In addition, stick around to listen to Marina’s wish to know the premiere date for Star Trek: Prodigy and Alex’s wish that attendees at the convention in Las Vegas this week have a fun, and safe, experience.
WeeklyTrek is available to subscribe and download each week on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify— and we’ll be sharing the details of each new episode right here on TrekCore each week if you’re simply just looking to listen in from the web.
Do you have a wish or theory you’d like to share on the show? Tweet to Alex at @WeeklyTrek, or email us with your thoughts about wishes, theories, or anything else about the latest in Star Trek news!
ViacomCBS continues to grow that ‘Paramount Mountain,’ as the company announced today yet another expansion into new international territories.
Following June’s announcement that the streaming service will extend south to Latin America this fall, the Paramount+ library will be heading abroad into Europe in 2022, partnering with local telecom Sky as part of “a new multi-year distribution agreement that also includes the extended carriage of ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of pay TV channels and the renewal of Sky as an ad sales partner in select markets.”
This new move will bring Paramount+ to the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and will be available not only as a standalone app — already available in the United States and Canada — but also as part of the premium subscription Sky Q service in those countries.
Upon launch, Sky Cinema subscribers will get the bonus of Paramount+ included at no additional cost, providing access to two fantastic services side by side with more than 10,000 hours of extra content for one affordable price.
As part of this partnership, Paramount Pictures’ feature films will remain available on Sky Cinema in the UK and will join Sky Cinema in Germany and Italy in 2022. All other Sky customers will be able to subscribe to Paramount+ as an add-on to their account.
Paramount+ will also be available direct-to-consumer in UK, Ireland, Italy and GSA through the Paramount+ app for iOS and Android and across supported connected TV devices and OTT platforms. Pricing and local content offering will be announced at a later date.
Along with the streamer’s overseas arrival, ViacomCBS also shared list of the debut programming that will be part of the 2022 expansion — including the upcoming animated series Star Trek: Prodigy.
Titles that will become available through 2022 in the UK, Ireland, Italy and [Germany/Switzerland/Austria] include a collection of scripted, exclusive Paramount+ Originals and exciting new takes on iconic franchises, including HALO, The Offer and the new iCarly series.
As the international home of SHOWTIME, the service will offer The Man Who Fell to Earth, Ripley, Super Pumped, and American Gigolo, in addition to popular titles from ViacomCBS, such as Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, Star Trek: Prodigy, and MTV Unplugged.
The service will also feature a collection of new movie premieres and fan favorites from Paramount Pictures such as films from the Mission Impossible and Transformer franchises.
Prodigy is slated for a North American debut this fall, where it’ll be part of the domestic Paramount+ offerings (and on CTV Sci Fi in Canada) — along with the Latin American P+ expansion this fall — so it’s a bit unclear at this point of our friends in Europe will have to wait all the way into next year to see the new show.
We don’t yet know where else Prodigy will be available overseas yet; it’s likely additional distribution agreements will be announced closer to the debut of the series this fall — but the one thing this announcement does make clear is that Star Trek fans in these countries are going to be facing a three-way split in streaming availability of the franchise’s newest offerings.
Along with Prodigy on Paramount+ in these six countries, the continuing Star Trek: Discovery adventures will persist on Netflix, and Amazon’s Prime Video service will remain the exclusive home for Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek Lower Decks.
We’re just a week away from the Season 2 return of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and in the lead-up to August 12’s premiere, we had a chance to chat with the stars of the show as Star Trek fans get ready to beam back to the USS Cerritos.
TrekCore, along with a group of other media outlets, had the opportunity to sit down with Lower Decks stars Eugene Cordero (Ensign Samanthan Rutherford) and Noël Wells (Ensign D’Vana Tendi) to talk about how their animated alter egos were set to grow in the show’s upcoming season, the announcement of upcoming Lower Decks action figures, and more.
Tendi (right) celebrates a new beginning for friendship with Rutherford after his memory loss. (Paramount+)
One of the main points of discussion was how the Rutherford and Tendi characters grow from their start last season into Season 2 — especially after Rutherford’s memory loss, caused by his injuries in “No Small Parts.”
EUGENE CORDERO:I mean, the biggest development for Rutherford is that we took away some development — and then we added it back in.
For him, it’s finding out what he doesn’t know [because of his memory loss], finding out some new information — and then, like, learning to trust what he does know from the past now that he has some of that information again.
NOËL WELLS:In the first season, Tendi was very wide-eyed and was soaking up everything like a sponge; she was a bit naïve… she wasn’t like a ‘yes woman,’ but she was definitely like, the kid, right? She had that sort of vibe of like she’s just along for the ride.
In the new season, she maybe has her bubble burst a couple of times — but because of that, she gets to sort of take herself to the next level. You’ll see her pushing back a little bit more, having a little bit more agency — and not only taking more risks, but standing up for herself more too.
She has to run some things herself, and take a little bit more control – and you get to see a little bit more of her dark side; her capacity to fight.
You see that she’s a three-dimensional, if you couldn’t already feel it from the first season. A three-dimensional, 2D-animated character.
Last season, Lower Decks predominantly kept Ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Boimler (Jack Quaid) together in episodic storylines, while for the most part, Rutherford and Tendi had their own separate stories — a fact that we remember commenting on it in some of our review.
The common Mariner/Boimler and Tendi/Rutherford pairings were rarely mixed in Season 1. (Paramount+)
This year, the actors teased a bit of a shake-up for the new batch of episodes, promising that the now-familiar format will be more varied as the season progresses.
CORDERO:Well, in my contract it says that I’m only allowed to do scenes with Noel, because that’s all I want to do. [Laughs]
I think we set up a great rapport with each other in Season 1 — so we want to keep that going — but because we now have that background of all the Lower Decks crew together, yeah, you’ll see us all paired up a little bit more.
The Boimler–Rutherford duo happens a bit, and there’s some Mariner–Rutherford pairing too; they all mix great. And now that you see those dynamics, it just sets us to do about a million seasons, so we can keep mixing it up!
WELLS:We’re swinging! We’re swapping up the characters. There are new dynamics forming!
CORDERO:There’s a bowl with keys in it… and we just do various scenes!
While they may be a common pairing, there’s definitely some differences between the two overly-enthusiastic young ensigns, as the actors described.
CORDERO: Well, as excited as they can both get, I think the biggest difference between them is how they approach other people. There’s a positivity that they have with each other, but if you watch them interact with, let’s say Mariner — or even the captain — they have a very different kind of a way in to a conversation.
I think Rutherford comes in with an attitude that’s not cocky, but confident — that he knows how to do everything that he needs to do.
WELLS: Tendi walks into a room, more of a people pleaser — “Can I show you that I can do this?” — which is, you know, it’s not as confident. When she’s with Rutherford, though, she’s able to be her more true, confident self because he’s someone who sees the real her.
The eager ensigns share an cute moment in zero-gravity training suits. (Paramount+)
Speaking of character dynamics, though, the topic of “unresolved sexual tension” between Tendi and Rutherford came up, as the pair showed signs of awkward — but adorable — attraction to one another in Season 1.
CORDERO: I don’t know [about sexual tension]…. The weird thing about them — and the great thing about the Tendi-Rutherford relationship — is that it is a kind of intellectual love they have for each other, in a way that you might with a coworker, or somebody who’s just as passionate about the work as you are.
I think that happens in college a lot, where you’re like, “Oh, we both love the same things!” And then you think that you are in love, but you’re ultimately just like in love with the person – as in, what they grew up to be, and how they continue to live their lives.
Who knows what it is? I think sexual tension within a cartoon is always kind of weird, so I don’t know!
WELLS: [Laughs] That’s funny. I mean, there’s a lot of sexual tension on Lower Decks, and I don’t know how HR would, recommend they, um, navigate that. But you’re right, it is interesting to have sexual tension with animated characters — but it is there, and we’re not denying that it is… what it does is there’s a lot of possibilities.
CORDERO: Listen, people out there have drawn it themselves — and we’ll let THEM keep doing it! [Laughs]
Tendi and Rutherford get excited over a new toy. (Paramount+)
After last month’s surprise announcement that Playmates Toys was returning to the Star Trek world, bringing action figures and accessories to market in 2022 for the new shows — including Lower Decks — we had to ask the pair about their thoughts on seeing Tendi and Rutherford come to toy form.
CORDERO: Oh, man… I’m so excited about the action figure thing! I had an action figure once — from ‘Kong: Skull Island’ — and it didn’t even come close to looking like me. I was almost offended. [Laughs] I’m like, “That’s me? I hate this!”
But for Rutherford, man, give me anything! I think the implant is going to be so cool. I hope it lights up! I hope there’s a button on the back so you can see it light up, because if that’s the case I’d be stoked.
I’m probably going to line this whole wall [gestures behind him] with a million of them, and everybody else’s – because I want a Shaxs figure too!
WELLS: I don’t think I’ve ever played a character that had its own action figure, but I just hope the Tendi one is very versatile, so you can, like, make her dance and stuff. [Laughs] She needs a lot of articulation!
CORDERO: I want Rutherford to be light a wrestling buddy, where he’s just one big piece of immovable rubber. [Wells laughs]
Tendi wasn’t happy to put on a stereotypical Orion guise for Mariner’s holodeck story. (Paramount+)
Finally, the discussion turned to the characters’ unique traits among the Lower Decks crew — Rutherford’s cybernetic implant, and Tendi as the lone, green-skinned Orion aboard the Cerritos.
While Cordero noted that last season’s running gag of wacky, implant-based personality changes wouldn’t be featured as much in Season 2, Wells noted that we would get to see some of Tendi’s Orion heritage come into the forefront this year.
WELLS: With Tendi, I think we see her as this like very nice naïve sort of character, and you just assume that she’s like fresh from some really nice place — because of the way that personality is. But I do think we get to see a little bit more of what she has going on underneath her, and that she has a lot more levels than the bright-eyed, easily-excitable, really friendly person that she is.
She does have a backstory; she does come from a very specific place, and she has different tools of her [Orion] personality that to pull out that are kind of… well, I don’t mean to pigeonhole her or anything, but it’s kind of hot!
CORDERO: We just talked about sexual tension, and then you’re saying how hot she is?! Well, you know what? Rutherford’s hot too!
WELLS: Rutherford is hot! He’s got like a 10-pack! [Laughs] He’s got way more muscles than are normal.
CORDERO: And his action figure is going to be the hottest toy you’ll ever see.
This interview has been slightly edited and condensed for clarity.
We’ll have more from the Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 press tour in the coming days, including highlights from our conversation with the other lead actors on the show — Tawyn Newsome (Mariner) and Jack Quaid (Boimler) — along with coverage from Wednesday night’s premiere event in Los Angeles!
Star Trek: Lower Decks returns for its second season on August 12 on Paramount+ (USA) and CTV Sci Fi Channel (Canada), followed by its international debut on Amazon’s Prime Video service (in select regions) on August 13.
In late May, the team at Star Trek Online launched their newest expansion to the long-running MMORPG — “House United” — for PC players, and today the end of the in-game Klingon Civil War comes to Playstation 4, Xbox One, and more!
Bat’leths at the ready for Star Trek Online’s newest season, House United, now available for free on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One. Starting today, console players can log into the free-to-play MMORPG based on the Star Trek universe and experience the long-awaited finale of the Klingon Civil War.
The game’s newest season features some of Star Trek’s most epic Klingon warriors, including Star Trek: Discovery’s L’Rell (voiced by Mary Chieffo), Aakar (Robert O’Reilly from Star Trek: The Next Generation) and General Martok (J.G Hertzler from Deep Space: Nine), as well as Adet’Pa (Rekha Sharma from Star Trek: Discovery).
With the release of today’s update, console players can also explore three new patrols, participate in a brand new Task Force Operation and earn exclusive rewards by completing tasks in a Special Event.
The new House United update brings with it four new features for gameplay:
Two Brand New Episodes – In “Warriors of the Empire,” Captains will fight alongside J’Ula with L’Rell on their side as they gather support for their cause, before taking forces to Qo’noS to put an end to the raging Klingon Civil War in “A Day Long Remembered.”
‘Only Qo’nos Endures’ Event – Captains will be able earn an exclusive new reward, a ground set inspired by the villainous Aakar, by exploring new episodes, patrols and TFOs associated with the Klingon Civil War.
New Task Force Operation – Players will get to experience “Remain Klingon” a 5-Captain space TFO, which concludes the Civil War storyline as the final battle takes place over Qo’noS.
Three New Patrols – In House United, Captains will enjoy three new patrols based on the episode “Warriors of the Empire.”
In addition to Playstation 4 and Xbox One, House United is also available for free on Arc Games, Epic Games and Steam.
Star Trek Online — House United launches on consoles today, August 3 at 10:00 am PT.
In addition, stick around to listen to Stephen’s wish for a return of Elim Garak, and a listener wish to hear more of the Tamarian language!
WeeklyTrek is available to subscribe and download each week on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify— and we’ll be sharing the details of each new episode right here on TrekCore each week if you’re simply just looking to listen in from the web.
Do you have a wish or theory you’d like to share on the show? Tweet to Alex at @WeeklyTrek, or email us with your thoughts about wishes, theories, or anything else about the latest in Star Trek news!
In a move that is sure to shock those who have been repeatedly claiming his ouster, Star Trek franchise boss Alex Kurtzman was the subject of a pair of effusive profile pieces this morning — where the most senior leadership within CBS and Paramount+ sing his praises after a successful multi-million-dollar extension of Kurtzman’s already-long-term contract with the company.
Regardless of what you may think of the creative decisions he’s made for Star Trek, it’s clear that Kurtzman is good business for ViacomCBS. George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS, tells The New York Times that the writer/producer “can develop for broadcast. He can develop for premium streaming, broad streaming. He understands the business. He’s got tremendous empathy. He’s creatively nimble… [it’s] obvious to me that he’s [CBS’s] future.”
Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout collaborator Heather Kadin at 2018’s New York Comic Con. (Photo: TrekCore)
Back in 2018, we reported on Kurtzman’s initial $25 Million, five-year development contract with CBS that was set to run through 2023 — and in today’s reporting, that relationship with CBS Studios has grown. After a successful renegotiation, his new five-year deal with the company — which will run through 2026 — will net the producer a reported $160 Million for his work ahead.
Kurtzman’s massive new payout, through his Secret Hideout production company, was inspired by other giant-sized development deals made by studios with other talent in recent years, reports The Hollywood Reporter today:
The five-year deal was to have taken him through 2023. Sources say Kurtzman — who oversees five (and counting) ‘Star Trek’ shows, among others, for the studio — asked to renegotiate his deal more than a year ago after seeing the overall deals market explode.
Before the pandemic, similarly prolific writer-producers like Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy, Dick Wolf, Mike Schur and the ‘Westworld’ and ‘Stranger Things’ creators scored nine-figure overall deals with both streamers and traditional studios.
Kurtzman now joins the echelon of television’s most valued producers as his work on ‘Star Trek’ as well as other premium content like Showtime’s ‘The Comey Rule’ and the upcoming ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’ makes him the most important deal for CBS Studios.
“When you make these investments,” CBS’s chief told the NYT, “you need to know that this talent can actually deliver multiple projects at the same time across multiple platforms.”
Kurtzman on stage at 2018’s STLV convention, announcing STAR TREK: PICARD. (Photo: TrekCore)
The praise for Kurtzman’s work continued in the official press release from CBS Studios, as the CBS and Paramount+ leadership expounded on the producer’s track record — and Kurtzman’s management of the Star Trek franchise was specifically mentioned: “Under the new pact, Kurtzman will remain at the helm of the growing “Star Trek” franchise for the next six years.”
“Extending our valuable partnership with the brilliant Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout has been a top priority for CBS and Paramount+,” said CBS CEO George Cheeks.
“Alex’s vision and leadership of the Star Trek franchise and his ability to create artistic and commercial series across all platforms put him in a special class of creative talent. His substantial accomplishments at CBS and the spirit of collaboration we enjoy with his team are greatly valued and we are excited to build on his already impressive slate far into the future.”
“Alex and Secret Hideout have been extraordinary partners who, through their prolific output of high-quality shows, have allowed our studio to grow exponentially,” said CBS Studios president David Stapf.
“Alex’s vision and breadth of interest is unmatched as he and his team have re-ignited the Star Trek franchise with five (and counting) brilliantly unique series, while at the same time creating long-running hit series for both the Network and premium spaces. As an artist, Alex does it all.
Not only is he a visionary who creates worlds, he has that rare skill of being able to write, direct, produce and inspire those who work with him to be the best version of themselves. We are so grateful to be extending our relationship together.”
Kurtzman also gave a statement to THR, rightfully speaking positively about his corporate partners after landing such a lucrative deal.
“CBS Studios has been my home for over a decade because the incomparable David Stapf always finds a way to demonstrate his decency and creative passion, not just for the work we do, but for the many people who do it,” Kurtzman said.
“In David Nevins [who now oversees Paramount+ and Showtime], I’ve found a rare breed executive with auteur taste and the guts to take chances, who’s encouraged us to create premium streaming and cable that pushes boundaries. And over the last year, I’ve had the extraordinary privilege of being eyewitness to the steady leadership George Cheeks has brought to CBS.
He’s guided Secret Hideout, and me personally, with thoughtful care and strategic brilliance, as the rules of our business grow and change daily. As Secret Hideout expands its footprint across ViacomCBS, I can imagine no greater partners, and I’m so excited to tell more stories together for years to come.”
Kurtzman directs Sonequa Martin-Green and Doug Jones for DSC’s “Brother.” (Photo: CBS/Paramount+)
Since then, he has produced five shows in the universe initially imagined in the 1960s by Gene Roddenberry, and all will be on Paramount+. They are “Star Trek: Discovery”; “Star Trek: Picard”; “Star Trek: Lower Decks”; “Star Trek: Prodigy,” which will debut in the fall; and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” set for release in 2022. ViacomCBS says “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Picard” are among the most watched original series on Paramount+.
Also in the works are “Section 31,” starring Michelle Yeoh, and a show built around the “Starfleet Academy,” which will be aimed at a younger audience.
And that’s a season 1 main unit WRAP. We owe some pickup shots, most of which will be tackled this fall, but the lion’s share of our work is in the can. Thx to our phenomenal crew, thx to Toronto, & thx to our fans for being so patient. We will see you soon! @startrek#StarTrek
But there’s still at least one unannounced series still building steam in the Secret Hideout offices, and every report that hits the mainstream press about the future of the Star Trek franchise continues to claim the same.
— Michelle Paradise (@michelleparadis) May 15, 2021
David Stapf, president of CBS Studios since 2004, agrees that there’s plenty of storytelling diversity that the franchise can find in years ahead, as Star Trek: Prodigy takes the “first series aimed specifically at children” title.
“[Prodigy] obviously builds fans at a much younger generation, which helps with consumer products, but it’s also a smart way to look at building an entire universe.
Anything goes, as long as it can fit into the ‘Star Trek’ ethos of inspiration, optimism and the general idea that humankind is good. So comedy, adult animation, kids’ animation — you name the genre, and there’s probably a ‘Star Trek’ version of it.”
Patrick Stewart with Kurtzman on the set of STAR TREK: PICARD. (Photo: CBS/Paramount+)
While Star Trek: Discovery is still expected to live on on past the just-wrapped Season 4 — and Star Trek: Picard is filming its second (and possibly third) season now — looking ahead to the “second wave” of new Star Trek adventures continues to be a focus for the producer, as he explained to The New York Times.
“If it were up to me only, I would be pushing the boundaries [of the Star Trek franchise] much further than I think most people would want. I think we might get there.
Marvel has actually proven that you can. But you have to build a certain foundation in order to get there and we’re still building our foundation.”
(Just before you run away with this, dear readers: a pitch is just a story idea presented to the producers. This reporting in no way claims the Worf pitch went any further than just a discussion — we may never hear anything about this again.)
Kurtzman at the 2018 Creative Arts Emmy Awards with STAR TREK actors Walter Koenig, Jeri Ryan, and Sonequa Martin-Green. (Photo: Emmy Awards)
All that said, the words “Alex Kurtzman” and “Star Trek” are going to be tied together for a long, long time ahead — and while there may continue to be both hits and misses with the fanbase as the franchise continues down this ever-expanding road, it can’t be said that Kurtzman and the Secret Hideout team aren’t afraid to try new things.
The next few years are about to be filled to the brim with new Star Trek content — if you include the not-announced-but-expected additional seasons of Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds — there are over 100 episodes of new television set to beam down… not to mention that Star Trek movie expected to hit theaters in 2023.
Here’s what’s in the works right now:
Discovery Season 4: 13 episodes
Discovery Season 5: 13 episodes [expected, not officially announced]
Picard Season 2: 10 episodes
Picard Season 3: 10 episodes [expected, not officially announced]
Lower Decks Season 2: 10 episodes
Lower Decks Season 3: 10 episodes
Prodigy Season 1: 10 episodes
Prodigy Season 2: 10 episodes
Strange New Worlds Season 1: 10 episodes
Strange New Worlds Season 2: 10 episodes [expected, not officially announced]
Hope you don’t have any plans for the next five years.
Star Trek: Lower Decks returns for Season 2 on August 12 in the US and Canada, and on August 13 on Prime Video in certain international territories, while the debut of Star Trek: Prodigy and the fourth season of Star Trek: Discoveryare slated for the last quarter of 2021.
Star Trek: Picard and the launch of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are expected in 2022, and a yet-untitled theatrical Star Trek film is slated for a June 2023 release.
Six months after its conclusion, Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 has landed on Blu-ray, complete with over two hours of special features rounding out the strongest — albeit delayed — year of Discovery to date. Despite COVID setbacks that complicated post-production efforts, Season 3 is a re-invention of the show that has launched it far into Star Trek’s future, providing new worlds to explore, and old worlds to revisit.
While it all ended with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) finally taking the center seat, Discovery’s Season 3 adventures brought them hurtling into the new future, making new friends like Book (David Ajala) and Adira (Blu del Barrio) along the way, and reuniting with Starfleet as Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) and the Federation leadership worked to stay together after an unexplained disaster spanned the galaxy.
Oded Fehr (Admiral Vance) adds a commanding presence to Season 3. (CBS Home Entertainment)
This new Blu-ray set features English and French as the only audio and subtitle languages, as the collection seems authored specifically for the US and Canadian audiences; it would have been nice to at least see subtitles offered in additional languages.
While the set is region-free and can be imported without fear of incompatibility, those seeking additional language choices may want to wait until the (eventual) global release of the Blu-ray collection comes along.
As for the special features, there are more than two hours of additional content included, which really does help make this a worthwhile purchase for those of you looking to get behind the scenes — let’s get into all the good stuff!
Kenneth Mitchell – To Boldly Go (18:03)
While the other features may give more insight into Discovery’s third season as a whole, the most engrossing segment on this Blu-ray collection is a touching tribute to series guest star Kenneth Mitchell, who revealed his ALS diagnosis last year after four appearances on the show.
This raw, deeply emotional feature gives him space to talk about how Star Trek has helped him — and his family — through his diagnosis, for the series cast and crew to share their thoughts, and details the process behind crafting his special 32nd century wheelchair for Mitchell’s guest role in Season 3.
The Voyage of Season Three (28:31)
Ian Alexander (Gray) and Blu del Barrio (Adira) film a scene from “There is a Tide…” (CBS Home Entertainment)
The main documentary feature on the set, this feature provides a lengthy walk through of the season, its inception, its story, and completion. While there is interesting stuff here, if you’ve watched the weekly ‘The Ready Room’ companion show during the season, there is not much here you did not already know.
And, as discussed above, a lot of that ‘Ready Room’ content is missing — along with anything about the post-production challenges, or the task of revisiting the Guardian of Forever — making this feel woefully incomplete.
Writer’s Log – Michelle Paradise (13:48)
Doug Jones (Saru), Mary Wiseman (Tilly) and Michelle Paradise in Iceland (CBS Home Entertainment)
Series showrunner Michelle Paradise chronicles the show’s trip to Iceland in a delightful behind-the-scenes video diary, where Discovery filmed for several days in 2019.
Michelle is warm and engaging in this feature, explaining and contextualizing what we’re seeing of behind the scenes on location shooting, and she clearly has a good relationship with the Discovery cast from the jovial attitudes of everyone who pops up on camera.
The feature also gives you a much better look at the alien thugs, including the Lurian and Cardassian, from the season three opener “That Hope is You, Part 1.”
Being Michael Burnham (24:19)
Sonequa Martin-Green is turned into Michael Burnham. (CBS Home Entertainment)
The the second of two self-filmed video diaries, this one shot by Sonequa Martin-Green largely in Iceland on the shoot for “That Hope is You, Part 1.” We get a great look behind the scenes at Sonequa’s experiences as the series’ lead character, as well as a glimpse into her process of preparing to play Michael Burnham.
In addition, we also follow Sonequa to San Diego Comic Con — which occurred right after her return to the United States! — and through the fall 2019 promotional tour, then back to set.
Bridge Building (25:36)
Oyin Oladejo (Owosekun) and Emily Coutts (Detmer) chat between scenes. (CBS Home Entertainment)
A bonus feature that looks in more detail at each of the recurring bridge characters, including Detmer, Owosekun, Rhys, Bryce, and Nillson. There are some fun revelations here, such as how the Detmer and Owo relationship was developed.
We also learn from Detmer actress Emily Coutts that the original plan for the character was to be killed off “The Battle of the Binary Stars” — but that it was decided on the last day of shooting that she would return and also be aboard Discovery.
While the actors enthusiasm for their roles is certainly felt in their interviews, unfortunately there’s still a lack of much substance as none of their characters have gotten that much to really do on-screen.
Stunted (14:32)
Michelle Yeoh (Georgiou) and her stunt double, Shara Kim. (CBS Home Entertainment)
This feature focuses on the stunt department for Star Trek: Discovery, providing an opportunity for stunt coordinator Chris McGuire to go into more detail about the show’s process for doing stunts. There is much praise for both Sonequa Martin-Green’s work ethic in portraying her stunts, and also a big focus on Michelle Yeoh, the reigning queen of Hollywood martial arts.
The feature also dives into Yeoh’s departure from the series, and includes a moment from her last day on set as she gives a farewell speech to the cast and crew.
Gag Reel (4:32)
Yeoh and Wiseman crack up while filming a scene in “Terra Firma, Part 1.” (CBS Home Entertainment)
Gag reels are always funny and joyful, because it’s fun to watch people have a good time. This particular one does make me think that not only does the Discovery set have something of a housefly problem, though, but that these particular flies have it out for Sonequa Martin-Green!
15 Claps (2:24)
Martin-Green, stunt coordinator Christopher McGuire, and director Jonathan Frakes lead the 15 Claps. (CBS Home Entertainment)
A fun hidden extra about a ritual on set called “the 15 claps,” invented by members of the crew’s camera department, used by the entire company pump up the cast and crew each day ahead of filming — as the name suggests — by clapping 15 times. Peeking behind the camera to the everyday lives of cast and crew on set is always fun.
To access this clip, located on Disc 4, simply press ‘up’ at the main menu to highlight the Starfleet delta in the center of the main menu’s screen.
Deleted Scenes (15:00)
Mirror Burnham and Georgiou visit a seedy bar in a deleted scene from “Terra Firma, Part 2.” (CBS Home Entertainment)
This season brings with it an impressive quantity of deleted and extended scenes, from eight of the year’s thirteen episodes: “That Hope is You, Part 1,” “Forget Me Not,” “Unification III,” “Terra Firma, Part 1,” “Terra Firma, Part 2,” “Su’Kal,” “There Is A Tide…,” and “That Hope is You, Part 2.”
Mostly, these scenes add very little to the episodes they were excised from, though there are two it would have been nice to see in the episode. The clip from “Forget Me Not” includes a nice discussion of Adira’s symbiont, which goes into more detail about how unprecedented it is for a symbiont to have bonded with a non-Trill.
The other scene that stands out is a moment from “Su’Kal,” as — after they’ve been holographically turned into aliens — Saru, Burnham, and Culber reflect on how their sensations have changed as a result.
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While the Blu-ray set is fairly stacked with special features and deleted scenes, Discovery Season 3 does NOT include several of the behind-the-scenes featurettes which debuted online — or as part of The Ready Room post-episode shows — like Gersha Phillips’ feature on the costumes of the 32nd century, or Mario Moreira’s lengthy overview of Season 3 props,… or even the introduction to Grudge the cat.
In fact, the set barely even mentions the brand-new elements of the 32nd century, giving almost no time at all to the design and creation of the new Star Trek: Discovery setting — a complete surprise after the creators put in so much work to overhaul the show for Season 3.
This is fascinating, already-produced stuff that should have absolutely been part of the physical home media release, instead of living exclusively on YouTube in a format that may one day vanish into the ether — this is the kind of thing fans love to see in their permeant collections.
A few features that are only available online:
Perhaps the biggest exclusion from the set, however, is the complete exclusion of the remarkable work the show’s post production team did from home to complete the season during the height of the pandemic.
While it’s perhaps understandable to not want to focus on the pandemic itself, the massive challenges that a show like Discovery was forced to overcome to get this season ready for air — as the pandemic shut down North America just days after cameras wrapped on set — is a tremendous achievement that deserves to be celebrated.
Blueprints and concept art for Book’s ship, a new standing set for Season 3. (CBS Home Entertainment)
Finally, we have to lament the lack of audio commentary tracks for Discovery Season 3, the second release in a row (following Lower Decks Season 1) to arrive commentary-free.
We’re hoping that the pandemic is the only reason that these two sets haven’t had the often-interesting audio tracks as part of the included features, as it may not be prudent to have cast gathering in professional recording booths — though while the Picard Season 1 set did manage to make a commentary for “Remembrance” work through the magic of video calling, the results weren’t exactly archival quality.
Fingers crossed that this is only a temporary interruption and future seasons will have commentaries once more.
Constructing the aged structure for Su’Kal’s holographic home. (CBS Home Entertainment)
While there’s a lot to enjoy on the Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Blu-ray set — between the content the bonus features DO cover, along with the always-better-than-streaming video and audio quality — there’s some pretty big holes in the Season 3 story that deserve a place in the permanent collection.
The set still earns our recommendation, as fans of Discovery will definitely enjoy the glimpses into the Iceland trip, what life is like on set for series lead Sonequa Martin-Green, and the lengthy collection of deleted scenes; we’re just hoping that the Season 4 collection expands upon the work that goes into Discovery’s behind-the-camera efforts next year.
In addition, stick around to listen to Mary’s wish for Tendi’s genetically modified dog – The Dog – to get some merchandise love, Kathy’s wish for an episode of Star Trek: Discovery centered on Grudge the Cat, and Alex’s wish for more fun merchandise in the vein of the Tom Paris collectors plate from Star Trek Unlimited!
WeeklyTrek is available to subscribe and download each week on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify— and we’ll be sharing the details of each new episode right here on TrekCore each week if you’re simply just looking to listen in from the web.
Do you have a wish or theory you’d like to share on the show? Tweet to Alex at @WeeklyTrek, or email us with your thoughts about wishes, theories, or anything else about the latest in Star Trek news!
Fans outside of the United States and Canada had to wait months for Star Trek: Lower Decks to make its way out of North America last season, as the animated series finally made its debut on Amazon’s Prime Video service in the UK and other regions in January 2021…
…and there’s reason to celebrate, as the serviced announced today (via StarTrek.com) that Season 2 of Star Trek: Lower Decks will be following right behind the North American release schedule beginning next month!
Kayshon and Tendi visit a museum ship. (Paramount+)
Lower Decks returns to Paramount+ in the United States, and CTV Sci Fi Channel in Canada, for its second season on August 12 — and those of you in Amazon Prime Video’s distribution regions only have to wait a few short hours, as the show will hit the streamer’s servers for access the next day.
Amazon Prime Video today announced that the second season of the fan-favorite animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks will premiere on Friday, August 13th in multiple territories around the world including Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan, India and more. The ten episode series will roll out weekly, with the season two finale dropping on Friday, October 15th.
This will finally align the show to the same international roll-out schedule that Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard have both shared, as Netflix (for Discovery) and Prime (for Picard) have kept international fans up to date with each series — and thankfully, the trend will now continue for Lower Decks moving forward.
There’s still no word yet on international availability plans for either Star Trek: Prodigy (coming later this year) or Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (scheduled for a 2022 debut), but we still have time to sort out exactly how fans will be able to view each of those shows — hopefully, before their US debut.
Hero Collector’s expansive publishing effort continues forward with the latest release in their Star Trek Shipyards releases and the second volume focusing on the ships of Star Trek: Voyager. Entitled The Delta Quadrant: Ledosian to Zahl, this second volume of Delta Quadrant ships — authored by William Potter, Marcus Riley, Mark Wright, Ian Chaddock and Alice Peebles — contains profiles and images from dozens of additional vessels from Voyager’s journey to the Alpha Quadrant.
Available August 10, The Delta Quadrant: Ledosian to Zahl is a companion to The Borg and the Delta Quadrant: Akritirian to Krenim, released earlier this year. This new volume explores a number of ships encountered by Voyager, both friend and foe, including the Lokirrim Warship, the Species 8472 Bioship, and the Vidiian Warships, plus many more.
Like the previous Star Trek Shipyards releases, expect that this book will feature detailed technical overviews and operational histories, with CG artwork – much of it previously unseen – that has been created using the original VFX models made for Voyager.
“Fans will see ships up close and personal, and learn more about those ships than they ever expected, especially the vessels that may have flashed for just a few seconds on their television screen years ago,” said Ben Robinson, Hero Collector’s general editor.
“Combined, the two official volumes form the most comprehensive account of ships from STAR TREK: VOYAGER ever produced.”
To whet your appetite for the coming release, TrekCore is pleased to present two exclusive spreads of one of the smallest, and one of the largest, ships encountered by Voyager during its seven-year journey.
The Baxial is Neelix’s personal starship, which travels with Voyager from the pilot until Neelix’s exit from the series in “Homestead” — but not seen on-screen until “The Chute” in Season 3.
The Voth City Ship, seen in “Distant Origin,” carries the entire population of evolved Saurians who escaped from Earth before the extinction of the dinosaurs. This has to be one of the largest ships Starfleet has ever encountered in its travels.
There are also a few additional previews from the book’s Amazon listing, including the deadly Species 8472 Bioship from “Scorpion,” and the Lokirrim Warship from “Body and Soul.”
All this and more will be available in The Delta Quadrant: Ledosian to Zahl when it releases on August 10, so if you are a Star Trek: Voyager, fan you are not going to want to miss this — you can lock in your preorder today.
Look for TrekCore’s reviews of both Delta Quadrant Shipyards releases together in the coming weeks — and let us know what starships from the back half of the alphabet you’re looking forward to seeing!
Star Trek: Lower DecksSeason 1 Blu-ray
Star Trek: Lower DecksSeason 2 Blu-ray
