star trek enterprise red alert episode

Star Trek: Forget Red Alert, the Enterprise Had an Even BIGGER Emergency

Red alert is usually sufficient for most Star Trek crews, but Captain Kirk once invoked something even more urgent.

Star Trek ’s red alert -- the sign that the ship is in immediate danger and all crew must report to duty stations -- has been the franchise’s go-to shorthand for impending action since its inception. The accompanying sound of klaxons is as much a part of Star Trek as the sounds of phaser fire or the transporter array, making it a throwaway detail so deeply ingrained in the franchise that viewers hardly ever think of it.

There was, however, an additional alert status known as "Double Red Alert" that appeared briefly in The Original Series . It sounds like a joke, perhaps part of an escalating series that moves to triple red alert, but it did happen in canon and fit  Star Trek ’s established conditions at the time.

RELATED:  Star Trek: The 7 Funniest Cheap Props on the Original Series

The alert system was the natural offshoot of Starfleet’s presumed military roots and an easily identifiable lexicon on a vessel like the Enterprise. It’s broken down into three general conditions. Condition Green, or cruise mode, meant that everything was normal -- the ship’s personnel worked their normal shifts, off-duty personnel were not required at their stations and all systems were functioning as expected. Yellow Alert was a state of heightened awareness -- weapons and shields remained offline, but the ship’s defensive fields were energized and off-duty personnel needed to anticipate going to their posts if the situation escalated.

Red Alert was the logical end of the cycle -- the crisis is immediate, shields and weapons are charged and the crew prepares for imminent danger. To put it simply, trouble has arrived, and the ship needed to prepare itself. A few other alert conditions appeared onscreen from time to time, most notably  Star Trek: Discovery’s Black Alert, which meant the ship’s spore drive was engaged, but in most cases, no one required more than the core three.

RELATED:  Star Trek: A Key James Bond Actor Almost Played Captain Kirk, Not William Shatner

That’s what makes double red alert so puzzling. It was only declared once onscreen, in The Original Series , Season 1, Episode 12, “The Conscience of the King," when during the hunt for a murderer on board the Enterprise, Kirk and Spock detect the sound of an overloading phaser in the captain’s quarters. Kirk immediately invokes Double Red Alert, evacuating the nearby crew quarters while he searches the room for the phaser. When he discovers it, he throws it down an emergency disposal chute before it explodes.

The difference between Red Alert and Double Red Alert is never explained, but the incident in “The Conscience of the King” takes place during off-hours, which meant that crew quarters were likely to be full of personnel. In that sense, Double Red Alert seemingly activates all the same conditions as a regular Red Alert, just with a heightened sense of urgency.

Unfortunately, Kirk's line ended up being dramatic overkill. According to Memory Alpha, Double Red Alert was used multiple times in the script for Season 1, Episode 14, “Court Martial,” but the term was changed to a regular red alert and has remained so ever since. The writers probably didn't think much of it at the time, making Double Red Alert another example of a franchise being unaware of how much it was defining itself.

KEEP READING:  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Could Create a NEW Timeline - Here's How

• Edit source
• View history

A red alert (also condition red or code red or general quarters ) is the highest emergency alert on a Starfleet starship .

When Red Alert is called, a loud warning klaxon begins blaring, accompanied by flashing red warning lights. All Starfleet personnel are required to report to duty stations — even those who were sleeping at the time. In addition to this, there are a number of things that occur once a red alert is sounded:

• The ship's weapons - phasers and photon torpedoes / Quantum torpedoes - are brought to ready status.
• Secondary stations can include medical duty. On larger ships, a good portion of the crew receive training as medical technicians. Much of the crew is used as " damage control ", where the crewmembers presumably help to fix minor damage to the ship and perform basic engineering tasks, under the direction of the primary engineering team.
• The deflector shields are brought to full power and raised.
• Backup crews for the main bridge standby in the event separation is called for.
• Crews for the battle bridge also go on standby status in case separation is called for.
• Non-essential crew and other individuals (such as civilians and mission specialists) are moved to the saucer section.
• They make sure escape pods access ways are clear, so that if crewmembers and civilians need to evacuate the starship they can get to the escape pods without any interruption.
• Security teams are stationed at key areas throughout the ship.
• Sensors record and track the locations of all individuals aboard the ship. This is used to determine if unauthorized access by an intruder occurs. (The ship's computer also helps with this function)
• All security teams are placed on standby status.

A rarely used variation of this alert is the "double-red alert", which is only used in extreme, time-critical situations.

On space stations, red alert procedures are similar to those of starships. Civilians either return to their quarters or are placed in special shelter areas. Public areas are closed down for the duration of the crisis.

External links [ ]

• Red alert article at Memory Alpha , the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Red alert article at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
• General quarters article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• 1 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G) (Excalibur class)
• 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-H) (Endurance class)
• 3 Dominion War

Screen Rant

10 positives you only notice rewatching star trek: enterprise.

Star Trek: Enterprise is even better upon rewatching the prequel series. Here are 10 things you may not have noticed the first time around.

• Star Trek: Enterprise introduced an interesting premise as a prequel to other franchise shows.
• The show gained renewed importance post-cancellation with its influence on subsequent Star Trek content.
• Enterprise broke the Star Trek mold with unique storytelling and character development.

Star Trek: Enterprise improves upon watching, with plenty of positives to enjoy. Leading the crew of the first Starship Enterprise NX-01, Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) boldly ventures into the stars, seeking out strange new worlds. Exploring a relatively uncharted area of Star Trek's multiverse timeline, Star Trek: Enterprise takes place roughly 100 years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series . In the 19 years since the show's unfortunate cancelation, a look back at Star Trek's prequel series highlights a few good things you might not have noticed the first time around.

Running on UPN between 2001 and 2005, Star Trek: Enterprise suffered a range of unfortunate circumstances and, as a result, failed to reach the success of its predecessors. However, an exciting premise and a strong cast led to a show that has recently grown in popularity and improved the Star Trek franchise . Picking up on core themes of Star Trek: The Original Series , and weaving in threads from the franchise's other shows, Enterprise simultaneously takes on a darker, grittier tone and returns focus to the characters alongside a view to tackling moral and ethical dilemmas. Here are ten positives you only notice by rewatching Star Trek: Enterprise .

How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order

10 star trek: enterprise had an interesting premise, designed as a prequel to star trek: the original series & other franchise shows..

The burden and realities of the NX-01 Enterprise's relatively primitive technology soon become apparent.

Star Trek: Enterprise built upon the fascinating concept of humanity's first adventures into deep space . The early Enterprise was regularly battered and battle-worn, ill-equipped for the realities of a hostile, unknown space. Following Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew's adventures as they ventured into a pre-Federation universe, Enterprise gradually established and standardized fleet-wide norms. The burden and realities of the NX-01 Enterprise's relatively primitive technology soon become apparent - an awkward grappler in place of a tractor beam , water showers in place of sonic showers. Although the full opportunity of the premise was not realized, Enterprise becomes increasingly influential with every addition to the Star Trek franchise.

9 Enterprise Has Become More Important Since Its Cancelation

Star trek: enterprise ran between 2001 and 2005..

Star Trek: Enterprise has gained renewed appreciation from fans since its cancelation, thanks primarily to streaming availability. With subsequent franchise shows and movies influenced by and recognizing Enterprise 's chronological position and canon, due at least in part to its nature as a prequel, it has become increasingly vital in Star Trek's multiverse history . Significant in the Prime, Mirror, and Kelvin universes , Enterprise initiates the events for Starfleet and the Federation and originates and retcons many of the accepted fleet-wide standards seen in (chronologically) later shows. Developed themes such as the Temporal War also take on more significance in Star Trek , spanning multiple centuries and timelines, with revisited plots providing further context and insight.

8 Enterprise Broke The Star Trek Mold

Star trek: enterprise proved that the franchise could evolve..

By its nature as a prequel, Star Trek: Enterprise had an immediately unique aspect to other franchise shows. Looking to previously unexplored gaps of the Star Trek multiverse timeline, Enterprise attempted to learn from the less successful elements of Star Trek: Voyager and incorporated notions such as visibly sustained heavy battle damage and leaning into a serialized storytelling style for its third and fourth seasons. Simultaneously, the NX-01 Starship and crew explored, developed, and even retconned Federation history - originating and setting a precedent for later fleet-wide standards such as the Prime Directive and Red Alert.

Starfleet's standard Red Alert was innovated by Enterprise 's Armory Officer Lt. Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating), who instituted the 'Reed Alert' on the NX-01.

7 Enterprise Introduced Important New Characters

The introduction of several significant main cast and guest star characters greatly influenced the series & overall franchise..

Star Trek: Enterprise brought a new crew to the franchise, introducing i mportant characters who would have a lasting impact. Less rigidly trained than in other franchise shows and set earlier on in the timeline, the NX-01 Enterprise crew espoused a more trial-and-error problem-solving style, with the command trio of Captain Archer, Subcommander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) , and Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) a clear retread of Star Trek: The Original Series' triumvirate, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley).

Archer's descent into darkness during Enterprise season 3's campaign against the Xindi was well performed by Scott Bakula, ultimately building to a hopeful climax of friendship, unity, and universal cooperation.

Captain Archer played a vital role, demonstrating significant character growth and sustained emotional damage as the weight of his responsibilities began to mount. Archer's descent into darkness during Enterprise season 3's campaign against the Xindi was well performed by Scott Bakula, ultimately building to a hopeful climax of friendship, unity, and universal cooperation. Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) and T'Pol also demonstrated intense emotional growth, with the other crewmembers spearheading technologies, roles, and experiences that would inspire and influence many. Other characters, such as Commander Shran (Jeffrey Combs), were also memorable and became fan-favorites.

Star Trek: Enterprise Cast & Character Guide

6 star trek: enterprise had some excellent episodes, enterprise's premiere episode and fourth season stand out.

Thoughtfully leaning into its back-to-basics brief, Star Trek: Enterprise aimed to develop the franchise's original themes and core values and enrich classic Star Trek mythology. Given its setting in the timeline, the Enterprise NX-01 lacked certain technologies and regulations taken for granted in other Star Trek series. The ship's transporter was untested and generally best avoided. The Prime Directive did not yet exist, and neither did the Federation. Enterprise 's series premiere, "Broken Bow," was an exciting, tense, and fitting introduction to the series, setting up themes that would span even beyond the show. Star Trek: Enterprise's best episodes, especially in seasons 3 and 4, examine themes of prejudice, ethics, loyalty, vengeance, morality, and love .

5 T’Pol & Trip Tucker's Love Story

The trip/t'pol romance is one of star trek's earliest human/non-human relationships.

Although controversial, the slow and ultimately tragic romance between Trip Tucker and T'Pol added a subtle, unexpected, weighty depth to Star Trek: Enterprise . Originally intended to draw in a younger audience, the show's more visible sexualization ironically became one of its more divisive aspects. As the characters' apparent differences and complexities slowly transformed from individual characteristics to joint strengths, their successful navigation of a series of relational hardships drew them closer, allowing for a solid emotional grounding that anchored the show. Trip's tragic sacrifice and death in Star Trek: Enterprise 's series finale ultimately parted the couple for good, but memories of their relationship live on.

4 Star Trek: Enterprise Introduced The Concept Of Temporal War

The franchise’s temporal wars are more important now than ever before.

Since the conclusion of Enterprise , Star Trek: Discovery has significantly built upon the foundation of the Temporal Cold War to develop a weighty and fully realized series of conflicts across time and space.

Initially intended to connect the prequel-designed series with the Star Trek franchise's broader multiverse history , Star Trek: Enterprise introduced the Temporal Cold War in its two-part season one premiere, "Broken Bow." In 2151, Captain Archer and his crew encountered the Suliban, temporal agents, and became drawn into the temporal-based conflict also involving the Klingons (and later, the Xindi). Although the idea initially met with mixed-to-underwhelming responses, the recurring theme ultimately escalated to full-scale war in the two-part Enterprise season 4 episode, "Stormfront." Since the conclusion of Enterprise , Star Trek: Discovery has significantly built upon the foundation of the Temporal Cold War to develop a weighty and fully realized series of conflicts across time and space.

3 Star Trek: Enterprise Developed The Earth-Vulcan Relationship

First contact was made between earth and vulcan in 2063.

The close Earth-Vulcan relationship assumed prior to Star Trek: Enterprise is immediately challenged in the series premiere, "Broken Bow." Presented as aiding but intrusive and interfering, the Vulcan High Command doubts humanity 's readiness for space exploration and suggests further delays to the Enterprise's imminent launch. The assignment of T'Pol as Enterprise's Science Officer is a compromise that suits neither party. As T'Pol and the Enterprise crew quickly learn to unite, ongoing deceptions by Vulcan representatives reveal a previously unseen side to Earth's closest ally, and it's telling that T'Pol is both surprised and disappointed by these encounters. In Enterprise season 4, Archer and his crew's direct involvement in critical societal changes marks a significant shift in Vulcan cultural history and a clear turning point for Earth-Vulcan relations.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

2 star trek: enterprise changed the dynamics of what we know about alien cultures, the enterprise crew's alliances led to the formation of the united federation of planets.

Star Trek: Enterprise took a bold approach to Earth's closest interstellar ally, the Vulcans, recontextualizing the logical race as obstructionist and challenging. The choice prompted mixed reactions from fans but allowed for the growth and development of crucial Vulcan histories, culture, and planetary relationships with other worlds. This, in turn, afforded new insights into the crew's knowledge of different cultures - notably Andorians, whose aggressive nature and long-time rivalry with Vulcans was explored and resolved over the show's four seasons. Star Trek: Enterprise also examined aspects of Klingon culture and developed the Tellarites - who ultimately came together with Humans, Vulcans, and Andorians to form the United Federation of Planets.

1 Jeffrey Combs As Shran Redefined Star Trek's Andorians

Besides shran, jeffrey combs has played a number of other star trek characters.

An Andorian in the Imperial Guard, Commander Thy'lek Shran burst into the franchise with hostility and suspicion in season one and quickly became a recognized fan favorite. Casting the versatile Jeffrey Combs in the role was a creative masterstroke. Despite an initially violent first encounter, the subsequent unlikely alliance he formed with Captain Archer was both resonating and rich, and the slow, formal friendship built on gratitude and reciprocity paved the way for successful Human-Andorians relations. Star Trek: Enterprise 's unfortunate cancelation prevented further character development, but Shran would have joined Captain Archer and the NX-01's crew in Star Trek: Enterprise season 5.

Star Trek: Enterprise is available for streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Overthinking It

Stats Alert! Frequency of Yellow and Red Alerts in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Battle stations how often did the enterprise go to yellow and/or red alert.

You know the feeling. You’re going about exploring the galaxy and performing diplomatic functions on behalf of the Federation when danger and uncertainty start to creep up. Maybe it’s just an anomaly, or a derelict Bird of Prey, or a bad headache. But at some point, the danger makes itself clear, and you have no choice but to signal this to everyone in the least ambiguous terms possible.

Time to go to red alert.

Recently, in the Overthinking It writers’ back channel, we were asking ourselves the question: just how dangerous was it to serve on the  Enterprise as depicted on Star Trek: The Next Generation ? Weren’t they constantly under attack from Romulans, The Borg, and those nefarious space entities? Or was the  Enterprise supposed to be more of a scientific, diplomatic vessel that happened to get into messes from time to time?

To answer that question, we retuned the OTI tachyon beam to analyze transcripts of all 176 episodes, look for occurrences of the phrase “yellow alert” or “red alert,” and categorized each episode by the presence of one or both of these alerts.* It turns out that 61% of all episodes had no alert whatsoever, and that only 32% of all episodes made it all the way to red alert.

This may be more frequent than a typical naval vessel reaches its highest level of alert during an ostensible peacetime mission, but at least for me, it was less frequent than I was expecting, given the amount of peril I remembered the  Enterprise encountering.

So with this big picture breakdown in mind, let’s see how those alerts were distributed across the show’s seven seasons and if there were any trends in the prevalence of alerts:

It’s hard to discern any real trend in alerts across seasons from the data, but if there was one, it would go something like this: alerts dipped from Season 1 to Season 2, then jumped up in Season 3, which had the most episodes with an alert among all seasons. From there, Seasons 4-6 saw a steady decrease in episodes with alerts, before the prevalence of alerts spiked in Season 7, the last season.

I can only speculate as to the reasons behind these trends. Maybe after Season 3, Starfleet started sending the Enterprise on less dangerous missons in safer parts of the galaxy. Or maybe Captain Picard, realizing that going to an alert no longer inspired the appropriate level of urgency from his crew, increased the threshold of danger that constituted an alert in order to summon them less frequently. Or maybe the writers got more interested in exploring Picard’s sensitive, flute-playing side at the expense of alarm klaxons and battle stations.

Season 6, Episode 19: “Lessons.” No yellow or red alerts in this episode.

Now, let’s take a look at the trend of alerts with the arc of a season. Did earlier episodes or later episodes tend to have more alerts? I grouped episodes across seasons roughly into quarters and found that episodes in the first two quarters of season were far more likely to have alerts than those in the last two quarters.

Coming up with an in-universe explanation for this is pretty tough (were the Romulans coordinating their attacks for a certain time in the year, perhaps to coincide with new crew rotations from Starfleet Academy?), but an out-of-universe explanation quickly comes to mind: perhaps the show’s producers were concerned with bringing viewers back for new seasons, so they made sure to pack those alerts into the earlier episodes to lure them back. Once they’ve settled back into their weekly routine of watching the show, they’ll be more accepting of episodes with complicated archeology-driven ret-conning.

Season 6, Episode 20: “The Chase.” No yellow or red alerts in this episode, just a setup for people to complain about the movie “Prometheus” almost 20 years later.

We’ve talked about out-of-universe causes for alerts, so now let’s talk about out-of-universe effects of alerts, specifically in the form of Nielsen ratings. In other words, did the presence of a yellow and/or red alert in an episode help boost its ratings?

Probably not.**

As you can see, there’s not much of a correlation between higher alert status within an episode and higher ratings, either by season or as a whole. Not that you’d expect there to be. Can you imagine what the show would have been like if the writers got it in their mind that heightened alert statuses led to higher ratings? The  Enterprise would have gone to red alert in practically every episode, which would have left little time for priceless holodeck antics.

Season 6, Episode 8: “A Fistfull of Datas.” I didn’t mean to keep picking on Season 6, it just happened, I promise!

Special thanks to Belinkie for inspiring this article.

*Transcripts were obtained from tvsubtitles.net . Some major caveats in terms of this analysis: this is all based on whether or not the phrase “yellow alert” or “red alert” appeared in an episode or not. So a ship other than the  Enterprise could have gone to red alert, and that would have counted as a red alert in this dataset. Also, I was missing the transcript for Season 4, Episode 3. Memory Alpha says that the  Enterprise  went to “ blue alert ,” but without having seen the episode, I’m not sure if the phrase “blue alert” is actually spoken or if the  Enterprise’s  interior lights are just blinking blue.

** Nielsen ratings were obtained from this website , which was missing ratings for several episodes; hence, the gaps in the chart.

19 Comments on “Stats Alert! Frequency of Yellow and Red Alerts in Star Trek: The Next Generation”

Awesome!!! Thank you for this!

It’s nice to see people being as geeky about data and spreadsheets (and Data!) as I am. :)

There’s plenty more where this came from:

http://overthinkingit.com/tag/excel

It seems like the clearest trend is the decline in yellow alerts–they’re pretty common in the first few seasons, only to decline in season 4-5.

I always wondered what yellow alert did I eventually went with the the Bridge Commander explanation (who is not canon I ackowledge) were calling the yellow alert essentially raise shield but doesn’t power up weapon

On another note I think we should check episode of Star Trek (TOS or TNG) were the entreprise actually goes into actual unknown territory compare to the one it goes into place the Federation already control.

I always though that for an exploration spaceship they went often to familiar location

It’s not cannon, but in one of the novels, they explain that early scout ships go out and chart all the planets, then exploratory vessels go through and actually do the in-depth work of visiting worlds, making first contact where appropriate, beaming down to get caught up in the episode of the week, etc. Since Enterprise fit the latter category, all of their exploration would be in areas Starfleet knows about and has staked a claim in, but areas that haven’t really been explored in-depth.

If there was any ratings effect wouldn’t it pop up on the subsequent episode rather than the one where the alert occurred? At the very least it would be worth checking.

This data set is flawed in determining the danger of serving on the Enterprise D. It assumes that what we see on the episodes tracks every day of life, when actually it is more likely that hours, days, weeks, or months of boring and safe activity is occurring between episodes, just check the star dates. This is Star Trek not 24 . Even the final seasons of ST:DS9 , with its massive arc Dominion War, jumped time between episodes. The writers are generally only going to tell us the interesting events of life on the Enterprise and its crew. It is much like reading the biblical book of Judges. A quick read might lead one to think that these people were constantly at war, but when the reader considers the internal calendar of the book, there are more years of peace than times when the judges are making war against Israel’s enemies.

You bring up a good point; it had not occurred to me to use stardates to measure the in-universe passage of time between episodes/seasons. Then we could measure the frequency of red alerts according to in-universe time, as opposed to seasons/episodes.

Does 1 season of the show roughly equate to one Earth year in ST:TNG time?

I’m a trek fan, but I’ve never calibrated ST time to real time. I do know that the original idea for ST:OS was they were on a “5 year mission” and each season was supposed to be a year.

I would think that an easier time gauge for much of ST:TNG would be to use the children (Wesley Crusher and Alexander Rozhenko), as they show age and grade development. You certainly can’t use Worf’s hair growth rate as it can grow quickly between seasons.

One season does correlate to one calendar year, according to Memory Alpha. Curious that a lot of bad mojo always seems to go down right around New Year’s.

This was really fun to read!

The numbers in the pie chart are messed up (108% of all episodes without any alert??). Does pointing this out count as a “Well, actually…” ?

I believe 108 is the number of episodes with no alerts. 61% is the percentage.

Okay, I guess that backfired.

Ron D. Moore once commented that one of the prime directives (one of many with which he disagreed) given to the TNG writers room was that every episode had to place one or more of the main characters in mortal peril. I believe that holds true through pretty much every episode of all other Trek series, so I’d say serving in Starfleet is pretty dangerous.

I mean, that makes sense doesn’t it? We’re watching years in the life of this ship, there’s a lot of boring soil sampling that we probably don’t get to see. If you were putting together the highlight reel of the Enterprise for omnipresent watchers, that’s the kind of stuff you’d be looking for.

I would think the highlight reel of the Enterprise would be the times that they discovered something fascinating and wondrous, improved a culture or even an individual’s life, or perhaps learned a valuable lesson about the limits of their power. None of these things require them to be in any physical danger, necessarily, although in some cases they would be.

I might remember incorrectly but wasn’t the phrase “condition yellow” very rarely used instead of yellow alert?

Add a Comment

Click here to cancel reply.

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Star Trek's 6 essential Q episodes you have to watch

"Come come, mon capitaine..." the trial never ends. 

Q is not just a letter in the alphabet. When Star Trek: The Next Generation launched, an unforgettable character was created alongside the new crew of the Enterprise D. John de Lancie appeared as the omnipotent hassle known only as “Q” in the pilot episode. He put all of humanity on trial, and he continued to be a presence on the series up through the finale.

Not resigned to bother only one crew with trials and tests, de Lancie appeared as the character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . It doesn’t matter how many other humans he spends his time with; Q’s heart, if he has one, will always lie with Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). He has recently returned to Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard to make good on a promise that he made in the TNG finale: the trial never ends. 

If Q appears in an episode, then it’s going to be memorable. John de Lancie’s performances are never anything other than stellar. We do have our favorites, and what better time to run through the Q-pisodes that we love the most? Are we putting Q himself (and the episodes that he appears in) on trial? We wouldn’t dare. 

Here are our picks for the 6 best episodes in the Star Trek universe that feature Q. Red alert, mon capitaine. 

Honorable Mention: “Veritas” from  Star Trek: Lower Decks

This isn’t a true Q episode, but we have to mention it. The animated antics of this trial-based episode brought Q in for a cameo, and the show celebrated him with perfect mockery. It showed him turning the main crew into chess pieces, before featuring Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) blowing right past him on her way to do anything else. She didn’t have time for any of his Q nonsense, and she told him so. That anyone would dare to do this to an omnipotent trickster is hilarious. 

Flowing with french phrases, he’s portrayed as a ridiculous amalgam of everything that is Q. It’s silly, but that’s the point. We hope that de Lancie returns to the Cerritos again at some point in the future... we’d pay real money for an entire episode of Newsome and de Lancie sniping at each other. 

6. “Q-Less” from  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

This episode is here because of one specific moment. Q only made one visit to DS9, and it was early on in Season 1. The moment that we love so much may be the reason why he never went back. 

Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is not Jean-Luc Picard. When Q tried his trickster act on him, briefly transforming both himself and Sisko into boxers, Sisko did what many viewers likely wanted to do themselves from time to time. Sisko punched Q directly in the face. 

“You hit me! Picard never hit me!” Q said, sprawled on the deck. Sisko told him what we’ve already said; he’s not Picard. No playing along, certainly not in Season 1 of this series. Q got punched in the face and that moment alone earns the entire episode a place here. 

5. “Death Wish” from  Star Trek: Voyager

“How would you like to spend eternity as a Gorakian midwife toad?” Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) only had to hear the name “Q” before she immediately called red alert in this underrated Season 2 entry. The Q that appeared on Voyager was not the Q we knew; it was another member of the Continuum who wanted to die. The Q we were familiar with appeared to deal with him a few moments later. 

The first Q (Quinn) is eventually granted asylum by Janeway, and after a lot of discussion about the Q Continuum, he is made mortal. Very much against the wishes of the Continuum, Q provides Quinn with a rare poison and makes death possible for him.

The way that de Lancie portrays Q’s change of position throughout the episode is great, and we love it when Janeway tells him that the Continuum won’t be happy with him. “I certainly hope not,” he says. Despite whatever orders and rules he gets from on high, Q has grown a conscience. Underneath all of the judge robes and bluster, he cares. 

This episode also features a blink and you’ll miss it cameo from Riker (Jonathan Frakes), as well as Q somewhat falling for Janeway. This would be followed up on the next time that Q visited the stranded Voyager crew.  

4. “Deja Q” From  Star Trek: The Next Generation

Upsetting the Q Continuum has consequences, and we saw what they were in Q's Season 3 TNG showcase. He fell out of nowhere, naked, to the deck of the bridge. He smiled at Picard and said, “Red alert.” 

He’d been striped of his powers and was human, so naturally he wanted to join the Enterprise crew. He demonstrates enough selflessness by the end of the episode to get his powers back, but there are so many riches to be found before that happens. 

The famous Picard hand-palm moment? That’s from this episode, and it comes after Q tells Picard that he’s the closest thing he has to a friend. In order to prove that he’s human, Worf suggests that Q dies. The absolutely fascinating dynamic between Q and Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) continues here, and it includes Guinan stabbing Q’s hand with a fork. 

When he gets his powers back? Q brings in a Mariachi band. He also makes it clear that there is likely some humanity left in him, as this episode's disaster-of-the-week conveniently fixes itself. The moment that stands out the most is Q’s farewell to Data (Brent Spiner). He doesn’t inflict Data with the “curse” of humanity, but he does give him a gift. 

Data is allowed to have a miraculous and genuine laugh, and he remarks that it was a wonderful feeling. This episode is fun as hell, but it also marks a turning point. Q is markedly different after all of this, definitely more human than wants to be.  

3. “Q Who?” from  Star Trek: The Next Generation

Q feels the need to show the Enterprise crew how unprepared they are for what’s waiting for them out in the vastness of space. He greatly overcompensates and sends them right into their first encounter with the Borg, a foe that is laughably beyond them.

The Borg making their first appearance here is enough on it’s own, but Q’s involvement in the episode makes it an all-time great. The Guinan rivalry begins here, and as we've said, it fascinates us. Guinan seems to have some kind of defense against Q’s omnipotent powers. We still don’t know what that’s about, but we love thinking about it. 

What does Q really want? He wants Jean-Luc to tell him that they are scared, unprepared, and that they need him. He wants Picard to humble himself, and that’s exactly what happens in the end. Picard begs Q for help, and with a snap of his fingers, it’s over. 

Not really, though. Thanks to Q, the Borg are now aware of them. They’ll be coming, and we know how that proceeded to go down. Q almost got all of humanity assimilated because he wanted one man to swallow his pride. Classic. 

2. “Tapestry” from  Star Trek: The Next Generation

The current course of Star Trek: Picard (featuring Q showing Jean-Luc the road not taken) reminds us very much of this episode. Picard “dies” and Q greets him in the afterlife; he shows him what would happen if Jean-Luc didn’t get into a bar fight when he was a callous youth. 

He wouldn’t have required a synthetic heart, but he would also have gone on to live a life without taking any risks. The bar fight was a pivotal thread on which the tapestry of Picard’s life was based. Picard has no interest in living the timid life that he experiences here, and he tells Q that he would rather die in the present than live as that person. Q obliges him. Though Picard survives and is still his same old self, he remains unsure whether or not it was another test from Q. He can’t quite believe that it was compassion, because what would Q have to gain from that? 

Nothing, if you ask us. We’d like to think that Q’s selflessness continues here, and that he really does want to help Picard. This is Season 6, and we’re not far away from Q giving Picard a “helping hand.” It’s a terrific representation of how small choices can change a bold captain into a man who is bereft of passion and imagination. “Welcome to the afterlife, Jean-Luc. You’re dead.” 

1. “All Good Things…” from  Star Trek: TNG

“You’re doing it right now. You’ve done it before and you’ll do it again.” The finale of TNG is one of its greatest episodes, and it rightfully bookends the series with Q. He’s the reason that Picard is moving back and forward through time, but he’s not the one who causes existence to be wiped out. Picard is to blame for that. 

All of our favorite Q/Picard scenes are from this episode. The “yes or no” game is up there, as is Q whisking Picard to the moment where the first protein fails to form. Nothing tops their final scene, though, as Q admits that he was the one to blame for getting Picard into this in the first place. It was another directive from the Continuum, but the “helping hand” part? That was Q’s idea. Seven seasons changed an omnipotent ponce. 

The trial never ends, and Q almost tells Picard a truth about his own future. He leans in, comes close to whispering, and then backs away with a smile and a “you’ll find out.” It is perfectly staged and perfectly played by de Lancie, and ever since this scene, we’ve been wondering what the hell Q was talking about. 

At long last, we may be finding out. Q never appeared in the movies that featured the TNG cast, but he’s back in action on Star Trek: Picard . He’s already referenced some of what he said in this episode, and we are very lucky that he has made good on his promise: to drop by and say hello from time to time. 

When Jean-Luc Picard meets his ultimate fate, we are confident that Q will be there. Q has had an immense effect on Picard’s life, but that goes both ways. Q would hate to admit it, but Picard has changed him as well. Maybe that’s why he can’t stay away from him; Picard makes him a better being. As many of the episodes listed above prove, Q longs to be better. He needs Picard to show him the way. 

New episodes of Star Trek: Picard air Thursdays on Paramount+.

Watch SurrealEstate

• Patrick Stewart
• Star Trek: Picard
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• SYFY Insider

Related Stories

Why Fast Five Remains One of the Greatest Films in the Fast Saga

R.I.P.D. Creators Talk Abandoned Franchise & Resurrection Hopes

Why Tokyo Drift is the Perfect Fast & Furious Spinoff

Flushed Away Director On Aardman's First CG-Animated Feature

Anthony Mackie On John Doe Vs. Sam Wilson

The Best Fantasy Movies Streaming on Peacock in April 2024

The Best Slasher Movies on Peacock for April 2024

The Best Sci-Fi Movies on Peacock in April 2024

Bruce Almighty Teleprompter Scene Wasn't in Original Script

The 20 Best Sci-fi TV Shows on Peacock in April 2024

The Fast and the Furious: Remembering how the Fast Saga began

The Definitive Guide to The Munsters Adaptations

Recommended for you.

Linda Hamilton on Resident Alien Role: "I'm Not the Funny Girl, I'm the Straight Man"

The Classic Twilight Zone Episode That Inspired Jordan Peele's Us

Resident Alien's Alan Tudyk on Harry's New Love Interest, Edi Patterson's Blue Avian

Advertisement

Supported by

Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Is Found After Being Missing for Decades

The 33-inch model surfaced on eBay after disappearing around 1979. An auction house is giving it to the son of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek.”

• Share full article

By Emily Schmall

The first model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series , has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the creator of the series, decades after it went missing.

“After a long journey, she’s home,” Mr. Roddenberry wrote on social media on Thursday.

For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Red alert,” someone in an online costume and prop-making forum wrote, linking to the listing.

Mr. Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry, created the television series, which first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons. It spawned numerous spinoffs, several films and a franchise that has included conventions and legions of devoted fans with an avid interest in memorabilia.

The seller of the model was bombarded with inquiries and quickly took the listing down.

The seller contacted Heritage Auctions to authenticate it, the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said on Saturday. As soon as the seller, who said he had found it in a storage unit, brought it to the auction house’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif., Mr. Maddalena said he knew it was real.

“That’s when I reached out to Rod to say, ‘We’ve got this. This is it,’” he said, adding that the model was being transferred to Mr. Roddenberry.

Mr. Roddenberry, who is known as Rod, said on Saturday that he would restore the model and seek to have it displayed in a museum or other institution. He said reclaiming the item had only piqued his interest in the circumstances about its disappearance.

“Whoever borrowed it or misplaced it or lost it, something happened somewhere,” he said. “Where’s it been?”

It was unclear how the model ended up in the storage unit and who had it before its discovery.

The original U.S.S. Enterprise, a 33-inch model, was mostly made of solid wood by Richard C. Datin, a model maker for the Howard Anderson Company, a special-effects company that created the opening credits for some of the 20th century’s biggest TV shows .

An enlarged 11-foot model was used in subsequent “Star Trek” television episodes, and is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , where it was donated by Paramount Studios in 1974.

Mr. Roddenberry, who said he gave the seller a “reward” for its recovery but did not disclose the terms, assembled a group of “Star Trek” production veterans, model makers and restoration specialists in Beverly Hills to authenticate the find.

The group included a “Star Trek” art supervisor, Michael Okuda, and his wife, Denise, an artist on “Star Trek” television series and films, and Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who served as technical consultant for the Smithsonian during a 2016 restoration of the 11-foot model.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Mr. Roddenberry said.

“It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one,’” he said.

Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 , kept the original model, which appeared in the show’s opening credits and pilot episode, on his desk.

Mr. Kerr compared the model to 1960s photos he had of the model on Mr. Roddenberry’s desk.

“The wood grain matched exactly, so that was it,” he said on Saturday.

The model went missing after Mr. Roddenberry lent it to the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979, Mr. Maddalena said.

“This is a major discovery,” he said, likening the model to the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” a prop that was stolen in 2005 and recovered by the F.B.I. in 2018, and that Heritage Auctions is selling.

While the slippers represent hope, he said, the starship Enterprise model “represents dreams.”

“It’s a portal to what could be,” he said.

Emily Schmall covers breaking news and feature stories and is based in Chicago. More about Emily Schmall

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

As “Sex and the City” became more widely available on Netflix, younger viewers have watched it with a critical eye . But its longtime millennial and Gen X fans can’t quit.

Hoa Xuande had only one Hollywood credit when he was chosen to lead “The Sympathizer,” the starry HBO adaptation of a prize-winning novel. He needed all the encouragement he could get .

Even before his new film “Civil War” was released, the writer-director Alex Garland faced controversy over his vision of a divided America  with Texas and California as allies.

Theda Hammel’s directorial debut, “Stress Positions,” a comedy about millennials weathering the early days of the pandemic , will ask audiences to return to a time that many people would rather forget.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage

The first model of the USS Enterprise is displayed at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, left, and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, shake hands over the recently recovered first model of the USS Enterprise at the Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, left, and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, view the recently recovered first model of the USS Enterprise at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

• Copy Link copied

DALLAS (AP) — The first model of the USS Enterprise — used in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series — has boldly gone back home, returning to creator Gene Roddenberry’s son decades after it went missing.

The model’s disappearance sometime in the 1970s had become the subject of lore, so it caused a stir when it popped up on eBay last fall. The sellers quickly took it down, and then contacted Dallas-based Heritage Auctions to authenticate it. Last weekend, the auction house facilitated the model’s return.

Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, said he’s thrilled to have the model that had graced the desk of his father, who died in 1991 at age 70.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” Roddenberry said. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”

AP AUDIO: Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage.

AP correspondent Margie Szaroleta reports on the return of the original model of the USS Enterprise from the TV show “Star Trek.”

Heritage’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said the auction house was contacted by people who said they’d discovered it a storage unit, and when it was brought into their Beverly Hills office, he and a colleague “instantly knew that it was the real thing.”

They reached out to Roddenberry, who said he appreciates that everyone involved agreed returning the model was the right thing to do. He wouldn’t go into details on the agreement reached but said “I felt it important to reward that and show appreciation for that.”

Maddalena said the model vanished in the 1970s after Gene Roddenberry loaned it to makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979.

“No one knew what happened to it,” Rod Roddenberry said.

The 3-foot (0.91-meter) model of the USS Enterprise was used in the show’s original pilot episode as well as the opening credits of the resulting TV series, and was the prototype for the 11-foot (3-meter) version featured in the series’ episodes. The larger model is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The original “Star Trek” television series, which aired in the late 1960s, kicked off an ever-expanding multiverse of cultural phenomena, with TV and movie spinoffs and conventions where a fanbase of zealous and devoted Trekkies can’t get enough of memorabilia.

This USS Enterprise model would easily sell for more than $1 million at auction, but really “it’s priceless,” Maddalena said.

“It could sell for any amount and I wouldn’t be surprised because of what it is,” he said. “It is truly a cultural icon.”

Roddenberry, who was just a young boy when the model went missing, said he has spotty memories of it, “almost a deja vu.” He said it wasn’t something he’d thought much about until people began contacting him after it appeared on eBay.

“I don’t think I really, fully comprehended at first that this was the first Enterprise ever created,” he said.

He said he has no idea if there was something nefarious behind the disappearance all those decades ago or if it was just mistakenly lost, but it would be interesting to find out more about what happened.

“This piece is incredibly important and it has its own story and this would be a great piece of the story,” Roddenberry said.

Thankfully, he said, the discovery has cleared up one rumor: That it was destroyed because as a young boy, he’d thrown it into a pool.

“Finally I’m vindicated after all these years,” he said with a laugh.

The bad idea behind the naming of Star Trek: Enterprise

B efore Star Trek: Enterprise became Star Trek: Enterprise, it had been decided during the development of the series that the "Star Trek" would be dropped. For some reason, the powers-that-be, including Rick Berman, had the idea that dropping the colon would help the series be "dramatically different." According to Berman, as reported in The Fifty Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, From The Next Generation to J.J. Abrams, The Complete Uncensored and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, he thought it "might be fun" to not have a division between Star Trek and the main title.

And I thought that if there's any one word that says Star Trek without actually saying Star Trek, it's the word "enterprise." Rick Berman

But fans weren't happy that a long-standing tradition had been dropped. Combine that with the theme song, and there was even more unhappy fans. But that's not the worst part of this scenario.

When the ratings weren't as high as they hoped and were actually dropping in the second season, all of a sudden, it was time to put Star Trek in the title. Perhaps the executives were thinking people weren't watching because they didn't know it was a Trek show.

"As if anybody out there was going to say, 'Damn, I didn't know that was a Star Trek show.' So it became Star Trek: Enterprise the last two years.Rick Berman

The reasons behind Enterprise's failure had little to do with the series' name. I, for one, am a big fan of the series, but even I saw issues with it that had nothing to do with what it was called or the theme song. Quite frankly, I didn't think the right people were in charge of the scripts, and that was just one of the problems. There just simply weren't enough great stories, which is a shame because when Enterprise did have a great story, like Terra Prime, they really did it right.

There were plenty of other standout episodes during the series' four-season run, but obviously, it wasn't enough to satisfy the ratings. The idea, though, to attach Star Trek to the title after two seasons was a dismal failure. People weren't failing to watch because of the name; they were failing to watch because they didn't like the way the series was being written. I would have gladly watched more episodes, but there just weren't enough people who felt the same way.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as The bad idea behind the naming of Star Trek: Enterprise .

Did ‘Sugar’s Latest Episode Just Reveal the Show’s Big Twist?

It's an otherworldly plot twist, if so.

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Sugar Episode 3.

The Big Picture

• John's work as a private investigator is more complex than it seems, hinting at a larger conspiracy at play.
• The Cosmopolitan Polyglot Society holds secrets, with members detached and possibly supernatural, needing further exploration.
• John's origins may not be of this world, potentially revealing him as an alien with a unique mission to understand humanity.

Apple TV+'s Sugar is finally starting to dive into its main character's backstory. Private detective John Sugar ( Colin Farrell ) is the kind of guy that seems almost too good to be true. He's polite and respectful , deeply observant, speaks multiple languages, and loves movies. But there's something else about him that we haven't quite been able to grasp, and that Episode 3, "Shibuya Crossing," may have hinted at. When he shows up to a meeting of what initially seems like a group of long-time friends, things take an unexpected and perhaps even otherworldly turn .

Sugar (2024)

Private investigator John Sugar examines the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood producer.  

There's More to John Sugar's Work As a Private Investigator

Back in the series premiere, "Olivia," John Sugar gets an invitation to a meeting of the Société Polyglotte Cosmopolitaine, a French name for the Cosmopolitan Polyglot Society. At that moment, it isn't explained what that was about , but Sugar is a polyglot and displays this talent as a way of getting closer to people, so no one pays much attention. Now, in Episode 3, he has to show up to the meeting despite not really wanting to; he spent the last two episodes complaining about it every time he looked at the invitation.

The first surprise is that this is that the gathering is happening at Ruby's ( Kirby ) house. The second is that everyone suddenly stops and looks at John when he enters the house, which is a little unsettling. So far, we've known her to be Sugar's manager and informant - the "girl in the chair" that every good investigator or spy has to have in their stories — but this time she is not just a host, but is also talking privately to every guest in a separate room. While it isn't John's turn, he talks to his friends, and it's implied that those present haven't been together for a long time . The conversation topics are all strange, like misadventures when applying sunscreen on the beach and "other jobs," which John talks to his friend Henry ( Jason Butler Harner ).

When it's John's turn, he joins Ruby in what feels like an interrogation room. She reads the notes he wrote in his little black notebook, which include random musings (like thinking the band U.F.O. is underrated) and notes about how he feels about the world and work. He is reprimanded by Ruby because they are not supposed to feel anything, only " observe and report " to someone higher up that she is in contact with. Ruby expresses her discomfort with John taking Olivia Siegel ( Sydney Chandler ) once again, as she feels he is getting too attached, and orders him to go see their doctor the following day. After the party is over, Ruby contacts said doctor, Vickers ( Scott Lawrence ), and warns him that John is getting close to one of the suspects in the Siegel case, Byron Stallings ( Eric Lange ), hinting at a larger conspiracy the whole affair may uncover.

What Is the Real Nature of the Cosmopolitan Polyglot Society?

Episode 3 is crucial in starting to understand the mystery of John Sugar. He is just as compelling as the cases he takes , and people are starting to catch up to him . For example, Davey Siegel ( Nate Corddry ) and his henchman Kenny ( Alex Hernandez ) start digging with the help of a former NSA agent and discover that John studied at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in California, which only top agents and officers in the military and diplomatic corps attend. They also decide to go after John's mother in Arizona, so more information about that may be revealed.

Later, Davey explains this to his father, Bernie ( Dennis Boutsikaris ), adding that the Cosmopolitan Polyglot Society is a secret society of secret agents that used to be enemies, but got together once their missions ended to do some good in the world. While this description can be true, as we see in the meeting that everyone only talks about doing good things, it seems that there is more to it. People there seem too detached from everything , marveling at simple things , like going to the beach, and are too concerned with one another, which isn't all that usual, seeing as they haven't been together for a long time. This, along with how Ruby behaves as the host, talking about their collective mission and then analyzing everyone individually, implies that there is much more to this organization.

John himself has a behavior that feels almost strange. He is very polite and friendly to everyone, has his urges well under control, and has excellent fighting and observation skills. I t's as if he has supernatural abilities , but is still learning about how the world works. That, for example, if you give 100 dollars to a homeless person on the street, as John did in Episode 1, they will likely use it to buy drugs; it doesn't matter how much they promise otherwise. John's fascination for movies also feels like a yearning to understand people through stories and to model himself to be like them. If he is like this, it's safe to assume that many other people in the Cosmopolitan Polyglot Society also are.

Where Does John Sugar Really Come From?

Sugar has been marketed as a "genre-bending" series, but, so far, the series has been mostly a typical detective noir story. It even follows similar structures and tropes, like having a likable protagonist who has past traumas that he deals with by solving cases in the present, voiceover tracks that work as if John was narrating everything in real-time, a case that is about to uncover a deeper conspiracy... It's all noir , so far, so we must expect that the genre-bending part is yet to come — and it's related to John Sugar himself and the Cosmopolitan Polyglot Society.

As weird as it might seem, everything that happens in Episode 3 leads us to believe that John is not from this world, and so are his peers. What the series suggests is that John is an alien . His exact nature can't be worked out yet, but the weird meeting in Ruby's house (including the U.F.O. mention), all the "observe and report" instructions he gets, and his thirst for helping and understanding people feel too out of place for a regular person, and this would make much more sense, making him an outsider with superior abilities who simply wants to help people in need. But anyone with a human background would know that, most of the time, people don't want help, they want to be right and do what they want. This puzzles him, hence his thirst for understanding human nature and his passion for movies as a way of achieving this.

This reveal would certainly bend the noir genre in Sugar and provide a shocking and unexpected plot twist that would explain a lot. Of course, an alien is not the only answer so far; John's origins could also just be supernatural in general . He could be something like an angel who works on Earth to better understand God's creation, for example. Or he could simply be a very, very well-trained former spy who works for a higher power. The fact that Ruby contacts Dr. Vickers using human technology could be a pointer in this direction, and the only supernatural element could end up being whoever she reports to. Regardless, there's much more to John Sugar than meets the eye.

Sugar is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ in the US. New episodes air on Fridays.

WATCH ON APPLE TV+

Tactical alert

• View history

Commander Tucker observing an Enterprise NX-01 monitor displaying tactical alert

Tactical alert was a security protocol instituted by Malcolm Reed in 2152 while under the influence of dangerous mind-affecting radiation aboard Enterprise NX-01 , in response to the perceived number of threats that were being encountered by the starship in their deep space exploration mission. The protocol was kept due to its usefulness. It was a precursor to the color-coded alert system used on later Starfleet vessels.

The alert was designed to automatically bring the ship to battle-ready status when a pre-programmed set of circumstances occurred (for instance, an impact to the hull , or an order from the captain). When a tactical alert was initiated, the hull plating was polarized , the weapons were automatically charged, and critical systems such as the warp core were secured. In addition, all crewmembers would report to battle stations upon initiation of the alert. The tactical alert was initially accompanied by a loud, grating klaxon , which aggravated Captain Jonathan Archer and Commander Tucker , who felt it sounded like "a bag full of cats ." The klaxon was not retained in future uses of the alert. While in the process of naming the new condition, the terms "security protocol" and "condition red" were suggested. The term "Reed alert" was sarcastically suggested by Commander Tucker as a name while Lieutenant Reed was working on it, but was later dismissed by Reed as being " a bit narcissistic, " whereas security protocol was deemed " not very dynamic. " ( ENT : " Singularity ")

By the 23rd century , tactical alert was replaced in Starfleet by the red , yellow , and blue alert conditions. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , et al. )

This aside, the USS Voyager utilized a form of tactical alert during its time in the Delta Quadrant in the 2370s. ( VOY : " Scorpion ", et al. )

It was also an alert status aboard Klingon Defense Force ships to indicate approaching hostile vessels. It was used on the IKS Rotarran during their mission to find and rescue the IKS B'Moth battle cruiser when the Rotarran 's sensors detected a Jem'Hadar warship approaching their position near the Cardassian border. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ")

The Pralor Automated Personnel Units utilized a tactical alert status aboard their vessels during the 2370s . ( VOY : " Prototype ")

In an alternate timeline where Chakotay and Harry Kim attempted to alter history in 2390 , the Delta Flyer 's computer signaled a tactical alert when the USS Challenger approached to apprehend them. ( VOY : " Timeless ")

Notable uses [ ]

• 2153 – Captain Archer ordered tactical alert when Enterprise was searching the Borg - assimilated transport Arctic One . ( ENT : " Regeneration ")
• 2154 – Lieutenant Reed ordered tactical alert when a Xindi-Insectoid starship opened a subspace vortex off the port bow of Enterprise . ( ENT : " Hatchery ")
• 2154 – Commander Tucker ordered tactical alert when Vulcan starships tried to force Enterprise from orbit of Vulcan . ( ENT : " Awakening ")
• 2154 – Commander Tucker ordered tactical alert after Reed discovered that Soval was captured by the Andorians . ( ENT : " Kir'Shara ")
• Captain Janeway put Voyager on full tactical alert after at least two Vidiian vessels were detected on long range sensors . ( VOY : " Fury ")
• Commander Chakotay put Voyager on full tactical alert prior to its entry into the Northwest Passage . ( VOY : " Scorpion ")
• Captain Janeway put Voyager on 24- hour tactical alert when they were under constant attack by Krenim vessels. ( VOY : " Year of Hell ")
• Captain Janeway initiated tactical alert when Voyager was approaching a Species 8472 station in an attempt to rescue Commander Chakotay. ( VOY : " In the Flesh ")

• Copy from this list
• Report this list

Star Trek: Q Episodes In Order

A complete list of episodes that the character "Q' made an appearance, in order.

• Movies or TV
• IMDb Rating
• In Theaters
• Release Year

1. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: Encounter at Farpoint (1987)

TV-PG | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

On the maiden mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), an omnipotent being known as Q challenges the crew to discover the secret of a mysterious base in an advanced and civilized fashion.

Director: Corey Allen | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Denise Crosby

Votes: 7,323

2. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: Hide and Q (1987)

TV-PG | 46 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

The Enterprise encounters Q again, and he tempts Riker by endowing him with the powers of the Q.

Director: Cliff Bole | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Denise Crosby

Votes: 4,006

3. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: Q Who (1989)

Q tries to prove that Picard needs him as part of their crew by hurling the Enterprise 7,000 light years away where they encounter the Borg for the first time.

Director: Rob Bowman | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Michael Dorn

Votes: 5,065

4. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: Deja Q (1990)

Much to Picard's displeasure, Q reappears on the Enterprise, claiming to have been ejected from the Q Continuum, and therefore, lost his powers.

Director: Les Landau | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Michael Dorn

Votes: 4,277

5. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: Qpid (1991)

TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Aiming to get out of Jean-Luc's debt, Q forces Capt. Picard and his officers to live out the Legend of Robin Hood - with a past acquaintance as Maid Marian.

Director: Cliff Bole | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Michael Dorn

Votes: 3,415

6. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: True Q (1992)

When an honor student in the medical field is assigned to the Enterprise in an internship manner, she begins to demonstrate powers of the Q, prompting you-know-who to show up.

Director: Robert Scheerer | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Michael Dorn

Votes: 3,165

7. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: Tapestry (1993)

When Captain Picard's artificial heart fails, he is offered the rare opportunity to go back in time and set right the mistake that led to his demise.

Votes: 4,293

8. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) Episode: Q-Less (1993)

Q, the Enterprise-D's consistent omnipotent annoyance, comes to harass the DS9 crew when his traveling companion, Vash, refuses to travel with Q any longer.

Director: Paul Lynch | Stars: Avery Brooks , Rene Auberjonois , Alexander Siddig , Terry Farrell

Votes: 2,562

9. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: All Good Things... (1994)

TV-PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Capt. Picard finds himself shifting continually into the past, future and present and must use that to discover a threat to humanity's existence.

Director: Winrich Kolbe | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Michael Dorn

Votes: 9,253

10. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001) Episode: Death Wish (1996)

As Voyager's captain, Janeway conducts a hearing for asylum tied to a suicidal Q's right to die.

Director: James L. Conway | Stars: Kate Mulgrew , Robert Beltran , Roxann Dawson , Jennifer Lien

Votes: 2,418

11. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001) Episode: The Q and the Grey (1996)

Due to the death of the Q in their last encounter with Voyager, a Civil War has broken out among the Q continuum. A new Q needs to be produced and the mischievous Q known to the USS Enterprise has chosen Janeway as his mate.

Director: Cliff Bole | Stars: Kate Mulgrew , Robert Beltran , Roxann Dawson , Jennifer Lien

Votes: 2,002

12. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001) Episode: Q2 (2001)

TV-PG | 43 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

When Q finds his rebellious son too much to handle, he brings him to Voyager in the hope that Captain Janeway can teach him responsibility and compassion.

Director: LeVar Burton | Stars: Kate Mulgrew , Robert Beltran , Roxann Dawson , Robert Duncan McNeill

Votes: 1,807

List Activity

Tell your friends, other lists by jcnb007-159-887653.

Recently Viewed

Original USS Enterprise model from ‘Star Trek’ returned to creator’s son

The first model of the USS Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series, has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the creator of the series, decades after it went missing.

“After a long journey, she’s home,” Roddenberry wrote on social media Thursday.

For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Red alert,” someone in an online costume and prop-making forum wrote, linking to the listing.

Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry, created the television series, which first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons. It spawned numerous spinoffs, several films and a franchise that has included conventions and legions of devoted fans with an avid interest in memorabilia.

The seller of the model was bombarded with inquiries and quickly took the listing down.

The seller contacted Heritage Auctions to authenticate it, the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said Saturday. As soon as the seller, who said he had found it in a storage unit, brought it to the auction house’s office in Beverly Hills, California, Maddalena said he knew it was real.

“That’s when I reached out to Rod to say, ‘We’ve got this. This is it,’ ” he said, adding that the model was being transferred to Roddenberry.

Roddenberry, who is known as Rod, said Saturday that he would restore the model and seek to have it displayed in a museum or other institution.

He said reclaiming the item had only piqued his interest in the circumstances about its disappearance.

“Whoever borrowed it or misplaced it or lost it, something happened somewhere,” he said. “Where’s it been?”

It was unclear how the model ended up in the storage unit and who had it before its discovery.

The original USS Enterprise, a 33-inch model, was mostly made of solid wood by Richard Datin, a model maker for the Howard Anderson Co., a special-effects company that created the opening credits for some of the 20th century’s biggest TV shows.

An enlarged 11-foot model was used in subsequent “Star Trek” television episodes, and is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where it was donated by Paramount Studios in 1974.

Roddenberry, who said he gave the seller a “reward” for its recovery but did not disclose the terms, assembled a group of “Star Trek” production veterans, model makers and restoration specialists in Beverly Hills to authenticate the find.

The group included a “Star Trek” art supervisor, Michael Okuda, and his wife, Denise, an artist on “Star Trek” television series and films, and Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who served as technical consultant for the Smithsonian during a 2016 restoration of the 11-foot model.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Roddenberry said.

“It was a unanimous ‘This is 100% the one,’ ” he said.

Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991, kept the original model, which appeared in the show’s opening credits and pilot episode, on his desk.

Kerr compared the model to 1960s photos he had of the model on Roddenberry’s desk.

“The wood grain matched exactly, so that was it,” he said Saturday.

The model went missing after Roddenberry lent it to the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979, Maddalena said.

“This is a major discovery,” he said, likening the model to the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” a prop stolen in 2005 and recovered by the FBI in 2018, and that Heritage Auctions is selling.

While the slippers represent hope, he said, the starship Enterprise model “represents dreams.”

“It’s a portal to what could be,” he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .

Can total joint replacement restore your quality of life?

If you suffer from joint pain, you know how it can greatly affect the quality of your life.