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Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy. Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy. Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy.

• William Shatner
• Gene Roddenberry
• Harve Bennett
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 381 User reviews
• 86 Critic reviews
• 43 Metascore
• 5 wins & 5 nominations

• St. John Talbot

• Caithlin Dar

• Captain Klaa

• (as Spice Williams)

• "God"
• Young Sarek
• High Priestess

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia During pre-production meetings, screenwriter David Loughery jokingly proposed to have Commander Uhura appear as an erotic dancer in order to lure away the hostage takers from the Paradise compound. He was surprised when the producers approved of the idea right away.
• Goofs When Kirk, Bones and Spock are flying up the turbolift shaft, the deck number gets higher as they go upwards. However Star Trek ships are numbered the opposite way round with the higher decks having lower numbers. For instance, the bridge (at the top of the ship) is on deck 1.

Kirk : Damn it, Bones, you're a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can't be taken away with a wave of a magic wand. They're the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don't want my pain taken away! I need my pain!

• Crazy credits "Highest descender fall recorded in the United States: Ken Bates." (I.e., Kenny Bates .)
• Alternate versions The CBS broadcast premiere removed a number of scenes from the movie. 1) All scenes featuring the dancing triple-breasted catwoman were removed. 2) The campfire scene was trimmed, ending with Spock producing the 'marshmellon' - effectively removing the much criticized 'Row Row Row Your Boat' sing along between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. 3) The scene between Uhura and Scotty on the bridge as they receive new orders from Starfleet Command. 4) The "I could use a shower" scene between Kirk and Spock in the turbolift.
• Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Star Trek V/No Holds Barred/Dead Poets Society/Let's Get Lost/Renegades (1989)
• Soundtracks Fanfare From Star Trek TV Series by Alexander Courage

User reviews 381

• brianwolters
• Jan 4, 2005
• How long is Star Trek V: The Final Frontier? Powered by Alexa
• Why was J'Onn digging holes on Numbus 3 at the beginning? Also, what was his pain?
• What was the creature pretending to be "God"?
• What is 'The Final Frontier' about?
• June 9, 1989 (United States)
• United States
• Star Trek: The Final Frontier
• Owens Lake, California, USA (the dry lake bed stood in for the desolate Nimbus III)
• Paramount Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $27,800,000 (estimated)
• $52,210,049
• $17,375,648
• Jun 11, 1989

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 47 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Everything You Need to Know About the Klingons, Star Trek 's Ever-Changing Space Warriors

Klingons are one of the most iconic Star Trek alien races. In 51 years they’ve evolved from deceptive villains to honorable allies—and now, with the arrival of Star Trek: Discovery this week, they’re becoming spiritual warriors once again, at odds with our heroes. Here’s everything you need to know about the past, present, and future of Qo’noS’s finest.

From Enemy, to Ally, to Enemy

Klingons have been one of the most persistent elements of Star Trek . They made their debut on the very first season of the original show, and have since appeared on every spinoff series, including Discovery —and in most of the Trek movies, as well.

The Klingons first met by Kirk and his crew in “Errand of Mercy” back in 1967 were very different from the Klingons we know today, both in their physical appearance and in their characterization. Intended as a Soviet parallel to the Federation’s US, the original Klingons were treated as inferior to the Federation’s ideals in every manner. The Klingons were a crafty, savage, and warmongering race, morally corrupt and willing to do anything to get their way—especially if it meant getting the upper hand against the Federation, their long-time rivals in an interstellar cold war.

That nature uncomfortably played into their appearance as well. The original Klingons were given an incredibly Orientalist aesthetic, with white actors having their faces darkened with makeup to appear more alien, plus accented eyebrows highlighted with shoe polish and matching thin mustaches. To the modern eye, the look of original Klingons is deeply problematic, but at the time, it was a huge budget saver; one of the primary reasons the Klingons became such major recurring villains in the original series was that their makeup costs were much lower compared to the prosthetics needed for the Romulans.

After the Star Trek TV series came to an end, then found itself revived as a movie series in the ‘70s, there was finally a budget to make the Klingons appear truly alien—and with it came a complete overhaul of the race that changed their place in the franchise. Their new makeup work gave the Klingons long, flowing hair, sharpened teeth, and distinctive forehead ridges (more on those later), but Klingon culture was given an even greater shake-up. A new language was introduced to further emphasize the differences between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, and, taking inspiration from feudal Japan, Klingons became a species that valued honor above all else, holding strictly defined traditions around the art of war that formed the cornerstones of Klingon society.

Although original Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was hesitant to bring back old aliens when Star Trek returned to TV with The Next Generation , set a century after the original show, the Klingons ultimately became a fundamental part of the series in the form of Michael Dorn’s Worf, a Klingon member of Starfleet and one of the show’s primary characters. Representing a time period when the relationship between the Federation and the Klingon Empire had become relatively amicable, Worf became a lens for the audience to discover the new culture behind the Klingons first hinted at in the movies, examining both their dedication to martial prowess (with the introduction of iconic elements like the Bat’leth, the curved Klingon blade) and their spiritual side. Gone were the savages of the original series, instead replaced by a principled society of honorable warriors.

By the time of Voyager and Deep Space Nine (the furthest we’ve been into Star Trek ’s timeline on TV) the Klingons had become heroes. After a brief period of hostility the Klingons became crucial allies for the crew of Deep Space Nine and the Federation at large in DS9 's seasons-long war with the Dominion, while Voyager examined prejudices and acceptance of the Klingons within Starfleet through B’Elanna Torres, a half-human, half-Klingon engineer troubled by the pull between her two very different cultures.

Discovery , set a decade before the original show, mixes up the Star Trek timeline a bit. The Klingons are the primary antagonists of the series, with the Federation openly at war with them. However, the show portrays the Klingons as fans have come to know them:  as an honorable warrior race —right down to the forehead ridges. Speaking of which...

The Fall and Rise of the Klingon Forehead

How the Klingons grew from the mustachioed, smooth-headed humanoids of the original series to the ridged aliens of The Original Motion Picture and beyond has been a canonical puzzle Star Trek fans have theorized and debate about for decades. There was never a reason provided for the difference in either the movies or The Next Generation —it was simply declared that these new aliens were still Klingons and that was that.

For years, the closest the series ever got to acknowledging the change was a one-off joke in the special Deep Space Nine anniversary episode “Trials and Tribble-ations,” which saw the crew sent back into the past to the events of the original series episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.” When asked by his colleagues why the Klingons of Kirk’s time looked so different to the Klingons they know of in the 24th century, Worf offers a brief but stern rebuttal: Klingons don’t talk about it with non-Klingons.

Fans finally got an explanation for the disparity between the two kinds of Klingons nearly 40 years after their first appearance thanks to Star Trek: Enterprise , which was set in the years before the formation of the Federation. A two-part story in the show’s fourth season revealed that Klingons have actually always had forehead ridges, but a virus accidentally unleashed on the Klingon homeworld when scientists tried to augment Klingons with human DNA caused victims to develop human physical characteristics, including smooth foreheads. A treatment for the virus was developed by Enterprise ’s resident medic, Dr. Phlox, but the physician theorized that it would take generations for Klingon children to be born with ridged foreheads again.

It remains to be seen whether Discovery , which features pre-original series Klingons with forehead ridges, will have something to say about the bizarre evolution of the feature, given its place in Star Trek ’s timeline. But we do know that the series will provide a biological reason for the ridges : they’re covered in extra-sensory receptors, to help Klingons detect and hunt their prey.

The Long Road to Sto’Vo’Kor

Although Klingons have been established as a warrior race from the beginning (honorable or otherwise), one major element of Klingon culture introduced in their post-original Trek appearances is an emphasis on spirituality, borrowing elements from familiar mythological cultures in our own past to turn the Klingons into quasi-warrior monks. The honor-bound nature of the Klingons has led to many instances of their culture clashing with that of the Federation through a love of rituals and remembrances, especially around the act of honoring the dead.

In the Klingon belief system, the body after death is an empty shell. The soul of a fallen Klingon goes to one of two places. If they lived an honorable life and fell in battle, they go to Sto’Vo’Kor, which is pretty much Klingon Valhalla, a heavenly plane of battles and feasting. If they were dishonored or didn’t die fighting, they go to Grethor, a fiery hellscape where their souls suffer for eternity—after the prerequisite journey on a barge through a river of death to Grethor’s gates, of course. Relatives of the deceased can perform honorable acts in their own lives to ensure their fallen relative’s soul goes to Sto’Vo’kor if they didn’t die in battle—which, in some cases, can include offering their own soul for torture in Grethor in their place, as B’Elanna attempted to do for her mother in the Voyager episode “ Barge of the Dead .”

Aside from their ritualized beliefs and honor codes, Klingon spirituality includes no gods, as legendary warriors killed them thousands of years ago. There is one important figure in Klingon religion, though: Kahless, who was the first ruler of the Klingon Empire and established its honor code. Weirdly enough, by the time of The Next Generation and beyond, the Empire was once again led by Kahless... except this time it was a lab-grown clone of the original, a slightly less intimidating figure and more of a figurehead for Klingon society than an actual ruler.

Talking Klingon

As Star Trek ’s portrayal of Klingon culture developed, so did the need to make the race feel alien beyond the makeup-drenched actors of the original show—and part of that was the development of a whole new language for Klingons to speak in. Originally devised by Scotty himself, James Doohan, and Motion Picture producer Jon Povill as part of the film’s wide-scale re-imagining of the Klingons, the Klingon language (sometimes referred to as Klingonese) as we know it today was really developed during the making of The Search for Spock by Dr. Marc Okrand.

Okrand expanded the handful of words created during The Motion Picture into a fully constructed language, and in 1985, he published The Klingon Dictionary. Originally intended as source material for writers and actors, the dictionary expanded on Klingon grammar, such as its unconventional object-verb-subject form. It also gave Klingon phrases for everything as menial as “Happy Birthday” (qoSlIj DatIvjaj) to insulting someone’s mother with the smoothness of their forehead (Hab SoSlI’ Quch!)

Okrand’s work on the Klingon language flourished, not just because of his own additions to it as Star Trek continued, but through the works of fans. Shortly after The Klingon Dictionary ’s release, fans started to learn and teach the rules Okrand had laid down, and groups like t he Klingon Language Institute started forming in the early ‘90s to study the entirely fictional language. In the years since, translations of famous texts have been made available in Klingon—from Bible passages, to the epic Gilgamesh , to Shakespearian plays (inspired by the line from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , “ You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon ”), as well as an entire opera performed in the language , ‘u’ , all done by ardent fans.

Klingons are one of Star Trek ’s most enduring features—their reliable presence across 51 years of the franchise is as defining as their ability to change each time we meet them. Whether it’s in big ways or small, change is fundamental to the Klingons, from the mustachioed brutes of the original series, to the dominating, brutal, and alarmingly spiky armored hunters we’re about to meet in Star Trek: Discovery . No matter how many times they show up, it’s always guaranteed that there’s always going to be something new to learn about them. 

• View history
• 2.1.1 Design variant
• 2.2 Tactical systems
• 2.3 Additional systems
• 3.1 Main bridge
• 3.2 Commanding officer's cabin
• 4 Ships of the class
• 5.1 Appearances
• 5.2.1 Model
• 5.2.2 Inconsistencies
• 5.3 Apocrypha
• 6 External link

History [ ]

In service as early as 2147 , the D5 class was fully documented, albeit classified, in the Vulcan database . ( ENT : " Marauders ", " Judgment ")

The D5 class often served patrol duties throughout the Klingon Empire . One vessel of this class served as the personal flagship for high ranking fleet admiral . ( ENT : " The Augments ", " Divergence ")

In the 2260s , Kor commanded an attack on Caleb IV from the IKS Klothos , a D5-class cruiser.

By the 2370s , the D5 class was considered to be an old design. ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")

Technical data [ ]

Physical arrangement [ ].

D5 master systems status display

Like many of its successors in the Imperial Klingon fleet, the D5 battle cruiser was a rugged warship that was composed of diffusion bonded monocrystal and distinguished by a roughly bird -like form.

The bridge was located in the forward-most position of the ship, and was connected with a series of reinforced support cables, via an elongated neck that extended into the secondary hull . Along the nape of the neck was ship's forward sensor platform and the primary weapons array .

The bulk of the ship rested in the aft section, which flared down and out, port and starboard , into a pair of angular wings which contained talon-like warp nacelles . A superstructure rested on top of the vessel, which contained the cargo loading door , aft sensor platform, and the maneuvering thrusters . Below the superstructure, on the aft-most section of the secondary hull, were the ship's impulse engines . ( ENT : " Judgment ")

Design variant [ ]

The D5 class, described as being "little more than a freighter ", could be modified to carry eight under-slung deuterium tanks , capable of transporting over 80,000 liters . Capable of operating with a crew of twelve and a skeleton crew of four, this variant was considerably less advanced than its battle cruiser counterpart, notably in its lack of the ventral disruptor cannon common to the class. In terms of the defensive capabilities of this design, Jonathan Archer stated that he would "lay odds they're no match for Enterprise ." ( ENT : " Marauders ")

Tactical systems [ ]

The fully armed D5 battle cruiser was considerably more advanced than Starfleet 's most powerful vessel of that era, the NX-class starship. Indeed, the maximum speed of the D5 class was warp factor six. ( ENT : " Judgment ")

The offensive arsenal of the D5 class was rather impressive for the time, as the ship possessed a forward weapons port capable of firing both disruptors and photon torpedoes , a 360° rotating turret containing twin belly-mounted disruptor cannons, and a dorsal disruptor array. The D5 class was protected by defensive shields and dispersive armor . ( ENT : " Judgment ", " Divergence ", " The Augments ")

The D5 class was superior in almost every aspect to Starfleet's NX class; however, given ideal circumstances, it was speculated by Enterprise 's tactical officer , Malcolm Reed, that " sustained phase cannon fire should be able to penetrate their armor, but I doubt they'd sit still long enough to give us the chance. " ( ENT : " Judgment ")

Additional systems [ ]

Like its Raptor -class counterpart of the same era, the D5 battle cruiser was outfitted with "standard multi-spectral sensors ," not unlike those used on Starfleet's NX class. ( ENT : " Judgment ") However, according to Arik Soong , the D5 battle cruiser was equipped with sensors that were "far superior" to those used on an NX class. ( ENT : " The Augments ")

A fake warp signature matching that of a D5 battle cruiser could be generated by an NX-class starship by reconfiguring the warp coil assembly. This alteration was undetectable by Klingon sensors at a range beyond 80,000 kilometers . ( ENT : " The Augments ")

Interior design [ ]

Main bridge [ ].

Capable of operating with a bridge crew of three, the configuration of the D5 battle cruiser's bridge shared many features found in contemporary designs.

At the front of the bridge, against the forward bulkhead , was the ship's viewscreen . Directly behind the viewscreen, near the center of the bridge, was the captain's chair . Directly behind the captain 's chair was the entryway to the bridge, with two manned consoles located on either side of the doorway. The position of the captain's chair could also be moved toward the aft of the bridge to supplement the addition of a forward console. Along the perimeter of the bridge were several stations, each designated for a specific task. ( ENT : " Judgment ", " Divergence ")

Commanding officer's cabin [ ]

Fleet Admiral Krell 's cabin

The commanding officer 's cabin provided the vessel's commanding officer with a private place to conduct ship's business. The room contained a desk and chair with a desktop monitor . ( ENT : " Divergence ")

Ships of the class [ ]

• Korok's ship
• Krell's battle cruiser
• Magh's battle cruiser

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Marauders " ( ENT Season 2 )
• " Judgment "
• " The Augments " ( ENT Season 4 )
• " Divergence "
• LD : " Strange Energies " (hologram)

Background information [ ]

Though the final draft script of " Marauders ", had described the D5 class as "small but menacing", writer David A. Goodman very much wanted the Klingon ship in " Judgment " to be a D7-class vessel. Yet, Executive Producer Rick Berman believed an earlier model of craft was called for, as the D7-class had been depicted in the later-set original series of Star Trek . Berman therefore came up with the name "D5 class". Script references to the D7 class, in the "Judgment" teleplay, were duly changed to reference the D5 class. Peter Lauritson interpreted that to mean a different configuration of vessel was required, so he instructed Michael Okuda to have a new Klingon ship designed. Despite his idea of using the D7 class not coming to fruition, Goodman remarked about the D5 class, " It's a cool-looking ship. " ("Judgment" text commentary , ENT Season 2 Blu-ray special features; "Judgment" podcast/ audio commentary ) Incidentally, Berman's decree was in stark contrast with an earlier situation that the Star Trek: Enterprise art department had needed to face, in regard to the Klingon D4 class , when the producers, against the express wishes of the art department, had insisted on ordaining a K't'inga -class vessel for use as Vorok's battle cruiser in the first season episode " Unexpected ", causing a clearly noticeable continuity error.

The D5 class was designed by illustrator John Eaves , who was reverted the chore by Okuda, and was created as a CG model by Pierre Drolet at Eden FX . [1] Coined the "Klingon D5 Class Tanker" in production staff circles, the model made its debut in "Marauders". [2] (X) Neither its class nor its designation as "tanker" were established in "Marauders" (even though the vessel's deuterium tanks themselves were, with the ship itself merely compared to a "freighter") and it appeared only in that episode as such. The model made three subsequent appearances as a battle cruiser without the tanks, the first time in "Judgment", where it received its class designation.

The D5 class design as scaled in relation to the other models created by Eden FX was 155 meters. According to an okudagram which appears in "Judgment", the length of the D5 class was said to be merely seventy-five meters.

Inconsistencies [ ]

The IKS Klothos from "The Time Trap"

In writing 1998 DS9 Season 7 episode " Once More Unto the Breach ", Ronald D. Moore stated that he intentionally included a nod to Star Trek: The Animated Series by means of a reference to 1973 TAS Season 1 episode " The Time Trap ". ( AOL chat , 1998 ) In this reference, the elderly Kor recalls, " I commanded the first division from the Klothos – one of the old D-Five cruisers " during the Battle of Caleb IV . [3] While the reference to the cloaking device -equipped Klothos matched the Klothos that appears in "The Time Trap", the design itself in the animated episode appears to be a slight variant of the D7 class, rather than a ship of the D5 class retconned later for Star Trek: Enterprise , in 2002 .

Apocrypha [ ]

In the Star Fleet Battles series of games, the D5 class is a newer, but smaller ship roughly based on the older and heavier D6- and D7-classes. It was primarily used as a light cruiser and was designed for rapid production and high combat power in a smaller class ship. The Klingon Empire was capable of building at least eighteen ships of this class per year. Considered an exceptional design in comparison to other races' ships of that class, it was noted for its maneuverability and superior weapons' arcs. Like most Klingon ship classes, many D5s were modified into a wide variety of variants during the General War.

A 23rd century version of the D5 shows up in Star Trek Online: Agents of Yesterday using the TOS aesthetic. It is visible during the Battle of Caleb IV.

External link [ ]

• D5 class at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 Reaction control thruster

Klingon D5 Cruiser

Because of the continuing failure of the D4 cruiser to be the overpowering dreadnought for which they had hoped, by the late 2210s the Klingons were making preparations to construct a new cruiser, the D5 class, which would employ more "Klingon-style" technology rather than superficial imitations of Federation and Romulan technology used thus far.

The Klingons had extremely high expectations for the D4 cruiser when it appeared soon after the turn of the 23rd century. This dreadnought had been built to spearhead invasions of Romulan and Federation space but was completely overmatched in most engagements. The leaders of several Klingon Great Houses believed that the D4 failed because it was not large enough. They felt that if overall displacement, the number of plasma cannons and disruptors, and the size of reactors were increased, the Klingons would achieve their long-sought tactical superiority. Other Klingon leaders felt that the failure could be attributed to a void in the soul of the Klingon race. Instead of directly challenging alien powers now, they suggested a withdrawal from foreign adventurism, a turning inward, and reflection upon what it meant to be Klingon. Other critics suggested that the Klingon Empire should avoid conflict with the Romulans or the Federation and expand only into antispinward and rimward sectors. However, more technically versed Klingon critics recognized that the D4 had simply been an overly ambitious design that had attempted to utilize technologies before they had reached a sufficient level of refinement.

The foremost reason for the failure of the D4 and, indeed, the root of all other problems, was the continued use of two full-sized warp reactors: a deuterium-powered fusion reactor and a matter/antimatter (M/AM) reactor. The great size and weight of the two reactors and their fuels forced all other ship's components, including weaponry, embarked craft, life-support, crew spaces, and cargo bays, to be severely limited. More importantly, the presence of two reactors severely handicapped performance at both sublight and faster-than-light speeds.

Some Klingons recognized the necessity of "taking off the training wheels" and weaning their ships from the use of fusion reactors for interstellar flight if they hoped to mount a serious challenge to the Federation and the Romulans for dominance in this arm of the galaxy. Doing so would require the development of much more reliable high-energy reactors capable of operating continuously across all performance regimes. However, improving significantly on the 50% performance reliability of the reactor used in the D4 might be an unattainable goal, given the Klingons' relative technological backwardness and often shoddy manufacturing techniques.

Although Klingon Intelligence had been extremely active in its attempts to acquire the newest reactor designs from the Federation and other regional powers, simply obtaining the readouts for reactors or obtaining examples of the reactors themselves did not ensure that the advanced features could be applied to Klingon reactors. Even if the new technologies were incorporated into Klingon reactors, Klingon engineers often had a poor understanding of their effects. As a result, Klingon reactors often accumulated multiple "improvements" that led to little or no increase in performance. Klingon reactors used in the D3 and D4 cruisers and other contemporary classes were little more than scaled up imitations of 50-year-old second-generation Earth reactors. The Klingons often retained features of these reactors without understanding why they had originally been necessary.

Several "weak" Klingon Great Houses that were known for their emphasis on scholarship rather than for their success in combat had long argued that only technologies based on a clear and fundamental understanding of the physical principles of antimatter would enable the construction of reactors to rival those of the Federation. They maintained that simple mimicry of Federation designs was a technological dead-end that would forever ensure that the Klingons would remain at least one step behind the Federation. Instead, the Klingons needed to re-establish the concepts of M/AM physics by performing basic research, "reinventing" the M/AM reactor, and finding a "Klingon way" of harnessing the power of antimatter. Such a project would take several decades, but the Klingon fleet and the Klingon Empire would likely emerge stronger for the effort.

However, the suggestion to establish a Klingon institute for study of M/AM physics and engineering was met with snorts of derision when first presented in the Qam-Chee, the Great Hall of the Klingons, in 2197. Most Klingon nobles believed scholarship and research to be the domains of effete weaklings unfit to be called "true Klingons." Anyone suggesting that physicists and engineers would be the salvation of the Empire was accused of traitorous defeatism and disparaging the fighting spirit of the Klingon race. However, results of combat in the first decades of the 23rd century clearly demonstrated that Klingon warships were so technologically inferior to Federation ships, and even to fusion-powered Romulan ships, that no amount of Klingon fighting spirit could compensate. Fortunately for the Klingons, several of the more academically inclined houses had taken it upon themselves to secretly initiate M/AM research on their private planetary holdings, and by 2221 neared completion of a prototype reactor of completely Klingon design.

Not only was this new reactor significantly more reliable than previous Klingon reactors, it was also smaller, more powerful, and simpler to maintain and operate. Tests at the Klingons' newly-established reactor research station on the Klingon moon Praxis demonstrated that this reactor could operate reliably and continuously for several weeks with routine maintenance not requiring shutdown. Therefore, the fusion reactor was rendered largely redundant for warp power generation and could be relegated for use only in emergencies. Accordingly, the size and power output of the fusion reactor was reduced to achieve a maximum speed of only wf 2. As an additional advantage, the large deuterium stores needed for long-range fusion-powered warp flight could be reduced, which improved power-to-weight ratios and performance at both warp and impulse speeds.

A new cruiser, the D5, was built around the new reactor and entered service with the Klingon Imperial Fleet in 2224. This new cruiser was markedly smaller (166,000 t) than the D4, but still bore a familial resemblance to other Klingon cruisers. As usual, command areas were localized to a distinct "head" at the front of the ship. However, the engineering hull, rather than being connected to the head by a thinner neck, was elongated and attached directly to the head. The engineering hull had a long rear fantail and flat dorsal deck, resembling those of the Federation's much later Excelsior class. The D5 retained the ventral hull extension where the D4's plasma cannon had been but instead used the hull space for external shuttlecraft docking ports. The main heavy beam weapon, a powerful disruptor cannon, was placed in the lower section of the head. The impulse deck was of new design, which would continue to be used in Klingon cruisers with only minor alterations for the next 150 years. The nacelles, less than half the weight of those on the D4 owing to new, higher-density warp coils, were held out from the engineering hull on high-mounted wings swept back 56 degrees with a central anhedral of 10 degrees. In addition to the main shuttlecraft deck, which was entered through the fantail, the dorsal deck of the engineering hull had a landing pad for a large assault shuttle capable of carrying some 100 fully equipped Klingon soldiers. This class of shuttle was given the name Grishor , after a type of large marine predator native to Qo'noS that often suns itself on coastal rocks.

In addition to the new reactor, other improved systems resulted from the Klingons' newfound interest in research. The D5 carried a new, more powerful sensor suite intended to defeat the most recent generation of Romulan cloaking systems, new sensor-countermeasures of its own, a more robust energetic shielding system, and new rapid-fire disruptor cannons with more accurate targeting control.

Service History In 2225, the D5 saw its first engagement against Romulan forces at the Battle of Iratti. The Romulans, who had grown complacent after 60 years of toying with slow, fat Klingon cruisers, nearly swaggered in attack formation toward the enemy ships. Such was the Romulans' confidence in their own superiority that they did not even bother to cloak themselves. Suddenly, the Romulan ships were attacked by swift, powerful ships of previously unknown design. As the attackers flashed by, two Capsize -class cruisers , introduced just three years earlier, were consumed in balls of flame. As the three remaining Romulan ships turned to retreat to their base, they too were destroyed.

When the Klingons next attacked at Caat Negaat three months later, the Romulans were far less arrogant. They would not repeat the mistake of underestimating the Klingons. This time, at the first extreme-range sensor contact, the two Romulan Capsize cruisers on patrol cloaked and assumed a waiting position. As the first Klingon ship came into range of the Romulan plasma cannons, the Capsizes fired. However, the Klingons began high-speed evasive maneuvers immediately upon launch and easily evaded the sublight plasma bolts. The Romulans recloaked and vectored to new firing positions. However, before their plasma cannons could be recharged for a second volley, the Klingon ships began firing on the Romulans' new position, scoring direct hits on the unshielded ships. Somehow, Klingon sensors had defeated the Romulan cloak, denying the Romulans any tactical advantage they might have had. The balance of power along the border had shifted.

Although the new D5 cruiser, with a maximum speed of wf 6.2, was only slightly slower than the Federation's Lancaster -class heavy cruiser introduced in 2205 (maximum speed, wf 6.4), the Klingons did not take advantage of this tactical near-parity to challenge the Federation with large-scale fleet actions. The reason for this apparent inaction was a succession struggle for the Imperial Chancellorship starting in the spring of 2226 which was long and violent even by the high standards of the postimperial period. Some historians have gone as far as considering this succession struggle a civil war. Numerous Great Houses were forcibly combined by means of brek'tal (in which the leader of one House kills another), and at least five Challengers for the Chancellorship (either formally announced or potential) were assassinated. In addition, in acts of unprecedented political violence, no less than three Arbiters of Succession, who usually help ensure a smooth transition of power, were assassinated by parties unknown. Unfortunately for the Klingons, by the time this political turmoil had ended with the succession of a new Chancellor in late 2228, the Valley Forge -class cruiser , which could reach wf 7.6, had begun entering service with Starfleet. Another window of opportunity would not open until 2241, when the D6 cruiser was introduced. However, the Klingons continued to make regular raids and attacks on Federation border outposts and colonies throughout the 2230s.

In one typical attack, a Federation outpost at Caleb IV was attacked by six D5 cruisers in 2239. What made this attack unusual was that it was the first known operational use of a cloaking device developed by the Klingons. This cloaking device was quite unlike the self-contained modules later introduced by the Romulans. Instead, this cloaking device can more accurately be described as a cloaking system, which required a complex interplay of several different types of emission-dampers and sensor-countermeasure generators. Furthermore, this system cannot be considered a true cloak in the modern sense because it merely diminished the sensor signature of the ship but did not make it invisible. If the components of the system were not precisely tuned, the cloaking effect would not develop and the ship would remain easily detectable. In fact, at the battle of Caleb IV, the cloak generators lost harmony through a combination of subspace field shearing, a high concentration of interstellar gases, and hull vibrations produced when reactor output increased to meet the demands of the cloak during the terminal high-speed attack run. The cloaking effect dissipated, and the Klingons were barely able to escape after severely damaging the lightly defended Caleb IV station. Although the Klingons continued to attempt to refine this technology, they would not have a truly effective cloaking system until they obtained one from the Romulans in exchange for M/AM reactor technology in the 2260s. Even then, the high energy demands of the cloaking system meant that it could be used only in limited tactical situations.

With the introduction of Kestrel -class light cruisers (2223) and Valley Forge -class cruisers (2227) Starfleet increased its qualitative superiority to the Klingon fleet. In particular, the Kestrel and Valley Forge classes were much faster and maneuverable at both warp and impulse to even the greatly improved D5 class. Starfleet had found that simple firepower was not the decisive factor in ship-to-ship combat, and accordingly built only 15 of the massive, Kaminari-equipped Siegfried -class dreadnoughts (2235). However, the photon torpedo, which combined supraluminal speeds and high explosive power, was a nasty surprise for the Klingons when they became widespread on Federation ships in the 2220s.

The new Kestrel -class light cruisers were a particular annoyance to the Klingons. Their high speeds, acute sensors, and stationing at the frontier meant that every Klingon border probe was soon challenged by one of these tenacious little ships. The Kestrels , which the Klingons called " targ flies," were more than a match for any Klingon ship in one-on-one combat. However, the appearance of a single Kestrel often signaled the imminent arrival of other Starfleet ships large and small. In particular, the innovative destroyer tactics used by Kestrel squadrons were a force multiplier, allowing a handful of ships to do the job of many more. If the Klingons hoped to one day pierce Federation frontier defenses, they would need smaller, faster, and more powerful ships in much higher numbers.

Standard displacement: 166,000 t

Complement: 300 Weapons: 1 heavy disruptor cannon, 2 disruptor cannons, 2 missile launchers with 60 "Medlar" offensive/defensive missiles Velocity: wf 5.1, cruise; wf 6.0, supercruise; wf 6.2, maximum Units commissioned: 120

Star Trek: 10 Key Figures In Klingon History

There are some important Klingons from the Star Trek franchise that have made some notable waves for their actions, good or bad.

• The enduring warrior culture of the Klingons makes them an unforgettable counterweight to the utopian Federation and shadowy Romulans.
• Significant figures like Antaak, T'Kuvma, and Gowron have made lasting impacts on Klingon history, shaping the empire's relationship with the Federation.
• Worf, the first Klingon in Starfleet, played a pivotal role in the histories of both the Klingon Empire and the Federation, becoming a symbol of their growing bond.

Since their debut in 1967's "Errand of Mercy", Star Trek 's Klingons have earned their place in the popular culture pantheon. Although fans have witnessed significant changes to the Klingons over the decades in Star Trek , the enduring warrior culture of the species means that they remain an unforgettable counterweight to both the utopian Federation and the shadowy Romulans.

RELATED: Star Trek: Important Moments In Klingon History

The Star Trek franchise's consistent focus on the Klingon Empire has resulted in a deep, if occasionally contradictory, lore. These alien warriors have slayed their own gods, colonized worlds, and nearly brought the Federation to its knees on multiple occasions—all chapters in a rich history brimming with memorable figures.

The Klingon Empire may have a reputation as a martial culture , but not all Klingons are warriors. Antaak, a Klingon physician, earned scorn for his choice of career. However, when the Klingons fell victim to a mutagenic virus in 2154, Antaak's talents were required to end the plague. To do so, Antaak kidnapped Doctor Phlox, the medical officer aboard the Enterprise NX-01, hoping that their combined efforts might result in a cure.

Together, Antaak and Phlox were able to produce an antidote—albeit one with extreme consequences. The cure was unable to prevent the forehead ridges of Klingons from mutating towards a smoother appearance. This disfiguration would affect many Klingons, leading Antaak to consider a career in cosmetic surgery.

9 T'Kuvma

Little is revealed about the enigmatic T'Kuvma in Star Trek: Discovery . However, despite the Klingon zealot's brief screen time (abruptly ended by a trigger-happy Michael Burnham), his impact upon Klingon history is significant. In 2256, T'Kuvma was able to unite the divided houses of the Klingon Empire, directing them against the expanding Federation .

RELATED: Star Trek Discovery: Best Episodes (So Far)

T'Kuvma would not live to see much of the ensuing Federation–Klingon War, but he was briefly successful in pitting his civilization against an outside influence that he considered to be duplicitous. Furthermore, T'Kuvma's work on Klingon cloaking devices would have ramifications for centuries to come.

Dahar master Koloth first appeared in the TOS classic "The Trouble With Tribbles", and was intended to function as a recurring nemesis of Captain Kirk's. However, production realities scuppered this plan, and the two would only face off again in The Animated Series episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles".

Koloth returned in Deep Space Nine where, along with Original Series alumni Kang and Kor, he teamed up with Jadzia Dax in order to seek revenge on the Albino, a criminal mastermind who had murdered the firstborn children of the famous Klingon captains. Although they succeeded in their mission, Koloth was killed in the process.

7 Voq/Ash Tyler

The pale-skinned Voq was considered an outcast among the Klingons due to his appearance, but he was able to gain some prestige after being appointed as T'Kuvma's Torchbearer at the start of the Federation–Klingon War. The death of T'Kuvma left Voq literally adrift, and, together with another of T'Kuvma's followers, he swore to avenge his mentor.

Voq underwent extensive physical and mental alteration to assume the identity of Ash Tyler, a human. The intention was for Voq to infiltrate Starfleet, but the procedure resulted in a split personality emerging. The deep-cover spy was unable to determine whether he was Tyler or Voq, and the latter persona was eventually wiped in order to stabilize the Klingon. The resulting Ash Tyler personality then joined Starfleet's Section 31 .

Gowron beat out his opponent Duras, and then survived a civil war orchestrated by the House of Duras, to secure the position as Klingon Chancellor. Despite an early endorsement from Starfleet's Jean-Luc Picard, the relationship between the Federation and Gowron's Klingon Empire was not an easy one. Acting under the influence of the Dominion, Gowron declared war on the Federation, breaking the longstanding alliance between the two powers.

RELATED: Star Trek: Best Starfleet Ships During The Dominion War

Although relations were soon normalized, and the Federation and Klingon Empire fought together against the Dominion, Gowron's pride would be his downfall. He grew jealous of the popular General Martok, and tried to dishonor the soldier. This was detrimental to the war effort, and Lieutenant Worf was forced to slay Gowron in order to end the feud.

5 L'Rell

Initially an acolyte of T'Kumbra, L'Rell assumed the top position in the Klingon Empire through a combination of Federation intervention and outright blackmail. Following the USS Discovery 's installation of a powerful bomb at the heart of the Klingon's homeworld, L'Rell was able to seize power—she threatened to detonate the weapon if the Klingons opposed her rule.

L'Rell ended what her mentor had started, bringing the Federation–Klingon War to an end. However, L'Rell's premiership was fraught with challenges and scandal, including a secret child sired by a pre-transformation Voq. Nonetheless, her imposed peace was the first step on the road to Federation–Klingon rapprochement .

A loyal supporter of Gowron during the Klingon Civil War of 2368, Martok rose through the ranks of the Klingon Defense Force until he assumed command of the Ninth Fleet . Despite being captured by the Dominion and replaced by a Changeling, Martok eventually escaped captivity. His contribution to the Federation Alliance during the Dominion War was significant, leading to tensions with Chancellor Gowron.

Following Gowron's death, Martok assumed the position of Klingon Chancellor. He aimed to reform the corrupt Klingon Empire during his time in office, and even became a minor celebrity, with his likeness being used in a Ferengi board game in Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Following the destruction of Praxis , a significant Klingon moon, it became apparent within the Klingon Empire that reforms were needed if the Empire was to survive. These changes were spearheaded by Chancellor Gorkon, who sought closer ties with the United Federation of Planets.

However, factions within both the Federation and the Klingon Empire opposed Gorkon's plans. In 2293, the Chancellor was assassinated, and the crime was wrongly attributed to James T. Kirk and Doctor McCoy. Kirk and his crew were able to unravel the conspiracy, and Gorkon's death was not in vain—the resulting Khitomer Accords brought the former foes together.

The first Klingon in Starfleet was not only a symbol of the Klingon Empire's growing bond with the Federation, but also a key player in the histories of both powers. From his service aboard the Enterprise -D and -E under Captain Picard, to his work aboard Deep Space Nine and the Defiant during the Dominion War, Worf was always at the center of events of galactic significance.

RELATED: Star Trek: What Is The Significance Of Worf's Shoulder Sash?

Worf's contributions to Klingon history included supporting Chancellor Gowron during the Klingon Civil War, locating legendary Klingon individuals and artifacts, and (briefly) reigning as Klingon Chancellor. Few Klingons could claim to have done more for both the Alpha and Beta Quadrant than Worf, son of Mogh.

Even the mightiest powers can be traced back to a single individual. For the Klingons, that individual is Kahless the Unforgettable, the first leader of the Empire. Kahless was able to unite the Klingon Houses and introduced the honor-based traditions that the race became known for throughout the galaxy.

The legacy of Kahless could not be diminished even by his death . When the USS Enterprise encountered the Excalibans in 2269, the aliens created a facsimile of the historical figure in order to explore the concept of good and evil. A century later, a Klingon sect on the planet Boreth produced a clone of Kahless to replace Gowron as leader of the Empire. A compromise was reached once it became clear that the clone was not the real Kahless, and he was offered the ceremonial position of Emperor.

MORE: Star Trek: Best Klingon Stories

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• Oct 3, 2023

Star Trek's Different Klingon Designs, Explained

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The Star Trek saga spans six decades and over 800 hours of storytelling on television and in film. While the universe created by Gene Roddenberry is vast and dynamic, the Klingons have appeared in every iteration of the franchise. Yet, since their debut in Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966, the Klingons' character design has changed over time. From regular humans with brown makeup and stylized facial hair to the intricate alien prosthetics on the characters in Star Trek: Discovery , there's more than one way to skin a Klingon.

Save for the odd standout like Khan Noonien Singh , heroes and starships are more important in Star Trek than its many villains . Instead, the alien antagonists that menace Starfleet explorers are mostly known by their species, like Romulans or the Borg. This is true of Klingons, which are immediately recognizable, though casual fans may not know General Chang from T'Kuvma. It wasn't until the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Klingon bridge officer Worf that the franchise truly started to examine the culture of this war-like race. Thanks to his appearances in both Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Picard Season 3 , Worf has appeared in more Star Trek episodes than any other character. He also laid the foundation for storytellers to create an in-narrative reason for the disparity in Klingon appearance. In the real world, the simple answer for the many different Klingon character designs comes down to money and technology.

The Klingons in Star Trek: The Original Series Were Simple on Purpose

The Klingons were, effectively, created by Gene L. Coon, often called " Star Trek 's other Gene." He conceived of the characters as an allegory for the Soviet Union, according to the special features on the DVDs for Star Trek: TOS . Intended to be just one-off antagonists for the Season 1 episode, "Errand of Mercy," writer David Gerrold brought them back for Season 2's classic "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode. Crafting that story made the producers realize the Klingons could be the ongoing antagonist for Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise crew they'd been looking for.

Despite being an expensive series, Star Trek: TOS was always struggling with budget and time. Makeup supervisor Fred Phillips worked with actor John Colicos to design the characters' look. However, outside of raised eyebrows -- similar to both Vulcans and Romulans -- and stylized facial hair, the Klingons were mostly defined by their glittery uniforms with a gold sash. The makeup process for The Original Series -era Klingons often took less time than even affixing Spock's Vulcan ears each day. The character design for early Klingons was simple and effective for TV, but that soon changed.

The Klingons Look From Star Trek: The Motion Picture Through The Next Generation Era

Nearly a decade after The Original Series went off-the-air, Star Trek: The Motion Picture debuted and introduced fans to a new kind of Klingons. With significantly more budget and time to work with -- the Klingons appeared in only a single scene -- Fred Phillips wanted to make the aliens truly alien. The production of the first Star Trek film was fraught, so if Gene Roddenberry had any objections to changing the Klingon character design, he had bigger battles to fight. The Klingons appeared in each successive film save for The Wrath of Khan , and while their appearance was altered slightly, they maintained the same look.

However, it wasn't until Worf was added to The Next Generation cast that Roddenberry and the writers really began to think of them as a people rather than allegorical Soviets. Now that a Klingon was a hero character, he felt it was an injustice to the characters to reduce them to just being a warrior race. "I take the fact of their fictional existence very seriously," he said in the Star Trek 25th anniversary issue of Cinefantastique . In an interview in the special features of Star Trek: TNG 's first season, actor Michael Dorn noted that Black actors were routinely cast as Klingons to simply save time in the makeup chair. Over the next 18 years, makeup supervisor Michael Westmore had to create dozens of distinct Klingon characters.

In Enterprise Season 4 , the writers addressed the incongruity of the Klingon appearance in Star Trek: TOS with the second-wave era. A storyline was introduced about a genetic modification experiment that went awry. In order to cure a deadly, multi-species virus, Klingons were given a treatment that "smoothed over" the cranial ridges and teeth added to the design to make them look more alien. Yet, even the Klingons not affected by this mutation still looked more human than not. When former Star Trek: Voyager producer Bryan Fuller wanted to redesign them for Star Trek: Discovery , making them more alien was the goal.

The Design for Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery Was Very Controversial

During episodes of the now-defunct After Trek webseries during Star Trek: Discovery 's first season, the Klingon redesign was an often-discussed topic. The cranial ridges and teeth Fred Phillips added during the first redesign were extended to seemingly cover their entire body. They were given longer, clawed fingers and evolutionary characteristics that were more avian or reptilian than humanoid. The hope was to make the Klingons even more alien and frightening, but the design change proved to be a bit too drastic. By Season 2, the makeup artists gave them hair again. They also introduced a number of different skin tones beyond just brown.

Yet, by Strange New Worlds Season 2, the Klingons looked more like they did during the second-wave era. Unlike Enterprise , there was no in-narrative reason or the different look. The Klingon Empire is an interstellar society with hundreds of billions of citizens. Fans can easily explain away the difference as Star Trek 's continued commitment to Roddenberry's motto of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Klingons are also able to reproduce with other Star Trek species, which could equally explain the difference.

In both cases, the redesign of the Klingons was meant to highlight their alien nature and take advantage of state-of-the-art makeup and prosthetics. The Discovery design may have been too successful, and franchise producers seem to have reverted the iconic antagonists to their Star Trek: TNG -era design . Still, no matter what they look like, Klingons are integral to Star Trek . They are enemies who became allies, which is the lesson Roddenberry always wanted his show to teach humanity.

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

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

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

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

At least until now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Star Trek: Discovery’s Season 5 Premiere Easter Egg Explained: Who Are the [Spoiler]?

Keisha hatchett, staff editor.

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Star Trek: Discovery co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman previously told TVLine that the sci-fi drama’s fifth and final season was dependent on a “very significant” Star Trek Easter egg , and we finally know what he meant by that.

The season’s first two episodes, which are now streaming on Paramount+, sent the Discovery crew on one last adventure to find the missing clues spread throughout the galaxy that will lead them to the ancient device used by an ancient species, known as the Progenitors, to create life as we know it.

That Easter egg came into play in the premiere , as outlaws Moll ( Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Eve Harlow) and L’ak ( Shadowhunters ’ Elias Toufexis) stole a tan zhekran — a traditional Romulan puzzle box; Narek (Harry Treadaway) used one as a thinking aid in Star Trek: Picard Season 1 — from an 800-year-old Romulan science vessel.

The Federation was also heavily invested in finding this mystery box, and Dr. Kovich and Admiral Vance remained tightlipped while briefing Burnham on a secretive mission to retrieve it. Captain Burnham nearly caught Moll and L’ak aboard the science vessel but they escaped to the Dune -like planet Q’mau.

There, the fugitive duo convinced a Synth dealer named Fred to open the box under the guise of selling it along with other timeless treasures, including a self-sealing stem bolt (frequently mentioned throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , though their specific use is unclear) and an old tricorder (a hand-held sensor issued by Starfleet that can be used for scanning, recording and analyzing data). 

Dr. Vellek found the ancient humanoids’ life-creating device and recorded everything he knew about it in that diary. He then hid the device sometime before disappearing 800 years ago, and the diary contains important clues — such as the drawing of two moons — to find it.

Book and Burnham tracked Moll and L’ak to Q’mau, where they came upon Fred’s lifeless body. As they continued pursuing the outlaws, Culber, Stamets and Saru examined Fred aboard Discover y and realized that he was built from one of Dr. Soong’s designs.

Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) created several android prototypes, including Data, Lore and B-4 — all portrayed by Spiner throughout TNG’s seven-season run.

L’ak and Mall again evaded Burnham & Co., but not before starting a catastrophic avalanche that forced the Discovery captain and a frustratingly aggressive Captain Raynor ( The Umbrella Academy’s Callum Keith Rennie) to refocus their efforts on saving a nearby settlement.

When the dust settled, Saru, who’d been thinking over an offer to leave Discovery and become a Federation ambassador, accepted the new position to stay close to President T’Rina. That was met with a surprising proposal from T’Rina, who politely suggested they codify their mutual commitment in a more official capacity.

While the Federation mulled his future, Discovery embarked on a trip to Lyrek in search of another clue. The uninhabited planet was used by the Promellians as a burial ground before the species went extinct. (In the TNG episode “Booby Trap,” we learned that early Federation starships were influenced by their design.)

In their exploration of the forest-heavy planet, Burnham and Saru accidentally tripped a complex security system which launched droids that immediately opened fire. Saru leaped into action, though, drawing the killer bots away and buying Tilly enough time to disarm them. He and Burnham then reached their target location, where they uncovered a Romulan revlav, aka a message in a poem.

While all of that was happening, Book reached out to Moll and L’ak about buying the diary, which he knew would be a hot commodity in the galaxy. But his conversation with the fugitives revealed something else. Studying Moll’s image later on, Book figured out why Moll seemed so familiar. Her real name was Malinne and she was the daughter of his mentor Cleveland Book IV, making her the closest thing to family he has left.

But first, Burnham needed to secure a new Number One. She turned to Raynor, who’d been asked by Vance to retire. In offering him Saru’s old role, she was giving him a second chance — one that had been granted to her back in Season 1.

What did you think of the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery’s final season? Grade them below, and share your thoughts about the overarching mystery in the comments.

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I like Discovery, a lot, but this was a deep cut for anyone not a big fan of the entire Trekverse. Thanks for the recap and the thorough explanation, I know I needed it

Dr. Kovich: Red Directive – Criticial – stop L’ak and Moll at all costs, time is of the essence… Cap’n Burnham: We’ll black alert and our spore drive will have us at Q’mau in a blink… Cap’n Raynor: we’ll use our ancient tech and be there in an hour. Don’t start without me. … cut to Burnham and Book on Q’mau standing on the outskirts of the city waiting for Raynor, having not even attempted to find Fred’s shop or in any other way look for Moll and L’ak or their ship until Raynor joins them. D’oh!

Kudos to the showrunners for these Trekverse nods to the past series. Loved both episodes! Action packed and all in the feels with Michael and Saru (I heart him and T’Rina) on their last mission together, not to mention their goodbye on Discovery. I love their relationship and will miss their convos. Raynor is going to be a very interesting Number One! Enjoying this last Discovery ride through the cosmos!

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• April 6, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Showrunner Explains Why They Reopened A TNG Mystery To Start Season 5
• April 5, 2024 | Roddenberry Archive Expands With Virtual Tours Of Deep Space 9 Station And The USS Discovery

Star Trek Coffees Launching In May With Several Blends

| April 7, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 20 comments so far

This week’s Star Trek merchandise update is focused on a brand new product designed to perk you up. We also have a couple of other updates on new and upcoming releases for the week.

Star Trek Coffee

Pop Culture Coffee has announced the launch of a collection of limited-edition Star Trek-branded coffees. They are promising a “flavorful array of carefully curated coffee blends” inspired by iconic Star Trek characters, cultures, and starships. Each bag of Star Trek coffee features unique artwork for the 100% organic Arabica beans, and small-batch craft roasted. The line will start with two blends of ground coffee inspired by Star Trek: The Original Series . Captain’s Choice is a smooth medium roast featuring James T. Kirk. And Vulcan Vanilla is a full-flavored Madagascar vanilla roast featuring Mr. Spock. Both are priced at $17.99 for a 12 oz (340g) bag and are due to arrive on May 12th. You can pre-order at popculturecoffee.com .

Upcoming releases that will be available for pre-order later in April and May include:

• Klingon Raktajino : brown sugar roast, featuring The Next Generation’s Worf
• Federation French Roast : featuring Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Borg Blend : light roast highlighting the Borg Queen

Naturally, a coffee inspired by Captain Janeway is also being planned for soon after.

Picard Season 2 & 3 collector’s cards

This week Rittenhouse released their latest set of Star Trek collectible cards, featuring seasons 2 and 3 of  Star Trek: Picard . The base set includes 60 cards (3 cards for each episode in both seasons). These have photos and synopses for each episode. There are also several bonus cards including cards signed by the series stars. The base set is $29.99. For more details and a complete checklist or just to buy, visit scifihobby.com .

Coming April 16: Lower Decks Season 4 on DVD/Blu-ray

Season 4 of the animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, April 16. The set comes complete with exclusive special features including audio commentaries with the cast and Mike McMahan on half of the 10-episode season. You can pre-order  Lower Decks Season 4 now at Amazon on Blu-ray for $25.36  and $19.98 on DVD . Season 4 was released on digital in February on Amazon and other digital platforms.

Bargains of the Week: Half off 7-season DVD box sets

If you are still a fan of DVDs then you can pick up some bargains now at Amazon.com. The three Star Trek TNG-era series box sets are priced around half off. This includes Star Trek: The Next Generation for $69.60 , Voyager , for $62.99 , and Deep Space Nine for $59.99 .

Find more news and reviews of  Star Trek merchandise .

DISCLAIMER: We may link to product affiliate links that support TrekMovie by earning a small commission when you purchase through them.

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Jean-Luc Picard drinks Earl Grey tea! Coffee is for barbarians!

I dunno, Spock doesn’t strike me as a “flavored coffee” type of person.

I think of him as a tea man, myself.

On the topic of merchandise Strange New Worlds Season 2 disc release finally has a date for Australia of May 15.

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-2-2023-blu-ray

A new Star Trek coffee line! Where is “Janeway Juice”?

Captain Janeway should have been called “Captain Coffee”, always holding a mug! Even Hologram Janeway drinks coffee. Kathryn will not be happy, being the number one coffee drinker in Starfleet, if she doesn’t get her own elixir of life!

Yes. Janeway Coffee has to be item #1.

Yes! I just said the same thing haha. I think everyone is thinking it.

BTW I haven’t seen Prodigy yet but does she still drinks coffee on that show?

Brings back memories of House of Kharn Dark Roast, and Andorian Ice blend

May I suggest Bones Romulan Ale Birthday Blend

Talk about unforced errors. Janeway should’ve been in the first coffee batch. And yes, Vulcans do not drink flavored coffee. And Rhaktajino (sp?) seems like another no-brainer to me.

That said, I wish them well, and hope they exist long enough to do the other proposed blends.

Only Colombian Coffee. Ortegas Colombian Blend. Will buy it if available! :D

Would not call myself “still a fan of DVDs,” but since that’s the best physical format available for DS9 and VOY I do own those sets. Thanks for reopening that old wound! lol

Wake me up when they get to the breakfast cereal with a big ol box of Cheeri-Ol-mox!

Oo-Mox dang IPhone killed my joke!

It’s OK, we got it!

Does anyone else remember the trek coffees and hot chocolates sold in the late 90s by starbase-1.com?? They were awesome, I’m hoping these will be as good.

I want to try Raktajino. I’ve always wondered what it tastes like.

Oh yes same!!!

Oh wow that coffee sounds fantastic. I would buy them all but it seems like a crime against the Federation not to have a Janeway brew.

This Underrated Star Trek: The Next Generation Season is Actually the Show's Best

While there are many great seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the final outing for the crew of the USS Enterprise-D might be the series' best.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 received critical acclaim and high ratings.
• The Next Generation's series finale, "All Good Things," is considered one of the best Star Trek episodes.
• Challenges faced during The Next Generation Season 7 led to character growth and excellent storytelling.

When Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted, it was a series that wasn't supposed to succeed. No sequel show ever ran longer than or surpassed the original in popularity before and is still a rarity. While fans will point to one of the middle seasons as the best of Star Trek: The Next Generation , a case can be made for Season 7, the final for the ensemble cast. The Next Generation could've gone past Season 7, but it might have had to do so without Captain Jean-Luc Picard , as Patrick Stewart was eager to move on. In fact, according to The Fifty-Year Mission by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, there was a tense period of negotiations between Stewart's representatives and the studio to get him back for Season 7.

A big part of what sold his return, apparently, was the plan for the cast to finish the show and immediately begin filming the seventh Star Trek movie that became 1994's Generations . This led to three more films and, after a break of about 20 years, Star Trek: Picard . While many of the most iconic storylines involving the crew of the USS Enterprise-D happened in The Next Generation Seasons 3, 4, 5 and 6, the seventh doesn't get enough credit. The finale, "All Good Things," is unquestionably one of the best Star Trek finales of any series, even Picard 's award-winning final episode. However, there are plenty of wonderful things throughout the season, the ill-advised romance between Troi and Worf notwithstanding.

Why Star Trek: The Next Generation Ended With Season 7

Without lucille ball, star trek would've failed before its pilot episode.

Star Trek: The Original Series only got three seasons in which to make itself an unforgettable pop culture icon. Even without the requisite 100 episodes, The Original Series became the highest-rated scripted series in syndication for two decades, supplanted only by The Next Generation . Seven seasons was a dream the producers dared not even hope for, but circumstances aligned that made it the "right" year to end the series . While fans and cast didn't understand the decision, it wasn't necessarily unwelcome. "Everybody pretty much would agree…the seventh season got off to a…rocky start," story editor Naren Shankar said in The Fifty-Year Mission , adding, "we went out of the sixth season on a real roll, and it was creatively very exhausting."

A feature in Entertainment Weekly published in 1994 quoted castmembers like Jonathan Frakes who simply didn't understand the move just the same. In the same article, executive producer Rick Berman offered up an answer. "All I can tell you is that the decision to end Next Generation after a seven-season run was made at least two years and two Paramount regimes ago," he said . With the perfection of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ending the run of the The Original Series actors, Paramount simply believed a feature film series with these characters at the height of their popularity would be more profitable.

Additionally, the budget for The Next Generation kept going up as the actors commanded higher quotes and the stories became more elaborate. The writers were also exhausted. There was no break between the final seasons. Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga were writing multiple episodes of the series and the script for Generations . Showrunner Michael Piller was overseeing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , developing Voyager with Jeri Taylor and said he felt like "an absentee landlord" when he worked on The Next Generation , in The Fifty-Year Mission . In the same book, Taylor said every "year it got harder…to find things that haven't been dealt with" on the series before. The most heavily featured actors, Stewart and Brent Spiner, were also reaching exhaustion. Yet, despite all these challenges, Season 7 was excellent.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Critical Scores

The highs and lows of tng season 7 were very high and not that low, 10 star trek next generation guest appearances that changed tng.

As any passionate Star Trek fan will admit, every season has some episodes that simply aren't very good. Of course, one of the ironies of this is that fans will never agree on which episodes they are. One such episode in contention for the "worst" is Season 7's "Masks," in which an ancient space-library transforms Data and the ship itself into a version of their society. Yet, while the episode is, as Moore said, "pretty out there," he also agreed the series had to "take those risks and…do something bizarre." (And it's still not as bad as Season 6's "Aquiel," where Geordi's dog is an evil shapeshifting alien.)

While the "bad" episodes were at least centered on interesting concepts, the better-received episodes were some of the series' best . "There were about five episodes in the middle of the seventh season that were as strong a group of episodes as I have ever been a part of, going from "Parallels" to "Pegasus" to "Lower Decks," which was really one of the wonderful shows of the year," Piller said in The Fifty-Year Mission . He even included "Sub Rosa" in which Beverly Crusher has an affair with a ghost. Piller is right, as these stories stuck with Star Trek fans, including Mike McMahan, creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks . They played with sci-fi concepts, like time travel, and Star Trek sacred cows, like the Prime Directive.

Another episode seen as a low point, "Force of Nature," doesn't really deserve that reputation. The writers wanted to play with the idea that warp drives were harming spacetime, creating an environmental allegory that's one of the most heavy-handed in the show. Still, the episode features great character moments like Data's training of his cat Spot. The episode even brought back the Ferengi, which were originally hated by fans , with a DaiMon character that felt like a real person and not just a sinister villain. Even exhausted, the writers, directors, cast and crew were turning in excellent work week to week.

'All Good Things' Is a Great Series Finale, and May Be TNG's Best Episode of All Time

What made worf a better klingon warrior on star trek: the next generation.

It's no accident the final scene of Star Trek: Picard evokes the final scene of The Nexte Generation's "All Good Things," with Picard and his Enterprise family playing a friendly game of poker. It was the perfect way to end those characters' stories, and after the films and the series, refocusing the final moment on their friendship was the right call. "We knew we wanted it to be special and the culmination of everything that makes Star Trek special," co-writer Brannon Braga said in The Fifty-Year Mission . While everyone loves a starship and cool alien species, what makes Gene Roddenberry's universe stand apart from others is all too human.

The series finale wasn't just a story about Picard slipping through time, but how his connections to the crew were his constant. While Picard is distant from the crew because of his position as captain, he's actually more involved in their lives than Captain Kirk ever was for Chekov, Sulu and Scotty. In "All Good Things," that dynamic changes as an increasingly angry Picard becomes more confused as he's unstuck in time. He shows the vulnerability it took Kirk three movies (and losing his son) to uncover. Meanwhile, the rest of the characters realize their potential, but in their success, it's still not as "good" as when they were all serving on the Enterprise together.

Why Star Trek: The Next Generation's Final Season May Be Its Best

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Like any series, Star Trek: TNG struggled in early seasons , but it faced pressures no new series does. The Next Generation had to stand on its own as a worthy science fiction series, while also living up to Star Trek 's place in American culture. Perhaps because of all the hurdles in their way, the cast and producers pushed themselves to live up to both standards. Things were even more difficult in The Next Generation Season 7, and perhaps the new level of pressure "made diamonds," as Braga put it.

The journey to its final season was satisfying and full of important, wonderful Star Trek stories. However, if overseen by different executives with different priorities, The Next Generation might have joined the ranks of series like Smallville or Supernatural in terms of longevity. Season 7 delivered as many excellent episodes as previous seasons, but it also allowed characters to grow and change. Deanna Troi seeks a promotion , and she starts a committed relationship with Worf. Data continues to evolve, and Wesley Crusher goes off to become a traveler. Ro Laren defects from Starfleet.

The Next Generation never really leaned into lasting change for its characters. As a first-run syndicated series, audiences were not guaranteed to see the episodes in order. There were emotional and character arcs throughout seasons, but with the end coming, the writers made much bigger moves. Season 7 of Star Trek: The Next Generation didn't feel like a final season so much as it felt like an evolution . It promised change and bigger stories that might have been easier to deliver on television than in feature films.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to own on DVD, Blu-ray, digital and streams on Paramount+ .

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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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.

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery just made a mirror universe theory more likely.

A TOS reference in Star Trek: Discovery's season 5 premiere suggests the USS Defiant may return from the Mirror Universe, confirming a fan theory.

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive"

• The return to the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is teased by a Terran Empire logo in the trailer.
• Captain Saru mentions the Tholian Republic as a threat, setting up for a potential return to the Mirror Universe.
• The USS Defiant from Star Trek: The Original Series could play a key role in a bridge to the Mirror Universe in season 5.

One line from Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive" makes a return to the Mirror Universe more likely, confirming a fan theory. Discovery last paid a visit to the Mirror Universe in the season 3 two-parter "Terra Firma", in which the Guardian of Forever sent Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) back to her last day as Terran Emperor. The return to the Mirror Universe was part of an elaborate test by the Guardian, now assuming the form of Carl (Paul Guilfoyle) , to prove the positive impact of Georgiou's experiences in the prime Star Trek timeline .

Now it seems that Star Trek: Discovery could be making a final return to the Mirror Universe in season 5. The final trailer for Discovery season 5 appeared to show L'ak (Elias Toufexis) standing in front of what appeared to be the symbol of the Terran Empire . Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revealed that the Terran Empire had fallen in the 24th century, but it's certainly possible that it could have risen again in the 800 years between DS9 and Discovery . How the USS Discovery's treasure hunt would lead to a return to the Mirror Universe is unclear, but there's a small hint in season 5's premiere.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 Ending & TNG Treasure Explained

Discovery’s season 5 premiere made a mirror universe theory more likely.

The Star Trek: Discovery season 5 trailer teased a tense gunfight aboard what appeared to be a 23rd century Constitution-class starship. This has led fans to speculate that it could be the USS Defiant from Star Trek: The Original Series , the starship that phased in and out of reality in "The Tholian Web". That theory gets a further boost in Discovery season 5, episode 1, as Captain Saru (Doug Jones) outlines possible threats to the Federation in the 32nd century .

Saru reveals that the Breen Imperium and the Tholian Republic are potential threats to the Federation in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 . It's even possible that either of these classic Star Trek aliens could seek the Progenitors' technology to gain an advantage over the Federation. Saru's mention of the Tholians also gives Discovery a pathway back to the Mirror Universe later in season 5, perhaps affording the chance to settle some unfinished business.

Who Are Star Trek: TOS’ Tholians And How Do They Connect To The Mirror Universe?

In Star Trek: The Original Series , season 3, episode 9, "The Tholian Web", the USS Enterprise encounters the stricken USS Defiant. The entire crew killed each other, driven insane by the effects of a spatial interphase caused by the non-humanoid Tholians. Star Trek: Enterprise revealed that it was the Tholians from the Mirror Universe that had actually dragged the USS Defiant out of their own time and reality, dragging it backwards into the 22nd century. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) of the ISS Enterprise NX-01 stole the Defiant, but the knowledge contained inside it led to a revolt aboard the ship .

The events of Star Trek: Enterprise 's Mirror Universe episodes later informed Star Trek: Discovery season 1's Mirror Universe arc . When the USS Discovery was dragged into the Mirror Universe by the machinations of Captain Gabriel Lorca, they used the information about the USS Defiant to return to their own reality. At the end of "The Tholian Web" - which takes place after Star Trek: Discovery - the USS Defiant is phased out of reality to parts unknown. Given that the Defiant had been dragged through both time and reality, it could have ended up in the 32nd century, providing Burnham with a bridge to the Mirror Universe.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.

Star Trek: Discovery's Alex Kurtzman & Michelle Paradise Talk Final Season

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery finds the USS Discovery continuing to rebuild the United Federation of Planets in the 32nd century. But the crew are tasked with a secret mission that could shake the galaxy to its core. And as Discovery embarks on its final voyage, it brings the characters and series full circle. The season is filled with plenty of action and emotional moments for new viewers and longtime fans alike.

In an interview with CBR before the April 5, 2024 season premiere, Star Trek: Discovery showrunner/executive producer Michelle Paradise and co-creator/executive producer Alex Kurtzman talk about the evolution of the series. They also reflect on shifting to make Season 5 close out the show and explain the creative joys of moving to the 32nd century.

CBR: Star Trek: Discovery started as a war drama and became a series focused on rediscovering hope. How has it been charting the show's evolution?

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Alex Kurtzman: It's been a wonderful experience! It's funny that you characterize it starting out as a war show. It's true that we started out in the middle of the Klingon War, but that was never really the intention of the show long-term. Really, the purpose was for Burnham to start out as a mutineer and come full circle as who she is at the end of Season 1 -- facing her demons and coming out the other side of it.

What it did was it also set a compass for us in terms of exploration, in the kind of show we wanted to make. We always knew we wanted to get Burnham into the captain's chair . That's what was always so exciting – how do you get from mutineer to captain? We knew that it was going to take multiple seasons to get there. The more the characters have grown and our relationships with the actors have grown, the two become very symbiotic.

You'll see that the last season of Discovery comes back to a fundamental question of Discovery , which is "Where did we come from?" It feels like a very fitting way to go.

How was it pivoting during production on Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 -- going from finishing the story in Season 5 to telling a coda for Discovery as a whole?

Every finale in the star trek franchise, ranked according to imdb.

Michelle Paradise: We found out after we finished shooting the entirety of the season that this would be our final season. We are so appreciative to CBS and Paramount+ for giving us the opportunity to go back and shoot some more material... It will feel like we planned it all out this way because it's thematically so resonant.

Like Alex said, it comes back around, in many ways, to the basis of Discovery , which is about ourselves. Getting some additional material to wrap it up in a way that feels satisfying to the series, feels satisfying in [and] of itself.

You've reimagined classic Star Trek elements 900 years into the future, and that's something that's right there in the Discovery Season 5 premiere.

Review: discovery's final season is a bittersweet star trek symphony.

Kurtzman: It's really fun! We knew that, by jumping to the 32nd century, we were able to remix Star Trek in a way. All the enemies would be allies, all the allies would be enemies, everything would be upside-down. Ultimately, I think the thing we never wanted to betray was the core of Star Trek and the core of who those characters and species were. It was fun to play with it because it was suddenly fresh snow. You're not necessarily married to one way of doing things because a show that's already come 100 years ahead tells you that this is what happened to the Romulans, so you can't necessarily deviate. Now, we're in a new era.

Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 premieres April 4, 2024 on Paramount+, with new episodes released Thursdays.

Star Trek: Discovery

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

Release Date September 24, 2017

Cast Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Mary Wiseman

Main Genre Sci-Fi

Rating TV-14