It’s a good time to be a Trekkie.
Without a doubt, this year’s “Star Trek” Universe panel was the biggest event at New York Comic Con, which in of itself is a little bit of a shame, as it’s always nice to have several panels competing for that coveted title.
Nevertheless, attendees to the panel this year were treated to three brand new trailers, one each for Season 3 of “Picard,” Season 5 of “Discovery” and the second half of Season 1 of “Prodigy.”
Star Trek: Picard
Wow! There’s a lot to unpack in that slightly-more-than-a-teaser trailer. First and foremost, that it looks like showrunner Akiva Goldsman has embraced the let’s-get-whole-cast-together thing and used that to its storytelling advantage, rather than just having everyone reunite for the sheer nostalgia value. Although of course, that’s still a danger, but it appears that this will be, in essence, one last “Next Generation” movie — told over 10 episodes — and as long as it doesn’t try to be anything else, it might end up being the best season out of the three.
Related: The ‘Picard’ Season 2 finale will leave you feeling shortchanged
Some immediate takeaways include: the return of the bar Ten Forward from “Star Trek: The Next Generation;” a new USS Titan NCC 80102-A; a new Odyssey class USS Enterprise-F (introduced in the “Star Trek Online” game); a new, updated Space Dock; Ensign Sidney La Forge, helmsman of the USS Titan (daughter of Geordi La Forge) is played by Sharpe Chestnut while Ensign Alandra La Forge is played by the actual daughter of LeVar Burton, Mica. The names of La Forge’s daughters are in fact based on a line of dialogue from the TNG finale “All Good Things” (S07, E25 & 26).
Amanda Plummer (arguably most remembered for her role in “Pulp Fiction”) joined the cast in a recurring role as Vadic, the mysterious alien captain of the Shrike, a warship that apparently has set its sights on Jean-Luc Picard and his old crewmates from his days on the Enterprise. Quite why, we don’t know yet.
Finally, the trailer teases the return of Lore, the other son of Soong and finally, a twist that we can confidently say no one saw coming, the return of the holodeck character Professor Moriarty, played thankfully once again by the same actor, Daniel Davis, who appeared as the antagonist from Sherlock Holmes in the TNG episodes “Elementary, Dear Data” (S02, E03 and “Ship In A Bottle” (S06, E12).
Joining Patrick Stewart for this final nostalgic return to all things “Next Generation” is LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Worf), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), Brent Spiner (Lore), Jeri Ryan (Seven) and Michelle Hurd (Raffi). The 10-episode long final season will begin on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.
Related: New York Comic Con 2022: The space fan’s ultimate guide
Star Trek: Prodigy
Despite it’s obvious target of a younger audience, “Prodigy” is actually rather good. We haven’t been treated to any new episodes since the midseason cliffhanger that aired on Feb. 3, 2022. If you recall, the Diviner contacted the Protostar and offered to free the remaining prisoners at Tars Lamora in exchange for the return of the starship. Meanwhile, Dal and the crew rescued the colony’s miners and took off toward Federation space where we learned that they were being tracked by the real Captain Janeway on the USS Dauntless NCC-80816.
The TNG character Edward Jellico is set to make a reoccurring appearance in the second half of the first season. He will once again be played by the legendary Ronny Cox (“Deliverance,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “RoboCop”) who played him most notably in the epic two-part episode “Chain of Command” (S06, E10 & E11).
“Star Trek: Prodigy” stars the voice talents of Kate Mulgrew (Janeway in all her forms), Brett Gray (Dal), Ella Purnell (Gwyn), John Noble (the Diviner), Rylee Alazraqui (Rok-Tahk), Dee Bradley Baker (Murf), Angus Imrie (Zero), Jason Mantzoukas (Jankom Pog) and Robert Beltran as Captain Chakotay.
“Star Trek: Prodigy” returns to Paramount+ for the second half of its first season on Oct. 27, 2022. A second season is already in production.
Star Trek: Discovery
The Season 5 teaser for “Star Trek: Discovery” was exactly that: A teaser. It gave very little away. Evidently the show is nearing the post-production phase, which in turn means that we probably won’t see the fifth season until after the third and final season of “Picard.”
Will a strange anomaly threaten the entire galaxy? Will billions of lives be threatened? Will Starfleet and the crew of the USS Discovery have to unite and dig deep, facing their own mortality and risking their lives for the greater good … again?
Related: ‘Star Trek’ Day bursting with cast news, teasers and announcements
The official seasonal story summary is “Burnham and the crew of the Discovery uncover a mystery that sends 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.”
Related: ‘Discovery’ finishes Season 4 with a disappointing finale. Again
While it’s easy to get excited from a well-put-together trailer, this show does suffer from “Star Wars” Sequels Syndrome. With the exception of the very first season (remember that?) each new one seems to introduce an amazing new idea that could’ve produced a really interesting story arc on its own, then promptly ditches it and pulls a handbrake turn.
A few things to note for Season 5 include: not having been announced as the “fifth and final season,” the return in some capacity of Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Callum Keith Rennie is joining the cast as a character called Rayner. He’s undoubtedly best remembered by sci-fi fans for playing the Cylon Leoben Conoy in “Battlestar Galactica.”
The official blurb about his character is as follows: “Rayner is a gruff, smart Starfleet Captain who holds a clear line between commander and crew — he leads, they follow. Rayner’s all about the mission, whatever it may be, and he doesn’t do niceties along the way; his feeling is, you get the job done and apologize later. He has a storied track record of wartime success, but in times of peace he struggles. Collaboration is not his strong suit. That said, if it serves the greater good he’s willing to learn … but it won’t be easy.”
Book (David Ajala) also seems to be about, plus two new characters for this season Moll, played by Eve Harlow and L’ak, played by Elias Toufexis. Both are described as “former couriers turned outlaws” and will be Season 5 regulars.
Every episode of every “Star Trek” show currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US. Internationally, the shows are available on Paramount Plus in Australia, Latin America, the UK, and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They will also stream exclusively on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria later this year. In Canada, they air on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.
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