star trek captains day

What is Picard Day? 'Star Trek' fans make it so on June 16

First celebrated in an episode of 'The Next Generation,' Captain Picard Day has become an event in its own right.

Pour yourself a celebratory mug of tea – Earl Grey, hot, naturally – because today is Captain Picard Day. 

First mentioned in an episode of " Star Trek: The Next Generation ", the event has crossed over into the real world, where it's joined First Contact Day (April 5) and Star Trek Day (September 8) in the diaries of "Trek" fans around the world.

Here we explain why June 16 has become an annual celebration of the legendary commanding officer of the USS Enterprise-D, and what you can do to mark the occasion.

Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

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Captain Picard Day: origins

Our first encounter with Captain Picard Day came in "The Pegasus", a seventh season episode of " Star Trek: The Next Generation ." The cold open reveals that each year, the children on board the Enterprise celebrate the captain of the ship by putting up banners and taking part in a competition to create pictures and models of their hero. "It's one of the children's favorite school activities," explains Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis). "They look forward to it all year."

Unfortunately, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), the captain of the ship – notoriously uncomfortable around kids – isn't enamored with the idea of being placed on a pedestal by the younger members of the crew. "I don't see why we have to do this every year," he complains. "I thought that last year the teachers had agreed that they wouldn't do this any more." Sorry, Jean-Luc …

Picard performs his duties diligently, and judges seven-year-old Paul Menegay the winner of the big prize. You can't help feeling, however, that the captain is somewhat relieved when Admiral Margaret Blackwood calls to send the ship on a new mission – even though she appears unmoved when he tells his boss he's "a role model" to the children. "I'm sure you are," comes Blackwood's desert-dry reply.

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The day has been mentioned a couple of times in subsequent "Star Trek" episodes. " Star Trek: Picard " season one's " Remembrance " revealed that Jean-Luc held on to the Captain Picard Day banner after the Enterprise-D crash-landed on Veridian III, storing it in his vault at the Starfleet Museum Quantum Archives. Meanwhile, Ensign Brad Boimler referenced the event in the " Star Trek: Lower Decks " episode "Cupid's Errant Arrow". 

It's also worth noting that Picard attempted to deflect his first officer's mockery by suggesting a Commander Riker Day should be arranged for the following month. Unfortunately, there's no record in canon of whether or not the spin-off event took off.

Captain Picard Day: why June 16?

June 16 is simply the Gregorian calendar equivalent of the date in the "Trek" universe's calendar, stardate 47457.1, as mentioned in "The Pegasus." Although there's some ambiguity over the exact date – translating "Star Trek" stardates is an inexact science – June 16 is now widely recognized as the "official" Captain Picard Day.

Captain Picard Day: How to mark the occasion

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How you make it so is entirely up to you, though in previous years fans have held themed parties, and created Picard-themed artwork of their own. In 2019, StarTrek.com expanded the celebrations to fill an entire Captain Picard Week, with activities including "Make Your Own Picard with Lt Barclay," a "Feelings Retreat with Counselor Troi" and – naturally – wine tasting sessions. 

For many Trekkies, however, the best way to mark the big day will be a marathon of classic Jean-Luc-focused "TNG" episodes, or a binge of the brilliant "Star Trek: Picard" season 3. It's also possible to buy Captain Picard Day merch at the official "Star Trek" shop .

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Richard's love affair with outer space started when he saw the original "Star Wars" on TV aged four, and he spent much of the ’90s watching "Star Trek”, "Babylon 5” and “The X-Files" with his mum. After studying physics at university, he became a journalist, swapped science fact for science fiction, and hit the jackpot when he joined the team at SFX, the UK's biggest sci-fi and fantasy magazine. He liked it so much he stayed there for 12 years, four of them as editor. 

He's since gone freelance and passes his time writing about "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and superheroes for the likes of SFX, Total Film, TechRadar and GamesRadar+. He has met five Doctors, two Starfleet captains and one Luke Skywalker, and once sat in the cockpit of "Red Dwarf"'s Starbug.  

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Captain Picard Day

• View history

Riker and Troi watch on, as Picard chooses a winner

" Wouldn't you agree, Number One ? "

Captain Picard Day was an annual event held aboard the USS Enterprise -D for the ship 's schoolchildren . The day's activities included a contest , judged by Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself, in which the children created paintings and models of the captain. Picard wasn't very fond of the event himself, as he generally did not respond well to children.

In 2370 , a seven-year-old named Paul Menegay won the contest with an orange clay sculpture of the captain's head . Much to Picard's dismay, Commander William T. Riker took great pleasure in the proceedings. As a means of revenge, Picard arranged to have a " Commander Riker Day " the following month , and planned to enter the competition himself. ( TNG : " The Pegasus ")

In 2380 , Ensign Brad Boimler told Beckett Mariner that his girlfriend , Lieutenant Barbara Brinson , was " as real as a hopped-up Q on Captain Picard Day. " ( LD : " Cupid's Errant Arrow ")

Despite his apparent disdain for the event, Picard retained a banner from the one such celebration within his vault at the Starfleet Museum Quantum Archives , where it was visible in 2399 . ( PIC : " Remembrance ")

Memorable quotes [ ]

" They seem to have a rather exaggerated impression of me. " " I don't know; I think the resemblance is rather striking. Wouldn't you agree, Number One? "

" Captain Picard Day? " " Oh uh … Yes it's a … it's … it's for the children. I'm a … (nervous chuckle) I'm a role model. " " I'm sure you are. Starfleet out. "

" You know, I'm sorry, but I'm starting to think that Barb might not actually exist. " " Oh, she's real. She's as real as a hopped-up Q on Captain Picard Day. "

Happy Captain Picard Day: A Brief History of Star Trek's Best Holiday

Picard Day is June 16, when fans celebrate the beloved captain of the Enterprise-D. Here's a brief history.

With Star Trek a premier selling point for the Paramount+ streaming service, the franchise has made brilliant use of Trek -specific days to promote upcoming shows. The initial teaser for the new season of Picard dropped on April 4 – which fans know better as First Contact Day – and now more material is promised for June 16, otherwise known as Jean-Luc Picard Day.

The date stems from Star Trek: The Next Generation , Season 7, Episode 12, “The Pegasus.” It refers to an annual event onboard the Enterprise-D, where the ship’s children pay homage to the captain with paints and clay sculptures. The date was chosen by the Stardate Patrick Stewart mentions in the opening narrative – 47457.1. The exact placement of the date is the subject of mild controversy, owing to vagaries in the use of Stardates, but according Memory Alpha , June 16 has been the accepted date among fans since 2007.

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Season 7 of The Next Generation was dominated by personal, character-centric stories, leaving the larger political arcs to Deep Space Nine, which was running concurrently. Captain Picard Day was typical content for the season. It displayed a small piece of daily life onboard the Enterprise-D -- something unique to it, but instantly relatable to viewers. It was also a reminder that the Enterprise held all of the elements of a floating community, including families and schools. That was a part of Gene Roddenberry’s vision for The Next Generation , and Picard Day made a clever way to demonstrate it.

It also provided an opportunity to display Picard’s human side. He’s not comfortable with the notion at all, and fusses quietly about it as he goes over the children’s drawings and sculptures. Riker teases him before resuming his duties, and he’s even forced to explain it to an Admiral contacting him about a mission. It ties into the character’s previous discomfort around children, as well as quietly embarrassing him; a side that viewers had rarely seen.

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Modern Trek shows have picked up on it as well.  Picard , Season 1, Episode 1, “Remembrance” left an Easter egg to it: the banner the children made, which Picard still keeps in the Starfleet Museum Quantum Archives. Picard, it seems, was touched by the event even if he distained it outwardly. Star Trek: Lower Decks also referenced it in Season 1, Episode 5, “Cupid’s Errant Arrow,” where Boimler uses it to poke fun at Q’s fixation on Picard.

It also gives  Star Trek fans another day on the calendar to have a little fun. Fans have used the day to post art, video clips and other homages -- usually Picard-centric as the theme dictates. Virgin 1, the British TV station, also used Picard Day to promote itself when it first launched. The channel acquired the rights to air all of the Star Trek shows in the UK, and began airing The Next Generation in May 2008. They celebrated Picard Day in June 2010 with a marathon of episodes centered around the character.

Paramount+ isn’t shy about taking advantage of the opportunity either, choosing Picard Day to release the new teaser for Picard Season 2. The timing on the calendar couldn’t be better for promotional purposes – two months after First Contact Day and paced just right for any releases later in the year. That, combined with fans' continued enthusiasm for the date and its purpose, likely ensures that Picard Day remains a part of the Star Trek calendar for some time to come.

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Which Star Trek Captain Has the Best Managerial Technique?

It’s impossible to be objective when selecting your favorite Star Trek captain. It requires making a call wrapped up in sentiment and timing. Which captain did you first encounter? Which one best reflected back to you the person you wanted to be? It’s easier to try to attempt a clear-eyed consideration of which one would be the best boss. Sure, there are captains sure to take you on wild adventures, but would you enjoy the ride if your life depended on their decision-making? On the flip side, there are captains that could get the job done without really inspiring that much enthusiasm, the Starfleet equivalent of a decent boss who clearly spends the back half of every shift with an eye on the clock.

It’s a worthwhile thought exercise, and one at the heart of Star Trek: Discovery , which focuses not on a captain but Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), a science officer struggling to work her way back from a snap judgment that ended with her in disgrace. Burnham has so far served under several captains, and the series has depicted the effect this has had on both her and the officers around her. (And, thus, has more entries below than any other version of Trek .) We considered the captains featured in various film and TV branches of the Star Trek universe, including Star Trek: Lower Decks ’ animated captain, and tried to rank them based on who would provide the best work experience — and who would be most likely to bring you back home in one piece.

12. Captain Philippa Georgiou, Mirror Universe (Michelle Yeoh)

Seen in: star trek: discovery.

Managerial style: Imperious and unforgiving, though that description is complicated by the fact that being imperious and unforgiving is baked into her main mirror universe job as emperor of the Terran Empire. (Or, more accurately, her job as Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominos of Qo’noS, Regina Andor, Philippa Goergiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius.) There, she fought for and won the top spot in a kill-or-be-killed system in which might makes right, and deception and backstabbing are the norm; to that end, she expects those working under her to understand the rules of the game. In other words, she’s awful. But, on the other hand, she really seems to enjoy being awful, not to mention the fringe benefits of having clawed her way to the top (fine food, sex slaves, etc.). Those who can get on her murderous wavelength might also have a good time — for as long as it lasts.

Key career moment: When the always adaptive Emperor Georgiou made her way from the mirror universe to the prime Star Trek universe she used the opportunity to save the day after getting thrown into a battle between the Federation and the Klingons. But this wasn’t a simple heel-face turn; as always, it was more a matter of calculation than altruism. The move won her freedom from those who knew her true origins and earned her a spot in the Federation’s super-secretive deep-state operation Section 31. What could possibly go wrong?

Would she be a good boss? Put simply, working for this Philippa Georgiou, at least in the mirror universe that made her, would mean constantly fearing for your life as part of a pitiless, fascist organization hell-bent on conquering the universe with little regard for its employees’ quality of life. (Actually, when it’s all spelled out like that, it sounds like a pretty easy transition from corporate America.)

11. Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs)

Managerial style: In a word, cryptic. After she’s accepted aboard the Discovery following her mutinous turn against her mentor Captain Georgiou (the prime universe one, not the evil dictator; more below), Michael Burnham spends much of Discovery ’s first season trying to figure out what’s up with her new captain, a man fond of fortune cookies and averse to bright lights and chairs. Pro: Lorca took a chance on her when no one else would. Con: He also seems kind of evil. That likelihood aside — and it’s eventually revealed that, spoiler ahead, he made his way to the prime universe from the mirror universe after somehow taking the original Lorca’s place — he commanded the Discovery with curiosity, a sure hand, and an apparent sense of fairness. Shame about all the murder and scheming.

Key career moment: The season one episode “Into the Forest I Go” captures every side of Captain Lorca as he bravely goes into battle against Klingons, questionably decides to risk the health of a crew member (and with him, the whole crew) to win the battle, then takes everyone into the mirror universe to further his scheme of galactic conquest. It’s quite a journey, and one that reveals his true self at the end.

Would he be a good boss? No, but serving under Lorca would never be boring.

10. Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter)

Seen in: star trek: the original series.

Managerial style: Glum as hell. Some behind-the-scenes info: Jeffrey Hunter’s Captain Pike was supposed to be the protagonist of the original Star Trek series. NBC passed, but gave Gene Roddenberry the unusual opportunity to make a second pilot, this one featuring the now-familiar classic series cast (with only Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock sticking around). But Roddenberry wasn’t done with Pike or the original pilot. It became central to the two-part episode “The Menagerie,” which recounts Pike and the Enterprise ’s adventures on Talos IV, home to the Talosians and their reality-bending psychic powers. Hunter’s a fine actor, but it’s not hard to see why NBC was reluctant to green-light a series focusing on Pike, who’s introduced complaining about the burden of command. “You bet I’m tired,” he tells the ship’s doctor. “Tired of being responsible for 203 lives. Tired of deciding which mission is too risky and which isn’t and who’s going on the landing party and who doesn’t. And who lives … and who dies.” He sounds ready to boldly curl up in a fetal position.

Key career moment: The signature moment for this incarnation of Pike comes at the end of the episode when, having been burned and disfigured beyond recognition, he’s allowed to return to Talos IV and live out his days in the unreal paradise he rejected years before, even though he already seemed pretty much over reality as we know it from the start.

Would he be a good boss? Spock and the others seem to respect him, so perhaps his doubts don’t interfere with his ability to command, even if working under him seems like it would make for a pretty weary trudge through the cosmos.

9. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula)

Seen in: star trek: enterprise.

Managerial style: Archer’s chill, which is both his greatest strength as a leader and occasionally his greatest weakness. A former Boy Scout, lifelong water-polo enthusiast, and caring dog owner, Archer sometimes seems like he’s happy enough to be exploring the stars but might be even happier if he was just hanging out and shooting the breeze with some pals. This might be more impression than reality; Star Trek lore has him going on to become a decorated admiral and to be regarded as one of the greatest explorers in the early days of Starfleet and he certainly does a lot of exploring during the show’s four-season run. But Scott Bakula rarely plays him as a man who has greatness in his future. Archer usually seems a little annoyed that the Enterprise ’s adventures have cut into his downtime. He’s not as melancholy as Jeffrey Hunter’s Captain Pike, but he occasionally seems just as checked out. Nonetheless, he was always good in a crisis, and could be a surprisingly shrewd diplomatic. It just always seemed to take a major event to stir his interest.

Key career moment: In the second-season episode “A Night in Sickbay,” Archer hangs out with his ailing dog Porthos when he should be tending to his diplomatic duties. It borders on dereliction of duty, even if it is pretty endearing. It’s also a pretty good encapsulation of how Archer’s mind works.

Would he be a good boss? Sure. Probably. Why not? He’d be okay enough.

8. Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine)

Seen in: star trek , star trek into darkness , star trek beyond.

Managerial style: If you like predictability, order, rules, regulations, and military precision, the last place you’d want to be is the Kelvin Universe Enterprise under the command of James T. Kirk. Chris Pine’s just-getting-started Kirk is young, impetuous, and brilliant — but mostly young and impetuous. It’s smart work, playing like the Kirk we know from the original Star Trek run before any of the rough edges had gotten sanded off. Pine’s Kirk is a lot of fun to watch, but it also seems like serving under him would be terrifying most of the time.

Key career moment: Forced to choose between rescuing an alien race and violating the Prime Directive in the opening scenes of Star Trek Into Darkness , Kirk barely seems to consider it a choice at all. It’s just the first of many times he breaks the rules over the course of the film (plus its predecessor and successor). Sure, it all works out (even if Kirk does briefly wind up dead later in the movie), but it could have gone horribly wrong. This Kirk commands from the gut, occasionally while listening to Beastie Boys. He’s cool and fun, but…

Would he be a good boss? … Do you really want to work for a Starfleet captain best described as “cool” and “fun” while exploring the furthest reaches of a dangerous universe?

7. Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis)

Seen in: star trek: lower decks.

Managerial style: Directness defines Captain Freeman’s command style. She knows exactly what she wants and she’s not afraid to ask for it, sometimes forcefully. She’s no-nonsense but not in a power trip–y way. She just wants things to run smoothly even if experience has taught her that it never does. (Or, at least it never does onboard the second-tier U.S.S. Cerritos , the California class starship she commands.)

Key career moment: Commanding a ship on which her gifted-but-rebellious daughter, Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), is serving as an ensign has been a continual challenge for Captain Freeman, forcing her to balance her duties as captain against her concerns as a mother. She’s mostly opted to model good behavior for her daughter by following the rules of Starfleet. In Lower Decks ’ third-season premiere, Mariner and her pals take desperate, and illegal, measures to clear Captain Freeman of a crime she’s been wrongly accused of. Ultimately, the system works, making Mariner’s misadventures unnecessary. Mother/Starfleet knows best.

Would she be a good boss? Probably. She’s terse but fair and clearly knows what she’s doing. But as the head of a ship prone to animated high jinks, it’s tough to judge Captain Freeman against other Star Trek captains. Her informed, steady-handed command doesn’t always work in her favor when dealing with some of the cartoonish absurdity the Cerritos keeps encountering. On the other hand, nothing truly terrible ever happens to those under her command, so serving on the Cerritos would likely be one of Starfleet’s safer assignments.

6. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)

Seen in: star trek: the original series , star trek: the motion picture, star trek: generations.

Managerial style: You’re probably better off working for the slightly older Kirk played by William Shatner in Original Series and its accompanying film series. (Okay, he’s significantly older in the film series.) This Kirk hasn’t lost the spirit evident in the younger Kirk, only it’s now tempered — at least a bit — by experience. Working for this Kirk isn’t without dangers of its own, particularly if you’re wearing a red uniform. He’s perfectly willing to send an away team into danger. Just as often, however, he’s the one leading the team, and it’s hard to underestimate the esprit de corps created by a leader willing to put himself in harm’s way mission after mission. Prepare to work hard, and maybe die, but feel like you’re part of a mission that could change the universe for the better.

Key career moment: Prepare also to listen to speeches. Kirk is a man of action and a man of romance, but above all, he’s a man of ideals who’s willing to go to great lengths to protect those ideals. But first, he’ll try to persuade his opponents with words. In “The Omega Glory,” for instance, Shatner’s Kirk lectures the primitive residents of a planet whose development paralleled Earth until it took a wrong turn on the glories of the U.S. Constitution, and he does it one emphatic syllable at a time: “We. The People …” Etc.

Would he be a good boss? Chances are you’d love working for Kirk up to the moment he got you killed.

5. Captain Philippa Georgiou, Prime Universe (Michelle Yeoh)

Managerial style: Collegial but firm, the prime universe Georgiou might rank even higher on this list if we had a large sample of what she was like as a captain. In the early episodes of Discovery she appears to be competent, respected, quick on her feet and close to her crew, especially Michael Burnham.

Key career moment: But not apparently close enough to stop Burnham from committing a mutinous act that she deems necessary to prevent a war with the Klingons. Whether this is a failure on Georgiou’s part — a missed chance to take a key suggestion from a subordinate — or overzealousness on Burnham’s remains a question left open by Georgiou’s subsequent death.

Would she be a good boss? It seems like she would, especially since her death continues to haunt Burnham throughout the series. On the other hand, maybe listen to your trusted shipmate when she says she knows what she’s talking about?

4. Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks)

Seen in: star trek: deep space nine.

Managerial style: Firm, fair, and perpetually distracted. Burned out on Starfleet life after losing his wife in the Battle of Wolf 359, Sisko only reluctantly takes command of Deep Space Nine, a space station located close to a galactic hot spot near a wormhole and, until shortly before he assumed command, ruled by the Cardassians. But Sisko soon finds himself drawn into the leadership of the station and the politics of the region when the spiritual leader of nearby Bajor names him the Emissary of the Prophets. It’s all a lot to balance, even before new adversaries start to show up from the Gamma Quadrant — and on top of it all, Sisko has to serve as a single father to a teenage son. Maybe that’s why he sometimes seems so overworked. He’s a fine, inspiring leader, but he also has a lot on his plate, running a space station while also acting as the first line of defense against enemies known and unknown — and maybe serving as messiah to a whole race of people. Many Deep Space Nine stories require Sisko to be reactive rather than proactive, whether dealing with a tavern keeper running a black market under his nose or the outbreak of a full-scale war. Strong and competent, Sisko could handle anything, but the series made him handle an awful lot.

Key career moment: Deep Space Nine introduced shades of moral grayness to Star Trek only suggested by its predecessors, never more than in the course of the protracted Dominion War arc, a dangerous conflict in which Sisko sometimes had to cheat and bend the truth for the greater good. Brooks’s performance always suggested that Sisko did a lot of soul-searching before making any decision, but once made he never looked back, the mark of a strong leader if ever there was one.

Would he be a good boss? Chances are that, apart from the occasional curt acknowledgment, you might only talk to him once or twice as he moved from one crisis to another. Still, you’d end up respecting the hell out of Sisko.

3. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)

Seen in: star trek: the next generation, star trek: generations, star trek: nemesis, star trek: picard.

Managerial style: Picard manages like a benevolent but firm god. Speaking in an authoritative voice (the accent helps), his every directive sounds as if handed down from above. But there’s a difference between having the trappings of authority and having the record to back it up, and from his first outing on the Enterprise — in which the decision to separate the starship’s saucer section showed just how many lives were depending on him making the right choices — he makes it clear how seriously he took his job and how seriously he expects others to take theirs.

Key career moment: In some respects, the definitive Picard moment can be found in Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s final episode, “All Good Things …” in which Picard, for the first time, joined his senior staff for their regular poker game, with an expression of regret that he’d never gotten around to it before. Except in rare moments, Picard always holds himself at a distance as captain, even if Stewart’s performance always emphasizes the complex, passionate human beneath the commanding exterior. He stays remote by design and it worked, but that choice isn’t without consequences.

Would he be a good boss? Picard would be an awe-inspiring boss in every sense. You’d learn a lot working with him, even if you never felt like you truly knew him.

2. Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount)

Seen in: star trek: discovery, star trek: strange new worlds.

Managerial style: In sharp contrast to Hunter’s Pike, Anson Mount plays Christopher Pike as a man who’s just happy to be out among the stars with shipmates he considers to be more like friends than co-workers. Where on Discovery, Pike was reminiscent of a cool camp counselor who just wants everyone to have a good time — as long as they follow the rules and listen to his orders — Strange New Worlds has layers of soulfulness and empathy only glimpsed before. (Maybe learning you’re headed to a horrific fate does that?) In moments of crisis, Pike comes off as unshaken but commanding, and willing to use force against his enemies when necessary. He’s easygoing until circumstances force him to be otherwise. Then he’s not. He carries himself around his crew with authority while still radiating concern. This is a self-assured, modern captain who cooks an amazing gumbo and doesn’t worry that his subordinates will lose respect if they see him wearing an apron.

Key career moment: In Strange New Worlds ’ first-season finale, Pike believes he’s found a workaround to avoid the accident in which he’ll sacrifice his well-being to save others. Then Pike is visited by an older version of himself who confirms that, yes, he can escape maiming before taking the captain on an It’s a Wonderful Life –like tour of the future created by his attempt to escape his fate. It’s not pretty and it means others will suffer in his place. So, of course, he resigns himself to his destiny without telling anyone. Always the greater good with this guy.

Would he be a good boss? Working for Pike seems like a dream, honestly. He seems like the kind of boss who’d teach you new skills and then suggest unwinding with a game of ping-pong that he wouldn’t try all that hard to win (though he totally could if he wanted to). Two seasons into Strange New Worlds, and the series keeps revealing new layers of competence and compassion. Call him No. 2 with a bullet (or a phaser blast, if that makes more sense).

1. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew)

Seen in: star trek: voyager.

Managerial style: Democratic, at least up to a point. Forced to navigate an unexplored quadrant of the galaxy while commanding a crew made up of enemies forced to work together in an attempt to find their way home, Janeway has the highest level of difficulty of any of the captains on this list. She rises to the occasion by hearing out all points of view, reconciling opposing stances when possible, working toward compromise, then ultimately making an informed decision after listening to her crew. Stuck in an impossible situation, she stays coolheaded and thoughtful no matter how trying the circumstances become.

Key career moment: The biggest challenge faced by Janeway and the Voyager crew comes not in the form of hostile races or dwindling supplies — though those don’t help — but from the many moments that invite them to abandon their principles. In the second season’s “Alliances,” Janeway seeks a way to sidestep conflict with the Kazon (sort of the Gamma Quadrant’s dollar-store version of the Klingons). She considers first an alliance with a Kazon faction, then teaming up with the Trabe, a seemingly much more civilized race. Then, despite the wishes of a faction of her officers, she ultimately rejects both choices when she learns the Kazon can’t be trusted and that the Trabe are just as bad in their own way. It might mean taking longer to get back home, or maybe never getting home at all, but she remains determined that her crew hang on to their best selves no matter what.

Would she be a good boss? Yes. Janeway would be the sort of boss you might have to complain about behind her back, but she’s also the sort of boss you’d end up naming your first child after.

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Captain picard day captain picard day | star trek shop.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Day Kids Short Sleeve T-Shirt

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This Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Day Kids T-Shirt will make your little Star Trek fan feel like an official student on the U.S.S. Enterprise! Perfect for birthdays, holidays, or just because, this tee makes a great gift.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• This comfortable tee is a must have!
• Made of: 100% Pre-Shrunk Cotton
• Care: Machine wash cold inside out with like colors and tumble dry low.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Day Infant Snap Tee

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Toddler Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Dress your little Star Trek fan in style with this adorable Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Day Toddler T-Shirt! It also makes a great gift for new parents that are Picard fans.

• Made of: 100% Combed Ringspun Cotton
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• Additional information: Lap shoulder and envelope neck makes it easier to put on and take off. Reinforced 3-snap closure positioned on the bottom of the body suit to allow for easy diaper changes

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Day Adult Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Held for the U.S.S. Enterprise schoolchildren, Captain Picard Day is filled with fun activities. Celebrate your favorite captain with this Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Day Adult Short Sleeve T-Shirt.

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• Fit: This crew neck shirt is comfortable and lightweight.
• Made of: 100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton and 90/10 Cotton/Polyester in color
• Additional Information: Its design is drapey and easy to wear on the go or while lounging at home.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Day White Mug

If Captain Picard day is your favorite day on the U.S.S. Enterprise, then this Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard Day White Mug will quickly become your new go-to! Enjoy hot coffee, tea, and more with this mug.

• Sip your favorite beverage and represent your favorite show with this ceramic mug!
• Capacity: 11 oz or 15 oz
• Care: Dishwasher and microwave safe
• Additional Information: Large, easy-grip handle.

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Star Trek: Discovery Just Dropped a Sneaky Timeline Easter Egg

Let's talk about 2371.

What was the most action-packed year in Star Trek’s future history? Thanks to some deep-cut Easter eggs in the latest episode of Discovery , the answer might surprise you. As Discovery approaches the end of its fifth and final season, the show continues to expand our knowledge of the Breen, while also sending its eponymous starship on a zig-zag quest around the galaxy to solve a puzzle that explains the very nature of life itself .

Along the way, Discovery is retreading a bit of Star Trek history the crew skipped over thanks to their time-traveling shenanigans at the end of Season 2. Now, in the episode “Erigah,” Discovery has reminded us that several major Star Trek events all happened in the same year. For us, it was 1994, but in Star Trek it was 2371. Spoilers ahead.

Why the 24th century matters

The USS Voyager in the Badlands in 2371.

Although Discovery, which is now in the year 3191, exists well beyond all the other Trek shows and films, it still has several ties to the franchise’s past. From Season 3 onward, Disco’s retro-Trek connections mostly stem from the fact the majority of the regular characters are from 2258, just before The Original Series, before they jumped forward in time. But now, because the ship is on a quest to find the Progenitor tech uncovered in the 24th century by Jean-Luc Picard, many of Discovery’s Easter eggs are tied to that golden era of Trek.

The 24th century is the most robust spot on the Trek timeline, simply because three classic shows took place between 2364 and 2379: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager . When you add in four feature films, and the recent series Lower Decks and Prodigy, it’s easy to see why the 24th century is such a big part of Star Trek. But why is 2371 so pivotal? Discovery just revealed the answer through two seemingly unrelated Easter eggs.

2371, the year that everything happened

23171 was a busy stretch.

In “Erigah,” the Discovery crew learns the next clue on their list is an antique Betazoid book called Labyrinths of the Mind , written in 2371. By the end of the episode, with the help of Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), they also learn this book is in a mobile library called “The Eternal Gallery and Archive,” currently situated in a part of space called the Badlands. At the same time, Dr. Culber is researching medicine during the Federation’s struggle against the Dominion. Guess what this all has in common? Events in 2371.

As revealed in the Deep Space Nine Season 3 finale, “The Adversary,” 2371 was the year the Federation learned the Changelings had come to the Alpha Quadrant and could shapeshift into anyone and anything. This was also the year when Thomas Riker, Will’s naughty transporter duplicate, stole the USS Defiant to help the Maquis fight the Cardassians. The first place Thomas took the Defiant ? Yep, the Badlands, where Discovery is now headed.

For Voyager fans, the Badlands is the rough and tumble area of space that flung Voyager halfway across the galaxy to the Delta Quadrant. Yes, Voyager also launched in 2371. And while DS9 was dealing with shapeshifters and a Riker doppelgänger, and Voyager was trying to figure out how to get home, the beloved USS Enterprise-D was forced to separate its saucer section and crashland on the planet Veridian III. While Will Riker (the good one) is crashing the Enterprise in Star Trek Generations , Picard is fighting a mad scientist named Dr. Soran and dealing with a time-traveling Captain James T. Kirk. All in the year-of-our-Q, 2371.

In our universe, all these events played out between May 1994 and January 1995. Star Trek was packing in as many events as possible, and impressively, fans were able to follow all the twists and turns in the canon. Discovery may not have meant to make a connection between a fictional book, the Badlands, and the most important year in 24th-century history, but when you look at all the stuff that happened back then, it was, as William Shatner might say , a very, very good year.

Star Trek: Discovery streams on Paramount+.

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Published Jun 16, 2019

Happy Captain Picard Day!

It's time to celebrate the man of the hour.

StarTrek.com

Aujourd'hui, nous célébrons le capitaine Picard!

We’ve been preparing for this day all week! In case you’ve missed it, though (and that’s okay, we’re all busy — worlds to explore, wormholes to guard, and all that), scroll down to see what StarTrek.com’s been cooking up (literally, in some cases) in honor of Captain Picard Day.

We kicked it off with a quick itinerary , straight from the Enterprise Booster Club themselves, running down the list of activities available for crew members and residents who want to join in on the festivities. For those of us back here on Earth, however, the invitation for some slightly more realistic activities went out on Monday morning.

We have everything you'll need to host your own #PicardDayParty ! pic.twitter.com/OHAO6BeOeZ — Star Trek (@StarTrek) June 10, 2019

Our party plans included serving up that iconic order “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot,” in two ways, making your very own Captain Picard paper cut out (perfect for your tiny Starfleet Officer), two tasty cocktails, and a simple cupcake tutorial for your party attendee with a sweet tooth.

Jean-Luc Picard's Perfect Cup of Tea

DIY | Captain Picard Paper Craft

Shake It So | Mix Up A Picard-Inspired Cocktail

How to Make Cellular Peptide Cupcakes

Not feeling the spirit yet? This “Make it So Montage” will get you there. Also, it doubles as the perfect video to put on loop to provide your celebration with some appropriate Picard-themed atmosphere.

Each and Every Iconic 'Make It So'

Are you having your own Picard Day party? You should tell us — but more importantly show us — on Twitter. @StarTrek with all your celebrations, costumes, treats, and paper cutouts, and you might see them featured on the site later this month!

But in the meantime, even if you aren’t throwing a party, we would like to wish you a very happy, very merry, Captain Picard Day.

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Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 508 With New Images, Trailer, And Clip From “Labyrinths”

| May 13, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 42 comments so far

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery continues on Thursday with the eighth episode, and we have details, new photos, and a clip WITH SPOILERS .

Episode 7: “Labyrinths”

The eighth episode of the season, “Labyrinths,” was written by Lauren Wilkinson & Eric J. Robbins and directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour. The episode debuts on Paramount+ on Thursday, May 16.

When Captain Burnham is trapped within a “mindscape” designed to test her worthiness to retrieve the Progenitor’s powerful technology, Book, Rayner, and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery must hold off the Breen long enough for her to escape.

Co-showrunner Michelle Paradise previously teased this episode saying, “Oh, just an incredible gorgeous location, incredible scope and a singular journey for Burnham.”

UPDATE: Efrosian!

The episode includes an Efrosian character, as confirmed in the comments below by co-writer Eric J. Robbins:

She is indeed Efrosian — I’m a big fan of STVI. I hope you all enjoy the episode, it’s a fun one. Our director Emmanuel knocked it out of the park!

Elena Juatco as Hy’Rell in Star Trek: Discovery, episode 8, season 5, streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman /Paramount+

NEW photos:

Tony Nappo as Primarch Ruhn (Michael Gibson/Paramount+)

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham (Marni Grossman /Paramount+)

Dorian Grey as Lt. Arisar (Michael Gibson/Paramount+)

UPDATE: Episode trailer

You can see a clip from “Labyrinths” from the latest episode of The Ready Room below …

The fifth and final season of  Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery also premiered on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuted on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

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I guess Hy’Rell is a Efrosian.

Interesting. I was thinking Klingon.

Why not both? Maybe she’s half-Klingon, half-Efrosian…

Same.. I couldn’t tell if it was Klingon ridges or not. Wait… did I just racially profile a character over ridges and hair?

We definitely need to see 32nd century Klingons before the show is over. As much as I’l like a STIV deepcut, I hope she’s Klingon…

we will, some stunt guys leaked it before the season started said they’d be playing Klingon and Breen soldiers

She is indeed Efrosian — I’m a big fan of STVI.

I hope you all enjoy the episode, it’s a fun one. Our director Emmanuel knocked it out of the park!

That’s cool!

Woohoo!! I’m excited for this episode. Awesome to see an Efrosian again after all of this time!

It looks like you were in the Writers Room for S5. Can you tell us anything about that experience? Now that DSC is completed, what are you working on?

My money is on Klingon…… Change the Hy to L and you have L’Rell.

Should be Klingon.

Er, a Discovery writer just told us here that she’s Efrosian.

Cool that one of the writers replied and let us know.

Brave soul to post on a trek site though. We can be a rowdy bunch at times.

I always loved the Efrosian in Voyage Home. “Here it comes now-”

Great voice on the actor, Nick Ramus, who I’m just learning was a member of the Blackfoot tribe.

Wow, I always thought he was an *Asian* Indian.

Same here, though with all the makeup it was hard to tell.

Looks like Ramus was in quite a few westerns. He passed away in 2007, age 77.

“…singular journey for Michael” this whole show has been only about Michael.

the only parts of this season i’ve enjoyed are Moll / L’ak and the Breen

“ this whole show has been only about Michael”

Just because you don’t like an African-American woman in the lead role doesn’t make this true.

Saru for example has had a major character arc over the course of the series. If you don’t see that, you can’t be helped. Also Culber/Stamets have gone through major, even soap opera level of stories with their relationship.

You could criticize the series for being too much about the characters. But the series being about the main character is a silly criticism. Or can I see your criticism about Kirk doing everything in TOS? Would like to see a link to that.

And before you come with the trite “but we don’t know nothing about the bridge crew!11!”: Tell me the names and character arcs of the people working in Ops of Deep Space Nine. I’ll wait (actually I won’t, I have better things to do).

If you don’t like a black woman lead, just say so.

This comment right here is why it is so difficult to get people to take actual issues around racism and misogyny serious.

Jan, your comment is completely unwarranted. Nothing in Sean’s comment suggested a racial component to his critique. I dislike the entire series as a matter of fact. Not because of the genders, racial origins or personal lives of the characters depicted or the cast – I just don’t like it Especially compared with Strange New worlds. An apology is in order.

Where did you get a racial dislike from what he said? All he said was “this whole show has been only about Michael” which is accurate (also the way the show was designed from Day 1, but I don’t see where he’s disputing that). So not sure where this criticism is coming from. I’ve been very critical of the character, but it has nothing to do with her race… I don’t think she has been written very well. My dislike of how they’ve written her has nothing to do with who is playing her. Sonequa is a wonderful actress and has elevated the writing because of it. The fact is, she and the character deserve better than they’ve gotten. Knock on wood, so far this season she has been written much better, where her character is concerned. None of that has anything to do with her race. But I have to defend Sean here, because I just don’t see where you get that from anything he said, and it’s unfair of you to project that on to anyone without knowing.

Wow, I just realized something beautiful. All the five clues are hidden within the worlds of all five classic legacy shows.

Fred, the Soong-type android = TNG Trill = DS9 ISS Enterprise = TOS Denobulan weather station = ENT Badlands = VOY

Well spotted!

Whoah, I really like this. Nice catch! That’s awesome!

Awesome observation Garth!

Excellent catch!!

I wonder if Hy’Rell is even a real person. The uniform looks very 23rd/24th century. Maybe it’s a projection of what Burnham expects to see.

Re: a closed thread below:

There’s a solid case to be made that Discovery has focused primarily on one character more than any Trek show before it.

Sure, the other shows sometimes gave the captain more attention than other characters (although I’d argue that Spock, Data, Worf, Kira, the Doctor, Seven and T’Pol often had the spotlight), but Discovery has been The Michael Burnham Show from the get-go, by design.

Nope. Solid character arcs for Saru, Stamets, Culber, even Book and Adira… Michael is the lead character but not to an extend any of the other characters get sidelined…

I think that’s true of any show centered around one central character. With TOS, there was the Troika of Kirk, Spock, Bones, all others were support with some occasional focus on them. Disco is no different, it’s just much more focused on one person, rather than a triumvirate.

I think the issue is the low episode count per season and length of time between seasons, combined with Discovery’s identity crisis and needing to reinvent itself every season, that prevents any meaningful connections to any of the supporting characters. The show was designed to be about Burnham’s journey, even if they seemed to be in a rush to shorten that journey by making her captain as fast as possible in my opinion.

The Berman era shows had more episodes to include the supporting cast than the new era of Trek does and there wasn’t that long of a wait between seasons to forget about what happened before.

You’re contradicting yourself. All of the other live action shows had as their primary focus the person in command as well. No exceptions. Yet Discovery sets off some people. Gee, what is the obvious difference between Discovery and all other live action Trek…..

Please don’t try to continue a contentious topic that we closed for a reason.

Dorian Grey chose a good role. No way he sees the portrait through that helmet.

Ha! But that was Gray. :-)

He’s good, he won’t see it burn either.

The production is amazing. That efrosion looks terrific. Wow! The make up artists and the costume designers are fantastic and deserve awards.

Perhaps it is just me, but I was thinking — not for the first time in modern Trek — that the latex on the Efrosian looks very latex-y, not like natural skin. I had the same reaction to Sneed in Picard and sometimes to Saru, especially this season.

An Efrosian, cool. Shout out to Mel Efros, the namesake and creator of the design.

93-Year-Old William Shatner ‘Might Consider’ Returning as Captain Kirk in New ‘Star Trek’ Project Through De-Aging: ‘It Takes Years Off of Your Face’

By Zack Sharf

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William Shatner recently told Canadian Press that he wouldn’t rule out returning as Captain Kirk in a new “ Star Trek ” project if the script impressed him. While the actor’s age might pose an issue as Shatner turned 93 years old in March, that’s nothing a bit of de-aging technology couldn’t fix.

“It’s an intriguing idea,” Shatner said about returning as Kirk. “It’s almost impossible. But if was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.”

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“[It] takes years off of your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are,” Shatner said.

Another issue around Shatner’s “Star Trek” return is Kirk’s death in the 1994 film “Star Trek Generations,” which is the last time Shatner appeared in the iconic franchise. He’s already brainstormed a plot device that could serve as a workaround and have his version of Kirk come back to life.

“A company that wants to freeze my body and my brain for the future might be a way of going about it,” Shatner said. “‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here.’ There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!’”

Variety exclusively reported in March that Steve Yockey, creator of the Max series “The Flight Attendant,” had signed on to write the script for “Star Trek 4.” The movie is being designed as the final installment for Pine and the cast. Several attempts to get a fourth “Star Trek” movie off the ground with this cast have failed over the years. One version of the project was to be directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) and written by Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel”). Shakman left the project to direct Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four” instead.

Other “Star Trek” projects remain in development at Paramount as well. The studio is working with screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and director by Toby Haynes (“Black Mirror: USS Callister”) on an origin story movie, while a project with screenwriter Kalinda Vazquez (“Fear the Walking Dead”) that was first announced in 2021 also remains in development.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike.

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• 9 wins & 33 nominations total

Episodes 31

• Captain Christopher Pike …

• La'an Noonien-Singh …

• Lt. Erica Ortegas …

• Una Chin-Riley …

• Nurse Christine Chapel

• Nyota Uhura …

• Dr. M'Benga

• USS Enterprise Computer …

• Lieutenant George Samuel 'Sam' Kirk

• Jenna Mitchell

• Captain Batel …

• Admiral Robert April

• Captain James T. Kirk …

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Did you know

• Trivia Bruce Horak , the actor who plays Hemmer, is legally blind, just like his character's species, the Aenar, who are also blind.
• Goofs There are some rank insignia mistakes. Number One is introduced as "Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley" yet she is wearing the rank insignia of a full commander: two full stripes. A Lieutenant Commander's rank insignia is a full stripe under a thin stripe (in TOS it is a full stripe and a staggered stripe). It is not uncommon for a ship's first officer to be a Lt. Commander if they have not been in the position long. Spock at this point is a Lieutenant but he is wearing Lieutenant Commander's stripes; a Lieutenant just has one stripe. La'an is the ship's chief of security and the ship's second officer. She is also wearing Lt. Commander stripes but is addressed as a Lieutenant, but it would make more sense for her to be a Lieutenant Commander. Either way both of their rank insignia are not matching the rank they are addressed by. Ortegas is addressed as a Lieutenant but is wearing Lieutenant Commander's strips. A Lieutenant Commander may be addressed as a Commander or Lieutenant Commander but never as just a Lieutenant, so either her rank insignia or the manner she is addressed by the rest of the crew is in error.

[opening narration]

Captain Christopher Pike : Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

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William shatner willing to return to ‘star trek’ as de-aged captain kirk.

The 93-year-old actor says he's down to return as James T. Kirk for a new movie, and has an idea about how to make it work.

By James Hibberd

James Hibberd

Writer-at-Large

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“Mr. Scott, set the de-ager for 40 years!”

William Shatner says he’s down to play Captain James T. Kirk in a movie again, and has an idea for how it might work.

The 93-year-old sci-fi legend told the Canadian Press that he’d be willing to return to the Starship Enterprise under certain conditions.

Related Stories

William shatner on living boldly throughout acting career: "the future is unheralded", 'star trek: lower decks' to end with season 5.

Shatner suggested he could play a younger version of his iconic character, thanks to a company he’s working with that specializes in de-aging technology that “takes years off your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are.”

While Kirk was, of course, killed off in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations (photo above), Shatner suggested that Kirk’s body and brain might have been frozen for posterity, and then he could be revived years later.

“‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here,'” he mused. “There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper [in his hair]. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!'”

The prospect of this happening seems rather unlikely, of course. But filmmakers have been getting rather bold with de-aging technology, so it’s hardly impossible that a future Trek film might take Shatner up on his offer and at least try for a de-aged Kirk flashback or cameo of some kind.

Shatner was doing this interview to promote his biographical documentary You Can Call Me Bill , which is being released On Demand.

The actor famously journeyed into space in 2021 as a member of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin craft, becoming the oldest person to ever go into orbit.

Shatner has managed to remain quite sharp, energetic and hearty despite his years. The actor credits both genetic luck and taking care of himself.

“I eat well, I exercise, I ride horses a lot,” he said. “My wife cooks noninflammatory foods extremely well.”

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Every Time Data Commands A Starship In Star Trek: TNG

Picard's enterprise tried to save chief o'brien after star trek: tng's finale, young sheldon’s george sr death leaves a major big bang theory plot hole unresolved.

• Data and Spock both faced challenges when attempting to apply pure logic to command.
• In TNG's "The Ensigns of Command", Data must use logic to convince colonists to evacuate against their desires.
• Data excelled as a starship commander on TNG, while Spock found great success as a Federation Ambassador.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation , Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) once faced the same command problem Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) encountered on Star Trek: The Original Series. As an android, Data often filled the role of the outsider on TNG , the same way that Spock did on TOS. But while Spock spent much of his life trying to suppress his human side, Data wanted nothing more than to be human. Still, the two Starfleet icons had many similarities. Both Spock and Data would often spout facts and exact figures for times and measurements, and both faced most problems with logic and reason.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 2, "The Ensigns of Command," Data must beam down to the planet Tau Cygni V to organize an evacuation. Mysterious aliens known as the Sheliak have proclaimed Tau Cygni V to be part of their territory and have given the Federation three days to remove the colonists there. Based on a treaty between the Sheliak and the Federation, the Sheliak have the right to the planet, but three days is not enough time to evacuate the colonists. As Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) searches for a loophole in the treaty, Data struggles to convince the colonists of the need to leave Tau Cygni V.

Data only got to command a starship a handful of times on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but he proved himself to be a confident and skilled Captain.

Spock & Data Realize Logic Has Limits In Star Trek

"logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.".

The problem Data faces in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's"The Ensigns of Command" is that humans do not behave logically. Although Data presents a reasonable argument to the colony's leader Gosheven (Grainger Hines), he is blinded by his prejudice against androids and his own desire to remain on Tau Cygni V. Another colonist, Ard'rian McKenzie (Eileen Seeley), trusts that Data is right, and she helps him reach the other colonists. Data adapts, trying different tactics to convince the colonists that remaining to fight the Sheliak would be futile. At the end of the TNG episode, Data insists that he cannot experience feelings, but after everything, even Captain Picard finds this difficult to believe.

Spock realizes that emotional thinking also plays an important role in command.

In Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 16, "The Galileo Seven," the shuttle carrying Spock and a science team crash lands on Taurus II. As the leader of the away team, Spock relies on logic to find a way out of their predicament, but the mission goes from bad to worse when one of the team members is killed by a creature native to the planet. Spock gets caught up trying to figure out where his logic went wrong, as he faces insubordinate officers and impossible choices. By the end, Spock realizes that emotional thinking also plays an important role in command, bringing him one step closer to unifying his human and Vulcan sides.

Data Became A Better Starship Commander Than Spock

But spock excelled at being a federation ambassador..

In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Ensigns of Command," Data adapts more quickly than Star Trek: The Original Series' Spock in "The Galileo Seven," and the android does not spend time dwelling on where he went wrong. Spock, too, learned from his experience and went on to become a better commander, but the Vulcan never took to command the same way Data did. Data listened to Ard'rian, knowing that her insight into the colonists' way of thinking would help him reach them. When Data takes command of the USS Enterprise-D in later TNG episodes (such as "Redemption" or "Gambit"), he proves to be a confident and successful commander.

Spock had no desire for starship command and found that his strengths lie elsewhere. The Vulcan pursued a career as a Federation Ambassador rather than becoming a career starship captain. Spock could take command when he needed to, but he made a greater impact as a Federation Ambassador. Not only did Spock help achieve peace between the Federation and the Klingons, but he also initiated the reunification of the Vulcan and Romulan people. As an advisor and Ambassador, Spock became one of the most accomplished and distinguished figures in Federation history. Thanks to Star Trek: Picard season 3, Data's story is still being written, but he proved what a great Starfleet Captain he would make on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek: The Original Series & Star Trek: The Next Generation are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

Giant Freakin Robot

Secret Conspiracy Led to Star Trek's Most Controversial Captain

Posted: May 14, 2024 | Last updated: May 15, 2024

Secret Conspiracy Led to Star Trek’s Most Controversial Captain

Star Trek is a franchise that has had any number of onscreen conspiracies involving everything from ambitious admirals to mind-controlling space bugs. However, one of the biggest conspiracies occurred offscreen, and fans have been benefiting from this conspiracy for decades. While working on Star Trek: Voyager, the show’s executive producers had already planned to cast a female captain, but they felt they had to deceive Paramount in order to get the captain they wanted.

They Knew They Wanted A Female Captain

Voyager was going to be the third live-action live-action franchise spinoff, and the producers wanted to have a female captain for a number of different reasons. In a DVD special feature for the first season, controversial Star Trek producer Rick Berman said “the best direction for us to go–in terms of trying new things, being socially responsible, which Star Trek has always been–was to go for a female captain.”

It Was More Than Just Social Responsibility

As a franchise, Trek had always been considered very progressive, and for the ‘90s, making the captain of a new show a woman was considered pretty bold.

Aside from wanting to continue its progressive storytelling tradition, the Star Trek producers had some very practical reasons for wanting a female captain on Voyager. In a separate interview, Berman pointed out that they didn’t just want a generic character.

Instead, “We wanted to create a female captain who was a captain that was somewhat more nurturing and a little bit less swashbuckling than someone like Captain Kirk, a little bit less sullen than someone like Captain Sisko, and a little bit more approachable than Captain Picard.”

They Wanted Voyager’s Captain To Stand Out

In other words, Star Trek going with a female captain would help instantly separate her from the famous captains that have come before. Just as Patrick Stewart had to differentiate himself from William Shatner by being a more diplomatic and cerebral captain, this new character would combine feminine warmth with steely nerve in a way that Trek audiences had never seen before.

Even before Mulgrew was eventually cast in the role, the producers were confident the mere existence of a woman in the captain’s chair would eliminate annoying comparisons to Kirk or Picard.

Auditioned Men And Women

However, they were far less confident that the studio behind Star Trek was ready for a female captain. That’s why they made a little conspiracy: even though they had all already decided to cast a woman in the role, they approached Paramount and asked “Let us interview both sexes, and if the best actor we find is a woman, can we hire her?”

The studio consented to this simple request and Mulgrew was eventually cast as Captain Janeway, something considered a major risk because the primary Star Trek demographic at the time was men aged 25-45.

That risk paid off, of course, and the franchise gained an entirely new generation of female fans. Without their collective support, it is doubtful that Captain Burnham would be headlining the former Paramount+ flagship show Discovery.

Sadly, arguments about the core demographic of the franchise continue to this day, and those disputes are doubly insane because early Trek fandom (from fanfiction and zines to the first conventions) was led by women.

As far as Star Trek conspiracies go, this secret plan to cast a female captain was a smashing success: the producers didn’t have to deal with any evil admirals or mind-controlling alien insects, and Captain Janeway instantly proved herself as a franchise icon.

Mulgrew continues to impress in the role, reprising Janeway for fan-favorite appearances in the underrated spinoff Star Trek: Prodigy. That would never have happened, however, if three producers weren’t willing to behind the studio’s back in order to create television history.

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