star trek mormon

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The Paradise Syndrome

• Episode aired Oct 4, 1968

Trapped on a planet whose inhabitants are descended from Northwestern Native Americans, Kirk loses his memory and is proclaimed a God while the crippled Enterprise races back to the planet b... Read all Trapped on a planet whose inhabitants are descended from Northwestern Native Americans, Kirk loses his memory and is proclaimed a God while the crippled Enterprise races back to the planet before it is destroyed by an asteroid. Trapped on a planet whose inhabitants are descended from Northwestern Native Americans, Kirk loses his memory and is proclaimed a God while the crippled Enterprise races back to the planet before it is destroyed by an asteroid.

• Gene Roddenberry
• Margaret Armen
• Arthur H. Singer
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 44 User reviews
• 11 Critic reviews

• Captain James Tiberius 'Jim' Kirk

• Mister Spock

• Nurse Chapel
• Indian Woman
• (as Naomi Pollack)
• (uncredited)
• Lieutenant Hadley
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia The obelisk in this episode, constructed at Franklin Lake in the Franklin Canyon Reservoir above Beverly Hills, was erected in the same spot where Opie Taylor throws a rock into the lake during the opening credits of The Andy Griffith Show (1960) .
• Goofs Spock orders the Enterprise to rush towards the asteroid at Warp Nine, at which it has been speeding for several hours. This seems to imply the asteroid would be far outside the planetary system, possibly light years away. This would mean the asteroid would require thousands of years to reach the planet.

Scott : [as his engines burn out] Mah bairns... mah poor bairns!

• Alternate versions Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
• Connections Featured in Reel Injun (2009)
• Soundtracks Theme Music credited to Alexander Courage Sung by Loulie Jean Norman

User reviews 44

• Oct 1, 2021
• October 4, 1968 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Franklin Canyon Reservoir, Santa Monica Mountains, Los Angeles, California, USA (Exterior)
• Paramount Television
• Norway Corporation
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 51 minutes

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JD Payne: Mormon Co-Writer of Star Trek Beyond

• Entertainment

There are some notable members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints working in Los Angeles in the film industry. One is JD Payne.

“People sometimes seem surprised that I’m a Mormon artist who hasn’t lost his testimony,” Payne told mormonartist.net . “I feel that living life as an active Mormon brings an incredible amount of freedom to me. I feel that as I work, I can call upon a power greater than my own to help guide me and my partnership, both artistically and politically, through the various challenges we encounter.”

Payne’s love for writing goes as far back as a kindergartner, but he decided to be more “responsible” and study applied physics at Yale University.

After serving his mission in Rome, he went back to Yale with an identity crisis. How would he ever make a living being a writer? How could he convince himself that writing was what he was meant to do?

“Finally, the definitive change came as I one day noticed that I was stealing time from my problem sets to work on my screenplays,” Payne said. “I loved the theories behind the engineering courses, but whereas the work behind them often felt excruciating and exhausting, the writing was always exhilarating and energizing.”

He knew he could write forever and never get paid a penny to do it.

Payne graduated with an English major and made the move westward with no job and no place to live — only a few suitcases, a car, his laptop, and seven scripts that would take him nowhere.

As he continued to pursue his passion with writing, opportunities came and he jumped at them.

After working on a few projects with JJ Abrams’ company, Bad Robot, Payne was given the chance of a lifetime. He and his longtime writing partner, Patrick McKay, whom he met in high school, were given the task to write for the newest movie,  Star Trek Beyond.

With his love for science fiction and as an avid fan of Star Trek, Payne’s decision to pursue his passion for writing paid off. In a 2014 presentation , Payne said,

“We really want to get back to the sense of exploration and wonder. The kind of optimistic sense of the future that Star Trek has always kind of had at its core. It’s the Chicago Bulls in space, in terms of these people who are all awesome at their job.”

So how does it work to be an active Latter-day Saint and a Hollywood writer?

“I’ll read my scriptures in the morning before starting my writing for the day to kind of get in the flow of inspiration,” Payne told ldsliving.com. “I’m on this earth to get done what the Lord wants me to get done. And some of that is in the personal ministering I do with my Church callings, and some of that is in my life’s calling, being a screenwriter and a Latter-day Saint artist.”

He relies on Heavenly Father to consecrate his work to create something beautiful and special.

Payne said the gospel keeps him grounded by noticing his weaknesses and staying humble at all times. But the gospel also teaches that everyone has potential and it gives him “joy in working to become a little bit better every day, both as an artist, and as a human being.”

His newest and biggest work,  Star Trek Beyond , premiered July 22, 2016.

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Latter-day Saint Star Trek Actors and Writers

Mark deakins.

‘Trek’ is a ‘by Mormons, for Mormons’ humorous spin on pioneer re-enactments — and an attempt at making a classic teen movie

Youtube “influencers” in utah try pushing handcarts before seeing the movie..

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rebecca Beach gets into the pioneer spirit along with her husband Michael, center, as they get ready to participate in a hand cart re-enactment at This Is The Place Heritage Park. In anticipation of the movie "Trek: The Movie," a comedy about teens on a re-enactment trip, YouTube vloggers like the Beach family who post under the name The Beach House were invited to post about their experience.

When he was 15, Davey Orgill was one of the thousands of Mormon teens who went on trek — but he didn’t do well.

“I wasn’t a very good kid on it,” Orgill, one of the creators of the YouTube family vlog “April & Davey,” said at a promotional event for “Trek,” a Utah-made movie opening Friday about teens re-enacting the struggles of 19th-century Mormon pioneers pushing handcarts across the prairies to the Salt Lake Valley.

“I think I was immature,” Orgill said. “Everything was there for me to have a good positive experience.”

That experience — finding a shared sense of purpose to overcome hardships and building empathy with their pioneer forebears — is at the heart of “Trek,” a comedy-drama that director Alan Peterson was at first reluctant to make.

“I didn’t want to make a ‘Mormon movie,’ ” said Peterson, whose past films have mostly been right-leaning political documentaries.

It was only when his teen son went on trek that Peterson thought, “This would make a great movie. … It wasn’t the stories, it was the attitude. He’d had a spiritual experience of some kind.”

Thus began Peterson’s five-year journey to make “Trek,” but the script’s origins are even older.

Screenwriter David Howard, best known for co-writing the 1999 science-fiction comedy “GalaxyQuest,” said the seed started 15 years ago, when three of his filmmaking friends went camping and got talking about the movies of John Hughes, classic teen comedies like “Sixteen Candles” and “Pretty in Pink.”

“Those movies really nailed the zeitgeist,” Howard said. “The question was, ‘Is there a way to do a Mormon movie that would feel that way?’ ”

The friends hit on the idea of a movie about trek that would have lots of comedy, but also some heart.

Howard and his friend Jon Enos hammered out their first script soon after, telling the story of one teen, Tom (played by Austin R. Grant), struggling with his faith the year after the death of his best friend. Tom reluctantly goes along on a trek experience, populated with a motley collection of teens to provide comical, dramatic and chastely romantic subplots.

(Courtesy Excel Entertainment) Austin R. Grant plays Tom, a Mormon teen who reluctantly joins a pioneer re-enactment journey, in the comedy "Trek," opening in Utah theaters April 6.

“We wanted it to feel like an ensemble,” Howard said. The aim was to capture “the craziness and fun that can happen on trek. The culture is so ripe for satire. We had as much fun with the adults as we did with the kids.”

Over the years, Howard has had to rewrite the script to update the cultural references. For example, Tom says that he gave up binge-watching “The Walking Dead” to go on trek. “Before, he was going to do a Jackie Chan marathon,” Howard said. “We went back and tweaked the language a lot. I have kids who are in their teens and early 20s. They are my research.”

Peterson said he was impressed with how the script balanced comedy with the serious elements of Tom’s faith crisis.

“The more spiritual elements are not heavy-handed,” Peterson said. “There’s not a baptism or a mission call. … We don’t give them the answers.”

And though the film includes one non-Mormon character, Anna (Stefania Barr), along for the handcart journey, Peterson said they didn’t work too hard “to open it up outside the Jell-O belt. … It’s by Mormons, for Mormons primarily. I didn’t have visions of it being a crossover movie.”

The movie was shot in 16 production days, a quick turnaround for any feature film, with a Utah-grown cast and crew deployed last summer at locations in Tooele, Davis, Morgan and Grand counties.

Before the movie’s premiere, distributors staged an event for Mormon-based online “influencers,” having them take their families on an abbreviated 1-mile handcart trek around This Is the Place Heritage Park. It was a fair approximation of what the pioneers did, if the pioneers stopped every so often to take charcoal-sketch selfies.

“It’s a physical reminder that you can do hard things,” said Tara Parker, a Spanish Fork mom who writes the family blog Keep Moving Forward With Me . “I wonder if I could have done the real trek. That was only a mile, and our kids were saying, ‘Are we there yet?’ ”

Parker and her husband, John, took their four kids on the mini-trek, which reminded John of his teen trek experience. He said going on trek helped him “have a connection with your ancestors who have done it, and understand what they went through.”

After the handcart push and a barbecue dinner, the bloggers and vloggers got an early look at “Trek.” On their YouTube feeds, they gave the movie high marks.

Josh Dyches, co-star of the YouTube feed “Dyches Fam,” said in a video from the event that “it’s one of those good-feeling movies that the world needs more of.”

April Orgill, of “April & Davey,” said the movie “made me laugh a lot. It did bring it back in the end and made me cry,” while her husband, Davey, who had the bad experience on his teen trek, said, “It’s good values and is made to put goodness into the world.”

‘Trek’ review <br>★★1/2<br> Where • Theaters across Utah.<br> When • Opens Friday, April 6.<br> Rating • PG for thematic elements, some suggestive material, peril, an injury image and language.<br> Running time • 105 minutes.<br>Like most church activities, how much one gets out of the LDS-themed comedy-drama “Trek” depends on what one brings to it. The jokes about Mormon culture and the quick-sketch depictions of teens and adults on a pioneer re-enactment trek (“Mormon cosplay,” as one character calls it) will draw knowing chuckles and nods of recognition from the LDS target audience. The main story — about a teen, Tom (Austin R. Grant), reluctantly going on trek while questioning his faith after a friend’s untimely death — is powerful enough to carry the film’s message over the occasional dry spots in the low-budget production. The faithful will enjoy this movie, while others likely will scratch their heads.<br> — Sean P. Means

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The Trek West

The trail from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Great Salt Lake Valley was approximately 1,300 miles long and would ultimately lead 70,000 Latter-day Saint pioneers to the West.

Locations along the Trail

Pioneer stories, pioneer exhibits.

Activity: Pioneer Treks

Experience firsthand the faith and determination of the pioneers.

Description

Plan an activity in which the youth reenact some of the faith-building experiences of the pioneers who journeyed to the Salt Lake Valley in the mid-1800s. Youth could be organized into groups or “families,” wear pioneer-era clothing, pull handcarts, and discuss the faith of those who made courageous sacrifices to gather to Zion.

For detailed information about organizing and carrying out a handcart trek, see Handcart Trek Reenactments: Guidelines for Leaders .

Related Resources

• Trek locations
• Safety information
• Permission and medical release
• “Pioneer Journeys—More Than a Trek,” video for youth who are participating in a trek
• “Tracy’s Trek,” videos for youth who are participating in a trek
• Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel database
• Pioneer stories
• Trek clothing
• Building handcarts
• Additional information about handcart pioneers

Related Activities

• Pioneer Reenactment
• Outdoor Camping
• Learning to Cook Outdoors
• Go on a Hike
• Exploring Plant and Animal Life
• Protecting and Preserving the Environment
• Outdoor Survival Skills
• Young Women Camp
• Aaronic Priesthood Encampments
• Understanding and Treating Altitude Sickness

the geeky mormon

The greatest blog you've never heard of.

Tag Archives: Star Trek

Episode 6: The Geeky Mormon Presents…Star Trek: TNG

For this week’s episode, I am talking all about Star Trek: The Next Generation, which may be my favorite show of all time. I don’t know, this week it feels that way, at least. It could change next week. Not because I don’t love this show, but because I am fickle like that. I’m not including the script this week for the liner notes for this episode, mainly because I tried something different with the script, and it was more of an outline, which makes it less readable as a blog post.

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30Days3Characters: Day 19-Benjamin Sisko

This week is all about television. I will be highlighting seven characters from TV who I love, and why I love them. This was probably the hardest category for me to limit to just seven. Maybe it’s sad, but I have seen so much TV and love so much TV. It was a huge part of my childhood and adolescence. In any case, when we talk about TV, there is only one place where I can start.

30Days30Characters: Day 3- Captain Jean Luc Picard

Day number three brings us the first television character on the list. It was so hard for me to narrow my list down to just 30 characters, because there are so many great characters throughout all of film and TV and books and comics. It was especially hard with TV, because there are so many shows I enjoy, and a lot of that has to do with the characters on the show. I hope you have enjoyed the first two days of the list, and I hope you will continue to come back each day and see the newest addition. Remember to join in as well with your own list on social media using the hashtag #30Days30Characters and tag me- @thegeekymormon.

My Thoughts on the First Star Trek Discovery Trailer

Remember that time  when CBS was going to release their all new Star Trek Discovery series in January 2017? Yeah, that didn’t happen. You remember, it was going to feature that really hideous ship. The one that left almost all of us wondering: What are they thinking? If you don’t remember, here was the “First Look” from July of last year:

What Makes an Enduring Fandom

What makes an enduring fandom? From Star Trek and Star Wars, to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, what makes a fandom lasting and persisting? Why do some fandoms garner such a huge following, while other fandoms simply fall away? I think there are many factors, but for me, two of the biggest draws are the story and the characters. If those two factors are solid, I think a fandom has a chance of lasting a good long time.

15 Geeky Items I’ve Found at a Thrift Store

As some of you may know, I work at a major thrift store in Provo. I love thrift stores, they’re the perfect solution for those who don’t have the budget to support buying regularly from high street stores, and they use their profits to support good causes. Some thrift stores even offer life skills classes in return for custom, get more information here if you think this might benefit you. We get thousands of items donated daily. I work in the back sorting through those donations to see what’s good enough to be resold and what’s not. I have been working there for eight months now and I have seen lots and lots of geeky items. If you follow me on I Love the Star Wars Prequels, you know that I post updates sometimes about prequels-related merchandise. Star Wars is perhaps the biggest franchise represented as far as action figures, toys, and collectible items. This is a sampling of some of the geek items I’ve seen at the store from a variety of fandoms and favorite media. If you’re after a bargain and are intrigued to see what somewhere like the Houston flea market has in store, going to check it out could make for an excellent day out.

My 10 Favorite Movies

Recently, Tim Champlin tweeted me and asked if I could do a list of my ten favorite movies. I thought it sounded like a great idea, so I jumped at the opportunity to do it. Before I get into this list, I want to set a few ground rules. First, these are my favorite movies. I don’t know how to quantify “favorite,” but I do know that it is not the same as a list of the ten best movies. Some of these movies may not be great, but they are movies I could sit and watch again and again, for the most part. Also, you can’t argue someone’s favorite movies. You just can’t. Another rule I set for myself was limiting myself to one movie per series. Otherwise, this list would be nothing but Star Trek, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings. That would be boring. So, in no particular order, here is my list.

Star Trek Beyond: My Review

I know this is over a week later than it should be, and I’m sorry. Star Trek Beyond hit theaters on July 22, and being a huge Star Trek fan, I should have been first in line to see it, and I wanted to be. There were a few things that kept me from seeing it right away, and then writing about it right after I saw it. OK, not a few things, but one thing, or one person. The weekend Star Trek Beyond came out was the same weekend that our sixth baby was born. So, I was a little busy, and as much as I love Star Trek, the baby had to take priority.

Father’s Day 2016-Some Favorite Fathers

Happy Father’s Day, everyone! Being a dad myself, this happens to be open of my favorite holidays. For this special post, I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few of my favorite fathers from some of the fandoms that I enjoy. I thought about doing a really long list, but decided to keep this one a little shorter, and a little simpler. I narrowed it down to three of my favorite fathers, so this is by no means a comprehensive list, and there is plenty of room for other fathers from your favorite shows or movies or books. In any case, I hope you fathers out there have a wonderful day, and I hope we all have a “father” in our life that we can look up to and think of on this day.

Ranking the Star Trek Movies, Part 2

Ok, so the first part of ranking the Star Trek movies caused quite a stir. A lot of people didn’t like where I had a couple of the films, and I get it. Any time you’re talking about things like this, everyone has an opinion, and some people are passionate about it. I think one of my favorite things about this site is that I have an opportunity to talk about things that I love and things that I am passionate about. Even more fun is hearing from you about what you love. So I welcome the comments and enjoy hearing your point of view. If you didn’t read the first post, you can click here to read it. In case you don’t want to read it, here is a quick rundown of how they were ranked:

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Pioneer trek is here. What you need to know

Latter-day saints reenact the pioneer trek into the salt lake valley every year. here’s what to bring, what to expect and how to learn more about the pioneers.

By Hanna Seariac

During the summer months, some Latter-day Saints participate in an event known as “Pioneer trek,” a microscale reenactment of when pioneers crossed the Plains into the Salt Lake Valley in the 1800s.

This popular event even has a movie made about it. If you’re going on a pioneer trek this summer, here’s what you need to know.

What to bring (and where to find it)

Stakes, which are groupings of congregations, often offer packing lists , and these packing lists include many of the same items. While going on these treks, Latter-day Saints wear period clothing. Stores like Deseret Book sell pioneer-appropriate outfits. Etsy is full of options , too.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has provided simple patterns for pioneer clothing in its handbook on pioneer reenactments.

Other common needed items include a water bottle (especially in the summer heat), sunscreen, hygiene products, socks, moleskin, a 5-gallon bucket, bug spray, a flashlight, scriptures, lip balm, leather gloves and more. While trekkers often go to locations where handcarts are provided, the church also has a section in the handbook on how to build handcarts if needed.

What to expect

Trekkers can expect a 20- to 30-mile hike over three to five days. There are several locations where pioneer treks occur. Some of these locations provide rickshaws for the different physical needs of participants. These locations often provide handcarts, portable toilets, potable water and campsites, and all trek activities typically occur on the property.

The handbook advises that trekkers walk for 20-30 minutes at a time and then stop for water breaks. In the morning and at night, trekkers will often have scripture study, participate in dances, sing around campfires and learn pioneer history.

The Deseret News asked experienced trekkers what to expect on a trek.

A bishop in Utah County said, “Expect to drink more water than you ever have before. But also expect to come back changed.”

A Gen Zer whose family reunion each year includes a trek said, “I always loved my family more after I did trek. Whatever problems we had all went away when we worked hard together. Each year I would be so tired afterwards, but also happy that I saw my family differently.”

Learning pioneer history

Trek is all about honoring and remembering pioneer history. Before heading out on a trek, look at the Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database .

The database has the names of tens of thousands of pioneers and thousands of journal entries. Church media has also published many pioneer stories for audiences of all ages to enjoy including pioneer recipes and touching stories about sacrifice . Stories about pioneers across the globe are also important to read to learn about pioneer history.

The church also publishes stories to read along the trek.

If you plan to go on a pioneer trek this year, be sure to check out the church’s website for resources, and of course, drink water.

Religion in the American West

Mormon Trek

Each year, Mormon youth groups around the world participate in several-day-long reenactments known as trek. During trek, these groups walk in the footsteps of the pioneers who traveled across the country from upstate New York to Utah. Young Mormons wear mostly authentic clothes and, along with a family group, pull handcarts across terrain reminiscent of important locations from the journey west. Latter-day Saint youth learn about the core values of the religion and visit places of religious significance. For Mormons, trek is a safe way to interact with the experiences of Mormon pioneers on their journey west. Trek is an immensely significant religious event that allows Mormons to inhabit sacred time and place in a carefully crafted and controlled environment.

The power of trek comes from its universality and accessibility since this allows Mormons from all over the world to tap into the spiritual well of power that trek represents. Although the premise of trek is simple, it is a meticulously constructed program that balances the necessities of reenactment with the harsher realities of the original expedition. The official trek manual provided by the Church suggests activities like pulling handcarts, devotionals, scripture study time, singing hymns, a women’s pull, reenactment of stories, and walking for a specific pioneer ( Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2015, 13-14 ). Most stakes (the standard church subdivision for an area that tends to run trek) offer some combination of these activities, each of which encourages young Mormons to reflect on their spirituality and their connections to the pioneers. There is much emphasis placed on the core gospel principles of sacrifice, faith, love, and perseverance. In this way trek is a tool of the church to guide young Mormons to leading virtuous lives according to Mormon principles.

Trek also gives Mormon youth the ability to draw clear connections between the hardships they face and those of the pioneers. Countless testimonials provided by recent trek participants illustrate the manner in which trek strengthens participants’ connection to the spiritual aspects of their past, including the land, which they refer to as Zion, and the people, with whom they forge a personal connection ( Anonymous, 2:26 ). This connection allows the trek participants to relive the founding of the religion and experience the lives of the mythologized pioneers.

Trek is an instrumental part of Mormonism’s ability to maintain strict adherence to religious values. The modern equipment and favorable weather make the practice a flawed reenactment. However, it is tremendously successful as a way to force young Mormons to reflect on their place in the grand scheme of the religion. The widespread accessibility of trek across the globe is indicative of the success of Mormonism internationally. Trek is a way to prompt reflection upon the journey west and sacrifice of the first pioneers. It creates a way for young Mormons to not only connect to the pioneers as role models, but also to recognize personal hardships as instances of the early trials faced by the pioneers.

-Tucker Ward, November 2018

Suggestions for Further Reading:

Anonymous, Pioneer Journeys—More than a Trek .  YouTube Video. Salt Lake City, UT: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2016.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Handcart Trek Reenactment: Guidelines for Leaders . 2015.

Jones, Megan Sanborn. “(Re)Living the Pioneer Past: Mormon Youth Handcart Trek Re-Enactments.” Theatre Topics 16, no. 2 (2006): 113-130.

Featured Image:   “ A Group of Men Push a Handcart as They Go Uphill ” (2015).  LDS Media Library. Courtesy , LDS Media Library.

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Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes where no Trek has gone before by saying religion is... OK, actually

‘Whistlespeak’ breaks from Trek tradition to be pretty chill about believing in a higher power

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Star Trek’s future is a secular one. Franchise creator Gene Roddenberry was an avowed atheist , and the series and its spin-offs have routinely criticized organized religion as manipulative, illogical, and detrimental to the evolution of a society. Individual members of the human race may have an undefined spirituality, a curiosity about the afterlife, or a sense of wonder at the unknown or unknowable, but specific religious beliefs are typically reserved for alien cultures.

But, if Trek’s fervently pro-science and anti-superstition has remained constant, so have the attempts by different storytellers within the franchise to approach religion from other, more tolerant angles. And the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery , “Whistlespeak,” may present Trek ’s most even-handed take on faith to date.

Religion as childhood fantasy

Somewhat restrained by the standards and practices of 1960s television, Star Trek: The Original Series used sci-fi allegories to criticize religion as an institution that stifled advancement and expression. In two episodes (“The Return of the Archons” and “The Apple”), Captain James T. Kirk and his Enterprise crew encountered a planet where a population was cowed into willful ignorance or repression by a deity that turned out to be a computer, which Kirk summarily destroyed.

In the 1980s, however, Star Trek’s writers were free to take the gloves off and criticize religion directly. In the 1989 Next Generation episode “Who Watches the Watchers,” Captain Jean-Luc Picard is mistaken for a god by a Bronze Age civilization for whom religion is already a thing of the past. Picard is mortified to be the catalyst for what he, in no uncertain terms, views as a societal regression, and steps in to reveal the truth to his new worshippers, even at the risk of his own life.

The position of “Who Watches the Watchers,” and of Star Trek at large, is that people turn to the supernatural when there are questions they can’t answer, but that the answers will always come, eventually. The willingness to pursue those answers and the patience to avoid drawing rash conclusions is a sign of maturity. By contrast, inventing digestible but unsupportable explanations for life’s mysteries is a sign of immaturity , a phase to be grown out of.

Other people’s gods

After Gene Roddenberry’s death in 1991, there was a gradual shift in the way Star Trek stories approached religion. The human species had still exited the evolutionary stage at which religion was practiced, but many of their peers in the galactic community — such as the Klingons and the Bajorans — held strong religious beliefs. And these beliefs began to be explored in much greater detail.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the human members of the command crew go to great lengths to not only respect but participate in the Klingon rituals of their comrade, Lt. Commander Worf. Ahead of Worf’s marriage to Jadzia Dax, his colleagues Captain Sisko, Chief O’Brien, and Dr. Bashir join him for four days of fasting and physical exhaustion (though not without complaint). When Jadzia is murdered and Worf fears her death has not earned her a place in the Klingon Valhalla of Sto-Vo-Kor, Bashir and O’Brien follow Worf on a potential suicide mission to win glory in her honor. Worf’s friends are content to take Klingon religion at face value, and the existence of Sto-Vo-Kor is never questioned.

During this era of Star Trek, alien religious beliefs were not merely tolerated, but validated. This is an important wrinkle in the case of the Bajoran religion on Deep Space Nine , whose worshiped Prophets are undeniably real: a species of non-corporeal beings who live outside of time and periodically intervene in the development of the nearby planet Bajor. Whether or not the Prophets have done the things the Bajorans worship them for is not up for debate, only whether or not they should be treated with religious reverence. Through DS9 ’s exploration of Bajoran politics, religious power is as dangerous as the person wielding desires it to be — not inherently malevolent or infantilizing towards its people. But, of course, since the existence of the Bajoran gods can be scientifically proven, their value as an analog to real-life religion is limited.

Discovery’s middle way

The streaming era of Star Trek under executive producer Alex Kurtzman, which began in 2017, has seen some new, minor references to religious practices in human society. For example, an unnamed background character serving aboard the USS Cerritos on Star Trek: Lower Decks can be seen wearing a hijab, indicating that some semblance of Islamic tradition is still observed in the 24th century. Not long after we meet Captain Christopher Pike during the second season of Star Trek: Discovery , we learn that his father taught both science and comparative religion.

But “Whistlespeak,” which comes midway through Discovery ’s fifth and final season, returns fully to the Original Series’ territory of a classic “weird alien religion” episode, and with a much more multi-faceted approach. Captain Burnham and her crew visit the planet Halem’no. which is nigh-uninhabitable except within the radius of a tower-like device that was secretly installed by a Federation scientist centuries earlier. The planet’s surviving inhabitants are a peaceful and friendly pre-warp civilization who believe that the towers are temples built by their gods.

Disguised as locals, Burnham and her friend and shipmate Lt. Sylvia Tilly join the faithful Halem’nites for a ceremonial marathon up to the towers as tribute to their divine saviors. It’s a joyful ritual that brings the entire community together, but there’s a shocking twist the Starfleet visitors only learn after the race is finished. Tilly and the marathon’s other winner, a Halem’nite named Ravah, are locked inside the tower, where they will eventually asphyxiate; a sacred sacrifice to keep the planet’s terrible storms at bay.

Though Starfleet officers are forbidden to interfere in the development of pre-warp civilizations, Burnham isn’t about to let Tilly (or Ravah) die to satisfy some arcane ritual. However, rather than tearing the whole society down like Kirk might have done, Burnham appeals directly to the community’s leader — Ravah’s father, Ohvahz — and implores him to stop the sacrifices, explaining the tower will do its work whether or not his child gives their life. Ohvahz is, naturally, open to the idea of not killing his child, but fears that revealing that their temple is actually an alien artifact will shatter his community and lead to violent conflict. What is their civilization without their faith and traditions?

“Better off,” is how Picard would probably answer. But Burnham’s response is more measured.

“There is still what you believe. Nothing we’ve shown you means gods don’t exist… it’s just that you know that there’s also us… Beliefs can evolve. Denying that can cause almost as much chaos as the worst storm.”

It’s probably no accident that Ravah, the teenager who’s supposed to be sacrificed in this episode, is gender non-binary, a trait which is not controversial for the Halem’nites but is condemned by many conservative religious groups here on present-day Earth. There’s also a parallel to the climate crisis, as the Halem’nites will need to learn to maintain the alien weather tower in order to keep their world safe. Would Christianity collapse if their leaders recognized that some of their flock don’t fit into the gender identities described in their holy texts, or that human intervention is required to undo human-made damage to the Earth? Probably not, and their inflexibility is only doing harm to their community. It’s not necessary to hold onto harmful policies or practices, nor is it necessary to throw out an entire system of beliefs because of new, contradictory, or unanticipated information.

Meanwhile, aboard Discovery, Dr. Hugh Culber has been trying to make sense of his own spiritual awakening, a feeling of connection to a higher power that has lingered with him since an out-of-body experience on a recent away mission. As a scientist, Culber’s first instinct is to investigate, understand, and catalog this sensation, but the explanation eludes him. He seeks the advice of his friend Cleveland Booker, a non-human with his own spiritual life, who essentially asks him, “Why do you need to understand it?” With this guidance, Culber decides that the value of his new spirituality is in how it feels, not where it comes from.

The approach to religion in “Whistlespeak” does not broadly condemn religion like The Original Series or The Next Generation , or rationalize and tolerate faith as a quirk of the other, like Deep Space Nine . Instead, “Whistlespeak” questions why a philosophy that is rooted in the unknowable should be attached to absolutes. Spirituality is what you make of it, whether that’s on an individual or community level. Religion can do harm, but it doesn’t have to, so long as its leaders and its believers are willing to embrace uncertainty. In this way, at least, science and religion can find some common ground.

Star Trek: Discovery is cracking open a box Next Gen closed on purpose

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Morn was a male Lurian courier of the 24th century . He owned a shipping business that specialized in the transport of various mundane cargos . Morn gained a reputation while living on Deep Space 9 of being social and highly talkative, and he enjoyed a wide variety of alcoholic beverages as a frequent patron of Quark's and his best customer. ( DS9 : " Who Mourns for Morn? ")

• 1 Lissepian Mother's Day Heist
• 2 Life on Deep Space 9
• 3 Personal life
• 4 Alternate timeline
• 5.1 Appearances
• 5.2 Background information
• 5.3 Apocrypha
• 5.4 External links

Lissepian Mother's Day Heist [ ]

Morn was one of five thieves who stole a thousand bricks of gold -pressed latinum from the Central Bank of Lissepia in the Lissepian Mother's Day Heist of 2365 . Morn somehow extracted the latinum from the bricks, then deposited the gold in the Bank of Bolias and stored the liquid latinum in his second stomach , causing most of his hair to fall out. ( DS9 : " Who Mourns for Morn? ")

Life on Deep Space 9 [ ]

Morn during a typical day at Quark's

The first time Morn walked into Quark's was around 2364 , a time when he still had his hair. Quark thought he was just another customer passing through, when he sat down in what would soon be known as "his stool ". Little did Quark know he would become such an important figure in his life, and to his bar (indeed, one of Quark's personal " Rules of Acquisition " was " When Morn leaves, it's all over "). ( DS9 : " Who Mourns for Morn? ", " The House of Quark ")

After the Cardassians retreated from Bajor in 2369 , Morn remained on Deep Space 9, which was then under Federation control. Morn spent most of his time at Quark's, becoming his most reliable customer and occasional business partner (notably in an attempt to setup an illegal Cardassian vole fighting ring; he was discovered painting numbers on the voles, and the operation was halted). ( DS9 : " Through the Looking Glass ", " Emissary ") Morn, while walking on the upper level of the Promenade in 2369, viewed Lursa and B'Etor arriving on Deep Space 9. ( DS9 : " Past Prologue ") In 2370 , with his freighter rendered inoperable during a warp core retrofit , Morn was seen evacuating the space station on the last available runabout , the USS Ganges , during a short-lived Bajoran coup . ( DS9 : " The Siege ") In 2371 , Morn sat near Tom Paris in Quark's and watched as Quark tried to scam Ensign Harry Kim into buying worthless Lobi crystals , which Quark said he had obtained from a strange creature called a "Morn". ( VOY : " Caretaker ")

Morn, after getting darts thrown at him by Quark

Odo saved Morn from becoming a victim of illegal search and seizure by a belligerent Klingon posse on the Promenade, who asked Morn " …what he was doing so far away from the Ionite Nebula . " ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ") Quark even let Morn run the bar temporarily while he was on a trip to Earth in 2372 . ( DS9 : " Little Green Men ")

In the weeks leading up to the Dominion War , Morn went berserk after hearing Quark predict the coming doom. He hit Quark with a barstool and ran out of the bar and through the Promenade, screaming, " We're all doomed! " He then ran into the Bajoran shrine , stark naked , and began crying to the Prophets for protection. ( DS9 : " Blaze of Glory ")

Morn at Quark's

During the Dominion 's control of Terok Nor , Morn took a trip to see his mother on her birthday , and brought an encoded message to Captain Benjamin Sisko from the resistance forces on the station, containing vital information about the Cardassians' timetable for disabling the minefield blocking the Bajoran wormhole from the Dominion's forces in the Gamma Quadrant . When Admiral Ross questioned whether the message was reliable, Sisko responded that he had known Morn for five years and trusted him. Morn's actions spurred the Federation to launch Operation Return , thereby saving the Alpha Quadrant . ( DS9 : " Favor the Bold ")

Morn attended the pre- wedding party thrown by Jadzia Dax in her quarters . He almost got into a fight with a Bolian , but the two managed to work things out. He eventually passed out behind the couch , leaving the following morning with an obvious hangover . ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

Morn enjoys a jumja stick

In mid- 2374 , Morn went away on a business trip, leaving a shipment of Livanian beets in Cargo Bay 3 .

The previous time Morn went away, Quark's sales dropped almost five percent . So, while he was gone, Quark created a hologram of the Lurian because his bar was incomplete without him. People loved Morn, and he felt that he was a mascot – everyone who came into the bar expected to see him, and if they didn't, it didn't feel like home, which wasn't good for Quark's business.

After a period of over two weeks, the beets Morn had left in the cargo bay began to rot, prompting Odo to seek him out in Quark's and ask that he remove them from the cargo bay. At the time, however, Morn was gone, and Quark had placed the hologram of the Lurian at "his stool", temporarily fooling Odo, to Quark's delight.

Morn's funeral display at Quark's (2374)

Moments later, Quark got word that Morn's cargo ship had been caught in an ion storm , where he had died . Following Morn's memorial , Quark learned from Benjamin Sisko , who unsealed Morn's will , that everything of Morn's was left to Quark: four cargo containers of beets, a mud bath " bed ", a painting of a matador , and one-thousand bricks of gold-pressed latinum (in assay office locker 137).

It was later determined that Morn had faked his own death, after the statute of limitations ran out against the Lissepian Mother's Day Heist, in order to throw his fellow thieves off his trail. In return for Quark's assistance in getting the four other thieves off of his back, he offered Quark a quantity of the latinum that he had hidden in his second stomach. ( DS9 : " Who Mourns for Morn? ")

Personal life [ ]

Morn's "hot mud tub"

Morn had seventeen brothers and sisters . ( DS9 : " Starship Down ", " Chrysalis ")

Although he owned his own ship , Morn kept his quarters aboard Deep Space 9. His quarters were exceptionally spartan, containing a "hot tub" of mud, where he slept , and a painting of a matador. ( DS9 : " In the Cards ", " Who Mourns for Morn? ")

Morn in love

Morn was quite the ladies' man and was often seen with a beautiful woman by his side. Starfleet officer Jadzia Dax once asked out Morn, who declined. She did say she thought he was cute, ( DS9 : " Progress ") and prior to 2372 , later admitted that she used to have a little crush on him. As she explained it, however, he wasn't interested. ( DS9 : " Who Mourns for Morn? ") Morn was attracted to several other females aboard the station and was frequently seen flirting with some, such as a Bajoran woman who received a hand kiss from him ( DS9 : " The Forsaken "), as well as a Kobheerian ( DS9 : " Dramatis Personae "), and a Human Starfleet officer , to whom he gave a flower in exchange for a kiss on the cheek, before walking away arm-in-arm. ( DS9 : " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ")

Morn also enjoyed playing dabo , but couldn't get the hang of darts . ( DS9 : " Accession ") He and Worf frequently sparred, having weekly combat in the holosuite . Worf thought that he was an excellent sparring partner. ( DS9 : " Who Mourns for Morn? ")

In 2401 , "Morn of Luria" was identified as a known associate of the Ferengi Sneed in his Starfleet Criminal Record . ( PIC : " Disengage ", " Imposters ")

Alternate timeline [ ]

In an alternate future , Morn attended the memorial service for Benjamin Sisko on the Promenade. He also ran Quark's in 2405 , with the station under Klingon control. In 2422 , he still ran the bar, which was named Morn's . Julian Bashir mentioned that Dax, Nog , and Jake Sisko could visit Morn's for a drink. ( DS9 : " The Visitor ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Emissary " (Season One)
• " A Man Alone "
• " Past Prologue "
• " Captive Pursuit "
• " The Passenger "
• " Move Along Home "
• " The Nagus "
• " Battle Lines "
• " The Storyteller "
• " Progress "
• " If Wishes Were Horses "
• " The Forsaken "
• " Dramatis Personae "
• " In the Hands of the Prophets "
• " The Siege " (Season Two)
• " Rules of Acquisition "
• " Necessary Evil "
• " Sanctuary "
• " The Alternate "
• " Playing God "
• " Profit and Loss "
• " The Wire "
• " The Jem'Hadar "
• " The House of Quark " (Season Three)
• " Fascination "
• " Prophet Motive "
• " Visionary "
• " Explorers "
• " Family Business "
• " Shakaar "
• " The Way of the Warrior " (Season Four)
• " The Visitor "
• " Rejoined "
• " Little Green Men "
• " Starship Down "
• " Homefront "
• " Sons of Mogh "
• " Bar Association "
• " Accession "
• " Rules of Engagement "
• " Body Parts "
• " Apocalypse Rising " (Season Five)
• " Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places "
• " Trials and Tribble-ations "
• " The Assignment "
• " Let He Who Is Without Sin... "
• " Rapture "
• " In Purgatory's Shadow "
• " Doctor Bashir, I Presume "
• " A Simple Investigation "
• " Business as Usual "
• " Ferengi Love Songs "
• " Empok Nor "
• " In the Cards "
• " Call to Arms "
• " A Time to Stand " (Season Six)
• " Behind the Lines "
• " Favor the Bold "
• " You Are Cordially Invited "
• " Resurrection "
• " Statistical Probabilities "
• " The Magnificent Ferengi "
• " Who Mourns for Morn? "
• " One Little Ship "
• " Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night "
• " Inquisition "
• " His Way "
• " The Reckoning "
• " Valiant "
• " Profit and Lace "
• " Time's Orphan "
• " The Sound of Her Voice "
• " Tears of the Prophets "
• " Image in the Sand " (Season Seven)
• " Afterimage "
• " Take Me Out to the Holosuite "
• " Chrysalis "
• " Once More Unto the Breach "
• " The Emperor's New Cloak "
• " Field of Fire "
• " Chimera "
• " Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang "
• " Penumbra "
• " The Dogs of War "
• " What You Leave Behind "
• TNG : " Birthright, Part I "
• VOY : " Caretaker "
• LD : " Hear All, Trust Nothing "

Background information [ ]

In his guise as Morn, Mark Allen Shepherd receives directions from David Livingston

Morn was played by actor Mark Allen Shepherd . However, Ira Steven Behr once joked, " Actually, I play Morn. Marc Shephard is just an actor I've hired to confuse the fans at conventions … but don't tell anyone… It's a secret… " Behr also referred to the character as "our favorite barfly." ( AOL chat , 1997 )

The character of Morn was, essentially, something of a gag that the program's producers were playing on just about everyone else. Though other characters repeatedly referred to him as being talkative, social, and excitable, Morn was never actually shown doing anything much other than imbibing, and quietly at that, at Quark's bar.

Before the series was aired, Morn was simply known by staff as "the Grinch". Mark Allen Shepherd almost did not become Morn. Despite being hired for the role, the production crew accidentally left him off the calling list when they began filming DS9 series premiere " Emissary ". By what Shepherd claims was intuition, he decided one day to wander onto the Paramount lot and see what was going on. Coincidentally that very day, Morn was to be filmed, so Shepherd ended up making his first appearance as Morn in "Emissary". The actor's contribution impressed the producers so much that Morn was made a recurring character. ( The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )

"Morn" is an anagram for Norm , the barfly played by George Wendt in the TV show Cheers . ( Star Trek Encyclopedia  (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 54)) Morn was first identified by name in " Vortex " (although his name had previously been used in the scripts for " Dax " and "The Nagus").

It is possible that Morn was androgynous since Odo, while making an announcement to passers-by on the Promenade of Deep Space 9 in " If Wishes Were Horses ", says " Ladies and gentlemen (noticing Morn walking by) … and all androgynous species… " It is reasonable to assume Odo was making a joke at Morn's expense, though given the gravity of the situation, he could have been serious. The former seems to be true since Morn is referred to as male in subsequent episodes.

According to Mark Allen Shepherd, over the years a number of episodes were written during which Morn spoke various snippets of dialogue, but his lines were always removed by the time the script was being shot. In one particular example, Morn was to come down the spiral staircase in Quark's wearing a tuxedo, having been in the holosuite using the Julian Bashir, Secret Agent holoprogram . Quark was mixing a drink for Morn at the bar, and Morn looked over at him and said, " Shaken, not stirred ." This scene remained through a number of script rewrites, to the point that Shepherd (in full Morn makeup) was actually fitted for a tuxedo, but at the last minute, the scene was removed. ("Morn Speaks", DS9 Season 7 DVD special features)

Shepherd also added: " There have been numerous scripts where they originally had Morn speaking. One such script had to do with the alternate universe. Unfortunately, they always got written out ". [1]

Aside from Mark Allen Shepherd, Dennis Madalone is the only stunt performer or actor to have portrayed Morn. In " Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places ", there is one stunt scene in which Morn is thrown from his bar stool by Worf, a stunt that was performed by Madalone.

During the fifth season , Ronald D. Moore , in an AOL chat, gave a summary of what was going on in the show, ending by joking that Morn had become President of the Federation . ( AOL chat , 1997 ) Moore later declined to comment on allegations that Morn had accepted illegal campaign contributions from the Ferengi or the Romulans , as a special counsel investigation on the matter was underway. ( AOL chat , 1997 )

In the episode " Who Mourns for Morn? ", Shepherd, without the Morn makeup, briefly appeared as the Bajoran customer whom Quark asks to fill Morn's seat. In relation to the character's namesake, the manner in which Dax shouts Morn's name upon seeing the hologram at Quark's, in "Who Mourns for Morn?", is reminiscent of the greeting Norm usually received as soon as he walked into Cheers. Morn was first identified by species in "Who Mourns for Morn?".

In an ultimately unused scene from the first draft script of " The Changing Face of Evil ", Morn was applauded and took a bow in Quark's, having read a poem , then made a quick exit from the bar. Kira Nerys and Julian Bashir were amazed by the poetry recital Morn had delivered. Bashir and Ezri Dax , who had just missed the event, assumed Morn had written the poem, though it was actually " Howl " by Allen Ginsberg , as Kira pointed out. Nonetheless, Ezri Dax admitted the incident showed there was more to Morn than they'd expected.

Although Morn does not feature in the next episode, " When It Rains... ", he was to have appeared at the start of a scene from that episode's first draft script. In it, he and Ezri Dax were on the Promenade, outside the infirmary , and Morn had apparently just given Dax some relationship advice regarding her feelings for Bashir, as Ezri stated, " You're right, I should just go in there and tell him how I feel. Thanks, Morn. " He nodded in response, and Ezri, now with a determined expression on her face, then left him.

Shepherd speculated, in a 1996 interview for Star Trek Monthly ( citation needed • edit ) , that Morn would probably speak the last line of the series – but that was ultimately spoken by Quark.

With ninety-three appearances, Morn appeared in more episodes of Deep Space Nine than Jake Sisko ( Cirroc Lofton ), a regular cast member with only seventy-one appearances.

Morn never spoke a single word throughout all of Deep Space Nine , with the only time he was ever depicted vocalizing being his laugh in the episode "The Nagus". In the German version of the episode " The Jem'Hadar ", however, he does speak; he is just about to tell Quark what has been troubling him when Quark simply walks away. Resigned, Morn mutters, " Dann nicht… " (roughly meaning " So much for that… "). These words are not uttered in the original English version. A very rare occurrence of Morn laughing can be heard at one point in " The Nagus ". ( Listen to Morn and Quark laughing  file info )

Morn, Julian Bashir, Quark, Gul Evek , and Admiral Chekote are the only characters to appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine prior to appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation . Along with Quark, Q , and Evek, Morn is one of only four characters to appear in all of the first three Star Trek series based in the 24th century : Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and Star Trek: Voyager . Morn is one of five characters to appear in two series premieres ( DS9 : " Emissary " and VOY : " Caretaker "), the others being Quark, Jean-Luc Picard , Broik , and Miles O'Brien .

A character named Morn owns a pub in the Inheritance fantasy book series by Christopher Paolini . According to The Inheritance Almanac , the character was named after the Morn character from Deep Space Nine .

Apocrypha [ ]

In the short story "Mirror Eyes", from the anthology Tales of the Dominion War , the narrator, a Romulan Tal Shiar agent working undercover aboard DS9, identifies Morn as the only inhabitant of the station with whom she feels "an intellectual kinship."

In the video game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Crossroads of Time , Morn can be found on the upper level at Quark's. He is the only character in the game that doesn't talk.

In the video game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Fallen , Morn makes several appearances on the Promenade between missions.

In Star Trek Online , Morn can still be found in Quark's bar. True to form, he has no spoken dialogue: in fact, anytime an opportunity arises for him to speak with the player, the screen cuts to black, and it is only in the aftermath that a third person descriptor is given of whatever it was he said.

In the Star Trek: Terok Nor novel Dawn of the Eagles , Morn first arrived on Terok Nor in 2365 during the events of " Necessary Evil ". He almost immediately sat down in what became his regular spot in Quark's. Although Morn would ultimately become his best customer, Quark was initially reluctant to serve him as he regarded Lurians as bad for business.

External links [ ]

• Morn at StarTrek.com
• Morn at Wikipedia
• Morn at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Morn at the Star Trek Online Wiki
• Morn at Mornopedia - A Mornography – fan project of Morn's appearances in DS9 and other Star Trek shows

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Alfred louis onorato dies; co-founder of casting society of america was 88, lionsgate tv to develop series based on shohei ohtani interpreter gambling scandal.

By Katie Campione

Katie Campione

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Lionsgate Television is developing a scripted series about the gambling scandal surrounding LA Dodgers star pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani .

Scott Delman and Albert Chen are set to produce the series.

The news comes as the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced Thursday that Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has agreed to plead guilty to stealing $17M from the baseball player.

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“With a strong track record of creating daring, boundary-pushing series, Lionsgate Television is the perfect partner to bring this unbelievable story to the screen,” Delman said in a statement. “In addition, Albert’s extensive sports journalism background will enable us to connect the dots to make sense of the startling turn of events we’ve seen play out on the world stage.”

Added Chen: “This is major league baseball’s biggest sports gambling scandal since Pete Rose – and at its center is its biggest star, one that MLB has hitched its wagon on. We’ll get to the heart of the story – a story of trust, betrayal and the trappings of wealth and fame.”

Delman’s is known for adapting the TV series Station 11 . He has also produced several major Broadway hits, including  The Book of Mormon ,  Death of a Salesman, All The Way, Raisin in the Sun, The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time  and  The Ferryman .

Chen is the author of  Billion Dollar Fantasy , and he is also co-creator, co-host and producer of the podcast  All American . He previously served as senior editor at  Sports Illustrated , where he covered baseball and wrote more than a dozen cover stories for the magazine, and he has been a contributor at MLB Network.

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Shohei Ohtani Interpreter Gambling Scandal TV Series in Development at Lionsgate

By Joe Otterson

Joe Otterson

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The gambling scandal surrounding LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani ‘s interpreter is already getting the TV series treatment.

Lionsgate Television is in early development on a series focused on the scandal. No writer or network is currently attached to the project, but Scott Delman and Albert Chen are both attached to produce. Executive Max Elins is overseeing the project for Lionsgate Television, while Bryan Weiser negotiated the deal.

Popular on Variety

Chen previously authored the sports gambling book “Billion Dollar Fantasy.” He is also the co-creator, co-host, and producer of the podcast “All American” from Stitcher and SiriusXM. He was a senior editor at Sports Illustrated, during which time he covered baseball extensively, and was also a contributor at MLB Network.

“This is major league baseball’s biggest sports gambling scandal since Pete Rose – and at its center is its biggest star, one that MLB has hitched its wagon on,” said Chen. “We’ll get to the heart of the story – a story of trust, betrayal and the trappings of wealth and fame.”

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