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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is upending canon for its new engineer

Carol Kane plays the the mysterious, hilarious chief engineer Pelia

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As season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds comes to Paramount Plus this week, most things about the show are the same. It’s still the Enterprise as helmed by Captain Pike , Kirk’s predecessor. It’s still a return to the episodic Trek formula of yesteryear. And it’s all the same cast — except for one.

With last season’s heartbreaking death of chief engineer Hemmer, there’s a space to fill on the Enterprise roster. And as it’s still a little too early for Montgomery “Scotty” Scott to show up, that role has fallen to an original character: chief engineer Pelia, played by legendary actor and comedian Carol Kane.

Given that she’s brand-new, there’s very little anybody knows about Pelia — but in the season premiere, “The Broken Circle,” she’s already upending everything we know about Star Trek’s alternate history of humanity.

[ Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the season premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2.]

The usual sign that a character is human rather than one of Star Trek’s innumerable humanoid aliens is that they’re not wearing some kind of facial prosthetics. And you won’t find a pointed ear or ridged forehead anywhere in Kane’s show wardrobe. But, as “The Broken Circle” reveals, Pelia is definitely not human. The first hint we get is when she casually refers to being more than 100 years old. In the same scene, Uhura, the ship’s polyglot, takes note of Pelia’s accent and asks if she is “Lanthanite,” to which Pelia replies, “Guilty as charged.”

Which is very interesting, because there’s no analogous Star Trek species to that name. In the episode’s final scenes, Spock drops one more tantalizing, explosive line about Lanthanites in conversation with Pelia: “I’ve always been fascinated by your people. That you managed to live on Earth among other humans undetected until the 22nd century is remarkable.”

This is brand-new information for Star Trek canon, and it would mean that somewhere in the 2100s — a century that includes the founding of the Federation, the obsolescence of money, and the events of the Star Trek: Enterprise series — humanity discovered that there had been aliens living among them. And this is something that everybody in Star Trek has just... known this whole time, but not mentioned until now? Buck wild.

When Polygon spoke with Kane, the first thing we asked was how she’d reacted upon realizing her character was an alien who’d lived secretly among humans for potentially centuries.

“Just thrilled,” she replied, “because you can let your imagination run wild and it’ll work. Also, I like the fact that I get to be the one that knows the most — in my opinion. And I probably do,” she quipped, “because of the time I’ve been on the Earth and in space.”

Kane said she relishes playing an older character, not unlike the original series’ Dr. McCoy, who’s doing cool space stuff right alongside all the young folks. “I like that at my age, which is Pelia’s age, that I get to be on the ship and embraced by the other people, so I’m not solitary. I like that. I relate to that.”

Kane couldn’t tell us anything about Pelia or the Lanthanites that wasn’t already revealed in “The Broken Circle.” All we can say for now is that they appear to be a completely new addition to the galaxy of species that make up Star Trek canon, and that chief engineer Pelia has a friendly history with Spock’s mother, Amanda Grayson. There’s no telling when Strange New Worlds is planning to reveal more, but we, for one, eagerly await more answers about the aliens living among us.

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What Is A Lanhanite In Star Trek? (& How Long Do They Live For?)

• Lanthanites, the new alien species introduced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, are a long-lived race of humanoids.
• Commander Pelia, the first Lanthanite seen in Star Trek, can pass for a human and has lived on Earth for a long time.
• Pelia's age is hinted to be at least 2,500 years old, and she has a history of being an instructor at Starfleet Academy and training future Chief Engineers.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 introduced the Lanthanites, a new alien species, to Star Trek canon. Commander Pelia (Carol Kane), the new Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise, is the first Lanthanite seen in Star Trek . Pelia replaced the late Lieutenant Hemmer (Bruce Horak), who was a blind Aenar, as the head Engineer of the flagship of the United Federation of Planets.

Commander Pelia doesn't register as an alien at first, but the insightful and quirky engineer is indeed part of a new species in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The prequel series set years before Star Trek: The Original Series has no shortage of alien races aboard. Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) is half-Vulcan and Commander Una Chin-Riley AKA Number One (Rebecca Romijn) is an Illyrian , a race that culturally utilizes genetic engineering. Strange New Worlds has also included classic Star Trek alien antagonists like the reimagined Gorn, the Romulans, and the Klingons. But Pelia and the Lanthanites are something new to Star Trek and here's what we know about them so far.

Strange New Worlds Season 2 Cast Every New & Returning Star Trek Character

What is a lanthanite in star trek: strange new worlds (& how long do they live), pelia has lived on earth for a long time..

Lanthanites are a very long-lived race of humanoids. Commander Pelia can pass for a human and the only tell is her peculiar accent, which the Starship Enterprise's Communications Officer, Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), was able to identify as Lanthanite. Spock knew of a group of Lanthanites who lived on Earth incognito until the 22nd century, hinting that Pelia isn't alone on the Federation's homeworld and may have been part of that conclave. However , Lanthanites must be a Federation member race if Commander Pelia is allowed to serve in Starfleet .

Commander Una Chin-Riley faced court-martial for lying to Starfleet in Strange New Worlds season 2 because her own race, the genetically-engineered Illyrians, are not members of the Federation.

It's not clear if Lanthanites are a truly immortal species, but they are certainly very long-lived, if prone to the "boredom" inherent in seemingly living forever. Interestingly, Pelia is similar to Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) on Star Trek: The Next Generation . Guinan is El-Aurian, a race of "listeners" who are also extremely long-lived. Guinan was known to have lived on Earth since the 19th century, and she established her bar, Ten Forward, in the 20th century before she served on the USS Enterprise-D in the 24th century. However, Pelia claims she has lived on Earth far longer than Guinan.

How Old Is Commander Pelia In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?

Pelia claims she knew pythagoras..

Strange New World s season 2, episode 3 , "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" offered some major clues as to how old Commander Pelia is. Security Chief Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) was frustrated by Pelia storing archaeological contraband on the Starship Enterprise. When La'an and an alternate reality Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) time-traveled to the 21st century, they learned that "The Archaeology Department" Pelia oversaw was not a university or museum but a warehouse in Vermont where the Lanthanite stored her curios she collected over the centuries. Pelia also claimed she knew Pythagoras, who invented mathematics. Pythagoras lived from 570 BC to 490 BC, which would make Pelia at least 2,500 years old .

Amusingly, Pelia didn't know anything about engineering when La'an and Kirk encountered her in the 21st century.

In history more recent to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' 23rd century, Pelia joined Starfleet after the Vulcans made First Contact with Earth as she saw humanity becoming a spacefaring race with the advent of Starfleet in the 22nd century. Pelia devoted herself to studying engineering and warp travel, and the Lanthanite became an instructor at Starfleet Academy. Among her students who later joined the USS Enterprise were Hemmer and Una Chin-Riley, neither of whom Pelia was particularly impressed with. Strange New Worlds season 2 's finale, "Hegemony," established that Pelia also trained Lt. Montgomery Scott AKA Scotty (Martin Quinn), the Starship Enterprise's future Chief Engineer when James T. Kirk (William Shatner) becomes Captain.

Will Pelia Stay As Chief Engineer In Strange New Worlds Season 3?

Scotty joining the enterprise makes pelia's fans nervous..

Scotty's surprise appearance in Strange New Worlds season 2's finale naturally creates the question of how long Commander Pelia will remain aboard the USS Enterprise as Chief Engineer. Scotty (James Doohan) is a Star Trek: The Original Series icon as Chief Engineer, after all. However, in Strange New Worlds , Scotty is still a young Lieutenant. Lt. Scott can take his first steps as a "miracle worker" if he can conjure a way for Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the Enterprise to defeat the Gorn.

Carol Kane has been a delightfully offbeat addition to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , but it's natural to wonder how long she will remain on the show. Kane is a legend of stage and screen, but unlike Whoopi Goldberg, who has appeared for decades as Guinan, Carol is not a lifelong fan of Star Trek . Still, Strange New Worlds has already killed off one Chief Engineer, Lt. Hemmer, and Scotty may still be too green to slide into the Chief Engineer role in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3. It might be better for the overall Star Trek franchise if Pelia chooses to step down from the Enterprise of her own volition at some point. And, because there's no evident limit to how long a Lanthanite can live, Carol Kane could potentially reprise Pelia in other Star Trek series no matter how far in the future they are set.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Cast Bruce Horak, Celia Rose Gooding, Jess Bush, Melissa Navia, Ethan Peck, Babs Olusanmokun, Rebecca Romijn, Christina Chong, Anson Mount

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Star Trek: Who Are The Most Advanced Species?

Taking a deep dive into some of the most powerful races from the iconic science fiction franchise.

Star Trek has cemented itself over years as one of the cornerstones of science fiction in popular culture. New iterations into the franchise only add to its legacy. Alongside some incredible technology, some of which even changed the course of science today . The franchise's world-building is vibrant, and draws fans into the science fiction world.

The franchise features a plethora of wild and wacky aliens, all with their own unique designs, cultures, personalities, and beliefs. Some of these have been around as established space powers for longer than others. The Vulcans, for example, had a firm grasp over the galaxy before humans even managed to develop warp power . But of all these species that flesh out the Star Trek universe, who are the most advanced?

RELATED: Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best Data Episodes

Godlike Powers

The first race that come to mind are the Q. This race of near omnipotent space ‘gods’ seem to have near limitless powers. They have been around and have evolved for centuries, their culture and way of life reaching the final stages of what’s possible. As the reoccurring face of the Q states, it makes for a very boring existence. The Q continuum barely even talk anymore, every conversation and word having been uttered a million times already. They possess incredible power, able to snap their fingers and wipe out entire universes. They can change the timeline at will and manipulate time and space like it means nothing. They pose an interesting question, however, about what the term ‘advanced’ actually means. While they arguably far ahead in their physical, mental, and technological development, they are arguably so advanced they exist entirely on another plane. Their presence within the world of Star Trek often amounts to fleeting journeys ( often to teach or torment Picard ), and they are thus hard to compare to other species within the grounded universe.

The Douwd , on the other hand, are a species that exists in the moment. They still exist on the same plane of existence as the rest, but they pose another problem with defining advancement. They are, excluding the Q, the most powerful of all species shown in the franchise. However, this does not equate to advancement, due to their on-screen inability to control their power. Being an advanced race suggests an ability to use and understand the intricate and complex inner workings of the power they harness. The Douwd are more akin to a normal human from the 21st century being given the powers of a god. What they can do with the power is immense, but it doesn't on its own denote advancement. The Douwd that audiences meet is able to wipe out an entire race of beings with just a thought, but likely unable to recite this later, unable to fully control his power.

The Douwd and the Q show Star Trek ’s ability to create god-like beings with powers akin to magic. Potentially more interesting, though, is the portrayal of races that have developed advanced technology. Gadgets and gizmos that define the sci-fi genre are at the heart of the franchise.

Advanced Technology

One race of beings who show the trajectory of how far technology can be taken are the mysterious Breen. They were first introduced in TNG as somewhat of a writer's joke, mentioned multiple times but never shown on screen. This all changed when DS9 came along, and audiences got their first glimpse of these masked beings. They are aggressive and isolationist, never mixing with other cultures by choice unless it’s to attack them. Their joining the Founders in the Dominion war was uncharacteristic, although they conducted themselves true to form: ruthlessly.

The Breen are some of the galaxy’s most formidable warriors, and the fact they are shrouded in a thick veil of mystery only adds to the fear they conjure up in others. Nothing is known about their home world or even what they look like under their armor. All that is widely known is that they possess technology that can disable any ship with ease. Their shields and weapons are so advanced that nothing can stand a chance. The mighty Klingon empire , a race known for their battle power and their tact in war, couldn't even defeat them. They sent an entire fleet of ships into their territory only to have none of them return. There was not even a single transmission to inform others of their fate.

The Slavers are an honorable mention, as they originate outside official canon. It’s hard to talk about an advanced race that is long extinct, as the Slaver empire existed about a billion years ago. First mentioned in The Animated Series , it’s revealed that they were so advanced they had conquered the entire galaxy in a war ended up eradicating literally all life in the universe, even down to the smallest of microbes. Their power was so advanced that life had to re-evolve to get to where it is today. The only trace of their existence was stasis boxes containing clues and artifacts, one of which Kirk and his crew discover. Inside is a small, handheld weapon that contains incredible power despite its size. Sulu causes an explosion upon firing, and Spock says that it is more powerful than any weapon known to the Federation. It’s a staggering statement considering how small the weapon was, akin to a phaser . The technology contained within it far surpassed anything shown previously and since in the Star Trek universe.

MORE: Star Trek: What Was Founder's Disease?

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Published Apr 10, 2024

A Brief History of the Progenitors in Star Trek

They designed life itself!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery 's "Red Directive ."

StarTrek.com

Captain Burnham's top-secret mission in the final season of Star Trek: Discovery has finally been revealed. But this time, the Discovery crew isn’t stopping a future-destroying A.I., or a lethal, extra-galactic force. Instead, they’re investigating the basic mysteries of why most species in the Star Trek universe look vaguely human.

As revealed in " Red Directive ," the search for technology used by ancient "Progenitors" sets-up a massive treasure hunt for the season. But, who are the Progenitors? What did Jean-Luc Picard know about the secrets of inter-species alien DNA? And how does all of this fit in with Gene Roddenberry’s earliest ideas for Star Trek ?

Here’s a brief history of the Progenitors, from the early 1960s, to the 24th Century, all the way to 2024, and the 31st Century.

The Real World-Origins of the Progenitors

"The Cage"

When the U.S.S. Enterprise first set out to seek out "new life and new civilizations," a huge swath of those alien lifeforms turned out to look a lot like human beings. And the primary reason for that, at least behind-the-scenes, was two-fold.

First, human actors are more affordable, and second, Gene Roddenberry wanted the classic Star Trek to avoid the sci-fi trope of "Bug-Eyed Monsters." And so, in one of the original 1964 pitch documents for Star Trek , Roddenberry floated the idea of "The Parallel Worlds" concept . The idea was that the format of Star Trek — from a writing and production standpoint — would generally deal with "...plant and animal life, plus people, quite similar to Earth. Social evolution will also have interesting points of similarity with ours."

Unlike a huge swath of science fiction on TV at the time, the promise of strange, new worlds, that were, in fact, populated by people , is something that set Star Trek apart, and was the cornerstone of what gave the series its humanist angle. But, the side effect of course, was an in-universe question — why were so many aliens humanoid?

The Old Ones, Sargon, and The Preservers

"The Paradise Syndrome"

The first two seasons of The Original Series are sprinkled with hints that, in the distant past, the galaxy was visited by super-powered aliens with technology far more advanced than anything in the Federation.

In " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ," we meet Ruk, an android built by "The Old Ones," an alien race capable of creating humanoid androids that were basically immortal. In " Return to Tomorrow ," the disembodied soul of Sargon, refers to humanity as "my children." While Dr. Muhuall says this idea flies in the face of evolutionary theory, Spock mentions the idea that aliens seeded life would "explain certain elements of Vulcan pre-history."

Then in Season 3, in " The Paradise Syndrome ," Bones and Spock tackle the question head-on. When they realize an ancient race of "Preservers" helped various humanoid species throughout the galaxy, the idea of an ancient alien race guiding and "seeding" a ton of humanoid species became less of a myth and more of a working theory. "I’ve always wondered why there were so many humanoids scattered through the galaxy," Bones says. To which Spock replies, "So have I. Apparently, the Preservers account for a number of them."

And then, the questions about an ancient humanoid species went answered. At least, until The Next Generation . 

"The Chase"

Directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Ronald D. Moore and Joe Menosky, " The Chase " was a sixth-season episode of The Next Generation , which, according to The Next Generation Companion , was considered in the writers' room the most "Roddenberryesque" episode of TNG at that time. The story itself took cues from Carl Sagan's novel Contact , and posited that yes, ancient aliens not only seeded most of the humanoid species, but also hid a message in the DNA of all those species.

Captain Picard's interest in archeology comes in handy during the quest to locate all the DNA strands and reveal the message, which was also represented metaphorically by the ancient artifact known as the Kurlan naiskos .

At the end of the episode, representatives from the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Empire, the Cardassian Union, and the Federation, all witness the truth — an ancient Progenitor (played by Salome Jens) makes it clear that all the humanoid species in the galaxy don’t exist out of pure hubris, but instead, out of a kind of desire for legacy. "You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence…. Remember us."

Ronald D. Moore pointed out that there's no reason to believe that the Progenitors from "The Chase" and the Preservers from TOS aren't one in the same. Though not explicitly stated in the script, he said, "But this could be them, and be internally consistent."

Discovery Brings It All Home

"Red Directive"

While The Next Generation established a canonical fact that TOS only danced around, that only answered the question of why . With Discovery Season 5, a stranger, and more complex question is getting broached — how ?

"The Chase" told us why there are so many humanoid species in the galaxy, but we had no idea how the Progenitors specifically pushed life to evolve on various planets toward the exact form of life we’re all so familiar with. As the crew of Discovery — and other forces — are in pursuit of this ancient tech, Star Trek is boldly speculating on one of the biggest questions of all time.

If there was a supreme intelligence behind the creation of life, what was their method? While these kinds of questions are somewhat mind-boggling in real life, what Discovery is doing now is what Star Trek has done all along: Ask provocative questions that are beyond what we know now, so that maybe, in the future, we’ll be better prepared.

We don’t know that the Progenitors exist in real science, but the "panspermia hypothesis," is a very real scientific concept. A friendly alien may not have consciously sparked life on Earth eons ago, but, in reality, it is possible that some building blocks for life itself may have come from the stars.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

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

• Star Trek 101

The Top 57 Episodes of ‘Star Trek,’ Ranked From Great to Perfect

First, let’s be clear: Ranking the best “Star Trek” episodes is a silly thing to do. To date, the longest-running American TV franchise has aired a gargantuan 890 episodes and counting, starting with the original series in 1966. Since then, at least one “Star Trek” TV show has aired (or streamed) every decade, totaling 11 so far (with more on the way ). Choosing the best episodes within such a boundless, occasionally contradictory storytelling galaxy seems about as wise as cheating when playing poker with a Klingon.

On the other hand, there may be no more time-honored tradition among “Star Trek” fans than a vigorous debate over what constitutes the best of the franchise. (Best series ? Best captains ? Best starships ? Best aliens ? Best uniforms ? They’ve all been ranked multiple times !)

In that spirit — and to commemorate the 57th anniversary of “Star Trek” on Sept. 8 —  Variety ’s resident “Trek” geeks have ranked the top 57 episodes of all time, across the franchise.

Creating our list required some deep-dish nerdiness in its own right: We compiled a long list of episodes from each series that we felt deserved to be on the final ranking. Then we created our own individual rankings — and promptly realized our taste was quite divergent. To reconcile our lists, we adopted the approach of the great movie ranking podcast, Screen Drafts : We took alternating turns placing a pick from 57 to 1, and we each had two opportunities to veto the other’s pick (which in every case was to ensure it was placed higher on the list).

Other than the short-lived “Star Trek: The Animated Series” (1973-1974), this list reflects every other iteration of “Trek” on TV: “Star Trek: The Original Series” (1966-1969); “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994); “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1993-1999); “Star Trek: Voyager” (1995-2001); “Star Trek: Enterprise” (2001-2005); “Star Trek: Discovery” (2017-2024); “Star Trek: Picard” (2020-2023); “Star Trek: Prodigy” (2021-2022); and the ongoing “Star Trek: Lower Decks” (2020-present) and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (2022-present).

The Way to Eden

“The Original Series” — Season 3, Episode 20

Look, this episode gets a lot of hate. But the fact is “TOS” is known (by today’s standards) for being very campy, and there is no episode campier than this one. A group of space hippies board the Enterprise on their journey to a mythical planet called Eden, where they can live happily forever. The episode memorably features Charles Napier (who would go on to a long career playing tough guys, villains, cops and the like) breaking out into song a bunch of times, including a jam session with Spock (Leonard Nimoy). —Joe Otterson

Original airdate: Feb. 21, 1969

Terra Prime

“Enterprise” — Season 4, Episode 21

More than any other episode of “Enterprise,” “Terra Prime” made the most of the show’s mission to dramatize the beginnings of Starfleet, 100 years before the events of “TOS.” Just as a newfound coalition of planets begins to form on Earth (a precursor to the Federation), Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew must stop a xenophobic terrorist (played to the hilt by future “Star Trek Into Darkness” villain Peter Weller) bent on forcing all aliens to leave Earth. Subtle, it ain’t, but the story feels more relevant today than it did 20 years ago, and everyone in the cast gets a moment to shine. Alas, it came too late: “Enterprise” had been canceled before this episode even went into production. —Adam B. Vary

Original airdate: May 13, 2005

“Prodigy” — Season 1, Episode 6

The animated “Prodigy” was the first “Star Trek” series geared toward kids, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t things for older “Trek” fans to enjoy. In particular, “Kobayashi” perfectly embodies what makes this show a worthy entry in “Trek” canon. Dal (Brett Gray) and Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas) discover the holodeck aboard the Protostar, where they decide to go through the Kobayashi Maru, a.k.a. the “no-win scenario” that Capt. Kirk successfully beat during his time at the Academy. He gets help along the way from legendary characters like Spock, Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Odo (René Auberjonois). —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 6, 2022

Stormy Weather

“Discovery” — Season 4, Episode 6

On a mission to discover the origins of a cataclysmic gravitational anomaly, the U.S.S. Discovery enters a subspace rift and finds itself trapped inside a lethal black void that threatens to collapse in on the ship. The result is a classic race-against-time thriller (directed by “Trek” mainstay Jonathan Frakes), but what makes “Stormy Weather” stand out amid the heavily serialized episodes of “Discovery” is its emotionally resonant use of the ship’s sentient A.I. computer, Zora (Annabelle Wallis), who has to learn how to calm her mind from overwhelming stimuli in order to guide the ship out of danger. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 23, 2021

Seventeen Seconds

“Picard” — Season 3, Episode 3

“Picard” didn’t find itself until Season 3, which reunited the core cast of “The Next Generation” — and it was really Episode 3 that sealed the deal. Riker (Frakes) is forced to take command of the Titan as Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and the Shrike hunt them. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Crusher get an all-time great scene together as she reveals why she never told him about their son, Jack (Ed Speleers). Worf (Michael Dorn) makes his big return. We learn the Changelings are still intent on attacking the Federation. Riker and Picard end up at odds in a way we’ve never seen before. In short, epic. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 2, 2023

The Enemy Within

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 5

The transporter — the cause of, and solution to, so many “Star Trek” problems — accidentally splits Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) into two people: Good Kirk, who is wracked with indecision, and evil Kirk, who is a histrionic asshole. Come for a meditation on the darkness that lies tucked inside everyone’s psyche, stay for some of William Shatner’s most deliciously hammy acting — and this was just the fifth episode of the series! —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 1966

Family Business

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 3, Episode 23

The Ferengi episodes of “DS9” are always great comic relief, with this episode giving fans their first view of the home planet of Ferenginar and Ferengi culture in general. Quark (Armin Shimerman) and Rom (Max Grodénchik) must return home when their mother, Ishka (Andrea Martin), is accused of acquiring profit (gasp!), something Ferengi females are forbidden to do. Shimerman and Martin shine as they play out Quark and Ishka’s relationship, while Grodénchik really gets to put his comedic chops on display. This episode is also notable as the first appearance of Brunt (Jeffrey Combs) from the Ferengi Commerce Authority, as well as Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald), frequent love interest of Cmdr. Sisko (Avery Brooks). —J.O.

Original airdate: May 15, 1995

Blink of an Eye

“Voyager” — Season 6, Episode 12

The Voyager gets stuck in orbit around a planet where time passes far more rapidly than in the rest of space, as the episode alternates between the bemused curiosity of Capt. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew and the awestruck preoccupation of the expeditiously progressing populace on the planet below, for whom Voyager is a sparkling, fixed constant in the night sky. At one point, the Doctor (Robert Picard) beams down to the planet to investigate, and a delay of only a few minutes on Voyager means he spends three years on its surface. He even adopts a son! One of the great, wild what if? episodes of “Star Trek.” —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Jan. 19, 2000

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 23

Mark Lenard absolutely crushed the role of Spock’s father, Sarek, in multiple episodes across multiple “Star Trek” series and movies, but this episode is perhaps his finest performance as the character. Sarek comes to the Enterprise-D on what is meant to be his final mission, only for the crew to learn he is suffering from Bendii Syndrome. The condition leaves him prone to uncharacteristic emotional outbursts while also causing him to telepathically influence the emotions of those around him. Picard saves the day by mind melding with Sarek, allowing him to finish his mission with dignity — and provide Stewart with the chance for some powerhouse acting as he channels Sarek’s volcanic emotions. —J.O.

Original airdate: May 14, 1990

“Enterprise” — Season 3, Episode 10

“Trek” loves a moral dilemma, and this one’s a doozy: After Cmdr. Tucker (Connor Trinneer) is critically injured while the Enterprise is on a deep space mission, Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) suggests growing a “mimetic symbiote” of Trip — effectively, a clone with a built-in two-week lifespan — in order to create the brain tissue needed to save Trip’s life. But that means the Enterprise crew must endure watching Trip’s clone rapidly age from a precocious kid to an adult man (played by Trinneer with eerie self-possession), who then pleads for his own right to live. Creepy and heartbreaking in equal measure. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 19, 2003

Trials and Tribble-ations

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 5, Episode 6

This episode is a love letter to the original series, with the Defiant’s crew transported back in time to the events of “The Trouble With Tribbles.” A Klingon agent is planning to use a booby-trapped tribble to assassinate James T. Kirk. Thanks to digital editing, the crew is able to interact with the original Enterprise crew and keep the timeline intact. —J.O.

Original airdate: Nov. 4, 1996

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 2, Episode 23

Mirror universe episodes of “Star Trek” are (almost) always fun, if ultimately a little silly. But this one — in which Kira (Nana Visitor) and Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) find themselves in an alternate reality in which Bajor, Cardassians and Klingons subjugate humans as slaves — comes closest to matching the spark of discovery in the original “TOS” episode. It’s especially fun to watch Visitor devour the role of Kira’s deliciously wicked mirror counterpart, the Intendant. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: May 16, 1994

Memento Mori

“Strange New Worlds” — Season 1, Episode 4

This episode proved “Strange New Worlds” — the newest “Star Trek” series — could be as action-packed as the very best of “Star Trek.” The Enterprise crew find themselves on the run from the Gorn, a savage enemy (first introduced on “TOS” and largely ignored in “Trek” canon) about which they know virtually nothing. They are forced to use every resource at their disposal to outwit and outrun the Gorn, including tapping into the subconscious of La’an (Christina Chong), the only crew member who has encountered the aliens and survived. —J.O.

Original airdate: May 26, 2022

Counterpoint

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 10

The main story is a tense, WWII allegory: Capt. Janeway and her crew hide telepathic refugees while passing through the space of the Devore, who have outlawed telepaths. But the real story is the relationship Janeway forms with the lead Devore inspector, Kashyk (Mark Harelik), who suddenly shows up alone and announces he’s defecting. As Kashyk aids Janeway in finding safe harbor for the refugees, she realizes how much he’s her intellectual equal, and she finds herself drawn to him — in spite of (or perhaps spurred on by) her continued suspicion of his motives. A great, subtle performance by Mulgrew captures both Janeway’s steely wits and her private yearning. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 16, 1998

The Drumhead

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 21

“Star Trek” has done a number of courtroom episodes, and this is one of the best. Rear admiral Norah Satie (Jean Simmons) is sent to investigate suspected sabotage aboard the Enterprise. The investigation quickly spirals into paranoia and accusations of treachery against a crew member who is revealed to have Romulan lineage. It is an excellent reminder of what can happen when persecution is dressed up as an attempt at greater security, with Picard using Satie’s father’s teachings to bring about her downfall. —J.O.

Original airdate: April 29, 1991

“The Next Generation” — Season 7, Episode 8

More thwarted romance! The seasons-long will-they/won’t-they between Picard and Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) gets its best showcase, when the pair are captured by isolationist aliens and given implants that allow them to read each other’s thoughts. You get the feeling Stewart and especially McFadden had been dying to play out this dynamic on the show, so they both bring years of sublimated longing to the episode. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 8, 1993

In the Hands of the Prophets

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 20

Louise Fletcher’s performance as Vedek Winn (later Kai Winn) ranks among the best “Star Trek” villains of all time. Deeply religious to the point of fanaticism, Winn protests Keiko O’Brien (Rosalind Chao) teaching children on Deep Space Nine that the wormhole aliens are not deities, as many Bajorans believe. Winn’s words whip Bajorans on the station into a frenzy; Keiko’s school is bombed. But what Winn really desires is power, to the point she tries to get one of her followers to kill a fellow Vedek she sees as a threat. The episode sets up Winn’s role as a major antagonist throughout the series to great effect. —J.O.

Original airdate: June 21, 1993

The Trouble With Tribbles

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 15

If you’ve seen any episode of “TOS,” chances are it’s this one. While on shore leave at a space station, the Enterprise comes upon an adorably furry alien creature called a tribble, which are born pregnant, multiply exponentially, consume enormous quantities of food and react with alarm when in the presence of a Klingon. Fizzy and funny and, to this day, one of the best-known episodes of “Trek” ever. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 29, 1967

Balance of Terror

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 14

Introducing the Romulans alone makes this episode worthy of being on the list. But it’s also an epic cat-and-mouse game between Kirk and a Romulan commander played by none other than Mark Lenard, who would go on to play Sarek starting in Season 2. Kirk successfully lures the Romulan ship into a trap, leading to Lenard delivering the iconic line, “You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend.” —J.O.

Original airdate: Dec. 15, 1966

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 20

John de Lancie never disappoints when he plays Q, but this episode offered a wonderful twist on his usual appearances. Following the events of “Deja Q,” Q returns to the Enterprise saying he owes Picard a debt. Picard repeatedly tells Q he wants nothing from him, but Q notices Picard has eyes for Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), the mercenary archeologist Picard first met on Risa. Being Q, he naturally transports Picard, Vash, and the bridge crew to a Robin Hood fantasy in which Picard must rescue Vash from the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Clive Frevill). Added bonus: Worf, in scarlet tights, exclaiming in protest, “I am not a merry man!” —J.O.

Original airdate: April 22, 1991

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 18

The classic “trial by combat” episode that pitted Kirk against a Gorn captain on a barren, rocky planet (i.e. the storied filming location Vasquez Rocks ). Few images from “Star Trek” have become more iconic than the original Gorn costume, which was essentially an actor dressed as a large lizard. The ending is also an all-timer, with Kirk choosing to spare the Gorn, proving to the all-powerful Metrons that set up the trial by combat that humans are capable of more than just random violence. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 19, 1967

A Mathematically Perfect Redemption

“Lower Decks” — Season 3, Episode 7

“Star Trek’s” first pure comedy (and second animated series) often plays as a twisted love letter to the entire “Trek” franchise — like when Peanut Hamper (Kether Donohue), one of the sentient Exocomp robots first introduced on “The Next Generation,” abandons the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos in a time of need. This episode tracks Peanut Hamper’s journey to redemption afterwards, which involves her encountering a seemingly primitive species called the Areore. To say anything more would spoil the fun; suffice it to say, “Trek” has rarely provoked gasps of deep laughter like this episode does. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 2022

Bar Association

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 4, Episode 15

What better episode of “Star Trek” to talk about after Hollywood’s hot labor summer? Fed up with the unfair conditions at Quark’s bar, Rom talks the other workers into forming a union and going on strike. Max Grodénchik truly shines in this episode as the would-be union leader. Once Rom successfully gets Quark to agree to all the workers’ demands, he outright quits and goes to work as a repair technician for the station, setting up some of Rom’s best moments in the episodes to come. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 19, 1996

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 26 & Season 6, Episode 1

The Voyager swoops to the rescue of the Equinox, another Federation starship stranded in the Gamma Quadrant — only this one, led by Capt. Ransom (John Savage), is a smaller ship not meant for deep space travel. With their crew whittled down to just 12 people, Ransom has resorted to murdering alien creatures to use their bio-matter to boost the Equinox’s engines — a horrific violation of everything Starfleet stands for. The discovery pushes Janeway to her own limits, as she obsessively pursues the Equinox despite the cost to her own crew and her morality. The two-parter is one of the darkest episodes of “Star Trek,” a chilling reminder of how easily good people can find themselves slipping into disgrace. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: May 26, 1999 & Sept. 22, 1999

Who Mourns for Morn?

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 12

Morn (Mark Allen Shepherd) was a “Deep Space Nine” fixture, always at Quark’s bar, but never actually speaking onscreen. But in this episode, with Morn apparently dead in an accident, everyone reveals the offscreen times they spent with him, including the revelation that he “never shuts up.” Quark inherits all of Morn’s property, which Odo relishes revealing is ultimately nothing. But as it turns out, Morn had a much more adventurous life before his time on “DS9” than anyone knew, leading his former comrades to seek him out to get a hold of the money they believed he still possessed. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 4, 1998

Species Ten-C

“Discovery” — Season 4, Episode 12

Other than the Gorn, almost all of the aliens on “Star Trek” are, essentially, humans with slightly different forehead ridges. But in its most recent season, “Discovery” embraced “Trek’s” prime directive (seeking out new life, bolding going where no one’s gone, etc.) by crafting a species that is truly alien: the Ten-C. Throughout the season, the Ten-C are presented as both a total mystery and an existential threat; when Capt. Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the Discovery finally reach them — outside the barrier of the Milky Way galaxy — they are unlike anything the show has ever encountered. Rarely has “Trek” applied more intellectual and emotional rigor to what it might actually be like to attempt first contact with extra-terrestrials, and rarely has it been this compelling. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: March 10, 2022

A Man Alone

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 4

Odo is one of the best characters in “DS9” — and in the “Star Trek” universe — in general, and this is the first episode to really establish him as a standout . A known criminal returns to the station only to die shortly after, and Odo is accused of his murder. Odo’s status as an outsider, but ultimately someone to be respected, is made crystal clear in this episode, with even his archenemy Quark acknowledging that Odo is not the type to murder someone in cold blood. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 17, 1993

Mirror, Mirror

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 4

The transporter strikes again, this time accidentally zapping Kirk, Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Scotty (James Doohan) and Bones (DeForest Kelley) from their reality into a parallel universe in which the benevolent Federation has been replaced by the bloodthirsty Terran Empire, governed by brute force and fascistic exploitation — and Spock has a goatee! More silly than serious (and no less fun for it), the episode effectively spawned an entire sub-genre of parallel universe episodes of TV (from “Supernatural” to “Friends”) and gave generations of actors a chance to play wildly against type. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 1967

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 2

People rave about “The Best of Both Worlds” and Picard’s assimilation by the Borg, but fewer remember this incredible follow-up episode. Picard returns to his family vineyard to put the Borg incident behind him, even briefly thinking that he will leave Starfleet. Jeremy Kemp crushes it as Picard’s brother Robert, with the two sharing a memorable (and muddy) scene in which Picard breaks down and admits how much his assimilation has shaken him. The episode is also memorable for the appearance of Worf’s adoptive parents, who come to the Enterprise to be with him following his discommendation. —J.O.

Original airdate: Oct. 1, 1990

Living Witness

“Voyager” — Season 4, Episode 23

For several minutes, “Living Witness” seems like a mirror universe episode, as a ruthless Janeway, captain of the “warship” Voyager, agrees to aid the Vaskans against the insurgent Kyrians by unleashing a biological weapon upon millions and executing the Kyrian leader. But then we realize that we’ve just witnessed a recreation at a Kyrian museum 700 years in the future, at which point a copy of the Doctor enters the story and learns, to his horror, how much the Kyrians have gotten wrong. What could have been a Rashomon-style caper instead becomes fascinating meditation on how the telling of history can be weaponized, even inadvertently, to maintain old wounds rather than heal them. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 29, 1998

Unification

“The Next Generation” — Season 5, Episode 7 & 8

Spock appeared on “The Next Generation” a month before the release of 1991’s “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” — but this time, at least, crass cross-promotion prompted some sublimely entertaining TV, as Picard and Data (Brent Spiner) aid Spock in his effort to reunify the Romulan and Vulcan peoples. [Stefon voice]: This two-parter has everything : Klingon warbirds, rude Ferengis, Tasha’s evil Romulan daughter Sela (Denise Crosby), Data and Spock philosophizing on their twin pursuits of logic and emotion, the death of Sarek, Worf singing Klingon opera with a four-armed bar pianist, and Picard and Spock mind-melding! —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Nov. 4 & 11, 1991

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 7, Episode 9

Gul Dukat is the best villain in “Star Trek.” Yes, you read that right. The writers and actor Marc Alaimo created an incredibly nuanced character that goes through a remarkable arc over the course of the series. This episode, near the end of “DS9’s” run, reminds fans that Dukat sees himself as a savior, but is ultimately a force for evil. He establishes a cult dedicated to the Pah wraiths on Empok Nor, luring a number of Bajorans to his side. But of course, he also sleeps with his female followers and tries to trick them into a mass suicide. Amazing stuff. —J.O.

Original airdate: Nov. 23, 1998

The Last Generation

“Picard” — Season 3, Episode 10

The cast of “TNG” infamously never got their swan song, after 2002’s “Star Trek: Nemesis” bombed in theaters, so this series finale serves as a gift both to them and to “TNG” fans. Every character gets their spotlight, including the resurrected Enterprise-D, as Picard, Riker, Dr. Crusher, Data, Worf, LaForge (LeVar Burton) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) all help to take down the Borg once and for all. The final scene — everyone sitting around a poker table, laughing and reminiscing — is as pure and satisfying an expression of fan service as anything “Trek” has ever done. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 20, 2023

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 13

Until this episode, Q was an enjoyably malevolent force within “TNG,” an omnipotent being who’d gleefully pop up now and again to play with the lives of the Enterprise-D crew. But here, when Q suddenly appears on the bridge, he’s been stripped of all his powers (and all of his clothes) and begs Picard for safe harbor. At first, no one believes him — even after Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) stabs him with a fork — which only fuels John de Lancie’s sparkling performance, as Q confronts life as ( shudder ) a mortal human. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Feb. 3, 1990

An Embarrassment of Dooplers

“Lower Decks” — Season 2, Episode 5

The title refers to an alien called a Doopler, who duplicate themselves whenever they get embarrassed — which, naturally, becomes an issue the moment one steps foot on the Cerritos. But really, this episode is one of those deeply enjoyable “Trek” episodes that is less about story than it is about the vibes , as the characters spend their downtime winningly contending with the central premise of the show: The bittersweet contentment of life at the bottom of the ladder. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Sept. 9, 2021

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 2, Episode 19    

The lives of the past hosts of the Dax symbiont are a recurring plot device on “DS9,” and no episode does it better than this one. A group of Klingons who knew Curzon Dax arrive at the station and enlist Jadzia’s (Terry Ferrell) help in killing their sworn enemy, a criminal known as The Albino who killed the three Klingons’ first-born sons. Jadzia ultimately honors the blood oath, as the episode explores the meaning of honor and solidarity. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 28, 1994

Where No Man Has Gone Before

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 3

The famed second pilot episode of “Star Trek” (which introduced William Shatner as Capt. Kirk) is a strange artifact today: Bones and Uhura aren’t aboard yet, Sulu (George Takei) isn’t at the helm, the Enterprise has a psychiatrist (played by Sally Kellerman), and the uniforms and sets look a bit off. But the central story — Kirk’s best friend, Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), is zapped by an energy blast at the edge of the galaxy, and begins to exhibit extraordinary psychokinetic powers — is vintage “Trek”: Brainy, brawny, and just the right side of uncanny. And it’s fascinating now to see how well-established Kirk and Spock’s dynamic of emotion vs. logic was from the very start. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Sept. 22, 1966

The Measure of a Man

“The Next Generation” — Season 2, Episode 9

Data’s quest for humanity is at the very core of “TNG,” and this stirring episode literally puts that quest on trial — and establishes the show’s voice for the rest of its run. A Starfleet scientist wants to dismantle Data in order to create more androids, but Data refuses, setting up an intense courtroom drama — is Data merely a machine and the property of Starfleet? — with Picard representing Data while Riker is forced to represent the scientist. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 13, 1989

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 26 & Season 5, Episode 1

The Klingons started on “Trek” as a not-that-thinly-veiled metaphor for the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, but over the decades, they’ve developed their own richly detailed mythology. This two-parter (which aired just before the fall of the USSR) depicts a civil war within the Klingon Empire that leads to Worf’s decision to leave the Enterprise and join the fight. For a series that was episodic by design, this is the closest “TNG” ever got to serialized storytelling, incorporating events from several previous episodes — including the shocking introduction of Tasha’s Romulan daughter, Sela. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: June 17, 1991 & Sept. 23, 1991

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 11

It is endlessly entertaining to see Quark get what he wants as he then  learns that it’s way more trouble than he realized. This episode sums that idea up nicely, while also featuring the first of many wonderful appearances by Wallace Shawn as Ferengi leader Grand Nagus Zek. Zek unexpectedly names Quark his successor, only for Zek to die shortly after. Quark is thrilled at first, before he realizes being the Nagus puts a massive target on his back. This episode also helps build the friendship between Nog (Aron Eisenbeg) and Jake (Cirroc Lofton), with Jake secretly teaching Nog how to read. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 22, 1993

Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy

“Voyager” — Season 6, Episode 4

Yearning to grow past his programming, the Doctor allows himself the ability to daydream, in one of the flat-out funniest episodes of “Trek” ever. It opens with Robert Picardo singing opera as Tuvok (Tim Russ) undergoes pon farr (i.e. the madness to mate that consumes Vulcan males) and just gets wilder from there, up to the moment when the Doctor, who’d fantasized about taking over command of Voyager in an emergency, does it for real. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 13, 1999

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 1

Speaking of pon farr, this is the “TOS” episode that first establishes it — as well as the planet Vulcan, several Vulcan customs and traditions, and the now legendary Vulcan salute (honorable mention: Spock actually smiles!). Wracked with pon farr, Spock asks for leave back on his home planet, and eventually reveals that he must meet his betrothed, T’Pring (Arlene Martel). Naturally, Kirk and Spock end up in a fight to the death in one of the most iconic battles in “Star Trek” history. —J.O.

Original airdate: Sept. 15, 1967

Year of Hell

“Voyager” — Season 4, Episode 8 & 9

The most lasting criticism of “Voyager” is that every week, no matter what happened in the previous episode, the ship and crew emerged unscathed and ready for a new adventure. As if in response, this two-parter tracks a year in which the Voyager is ravaged to the point of near ruin by repeated encounters with an aggressive alien species called the Krenim. Unbeknownst to the crew, they’re actually the victims of a Krenim scientist, Annorax (Kurtwood Smith), who developed a technology to alter the fabric of time by erasing entire species from ever existing. This is as harrowing and merciless as “Trek’s” ever been, but it’s not quite the best episode of “Voyager” due to the irony of its ending: Janeway crashes the husk of the Voyager into Annorax’s timeship — which resets the timeline completely, as if nothing that we’d seen had ever happened. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Nov. 5 & 12, 1997

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 3, Episodes 11 & 12

“Star Trek” often addresses timely societal issues, but this episode put them firmly in a 21st century context. Sisko, Bashir, and Dax accidentally wind up in San Francisco circa 2024, where poverty and oppression of the disadvantaged are running rampant (crazy how that remains timely, huh?). When a man meant to serve an important purpose in an historic riot is accidentally killed too soon, Sisko is forced to take his place. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 2, 1995 & Jan. 9, 1995

Those Old Scientists

“Strange New Worlds” — Season 2, Episode 7

In one of the rare “Trek” crossover episodes, Ens. Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Ens. Mariner (Tawny Newsome) from “Lower Decks” find themselves zapped back to the era when Capt. Pike (Anson Mount) captained the Enterprise. Marshalled by Jonathan Frakes’ steady hand as a director , the disparate tones of “Lower Decks” and “Strange New World” somehow mesh perfectly, and hilariously, together. Packed with guffaw-worthy laughs, “Those Old Scientists” also becomes a deeply poignant expression of the impact “Trek” has had on generations of fans. Maybe it’s controversial to place one of the most recent “Trek” episodes so high on this list, but this one more than earns its spot. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: July 22, 2023

The Best of Both Worlds

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1

This two-parter is frequently cited as the best “Next Generation” storyline of all time, mostly because it features one of the most iconic cliffhangers in all of television. The Borg attack the Federation, leading to a showdown with the Enterprise. Picard is captured and assimilated, revealing himself to his crew as Locutus of Borg. If we’re splitting Borg nano-probes, the second half doesn’t quite live up to the first, which is why, for us, it doesn’t quite rank into the Top 10. Special shoutout to this episode for setting up the incredible “Star Trek” film “First Contact.” —J.O.

Original airdate: June 18, 1990 & Sept. 24, 1990

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 19

When a Cardassian named Marritza (Harris Yulin) arrives on Deep Space Nine, Kira realizes he must have worked at one of the most notorious labor camps during Cardassia’s occupation of Bajor, and she arrests him as a war criminal. What follows is effectively a two-hander, as Kira’s interrogation of Marritza leads to a series of revelations that unmoor her hard-won fury at the atrocities inflicted upon her people. The conventional wisdom is that “DS9” didn’t get cooking until the Dominion War, but this early episode proves that this show was providing great, searing drama from the start. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: June 14, 1993

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 22

Ricardo Montalbán makes his debut as Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically superior dictator from Earth’s Eugenics Wars. Khan and his people have been in suspended animation for 200 years and are looking to dominate humanity once again. Naturally, Kirk is able to beat Khan in a riveting confrontation, but rather than send him and his people to a penal colony, he agrees to let them settle on the wild planet, Ceti Alpha V. The episode proved to be so good, it led to the 1982 film “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan,” arguably the best “Trek” movie of all time. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 16, 1967

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 6

There’s something about time travel — and the twisty narrative paradoxes it can cause — that has engendered some of the best episodes of “Trek” ever made. That certainly includes this stunning “Voyager” episode, which opens with Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) and Chakotay (Robert Beltran), 15 years in the future, discovering the frozen husk of the Voyager buried inside a glacier on a barren ice planet. It turns out Kim made a critical mistake that caused the catastrophic accident, from which only he and Chakotay survived. Their unyielding fixation to right that wrong — and erase the previous 15 years from history — makes for a gripping nail-biter about regret and devotion. Not only did LeVar Burton direct, but he cameos as Capt. Geordi La Forge! —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 18, 1998

The Defector

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 10

Did a Romulan admiral really defect to the Federation, or are the Romulans perpetrating an elaborate hoax on Picard and the Enterprise crew? This wonderful episode sees the admiral in question (played by James Sloyan) claiming the Romulans are building a secret base within the Neutral Zone, forcing Picard to consider whether or not he should investigate and thus risk starting a war. It also features the excellent opening in which Picard tries to teach Data about humanity by having him act out scenes from Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 1, 1990

Chain of Command

“The Next Generation” — Season 6, Episode 10 & 11

Lured into Cardassian territory under false pretenses, Picard is captured and systematically tortured by a ruthless interrogator, Gul Madred, in a chilling performance by David Warner. Their disturbing tête-à-tête — Picard is stripped naked and nearly broken by the end — would be enough for one of the all-time best “Trek” episodes. But this two-parter also boasts Ronny Cox as Capt. Jellico, Picard’s replacement on the Enterprise, whose prickly and demanding leadership style creates all kinds of thrilling friction among the crew. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Dec. 14 & 21, 1992

In the Pale Moonlight

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 19

In this fantastic episode, Sisko grapples with the ethics of doing whatever it takes to get the Romulans to join the Dominion War on the Federation-Klingon side. This includes falsifying evidence and freeing a known criminal from Klingon prison with the help of master spy Garak (played by the always wonderful Andrew Robinson). Sisko (while recording a personal log) delivers a series of powerful monologues direct to camera about why he did what he did, ultimately deciding it was worth it in the end. —J.O.

Original airdate: April 13, 1998

The City on the Edge of Forever

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 28

Accidentally hopped up on stimulants, a crazed Bones leaps through a time portal on an alien planet and winds up changing history so drastically that the Enterprise disappears. Kirk and Spock travel back to stop him, and land in New York City during the Great Depression, where they learn that Bones saved the life of Sister Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), a pacifist whose message resonates so strongly that the U.S. stays out of WWII, allowing the Nazis to conquer Europe. Alas, Kirk falls deeply in love with Keeler, establishing a classic “Trek” moral dilemma: How does one suppress their most profound personal feelings for the greater good? An all-timer that still resonates today. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 6, 1967

Far Beyond the Stars

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 13

In this Avery Brooks-directed episode, Sisko envisions himself as a Black science fiction writer in 1950s New York named Benny Russell. Russell dreams up a story about the crew of a space station led by a Black captain, but his publisher refuses to run it. This episode is memorable for many reasons, the biggest of which being its handling of racism, but it also allows the show’s main cast gets to appear without any prosthetics or makeup, as completely different characters, to great effect. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 9, 1998

Yesterday’s Enterprise

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 15

The Enterprise-C, believed to have been destroyed over 20 years earlier, emerges from a temporal anomaly and resets history into a decades-long war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Tasha — killed off in Season 1 (after Denise Crosby wanted to leave the show) — is brought back to life, and falls for the Enterprise-C’s helmsman (Christopher McDonald), while Guinan implores Picard that something is desperately wrong with history and he must send the Enterprise-C back to certain doom. Somehow, this episode crams a movie’s worth of story into a nimble and rousing 44 minutes. Not a second is wasted. Outrageously great. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Feb. 19, 1990

The Inner Light

“The Next Generation” — Season 5, Episode 25

When the Enterprise comes upon a mysterious probe, Picard is suddenly hit with a signal that plunges him into a different man’s life on a dying planet. There, Picard experiences half a lifetime, with a wife, children and grandchildren, all in the space of 25 minutes. When Picard realizes this was all meant as a time capsule — a way to preserve the stories of the people of the planet, which was destroyed 1,000 years earlier by an exploding star — the revelation that he lived the life he’d long forsaken as a Starfleet captain, only to have it ripped away, is almost more than he can bear. But hoo boy, does it make for stunning, deeply moving television. In fact, almost no episode of “Trek” is better. Almost. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: June 1, 1992

The Visitor

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 4, Episode 2

Don’t watch this one without tissues handy. This emotionally devastating episode gets right to the heart of what made “DS9” so special — the relationship between Sisko and his son, Jake. Told in flashbacks by an elderly Jake (Tony Todd), the episode recounts how Sisko became unstuck in time, briefly revisiting Jake over the course of his life, and how Jake is determined to bring him back. In brief, fleeting moments, Sisko tells Jake not to worry about him and to live his life to the fullest. But Jake cannot bear the thought of losing his father forever, ultimately sacrificing his own life to restore the normal flow of time. —J.O.

Original airdate: Oct. 9, 1995

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Q (species)

• View history

The Q were a species of nigh- omnipotent and immortal non-corporeal entities who inhabited the limitless dimensions of the cosmos known as the Q Continuum .

• 1.1 Cosmic chaos
• 2.2 Procreation
• 3 Philosophy and culture
• 4 Individuals
• 5.1 Appearances
• 5.2 Apocrypha
• 5.3 External link

The exact circumstances of how the Q came to exist was unclear. While Quinn stated that the Q were once not unlike humanoid lifeforms, Q implied that the Q never came into existence, but rather, always were. ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")

The existence of the Q dated back no less than four billion years . They evolved over "countless centuries " into their current form and considered themselves to be the ultimate form of life, existing in a state of "ultimate purity".

Two Q with a Human and Vulcan in a simplified Q Continuum

However, this caused most of the Q to develop an apathetic attitude towards the universe as the Q believed that they had already done and experienced everything. As such, there was nothing left for them to see, do, experience, or discuss, because they had already done so at some point, ultimately leaving them feeling empty. ( VOY : " Death Wish ", " The Q and the Grey ")

In one rare instance, a reprieve was experienced by Q in 2369 , after spending two years in the Gamma Quadrant with Vash . He claimed that " seeing the universe through your eyes, I was able to experience wonder. I'm going to miss that. " ( DS9 : " Q-Less ")

Cosmic chaos

As a result of the Q easily succumbing to their own boredom, many often acted on their own accord, often interfered – maliciously or otherwise – with the affairs of other species, not to mention the inner workings of the galaxy itself. One noted example among the Q included the time Q misplaced the Deltived asteroid belt . ( TNG : " Deja Q ")

It was even noted Q often could not visit "a single solar system " without having to apologize for the actions of another Q. ( TNG : " Deja Q "; VOY : " Q2 ")

Others occasionally started wars among innocent species. ( VOY : " Death Wish ", " Q2 ") Such as the time Q instigated a hundred-year war between the Vulcans and the Romulans . ( VOY : " Death Wish ") In another instance, Q pitted the Vojeans and Wyngari against one another for his own amusement. ( VOY : " Q2 ")

People whose lives had been changed by the Q

Q had also intervened and influenced Human affairs , for what was essentially the positive, since at least the time of Isaac Newton , and included involvement in the American Civil War in the mid- 19th century and assisted in indirectly saving Woodstock , during the mid- 20th century . By the 21st century , the very same Q was finally imprisoned in a comet , purportedly for eternity , because his views topics such as suicide caused a disruption within the Continuum. ( VOY : " Death Wish ")

Around 2165 , another Q "had some dealings" with the El-Aurian , Guinan , that left bitter feelings between the two. While Q claimed that Guinan was " not what she appears to be. She's an imp , and where she goes, trouble always follows; " Guinan, noted of Q, that he was often busy " frightening one race after the other, teasing them like frightened animals , and [..] enjoying every moment of [his] victims' fears . " ( TNG : " Q Who ", " Deja Q ")

First contact between the Federation and the Q occurred in 2364 , when the crew of the USS Enterprise -D met Q, who proceeded to put Humanity on trial for "being a grievously savage child-race." ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ") Q visited the Enterprise seven times in all, including the time he introduced them to the Borg in 2365 . ( TNG : " Q Who ") After his fourth, and around the time of his fifth visit in 2367, Starfleet held a briefing on Q, attended by Benjamin Sisko , among others. ( DS9 : " Q-Less ") By 2371 , every captain in Starfleet had been briefed about Q's appearances on the Enterprise , though apparently not shown what he looked like as Captain Janeway initially assumed Quinn was that particular Q. ( VOY : " Death Wish ")

Further aspects of 24th century interactions with the Q included involvement in a Q Civil War . The Q had come to fear the influence of Human compassion and curiosity into their otherwise timeless, apathetic, and stable culture. The war was incredibly destructive to this dimension and involved weapons which, during a firefight, incidentally caused the supernova of numerous stars . The war was ultimately ended upon the birth of Q Junior , restoring the Continuum to the status quo. ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")

The Q Continuum last made contact with the Federation in the 26th century . For this reason they were not considered to be among those listed among Unknown Species 10-C in 3190 . ( DIS : " The Examples ")

As entities, the Q referred to those unlike themselves, like Humans , to be non-entities – or worse. ( TNG : " Hide And Q ")

The true extent of the abilities of the Q was as enigmatic as the Q themselves. On multiple occasions, the Q claimed to be omnipotent, but more specifically: ageless, all-knowing, and all-seeing. ( TNG : " Q Who ", " Deja Q ")

According to Q, they did not experience claustrophobia , being " too hot or too cold , growing feeble with age , losing my hair , catching a disease , being ticklish , sneezing , having an itch , a pimple , bad breath . Having to bathe , " having to sleep , experience hunger , much less eat , nor even stub their toe . ( TNG : " Deja Q ")

Contrarily, the dissident Quinn, once suggested that the Q were, in fact, not completely omnipotent. This was seemingly the case amongst their own kind, as they had demonstrated the ability to execute , or less lethally, conditionally grant and (temporarily) relieve the powers of others, as well as renounce their own powers; but not their mortality, and were therefore unable to commit suicide . ( VOY : " Death Wish ", " Q2 "; TNG : " Hide And Q ", " Q Who ", " Deja Q ", " True Q ")

The Q have claimed to have "infinite intellect." In fact, even as a Human, Q spectacularly claimed to possess an IQ of 2005. During the time she believed herself to be Human, Amanda Rogers ' transcript of academic accomplishments included honors work in neurobiology , plasma dynamics , and eco-regeneration . ( TNG : " Deja Q "; VOY : " The Q and the Grey "; TNG : " True Q ")

Despite their claims to immortality, the Q were not truly immortal, and thus could die. This was discovered by Q , who began to lose his powers the closer he came to death. ( PIC : " Mercy ") In this weakened state, it was possible for a Human to kill a Q, and when Q returned Jean-Luc Picard and his friends to their own time, he stated that doing so would certainly kill him. ( PIC : " Farewell ") Despite his apparent death, Q appeared a year later to Jack Crusher and simply chided him for thinking linearly when Jack asked about Q's death. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Riker experiences the power of the Q

What was most evident about the Q were that their capabilities reached cosmic levels of power . With a mere thought , and a snap of their fingers or a wave of their hand, the Q had unlimited control over space , time , and matter . ( VOY : " Q2 ")

An individual Q could accomplish such feats as traveling to a time and place that existed before and outside the universe itself, to other visiting other galaxies, tampering with primordial gene pools , punching holes in the fabric of spacetime , changing the gravitational constant of the universe, or accidentally destroying a galaxy, all on a whim. ( TNG : " Deja Q ", " True Q "; DS9 : " Q-Less "; VOY : " Death Wish ", " Q2 ")

Two Q casually interact in the vacuum of space

Further examples of their cosmic feats included causing temporal anomalies (such as temporal loops ), subspace inversions , knocking small planets out of orbit , restoring the orbit of a moon, completely restoring a polluted atmosphere to its natural form, or rearranging the tectonic plates of a planet. ( TNG : " Deja Q ", " True Q "; VOY : " The Q and the Grey ", " Q2 ")

They possessed knowledge of the future , as well as knowledge of personal aspects of a person's life, such as knowing a mortal's favorite food , when they will encounter a previously unknown species, or when they will explore a particular region of space. ( TNG : " Q Who ", " Tapestry "; VOY : " Death Wish ") They also possessed the power of suggestion. ( DS9 : " Q-Less ")

They had the ability to grant and strip their powers to non-entities, such as was the opportunity given to William T. Riker , a Human who, in 2365, was bestowed with the powers of the Q. ( TNG : " Hide And Q ", " Q Who ")

Neelix muted by Q

Similarly, they possessed the ability to alter a mortal's age , endow or deprive sight to the blind , physically mute an individual by fusing their jaw and removing their vocal cords , or completely change an individual into another species . ( TNG : " Hide And Q ", " True Q "; VOY : " Q2 ")

They also possessed the ability to control technology , such as to inhibit a starship 's transporter from operating, freeze the functionality of its shields , or simply transport a starship over vast distances of several thousand light years . ( TNG : " Q Who ", " Deja Q "; VOY : " Death Wish ")

One unanticipated fallacy of Q, while in Human form , was his inability to anticipate, nor prove immune, to a punch delivered by Benjamin Sisko . ( DS9 : " Q-Less ") Nevertheless, Q had the ability to give his own illusions, or so-called 'fantasies', a life of their own, by allowing himself to have " no more idea what's going to happen than [the next person]. " ( TNG : " Qpid ")

Procreation

Two Q mating

One thing which Q normally did not do was mate with another Q, in fact, it was even claimed that " the Q are way beyond sex . " When Kathryn Janeway suggested the idea of two Q mating to procreate, Q stated flatly that even if he wanted to mate, that he would not know how, as it was totally unprecedented. Janeway replied that he would figure it out, being omnipotent, after all. Ultimately, it involved simply touching forefingers (while in Human form), a method described as both "dirty" and satisfying. ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")

In spite of this, Q coupled and become involved with other Q. One example included the supposed three billion year involvement between Q and Q , be it one that was never physical. ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")

This did not, however, impede their ability to mate as other species. Despite the claim of being involved with another Q, Q also claimed to have been single for "billions of years". During said time, he claimed his experiences was " fun, at first, " as he spent his time " gallivanting around the galaxy, using [his] omnipotence to impress females of every species. " He even once claimed that foreplay with a Q could last decades . ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")

When Q ultimately expressed a desire to procreate with the Human, Kathryn Janeway, he also said he " could have chosen a Klingon targ , the Romulan empress , [or] a Cyrillian microbe . " ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")

In fact, Q believed that they could "only mate with a species capable of copulation." ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ") This was especially true if both Q were of the same species capable of copulation. For instance, during the mid-24th century, two Q mated as Humans, creating a Q offspring . ( TNG : " True Q ")

Philosophy and culture

A Q editorial

According to Guinan, " not all the Q are alike. Some are almost respectable. " ( TNG : " Q Who ")

The Q believed in the death penalty , life imprisonment, being bestowed mortality, transformation into lower lifeforms, or banishment from the Continuum as varying degrees of punishment for crimes . ( TNG : " Q Who ", " True Q "; VOY : " Death Wish ", " Q2 ") They were, notably, impressed with acts of self-sacrifice. ( TNG : " Deja Q "; VOY : " Q2 ")

The Q believed that Humans were " moving faster than expected, further than they should. " ( TNG : " Q Who ") At one point Q indicated that Humans might have one day equaled or would even surpass his species. This concern was, in fact, one reason which the Q wished to learn more about Humanity. ( TNG : " Hide And Q ")

Under normal circumstances, the Q were known merely by the name "Q". This caused no confusion among the Q as they always knew to which of them was being referred when the name "Q" was used. Some, such as Q, chose the name Quinn, though this occurred only after becoming Human. When referred to by non-Q, descriptors ("female Q") or titles (" Colonel Q", " Miss Q") were often added to distinguish that particular member. ( TNG : " Deja Q "; VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")

Individuals

• See : List of Q

Appearances

• " Encounter at Farpoint "
• " Hide And Q "
• " Tapestry "
• " All Good Things... "
• DS9 : " Q-Less "
• " Death Wish "
• " The Q and the Grey "
• LD : " Veritas "
• " The Star Gazer "
• " Penance "
• " Assimilation "
• " Watcher "
• " Fly Me to the Moon "
• " Two of One " ( flashback ; archive footage)
• " Farewell "
• " The Last Generation "

In the Peter David novel Q-Squared , Trelane was revealed to be a member of the Q Continuum, with Q being assigned as his mentor. In the book, Trelane was able to tap into "The Heart of The Storm," the theoretical and literal center of the universe, where chaos exists; doing so gave Trelane more power than the entire Continuum, allowing him to close it off and play with the universe as he pleased. Trelane then manipulated three different tracks of the Enterprise -D timeline, with the ultimate goal of the experiment being the merging of all parallel timelines and the destruction of the multiverse order. Captain Jena-Luc Picard , with the help of Q, managed to stop Trelane, though the experience reduced Trelane to a speck of his former existence.

The trilogy Q Continuum introduced an additional Q known as the Quaestor , who resembled Picard. In this series it was revealed that the most prominent Q pulled a similar being known as 0 through the Guardian of Forever , and that 0 proceeded to bring forth such entities as the " God " of Sha Ka Ree , Gorgan , and the Beta XII-A entity to join him in his villainy. The Continuum was forced to act, with the Quaestor leading Quinn, Q2, and the female Q into battle against 0 and his forces. The outcome of this battle was the imprisonment of the Sha Ka Ree entity at the center of the galaxy and 0 outside of it, while their two allies escaped. The Q Continuum created barriers to prevent the return of their two prisoners, and Q was assigned to watch over Earth due to his part in wiping out the dinosaurs by redirecting an attack aimed at the female Q by 0. The barriers created to keep 0 out were later weakened by the Q civil war, and he briefly managed to return but was then defeated by the unlikely alliance of Q and the Calamarain . He was then returned to exile, and the Continuum repaired the barriers.

The Q Gambit featured the Q caught in a war against the Pah-wraiths . Unlike the three-dimensional world, they found themselves oddly powerless in their own continuum. Following Q 's merging with a Prophet , he became even more powerful than he had been before.

External link

• Q (species) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 3 Ancient humanoid

Star Trek Just Doubled Down on Its Wildest Body-Switching Concept

Welcome back to Trill.

Body switching is a classic sci-fi trope. From Freaky Friday to Farscape , and of course, most of Quantum Leap, the idea of the consciousness from one person inhabiting the body of a different person will never stop being the fuel for speculative stories that are both hilarious and profound. But, when Star Trek invented the “joined” species of the Trill in 1991, it took the body-switching/body-surfing trope to a new level. While a specific Trill symbiont might live for several hundreds of years, this slug-like creature generally inhabited a humanoid host. This “joining” often created a new hybrid personality each time, sort of like Time Lord regeneration from Doctor Who mashed up with internal alien parasites from Alien; a chest-burster that never burst, but just stayed in you forever.

And if all of that wasn’t wild enough, on June 12, in the episode “Facets,” 1995, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine added a new wrinkle to Trill canon. Not only were the memories of all the previous hosts alive and well in the current symbiont, but, through a process called “zhian’tara,” a specific host’s personality could leave the symbiont and enter into the body of... anyone! Basically, this was Trill joining via spacey magic, and now, 29 years after “Facets,” Star Trek: Discovery is doubling down (tripling down?) on this very specific form of consciousness transfer in the Season 5 episode “Jinaal.” Spoilers ahead.

The Trill host trick

Dax and Odo discuss sharing memories in “Facets.”

Although the Trill were established in The Next Generation episode “The Host,” the vast majority of Trill canon comes from Deep Space Nine , thanks to the presence of Jadzia Dax, who later, in Season 7, switched hosts and became Ezri Dax. But, in the memorable Season 3 episode “Facets,” Jadzia’s previous host, Curzon, left her body through the zhian’tara process and settled in the body of the station’s resident shapeshifter, Odo. From that point, Odo’s entire personality was merged with Curzon’s, which put everyone on the station in a deeply uncomfortable position.

As a stand-alone episode of DS9 , “Facets” remains a fantastic story about memory, regret, and what one generation owes the next. But, the legacy of “Facets” is easily the concept of zhian’tara, which was used to save Gray Tal’s consciousness in Discovery Season 4, and now, in Season 5, is being employed again to unravel an 800-year-old mystery.

Discovery’s return to Trill

Cubler (Wilson Cruz) takes on an ancient Trill tradition in Discovery Season 5.

The planet Trill was first seen in DS9 in the episode “Equilibrium,” but Discovery has actually visited the planet more times, starting in the Season 3 episode “Forget Me Not,” and now again, in “Jinaal.” This time the need to transfer the memories of one previous Trill host into someone else is all connected to the secrets Jinaal Bix has about researcher of the Progenitors in the 24th century.

After transferring Jinaal’s consciousness into Culber, the entire personality of our stalwart Starfleet doctor changes, and, just like “Facets,” he suddenly becomes cockier, and more evasive. If you watch “Facets” right after watching “Jinaal,” the parallels are clear. While Curzon’s secret was connected to something personal, Jinaal’s secret has broader implications. Turns out, Federation scientists were working on cracking the Progenitor tech during the era of the Dominion War, and so they decided to bury any knowledge of the technology to prevent any planet or government from weaponizing their research.

Interestingly, this detail dovetails with Picard Season 3 a bit, in which we learned that Section 31 was pushing different Federation scientists to weaponize the organic nature of Changelings. Basically, the Dominion War created a lot of corrupt scientific research within the Federation, making the top-secret Daystrom labs that Riker, Raffi, and Worf raided perhaps just a small sample of the horrible top-secret weapons the Federation has developed.

What Discovery does is make it clear that Jinaal did the right thing at the time by hiding the research — even if that doesn’t help our heroes at the moment.

A classic Original Series nod

Sargon enters Kirk’s body in “Return to Tomorrow.”

Of course, within the canon of Trek, the Trill weren’t the first time the franchise explored the concept of sharing consciousness. Spock transferred his katra to Bones in The Wrath of Khan , and Kirk switched bodies with Janice Lester in the controversial final TOS episode “Turnabout Intruder.”

But, one wonderful 1968 episode from TOS Season 2 — “Return to Tomorrow” — featured ancient beings borrowing the bodies of Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Ann Mulhall in order to build more permanent, android bodies. When the ancient being of Sargon enters Kirk’s body, one of the first things he says is: “Your captain has an excellent body.”

Now, 56 years later, when Jinaal finds himself in Culber’s body, he says something similar: “Wow, this guy really works out!”

Across decades of internal canon, Star Trek can make the same body-switching joke, and make it work, in any century.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 drops new episodes on Fridays on Paramount+.

Ryan Britt's new book on the history of Star Trek's biggest changes. From the '60s show to the movies to 'TNG,' to 'Discovery,' 'Picard,' Strange New Worlds,' and beyond!

• Science Fiction

'Star Trek: The Next Generation's Biggest Cliffhanger Changed Television Forever

These three episodes dared to do something new, and it paid off.

The Big Picture

• Serialized storytelling became dominant in TV thanks to shows like Hill Street Blues , which normalized season-long arcs and character development.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation broke TV rules with its two-part Season 3 finale and Season 4 premiere, which introduced the first true cliffhanger and a mind-blowing twist involving the Borg.
• The episodes "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Family" showcased the evolution of TV storytelling by prioritizing character development and exploring emotional fallout, setting a new standard for dramatic tension and flawed, evolving characters.

A long, long time ago, one-off episodes were the law of the land. Series were episodic in nature regardless of genre. Sometimes, characterization moments carried over and returning characters popped in and out for flavor's sake, but serialized narratives and character arcs didn’t creep into play until 1980s game-changers like Hill Street Blues . The drama from creators Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll was a powerhouse risk-taker and an instrumental force credited for normalizing season-long arcs. Slowly but surely, serialized stories became dominant enough that episodic shows are now a rarity.

Star Trek: The Next Generation , the floundering sequel to the 1960s original, underwent a similar evolution. The Next Generation already had a lot to prove when it hit the airwaves in 1987. The glories of syndication had turned Star Trek: The Original Series into a cult classic, but the space-faring title was still far from global phenomenon status. Would the follow-up to a canceled series have enough bite to kickstart a franchise? Eight more shows, thirteen films, and a thriving fandom later, the answer's a resounding yes — but not before The Next Generation broke all the established TV rules in the summer of 1990 . A gut punch as staggeringly effective as its impact on the franchise's modus operandi is lasting, The Next Generation 's two-part Season 3 finale and Season 4 premiere sliced up audience expectations with the finesse of a butcher's meat cleaver and drop-kicked the television landscape into a new universe — dare we say, to "where no one has gone before."

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

"The Best of Both Worlds" Prioritizes Character and Story Arcs

Despite strong ratings, The Next Generation 's early seasons saw conflict between creator Gene Roddenberry and the cast and crew over dialogue , costumes , and thematic content . Not only did The Next Generation follow the Star Trek formula of one-and-done episodes, but Roddenberry was insistent humanity had evolved past interpersonal flaws. It’s a nice thought, but utopian ideals make for dull, repetitive stories. After all, conflict is the heart of all drama. The more Roddenberry stepped away from The Next Generation , the more freedom the writers had to develop the Enterprise crew into dynamic, humane characters instead of stock figures fulfilling the plot-of-the-week's requirements. Those attempts catalyzed when Season 3 senior writer Michael Piller invoked a new scripting Prime Directive: every Season 3 episode had to prioritize character development .

Appropriately, the Season 3 finale and Season 4 premiere "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1" and "Part 2" exist in applauded infamy as Star Trek's first true cliffhanger. You see, Season 2 had planted a dangling plot seed when the capricious entity Q (the perpetually delightful John de Lancie ) flung the Enterprise into uncharted space in a fit of pique — straight into the path of entities called the Borg. These hominids' sole purpose was to "assimilate" all in their path, stripping species of individuality, memories, and free will. The Enterprise quickly realized they were hopelessly outmatched by the Borg's technological superiority. Restored to a safe quadrant of space by the episode's end, the crew is left with a sense of looming dread. It was only a matter of time before the Borg declared war on humanity in ways Romulans, Cardassians, and Klingons could only dream of mimicking.

"The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1" wastes no time leaping head-first into "aw, crap" town. Every aspect feels starkly ominous, from the cold open where the crew confirms a populous Federation colony was annihilated by the Borg to a Starfleet strategy meeting detailing just how underprepared the galaxy is against this new enemy. Combined with an unsettling score and some understated performances, the expertly crafted tension lends the situation credence.

Smartly, Michael Piller's script interweaves naturalistic character beats between plot advancements and set pieces. In one corner, the normally unflappable main characters are tossed into introspection and self-doubt . In the other, the Enterprise crew enjoys their weekly poker nights. The tonal shifts between growing unease, predatory self-reflection, and breezy joke-swapping are smooth as butter and as complimentary as butter on fresh toast. Fans don't need exposition to know how close this group's grown as a triad of crew, people, and friends. The emotional stakes matter as much as the "threat against all humanity" stakes.

'Star Trek: The Next Generation's Biggest Cliffhanger Was Unprecedented

Captain Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) , the man of the hour (the decade, the century, the millennia), said psychological stakes are stratosphere-high. Against such a monolithic threat as the Borg, an enemy that can't be intellectually reasoned with, Picard's out of his element. And it shows, the strain oscillating through Stewart's restless physicality. In a quietly potent scene, he and his long-time confidant Guinan ( Whoopi Goldberg ) discuss the tradition of a captain touring his ship before a hopeless battle. Picard has no qualms about sacrificing his life as long as civilization stays protected. There's hardly a better way to underscore just how stinking good of a man Picard is than through his selfless, courageous resolve. When it comes to morals, Picard is the most indefatigable Starfleet officer one could ask for.

Moments later, two Borg appear on the Enterprise bridge and kidnap Picard. Excuse me? Abducting the hero was just not done , y'all; not in Star Trek, and certainly not in normal episodic television. Everything that follows is a nightmare building toward the moment Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ), part of a rescue team infiltrating the Borg cube, recognizes Picard through the haze of phaser fire. The lumbering figure she sees, however, is no longer Jean-Luc Picard. Attired in black Borg regalia with multiple limbs and one eye swapped out with mechanical parts, the Borg have brainwashed him into acting as their voice and their greatest weapon against the Federation.

Previous alien villains were still human-esque and therefore surmountable. Even Star Trek deaths were a cultural meme (hi, red shirts). In 1990, something capable of corrupting a cultured, impassioned captain into a mindless husk was unimaginable. When Borg!Picard promises the Federation's doom, all the Enterprise crew can do is listen. The atmosphere breathes and builds , ensuring the situation's horror is inescapable and that the crew's individual — yet, ironically, collective — grief is palpable. The floor has been wrenched out from under their feet as much as the viewers'.

Just as unheard of is the franchise's first cliffhanger , accompanied by a "To Be Continued..." screen and a "dun-dun-dun" score worthy of John Williams gravitas. In a lovely anecdote from Patrick Stewart (via his costar Jonathan Frakes ) , the actor shared how fans shouted at him, "[You] ruined our summer!" The world spent a long, torturous three months waiting to see if Picard was dead and gone. That kind of cultural anticipation pre-dated Game of Thrones and was something no money could buy.

‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Broke the Television Mold for the Better

If "Part 2" lacks its predecessor's impact, well, that was a tough act to follow. The Enterprise crew rescues Picard with gritty flair; teamwork outsmarts a Borg hive mind that's unable to think beyond its compulsion to conquer. One then expects an all's well that ends well in proper TV tradition. Yet between the mournful music cues and Stewart's soulful silences, it's obvious Picard remains haunted. Those dangling emotional threads immediately culminate in the next episode, "Family," penned by future Battlestar Galactica and Outlander showrunner Ronald D. Moore . As Picard prepares to visit his family home, he assures Deanna Troi ( Marina Sirtis ) that "The injuries are healing." She responds, "Those you can see in the mirror."

Picard's estranged brother Robert ( Jeremy Kemp ) also doesn't buy Picard's cautious avoidance. Old fraternal tensions rise until the two duke it out, and Picard, covered in mud, once again does something revolutionary for the untouchably dignified captain: he weeps, agonized and ugly. Not only does he feel violated, he blames himself for the innocent lives lost to the Borg. "Family" is a character study, allowing Picard to be a terrified, flawed, and furious mess who grapples with his trauma in viscerally basic human ways. Scars aren't resolved in sixty minutes. Picard's experiences will shape his life, but rather than try to escape those ramifications into happy ending TV land, he must learn to live with them. (Ironically enough, Gene Roddenberry strongly objected to "Family.")

Dramatic events in The Original Series rarely saw emotional fallout. Even the best characters remained static. That isn't inherently faulty given the era, but television's gradual shift toward long-form storytelling demanded more from The Next Generation . The character-based risk that was "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Family" paid off in dividends. Sure, the series remained largely episodic outside of two-parters and season finales. Yet The Next Generation overcame its creative impasse enough to run for four more seasons , secure the franchise's future, and set the bar exponentially high with regard to dramatic tension and flawed, ever-evolving characters. The rules were shattered, the boundaries pushed.

In The Next Generation 's wake, up cropped serialized shows as prestigious as The West Wing . By the 2000s, The Sopranos , The Wire , and Breaking Bad confirmed the new norm. At the same time serialized television stretched out its first feelers, this little sci-fi show that could left a mark equal to influential prestige dramas like Hill Street Blues . The sheer daring of "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Family" truly explored strange new worlds: the kinds of stories television could tell and the groundbreaking way it could tell them.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.

Watch on Paramount+

Screen Rant

Star trek lore changes forever with the introduction of the pleroma - the dimension of the 'gods'.

In IDW's Star Trek #16, fans learn of the existence of a mysterious new dimension that is the home of the franchise's god-like beings.

• Star Trek lore is forever changed with the introduction of the Pleroma, a dimension where god-like beings reside.
• In Star Trek #16, Sisko is sent back to reality by the Prophets and is told he is not welcome in the Pleroma.
• The Pleroma is a major development in the Star Trek franchise, providing a place for god-like beings and expanding the universe.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #16!

Star Trek lore has changed forever with the introduction of the mysterious Pleroma. The Star Trek universe is chock-full of cosmic beings, entities so powerful they appear as gods to lesser mortals. Among these species are the Q and the Prophets, and they have been shown to fight from time to time. Now, in Star Trek #16, fans are introduced to the “Pleroma,” a dimension where these beings dwell.

Star Trek #16, written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Marcus To, kicks off with a seriously injured Sisko being sent back to our reality by the Prophets, who say he is “not welcome in the Pleroma.” No additional explanation as to the nature of the Pleroma is given, but later in the issue, fans learn that the enigmatic T’Lir, a Vulcan who is far more than they seem, has sent a signal to the cosmic beings.

T’Lir tells them they know about the Pleroma, and will see them there soon.

Star Trek's God War "Humanized" Its God-Like Beings

God-like beings have been an integral part of the Star Trek franchise, going back to the show’s second pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Since then, fans have met a number of such species, with some, such as the aforementioned Q and the Prophets, having become an integral part of the lore. IDW’s new Star Trek series has explored the galaxy’s relationship with these beings, with the Klingon Emperor Kahless declaring war on them all, culminating with last year’s Day of Blood crossover event. Several of the universe’s gods, including Gary Mitchell, fell to Kahless.

A side effect of the god war and Day of Blood are some revelations about their natures. During the god war’s earliest days, T’Lir rigged up a method that could detect these god-like beings, as well as offer insight into how Kahless’ weapon could kill them. T’Lir’s solution was pure Star Trek technobabble, and may have owed something to T’Lir’s enigmatic nature, but it worked, and proved that the god-like races, such as the Metrons or the Q, are bound by physical laws. It has demonstrated that these races are no different from lesser beings such as humans.

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The pleroma is one of the most fascinating developments in star trek history.

With the introduction of the Pleroma, it looks as if the god-like beings finally have a place of their own. A theological term, pleroma is Greek for “the totality of divinity.” The issue’s opening leads fans to think it is simply the realm of the Prophets, but in the text piece, T’Lir implies other cosmic beings will be coming to the Pleroma soon. The Pleroma has never been shown or identified in a previous show or movie. If this truly is the sole domain of Star Trek’s god-like beings, then it is a major development for the franchise.

Star Trek #16 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!