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Star Trek: First Contact

The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight ... Read all The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed. The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.

Jonathan Frakes
Gene Roddenberry
Rick Berman
Brannon Braga
Patrick Stewart
Brent Spiner
370 User reviews
126 Critic reviews
70 Metascore
8 wins & 21 nominations total

(as Levar Burton)

Zefram Cochrane

Lt. Daniels

Holographic Doctor

Lt. Barclay

Defiant Conn Officer

Admiral Hayes

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Trivia On account of budgetary restrictions, the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) was never quite satisfied with the Borg sets and costumes as used during the series. However, the significantly bigger budget for this film finally allowed them to design the Borg in a way that was much closer to what they had intended. As a result, the suits and sets were reused extensively on Star Trek: Voyager (1995) .
Goofs When Geordi is asking Cochrane to look at the intermix chamber blueprints, he is wearing sunglasses, even though his artificial eyes don't require protection from the sun. The sunglasses are probably needed in case a local comes looking around. Only Cochrane and Lily knew about time travelers, and Geordi's futuristic implants could blow their cover. Geordi used dark glasses for the same purpose in Time's Arrow, Part II (1992) as well.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [Quoting "Moby Dick"] And he piled upon the whale's white hump, the sum of all the rage and hate felt by his whole race. If his chest had been a cannon, he would have shot his heart upon it.

Lily Sloane : What?

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : "Moby-Dick".

Lily Sloane : Actually, I never read it.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Ahab spent years hunting the white whale that crippled him, a quest for vengeance, but in the end, it destroyed him and his ship.

Lily Sloane : I guess he didn't know when to quit.

Crazy credits After 'Stunt Players' are listed, the 'Stunt Borg' are listed.
Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Space Jam/The Mirror Has Two Faces/The English Patient/Breaking the Waves (1996)
Soundtracks Theme from 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Jerry Goldsmith

User reviews 370

Dec 2, 2005
How long is Star Trek: First Contact? Powered by Alexa
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November 22, 1996 (United States)
United States
Memory Alpha, the Star Trek wiki
Star Trek 8
Titan Missile Museum - 1580 W. Duval Mine Road, Green Valley, Arizona, USA
Paramount Pictures
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$45,000,000 (estimated)
$92,027,888
$30,716,131
Nov 24, 1996
$146,027,888

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 51 minutes
Dolby Digital
Dolby Surround 7.1

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Cast of Star Trek: First Contact

Patrick Stewart portrays Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the wise and courageous leader of the starship Enterprise.

Jonathan Frakes plays Commander William T. Riker, the strong and strategic second-in-command.

Brent Spiner embodies the curious and intelligent android, Lieutenant Commander Data.

LeVar Burton takes on the role of Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, the skilled chief engineer known for his VISOR.

Michael Dorn portrays the honorable Klingon officer, Lieutenant Commander Worf, adding depth to the crew.

Gates McFadden plays Commander Beverly Crusher, the caring and capable ship's doctor.

Marina Sirtis steps into the role of Counselor Deanna Troi, using her empathic abilities to aid the crew emotionally.

James Cromwell portrays Dr. Zefram Cochrane, the visionary scientist who invents warp drive technology.

Alfre Woodard plays Lily Sloane, a strong-willed woman who finds herself unexpectedly involved in a crucial moment in Earth's history.

Alice Krige brings a chilling presence to the character of the Borg Queen, a powerful and enigmatic leader of the cybernetic race.

Neal McDonough takes on the role of Lieutenant Hawk, a dedicated officer serving aboard the Enterprise during a critical mission.

Dwight Schultz portrays Lieutenant Barclay, a nervous but capable technician who plays an important role in the crew's efforts.

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Star Trek: First Contact - Full Cast & Crew

1 hr 51 mins
Drama, Suspense, Action & Adventure, Kids, Science Fiction
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Captain Jean Luc Picard and the Enterprise crew are propelled into action when the Borg hatch a plan to travel back in time to a period when Planet Earth was recovering from its devastating Third World War.

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Header image for Star Trek VIII: First Contact showing Data face-to-face with the Borg Queen

Star Trek: First Contact

1996 • PG-13

Picard orders the Enterprise to follow the Borg back in time to stop them from destroying the Phoenix , Earth's first warp-speed vessel.

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Directed by jonathan frakes.

AllMovie Rating 6
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Star Trek: First Contact

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“Star Trek: First Contact” is one of the best of the eight “ Star Trek ” films: Certainly the best in its technical credits, and among the best in the ingenuity of its plot. I would rank it beside “ Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ” (1986), the one where the fate of Earth depended on the song of the humpback whale. This time, in a screenplay that could have been confusing but moves confidently between different levels of the story, the crew of the Enterprise follows the evil Borgs back in time to the day before mankind made its first flight at warp speed.

That flight, in 2063, was monitored by an alien race, the Vulcans, who took it as evidence that man had developed to the point where it deserved to meet another race. But now the Borgs, starting from the 24th century, want to travel back through a temporal vortex (how I love the “Star Trek” jargon!), prevent the flight and rewrite history, this time with Borgs populating the Earth instead of humans.

The latest edition of the starship is the “Enterprise E” (and there are plenty of letters left in the alphabet, Capt. Picard notes ominously). It is patrolling deep space when it learns the Borgs are attacking Earth. The Enterprise is ordered to remain where it is--probably, Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) notes bitterly, because he was a prisoner of the Borgs some six years ago, and “a man who was captured and assimilated by the Borg is an unstable element.” These Borgs are an interesting race. They are part flesh, part computer, and they “assimilate” all the races they conquer into their collective mind, which organizes their society like a hive. There is even a queen ( Alice Krige ), although she is not fat and pampered like an ant or a termite, but lean, mean and a student of seduction. One of the movie's intriguing subplots involves Data ( Brent Spiner ), the Enterprise's android, who is captured and hooked up to a Borg assimilating machine--which fails, because it can't crack his digital defenses. Then the Queen tries some analog methods all her own.

The central plot takes place as the Enterprise follows a Borg ship back through time to Earth, which, the Trekkers are dismayed to learn, is now populated by Borgs. To turn history around again, they need to be sure man's first warp flight succeeds. Earth is recovering from World War III, and a brilliant inventor named Cochrane ( James Cromwell , the tall farmer from “ Babe ”) has adapted a missile for this historic flight.

He leads a commune that seems to be part hippie, part survivalist, and spends much of his time listing to rock 'n' roll and drinking, to the despair of his associate Lily ( Alfre Woodard ). These two do not believe the weird story they get from the starship crew, and at one point Lily nearly fries Picard with a stolen gun. (He: “Maximum setting! If you had fired, you would have vaporized me.” She: “It's my first ray gun.”) The plot moves deftly between preparations for the Earth launch, Data's assimilation tortures on the Borg ship, and a fight against a Borg landing party on the Enterprise, which Picard personally directs, overruling doubts expressed by his second-in-command, William Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) and their own assimilated Klingon, Worf ( Michael Dorn ).

Some of the earlier “Star Trek” movies have been frankly clunky in the special-effects department; the first of the series came out in 1979 and looked pale in comparison to “Star Wars.” But this one benefits from the latest advances in f/x artistry, starting with its sensational opening shot, which begins so deep inside Picard's eyeball, it looks like a star-speckled spacescape and then pulling back to encompass an unimaginably vast Borg starship. I also admired the interiors of the Borg probe, and the peculiar makeup work creating the Borg Queen, who looks like no notion of sexy I have ever heard of, but inspires me to keep an open mind.

“Star Trek” movies are not so much about action and effects as they are about ideas and dialogue. I doubted the original Enterprise crew would ever retire because I didn't think they could stop talking long enough. Here the story gives us yet another intriguing test of the differences among humans, aliens and artificial intelligence. And the paradoxes of time travel are handled less murkily than sometimes in the past. (Although explain to me once again how the Earth could be populated with millions of Borgs who are expected to vanish--or never have been--if the Enterprise succeeds. Isn't there some sort of law of conservation of energy that requires their physical bodies to come from, or be disposed of, somewhere, somehow?) “STFC” was directed by Frakes, who did some of the “ST Next Generation” shows for television, and here achieves great energy and clarity. In all of the shuffling of timelines and plotlines, I always knew where we were. He also gets some genial humor out of Cromwell, as the inventor who never wanted fame but simply enough money to go off to a “tropical island with a lot of naked women.” And there is such intriguing chemistry between Picard and the Woodard character that I hope a way is found to bring her onboard in the next film. “Star Trek” movies in the past have occasionally gone where no movie had gone, or wanted to go, before. This one is on the right beam.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Rated PG-13 For Some Sci-Fi Adventure Violence

112 minutes

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes as William Riker

Brent Spiner as Data

James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane

Alfre Woodard as Lily Sloane

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

Alice Krige as Borg Queen

Michael Dorn as Worf

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

Directed by

Jonathan Frakes
Ronald D. Moore
Brannon Braga

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Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Next Generation crew engage in their most thrilling adventure yet. They call themselves the Borg - a half organic, half-machine collective with a sole purpose: to conquer and assimilate all races. Led by their seductive and sadistic queen (Alice Krige), the Borg are headed to Earth with a devious plan to alter history. Picard's last encounter with the Borg almost killed him. Now he wants vengeance.

Cast + Crew

LeVar Burton
Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn
Gates McFadden
Marina Sirtis
Alfre Woodard
Michael Horton
James Cromwell
Brent Spiner
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5 Things We Learned About ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ On Its 25th Anniversary Year

| April 6, 2021 | By: Kayla Iacovino 20 comments so far

Yesterday’s virtual First Contact Day event put on by CBS has come after over a year of virtual “conventions” that haven’t been able to hold a candle to their normally in-person counterparts. But, with a year of learning and planning, CBS showed that this virtual event thing can actually work. During the “Remembering First Contact” panel, host Wil Wheaton asked insightful questions of Star Trek vets Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, and Alice Krige, getting them to spill a few stories I for one had never heard before about Star Trek: First Contact, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Here are a few of my favorite takeaway tidbits that were new to me. For those of you walking Star Trek history encyclopedias, please feel free to expound on these stories in the comments!

Renaissance-era setting nixed for budgetary reasons… and the absurdity

During the “Revisiting First Contact” panel celebrating 25 years since the release of the beloved TNG film, Jonathan Frakes spoke about the genesis of the story of First Contact , saying:

“All three of the writers wanted a time travel story. So, the objective was to find a way to marry those big concepts [Borg and time travel]. Originally it was going to take place in Renaissance Italy, perhaps, and we were going to fight the Borg with swords? Thankfully that idea was taken away for financial reasons and logical reasons and absurd reasons, I’m sure. And, we were blessed with this, arguably the best of the Star Trek movie scripts certainly.”

We had to wait until Star Trek: Picard to get those sword fights.

Patrick Stewart had to OK Frakes as director, over Reuben sandwiches

After Jonathan Frakes was asked how he got the job as director, he told the story of the most memorable Reuben sandwich in his life.

“I believe, if the urban myth is true, the movie was offered to Ridley Scott, John McTiernan [who weren’t interested]. As I understand it Sherry Lansing, who was the head of Paramount at the time, told Rick Berman, who was the keeper of the reigns: ‘Why don’t you hire who you like?’ So, there was one caveat. The director that they hired had to be approved by now Sir Patrick Stewart. So, Rick said, ‘I’d really like you to do the movie, but Patrick’s going to have to approve you.’ So, Patrick and I had lunch at Jerry’s Deli in Studio City. And, he said, ‘I’m okay with you directing the movie. I was told that I had to make it official with you. And, that… it kind of changed my life. I believe we both had Reuben sandwiches.”

The group shares a laugh over Jonathan’s memory of his favorite reuben sandwich.

Alice Krige asked for a second audition because she thought she blew it (she didn’t)

Before her audition for the role of the Borg Queen, Alice Krige had no real knowledge of what Star Trek was all about. It took doing the audition for her to find the character, and in doing so, she was convinced she had totally biffed the audition. Of course, she hadn’t.

“My agent called me one day, and she said, ‘here are some sides for the next Star Trek movie.’ Now, I have a confession to make that I had never seen an episode of Star Trek. I said okay, but where’s the script? I can’t go in without a script. She said, ‘No, you don’t understand. NO ONE sees a script.’ I had a friend who wrote for Star Trek. I ran over to his house, and I watched all of the Borg episodes that he had on tape. I learned my lines, and I went into Paramount. And, there was Jonathan, and I did the three scenes. And, as I was doing them, I actually started to understand [the role] – it was the act of doing it – it was not intellectual. It was like a channel opened up. They thanked me politely, and I left. I ran to my car, and I drove to find the first pay phone I could find. I called my agent, and I said ‘I screwed it up. Please tell them that I can do better. And, I really want to do it again.’ Well, we didn’t hear from them for three weeks, and I thought ‘another one bites the dust’. And, then I got another call! I went in, and I did the same thing again, and I was offered the Borg Queen.”

Alice Krige as the Borg Queen.

Alice Krige needed 8 Borg wranglers to work in the Borg Queen costume

Alice Krige – who absolutely slayed in her role as the Borg Queen – spoke about how she got the role and what it was like playing the iconic character. One amusing tidbit was her mention of around eight “Borg wranglers” that were needed during her scenes.

“All the Borg wranglers. Because I must have had eight maybe? Someone who looked after my battery packs, someone who had a big pot of glue and glued the cracks. Someone looked after my feet, my hands, my head. Someone had a huge tube of – what was it? – KY jelly and a sponge. Every one of them helped make [the Borg Queen]. This was the apotheosis of collaboration for me, this role.”

Krige on the Borg Queen rig with director Jonathan Frakes during the filming of Star Trek: First Contact.

Brent Spiner was terrified of doing the missile silo jump stunt

While Brent Spiner had high praise for the film’s director, script, and co-stars, there was one aspect of making the film that wasn’t to his liking.

“We were standing alongside the missile on a platform that was very high in the air. Patrick [Stewart] knows that I am terrified of heights, so he would be bouncing on the platform to terrify me – which it did. [In the film] Data jumps off the platform and sail to the ground, and nothing happens to him. Initially, it was my stunt double, Brian Williams. He did that jump, and Jonathan [Frakes] shot him coming down from the missile silo, and then Jonathan cut to me. They printed all of that, then Jonathan came to me and said, you can tell that it’s not you. You’re going to have to do it. They took me to a soundstage, put me in a harness. And I was terrified. I hated it. They brought me up 3 feet and dropped me, and I hated it, then they took me all the way to the top, and they were to drop me, and a few feet before I hit the ground, a hydraulic slowed me down. I had to be Data, and I was able to do it, and look confident, and I landed, and the crew applauded, and I was so glad it was over. And then ‘Two-Takes Frakes’ came to me and said, ‘can we do that again?'”

That first step is a doozy.

Watch the full 25th-anniversary panel

Paramount+ has uploaded the entire Star Trek: First Contact anniversary panel to Youtube.

Find more articles on Star Trek history at TrekMovie.com .

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Alice Krige wax the only logical choice to play the Borg queen. While Susanna Thompson was good on Voyager, Alice nailed it and I’m glad she also came back to the roll.

the 1st time Star Trek was a ‘cool’ movie to go see at the cinema

What about The Voyage Home?

yes but that was more of a comedy like Crocodile Dundee/BTTF in space, not so much an Aliens/Terminator type ‘cool’ pg13 scifi action movie that kids teens non fans could rave about in the playground, water cooler, pub etc

The first Trek movie I got to see in the theater…I was 4. I still remember gagging in my seat when Data made out with the BQ. Also I love this cast so much, I wish I was around to get pranked.

This panel was great! And yes even after 25 years and endless conventions it’s always nice to hear new stories and anecdotes which this had a lot of. Spiner’s story about being afraid of heights and doing the jumping scene in the movie was hilarious!

FC definitely had an amazing script and felt the most cinematic out of all the movies not counting TMP or the Kelvin movies. The premise worked so well and a great way to tie into the 30th anniversary sort of how well TUC and its premise tied into the 25th.

While I liked Beyond that was one of its biggest missed opportunities and not having a bigger hook that tied into the 50th anniversary more. It’s a story that could be told in any episode. But I digress.

Anyway great panel!

50th anniversary movie was there for the taking (Orci/Shatner/battle for the timelines) and could’ve been as pleasing as VI and FC, but,like a poor marksman, they missed the target..

I was on set standing in Picard’s Ready Room doorway they filmed all the takes of the “interplexing beacon” dialog scene where Alfre Woodard and Picard come up through the floor. I was so stunned that I was on set watch the new film being made. I remember touching the embroidered delta shield insignia on the back of the seats on the bridge. Jonathan Frakes made the cast do one more take of a shot and said “ok, once more with grace and alacrity” and Patrick Stewart started into a whole Shakespeare joke about the epic love story of Grace and Alacrity, acting it out while the cast and crew laughed as the lights were moved. It was all very funny and surreal. I also got to sit in the Phoenix cockpit and walk (only on the very edge) of the deflector dish. I can’t believe that was 25 years ago. Yikes. I’m old. Oh and I also interviewed Alice Krige in her house in Malibu about playing the Borg Queen. She fed me salt and vinegar potato chips and her little black dog kept licking the crumbs off my fingers. 25 years?? Where does time go???!!!!

That’s a lovely story!

Yes that is a great story. But I thought the interplexing beacon scene was on the bridge? But I love that whole bit. It had some great lines:

“The reports of my assimilation have been greatly exaggerated” “I am a Klingon” “I think’s it time we take a little stroll”

And the gag with Worf scared of zero-G. Love it. Why can’t all Star Trek films be more like this?

Wow. 25 years. I saw this movie in the theaters when I was in college. Dang I feel old now. But I just watched it again yesterday for FC Day and it still holds up very well. I love this movie.

I did hear the Renaissance story before. But it was actually someone wanted to do the time travel to the Renaissance story and someone else wanted to do the Borg. I’m glad they dropped the Renaissance bit and went with the Zephram Cochrane and First Contact story instead.

My regret is that Tom Hanks was initially cast as Zephram Cochrane, which I think would have made for a better and more popular movie. He couldn’t do it since he was directing another movie, but he did want to since he was a big Star Trek fan. James Cromwell was ok, but Hanks would have brought a big name to Trek.

Didn’t Tony Pascale do a DVD commentary for it with Damon Lindelof?

I don’t agree. Hanks was too famous. Too big. I would have watched all the Cochrane scenes and just thought “that’s Tom Hanks talking to Will, Deanna, and Geordi”. Same with the abandoned Eddie Murphy role in Star Trek IV. I’m glad they didn’t happen.

Now, if they want Hanks to cameo as Captain April on SNW, I can be down with that.

But the fact he was so famous could’ve been an added bonus for the character as Cohrene was this huge mythical figure that the TNG guys were in awe of

Tom Hanks is a fantastic actor and I think his performance would have quickly allowed the audience to believe he was Zethran Cochrane in the movie.

Big name actors appear all the time in Star Wars, just check the names.

Cromwell was great as Cochrane (and even more prestigious when you take into account he was in the classic LA Confidential the following year) but yeah Hanks in FC would’ve been a huge deal for a Trek movie in the mid 90s when Hanks was pretty much the biggest movie star on the planet at that time (along with Mel Gibson & Tom Cruise), and maybe brought in another 50 even 100m in box office worldwide

I prefer Cromwell, much more believable as a drunk, also he’s a fantastic guy and an activist I’ve marched alongside. Meeting him was a big deal for me, I never thought I’d be meeting the man who invented warp drive!

Cromwell was also coming off of an Academy Award nomination that year, so he leant a nice little nugget of prestige in his own way.

i still cringe when everyone, including the Vulcans, have their little dance party, twisting the night away to Roy Orbison’s Ooby Dooby. Not Trek’s finest moment!

The end shot was also very similar to Trek V

I remember during the live watch of First Contact with Jonathan Frakes some months back, he also related how Patrick had to approve him directing. He didn’t mention the sandwich thing though at that time. Also, the tone I got from the live watch was that Frakes was never in any danger since he and Patrick are good friends and Patrick rubber stamping Frakes’ directorship was basically a formality.

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Star Trek: First Contact

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum In zooming out from Picard's glinty eyeball, this eighth feature film from the Trek factory displays a zippy new energy and a sleek, confident style fully independent of its predecessors.
New York Times Janet Maslin The series now lacks all of its original stars and much of its earlier determination. It has morphed into something less innocent and more derivative than it used to be, something the noncultist is ever less likely to enjoy.
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan Blessed with clever plot devices and a villainous horde that makes the once-dread Klingons seem like a race of Barneys, First Contact does everything you'd want a Star Trek film to do, and it does it with cheerfulness and style.
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle A nicely constructed science-fiction film, with a simple premise, a charismatic villain and a good back-story to enhance the action.
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Star Trek: First Contact is one of the best of the eight Star Trek films: Certainly the best in its technical credits, and among the best in the ingenuity of its plot.
Detroit News Susan Stark The first stretch and the home stretch are so filled with visual interest and, more importantly, with the patented Star Trek philosophical and humorous tidbits that fans will gladly suffer the dull Borg patch for the pleasure of the rest.
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov The film feels soulless and hollow, despite best intentions to the contrary.
Miami Herald Leonard Pitts Jr. This is why we go to Star Trek: for a tomorrow of promise and possibility and stories that lift us from the muck of what we are to the summit of what we might learn to be.
Boston Globe Jay Carr It's easily one of the best in the series -- the best, in fact, since Leonard Nimoy and the old Enterprise crew saved the whales in "Star Trek IV."
TIME Magazine Richard Corliss First Contact is no grab bag of camp gewgaws; it stands proud and apart, accessible even to the Trek-deficient. This old Star, it seems, has a lot of life in it.
Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector The elegance of the story is enhanced by the sure direction of Jonathan Frakes, who also plays Commander William Riker.
Variety Joe Leydon A smashingly exciting sci-fi adventure that ranks among the very best in the long-running Paramount franchise.
Washington Post Lloyd Rose The excitement comes from Frakes's direction.
Washington Post Desson Thomson A thoroughly enjoyable visit with the crew of TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Keith & the Movies Keith Garlington Star Trek fans will find that same style and unique form of storytelling that they've come to expect from the franchise.
Slant Magazine Jake Cole Here, the TNG cast gets to show off their longstanding chemistry and further develop their characters.
Solzy at the Movies Danielle Solzman If you've never watched anything Star Trek before, First Contact is a very accessible film and highly recommended.
Rob's Movie Vault Rob Gonsalves The storytelling is tight, the style loose and limber, and it moves with great confidence and speed; it caught me up in the first shot and never let me down.
USA Today While First Contact espouses the usual lofty Trek ideals, it never forgets to factor in the fun. As the Borg likes to say, resistance is futile -- and also unnecessary.
Tilt Magazine Stephen Silver The best cinematic outing featuring the Next Generation cast, one that found a great story to tell featuring the Borg, one of the franchise's greatest antagonists. (25th anniversary)

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Jonathan Frakes on the ‘Trek’ Ep He Directed 31 Years Ago That Inspired ‘Discovery’ Season 5, Hopes for ‘Legacy’ & More

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Jonathan Frakes has been directing episodes of various “Star Trek” series for the past 34 years, from his first episode behind the camera, “Next Generation” installment “The Offspring,” to the most recent episode of “Star Trek: Discovery.” He is continuity for the franchise that doesn’t quite exist in any other way.

Speaking to IndieWire about his work directing on “Discovery,” Frakes takes no credit for having had a connection to the original “Next Gen” basis for this storyline.

“It’s just by chance that ‘The Chase was my episode,'” he said. “In the old days on ‘Next Gen,’ you were assigned episodes [to direct] based on people’s availability. I’m very proud to have been a part of it, though and very excited that [‘Discovery’ showrunner] Michelle Paradise chose it as sort of the tipping off point for the season. But it was clearly by happenstance that it happened to be an episode that I had directed then, and now I’m involved with the finale of, so it’s thrilling.”

And Frakes took that to heart: The opening shot of “Lagrange Point,” lensed by DP Maya Bankovic in her first collaboration with Frakes, sees the camera turn upside down, to explore the sprawling interiors of Starfleet Headquarters. It later flies through the sprawling interiors of a Breen ship where the heist takes place with a sweep that would have been unimaginable in “Trek” just a few years ago. “Tunde [referring to Olatunde Osunsanmi, the producing director who usually helms the “Discovery” premiere and finale episodes, given their enhanced scale] encourages that kind of freedom.”

This has changed the cadence of production for many VFX heavy shows such as “Discovery.” Whereas these would have an extended post-production period following the conclusion of principal photography, now much of that VFX work has to be completed in advance so it can be captured in-camera during shooting.

“It’s a time suck, and it’s got to mean so much planning,” Frakes said. “I mean, I was told they need to know 13 weeks before we can shoot it, what sets are going to be created, because I think it’s 30,000 LED lights, and the assets need to be built. So it is a long process to get that canvas, if you will, in place before you go over there and put the live action parts into it.

Pairing the best of the new with the best of the old is the challenge of “Star Trek” these days. For as cinematic and sweeping as its series today look, they have to find ways to build on the nearly 1,000 hours of “Trek” that’s come before — not as fan service but as a way of acknowledging its history so that its present feels lived-in and real.

As for another echo from the past, there’s the persistent drumbeat from fans for a continuation of the final season of “Star Trek: Picard,” which brought back the entire “Next Gen” cast, as “Star Trek: Legacy” — a handoff series that could be built around the new characters from “Picard” plus strategic appearances from old “Next Gen” faves. It’s probably the property “Star Trek” fans most want to see out of everything the franchise could do right now. And yet there’s been no movement on this from Paramount+, and “Picard” showrunner Terry Matalas now signing with Marvel to produce a “Vision” TV series for Disney+ seems like the idea may be dead in the water.

When asked if he has hopes, thoughts, or updates about “Legacy,” Frakes said, “I certainly have hopes and thoughts. Updates? I don’t have, but I do know that the franchise is in great shape. I do know that this ‘Starfleet Academy’ series is going to be an entirely different animal, and I think that the success of what I’m imagining, the success of ‘Section 31,’ Michelle Yeoh’s movie , is only going to catapult us further into the future, and my hope, obviously is that we’ll find a place then to continue the ‘Legacy’ story.”

We can dream.

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One of Star Trek's Most Enduring Villains Was Created by a Paramount Exec

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The Big Picture

One Paramount executive thought the Borg were boring, resulting in the creation of the Borg Queen as an iconic character.
The Borg Queen appears in multiple Star Trek series, using manipulation and vulnerability to become a compelling villain.
In the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard , the Borg Queen returns with manipulative tactics to assimilate humanity through Picard's son, Jack Crusher.

The Star Trek franchise has so many iconic villains that it might be difficult for some fans to choose their favorite. Starfleet's crews are constantly encountering both new and old enemies while exploring the galaxy and meeting new civilizations. The Next Generation 's Q ( John De Lancie ) is one of the biggest tricksters in the galaxy , while Deep Space Nine 's Cardassian war criminal Gul Dukat ( Marc Alaimo ) is constantly stirring up something, and Khan Noonien Singh ( Ricardo Maltabán ) simply wants to take over the world. Time and time again, the bad guys that always seem to pop up are the Borg. Although they seem like a simple hivemind collective, their recurring presence in the franchise reveals them to be so much more, and viewers have seen what can happen when they're given their individuality or how they react under pressure. During the filming of the Next Generation movie Star Trek: First Contact , however, one Paramount executive thought a particular change was needed to give the Borg a specific face — and it was a change that made an impact on the franchise moving forward.

Star Trek: First Contact

According to The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams , edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, Paramount's Jonathan Dolgen thought the Borg were boring and amounted to little more than zombie robots; they needed some kind of voice other than being mindless drones, and what's a hive without its Queen? So, screenwriter Brannon Braga did a substantial rewrite to include a character that would come to be known as the Borg Queen ( Alice Krige ). Dolgen, it's been reported, was a huge Star Trek fan and often put in his two cents about which episodes he liked, which apparently paid off big time. His suggestion spiraled into the creation of this iconic character who always has a habit of popping up when we least expect her.

Where Have We Seen the Borg Queen in Star Trek Before?

In First Contact , the Borg travel back in time to stop scientist Zefram Cochrane ( James Cromwell ) from discovering warp speed, which leads to humanity's first encounter with the Vulcans, which in turn allows for the deeper exploration of space and the eventual founding of the Federation. As a villain, the Borg Queen, played by Alice Krige in First Contact , is so different from other Borg introduced in The Next Generation ; she is sexual and emotional, making her prone to trickery and manipulation, even though she is a master at both herself. She brings a sense of vulnerability to the Borg, despite being a slinky, devious monster, which makes her the perfect foil for Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ), first in First Contact and then later on when the character reappears in Star Trek: Picard . She toys with people around her and convinces them to join her Hive. She has this special fondness for Picard and will do anything to convince him to join the collective. He's like a trophy she needs to collect for her mantle. Even though we thought she perished at the end of First Contact , she has this nasty habit of popping up again and again.

She's also a notable villain in Star Trek: Voyager , after Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ) is liberated from the Borg. As a power-hungry leader obsessed with finding perfection and evolving the Borg into the ultimate race, Queen can't stand that a Borg drone has escaped and been disconnected from the Hive and does everything in her power to manipulate and bring Seven of Nine back to the collective. After Voyager blasts some severe hits on the Borg, they also deliver a neurolytic pathogen they believe kills the Borg Queen — but that's proven wrong when she appears once again in Star Trek: Picard.

'Star Trek: Picard' Introduces Another Side of the Borg Queen

The Borg Queen returns in Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard (voiced by Krige and portrayed physically by Jane Edwina Seymour ) in an attempt to create a new collective after she cannibalizes her drones to sustain herself. While she's clearly become a more narcissistic, manipulative, and conniving villain with many puppets, she's especially good at getting under Picard's skin. In a new twist, she has been grooming Picard's only son, Jack Crusher ( Ed Speelers ) — who is connected to the Borg because of Picard's connection to the Hive during his brief time as Locutus — seducing him to help assimilate all humanity and become a weapon of mass destruction. Jack is the key to the Borg's evolution as an unintended consequence of what happened to Picard when he was briefly assimilated.

This looming threat to his son leads Picard on an emotional journey where he must figure out how to get Jack back before it's too late. By working with the Enterprise crewmates he's been reunited with, he also discovers what it means to be a father and how much of a connection he wants with his son. In Picard 's final season, the crew's mission becomes about rescuing Jack Crusher, who the Queen has assimilated as Vox of Borg , and finally thwarting her once and for all.

However, despite Starfleet's repeated attempts to eliminate her, the Borg Queen always returns. Her resilience and persistence are critical aspects of her character, making her a formidable and compelling antagonist. She embodies everything Starfleet opposes, presenting a constant threat and a significant element in the franchise. While her ability to endure, even after seemingly insurmountable setbacks, is a testament to her strength and tenacity, her relentless pursuit of perfection ultimately becomes her downfall as she plunders the galaxy, looking for the next race to add to her collective.

Star Trek: First Contact is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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Star trek: discovery season 5 finale ending & shocking epilogue explained.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Eve harlow’s star trek: discovery season 5 villain could have an unexpected future, star trek: discovery finale’s saucer separation was an awesome tng tribute.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery's Season 5 & Series Finale - "Life, Itself"

Captain Burnham makes a pivotal choice to banish the Progenitors' technology for the greater good of the galaxy.
USS Discovery's epic battle against the Breen pays homage to Star Trek: The Next Generation with a saucer separation.
The finale hints at a future for Admiral Burnham and the USS Discovery, leaving the door open for potential sequels or movies.

Star Trek: Discovery 's stunning season 5 and series finale concludes the hunt for the greatest treasure in the galaxy, and the extended finale's emotional epilogue finally answers one of Discovery 's biggest questions as it says goodbye to Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew. Written by Kyle Jarrow and Michelle Paradise and directed by Olatunde Osunname, Star Trek: Discovery 's finale, "Life, Itself", sees Captain Burnham make a pivotal choice about the Progenitors' treasure while the USS Discovery defeats the Breen.

Captain Burnham competed with Moll (Eve Harlow) for the Progenitors' technology, but it could only be Michael who could access it as she passed every test that came with the Progenitors scientists' clues . Burnham met one of the Progenitors (Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama) who revealed Michael was to be the new steward of the Progenitors' technology, as Betazoid scientist Dr. Marina Derex was when she found it in the 24th century. Meanwhile, Ambassador Saru (Doug Jones) faced down Breen Primarch Tahal (Patricia Summersett) while Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) led the USS Discovery to keep the Breen dreadnought from reaching the portal to the Progenitors' technology. Here's how Star Trek: Discovery ended and what it all meant.

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

Why Captain Burnham Sends The Progenitors’ Technology Away

Star trek already has "infinite diversity in infinite combinations".

The Progenitor gave Captain Burnham the choice of what to do with the power of creation, and Michael decided that no one culture should control it. Instead, Burnham decided to send the Progenitors' portal into the binary black holes' event horizon to keep it safe and unreachable. Michael's decision was born from the fact that she didn't want the responsibility of being the technology's steward but, more importantly, Burnham realized Star Trek 's galaxy already has "infinite diversity in infinite combinations". Control of the technology, even by the United Federation of Planets, would ultimately lead to abuse, war, and death.

The Progenitor revealed that the technology is older than they were and that their species found it and decided to use it to populate the galaxy with myriad humanoid lifeforms because their species was alone in the universe.

As she exited the Progenitors' dimension, Captain Burnham witnessed four billion years of creation and everything that led to the galaxy's existence. This solidified Michael's choice to banish the power of creation. Tragically for Moll, the Progenitor revealed to Burnham that while the technology could resurrect L'ak (Elias Toufexis) physically, it can't restore his memories or his personality . Burham and Moll returned to the USS Discovery where Moll was taken into custody. Burnham told her crew that she would speak to President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) and Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) about her choice to banish the power of creation, and she felt that they would agree. Ultimately, Burnham was empowered by the Progenitor and made the unilateral decision she felt was right for the galaxy.

Moll too willingly accepted Burnham's explanation that there was no way to resurrect L'ak, but it's possible Moll was fed her own information when she tried and failed to access the Progenitors' technology.

USS Discovery Beat The Breen With A Star Trek: TNG Enterprise Tribute

Discovery did a saucer separation.

As Ambassador Saru and Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril) tried to ward Primarch Tahal from entering the battle for the Progenitors' portal, the USS Discovery was still outmatched by the Breen dreadnought. Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) piloted a shuttle to lock onto the portal. They succeeded because Culber was able to access the memories of Trill scientist Jinaal for the right coordinates . Hugh achieving the ineffable though Jinaal paid off his growing spiritual enlightenment throughout Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Meanwhile, Commander Rayner and the USS Discovery defeated the Breen dreadnought with one final, awesome tribute to Star Trek: The Next Generation and the USS Enterprise-D. Rayner ordered a saucer separation and gambled on Discovery's spore drive being able to jump the dreadnought if it was in the middle of both components of Discovery. Saru then led Tahal's ship to the other Breen dreadnought as Rayner's daring plan worked: All of the Breen were instantaneously sent to the Galactic Barrier, a node to the USS Discovery's journey to make First Contact with Species 10-C at the end of S tar Trek: Discovery season 4 .

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's story is a sequel to the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6 episode, "The Chase".

Doctor Kovich's True Identity Is Daniels From Star Trek: Enterprise

It's been a long road getting from there to here..

Star Trek: Discovery finally revealed the identity of Doctor Kovich (David Cronenberg): the bespectacled Federation official, Kovich, is the older version of Agent Daniels (Matt Winston) from Star Trek: Enterprise ! In the 22nd century, Daniels posed as a member of the NX-01 Enterprise's crew and revealed Star Trek 's Temporal War to Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). Using the codename "Doctor Kovich", which is itself a Red Directive, Daniels is now protecting the Federation and the timeline post-Temporal Wars.

Star Trek legacy Easter eggs shown in Doctor Kovich's office include Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge's (LeVar Burton) VISOR, Captain Benjamin Sisko's (Avery Brooks) baseball, and a Chateau Picard wine bottle.

Doctor Kovich introduced himself to Captain Burnham as "Agent Daniels, USS Enterprise... and other places" , which is a nod to the 26th century's USS Enterprise-J Daniels served on, but also the NX-01 Enterprise led by Captain Archer. Further, Kovich had plans for Moll, believing the skilled former courier could be "useful" after she serves her Federation prison sentence. There were numerous theories about Doctor Kovich's true identity, including that he could be a Lanthanite or El-Aurian, but Kovich really being Agent Daniels is a stunning revelation that pleasingly ties Star Trek: Discovery back to Star Trek: Enterprise .

How Star Trek: Discovery Ends For USS Discovery’s Crew

Discovery's crew gets one final reunion.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's ending gave certain members of the crew conclusions to their arcs . Dr. Hugh Culber had one of his big questions answered about his growing spiritual enlightenment. Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) saw the growth of Captain Burnham and Commander Rayner's relationship and decided to apply a similar mentorship program to Starfleet Academy. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) protested Burnham banishing the Progenitors' technology, but resigned himself to his achievements and being proud of what a fine (and wise) Starfleet Officer Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio) has become.

As seen in Star Trek: Discovery' s finale epilogue, the crew of the USS Discovery assembled on the bridge in a powerful and resonant ending reminiscent of Titanic . Not only was the cast of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 all there, but so were Commanders Kayla Detmer (Emily Coutts) and Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo), and Lt. Commander Ronald Bryce (Ronnie Rowe, Jr.), who missed most or all of Star Trek: Discovery season 5. It was a beautiful moment honoring the actors and characters who have spanned Star Trek: Discovery 's five seasons.

Book & Burnham Reunite At Admiral Saru & President T'Rina's Wedding

Discovery's first couple are back on..

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's original ending was the wedding of Saru and President T'Rina (Tara Rosling), which took place "several weeks" after Captain Burnham found the Progenitors' technology. The Kelpien and Vulcan tied the knot, and Admiral Charles Vance revealed that Saru has been promoted to Admiral. Meanwhile, Burnham and Cleveland Booker put their personal turmoil behind them and declared that they love each other. United once more, Book joined Burnham on the USS Discovery's next mission after Doctor Kovich summoned her with her Infinity Room symbol .

Thanks to his heroic efforts in helping locate the Progenitors' technology, Book's Federation sentence has been commuted and he is a free man.

Saru and T'Rina's wedding was attended by the crew of the USS Discovery, who are Saru's family, and many Vulcan and Federation dignitaries. While it wasn't made clear, Star Trek: Discovery 's finale hints that Commander Rayner remained aboard the USS Discovery as First Officer and Lt. Tilly returned to her teaching post at Starfleet Academy. Presumably, the rest of the USS Discovery's crew reported to their starship for their new mission after Saru and T'Rina were wed .

Admiral Saru likely took a new role overseeing Starfleet with Admiral Vance at Federation HQ so he could remain close to his bride, T'Rina.

Star Trek: Discovery Epilogue: Admiral Burnham and Book’s Son Is The New Captain Burnham

Starfleet's burnham legacy continues..

Star Trek: Discovery 's finale epilogue flashes forward roughly 30 years , placing it in the 3220s. Cleveland Booker has been happily married to Admiral Michael Burnham for decades, and they have made their home on Sanctuary Four, where Book and Michael once dropped off Molly the trance worm in Star Trek: Discovery season 3. Book also planted the world root from Kwejian he was given by the Eternal Gallery and Archive in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 on Sanctuary Four, which remade the planet's flora into a new, thriving version of Kwejian, Book's doomed homeworld.

Michael and Book also have an adult son who is the new Captain Burnham. Named for Book's nephew Leto (Luca Doulgeris), who died along with Kwejian at the start of Star Trek: Discovery season 4, Michael and Book's son is the newly promoted Captain Leto Burnham (Sawandi Wilson), who came to Sanctuary Four to escort his mother to Federation HQ and the USS Discovery's final mission. Admiral Burnham had wise words of connection and family for her son, who hopes to find the same relationships with the crew of his unnamed starship as Michael did with the USS Discovery's crew.

Admiral Michael Burnham learned the lesson that the deeper meaning she was searching for was spending the time you have with the people you love.

Star Trek: Discovery’s Epilogue Finally Confirms Short Treks' “Calypso” Is Canon

Discovery answers its biggest short trek mystery.

Star Trek: Discovery' s finale epilogue ends with one last incredible surprise as the series sets up the Star Trek: Short Treks episode, "Calypso" and officially makes it canon . In "Calypso", Zora (Annabelle Wallis) and the USS Discovery are alone in a region of space for hundreds of years when a soldier named Craft (Aldis Hodge) comes aboard and forms a bittersweet relationship with the lonely A.I. Admiral Burnham tells Zora that Discovery's final voyage is a Red Directive mission , and she only knows the word "Craft" but not who or what it means.

To synch back up with Star Trek: Short Treks ' "Calypso", the USS Discovery is retrofitted back to its 23rd-century Crossfield Class design, with the A removed from its USS Discovery-A designation . Admiral Burnham tells Zora that when they reach their destination, she and the crew will leave. But after Zora meets Craft, the USS Discovery will come back and form a new family with the descendants of her original crew. The final shot of Star Trek: Discovery is the USS Discovery given full honors by Starfleet in a sendoff as it spore jumps to its destiny in "Calypso".

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange" also set up "Calypso" but in an alternate timeline where the Breen destroyed the Federation with the Progenitors' technology.

Star Trek: Discovery Doesn’t Close The Door On Season 6 Or A Movie

There could still be more discovery someday..

Star Trek: Discovery 's ending and epilogue conclude Captain Michael Burnham's story , but despite showing the future of Admiral Burnham and the USS Discovery, the finale's coda still doesn't preclude season 6 or a Star Trek: Discovery streaming movie . After all, Captain Burnham and Discovery launch a new mission in season 5's ending before the flash forward. While Admiral Saru has a new role in Starfleet and Lt. Sylvia Tilly is back at Starfleet Academy, the rest of the USS Discovery's crew presumably flew back into action. And Discovery has many more years of adventures to come that audiences won't see.

Fingers are crossed that Captain Michael Burnham and the USS Discovery will return someday.

For now, Star Trek: Discovery is over and there are no known plans for Star Trek: Discovery season 6 or a reunion movie , but this doesn't mean it couldn't happen in the future after some time has passed. Star Trek on Paramount+ still has Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seasons 3 and 4, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , and Star Trek: Section 31 coming in the next two years. But given that all three of those projects spun off from Star Trek: Discovery , Michael Burnham's show remains crucial to the Star Trek on Paramount+ franchise. Fingers are crossed that Captain Michael Burnham and the USS Discovery will return someday.

All 5 seasons of Star Trek: Discovery are streaming on Paramount+

Star Trek Is Getting a Kelvinverse Origin, but Why Are Fans Skeptical?

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A new Star Trek movie will be set in Kelvin Timeline's past with Toby Haynes directing, but fans are skeptical.
The origin story may cover humanity's first contact with aliens and Starfleet's early missions, raising concerns due to existing stories.
Fans fear producer Simon Kinberg may erase the Kelvin Timeline or Prime Universe with time travel, jeopardizing established stories.

Star Trek is one of the most enduring and powerful franchises under any major studio banner. Created in late 1964 by Gene Roddenberry, the series he described as " Wagon Train to the stars" continues stronger than ever six decades later. As the third wave of series continues on Paramount+, the studio is desperately trying to bring the universe back to the big screen. One future Star Trek movie is set to give the Kelvin Timeline an origin story, directed by Toby Haynes and produced by genre heavy-hitter Simon Kinberg. Yet, fans are deeply skeptical.

The Star Trek movie Toby Haynes and Simon Kinberg are working on together is not the first beloved space-based universe they've visited. Haynes directed episodes of Andor and Simon Kinberg worked on Star Wars Rebels , helping Dave Filoni and others shape the origin story for the Rebel Alliance. However, the recently-announced Star Trek film from Haynes and Kinberg is supposedly set "decades" before Nero and the Narada traveled back in time and changed everything. Yet, even fans who love the current direction of Star Trek are skeptical and, in some cases, upset about this origin story, in large part because it's already been told.

What Is the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline 'Origin' Movie?

Star wars and star trek have one similarity most fans never notice.

Over the years the gap between Star Wars and Star Trek fans has closed significantly. However, most fans of both don't notice this repeating detail.

When Star Trek was released in 2009 , the justification for the all-new, all-different adventures of the USS Enterprise crew was that time changed. The opening of the film depicted the destruction of the USS Kelvin (named after J.J. Abrams' grandfather) and James T. Kirk's father changed the course of the future. However, this implies the history of that timeline was the same one fans had been watching since Star Trek: The Original Series debuted in 1966 . While Star Trek: Beyond didn't perform at the box office as well as the studio wanted, fans of these characters want at least one more story to give them closure with this cast.

A report from April 2024 detailed that Star Trek 4 was still in development , though the film picked up a new screenwriter. While there have been a number of false starts for the film, this announcement came with the news that it would be the finale for this cast. It appears to be an all-new story not tied to the previously teased fourth film that would've reunited Chris Pine's James T. Kirk with Chris Hemsworth's George Kirk, the father he never knew. Since then, the likes of Legion 's Noah Hawley and Quentin Tarantino circled a Star Trek film, though those projects reportedly didn't involve the modern-day crew of the USS Enterprise. If this film does get past the script phase, it will be a definitive final chapter for that crew.

However, along with news about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , the April report also revealed the Star Trek origin film and its logline . The movie would be "an origin story that takes place decades before the" first Kelvin Timeline film. The initial report identified the origin story as taking place in the "main timeline" and would deal with humanity's first contact with aliens and Starfleet's first venture into boldly going where no human had gone before. However, the USS Kelvin was destroyed in 2233, some 170 years after the Vulcans made first contact and 80 years after the launch of the first Warp 5 vessel, the NX-01 Enterprise.

Why Star Trek Fans Are Skeptical About the Kelvin Origin Movie

Star trek theory: why the borg queen didn't appear in the next generation.

The Borg Queen was created after The Next Generation ended, but her full Star Trek character arc offers a theory about where she was during the show.

Ever since Gene Roddenberry made a deal for Star Trek: The Animated Series , passionate fans have been angry about each new iteration of the show. The fans angriest about the Kelvin Timeline films and the third-wave shows suggest the high-level producers don't actually care about nor understand the universe. While this analysis doesn't withstand reasonable scrutiny, the announcement of Simon Kinberg joining Toby Haynes origin movie doesn't help disabuse that notion. The story of humanity's first encounter with alien life and Starfleet's first missions have already been told in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Enterprise .

The second film to feature the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast was a showdown between Captain Picard and the Borg Queen . However, thanks to time travel, most of this showdown took place in 2063, when Zefram Cochrane invented the warp drive. This directly led to the Vulcans making first contact with humanity, bringing Earth into the larger galactic community. If the aftermath of this event is what the origin film will cover, it's odd it was described as being set decades before Star Trek and not centuries . Humans also didn't immediately start exploring the galaxy after that momentous meeting either.

The events of Enterprise are set about 90 years after the Vulcan first contact, as the humans-only Starfleet launches their first vessel of the same name. The divisive Enterprise series finale showed the moment the United Federation of Planets was created, and the series only touched on how that happened. It's possible the origin movie could be set concurrently with the events of this series, or just after it ended. The creation of the Federation is a story that has yet to be told, but not including the cast of Enterprise would also irritate fans.

The Origin of Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline Is Supposed to Be the Same Story

Every enterprise captain in star trek, ranked.

There is no ship more venerated in Star Trek than the Enterprise, and many officers have served as captain, but how do they rank against each other?

When it comes to time travel and Star Trek , the rules are fluid. In fact, the only instance of time travel creating a parallel universe is the Kelvin Timeline. Normally, changes to the timeline "overwrite" the story fans already know. In The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise," reality changes the moment the USS Enterprise-C travels to the future.

Sci-fi justifications aside, the reason this is the case is so that the Kelvin Timeline storytellers could make new films without having to worry about disrupting Star Trek canon. This means the Kelvin Timeline and Prime Universe are connected by the same history . The origin movie seems poised to do just that. The Kelvin Timeline movies also included little nods to Star Trek 's historical past, specifically Enterprise .

In the first film, Scotty is stationed on the inhospitable ice planet where Kirk finds Prime Spock because of a transporter accident involving "Admiral Archer's prized beagle." This clearly seems like a reference to Porthos, Captain Archer's dog on Enterprise . Later, in Star Trek Beyond , Balthazar Edison -- who eventually went by "Krall" -- was part of the United Earth Military Assault Command Operation. These M.A.C.O. soldiers were introduced in Enterprise Season 3's war with the Xindi .

Why the Inclusion of Simon Kinberg Is Causing Concern Among Star Trek Fans

Star trek has been quietly influencing one of the most popular franchises of all time.

Star Trek is one of pop culture's most enduring franchises, but Gene Roddenberry's influence expanded beyond his universe to another popular brand.

As the first official release after the Disney takeover of Lucasfilm, Star Wars Rebels was an unquestionable success. Set five years before Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope , it told a compelling story about the formation of the Rebel Alliance with largely new characters. Kinberg was a producer on that series. However, it's his work on X-Men: First Class that seems most relevant here. That film told the origin story of Professor X, Magneto and other X-Men, a prequel to the first films. Then, with Days of Future Past , Kinberg mixed the old characters and the new together, effectively erasing the previous X-Men films .

What some fans fear is that Kinberg is set to do that again. Star Trek could erase the Kelvin Timeline with more time travel. Yet, this origin movie could erase the Prime Universe instead, especially if time travel is again used to rewrite history . Even if Kinberg and Haynes are trying to thread a narrative needle though the canon, there seems more for Star Trek to lose than gain from telling this story. While Starfleet Academy is set in the 32nd Century, Strange New Worlds is already a prequel series to every show or film but Enterprise . From fans angry about the direction of modern Star Trek to those who love it, looking further into the past is not what fans want.

The most passionate fans have been campaigning for Picard showrunner Terry Matalas's Star Trek: Legacy idea , since the former series ended. It would be set in the 25th Century, meaning it could sequelize many of the second wave shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or Star Trek: Voyager . More importantly, it would move the universe forward, both in time and the type of storytelling this universe does best. Similarly, the formula that worked for Star Trek in the past was to create films around characters from its television series. Obviously, Paramount wants a movie that will bring in new fans. Yet, it might do so at the cost of the established fanbase if it eliminates some or all of the stories they love from canon.

Star Trek: Discovery's final season debuted on Paramount+ earlier this year, and the film Star Trek: Section 31 is in post-production.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

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Simon kinberg in talks to produce ‘star trek’ movie franchise for paramount.

Paramount is looking to the ‘X-Men’ producer to boldly go and relaunch the property on the big screen.

By Etan Vlessing , Borys Kit May 21, 2024 9:28am

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Longtime X-Men producer Simon Kinberg is beaming up to a new franchise.

The multi-hyphenate is in talks to produce a new Star Trek feature for Paramount Pictures , The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. If all goes well, the door would open to him taking active creative roles on the rest of the storied franchise’s film side. Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman are the main creative producers on Star Trek ‘s television side.

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Setting Star Trek: Origins movie in the Prime Timeline is problematic

S ince the Star Trek: Origins movie was announced, fans were under the impression that it would be based in the Kelvin Timeline . After all, it was set to be a prequel of sorts to Star Trek 2009. But a May 21st article from Variety indicates the film will take place in the main (or Prime) timeline. Being that this movie is essentially going to be another First Contact, setting it in the Prime Timeline is problematic for us fans.

This Origins movie is supposedly set during the "aftermath of humanity's first contact with aliens." But this already played out on the screen with Star Trek: First Contact starring The Next Generation cast. And it was beautifully done. Not too many people have found fault with it. So why is there a reboot coming for a film that is, by and large, one of the best Star Trek films ever?

CinemaBlend writer Mick Joest details some of the issues with Simon Kinberg who is potentially signing on as another producer to the movie, and I have to say, I agree whole-heartedly. The Prime Timeline hasn't had a film since Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002. That timeline embodies all of the Star Trek series, and now, a prequel is being produced that could potentially screw up the timeline in a major way.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a prequel taking place in Prime, but so far, it hasn't toyed too much with canon. A major motion picture could do that in such a manner that the series don't make sense, and it will only take one person to see it and let the world know what's wrong with it. Then there will be another box office flop in the franchise.

Reasonably, we can hope that the producers know about canon and how to follow it, but setting J.J. Abrams' films in another timeline prevented screw-ups to the Prime Timeline. With a new movie now making its way onto the screen, one that not only is redoing First Contact, but is also squeezing into a space that has, so far, been protected, well, it's understandable why fans are concerned.

I try to maintain positivity when it comes to Star Trek, and I'm usually always happy for a new Trek series or movie, but this one has given me a serious case of the doubts. I'm just hoping the powers-that-be will change their minds or the movie takes place in yet another alternate timeline. We haven't seen the Mirror Universe's take on first contact. That's one I wouldn't mind seeing. There are plenty of other options available for this new film. Fingers crossed they leave the Prime Timeline intact.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as Setting Star Trek: Origins movie in the Prime Timeline is problematic .

X-Men Writer Will Forge New Star Trek Franchise Beginning With Creation of Starfleet Prequel

Simon Kinberg, who is best known for writing and producing many of the X-Men movies, will forge a new Star Trek franchise for Paramount Pictures.

Simon Kinberg to launch new Star Trek franchise with a prequel exploring Starfleet's creation and first contact with aliens.
Toby Haynes to direct the prequel, set decades before the 2009 reboot.
Uncertainty surrounds Star Trek 4 , with various script changes and writers, but Roddenberry Entertainment COO hints at a new movie soon.

Writer and producer Simon Kinberg , who is best known for writing and producing many of the X-Men movies, will forge a new Star Trek franchise for Paramount Pictures . As per a report by THR , Kinberg is now in talks to produce the next outing in the iconic Star Trek series and, if all goes well, he will take a lead role in carving out the rest of the franchise going forward.

Kinberg, who has both written and produced the likes of X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fantastic Four, and X-Men: Apocalypse , as well as just producing X-Men: First Class, The Martian, Deadpool , and more, will begin his new Star Trek franchise with a prequel exploring the “the creation of the Starfleet and humankind’s first contact with alien life.”

The prequel is already in active development , with Andor director Toby Haynes on board to direct the movie from a script written by Seth Grahame-Smith. The project will reportedly be set decades before J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot and is likely set “around modern times.” Abrams is also on board as a producer.

Will We Ever See Star Trek 4?

The news that Simon Kinberg will take charge of the Star Trek franchise and kick things off with an origin movie does not necessarily mean that we won’t see Star Trek 4 happen . Star Trek was rebooted for the big screen by J.J. Abrams back in 2009, with the new “Kelvin timeline” introducing younger versions of the iconic characters James T. Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew at the beginning of their Star Fleet careers.

Led by Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, and Karl Urban, the reboot has since seen two sequels emerge, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond , with a fourth movie having been in development ever since the third movie’s release in 2016.

Zoe Saldaña Is Eager to Return for Star Trek 4: 'I Still Have Hope'

Star Trek 4 has now gone through several different iterations and ideas, with different scripts with very different storylines having been written. One such idea would have brought Chris Hemsworth back as Kirk’s father, George, using time travel, while another saw Fargo writer Noah Hawley coming very close to launching his own vision for the franchise.

At present, it is unknown exactly what is happening with Star Trek 4 , with Chris Pine being left “confused” over the recent change of writer as Dead Boy Detectives and The Flight Attendant’s Steve Yockey is now on board.

“I honestly don't know. There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it's always been with "Trek," I just wait and see.”

Thankfully, there has been some positivity from Roddenberry Entertainment COO Trevor Roth regarding Star Trek 4 , who recently revealed that there is “a plan” and that there is now “every intent of a new movie coming out in the very near future.”

Den of Geek

Discovery Just Brought a Star Trek Enterprise Character to 32nd Century Canon

The Star Trek: Discovery finale reveals that the show has been a pseudo-continuation of the story of an infamous Enterprise character all along!

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

Since 2020, Star Trek: Discovery has harbored a strange sci-fi temporal anomaly. Starting with the episode “Die Trying,” in season 3, director David Cronenberg —the mastermind who gave us The Fly and more recently, Crimes of the Future —has appeared semi-regularly as a mysterious figure known only as “Dr. Kovich.” As Discovery’ s latter seasons have gone on, Kovich’s true purpose has become more clear, even if we don’t fully understand why he wears that all-black, somewhat contemporary-looking suit.

While it’s been tempting to say that David Cronenberg has just been playing David Cronenberg this entire time, the Discovery series finale actually fully answers the question of who Kovich really is and his larger role in Star Trek canon. In fact, Cronenberg’s strange character is revealed to be, perhaps, one of the most crucial people in the entire universe.

Kovich Is Actually Agent Daniels From Star Trek: Enterprise!

While Kovich has previously assisted the crew of Discovery with various pieces of information about the multiverse and time travel rules, his role in the recently concluded season 5 was significantly larger. Starting with “Red Directive”, he’s been calling the shots, sending Burnham and the crew on the treasure hunt across the universe to track down clues that lead to the elusive—and life-creating—technology of the ancient aliens known as the Progenitors.

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Back in season 3, some fans theorized that Kovich was the leader of some future-tense version of Section 31 , which would have explained his interest in Georgiou. Before season 4’s introduction of Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal), there were even some who suggested he was the low-key President of the Federation. But, now, at the end of season 5, we know the truth: Kovich is actually a bit more important than any of those other guessed-at roles. He’s the guy who saved the entire timeline!

As Burnham chats in Kovich’s office—which sports Geordi’s visor and Sisko’s baseball in places of honor—she playfully asks him to reveal his true name. Because Kovich has come to trust Burnham, he obliges, introducing himself as “Agent Daniels.” If you’re not a hardcore fan of the prequel series Enterprise , this probably meant nothing. But if you are, this was a fairly huge twist.

In the 2001 Enterprise episode “Cold Front,” Daniels (played then by Matt Winston) revealed to Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) that he was really a time-traveling agent from the 31st century, sent back to the 22nd century to prevent a ton of tampering with the timeline. Daniels then popped-up throughout all four seasons of Enterprise , and, in the events of “Storm Front Parts I and II,” Daniels aids the crew of the NX-01 in an alternate 1944, in which an alien species called the Na’kuhl have aided the Nazis with advanced technology.

Although Archer isn’t thrilled with Daniels often popping in for some temporal shenanigans, in the end, it’s through Daniels’ help that the NX-01 Enterprise succeeds in restoring the timeline. That said, throughout the run of Enterprise , it seems like several tweaks to the timeline were happening, all along, because of the Temporal Cold War. And now, with the revelation that Kovich is Daniels, it seems possible we could all soon be looking at the Trek timeline in an entirely new light.

What Agent Daniel’s Return Could Mean for the Star Trek Timeline

Back in Discovery season 3, in the episode “Terra Firma Part 1,” Kovich broke new ground for the franchise by becoming the first person from the Prime Timeline to mention the existence of the Kelvin Timeline outright. In doing this, the modern TV shows more overtly acknowledged the permeance of a Star Trek multiverse over a single, linear timeline.

The revelation that Kovich is the same character who fought to preserve the 22nd Century in Enterprise could be even more useful for future timeline questions than it might seem at first. Yes, on the surface, this is a nice easter egg that neatly explains Kovich and his job in the 32nd century . But it also makes the entirety of Discovery a little more timey-wimey than ever before. At the end of Discovery season 2, the ship journeys to the future, to save the past, and all of creation from a rogue AI called Control. In season 3, Kovich was very interested in Georgiou’s connection to Control, which could indicate that, maybe, just maybe, Control wasn’t part of the “original” Prime Timeline.

In fact, since First Contact in 1996, it seems possible that the “original” Star Trek timeline has been modified, and tweaked by various temporal incursions, many, many times over. In Enterprise —the first province of Agent Daniels—Zefram Cochrane remembered the Borg, indicating that the “current” timeline is the one in which Picard and the crew helped restore the events of 2063. If Picard and the Enterprise-E crew weren’t part of a predestination paradox, and some version of First Contact occurred in another timeline without their intercession, then that means everything in Enterprise already exists in a separate timeline from all the canon that came before it.

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On top of this, Enterprise season 3 Daniels (Kovich) told Archer that the war with the Xindi and Starfleet in the 22nd century existed only because of temporal incursions. This, too, suggests that Enterprise was creating a slightly divergent timeline all along, one a bit different from whatever existed in TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager, prior to First Contact .

In the 2023 Strange New Worlds season 2 episode, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” there was even more evidence that the Prime Timeline is in flux. Now, Khan no longer rises to power on Earth in the 1990s, but later, in the early 21st century , due to continuing temporal changes. Clearly, whatever happened with the Temporal Wars that we first glimpse in Enterprise is still sending ripples through the entire canon.

By explicitly connecting Kovich to Enterprise though, what Discovery has done is create a kind of comprehensive handwave courtesy of one of the franchise’s foremost time travelers. But whether you choose to believe Daniels reintroduction in the 32nd Century means a lot more temporal shifts have occurred than we know of, revealing Kovich’s true identity was always part of the season 5 plan, as showrunner Michelle Paradise tells Den of Geek .

“Very early on, we knew we were going to have to answer the backstory of this character and who he is and that it had to be worthy of the character himself and the way David plays him,” Paradise says. “A couple of our writers who are very familiar with Star Trek: Enterprise suggested Daniels and the minute they did, all of our heads exploded a little bit because it just felt like that makes sense. We knew, coming into this season, that we wanted to answer that in what, at the time, we thought was the season finale.”

Assuming the Star Trek franchise can coax back Cronenberg for recurring roles on other shows or movies, the universe now has a character who knows more about the various chronologies than anyone else (other than maybe Q) and who can pop in whenever time shenanigans are going on. The great thing that makes Kovich/Daniels unique to Q is that he’s not superpowered or all knowing. He’s simply a guy who’s been around a long time, and some of that longevity is because of time travel.

After all, Kovich is only human. Or, as he told Captain Archer all those years ago, “more or less.”

Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Den of Geek! He is also the author of three non-fiction books: the Star Trek pop history book PHASERS…

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Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Menu. Movies. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. TV Shows.
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: First Contact: Directed by Jonathan Frakes. With Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton. The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes in his feature film debut. It is the eighth movie of the Star Trek franchise, and the second starring the cast of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.In the film, the crew of the starship USS Enterprise-E travel back in time from the 24th century to the 21st century to stop the ...
Star Trek: First Contact
Captain Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise travel through time to 21st-century Earth to face down a deadly threat from the ominous Borg collective and protect the experimental voyage of ...
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Cast and Crew
Meet the talented cast and crew behind 'Star Trek: First Contact' on Moviefone. Explore detailed bios, filmographies, and the creative team's insights. Dive into the heart of this movie through ...
Star Trek: First Contact (Movie) Cast
The cast of Star Trek: First Contact includes the main characters from the beloved TV series. Led by Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the crew, consisting of Commander William T. Riker, Lieutenant Commander Data, and other familiar faces, embarks on a mission to save Earth.
Star Trek: First Contact
Learn more about the full cast of Star Trek: First Contact with news, photos, videos and more at TV Guide
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes in his feature film debut. It is the eighth movie of the Star Trek franchise, and the second starring the cast of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the film, the crew of the starship USS Enterprise-E travel back in time from the 24th century to the 21st century to stop the ...
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
John M. Dwyer. Set Design. Matthew Leonetti. Cinematographer. Thomas D. Causey. Sound/Sound Designer. Jump to: Director | Cast | Crew. Find movie and film cast and crew information for Star Trek: First Contact (1996) - Jonathan Frakes, Peter Lauritson on AllMovie.
Star Trek: First Contact
Synopsis. 1996 • PG-13. Picard orders the Enterprise to follow the Borg back in time to stop them from destroying the Phoenix, Earth's first warp-speed vessel. Picard orders the Enterprise to follow the Borg back in time to stop them from destroying the Phoenix, Earth's first warp-speed vessel.
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Find trailers, reviews, synopsis, awards and cast information for Star Trek: First Contact (1996) - Jonathan Frakes, Peter Lauritson on AllMovie - The first "Trek" film to feature the cast of the…
"Star Trek: First Contact" : Cast and Credits
TREKCORE > MOVIES > STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT > Cast and Credits CAST Patrick Stewart as: Captain Jean-Luc Picard Jonathan Frakes as: Commander William T. Riker Brent Spiner as: Lieutenant Commander Data LeVar Burton as: Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge Michael Dorn as: Lieutenant Commander Worf Gates McFadden as: Dr. Beverly Crusher Marina Sirtis as: Counselor Deanna Troi
'Star Trek: First Contact': The Story Behind The 1996 Classic
Jonathan Frakes, Brannon Braga, and more look back at 'Star Trek: First Contact' 20 years after the groundbreaking 1996 hit took 'Trek to new heights. In 1996, Star Trek was at its apex. On the ...
Star Trek: First Contact
Movie Info. Synopsis The Enterprise and its crew follow a Borg ship through a time warp to prevent the Borg from taking over the Earth in a past era. Stuck in the past, Geordi La Forge (LeVar ...
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
The latest movie news, trailers, reviews, and more. ... Cast Patrick Stewart ... Star Trek: First Contact writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga recall an important conversation with Tom Cruise.
'Star Trek: First Contact' Turns 25
Star Trek: First Contact The Making of the Classic Film by Joe Fordham promises rare and previously unseen production art as well as new interviews with the cast and crew. The book, "filled to ...
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Brannon Braga. "Star Trek: First Contact" is one of the best of the eight "Star Trek" films: Certainly the best in its technical credits, and among the best in the ingenuity of its plot. I would rank it beside "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986), the one where the fate of Earth depended on the song of the humpback whale.
Star Trek: First Contact Movie Official Website
Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Next Generation crew engage in their most thrilling adventure yet. They call themselves the Borg - a half organic, half-machine collective with a sole purpose: to conquer and assimilate all races. Led by their seductive and sadistic queen (Alice Krige), the Borg are headed to Earth with a devious plan to alter ...
5 Things We Learned About 'Star Trek: First Contact' On Its 25th
During the "Remembering First Contact" panel, host Wil Wheaton asked insightful questions of Star Trek vets Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, and Alice Krige, getting them to ...
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May 12, 2024 - [HOME] WeeklyTrek: TREK's Long-Lost Enterprise Model Returns Home, and More! Tormented by his nightmares, Captain Jean-Luc Picard becomes aware of the Borg's incursion into Federation space. Disobeying Starfleet orders, the crew of the new U.S.S. Enterprise race to Earth to prevent them from destroying the past and assimilating ...
The Making of Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Visit the movie page for 'The Making of Star Trek: First Contact' on Moviefone. Discover the movie's synopsis, cast details and release date. Watch trailers, exclusive interviews, and movie review.
Watch Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Full Movie Online
The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.
Jonathan Frakes Interview: On 'Star Trek: Discovery,' 'Legacy' & More
Michael Gibson/Paramount+. Jonathan Frakes has been directing episodes of various "Star Trek" series for the past 34 years, from his first episode behind the camera, "Next Generation ...
One of Star Trek's Most Enduring Villains Was Created by a ...
During the filming of the Next Generation movie Star Trek: First Contact, however, ... Benedict Cumberbatch and Gaby Hoffman lead an ensemble cast in this new Netflix Original. By Maddie P.
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As seen in Star Trek: Discovery' s finale epilogue, the crew of the USS Discovery assembled on the bridge in a powerful and resonant ending reminiscent of Titanic. Not only was the cast of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 all there, but so were Commanders Kayla Detmer (Emily Coutts) and Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo), and Lt. Commander Ronald Bryce ...
Why Fans Are Skeptical About Star Trek Getting a Kelvinverse Origin
A new Star Trek movie will be set in Kelvin Timeline's past with Toby Haynes directing, but fans are skeptical. The origin story may cover humanity's first contact with aliens and Starfleet's early missions, raising concerns due to existing stories. Fans fear producer Simon Kinberg may erase the Kelvin Timeline or Prime Universe with time ...
'Star Trek' Franchise Reboot: Simon Kinberg Eyed for Paramount Movie
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Setting Star Trek: Origins movie in the Prime Timeline is problematic
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