Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh is back in action in the Star Trek Universe as Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31. The feature film is making its debut on Paramount Plus as the streaming platform boldly explores a very different branch of Starfleet.

Philippa Georgiou became a fan-favorite character in the Star Trek Universe after her debut in Star Trek: Discovery. Georgiou was introduced as the captain of the USS Shenzhou in the pilot episode and she also served as a mentor to Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham. As season 1 progressed, Yeoh ended up playing an alternate universe version of the character; instead of the noble starship captain, this version of Georgiou was the ruthless leader of the Terran Empire. Given her extensive experience with conquest, Georgiou ends up working for Starfleet's secretive Section 31.

Here's everything we know about Star Trek: Section 31.

Star Trek: Section 31 release date

Star Trek: Section 31 premieres Friday, January 24, on Paramount Plus. The movie will be available in the US and in all regions where Paramount Plus is available.

You can choose one of the following subscription options below if you’re not a subscriber already, and there's a free trial of Paramount Plus if you want to learn more about the platform first. US subscribers can choose between an ad-supported and commercial-free option of the service.

Star Trek: Section 31 plot

Here's the official premise of Star Trek: Section 31 from Paramount Plus:

"Michelle Yeoh reprises her fan-favorite role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou – a character she played in Star Trek: Discovery – who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past. "

Star Trek: Section 31 cast

Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, now a member of Starfleet's secretive Section 31. Yeoh has enjoyed an incredible career with memorable performances in many shows and movies including Everything Everywhere All at Once, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Brothers Sun and Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Here is a list of the other cast members:

• Omari Hardwick (Power) as Alok Sahar
• Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso) as Quasi
• Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim) as Zeph
• Kacey Rohl (Hannibal) as Rachel Garrett
• Sven Ruygrok (One Piece) as Fuzz
• James Hiroyuki Liao (Barry) as San
• Humberly Gonzalez (Ginny & Georgia) as Melle
• Joe Pingue (The Expanse) as Dada Noe
• Miku Martineau (Kate) as young Philippa Georgiou

Star Trek: Section 31 trailer

Ready to boldly go into this brand new Star Trek feature film? Check out the trailer for Star Trek: Section 31 below.

When the calendar flipped to 2024, the first 10 Star Trek movies (starting with 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture through 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis) crossed the neutral zone. In other words, the Star Trek movies switched streaming services, leaving Paramount Plus and landing on Max.

This is not an uncommon practice, as licensing agreements that allow movies to be shared among all the different streaming services are another way for these platforms to make money. But their profit is coming at a cost to some subscribers. Add in the sting of Paramount Plus being billed as the home of Star Trek — its original series like Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the Chris Pine Star Trek's are still on the service — the loss of these movies is causing many fans to miss DVDs and the security they got from physical media. 

Exhibit A: a good portion of the Trekkie community shared that this exact instance is why they were happy they already had the movies on DVD/Blu-ray or was a reminder/strong case for the allegedly sunsetting technology to stick around. Among those sharing their minds was Star Trek: The Next Generation consultant Michael Okuda.

Now, for many, this move may not be that big of a deal. Perhaps they already subscribe to Max. Others may not see an issue with simply dropping Paramount Plus in favor of Max in order to be able to watch the Star Trek movies (streaming service churning like this has become a popular trend among consumers). But for others, it may not only be a slight annoyance having to keep track of where your favorite movie is streaming at a given time, but the cost can sometimes be prohibitive.

A subscription to Paramount Plus in the US ranges from $5.99 per month for its ad-supported base subscription to $11.99 per month for its premium, ad-free plan. Max, meanwhile, offers three plans that start at $9.99 per month (with ads) and go to $15.99 per month and $19.99 per month for no ads and additional features. Add that with the potential cost of other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Peacock and Apple TV Plus, having it so you can easily access whatever whenever is becoming more and more expensive.

Beyond just movies and TV shows switching services, there is also the risk that they could be removed entirely from streaming services, much like what Max and Paramount Plus did with a number of its own shows. Some of these eventually made their way to other streaming services, like Star Trek: Prodigy to Netflix, but other shows are now only available via digital on-demand, which is another cost.

Then there are DVDs. While the initial sticker price for getting all of these Star Trek movies either individually or as a box set — not to mention a DVD/Blu-ray player if you don’t have one — is more expensive than a month, even multiple months, of a streaming service, it's actually more of an investment; a one-time cost that to ensure that you never have to worry about if you have the streaming service where you can watch the movie you feel like watching.

Are DVDs always the perfect solution? No. They take up space in your home, require a few more steps (literally and figuratively) than just typing in what you want to watch on in a search bar and sometimes have their own issues with movies not being easily available (personally, I've been dying to get a Criterion Collection of The Third Man, but it has been out of print for years from the distributor). But I also have DVDs that I bought more than 20 years ago or ones for older movies harder to find on streaming services that I could plug in right now and watch without any issue.

What many Star Trek fans, and movie fans in general, are reminded of when situations like this Star Trek switch takes place is that DVDs are the movie equivalent of vinyl albums and good old-fashioned books: perhaps they're not the most convenient way to consume the medium nowadays, but they still rank among the best and most reliable. Therefore, they will likely always live long and prosper.

Now that Netflix has rescued Star Trek: Prodigy from being cancelled, it's time to start thinking about Star Trek: Prodigy season 2. The series was created with younger fans in mind and follows a band of young aliens.

After being abruptly cancelled at Paramount Plus, Star Trek fans rallied around the animated series, which had already been in production on its second season. Trekkies raised money to fly a plane over various studios, hoping another streamer would give the show a second chance. 

Star Trek czar Alex Kurtzman and co-showrunners Dan and Kevin Hageman thanked fans for their dedication and support. "Thank you to our incredible Star Trek: Prodigy fans, who championed not just a show, but a community that's always been connected by the belief that we build a better future together," they said in a joint statement. "We set out to inspire you, but you inspired us. The team is still hard at work on the second season, and we can’t wait to share it with the amazing fans around the world."

Netflix swooped in and rescued the series, picking up the rights to both the first and second seasons. Now that the show has been removed from the Paramount Plus platform, it will only be available at Netflix. 

Here's everything we know about Star Trek: Prodigy season 2. 

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 release date

There's no premiere date available for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 just yet. We do know that the second season was already in production after being renewed in 2021. It is projected to be available in 2024.

The first season will be available to stream on Netflix later this year.

As soon as we have more information, we'll have it for you right here. 

Star Trek: Prodigy plot

We don't know what Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 will be about just yet, but here's the official synopsis of the series:

"A motley crew of young aliens in the Delta Quadrant find an abandoned Starfleet ship, the U.S.S. Protostar; taking control of the ship, they must learn to work together as they make their way towards the Alpha Quadrant."

Star Trek: Prodigy cast

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 features Kate Mulgrew (Voyager) returning to voice a holographic version of Admiral Kathryn Janeway. 

The complete cast includes:

• Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Janeway
• Brett Gray (On My Block) as Dal
• Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) as Gwyndala
• Rylee Alazraqui (The Villains of Valley View) as Rok-Tahk
• Angus Imrie (The Kid Who Would Be King) as Zero
• Jason Mantzoukas (The House) as Jankom Pog
• Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as Murf
• John Noble (Fringe) as The Diviner
• Jimmi Simpson (Westworld) as Drednok

The series features a handful of actors with recurring roles including Daveed Diggs (Blindspotting), Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Robert Beltran (Voyager) and Billy Campbell (Once and Again).  

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 trailer

There's no trailer for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 just yet, but as soon as the trailer drops we'll have it for you right here.  

How to watch Star Trek: Prodigy season 2

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 will only be available on Netflix, which means you'll need a subscription to the streaming platform if you're hoping to watch the show. There are plenty of subscription options to choose from, and you'll find several of those options below:

This year's annual fan gathering at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 might look a little different thanks to the WGA and SAG strikes, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot to be excited. 

From thrilling offsite activations like the Anne Rice Immortal Universe exhibit to world premieres and sneak peeks, What to Watch is at SDCC 2023 bringing you all the action.

With so many things happening, we're keeping track of everything for you below:

News from The Walking Dead Universe

The Friday before SDCC, AMC released several updates for fans. In honor of Bastille Day in France, it made sense to release the premiere date of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, as the new spinoff starring Norman Reedus is set in Paris. The series premieres September 10, and fans at SDCC will be treated to a preview of the first half of the first episode. 

Fans also learned that the second half of Fear the Walking Dead season 8 will premiere October 22, bringing the series to an end. 

For fans in attendance at the Hall H presentation on Friday, there will be a retrospective looking back at Fear the Walking Dead along with a preview of what's to come. 

In addition to the aforementioned The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon preview, there will also be a tease of the upcoming and as-yet untitled Rick and Michonne spinoff series that was announced at SDCC 2022. 

Check out the teasers and trailers for Fear the Walking Dead, TWD: Daryl Dixon and the newly titled TWD: The Ones Who Live below:

Fear the Walking Dead season 8

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Interview with the Vampire

Though production on Interview with the Vampire season 2 has been halted in light of the SAG and WGA strikes, AMC released a teaser for the new season. Take a look below:

Twisted Metal

Peacock will host the world premiere screening of the first episode of Twisted Metal at SDCC 2023 at 10 pm PT/1 am ET. 

Here's a description of the panel: "Join Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller as he hosts a world premiere screening of the first episode of Twisted Metal, followed by a Twisted Metal-inspired version of Kinda Funny’s interactive game, 'Kinda Feudy,' featuring randomly selected guests from the audience whose Twisted Metal knowledge will be put to the test. Don’t miss even more twists, turns, and surprise giveaways at the special event."

There will also be an ice cream truck hosted by Sweet Tooth with a special edition Twisted Metal flavor making the rounds. After launching at SDCC, the deranged clown and his ice cream truck will be hitting the road to meet fans in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Des Moines, Iowa, and Chicago. 

Kalki 2898 AD

The highly anticipated Indian sci-fi movie Project K had a huge panel in Hall H, where fans were treated to a panel from the cast and crew as well as a first look teaser and a title reveal: Kalki 2898 AD.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical episode

Paramount Plus surprised Star Trek fans with news of a musical episode coming August 3 during Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. Take a look at the preview of "Subspace Rhapsody" below:

The best TV kisses haven't just satisfied long-simmering will-they-won't-they tension, broken down racial and gender barriers and kickstarted some of the small screen's greatest romances. They've also been very, very hot. 

Like the 10 sexiest movie kisses, these televised smooches — pulled from sci-fi classics, beloved sitcoms, acclaimed dramas and sexy TV shows, such as the Shonda Rhimes political drama Scandal and the provocative teen soap Gossip Girl — are lip locks that truly linger in our memory.

The 10 hottest TV kisses we're still thinking about

New Girl: Nick and Jess

There was an inevitability to the long-awaited snog between Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), but that doesn't mean the sheer heat of the embrace didn't surprise us just as much as it surprised our New Girl herself. 

In the season 2 episode "Cooler," Nick and Jess have been dared to lay one on each other during a round of the gang's signature "True American" drinking game. When Nick yells, "Not like this!," it's not just a way to dodge the drunken make-out, but a potent promise, which he fully delivers on when the twosome is alone later that night. "I meant something like that," he tells her, after leaving her — and us — shocked and breathless. 

Fleabag: Fleabag and Hot Priest

"Kneel" — the subversive word that launched one of television's loveliest and unlikeliest romances, that of our titular heroine (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and the fittingly monikered, inordinately charming Hot Priest (Andrew Scott) in Fleabag series 2. In the season's fourth episode, an act of penance shockingly turns into an act of seduction. After Fleabag emotionally lays all of her vulnerabilities bare in the confessional, she pleads, "Just f***ing tell me what to do, Father." When he tells her to kneel, he joins her on his own knees, takes her face in his hands and leans into sin. It is utterly blasphemous — and damn sexy. 

Star Trek: Kirk and Uhura 

Legend has it that somewhere in the television universe, there's a version of the infamous Star Trek scene from season 3's "Plato's Stepchildren" floating around in which Capt. James Kirk (William Shatner) and Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) do not actually kiss. Of course, thankfully, viewers never had to see that version, as the iconic smooch did air in November 1968 and quickly cemented itself in TV history. 

Though not television's first-ever interracial liplock as it's mistakenly called, the kiss between the white actor and the Black actress was still a groundbreaking one, broadcast on a major American program only a year after the Supreme Court declared interracial marriage legal. 

Friends: Ross and Rachel

It's actually not the first kiss between Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) on Friends — that would be an excited peck in a laundromat back in season 1 — but it is their most famous. In season 2 episode 7, their slow-burn feelings for each other hit a fever point in the form of a heated fight at Central Perk. Ross storms out of the coffeehouse and Rachel angrily locks the door on him, until both of them soften up — he comes back, she opens up and they finally share their first big kiss. 

"His hands started on my waist, and then they slid up, and then they were in my hair...," Rachel later tells Phoebe and Monica about the long-awaited moment. They, like us, are left swooning. 

Scandal: Fitz and Olivia

Now, in real life, we'd never condone acts of marital infidelity in the White House. But when it comes to television, it's hard not to root for the steamy workplace affair between political fixer Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and married US President Fitzgerald Grant III (Tony Goldwyn). And the heat was there from the get-go, as proven by the very first episode of the ABC drama. In a "blind spot" of the Oval Office (a.k.a. out of view of the security cameras), Olivia and Fitz unleash all of their feelings for each other, both good and bad: she, frustrated over his marriage and position (that slap!) and he, still very much in love with her (that kiss!).

Schitt's Creek: David and Patrick

David Rose (Dan Levy) was unlucky in the romance department for the first few seasons of Schitt's Creek — until Patrick Brewer (Noah Reid) came in to invest in his burgeoning apothecary business and invigorate his love life in season 3. In the season finale, the duo go to Cafe Tropical after work to celebrate David's birthday, but neither are entirely sure if it's a date or not. After Patrick sweetly gives David a framed receipt from their first sale, David happily realizes the evening is more pleasure than business, and gives his thanks in the form of a long, lush smooch, just one of many swoon-worthy moments between these two. Simply the best, indeed. 

Gilmore Girls: Luke and Lorelai

From the pilot episode, the delicious sweet-and-salty chemistry between chatty inn worker Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), the grumpy diner owner who regularly quenched her caffeine addiction, was plenty apparent. For years, fans had to settle for obviously charged but frustratingly unfulfilled moments between the two characters — that is, until the season 4 finale when Luke finally made a move. "Would you just stand still?" he snarks at her, pausing their signature banter long enough to make his feelings physically known. Stars Hollow would never be the same. 

The Vampire Diaries: Damon and Elena

It was a rough go of it for #Delena shippers during the first three seasons of The Vampire Diaries, having to watch our human heroine Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) cozy up to "cured" vampire Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) instead of his seductive older brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder). But that all changed 19 episodes into season 3, when Elena and Damon shared a motel room during their road trip to Denver. Those close quarters simply couldn't contain their oversized attraction for one another, leading to an explosive make-out on the motel's balcony.

Orange is the New Black: Alex and Piper

When Alex Vause (Laura Prepon) found herself behind bars at Litchfield Penitentiary, the very same prison as her ex-girlfriend and fellow drug trafficker Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), it was only a matter of time before the two would find their way back to one another. They do so in a fittingly dramatic fashion: after Piper gets out of solitary confinement — having been tattled on by Pennsatucky for "lesbianing together," a.k.a. provocatively dancing, with Alex — she retaliates by marching straight into the bunks and pulling Alex into the chapel for a major same-sex makeout. Revenge never tasted so sweet. 

Gossip Girl: Chuck and Blair

If you're going to rebound, it might as well be in the backseat of a stretch limousine with the one, the only Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). That's just what Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) does after breaking up with her childhood sweetheart Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford). The preppy overachiever goes full bad girl at Chuck's nightclub Victrola, dancing atop the bar and, even more surprisingly, initiating a passionate hook-up with Chuck on the drive home. Given the intensity of their romp, it's no surprise that their first kiss sparked an on-and-off-again relationship that spanned the series' six seasons. 

If the timeline holds up, we’ll be meeting the Vulcans in 40 years, in the year 2063. That first meeting between humans and Vulcans is known as First Contact Day — celebrated on April 5 — and the casts of Star Trek franchises from Picard to Strange New Worlds to Prodigy and beyond celebrated the occasion on social media. 

You might have spotted First Contact Day trending on social media as the members of the Star Trek Universe commemorated the day. The day in question is a reference to a major plot point in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact, in which the crew of the Enterprise (and by “crew” we mean the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew) find themselves transported back in time. In order to save the future, they must help Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of the warp core, to complete his task so that the Vulcans take notice. 

First Contact was also a big moment for TNG cast member Jonathan Frakes, who made his feature film directorial debut with the movie. Since then he’s directed a number of shows and movies, with his most recent turn behind the camera coming on Star Trek: Picard season 3. 

This year’s First Contact Day is very special because The Next Generation cast has been reunited in Picard season 3, and seeing them back in action has been a nostalgia-laden thrill for longtime fans, many of whom first discovered Star Trek through the first spinoff of the original series. 

Of course, we’re living in a bold new age of Star Trek thanks to the efforts of an enthusiastic team at Paramount Plus who have created multiple spinoffs, many of which are interconnected with overlapping stories and characters. The franchise is bigger and bolder than ever before, with more shows like Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on the horizon. 

All it takes is a look at the enthusiasm from the Star Trek Universe’s cast members to see how excited they are to celebrate First Contact Day together. 

Here's some love from the Star Trek: Picard crew:

The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast celebrated First Contact Day with new promo pictures for their upcoming second season.

And the Lower Decks crew got in the action, too:

And of course Star Trek wouldn't be what it is today without the fans:

The ever-expanding Star Trek Universe at Paramount Plus continues to grow, this time with what looks to be a YA-centric focus on the young Starfleet cadets who dream of becoming officers. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the latest series coming to Paramount Plus, and it’s the first time the franchise has focused entirely upon the lives of Starfleet cadets who have yet to become officers. 

Here’s the official description of Starfleet Academy from co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau:

"Admission is now open to Starfleet Academy! Explore the galaxy! Captain your destiny! For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years (or species equivalent) who dream of exceeding their physical, mental and spiritual limits, who value friendship, camaraderie, honor and devotion to a cause greater than themselves. The coursework will be rigorous, the instructors among the brightest lights in their respective fields, and those accepted will live and study side-by-side with the most diverse population of students ever admitted. Today we encourage all who share our dreams, goals and values to join a new generation of visionary cadets as they take their first steps toward creating a bright future for us all. Apply today! Ex Astris, Scientia!"

"We are excited to introduce Star Trek fans to a whole new generation of Starfleet officers in training as they navigate the rigors of the Academy and the brink of adulthood in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," said Domenic DiMeglio, chief marketing officer and head of data at Paramount Streaming. "Introducing new characters and compelling storylines, this all-new original series will serve as a fantastic addition to the franchise and Paramount Plus, bringing new generations of viewers and long-term Star Trek fans alike together to enjoy the next chapter in the iconic Star Trek universe."

Starfleet Academy has always had a special place in the Star Trek Universe. References to “the Academy” have been heard in just about every series and spinoff. The most recent reference came in Star Trek: Picard season 2 when Raffi (Michelle Hurd) returned to guide young cadets, including the first Romulan enrollee, Elnor (Evan Evagora).

The Academy played an integral role in 2009’s Star Trek movie starring Chris Pine as James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock. The movie followed the contentious early days of Kirk and Spock’s relationship before transforming into the close bond that the duo has become known for over the years.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will begin production in 2024, so it will be a while before the series is beaming into fans’ living rooms. 

Paramount Plus has become the home of all-new Star Trek content, and the animated kids’ series Star Trek: Prodigy is one of the biggest new hits from the ever-expanding Star Trek universe. 

Star Trek: Prodigy joins Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Short Treks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on the Paramount Plus streaming service. What makes it stand out from its sister series is that it is specifically geared toward a younger audience, a first according to Paramount Plus.

Information on Star Trek: Prodigy and all of Paramount Plus’ Star Trek series was shared during the September 2021 Star Trek Day presentation, but if you want to find out about everything you need to know about Star Trek: Prodigy, read on below. 

Next episode of Star Trek: Prodigy

The next episode of Star Trek: Prodigy is the mid-season premiere, titled "Asylum." There's no episode description yet, but we'll add one here as soon as it's available. 

What’s the plot of Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy follows a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search of a better future.

The series starts off with the young aliens working in a scrap yard where they stumble upon an abandoned Starfleet ship. Though they know nothing about space travel, together they set off on an adventure that will introduce them to Starfleet and the ideals it represents.

Star Trek: Prodigy, which will feature 20 episodes in its first season, split into two segments, was created by Dan and Kevin Hageman.

Who is in the Star Trek: Prodigy cast?

The main voice cast for Star Trek: Prodigy consists of Brett Gray as Dal, Ella Purnell as Gwyn, Rylee Alazraqui as Rok-Tahk, Angus Imrie as Zero, Jason Mantzoukas as Jankom Pog, Dee Bradley Baker as Murf, John Noble as The Diviner, Jimmi Simpson as Drednok and Kate Mulgrew, reprising her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager, who appears in the series as a hologram on the ship.

IMDb lists a number of other actors expected to provide their voices to the series. This includes Jason Alexander, Jameela Jamil, Daveed Diggs and Robert Beltra, another Star Trek: Voyager alum reprising his role as Captain Chakotay.

When is the Star Trek: Prodigy release date?

Star Trek: Prodigy premiered on Paramount Plus on Oct. 28, 2021, releasing the first 10 episodes. The second half of the season premieres October 27, 2022.

We also know that there will be more of the animated series beyond that, as Paramount Plus has already renewed Star Trek: Prodigy for season 2.

Is there a Star Trek: Prodigy trailer?

Here's the trailer for the midseason premiere of Star Trek: Prodigy.

Part of the Star Trek Day presentation back in September included the first official trailer for Star Trek: Prodigy. In it we get to briefly meet the teenage aliens that will comprise this makeshift crew and the beginning of their adventures. Watch the full trailer below. 

How to watch Star Trek: Prodigy

Though Star Trek: Prodigy is produced in part by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the series is a Paramount Plus original and therefore will play exclusively on the streaming service, which means you’ll need a subscription to watch.

In addition to Star Trek: Prodigy, a Paramount Plus subscription also gives you access to all of the other Star Trek series created for the streaming service, as well as the classic TV series that initially ran on TV. 

Paramount Plus also provides access to thousands of other TV shows and movies, both classic and originals.

American actress Nichelle Nichols has passed away aged 89, it has been confirmed. 

Nichols is best known for starring alongside William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek series and its subsequent movie spin-offs. Her casting saw her become one of the first Black actresses in the United States to play a figure of authority on TV. 

Later, Nichelle went on to volunteer her time with NASA in a successful scheme that sought to recruit more women and people from minority backgrounds to join the space agency. 

Nichelle's son, Kyle Johnson, announced that she had died of natural causes on Sunday, July 31 in a statement posted on Facebook. It read: "Friends, Fans, Colleagues, World. I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years.

"Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration. Her life was a life well lived and as such a model for us all.

"I, and the rest of our family, would appreciate your patience and forbearance as we grieve her loss until we can recover sufficiently to speak further. Her services will be for family members and the closest of her friends and we request that her and our privacy be respected. Live Long and Prosper, Kyle Johnson."

According to the Washington Post, Nichelle thought joining Star Trek would be a "nice stepping stone" to Broadway stage fame (she originally trained as a dancer and nightclub singer, not realizing at the time that her character would become an enduring favorite at the time).

Star Trek's casting saw Nichelle and multiple other actors from minority backgrounds elevated to significant roles of authority and importance and helped to redefine the TV landscape for the future. 

On-screen, one of her prominent moments came when Uhura shared one of TV's first interracial kisses with Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in the episode titled "Plato's Stepchildren". 

Outside of Star Trek, Nichelle also had notable roles in Heroes and The Young and the Restless. Like many other members of the cast, Nichelle was also a regular face at Trekkie conventions, too.

Tributes began to pour in for Nichelle shortly after her passing was confirmed. Her co-star, George Takei, wrote: "I shall have more to say about the trailblazing, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise, and who passed today at age 89. For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend."

US President Joe Biden also released a statement regarding Nichelle's passing, saying in part: "In Nichelle Nichols, our nation has lost a trailblazer of stage and screen who redefined what is possible for Black Americans and women.

"Our nation is forever indebted to inspiring artists like Nichelle Nichols, who show us a future where unity, dignity and respect are cornerstones of every society."

We’re only five episodes into the freshman season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and this week’s "Spock Amok" was a real treat for fans. Between callbacks to the 1967 episode of the original series, "Amok Time," to being able to see the Enterprise crew enjoying some much needed shore leave, fans agreed that new Paramount Plus series Strange New Worlds continues to deliver top-rate episodes that entertain and celebrate the Trek universe. 

After battling the Gorn in last week’s "Memento Mori," the crew was given some time off while the Enterprise enjoyed some much-needed repairs. 

The biggest moment came at the start as Spock (Ethan Peck) has a dream about his wedding to T’Pring (Gia Sandhu). She refuses him when she sees that he’s more human than Vulcan and opts for the ritual "kal-if-fee," whereby human Spock must fight his Vulcan self in a battle of supremacy. 

The ensuing fight featured the same weapons and music from "Amok Time" and is a delight for fans of the original series that pitted Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Kirk (William Shatner) against each other as part of the complex Vulcan mating ritual "Pon farr."

Speaking of callbacks, Anson Mount’s Captain Pike wore a green wraparound uniform that was similar to the one worn by Captain Kirk. It was a minor detail, but one that made fans very happy.

Here’s what fans were saying about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode 5:

Other highlights from "Spock Amok"

• Newly engaged couple Spock and T’Pring spend some time trying to bond but end up switching bodies during a Vulcan soul-sharing ceremony gone wrong
• Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) trying to ghost a friend with benefits who was after more commitment than she was willing to give
• Enterprise crew members playing "Enterprise Bingo" to the chagrin of Una (Rebecca Romijn) and La’an (Christina Chong), then them joining in to prove they can have fun
• Captain Pike trying to negotiate a treaty with a potential new member of the Federation while dealing with T’Pring stuck in Spock’s body

The episode was lighthearted and fun, with lots of jokes and innuendo stacked throughout. "Spock Amok" writers Henry Alonso Myers and Robin Wasserman demonstrated a firm grasp of Trek canon and core values; it’s not surprising that fans are calling episode 5 the best episode of the season.

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiere on Paramount Plus every Thursday.

The latest Paramount Plus Star Trek series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a refreshing return to episodic storytelling for the franchise, where there’s a new mission every week and new planets to explore. In Strange New World season 1 episode 4, "Memento Mori," Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) is confronted by the people who annihilated her family and it’s a reckoning that will have lasting implications for her and for the Enterprise crew. 

"Memento Mori" gives us a fresh look at the Gorn after hearing La’an reference her harrowing experience with the reptilian species in previous episodes. Only there’s a twist: we never actually see the Gorn in the episode. 

In some brilliant story maneuvering, Strange New Worlds writers Davy Perez and Beau DeMayo tease the viewers with lots of shadows and clicking sounds, but the Gorn are never seen. The terror comes in knowing what La’an has said about them coupled with the chilling reality that there is no negotiating with them. It’s fight or die; as La’an points out, the reason no one knows much about the Gorn is that no one ever survives an encounter with them.

And if the Gorn weren’t enough, the decision to hide the vulnerable Enterprise in a brown dwarf adds its own set of challenges as the outside pressure starts to tear apart the ship. 

While the episode features some of the biggest battle sequences we’ve seen to date, all it takes is the sound of the hull groaning to remind you that these people are stuck in a spacecraft and there’s no escape. If the hull collapses, they’re done for. 

The magic of "Memento Mori" is that the terror comes from things you never actually see. The breadcrumbs are tossed out with such great precision that fans are left terrified by things that never appear on the screen. 

Not surprisingly, fans had a lot to say about this week’s episode. 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds needed a "big bad" to threaten the crew of the Enterprise and that’s where the Gorn came in. Between La’an’s history with the Gorn and what happens in "Memento Mori," the show has a brand new villain, only this villain isn’t new at all. 

While we know some fans will be upset that the Gorn have been retconned to be pure evil when they actually toed the morally grey line in Star Trek’s 1967 episode "Arena," which famously featured William Shatner's Captain Kirk battling one with a torn shirt, the show needed a villain and now it has one.

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds release Thursdays on Paramount Plus.

More on Star Trek

• Star Trek: Picard — everything to know about season 2
• Paramount Plus Star Trek shows all getting new episodes in 2022

Star Trek's William Shatner has surprised fans with a birthday message for his co-star, George Takei.

The two actors are famed for playing James T. Kirk and Hikaru Sulu in the original series, but they're probably just as well known for the reported feud between them at this point. However, a message from William Shatner could mean that Captain Kirk might want to bring that feud to an end.

Nearly a month after William Shatner celebrated his 91st birthday on March 22, the actor publicly wished George Takei a happy 85th birthday on Twitter. 

The message just reads "@GeorgeTakei Happy Birthday George", but it could well be taken as a sign that Shatner wants the pair to put aside their differences and reconcile with his former co-star.

Plenty of William Shatner's followers were hopeful that this was the case, as he received plenty of replies from fans hopeful that the pair could be a sign of peace between the two stars.

George Takei also made a post to mark his birthday on the same day. In his tweet, he thanked people for their kind words on his big day, writing: "Today is my 85th birthday, thank you for so many well-wishes! Tonight, I'm celebrating with a b-day dinner in beautiful Salt Lake City with my niece Akemi and her husband David."

Whether or not Shatner's message has reached George Takei (or if he's paid the message any attention) is unclear. In fact,  William Shatner actually wished George a happy birthday in the same way back in 2020. 

Just a few months after this earlier birthday wish, Shatner publicly claimed that George Takei was "making things up" when the Sulu actor suggested Shatner's rivalry with Leonard Nimoy aka Spock was caused by jealousy over the excess amount of fan mail Nimoy received compared to the Captain of the USS Enterprise. 

More recently, Takei threw some shade back at William Shatner about his Blue Origin flight when he spoke to Page Six last year. But let's hope peace in outer space has finally happened!

Star Trek: The Original Series is available to stream on Paramount Plus, along with everything else from the Star Trek universe like Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek Picard season 2.

After a bit of a wait Star Trek: Picard season 2 is here. 

Filmed back-to-back with the third season (due to air in 2023), this second outing of the retired Starfleet officer sees Sir Patrick Stewart's beloved Captain going boldly into the past. 

Trapped in an alternative timeline, he and his crew are locked in a race to save the galaxy from one of Picard's greatest foes: Q. 

To face down his new trial, Picard turns to old and new friends to try and put an end to Q's scheme.

Here's everything you need to know about Star Trek: Picard season 2...

When is the next Star Trek: Picard episode?

In the US, Star Trek: Picard season 2 is currently streaming exclusively on Paramount Plus. Episode 6, "Two of One," will be released on Thursday, April 7.

Worldwide, Star Trek: Picard is airing on Prime Video, with episode dropping on Friday. This will put "Two of One" out on Friday, April 8.

The series will air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave in Canada.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 plot

The logline for Star Trek: Picard season 2 explains that the next leg of Picard's adventure sees him thrust back into the past, facing a new test from Q, one of his most powerful enemies.

It reads: "Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard takes the legendary Jean-Luc Picard and his crew on a bold and exciting new journey: into the past. Picard must enlist friends both old and new to confront the perils of 21st century Earth in a desperate race against time to save the galaxy’s future — and face the ultimate trial from one of his greatest foes."

Here is the synopsis for the episodes that aired thus far:

Star Trek: Picard season 2 episode 1 — "The Star Gazer"
"Starfleet must once again call on legendary Jean-Luc Picard after members of his former crew - Cristóbal Rios, Seven of Nine, Raffi Musiker, and Dr. Agnes Jurati - discover an anomaly in space that threatens the galaxy."

Star Trek: Picard season 2 episode 2 — "Penance"
"Picard finds himself transported to an alternate timeline in the year 2400 where he must face one last trial orchestrated by his longtime nemesis Q."

Star Trek: Picard season 2 episode 3 — "Assimilation"
"Picard and the crew travel back to 2024 Los Angeles in search of the one person who can help them identify the point at which time diverged."

Star Trek: Picard season 2 episode 4 — "Watcher"
"With time running out to save the future, Picard seeks out an old friend for help; Rios winds up on the wrong side of the law; Jurati makes a deal with the Borg Queen."

Star Trek: Picard season 2 episode 5 — "Fly Me to the Moon"
"Picard discovers an important person from his past may be integral to the divergence in the timeline. Q continues his manipulation of the timeline, taking an interest in Dr. Adam Soong. Seven and Raffi attempt a daring rescue of Rios, while Jurati faces the consequences of her deal with the Borg Queen."

Here's the synopsis for the upcoming Star Trek: Picard episode, "Two of One":
"Tallinn helps Picard and the crew infiltrate a gala on the eve of a joint space mission to protect an astronaut they believe is integral in restoring the timeline - Renee Picard; Kore makes a startling discovery about her father's work."

Star Trek: Picard season 2 cast

Star Trek: Picard naturally sees legendary actor Patrick Stewart reprising his role as his Star Trek: The Next Generation character, Jean-Luc Picard in his next chapters in life. 

He's not alone, though as there's a load of stars set to join him for the new season. Expect to see Alison Pill as Agnes Jurati, Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker, Evan Evagora as Elnor, Orla Brady as Laris, Isa Briones as Soji Asha, Santiago Cabrera as Cristobal "Chris" Rios, Brent Spiner as Altan Inigo Soong, and Annie Wersching as classic Star Trek villain, The Borg Queen.

Excitingly, there are two special guest stars lined up for the new season. Academy award-winner Whoopi Goldberg is set to return to her iconic Star Trek: The Next Generation role as Guinan, with fellow TNG alum John de Lancie back to play the nefarious Q.

Is there a trailer for Star Trek: Picard season 2? 

Yes. Star Trek: Picard season 2's official trailer was released on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, and it gives us a little taste of what to expect from this latest chapter in Captain Picard's life.

It looks like the stakes are higher than ever before. Picard and his companions are stranded in the 21st century after Q broke the very fabric of reality. We see Picard haunted by his memories, reuniting with Guinan and Q, and his crewmates battling for survival on Earth and in deep space.  

Take a look at the action-packed trailer below:

• Star Trek: Prodigy
• Star Trek: Discovery season 4
• Every Star Trek show getting new episodes this year

Paramount Plus is going boldly into 2022, announcing new release dates for its group of Star Trek original series — Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy. In addition to release dates, four out of the five shows have also earned 10-episode season renewals from the streaming service.

The Star Trek series have become some of the flagship Paramount Plus original series, tapping into the passionate fan base with shows that focus on new and familiar characters, as well as expand into animation targeted for both adults and kids.

Star Trek: Discovery was one of the first new Star Trek original series, debuting when Paramount Plus was still CBS All Access. Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery is set to debut on Paramount Plus Feb. 10, but fans can rest assured in knowing that there will definitely be a season 5, as the show was renewed. Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp.

Star Trek: Picard is set to return for its second season on March 3. Sir Patrick Stewart reprises his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in this original series, alongside Alison Pill, Isa Briones and Jeri Ryan. Star Trek: Picard is already in production for its third season.

The latest Star Trek original series on Paramount Plus, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will have its premiere on May 5 and has already been renewed for a second season. A prequel to the original Star Trek series from the 1960s, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Etha Peck.

On the animated side, Star Trek: Lower Decks is going to return for season 3 with 10 new episodes in summer 2022. The series, featuring the voice work of Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells and Eugene Cordero, has also been renewed for a fourth season.

Star Trek: Prodigy, meanwhile, is currently in the middle of its first season’s first half, with that capping off with episode 10 on Feb. 3. The second half of season 1, featuring another 10 episodes, is expected to debut on Paramount Plus later in 2022. Following a group of teens that stumble upon a derelict Starfleet ship, Star Trek: Prodigy features the voices of Brett Gray, Rylee Alazraqui, Jason Mantzoukas and Kate Mulgrew.

All of these shows are exclusively available on Paramount Plus, which consumers can sign up for with a 30-day free trial, after which they will be charged either $4.99 per month for an ad-supported version or $9.99 per month for an ad-free version (which also includes access to their local CBS station).

Paramount Plus made sure there was plenty to celebrate on Star Trek Day, Sept. 8, by announcing premiere dates and unveiling brand new trailers for its bevy of Star Trek original series.

Star Trek Day 2021 marked the 55th anniversary of the original Star Trek series premiering on CBS. All those years later the franchise is still going strong. Although it has ventured from CBS to Paramount Plus, the streaming service hosts a whole fleet of Star Trek originals, including Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard and upcoming new series Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Find out all the news that was announced during the Star Trek Day celebration regarding each of these shows below.

Star Trek: Discovery 

The first Star Trek series to premiere on the ViacomCBS streaming service (then called CBS All Access) Star: Trek Discovery is heading into its fourth season, and we now know when it will arrive. Paramount Plus shared that new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery will come to the streaming service on Nov. 18. 

Sonequa Martin-Green leads Star Trek: Discovery as Commander Michael Burnham. The series takes place 10 years before Captain Kirk and company take over the U.S.S. Enterprise, following the adventures of the starship Discovery. Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp and Mary Wiseman co-star in the series. 

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Currently in the middle of its second season, Star Trek: Lower Decks is an animated Star Trek comedy that tells the story of the less heralded members of a Starfleet vessel.

There wasn’t any big news shared about Star Trek: Lower Decks revealed at the Star Trek Day celebration — the show has already been renewed for a third season — but a new mid-season trailer was released for fans to enjoy. Watch it below.

Star Trek: Picard

Perhaps the biggest news of the whole proceedings was everything announced surrounding Star Trek: Picard, which sees Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard. First, it was announced that the second season of Star Trek: Picard would launch on Paramount Plus in February 2022, with a brand new trailer accompanying it. Then it was announced that the series was getting an early season three renewal. So there will be plenty more adventures with Capt. Picard in store. Check out some of them with the trailer for season two below. 

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy is a new animated series in the Star Trek universe that unveiled a full trailer and its release date during the recent franchise celebration.

Star Trek: Prodigy follows a group of teenagers who discover and take command of a derelict Starfleet cruiser to explore the galaxy. Kate Mulgrew returns to voice a hologram of her Star Trek: Voyager character Kathryn Janeway, as the rest of the voice cast includes Rylee Alazaqui, Dee Bradley Baker, Brett Gray, Angus Imrie, Jason Mantzoukas, John Noble, Ella Purnell and Jimmi Simpson.

Watch the full trailer below as you await the series premiere on Paramount Plus on Oct. 28.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The Enterprise is back with many of its original crew, as the upcoming Paramount Plus original Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will serve as a prequel series to the original Star Trek series that premiered 55 years ago.

The series will focus on the time that the Enterprise was under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount. But while the series takes place pre-Kirk, it still features many characters from the original series, including Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Spock, (Ethan Peck) — all of which are reprising the roles they originally appeared as in Star Trek: Discovery — Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusaanmokum), plus some new characters fans can grow to love.

The event showed an announcement trailer revealing the cast and some first footage from the series. No word on release date as of yet.

Some additional news from Star Trek Day was that in addition to all the Star Trek original series, a restoration of the director’s cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is underway and it will stream exclusively on Paramount Plus.

Paramount Plus is a subscription streaming service that in addition to Star Trek includes original TV shows like iCarly and the upcoming Mayor of Kingstown, as well as original movies like Infinite and The J Team. Paramount Plus also serves as the streaming home for new Paramount movies after their exclusive run in theaters ends, so far including films like A Quiet Place Part II and Snake Eyes.

Paramount Plus offers two subscription plans, a $4.99 ad-supported option (does not include live local CBS stations) and a $9.99 ad-free option.

This post contains spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks. Check out our last review here.

For being an animated sitcom that runs for ten-episode seasons, Star Trek: Lower Decks has certainly taken its sweet time this season re-establishing its status quo and its comedy bona fides. “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” feels like another episode’s worth of coasting that technically still works as a bit of high-concept adventure, but the comedy just isn’t as tight as it needs to be, nor is the character work doing much more than reaffirming what we already knew. For the most part, this second episode seems content to introduce new elements that will play a part later, hopefully to a more hilarious or dramatic effect than we’ve seen here.

Boimler (Jack Quaid) is the subject of this episode’s B-plot, wherein he finds himself embroiled in the action-packed space battles and away missions of Riker’s (Jonathan Frakes) USS Titan. The constant imperilment of his life makes him realize that he joined Starfleet for the exploration and the science, not for the high-stakes attitude that his promotion entails, which does serve as a nice reaffirmation of Star Trek’s philosophical underpinnings. Granted, this is undercut by the show’s revelry in its violence and mayhem, but Lower Decks gets a lot more leeway in that regard as a comedy that has thrived on self-reference. The point of this subplot is to get Boimler back to the theoretically less hazardous Cerritos, and it does its job, though one wonders why this wasn’t a plot point prioritized for the season’s first episode.

The A-plot, strangely enough, fares worse, as its central premise is underdeveloped and largely focuses on introducing new characters that don’t get sufficient spotlight to properly arc. The first of these is Ensign Jet (Marcus Henderson), technically previously seen in “Cupid’s Errant Arrow” and a seeming replacement for Boimler who grinds against Mariner’s (Tawny Newsome) de facto leader status. His careful planning is a direct contrast against Mariner’s freewheeling improvisation, which creates problems as their mission to clean out a dead collector’s booby-trapped menagerie goes murderously awry. The mutual realization that deferral to Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) and Tendi’s (Noël Wells) expertise would make them both better leaders is a nice bit of growth for both characters, but it’s strange to see Jet sidelined at the end of the episode when Boimler’s reemergence makes him inconvenient. One can only hope that he’s a recurring element throughout the season.

The other major new addition is the new security officer, Kayshon (Carl Tart), a soft-spoken Tamarian who struggles not to speak in his people’s usual metaphorical dialect. He’s something of a one-note character so far, only made so further by his transformation into an inanimate hand puppet halfway through the episode. Bizarrely, this gag doesn’t really end up going anywhere, serving as a non-sequitur to enable Mariner and Jet’s conflict.

In fact, that’s a recurring issue with “Kayshon, His Eyes Open.” Though not without some good one-liners – Captain Freeman’s (Dawnn Lewis) obsession with micromanaging and a throwaway gag about past animation errors are standouts – there just isn’t a lot of laugh-out-loud comedy in this episode. If the show wants to transition toward more straightforward adventures at the expense of its comic roots, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but this season is starting to feel half-hearted in its attempts to produce either laughter or pathos. It’s not unenjoyable. It’s just filler while we wait for the promise of the show’s first season to reemerge, or for the show to grow into a new form. But for now, Lower Decks runs a real risk of becoming stagnant.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is available to stream now on Paramount Plus in the US and on Prime Video in the UK.

This article contains spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks.

It’s still amazing how an animated comedy like Lower Decks is the closest approximation we currently have to the feeling of Star Trek at the height of its quality during the TNG era. In some small part it’s because the show heavily relies on nostalgia for some of its comedy value, sometimes to its detriment, but an even larger part is because Lower Decks understands the appeal of individual episodic adventures with high concept premises, and any comic barbs it can push are just bonuses to what it can contribute. The premiere of the show’s second season is a solid exercise of this core appeal, and while it’s not the show at its best in either hilarity or originality, it’s still a fun time to return to the USS Cerritos.

With the revelation that Mariner (Tawny Newsome) is Captain Freeman’s (Dawnn Lewis) daughter, the pair have been working together on side missions, which basically means that Mariner can do whatever she wants during a mission and Freeman simply signs off on it in favor of mending their strained relationship. This dynamic wears on both of them though, as revealed through Freeman’s captain’s log and, more compellingly, through Mariner’s holodeck workout regime wherein she vents to a Cardassian torturer while executing a prison break in an absurd amalgamation of therapy session and leg day. Ultimately, this reintroduction to these two characters is a fun way to acknowledge how the status quo was shaken up by last season’s finale while eventually accepting the necessity that the formula can’t be shaken up too much.

Meanwhile, Tendi (Noël Wells) is suspicious of Rutherford’s (Eugene Cordero) sudden change in opinions after the replacement of his cyborg implant. She rationalizes that his uncharacteristic new love of pears and his desire to reattempt a date with a previously failed prospect must be evidence of a breakdown in his cognition, so she starts literally assaulting him with medical science in hopes of “curing” him. It’s a cute way to reacquaint us with the science bro friendship Tendi might wish were something more romantic, but it’s also a pretty blatant way to sweep the fact of Rutherford’s new implant under the rug, waving away one of the more potentially interesting consequences of last season’s finale. It could come up again in the future, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

The main attraction of this episode is the culmination of Mariner’s freewheeling ignorance of authority, as pressure-washing an alien monument reveals an artifact that zaps Commander Ransom (Jerry O’Connell) with “strange energies” imbuing him with powers reminiscent of the original series’ Gary Mitchell in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” The basic joke is that Ransom is so obsessed with his own masculine prowess that he uses his powers to make a utopia of doppelgangers and gym equipment, with his Achilles heels being affirmative praise and kicks to the Achilles testicles. It’s nothing especially novel or groundbreaking, but it still meets the show’s baseline for amusingly over-the-top spectacle played with a frenetic energy that the live-action counterparts cannot match.

The most noticeable absence this episode is Boimler (Jack Quaid), who was promoted to Riker’s (Jonathan Frakes) ship last season. The last-minute of the episode teases that Boimler may not be too happy with getting the promotion he wished for, and next week will surely give us a route to reunite him with the rest of the cast. For now, he feels like a gaping missing piece in the show’s fabric, but maybe with his return, the show can reach its heights again instead of satisfactorily eking it out by reestablishing a status quo.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is available to stream now on Paramount Plus in the US and on Prime Video in the UK.

Happy First Contact Day, everyone! Yes, Paramount+ is celebrating the anniversary of the day Vulcans first made contact with the human race just a scant forty-two years early, but that just means that we get some brand spanking new Star Trek content to talk about. And we’re very happy to report that the First Contact celebration has revealed some exciting news about the goofball problem child of the franchise, Star Trek: Lower Decks.

That’s right, we’re getting a second season, and while we knew that already, here’s a sweet little teaser of what we can expect in the not-so-distant future.

New episodes start airing on Thursday, August 12, 2021.

But that’s not all! Paramount+ has also gone ahead and renewed the show for a third season. We can take this as a sign that the network is very happy with how the show is developing and are confident that it will continue to be a funny addition to the otherwise more serious Star Trek canon.

I’ve gone on record as being a big fan of the show, as my reviews of the first season explored in detail. Sure, it wears its inspiration from Rick and Morty on its sleeve, but it’s also a surprisingly reverent take on Star Trek mythos that still isn’t afraid to poke at some of the hypocrisies of The Federation. It’s a very different take on Star Trek that never loses sight of what it means to be Star Trek.

Star Trek: Lower Decks was created by Mike Mahan and stars Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell, and Gillian Vigman.

April 5, 2063, if you didn't know, is First Contact Day. That's the day in which humanity made (will make) first contact with an extraterrestrial species. More specifically, Vulcans. The date was made canon in Star Trek: First Contact.

And on April 5, Paramount Plus celebrates First Contact Day with a whole mess of Star Trek. We're talking recorded panels across the greater Trek universe. We're talking marathons of curated episodes in the spirit of First Contact Day. And we're also talking 20 percent off merch at shop.startrek.com because if you can't put it on a T-shirt, is it really a celebration?

The panels themselves should be worth tuning in. There are five in all, and here's how they break down, from 3 to 5:45 pm Eastern time:

• Star Trek: First Contact 25th Anniversary Panel: Will include Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner and Slice Krige as they share behind-the-scenes memories of the 25-year-old film.
• Creating First Contacts Panel: Will include Star Trek: Discovery costume designer Gersha Phillips, senior concept designer Neville Page, VFX supervisor Jason Zimmerman, and makeup and prosthetics department head James Mackinnon from Star Trek: Picard.
• Women in Motion Panel: Includes Discovery's Sonequa Martin-Green, Picard's Michelle Hurd and Isa Briones, and Lower Decks' Dawnn Lewis "as they look back at how “Star Trek: The Original Series” actress Nichelle Nichols helped pave the way for women of color on television and overall, her lasting impact on not only Star Trek, but science and culture."
• Second Contact Panel: Mike McMahan (creator of Lower Decks), Paul F. Tompkins (host of Star Trek: The Pod Detective), Spiner and Frakes will talk about some hilarious B-plot stories from past series that paved the way for the current generation of series.
• Star Trek: Prodigy Panel: Executive producers Kevin and Dan Hagerman are joined by Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager), who's reprising her role in Prodigy.

There's also the marathon of First Contact Day-related episodes, which will begin at noon Eastern on April 5. They'll include:

• Star Trek: The Original Series: Season 1, Episode 18 – “Arena”
• Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 1, Episode 1 – “Second Contact”
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Season 4, Episode 7 – “Little Green Men”
• Star Trek: Short Treks: Season 2, Episode 6 –“Children of Mars”
• Star Trek: Voyager: Season 4, Episode 1 – “Scorpion, Part 2”
• Star Trek: Discovery: Season 2, Episode 2 – “New Eden”
• Star Trek: The Animated Series: Season 1, Episode 7 – “The Infinite Vulcan”
• Star Trek: Enterprise: Season 1, Episode 6 – “The Andorian Incident’
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 4, Episode 15 – “First Contact”
• Star Trek: Picard: Season 1, Episode 8 – “Broken Pieces”

And that's just for starters. There's even more coming to StarTrek.com/FirstContact, and you'll also be able to stream the events on Pluto, Twitch, and YouTube.

Paramount Plus Key Info

• What is it? Paramount's streaming service features bags of movies, TV dramas and plenty of original content. 
• Is there a free trial? Yes, it's normally 7 days, but until end June there's a month's free trial for new customers. 
• How much does it cost in the US? $4.99 (with ads) or $9.99 (ads-free). 
• How much does it cost in the UK? £6.99 (there's just one plan).

In addition to Star Trek, Paramount Plus has live sports, including NFL games and international football. There also are a host of Paramount Plus original series.

Paramount Plus is available on every major streaming platform, including Paramount Plus on Roku, as well as on Paramount Plus on Amazon Fire TV. It's also available on Apple TV, Android TV, Google TV, smart TV platforms, and on the web.

Some mild spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery in general, and this week's episode in particular, lie ahead. Yellow alert.

Going head to head with Michelle Yeoh, the actor, is no small feat. Same goes for her first character on Star Trek: Discovery, Capt. Philippa Georgiou. It gets even tougher with multiverse alter ego, Emperor Georgiou.

We saw that in Season 2 when Georgiou helped stave off a universe-ending event, allowing heroine Michael Burnham to do her thing. But Episode 5 of Season 3 (read our review) of the CBS All Access exclusive series just have unleashed an even bigger adversary. And it's comes in a cameo I'm more than a little excited about.

The Discovery crew has made its way to what's left of the Federation, and folks are being debriefed individually. Sometimes by advanced holographic artificial intelligence, and sometimes by humans. And in Georgiou's case — both. It's a prescient move, and one that actually lends itself to a little bit of comedic relief. Not only does Georgiou stymie her AI interrogators, she actually gets them to shut down by blinking her eyes at their harmonic rate.

Meanwhile, an older man stands by, just ... watching. He's silent until the AIs are defeated. Then he sits with Georgiou. He's almost certainly her intellectual equal, and quite possibly superior. The final scene in "Die Trying" alludes to something — we're just not quite sure what. Or how. (And it's at this point that I had to remind myself that Discovery isn't beyond the long play — just look at how things ended up for Capt. Lorca.)

That's not just any interrogator, though. It's David Cronenberg. 

Cronenberg gives Discovery a crazy-awesome link to some of the more terrifying moments in film in the past, oh, 50 years. Cronenberg is the director best known for some of the darkest and scariest movies of their time. HIs work dates back into the late 1960s, but it was his 1983 take on Stephen King's The Dead Zone and the remake of The Fly three years later that made him more of a household name. Other major releases include Dead Ringers in 1988, Crash in 1996, A History of Violence in 2005, and Eastern Promises in 2007.

We don't really know what happened in that interrogation room. "You broke my holos," Cronenberg's (his shadowy character didn't actually have a name) first words to Geogiou. She's bored — or pretending to be bored, more likely — while asking questions of her own. Like, why he's wearing glasses. "They make me look smart, I like them."

This is going to be one of those back-and-forths that, frankly, I could have watched for hours. And as Cronenberg's interrogator points out, it's not actually about getting any answers. Or at least the answers won't come from the answers. He's been fascinated by Terrans since he was young, he said. He's perfectly calm. Scarily so. So is Georgio.

After a bit of a warmup, they get down to it.

Georgiou: "I'll answer your questions if you answer mine first."
Interrogator: "No, you won't really do that. ... And even if you did yo'd like. So the only way I'll glean any information is by the questions you ask me. So, please ..."

Georgiou gets right to it, asking about the cause of the Burn. He comes back with the fact that Georgiou is utterly alone, with no one crossing from her universe more than 500 years. "You're all alone now." (My guess? The Federation wants to get to that other universe — and back — to snag some dilithium.) 

Cronenberg's interrogator then notes that he knows there's someone on Discovery's crew Georgiou cares about deeply.

And ... that's it. We don't see Geogiou again until the end of the episode when something's ... off. Or is it? It's impossible to tell with her. (And with Yeoh.) What else happened in that interrogation room? Did the mere asking of questions spark something in the emperor? Or did the interrogation go further?

And what, pray tell, might have just been unleashed in Geogiou?

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery drop Thursdays on CBS All Access in the United States, Bell Media CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada, and on Netflix in 190 other countries.

In the States, CBS All Access runs $5.99 a month. It's available without commercials for a few dollars more. It's home to the entire Trek universe, including the exclusive Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks, along with Discovery. It's also where you'll find exclusives like The Twilight Zone and the new take on King's The Stand.

• CBS All Access will become Paramount Plus in 2021
• Is CBS All Access free with a cable subscription?
• How to watch CBS All Access on a Samsung TV
• How to watch CBS All Access on Roku
• How to watch CBS All Access on Apple TV
• How to watch CBS All Access on a Vizio TV

Star Trek just hasn’t been the same since making the warp-speed jump in the modern age of streaming. Where Trek used to thrive was in episodic adventures with a cast of Starfleet officers whom we would come to know and love over the course of those high-concept escapades. However, due to a combination of influence from the J.J. Abrams-produced film trilogy and the binge-friendly serialized storytelling demands of producing for a streaming service, Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard are lacking as much more than passable nostalgia-driven brand management exercises. They aren’t awful (mostly), but they certainly fail to understand that the core of Star Trek doesn’t exist as a venue for prolonged action setpieces and Mystery Box narrative arcs.

This is why Star Trek: Lower Decks feels like such a breath of fresh air for the longtime Trekkie. At first glance converting Star Trek into an animated comedy seems like a sort of stylistic sacrilege, particularly because the previous attempt to bring Trek to animation in 1973 was more unintentionally hilarious than anything. However, the animated sitcom is one of the few popular avenues in which proper episodic storytelling still thrives, so it’s a prime way to smuggle the familial feeling of The Next Generation and Voyager into a format that can find popularity with modern audiences.

The main comedic conceit of Lower Decks is that, rather than center the narrative on the bridge with the captain and a selection of named officers, instead our heroes are the ensigns the franchise has famously used as plot fodder in the previous series in order to show just how high the stakes are. It’s a clever idea that simultaneously allows the show to poke fun at the reverence placed on Starfleet officers in-universe, while still paying faithful, if still irreverent, homage to the iconography of previous Treks. This includes stylistic choices like title cards reminiscent of TNG, or canonically confirming that a ship’s holodeck is used for some more adult activities than dueling wits with Moriarty.

Our two main characters are Ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Boimler (Jack Quaid), extreme foils in their dedication to Starfleet and their desire to climb in the ranks. Boimler is career-oriented and a stickler for the rules, driven by a desire to one day become a captain. Mariner, meanwhile, has a nerdy reverence for the history and traditions of Starfleet, but she couldn’t give two shits about protocol or rank, preferring instead to get demoted at every opportunity and have fun on as many wacky adventures as possible. The obvious point of reference for this dynamic is the first season of Rick and Morty – the first episode bears some striking structural similarities to Rick and Morty’s pilot – but the character dynamic works well within the relatively more constrained setting of a Starfleet vessel.

Rounding out the main cast are Ensigns Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) and Tendi (Noël Wells), who are primarily developed during episode B-plots throughout the first four episodes and are therefore less firmly defined. Rutherford is an engineer in love with his job and possibly with Tendi, while Tendi herself feels like she was introduced to be a fish-out-of-water character assigned to the medical bay, but the show can’t even commit to her outsider status beyond her introduction. These characters find their way into their own absurd misadventures that make them instantly loveable, but they feel just amorphous enough that their niches within the show aren’t explicitly defined yet. That’s not at all unusual, particularly as Star Trek is concerned, so I’m confident that they’ll find more definitive roles by the season’s conclusion.

The comedy itself takes even further cues from Rick and Morty, relying on fast-witted banter, high-paced cartoon action, alien absurdism, and good old-fashioned character conflict to fuel laughter. Not every joke is a gut-buster, particularly in early episodes where the writing reaches for some very low-hanging fruit, but it’s usually more amusing than not, and there are moments of pure inspired comic gold that are simply waiting to be discovered. (The fourth episode in particular has a gag that made me pause the episode because I was laughing so hard.)

What’s most remarkable of Star Trek: Lower Decks, though, is how committed it is to deliver on the promise of a Star Trek show that recalls the structure and pacing of the franchise in its prime. Every episode is a self-contained narrative with character arcs that build upon previous episodes while emphasizing the particular absurd situation of the week. It’s refreshing to see Star Trek embrace that sense of adventure and love for its own characters again, even if it has to be delivered with self-referential cynicism. Hopefully, the other Star Trek shows take note that this kind of storytelling isn’t dead and can revive the format that allowed Star Trek to thrive in the first place.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is available to stream now on Paramount Plus in the US and on Prime Video in the UK.

CBS All Access today unveiled a new trailer for Star Trek: Lower Decks, the upcoming animated Trek series from Rick and Morty's Mike McMahan. The series premieres Aug. 6 on CBS All Access.

The series follows the USS Cerritos (NCC-75567, for those who worry about such things) in the year 2380 and is the sort of irreverent take on the Trek franchise that we've normally only seen in spoofs like Futurama, Avenue 5 and The Orville.

The bridge crew? Rock stars, voiced by Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O'Connell, Fred Tatasciore, and Gillian Vigman. Everyone else? Well, that's the lower decks, and that's where you'll find the voices of Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells ,and Eugene Cordero.

Lower Decks is the first animated series in the ever-expanding Trek universe on CBS All Access, which also includes Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, and the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. A new Section 31-based series starring Michelle Yeoh (of Discovery) is in the works, as is a computer-generated series aimed at younger audiences on Nickelodeon. 

Following the premiere of Lower Decks, new episodes will drop Thursdays through Oct. 8.

Three of your favorite characters from Star Trek: Discovery are getting their own spinoff on CBS All Access . Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been announced for a time to be determined. It marks the third exclusive Trek series on the streaming service, alongside Discovery and Star Trek: Picard .

Strange New Worlds will follow Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn) and Spock (Ethan Peck) in the decade before Pike * Co. ended up on the USS Enterprise.

And some familiar (and unsurprising) names also are penning this series. The premiere was written by Akiva Goldsman, and the story was by Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet and Goldsman. (The latter of which also will stay an executive producer and part of the creative team on Picard.

"Fans fell in love with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck's portrayals of these iconic characters when they were first introduced on STAR TREK: DISCOVERY last season," Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, CBS All Access, said in a press release. "This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to 'Star Trek.'"

"When we said we heard the fans' outpouring of love for Pike, Number One and Spock when they boarded STAR TREK: DISCOVERY last season, we meant it," Kurtzman also said in the press release. "These iconic characters have a deep history in 'Star Trek' canon, yet so much of their stories have yet to be told. With Akiva and Henry at the helm, the Enterprise, its crew and its fans are in for an extraordinary journey to new frontiers in the 'Star Trek' universe."

CBS All Access is expected to get a major overhaul later this year and into 2021 as it absorbs more content from the ViacomCBS universe. In addition to everything Star Trek , it's also the exclusive home to the Jordan Peele reboot of The Twilight Zone , and The Good Fight .

CBS All Access is a streaming service full of CBS' best programming, not just currently airing shows but older classics and new exclusive series as well, and right now new members can try out one month for free by entering promo code GIFT during checkout. This deal is valid on both All Access plans, including the Commercial Free plan that's normally $9.99 monthly and the Limited Commercials plan that's $5.99 monthly.

With 30 days of CBS All Access for free, that's plenty of time for you to binge through Star Trek: Picard and both seasons of Star Trek: Discovery before you're charged as a regular member.

Once the first trial month has ended, your membership will continue on at the regular price of the plan you choose during checkout unless you decide to cancel your subscription beforehand. Luckily, you can do that easily at any time in your account settings.

I've been subscribed to CBS All Access for a while now. I started my membership to watch the newest season of Star Trek: Discovery with the intention of ending it soon after, yet months later I'm binge-watching Big Brother like it's a second job. The site includes all 20 seasons of the show which has some 40-episode-long seasons; someone, please help. You also get access to the live feeds from the Big Brother house while the show is airing, along with live feeds of several CBS channels such as CBSN which is a 24/7 live-streaming news channel.

CBS All Access has several other original shows you can't find anywhere else , and it's worth checking out the service just to give those a chance as there's a nice variety now. Favorites from the CBS network are included too, from The Young and the Restless to Survivor, NCIS, Young Sheldon, and many more.