star trek continues 7

'Star Trek Continues': Vic Mignogna Beams Us to a Fan-made Final Frontier

"Star Trek Continues" is exactly what it sounds like: A fan-made science fiction series that picks up where the original "Star Trek" TV show left off, putting Kirk, Spock and the rest of the starship Enterprise's crew through a whole new set of adventures in the final frontier. The cast — made up of of talented voice- and stage-actor Trek fans, including Vic Mignogna as executive producer (and Kirk) — works on an exact-replica set, evoking the original show's performances to create what feels like lost episodes from the series itself.

Since its debut in 2013, "Star Trek Continues" has published five episodes online, and the sixth will premiere in May. (Episode 7 is nearly done as well.) The project's crowdfunding campaign to finish Episode 7's post-production phase and film three more episodes is live on Indiegogo until May 4 . 

Space.com caught up with Mignogna to talk about the show he calls his "love letter" to the original series, the key to "Star Trek" storytelling and what's to come in the next two episodes of the web series. (Plus, Space.com's own Karl Tate explores the set in this Trek-tastic new video .)

Space.com: How did "Star Trek Continues" begin?

Vic Mignogna: I've loved the original series of " Star Trek " ever since I was a little boy; I used to eat, sleep and breathe that show, basically. I would make my own uniforms and make my own props, and use my parents' movie camera to round up kids in the neighborhood to shoot little episodes. That show really inspired me when I was 10, 11, 12 years old, 13, 14.

Over the years, I have been developing skills in filmmaking and acting, and all different elements of production, and a few years ago I helped another fan production — I directed an episode for another fan production, and I kind of got bitten by the bug again. So I got a bunch of friends together and we all poured a lot of love and money and sweat and time and effort and talent into starting this web series. And people have really enjoyed it. We've got over 4 million views now, and have won a dozen awards, and people seem to really, really be enjoying it and it's very gratifying.

Space.com: How long did it take from the idea's inception to the first episode going up online?

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Mignogna: We started out by releasing some little 3- to 5-minute dramatic vignettes introducing the world to our crew and the actors that were going to be playing those iconic roles, and we released three of those vignettes. They're all online, they're on our YouTube channel . They were basically a preview while we were finishing building all the sets and getting ready to shoot the first episode.

To date, we've been around three years and we've got six episodes: five online, released. The sixth one is done and will be premiering in May at Megacon, and the seventh episode is also done and will be premiering in the fall.

Space.com: Has the project grown in scale over time?

Mignogna:  The project already started at its beginning at a higher level of quality than people had heretofore seen in fan production. But I will say with every episode, I feel like our cast and crew have gotten better and better. When we released a first episode, a lot of people were like, "Wow, how could you do any better than this?" And then we would release the second one and people would say, "Oh my gosh, I don't know how you did it, but this one's even better." And then the third one, they would say, "Oh my gosh, this one's even better, and the fourth one's even better, and the fifth one's even better!" So in different ways I think we are improving, but from the very beginning our quality level was extremely high. [ See the Evolution of the Starship Enterprise in Photos ]

Space.com: How do you decide on the specific plots or issues to focus on for particular episodes?

Mignogna: The original series' stories were very compelling stories that many times had an ethical theme or a moral plot or point or a social commentary, and so I was committed from the very beginning to telling those kinds of stories . And that's exactly what we've done. If you watch our episodes, you'll find that one of the things that makes [them] feel so much like the original series is that we tell very thought-provoking, intriguing, passion-filled stories.

Space.com: Can you say what's coming up in episodes six and seven?

Mignogna:  I will tell you this: Our next episode is going to be so groundbreaking, nobody has ever done anything like this. I don't want to give away too much, but I will tell you that the engineering room will be featured prominently. It will be making its screen debut in Episode 6.

Gigi Edgley, who was one of the main characters in Farscape, is our guest star for this episode. And let me just say that there was an element that they incorporated into several episodes of the original series, and no fan production has done this to the degree that we're doing it in Episode 6.

And I will tell you that Episode 7 has already completed shooting. It's a wonderful, very, very thought-provoking episode about a very topical issue, and [I'm] very, very proud of that episode as well.

Space.com: What has been the most difficult part of producing the show?

Mignogna:  Oh, my gosh, everything. I have to tell you, whenever you set out to do something at this level of quality, there are so many moving parts, and if you watch our episodes you see that there are tons and tons of elements to this production. Getting the lighting just right, getting the costumes just right, casting it, makeup, camera teams, sound team, props, art direction — there are dozens of moving parts that all have to come together to make it work, and I am so very, very proud of the team that I've assembled. The reason that we're able to do this quality-level work at a fraction of what it would normally cost is because everybody is basically doing it for virtually nothing. They're doing it because they love the original series of "Star Trek," they have a passion for it and they want to pay tribute to it the same way I do.

Space.com: What was it like putting together the replica sets?

Mignogna: The partial bridge was the only thing that had been built of all these sets when we partnered up [to work with another "Star Trek" fan production's set]. And then my director of photography, Matt Busey, did all of the diagrams and architectural drawings for all of the rest of the soundstage. And then a bunch of local volunteers, and just really good "Star Trek" fans, came together, including myself, and we all spent several months building all of the rest of the sets, and then three years ago we shot our first episode on those sets. So now — "Star Trek Continues" is the sole owner of those sets — we call our studio Stage 9, which is named after the soundstage where the original series was shot.

Our cast and crew come together at least twice a year to shoot episodes on those sets. They were patterned after the original series soundstage, and I would say that they were within inches of perfectly accurate to the original sets. [ How 'Star Trek' Technology Works (Infographic) ]

Space.com: Was there anything particularly hard to put together?

Mignogna: The pieces that were scattered all around the original soundstage were pieces from the 1960s; those pieces don't exist anymore. We need[ed] to come up with our own way to recreate and reproduce those pieces. And I'm very proud of the job we've done, doing so.

Let me say, as amazing as our sets are, at the end of the day, the sets are just a backdrop to the story. If the story isn't any good, if the acting isn't any good, then it really doesn't matter how accurate the sets are. The only reason that our sets need to be accurate is so the audience will immediately accept the setting as the original-series Enterprise or the original series of "Star Trek," and then allow us to tell them a good, thought-provoking story. That's one thing that a lot of fan productions miss. A lot of fan productions build really nice sets, or they make nice costumes, but those things are merely a vehicle to tell a good story. As far as "Star Trek Continues" is concerned, story, story, story is king. That's the most important thing.

Email Sarah Lewin at [email protected] or follow her   @SarahExplains .  Follow us   @Spacedotcom ,   Facebook  and   Google+ . Original article on   Space.com .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Sarah Lewin started writing for Space.com in June of 2015 as a Staff Writer and became Associate Editor in 2019 . Her work has been featured by Scientific American, IEEE Spectrum, Quanta Magazine, Wired, The Scientist, Science Friday and WGBH's Inside NOVA. Sarah has an MA from NYU's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program and an AB in mathematics from Brown University. When not writing, reading or thinking about space, Sarah enjoys musical theatre and mathematical papercraft. She is currently Assistant News Editor at Scientific American. You can follow her on Twitter @SarahExplains.

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All 10 Star Trek Continues Episodes Ranked

Julien Neaves – Editor

Award-winning fan series Star Trek Continues aired its last episode back in 2017, but it seems like every day new Trekkies are discovering this wonderful show. Now I already did an article breaking down why this unofficial continuation of The Original Series is the best fan-made Trek production ever (I’ll link that one for you guys below) so for today I thought I would do a ranking of all ten episodes. And yes, I know there are 11 but I’m counting the two-part series finale as one episode. Is that alright? Thank you. I was going to do it any way.

If you haven’t seen the series yet the episodes are available for free on the Star Trek Continues website here (it’s on YouTube as well, but I recommend showing the creators some love). But if you’re all caught up let’s set phasers to SPOILERS and get this list started:

#10 – Divided We Stand

In this episode Kirk and McCoy get trapped in a simulation of the US Civil War by some pesky nanobots. This one was just okay for me. The historical setting was an interesting change but the story itself was just not that captivating. The duo just play through the scenario and don’t have anything to figure out and no mystery to solve. And I really didn’t give two hoots about the redemption story for the young, scared soldier.

The B story of the crew getting the nanobots out of them was actually more interesting than their adventure. Did anybody else think of a Borg appendage when they mentioned needing something organic and mechanical? This one is a decent enough filler episode but not much more.

#9 Embracing the Winds

FEMINISM…IN…SPACE. They kinda threw subtlety out of the airlock with this seventh episode. A meeting to decide whether Spock or a female commander will become the captain of the damaged starship Hood becomes a discussion about gender politics and discrimination, perceived or real.

It was pleasant seeing Commodore Laura Gray (played by the lovely Erin Gray of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century fame) get bumped up from a cameo in the second episode to a major character in this one. But the female commander was abrasive and the whole experience felt a bit preachy. Like the previous entry, this one is more interesting for the B story about the Hood’s attempted salvage and mysterious destruction, which becomes a through thread all the way to the finale.

#8 Come Not Between the Dragons

This episode tackled domestic violence and addressed its central issue with a bit more subtlety than the last entry. A mysterious alien takes refuge on the Enterprise and is pursued by his father who projects his anger onto the crew.

I loved seeing my girl Gigi Edgley from Farscape front and centre in this episode and she did very well with the empathetic character. The out-of-control crew made for some decent action scenes which is always fun. The small creature design did look a bit silly (the daddy creature was a lot better) but it did fit with some of the campy designs we got in TOS. Mugato anyone? So while it did go a little afternoon special in the end, Come Not Between the Dragons was still a very touching episode about a very difficult topic.

#7 Still Treads the Shadow

The Enterprise rediscover the dimensionally-displaced starship Defiant and encounter a double of Kirk who had been trapped on the ship for decades and sustained by the powerful AI Tiberius. This was a cool episode. Vic Mignogna does well as Kirk, who struggles with seeing this decrepit version of himself, Old Kirk, who struggles with his feelings of abandonment, and the voice of the malevolent Tiberius, who struggles to get back his “friend”. Mignona had some decent chemistry with Rekha Sharma (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: Discovery) and his scenes as Old Kirk with Counselor McKennah were sweet.

It would have been nice to have had some kind of tie-in with the Star Trek: Enterprise two-parter In A Mirror Darkly, where a Mirror Universe crew encounter the Defiant, but hey, you can’t have everything.

#6 The White Iris

Is there a doctor in the house? There is, and it’s Sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker as the Chalcis leader. Good to see you. In this episode Mignogna gets to flex his acting muscles again as Kirk has to deal with regret, loss and four female ghosts from his past, including Edith Keeler from arguably the best TOS episode The City on the Edge of Forever, and his tragic wife Miramanee from the so-so episode The Paradise Syndrome.

One of the best aspects of Continues is that it took some things from TOS and delved a little deeper. In TOS Kirk had the reputation of being an intergalactic ladies’ man, though if you rewatch the episodes you will realise most of his romancing and seductions were to gain a tactical advantage. But there were a few occasions where he genuinely fell in love, lost the person and then moved on the next adventure.

The White Iris has Kirk come face to face with three women he loved and lost, and has that loss literally haunt him. I think we could have a gotten some type of scientific explanation as to why it was happening, but it was not a deal breaker plot-wise. And oh my goodness the scene where he embraces his almost-daughter brought on my waterworks. “You never gave me (a name).”

#5 Pilgrim of Eternity

The pilot episode is one of a few a handful of direct TOS sequel episodes. Michael Forest, who played the god-like alien Apollo in the TOS story Who Mourns for Adonais?, returns as a much older, much humbled and more world-weary version of the character. This is Forest’s episode and he acts the hell out of the character, whether he is mourning his lost people, charming the female crew members, telling tales of long ago, or firing bolts of lightning. Really good stuff. The episode also features Jamie Bamber of Battlestar Galactica (the reboot) who had a most unfortunate accident.

Outside of the guest stars, Mignogna has some interesting scenes as he struggles with trusting his former enemy, and Scotty (played very well by James Doohan’s son Chris) gets some welcome focus as being the least trusting of the crew. Larry Nemecek plays McCoy here (and in the next episode) but he is way too friendly and cheerful. Thankfully by Episode 3 he is replaced by Chuck Huber who delivers on the irascible Bones we all know and love.

#4 What Ships Are For

All the episodes have that TOS feel to them, but What Ships Are For is one of the most reminiscent of that era. When the Enterprise is sent to assist a planet devoid of their ability to see colour their help uncovers hidden prejudices and xenophobia.

Firstly, it was so great seeing Q actor John de Lancie guest starring in this episode, and in my head canon it is the mischievous, omnipotent being in disguise doing an earlier test of humanity. De Lancie knocks it out of the park with this one and when he throws the double standard of the Prime Directive back into Kirk’s face it brought a smile to mine. I thought the Kirk/green girl romance was sweet and the prejudice issue was handled very well. And I love that the captain’s solution was either that the two peoples work together or die separately. Put that in your smoke and pipe it. And yea, you read that last line correctly.

When the crew rescues the titular Orion slave girl the captain must decide between following Starfleet orders and saving her from cruel bondage. We have reached the top three stories, so you know things are getting really good. And this episode is fantastic.

The plot is well done. The acting is stellar, including a fun turn by Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno as amoral slave master Zaminhon. The themes come out loud and clear. It’s sexy and exciting and has got mystery, action and a meaningful message. Now that is a good Trek formula. And that ending was tragically beautiful. Top points.

#2 Fairest of Them All

If anyone is on the fence about watching Star Trek Continues (“But it’s not real Trek,” I hear them griping) but they like TOS then show them this episode. If that does not make them change their minds then they are a lost cause. Fairest of Them All picks up immediately after the events of iconic TOS episode Mirror, Mirror and follows what happens when the Terran Empire crew members return to their Enterprise in the Mirror Universe and the attempts by Mirror Spock to change his evil society.

This was the sole episode to put a focus on Spock and Todd Haberkorn delivers as the conflicted half-Vulcan. Mignogna is also fun as the over-the-top Mirror Kirk but he plays second fiddle in this one. This episode is filled with intrigue, tension, suspense and action from start to finish. I know Continues isn’t canon but this is one of the episodes that really should be. It is that good.

#1 To Boldly Go Part I and II

Is it fair to compare a two-part episode to nine single episodes? Probably not, but I don’t care; To Boldy Go is 12 flavours of awesome sauce! Where do I even begin? Firstly, the story is a direct sequel to the second pilot episode Where No Man Has Gone Before (The Cage was the first) and sees the Enterprise crew battling a new group of evil super-powered Espers who they learn were responsible for the destruction of the USS Hood.

The Espers are led by Nicola Bryant, who Classic Doctor Who fans will recognise as companion Peri Brown, and she plays one helluva megalomaniacal villain. She is scary good. But that’s not all! We have Amy Rydell reprising the role of the sexy Romulan Commander which her mother Joanne Linville played in the TOS episode The Enterprise Incident almost 50 years prior. And she looks so much like her it is uncanny!

This adventure is just monumental. Phasers are blasting, Esper powers are electrifying, Lieutenant JG Smith gets powers, the ship separates, they team up with the Romulans, the Romulans betray them, ships are exploding…and whew. Gotta catch my breath there. And I loved that they used the original Romulan ship design as it was great seeing the old bird in action again. This adventure had huge stakes and the crew loses three main crew members: security chief Drake, Smith, and McKennah, the last one quite heart wrenching. You made us love McKennah and then you took her away! How could you Vic? How could you!

The end of the story ties in directly to the beginning of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in a manner that feels organic and justified. When Kirk says goodbye to his crew it feels like he is also saying goodbye to the show’s cast and crew, and of course the fans. And there is a feeling of sadness that there will be no more Star Trek Continues adventures. But we still had 11 pretty great episodes, with the finale being the delicious icing on the cake. May more and more people discover this stellar show.

So what’s your favourite Star Trek Continues episode? For more on the series and how it recaptured the TOS magic you can click here . Or you can warp to one of our other Star Trek articles here .  

I can also be found posting on Instagram as redmanwriter and talking about TV and movie stuff on Facebook at  Movieville.

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Julien, you pretty much nailed it. These are great shows that deserve repeat viewings along with a place on the shelf between TOS season 3 and ST: The Motion Picture.

Thank you kindly. And I fully agree. LLAP

I’m just getting into the series, and it’s uncanny how much it looks like TOS. Most of the actors are good, though the original Dr. McCoy is a bit off. Also, Kirk does too much voting, not enough commanding. But the Apollo and Orion episodes are solid old school Trek, and “Fairest of them All” starts off in boffo sequel fashion. Back to the episode…

Yeah. The first McCoy just did not work. But most of the casting is solid enough and it really does recapture that TOS magic. And I adore all the sequel episodes. Enjoy the rest of the journey

I finally watched them all. “Embracing the Winds” was the weakest script: it couldn’t decide what it was trying to say, and the female captain was pictured too ambiguously. I really got into the series with the Mirror, Mirror sequel: I started to see Todd Haberkorn as a solid Spock, and the opening scene where they replay the original episode’s finale was very clever.

But the real gem was, as you say, “To Boldly Go”: it had Romulans, espers from the original semi-pilot, Cas Anvar from The Expanse, and I finally figured out who Smith was supposed to be. It had an exciting and involved plot, complete with some nice betrayals. I think Robert Sawyer wrote it – he’s a Canadian SF writer connected to cyberpunk. I can almost imagine this as the finale of the actual series.

Good breakdown.

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The Fight Against The Space Parasites Isn’t Going Well For B’Elanna In Preview Of ‘Star Trek: Defiant’ #14

| April 23, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 2 comments so far

This week the ongoing Star Trek: Defiant series from IDW hits the midway point for the sci-fi horror “Hell is only a Word” arc. The Defiant series is written by Chris Cantwell with art by Ángel Unzueta. We have a preview and the covers for issue 14.

Star Trek: Defiant #14

Resistance is futile! Cornered by their own parasitically possessed crewmate, Worf and the  Defiant  crew scramble for a way to safely save her before it’s too late. But the hive is eager to grow its numbers, seeking total dominance over a galactic level of organic species after already claiming Starbase 99’s crew as hosts. Trapped and unable to call Starfleet for assistance, Hugh suggests taking drastic measures-assimilate B’Elanna to Borg tech!

Cover A by Angel Unzueta

Cover B by J. K. Woodward

RI cover by Justin Mason

Credits/Setup: 

Five-page preview: 

Defiant  continues on Wednesday… “Hell is Only a Word wraps up in June

Star Trek: Defiant #14 arrives on Wednesday, April 23. You can order issue 13 or upcoming issues at TFAW . Or pick up individual digital editions at Amazon/comiXology .

“Hell is Only a Word” wraps up in June with issue 16. You can see the covers for the next two issues below…

Defiant collections

The first volume of the series collecting the first five issues is available at Amazon in hardcover for $23.99 and Kindle ebook for $7.70 . The “Day of Blood” crossover event with Defiant and the ongoing Star Trek series was released earlier this month and is available at Amazon in hardcover for $27.99 and Kindle ebook for $9.40 . The “A Piece of the Action” arc will be collected in volume 2, which will be released in June 2024. You can pre-order it at Amazon in hardcover for $24.99 .

Keep up with all the Star Trek comics news, previews and reviews in  TrekMovie’s comics category .

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Trek seems to have an infatuation with hamster sized parasites that can gnaw their way into a humanoid with little apparent damage….

the cover art is so bad in this series

Screen Rant

Young sheldon season 7 continues its george cheating scandal retcon before his death.

Not long after Young Sheldon retconned George's cheating scandal story in The Big Bang Theory, it continues to rehabilitate his image before he dies.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Young Sheldon season 7, episode 8.

• Young Sheldon season 7 continues to fix George's image after the show retconned his cheating scandal story in The Big Bang Theory .
• Young Sheldon season 7, episode 8 shows a heartwarming conversation between Sheldon and George, confirming that their relationship wasn't totally ruined by their awkward encounter.
• George's death looming in Young Sheldon brings closure to his character, impacting Sheldon's future as he transitions out of Texas.

Young Sheldon season 7 further rehabilitates George's image after the series retcons his cheating scandal story. The Cooper patriarch never physically appeared in The Big Bang Theory because he was long dead by the time the events of the show started. Despite this, the Pasadena gang (and viewers) had a good idea of what he was like as a father thanks to Sheldon's regular stories about him — most of them were unflattering. Couple that with Mary's consistent vilification of her late husband, and it was difficult to argue against George's established image.

Unfortunately for The Big Bang Theory 's established continuity, Young Sheldon is seemingly committed to fixing what appears to be a misconception about the Cooper patriarch . Instead of the no-good father and husband that both Mary and Sheldon described him to be, George is a deeply committed family man. The biggest change to his story, however, is Young Sheldo n retconning George's cheating story from The Big Bang Theory . As it turns out, Sheldon was mistaken about walking in on his dad, as he was with Mary and not another woman. Cleaning up George's image doesn't end there, however.

Young Sheldon Season 7 Villainizes Georgie & Mandy (Ahead Of Their Spinoff)

Young sheldon season 7, episode 8 fixes george & sheldon’s relationship after cheating retcon, george and sheldon have their first proper conversation after their awkward encounter..

In Young Sheldon season 7, episode 8, "An Ankle Monitor and a Big Plastic Crap House," Sheldon tries to save Meemaw from going to prison by becoming her legal counselor. George comes home to him studying for the bar, and instead of a snide comment from either side, they actually have a wholesome conversation about Sheldon's plans to keep Connie from being convicted. Sheldon's dad even offers to help him in case he needs any assistance. Their talk is only cut short when Missy comes in to ask George to fix the backed-up toilet.

This offers additional context to Sheldon's story about his dad cheating. In The Big Bang Theory , he told Penny that they never talked about it until George's death, and while that is still true, he made it sound like their relationship was awkward and strained after the infamous incident.

The scene between Sheldon and his dad may not seem big, but it's the first time they have a proper conversation since he walked in on him and Mary in Young Sheldon season 7, episode 4, "Ants on a Log and a Cheating Winker." This offers additional context to Sheldon's story about his dad cheating. In The Big Bang Theory , he told Penny that they never talked about it until George's death, and while that is still true, he made it sound like their relationship was awkward and strained after the infamous incident. This proves that it isn't the case.

How Sheldon and George's Young Sheldon Season 7 Relationship Impacts The Cooper Patriarch's Death

George's death will change the coopers' lives forever..

Young Sheldon is ending because it is approaching the part of the timeline when Sheldon moves from Texas to California. However, aside from that, this particular period is also when George unexpectedly dies. Like his cheating scandal, his demise was a favorite topic of conversation among viewers, with The Big Bang Theory not revealing the specifics about what led to his unexpected passing. Admittedly, Young Sheldon could have gotten away with not tackling the tragedy, but its creatives opted to incorporate it into the show's final season. At this point, however, it still has yet to happen.

Georgie and Mandy's wedding may have offered clues as to how George dies . With his cheating scandal retconned and his image fully rehabilitated, the character no longer has any lingering plots left to tackle, which means that it can happen anytime. It's great, however, that Young Sheldon has consciously made sure to show that George's relationship with Sheldon wasn't ruined beyond repair after their awkward encounter. Somehow, this is the prequel's way of softening the heartbreak for the boy genius as he loses his dad unexpectedly.

Young Sheldon Gets Back At Sheldon For His Boring Big Bang Theory Finale Story

Despite Sheldon's critical stories about George in The Big Bang Theory , Jim Parsons' narration in Young Sheldon has confirmed that he has already changed his opinion of his father. He has learned to appreciate the Cooper patriarch for everything that he did for him and their family. Adult Sheldon even admitted regret for not telling George that when he was still alive .

When George Might Die In Young Sheldon Season 7

Time is winding down for young sheldon..

With only five episodes left before Young Sheldon fully wraps up , the show doesn't have that much time to execute George's death. The tragedy will likely happen before the special one-hour finale on May 16. Otherwise, the show is making it difficult to wrap up the series on a lighthearted note as it will be clouded by a significant loss for the Coopers. Unfortunately, neither CBS nor Young Sheldon has given any indication with regard to when George might die. Somehow, this also highlights just how unexpected his demise really is.

Young Sheldon season 7 airs every Thursday, 8pm ET on CBS.

Young Sheldon

A spinoff of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon follows the youth and coming-of-age of Sheldon Cooper during his childhood in Texas as he pursues science and academia. The show also follows his parents, siblings, and Mee-Maw, painting a picture of the world where Sheldon grew up.

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Published Apr 22, 2024

The 10 Plagues of Star Trek: The Original Series

As Passover brought 10 plagues to test Pharaoh, so too did The Original Series test the crew of the Enterprise!

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Considering Gene Roddenberry stated that there would be no religion in the future when he conceived of Star Trek , a lot of Judaism sure did manage to creep it's way in!

From Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner bonding on the set of The Original Series over their shared Jewish background, and Nimoy being inspired by his Orthodox upbringing when creating Vulcan culture , to later series with Jewish actors and parallels such as Worf's diasporic experience, and Marina Sirtis drawing on inspiration from an Israeli friend as she created Deanna Troi. It makes sense, then, to spend some time during Passover reflecting on the many aspects of Jewish influence seen on Star Trek .

So, of course, I’ve decided to give you the 10 Plagues of Passover as episodes from The Original Series . Let’s get into it.

1. Rivers of Blood, " Amok Time "

"Amok Time"

When Aaron turned the Nile into a river of blood, it shook the Pharaoh to his core, much like how the blood fever of Pon Farr shook up Spock's usual calm and logic. Hormonal imbalances are no joke, and this quickly descended from throwing soup and nearly ended with Captain Kirk's death on Vulcan!

Much as I hate to parallel the Pharaoh, the villain of the Passover story, with Spock, a hero and a pacifist, they are both powerful men brought low (and emotional) by blood.

2. Frogs, " And the Children Shall Lead "

"All the Children Shall Lead"

There is a debate in Judaism over whether the second plague was a swarm of frogs, or one giant frog that covered the land of Egypt. But if we go with the more traditional interpretation of a swarm, then the Star Trek equivalent swarm would be the children from "And The Children Shall Lead" who take over the Enterprise .

Not only are they a hive mind (very swarm-like behavior) controlled by an evil embodiment called Gorgon, but they also bring the majority of the bridge crew under their sway. Whichever frog interpretation you go with, Kirk was as deeply unhappy with this plague-parallel as the Egyptians were with their own froggy problem — and he was pretty hostile to the kids too!

3. Lice, " Operation — Annihilate! "

"Operation — Annihilate!"

Whilst it may not be as scary or strange as the other plagues, the plague of lice always makes me wince and want to scratch my scalp in sympathy.

The episode "Operation — Annihilate!" also makes me wince, as a meeting with behavior-altering parasites is not how I imagine Kirk wanted his family reunion to go. But while lice do alter behavior, making people far more irritable, I wonder if they could cause the collapse of civilizations as this Star Trek parasite did before the crew of the Enterprise stopped it?

4. Flies or Deadly Animals, "Wink of an Eye"

"Wink of an Eye"

Here we find ourselves with another heavily debated plague. Some scholars believe it was the buzzing of flies that punished the Egyptians, while others believe it was a hoard of deadly animals destroying everything in their path. Luckily, "Wink of an Eye" covers both!

It begins when a landing party on Scalos and Kirk hears a mysterious buzzing noise like a swarm of insects before one of their party goes missing. Kirk continues to hear this insect buzzing on the Enterprise . However, it turns out to be a group of people living at hyper-accelerated speed, causing mischief all over the ship as they try to put the Enterprise into a deep freeze. Moreover, when they try to hyper-accelerate the humans, they end up causing them to age and decay rapidly. Deadly creatures destroying everything in their path indeed!

5. Pestilence, " The Trouble with Tribbles "

"The Trouble with Tribbles"

The fifth plague was a pestilence that killed all the Egyptians livestock, and what better episode to compare this with than "The Trouble with Tribbles."

The tribbles not only eat all of the grain supplies, they also end up dying en masse because the grain has been poisoned by saboteurs. This makes them not only the pestilence, but also the dead livestock in the Passover parallels! It's said the Egyptians grieved when they looked upon the dead animals they worshipped like gods, and whilst I doubt the tribbles were worshipped, I'm sure the Klingon vessel they were eventually beamed onto did indeed grieve having this fluffy plague.

6. Boils, " Miri "

"Miri"

When painful boils appear on the people of Egypt, it was meant to have caused horror and agony. Well, the episode "Miri" caused so much horror, it was banned by the BBC in the 1970s and 1980s!

In this episode, the landing party, except for Spock, begin developing purple lesions on their bodies and are told by the children of the planet they will die horribly in a week. Even Spock can't return to the Enterprise , because they don’t know whether or not he'll infect the rest of the crew. The boils end up being painful physically and emotionally, as the crew seek to save themselves and the children who have trapped them.

7. Hail, " Mirror, Mirror "

"Mirror, Mirror"

The seventh plague was a hail-storm of unprecedented strength that damaged every living thing in its path — much like the wrath of the Mirrorverse that Kirk and company discover in the episode "Mirror, Mirror"!

When negotiating with the Halkan's for dilithium, the council says there is no guarantee the Federation will always be peaceful. A violent and unpredictable ion-storm proves they may have a point when it causes the transporter malfunction that takes our Enterprise crew to a parallel universe of unprecedented violence!

8. Locusts, " The Conscience of the King "

"The Conscience of the King"

On Moses' eighth attempt to sway the Pharaoh, a devastating plague of locusts is summoned. The bugs devour everything green that has escaped the hail and previous plagues. This brings to mind one of Kirk's most famous pieces of backstory — the Tarsus IV massacre.

In "The Conscience of the King," we discover that as a teenager, Kirk lived in the Tarsus IV colony when a food crisis allowed Governor Kodos to take control and order the deaths of half the population. While it might not have been locusts that destroyed the grain on Tarsus IV, this event certainly caused untold devastation.

9. Darkness, " The Tholian Web "

"The Tholian Web"

Space, the final frontier. In the context of Star Trek , it's hard to think of darkness as a plague when it is the mission and adventure of our voyagers to explore it. But darkness in the Passover story was terrifying, as for several days all of Egypt was enveloped in a thick and impenetrable veil of darkness which extinguished all lights kindled. Remind you of "The Tholian Web"?

On a rescue mission for their sister ship, the U.S.S. Defiant , the Enterprise enters a sector of unknown space and finds the Defiant adrift, its crew dead, and slowly phasing out of existence, before vanishing entirely and taking Kirk with it. This episode focuses on the more terrifying aspects of space and the unknown, and how the hardest thing to do can be just having to wait for the darkness to pass.

10. Death of the First Born, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

First-born children don't have the best track record for surviving in Star Trek ; we've already covered Sam Kirk's death in "Operation — Annihilate!" and Kodos' daughter Lenore Karidian meets a grim fate in "The Conscience of the King."

Moving on to the movies, we see Spock's older brother, Sybok, die in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . But for this plague I had to go with Captain Kirk's own son David Marcus, who is killed by Klingons in The Search for Spock . As the Pharoah's own infant son's death broke his resolve to finally allow the Israelites to be free, David's death so soon after they met causes Kirk to become embittered and colors his own attitude towards Klingons as a species.

Yes, the plagues make up a significant part of the Passover story, the main theme of the holiday is triumph over adversity and freedom —a fundamental tenet of Star Trek . For all of the dangers and threats the Enterprise crew face, from physical to emotional, they always overcome them together. And much like the Israelites finally leaving Egypt to wander the desert in search of the Holy Land, it tells us that perseverance is key and the journey and exploration it entails can be as important as the final destination.

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This article was originally published on March 29, 2021.

Emily Zinkin (she/her) is a writer based in London, UK, who also runs Moishe House Clapham. She once cosplayed as Captain Kirk but realised she was the mirror version when she met another one. You can find her on Twitter at @EmilyZinkin

NCIS May Have Set Parker Up With A New Love Interest, But I’m Annoyed By How The New Episode Wasted A Star Trek Actor

Talk about mixed feelings.

Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS episode “Heartless” are ahead!

Gary Cole’s Alden Parker was introduced early in NCIS Season 19 as an FBI agent on who briefly worked with and then was ordered to apprehend Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but then he took Gibbs’ spot as team leader following Mark Harmon’s departure . Although viewers have met both Parker’s ex-wife Vivian Kolchak and former flame Joy Sullivan Aaronson, the show hasn’t really explored any current romances with him, but the latest NCIS episode to premiere on the 2024 TV schedule , titled “Heartless,” may have finally given a love interest. But before we get into that, I want to talk about how annoyed I am at how this episode wasted a Star Trek actor.

At the beginning of this episode, actor Tim Russ appears as Commander Eric Harper, a heart surgeon stationed at Navy Medical Center Portsmouth. Russ is arguably best known for playing Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager , and he reprised the role last year for a couple Star Trek: Picard episodes. So when I saw Russ early on, I assumed that he’d have a prominent role in “Heartless,” but after the scene where he’s testing medical students on a simulation with his partner, Dr. Clara Logan, Harper is kidnapped by unknown assailants, and minutes later, Parker and the team are tasked with investigating his murder.

Now, considering this episode’s storyline, I understand why Eric Harper was killed. We go on to learn that he was kidnapped to perform a complicated surgery on Carlos Sevina, a.k.a. El Viento, head of the Cali Cartel who Leon Vance had been determined to apprehend following a failed raid with the DEA that ended with two NCIS agents being killed. Unfortunately, it’s also revealed that Harper had a tremor in his hands, forcing him to give up surgery and dedicate himself to teaching full time. But Savina had his men didn’t know this, and when Harper screwed up during the procedure, they killed him

My problem is that if NCIS wanted to use Tim Russ, because there wasn’t another role he could have performed during the entire episode, the show simply should have saved him for another episode where he could have had a meaningful presence for the entire story, rather than only receive a few minutes of screen time. Meanwhile, Eric Harper could have easily been played by a lesser-known actor. And yes, I am aware that Russ previously appeared in the NCIS episode “ Jeopardy ” from 2006, but even so, he should have been given more to do this time around. Even pushing aside his time in the Star Trek franchise, just last year, I saw him play an important supporting role in Poker Face , and his other notable credits include Samantha Who? and iCarly . He deserved to a meaty guest role, not just the murder victim.

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So with gripe of mine that out of the way, the love interest now potentially on the table for Alden Parker is none other than Dr. Clara Logan. To make a long story short, the same men who kidnapped Eric Harper and then killed him later kidnap Clara, as they need her to do the surgery that Harper messed up on. Parker was already visiting Clara, so he pretended to be a fellow doctor and convinced Savina’s men that they need him to complete the surgery. Needless to say this is a recipe for disaster, because in addition to not being a trained medical professional, Parker has a fear of needles and was suffering from a stiff neck this episode. Fortunately, Torres, Knight and McGee manage to find Parker and Clara before the ruse is discovered, and after the latter removed Savina’s tumor, he was moved to a medical center and placed under arrest.

Clara was at the same medical center being treated for a distal radius fracture she suffered during her ordeal, so Parker went to check on her. Calling him “one hell of an agent” and thankful for the role he played in helping keep her alive, she insisted that Parker called her Clara rather than Dr. Logan, and when he said she was also welcome to call him by his first name, she said she liked saying “Alden.” The way she said “Thank you” before Parker left was also tinged with emotion.

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Now to be clear, there hasn’t been any announcement that Christina Kirk, who plays Dr. Logan will return to NCIS later this season or in the recently-announced Season 22. So it’s entirely possible the NCIS writers just wanted to give Parker and Clara a nice moment together before the episode ended. However, if they’re looking to give Gary Cole’s character a romance subplot, and considering that Kirk has had multi-episode stints on shows like A to Z , Powerless and Goliath , I wouldn’t be surprised if Clara’s brought back as someone Parker begins dating or even becomes his girlfriend. We’ll just have to wait and see!

There are now just two episode left in NCIS Season 21, but as mentioned, Season 22 is on the way, so you can count on CinemaBlend continuing to cover the popular CBS show for the foreseeable future. If you’d like to revisit any past episodes, it can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription .

Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.

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Captain Kirk finds himself haunted by guilt from his past as the fate of an alien world hangs in the balance. Captain Kirk finds himself haunted by guilt from his past as the fate of an alien world hangs in the balance. Captain Kirk finds himself haunted by guilt from his past as the fate of an alien world hangs in the balance.

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• Trivia Chekov states he once "...decoded a Xindi..." ( Spock cuts him off) The Xindi were an alien race that attacked earth during the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise.
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Captain James T. Kirk : I'm not crazy, Bones...

Dr. McCoy : Sure you are. That's why we like you.

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Burnham Has Now Lived Star Trek: Discovery’s Time Travel Both Ways

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4, "Face the Strange."

• Captain Michael Burnham got to experience the USS Discovery's time travel to the 32nd century from another perspective.
• Burnham wore the Red Angel suit and led Discovery to the future at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 2.
• Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 put Burnham on the bridge to see what was like to time travel aboard the USS Discovery.

Thanks to Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange's" time travel, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) has now experienced the USS Discovery's journey to the 32nd century from two perspectives. At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Burnham donned the Red Angel time suit and led the USS Discovery to the 32nd century . This prevented the genocidal A.I. called Control from gaining access to the massive amount of data that had been gathered by an ancient sphere and using it to eradicate all sentient life in the galaxy.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 , "Face the Strange," written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose, Captain Burnham and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), find themselves jumping through various time periods in Discovery's past, present, and future. One of these jumps places them on the Discovery as it follows Michael's Red Angel through the wormhole to the future. This was Rayner's first time experiencing the USS Discovery's one-way trip to the 32nd century, but it marked the second time and second perspective for Burnham , who got see herself as the Red Angel lead her starship to the distant future.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery season 5 gave burnham both time travel experiences to the 32nd century, burnham was the red angel and also saw things from discovery's bridge..

In Star Trek: Discovery season 2's two-part finale , Michael used the Red Angel suit to travel through time and set the red burst signals that Discovery had been tracking throughout the season. After this, she placed a sixth signal so that the ship could follow her 930 years into the future. Burnham experienced this time travel journey alone, while Commander Saru (Doug Jones) led the USS Discovery and its remaining crew members into the wormhole to the 32nd century. Michael arrived in the future one year before Discovery, and she began searching for the remnants of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's “Face The Strange” revisits several moments of Discovery's past, including its journey to the 32nd century. This time, Michael stands on the bridge, watching herself as the Red Angel leading Discovery into the future. When Burnham and Rayner arrive at this particular moment in time, Discovery's crew members are unconscious due to tidal forces in the wormhole. Burnham and Rayner then have to work together, with help from Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) , to determine the cause of the time jumps and stop the Krenim "time bug" responsible for them.

Since Stamets possesses tardigrade DNA, he exists outside of time and also remains aware of the time jumps.

What Happened After Burnham and Discovery Arrived In The Future

Burnham arrived through the wormhole about a year before discovery..

In Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 1, "That Hope Is You, Part 1," Commander Michael Burnham arrives in 3188, flying out of the wormhole and colliding with the ship of Cleveland Booker (David Ajala). Burnham and Book's ship both crash-land on the planet Hima. After sending the Red Angel suit to send the final signal and then self-destruct, Michael sets off to find the ship that crashed into her. Booker initially attacks Michael, but the two eventually form an uneasy alliance, as Michael tries to determine the whereabouts of the USS Discovery.

Burnham learned upon arriving in the 32nd century that the United Federation of Planets had collapsed because of The Burn.

Burnham and Booker become romantic and work together as couriers for a year before the USS Discovery finally emerges from the wormhole. When Discovery crash lands on an icy planet, the crew set about trying to repair the ship. Saru and Ensign Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) go to a nearby settlement to get the necessary materials to repair Discovery, but by the time they make it back, the ship has become encased in ice. Then Michael arrives and uses Book's ship to save Discovery, before tearfully reuniting with her friends. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 will bring the series to a close, and "Face the Strange" serves as a nice reflection on how far these characters have come.

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

Star Trek: Discovery

Cast Blu del Barrio, Oded Fehr, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Callum Keith Rennie

Release Date September 24, 2017

Showrunner Alex Kurtzman

Where To Watch Paramount+