"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 notoriously good to its actors. If a hard-working performer gets a small gig in one episode of "Star Trek," it becomes incredibly likely they'll be invited back for another. Armin Shimerman, for instance, played a talking treasure chest and a random Ferengi character on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" years before he was offered the main role of Quark on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Likewise, Tim Russ played a terrorist on the "Next Generation" episode "Starship Mine" before he became Tuvok on "Star Trek: Voyager." There are dozens of other examples. Once you're in the "Star Trek" family, you'll be a part of it for life.
According to the book "Star Trek: The Next Generation 365," by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann, actress Famke Janssen was offered a venerated spot in the Trek family ... that she turned down. Janssen appeared in the episode "The Perfect Mate" as Kamala,...
According to the book "Star Trek: The Next Generation 365," by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann, actress Famke Janssen was offered a venerated spot in the Trek family ... that she turned down. Janssen appeared in the episode "The Perfect Mate" as Kamala,...
- 3/24/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The Trill were first introduced in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Host". In that episode, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) engaged in an intense love affair with a Trill super-diplomat named Odan (Franc Luz), a man whom she later discovered had a very unusual biology. It seems some members of the Trill species are joined with incredibly long-lived worm-like symbionts that are surgically implanted in their stomachs. The symbionts possess the memories and experiences of all their hosts and take over the personalities of the people they are implanted inside of. Symbionts can live through dozens of hosts in their lives.
In "The Host," Odan sported inverted v-shaped forehead ridges above his eyes and a larger, extended septum. The makeup was designed by Michael Westmore, a longtime "Next Generation" makeup artist.
It wouldn't be until "Emissary", the pilot episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," that Trekkies would encounter another Trill.
In "The Host," Odan sported inverted v-shaped forehead ridges above his eyes and a larger, extended septum. The makeup was designed by Michael Westmore, a longtime "Next Generation" makeup artist.
It wouldn't be until "Emissary", the pilot episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," that Trekkies would encounter another Trill.
- 3/24/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" famously struggled creatively during its first season. The inaugural villains, the Ferengi, flopped (to the point actor Armin Shimmerman felt the need to repair their reputation when he returned to play Quark on the spin-off "Deep Space Nine"). So, the writers dug up some old foes with a storied history -- the Romulans. The Romulans returned in the season 1 finale, "The Neutral Zone," and became enduring enemies of the Enterprise-d.
The Romulans were once Vulcans but split off centuries ago after rejecting the path of logic and serenity. As a result, the Romulans share most of their cousins' physical features, such as pointed ears. In "Reunification," a two-part episode in "The Next Generation" season 5, Spock (Leonard Nimoy guest-starring) is working on Romulus to bring the Romulans and his people back together.
However, upon the Romulans' reintroduction in "The Neutral Zone," make-up Michael Westmore gave them some cosmetic surgery,...
The Romulans were once Vulcans but split off centuries ago after rejecting the path of logic and serenity. As a result, the Romulans share most of their cousins' physical features, such as pointed ears. In "Reunification," a two-part episode in "The Next Generation" season 5, Spock (Leonard Nimoy guest-starring) is working on Romulus to bring the Romulans and his people back together.
However, upon the Romulans' reintroduction in "The Neutral Zone," make-up Michael Westmore gave them some cosmetic surgery,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
The first appearance of the Romulans on "Star Trek" came in the episode "Balance of Terror", wherein the U.S.S. Enterprise faced off against a mysterious Romulan Bird-of-Prey. It was said in the episode that the Federation and the Romulans had previously fought a war, but, thanks to primitive communication technology, had never laid eyes on each other. After managing to hack into the Romulan computers, the crew of the Enterprise was able to spy on their enemies for the first time, finding that they looked a lot like Vulcans. The Romulan Commander (Mark Lenard) merely sported angled eyebrows and pointed ears, very much like Spock (Leonard Nimoy).
In a later episode called "The Enterprise Incident", Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock find themselves on board a Romulan Bird-of-Prey facing off against a new Romulan Commander (Joanne Linville). It was the first time a human and a Romulan were depicted in the same room face-to-face.
In a later episode called "The Enterprise Incident", Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock find themselves on board a Romulan Bird-of-Prey facing off against a new Romulan Commander (Joanne Linville). It was the first time a human and a Romulan were depicted in the same room face-to-face.
- 3/4/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Neutral Zone", the U.S.S. Enterprise-d encounters a seemingly abandoned cryo-pod floating out in the galaxy. On board are three humans, frozen since the 20th century. When they are thawed, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) takes a Roddenberrian opportunity to lecture them, explaining that their outmoded ideas about capitalism and selfishness are dead in the 24th century. Picard's dialogue is partly utopian but mostly condescending, meant more for TV viewers in 1988 than directed toward his scene partners.
The episode's B-plot involved a visit to the titular Neutral Zone between Federation space and the Romulan Star Empire. There, the Enterprise investigates the destruction of a remote outpost, perhaps the result of Romulan malfeasance. "The Neutral Zone" was the first time Trekkies had seen Romulans since the original series, re-establishing them as a major threat in the galaxy. It also set up the...
The episode's B-plot involved a visit to the titular Neutral Zone between Federation space and the Romulan Star Empire. There, the Enterprise investigates the destruction of a remote outpost, perhaps the result of Romulan malfeasance. "The Neutral Zone" was the first time Trekkies had seen Romulans since the original series, re-establishing them as a major threat in the galaxy. It also set up the...
- 3/3/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The "Star Trek" episode "Balance of Terror" features a face-off between the U.S.S. Enterprise and a mysterious Romulan Warbird equipped with a cloaking device. The Romulan Warbird is a flying saucer-like craft with warp engines protruding from either side and a wicked-looking tail fin on the back. It's colored light grey like the Enterprise but sports a painting of a large orange bird on its underside. Most ships on "Star Trek" are solid colors, emblazoned only with identification letters and maybe a racing stripe. Warbirds, with their bird painting, looked like WWII bombers.
The painted Romulan Warbird from the original series is a far cry from the types of ships that the Romulans would be seen piloting in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," set about a century later. On "Next Generation," Romulan Warbirds would be about 10 times larger, solid green, and constricted with outsize bird-like "heads." The wingspan...
The painted Romulan Warbird from the original series is a far cry from the types of ships that the Romulans would be seen piloting in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," set about a century later. On "Next Generation," Romulan Warbirds would be about 10 times larger, solid green, and constricted with outsize bird-like "heads." The wingspan...
- 2/24/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" was a pretty unusual job for classically trained theater performer Patrick Stewart, but it was one that he took very seriously from the beginning. By the time he got around to season 6 and had really gotten to know and love the world of "Star Trek," he took his performance even more seriously, but there was one season 6 episode that required even more dedication and some pretty dark research. In the second part of the two-part episode "Chain of Command," Picard is taken captive by the Cardassians and is tortured by Gul Madred (David Warner). Stewart was already pretty focused on the episode because of his lifelong appreciation for Warner's work, but as a member of Amnesty International for years before coming to "Star Trek," he was even more concerned about making sure the torture aspects of the episode were accurate and respectful to torture survivors.
- 12/28/2023
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
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