star trek soap opera

Star Trek projects viewers will lose interest in soaps by year 2040

The passing of Leonard Nimoy (Spock) has Soap Central soap central .com --> exploring the connection between soaps and the long-running space franchise.

If you think there's no way that soap operas and Star Trek connect, think again. Not only is General Hospital's Genie Francis (ex-Laura Spencer) married to the franchise's Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker), an episode of 1995's Star Trek: Voyager featured two characters traveling back in time and getting caught up in a daytime drama. But those aren't the only ways the two industries collide: Several Star Trek actors have appeared on soap operas, and the franchise has portrayed the eventual ending of daytime dramas. It's been a long-term symbiotic relationship that Soap Central soap central .com --> is exploring in honor of the late Leonard Nimoy (Spock), who passed away on February 27 at the age of 83. Read on to get the details of each cosmic connection.

Star Trek 's Definition of the Term "Soap Opera"

According to Memory Alpha , the official Star Trek Wiki page, a soap opera is defined as "a televised form of entertainment from Earth, focusing on the exploration of human relationships."

Star Trek:Voyager 's Soap Opera Episode

In November of 1996, Star Trek: Voyager aired an episode titled "Future's End" in which the USS Voyager was sent back in time from 2373 to 1996. Kes (Jennifer Lien) and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) were assigned to monitor Earth communication broadcasts, including television, and got completely engrossed in a 20th century soap opera. The storyline the pair couldn't keep their eyes off of featured a character named Blaine who realized that the son he had with Jessica was actually fathered by his twin brother, Jack.

GH's Genie Francis (Laura Spencer) Marries Star Trek 's Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker)

Though both Genie Francis and Jonathan Frakes got their start on soap operas (Francis on GH, and Frakes as The Doctors ' Tom Carroll and Days of our Lives' Jared McAllister), the pair actually met while filming the television miniseries Bare Essence . After meeting again while filming the miniseries North and South , the couple officially began dating in 1985, followed by an engagement in 1986 and marriage on May 28, 1988. Since then, the couple has had two children: Jameson Ivor Frakes in 1994 and Elizabeth Francis Frakes in 1997.

"I didn't know anything [about soap operas]," joked Frakes in a 2013 interview with A.V. Club about his start with the genre. "I didn't know how famous my wife was when I started working with her!"

Star Trek Actors Who've Appeared on Soap Operas

Just as both soap operas and Star Trek boast dedicated and loyal fan bases, both industries have boasted the same names in front of their cameras. Many actors have appeared on both soaps and Star Trek , including Barry Jenner (ex-Jerry Kenderson, Dallas ; Admiral Ross, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ), John de Lancie (ex-Eugene Bradford, Days of our Lives; Q, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ), Stephen Mines (ex-Paul Stewart, As the World Turns; Robert Tomlinson, Star Trek ), Jonathan Farwell (ex-George Rawlins, The Young and the Restless; Captain Walker Reel, Star Trek: The Next Generation ), Peter Parros (ex-Ben Harris, ATWT; ex-Ben Price, One Life to Live; Tactics Officer, Star Trek: The Next Generation ), Marj Dusay (ex-Vanessa Bennett, All My Children; ex-Alexandra Spaulding, Guiding Light; Kara, Star Trek ), Tony Todd (ex-Gus Rogan, Y&R; Kurn, Star Trek: The Next Generation ), Roxanne Dawson (ex-Adrienne Morrow, Another World; B'Elanna Torres, Star Trek: Voyager ), James Doohan (ex-Damon Warwick, The Bold and the Beautiful; Scotty, Star Trek ), Jonathan Frakes (ex-Jared McAllister, Days of our Lives; ex-Tom Carroll, The Doctors ; William T. Riker, Star Trek ), and Gates McFadden (ex-Lisa Mallory, AMC; Beverly Crusher, Star Trek: The Next Generation ).

And believe it or not, there are many, many others that could comprise a list that spans from Earth to Mars. For more, check out this article here and this article here .

Star Trek Predicts Soaps Will End by 2040

Soap operas have lived long and prospered, with many rivaling the longevity of Star Trek itself. But just how long will the daytime soap genre last? According to the franchise , only about 25 more years! As several episodes of the various Star Trek series have shown, by the year 2040, World War III will be raging on Earth, and human beings will have begun to lose interest in forms of entertainment such as television and baseball.

What do you think of the different ways that soap operas and Star Trek have collided? Do you agree with the franchise's guess that human beings may lose interest in television by the year 2040? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter , share it on Facebook , or chat about it on our Message Boards . Post a Comment Share on Facebook Tweet this Submit Feedback window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' }); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' }); Related Information News Archive : Linda Gray to appear on The Bold and the Beautiful. [Jan 17, 2005] ---> News Archive : Find out who was nominated for a Daytime Emmy last year ---> More Emmys Coverage : See which stars have won Emmys in our Daytime Emmys Archives ---> News and More : Return to Soap Central's SOAP CENTRAL FrontPage. THE LATEST SOAP HEADLINES DAYTIME EMMYS Your favorite soap stars react to their Daytime Emmy nominations April 19, 2024 SOAP CENTRAL Tortured Taylors? Six soap characters named Taylor who swiftly made their mark April 19, 2024 THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS The Young and the Restless' Lauralee Bell says it ain't over yet for Danny and Christine April 18, 2024 DAYTIME EMMYS DAYTIME EMMYS: CBS soaps lead 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards nominations April 19, 2024 SOAP CENTRAL CBS greenlights The Gates, first new soap in 25 years will debut in 2025 April 15, 2024 THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS The Young and the Restless alum James Hyde mourns a deep and personal loss April 17, 2024 THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Is The Young and the Restless' Claire really cured? April 17, 2024 GENERAL HOSPITAL 'Jarly' take two? General Hospital's Adam Harrington on John and Carly's connection April 16, 2024 THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS The Young and the Restless casts Christopher Cousins as a psychiatrist April 17, 2024 GENERAL HOSPITAL General Hospital's Michael Easton has a very special message to his daughter April 16, 2024 TRENDING ON SOAP CENTRAL DAYTIME EMMYS DAYTIME EMMYS: CBS soaps lead 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards nominations April 19, 2024 DAYTIME EMMYS Your favorite soap stars react to their Daytime Emmy nominations April 19, 2024 SOAP CENTRAL CBS greenlights The Gates, first new soap in 25 years will debut in 2025 April 15, 2024 SOAP CENTRAL Tortured Taylors? Six soap characters named Taylor who swiftly made their mark April 19, 2024 SOAP CENTRAL CBS cancels The Talk after 15 seasons on the air April 12, 2024 GENERAL HOSPITAL 'Jarly' take two? General Hospital's Adam Harrington on John and Carly's connection April 16, 2024 DAYS OF OUR LIVES Days of our Lives comings and goings: All the Salem returns for Doug Williams' funeral April 11, 2024 GENERAL HOSPITAL Is General Hospital and Hallmark star Ryan Paevey ready to quit acting? April 12, 2024 DAYS OF OUR LIVES How Melissa Reeves brought Matthew Ashford to tears on the Days of our Lives set April 15, 2024 DAYS OF OUR LIVES Days of our Lives Comings and Goings: Is a brand-new Gabi headed to Salem? April 10, 2024 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' }); (function() { // DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE var d = document, s = d.createElement('script'); s.src = '//soapcentralcom.disqus.com/embed.js'; s.setAttribute('data-timestamp', +new Date()); (d.head || d.body).appendChild(s); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. MAKING HEADLINES: SOAP OPERA NEWS, UPDATES, AND HEADLINES

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Soap Opera Actors on Star Trek

1. leonard nimoy.

Actor | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dora (Spinner) and Max Nimoy, who owned a barbershop. His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. Raised in a tenement and acting in community theaters since age eight, Nimoy did not make his Hollywood debut until he was 20, with a bit ...

Star Trek (1966) Star Trek (1973 Animated) Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek (2009) Star Trek: Into Darkness

2. Ian Abercrombie

Actor | Army of Darkness

Ian Abercrombie began his theatrical career as a lad during the Blitz in World War II. After his footwork years during which he earned Bronze, Silver and Gold medals in dance for the stage, he performed in London, Holland, Ireland, and Scotland. He made his American stage debut in 1955 in a ...

Star Trek: Voyager

3. Sharon Acker

Actress | Happy Birthday to Me

Although she was presented in 1969 the first Film Star of Tomorrow by The Motion Picture Exhibitors of Canada, the status of Sharon Acker as a star never materialized. Not that she was inactive, quite the opposite, but she worked almost only for TV and appeared only in a few undistinguished movies....

Star Trek (1966)

4. Jason Alexander

Actor | Seinfeld

Jay Scott Greenspan, known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, film director, and television presenter. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld (1989), for which he was nominated for seven consecutive...

Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Prodigy

5. Justin Anthony

Star Trek Beyond

Justin has trained extensively in film and theatre, particularly studying the Warner Loughlin technique. He writes, produces and sometimes directs work with accolades. Most known for Soldiers of Earth, Influenced and Death of the Party. In 2021, he sold dark comedy Death of the Party which he wrote...

Star Trek: Beyond

6. Victor Bevine

Actor | Star Trek: First Contact

Victor Bevine was born on April 23, 1954 in the USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Star Trek: First Contact (1996), A Separate Peace (1972) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995).

Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Enterprise

7. Mary Kay Adams

Actress | The Guiding Light

Mary Kay Adams was born on September 12, 1962 in Middletown, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for Guiding Light (1952), Babylon 5 (1993) and See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

8. Marc Alaimo

Actor | Total Recall

American character actor Marc Alaimo (born Michael Joseph Alaimo) began acting on the stage in the early 1960s. Even in his early days he had a propensity for playing shady characters or sinister villains, including the treacherous Iago of Shakespeare's Othello and the brutish Bill Sykes of Oliver!...

Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

9. Edward Albert

Actor | Butterflies Are Free

The only son of Green Acres (1965) star Eddie Albert and Mexican actress/dancer Margo , Edward Laurence Albert managed to come out from under his father's strong shadow and make a gallant showing of his own as a gifted thespian. Born in Los Angeles on February 20, 1951, Edward's multi-cultural ...

10. Kirk Alexander

Actor | Undressed

Kirk Alexander was born in Fairfax, Virginia, USA. He is known for Undressed (1999), Passions (1999) and Tracey Takes On... (1996).

Star Trek: Insurrection

11. Chad Allen

Actor | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Chad Allen was born on June 5, 1974 in Cerritos, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993), TerrorVision (1986) and Happy New Year, Charlie Brown (1986).

Star Trek: The Next Generation

12. Kevin Scott Allen

Actor | Alias

Kevin Scott Allen was born on March 20, 1957 in the USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Alias (2001), Prison Break (2005) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).

13. Phillip R. Allen

Actor | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Phillip R. Allen was born on March 26, 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), The Lady in Red (1979) and The Bad News Bears (1979). He was married to Joanie. He died on March 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

14. Rosalind Allen

Actress | Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

Rosalind Allen (born Rosalind Ingledew) hails from New Zealand and studied acting there before coming to the United States. Her movie debut was in the film, Perfect (1985), and she continues a long career in television & film. Famously remembered as the "It girl" in the Seinfeld (1989) episode, ...

15. Jeff Allin

Actor | Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

During many years in Los Angeles, Jeff's numerous television appearances included recurring roles on St. Elsewhere, L.A. Doctors and Mr. Stirling; leads and guest leads in pilots and episodic television, and seven years on the CBS soap, Bold and the Beautiful. He's a Helen Hayes Award winner for ...

Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Voyager

16. Granville Ames

Actor | Star Trek: Generations

Granville Ames is known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) and Uncle Buck (1989).

Star Trek: Generations

17. Mädchen Amick

Actress | Dream Lover

Born and raised in Sparks, Nevada, Mädchen Amick was encouraged by her parents to follow her own creative instincts where she learned the skill of playing the piano, bass, violin and guitar as well as being able to do tap, ballet, jazz and modern dancing. In 1987 at the age of 16, she traveled to ...

18. Judith Anderson

Actress | Rebecca

Dame Judith Anderson was born Frances Margaret Anderson on February 10, 1897 in Adelaide, South Australia. She began her acting career in Australia before moving to New York in 1918. There she established herself as one of the greatest theatrical actresses and was a major star on Broadway ...

19. Keith Andes

Actor | Tora! Tora! Tora!

1950s and 60s second lead actor Keith Andes fits into the tall, handsome, strapping and highly virile mold that encompassed the likes of George Nader , Guy Madison , and Jeffrey Hunter . Although he may not be as well remembered as the aforementioned, he managed to maintain a reliable career on radio ...

20. John Aniston

Actor | Days of Our Lives

John Aniston was born on July 24, 1933 in Crete, Greece. He was an actor, known for Days of Our Lives (1965), Search for Tomorrow (1951) and Journeyman (2007). He was married to Sherry Rooney and Nancy Dow . He died on November 11, 2022 in the USA.

21. Michael Ansara

Actor | The Message

Born in a small village in Syria, Michael Ansara came to the United States with his American parents at the age of two, living in New England, until the family's relocation to California ten years later. He entered Los Angeles City College with the intention of becoming a doctor, but got ...

Star Trek (1966) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Voyager

22. Tom Archdeacon

Writer | The Path

Tom Archdeacon Began his acting career at the suggestion of the police officer who arrested him in a bar fight. The officer said, "You look like an actor... Why not you put your energy into that instead?" and so, he did. Tom took to acting right away and trained formally in Europe, where he worked ...

Star Trek: Into Darkness

23. Sam Arnold

Lethal Weapon 4

Sam Arnold is a former ATP Touring Tennis Professional, SAG-AFTRA Actor & Sports Broadcaster. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1969 to Helen Arnold, a registered nurse & John Arnold, a former iron-man & pro surfer on the World Surf League. His sisters are Rebecca Arnold (in Bahrain) & ...

24. Daphne Ashbrook

Actress | Doctor Who

Daphne Ashbrook was born on January 30, 1963 in Long Beach, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Doctor Who: The Movie (1996), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and JAG (1995).

25. Sherman Augustus

Actor | Virus

Sherman Augustus was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Virus (1999), The Foreigner (2003) and Colors (1988).

26. Erick Avari

Actor | Mr. Deeds

Erick Avari was born on April 13, 1952 in Darjeeling, India. His credits include leading roles in films from Kevin Reynolds ' cult classic The Beast of War (1988) to commercial megahits such as Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), The Mummy (1999) and Planet of the Apes (2001). His comedic ...

Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Enterprise

27. Luis Avilez

Actor | Star Trek: Picard

Luis Avilez is a California native who was raised in the city of Covina. His first steps into acting began while he was enrolled in Mt San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. He received an associates in Sociology but had no interest in pursuing a career in that field. Since he was unsure of what he ...

Star Trek: Picard

28. Jack Axelrod

Actor | Hancock

Jack began his acting studies while majoring in architecture at University of California Berkley. Eventually licensed as an architect in the state of Washington, his life's direction took an abrupt and drastic turn when he began 6 years of study with Uta Hagen at HB Studios in New York City. While ...

29. Anthony Azizi

Actor | Eagle Eye

Anthony Azizi started his career many years ago, as a child, acting in plays for the Touchstone Theater run by Bill and Bridget George in Bethlehem, PA. He also started writing and staging his own plays at the age of eight for school and other public venues. He continued in the arts throughout all ...

30. Barbara Babcock

Actress | Far and Away

Blue-eyed, red-haired American character actress, often seen as resolute, strong-willed women. Though born in Kansas, Barbara Babcock spent much of her early childhood in Japan, where her father, U.S. Army Major General Conrad Stanton Babcock Jr., was posted (he was also a noted equestrian, who ...

31. Todd Babcock

Actor | Planet of the Apes

Todd Babcock was born on October 12, 1969 in Jackson, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Planet of the Apes (2001), Gods and Monsters (1998) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995).

32. Becky Ann Baker

Actress | A Simple Plan

Becky Ann Baker was born on February 17, 1953 in Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for A Simple Plan (1998), Men in Black (1997) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). She has been married to Dylan Baker since September 6, 1987. They have one child.

33. Jay Baker

Actor | April Fool's Day

Jay Baker started entertaining people professionally at the age of seventeen as a musical stage performer and soon found himself moving to Los Angeles where he spent the next two decades as a working actor. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize Jay's appearances on The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), Baywatch ...

34. Scott Thompson Baker

Actor | General Hospital

Scott, a native of Minnesota, began his professional career on the stage at the world renowned Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. His credits at the Guthrie include A Christmas Carol and Peer Gynt. He received training at both Oral Roberts University and the University of Minnesota while studying for ...

35. Adrienne Barbeau

Actress | Escape from New York

Adrienne Jo Barbeau is an American actress and author best known for her roles on the sitcom Maude (1972) and in horror films, especially those directed by John Carpenter , with whom she was once married. She was born on June 11, 1945 in Sacramento, California, the daughter of an executive for Mobil...

36. Majel Barrett

Actress | Star Trek: First Contact

Majel Barrett (born Majel Leigh Hudec) was an American actress, known for her long association with Star Trek. She had multiple Star Trek-related roles, though she is mostly remembered for her roles as Nurse Christine Chapel in Star Trek, The Original Series (1966-1969) and as Lwaxana Troi in Star ...

Star Trek (1966) Star Trek (1973 Animated) Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Enterprise Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek: Generations Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek: Nemesis

37. Stephanie Beacham

Actress | Dynasty

Stephanie Beacham is without a doubt one of Britain's most talented, beautiful and well-known actresses. Despite becoming world famous and an icon of the 1980s due to her role as Sable Colby in the American soap operas Dynasty (1981) and The Colbys (1985) and going on to have starring roles in ...

38. John Beck

Actor | Rollerball

John Beck was born on January 28, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Rollerball (1975), Sleeper (1973) and Black Day Blue Night (1995). He has been married to Tina Carter since April 24, 1971. They have four children.

39. Ed Begley Jr.

Actor | A Mighty Wind

Ed Begley Jr. was born on September 16, 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for A Mighty Wind (2003), Pineapple Express (2008) and Whatever Works (2009). He has been married to Rachelle Carson-Begley since August 23, 2000. They have one child. He was previously ...

40. Felecia M. Bell

Actress | Night Man

Felecia M. Bell was born on June 12, 1960 in Valley Village, California, USA. She is an actress, known for NightMan (1997), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Smallville (2001).

41. Daniel Benzali

Actor | A View to a Kill

Daniel Benzali is an internationally renowned actor who has astonished and delighted audiences worldwide for over 30 years with his powerful performances in a wide range of film, television and theatre roles. He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his magnificent performance as superstar ...

42. Lee Bergere

Actor | Soap

Born in Brooklyn, Bergere began his career in 1936 as understudy to Danny Kaye in the Broadway production of "Lady in the Dark", with Gertrude Lawrence . His television debut was with James Dean in the live production of "Thunder on Sycamore Street". A World War II veteran, he was in charge of ...

43. Corbin Bernsen

Actor | Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Corbin Bernsen made his initial mark on the seminal television series L.A. Law as opportunistic divorce lawyer "Arnie Becker" earning him multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations over the show's eight-year run. He proved along the way the role was not to be a dead-end stereotype, maintaining a ...

44. Bibi Besch

Actress | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Bibi Besch, a talented actress, was born in Vienna, Austria, to Gotfrid Köchert, a renowned race car driver, and actress Gusti Huber . She had a busy career, especially as a supporting actress on TV, spanning over twenty years. Her exceptional performance in the TV series, Doing Time on Maple Drive ...

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

45. Leslie Bevis

Actress | Spaceballs

Leslie Bevis was born on February 13, 1954 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress, known for Spaceballs (1987), Alien Nation (1988) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). She has been married to Pat McInally since 1984. They have one child.

46. Richard Beymer

Actor | West Side Story

Born in Avoca, Iowa and moved with his parents to Hollywood, California in the late 1940s, Richard Beymer acted in various films while attending North Hollywood High School. He enjoys making his own films and has a film used in a PBS series on the civil rights movement.

47. Casey Biggs

Actor | Broken Arrow

Casey Biggs decided to give up football and pursue an acting career while a student at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio. He joined a glee club and chorus, then started getting involved in musicals and operettas. This led to his audition for the Juilliard School, where he received a BFA ...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Enterprise

48. Theodore Bikel

Actor | My Fair Lady

Theodore Bikel is one of the most versatile and respected actors and performers of his generation. A master of languages, dialects and accents, he has played every sort of film villain and semi-bad guy imaginable, and always adds depth, dimension and even sympathy to characters that would end up as...

49. Beau Billingslea

Actor | Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

Beau Billingslea was born on December 18, 1944 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. He is an actor, known for Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), The Blob (1988) and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001). He is married to Cecelia Marie Thompson. They have two children.

50. David Birney

Actor | Someone's Watching Me!

David began his career with the repertory companies at the Barter Theatre in Virginia America and the Hartford Stage Company followed by his New York debut as one of the twins in A Comedy of Errors in Joseph Papps Shakespeare Festival. In 1968 he played the lead in Summertree at New York's: Lincoln...

51. Stephen Blackehart

Actor | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Stephen Blackehart was born in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). He was previously married to Mercedes Blackehart .

52. Sean Blakemore

Actor | The Quad

Sean Blakemore was born on August 10, 1967 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Quad (2017), Bosch (2014) and American Crime (2015). He has been married to Nadyia Jones since June 19, 2010. They have one child.

53. Donny Boaz

Actor | Flashes

Donny Boaz was born on December 12, 1980 in Waxahachie, Texas, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Flashes - The Director's Cut (2014), Osprey (2017) and The Young and the Restless (1973).

54. Earl Boen

Actor | Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Veteran character actor Earl Boen is probably best known for his role as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator series. Other films which he appeared include Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), The Man with Two Brains (1983), Alien Nation (1988), Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult ...

55. Steve Bond

Steve Bond was born on April 22, 1953 in Haifa, Israel. He is an actor, known for General Hospital (1963), Magdalene (1988) and Massacre at Central High (1976). He has been married to Cindy Bond since 1982. They have one child.

56. David Bowe

Actor | UHF

David Bowe has either appeared in or been the voice of hundreds of National Television and radio commercials, beginning in 1979 as a teenager helping his mother push their car out of the mud for AMC Family Wagon. In 2016, he continued his 6th year as the Voice of IHOP but has also appeared in ads ...

57. Walker Brandt

Actress | City Slickers

Walker Brandt was born in Santa Barbara, California, USA. She is known for City Slickers (1991), Dante's Peak (1997) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). She has been married to Jeff Stafford since 2001.

58. Jayne Brook

Actress | Star Trek: Discovery

Jayne Brook was born in Northbrook, Illinois, USA. Jayne is an actor, known for Star Trek: Discovery (2017), Boston Legal (2004) and Chicago Hope (1994). Jayne has been married to John Terlesky since May 11, 1996. They have two children.

Star Trek: Discovery

59. Jason Brooks

Actor | Star Trek

Jason began his career with his memorable portrayal of the dark, but likable villain, "Peter Blake", on NBC's long-running drama, Days of Our Lives (1965), for which he garnered Soap Opera Digest's coveted Best Villain award. After leaving "Days" to pursue other projects, Jason continued to work ...

Star Trek (2009)

60. Joel Brooks

Actor | Stir Crazy

Joel Brooks was born on December 17, 1949 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Stir Crazy (1980), Indecent Proposal (1993) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).

61. Jacqueline Brookes

Actress | The Good Son

Jacqueline Brookes was born on July 24, 1930 in Montclair, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for The Good Son (1993), The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Sea of Love (1989). She died on April 26, 2013 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

62. Robert Curtis Brown

Actor | The Handmaid's Tale

Robert Curtis Brown has forged a career playing unique, diverse and interesting characters. This talented, Yale-trained actor has an intriguing, accessible screen presence and a depth of feeling and humor. The complexity that Robert brings to his characters may have its origins in his upbringing in...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Voyager

63. Brooke Bundy

Actress | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Brooke Bundy was born on August 8, 1943 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). She was previously married to Peter ...

64. Dominic Burgess

Actor | Palm Royale

Dominic Burgess was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, England. He was awarded a scholarship at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) in London, where he studied for three years. Public ALRA productions included "The end of the Food Chain", "The Art of Success" and "They Shoot Horses, Don't ...

65. Michael Reilly Burke

Actor | Ted Bundy

Michael Reilly Burke was born on June 27, 1964 in Marin County, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Ted Bundy (2002), The Collector (2009) and Mars Attacks! (1996). He has been married to Kayren Butler since October 2008. They have two children.

66. Jess Bush

Actress | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Jess Bush is an Australian actress, model, and visual artist who plays Christine Chapel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She rose to fame at age 19 as a contestant in the talent show Australia's Next Top Model which was followed by a successful career in modeling. In 2017, she appeared in two ...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

67. Dan Butler

Actor | Frasier

Dan Butler was born on December 2, 1954 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Frasier (1993), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and The Fan (1996). He has been married to Richard Waterhouse since September 12, 2010.

68. Jeffrey Byron

Jeffrey Byron has starred in a variety of movie and television roles and recently costarred in the new Full Moon series for Amazon called THE RESONATOR: MISKATONIC U (2021) and season two BEYOND THE RESONATOR (2022). In addition Jeffrey is also focusing on his producing opportunities. He is ...

69. K Callan

Actress | Knives Out

Born in Dallas, Texas, K Callan's first professional job was at the Margo Jones Theatre. She first gained national attention as Peter Boyle 's mousy wife in the legendary Joe (1970). Her career includes film, television and theater. Other memorable films include American Gigolo (1980) and A Touch of ...

70. Joseph Campanella

Actor | Mannix

Gaunt, wavy-haired Sicilian-American character actor Joseph Campanella seemed to pop up in just about every second TV series and telemovie of the 1960s and 70s. A tireless veteran of stage and screen, he remained very much in demand well into his eighties. His older brother Frank was also an actor....

71. Billy Campbell

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In 2019 Billy Campbell won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor for his role in the CTV/HULU television series "Cardinal" for the second year in a row, as well as being nominated for a 2018 International Emmy Award for Best Actor in a series. He is also known for his work as a co-lead in the ...

72. Hélène Cardona

Actress | Chocolat

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73. Timothy Carhart

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74. Paul Carr

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75. Kim Cattrall

Actress | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Kim Victoria Cattrall was born on August 21, 1956 in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England to Gladys Shane (Baugh), a secretary, and Dennis Cattrall, a construction engineer. At the age of three months, her family immigrated to Canada, where a large number of her films have been made. At age 11, she ...

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76. Michael Cavanaugh

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77. Rosalind Chao

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78. Jeff Chase

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79. Lilyan Chauvin

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80. Robin Christopher

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81. Julie Cobb

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83. George Coe

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84. John Colicos

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85. Jessica Collins

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92. Nicolas Coster

Actor | Santa Barbara

Nicolas Coster, a veteran actor or "Actor's Actor', his training began back in his teens at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, RADA. Nicolas learned his craft doing theatre, studying with Strasberg and Milton Katselas(He was later picked by Milton to substitute for him). Nicolas Coster ...

93. Brian Cousins

Actor | Mandroid

Brian Cousins was born on May 9, 1959 in Portland, Maine, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Mandroid (1993), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight (1993).

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94. Mimi Cozzens

Actress | The Master

Mimi Cozzens enjoyed a well-rounded career on stage, screen and television in a career that has stretched for more than four decades. She was born Mildred Gloria Cozzens in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Glendale, Queens. Of Irish and English extraction, she was one of two daughters born to ...

95. Anthony Crivello

Actor | Feud

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96. Peter Crombie

Actor | Se7en

Peter Crombie was born on June 26, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Se7en (1995), My Dog Skip (2000) and Rising Sun (1993). He was married to Nadine Kijner . He died on January 10, 2024 in Palm Springs, California, USA.

97. James Cromwell

Actor | L.A. Confidential

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98. Denise Crosby

Actress | Pet Sematary

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99. Mary Crosby

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100. Ben Cross

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Published Oct 25, 2023

Star Trek's Best Opera Moments, Ranked

It's World Opera Day, so time for a 'Liszt.'

StarTrek.com

While Star Trek is best known for looking to the future, the show has also never wasted an “opera-tunity” to delve into classical music. Over the years, characters have enjoyed performances or dabbled in opera themselves, always celebrating how this art form has endured and evolved over the centuries, being invented and re-invented by various species and communities.

While there are many great scenes to choose from, here is a list (or a Liszt?) of my ten favorite Star Trek opera moments.

10. Geordi La Forge Sings Gilbert and Sullivan “Disaster,” Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Disaster"

In a dramatic episode where impact with a quantum filament causes the Enterprise crew to be separated in different parts of the ship, facing various dangers in small groups, one lighter moment comes at the start of the episode when Dr. Crusher tries to convince La Forge to audition for another one of her plays.

Although he is reluctant to sing in front of other people, he eventually does do a few lines of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General,” the famous (and famously challenging) patter song from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan. Crusher quickly decides that La Forge was “terrific,” and eagerly puts him down for the role. While this is only a short scene before the main action of the episode, it reminds us of the camaraderie between Crusher and La Forge that will soon be tested as they find themselves trapped in a cargo bay with explosive materials and a radioactive fire in a nearby power conduit.

However, this is not the only time the show has referenced the Major-General’s song. It also came up much more recently, in…

9. Number One (Also) Sings Gilbert and Sullivan "Q&A," Star Trek: Short Treks

"Q&A"

Spock’s first day on the Enterprise also features some singing when he tries to report for duty on the Bridge but instead gets stuck in a turbolift with Number One. While he starts out by asking her questions about Captain Pike and the Prime Directive, the two officers eventually become a bit more relaxed in one another’s presence and share a bonding moment when Number One sings a bit of the Major-General’s song.

Rebecca Romijn, who plays Number One in Discovery and the Short Treks , had told members of the Star Trek production team that singing Gilbert and Sullivan was one of her “special skills,” which inspired writer Michael Chabon to include that moment in the episode.

While this Short Treks bears some resemblances to "Disaster" — the song choice, plus characters being trapped together due to unforeseen circumstances — Chabon says this was coincidental.

“To have it all come together and kind of resonate as an homage to that episode of TNG, it was both accidental I think, but also, deep down, I’m a huge fan of TNG,” he said in an interview with SyFy Wire . “Having that stuff in there. It’s all in there somewhere.”

But humans aren’t the only singers in the Star Trek universe. Plenty of members of other species have an appreciation for the craft, including…

8. Klingon Opera is Known Throughout the Quadrants Various Episodes

"Firstborn"

While human opera features more often than any other species’ take on the genre across Star Trek shows, Klingon opera has also made its mark on the universe and has been referenced, studied, and enjoyed by many characters over the years. Klingon opera, though it tends to have a somewhat aggressive performance style, often focuses on stories of doomed love and courageous acts like much of the human opera canon.

Although some humans have found Klingon opera difficult to listen to — Jonathan Archer described it as reminiscent of a sehlat ’s cry — others, like Hoshi Sato, have gone out of their way to seek it out, and Jake Sisko apparently studied it in school.

Worf, in particular, had a large collection of Klingon opera that he listened to and sometimes played over the ship’s speakers, and once requested a passage from the opera "Aktuh and Maylota" from a musician in a bar on Qualor II.

Though Worf rarely admitted it to other crew members, he did enjoy singing along to opera as well as listening to it, which was the focus of a particularly compelling scene in…

7. Worf Sings Klingon Opera While Trapped in an Escape Pod “Penumbra," Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"Penumbra"

When Worf’s ship is ambushed by a Dominion patrol, Ezri Dax decides to go looking for him without the captain’s permission and finds his escape pod in the Badlands.

When Worf tells her that the escape pod was “quiet,” Ezri correctly surmises that he passed the time by singing and starts guessing which operas he might have attempted. Though at first he did not want to admit to singing in the first place, he eventually tells her he sang the Klingon opera " Gav’ot toh’va ," which she calls “ambitious” for its tenor solos.

In an episode that spends a lot of time focusing on the dynamics between Worf and Ezri since Jadzia’s death and the Dax’s symbiont’s subsequent joining to Ezri, this scene helps to show how some of the memories Worf and Jadzia shared persist in Dax. It is a unique exploration of grief and identity as these characters try to figure out how to relate to one another.

Along with Klingons, other species who have developed their own variants of opera include…

6. The Qomar Discover Music “Virtuoso,” Star Trek: Voyager

"Virtuoso"

The Qomar, a species of mathematicians whose vocal cords were capable of speech but not singing, had never heard music until a chance encounter with Voyager . While some Qomarians were receiving medical treatment on board Voyager , they heard The Doctor singing while he worked, and were captivated by this unfamiliar art form.

They eagerly asked The Doctor to sing for them on their world, and he gave a performance of an aria from Verdi’s Don Carlos that is so well-received he becomes a major Qomarian celebrity.

Some Qomarians attempt to convince The Doctor to stay on their world and sing, and though he is initially tempted by promises of fame and fortune, as well as a chance at love, he soon realizes the Qomarians don’t understand the emotion and artistry of music, and chooses to leave.

However, by the end of the episode, the Qomarians have begun composing and performing their own pieces. Though their music may sound strange to human ears, the genre of Qomarian opera has launched.

This is far from the only time The Doctor’s love of opera has featured in Star Trek . In fact, his musical interests caused major trouble in…

5. The Doctor Risks Losing His Memories "The Swarm," Star Trek: Voyager

"The Swarm"

While studying opera might seem like a harmless pastime, in this episode of Voyager it almost costs The Doctor his entire personality. He was initially designed to only be used in emergencies as a supplement to the medical team, but when Voyager was swept into the Delta Quadrant and their chief medical officer killed, The Doctor became the CMO. His capacity for learning and growth causes problems when he decides to turn it to creative pursuits – or, as Dr. Zimmerman puts it, "[The Doctor] wasn’t programmed to be a tenor, it was programmed to be a physician!”

While The Doctor was apparently supposed to be offline when he wasn’t on duty, he was instead using that time to expand his program, including studying and performing opera. This caused him to burn through the memory and hours of operation capacity that he had been programmed with, risking the integrity of the program.

At the end of the episode, after the ship’s diagnostic program has sacrificed itself to save The Doctor, the crew is able to tell that their CMO’s personality has survived when he starts humming opera as he works.

While The Doctor appears to love opera in general, in some cases, the specific pieces featured on-screen add another layer of meaning to a scene. This was the case in…

4. Captain Picard Listens to Berlioz Before Battle Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek: First Contact

In this movie, the Federation’s past and present are threatened as the Borg begin attacks in Federation space. Though the Enterprise is the most advanced ship in the fleet, Starfleet orders them to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone instead of joining the fight, because of fears that Picard’s history with the Borg would compromise his ability to fight.

However, as the battle turns against Starfleet, Picard decides to disobey orders and join the fight. In the scene, before he announces his decision, he is in his Ready Room listening to an aria from Les Troyens , an opera by Berlioz. Les Troyens , which tells the story of the doomed battle for Troy as depicted in the Aeneid, is particularly poignant here as it seems the Borg are winning at every turn.

The particular aria Picard has chosen, Vallon Sonore, is also a bit of subtle foreshadowing. The aria is about a sailor’s longing for a home he may never see again — and later in the movie, the Enterprise is forced to travel to Earth’s past to combat the Borg’s attempts to change history. If they had failed, Earth would never have been "home" again.

Opera has also been used as a reminder of home in...

3. Kasseelian Opera Guides Paul Stamets Back to His Universe "What’s Past is Prologue," Star Trek: Discovery

"What's Past is Prologue"

When Discovery is stranded in the Mirror Universe, Tilly and Stamets realize that their best bet to getting the ship back home is to ride a “mycelial shockwave” created by attacking the Terran Empire’s flagship and targeting its energy orb.

Though they manage to save the mycelial network from contamination and launch themselves on a course back to their own universe, Stamets struggles to navigate through the quickly-regenerating pathways.

When he can’t figure out which way to go, he has a vision of his partner Hugh Culber telling him that the network is a “thread that weaves life through space” and to “follow the music.” An aria from a Kasseelian opera begins to play, guiding Stamets through the network.

Kasseelian opera has been a recurring theme in Stamets and Culber’s relationship, beginning with...

2. Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber’s First Meeting "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad," Star Trek: Discovery

"Into the Forest I Go"

When Stamets met Culber in a café on Alpha Centuri, Culber was humming Kasseelian opera. This apparently bothered Stamets so much he told his future partner to "stifle it or sit somewhere else" – and Culber chose to sit next to him instead.

Culber’s love for opera (and Stamets’ growing tolerance of it) has been a recurring theme throughout their relationship. In an earlier episode, “Into the Forest I Go,” Stamets wants to take Culber to go see a Kasseelian production of La Bohème in an opera house on Starbase 46.

Along with being a sweet moment in a tense episode, this also is a subtle reference to the musical Rent , which is based on La Bohème – Anthony Rapp, who plays Stamets in Discovery , originated the role of Mark Cohen in the musical.

While all these operatic moments have enriched and added new dimensions to the episodes they featured in, perhaps nothing better represents the impact opera can have on memories and relationships than…

1. Picard and Worf Distract Data by Singing 'A British Tar' Star Trek: Insurrection

Star Trek: Insurrection

When Data is malfunctioning after being shot by a Son’a weapon, he attacks Picard and La Forge when they come to the Ba’ku planet to retrieve him. Although his memory has been damaged and his ethical and moral subroutines have taken over all his basic functions, Data still remembers enough Gilbert and Sullivan to sing along with Picard and Worf.

This distracts the android for long enough to get him back on board the Enterprise . Data’s reaction to familiar music despite his damaged memories is reminiscent of music helping seniors and people with memory loss in real life. In recent years, many studies have found that people experiencing memory loss still relate and respond to music from their youth. Some researchers have even found that musical memories seem to be partially independent of other memory systems and remain intact for longer than other types of memories.

So Data’s ability to remember a familiar tune from an opera, despite having lost access to a significant part of his memory systems, is a wonderful reflection on the importance and endurance of music in both positronic and biological brains.

What are some of your favorite opera moments in Star Trek ? Share with us @StarTrek on Social!

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This article was originally published on January 29, 2020.

Julia Peterson (she/her) is a queer Jewish journalist currently based in Regina, Saskatchewan. She also writes for INK Magazine, The Carillon, and Reading in Translation, and would give just about anything to have a pet tribble. Find her on Twitter @hark_a_julia.

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

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After four seasons, 'Discovery' still isn’t interested in being a “normal” Star Trek

It is the michael burnham show, after all..

The following only contains slight spoilers for the first episode of season four of ' Star Trek: Discovery .'

Since its debut back in 2017 (and even before then , really), Star Trek: Discovery has been a divisive show. There was a long laundry list of complaints: the series is too dark, everyone is mean, everyone cries too much, the Klingon designs suck, it shouldn’t be set before the original series, Michael Burnham is an unlikeable main character. While some changes have been made to the show over the years to smooth these rough edges, the elevation of Michael Burnham to the captain’s chair for season four has made it clear that Discovery is still largely going to do its own thing, regardless of what the fandom thinks.

In the past, season four for Star Trek series has always been a turning point, the moment when a show finally figures out what it wants to be. Season four of The Next Generation started with the riveting “The Best of Both Worlds,” and produced a number of classic episodes like “Family,” “Clues” and “The Drumhead.” Deep Space Nine added Worf to its crew in its fourth year, while Voyager got Seven of Nine. Enterprise ’s final season is generally considered its best. So fans were curious to see if the pattern would continue in the Kurtzman era of Trek.

Things certainly looked promising at the end of last season. The crew of Discovery had jumped 900 years into the future, to a galaxy where dilithium fuel for space travel was in short supply and the Federation was in tatters thanks to an event known as “The Burn.” Burnham and the rest of the Discovery crew figured out the source of the disaster and solved the problem in last year’s finale, opening the doors to a show dedicated to rebuilding the Federation and its ideals. After three seasons of war, it finally looked like the USS Discovery could finally get down to Starfleet’s long-stated mandates of science and exploration.

Season four begins five months after the previous episode, with the Federation now in high gear reaching out to old members and allies. That’s where we join the USS Discovery , as Burnham and Cleveland Booker are attempting to give a shipment of dilithium to a species new to the Star Trek audience. The mission quickly goes awry, strongly reminiscent of the madcap opening of Star Trek Into Darkness .

The parallels to the weakest of the three Abrams-era films are not entirely an accident or even a homage: both Into Darkness and this week’s season premiere were co-penned by Star Trek head Alex Kurtzman . They exhibit some of the excesses of modern Trek like an emphasis on frantic action and quippy dialogue — at least there’s less lens flare this time around. And everyone seems to be in a good mood, a contrast to when everyone was just worn down in the 23rd century by years of war and secret experiments.

The season opener is largely dedicated to showing off a new optimistic status quo, with Starfleet Academy being reestablished, Booker traveling to attend his nephew’s coming-of-age ritual and a new Federation president getting sworn in. It all seems rather staid, but Star Trek has always had its share of pomp and circumstance so it was actually a nice change of pace for the program. But things do go awry when the Discovery is tasked with rescuing a station crew and have to make a few hard choices, thus the title of the episode: “Kobayashi Maru.”

For those unfamiliar with Star Trek lore, the Kobayashi Maru is a test that all command-track cadets must take at Starfleet Academy. In the simulation, the cadets are faced with the choice of rescuing a ship stranded in enemy territory. To cross the border to rescue the craft is to risk war, but to preserve peace means to consign that crew to death. It’s been called a “no win” scenario,” and the Academy is interested in how a cadet reacts to it rather than the actual outcome. Kirk is known as the only person to have actually beaten it, because he reprogrammed the scenario; he cheated.

Like Kirk, Michael Burnham also doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario. She always does what she feels is best, and it’s made her crew unfailingly loyal to her over the past few seasons. But it’s earned her a share of detractors off-screen, because Burnham often disobeys orders and ignores good advice. She’s the rebel cop who plays by their own rules. Except this is Star Trek, a franchise about teamwork. Michael’s actions — and the fact that they always succeed — often undermine her superiors and even her own crewmates.

Placing her in the captain’s chair should have alleviated some of this issue, since Burnham is now the one her crew has to listen to. But even then the show felt it needed some sort of conflict, bringing the Federation president along to question Michael’s judgment in front of her crew. I couldn’t help but be reminded of how before the show aired, the producers and writers were bragging about how they were going to break one of Gene Roddenberry’s key rules for the series: No inter-crew conflict. Watching that in action in this episode, however, was mildly uncomfortable and even a little embarrassing to see.

Not everything is rosy by the end of the adventure, but it’s still a better outcome than we’ve seen at the end of many Star Trek outings. But the new “happy” status quo is thrown out the door by an anomaly at the end of the episode. As seen in previews, this anomaly will be an ongoing concern for the USS Discovery and the entire Federation — not just as a threat to life, but as a threat to the Federation’s efforts to pull itself back together.

Unfortunately, this also means that Discovery won’t be doing a lot of discovering in its fourth season. Fans who love “planet of the week” adventures and were hoping for the show to embrace that format will come away disappointed for now. However, while episodes one and two are involved in setup for the ongoing anomaly plot line, episodes three and four still make room for some vaguely one-shot adventures, albeit ones designed to further character development.

But while Discovery doesn’t seem all that interested in changing how it does things, the environment around it has changed. It’s no longer the only Star Trek show on TV, thanks to the premieres of Picard and Lower Decks in 2020, last month’s kid-oriented Prodigy and the debut of Strange New Worlds next year. All of these shows tackle the Star Trek universe in their own way, and are not required viewing to understand what’s happening in other shows (though there are some references to Picard in the first episodes of Discovery ). Viewers can choose the Trek that suits them best, removing the pressure from Discovery to be all things to all fans and making it even easier to just do its own thing.

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‘star trek’ and ‘as the world turns’ actress kathryn hays dead at 87.

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Soap opera star Kathryn Hays, known for her decades-long role as Kim Sullivan Hughes on “As the World Turns” — in addition to a fan-favorite part in a Season 3 episode of “Star Trek” — died at age 87 in Fairfield, Connecticut, on March 25, TV Line reported .

The cause of death was not available.

She was remembered fondly by her scene partner Don Hastings — who played her husband, Bob Hughes — in a statement, saying that “our relationship as Bob and Kim was as close as Kathryn and my relationship, except we were not married.”

Hastings also shared that the duo’s “biggest squabble was that she always wanted to rehearse and I wanted to take a nap.

“This is a huge loss to all who knew her,” he said.

Illinois native Hays, who played the iconic character for 38 years, also touched the hearts of sci-fi lovers worldwide during a guest appearance on “Star Trek” in 1968. She played the titular mute hero, Gem, in “The Empath.”

As opposed to the more socially dramatic roles Hays was used to playing, in 2010 she recalled the interstellar appearance as one of the most unique experiences of her career.

“I’ve often thought that was an interesting role for me to play. I loved playing that. It was technically very interesting,” Hays told We Love Soaps . “That show was fascinating to work on from a technical point of view. It was so different from a regular show.”

Hays began her career with TV roles in the early 1960s. She appeared in the Westerns “Bonanza” and “Route 66,” in addition to the spy series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E” and other shows. She appeared in the television film “Yuma” in 1971.

Her breakout role came in the 1966 pre-Civil War-era Western “The Road West,” in which she played Elizabeth Reynolds for all 29 episodes of the show’s running.

A few years later, in 1972, the iconic actress joined “As The World Turns.”

She claimed the role of Kim until the daytime staple went off the air in 2010 following a 54-year run on air.

Hays also guest appeared on more than 40 shows during her life, the most recent being a 2007 episode of “Law & Order: SVU,” according to TV Line.

She had a career on Broadway as well, appearing in “Ladybug, Ladybug,” “The Irregular Verb to Love” and “Hot September,” in addition to other productions.

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The 15 Best Worst Episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series

These are the Star Trek episodes that you know are terrible, but can’t stop watching.

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No TV show is perfect. The great Rod Serling once said about The Twilight Zone (and I’m paraphrasing) that one-third of the shows were damn good, one-third were passable and the last third were dogs. With just 79 episodes in its total run, Star Trek: The Original Series may have beaten that breakdown slightly, thanks to an excellent first season and a lot of strong second season shows. But there were some clunkers along the way, leading up to the infamous third season and its large assortment of pretty crappy episodes.

Even those bombs have their charms though, and any Trekker will tell you that we watch even the roughest Season 3 outings with a mixture of affection and stunned fascination. Some of Star Trek ’s silliest stories still had a germ of an interesting idea at their core, or a decent moment here and there or a terrific performance from somebody. So it is with a certain degree of fondness that we present the 15 best worst episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series – we’ll still watch no matter how painful it gets.

15. “Requiem for Methuselah”

Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to a planet belonging to the mysterious Flint (James Daly), a man with seemingly no past, who lives there with his beautiful young ward Rayna (Louise Sorel), of whom there is also no record. Kirk and Rayna fall in love, but she turns out to be a robot built by the immortal, shapeshifting Flint as a companion for himself. The central idea that famous figures of Earth history – Brahms, Da Vinci, others – are actually all one man is a compelling one, but the episode is ludicrous: Kirk falls so deeply in love with Rayna over the course of just four hours that he is scarred by the experience. What? This is a guy who screws alien women by the truckload – you’re telling me he’ll get emotionally wounded by an afternoon with an android?

14. “The Mark of Gideon”

Kirk falls in love – again – with a beautiful woman named Odona (Sharon Acker) whom he meets aboard a seemingly deserted Enterprise after attempting to beam down to the planet Gideon. But Spock and everyone else are still on board the real Enterprise , so where has Kirk landed? And why is Odona there? The answer will shock absolutely no one, and the whole plot hinges on the leaders of Gideon building a full-sized replica of the interior of the Enterprise just to fool Kirk. They need a specific virus to save their planet that Kirk carries in his blood, so why not just ask him for a blood sample? A laughable premise and uninspired direction combine to make sure that this weak episode leaves no mark of any kind.

13. “Assignment: Earth”

This is the infamous second season closer that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry tried to use as a backdoor pilot for a new series. The show focused on Gary Seven (Robert Lansing), a human raised by aliens and equipped by them to travel in time and space solving problems, who bumps up against the crew of the Enterprise as they just happen to be on a routine time travel mission back to the late ‘60s. It’s clear from the start that this is an awkward fit into the Trek canon, as the stars of the show are offscreen for long stretches of time, plus the story itself and Lansing’s character are simply not that interesting. “Assignment: Earth” was not picked up as a series, and it’s easy to see why.

12. “The Gamesters of Triskelion”

A lot of fans like this one, but it doesn’t hold up: plenty of elements are lifted from episodes like “Arena” and “The Cage” in this tale of an alien planet where superior intelligences known as the Providers capture other beings and use them as gladiators in games that the Providers wager on. The Providers themselves are three disembodied brains in a glass case, which lessens their impact when we finally see them (if we just don’t laugh). The slaves (or “Thralls”) are a hokey bunch, led by sexploitation actress Angelique Pettyjohn in a flimsy silver bathing suit. One of the few positives is that Uhura and Chekov, captured with Kirk, get some generous screen time and something different to do for a change.

11. “Whom Gods Destroy”

Kirk and Spock beam down to the insane asylum on the planet Elba II with a shipment of medicine, only to discover that the lunatics are literally running the place under the leadership of Garth of Izar (Steve Inhat), a former starship captain who was given the power to shapeshift by a race of aliens after he badly injured on a rescue mission. The now-mad Garth wants to use the Enterprise in his quest to make himself “Master of the Universe.” A highly formulaic episode in which Kirk and Spock are once again trapped on a planet while the Enterprise is endangered above, it does feature Yvonne “Batgirl” Craig as a sexy Orion inmate but is hampered by the stock plot and endless scenery chewing from the late Inhat.

10. “Spectre of the Gun”

There seems to be a following for this famous episode, in which Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and Sulu face death at the hands of the Earp brothers in a recreation of the gunfight at the OK Corral. But if the Melkotians, who are punishing the Enterprise officers for the ship’s intrusion into Melkot space, are so powerful, why don’t they just smite our heroes where they stand? There is absolutely no need to fabricate the whole Old West scenario. Plus I can’t decide whether the half-finished nature of the town of Tombstone in this scenario is supposed to be surreal or they just ran out of money and said to hell with it. Spock mind-melding with everyone at the end is a nice touch, but this one fires mostly blanks.

9. “The Apple”

There are many memorable elements in “The Apple,” both for good and bad reasons, and it’s certainly crammed with all kinds of crazy stuff: the giant rock head of Vaal with its glowing eyes and mouth, the deadly jungle planet with its myriad traps and wild weather, and the race of childlike beings who exist to serve Vaal, have never seen humans before, but somehow speak English (a flaw inherent in a lot of episodes, to be fair). Yet the theme of a stagnant, controlled society had been done in a better way with “The Return of the Archons” in Season 1, and despite a lot of superficial excitement (four redshirts meet their doom in this one), “The Apple” goes bad pretty quickly.

8. “For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky”

Yet another computer controls yet another unquestioning civilization, only this time it’s the inhabitants of a generation ship who are about to be pulverized by an asteroid before reaching their destination. It’s up to the Enterprise to divert them, but first Dr. McCoy — who discovers he’s dying of an incurable disease — falls in love with the ship’s queen and wants to live out the rest of his life with her after knowing her for about an hour. A rare affliction, a doomed romance — Star Trek veered sharply into soap opera here, although some brief moments between DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner are moving. McCoy’s love affair, however, heats up far too quickly for it to have real resonance, and the rest of the script feels threadbare and — dare I say it — hollow.

7. “Turnabout Intruder”

The final original series episode to be filmed and aired is either a) an unintentionally campy and downright sexist disaster or b) a subtly ahead-of-its-time commentary on gender and the interchangeable nature of traditional sexual identities. Eh, who am I kidding…it’s the first answer all the way. A vengeful former lover of Kirk’s, the unstable Janice Lester (Sandra Smith), uses alien technology to place her consciousness in Kirk’s body and vice versa, enabling her to take over the Enterprise and enabling Shatner to go off the deep end with one of his most incredibly histrionic performances ever. Sadly, the episode seems to say that women are too emotionally high-strung to handle command, a hideous notion even for 1969 and a terrible way for the original show to go out.

6. “The Alternative Factor”

Massive rewrites (to tone down an interracial romance for a nervous NBC) and a last-minute change in the main guest star resulted in this rare Season 1 misfire, which is a shame because the central idea is so intriguing. Robert Brown (replacing John Drew Barrymore the night before shooting started) plays Lazarus, a time traveler driven insane by the existence of a duplicate Lazarus in a parallel universe made of anti-matter. If the two ever meet in either universe, they will cancel out not just each other but all of reality. The repetitive script throws a lot of wonky science at the viewer, a number of scenes feel pointless and Brown never quite finds the right tone for his two performances, making this mess of an episode implode.

5. “The Omega Glory”

Yangs and Kohms (Yankees and Communists, get it?) fight it out in this thinly disguised Cold War allegory, which finds our three heroes and a redshirt held prisoner by a rogue starship captain (Morgan Woodward) who thinks he’s found the secret of immortality on a planet scarred by ongoing war between two tribal factions. Bizarrely, this was one of three scripts that Gene Roddenberry proposed for the second Star Trek pilot, but NBC passed; good thing too, as the show might never have been picked up if this silly exercise in pointless action and half-baked civics was presented to the network. It ended up getting made deep in Season 2, and surprisingly didn’t kill the series outright.

4. “Plato’s Stepchildren”

Horrendous and embarrassing. That’s how I would describe this episode, which is nevertheless a landmark for containing the first interracial kiss in TV history (it’s just a shame that the network forced the director to shoot it from an angle that partially blocked Kirk’s lips locking with Uhura’s). While the kiss does earn a lot of goodwill, it’s not enough to salvage this tired rehash of stock plot points that had been done to death by this point, including a superior race of beings screwing around with the Enterprise and a culture that mirrored one from Earth’s past (ancient Greece, to be precise). And to top it all off, Shatner and Nimoy (under the Platonians’ control) are forced to sing and dance like a vaudeville act in one of the most cringeworthy scenes in Trek history.

3. “And the Children Shall Lead”

Responding to a distress call from an expedition on the planet Triacus, the Enterprise crew find everyone there dead – all except the children, who are in thrall to a malevolent alien presence that is using them to take control of a starship. Remembered for famous attorney Melvin Belli (atrociously) playing “Gorgan the Friendly Angel,” this is a limp disaster of an episode enlivened only by some especially hammy overacting from Shatner. The show offers almost nothing else of interest, and even the evil alien appears to be dressed in an old shower curtain. The children led this one, all right…straight off a cliff.

2. “Spock’s Brain”

The third season opener (what were they thinking…?) has developed somewhat of a following over the years, but that might be due to its sheer campiness. Spock’s brain goes missing and the Enterprise goes off to find it; turns out it’s being used to power an underground civilization of buxom but dumb women who keep a bunch of even dumber men as slaves. McCoy has to learn the ancient knowledge so he can put the brain back, with Spock directing him as he operates. An embarrassment to both Star Trek and science fiction, “Spock’s Brain” is good for a couple of laughs…but was apparently not meant to be a comedy.

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1. “The Way to Eden”

As pointed out in the excellent book These Are the Voyages (Volume 3) , “The Way to Eden” has some decent ideas percolating below the surface about retreating from an overly technological, perhaps overly sanitized society, along with finding the right balance between responsibility and non-conformity. It’s just too bad that everything else – from the costumes of the “space hippies” who take over (*sigh*) the Enterprise to find the mythical planet Eden, to the songs they sing, to their risible slang (“Are you One, Herbert?”) – is so absolutely awful and has aged badly. This was originally supposed to be an episode about Dr. McCoy reuniting with his long-estranged daughter Joanna, but how it mutated into this trainwreck could probably make for a good sci-fi story itself. Or not. 

Don Kaye | @donkaye

Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…

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Marj Dusay ( 20 February 1936 – 28 January 2020 ; age 83) was the Emmy nominated actress who played Kara in the Star Trek: The Original Series third season episode " Spock's Brain ". She filmed her scenes on Monday 8 July 1968 and between Wednesday 10 July 1968 and Friday 12 July 1968 at Desilu Stage 9 and Paramount Stage 3 .

Dusay made her film debut in 1967 playing a small role alongside Elvis Presley in the film Clambake in which Angelique Pettyjohn also appeared. During the 1960s and 1970s she made numerous appearances on popular televisions shows such as Wild Wild West , Bonanza , Hawaii Five-0 , Hogan's Heroes , The Bionic Woman , and The Streets of San Francisco . Other than Star Trek , her only notable role in science fiction was a brief appearance in the Battlestar Galactica spin-off series Galactica 1980 . In 1977 she played the wife of Douglas MacArthur in the film MacArthur , alongside Gregory Peck (grandfather of Ethan Peck ).

From the 1980s, Dusay was best known for her performances on American daytime soap operas. From 1983 until its cancellation in 1987, Dusay played Myrna Clegg on Capitol , a soap opera which took place in Washington DC. In Capitol she played opposite Constance Towers . From 1987 until 1991 she played Pamela Capwell on Santa Barbara , where she worked with Judy McConnell . From 1992 to 1993 she took the role of Vivian Alamain on Days of Our Lives , replacing an unavailable Louise Sorel .

Starting in September 1993, she took on her best-known role as Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light , taking over the role from Beverly McKinsey. She left the role in March 1997, but returned for a second time in 1998 and 1999. After being briefly replaced by Joan Collins in 2002, she took the role for a third time and remained with it until the series' cancellation in 2009. [1]

Between 1998 and 2002, she portrayed the role of Vanessa Bennett Cortland in another soap opera, All My Children , playing the character at the same time as Lee Meriwether , Olivia Birkelund and Samantha Eggar worked on the series.

She also appeared in a 1969 episode of Daniel Boone and a 1970 episode of Family Affair (with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest Brian Keith ). For many years she worked with Michael Zaslow who played the villain Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light .

According to an audio interview on her official website she did not watch her Star Trek episode until a fan sent her a VHS tape in the 1990s. The many autograph requests she had received over the years had led her to believe that the episode was a popular one. She described in mock horror watching her performance and said " Brain and Brain, what is Brain… how the hell did I get that job? ". Nevertheless, she describes having fun making "Spock's Brain" and specifically that she enjoyed her costume and the impressive boots created for her.

Although she occasionally engaged in public appearances related to Star Trek or her soap opera career, Dusay effectively retired from acting following the cancellation of Guiding Light . In 2017 she disclosed that her retirement was reinforced by complications from back surgery which left her with limited mobility. [2]

External links [ ]

• MarjDusay.com – official website
• Marj Dusay at the Internet Movie Database
• Marj Dusay at Battlestar Wiki
• Marj Dusay at Wikipedia
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Andrea Evans, One Life to Live and Young and the Restless star, dies at 66

The daytime TV veteran also appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful and Passions.

Andrea Evans, the veteran daytime TV star best known for playing troubled teenager Tina Lord on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live , died Sunday at 66.

Casting director Don Carroll confirmed the news to EW and said the cause was cancer. Evans had previously revealed to the world that she had undergone treatment for breast cancer. She is survived by her husband, Steve Rodriguez, and their daughter, Kylie.

Born in Aurora, Ill., Evans appeared in beauty pageants and regional theater as a kid, and got her official start in show business as an extra in Brian De Palma 's 1978 thriller The Fury . That same year, she was also an extra in the NBC miniseries The Awakening . She soon landed the role of Tina Lord on One Life to Live , and quickly rose to fame. Evans stayed with the series until 1981, and went on to play Patty Williams on The Young and the Restless .

Evans returned to One Life to Live in 1985. The series reached new heights and she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Ingenue, but she abruptly left the series again in 1987 after an encounter with a stalker in the lobby of the show's Manhattan studio. Recounting the incident to PEOPLE years later, Evans said that the fear "forever changed me. There's no way it could not."

After a hiatus, Evans returned to acting with two feature films, 1994's A Low Down Dirty Shame and 1995's Ice Cream Man . She also appeared on more soap operas, including The Bold and the Beautiful , Passions , The Bay , and the web series DeVanity . As a soap mainstay, Evans spoke highly of the genre throughout her career.

"It's a genre that is solid and good and it's present in a lot more of our entertainment than people want to admit," she said in a 2016 interview . " Star Trek is a soap in outer space! The soaps that are on now are so solid and doing so well, and I think it's great that they're moving so well into digital media. Soaps are here to stay."

Evans reprised her OLTL role once more in 2011, as the series wound down its run on network TV. The actress, who built legions of fans over the course of her career in daytime television, recently completed work on a forthcoming memoir, My One Life to Live .

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‘star trek: lower decks’ to end with season 5.

However, Paramount+ renewed 'Strange New Worlds' for season four.

By James Hibberd

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Paramount+ has made two big decisions about its Star Trek universe.

Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fourth season, while Lower Decks will end with its previously announced upcoming fifth season, expected to air sometime this year.

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Meanwhile, Strange New Worlds is currently in production on its third season, which is set to debut in 2025.

“ Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks are integral to the Star Trek franchise, expanding the boundaries of the universe and exploring new and exciting worlds,” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “We are extraordinarily proud of both series as they honor the legacy of what Gene Roddenberry created almost 60 years ago.”

Strange New Worlds is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the  U.S.S. Enterprise . The series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock, Number One and the crew of the  U.S.S. Enterprise , in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the starship, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy. It stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush and Christina Chong.

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GH Spoilers: Montgomery Announces Thrilling New Project, Details Inside!

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General Hospital (GH) spoilers show that Anthony Montgomery, as Andre Maddox had many fans while he was on the show and they miss him.

There’s always a chance he may return to do a storyline arc in the future, but for now he’s got a big project in the works that means a lot to him.

General Hospital Spoilers – Anthony Maddox’s Pet Project

Montgomery recently spilled a major secret on Instagram and teased about the rewards of his efforts; let’s dive into what the GH star had to share.

To quote him, he posted “Exciting surprises are on the horizon this year-I’ve been quietly working on a few projects for some time now, and it’s finally starting to show results,”

As it turns out, Montgomery is currently penning his memoir, providing some progress updates that got fans buzzing in the comments section.

He proceeded to share additional information regarding his upcoming memoir and provided instructions on how fans could purchase it. “I am thrilled to reveal that my latest memoir (LIFE TREK: From Naptown to Red Carpets) is almost finished and ready for pre-order.

GH Spoilers – Anthony Maddox Is SO Excited About His New Book

He continues, “Don’t miss out, order your copy now by visiting my website www.AnthonyMontgomery.com “ Montgomery shared like a true infomercial salesman-perhaps he did commercial work early in his career.

If you’re curious about how long the pre-order period will be, wonder no more; it will last until May 1st, but there’s more-he’s got a fantastic offer for those who pre-order.

They will receive a heartfelt ‘thank you’ in the book as a special token of appreciation, in other words, he’s including an autograph; so, keep this in mind if you’re interested.

Montgomery promised his fans that he would soon reveal more information and expressed his heartfelt appreciation for all the support he has received.

General Hospital Spoilers – Anthony Maddox Shares An Experience In Common With A Couple Of Other GH Stars

Anthony shares an experience in common with at least one other GH star and another one’s husband; he played Ensign Travis Mayweather on Star Trek: Enterprise.

Lisa LoCicero played Ensign Miral Paris in Star Trek: Voyager, as well as ABC Soap alum, Kate Mulgrew who played Mary Ryan Finelli. Genie Francis’ (Laura Collins) husband Jonathan Frakes played Will Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Anthony has a large fan following from his work on Star Trek: Enterprise also, so fans of that show no doubt will enjoy his memoir as well.

Anthony made his most recent GH appearance on April 28, 2023 when he managed to obtain the entire file on the Cassadines dating back to 1981 helping Anna Devane (Finola Hughes).

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with GH right now. Come back here often for General Hospital spoilers, news, and updates.

Rita Ryan has been writing since the age of thirteen, starting with songs and later short plays and articles. In her teenage years she was known as “Rita Lorraine” and tried to get into the country music recording industry in the 1970s and later the gospel music industry in the 1990s. Now, she concentrates her writing on soap opera spoilers specializing in General Hospital, aspires to write a series of family-friendly mysteries in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries style, and the rest of her time is spent being grandma to her three grandchildren and cat mama to Mollie & Missie. She is married to her childhood sweetheart whom she rediscovered after 30 years apart.

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CBS Greenlights ‘The Gates,’ First New Soap Opera in 25 Years — When Will It Premiere?

The flood gates are open! CBS has green-lit an all-new soap opera titled The Gates , which will be the first all-new soap opera in 25 years. The series’ development was previously reported in March .

The Gates follows the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community. It will premiere in January 2025, CBS announced on Monday, April 15. At the helm of the series is Michele Val Jean, who has written more than 2,000 episodes of daytime dramas and won multiple Daytime Emmy and WGA Awards for her work on The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital . Val Jean will serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer. She executive produces alongside Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson, and Kimberly Doebereiner.

The Gates was first developed as a joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP. Both parties will produce the series, with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. The CBS Studios production venture and development deal with the NAACP was established to help elevate a diverse range of voices as well as increase the visibility of Black artists on broadcast and streaming platforms in an ever-evolving media landscape.

In addition to The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital,  Val Jean is known for her work on Santa Barbara . She was also previously a writer on the first soap opera focusing on Black families,  Generations ,  which aired from 1989 to 1991 on  NBC . That time period was also the last time CBS launched a new soap.

'General Hospital': Laura Wright Speaks Out About Steve Burton's Return to Show

The Bold and the Beautiful , which first debuted in 1987, was the last new daytime drama released by the network. The genre at large has been hungry for new stories for decades. NBC’s  Passions was the last all-new soap created in general (a.k.a. one that wasn’t a spinoff).

“ The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” Sheila Ducksworth, president of the CBS Studios NAACP venture, previously said in a statement. “This series will salute an audience that has been traditionally underserved, with the potential to be a groundbreaking moment for broadcast television. With multi-dimensional characters, juicy storylines and Black culture front and center, The Gates  will have impactful representation, one of the key touchstones of the venture.”

The Gates , Series Premiere, January 2025, CBS

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New Daytime Soap The Gates Officially Ordered at CBS — When Will It Premiere?

Nick caruso, staff editor.

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Soaps fans will have even more tasty drama to sink their teeth into: CBS has officially ordered a brand-new daytime series titled The Gates , which is set to premiere January 2025.

The Gates will follow the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community. Michele Val Jean ( The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital , Santa Barbara ) will serve as writer and showrunner. She will executive-produce alongside Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner.

The specific time period, launch date and other series details for The Gates — such as whether it will run a half-hour or full hour — will be announced at a later time, says the network.

The series was developed by a joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP. The CBS Studios/NAACP development deal “was established to help elevate a diverse range of voices as well as increase the visibility of Black artists on broadcast and streaming platforms in an ever-evolving media landscape.”

Also notable is that the series marks broadcast television’s first new daytime soap opera since the launch of NBC’s now-defunct  Passions  25 years ago.

In related news, CBS handed its long-running, top-rated soap,  Y&R , a blockbuster four-year renewal . Meanwhile, the current renewal pact for  Y&R ‘s sister soap  B&B  expires in May 2025.

The pickup comes three days after CBS announced that The Talk will end its 15-season run in December.

What do you think, soaps fans? Will you be entering The Gates ? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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52 comments.

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This is great news! We’ve needed a new soap for awhile.

Now if only they would try to run this (or any soap) in the 6pm timeslots like other countries – I wonder if there’s an untapped audience waiting for something other than re-runs before WOF and J!.

Can’t WAIT!

ABSOLUTELY! I’m looking 4wrd to it.

The Gates will be an hour long? Or will Bold & Beautiful expand to an hour and The Gates will be a half hour?

The Bold and the Beautiful is so badly written and the storylines are all over the place. The better actors and characters have disappeared. This show is a shell of the excellent show that it once was.

Excited to see who they cast.

Yessssssssss

I will check it out.

Definitely. About time BIPOC characters get equal airtime and stories told with them in the lead

yea but not the way you mean, equal airtime means less black roles since theyre chronically overrepresented

Please explain this logic, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.

Deadline mentions it’s also in a partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. After what they did to help kill ATWT, keep their hands off of this.

Wasn’t that CBS’s decision. Did P&G play hardball with licensing fees?

No. At the time, P&G also wanted to exit the soap opera business.

If P&G wanted out and CBS wanted ATWT to survive, it would’ve survived

I am excited about this!

Probably take The Talk time slot when it ends in December. The Gate Probably won’t do as good as the other soaps in the ratings.

@Tommy, why do you say this? Is it because it’s a diverse cast? I’m hoping that, since we’re in 2024, we’re past this.

My guess is because of history – Soap ratings are decreasing. The ratings of any new soap (Passions, Sunset Beach, Port Charles, etc) were always lower than legacy soaps. I’m not speaking for Tommy, but it seems so inappropriate to just assume it’s a race thing. Personally, I’m shocked (& pleasantly surprised) that there is a new network soap coming. That being said, I watch GH and that’s all I watch. I won’t be adding a new soap and I’m sure many soap watchers won’t be adding a new soap and it’s tough to get a new generation of people to watch a new daytime soap. At least with talk shows and court shows, you can watch when you can. Soaps are more entertaining when one watches all the time. That’s a tough ask nowadays. I wish The Gates all the luck in the world. They will need it. And no, not because of it’s diverse cast (insert eye roll)

I would rather see The Talk. I don’t know if I will watch The Gates or not.

I know I won’t watch it. I am not getting into a soap that probably won’t last long. I watched Edge of Night back in the day and that was ended too.

The Edge of Night lasted for 28 years and got cancelled in 1984 – like forty years ago. I think, considering it was such a timely drama that it fit in an era of late noir, it did pretty well.

So you’re not a fan of daytime soaps?

This is great news! I really thought we’d never see a new American daytime soap opera again. Impressive creative team, too!

Preferred The Gates when it was a gated community of vampires and werewolves and witches.

I loved that show so much.

I’ll check out The Gates however I’m sure The Talk isn’t going out without a fight. They’ve got quite a bit of time to fine tune the show and increase viewership before the end of the year. Wonder what will happen if The Talk’s ratings improve before its cancelation date? Will local affiliates give CBS an additional hour to continue airing The Talk? Will it move to syndication? Will CBS revive The Talk if The Gates faulters or will it follow ABC and NBC’s lead and add a news program to daytime?

Daytime soap operas get better ratings than many night time shows. They also can be licensed for international TV viewing or streaming.

I can’t wait to see this. I hope it’s better than what we have on now

Totally agree the only soap I watch is Days of r Lives but it comes on Peacock everybody was mad at the time when they did the switch but I got used to it being on Peacock but I had to get my Peacock cancelled so I haven’t been watching any soaps but I’m soooooo glad to have a new soap on I’m going to watch it.

Great new especially now day time diversity

I’d Watch ….Except I’m Not Black ….Waiting For My Asian Soap

That’s right I watch any color doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s good and very interesting to me.

Great news day for the soap opera community. Go CBS!!!

WOW, I never thought the US would get another daytime soap in my lifetime. I was always more of an ABC soap fan myself (still enjoying General Hospital…but man I miss All My Children) but I’ll def be tunning into The Gates to support a new soap.

Wonder if streaming is helping soaps? Or remote working?

Either way, yay!

I was thrilled when I subscribed to CBS AllAccess and they had months worth of B&B and Y&R. It allowed me catch up in person instead of reading through recaps. I just wish they’d have archive content, they’re missing out on showing Best/Worst of Sheila to show the fun she brings to LA and technically Genoa City.

Looking forward to ‘The Gates.’ Unfortunately, I’ve had to give up B&B because the writing is awful. Liam/Hope or Liam/Steffy: wash, rinse, & repeat! Worse is how the show dumbed down Brooke, who was this vivacious business woman who suddenly became satisfied being a second banana to Ridge’s ambition and continues to stay with Ridge’s abusive butt.

I miss the Rick & Maya era.

I like Daytime Dramas and this has promise. I don’t like Y&R and Bold and Beautiful but I loved ATWT. It’s great that CBS has recognized the appeal of storytelling for daytime TV rather than endless talk shows, games shows and repetitive local news.

Will not watch.

Wonder why??? Boomer

I’ll be shocked if this makes it a full year. The vast majority of people don’t watch daytime soaps anymore, that’s why so many of them have been cancelled over the past couple of decades. The cost of producing them far outweigh the income the networks get in advertising sales during those time slots. Talk shows, courtroom shows and newsmagazines are much less costly to produce and have vastly better ad sales. I would have been less shocked if CBS had announced that they were doing like what NBC did when they took Days off tv and moved it to streaming and announced that they were replacing Bold and Young/Restless with talk shows and moving them to Paramount Plus. I personally think that at some point in the very near future that if disney doesn’t cancel General Hospital it will take it off ABC and move it to Hulu or Disney Plus, maybe even when the two services merge like has already been rumored.

I wish the networks would take over more of daytime ….. All my locals offer is news and more news and repeated news and more repeated news. Rinse and repeat 14 – 16 hours a day

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