"Star Trek" was initially meant to be a portrait of a technological utopia set in a future when humanity had outgrown war, shed religion, and put money behind it. In the best of cases, the franchise revealed a world without want or starvation, having become so well-organized that resources could be freely shunted about the galaxy on miraculous faster-than-light starships. Most notably, starting with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Federation vessels were equipped with magical food replicators, which rearranged energy into edible matter. One could walk up to a food slot on the wall -- everyone's personal quarters had one -- and order anything from a glass of water to a six-course meal. Famously, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) would order "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."
Replicators are such a miraculous technology, that the writers of "Star Trek" had to begin inventing limitations merely for dramatic reasons. It's now been established repeatedly...
Replicators are such a miraculous technology, that the writers of "Star Trek" had to begin inventing limitations merely for dramatic reasons. It's now been established repeatedly...
- 5/9/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
"Star Trek" is an explicitly pacifist show. Creator Gene Roddenberry was very clear when he invented the premise that "Star Trek" wasn't going to be about inter-species wars, and that battle wasn't going to be the show's focus. True, there are several episodes of the original "Star Trek" series that focus on tactics and battleship-like maneuvers, but the general idea was that the USS Enterprise could solve problems without having to kill or "defeat" anyone.
These notions only became stronger in the days of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a series that was more explicitly about diplomacy and pacifism than the original series. Again, "Star Trek" characters were armed with weapons, but violence was never assumed to be the only natural course of action. If the Federation was ever on the brink of war, it was always spoken of as civilization's ultimate failing. War, Trekkies saw time and again, was...
These notions only became stronger in the days of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a series that was more explicitly about diplomacy and pacifism than the original series. Again, "Star Trek" characters were armed with weapons, but violence was never assumed to be the only natural course of action. If the Federation was ever on the brink of war, it was always spoken of as civilization's ultimate failing. War, Trekkies saw time and again, was...
- 3/9/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In 1966, Gene Roddenberry and his co-creators gave the world Star Trek, an adventure series that imagined humanity overcoming its racist and sexist and class divisions, which inaugurated a new age of exploration. Corny? Sure. Imperfect? Of course. But that fundamental optimism remains a key aspect of Star Trek, presenting a challenge to those future creators tasked with keeping the franchise alive beyond the years of its birth.
That doesn’t mean the optimism can’t be challenged or re-contextualized. Indeed, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did exactly that, and many put that series at the top of their franchise rankings. But Deep Space Nine also introduced Section 31, a black ops organization within Starfleet and the darkest alternative to Star Trek optimism this side of the Terran Empire.
Sadly, later Trek creators have jumped onto the Section 31 concept, resulting in darker, much more pessimistic (and paranoid) stories that forget the best...
That doesn’t mean the optimism can’t be challenged or re-contextualized. Indeed, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did exactly that, and many put that series at the top of their franchise rankings. But Deep Space Nine also introduced Section 31, a black ops organization within Starfleet and the darkest alternative to Star Trek optimism this side of the Terran Empire.
Sadly, later Trek creators have jumped onto the Section 31 concept, resulting in darker, much more pessimistic (and paranoid) stories that forget the best...
- 3/5/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
The premise for "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" is a little complex for the non-Trekkie, but ripe for drama when one delves in.
The titular station, Deep Space Nine, was in orbit around the non-Federation world of Bajor. For the past several decades, Bajor had been militarily occupied by the Nazi-like Cardassians, a species that regularly enslaved and mass-murdered Bajoran citizens. At the outset of the series, the Cardassian occupation had just ended, and Bajor inherited their disused station. In order to aid the Bajoran restoration, Starfleet was assigned to run Deep Space Nine and to oversee the rebuilding of Bajor's government (which was already tilting dangerously close to a corrupt theocracy).
Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) was the Starfleet officer put in charge of the broken-down DS9 and his first officer was the haughty former Bajoran resistance fighter, Major Kira (Nana Visitor). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" was unique in...
The titular station, Deep Space Nine, was in orbit around the non-Federation world of Bajor. For the past several decades, Bajor had been militarily occupied by the Nazi-like Cardassians, a species that regularly enslaved and mass-murdered Bajoran citizens. At the outset of the series, the Cardassian occupation had just ended, and Bajor inherited their disused station. In order to aid the Bajoran restoration, Starfleet was assigned to run Deep Space Nine and to oversee the rebuilding of Bajor's government (which was already tilting dangerously close to a corrupt theocracy).
Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) was the Starfleet officer put in charge of the broken-down DS9 and his first officer was the haughty former Bajoran resistance fighter, Major Kira (Nana Visitor). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" was unique in...
- 2/25/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" is pretty unique among "Star Trek" shows in that it deals directly with war and goes to some very dark places with its characters, and no episode depicts that better than "In the Pale Moonlight" from season 6. The episode takes place during the thick of the Dominion War, which saw the Federation battling against Changelings, Jem'Hadar, Vorta, and Cardassians.
As the Dominion forces grow bolder and more violent, Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) must find a way to convince the Romulans to join the side of the Federation and fight. Unfortunately, they have a pact of non-aggression with the Dominion, which makes his job that much more difficult. He ends up using subterfuge and has tailor/spy Garak (Andrew Robinson) help him manufacture fake proof of Dominion plans to overthrow the Romulans once they're done with the Federation. It's a messy business that's morally gray, and...
As the Dominion forces grow bolder and more violent, Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) must find a way to convince the Romulans to join the side of the Federation and fight. Unfortunately, they have a pact of non-aggression with the Dominion, which makes his job that much more difficult. He ends up using subterfuge and has tailor/spy Garak (Andrew Robinson) help him manufacture fake proof of Dominion plans to overthrow the Romulans once they're done with the Federation. It's a messy business that's morally gray, and...
- 12/23/2023
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" was the first serialized "Trek" series and remains the one most willing to break with the franchise's utopian vision. As Captain Ben Sisko (Avery Brooks) muses, "It's easy to be a saint in paradise," but "DS9" puts its characters in tough spots with no easy solutions.
The greatest example is season 6, episode 19 — "In The Pale Moonlight." If you haven't seen it, go watch it now (streaming on Paramount+), experience its brilliance unspoiled, and then report back here.
It's the height of the Dominion War and the Federation-Klingon Alliance is losing. If the Dominion is to be defeated, the good guys will need help from the other major power in the galaxy's Alpha Quadrant: the Romulans, who have thus far remained neutral.
So, Sisko enlists Garak (Andrew Robinson), a Cardassian former spy, for espionage help. The plan quickly changes from Garak digging up dirt to him...
The greatest example is season 6, episode 19 — "In The Pale Moonlight." If you haven't seen it, go watch it now (streaming on Paramount+), experience its brilliance unspoiled, and then report back here.
It's the height of the Dominion War and the Federation-Klingon Alliance is losing. If the Dominion is to be defeated, the good guys will need help from the other major power in the galaxy's Alpha Quadrant: the Romulans, who have thus far remained neutral.
So, Sisko enlists Garak (Andrew Robinson), a Cardassian former spy, for espionage help. The plan quickly changes from Garak digging up dirt to him...
- 12/23/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
To briefly look back: on March 3, 1991, a man named Rodney King was pulled from his car by several L.A.P.D. officers following a high-speed chase on the 210 freeway in the San Fernando Valley. He was pushed to the ground and beaten savagely by the cops. The beating was captured on video and proliferated on local news broadcasts as yet another example of police brutality, especially as it was directed toward L.A.'s Black community. It should be noted that Darryl Gates, the local police chief, had been a key player in Operation Hammer, a dramatic push to aggressively militarized the Los Angeles Police Department. Under Gates' rule, complaints about police brutality rose 33% for a five-year period beginning in the mid-'80s. Hate and violence ran rampant in the police department, and it was allowed to go unchecked for years.
The cops who beat up King were arrested and put on trial for using excessive force.
The cops who beat up King were arrested and put on trial for using excessive force.
- 8/21/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
First introduced in 1993, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) was a very different type of character than Trekkies had previously seen. Unlike the affable Captain Kirk (William Shatner) or the professorial Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), Sisko was a bitter commanding officer. He had lost his wife in a Borg attack, and approached the world with an element of resentment, unwilling to suffer nonsense and appreciative of straight talk. Sisko could be warm, especially with his teenage son Jake (Cirroc Lofton), but more generally wanted to get down to brass tacks. More than Kirk and Picard, Sisko was emotional and passionate and possessed of a temper; when the trickster god Q (John De Lanice) first appeared on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," Sisko punched him in the face.
Sisko's character matched his assignment. On "DS9," he was placed in charge of a Cardassian space station that had been abandoned after a prolonged...
Sisko's character matched his assignment. On "DS9," he was placed in charge of a Cardassian space station that had been abandoned after a prolonged...
- 8/21/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
War has always been a touchy subject for "Star Trek." Throughout the original series, the Federation had formed an uneasy alliance with the Klingons and was not on the rosiest terms with the Romulans, so war was constantly hanging over everyone's heads. There were occasional episodes involving combat or espionage, but there were no outright full-scale battles; that's not what "Star Trek" was about. A large part of Gene Roddenberry's utopian future was a devotion to pacifism. Being strong was now defined by one's ability to reason, to help others. It was no longer about might or domination.
But, it seems, "Star Trek" had a long way to go. In the episode "Patterns of Force", William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, both Jewish actors, were required to put on Nazi uniforms and read lines about how, welp, the Third Reich may have been evil, but they got the trains running on time.
But, it seems, "Star Trek" had a long way to go. In the episode "Patterns of Force", William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, both Jewish actors, were required to put on Nazi uniforms and read lines about how, welp, the Third Reich may have been evil, but they got the trains running on time.
- 7/27/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Trials and Tribble-ations", Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) and several other members of the "DS9" crew had to travel back in time to avert a crisis. It seems a time-traveling assassin had inserted himself into the events of the original series "Star Trek" episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" and Sisko had to go undercover next to Captain Kirk (William Shatner) to prevent a bomb from blowing up. Using revolutionary special effects technology, Sisko, Dax (Terry Farrell), Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig), and others were inserted rather seamlessly into an episode that was shot 30 years prior. It was a novelty for "Star Trek," and one of the few times the franchise revisited its past in such a manner.
Many years later, "Star Trek: Prodigy" would do something similar in the episode "Kobayashi". The teenage Dal (Brett Gray) wanted to take a holographic version of Trek's...
Many years later, "Star Trek: Prodigy" would do something similar in the episode "Kobayashi". The teenage Dal (Brett Gray) wanted to take a holographic version of Trek's...
- 5/12/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Though "Star Trek" tends to be less war-focused than that other "Star" franchise, there have been some pretty major conflicts that have impacted more than one series. In the third season of "Star Trek: Picard," one of these major events was brought back into focus through a new perspective, giving insight into another moment in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."
One of the most important and harrowing events in Federation history was the Battle at Wolf 359, where the United Federation of Planets did battle with the Borg, leading to the largest cause of casualties for Starfleet prior to the Dominion War. In episode 4 of Picard's third season, "No Win Scenario," Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick) reveals why he's a bit prejudiced against former Borg and has such a hate boner for Picard (Patrick Stewart).
It turns out that he was actually on one of the ships that were destroyed at Wolf 359, and he witnessed absolute horrors,...
One of the most important and harrowing events in Federation history was the Battle at Wolf 359, where the United Federation of Planets did battle with the Borg, leading to the largest cause of casualties for Starfleet prior to the Dominion War. In episode 4 of Picard's third season, "No Win Scenario," Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick) reveals why he's a bit prejudiced against former Borg and has such a hate boner for Picard (Patrick Stewart).
It turns out that he was actually on one of the ships that were destroyed at Wolf 359, and he witnessed absolute horrors,...
- 4/29/2023
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
Spoilers for "Star Trek: Picard" follow.
"Star Trek: Picard" season 3 has promised to be a grand finale for the "Next Generation" cast. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has finally reunited his whole bridge crew from Enterprise-d -- also appearing are Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) from "Star Trek: Voyager" and the Changelings, the antagonists of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."
Despite running headfirst down nostalgia lane, the final season has some new characters too. One is Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), captain of the USS Titan-a. Shaw is no fan of Picard or Seven because he has a grudge against the Borg. Why? He was at the Battle of Wolf 359, depicted in the classic "Next Generation" episode, "The Best of Both Worlds." A Borg Cube, led by tactical info gleaned from the assimilated Picard (aka Locutus), decimated the Starfleet forces. Shaw was part of the engineering crew on the USS Constance and...
"Star Trek: Picard" season 3 has promised to be a grand finale for the "Next Generation" cast. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has finally reunited his whole bridge crew from Enterprise-d -- also appearing are Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) from "Star Trek: Voyager" and the Changelings, the antagonists of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."
Despite running headfirst down nostalgia lane, the final season has some new characters too. One is Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), captain of the USS Titan-a. Shaw is no fan of Picard or Seven because he has a grudge against the Borg. Why? He was at the Battle of Wolf 359, depicted in the classic "Next Generation" episode, "The Best of Both Worlds." A Borg Cube, led by tactical info gleaned from the assimilated Picard (aka Locutus), decimated the Starfleet forces. Shaw was part of the engineering crew on the USS Constance and...
- 4/8/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Captain Liam Shaw, played by Todd Stashwick on the third season of "Star Trek: Picard," has rapidly become a favorite of Trekkies everywhere. Unlike the aloof-yet-diplomatic Captain Picard, the no-nonsense Captain Sisko, or the family-friendly authoritarian Captain Janeway, Shaw is brusque, unfriendly, and even a bit of a jerk, more willing to adhere to protocol than listen to his crew. He's the kind of boss you hope you never have to work under. He's also not necessarily an incompetent starship captain and will follow whatever course of action that keeps his crew safe. Naturally, Trekkies have been quick to suggest that Captain Shaw and his crew be given their own spin-off TV series. Whether or not "Star Trek: Titan" ever appears remains to be seen, but the current season of "Picard" has not yet concluded, so many viewers are holding their breath, hoping that Shaw and his crew survive to the end.
- 4/3/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers through "Star Trek: Picard" season 3, episode 5.
This season of "Star Trek: Picard" has been more than well-received by critics and fans. The show gives us "The Next Generation" movie we never got, and also introduced us to the irascible Captain Shaw, the captain of the U.S.S. Titan, who is far less enamored with Picard and Riker than others in Starfleet. Shaw is played by Todd Stashwick ("12 Monkeys"), who — as a Trek fan himself — is enjoying taking on the role.
"There's a shot in [the latest episode] that will just live in my little nerdy heart for the rest of my life," Stashwick told me in an interview a few days before the season's fifth episode dropped. "It is Shaw in the captain's seat with Picard on his right and Riker on his left, and just this great framed shot of the three of us. I'm flying my ship with my crew,...
This season of "Star Trek: Picard" has been more than well-received by critics and fans. The show gives us "The Next Generation" movie we never got, and also introduced us to the irascible Captain Shaw, the captain of the U.S.S. Titan, who is far less enamored with Picard and Riker than others in Starfleet. Shaw is played by Todd Stashwick ("12 Monkeys"), who — as a Trek fan himself — is enjoying taking on the role.
"There's a shot in [the latest episode] that will just live in my little nerdy heart for the rest of my life," Stashwick told me in an interview a few days before the season's fifth episode dropped. "It is Shaw in the captain's seat with Picard on his right and Riker on his left, and just this great framed shot of the three of us. I'm flying my ship with my crew,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Vanessa Armstrong
- Slash Film
This Star Trek article contains spoilers for Picard season 3.
Between 1966 and 2005, Star Trek fans were introduced to the franchise’s first five leads: James T. Kirk in The Original Series, Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation, Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space Nine, Voyager‘s Kathryn Janeway, and Jonathan Archer from Enterprise.
Archer has not been seen since the end of Enterprise because that show’s storyline ended just over 100 years before Kirk’s mission began (though his Kelvinverse counterpart was apparently long-lived enough for Scotty to beam his beagle into space). But Kirk has appeared in two later series — the original spin-off, The Animated Series, in the 1970s, and more recently in Strange New Worlds, plus of course the Kelvinverse films. Janeway is a recurring character in Prodigy, which functions almost as a sequel series to Voyager, and Picard got his own spinoff named after him, with a third and...
Between 1966 and 2005, Star Trek fans were introduced to the franchise’s first five leads: James T. Kirk in The Original Series, Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation, Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space Nine, Voyager‘s Kathryn Janeway, and Jonathan Archer from Enterprise.
Archer has not been seen since the end of Enterprise because that show’s storyline ended just over 100 years before Kirk’s mission began (though his Kelvinverse counterpart was apparently long-lived enough for Scotty to beam his beagle into space). But Kirk has appeared in two later series — the original spin-off, The Animated Series, in the 1970s, and more recently in Strange New Worlds, plus of course the Kelvinverse films. Janeway is a recurring character in Prodigy, which functions almost as a sequel series to Voyager, and Picard got his own spinoff named after him, with a third and...
- 3/14/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
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