droxine on star trek

Diana Ewing

Series: TOS

Character(s): Droxine

Diana Ewing portrayed Droxine in the Star Trek: The Original Series third season episode “The Cloud Minders”.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Star trek at the smithsonian - droxine's dress from "the cloud minders".

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Diana Ewing

Diana Ewing is an American actress. Born in Honolulu , Hawaii, on January 4, 1946. She is best known for her role as Droxine in the third-season episode " The Cloud Minders " of Star Trek : The Original Series. She also guest-starred on many other television series, including The Mod Squad (1968), Love American Style (1969), Mission: Impossible (1969), The Big Valley (1969), The F.B.I. (1970), Archer (1975), Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977), Harry O (1974), and The Rockford Files (1977).

• Spocks Thoughts Feelings The Cloud Minders

Early Years and Career

Filmography.

Spock's Thoughts & Feelings - The Cloud Minders

Ewing made her feature film debut in the supporting role of Tracy Rutledge, in the movie 80 Steps to Jonah (1969), and also appeared in Play It As It Lays (1972) and The Way We Were (1973). Her last appearance on the big screen was as Jenny in the western thriller Knife for the Ladies (1974).

As a teenager, she acted in plays at Punahou School and Honolulu Community Theater. She also worked at a newspaper during the summers of her high school years.

In early adulthood, she was part of a few productions in the Manhattan Playhouse in East Palo Alto, California, namely as Hilde in The Master Builder and Rosie in Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. She also attended Sarah Lawrence College.

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

• Memory Beta stubs (characters)
• Stratos City Dwellers
• 23rd century births
• View history

Droxine was a 23rd century Ardanan individual, the daughter of High Advisor Plasus of the Stratos City Dwellers .

• 1 Biography
• 2.1.1 Appearances
• 2.2 External link

Biography [ ]

Plasus and Droxine.

Droxine and Plasus greeted the Starfleet landing party from the Federation starship Enterprise in the year 2269 . ( TOS episode & Star Trek 6 novelization : The Cloud Minders )

Appendices [ ]

Appearances and references [ ], appearances [ ].

• TOS episode & Star Trek 6 novelization : The Cloud Minders

External link [ ]

• Droxine article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Tzenkethi
• 2 The Chase
• 3 Preserver (race)

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Published Feb 26, 2014

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Lois Jewell, Drusilla On The Original Series

Lois Jewell has just two acting credits to her name, but one of them is Star Trek: The Original Series .

She played Drusilla, the beautiful blond slave assigned by Proconsul Claudius Marcus to Captain Kirk – in advance of Kirk’s impending execution the next day – in the episode “ Bread and Circuses .” Jewell has been on StarTrek.com ’s interview bucket list for some time, and we recently – and finally and happily – got to cross her off that list. Jewell spent nearly a half-hour speaking with us about her life before and after Trek , plus her memories of portraying Drusilla and her amazement over the fact that her one TOS guest appearance nearly 46 years ago – the episode premiered on March 15, 1968 – continues to be of interest to fans worldwide. Here’s what she had to say:

What were you doing in the days before you landed Star Trek ?

JEWELL: I was a model in New York and in Europe. I did fashion modeling and cosmetic modeling and all that kind of stuff. I was with Eileen Ford (the modeling agency legend) and I made 80 commercials, and I had a lot of people telling me, “You’ve got to come to California and… blah, blah, blah.” I thought, “Well, maybe I should go to California.” I had a friend who was out here and he in the show Rat Patrol . He said, ‘It’s easy. Come on out. You’ll get a job right away.” So I came on out. We closed up shop in New York and came to California and I went with a modeling agency, just to make sure that I’d have bread on the table. I signed with someone for acting; I can’t remember who now, but I did the pilot for The Flying Nun . I did some other pilot, but that didn’t make it (which is why it’s not list on IMDB).

How did Star Trek come about?

JEWELL: I got a call for it. I went in and was interviewed, and I got the job. Lo and behold, I was in Star Trek . I don’t think I’d even heard of Star Trek when I got the role.

What interested you about the role?

JEWELL: I enjoy acting, and I wanted to work. It looked like a very nice part. It looked like a very decent role. So I went in and had the costume fitting. Then the next week, I went in and shot it. A lot of shows at that time were a half-hour long, but Star Trek was an hour, and they only had a week to film all of it. So they had to do a lot of things very fast, costume changes, rehearsing, shooting. I had two costumes that I wore. The whole thing transpired in one week.

You’d modeled before, but had you ever seen anything like Drusilla’s costume before?

JEWELL: Absolutely not. I was Drusilla the slave girl, and the first costume was gray and drab, and it was short. I had fishnet stockings that they wanted me to wear, and then I had this thing that I wore at the top. Then the next costume was the main costume, which I wore in my scene with Captain Kirk, with Mr. Shatner. That was a very exotic costume. It was made by the designer who designed everything for Star Trek . It wasn’t like they went, “Well, let’s throw this on.” It was designed and it was made, and they had to make sure, in the fitting, that it fit properly. And I wore that. I still get a lot of comments when I’m at the Star Trek shows about that costume. Everybody talks about that costume.

Well, you made an impression in that costume. You are still widely considered, if you ever look at the Internet, one of Star Trek ’s most beautiful “babes,” to go with the term most people use…

JEWELL: Oh, am I? Thank you very much?

What do you remember of your experiences shooting the episode, working with Shatner, etc.?

JEWELL: They were all very pleasant and very nice. Everybody was accommodating. They, of course, wanted the scene to go as well as possible because they wanted everything to be as perfect as they could get it. I tried my best, and apparently it worked out very well. Mr. Shatner was very nice to work with. A lot of people ask me about that, working with him, and he was such a professional that it made it very easy for me to work with him.

Did you watch the episode that night it debuted in March, 1968?

JEWELL: Yes, I did. Family, friends, we all gathered around this huge color TV that somebody had. We just had a small TV, but these people in the complex where we all lived had a big TV, and so we all got together there and watched the show. It was fun. It was really fun. I had no idea what it was going to look like until I saw it, because I wasn’t invited to go to the rushes or anything like that. So when I saw it, I was flabbergasted, to be honest with you.

Your only credits are The Flying Nun, Star Trek and that other show you said didn’t make it to series. Why just the three jobs?

JEWELL: I didn’t like the parts that they were offering me.

What kinds of parts were you being offered and what kinds of parts were you seeking?

JEWELL: I was looking for parts that were a little more – a lot more – than crawling around on the floor without any clothes on or being completely nude or having sex with everyone. I guess they thought from that role with Mr. Shatner that I was willing and able, but I was not willing.

One film you passed on was Slaughterhouse Five , right?

JEWELL: Correct. Where did you hear about that?

Just from doing our research in advance of this chat with you.

JEWELL: Oh, really? I guess I must have told somebody and they put it out there. Yes, I was up for it. I can’t remember who they used, but she became a star. Anyway, I was one of the people who went up for it and I thought, “I’m not even going to read for this piece of crap.”

Valerie Perrine ultimately did the role…

JEWELL: Yes, that’s who it was. And she became very famous after that.

Your acting career effectively ended in 1968 after your episode of Star Trek . So, what have you been up to since then?

JEWELL: For a while, I fooled around looking for various different jobs as an actress. I did a little more modeling. And then I just decided to step away from it. I retired, so to speak, and my husband said to me, “Why don’t you make a business for me, and manage it.” And that’s what I did. We’re still in business together.

What is that business?

JEWELL: My husband is a fantastic caricature artist, and he entertains at parties and events all over the United States and in Mexico and in various different places. I take care of all the business things. The business is called Caricatures by Ted Jewell. He has drawn President Reagan and a lot of celebrities. We live right next to “Hollywood,” and we’ve had a lot of celebrity parties that we’ve done.

When did you realize that Star Trek is a phenomenon and that you, with just this one role in this one episode, were a part of the phenomenon?

JEWELL: Well, I was told that there were a lot of actors and actresses out there making money signing pictures, and I thought that was a lot of nonsense. I thought, “Well, I don’t want to be a part of that.” But there were a lot of people out there making money doing it, even if I wasn’t interested in it and didn’t pay any attention to it. Then, to make a long story short, my husband and I worked Majel Barrett’s parties. She wanted him, the caricaturist, to work her parties. I always work with my husband and make sure things are going right and that if they want to talk to him they talk to me, so that he can continue to draw these people at the party. We did all her parties for years. Of course, she had a lot of Star Trek people there and she even had men there who’d actually walked on the moon. My husband actually did one of their caricatures. Anyway, we were downstairs one night and Ted was drawing his caricatures. Also there was a friend of mine, who was a magician and had written a biography of Gene Roddenberry, and his name was David Alexander. Gene had left notes behind when he passed that he wanted this particular person, David, to write this biography. He was a very good friend of ours and he was at this party, and he was talking to Richard Arnold, who (was Roddenberry’s assistant and) was at the party, and he said to him, “By the way, do you know who that woman is downstairs, with the artist?” The guy said, “Yeah, that’s the artist’s wife.” David said, “No, you don’t have that right. That lady was Drusilla on Star Trek. ” He said, “Oh my God, we’ve been looking for her for years.” He was downstairs in five minutes, and he tried to convince me that I had to come and sign pictures and talk to the fans. So that’s how it started.

It’s several decades later and you still do the occasional convention appearance. How do you enjoy meeting the fans, telling the old stories, posing for photos and signing autographs?

JEWELL: I have very much enjoyed it. It was like another door opened up in my life that I didn’t even know existed. I just enjoy pleasing the fans. If the fans are there and they want me to sign pictures for them, then I’m very happy to do so. I also signed trading cards. There’s a company that does cards for several shows, and they do a lot of them for Star Trek , so they sent me 1500 of these little tiny training cards of me as Drusilla to sign. Then they sent me another 1500 that was the character in cartoon form. I never knew that there was a cartoon version of Drusilla. I’d never seen it, but they sent me cards of that to sign, too. They paid me, of course, and the cards are available in packs. So that was very interesting and an added, new thing. I have a few of the cards sitting around here.

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Star Trek: 20 Most Revealing Outfits

4. droxine - original trek.

This lovely lady is Droxine (Diana Ewing) from the episode entitled The Cloud Minders. It's a tale of class warfare and one of the socially relevant themed episodes that Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry were so wonderful at telling. The best part of this episode, aside from the awe of how her costume stayed on (really did they use tape or super glue?); was the fact that she was a love interest for Spock! What? Kirk isn't the one who gets to cozy up to the lovely Droxine? How did this happen? I'm sure Kirk was asking himself the same question.

Melita is into all things Doctor Who. She is a mother of two teenagers and has raised them to be proper geeks, just like she is.

Watch CBS News

Sonequa Martin-Green bids farewell to historic role on "Star Trek: Discovery"

By Analisa Novak

April 4, 2024 / 12:07 PM EDT / CBS News

As "Star Trek: Discovery " ventures into its fifth and final season, Sonequa Martin-Green is preparing to say goodbye to her groundbreaking role as Captain Michael Burnham, the first Black female captain in the franchise's storied history.

Martin-Green recalls the weight of realizing she was making television history. 

"It was overwhelming at the time. And I it was heavy, but God really blessed me with it, and I learned so much from it. I learned so much about who I am as a Black woman. And I learned that I don't have to fight for my value or my worth, because I definitely felt that way," she said.

When she first started in the role in 2017, Martin-Green said she still had a lot of internalized racism she had to navigate. But just like the show, Martin-Green said she has always been about pushing forward with hope. 

"At the time, I thought, 'This is all about hope.' Hope is at the center of this franchise. It's our responsibility to keep that moving forward. People can think what they want to think but they need a chance to grow," she said.

In addition to her on-screen achievements, Martin-Green has also made significant strides behind the camera, ascending from lead actor to executive producer. Her dual role has allowed her to shape the series' direction.

Martin-Green said that the final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" will go "bigger than we had ever done before." Despite not knowing it would be their last season, the team, led by showrunners Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman, fought for and received the opportunity reshoot the series' finale.

As "Discovery" comes to a close, Martin-Green hints at the possibility of continuing the story through a feature film.

"We love these characters. We love the people. We love the story," she said. 

Analisa Novak is a content producer for CBS News and the Emmy-award-winning "CBS Mornings." Based in Chicago, she specializes in covering live events and exclusive interviews for the show. Beyond her media work, Analisa is a United States Army veteran and holds a master's degree in strategic communication from Quinnipiac University.

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The Cloud Minders (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3 Log entries
• 4.1 Story and production
• 4.2 Continuity
• 4.3 Props and special effects
• 4.4 Apocrypha
• 4.5 Production timeline
• 4.6 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest star
• 5.4 Co-starring
• 5.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.6 Stunt doubles
• 5.7 References
• 5.8 External links

Summary [ ]

The USS Enterprise travels toward Ardana , under Federation orders, quickly passing many stars. Ardana is the only known source of zenite , the mineral which they need to end a botanical plague on the planet Merak II .

The Enterprise orbits Ardana

Kirk orders Uhura to send a message to the high advisor of Ardana that they must hurry to the mine entrance. They don't have time to attend the welcoming ceremony.

On the surface, the landing party (Kirk and Spock ) materializes on a platform. They look up at the cloud city named Stratos and find the mine entrance vacant. Suddenly, they get lassoed by four Troglytes , who wear dusty jumpsuits, boots, and gloves. The attackers' eyes are covered by silver bands, with narrow eye-slits. Bandanas cover the attackers' hair. Kirk and Spock are captured.

Act One [ ]

Kirk demands to know why he and Spock have been captured. The woman in the group replies, " interference breeds attack, captain. " Mistaking them for Stratos dwellers, Kirk starts to explain the situation, but she argues, so Spock pulls his lasso rope to topple one. Kirk kicks another. Some attackers swing knives. They all wrestle until three more men materialize on the platform. Two guards are wearing sky-blue tunics. The bearded man yells for the fighting to stop, and guards raise weapons and shoot. The weapons hit one of the attackers. The other attackers manage to escape into the mine.

The robed figure introduces himself as Plasus , the High Adviser of the Council, and explains the situation. The Disrupters , a rebel group of Troglytes, have confiscated the zenite in order to force negotiations in their favor. He orders the guards to immediately organize a search party and invites Kirk and Spock to visit Stratos in the meantime.

Kirk, Spock, and Plasus materialize on a balcony in Stratos with steps leading down from it. They are impressed with the city, Spock commenting that Stratos is the "finest example of sustained anti-gravity elevation" he has ever seen. As they descend the stairs, a beautiful woman comes to meet them, Plasus' daughter Droxine . Plasus shows them around and points out the artwork assembled there, though he stops in mid-sentence as his eyes come upon a miner's tool embedded in one of the pieces of art. Plasus invites them to stay in a rest chamber while they wait for the zenite to be found.

When they leave, two sentinels struggle to bring a miner into the presence of Plasus and his daughter on the balcony. The Troglyte was apprehended leaving the city without carrying a transport card . Plasus questions him and it is clear that the man is not answering him truthfully. Plasus commands that the Troglyte be secured to the rostrum , but the Troglyte breaks free from the sentinels, and hurls himself over the balcony instead, falling to his death .

Droxine and Spock

In the luxuriously appointed resting chamber, Kirk is asleep on a bed while Spock reclines on a chair, meditating on the contrasts between the two classes that live on the planet. He hears Droxine and leaves to talk to her about Vulcans, however, they fail to notice a woman that lurks behind some columns nearby and then enters the resting chamber where Kirk is, putting a cavern implement to his neck.

Act Two [ ]

At the last moment, Kirk grabs her arm and in one swift move, pins her to the bed. He recognizes her as his attacker on the surface and insists that she answer his questions. When Kirk releases her, however, she again grabs the weapon and attempts to attack Kirk but is subdued once again.

Kirk and Vanna

Kirk's attacker insists that murder was not her intent – she wanted to take Kirk hostage. When Droxine and Spock enter, it is clear that Kirk's attacker, named Vanna, is a servant on Stratos, who mistakenly believes that the Enterprise and her crew have been called there to decisively end the Disrupters' rebellion . Droxine's and Vanna's conversation indicates that the Stratos dwellers view the Troglytes as inferior, both intellectually and physically, and thus undeserving of any privileges. Vanna is taken away by a sentinel and Kirk tries to understand the logic behind the mistreatment of the Troglytes from Droxine. She insists that the system, as it stands, is perfect and can see no reason to change it.

Outside, Vanna's hands are bound behind her back to the rostrum. Droxine and two Sentinels are also present. As some people stroll by casually, Plasus demands to know the names of the other Disrupters. When Vanna denies their existence, he signals for the torture rays. Vanna is unable to look away or even shut her eyes, but does scream, attracting Kirk and Spock. As they arrive, the torture stops and Vanna slumps unconscious. Kirk did not realize torture was involved in obtaining the zenite, and objects. Plasus reiterates it is necessary. After some heated words and threats are exchanged between Kirk and Plasus, he orders the Sentinels to remove Vanna from the torture device and demands Kirk and Spock to return to the Enterprise or risk a diplomatic incident.

After Kirk and Spock beam up, Plasus advises the sentinels to kill Kirk if he ever sets foot on Stratos again.

Act Three [ ]

Kirk and Spock are back on the bridge of the Enterprise . The crew now has twelve hours remaining to get the zenite to Merak II. Dr. McCoy , who has been studying the Troglytes' environment, reports. It appears that exposure to the gas emanating from unrefined zenite has deleterious effects on the mental function of the Troglytes. This would partly explain their decreased mental capacity . McCoy adds that the effects are fully reversible, regardless of the repeated exposure. Therefore, simply wearing gas mask filters should protect them from the effects of the gas. It is further postulated that since Vanna has passed a considerable amount of time at the city in the clouds, the effects of the gas on her are minimal and she is thus in a position to lead the Troglyte uprising. Seeing that they now may have a bargaining chip to help persuade the Disrupters to give them the desperately needed consignment of zenite, Kirk orders McCoy to acquire as many gas masks as he can.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy contact Plasus from the transporter room via a video screen to advise him of their findings but his resolve and obvious prejudice keep him from accepting them. Moreover, he accuses Kirk of interfering with the workings of a local government. Plasus abruptly terminates the communication, and the screen goes blank. Kirk orders Spock to beam him to Vanna's confinement cell, against Plasus' stern demand that he not return to Stratos.

Kirk, with gas mask in hand, is transported to the cell, where he tries to persuade Vanna. He promises her that after the zenite has been delivered, he will return to mediate the differences between the Cloud Dwellers and the Troglytes. At first, she too seems unmoved: " Hours can become centuries... and promises can become lies.... " But in the end, Kirk seems to have gained her trust, and Vanna agrees to take him directly to the consignment, which is in a mine deep below the surface. A sentinel enters to deliver Vanna's refreshments. Kirk, hiding in a corner, stuns him with his phaser . They appropriate the fallen sentinel's transport pass and leave the cell.

Once they have made it into the subterranean zenite mine, Vanna strikes the mine wall three times with a mortae as a signal, and two other Disrupters, Anka and Midro , appear. But once Vanna has greeted them both, she orders them to subdue Kirk, take his phaser, and toss his communicator out of reach. She does not believe that an invisible and odorless gas has been keeping her people from functioning at the height of their potential. Now she has laid a trap, and has a very valuable hostage. She forces him to mine zenite with his bare hands.

Act Four [ ]

Vanna sends the two Disrupters away, Anka to transport the gas mask to the Cloud Dwellers' City as a message to the High Adviser, and Midro to alert the other Disrupters of any Enterprise officers who try to rescue Kirk. An argument between her and Midro reveals some disagreement about who makes the decisions. This leaves her alone with Kirk. Having somewhat placated Vanna by getting her to talk, he throws zenite dust at her, which distracts her. He then rushes at her and retrieves his phaser, using it to seal them in. Vanna exclaims that Kirk has cut off their air, but Kirk says he needs to run a demonstration. He finds his communicator and orders Spock to transport Plasus to Kirk's coordinates in the mine, without warning.

Kirk wearing filter mask in the caverns

On Stratos, Plasus is at the moment very close to Droxine (too close to transport without taking her as well), who currently is thinking about Kirk and Spock. They are interrupted by a sentinel who informs them of Vanna's escape with Kirk's help. Droxine points out Kirk is desperate, and Plasus sends her away, not tolerating any defense, but not before she asks her father whether their methods of dealing with the Troglytes are really the only correct recourse. Soon, Plasus finds himself beamed into the mine.

In the mine, Kirk forces both Plasus and Vanna to mine the zenite in order to become exposed to the gas. Plasus eventually refuses and challenges Kirk to a duel with the mining implements. Kirk accepts, and the two rumble on the mine floor. Vanna finally realizes that the gas does have an effect on even Plasus and on Kirk, who are descending into fits of rage. She grabs the communicator, and pleads to the Enterprise for help, to transport them away from this mine, lest the two combatants kill each other. Spock orders it so, and once the three materialize on the transporter platform, Spock has to restrain Kirk and remind him of the effects of the zenite gas. Kirk slowly becomes himself again.

On Stratos, Kirk now has Vanna's trust and receives the consignment of zenite. Furthermore, Vanna makes it clear that with their minds unimpaired by the zenite, her people will be pursuing their political cause with even more vigor and determination. Kirk once again offers his assistance in mediating on behalf of the Troglytes, referring them to the Federation Bureau of Industrialization . Plasus and Kirk again exchange accusations, but Vanna convinces them to drop them both. Spock bids farewell to Droxine; she states that she will leave Stratos and go to the mines on the surface below.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I have never before met a Vulcan, sir. " " Nor I a work of art, madam. "

" This troubled planet is a place of the most violent contrasts. Those who receive the rewards are totally separated from those who shoulder the burdens. It is not a wise leadership. "

" You sleep lightly, captain. " " Yes. Duty is a good teacher. "

" At that time, the mating drive outweighs all other motivations. " " And is there nothing that can disturb that cycle, Mr. Spock? " " Extreme feminine beauty is always disturbing, madam. "

" If Captain Kirk appears again – kill him. "

" Violence in reality is quite different from theory, is it not, madam? " " But what else can they understand, Mr. Spock? " " All the little things you and I understand and expect from life, such as equality, kindness, justice. "

" It's hard to believe something which is neither seen nor felt can do so much harm. " " That's true. But an idea can't be seen or felt. That's what's kept the Troglytes in the mines all these centuries, a mistaken idea. "

" Hours can be centuries, just as words can be lies. "

" But soon the atmosphere will go. We'll die! " " Die from something that can't be seen? You astound me, Vanna. "

" Father, are we so sure of our methods that we never question what we do? "

" I am high advisor of all the planet! I will take no more orders!! "

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2269

Background information [ ]

Story and production [ ].

• This episode was based on a story submitted by David Gerrold called "Castles in the Sky". According to Gerrold, in The World of Star Trek :
• Producer Fred Freiberger assigned Oliver Crawford (who previously penned " The Galileo Seven " and " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield ") to co-write the episode with Gerrold, because he didn't trust the young writer (Gerrold described himself as "being twenty-three, looking like twelve" at the time) having enough experience. Eventually, Crawford and Gerrold were taken off the project by Freiberger, and Margaret Armen was assigned to develop the story into a workable script (this time titled "Revolt"). Armen was Freiberger's potential choice to be the next story editor for the series, and this assignment was intended to be her "try-out" (much like D.C. Fontana was "tried out" by rewriting Jerry Sohl 's " This Side of Paradise " script). Since the series was cancelled, Armen was never appointed story editor. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Three , pp. 525-530)
• Allan Asherman suggests that this episode was partially based on Fritz Lang 's 1927 science fiction classic, Metropolis , which features the ruling class living in huge skyscrapers, and the downtrodden workers in underground caverns. In the movie's climax the workers finally revolt against their masters. ( The Star Trek Compendium )
• A line of dialogue forgotten in the filming of this episode was dubbed in later by Shatner, but Kirk's mouth is not even moving as he says, " Who are you? What is the meaning of this attack? " Some recent telecasts have cut that line. [1]
• It is most unusual that Spock would discuss the Vulcan mating ritual so casually with a stranger Droxine; in " Amok Time ", he tells Kirk that such ceremonies are not fit for discussion with outworlders. Similarly, his observation that "we [Vulcans] do pride ourselves on our logic" is uncharacteristic, given that pride is a Human conceit—as Amanda Grayson points out to Sarek in " Journey to Babel ".
• This episode contains a unique sequence with Spock giving an internal monologue which contained clips recapping the events up to that point. [2] This was a frequently used device by producer Fred Freiberger , in cases when he thought the audience might not follow the story when only supported by the images, but needed additional information to understand the going-ons. In " The Paradise Syndrome ", Freiberger added internal thoughts "spoken" by Captain Kirk while enjoying his new life with Miramanee , and in " The Lights of Zetar ", he added an extra captain's log entry to the beginning of the episode concerning the romance of Scotty and Mira Romaine . Neither of these were originally scripted, but added in post-production. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Three )
• Star Trek: Enterprise Executive Producer Manny Coto has mentioned on several occasions that if the series had gone on to a fifth season, they would have done a prequel episode to "The Cloud Minders" which would have featured the city of Stratos. [3] (X)

Continuity [ ]

• Vanna wears three different outfits throughout the episode; her mining garb (with face mask) when attacking Kirk and Spock, then later again (without the mask) when accepting the filter masks; a long, elegant purple gown to infiltrate Stratos and attack Kirk, and finally, a short white shift with symbols on the collar.
• In the scene after Vanna is subdued by Kirk in the Rest Chamber, some of the braid on Kirk's cuff is missing.

Props and special effects [ ]

Jefferies sketch of Stratos

• Stratos was designed by Matt Jefferies , who drew a "rough sketch", without ever drawing a final sketch. The city itself was created from green foam, white glue, hacksaw blades, and Xacto knives. The production designers then chopped up the foam and glued it together and put the final shapes on it, finished it off by wrapping the bottom with cotton, and hung it from the ceiling. ( TOS Season 2 DVD special features)
• According to John Dwyer , the metal artwork that appeared in the corridors throughout the city was metal furniture, tables, etc. that he had rented from "a guy up in Topanga Canyon ," minus the glass tops. ( TOS Season 2 DVD special features)

Surface of Ardana

• The image of the planet river, seen from the Cloud City balcony, is the Hadramawt Plateau dry river basin in southern Yemen, taken by astronauts on the Gemini IV orbital mission in 1965. [4] For the remastered effect, the distant mountains on the horizon are based on a different photo taken by astronauts on the International Space Station. [5]
• The weapon used by the Stratos guards is a re-use of the Scalosian weapon from " Wink of an Eye "
• The bed Kirk sleeps on was last seen as the couch from " The Empath " and, earlier, as the Eymorg 's table in " Spock's Brain ".
• The miners' goggles would later reappear in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , in which they are worn by Khan when he meets Chekov on Ceti Alpha V .

Apocrypha [ ]

• James Blish 's novelized version of this episode is titled "The Cloud Miners ."

Production timeline [ ]

• Story outline by Oliver Crawford and David Gerrold , titled "Castles in the Sky", 24 June 1968
• Revised story outline, 10 July 1968
• Story outline by Margaret Armen , titled "Revolt", 2 August 1968
• Revised story outline, 14 August 1968
• First draft teleplay by Armen, 27 September 1968
• Second draft teleplay, titled "The Cloud Minders", 21 October 1968
• Revised second draft teleplay, 6 November 1968
• Final draft teleplay by Arthur Singer , 7 November 1968
• Additional page revisions by Fred Freiberger , 11 November 1968 , 12 November 1968 , 19 November 1968
• Day 1 – 12 November 1968 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge , Transporter room
• Day 2 – 13 November 1968 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Ext. Ardana surface
• Day 3 – 14 November 1968 , Thursday – Paramount Stage 5 : Int. Confinement quarters , Rest chamber
• Day 4 – 15 November 1968 , Friday – Paramount Stage 5 : Int. Rest chamber , Lounge , Hallways , Mine tunnel , Mine
• Day 5 – 18 November 1968 , Monday – Paramount Stage 5 : Int. Mine
• Day 6 – 19 November 1968 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Council gallery
• Day 7 – 20 November 1968 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Council gallery , Ext. Ardana surface
• Post-production page revisions by Freiberger, 9 December 1968
• Original airdate: 28 February 1969
• First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 10 February 1971
• First UK airdate on ITV : 12 August 1984
• Remastered episode airdate: 12 July 2008

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original US Betamax release: 1988
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 38 , catalog number VHR 2434, 4 February 1991
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 3.7, 2 February 1998
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 37, 27 November 2001
• As part of the TOS Season 3 DVD collection
• As part of the TOS-R Season 3 DVD collection.

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

Also starring [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Guest star [ ]

• Jeff Corey as Plasus

Co-starring [ ]

• Diana Ewing as Droxine
• Charlene Polite as Vanna
• James Doohan as Scott
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
• Kirk Raymone as Cloud Guard #1
• Jimmy Fields as Cloud Guard #2
• Ed Long as Midro
• Fred Williamson as Anka
• Garth Pillsbury as Prisoner
• Harv Selsby as Guard

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• William Blackburn as Hadley (stock footage)
• Lou Elias as Troglyte #1
• Jay Jones as Prisoner #1
• Bob Miles as Cloud City Sentinel
• George Takei as Hikaru Sulu (stock footage)
• Marvin Walters as Troglyte #2
• Ardanan passers-by
• Sentinels #4 , #5 & #6

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Donna Garrett as stunt double for Charlene Polite
• Ralph Garrett as Troglyte stunts
• Unknown stunt performer as stunt double for William Shatner
• Unknown stunt performer as stunt double for Jeff Corey

References [ ]

abbreviation ; abduction ; abstract concept ; advisor ; agreement ; ally ; alternative ; ancestor ; answer ; antigravity ; Ardana ; Ardanan ; art ; art form ; atmosphere ; attack ; average ; bargain (ing); beauty ; bigotry ; biological law ; " Bones "; botanical plague ; brain ; captain ; cargo ; cavern ; cavern implement ; century ; charge ; child ; choice ; cloud ; Cloud City Council Chamber ; Cloud City Council Gallery ; command personnel ; communicator ; computer ; confidence ; confinement quarters ; confiscation ; consignment ; contact ; container ; coordinates ; crime ; criticism ; culture ; danger ; daughter ; deal ; demonstration ; desperation ; delivery ; despoiling ( despoil ); device ; digging ; diplomacy ; diplomatic relations ; Disrupter ; doctor ; dressmaker ; ear ; Earth ; education ; emergency ; emergency mission ; engineer ; entomology ; entrance ; entrance panel ; environment ; equality ; evolution ; execution ; existence ; exposure ; eye ; face ; fainting ; father ; Federation ; Federation Bureau of Industrialization ; Federation member ; filter mask ; first officer ; fool ; freedom ; friend ; gift ; government ; government council (aka planet council or city council ); guest ; harm ; hearing ; high advisor ; home ; honor ; hostage ; hour ; household ; humanoid ; humanitarianism ; idea ; imbecile ; impression ; inhabitant ; injury ; instruction ; insult ; intellect rating ; invitation ; justice ; kindness ; knowledge ; leader ; leadership ; leisure ; lie ; life (aka lifeform ); light ; local government ; location ; logic ; loyalty ; madam ; malcontent ( rebel ); mate ; mating cycle ; meaning ; medical analysis ; meditation ; mentally inferior beings ( inferior species ); Merak II ; metropolis ; Milky Way Galaxy ; million ; mind ; mine ; mine entrance ; miner ; mining ; minute ; misery ; mission ; mistake ; Mister Advisor ; month ; mortae ; motivation ; music ; name ; natural growth ; noise ; obligation ; offer ; opportunity ; order ; oxygen ; percent ; period of time ; permission ; personal sacrifice ; phaser ; physical discomfort ; place ; planet official ; plant ; plant bacteria ; pon farr ; population ; prejudice ; prisoner ; problem ; progress ; protector ; purity ; quadrant ; question ; quote ; rays ; reality ; refining ; repair permit ; reputation ; rest chamber ; retainer ; retardation ; right ; rostrum ; ruse ; sample ; search ; search party ; scientist ; sentinel (aka guard ); shields ; shipment ; side effect ; sky ; sleep ; social system ; society ; soil ; species ; staff ; " stand by "; Starfleet Command ; starship ; starship commander ; stranger ; Stratos ; Stratos city-dweller ; stubborn ; studier ; sunlight ; surface ; surrender ; talk ; teacher ; term ; theory ; thing ; thinking ; thong ; thought ; toil ; top warp speed ; torture ; training ; translation ; transport card (aka transport pass ); transport officer ; transport platform / transporter platform ; transporter ; transporter room ; troglodyte ; Troglyte ; truth ; unconscious ; value ; vegetation ; vindictive ; violence ; visit ; vocabulary ; Vulcan ; Vulcan (planet); warmth ; weapon ; welcoming ceremony ; word ; worker ; work of art ; year ; zenite

External links [ ]

• "The Cloud Minders" at StarTrek.com
• " The Cloud Minders " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Cloud Minders " at Wikipedia
• " "The Cloud Minders" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• 3 Ancient humanoid

Screen Rant

Voyager is why star trek is replacing discovery’s spore drive.

Starfleet is abandoning the spore drive in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, having found a better form of warp travel thanks to the USS Voyager.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive"

• Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 bids farewell to the spore drive, as USS Voyager's pathway drive takes over in the 32nd century.
• Commander Stamets reveals Starfleet's decision to halt spore drive development, making Discovery unique in the Star Trek franchise.
• The USS Voyager-J's pathway drive paves the way for safer and sustainable warp travel in Star Trek's future.

The 32nd century's version of the USS Voyager is the reason that Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is abandoning Starfleet's revolutionary spore drive technology. Since they arrived in the 32nd century in season 3, the USS Discovery crew's one-of-a-kind spore drive has represented a potential replacement for dilithium-reliant warp travel in Star Trek 's future . However, various obstacles, most notably rogue Risan scientist Dr. Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) and his theft of the only working prototype have prevented the spore drive from being rolled out.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1 , "Red Directive", Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) reveals that Starfleet has shuttered further development on the spore drive . Starfleet's decision means that the USS Discovery will remain one-of-a-kind, making season 5 the last outing for Starfleet's spore drive. Instead of taking Discovery's spore drive further, Starfleet are instead forging ahead with the new pathway drive, first trialed by the USS Voyager-J in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 .

Star Trek Is Ditching Discovery's Spore Drive - And That's Good!

Uss voyager is why star trek is quitting discovery’s spore drive, voyager has a history of scientific advancement in starfleet..

In Star Trek: Discovery 's season 4 premiere, "Kobayashi Maru", it was revealed that the USS Voyager-J had been newly fitted with a protoype pathway drive . Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) was looking for the right captain to command the ship and test out this new technology. Now, Discovery 's season 5 premiere, "Red Directive" reveals that those tests were successful, leading to the pathway drive being the new standard for future Starfleet ships. The rollout is still in the early stages, however, as Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) states that his ship, the USS Antares, doesn't have a pathway drive fitted.

Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) was under consideration to command the USS Voyager-J, but President Rillak didn't believe that she was ready.

It feels appropriate that the USS Voyager is responsible for replacing Star Trek: Discovery 's spore drive, given its namesake's impact on warp travel centuries earlier . Star Trek: Prodigy revealed that, after returning to the Alpha Quadrant, much of the technology the USS Voyager encountered in the Delta Quadrant was adapted by Starfleet. For example, the USS Dauntless, commanded by Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) had a quantum slipstream drive fitted, first encountered in Star Trek: Voyager 's season 4 finale, "Hope and Fear".

10 Ways USS Voyager Changed In Star Trek’s Delta Quadrant

When will we see star trek: discovery's pathway drive in action.

As the USS Discovery is in the middle of a vitally important mission to find the Progenitors' technology to create life, it doesn't seem like there will be much time for a refit. Therefore, it's unlikely that Discovery will be using the pathway drive at any point in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. It's certainly possible that Captain Burnham could receive assistance from a starship like the USS Voyager-J at some later point in Discovery season 5, but it's also possible that the pathway drive was just a tease of things to come in the now- canceled Star Trek: Discovery season 6 .

As it will focus on a batch of new recruits, the Starfleet Academy show feels like an ideal way to reveal more about the pathway drive.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will pick up the baton in the 32nd century, however, making it the most likely candidate for a pathway drive demonstration . As it will focus on a batch of new recruits, the Starfleet Academy show feels like an ideal way to reveal more about the pathway drive. As the cadets learn how a pathway drive works, and how it differs from a more traditional warp drive, so too will Star Trek fans who tune into the YA-oriented show. Starfleet Academy leading the way with a new warp drive replacement would be a fitting way to continue the legacy of Star Trek: Discovery and its spore drive.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is looking to begin production in late summer 2024.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

After being closed for over a hundred years, Starfleet Academy is reopening its doors to those who wish to pursue a career as Starfleet Officers. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow a new group of cadets as they come of age, and build friendships, rivalries, and romantic relationships while being threatened by a new adversary that could destroy the Academy and the Federation itself.

Why Star Trek Keeping Standard Warp Travel Is Best

The specifics of how the pathway drive works are still a mystery in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, but it's presumably rooted in traditional warp travel. The spore drive was an incredibly complicated method of travel that required specific calculations and a willing host to navigate the mycelial network . In "Red Directive", Stamets states that, with more time, he could have worked out the issues with navigation, but never got the chance. The grisly fate of the USS Glenn in Discovery season 1 revealed that the slightest miscalculation in spore drive navigation could have devastating consequences for the crew.

Presumably, the pathway drive is a means to achieve warp travel while using less dilithium, to reduce the Federation's reliance on it following the scarcity caused by the Burn. This is therefore a less risky proposition, which will be why Starfleet are now rolling it out following the USS Voyager-J's successful trial. While it may be disappointing for Stamets in Star Trek: Discovery , the pathway drive's potential to make warp travel safer and more sustainable should be something to celebrate.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 is streaming on Netflix.

Star Trek: Discovery

*Availability in US

Not available

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

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: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.

How Star Trek: Discovery's Trill Story Connects to Dax on DS9

• Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 deepens connections through Trill lore and rituals, forging ties with past series like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
• The zhian'tara ritual was introduced in Deep Space Nine, which allows interactions between host personalities and adds layers to character development.
• Adira's unique bonding experience with a Trill symbiont showcases new ways of connection, expanding the Trill's lore in Discovery.

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery , Season 5, Episode 3, "Jinaal," now streaming on Paramount+ .

When Star Trek: Discovery first started its mission to bring Gene Roddenberry's universe back to television, producers made sure the series stood apart from the previous series. However, by Season 5, Discovery is embracing its Star Trek roots more than ever before. The third episode of the final season brings the USS Discovery crew to the Trill home world for a ritual that was first introduced on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . In Season 3, the USS Discovery jumped forward in time (nearly a thousand years), and they discovered a galaxy that was almost unrecognizable to them. Decimated by "the Burn," warp drive travel was all but a thing of the past.

Starfleet officers and vessels were flung across the galaxy and separated from each other by millions of billions of miles. The spore drive -- the USS Discovery's unique propulsion method -- changed all that. Along the way, they picked up Adira Tal, a human who was bonded with a Trill symbiont after their partner, Gray, died. This reintroduced the symbiotic species into Star Trek and made the Trill home world and its unique brand of sci-fi mysticism a big part of the series. As Captain Michael Burnham hunts for clues to the mysterious and powerful technology sought by Starfleet, she and Dr. Hugh Culber have to participate in a ritual created for Deep Space Nine : the zhian'tara.

Discovery Has Always Been Steeped in Star Trek History and Connections

Star trek: discovery's alex kurtzman & michelle paradise talk final season.

When Discovery debuted, it departed from Star Trek staples of design and characterization. The crew of the USS Discovery were not the paragons of Starfleet virtue audiences expected from their Star Trek series. Yet, from the appearance of Harcourt Fenton Mudd to the Federation-Klingon War itself, the show was never too far from the franchise's past. When Season 2 introduced Captain Christopher Pike, Number One and, of course, Spock, the distance between Discovery and the rest of the Star Trek universe closed.

Since then, there have been countless references to past stories in the Star Trek universe. In fact, Season 3's “Unification III” made a trilogy out of the pair of episodes where Spock began to unify Romulans with Vulcans . There is a six-decade history of stories for Discovery writers to draw from, and they do it to serve the series' story more so than just collect Easter eggs for longtime fans . The reintroduction of the Trill is just one of many ways producers pull off this generational magic trick.

Discovery Season 5 ties to The Next Generation and one of its biggest open mysteries: that the majority of sentient, sapient life in the galaxy was born from a single race billions of years ago. However, Adira's very existence is a nod to the first episode to introduce the Trill, Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 23, “The Host.” Will Riker has to take on the Odan symbiont when the Trill host is killed. Similarly, when the Trill Guardians helped Dr. Culber give Gray a new body, they used the zhian'tara method to transfer his consciousness .

The Zhian'tara Ritual Was First Introduced for Jadzia Dax on Deep Space Nine

Star trek: discovery actors doug jones & david ajala prepare for their last adventure.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Season 3, Episode 25, "Facets," storytellers introduced a strange and powerful Trill ability in the zhian'tara. While the Trill hosts share the memories of their predecessors with their symbionts, it's all a jumble in their minds . A Trill Guardian, using a bit of natural telepathic abilities and a ritual, is able to take each individual host personality and place into another's body. This allows each Trill host to meet and talk with their predecessors in a more direct way.

Jadzia Dax was a Trill who'd previously been "washed out" of the program that chose host candidates. Not only that, it was her predecessor, Curzon Dax, who was responsible for it. Thus, she'd been putting off her zhian'tara, As each host's personality was put into her friends' bodies, Jadzia was able to learn things about them despite having all their memories . She learned about tics she picked up from each of them, as well as specific skills. She was even able to discover why Curzon washed her out of the program, even though she should have had his memories of the event.

While the host's consciousness was inside their bodies, the other Deep Space Nine characters were supposed to be able to resume control on a whim. However, murderer Joran Dax was able to keep Captain Sisko subdued until Jadzia hit him. Similarly, because of Odo's unique physiology as a Changeling, he and Curzon bonded on a more significant level. In fact, Curzon wanted to not return his consciousness to the Dax symbiont and continue to live in Odo. Jadzia convinced him to return, but it was revealed that the zhian'tara process was not temporary. This is how Guardian Xi was able to use it to put Gray's consciousness inside the synthetic body he now occupies.

How Jinaal Uses Zhian'tara to Advance Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

Star trek: discovery's sonequa martin-green embarks on one final voyage.

After finding a clue in the form of a poem , the USS Discovery arrives at the Trill homeworld, and Captain Burnham first has to answer a riddle posed by Guardian Xi. When she does, he tells her the symbiont they wish to speak to is still alive, currently in Kalzara Bix. However, the host who left the clue to the Progenitors' technology, is Jinaal Bix. He's been dead for 800 years, but Kalzara refuses to simply tell the away team where the clue is from his memories .

Instead, Guardian Xi initiates a zhian'tara to bring Jindaal back to life inside the body of Dr. Hugh Culber. While Jinaal says he only has "a few hours," given what Deep Space Nine revealed this is a self-imposed time limit. This turned out to be a good thing, since Jinaal's hike into the mountains was an elaborate test to see if Burnham was worthy of the clue that pointed them to the next piece of the puzzle . It also gave Jinaal a chance to once again "take a nice long walk."

Later, in Red's lounge on the starship, Culber talks about the experience, saying "I was there, but I wasn't. How does that even work?" It continues Discovery's theme in Season 5 of the various ways different species can connect to each other while also looking forward to the "big" questions of existence. Still, while the use of zhian'tara connects Discovery to Deep Space Nine , the quest on Trill continues to build on fans' understanding of this unique Star Trek species, and it's not the first time.

How Star Trek: Discovery Expands the Trill Beyond What DS9 Laid Out

Star trek: discovery's mary wiseman, wilson cruz and blu del barrio hype finale.

Adira is not like other symbiont hosts viewers have seen in Star Trek , and this is by design. As a human being, they are the first of that species to bond this way. In fact, at first, Adira couldn't access the previous Tal host's memories, nor could they access their own. In Season 3, Episode 4, "Forget Me Not," Adira is taken to the Trill home world in the hopes of sorting out the problem. While they met with resistance, Guardian Xi was willing to help them, even without permission. Just as Jadzia Dax was able to access her suppressed former host, Joran Dax, through a ritual in the symbiont pools. In Season 7, Episode 13, Ezri Dax was able to perform the Rite of Emergence and interact with Joran much in the way Adira was able to interact with Gray after their visit to Trill.

Adira never had a proper zhian'tara depicted onscreen, but instead was able to experience the hosts in a new way . While trying to connect fully with the Tal symbiont, both Adira and Michael Burnham traveled to a kind of astral plane. There Adira reconnected with their memories of Gray, including his death. Yet, they were also able to meet with the separated consciousnesses of the other hosts and be welcomed "to the circle." This was a unique occurrence other Trill weren't able to perform, it seems. While this was going on, Guardian Xi said this was something he'd never seen before.

Lastly, the zhian'tara was used by Guardian Xi to transfer Gray's consciousness from Adira into a new Picard -style synthetic body . However, this process was dangerous and took much longer than normal because there wasn't a host mind to "guide" Gray. Still, while it took a while, Gray eventually awoke in his new body and resumed his Guardian training on Trill. The way Star Trek: Discovery built on the foundation laid by Deep Space Nine has led to fresh stories that expand fans' understanding of the Trill while providing excellent drama.

Star Trek: Discovery debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+ .

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery follows Michael Burnham on her journey from a mutineer in the 23rd Century to Starfleet captain in the 32nd. With its one-of-a-kind spore drive, the USS Discovery is a ship unlike any other, with a crew to match.

Release Date September 24, 2017

Cast Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Mary Wiseman

Main Genre Sci-Fi

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Rating TV-14

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Sonequa Martin-Green on 'Star Trek: Discovery's Final Season and a Possible Film (Exclusive)

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It's the end of the line for  Star Trek: Discovery  and  Sonequa Martin-Green  thinks fans will love how it all ends.

The star of the  Paramount+  series, which launched the current era of the  Star Trek   TV universe, spoke with ET ahead of the premiere of the show's final season on Thursday, where she reflected on the show's legacy, her favorite memories on set, and the possibility of seeing a return in a future film.

Paramount+  announced  on March 2 that  Discovery  would be signing off after the fifth season. The final season will find Captain Michael Burnham (Martin-Green) -- the franchise's first Black female captain -- and the crew of the USS Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well -- dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.

"I hope that at least a part of our legacy is that we went boldly, right? And that means a lot of things; we went beyond where any other Trek  had ever gone before in so many different ways," Martin-Green tells ET. "I know there was some serialization in Deep Space Nine , but we took it further into hyper-serialization, which is hard to do with Trek  and still hold onto the hope that's at the heart of it."

"We went boldly with the diversity -- we went so much further than any had ever gone," she adds, which was a significant element of the show's freshman season. 

Discovery  has featured a cast that highlights diversity in all its forms: The crew was captained by an Asian woman in Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), with a Black woman second in command turned captain in Michael, and several aliens in the primary cast. Chief Engineer Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Chief Medical Officer Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) comprise one of the show's most beloved (and heartbreaking) couples.

In season 3, the show introduced a non-binary character, Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), and their transgender partner, Gray (Ian Alexander), adding to what has been the most diverse cast in  Star Trek  history.

But Discovery  has also been able to play with Star Trek 's lore with time-jumping plots. "We went ahead in the timeline, so we were able to create canon in bold ways," Martin-Green says. "And I also think character evolution is a legacy of ours, where you can see the growth and the change. Because these characters became who they were meant to be, and you got to watch that journey."

"It certainly was a gift for me as a Black woman to be able to show that journey from mutineer to captain," she adds. "I feel like I was able to do a lot of like super heroic things on Discovery , and I feel that I almost got that superhero experience that you would get from a Marvel film."

Last February, Martin-Green  reflected on her history-making legacy  on  Discovery  when her character became the first Black female captain in the franchise's history.

"It was exhilarating, it was solidifying, it was cementing and fulfilling in so many ways," Martin-Green shared with ET. "I felt as if I had arrived, or sort of reached the pinnacle of what this season is about."

The actress, who is also a producer on  Discovery , credited her character's strength and tenacity, which she says has only gotten stronger over time. "One of the things I love the most about the character of Michael Burnham is there’s this power, this grit, this heart, and there’s such a rawness there," she said. "I’m always ready to jump in and get down and dirty, which I love."

Now, reflecting on the show's final episodes, Martin-Green says they "exceeded" her expectations. "It went so far beyond what I thought we would do to end the show. I wish I could say more, but of course, it would spoil it," she adds.

The actress says fans will really love what they've done to wrap up their legacy. "I think that it was done so beautifully, so gently, but courageously and powerfully," she teases. 

While her time leading  Discovery  is on borrowed time, Martin-Green wouldn't say no to donning her captain's suit again in a possible spinoff or film sequel.

"I think that that would be a lot of fun, and I think there's opportunity for that," she shares. "I think the door's always open, right? I was just talking to Whoopi Goldberg about this -- there's no goodbye. There are always opportunities, you know? Yes, we're in this timeline that sort of separates us a bit, but it would be fun, and I think we all feel that way."

That's right, Martin-Green would bank on her co-stars jumping on the opportunity with her, should the possibly arise. "We love this, we love the characters, we love each other, we love entire franchise. And I think we would all come back if we could, it would be a lot of fun."

Star Trek: Discovery  season 5 premieres April 4 on Paramount+.

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Charlene Polite (1943-1999)

IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• 1969 • 1 ep

• 1972 • 1 ep

• Ginny Donegar

• Alicia London

• Alison Otis Peabody

• Dr. Donna Sands

• Woman (uncredited)

Personal details

• June 30 , 1943
• Gary, Indiana, USA
• June 21 , 1999
• Youngstown, Ohio, USA (cancer)
• Spouses Ramon Bieri March 8, 1970 - December 24, 1979 (divorced)
• Other works (1967 season) Lynne Arden; Rene Auberjonois; Ramon Bieri; Dion Chesse; Barbara Colby; Peter Donat; Jay Doyle; George Ede; Patricia Falkenhain; Harry Frazier; Ellen Geer, Will Geer; Robert Gerringer; David Grimm; Scott Hylands; Phillip Kerr; Ruth Kobart; Michael Learned; Barry MacGregor; DeAnn Mears; Judith Milhalyi; Josephine Nichols; William Paterson; Angela Paton; Marguerite Ray; Ray Reinhardt; Ken Ruta; John Schuck; Paul Shenar; Deborah Sussel; Patrick Tovatt; Ann Weldon and she were associates and journeyman actors at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California. Mark Bramhall; David Dukes; Robert Ferro; Larry Ferguson; Terry Mace; Glenn Mazen; Kimo Perry; Herman Poppe; Kate Hawley; Karen Ingenthron; Carol Mayo Jenkins; Enid Kent; Barry Kraft; Dana Larson; Michael Lerner; James Ragan; Mary Ellen Ray; Mark Schell; Izetta Smith; Gil Turner; Don Watson and Kitty Winn were the acting fellows at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California.

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