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Trill symbiont

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A Trill symbiont was a sentient vermiform lifeform from the planet Trill . They primarily lived symbiotically inside hosts known as the Trill , a humanoid species , also native to the planet. Through the experience gained from multiple hosts, many symbionts gained distinguished reputations from other species as Trill. They were long-lived compared to most humanoid species, and could easily live beyond 550 years.

• 1 Physiology
• 3 Symbionts
• 4 Rites and ceremonies
• 5.1 Appearances
• 5.2 Background information
• 5.3 External link

Physiology [ ]

A symbiont swims in The Caves of Mak'ala

The Trill symbionts were teardrop-shaped and could swim in their natural pools, such as the Caves of Mak'ala . The symbionts communicated with each other via electrical impulses transmitted through milky water that they inhabited. They also had a limited form of communication with certain Trill while not joined. ( DS9 : " Equilibrium ")

After the birth of a Trill symbiont, it could live for more than a century before being implanted in its first host. Dax was born in 2018 and was joined for the first time (to Lela ) in 2168. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ", " Equilibrium ") A symbiont could live several hundred years. While it was unusual, it was possible for a symbiont to live over 800 years. ( DIS : " Jinaal ")

A Trill symbiont joined with a new host through a surgical procedure in which it is placed in the abdomen , where it developed a connection through the narrow part of its body to the host's body. Once a symbiont was joined for over ninety-three hours, the symbiont became dependent on its Trill host and vice versa; the Trill would die within hours without a symbiont, and the symbiont could not return to the Caves of Mak'ala (if joined for the first time) nor survive a significant period of time outside of a host. ( DS9 : " Dax ", " Invasive Procedures ") Assuming that a symbiont survived a host's unexpected death away from Trill, it would be removed and stabilized for medical emergency transport back to Trill to be joined with another appropriate host. However, if the symbiont's condition deteriorated to the point that it would die en route, the only way to save its life would be joining with the closest non-joined Trill. ( DS9 : " Tears of the Prophets ", " Shadows and Symbols "; DIS : " Forget Me Not ")

After and during joining, symbionts took with them all of the memories of their previous Trill hosts so, upon joining, the new Trill host gained those memories. The brains of the symbiont and host were able to communicate, and, indeed, did not function separately. Analyzing the brain wave patterns of the symbiont separately from the host was possible, and, to a degree, the symbiont's patterns do not change significantly from host to host. ( DS9 : " Dax ") In the case of Adira , after completing the joining with the Tal symbiont, the consciousness of their lover Gray , the symbiont's previous host, subsequently appeared to them continuously as a separate entity. In an elaborate holoprogram , Gray's consciousness was recognized by the computer as a separate entity and was able to manifest as a hologram visible to everyone inside of the program. Before the program was shut down, Gray stated that he and Tal were "stuck." ( DIS : " Scavengers ", " That Hope Is You, Part 2 ")

In the 24th century , although Humans could be used as a host to a symbiont, the symbiont could not remain in their bodies for long without physically harming the Human host. ( TNG : " The Host ") A symbiont could survive normally in a partly Trill host, however. ( DS9 : " Children of Time ")

By the 31st century , it was possible to join Humans and symbionts together permanently. This was a practice that provoked resistance and extreme disapproval, sometimes violent, from some aspects of Trill society, as experienced by Adira Tal. ( DIS : " Forget Me Not ")

In 3190 , Gray Tal 's consciousness was unjoined from the Tal symbiont using an unconventional zhian'tara at which point he was resurrected by being transferred into a golem using the Soong Method . ( DIS : " Choose to Live ")

Society [ ]

The Trill symbionts relied on the Trill to survive through hosts. The Symbiosis Commission oversaw the joining of the vermiform symbionts and humanoid Trills. Through the Commission, the symbionts were cared for by Trill Guardians and implanted only into Trill that had undergone a rigorous testing process, ensuring the new host had a high intelligence, balanced personality, and would not reject the symbiont. ( DS9 : " Dax ", " Invasive Procedures ", " Equilibrium ")

In the 24th century, about 500 symbionts became available for joining, each year, compared to approximately 5,000 Trill becoming initiates per annum. The relatively low quantity of symbionts resulted in Trill society hiding from their general populace the fact that virtually 50% of the population was suitable for joining, and the general belief in the 24th century was consequently that only one in every 1,000 Trills was suitable for joining. This was done out of concern and fear for the symbionts, as it was felt that the sentient species could come to be viewed as mere prizes or commodities to be fought over. ( DS9 : " Equilibrium ")

Until the mid-24th century, it was not widely known that Trill were actually a joined species, as it was considered a private matter. New hosts often had to produce false stories as to why he or she had certain memories of previous hosts. This true nature became known to the United Federation of Planets in 2367 , when Ambassador Odan 's male host at the time died, forcing the Commission to send a new host, Kareel , to the USS Enterprise -D for joining. Beverly Crusher became the first Starfleet doctor to learn and perform the process. ( TNG : " The Host ")

At some point in its long lifetime, the Sphere learned about the symbionts and their ability to merge with humanoid hosts, and knowledge of this was uploaded to USS Discovery in 2257 . Shortly after traveling to the 32nd century and after learning that Adira was joined with the Tal symbiont, Captain Saru accessed the Sphere data to learn more about the species. ( DIS : " People of Earth ")

Symbionts [ ]

• Barnes' sister's symbiont

Rites and ceremonies [ ]

• Rite of Emergence

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TNG : " The Host "
• " Emissary "
• " Invasive Procedures "
• " Equilibrium "
• DIS : " Forget Me Not "

Background information [ ]

For TNG : " The Host ", Michael Westmore based the design of the symbiont on a caterpillar's body attached to the head of an octopus. (" Michael Westmore's Aliens : Season Two", DS9 Season 2 DVD , special feature) A few convolutions were added to make the appliance look as if the symbiont had lots of brain matter. An air bladder was inserted into the symbiont's head and pulsated to give the impression that the symbiont was alive. The head was also colorized with a fluorescent paint, making it glow when exposed to black light during a surgery scene. ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , p. 117)

For the second appearance of a symbiont, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pilot episode " Emissary ", Michael Westmore changed the design significantly. The symbiont was "still in a similar vein shape-wise," he stated, though the revised version was smaller than its predecessor. ( The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine  issue 1 , p. 28) " One [reason for changing the symbiont] was to give it more of a streamlined look [...] The way this [altered version] was designed, it was almost like a roundish type of a triangle, with these little feelers that would bend back, " explained Westmore. " And by putting a lot of KY Jelly on it whenever we would do the effects, it would slide a lot easier. " (" Michael Westmore's Aliens : Season Two", DS9 Season 2 DVD , special feature)

The series bible of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine stated, " The symbiont is an invertebrate, androgynous lifeform that lives within the host. It looks like a short, fat snake. Many centuries ago, the symbionts lived underground [...] [until joining with the hosts] due to an environmental disaster. " [1]

In the first draft script of " Trials and Tribble-ations ", a hypothetical evolutionary link was made between Trill symbionts and tribbles , as some xenobiologists had apparently theorized that symbionts were evolved from tribbles. Jadzia Dax consequently referred to the symbiont inside herself as "a very smart Tribble."

According to Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 33), the existence of the symbionts was not widely known until 2367 (the year in which "The Host" is set).

External link [ ]

• Trill symbiont at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Star Trek: Explaining The Trill Symbionts

Exploring the life of a misunderstood stomach parasite, the Trill symbionts play a vital role in their hosts' culture.

Star Trek has given fans of the science fiction genre a host of different alien species over the years, a list that keeps growing with each new addition into the franchise. There are the well-known classics such as the Vulcans, stoic, logic-based beacons of civilization , as well as lesser-known entities that appear fleetingly, like the Andorians. One species that falls right in the middle is the Trill and the Symbionts that reside within them.

The Trill, like many species within the Star Trek universe, are humanoid in appearance , with two rows of dark blue spots that go down the entirety of their body. Interestingly, when the Trill first appeared in a Next Generation episode, their appearance was different, with a defined v-shaped forehead ridge (they did love their forehead prosthetics ), changing to the blue-spotted variation during Deep Space 9. They did this because Paramount was concerned about obscuring Terry Farrell’s face (who played one of the main Trill characters) after spending “a long time seeking a beautiful actress.”

RELATED: Star Trek: Are The Ferengi An Anti-Semitic Stereotype

Despite their visual change, the symbiotic relationship introduced in Next Generation stayed the same, with a select few Trill having their bodies and personalities joined with a sentient symbiotic organism aptly called a Symbiont, essentially forming a new being who was a combination of the two. Their names reflect this join, the first name being the Trill’s birth name, the second being the Symbiont’s. For example, take Jadzia Dax, the heavily political Deep Space 9 Trill character mentioned above. Jadzia was the host body’s name, Dax was the centuries-old Symbiont.

While often seen as a parasitic relationship from outsiders, the joining of Trill and Symbiont was a great honor for the Trill. The Trill was governed by a group of individuals called the Guardians, both acting as an authoritative power, but also as protectors and carers for the Symbionts. When not joined with a host, Symbionts are rather helpless, slug-like creatures that could communicate telepathically, but needed to be cared for. As a Symbiont would live symbiotically with a host until the host's body died, it took many years for a Symbiont to return to the Guardians, meaning that, on average, there were only about 300 Symbionts available for the Trill to host every year. To prevent them from being fought over, and to keep the Trill from forcefully claiming Symbionts, there was circulated misinformation that only one in a thousand Trill could successfully pair with a symbiont, and that a grueling selection trial would help ween down those unsuitable. The reality was that most Trill could successfully pair with a symbiont, as long as they were strong enough to not have their personality overwhelmed.

The selection trials were overseen by the Symbiosis Commission, who would test the brightest and strongest Trill to ensure the Symbiont was to get the best possible Trill. These participants, although normally in their early 20s, were leading experts in their desired subjects. The Trill and Symbiont society, taking a leaf out of Bill Nye's book, valued scientific knowledge highly. Once a large portion of these Trill were rejected, they would come under the supervision of what was called a Field Docent, an existing Trill/Symbiont who would test their viability for the joining. This whole process raises some concerns with a lot of fans, who take issue with Star Trek ’s representation of privilege. That is because this process completely rules out those from less fortunate backgrounds, who did not have the same access to education and opportunities as others, despite them potentially being the most compatible hosts.

Once bonded, the Trill/Symbiont dynamic duo share in their personalities and memories, the new host becomes aware of the years of memories, life, and skills the symbiont has lived. They become one entity, no consciousness taking precedence, simply merging. Due to this, in some sense the previous Trill/Symbiont is gone, only possessing half of what gave that person their individual nature. An example of this was Jadzia Dax. Upon the death of Curzon Dax, her Trill predecessor and mentor to fan-favorite Captain Sisko , her personality changed somewhat. She adapted new habits such as holding her hands behind her back, and an interest in various aspects of Klingon culture. The habits, memories, and experiences that helped form the symbiont's previous lives came through, acting as background elements to her personality. Half of her was the same, but there was a whole new personality in there that wasn't before. Sisko often referred to her as “old man” a nickname he gave Curzon Dax, who was, in part, still there in the form of Jadzia.

Jadzia did a lot during her time on Deep Space 9 , such as marrying everyone's favorite Klingon: Worf. Their relationship grew over the series, blossoming into romance, marriage, and even them contemplating becoming parents. Tragically, in what was possibly the saddest episode of Star Trek produced in science-fiction history , Jadzia was killed in actions by the Cardassian Gul Dukat, a longtime series villain. Upon her death, the Dax symbiont was transferred to the Trill Ezri, becoming Ezri Dax (played by Nicole De Boer). Despite sharing the same symbiont, Jadzia and Ezri were completely different, Ezri presenting a wide-eyed and enthusiastic variation from Jadzia’s sultry confidence and charisma. Her presence posed a wonderful problem for her and Worf's relationship, Although Dax was still Dax, the body and half their personality had become someone new, and unfamiliar to what Worf had fallen in love with.

This brings to light another important element of Trill/Symbiont culture, that of Reassociation: when a Trill/Symbiont became re-romantically involved with previous hosts' partners. This was strictly forbidden by Trill culture, as a large part of their purpose in life, and their inherent drive, was to give the Symbionts new experiences over their millennia of life. Their hope was to experience everything they could possibly experience, rather than simply returning to lives they had already lived. Ezri already broke the rules to some degree by staying aboard Deep Space 9, but to rekindle Jadzia’s relationship with Worf would have resulted in her expulsion from Trill society.

The Trill offer audiences a refreshing take on the idea of killing off and then replacing a character like Tasha Yar . The shoes are being filled with an entirely new character, with their own personality and quirks, but at the same time, they have multiple series of history and character building. They are simultaneously someone known, and a complete stranger, something that the species repeatedly explores within the episodes.

MORE: How Star Trek: Voyager’s Seven of Nine Explores The Narrative Of Learned Humanity

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What are the Trill in Star Trek? Explained

In many ways, it’s easy to explain the Trill of Star Trek . They are a humanoid species from the planet Trill located in the Alpha Quadrant. They look just like Humans except for the cluster of dark spots running along the sides of their heads and – though it’s often unseen for censorship purposes – along their bodies. There’s an aspect of Trill culture that’s a little more difficult to explain, though, but I’ll give it a try anyway.

What is a Trill?

The Trill are as scientifically advanced as most alien races throughout the galaxy of Star Trek . They, too, love to put things under a microscope and study them in official research capacities. It’s potentially in their pursuit of knowledge that they discovered a long, long time ago that some of them had the ability to link with a Trill symbiont.

Related : The Best Star Trek TV Shows, Ranked

They undergo surgery during which a big worm is placed in their abdomen. This process forms an immediate connection between the host and the symbiont. The two then embark on a lifelong journey of sharing memories and life experiences after they are joined. It’s not such an easy concept to explain to anyone new to fandom.

The Trill were first introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and have been a have since become staple of the franchise. We even got to see the ancient underground pools where Trill went to better understand, or sometimes heal, the symbiont within them.

Notable Trill in Star Trek

However, Deep Space Nine didn’t just introduce the Trill or their cultural practices. The series gave us the most famous Trill of all: Jadzia Dax. She was the First Officer and BFF of Captain Sisko. She was also the closest that many transgender Star Trek fans had ever gotten to complex representation in a popular sci-fi series.

As much as we love (and miss) her, though, Jadzia was not the only Trill to get into space shenanigans like time travel and facing one’s own insecurities. She came from a long line of Trill who’d joined with the Dax symbiont. Some of whom we met in Deep Space Nine , like the incorrigible Curzon or the emphasis Ezri.

Then, of course, there’s Barnes in Lower Decks and Gray Tal in Discovery . Technically, there’s also Adira Tal but that complicated history is for another time. Just know that explaining the Trill of Star Trek just got a little easier. You’re welcome!

Star Trek | Just Like a Trill: The Difference Between Symbionts and Parasites

Biologist Irene Garcia Newton explains the real science behind Star Trek’s Trill symbionts.

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Imagine you and I are Starfleet officers on shore leave. Rather than jet off to Risa (the ‘pleasure planet’) for the 20th time in a row, we make a quick 40-light-year trip to the planet Trill instead.

When we arrive, we bypass the popular Hoobishan Baths and head down into the depths of the planet to find the Caves of Mak’ala, a series of tunnels filled with glowing, interconnected pools of milky water.

We watch as worm-like creatures a little smaller than our forearms swim around the pools. It’s not long before a robed Guardian approaches, who (begrudgingly, we’re hanging out in a very sacred space, after all) explains these are Trill symbionts. He tells us that they can stay here in the pools or, if they want to get out, they can be ‘implanted’ into a Trill humanoid host.

A network of caves and worm-like creatures that need a human host. It sounds more body horror than a holiday, right? That’s no surprise. Sci-fi has taught us that symbiotic relationships don’t end well for the host.

Think of the Facehuggers in Alien (1979). They latch onto a host’s face, use their chest to incubate a baby Xenomorph, and leave them very dead when they burst out. The parasites from The Faculty (1998) burrow into a host’s brain through their ear and then take over their bodies. And there’s the ‘thing’ from The Thing (1982), a parasitic alien that infects and assimilates its hosts before imitating them.

A similar bug-like being also nearly led to the downfall of Starfleet and the murder of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: The Next Generation (‘Conspiracy’ – S1, Ep25) when an army of pink parasites took residence at the top of their hosts’ spines.

But don’t worry, that’s not how things work here on Trill. When we meet the ‘joined’ Trill Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), one of the main characters in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , we learn that it’s a great honor for Trill humanoids to become hosts. They work hard, train hard, collect degrees like you collect Pokémon, and compete with others for the privilege of becoming a host. Even if we wanted a Trill symbiont implanted into our stomachs at this point, we wouldn’t stand a chance.

The Trill’s style of symbiont-host relationship certainly isn’t as typical in sci-fi as the chest-bursting, brain-controlling variety. However, science shows us many different types in the real world—some much closer to home than you might realize.

Symbiosis Explained

“Symbiosis was originally a term coined by Anton de Bary [a German botanist, microbiologist, and mycologist] to mean two organisms, differently named, living together,” says Irene Garcia Newton , an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University Bloomington who specializes in microbial symbiosis. “It is a very broad definition meant to encompass negative and positive interactions, as long as they are long term associations.”

Newton says the key thing you need to know about symbiosis is: it’s everywhere. “Pretty much all animals and plants have microbial symbionts—sometimes bacteria, sometimes fungi, sometimes both,” she explains. “Everything has a symbiosis, even you.”

However, as we’ve learned from several of the sci-fi examples earlier, symbiosis can look drastically different on a case-by-case basis. This is why there are three types: commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism.

Commensalism; or, Don’t Mind Me

Commensalism is a type of symbiotic relationship where one living organism benefits and the other doesn’t benefit or suffer. They simply don’t get anything out of the deal.

There are many real-world examples of commensalism. Jackals separated from a pack have been spotted following tigers around and eating their leftovers. Hermit crabs use the shells of dead creatures to upgrade their homes. The remora fish is one of my favorites, which hitches a ride on the side of giant sea creatures for transport, protection, and to eat the bigger animal’s leftovers.

Out of the three, this is the type of symbiosis with the fewest examples in science fiction. I think that could be because there’s not much drama compared to mutualism and parasitism, which we’re about to encounter next.

However, in Star Trek: The Original Series (‘Wolf in the Fold’ – S2, Ep14), we do hear of (but, unfortunately, don’t meet) a species called the Drella that feed on love, which could be commensalism, but we never get to find out for sure.

Star Wars fans might also argue that the midichlorians, which Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) calls “a microscopic life form that resides within all living cells,” are an example of commensalism. It’s these life forms that channel the Force, allowing those sensitive to it to tap into its power. Then again, we don’t know enough about the fictional science of the midichlorians, and this could be mutualism instead.

Mutualism; or, Everybody Wins

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both living organisms benefit. We see this type of symbiosis loads in the real world. For starters, more than 80 percent of plant and tree species depend on mycorrhizal relationships with fungi. They give the fungi sugars, and the fungi provide them with water and other kinds of nutrients.

Many birds have this relationship with larger animals, like the oxpecker, which picks parasites off big mammals, like rhinos—a good meal for the oxpecker and better health for the rhino.

Anemones and clownfish (or anemonefish) have a similar close bond. Anemones have stinging tentacles that subdue prey, like crabs and fish. But clownfish are immune, so they hide from predators among the anemone, a win for the clownfish. But they also keep the anemones free from parasites, and provide them with nutrients from their feces, and their bright colors might even lure in prey, a win for the anemones, too.

There’s also mutualism inside your body. Your gut microbiota helps you digest food, and it gets a place to live and things to eat in return. It’s a similar story for the microbes that live on your skin, which help promote immunity and prevent infection.

The Babel Fish in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1978) might be my favorite sci-fi reference. Pop one of these tiny yellow fish in your ear, and it’ll feed on the brain waves of everyone you encounter while also serving as a universal translator. It’s “possibly the oddest thing in the universe”, according to The Guide, but mighty handy, too. There’s also a Futurama episode called ‘Parasites Lost’ (S3, Ep2) in which Fry gets infected with worms that make him stronger and more intelligent.

Parasitism; or, Used and Abused

Parasitism is when one organism benefits and the other suffers. There are many instances in which you might play the role of the host. Think head lice, ticks, the tiny mites that cause scabies, and a whole bunch of tapeworms, roundworms, and other shaped worms that make you very ill.

Several examples of parasitism in nature sound so grim I’m a little hesitant to share them. Like the female hawk wasp, which stings and paralyzes a spider, lays her eggs in its body, and when the baby wasps hatch, they climb out, and their first meal is the spider—which is, horrifyingly, still alive throughout this whole process. If that hasn’t provided you with enough nightmare fuel, Google “zombie ant fungus”. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

With these kinds of Cronenberg-esque scenes occurring in real life regularly, it’s no surprise sci-fi creators have dreamed up all manner of monstrous parasites of their own. We’ve already covered a few of these, like the parasitoid Alien Facehuggers that use a host’s body to grow a Chestburster, but there are plenty more.

In the very- The-Thing -like episode of The X-Files called ‘Ice’ (S1, Ep8), worms feast on a host’s brain and make them extremely violent. The Goa’uld species in Stargate SG-1 reside in a host’s neck and subsume their personality, transforming them into an absolute drama queen.

In Star Trek: The Original Series, there are several parasitic stories. The flying jellyfish-like parasites on the Deneva colony cause “a pattern of mass insanity” (‘Operation – Annihilate!’ – S1, Ep29). There’s also the Redjac, a noncorporeal parasite that possesses its host, turns it into a serial killer, and then feeds on fear—this is how Trek explains Jack the Ripper (‘Catspaw’ – S2, Ep7).

Symbiosis, Not So Simply

Although classifying symbiosis enables us to understand their differences and spot them the next time we watch a nature documentary or a sci-fi TV show—parasitic! mutual!—Newton warns this is a bit simplistic.

“The word ‘symbiosis’ in common usage has become synonymous with ‘mutualism’. This clouds our understanding of interactions,” she tells me. “The mechanisms and dynamics of mutualisms and parasitisms are very similar and also, mutualisms can break down and become parasitisms.”

We can see this in science fiction, too. For example, I’d class the artificially intelligent machines in The Matrix (1999) as having a parasitic relationship with humans. Humans scorched the sky in Operation Darkstorm, so the machines could no longer use the power of the sun. This wasn’t a problem for long, as the machines then used humans as an alternative power source instead. It certainly sounds parasitic, right? But maybe if you prefer the “juicy and delicious” steak in the Matrix compared to “the same goddamn goop every day” you get on the outside as Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) does, then it could be mutualism?

Let’s also consider the Goa’uld in Stargate SG-1 , which might take over a host’s body, but give the host benefits, like an extended lifespan and boosted strength. Is that maybe a little bit of mutualism? The Tok’ra, a faction of the Goa’uld, also believes in the body’s equal sharing between symbiont and host, so not all are necessarily parasitic. (I’d still like them to stay as far away from my neck as possible, though, thanks).

What’s more, the Venom symbiote, which has a long history throughout Marvel canon, doesn’t fully take over its host’s body but often does force them to do pretty dangerous or violent things. Where does that sit on the scale between mutualism and parasitism?

Introducing the Trill in The Next Generation

If we had to categorize the Trill relationship, we’d be looking at mutualism. That’s because the Trill symbionts get to live their lives outside of the pools. And, because the symbionts can live for centuries, the Trill hosts get their accumulated skills, knowledge, and experience.

The symbiont’s personality, memories, and impulses then exist alongside the host’s. Being ‘joined’ also comes with an elevated social status in Trill society, which benefits them both.

But it wasn’t always this way. We learn the most about the Trill from Jadzia Dax, a Trill and principal character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. But two years earlier, when we first met a ‘joined’ member of the Trill in Star Trek: The Next Generation (‘The Host’ – S4, Ep23), they not only looked different but had a relationship that leaned more toward parasitism than mutualism.

Trill ambassador Odan (Frank Luz) had a ridged forehead, typical in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s ‘alien of the week’ style storytelling. But fast-forward to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Jadzia Dax has a human forehead and, instead, a series of spots and marks down each side of her face, neck, and body. Some fans have explained this away by saying that they were, perhaps, from different parts of Trill. But, allegedly, the show’s creators simply didn’t want to cover up Terry Farrell’s face.

The ‘joining’ of the Trill changes from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , too. In TNG , the Trill symbiont solely determines the personality, needs, and experiences, whereas the host takes a back seat. In DS9 , the symbiont and host have equal footing after they join and then live together as one. When asked to explain how the symbiont and host brains work in tandem, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) describes them “like two computers linked together” (‘The Passenger’ – S1, Ep8).

Trill as Queer Representation

I couldn’t find an official explanation for what prompted the change in the Trill between Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Sure, it could have been a continuity error, but I think that presenting the relationship between Trill host and Trill symbiont as mutual opened doors to many opportunities.

The most obvious is the storytelling potential and character development of a species built on mutualism rather than parasitism. Choose parasitism, and the creators may always have to tell an uncomfortable story that errs a little too much on the side of horror. Choose mutualism, and they can explore all kinds of themes that might arise when you put two lifeforms in the same body, like those centered on identity, sexuality, responsibility, and morality.

I believe it’s how heavily the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine creators leaned into these themes that made the Trill an interesting species to explore – an interest that endures amongst fans today. I was delighted to find that there’s still so much love online for the Trill. Many fans write about how fascinating they continue to find Trill-centred stories, and some also express how transformative Trill characters were to their own development, understanding, and acceptance.

In the online magazine Lady Science , Rebecca Ortenberg writes about the episode (‘Rejoined’ – S4, Ep6) when Jadzia Dax kisses Lenara Khan (Susanna Thompson) —whose symbionts were married to one another when they had different hosts:

“I think what I saw in Dax was less about representing someone who sometimes kissed the people that I grew up wanting to kiss but instead about something deeper, something queer in a more existential way. At that age, I didn’t think of myself as liking girls. I didn’t think of myself as liking anyone. But I felt a decided “otherness” and uncertainty with my sense of self that I saw reflected on the small screen.”

Similarly, Redditor Hylaia wrote: “When I was a teenager watching DS9 , the Trill characters were the first time I ever recall being forced to think about and challenge my conception of the gender binary. It’s probably true for many others too. For DS9 to do that in the mid-90s was such a cool thing and a smart and thoughtful way to push the envelope.”

Many have explicitly read Jadzia and – from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 7 – Ezri (Nicole de Boer)’s stories as transgender allegories. They point to parallels between the trans experience and Ezri’s dysphoria, as well as the problems that her joining with Dax had on her personal life. There are also times when both Jadzia and Ezri correct other characters when they use their old host’s name or outdated pronouns. A great example is when Kor, a Klingon, greets Jadzia by saying: “Curzon, my beloved old friend!” Jadzia replies with, “I’m Jadzia now,” and Kor (rather than kicking up a fuss) simply smiles and says, “Well, Jadzia, my beloved old friend!” (‘Blood Oath’ – S2, Ep19)

Women at Warp writer Elissa Harris shares: “Dax, the symbiont who has lived numerous lives in various humanoid bodies… is trans. She may not be explicitly trans, but in terms of the stories that get told through her—about gender, personal change, social discomfort and assumptions based on appearances… she is very much trans […] Whether or not they intended to, the writers and performers on that show made my life better and easier in a very specific way.”

The stories told on-screen make a difference, which is why the ways creators tell them matter, too. That’s why it was so positive to see that the creators of Star Trek: Discovery cast non-binary actor Blu del Barrio and trans actor Ian Alexander in Trill roles as Adira and Grey Tal. Not only might some fans see themselves and their experiences mirrored in the Trill, but in the actors chosen to play them, too.

I rewatched an episode of Star Trek: Discovery (‘Forget Me Not’ – S3, Ep4) about the Trill when I was writing this article. There’s a beautiful scene where all of the past Tal hosts greet Adira Tal and say, “welcome to the circle”. Adira Tal now feels connected to the Tal symbiont and all of the hosts before them. This struck me as incredibly powerful, and I read it as not only a reconciling of past Trill hosts but our own reconciling of our past selves and our ancestors. I like that in each Trill, as in each of us, there can be a sense of belonging. Or, as Admiral Senna Tal says to Adira Tal: “Joining made us more than we could ever be alone.”

I don’t believe we all have to come away from every Trill episode having had a profound moment of realization or affirmation. But I do think the Trill are a special species. After their experience, Adira Tal describes the symbionts as “a gift for everyone” (S3, Ep4), and I can’t help but think they aren’t solely a gift for those in the Star Trek universe but for all of us in ours, too.

Stories of the Trill enable us to cultivate more understanding, compassion, and appreciation of difference, both in ourselves and others, rather than fear it. And this is incredibly important because no one exists in isolation. We are all living in symbiosis with each other.

This article was originally published on February 16th, 2022 on the first Companion website.

Brad Wright's Conversations in Sci-Fi: The Wright Cut

Brad wright's conversations in sci-fi (abridged), cgi fridays, star trek | a history of starfleet uniforms from fashion disasters to gender equality, upcoming events, brad wright: how to recharge your creativity, teryl rothery: embracing mental health as a fandom - part 5, basingstoke comic con collaboration.

1 hr 56 min

Trill Talk (guest-starring Celeste!‪)‬ Casual Trek - A Star Trek Recap and Ranking Podcast

We’ve got a guest star! Celeste of the Nerd & Tie Podcast and Celeste is Best joins the casual crew this episode to talk about the Trill. The species has always been a fascinating one and science fiction stand-in for conversations about gender and identity, so the three of us are going to delve into that in three different shows. Star Trek: The Nest Generation’s “The Host” is the introduction to the Trill who look a little strange compared to what we’re used to. There’s a romance, a death and Riker volunteers to get a slug put in him. We also spend time in the Enterprise salon with our hands in some green goo. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “Rejoined” Jazdia Dax meets her wife from a former life and the pair hit it off, even though they’re not supposed to in Trill lore. Kira’s a good comrade, Bashir’s a fifth wheel and we get a touching love story in this episode. Finally in Star Trek: Discovery’s “Forget Me Not”, new arrival Adira is having problems being a human host to a Trill symbiont, so we journey through memories and buck traditions while Saru’s having to learn how to get his crew of overachieving nerds to chill out a bit. This was a really fun episode to make, even though there are some audio issues we’ve hopefully ironed out and one of us didn’t do the right homework. 00:05:30 Trill 00:07:55 Celeste’s history with Star Trek 00:10:29 What Non-Star Trek Thing Have People Been Enjoying? 00:21:51 TNG: The Host 00:52:30 DS9: Rejoined 01:22:05 DISCO: Forget Me Not Pedant’s Corner: The governor was Leka Trion, not Leka Tyrion. Damn you, autocorrect! Eastenders had a brief flash-forward to build suspense for their Christmas 2023 episode Burnham’s Captain Catchphrase is, “Let’s Fly” Talking points include: Venom, Maggott, Mr Mind, 52, Doctor Who, apparently Americans don’t know when an American’s putting on an English accent, Transformers/Star Trek crossovers, yuri anime, I’m in Love with the Villainess, Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Gundam, Dark Shadows, Degrassi’s zombie and Terminator webseries which genuinely happened, Grange Hill, EastEnders, Arthurian Mythology, Fantastic Four, The Curse, Nathan Fielder in general, Lynch, Wandavision, The Bear, Miles watches Zardos so much he was probably watching it while we were recording, Meatloaf, The Enterprise has a salon?, Game of Thrones’ approach to siblings, what sad loser YouTube channels would have been doing in the 80’s, Avatar, homosexuality in the very early 90’s, Northstar, Pasíon de las Pasiones, slightly less psychic damage from Mariah Carey, the Tom Tom Club, Weird Al, Weird Science, Revenge of the Nerds, untrustworthy practitioners of close-up magic, New BSG, Helix, Dawson’s Creek is better in the original Klingon, Michael Scott is so devoted to profit, appropriating ‘not my cup of tea’, Quinton Reviews also giving us psychic damage, The Orville, Jessie Gender, X-Men, pointed sticks, Buster Keaton. Oh, and occasionally Star Trek. Casual Trek is by Charlie Etheridge-Nunn and Miles Reid-Lobatto Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn Casual Trek is a part of the Nerd & Tie Network https://ko-fi.com/casualtrek Celeste is Best YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@NickIzumi?si=zn9n9co5XTbM3d-P The Nerd & Tie Podcast: http://www.nerdandtie.com/our-shows/the-nerd-tie-podcast/ Miles’ blog: http://www.mareidlobatto.wordpress.com Charlie’s blog: http://www.fakedtales.com The sound effect “Landline phone pick up angry” is by FilmCow

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Star Trek: Discovery Writer Teases Significant Consequences Following Dr. Culber's Season 5 Trill Transformation

• Dr. Culber faces severe consequences after a Trill scientist takes over his body and mind in season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery.
• Writer Kyle Jarrow hints at Culber's ongoing struggles and character ramifications following the intense Trill takeover in the series.
• Culber's transformation and challenges will be explored further, showcasing the actor's range in upcoming episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Star Trek: Discover y writer hints at Dr. Hugh Culber facing severe consequences after Trill scientist Jinaal took over his mind and body in Season 5 of the highly popular series.

In episode three of Star Trek : Discover y season 5, viewers see the USS Discovery embarking on a thrilling journey to find the Progenitors’ treasure. However, the hunt leads them to Jinaal, a 24th-century Trill scientist, who holds a piece of crucial information about the treasure’s location. But things go downhill for Dr. Hugh Culber when Jinaal manages to assume control of Culber’s body and mind. Now, in a new interview, co-writer Kyle Jarrow has made it clear that Culber would struggle with the aforementioned experience.

Star Trek: Discovery Actor Names One Character Whose Backstory Would Be Explored In Season 5

While making an appearance on The 7th Rule podcast , Jarrow opened up about what might happen with Dr. Culber after Jinaal’s takeover. The writer also mentioned that the Trill takeover will have a long-lasting effect in the ongoing edition of Star Trek: Discovery. During the conversation, he also dropped an exciting hint about the intense encounter and noted that things won’t get easier for Culber throughout the season. Jarrow said, “I won’t give anything away about where the season is going, but I will say that the experience of this for Culber is gonna continue to resonate. Towards the end of the episode, there’s that scene where he’s talking to Michael, and he’s talking about the experience, and having this other consciousness inside him, and he’s sort of trying to work through it. So that’s gonna play forward, and actually, there’s gonna be some ramifications for him… character-wise.”

For the uninitiated, in episode three of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 , Dr. Culber volunteers for the intense Trill ritual named Zhian’tara. During the ritual, Jinaal takes over Culber’s body and mind, leaving Culber as a mere onlooker in his own vessel. It would be interesting to see Culber’s transformation in the upcoming episodes. Culber’s journey in the Star Trek universe has been pretty harrowing. Throughout the series, fans have seen him grappling with the aftermath of his death and resurrection in Seasons 1 and 2 of Star Trek: Discovery . So, it doesn’t come as a shock that he has endured a lot of trauma since getting murdered by Ash Tyler. In the past episode, viewers saw how his resurrection gave a unique look at someone experiencing PTSD. Things are only going to get tougher for him after his encounter with Jinaal, and it might turn out to be lethal for him.

Interestingly, the takeover by Jinaal also gives Cruz to show his range as an actor. He would have to play an entirely different character in the upcoming episodes and show viewers that he can play any role. It would be exciting to see how the makers choose to continue with his story while delving into his past traumas and navigating new challenges ahead. The next episode of Star Trek: Discovery season five will see the USS Discovery getting vandalized by a peculiar weapon.

Star Trek: Discovery is available for streaming on Paramount Plus.

8 Coolest Starships From Star Trek: The Next Generation

Source: The 7th Rule

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Published Apr 30, 2024

WARP FIVE: David Ajala on Embracing Second Chances and the Heavy Burden of Legacy

The Star Trek: Discovery actor takes us behind-the-scenes of ‘Mirrors’ as Book’s journey this season.

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

Getty Images / StarTrek.com

Welcome to Warp Five, StarTrek.com's five question post-mortem with your favorite featured talent from the latest Star Trek episodes.

The 32nd Century has not been easy for the courier known as Cleveland "Book" Booker. The Dark Matter Anomaly erased everything his home and Kwejian culture from existence entirely, along with his family.

In his desperation to stop the DMA, he allies with scientist Ruon Tarka to eliminate the threat once and for all by destroying its power source, putting him at odds with the Federation and his partner Captain Michael Burnham. While enacting their extreme plan, Tarka and Booker end up careening towards the edge of a hyperfield with their ship destroyed on impact. However, he was saved by the 10-C, a species that utilized the DMA, and held him in stasis as they worked to understand the predicament at hand. Despite his second lease on life, the Federation had to hold Book accountable for his actions but would take his “reasons” into account as they do matter. As penance, he would aid families displaced by the DMA.

The fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery welcomes Cleveland "Book" Booker into the fold as his expertise are needed when the Discovery crew are handed a Red Directive mission that involves trailing a pair of ex-couriers across the galaxy as they collect clues that will reveal the whereabouts of a device of immense power.

StarTrek.com had the opportunity to sit down with David Ajala ahead of last week’s episode, " Mirrors ," to discuss all things Cleveland "Book" Booker.

Mirrors Milestones

"Mirrors"

StarTrek.com

The latest episode of Discovery, “Mirrors,” opens with a personal log from Book as he reflects on a piece of advice provided to him by his mentor and namesake. "Mirrors" had no shortage of exciting features for the cast as it finds Book and Burnham trapped on the Mirror Universe's I.S.S. Enterprise along with this season's antagonists Moll and L'ak, who provide us with insight on the mysterious yet aggressive Breen .

"It was super, super special," David Ajala recalling his thoughts when he got the script for the episode and seeing all these elements that would delight any Star Trek fan, "It was a cherry on top of another cherry."

"It really was," elaborates Ajala. "Sometimes when you're reading these episodes, you just never know. I personally don't know what the story's going to be because I reached out to the producers and told them that I don't want to know anything, let me just go from episode to episode. And then you see these wonderful touchstones, from across Star Trek history, that they put in the episodes. And it is just glorious. And of course, the fans are going to love it. They absolutely will."

As for how he approached the momentous tasks at hand? Ajala shares, "In all honesty, my main thing is just to always be as present as possible. Sometimes you look around, you're on set and there's so much going on in a wonderful way, and just being part of this franchise, it's always very healthy to simplify it and just be as present as possible. And I think that's the ethos I try to take into everything that I did."

The Enduring Grace of Michael Burnham

"Face the Strange"

Previously, Ajala spoke to StarTrek.com, during the Season 5 press junket, about the grace afforded him by his love, Michael Burnham . The "grey area" the former couple exists in gets even murkier as Burnham got to relive a happier time in their relationship in " Face the Strange ," and the duo face imminent destruction aboard the I.S.S. Enterprise in “Mirrors.”

A romantic at heart, the Discovery actor notes Book and Burnham’s unyielding connection to one another, "Because love prevails, love perseveres through, they're always, always going to connect."

"Their relationship is made a lot stronger because of what they have to overcome during Season 5," hints Ajala, before diving into what’s going through Book’s head during the dire scene in "Mirrors." "It is bittersweet, but I think those happy moments are full of so much joy that they'll be able to exist. So Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker will continue to be in each other's lives. In what capacity? The future will tell or unfold, even. But I really do believe that these are two individuals that bring out the best in each other. And the course of true love never did run smooth, but it's worth it."

The Complicated Legacy of Cleveland Booker IV and the Only Family He Has Left

It's not just being on the same starship with his former lover that has Book entangled this season. The ex-courier realizes that half of the fugitive duo he's chasing — Moll — is actually Malinne Ravel, the daughter of his late mentor, Cleveland Booker IV.

"It was a really brave thing for the writers to come up with this very specific story to introduce Moll as Cleveland Booker's sister," states Ajala. "And to have someone who speaks of this Cleveland Booker, Moll speaks about a Cleveland Booker that Book doesn't recognize at all."

"To hear someone speaking negatively about someone who you hold in such high regard was definitely going to be very painful for him, but at the same time, healing," elaborates Ajala. "At the same time, I think sometimes you do need to be challenged. The substance of who you are and what you stand for needs to be challenged because it crystallizes your identity."

Understanding Moll's desperation to protect the only person she loves, Book goes to the wisdom imparted on him by his mentor, " No matter how bad things get, the one thing you always have is a choice ." Even at one point, offering his phaser to his "sister" as a token of trust.

Recalling an earlier moment in the season he connected with, Ajala says, "There’s a scene where they're in Sickbay, it's Cleveland Booker and Dr. Culber. They're looking at the monitor, watching Moll and L'ak flying through the air. And what Cleveland Booker recognizes is that they are thrill seekers like him and Michael Burnham. It just adds a very deeper, nuanced, complicated level of connection with Moll. He will always continue to try to reach her, but he'll be challenged. The reason why he continues to pursue her is because he's been afforded a second chance and he knows what it feels and the benefits of being afforded a second chance. So he wants to offer that same grace to Moll. Whether she's willing to accept it or not is another question."

"I love their relationship. I love how they grow," Ajala teases. "I love how grey their relationship is. And by the end of the season there is a resolve between these two, but it's not a resolve that has a neat ribbon on it. It's still grey. That's life."

It's the grace afforded to him by Burnham that allows him to want to offer that to Moll. "Having experienced that level of grace, he is now able to give Moll that level of grace. It's all tied around the word grace and kindness. And I believe the world would be a better place if we offered each other a bit more grace."

"It means so much more now than it did the previous season," continues Ajala. "To know that one has a choice gives an individual a bit of freedom and a bit of power, so to say. And it's also very important to be able to make the right choice from an informed place. Worst case scenario is Moll will make a decision that Cleveland Booker could have helped her to prevent. That's worst case scenario. Best case scenario is that Moll makes a decision influenced by Cleveland Booker that helps her to avoid self-destruction."

The Last Kwejian

"The Hope That is You, Part 1"

In a tense moment in "Mirrors," Moll demands to know why Book is unrelenting in his support of her. Book painfully pleads, "Because I'm Kwejian. Everything I cared about out there is gone. And he may have been a shit dad to you, but he was a great mentor to me and like it or not, that makes you just about the only family I have left."

Ajala knows the pressure on Book to continue his culture’s legacy. "It's a huge task to take on board," he explains. "We have to remember he was the Prodigal son and he was ostracized from his family, so he didn't hold onto much of his culture. And then to be welcomed back into the fold and then to lose his whole entire planet, any bit of that culture will hold such incredible significance."

"I would hope that in a world or in the future, there is a world in which Cleveland Booker is able to maintain that culture and pass it down like an heirloom," says Ajala. "Kwejian culture is special. It's special. And it talks about us all being part of the same tree and being interconnected. I hope he will be a testament to what Kwejian culture stands for."

The previous seasons of Discovery was meaningful to Ajala because they were able to share more of Kwejian culture. "Do you know what's interesting about this," asks Ajala. "When we talk about the culture and the world of Kwejian? Of course, in Season 3, we got to see some of the world. And in Season 4, we got to see some of the world. But now that world of course is obliterated. Now you'll see the physical manifestation of that through Cleveland Booker. And the physical manifestation of it is grace, kindness. And it's also the ethos that we are all connected. The world is a better place with us all connected rather than existing independently. Again, going back to being afforded a second chance, I think he has a much bigger capacity of love and of patience to be able to be the right individual to reach Moll."

Offering A Spiritual Perspective to the Ship's Doctor

"All is Possible"

While aboard the U.S.S. Discovery , we get to see Book strengthen his relationship with the crew, especially Dr. Culber.

In " Jinaal ," Burnham and Book were present on Trill as Dr. Culber partakes in the zhian’tara ritual , which allows a symbiont's consciousness to take full control of his body. The experience shakes Culber at his core as it challenges what he knows to be true.

On getting to bond with Wilson Cruz and watching the friendship between Book and Culber strengthen, Ajala shares, "It's one of the relationships that organically developed, which I love. The texture of that relationship just feels so pure for the two individuals. The way Cleveland Booker is able to speak to Culber is different from anyone else. And I feel that Culber is able to speak with Cleveland Booker is also uniquely different. I love the way these two hold space for each other, curious without being judgmental. And I think it's a relationship that will continue to thrive and they'll continue to learn from each other."

"Mr. Cruz is so great to work with, he's just good people," Ajala adds. "It doesn't feel like work with him. What does feel like work is trying not to laugh. I don't think people realize how funny Wilson is. He is hilarious. He is so freaking funny. And I just love how you can go from just being wildly funny then in the zone, focused and back to storytelling."

BONUS: An Update to Queen Grudge

"Stormy Weather"

Of course, we couldn't let Ajala leave without an update to his queen, Grudge, and her legacy on the series.

"Queen Grudge's legacy will always be that she will be able to say, 'I didn't go to drama school and yet I was able to upstage my co-star who went to drama school for two years,'" quips Ajala. "It breaks my heart. My heart is still open because she is my queen. Her legacy will be the mystery will continue that no one apart from Cleveland Booker understands or knows why she is a queen and why she was named Grudge. I think that's a wonderful mystery, which I will keep for as long as possible, but her legacy will always be that she reigns supremely with attitude and sass."

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Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

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

• Behind The Scenes

• May 3, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Listens For “Whistlespeak” With Commentary From Mary Wiseman Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
• May 2, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Goes On A Spiritual Journey In “Whistlespeak”
• May 1, 2024 | Toronto Stage Used For ‘Discovery’ Renamed “The Star Trek Stage” By Pinewood Studios
• May 1, 2024 | Star Trek Event Coming To ‘World Of Tanks’ Online Game – Watch Mission Preview
• April 30, 2024 | Star Trek Team Was Top Fundraiser For Pancreatic Cancer Action Network 2024 Charity Walk

Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Goes On A Spiritual Journey In “Whistlespeak”

| May 2, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 56 comments so far

“Whistlespeak”

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 6 – Debuted Thursday, May 2, 2024 Written by Kenneth Lin & Brandon Schultz Directed by Chris Byrne

A classic Trek setup delivers a solid episode exploring character arcs and big ideas.

Hey, I’m in this episode too!

WARNING: Spoilers below!

“The most important thing is to work in harmony”

Picking up on the clue they nabbed in the previous episode, Paul and the geek squad run into a science wall deciphering the simple vial of water so the captain suggests they try cultural analysis instead before she pops off to the mysterious Infinity Room. Kovich tells her that another ship is tracking Moll and L’ak, and the Disco has to stay on task for the Progenitor Tech. He does offer a bit of help, providing a list (on actual paper!) of all the scientists from Vellek’s team. Returning to the science lab the team quickly sorts out which scientist left the water clue, it was a Denobulan named Dr. Kreel who designed rain-making weather towers. A bit more detective work narrows things down to an arid world on an old Denobulan trade route and presto shroomo, they arrive at Planet Helem’no. The good news is they found one of Kreel’s weather towers. The bad news: the tower is surrounded by some “weird energy” preventing scans… and a pre-warp society. The captain flexes her xenoanthropology, revealing Helem’nites have three gender identities and no concept of class status; sounds like just the kind of place a Denobulan would party. Tilly is tagged to join on the field trip and so it’s good ol’ alien disguise time!

On the planet, they have a bit of a hike to get to the tower so they walk and talk about Tilly’s new life as a teacher at Starfleet Academy, where she is concerned one of her students is thinking of leaving. Soon enough they follow some “whistlepseak” (title alert!) leading to a group of pilgrims, only to witness one collapse due to spending too much time in the dust storms. Michael and Tilly struggle over that old Prime Directive, but the local woman ends up being saved by High Priest Ohvahz and his cool “sound cure,” which has the surprise side effect of knocking Michael out. She wakes up to find Tilly making friends with the priest’s kid Ravah who is super excited to get to the temple at the high summit, which is actually an 8-century-old Denobulan weather machine. Shhh. There is a traditional “Journey” race with the winner getting the honor to enter the temple and so Michael and Tilly sign up as a way in to search for the clue. Ravah signs up too, but priest dad is suspiciously not into the idea. Tilly encourages them, seeing the same kind of ambition she admires in her cadets. Michael takes a surreptitious sidebar to talk to Rayner and the gang on the Disco. Adira discovered more old (and broken down) weather towers and this last one is about to fritz out too. This fun day trip just turned into one of those “everyone is going to die if we don’t fix it” kind of things.

Why am I getting a sense this is no “fun run.”

“Let’s go meet the gods together”

Meanwhile on Discovery, Culber is still feeling a bit off. He decides to get counseling from a holo grief program based on his own abuela, who was known to dabble in the spiritual. He is looking for answers to what’s been happening to him since he merged with a Trill , but grandmother reminds him she was also a doctor, suggesting he stop trying to examine his soul before examining his body. So he grabs his hubby and they head to sickbay because “nothing is as romantic as a neural scan.” Aww. All Paul can detect is Hugh’s brain is normal, and of course “handsome.” Adorable. Culber was hoping for more, revealing ever since Trill he feels “more connected” to something big, but he just doesn’t know what to do it about. Is someone about to meet a Koala ?

Michael has a curious chat with the cured woman from earlier talking about how she really misses her old friend who won the last big race. Like priest dad, she suggests there are other ways to show devotion besides participating in the Journey ritual. Hmm. The race begins with the sucking of a cube that parches the competitors as they head up a course lined with water bowls, which they can’t drink without being disqualified. After spotting some mutated moss, Michael leaves the race to find the radiation-leaking control panel. Eventually, Tilly and Ravah are the only two left, both tripping big-time with dehydration. The ritual now calls for carrying water bowls, which seems particularly cruel. Ravah drops theirs and Dad is elated, but Tilly steps up and shares her water with her new little protégé, and they continue to the high summit together. Teamwork! They tie up and both get to enter the temple. As Ravah takes in the spiritual moment, Tilly uses her cool new retinal tricorder but isn’t finding any clue. Priest dad shows up looking miserable, telling the winners their sacrifice will bless Helem’No for many seasons. Sacri-whatnow?

Upon reflection, fire was not a good call for the vacuum chamber.

“Beliefs can evolve”

As the walls are about to literally close in on Tilly, Michael gets some tech support from Adira to fix the weather system’s control panel, which is in the middle of the forest for some reason. The ensign is still feeling out of sorts since letting the time spider on board (not their fault) but Rayner rallies them so after some technobabble, the system is fixed. Tilly is now trapped in a vacuum chamber and can’t be beamed out so Michael breaks the Prime Directive and beams into the room right next door where Priest Dad is hanging out. With the air escaping, Ravah is now having second thoughts as Michael goes all in with their father, revealing his whole world is a lie so he should just open the door. Yeah, that didn’t work so Michael makes contact through the impenetrable wall using her subcutaneous communicator and starts humming a song she hears from Ravah that their mother used to sing. That gets Ohvahz’s attention and with “I am not a god but maybe I was sent here by one,” he opens his mind to a new reality… and the door. By this time Ravah has collapsed but Culber’s medical team can now beam in for the save. Heisenberg be praised!

As Culber and his team work everyday miracles, Ohvahz takes in the wonder of a hologram of his planet as he learns aliens called Denobulans saved them centuries ago. Now it’s his job to keep their technology working… no prayer required. Michael plays agnostic on whether this big reveal disproves the divine, leaving him with the thorny issue of getting his society to stop the pointless (yet popular) sacrifices. As Dad and Ravah reunite, Tilly has big news, showing Michael wall markings matching those on that persnickety water vial clue. They are in the wrong tower, but the next map piece and clue is in tower #5. Back on the ship, Book is sulking for not getting picked for the fun away mission, doing what dudes do… playing video games – technically shuttle combat simulation, but it looked just like Asteroids . Culber joins to cheer him up with a snack and to find a new outlet to talk about his burgeoning “spiritual awakening.” The former courier offers solace saying it’s okay for Hugh to have a part of his life he doesn’t share with Paul, while Book inadvertently shares how much he misses what he had with Michael. As the boys share a nice moment, Tilly and Michael have one too as they put the fourth piece of the map in place and ponder the big picture, and how each of the scientists seems to be sending them a message through time, warning of the “massive responsibility” of the Progenitor tech. Before they work all that out, the word comes that Moll and L’ak have been found. Black Alert!

Wait ’till I tell you about Denobulan marriages, it’s going to blow your mind.

Faith of the heart

“Whistlespeak” is a decent mid-season episode that takes a moment to pause and reflect on the season’s themes and impact on the characters. The pacing was slower by design, giving time to take in the location, performances, and character development. And they threw in the world-ending stakes to keep it interesting. Like other season 5 entries, the premise is classic Trek with an actual visit to a strange new world. Exploring a pre-warp society and coming into conflict with the Prime Directive, evokes episodes like “Who Watches the Watchers,” “The Paradise Syndrome,” and many others. You may not even notice it but the facial markings and even Tilly’s hairstyle were added as they beamed down, a subtle 32nd transporter tech upgrade to having the doctor handle alien disguises. It’s always hard to come up with a new culture on Star Trek but keeping it simple worked for “Whistlespeak.” The events on Helem’No were also a bit of a microcosm of the season itself, a race to receive the grace of the gods is not so different than the USS Discovery’s race to find the Progenitor’s tech. Like the Progenitors, the Denobulans played God with this planet but there is a warning about even good intentions can have unintended consequences. Confronting the Prime Directive — one of the core tenets of Federation philosophy — isn’t so different than how the High Priest had to evolve his worldview. The season’s focus on connection was nicely woven throughout the various plots and stories with a strong emphasis on the recurring theme of exploring spirituality without getting too heavy-handed, showing respect, and learning lessons from different points of view, which is all very Star Trek.

This was a great episode for Mary Wiseman as she showed off all the familiar aspects of Tilly from her dry wit to her whip smarts, with the season’s added layer of her growing into a mentor figure, such as how she immediately bonded with Ravah, ably played by guest star June LaPorte. And once again this final season reminds us where it all started, bringing back some of the Michael/Tilly bonding seen in the first couple of seasons, including a bit of running together as they used to do around the USS Discovery. Extended scenes with Wiseman and Sonequa Martin-Green have been missed. But as this was a Tilly-focused episode, the show could have held back some of its tendencies, giving her more of the “aha” moments to move the plot along. Burnham will also be the hero, but share the character wealth. Wilson Cruz also stood out as we explored his character’s spiritual awakening. This storyline has been playing along nicely and seems to be setting something up. Simple things like paying off namedrops of his abuela show how much Discovery has improved on layering in these season-long character arcs.

Tilly is concerned about her listing on ratemyprofessor.com.

Reach for any star

While the intriguing big Breen reveal from the previous episode was set aside for this week, the search for clues structure continues to allow for these nice little episodic adventures. It’s always great to meet a new culture and expand on the canon. Once again the season doesn’t shy away from utilizing franchise lore, in this case bringing in a few bits of Denobulan society through Dr. Kreel. However, after we got to (sort of) meet the first two Progenitor research scientists in episodes 1 and 3, the show is missing an opportunity to continue that by introducing the others. Instead of just talking about Denobulans, it would have been a treat to actually get to see Dr. Kreel (and Dr. Cho in the last episode, too), and that could have also helped sell some of the episode’s themes. On the other hand, it’s always great to get to learn more about the enigmatic Dr. Kovich, with David Cronenberg continuing to intrigue us with more tidbits about his character who has a penchant for old legal pads. This and his “Infinity Room,” all feel like it is leading somewhere and hopefully this series doesn’t wrap up without finally explaining what is his deal.

Of course, the episode also has some of the usual frustrations. Discovery needs to find some more creative ways to explain away when and how and where the 32nd technology doesn’t work. It seems every episode has some weird energy field preventing the transporters from working so that the episode can progress at the desired pace, specifically a walking pace. That being said, the retinal tricorders were a nice new bit of tech, although perhaps not discreet enough if someone checks out what’s happening with one of your eyes. And while it may only be the “Prime Suggestion” to many Trek captains, it still isn’t clear if the season plot “Red Directive” supersedes the Prime Directive, but for obvious reasons, it’s not likely Burnham will face the same kind of tribunal as (formerly) Captain Rayner. The disruption to this society was pretty profound and they probably should have noted that Starfleet would be back to check in to make sure they didn’t just kick off a religious war. By the way, why didn’t the Denobulans ever check in after leaving all their tech running? These quibbles are not episode breakers but are the usual kinds of things that Discovery doesn’t seem interested in tying up, and perhaps they are a bit nitpicky, but that too is a Trek tradition. Finally, this may not be a nitpick, but the crew seems a bit blasé in how they treat the slowly-assembling map, which seems to be left around various parts of the Discovery. Like every hero ship before, the USS Discovery has been boarded by the bad guys on several occasions, so maybe this is setting up for a coming heist.

The most important thing in the Federation makes for a nice conversation piece.

Final thoughts

This (dare I say) “filler” episode was a solid outing that delivered some classic Star Trek to Discovery . With four out of five pieces of the map assembled in six episodes, it feels like we are making progress without getting sidetracked. The pivot in Season 5 continues to be finally finding the sweet spot in episodic adventures, serialized plot, and character development.

Only four more, y’all.

• For the third episode in a row, Doug Jones is not credited. Saru is confirmed to appear in at least the finale episode, so he will be back.
• The actual whistlespeak heard in the episode was performed by professional whistler Molly Lewis .
• Michael studied xenolinguistics on Vulcun under a Dr. T’Prasi.
• Denobulans use silver iodine to make it rain on Denobula, which is used today in cloud seeding .
• The walls of the Denobulan vacuum chamber were made of solid Tritanium , which was commonly used by Starfleet in the 24th century, but perhaps the thickness prevented beaming.
• The (replicated) Culber family Mofongo con pollo al ajillo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish with rice, chicken, and garlic.
• The “sound cure” bowls used by the Hilem’No are like so-called Tibetan “ singing bowls ” which have been used in the modern era for “ music therapy .”
• The sound wave pattern shown during the “sound cure” is a real phenomenon called cymatics .
• The weather control interface was in the Denobulan language , first seen on  Star Trek: Enterprise .
• If Kovich’s 21st century legal pad is made of acid-free paper, then it could indeed survive for centuries .
• Vellek (Romulan)
• Jinaal Bix (Trill)
• Carmen Cho (Terran)
• Hitoroshi Kreel (Denobulan)
• Marina Derex (Betazoid)… obviously named in honor of Marina Sirtis .

Four more?… for you maybe.

More to come

Every Friday, the TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek Podcast  covers the latest news in the Star Trek Universe and discusses the latest episode. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Pocket Casts ,  Stitcher and is part of the TrekMovie Podcast Network.

The fifth and final season of  Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery  will also premiere on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuts on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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It’s a good stand-alone ep. It proves you don’t need bad guys chasing for the same relics. I realized how unnecessary they are.

I echo that sentiment, big-time!

The best Trek is without “bad guys”. Always has been. Too bad modern writers don’t get it. This was a gem of an episode.

Great episode i really enjoyed the slow pacing of it and i always like a episode involving a trip to a pre warp society.

It’s great that they have gotten 4 of the 5 pieces of the puzzle already and not leaving it to the penultimate episode.

I do agree with the review that it would be nice to see the rest of the scientists and i hope when they do find the Progenitor Tech we find get some form of flashback with the scientists finding the tech.

I really like it when NuTrek references Enterprise.

This is like the trill episode. A lot of other stuff happens with a minimal plot advancement. I’m ok with that, if it’s interesting. If you’re going to recycle and re-use tropes, it needs to be interesting. This was largely, not. I found it more interesting than the Trill episode, and I loved the delivery of the message Burnham gives at the end. That why I found this episode better than that one. But still wasn’t all that great.

I was bored rigid. This is what happens when you take 45 minutes of plot and stretch it out over 10 episodes.

I finally started watching Slow Horses on the weekend – and ended up binging all three seasons this week.

Six 40ish-minute episodes a season, no filler, complex plots and solid characters, writing and acting.

I wish Trek could pull that off.

Great show.

This is my main problem with it, yes. I loved episodes 1 and 2, but from after that it started going downhill for precisely that reason: because there’s not much of a story here. So we get a whole lot of filler scenes, scenes about people being unsure of themselves (this must be the most emotionally fragile crew in the history of Starfleet–it’s getting kind of ridiculous at this point), and minimal plot advancement. Meanwhile, all the focus is on Action Hero Michael every single episode, with Saru, Stamets, the entire bridge crew, and Reno doing almost nothing all season. Tilly has had more to do this season, which is great. But other than Michael, Book, Culber, and Saru, everyone else has done almost nothing since season two. I really wanted to like this season, and when it started I very much did. But it’s going nowhere fast.

You nailed it.

Wow you said everything I been thinking too. The season is feeling more and more flat and the characters outside a few of them just has nothing to do.

Started off great but halfway through now and I’m getting bored again because it doesn’t feel compelling enough.

Yeah, they took what might have been a solid four-hour story and turned it into ten hours, and they gave us two entirely lackluster villains. One thing that has been a big problem on Trek for a while now–on Discovery, as well as on Picard–has been utterly forgettable and boring villains. Not one of them has really stood out to me on either show, other than Lorca.

This has been the problem with almost all of these. I go back to, if you’re going to deviate a bit, it’s ok.. but it better be engaging.. better be interesting. With Star Trek, you really have to make the theme feel original. None of that happens here. I don’t have a problem with what they’re trying to do.. I have a problem with the execution of it. And that’s the same problem with most of Discovery for me.

agree. I wonder what the financial upside would be if they had the courage to write the main story they want to tell and film it. This should be the benefit of the streaming platform model. If it’s 5 episodes, it’s five episodes but – if they are a great five episodes, wouldn’t that be better for the franchise than 10 of mediocre quality?

This sounds lovely and wonderful! I think I’ll finally break down and join Paramount+ instead of waiting for the DVD release! (And I’m a Tilly fan, too :)

My least liked episode of the season. It was a filler episode without any meaningful filler.

Yeah they found the next clue in the end but it went sideways at times with Tilly and Culber having some kind of personal crisis that went nowhere. .In my opinion, it wouldn’t be noticed if this episode were accidentally skipped. It is a standalone episode that stands still.

Maybe this show is better if the seasons are watched in one sitting?

Hopefully the next episode will advance the plot more than this one did.

To my happy surprise, I enjoyed Tilly’s involvement a lot. I don’t always like her. But here, I thought she worked well. The rest of the episode? Pointless.

So Betazed is the location for both a red herring AND a real clue? Moll and L’ak are going to be pissed they missed it. I mean, they had to have missed it or they would have had no motivation whatsoever to return to Lyrek.

I think that’s more because the clues left for the Trill episode pointed toward the Trill and not the Betazed clue though too. Although, yeah I’d be irritated too.

Anyone else find it interesting though that whatever they’re making they are finding the pieces right in the order they appear in the circular puzzle?

Does anybody know why Doug Jones is absent for so much of this season? Was he off making a movie or something? It seems odd that he is not actually in the series that he is one of the main stars of…

This season is peculiar because of the missing regular cast, hard to believe they couldn’t get commitments from the actors unless the show simply couldn’t use them or didn’t want them. I suspect it has something to do with controlling the budget or other contractual issues.

It’s peculiar, I agree. Discovery has become the Michael-Book-Culber show, with most of the characters under-utilized and ignored. That, for me, has been its greatest failing in the past couple seasons, but especially in this one.

Tilly was similarly absent for most of last season. It’s keenly felt because it’s a small cast to begin with. That’s part of my frustration with how they never really promoted any of the bridge crew to be a more impactful and fleshed-out character. There’s been plenty of time to do it.

Doug Jones posted that he was out for most of this season due to Hocus Pocus 2.

Thanks for the information, William. I was going to say it was weird that he chose to be absent from a big chunk of the last season of his show, but then remembered that he did not know it was the last season.

Seems like Hocus Pocus 2 came out waaay before this and that wouldn’t have been filming anywhere close to each other – dates in Wikipedia indicates HP2 was done filming by the time Disco 5 was even ordered

But – time is an illusion. Tea time, doubly so.

This is his Twitter post: https://twitter.com/actordougjones/status/1784136793753042992

He was promoting Hocus Pocus 2 while S5 was being filmed.

That’s not how contracts work, though. If they wanted him for episodes of Trek, he’d have had to skip the press tour. This means they let him out of any contract he had, presumably; which in turn likely means they were find with paying him for fewer episodes.

It was a descent episode. And since you guys were discussing what a ‘filler’ episode is on you and Laurie’s (amazing) podcast, I too wanted to say: this is a classic filler episode. Nothing really happened but it was injoyable on its own. Funny enough, I give this one an enjoyable 7, where last week was a frustrating 7.

Some of the repeating things are getting annoying:

• Michael headlining EVERY episode.
• Transporters not working.
• Talking about characters but not showing them (at least here it was an unknown).

I still don’t understand what they’re trying to do with Culber and his so-called spiritual awakening. Like you said, it must be going somewheren, because, what else is the point. I’m juist not seeing (or getting) it yet.

I’m shocked you didn’t mention the perfectly machine-made wooden water bowls by the way. That one bugged me, for such a primitive people.

And I cringed at the Marina tribute, because it was just too on the nose as a literal first name of a person.

By the way, regarding Kovich: there might be a chance he’s from the department of temporal whatsit. Although not the same suit as temporal agents on SNW season 2, it is about the same color.

Yeah, I’ve always assumed Kovich could time-travel, so that’s how he gets the paper.

Correction: The episode happened in and around tower #3, the clue was in tower #5

I only mention that because I read somewhere how nitpicking is part of Trek … :)

I guess the fact that the winner of the race was sacrificed was supposed to be a surprise? When the priest tried to talk his child out of it, and the person Burnham saved talked about how the friend who’d won the race she ran when she was young was dead, I was sure that the winner would be sacrificed. If it was obvious to ME, how did Burnham and Tilly miss it?

I know Burnham decided to break the Prime Directive for what she thought was a good reason, but I’m amazed that she decided to show the priest his planet from space. Wait, once it’s broken, you can go whole hog? There’s no attempt to maybe limit the damage?

I’m an atheist because of Occam’s Razor, and I’m always uncomfortable when Star Trek tries to get spiritual. I grew up on Kirk’s unmasking false gods and tearing down computers who pretend to be gods, so NuTrek’s careful tiptoeing around gods always makes me long for a little Jim Kirk. Apollo’s just an alien with an extra organ in his chest, damn it! :-)

I didn’t even like it when DS9 turned the franchise more toward a distinctly non-Roddenberrian spirituality, much less when Discovery does it. That said, I enjoyed this episode.

The extended impact of Culber’s experience on Trill could have played out in a very cliche way, so at least this is different. I suspect his “new outlook” will have a place in the resolution of the Progenitor tech. It’s also sort of retcon of his rebirth, which never really was “used” properly. So far, I am liking this… and I definitely come to Trek to should down alien gods!

Mankind has no need for gods we find the one quite adequate Captain Kirk

McCOY: We were speculating …’Is God really out there?’ KIRK: Maybe He’s not out there, Bones. Maybe He’s right here …in the human heart. …Spock?

Kirk or Sisko wouldn’t have asked the dad to open the door. They would have blasted it with their phaser.

Could Kovich be a Supervisor ala Gary Seven and Tallinn?

I was wondering – or a Q?

Two ‘meh’ ones in a row. Who Watches the Watchers this is NOT!

Sure, It’s great to see a pre-warp prime directive story again and I liked that Burnham revealed herself in the end to save Tilly and the girl. That’s always a Trek trope and I’m trying to think of any episode where they managed to stay completely hidden the whole time. Anyone have any examples?

But this episode just really lacked for me. Not awful just not very interesting either. It tried but just felt pretty flat overall.

As for finding pieces of the progenitor tech, it’s become pretty formulaic now and very little of a challenge. The clues are all easily found and it’s literally like putting together a Jinga puzzle. It just feels too easy. And Moll and Lak doesn’t feel threatening at all. They are just there so they can have some conflict in the story but it also feels so meh, similar to the Book and Tarka’s ‘chase’ last season.

I know they are trying and want to give us this grand adventure story but it’s still Discovery falling back to the same issues again and again. And this show keeps stretching five minutes of plot into an hour story. I wish I could care more about Culber’s ‘spiritual journey’ but yeah I just don’t.

Anyway four more episodes. Trying to stay positive but sadly I think I’m just back for the show to end. Hopefully things will finally start to ramp up and the Breen becomes a bigger part of the story.

Some great acting and character moments happened throughout this episode. But I was amused that violating the Prime Directive is just a matter of paperwork now.

I also always wonder how Michael and Tilly communicated with the people on the planet. Of course they had their universal translators and could understand them, but the people they were talking to didn’t have them.

I was surprised by the Prime Directive being paperwork too, especially after Rayner seemed to lose his command over what they were considering a Prime Directive issue.

yeah, the prime directive stuff is eye rollingly bad. It’s really there for the exact reasons they violate it in this episode. It’s stupid.

That has always been a problem with the universal translator on Trek. The concept works fine over a comms channel. But as soon as people are in direct communication the concept (as presented on all the shows) kind of falls apart, especially if only one side of the conversation even has such a technology.

I am thoroughly enjoying this season of Disco. Possibly because I am not hunting for anything and everything to criticize. Among other things, I think it is nicely balancing the slower pace of a serialized format while also having more episodic stories. It reminds me a lot of DS9 in this regard without having as many episodes per season to work with.

I am also interested in how well they will explore the topic of spirituality, another commonality with DS9. Although in the end I don’t think DS9 quite succeeded in this because the viewers could just dismiss Bajoran Faith as ignorance of the “true” nature of “The Prophets” as “wormhole aliens.”

Looking forward to see how it all turns out, though I wish this were not the final season as the series really seems to have hit its stride. But all good things…

I thought it was “ok.” Definitely tried to be a more traditional Star Trek episode, but I often feel when Discovery, and to a lesser degree Strange New Worlds, tries to do traditional Trek it just feels shallow. Like they are following a recipe to the letter but not adding any of the zest that really makes it stand out. I was also confused why they made such a big deal of the “whistle speak,” and then have it play almost zero role in the plot. Finally, it was really convenient that Michael and Tilly just happened to arrive at the exact perfect time to join the race to enter the temple. I wish I could master the art of perfect timing so well :-)

I though it was pretty clear that the young woman wanted to become and adult and requested the race because she thought she could beat “foreigners” in the race.

But I also thought it was going to become a battle to the death. They never went that far – only starving their competitors!

Ah, could be. I plan to watch it a second time and will look for that… thanks!

I would like some Saru, Owosekun and Detmer now please.

The music in this episode was outstanding.

Is it now a Star Trek trope to show a member of a pre-warp society a view of their planet from space?

Whistlespeak is about caretaking.

Did this week’s episode begin a deeper, exploration of what this all could really mean? Power? Responsibility? Her trepidation is a nice way to end the episode.

I’m in love with the whole idea of sound as language. I wanted SNW’s musical episode to be totally like what we see in this episode – so it was a nice kick for me to get a taste .

That Denobulan’s name Hitoroshi Kreel….Hoshi Sato. Why do I feel like that might be another Enterprise reference?

47 comments so far. Discovery is quite the barn-burner! ; )

Amazing episode again. This season the show is just knocking it outta the park! Wish it wasn’t the last season.

Admittedly this is kind of a paint-by-numbers Star Trek episode, but I enjoyed it quite a bit if largely for Tilly’s charisma. I do find the ongoing Culber existential crisis a little off balance, feels like we’ve already been here before with him after a far more significant event. But I do like aspects of his crisis, especially the tug between the scientific and the spiritual and how that’s expressed in his conversation with the analytical (yet caring) Stamets. Like much of Discovery’s writing, the story does take some logic shortcuts that I find distractingly convenient, but at least it fills in most of the gaps. On a side note, although I have a very high end sound system that sounds phenomenal with most streaming content, Discovery has uniquely terrible onset audio, it’s been a constant problem for the show (and seemingly all Toronto-based productions), but this season is by far the worst. It’s making it really hard to understand every word being spoken, I’m constantly rewinding to listen again and I just straight-up miss things all the time because the voices are often garbled.

Screen Rant

Star trek makes enterprise’s doctor phlox species matter in discovery’s future.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 reveals that the Denobulans are still important allies of the Federation, 900 years after Dr. Phlox in Enterprise.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak".

• "Star Trek: Discovery season 5 uncovers the vital role of Denobulans in Starfleet's future with Dr. Kreel's involvement in the Progenitors' treasure."
• "Entry of Dr. Kreel continues the legacy of Enterprise's Dr. Phlox, highlighting the importance of the Denobulans in the Federation's history."
• "Dr. Kreel's name check in Star Trek: Discovery reaffirms the presence of Denobulans in the 24th century, bridging the gap between Enterprise and the future."

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, "Whistlespeak" reveals that Star Trek: Enterprise 's Denobulan species, popularized by Dr Phlox (John Billingsley), played a hugely important role in the future of Starfleet and the Federation. The latest clue to the Progenitors' treasure is located on the planet Halem'no, a pre-warp planet which has been given a subtle helping hand from the Denobulans. Discovery season 5, episode 6 , written by Kenneth Lin and Brandon Schultz, and directed by Chris Byrne, reveals that Denobulan scientist Dr. Hitoroshi Kreel was one of the five scientists who hid the Progenitors' treasure 800 years ago.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6's revelations about the Progenitors' treasure and its link to the Denobulans is a welcome reminder of the species. Star Trek 's most notable Denobulan, Dr Phlox, was a hugely important figure in the 22nd century, serving as chief medical officer aboard the first version of the starship Enterprise . Phlox's adventures on the Enterprise NX-01 helped to establish the rules of the Federation that are still followed almost a millenia later in Discovery season 5. Discovery 's new Denobulan, Dr. Kreel, therefore, continues the legacy of Enterprise 's Phlox .

Star Trek: Enterprise Cast & Character Guide

Why it matters star trek: discovery’s dr. kreel is denobulan like enterprise’s dr. phlox.

The Denobulans were one of several alien species introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise , and were popularized by the character of Phlox. Because Enterprise was canceled , and there were no Denobulan characters seen in Star Trek 's 24th century , there was a risk that the species may have faded into obscurity. Star Trek: Discovery 's Dr. Kreel is proof that the Denobulans were alive and well in the 24th century, and still played a vital role in the affairs of the United Federation of Planets. There is no better example of this than the Federation President's decision to recruit a Denobulan scientist for their top secret Progenitors mission.

Although Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, doesn't feature Dr. Kreel on screen, he's still an affirmation of Enterprise 's big additions to the canon of Star Trek aliens . The other alien scientists searching for the Progenitors' treasure were all members of iconic species who have played integral roles in shows like the Betazoids from Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Trills from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . It's fitting, therefore, that one of Star Trek: Enterprise 's Denobulans is also part of this vitally important research group.

Other Denobulans Besides Enterprise’s Dr. Phlox In Star Trek

Although sightings of the Denobulans are rare outside Star Trek: Enterprise , Doctors Phlox and Kreel aren't the only Denobulans who have appeared in the wider franchise . In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 4, "Mugato, Gumato", two Denobulan researchers are attacked by a Mugato. In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", a Denobulan cadet accuses the Enterprise's transporter chief of stealing a ring, a dispute broken up by Lt. La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong).

Most notably, Lt. Barniss Frex (Eric Bauza) from Star Trek: Prodigy was the first commissioned Denobulan Starfleet officer depicted on screen. The unfortunate Denobulan became a victim of Prodigy 's Vau N'Akat villains and their Living Construct weapon when the crew of the USS Protostar visited the subspace relay station CR-721. However, Frex blamed the young Protostar crew for his misfortune when he was recovered by Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the USS Dauntless. Hopefully, Star Trek: Discovery 's Denobulan scientist will lead to further appearances from Dr. Phlox's species in Star Trek 's future.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 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: 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: Lower Decks

"Star Trek: Lower Decks" focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the USS Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi must keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies. The ship's bridge crew includes Captain Carol Freeman, Commander Jack Ransom, Lieutenant Shaxs and Doctor T'Ana. This is the second animated spin-off in the franchise after 1973-74's "Star Trek: The Animated Series," but has a decidedly more adult tone and humor.

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.