Star Trek Explorer

A lot has changed in Star Trek over the past few years (not least the name of the Trek’s parent company: CBS? Viacom? ViacomCBS? Paramount? Paramount Global? I can’t keep up! And that’s without getting into CBS All Access and Paramount Plus… though happily the latter is now available in the UK), but it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same – or at least revisit the familiar. Before Star Trek: Discovery took the bold step of flinging itself into the far future, the show’s second season set the stage for further adventures of Captain Pike and the crew of the Enterprise in the recently launched Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, while Star Trek: Lower Decks has delighted in digging around in the dusty nooks and…

The Outstanding Okudas! Michael and Denise Okuda are considered royalty by Star Trek fans around the globe, and rightly so. While their contributions to Star Trek designs, logos, computer interfaces, and off-screen literature rank as their most notable achievements, the pair’s credits also encompass real-world emblems for NASA, as well an entertainment résumé featuring the hit projects For All Mankind, Space Force, Sully, Threshold, and many, many more. Of course, Star Trek fans are not the only people who appreciate the Okudas’ valuable influence on graphic design and popular culture. Michael and Denise have now been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Scenic, Title & Graphic Artists at the 26th annual Art Directors Guild Awards. While the Okudas’ work speaks for itself, this prestigious award represents a much-deserved and well-publicized tip…

What else do the U.S.S. Enterprise-D’s chief engineer and U.S.S. Discovery’s former head-of-security have in common? In The Next Generation thriller “The Mind’s Eye,” LeVar Burton’s Geordi La Forge is captured by Romulans and brainwashed in an attempt to ignite tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Similarly, Shazad Latif’s Ash Tyler was forced to deal with the realization that he was actually Voq, a surgically altered Klingon warrior intent on infiltrating Discovery. While Voq willingly submitted to the mental and physical changes, he ultimately chose to side with Starfleet in the Federation’s war against the Klingons.…

Mealtimes have always been a vital element of human cultures, and that trend continued with various encounters with the Klingon Empire throughout Star Trek history. Who can forget Hoshi Sato’s run-in with targs (Star Trek: Enterprise’s “Sleeping Dogs”), the infamous feast that Captain Kirk’s crew shared with the Klingons aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-A (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), William T. Riker’s experience with gagh aboard the Bird-of-Prey I.K.S. Pagh (Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “A Matter of Honor”), or Kurn’s hilarious comments about burned, replicated bird meat (TNG’s “Sins of the Father”)?…

While social distancing in a responsible manner, many Star Trek actors have found themselves with extra time to dedicate to their personal pursuits and passions. A trio of Star Trek: Enterprise main cast members recently disclosed some meaningful projects they’ve been working on. Anthony Montgomery (Mayweather) has nearly completed his autobiography, which promises to be a deeply emotional book about the actor’s life and experiences. Meanwhile, Connor Trinneer (Trip) and Dominic Keating (Reed) have created the Shuttlepod podcast, which finds the two interviewing Enterprise cast and crew while providing commentary on Enterprise episodes.…

There’s just no keeping a good intergalactic pest down. John de Lancie first played Q in the Star Trek: The Next Generation pilot, “Encounter at Farpoint,” way back in 1987. The character, an afterthought added to the proceedings by Gene Roddenberry to expand the premiere from one episode to two, developed into a formidable adversary for Captain Picard and company, and quickly emerged as a fan favorite. De Lancie portrayed Q brilliantly, imbuing the omnipotent being with menace, humor, and arrogance, as well as occasional flashes of compassion, self-doubt, and fear. His clashes with Picard were epic, often revealing details about the captain and his past that he’d suppressed or overlooked, but which shaped him as a man, a Starfleet officer, and mankind’s savior. And each Q episode promised fresh two-hander…