbles, the ship in the water, the obnoxiously oversized U.S.S. Vengeance and of course all of the other goofiness that does rear its head in the film that I spoke about, none of these issues detract in any meaningful way from the quality of the film and its “Trekness,” as it were. This film is so well-done that I’ve even come to accept the biggest blasphemy of the first film, the destruction of Vulcan, which is something that I never thought I would accept.  To make matters worse for the anti-Abramsverse Trek fan, audiences love these films and by the end of the summer, these first two Trek films by Abrams will mostly likely have grossed more globally than the previous ten films combined… which brings me to the portion of the show where I address the fanbase directly.

As noted by the four year campaign of hate against the Abramsverse films, some corners of Star Trek fandom continue to be under the impression that hundreds of millions of dollars should be spent to make the Star Trek movie that coincides with THEIR vision of what the franchise should be about. This makes me giggle to no end because not only has that never been the case in the films (following the formula of Crisis/Introduction of Villain, Action, Resolution, Roll Credits), but it was also never the case for the television franchise.

At the height of the franchise’s popularity, Star Trek: The Next Generation was getting 14 million viewers per week; guess what percentage were actually “fans,” i.e., those viewers who followed the franchise religiously and spent money on the merchandising…

It was 2%… and do you know why? Because the franchise on television, like ALL television shows that’s not on a niche network wasn’t and isn’t made for niche science fiction audiences or even the Star Trek fans. It’s made for the general 18 – 49 demographic with the purpose of getting as many of those viewers watching from week-to-week as possible because that’s what advertisers pay the big bucks for.

Advertisers do not give two-shits about 2% of the viewing audience, they care about the other 98% and how many of them fall into that coveted demographic. Ergo, Paramount/CBS Television or whoever is producing the shows don’t give two-shits about the fans, either. What they care about is producing a show that makes them as much money as possible from advertisers and that means that the primary goal in production is to have as much mass-appeal as possible.

It is no different for the Abramsverse films or the ten films that came before them. We as Trek fans seriously need to get the f*ck over ourselves and understand the reality of the situation: Star Trek is not only not specifically made for us, but the fact is that it’s made for everyone else BUT us, regardless of the visual medium.  Hell, the first film (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 1979) was produced as a response to the success of Star Wars and its mass-appeal, not because Paramount thought to themselves,  “We have to bring this franchise back because a cult fanbase is clamoring for it.”  They weren’t looking to get Trek fans into the theater, they were looking to get EVERYONE into the theater… just like Star Wars did.

And not for nothing, but Trek fans should be worshipping the ground that Abrams walks on because he was the only one with any clout in Hollywood who saw any value left in what was a completely dead franchise after the disasters of both ENT and ST: NEM.

And why were they such disasters? Because producer and Roddenberry heir apparent to the franchise, Rick Berman, was so obsessed with this nostalgic notion of remaining true to Roddenberry’s vision to the exclusion of all else that he allowed the franchise to be stuck perpetually in 1990 well into the new millennium. The 18 – 49 demographic evolved generationally and their tastes changed while Trek stood still.  No offense is intended toward Berman (who many fans do hate) who is responsible for many great things in the franchise but the facts are the facts.

Don’t want to believe it? Just look up some interviews with Ronald D. Moore (former writer/producer on TNG, DS9 and VOY and creator of the Battlestar Galactica reboot) as to why he was so frustrated on TNG and VOY and why he ultimately left VOY.  He talks about it at length with Rod Roddenberry (Gene Roddenberry’s son) on the Trek Nation documentary but if you really want to get some insight, just listen to the audio commentary on the Battlestar Galactica DVD/Blu-ray sets.

Moore recognized how stale and repetitive the franchise had become by the mid-1990s and understood that it was not keeping up with the changing tastes of its target audience. As he explains it, he wanted to do the things on VOY that he ultimately did on BSG but was told he couldn’t because it wasn’t in strict keeping with Roddenberry’s vision. The result: Trek goes into a 10-year tailspin culminating with the untimely cancellation after a mere four seasons of its last series that was getting a lousy two million viewers per week (ENT).

And what does Moore think about Star Trek (2009)?:

“The bottom line was, it really worked. I enjoyed it. I think most people enjoyed it. And I think it opened the door to a new generation of fans, because the franchise up to that point, as I said earlier, was so encumbered by its own continuity and its own back stories that I think it was really, really difficult to get new people to try Star Trek, because there was just such a huge learning curve they had to go through. Now, with the re-imagining of it, people could just start over and enjoy it and then go discover all the various permutations and spin-offs later on. It has to be inviting for people to sample it for the first time, and it did.”

Star Trek (2009) made nearly three times as much money as its next closest competitor within the franchise. It’s not Roddenberry’s vision? Good. The reality is that audiences (excluding the insignificant numbers that comprise Trek fandom) don’t want Roddenberry’s vision of how a Trek show or film should be made anymore. It’s old, tired and outdated and it doesn’t coincide with their worldview or expectations when it comes to television and film viewing options.  It’s simply not sophisticated enough for today’s contemporary audience and it certainly doesn’t work on television when audiences have 500 channels to choose from.

That being said, they do once again want Trek and regardless of whatever anyone may think about the content of these new films, it is simply foolish to not recognize the positive role that Abrams has played in reviving this, until recently, very dead franchise.

Trek fans who hate the Abrams vision need to go see STID twice, maybe even three times and bring three friends each time because how well this film does will have a direct impact on the possibility of Trek returning to television in the near future (where it truly belongs to begin with). But whatever the pouty fandom does, it’s in their best interest to get over their inflated sense of self-importance, stop complaining and simply be thankful that Trek has a future now thanks to the likes of Abrams… which is something that couldn’t be said five years ago.

GEEK ALERT! Straight Outta Vic’s Movie Den, New Hi-Res Pics From ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ & J.J. Abrams Grants Dying Trek Fan A Final Wish

EDITOR’S NOTE: Live, from New York… IT’S VIC’S MOVIE DEN!

Shawn: Most of our readers know that Vic De Leon is a regular contributor to The ‘Tastic but what most people don’t know is that he occasionally scoops even me… as he has done with these pics below. As blasphemous and shameful as it is for me to admit, I got scooped on Trek. So, yes, below is a straight-up jack of my colleague’s piece.

Before we get to that, though, I wanted to make a mention of a very touching story in regards to Star Trek: Into Darkness that has been making its rounds over the past couple of days. About six weeks ago, devoted Star Trek fan, Daniel Craft was diagnosed with terminal cancer and found out that he had only weeks to live.  Wanting to make his last days as happy and comfortable as possible, his friend Doug posted a plea from his wife, Paige, on Reddit 11 days ago to just make it possible for Daniel see the first ten minutes of the film that was shown at The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey because, for some reason, the theater they went to didn’t show it.

Well, the impassioned plea went viral and made its way to J.J. Abrams and he and Damon Lindelhof got in touch with them and had a producer personally hand-deliver them a DVD of a rough cut of the feature film that premieres in May.  After, resting for a day to have the strength to watch the film, Paige made popcorn and she and Daniel watched the film and had a blast.  After the film was over, Daniel went to bed and didn’t get up again.  Friday morning, Paige took Daniel to the hospital for hospice care and with his wife and his brother at his side, he passed away at 10:15 p.m.  You can read more about this wonderful story and the amazing, albeit, sadly short life of Daniel Craft in this piece from THR.

We at The ‘Tastic want to commend Mr. Abrams, Mr. Lindelhof and all of those involved who made this act of kindness and generosity possible.  Now, without further adieu…

NERD ALERT!

Here are some new Hi Res Pics from the upcoming Paramount / J.J. Abrams motion picture – Star Trek – Into Darkness the direct sequel to the 2009 reboot also directed by Abrams.

In the following epic pictures we see more of Spock, Uhura, Scotty and Kirk along with a cool shot of Bruce Greenwood (Captain Chrsitopher Pike) and Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk) engaged in conversation. But the bad ass of the lot is hands down Benedict Cumberbatch as “John Harrison” He just looks totally hardcore.

The film will be released may 17th, 2013. Enjoy!

“After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.”

Click on the pics in the Gallery below for full size. Thanks for stopping in!

– Vic

GEEK ALERT! ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ Trailer Released… We’ve Got It For You! (HD VIDEO)

Sometimes all I can say is, “Wow” because I’m just speechless.  This is definitely one of those times.  Simon Pegg announced the other day that there would be a teaser trailer for the new J.J. Abrams film Star Trek: Into Darkeness, the sequel to 2009’s blockbuster hit Star Trek,on Thursday and true to his word, at 12:00 a.m., this one-minute-and-six-seconds of awesomeness was released.

Guess why I don’t think he’s Khan (Besides the fact that he’s British).

Now, for the record, as you may or may not know (scroll down and read my bio if there is some confusion), I am a huge Trek  Fan but when I saw the first film, although I was impressed by the visuals and the more contemporary and inclusive approach to the franchise, I felt the story left a lot to be desired and I had that feeling going into it because I knew they were going to spend half of the film as an “origins story.”   I only gave the film a 7.5/10.  This sequel appears to be a lot different. Established characters and a strong plot led by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as the terrifyingly haunting (as of yet, unnamed) villain (and I don’t think it’s Khan only because of the description from Paramount and the pic to the right) make even this little snippet of a trailer look far more epic in scale and story than the first film.

Dr. Carol Marcus, perhaps?

Oh, and who is that unnamed pretty blonde played by Alice Eve?  Could that possibly be Dr. Carol Marcus?  And did we mention that his awesomeness, Peter Weller (Robocop) is also in this and not to mention Nathan Drake himself, Nolan North (Sony Playstation 3’s Uncharted video game series).  Cool stuff, indeed.

Star Trek: Into Darkness  opens May 17, 2013.

When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew. – Paramount

CONFIRMED: ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ Coming To Blu-ray In 2013 (See… We Told You.)

As we predicted last year with the announcement of the Blu-ray release of Star Trek The Next Generation, CBS has announced that the next series in the franchise to be released on the high-definition format would be Star Trek: Enterprise.  If you don’t recall, we said this was a no-brainer simply due to the fact the series was produced entirely in full-HD resolution from beginning to end so the process to produce the series in Blu-ray would seem to require a minimal amount of work compared to its other counterparts which would require a recompositing of their standard definition elements in HD. The only complication to the process would be producing the DTS-HD MA track that will no doubt be a part of the offering, but then again, there’s only four seasons of ENT as opposed to seven of TNG.  So, this being said, never doubt our awesome powers.

For those inevitibly butt-hurt Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans who are going to whine about how their show should be the priority, you have to think outside the box a bit on this one.  The TNG Blu-ray release has done very well so far and is expected to keep growing but the release of all seven seasons has been spaced out over the course of almost two years.  There has been no announcement as to when the remastered series will find its way to weekly syndication or on digital platforms so for right now, the cashflow and capital required to keep these Trek HD projects projects going is at a bit of a trickle.  It simply makes sense to kickstart the revenue flow with an easier and far less expensive product to produce like ENT to keep the  projects funded without deficits (or with significantly lower deficits) and to keep the ball rolling on them.

Do we have any proof that this is the thought-process of the big cheeses over at CBS Television Distribution?  Nope, it’s purely speculative, but we know how businesses and cashflow works.

To celebrate the Blu-ray release of ENT, StarTrek. com is giving fans the opportunity to choose their favorite cover for the new sets on Facebook. Go here to cast your vote!

Here are the options:

Star Trek: The Next Generation Remastered On Blu-ray NEW SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON VIDEO!

As the title suggests, below is the most recent video released to showcase the HD treatment for the upcoming release of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray.  This is a sample of a few scenes from the TNG pilot, Encounter at Farpoint, with side-by-side comparisons of the original SD versions and the remastered HD versions.  This episode, along with the episodes Sins of the Father and The Inner Light will be available on a three-episode Blu-ray sampler disc to be released on January 31st, called Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level which can be pre-ordered on Amazon right now. As we’ve noted before, all seven season of the series will be released on Blu-ray with the first season due out later this year.

As far as this latest video is concerned, we are shocked with just how amazing this looks. In fact, there are parts of this that just look too good.  What caught our attention is… well… the dirt when the alien rises from the surface.  The shot is so clean that there’s no room for your brain to suspend your disbelief.  It literally looks like a bunch of dirt thrown down on a 10 foot by 10 foot diorama model on a soundstage as opposed to looking like a landscape of some exotic planet. This is more of an observation than anything else because in 1987 that level was detail was fine for an SD world where the ground looked fuzzy to begin with so it appeared to be as the model builders intended it.  Not so much today.

For more information on the upcoming Blu-ray release of TNG check out our piece, Star Trek: The Next Generation Remastered On Blu-ray in 2012. Press Release And Five Things You Should Know and the second trailer released, here.

ALERT: Star Trek Sequel In 3D Release Date Announced

Yeah... Not Quite.

Deadline is reporting that the opening day of the sequel to the 2009 J.J. Abrams mega-hit Star Trek has been announced as May 17, 2013 and the film will be in 3D.  The second Trek film helmed by Abrams will include the entire cast of the first film that successfully rebooted what was considered a dead franchise.  Sony had moved Roland Emmerich’s Singularity from that coveted early summer opening weekend to November 1, 2013, thus opening the door for Paramount to slide their Star Trek sequel in there with minimal competition.

Over the summer, we wrote extensively regarding the delays involving the production of the film, specifically how busy the writers and Abrams have been with other projects.  We are certainly glad that the ball has gotten rolling, finally.

EXCLUSIVE: First Look Trailer Of Roddenberry Productions’ Trek Nation

A couple of years ago at the 2008 Creation Entertainment Star Trek Convention, we had the pleasure of getting a first-look preview of about ten minutes of a documentary feature produced by Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, Jr. (Roddenberry Productions), son of the late Gene Roddenberry, known the world over as the visionary creator of the Star Trek franchise.

Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr.

We were absolutely blown away by this very serious and cerebral approach to Trek Fandom as presented in Trek Nation,  because as much as we’ve always liked the Roger Nygard Trekkies documentaries, they were done a lot more tongue-in-cheek with kind of a “F*ck you! That’s right, I’m a Trek fan and I’m a big f*ckin’ geek and there are millions of us all over the world and we don’t care what you think!” mentality that understandably did bother some fans because they felt it perpetuated the worst stereotypes regarding Trek fandom.  While we admit that there is some of that, the truth is that Nygard’s intentions were always to portray Trek fandom as something that isn’t just a fringe movement but something universal that everyone can relate to.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Unfortunately, that message was kind of lost on a lot of people, both Trek fan and non-Trek fan alike, which is why what little we saw of Trek Nation three years ago was so refreshing in terms of documenting the true nature of Trek fandom, its cultural significance, as well as its impact on everything from technology to philosophy.  Moreover, it provides a window into an understanding of what actually drives the average Trek fan… and not just the guy who had his ears surgically altered to look like Spock’s, the guy who is retro-fitting his whole house with Jefferies Tubes, the guy who requested a vial of blood from James Doohan or the cross-dressing Science Fiction folk singer (which we find out during Trekkies is called “filking“).

SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE ENTIRE FILM OF TREKKIES!

Trek Nation is a sincere and thoughtful approach to Trek fandom and today Roddenberry Productions released the first-look trailer for the feature-length documentary which will premiere on the Science Channel on November 30, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

For more information about Trek Nation, here’s the official press release that was released in July by Discovery Communications:

Via Press Release:

Science and Star Trek Join Forces With Feature Length Roddenberry Documentary Trek Nation

TREK NATION Is produced by Star Trek Heir, Rod Roddenberry, and Roddenberry Entertainment set for release in 2011.

Silver Springs, MD (July 23, 2011) — With the 2011 Comic-Con International in San Diego as the backdrop, SCIENCE today announced its partnership with science fiction royalty, Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, and Roddenberry Entertainment on the upcoming the feature-length special, TREK NATION, scheduled to air in fourth quarter 2011. TREK NATION explores the popularity and appeal of Star Trek through the man who created it all – the late Gene Roddenberry.

Rod will take SCIENCE audiences along with him as he explores his father’s work and the impact of his legacy that still resonates today. Through interviews with his most devoted fans, including George Lucas, J.J. Abrams, Stan Lee and many others, TREK NATION is the story of a son trying to learn more about his father by unraveling the intricacies of Star Trek.

The film demonstrates how Gene’s work not only captivated legions of fans across the globe, but also generated a movement which has influenced entertainment, politics, space travel, social morality and much more. Fostering a timeless understanding of the human condition and capturing man’s constant search for a better world defines everything that is TREK NATION.

“This project is very personal for me, as it literally documents my education on Star Trek, my father, and the Roddenberry legacy. Because of that, I can’t tell you how happy we are to have found a network that shares our vision for it,” said Rod Roddenberry “TREK NATION strikes a strong balance between exploring a science fiction phenomenon and relating a very universal story between a son and his father. I have every confidence that Star Trek fans and non-Star Trek fans alike are going to enjoy the film.”

“Star Trek isn’t just a television show; it is a global phenomenon, a way of life, which has shaped so many facets of how we define our world today,” said Debbie Adler Myers, general manager and executive vice president of SCIENCE. “We are honored to carry on the Roddenberry mission by continuing his legacy with TREK NATION.”

TREK NATION is produced for SCIENCE by Roddenberry Entertainment. Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry is an executive producer and Trevor Roth is a producer for Roddenberry Entertainment. Bernadette McDaid is vice president of production and executive producer for SCIENCE. New Animal Productions producer is Nicole Rittenmeyer and Scott Colthorp produces for Atmosphere Pictures.

About SCIENCE

SCIENCE, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), is home for the thought provocateur, the individual who is unafraid to ask the killer questions of “how” and “why not.” The network is a playground for those with audacious intellects and features programming willing to go beyond imagination to explore the unknown. Guided by curiosity, SCIENCE looks for innovation in mysterious new worlds as well as in its own backyard. SCIENCE and the SCIENCE HD simulcast reach more than 68 million U.S. households. The network also features high-traffic online and social media destinations, including ScienceChannel.com, facebook.com/Science Channel and twitter.com/Science Channel.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 130-plus worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, SCIENCE and Investigation Discovery, as well as US joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit http://www.discoverycommunications.com.

About Roddenberry Entertainment

Roddenberry Entertainment is a science-fiction leader with a tradition of groundbreaking entertainment. Originally founded in 1967 by Gene Roddenberry, the company has since led a steady stable of science-fiction successes including Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda and, most notably, Star Trek. Roddenberry Entertainment continues to produce entertainment for all audiences, employing a viewer-centric creative process and resulting in insightful explorations of humanity. The company’s mission is to make good on its namesake’s promise of superior science-fiction while utilizing new and varied vehicles of delivery. Building on its television roots, this entertainment pioneer has also successfully ventured into graphic novels, documentaries, and comic strips, all the while continuing a long and unique tradition in quality merchandising. Roddenberry Entertainment has set itself apart by creating content that surpasses mere entertainment; it challenges its audiences to think, question and explore the world, as well as those beyond. For more information on Roddenberry Entertainment please visit http://www.Roddenberry.com Roddenberry Entertainment can also be found on Facebook (facebook.com/roddenberrycom) and Twitter (twitter.com/roddenberry).

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