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Whatever Happened To Tim Russ, ‘Tuvok’ From Star Trek: Voyager?

By Christopher Covello | January 18, 2023

Tim Russ is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and musician known for appearing in several different Star Trek series, including a lead role on Star Trek: Voyager as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok.

Background Info and Early Life

Russ was born in Washington, D.C. on June 22, 1956. His family traveled frequently, as his father was an officer in the United States Air Force, and lived on bases in New York, Nebraska, Alaska, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Turkey.

Russ attended St. Edward’s University and graduated with a degree in theater arts before subsequently attending Illinois State University’s graduate program. It was during his time at St. Edward’s University that Russ’ career began with a PBS Masterpiece production.

Acting Career

Russ’ first post-graduate acting credit came in 1985 for an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled “Kentucky Rye”, where he depicted a police officer. His early career would find him in similar minor or uncredited roles in shows like Hunter and Hill Street Blues. 

Hill Street Blues

Russ’ first two appearances on serial police procedural series Hill Street Blues were in 1984 and 1985, both times picturing him as an uncredited paramedic adjacent to the episode’s action. In 1985, however, he landed a role as Burton in an episode entitled “The Virgin and The Turkey.” Russ would appear credited once more in 1987 as Ben Childers in an episode called “Days of Swine and Roses.”

Spaceballs was an iconic Mel Brooks film released in 1987 to parody the monumentally popular and massively successful Star Wars franchise, and featured stars of the era Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, and the voice of Joan Rivers.

The film would also feature a young Tim Russ credited simply as Trooper. His appearance was brief and humorous, as the bad guys are asked to “comb the desert” looking for the good guys and a single shot depicts Russ literally combing the desert with an afro comb before reporting to Rick Moranis, “We ain’t found shit!”

The Highwayman

The Highwayman was a short-lived action-adventure series that aired on NBC in 1987. The show consisted of 1 pilot and 9 episodes before being canceled due to poor ratings.

The show follows lead actor Sam J. Jones who leads a ragtag group of crime-fighting, mystery-solving truck drivers each with their own mysterious backstory and high-tech truck. Tim Russ featured in all 10 episodes as D.C. Montana who services and repairs the trucks for the Highwaymen.

Generations

Starting in 1989, NBC began airing a daytime soap opera called Generations, which was considered groundbreaking for the time since it featured an African-American family from the inception of the show as main characters. Notable actors from the show included Vivica A. Fox, Lynn Hamilton, Kristoff St. John, and Richard Roundtree.

The show also featured Tim Russ in 1990 on 10 of the 470 episodes as Brian Price.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

By 1993, Russ found his way to Star Trek with a feature in Star Trek: The Next Generation as the mercenary Devor. In the episode “Starship Mine”, Picard’s crew has evacuated for the essential but lethal baryon sweep when opportunistic Devor and Co hop aboard to steal trilithium resin from the warp core.

Star Trek: Generations

Russ would pop up in the Trekverse once more in the film Star Trek: Generations as an unnamed lieutenant before appearing on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Klingon mercenary T’Kar.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

On Deep Space Nine episode “Invasive Procedures”, the Deep Space Nine crew evacuates the station to dodge an impending plasma storm when good ol’ Tim Russ as T’Kar waltzes aboard in search of the Dax symbiont.

Russ’ appearance as T’Kar would take place in 1993, but he would appear once more in 1995 as his Voyager character, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok.

Star Trek: Voyager

Russ’ true big break took place in 1995 when he was cast as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok on the main cast of Star Trek: Voyager. Russ portrayed Tuvok on 168 of 172 episodes for all seven of the show’s seasons between 1995 and 2001. Russ would reprise the role on fan-made Star Trek: Of Gods and Men in 2007.

Fans praised Russ’ performance, as his extensive Trekkie knowledge of Vulcan lore helped him faithfully portray Tuvok’s character while his education and previous TV roles helped equip him with the talent and range to provide fans an exceptional acting performance.

Tuvok remains Tim Russ’ most iconic role to date, including all other shows, movies, and his appearance as 3 other characters in the Trekverse.

What did Tim Russ do after Star Trek: Voyager?

Russ remained an actor after Voyager wrapped, landing minor roles on shows like ABC’s Samantha Who?, Nickelodeon’s iCarly, or Disney’s Hannah Montana.

He has made guest appearances on shows such as Arrested Development, Castle, NCIS, and Fox’s 9-1-1. Russ also lends his voice to many popular video games including Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Fallout 4.

What is Tim Russ doing now?

Conventions

A lifelong Trekkie, Tim Russ regularly attends Star Trek conventions to this day. In 2022, he attended the San Diego Comic Con, the London Film and Comic Con, the Phoenix Fan Fusion and the CyPhaCon, as well as the Star Trek Cruise.

He will be attending the Star Trek: 56-Year Mission in Las Vegas and the Destination Star Trek convention in Germany.

Tim Russ is also available on Cameo , the platform which allows fans to purchase personalized messages from their favorite celebrities. Starting at $100, you can get a personalized birthday wish from everyone’s favorite Vulcan Lieutenant Commander with best wishes to live long and prosper.

Music Career

Beyond TV and film, Tim Russ is also known as an avid singer and musician who would play regularly in bars and clubs well before his acting career took off.

Today, he plays guitar and sings for his band Tim Russ Crew on their unique blend of pop, rock, and blues. The band, based in California, play regularly at events showcasing their music talent and original songs.

As it would turn out, Tim Russ’ interest in outer space was no mere act, and he has been an amateur astronomer as a hobby for many years. In 2021, he and a group of amateur astronomers observed a celestial object orbiting Jupiter which turned out to be an asteroid thereafter dubbed 617 Patroclus.

NASA had been planning a mission in that region, and Russ’ findings became crucial intel for the mission’s success. Thus, Russ was asked to provide his data directly to NASA to assist in the mission.

Family Life

Tim Russ most often speaks about his professional life, leaving his personal life shrouded in mystery. However, it is known that Tim Russ has been with costume designer Deborah Hartwell for many years.

The two worked together on projects including the fan-made Star Trek: Of Gods and Men as well as the Tim Russ directed feature film Junkie.

Russ has one daughter, Madison Russ , who was born in 1999. Madison is currently an actress and has been featured on shows and movies including Blade of Honor, Star Trek: Renegades, Junkie, and Candy Corn.

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About Christopher Covello

Christopher Covello is a professional freelancer and published author. He writes copy, content, and SEO-focused material in various niches including music, entertainment, fitness, video games, business, travel, pet care, and eCommerce. More from Christopher

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Star Trek: Generations

With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix. With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix. With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix.

• David Carson
• Gene Roddenberry
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• Ronald D. Moore
• Patrick Stewart
• William Shatner
• Malcolm McDowell
• 326 User reviews
• 104 Critic reviews
• 55 Metascore
• 2 wins & 4 nominations

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• Trivia The producers asked George Takei to come back and play Sulu one more time, and take the helm of the Enterprise-B. But Takei refused, because if Sulu had taken the helm, this would have meant temporarily reducing Sulu's rank, so that he could serve under Captain Kirk again. He felt that Sulu had worked too hard to earn his command to allow even a temporary reduction. A new character, Demora, daughter of Sulu, was created to speak Sulu's lines.
• Goofs As Worf climbs up the side of the 19th century ship, his right knee is red either from bleeding or from touching a part of the ship that may have been freshly painted. When he enters the bridge, the red color is missing.

Kirk : Captain of the Enterprise, huh?

Picard : That's right.

Kirk : Close to retirement?

Picard : I'm not planning on it.

Kirk : Well let me tell you something. Don't! Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do *anything* that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there... you can make a difference.

Picard : Come back with me. Help me stop Soran. Help make a difference again!

Kirk : Who am I to argue with the captain of the Enterprise? What's the name of that planet? Veridian III?

Kirk : I take it the odds are against us and the situation is grim?

Picard : You could say that.

Kirk : You know if Spock were here, he'd say I was an irrational, illogical human being for going on a mission like that.

Kirk : Sounds like fun!

• Alternate versions Fox-TV version removes some footage: During the crisis on the Enterprise B, Kirk starts to stand a number of times to offer a suggestion and then thinks better of it, sitting back down. Scotty leans over after this happens a few times and asks if there's something wrong with his chair. Scotty's remark is deleted. After Riker orders the computer to remove the plank, causing Worf to be dumped in the water, his follow-up exchange with Picard is missing - Picard: "Number One, that's 'retract' the plank, not 'remove' the plank." Riker: "Of course, sir. [shouting over the rail] Sorry!"
• Connections Edited from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
• Soundtracks Theme from 'Star Trek' TV Series from Star Trek (1966) Music by Alexander Courage Arranged and Orchestra Conducted by Dennis McCarthy (uncredited)

User reviews 326

• Mar 30, 2002
• How long is Star Trek: Generations? Powered by Alexa
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• In what year does this movie take place?
• November 18, 1994 (United States)
• United States
• Star Trek Generations
• Valley of Fire State Park - Route 169, Overton, Nevada, USA (Veridian III surface)
• Paramount Pictures
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• $35,000,000 (estimated)
• $75,671,125
• $23,116,394
• Nov 20, 1994
• $118,071,125

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 58 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Surround 7.1

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Along with Jonathan Frakes , Russ is one of the only Star Trek actors to have appeared on-screen with four Star Trek series captains. (Frakes did appear in Star Trek Generations with Kirk actor William Shatner , but he did not share any scenes with him. Russ, on the other hand, did share scenes with Shatner in that movie.)

One of Russ' favorite movies is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . One of his favorite actors is the late William Marshall , who appeared on the Star Trek: The Original Series episode " The Ultimate Computer " as Doctor Richard Daystrom . ( citation needed • edit ) Russ once cited his favorite TOS episodes as " Assignment: Earth ", " All Our Yesterdays ", and " Balance of Terror ". ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 101 , p. 53)

• 1 Early life and career
• 3 After Voyager
• 4.1 Voice acting credits
• 5 Writing credits
• 6 Star Trek interviews
• 7 External links

Early life and career [ ]

Born in Washington, DC, Russ spent his childhood in a number of different places, as his father was a United States Air Force officer. He wound up graduating from high school in Turkey, earning his diploma from Rome Academy in New York, and receiving a BS in Theater Arts from St. Edward's University in Texas. He then received a full scholarship from Illinois State University, where he continued studying the theater. During his early life, Tim Russ owned many dogs.

Russ began acting full time in 1985. In October of that year, he appeared in episodes of The Twilight Zone and Hunter (the latter of which he acted alongside Bruce Davison , Gary Graham , and Tony Plana ). The following year, he made his feature film debut, playing Robert Johnson in the musical drama Crossroads . He followed this with another film that same year: the romantic drama Fire with Fire , starring Virginia Madsen .

In 1987 , Tim Russ auditioned for the role of Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation , but the part was given to LeVar Burton . However, he did win the role of D.C. Montana in the TV movie pilot for an action series called The Highwayman that same year. The series was subsequently picked up and debuted in 1988, with Russ as a regular cast member. However, the series only lasted nine episodes before being canceled.

" We ain't found shit! " – Russ as an angry trooper in Spaceballs

In the meantime, Russ continued to make guest appearances on such TV shows as Hill Street Blues (with Anne Haney and James B. Sikking ), Jake and the Fatman (with his future Voyager co-star, Dwight Schultz ), Beauty and the Beast (with Ron Perlman and Warren Munson ), and Alien Nation , starring Gary Graham and Eric Pierpoint .

Russ made a memorable, though brief, appearance in the popular science fiction spoof Spaceballs . In the movie, Russ plays a trooper who is assigned to literally comb a desert using an over-sized comb. When asked if he had found anything, Russ' frustrated trooper proclaims, " We ain't found shit! " Dey Young also made an appearance in Spaceballs as a waitress.

In addition, Russ appeared in the 1987 action film Death Wish 4: The Crackdown ( Marina Sirtis had appeared in Death Wish 3 ), the 1988 sci-fi/horror film Pulse , starring Cliff DeYoung , and the 1988 drama Bird , which featured Bill Cobbs , Hamilton Camp , and Tony Todd . Also in 1988, Russ co-starred with James Sloyan and Leigh Taylor-Young in the telefilm Who Gets the Friends? and was one of several Star Trek performers to appear in the TV special Roots: The Gift . His co-stars in this latter film included Avery Brooks (later to star as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ), LeVar Burton, and Kate Mulgrew (later to co-star with Russ on Voyager ).

Russ' work in the early 1990s included the TV movies The Heroes of Desert Storm (with Glenn Morshower ), Journey to the Center of the Earth (with F. Murray Abraham and Carel Struycken ), and Bitter Vengeance (co-starring Virginia Madsen and Bruce Greenwood ); the films Eve of Destruction , Mr. Saturday Night and Dead Connection ; and guest appearances on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (a Christmas two-parter, including one episode which guest-starred Kenneth Tigar ), Murphy Brown (as a Secret Service agent who keeps Murphy from approaching the Easter egg hunt on the White House lawn) and episodes of the short-lived Cop Rock (starring Ronny Cox ) and Tequila and Bonetti (starring Charles Rocket ). He also guest-starred in an episode of Melrose Place with Casey Biggs . He later appeared in an episode of the short-lived television show seaQuest DSV , where he played a noteworthy computer hacker named Martin Clemens, who was nicknamed "Mycroft" (clearly after the brother of Sherlock Holmes ).

In 1993, he was cast in his first Star Trek role, playing Devor in the Next Generation episode " Starship Mine ". He followed this with the role of T'Kar on Deep Space Nine later that same year. These roles (and his appearance in the film Star Trek Generations ) ultimately won him the role of Tuvok on Voyager , which debuted in January of 1995 . He played the role for the next seven years.

After his Trek directing debut with the episode " Living Witness ", Russ was prepared to direct another episode in season six but was not chosen to do so. He also said that he worked with four and a half Trek captains, namely William Shatner , Patrick Stewart , Avery Brooks , Kate Mulgrew , and Genevieve Bujold and that the crew produced a blooper tape of the first season which was not published. ( Trekworld, June 1999 )

Several costumes worn by Russ were later sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay including his Ilari undercover uniform from the third season episode " Warlord ". [1]

Although Voyager took up most of Russ' time, he nonetheless had the chance to co-write, direct, and star in the 1998 independent drama film East of Hope Street . He also voiced the character of Hobie Brown, aka the Prowler, for an episode of the animated Spider-Man series based on the characters appearing in Marvel Comics .

After Voyager [ ]

Since Voyager 's end in 2001 , Russ has focused on directing as well as his singing career. In 2001, he released his second album through independent distribution, Kushangaza , featuring the song " Kushangaza ". This song could also be seen (and heard) in a hidden music video on disc 7 of the Star Trek: Voyager season 2 DVD.

In 2003, Russ directed the short film Roddenberry on Patrol , a comedic look at Gene Roddenberry 's search to create Star Trek . He signed a number of other Trek alumni to appear in the film, including TOS stars Nichelle Nichols , Walter Koenig , and George Takei (who narrated) and Voyager co-stars Robert Beltran , Ethan Phillips , and Robert Picardo . Featured as Montgomery Scott was actor Bart Shattuck. Russ himself also appeared in the film.

In 2005, he appeared in an episode of ER , along with Mädchen Amick and Leland Orser , and the following year he appeared with Star Trek: Enterprise star Connor Trinneer in an episode of NCIS called "Jeopardy". He also had roles in the films The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (2005, co-starring Richard Herd and Time Winters ) and The OH in Ohio (2006). In addition, he had a recurring role on the short-lived NBC TV series Twenty Good Years and on the soap opera General Hospital . Most recently, he made a brief appearance as an agent on Without a Trace , starring Enrique Murciano and played a throat doctor in an episode of the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana entitled "I Am Hannah, Hear Me Croak".

Russ directed and starred in the internet-release-only mini-series Star Trek: Of Gods and Men , complete with a Star Trek -related cast, including Nichols, Koenig, Grace Lee Whitney , Alan Ruck , Garrett Wang , Chase Masterson , J.G. Hertzler , Gary Graham , and Crystal Allen .

Russ can be seen in the fourth Die Hard film, Live Free or Die Hard . He also starred as Frank the doorman on the ABC comedy series Samantha Who? , which was produced and sometimes directed by Russ' Voyager castmate Robert Duncan McNeill (a satire of the show in the May 2008 issue of MAD magazine showed Russ' character with Vulcan ears and a Starfleet combadge on his jacket).

In 2009, Russ voiced Zathrian, an elf, in the Bioware game Dragon Age: Origins (with Kate Mulgrew and S.A. Templeman ). Russ once again worked with " Darkling " guest star David Lee Smith on CSI: Miami in the 6th episode "Meltdown", playing a character in law enforcement, just like Smith's Rick Stetler.

Russ recently co-starred with Robert Picardo in a web series pilot for Funny or Die called Chad and the Alien Toupee .

From 2007 to 2012, Russ appeared as a recurring character in Nickelodeon's iCarly . He plays Ted Franklin, the principal at Ridgeway school, which the main characters attend.

In 2013, Russ was working on reprising his role as Tuvok in Star Trek: Renegades , a pilot episode for a possible web series, along with Walter Koenig who was to reprise his role as Pavel Chekov and Manu Intiraymi as Icheb . The proposed series was set well after Voyager and involved the Vulcan joining a reformed Section 31 in order to save the Federation from a new threat.

Afterwards, Russ announced his participation in the new episode "A Step Between Stars" of the video game Star Trek Online in which he'd also reprise his role as Admiral Tuvok. [2] . He returned for the game's Season 9 update, including the episode "Surface Tension" and returned in the game's second expansion "Delta Rising" alongside fellow Voyager alum Garrett Wang .

In 2015, he voiced Lancer-Captain Kells in Fallout 4 with Alan Oppenheimer , Dwight Schultz and Robert Picardo .

In 2018, Russ guest-starred in The CW hit DC TV series Supergirl , as a Kryptonian Argo City councilmen, Jul-Us.

In 2019, Russ became one of many Star Trek franchise actors to appear on The Orville (alongside main cast members Seth MacFarlane , Penny Johnson , and Scott Grimes ), appearing as Dr. Sherman in the episode "Lasting Impressions."

In 2020, Russ had a cameo role in The Midnight Sky , which also featured Ethan Peck . He also did voice work for the Shadowlands expansion of the MMORPG World of Warcraft by Blizzard Entertainment, as the character Thenios.

Star Trek appearances [ ]

Voice acting credits [ ]

• Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force
• Star Trek: Elite Force II
• Star Trek Online

Writing credits [ ]

• #29: " Sole Asylum, Part One " (co-plotting "Enemies & Allies, part one" story with Mark Paniccia )
• #30: " Sole Asylum, Part Two " (co-plotting "Enemies & Allies, part two" story with Mark Paniccia )

Star Trek interviews [ ]

• E! Inside Star Trek: Voyager ( 1995 )
• Launch of Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Inside the New Adventure (1995)
• VOY Season 1 DVD special feature Cast Reflections: Season One , interviewed on 20 March 2001

External links [ ]

• Tim Russ at StarTrek.com
• Tim Russ at the Internet Movie Database
• Tim Russ at Wikipedia
• Interview with Tim Russ at BlankManInc.com
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Giant Freakin Robot

Star Trek: Discovery Casting Choice Makes Series Problem Even Worse

Posted: May 1, 2024 | Last updated: May 1, 2024

David Ajala plays Cleveland Booker in Star Trek: Discovery, and he instantly became one of the franchise’s most memorable characters thanks to everything from his shady background to his adorable cat. In a recent interview, the actor admitted that his character “was only meant to be on the show for two seasons, Seasons 3 and 4.” He was understandably delighted to come back for the fifth and final season of the show, but this casting choice makes the show’s biggest problem even worse: namely, that we still spend hardly any time with the majority of Discovery’s crew.

Too Little Focus On The Rest Of The Crew

Before I go any further and everyone tries to sic a giant tardigrade on me, I want to emphasize that I think David Ajala has been a great addition to Star Trek: Discovery. I love his character in the earlier seasons, and in the most recent season, his developing relationship with the criminal Moll has been a real highlight. Every moment he is onscreen, however, is a reminder that Discovery is an ensemble show that cares very little about most of the ensemble.

What does that mean? Simple: There are more Discovery fans than Paramount would care to admit, but they still can’t name most of the characters who have been on the show from the beginning. Even if you can remember their names, it’s mostly because they were explicitly mentioned by one of the characters the show always focuses on (usually Michael Burnham).

Discovery Missed The Chance To Bring Back An Ensemble Feel

Long before David Ajala came to the show, part of what made Star Trek: Discovery feel so significant was that it would be our first new episodic Trek series since Enterprise aired its final season in 2005. Enterprise, like Voyager before it, had an ensemble cast in which everyone got their moment to shine. Captain Archer might have gotten a little more screentime, but after that fifth season wrapped up, there was nobody on the bridge crew that fans couldn’t name.

Now, in a weird bit of cosmic irony, Discovery is also wrapping up after five seasons. Unlike the previous show, however, Discovery gets only about half as many episodes per season. There are many advantages to that approach, but the shortened seasons kicked off a continuing problem that the return of David Ajala to Star Trek: Discovery has only made worse.

Cleveland Booker Wasn’t Supposed To Come Back

Originally, his Cleveland Booker character was seemingly written off the show at the end of season four. His relationship with Michael was over, and he was stuck doing penance for his crimes against the Federation. According to David Ajala, “the producers and powers that be wanted to flesh out Cleveland Booker’s story a little more,” which is why he came back to Star Trek: Discovery. But when the seasons for this show are half as long as the seasons for shows like The Next Generation, there isn’t enough time for all of the great characters to get their own episodes or specific storylines to flesh them out.

For example, Jett Reno pops up for a hilarious scene every few episodes and then disappears back into the deep background. Detmer was passionate about flying one time, but fans mostly know her as “the lady with the metal in her head” (not to be confused with “the lady who is metal,” the late officer Airiam). Oh, and Gen Ryhs is a tactical officer, but you might not know that because he almost never goes on Away Teams like Worf or Tuvok would.

Too Much Focus On Booker In The Final Episodes

Nominally, a tactical officer would help protect the Captain on dangerous missions, but you’ll never see Rhys beam down…this season, that honor exclusively belongs to David Ajala’s Cleveland Booker, who is back to being Burnham’s constant partner in crime. Again, he’s great in the role, and I’d love to get a Booker spinoff show instead of something as inevitably boring as the Starfleet Academy show. But focusing so much on his character in the final season of Star Trek: Discovery has ensured that we’ll never get to know our supporting crew any better.

Show The Supporting Cast Some Love

This criticism comes from a place of love…I’ve personally never missed an episode of Discovery and am excited to see how this whole Progenitor mystery wraps up. But as a longtime franchise fan, I can’t help but think how boring The Next Generation would have been if we never spent any time with Worf or how (ahem) flavorless Voyager would have been without ever focusing on Neelix. Disco is a show that nominally embraces the IDIC philosophy, but it’s clear that “infinite diversity” translates to spending as little time with our killer supporting cast as humanly possible.

Source: CinemaBlend

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Screen Rant

Star trek: voyager & ds9 crossed over in the mirror universe.

Despite being stuck in the Delta Quadrant, a Star Trek: Voyager crew member briefly crossed over into the Mirror Universe to join the DS9 cast.

• Star Trek: Voyager and Deep Space Nine crossed over within the Mirror Universe, bringing the shows together across vast cosmic distances.
• The crossovers featuring characters like Tuvok and Doctor Zimmerman added depth to the interconnected Star Trek universe.
• Despite differing tones, Voyager and DS9 remain beloved shows, delighting audiences through streaming platforms today.

Despite being separated by thousands of light years, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine crossed over inside the Mirror Universe. Voyager and Deep Space Nine were very different in tone, due to the differing approaches of the shows' respective producers, Brannon Braga and Ira Steven Behr. Where DS9 was a serialized drama that tackled huge themes, Voyager embraced a traditional episodic approach that could sometimes feel disposable and regressive . Despite their differences in tone, DS9 and Voyager are two beloved Star Trek TV shows that still delight audiences to this day via streaming, which is a testament to the versatility and timelessness of the franchise.

As the USS Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant, it was hard, but not impossible, for Star Trek: Voyager to cross over into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Alpha and Gamma Quadrant settings. In fact, there was a surprising number of Star Trek characters who guested on Voyager from Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) to Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Creative approaches such as intervention by Q (John de Lancie), glimpses of Starfleet's attempts to locate the missing USS Voyager, and even the Mirror Universe allowed Star Trek: Voyager to crossover with its 1990s contemporaries, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Every 1990s Era Star Trek Crossover

Star trek: voyager’s tuvok crossed over with ds9’s mirror universe, star trek: deep space nine, season 3, episode 19, "through the looking glass".

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 19, "Through the Looking Glass", Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is captured and taken to the Mirror Universe by "Smiley" O'Brien (Colm Meaney). The Rebellion in the Mirror Universe wanted Prime Sisko to convince the ex-wife of his Terran counterpart to join the resistance against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance . As Sisko is taken to the Terran Rebellion's enclave, he meets the Mirror Universe variants of his DS9 crew mates. In the same scene Sisko also meets the Mirror Universe version of Star Trek: Voyager 's Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ), leading a more logic-driven faction of the Rebellion.

Mirror Tuvok is the only Mirror Universe variant of a Star Trek: Voyager character that has appeared on TV.

Tuvok was included in "Through the Looking Glass" at the request of Rick Berman , who presumably wanted to strengthen the links between Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . DS9 season 3 and Voyager season 1 aired concurrently with each other, and "Through the Looking Glass" aired on April 17, 1995, a week when there was no new episode of Voyager . In this gap between "State of Flux" and "Heroes and Demons", therefore, a brief crossover between Voyager and DS9 was a good way to keep the fledgling Star Trek show in the minds of the audience.

Every Voyager & DS9 Star Trek Crossover

"Through the Looking Glass" isn't the only crossover between Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The Voyager pilot "Caretaker" features the USS Voyager depart from Deep Space Nine to search for the missing Tuvok and the Maquis ship, the Valjean in the Badlands. As with McCoy and Picard in the previous Star Trek pilots, DS9 's Quark (Armin Shimerman) appeared in "Caretaker" to pass the baton to Voyager . In a scene that demonstrated how green the young Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) was, he almost falls for one of Quark's latest scams, until he's rescued by Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill).

Gul Evek (Richard Poe) and Morn (Mark Allen Shepherd) are the two other Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters that appear in the Star Trek: Voyager pilot.

A version of Star Trek: Voyager 's Doctor (Robert Picardo) appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 16, "Doctor Bashir, I Presume" alongside his creator Dr. Lewis Zimmerman (also Picardo). Technically, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine marks the first real appearance by the EMH's creator, who had previously appeared in Voyager as a holographic replica. The real Zimmerman would later appear in Star Trek: Voyager season 6, episode 24, "Life Line", which also featured Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) further strengthening the bonds between different corners of the Star Trek universe.

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

Star Trek: Voyager

The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they've never faced before. 

Star Trek: 6 Worst Things Done By The Federation, Ranked

The Federation certainly doesn't have clean hands in the Star Trek franchise. These examples demonstrate them at their worst.

• The Federation's dark side is revealed through blackmailing and trickery in political and wartime scenarios.
• The actions of key figures like Captain Sisko and Janeway raise ethical questions about Federation ideals.
• Section 31's drastic measures, including attempted genocide, show the darker side of the Federation's morality.

Star Trek 's United Federation of Planets may ostensibly be the franchise's good guys, but even sci-fi's most progressive utopia has a few skeletons in its closet. This is hardly surprising: Captain Jonathan Archer, a key figure in the founding of the Federation, was not averse to indulging in occasional piracy or torture during his time in command of the Enterprise NX-01. And, while the Federation has many positive aspects, it seems that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree regarding the great power's flaws.

6 Biggest Retcons To Star Trek History

Many of the Federation's worst excesses can be explained (if not excused) by the existence of dire threats or states of widespread conflict . Some, however, are more personal, leading to long-held fan grudges that still simmer decades after the acts themselves. From political machinations to every flavor of war crime, the Federation is hardly blameless, even if the ends sometimes justify the means.

6 Blackmailing Qo'nos

That's one way to win a war.

• Star Trek: Discovery: "Will You Take My Hand?" (Season 1, Episode 15)

Fans remain split on Star Trek: Discovery. Is it a bold new take on the classic franchise, or does it miss the point by several light-years? Whatever the case, one thing is clear when it comes to the Federation's actions at the end of the show's first season: they're as villainous as they are incoherent. Discovery 's debut season focuses on a dangerous conflict between the Federation and the militaristic Klingon Empire ; faced with the risk of imminent defeat, the Federation enlists the help of Emperor Georgiou, a genocidal dictator from the Mirror Universe.

Georgiou's scheme is as silly as anyone should expect from a Mirror Universe inhabitant. Discovery travels to the Klingon homeworld and hides a bomb inside the planet's crust. While Georgiou's initial plot to destroy the planet is foiled, the Federation uses the bomb as leverage, essentially blackmailing the Klingons into accepting a puppet ruler with pro-Federation policies. Enforced regime change on a grand scale is hardly the action of a benevolent state, suggesting that the Federation is less virtuous than it likes to pretend.

5 Tricking The Romulans

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "In the Pale Moonlight" (Season 6, Episode 19)

"In the Pale Moonlight" is one of the Star Trek franchise's most iconic episodes. Set during the Federation's darkest days, the episode sees Captain Sisko enlist the help of former spy Elim Garak to bring the Romulan Star Empire into the war on the allied side. The devious Romulans are unwilling to join forces with their Federation rivals, so Sisko and Garak are forced to use a blend of deception and diplomacy to achieve their strategic goals.

8 Coolest Starships From Star Trek: The Next Generation

Admittedly, Garak is responsible for many of the scheme's more villainous aspects, such as orchestrating the death of a Romulan senator to implicate the Dominion. However, Sisko (and by extension the Federation) is a driving force behind the plot. Bringing the Romulans into the war proves essential for ensuring an eventual Federation victory, but the Federation's methodology for doing so remains questionable. Yet, as Sisko points out, he will simply have to live with his villainy.

4 The Forced Deportation Of The Ba'ku

Do the ends ever justify the means.

• Star Trek: Insurrection

Deep Space Nine 's Dominion War sent shockwaves throughout the franchise, with its impact felt in a range of TV shows, novels, and movies. Indeed, despite featuring characters from The Next Generation , Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) examines the Federation's ethics during wartime. Dominion forces are overwhelming the Federation Alliance at every turn, but the planet of Ba'ku may prove to be a secret weapon. The Federation plans to use Ba'ku's naturally medicinal environment as a hospital for its war effort, but there's a problem.

The planet is already home to the Ba'ku people , and the Federation becomes embroiled in a plot to forcibly relocate the native population to another planet. This policy becomes even harder to defend once it becomes apparent that the supposedly friendly Son'a have their own vendetta against the Ba'ku. It's no wonder, then, that Captain Picard and his crew elected to defy the Federation in this case. Picard may be one of the Federation's most famous figures, but he refuses to be complicit in its wrongdoing.

3 Using Bioweapons To Poison A Planet

Did captain sisko go too far.

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "For the Uniform" (Season 5, Episode 13)

When does the quest for justice become a bloody hunt for revenge? This question is posed by "For the Uniform," an episode that pits the morally gray Captain Sisko against the traitorous Eddington, a member of the Maquis terrorist group . The Maquis plan to deploy biological weapons to drive the alien Cardassians away from planets which the Marquis claim for themselves. Sisko, however, turns the plot on its head by using his biological weapons against the planets, making them uninhabitable for humans.

Star Trek: Things You Didn’t Know About Benjamin Sisko

Sisko's decision to devastate an entire planet is one of Star Trek 's most shocking moments, and this is emphasized by Worf's initial hesitation to obey Sisko's command. Sisko believes that drastic action is the only way to force Eddington to surrender, but fans continue to debate whether the Emissary of the Prophets let his emotions cloud his judgment. Eddington made a fool of Sisko by betraying and then openly attacking the Federation—in doing so, he pushed Sisko into ordering one of the Federation's most evil acts.

2 The Attempted Genocide Of The Founders

When does warfare become a war crime.

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "What You Leave Behind" (Season 7, Episodes 25 & 26)

The Federation may be a place of intellectual progress and equality, but its benevolence conceals a seedy underbelly. Section 31, a Federation intelligence agency with a broad remit and a questionable moral compass. Section 31 and its agents are responsible for some heinous actions, such as blackmailing Starfleet officers and employing villains from the Mirror Universe . However, Section 31's most radical scheme involves the attempted genocide of the Dominion's Founders.

The Federation, via Section 31, infects the Founders with a morphogenic virus that is designed to exterminate the species. While this would bring about the end of the devastating Dominion War, it demonstrates that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Luckily, good intentions save the Federation in the long run, as curing the disease convinces the Founders to end the war.

1 Janeway's Murder (?) Of Tuvix

Can kathryn janeway ever be redeemed.

• Star Trek: Voyager : "Tuvix" (Season 2, Episode 24)

Kathryn Janeway may be just one Starfleet captain, but she and her starship represent the whole of the Federation's presence in the far-off Delta Quadrant . As such, many of her actions have raised fans' eyebrows, from allying with the Borg against Species 872 to falling in love with a holographic character (and deleting his wife from the program). However, viewers are especially disgusted by Janeway's treatment of Tuvix, a hybrid inadvertently created from the Vulcan Tuvok and the Talaxian Neelix.

Star Trek: 8 Best Book-Only Characters, Ranked

Tuvix is sentient, displays a unique sense of self and identity, and makes it clear that he wants to live. Janeway, however, sees things from a more utilitarian perspective: she's lost one of her best officers due to Tukov's hybridization into Tuvix. Her decision to overrule Tuvix's right to exist to restore the status quo represents Janeway at her most ruthless, and many fans have yet to forgive Star Trek 's first female captain. As Federation crimes go, it's a small one, but some still take it personally.

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Published Apr 24, 2024

Stuck in a Loop: The Best of Star Trek's Time-Jumping Episodes

From The Next Generation to Discovery, going around and around is sometimes very revealing.

StarTrek.com

In the Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 episode, " Face the Strange ," Captain Burnham and Commander Rayner find themselves both stuck in a loop, but also, jumping all around the timeline of the titular starship. From the point before the U.S.S. Discovery was launched, to pivotal moments in Season 4, Season 3, Season 2 and even very early in Season 1, Rayner notes at one point that, "We’ve gone back in time to when you went forward to the future. That’s a little confusing."

Throughout all of Star Trek 's history, time travel has been just as propulsive to the narratives as space travel. But, within the various time travel stories of Trek , there is a special kind of time-skipping episode — the time loop story. Discovery has recently shaken-up this formula with "Face the Strange," but many elements of this episode pay homage to a proud Star Trek tradition. Here’s the history of the best time loop, and time-jumping episodes across the entire Final Frontier.

" Cause and Effect ," Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 5, Episode 18)

"Cause and Effect"

Perhaps one of the greatest science fiction episodes of all time, The Next Generation set the gold-standard for how to do time loop episodes.

When the Enterprise collides with another starship in the first scene, this episode poses one question right off the bat: What happens after you blow up the ship — and everyone on it — before the credits roll? The answer is mostly connected to whether or not we can even remember when we're stuck in a loop. Without actually spoiling this classic episode, let's just say thank the stars for Dr. Crusher and Data.

The brilliance of "Cause and Effect" cannot be overstated, but the 21st Century legacy of this episode is utterly appropriate. When Geordi reveals how the time loop works, Riker says, "You mean we could have come into this room, sat at this table and had this conversation a dozen times already?" This scene has become a popular meme format across various social media platforms, satirizing the time loop of some aspects of the internet experience.

" Parallels ," Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 7, Episode 11)

"Parallels"

Arguably, when Worf starts slipping between realities in "Parallels," the story is more focused on other dimensions, rather than a true time loop. But, each time he pops into a new reality, Worf does tend to reply to his own personal log, which is what began the episode.

Obviously, in each new timeline, Worf's personal log is different, and because he checks it so often in the episode, this gives "Parallels" the feeling of a time loop story, even though Worf is technically moving both forward in time, and also, side-to-side.

On top of all of this, "Parallels" feels time-loopy because so many ideas and plot points from previous seasons of The Next Generation are revisited here. From references to " The Best of Both Worlds ," to the return of Wesley Crusher, "Parallels" brings all the good things of TNG back around again for another look, from a different point of view.

" All Good Things... ," Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 7, Episode 25)

"All Good Things..."

Speaking of the best of The Next Generation , the immortal series finale is, from a certain point of view, one big time loop. As Jean-Luc Picard shifts between past, present, and future, the biggest mystery of "All Good Things…" is what caused the anomaly in the Devron system? Eventually, we learn that the ending and the beginning of this story are inextricably connected, a paradox that creates a kind of loop that must be broken.

Twenty-nine years later, in the Star Trek: Picard episode, " Imposters ," Captain Liam Shaw references this moment, and notes that Picard and Riker have a "real chicken and egg thing going on." It doesn’t get any more time-loopy than that!

" Visionary ," Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 3, Episode 17)

"Visionary"

When O'Brien starts seeing another version of himself appearing randomly throughout the station, Dr. Bashir briefly floats the idea that he's just having really boring hallucinations. But, as the episode goes on, it becomes clear that O'Brien is actually seeing brief moments in the future, and then, catching up to those moments in the present.

"Visionary" messes with what we expect from a time loop episode, because in all instances of future occurrences, there are literally two O'Briens present, and, when the past O'Brien catches up to the future moment, the duplication effect happens again, creating a kind of visual loop for the audience. The funny thing is, in several instances, the future doesn't play out exactly the way past O'Brien saw the first time, making this one of the wobblier time loops in all of Star Trek .

" Relativity ," Star Trek: Voyager (Season 5, Episode 24)

"Relativity"

In a move very similar to Discovery 's "Face the Strange," this unforgettable episode of Voyager briefly takes us back to a point before the series even begins, showing us Janeway's first moments on Voyager before the ship left the Utopia Planitia Shipyards on Mars. (In "Face the Strange," Burnham and Rayner see Discovery in a drydock on Earth well before the events of Season 1.)

But, Voyager 's jaunt into its own prehistory is just the beginning of a very specific type of time jumping episode. Here, Seven of Nine isn't exactly repeating a loop, but, making several attempts at different times, to prevent a bomb from destroying Voyager . As Tuvok aptly puts it when encountering one version of Seven from the future, "Like many time paradoxes, it's improbable, but not necessarily illogical." Because this episode features multiple versions of Seven, and leaps to various eras of Voyager , it pairs very nicely with Burnham and Rayner's similar jumps in "Face the Strange." Especially the moment where Seven meets herself.

" Shattered ," Star Trek: Voyager (Season 7, Episode 11)

"Shattered"

Does Voyager have the best timey-wimey episodes in all of the Trek franchise? It's hard to say, but if there's another Trek episode that feels like an older sibling of Discovery 's "Face the Strange," it's almost certainly "Shattered," a fan-favorite episode from Voyager 's final season. Here, the captain and the first officer — Janeway and Chakotay — find themselves on a version of the ship that has been split into different time periods.

"Shattered" is one of Star Trek 's greatest retrospective episodes, touching on moments across all of Voyager 's story, and teaming past versions of characters with ones closer to the present. It's a touching story, and, structurally, it's wonderfully homaged in Discovery .

" Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad ," Star Trek: Discovery (Season 1, Episode 7)

"Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad"

One of Discovery 's stand-out moments from Season 1 fully set the stage for "Face the Strange" in Season 5. In "Magic to Make The Sanest Man Go Mad," Harry Mudd sets the ship on a true time loop, in which only Stamets can truly remember what is going on. Like in "Face the Strange," Stamets has a perception that exists outside of time, thanks to taking on the Tardigrade DNA in "Choose Your Pain."

This detail comes in handy in "Face the Strange," where Burnham and Stamets again have to re-team to get Discovery out of a time loop caused by nefarious enemies using time travel technology as a weapon. In Season 1, Burnham and Stamets barely knew each other, much like Burnham and Rayner's relationship in Season 5. But, if there's one thing a time loop or time-jumping episode can do, it’s make people who are just colleagues into best friends for life.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

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