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The omega glory (1968).

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Star Trek: The Original Series

“The Omega Glory”

Air date: 3/1/1968 Written by Gene Roddenberry Directed by Vincent McEveety

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a doomed red-shirt beam down to investigate a Prime Directive issue when they believe Captain Tracey (Morgan Woodward) has used his phaser to help a group of people called the "Kohms" in their slaughter of the barbaric "Yangs."

Potentially interesting, "The Omega Glory" quickly degenerates into wretched excess, the first of many problems being the extreme to which the insane Tracey takes his treachery against Kirk, even when the rationale for it disappears. This episode is one of the most colossally huge messes I've ever seen on Trek . This is a plot that prompts one to start scanning the screen for the kitchen sink, and specializes in out-and-out incoherence. The attempt to politicize the material proves inept—the Yangs (Yankees) versus the Kohms (Communists) requires a leap of credulous faith I'm not willing to take. The "parallel Earth" arguments are dubious, to say the least, but when it goes so far as to use the American flag and the Constitution as symbols of an alien ideology gone wrong, it becomes preposterously overly patriotic—especially through Kirk's final speech.

All meaning is lost in a sea of seemingly random ideas posing as allegory, none of which is slightly believable on one very important level—the story's surface. Gene Roddenberry may be known for many things, but one would hope he's not known for writing "The Omega Glory."

Previous episode: By Any Other Name Next episode: The Ultimate Computer

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Comment Section

101 comments on this post.

The Omega Glory - surely that should get minus 4. How did it get even 1?!

The Omega Glory wasn't that bad of an episode. It was a decent one that was just tragically overshadowed by an awful ending. I'm an American and I love my country, but when I saw them bring out the flag I couldn't help but roll my eyes and say, "This has no place on Trek". Looking past that though, the character interaction and dialogue was alright. It had the token redshirt death, good fight scenes with accompanying soundtrack, and an interesting nemesis for Kirk in Captain Tracey, who manages to best him in a fight (initially). Definitely one of the better guest appearances. The plot did hold together well enough until the aformentioned lame ending; I wasn't bored watching this one like I have been with some episodes. I also thought it was kind of funny how after Kirk and Spock escape and subdue the guard, meeting up with McCoy, he just says "Good morning, Jim" as he was expecting them all along. Any episode that makes good use of that trio has at least something going for it.

I have to agree with John Pate- TOG is just the worst episode of Star Trek. I'm currently re-watching the whole series and that will be the ONLY episode I intend to skip over- it's just that bad.

Mike Meares

I have to admit when I first watched The Omega Glory in 1968 I liked it. However, over the years of rewatching the first two years of The Orginal Series I have come to realize it is a very poor episode. To even think that another planet could develop into two cultures like the Americans and the Chinese is too far fetched. And to have Kirk side with the whites against the yellows smacks of racism. I can barely believe this was one of the orginal stories that was proposed for the second pilot. Gene should have left this story on the shelf.

Also, one Redshirt quibble: Lt. Galloway (David Ross) in "Omega Glory" is NOT just another doomed Redshirt. He starred in several other episodes, including "A Taste Of Armageddon".

I agree with the comment about the good use of the 3-some, but this whole thing felt to me like 15 minutes of plot stretched over 50 minutes. Even with the 3 men I like, they aren't really in character. Spock's comments in that whole jail scene were sarcastic and juvenile--so out of character. Spock was just off for the whole episode. And isn't this like the 3rd ENTIRE starship whose crew was ENTIRELY destroyed? How can Star Fleet bear the loss of 1500 crew or more in just a few short years? And since when can Spock plant thoughts in people's heads without touching them? And how do people with spears and swords overcome people with phasers--why don't they use the stun setting? And now we know that the ship can stun the whole planet--why not just stun the planet and beam up the landing party? And why couldn't Spock or McCoy just tell the Yangs where Spock's heart was--"it's not there; it's over here!" And then Kirk performing the Constitution...wow. I don't know...so many crazy weird things in here. So much lack of character consistency.

It's not nearly that bad. The camera work is more intimate, and it was during the Cold War era and a spurt of pride for the USA during the time. It might be a tad hokey but still, it's not that bad at all. Cpt. Tracey was a great antagonist. It also made spiritual hokum look downright silly, which I'm a huge fan of!

The only word that comes to mind is ridiculous. The American flag AND the Constitution on an alien world? I understand that this has to be seen in context with the times -- the Viet Nam years-- but this episode begs too much to be allegorical. Especially irritating, Shatner has taken his hammy acting so far over the line at the end that he is actually a parody of himself. Spock should have nerve pinched him.

I really thought an episode where primitives worshiped their flag, the Constitution, and intertwined both with their bible, was basically just misinterpreted. Think about it, this could reasonably be a lost colony, not parallel society. Seem to recall they also treated any source of science and logic as demonic. This is obviously Gene speculating on the far end of patriotism blending with religion in a retrograde society. Either that, or it was the foretelling of the Tea Party.

This episode had several really good ideas which were hamstrung by poor execution. --------------- Likes: *The concept of original ideals (the constitution) being misunderstood/misinterpreted by distant future generations was cool and interesting, IMO. It sort of hearkened back to "planet of the apes" style of post apocalyptic story telling. The plot about trying to find the serum (fountain of youth), and then it turning out that the people live longer on that planet simply due to natural selection, was good as well. That explained (at least on a surface, sci-fi level of believability) why you couldn't extract a serum that gave people long life. Just like we humans can't just make a serum from turtles or trees that makes us live as long as them. --------------- Dislikes: *The biggest problem was that it required too big a suspension of disbelief regarding the "parallel Earth" being so exactly like our Earth in that this planet even had the same exact American flag and the same U.S. constitution, word for word. I kept waiting for the explanation: ("oh and by the way a time-traveling star fleet ship accidentally went back in time and delivered the U.S. constitution and Flag to this planet"). But it never came! Roddenberry meant for us to just believe that this planet developed identically to Earth, including the creation of the United States of America. I mean, if he wanted to do that he could have used time travel in this episode and sent the Enterprise into an alternate future Earth. Or he could have just had all the same themes, but not have the exact flag and verbatim constitution. . . instead something that was recognizably analogous but not identical, having developed on a different planet and all. *And, yeah, there was probably too much plot for one episode, but IMO it could have still been a great episode if the above problem had been corrected.

I also notice the trend that Strider mentioned above: several episodes this season had the basic formula: Enterprise goes to planet where previous Earth-based ship had been, with original crew meeting demise somehow, and the surviving crew members playing a role in the indigenous society. -Omega Glory (other star fleet captain participates in fight between factions.) -Patterns of Force (Federation historian crafts society based on Nazi Earth) -Bread and Circuses (Freighter ship captain becoming First Citizen in modern-day-Rome society) With three formulaic episodes, I think this counts as another Trek stereotype right up there with Kirk outsmarting a computer!

I agree with Dan A. on the episode's "point" -- it's pretty clearly Roddenberry objecting to people viewing the U.S. Constitution as a religious artifact but leaving the words behind. Given that the episode ends with Kirk assuring the Yangs that they have to treat the Kohns like people too, I think it's Roddenberry's way of saying that the true test of American patriotism is whether one believes in the "All men are created equal" credo enough to apply it to one's enemies. That's a noble goal, and it earns the episode a little bit of credit. But dude. That flag. The Star Spangled Banner playing! The way the episode is set up as an alternate world in which the "yellow" (Kirk's word!) man is civilized and the white man is a savage, only to turn it around at the end and show that the white man indeed are just confused Americans and clearly the best of the lot (and that their savagery is them taking on Native American rituals) (!). I can't even. Full disclosure: I'm Canadian, and so it may be that the nationalism here is just lost on me due to a different set of experiences, but Canadians are also pretty inundated with American culture so I suspect that I mostly get it. In order to deliver this parable about the importance of believing in freedom for one's enemies, Roddenberry is embarrassingly racist and jingoistic. Anyway, as Jammer says, this plot has a kitchen sink quality -- it just wanders from one idea to another, without any kind of focus until the very end -- at which point the focus becomes terrible. This would be a time where I'd be tempted to write an act-by-act breakdown ala the ones Elliott is doing for DS9 in the comments on this site -- because it's hard to even know how to talk about the episode's many bizarre plot shifts. In order, though, the episode introduces and then drops: - disease which apparently destroyed and entire crew - Tracy on the planet. dilemma 1: is it ethical for Tracy to interfere in a local fight in order to protect himself, given that he's going to die otherwise? - possibility of fountain of youth. dilemma 2: is it ethical to ignore the PD in order to stay alive in order to use the Fountain of Youth? - Tracy kills Galloway for no apparent reason - Kirk/Yang fight! this episode is so low-budget that it cuts to Spock every time there's a punch. - Tracy tries to get phasers sent down. Kirk is able to stop because Sulu requires actual authorization, and Tracy, I guess, doesn't try to force Kirk to give that authorization at phaserpoint, because ???. Sulu makes no effort to follow up on this. - As Jammer says, Tracy continues betraying Kirk even after the rationale disappears. What? - Tracy now tries to convince everyone that Kirk is sent by the devil (!) - Kirk/Tracy combat, because...? - Spock mind controls Yang woman into calling the Enterprise. SPOCK HAS MIND CONTROL POWERS, NEVER SEEN BEFORE OR SINCE. Mind control powers that don't require physical contact. Not only that, but it is completely irrelevant to the episode, since Kirk wins the fight. - AMERICA What even. I did really like McCoy's blase reaction to Kirk and Spock entering though. I guess 0.5 stars -- this is such an incredible mess.

Actually, in both A Taste of Armageddon and By Any Other Name, Spock is understood to have the ability to plant thoughts in others' minds. In ATOA, he fools the guard into coming into the holding room after which they escape, though in BAON he gets zapped in the brain (indeed Spock's injury is their pretext for returning to the ship)

DutchStudent82

Insufferably bad episode. Sin 1 : Must it always be a paralel earth or a Kirk outsmarts the Machine [TM]? paralel earths do NOT exist in the SAME universe, let alone copied in the numbers we see them in TOS. *Classical Greek earth *Roman earth *20's earth *Nazi earth *60's earth *Cold War Earth and who knows how many more of these.. Sin 2 : TOTALLY unplausible If you do have to add a second earth, at least get your story straight, and aliens that copy your culture down to the very symbol of the flag and constitution is totally bogus! Sin 3 : American nationalism (sigh) There are MANY Scify watchers like me who are NOT american. I am european, and I don't particulairy like america, in fact americanism for me is a verb of my nation going down the drain! Also in my nation nationalism/patriotism is seen on equal foot with nazicism, to much waving the flag and such and your seen as a nazy, as such I find the general behaviour of this waving the flag in general distastefull. Sin 4 : Kirk sees himself as american This series plays in the future, kirk was born 90 years after the founding of the federation, and 150 years after forming united earth. By the time he gets command, thats 120 years after the founding of the federation and 180 years after forming united earth. -- But granted even as nation states ceased to exist, the idea of nationality died slower, just as people still wave flags of nations that no longer excist today, basques in spain, frisians in netherlands, texans in america, and so on, and so on. The general factions on earth (before unification) were 1 The African Union 2 Russia 3 European Hegemony 4 North American Federation 5 Eastern Coalition 6 Austalia.. and a couple more. as such, kirks thinking as an american may still be valid in some sence.. but THAT america was after the post-nucleair horror, and such, so it had a different flag, different constitution. So to identify with something CENTURIES before your time, is well not unheared of in humans, but not the behaviour one would expect to see in a captain of the federation who is trained to leave behind all that kind of thinking. So to think that a biggot american would become federation captain, is like saying a racist KKK member would becomre president of the USA, not very likely. Sin 5 : that other captain behaves irregulair There was simply no need for him to keep up his paranoid thinking after it was clear that the long lifespans were not possible to duplicate Sin 6 : the culture fell in despair United earth, came out of an atomic war, and had the eugenics war before that. And still we managed to launch the phoenix. It is not likely an entire planet would turn to barbarism after a nucleair war, and even lose the ability to read and write, especially with lifepands of 1000 years, and ample time to rediscover things. If it survived enough to preserve items like the flag and constitution, it should have been able to preserve more items that would enable them to have rebuild more.

I agree with the few positive remarks Dan A. and William B made. To me, the episode's message was that even a society which prides itself on being built on democracy and personal liberty can devolve into barbarism in the course of war if it treats its own civic symbols and texts as religious artifacts, dehumanizes its enemies and stops seeing them as worthy of the same liberties as its own citizens. So at its core, the episode actually had a few points going for it as a comment on the US's role in the Cold War, and that actually was enough to make me forgive the whole flag-waving, parallel Earth nonsense and plot inconsistencies. One detail I found funny, in addition to all that has been said above by other commenters, is the return of the "trapped in a cell without guards" trope, which has saved the skin of a lot of Starfleet officers in the 23rd and 24th centuries (though it is not exclusively used in the Star Trek franchise). After being beaten unconscious by the Yangs, Kirk is lying in his cell for seven hours without anybody checking on him. But granted, there was only one Kohm guard in the whole facility, and he had his hands full with stopping McCoy from flirting with the meal delivery lady!

Oh, almost forgot: Didn't you just love Spock's comment on the parallel Earth trope? "Kohms? Communists? The parallel is almost too close, Captain."

This is really horrific, disgusting and bad very bad. That was my first thought. I mostly enjoy the poor episodes because they can be funny. Here it is difficult to laugh. I don’t know if Mr Shatner suffered doing this, as a Canadian had certainly not learnt to fall in tears when the USA flag was hailed. My first reaction was disgust. But when reading the comments above I saw it in a slightly other way. Was it really some sort of appeal to be critical and open minded there? Kirk saying that the freedom is there also for the “Kohms”. I do have my difficulties to put this episode into the normal “star trek universe”. It do though force any sensible person to reflect.

This. Episode. Is. Dreck.

The very overly patriotic Americanism in this episode is nauseating, probably because I'm not American but in a world that's meant to have gotten rid of nationalism, the idea that an individual countries constitution is somehow remembered word for word and then spreads across the Alpha Quadrant is mental. I see far more American over-patriotism on the internet and television than Id like to in real life, when it invades the Star Trek universe that's when it just gets far fetched. The rest of the episode is pretty good though, like the jail fight scene with Spocks calm advice and McCoys scenes in the laboratory.

SouthofNorth

I've always been disappointed that we didn't get a chance to watch them put the US Constitution into action. "Let's see. The Kirk says we have to make these words have meaning. State? What's a state? Uh ... let's skip that ... Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business... wtf's a quorum? wtf??? Let's skip that too ... uh ... The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. WTF is a Writ of Habeas Corpeous????? eff this. I saw screw the e plebs neesta. Things much better when all we worry about is to kill the khomms!!!"

I thought this was eye-rolling stupid when I first saw it in the 60s . The only Star Trek episode that was so bad, I actually got up and left the room (other people watching which is why I didn't change the channel) as soon as I heard Yangs and Comms ( they prob spelled it differently it was still too stupid ) that was over 50 years ago and I still remember my reaction . This episode was THAT BAD

This episode sort of wandered around and went nowhere, and had a ridiculous ending. It had a few entertaining moments, though. (Like Bones' complete lack of surprise or caring when K & S burst in after escaping.) Overall pretty narmy, but I get a lot of enjoyment from that so bonus for me. The plot's a mess and others have already covered that, so I'll focus more on the little things that bugged me. Spock's "Captain, are you able to respond" or whatever said way too many times. Hilariously stupid but out of character. (Obviously he can't respond or he'd have done so by now, dumb*ss. Also "Jim, are you ok?!" was perfectly acceptable and less stilted, and some variation of that should have been used after it became apparent he wasn't ok. He came off as either really stupid or really unfunny/inappropriate ("my captain could be dead/dying and I'm over here trying to be funny"). He also said some other hilariously dumb stuff in the cell, the exact words escape me. "Spock's hurt and we need to beam up to medical to treat him immediately" except they didn't, and he was not only fine but they pretty much forgot about that point a few scenes later. (How did he even get hurt? The phaser beam didn't touch him and later there's a trickle of green goop on his face (blood?) for some reason but it's never even explained?) They didn't even do a follow up "he's fine now" scene back on the Enterprise at the end (not that anyone was worried, but when you make a big deal of something like that (rather than saying "he's stunned" or something) you've got to follow up!). I guess the writers took him out to keep him from overpowering their enemies, so Kirk and Co. could get recaptured, or something. Between this and the cell scenes, I wonder why Spock was even on the ground team in this episode. I get he was a fan favorite and all, but those scenes would have worked much better with Chekov (also him claiming the US Constitution originated in Russia could have been pretty funny.) Kirk "hiding" by the bars of his cell where the Yangs wouldn't go after him for fear of Spock was pretty hilariously pathetic. Our heroic captain, hiding behind his XO. C'mon. F*cking pathetic. Kirk's supposed to outsmart enemies in situations like this. I lost a lot of respect for him (as did Spock apparently, given his choice to sit in his cell and make dumb jokes (all while his captain could've been brained or bleeding out) instead of, I dunno, breaking out and coming to his aid.) How come Kirk/Yangs were able to break the bars off their cell window and escape but (substantially stronger) Spoke couldn't/didn't? (He was probably too busy repeating "Captain, are you able to respond?" for the 7 hours however many minutes straight Kirk was out to even try.) Did he seriously just sit there counting the seconds until Kirk woke up? The Kahns appeared much more civilized and likeable than the Yangs, were we really expected to side with the violent idiots, who acted like animals and refused to speak, just because they were white? (Who am I kidding, this was the 60s, of course we were.) If Spock is able to mind control ("plant suggestions in") people, why didn't he use that power to tell the Yangs not to beat on his pathetic captain? Or to get the guard to let them out? 200-300 years in the future and we still haven't cured the common cold? Lol. Finally, a reasonable prediction from this show. Why did Kirk get bested by an older guy so much this ep? He's usually pretty good at holding his own, did he forget how to fight or something? Is the older guy just that good? Kirk gets beat a lot in this episode, so I'm guess no. "Spock looks like Satan" sorry, you already used that joke in "The Apple" and even then it wasn't that funny. Who grafitied your bible with a picture of him, anyway? Also, isn't he supposed to be hurt/dying or whatever? Yeah, great timing, let's make fun of the dying guy with a reused joke. And then threaten to kill him if you don't say the Pledge of Allegience right. (Go ahead, he's done f*ck all this episode anyway. He won't be missed.) Spock probably retired after this mission. I don't even remember what happened to the crazy old guy captain at the end, I presume he died or something. Whatever, we're zooming away in the Enterprise, roll credits. Hope Jim got his head looked at. In fact, everything that happened after the Yangs knocked him out in the cell was probably a hallucination. No wonder it didn't make any sense.

RandomThoughts

Howdy Howdy I think Crazy Old Guy Captain was marched off by Sulu or Scotty at phaserpoint, but I might be mixing my episodes. When I first remember seeing this one, during the late 70's I believe, the part that excited me was seeing another Constellation class ship. They said there were only 12 of them in the entire fleet, and here we got to see one of them. I was thrilled, and liked seeing other ships every time they were shown (although when we did, it was after a disaster had befallen them, I think). Back then, I didn't get the name references until they explained them to me, and was shocked to see the US of A flag at the end, but thought it was neat. In later years, it is nothing but cringeworthy. Ah, but in the innocence of youth... :) Have a Great Day Everyone... RT

Constitution class ^

I've been doing a TOS re-watch and was reading the reviews about this terrible episode, and one comment struck me as quite interesting for today's times, from DutchStudent82: "So to think that a biggot american would become federation captain, is like saying a racist KKK member would becomre president of the USA, not very likely." If that can happen (or near enough), maybe we need to take a closer look at Kirk as a character. I had been finding he has moments of unbelievable dickishness. He doesn't exactly treat women well. He's relatively quick to anger. He snaps at people unnecessarily. Quite interesting...

@Steve ...He's been accused of wearing a toupée... =P

@Randomthoughts: we had a "Constitution class" alright in this episode, lol. But in all seriousness, this episode was sorta boring or ok-ish until those last ten minutes, then it turns into pure nonsense. And I am from the Americas but not american, so to see in your face american patriotism on Star Trek is sorta awful. One of the things I like the most about Trek is that it pictures a future for humanity when we are above these things, after all the Federation is a federation of Planets, with many non-human races into the mix. So, it is implied the earth works as a whole, and we don't care about nations the way we do in the present. Until this episode, apparently. In some ways, this episode is so bad it's good. I am both fearing and looking forward to Season 3 because according to internet wisdom there are many more episodes like Omega Glory than, let's say, The Doomsday Machine. It is gonna be both painful and funny, in a bonkers kind of way. Ready to beam up, Scotty ;P

The absurdity of the parallel Earth aside, this episode had some serious promise, and then just tossed it all away in favor of silliness. Just look at all the possibly interesting plotlines that were thrown at us in the first act or so. The Enterprise discovers a mysterious virus that killed an entire starship crew, save for the captain. They learn they too may be infected, and their only hope is to go to the planet. There, they get caught in a war between two sides by the natives, only to discover the captain is assisting one of the sides in clear violation of the Prime Directive. But the captain says it is for a noble cause, that these people have the Fountain of Youth. So Kirk must resist the temptation to join him and to fix the damage he has done, all while McCoy races to find a cure. That's good stuff. Needs of the many (Fountain of Youth) vs the needs of the few (Prime Directive) vs the needs of the very few (the danger to our heroes) vs the needs of the one (Captain's desire to survive on a planet he is exiled to). Honestly, the setup is better than Insurrection, which had a similar premise. If they could have focused on that instead, we might have had a dramatic, tense, engaging episode. Instead, they dropped the ball on every single one of those possible storylines. McCoy searching for the cure or the Fountain of Youth? Just one or two scenes of him working. I know, it's hard to make that dramatic or interesting, but they managed to do it before. McCoy actually has something to do for once on the away team rather than being irascible and insulting Spock, and they don't let him do it! The potential danger to the away team? Bones doesn't even have to work to find a cure, it's already there! Actually, that could have been a nice twist, perhaps adding to the guilt of the captain knowing that he could have saved his entire crew and left at any time. But we barely see his reaction to the news. The twist has no dramatic impact. We hear about it, and that's it. No angst at all. A villain with a reason to do what he does, who can argue for a position besides the prime directive? A villain, perhaps, trapped in a scenario in which there are no good choices? Ha, forget that! He just went into full evil mode, fighting Kirk for no reason even after learning that his dreams of eternal life were just dreams. Weighing the values of the Prime Directive? Kirk declares he must do everything to stop him, then just up and interferes himself. They even lampshaded it with Spock! After all the posturing Kirk does about the seriousness of the PD, he just up and reinterprets the Constitution for the Yangs. And after waxing poetic about the sacredness of the PD, his response to Spock at the end was just flippant. I know, lighthearted endings were the style at the time, but if you're going to claim the PD is a serious topic, you need to treat it seriously! So even ignoring the absurdity of the ending, the episode managed to fail. Good riddance. OK, I can't ignore the absurdity entirely... Wasn't it just two episodes ago that Spock was claiming the odds of another planet creating Nazis was completely astronomical? What about the odds of not only creating America, but also having the exact same handwriting for the Constitution?

For me, this episode is only notable as having a ViewMaster reel... I still have it somewhere.

I think Tracey was the only human to consistently beat up Kirk.

To me, this is the most schizophrenic episode of Star Trek TOS. This episode actually stars out quite well, with an intriguing mystery. But then it gets really absurd. As others have pointed out, it is ridiculous that the Enterprise runs into so many parallel Earths when exploring our galaxy. And to have a duplicate of the American flag - come on. However, one interesting point is that some scientists believe the universe to be infinite. This is the concept behind what scientists call a level 1 parallel universe, which is basically just an extension of our universe. (Indeed, Einstein himself said that there were only two things which were infinite - the universe and human stupidity, and the 1st of those he wasn't sure about.) In an infinite universe, there would be an infinite numbers of Earth just like our own, an infinite number slightly different, somewhat different, and so on. I once saw a TV program with scientist Max Tegmark and he said the best evidence scientists now have is the universe is not just really big, but actually is infinite, going on literally forever in every direction. Tegmark said he calculated if you went 1 followed by a million trillion trillion zeros light years, you would find an exact duplicate of Earth. He said while this sounds like a long way, compared to infinity, which he believes to be the true size of the universe, it's right in our back yard. (Of course, the Enterprise still would come nowhere close to these parallel Earths, as they are far outside our own galaxy.)

Yikes. I was enjoying the first half of this episode. It was certainly better paced and more interesting than some others but from the scene where our heroes get captured by the Yangs it goes south at warp 9. Conceptually, it was quite interesting. A history similar to earth where they end up with biological weapons that cause some odd effects and we revert back to tribal living. Ok, where did the tech go? They just forgot all that? Oh well I guess I can accept that. But the moment they start talking about America and bring out the flag... It's just awful. It's a step too far, just too unbelievable. They never answered the same question at the end of Miri--why is this planet so like earth?--but at least that episode didn't go so mental with the parallels. The exact same flag? The exact same constitution? Come on. This episode could have worked if it was a bit (ok, a lot) more subtle. They could have alluded to freedom and liberty without needing the nonsense they spread so thickly over the top of it. Ugh, this may not be the worst episode from a storytelling or effects perspective. It might not even be the most absurd, but it's definitely the most cringeworthy.

An awkward and hamfisted attempt at demonstrating American exceptionalism.

Really disappointing episode after what seemed like an interesting premise to start. I liked how "Skeptical" laid it out in his commentary. It's just too much of a stretch that the exact American flag and Constitution are present on this alien world (another parallel Earth -- S2 was full of them). I found the excessive American nationalism/patriotism to be a bit much. Full disclosure -- I'm Canadian. Hard to believe Gene Roddenberry himself wrote this turkey. Plenty of time wasted with purposeless fight scenes (Kirk in the jail, Kirk/Tracey). The one redeeming quality is Capt. Tracey who played a credible villain -- treacherous, self-serving. Even after it was explained to him that he could beam back because he had immunity and that there is no fountain of youth, he tried his best not to have Kirk & Co. take him as he'd be arrested -- so he nearly tricked the savages into believing he was good and Kirk evil. But really this episode is a mess. I don't quite get why the Kohms act like such savages? It is clear they have intelligence and can speak well. Anyhow, there are so many holes in this episode -- other commenters have spelled it out better than I care to. Pretty brutal treatment of the PD. Nothing exceptional in terms of acting between the "Big 3". Decent guest appearance for Tracy's character is the only good part although his irrationality is kind of stunning for a starship captain, but whatever. Not really sure what Roddenberry meant to say with "The Omega Glory" -- that the US Constitution can unite Yankees and Communists and everybody's equal? I think that is what's supposed to happen in the end, but who knows..just too much crap along the way. Rating 1.5 stars. For me, "The Omega Glory" is tied for the worst S2 episode (along with "I, Mudd").

Derek J DeNardo

There were some things I liked in this episode such as the conflict over breaking the Prime Directive versus the chance to find a formula to lengthen life for everyone. But the premise that somehow magically another society on the other side of the galaxy has exactly the same Constitution, flag, and Pledge of Allegiance as the contemporary U.S. is so idiotic, preposterous, and not even slightly believable that it rips the soul out of the story.

Yet another cautionary Season 2 tale of a Federation official breaking the Prime Directive, "The Omega Glory" has a gangbusters kitchen sink approach similar to Roddenberry's other writing credit this season in "A Private Little War." The hokey Americanism reveal at the end gets repeated in later Trek series ala TNG's Season 2 outing "The Royale." But the Yankees versus Asian Communists undertone, perhaps not out of place in a post-Korean War/Vietnam-era television landscape, feels a bit cringeworthy for the racial overtones. In any event, this is one of the weaker TOS episodes for me, but not as bad as "Spock's Brain," and I give it 2 or 2 1/2 stars. On the Asian thing, it's important to note that Sulu (not Scotty) commands the Enterprise during the landing party crisis here, so not all of the Asians in this one are villainous. It's just the patriotic theme and music which feel a bit out of place. The pacing here actually feels very similar to "A Private Little War," with lots of variety in action and moral debate leading up to a frantically paced and fairly abrupt climax. Captain Ronald Tracey, as played by Morgan Woodward returning from his Dr. Van Gelder turn in Season 1's Dagger of the Mind, makes a good adversary. He's a little too nutball and irrational by the end in his obsession to find a fountain of youth, but he's still a worthy opponent. Incidentally, if you're offended at this episode, check out the movie "Star Trek Insurrection" from 30 years later where the TNG crew defends lily-white Californians from ugly dark people. Now *that* is offensive: At least TOS has the context of its time for an excuse. The white humans versus ugly aliens vibe of later Trek shows hasn't got any excuse at all. Anyway, it's not a great episode, but not nearly as bad as some people say. The story holds interest and momentum until very late when the wheels come off a bit. Loved the ending as a kid, but a bit harder to watch now, especially as things develop following Kirk's tense fight scene in the jail.

@DutchStudent82 "So to think that a biggot american would become federation captain, is like saying a racist KKK member would becomre president of the USA, not very likely." You misspelled "becomre".

Watching VOY and TOS interchangeably on Netflix right now. Today I've seen this "gem". I will never again say anything bad about the "Threshold" episode.

Peter Swinkels

Okay, after 14 minutes I can barely follow what’s going on. Given the fact that the review essentially says this episode is incoherent I am going to assume that it’s not me missing something. Curious to see where this episode will go...

...okay, eternal youth, US flag, religion (attempting to convince others Spock is the devil)? Obviously an attempt to criticize them. The episode is too difficult to follow, so I don’t know what to think. Where did those “aliens” get that flag, Bible, and other stuff any way?

Just watched this one again. Love it. Kirk's recital of the declaration preamble is classic Shatner. The haters of this episode crack me up. The parallel earth scenario seems to put a bunch of people off. Please. In a TV show that regularly employs technologies that will never come to pass, like matter transporters that basically disintegrates human and reassembles him without I'll effect, or warp engines the enable travel at several magnitudes of light speed, you refuse to accept a parallel earth? LMAO. Classic ep. Good Kirk/Spock moments. Good McCoy lines. It beats the heck out of most of season 3.

I get that the shoehorned American angle can be a tad jarring and hard to believe. But man, isn't it funny to see all these people cry over an American show showing some patriotism. Seesh are you people soft. (Ps I'm not even american)

Reading many of the comments on here is amusing. I'm guessing that most are not old enough to remember the Cold War, and certainly never watched Omega Glory when it first aired. Your smug comments about patriotism and the real struggles of the time, say much more about you, than Omega Glory. It is one of my favorite episodes and even today, tugs at my heart strings Maybe it's best you watch the drivel on today's network TV, and leave the thinking to the unwashed masses of yesteryear.

"Maybe it's best you watch the drivel on today's network TV, and leave the thinking to the unwashed masses of yesteryear." All the cool kids watch network tv.

I will disregard all the political squabbling in this episode and turn my attention to what I feel is a key scene in the last act. We see Captains Kirk and Tracey slugging it out in front of a bunch of spectators. And we see Spock watching them. In fact, he is watching one of them very intently---Sirah, Cloud William's mate, who has been watching with unusual interest. And we see Dr. McCoy asking Spock, rather testily I might add, what he's doing. And Spock replies, "I'm making a suggestion." Yes. What our favorite Vulcan is doing is performing---and not for the first time---something called telepathic hypnosis, directed at Sirah. And he's very good at it. He influences her to pick up a communicator and get it to him and open it---which signals the Enterprise to get a security team down to the planet's surface on the double. No Vulcan voodoo, no magic---just another demonstration of what Vulcans call "wuh tepul t'wuh kashek"---the power of the mind and what it could be capable of: something that I have always found fascinating and which I have been investigating.

O pot, o kettle! Can't we all just get along without all these diatribes and vilifications? So I will simply disregard all that and zero in on one particularly intriguing scene in the last act. While Captains Kirk and Tracey were slugging it out, Spock was watching the spectators with intent concentration. Specifically, he was watching a woman ed Sirah---Cloud William's mate---who was herself watching, with unusual concentration. And when Dr. McCoy asked, rather irascibly, what Spock was doing, the Vulcan replied "I'm making a suggestion." Yes. He was performing what could be best described as telepathic hypnosis---something he was very good at---and he influenced her to pick up a communicator, get it to him, and open it. This signaled the Enterprise to get a security team down to the surface of the planet on the double, and the scuffle was quickly broken up. The rest is history---one of Captain Kirk's most electrifying speeches.

I like having someone on this site who has made it their specialty to watch out for all instances of Vulcan mental powers. I'm going to have to watch this one again as I didn't remember that happening.

Memo to Peter G: That is just one of the many instances in which I have been inquiring into, and investigating, the mental abilities of the Vulcans---especially Spock who was one of the best of the bunch. I got hooked on this aspect with the first-season "Dagger of the Mind", and I might point out that wasn't just your common garden variety mind-meld---it was actually a quieter version of the powerful and dramatic Vulcan mind-fusion, combined with telepathic hypnosis and a couple of quiet spoken suggestions of well-being, relaxation and weightless suspension, all of which exerted a calming effect on the disturbed van Gelder and enabled him to describe his ordeal. (Not to mention the amusing fact that Leonard Nimoy pulled a fast one on the network censors!) If you watch "Omega Glory", keep an eye on Spock and notice the intent concentration on his face---it was absolutely imperative because there was no physical contact involved. No mumbo-jumbo, no Vulcan voodoo, just another example of the Vulcan "wuh tepul t'wuh kashek"---the power of the mind and what it could be capable of. Glad to have you aboard.

Prior to my current viewing, I will confess that TOS was the one Trek series that I had never seen; unless you count Discovery, which in my mind is not to be mentioned at all. I think this episode finally convinced me however, that I wasn't necessarily missing very much. TOS up to this point has been one dumb "comedy" and repetitive battle with an insane, "superior" megalomaniac after another. When Spock said at the beginning of this episode that they needed to find out what had happened to Captain Tracey on the planet, my immediate mental response was that if the status quo for this series was any indication, they would beam down to discover that Tracey had gone mad with power, conquered the natives, and would attempt to corrupt Kirk or otherwise force him to stay on the planet forever. Surprise, surprise. My feelings towards this show at this point, are disturbingly similar to what they were towards Andromeda at the end of its' second season. I can only assume that TOS' fan base developed not because of what actually was, but because of what fans recognised what COULD have been. There are a few gems here, it's true; but in the end, this series is among the most massively overrated science fiction I think I've ever seen. It amazes me when I look at it; because in the past, I always assumed that the likes of Khan were some sort of modern cinematic abberation for the sake of making money, but that Trek on TV was different, and primarily about peaceful exploration. I realise now that I mainly got that impression from TNG. In TOS, there's a Khan-like supervillain (or computer/robot stand-in for such) every second or third episode. "I thought we were explorers," Scotty said in Into Darkness. No, Scotty. Apparently, you never really were.

Starts out quite good but then hits the iceberg and sinks.

What's puzzling about the outburst of uber-nationalism is the way it flies in the face of the brotherhood-of-all-nations internationalist philosophy of the show. Star Trek had already told us that they exist in the enlightened future with a united Earth government of all peoples, a time when competing nation states were a thing of the past. And the Enterprise was clearly designed to showcase a kind of flying United Nations where people of different nationalities and races all co-exist in cooperative unity within Starfleet. So, to suddenly have an episodes that invokes this America uber alles stuff just seems very jarring and out-of-step with the vision of the better tomorrow Star Trek had gone out of it's way to establish.

@William B did a great summary of the amazingly awful and nutty aspects of this ep: ditto on all accounts. If only Sexy White Lady (as opposed to Sexy Yellow Lady who brought McCoy food) had been wildly attracted to Kirk, and he had used his irresistiblly persuasive kissing technique on her, this episode could have attained nearly perfect awfulness.

So this episode was on Heroes and Icons again tonight. Baffles me how bad it is. Roddenberry is held up as a great writer / idea man and then we get this piece of crap story. And yet he had to gall to shut down others who did great things with Star Trek. So some confusion that still bothers me: The Exeter crew. They know the landing party that returned was infected. They know beaming back down to the planet will keep anyone infected alive. Why did they stay on the ship? Was it part of obeying the Prime Directive? Sacrifice the crew and ship rather than risk non-interference.? Couldn't they have at the very least beamed some or all of the crew to isolated parts of the planet? Why tell others who watched the log entry to beam down to the planet? And why let Captain Tracey remain on the surface? Speaking of which... Why is Captain Tracey a petty, murderous psychopath? We were told in Court Martial that only one in a million men were fit enough to be starship captains. I also assume they have to undergo some form of psychological evaluation. Wasn't it Roddenberry who criticized FASA for portraying an unbalanced captain in their supplement Decision at Midnight? He specifically told them there were no mutinies allowed and people in Starfleet wouldn't behave like that. But we get Ronald Tracey who killed a security guard in cold blood rather than stunning him and who breaks every oath he took in Starfleet for a youth serum. Given Roddenberry's views on life and death in his Star Trek "bible" it makes no sense that he would write such a loser of an episode.

Sarjenka's Brother

This was one hot mess of an episode. Worse than I remembered. I haven't seen "Spock's Brain" since the 1970s -- and I have a feeling I'm going to like it better than "Omega Glory."

For all this episodes glaring Cold-War era jingoism and blatant racism, it's interesting that Kirk mentions that the vaunted freedom and rights of this (apparently) galaxy-spanning Constitution applies to those outside of the "U.S." culture as well. That is a concept that a substantial percentage of U.S. citizens would vigorously disagree with. Oh well, chalk it up to the aspirational nature of Trek.

Another Roddenberry “parallel-Earth” stinkeroo. To think, someone thought this script worthy of submission as a second pilot

There's only one good thing to say about this cringeworthy episode: This time, Kirk did not kiss the female alien (usually it happens in minute 35:00 of an average show) , as he does in two out of three episodes of season 2 - in order to save his crew, mankind, script or whatever there is to save.

This one just doesn't gel despite bringing up so many big (and even a few great) ideas. The mysterious chemical that led to a "Fountain of Youth" was enough to carry the whole episode. Someone in Star Trek: Insurrection's writing room figured that out and made a whole movie about it, but I digress. I think the patriotic Cold War American allegory could've worked but they needed to push the idea all the way. Take "Patterns of Force", for example. It's not a great episode but at least it sticks to the one idea about the power of facism and leaves us with a coherent message about the subject. Here, we get a few quotes about "liberty" and a hamfisted tribute to the Declaration of Independence but none of it seems to resonate with what those things mean to Americans, let alone what the implications of freedom meant during the Cold War. This episode's worst crime is to have so much promise on big subjects and to utterly fail to deliver on them. Luckily, TOS gets it right most of the other times. 1.5 stars for Morgan Woodward being truly menacing and a good foil to Kirk. Still, what a waste. P.S. As a special bonus, we find out who's a Canadian in this comments section. ;-)

I don't know what you're talking aboot.

Me neither. I actually still need to do my re-watch of this to do my Vulcan telepathy studies for the week. I always remembered this being a pretty bad episode, and I have a vague memory of there being a terrible plot hole somewhere in it.

Geez, it's not that bad. It's a gritty episode with a good guest performance. Even when I was 10 I thought the ending was dubious, but Roddenberry/ TOS had similar questionable Twilight Zone-like twists numerous times where an alien planet was absurdly exactly like Earth in some way. Roddenberry also had the idea for the fun but totally absurd 1920's gangster cliche planet! Also in the second season you get the parallel Roman Empire planet, and the Nazi planet, so The Omega Glory didn't really stand out.

Thank god for this review I just watched this absurd display and and quite frankly it hurt my head in that unique way that things that are almost coherent but just fail to make sense can. I'm grateful for this review because I just needed to hear that this episode was bollox though I know it in my heart to be true I needed to know for certain that their are fellow witnesses in this world. Suspension of disbelief is made even harder by Spock dismissing a similar parallel evolution as far too unlikely only two episodes earlier (Patterns of force)

Mary Vasilakakos

Currently re-watching all of TOS on Netflix. First time I persisted in watching THIS unspeakable episode to the end. Then it dawned on me: it's not a piece of mindless jingoism on all things Sacred Americana, but a parody of the mess that America might potentially descent into, as now amply illustrated by the Trump Presidency and the Covid catastrophe. I'm not American, I don't live in America but have always admired certain aspects of its dynamism as a culture. This episode is an inadvertent prophesy on the potential of that dynamism if left unrestrained. Impossible to rate meaningfully.

@CPUFP, yes, *loved* Spock's comment :-) I always enjoyed this Constitution Class as a kid, and I have to say, despite the questionably language (KIRK: The yellow civilisation is almost destroyed, the white civilisation is destroyed.), I enjoyed it this time around also. There are some fantastic themes here that would have served the show well in a longer pilot. The themes are, in no particular order, - The Prime Directive. TOS had been pretty wishy-washy about the Prime Directive up to this point ("A Private Little War"), especially given what a freaking big deal it is in TNG and beyond. But we see here that it was meant to be a very firm thing for Star Fleet officers from the very beginning. - The madness caused by losing a ship and her crew. We saw that elsewhere, including with Commodore Decker in The Doomsday Machine. - Money & Greed. Captain Ron Tracey joins a long line of Trek characters (like Mudd, but remember, Pike had also thought of leaving Star Fleet to make money with the Orions) enticed by the lure of filthy lucre. - Patriotism. Riker was Canadian (kidding, I swear!). Picard was a proud frenchman ("the French more properly used the same colors in the order blue, white and red"). https://youtu.be/WoOXjwfzopw Scotty was a... Scottsman??? And Riley - poor Kevin Riley who sang and died in "Conscious of a King" - was an Irishman. We forget how much place mattered before we entered 21st century Trek. - Sulu in Command. Not just a Star Trek VI thing. - The fountain of youth. Wait, where else was there a fountain of youth in Star Trek? The Nexus (Generations). That can't be it??? Wow... - Spock as deus ex machina. - Red shirt dies. - And my favorite part of the episode, Kirk gives a speech! https://youtu.be/3bYkNptOJns?t=68 KIRK: These words and the words that follow were not written only for the Yangs, but for the Kohms as well! CLOUD: The Kohms? KIRK: They must apply to everyone or they mean nothing! Do you understand? CLOUD: I do not fully understand, one named Kirk. But the holy words will be obeyed. I swear it. Wow. It reminds me of the speech Martin Luther King gave only a couple years before this episode aired. MLK said: MLK: "When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice." MLK was shot dead at age 39 a few weeks after Kirk gave his speech in "The Omega Glory." He was only 2 years older than William Shatner. If you don't understand what the Constitution meant to men like MLK and Roddenberry in 1968, when this episode first aired, you won't get what they were trying to do. These men wanted the United States to live up to it's promise. The promise that starts with those three simple words: "We the People." That is a struggle that goes on today, but in Star Trek, we see a world where that struggle was successful. Where are men are truly free at last, free at last. Freedom is a worship word indeed.

This episode is stupid. It's also hella racist. I was so excited to see an entire race of people that weren't white (something that I griped on and on about for a long time, even in other Treks I get sick of planets full of while people and ONLY white peoplevand The Orville managed to do this in their 3rd episode). So here's a bunch of asians and I'm like wow, great. But then the other captain's like "The savages are clearly more like us!" Because they're the white ones. 🙄 This episode is disappointing.

"So here's a bunch of asians and I'm like wow, great. But then the other captain's like "The savages are clearly more like us!" Because they're the white ones. 🙄 This episode is disappointing." ?? I don't remember that part. I thought Captain Tracey was Allied with the Kohms.

@Jason R. I believe Eskimo is referring to the line when Tracey tells Kirk that the "animals" happen to look like "us." Because of course, "we" are all white. At least Sulu had been left aboard ship, so he wasn't saying right in front someone who looked more like "them."

"Kevin Riley who sang and died in "Conscious of a King" - was an Irishman." Ya, Kevin Riley survived in that episode.

I don’t think I ever watched this one again after seeing it 30+ years ago because I hated it. I watched it again last night, and I was thinking “this isn’t so bad”— oh until the last few minutes. Sheesh. Considering this was one of the scripts Roddenberry pitched for the second pilot, I suspect he put in the extreme American soap boxing to appeal to the studio. Whatever. This episode also is one that I distinctly remembered many parts of, despite one long ago viewing. The other crew reduced to their minerals (which was actually pretty effectively creepy), the Yang/Comm thing, the whole prison break thing. And of course, Captain Tracey’s goofy yet enthusiastic fighting style, and that he utterly dominated Kirk. But how could Tracey possibly have been starship Captain material? He went so crazed so fast and thoroughly, they probably should have established it was some radiation effect on the surface or something. The script does have some relatively realistic science, though, in establishing why these people are long lived (natural selection) and why there’s no “serum”.

BTW, the “parallel Earth” trope widely used in the series was just a cost saving measure, so they could use existing sets on the backlot. At least Spock lampshades how ridiculous it is here. Regarding the American stuff not appealing to international viewers— in the sixties, international appeal for a TV show was a very very low consideration. It really wouldn’t have been that bad if they had cut Kirk’s final insane speech. Crazy Tracey’s claims that Spock (Kirk’s “servant”) is a devil, just look at the scriptures, was pretty good stuff. The notion that the constitution is viewed in nearly religious terms and the basis for American civil religion is a studied phenomenon. Actually, that’s probably why the script went so “pro American” in the end— most Americans wouldn’t have even been exposed to the concept at the time, and might likely have found it rather offensive, especially if it’s TRUE.

Bob ( a different one)

Silly said: " I suspect he put in the extreme American soap boxing to appeal to the studio. " From Memory Alpha: - Roddenberry originally wanted to produce this episode early in the first season, along with "Mudd's Women", but NBC thought the script was weak and ordered the staff to 'shelve' it for an indefinite time to be possibly reworked and produced later on. Despite NBC still objecting against it, Roddenberry finally had his way to make "The Omega Glory" late in the second season. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two) - A letter reprinted in Inside Star Trek: The Real Story reveals that Roddenberry personally submitted his teleplay for consideration for an Emmy Award.

More shocking imagery from the Yang's holy book: https://i.imgur.com/WLgtrd3.gif

A preposterous ridiculous episode of political propaganda, made worse by extended fight scenes and a wholly unexplained “parallel Earth” scenario. The only thing that I can say in its favour is the ‘Charlton Heston at the end of the Planet Of The Apes’ moment when the American flag appears, but it goes rapidly downhill from there . I was young in 1967. I remember Sgt Peppers, and I remember news reports of Vietnam. Those now seem like the extremes of life in the year of the hippie. This Trek episode couldn’t be further from the ideals of the young in 1967, more like a desperate plea to justify the Cold War. I wouldn’t even give 1 star.

Continuity error: Lt. Galloway is first called “Galway” by Kirk.

Rescuing this episode from awful to halfway decent, in a parallel universe: Keep the first half of the episode "as is", but give the two tribes different names to Yangs and 'Combs'. Also, cut down on the interminable fight scenes. As for the second half, get rid of the uber-stupid American parallels (flag; constitution) and have Kirk, Spock, and a newly-sane Tracey work out how to rectify the damage caused by breaking the PD. If that means discovering that the Yang 'holy writings' are based on a document that contains elements of the US Constitution, and the Rights Of Man (Thos. Paine), then so be it. What would also be good is a change to the setting: let that be obvious ruins of a technological civilisation following a nuclear war. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alternative story: keep the American stuff, but let it be the result of an earlier visit by a pre-Federation spacecraft from Earth, when there was no PD to break.

Oh man! The Omega Glory has aged particularly poorly among TOS episodes, which is pretty unfortunate for a show about the future. All the flag waving/patriotic stuff at the end was painful and obviously absurd. The idea that it was being critical or a parody would definitely improve it, but if that's what the intent was, it wasn't well-executed. Not sure I'd even give it 1 star, tbh.

This was easily the stupidest episode of Star Trek ever made. It wasn't the *worst* (see: nuTrek, and many episodes of Picard specifically). It wasn't even the worst of TOS, because for all its faults, it had a good initial premise and solid pacing. I prefer an incomprehensible mess to a plodding, predictable snoozefest that feels like it's twice as long as it actually is. Bizzarely, inconceivably dumb... but at least I wasn't bored. (Also, this quibble is minor compared to all the other things wrong here, but as a huge fan of TOS fistfights it bothers the hell out of me - how many times has Kirk fought off multiple armed men by himself? He's held his own against Spock in single combat in a thin atmosphere, etc... but this geriatric kicks his ass OVER AND OVER again? C'mon man!)

Jeffery's Tube

You know what, this episode isn't particularly bad until the last fifteen minutes. The Exeter, fountain of youth, crazy Captain Tracey violating the Prime Directive stuff is all pretty exciting and interesting, and as others have mentioned, Tracey is a very effective foil for Kirk. The personal drama between the two men is very engaging. Granted, none of that really matters because of the absurdity the episode devolves into. You have to stick the landing, otherwise you're left with nothing at all despite any good work done up until then. Or if you can't entirely stick the landing, at least don't bumble it THIS bad. Yikes.

A fun episode, I thought, until Kirk’s great realisation, and the bringing forth of the Flag and the Constitution. I am perhaps not the best judge, because I am not from the USA. That part reminds me of the patriotic over-egging towards the end of “Independence Day” - OTOH, it seems only fair, out of universe, for people from the US to tout the US (or a US-analogue) in-universe, as long as the touting of the US does not derail the story. In this case, I think it doesn’t. I don’t think the writers of the episode can be blamed for the amount of cringiness that viewers 50 years later might feel at the flag-waving. I thought the film of what the boarding party found on the Exeter was effective. The episode recalled others in which an intractable medical emergency is both the puzzle and the danger, but it was none the worse for that. The episode showed how highly the Prime Directive is (at least in theory) honoured - so that was a plus. Kirk sounded quite Picardian for a moment. 2.5 out of 4 seems about right,

TOS formula: Red shirt dies in first 10 minutes: check Landing party captured: check Kirk gets into fight: check Bizzare connection to Earth: check

I think this would have worked well if it were an episode of the Twilight Zone, but for Star Trek it was truly terrible. If they had just dialed down the patriotism and all of the ridiculous Earth parallels instead of going completely overboard with it, and the racism certainly didn't help things either.

Ya heard the old saw 'the media, is the message'? Well, this show was all message, and the media was just along for the ride. I like at least a little entertainment with my message delivery, and sadly aside from some racist tropes, this was all message all the time and no entertainment at all. Tracy was a Star Ship Captain! WTF? He went completely off the rails, and no mental issues? Complete hogwash. Trash writing except for a few lines, trash music, trash interaction. Some decent action sequences but they can't save the clanging, clunking, bashing message pounded in our head.

I agree with people that the "Rah rah for the United States" stuff is cringe-worthy, but it does make an interesting sample from a very specific period in US history. Star Trek is a show of its time, just over twenty years after the US had been instrumental in the defeat of fascist powers in WWII and in the midst of a proxy war that was then seen as part of a broader conflict with the Communism that would determine which of two systems would rule the entire planet. The US was filled with an atmosphere of existential terror, paired with the sense that the existence of its way of life, economy and government had the potential to be the salvation of the world. Captain Kirk was sort of a spacefaring Superman, fighting for truth, justice, and the American way.

The episode may not be good, but Morgan Woodward is always awesome. From Gunsmoke to the X-Files to Cool Hand Luke he never failed to deliver a great performance.

Ok, so the episode's plot is ludicrous. But what gives with the title?? I'll take a few shots at this: 1) The planet is called Omega IV (randomly), so the 'Omega glory' is simply a reference to its American constitution. The idea would be that the Omegans have produced, or at least preserved, something glorious. That would be the rah rah USA interpretation. PS - I laughed my butt off when I read that Roddenberry personally submitted this episode for the Emmy awards. 2) Something about God maybe? Alpha-Omega...glory, which is a term usually reserved for either religion or Klingons. Maybe something about godliness being found in peace and respect for one's neighbor. Not sure how much I can mine out of this one. 3) Maybe inspired by I Am Legend, later made into films such as The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971) ? I can see some kind of parallel, where a disease has wiped out the 'normal humans' and the lone survivor is immune, and on the brink of madness, surrounded by dangerous and wild 'others'. In this case the weirdo is the survivor himself, rather than the vampires, and the 'vampires' turn out to be regular humans descended from Yankees and Communists, which is sort of where I Am Legend ends anyhow, with the last human being the freak (incidentally reminding me of In the Mouth of Madness, a John Carpenter film). If the episode is inspired from that, I'm not sure what's glorious about any of this, other than maybe learning that the savages are really not savage. I'm also wondering now whether this episode may have inspired the name for the 1971 version, The Omega Man. I f that sounded like a distraction tactic, it was. I have no idea how this episode's title is meaningful other than as rah rah USA.

@Marlboro "The episode may not be good, but Morgan Woodward is always awesome. From Gunsmoke to the X-Files to Cool Hand Luke he never failed to deliver a great performance." He was even in a Perry Mason episode....and very good. Great at projecting tension and sometimes an air of menace.

Yeah;, it's hard to believe a planet with an exact duplicate of the Constitution -- sort of like everyone in the galaxy speaking 20th century English. So much missing the point here. Far from being jingoistic, Roddenberry is pointing out how meaningless a piece of paper can be if it's not understood. On Omega, the superpowers gave in to their jingoism and destroyed civilization. Kirk points out that no matter how flowery the Constitution is, if it isn't applied universally, it's meaningless. "They must apply to everyone or they mean nothing." Roddenberry sees the Constitution as an aspirational document, I don't think he's being chauvinistic (not referencing sexism ). He's critical of America, without all the emotional bashing. He's not excusing or enabling America's transgressions, he's asking that America lives up to its lofty ideals.

This one just wants you to scream, Illogical-Illogical Norman coordinate.

Will of Landru

At the very end, Kirk tells Sulu and the redshirts to put Crazy Eyes Tracy under arrest. They march him off, presumably to put him in the brig on the Enterprise. Where else would they take him, right? Except wait, Kirk never tells them to wait a few hours before beaming up, or they'll turn everyone on the Enterprise to salt. Whoopsie doodle! Sorry, I'm going with Outsider65's theory that everything after Kirk got conked over the head was him hallucinating. Spock finished loosening those bars, subdued Tracy, and the four beamed up without further incident. Makes way more sense than the Eeb Plenista.

"The Omega Glory" now has some prophetic message as to the disintegration of a civilization when two differing political ideologies clash and the result of warfare over centuries.

If by chance anyone is reading this comment having not yet watched the episode, I’d highly recommend putting on some sort of protective headgear before tackling the last 15 minutes or so, as the force at which your palm is likely to make contact with your forehead could pose a serious safety risk. I think only Threshold can come close to The Omega Glory when it comes to the off-the-rails, jaw dropping absurdity of its ending. It’s a bit frustrating too, as a single piece of expository dialog explaining, for example, that Omega IV was the location of a pre-federation, long disconnected, presumed lost human colony would have smoothed it all over. Perhaps the victims of their own hubris, these colonists brought with them the seeds of their own destruction in the form of their ridged ideological conflicts, which led to some sort of massive catastrophe and a total regression of their society, with the Declaration of Independence and such being latched onto as the foundation of a new religion. Then the constitution and flag would have simply been THE constitution and THE flag as opposed to some one in a bajillion coincidence. Instead, our suspension of disbelief is put to such a brutal test that it can’t possibly survive. All that being said, I think there was a good idea lurking in there somewhere, but it was executed with such a heavy hand that the wheels fell off. I think in the end Kirk’s speech was intended, ironically, to be an appeal *against* pure patriotism. The idea being that the constitution as dogma is meaningless. The constitution is a political extrapolation of rather radical philosophical ideas, and is an intentional deviation from religiously minded political thinking. So what Kirk was saying is that none of what makes the constitution, or any political document for that matter, work has weight if we don’t actually understand the ideas undergirding the concept, it isn’t enough to just parrot the words, you have to really think about them. In this sense, the USA is more a philosophical position than a country, virtually endless potential limited only by the poisonous complacency of its people. Or maybe I’m overthinking a Roddenberry air-ball. I can’t really be sure. It’s also an interesting question as to how the USA would be remembered from the perspective of a person in the 24th century. Is it weird that Kirk knows the Declaration of Independence? Probably. But not *that* weird. 1.5/4 hands-free, telepathic drunk dials.

@Idh2023: Thanks for your safety instructions concerning this episode… unfortunately, in my case it was too late… Joking aside, I’ve watched this episode several times, and I still don’t know what to make of it. As you say, the setup isn’t even bad. The first scenes onboard the Exeter are full of suspense: the eerie atmosphere of the abandoned ship, the dead crewmen on the bridge, the unknown reason of their deaths, the threat of the strange disease… I really like the dark, creepy, serious tone here. Even when Tracey appears and we learn about the two warring groups on the planet and his implication in the conflict, it could still make a reasonably good story – before it goes totally off the rails, due to some of the worst writing in the history of television: not only that, according to your analysis, the content is a mess, but what’s more, there is no logic, no coherence. The US stuff is tagged to an otherwise halfway decent story like a second tail on a dog, and the result is laughable at best and offending at worst. However, I like your interpretation of the whole “Eed Plebnista” thing… it fits with what @William B wrote above, back in 2014, “that the true test of American patriotism is whether one believes in the "All men are created equal" credo enough to apply it to one's enemies”. If that’s the reasoning behind it, I can give the episode some credit for it, but the way the flag and the Constitution are introduced are just too far-fetched to take any of it seriously. Despite its overall grave tone, the episode has a few funny moments which never fail to make me smile. McCoy's casual “Good morning, Jim!” has already been mentioned by others… another one is when Kirk, with Tracey’s phaser right under his nose, tells Sulu: “I’d like ten phasers beamed down with three extra power packs, please”, as if he were ordering breakfast. And I always crack up when he’s trying to make himself heard by the Yang crowd, shouting “Hear me! Hear this!”, since it reminds me so much of a similar scene in “A Piece of the Action” when he’s standing on the pool table, trying to talk some sense into the “bosses” and their henchmen. Maybe they should have gone through with that and made “The Omega Glory” a comedy episode too…

@lannion One thing that bugs me about this episode that your comment reminded me of is how sneaky it is. Every other “parallel earth” episode is honest about it up front, even going so far as to halfheartedly toss out some measure of rationalization or at least feigned astonishment. But Omega Glory waits until the last minute to slip in its parallel earth concept, squeaking it in just under the wire, like a cheap jab thrown just after the bell. Not cool Omega Glory, not cool…

This episode also qualifies as one of the most visually ugly Trek episodes ever made.

Proud Capitalist Pig

I love my country, but I was never a particularly big jingoistic American flag-waver *until lots of people started complaining more and more loudly about the flag.* Suddenly, there was the flag decal on my truck. There was the flag, flying proudly on the side of my house near the front door, for everyone passing on the road to see (my wife, who *is* a big jingoistic flag-waver, highly approved). There was the big-ass Uncle Sam statue in my yard during the week leading up to July Fourth, and me lighting off the fireworks alongside my delighted kids. There was me, donating to the USO and police charities. I want you to detest the flag. In this country, you have the freedom to do so and I applaud you. But I also want the flag in your face as much as possible, because I have that freedom too. Get depressed about the flag all you want, so anxious that you start taking antidepressant medications made by corporations whose profit will then augment my stock portfolio. I’ll be laughing. Profiting off misery is what keeps the economy going. America, Fuck Yeah! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that “The Omega Glory” was playing right to my demographic. Just cheap, feel-good entertainment courtesy of NBC. So the flag has no place in Star Trek, you say. “Star Trek is supposed to be better than that.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but this episode was written by the creator of Star Trek, submitted for Emmy consideration back in 1968. According to his wretched script, the American flag does have a place in Star Trek. So suck it. A lot of you seem to forget that Star Trek was invented by a sex pest in Hollywood and a lot of shoestring makeup art. It’s not real. It’s a science fiction show with cardboard sets. You’re meant to take it as an allegorical mythology, not as an actual depiction of any kind of realistic universe with science that obeys the laws of physics. And let’s not forget, this was 1968, so no one had more than a passing thought about how an episode of American television would be accepted overseas. One of the biggest complaints about this episode is that it’s patently absurd to have the United States Constitution showing up, word for word, on a planet thousands of light years away from us, in a society complete with Kohmmies and Yangkees. I don’t give a shit. The “parallel Earth” presentation is the least of “The Omega Glory’s” problems. As for why Dick Tracey continued to fight Kirk even after he realized that he had no hope of harnessing any kind of Fountain of Youth elixir from the planet--well, that’s an easy one. He’s a psychopath! You can’t apply logical thinking to the mentally ill. Gene Roddenberry’s coked-up, booze-addled fever dream known as “The Omega Glory” is overacted, overwrought, overstuffed and overbearing. Those are its greatest sins. Jammer is absolutely right when he says that they might as well have thrown in the kitchen sink here. McCoy’s crack about how it’s best to leave medicine to the doctors and science to the scientists was about the only smart point that anyone ever made here. The episode probably should have been more about that. But instead, we’re hit over the head with a central crisis that could have been solved in two seconds by Spock simply mind-fucking Dick Tracey into unconscious and Sulu ordering the transporter operator to beam him up to the ship. By the logic of the prior scenes, this would have worked. And all for some preachy ending about how the words of the Constitution should apply to *all* citizens of the United States, which is a noble message for 1968 when the Civil Rights movement was in full swing--except they used a laughably racist Cold War framework to illustrate this, forgetting that more than half the world doesn’t even want freedom or unity. They wouldn’t even know how to live with autonomy. So who are we all kidding? And it should be clear to everyone by now -- “The Omega Glory” is apparently Star Trek through and through, written by the showrunner himself. Read into that what you will. Speak Freely (if you’re a Kohm): Spock -- “My need for attention is vital, Doctor. But our need for departure is even more immediate.” My Grade: F

Wow, thanks for taking us on this little tour through your mind.

@Proud Capitalist Pig Appreciate your post -- got me thinking about a few things. First is that Gene wasn't a great writer but he was a visionary for sure. This episode is the worst of what he came up with. He had themes, visions but when it came to details that's where it tended to fall apart. Many Trek reports are out there about his re-writes, clashes with other writers and producers etc. As for Old Glory and the U.S. Constitution -- as much as we respect it and venerate it, to shoehorn it so blatantly and precisely into an episode is a bit of a stretch. I certainly didn't mind seeing it, but it can't possibly make sense. But I agree, that's not the biggest issue with this episode. I think what this episode should have gone for is Cloud William and his people having reverence for some object or whatever that exemplifies what Old Glory and the Constitution stand for. Yes, Star Trek, especially TOS, was very U.S. centric and I guess that's what we get here via Gene. But it has a patriotic subtext for me, which is well-intentioned, and absolutely has its place in a Trek episode.

Not only did I get tired of the episode, I got tired of reading all the prior reviews. Suspicions of Tracy's phaser use as violation of prime directive was corroborated by the landing party discovering Tracy's depleted phaser refill packs next to piles of bodies. But phasers set to kill evaporate what they hit into disappearing, not remaining as bodies. The natives especially Cloud are portrayed as dense dumbo clod indians, or alternatively as Mongolian thugs. Since this episode was saved for the second to last of season two, it was a throwaway, or last still left on the drawing board that could be done quick enough to get into production. Morgan Woodward gets the best lines as a crazy whacko for a second time, and the more you are entertained by his character, the less attention you pay to the plot holes. If they can get away with dragging in the flag and the constitution, they can probably get away with sticking Abraham Lincoln in there too somewhere.

I suspect Roddenberry's intended message (about Constitutional rules) comes from Kirk at the episode's climax, "They must apply to everyone -- or they mean nothing!" It's an ideology we've seen him push elsewhere in TOS. and important enough to, in Roddenberry's mind, make this episode worthy of commendation. For dramatic emphasis earlier, Cloud William's first word is "Freedom." The message is high minded but the script is clumsy in part because it goes to the "parallel universe" well yet again to explore an alternate history. I think the same message could have been better expressed without resorting to exact US duplicates like the 50-star flag and Constitution. 1.5 of 4 extra power packs, please

There are definitley recurring themes in season two and the all powerful United States is one of em. But the fact we're all still watching this show in 2024 is pretty impressive. Some episodes just haven't aged well. I still can't rewatch The Apple and Catspaw. I liked the villain in this one and that's about it.

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Watch: Captain Kirk’s Patriotic Speech From ‘Omega Glory’

| July 4, 2014 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 93 comments so far

Today is the 4th of July – celebrated as Independence Day in the USA. In the future history of Star Trek, the USA ceased to exist after World War III, but the principles that founded the nation lived on. And being that James T. Kirk was born in Iowa (he only works in outer space) he shows pride for the former nation in a patriotic speech from the episode “The Omega Glory.” Watch it below.

Kirk Gets Patriotic

In the 24th episode of the original Star Trek’s second season the crew once again found an example of Hodgkin’s Law of Parallel Planetary Development on Omega IV which evolved much like Earth except that two groups Yangs (or ‘Yankee’ Americans) and Kohms (for Communists) are at endless war with each other – a war that Earth avoided. Eventually Kirk ignored the prime directive (again) and decided to get them to all stop fighting – and he did this by explaining the true meaning of preamble to the Constitution of the United States (which they had turned into "holy words" only to be seen by chiefs). Kirk set them straight – in one of his most Shatnerian of speeches…

Happy Omega Glory Day From TrekMovie.com

The Omega Glory: The Poster

You can celebrate Omega Glory Day everyday with the retro “The Omega Glory” poster, part of the QMx retro poster series.

The above poster is part of Retro TOS Poster Set #8 which also includes posters for “Bread and Circuses,” “A Piece of the Action,” and “For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky.” You can also pick up the designs on shot glasses . Both available at Entertainment Earth.

I love my country but this is has got to be the most ham-fisted “patriotic” speech in the history of TOS. Even as children back in the 60’s we laughed ourselves silly at its corniness. Still, I’d like to see a little of this “theatricality” seep over into the new Captain.

Yes, it was an amazing but very energetic silly speech but then, the ending of that entire episode was silly. And, Roddenberry wrote it! It should have been just two warring tribes on the planet, then Capt. Ron Tracy comes down believing he has found the fountain of youth, 2 Star Fleet captains clash (I like that aspect of this episode), and eventually after several concussions, Kirk wins out. Ah well–

I’ll tell you what I do stand up and salute Shatner for, as it turns out: For NOT agreeing to do either of the JJ films, whatever the specifics of that situation are/were.

I am sure Shatner had some less than noble reasons, too, for not doing them, and some accounts say JJ did not want him under any circumstances but, we humble fans don’t really know the truth so–

I hereby salute The Captain (bring out some kind of flag!) for staying out of nuTrek. That guy is brilliant!

There are two schools of thought about this episode concerning whether this episode promotes negative stereotypes as a result of the depiction of the villagers (“Kohms”), who seem vaguely Asian in appearance. The Wikipedia entry for this episode refers to one interpretation which states this thesis (see the “Analysis” section of that article).

I wish I was able to have pride in my country, but Northern Ireland isn’t exactly a place where that’s possible. Lol.

#3 Ciaran, I lived in the south of Ireland (Kilkenny) for 5 years and became personally and otherwise, very aware and affected by “The Troubles.” I left a part of my heart in Ireland, what an incredible land she is!

Yeah if I came from the south, it wouldn’t be bad at all. But coming from the North is an embarrassment. Such a backwards place to live. We must be a joke to the rest of the world.

I was in Belfast in 1988, stayed there a few weeks, and thought I had fallen into a Dickens novel. But in fairness, I came from Southern California at the time (I am not from there), and the la-la land of plastic surgery, ego, and dieting to perfection (none of which I did) was even worse. The authenticity of Belfast was amazing to me.

However, would I want to be born there, live there? No.

But I don’t think the world considers the North of Ireland a joke–we stupid Americans hardly know it exists, but as for the rest of the world, I think they are lost in a Celtic green mist when they think of Ireland and truly do not realize–much of anything. Even in the 1990s, the tourists streamed into Kilkenny from other European nations and shopped and drank till they dropped.

I was astounded at the sheer volume of alcohol consumed all over Ireland. I didn’t/don’t visit bars in the States but of course the public houses over there, everyone goes. So maybe in American bars, more alcohol is consumed than I realize but–the bottles and glasses filled up the Irish pub tables because there was no more room, toppled onto the floor, and still more was consumed. I suppose that does show the Irish unhappiness and frustration.

In those days, guns were never pointed at my head in America; Belfast frightened and astounded me as the British Army did so more than once, but in 2014, military and Homeland Security guns are all over the place here too. Not to mention the U.S.’ people’s ignorant love affair with guns.

I live in a backward part of the U.S. which has many jokes told about it. Iowa grows corn and corny jokes. I do empathize, Ciaran. We also will grow Captain Kirk, of course.

Star Trek takes us away, to an enlightened world – or at least more enlightened than this one. We as a species can be better than we are.

This episode sucks.

Well having grown up here in west Belfast all my life, all I can see is the downside to the place. I was born in 1986, so I don’t have really any memories of the Troubles as it was all nearing the end by the time I was able to remember anything. This is a contentious time of the year in particular where the hatred and vitriol on both sides comes out and the attacks start, and that’s just the politicians in office. I was raised to not have any political opinions and make my own mind up. And I have, and Belfast is a joke. Northern Ireland is an embarrassing place to be from. And the only reason I haven’t left is because I am a homebird at heart. It’s a craphole, but it’s home.

At least by living in Iowa, you have JTK to look forward to! Lol. I’d love to see a Star Trek character from the north of Ireland, maybe I could call Bob Orci and work my way into the next movie! Lol.

July 4, the indepence day… And the day of the Gettysburg battle..its last day Quoting Joshua L Chamberlain, colonel, 20 th Maine infantry , USA, heroe of the litle round top, in Gettysburg: « I Long to be in the field again, doing my part to keep the Old Flag up with all its stars»

Lincoln: «…that we here highly resolve that these dead shalll Not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and, that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth» Gettysburg speech.

James Kirk is a good yankee, eh eh, his favourite song is «when Johnnie comes walking home»

I know this episode takes its knocks, but I really enjoy it. I LIKE the ending, even if it is utterly implausible, even if it’s the umpteenth time we’ve seen a parallel Earth. I like the pacing. The prologue is creepy as hell. I love Ron Tracy’s acting (or mis-acting.) I love a good Capt. vs. Bad Capt. story.

Happy E Plabnista, folks!!

ps — That poster is hilarious.

I thought Kilkenny was destroyed by Cromwell , you know, he liked killing irishmen and catholics…

” In the future history of Star Trek, the USA ceased to exist after World War III”

Who said the USA ceased to exist after WWIII? As seen in Into Darkness Great Britain still exists in the 23rd century so why not the USA?

I thought these days Kirk was born in space… he’s about as American as Shatner is.

[ducks for cover]

“Captains Log, Stardate July 4, 2265….studied planet Omega IV….at a distance…which contains a pre-warp humanoid developing civilization. Uneventful.”LogicalLeopard

#7 Ciaran, There’s your answer! Get into the Trek films, make a small fortune, and return home in glory – and treasure home. Not the north of Ireland–but, as you said, HOME.

#11 Yes, Cromwell is apparently remembered with utter hatred across Kilkenny and Ireland. I am not Irish so I say “apparently.” As a human, of course, I hate his genocidal march too. But, hey, Oscar, Kilkenny is still there, ya know? Rural Kilkenny is magical. I swear, there are fairies and strange light-forms there, I have photos. :-)

#13 Chris, You can re-write Trek if you want but dammit, Kirk sprouted in the corn field. Yeah, I actually agree with you. Shatner is about as Iowan as I am. Frankly, I could get lynched here, I am slightly out of step.

But wait, I was born here, and came back here after many years. I bought 17 acres of beautiful land, cheap, and never looked back – like what TOS Pike dreamed of with his old horse. And for the most part, the frozen chosen citizens leave me alone.

Seriously, not every Iowan is what the stereotype tells you.

Yeah, I dont think the USA ceased to exist, nor did any other country. The only major differences is that the Soviet Union never broke apart (or got back together) and the African continent, or part of it, joined together as the African Confederation.

For those who think that Kirk speech is “corny”, I feel sorry for you for missing the message behind the words. Then again, with today’s political rhetoric, I’m not surprised that people can be this cynical about believing in the ideas behind the words liberty, fraternity and equality. Hopefully, some day, we can get over our own “tribal” politics, and truly become an egalitarian society.

And for those who believe that the US would cease to exist in the world of Star Trek: get over yourself. If anything, it would have merged with Canada and Mexico to form a new country called the North American Union, or something. Or maybe, Panem (as seen in the “Hunger Games”).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Union

#17: Are you always this melodramatic? Get a grip.

Kirk’s message may have once had meaning. These days, unfortunately, the U.S. government has become corrupt and oppressive. The United States is a pretty vile place now, and those words have no real meaning since the government no longer practices the concepts behind them. It’s only a matter of time before the United States goes the way of EVERY empire throughout history. It’s inevitable. Americans are living on borrowed time at this point.

19, Beh, United States of America is not the roman empire, the spanish empire, or the british empire. United States is a great nation. A nation who likes liberty and hates tyranny. As the great patriot said (George the third): «Give us liberty or give us death» The world needs a powerful America, because only America wants to defend liberty with the last full measure of sacrifice..American foes are living on borrowed time…

Ok, I’m a huge fan of Captain America, too.

#20: That rhetoric hasn’t described the United States in decades. The U.S. is a complete mess now, and most countries around the world view it with disdain since it constantly fails to live up to its enormous potential by a hundredfold. The American government is run by big businesses now, and all they care about is money. If that weren’t true, it would never have started an illegal war in Iraq.

There is no occasion — even July 4th — for watching any piece of this horrible episode.

22. Beh, anti American proganda. Sadam was a genocidal killer, and the war was made by a coalition of free countries. America is view with disdain by the foes of the liberty, oks, they are legion. No matter. They can not destroy the land of braves, we have our faith, liberty, constitution and civil rights…this great power will prevail because the human spirit wants to be free and hates jailers. USA is the key of the liberty, and around the world, who loves liberty loves America…and Star Trek.

#23: That was ridiculously un-self-aware. There has never been a time throughout the past two centuries when the rest of the world has looked upon the United States as badly as it does right now. Ever since the U.S. invaded Iraq without provocation–Hussein had NOTHING whatsoever to do with 9-11 and had no weapons of mass destruction–it’s been all downhill. Even many American allies see the U.S. through different eyes now. To say that whoever loves liberty loves America is wrong on several fronts. First, a lot of liberties have been infringed in the U.S. in recent years. Second, if you think the world loves the United States, you need to get out more–you’d be floored at how wrong that sentiment is if you traveled abroad. Third, there is no country called America. It’s called the United States. Fourth, people who have lived in EVERY empire to date have thought theirs would prevail. None ever has. The U.S. is a mere baby, in terms of how long it has existed compared to other empires historically–and, yet, it has already reached the point that many of the others reached near the end. There’s a huge amount of disharmony between the lower and upper classes. The middle class is disappearing. Civil rights are being trampled upon left and right. And the cracks in the system are becoming chasms, thanks to the actions taken by religious zealots, warmongers, bigots and big business. The end is near. It’s just a matter of time, and the rest of the world is waiting for it to happen.

@18 (BatlethInTheGroin): Well, I WAS in the drama club back in high school…

@18 (BatlethInTheGroin): And just like the US government in “The Omega Glory”, the Yangs and the Khoms lost their way, by ignoring the principles that made America an inspiration everywhere. But as Kirk infers, just because a people have lost their way, that doesn’t mean that the ideas are no good. It’s too bad your cynicism have blinded you to this, or to the opportunity to make right what went wrong. It’ll take work, but it is doable.

#25: I hear ya’, man. Sadly, though, the people are pretty powerless to fix the clusterfrack that the United States has become. The only people who ever run for high office are part of the same political machine that has been destroying the country for decades. That’s why things are no different under Obama than they were under Bush–because neither of them gives a crap about the American people, and because both of them are in the back pocket of big business. The same will be true of the next president, and the next, and the next. Congress, meanwhile, is FILLED with amoral a-holes who care only about lining their pockets, and that’s not going to change either. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, is a complete joke. So yeah, the system’s too broken to fix at this point. A tipping point has been passed, and the end is coming.

Without provocation? His dictatorship was the weapon of mass destruction. His dictatorship and imperialism was a provocation. He killed 2 millions, 2 millions, muslims, kurds …and He was protected by his friends in NU, China, a dictatorship, Russia, pure imperialism, Syria…oh, yes, and France and Germany with socialist goverments…NU defending dictatorships, as always. United States hates tyranny.

I know ,around the world, good people loves America and the rabbel hates it. Because they hate democracy, And America is the symbol, the paladin of the democracy. America and Israel. Thugs hate cops, honest men, do not. They know cops are to protect and serve them.

Maybe you hate your country, maybe your prefer Cuba, Venezuela or Iran. Your choice, America is a free country. We are the people, United States of America. And we have a power and a responsability. We say, no in our watch, tyrant, no in our watch. Remember: we have a Hulk.

NO! Watch this instead for some Star Trek Fourth of July action!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgYwt8Cat7s

You have a simplistic view of the world & the role of the United States in it.

“He killed 2 millions, 2 millions, muslims, kurds …”

And that happened between 1986 and 1989, both Regan & Bush did nothing at that time.

“United States hates tyranny. ”

Get real, The United States supported tyranny from all over the world since the Cold War.

Augusto Pinochet, Idriss Déby, Manuel Noriega, Islam Karimov, Ferdinand Marcos, Mobutu Sese Seko, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Saddam Hussein, Haile Selassie, Meles Zenawi, Hosni Mubarak, Anwar Sadat, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Yoweri Museveni & many others.

“I know ,around the world, good people loves America and the rabbel hates it. Because they hate democracy, And America is the symbol, the paladin of the democracy. America and Israel.”

You know, it is might be a good idea for you to take a trip to the Middle East or Latin America, see the real world. While you are in Israel, please pass by the West Bank & Gaza Strip to see the beauty of the Israeli democracy!

#29: I’ve just realized you’re trolling. No one could possibly be that naive about the world works. First of all, the United States isn’t even a democracy–it’s a republic. If you actually cared about the U.S. as much as you claim, you’d be aware of that. So it’s obvious, then, that you’re only pretending to be how you’re presenting yourself.

Dear friends, I recommend that we cool the political rhetoric before it gets out of hand. Politics can bring out the worst in many people and people say things in the heat of passion that they may not mean.

Let’s take Kirk’s speech in the way it was intended — as an idealistic statement that the audience is supposed to agree with at the time it was broadcast. We can all disagree with one another about various things, but let that not divide us. Now is not really the time nor is this the place for that.

Happy Independence Day!

I’m American, but I still found that speech silly and over the top. That whole episode didn’t make any sense. Why would their be Americans and Soviets on another planet? It made even less sense than the planet of modern ancient Romans (with its silly Jesus is awesome message at the end).

#33 Hat Rick, I nominate you as a Federation diplomat and I mean that as the highest praise not an insult like the diplomat in “A Taste of Armageddon.” And even then, that guy was right in his way. Kudos.

I am trying, my friend, maybe we need something like AA meetings for battling Trek fans.

“Hi, I’m IDIC Lives and I fell off the wagon…”

“But OTOH, I shall not bow to mediocrity…”

“But that makes me a real prick.”

I might have to start talking to myself around here. I salute Dr. McCoy!

31. United States is the people , a goverment is only a tool. People can change the tool. But the people , the Idea, is the Nation. Middle East? The only democracy is Israel. And they are an ally. Yes, Obama, they are our ally…you should not forget it. Latín America? Its worst enemy is the chavismo, the communism, the populism, Fidel Castro and friends. I have a simplistic view because a tyranny is a very simplistic thing. You fight or you surrender. America destroyed nazism, stalinism, fascism , America saved democracy, America saved Europe. America must be proud, Americans must be proud . Americans must not say «I’ m american, sorry, I’m guilty» They should say «Yes, I’m american, and I am proud». But anti american propanganda is a cancer . This cancer is killing America. Our soldiers are freedom fighters, Not mercenaries. We are not the new Reich, we are good people, our soldiers are good people. We are not angels, because no one is an angel, or maybe man is a killer angel, we have our share of deadly sins, to be sure, but we are the only country defending liberty and democracy, yesterday, today, tomorrow, we Watch the Wall, because only we want watch the Wall, the prize is the blood of our boys…Our sins will be acquited, because our sacrifice is huge. America needs faith, neither sarcasm nor cynism, and of course no needs self flagellation.

Maybe you are trolling us as BatlethInTheGroin suggested, but dude, you put Goebbels to shame with your propaganda.

Because TOS was very much into the parallel Earth theory or whatever they called it. Really though, they used existing sets and costumes for budget reasons. This is why we got Roman world, gangster world, west world, etc.

2. IDIC Lives! – July 4, 2014

Do you remember during production of ST09 how Shatner was making some remark to the press every week about JJ not wanting him in the movie or not taking his calls or however he phrased it?

Shatner wanted in ST09 big time.

It killed him that Nimoy was in the movie and he wasn’t!

There weren’t Americans and Soviets on another planet. There were Yangs and Kohms.

I see this story as an allegory about what was happening at the time the episode was made, ie the cold war between the US and Soviet Union (and the US having troops in Vietnam fighting the North Vietcong). It was about the fact that the Yangs had forgotten, did not understand, the import of their “holy words” and this is what Kirk explained and reminded them about.

I think that Gene Roddenberry felt that the preamble (as well as the Constitution itself) were either being ignored or misrepresented and through the character of Kirk, sought to remind any US viewer watching of the preamble and how noble it was to aspire to. He saw that there was a lot of talk but not much in the way of genuine understanding and walking the way of the words.

I may have misunderstood this, but I do recall Chris Pine mentioning that he had only watched the first season of TOS all the way through (Abrams’ homework for Chris – if only the homework I got had been that cool!) and yet referred to this scene of Shatner reading part of the US Constitution as “*only the Shat could”…LOL! (I had the impression that he was referring to Shatner offering a unique version of a way to say those words)

Dear, dear CP – The Omega Glory was an episode from the second season…LOL

* or words to that effect.

Trolling? I’m an american who loves his country, who loves democracy, civil rights and The constitution…and you say I’m a nazi…? American soldiers crashed nazism, American blood.. This is outrageous..an American in an american website can not defend his country? The independence day? Why? Because a couple of anti Americans think America is an evil empire? Maybe you should visit the american cementeries in NORMANDY…American soldiers and their last full measure of sacrifice, there are a lot of sacred cementeries full of american soldiers. Around the world…..You should respect their memory. The independence day is a special day , americans remember our origins, our legacy ,our roots, and our heroes. Can you understand it?

oscar – “but we are the only country defending liberty and democracy, yesterday, today, tomorrow”

It is statements like this that get people from other countries pissed off and rightly so. Other countries also defend liberty and democracy (as you put it) and have done so wherever and to whatever extent they are able.

America did not alone save Europe. In fact, the only reason America entered WW2 was because the Japanese bombed their naval base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Britain (along with its allies – Canada, Australia, NZ and others) were battling Nazism pretty much by themselves, whilst the US got rich on selling the much needed armaments and other supplies that Britain and her allies needed to stop Germany from actually being able to invade and occupy Britain, turning it into another Nazi state.

There were Americans who were asking that the US intervene and send troops to help Britain with its fight but they were ignored. Many of those able to fight left the US and joined the British military in order to fight what they could see was a terrible tyranny. The rest of the US just got rich, until Pearl Harbour…

Please, Oscar – you have said more than enough, about everything re your views on BR Star Trek and about the US being the only country interested in being and maintaining any kind of genuine liberty, democracy, human rights for the peoples of this earth.

I am offended as a New Zealander who hears stories about NZ servicemen who fought in those wars alongside other bigger nations in order to preserve a vestige of genuine humanity for themselves and for their children.

The sheer ignorance and arrogance…

@IDIC Lives!, 35, thanks for that! I could do a lot worse than be a Federation diplomat.

“Because a couple of anti Americans think America is an evil empire?”

The United States is not an evil empire, it is a superpower that care only about its own interests. There is nothing wrong with that, but please, don’t make it like American powers are used for the good of the people of Earth!

yeah such and bad episode,however happy 4 th of July to you Americans

@pilotfred, 45, thank you!

I referred to Phil Plait in another thread just now, and so I naturally Googled him to see what the Bad Astronomer was up to. Well, he’s still up to his old tricks of disspelling misconceptions about astronomy, which is awesome, of course. But very relevantly, Mr. Plait has posted an article about a patriotically colored comet! You can see his post (scroll down one article) at his new home on the Slate website. (He used to have his own website, and then migrated to Discover; now he’s with Slate.)

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy.html

Beh, last speech. The decisive power in WW I , WW 2 …was America. Europe is not a nazi Garden thanks to America. And The Pacific is not a nippon lake thanks to America. British and Commonwealth nations fight was heroic…but not a decisive fight. And the communism, a totalitarian power, is not now Master and Commander thanks to America. South Korea is a democracy thanks to America, and North Korea is a hell because America could not save it… Yes, americans powers are mainly used for good of the people of Earth.

47. Oscar – July 4, 2014

Yes, americans powers are mainly used for good of the people of Earth.

FDR saw that Hitler was a serious global threat and was pushing for the US to get into WWII in 1939 or 1940, particularly to help Britain in her fight against the Nazis, but the American people were strongly opposed. It wasn’t until after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 3 years into WWII that the American people were finally willing to enter the war.

You’re obviously also ignoring all of the self-serving meddling and evil that the US govt perpetrated in Central and South America (Guatemala, Chile…) in the 20th Century. We overthrew popularly elected leaders and installed evil tyrants in their stead, simply because American corporations could make more money with the evil tyrants in power. We did the same in the Middle East, propping up evil tyrants like Saddam Hussein and arming Al Qaida, in order to “triangulate” and play one country or faction against another—Iraq vs. Iran, Al Qaida vs. USSR. The US and UK orchestrated the overthrow of the popularly elected leader of Iran in service to our own interest in Iran’s oil. We propped up Noriega in Panama and Hussein in Iraq until they stopped doing what we told them to do.

At any rate, I trust the point has been made regarding the effect of US foreign policy upon the “people of Earth.”

Happy Independence Day! :-)

Here is a peace offering for all Star Trek fans. THIS is the magic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YePInxQb6x0

I do know that there were many Americans (including senators and the president himself) who wanted their country to help fight the Nazis, but they were largely ignored, until… it is interesting that the US seemed more democratic then, as the president did not ignore the will of the majority at that time, which he could have done, as Commander-in-Chief…hmmm

The US, like many nations, is quite self-serving, only standing up for the rights of others, when it is in US interests to do so and not doing so, when there is little or no political or financial gain to be had by doing so.

Unfortunately, it is not only its genuine allies who see this facet, but also the enemies, many of whom do not even pay lip service to furthering human rights (esp. rights of the human female), freedom of speech, freedom of religious expression or the right not to adhere to any etc… It is not good.

Oscar – you stepped on a mine here. I suggest that you remain silent, lest you learn more truth than you can obviously handle.

If you want this website to work, you must enable javascript.

Constitutional Babble

T he original Star Trek series, with William Shatner as Captain Kirk, would not be the first place one would look for a treatise on Constitutional law. But one episode has an interesting lesson for the Supreme Court to consider as it rules on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In episode 54, “The Omega Glory,” the Enterprise is on a distant planet where, in a post nuclear war society, two tribes are fighting. One group calls itself the “Coms,”; the other calls itself the “Yangs.” The flag of the Yangs is the American flag. The plot pivots on Captain Kirk’s ability to understand the Yang’s “holy words.” These are words that only a leader may say. When the leader says “wa ta poplay,” Kirk has no idea what he is talking about. After generations, even the leaders are illiterate and the holy words are said from memory as they have been passed down over the ages. The episode concludes when Kirk opens the box with the holy words and reads what is there . The words are “We the People.” Generations of Yang leaders moved the pronunciation of the words away from the original to the point where no one could determine what they originally meant. Since the 1930s, the court has consistently moved away from the idea that the Constitution limits the power of the federal government. An ever-expanding Commerce Clause has allowed for the expanded reach of the federal government into every aspect of our lives. The question before the court is whether the words of the Constitution have any meaning, or if we are lost in a babble of interpretation where only the legal high priests can mutter the holy words. An endless chain of compliance with rulings moving ever farther away from the original meaning and purpose of the Constitution will leave us, or has already left us, in a land of babbling and meaningless recitation of words which have lost their purpose. T he American Constitution is, at its core, a document with a Christian understanding of human nature. The framers assumed the fallibility and potential avarice of political leaders, if not their sinfulness. They tried to limit the impact of human failures by limiting the powers of government and moving decisions to the lowest possible level (i.e. subsidiarity in Catholic social teaching). The Bill of Rights is essentially a list of what the government can’t do. The health bill before the court is antithetical to the Bill of Rights in this sense. It assumes a government obligation to provide for the needs of the people instead of facilitating mechanisms where the people work together for the provision of those services. It was developed in a world formed by the Supreme Court’s moving away from the understanding of the nature of leadership as laid out in the Constitution to a world where our national leaders are assumed to be fonts of wisdom. The series of court cases that have led many to assume that Obamacare might be “constitutional” shows the problem with any corpus of legal interpretation. Whether it is the Torah, Christian scriptures and dogma, or a civil constitution, each successive opinion, writing, and line of interpretation is influenced by its predecessors. Unless there is a relentless commitment to understanding the original documents, the interpreters create their own universe where the words of previous interpreters are more important than the document they seek to interpret. Stare decisis is a rational concept in any set of interpretations. The public depends on a stable set of understandings. The problem the court now faces with Medicare, social security, and other national benefits programs is complicated by the fact that generations of Americans have done their financial planning based on the legal interpretations the courts have been using for decades. Which is more important, or even more sustainable, the framer’s concept or the current set of laws and legal interpretations? It would seem simpler for the Court to continue its current path and allow more power to the federal government. But our society is not illiterate. Citizens read the Constitution and the framers’ writings. Constitutional law is not an abstract exercise. Public support for the Court and the other branches of government is needed to keep the system going. But if the Court moves back to a more limited view of central government it must do so in stages and with the recognition of the impact of its prior rulings. People have come to expect more from the government and many will resist a new path until the economic realities become unavoidable. It is now clear that the Court has to decide whether the U. S. Constitution has any effective limits on the federal government. That is, is there any real sense in which “We, the People” are still in control of our government? Dale Steinacker is a writer living in Columbia, Maryland.

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ECONLOG POST

Jul 31 2014

What Do Constitutions Do? Star Trek Edition

Bryan caplan .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-avatar img { width: 80px important; height: 80px important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-avatar img { border-radius: 50% important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-meta a { background-color: #655997 important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-meta a { color: #ffffff important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-meta a:hover { color: #ffffff important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-recent-posts-title { border-bottom-style: dotted important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-recent-posts-item { text-align: left important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-li { border-style: none important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-li { color: #3c434a important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-69046.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-li { border-radius: px important; } .pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline ul.pp-multiple-authors-boxes-ul { display: flex; } .pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline ul.pp-multiple-authors-boxes-ul li { margin-right: 10px }.pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.pp-multiple-authors-wrapper.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-post-id-69046.box-instance-id-1.ppma_boxes_69046 ul li > div:nth-child(1) {flex: 1 important;}.

By Bryan Caplan, Jul 31 2014

Political scientist and game designer Chris McGlothlin has a neat Facebook post on Star Trek and the Constitution , building off the classic episode “ The Omega Glory .”  Here’s Chris, reprinted with his permission:

As both a political science professor and a Trekkie, it’s more difficult for me than most to sit through the Original Show episode “The Omega Glory”, which you may remember as The One Where the Planet is Exactly Like Earth, Except for One Thing. You may also recall it as the one where Gene Roddenberry came to your house, stood behind you while you watched, and periodically interjected, “Get it? Ge t it? Yangs and Kohms–like ‘Yankees’ and ‘Communists.’ You’re welcome–it’s just my gift.”

The show ends when Kirk hands the utterly baffled primitive tribespeople a copy of the U.S. Constitution–one they demonstrably can’t read or pronounce properly. Then, it’s mic drop from Shatner and a quick beam-up to the ship in time to lay down more tracks for The Transformed Man.

Let’s be nice here and pretend the tribe figures out the proper words in a reasonable time, since language never seems to be a problem for anyone else on Star Trek. This society is still pretty much doomed.

Don’t get me wrong: I revere the U.S. Constitution which has both protected freedom and provided me a comfortable living. But I also appreciate it’s not for beginners.

For instance, we never see a copy of the Bill of Rights in the bundle of aged parchments Kirk leaves them. Sure, the Yangs promise to respect the words–even for their Kohm enemies–but without the Amendments, those Kohms are goners. Sure, they’re still safe from bills of attainder (whew!), but are otherwise on their way to the headsman’s axe.

Even if the Yangs opt not to be bloodthirsty, they have ahead of them all the Framers’ misfires like “What? An Electoral College? What is this ****?! Damn you, Kirk!” And since there’s no mention of judicial review in any of the documents they have, the Kohms had better hope this planet’s copycat nature includes a Arburymay v. Adisonmay (or whatever they’d call it) on the docket soon. Otherwise, we’re once again left with dead Kohms stacked up like cordwood.

I hope that by Picard’s time they realize no away team is complete without a political scientist.

READER COMMENTS

• READ COMMENT POLICY

Hazel Meade

Jul 31 2014 at 3:01pm.

He’s almost certainly be the guy with the red shirt.

Jul 31 2014 at 7:18pm

Alas, they added a psychologist to the Away Team instead.

Jul 31 2014 at 7:53pm

The Federalists thought that a Bill of Rights was redundant. This made it dangerous, because such a redundant list might be used as an argument by which power-grasping people might convince stupid people that the federal government had general powers limited only by a few enumerated restrictions, rather than a few enumerated powers. Clearly they were correct.

The anti-Federalists thought that government power would naturally grow to exceed its charter in any case, and that a Bill of Rights was the only way to impose *any* limits on the excess. I think they were correct too, but it would have been nice to have a control group to find out for sure.

Jul 31 2014 at 9:05pm

That’s the problem with too much of this research, we need more control groups. We need to do controlled experiments on whole nations and let them play out over a couple of hundred years. Will we be able to do this with AI and simulations?

Jul 31 2014 at 11:27pm

Thanks for blowing yet another hole in one of the worst episodes ever.

Aug 1 2014 at 12:04am

It’s the Federation. The question is why they hid the Political Officer. Really, a socialist state run by an all powerful military? They’d have a political officer.

Democracy can’t even be mapped over another Earth culture effectively without years of mentoring. You need the cultural history of weak leader, centralized justice, but decentralized government, etc.

Lorenzo from Oz

Aug 1 2014 at 12:46am.

And this understanding of democracy and constitutionalism as a distinct historical evolution fits in with “anyone can enter” open borders precisely how? Not surely .

Comments are closed.

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NCC-1701 , Original Enterprise , Ships of the line , Star Trek The Original Series , Star Trek TOS , Star Trek USS Defiant , TOS Enterprise , USS Enterprise Lineage - January 13, 2023

The Complete Guide to Star Trek's Constitution Class Starships

Did you know that the original Star Trek TV show had 79 episodes? Even more interesting, the Star Trek franchise consists of 12 different TV series, each featuring various ships.

If you're a Star Trek fan, then you may be wondering about the Constitution Class starships seen in the show and what some of the most iconic ships in its Starfleet were. This article covers the Constitution Classes first run of "United Space Ships". 

Queen of the Fleet First Run of the Constitution Class Starships

The Constitution Class Starships first class consists of the USS Constellation NCC-1017, USS Constitution NCC-1700, USS Endeavour NCC-1895, and the famous USS Enterprise NCC-1701. Here's a brief breakdown of each ship.

USS Constellation NCC-1017

The Constellation NCC-1017 was launched in 2245. This was under Captain Matthew Decker's command. This ship was used to complete five missions, and, in 2263, when Decker was promoted to commodore, he stayed on as the ship's commander.

The Constellation NCC-1017's crew of 400 came into contact with various destroyed star systems on Stardate 4202.1 of the year 2267. The ship was known for its investigation into a heavy subspace interference later named the "Doomsday Machine"

USS Constitution NCC-1700

The Constitution NCC-1700 was classified as part of the Class I Heavy Cruiser Federation Starship class. Constitution ships were known as the premier frontline of Starfleet vessels and were primarily used in the second half of the 23rd century.

The Constitution NCC-1700 was among a fleet of ships designed for the sole purpose of long-duration excursions and patrol missions that required little outside support. Some best-known missions could operate on a five-year cycle.

USS Endeavour NCC-1895

Starfleet's 23rd-century Federation Constitution class ship was the USS Endeavour NCC-1895. In the year 2298, this ship embarked upon a deep space exploration mission. A Starship Mission Assignments chart named it on the USS Enterprise-A bridge.

Later in the year 2293, this ship was named one of the Sector 21166-8 ships in the command briefing for "Operation Retrieve."

USS Enterprise NCC-1701

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 was part of the Federation Constitution-class starships in the 23rd century, operated by Starfleet. This was the first starship in the federation to feature the name "Enterprise." This ship's years of service were from 2245 to 2285, where it remained a training vessel until 2285 when it was destroyed over the Genesis planet.

For Star Trek ship ranking, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 E was considered to be the most technologically advanced starship to date.

The USS Constellation

The USS Constellation class of ships range from the Essex NCC-1697 to the Defiant NCC-1764.

Let's take a look at the brief history of each ship..

USS Essex NCC-1697

The Essex NCC-1697 is part of Starfleet's Federation starships in the 23rd century. It was an unnamed ship that eventually had a layover in 2267 at Starbase 11.

A star chart indicated the ship's number and its repair status, and it was identified by its hull number.

USS Excalibur NCC-1664

The Excalibur NCC-1664 was used during the 23rd century as a Federation Constitution-class starship. It was commanded by Captain Harris in 2268.

The ship completed a series of fleet war games in 2268 where a total of four starships competed against the USS Enterprise. The Excaliber suffered significant damage and all hands were lost.

USS Exeter NCC-1706

The Exeter NCC-1706 was part of the Constitution class's initial batch of starships. It was ordered on stardate 0965 for Starfleet. It later earned a new registry number of NCC-1672.

USS Farragut NCC-1647

The Farragut NCC-1647 was a heavy cruiser and part of the Federation Constitution class in the 23rd century, servicing Starfleet.

It was initially used as early as 2247 and was under Captain Nechama Rabin's command.

USS Hood NCC-1703

The Hood NCC-1703, occasionally called the NCC-1707, was a heavy cruiser and part of the Federation Constitution class. It was used by Starfleet during the 23rd century. On stardate 1/9307, the ship was commissioned and launched. Its construction was authorized on 0965.

USS Hornet NCC-1868

Captain Leedson commanded The Hornet NCC-1868. They were sent to the USS Pompeii and the USS Enterprise to regain control of the USS Star Empire, which had been stolen.

During this battle, the Hornet was damaged and surrendered when the Pompeii was ultimately destroyed.

USS Intrepid NCC-1631

The Constitution class's initial batch included The Intrepid NCC-1631. It was authorized to be appropriated by Starfleet with a stardate of 0965.

Its original registry number was NCC-1708. The Vulcans built this ship to MK I, and she entered service eventually with a stardate of 1/8804.

USS Kongo NCC-1710

The USS Kongo NCC-1710 was part of the Constitution-class starship's first batch. These ships were authorized by the Starfleet appropriation and had a stardate of 0965.

This ship was later built to the specifications of Mark II.

USS Lexington NCC-1709

The Lexington NCC-1709 was a Federation starship in the 23rd century. This heavy cruiser was a Constitution class and used as part of Starfleet services. It had a layover in 2267 at Starbase 11, and the ship's registry was later charted as having had several vessels repaired.

USS Potemkin NCC-1657

The USS Potemkin NCC-1657 was also part of the Federations fleet of starships during the 23rd century. This heavy cruiser was part of the Constitution class with a registry number of NCC-1711.

This is according to the Star Fleet's Technical Manual. However, the ship is listed as NCC-1702 in the FASA RPG series.

USS Republic NCC-1371

The USS Republic NCC-1371 was a heavy cruiser and part of the Federation Constitution class commissioned to serve Starfleet. This was during the 23rd century.

The ship eventually served as a training vessel for the Starfleet Academy by the year 2251. Captain Rollin Bannock commanded it.

USS Valiant NCC-1623

The Valiant NCC-1623 is one of the most famous ships, with a legacy dating back to the 20th century. It was originally known as a killer submarine and battleship. However, once humanity progressed to the stars, the Valiant pushed forward and evolved. 

USS Yorktown NCC-1717

The USS Yorktown NCC-1717 was a heavy cruiser with the Constitution class heavy cruiser. it was part of the Starfleet services and on active duty in the 23rd century's second half. Its original registry with the Star Fleet Technical Manual was NCC-1704.

USS Eagle NCC-956

The USS Eagle NCC-956 was a Constitution-class Federation starship and considered a Bonhomme Richard subclass. This heavy cruiser was part of the 23rd century and services Starfleet.

This ship was known for being illustrious and highly decorated and had a crew that consisted solely of Andorians.

USS Defiant NCC-1764

The last Federation Constitution-class starship was the USS Defiant NCC-1764. It was operated by Starfleet and was one of three ships that would be called "Defiant."

The Defiant was later named in honor of the HMA Defiant, a British warship. This took place at Tranquility Base on Luna.

Star Trek Constitution Class Starships

Now that you know more about the Star Trek Constitution Class starships, including the Constitution Class's first run of starships and the ships in the USS Constellation class, you can understand why each ship was equally important when in use. Although some ships were more advanced than others, each served a unique purpose in Star Trek's Starfleet.

For more great Star Trek information and to learn more about the ships in the Star Trek TV shows and movies, be sure to check out the rest of our website... Mahannah's Sci-Fi Universe is your one-stop shop for all things Science Fiction, so be sure to check out our Star Trek news today.

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Published Jun 23, 2017

Updated Constitution and Miranda Options

Greetings, Captains. The Ship Team and all of the artists at Star Trek Online are hugely passionate fans of the Star Trek Universe, and are always looking for ways to make the universe of Star Trek Online feel even closer to the canon we all know and love. With that in mind, Lead Ship Artist Thomas Marrone has created several new updates to classic ships that we think you'll love. Take it away, Thomas:

Soyuz Class and Miranda Class Improvements

A little while ago, we were proud to introduce the revamped model of the venerable Miranda-class starship. While everyone was excited to see this classic ship get a facelift, there were a few visual options some of you hoped for that didn’t quite make it in. We heard your feedback and spent some extra time at the shipyards to bring you these options, which will be available today.

Fleet Advanced Light Cruiser (T6) Update – Soyuz Class

Only seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Cause and Effect,” the Soyuz-class U.S.S. Bozeman is a striking variant on the Miranda, with its extended aft hull and large equipment pod attachments. Now, captains who purchase a Fleet Advanced Light Cruiser (T6) will have access to this variant’s parts, and it is fully customizable with the other Miranda variants. If you already have a Fleet Advanced Light Cruiser (T6), you will also have access to the Soyuz parts.

More Miranda Part Options:

We also wanted to announce new customization options that will be freely available for any Starfleet Light Cruiser or Advanced Light Cruiser (T6):

“Miranda Beta” Saucer: This version of the Miranda-class’s saucer section is based on the 24th century refit of the ship seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Pair it with the “Miranda Beta” nacelles and Type 8b material to complete that 24th century look.

“Miranda Beta” Strut: When we announced the revamp of the classic Miranda, some players were sad to see Cryptic’s update of the Miranda’s rollbar disappear… so we’ve created a new version of the strut that has the embedded deflector dish on it, as an homage to the way the ship looked at the launch of STO .

Type 8B Material: While the white, pearlescent look of the new Type 8 material is faithful to the appearance of Starfleet ships in the era of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan , as these ships saw more use in later productions they began to appear in slightly darker, more gray tones. The Type 8b material, freely available to all Light Cruiser and Advanced Light Cruiser (T6) variants, replicates the look of these ships in the later Star Trek films and TNG onwards.

Constitution Class Model Improvements:

“This is an almost entirely new Enterprise,” Captain Decker said to Admiral Kirk at the beginning of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Behind the scenes, Star Trek’s ascendance to the silver screen called for a newly redesigned starship Enterprise befitting the scope of the film. That ship, designed by Andrew Probert and Richard Taylor, has become one of the most beloved iterations of the Enterprise across 50 years of Star Trek ’s history.

The Constitution class refit is a fan favorite for many Star Trek Online players as well, and many of you have been requesting an update for its skin to match the visual detail and fidelity of our more recent starship releases. We are pleased to now share that the work has been completed, and a brand new Constitution Refit model is coming to Star Trek Online today.

Like all of our model refreshes, this is a free update for players who own either the Cruiser or Temporal Light Cruiser (T6). It includes the Type 8 and Type 8b materials recently added to the Miranda-class Light Cruiser. In addition, captains who own the Temporal Light Cruiser (T6) will be able to use the NX and NX-Refit materials on their ships as well.

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" Variant

As a bonus, we’ve also created another classic variant of the Constitution class. Hardcore Trek fans might know that before the original Star Trek series began, there were two pilot episodes created to “sell” the NBC television network on the show. In each pilot episode, and then in the actual series, the Enterprise model had small but noticeable variations. Now, we are offering new parts based on the appearance of the ship in the second pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”

These parts are free additions to both the Constitution Class Light Cruiser and Temporal Light Cruiser (T6), and if you own either ship, you can view them by going to the starship tailor and selecting the “Constitution Beta” template. They are fully customizable with other available parts if you wish to mix and match.

We hope you enjoy these new starship options as you seek to discover what’s out there… that-a-way.

Thomas Marrone

Lead Ship and UI Artist

Star Trek Online

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Truth OR Myth? Beta Canon – The 32nd Century Constitution Class

Hello and welcome to the premiere episode of season 6 of Truth OR Myth Beta Canon, a Star Trek web series that dives into the history of any given topic using Beta Canon sources and my imagination to fill in the gaps.

In today’s episode we’re taking a look at the 32nd Century Constitution Class of Starfleet Starships, as first seen in Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery , to better understand its place in Star Trek History.

Once again, this video is a little bit different, as there isn’t a whole lot of information on this class or its history quite yet.  So, I scoured both Alpha and Beta canon sources and came up with a story that I hope you’ll enjoy.

I’d also like to remind everyone that Alpha Canon always trumps Beta Canon, so although Star Trek: Online , a Beta Canon Source, refers to this class as the Kirk Class to differentiate it from the other Constitution Class Starships in the game, Alpha Canon has already declared this to be a Constitution Class, merely one having been created and constructed in the 32nd Century.

And of course, as always, because this IS a Beta Canon video, all information re-laid should pretty much be taken with a grain of stardust, and only considered a little bit of Star Trek Fun!  And so, with all that out of the way, let’s begin. NB… Star Trek: Discovery is Canon, whether a minority like it or not, and we’re all adults here, meaning, we all can follow the fundamentals of the franchise we claim to cherish, such as IDIC and respect for others. 

With the Temporal Cold War in full swing, and the Federations public weary of the shortage of Dilithium, Starfleet Command would embark on a project Lineage, to bring Federation Member Worlds closer together.

Although successful for a time, creating new versions of classes such as the Constitution Class, this amazing endeavour would eventually be dropped when “ The Burn ” devastated the entire galaxy.

The galaxy was being torn apart… The Temporal Cold War, as it would come to be known, had created clear divides between The Federation members and non-members worlds alike.

In the Century before the Temporal Cold War, the Galaxy was actually in a state of relative peace.

Though not yet completely explored, the vast majority of the Milky Way Galaxy had come together in the spirit of cooperation and had learned how to live peacefully with one other.

Nonetheless, when Time Travel had become a relatively easy thing to achieve, and more aggressive and hostile races threatened to alter the timeline to their end, Starfleet and the Federation Council would clamp down hard on this new technology, to the resentment of many species, who saw the technology as an opportunity to change the current timeline for the better.

Eventually, the Temporal Cold War would simply become the Temporal War, heating up rather quickly and forcing Starfleet to use time travel itself to win the conflict.

Eventually, they were successful, and the Galaxy would agree to ban all forms of Time Travel in the name of the Greater Good, but hurt feelings and shattered pride, would continue to fracture the Milky Way Galaxy as never before, tarnishing its once great galactic image.

So even before the Temporal War had finished, Starfleet Command and The United Federation of Planets began a Project to bring the Galaxy back together and remind everyone of the roots of the organizations.

Project Lineage would once again redefine the image of Starfleet, back to one of an earlier time of exploration and first contact.

Setting its best and brightest starship design engineers the task of creating starship classes in the likes of the best hero ship classes throughout Starfleet and Federation History, the 2 organizations hoped to inspire the Galaxy once again, and for the most part, they were successful.

However, with a shortage of Dilithium crystals becoming a huge problem for the Galaxy at large, some member worlds saw this project as unnecessary use of the few remaining resources they had available.

Most of these fears, however, were put aside when the first class of Project Lineage completed its construction and was debuted to the Galaxy as a whole, with the promise that this new Constitution Classes primary goal, was to explore all remaining unexplored regions of the galaxy, as well as the Milky Way’s Satellite Galaxies, in search of further deposits of Dilithium Crystals for the galaxy to share.

The design itself, was the product of centuries of upgrades to the original Constitution Class heavy cruiser, first launched in the year 2245, as Starfleet Command had always had a design similar to this original class in service throughout its history.

Although these classes were not named the Constitution Class, the general configuration of the starship had always remained the same.

Sitting at a length of 1399.82 meters and constructed to be a city in space, this New Constitution Class was designed to be operated by 2000 officers and crew members and could carry 10000 additional persons, such as the crew’s family, both immediate and extended and support personnel to create a thriving colony in Space.

Equipped with the latest Quantum Slips stream drive as well as a standard warp drive, the Constitution Class could reach the nearest satellite galaxy to the Sol System, the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, in just 3 and half days.

The traditional Deflector Dish design seen in many of Starfleet Classes was done away with completely in favour of newer Deflector Strips, adorned at various places along its hull.

These new deflector strips created a large bubble around the ship to deflect all space particles, while simultaneously improving the speed and capabilities of the Slipstream drive.

The entire design of the ship, though again retaining the general shape of the original Constitution Class, had been designed with tremendous speed and efficiency of the Slipstream drive in mind.

As a result, many areas of the design would have what was known as cut out sections and brace bars… The secondary hull would retain the now commonplace feature of being disconnected from the primary hull.

This had the advantage of allowing the starship to easily separate into two vessels, but also to be far more manoeuvrable than traditionally connected starship ever had been.

Unlike most Starfleet Vessels of time, however, the Constitution Class did not have detached nacelles, again done in the interest of speed and efficiency of its Quantum Slipstream Drive.

The weaponry of this class was the most advanced for its time and included several Phaser and Torpedo Array systems, with shield capabilities to match these upgraded technologies.

As previously stated, this New Constitution Class design intended to explore the satellite galaxies surrounding the Milky Way, in search of new deposits of Dilithium Crystals. As this was to be such a long-term mission, this vessel class was designed as a self-sustaining colony rather than a traditional starship design.

The Constitution Class included everything from state-of-the-art medical facilities to its version of Starfleet Academy, which would allow aspiring young students, to train and be promoted to the ranks aboard the ship.

Plus, should the Quantum Slipstream Drive become damaged or inoperative, the Constitution Class could even act as a Starbase of sorts, with its stockpile of programmable matter and provision to convert resources and set up Starbases in these Satellite Galaxies.

The USS Constitution, NCC-1700-N was launched in 3062, with 4123 people aboard to brave the unknowns of the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy and to establish a permanent presence for the federation and Starfleet in that Satellite Galaxy.

But in 3069, when the burn overtook the galaxy, destroying all starships with active warp cores, contact was lost with the USS Constitution and her sister starships in the Dwarf Galaxy, the USS James T. Kirk, and the USS Matthew Decker.

Believed to have been destroyed by the burn, Starfleet Command was shocked to find all 3 starships still fully operational having established several colonies and Starbases within Canis Major.

Apparently “The Burn” did not penetrate the Galactic barrier which surrounded the Milky Way, instead, it irradiated the Barrier, making outside galactic communications an impossibility for over a century.

After lengthy discussions between the 3 starships, it was decided that they would continue their mission, and establish a new Starfleet and the Federation in that Satellite Galaxy as they had determined that travel through the irradiated Galactic Barrier would cause their own starships destructions.

So the 3 starships alone in Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, would wait and hope for the day that the Galactic Barrier would return to normal and that they could regain contact with their home Galaxy, the Milky Way.

Finally, in 3190, contact would be regained between the old guard and new, and full diplomatic relations would be established much to the delight of both sides.

Currently, the USS Constitution is working with Starfleet Command of the Milky Way to establish safe travel between Galaxies, and as soon as safety can be assured, the Constitution herself will be returning to Starfleet command for a full debriefing and update with the hopes of integrating this century-old version of itself into its newly re-establish Federation.

But for now, both sides, still wait.

Constructed to Inspire new generations for the foreseeable future, no one could have predicted the major influence the New Constitution Class would have after “The Burn.”

The full ramifications of this classes effect on Starfleet’s future in the cosmos have not yet even begun to be realized.  And this fact alone, for good or bad, has earned the New Constitution Class its place in Starfleet History…

What to help refit the channel with Project Lineage? Then just click  HERE  to become a channel Patron…

Watch The Latest  Truth Or Myth  Below

Thank you for watching today’s episode of Truth or Myth Beta Canon, what do you think of the 32nd Century Constitution Class and the historical narrative that I’ve created here.

Would you like to hear more stories about this classes adventures in the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy after “The Burn?”  Well leave your comments in the section below and don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel.

Thanks again for watching, Live long and prosper…

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55 Years Ago: Star Trek Final Episode Airs, Relationship with NASA Endures

Johnson space center.

The voyages of the Starship Enterprise came to a sudden and premature end on June 3, 1969, with the airing of the final episode of the Star Trek original television series. Ironically, the show’s cancellation came just six weeks before humanity embarked on its first voyage to land on another celestial body. Although the show ran for only three seasons, it generated a devoted fan base disappointed by the cancellation despite their write-in campaign to keep it on the air. But as things turned out, over the decades Star Trek evolved into a global phenomenon, first with the original episodes replayed in syndication, followed by a series of full-length motion pictures, and eventually a multitude of spin-off series. With its primary focus on space exploration, along with themes of diversity, inclusion, and innovation, the Star Trek fictional universe formed a natural association with NASA’s real life activities.

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first had the idea for a science fiction television series in 1964. He presented his idea, a show set in the 23 rd century aboard a starship with a crew dedicated to exploring the galaxy, to Desilu Productions, an independent television production company headed by Lucille Ball. They produced a pilot titled “The Cage,” selling it to the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) network that then bought a second pilot titled “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” NBC introduced the show to its fall 1966 lineup, with the first episode “The Man Trap” airing on Sep. 8. To put that date in perspective, NASA launched Gemini XI four days later, one of the missions that helped the agency achieve the Moon landing nearly three years later. Meanwhile, Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise continued its fictional five-year mission through the galaxy to “seek out new life and new civilizations.” The makeup of the Enterprise’s crew made the show particularly attractive to late 1960s television audiences. The major characters included an African American woman communications officer, an Asian American helmsman, and a half-human half-Vulcan science officer, later joined by a Russian-born ensign. While the show enjoyed good ratings during its first two seasons, cuts to its production budget resulted in lower quality episodes during its third season leading to lower ratings and, despite a concerted letter-writing campaign from its dedicated fans, eventual cancellation.

Despite the show’s cancellation, Star Trek lived on and prospered in syndication and attracted an ever-growing fan base, turning into a worldwide sensation. Often dubbed “trekkies,” these fans held the first of many Star Trek conventions in 1972. When in 1976 NASA announced that it would name its first space shuttle orbiter Constitution, in honor of its unveiling on the anniversary of the U. S. Constitution’s ratification, trekkies engaged in a dedicated letter writing campaign to have the orbiter named Enterprise, after the starship in the television series. This time the fans’ letter writing campaign succeeded. President Gerald R. Ford agreed with the trekkies and directed NASA to rechristen the first space shuttle. When on Sept. 17, 1976 , it rolled out of its manufacturing plant in Palmdale, California, appropriately accompanied by a band playing the show’s theme song, it bore the name Enterprise. Many of the original cast members of the show as well as its creator Rodenberry participated in the rollout ceremony, hosted by NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher . Thus began a lengthy relationship between the space agency and the Star Trek brand.

During the development of the space shuttle in the 1970s, the need arose to recruit a new group of astronauts to fly the vehicle, deploy the satellites, and perform the science experiments. When NASA released the call for the new astronaut selection on July 8, 1976, it specifically encouraged women and minorities to apply. To encourage those applicants, NASA chose Nichelle Nichols, who played communications officer Lt. Uhura on the Starship Enterprise, to record a recruiting video and speak to audiences nationwide. She came to NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston in March 1977, and accompanied by Apollo 12 and Skylab 3 astronaut Alan L. Bean , toured the center and filmed scenes for the video in Mission Control and other facilities. NASA hoped that her stature and popularity would encourage women and minorities to apply, and indeed they did. In January 1978, when NASA announced the selection of 35 new astronauts from more than 8,000 applicants, for the first time the astronaut class included women and minorities. All distinguished themselves as NASA astronauts and paved the way for others in subsequent astronaut selections. Nichols returned to JSC in September 2010 with the Traveling Space Museum, an organization that partners with schools to promote space studies. She toured Mission Control and the International Space Station trainer accompanied by NASA astronaut B. Alvin Drew . She also flew aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) airborne telescope aircraft managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, in September 2015.

Meanwhile, the Star Trek brand renewed itself in 1979 as a full-length motion picture with the original TV series cast members reprising their roles. Over the years, several sequels followed this first film. And on the small screen, a reboot of sorts occurred in 1987 with the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a new series set in the 24 th century aboard the Enterprise-D, a next generation starship with a new crew. That series lasted seven seasons, followed by a near-bewildering array of spin-off series, all built on the Star Trek brand, that continue to this day.

James Doohan, the actor who played Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, the Starship Enterprise’s chief engineer, had early associations with NASA. In April 1967, Doohan visited NASA’s Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center in California, spending time with NASA test pilot Bruce A. Peterson. A month later, Peterson barely survived a horrific crash of the experimental M2-F2 lifting body aircraft. He inspired the 1970s TV series The Six-Million Dollar Man, and the show’s opening credits include film of the crash. Doohan narrated a documentary film about the space shuttle released shortly before Columbia made its first flight in April 1981. In January 1991, Doohan visited JSC and with NASA astronaut Mario Runco (who sometimes went by the nickname “Spock”) toured the shuttle trainers, Mission Control, and tried his hand at operating the shuttle’s robotic arm in the Manipulator Development Facility. In a unique tribute, astronaut Neil A. Armstrong , the first person to step on the lunar surface , spoke at Doohan’s retirement in 2004, addressing him as “one old engineer to another.”

George Takei, who played Enterprise helmsman Lt. Hikaru Sulu, and his husband Brad, visited JSC in May 2012. Invited by both Asian American and LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Groups, Takei spoke of leadership and inclusiveness, including overcoming challenges while in Japanese American internment camps during World War II and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He noted that Star Trek remained ahead of its time in creating a future when all members of society could equally participate in great undertakings, at a time when the country struggled through the Civil Rights movement and the conflict in Southeast Asia. The inclusiveness that is part of NASA’s culture greatly inspired him. JSC Director Michael L. Coats presented Takei with a plaque including a U.S. flag flown aboard space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-135 mission. He also visited Mission Control and spent some time with Robonaut.

Leonard Nimoy played the science officer aboard the Starship Enterprise, the half-human, half-Vulcan Mr. Spock. The actor watched in September 2012 when space shuttle Enterprise arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, on the last leg of its journey to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, where it currently resides. “This is a reunion for me,” observed Nimoy. “Thirty-five years ago, I met the Enterprise for the first time.” As noted earlier, the Star Trek cast attended the first space shuttle’s rollout in 1976. Following his death in 2015, European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti paid tribute to Nimoy aboard the International Space Station by wearing a Star Trek science officer uniform, giving the Vulcan greeting, and proclaiming, “Of all the souls I have encountered … his was the most human.”

Captain James T. Kirk, played by actor William Shatner, a life-long advocate of science and space exploration, served at the helm of the Starship Enterprise. His relationship with NASA began during the original series, with references to the space agency incorporated into several story lines. In 2011, Shatner hosted and narrated a NASA documentary celebrating the 30 th anniversary of the Space Shuttle program , and gave his time and voice to other NASA documentaries. NASA recognized Shatner’s contributions in 2014 with a Distinguished Public Service Medal , the highest award NASA bestows on non-government individuals. NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Communications Robert “Bob” N. Jacobs presented the medal to Shatner. The award’s citation read, “For outstanding generosity and dedication to inspiring new generations of explorers around the world, and for unwavering support for NASA and its missions of discovery.” In 2019, Shatner narrated the NASA video We Are Going , about NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the Moon. He has spoken at numerous NASA-themed events and moderated panels about NASA’s future plans. On Oct. 13, 2021, at the age of 90, Shatner reached the edge of space during the NS-18 suborbital flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle, experiencing three minutes of weightlessness.

Elements of the Star Trek universe have made their way not only into popular culture but also into NASA culture. As noted above, Star Trek fans had a hand in naming the first space shuttle Enterprise. NASA’s Earth observation facility aboard the space station that makes use of its optical quality window bears the name the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF). The connection between that acronym and the name of a Klingon officer aboard the Enterprise in the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series seemed like an opportunity not to be missed – the facility’s official patch bears its name in English and in Klingon. Several astronaut crews have embraced Star Trek themes for their unofficial photographs. The STS-54 crew dressed in the uniforms of Starship Enterprise officers from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, the second full-length feature motion picture of the series. Space shuttle and space station crews created Space Flight Awareness (SFA) posters for their missions, and more than one embraced Star Trek themes. The Expedition 21 crew dressed in uniforms from the original series, while the STS-134 crew chose as their motif the 2009 reboot motion picture Star Trek.

As much as Star Trek has influenced NASA, in turn the agency has left its mark on the franchise, from episodes referencing actual and future spaceflight events to NASA astronauts making cameo appearances on the show. The first-season episode “Court Martial” that aired in February 1967 featured a photograph of the December 1965 Gemini VI launch adorning a wall aboard a star base. In the second-season episode “Return to Tomorrow,” airing in February 1968, Captain Kirk in a dialogue about risk-taking remarks, “Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn’t reached the Moon?” a prescient reference to the first Apollo mission to reach the Moon more than 10 months after the episode aired. Astronaut Mae C. Jemison , who credits Nichelle Nichols as her inspiration to become an astronaut, appeared in the 1993 episode “Second Chances” of Star Trek: The Next Generation , eight months after her actual spaceflight aboard space shuttle Endeavour. In May 2005, two other NASA astronauts, Terry W. Virts and E. Michael Fincke , appeared in “These are the Voyages…,” the final episode of the series Star Trek: Enterprise.

In the 2016 documentary “ NASA on the Edge of Forever: Science in Space ,” host NASA astronaut Victor J. Glover states, “Science and Star Trek go hand-in-hand.” The film explores how for 50 years, Star Trek influenced scientists, engineers, and even astronauts to reach beyond their potential. While the space station doesn’t speed through the galaxy like the Starship Enterprise, much of the research conducted aboard the orbiting facility can make the fiction of Star Trek come a little closer to reality. Several of the cast members from the original TV series share their viewpoints in the documentary, along with those of NASA managers and scientists. Over the years, NASA has created several videos highlighting the relationship between the agency and the Star Trek franchise. In 2016, NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden led a video tribute to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the first Star Trek episode.

In 2021, on the 100 th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry’s birth, his son Rod hosted a virtual panel discussion , introduced by NASA Administrator C. William “Bill” Nelson , about diversity and inspiration, two ideals the Star Trek creator infused into the series. Panelists included Star Trek actor Takei, Tracy D. Drain, flight systems engineer for the Europa Clipper spacecraft at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim , Swati Mohan, guidance and operations lead for the Mars 2020 rover at JPL, and Hortense B. Diggs, Director of the Office of Communication and Public Engagement at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mutual attraction between NASA and Star Trek stems from, to paraphrase the opening voiceover from the TV series, that both seek to explore and discover new worlds, and to boldly go where no one has gone before. The diversity, inclusion, and inspiration involved in these endeavors ensure that they will live long and prosper.

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Inside the ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Series Finale: The Last-Minute Coda, the Surprise Easter Eggs, and What Season 6 Would Have Been About (EXCLUSIVE)

SPOILER WARNING: This story includes descriptions of major plot developments on the series finale of “ Star Trek : Discovery,” currently streaming on Paramount+ .

Watching the fifth and final season of “ Star Trek: Discovery ” has been an exercise in the uncanny. Paramount+ didn’t announce that the show was ending until after the Season 5 finale had wrapped filming — no one involved with the show knew it would be its concluding voyage when they were making it. And yet, the season has unfolded with a pervasive feeling of culmination. 

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“I think there’s more to it than just, ‘Oh, it was a coinkydink!’” the actor says with a laugh, before explaining that she’s thinking more about subtext than direct intent. “I’ve gotta give Michelle her flowers. She has always asked the deeper questions of this story and these characters. Those questions of meaning and purpose led to questions of origin and legacy, and, yes, that is quite culminating.”

Martin-Green and Paradise spoke exclusively with Variety about filming the finale and the coda, including the surprising revelation about the origins of one of “Discovery’s” most memorable characters and what Paradise’s plans for Season 6 would have been.

“It’s the Most Complicated Thing I’ve Ever Seen”

Once the “Discovery” writers’ room decided the season would be organized around a search for the Progenitor’s technology, they also knew that, eventually, Burnham would find it. So then they had to figure out what it would be.

“That was a discussion that evolved over the course of weeks and months,” Paradise says. Rather than focus on communicating the intricate details of how the technology works, they turned their attention to delivering a visual experience commensurate with the enormity and complexity of something that could seed life across the entire galaxy.

“We wanted a sense of a smaller exterior and an infinite interior to help with that sense of power greater than us,” Paradise says. Inspired in part by a drawing by MC Escher, the production created an environment surrounded by towering windows into a seemingly endless procession of alien planets, in which it’s just as easy to walk on the walls as on the floor. That made for a daunting challenge for the show’s producing director, Olatunde “Tunde” Osunsanmi: As Burnham battles with the season’s main antagonist, Mol (Eve Harlow), inside this volume, they fall through different windows into another world, and the laws of gravity keep shifting between their feet.

“It’s the most complicated thing I’ve ever seen, directorially,” Paradise says. “Tunde had a map, in terms of: What did the background look like? And when the cameras this way, what’s over there? It was it was incredibly complex to design and shoot.”

Two of those planets — one in perpetual darkness and rainstorms, another consumed by constant fire — were shot on different parking areas on the Pinewood Toronto studio lot.

“The fire planet was so bright that the fire department got called from someone who had seen the fire,” Paradise says. “It should not be possible to pull those kinds of things off in a television show, even on a bigger budget show, with the time limitations that you have. And yet, every episode of every season, we’re still coming in on time and on budget. The rain planet and the fire planet we shot, I believe, one day after the other.”

Martin-Green jumps in: “Michelle, I think that was actually the same day!”

“It Felt Lifted”

The last time a “Star Trek” captain talked to a being that could be (erroneously) considered God, it was William Shatner’s James T. Kirk in 1989’s “Star Trek: The Final Frontier.” The encounter did not go well.

“I had my own journey with the central storyline of Season 5, just as a believer,” Martin-Green says. “I felt a similar way that Burnham did. They’re in this sort of liminal mind space, and it almost felt that way to me. It felt lifted. It really did feel like she and I were the only two people in this moment.”

It’s in this conversation that Burnham learns that while the Progenitors did create all “humanoid” alien species in the galaxy in their image, they did not create the technology that allowed them to do so. They found it, fully formed, created by beings utterly unknown to them. The revelation was something that Martin-Green discussed with Paradise early on in the planning of Season 5, allowing “Discovery” to leave perhaps the most profound question one could ask — what, or who, came first in the cosmos? — unanswered.

“The progenitor is not be the be all end all of it,” Paradise says. “We’re not saying this is God with a capital ‘G.’”

“There’s Just This Air of Mystery About Him”

Starting on Season 3 of “Discovery,” renowned filmmaker David Cronenberg began moonlighting in a recurring role as Dr. Kovich, a shadowy Federation operative whose backstory has been heretofore undisclosed on the show.

“I love the way he plays Kovich,” Paradise says of Cronenberg. “There’s just this air of mystery about him. We’ve always wanted to know more.” When planning Season 5, one of the writers pitched revealing Kovich’s true identity in the (then-season) finale by harkening back to the “Star Trek” show that preceded “Discovery”: “Enterprise,” which ran on UPN from 2001 to 2005.

In the final episode, when Burnham debriefs her experiences with Kovich, she presses him to tell her who he really is. He reintroduces himself as Agent Daniels, a character first introduced on “Enterprise” as a young man (played by Matt Winston) and a Federation operative in the temporal cold war. 

This is, to be sure, a deep cut even for “Star Trek” fans. (Neither Cronenberg nor Martin-Green, for example, understood the reference.) But Paradise says they were laying the groundwork for the reveal from the beginning of the season. “If you watch Season 5 with that in mind, you can see the a little things that we’ve played with along the way,” she says, including Kovich/Daniels’ penchant for anachonistic throwbacks like real paper and neckties.

“I didn’t know that that was going be there,” Martin-Green says. “My whole childhood came back to me.”

“We Always Knew That We Wanted to Somehow Tie That Back Up”

Originally, Season 5 of “Discovery” ends with Burnham and Book talking on the beach outside the wedding of Saru (Doug Jones) and T’Rina (Tara Rosling) before transporting away to their next adventure. But Paradise understood that the episode needed something more conclusive once it became the series finale. The question was what.

There were some significant guardrails around what they could accomplish. The production team had only eight weeks from when Paramout+ and CBS Studios signed off on the epilogue to when they had to shoot it. Fortunately, the bridge set hadn’t been struck yet (though several standing sets already had been). And the budget allowed only for three days of production.

Then there was “Calypso.” 

To fill up the long stretches between the first three seasons of “Discovery,” CBS Studios and Paramount+ greenlit a series of 10 stand-alone episodes, dubbed “Short Treks,” that covered a wide variety of storylines and topics. The second “Short Trek” — titled “Calypso” and co-written by novelist Michael Chabon — first streamed between Season 1 and 2 in November 2018. It focuses on a single character named Craft (Aldis Hodge), who is rescued by the USS Discovery after the starship — and its now-sentient computer system, Zora (Annabelle Wallis) — has sat totally vacant for 1,000 years in the same fixed point in space. How the Discovery got there, and why it was empty for so long, were left to the viewer’s imagination. 

Still, for a show that had only just started its run, “Calypso” had already made a bold promise for “Discovery’s” endgame — one the producers had every intention of keeping.

“We always knew that we wanted to somehow tie that back up,” says Paradise, who joined the writers’ room in Season 2, and became showrunner starting with Season 3. “We never wanted ‘Calypso’ to be the dangling Chad.”

So much so, in fact, that, as the show began winding down production on Season 5, Paradise had started planning to make “Calypso” the central narrative engine for Season 6. 

“The story, nascent as it was, was eventually going to be tying that thread up and connecting ‘Discovery’ back with ‘Calypso,’” she says.

Once having a sixth season was no longer an option, Paradise knew that resolving the “Calypso” question was non-negotiable. “OK, well, we’re not going to have a season to do that,” she says. “So how do we do that elegantly in this very short period of time?”

“I Feel Like It Ends the Way It Needed to End”

Resolving “Calypso” provided the storytelling foundation for the epilogue, but everything else was about giving its characters one final goodbye.

“We want to know what’s happening to Burnham, first and foremost,” Paradise says. “And we knew we wanted to see the cast again.”

For the latter, Paradise and Jarrow devised a conceit that an older Burnham, seated in the captain’s chair on Discovery, imagines herself surrounded by her crew 30 years prior, so she (and the audience) could connect with them one final time. For the former, the makeup team designed prosthetics to age up Martin-Green and Ajala by 30 years — “I think they were tested as they were running on to the set,” Paradise says with a laugh — to illustrate Burnham and Book’s long and happy marriage together.

Most crucially, Paradise cut a few lines of Burnham’s dialogue with Book from the original Season 5 finale and moved it to a conversation she has with her son in the coda. The scene — which evokes the episode’s title, “Life Itself” — serves as both a culminating statement of purpose for “Discovery” and the overarching compassion and humanity of “Star Trek” as a whole.

To reassure her son about his first command of a starship, Burnham recalls when the ancient Progenitor asked what was most meaningful to her. “Do you know how you would answer that question now?” he asks.

“Yeah, just being here,” Burnham replies. “You know, sometimes life itself is meaning enough, how we choose to spend the time that we have, who we spend it with: You, Book, and the family I found in Starfleet, on Discovery.”

Martin-Green relished the opportunity to revisit the character she’s played for seven years when she’s reached the pinnacle of her life and career. “You just get to see this manifestation of legacy in this beautiful way,” she says. “I will also say that I look a lot like my mom, and that was that was also a gift, to be able to see her.”

Shooting the goodbye with the rest of her cast was emotional, unsurprisingly, but it led Martin-Green to an unexpected understanding. “It actually was so charged that it was probably easier that it was only those three days that we knew it was the end, and not the entirety of season,” she says.

Similarly, Paradise says she’s “not sure” what more she would’ve done had there been more time to shoot the coda. “I truly don’t feel like we missed out on something by not having one more day,” she says. “I feel like it ends the way it needed to end.”

Still, getting everything done in just three days was no small feat, either. “I mean, we worked ’round the clock,” Martin-Green says with a deep laugh. “We were delirious by the end — but man, what a way to end it.”

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Constitution class

• View history

The Constitution -class was a Federation Starship-class , Class I heavy cruiser that was utilized as the premier front line Starfleet vessels during the mid- 23rd century .

They were designed for long duration exploration and patrol missions with minimal outside support and were best known for their celebrated missions of galactic exploration and diplomacy and were capable of operating on five-year mission cycles, with an operating endurance of eighteen years. ( Star Trek: The Original Series ; Star Trek: The Animated Series ; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ; DIS : " Brother " display graphic )

• 2.2 Early 2250s
• 2.3 Late 2250s and early 2260s
• 2.4 Late 2260s
• 2.5 2270s refit
• 2.6 Mirror universe
• 4.1 Physical arrangement
• 4.2.1.1 Bussard collectors
• 4.2.2 Impulse engines
• 4.3.1.1 Laser cannons
• 4.3.1.2 Main phasers
• 4.3.2 Torpedo systems
• 4.3.3 Defensive systems
• 4.4 Navigational deflector
• 5.1.1 Overview
• 5.1.2 Command chair
• 5.1.3 Bridge stations
• 5.1.4 Additional features
• 5.2 Main engineering
• 5.3 Transporter rooms
• 5.4 Landing bay and cargo facilities
• 5.5 Sickbay
• 5.6 Crew lounge and recreation facilities
• 5.7 Crew quarters
• 6 Ships commissioned
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2.2 Interiors
• 7.2.4 Ships of the class
• 7.2.5 Saucer separation
• 7.2.6 Retconned design
• 7.2.7 Studio models
• 7.3 Apocrypha
• 7.4 External links

During the mid-23rd century, at least twelve Constitution -class starships were commissioned by Starfleet. ( TOS : " Tomorrow is Yesterday ") Construction of these starships occurred at Earth 's San Francisco Fleet Yards , California , and Luna 's Tranquility Base . ( TAS : " The Counter-Clock Incident "; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly "; DIS : " Brother " display graphic ) Many of the same unit components for the Constitution -class were also used in the construction of the related Sombra -class . ( SNW : " All Those Who Wander ")

The Constitution -class was generally designed for the roles of exploration , patrol , and defense . ( TOS : " The Cloud Minders ") Within Federation space , these vessels were viewed as having the role of protector within the civilian community. ( TOS : " Mudd's Women ", " The Conscience of the King ", " The Trouble with Tribbles ")

One of the class' original designers was Larry Marvick , whose work included designing the controls for engineering . ( TOS : " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ") Doctor Richard Daystrom was responsible for the basic design of the computers used aboard this class. ( TOS : " The Ultimate Computer ") By the 2260s , it was the assertion of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise that his chief engineer , Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott " knew everything about that ship there is to know. More than the men who designed it. " ( TOS : " The Apple ") Indeed, Scott even once bet Marvick himself that " a bottle of scotch says you can't handle the controls you designed. " ( TOS : " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ")

In order to keep the class up to date and allow their missions of exploration to continue, the Constitution class had the ability to be outfitted with new technology, especially since the ships were sometimes on the front lines without support and needed to hold their own. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds "; TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " The Corbomite Maneuver "; Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

History [ ]

Future Enterprise captain, Robert April , was present when the ship's unit components were built. ( TAS : " The Counter-Clock Incident ") The ship itself was launched April 11 , 2245 . ( DIS : " Brother " display graphic ; SNW : " Strange New Worlds " Enterprise dedication plaque ) In addition to the Enterprise , the USS Constellation and the USS Cayuga were also launched the same year. ( PIC : " The Star Gazer " commemorative plaque , SNW : " Hegemony " display graphic )

Early 2250s [ ]

During the early 2250s , the Constitution -class starship, USS Enterprise , made first contact with the Talosians on Talos IV . This combined with her numerous other discoveries and achievements made her the Federation flagship . ( TOS : " The Cage ")

By this point the Constitution -class starships were considered Starfleet's premier vessels, as they were usually on the front lines patrolling Federation space and exploring uncharted areas just within the Federation's borders. ( TOS : " The Cage "; DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ")

Around the latter half of 2254 , Constitution -class vessels were outfitted with the latest technology. ( TOS : " The Cage "; DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? "; SNW : " Spock Amok ")

Enterprise rendezvous with the Discovery , 2257

When the Federation-Klingon War started, Constitution -class ships were kept off the front lines, as a unit of last resort. At the time, the USS Defiant was assigned to patrol Sector 006 , while the USS Enterprise was ordered to continue its then five-year mission under Captain Christopher Pike . This order took a toll on their crews. During this time, with the ships out away on their five-year missions, it was rare to see a Constitution -class ship at all. ( DIS : " Despite Yourself ", " Brother ")

During the war, the Constitution class was not Starfleet's priority to keep refitted, as Starfleet was focusing on their warships to keep the Klingons from taking Federation space , such as the Crossfield -class and its spore drive . ( DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ", " Through the Valley of Shadows ")

Aboard the Enterprise at least, new colorful Starfleet uniforms were adopted before some other ships. They were seen in use shortly after the Federation-Klingon War. ( DIS : " Brother ")

Late 2250s and early 2260s [ ]

The USS Enterprise , Constitution -class, circa 2259

Constitution -class starships (along with their Sombra -class counterparts) had retrofitting in 2259, updating the main AI and transporters. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 "; SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

The Constitution -class starship, the Enterprise was extensively refitted around 2265 in preparation for her first five-year mission under James T. Kirk . ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " The Ultimate Computer ")

The unique configuration of the Enterprise in 2265

The USS Enterprise was the second known Federation ship to ever leave the galaxy, but sustained extensive damage in upon coming into contact with the galactic barrier . ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ")

Late 2260s [ ]

The USS New Jersey appearing in the configuration as it appeared during the late 2260s

Following the Enterprise 's return to Federation space, the ship was repaired with new equipment that was later used on other Constitution -class starships in 2266. ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " The Corbomite Maneuver ")

The year 2267 , however, saw a gathering of the class when a large group was assembled at Starbase 11 for refitting and repairs. ( TOS : " Court Martial ")

The Constitution -class continued their exploration missions at this time, and the Enterprise went on perhaps the greatest mission to date under the command of James T Kirk, discovering and making contact with many new species. ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " Turnabout Intruder "; TAS : " Beyond the Farthest Star ")

Despite the successes of the class, exemplified by the performance of the Enterprise , under Captain James T. Kirk , the mission parameters for the Constitution -class also meant that the vessels of the class operated under highly dangerous circumstances, resulting in a relatively high loss rate, and that being assigned to one was hazardous at best. Due to this, in the late 2260s, many Constitution -class vessels were lost. In 2267 for example, the USS Constellation under the command of Commodore Matt Decker fell victim to what has become known as the " doomsday machine " when it was on a routine survey mission near system L-374 , and both the ship and crew were lost. ( TOS : " The Doomsday Machine ") Likewise, and less than a year later in 2268 , the Vulcan -manned USS Intrepid was lost with its entire crew in a fatal encounter with a huge simple cellular being in star system Gamma 7A of Sector 39J . ( TOS : " The Immunity Syndrome ") Later that year, the USS Exeter became infected with an unknown virus, a residue from biological warfare which had raged on Omega IV and which the ship was orbiting, again killing her entire crew, save for its captain, Ronald Tracey . While undamaged, the contaminated ship was for the time being left adrift. ( TOS : " The Omega Glory ")

In late- 2268 , the starships Excalibur , Hood , Lexington , and Potemkin all took part in the disastrous testing of the M-5 multitronic unit , which had been placed in control of the Enterprise . The Excalibur was severely damaged, with all hands lost. The Lexington also was brutally assaulted by the M-5 computer when the unit became unstable. ( TOS : " The Ultimate Computer ")

Later that year, the Defiant responded to a distress call from an unexplored sector of space, claimed by the Tholian Assembly . Shortly upon entering the region, the Defiant crew began experiencing sensory distortion, and insanity quickly spread throughout the ship. The ship's surgeon was unable to determine what was happening, and eventually, the insanity induced by the phenomenon led the crew to kill each other. ( TOS : " The Tholian Web ")

The Defiant in a Tholian drydock facility

Three weeks later, Starfleet ordered the Enterprise to mount a search mission to locate the Defiant . On stardate 5693.2, the Enterprise located her adrift, lost between universes in a space warp. As a result of a later phaser exchange between the Enterprise and two Tholian ships , a hole was created through the spatial interphase , pushing the Defiant into the mirror universe . ( TOS : " The Tholian Web ")

2270s refit [ ]

In the early 2270s , the Constitution -class underwent a massive refit and redesign which would later be known as the Constitution II -class . ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture ; PIC : " The Bounty ")

Mirror universe [ ]

The Defiant emerged in the 22nd century mirror universe , where the Tholians of that universe had created the interphase rift by detonating a tricobalt warhead within the gravity well of a dead star . The Defiant was initially captured by the Tholians, but later taken over by the Terran Empire with control of the ship finally passing to Hoshi Sato . ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ", " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")

The Defiant as modified by the Terran Empire

In 2256 the USS Discovery became inadvertently trapped in the mirror universe, where its crew discovered that the Defiant had in the meantime undergone substantial modifications while it had been in the service of the Terran Empire. ( DIS : " Despite Yourself ") Upon her return to the prime universe however, their findings became part of all the intelligence pertaining to the USS Discovery that was sequestered by Starfleet Command as strictly classified after the ship had disappeared yet again in 2258. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ") It explained why the command crew of the USS Enterprise was not aware of Defiant 's fate when it chanced upon her derelict hulk in 2268, shortly before she transited into the mirror universe, also unbeknownst to the Enterprise command crew at the time. ( TOS : " The Tholian Web ")

In 2267, the ISS Enterprise was a Constitution -class starship of the Imperial Starfleet identical in configuration to the prime Enterprise , as was discovered by her command crew when they too became inadvertently trapped on the mirror universe version of their ship. ( TOS : " Mirror, Mirror ") They were unaware of the fact that she had been based off the USS Defiant whose transition into the mirror universe they would only witness the following year, although remaining unable to connect the dots.

In 2384 , Hologram Janeway was able to holographically change the USS Protostar 's control consoles to those a mid-23rd century Constitution -class starship so that the Enderprizian -- who were familiar with the consoles of the USS Enterprise from that era -- could help pilot the Protostar . ( PRO : " All the World's a Stage ")

By 2401 , the original Constitution -class had been completely phased out, though a few remained as training vessels. At least one Constitution -class starship retaining its original design, the USS New Jersey , was preserved in the Fleet Museum in its late 2260s configuration. ( TNG : " Relics "; PIC : " The Bounty ")

The time-displaced Captain Rayner from 3191 used the fact that Lieutenant Rhys 's favorite kind of starship was the 23rd century Constitution -class as proof that he knew the man in the future. Rhys had told Rayner that he loved the ship's curves, something that Rayner himself agreed with. ( DIS : " Face the Strange ")

Technical data [ ]

Physical arrangement [ ].

Profile schematic: bridge , shuttlecraft hangar , secondary hull , main sensor , sensor array t[op]/b[ottom]

Dorsal schematic: phaser bank p / s , impulse power , space/warp propulsion 2 units , primary hull

The Constitution -class featured the saucer section - engineering section - warp nacelle layout common to most Starfleet vessels. All ship configurations of the class of the appeared to be identical at first glance, but closer inspection revealed minor detail differences on certain vessels. ( TOS : " The Cage ", " The Ultimate Computer "; etc.)

Various science labs, numbering fourteen in all, ( TOS : " Operation -- Annihilate! ") were located in the primary hull in the class' configuration in the 2260s. There were at least seven turbolifts that serviced the primary and secondary hulls. ( TOS : " The Man Trap ") The Constitution -class had at least two briefing rooms , one of which was located on Deck 14. ( TOS : " Mudd's Women ")

The modular design of the Constitution -class allowed for component separation in times of crisis. If an emergency was confined to the warp engine nacelles , it was theoretically possible to disengage and jettison the secondary hull while keeping the bulk of the vessel's main section intact. Any hull separation was considered a dangerous procedure and not always an option. ( TOS : " The Apple ", " The Savage Curtain ")

Though not an aerodynamic craft, in emergencies, Constitution -class vessels were able to break orbit and enter a class M planet 's upper atmosphere (and maintain altitude control while passing through it) for a limited period of time, conditional on the ship's ability to re-achieve escape velocity. ( TOS : " Tomorrow is Yesterday "; SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

Propulsion systems [ ]

Warp engines [ ].

The Enterprise at warp

The Constitution -class of starship were lithium , and later dilithium powered warp engines that fueled a matter / antimatter propulsion system over its service lifetime. ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " Mudd's Women "; DIS : " Brother " display graphic ) Altogether this allowed the class to spec a maximum safe cruising speed of warp 6 (or 384 c ) and an emergency speed of warp 8 (or 512c). ( TOS : " Amok Time ", " Obsession "; TAS : " One of Our Planets Is Missing "; DIS : " Brother " display graphic )

During the mid-2250s the ship was more than capable of operating nominally at warp 7. ( TOS : " The Cage ") By the 2260s such a speed was unusual; Kirk's order of warp 7 in pursuit of an unknown ship after the destruction of Cestus III surprised the bridge crew, and both Spock and Scott advised against sustaining the speed. ( TOS : " Arena ")

The Enterprise infrequently reached warp 8; Kirk's order for the speed during the above pursuit alarmed Spock and Scott. ( TOS : " Arena ") Scott confirmed, when asked if the ship could be capable of warp 8, that he could, and offered " maybe a wee bit more, " even offering to, " sit on the warp engines myself and nurse them, " if needed. ( TOS : " That Which Survives ") While the Enterprise had once engaged at warp 9 to escape the Romulan Neutral Zone ( TOS : " The Enterprise Incident "), doing so was highly discouraged because it was an unsafe velocity, as was noted following when the ship was taken over by the Beta XII-A entity . ( TOS : " Day of the Dove ")

With further modifications or influences, the Enterprise managed to even push beyond warp 9 on more than one occasion, once following modifications made by Lokai , it exceeded warp 10, and again achieved warp 10 when it was drawn into the creation point . ( TOS : " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield "; TAS : " The Magicks of Megas-Tu ")

The Enterprise was also twice modified to achieve a speed of warp 11. The first time was when the probe Nomad increased the ship's engine efficiency by 57% in 2267 and allowed the ship to reach warp 11, but Kirk persuaded Nomad to reverse its "repairs" because the ship's structure could not stand the stress of that much power, and it would eventually destroy the ship. ( TOS : " The Changeling ") The second time followed when more extensive modifications were made to the ship by the Kelvans in 2268 , who were able to produce velocities that were far beyond the reach of Federation science, allowing the Enterprise to safely maintain a cruising speed of warp 11 while traveling through the intergalactic void. ( TOS : " By Any Other Name ")

The maximum warp speed recorded for this class by itself was warp 14.1, achieved by the Enterprise due to sabotage to the vessel's warp drive system. While the ship itself was not structured to take that speed for any length of time, the Enterprise was able to maintain that velocity for nearly fifteen minutes. ( TOS : " That Which Survives ")

The Enterprise artificially maintained stability at warp 22 while tractored to a ship going warp 32. ( TAS : " The Counter-Clock Incident ")

If the reserves for the antimatter engine ever dropped of the indicator below two anti-kilos , the engines would no longer regenerate . ( TAS : " One of Our Planets Is Missing ")

Bussard collectors [ ]

Bussard collectors

Bussard collector collecting deuterium

The Constitution -class was equipped with Bussard collectors at the front of the warp nacelles . The primary purpose of bussard collectors was that they could be used to collect interstellar hydrogen ( deuterium ) and other particles, however they could also be used to expel these gases as well. Bussard collectors were useful for when these ships passed through a hydrogen rich nebula, as it allowed them to pull in hydrogen which was the primary fuel source for the constitution class starship and their warp cores . ( TOS : " The Cage ", " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " The Corbomite Maneuver "; DIS : " Context Is for Kings ", " Will You Take My Hand? "; SNW : " Strange New Worlds ", " Lost in Translation ")

Impulse engines [ ]

A close-up of the impulse drive assembly in 2266

The main sub light drive on Constitution -class starships was an impulse drive , located at the back of the saucer/primary hull section of the ship and was where fusion exhaust propelled the ship.

A fusion explosion equivalent to at least 97.835 megatons would result if the impulse engines were overloaded in 2267. ( TOS : " The Doomsday Machine ")

Tactical systems [ ]

While the Constitution -class was never meant as a warship , the vessel was adequately well-armed for dealing with various threats. Exercising Federation defense policy and if need be, sustained conflict was built into them. Thus, they carried an array of weapons thus allowing them to hold their own against even dedicated warships of its day. ( TOS-R : " Errand of Mercy ", et al.)

Directed beam batteries [ ]

USS Enterprise firing her main batteries

...and seen firing a single phaser

During the early 2250s , Constitution -class heavy cruisers were armed with a complement of directed energy weapons , that possessed enough power to destroy half a continent in a concentrated bombardment. In addition, these vessels carried on board laser cannons , capable of operating on energy fed remotely from the ship. ( TOS : " The Cage ", " The Menagerie, Part I ", " The Menagerie, Part II ")

Laser cannons [ ]

From 2254 to 2257, Constitution -class vessels were fitted with laser cannons. These were an upgrade to the phase cannons on previous ships in Starfleet, however the laser cannons were quickly replaced by phaser banks once the technology was developed. ( TOS : " The Cage "; DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 "; SNW : " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach "; TOS : " Balance of Terror ")

Main phasers [ ]

Phaser control room

With a range of approximately 90,000 kilometers , the Constition 's main phasers were targeted via directional beam produced by the navigator or helmsman via a direct line of communication with phaser crews located in the phaser control room . In order to prepare the ship for firing, the main phasers needed to be energized, primed, and brought to full power. ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " Balance of Terror ", " Arena ") Phaser tracking controls was also used in phaser operation. ( TOS : " The Tholian Web ")

Diagram of forward phaser bank

These ship mounted phasers were capable of being adjusted to a rate as low as 1/100th power, and like hand phasers were capable of stun , heat, or disintegrate targets, including objects or beings in space or on a planet's surface. ( TOS : " The Ultimate Computer ", " A Piece of the Action ") The focus could be adjusted from a narrow to a wide beam. ( TOS : " Who Mourns for Adonais? ", " Whom Gods Destroy ", " The Paradise Syndrome ", " A Piece of the Action ") Targeting was typically done visually, but could also be accomplished on motion sensors at a loss of accuracy. When only motion sensor readings were available, the ship's phasers could be set for proximity blast or a 100% dispersal pattern. ( TOS : " Balance of Terror ", " Errand of Mercy ")

By 2257 , this class of ship had a standard complement of six phaser emitters . ( DIS : " Brother " display graphic ) This included placements at port, starboard, and mid-ship, among which were two to (up to) four forward phaser banks. ( TOS : " Balance of Terror ", " The Paradise Syndrome ") There were also two banks each on the port and starboard on the dorsal surface of the primary hull. Two banks covered both flanks.( TNG : " Datalore " display graphic )

By the late 2260s, the ship also had aft banks located above and below the shuttlebay on the secondary hull . ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")

Torpedo systems [ ]

Torpedo launcher in 2267

Constitution -class ships torpedo tubes were located on the underside of the saucer section, and aft mounted capabilities at the end of the secondary hull. ( TOS : " Arena "; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ") This combined arsenal was powerful enough to destroy the entire surface of a planet. ( TOS : " A Taste of Armageddon ")

The standard complement consisted of two 2 forward torpedo launchers , as well as aft torpedoes. ( DIS : " Brother "; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")

Defensive systems [ ]

The Constitution -class starship had two types of defensive systems , consisting of deflector screens and shields . The shield shield grid was divided into four segments, referred to as "number one shield", "number two shield", etc. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ", " Elaan of Troyius ") At full power, with the warp reactor tied into the shield system, it was capable of absorbing and repulsing a bombardment of energy impacts equal to the detonation of 360 photon torpedoes of the type the Enterprise was equipped with at the time, before the shielding power was completely lost. In 2267 , for example, the Enterprise survived an attack from the Nomad probe. Nomad fired four powerful bolts of energy , each with the equivalent force of ninety photon torpedoes. The first hit reduced shielding power only by twenty percent. After being hit with the equal force of 270 photon torpedoes, warp maneuvering power was lost. Shields were lost with the fourth hit. ( TOS : " The Changeling ") A ship was no capable of firing full phasers with its screens up. ( TOS : " A Taste of Armageddon ")

The deflector shield grid was much more vulnerable to intense standard phaser bombardment. In 2268 , an Orion scout ship was able to cause buckling in some of the shields of the Enterprise after it had made just five attack runs on the ship. On the seventh run, the Enterprise lost one of its four shields. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") Other more powerful weaponry could take the shields down even more easily, the planet killer for example could completely deplete a Constitution -class starship's shielding power with only three hits with its antiproton beam . ( TOS : " The Doomsday Machine ")

The diversion of all but emergency maintenance power to the shields had the adverse effect of reducing phaser power by fifty percent. ( TOS : " The Tholian Web ") A single detonation of a nuclear warhead less than a hundred meters away could cause internal overloads on the ship and leak radiation through the shields to the outer regions of the ship. ( TOS : " Balance of Terror ") Without the warp reactor to power the shields, the system was not very effective in protecting the ship. With only the impulse reactors powering the shields, a D7-class Klingon battle cruiser could deplete a Constitution -class starship's shielding power with only few passes of disruptor fire. ( TOS : " Elaan of Troyius ")

Navigational deflector [ ]

The navigational deflector dish

The navigational deflector dish on Constitution -class vessels was mounted at the front of the secondary hull. It was mainly used to deflect/repel debris and other objects.

In 2268 the USS Enterprise used a deflector beam to attempt to shift a large asteroid off course when it threatened the planet Amerind . The attempt failed and caused damage to the ship's power. ( TOS : " The Paradise Syndrome ")

Interior design [ ]

The color scheme implemented aboard Constitution -class ships was predominantly red-orange accents alongside dark gray or light gray paneling. These colors were accented with soft white light or multicolored lights installed in floor and wall paneling, and later, in the ceiling. This color scheme was put in and kept from the Constitution -class refit of the mid-2250s to the early 2270s . ( Star Trek: The Original Series ; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ", " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II "; DIS : " Brother ", " Such Sweet Sorrow ", " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 "; ST : " Q&A ", " The Trouble with Edward ", " Ask Not "; DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")

• See : Constitution -class decks

Main bridge [ ]

Overview [ ].

The translucent bridge dome

Located at deck 1 atop of the primary hull , the Constitution 's main bridge directly supervised all primary mission operations and coordinated all departmental activities. Due to the age and variety of configurations of the Constitution -class, bridge configurations varied from mission to mission and ship to ship.

Command chair [ ]

The command chair was located in the recessed area at the center of the room, where consequently, the captain could be immediately updated on the condition of the vessel or its crew during missions, and orders could be given clearly with a minimum of effort. The chair was mounted on a circular pillar, attached to a rectangular footplate that was directly anchored to the deck. It was designed to swivel on the support so that the captain could turn to any member of the bridge crew.

The command chairs featured three slightly different versions of the same command chair. Most, such as the one on the USS Enterprise , featured a backrest that only reached the mid-back. The 2250s and 2260s version of this chair had a "gooseneck viewer" on the right armrest. ( TOS : " The Cage ", " Where No Man Has Gone Before ") A few, such as that of the USS Lexington , had a full backrest. ( TOS : " The Ultimate Computer ")

The captain's chair controls

The command chair also had buttons on either of the arm rests used to operate the command console . The left side contained the button for companel , and the right side contained buttons for manually placing the ship on red or yellow alert , as well as one to jettison pod . ( TOS : " Court Martial ") The gooseneck viewer was eliminated by 2266 , but the other console controls remained. ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ")

Bridge stations [ ]

The command chair was position was equidistant from all the control consoles that operated specific bridge stations.

Piloting and navigation functions were carried out at the helm console , located in the center of the room, positioned in front of the command chair. This panel consisted of three main sections.

On the left was a compartment which opened automatically to permit operation of the targeting scanner. Next to this was the main control panel, which operated maneuvering thrusters , impulse engines, and fired the ship's weapons. Directly below this panel was a row of eight flip-switches provided to set warp flight speeds.

The central section of the conn panel was fitted with a number of sensor monitor lights and was dominated by two main features: the alert indicator and the astrogator , which was used for long-range course plotting. The navigation console had a control panel for entering the course and heading data and the flight path indicator and supplied information on any deviations or course corrections in progress. It also had controls for the weapons systems.

A duotronic-based data-input bridge console

Other stations on the bridge were provided for communications station , engineering station , weapons control , gravity control , damage control , environmental engineering , science and library computer , and internal security. ( TOS : " This Side of Paradise ", " The Ultimate Computer ", et al.) All computer systems aboard the Constitution -class were duotronic -based. ( TOS : " The Ultimate Computer "; DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ") During the mid-2260s, these consoles were 203-R compatible. ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ")

Additional features [ ]

The viewscreen aboard the USS Enterprise in 2259

Mounted into the room's forward bulkhead was the main viewscreen . Visual sensor pickups located at various points on the Constitution -class' outer hull were capable of image magnification and allowed a varied choice of viewing angles. ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " Balance of Terror ", et al.)

The automatic bridge defense system deployed

In the late 2260s , along with the added turbolift, the bridge design changed from a segmented flat-panel peripheral station configuration to a completely circular design, including curved overhead viewscreens, and railings and steps which matched the arc of the circumference. At the same time, an automatic bridge defense system was also installed atop the ceiling. ( TAS : " Beyond the Farthest Star ")

Main engineering [ ]

Main engineering was from where the ship's warp was controlled. All thrust and power systems were primarily controlled from this site, and it is also where the main dilithium crystal reactor/warp core was located for most of the ship's life. Life support was controlled separately from Deck 6. ( TOS : " The Ultimate Computer ", " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " The Naked Time ", " The Enemy Within ", " The Conscience of the King ", " Day of the Dove ")

In 2259, the warp core was located in main engineering. The matter and antimatter were directed down into the reaction chamber where the dilithium crystals were and then the resulting electro-plasma was directed through unseen conduits into the warp conduits on the walls in the back of the engineering room to the warp nacelles. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ", " Ghosts of Illyria ")

In 2266, the warp core was moved to a separate room called the dilithium crystal energizer room, where the main warp reaction occurred horizontally. The warp plasma conduits to the nacelles remained in main engineering but were secured being a grate. ( TOS : " The Alternative Factor ") In 2268, the warp core was moved back to Engineering, with the dilithium crystals and main reaction occurring in a dilithium crystal converter. The matter anti-matter reaction still happened horizontally at this time and was still directed into unseen conduits beneath the engineering deck. In late 2269, a new vertical component of the warp core was added to the dilithium crystal converter. ( TAS : " The Terratin Incident ")

Transporter rooms [ ]

Extravehicular transporter to and from the ship could be accomplished by a number of transporter systems besides the airlocks, which allowed personnel or equipment to be transported over large ranges. The transporter platform featured six small pads, which were numbered clockwise, beginning with the right front. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ", TOS : " The Cage ", " Where No Man Has Gone Before ") A large section in the middle of the transporter could be used to transport large cargo. ( TOS : " Dagger of the Mind ")

A door in the standard transporter room wall led to a staging area where landing parties prepared for transporter. ( TOS : " The Cage ")

The transporter room was also outfitted with a food slot. ( TOS : " Tomorrow is Yesterday ")

Landing bay and cargo facilities [ ]

The aft landing bay provided personnel in small craft with a means of entering or exiting the vessel.

The 2260s configuration of the Constitution -class carried a standard complement of 4 shuttlecraft , some of which were Class F . ( TOS : " The Omega Glory ")

The class contained at least five cargo holds . ( TAS : " Beyond the Farthest Star ")

Sickbay [ ]

Constitution -class sickbay in 2259

Biobeds in sickbay

On the Constitution -class starships in the late 2260s, a sickbay facility was located on Deck 6, which featured an examination room, a nursery, the chief medical officer 's office and a medical lab. At least one other medical lab was located elsewhere on the vessel, and was used for biopsy, among other things. Sickbay was considered the safest place to be on the ship during combat. ( TOS : " The Naked Time ", " Elaan of Troyius ") Many of the tools used in the Sickbay aboard the USS Enterprise , following her launch, were designed by her first medical officer , Doctor Sarah April , as life aboard required frequent improvisation. ( TAS : " The Counter-Clock Incident ")

Crew lounge and recreation facilities [ ]

The crew/officers lounge on Constitution -class starships offered an officers' lounge, adored by multiple viewpoints and with tables and a seating area.

In the late 2260s, the crew lounge was located at the front of the saucer section, just above the three windows below it. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

In the late 2260s, there were at least six recreation rooms, which included three-dimensional chess and card game tables. There was also a holographic rec room , which was the predecessor of the holodeck . Also aboard were an arboretum , galley , gymnasium , a bowling alley , a theater, and a chapel . ( TOS : " Charlie X ", " The Naked Time ", " The Conscience of the King ", " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ")

Crew quarters [ ]

Crew quarters were located throughout the saucer section – keeping with Starfleet tradition, Deck 5 housed the senior officers' quarters.

From the 2250s to at least 2265, officers' quarters on a Constitution -class were larger than in latter half of the 2260s and later due to an increase in a Constitution -class' crew compliment size from 203 to 450. ( TOS : " The Cage "; DIS : " Brother ", " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 "; SNW : " Strange New Worlds ", " Children of the Comet ", " Spock Amok "; TOS : " The Enemy Within ")

For most of a Constitution -class starship's life, the officers' quarters featured two areas, separated partly by a wall fragment. One area was allocated as sleeping area, featuring a comfortable bed, and another as work area, including a desk and computer terminal. Entrance to a bathroom was provided through the quarter's sleeping area. Both areas could be configured to personal preference. ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II "; TOS : " The Enemy Within ")

Ships commissioned [ ]

Appendices [ ], appearances [ ].

The Constitution -class Enterprise appeared in every episode of SNW , TOS , and TAS (except for " The Slaver Weapon "). Episodes featuring other Constitution -class vessels, or the Enterprise for other series, are listed below.

• " Court Martial " (remastered only)
• " The Doomsday Machine "
• " The Ultimate Computer "
• " The Omega Glory "
• " The Tholian Web "
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (painting)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (display graphic)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (display graphic)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (display graphic)
• Star Trek Generations (painting)
• Star Trek: First Contact (model)
• Star Trek Nemesis (model)
• " The Naked Now " (display graphic)
• " Haven " (model)
• " Datalore " (display graphic)
• " Booby Trap " (model)
• " The First Duty " (model)
• " Relics " (holographic recreation of bridge)
• " The Nagus " (display graphic)
• " Trials and Tribble-ations "
• " What You Leave Behind " (corridor in montage scene)
• VOY : " In the Flesh " (wall display)
• " In a Mirror, Darkly "
• " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II "
• " These Are the Voyages... " (archive footage)
• " Despite Yourself " (display graphic)
• " Will You Take My Hand? "
• " Brother "
• " If Memory Serves " (archive footage)
• " Such Sweet Sorrow "
• " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 "
• ST : " Ephraim and Dot "
• " Maps and Legends " (hologram)
• " The Star Gazer " (display graphic)
• " The Bounty "
• " The Last Generation "
• " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers " (photograph)
• " Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus " (display graphic)
• " Starstruck " (hologram)
• " All the World's a Stage " (stageplay backdrop; holographic recreation of consoles)
• " Spock Amok "
• " A Quality of Mercy "
• " Among the Lotus Eaters "
• " Subspace Rhapsody " (interior only)
• " Hegemony "

Background information [ ]

For information on the origin of the Constitution -class designation, please see Starship-class .

Interiors [ ]

• See : Constitution -class sets .

The length of the Constitution -class had for over half a century been accepted as being 947 feet (289 meters) long, a figure once propagated across nearly all contemporaneous reference works dealing with the subject, beginning with Stephen Edward Poe 's reference book , The Making of Star Trek , p. 178. The origin of the graphic used was designer Matt Jefferies , who had originally produced the graphic in 1967 not for the actual Original Series production, but as a reference for Poe's employer, model kit company Aluminum Metal Toys (AMT) for their 1968 second edition retooled USS Enterprise model kit, No. S951 – where the graphic was displayed on the side of the box. Prior to this, a specific length for the starship had not been solidly defined as producer Gene Roddenberry 's memo of 24 August 1964 evidenced, " We anticipate a final design might see the ship as 200 feet in length, and thus even a 1½-inch scale would give us quite a huge miniature . " This early estimate, initially accompanied with an intended crew complement of 203, would more or less stand until Jefferies utilized his engineering background to recalculate the figures for his design three years later ( The Making of Star Trek , pp. 89, 134).

The first brief onscreen indication of scale occurred when two ship size comparison graphics were featured in the Original Series third season episode " The Enterprise Incident ". The two computer console graphics, also created by Jefferies, showed a Constitution -class vessel in comparison with the D7-class , along with a barely discernible yardstick. Careful measurement of the production art using that yardstick produces a figure close to but not entirely congruent with other sources, placing the Constitution -class vessel as depicted here at 900 feet (274 meters). Jefferies later sold this original art, including that created for AMT, in the Profiles in History The Star Trek Auction of 12 December 2001, in order to raise funding for the Motion Picture & Television Fund charity.

With the return of the class to the limelight as redesigned for its Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds appearances, a new set of specific dimensions were established onscreen in a recurring manner for the first time. Most easily seen during SNW : " Memento Mori ", a length of 442 meters (1450 feet), width of 201 meters, and height of 93 meters can be identified on the dedication plaque of the Constitution -class USS Enterprise as it was in 2259. Of the 53% increase from the prior reference material figures, Discovery Production Designer Tamara Deverell said following its debut, " Overall, I think we expanded the length of it to be within the world of our Discovery, which is bigger, so we did cheat it as a larger ship. " [2] In the redesign's debut episode " Brother ", Deverall intended to leave behind what she called an "Easter egg for the fans" in the form of a USS Discovery bridge display screen which stated the prior reference dimensions of 288.6 meters long, 127.1 meters wide, and 72.6 meters high, taken from Franz Joseph 's Star Fleet Technical Manual . A full view establishing shot of the complete graphic on a freestanding bridge monitor screen, featuring these figures, was filmed but eventually trimmed from the episode as aired. However, the graphic remained partially visible on two other Discovery bridge station computer screens; Joann Owosekun 's ops station and Paul Stamets ' engineering station , [3] legible in the latter case.

The Constitution -class USS Cayuga

The revised class dimensions continue to be referenced in later appearances, such as in SNW : " All Those Who Wander " on a graphic for the Sombra -class derivative, which used the same space frame as the Constitution . On 12 August 2023, the database graphic appearing in SNW : " Hegemony " for the USS Cayuga was posted with clarity by Motion Graphics Designer Tim Peel on his Twitter account, establishing that Constitution -class ship as being 442 meters long, 192 meters wide and 93 meters high. [4] A length of 442.06 meters for the USS Enterprise was cited within the Eaglemoss Collections reference publications as well.

Ships of the class [ ]

After the first season had concluded its run, it dawned upon Original Series producers Robert H. Justman and D.C. Fontana that a need had arisen to keep track of the already mentioned Constitution -class starships for future production reference. After some corresponding with suggestions to and fro, a definitive name list of vessels belonging to the, then still called Starship-class, was agreed upon by the producers (dutifully carried over to the decal sheet of AMT's 1968 re-issue USS Enterprise model kit) at the start of the series' second season, and comprised the following vessels ( The Making of Star Trek , pp. 163-165),

• ↑ Aside from the remarks behind several of the names, Fontana further annotated on her memo, " Alternates include the names of some famous fighting ships of the past, plus a couple of international variations we might consider, Star Fleet being composed of a united service. "
• ↑ Justman noted in his memo, " I think there would be several other candidates, such as Saratoga and perhaps another English carrier , a French carrier , a Russian carrier and certainly a Japanese carrier [note: though the ultimately chosen Kongo was in reality a World War I and II -era Japanese battleship, as were the British HMS Hood and Russian Potemkin , whereas, with the exception of the Excalibur and the Endeavor , all other by Justman proposed names were those of World War II aircraft carriers, the Constellation being an at the time recent US post-war carrier] . In addition, I think a name ought to be made up that would be of Vulcan origin [note: though not adopted, some of Justman's notion was carried over to having the Intrepid a crew that was almost entirely composed of Vulcans]. "
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 Remarkably, the vessel nearly made the final cut as it was already referenced to in first script draft dialogue treatment, dated 30 September 1967, page 64, for the second season episode " Journey to Babel ", which contained a line having Lieutenant Uhura state, " Starfleet Command confirms alien attack on the other starships, sir. The enemy was defeated. Starships Essex and Eagle suffered heavy damage, but will make base. " The reference to the Essex and the Eagle though, was dropped from the episode as aired, indicating that it was not until after September 1967 that the final list was composed. [1] USS Eagle however, resurfaced as a Constitution II -class vessel a quarter of a century later in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , referenced on the " Operation Retrieve " briefing charts, courtesy of Michael Okuda .
• ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Constitution and Kongo were the only vessels on the final list that have not been referenced to in any form or format in the Original/Animated Series beyond their inclusion on the list and, obviously, besides the class designation itself. However, a "NCC-1700" registry, presumed to be Constitution 's as the class vessel by fanon ever since (most conspicuously by Gregory Jein in his influential " The Case of Jonathan Doe Starship " article), had been referenced in the prior episode " Court Martial ", but the name/registry combination has never been established in canon .
• ↑ It was until 2022 generally assumed by both production staff and reference book authors alike (Michael Okuda among them in all editions of his Star Trek Encyclopedia ) that Farragut was a class member. That notion became ultimately dispelled in canon in 2022 when the Farragut -type USS Farragut was shown as belonging to an altogether different starship class in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds first season episode " A Quality of Mercy ". Incidentally, after having been featured in later Star Trek live-action productions, the Cayuga , Defiant and New Jersey became subsequent confirmed class additions in canon, as was NCC-1700 for that matter – albeit without a corresponding name in the latter case.

Saucer separation [ ]

A saucer separation capability for the Constitution -class was suggested as early as the second season of the Original Series in the original script of its episode " The Apple ", but was never produced as no Original Series script has ever actually called for one. The capability was however envisioned by the producers, " Designed to operate separately from the rest of the ship, the saucer therefore contains all elements necessary for independent operation. " ( The Making of Star Trek , p. 171) The intent made it even into the official series' internal writer's guide, The Star Trek Guide (third revision, page 15 of the supplement and generally dubbed the " Writer's Bible "), where the saucer section was described to be " in fact a completely self-sustaining unit which can detach itself from the galaxy drive units and operate on atomic impulse power for short range solar system exploration. " [5]

Retconned design [ ]

The Constitution -class as it appears in TOS-R "The Cage"

There have been three different renditions of the original design:

The first model , used in the original pilot "The Cage", featured a larger bridge dome and sensor/deflector dish, and spikes on the Bussard collectors, among other minor differences. The second configuration, used in the second pilot, and throughout the rest of the series due to footage being reused, was similar to the first version, with the addition of running lights, additional markings, and a grille pattern on the rear of each engine nacelle.

The Constitution -class as it appears in TOS-R

The version used for the production of the regular series had a smaller bridge dome, a smaller sensor/deflector dish, and lighting effects in the Bussard collectors, which had their antenna spikes removed. The remastered edition of TOS replaced the anomalous stock shots in later episodes with the proper configuration.

The Constitution -class as it appears in DIS

A new, more radically redesigned model for the Constitution -class USS Enterprise was introduced in "Will You Take My Hand?". After briefly considering a radical departure from previous depictions, the designers of this new model instead aimed " to get as close as possible to the original ", yet add " the sleek, unique Discovery look to it. " While Discovery used this new model for all "current" depictions of the class, the "previously on" opening sequence of the Discovery episode "If Memory Serves" however, utilized an original shot of the Original Series version (instead of the actual pilot version) for the events of "The Cage" and not the newly redesigned one. A holographic image of the Discovery version of the Enterprise was later featured in the Star Trek: Picard episode " Maps and Legends " as well.

The Enterprise was redesigned for Star Trek: Discovery to look more up to date for a modern television audience. The designers first increased the size of the ship to better match with the Discovery so it wouldn't look too small. The team then began redesigning by drawing ten sketches of the ship to show how the ship could be altered. The final product was an Enterprise that fitted with the new aesthetic of Discovery , but kept close to the original.

The two Star Trek veteran re-designers of the new Enterprise , John Eaves and Scott Schneider , theorized that their new Enterprise could be refitted to become the original, as they had designed the new ship to look less advanced than the TOS series production version from the 1960s. [6]

While the Discovery series itself has shied away from explaining in canon the in-universe visual configuration differences of Enterprise between "The Cage" and the Original Series , an attempt was made to do so in the 2019 officially licensed in-universe reference book Star Trek: The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 & 1701-A Illustrated Handbook , where it followed the reasoning of the two co-redesigners by implying that the upgrades were a temporary measure to meet the crisis situation if the ship was called upon to perform as a "last resort" in the Federation-Klingon War. Page 34 had it stated that " [m]any of the Enterprise 's systems had been augmented and enhanced for the mission, to ensure the ship was capable of withstanding any exceptional and extreme conditions in the extreme regions it was exploring, " continuing to explain the alterations. Page 54 further implied – rather implausibly, as Kirk's mission was every bit as "exceptional" and "extreme" as Pike's had been – that these alterations were no longer deemed necessary for the subsequent five-year mission under Kirk, and that the ship was therefore returned to the "The Cage"-era configuration, though some upgrades under Pike were "retained", which included the dispensing with of the "spikes" on the Bussard collector caps and the smaller deflector dish.

Shortly before its introduction in the season one closing episode " Will You Take My Hand? " though, Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman implied that, despite the canon appearances of the classic design in both DIS : " Despite Yourself ", " If Memory Serves " (albeit as a mirror universe adapted wireframe graphic only in the former case), the redesigned Constitution -class was henceforth the canonnical one and therefore intended as the definitive replacement of Matt Jefferies' classic design

Obviously [Discovery] looks more modern than The Original Series , because we are in a modern world now and if we made the show look that way people would not feel that it was worth the money. That being said, every prop and costume design is filtered through what existed at the time. And do we create the new version of it or do we augment the original design in very subtle ways or do we just leave it alone? And when I say every prop and design choice I mean every [note: "every" emphasized] prop and design choice. So, I think you will see a lot of tips of the hat to devices to The Original Series and the timeline. But, obviously we wanted to create a more modern experience and that necessitated certain adjustments. [7]

Kirk's retconned ship in "Ephraim and Dot"

Pursuant the introduction Production Designer Tamara Deverell has added more specifically, " For the Enterprise , we based it initially off of The Original Series . We were really drawing a lot of our materials from that. And then we particularly went to more of the Star Trek movies, which is a little bit fatter, a little bit bigger. Overall, I think we expanded the length of it to be within the world of our Discovery, which is bigger, so we did cheat it as a larger ship. " [8] The showrunner's implied intent had already accrued credence when the redesign appeared as Kirk's Original Series ship in the Star Trek: Short Treks episode " Ephraim and Dot " shortly before its holographic reappearance, for all intent and purposes the first actual retconning of the ship in canon – which, incidentally, was all the more remarkable as the interiors shown in that episode adhered more closely to the ones as seen in The Original Series .

When redesigning the Enterprise for Strange New Worlds , the designers overhauled the windows on the saucer section because at the end of Star Trek: Discovery the front of the saucer section had been destroyed during the battle against Control. The overall majority of the model was kept the same, though the bridge window was reduced in size to not be so big and exposed. [9]

Yet, it were the season three showrunners of Star Trek: Picard , staunch Original Series fans to a man, who rendered moot whatever intentions there might have been, if any, for the classic Original Series Jefferies design, by visually inserting it into the episodes PIC : " The Bounty ", " Võx ", " The Last Generation " in the guise of USS New Jersey . By doing so, they effectively validated the theory retcon designers Eaves (who had worked in a similar capacity on Picard as well) and Schneider had put forward four years earlier.

Studio models [ ]

For further information on both original, and retcon redesign Constitution -class studio models , please see respectively,

• Constitution -class model (TOS)
• Constitution -class model (Discovery)

Apocrypha [ ]

Joseph's alternatives for the 14 Original Series "Connies"

Although not considered canon, several sources have produced a long list of Constitution -class starships. The main source was Franz Joseph's aforementioned Star Fleet Technical Manual , which listed over one hundred Constitution -class ships divided into subclasses: Constitution , Bonhomme Richard , Achernar , and Tikopai . Ships of the class were later expanded by other publications such as Ships of the Star Fleet which included the Endeavour , Enterprise , and Enterprise (II) subclasses. It should be noted that Joseph incorporated all the ship names the Original Series producers had originally proposed at the start of the second season, and had only these listed in his Star Trek Blueprints companion publication.

Constitution -class vessels are prominently featured in fan film productions like Star Trek: Phase II , Starship Exeter (where the USS Kongo has actually performed a saucer separation in its second episode), Starship Farragut , and Of Gods and Men .

External links [ ]

• Constitution -class at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Constitution -class at Wikipedia
• Designing the First Enterprise  at Forgotten Trek – article on Matt Jefferies' design of the Enterprise for The Original Series
• Designing the Starship Enterprise at the Federation Starship Datalink
• Where are the Jefferies Tubes?  at Ex Astris Scientia
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

Every episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 ranked from worst to best

T his past week, we watched the grand finale of Star Trek: Discovery , and what a ride it’s been. The series took us on an interstellar journey full of twists, turns, and emotional moments. Now that the final episode has aired, it’s time for the ultimate mission: ranking all of this fifth and final season’s episodes from worst to best.

As we climb the ranks, the episodes just get better and better. From emotional character arcs to epic space battles, each one brought something special to the table. The top episodes had us cheering, crying, and everything in between. They showcased the best of Discovery : strong leadership from Captain Burnham, heartwarming moments, and of course, jaw-dropping sci-fi spectacle.

Let’s celebrate this incredible journey by reliving and ranking this last-ever chunk of episodes, starting, unfortunately, with the big finish:

10) Episode 10, "Life, Itself"

The series finale of Star Trek: Discovery aimed to wrap up the fifth season with a bang but fell short, landing it at the bottom of our rankings. The episode kicks off with Michael Burnham and Moll engaging in a dimension-hopping battle, trying to control the powerful Progenitor tech. Meanwhile, the Discovery crew faces imminent danger from Primarch Tahal's fleet, with Saru volunteering for a near-suicidal mission to save his shipmates. Despite the high stakes, the plot feels rushed and filled with forced twists, like Culber’s sudden spiritual insight and a simplistic puzzle Michael must solve. The climax fizzles out as Michael decides to destroy the tech, deeming it too dangerous, which undoes a season's worth of buildup. Even the final flash forward to Admiral Michael and Book's future with their son fails to deliver the emotional punch it wants to.

"Life, Itself" ranks last due to its convenient plot devices, rushed character arcs, anti-climactic resolution, and lack of emotional depth. While Star Trek: Discovery has delivered many thrilling adventures, this finale felt more like a misstep than a grand farewell.

9) Episode 2, "Under the Twin Moons"

"Under the Twin Moons," the second episode of season 5, takes us on a space adventure that's twistier than a barrel of Tribbles. Captain Burnham’s deep space musing sets the tone, but the episode starts off a bit slow with a hearing about Captain Rayner’s cowboy diplomacy. Not everyone’s impressed, and it drags a bit. The adventure kicks into gear on Lyric, a planet packed with history and Progenitor tech. Burnham and the crew are like space Indiana Jones, decoding riddles and dodging killer drones. This part is exciting and adds some much-needed thrills. Saru gets the nickname “Action Saru,” and it’s perfect. He and Burnham tackle ancient ruins and drone attacks like pros. The crew’s puzzle-solving feels a bit like a book club with higher stakes; it’s interesting but doesn’t quite match the action on Lyric. Book’s surprising (or convenient?) connection to Moll spices things up, but it’s a bit out of the blue. The race against Moll and L’ak is fun, but it feels a bit rushed. The episode’s metaphor about dualities — curiosity vs. preservation, adventure vs. respect — adds depth, reminding us of the complex nature of their mission. Despite the cool action scenes, the balance between excitement and downtime isn’t quite right.

"Under the Twin Moons" has its exciting moments and deep themes, but the slow start and uneven pacing hold it back. It’s a decent episode with some great action, but it could use a bit more zing. As it stands, it's in the second-to-last spot.

8) Episode 4, "Face the Strange"

"Face the Strange" takes us on a character-driven journey through time. The episode kicks off with a sneaky time bug that traps the Discovery in a time loop. This leads to our heroes popping up in iconic moments from the show's past, from battling the sinister AI known as Control and even seeing when the ship was constructed. It’s a nostalgic trip that’s fun but feels a bit like filler.

The episode shines a spotlight on Commander Rayner, who’s adjusting to his new role as first officer. His clashes with Captain Burnham’s emotional leadership style make for an interesting dynamic. By the end, Rayner learns the importance of emotional bonds and trust.

While the time loop and character moments are engaging, the episode’s pacing feels a bit slow. The plot involving villains Moll and L'ak doesn’t quite hit the mark; their motivations feel weak. "Face the Strange" is a filler episode with heart that sets the stage for more exciting adventures to come.

7) Episode 5, "Mirrors"

"Mirrors," the fifth episode of Season 5, has all the right ingredients but ends up being a bit of a middling meal. A mysterious wormhole, ghost ships, and a semi-destroyed USS Enterprise provide a spooky and intriguing setup. Book’s heartfelt reminiscing about his mentor and his attempts to pull Moll back from the dark side are touching if a bit plodding. Michael and Book’s space detective work inside the wormhole adds some excitement, but the episode could use more of it.

Despite the slow pace, we get some great character moments. Rayner stepping up and showing his leadership skills is a highlight. The villains in this episode don’t quite hit the mark. Moll and L'ak's backstory has potential, but the forbidden love story angle feels overused.

Overall, "Mirrors" has its moments but doesn’t quite hit the high notes we’ve come to expect from this show.

6) Episode 3, "Jinaal"

"Jinaal" gives us relationship drama, action, and some lessons on how not to be a jerk. Rayner’s character development is both frustrating and fascinating. He starts off as a bit of a bully, but Michael’s advice and Tilly’s tough love begin to break through his rough exterior. Watching Rayner learn to connect with the crew is both cringe-worthy and heartwarming.

Tilly and Adira’s mission to find Jinaal Bix, an ancient Trill, adds a fun and adventurous element to the episode. Their dynamic is entertaining, and their plan to talk to Jinaal through his newest host is classic Trek ingenuity. Wilson Cruz shines as Culber, especially when Jinaal’s consciousness temporarily takes over his body.

"Jinaal" blends relationship drama, character growth, and classic Star Trek adventure with heartfelt moments, thrilling action, and valuable lessons, keeping fans eagerly watching for what’s next.

5) Episode 1, "Red Directive"

"Red Directive," the season opener, kicks the season off with a bang and a bit of warp wave surfing! Captain Michael Burnham is on a mission to recover stolen goods from a vault, but things quickly go sideways.

The scenes where the cast socializes at Federation Headquarters are fun. It's great to see Burnham mingling with Stamets, Culber, and Tilly, who’s now a Starfleet Academy professor. The "Tonic 2161" cocktails add a nice touch of Trek nostalgia. The episode shifts into high gear with a chase across the desert planet Q’Mau. There’s a marketplace showdown, a sand runner chase, and an avalanche crisis that keeps the tension high. The tractor-beam tug-of-war is a standout moment. The Romulan puzzle box and its connection to the Progenitors is a brilliant nod to "The Chase" from Star Trek: The Next Generation . This season had so much potential.

Overall, "Red Directive" delivers a thrilling start with a perfect mix of action, nostalgia, and character development.

4) Episode 9, "Lagrange Point"

"Lagrange Point" is a thrilling ride that keeps you glued to the screen as Michael Burnham leads her team through high-stakes drama, epic space battles, and emotional moments. The tension is sky-high as the crew faces off against the Breen and tries to avoid getting pulled into merging black holes. Burnham's leadership shines and the action sequences are top-notch. Plus, the discovery of the mysterious Progenitor tech adds a twist that leaves you eagerly anticipating the finale. This episode perfectly blends action, suspense, and emotion, earning the number 4 spot in our rankings. If only the finale had been this good.

3) Episode 7, "Erigah"

"Erigah" is packed with political intrigue and heart-wrenching drama. It skillfully blends the spirit of classic Star Trek with fresh and modern ideas. The episode dives deep into Federation politics and the mysterious Breen. Commander Rayner steps up with a gut-wrenching backstory that makes you root for him. Rayner's dynamic with Burnham is electric. Their contrasting leadership styles create exciting tension. Moll and L'ak, our space Romeo and Juliet, find themselves in a cosmic pickle. L'ak's injury and eventual tragic overdose hit hard, leaving Moll alone and sad but determined to use Progenitor tech to bring him back.

"Erigah" blends heart-pounding drama, emotional depth, and classic Trek elements, making it a top-notch episode from this final season.

2) Episode 6, "Whistlespeak"

"Whistlespeak" is a standout episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5. This one has everything that makes Star Trek awesome. Captain Michael Burnham and the ever-bubbly Lt. Sylvia Tilly beam down to the primitive planet Halem'no. Visiting Halem'no is like stepping back in time, with log-tossing and no tech in sight.

But things get intense quickly! Burnham and Tilly find themselves wrapped up in the planet’s strange and dangerous rituals, including a life-or-death race and a terrifying sacrificial chamber. The stakes are high, and Burnham has to work her magic to save Tilly and a local girl, Ravah, without breaking the Prime Directive...well, maybe just a little.

What makes "Whistlespeak" shine is how it channels the spirit of classic Star Trek . It's all about exploring strange new worlds, facing ethical dilemmas, and tackling social issues. The dialogue is sharp, the action is fast-paced, and it feels like a break from the usual galaxy-threatening crises. This episode challenges the crew’s morals and mirrors our own societal flaws through the lens of a primitive culture, just like the original series did. The emphasis on character interaction and clever storytelling captures the essence of what makes Star Trek special.

"Whistlespeak" beautifully connects Discovery to the roots of Star Trek , making it a nostalgic treat for fans. It’s an episode that entertains and makes you think, reminding you why you love the series.

1) Episode 8, "Labyrinths"

"Labyrinths" takes the crown as the best episode of season 5, and it's easy to see why. This episode dives deep into Michael Burnham's character, showing her vulnerabilities, fears, and regrets. Her emotional journey is touching and deeply human. The mind-bending plot keeps you on the edge of your seat as Michael faces a life-or-death puzzle in a virtual liminal space. The suspense and twists are pure Star Trek magic. Michael and Book's relationship adds depth to the story, and their scenes together are both tense and tender. While Michael solves puzzles, the rest of the crew kicks butt against the Breen. Lt. Gen Rhys shows his command skills, and Adira and Stamets' scientific genius saves the day. The action is top-notch and keeps the adrenaline pumping.

This episode channels the original spirit of Star Trek with its themes of humanity, diplomacy, and preservation of life. The nods to The Next Generation are a treat for long-time Trekkies, bringing a sense of nostalgia and continuity. Michael's heart-to-heart with the entity is unforgettable. Her fears and anxieties about being a good captain, friend, and partner are laid bare, making her incredibly relatable. This scene alone makes the episode a must-watch.

With stunning visuals, a gripping narrative and emotional depth, "Labyrinths" is a perfect blend of what makes Discovery great. It's an emotional rollercoaster that leaves you eager for the series' conclusion.

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This article was originally published on winteriscoming.com as Every episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 ranked from worst to best .

We Finally Know When 'Starfleet Academy' Falls in the 'Star Trek' Timeline [Exclusive]

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The Big Picture

• The highly anticipated Starfleet Academy series is set after Discovery in the Star Trek timeline.
• Doug Jones is open to returning to the franchise as Saru if he's asked to be part of the Starfleet Academy series.
• Holly Hunter has been cast as the chancellor of Starfleet Academy in the new series.

We've been speculating since the series was first announced exactly when the latest Star Trek series, Starfleet Academy would be set in the centuries-spanning timeline of the franchise. For anyone who assumed the series would be set in the far-flung future established in Star Trek: Discovery , congratulations — you were right! Ahead of the bittersweet Discovery series finale , I sat down with star Doug Jones to discuss the ending and his future in the franchise. With Saru being such a prosthetics-heavy role, something Jones is known for in his vast career, I asked if he would ever return to the franchise either in an entirely new capacity or to this same role and he gave a very exciting answer.

"It would be a character by character, case by case, kind of a thing. Just as an actor in general, if I'm presented with a story I want to help tell, a character that I would really love to play, you know, it's a case by case thing. So yeah, never say never, yes. And if Saru were to be invited back to another, let's say Starfleet Academy, that's the right timeline for him, he could do. I'm absolutely game to do so."

While showrunner Alex Kurtzman has dodged questions about when the show takes place in the past, a Discovery spin-off feels completely organic. For the past two seasons, Tilly ( Mary Wiseman ) has been heavily involved with the Academy since it re-opened in Season 4. A Starfleet Academy series has been in the works since as early as 2021 and now it's finally coming to fruition as Kurtzman previously told Collider they're gearing up to film the 10-episode first season later this summer . He mentioned back in March that they hadn't "started casting the kids," but it sounds like some of the show's adult cast is already set.

What Else Do We Know About 'Starfleet Academy'?

The series just recently got its first big piece of casting news as Paramount+ announced that Oscar-winner Holly Hunter will be playing a captain and the academy's chancellor . While Hunter is the only confirmed cast member at this point, we suspect that we may see some familiar faces from Discovery, such as Wiseman's Tilly. We also know that Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome is part of the illustrious writer's room for the series. Newsome plays Beckett Mariner on the hit animated series and is expected to bring a hefty dose of humor to Starfleet Academy behind the scenes. While it would be the wrong time for Mariner to appear in the series, it will be interesting to see if Newsome will step in front of the camera in addition to writing.

Stay tuned at Collider for more Star Trek news and our full conversation with Jones. You can stream the series finale of Star Trek: Discovery on Paramount+ now.

Star Trek: Discovery

Taking place almost a decade before Captain Kirk's Enterprise, the USS Discovery charts a course to uncover new worlds and life forms.

Watch on Paramount+