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The Orville

Set 400 years in the future, the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continue their mission of exploration, navigating both the mysteries of the universe, and the complexities of their own interperso... Read all Set 400 years in the future, the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continue their mission of exploration, navigating both the mysteries of the universe, and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships. Set 400 years in the future, the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continue their mission of exploration, navigating both the mysteries of the universe, and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships.

• Seth MacFarlane
• Adrianne Palicki
• Penny Johnson Jerald
• 1.7K User reviews
• 51 Critic reviews
• 3 wins & 17 nominations total

Episodes 36

Photos 8812

• Capt. Ed Mercer

• Cmdr. Kelly Grayson

• Dr. Claire Finn

• Lt. Gordon Malloy

• Lt. Cmdr. Bortus

• Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr …

• Lt. Talla Keyali …

• Lt. Alara Kitan …

• Admiral Halsey

• Marcus Finn

• Ensign Charly Burke

• Lieutenant Turco …

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

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• Trivia Unlike the first two seasons, the whole third season was written in advance, and scenes from different episodes were shot in a row, based on the location and actors' availability. Jon Cassar and Seth MacFarlane split the direction duties for the 10 episodes so they could work like that.
• Goofs Moclan biology makes no sense. It appears that the "males" have all the necessary equipment for reproduction, which implies that they are in fact hermaphrodites. If that were the case, cisgender Moclans would have been bred out as useless, and the concept of "male" and "female" would be at best only a dim memory in the lexicon of the race.

[repeated line]

Captain Ed Mercer : Alara, you want to open this jar of pickles for me?

• Connections Featured in The IMDb Show: Take 5 With Jessica Szohr (2019)

User reviews 1.7K

• Sep 10, 2017
• How many seasons does The Orville have? Powered by Alexa
• Where is Alara????
• Do the ergonomic chairs on the shuttle resemble the Scary Masks, or is that just me?
• Is there ever going to be a third season?
• September 10, 2017 (United States)
• United States
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• 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Fuzzy Door Productions
• 20th Century Fox Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 44 minutes

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‘The Orville’ Is Back for Season 3. But How Does It Fit Into a New Space TV Landscape?

Seth MacFarlane’s comedy-drama returns after three years away. But the television environment it joins now is not the same one it left at the end of Season 2.

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It would’ve been so easy for The Orville not to come back. Over two brief seasons, the spacefaring comedy-drama had generated solid but unremarkable reviews and ratings. Its creator and star, Seth MacFarlane, had other irons in the fire— Family Guy , American Dad! , a TV adaptation of the Ted movies. Fox had already shuffled two seasons around the calendar, and plans for a third were put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted production. And in 2020, MacFarlane, whose animated shows had been tentpole programming at Fox for decades, split with his longtime corporate bosses and inked a $200 million deal with NBC .

But like its plucky namesake starship, last seen dodging laser beams during a climactic set-piece battle, The Orville has survived for a third season.

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“It’s the most fun writing job I’ve ever had,” MacFarlane told me recently over Zoom. “I love telling these stories, and it’s a wonderful group of people I love working with.”

The forthcoming season, which premieres on Hulu June 2 and is subtitled New Horizons , marks a bit of a shift for the series. The crew composition continues to evolve, with Anne Winters joining the cast as a young navigator. And MacFarlane says the move to Hulu comes with a more “cinematic” visual style. But the biggest adjustment comes not from within the show’s universe, but in the real world’s streaming TV landscape.

When The Orville , which mimics the style and many of the conventions of Star Trek , premiered in 2017, there had been six official Star Trek shows released in the previous 51 years. In less than five years since, CBS All Access and Paramount+ have aired six more, including four that premiered in the three years since The Orville finished Season 2. And the Star Trek shows have had to compete against a constellation of socially conscious spacefaring dramas: big streaming swings like For All Mankind , The First , and Away , and later seasons of The Expanse , among others.

Given all that, the biggest question for The Orville entering its third season is this: Is there still a place for this show when space—and Star Trek in particular—is busier than it’s ever been?

The Orville , in its premise, setting, visual language, and choice of subject matter, is a Star Trek show in all but name. Even some of its senior creative figures, like executive producers Brannon Braga and David A. Goodman, are Trek veterans—though they often try to soft-pedal the similarities between projects. When I asked Braga and Goodman what they’d learned from their previous experience, Goodman laughed and said, “Wait, Brannon worked on Star Trek ?”

The last time MacFarlane’s Captain Ed Mercer and his crew signed off, they held an interesting place in that wider universe. The history of Star Trek has many fault lines and watershed moments, but one of the biggest came between Star Trek: Enterprise ’s ending in 2005 and the J.J. Abrams–directed Star Trek reboot four years later. Before that point, Star Trek had mostly revolved around one premise: Presented with a problem, how would the best of humanity react? The original series and The Next Generation got hundreds of hours worth of mileage out of this setup. And because of creator Gene Roddenberry’s intractable opposition to serialization, these shows became mind-bendingly successful in syndication.

After Roddenberry’s death in 1991, the writers of the various Star Trek series got a little more freedom to experiment, particularly on Deep Space Nine and Enterprise, which began to portray a darker, more cynical side of humanity over longer story arcs. Deep Space Nine introduced an organization called Section 31, which in small doses hinted at a hidden and mostly unremarked-upon cost to maintaining Roddenberry’s sometimes cartoonishly optimistic secular humanist utopia.

The rebooted movies, and particularly Paramount’s new crop of TV shows, took Deep Space Nine ’s spicy twist and embraced it—juiced it, more like—until Star Trek was just like any other sci-fi franchise. If Deep Space Nine added much-needed seasoning to a classic dish, parts of Discovery and especially Picard made the entire meal out of salt.

Against that context, The Orville was a refreshing return to the original premise: mostly episodic, overwhelmingly hopeful, socially conscious middlebrow sci-fi.

“The thing I think was important to bring in [from Star Trek ] was the type of storytelling,” Braga told me, “which was stand-alone stories, well told, driven by this high concept, with a certain optimistic spirit and a certain depiction of the future.”

When I reviewed The Orville ’s first few episodes five years ago , I confronted it as a combination of parody and homage, the work of a comedian playing with beloved storytelling conventions. But MacFarlane and Braga never intended The Orville to be a parody; two seasons in, it’s become more of a pastiche.

“We never approached it as a satire or a parody, which I think would have been the immediate assumption, seeing Seth’s name on it,” Braga said. “The story always came first and the comedy—Seth says it’s comedy frosting—was part of it, but it wasn’t the main driver.”

“That was part of the paradigm from day one,” MacFarlane said. “The story has to work as a story, and then you can hang a bunch of jokes on it and you’re fine. With this show, it was really about finding the tone. The tone, to me, started to really come together at the end of Season 1, and then developed even more fully in Season 2.”

The tone MacFarlane refers to is an intriguing mix of old-school Star Trek ’s resolute moral seriousness and a heavy dollop of goofy humor. The crew of The Orville , especially Captain Mercer, are well-intentioned but definitely not the best and brightest. They bicker over inane problems, they play pranks, they go to work hungover, and they carry out multiyear running gags about having to pee .

In one of the best episodes of Season 2, “Sanctuary,” the crew encounters a colony of female aliens from a heavily patriarchal species. Mercer invites the alien leader to peruse the ship’s collection of art created by the women of Earth, and she immediately seizes on Dolly Parton as Earth’s great feminist poet, who “speaks with the might of 100 soldiers. …This is the voice of our revolution.” Minutes later, there’s a climactic gunfight set to “9 to 5.”

It’s silly, but the jokes are in service of a narrative and a message. And while MacFarlane admits the show struggled to strike the right balance between story and humor early on, he cited the most recent episode of Black Mirror , “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” as an inspiration for The Orville going forward, praising its blending of serious sci-fi and “rompish” comedy.

“The idea in Season 3 was to really lean into that,” MacFarlane said. “That tone is to not lose what’s funny about these characters, but make sure that it’s also real, that we’re not writing a sci-fi story and then surgically looking for spots to add jokes, which was kind of what we were doing at the beginning of Season 1. We stopped pressuring ourselves to do that and really let the story take precedence.”

That turned out to be the key to unlocking The Orville ’s potential and the key to appreciating it for what it is: a drama, occasionally interrupted by jokes.

“I was known as the king of torture on 24 ,” said Jon Cassar, who directed, among other Orville episodes, last season’s two-part “Identity” and the Season 3 premiere “Electric Sheep.” “Comedy wasn’t at the forefront. I think I said that: ‘Really? You really want me to do this show? This is a Seth MacFarlane show.’ And I remember them saying, ‘Drama first.’ We want to play this like a straight-up one-hour drama. That’s the most important thing.”

As MacFarlane’s show filled a lane left open by the Abrams movies and Discovery , though, Paramount delivered a rapid-fire response with several new Star Trek series. They dug Anson Mount’s Captain Pike and the Enterprise out of the vault for Strange New Worlds , which returns to the franchise’s original episodic format and wide-eyed tone . And because there’s so much humor to be mined from watching C+ students deal with problems of galactic importance, Paramount+ has ordered two additional seasons of the animated series Lower Decks to go with the two that have already aired. For two seasons, The Orville gave Star Trek diehards something they couldn’t get on first-run TV. Now there’s competition.

“Up until very recently, we were the only show that was occupying anything near that space and tone in sci-fi,” MacFarlane said. “I think even now The Orville is very much in its own space. It’s got its own vibe. But [how the show holds up to the competition is] not decided by us. That’s decided by the viewers.”

Even among all that noise, MacFarlane still believes The Orville offers something unique. And at the end of our conversation, he touched on the quality that makes the show work.

“It really is still about these people,” MacFarlane said. “On any show you tune in to watch the people. Are these people I want to hang with each week?”

For all the aliens and special effects and wild makeup you’d expect from Star Trek , what makes these shows successful is that viewers like spending an hour a week with the crew. Many years ago, my colleague Brian Phillips praised The Next Generation by writing, “the show offers a fantasy of smart friends working together and supporting each other that’s designed to make you want to join them.” That’s true of every successful Star Trek show, and why the Kirk-Spock-McCoy trio is one of television’s most beloved friendships, or why Avery Brooks’s portrayal of Ben Sisko still resonates a generation later .

The crew of The Orville is … mostly not that smart, but they’re still a part of that tradition. And Season 3 promises to test that family dynamic as the crew deals with the aftermath of a war with the robotic Kaylon. Among the survivors is The Orville ’s science officer, Isaac, who after being sent to study humanity, decided to side with his flesh-and-blood friends against his people. Winters’s character, by contrast, comes to The Orville after suffering immense personal losses in the war and struggles to adjust to sharing the bridge with a Kaylon.

As much as The Orville chimes in on contemporary political issues through allegory, though, it’s always been at its best when the original question of the series—how do normal people stand up to extraordinary circumstances?—is at the forefront.

“The very first time we all met together collectively, Seth said we’re doing a science-fiction piece, but what we are is people who happen to be in space,” said Penny Johnson Jerald, who plays Dr. Claire Finn. “We’ve always been people first, and it’s on the page. We lift the words and emotions off the page so viewers can enjoy and be a part of it. … It truly helps to like your fellow cast.”

“We have a group chat,” said Adrianne Palicki, who plays first officer Kelly Grayson. “We are always constantly in contact with each other, which is a rarity on any show, especially after you’ve wrapped.”

That chemistry gives the crew of the Orville an unexpected warm and fuzzy tone, almost reminiscent of Ted Lasso . (Perhaps if American TV viewers had latched onto this band of endearingly semi-competent work buddies instead, internet discourse wouldn’t be so hysterical . Dare to dream.) And they somehow manage to portray that earnestness without coming off as cloying or phony.

“A lot of television I see is a lot more dark and gritty in its interpersonal relationships and depictions thereof,” MacFarlane said. “I live in a pretty intense industry. I don’t go to work every day and fight with my coworkers and get into spats and deal with high drama. It’s actually pretty pleasant. So I don’t think it’s that unrealistic.”

Thanks to streaming and a bucket-of-crabs-type scramble for corporations to gobble up franchises and squeeze every last drop of blood from every stone, the viewers that MacFarlane defers to have never had more options for spacefaring drama and action. But watching a TV show is ultimately a question of time commitment. In terms of storytelling and visuals, The Orville holds its own with any of its contemporaries. But what makes an episodic TV show stick—including the older Star Trek series—is whether the characters are worth spending time with. Here, The Orville ’s band of weirdos and misfits sets itself apart. You can go boldly wherever you want, as long as you like who you’re going with.

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The Funniest Episodes of the Entire Star Trek Franchise of All Time, Ranked

Live long and LOL

As Star Trek: Lower Decks closes out a fourth season filled with more laughs than hungry Tribbles can fit in a storage container of quadrotriticale, tapping the comedy potential of Star Trek franchise — a tradition dating all the way back to the first season of The Original Series over 50 years ago — has proven incredibly durable; even the latest live-action series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , has frequently, and quite successfully, plotted a course into humorous territory.

Indeed, the whole Star Trek franchise has a long and storied history with comedy, with just about every corner of the franchise firmament mining the series' sci-fi premise for laughs. Here then, are the 20 funniest installments of Trek (not including Lower Decks, with its Prime Directive of jokes-at-warp-speed, or any episodes that, frankly, are so unintentionally bad that they're kind of hilarious — sorry, "The Way to Eden" and "Up the Long Ladder").

Rosa Salazar, Star Trek: Short Treks

20. "The Trouble with Edward" ( Short Treks , Season 2, Episode 2) Taking both a cue and plot inspiration from one of Trek's most legendary forays into humor, this Short Treks take adds its own quirky and daresay macabre twist on the venerable Tribble trope via Edward Larkin, a stubbornly single-minded, malcontent scientist on the USS Cabot (played to prickly perfection by H. Jon Benjamin ), whose misguided attempt to create a perpetually self-sustaining food source out of the adorably fuzzy aliens leads to darkly comic catastrophe.

19. "Body and Soul" ( Voyager , Season 7, Episode 7) In a variation on the tried-and-true body-swapping genre, the Doctor's holographic essence is incorporated into Seven of Nine's Borg matrix when Voyager runs afoul of aliens with anti-photonic being sentiments. The principal pleasures of this episode come from Jeri Ryan 's wickedly spot-on impression of Robert Picardo 's cranky EMH's tone and mannerisms whenever Seven cedes control of her form to him.

18. "The Elysian Kingdom" ( Strange New Worlds , Season 1, Episode 8) Among the handful of Trek episodes that thrust familiar crewmembers — and the actors behind them — into alt-reality roles, none are as indulgently, deliriously silly as this one, which finds the Enterprise immersed into a Princess Bride -esque fairy tale narrative, one that allows the cast — in particular, Anson Mount as a fawning/scheming courtier and Christina Chong as a sing-song, tiny-dog-toting princess — to gleefully chew the scenery in their storybook personas.

17. "The Magnificent Ferengi" ( Deep Space Nine , Season 6, Episode 10) Brilliantly casting the franchise's most notoriously scruples-free species, led by Quark, Rom and Nog, as a gang of misfits united Dirty Dozen -style for a heroic mission, this episode deftly juggles all its comedic elements, action beats, and plot-twists — it even unexpectedly but successfully veers into Weekend at Bernie's territory. All that and Iggy Pop as the Cardassian Big Bad!

16. "The Escape Artist" ( Short Treks , Season 1, Episode 4) After two decidedly menacing outings as Harry Mudd, actor Rainn Wilson (who also directed) at last gets to delve into the more amusing aspects of the intergalactic con artist in this cleverly plotted ode to Mudd's boundless capacity for duplicity in pursuit of profit, with a novel payoff that's both funny and a fitting callback to Mudd's funniest TOS appearance.

15. "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy" ( Voyager , Season 6, Episode 4) An espionage spoof that takes great advantage of both actor Robert Picardo's facility for comedy and The Doctor's overabundant confidence and equally fragile ego as aliens mistake the EMH's "daydream" subroutine for Voyager's reality — yet it somehow also delivers a poignant take on the Doctor's bid for greater respect and responsibility among the crew. And the B-plot — featuring Paris' novel solution for Tuvok's pon farr problem — is about as deadpan amusing as a Vulcan storyline can get. 

14. "Ménage à Troi" ( The Next Generation , Season 3, Episode 24)  Deanna's "Auntie Mame"-channeling mother Lwaxana Troi always livens up the proceedings whenever she pops into the Trek -verse, but none of her escapades are as fast-paced and funny as this farcical bit of business, in which a besotted Ferengi kidnaps her in hopes of forcing a tactically advantageous marriage. Majel Barrett is at her most formidable and funny in the role here, and her persistent flirtations with Picard provide a terrific climatic punchline.

DeForest Kelly, Star Trek

13. "Shore Leave" ( The Original Series , Season 1, Episode 16) After some tiptoeing into comedy, this episode marks The Original Series ' first foray into a largely humorous episode (even with ravenous tigers, marauding samurai, and strafing fighter planes), and the planetary playground where random musings come to thrilling life set the template for the future holodeck, the stage-setter for many of Trek's best comedies. It smartly leans heavily on the wry, laid-back charms of DeForest Kelley and offers an early reveal of William Shatner 's inherent comedic gifts during his donnybrook with his obnoxious Starfleet Academy tormentor Finnegan.

12. "Spock Amok" ( Strange New Worlds , Season 1, Episode 5) In another wittily plotted body-swap, Spock and T'Pring's Vulcan soul-sharing exercise inadvertently causes them to switch minds just as Spock must help conduct a crucial diplomatic mission with an empathetic species uber-sensitive to nuance, resulting in a classic comedy of manners as the engaged Vulcans try each other's lives on and gain a better understanding of the demands each grapples with. The " Enterprise Bingo" B-plot, showing off the lighter sides of Starfleet super-pros Una and La'an, is equally disarming.

11. "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" ( Deep Space Nine , Season 7, Episode 4) The usually very straightlaced and disciplined Sisko drives the comedy — much to actor Avery Brooks ' clear delight — as he unravels while trying to best his longtime Vulcan rival Solok in a game of holodeck baseball. Does the storyline of a ragtag group of players coming together as a team against all odds, with the least of them — Rom — getting a shot to shine, smack of The Bad News Bears and a zillion similarly structured sitcom episodes? Absolutely. Does it all still work wonderfully? Absolutely. Go Niners!

10. "Q-pid" ( The Next Generation , Season 4, Episode 20) There's a lot of setup in the first half of the episode, reuniting Picard with Vash, his scoundrel dalliance from Risa and creating romantic tensions between them, while also bringing Q into the mix late in the game, but the payoff is totally worth it when Q's omnipotent powers transport the crew to his vision of Sherwood Forest and the subsequent swashbuckling silliness is amped up to 11, and Worf irritably delivers one of the funniest line readings in all of Trek history: "I am NOT a Merry Man."

9. "I, Mudd" ( The Original Series , Season 2, Episode 8) The mothership series always demonstrated an ingrained sense of playfulness, but really cuts loose in this outing, which in his second appearance transforms Harry Mudd from a dangerous conniver into a much more comedic rogue (both incarnations deftly played by the great character actor Roger C. Carmel ). The society of assorted identical android models is minded for every amusement, the entire supporting cast gets in on the fun (Chekov's Cossack dance! Spock's android-breaking amore!), Shatner plays Kirk with the lightest possible touch without ever sacrificing his dignity, and Mudd is served with some hilarious (if perhaps outdated, to current sensibilities) poetic justice.

8. "Badda-Bing Badda-Bang" ( Deep Space Nine , Season 7, Episode 15) Inspired by great caper-film jaunts like Ocean's Eleven , this is similarly brimming with a sense of Rat Pack-y fun and swagger from start to finish as the crew of the space station crafts a dizzying, clockwork plot — complete with unexpected complications and a reluctant hero (for compelling reasons) in Sisko — to restore photonic crooner Vic Fontaine, deposed by gangster rivals and a glitchy holodeck program, to his rightful place atop the swinging version of '60s-era Las Vegas.

7. "Bride of Chaotica!" ( Voyager , Season 5, Episode 12) Among the top-tier of the "holodeck goes awry" sub-genre and filmed largely in glorious black-and-white to evoke the low-budget, kinda-cheesy sci-fi movie serials of old that inspired Tom Paris' "Captain Proton" hologram — mistaken here by light-based beings for the crew's actual reality — the episode is a lark from start to finish, but never more amusingly so than when Kate Mulgrew takes center stage when Janeway swans imperiously around posing as the titular bride Queen Arachnia. 

6. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home While the first series offered a fair share of comedically inclined episodes, this entry in the film franchise cemented Trek's willingness to have fun with itself — with terrific results — in the public consciousness, well before the many spin-offs joined the sandbox. Credit Harve Bennett and Nicholas Meyer's inspired script for tweaking conventional Trek tropes and finding fish-out-of-water hilarity (not to mention Meyer's particularly sparkling, witty dialogue), director Leonard Nimoy 's established facility for handling both light comedy and the demands of the franchise framework, and the classic crew's sheer gameness to add renewed twinkle to their long-established roles.

5. "A Piece of the Action" ( The Original Series , Season 2, Episode 17) Bouncing off a fresh sci-fi story springboard involving the unintentional cultural contamination of an alien planet — a left-behind book about the Chicago mobs of the '20s remade the world into a planet of tough-talking, Tommy gun-toting gangsters — this episode runs headlong into its comic Guys and Dolls  potential, with William Shatner utterly stealing the show (amid sharp performances including Nimoy and those of guest actors Vic Tayback and Anthony Caruso ) as a pinstripe-suited Kirk leans harder and harder into his newly adopted, tough-talking performance as the ultimate boss of bosses.

Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

4. "Those Old Scientists" ( Strange New Worlds , Season 2, Episode 7) The anarchic comic energy and furiously paced one-liners of Lower Decks merged seamlessly with the majestic, old-school sensibilities of Strange New Worlds — itself no stranger to embracing the off-kilter — when the former's Boimler and Mariner make a live-action beam-in to crossover with the fellow Trek franchisee. Thanks in large part to the fact that Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome could also perfectly physically embody the Lower Decks characters they give voice to and serve the meatier timey-wimey story well, the episode is packed with laughs without violating the established tone and tenor of SNW .

3. "A Fistful of Datas" ( The Next Generation , Season 6, Episode 8) "Fistful" finds countless opportunities to satirize the well-worn Western genre, particularly by casting three of the series' most unlikely characters — Worf, Alexander, and Troi — in the Frontier Hero roles. But using the holo-glitch at the center of the jeopardy to populate the program with multiple Old West iterations of Data — each brilliantly dileneated and mined for maximum hilarity by Brent Spiner — was the stroke of genius that makes this one the ne plus ultra of holodeck-mishap episodes, and the final riding-off-into-the-sunset visual gag is the cherry on top.

2. "Trials and Tribble-ations" ( Deep Space Nine , Season 5, Episode 6) It's as if this episode — made to fondly mark by franchise's 30th anniversary by paying tribute to one of TOS 's most beloved episodes — is just daring die-hard and casual Trek fans alike not to grin from ear to ear throughout, with the DS9 crew traveling back in time and becoming enmeshed in the classic "The Trouble with Tribbles" mission. Its retro production and costume design, devilishly clever weaving of new characters and plot into decades-old footage, and nods to Trek lore both savvy and subtle make it packed with warm humor as it is with storytelling creativity.

1. "The Trouble with Tribbles" (The Original Series, Season 2, Episode 15) Long the gold standard for the lighter side of Star Trek , one of the aspects that makes this episode such tremendous fun is that with all of its baked-in comedic elements — the adorable, prolifically reproducing, Klingon-hating fuzzy aliens; a trash-talking Klingon igniting a full-on barroom brawl by disparaging the Enterprise , rather than its stalwart captain; smooth-talking trader Cyrano Jones; and Kirk's not-so-veiled contempt for uptight middle managers — all of the merriment somehow still fits perfectly within the series' established sci-fi framework, bending but not breaking the format. Audiences may have previously laughed at cheap, clunky, and ill-conceived genre efforts before, but here they got to laugh with the smartly made, ambitious show as it winked knowingly at itself. Thus "Tribbles" boldly set — and maintains — the high bar for all Trek romps to follow.

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Star Trek’s Funniest Episodes: From ‘The Original Series’ to ‘Enterprise’ and Beyond

It’s never good to over analyze those special things in life which simply make us happy. Thankfully, it’s a simple equation to balance. For fan’s of Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi vehicle, it’s really this simple:

Star Trek is funny. It makes us laugh.

Season after season, the many TV shows which chronicle the cosmic adventures of majestic Starship Enterprise, far from home U.S.S. Voyager and the wildly chaotic, telenovela station of Deep Space Nine bring on the truly funny more hilariously and elegantly than many of the highest rated Hollywood sitcoms. Friends , Golden Girls , Seinfeld , How I Met Your Mother – eat your chuckle-stained hearts out!

The funny fact : Star Trek does comedy like no other show.

On the surface, this declaration of comic goodness seems pretty self-evident, as any loyal Trekker knows how incredibly hilarious the science fiction legend is, but for the uninitiated out there, here’s a giggle tip. If you like to laugh and dig smart humor, warp on over to starship Enterprise, Voyager or station Deep Space Nine. Be prepared to have your funny bone tickled – and much more.

Funny can be subjective. What’s funny to you may not be so hilarious to me – or anyone else for that laughing matter. A universal comedy springs from people who make us laugh effortlessly. We may laugh at them, but more often than not, we’re laughing with them. We laugh at their character traits. We celebrate them. We don’t mock them. Comic greats like Lucille Ball or Jackie Gleason, to Red Foxx, Roseanne Barr, and Bea Arthur. not only make audiences howl with laughter but get us to embrace characters they lovingly craft over a course of a long running television series.

Trekkers are a lucky lot when it comes to laughs. Be it the original Trek – featuring a ‘green blooded’ Vulcan sparring with an ‘old country doctor’ to the many ways a Ferengi bargained with a Changeling Constable, fans of Gene Roddenberry’s spaceship of the imagination boast an embarrassment of silly riches when it comes to comedy.

Note: Rather than construct an exhaustive list of EVERY funny moment or FUNNIEST Treks, I’ve merely assembled some of my favorites, keeping with overall comedy tales – not select scenes or memorable one liners. Comedy is subjective. Your giggle gem may not make it. Maybe next time!

“The Trouble with Tribbles” | Photo credit: CBS Home Entertainment

The Original Series – Funny Folk: Spock & McCoy – Scotty & Chekov

A piece of the action.

Gangster Kirk? Hitman Spock? The Enterprise organizes their own crime mob and takes a colorful walk on the wild side of 1920’s Earth crime history when they assume the gun toting culture of an alien race emulating the colorful crime bosses and culture of 20th Century America. In the end, all they really want is… a piece of the action!

Trouble With Tribbles

Often lauded as the funniest or cutest episode in any Star Trek incarnation, this cautionary tale of pet/animal control gone wild remains a universal fan favorite. Tribbles are basically purring dust bunnies who put the pro in procreation since the little furry bastards are born pregnant.

Roguish Harry Mudd was introduced in an earlier episode – “Mudd’s Women” – but this one really brings on the funny. Mudd’s planet of androids becomes so outlandish, his own wife, nag expert Stella, rampages around as one of the marauding cyber folk. Roger C. Carmel may have been the funniest guest ever to grace Trek and was nearly rewarded with his own spin-off show back in the day. Sadly, it never launched.

The Way To Eden

Often derided, and more often joyously mocked, this tale of hippies gone wild remains weird, other worldly, but always funny. There are so many comedic scenes to choose from, but the sick bay moment where the hippy wails, ‘Gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy, I got a clean bill of health from Dr. McCoy!’ remains a rib tickling classic. Bones, heal thyself with laughter!

“A Fistful of Datas” | Photo credit: CBS Home Entetainment

Next Generation – Funny Folk: Data & Geordi – Guinan & Barclay

Betazoids can be seriously horny aliens. Can Mrs. Lwaxana Troi snag a proper mate? She’s on the heated prowl and oh so determined. Captain Picard’s determined to avoid her, and the whole darn romp becomes a complete laugh riot.

Menage A Troi

Take the scheming Ferengi, throw in the beautiful Deanna Troi and Enterprise D’s Counselor’s Mom, Lwaxana, and you get real laughs aplenty. Picard’s love proclamation to Mrs. Troi is a prime moment. Yet another dependable Troi Mom chuckle fest.

Hollow Pursuits

Lt. Reg Barclay loves his Holodeck time. Oh, it’s such fun. It’s a real chance for him to relax. It’s also private time for him to romance his unsuspecting crew mates – in holographic form anyway. So. What’s the problem then? You gotta lock the door! Poor ole Broccoli, he’s the Engineer without the basic engineering smarts for privacy.

Sherwood Forest awaits! The rollicking romantic adventures of Robin Hood and Maid Marion come to vibrant life when the cosmic pain in the ass Q pops into our realm and plays once again with his favorite playmate, Picard. Laughs abound abundantly, but the funniest line comes from the terminally irritable Klingon, Worf: “I protest! I am not a merry man!”

When a god loses his godliness, what to do? Where does he go? Why he chooses to spend the rest of his fading mortal coil with the very human beings he’s tormented for years, of course! Seems that Q’s choice of being plopped helpless on Picard’s bulkhead is a good one – considering all the other races he’s tortured wish him deader than dead. Red Alert!

A Fistful Of Datas

Data in drag? Actually, it’s actor Brent Spiner playing a holographic android of himself playing an old western bar floozy dressed to the tacky nines. Spiner’s drag turn is worth the price of admission in this Deadwood flavored romp. Howdy, partner! Sit a spell, drink your drink and draw! Maybe Spiner should guest on RuPaul’s Drag Race?

If you could live your life over again from childhood, would you? Think it’d be loads of fun? Picard, Guinan, Keiko O’Brien and Ensign Ro are the starship adults who get that free spirited second chance childhood. Hey, maybe if Discovery doesn’t work out, they could do Star Trek: Little Rascals! I’d buy that for a dollar!

“Our Man Bashir” | Photo credit: CBS Home Entetainment

Deep Space Nine – Funny Folk: Odo & Quark, Bashir & O’Brien & Morn

House of quark.

Can Quark effectively deal with Klingon culture’s obsession with honor and a fiery Klingon woman determined to get the upper hand? Our adorable Ferengi deal maker’s no battlefield warrior, but he’s definitely got grit. Somehow, someway he’s got to find a way to fight this one out – or die trying. Remember: “When Morn leaves, it’s all over.”

Profit and Lace

A Some Like It Hot vibe sees Quark in an ultimate drag race after he gets sex reassignment surgery from Dr. Bashir. Though overall comedic, the tale employs sci-fi quickie surgery to teach Quark a lesson. He ultimately realizes how wrong his recent sexual harassment of a waitress was and rewards her for the embarrassment and the pain he caused her.

Our Man Bashir

Bashir, Julian Bashir. Romulan Ale. Shaken, not stirred. He’s the super secret medical man with a plan – or, er, something. This Bond spoof comes complete with a thrilling sense of adventure and more than a healthy dose of a sense of humor. Austin Powers, meet Dr. Bashir.

Trials & Tribbleation

Once again those troublesome Tribbles roll in like colorful tumbleweeds to tickle our collective funny bone. This tale isn’t only a howl, but a time tripping retread of The Original Series , as Captain Sisko and company journey back to Captain Kirk’s era for yet more trouble dealing with those adorable dust bunnies.

“Q2” | Photo credit: CBS Home Entetainment

Voyager – Funny People: Tuvok & Neelix, Seven Of Nine & Doc & Seska

Bride of chaotica.

Flash Gordon isn’t simply a quaint, ancient pop culture hobby for heroic Ensign Paris. It’s an obsession. After he and pal Harry Kim dress up as cosmic swashbucklers in the vein of 20th-century pulp fiction space cowboys, the phaser energy hits the fan. Captain Proton lives! Enjoy the glorious black and white holodeck environment – if you dare!

False Profits

Ferengi warps their profit loving butts to the Delta Quadrant. When Captain Janeway’s Voyager meets up with them, they must handle two con men who are posing as powerful gods. Aliens posing as gods using native mythology. Huh. Yeah. Sounds familiar…. Has anyone seen Ra? Dial that StarGate!

Would you volunteer to babysit a godlike child? You’d undoubtedly charge more than a few bucks to watch such a terrible tyke. Captain Janeway gets little choice in the matter when Q comes calling and plops his precocious and super powered junior onto our favorite lost in space Starfleet vessel. Even stripped of his godly powers, Q2 remains a ‘problem child.’ Fun fact: Q actor John de Lancie’s real-life son, Keegan, plays Q2.

Body and Soul

The Borg Drone & The Doc – what sweet, silly music they make. When 7 of 9 downloads Doc’s holomatrix into her sizable Borg implants, Voyager’s physician gets a chance to be as ‘alive’ as he’ll probably ever be. This isn’t only a fun ride, but it’s an awesome showcase for actress Jeri Ryan’s impressive mimicry skills. Mmmmm cheesecake!

Doctor Phlox | Photo credit: CBS Home Entertainment

Apologies to those Enterprise fans for coming up nada here. Yes, it’s a bit of an empty space to be sure. I’ve found Phlox funny at times, and the Chief Medical Officer does show off a humorous bedside manner – but that’s about all for me and the cataloging of any real humor to be found on Enterprise . The finale, “These Are The Voyages” throws us a few rib tickling gems, but since it’s basically The Next Generation boosting and then unceremoniously burying Star Trek: Enterprise , I don’t know how fair it is to include since all truly fun moments are TNG related.

Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd on Star Trek: Discovery | Photo credit: CBS All Access

Star Trek: Discovery

The hilariously iconic Harry Mudd from TOS will be revived and recycled for Discovery . Rainn Wilson will play the larger than life entrepreneur or always charismatic con man, depending on your point of view or how effectively Harry plays you. Roger C. Carmel is a hard act to follow. Those are certainly big comic shoes to fill. Wilson is definitely not the best fit physically for the beloved role, so we’ll see if his interpretation/impersonation fares any better. Let’s just hope Discovery brings us real honest to goodness laughs.

[amazon_link asins=’1593938624,B01BP06ENA,B01N47VPJG,B013Q1BVIE’ template=’ProductGrid’ store=’treknenet-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a66e3055-7597-11e7-9eba-71b6cb11c5dc’]

Will is an Emmy Award nominated screenwriter, book author and content producer. He's written for magazines, the web and for several highly respected TV shows, most notably for the Star Trek franchise. Will penned episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine , and he was one of the few freelancers to work on episodes for both landmark Hollywood series, born of visionary Gene Roddenberry. He's pitched to Star Trek: Voyager , Deep Space Nine & for USA Network's show, Stephen King's The Dead Zone . His articles & celebrity interviews appear in national magazines, websites, newspapers and he's written extensively for publications such as: Yahoo! News, McCall's Quilter's Home, American Chronicle, Bayonne Style, OMG, Shine, Hudson Reporter, The Last Reel & Sci-Fi Pulse. His new book, Star Trek Sex: Analyzing The Most Sexually Charged Episodes Of The Original Series , is published by Bearmanor Media. You can follow Will on Twitter @willstape and @LaughTrek .

Adam E Fairchild

August 2, 2017 at 10:54 am

Funniest Enterprise Episode: “Unexpected.” Honorable mention to “Shuttlepod One” and “Two Days and Two Nights” which both have some funny moments with Trip and Reed.

May 27, 2021 at 3:48 pm

Yes. Unexpected had me cracking up, particularly with T’pol taking digs at Tucker when he found out he was pregnant.

August 22, 2019 at 8:31 pm

TNG S3 E21 Hollow Pursuits – it was a Barclay episode. Cracked me up XD

Cheesus Toast

Author Author beats all episodes on this list, hands down!

AlwaysPunchingRobots

Funniest DS9 episodes for me are Little Green Men, Magnificent Ferengi, House of Quark, Who Mourns for Morn & The Forsaken.

Bride of Chaotica might be the funniest Voyager episode.

Completely agree with Tribbles for TOS, a well as Fistful of Datas fot TNG.

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Family Guy creator’s new Star Trek parody series is more Spaceballs than anything else

Star Trek will go up against a Star Trek parody this fall

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Seth MacFarlane and Fox have released the first trailer for their new series The Orville , a Star Trek parody series, and based on the few minutes glimpsed, it has more in common with Spaceballs than Family Guy .

MacFarlane plays Captain Ed, an awkward, unskilled captain who barely manages to graduate from the academy. When it comes time to assign him to a ship, his director, played by Victor Garber, reiterates the only reason he’s getting the job is because there’s literally no one else available. An uncaring Ed accepts the position regardless and sets off to try and increase diplomatic relationships between various species around the galaxy, but all of that comes to a hilt when his ex-wife, Kelly Grayson, is named co-captain of the ship.

Like Star Trek, The Orville will follow the personal dynamics of the team aboard the U.S.S. Orville. Ed will have to try and work with his ex-wife and his best friend, Gordon Malloy, while getting to know the rest of the crew. Much like Captain James T. Kirk in the original series, Ed will also have to overcome his faults to try and command a ship, earning the respect of his crew along the way.

The trailer makes is painstakingly clear that The Orville is a parody of the long running sci-fi franchise, but doesn’t insult what made the series great. Much like “Blue Harvest,” the Family Guy episode dedicated to parodying Star Wars: Episode IV , The Orville looks like it’ll pay homage to the series its borrowing its basis from, but adding in goofs to ensure audiences realize it’s a comedy.

The Orville also comes at a time when CBS is gearing up to debut its new Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery . The show has been in production for quite some time, but the release date has been pushed back repeatedly . Both CBS executives and producers involved with the show have blamed the magnitude of the series and needing more time to figure out filming. Bryan Fuller, who is currently working on American Gods, was originally supposed to executive produce Discovery but severed ties with CBS following scheduling conflicts.

The Orville will air Thursday nights on Fox this fall. The pilot will be directed by Iron Man’ s Jon Favreau, who will also serve as an executive producer on the series. There is no specific premiere date at this time.

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The 20 Funniest Star Trek Episodes

Star Trek, a sci-fi franchise, has been known to tackle all kinds of genres within its series; here are example of when the series did comedy best.

When Star Trek is mentioned, most folks think of the drama. Throughout its various incarnations, Trek has provided truly groundbreaking storylines that make viewers think as well as be entertained. From views on religion, lifestyle, culture and even war, the franchise has moved fans to tears and shifted a lot of thinking. Which is why it’s so notable how downright funny the shows can be. There was always some humor with sharp lines going back to the terrific Spock/Bones banter. The other series continued that with some fun stuff. The Ferengi added comedy by how they went from supposed villains to money-hungry figures that made their antics better. That’s not to mention characters who are downright snarky geniuses, like Garak.

Several episodes are able to balance the drama with some lighter fare to stand out well. Even DS9 could bring some humor to brutal storylines so fans weren’t too broody. But even better is that Trek can embrace pure and full-on comedy wonderfully. True, some episodes don’t work out (quite a few from Voyager come to mind) but others work great. They have fun premises and the actors give their all to make it work nicely. While Enterprise didn’t offer a lot of these, the other Trek shows more than made up for it. Here are 20 of the funniest Star Trek episodes ever to show how it brought the laughs as much as drama for a sci-fi icon.

20 THE WAY TO EDEN, TOS

True, the funny in this mostly comes from how bad it is. Yet somehow, it makes for one of the few true joys of TOS’ final season. The Enterprise rescues six people from a cruiser being fired on by another ship. They are…well, there’s no other way to say it but that they’re space hippies. They’re led by the brilliant Dr. Sevrin who engages Spock in a long discussion that leads to Spock’s frank analysis that the guy is nuts. With horribly outdated slang, the group soon gets on Kirk’s nerves and he’s ready to dump that at the nearest starbase.

In response, the group pull off what has to be hands down the most ridiculous “take over a ship” plot in Trek history. Having tricked the crew into letting them do a concert with folk musical instruments, the hippies knock out the entire ship with a special ultrasonic frequency. They then fly it to a planet they’re convinced is paradise. The ending tries to be philosophical but just makes the story more ridiculous. If ever a Trek episode was “so bad it’s good,” it has to be this.

19 BODY AND SOUL, VOY

From the moment Seven of Nine joined Voyager , she and the Doctor connected. It made sense as Seven was a former Borg and the Doctor a hologram and each learning what it meant to be human. The chemistry between Jeri Ryan and Robert Picardo was good and led to some fun antics. None are better than in this episode as the duo are with Harry when they’re abducted by some smugglers. In order to keep from being erased, the Doctor hides his program inside of Seven’s neural implants and thus basically takes over her body. In other words, “Seven” is really the Doctor for most of this episode.

Ryan does an absolutely pitch-perfect impression of Picardo, nailing the Doctor’s arrogance and educated demeanor. There’s also joy in the Doctor indulging in cake, getting drunk and even making out with the alien captain. That sets up him briefly out of her body and Seven throwing a fit over his antics. Janeway’s reaction to the whole thing is priceless as well. Ryan and Picardo are obviously having pure fun with this to showcase how putting the two scene-stealers together created a fun-as-heck story.

18 IN THE CARDS, DS9

Ironically, the kick-off to this episode is everyone on the station being down because of the threat by the Dominion. Jake figures he can cheer up his father by getting a rare Willie Mays baseball card that’s being auctioned off. He needs Nog’s help as the Federation doesn’t actually use money anymore. They’re outbid by a scientist who offers to trade the card for some services. Jake and Nog go around the station in a variety of weird jobs which actually ends up boosting the crew morale. When the scientist goes missing, Jake actually accuses Kai Winn of having something to do with it which causes Sisko to explode in anger.

It turns out the slimy Vorta Weyoun is behind this. He saw the goings-on and has become convinced Jake and Nog are on a secret mission of some sort (“the fate of the galaxy may rest on finding this Willie Mays and stopping him.”) Jake and Nog actually try to spin the story of Mays being a time traveler which is too outlandish even for Weyoun. It’s a terrific showcase for Jake and Nog’s friendship as their whacky hijinks actually end up working out in the end.

17 LIFE LINE, VOY

What’s better than one hammy Robert Picardo performance? Two of them bouncing off each other. Having found a communications link to the Alpha Quadrant, Voyager has been using the Doctor to talk to Starfleet. The Doctor learns that his creator, Lewis Zimmerman, is dying and naturally wants to help him. It doesn’t take long for the Doctor to realize Zimmerman is basically himself taken to the tenth power. An incredibly arrogant man, Zimmerman hates how the holograms that boasted his face are now being used for menial labor around the galaxy. This means some major clashes between the Doctor and his creator who is a horrible patient.

It was a challenge for Picardo to play against himself but he manages it well. A beautiful touch is Deanna Troi being brought in to try and mediate things between this “father and son” pairing. Instead, the duo’s constant bickering actually causes Troi to lose her cool and berate them both. Throw in everyone’s favorite geeky tech Barclay (Dwight Schultz) with his holographic iguanas and insects and it just gets wilder. There is a warm ending of the two finally bonding and each helping the other yet the comedy of seeing two versions of Picardo makes it a great episode

16 THE MAGNIFICENT FERENGI, DS9

When one thinks of the Ferengi, “warriors’ is never a label that comes to mind. Which is why this spin on the classic movie is so much fun. Quark and Rom learn their mother has been abducted by the Dominion and have to figure out a rescue plan. They gather a team that includes Nog, Quark’s cousin, a nutjob and long-time nemesis Brunt. Quark gets them to help by promising shares of the 20 bars of gold the Nagus is offering (it's really 50 bars). They begin to run simulations of the raid on the holodeck which just shows how utterly inept they are as commandos (not only do they kill Quark’s mom but also each other).

Quark decides they need to do this the Ferengi way….by being sneaky and conniving cheats. They find a Dominion agent the Federation captured and offer to exchange him for Quark’s mom. Of course, things go off the rails as they end up accidentally killing their own hostage. Suddenly, we go from Seven Samurai to Weekend at Bernie’s as the Ferengi use a device to make the corpse walk to pull off the deal. Watching the banter of these morons is comedy gold that DS9 has rarely matched. It’s a scheme only Quark could manage to pull off for a hysterical episode that make the Ferengi heroes…of a sort.

15 TAKE ME OUT TO THE HOLOSUITE, DS9

It’s odd that the final season of Deep Space Nine , a year marked with a lot of darkness and destruction, boasts one of the funniest episodes of the entire series. Sisko reunites with Solok, an old Vulcan rival from his Academy days. Solok has long promoted Vulcans being superior to humans at anything. He wants to prove it by challenging Sisko to that exclusive Earth game of baseball. At first, Sisko is confident his crew can rise to the challenge. Sadly, Sisko has vastly overestimated his crews’ understanding of the game. It takes one holosuite practice for Sisko to realize the “Niners” make the Bad News Bears look like the New York Yankees.

Watching a man who has handled the deadliest alien threats completely lose it over baseball is glorious. Not helping is Odo jumping into the role of umpire and tossing Sisko out of the game. There’s touches from O’Brien chewing gum laced with Scotch to Worf treating this like an epic battle. The ending is fun in how the team claim a moral victory to show up the Vulcan after all. They may be bad ball players but that just made this episode even funnier.

14 DEJA Q, TNG

Long before the Internet as we knew it existed, this TNG episode was providing fodder for future memes. The Enterprise is watching a moon threatening to crash into a planet when suddenly, a naked Q pops onto the bridge. It seems the Continuum have finally had enough of Q’s antics and so have stripped him of his powers. At first, the crew think Q is just playing one of his tricks until an alien race attacks him. Q is forced to admit that he came to the crew for protection as the slews of races he’s mistreated over the years are coming for payback.

Watching the arrogant Q forced to learn some humility is a genius idea. From back aches to what to eat, Q has no idea how to be a regular person and it shows. The crew are taking delight in seeing Q taken down a thousand pegs (Guinan actually stabs his hand with a fork) and his attempts to help just make things worse. It ends with Q being reinstated and celebrating with a mariachi band. This is the episode that gave us both the “Picard face-palm” and “Data laughing” images that become meme icons to show what a laugh riot it is.

13 YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED, DS9

After several episodes involving some of the most brutal fights of the Dominion War, DS9 needed to lighten up a bit. Thus, we have Dax and Worf tying the knot on the station. The crew figure it’ll be fun and are unprepared for the Klingon rituals involved. Instead of a stag party, Bashir and O’Brien are subjected to nights of fasting, hung over hot rocks and some other painful antics. Meanwhile, Jadzia throws a wild bachelorette party with dancing and drink that leaves the centuries-old Trill hung over.

We get some drama as a Klingon noblewoman threatens to call the whole thing off due to Worf’s difficult status with the Empire. That sets up arguments between the bride and groom that threaten to derail the wedding. They do come together to finally marry in a great ceremony topped by Bashir and O’Brien getting a chance at revenge on Worf. Leave it to a Klingon ceremony to bring some levity to a darker DS9 period.

12 TINKER, TENOR, DOCTOR SPY, VOY

From the beginning, this episode shows some fun. The Doctor is wowing everyone in the mess hall with his great singing voice. This causes Tuvok to break into an emotional outburst with the Doctor calming him down via song. Naturally, it’s just one of the Doctor’s daydreams which have been occurring more lately. We see more of them which includes Torres, Janeway and Seven fighting for his affections and then taking up command of the ship himself. The Doctor doesn’t realize that his dreams can be accessed via the holodeck and is deeply embarrassed when the crew stumble onto them.

As it happens, an alien scout has mistaken the dreams for reality and used them to encourage his fleet to attack Voyager. Realizing his mistake, the alien reaches out to the Doctor to solve things. The Doctor must thus pose as the “Emergency Command Program” after all but is far less effective in reality than in his fantasies. It’s a funny storyline that gives the Doctor a chance to shine nicely as a comedy player.

11 LITTLE GREEN MEN, DS9

Put Quark, Rom and Nog together and trouble inevitably follows. The trio are embarking on a “family trip” to take Nog to Starfleet Academy. The typical Trek accident occurs which opens a portal and dumps the shuttle onto Earth. Specifically, Roswell, New Mexico in July of 1947. Yes, the three Ferengi were the “Roswell aliens.” The initial comedy comes from the humans trying to understand the Ferengi language which includes acting out games while the Ferengi treat them like utter lunatics. There’s also the Ferengi amazed at everything from humans smoking to them touching their ears.

Ignoring Rom and Nog’s warnings not to change the timeline, Quark plans to use his knowledge of the future to make a fortune. He seems to be doing well until he tries to impress the humans by making them believe the Ferengi are going to invade Earth. This almost puts the trio on the dissection table before Odo (who had stowed on board) is able to rescue them. Even then, we get bits on how they break out of the base. Their method of returning to the future is unique as the episode shows how Ferengi are comedy gold in any era.

John de Lancie was always a delight as Q, even in his later years. Voyager had played with the storyline of Q needing Janeway’s help to prevent a civil war in the Continuum. This involved he and a female Q creating their own child. In their view of time, the boy is now a teenager (who, in a clever touch, is played by de Lancie’s real son, Keegan). Teenagers are a hassle already but one with the powers of an omnipotent being is giving Q headaches. He thus turns to Janeway for help. The kid is a chip off the old block with everything from taking away Seven’s clothes to setting the ship against the Borg just for kicks.

It’s glorious watching Q at his wit’s end. He even pops in on Janeway while she’s in the bathtub to try and get advice. For long-time fans, the true fun is how Q is being hit by the classic curse of a kid that’s just like the person Q used to be. Poor Janeway has to play godmother to this mess with Q2 stripped of his powers but still causing mischief. This was Q’s final appearance and it was fitting to show how even an all-powerful being is out of his league understanding a teenager

9 MORE TRIBBLES, MORE TROUBLE, ANIMATED

In between the original series and the movie revival, the cast took part in a 1970s animated series. The animated format allowed for storylines that couldn’t be done in live action and often played on past TOS episodes. It thus made sense to do a full sequel to one of the best TOS episodes ever. The Enterprise sees a Klingon ship attacking a small cargo vessel and move to stop it. The ship’s captain is none other than Cyrano Jones, the merchant behind the original Tribble mess. He claims he’s “fixed” the Tribbles so they no long multiply and can’t understand why the Klingons are after him.

McCoy soon finds the flaw in Jones’ “cure”: The Tribbles don’t multiply but just get incredibly larger as they eat. We thus have the sight of Kirk finding a massive Tribble sitting in his captain’s chair and musing “I’ll allow it.” When the Klingons shoot a Tribble, it just breaks apart into a thousand more. It’s a good balance of action and comedy as once more, the Tribbles are used as weapons. And once more, Kirk ends up buried in them to show these little furballs cause trouble at any size.

8 A PIECE OF THE ACTION, TOS

Due to budget issues, the original Trek did a lot of episodes of the Enterprise crew meeting cultures much like old Earth. This episode actually presents a fun twist on the idea while offering great comedy. The Enterprise visits the planet Iotia which had been visited by a Starfleet vessel a century earlier. Beaming down, Kirk and Spock see a world that looks just like 1920s Chicago only with crime literally the only way of life. It seems that the earlier ship had left behind a book on the gangster culture which the naïve aliens used to build their entire society. The leader, Omnyx, wants the Federation to give him weapons to use against his rivals or he kills some hostages.

It’s a nutty set-up but it actually makes sense to allow the story to shine. The fun begins when Kirk distracts some guards by creating the most complicated card game in history. It amps up as he and Spock dress up in the period outfits and Spock figures out how to drive an old-styled car. Kirk decides he needs to talk to the aliens in their own language and it’s beautiful hearing William Shatner doing his best James Cagney impression. Even Spock can’t resist getting into the act. It may look crazy but it’s one of the best uses of a past era in TOS .

7 MENAGE A TROI, TNG

Any episode with Lwaxana Troi is bound to have some laughs in it. This is undoubtedly the best of the entire bunch. The Enterprise is visiting Betazed which naturally means Lwaxana is on board and hitting on Picard. She brushes off the attraction of a Ferengi named Tog as she’s more interested in pushing Deanna and Riker back together. The group is on a picnic when Tog abducts the two women and sets about to woo Lwaxana. Given how Ferengi’s views of females are…debatable to say the least, this doesn’t go very well.

Majel Barrett brings her usual charm and sass to the role with Lwaxana playing along with Tog’s moves in order to facilitate an escape. Riker and Troi also try to break out while the Enterprise is on the chase. This sets up one of the single greatest scenes in the show’s history as, to buy time, Picard proclaims his love for Lwaxana to Tog. Patrick Stewart goes beautifully over the top spouting out poetry and hamming it up to the point you can clearly see the other actors fighting not to break character. It’s the capper to a funny episode to show Lwaxana brings out the humor in anyone.

6 I, MUDD, TOS

This episode starts off dramatic but that doesn’t last long. A new crewman turns out to be a robot who hijacks the Enterprise and takes it to a distant world. Beaming down, who should the crew find sitting on a throne but our old friend, Harry Mudd? The smarmy con artist escaped jail and crashed on this world filled with androids, many of them beautiful women. He also has an android of his shrew of a wife who “inspired” Mudd to travel into space. The robots feel lost without anyone to serve so Mudd is giving them the Enterprise crew while he leaves. But the robots decide to keep him on as their "desire to serve" translates to "take over the galaxy."

Roger C. Carmel is a joy as Mudd whose bluster and arrogance is truly appealing. That he joins with the crew fast to save his own skin sets up their great ideas to overwhelm the robot’s logic circuits. This includes wild dancing in their jail cell (Chekov doing some flying kicks), Uhura pretending to join the androids, laughing at “executing” Scotty and incredibly complex world play. The ending gives Mudd his well-deserved comeuppance and close out an episode showing how everyone has a little madness in them.

5 QPID, TNG

While he was usually the stern commander, Picard could also be a great adventurer. In an earlier episode, Picard had a brief fling with Vash, a sneaky thief. When she shows up on the Enterprise, Picard reunites but is wary of her intentions. Q then pops in, wanting to repay Picard for helping him out in “Deja Q.” Sensing Picard’s feelings for Vash, Q decides to test them out. He creates a massive fantasy of Sherwood Forest with Picard as Robin Hood, Riker as Little John, Data as Friar Tuck and the rest of the crew dragged in. They need to rescue Marian (Vash) from the evil Prince John with Q, of course, as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Just the sight of the crew in these outfits is priceless as we get Worf’s immortal complaint “sir, I protest! I am not a merry man!” From Troi shooting arrows into Data to Worf smashing Geordi’s lute, the crew stand out wonderfully. Vash also throws things off by playing her own game. The big finale gives Picard a chance to show off his sword fighting skills while Q is as smarmy as always with his lines. It’s a delightful romp that shows Patrick Stewart would have made a terrific Robin Hood in his youth.

4 LOOKING FOR PAR’MACH IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES, DS9

Mixing Star Trek with Cyrano de Bergerac is already promising. Having it be with Klingons just makes it better. In an earlier episode, Quark entered into a temporary marriage with Klingon noblewoman Grilka. Grilka returns to the station and Worf is swiftly attracted to her. However, as he’s been disowned by the Klingons, he has no chance. Quark wants to woo Grilka for real but her bodyguard challenges him to a duel. As Quark has no fighting experience, Worf uses a device to replicate fighting on a holodeck so Quark can pull off the duel…only for it to break.

It’s fun watching Worf the lovelorn guy while Quark actually lands a hot Klingon lady. There’s also a subplot of Kira (having to carry the O’Briens’ child) and Miles going on a trip together which is uncomfortable. But the real focus is on the Klingon stuff with Worf and Quark having a funny banter. This also leads to the big turn of Worf and Dax getting into a fight that unleashes passions. The payoff is Bashir tending to both couples for various injuries and deciding he doesn’t want to know what caused them. While giving us the great Worf-Dax pairing, this episode is also a fun spin on a classic story.

3 THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES, TOS

Whenever lists of the best Trek  episodes are made, this is generally in the top 10. That’s no surprise given what an utter gem of comedy it is. The Enterprise has been summoned to a space station where an arrogant Federation official wants them to guard a storage locker of grain meant for a colony world. Kirk can’t believe he’s being wasted on this but puts up with it even as some Klingons show up. Soon, merchant Cyrano Jones is handing out Tribbles, small furry cooing creatures that even Spock enjoys. The issue is that Tribbles are hungry and the more they eat, the more they multiply.

William Shatner’s performance is beautiful to watch as Kirk is slowly driven crazy by this entire situation. The writing is great and we get some fun moments like Scotty brushing aside a Klingon insulting Kirk....but when he insults the Enterprise , Scotty starts a bar brawl. There’s also the now iconic sight of Kirk completely buried in Tribbles that keep falling on top of him through an entire scene. The ending is one of the best in Trek history to close out a great mix of sci-fi comedy brilliantly.

2 BRIDE OF CHAOTICA!, VOY

Rarely has Voyager , or any Trek series, gone as full-out comedy as this. For some times, Paris has been obsessed with “Captain Proton,” a holodeck program based on old 1930s adventure serials. He’s thrown when he discovers that aliens from another dimension have mistaken the program for reality and launched an attack on it. This leads to various malfunctions across the ship (Janeway treating the loss of coffee as a red alert condition) and needs to be fixed. The scene of Tom matter of factly explaining this ridiculous situation to the crew is terrific.

This leads to Tom’s plan to trick the aliens by using the program’s villain Chaotica’s “death ray” to fight back. Which gives us the utterly glorious sight of Janeway dressed up as the “alien queen” Arachnia to seduce Chaotica. At first hating this, Janeway soon gets into the act, going wildly over the top and Kate Mulgrew is clearly having a blast with her performance. Never has a holodeck malfunction set up such a gem of a Trek comedy episode.

1 TRIALS AND TRIBBLE-ATIONS, DS9

As part of the 30 th anniversary of the franchise, this DS9 episode was an utter treat for fans. The Defiant is transporting a figure who turns out to be the aged Arne Darvin, the spy from the original “Tribbles” episode. His life ruined thanks to that incident, Darvin uses an orb to send the ship back in time as he plans to kill Kirk in the past. The crew have to stop him which leads to bits like Dax in the classic Starfleet “mini-skirt” uniform and the rest of the crew interacting with the events of that episode (meaning O’Brien takes part in the bar brawl).

The comedy is terrific like the group gasping at how different the TOS Klingons were and Worf simply grumbling “we do not discuss it.” Worf also treats Tribbles as the worst thing ever while O’Brien is amazed at how backward the vaunted Enterprise’s technology is. It’s brilliant how it fits, complete with Sisko and Dax tossing Tribbles onto Kirk. The framing device of Sisko explaining to a pair of Federation officials leads to fun shots on time travel clichés. The payoff is a wonderful final shot that closes out an episode that honors Trek’s history while also being a laugh riot.

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With the two-part episode Identity, The Orville has matured into serious science fiction

Seth macfarlane’s star trek homage may finally be ready for a wider audience.

By Will Harris

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The Star Trek homage series The Orville is the Rodney Dangerfield of science fiction shows: it doesn’t get much respect, especially from genre fans. Whether that’s because of the tonally awkward blend of comedy and drama, the incorporation of 21st century pop culture references, or an active distaste for creator Seth MacFarlane, the reference-spouting creator of Family Guy , just mentioning The Orville around more stoic science fiction aficionados will likely earn you an instant sigh and an eye-roll.

For true MacFarlane haters, that mindset may never go away. But with the recent two-part episode “Identity,” the series turned a corner that might finally sway some of the more indifferent audiences onto Team Orville. The episode might surprise viewers who gave up on the show after the first few episodes. It got dark .

Like, “Best of Both Worlds” dark.

Star Trek: The Next Generation fans will understand what a bold statement that is. The two-part “Best of Both Worlds” — 1990’s season 3 finale and season 4 kickoff — left fans horror-struck, as the Enterprise faced off against the monstrous alien Borg, and lost Captain Picard to assimilation .

With “Best of Both Worlds,” Star Trek: The Next Generation finally vaulted past being just another special effects-laden space series, and it proved its mettle as a tense character drama. While the two “Identity” episodes may not propel The Orville forward to quite that degree, they deliver enough surprise, mystery, horror, and action over the course of two hours — complete with a nail-biting cliffhanger in the middle — to confirm that when The Orville dials down the goofy comedy, it can hold its own with any of the more traditional science fiction properties out there.

Kicking off with the incapacitation of the artificial life-form Isaac (Mark Jackson), who serves as the starship Orville ’s science and engineering officer, “Identity” takes the Orville to Isaac’s home planet, Kaylon-1, which has yet to join the Planetary Union. While there, the crew stumbles upon a ghastly aspect of the planet’s history. When they confront the Kaylons about the disconcerting revelation, all hell breaks loose, and it’s immediately evident that no one on the Orville will ever look at Isaac the same way again.

Even with its new, grimmer bent, The Orville still isn’t a nonstop source of sophisticated drama. And it’s never likely to be. When the show joined Fox’s prime-time lineup in September 2017, it came across as something a gifted 12-year-old Star Trek fan would pen if assigned to create a space show. The creative concepts were slightly ahead of the curve for mainstream TV fare — when was the last time you saw a live-action series in which one of the characters was a gelatinous blob? — but the sense of humor was set at exactly Family Guy ’s maturity level, particularly with the jokey character of Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes). (In the pilot episode, an admiral played by guest star Victor Garber asked about Lt. Malloy. “Didn’t he once draw a penis on the main viewing screen of outpost T85?” The answer, of course, is a resounding “yes.”)

The amalgam of attempted intelligent science fiction and middle school body part humor was jarring — based on the reviews , it might have actually caused some critics physical pain — and even those who came into the series with an open mind and an appreciation of both highbrow and lowbrow entertainment wondered just how long the series could successfully pull off its balancing act.

Fortunately, while Seth MacFarlane enjoys a good fart gag — actually, make that a googol’s worth of fart gags — he also truly loves Star Trek . And he knows what makes that franchise work: the distinctive characters, the bonds between them, and the increasing development of those bonds throughout their voyage. He understands that alternating between testing and tightening those bonds is ultimately more important than putting his own jokey spin on every aspect of his show’s science fiction.

As early as its third episode, The Orville ’s creators were offering allegorical, politically relevant plotlines. In “About a Girl,” alien Lt. Commander Bortus (Peter Macon) and his significant other, Klyden (Chad Coleman), put ship’s doctor Finn (Penny Johnson Jerald) in a morally awkward position when they ask her to perform sex reassignment surgery on their daughter. The procedure is standard practice for the Moclan people, but after Dr. Finn confirms that it’s based in a belief that females are inferior, she refuses to have anything to do with harming a physically healthy child. The episode is heavy-handed, but between the general premise and a not-entirely-happy ending, it was immediately held up as an example of the series MacFarlane was really trying to make, as opposed to the too-simple elevator pitch dismissive critics used to describe the show: “Sci-fi from the creator of Family Guy .”

The episode also wasn’t an immediate course-correction for The Orville . The series has had to work through other growing pains beyond simply finding a balance between its sensibilities. The two leads — MacFarlane and Adrianne Palicki — play the Orville ’s Captain Ed Mercer and his first officer / ex-wife Commander Kelly Grayson, and the series tends to play the “will they, won’t they” card about whether they’ll get back together. The parallels between Isaac and Lt. Commander Data of Star Trek ’s flagship Enterprise are often a little too on the nose, while the writers never seemed to know what they wanted to do with the character of Lt. Alara (Halston), beyond piling on unrelated bits of backstory that consistently failed to make her stand out.

As these characters floundered in season 1, however, Dr. Finn got a solid spotlight episode with “Into the Fold,” which let her shine as a doctor, a mother, and an officer after a crash-landing on a planet crawling with cannibals. And just before season 1 wrapped up, Lt. John LaMarr got his shot as the focus of the episode “New Dimensions” where he was promoted to lieutenant commander and chief engineer and, more importantly, had his backstory fleshed out to reveal his genius-level intelligence and history of being shunned and bullied.

As the season ended, The Orville still had its problems, but in spite of the flailing moments during the course of its first dozen episodes, there was also a sense that the series was finding its footing and shifting its focus toward deepening the characterization. And the series confirmed its shifting intentions with the season 2 premiere “Ja’loja,” which offered up little action but instead provided storylines for every single main character. Individually, none of these stories qualify as game-changers — Lt. LaMarr helps Lt. Malloy step up his game in order to ask out a crew member! Isaac helps one of Dr. Finn’s sons with a bully problem! — but viewed as a whole, they set a new tone.

The Orville also started to have fewer overt jokes and more conversations. In “All the World is Birthday Cake,” the crew has to scheme its way out of a tough spot, which leads to a discussion about the moral implications of their actions. In “Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes,” the series revisits a plot point from a season 1 episode to reveal the ramifications of one of Captain Mercer’s defensive action. And while the decision in “A Perfect Refrain” to have Dr. Finn develop romantic feelings for Isaac sounds like a terrible idea in print, Jerald’s acting skills make a relationship between a human and a near-faceless artificial life-form seem credible.

Then there’s “Identity,” and its parallels with “Best of Both Worlds,” starting with the way they share a startling cliffhanger that leaves the fate of not only a primary character, but an entire planet worrisomely uncertain. With its two-parter, The Orville uses all of its characters and past developments to tremendous effect — even the least substantive character on the show, the gelatinous-blob crew member Lt. Yaphit. When the series started, there seemed to be very little reason for his existence beyond getting laughs out of having a ball of goo talk with Norm Macdonald’s voice. In “Identity,” Yaphit doesn’t just serve a purpose, he plays a significant role with actual dramatic moments.

The Orville still isn’t a perfect science fiction series. It’s toned down the dodgier side of its humor, but it still has its sporadic 21st century pop culture references. Given its creator and star, it’s hard to imagine that ever going away. But it has reached a turning point in its evolution, a stage where MacFarlane seems ready to embrace the more adult side of his story and make something significant out of it. “Identity” is a game-changer. For people who saw the potential in The Orville enough to consider tuning in but didn’t like what they saw, it’s a perfect time to come back aboard.

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‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Review: This’ll Be Called a Parody, but It’s Really ‘Trek’ at Its Purest

Christian blauvelt.

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I know, I know. Who needs another comedic take on “ Star Trek ,” right? The space adventuring saga has been mercilessly skewered from “SNL” to “Black Mirror.” This writer remembers UPN’s “Ultimate Trek: Star Trek’s Greatest Moments,” in which Jason Alexander played Captain Kirk. At one point, in uniform, he takes a tricorder reading of Randy’s Donuts.

The best comedic riffs on “Trek,” though, from “Galaxy Quest” to “The Orville,” are those where the laughs aren’t based on scorn, but recognition. This is an insanely earnest franchise — an entire movie is about saving the whales and it somehow manages to be one of the best comedies of the ’80s — and so the humor is baked right in. You don’t need to add something else to the “Trek” dynamic. You just need to embrace the “Trek” dynamic.

That’s what CBS All Access’s new animated comedy series “ Star Trek: Lower Decks ” achieves so perfectly. This may not be the best “Trek” series ever, but based on the first four episodes it might be the most “Trek” series ever. It isn’t a riff on Starfleet shenanigans, it’s the real deal, raw and undiluted.

Every single “Trek” has struggled to find its footing at first, to define its characters and make them “stick” with the audience in a meaningful way. All except for “Lower Decks.” This show seems perfectly defined from the start, with an incredibly appealing array of crewpeople to follow: our lead is Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), someone so preternaturally gifted at exploring, cultural diplomacy, and scientific discovery that she lives up to the very best of Starfleet while also flouting every single one of its rules, causing massive headaches for her superiors and making it highly unlikely she’ll advance up the command ladder.

Mariner knows how to carouse with a Klingon in a way that’ll earn respect, even if that means drawing blood. She’s paired up with stickler Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), another ensign who knows every Starfleet regulation and is about as by the book as you can get. But he’s never actually been anywhere and all he knows about the galaxy he’s learned in books. To build up Boimler’s confidence, Mariner gets a Ferengi friend of hers to play the most stereotypical, species-ist version of a Ferengi so that it’ll appeal to Boimler’s notion of what Ferengi are like and he’ll feel more confident for having responded to the situation the way he does. (Talk about a merited dig at how the franchise has uncomfortably assigned personality traits to entire sentient species at large since its beginning.) Afterward, Mariner calls her Ferengi pal and, now wearing a monocle, he’s as erudite and cultured as the Ferengi on “Next Generation” were greedy, tasteless, and venal.

In short, Mariner and Boimler are a classic sitcom pairing who also happen to be a natural fit for the “Star Trek” universe. Other characters similarly pop right away: among the lower decks ensigns there’s also the engineer Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), who loves Jeffries Tubes more than anyone should, and the nurse-in-training Ensign Tendi (Noël Wells), an Orion whose pure kindness and earnestness is absolutely infectious. Her attempt at helping a fellow crewman use meditation and different spiritual techniques to “ascend” past his corporeal form and become a god-like spirit of pure energy — always a possible life goal in Starfleet ever since the “Where No Man Has Gone Before” episode of “The Original Series” — is the hardest this writer has laughed since Larry David’s unfortunate mishap with a blow-up doll on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” earlier this year.

Among the bridge crew, there’s a Bajoran security officer (Fred Tatasciore) and a cat-like Caitian chief medical officer (this was a species first introduced on the franchise’s original 1970s cartoon show, “Star Trek: The Animated Series”). The first officer, Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell) was described by O’Connell at San Diego Comic-Con as being “like William Riker “if he was on speed and had less shame.” When captured by aliens who demand he fight in a gladiatorial ring for a minor cultural slight (another hazard of being in Starfleet), he intends to solve the situation by writing a really great speech to convince the aliens they need to release him. For his mandatory birthday celebration, he intends to sing and play acoustic guitar for hours. “And the songs? Well, he wrote them!” Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) says. “They’re all about the month he lived in Bar- th elona.”

The captain herself? Well, she has a particular agenda in mind for Mariner that quickly becomes apparent. And yes, this is the single most diverse starship crew we’ve ever seen in “Star Trek.” It immediately becomes apparent that means we get so much more information about the time period, what happened after the previous shows, and what it’s like to live in the Federation than we would if it were a less diverse crew. Diversity here is a key to unlocking exploration, which is about as “Star Trek” a point of view as there is.

There’s a lived-in feeling to the comedy too, like it emerges organically from actual storytelling that continues the particular ’90s-style exploration of the galaxy we saw on “Next Gen” and “Deep Space Nine.” There is confirmation that pretty much everyone just uses the holodecks for sex. That everyone feels a little inferior to those who serve aboard the Enterprise. That some of the established “Trek” history really does blow people’s minds, like about how Spock came back from the dead. And there’s a quintessentially 24th Century framing of our own pop culture, when one crewperson talks about her enthusiasm for “a classical band” called The Monkees. It’s such a 90s “Trek” feel you might even stop and think “Is Rick Berman the EP on this show?” But he isn’t, of course.

“Lower Decks” is the brainchild of Mike McMahan, the “Rick & Morty” contributor and “Solar Opposites” creator who masterminded one of the single most perfect Twitter accounts in existence: TNG Season 8 , which gives TV Guide-style loglines to hypothetical episodes of “Next Gen,” if the series had continued beyond its seventh season finale in 1994. “Stern professors of a university planet doubt Picard’s commitment to science” and “Riker protects a class of alien school kids and their attractive teacher during a lava storm. A flock of tiny, flightless birds hunt Wesley” are just a couple of the gems. If anything, though, those loglines might point to the one area so far that deserves quibbling on “Lower Decks”: that three of the plots seem to deal with things (a rage virus, crystal-worshiping zealots, a weird terraforming substance) possibly taking over the ship. Hopefully the plots will become as compelling as the character work soon.

“Lower Decks” looks a bit like “Rick & Morty,” and the animation company Titmouse is behind its flat, purposefully cartoony — but never less than engaging — look. By the end of the four 25-minute episodes made available, you feel even that much more connected to all of the characters than you would have after 100 minutes of any previous “Trek” series. It’s quite an achievement.

But one that makes sense. There was always a ton of humor in “Star Trek”: the dynamic between DeForest Kelley’s Bones and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock was essentially a classic insult-comic versus straight-man dynamic. Data was always hilarious. “Deep Space Nine,” often considered the darkest “Star Trek” show, has comedy coming at you from everywhere: literally every character on that show, even the most sinister, could be hysterical. Sometimes a laugh can put everything in perspective. On “Lower Decks,” that laughter points the way to “Star Trek’s” soul.

“Star Trek: Lower Decks” has a new episode available every Thursday on CBS All Access.

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FCD: Star Trek + Comedy With Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, and More

The celebrity panel discusses the vitality of comedy to the Star Trek franchise.

Host Wil Wheaton ( Star Trek: The Next Generation ) virtually sits down with Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator and Executive Producer Mike McMahan, Brent Spiner (Data), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), and The Pod Directive co-host Paul F. Tompkins to discuss the vitality of comedy to the Star Trek franchise. The group covers everything from Spiner’s favorite Data moments to the role comedy plays in humanizing some of our favorite sci-fi heroes.

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Prodigy revealed as next series in Star Trek franchise for Paramount+

Editor at Large for Entertainment Weekly, host of Outlander Live! on EW Radio, and Mark Harmon enthusiast. Yes, I know the guacamole is extra.

This one is for the kids: Paramount+ revealed Wednesday that Prodigy will be the next installment in the Star Trek franchise . Developed by Kevin and Dan Hageman ( Trollhunters ), the CG-animated series focuses on a group of "lawless teens who discover a derelict Starfleet ship and use it to search for adventure, meaning and salvation," according to the streaming service.

Prodigy marks the first time a Star Trek series has been developed specifically for a younger audience. The first 10 episodes of the series will premiere on Paramount+ this year before moving to its sister cable channel Nickelodeon .

With the addition of Prodigy , there will be five series from the Star Trek universe on the newly revamped Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access), which launches March 4. The others are Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Picard , the animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks , and the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The digital platform will also offer all 726 episodes from the six classic Star Trek series, as well as several of the Star Trek films.

"The way we design our universe is that each show has to have its own very unique identity, so you don't feel what you're getting from one show is what you can get from another show," Alex Kurtzman , executive producer of the Star Trek universe, tells EW. "It really grabs hold of the things that Trek stands for that have kept it so alive for 55 years. It's about a space family. It's about optimism. It's about science. It's about reaching for the best in ourselves. It's about the belief that the best of ourselves will emerge in the future and become this amazing federation of planets. It's incredibly aspirational. And I've been saying for a while now how important I think it is that we get to younger audiences so we can grow with the franchise."

And Kurtzman and his team have no plans to stop making more series for every member of the family. "I think the beauty of the Star Trek universe is there's so much story," he adds. "There are so many amazing characters. There's so much world-building to be done. The key is to make sure there's no redundancy. We're going to be exploring new areas of the universe that haven't been explored yet. We may explore different timelines. We will certainly be thinking about targeting shows to different demographics. I think there's such a limitless appetite for Star Trek ."

Paramount+ is expected to include live news, original series, and sports content, as well as on-demand content from other Viacom channels like MTV, BET, Comedy Central, and CBS. There will also be movies from Paramount Pictures.

Related content:

• Star Trek: Discovery stars on heading into the future in season 3 and welcoming new cast members
• Star Trek: Discovery season 3 trailer: Welcome to the 32nd century
• Watch the opening scene of animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks

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‘blue lights’ director gilles bannier to head alef uk – new drama indie sets thriller ‘mind reader’ as its first project, breaking news.

Nacelle Company Unscripted Series ‘Billy Corgan’s Adventures In Carnyland’ Sets Premiere Date

By Matt Grobar

Matt Grobar

Senior Film Reporter

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EXCLUSIVE : Brian Volk-Weiss’ Nacelle Company on Wednesday announced Billy Corgan ‘s Adventures in Carnyland , an eight-episode unscripted series that’s set to premiere on The CW  app and cwtv.com on May 14th.

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Volk-Weis and Ian Roumain exec produced the series alongside Corgan, Mendel, Cisco Henson, and Benjamin J. Frost, with Nacelle producing.

A Grammy winner and lifelong wrestling aficionado, Corgan’s band The Smashing Pumpkins has sold over 30 million albums worldwide since its founding in 1988 Chicago, most recently releasing the album Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts in three parts in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, Corgan has collaborated in studio with everyone from Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Rick Ocasek, Cheap Trick, Ray Davies, New Order, Marianne Faithful and Scorpions to Korn, Phantogram, The Veronicas, and Code Orange. He also notably owns Madame ZuZu’s Tea House in Highland Park, a venue where Mendel serves as CEO and he often pops in to perform intimate surprise sets.

“Rebuilding the historic NWA brand has been both an honor and challenge, and this show opens the doors wide so to speak. To reveal the glory and the grit needed to thrive in a winner-take-all sport,” Corgan told Deadline. “It’s not always pretty, but I’m proud of what we have accomplished thus far.”

Stated Mendel, “I’m thrilled to share an inside look into our family’s wild life through the world of wrestling and rock n roll.”

Volk-Weiss, founder and CEO of Nacelle Company, added: “Getting to work with Chloe and Billy has been one of the highlights of my career, and I will be eternally grateful for letting us into their lives and businesses (which I know the world will enjoy watching).”

Established in 2017, The Nacelle Company is known for its work on Netflix’s Emmy-winning docuseries Down To Earth with Zac Efron and the NAACP Image award-nominated Kevin Hart’s Guide To Black History , as well as Netflix’s The Movies That Made Us , The Toys That Made Us , Behind the Attraction on Disney+, Sony’s Mad About You , Icons Unearthed on Vice TV, CW’s Discontinued , and History’s Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek . Then, there’s its comedy division, Comedy Dynamics, a worldwide leader in the stand-up space which has produced and distributed specials for Ali Wong, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, Pete Davidson, Jim Gaffigan, Tiffany Haddish and Larry the Cable Guy, among many others.

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Screen Rant

10 most anticipated new tv shows of may 2024 (according to real data).

From predictive media analytics company Diesel Labs’ data, Screen Rant lists the 10 most-hyped new TV shows premiering in May 2024.

• May 2024's most anticipated new shows include awards specials, reality series reunions, and action/sci-fi franchise entries.
• The most-hyped new shows are ranked by Attention Signals, which indicate strong online engagement.
• The 59th ACM Awards is May's most anticipated TV release.

According to real data, the most anticipated new TV shows debuting in May 2024 include awards and comedy specials, franchise additions, reality shows, and drama book adaptations. In partnership with predictive media analytics company Diesel Labs , Screen Rant has exclusive data revealing the brand-new TV shows with the most online engagement prior to their May 2024 premieres. Each show is given a hype score measuring their audience anticipation, which is based on chatter across various online platforms.

The upcoming TV shows are ranked by Attention Signals , which are calculated by measures such as likes, shares, comments, and views on social and video channels like Facebook and YouTube. These online engagement metrics offer valuable insight into which new series have made the biggest impact on potential viewers before release – regardless of reviews and ratings. Diesel Labs’ data also gives valuable insight into which online platforms the shows have generated the most discussion on.

10 Most Anticipated New TV Shows Of April 2024 (According To Real Data)

Excluding the returns of established TV shows , such as Hacks season 3, Bridgerton season 3 , and Doctor Who season 14, the most-hyped new series of May 2024 appeal to a variety of audience demographics and tastes. From a new animated Star Wars TV show to a hard-hitting drama about a real tattooist in the Holocaust, there’s no shortage of compelling releases hitting the small screen. Here’s Screen Rant ’s list of the 10 brand-new TV shows in May 2024 that audiences have been talking about the most, based on Diesel Labs’ data.

The attention scale metric is the percentage of attention based on the show or movie in the number one spot (which is represented as 100%).

Top 10 Most Anticipated New TV Shows – May 2024

Tv specials, franchise additions, and reality shows are among may 2024's most-hyped series.

For May 2024, the most anticipated new TV release is the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony , which celebrates various aspects of country music throughout 2023. The next-most-hyped TV show is Disney+'s animated Star Wars series Tales of the Empire , an anthology following Barriss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth. Close behind in anticipation are John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA , a Netflix comedy special, and the Barack Obama-produced Netflix comedy-thriller Bodkin .

For May 2024, the most anticipated new TV release is the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony, which celebrates various aspects of country music throughout 2023.

Also among May 2024's new TV shows with the most online engagement are reality shows such as Dance Moms: The Reunion , OMG Fashun , and Dance Moms: Epic Showdowns . Additionally, Netflix's new Jeff Daniels-starring show A Man in Full has made waves online, with the streaming service's latest addition to the wider Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory , having similar anticipation. Peacock's drama The Tattooist of Auschwitz , an adaptation of the same-named Holocaust book, also ranks high among the most-talked-about TV debuts of May 2024. From dark thrillers to reality star returns, May's new releases are bringing plenty of excitement to the small screen.

Diesel Labs is a Content Intelligence company that produces audience insights for the entire media landscape. With a sophisticated machine-learning based approach, they measure millions of audience members’ attention with content across many sources including major social and video platforms YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok (beta), and Reddit (beta). For more information, visit www.diesellabs.com .

Karen Gillan Says 'Let's Have Kids!' in New Comedy

Zoë Chao, Sam Richardson, and Max Greenfield will also star.

The Big Picture

• Karen Gillan and Zoë Chao face motherhood challenges in Let's Have Kids! with an impressive cast lineup.
• Gillan stars in various projects including Sleeping Dogs, Late Bloomers, and The Life of Chuck.
• Director Adam Sztykiel helms Let's Have Kids!, co-written by Ellie Knaus and produced by Becky Sloviter.

Karen Gillan and Zoë Chao 's friendship will be challenged by the mother of all problems in Let's Have Kids! The upcoming comedy will be helmed by Family Switch scribe Adam Sztykiel , making his feature directorial debut. Deadline reports that production on the film is scheduled to begin this week.

Let's Have Babies! 's plot will center around two lifelong friends, played by Guardians of the Galaxy 's Gillan and The Afterparty 's Chao, who decide to embrace motherhood together. However, conflict ensues when only one of them is able to get pregnant. In addition to the two leads, the film boasts an impressive cast, including Sam Richardson ( Detroiters ), Max Greenfield ( New Girl ), K.J. Apa ( Riverdale ), Ed Begley Jr. ( Better Call Saul ), and Mary Steenburgen ( Melvin and Howard ).

Where Can You See The Stars of 'Let's Have Babies!' Next?

Gillan can currently be seen starring alongside Russell Crowe in the mystery film Sleeping Dogs , and will appear in the upcoming UK dramedy series Douglas is Cancelled ; her unflinching indie drama, Late Bloomers , premiered at South By Southwest last year and will get a wide release later this year. She will also star in Mike Flanagan 's latest Stephen King adaptation, The Life of Chuck . Chao can next be seen in the Amy Adams horror comedy Nightbitch , and will lend her voice to the upcoming DC Comics animated series Creature Commandos , Richardson can currently be heard in the second season of the Max animated series Velma , and is slated to appear in the Paramount+-original Star Trek film, Section 31 , later this year. Greenfield currently stars in the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood alongside Cedric the Entertainer ; it was renewed for a seventh season earlier this month. After wrapping up the long-running Riverdale last year, Apa is next slated to star in the action thriller One Fast Move alongside Eric Dane and Edward James Olmos . Begley Jr. recurs on Young Sheldon as Dr. Linkletter, and is slated to return for the show's seventh and final season. After starring in Book Club: The Next Chapter last year, Steenburgen is set to star alongside former co-star and husband Malcolm McDowell in the Western Last Train to Fortune .

In addition to directing, Sztykiel will also co-write Let's Have Kids! with wife Ellie Knaus ( Bad Monkey ). He will also produce the film alongside Becky Sloviter ( I Think You Should Leave ), who was recently named the president of Miramax.

Let's Have Kids! is slated to begin production this week; no release date has yet been set .

Star Trek: Discovery Just Brought A Legendary Original Series Episode Back Into The Mix

Let's fly ... away from spoilers . Read no further if you haven't watched the latest episode of "Star Trek: Discovery."

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the strangest of them all? In "Star Trek," that title goes to one of the zaniest concepts ever introduced into the canon: The Mirror Universe. The idea of our alternate selves living completely different lives somewhere out there is no longer the sole domain of perhaps the nerdiest franchise in all of sci-fi (although shows like "For All Mankind," "Foundation," and "3 Body Problem" are creating some stiff competition), the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the best episode of "Community" ever made . Fans might be surprised to find out that many in the scientific community believe the theory is worth discussion these days . But "Trek" put its own unmistakable fingerprints on the multiverse by emphasizing one in particular that stands at odds with the usual Prime Universe -- one that poses a fundamentally moral dilemma between the paragons of Starfleet we know and love, and the absolute worst versions of themselves.

It doesn't come as a huge surprise that "Star Trek: Discovery" would use its final season to travel full circle and return to the Mirror Universe that played such a significant role back in season 1 (even if, ironically, there might be a parallel universe out there where we were able to see  former showrunner Bryan Fuller's more complex and nuanced take on it ). But what's sure to shock and delight longtime fans in episode 5, aptly titled "Mirrors," is a deep-cut reference to arguably one of the most influential hours of "Trek" ever made, and the one that introduced the Mirror Universe in the first place.

Read more: Every Star Trek Show And Movie In Chronological Order

A Different Kind Of Black Mirror

There might not be any sinister goatees or chest-baring V-necks in sight throughout this episode of "Discovery," but the lasting effects of "The Original Series" episode "Mirror, Mirror" are plain to see. Upon entering the wormhole that took scavengers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) into multidimensional space, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Book (David Ajala) discover the wrecked remains of their ship ... alongside the still-functioning husk of a familiar-looking Starfleet vessel, emblazoned with the name, "ISS Enterprise." For those who haven't brushed up on their 1967 "Trek" lore (and, quite frankly, shame on you if that's the case), Burnham helpfully points out that this isn't exactly the same starship captained by the fabled James T. Kirk thousands of years ago. It's one that has somehow found its way from the depths of the Mirror Universe (the exact specifics are oddly brushed aside) and remained stranded ever since.

But then "Discovery" goes a step further and hearkens back to "Mirror, Mirror" more thematically. While exploring the derelict ship, Burnham and Book stumble upon information about the previous occupants of the ISS Enterprise and specifically that of a certain Kelpian who rose from a slave to a leader in his own right. That, of course, refers to none other than the Mirror version of Saru (Doug Jones) seen in season 3, whom Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) saved from certain death and pointed towards his proper path. Where the ending of "Mirror, Mirror" suggests that Mirror Spock is still "a man of integrity" despite the ruthlessness of the Empire he serves, "Discovery" reconfirms that even the comically rampant evil of the Mirror Universe is no match for the stubborn idealism of "Trek."

New episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery" stream on Paramount+ every Thursday.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

Global Screen Boards Supernatural Survival Horror ‘The Trek’ (EXCLUSIVE)

By Leo Barraclough

Leo Barraclough

International Features Editor

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Global Screen , the Munich-based international sales outfit, has boarded worldwide sales on “The Trek,” the upcoming first feature from leading South African cinematographer and director Meekaaeel Adam . The film is a horror-Western, in which starvation, suspicion and madness plague a family as they cross the Kalahari Desert under the eyes of primeval spirits.

“The Trek” is set in 1846, when a Dutch-Afrikaans family and their British travel companion set off on a challenging journey through the Kalahari Desert. Along the way, they meet Atshumao, a stoic man of the Khoen people, one of Southern Africa’s original indigenous, nomadic population groups.

Popular on Variety

The film stars an established South African cast which includes Morné Visser (“The Kissing Booth 1,2,3”), well-known comedian Rob van Vuuren (Netflix series “Ludik,” “Slumber Party Massacre,” “Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom,” “The Mauritanian”), Trix Vivier (“Trackers,” “Legacy”), Maurice Carpede (“The Kingdom”), Camilla Borghesani (“Roxy”) and newcomer Leah Lindeque.

Durban-born Adam, whose background includes commercials, music videos and documentaries, has quickly emerged as one of South Africa’s leading young talents since moving into feature films. His first feature as DOP, Apartheid political thriller “The Last Victims” (2019) was recognized with over 20 awards at international festivals including a best cinematography nod at the RapidLion Film Festival, also known as the South African International Film Festival. Adam also recently directed and served as cinematographer for one episode of “Stories of a Generation – With Pope Francis,” the Netflix docu-series that features Martin Scorsese.

Global Screen’s Martin Schneider describes “The Trek” as the kind of special elevated genre cocktail today’s buyers are always on the hunt for: “The film is an innovative blend of historical thriller, survival horror and supernatural elements that draws on authentic Southern African lore and history as well as its unique Kalahari Desert setting. The story also incorporates the complex themes at the forefront of today’s cultural conversations, especially the dark legacy of racism and colonialism.

“Meekaaeel has established himself over the last years as one of South Africa’s best DOP’s and now one of the country’s most exciting up-and-coming directors. His story-centric approach to shooting and commitment to visual storytelling make him the perfect fit for this special genre project. In terms of Meekaaeel’s precision and the visceral nature of his filmmaking, we are reminded of movies like ‘Bone Tomahawk’ by S. Craig Zahler and directors who craft gripping, multilayered genre films with substance as well as scares, like Karyn Kusama or Jeremy Saulnier, also a DOP turned director.”

Adam commented: “The key conflict that the film explores is the oldest one of them all: the struggle over land. Our family of settlers, whose arrival tips the natural balance, are put on a brutal collision course with forces that are bound to protect the land at any cost. Both sides in this conflict stand to lose everything and there’s a feeling of inevitability as each step on their journey strips them of more of their humanity. I think this speaks to the loss of innocence that the colonial project brought about and the importance of looking back so as not to let history repeat itself. A partner like Global Screen – who understands the weight of this story – is indispensable in allowing ‘The Trek’ to be seen by genre and film lovers far beyond South Africa.”

Faithful to South Africa’s multilingual history, the film is majority English language, but also features dialogue in Afrikaans and Khoekhoengowab, a now endangered language that makes heavy use of click consonants.

“The Trek” was written by James C. Williamson, J. Hannah Massyn and Sandulela Asanda. Williamson’s 2020 festival hit “Fried Barry” played Sitges, Fantasia and L’Étrange Film Festival and found distribution in over 70 countries, including deals with Shudder and ShowMax.

“The Trek” will also feature original music from Haezer, one of South Africa’s top electronic musicians.

“The Trek” is currently in post-production and expected to launch at a major film festival in the second half of 2024. The film is produced by Williamson for The Department of Special Projects and Warren Gray for Resistance Pictures in co-production with Alto Media (South Africa), Resistance Pictures (Cape Town), and Sternenberg Films (Germany). It is supported by South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry and National Film and Video Foundation.

“The Trek” reflects a growing focus on genre content for Global Screen, part of the Telepool Group, best known for its expertise with animation, family entertainment and prestige drama. Global Screen’s foray into elevated genre includes the Sandra Hüller led nightmare-thriller “Sleep,” a debut feature by Michael Venus in which the Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated Hüller plays a woman plagued by horrific dreams, which become a never-ending nightmare haunting an entire village community.

Recent genre titles handled also include “You’re Not Me” (Tú No Eres Yo) by Goya-nominated producers Marisa Crespo and Moisés Romera, a Spanish-language satirical thriller, which launched at Fantastic Fest in Austin, before having its international premiere at Imagine Film Festival Amsterdam.

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