star trek next generation inheritance

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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 7, Episode 10

Inheritance, where to watch, star trek: the next generation — season 7, episode 10.

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Cast & crew.

Patrick Stewart

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes

Cmdr. William Riker

LeVar Burton

Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Dr. Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis

Counselor Deanna Troi

Episode Info

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Inheritance

During a mission to save an endangered planet, Data is stunned when he meets a native scientist who claims to be his estranged mother.

Fionnula Flanagan

William Lithgow

Cast appearances.

Patrick Stewart

Jonathan Frakes

LeVar Burton

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Marina Sirtis

Brent Spiner

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Inheritance

Cast & crew.

Fionnula Flanagan

Dr. Juliana Tainer

William Lithgow

Dr. Pran Tainer

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Star Trek: The Next Generation : “Force Of Nature”/“Inheritance”

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“Force Of Nature” (season 7, episode 9; first aired Nov. 13, 1993)

Or The One Where The Enterprise Should Get Its Exhaust Checked

For an episode which takes aim at one of the Trek franchise’s most long-running assumptions, “Force Of Nature” spends an awful lot of time focused on Data’s cat, Spot. First Geordi borrows Spot because he wants to get an idea of what pet ownership is like; then Geordi freaks out because pet ownership is more demanding (and more potentially destructive) than he realized, and tells Data that he has to train his cat. Then Data attempts to train his cat. Then—well, we never find out what happens next, exactly, because by that point the Enterprise is neck deep in crisis mode, trying to rescue a missing ship and deal with some crazy alien scientists. But those first 20 minutes are, basically, driven by the nutty adventures of Data, Geordi and That Darn Cat. It’s a curious narrative choice, to say the least, especially since these adventures have nothing to do with the episode’s main focus: the potentially dangerous effects of warp drive use on the fabric of space-time. That’s a big a deal, and you’d think it would merit the focus of an entire hour.

For what it’s worth, I didn’t hate The Spot Chronicles. It’s a matter of taste (well, more so than usual, I mean), but watching Geordi and Data chat about feline obedience rituals has a certain fascination to it. La Forge is kind of a jerk about it, assuming that simply because he doesn’t know how to handle a cat, the cat has to change. But the rapport between him and his robot buddy—Geordi as slightly condescending as always, Data as patient as ever—has a laid back affability to it that helps it to go down easy. It’s a hang-out subplot, a storyline which exists primarily to let us enjoy the characters and not get overly concerned with plot. This makes for an oddly structured episode, with a comparatively large amount of time given over to a plot with low stakes and no real drama. We find out about the trouble with Spot, we get a discussion or two about the difficulties of training cats (to wit: you can’t), and then we get a joke about how Spot trained Data better than Data will ever train him—a joke which I didn’t realize till just know is intended as the end beat for the plot. It’s all sort of Reader’s Digest -y, but charming enough.

As for the real meat of “Nature,” well, I respect the ambition; I’m just not sure it’s a choice that works for this show, at this point in the run. The Enterprise is working its way through the Hekaras Corridor, a safe path of space through an area filled with tetryon fields. They’re looking for the Fleming , a missing science ship last seen in the corridor. While on the hunt, our heroes come across a Ferengi ship floating seemingly dead in the water (so to speak). The Ferengi are playing possum, to a certain extent; there’s an exchange of fire, the Enterprise comes out victorious, and when Picard contacts the other ship, the DaiMon accuses him and the rest of Starfleet of setting out a trap. The Ferengi came across a Federation buoy, but when they approached it, the buoy sent out a pulse the disabled the engines of their ship. No one knows what’s going on, but the Fleming is still missing, so the search continues, right up until the Enterprise finds a buoy much like the one the Ferengi described. It’s emitting a distress signal, and when the Enterprise responds, their engines are hit, knocking out their shields. Once the shields are down, another ship appears, and two Hekarans beam aboard. They’re from Hekaras Two, the only planet in the corridor with intelligent life, and they set out the buoys as a way to attract attention. They claim that the continued use of warp drive is disrupting the fabric of space, and, if it continues, it will ultimately destroy their home world.

Have we had activists on TNG before? It feels like we must have, but I can’t remember any off the top of my head. Surely none as a strident as Serova, the genius scientist who demands that others immediately agree with everything she says. Her brother, Rabal, is a little less strident, but he can’t do much to keep Serova from alienating anyone she comes in contact with through her stridency and impatience. Serova eventually gives her life to prove her theories correct, and while it’s hard to feel too bad about seeing her go, it is a fairly abrupt way to make a point. “Force Of Nature” does a decent job of empathizing with the Hekarans’ frustration, and it’s interesting to see the Enterprise on a losing end of this sort of conservationist struggle. So much of the series has been about Picard and the rest of the ensemble stressing at every opportunity the importance of non-interference that it’s a change of pace when Picard starts talking about bringing evidence to the Science Council and so forth. Even coming from Picard, who’s so reasonably and adult about these situations, the response seems insufficient to Serova’s demands. As annoying as she is, if she’s right, her entire planet is in danger, and every ship that passes by traveling at warp speed is going to make the situation worse. Anyone who’s paid any attention to governmental attempts to manage environmental dangers (like, say, the climate change “debate”) will see parallels here. Picard has the best of intentions, but even the most genial, conflict-free bureaucracies are very, very slow. If you’ve spent years trying to get someone to pay attention, it must be next to impossible to maintain perspective when you keep getting forced through the same tired steps.

So Serova gets back in her ship and overloads the warp drive in her engine, destroying the ship, killing herself, but demonstrating that excessive warp can create rifts in space. (The problem I have with this is that part of the discussion was the debate over whether or not warp had a cumulative effect. Sure, Serova has shown that a whole lot of warp all at once does significant damage, but all she’s really done is proven that people shouldn’t blow up their space ships.) Quibbles aside, this convinces a shocked, and somewhat guilty, Enterprise crew, but before they can report their findings to the Federation, they have to rescue the Fleming ; and thanks to Serova, the Fleming is now trapped inside a rift. Data comes up with a plan, he and Geordi work out how to implement it, and after a few close calls, the day is saved. Only, there’s still that worrisome possibility that traveling at warp speed can be damaging to the continuity of space-time. The law is handed down: travel through the Hekaras Corridor is restricted to essential personnel only, and from now on, Federation ships can only travel at speeds up to warp five, unless in cases of extreme emergency.

Nothing says fun like restrictive regulation, eh? I respect that TNG was willing to try on an idea this big, and this potentially status-quo shifting. Warp drive has been essential (if understandably magic-seeming) part of Trek lore since the start of the first show, and it’s always been treated as a given, a necessary piece of hand-waving required to justify all this jaunting around the galaxy. To raise the possibility that all of this might have consequences after all is a big deal, and it does fit in well with TNG ’s general approach to storytelling. It’s also impressive the way the episode subtly ties in the potential danger of space travel with Geordi’s need to one-up a fellow engineer. He tells Data there’s no real reason he wants to make sure he’s beating the other guy. It’s just a problem he wants to solve, based on his pride and the fact that problem solving is how he defines himself. It’s the pursuit of scientific advancement without any need. While warp drive is a necessity for space travel, the potential consequences of the episode make you wonder how much of all the development and progress was driven by need, and how much of it came from just wanting to one up the next guy.

That said, I’m not sure the show needed this, especially not this late in the run. If TNG was more interested in serialization, the sudden restriction of warp drive might have had an impact, but given we don’t have that many episodes left to get through, it’s hard to imagine this coming up again. As is, it’s going to have a minimal effect, and while we’ve had plenty of TNG episodes that didn’t linger long after the end credits, something this game-changing (dammit, I was trying to avoid that phrase) seems like it should last longer. But even more importantly than that, I don’t know if I really need a show whose primary focus is on hoping from world to world and having adventures and so forth to suddenly get worried about this kind of consequence. Restrictions can help stories come into shape, but this kind of restriction just seems arbitrary to me, and far too depressing. I want Picard traveling the stars, not checking his exhaust fumes.

Stray observations:

At some point in my notes, I wrote “A little too shticky.” I’m assuming this has to do with the Geordi/Data plot, so watch out for that.
It would be easier to take the Hekarans seriously if I didn’t keep wanting to ask them how difficult it is to feed the mouth on their forehead.
“Geordi, I cannot stun my cat.” Funny line. Also, Geordi claims he was joking, but I really don’t think he was.
Serova announces she’s going to “give them proof.” At some point, every mad scientist in the history of mad science has said this.

“Inheritance” (season 7, episode 10; first aired Nov. 20, 1993)

Or The One Where Data Gets His Cradle Rocked

Maybe what’s going on here is that season seven is when the writers decide to start throwing out every story idea they’ve got left, because it’s season seven so why the hell not. So we’ve had a crazy dream story with Data; we’ve uncovered the lost, dead daughter of Lwaxana Troi; we’ve resolved (sort of) the romantic tension between Picard and Beverly Crusher; and now, we’ve got Data meeting his mother. Only she’s not really his mother, she’s actually an exact robot duplicate of his mother. That’s strange enough, but it’s weirder than that, because no one knows that Mom (aka Dr. Juliana Tainer, played by Fionnula Flanagan, better known to most of us as Eloise Hawking from Lost ) is a robot. And it’s weirder than that, because Mom doesn’t know she’s a robot. Somehow she’s managed to live a normal life, even get married, without anyone stumbling across her secret. All this time, we’ve assumed that Data was the pinnacle of Dr. Soong’s achievements, a mechanical man who needed to develop his own humanity through patience and careful study. Turns out, he came out with a better model before he died. I guess he figured out that emotion chip.

Oh, you can fudge this some. The reason Juliana (who seems shockingly warm and loving, especially if you’re more familiar with her work as Ms. Hawking) is so warm and effusive while Data struggles to grasp the concept of emotion? That’s because Juliana is based on a real person, the actual Juliana who was once married to Dr. Soong. That Juliana died shortly after the crystalline entity attacked (this was when Data was originally dismantled, before the Federation found him), and, to cope with his grief, Soong built a back-up. As Blade Runner has taught us, robots with human memories have an easier time with feelings and empathy and so forth, so you could say that Juliana is such a leap forward from Data largely due to her cheated past. But this raises still more questions, and none of the answers put Soong in a positive light. The challenge with doing an episode like this one, which attempts to fill in a piece of backstory we didn’t realize was missing, is that the writers need to understand the ramifications of what they’re doing, not just for the episode itself but for the series as a whole. “Inheritance,” while compelling in its way, doesn’t seem to realize its own implications, while at the same time hitting a reset button at its conclusion that prevents any of the potential fallout from ever being questioned again.

It’s a bit late in the game now to start coming up with new catchphrases in these reviews, but I feel like there should be a “[blank] of the Week” term for the regular MacGuffin-like crisis that launches the Enterprise into action with each new episode. These crises need to be important enough to merit the attention of Starfleet’s flagship, but they also need to be straightforward enough that they don’t distract too much from the real story. Bonus points if it’s a crisis that can, when necessary, place certain cast members at risk, giving the writers something to punch up the third act. We’ve had a plethora of missing ships; we’ve had planets worried about asteroids, planets in danger of drying out, populations that need a vaccine to prevent the spread of disease. In “Inheritance,” Atrea 4’s molten core is, essentially, drying out, and the Enterprise shows up to help fix the problem, with some assistance from Dr. Tainer and her husband. (That’s a bit of a coincidence, isn’t it? It’s not surprising that Juliana is a brilliant scientist, but geology is a long way from robotics. There’s nothing to stop her from having a different scientific discipline than Soong, but it’s never mentioned, and it seems more to fall under the “If you’re smart in one thing, you know everything” heading that TNG occasionally indulges in. Even then, this might have worked better if Juliana and Data’s meeting had been more a matter of choice than of chance.) The molten core problem takes up part of the episode, with the expected amount of techno-babble, and it indirectly leads to Data finding proof the Juliana is an android, but it’s not the sort of story element you’ll remember afterwards.

That’s probably because the rest of “Inheritance” is loopy. Juliana admits to Data that she’s his mother, telling him that she was married to Soong when he built his androids, and that she didn’t seek him out earlier because she had too much guilt over abandoning him when the entity attacked. Much is made over the growing rapprochement between Data and his newfound mother, but, while it’s sweet to see him getting positive reinforcement from her (everybody needs unconditional love from someone), there’s something odd going on. Partly it’s that Flanagan’s warmth is so excessive that it invites suspicion, and part of it is that Data questions her legitimacy from the start. We’re conditioned by now to trust Data’s judgment (occasional stabbings aside—and even then, it was a stabbing with the victim’s best interest at heart), and the fact that he immediately doubts her word means we doubt her as well. And yet, his doubt is more human than mechanical; it’s the same doubt anyone would have if a stranger arrived claiming to have a right to a piece of your heart. Plus, his initial doubts are unfounded—there was a Juliana, she was married to Soong, and she was around during Data’s “childhood.”

It’s just, as mentioned previously, that Juliana is dead. Watching this episode, I started to suspect that the current Juliana might be a robot somewhere around the 15-minute mark (give or take), but the idea was so ridiculous I did my best to dismiss it. What makes those scenes between Data and Mom pre-reveal so strange is that it seems like there’s going to be another twist coming, but you can’t be sure it’ll happen. So you get stuck, because you aren’t sure if you should be enjoying their interactions, or combing over them for clues. And then when the real answer hits, it’s at once inevitable and a huge reach, because this show doesn’t do impostor robots. It’s had people pretending to be other people, it’s had aliens taking over people’s bodies, but the whole reason Data (and Lore) are so important is that he’s a singularity. He has artificial intelligence, and he looks mostly human. To come up with another robot who can be mistaken—and has been mistaken, many, many times—for a human is, quite frankly, cheating. It doesn’t reduce Data’s value, but it does put a dent in one of the show’s fundamental precepts, in a way that isn’t particularly well thought out at all.

For one thing, it’s difficult to believe that Soong was able to design an android so complex and, on the surface, so biologically indistinguishable from a woman. At one point Beverly mentions that Juliana-bot has a device that feeds false information to medical scanners, and while I’m glad they explained how the machine could go undetected in a universe with transporters and scanners, it’s an explanation that raises its own questions. Like, how easy is to build something like that? Also, wouldn’t Juliana-bot weigh more than a regular human? I guess Soong could’ve equipped her with some sort of weight-reducing anti-grav device. Surely at some point she’s gone to see a doctor. Given that she was built, not born, I can accept that she wouldn’t have to worry about the flu (although you’d think a machine this complex would have an occasional hiccup), but surely at her age, she’d do regular check-ups as a matter of course. Maybe the super high-tech future saves her there; maybe doctors would just wave a tricorder around her and call it good.

All of this is a stretch, and it makes the episode’s big moral decision harder to take seriously. Data (and Beverly and Picard and Troi and god knows who else) discover Juliana’s secret. Then Data alone has to decide whether or not to tell his mother her true nature. It’s an interesting question, although I’m troubled by the way Data’s decision not to tell Juliana seems to serve the show’s needs more than his (or her) own. Yes, there are reasons for keeping it secret—there’s no telling how Juliana would react (and give how upset she was about abandoning Data, I’m guessing she’d freak out quite a lot), and there’s no immediate gain in telling her. Yet keeping it secret also means that TNG doesn’t need to remember Juliana in later episodes, or deal with any sort of fallout from introducing another, significantly more advanced robot into the show’s world. Troi claims that Juliana has achieved what Data has struggled to achieve for so long: humanity. But this isn’t true. Data wants to be himself as a human. It’s hard to know what Juliana-bot is, but she isn’t self-aware, and that means she’ll always just be a copy of someone else’s dream.

About that “someone else”: What I really take away from “Inheritance” is that Dr. Soong is a deeply screwed-up individual, and, what’s worse, no one on the show seems to recognize this. He built a robot copy of his dying wife. Juliana was in a coma at the time, so I doubt he asked her permission. He designed the copy to be as indistinguishable from the real thing as possible. Then, after Juliana died, he went on living with the robot as man and wife. Only, he was so inept as a husband that the robot eventually left him, and instead of realizing maybe that would be a good time to end the charade, Soong lets Juliana-bot go off on her own to marry someone else. She goes by the dead woman’s name, and, since she’s apparently the most prominent scientist on the planet in her chosen field, presumably no one else knows the real Juliana is dead. She mentions a mother—does she have any other family? Have they hung out with a robot and thought it was their own flesh and blood? Soong is doing the worst kind of mad science here, playing God in an arrogant, selfish tribute to his lost love, and no one seems at all bothered by this. Soong even left a holographic recording of himself in Juliana-bot’s head, in case anyone found the truth, and the only guilt to be found on it is his regret at not being a better husband. It’s not so much that Juliana-bot has to be an abomination; it’s more that not a single character in the cast questions the morality or implications of the situation. No one even says, “Wow, that machine has feelings and isn’t insane! Surely this means something.” Thought it’s competent as an hour of television, “Inheritance” is the worst kind of science fiction, using tropes without bothering to wonder what any of them might mean.

One more bit of creepiness: Soong programmed Juliana to eventually die. Spared no expense!

Next week: Worf has to handle some tricky “Parallels,” and we take a trip on “The Pegasus.”

The Original Series
The Next Generation
Deep Space Nine
Strange New Worlds

The Vulcan Hello

The impossible box, through the valley of shadows.

Inheritance

The crew of the USS Enterprise-D has a mission that leads them to a planet in close proximity to the Romulan Neutral Zone. Data has been summoned there to meet an individual by the name of Juliana Tainer. Juliana claims to have known the android in the past, and is eager to reunite. Data is skeptical, but the crew decides to take her aboard nonetheless in order to find out more.

Once on board, Juliana tells Data that she is his mother, a fact that he can hardly believe. Despite the initial shock and confusion, Data begins to get to know her, learning of the life she had before she met and married his father, Dr. Soong. Data is amazed to discover that she was a scientist in her own right, and the two bond over their shared interests in mathematics and science.

However, as the crew continues to investigate Juliana’s claims, they begin to uncover evidence of a sinister plot. It appears that Juliana’s arrival on the Enterprise is far from coincidental, and her mission may have been engineered to further the interests of the Romulans. It also appears that the Romulans may have a hidden agenda, and may be using Juliana as a pawn in their own scheme.

With the help of their allies, the crew of the Enterprise begins to unravel the truth about Juliana’s past. They soon realize that she may have uncovered a mysterious energy source that the Romulans desperately want to use for their own purposes. As they continue to investigate, they also discover that Juliana is in possession of a crystal, which may be the key to unlocking the energy’s potential.

With the help of their allies, the crew of the Enterprise sets out to find the source of the energy and prevent the Romulans from getting their hands on it. As the battle heats up, Data must learn the truth about his mother, and make a difficult decision about whether to trust her or not. In the end, the crew must rely on their ingenuity and courage to stop the Romulans and protect the energy source, while Data is forced to confront his own feelings about his newfound mother. Will Data be able to accept his mother and put the greater good above his own interests?

Time’s arrow (part 2), past prologue.

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Inheritance Stardate: 47410.2 Original Airdate: 22 Nov, 1993

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Star Trek The Next Generation: Inheritance

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Editorial reviews.

This lovely episode, which clarifies and expands upon Commander Data's early existence, stars Fionnula Flanagan as Juliana Tainer, a scientist and former wife of Data's late creator, Dr. Soong. Meeting aboard the Enterprise while working to reheat the cooling core magma of a Federation planet, Juliana tells Data that she regards herself as his mother, a remark that initially does not warm the android. His memories having been erased when she and Soong fled the planet upon which he was created, Data does not directly recollect her, and suspects she wanted to have him dismantled back then anyway. The more Data observes her, however, the more he suspects something that even she doesn't know--a truth that inevitably draws them closer together. The whole fairytale-like journey of Data to become as human as possible takes a large step with this story. Brent Spiner's performance, his mix of android dispassion and vaguely mortal yearning, has never been more subtle or soulful than in this program. The episode, fortunately, gets us off the Enterprise a little while and down on the planet's surface, among earthquakes and instability that gives the show an added measure of adventure. -- Tom Keogh

From the Back Cover

Eventually, Data senses something strange about his mother and begins to investigate her true origins.

Product details

Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.32 x 4.19 x 1.12 inches; 6.13 ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Beaumont, Gabrielle, Becker, Robert, Bole, Cliff, Bond, Timothy, Burton, LeVar
Release date ‏ : ‎ March 2, 1999
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ October 25, 2006
Actors ‏ : ‎ Burton, LeVar, McFadden, Gates
Studio ‏ : ‎ Paramount
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000003K5R

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Fionnula Flanagan

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Fionnula Flanagan ( born 10 December 1941 ; age 82) is an Irish actress who appeared as Juliana Tainer in the Star Trek: The Next Generation seventh season episode " Inheritance ", Enina Tandro in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine first season episode " Dax " and V'Lar in the Star Trek: Enterprise first season episode " Fallen Hero ". A costume worn by her in "Inheritance" was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

Flanagan was born Fionnghuala Manon Flanagan in Dublin, Ireland, and trained at Dublin's Abbey Theatre. Her most notable work is the tour de force "James Joyce's Women", in which she played six different roles. On TV, her most notable work was How the West was won , where she played Molly Cullhane for 12 episodes and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series . This show also featured Ed Lauter , Harris Yulin , Richard Kiley , Ricardo Montalban and, for one episode, William Shatner .

Other notable roles include Catarine in the 1984 Star Wars spinoff television movie The Ewok Adventure . Film audiences may also remember her appearance as the housekeeper Mrs. Mills in the 2001 thriller The Others , or for her prominent role in John Singleton's Four Brothers . She also played a recurring role as Eloise Hawking in seasons three, five and six of Lost , with Daniel Dae Kim , Terry O'Quinn , Sam Anderson , and Alan Dale .

Other film work includes the action film White Mile (1994, with Robert Picardo , Jacqueline Kim , Dakin Matthews , Ken Jenkins , Dan Kern , Brian Markinson , Dan Gilvezan , Gina Ravarra , Brett Porter , Ken Thorley , Don McManus and Tom Lupo ), the comedy Waking Ned Devine (1998), and the horror thriller Blessed (2004).

More recently, Flanagan portrayed the recurring role of former mayor Nicolette "Nicky" Riordon in eight episodes of the first season of SyFy 's science fiction series Defiance in 2012/2013. Gary Hutzel , David Takemura , and Doug Drexler worked on the visual effects for this series and Allan Kroeker directed Flanagan in one episode. In 2017, she co-starred in the Irish-British miniseries Redwater . In the same year, she appeared in an episode of Bryan Fuller 's American Gods , directed by Adam Kane and featuring Chris Obi .

Star Trek appearances [ ]

External links [ ]

Fionnula Flanagan at Wikipedia
Fionnula Flanagan at the Internet Movie Database
All about legendary Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan at IrishCentral.com
1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery finally reveals what happened after tng’s “the chase”.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 provides new details on what happened after Captain Picard saw the Progenitor in Star Trek: TNG's "The Chase."

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 3 - "Jinaal"

Discovery season 5 continues the chase for Progenitors' technology, introduced in TNG's "The Chase".
Janaal reveals how Federation handled Progenitor discovery, keeping technology hidden for peace.
The Federation's past missteps led to hesitation in trusting Starfleet with powerful technology.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Chase" introduced some big ideas to the Star Trek universe that Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is finally following up on. Discovery season 5 involves a literal chase in Star Trek 's 32nd century, as Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery race to find the Progenitors' treasure before the villainous Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis). Although unnamed at the time, the Progenitors were first introduced in TNG season 6, episode 20, "The Chase," when Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) helped uncover a message left by one of the ancient humanoids.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3 , "Jinaal," written by Kyle Jarrow and Lauren Wilkinson and directed by Andi Armaganian, Captain Burnham and her crew continue to gather the puzzle pieces that will presumably lead them to the Progenitors' technology. This journey takes the USS Discovery to the planet Trill, where Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) acts as a host for the consciousness of an 800-year-old Trill named Jinaal Bix. Jinaal reveals more information about what happened after Picard received the Progenitors' message in the 24th century. While "The Chase" explained why many Star Trek aliens are humanoid, the implications of Picard's discovery were never fully explored.

Star Trek: Discovery’s TNG Connection Explained - "The Chase" & Who Are The Progenitors?

Star trek: discovery finally updates what happened after tng’s “the chase”, the federation didn't ignore captain picard's discovery..

When Captain Picard unlocked the Progenetors' message in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Chase," the Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans also had representatives present. In the message, the ancient humanoid (Salome Jens) revealed that Progenitor "scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds," meaning all humanoid life originated from a single ancestor. The Progenitors hoped this information would bring peace among humanoid species, but the Cardassians and Klingons reacted negatively to the message. Nevertheless, the United Federation of Planets and many other species would undoubtedly be interested in these Progenitors and the technology that allowed them to create all humanoid life.

The Federation President during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was Jaresh-Inyo (Herschel Sparber), and he may have been who oversaw finding the Progenitors' technology.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is finally addressing this mystery, and Janaal reveals more about how the Federation responded to the discovery of the Progenitors. The Federation President secretly assembled a team of six scientists from different Federation and non-Federation worlds, including Janaal and the Romulan Dr. Vellek (Michael Copeman) , to research the Progenitors and the message Picard found. This team eventually found a technology "beyond anything [they had] ever seen," but one of the scientists was horribly killed when he tried to activate it. The scientists then made a pact that they would do everything in their power to keep the Progenitors' technology hidden until some future date when the galaxy was at peace.

Janaal does not reveal the names of the other scientists, and he says that they removed their names from "every database [they] could access." This explains why these characters and their mission have never been mentioned in Star Trek before.

How “The Chase” Tied Into DS9’s Dominion War & Star Trek: Insurrection

Why didn't jinaal give the progenitor technology to the federation.

After Jinaal reveals how he and his fellow scientists hid the Progenitor technology, Captain Burnham asks why they didn't give it to the Federation. Jinaal responds that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Dominion War was raging at the time, so "everyone saw an enemy in everyone else." Despite the trust Michael places in the Federation and Starfleet, these organizations have not always been above reproach. During the Dominion War, there were fears that Changelings could infiltrate the Federation even at the highest levels, but it wasn't just Changelings that posed a threat. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 11, "Homefront," and episode 12, "Paradise Lost," for example, Admiral Leyton (Robert Foxworth) staged a coup against Federation President Jaresh-Inyo.

Starfleet could not be trusted with technology as powerful as the Progenitors'.

Leyton's plan to initiate a military takeover of Earth ultimately failed, but it proved that Starfleet could not be trusted with technology as powerful as the Progenitors'. In Star Trek: Insurrection , another Starfleet flag officer, Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe), attempted to forcibly move the peaceful Ba'ku people in order to access the healing properties of the area of space known as the Briar Patch. The Federation of the 32nd century in Star Trek: Discovery seems better prepared to safeguard the Progenitors' technology, but the high-stakes treasure hunt still has everyone on edge.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery air Thursdays on Paramount+.

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Published Apr 10, 2024

A Brief History of the Progenitors in Star Trek

They designed life itself!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery 's "Red Directive ."

Filtered and stylized of a Progenitor from 'The Chase'

StarTrek.com

Captain Burnham's top-secret mission in the final season of Star Trek: Discovery has finally been revealed. But this time, the Discovery crew isn’t stopping a future-destroying A.I., or a lethal, extra-galactic force. Instead, they’re investigating the basic mysteries of why most species in the Star Trek universe look vaguely human.

As revealed in " Red Directive ," the search for technology used by ancient "Progenitors" sets-up a massive treasure hunt for the season. But, who are the Progenitors? What did Jean-Luc Picard know about the secrets of inter-species alien DNA? And how does all of this fit in with Gene Roddenberry’s earliest ideas for Star Trek ?

Here’s a brief history of the Progenitors, from the early 1960s, to the 24th Century, all the way to 2024, and the 31st Century.

The Real World-Origins of the Progenitors

Pike points his phaser towards at the Talosian magistrate while yeoman J.M. Colt, Vina, and Number One stand by his side on Talos IV's surface in 'The Cage'

"The Cage"

When the U.S.S. Enterprise first set out to seek out "new life and new civilizations," a huge swath of those alien lifeforms turned out to look a lot like human beings. And the primary reason for that, at least behind-the-scenes, was two-fold.

First, human actors are more affordable, and second, Gene Roddenberry wanted the classic Star Trek to avoid the sci-fi trope of "Bug-Eyed Monsters." And so, in one of the original 1964 pitch documents for Star Trek , Roddenberry floated the idea of "The Parallel Worlds" concept . The idea was that the format of Star Trek — from a writing and production standpoint — would generally deal with "...plant and animal life, plus people, quite similar to Earth. Social evolution will also have interesting points of similarity with ours."

Unlike a huge swath of science fiction on TV at the time, the promise of strange, new worlds, that were, in fact, populated by people , is something that set Star Trek apart, and was the cornerstone of what gave the series its humanist angle. But, the side effect of course, was an in-universe question — why were so many aliens humanoid?

The Old Ones, Sargon, and The Preservers

"The Paradise Syndrome"

The first two seasons of The Original Series are sprinkled with hints that, in the distant past, the galaxy was visited by super-powered aliens with technology far more advanced than anything in the Federation.

In " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ," we meet Ruk, an android built by "The Old Ones," an alien race capable of creating humanoid androids that were basically immortal. In " Return to Tomorrow ," the disembodied soul of Sargon, refers to humanity as "my children." While Dr. Muhuall says this idea flies in the face of evolutionary theory, Spock mentions the idea that aliens seeded life would "explain certain elements of Vulcan pre-history."

Then in Season 3, in " The Paradise Syndrome ," Bones and Spock tackle the question head-on. When they realize an ancient race of "Preservers" helped various humanoid species throughout the galaxy, the idea of an ancient alien race guiding and "seeding" a ton of humanoid species became less of a myth and more of a working theory. "I’ve always wondered why there were so many humanoids scattered through the galaxy," Bones says. To which Spock replies, "So have I. Apparently, the Preservers account for a number of them."

And then, the questions about an ancient humanoid species went answered. At least, until The Next Generation .

On the surface of Vilmor II, a Progenitor disrupts an argument between the Enterprise away team, the Cardassians, Klingon, and Romulans in 'The Chase'

"The Chase"

Directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Ronald D. Moore and Joe Menosky, " The Chase " was a sixth-season episode of The Next Generation , which, according to The Next Generation Companion , was considered in the writers' room the most "Roddenberryesque" episode of TNG at that time. The story itself took cues from Carl Sagan's novel Contact , and posited that yes, ancient aliens not only seeded most of the humanoid species, but also hid a message in the DNA of all those species.

Captain Picard's interest in archeology comes in handy during the quest to locate all the DNA strands and reveal the message, which was also represented metaphorically by the ancient artifact known as the Kurlan naiskos .

Captain Jean-Luc Picard moved by the gift of an intact Kurlan naiskos artifact by his former mentor in 'The Chase'

At the end of the episode, representatives from the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Empire, the Cardassian Union, and the Federation, all witness the truth — an ancient Progenitor (played by Salome Jens) makes it clear that all the humanoid species in the galaxy don’t exist out of pure hubris, but instead, out of a kind of desire for legacy. "You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence…. Remember us."

Ronald D. Moore pointed out that there's no reason to believe that the Progenitors from "The Chase" and the Preservers from TOS aren't one in the same. Though not explicitly stated in the script, he said, "But this could be them, and be internally consistent."

Discovery Brings It All Home

"Red Directive"

While The Next Generation established a canonical fact that TOS only danced around, that only answered the question of why . With Discovery Season 5, a stranger, and more complex question is getting broached — how ?

"The Chase" told us why there are so many humanoid species in the galaxy, but we had no idea how the Progenitors specifically pushed life to evolve on various planets toward the exact form of life we’re all so familiar with. As the crew of Discovery — and other forces — are in pursuit of this ancient tech, Star Trek is boldly speculating on one of the biggest questions of all time.

If there was a supreme intelligence behind the creation of life, what was their method? While these kinds of questions are somewhat mind-boggling in real life, what Discovery is doing now is what Star Trek has done all along: Ask provocative questions that are beyond what we know now, so that maybe, in the future, we’ll be better prepared.

We don’t know that the Progenitors exist in real science, but the "panspermia hypothesis," is a very real scientific concept. A friendly alien may not have consciously sparked life on Earth eons ago, but, in reality, it is possible that some building blocks for life itself may have come from the stars.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek 101

Graphic illustration featuring Rayner and the actor who portrays him, Callum Keith Rennie

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

Inheritance (1993), brent spiner: lieutenant commander data, dr. noonien soong, photos .

Brent Spiner and Fionnula Flanagan in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Quotes

Lt. Commander Data : I would like to get to know you better... Mother.

Lt. Commander Data : [Data has just found out about his early years and - to his surprise - about his "mother"]

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : I can understand that this might all be a little disconcerting for ya Data... It came out of the blue, and it doesn't fit into your logical processors.

Lt. Commander Data : That is true.

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : But that's life, Data. Part of being human is learning how to deal with the unexpected - to risk new experiences, even when they don't fit into your preconceptions.

Lt. Commander Data : I admit I am finding it difficult to accept the possibility of a past about which I know nothing. But it is also true, I am curious to learn more about it.

Lt. Commander Data : [to Dr. Tainer] There is something I think you should know. My father told me... that he had only one great love in his life; and that he regretted never telling her how much he cared for her. I am certain he was referring to you.

[Dr. Soong's hologram has asked Data not to reveal to Dr. Tainer that she is an android]

Lt. Commander Data : Then you do not believe she should know the truth?

Dr. Noonien Soong : The truth? Truth is - in every way that matters - she *is* Juliana Soong. I programmed her to terminate after a long life. Let her live out her days - and die, believing she was human.

Dr. Juliana Tainer : [answering an earlier question from Data] No, I wouldn't have left you behind if you'd been my biological child.

Lt. Commander Data : Hm... Is that because you place more value on biological life than artificial life?

Dr. Juliana Tainer : Absolutely not! I cherished every android your father and I created as if it *were* my child, even Lore - despite the fact that he turned on us, despite the dreadful things he did. Dismantling him was the most difficult thing I ever had to do. I was afraid that if you turned out like him, I would have to dismantle you too... And I couldn't bear to do that. I'm not trying to justify leaving you behind. I'm just sorry I did.

[Dr. Tainer has praised Data's violin play]

Dr. Juliana Tainer : And considering that giving you a creative aspect was my idea. Oh, your father didn't really see the point. He thought that since you didn't have emotions, there would be no real need for you to express yourself. Somehow, I had the feeling the opposite would be true.

Lt. Commander Data : I do not know for certain. But I believe it is during my creative endeavors that I come closest to experiencing what it must be like to be human.

Dr. Juliana Tainer : Well... I'm glad I insisted.

Dr. Juliana Tainer : Deanna Troi - is that who you're going to visit?

Lt. Commander Data : Yes.

Dr. Juliana Tainer : Your father would be so pleased.

Lt. Commander Data : Pleased?

Dr. Juliana Tainer : Well, he was worried that the sexuality program he designed for you wouldn't work.

Dr. Noonien Soong : [to Data] How are you, boy?

[last lines]

Dr. Juliana Tainer : Take care of yourself, son.

Lt. Commander Data : Goodbye, mother. Energise.

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The Star Trek “Origin” Movie Is Finally Going Into Production

The new Star Trek prequel movie is set to be revealed on the big screen. Probably.

LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 1: Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock (Mr. Spock) in the STAR TREK: The Origina...

For 30 years — from 1979 to 2009 — the longest wait between new Star Trek feature films was seven years. And, for most of that period, from the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) to Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), there was almost always a new Star Trek movie in theaters every two to four years. But after the wildly successful J.J. Abrams-directed reboot film in 2009, the release clip for Trek movies went from maximum warp to impulse power, to glacially slow. And now, by the time the next Star Trek movie hits theaters, it will have been about 10 years since the previous one — Star Trek Beyond — beamed into cinemas in 2016.

Since that time, for Trekkies, updates of a new Star Trek film have been very similar to the game football Lucy plays with Charlie Brown; just when a hypothetical movie sounds real, it gets snatched away. But now, there’s a glimmer of hope. Thanks to reports out of CinemaCon 2024, it looks like, the next Trek film is scheduled for release in either 2025 or 2026. But what’s it about? And will it really happen?

Star Trek 14 is “an untitled origin story”

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in 'Star Trek' (2009).

The new “origin story” will be set before the 2009 reboot. But how many decades before?

During CinemaCon 2024, Paramount confirmed several in-development projects including a live-action GI Joe / Transformers crossover (teased in 2023’s Rise of the Beasts ), a hardcore Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action movie, a remake of the sci-fi thriller The Running Man (from Edgar Wright), the confirmation of an Avatar trilogy, and the assertion that a new Star Trek feature film will go into production this year, with a release date soon to follow.

Since 2016 to now, there have been at least five different attempts to make a new Star Trek film, either as timey wimey direct sequel to Beyond (“Star Trek 4”) a one-off space mobster movie (Quentin Tarantino’s script) or something else entirely (Noah Hawley and Matt Shakman’s attempts that remain undisclosed). But now, although Paramount is reportedly developing a sequel to Beyond — which would feature the reboot cast from the 2009 film one last time — the next Star Trek movie is not that sequel, but instead, as previously reported , an “origin story” that “takes place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film that rebooted the franchise.” This movie has been confirmed to be directed by Toby Haynes ( Andor, Doctor Who ) with a script from Seth Grahame-Smith ( The Lego Batman Movie , Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter) .

Wait? Wasn’t the 2009 film an “origin story?” While the answer to this question is technically a “yes,” the 2009 film (just titled Star Trek ) was also partially a time-travel sequel to the canon established in The Next Generation , and literally everything else in the Trek franchise up until that point. By saying the new prequel film takes place “decades before” the first reboot, this could hypothetically mean that the movie takes place in both the Prime and Kelvin timelines simultaneously.

TLDR: The Trek timeline diverged in the first reboot movie, beginning in the year 2233, so, a story set even a few decades before that divergence, in the 2210s or 2220s or earlier, would be consistent with all versions of Trek's future history. Presumably, the “origin story” won’t take place in the two decades between the prologue of the 2009 film (2233) and the main story (2258), because honestly, even for hardcore Trekkies that’s a big canon headache. So, sometime in the early 2200s, but before the 2230s is probably the best bet. And, even if the movie was set a bit earlier than that — say in the late 2180s or 2190s — we’d still be dealing with a very early point of Starfleet history that has never been depicted and that we know almost nothing about. Hence, if you squint — and don’t think about the prequel series Enterprise (2151-2161) too much — then yes, we’re looking at an origin story in which pretty much anything could happen.

Star Trek “origin” movie release date

LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 1: The USS Enterprise during the opening credit for in the STAR TREK: The Ori...

One of the earliest shots of the USS Enterprise — from the 1964 Star Trek pilot episode “The Cage.” The new prequel film will likely be set half a century before this moment.

While some tweets out of CinemaCon seemed to indicate that the new Star Trek movie could hit next year in 2025 , TrekMovie confirmed that the “Untitled Star Trek Origin Story,” is on the Paramount slate for 2025 or 2026. TrekMovie also predicted that 2026 is more likely, writing, “If Paramount can move fast enough they could get the origin movie into theaters by 2026 — in time for Star Trek’s 60th anniversary.” Then again, 2025 is not impossible, it’s just cutting it a little close.

It should also be noted that the entire corporate entity of Paramount is reportedly close to a merger that would see it purchased by Skydance Media, the same production company behind the three existing J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek reboots. If that deal is finalized soon, then, yes, this Star Trek feature film might actually happen very quickly. And if it doesn’t, there will still be plenty of new Star Trek shows streaming , not to mention the first direct-to-streaming standalone Star Trek movie, Section 31 , starring Michelle Yeoh, which will hit Paramount+ sometime later this year.

All the reboot Star Trek films (2009-2016) are currently streaming on Paramount+. The previous ten films (1979-2002) are all on Max.

Phasers on Stun!: How the Making — and Remaking — of Star Trek Changed the World

Science Fiction

‘Star Trek: Discovery’s Connection to ‘The Next Generation’ Explained

...And it involves a new crew.

The Big Picture

The USS Discovery embarks on a red directive mission with ties to Star Trek lore, focusing on the Progenitors' technology.
New faces join the crew on a mission to uncover an artifact related to the Progenitors in the Next Generation era.
The technology to create life poses a powerful threat if misused, as Moll and L'ak aim to sell the artifact to the highest bidder.

The first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 are finally available on Paramount+, putting Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery back on the boldly going business. This time, they're not going another 800 years into the future, but instead, their mission has a connection to another time: the Star Trek: The Next Generation era. Back then, Captain Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) once led the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on a mission that uncovered the secrets of life itself as we know it . It may have been a one-episode story, but it's now getting the proper arc it deserves; the time has finally come to learn the secrets of the Progenitors.

Star Trek: Discovery

Taking place almost a decade before Captain Kirk's Enterprise, the USS Discovery charts a course to uncover new worlds and life forms.

The Discovery Is Given a Red Directive Mission by Dr. Kovich

The final season of Discovery starts off with its foot on the door, with ties to past Star Trek lore and the return of Dr. Kovich ( David Cronenberg ), which always means business for the Discovery crew. This time, his mission is so important that it interrupts a Starfleet event, but can't be disclosed because it's a red directive (a mission of a highly classified and dangerous nature that takes precedence over all other tasks) . Captain Burnham doesn't like the idea of keeping secrets from her crew, but since the Discovery is the only ship that can take this mission thanks to its spore drive, she accepts it.

The secretive mission introduces some new faces to Discovery , including couriers, Moll ( Eve Harlow ) and L'ak ( Elias Toufexis ), as well as U.S.S. Antares Captain Rayner ( Callum Keith Rennie ). The mission was to retrieve an artifact from a Romulan science ship that had been adrift for 800 years, but Moll and L'ak beat them to it, then take the artifact to the planet, Q'mau, where the synthetic antique dealer, Fred ( J. Adam Brown ), opens it up and reveals a diary written by the Romulan scientist, Vellek ( Michael Copeman ). Even though Moll and L'ak have escaped Starfleet in Q'mau, Admiral Charles Vance ( Oded Fehr ) helps officer Sylvia Tilly ( Mary Wiseman ) obtain information on Vellek.

As it turns out, Vellek was once part of a group that—under the leadership of Captain Jean-Luc Picard —attempted to solve the mystery of the planet Vilmor II. There, they found out about a race of humanoid aliens known only as the Progenitors , who have created life in its humanoid form and are the common link between all present humanoid species in the galaxy. The Discovery's mission, however, isn't about the Progenitors themselves, but rather about the technology they used to do what they did.

The Progenitors’ Story Comes From a Single Episode in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’

Season 6, Episode 20 of The Next Generation , "The Chase," is one of the wildest in the entire series. For the first time ever, a Star Trek episode shows Humans, Klingons, Romulans, and more together in the same scene. That's all thanks to one of the most interesting plots in the franchise, which sees these races coming together to discover the secret of their common origin. Unfortunately, The Next Generation didn't carry on with this plotline, but Discovery is finally giving it the sequence it deserves.

"The Chase" starts off with Captain Picard meeting his old mentor, Professor Galen ( Norman Lloyd ), aboard the Enterprise-D. The scholar is there to recruit Picard for a long-term mission that will result in the most important scientific discovery of their time, but Picard can't give up his post on Starfleet. Picard decides to take the Enterprise-D and finish what Galen started. He begins by analyzing the data his mentor had gathered (large blocks of numbers laid out in a sort of sequence). Following this trail, he eventually discovers that the numbers are actually a DNA sequence. On the planet, Loren III, Picard intervenes and mediates their conflict upon learning that both of them are there for the same reason the Enterpreise-D is, calling for them to analyze the combined DNA strands they have. They learn that those are all part of a puzzle, with each sequence complementing one another, but that there are still missing pieces.

The Enterprise-D follows the Cardassians to Vilmor II with the Klingon emissary on board, and they find out the planet has lichen growing on the dried-up ocean floor. Discreetly, Dr. Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) inserts all the DNA samples they now have onto her tricorder, which then projects the recording of a humanoid woman ( Salome Jens ). Thankfully, everyone stops arguing to listen to the projection, as the woman explains that she belonged to a race of ancient aliens from 4.5 billion years earlier. Her species eventually came to terms with their extinction, but they sowed pieces of their own DNA on many planets where life could grow across the galaxy as a way of ensuring a lasting legacy . Their intention was for all those future species to come together upon discovering their shared ancestry . Cardassians and Klingons immediately resume their bickering, unable to accept that they have anything in common. Later, Picard ponders with the Romulans that one day, in the future, perhaps all species will learn to coexist for the sake of their shared ancestry.

Where Does This Leave Captain Burnham and the Discovery Crew?

The race of ancient humanoids is never named onscreen, but they are referred to as the Progenitors from then on. With Discovery finally finishing this loose thread in Star Trek lore, it's important to ponder that the Progenitors must have used powerful tech to sow their DNA across the galaxy, which is what the overall plot of the season is going to be. The technology to create life is powerful by definition , and can be used for terrible things if it falls in the wrong hands. Right now, Moll and L'ak have the diary, but they're unwilling to cooperate with the Federation after a failed negotiation attempt by Cleveland "Book" Booker ( David Ajala ). However, they're looking to sell the diary to the highest bidder.

After the events of the first part of the season premiere , "Red Directive," Captain Rayner has been discharged from his command of the U.S.S. Antares. As sad as it is to see an officer of 30-plus years being discharged, it's also very serendipitous, as Captain Burnham is in need of a new number one for the Discovery as Saru ( Doug Jones ) is about to take a new diplomatic post for the Federation. During their chase on Q'mau, Rayner mentions that he has history chasing Moll and L'ak, which will surely come in handy . Also, Book finds out he has a past connection to Moll that makes them all but family, which is another potential lead to finding her.

Star Trek: Discovery is available to watch on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Watch on Paramount+

Star Trek Origin Movie Officially Announced By Paramount For 2025 Release

Paramount Pictures announces new Star Trek movie for 2025, directed by Toby Haynes and written by Seth Grahame-Smith.
Chris Pine-led Star Trek 4 remains in development, while the new film is an origin story set decades before Abrams' 2009 movie.
Alongside the Star Trek origin movie, Paramount reveals a packed slate of exciting films for 2025-26 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Paramount Pictures officially announces the next Star Trek movie, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2025. As reported in January, the next Star Trek movie isn't the long-delayed, Chris Pine-led Star Trek 4 produced by J.J. Abrams, which remains in development at Paramount. Rather, the next Star Trek movie is an origin story directed by Toby Haynes ( Star Wars: Andor ) and written by Seth Grahame-Smith (A braham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ).

Screen Rant' s Rob Keyes (@rob_keyes) is at CinemaCon in Las Vegas where Paramount Pictures confirmed the next Star Trek movie , currently called Untitled Star Trek Origin Story , to be released in 2025. J.J. Abrams is also producing Untitled Star Trek Origin Story, which takes place decades before Abrams' Star Trek 2009 movie. See Rob Keyes' Tweet below:

Paramount also confirmed Untitled Star Trek Origin Story will begin production later this year for theatrical release in 2025.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

Star trek's new movies in theaters and paramount plus explained, star trek is finally making movies again.

After nearly a decade, Star Trek i s back to making movies. Star Trek on Paramount+ has created a television renaissance for the franchise, but the theatrical side of Star Trek overseen by Paramount Pictures has languished in development hell since Star Trek Beyond bowed in the summer of 2016. Toby Haynes' Untitled Star Trek Origin Story is yet another prequel, but as it's said to be set decades before Star Trek 2009, it could very well be set after Star Trek: Enterprise 's mid-22nd century voyages but otherwise be an origin story for both Star Trek 's Prime and alternate Kelvin timelines .

Meanwhile, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 4 , which is the "final chapter" of the USS Enterprise crew led by Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto's Spock, has seen some movement with a new screenwriter, Steve Yockey ( The Flight Attendant ), tackling the long-delayed sequel. Pine and his fellow Star Trek actors, including Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, and Sofia Boutella, have all expressed their eagerness to return if Star Trek 4 can come together.

It's a positive sign that Star Trek movies are finally coming back.

Paramount+ is making their own Star Trek movies, with the recently-wrapped Star Trek: Section 31 awaiting a release date. Starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, Section 31 i s the first made-for-streaming Star Trek movie, and it is reportedly set during Star Trek 's "lost era" with connections to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Section 31 could get a sequel if successful, and the Star Trek: Picard spinoff dubbed Star Trek: Legacy may also become a streaming movie instead of a series. However all this shakes out, it's a positive sign that Star Trek movies are finally coming back.

Source: Rob Keyes Twitter

Star Trek Origin Movie Officially Announced By Paramount For 2025 Release

The Inventory

The Long-Lost Original Star Trek Enterprise Model Is Heading Home

After going missing from gene roddenberry's collection half a century ago, the very first model of the starship enterprise is back in his family's hands..

It was our first look at the vision of Star Trek ’s future: the original ship model of the USS Enterprise that zoomed across screens in the show’s opening credits. But after being loaned out during the making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , it had gone missing... until now.

star trek next generation inheritance

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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 7, Episode 10

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Inheritance

Fionnula Flanagan

William Lithgow

Patrick Stewart

Jonathan Frakes

LeVar Burton

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Marina Sirtis

Brent Spiner

Inheritance

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Star Trek: The Next Generation : “Force Of Nature”/“Inheritance”

The Vulcan Hello

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Star Trek The Next Generation: Inheritance

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Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 162: Inheritance VHS

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Fionnula Flanagan

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