star trek original series klingon

Everything You Need to Know About the Klingons, Star Trek 's Ever-Changing Space Warriors

Klingons are one of the most iconic Star Trek alien races. In 51 years they’ve evolved from deceptive villains to honorable allies—and now, with the arrival of Star Trek: Discovery this week, they’re becoming spiritual warriors once again, at odds with our heroes. Here’s everything you need to know about the past, present, and future of Qo’noS’s finest.

From Enemy, to Ally, to Enemy

Klingons have been one of the most persistent elements of Star Trek . They made their debut on the very first season of the original show, and have since appeared on every spinoff series, including Discovery —and in most of the Trek movies, as well.

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The Klingons first met by Kirk and his crew in “Errand of Mercy” back in 1967 were very different from the Klingons we know today, both in their physical appearance and in their characterization. Intended as a Soviet parallel to the Federation’s US, the original Klingons were treated as inferior to the Federation’s ideals in every manner. The Klingons were a crafty, savage, and warmongering race, morally corrupt and willing to do anything to get their way—especially if it meant getting the upper hand against the Federation, their long-time rivals in an interstellar cold war.

That nature uncomfortably played into their appearance as well. The original Klingons were given an incredibly Orientalist aesthetic, with white actors having their faces darkened with makeup to appear more alien, plus accented eyebrows highlighted with shoe polish and matching thin mustaches. To the modern eye, the look of original Klingons is deeply problematic, but at the time, it was a huge budget saver; one of the primary reasons the Klingons became such major recurring villains in the original series was that their makeup costs were much lower compared to the prosthetics needed for the Romulans.

After the Star Trek TV series came to an end, then found itself revived as a movie series in the ‘70s, there was finally a budget to make the Klingons appear truly alien—and with it came a complete overhaul of the race that changed their place in the franchise. Their new makeup work gave the Klingons long, flowing hair, sharpened teeth, and distinctive forehead ridges (more on those later), but Klingon culture was given an even greater shake-up. A new language was introduced to further emphasize the differences between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, and, taking inspiration from feudal Japan, Klingons became a species that valued honor above all else, holding strictly defined traditions around the art of war that formed the cornerstones of Klingon society.

Although original Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was hesitant to bring back old aliens when Star Trek returned to TV with The Next Generation , set a century after the original show, the Klingons ultimately became a fundamental part of the series in the form of Michael Dorn’s Worf, a Klingon member of Starfleet and one of the show’s primary characters. Representing a time period when the relationship between the Federation and the Klingon Empire had become relatively amicable, Worf became a lens for the audience to discover the new culture behind the Klingons first hinted at in the movies, examining both their dedication to martial prowess (with the introduction of iconic elements like the Bat’leth, the curved Klingon blade) and their spiritual side. Gone were the savages of the original series, instead replaced by a principled society of honorable warriors.

By the time of Voyager and Deep Space Nine (the furthest we’ve been into Star Trek ’s timeline on TV) the Klingons had become heroes. After a brief period of hostility the Klingons became crucial allies for the crew of Deep Space Nine and the Federation at large in DS9 's seasons-long war with the Dominion, while Voyager examined prejudices and acceptance of the Klingons within Starfleet through B’Elanna Torres, a half-human, half-Klingon engineer troubled by the pull between her two very different cultures.

Discovery , set a decade before the original show, mixes up the Star Trek timeline a bit. The Klingons are the primary antagonists of the series, with the Federation openly at war with them. However, the show portrays the Klingons as fans have come to know them:  as an honorable warrior race —right down to the forehead ridges. Speaking of which...

The Fall and Rise of the Klingon Forehead

How the Klingons grew from the mustachioed, smooth-headed humanoids of the original series to the ridged aliens of The Original Motion Picture and beyond has been a canonical puzzle Star Trek fans have theorized and debate about for decades. There was never a reason provided for the difference in either the movies or The Next Generation —it was simply declared that these new aliens were still Klingons and that was that.

For years, the closest the series ever got to acknowledging the change was a one-off joke in the special Deep Space Nine anniversary episode “Trials and Tribble-ations,” which saw the crew sent back into the past to the events of the original series episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.” When asked by his colleagues why the Klingons of Kirk’s time looked so different to the Klingons they know of in the 24th century, Worf offers a brief but stern rebuttal: Klingons don’t talk about it with non-Klingons.

Fans finally got an explanation for the disparity between the two kinds of Klingons nearly 40 years after their first appearance thanks to Star Trek: Enterprise , which was set in the years before the formation of the Federation. A two-part story in the show’s fourth season revealed that Klingons have actually always had forehead ridges, but a virus accidentally unleashed on the Klingon homeworld when scientists tried to augment Klingons with human DNA caused victims to develop human physical characteristics, including smooth foreheads. A treatment for the virus was developed by Enterprise ’s resident medic, Dr. Phlox, but the physician theorized that it would take generations for Klingon children to be born with ridged foreheads again.

It remains to be seen whether Discovery , which features pre-original series Klingons with forehead ridges, will have something to say about the bizarre evolution of the feature, given its place in Star Trek ’s timeline. But we do know that the series will provide a biological reason for the ridges : they’re covered in extra-sensory receptors, to help Klingons detect and hunt their prey.

The Long Road to Sto’Vo’Kor

Although Klingons have been established as a warrior race from the beginning (honorable or otherwise), one major element of Klingon culture introduced in their post-original Trek appearances is an emphasis on spirituality, borrowing elements from familiar mythological cultures in our own past to turn the Klingons into quasi-warrior monks. The honor-bound nature of the Klingons has led to many instances of their culture clashing with that of the Federation through a love of rituals and remembrances, especially around the act of honoring the dead.

In the Klingon belief system, the body after death is an empty shell. The soul of a fallen Klingon goes to one of two places. If they lived an honorable life and fell in battle, they go to Sto’Vo’Kor, which is pretty much Klingon Valhalla, a heavenly plane of battles and feasting. If they were dishonored or didn’t die fighting, they go to Grethor, a fiery hellscape where their souls suffer for eternity—after the prerequisite journey on a barge through a river of death to Grethor’s gates, of course. Relatives of the deceased can perform honorable acts in their own lives to ensure their fallen relative’s soul goes to Sto’Vo’kor if they didn’t die in battle—which, in some cases, can include offering their own soul for torture in Grethor in their place, as B’Elanna attempted to do for her mother in the Voyager episode “ Barge of the Dead .”

Aside from their ritualized beliefs and honor codes, Klingon spirituality includes no gods, as legendary warriors killed them thousands of years ago. There is one important figure in Klingon religion, though: Kahless, who was the first ruler of the Klingon Empire and established its honor code. Weirdly enough, by the time of The Next Generation and beyond, the Empire was once again led by Kahless... except this time it was a lab-grown clone of the original, a slightly less intimidating figure and more of a figurehead for Klingon society than an actual ruler.

Talking Klingon

As Star Trek ’s portrayal of Klingon culture developed, so did the need to make the race feel alien beyond the makeup-drenched actors of the original show—and part of that was the development of a whole new language for Klingons to speak in. Originally devised by Scotty himself, James Doohan, and Motion Picture producer Jon Povill as part of the film’s wide-scale re-imagining of the Klingons, the Klingon language (sometimes referred to as Klingonese) as we know it today was really developed during the making of The Search for Spock by Dr. Marc Okrand.

Okrand expanded the handful of words created during The Motion Picture into a fully constructed language, and in 1985, he published The Klingon Dictionary. Originally intended as source material for writers and actors, the dictionary expanded on Klingon grammar, such as its unconventional object-verb-subject form. It also gave Klingon phrases for everything as menial as “Happy Birthday” (qoSlIj DatIvjaj) to insulting someone’s mother with the smoothness of their forehead (Hab SoSlI’ Quch!)

Okrand’s work on the Klingon language flourished, not just because of his own additions to it as Star Trek continued, but through the works of fans. Shortly after The Klingon Dictionary ’s release, fans started to learn and teach the rules Okrand had laid down, and groups like t he Klingon Language Institute started forming in the early ‘90s to study the entirely fictional language. In the years since, translations of famous texts have been made available in Klingon—from Bible passages, to the epic Gilgamesh , to Shakespearian plays (inspired by the line from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , “ You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon ”), as well as an entire opera performed in the language , ‘u’ , all done by ardent fans.

Klingons are one of Star Trek ’s most enduring features—their reliable presence across 51 years of the franchise is as defining as their ability to change each time we meet them. Whether it’s in big ways or small, change is fundamental to the Klingons, from the mustachioed brutes of the original series, to the dominating, brutal, and alarmingly spiky armored hunters we’re about to meet in Star Trek: Discovery . No matter how many times they show up, it’s always guaranteed that there’s always going to be something new to learn about them. 

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Kahless the Unforgettable

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Kahless the Unforgettable ( Klingonese : qeylIS ) was a legendary mytho - historical Klingon figure. He was the first Warrior King and Emperor of the Klingon Empire , known as the "greatest warrior of them all".

Kahless was the last Klingon to unite all tribes until the Federation-Klingon War of 2256 , which was started with that purpose by a Klingon called T'Kuvma , who was concerned that his race had begun to "forget the Unforgettable". ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ")

Time crystals were a symbol of Kahless. ( DIS : " Through the Valley of Shadows ") Kahless' battle cry, " Today is a good day to die ", continued to be a popular Klingon utterance into the 24th century , including in the simpler form " It is a good day to die. " ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth "; DS9 : " Blood Oath ", " The Way of the Warrior ")

• 2.1 Artifacts
• 2.2 See also
• 2.3 Quotations
• 2.4 The Rightful Heir
• 3.1 Further references
• 3.2.1 Kahless' lifetime
• 3.3 Apocrypha
• 3.4 External link

History [ ]

Sometime in the 9th century , Kahless defeated his enemies, including Molor and the Fek'Ihri , on the field of battle and founded the mighty Klingon Empire, uniting the Klingon people and giving them the laws of honor . Upon his death , Kahless promised he would return one day and lead the Empire again. After his death, it was said that Kahless awaited all Klingons in Sto-vo-kor : the life which lies beyond this life. His teachings of honor and tradition formed the basis of modern Klingon philosophy and culture . As of 2374 , Kahless was still revered as a near-divine figure by the Klingons. ( VOY : " Day of Honor ")

Although Kahless was not high-born, those who descended from him and his wife, the Lady Lukara , were said to reside within the Klingon Imperial Court . Those members of the Court, including Dahar master Kor , were considered "of the blood ," and were regarded throughout the Empire to have been born to rule by the divine will of Kahless. ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ", " Once More Unto the Breach ")

In 2256 , the zealot T'Kuvma proclaimed that the Great Houses of the Klingon Empire would " stand as one under Kahless, reborn in me, T'Kuvma. " ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ")

Excalbian's recreation of Kahless

In 2269 , an image of Kahless was created by the Excalbians in a plot devised to better understand the concepts of " good " and " evil ". The image was considerably flawed from the original Kahless, with such notable discrepancies as being infected with the Klingon augment virus and wearing a 23rd century Imperial Klingon Fleet uniform. The Excalbian version of Kahless appeared and acted quite differently from the original, since the image had been created from reading the minds of Humans who, at that point in Starfleet history , saw Kahless as a ruthless tyrant, and had had far more contact with Augment Klingons (or their descendants) than with standard Klingons. The Excalbian version of Kahless also had a talent for mimicking voices. ( TOS : " The Savage Curtain ")

The stories of Kahless were the stories of the Klingon people. Passed down from generation to generation, these stories reminded the Klingons about who they were and where they had come from. Klingons studied these stories for all of their lives; Worf said he found new truths in them on each reading. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part II ") Many of these stories were held within the sacred texts, a few exclusively. Nevertheless, they remained an integral part of Klingon lore.

The following stories are portions and excerpts of song and lore surrounding the life of Kahless:

• Long ago, a storm was heading for the city of Quin'lat . Everyone took protection within the walls except one man who remained outside. Kahless went to him and asked what he was doing. " I am not afraid, " the man said. " I will not hide my face behind stone and mortar. I will stand before the wind and make it respect me. " Kahless honored his choice and went back inside. The next day, the storm came, and the man was killed. Kahless replied, " The wind does not respect a fool ". ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ")

Kahless and Morath fight

• …Kahless was determined to teach his brother a lesson for having told a lie, because it made him look like a coward, but Morath refused to fight his brother, and instead ran away. Kahless pursued him across valleys and over mountains , all the way to the edge of the sea . And there on the shore, they fought for twelve days and twelve nights because Morath had broken his word and brought shame and dishonor to his family. ( TNG : " New Ground ", " Firstborn ")

Kor and Worf find the Sword of Kahless

The Shroud of the Sword

The Knife of Kirom stained with the blood of Kahless

• …Kahless held his father's lifeless body in his arms. He could not believe what his brother had done. Then, his brother threw their father's sword into the sea, saying that, if he could not possess it, neither would Kahless. That was the last time the brothers would speak. Kahless looked into the ocean and wept, for the sword was all he had left of his father and the sea filled with his tears and flooded beyond the shore. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part II ")
• Kahless single-handedly fought off an entire army at Three Turn Bridge . ( DS9 : " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ")
• …The tyrant Molor was so strong that no one could stand against him. Kahless would rather die than live under Molor's tyranny… ( TNG : " Firstborn ")
• Kahless went into the mountains, all the way to the Kri'stak Volcano . He cut off a lock of his hair and thrust it into the river of molten rock, which poured from the summit. The hair began to burn, but then he plunged it into the Lake of Lusor and twisted it into a sword. ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ")

From the "drinking song":

• …and sticky-continuous and surrounded-continuous (by) blood, and the River Skral ran crimson red. On the day above all days. When Kahless slew evil Molor dead…! And after he used it to kill the tyrant Molor he gave it a name: bat'leth , "the sword of honor". ( TNG : " Rightful Heir "; DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

A small shrine with a statue of Kahless

The story of the sword was known only by the Klingon High Clerics , because it was never written down in the sacred texts. This was so that, if Kahless was ever to return, they could be sure it was him. ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ") When the Shroud of the Sword of Kahless was discovered, it was determined that the Sword of Kahless dated back at least 1,400 years. ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")

• With the Sword, Kahless slew Molor, conquered the Fek'Ihri, and forged the first Empire. Kahless also used the Sword to skin the Serpent of Xol , to harvest his father's field, and to carve a statue for his beloved Lukara. ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")

Molor's defeat was celebrated annually with the observance of the Kot'baval Festival . ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

• A thousand years ago, at the dawn of the Empire, five hundred warriors stormed the Great Hall at Qam-Chee . The city garrison fled before them. Only the Emperor Kahless and the Lady Lukara stood their ground. It was here that they began the greatest romance in Klingon history. ( DS9 : " Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places ")
• Kahless and Lukara were nearly killed, moments after they were married, by Molor's troops. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

The wielding of Ma'Staka s, used to re-enact Kahless' and Lukara's battle at Qam-Chee, at the conclusion of a Klingon wedding was a continued tradition in Klingon culture.

Another story that mentions Kahless entering the afterlife said that he was there to rescue his brother from the Barge of the Dead and deliver him to Sto-Vo-Kor . According to the Eleventh Tome of Klavek , Kahless returned from the dead still bearing a wound from the afterlife. ( VOY : " Barge of the Dead ")

The Story of the Promise was Kahless' swan song, " When Kahless united the people and gave them the laws of honor, he saw that his work was done. So one night he gathered his belongings and went to the edge of the city to say goodbye. The people wept, as they did not want him to go. And Kahless said, " You are Klingons. You need no one but yourselves. I will go now, to Sto-Vo-Kor . But I promise one day I will return. " Then Kahless pointed to a star in the sky and said, " Look for me there, on that point of light. "

The story of "The Promise" indicated that Kahless was to reappear in the lava caves on the planet of Boreth . The Followers of Kahless , or Guardians , waited there for his return. To Klingons, there was no more sacred place. For over 1,500 years, Klingons came to Boreth to ask questions. According to the clerics, the only way a Klingon warrior could find the answers they sought was to " Open your heart to Kahless, ask him your questions, let him speak to you with your mind unclouded by doubt or hesitation. Only then can you find what you are looking for. " ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ")

Artifacts [ ]

• Beacon of Kahless
• Emperor's Crown
• Fornication Helmet
• Grail of Kahless
• Knife of Kirom
• Shroud of Kahless
• Shroud of the Sword

See also [ ]

• Order of Kahless
• Spirit of Kahless
• Star of Kahless

Quotations [ ]

• " Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory. And ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat. " ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")
• " There is no victory without combat. " ( ENT : " Divergence ")
• " Great men do not seek power; they have power thrust upon them. " ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")
• " Today is a good day to die. " ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth ")

The Rightful Heir [ ]

A clone of Kahless

See: Kahless (clone)

Appendices [ ]

Further references [ ].

• ENT : " Divergence "
• " The Vulcan Hello "
• " Battle at the Binary Stars "
• " Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum "
• " Despite Yourself "
• " The Wolf Inside "
• " Vaulting Ambition "
• " The War Without, The War Within "
• " Will You Take My Hand? "
• " Point of Light "
• DS9 : " When It Rains... "

Background information [ ]

The "real" Kahless never appeared on Star Trek , outside a painting of his depiction as portrayed by Kevin Conway , who also appeared in " Rightful Heir " as Kahless' clone . The original depiction, and introduction of Kahless, appeared as an Excalbian recreation in " The Savage Curtain ", who was portrayed by Robert Herron .

The name "Kahless" has been pronounced in various ways throughout Star Trek , such as the commonly used "Kay-less" and "Kaw-less" by Worf in " New Ground ". The Okrandian Klingon language spelling of his name was qeylIS . ( The Klingon Dictionary 2nd ed., p. 58)

Among the inspirations for Kahless as portrayed in TNG were King Arthur , Jesus Christ , and Viking lore. ( AOL chat , 1998 )

The original script for " Birthright, Part II " included a number of additional tales about Kahless that were not included in the final version of the episode (some of these unaired tales were later contradicted by other episodes):

• …Kahless held his father's lifeless body in his arms. He could not believe what his brother had done. Then, his brother threw their father's sword into the sea, saying that, if he could not possess it, neither would Kahless. That was the last time the brothers would speak. Kahless looked into the ocean and wept, for the sword was all he had left of his father and the sea filled with his tears and flooded beyond the shore. The people begged Kahless to stop his weeping, and he did and walked into the water to find the lost sword. He searched and searched the murky ocean bottom, holding his breath for three days and three nights when he would eventually find his father's sword.
• Kahless later invented the forms of what would become the Mok'bara when he went to the Underworld in search of his father. Kahless showed him the forms, and his father was able to remember his body and return to the world of the living.
• Kahless was condemned to die by the tyrant Molor, who was angered that Kahless had incited the people against him. The night before his execution, Kahless asked that he be allowed to go out into the night and say farewell to the moon and the stars, for he knew that, in the Netherworld, he would not see them again. Kahless gave his word that he would come back, and Molor let him go. Kahless had given his word and Molor understood what that meant. The next day at dawn, Kahless returned and was put to death (this story is contradicted by "The Promise").

In the first draft script of DS9 : " When It Rains... ", Kahless was said to have stood before his warriors, cut his own hand with a knife so that blood dripped out of his palm, and instructed those present, " Do this… in memory of me. "

Kahless' lifetime [ ]

The exact time period in which Kahless lived has repeatedly been described with differing numbers. In "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places", taking place in 2373 , Worf enthusiastically mentions Kahless' battle against Molor's troops to have happened "a thousand years ago." This would appear to be somewhat of a contradiction, as TNG : " Rightful Heir " states that the monks on Boreth have been awaiting Kahless' return for fifteen centuries , i.e. five hundred years longer. Either Worf "rounded" the number of years in his enthusiasm, or Molor and Kahless were at least five hundred years old, which, while the maximum life span for Klingons has never been clearly defined, seems to be without precedent. Another solution would be that Worf counted in Klingon years, as DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire " established 2373 to correspond to the Year of Kahless 999. This would also be in accord with the Sword of Kahless being dated to an age of 1,400 years in "The Sword of Kahless". Furthermore, a scene cut from "Rightful Heir" had Data specify Kahless' death as 1,547 years prior, which would place it in 822 AD.

Apocrypha [ ]

The novel Kahless showed a different take on the legend. The novel asserted that Kahless, son of Kanjis was a soldier within Molor's army who refused to burn down a village and who was forced to slay Molor's eldest son. This turned Kahless and his band into outlaws, but their goal was not to topple Molor but to simply hide. Rumors spread, however, that they planned to overthrow Molor's tyrannical empire. After the death of his love, a woman known as Kellein, Kahless despaired and fled the group, but was followed by his loyal friend Morath, son of Ondagh, who wrestled with Kahless for six days and nights. After this wrestling match, Kahless yielded to Morath and dedicated his life to destroying Molor. The novel also mentioned the Mok'bara ; in the novel, Kahless had never heard of the practice. The book also suggested that the blood used to create the clone of Kahless was not Kahless' blood but rather Morath's.

The comic book Star Trek: Klingons also uses the name Kahless, son of Kanjis but is otherwise much more true to the legend of Kahless as a messianic figure. The story begins with Kahless slaying his brother Morath and continues with Kahless defeating the armies of the three warlords of Three Turn Bridge and freeing the people from their tyranny. In this story, Molor is implied to be an alien rather than an actual Klingon, since he had a spaceship and was worshiped by some Klingons as a deity.

In the FASA role-playing game, Kahless lived during a time when Klingons had already invented warp drive and died fighting against the Romulans. His full name was Kahless epetai-Riskadh.

In the DC Comics line, a descendant of Kahless, Kahless IV, served as emperor during the movie era. This conflicted not only the details of "Rightful Heir", but also a statement that the Klingons had not had an emperor in three hundred years.

In Star Trek Online , the clone of Kahless seen in TNG and DS9 appeared prominently in early missions available to Klingon players, and fought alongside them battling Fek'Ihri forces intent on conquering the Klingon Empire. He later was killed in single combat against an Iconian named T'Ket during The Iconian War.

In the miniseries Star Trek: Prey , a group of con artists fake the public execution of the Kahless clone with the goal of studying him so that they can attempt to fake the return of the true Kahless, but Kahless is able to outsmart them and escape captivity, and the plan is brought to a halt when the gang betrays each other before they can put it into practice.

External link [ ]

• Kahless the Unforgettable at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 2 Jamaharon

• More to Explore
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Published Apr 21, 2023

Klingon on the Bridge

Star Trek has demonstrated those who began as antagonists can be welcomed into the Federation and Starfleet as allies later.

StarTrek.com / Rob DeHart

In Star Trek : The Original Series , Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise face several recurring antagonists, including the Klingon Empire. First introduced in the first season episode, “ Errand of Mercy ,” Klingons often serve as the antagonists of Starfleet and the Federation of Planets in the subsequent original crew movies.

But thanks to the vantage point offered by the larger Star Trek story, we can see how these enemies will eventually become friends. One hundred years after TOS, in Star Trek: The Next Generation , the Klingon Empire is no longer the enemy of the Federation — they are allies. To drive this point home, there’s even a Klingon on the Bridge of the flagship U.S.S. Enterprise -D. Beginning with the very first episode, “ Encounter at Farpoint ,” Worf is present on Bridge duty.

StarTrek.com

How would Kirk and his crew react to knowing a Klingon is part of the flagship Bridge crew? Given the misgivings Kirk has about inviting Klingons over for dinner in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , one has to imagine, not that well ! But Worf being appointed a member of the Enterprise -D’s Bridge crew demonstrates one of the most important recurring themes of Star Trek — while we may believe a certain demographic is our sworn enemy at one point of history, these antagonistic relationships will eventually degrade.

In Star Trek: Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry by David Alexander, a letter written by Gene Roddenberry to his friend, a Paramount executive, expressed his concern that, over the course of the first three Star Trek movies, “many people” began to develop an erroneous perception of the Klingons as the “bad guys.” Roddenberry wrote that he had received letters from “the most respected of fans and SF writers, their concern being Star Trek seemed to be deteriorating into a two-dimensional ‘good guys vs bad guys’ space opera.”

To remedy this, and dispel any further “outdated preoccupation with the Klingons,” an effective method of eradicating an enemy was deployed — making them a friend. When The Next Generation arrived, the premiere episode featured a Bridge crew that includes Worf, the first Klingon to serve in Starfleet .

When considered in the context of how difficult it was for Kirk and his crew to even accept the presence of Klingons on the Enterprise in The Undiscovered Country , the significance of the fact that Worf is a member of the “inner circle” comprised by the Bridge crew of the Enterprise -D becomes clear.

The Klingon Empire no long plays the role of “antagonistic aliens” when they face Picard and his crew over the course of TNG. In fact, the first officer of the Enterprise -D, William Riker even participates in an officer exchange program to foster better understanding between the Klingons and the Federation in the episode “ A Matter of Honor .”

However, there are other extraterrestrials that play an antagonistic role over the course of TNG, including the Ferengi and the Borg, both introduced in the series, as well as the Romulans , who played an antagonistic role alongside the Klingons during The Original Series. But just as we saw a Klingon on the Bridge in TNG, subsequent Star Trek shows have demonstrated that the enemies of the TNG-era will eventually be welcomed into the fold.

In fact, for the Ferengi , this shift in perspective began before TNG had even concluded. When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine debuted during TNG’s fifth season, a Ferengi wasn’t exactly a member of the Bridge crew, but he was a member of the main cast. As Quark, Armin Shimerman played a more nuanced Ferengi than he portrayed in the TNG episode “The Last Outpost.”

As an integral element of daily life on DS9, Quark was an important part of the lives of the Starfleet officers who resided there. As DS9 progresses, we saw stories set on his homeworld of Ferenginar, learning more about its culture, government, and history.

Furthermore, Quark’s nephew Nog became the first Ferengi in Starfleet. We see how important this development is on Star Trek: Discovery episode “ Coming Home ,” when the crew of the Discovery sees the U.S.S. Nog , an Eisenberg -class starship, upon their arrival at Federation Headquarters in the 32nd Century.

The Borg repeat this pattern of enemy-to-ally. After being first introduced in the episode “ Q Who? ,” the Borg not only play a recurring antagonistic role on the series, they serve as the primary enemy in the movie Star Trek: First Contact .

In the third season finale of Star Trek: Voyager , however, Captain Janeway begins to integrate an ex-Borg into her ship’s crew — Seven of Nine . This decision faces plenty of opposition from members of the crew, including First Officer Chakotay. At one point, he suggests that Borg are intrinsically “evil,” citing the parable of the scorpion and the frog to illustrate his point.

With our removed vantage point, we can see how deeply erroneous this harsh judgment of Seven proves to be. On Voyager , we see Seven eventually integrated into the crew. Her unique knowledge, gained from her time as a member of the Collective, has a material affect on the progress of their mission, shaving years off their return voyage. One example is the astrometrics lab she constructs with Harry Kim utilizing her ex-B knowledge. Furthermore, we see how her experience helps other former members of the Borg begin to rehabilitate, demonstrated through her relationship with Icheb.

The Borg progression from antagonist to ally continues in Star Trek: Picard . Seven returns, becoming a member of the unconventional “Bridge crew” Picard assembles during the first two seasons of the series. In fact, that Bridge crew that also includes the Romulan& Elnor, who even visits The Black Mountain during the show’s second season.

Backwards to Go Forwards

In Star Trek: Enterprise , we how this formula is reverse-engineered to continue to underscore this theme. While previous shows jumped into The Original Series’ future, Enterprise returned to the origins of Starfleet. This meant the friendly being on the Bridge in TOS, the half-Vulcan Spock, might embody someone who was not so quickly considered trustworthy 100 years in the past.

On Enterprise , the Bridge crew includes T’Pol , a representative for the Vulcans . While T’Pol eventually becomes closely enmeshed with the rest of the crew and eventually joins Starfleet herself, the earliest steps into space are accompanied by a general distrust of not just T’Pol, but the role the Vulcans have generally played in humanity’s nascent interstellar exploration.

By returning to a period in which humanity is distrustful of Vulcans, Enterprise reveals that the trusting relationship between the two species is not, as it might seem, a given.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The Gorn Reborn

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , another prequel to TOS, another species that will eventually become allied with the Federation plays a significant role — the Gorn .

In the story so far on SNW, La’An Noonien-Singh is unforgiving of the Gorn. During the first season, the vengeful wrath of La’An can be frequently glimpsed; the Enterprise ’s security officer has not hesitated to take revenge for her experiences with the Gorn as a child. In the episode “ Memento Mori ,” she states that in spite of Federation teaching to the contrary, Gorn are monsters.

But in the TOS episode “ Arena ,” we saw Kirk show mercy towards a Gorn captain, impressing the entity that has pitted the human captain against the reptilian one. Furthermore, thanks to dialogue in DS9, we know humans will eventually participate in baseball leagues on Cestus III, suggesting peace with the Gorn Hegemony (considering the planet is located in their territory). And in Star Trek: Lower Decks , we saw one manning the “Mr. Krada Leg” stand, suggesting full integration into Federation culture.

Balance of Canon

Gorn culinary skills aren’t the only facet of Star Trek canon that gets Second Contact thanks to Lower Decks . Although Star Trek: The Animated Series has sometimes been considered less-than-canonical by certain factions, by incorporating species that were first introduced in TAS, Lower Decks reintroduces these “enemies of canon” into the Star Trek landscape.

On the Bridge crew of the Cerritos , there’s Doctor T’Ana, a Caitian who serves as the ship’s Chief Medical Officer. While the Enterprise ’s Bridge crew on TAS included M’Ress, Caitians had been scarcely glimpsed since.

By including T’Ana in Captain Freeman’s Bridge crew, Lower Decks spotlights Caitians in a way that makes their inclusion in Star Trek canon hard to deny. And in “ We’ll Always Have Tom Paris ,” Tendi and Mariner’s girls' trip affords a deeper glimpse into Caitian culture, using TAS canon as a foundation for further expansion.

T’Ana isn’t the only example of Lower Decks' canonical rehabilitation. The captain of the Osler in “ Much Ado About Boimler ” was an Edosian , a six-legged species unseen since Arex appeared on the Enterprise bridge in TAS. And in “ I, Excretus ,” we meet drill instructor Shari yn Yem, a colony creature called a Pandronian , first introduced in the TAS episode “Bem.”

Pandronians, Edosians, and Caitains each have unique physiological characteristics that could prove challenging to depict with verisimilitude in live-action. This helps explain why they have seldom been seen in the decades since TAS went off-air. But the animated Lower Decks gives these characters a chance to return (and Star Trek: Prodigy is already continuing the tradition with the inclusion of another Caitian character in the first half of its first season).

Unapologetic on the Bridge

But it isn’t just inter-canonical concerns that can be addressed by who appears on the Bridge. Inclusion in the Bridge crew can also send powerful messages about life on Earth in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

One example is the appearance of Comm Officer Uhura on the Bridge of the Enterprise on The Original Series. According to an interview with Nichelle Nichols conducted in December 2003, unbeknownst to “the suits,” in advance of filming The Original Series, Gene Roddenberry switched the previously unnamed communications officer from man to woman, cast Nichols, and named her “Uhura.”

Nichols explained that when they realized “not only” was she the comm officer, but “the part was much larger than ‘yes sir, no sir;’ they said, ‘it can’t happen.’” Nichols explained Roddenberry stood firm in his resolve, “Gene said, ‘She stays or I go.’”

In a January 2004 interview with George Takei, the actor who originated Sulu expanded on Roddenberry’s philosophy, “He said that the starship Enterprise was a metaphor for the starship Earth, and the strength of that starship lay in its diversity, but in that diversity working together in concert.”

The second season of TOS doubled down on these ideas with the addition of Pavel Chekov to the Enterprise Bridge crew. Played by Walter Koenig, a child of Russian Jewish immigrants, if Chekov’s accent failed to make it obvious that the character hailed from Russia, his dialogue would (for example, in the episode “ The Apple ,” he claims the Garden of Eden was just outside Moscow).

When Chekov first appeared on-screen in 1967, the United States was entrenched in the Cold War with the U.S.S.R. By including Chekov on the Enterprise Bridge, a powerful message was conveyed; if we are going to get to the future, we can only do so together, regardless of arbitrary national boundaries.

The Undiscovered Country

In The Undiscovered Country , Chancellor Gorkon tells Kirk, “If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it.” But thanks to the long chronology of Star Trek , we know that the prediction made by the Organians in “Errand of Mercy” will prove correct. The “brave new world” will come into being, and the next generation of Klingons and humans will serve alongside one another on the Bridge of the flagship.

Over the course of the larger Star Trek story, the relationship between the Federation and the Klingon Empire demonstrates delineation between “us” and “them” is less indelible than we might be inclined to think. The only thing that truly separates allies from enemies is time.

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Avery Kaplan (she/her) is the Features Editor at Comics Beat. You can also find her writing on NeoText, Geek Girl Authority, Comics Bookcase, and in many issues of the Eisner Award-winning PanelxPanel. She is the co-host of the Matrix 404 podcast and the Comm Officer at Prism Comics. Find her on Twitter @averykaplan6

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix outside of markets including Canada where it is available on CTV.ca and the CTV App, France on France Televisions channels and Okoo, in Iceland on Sjonvarp Simans Premium, as well as on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Prodigy is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The series will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and South Korea.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

How Star Trek's Klingons Evolved the Behind the Scenes

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Star trek's original series klingons were created by 'the other gene', the klingons were re-imagined for star trek films and the next generation era, how star trek: enterprise reconciled the tos and tng klingon appearances, star trek redesigned the klingons for the kelvin timeline and discovery.

There is a constant question about which alien species is the most iconic in Star Trek : Klingons or Vulcans. While Spock is the most famous alien in the universe, he's also a part of the crew. Worf is the second most famous alien in the universe, and he's still very much at arm's length. They still feel alien in Gene Roddenberry's future. This makes Klingons excellent contenders for the most famous Star Trek alien in history.

As it stands, Klingons are the only Star Trek alien race other than Vulcans to appear in every iteration of the franchise, including most of the films. Early Klingon appearances were even explained away with a particularly clever storyline in Star Trek: Enterprise . Their language -- guttural noises as improvised by James Doohan in Star Trek: The Motion Picture -- became an actual language by Star Trek: The Search for Spock . The Klingons are one of the biggest things Star Trek ever produced, and yet, they almost didn't exist.

William Shatner Joins Leonard Nimoy's Family in Remembering the Star Trek Legend

Leonard Nimoy's family is joined by William Shatner in paying tribute to the Star Trek star on what would have been his 93rd birthday.

While Roddenberry gets a lot of credit for dreaming up the show in the first place, Star Trek's other Gene gets too little. Gene L. Coon was a television writer who was extremely prolific at his typewriter, churning out quality scripts and rewrites faster than any other writer. "Whenever there was something going wrong, they would call Gene Coon," Mort Zarcoff said in The Fifty-Year-Mission - The First 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman. "He would fix scripts; he would fix pilots. He was a jack-of-all-trades." In multiple interviews, both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy credit Coon for creating much of what fans love about Star Trek , including the Klingons .

The Klingons first appeared in The Original Series Season 1's "Errand of Mercy," a clear allegory between the United States and the Soviet Union. Subsequent appearances depicted them as totalitarians, eager for combat with Starfleet. Story editor and writer Dorothy D.C. Fontana wrote some scenes depicting the Klingons as more ruthless and without honor, but those were cut according to the These Are The Voyages books by Marc Cushman with Susan Osborn. She also wanted to establish a Klingon alliance with the Romulans to explain why they sometimes used the same ships (a budget consideration). Yet, the Klingon culture was mostly undefined. For example, not a word of the Klingon language was ever heard in The Original Series .

The Klingons were depicted with dark brown makeup, beards and golden tunics over black uniforms. Roddenberry and Coon wanted to make them look more alien, but both budget and the time required to shoot the series wouldn't allow for it. William Campbell, who played Koloth in The Original Series and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , said that Gene L. Coon didn't even like the name "Klingon," in a featurette on Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country's home release . It only stuck because neither he nor the other writers could think of anything better. When Star Trek came back for its second wave of films and series, the name stayed but the look of the signature heavies of the universe would change drastically.

Star Trek: Section 31 Will Debut a Younger Version of a Next Generation Character

Star Trek: Section 31 is set to introduce a younger version of a beloved character that first appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Klingons appeared in what was almost a cameo in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , when a small fleet of ships are the first vessels destroyed by the approaching V'Ger. Robert Fletcher, the costumer on The Motion Picture , Fred Phillips, the makeup lead, and Roddenberry each shaped the new look of the Star Trek Klingons . Roddenberry took the idea of forehead ridges that were an extension of the spine from a pilot he wrote, according to Cinefantastique. Fletcher then worked with the costume and makeup artists to develop this new look. To him, the evolution of the Klingons was just the realities of production catching up to his imagination.

The updated Klingon look persisted through the films of The Original Series era, and into The Next Generation where Hollywood makeup legend Michael Westmore continued its evolution . He created the ridges, according to the Star Trek VI home release, by copying patterns from dinosaur fossils. This was born from an idea of Fletcher and Roddenberry's concept that the Klingons evolved from reptilian ancestors. This was actually evolved further in the Star Trek: Discovery redesign that proved very controversial among the fans. However, it wasn't until the creation of Worf that the Klingons got a culture .

While developing Star Trek: Phase II the Klingon culture was meant to be examined, and early drafts and notes suggest something very different from the honor-obsessed warrior race. In both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the Klingons were shown less as totalitarians and more of a military culture focused on honor and glory. They were ritualistic and spiritual, following Kahless the Unforgettable, a pre-Federation Klingon historical ruler turned deity. The governmental structure and caste society were examined in numerous episodes of the series. However, it wasn't until the prequel series that the disparity in the Klingon appearance got a canon explanation.

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The first image from the latest Star Trek film has been revealed.

In Season 4 of Star Trek: Enterprise , Manny Coto took over the show and used the final episodes of this series to examine the history of the universe. One arc featured a crew of genetic augments like Khan Noonien Singh, but this time led by one of Brent Spiner's Dr. Soong characters. In the episode they capture a Klingon vessel, which alerts the still mostly mysterious race to genetic augmentation. A Klingon scientist tries to create augments using the advanced human DNA, creating a super virus.

The cure, created by Dr. Phlox of the NX-01 Enterprise saved the Klingons but smoothed out their ridges and made them look more human . At the end of the episode, Dr. Phlox posits the ridges could return with time or advanced sci-fi surgery. This was added to explain how John Colicos's Kor and Campbell's Koloth showed up on Deep Space Nine with ridges when they didn't have them in The Original Series . It's one of those masterful uses of disparate pieces of Star Trek canon that weave in-real-life limitations together to tell an interesting story that seems as if it was always intended by the various generations of writers.

Star Trek: Picard also, inadvertently, added the subtle notion that Klingon ridges can change . Michael Dorn's Worf returned in that series with a slightly less pronounced set of forehead ridges than in previous series. This was an aesthetic decision (and likely to give Dorn less time in the makeup chair). Yet, those sorts of decisions are always behind the evolution of the look of the Klingons. While fans accepted the upgrade from The Original Series to The Next Generation , future attempts to evolve the look of the Klingons have been met with consternation and outright fan anger.

Star Trek 4 Gets Back on Course With New Screenwriter Revealed

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A key component of the Kelvin Timeline films was that everything would look different and more modern sci-fi than what was established in past Star Trek series. This meant the Klingons got an upgrade. In the 2009 Star Trek , the Klingons were only seen wearing helmets. In Star Trek: Into Darkness the Klingons were given a sleeker, hairless appearance that leaned into the Roddenberry-esque idea that they evolved from reptiles . Yet, these films never spent much time with the iconic heavies of the 23rd Century iteration of this universe.

Series creator Bryan Fuller, a veteran of Star Trek: Voyager , was the driving force behind the Klingon redesign for 2017's Discovery . Once he left the series, the producers continued to embrace the idea that Klingons evolved from reptiles and used the most advanced prosthetics and makeup to show that. The Klingon language was also extremely accurate in the series, because this was done in the same spirit Phillips, Fletcher and Roddenberry embraced for The Motion Picture .

However, they pushed the limit too far, with the Klingons adopting a more familiar appearance in Discovery Season 2 and reverting to their TNG era look in Strange New Worlds. The Klingons have yet to appear in the 32nd Century future in which Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 takes place. Even if they don't show up in the series' final season, there's sure to be some Klingon encounters in Starfleet Academy , the new young-adult focused series currently in development. Just like Vulcans and starships with dual nacelles, Klingons are never far from Star Trek stories.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

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Day of the Dove

• Episode aired Nov 1, 1968

Both humans and Klingons have been lured to a planet by a formless entity that feeds on hatred and has set about to fashion them into a permanent food supply for itself. Both humans and Klingons have been lured to a planet by a formless entity that feeds on hatred and has set about to fashion them into a permanent food supply for itself. Both humans and Klingons have been lured to a planet by a formless entity that feeds on hatred and has set about to fashion them into a permanent food supply for itself.

• Marvin J. Chomsky
• Gene Roddenberry
• Jerome Bixby
• Arthur H. Singer
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 27 User reviews
• 11 Critic reviews

• Captain James Tiberius 'Jim' Kirk

• Mister Spock

• Lt. Johnson
• (as David Ross)

• Klingon Soldier
• (uncredited)

• Klingon Crewman
• Security Guard

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Near the end of the episode, Scotty tells Kirk that the ship's dilithium crystals are deteriorating. Kirk asks "Time factor?" Scotty replies "In 12 minutes we'll be totally without engine power." This happens with exactly 12:00 minutes left in the episode.
• Goofs When Kirk pulls Chekov from Mara and puts him against a wall Chekov runs his palms against the wall and smears on it Mara's bronzing makeup.

Dr. McCoy : Gentlemen, if we are pawns, you're looking at one who is extremely sorry.

Mr. Spock : I understand, Doctor. I, too, felt a brief surge of racial bigotry. Most distasteful.

• Alternate versions Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
• Connections Featured in Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
• Soundtracks Theme Music credited to Alexander Courage Sung by Loulie Jean Norman

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• Aug 8, 2021
• November 1, 1968 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Stage 31, Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
• Paramount Television
• Norway Corporation
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 51 minutes

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Designing the Klingon Battle Cruiser

Matt Jefferies designed the Klingon battle cruiser for the episode “Elaan of Troyius”, although it first appeared on screen as a Romulan battle cruiser in “The Enterprise Incident”. It was updated for The Motion Picture , when it became the K’t’inga .

Jefferies told Herb and Yvonne Fern Solow for Star Trek Sketchbook that he designed the Klingon ship at home. “There was just too much going on at the studio from morning till night.”

Since the Klingons were the enemy, I had to design a ship that would be instantly recognizable as an enemy ship, especially for a flash cut. There had to be no way it could be mistaken for our guys. It had to look threatening, even vicious. So I modeled it on a manta ray, both shape and color, and that’s why it looks as it does in The Original Series .

The ship’s design was perfected by a sketch dated November 20, 1967. It was then sent to American Model Toy Corporation, “and they returned a master tooling model which we used in the show.”

The original model for what was called the D7 was given to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. “I’m assuming it’s still there,” Jefferies said, “along with the Enterprise .”

Movie upgrades

The Star Trek: The Motion Picture upgrade, called the K’t’inga , was built by Magicam and measured 6 feet in length. More detail was added to the surface, so it looked more credible on the silver screen.

“We attempted to stay as close to the TV series version as possible,” Andrew Probert recalled in an interview with Starlog 32 (March 1980, My Star Trek Scrapbook has the full interview ), “but after running some camera tests we discovered that an additional level of detail was needed for widescreen photography.”

We painted it a darker color. I’ve always liked the idea of a black spaceship — which would have been impractical for this movie; so we came up with a dark military green. I had an idea that was carried out beautifully by Ron Gress. Ron painted a giant Klingon symbol on the underbelly of the ship. It was a revision of the old Klingon symbol.

The model was updated again for Star Trek VI , when William George and Mark Moore of ILM added epaulets to the top of the hull.

“It was one of the few models we could alter to look new for this show,” George told Cinefantastique 22.

After we did some research into military costuming, we came up with the concept that when these ships return victorious from battle, the Klingons build some sort of epaulet onto their wings. We added these golden etched brass epaulets, based on some of the helmet designs we’d seen. It looks very regular and contrasts nicely with the Enterprise when they’re seen flying together. The Enterprise is smooth, monochromatic and cool while the Klingon ship is adorned, ostentatious and warm.

Storyboards

These storyboards were published shortly before the release of The Motion Picture , when little was known about the plot. They depict the opening sequence.

Initially the scene would have featured V’Ger bursting from the blackness of space, attacking the Klingons without any apparent provocation. Later it was decided the Klingons were to be the aggressors, attacking V’Ger as it moved through Klingon territory on its way to Earth.

When Douglas Trumbull took over special effects on The Motion Picture , Probert was asked to contribute to the design of the Klingon cruiser’s bridge.

“Doug wanted something like the interior of a Japanese submarine,” Probert recalled; “he wanted a bridge suspended between big shock-absorbing supports, with mechanically operating stations for the crewmen.” As Trumbull put it, the interior of the battle cruiser had to look like “an enemy submarine in World War II that’s been out at sea for too long.”

Probert’s conceptualization of what lurked beneath the battle cruiser’s distinctive primary hull helped define the Klingon style for the rest of the Star Trek franchise.

Later upgrades

A new model of the D7, called the IKS Gr’oth , was built by Greg Jein in 1996 for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Trials and Tribble-ations.” While referenced, but not seen, in the original version of the episode, the model features an amalgam of detail from both The Original Series model and the K’t’inga . It bares a pale green coloration, in line with future Klingon vessels.

Yet another model of the Gr’oth was created for the 2006 remastered version of Star Trek , this time digitally. Mike Okuda explained to Ex Astris Scientia that the ship came in two types:

In early episodes, when it was very small on the screen, it was the original version of the ship, which had essentially no surface detail. In “The Enterprise Incident”, “Elaan of Troyius” and “Day of the Dove”, the ship was reworked somewhat to add surface texture. And, of course, in “The Enterprise Incident” we added the Romulan bird markings.

Fascinating article. Lots of great background information. I thought I should let you know that the photo of the forward bridge section titled “Photograph of The Motion Picture model courtesy of John Eaves” is actually a photo of the model modified as Qu’onos I for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . There were many changes made to the model at that time; notably large amounts of photo etched brass trimming and gold paint detail. Obvious in the photo is the modified bridge dome (dust red, and wider with a more flat top) and the photo etch surrounding the photorp tube at the front. The whole model was given a different color scheme as well, incorporating shades of red, brown and gold trim detail.

It’s worth making the distinction that, though the Klingon battle cruiser did indeed first appear in “The Enterprise Incident” (as a Romulan vessel, no less), its design was first slated for “Elaan of Troyius”, an episode produced prior to but which aired after “Incident”.

Thanks! I didn’t know. I’m updating the article accordingly.

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Star Trek’s Next Great Villain Could Be Its Strangest

Superfan Paul Giamatti is entering the Final Frontier.

Even though the overall vibe of Star Trek is optimistic and aspirational, the Final Frontier sometimes needs to be rocked by a massive villain to tell a great story. Now, seven years after Star Trek: Discovery brought in Rain Wilson to reboot Harry Mudd, the franchise is once again snagging a super-fan big-name actor to break bad. As revealed by CBS Studios and Paramount+, Paul Giamatti will be a recurring guest star in the upcoming series Starfleet Academy.

This comes after years of Giamatti publicly mentioning that he’s always wanted to be part of Star Trek. While on a press tour for his most recent film, The Holdovers , Giamatti even recited his famous Sideways monologue about not drinking Merlot, but in fluent Klingon . Because Giamatti is confirmed as the villain of Starfleet Academ y, will he be a Klingon? Or something else?

On the casting of Giamatti, Starfleet Academy co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau said: “Sometimes you’re lucky enough to discover that one of the greatest actors alive is also a huge Star Trek fan, and meeting Paul was one of those miraculous moments for us.”

Paul Giamatti, a huge Trekkie, at the Oscars in 2024.

In 2019, Giamatti told Stephen Colbert , “My dearest wish in the world as a child and until this moment is to be a Klingon.” We don’t actually know what the Klingons are up to in the 32nd-century context of Starfleet Academy , since zero Klingons appeared in Discovery after Season 2. This isn’t to say that Giamatti is a Klingon for sure (we don’t know yet), but the press release states he’s “a man with an ominous past connected to one of our cadets.” Whether he’s human or not isn’t clear. Yet.

More broadly, Giamatti’s casting is part of a Star Trek tradition of sorts, one that arguably started in 1982 when Ricardo Montalbán was brought back to play Khan in The Wrath of Khan , after introducing the character in The Original Series . From there, several Star Trek films cast guest villain actors, including Christopher Lloyd in The Search for Spock , Christopher Plummer in The Undiscovered Country , Malcolm McDowell in Generations , Alice Krige in First Contact, F. Murray Abraham in Insurrection , Tom Hardy in Nemesis , Eric Bana in Star Trek, Benedict Cumberbatch in Into Darkness , and Idris Elba in Beyond .

Amanda Plummer’s ( Pulp Fiction ) turn as Vadic in Star Trek: Picard Season 3 was the last big-name recurring guest villain on a Star Trek series. But again, the casting that feels the most similar to Giamatti joining Starfleet Academy was Rainn Wilson on Discovery . While fans can look forward to whatever Giamatti ends up doing, he joins a proud tradition of famous geeks who have boldly gone here before. Let’s just hope his character gets a chance to talk about the Picard family vineyards, and whether or not he has any intention of drinking Merlot in space.

Starfleet Academy is expected to debut in 2025.

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• 2024 Spring Entertainment Preview

Star Trek: Discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants

Imagining the future of the future

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It’s a truth universally acknowledged that even among the greatest television shows in Star Trek history, most of them take two seasons to stop being kind of bad. Never has that been more true or more excruciating than in the case of Star Trek: Discovery .

Polygon is looking ahead to the movies, shows, and books coming soon in our Spring 2024 entertainment preview package, a weeklong special issue.

Often it felt like what Discovery was really doing in its early seasons was discovering what didn’t work. Strong performances from a great cast? That works. A Klingon design that absolutely nobody liked ? Definitely not. But despite the stumbles, Discovery season 1 had still averaged C’s and B’s with reviewers, and had built an audience and a subscriber base for Paramount Plus. On the strength of Disco ’s first season, Paramount greenlit Star Treks Picard , Lower Decks , and Prodigy , three new shows covering a huge range of ages and nostalgic tastes. And spinning out of Disco ’s second season, which introduced familiar , nostalgic characters and a brighter, more Star Trek-y tone, Paramount produced Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , inarguably the best new addition to the franchise since 1996.

Star Trek: Discovery crawled so that the rest of modern Trek could run... and then it started to walk. The show’s third season saw the USS Discovery and crew in the place that should have been their starting blocks: the bleeding future edge of Star Trek’s timeline. Thanks to season 3’s groundwork, season 4 became the first time that Discovery had a status quo worth returning to. In its fifth and final season, Star Trek: Discovery is finally free — free in a way that a Star Trek TV series hasn’t been in 23 years.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is such an elder statesman of the television elite that it’s easy to forget that it was daring. The show’s triumph wasn’t just that it featured a new cast of characters, but also its audaciousness in imagining the future of the future — and making that future unmistakably different . The Original Series showed a racial and national cooperation that seemed fantastical in its time, with an alien crewmember to denote the next frontier of embracing the other . Next Generation saw that bet and raised it, installing a member of the Klingon species, the Federation’s once-feared imperialist rival state, as a respected officer on the bridge of Starfleet’s flagship.

Next Generation ’s time period — one century after Kirk’s Enterprise — wasn’t a nominal choice, but a commitment to moving the story of Star Trek forward. From the show’s foundations, Gene Roddenberry and his collaborators, new and old, set a precedent that the Federation would evolve. Therefore, in accordance with the utopian themes of the franchise, old enemies would in time become friends. Next Generation embraced The Original Series ’ nemeses and the rest of ’90s Trek saw that bet and raised it again, pulling many of Next Gen ’s villains into the heroic fold. Voyager welcomed a Borg crewmember and disincorporated the Borg empire; Deep Space Nine gave the franchise the first Ferengi Starfleet cadet, and brokered a Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance in the face of an existential threat.

But Discovery — at least until it made its Olympic long-jump leap 900 years into the future — couldn’t move Star Trek forward. So long as it was set “immediately before Kirk’s Enterprise,” hemmed in by the constraints of a previously established era of Star Trek history, it could graft on new elements (like Spock’s secret human foster sister) but it couldn’t create from whole cloth (like a galaxy-wide shortage of starship fuel that nearly destroyed the Federation). Like its predecessor, the ill-fated Star Trek: Enterprise of the ’00s, it was doomed to hang like a remora on the side of the events of The Original Series , or, if you’ll pardon another fish metaphor, doomed like a goldfish that can only grow as large as its half-gallon fishbowl will allow.

Discovery ’s later, free seasons in the 32nd century have shown the Federation at its most vulnerable, a subtler echo of Picard ’s own season 1 swing at fallen institutions . (Fans of Voyager and Deep Space Nine know that this is an extremely rich vein of Trek storytelling.) In its third season, Discovery solved a galaxy-wide fuel crisis that had shattered the community of the Federation. In its fourth it fought for a fragile new Federation alliance and its millennia-old ideals.

And those seasons have also boldly committed to the idea of imagining the future’s future — 900 years of it. The centuries-old rift between Vulcans and Romulans is long healed, Ferengi serve as captains in Starfleet, the work of Doctor Noonien Soong has brought new medical technologies to the fore.

Even still, Discovery hasn’t been truly free in its third and fourth seasons. Star Trek: Picard was out there, forming new past elements of a post- Next Gen / Voy / DS9 era that Discovery had to abide by. And, after all, the show still had to make sure there was something for its own next season to come back to.

But now — with Prodigy and Picard finished, and Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks locked into their settings of Star Trek’s established past, and Starfleet Academy and Section 31 not yet in production at the time that its final season would have been written — Discovery has reached the final final frontier for a Star Trek show. If you’re a Star Trek fan, that should excite you.

Not since Deep Space Nine in 1999 and Voyager in 2001 has a Star Trek series had the freedom to wrap up its run with the Federation in any state it wants to. With franchise flagship Next Generation at an end, and Voyager restricted to the Delta Quadrant only, Deep Space Nine used its last seasons to throw the Federation into all-out war, making sweeping changes to the established ficto-political norms of ’90s Trek. Voyager used its finale to do what Captain Picard never could: defang the Borg (mostly).

We don’t know exactly what Discovery will do with that freedom. Season 4 directors have talked about reaching “ into the past to get further into the future ,” and likened it to Indiana Jones. Official news releases have said the crew will “uncover a mystery that sends them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries.” But speculating on what that means would be beside the point.

Discovery , the show about an intergalactically teleporting starship, can finally, actually, go anywhere. It’s been almost a quarter of a century since a beloved Star Trek series was so free to boldly go. Let’s hope they’re very bold indeed.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres with two episodes on April 4 on Paramount Plus.

Spring 2024 entertainment preview

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'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Review: The Enterprise Crew Is Back and Bolder Than Ever

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'Presumed Innocent' Review: Don't Write Off This Twisty, Seductive Legal Thriller

'the boys' season 4 review: too much of a good thing is still too much, 'rhonj' alum dina manzo "cleansed" after guilty verdict.

Star Trek has a long and storied history of boldly going to new and glorious heights in the sci-fi genre, and Strange New Worlds Season 2 is set to do just that with the show's return. The prequel series debuted last year with a spectacular first season following Captain Christopher Pike ( Anson Mount ) and the crew of the USS Enterprise, roughly a decade before the events of The Original Series , and the first six episodes of Season 2 are even bigger and better than that strong start.

The first half of Strange New Worlds Season 2 takes full advantage of the series' episodic storytelling to offer up unique and captivating one-hour adventures. In Season 2, every episode feels like its own mini-movie, optimizing the show's streaming runtime and covering every genre from tense courtroom drama to romantic comedies through a brilliant Star Trek lens. With Strange New Worlds , no two episodes are alike in a way that allows the show to feel extremely fresh and wildly entertaining from week to week. The characters themselves are consistent, and the shifting genres and storylines allow the actors to flex their range.

Though each episode is fairly self-contained, Season 2 also does a great job of picking up the threads left dangling after Season 1 as well as some from Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery . We learn where La'an's ( Christina Chong ) journey with the little girl they rescued takes her, and Una's (Romijn) Starfleet trial is on par with classic episodes like The Next Generation 's "Measure of a Man." Spock's unruly human emotions are a running thread that leads to some incredible comedic work from Ethan Peck as well as some delightful Original Series references. While Pike missed the Klingon war, there are members of his crew who certainly did not, and it's quite compelling to see the other side of that coin. The first episode of the season also features a dedication that will no doubt conjure emotions from longtime fans.

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2: Celia Rose Gooding & Melissa Navia Reveal Their Favorite Episode

'Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Revels in the Power of Possibility

In Season 2, the Enterprise has gained a new crew member in the form of the legendary Carol Kane . Her energy invokes classic Star Trek while simultaneously feeling like something entirely unique within the franchise. The way by which she joins the crew of the Enterprise is equal parts unexpected and delightful, as she comes in to fill the role of Chief Engineer left open after the tragic passing of Hemmer ( Bruce Horak ) in Season 1. The playfully chaotic nature she brings is a marked difference from his stoic pacifism.

In each episode she's featured in, Kane gets to play into her comedy skills opposite some of the Enterprise's most straight-laced characters including Spock, La'an, and Una. Pairing her up with these characters is brilliant, and it makes for some true television magic each time. She's completely compelling, and you can't help but fall in love with Pelia's mischievous energy immediately. Strange New Worlds weaves in a fascinating backstory for her akin to The Next Generation 's Guinan ( Whoopi Goldberg ), making her one of the best new additions to the franchise in quite some time.

Of the returning cast, Peck is certainly the strongest stand-out, as he really gets to inject an impressive amount of nuance into his performance that would make Leonard Nimoy proud. Though Vulcans are known for suppressing their emotions, Peck really digs into his younger version of Spock's human nature through triumph, heartache, and even comedy. There are also more notes of romantic tension between Spock and Chapel ( Jess Bush ) and while it's true to The Original Series , Christine's story does suffer a little from primarily being about her love interest. However, she still earns several kick-ass scenes, particularly in the first episode of the season with Doctor M'Benga ( Babs Olusanmokun ), and she never loses her agency both on her own and in regard to Spock.

Mount and Romijn's Captain/First Officer dynamic feels richer and more lived in. There's a strong sense of the shared history between their characters, and they're both able to find a balance of emotional honesty and humor in their roles as the mom and dad of the ship. Mount's performance in particular makes Pike one of the best Starfleet captains to ever grace the bridge of the Enterprise. His good-natured Boy Scout instincts are still present, but he also gets to show a propensity for darkness that proves how deliberate his choice to lead with kindness and gentility really is. Meanwhile, the revelation of Una's Illyrian heritage allows her a new level of comfort aboard the Enterprise and a new level of camaraderie with the crew — but don't worry, she's still a stickler for protocol, which allows her to bump up against Kane's Pelia in very fun ways. Celia Rose Gooding does really fantastic work with Uhura once again, embodying the classic character while adding profound new layers of depth and emotion to her backstory. There's also more great character work and history for Melissa Navia 's swashbuckling helmsman Erica Ortegas, including more of the "why" behind Ortegas' dedication to her crew.

As teased in the trailer for Season 2, there is an episode in which La'an and Kirk ( Paul Wesley ) encounter a bit of time travel, and while saying anything more would venture too deeply into spoiler territory, it is easily one of the best Star Trek episodes I've ever seen. While many fans initially voiced concerns that Wesley's Kirk would take over the series following his appearance in the Season 1 finale , Season 2 does a great job of utilizing the character in a guest capacity that complements the Strange New Worlds crew beautifully. Wesley's Kirk is a near-perfect hybrid of the Kirks that came before him, blending inspiration from William Shatner and Chris Pine while putting his own twist on the character in a way that proves he's the right pick for this role.

As far as relationship dynamics and creating a satisfying balance for the show's stacked ensemble of characters, Season 2 improves upon the groundwork laid by the first season. Each of the connections established in Season 1 comes back in ways that move these characters forward, and each episode shifts the spotlight between various members of the crew in a way that doesn't leave anyone standing in the dark. The strength of the show's cast takes center stage right from the start of Season 2, as Pike and Una are pulled away into the storyline reserved for the second episode and Spock leads the rest of the crew on an absolute thrill ride in their absence. The only drawback here is that Strange New Worlds Season 2 only clocks in at 10 episodes, which feels like an insufficient amount of time with this story and these characters.

The Enterprise Can't Go to Warp Without an Outstanding Crew

This review would be incomplete without taking a moment to praise the incredible people behind these episodes : the writers. Strange New Worlds ' episodic nature allows for a variety of writers to tell vastly different stories. Showrunners Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman pen the premiere, which takes fans on a daring adventure that will have hearts pounding through its thrilling climax. Dana Horgan tackles the resolution to Una's fate in Starfleet in Episode 2 through a riveting courtroom drama. While I can't say much about the plot of the remaining episodes yet, David Reed who has also worked on The Magicians and The Boys , also delivers phenomenal work.

Other returning Strange New Worlds writers include Davy Perez , Bill Wolkoff , and Onitra Johnson . Johnson penned Season 1's acclaimed fairytale episode , while Perez was behind La'an's gorn backstory and Hemmer's farewell , and Wolkoff wrote some of Season 1's most tense moral quandaries. Kirsten Beyer , who has penned several beta canon Star Trek novels and comics and has writing credits on both Picard and Discovery , throws her name behind an episode, and Kathryn Lyn makes the jump from Lower Decks to inject a delightful dose of humor into Strange New Worlds Season 2.

Season 2 is also incredibly constructed with breathtaking visual effects that make every episode feel worthy of theatrical showings. The costume department also once again knocks it out of the park, continuing an impressive show of craftsmanship following Season 1's new uniform designs and fairytale fits from "The Elysian Kingdom." The first half of Season 2 boasts gorgeous undercover outfits for multiple occasions as well as a fresh take on the dress uniforms of this particular era of Starfleet.

Everything both in front of and behind the camera comes together for a bigger, better season that offers bold new adventures, grounded character work, and a true sense of wonder. Strange New Worlds Season 2 feels fresh and exciting, while also honoring every other Star Trek series that has come before it, in ways that will delight fans both new and old.

Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns on June 15, exclusively on Paramount+.

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• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)

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Every starship enterprise & discovery saucer separation in star trek.

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Only 5 Star Trek Movies Didn’t Destroy The Starship Enterprise

Every starship enterprise chief engineer in star trek, star trek: how every uss enterprise was destroyed (& which weren't).

• Saucer separation was a tactical maneuver used in extreme circumstances to protect innocent lives on the USS Enterprise and USS Discovery.
• Only the USS Enterprise-D from Star Trek's prime timeline has conducted a saucer separation, despite early consideration in production.
• The Kelvin timeline's USS Enterprise conducted a saucer separation in Star Trek Beyond, but it was too late to make a difference.

In extreme circumstances, Star Trek 's starship Enterprise and USS Discovery can carry out a saucer separation for both tactical and emergency purposes. The Enterprise's first saucer separation maneuver was seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint", and though used sparingly, it wouldn't be the last time that Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) gave such a command. While the TNG version of the starship Enterprise was the first to use the saucer separation, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) theorized a similar "nacelle removal" maneuver was possible in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Apple".

During a saucer separation, a full-evacuation of non-essential personnel would be conducted as the senior staff made their way to the battle bridge, located in the starship's drive section. Once preparations were complete, the docking clamps would retract, separating the saucer section from the ship's primary hull. The concept of a saucer separation in Star Trek had been under consideration since early production on the abandoned Star Trek: Planet of the Titans movie . However, to date, the USS Enterprise-D is the only ship from Star Trek 's prime timeline to conduct a saucer separation, but the Kelvin Timeline's USS Enterprise, and Star Trek: Discovery 's hero ship have similar abilities.

Destroying the Enterprise provides cinematic spectacle, but does it always have to be that way? These five Star Trek movies suggest otherwise.

6 The Enterprise-D Separated To Avoid Q's Forcefield

Star trek: the next generation, season 1, episode 1, "encounter at farpoint".

After a less than cordial first meeting with Q (John de Lancie), the crew of the USS Enterprise-D attempted to outrun the cosmic trickster by fleeing his forcefield. Q's forcefield gave chase, which forced Picard to order a saucer separation to protect the innocent lives of the many civilians aboard the Enterprise . Picard put Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) in charge of the saucer section until the crisis was over. Despite trying to outrun Q from the Enterprise-D's stardrive section from the battle bridge, Picard and his senior staff soon found themselves in Q's courtroom.

After Q agrees to let Picard prove that human beings are not savages, the two halves of the starship Enterprise are reunited in orbit above the planet Deneb IV. The remainder of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast are introduced at Farpoint Station, too. One of Picard's first orders to his number one, Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is to conduct a manual docking of the Enterprise's stardrive and saucer sections .

Saucer separation was planned to be a regular feature in Star Trek: The Next Generation , but was abandoned due to the costs involved, and the fact that the process of separating the Enterprise's saucer section slowed down the story.

5 Geordi Ordered A Saucer Separation Above Minos

Star trek: the next generation, season 1, episode 21, "the arsenal of freedom".

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 20, "Heart of Glory", two Klingon warriors plotted to hijack the Enterprise by conducting an illegal saucer section. They were foiled in their plans by Lt. Worf, who chose his Starfleet colleagues over his fellow Klingons. In the following episode, "The Arsenal of Freedom", the Enterprise did conduct a saucer separation, ordered by Lt. Geordi La Forge. Geordi was placed in temporary command of the Enterprise while Picard and Riker's away team were pinned down by an automated weapons system on the planet Minos .

The Enterprise's chief engineer, Lt. Commander Logan (Vyto Ruginis) objected to Geordi's plan to stay and rescue the away team, and tried to pull rank. Geordi stood his ground and reminded Logan that only Picard or Riker could relieve him of command. Later, when preparations for the saucer separation were underway, Geordi ordered Logan to take command of the saucer, and pilot it to Starbase 103. After Picard, Riker, and the away team were rescued, the Enterprise captain allowed Geordi to remain in command until he had reconnected the stardrive with the saucer section.

Geordi would later replace Logan as Chief Engineer of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2 onward.

A brief history of Star Trek's legendary Starfleet Chief Engineers who have kept the USS Enterprise running for over 200 years from 2155 to 2401.

4 Riker Used A Saucer Separation To Rescue Picard

Star trek: the next generation, season 4, episode 1, "the best of both worlds, part ii".

The USS Enterprise-D carried out a saucer separation during the epic Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter, "The Best of Both Worlds" . Commander Elizabeth Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy) suggested to Captain Picard and Commander Riker that a saucer separation could create a significant distraction in encounters with the Borg Collective. Riker opposed the strategy because he felt that it would take away valuable resources during a battle, namely the power used by the saucer's impulse engines. However, Riker and Shelby later had cause to revisit this strategy once Picard was captured by the Borg.

Riker knew that Locutus of Borg would retain the tactical information held in Picard's brain, so he used it to the Enterprise's advantage. Riker ordered the USS Enterprise-D to engage the Borg Cube, and initiated a saucer separation. Picard's knowledge of the saucer separation maneuver meant that the Borg directly engaged the stardrive section and ignored the saucer for long enough that it could launch a shuttle craft which contained a rescue team. The distraction enabled Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Worf to beam aboard the cube and capture Locutus, giving Starfleet a huge tactical advantage.

3 Escaping A Catastrophic Warp Core Breach In The Enterprise-D's Saucer

Star trek generations.

There were a handful of attempted saucer separations between "The Best of Both Worlds" and the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation , but they were abandoned due to their dangerous implications. The Enterprise-D's next saucer separation was also its last, as it was necessitated by a catastrophic warp core breach in the stardrive section . In Star Trek Generations , the Enterprise was ambushed by the Duras sisters in the Veridian system, causing severe damage to the ship, resulting in a coolant leak in the warp containment system. With the drive section compromised, Commander Riker ordered a full evacuation of personnel to the Enterprise's saucer section.

The starship Enterprise's saucer section made it to relative safety before the stardrive section exploded. However, the shockwave of the explosion knocked the saucer out of orbit, sending what was left of the Enterprise-D hurtling toward the surface of Veridian III. The crew made a crash landing, but the damage to the Enterprise's saucer was so extensive that the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew needed a new starship by the end of Star Trek Generations .

Star Trek has a long history of great starships called the Enterprise — and an equally long history of blowing those ships to smithereens.

2 Saucer Separation During Krall's Attack On The Enterprise

Star trek beyond.

The idea of Kirk's Enterprise having the ability to separate the saucer was first mooted by legendary Star Wars designer Ralph McQuarrie for the abandoned movie, Star Trek: Planet of the Titans . However, it wouldn't become a reality until 2016's Star Trek Beyond , when Chris Pine's Captain Kirk ordered a saucer separation maneuver while under attack from Krall (Idris Elba) and his swarm ships. The Enterprise was devastated by the onslaught, losing the warp nacelles and the majority of its secondary hull. In a desperate attempt to restore power to the impulse engines, Kirk tried to initiate a saucer separation but was interrupted by Krall.

Lt. Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) finished the sequence for Kirk, and separated the saucer from what was left of the Enterprise's hull. However, much like the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek Generations , it was completed too late to make any difference. With the starship Enterprise's saucer caught in the gravitational pull of the planet Altamid, it crashed on to the surface, damaged beyond repair. The saucer separation and Enterprise crash landing was a thrilling start to the third and, to date, last Chris Pine Star Trek movie .

1 The USS Discovery Used A Saucer Separation To Beat The Breen

Star trek: discovery, season 5, episode 10, "life, itself".

The USS Discovery is the only other Star Trek hero ship to pull off a successful saucer separation , but it took five seasons before it happened. In the Star Trek: Discovery finale, "Life, Itself", Discovery's crew was desperately trying to protect the Progenitors' treasure from the Breen Imperium. With the Breen closing on Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the portal to the treasure, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) had the idea to use Discovery's spore drive against the Breen.

Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio) theorized that it would be possible to use the spore drive to jump the Breen away from the USS Discovery. To do this, they had to initiate a saucer separation that would create two poles. When Stamets activated the spore drive, whatever was between these two poles would "jump" to the location of Discovery's choosing . Positioning the Breen dreadnought between the two halves of Discovery, the spore drive sent the Breen to the Galactic Barrier, from which they'd have a long trip home.

The Galactic Barrier was first introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series ' second pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before", and also played a major role in Star Trek: Discovery season 4.

The USS Discovery's saucer separation could change the game for Starfleet ships going forward. For decades, saucer separations were largely seen as solely a feature of the 24th century's Galaxy-class starships, but Star Trek: Discovery 's finale proves that isn't the case . With Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 on the way, it remains to be seen if other starships will find that they too can pull off a saucer separation when extreme measures are called for. After all, when used sparingly, a Star Trek saucer separation can be a thrilling maneuver.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

Star Trek: Discovery

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