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Karnas is the main antagonist of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Too Short a Season".

He was portrayed by the late Michael Pataki, who also portrayed Nicolai Koloff in Rocky IV , the trash-talking Klingon officer Korax in the Star Trek episode The Trouble With Tribbles , and voiced Sewer King in Batman: The Animated Series and George Liquor in Ren and Stimpy .

Biography [ ]

Karnas was one of the tribal chieftains on Mordan IV. He took the crew and passengers of a Federation ship hostage and demanded weapons for their release, intending to take revenge on the other tribes for the death of his father. Starfleet officer Mark Jameson was sent to negotiate and, without telling his superiors, secured the release of the hostages by giving Karnas the weapons he demanded. He then provided the same weapons to Karnas' rivals in order to honour the spirit of the Prime Directive. As a result, what Karnas had intended to be a swift victory turned into a civil war that lasted forty years.

Nevertheless, Karnas eventually gained victory over his enemies and became the planet's leader. However, he blamed Jameson, now a Starfleet admiral, for his suffering and sought revenge. He took the staff of the Federation embassy hostage and blamed it on dissidents, requesting Jameson's presence as a negotiator. Jameson arrived on board the Enterprise and contacted Karnas, quickly realising the truth of the situation.

After a failed attempt to rescue the hostages, Jameson beamed down with Picard and Crusher to meet with Karnas. Jameson had taken drugs that had restored his youth and Karnas initially refused to believe the young man was his old rival, but was convinced by Picard showing him the stages of Jameson's rejuvenation and Jameson revealing a scar Karnas gave him as a pact. Karnas' first instinct was to try and kill Jameson, but on learning he was already dying from the side effects of the drug, he simply stood and watched him die in pain. "Rest, Jameson. Your long night and mine are over,"he remarked, before ordering the hostages released. Afterwards Jameson's widow requested permission from Karnas to have Jameson buried on Mordan IV, a request that Karnas agreed to.

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Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S1E15 "Too Short a Season"

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Original air date: February 8, 1988

The Enterprise transports a legendary geriatric admiral who must once again negotiate a Hostage Situation involving a man from decades earlier in his career. While the Admiral is mysteriously growing younger by the day, a dark secret from his past threatens to not only kill him but potentially the hostages as well.

Tropes in this episode:

• Antagonist in Mourning : After Jameson dies, Karnas visibly deflates, quietly agreeing to release the hostages he took. He even permits Jameson to be buried on Mordan IV. Karnas: Rest, Jameson. Your long night... and mine, are over.
• As You Know : Data: They are phasers, sir. Set on kill Picard: Thank you, Mr. Data. I have heard the sound before.
• Continuity Nod : Among Karnas's Wall of Weapons is a phaser from the original series.
• Cruel Mercy : Karnas decides not to shoot Jameson, but instead lets him die from the drug he took as a better revenge.
• Death by De-aging : The strains of the changes Jameson suffers from being de-aged end up killing him.
• Aside from the questionable wisdom of taking a double dose of a de-ageing drug that is established to have a high mortality rate at the best of times, Jameson evidently didn't consider that it might end up making him look so young that Karnas wouldn't even recognise him.
• Jameson also failed to consider that the civil war he helped to set off would last for decades and cost millions of lives, instead of being a quick brush fire as he'd hoped.
• Early-Installment Weirdness : Jameson calls Riker "Number One", which soon becomes exclusively Picard's name for Riker.
• Easily Forgiven : Zig-zagged; when Jameson admits how he actually rescued the hostages, Picard is momentarily shocked, but soon assures Jameson that Karnas could have chosen to work for peace rather than continue the war. Karnas himself has absolutely no intention of forgiving Jameson, however, and only holds off on blowing a hole in his torso as an act of Cruel Mercy so that he can suffer an even more agonizing death from his overdose of the de-ageing drug. Jameson's death in turns renders it academic as to how Starfleet would have dealt with his actions.
• Every Scar Has a Story : Jameson and Karnas cut themselves to seal their bargain. When Karnas is skeptical of the younger Jameson's identity, he demands to see the scar. Only once he sees that scar does he accept that the man standing before him is Jameson.
• Fountain of Youth : A mysterious elixir from the planet Cerberus II that Admiral Jameson discovered during his career has anti-aging properties, but not without pain and risk of dying. Jameson planned to slowly restore his youth and that of his wife so they could have the life they missed while he was in the service, but when the opportunity to take the field again comes up, Jameson jumps at the chance and takes the full amount of both doses, which is too much for his body to handle.
• Gone Horribly Right : The de-aging serum that Jameson takes succeeds in reverting him back to the age he wants...and then continues reverse-aging him until it reverts him back to a much younger man that Karnas doesn't recognize.
• Hoist by His Own Petard : Jameson after OD'ing on the youth drug.
• Home by Christmas : Jameson believed that the war would only last a year rather than four decades.
• Immortality Seeker : Fatally Deconstructed for Jameson.
• Insane Admiral : Jameson is the first (but certainly not last) to appear on TNG. While one could perhaps chalk down his decision to give weapons to both Karnas and his rivals as a poor decision made in a difficult situation (something that Picard doesn't even condemn him for), his belief that he needs to turn himself back into a young man for this mission to succeed (and doing so by OD'ing on a dangerous drug) is definitely some Grade-A insanity.
• It's All My Fault : Despite his Insane Admiral tendencies, Jameson admits that the civil war on Mordan was largely his fault.
• Karma Houdini : Karnas doesn't appear to face any consequences for helping to cause a civil war, taking the Federation ambassador and his staff hostage and then threatening to torture them to death, luring Jameson to the planet with the express intention of killing him, and only holding off on actually going through with it because it would be a Mercy Kill next to what the drug was doing to him. (Being a planetary head of state probably protects him from prosecution.) The only thing that happens is Picard briefly admonishing him for his role in causing the war, and even then Karnas blows it off.
• The Main Characters Do Everything : As usual, the assault team (save for Admiral Jameson) consists entirely of main characters, including The Captain himself, rather than a team of specialized Space Marines .
• Perilous Old Fool : Admiral Jameson, feeble and wheelchair-bound, nevertheless is eager for the chance to command a mission again. He tries to avoid the perils of being old in the military by taking a Fountain of Youth drug, and instead falls victim to the drug's side-effects.
• Ripped from the Headlines : The "arms for hostages" element was inspired by the Iran-Contra scandal.
• Two of Your Earth Minutes : Karnas claims that the terrorists have given Jameson six Earth days to respond.
• Wall of Weapons : Behind Karnas's desk. Karnas goes to shoot Jameson with one ( provided by Jameson years before ), but changes his mind.
• What the Hell, Hero? : 45 years earlier, Jameson gave in to Karnas and supplied him with weapons in exchange for the passengers of a starliner he had captured. Jameson then turned around and armed Karnas's enemies with the same weapons in an attempt to restore the Balance of Power , plunging Mordan IV into decades of civil war. This element could be seen as a Deconstruction of Kirk's actions in the TOS episode "A Private Little War" .
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S1E14 "11001001"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S1E16 "When the Bough Breaks"

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Too Short a Season

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10 comments:

I haven't seen this episode in a long time, but I remember thinking at the time that the best thing about it was Marsha Hunt, who played Ann Jameson. Her career goes back to the 1930s, and, unfortunately, she was a victim of the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s. As far as I know, she's still alive.

Oh yes. I recall this episode from waybackwhen, and I had the same reaction to Marsha Hunt. She exuded wisdom and composition.

Yes, this one was a disappointment. The two plotlines really didn't belong together as you said, Doc, and I disliked Jameson so much that I honestly didn't care what happened to him. Bad make-up, too. That said, I'm still enjoying revisiting the (okay, not that great) first season of one of my absolute favorite shows. It's been so long since I watched it. And I'm enjoying the reviews very much. And anticipating the good stuff coming down the pike soon.

You might know the actor playing Karnak best as the Klingon who goaded Scotty into throwing the first punch on K-7 in The Trouble With Tribbles.

One thing I liked about this episode is the empathy on display from Karnas, at the end. I like it when empathy makes it to tv. He wanted revenge, but saw a man in pain, and seemed to feel compassion and to relent in his anger. That's a good thing to model, even though of course for the rest he was a pretty terrible person. It's also a nice (if perhaps undeserved?) arc for Karnas, given that all of this started in a plot for revenge for the death of his father. The youth and revenge plots were somewhat separate. But I still liked the reflection on age. It's a great topic. It seems to me that even if our bodies get younger, we cannot reverse in time. Jameson could not change the past and he was still bound by it.

I have to disagree with you Frank. Karnas didn't kill him because he saw that Jameson's bad decisions were killing him. Why kill a man quick when you are watching him painfully die? It did seem like he felt sort of bad at the very end, but again in the end Karnas kind of got what he wanted. I remembered this episode slightly, so looking at it again made it almost new to me. I didn't love it nor did I hate it. I didn't understand why Picard didn't go over Jameson's head. This man did not know know how to make good decisions. He was like a failed Kirk in a way. Kirk at least had better instincts, and had enough intellect to understand his shortcomings and turn them into strengths. I agree the best part of this episode was his wife. Marsha Hunt is still alive at the age of 104.

Marsha Hunt as Ann Jameson was a highlight for me as well. She is now lost to us, as she died at 104, which is impressive to be sure. She outlasted many of those that blacklisted her. I also don't like admiral Jameson much at all. He didn't deserve Ann, that's for sure! I admit that I didn't like Picard much at first, as Kirk was my star fleet standard from my childhood, but by this time I grew to appreciate his style and morals. He's more of what we would want from a starship captain.

Morella, I fell in love with Picard the day I saw Patrick Stewart at StarCon Denver. I'd been lukewarm about him in that first season, but his real life presence and charisma in front of a couple of thousand people blew me away and I started seeing him differently.

His voice too. He narrates the Xmas expansion for the mishandled PvZ: Battle for Neighborville, the mostly reviled 3rd PvZ shooter, his voice over is the best part of that ill-fated game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KJcs1AxANY

Patrick Stewart's voice is indeed amazing. My cousin got to see his Christmas Carol on Broadway and had much the same reaction that I did -- she suddenly became a huge fan of his.

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Published Nov 12, 2022

A Guide to Star Trek’s Bad Admirals

Vice Admiral Buenamigo joins the ranks among the ‘Badmirals’ club.

StarTrek.com / Rob DeHart

Welcome back to The Lower Decks Connection , where we curate a watchlist of legacy Star Trek for you based around the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks !

In the Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 finale, “The Stars at Night,” Captain Freeman tells Admiral Buenamigo, “You are not one of those bad-faith admirals that’s up to no good.”

StarTrek.com

Unfortunately, Les Buenamigo is exactly that; he's no friend to our crew. As he explains to Freeman, “Starfleet is so competitive. Once you’re an admiral, you hit a wall. I’ve been trying for years to make a name for myself. I’m not letting you take it from me, not after everything I did to get us here.” He tells Freeman he had previously set her and the Cerritos up, waiting for the moment to unveil the Aledo and the unmanned Texas -class fleet.

This reveal puts Buenamigo in company with other noteworthy Star Trek Badmirals (Bad Admirals). And when it comes to Starfleet, it's a mighty crowded list. Here's a guide to some exceptional baddies — not just your run-of-the-mill incompetent or cowardly bosses. After all, late 19th Century British historian Lord Acton put it most succinctly, "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Norah Satie - The Next Generation 's " The Drumhead "

Rear Admiral Norah Satie, known for her stringent investigations, is brought out of retirement following the discovery of a spy aboard U.S.S. Enterprise-D and possible sabotage. This led to a witch hunt aboard Captain Picard's ship where Worf gets wrapped up into the McCarthy hearings where a crewman with one-fourth Romulan heritage is targeted for the sabotage .

As the paranoia took hold, Satie turned her attention to the ship's good captain and reads him for filth on trial, hurling accusations and questioning his loyalties to the Federation. Her insidious xenophobic beliefs were exposed when Picard invoked a quote from her father, the noted Starfleet judge Aaron Satie, who strongly advocated in favor of civil liberties. "The Drumhead," with Jean Simmons' chilling performance, demonstrated how paranoia could easily warp into grandiose conspiracy theories that destroy the lives of innocent people with unsubstantiated accusations.

Toddman - Deep Space Nine 's " The Die is Cast "

When a Cardassian-Romulan fleet entered the Gamma Quadrant, Vice Admiral Toddman told Deep Space 9 's Commander Sisko to have the U.S.S. Defiant on red alert. The Cardassian Enabran Tain, retired leader of the Obsidian Order, formed an alliance with the Romulan Tal Shiar in pursuit of destroying the Founders and the entire Dominion. He captured Elim Garak and the Changeling Odo on his vessel, urging his former protégé to extract the Founders' homeworld from Odo.

While Toddman and Starfleet do not want war, they prefer to side with any scenario where the Dominion lose. However, Sisko requested permission to take the Defiant into the Gamma Quadrant in order to rescue Odo and Garak. Toddman denied the request, requiring Sisko to protect Bajor. When Sisko and his crew defied orders and headed to the Gamma Quadrant, security chief Eddington tampered with the Defiant 's cloak device, on direct orders from Toddman, leaving them all to be exposed to the Jem'Hadar. The Dominion manage to wipe out the entire Cardassian-Romulan fleet.

Erik Pressman - The Next Generation 's " The Pegasus "

Rear Admiral Erik Pressman of Starfleet Intelligence was tasked with retrieving his old starship, the Pegasus , where previously Will Riker began his Starfleet career, when it was discovered that the Romulan High Command had taken an interest in the derelict ship. Starfleet has deemed the mission a high priority as there was an experimental device aboard it, and they cannot allow the Romulans to seize it. The experiment was a controversial cloaking technology that allowed for a ship to fly invisibly through solid matter, causing a mutiny among the crew once they learned the true nature of their experiment; the Treaty of Algernon had long prohibited the Federation from developing their own cloaking device. At the time, the young Ensign Riker supported his commanding officer, which resulted in the tragic deaths of the crew, save for Riker, Pressman, and a handful of the crew, when the Pegasus ended up partially phasing into an asteroid.

While Riker carries guilt for his actions surrounding the Pegasus the first time around, the unrepentant admiral believed his experiment is "for the good of the Federation." Pressman claimed to have the backing of many officials high within the ranks of Intelligence, Security, and at Command, and this time around, no can stand in his way.  And if Riker and Picard cannot follow the chain of command, they will be relieved. Additional experimental fatalities be damned.

Alexander Marcus - Star Trek Into Darkness

A mentor to the likes of Christopher Pike and James T. Kirk, Admiral Alexander was dedicated to the Federation. So much so, that following the destruction of Vulcan in Star Trek (2009), the head of Starfleet Command forced the genetically-enhanced Khan Noonien Singh, after releasing him from his cryogenic state, to aid in his secret attempts in inciting a war against the Klingon Empire. He believed this approach of militarizing Starfleet would defend the rest of the Federation.

However, the release of Khan caused the Augment brought undo harm towards the Federation unfortunately killing Pike, as he turned on Marcus, his tormenter. In an extreme act of desperation, Marcus attempted to destroy the Enterprise in order to cover up his crimes, even jeopardizing his own daughter's life as Dr. Carol Marcus served aboard the starship.

Leyton - Deep Space Nine 's " Homefront " & " Paradise Lost "

Benjamin Sisko's relationship to Leyton is reminiscent of Riker's with Pressman; he served as first officer under Leyton on the U.S.S. Okinawa . In the two-parter "Homefront" and "Paradise Lost," Leyton demonstrates the prescient fear and paranoia surrounding terrorism and how those in power enact the draconian security measures at the cost of civil liberties. (For those familiar with U.S. government, this should hit close to home with events during the past one to two decades.)

When he was unable to convince the Federation President that the Changeling Founders were "infiltrating" Starfleet and the Federation government itself, Leyton faked evidence of a Dominion invasion and tried to enact a military coup that would install him as leader of a policed state. When Sisko discovered Leyton's treasonous plan, his former captain detained him as an enemy infiltrator, then tried to destroy Sisko's Defiant ship.

Mark Jameson - The Next Generation 's " Too Short A Season "

Admiral Mark Jameson was a lauded officer who commanded the U.S.S. Gettysburg. In his old age, he suffered from the incurable Iverson's Disease, which left him wheelchair-bound. Despite this, he was requested by the Mordan IV governor Karnas to help negotiate a new peace treaty. While the planet had ended their civil war years prior, current terrorists have captured a Federation Ambassador and his staff on their planet. The governor specifically requested Jameson as he was the Starfleet officer who negotiated the release of hostages from Mordan decades prior.

Captain Picard and the Enterprise was tasked with transporting Jameson to Mordan. Ahead of the negotiations, the admiral secretly started an age-reversing drug trial. However, he took a dosage of the unstable agent that was enough for two individuals. They soon all learn the hostage situation was a ploy to lure Jameson back to Mordan by Karnas. Turning to Picard, Jameson revealed that his career-lauding hostage negotiation was a farce. It was only "successful" as he was supplying both sides, Karnas and his rivals, with weapons, which led to the planet's 40-year war, as well as being a clear violation of the Prime Directive. There are no terrorists on the planet; Karnas himself is holding the hostages and intends for Jameson to pay dearly for the death and destruction he wrought on Mordan. Now visibly and physically decades younger, the brash Jameson demanded an armed rescue mission believing he could still balance the scales. His pomp and hubris ultimately led to his eventual death as his body shut down from the drug and reverse aging.

Dougherty - Star Trek IX: Insurrection

Another badmiral who was a straight up criminal — Vice Admiral Dougherty. Perhaps the reason so many admirals become warmongers is due the fact that once they rise the ranks and leave command of their own starship, they get bored. He not only aligned with the nomadic Son'a, who had been allies with the Dominion, but used his authority to exploit a loophole in the Prime Directive to align with the exiled offshoot of the Ba'ku. Dougherty and the Son'a tried to forcibly remove the entire peaceful Ba'ku population (robbing them of prolonged life) in order to harvest the metaphasic particles found in the rings of the Ba'ku planet, which would render the planet uninhabitable.

While the Son'a coveted the particles' rejuvenating properties and eternal youth, Dougherty sought to exploit and profit from the natural resource. When Picard and the Enterprise-E discovered the true nature of the admiral and Son'a's "research," Dougherty allowed an assault on the Enterprise in order to cover-up their reprehensible crimes that had involved the usage of Federation technology and participation.

Kennelly - The Next Generation 's " Ensign Ro "

The Enterprise-D crew on The Next Generation truly had more than their share of badmirals. Unlike the previous Jameson who was a younger officer when he fueled a civil war by providing weapons to both sides, in "Ensign Ro," Vice Admiral Kennelly was revealed to be a secret collaborator with the Cardassians, while directly selling the Bajoran terrorists weapons by way of a disgraced Bajoran ensign. This covert alliance allowed both parties to eliminate a terrorist cell led by the Bajoran Orta, whom Kennelly himself believed attacked a Federation colony on Solarion IV.

Picard soon discovered the conspiracy the Enterprise was roped into once Ro confided in him that she was ordered to violate the Prime Directive by making a deal with Orta and his terrorist cell. As long as they stopped their assault on the Federation, he will supply them with their much-needed weapons and vessels. However, Kennelly was manipulated by the Cardassians all along. They were the ones who framed the Bajoran for the terrorist attack on the Federation colony, and needed his participation in order to eliminate the Orta's cell, while deceiving the Federation to side with the Cardassians.

Cartwright - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

The distinct honor of the baddest of badmirals would go to Fleet Admiral Cartwright, while overseeing the emergency operations and security of Earth, spearheaded a conspiracy that would undermine the Federation's peace talk with the Klingon Empire and condemn them to eternal war.

The lengths Cartwright went through involved conspiring with the Romulans, the killing of the Klingon High Chancellor, the framing of Kirk and Dr. McCoy and their imprisonment on the penal colony of Rura Penthe, as well as the assassination attempt on the Federation President. His extreme desperation to neutralize the Klingon Empire and continue hostilities saw him conspiring with the very enemy he wished to destroy by way of the Empire's hawkish members. Cartwright presented audiences with the depiction of the path Kirk himself could follow due to his own prejudices and objections towards the Federation's alliance with the Klingon Empire.

Who else belongs on the Star Trek 's Badmirals list? Sound off and let us know on social!

Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

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Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes where no Trek has gone before by saying religion is... OK, actually

‘Whistlespeak’ breaks from Trek tradition to be pretty chill about believing in a higher power

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Star Trek’s future is a secular one. Franchise creator Gene Roddenberry was an avowed atheist , and the series and its spin-offs have routinely criticized organized religion as manipulative, illogical, and detrimental to the evolution of a society. Individual members of the human race may have an undefined spirituality, a curiosity about the afterlife, or a sense of wonder at the unknown or unknowable, but specific religious beliefs are typically reserved for alien cultures.

But, if Trek’s fervently pro-science and anti-superstition has remained constant, so have the attempts by different storytellers within the franchise to approach religion from other, more tolerant angles. And the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery , “Whistlespeak,” may present Trek ’s most even-handed take on faith to date.

Religion as childhood fantasy

Somewhat restrained by the standards and practices of 1960s television, Star Trek: The Original Series used sci-fi allegories to criticize religion as an institution that stifled advancement and expression. In two episodes (“The Return of the Archons” and “The Apple”), Captain James T. Kirk and his Enterprise crew encountered a planet where a population was cowed into willful ignorance or repression by a deity that turned out to be a computer, which Kirk summarily destroyed.

In the 1980s, however, Star Trek’s writers were free to take the gloves off and criticize religion directly. In the 1989 Next Generation episode “Who Watches the Watchers,” Captain Jean-Luc Picard is mistaken for a god by a Bronze Age civilization for whom religion is already a thing of the past. Picard is mortified to be the catalyst for what he, in no uncertain terms, views as a societal regression, and steps in to reveal the truth to his new worshippers, even at the risk of his own life.

The position of “Who Watches the Watchers,” and of Star Trek at large, is that people turn to the supernatural when there are questions they can’t answer, but that the answers will always come, eventually. The willingness to pursue those answers and the patience to avoid drawing rash conclusions is a sign of maturity. By contrast, inventing digestible but unsupportable explanations for life’s mysteries is a sign of immaturity , a phase to be grown out of.

Other people’s gods

After Gene Roddenberry’s death in 1991, there was a gradual shift in the way Star Trek stories approached religion. The human species had still exited the evolutionary stage at which religion was practiced, but many of their peers in the galactic community — such as the Klingons and the Bajorans — held strong religious beliefs. And these beliefs began to be explored in much greater detail.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the human members of the command crew go to great lengths to not only respect but participate in the Klingon rituals of their comrade, Lt. Commander Worf. Ahead of Worf’s marriage to Jadzia Dax, his colleagues Captain Sisko, Chief O’Brien, and Dr. Bashir join him for four days of fasting and physical exhaustion (though not without complaint). When Jadzia is murdered and Worf fears her death has not earned her a place in the Klingon Valhalla of Sto-Vo-Kor, Bashir and O’Brien follow Worf on a potential suicide mission to win glory in her honor. Worf’s friends are content to take Klingon religion at face value, and the existence of Sto-Vo-Kor is never questioned.

During this era of Star Trek, alien religious beliefs were not merely tolerated, but validated. This is an important wrinkle in the case of the Bajoran religion on Deep Space Nine , whose worshiped Prophets are undeniably real: a species of non-corporeal beings who live outside of time and periodically intervene in the development of the nearby planet Bajor. Whether or not the Prophets have done the things the Bajorans worship them for is not up for debate, only whether or not they should be treated with religious reverence. Through DS9 ’s exploration of Bajoran politics, religious power is as dangerous as the person wielding desires it to be — not inherently malevolent or infantilizing towards its people. But, of course, since the existence of the Bajoran gods can be scientifically proven, their value as an analog to real-life religion is limited.

Discovery’s middle way

The streaming era of Star Trek under executive producer Alex Kurtzman, which began in 2017, has seen some new, minor references to religious practices in human society. For example, an unnamed background character serving aboard the USS Cerritos on Star Trek: Lower Decks can be seen wearing a hijab, indicating that some semblance of Islamic tradition is still observed in the 24th century. Not long after we meet Captain Christopher Pike during the second season of Star Trek: Discovery , we learn that his father taught both science and comparative religion.

But “Whistlespeak,” which comes midway through Discovery ’s fifth and final season, returns fully to the Original Series’ territory of a classic “weird alien religion” episode, and with a much more multi-faceted approach. Captain Burnham and her crew visit the planet Halem’no. which is nigh-uninhabitable except within the radius of a tower-like device that was secretly installed by a Federation scientist centuries earlier. The planet’s surviving inhabitants are a peaceful and friendly pre-warp civilization who believe that the towers are temples built by their gods.

Disguised as locals, Burnham and her friend and shipmate Lt. Sylvia Tilly join the faithful Halem’nites for a ceremonial marathon up to the towers as tribute to their divine saviors. It’s a joyful ritual that brings the entire community together, but there’s a shocking twist the Starfleet visitors only learn after the race is finished. Tilly and the marathon’s other winner, a Halem’nite named Ravah, are locked inside the tower, where they will eventually asphyxiate; a sacred sacrifice to keep the planet’s terrible storms at bay.

Though Starfleet officers are forbidden to interfere in the development of pre-warp civilizations, Burnham isn’t about to let Tilly (or Ravah) die to satisfy some arcane ritual. However, rather than tearing the whole society down like Kirk might have done, Burnham appeals directly to the community’s leader — Ravah’s father, Ohvahz — and implores him to stop the sacrifices, explaining the tower will do its work whether or not his child gives their life. Ohvahz is, naturally, open to the idea of not killing his child, but fears that revealing that their temple is actually an alien artifact will shatter his community and lead to violent conflict. What is their civilization without their faith and traditions?

“Better off,” is how Picard would probably answer. But Burnham’s response is more measured.

“There is still what you believe. Nothing we’ve shown you means gods don’t exist… it’s just that you know that there’s also us… Beliefs can evolve. Denying that can cause almost as much chaos as the worst storm.”

It’s probably no accident that Ravah, the teenager who’s supposed to be sacrificed in this episode, is gender non-binary, a trait which is not controversial for the Halem’nites but is condemned by many conservative religious groups here on present-day Earth. There’s also a parallel to the climate crisis, as the Halem’nites will need to learn to maintain the alien weather tower in order to keep their world safe. Would Christianity collapse if their leaders recognized that some of their flock don’t fit into the gender identities described in their holy texts, or that human intervention is required to undo human-made damage to the Earth? Probably not, and their inflexibility is only doing harm to their community. It’s not necessary to hold onto harmful policies or practices, nor is it necessary to throw out an entire system of beliefs because of new, contradictory, or unanticipated information.

Meanwhile, aboard Discovery, Dr. Hugh Culber has been trying to make sense of his own spiritual awakening, a feeling of connection to a higher power that has lingered with him since an out-of-body experience on a recent away mission. As a scientist, Culber’s first instinct is to investigate, understand, and catalog this sensation, but the explanation eludes him. He seeks the advice of his friend Cleveland Booker, a non-human with his own spiritual life, who essentially asks him, “Why do you need to understand it?” With this guidance, Culber decides that the value of his new spirituality is in how it feels, not where it comes from.

The approach to religion in “Whistlespeak” does not broadly condemn religion like The Original Series or The Next Generation , or rationalize and tolerate faith as a quirk of the other, like Deep Space Nine . Instead, “Whistlespeak” questions why a philosophy that is rooted in the unknowable should be attached to absolutes. Spirituality is what you make of it, whether that’s on an individual or community level. Religion can do harm, but it doesn’t have to, so long as its leaders and its believers are willing to embrace uncertainty. In this way, at least, science and religion can find some common ground.

Star Trek: Discovery is cracking open a box Next Gen closed on purpose

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Mark Jameson

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Mark Jameson was a career Starfleet officer in the 24th century . He joined Starfleet around the turn of the century, and he married his wife Anne in 2314 .

By 2319 , he had reached the rank of commander , and was sent to negotiate the release of hostages from Mordan IV . Officially, he successfully negotiated their release. However, in truth he supplied weapons to Karnas , the hostage-taker, in return for their release, and falsified the official records. This was a violation of the Prime Directive , so Jameson made an attempt to even things up by also supplying weapons to Karnas' rivals, thus causing forty years of civil war , although he claimed that he had assumed that the resulting conflict would only be a minor one that would last less than a year before it ended.

Jameson progressed through the Starfleet ranks , eventually becoming an admiral . His final command was the USS Gettysburg . He then contracted the incurable Iverson's Disease , and by 2360 was confined to a wheelchair . Unknown to anyone else, however, he had obtained two doses of an age-reversing agent from Cerberus II in exchange for a successful treaty negotiation. He began to slowly administer the medicine to himself. By 2364 he was living with his wife on Persephone V .

When Karnas reported a hostage situation on Mordan IV in 2364, he took both doses and embarked on the USS Enterprise -D to negotiate for their release, at Karnas' request, in an attempt to vindicate himself. The medicine caused him to rapidly get younger, but was also highly unstable, his unstable health prompting him to admit the truth to Picard, who acknowledged Jameson's responsibility for the current state of affairs while also noting that Karnas and others could have chosen to work for peace rather than simply continuing to fight.

After learning that the hostages had actually been taken by Karnas in an attempt to lure him to Mordan IV, he mounted an armed rescue attempt. This failed, and by the time he met Karnas face to face, he was dying from the effects of the drug. Karnas, on seeing Jameson die in front of him and on hearing of his attempts to atone for his earlier deeds, was satisfied and released the hostages. Jameson was buried on Mordan IV, at the request of his wife, and with Karnas' permission. ( TNG : " Too Short A Season ")

• 1.1 Background information
• 1.2 Apocrypha
• 1.3 External links

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Mark Jameson was played by Clayton Rohner .

In the first draft script of "Too Short A Season", Jameson's first name was "Paul". [1] He was renamed "Mark" by the time the revised final draft of the script was issued. [2]

In a scene that was included in the revised final draft script of "Too Short A Season" but not in the episode's final edit, Jameson was mentioned to have been the commanding officer of the USS Falcon and the USS Pegasus , in addition to serving as an admiral. [3]

Mark Jameson was the second admiral to appear in Star Trek: The Next Generation , the first being Admiral Leonard McCoy . Jameson was also the first to wear the admiral's uniform seen throughout the rest of the first season of TNG . Though his rank insignia would seem to be below Savar and Aaron , all three are only ever referenced as "admiral".

He is also one of four characters to refer to Commander William T. Riker as " Number one " (the other three being Dr. Beverly Crusher , Sarek , and, of course, Captain Jean-Luc Picard ).

Apocrypha [ ]

Jameson appeared in his capacity as captain of the Gettysburg in the Star Trek: Terok Nor novel Day of the Vipers .

External links [ ]

• Mark Jameson at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Mark Jameson at StarTrek.com
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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

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• Trivia Almost everyone in the cast became life-long friends. At LeVar Burton 's 1992 wedding, Brent Spiner served as best man, and Sir Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , and Michael Dorn all served as ushers. Man of the People (1992) (#6.3) aired on that day.
• Goofs It is claimed that Data can't use contractions (Can't, Isn't, Don't, etc) yet there are several instances throughout the series where he does. One of the first such examples is heard in Encounter at Farpoint (1987) , where Data uses the word "Can't" while the Enterprise is being chased by Q's "ship".

[repeated line]

Capt. Picard : Engage!

• Crazy credits The model of the Enterprise used in the opening credits is so detailed, a tiny figure can be seen walking past a window just before the vessel jumps to warp speed.
• Alternate versions The first and last episodes were originally broadcast as two-hour TV movies, and were later re-edited into two one-hour episodes each. Both edits involved removing some scenes from each episode.
• Connections Edited into Reading Rainbow: The Bionic Bunny Show (1988)

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How Caitlin Clark is inspiring Indiana's next generation of girls basketball stars

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark's impact on high school girls basketball is being felt across the state. And while it's not necessarily a new phenomenon — she's been a source of inspiration for many athletes throughout her career — there's no doubt Clark's status as a member of the Indiana Fever will only further her impact. 

As the former Iowa Hawkeye prepares for her WNBA rookie season, IndyStar spoke with some current high school players, coaches and trainers about Clark's influence and the impact she's had on their careers, as well as the role she and her predecessors have had in growing the game.

Insider: Final shot aside, Caitlin Clark showed how much of a game-changer she can be

'Absolutely incredible': How Caitlin Clark is already reinvigorating Indiana Fever fans.

'She makes basketball fun to watch'

Addi Baxter watches Caitlin Clark clips before every game.

Every single game.

It's become a superstitious ritual for the Junior All-Star from Columbia City, who's been admiring the superstar since her mom told her about an Iowa freshman who scored 35 points in back-to-back games. 

"I study her," said Baxter, a Butler commit. "If I have an off-game, I'll watch her (afterwards, too) and see what things she does well that help her create for not only herself, but for her teammates."

Asked what stands out when she watches Clark, Baxter pointed to her passing prowess and how she handles pressure. "She plays against the best of the best defenders every single game, and she keeps her head, keeps calm. She doesn't try to do too much."

During her recruitment, IU commit Maya Makalusky studied standout players within various conferences, examining how they played and the systems they ran, and noting any similarities to her game. 

A career 41% 3-point shooter with over 1,300 points to her name, the 6-4 Hamilton Southeastern junior was drawn to Clark almost immediately.

"She's really good off drag screens and shoots the 3 really well — freakishly well — so after watching her and seeing the things she was already achieving by her sophomore year, I was like, I have to keep following her,” Makalusky said. 

"(Clark) makes basketball fun to watch," she continued, "not only because of her 3-point shooting and the 40 points per game, but the way she acts on the court, her IQ, the confidence she has and the way she can make any player around her better."

That confidence and ability to raise the level of her teammates is a source of inspiration for Eastern Hancock freshman Kenzie Koch, who will be stepping into a more prominent leadership role with the regional champion Royals next season. 

For her part, Koch admires Clark's ability to make plays with just a ball screen at the top, be it a shot, pass down to the big or a kick out to the corner. "I need to get better at creating plays, so I'm trying to mimic the way (Clark) can move the ball with so much confidence," Koch said.

Alonna Divine — who has been following Clark on the AAU circuit since "before she was Caitlin Clark" — draws inspiration from the intangible byproducts of Clark's confidence and determination. 

"She never really breaks character," the Ben Davis sophomore said. "It hasn't been easy (for me to reach that point). It's definitely something that happens over time, but with the right support system and mindset, you can achieve it."

'The impact she's had … it's a huge change'

Natalie Morse once told her dad she wanted to play for the IU men's team when she grew up. "That's all we saw, you know? And if I played, it was usually with boys in the driveway," said Morse, now program director for Indiana Girls Basketball (IGB). "There were very few girls who wanted to do it." 

There were rising stars involved at the college level like Diana Taurasi, who dominated at UConn in the early 2000s, Morse later added, but limited television exposure and media coverage made it difficult to see her. "You didn't get to picture yourself in that place very often."

That's why Clark's meteoric rise has been so important. She's captured the nation's attention and has helped make women's basketball more accessible to the masses at a time when the sport's starpower is at an all-time high. There's seldom a training session when a girl isn't wearing a Clark (or Paige Bueckers) shirt, Morse said. They may not be imitating her moves, but they're inspired by the way she plays.

Clark gives youngsters something to aspire toward; a reason to dream big.

"The impact she has had on not just women's basketball, but basketball period — it's a huge change," said Lapel sophomore Laniah Wills, a 6-0 wing with Division I aspirations herself. "Little girls seeing her everywhere, it's encouraging them to play basketball and be just like her."

It's too early to fully quantify the Clark effect on the growth of girls basketball, but anecdotal indications are beginning to emerge.

Morse said they struggled to have more than 3-4 middle school girls at training sessions during the "offseason" (January to March). But there was a significant uptick earlier this year, with more and more parents reaching out about having their daughters try basketball. The program currently has upwards of 500-550 girls per year through their program, be it a summer camp or training.

"That's all we want is for them to try it, even if they don't stick with it," said Fishers coach Lauren Votaw, whose mom and aunts were among "the pioneers" for school-based girls sports. "It gives them something to look forward to, something to be excited about. It's a good thing we're at this place right now with women's sports."

'It's so uplifting and has me excited for the future'

Former Zionsville star Maddie Nolan — who played against Clark for four seasons at Michigan and this past season at Colorado — recalled a recent conversation with her mom during an upcoming episode of IndyStar's podcast The Scorers Table .

Kris (Veatch) played at New Mexico State in the 1980s and was excited to get a pair of socks and a practice uniform, Nolan said. "Now we're in the age of NIL and Caitlin recently signed a multi-million dollar shoe deal with Nike . People like my mom and (other past players) have really paved the way for us."

Clark may be the face of the ongoing women's basketball revolution, but the high schoolers interviewed for this story were all quick to credit past players and included other current stars among their favorites.

Divine's entry to Clark was actually through UConn's Paige Bueckers. The Ben Davis standout followed her closely during high school, and discovered Clark when their AAU teams went head-to-head. Needless to say, she was an instant fan. "They were girls I looked up to, so I would watch their games before my games and try to do things I saw them do," Divine said.

Nolan has watched as Zionsville youngsters' interest in women's basketball has expanded beyond her and fellow alums Rachel McLimore (IUPUI/Butler) and Delaney Richason (Vermont), because they're watching more games and following teams like defending national champion South Carolina.

At Fishers, Votaw said boys were talking with her about the women's basketball tournament, while at Columbia City, Baxter cited a significant uptick in student attendance for their games, something that's been lacking over the past few seasons.

Pike freshman Korinne Nickolson — whose dad renewed his Fever season tickets by happenstance three days before the WNBA draft lottery — felt the excitement among her friends and other students for both college hoops and their school team, with her teachers expressing excitement about learning more about the game. 

"It's amazing and it's the best feeling possible, because they're opening doors for players like me and players around the world, showing us that we can do the same thing," Makalusky said. "It's been motivating and proves people do care about women's sports and women's athletes. It's so uplifting and has me excited for the future."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at  @Brian_Haenchen .

Blu Del Barrio Had An Ironic Reaction To Their Final Star Trek: Discovery Scene

"Star Trek: Discovery" is in the midst of its last official mission, as the Paramount+ series is set to sign off at the end of May after five seasons. The first "Star Trek" series of the streaming era has seen its share of highs and lows over the years, but the casting of Blu del Barrio, the first openly non-binary actor in the "Trek" universe, is undoubtedly a high point. The actor spoke to Comic Book Resources ahead of the show's ending, sharing takeaways from the experience and revealing that their last day on set was emotional — just not in the way you might expect.

"I could not stop laughing," del Barrio revealed when asked about how it felt to give these characters their "final send-off" in a portion of the "Discovery" finale that was filmed after the rest of the episode. "Everybody was crying, but I couldn't stop laughing," they reiterated. The actor compared their incongruous giggles to someone reacting oddly at a funeral. "I like, I went into it like when you cry at a funeral, I don't know what it was," they explained. "The direction was 'Cry. You can cry. You can be sad.'"

Discovery filmed an ending that called for its actors to cry

Though fans haven't seen the sequence in question yet, it's one that Comic Book Resources described as a "coda," and it was apparently filmed after principal photography wrapped. Director Jonathan Frakes previously told Variety that the show's planned two-part finale was suddenly turned into just one episode, leading to the need for additional footage "to actually make the finale the finale." Executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi apparently finished the episode. Whatever happened behind the scenes, it resulted in a quick added shoot that called for the actor to cry, and as del Barrio told CBR with a laugh, they just "couldn't stop laughing."

It's tough to predict just how "Star Trek: Discovery" will end, given that only two "Trek" shows from the modern era have reached their conclusions so far. "Star Trek: Short Treks" seems to have fizzled out after season 2, but given its standalone nature, the show didn't have to offer up a grand finale (it also doesn't seem completely gone, as Paramount released "Star Trek: Very Short Treks" in 2023). "Star Trek: Picard," on the other hand, ended with a sentimental conclusion that satisfied fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," reuniting its cast in a meaningful way and signing off with style. Given the apparent compression of the "Star Trek: Discovery" finale, we have no idea what it might look like — but as with all things "Discovery," we trust it to be interesting and offbeat.

del Barrio is proud of being part of Trek history

All laughter aside, del Barrio got serious with CBR to relay the pride they feel at having brought one of TV's few romantic relationships between transgender characters to life. Their character, Adira Tal, ended up in a relationship with Gray, a trans character played by Ian Alexander . "I'm most proud of being able to portray a really wonderful and beautiful trans relationship," del Barrio said, adding, "There is very little stuff out with one trans character and we got two. I got to make something really beautiful with Ian that I'm very proud of, and I also now have a lifelong friend." It's true that trans couples are rare on screen: while Netflix's "Sex Education" recently broke down barriers by featuring a love scene between two trans partners, depictions of relationships like these are few and far between.

It makes sense that such a relationship would flourish in the diverse world of "Star Trek," a franchise that has spotlighted many different types of love over its half-century-plus existence. "Star Trek: Discovery" will always have a special place in "Trek" history, thanks in part to the way it's embraced queer characters in a franchise that has always had queer fans — even when their stories weren't portrayed on screen. "Being able to show a queer trans relationship in that way, in this universe so many years into the future [in] all its intricacy, I think is great, and I'm very proud of that," del Barrio told CBR.

Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery" is currently streaming new episodes on Paramount+ each Thursday.

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Jonathan frakes reveals how roddenberry described riker & how “nervous” he was in tng season 1.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast & Character Guide

Q’s son has an awesome new role in the star trek universe, jensen ackles' new tv show is a great supernatural replacement while waiting for a revival.

• Gene Roddenberry described Commander Riker as loyal, honest, and patient, which made Jonathan Frakes proud for 37 years.
• Frakes felt nervous during Star Trek: TNG season 1 but says the cast felt looser in episodes with strong villains.
• Star Trek: Resurgence incorporates many TNG elements, and Frakes voices Captain Riker in the game.

Jonathan Frakes reveals how Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry described the character of Commander William T. Riker and how "nervous" he was during production of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1. For 37 years, Frakes has portrayed Riker, who appeared in Star Trek: TNG , four TNG movies, and Star Trek: Picard , as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager , and Star Trek: Enterprise . Frakes played Captain Riker in Star Trek: Picard, and Jonathan also voices Captain Riker in the video game Star Trek: Resurgence .

In an interview with Star Trek: Resurgence 's lead writer Dan Martin about Captain Riker's role in the game, Jonathan Frakes discusses how Gene Roddenberry saw Riker as a "loyal, honest, reliable, patient, and with 'derring-do'" . Frakes also spoke about how proud he is to be associated with Riker for nearly four decades. Read Frakes' quote and watch the video of the interview below:

The character of Riker, as Gene Roddenberry created him, was a man who had what… Gene used this phrase, he said, ‘He has derring-do, he’s incredibly loyal, he’s honest, and he’s reliable, and he’s patient.’ What great qualities to aspire to, not only as Riker, but as a dad, and a husband, and a friend. And it’s been a privilege to be associated with this guy for the last 37 years.

Jonathan Frakes also marveled at how Star Trek: Resurgence pulled story and alien villains from the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 episode, "The Last Outpost." When Dan Martin asked if Frakes thought of that episode as a turning point for Riker, Jonathan spoke about what it was like for the TNG cast filming season 1:

I wish I could say I did. I think I was so nervous during season one. When we go back and watch clips of these original shows, you can just see we’re not really quite sure how we’re supposed to behave because we hadn’t found the characters yet. And whenever we went to Planet Hell, which is what we called Stage 16, and we had a strong villain, we were a little bit looser.

Star Trek: The Next Generation has one of the most beloved cast of characters in all of science fiction. Here are the major characters of the classic.

What Is Jonathan Frakes' Future As Captain Riker In Star Trek?

Fans can interact with captain riker while playing star trek: resurgence.

Jonathan Frakes' acting comeback in Star Trek: Picard season 3 earned him a Saturn Award for Best Actor in a Television Series , but will Frakes get to play Riker again? Like millions of fans, Frakes is hoping Paramount+ greenlights Star Trek: Legacy, the proposed continuation of Picard season 3, whether as an ongoing TV series or a possible 2-hour Star Trek streaming movie . Further, it's hoped that Star Trek: Legacy would have a role for Riker, and would include Will's long-deserved promotion to Admiral.

Jonathan Frakes said he would like to play the Charlie of Charlie's Angels role in Star Trek: Legacy and give Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and the USS Enterprise-G their orders.

Frakes is one of the most beloved and prolific Star Trek directors, and his presence will continue to be felt behind the camera. Frakes is directing the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, and he is helming a "Hollywood noir" episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3. But video game fans can interact with Captain Riker by playing Star Trek: Resurgence , and encountering the Starfleet hero in the post- Star Trek: The Next Generation timeline.

Star Trek: Resurgence is available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, PS4, PS5, and coming to Steam on May 23, 2024

Source: YouTube

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+

• Jonathan Frakes