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Las Vegas STAR TREK Convention Moves to August 2021

TrekCore Staff
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Las Vegas STAR TREK Convention Moves to August 2021

Well, it was inevitable: after months of speculation, the once-moved annual Las Vegas Star Trek convention has finally been phasered off 2020’s calendar.

First moved from August to December this past summer, today Creation Entertainment announced that this year’s convention is officially not happening, with the event shifted all the way back to August 2021.

For those of you who already purchased tickets for the 2020 events, your tickets will be reissued in 2021 with no need to buy new ones — though you will need to redo your hotel reservations as the event is returning to the Rio Hotel, its traditional home.

In addition, the event’s name is being changed from “The Official Star Trek Convention” to “The 55-Year Mission Tour,” a name change which may signal a nearing end for Creation’s management of Star Trek events.

The company’s regional conventions changed to a similar name when their license was reduced to cover only the primary Las Vegas event several years ago — and this name change seems to indicate that CBS is no longer an official partner in the event.

Here’s their official notice:

During this pandemic crisis, Creation Entertainment remains steadfast in keeping the health and safety of our attendees, celebrities and staff as our top priority. While we had hoped to present our Official Star Trek Convention on December 9-13, 2020, due to ongoing local, federal and international protocols, we are unable to do so.

We will be next returning again to our traditional time of year and will be back in Vegas on a new date: August 11-15, 2021 at the Rio All-Suites Resort Hotel and Casino, and its beautiful state-of-the-art convention center!

The year 2021 marks the 50th Anniversary of Creation Entertainment, the 55th Anniversary of Star Trek, the 20thAnniversary of our convention in Las Vegas and Gene Roddenberry’s 100th birthday year. It’s the perfect time to celebrate and no city is better than Las Vegas to do just that!

We are renaming the convention “Creation Entertainment Presents The 55-Year Mission Tour” (Click here for details). We’ll have over 100 celebrity guests as usual, multiple tracks of non-stop programming, contests, music, cosplay and surprises, plus partying galore. We’ll immerse our attendees into the positive and loving atmosphere with thousands of other fans, as we all celebrate Gene Roddenberry’s legacy. CBS is not an official partner of this event.

If you wish to hold your same reserved seat or general admission, you do not need to do anything. Your tickets and same seating will be transferred to the new 2021 date and updated tickets will be sent to you via the email address you used at the time of purchase within a few weeks. Your 2020 ticket will no longer be valid.

The company is offering refunds through October 27 as needed. More details on the rescheduling and ticketholder options can be found at Creation Entertainment’s website.

New STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 3 Cast Photos Arrive

TrekCore Staff
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New STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 3 Cast Photos Arrive

We’re just days away from the long-awaited return of the USS Discovery and its intrepid crew, after their departure from the 23rd century in April 2019 — and ahead of the October 15 Season 3 premiere, we’ve got look at even more new Star Trek: Discovery photos from the new year of episodes!

After yesterday’s release of new images from “That Hope is You, Part 1” — Thursday’s premiere episode — a set of character-focused images of the Discovery crew have just beamed down from CBS, by way of IGN’s exclusive reveal this morning.

Several of our heroes are sporting new oval-shaped Starfleet delta first seen back in August, a sign that Discovery herself will become part of the far-future’s Federation fleet — in whatever form that may take.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Commander Michael Burnham. (CBS All Access)
Mary Wiseman as Ensign Sylvia Tilly. (CBS All Access)
Doug Jones as Acting Captain Saru. (CBS All Access)
Michelle Yeoh as Section 31 agent Philippa Georgiou. (CBS All Access)
Anthony Rapp as Lt. Commander Paul Stamets. (CBS All Access)
Blu del Barrio as newcomer Adira — a resident of the 32nd century. (CBS All Access)
Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber. (CBS All Access)
David Ajala as newcomer Cleveland “Book” Booker — a resident of the 32nd century. (CBS All Access)
Book with his cat, Grudge. (CBS All Access)
Grudge the cat, Book’s pet. (CBS All Access)
Michael Burnham and Cleveland “Book” Booker, who team up in the future. (CBS All Access)

Not pictured here, but appearing in Discovery Season 3, include additional recurring castmembers Tig Notaro (as Jet Reno), Emily Coutts (as Keyla Detmer), Oyin Oladejo (as Joann Owosekun), Patrick Kwok-Choon (as Gen Rhyse), Ronnie Rowe Jr. (as R.A. Bryce), Sara Mitich (as Lt. Nillson), Raven Dauda (as Dr. Tracy Pollard), and Rachael Ancheril as Commander Nhan, whose credit has been upped to regular-cast status this year.

What do you think about our Starfleet crew and their new looks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Star Trek: Discovery returns for its third season on October 15, exclusively on CBS All Access (USA) and CTV Sci Fi Channel (Canada); the series premieres October 16 on Netflix for all other global regions.

New STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season Premiere Photos: “That Hope is You, Part 1”

TrekCore Staff
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New STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season Premiere Photos: “That Hope is You, Part 1”

After nearly 18 months of waiting, Star Trek: Discovery finally returns for its third season this week with “That Hope is You, Part 1” which launches the new year of episodes following the Discovery crew’s voyage into the far future.

Landing in the 32nd century — in the year 3188, to be precise — Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) crashes to a desolate planet where she meets Cleveland “Book” Booker (new castmember David Ajala), who introduces her to the new universe in which Star Trek: Discovery will take place.

This is the first episode from Discovery production’s location travel to Iceland, which stands in for the alien planet visited in this new storyline.

Here are eight new photos from the Season 3 premiere, along with eight previously-released images:

Finally, if you didn’t catch it at the end of the Star Trek: Lower Decks season finale, here’s a new preview for the upcoming season, along with a clip from the opening moments of the season premiere that was released during last week’s virtual New York Comic Con event.

THAT HOPE IS YOU, PART 1 — Arriving 930 years in the future, Burnham navigates a galaxy she no longer recognizes while searching for the rest of the U.S.S. Discovery crew.

Written by: Michelle Paradise & Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman
Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi

Star Trek: Discovery returns Thursday, October 15 with “That Hope is You, Part 1” on CBS All Access and CTV Sci-Fi Channel. International distribution begins October 16 on Netflix in all other global regions.

Alex Kurtzman Says DISCOVERY Has “Years and Years” Still Ahead; Starting to Map STAR TREK Franchise Out to 2027

Ken Reilly
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Alex Kurtzman Says DISCOVERY Has “Years and Years” Still Ahead; Starting to Map STAR TREK Franchise Out to 2027

We’re just a few days away from the new season of Star Trek: Discovery — delayed for months after the coronavirus pandemic impacted the series’ post-production schedule — and today, a new interview with Discovery showrunner and overall Star Trek franchise boss Alex Kurtzman includes some optimistic news for the future of series… and Star Trek as a whole.

Speaking today with The Hollywood Reporter’s TV’s Top 5 podcast, Kurtzman spent some time talking about many of the things we’ve heard him discuss before — diversity in the franchise, this time in the wake of the casting of Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander; the need to make every new Trek series different to avoid view fatigue after announcing Kate Mulgrew’s participation in the animated Star Trek: Prodigy kids’ show, and so forth.

But in addition to those familiar comments, Kurtzman also got two direct questions about the future of the franchise from THR hosts Daniel Fienberg and Lesley Goldberg: how much longer will Star Trek: Discovery be around, and how far does the horizon stretch ahead for the Star Trek franchise as a whole?

Alex Kurtzman directing “Brother,” the DISCOVERY Season 2 premiere. (CBS All Access)

We already know that Star Trek: Discovery is in active pre-production for it’s not-actually-announced fourth season, and Kurtzman himself has already mentioned “future seasons of Discovery” in public interviews — but today the big boss was much more explicit about the fate of the flagship series.

I’m going to say, in all honesty, there are years and years left on DISCOVERY.

I think that because STAR TREK, in general, has had a long history of going something like seven seasons minimum, and we just jumped into the future… it’s not that it’s a brand new show, but it’s a whole new set of variables with a whole new set of ideas and stories, and I don’t think we limit ourselves to thinking, “Oh, we’re capped at this place.”

I’ll tell you, when the show starts to feel stale to us, we will be rallying to stop it — but for now it doesn’t feel like we are running into a shortage of stories.

On top of that — in the wake of already-known additional seasons of Discovery, Lower Decks, Picard, the soon-to-film Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Series, the in-production animated show Star Trek: Prodigy, the still-in-development Section 31 Section 31 series with Michelle Yeoh, and whatever else may be in the pipeline — Kurtzman revealed for the first time that what was once a five-year-plan for the franchise has already started to stretch further into the future… to a target out ten years from where things launched in 2017.

Heather Kaden and Aaron Baiers, who work with me at Secret Hideout — we literally just got of a call with the network mapping out [plans for STAR TREK] through 2027.

Now when I say that, it’s not like it’s set in stone. It’s just, “Here’s a plan. Here’s what we’re looking at. Here’s how the different shows are going to drop.”

Consider the fact that it takes a year from inception — from starting production — to airing, you have to plan way, way, way in advance to get these things done, and you have to stay on top of the zeitgeists and make sure that what you’re doing is relevant.

So you have to plan so far in advance now in different kinds of ways [like safety and budget] to seem loose and improvisational, but there’s nothing loose and improvisational about it.

That ‘loose and improvisational’ note, by the way, can apply to the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds green-light that will give Anson Mount and company their own series.

While certainly fans reacted well to his take on Captain Pike, and hoped for more adventures featuring his time aboard the USS Enterprise, plans for a Pike-crew series were in the works well ahead of the May 2020 announcement — rumors put it in the works as back as during the production of Discovery Season 2 before fans even saw his performance.

DISCOVERY co-showrunner Michelle Paradise works with Kurtzman in the Secret Hideout offices. (CBS All Access)

Though the future of the franchise is looking rosy, the future of Star Trek production on the other hand is definitely becoming a challenge in the current pandemic-affected world; Kurtzman spoke at length about the difficulties the cast and crew will be facing as they return to the Toronto soundstages for filming, ahead of active production on both Discovery Season 4 and Strange New Worlds Season 1.

We just started shooting a new [non-STAR TREK] show and it’s been a real learning curve just in the three days that we’ve been doing it. the great news is that it’s very doable, but it is a highly, highly militarized operation.

Everything is different. Everything is slower, between testing and… you know, your set doesn’t function like the set used to function. There are groups that are vetted by the unions; ‘pods’ within the groups themselves; there are rotations in and out — of people — so that if somebody gets sick in your pod, the pod just gets removed and another pod gets pushed in but it doesn’t infect the whole group.

It is a massive, massive, militarized operation, and we haven’t even started that yet on a STAR TREK show. So there’s gonna be a learning curve — but there’s nothing more important than the safety of our crew, and with things being slower, I think all networks and studios are recognizing that shows now become exponentially more expensive… not because of the budgets of the shows themselves, but because of the PPE required to keep the crews safe, which was never factored into the show budget.

All of us, every showrunner is dealing with having to face that down and figure out how to still produce a show of quality while also dealing with that, that very real issue.

Sonequa Martin-Green, Kurtzman, and producer Heather Kadin in October 2019. (The Paley Center for the Media)

On top of the wildly-expensive budgetary needs for a show like Star Trek to produce new episodes in the best of times, the producer shared a lot of fascinating insights into what it takes to protect the filming crews on set — and how much cash it takes to do it.

I’m going to give you a rough number and say that it’s something like between $300,000 and $500,000 additional per episode [for PPE safety gear]. That’s just for keeping people safe, and that’s not a number you can skimp on…

…there are so many things we’re learning, [and] there’s no show that’s not worth keeping people safe for — that’s the goal.

[…]

I will say, honestly, that the whole rule is how few people can you have on set — in terms of who absolutely needs to be there. There should be no extraneous [people] or anything on set. So for me, given the fact that I’m working on multiple shows a day, I actually am live-linked with set from [my computer].

I watch the dailies as they get shot. I’m literally watching the dailies and the shooting, and I can give notes to the director as we go. So the director doesn’t need me sitting over her shoulder, you know; it’s easier to text and we’re learning new ways to communicate. I think everybody’s going to be going through a version of that.

It’ll be different when I’m directing. When I’m directing, you know, I’ll be the person on set, but the number one rule is just, “Who doesn’t need to be there?”

Kurtzman poses for photos with a fan at the STAR TREK: PICARD German premiere in January 2020. (Amazon)

Finally, as it comes to future seasons of Star Trek production, Kurtzman admitted that even the already fewer-than-preferred standard episode count of thirteen-per-season may not be possible under COVID-19 conditions, due to the vast amount of extra time it takes to remotely produce — and post-produce — the shows.

I don’t think [thirteen episodes would be] impossible, but we may say, “Okay, let’s do ten instead of thirteen,” just because between the time it takes to shoot these and then the post — it is quite literally a year from the beginning of shooting to the release of our STAR TREK shows, because it’s really like posting a movie.

Forget about how complicated it is to shoot the shows — you’ve got like a minimum of eight to ten months of [post-production] on the shows because of the visual effects. So it’s a huge turnaround, and we have to look at things like [script] page count.

That’s been a big thing. Usually you don’t have to think about that on [a streaming show], but now you really do — because you’re thinking about having to make your days in a different way, and how much time you actually have to make your days.

Would you rather burn through a lot of scenes and not get the coverage you need, or do fewer scenes and take more time with them? Every script poses a different problem. It’s not like we’re always in one location.

So it’s a learning curve. We’re all experiencing a new learning curve.

While we’re all clamoring for what’s coming next for Star Trek after Discovery finishes airing its third season in January, it’s clear that aside from whatever animation work may be done over at the Lower Decks and Prodigy wings of the franchise, it’s going to be quite a wait for another round of live-action Trek adventures.

Hopefully, we’ll get to see them sooner than later — but if it takes longer to make sure everyone involved can stay safe, we’re happy to wait it out.

Star Trek: Discovery returns with its third-season premiere, “That Hope Is You,” on October 15 on CBS All Access, CTV Sci Fi Channel, and Crave; it will debut in all other global regions October 16 on Netflix.

Get that Coffee Brewing! Kate Mulgrew Returns as Kathryn Janeway in STAR TREK: PRODIGY

TrekCore Staff
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Eighteen years after her last appearance in Star Trek: Nemesis, we’ve just learned that the most caffiene-fueled Starfleet officer will be back in uniform — in animated form, anyway — when Star Trek: Prodigy beams down to Nickelodeon in 2021!

Star Trek: Voyager legend Kate Mulgrew is officially returning to the role of Kathryn Janeway in next year’s Star Trek: Prodigy kids’ series, revealed today during the Star Trek Universe virtual panel held by New York Comic Con.

After seven years in the Delta Quadrant aboard the USS Voyager and a promotion to the admiralty (as seen in Nemesis and the Borg 4-D Experience at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas), Mulgrew is once more voicing the Indiana-born Starfleet officer as part of the franchise’s next expansion into the animated arena.

NICKELODEON AND CBS STUDIOS ANNOUNCE
KATE MULGREW’S RETURN AS CAPTAIN JANEWAY
IN UPCOMING ANIMATED SERIES ‘STAR TREK: PRODIGY’

Nickelodeon and CBS Studios today announced that Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager) will reprise her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway in Nickelodeon’s all-new animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. The news was revealed today as a surprise announcement during the Star Trek Universe virtual panel at New York Comic Con. Additional casting news will be announced in the coming months.

Kate Mulgrew stated, “I have invested every scintilla of my being in Captain Janeway, and I can’t wait to endow her with nuance that I never did before in Star Trek: Prodigy. How thrilling to be able to introduce to these young minds an idea that has elevated the world for decades. To be at the helm again is going to be deeply gratifying in a new way for me.”

Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman said, “Captain Janeway was held to a different standard than her predecessors. She was asked to embody an inhuman level of perfection in order to be accepted as ‘good enough’ by the doubters, but showed them all what it means to be truly outstanding. We can think of no better captain to inspire the next generation of dreamers on Nickelodeon, than she.”

“Kate’s portrayal of Captain Janeway is truly iconic, and has resonated with a global audience for many years,” said Ramsey Naito, President, Nickelodeon Animation. “We can’t wait to see her bring this character to life in a whole new way, while continuing to be an inspiration for both new and loyal fans.”

Admiral Janeway sends the Enterprise-E to Romulus in “Star Trek: Nemesis.”

While we still don’t quote know when the series will be set — based on today’s news, we’re assuming it will be after Janeway’s return from the Delta Quadrant — this can pretty clearly rule out speculation of a 23rd Century setting for the show.

Star Trek: Prodigy will be the second vehicle to showcase a returning Voyager character, after Jeri Ryan’s reprisal as Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard earlier this year — and as an animated show, it seems likely (as with Star Trek: Lower Decks) that Mulgrew is likely not the only familiar voice we’ll hear in the upcoming series.

What do you think of today’s casting news for Star Trek: Prodigy? Are you excited to see how Kathryn Janeway will be apart of the kid-catered storyines? Let us know in the comments below!

Check Out This New STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 3 Trailer, Plus: A Sneak Peak of the Season Premiere!

TrekCore Staff
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Check Out This New STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 3 Trailer, Plus: A Sneak Peak of the Season Premiere!

We’re just a week away from the long-awaited return of Star Trek: Discovery, and today we have not one but two new looks at the upcoming third season for you to pour over as the final days count down!

First, at the end of this week’s Star Trek: Lower Decks finale, CBS All Access debuted a new trailer for the upcoming season, which includes a look at Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) back in command gold aboard the Discovery, adventures with newcomer Book (David Ajala), and the starship Discovery itself both crashing to a planet’s surface, and kicking into the mycelial network with their unique spore drive engine.

On top of that new preview, as part of today’s virtual New York Comic Con panel, CBS has also just released a new clip from the upcoming season premiere — entitled “That Hope is You” — featuring Michael Burnham’s arrival to the far future, still wearing her Red Angel suit from the Season 2 finale, as she collides with the ship piloted by Cleveland “Book” Booker on her way out of the time-travel wormhole.

As they both fall to the nearby planet’s surface following their mid-space collision, Burnham has to fight to get the Red Angel suit’s protective systems back online before she crashes…

Keep an eye out for any more Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 news as it breaks here at TrekCore, and you can watch the entire New York Comic Con virtual panel here!

The entire 13-episode third season of Star Trek: Discovery kicks off next Thursday with “That Hope is You” on CBS All Access, CTV SciFi Channel and Crave, following globally on Netflix on Friday, October 16.

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Review: “No Small Parts”

Alex Perry
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STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Review: “No Small Parts”

with Jim Moorhouse and Ken Reilly

Star Trek: Lower Decks concludes its ten-episode first season with a barnstormer of a season finale that delivers on the laughs, the feels, and the surprises — all while providing a perfect cap to the season that nods back to each of the previous nine episodes. The first season of Lower Decks has been a triumph, and “No Small Parts” is no exception.

Responding to a distress call from the USS Solvang, the Cerritos is attacked by Pakled traders — who have upgraded their technology significantly since the Enterprise encountered them in The Next Generation — and the crew must work together to avoid the destruction of the Cerritos.

The Cerritos is overwhelmed by Packled forces. (CBS All Access)

Major spoilers for the Lower Decks season finale below! 

There is a lot packed into the 27 minutes of this episode, but it all feels earned and explicitly builds upon the characters and stories that have been developed over the first season. A number of characters and their relationships are moved onto the next stages: Boimler gets that promotion he wanted, Mariner and Freeman finally learn to see the value each other brings to the table, and we’re given a finale that feels truly consequential.

It remains to be seen how much of it will hold. It seems unlikely, for example, that Boimler will remain aboard the Titan for very long, and that Rutherford will be out of commission for more than a few episodes next season.

Shaxs is with the Prophets now. (CBS All Access)

For an animated comedy, though — where the format typically keeps its characters’ development stuck in amber (like in The Simpsons, American Dad, Family Guy, and the like) — the decision to kill off a major character like Shaxs is a big one; a surprisingly poignant move showcasing that the characters on Lower Decks have earned your emotions as well as your laughs.

And in the season’s waning minutes, we get two big legacy character appearances, of course, as Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Commander Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) — truly the Stan Lees of the Trek franchise — come riding to the rescue on the USS Titan, a ship we finally get to see on-screen after 18 years.

Captain Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Commander Troi (Marina Sirtis) arrive just in time. (CBS All Access)

Following the Star Trek: Picard season finale back in March, this is the second time we’ve had Captain Riker save the day — a moment we certainly enjoyed! — but the feeling of didn’t-this-just-happen? have been a bit less prevalent if Lower Decks was airing in it’s originally-planned schedule following Star Trek: Discovery Season 3.

That said, while it’s always a joy to see Riker and Troi back in action, this time in animated form, it’s a true thrill to finally see the Luna-class USS Titan (NCC-80102) in canon for the first time.

Introduced in cover artwork for Simon & Schuster’s Star Trek: Titan novel series, the fan-designed starship created by artist Sean Tourangeau is a beautiful ship finally made ‘real’ with it’s first-ever on-screen appearance in Lower Decks — three years after Eaglemoss brought the book-cover-only design to the physical world as part of the Official Starships Collection.

The Luna-class USS TITAN (NCC-80102), finally seen on-screen. (CBS All Access)

Trek Trope Tributes

  • In the opening visit to Beta III, Captain Freeman tells Landru to be quiet or she will “paradox you into destroying yourself,” which is effectively how Kirk and Spock defeated Landru the first time around in “The Return of the Archons,” along with a few other adventures featuring Those Old Scientists.
     
  • Captain Freeman has conversations with both Ransom and Mariner during this episode about the common trope of Starfleet fixing a problem on a planet, leaving, and not bothering to follow up and see if the problem remains fixed.

Canon Connections

Landru and The Red Hour

The episode begins with the Cerritos revisiting Beta III, where Landru (“The Return of the Archons”) has once again taken control of the planet’s population.

Gamesters of Triskelion

Freeman tells Ransom that she “hate[s] seeing a perfectly good society get destroyed by a Gamester of Triskelion or whatever,” referencing the Gamesters from the episode of the same name.

Pakleds and the Kalla System

Lower Decks reintroduced the Pakleds! And though significantly upgraded “with the weapons from 30 different species” — including Bajoran, Romulan, and Ferengi — the nose of their new behemoths are recognizably the same ship that the Enterprise first made contact with in “Samaritan Snare.”

The main events of this episode take place in the Kalla System, which was referenced to be a part of Pakled territory in The Next Generation episode “Firstborn.”

Exocomp

“No Small Parts” features a new crew member for the Cerritos – an Exocomp named Peanut Hamper. The Exocomps were introduced in The Next Generation episode “The Quality of Life,” as robots with emerging sentience.

That sentience has extended to the point where they can join Starfleet *and* piss off their dads.

Parents in Starfleet

While trying to determine what the impact will be of the crew knowing that Mariner is Freeman’s daughter, Mariner mentions that Wesley Crusher worked with his mother aboard the Enterprise, and “maybe everyone will be cool with it!”

It quickly becomes clear they are not cool with it.

First Contact Day

Ransom says the Pakleds are carving up the Cerritos like a “First Contact Day salmon,” referring to the holiday celebrating first contact between the humans and the Vulcans.

Mariner’s Contraband

Mariner’s contraband, stored in the walls of the ship, includes a club used by Worf to fight on the holodeck, a fencing sword, her bloody bat’leth from “Second Contact,” and even the infamous Spock Helmet!

Starfleet Funeral

Shax’s funeral mirrors that of others seen in Star Trek (“The Sound of Her Voice,” “Tears of the Prophets,” Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) by featuring a torpedo coffin with a Federation flag draped over it.

Armus

“I’m going to feed you to an Armus!” Mariner tells Boimler after he accepts a promotion to the Titan. This is the second reference this season to the creature who killed Tasha Yar in “Skin of Evil,” another first-season story where the lead ship’s security chief is killed.

Saurian

The USS Titan has a Saurian first officer. Saurians have been seen most recently in Star Trek: Discovery, where Lieutenant Linus is a member of the Discovery crew.

These Are The Voyages…

Riker apparently continues to enjoy watching the adventures of Captain Archer’s Enterprise NX-01 on the holodeck.

“I was watching the first Enterprise on the holodeck,” he says. “You know, Archer and those guys? What a story. Those guys had a long road, getting from there to here.” Yes, folks, Faith of the Heart is now canon.

[td_smart_list_end]

Other Observations

  • In a nice tribute to The Animated Series, in the opening sequence on Beta III Captain Freeman is holding a PADD with pictures of Kirk and Spock in their Filmation animation designs, right out of the 1970’s show.
     
  • Ransom – like us – refers to the 2260’s as “the TOS era,” but rather than meaning The Original Series like us fans he means ‘Those Old Scientists’ – you know, Spock, Scotty etc. who discovered a lot of new civilizations!
     
  • This episode adds another California-class ship to the fleet (briefly) – the USS Solvang, commanded by Captain Dayton who previously appeared in “Much Ado About Boimler” commanding the ill-fated USS Rubidoux.
     
  • “No Small Parts” has references to each of the season’s previous nine episodes, demonstrating how – despite being episodic – each episode built on the last to bring us to this big, exciting finale.
Those Old Scientists. (CBS All Access)
  • The Enterprise has a Captain Picard Day – and apparently, the Cerritos has a Captain Freeman Day.
     
  • It’s unclear if Badgey met his end in this episode or not, but it’s cool that Lower Decks has its own recurring holographic villain with a particular grudge against one of our heroes.
     
  • The Titan crew are all wearing the First Contact-era uniforms, implying that Starfleet has two uniform styles in use at the same time — certainly something we’ve seen before in live-action Star Trek shows.
     
  • Boimler has a circular image — a collectors plate, maybe? — of Commander Ransom on display in his quarters aboard the Titan.
     
  • Captain Freeman is not a fan of shiny ship upgrades; “I hate it when a ship gets repaired and comes out looking all Sovereign-class,” she tells the starbase engineer.
Lieutenant j.g. Bradward Boimler, helmsman of the USS Titan. (CBS All Access)

Now with all ten episodes available to view, I believe that Star Trek: Lower Decks has had one of the strongest first seasons of any Star Trek show to date. The characters have resonated, the show has taken interesting and unique approaches to Star Trek staples, and most importantly, it’s been funny. I absolutely cannot wait for the second season (already in production).

Now, give me warp — in the factor of five, six, seven, eight!

New Images From the STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Season Finale: “No Small Parts”

TrekCore Staff
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New Images From the STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Season Finale: “No Small Parts”

This week brings us to the tenth and final of Star Trek: Lower Decks’ premiere season, and we’ve got a round of new photos from “No Small Parts” here for your review today!

In this new episode, Ensign Boimler (Jack Quaid) spills the beans on Ensign Mariner’s (Tawny Newsome) secret — that she’s the daughter of the Cerritos’ captain — while Ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) tries out some new functions of his Vulcan implant, and Ensign Tendi (Noel Wells) teams up with an Exocomp crewmember, a sentient device first seen in TNG’s “The Quality of Life.”

Here are eight new photos from this week’s season finale:

Finally, if you didn’t catch it at the end of “Crisis Point,” here’s the preview for this coming week’s season finale episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.

NO SMALL PARTS — Season finale. The U.S.S. Cerritos encounters a familiar enemy. Tendi helps a struggling recruit find her footing.

Written by Mike McMahan. Directed by Barry J. Kelly.

Star Trek: Lower Decks returns for its Season 1 finale on Thursday, October 8 with “No Small Parts” on CBS All Access and CTV Sci-Fi Channel. International distribution for the series has not yet been announced.

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Review: “Crisis Point”

Alex Perry
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STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Review: “Crisis Point”

with Jim Moorhouse and Ken Reilly

After parodying a classic Star Trek trial episode in last week’s “Veritas,” this week’s “Crisis Point” sets its sights much higher — parodying the thirteen Star Trek movies — to hilarious effect.

After being ordered to go to therapy, Ensign Mariner (Tawny Newsome) discovers that Boimler (Jack Quaid) has developed a holodeck program of the Cerritos crew, and decides to create some therapy of her own by developing a scenario in which she can act out her frustrations with her mother, Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis)… taking her lower-decker crewmates along for the ride.

“Crisis Point” is a loving send-up of the Star Trek movies, with fun moments and tics that are unique to the films. And with only one episode left this season, it helps that we’ve had time to get to know the Cerritos characters and what makes them tick as Mariner pushes her rebelliousness to the absolute brink, and discovers she doesn’t much like what she finds there.

Structured around the movie spoofing — including a multitude of Kelvin Timeline-esque lens flares — “Crisis Point” is a Mariner story, as Lower Decks continues to explore the psyche of a character whose natural inclination is to push back as far and as quickly as she can from the strictures of her mother, and of Starfleet. Mariner creates a holodeck program in which she portrays the villain, ‘Vindicta,’ invading, crashing, and ultimately leading to the destruction of the holographic Cerritos.

Mariner’s reckless behavior is too much even for her friends; even fun-loving Tendi (Noel Wells) leaves the holodeck in disgust after witnessing how Mariner is acting out her fantasies. But ultimately, it’s Mariner — or rather, the simulated version of the character within the Cerritos holodeck program — who causes the real Mariner to see that she’s gone too far.

While literally facing off against herself but in the position of the villain, Mariner realizes she really does enjoy being in Starfleet, that she’s the person who insists on casting herself as the villain, and that she would prefer to be the heroic simulation of the character and not the evil Vindicta.

I’m not sure the “Mariner realizes she needs to tone it down” storyline has too much more life in it without some growth or evolution to the character, but the exploration we’ve gotten for the character through nine episodes this season has been fascinating. Mariner is both the reckless rebel and the Kirk-like skilled Starfleet officer, and there is literally a fight taking place within her between those two personas. That was, quite literally, the plot of this week’s episode!

In addition to Mariner’s character growth, there are also nice moments for Tendi and Rutherford. We’ve known Tendi is an Orion since the series pilot, but this is the first episode to really address why she differs from the previous portrayals of Orions in Star Trek as, in Tendi’s own words, “capitalist, hyper-libertarian gangster pirates.” Many Orions are like that, Tendi explains, but just not her.

It’s a sweet moment, and I’m glad it came nine episodes in rather than right up front to allow the character to establish herself rather than just serve as a proxy for what we think we know about Orions.

And in another moment where Lower Decks turns a traditional comedy trope on its head — in this case the idea that you have a free pass to tell your boss anything you want —  and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) uses that opportunity to tell Chief Engineer Billups (Paul Scheer) how much he admires him. I would enjoy seeing the Rutherford/Billups bromance (or something more?) translate from the holodeck and into the actual show. It was sweet.

Trek Trope Tributes

  • Mariner fights a holographic version of herself, representing one of many times in Star Trek where a character has faced off against themselves (“The Enemy Within,” “Whom Gods Destroy,” “Second Chances,” “Deadlock,” Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, et al).
     
  • “Time to take this puppy off its leash. Warp me!” is a funny moment that plays off all the big inspiring-captain moments from the Star Trek movies — as well as Captain Freeman’s attempt to create her own catchphrase (“Warp me!”) as seen in opening teaser of “Envoys.”
     
  • So. Many. Beautiful. Lens. Flares.
     
  • Vindicta joins Khan and Chang as yet another Trek movie villain who enjoys quoting Shakespeare to our heroes.
     
  • The Cerritos has a giant door that drops during an emergency that requires the crew to evacuate from the ship.

  • Mariner begins her script rewrite with the line: “Interior. Rickety catwalk. Night.” There have been many rickety bridges and catwalks seen on Trek throughout the years (“Second Chances,” “Caretaker,” Star Trek: Nemesis), but most famously the one resulting in Captain Kirk’s death in Star Trek: Generations, a moment alluded to during Mariner-as-Vindicta’s battle with her holographic duplicate.
     
  • Like all great Star Trek movies, our hero ship crashes (like the various Enterprise destructions in The Search for Spock, Generations, and Star Trek Beyond)… but in classic Lower Decks style, the saucer section just gets rolled around the planet’s surface like a tossed coin.
     
  • The opening and closing credits to Mariner’s holodeck program riffs on the previous Star Trek movies – the opening music is a Lower Decks twist on the musical overature at the start of The Wrath of Khan, with the crew’s closing sign-off straight out of The Undiscovered Country.
     
  • The final reveal, that perhaps Vindicta survived the destruction of the Cerritos, complete with the camera pushing in through a forest towards a torpedo-like capsule, is of course a fun reference to the closing shot of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Canon Connections

Xon

In a real fourth-wall-breaking moment, Mariner describes Boimler as “Kind of a Xon to be honest – probably weren’t going to make the final cut,” referring to the Vulcan science officer slated to star in the aborted Star Trek: Phase II sequel series, who was replaced by Spock for The Motion Picture when Leonard Nimoy agreed to return.

David Gautreaux, who was cast as Xon for ‘Phase II,’ later appeared as Commander Branch on the Epislon IX station, killed by V’Ger in ‘The Motion Picture.’

Leonardo da Vinci

Apparently, Starfleet holodecks have a standard Leonardo da Vinci program, as the Cerritos’ version of the famous Renaissance artist matches that of the da Vinci who made friends with Janeway aboard the USS Voyager, played by veteran character actor John Rhys Davies in “Scorpion” and “Concerning Flight.”

Pah Wraiths

Shax refers to the Bajoran demons featured prominently in ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ when he tells Vindicta that, “When you get to hell, tell the Pah Wraiths that Shax sent ya… special delivery straight from Bajor!”

Orions

Tendi explains that the Orions, previously seen in ‘Star Trek’ as slavers, pirates, and rebels, “haven’t been pirates for over…FIVE YEARS.” And she accurately describes many of the members of her race as “capitalist, hyper-libertarian gangster pirates.”

Holodeck Matter

When Tendi leaves the holodeck, the blood spattered on her from the simulation immediately disappears. This matches the way in which the holodeck has been seen to function in episodes such as TNG’s “Ship in a Bottle,” as well as when the EMH leaves his sickbay on Voyager without his mobile emitter (“Projections”).

Toby the Targ

Vindicta tells simulated Mariner she knows her Halloween costume for many years was Toby the Targ.

B’Elanna Torres was established to have a Toby the Targ plush, and it was later revealed in the ‘Voyager’ episode “Author, Author” to be a popular line of children’s stories. (Molly O’Brien had a plush targ as well, though named “Piggy” — we’ll buy that it’s the same character!)

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Other Observations

  • The planet that Mariner ‘liberates’ in the cold open features mammalian and reptilian characters who, while they are not referred to as such, look a lot like the Anticans and the Selay from TNG’s first-season episode “Lonely Among Us.”
     
  • Paul F. Tompkins, who co-hosts the official Star Trek podcast The Pod Directive with Tawny Newsome, voiced food-focused avian psychotherapist Dr. Migleemo aboard the Cerritos. (“It’s the 80’s, dude! We don’t have psychiatric problems!”)
     
  • Cerritos improv speaker Winger Bingston, Jr., receives a special ‘and’ credit in the Crisis Point holo-movie opening titles.
     
  • When the Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta holoprogram begins, the aspect ratio of the episode changes to more closely match that of the Star Trek movies.
     
  • In addition to the music, credit sequences, lens flares, and aspect ratios, the episode features another movie-going tribute in the very subtle grainy lines and splotchy film effects drawn into the animation throughout the holodeck’s film simulation. A beautiful touch.

  • The spoof of the Enterprise shuttle approach scene from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, here featuring an endless loop of spinning images of the Cerritos, might be one of the funniest scenes in the show to date.
     
  • Jean-Luc Picard may have won the Academy marathon as a Freshman back in the day, but Captain Carol Freeman holds the Academy hydro-scoot speed record.
     
  • When the simulated crew walks onto the bridge of the Cerritos, you can hear the distinctive sound effects of the Kelvin Timeline USS Enterprise playing in the background — and it’s lighting-filled warp trail comes right out of the final moments of Star Trek Into Darkness.
     
  • Vindicta’s ship looks quite like a a modified Klingon D-7 battlecruiser.
     
  • “You can do all sorts of beaming stuff in a movie!” Rutherford stammers, a sly wink at one of the more criticized parts of Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness, where characters seem to beam halfway across the galaxy when the plot demands it.

Star Trek: Lower Decks gears up for its season finale with a strong penultimate entry to the year, masterfully spoofing what we love — and what we love to hate — about Star Trek movies, all while also delivering us another character study of Mariner and the internal conflict waging within her.

I am curious how the episode’s final act, in which Boimler discovers that Mariner is Freeman’s daughter, will play into the season finale — or the forthcoming second season — of the show. I can’t believe there’s only one more episode to go this season!

Star Trek: Lower Decks returns on October 8 with the tenth and final episode of its first season on CBS All Access in the United States and CTV Sci Fi Channel in Canada. Additional international availability for the series has not yet been announced.

Win a Copy of STAR TREK: PICARD Season 1 on Blu-ray!

TrekCore Staff
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10
Win a Copy of STAR TREK: PICARD Season 1 on Blu-ray!

We’re just a few days away from the first season of Star Trek: Picard beaming down on Blu-ray in the United States, and it’s time for a few of our loyal TrekCore readers to win a copy as we head into the fall!

This contest has ended and winners have been notified.

 

Landing on October 6, the three-disc Blu-ray set features over 2 hours of bonus features on top of the ten first-season episodes — including the Short Trek prequel tale “Children of Mars,” making its way to physical media for the first time.

Thanks to our friends at Paramount and CBS Home Entertainment, we’re about to make your month as we’ve got six copies of Star Trek: Picard Season 1 to give away to half a dozen of our American readers, and all you have to do is follow the steps below for your chance to win!

Join us on social media and answer the following question:

You can enter by sharing your answer in one of two ways!

Follow us on Twitter and tweet @TrekCore using the hashtag #PicardBlu…

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…or you can follow us on Facebook and then leave a comment on this post.

You have until midnight (Eastern time) on Monday, October 5 to get your entry in — we’ll reach out to the six winners via Twitter or Facebook after the contest closes to arrange for fulfillment.

*   *   *   *

Due to restrictions from the distributor of this Blu-ray release, this contest is limited to entrants in the United States only. Good luck to all who enter!

The comments section of this article will not be considered for contest entries.

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