star trek continues chuck huber

• The BIG Sci-Fi Podcast
• Con Pod: A Star Trek Convention Podcast
• Deflowered: A Star Trek Podcast
• Deep Space Pride: A Gay Star Trek Podcast
• Discovering Trek: The Star Trek Universe Companion
• The Divine Treasury: A Star Trek Collectibles Podcast
• Drawn to Trek: A Star Trek Animation Podcast
• Five Year Mission: The Podcast
• PoliTreks: A Star Trek Podcast
• Rewind: A Star Trek Podcast
• SyFy Sistas
• Trek Geeks: A Star Trek Podcast
• With The First Link
• Black Lives Matter

Trek Geeks #18: Chuck Huber

The doctor will see you now.

What better way to follow up our special coverage of “The White Iris,” than to sit down with one of the principal cast members from Star Trek Continues? We’re talking about the Chief Medical Officer of the Starship Enterprise–Dr. McCoy himself, the one and only Chuck Huber!

Dan and Bill talk to Chuck about conventions and fans, keeping things light on the set, “The White Iris,” and what he might like to see for McCoy in future episodes of Star Trek Continues!

We had a lot of fun talking with Chuck, and we hope you enjoy the episode.

KEEP UP WITH CHUCK

(…or should we call him, “ The Bones ?”)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chuck_Huber Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlescody.huber

See the movie Chuck wrote and directed, “ Arbor Day – The Musical !” While it hasn’t been launched yet, Chuck is giving listeners of the Trek Geeks Podcast access to rent/purchase it before the premiere! It also stars Vic Mignogna, Michele Specht, Brina Palencia, and many others.

“ The Dreams of the Invisible Girl ,” written by Chuck and illustrated by his fiancée, Jessica Von Braun, will be published by Hound Comics and released on June 17th!

Chuck is also producing and starring in the anime Prince Adventures: The Animated Series which also stars Vic Mignogna and Todd Haberkorn!

Direct Download Link :  http://traffic.libsyn.com/trekgeeks/TGP_Episode018.mp3

SPECIAL THANKS

Congratulations to Five Year Mission on the completion of their recent Kickstarter campaign! Thanks to you, we’ll soon have their Spock’s Brain album in our hot little hands soon!

If you didn’t get a chance to participate in the Kickstarter, head on over to  http://fiveyearmission.net  and check out their all-original songs for every episode of TOS! #MakeItSo!

'Star Trek Continues': Vic Mignogna Beams Us to a Fan-made Final Frontier

"Star Trek Continues" is exactly what it sounds like: A fan-made science fiction series that picks up where the original "Star Trek" TV show left off, putting Kirk, Spock and the rest of the starship Enterprise's crew through a whole new set of adventures in the final frontier. The cast — made up of of talented voice- and stage-actor Trek fans, including Vic Mignogna as executive producer (and Kirk) — works on an exact-replica set, evoking the original show's performances to create what feels like lost episodes from the series itself.

Since its debut in 2013, "Star Trek Continues" has published five episodes online, and the sixth will premiere in May. (Episode 7 is nearly done as well.) The project's crowdfunding campaign to finish Episode 7's post-production phase and film three more episodes is live on Indiegogo until May 4 . 

Space.com caught up with Mignogna to talk about the show he calls his "love letter" to the original series, the key to "Star Trek" storytelling and what's to come in the next two episodes of the web series. (Plus, Space.com's own Karl Tate explores the set in this Trek-tastic new video .)

Space.com: How did "Star Trek Continues" begin?

Vic Mignogna: I've loved the original series of " Star Trek " ever since I was a little boy; I used to eat, sleep and breathe that show, basically. I would make my own uniforms and make my own props, and use my parents' movie camera to round up kids in the neighborhood to shoot little episodes. That show really inspired me when I was 10, 11, 12 years old, 13, 14.

Over the years, I have been developing skills in filmmaking and acting, and all different elements of production, and a few years ago I helped another fan production — I directed an episode for another fan production, and I kind of got bitten by the bug again. So I got a bunch of friends together and we all poured a lot of love and money and sweat and time and effort and talent into starting this web series. And people have really enjoyed it. We've got over 4 million views now, and have won a dozen awards, and people seem to really, really be enjoying it and it's very gratifying.

Space.com: How long did it take from the idea's inception to the first episode going up online?

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Mignogna: We started out by releasing some little 3- to 5-minute dramatic vignettes introducing the world to our crew and the actors that were going to be playing those iconic roles, and we released three of those vignettes. They're all online, they're on our YouTube channel . They were basically a preview while we were finishing building all the sets and getting ready to shoot the first episode.

To date, we've been around three years and we've got six episodes: five online, released. The sixth one is done and will be premiering in May at Megacon, and the seventh episode is also done and will be premiering in the fall.

Space.com: Has the project grown in scale over time?

Mignogna:  The project already started at its beginning at a higher level of quality than people had heretofore seen in fan production. But I will say with every episode, I feel like our cast and crew have gotten better and better. When we released a first episode, a lot of people were like, "Wow, how could you do any better than this?" And then we would release the second one and people would say, "Oh my gosh, I don't know how you did it, but this one's even better." And then the third one, they would say, "Oh my gosh, this one's even better, and the fourth one's even better, and the fifth one's even better!" So in different ways I think we are improving, but from the very beginning our quality level was extremely high. [ See the Evolution of the Starship Enterprise in Photos ]

Space.com: How do you decide on the specific plots or issues to focus on for particular episodes?

Mignogna: The original series' stories were very compelling stories that many times had an ethical theme or a moral plot or point or a social commentary, and so I was committed from the very beginning to telling those kinds of stories . And that's exactly what we've done. If you watch our episodes, you'll find that one of the things that makes [them] feel so much like the original series is that we tell very thought-provoking, intriguing, passion-filled stories.

Space.com: Can you say what's coming up in episodes six and seven?

Mignogna:  I will tell you this: Our next episode is going to be so groundbreaking, nobody has ever done anything like this. I don't want to give away too much, but I will tell you that the engineering room will be featured prominently. It will be making its screen debut in Episode 6.

Gigi Edgley, who was one of the main characters in Farscape, is our guest star for this episode. And let me just say that there was an element that they incorporated into several episodes of the original series, and no fan production has done this to the degree that we're doing it in Episode 6.

And I will tell you that Episode 7 has already completed shooting. It's a wonderful, very, very thought-provoking episode about a very topical issue, and [I'm] very, very proud of that episode as well.

Space.com: What has been the most difficult part of producing the show?

Mignogna:  Oh, my gosh, everything. I have to tell you, whenever you set out to do something at this level of quality, there are so many moving parts, and if you watch our episodes you see that there are tons and tons of elements to this production. Getting the lighting just right, getting the costumes just right, casting it, makeup, camera teams, sound team, props, art direction — there are dozens of moving parts that all have to come together to make it work, and I am so very, very proud of the team that I've assembled. The reason that we're able to do this quality-level work at a fraction of what it would normally cost is because everybody is basically doing it for virtually nothing. They're doing it because they love the original series of "Star Trek," they have a passion for it and they want to pay tribute to it the same way I do.

Space.com: What was it like putting together the replica sets?

Mignogna: The partial bridge was the only thing that had been built of all these sets when we partnered up [to work with another "Star Trek" fan production's set]. And then my director of photography, Matt Busey, did all of the diagrams and architectural drawings for all of the rest of the soundstage. And then a bunch of local volunteers, and just really good "Star Trek" fans, came together, including myself, and we all spent several months building all of the rest of the sets, and then three years ago we shot our first episode on those sets. So now — "Star Trek Continues" is the sole owner of those sets — we call our studio Stage 9, which is named after the soundstage where the original series was shot.

Our cast and crew come together at least twice a year to shoot episodes on those sets. They were patterned after the original series soundstage, and I would say that they were within inches of perfectly accurate to the original sets. [ How 'Star Trek' Technology Works (Infographic) ]

Space.com: Was there anything particularly hard to put together?

Mignogna: The pieces that were scattered all around the original soundstage were pieces from the 1960s; those pieces don't exist anymore. We need[ed] to come up with our own way to recreate and reproduce those pieces. And I'm very proud of the job we've done, doing so.

Let me say, as amazing as our sets are, at the end of the day, the sets are just a backdrop to the story. If the story isn't any good, if the acting isn't any good, then it really doesn't matter how accurate the sets are. The only reason that our sets need to be accurate is so the audience will immediately accept the setting as the original-series Enterprise or the original series of "Star Trek," and then allow us to tell them a good, thought-provoking story. That's one thing that a lot of fan productions miss. A lot of fan productions build really nice sets, or they make nice costumes, but those things are merely a vehicle to tell a good story. As far as "Star Trek Continues" is concerned, story, story, story is king. That's the most important thing.

Email Sarah Lewin at [email protected] or follow her   @SarahExplains .  Follow us   @Spacedotcom ,   Facebook  and   Google+ . Original article on   Space.com .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Sarah Lewin started writing for Space.com in June of 2015 as a Staff Writer and became Associate Editor in 2019 . Her work has been featured by Scientific American, IEEE Spectrum, Quanta Magazine, Wired, The Scientist, Science Friday and WGBH's Inside NOVA. Sarah has an MA from NYU's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program and an AB in mathematics from Brown University. When not writing, reading or thinking about space, Sarah enjoys musical theatre and mathematical papercraft. She is currently Assistant News Editor at Scientific American. You can follow her on Twitter @SarahExplains.

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 105 — Apoc-eclipse 2024!

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 2 sows the seeds of seasonal plot threads (Under the Twin Moons recap)

I'm driving 6 hours through New York's Adirondacks to see the 2024 total solar eclipse from Potsdam. Here's why.

Most Popular

By Meredith Garofalo April 05, 2024

By Robert Lea April 05, 2024

By Elizabeth Howell April 05, 2024

By Stefanie Waldek April 05, 2024

By Mike Wall April 05, 2024

By Harry Baker April 05, 2024

By Jeff Spry April 05, 2024

By Robert Z. Pearlman April 05, 2024

By Alexander Cox April 05, 2024

• 2 Total solar eclipse 2024: Live updates
• 3 This Week In Space podcast: Episode 105 — Apoc-eclipse 2024!
• 4 Total solar eclipse 2024: Here's the national weather forecast for April 8
• 5 William Shatner is beaming in to see the 2024 total solar eclipse from Indiana (video)

Fan Film Factor

Exploring the world of Star Trek fan films.

A history of STAR TREK CONTINUES (feature, part 2)

Warning  spoilers ahead.

Months before producing and releasing its first full episode in 2013, STC filmed three short vignettes in May of 2012 to “introduce themselves” and get their space legs.

THE VINGETTES

The first vignette, about four minutes long, recreated the ending of “Turnabout Intruder,” the final first-run episode of TOS to air on television. But instead of ending on the depressingly somber line from Kirk, “If only…” the vignette CONTINUED the scene (get it?), following Kirk, Spock, and Scott into the turbolift and onto the bridge. Joined a few seconds later by McCoy, the somber mood is lightened by a good-natured poke at Spock by the doctor, and then Kirk orders the Enterprise to rendezvous with the Potemkin . The music shifts to an uplifting, optimistic melody, portending new and exciting adventures into the future. The camera pans out to reveal the entire bridge crew as the credits roll.

You can watch the vignette here…

And if you’re curious, here’s a couple of still-frame comparisons to the original version of that same scene from TOS…

This first vignette was released onto the Internet on July 31, 2012 and served to do more than simply say, “Hey, we’re here! Look what we can do!” It also introduced four of the main actors who would be starring in the new series.

Show runner and executive producer Vic Mignogna (playing Kirk) is a professional actor who has done extensive voice-over work on amine and video games…along with having been a lifelong Trekkie who used to drag his mother to conventions and film his own Trek episodes on Super 8 as a child in the 1970s. Vic had worked on other Trek fan films, directing and acting in episodes of both Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II and Starship Farragut ( and later appearing in Star Trek: Renegades) .

Vic decided that, as much as fans loved appearing in fan films, most of them weren’t comfortable or convincing enough in front of the camera. For his fan series, Vic wanted trained actors to be the ones appearing on screen. Non-professional fans could help out behind the scenes, but even there, Vic preferred to have people with film-making knowledge and experience leading those efforts, as well. Fans with less experience were welcome to assist, but under the supervision of the “veterans.” And it paid off by having a very professional and polished look and feel to their production.

Vic brought in two fellow voice-over actors to play Spock and McCoy: Todd Haberkorn and Chuck Huber , respectively. Chuck would later miss the first two full-length episodes due to health issues, but he returned for the third episode and each one thereafter. Both actors brought their own interpretations to the iconic characters they were playing. And considering that there was no way that Leonard Nimoy or DeForest Kelley would be able to reprise those roles, Todd and Chuck did a pretty impressive job.

Perhaps most striking, however (eerily so!) was the person playing Scotty…and with good reason. The actor portraying the chief engineer literally had Montgomery Scott in his blood! Chris Doohan is the son of late actor James Doohan (the original Scotty) and does an amazing job recreating that unique Scottish brogue that his father made so iconic. Chris initially came on to voice Scotty in an animated episode of Starship Farragut a few years prior, and Vic convinced him (with some effort) to come on board STC …and he’s been one of the standouts of the cast ever since.

Star Trek Continues ‘ second vignette “ You’ve Got the Conn ” was released two months after the first. This short film introduced the three remaining actors who had very minor roles in the first vignette: Kim Stinger as Uhura, Wyatt Lenhart as Chekov, and Grant Imahara as Sulu. You might recognize Grant’s name as one of the regulars on the Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters TV show. All three of these actors were given extensive lines in this 3-minute story showing what goes on when Kirk isn’t on the bridge, and each actor did a masterful job of recreating his or her character. Grant speaks in a low Sulu voice, and Wyatt’s Russian accent is vonderful!

The final vignette, “ Happy Birthday, Scotty ,” (released on November 30) was the shortest of the bunch at just two minutes. Rather than introducing a new character or actor, this brief film introduced the new hand phaser props that the series would be using…similar to the originals but with a slightly sleeker appearance and cool flashy lights. Nevertheless, the vignette, like the other two before it, felt like TOS Trek .

THE FIRST FULL EPISODE – PILGRIM OF ETERNITY

Down the line, Vic’s eventual goal was to not have to do so many jobs simultaneously and instead concentrate mostly on acting. But for what would be the first full-length episode, Vic was still the “guy in charge” and would again (co)write the story (other professional screenplay writers would assemble the final script), direct, and edit…as well as appear as Kirk.  No pressure.

In an interview from CNET from April of 2014, Vic shared how he decided on telling a story of redemption in the first full STC episode. And not just redemption for any old character—redemption for a Trek “bad guy” in a sequel to the second season TOS episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?” Vic said…

Years ago, I became friends with BarBara Luna — who played Marlena in the original “Mirror, Mirror” episode — and one day out of the blue we were talking and she said to me long before I started Star Trek Continues , “You know, Mike Forest would love to do some more Star Trek .” And I said, “Who is Michael Forest?” And she said, “Mike Forest played Apollo in the original series.” And I was like, “Oh my gosh, I love Apollo and I love that episode!” And so I kind of logged that away in the back of my mind, and when I started Star Trek Continues and was looking for an idea, I thought, wouldn’t it be awesome to do a follow-up episode to that episode? And so I contacted Michael Forest and told him I had an idea for an Apollo redemption story. He really liked it, and so we moved forward with writing the script and shooting the episode.

Michael Forest wasn’t the only Trek veteran actor to participate in that first full episode of STC . In a bit of a coup, Vic convinced Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation ) to provide the voice of the Enterprise computer. (That made Marina the second TNG regular series actor to appear in a Trek fan film…the first being Denise “Tasha Yar” Crosby in Star Trek: New Voyages’ 2-part “Blood and Fire” four years earlier.) It seemed oddly appropriate that the person who played the daughter of Lawaxana Troi (portrayed by the late Majel Barrett Roddenberry) would lend her voice to the Enterprise computer, which had also been voiced by Majel.

Another actor of sci-fi note to appear in the episode was Jamie Bamber , who played Lee Adama (Captain Apollo…how fitting!) in the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Also worth mentioning was a cameo by Star Trek and Galactica art department veteran Doug Drexler . Doug, who had previously worked on other fan films’ 3D computer FX, had recently decided to move away from fan films. But he changed that decision in order to do CGI visual effects for STC . The 3D animations for the three vignettes had previously been done by Gabe Koerner . Doug also appeared on camera in the opening sequence of “Pilgrim of Eternity” in a scene which immediately grabbed the viewer’s attention as being plucked straight out of the Tombstone, Arizona setting of the TOS episode “Spectre of the Gun.” It turns out the sequence is part of a virtual reality program running in a very early version of the Holodeck!

The Holodeck???

Yes. Vic and his co-writers decided to “evolve” Star Trek a little to move it forward toward things that were seen later on. It wasn’t unheard of for the original Star Trek to add new things between seasons. Chekov was added to the crew in season two…along with a larger Engineering set and an expansion of Sickbay. So what might have been added in season four? Why not an early, experimental Holodeck (something already considered possible canon from the animated episode “Practical Joker”)?

Another addition for STC was the completely new character of Lt. Elise McKennah, PhD, played by professional actress Michele Specht . Dr. McKennah was among the first of Starfleet’s new ship’s counselors, a bit of an experimental program…and not a program Kirk was particularly fond of at first.

With Chuck Huber unavailable to play the role of Dr. McCoy for the first two episodes, a stand-in was found in the person of Larry Nemecek . If you’ve never heard of this legend of Star Trek folklore, look him up on Google (there’s about 75,000 results!). He’s also served as a creative consultant to STC , but for its first two episodes, he played a very convincing Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy.

With all the pieces in place, including the amazing sets and props, costumes from Anovos, make-up artists, lighting specialists, sound engineers, production crew of all shapes and sizes and specialties, and of course, the actors, filming on “Pilgrim of Eternity” began in October of 2012 and lasted a little over a week…just like an episode of the original Trek did back in the 60s.

Vic himself paid the expenses of the actors and some of the crew to come down to Georgia for the shooting. Michael Forest brought along his wife Diana, who ended up playing a small role as Athena, who gives up the last of her energy so that Apollo can live. The two of them had a blast and, according to Vic, still come to STC social events that happen in the Los Angeles area (where they live) because they feel like they’re “a part of the family.”

Fan reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Sure, there were complaints that Vic Mignogna’s acting was too derivative of Shatner or that this or that actor could never replace the original.  Well, of course not!  No one was trying to replace anyone, only to honor them by carrying forward their iconic characters. But despite a few grumblers out there, the vast majority of fans were blown away by what they saw (including me!), and were eagerly anticipating what would come next.

And what came next would require…a Kickstarter! (Or rather, a KIRKstarter, as STC cleverly called it.)

And now that Vic had his full-length episode to show people, it was time to see if folks would donate their money in order to see more.  But this was only 2013…before most Trek fans even knew what a Kickstarter was.  In fact, by the time STC launched their campaign in early October, only one Star Trek fan film had ever successfully completed a Kickstarter campaign ( Star Trek: Renegades ).  Everyone else had failed to fund.

STC set an ambitious goal of $100,000.  Would they be able to convince fans to give them that much money?  Remember, with Kickstarter, if you don’t make it to your goal, you get nothing.

Next time : we find out whether  Star Trek Continues reached that $100,000 or not.  Then our spotlight rolls on with a closer look at  STC ‘s next three episodes, as the make-up and costuming departments get pushed to their limits!

And of course, all of the amazing offerings of STC can be found on their website:

http://startrekcontinues.com/episodes.html

Share this:

• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

26 thoughts on “A history of STAR TREK CONTINUES (feature, part 2)”

Ha! I didn’t notice the rather Obvious Apropos.. Apollo.. guest starring on the original Apollo’s sequel, portrayed by the original Actor.

Rather similar to the character Thomas Mereck played by the other Apollo.

Actually, the late Richard Hatch’s character on the new BSG series was named Tom Zarek.

But yeah, the Apollo connection was a fun little Easter egg once I noticed it.

Tom Zarek.. lol.. Mereck was a certain unfortunate ships Captain if I recall.. all blends together.

https://twitter.com/WilliamShatner/status/923544075831164929

I can understand where Bill Shatner is coming from. Having had the same misfortune with Vic and company, share Bill’s point of view.

Like certain other notable fan film makers with big personalities, Vic can be very polarizing. Also like certain other fan film makers, Vic doesn’t necessarily set out to be so polarizing. It just kinda happens. But that’s one of the risks that comes with putting yourself out there. Go big or stay home. Vic decided not to stay home. I admire him for that. I haven’t always agreed with everything he’s done or said, but I respect that he had a dream, figured out a way to make that dream happen, and then worked his ass off making it happen. I’m sorry that Shatner isn’t as impressed as I am, but truth to tell, I haven’t always agreed with everything Bill’s done or said either! 🙂

I don’t think very highly of Bill Shatner, either. Having met the man, I can honestly say that his ego is as big as an Orpheus asteroid.

All that aside, I would not say that Vic has worked his ass off in making STC happen. It has been more like Vic lying, cheating, stealing, and violating the law to make his dream – or in this case – his nightmare happen. He is NO DIFFERENT than those involved with Axanar and the Farragut Films folk.

I’m amazed that CBS/Paramount has allowed him to finish up STC. Personally, they should not have.

There aren’t enough exclamation points in the world to tell you how WRONG I think you are about Vic, BT. Having just shared an amazing two and a half hours with the cast and crew of STC and about 200 fans watching their final episode and discussing their experiences and memories and stories of production, I can honestly say that my admiration for all of them–including Vic–increased ten-fold today.

I feel bad for you, Blue, because your negativity means you’re missing out on so many wonderful, inspiring things in this world. Some people can look at a Picasso and complain about the eyes, mouth, and nose all being in the wrong place and how overrated abstract art is. That’s their right, of course. I feel bad for them, too.

I Thought STC started after New Voyages? They had several Star Trek Actors on New Voyages.

Read what I wrote again more carefully, Martin. 🙂

I appreciate your passion and that you are brave enough to put yourself out there, but your prose is seriously wordy. You need an editor desperately. Almost every sentence is overwritten. It makes getting through the entire thing very difficult.

Sorry, RC, but editors who work for free aren’t easy to find, and I tend to write on a very compressed schedule. So they’d have to work fast AND for free. 🙂

How would you recommend I shorten this article? Just curious. If you’d like to supply a rewrite, I’d be happy to look it over. And I don’t say that to be snarky. I’m truly curious where you think it could be shortened. Maybe that’ll help me in the future.

In the meantime, you’ll either need to endure my writing style or else, regrettably, I’ll have to accept losing a reader.

I won’t edit the entire piece but here is an example:

“I’ve already discussed what makes “Star Trek Continues” a unique fan film series, but want to discuss how it began and its first releases.

To introduce the series, STC released three vignettes months before releasing a full episode in 2013.

The first four minute short recreated the ending of “Turnabout Intruder” (the last produced episode of The Original Series) rather than ending on a somber “If only…” from Kirk, the scene “continued” *get it?), by following Kirk, Spock, and Scott to the bridge. Joined there by McCoy, the somber mood lightens with his good-natured poke at Spock. As Kirk orders the Enterprise to rendezvous with the Potemkin, the music shifts to an uplifting, optimistic melody, portending new and exciting adventures in the future. The camera pans out to reveal the entire bridge crew as the credits roll.”

I just rewrote your opening and cut almost 1/3 of the words. If someone can remove 30% and get the same information across, you’ve overwritten.

You don’t have to pay someone, but you might try to learn how to write rather than type whatever comes to mind. Edit it. Look at each line and ask yourself if everything you said was needed. One third does not seem to be.

I appreciate you taking a crack at it, RC. The fact is, writing this blog takes a lot of time. And as the famous saying goes, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”

It’s a funny thing to say, but it’s also very true. I already read over everything I write at least once, checking for typos. A few still creep in here and there, but I’m proud of how “clean” my blogs are. Sometimes during those editorial passes, I trim this or that. And just as often, I add this or that to make certain that what I’m saying is clear.

I won’t apologize for writing the way that I do. I like to be precise and cover as much about the fan films as I can. It’s a journalistic choice on my part. If folks don’t enjoy my blogs, they’re welcome not to read them…or only read the short ones that are just 300-400 words (I have a lot of those, too). Trust me, RC, I’m not doing this for the money. I’m doing this so there’s a place online that records all of the interesting details behind these wonderful and prolific Star Trek fan productions. And if doing that means I write long blogs, so be it.

Now, I’ve just read this response over for typos, but I won’t be trying to shorten it (even though I probably could by chopping out the first two paragraphs). Instead, I now have to drive my son to school and get on with my day. 🙂

No offense to you intended, but if you can say “I read it over at least once” you aren’t a writer. A writer reads over their work far more than once. A journalist especially. You might take a class at the local community college on writing to learn more. You don’t have to apologize for writing the way you do, but it’s a mistake to call yourself a writer or a journalist. You are neither at this skill level.

Well, I did see a manuscript to Gotham Books for a $300,000 advance back in 2011. Does that make me a writer? 🙂

I really liked the attention to details in this and other Blog articles on this site. They may not read like a coherent Novel.. but I think I’ve enough background as a fan that it “appears” to flow together, my less perceptive inner grammarian.. is probably off duty, and my fandom is filling in the missing pieces.

(its simply hard remembering what it was like to not know so much.. about a subject)

I especially like that the STC team was led by an Architect who acknowledge the importance of the lighting and camera angles, or the music. As a kid.. I didn’t know what all that meant, but got a taste of it from “The Making of Star Trek”

I also recall the Krell lab scenes or construction from the Wrath of Kahn, that informed me enough to go back and compare to Forbidden Planet and how Star Fleet echoed a lot of movies that had really recently gone not that far before it. Compare the scenes with Gary Mitchell on the planet they planned to strand him on… with scenes from Forbidden Planet.. very similar in many ways.

The use of Matte paintings for Castles with Moons in the Sky, or synthetic rock and colored Skys on Sound stages dressed as planet side. Funny how their Faces and Uniforms never picked up a tint or hue cast from the skys.. lol.. I’m poking fun.. but a lot of it was pure dramatic theater production.. nothing like Silent Running or Alien a few years later.

The 1970’s seemed to be obsessed with making things look “real” by NASA and Apollo program standards.. to the detrement of the audience just trying to enjoy the story. It was like Science Fiction was being hi-jacked in the service of justifying something other than the story.

Star Trek : Phase II would have probably reflected that Cold War, sad unhopeful malaise that set in .. Star Wars kind of had that vibe.. of doom and gloom against impossible odds. But Star Wars also had that Atari.. Gunstar.. Last Starfighter.. happy ending. It could have stood alone.. but see The Empire Strikes Back as the darker alternative.

Science Fiction as a Theatrical category just isn’t given the respect its due in my opinion.

Science Fiction as psedo-historical record.. Proving Warp drive is a real science.. just looses something.

“I really liked the attention to details in this and other Blog articles on this site.”

Thank you, John. It’s challenging to write so many blog features about so many different fan films and try to keep them all interesting. There’s actually a lot more about STC that I’ve had to cut in order to keep the articles around 2,000-2,500 words each. Yeah, I know that’s still long for some people, but they could have been even longer!

As for 1970s sci-fi, I always saw those films as focusing more on post nuclear holocaust worlds, where WWWIII has long since happened…movies like Logan’s Run and Damnation Alley. In the 1980s, the films were more concerned with preventing WWWIII…movies like Terminator and War Games.

So would Phase II have been obsessed with post nuclear war stories or preventing those nuclear wars? Based on those scripts we did see–The Child and Devil’s Due from TNG, it’s hard to say.

In Dallas, Texas where I grew up Star Trek was on right after Hogan’s Hero’s around dinner time, on a religious network called Channel 39 UHF (I believe).

One summer I recall they were ceasing broadcast of Star Trek because they said new episodes were going into production and would soon air in the Fall.. this was way back in the 1970’s

It eventually resumed and all hint of a resumption disappeared.. but I do recall it was deep in the 1970’s .. placing it in that time period I recall a neighborhood teenagers brother was crippled in Vietnam and all sorts of tragedies and talk of nuclear war. (In fact I recall Assignment Earth had dealt with the issues only a few years before).

In light of all that.. I can’t imagine Star Trek not skewing further and further into the dark politics that took us all in mad directions. Idealistic ideas like preserving life or the human race were anti-nationalist.. we were all suppose to go down as one and never give an inch.. no cooperation with anyone.

To remain on the air Star Trek would have had to change to adopt more uncooperative ideas.. Spock siding with hippies.. hmm.. I think he would ahve eventually had to leave the Enterprise to follow his own ideas. McCoy wouyld have probably lost the Captains ear.. Kirk (if he had remained in Star Fleet) would have to go rogue more often.. become even more subversive.

In the 70’s I think the network would have jerked it off the air eventually… unless it survived the Nixon event.. after that the country and politics seemed to return to cooperative governing.. things settled down. Jimmy Carter’s era would have been the 1980’s which was swing of epic proportions.. and like you said.. preventing the unthinkable .. even protecting the environment came up. 1979 was Star Trek the Motion Picture.. and it was very much a movie for the 80’s with the last vestigates of V’ger and the Nasa Apollo “realism” in special effects. Sideburns and Moustaches however were still left over from the 70’s

By Star Trek IV The Voyage Home we were so into saving the World, we were thinking globally and all about the environment.. definitely not like today.

Today I really don’t think Star Trek could survive as it was.. 1987 perfect, 1997 or 2007 definitely perfect timing.. by 2016 though.. another dark age.. in about 8 more years if history rhymes we should be ready for Star Trek again.. maybe.

I did the opening titles for the first 3 episodes.

Thanks for the info. Sorry I accidentally left that out.

Oh its no worries! I don’t think I ever told you specifically what I’d done. I did ship shots for their vignettes they made before the first episode, the opening titles of the first 3 eps, and various bits and pieces here and there in other eps when I had time.

That was a lovely screening Sunday and Jayden’s moment in the spotlight was adorable and got a very nice response from the cast.

And you were right there in the background behind him in the shot. Congrats, Gabe, you’re famous! 🙂

Thanks Jonathan, I for one, DO appreciate how & what you write. And that was a great episode, I wish I had watched much, much sooner than today. Now, I really look forward to viewing all the rest of their works. The more I see of these fan films with these particular people, the easier it gets to view these replacements as the originals. Because they model the characters so well.

I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog, David. It’s definitely a labor of love…much like the fan films themselves that I write about!

As for STC, it’s truly one of the giants of the genre. It will be sorely missed but NEVER forgotten!

Editing options would help comments section?

I just wanted to add, that I really appreciate the attention to details the whole cast and those behind the scenes worked on to bring us all such great recreations. The sets are spectacular to say the least. But, nothing was overlooked I feel. It’s too bad comments are disabled on YouTube. But I can understand why.

“It’s too bad comments are disabled on YouTube. But I can understand why.”

Yeah, I wish some fans could behave more civilly to each other and not be so belligerent to certain fan films and their producers. Alas…

Comments are closed.

• Tagging & Taxonomy
• Earn Points
• Notifications
• Favorite Series
• Favorite Movies

• Edit Series
• Edit Translations
• Delete Delete
• Delete All Series-Level Artwork
• Delete All Season-Level Artwork
• Delete All Episode-Level Artwork
• Delete All Character-Level Artwork

Vic Mignogna as Captain Kirk

Todd Haberkorn as Mr. Spock

Chuck Huber as Doctor McCoy

Christopher Doohan as Mr. Scott

Grant Imahara as Mr. Sulu

Wyatt Lenart as Ensign Chekov

Kim Stinger as Lieutenant Uhura

• Background 7
• Cinemagraph 0
• ClearLogo 1
• Add Background
• Add Cinemagraph
• Add ClearArt
• Add ClearLogo

No artwork of this type.

• Custom (Top 25)
• Add To List

Select an existing list or create a new list.

• All lists are publicly visible and can be browsed and favorited by other users.
• Refrain from vulgarity and slurs in the titles and overview.
• Popular lists, as determined by voting, can be converted to official lists which may be used in apps that use our API. Lists that are made official cannot be deleted and mods will be granted the ability to modify the entries or official title (in addition to the original creator). Barring abuse, official lists will give credit to the original creator of the list.

Star Trek Fan Productions

Johnnybebad1972, delete series.

Members Of Star Trek Continues Cast And Crew Throw Support Behind #KickVic, Condemn Former Captain Kirk Actor Vic Mignogna Based On Funimation Allegations

• Share on Gab
• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Flipboard
• Share on Reddit
• Share on News Break
• Share via Email

Nearly three years after the now infamous allegations of sexual misconduct were first levelled against Vic Mignogna by a number of his fellow Funimation anime voice actors, a number of the actor’s former cast and crew members from the set of Star Trek Continues have thrown their support behind the #KickVic movement and publicly condemned the man who served on the fan series’ as both its executive producer and lead actor.

Source: Star Trek Continues Episode 11 “To Boldly Go: Part II” (2013), Trek Continues, Inc. / Dracogen

RELATED: Former JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Voice Actor Vic Mignogna Removed From Los Angeles Comic-Con

Mignogna was publicly rebuked by his former Star Trek Continues production members on December 15th when series director James Kerwin, noting that “recent events have compelled us to clarify our position regarding certain accusations against – and the continued fanbase unrest surrounding – the series’ executive producer and lead actor,” published a group letter of condemnation against the actor to his personal Twitter.

“All of us strongly and unequivocally condemn any harassment or inappropriate behavior – particularly directed against women – which occurred either outside the confines of the production or within it,” read the statement. “Such conduct is wholly contrary to our values, and should never be tolerated under any circumstances.”

Archive Link Source: James Kerwin Twitter

It continued, “Although we only learned of such allegations long after our association as co-workers ended – and the series’ cast and crew members had gone their separate ways – we recognize that we have an ethical responsibility to use our voices, platforms, and privilege to support those whose experiences were distressing, upsetting, or traumatic.”

“Furthermore, we sympathize with those who’ve been afraid to come forward, and will respect the confidence of anyone who may choose to only speak up privately,” the production members added. “There’s no doubt in our minds as to the veracity of your accounts. We hear you and we believe you.”

Source: Star Trek Continues Episode 11 “To Boldly Go: Part I” (2013), Trek Continues, Inc. / Dracogen

RELATED: Following Recent Successes, Star Trek Audiobook Producer Emmett Plant Mounts Another Campaign To Remove Vic Mignogna From Metrotham Con Guest List

Alongside an open-invitation announcing that “all individuals involved with our production are welcome to add their names and repost,” the statement then listed out its debut signees, which include:

Hannah Barucky (Set Costumer, Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor) Matt Bucy (Series Cinematographer) Ginger Holley (Actor, Crewman) Larry Nemecek (Creative Consultant) Cassandra Tuten (Actor, Crewman) Damian Beurer (Actor, Usdi) John Champion (Actor, Hadley) Donald Huston (Still Photographer/Grip) Sandra Noland (Actor, Court Clerk. Credited as Sandra Nolan) Kade Wilson (Script Supervisor. Credited as Kade Workman) Matt Boardman (Visual Effects Artist) Becky Haynie (Assistant Production Manager) James Kerwin (Director) Jay Pennington (Second Assistant Director) Dorothy Booraem (Wardrobe Supervisor) Julian Higgins (Director) Miguel Moreta (Actor, Crewman) Kasey Shafsky (Co-Producer, Associate Producer)

“If anyone needs an ear,” the statement concluded, “we’ll continue to listen.”

Though it was not specified which specific “recent events” had warranted the statement’s writing, it appears to have been issued at the behest of Amy Imhoff, the woman whose recent social media campaign against Mignogna resulted in his disinvitation from the 2021 Los Angeles Comic-Con.

Archive Link Source: Los Angeles Comic Con Official Twitter

RELATED: SacAnime Uninvites Vic Mignogna From Anime: Roseville Event Citing Threats Of Boycotts From “Other Voice Actors, Agents, and Managers”

In a tweet made by Imhoff shortly after Kerwin published the group statement, the Star Trek convention host and moderator gave “many thanks to the Star Trek Continues team that has now officially spoken out to condemn harrassment and doxxing” and admitted that “ this statement comes directly after my extremely negative experience with this person’s fan base.”

“The more voices, the better,” she added. “Love to my #StarTrek family.”

Produced between 2013 and 2017, Star Trek Continues was an ‘unofficial’ fan-series continuation of Star Trek: The Original Series created with the intent of finishing out the original show’s five-year mission.

Alongside Mignogna, the series featured a number of notable recurring and guest actors, including Mythbuster’s Grant Imahara as Hikaru Sulu, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Michael Dorn as the voice of an ISS Enterprise computer, and Mignogna’s fellow anime voice actors Todd Haberkorn and Chuck Huber as Spock and Dr. McCoy, respectively.

As of writing, Mignogna has not responded to his denouncement by the aforementioned members of Star Trek Continues team.

His lawsuit against Funimation, Monica Rial, Ron Toye, and Jamie Marchi for defamation is ongoing and is currently in the appeal process. A motion to dismiss the appeal was denied in the Court of Appeals Second Appellate District of Texas at Forth Worth.

The original lawsuit saw Judge John P. Chupp dismiss all of the claims against Funimation, Monica Rial, Ron Toye, and Jamie Marchi.

What do you make of members of Star Trek Continues’ cast and crew condemning Mignogna? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!

NEXT: Vic Mignogna Removed From Guest List For ‘55-Year Mission Tour’ Star Trek Convention

More About: Television

• Web Channels

Star Trek Continues

Star Trek Continues is a fan-created science fiction series set in the Star Trek universe produced by Trek Continues Inc., Far From Home, and Dracogen. The series is an unofficial direct continuation of the third and last season of Star Trek: The Original Series , whose visual and storytelling features have been reproduced to recreate the same look-and-feel.

As with all such Star Trek fan productions, use of copyrighted and trademarked properties from the original series was allowed so long as the production is not-for-profit. Part of the funds necessary to produce the episodes were raised through a successful Kickstarter campaign, to which almost three thousand backers contributed.

Star Trek Continues won a Geekie Award for "Best Web Series" in 2014 and has been very positively received by the critics, who praised the quality of the production, stating that the series has set a new standard for Star Trek fan productions.

Official site: www.startrekcontinues.com

8 ( 36 votes)

Previous Episode

To boldly go: part ii, episode 1x11; nov 13, 2017.

The iconic mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise comes to an end, as Kirk and his crew battle the ultimate adversary.

Previous Episodes

Vic Mignogna

Todd Haberkorn

Christopher Doohan

Larry Nemecek

Chuck huber.

Grant Masaru Imahara

Recent discussions.

Firstly let me just say WOOHOO , that was great. OK, now to address some of your thoughts. NO, there will be no more episodes as they are no longer allowed to make any videos/episodes longer than 10 min due to the studio kicking up a fuss because fans love this version and kept donating money for many more episodes. And if the studios wasn't making the full length show, then no one was as far as they where concerned. As for Kirk not being promoted after the 5 year mission, well actually he was. But of course in good old Kirk fashion, he did something naughty and was demoted, then promoted, then demoted, then porm.... well, you get the point. But when he died he had the rank of Admiral. Now the ONLY ship to separate the drive section from the saucer section was the Enterprise ship/s from Star Trek The Next Generation series and movies. (Apart from the experimental ship in one of the Voyager episodes) It was good to see it in this final episode and was done in a way to show how experimental it was in the time line. Hopefully there might be a now series from this team with 30 to 40 10 min episodes each year. Now that would be great. Thanks to all the talented folks that made this show possible.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Apr 2, 2024

What to Expect from The Final Season of Star Trek: Discovery

The cast details everything you need to know to get ready for the Season 5 premiere this week!

Getty Images / StarTrek.com

The highly anticipated fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery arrives this week!

This season finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the  U.S.S. Discovery  uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well… dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.

Ahead of the premiere, StarTrek.com had the opportunity to speak with series cast Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland "Book" Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira), along with this season's recurring guest star Eve Harlow (Moll) and executive producer and co-showrunner Michelle Paradise . With their help, here's what you can expect from their characters this season!

In case you need a quick refresher before we dive forward, we've got a handy Where We Left Off guide !

Now let's fly!

Sonequa Martin-Green on Season 5 Stakes and Captain Michael Burnham's Relationship Status

"Red Directive"

StarTrek.com

"This season, we can expect a wild ride," teases Sonequa Martin-Green. "One of the things that they wanted to do was that they wanted to have a tonal shift. They wanted it to be adventurous, they wanted it to be fun, they wanted it to be kind of like the Indiana Jones season. And so we really did that. We really did that. The artistry is on another level."

"In every department, you will see some really incredible things coming to life," continues Martin-Green. "In Season 5, we did some stuff we should not have been able to do; we did some stuff that we've never done before. I'm really proud of every department, of every cast member, of every crew member, every writer, every producer, every post-production coordinator, and supervisor, and worker. We took it to the next level without even knowing that it was our last season. When everyone sees it, I think that they'll see what I'm talking about. It's culminating because of that; it is just on another level. It's a huge, huge season. People have a lot to look forward to."

Addressing where Michael Burnham and Book find themselves at the start of this season, Martin-Green explains, "Book and Burnham, they are the classic, old Facebook status of 'It's complicated.' They've got a lot to work through. That's where we pick up with them, having not been speaking as regularly as they normally do. Of course, we see that he was sent off at the end of Season 4. Now they are back in each other's midst, and they have got a lot to talk about and a lot to wade through. It's very complicated between them. There's obviously still that love, that deep love, that bond, that respect, but they've got a lot to work through."

Doug Jones on Saru's Next Step

"Under the Twin Moons"

Reflecting on Saru's journey across the entire series, Doug Jones reveals, "Saru had been captain of the ship for Season 3. And Season 4, he then kind of took a step to First Officer again, because of his loyalty to Michael Burnham, and the special task we were on throughout the season."

"Well, now he’s [re-evaluating] his purpose there," adds Jones. "Has it run its course? His relationship with President T’Rina, played by the lovely Tara Rosling. She does come into the equation with how he makes his decision."

Anthony Rapp on Paul Stamets' Legacy and Season 5 Baddies

Episode 506

"This season, you can expect a new level of inquiry for Paul about what's next for him in terms of the work that he wants to do," hints Anthony Rapp. "He's an incredibly driven and brilliant human being with this mind, that's some level of genius. You get to see him like stretch himself in new ways."

What does the Discovery crew make of arrival of this season's antagonists — Moll (played by Eve Harlow) and L'ak (played by Elias Toufexis)?

"I really love the description of this kind of Bonnie and Clyde," shares Rapp. "It was fun for us, or for me, I could speak for myself, to have these kind of iconic touchstone archetypes brought into our show. Their energy as people; [Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis] brought a beautiful energy to the company to being a part of our show and being a part of our story. And then their work was exceptional. To have this, this idea of this kind of like maverick couple that's on the run is a cool one. And there's a reason it's iconic. And I think that the way that our writers threaded it through our story was really well done."

Mary Wiseman on Sylvia Tilly's Career Focus

"Tilly's in a great place," notes Mary Wiseman. "She's found a certain kind of assurance from going off to teach at Starfleet Academy, and coming back feels like coming home. You're a little cooler and a little more adult. And people call you 'Miss.'"

However, that's not without some challenges. "But she kind of also feels stuck with the problem about how to get through to these kids that have grown up in this era where there isn't the sort of interconnectedness, galaxy-wide communication, and transportation possibilities that there were when she was growing up," highlights Wiseman. "And she's kind of noticing it in the kids' behavior, and inability to interact or team build. And so that's something that she kind of wants to work on and figure out how to help them out with that."

Wilson Cruz on Dr. Hugh Culber's New Experiences

Episode 505

"Where we first find Culber in Season 5, he's in a really good place," notes Wilson Cruz. "He's really embodied this new version of himself, and is ready and willing to take on whatever he's confronted with."

Cruz continues, "This season, he is confronted with an experience that forces him to ask even more existential questions that kind of blows his mind. It starts him on knowing about all of the mysteries of the universe. This whole mission really makes him question a lot of things. We see him process a lot of that throughout the season."

David Ajala on Cleveland "Book" Booker's Love for Burnham and Season 5 Action Sequences

Episode 503

Following the events of Season 4, Book must walk away from Burnham. Reflecting on his actions and headspace at the start of this season, David Ajala states, "It's interesting, because, if we're talking about the gift of grace, Book has definitely received grace from Michael Burnham. Even though Book made the decision that he thought was right, it was not even honorable, but he felt duty bound to do what he did. He was still afforded grace by Michael Burnham, to be welcomed back with open arms. The journey of someone like Cleveland Booker, who was very driven by keeping his autonomy, and also serving his purpose on the planet, which was to help endangered species, to be a part of Starfleet, it was never something that was within his remit. But then to come full circle in Season 5, and to see him, organically incorporate himself within that team is a wonderful story."

"Where we left off in Season 4, revisiting and coming back for Season 5, it's a different territory for both of them," explains Ajala. "And yet, they both have to acknowledge that they're in different spaces, but then still show a level of care for one another. This grey area is new territory."

As for the Indiana Jones -level of excitement the series explores this season, Ajala details, "I love action, I love being able to be physical, to express myself. Having said that, I love the way action is used in the right way. And because this is the final season, we could have taken like one to potentially three episodes to kind of warm into it. But with the first episode, we were straight in with high octane, big action sequences, and just a real spectacle to observe."

Blu del Barrio on Adira's Growing Confidence

"Adira starts out in a pretty solid looking place," reveals Blu del Barrio.

"On the outside, they look and seem really good," adds del Barrio. "They have a lot more responsibilities on the ship. And they're taking their work very seriously, and just very happy to be like more integrated. But underneath the surface, they're struggling a little bit more with some emotional stuff and some major personal stuff."

Eve Harlow on the Arrival of Star-Crossed Lovers and Joining the Cast of Discovery

During NYCC 2022 , audiences got to learn about this season's baddies. Moll and L'ak are former couriers turned outlaws. Moll is highly intelligent and dangerous, with an impressive strategic mind and a sharp wit. She goes into every situation with a clear plan and stays focused and clear-headed on her goal, even when things go awry. She’s not easy to intimidate, and will face down anyone who stands in her way in order to get what she wants. Whereas L'ak is tough, impulsive, and fiercely protective of his beloved partner, Moll. So long as he knows she’s safe, he doesn’t care about collateral damage or its consequences — a perspective that makes him very dangerous at times and will put him on the opposite side of Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery when they come into conflict.

Speaking directly to StarTrek.com on Star Trek: The Cruise VII, Eve Harlow divulges, "Moll is badass, and she and L’ak are an interspecies couple. It’s kind of breaking all the rules, which is why they’re on the run. It’s very much like Romeo and Juliet or Bonnie and Clyde because they’re star-crossed lovers."

On her experience of joining this series for its fifth season, Harlow offers tons of praises, "These are some of the kindest, just most welcoming people I've ever met. I feel like I just talk about how much I love Sonequa a lot, but I will keep talking about how much I love her. She is the best leader I've ever experienced on set."

"[When I reflected on] who on-set is most like their character in real life. Without skipping a beat, Elias and I, at the same time, were Sonequa. She is that captain, and she treats everyone like an equal. I've just never been on a set where everyone, the crew is so appreciated. She knows everybody's names. She knows what they do. She knows their family life, what's going on with them. She genuinely cares, and being around that, that spirit is infectious. Every single time I was on set. I was so high energy; I was just so happy to be here. And it's because of the people who were working on that show."

Michelle Paradise on Season 5's New Faces

"Elias [Toufexis] and Eve [Harlow] play L’ak and Moll who are our two new bad guys this season," states Michelle Paradise. "We talked about them as kind of a Bonnie and Clyde unit. We hadn't had a couple before as our antagonist. In turn, they're obviously formidable foes for our heroes. But we also really wanted to make sure that they felt well-rounded, and that they weren't just one note, bad guys. We understood the why of what they were doing the depth of their love for one another. People will be surprised that they may start rooting for these bad guys, actually. But they'll never want them to win more than our heroes, of course. It’s a lot of fun to have them."

L'ak and Moll aren't the only new faces this season. Rayner, also previously announced at NYCC 2022, is a gruff, smart Starfleet captain who holds a clear line between commander and crew — he leads, they follow. Rayner’s all about the mission, whatever it may be, and he doesn’t do niceties along the way; his feeling is, you get the job done and apologize later. He has a storied track record of wartime success, but in times of peace, he struggles. Collaboration is not his strong suit. That said, if it serves the greater good he’s willing to learn... but it won’t be easy.

"And then Callum Keith Rennie plays Captain Rayner," elaborates Paradise. "What's interesting about him is that he is going to be a bit of an antagonist, but not in a bad guy way. He's going to push Burnham, and we'll get to see new sides of Burnham and new growth in Burnham because of her interactions with him. It's a really interesting dynamic there. That's one of the things that we always look at, if we're going to bring in any new guest characters, is how can they impact our regulars? And how can they help our regulars grow over the course of the season or change or help us see new sides of them, and these three do that beautifully."

Get ready for Discovery 's final adventure when Season 5 premieres with the first two episodes later this week!

Get updates by email.

Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 through 4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, 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. In Canada, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. Star Trek: Discovery is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.