EXO-6 Sends Admiral Picard on One Last Mission as the First 1:6-Scale STAR TREK: PICARD Figure

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The figure will include multiple hands, a 2401-era Starfleet phaser, and a bottle of Chateau Picard wine as accessories, and this edition of Picard will arrive clad in his Picard Season 3 jacket, pants, and boots — and with his unique Admiral’s badge.

From EXO-6’s official announcement:

This 1:6-scale figure re-creates this iconic character in exquisite 1:6 detail. Standing approximately 11 inches tall, every element, from his 24th century jacket to his custom black boots, is authentically reproduced. The original portrait sculpt of Patrick Stewart has an authentic, hand-painted likeness. The EXO-6 Picard 1:6 Scale Articulated Figure includes: – Fully Articulated Body: More than 30 points of articulation allow the figure to be displayed in multiple dynamic poses, approximately 28 cm tall. – Realistic Portrait: Lovingly rendered by a top artist, this excellent likeness of Patrick Stewart as jean-Luc Picard is specially hand-painted. – 24th Century Outfit: With research assisted by Costume Designer Michael Crow, this clothing set matches the onscreen costume as seen in Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Including the jacket, pants and trousers – all matched to the original costume. An authentically scaled communicator badge is permanently affixed to the jacket. – Boots: Plastic boots sculpted to match the cut and style of the original footwear. – Display Base: A hexagonal display base featuring the transporter pad will provide additional support for the figure. Two different inserts for the floor of the base can represent the transporter pad or the center of the transporter array.

The new Admiral Picard figure is up for preorder at EXO-6’s website today for a price of $190, and is expected to ship to collectors in late 2023.

While other third-party retailers will likely list the figure in the coming days, the fastest way to get the completed Admiral Picard figure once out of manufacturing is to order through EXO-6 directly.

Keep your sensors locked on TrekCore for all the latest Star Trek collectible news!

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Star Trek: Picard Admiral (ret.) Jean-Luc Picard by EXO-6

By Tony_Bacala on September 12, 2023 at 12:56 pm under Star Trek Toy News

EXO-6 have unveiled their next Star Trek 1/6th scale figure with Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Admiral (ret.) Jean-Luc Picard figure. The figure is 1/6 scale with a killer likeness and soft goods gear. Read on for full specs and accessories. Retail is $189.99 with a ship date of January 2024. Hit our sponsors below to snag your copies!

Entertainment Earth , Big Bad Toy Store

Star Trek: Picard Admiral (ret.) Jean-Luc Picard Estimate delivery date: 4th Quarter 2023 “What began over 35 years ago ends tonight.” The oft-praised Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard is represented here in 1:6 form by EXO-6’s Jean-Luc Picard one sixth scale museum grade collectible figure. This 1:6-scale figure re-creates this iconic character in exquisite 1:6 detail. Standing approximately 11 inches tall, every element, from his 24th century jacket to his custom black boots, is authentically reproduced. The original portrait sculpt of Patrick Stewart has an authentic, hand-painted likeness. The EXO-6 Picard 1:6 Scale Articulated Figure includes: Fully Articulated Body: More than 30 points of articulation allow the figure to be displayed in multiple dynamic poses, approximately 28 cm tall. Realistic Portrait: Lovingly rendered by a top artist, this excellent likeness of Patrick Stewart as jean-Luc Picard is specially hand-painted. 24th Century Outfit: With research assisted by Costume Designer Michael Crow, this clothing set matches the onscreen costume as seen in Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Including the jacket, pants and trousers – all matched to the original costume. An authentically scaled communicator badge is permanently affixed to the jacket. Boots: Plastic boots sculpted to match the cut and style of the original footwear. Display Base: A hexagonal display base featuring the transporter pad will provide additional support for the figure. Two different inserts for the floor of the base can represent the transporter pad or the center of the transporter array. Equipment Picard comes with appropriate hand props as seen in the show. He comes equipped with: Federation hand phaser. Bottle of Chateau Picard (not for consumption). This fine collectible figure is a perfect rendition of everyone’s favorite retired admiral and an excellent way to commemorate Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard. Many thanks to showrunner Terry Matalas, Costume Designer Michael Crow and Prop Master Jeffrey Lombardi for their invaluable help in realizing the characters of Star Trek: Picard. Height: 11 in Prototype shown, actual product may vary.

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Why ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Built Season 5 Around a Classic Episode From a Legacy Series

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed for Season 4; ‘Lower Decks’ to Conclude With Season 5 (EXCLUSIVE) 19 hours ago
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Getting Bloody, Live-Action Film ‘The Last Ronin’ 2 days ago
Why ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Built Season 5 Around a Classic Episode From a Legacy Series 1 week ago

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. TM & © 2022 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. **BEST POSSIBLE SCREENGRAB**

SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments in Season 5, Episode 1 of “ Star Trek : Discovery,” now streaming on Paramount+.

Popular on Variety

Kovich’s explanation evokes the classic “ Star Trek: The Next Generation ” episode “The Chase” from 1993 in which Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) — along with teams of Romulans, Klingons and Cardassians — learn that all humanoid life in the galaxy was created by a single species that existed billions of years earlier, and seeded thousands of planets with the DNA to pass along their legacy. (Along with presenting a profound vision of the origins of life, the episode also provided an imaginative explanation for why almost all the aliens in “Star Trek” basically look like humans with different kinds of forehead ridges.)

Kovich tells Burnham that the Romulan scientist was part of a team sent to discover exactly how these aliens — whom they call the Progenitors — made this happen; the object they’re seeking winds up being one part of a brand new “chase,” this time in the 32nd century, to find the Progenitors’ technology before it can fall into the wrong hands.

“I remember watching that episode and at the end of it just being blown away that there was this huge idea where we all come from,” Paradise says. “And then they’re going to have another mission the next week. I found myself wondering, ‘Well, then what? What happened? What do we do with this information? What does it mean?’”

Originally, Paradise says the “Discovery” writers’ room discussed evoking the Progenitors in Season 4, when the Discovery meets an alien species, the 10-C, who live outside of the galaxy and are as radically different from humans as one could imagine. “As we dug deeper into the season itself, we realized that it was too much to try and get in,” Paradise says.

Instead, they made the Progenitors the engine for Season 5. “Burnham and some of our other characters are on this quest for personal meaning,” Paradise says. Searching for the origins of life itself, she adds, “feels like a big thematic idea that fits right in with what we’re exploring over the course of the season, and what our characters are going through.”

That meant that Paradise finally got to help come up with the answers to the questions about “The Chase” that had preoccupied her when she was younger. “We had a lot of fun talking about what might’ve happened when [Picard] called back to headquarters and had to say, ‘Here’s what happened today,’” she says. “We just built the story out from there.”

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ASU President Michael Crow being congratulated

20th Anniversary

Celebrating twenty years of the New American University and the leadership of ASU President Michael M. Crow

On July 1, 2002, Michael M. Crow became the 16th president of Arizona State University, and soon introduced his vision for the New American University –an institution focused on who it includes, not who it excludes, and committed to use-inspired research and assuming fundamental responsibility for the communities it serves. Two decades later, and with the support of many people and partners, ASU has established itself as the model for the New American University, and continues its perpetual evolution as an emerging national service university.

20th Anniversary Video

A look at the past 20 years of Arizona State University’s transformation into the New American University - a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.

ABOR Celebration

On August 25, 2022, the Arizona Board of Regents hosted a special celebratory dinner to recognize Michael Crow for his twenty years of service to ASU and his thought-leadership in Arizona. The evening included several tributes by the Regents, university faculty and esteemed colleagues, and the presentation of several gifts. President Crow was also the recipient of a newly created title, "Regents Distinguished President."

Michael Crow's speech

Event Photos

Full Event Video

Commemorative Poem by Albert Rios

Date: Aug 25, 2020

President Crow smiling while standing at a podium

November 23, 2022

After taking helm in 2002, president tackled inequities in higher education

As a child in the late 1960s, Michael Crow grasped the deep divide between the TV images of men bouncing on the moon and the struggles of the working-class families in his community.

“And my brain, even as a middle school and early high school student at that time, clicked and it basically said, ‘There’s something wrong,’” he said.

The realization at a young age that everyone needed to benefit from the new and dazzling technology was a driver for Crow.

“I was watching ‘Star Trek’ all the time and that was from 1966 to 1969, and the ‘Star Trek’ stuff was very utopian. I realized that everyone in ‘Star Trek’ was highly educated,” he said.

August 29, 2022

Event fetes president with accolades, testimonials and a new title

A special celebration Thursday night honored the 20th anniversary of Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow’s leadership with touching moments, humor — and a new title.

The Arizona Board of Regents recognized Crow’s contributions and service to the university, honoring him with the distinction of Regents Distinguished President.

The distinction, conferred for the first time, was presented along with a unique medallion that can be worn as part of his official university regalia.

Lyndel Manson, chair of the Board of Regents, said the medallion made of turquoise, silver and petrified wood represents the legacy, prosperity and transformation of Arizona, as well as Crow’s commitment and leadership in the continued success of the university and the state.

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ASU’s Michael Crow: ‘We were the stalwarts that were fighting for the Pac-12 to the last ditch’

Aug 5, 2023, 1:27 PM

Arizona State University, President Dr. Michael Crow speaks at the 2016 Concordia Summit - Day 1 at Grand Hyatt New York on September 19, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

BY WILLS RICE

Arizona Sports

TEMPE — Arizona State is officially moving to the Big 12, despite university president Michael Crow’s effort to keep the Pac-12 alive.

Crow has been president of ASU since 2002 and said the Sun Devils were not just jumping at the biggest media rights deal, but wanted to keep the tradition of the West Coast’s premier conference.

“There were a lot of forces at work including the overlords of the media empire that were driving a lot of this,” Crow said Saturday. “The Colorado departure was indication there was great instability in the media market that created an unstable moment.

“A number of us, including me, were strongly committed to the maintenance of the Pac-12 conference as a thing. A West Coast conference of schools that have been together for over 100 years, playing together in a regional environment, committed to similar objectives about student athlete success.”

State of the Sun Devils: Arizona State is headed to the Big 12

Arizona State, Arizona announce Pac-12 exit for Big 12 Conference

Pac-12 could not survive spectacular failure of leadership

What the end of the Pac-12 means to us in Arizona

Crow mentioned that Apple did offer a media rights deal that was a “technological 23rd-century Star Trek thing” that was very intriguing to the university with “some risk but huge opportunity.”

“The media thinks the success of our conference is the media contract and the share per school,” Crow said. “The media contract is a fraction of our revenue relevant to ASU, even relative to football. We were focused on connecting with more people but you need to be in a viable conference to do that.

“We were the stalwarts that were fighting for the Pac-12 to the last ditch.”

Crow also mentioned that both Arizona and Arizona State had decided at some point that the two schools were not going to split up “no matter what.”

Despite the tentative approach to the Big 12 from ASU, head coach Kenny Dillingham has been running his program under the idea that a move to another conference was possible.

Dillingham and the Sun Devils have attacked recruiting in the South, especially in Texas. Defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington and running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples are two of the best recruiters the team has, locking down six high school players from Texas in the 2024 class.

“It is exciting. College football is changing. I compare it to a technology business, it changes every six months, there are no rules and you have to adapt.” Dillingham said Saturday. “I had a plan. If you noticed how we recruited that part of the country, I knew it was an option. We made sure we were diversifying where we were recruiting in this class before a decision was made.

“It allows us to go into different homes that maybe did not want to come play for us because of the region of away games. Now us traveling to Texas, Oklahoma, we need to recruit Oklahoma now. We have to get more aggressive in that part of the country.”

Dilly Dilly

It’s time to officially pour one out for the Pac-12 with just one year remaining together before mass exodus.

While fans may be yelling “Dilly Dilly” in a news conference in 2024, Dillingham grew up in Arizona and said the end of the Pac-12 is a very bitter-sweet moment.

“There are two sides. I have the fan in me. I grew up with the Pac-12,” Dillingham said.

“The rivalries, the tradition, that’s the fan in me. The coach who came in here to do a job and get this place where I know it can go, is excited and thrilled because I know this is the best thing for Arizona State.”

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13 days ago

'Star Trek: Picard's Ed Speleers on Exploring Jack's Loneliness and the Future of the Character

He also spoke about the possibility of romance between Jack and Sidney La Forge.

There was a lot to love about Star Trek: Picard ' s final season, but one of the most exciting aspects of it was the introduction of Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) and Dr. Beverly Crusher's ( Gates McFadden ) son Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ). The revelation of his paternity early in the season led to a season-long journey for Picard to come to terms with his newfound fatherhood, while Jack was forced to face what being Picard's son meant, far beyond the legacy of the Picard name. For Jack, this meant falling prey to the call of one of the galaxy's oldest and most dangerous threats: The Borg. The series finale delivered a lot of emotional highs as Jack grappled with the depths of his loneliness and his desire to find real connection—something the Borg could never truly provide him.

Following our incredible discussion with Speleers about Jack Crusher at the start of the season , Collider had the opportunity to catch up with him again to unpack the season finale, explore Jack's loneliness and how that connects to his longing for a family, how the series approached the concepts of family and home, how he would love to play Jack Crusher for the next fifteen years, the romantic potential between Jack and Sidney La Forge ( Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut ), bonding with the cast of The Next Generation , filming the post-credit scene with John de Lancie , and how Picard convinced his son to join Starfleet.

COLLIDER: First of all, I just want to say congratulations on an incredible season of television. It was truly fantastic.

ED SPELEERS: Thank you. Your support from the off has been unwavering, but it means a lot when you can essentially almost collaborate with a writer like yourself, who gets behind something that you're doing and has been emphatic towards us. I really, really– it hasn't gone unnoticed, all your support, so I really appreciate that.

Well, thank you.

SPELEERS: Yeah, I feel it's been a funny day. Not a great sleeper, and I woke up at three o'clock in the morning and saw everyone at the finale screening. There was a lump and a tear. I was a bit like, "Ah God, I should have been there," but, I couldn't be, I'm starting a job on Monday. I think I said it to you before, how much this process, this part, it's been so much more than just a job for me and my family. I've said it so many times, but I feel so honored that I was able to be given this part. I mean, of course not everybody likes it, but when people do give you such wonderful feedback, it makes it all worthwhile. Essentially, this sort of television is for people that are very dedicated as followers and people that have, for years, been behind some of these characters and these stories. When they are showing their love, it means so much more, I suppose.

It does, and it really helps when you have scripts that help the audience resonate with the material the way that Picard has. Something about Jack that really resonated with me was the loneliness that he felt, despite being surrounded by people. You made it so relatable and so palpable the way that you played it. I was curious, how do you tap into that emotion? What are you pulling from to get to that moment?

SPELEERS: That's such a good question. That's a great question. You've hit the nail on the head. It was something that I explored a lot, loneliness, and that sense of, he puts on this façade or outer shell of, "I can handle anything. Throw caution to the wind and whatever happens today, I'll tackle it." But you know that's a mask, and I guess the thing is to try and not make it seem too obvious that it was a mask. The writing was so rich. I was going through things and it was so apparent that this story for Jack was going to be so rich, but the big thing that kept coming through was this sense of connection and not understanding what that meant, and longing for it, really. Wanting to do good, wanting to actually find, I guess, some peace, I suppose.

Also, if you've been battling something inside...I did go through all the processes of how could this be similar to my own life and also others, things I've witnessed, and loneliness, I'm not going to shy away from it. Young male mental health, it's a very prevalent thing in the press globally. I'm glad that it's become a prevalent thing to be talked about, but I feel that that was something that I wanted to look at and explore, because I think it is very real, and it's something that I think most people can relate to in some guise or form.

Family is also a big thing, and if you don't have a connection to your family, you don't really understand what that is, or you feel that it's some unanswered questions, it's going to be so painful. I think when I boil it down with Jack, I think he's in a lot of pain emotionally. Not to harp on the point, because we know Star Trek is about other things, but also I think, I hope, and I feel that that's what was so powerful about the writing in this season. Yes, you've got everything that's going on around you that is what you want to see in Star Trek , with the original cast, with the starships, and being out in the middle of space and taking on the big bad guys. But, at its core, why I think this particular season worked is because it was trying to understand how humans and the characters were ticking underneath all that. What they were feeling and thinking. I had to look quite deep within myself quite a lot, I suppose. I'm sorry if that was a long-winded answer, it's because I sometimes struggle because there was so much that I felt that I delved into.

It was a very good answer.

SPELEERS: Okay, fine. I'll be quiet.

I really love what you were talking about, this idea of family and the way that the season examined the way that crews become families and starships become home. I was curious, this is another deep question, but what do you think it is about the found family trope that seems to resonate with people so much? I think reading responses on Twitter today, the way that this episode culminates, and the family vibes really work for fans of the show.

SPELEERS: Another great question. Thinking on more of what I was mentioning, that it is something that we all relate to. We all have some understanding or relationship to families. Some people are fortunate enough where it's very, not necessarily straightforward, but it can make sense. Of course, it's not without its flaws, but it's love essentially. I mean, that's what you all want from family. That's what it should mean, and I feel that that's what Jack is probably looking for. I think that's what struck such a chord, because finding, understanding your place, and just a sense of belonging and connection, we all look for it, it doesn't matter.

Family can come in so many guises as well, it doesn't have to be the conventional setup, but people find family through life, through work. I would consider lots of people I've worked with down the years, family, people that you have strong connections to. And some people are running away, and they want to find something they can hold onto. I feel that the combination of this season, it's again when you strip back everything that's going on and all the high-octane nature of the show, the reason why these people are fighting so hard is because they want to save their families, or they want to connect with their families, or they want people to be okay.

It's incredibly important to Picard, and he works that out, he realizes that. That whole thing with those two at the end, it’s the whole point, it was set up and written to be, hopefully, very powerful. That these men can finally put whatever angst and whatever animosity, not even animosity, but whether it's bravado, whether it's that male inability to really share what you feel and say what you think, and actually to try and just connect, just reach out. I suppose maybe people who are watching it are taking that and going, "Oh, well, maybe there's a lesson for us all,” before the chance moves on, I suppose before it becomes too late. I don't know.

Yes. I get what you're saying. I really love what you mentioned about work, also; you find a family in work, especially on film sets. I really loved what Terry [Matalas] did with that final poker game, watching The Next Generation cast play this game for, I think he said they filmed it for 45 minutes. It made me think about how much this cast is a family, onscreen and offscreen, and I was wondering, do you have any fun moments of being inducted into that family?

SPELEERS: Oh, gosh. Yeah, Jonathan Frakes took me under his wing very quickly. Very, very quickly. We have the same U.S. agent who's wonderful, Alisa Adler, who's been incredible, who's another family member for me, really, she's extended family. Because he texted me saying, "I knew you were coming onto set,” and everything. There was a day when I was trying to do – this might sound really mundane, Maggie, so forgive me if it's not the best anecdote – I was in the production office and my family hadn't arrived yet, and I was trying to do loads of things to do with really boring stuff about getting set up in America, which was really frustrating me, but I needed to use an office, and it was a production office. The only office they could give me was Frakes' director's suite, and I basically sat down, and took a selfie of myself saying, "This is my place now, mate. Basically, I'm running the show. You're no longer the director."

There was a guy who came in – I really can't remember his name – who worked up in the accounts department, I think. And he came down to hand something to Jonathan Frakes, and I was sat in the office, and he was like, "I’ve just come to see Frakes, Jonathan Frakes, he's directing." I was like, "Oh no, no, no, no, he's actually been fired, and I'm taking over." And the guy stone-cold believed me. He was like, "Oh, okay, okay. No worries. Okay, I'll just..." I was like, "I'm joking mate. I've just got here. I am not directing the next two episodes of Star Trek ." I mean that would be awful for me. I couldn't handle that. But I would say Frakes took me under his wing very quickly. They all did, but I can't think of any specific, “You need to walk the plank in order to be part of the Starfleet.”

Good to know they didn’t haze you!

SPELEERS: They were all very sweet. I mean Marina [Sirtis] and I bonded over Tottenham Hotspur. Patrick and I had a great chat, I think I mentioned this before. He and I went out for a nice lunch, and he sat me down and was just very open. We talked about all things Yorkshire and theater and family. We talked a lot about family actually, Patrick and I. Maybe that was helpful in the grounding of what we were about to take on. I don't have the greatest anecdotes because, probably when I'm at set, I'm quite quiet when I'm at work. I will allow an element of being jovial [laughs], but on the whole, I keep myself fairly quiet. Also, I had so much to do, and I felt pressured, not by anyone there, but just on myself. I felt like such a huge opportunity to do a good job. I think I wasn't always looking for the quips. Forgive me.

That scene between Jack and Picard on the Borg Cube is just a tour de force performance for both you and Sir Patrick Stewart. I know that you are a father, as well, and I'm interested to know if that aspect of your life gave you a different insight into how you play a son.

SPELEERS: Yeah, 100% it does, did, would, always. I think having children has opened my mind, and every fiber in me actually, to a different way of working. Things are just always bubbling away emotionally because of children, and that's good. And I mean all emotions, everything from love, fear, happiness, anger, everything's always just fizzing away because of the kids and that way they make you look at the world. So yes, I think it was insightful because also what it made me do is maybe look at how I've been as a son, as well, and maybe the things I've done and haven't done.

Also, whether it's the defining moment of the story or not, I just felt for the character. Well it was, in terms of their moment, in terms of their thread and storyline, I felt that was the pinnacle moment in order, and you had to get it right because if you don't get it right then no one's going to believe that these two have actually connected. But I think, 100%, being a father enhances how I view things, especially as a son playing here. I struggled with this, Maggie, I struggled so much emotionally doing this job.

It's a very emotional season. And as an anecdote, I love how well you are able to cry, I have lost two auditions because I could not cry on demand when I got into the audition room. I am so impressed by how you cry, and how it hits me in the heart. I'm like, "I'm going to cry now too." It's so impressive.

SPELEERS: Thank you. It's a funny thing, crying. I think also actors put so much pressure on themselves about that. I know I did for such a long time.

It’s hard.

SPELEERS: Well it is, but also, I think we all look at it the wrong way. I feel that emotion, as long as you are understanding fully what this character is feeling and thinking, and you are connecting to that, then something's going to happen if you are using your imagination to its full capacity. That aggravates me that you didn't get the part because of that, as well. Because I just feel that auditions are such an odd environment, and why are we expected to do the full-throttle thing by the end of an audition? Of course, I get it, but I'm like, "Well let's just see, let's just trust that there's enough there, and we move on from that."

I think some of that on this show, it's the writing. It just struck a chord with me, and I think having my young family there and doing a show about family, and there was a whole– I don't know, it just resonated with me. I joked to someone the other day, I was like, "I just want to play Jack Crusher for the next 15 years and then retire." I feel like there's so much storytelling to do with him, and I just feel he's so complicated, and who knows what the future holds, but I think within that storytelling, I don't want it to be such a clean break as, "Okay, he's dealt with everything now." You still want that emotion because that's what we enjoy seeing. You want to see people that... You live everything they live, I suppose that's what you want.

I'm a little bit stunned and taken aback that this whole thing has happened, and it's the final day today. I think I'm going to bloody cry now, for crying out loud. I've come back, and I'm just like, "Oh, what now? Is that the end of Star Trek ? Is that it? Is that the end of Jack Crusher? Is that just done?”

I don't think fans are going to let it go. They will be browbeating the right people to try to make that happen. Especially with that post-credit scene with Q. That is a clear setup for a thousand new stories for Jack, right there. I do want to know what it was like filming that scene because it's so fun and there are so many layers to it.

SPELEERS: Yeah, John [de Lancie] is great, I mean, what an actor. Of course, again, the great thing about working with this cast is they've been playing these parts for so long, they know these characters inside out. It's almost like they step in. But you think about that, that scene's quite a short scene. John was so determined to throw it around, play every which way possible, try and find every ounce of nuance we could, and he was great. I was intimidated by him at first but in a good way. I was like, "Oh my God, this guy's the real deal." He's tall, and he's eloquent, and he's no-nonsense, and he just looks at you, and it’s a warm look, but it's intense, which I love. I relished doing this scene with him.

Actually, I saw the final episode a while ago – I'm waiting because I'm in the UK now, so I'm waiting to see it with my son tomorrow night. We did different variations on when he says, "And now Jack, for you it's just beginning." I can't remember if, in Episode 10 in the version we picked, there was a wry smile, but I remember me and Terry were like, "Let's try one where we try and enjoy it. Maybe you're smiling, maybe you're excited about the possibility of whatever challenges that Q's going to throw down for you.” I don't think we told John we did it, and I remember him being really animated, and being like, "I like that." I had a really great day with him, and I mean that. If we got to go again, that would be phenomenal going toe to toe with him. I would absolutely love that.

It was such a fun scene. I love Q, he's one of my favorite characters. I was like, "Yes, this is everything. To have that dynamic continue on with Picard's son." That's a wish fulfillment right there.

SPELEERS: He's great. I mean he is phenomenal.

Circling back to the Borg, I was really curious to know what it was like for you the first day that you got fitted for your Võx suit because that is so epic to see on screen.

SPELEERS: It's all Michael Crow and his team. I think it was Dorothy Bulac, who was the fantastic talent [who made it]. She's now retired. I think that was her last job and that was her last suit. I think she's done three Batman suits or something like that. I was blown away by my fitting. Terry said, "Look, we are going full throttle on it." Fair play to him for having the vision to go, "This is what we're doing." He pulled no punches in his vision, which is just... that man, I love him. Michael Crow, again, he's got a lot of Marvel experience, he has been around it.

When I put it on, I was like, "Oh my God." They design it in a way – don't get me wrong, it's not that easy to move in, but they design it well enough, so you can. I felt like I was in a Marvel film or something. I mean it was just next level, and it completely enabled me to just step into what I had to do. But it's the detail, the looks. I've got to find a way– Maybe one day, if I ever make it, I'll get a replica made, and it can be kept somewhere, for house parties and things like that.

Instead of a Knight of Armor, you can just have the Jack Võx replica.

SPELEERS: 100%, yeah. That whole scene, again, I'm looking forward to seeing it properly again tomorrow. The Võx has this whole speech that was just over repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, sort of memorize and do as quickly as I possibly could. But being in that costume just really lent into all of that, really. I loved wearing that thing.

It looks very cool. One of the things that I really liked in the season was, it's very subtle because obviously there are a lot of other things going on. But there's this little tease of maybe something between Jack and Sidney, La Crush. How did—

SPELEERS: I hear this La Crush being branded about—

Yes! You've got a ship name and everything. It's fantastic. That's a big mark in a fandom. But how do you think their dynamic will change now that they're both assigned to the newly christened Enterprise ? There are a lot of fun, little moments there.

SPELEERS: Wow. You'd hope it would just keep fizzing away. I think that whatever happens, you've got to try and find a way to cat-and-mouse that situation for as long as possible, I think. You've got to just see that develop, and you've got to put as many little speed bumps in the road as possible is what I feel. Because there's obviously a little, there's a frisson on that's bubbling away there. But I think you've got to let that just ride out, and I think that they're a great little duo and I feel that they also work really well together just in a pure team way.

There's a good rapport with them. They know how to bounce off each other, certainly when it comes to fighting and charging around the place. I'd like to see a lot more of that. I think if there's further opportunities, which I am quietly optimistic [about], but I don't really know, I'm not basing that on anything– well I am, people getting really excited. But I feel that I want to see them get to know each other properly. Let's really pick and choose. They both have got a good sense of wit and humor. I want to see that play out. Don't let anything happen too quickly.

Yeah, people love a good slow burn. I mean look at Beverly and Picard. That is the slowest slow burn in history.

SPELEERS: Maybe that was a bit too slow. I hope it's not quite as slow. Because I think that would be... We don't get that many seasons anymore.

This is true. Hopefully not all the way down the line. Something that we talked about the first time that we spoke was how excited I was about the bond between Jack and Seven, and now in retrospect knowing that they both have this Borg connection, makes it even more interesting. Can you talk a little bit about that bond?

SPELEERS: The thing is, if you look at it throughout the season, it's an unearthed understanding. What hasn't been explored yet is whether that is purely just two people, or species, being able to connect and just having an understanding because they're both outsiders. Or is it because it's the actual Borg likeness in them? And that's the thing, I think, that would be interesting to explore later on. For me throughout the season, as much as that's the natural progression to make mentally, it could just be that they are two outsiders that just connect the way that Seven has connected with other outsiders previously. Well, Raffi for example. She likes a wild card and I think Jack is a wild card, and we need to hold onto Jack being a wild card as well.

If he's now in Starfleet he can't just become strait-laced Starfleet. He's got to stay rogue, I think. But I feel that that's another relationship to explore. I mean that's the great thing that Terry and his team of writers have done really well. They've teased up enough, but it's got backbone, and it's got weight behind it that you can just fly into the next, without using the pun, into the next chapter, and explore these stories. I feel that they could have some great stuff coming up, but I don't think we necessarily iron out that just yet. Again, whether that's because of the Borg connection or not, it makes sense that it is, but it doesn't have to be as streamlined as that necessarily.

I think that's what’s so great about this finale is that it does feel final, but there's enough stuff to leave you wanting more, which is the hallmark of a really good finale. I did have one fun question. How do you think that the conversation went to get Jack into Starfleet? Because he was so against the idea when Picard brought it up mid-season and then the next thing you see him, and he's so excited.

SPELEERS: Wow. I mean he's got to have been promised something, doesn't he? What'd his dad promise him? What on Earth would Picard promise his son? The Chateau? He's going to get that anyway, isn't he? He's going to get the vineyard anyway. So that's taken care of. I mean his dad might have led a little friendly reminder and gone, "No, no son, just remember Sidney La Forge is on there. Okay, I'll put a good word with her dad. I'll put a good word with Geordi." Maybe he was told, "Look, if you do things the right way, you could potentially be running the show one day, and maybe you can put your own mark." Maybe [that] sold him, so that he could embrace it. I don't know. I'm not sure.

All three seasons of Star Trek: Picard are streaming now on Paramount+.

Den of Geek

Star Trek Easter Egg Calls Back to a Forgotten Deep Space Nine Episode

The latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery does a less corny version of a goofy classic from Deep Space Nine.

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Terry Farrell as Jadzia Dax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine earned its position as a favorite series among fans because of its more complex take on the franchise’s themes, thrusting the United Federation of Planets into a huge war that tested its moral compass time and again. But even at the height of the Dominion War, DS9 also found time to follow Jake and Nog’s search for a baseball card and to check in on a holographic Rat Pack lounge singer.

But even within that wide range of possibilities, the season three episode “Facets” stands out as an oddball. Written by René Echevarria and directed by Cliff Bole, “Facets” introduced the Zhian’tara ritual, through which Trill hosts find closure for their symbiotes by spreading host personalities to others.

Although “Facets” isn’t exactly a “Sub Rosa” level embarrassment, it is a weird episode that mostly went unmentioned in the larger canon until Discovery reintroduced the Zhian’tara ritual in the season four episode “Choose to Live.” In that episode, the Guardians of Trill use the ritual to separate Grey from the Tal symbiote carried by Adira and into a Soong-style golem. As usual for Discovery , writer Terri Hughes Burton and director Christopher J. Byrne emphasized the emotional over the goofy, not invoking the sillier parts of the idea.

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That’s not the case for this week’s Disco season five episode “ Jinaal .” When Burnham and Book’s search for the secret of the Progenitors brings them to Trill, they find a guide in the form of Jinaal Bix, a host from 800 years ago. Through Zhian’tara, Bix allows Jinaal to embody Dr. Culber, who takes the duo to the next clue.

The stakes of “Facets” weren’t quite so high, and fittingly, neither was the episode’s tone. Jadzia sends the minds of the previous Dax hosts to Quark, Bashir, Leeta, O’Brien, Odo, Kira, and Sisko, who all take on new personalities. O’Brien becomes nervy and scared when Tobin possesses him, while the maternal Audrid softens Quark’s hard edges. The murderous Joran transforms Sisko into a Hannibal Lecter type, making malevolent observations through an invisible holding cell wall.

The most outrageous of the transformations involves, fittingly enough, the shape-shifter Odo, who takes on the identity of Jadzia’s most immediate predecessor Curzon. Although a gregarious man in his life and a close friend to Sisko and the Klingon Martok, Curzon’s joi de vivre makes him selfish, fighting to hold on to his new life. Due to his shape-changing abilities, Odo undergoes a more thorough transformation, as he and Curzon blend into a single being. This new being happens to look a lot like Odo performer René Auberjonois , giving the actor a chance to work with less make-up.

Culber’s transformation isn’t quite so dramatic. The change to Jinaal gives Culber’s actor Wilson Cruz the opportunity to be a swaggering charmer instead of the empathetic physician he usually plays, as well as the opportunity to compliment his own (admittedly very impressive) physique.

Unlike Culber, Auberjonois and Avery Brooks (Sisko) go hard into playing off-beat characters. Never one for subtlety, Brooks chews all the scenery available to him as the evil genius Joran. He never makes for a credible threat (contrast his presence to that of Brad Dourif’s killer ensign Lon Suder in Voyager ), but he is fun to watch.

Likewise, Auberjonois takes advantage of having his face freed from most of the make up he wore on DS9 to mug at every opportunity. Drawing from his many years on stage, Auberjonois exaggerates every gesture. It’s not quite as obnoxious as Brent Spiner ‘s performance in “Masks,” The Next Generation ‘s spiritual predecessor to “Facets,” but it does feel like it comes from a different show.

Which isn’t always a bad thing. Every Trek series has dabbled in other genres, from the gangster episode “A Piece of the Action” on The Original Series to the zombie thriller “Impulse” on Enterprise . Discovery continues that tradition with its current season and episodes like “Jinaal,” showing that Star Trek can handle a wide range of tones, and even get really goofy.

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Star Trek: Discovery is streaming now on Paramount+.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

"Star Trek: Discovery" makes a case for Michael Burnham as the last great Starfleet captain

Our "discovery" protagonist was never going to have it easy. the start of her last run solidifies her greatness, by melanie mcfarland.

Michael Burnham's " Star Trek " journey was destined to be among the franchise's toughest and most complex. Some of us knew this from the moment Sonequa Martin-Green was cast to play her, especially Black women who are sci-fi geeks. We have never been few, but until recently, we were far less visible than we are now.

To some, this visibility symbolizes everything that has supposedly gone wrong with this franchise and others. The reach of " Star Trek: Discovery " goes even further by assembling a truly inclusive cast that blew apart the original series' longstanding heteronormativity.

All this further angered culture war trolls and self-appointed arbiters of what is so-called "real" "Star Trek." These people have a vested interest in downvoting any such divergences from what has gone before.

Mainly it was — as it continues to be — the purists who wrote off "Discovery" as "not Trek" during its first season in 2017 . Looking back from its final season — and from the perspective of Burnham's 900-year journey — we can say that despite how its thematic shading looked to us then , "Discovery" never abandoned Gene Roddenberry's optimism . It has simply evolved its interpretation.

In the first season, not even Burnham would believe this to hold true. A human raised on Vulcan by Spock's father, Sarek, and as his sister, Burnham earns her first officer role through superior conduct and logic, divorcing herself from sentiment.

Burnham's smug sense of rectitude gets her superior officer killed. She is charged with mutiny, stripped of her rank and sentenced to life in prison.

From there, she stops a rogue galactic A.I. from annihilating the Federation and leaps nine centuries into the future (thereby largely freeing herself and the show from restrictive canon) to find a universe where Starfleet as it used to be is a dream, and the Federation and its ideals are broken.

"Discovery's" swansong season finds Burnham in the year 3191, with enough of the Federation's trust to take on a highly classified mission alongside Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), who has already earned the same commendations as Kirk and Picard. His reputation precedes him, in other words. Their quest relates to a Picard-era discovery that Starfleet fears can be used to eradicate all humanoid life in the universe.

"Discovery" never abandoned Gene Roddenberry's optimism. It has simply evolved its interpretation.

Their success should place her on par with the greats, an honor that showrunner Michelle Paradise and the show's co-creator Alex Kurtzman have been driving toward all this time.

Some indicators of that goal aren't as obvious as others, like the sequence in which Rayner defies Burnham during an away mission, trusting in his overconfidence instead of her strategic acumen. His snap judgment endangers a planet's civilian population, leaving her to fix the crisis he has created.

Women watching this — especially Black women, I would wager — might have experienced a slight rage triggering in their soul that was mollified by Burnham pulling the very Obama-esque move of asking Rayner to replace her trusted friend Saru (Doug Jones) as her first officer. (The job was coming open, anyway; Saru is shifting into diplomacy mode and getting married.)

This is the move of a great leader. Then again, like Kate Mulgrew's long underappreciated Captain Janeway, it may not be appreciated by the fandom for many, many years.

Burnham's arc contradicts what we know about the great Starfleet captains profiled in this franchise, most of whom are white and male.

Burnham's arc contradicts what we know about the great Starfleet captains profiled in this franchise, most of whom are white and male, though if that were the extent of what differentiates her from the rest, it would barely be worth mentioning.

Records of their histories come to us as snippets of dialogue from secondary characters or contextualizing conversations from what the official logs have to say about past missions. We hear about who served under whom, granting legitimacy to the likes of, say, Christopher Pike to claim the captain's chair long before Anson Mount made us ecstatic to see that happen.

Burnham's path to the helm's command begins with what should be a life- and career-ending mistake. It's constantly defined by humility and doubt. No one is harder on Burnham than she is on herself — and nobody takes as many risks with their career or reputation to keep their crew alive. Her optimism is one guided by the hope that all obstacles can be overcome and all outcomes are possible, including for herself.

Despite all of this, it will take a lot of convincing for some people to consider Burnham among the top ranks of Starfleet captains in those occasional fan polls that tend to place Jean-Luc Picard or James T. Kirk in the top positions, though Captain Pike has offered stiff competition since "Strange New Worlds" first aired.

But our relatively newfound love of Pike and that show wouldn't be possible without "Discovery" venturing into the unmapped asteroid field that is the public's willingness to boldly go back to a dormant franchise in a wildly disunified era.

This doesn't merely refer to the role of "Discovery" introducing Mount's Pike, in addition to launching every other new "Trek" spinoff along with the streaming service currently known as Paramount+ . It did all this along with shouldering the more precarious mission of serving as the franchise's vanguard in a cynical age.

If you love "Lower Decks" and "Strange New Worlds," this is in part due to the producers' listening to the fandom's programming desires accordingly. Notice, for example, how unlike the first season of "Picard" is from the third . Initially, "Picard" tried to do something different with the beloved character. It ended his adventures by reassembling the band for the spectacular last ride their films denied them. The new "Star Trek" series have a goal of delivering something for everyone, including kids. "Discovery" helped its custodians figure that out.

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And if you love "Discovery," its devotion to showcasing those who long felt unseen in this franchise may kindle that affection. "Discovery" gave us an Asian woman as a Starship captain in Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou and a happily married duo to root for in Wilson Cruz's Dr. Hugh Culber in Anthony Rapp's Paul Stamets.

It introduced Tig Notaro in its second season as Jett Reno, a decision for which everyone should be grateful. The third gave us the franchise's first transgender and non-binary characters in Ian Alexander's Trill Gray and Blu del Barrio's Adira Tal.

Through it all, we have also entirely fallen for Mary Wiseman's Sylvia Tilly, a woman who also knew a few things about self-doubt and, therefore, values being understood.

What some would cite as humanizing traits, others might write off as maudlin, along with the fact that Burnham was able to experience a fully realized love affair that began with a partnership of equals with a courier named Booker (David Ajala).

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter , Crash Course.

It's only one of the many ways that "Discovery" is consciously disparate from "Star Trek" as we have long known it, daring to change everything from the look of the Klingons to its star character's role in igniting a war between them and the United Federation of Planets.

That was then. Hundreds of years after that moment, Captain Burnham has figured herself out, proving to the many who doubted her that she deserves to be there.

She has traveled the longest road through imposter syndrome of any Starfleet captain — most of a millennium, actually — and we have witnessed every major moment that forged her. Burnham may never win the major "Star Trek" popularity contests for favorite captains, but without a doubt, she's the last great one we may ride with in this universe.

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

stories about "Star Trek"

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" considers the weight of Khan's wrathful legacy
How "Strange New Worlds" uses Rebecca Romijn's Number One to place prejudice on trial
"Pike made jambalaya": How "Strange New Worlds" Captain Pike expresses care and diplomacy with food

Melanie McFarland is Salon's award-winning senior culture critic. Follow her on Twitter: @McTelevision

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery season 5 returning cast & new character guide.

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

Discovery season 5 follows Burnham on a treasure hunt with new allies and enemies in the 32nd century.
Captain Saru may get his own command, impacting his role on Discovery.
Stamets plays a key role with the Spore Drive and the quest for the mysterious treasure.

After a long delay, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery are back, and they'll be joined by some new and returning characters over the course of Star Trek: Discovery season 5's intergalactic treasure hunt. Discovery season 5 picks up some time after the DMA disaster was averted, and it's likely that the impact of that on the show's regulars will be explored as the weeks go by. Tasked by the ever-engimatic Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg) to retrieve a mysterious item from an 800-year-old Romulan ship, Burnham and the crew of the Discovery are thrown into a quest for a great prize that must not fall into the wrong hands .

With the " greatest treasure in the known universe " on the line, Burnham and the crew will need some allies from the 32nd century Star Trek timeline . As well as her loyal crew, Burnham will again be assisted by Cleveland Booker (David Ajala), the Federation President, Laila Rilak (Chelah Horsdal) and Starfleet Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) . As the extensive Star Trek: Discovery cast prepare to say goodbye, it looks like they'll get a suitably cinematic and emotional send-off.

When Does Every Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode Premiere (& How Many Are There)?

17 sonequa martin-green as captain michael burnham, the uss discovery's legendary captain is at the heart of the action in season 5..

Sonequa Martin-Green returns as Captain Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. After a breakthrough role as Sasha Williams in The Walking Dead , Sonequa Martin-Green has led Discovery since 2017, and will be bowing out when the show ends this year. Between seasons 4 and 5, Martin-Green appeared in Space Jam: A New Legacy and guest starred as the Green Ghost in Invincible .

Since arriving in the future, Burnham has quickly become the most important captain in Star Trek 's 32nd century , which is presumably why she's been trusted to lead season 5's intergalactic treasure hunt. From the clips and trailers, Burnham will be right in the thick of the action, engaged in gunfights in corridors and surfing on starships. It also looks like Burnham will be forced to reconcile her strained relationship with Cleveland "Book" Booker (David Ajala), after his betrayal in Star Trek: Discovery season 4.

16 Doug Jones as Captain Saru

Will burnham's number one get his own command.

Doug Jones' history-making Saru is also back for Star Trek: Discovery season 5. It's been teased that Saru will be offered the " position of a lifetime " in the season 5 premiere , meaning that he may no longer be Burnham's second-in-command. Burnham and Saru are seen in an exciting adventure on a forest planet in the final Discovery trailer, a mission that is referred to as the pair's " last dance ". The specifics of Saru's new role and how it plays into season 5's larger story remains to be seen. Between Star Trek: Discovery seasons 4 and 5, Doug Jones was seen as Baron Afanas in FX's vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows .

15 Anthony Rapp as Commander Paul Stamets

Has stamets finally rolled out his revolutionary spore drive.

Anthony Rapp's Paul Stamets looks to play a key role in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, as he's glimpsed holding a " key " to what is presumably tied to the treasure. Stamets will also presumably be dealing with the fallout from Ruon Tarka's theft of the spore drive technology in season 4. Tarka's protoype spore drive was destroyed, drastically setting back the rollout across the whole Starfleet armada. It will be interesting, therefore, to see if Stamets' passion project has finally been adopted by 32nd century Starfleet. Anthony Rapp recently voiced Orpheus in the videogame Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical .

Discovery's Spore Drive Is Better Than Star Trek's Traditional Warp

14 wilson cruz as doctor hugh culber, discovery's answer to counselor deanna troi..

13 Reasons Why star Wilson Cruz will reprise the role of Star Trek: Discovery 's medic and counselor, Dr. Hugh Culber. Wilson Cruz teased that Discovery season 5 is a high note , and the trailers reveal that Culber joins Burnham and Book on an away mission, stretching his legs beyond the Discovery. Culber also expanded his skills in Discovery season 4, taking care of the crew's mental health as well as their physical wellbeing. Gene Roddenberry was inspired to create Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) for that very reason, making Culber a successor to the beloved Star Trek: The Next Generation character in season 5.

13 Mary Wiseman as Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly

Tilly is back full-time for discovery's final mission..

Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) had a reduced role in Star Trek: Discovery season 4, but is restored to series regular for Disco 's finale. Tilly left the Discovery to become an instructor at Starfleet Academy, presumably setting up Discovery 's upcoming spinoff series. The trailer for Discovery season 5 reveals that Tilly will be part of the ongoing treasure hunt, as she's seen disguised as an alien inside some large alien structure. As one of Discovery 's best-loved characters, it's fitting that Mary Wiseman's Tilly returns for the final outing . It remains to be seen if Tilly's arc in Discovery season 5 will set up the upcoming Starfleet Academy show .

12 David Ajala as Cleveland Booker

Burnham's lover will be seeking her forgiveness when he returns to discovery..

At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 4, Booker set off to make amends for his potentially catastrophic actions against Species 10-C. Book was ordered to assist the efforts to resettle refugees from the destruction caused by the DMA as recompense for his theft of the experimental spore drive. Booker returns to the USS Discovery in season 5 to help Burnham and the crew track villainous couriers L'ak and Moll. Burnham and Books' relationship faced its biggest challenge in Discovery season 4 , so it will be interesting to see how that impacts one of the most enduring love stories in modern Star Trek .

11 Blu del Barrio as Ensign Adira Tal

Stamets' protégé will join discovery's treasure hunt..

Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), Star Trek: Discovery 's young science whizz, will also be returning in season 5. Still working under the tutelage of their mentor and adoptive father figure, Paul Stamets, Adira will aid the Discovery's quest for season 5's treasure. Adira is the first recurring Star Trek character to identify as non-binary, using they/them pronouns . Adira is a strong example of the hugely positive work that Discovery has done to improve LGBTQ+ representation in the Star Trek franchise. Most recently, Blu del Barrio was one of a number of Star Trek actors to lend their voice to the 2023 videogame Starfield .

Other Star Trek actors who appear in Starfield include Tim Russ, Nana Visitor, and Armin Shimerman.

Star Trek's First LGBTQ+ Romance Almost Happened In TNG Season 2

10 tig notaro as commander jett reno, discovery's comedy engineer returns for season 5..

Stand-up comedian Tig Notaro will return as Commander Jett Reno in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 . Reno is a recurring character who made her debut in Discovery season 2, and joined the crew as they traveled into the far future. Reno is the USS Discovery's acerbic engineer, and will have a role to play in the ongoing search for season 5's mysterious treasure. In the trailer, Tig Notaro is seen holding all manner of sci-fi props, suggesting that Reno will have to do some dazzling engineering work on the fly at some point in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

9 Callum Keith Rennie as Captain Rayner

How does the kellerun captain fit into burnham's treasure hunt.

Battlestar Galactica 's Callum Keith Rennie plays Captain Rayner, one of Star Trek: Discovery season 5's new characters . It's been confirmed that Captain Rayner is a Kellerun , and that he is a wartime leader struggling to readjust to the Federation's time of peace post-Burn. It's also been teased that Rayner has a personal vendetta against the villainous Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis). How Rayner's past with Discovery season 5's primary antagonists will interfere with Burnham's quest for the treasure remains to be seen. From The X-Files to The Umbrella Academy, Rennie is a stalwart of genre TV , so his involvement in Star Trek feels long overdue.

8 Eve Harlow as Moll

One half of discovery season 5's villainous double act..

The Night Agent 's Eve Harlow joins Star Trek: Discovery season 5 as Moll, one half of the villainous criminal duo . Harlow is no stranger to sci-fi, having started out in Marvel's Agents of SHIELD , before appearing in The 100 and Next . Moll has been described as a former courier, who is now an intelligent and strategic outlaw. Moll's partnership with L'ak is romantic as well as professional, suggesting that the couple are a dark reflection of Burnham and Book's former partnership in Discovery season 3. Moll is also described as single-minded, and not intimidated by Captain Burnham or the judgment of Starfleet and the Federation.

7 Elias Toufexis as L'ak

The clyde to moll's bonnie..

L'ak isn't the first Star Trek role for The Expanse 's Elias Toufexis . The actor voiced the characters of Galvan and Hadri in Star Trek: Resurgence , and also previously played "Cold" in Star Trek: Discovery season 1. As one of season 5's primary villains, L'ak is a more substantial role for Elias Toufexis than his previous Star Trek characters. L'ak is Moll's fierce protector, who will stop at nothing to ensure that the love of his life is safe. This could make him an unpredictable and incredibly dangerous foe for Captain Burnham and the crew in Discovery season 5.

Star Trek: Discovery's New Season 5 Villains & Starfleet Officer Explained By Showrunner

6 tara rosling as president t'rina of ni'var, will saru and t'rina get their happy ending in discovery season 5.

President T'Rina (Tara Rosling) and Saru's relationship will develop further in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 . Now the president of the unified Vulcan and Romulan home world of Ni'Var, it's unclear how big a part the wider Federation government will play in season 5's treasure hunt and its wider ramifications. Speculation around Saru's new role in Discovery suggest that he may be taking on a diplomatic role, which will bring him closer to T'Rina on a professional level. Working so closely professionally could have a negative impact on Saru and T'Rina's romance in Discovery season 5, suggesting some interesting material for Tara Rosling to perform.

5 Oded Fehr as Admiral Charles Vance

The starfleet admiral will oversee burnham's final mission..

The Mummy star Oded Fehr returns as Admiral Charles Vance in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, providing Starfleet oversight on Burnham's latest mission. At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 4, Vance vowed to spend more time with his family following the existential threat posed by Species 10-C . However, these plans may be derailed by the magnitude of Discovery's mission in season 5, forcing Vance to spend more time at Federation Headquarters.

4 David Cronenberg as Dr. Kovich

Starfleet's mysterious scientist gives the orders in discovery season 5..

Cult movie director David Cronenberg reprises the role of Doctor Kovich, who tasks Burnham with Star Trek: Discovery season 5's treasure hunt. An enigmatic figure, it's always hard to read the motives of Kovich, making him one of Discovery 's most fascinating characters. Hopefully, Kovich's intentions for the " greatest treasure in the known universe " are pure, but it's never easy to tell for sure. Previews of season 5 have revealed that Kovich will be taking a more hands-on approach this season, appearing alongside Captain Saru on the bridge of the USS Discovery .

3 Chelah Horsdal as Federation President Laira Rillak

Managing the political implications of burnham's mission..

Best known for her role as Helen in The Man in the High Castle , Chelah Horsdal returns to Star Trek: Discovery as President Laira Rillak. It's not clear what the wider political implications of season 5's treasure are, but it's certain that President Rillak will have to step in to mediate its impact on Federation relations. Having welcomed Earth back into the United Federation of Planets at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 4, it's likely that Rillak will have her eyes on expanding UFP membership in season 5 .

2 Ian Alexander as Gray Tal

The trainee guardian returns in discovery season 5..

Rounding out Star Trek: Discovery season 5's returning characters is Ian Alexander as trainee Trill Guardian, Gray Tal . Gray and Adira have been in a long-distance relationship since they parted ways in Discovery season 4. In Discovery season 4, episode 10, "The Galactic Barrier," Adira told Burnham that they and Grey were where they both needed to be, so it would be interesting to see if that's still the case in season 5. Ian Alexander recently voiced the character of Lev in The Last of Us: Part II , but it's unknown if they will reprise that role for HBO's TV adaptation.

1 Star Trek: Discovery's New & Returning Bridge Crew

As ever, Captains Burnham and Saru will be joined by their loyal bridge crew in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. Everyone from tactical to helm to communications will be on hand to see the USS Discovery through its final mission. Making their final appearances as the bridge crew of the legendary USS Discovery in season 5 are:

Emily Coutts as Lt. Commander Keyla Detmer (Helm)
Patrick Kwok-Choon as Lt. Commander Gen Rhys (Tactical)
Olyn Oladejo as Lt. Commander Joann Owasekun (Ops)
Orville Cummings as Lt. Christopher (Communications)
David Benjamin Tomlinson as Lt. Junior Grade Linus (Science)
Annabelle Wallis as Zora

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Premieres With 2 Episodes On April 4th On Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery

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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

20 years in: A look at President Crow's vision for accessibility and excellence in the New American University

After taking helm in 2002, president tackled inequities in higher education.

ASU President Crow smiles as he stands at a podium in front of the MIX Center in Mesa.

Editor’s note: This story is featured in the 2022 year in review .

As a child in the late 1960s, Michael Crow grasped the deep divide between the TV images of men bouncing on the moon and the struggles of the working-class families in his community.

“And my brain, even as a middle school and early high school student at that time, clicked and it basically said, ‘There’s something wrong,’” he said.

The realization at a young age that everyone needed to benefit from the new and dazzling technology was a driver for Crow.

“But I didn’t see where we would get the results we could get unless we had a different kind of way to learn something. I didn’t even know anything about college at the time. I just began wondering, ‘How will this happen?’ Even then.”

Now in his 20 th year as president, Crow has guided the evolution of Arizona State University into a different kind of university, making its knowledge available to everyone and rejecting the claim that exclusion begets excellence.

“When I entered undergraduate school, I was overwhelmingly shocked at the rules. You can’t study this, you can’t take that many majors. You can’t take subjects that are that different from each other. And I wondered why. Why can’t I study everything?

“And after a while, I began hearing that all the really good schools were the ones that didn’t let anybody in, and I literally said to myself, ‘How can those be the good schools? Wouldn’t the good schools be the ones producing all the people who are going out and doing all the things that we need?’”

Crow worked in higher education for years, always considering how to tear down the ivory towers and redesign college to better meet the community’s needs.

After he declined a few opportunities to lead universities, his wife insisted he make a short list of institutions he would be willing to take on. So he did — Arizona State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Washington.

“ASU was No. 1 on my list because Arizona was a place that was very open to outsiders, very open to new ideas, not rigid, not overly bureaucratized,” he said.

The job of ASU president wasn’t open at the time. But after Lattie Coor retired as president in 2002, Crow became ASU’s leader.

“To me it was like I’d died and gone to heaven in the sense that it was this open-minded, unbelievably adaptable place, highly willing to accept an entrepreneurial model,” Crow said.

He got to work shaping ASU to address the deficiencies he saw in higher education. He outlined a vision for a “new American university,” which launched a process that led to the ASU Charter . People in the university community were both excited and wary.

“People bought the idea, but it was, ‘OK, how do you make it work? Give me manifest mechanisms,’” he said.

“We got to a point where most people were thinking this was the direction the university should go — the idea of a charter that was inclusion versus exclusion, research benefiting the public and taking responsibility for the communities we serve is a fine institution to try to build, and a fantastic thing to build your life around.

“Most people got around that. Some people left because they weren’t really interested in that.”

Breaking the system

Crow saw the new mission embraced. But over the years, shedding the traditional culture of academia has been tricky, with some faculty seeing ASU as an “outlier as opposed to an innovator,” he said.

Professors can sometimes be conservative about change, said Bryan Brayboy, vice president of social advancement at ASU and a senior advisor to Crow.

“We’ve been inculcated into a system where we come in, prep as grad students and become faculty, and the systems are generational,” he said.

“We’re taught to be skeptical and to look for evidence and data and to see where the flaws are. It’s in our nature to be critical.

“What President Crow has done in the last 20 years is take something that’s been unbreakable and break it.”

The mission to create a more inclusive institution has been a draw for faculty, said Brayboy, who is also a President’s Professor in the School of Social Transformation and director of the Center for Indian Education.

“My colleagues at other places say, ‘What are you up to over there?’ and half say, ‘Is there anything open? I’d like to be part of it.’

“It’s because of President Crow’s vision and persistence and the people he surrounds himself with who say, ‘I want to be part of this new thing.’”

Brayboy believes that ASU’s scalable model is influencing the field of higher education.

“The external view that people are starting to put together is that you can be diverse and excellent simultaneously.”

Video by Ken Fagan/ASU News

Expanding education access

Some of the biggest changes during Crow’s tenure have been to the skyline — launching the Downtown Phoenix campus, creating Skysong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, renovating the historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles to become an ASU location, putting the Mirabella senior living complex on the Tempe campus, building the high-tech Media and Immersive eXperience Center in downtown Mesa in partnership with the city, and developing the mixed-use Novus Innovation Corridor, a 350-acre public-private collaboration of office space, apartments, retail and an athletics village on the Tempe campus.

Drew Brown, a founding partner of DMB and the chairman of DMB Development, a real estate development firm, has seen how the evolution of ASU’s footprint has changed the Valley.

“His force of personality all by itself has created so much that goes well beyond ASU,” Brown said.

“Downtown Phoenix is an ASU deal but is so much bigger and more powerful than ASU, and I think there will be a big impact along Central Avenue.

“I believe that what he did with SkySong and his vision for that campus and the way that’s connected the Tempe community to Scottsdale will continue to build,” said Brown, who recalled sneaking into the back door of Scottsdale City Hall with Crow during negotiations for the SkySong site.

“He’s indefatigable.”

Diversifying the student body

Earlier this year, ASU was designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2021, ASU’s Hispanic students made up 26% of the on-campus undergraduate population, up from about 19% in fall 2011.

“I think earning the HSI designation for ASU shows how much work has been put into making the student population diverse,” said Cecilia Alcántar-Chávez, president of the Undergraduate Student Government at the Polytechnic campus.

“Seeing such a big university with more than 25% Hispanic students shows how much follow-through there is in the charter goals and mission. It’s a conscious effort,” said Alcántar-Chávez, who is majoring in mechanical engineering systems with a minor in project management.

“Being a first-generation Hispanic college student, and seeing the amount of support I’ve gotten, I’m so proud of ASU for that.”

In addition, ASU has earned the Seal of Excelencia, a prestigious certification granted in recognition of ASU’s many initiatives to recruit and support Latino students and faculty. Among them is ASU Local – Yuma, created earlier this year to serve online students in Arizona’s border communities with culturally relevant in-person coaching and programming.

ASU’s mission to increase access means supporting first-generation students, who are the first in their family to attend college. Crow, as well as Executive Vice President and University Provost Nancy Gonzales and Maria Anguiano, executive vice president of Learning Enterprise, are all first-generation graduates.

ASU has about 25,000 first-generation students, a number that has quadrupled since 2002. Many of them find a community of peers in the Student Success Center , which offers help in navigating the often opaque world of higher education.

As a student leader, Alcántar-Chávez hears directly from students about their challenges. Often, she’s able to connect them to university resources to help.

“I would say the hardest part is that there are so many resources, it can be hard to navigate them,” she said.

“Some students think the circumstances they’re in are hopeless or they don’t expect anything to happen, but often they’re wrong. There is support available to them at ASU.”

Last year, Alcántar-Chávez worked on a project to update and simplify the “basic needs” webpage , which lists resources for finances, food, health, mental health, housing and help for international students.

“I think that awareness piece is something that always has to be worked on, and you always have to shift how you market to students.”

Creating lifelong learners

Crow is optimistic about the future of higher education, despite some recent debate over the value of a degree.

“Most of the conversations about the value of higher education are not made by people who have the facts in front of them, because the return on an individual’s investment to attend ASU over their lifetime is 14% per year on the financial investment they make,” he said.

Side-by-side black-and-white photos of ASU President Michael Crow. On the left, Crow throws a javelin during college. On the right, he smiles in an Iowa State jersey.

Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

ASU President Michael Crow poses with a group of people making the ASU pitchfork sign with ther hands.

Video courtesy of ASU Archives

Top image: ASU President Michael Crow speaks during the grand opening celebration of the new Media and Immersive eXperience Center in downtown Mesa in October. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

The Inventory

Updates From Star Trek: Discovery , X-Men '97 , and More

Plus, ryan coogler and michael b. jordan's mystery vampire movie adds another major star..

The Lovecraftian fishing game Dredge is becoming a movie. The Crow reboot just got a bit of a delay. Jennifer Tilly teases a big Chucky return. Plus, what’s coming on the long-awaited return of Smiling Friends . Spoilers, away!

Untitled Vampire Project

THR reports Hailee Steinfeld is the latest to join Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler’s currently untitled vampire movie. Details on her role are currently under wraps.

Variety also reports Black Salt Games has partnered with Story Kitchen on a live-action film adaptation of Dredge , “the single-player Lovecraftian fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent.” In the game, “players are invited to sell their catch, upgrade their boat and dredge the depths for long-buried secrets as they explore a mysterious archipelago and discover why some things are best left forgotten. Taking control of a fisherman and his boat, users explore a collection of remote isles and their surrounding depths to see what lies below. Selling the day’s catches to locals unearths more information about each area’s troubled past, but darkness ushers in the night’s worrisome eldritch horrors.” According to the outlet, Story Kitchen’s official logline describes the project as “ The Sixth Sense on the water” and “a grounded atmospheric cosmic horror blend of HP Lovecraft and Ernest Hemingway.”

Variety additionally reports the Sam Raimi-produced horror movie Don’t Move —in which “a seasoned killer injects a grieving woman with a paralytic agent” forcing her to “run, fight and hide before her body completely shuts down” — has been acquired by Netflix. Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock star are attached to star.

According to Comic Book , the upcoming reboot of The Crow has been pushed back two months and will now release this August 23rd.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

A behind-the-scenes photo from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop appears to confirm an animatronic Mangle is under construction for the Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel.

Bloody-Disgusting has a clip from Arcadian , the new monster movie starring Nicolas Cage in theaters this Friday.

Jennifer Tilly confirmed the Tiffany doll will “resurface” on Chucky during a recent interview with TooFab .

People absolutely love that doll. And I think this season was a little sparse on [the] Tiffany doll. There’s something very adorable about Tiffany. Tiffany the doll is very self involved. And it’s so funny to see her running around doing her Tiffany doll things. I understand why people have a love for the doll.” Tiffany-in-Jennifer Tilly is also very much Tiffany, but maybe not as compact and cute. So I think it’s nice to have a balance. I think they like to see me, but they also do like to see the doll. So, I think they’re going to be happily surprised when the doll resurfaces. Not to give anything away, but I do think that the doll is never gonna to be down for long. I think there’s always a place for the Tiffany doll in the Chucky franchise.

Star Trek: Discovery

Spoiler TV has photos from “Jinaal,” this week’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery . Head over there to see the rest.

Spoiler TV also has images from “Holes Are Bad,” the April 18 episode of Ghosts . More at the link.

Holes Are Bad – When Sam and Jay leave the ghosts home alone for the weekend in an attempt to have a romantic getaway, shocking revelations are made about two of Woodstone’s beloved spirits, on the CBS Original series GHOSTS, Thursday, April 18 (8:31-9:01 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*.

Smiling Friends

Adult Swim has released a full trailer for the second season of Smiling Friends premiering this May 12.

Finally, Nightcrawler returns in a clip from today’s new episode of X-Men ‘97 .

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .