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Leonard Nimoy became a pop culture icon for playing Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series. Along with Captain Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy, Spock formed the golden trio of Tos, and his half-Vulcan traits defined the species. However, a reference to this legend reportedly caused a huge rift between the team at The Next Generation.

Writer Ira Steven Behr, who would go on to be a producer and writer on Deep Space Nine and Voyager, reportedly feuded with producer Rick Berman on including a reference to Spock in The Next Generation. Steven Behr mentioned that he feuded with Berman over including a reference to Spock in an episode focused on Sarek, his father.

A reference to Leonard Nimoy caused a huge rift between the Star Trek: Tng crew members Mark Lenard as Sarek in Star Trek: Tng | Credits: Paramount

Leonard Nimoy was undoubtedly the breakout star from Star Trek: The Original Series.

The original Star Trek: Voyager design was almost a disaster — at least, according to one determined showrunner who refused to let it fly. Burning the midnight oil, he scrapped the initial, deceptively clunky design and reworked it into something sleeker, more futuristic, and worthy of Star Trek.

Star Trek The Original Series – A still from the episode Arena | Credits: Paramount Television

Whether it was madness or sheer dedication, his late-night revisions saved Voyager from looking like a total misfire.

The man who saved Voyager: How a Star Trek perfectionist fixed a deceptively stupid design Garrett Wang and Robert Duncan McNeill in Star Trek: Voyager | Credits: Paramount Television

The Star Trek: Voyager we know today almost looked well, deceptively stupid. Per former Senior CG Supervisor Rob Bonchune, the ship’s original CG model had a major problem — its hull was tinted purple. And if that wasn’t enough, the deflector dish glow looked completely off.

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Offspring", the android Data (Brent Spiner) has decided that he would like to be a father. Using his own android body as a template, he builds an android child in a positronic lab, naming the new being Lal. At first, Lal (Leonard Crofoot) is a somewhat shapeless being with sharp, metallic features. Data feels that Lal should be able to choose their own gender and appearance. Lal decides to be a young woman (Hallie Todd). The bulk of the episode involves Data, with his own limited understand of human interaction, teaching Lal everything he knows. When Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) questions the ethics of an artificial life form like Data creating another without permission, Data easily defends himself. No one else on the Enterprise requires permission to reproduce, so why should he? 

"The Offspring" was the first episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation...

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In the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "The Magnificent Ferengi", Quark (Armin Shimerman), one of the franchise's best characters, learns that his mother Ishka (Cecily Adams) has been captured by the evil Dominion. At first, Quark wants to assemble a team of crack Ferengi commandos, consisting of his brother Rom (Max Grodénchik), his nephew Nog (Aron Eisenberg), his cousin Gaila (Josh Pais), and a fighter named Lek (Hamilton Camp) to get her back, but soon comes to understand that his "crack squad" kind of sucks at military maneuvers. Instead, he arranges a meeting on an abandoned Cardassian space station called Empok Nor where he, with a Vorta prisoner in tow, will negotiate a prisoner exchange, using his keen sense of Ferengi deal-making.

On Empok Nor, Quark meets a Vorta general named Yelgrun, a smooth-talking creep with every intention of...

Have sci-fi filmmakers stopped trying to imagine a hopeful future? A look at why grim dystopias may have taken hold in storytelling:

You may have heard a variation on a common complaint: “It’s the 21st century. We should be flying around with jet packs and eating food in pill form.”

It’s a sentiment – itself probably dying out now we’re 25 years into the 21st century – that says a lot about our collective, unrealised dreams of the future. Decades ago, science fiction writers, futurists and scientists once had utopian visions of what the 21st century might look like. In Things To Come (1936), which William Cameron Menzies directed from a story by Hg Wells, humanity survived the wars and pandemics of the 20th century and rebuilt itself into a glorious, Rome-inspired superstate in the new millennium, its sights set on conquering other planets.

Following the Second World War, a generation...

Quick LinksSection 31 First Appeared In Deep Space Nine as VillainsIn Discovery Season 2, Section 31 Was Corrupted by Control, an Evil AISection 31 Is a Foundational Element of StarfleetStories About Section 31 Show How They Fight for a Better Future

For a storytelling universe in its sixth decade, the fans' idea of what Star Trekcan be remains surprisingly limited. Many of the early shows were practically anthology series exploring different genres from episode to episode. Despite Star Trek introducing Section 31 as a shady organization, both the eponymous film and Star Trek: Lower Decks proved it can also fit into Gene Roddenberry's vision. Just like in Starfleet proper, it's down to the characters themselves.

When Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek, he wanted Starfleet to be an aspirational organization committed to the ideals of compassion, exploration, knowledge and honesty. Given that premise, a clandestine intelligence and military operation like Section 31 seems antithetical to that aim.

The Gene Roddenberry-created, 60-odd-year-old franchise called “Star Trek” has had its own share of ups and downs. While the franchise had been rightly praised for its thoughtful exploration of conceptual ideas and unending possibilities, its worst endeavors are sometimes comically awful and sometimes tone-deaf.

But post-2016, with the release of “Star Trek Discovery,” under the purview of Secret Hideout, there arose a clear demarcation and division of “Star Trek” and its fandom. Under Alex Kurtzman’s jurisdiction, “Star Trek” would be catering to a larger fanbase and thus would have a higher budget and a larger focus on set pieces and action-driven storytelling, rather than striving for smart, thoughtful, and subtle writing. Messaging had always been an integral aspect of the DNA of “Star Trek,” but the bluntness of the messaging would reach a fever pitch with these newer iterations of Trek, barring a few exceptions. More importantly, the...

Actor Avery Brooks is best known for his portrayal of Captain Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The casting was revolutionary at the time because a Black actor had never led a mainstream TV series like Star Trek and the move was appreciated at the time. However, it was not as progressive behind the scenes as it made itself out to be.

Much like William Shatner, Brooks was an experienced actor before being selected to lead Deep Space Nine. Hence, his look was drastically different in the pilot of the spinoff series than what fans came to know him for. The reason behind the look change was apparently borderline racist but with Brooks’ insistence, it dodged that bullet.

Avery Brooks’ look as Benjamin Sisko was different in the pilot for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Avery Brooks in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Credits: Paramount Network

Avery Brooks...

Star Trek: Section 31 is the first feature film in the Trek universe since 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond, and will be the first streaming Trek film in franchise history. The movie, led by Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, also stars Robert Kazinsky, who plays Zeph, and considers himself a true Trek fan. Per Trek Movie, the actor spoke with SFX Magazine about the film and why he’s scared that fans could reject it.

The movie focuses on Section 31, a covert Starfleet organization that was created by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showrunner Ira Steven Behr. Kazinsky said as a superfan, he had a “wonderful” time working on the show.

Related 15 Controversial Star Trek: Tos Episodes That Wouldn't Fly Today

Star Trek: The Original Series has released several polarizing episodes that wouldn't work today, from "Omega Glory" to "Mudd's Women."

“Zero Disappointments” Says Section 31 Actor

“I love Star Trek with a real passion,...

Quick Links DS9 Was the Only Star Trek Show With Some LGBT+ Representation DS9 Showrunner Ira Steven Behr Has One Regret About the Show Lower Decks Picked Up the Baton from Star Trek Fans and DS9's Actors

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Lower Decks, Season 5, Episode 9, "Fissure Quest," now streaming on Paramount+.

The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks fixed the biggest mistake Star Trek: Deep Space Nine made during its seven-season run. The episode "Fissure Quest" paired up multiversal variants of Elim Garak and Dr. Julian Bashir in a romantic relationship. This helped give closure to a subtextual romance between the characters, and showrunner Ira Steven Behr's greatest regret about Deep Space Nine. Since its inception, Star Trek championed diversity and inclusion from the multi-racial bridge crew on The Original Series to the first transgender and nonbinary characters in Star Trek: Discovery.

During the universe's...

Harris Yulin is one of the most prolific character actors currently working in film and TV. If you've been watching any television since the 1970s, odds are you've probably seen his face in something. Yet, one of his most memorable roles is also his least recognizable, since his face was buried in make-up. That would be a reference to the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Duet," where he played a Cardassian named Aamin Maritza.

"Deep Space Nine" is set on Bajor, a world previously occupied by the Cardassian military. The series' primary Bajoran viewpoint comes from Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor; read our interview about her "Star Trek" experience here), a former resistance fighter still scarred by her people's years of subjugation. That backstory weighs heavily on "Duet" (written by Peter Allan Fields).

Like most "Star Trek" shows, "Deep Space Nine" had a rocky first season. The two episodes...

Star Trek has never been shy about tackling social issues, and its conscience has been one of the things that set it apart from other science fiction shows of the era. Its far-flung setting and far-future timeline let them talk about all manner of hot-button topics, cloaked in comparatively harmless guises to help it all go down a little more smoothly. The classic Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3 episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" used the vagaries between two alien species to act as a stand-in for racism, is a telling example. That can be a two-edged sword, however. While Star Trek is excellent at injecting social commentary into its fiction, it very rarely addresses those issues directly.

When Star Trek does directly tackle social issues (like the environmental message in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), it takes care to present them in a pleasant light instead of confronting the darker consequences.

The original "Twilight Zone" is one of those rare shows that serve as the yardstick for the entire medium of television, which is especially impressive when you remember how all over the place its stories can be. The most notable episodes of "The Twilight Zone" alone range from "Time Enough at Last" to "Eye of the Beholder" (a legendary take on body horror). The only reliable throughlines here are the inventive speculative premises, wild plot twists, and clever parables. Apart from them, anything and everything is possible in the "Zone."

Because of the original show's sheer impact on popular culture, it's no surprise that "The Twilight Zone" at large has grown into a loose franchise that spans over six decades and numerous movies and TV shows. Academy Award winners and visionaries have given their best shot at the property over the years, but how have they succeeded? Let's find out...

A recent trend of articles has popped up across the net recently talking about the "proposed' eight season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Never an actual idea that was considered, but the former showrunner for the series, Ira Steven Behr revealed on the 2018 documentary "What We Leave Behind" an idea that he came up with alongside fellow DS9 writers.

They hammered out an episode for the eight-season concept, and Behr revealed it in the documentary. It'd essentially see the death of Nog, the return of Benjamin Sisko to the station, and a war with the Jem'Hadar. The idea has some legs, but with how popular Nog and his actor Aaron Eisenberg were, it seems like a tough sell. Especially since he was still very much alive in 2015.

Eisenberg has since passed away, dying in 2019, making the crux of the episode a bit more difficult to pull off now. Plus,...

Five years ago, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine teased season 8, which, unfortunately, can't happen. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended in 1999 after seven seasons, wrapping up the saga of the space station commanded by Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). Unlike Star Trek: The Next Generation, DS9 did not move on to become a movie franchise. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's cast went their separate ways, but the series lives on in streaming and found an even greater appreciation from audiences 30 years after it first aired.

In 2019, 455 Films released What We Left Behind: Looking Back At Deep Space Nine. The documentary was spearheaded by DS9's showrunner Ira Steven Behr and reassembled most of the show's actors and creative team to look back on the triumphs and controversies of Deep Space Nine. What We Left Behind's centerpiece was Behr gathering his core writers, Rene Echevarria, Hans Beimler, Robert Hewitt Wolfe,...

Quick Links Why Deep Space Nine Storytellers Went Political In 'Past Tense' What Were the Bell Riots About in "Past Tense?" How the DS9 Crew Helped the Bell Riots Make a Difference Why 'Past Tense' Is Even More Relevant in the Real 2024

A few months ago, the real world caught up to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, at least the two episodes where it visited the past. Thanks to a transporter anomaly, the Deep Space Nine crew were sent to San Francisco in September 2024, right before a historical riot in the city. The two-part "Past Tense" episode of Deep Space Nine is one of Star Trek's most overly political episodes, and it's even more relevant now that it's technically alternate reality history.

While Star Trek has always been known for its social allegories and progressive storytelling, Deep Space Nine was a darker, grittier show. Unlike the crew of the USS Enterprise-d,...

The nearly 60-year-old storytelling universe created by Gene Roddenberry feels as eternal as the cosmos itself. A new Star Trek series is currently streaming with more shows and films soaring onto screens in the future. Yet not only was this not inevitable, its success defied the odds and conventional wisdom. With the passing of legendary storyteller Jeri Taylor, fans are reminded Star Trek would have been a dead franchise long ago without her talent and tenacity. Before Star Trek: The Next Generation, no sequel television series was ever more successful than the original. In fact, the early seasons of Tng were troubled in large part because the show couldn't keep writers.

When Michael Piller showed up in Season 3 as the showrunner, the USS Enterprise-d went where no television series had gone before. Along with Piller, veteran television writer from series like Quincy, M.E., Magnum Pi and other 1980s classics, Jeri...

The long-awaited Star Trek: Section 31 feature film now has an official premiere date. Per StarTrek.com, the movie will make its debut on January 24, 2025, exclusively on Paramount+. The announcement was made at New York Comi-Con, and featured a conversation with Section 31 cast members Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, and Robert Kazinsky and executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi.

Section 31s star, Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, made an appearance at the panel via video. The panel was moderated by Vladimir Duthiers of CBS News.

Related 'I Was Really Close': MCU Star Almost Played Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Reboot

Before Chris Pine got the role, a major MCU star was almost cast as Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies.

Yeoh is back as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, a character she first played on Star Trek: Discovery during its first season on Paramount+. The emperor joins a...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended in 1999, but was it canceled? The first spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation from executive producer Rick Berman, Deep Space Nine aired for 7 seasons in syndication from 1993-1999. Deep Space Nine was the first Star Trek series not to be set on a starship, but rather, a space station. DS9 also made history by casting Avery Brooks as Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko, the first Black lead of a Star Trek series. As showrunner of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ira Steven Behr spearheaded heavily serialized storylines and character arcs, pioneering what would become a television standard in the modern streaming era.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's main cast was supported by a vast ensemble of fascinating ancillary characters who became immensely popular. These included the Cardassian tailor/spy Garak (Andrew Robinson), Nog (Aron Eisenberg), the first Ferengi in Starfleet, Klingon General...

Most "Star Trek" captains have a signature look. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) both have truly fabulous hair, while Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is known for being clean-shaven and bald. But "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" captain Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, went through a bit more change than the average leader on the series. It makes sense in the show; Sisko is arguably the best and most complex "Star Trek" captain, and he goes through the stresses of commanding a space station during a terrible war. Anyone who grows and changes as much as he does is bound to alter their appearance a bit, but the real-life reasons for Sisko's changing looks between the seasons were a little more frustrating.

Throughout most of the first three seasons of "Deep Space Nine," Brooks is clean-shaven, growing a goatee toward the end of season 3. In the season 4 premiere,...

When Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek, he envisioned it as a pacifist show. The diplomatic aspect of the franchise was further explored in the future installments, especially in The Next Generation. However, with Deep Space Nine, Ira Steven Behr introduced the Dominion War, which remains one of the most important events in the IP’s decades-long existence.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Credit: Paramount

But while it turned out to be a huge hit among fans and critics, co-creator Rick Berman was initially against this shift in the franchise, as he didn’t want to stray away from the IP’s roots.

Rick Berman Vehemently Pushed Against the Dominion Wars in Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Credit: Paramount

Amidst all the wars in the franchise so far, the Dominion War is one of its most detailed conflicts. Fought between the Dominion, the Cardassian Union, and the Breen Confederacy,...

Beacon 23 has been cancelled after two seasons by MGM+ while the freshman series The Winter King will not return to the Amazon streamer after it was axed by Itvx in the U.K., Deadline has confirmed.

Beacon 23, based on the best-selling book by Hugh Howey, is a sci-fi psychological thriller starring Lena Headey and Stephan James as Aster Calyx and Halan Kai Nelson, respectively, two people brought together by fate at the end of the known universe. Aster, a government agent, and Halan, an ex-military man, find themselves trapped together inside one of many Beacons that serve as a lighthouse for intergalactic travelers.

Every Beacon is run by one highly trained human and a specialized Artificial Intelligence. Aster mysteriously finds her way to the lonely Beacon-keeper Halan, and a tense battle of wills unfolds. Halan begins to question whether Aster is friend or foe, as her ability to...

Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Section 31 can't act as a continuation of Star Trek: Discovery's clever setup for the infamous covert organization. The shadowy section of Starfleet called Section 31 was a huge part of Star Trek: Discovery, so much so that Section 31 is getting its own movie. The agency has been a part of Star Trek since the 90s, when it was introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Over the last few decades, Section 31 has played a vital role in many Star Trek TV shows, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

As Star Trek's first streaming movie, Star Trek: Section 31 is under a lot of pressure to deliver quality Star Trek content in a brand-new format for the franchise. Luckily, Star Trek: Section 31's cast is led by Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh and highlights a phenomenal roster of actors. Yeoh reprises...

I have a theory about why, in-universe, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) decided to shave his head bald and grow a goatee in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Sisko was a Starfleet Commander when he was assigned to run Deep Space Nine, a former Cardassian space station orbiting the planet Bajor. Commander Sisko began Star Trek: Deep Space Nine clean-shaven and with a full head of hair, and there wasn't a direct explanation within the series for what prompted Benjamin to drastically change his look (for the better).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4's premiere, "The Way of the Warrior," introduced the new-look Captain Benjamin Sisko. Although it took three seasons of DS9, Sisko was finally promoted to Captain, but the transformation wasn't complete until Ben shaved his head and grew his goatee. In addition, Sisko gained command of his own starship, the USS Defiant. All of these additions...

Children of the 1960s might recognize the late actor James Darren from his role as Moondoggie, aka Jeffrey Matthews, from the hit 1959 beach party movie "Gidget." Darren reprised his role in "Gidget Goes Hawaiian" and "Gidget Goes to Rome." Darren, however, was massively prolific in film, TV, and music, and his decades-long career was only cut short this week when the actor passed away at the age of 88. He left behind a sizable body of work that includes 14 studio albums, dozens of appearances in TV shows, and movies beyond Gidget. He shared the screen with future "Gilligan's Island" stars Bob Denver and Tina Louise in "Those Who Think Young," popped up in Jess Franco's 1969 version of "Venus in Furs," and most recently appeared in the Harry Dean Stanton film "Lucky" (one of the best films of 2017).

To Trekkies, Darren is best known for playing Vic Fontaine, the holographic Rat...

"Replacing Jadzia with Ezri was a bold move that paid off for DS9, integrating her seamlessly into the final season." "DS9 created a very different Dax in Ezri, showcasing her insecurities and frustrations, making her essential to the show." "Ezri's presence honored Jadzia's memory and allowed the characters and audience to grieve and move on in a meaningful way."

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pulled off a miracle by replacing Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) with Lt. Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer). Terry Farrell exited DS9 at the end of season 6, and the series chose to kill off her popular Jadzia Dax character. Recasting is an issue many television series have faced, but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine rose to the challenge by creating a new Dax character that turned out to be incredibly successful, especially in hindsight.

Terry Farrell left Star Trek: Deep Space Nine due to behind the scenes issues with Paramount.

Ira Steven Behr brought a more realistic, character-driven approach to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, distinct from The Next Generation. Behr's focus on friendships and downtime activities, like O'Brien and Bashir getting drunk, set DS9 apart from Tng's formality. Behr's influence on modern Star Trek shows, like Discovery and Strange New Worlds, highlights the enduring impact of DS9's character-driven storytelling.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showrunner Ira Steven Behr identified a "breath of reality" that defined the Star Trek: The Next Generation spinoff from its parent show. Deep Space Nine was specifically designed by Rick Berman and Michael Piller to stand out from Tng; DS9's cast of characters included both Federation and non-Federation officers, and it was set on a space station instead of a starship. However, when Ira Steven Behr took over the running of DS9 in season 3, he made an effort to further establish a very...

Chase Masterson almost played Jake Sisko's girlfriend but ended up as Leeta in Deep Space Nine, a character that made a lasting impact. Leeta's relationship with Rom, brother of Quark, continued even after Deep Space Nine, leading to Ferengi negotiating Federation membership. Deep Space Nine's season 3 saw key additions with Leeta and Eddington, and the arrival of Kasidy Yates, Captain Sisko's great love.

Best known for playing Leeta, the wife of Rom (Max Grodnchik) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Chase Masterson almost played the girlfriend of Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton). Leeta debuted in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 22, "Explorers", where she was introduced as a potential love interest for Doctor Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig). Bashir and Leeta's relationship lasted for a year before she found true love with Rom, the brother of Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman). Rom and Leeta continue to make a positive impact...

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Yesterday's Enterprise", the Enterprise-d is flying merrily through space when it encounters a colossal negative space-wedgie in its path. They crew finds it is a portal through time, leading to a point in history 22 years in the past. A ship flies out of the portal. It's the Enterprise-c, commanded by the stalwart Rachel Garrett (Tricia O'Neill).

When it does, however, everything about the Enterprise-d's timeline shimmers and shifts. All of a sudden, the Enterprise-d is a combat ship. The crew all become weapons-toting soldiers, now embroiled in a year-long war. It seems that the Enterprise-c exited its own timeline at a crucial point in galactic history, when it was facing a losing battle at the hands of the Romulans. When it vanished into the future, the battle never ended, and a full-scale war broke out. 22 years later, the Enterprise-d is still fighting the same war.

When Gene Roddenberry was writing the series Bible for "Star Trek: The Next Generation" back in 1986, he had several strict rules that writers had to follow. Most frustrating of these rules -- sometimes just called the Roddenberry Rule -- was that no episodes could center on the show's main characters having personal disagreements. In Roddenberry's view, all the workers on a Federation starship had to get along, or at least responded to each other with nothing less than 100% authentic professional courtesy. Writers hated the Roddenberry Rule, as they felt the best way to generate drama was by inventing interpersonal conflict. By deliberately taking away interpersonal conflict, Roddenberry was creatively hamstringing them. 

Roddenberry also wanted "Next Generation" to be a cleaner, purer version of the original "Star Trek" he launched 20 years earlier. He wanted to be wholly in charge this time, and dictate every minutiae of the series. This often caused...

The Mirror Universe episodes in Star Trek DS9 are hit or miss, with "Crossover" standing out as the best for its dark storytelling. "Resurrection" is criticized for its weak plot and lack of emotional impact compared to other Mirror Universe episodes. In "The Emperor's New Cloak," DS9 embraces the wacky side of the Mirror Universe, featuring campy moments and a satisfying conclusion.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine produced five Mirror Universe episodes across its seven seasons, but which ones have imperial status, and which ones are bound for the Agonizer? Introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 4, "Mirror, Mirror", the Mirror Universe made a lasting impression on fandom and the wider public consciousness. After all, pop culture's use of a goatee beard to denote an evil double surely originated with Mirror Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Tos. "Mirror, Mirror" made such an impression on Star Trek fans that a...

Star Trek is always about boldly going and exploring the final frontier. But who said that frontier had to exist in the present? Many times, the voyages of the USS Enterprise and its sister ships in Starfleet go back to the past and sometimes to the future, where they get new perspectives on what has been and what could be.

With few exceptions, Trek‘s time travel stories are often entertaining romps or thought-provoking adventures. But a few stand above the rest, outdoing even favorites like “Time’s Arrow” or “Trials and Tribble-ations.”

This list ranks the best of Trek‘s time travel stories, but because this is Trek, we have to make a few disclaimers. We’re only talking here about stories in which someone actually moves forward or backward in time. That leaves out holodeck stories or tales in which the Enterprise finds a planet that just so...

Although "Star Trek" takes place in an ostensibly utopian future free from war, want, money, and discrimination, the show's original creator, Gene Roddenberry, felt that humanity required a reckoning before that utopia could begin. According to "Star Trek" lore, Earth would have to nearly destroy itself in a series of devastating wars before the scant survivors would be able to pick themselves up, construct faster-than-light travel, and prepare themselves to meet their closest alien neighbors. The original "Star Trek" takes place about two centuries after the end of World War III, giving humankind a chance to rebuild itself into a utopia.

Back in the 21st century, however, not everything was rosy. Indeed, the two-part "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Past Tense" threw its main characters back in time — via a transporter accident — to the year 2024 when everything seemed to be at its worst. Earth in 2024 was overrun with poverty,...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine shaped the future of Star Trek by introducing iconic characters, narratives, and concepts that are still relevant today. DS9 broke away from the Star Trek norm by taking place on a space station, adding depth to the allegorical sci-fi franchise. Section 31, introduced in DS9, provided a darker narrative to Star Trek, sparking interest and plot twists in future projects like Star Trek: Discovery.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is responsible for a huge canon creation that is shaping the future of Star Trek. Filling the space left behind by the ending of Star Trek: The Next Generation wasn't easy, but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine proved it could handle the challenge. DS9 introduced iconic characters, concepts, and narratives that would outlast the show, which eventually ended in 1999. Upcoming Star Trek TV shows and movies, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Into Darkness owe a lot...

Star Trek: Tng's Emmy loss inspired a plot for Dr. Bashir in DS9, in which he was nominated for an award he never thought he'd win. In DS9, Dr. Bashir's Carrington Award storyline is a reference to Tng and NYPD Blue losing out to surprise competitor Picket Fences at the 1994 Emmys. The Carrington Award is given out by the Federation Medical Council to honor outstanding achievements in medicine.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's loss at the 1994 Emmy Awards inspired a storyline for Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Across seven seasons, Star Trek: Tng racked up an impressive 58 nominations and 17 awards at the Emmys between 1988 and 1994. Tng performed well in the technical categories at the Emmy Awards, but it was only in contention for the Outstanding Drama Series prize once. The lack of Emmy recognition for Tng actors is, rightly, a bone of contention...

Some of Star Trek: DS9's funniest episodes centered around Quark and his fellow Ferengi were inspired by classic sitcoms like Cheers and Taxi. Ira Steven Behr, who ran DS9, once wrote a script for Taxi that later became a Quark episode in "Prophet Motive". Taxi's Christopher Lloyd and Carol Kane also had Star Trek roles, showing multiple connections between the classic sitcom and the sci-fi franchise.

An episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine focused on Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman) was inspired by a classic Danny DeVito sitcom. DS9 may have a reputation for being a dark and moody show, but it also gave audiences some of the funniest Star Trek episodes ever made. Many of DS9's comedy episodes focused on the exploits of Quark and his fellow Ferengi, with particular highlights including "Little Green Men" and "The Magnificent Ferengi". It's unsurprising, therefore, that the sitcom genre...

Claustrophobic Nana Visitor disliked being encased in the rock prop from "Heart of Stone," describing it as a "hot fudge sundae." The Star Trek: DS9 cast and crew also shared frustrations with the prop, calling it "horrible." Despite the prop issues, "Heart of Stone" remains a significant episode for Kira and Odo's relationship and provides key character moments for Nog and Sisko.

Major Kira actress Nana Visitor hated one particular prop she worked with on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, humorously describing it as a "hot fudge sundae". Throughout her time on DS9, Nana Visitor wasn't afraid to speak her mind when it came to how the character of Kira was handled. Nana Visitor nixed a Kira and Gul Dukat love story, and also had her reservations about the eventual love story between her character and Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois). Star Trek: DS9 season 3, episode 14, "Heart of Stone" represented...

Warning: Contains Spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2!

In the Star Trek universe, the Treaty of Algeron is a fictional agreement that bars Federation member worlds from developing cloaking technology. The USS Defiant and alternate future USS Enterprise-d didn't need to worry about the Treaty of Algeron due to larger political circumstances. By the 32nd century, Starfleet are allowed to have cloaking technology but uses it sparingly.

Despite them being illegal under Federation law, several Star Trek ships have been fitted with a cloaking device. Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry objected to Starfleet using the cloaking technology that was utilized by their enemies, the Romulan and Klingon Empires. Star Trek: The Next Generation provided an in-universe explanation for this, in the form of the Treaty of Algeron. The Treaty was signed following the Tomed Incident, and barred Federation member worlds from developing cloaking technology. However, several Starfleet ships have defied this treaty,...

Star Trek: DS9's "Past Tense" sheds light on homelessness, reflecting societal issues from 2024 in a poignant way. The episode explores the struggle of governmental initiatives amidst larger external factors for homeless populations. Picard season 2 mirrors DS9's commentary, highlighting social inequalities with an eerie resemblance to reality.

The year is 2024, and I cannot believe that we're living in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - and not in a good way. Like its 1990s contemporaries, DS9 was set in the 24th century, and so the Federation's utopian ideals were something to aspire to when I was watching as a kid. As Gene Roddenberry had always intended back in the 1960s, Star Trek TV shows present us with a hopeful vision of the future that challenges us to be better. Sometimes these lessons can be clunkily delivered, but other times Star Trek can provide incisive commentary on our times.

DS9's "Meridian" was a Star Trek take on Brigadoon, but faced budget and production challenges. Ira Steven Behr called himself a "moron" for pitching the episode idea based on Brigadoon. Despite its reputation, "Meridian" had strong character moments, especially for Terry Farrell and Avery Brooks.

One episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was so poorly received among the production team that Ira Steven Behr called himself a "moron" for even considering the story idea. DS9 season 3, episode 8, "Meridian" was pitched as "Star Trek does Brigadoon" in reference to the Gene Kelly movie musical. In Brigadoon, Tommy Albright (Kelly) stumbles into a Scottish village that only appears once every 200 years, where he falls in love with Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse). Directed by Jonathan Frakes, DS9's "Meridian", the USS Defiant discovers a planet that only appears every 60 years.

In Star Trek: DS9's version of Brigadoon, Lt. Jadzia Dax...

Star Trek: DS9 had plans to bring back Thomas Riker, but logistical concerns and the need to move on from Tng cast led to his abandonment. Jonathan Frakes reprised his role as Thomas Riker on DS9, but future episode ideas were scrapped, ultimately benefiting the show. DS9's showrunner made the tough decision to cut ties with Thomas Riker to focus on developing new characters like Eddington.

I've always wondered why Star Trek: Deep Space Nine abandoned their plans for Thomas Riker, the treacherous transporter clone of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Thomas Riker was first introduced in Tng season 6, episode 24, "Second Chances", in which he is discovered living in isolation on Nervala IV. This forced to Thomas to see the man that he eventually became, and he found that Will Riker didn't live up to expectations. Thomas was appalled by Riker's rejection of promotion,...

Alien species in Star Trek have evolved in appearance and culture over the franchise's 58-year history. Not all changes have been well-received by fans, as some retroactively added depth to alien species. Characters like Quark, Seven of Nine, and Saru have revolutionized our understanding of traditional Trek aliens.

Star Trek has introduced numerous alien species that have changed throughout the franchise's 58-year existence. After all, Star Trek: The Original Series in the 1960s simply did not have the same level of prosthetic magic that makeup artists have today. The aliens of Tos were much simpler in design, but as prosthetics, make-up, and CGI improved, many alien species got significant upgrades regarding their appearance. Star Trek has not always offered an in-universe explanation for these changes, and some have been met with more positive reactions than others.

Many Star Trek aliens have changed in more than just appearance, as elements of...

Writers hardened Gul Dukat due to his Hitler-like past, making him the most unrepentant villain on Deep Space Nine. Nana Visitor's Kira views Dukat as unforgivable and irredeemable, refusing to ever forgive him for his actions. "Civil Defense" emphasized DS9's Cardassian origins, showcasing Dukat's dark intentions and desire to reclaim the station.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's writers hardened their Cardassian villain, Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo), because, as one actor put it, he was "Hitler". Given Gul Dukat's dark past during the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, it was unlikely that he could ever be fully redeemed. This is partly why, of all the recurring villains in the cast of Deep Space Nine, Gul Dukat became the most unrepentant, as he was consumed by bitterness and delusions of grandeur. However, early in DS9 season 3, the show's writers and cast members began to feel that Dukat was becoming too soft.

Moore's experiences on DS9 influenced the darker tone of Battlestar Galactica, with similar storylines and character inspirations. Connections between the two shows include shared actors, music mysteries, and thematic similarities in character development. DS9's influence on Battlestar Galactica writers helped shape the morally ambiguous and darker themes of the rebooted series.

Ronald D. Moore's 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot borrowed a story idea from his first season as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's supervising producer. When Star Trek: The Next Generation ended in 1994, Ronald D. Moore joined the DS9 team as a writer and supervising producer. Together with Ira Steven Behr, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and the rest of the DS9 team, Moore was instrumental in shaping the Dominion War arc between seasons 3 and 7. Years later, when Ronald D. Moore rebooted Battlestar Galactica, it was clear that Moore's experiences on DS9 influenced his darker take on Glen A. Larson's space opera.

Quark's confrontation with Sisko in Star Trek: DS9's season 2 finale challenged the perception of Ferengi as failed villains. The pivotal moment in "The Jem'Hadar" highlighted the unique insights and challenges Quark and the Ferengi offer. Sisko's realization and acceptance of Quark's viewpoints signify a broader critique of Starfleet's moral superiority.

A fight between Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Quark (Armin Shimerman) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's season 2 finale represented a major turning point for the Star Trek franchise. In DS9 season 2, episode 26, "The Jem'Hadar", Quark takes advantage of a scientific field trip for Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) and Nog (Aron Eisenberg) to try and sell Deep Space Nine's commanding officer on his plans to use the station's screens for advertising purposes. Quark's presence on the trip does not go down well with Sisko. Tensions between the two Star Trek: DS9 characters only worsen when they're captured by the Jem'Hadar.

Season 2 of Star Trek: DS9 showcased the need for Commander Sisko to have his own starship in the face of the Dominion threat. The destruction of the USS Odyssey in the season finale demonstrates the gravity of the Dominion's threat to the Federation. The creation of the USS Defiant was a pivotal moment in DS9, offering Sisko a powerful weapon against the Dominion and Jem'Hadar.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine needed the USS Defiant, and the game-changing season 2 finale proved exactly why Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) needed his own starship. In Star Trek: DS9 season 2, episode 26, "The Jem'Hadar", a holidaying Sisko encounters the titular villains for the first time, setting up Deep Space Nine's Dominion War arc. When Sisko is captured by the Jem'Hadar, Starfleet sends the Galaxy-class USS Odyssey and the DS9 crew into the Gamma Quadrant to investigate, leading to the first battle in the so-called Dominion Cold War.

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 7, "Erigah."

The first six episodes of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 were mostly standalone adventures that led towards the discovery of important, ancient technology. However, with the capture of antagonists Moll and L'ak, the show's latest episode kickstarts the endgame by bringing them face-to-face (in more ways than one) with a long-feared and mysterious enemy. Up until "Erigah," Star Trek: Discovery's final season was a race of fun Star Trek-styled missions, but things just got very serious.

The Breen were first seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but they were mentioned in the previous series, Star Trek: The Next Generation. In various Star Trek sourcebooks, the Breen were something of a running joke amongst the writing staff. They were a species meant to be mentioned every now and then, and nothing more. They were a group of unknown...

"Star Trek" was initially meant to be a portrait of a technological utopia set in a future when humanity had outgrown war, shed religion, and put money behind it. In the best of cases, the franchise revealed a world without want or starvation, having become so well-organized that resources could be freely shunted about the galaxy on miraculous faster-than-light starships. Most notably, starting with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Federation vessels were equipped with magical food replicators, which rearranged energy into edible matter. One could walk up to a food slot on the wall -- everyone's personal quarters had one -- and order anything from a glass of water to a six-course meal. Famously, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) would order "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."

Replicators are such a miraculous technology, that the writers of "Star Trek" had to begin inventing limitations merely for dramatic reasons. It's now been established repeatedly...

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

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

The aunt of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Denise Crosby once had a brief romance with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Quark (Armin Shimerman). Denise Crosby played Lt. Tasha Yar in Tng, whose family continued to pop up in the show even after she was killed by Armus. Tasha's sister, Ishara Yar (Beth Toussaint), used the crew of the USS Enterprise-d to help her launch an invasion of the Turkana IV Alliance's territory in Tng season 4, episode 6, "Legacy". Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5 introduced Sela (Denise Crosby) Tasha Yar's half-Romulan daughter from an alternate timeline, who became a recurring villain on the show.

Tasha Yar's extended family appearing on Star Trek: The Next Generation was reflective of Denise Crosby's own family links to the wider Star Trek universe. Denise Crosby was the granddaughter of popular crooner and actor Bing Crosby, named after her father, and Bing's son, Dennis Crosby.