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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

• Gene Roddenberry
• Patrick Stewart
• Brent Spiner
• Jonathan Frakes
• 321 User reviews
• 162 Critic reviews
• 39 wins & 61 nominations total

Episodes 176

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• Captain Jean-Luc Picard …

• Lieutenant Commander Data …

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker …

• Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge …

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Worf …

• Doctor Beverly Crusher …

• Enterprise Computer …

• Wesley Crusher …

• Chief Miles O'Brien …
• Youngblood …

• Lieutenant Natasha 'Tasha' Yar …

• Doctor Katherine Pulaski …

• Nurse Alyssa Ogawa …

• Ansata Terrorist …

• Ensign Ro Laren …

• Keiko O'Brien …
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• Trivia When the cast decided to lobby for a salary increase, Wil Wheaton 's first offer from the producers was to instead have his character promoted to Lieutenant. His response was, "So what should I tell my landlord when I can't pay my rent? 'Don't worry, I just made Lieutenant'?!"
• Goofs It is claimed that Data can't use contractions (Can't, Isn't, Don't, etc) yet there are several instances throughout the series where he does. One of the first such examples is heard in Encounter at Farpoint (1987) , where Data uses the word "Can't" while the Enterprise is being chased by Q's "ship".

[repeated line]

Capt. Picard : Engage!

• Crazy credits The model of the Enterprise used in the opening credits is so detailed, a tiny figure can be seen walking past a window just before the vessel jumps to warp speed.
• Alternate versions The first and last episodes were originally broadcast as two-hour TV movies, and were later re-edited into two one-hour episodes each. Both edits involved removing some scenes from each episode.
• Connections Edited into Reading Rainbow: The Bionic Bunny Show (1988)

User reviews 321

• Jan 2, 2004

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• September 26, 1987 (United States)
• United States
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• Star Trek: TNG
• Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant - 6100 Woodley Avenue, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA (location)
• Paramount Television
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• Runtime 45 minutes
• Dolby Stereo

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Almost Cut Riker & Troi Romance

Is this going to happen, or what? It's a question that "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fans asked pretty much every time Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) shared the screen. The tension between the two made the ongoing story more enjoyable and added a level of relatable realism to the hit sci-fi show. This is why you may be shocked to learn that shortly after the introduction of Troi and Riker — which came with the revelation of a past romantic relationship — the producers and writers took significant steps to try and squash what would become one of the franchise's most beloved love connections.

When Paramount interviewed Sirtis and Frakes, they discussed their on-screen relationship at length. "The fans loved the Troi-Riker thing," Sirtis said. "A lot of the time in the beginning, the writers ignored it." Both actors knew there was something happening between the characters that was too special to drop. "Jonathan and I refused to let it die," Sirtis added. As Frakes explains it, the writers felt there would be more opportunities for new storylines if Troi and Riker were accessible to other people (or aliens). Thankfully, the actors refused to let the romance die, a choice that proved to be the right call.

Sirtis and Frakes refused to give up on Troi and Riker

The fact that Troi and Riker kept their past relationship secret from Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) only made viewers more interested in how this new assignment was going to play out. However, as Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis explained in a behind-the-scenes featurette , the writers weren't interested in developing it. "The writers conveniently decided that it's easier for them if Riker and Troi are single," Frakes said. "Riker had relationships with other people, Troi had relationships with other people — including, for some reason, Worf, which I never can imagine." According to Sirtis, keeping the flame between Troi and Riker burning was a no-brainer. "People will always like a will-they-won't-they," she said.

Riker and Troi ended up together, marrying at the beginning of "Star Trek: Nemesis." Fans got to see them together again in the recent sequel series "Star Trek: Picard," which brought back the cast of "The Next Generation" in its third and final season. Seeing Troi and Riker together again after all those years was a great moment, and it wouldn't have been possible if the actors behind the characters hadn't fought so hard for the relationship. "We kept it going, much to the consternation of the suits," Sirtis said. "The fans loved it and I'm glad that we did it."

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Star Trek’s great unspoken tragedy is Picard’s love life

Picard’s never made time for romance. Season 2 of his Paramount Plus show might

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In the season 2 premiere of Star Trek: Picard , television’s beloved starship captain-turned-vintner (Patrick Stewart) shares a bottle of wine with Laris (Orla Brady), a retired Romulan spy who has been his friend and housekeeper for a decade. Laris, recently widowed, decides to act on their long-simmering attraction, but Picard hesitates and spoils the moment. This leads Picard to reflect back on his life and wonder — after all the worlds he’s saved and the lives he’s touched, how is it that the great Jean-Luc Picard has spent his golden years alone?

This episode, “The Star Gazer,” teases that the coming season will reveal some deep-seated trauma involving his sainted mother Yvette that has fueled his intimacy issues throughout his life. However, Star Trek: The Next Generation has already offered plenty of evidence to explain Jean-Luc Picard’s bachelorhood. The Picard of TNG is a romantic when it comes to art, history, and exploration, but guards his personal feelings very closely . When he first takes command of the Enterprise , he makes himself as impenetrable and unapproachable as possible, carefully curating an image of perfect professionalism.

Over the course of seven years, Captain Picard becomes a friend or mentor to every member of his senior staff, but rarely shares as much of himself as he receives from others. His desire to hide the vulnerable parts of himself has always been framed as a side-effect of the discipline required to achieve and maintain the most prestigious posting in Starfleet.

His journey as we’ve known it begins in childhood, when Jean-Luc decides at a young age that his destiny is to command a Federation starship. Starfleet’s standards are daunting, and Picard throws himself into the tireless pursuit of academic and athletic excellence. In “Suddenly Human,” Picard says that this effort meant “[skipping] his childhood altogether.” Once at the Academy, Picard learns to have a bit of fun, playing cards and hustling dom-jot, but is still a constant overachiever, a two-sport athlete (cross-country and wrestling) who graduates at the top of his class. The single known blemish in his Academy career is a failing grade in Organic Chemistry, which he blames on his distracting romance with an individual known only as “A.F.” Picard spends the rest of his life overcorrecting for this mistake.

Decades later (in “Samaritan Snare”), Picard tells his mentee Wesley Crusher that he’s “never had the time” for marriage. He claims that this is the cost of being an ambitious Starfleet officer, and that if Wesley wants to achieve what Picard has, he’ll have to eschew long-term personal commitments. There’s plenty of evidence in the Star Trek canon to support this claim — of the five classic Star Trek captains, only Benjamin Sisko makes time for a family life, and he commands a space station rather than a starship. Nevertheless, Picard’s avoidance of serious relationships occasionally leads him to make cruel choices. In “We’ll Always Have Paris,” we learn that Picard once had a passionate affair with a civilian, Jenice, while on shore leave on Earth. The two make plans to meet one last time before he ships out, but, afraid that seeing her again might dissuade him from returning to work, Picard completely ghosts her. He commits this act of youthful cowardice at the age of 37 .

Throughout his life, Picard seems willing to lower his guard and enjoy someone’s company only while totally separated from his work. Brief flings on shore leave are ideal, as they have built-in expiration dates. While on vacation to Risa in “Captain’s Holiday,” Picard hooks up with a roguish tomb raider, Vash, with whom he eventually opens up about his life and adventures. When Picard receives a surprise visit from Vash a year later (in “Qpid”), she expects Picard to be excited to see her. Instead, he’s embarrassed, and embarasses her in turn with his clumsy attempts to conceal the nature of their relationship from his crew. He’s told her everything about them, yet no one aboard the Enterprise has even heard of her. They’re all delighted to meet her, but Picard sees Vash as a threat to his well-protected image as a stoic, sturdy figure of pure superego. While Picard’s discomfort is somewhat understandable — plenty of people might find it awkward for their summer fling to show up at their office and make themselves at home — it’s also hurtful to Vash because there is no room for her in his life on the Enterprise at all. The entire ship is his workplace.

While Starfleet has no rules against fraternization, Picard carefully avoids romantic entanglements with his shipmates, both as a junior officer and as a commander. In his later Academy years, Picard develops feelings for his classmate Marta Batanides but chooses not to act on them for fear of complicating their friendship and their careers. A little Q-assisted time travel proves that this is the best outcome in this particular case (see: “Tapestry”), it still establishes an unfortunate pattern in Picard’s life in which he attempts to dismiss or suppress any feeling that might be inappropriate or inconvenient.

One could even argue that Picard is attracted to unavailable women, not because he wants what he can’t have, but because he likes having an excuse not to have it. (See also: Kamala in “The Perfect Mate.”) Picard spends years in love with Dr. Beverly Crusher, his best friend’s widow who later becomes his shipmate and closest friend aboard the Enterprise. Picard believes that revealing his feelings to Beverly would mean betraying the memory of her husband, who died under his command, even though Dr. Crusher plainly attaches no such baggage to their mutual attraction. By the time they admit their feelings for each other, their friendship has become too comfortable to disturb. (Come to think of it, Q’s time travel lets Picard off the hook for this one, too, showing him a future in which Jean-Luc and Beverly are amicable divorcées in “All Good Things…”)

Picard has made two known attempts at managing an office romance. The first is purely backstory — his prior involvement with JAG officer Phillipa Louvois complicates Lt. Commander Data’s trial for personhood in “The Measure of a Man,” as well as Picard’s own court martial over the loss of the USS Stargazer years earlier. The second occurs on screen in “Lessons,” in which he falls in love with science officer Lt. Commander Nella Darren. Darren is sophisticated, cultured, and quite forward, and the two bond quickly over their shared love of music. (She bears a striking resemblance, both in appearance and temperament, to Dr. Beverly Crusher.)

Their relationship suffers from a combination of Picard’s hurdles with Vash and with Beverly. First, Picard wounds Darren by maintaining a cold professional distance from her while in the presence of other officers. Next, Picard is forced to order Darren to risk her life on a dangerous away mission, echoing the death of Jack Crusher. This is painful for the both of them, and they mutually decide that it would be best for Darren, who’s only just arrived on the Enterprise, to request a transfer. This appears to be Picard’s last swing at an ongoing romance; We’ve yet to see any evidence of a serious relationship in the 20 years between the last Next Generation film and the start of Star Trek: Picard .

In a manner of speaking, Jean-Luc Picard’s longest and most fulfilling romantic relationship lasted only 25 minutes. In “The Inner Light,” Picard becomes connected to an ancient alien probe that transports his mind to the planet Kataan and plays out the life of a local artisan named Kamin. Picard is still himself, retaining all his memories of his own life and none of Kamin’s, but his “amnesia” is patiently endured by his community and his wife, Eline. Picard spends years attempting to find a way back to his starship, but eventually settles into a quiet, provincial life on Kataan. He falls in love with Eline and they raise a family. After becoming a father, Picard admits that, while he once believed that he didn’t need children to lead a fulfilling life, now he can’t imagine life without them. Picard carries out Kamin’s life into old age, welcoming his grandchildren and weeping at Eline’s deathbed. At the end of Kamin’s life, the illusion ends and Picard learns that this entire experience has taken place over less than half an hour.

The conditions for Picard’s relationship with Eline perfectly circumvent his usual hangups. He’s separated from his Starfleet career, which becomes a distant memory. He has no reputation to uphold, and no authority to speak of until he begins investing in the wellbeing of his new community. He doesn’t need to seek attachment, because he’s already married to a patient, loving partner. He can’t cut and run, because he has nowhere to go. “The Inner Light” lets Picard live the life that his single-minded careerism and emotional boundaries have cost him, and he experiences it to the fullest. Eline might never have existed, but in many ways she is the love of Picard’s life. Only the limitations of 1990s episodic television keep her from being framed as such. After “The Inner Light,” his experience as Kamin is only referenced once, in “Lessons.”

Indeed, the demands of the medium in which he lives might well be Picard’s most challenging obstacle to maintaining relationships. The Next Generation was produced before serialization took hold over primetime American television, and the introduction of an ongoing romance for the main character would have been a major shake-up of the show’s comfortable status quo. Instead, Picard has a very gradual (and fulfilling) character arc over the course of its seven seasons in which he gradually lowers the personal barriers between himself and his shipmates. The Picard of the end of the series is single and technically childless, but does not seem incomplete. Instead, he comes to accept that the crew of the Enterprise is his family, and that he can enrich his life by accepting and returning the love they offer.

In the series finale, “All Good Things…”, Picard is allowed a glimpse of a possible future in which the Enterprise crew has gone their separate ways and he’s become a lonely old man working his family’s vineyard and suffering from a degenerative neurological disorder. The episode ends with Picard, in the present, joining the crew’s ongoing poker game, symbolizing that he’s finally willing to nurture his personal relationships.

The implication is that this act will change Picard’s life for the better, but Picard is denied his “happily ever after” by the ongoing march of the Star Trek franchise. Picard returns in four feature films , who each tighten the character focus around only two characters, Picard and Data, so that the progression of his other relationships become more difficult to trace. (Picard does seem much more at ease with his peers during the first 20 minutes of Nemesis , with a lot more “family” moments left on the cutting room floor.) He’s eventually pulled back into service for another spin-off, Star Trek: Picard , in which we discover that the crew of the Enterprise has gone their separate ways and he’s become a lonely old man working his family’s vineyard and suffering from a degenerative neurological disorder.

Star Trek: Picard is expected to conclude after three seasons, and will hopefully offer its title character a satisfying final act. The first season finds an older Picard who’s had time to reflect, and regrets not sharing his affection for his friends more openly. Season 2 is poised to confront why it’s so difficult for him to string together the words “I love you,” not only to friends but to prospective partners. But as “All Good Things…” demonstrates, a happy ending for Jean-Luc Picard doesn’t necessarily mean riding off into the sunset with a spouse or partner. The first season of Picard offers him a second chance at a found family with a new set of characters. “The Star Gazer” implies that Picard has “one final frontier yet to come,” an emotional journey in which he’ll confront the part of himself that fears commitment.

This may turn out to be a journey worth watching, but it’s not exactly unexplored space. The addition of a childhood trauma that scars him against intimacy could be an interesting angle, but it could just as easily flatten the character, recontextualizing a decade of gradual development into a response to a single incident. The success of this season of Star Trek: Picard may depend on whether it adds new wrinkles to the emotional life of the character or smooths over the ones that have been there all along.

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

Star trek: discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants, the 10 horniest episodes of star trek, ranked by cultural impact.

Sub Rosa (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and script
• 3.3 Production
• 3.4 Continuity
• 3.5 Reception
• 3.6 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Co-star
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stunt double
• 4.7 Stand-ins
• 4.8.1 Deleted material
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

Doctor Beverly Crusher reads a eulogy before her late grandmother's coffin at the Caldos colony graveyard , with Counselor Deanna Troi and Captain Jean-Luc Picard at her side, describing her grandmother, Felisa Howard , as a healer , and one who offers more than just a healthy body; she will miss her advice, healing , and most of all, her inspiration that she has provided Crusher with through the years. Governor Maturin reads a modified version of the Anglican burial service as her coffin slowly descends beneath the ground. As the colonists circle the grave and the gravediggers begin to bury her, a camellia is thrown to the coffin. Crusher looks over and sees a mysterious man walking with the other colonists who stops and gives her one glance before leaving.

Act One [ ]

Troi compliments Crusher on the eulogy, and the doctor asks about the mysterious man she saw throw the camellia on the coffin, describing him as mid 30s with longish hair. Troi says she didn't see anyone that fits her description. Crusher notes that the camellia was her grandmother's favorite flower, to which Troi responds by wondering whether he might be a friend or patient, but then Crusher mentions that the gesture with the camellia was too personal and that he gave her the most remarkable look. Realizing the need to get her grandmother's affairs in order, she heads to her house and asks Troi to come along with her. Crusher takes one last look at her grandmother's grave and leaves with Troi.

Maturin asks Picard how long he plans on staying, to which the captain replies it would only be a few hours, and inquires why. Maturin explains to Picard that Caldos was one of the first terraforming projects in the Federation , and the weather control infusion systems are a century old and he would like a starship engineer to take a look at them, and possibly upgrade the infusion systems, in exchange for a tour of the colony and being a guest for a home-cooked meal. Since the USS Enterprise -D isn't due to Starbase 621 until the next morning, Picard notes they could delay for a few days, and graciously accepts the governor's offer. The tour is an intriguing offer to Picard as he remarks the colony impressive accomplishment, and describes the terraforming project as reminding him of experiencing Earth 's Scottish Highlands . The governor says that's exactly what the colonists wished; every cornerstone was brought from old cities in Scotland such as Edinburgh , Glasgow , and Aberdeen . The founders wanted to truly recreate Scotland. Maturin took the position of governor of the colony because of his fondness of the Scottish culture and the heritage of the people. He once visited the Glamis Castle , as a boy, feeling he was home when he gazed over the Scot highlands.

First page of Beverly's grandmas diary

At Crusher's grandmother's house, Troi glances at a picture of her and her grandmother and remarks how incredible Felisa's green eyes were. It was a Howard tradition where every woman in her family had green eyes, except her mother and herself, explains Crusher. She can remember her mother well, but remembers Nana more than her mother, who raised her after her mother died. Troi pictures the candle and says how beautiful it is. The candle is a family heirloom and has been in the Howard clan for generations and supposed to symbolize the enduring Howard spirit. Troi decides to return to the Enterprise and allow Crusher to have some time alone, which she appreciates. Wrapping herself in a blanket and reading her grandmother's journal, she goes upstairs.

Another man enters her house unannounced and blows out the candle. The sound of his breath causes Crusher to race down and demand that he leave the house. The man identifies himself to her as Ned Quint , Felisa's caregiver. This surprises the doctor as her grandmother made no mention about Quint, but he replies that there's a lot of things she never talked about and demands that she give up the heirloom. When asked why, he replies the candle has been a curse to her family for generations. Dismissing his claims as rubbish, Crusher forcefully asks Quint to leave. Before leaving, Quint warns her that he will not be responsible for what happens as long as she continues to be a stubborn fool, just as he claims all the other Howard women were. Crusher finally pushes him out of the house and closes the door.

Back on the Enterprise , Lieutenant Commander Data performs basic maintenance on the colony's primary systems in engineering . Maturin asks about the seismic stabilizers due to the fact they've been having tremors for the past couple of months. He then humors the android by saying how it's like to enjoy afternoon tea while the Earth is shaking. The governor is alerted by Geordi La Forge about a power fluctuation in one of the weather control substations that controls atmospheric humidity, the first problem noted with the systems in over twenty years. Data checks the weather patterns and discovers the formation of a storm system in the northern coastal area, which, according to Maturin, normally doesn't happen in the summer and now threatens the next day's caber toss .

Picard and Crusher discuss the entries in her grandmother's journal and was surprised to learn she had a younger lover, even though none of her grandmother's letters had mentioned him. The man is identified as 34-year-old Ronin , whom Felisa met shortly after Crusher's great-grandmother passed away; Ronin seems to match the description of the man who threw the camellia onto the grave earlier. Picard explains to Crusher they'll be staying in orbit for for a while longer, which gives her an opportunity to straighten out her grandmother's affairs. As she enters her quarters , Picard wonders aloud why a man like Ronin would be dating Crusher's grandmother at his current age.

The heirloom begins to flicker in Crusher's quarters as she is sleeping soundly, with her grandmother's journal still open beside her. The covers over her begin to recede, as well as her nightgown begins to slide away exposing her shoulder, and Crusher reacts as if someone was kissing her on the neck . An eerie voice calls her name, causing her to rise from her bed in fear.

Act Two [ ]

Discussing the events the night before with Troi while sitting at a table together in Ten Forward , Crusher explains to her she did not dream, but felt a presence with her. The experience she felt, especially when she was called out by her name, felt like she knew the person, or vice versa; it also was the most physical dream she ever had, as he knew exactly how she likes to be touched. The sensations were real, and extremely arousing, which caused Troi to be envious of her. Crusher admitted she fell asleep after reading a particularly erotic chapter in her grandmother's journal, going as far as detailing her experience with Ronin. She becomes curious if she would have another dream tonight, prompting Troi to suggest that she reads two chapters.

Back on the colony, and out of uniform, Crusher enters the cemetery with flowers for her grandmother's grave . She sees Quint putting the final touches of the grave and Quint suggests that he should leave so she can spend time alone. Crusher apologizes that they didn't start off well, and understands, from her grandmother's journals, how much he meant to her grandmother. Quint admits that she would not find another grand woman like Felisa, and says that Crusher possesses her grandmother's fire. She offers Quint an olive branch and welcomes him to stay at the house to take care of it when she leaves on the Enterprise , but Quint swore he would never enter that house again, and advises her to do the same. He explains the house is haunted, and warns her not to light the candle or she'll bring out the ghost. " He's out now ", he says, angry about being driven out. Quint blames the ghost on causing the storm that is about to occur. Crusher dismisses Quint's warning and explains the Enterprise is repairing one of the weather control substations that is malfunctioning. Quint asks her " Who do you think is causing the malfunction? " and warns her again not to light the candle or go into the house, or he'll be burying another Howard in the cemetery before long. As he turns to leave, the storm intensifies as thunder and green lightning begin to crackle. Crusher turns around and sees Felisa's grave covered in flowers. The storm continues to intensify as Crusher retreats to her residence.

Lieutenant Worf detects large pockets of atmospheric turbulence and regions of electrical activity. Picard orders that this be shown on the main viewer , and sees in Commander Riker 's own words " one hell of a thunderstorm " that is growing in intensity. Data explains to the captain that what began as a power fluctuation has now spread throughout the control grid and has caused an unusual concentration of cumulonimbus activity around the colony. La Forge recommends they set up a power transfer beam between the Enterprise and the weather control substations to give them enough power to stabilize the storm.

A gift from Ronin

Crusher returns to the house soaked, and is surprised to find the foyer of the house full of flowers.

Act Three [ ]

Ronin's reflection through the mirror

The door slams shut behind her as the fear level in Crusher rises. Asking if it was Quint in the house or someone else, she calls out for that person, and no one replies. Walking around the house, she calls out that she knows someone is inside and strongly suggests the person comes out. The mirror begins to tap against the wall, which she picks up and checks behind it to find nothing out of the ordinary. As she places it back, she finds a man in the reflection beside her, which frightens her, causing her to drop the mirror. She turns around and finds no one there, and warns whoever is in the house to show himself or she will contact the Enterprise and will have ten security guards down to the house in thirty seconds. The man calls her name and says he has come back for her and says that he was with her last night. Crusher dismisses it as a dream and reaches for her combadge to call the Enterprise . Suddenly she becomes dizzy and pain-stricken, leading her to drop her combadge to the floor. The mysterious visitor proclaims his love to her, just as he loved Felisa before. Crusher puts the pieces together and identifies the visitor as Ronin, who identifies himself as a spirit who lived in Glasgow in 1647. There he found a home with Jessel Howard , describing her as a pretty lass with a mane of red hair, and eyes like diamonds. He stayed with her daughter after Jessel died, and her daughter after her, and down on down the family clan through generations.

Wracked in fear and terror, she wanted to know how he came to Caldos, two hundred light years away from Earth. Ronin tells her when her family moved into the galaxy , he moved with them. Crusher doesn't believe him, but Ronin says he believes the Howard women are the most beautiful he has ever known. Crusher then feels a strange sensation as Ronin says they are becoming one. Something she doesn't understand, but nevertheless, wants him to stop.

Troi stops by Crusher's quarters on the Enterprise to see if she was going to the mok'bara class tonight, but she plans to skip it, due to her exhaustion. Troi is curious and asks if she had another dream, but the doctor says no, and everything is alright. Troi gets suspicious and asks if she was seeing someone, a suspicion proved correct when Crusher tries to dismiss it. Crusher simply says she met someone, but Troi's telepathic abilities says otherwise. Crusher admits defeat and reveals that she saw Ronin, her grandmother's lover. This man she says is unlike any man she met before, and is so passionate about her. It's a strange relationship says Troi, but nonetheless is very happy for her. Despite this, Troi offers her some advice: Ronin and Crusher have both suffered a tremendous loss, and that shared tragedies can often create the illusion of closeness, and romance. Crusher appreciates her advice but dismisses it, simply saying she's only interested, but not in love; with Ronin.

A dense fog rolls into the bridge

In the turbolift , Maturin explains to Picard that he moved to the colony because it was a recreation of Scotland, but admits it's getting a little too real for his taste, and sneezes. When they step foot on the bridge , the deck is flooded with a dense fog. The cause is a malfunction in the ship's environmental controls, which is traced to the power transfer , which is creating a feedback from one of the weather control sub stations. Data is unable to terminate the connection as a feedback loop is preventing it from being shut off. He would have to go to the sub station itself and correct it from there. Picard agrees and decides to go into his ready room to get his jacket in the meantime.

La Forge and Data determine that the weather control grid is experiencing a power failure. A problem that is impossible according to La Forge, but is interrupted by Ned Quint who is dismantling the primary power conduit. Data asks him to stop, but Quint will not. Data forces him to get up, but Ned warns both Starfleet officers to keep away from him and warns them the ghost is trying to kill them all. A shock of green energy discharges and strikes Quint from the conduit sending him tumbling down near the feet of Data and La Forge. They both rush to check on him, and Data checks his pulse. He reads nothing, and grimly tells La Forge " He is dead… "

Act Four [ ]

La Forge summarizes that he was trying to shut down the entire weather control system, and a plasma discharge from the primary plasma conduit is what killed Quint. Maturin knew him and doesn't believe he would do something like this, since he kept mostly to himself. Because of the tampering, another day would have to be added to the repairs, and Data lets the governor know the weather patterns will continue.

Crusher finds something and brings it to the attention of Data. It was not a plasma discharge that killed him, but an anomalous energy residual, which Data links to the malfunctions to the sub stations, and suggests they scan the colony for those same readings. Crusher asks Maturin to take Quint's body back to the ship for further tests, which he accepts; but she won't run the tests herself, instead telling Martinez to ask Dr. Selar to run a biospectral analysis . When asked by Maturin why she won't do it herself, she quotes other matters she needs to attend to.

Back at the house, Crusher again makes contact with Ronin. He knows about Quint's death but tells her there is something more important they have to talk about. And so he appears in the flesh, claiming he can not stay in corporeal form for long and that he needs Crusher's help – he wants her to light the candle. Ronin confirms that he lives in the candle and that he weakens if he is away from it for too long. That is why the women in Crusher's family have kept it lit. The candle is on the ship, so as Crusher returns to get it, Ronin follows her, traveling along the power transfer beam in his natural form.

In her quarters back on the Enterprise , Crusher lights the candle and is fidgeting while sitting on her bed when Ronin appears again. He promises her they will be together as one, as it has been for the Howard women before her. He then transforms into his anaphasic state and merges with Crusher.

A distraught Picard walks in to the transporter room , where Crusher is getting ready to transport to the surface. He is holding a PADD displaying Crusher's resignation from Starfleet and demands an explanation. Crusher, who is all too anxious to get out of there, states that her intentions are to stay at the colony to be a healer like her grandmother and thus upholding the family tradition. As she has resigned from Starfleet, Picard is forced to let her go.

Act Five [ ]

Picard and Troi discuss what has happened in his ready room. She tells him that the attraction between Crusher and Ronin is intense and intimate, and that the counselor warned her that the relationship was very sudden but that Crusher did not want to discuss it. Yet Troi sensed there was something Crusher was not telling her. Picard characterizes this decision as sudden and ill-considered, and that it is not at all like Crusher to behave like this. Data enters and informs the captain that he and La Forge have detected an energy residual that matches the anaphasic signature found on Quint's body. It is coming from the colony's cemetery. Picard orders Data to go there and locate the source. As Data and La Forge scan the cemetery with their tricorders , they discover that the energy readings are concentrated at Felisa Howard's burial site.

At the Howard house, Ronin tells Crusher that they will be completely merged soon and soon will become one. There is a knocking on the door; when Crusher does not react, Picard opens it by himself. He startles her, apologizes and says he would like to meet Ronin, but Crusher tells him Ronin is not there. He asks her if she has changed the color of her eyes, and tells her that he preferred the color they used to be. Crusher becomes agitated and makes it clear to him that she is not going to change her mind, and asks Picard to leave. He says that he won't as he understands that something is wrong. He points out the fact that no-one but Crusher has even seen Ronin, so Ronin reveals himself to Picard, by coming down the stairs.

Picard starts questioning him, asking where he is from and how long he has been on Caldos. Ronin avoids the questions and tells Picard all that matters is that he and Crusher will be together for the rest of their lives. Data and La Forge hail Picard over the combadge and tell him of their findings at the cemetery. They request permission to exhume the body, but Ronin protests and urges Picard not to desecrate Felisa's grave. Picard asks why they cannot and wonders what Ronin is so afraid of. Picard orders Data to ask the governor's permission to exhume the body. Ronin threatens to go to the governor himself and Picard challenges him to do it, believing that the governor won't know who Ronin is and will have the same questions for him as Picard has. Picard continues to ask Ronin questions he can not answer until he turns in to his natural form and attacks Picard who is struck unconscious. Crusher takes out her medkit and starts to treat the captain. Ronin urges her to stop the exhumation, but she fears Picard will die if she leaves him. Ronin leaves for the cemetery and as Picard comes to he urges Crusher to go after him.

" Nana's dead. Leave her alone! "

At the cemetery, La Forge and Data have the Enterprise transport the coffin out of the grave, where they lift off the lid and scan Felisa Howard's peaceful body. Data determines that there is anaphasic energy in her body and that it has extended to the cellular level. La Forge is surprised at this as Felisa was nowhere on the weather station and in fact died of natural causes. All of a sudden, the dead woman sits up in her coffin, her eyes glowing green. She strikes Data and La Forge to the ground in the same manner as Ronin attacked Picard, green bolts shooting through their bodies. As her friends fall to the ground, Crusher screams " no! " across the cemetery.

Ronin, in her grandmother's body, asks her to trust him. Crusher, holding the candle in her hand, screams at him to leave her grandmother's body. And so he does, materializing again as the young man who has followed the Howard women through generations. He asks for her forgiveness, as he was only trying to make sure they could be together. But she can see through his game now, realizing that she has been infused with the same energy that killed Quint. Now she understands what he is, not a ghost but an anaphasic lifeform that's been using her grandmother as a host in order to maintain molecular cohesion. She's scanned the candle and it turned out to be plasma based, used only as a receptacle in order to merge with Crusher, her grandmother, and those who came before them. Ronin defends himself, claiming he loved his hosts and in turn that they loved him.

Crusher destroys the candle

He asks her to give him the candle and as she refuses, La Forge is treated to another energy charge. Ronin threatens to kill him if she doesn't comply. Reluctantly, Crusher sets the candle down on the ground between them. Quickly, she grabs La Forge's phaser out of its holster and shoots the candle, destroying it, and then hails Riker and tells him to close off all the plasma conduits at the weather control stations. With no where left for him to go, Ronin says he has one last place: her. Ignoring her demands to keep away, Crusher fires at him, which weakens him. As Ronin throws himself at her in one final attempt to take her as his host, Crusher fires the phaser at him and the anaphasic lifeform is vaporized. Overwhelmed with grief over the fact she "killed" her lover, she drops the phaser and falls to her knees, sobbing.

Back on the Enterprise , Data and La Forge have recovered from their ordeal. Doctor Crusher is talking to Troi about the events of the last few days. Now she understands that Ronin had somehow found one of her ancestors, a woman who had a biochemistry that made her compatible as a host. Although relieved that she escaped being initiated into the "family tradition", a part of her is sad. As she re-read the entries from her grandmother's diary , she realized that whatever else Ronin had done, he made Felisa very happy.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" When I was a boy, my family visited Glamis Castle in Scotland. As I looked out across the highlands, I felt as if I had come home. "

" It's a family heirloom. It's been in the Howard clan for generations. It's supposed to symbolize the enduring Howard spirit. Wherever they may go, the shining light to guide them through their fortune. Nana always kept it lit. I remember sitting here listening to ghost stories with only the candle burning. "

" You dreamt you were in bed with someone? "

" The sensations were very real and extremely arousing. " " Frankly, I'm envious. "

" I did fall asleep reading a particularly erotic chapter in my grandmother's journal. "

" Howard women… always the same stubborn fools. "

" That candle has brought nothing but misery and bad luck to your grandmother. "

" That's verra kind of you, lass, but I'll ne'er set foot in that house again. And I recommend that you dinna, either. "

" You have been using me, Nana, my entire family for centuries! " " And I loved all of them! And they loved me. "

" Beverly… I love you. Bever… "

" Think what you want. See what you want. Just do as I say. Dinna light that candle or dinna go to that hoose, or before you know it, they'll be burying another Howard in this cemetery. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Final draft script: 5 November 1993 [1]
• Filmed: 9 November 1993 – 17 November 1993 [2]
• Premiere airdate: 31 January 1994
• First UK airdate: 10 April 1996

Story and script [ ]

A couple of grave robbers

• "Sub Rosa" originated from a pitch from freelance writer Jeanna F. Gallo . Jeri Taylor recalled, " The original spec script was that there have been aliens throughout history on Earth who had possessed people and they were responsible for much of what we called supernatural paranormal events. That writer had the idea of the Scottish kind of origins of Beverly. Rick and Michael were very distrustful of this story. They considered it a romance novel in space and felt the possibility for embarrassment was monumental, but I just knew it would work. It's a different kind of story for Star Trek to tell. It is a romance but we do have women in our audience and women do traditionally respond to romantic stories. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• Taylor denied that the story was inspired by Anne Rice 's The Witching Hour . She explained, " One of Brannon and my favorite movies is The Innocents , which comes from Henry James ' Turn of the Screw . We saw this episode as a homage, and we packed in every sort of Gothic ghost story trick that one could imagine. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ); Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• Consequently, the caretaker Ned Quint and Jessel Howard were a homage by Brannon Braga to valet Peter Quint and the governess Miss Jessel in The Innocents . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• Literally translated from Japanese, rōnin means "drifting person". Generally, however, it is used to refer to a Samurai warrior who lacked a master. Braga made up the name before learning the meaning in Japanese. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• Felisa was named for Braga's own grandmother, who had died shortly before this episode was written. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• The episode alludes to the preservation of religious traditions in a secularized form. At Howard's burial service, the mourners can clearly be heard uttering "Amen" and blessing themselves, but in reciting lines from the traditional Anglican burial service, Governor Maturin replaces "sure and certain hope of the Resurrection unto eternal life" with "sure and certain hope that her memory will be kept alive within us all."
• The episode had the working title "Passions". [3]
• This is one of seventeen Star Trek episodes with titles derived from Latin .
• Felisa was said to be at least 100 years old at the time of her death, though her grave stone gives her birth year as 2291 , which would make her only about 79 (which was much closer to the actual age of her performer Ellen Albertini Dow , who was about 80 years old at the time of filming). Interestingly, Dow would in fact live to be over one hundred years old.

Production [ ]

The tombstone of Caldos colony resident McFly

• "Sub Rosa" was filmed between Tuesday 9 November 1993 and Wednesday 17 November 1993 . [4]
• As in-jokes, the gravestones in the graveyard bore the names of various movie characters, including McFly ( Back to the Future ) and Vader ( Star Wars ). ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• Property master Alan Sims was surprised during the filming of this episode when the actress chosen to play Felisa Howard turned out to be Ellen Albertini Dow , his college drama teacher in 1972. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• Effects supervisor David Stipes recalled, " The challenge really was to get the ghost. I thought everyone was really courageous in tackling this story. But if we didn't make that work, the whole story wouldn't sell: how to do purposeful, borderline-erotic ephemerals to look like it's caressing and hugging Beverly – without looking ridiculous or lewd? " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))

Continuity [ ]

• The notion of Beverly's grandmother being a healer can be traced back to the first season episode " The Arsenal of Freedom ". Injured in a subterranean cavern, Beverly uses the medicinal knowledge of roots and herbs learned from her grandmother to assist Picard in treating her wounds.
• Duncan Regehr later went on to play the recurring role of Shakaar Edon in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Michael Keenan also appeared on DS9 as Patrick in " Statistical Probabilities " and " Chrysalis " as well as playing King Hrothgar in VOY : " Heroes and Demons ".
• This is one of only five TNG episodes that doesn't have a stardate. The others are " Symbiosis ", " First Contact ", " Tapestry " and " Liaisons ". Since Troi is still a Lieutenant commander , the episode happens earlier than 47611.2 where she becomes a Commander (" Thine Own Self "). On Netflix if you watch it with English subtitles at the end when Picard says "Captain's log supplemental" the captions say stardate 47488.2.
• The control panels seen in the weather substation appear to use a late 23rd century layout. This is consistent with Maturin's comment that the weather control systems are almost a century old.

Reception [ ]

• The production staff noted that fan response to the episode was split along gender lines, with men hating "Sub Rosa" and women loving it. ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• Braga noted the show was not popular among who he dubbed "hard-core fans". " I've come to notice that whenever you infuse a show with sexual themes, some of these fans seem to short-circuit. I mean, the weather array malfunction causing thunderstorms – it was fun! " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• René Echevarria recalled, " I can still reduce Brannon to shudders when I go into his office and say, 'I can travel on the power transfer beam'. But the cast loved it. Every woman on the lot who read it was coming up to Brannon and patting him. Ultimately I think it was worth doing because it was campy fun and the production values were wonderful. The sets look great and everybody threw themselves into it. Gates did a wonderful job. It just got bigger and broader and to the point of grandmother leaping out of the grave. Just having Beverly basically writhing around having an orgasm at 6 o'clock on family TV was great. For that alone it was worth doing. We got away with murder. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• Naren Shankar was one of the story's early opponents. " It's a Gothic ghost story. Either you buy it or you don't buy it at all, and I was sort of in the latter category. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• Ronald D. Moore stated, " I kinda liked it. I thought it was good to try a different genre on TNG and mix things up a little. It's not a perfect show by any means, but I'm glad we did it. " ( AOL chat , 1997 )
• Taylor remarked, " The lovemaking without a partner – this is not easy stuff to do and she committed herself to it completely. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• Braga commented, " It was the best performance I've ever seen. I just thought she did a wonderful job. Picard catches Beverly masturbating for crying out loud! What a tough role to play. When I was writing the words, 'She writhes around in the bed having invisible sex,' I just thought, 'Oh man, we're asking for trouble. Are they gonna be able to pull this off?' Thanks to [director] Jonathan Frakes and Gates, it was not hokey. It was very good. Look, I scripted the first orgasm in " The Game ". This was mild by comparison. Sure it was racy. Even Rick Berman had said, 'I can't believe we're doing this.' I think they trimmed quite a bit out of the writhing sequences. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• Frakes opined, " I drew a good straw because it wasn't a Star Trek . It was more like Tales from the Crypt . Gates and I have worked well together and she was never better than in 'Sub Rosa' and never looked more beautiful. She looked like a movie star. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• At an Austin, Texas convention in 2012, Gates McFadden stated she wasn't very fond of this episode. " I was basically in love with a lamp! This woman is a doctor and falls in love with a lamp! How the hell does that work? " [5]

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 83, 11 July 1994
• As part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition under the "Crusher" section, 29 September 1997
• As part of the TNG Season 7 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William T. Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

Guest stars [ ]

• Michael Keenan as Maturin
• Shay Duffin as Ned Quint
• Duncan Regehr as Ronin

Co-star [ ]

• Ellen Albertini Dow as Felisa

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Cullen Chambers as command division officer
• Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
• John Copage as science division officer
• Elliot Durant III as operations division ensign
• Fumiko Hamada as command division officer
• Gary Hunter as science division officer
• Michael Moorehead as science division ensign
• Keith Rayve as command division ensign
• Tim McCormack as Bennett
• Noriko Suzuki as operations division ensign
• Talbot as Ten Forward waitress
• Oliver Theess as command division officer
• Mikki Val as civilian
• Alien funeral attendee
• Female operations division ensign (stock footage)
• Fifteen Human funeral attendees
• Martinez (voice)
• Transporter chief (voice)
• Two graveyard workers

Stunt double [ ]

• Ken Lesco as stunt double for Shay Duffin

Stand-ins [ ]

• David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Debbie David – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Michael Echols – stand-in for Michael Dorn
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart

References [ ]

47 ; 1647 ; 2242 ; 2270 ; 2348 ; 2350 ; 2365 ; 2369 ; Aberdeen ; ability ; advice ; afternoon tea ; altruism ; amen ; anaphasic energy ; anaphasic lifeform ; aqueduct ; biochemistry ; biospectral analysis ; body ; caber toss ; Caldos ; Caldos colony ; Caldos colony founders ; camellia ; candle ; caress ( caressing ); cellular level ; Celsius ; cemetery ; chapter coffin ; communication relay ; Coriolis force ; cornerstone ; Crusher, Jack R. ; cumulonimbus ; deep tissue scan ; description ; desert ; detail ; Earth ; Edinburgh ; energy matrix ; environmental control ; envious ( envy ); exhumation ; experience ; eye ; Federation ; feedback ; Felisa's grandmother ; flower ; fog ; founder ; Galaxy class decks ; generation ; gesture ; ghost ; ghost story ; Glasgow ; Glamis Castle ; governor ; granddaughter ; grandmother ; grave ; gravestone ; gravity ; green ; groundskeeper ; hand ; healer ; healing ; high pressure trough ; Howard, Isabel ; Howard, Jessel ; Howard family ; Howard family candle ; Howard home ; humidity ; illness ; in love ; intimate ; isobaric pressure ; katabatic pressure ; journal ; light year ; McFly ; McManus ; medicinal tea ; meter ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mirror ; Mok'bara ; nana ; pain ; painting ; pair ; passenger list ; patient ; personnel report ; physical intimacy ; picture frame ; plasma conduit ; power transfer beam ; reality ; Scotland ; Scots ; Scots language ; Scottish Highlands ; security guard ; seismic stabilizer ; Selar ; September ; service ; skin ; Southern Desert ; Starbase 621 ; Starfleet ; storm ; storm system ; summer ; temperature ; terraforming ; thunderstorm ; tremor ; Vader ; voice ; weather control grid ; weather control system ; weather pattern ; weather station ; weather substation ; well-being ; year

Deleted material [ ]

buttermilk ; cinnamon ; currant ; dollop ; flour ; ginger ; gingerbread ; goblin ; gram ; Kilmarnock ; milliliter ; molasses ; oven ; baking pan ; sugar

External links [ ]

• " Sub Rosa " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Sub Rosa " at Wikipedia
• "Sub Rosa" at StarTrek.com
• " "Sub Rosa" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "Sub Rosa" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

How Star Trek Made LeVar Burton Actually Glow For Its Identity Crisis Episode

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Identity Crisis" (March 25, 1991), Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) meets an old friend, Lieutenant Commander Susanna Leijten (Maryann Plunkett), the only surviving member of a mission they both went on years before. It seems that their compatriots have gone missing or stolen shuttlecrafts to return to the planet Tarchannen III, where they were last united. Soon after her arrival, Leijten also begins exhibiting weird behavior, twitching nervously and demanding a visit to Tarchannen III. Her body begins to mutate. Her fingers fuse together and eerie blue veins appear on her skin. Her eyes turn yellow. It's all Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) can do to slow the mutations.

Geordi, while unattended, also suddenly begins to mutate. He eventually returns to Tarchannen III, having turned into a near-invisible creature that can only be seen under a special blacklight. Leijten has to overcome her own mutations and communicate with Geordi before his transformation becomes irreversible.

"Identity Crisis" is a good body-horror episode of "Star Trek," and perhaps shouldn't be watched in the dark alone. The scene where Geordi recreates a shadow on the holodeck is one of the scariest in the show's history.

In order to achieve the look of the invisible alien, Burton had to undergo a full-body makeup process  that involved a facial prosthetic, contact lenses, a lot of painted-on veins, alien gloves, and alien feet. It was the most makeup Burton ever had to wear on "The Next Generation."

In the book "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages" edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, "Crisis" director David Livingston recalled the makeup process in detail, as well as the complex lighting the episode required. Livingston used U/V light on set, a first for the series.

The Mark & Brian Show

Some fun trivia: local KLOS DJs Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps, stars of "The Mark & Brian Show," played two additional aliens in the episode. They had no lines and just lurched past the camera. They also didn't have to undergo the same makeup process that Burton did, wearing full-body stockings and masks instead. The issue was getting the aliens to glow as it said in the script, a problem Livingston presented to his producer, Peter Lauritson. After checking out some test footage, Livingston went to longtime "Trek" makeup artist Michael Westmore and longtime costumer Robert Blackman about achieving the look. Livingston explained:

"We were talking about how we're going to make these guys glow and Peter Lauritson said to me, 'Why don't we try ultraviolet?' [...] I said because we had done a test the year before. I almost dismissed it, but then pulled out the tape and looked at it, and said this stuff is great. [I] went to Michael Westmore and Bob Blackman and said we want to do this, and they designed these suits and we painted them with U/V [paint] and put these contact lenses into this woman's eyes that glowed. [...] LeVar looked fabulous."

The costumes looked great, and they did indeed glow under a blacklight, a phenomenon anyone who has visited a commercial haunted house has likely encountered. The next problem, however, was lighting a set with blacklight-activated aliens on it. It seems that Livingston had to employ a special kind of blue lamp on set to bathe everything in a low, even color. This was in addition to the white lights needed to illuminate the actors. This kind of lighting had never been done on "Next Generation," a show that typically featured clean and even lighting.

The blue beacon

Livingston described the lighting rig as follows:

"We used heavy blue light for the set lighting, and it's different lighting than you see elsewhere because all the source coming from behind the camera is blue light. That's a decision we made and it should look harsh and unrealistic and not well-lit because it's not lit from one single blue source. It's basically a beacon shining out. It looked different than anything else and that was intentional." 

It was certainly strange-looking, giving off a ghostly vibe that wasn't used elsewhere in the series. Livingston noted that it worked well before adding that, after 1991, many other photographers and TV-makers started to use a stylized U/V light to create glowing images, notably in music videos. He continued:

"What I was surprised at was how powerful the U/V reflected back, and MTV is using it a lot now. I liked our use because it was integrated into the story. We used it to make it work dramatically rather than doing it as an effect. To me, that was a major accomplishment. We didn't do it to just be glitzy, we did it because it tied in dramatically with the story."

The makeup on Burton took four makeup artists and six full hours to apply. It was not just Burton's most extensive makeup job but the longest application in the history of the series. Luckily for Geordi, he was spared a subplot in the "Crisis" script wherein he and Leijten experienced a stalled romance. Geordi had already experienced several stalled romances , and piling another one on the character seemed cruel. The showrunners merely mutated him into an alien instead.

The Star Trek “Origin” Movie Is Finally Going Into Production

The new Star Trek prequel movie is set to be revealed on the big screen. Probably.

For 30 years — from 1979 to 2009 — the longest wait between new Star Trek feature films was seven years. And, for most of that period, from the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) to Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), there was almost always a new Star Trek movie in theaters every two to four years. But after the wildly successful J.J. Abrams-directed reboot film in 2009, the release clip for Trek movies went from maximum warp to impulse power, to glacially slow. And now, by the time the next Star Trek movie hits theaters, it will have been about 10 years since the previous one — Star Trek Beyond — beamed into cinemas in 2016.

Since that time, for Trekkies, updates of a new Star Trek film have been very similar to the game football Lucy plays with Charlie Brown; just when a hypothetical movie sounds real, it gets snatched away. But now, there’s a glimmer of hope. Thanks to reports out of CinemaCon 2024, it looks like, the next Trek film is scheduled for release in either 2025 or 2026. But what’s it about? And will it really happen?

Star Trek 14 is “an untitled origin story”

The new “origin story” will be set before the 2009 reboot. But how many decades before?

During CinemaCon 2024, Paramount confirmed several in-development projects including a live-action GI Joe / Transformers crossover (teased in 2023’s Rise of the Beasts ), a hardcore Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action movie, a remake of the sci-fi thriller The Running Man (from Edgar Wright), the confirmation of an Avatar trilogy, and the assertion that a new Star Trek feature film will go into production this year, with a release date soon to follow.

Since 2016 to now, there have been at least five different attempts to make a new Star Trek film, either as timey wimey direct sequel to Beyond (“Star Trek 4”) a one-off space mobster movie (Quentin Tarantino’s script) or something else entirely (Noah Hawley and Matt Shakman’s attempts that remain undisclosed). But now, although Paramount is reportedly developing a sequel to Beyond — which would feature the reboot cast from the 2009 film one last time — the next Star Trek movie is not that sequel, but instead, as previously reported , an “origin story” that “takes place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film that rebooted the franchise.” This movie has been confirmed to be directed by Toby Haynes ( Andor, Doctor Who ) with a script from Seth Grahame-Smith ( The Lego Batman Movie , Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter) .

Wait? Wasn’t the 2009 film an “origin story?” While the answer to this question is technically a “yes,” the 2009 film (just titled Star Trek ) was also partially a time-travel sequel to the canon established in The Next Generation , and literally everything else in the Trek franchise up until that point. By saying the new prequel film takes place “decades before” the first reboot, this could hypothetically mean that the movie takes place in both the Prime and Kelvin timelines simultaneously.

TLDR: The Trek timeline diverged in the first reboot movie, beginning in the year 2233, so, a story set even a few decades before that divergence, in the 2210s or 2220s or earlier, would be consistent with all versions of Trek's future history. Presumably, the “origin story” won’t take place in the two decades between the prologue of the 2009 film (2233) and the main story (2258), because honestly, even for hardcore Trekkies that’s a big canon headache. So, sometime in the early 2200s, but before the 2230s is probably the best bet. And, even if the movie was set a bit earlier than that — say in the late 2180s or 2190s — we’d still be dealing with a very early point of Starfleet history that has never been depicted and that we know almost nothing about. Hence, if you squint — and don’t think about the prequel series Enterprise (2151-2161) too much — then yes, we’re looking at an origin story in which pretty much anything could happen.

Star Trek “origin” movie release date

One of the earliest shots of the USS Enterprise — from the 1964 Star Trek pilot episode “The Cage.” The new prequel film will likely be set half a century before this moment.

While some tweets out of CinemaCon seemed to indicate that the new Star Trek movie could hit next year in 2025 , TrekMovie confirmed that the “Untitled Star Trek Origin Story,” is on the Paramount slate for 2025 or 2026. TrekMovie also predicted that 2026 is more likely, writing, “If Paramount can move fast enough they could get the origin movie into theaters by 2026 — in time for Star Trek’s 60th anniversary.” Then again, 2025 is not impossible, it’s just cutting it a little close.

It should also be noted that the entire corporate entity of Paramount is reportedly close to a merger that would see it purchased by Skydance Media, the same production company behind the three existing J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek reboots. If that deal is finalized soon, then, yes, this Star Trek feature film might actually happen very quickly. And if it doesn’t, there will still be plenty of new Star Trek shows streaming , not to mention the first direct-to-streaming standalone Star Trek movie, Section 31 , starring Michelle Yeoh, which will hit Paramount+ sometime later this year.

All the reboot Star Trek films (2009-2016) are currently streaming on Paramount+. The previous ten films (1979-2002) are all on Max.

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Published Jun 14, 2022

Strange New Worlds 101: Romance

Love is one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy, after all

StarTrek.com

Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode six to follow!

Welcome back to Strange New Worlds 101! We’re over halfway through the series now, and the show keeps getting better and better. This most recent episode, "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach," followed the “ Spock Amok ” with a heartrending tale about sacrifice, focused on Pike as not only a captain but as a person beyond the uniform and rank — giving insight into Pike’s personal life a little better.

A Starfleet captain engaging in some romance isn’t unheard of. From Edith Keeler to Carol Marcus, even Captain James T. Kirk fell in love a few times throughout his Starfleet career. However, he never settled down with anyone except his loyal First Officer and crew. In The Next Generation , Picard tended to be more intellectual than romantic, but he still harbored feelings for Dr. Beverly Crusher. In his latest series, Star Trek: Picard , Jean-Luc’s personal feelings were the center of the second season, ultimately ending with him opening his heart to close friend Laris.

Deep Space Nine’s Benjamin Sisko mourned his wife for the first three seasons of Deep Space Nine and didn’t have time for romance (and with all the trouble Gul Dukat and Kai Winn were causing, who would?). But once being introduced to Kasidy Yates, Sisko opened his heart again and eventually wed Kasidy in the show’s final season. On the other hand, Janeway tended to keep her romances to her holonovels. Though she and Chakotay orbited each other throughout the early seasons of the show.

Jonathan Archer had a few romantic interests both prior to and during the show, but romance was never key to his journey as a captain on Star Trek: Enterprise . In the newer series, Star Trek: Discovery 's Captain Michael Burnham has had two key romantic relationships: one with Ash Tyler and the other with Cleveland “Book” Booker. On the Cerritos , Lower Decks ’ Captain Carol Freeman is happily married to an Admiral.

Needless to say, there’s room in the world for a captain to find love, even if only for an episode. Captain Pike is no exception. “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” features Pike reuniting with an old flame, Alora. The pair had previously met on Pike’s first mission to her world, where he saved her life. This time, Alora invites him to stay on her homeworld, which will help him avoid his preordained fate. However, after Pike sees the cost of her society’s peace, he cannot stay with her. The relationship ends on a tragic note, as many of the one-off episodes featuring a character romancing a series regular tend to.

Star Trek Power Couples Who Make Us Believe in Love

But Alora is not Pike’s only chance at love. There’s also a character we saw in the pilot, “Strange New Worlds,” who seems to have a piece of Pike’s heart. Captain Batel encouraged Pike to return to Starfleet, saying she hoped he wouldn’t be here when she returned from her latest mission. In the one scene we saw of them, they had a sweet bond, and hopefully Batel will make more of an appearance throughout the show.

And then there’s Vina. Vina is perhaps the great love of Pike’s life, and we’ve known her since the original pilot of The Original Series . In “The Cage,” as well as the two part episode “The Menagerie” in TOS that featured footage from “The Cage,” Pike meets fellow prisoner Vina after he is captured by the Talosians. After they escape, Vina chooses to remain behind on Talos IV. In the Star Trek: Discovery episode “If Memory Serves,” Pike returns to Talos IV and is reunited with his love in a way. The Talosians project Vina’s image onto the Discovery to speak to Pike, ending with her disappearing again.

Michael Gibson/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc.

“The Menagerie Part 2” already reveals how Pike and Vina’s love story will end. After Spock steals the Enterprise during Kirk’s captaincy to deliver Pike to Talos IV, Pike is beamed to the surface where, through the mental powers of the Talosians, he is able to see Vina again and the pair are reunited.

Pike’s romances are just as star-crossed and dramatic as his predecessors. What’s your favorite romance featuring a captain? Let us know on social and in the meantime catch up on the latest episode recap here !

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Tom Hanks Is A Big 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Fan, And Patrick Stewart Has Made A Wild...

Posted: April 18, 2024 | Last updated: April 18, 2024

Celebrities: they're just like us. That's what we hear all the time, anyway – but it isn't until a celebrity like Patrick Stewart writes a book and outs actor Tom Hanks as a massive fan of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" that we fully recognize the depths of that reality. Yes, one of America's greatest actors is a fan of "TNG" and a pretty big one based on a wild claim made by Stewart. "Making It So: A Memoir" is making headlines for various reveals from the actor, and this latest is a doozy. When discussing famous fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Patrick Stewart name-checks Oscar-winner Tom Hanks, who apparently watches a lot of "TNG." So much so that he can do something pretty impressive.

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10 background characters star trek fans love.

Star Trek fans have a soft spot for some of the unsung featured background players and lesser-known characters in Star Trek shows.

• Background characters in Star Trek add depth to the universe, making it feel lived-in and real.
• Beloved regular faces like Lt. M'Ress, Nurse Ogawa, and Mr. Mot enhance Star Trek shows.
• From Lt. Linus to Dr. Migleemo, each background character brings their own unique charm to the series.

There's something about beloved Star Trek background characters that really helps its universe feel lived-in and real. While the primary action is taking place, it's up to the background actors to make the sets look like genuine places where people are going about their business. These are the folks at the bridge stations who aren't in the opening credits. They're the assistants to the main characters. They're the beloved regular faces spotted among the crowds in establishing shots, and the names floating around duty rosters and civilian gossip that remind viewers that there's more to Star Trek than the captains and chief engineers.

There are so many background characters from all of the Star Trek shows who are beloved by fans, of course. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Promenade is full of colorful background characters without names or personal histories, like the singing Klingon chef (Ron Taylor). Star Trek: Voyager features recurring background characters, since being stuck in the Delta Quadrant means no new Starfleet officers can join the crew. Star Trek: The Next Generation features background characters who sometimes level up to become proper guest stars , and in one famous case, a series regular: the "most important person in Starfleet" and original lower-decker, Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney). Here are 10 background characters Star Trek fans love.

20 Best New Star Trek Characters Of The Last 20 Years

10 lt. m'ress (majel barrett), star trek: the animated series.

Lt. M'Ress is a Caitian officer with a seat on the USS Enterprise bridge, created for Star Trek: The Animated Series when Star Trek 's jump to animation meant that the aliens in Star Trek were no longer restrained by what the makeup department could physically create. As the first Caitian in Star Trek , M'Ress sets the standard for the feline alien species , later echoed by Star Trek 's other animated Caitian, Dr. T'Ana (Gillian Vigman) in Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Like many background characters, M'Ress' cool character design is a top reason for her appeal, but M'Ress earns her spot on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise by being a capable officer. M'Ress' duties as relief communications officer include communication within the Enterprise as well as to outside vehicles, along with scientific duties as situations arise, similar to the duties of primary communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).

Lt. M'Ress appeared in 2 episodes of the "anything but canon" animated web series Star Trek: very Short Treks, voiced by Cristina Milizia.

9 Lt. T'Veen (Stephanie Czajkowski)

Star trek: picard.

The starship action of Star Trek: Picard season 3 takes place primarily aboard the USS Titan-A, and as such, introduces a brand-new bridge crew of younger Starfleet officers, one of which is the Vulcan Lt. T'Veen. T'Veen stands out as both a woman and a Vulcan for her striking bald appearance , marking her look as both novel and unique. Actor Stephanie Czajkowski suggests that T'Veen may have some Deltan ancestry, but in reality, T'Veen's lack of locks comes from Czajkowski's own battles with cancer.

When Vadic (Amanda Plummer) commandeers the Titan in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 8, "Surrender" , T'Veen is one of the Titan bridge officers used as leverage against Vadic's request for Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). At this point in Picard , the Titan's crew are painted as candidates for a potential spinoff show, but Lt. T'Veen's shocking death at Vadic's hand sends the message that no one is safe.

8 Sonya Gomez (Lycia Naff)

Star trek: the next generation, star trek: lower decks.

The original claim to fame for Ensign Sonya Gomez (Lycia Naff) is being the eager young engineer who unfortunately spills hot chocolate on Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: The Next Generation , season 2, episode 16, "Q Who". Serving on the USS Enterprise-D with Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) is Gomez's dream job, and the chocolate-covered Captain isn't going to earn her any high marks. La Forge recognizes Gomez's talent as an antimatter specialist, and helps Sonya focus, despite the gaffe.

Lycia Naff makes a triumphant return to Star Trek as Captain Sonya Gomez in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 10, "First First Contact", commanding the USS Archimedes with the same compassionate focus on problem-solving that La Forge had as Gomez's mentor. Captain Gomez's story is proof that Star Trek characters do learn from their earliest mistakes , and can come out on top in the end.

7 Mr. Mot (Ken Thorley)

Star trek: the next generation.

In an interesting twist, Mr. Mot is a barber working on the USS Enterprise-D, and happens to be a Bolian, a species that has no hair of their own. Nonetheless, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) says that the civilian Mot is the best barber in Starfleet . There's more to being a barber than just cutting hair, after all, and Mot's listening ears are available to anyone who comes to sit in his barbershop chair, as long as they don't mind receiving a little free advice on the side.

The Bolian barber became an entrepreneur.

After providing excellent service to the crew on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Mot grew even more successful. The Bolian barber became an entrepreneur, which is evident by the presence of Mr. Mot's Hair Emporium as one of the many businesses in Stardust City, on the planet Freecloud, as seen in Star Trek: Picard season 1, episode 5, "Stardust City Rag".

Bolians are named for Star Trek director Cliff Bole, who directed a total of 42 episodes between his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and Star Trek: Voyager .

10 Star Trek Characters Fans See Themselves In

6 groundskeeper boothby (ray walston), star trek: the next generation, star trek: voyager.

Mr. Boothby is a positive influence on generations of Starfleet officers at Starfleet Academy, but one would be wrong to assume that Boothby is an accomplished instructor working to shape young minds, because Boothby works at Starfleet Academy as the head groundskeeper. Groundskeeper Boothby's no-nonsense approach to the natural development of the Academy's flora also applies to how Boothby interacts with Starfleet cadets .

Boothby's influence on the USS Voyager crew was evident in Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 4, "In the Flesh", when a Species 8472 leader took on the guise of Boothby in a Starfleet Academy simulation, instead of a high-ranking Admiral.

Sometimes, Boothby's advice is harsh, as was the case with Jean-Luc Picard as a Starfleet Academy cadet. But in the end, Boothby always has an uncanny sensibility for knowing exactly how to cultivate the best forms of both botanical specimens and future Starfleet officers.

5 Lt. Kayshon (Carl Tart)

Star trek: lower decks.

Lt. Kayshon has the honor of being the first Tamarian in Starfleet , debuting in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 2, "Kayshon, His Eyes Open", as the USS Cerritos' new security officer. The Tamarians, first seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 2, "Darmok", have a puzzling metaphorical language reliant on background knowledge of Tamarian culture. The Tamarian phrases from "Darmok" have been adopted by Star Trek fans as a fun way to signal our fandom to each other, so it makes sense that a Tamarian officer should show up on Star Trek: Lower Decks , itself a celebration of Star Trek 's own weird and wonderful moments.

Kayshon spends more time in the background after his first episode, still part of the USS Cerritos' security team. The years between "Picard and Dathon at El-Adred" and Kayshon's assignment to the USS Cerritos in Star Trek: Lower Decks mean the communication gap between Kayshon and the rest of the USS Cerritos' crew is much smaller than it might have been in the past. Kayshon communicates in Federation Standard, but still slips into Tamarian metaphor from time to time, which just adds new phrases to the Tamarian lexicon.

4 Dr. Migleemo (Paul F. Tompkins)

In Dr. Migleemo, Star Trek: Lower Decks continues the tradition that was established with Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) on Star Trek: The Next Generation by having a counselor aboard the USS Cerritos . Strictly speaking, Migleemo is not the galaxy's best counselor , with a whole plateful of food metaphors that don't always land butter-side-up, but Migleemo's heart is always in the right place.

As a bird-like alien of an unspecified species, Dr. Migleemo's character design pays homage to Star Trek: The Animated Series , since a bird man in a tweed suit may not translate that well to live action, but works perfectly for animation.

Even though Migleemo is bad at his job, it's in a way that's not actively harmful, but makes you want to root for him, just like any other lower decker on the Cerritos. Sometimes Migleemo gets it right , after all, like counseling Ensign D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) in the senior science officer training program in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 3, "Mining the Mind's Mines".

3 Nurse Alyssa Ogawa (Patti Yasutake)

Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) usually has assistants in the background of the USS Enterprise-D's sick bay, and one of these, Nurse Alyssa Ogawa, is a regular background character starting in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4. Ogawa grows as a character over the course of TNG 's final four seasons , receiving a full name as of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 18, "Cause and Effect", and developing as a character through Ogawa's casual conversations with Dr. Crusher about Alyssa's dating history.

Nurse Ogawa gets more to do when Ogawa is one of the four USS Enterprise-D junior officers at the heart of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 15, "Lower Decks" , focusing on the friendship between often-overlooked characters. Ogawa's story focuses on Alyssa's relationship with Lieutenant Andrew Powell, and culminates in their off-screen engagement.

Nurse Alyssa Ogawa also appears in two Star Trek movies: Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: First Contact .

2 Lt. Linus (David Benjamin Tomlinson)

Star trek: discovery.

With Lt. Linus, Star Trek: Discovery shows in a casual, but meaningful way what it looks like to actively include someone with unique needs . Arriving in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Lt. Linus is a Saurian science officer who never fails to provide a little levity just by being himself. By all accounts, Linus is well-liked among the USS Discovery's crew , with plenty of crew members referring to Linus and Saurian customs relatively favorably.

Lt. Linus is accepted as someone whose needs are a little different to most human officers'.

Starfleet easily makes accommodations available for Linus' differences in biology , granting personal time set aside for annual shedding, and providing heat lamps in Linus' quarters as needed. After Star Trek: Discovery 's time jump , Linus takes a little more time to understand the new 32nd-century technology, but he's never admonished for catching up to the learning curve. Instead, Lt. Linus is accepted as someone whose needs are a little different to most human officers'.

Every DS9 Alien In Star Trek: Discovery

1 morn (mark allen shepherd), star trek: deep space nine.

Morn is a fixture in Quark's Bar from the start of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the perennial barfly occupying the same seat at the end of the table. According to the other patrons at Quark's, Morn rarely shuts up, but the joke is, of course, that Morn is always cut off before delivering any speaking lines. Instead, the picture of who Morn really is slowly comes together through other people's comments and conversation about Morn, with the speculation about Morn's true identity finally coming to a head in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 12, "Who Mourns for Morn". Morn's apparent death is a blow to the community and all who knew him, but also reveals surprising facts about DS9 's Morn , like Morn's secret riches and tactical mind, confirming that there was more to the enigmatic Lurian than Morn's signature bar stool.

True to form, Morn is seated at Quark's Bar when the USS Cerritos visits Deep Space Nine in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 6, "Hear All, Trust Nothing".

Sometimes the Star Trek characters who aren't major players become some of the most beloved characters. When background characters on Star Trek attract the eyes of viewers with interesting character designs or memorable moments, they may wind up in expanded roles as their Star Trek shows go on. These featured background characters will get lines and names, and might even have a major part in an episode or two, but most live out their lives off-screen. From the bridge crew to the lower decks, from Starfleet officers to civilians, it's the unsung heroes in the background who keep Star Trek moving while the main action is taking place.

Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks are all streaming on Paramount+.