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Star Trek’s Best Captain Catchphrases

By Ryan Britt

Each Star Trek captain had a distinct identity, perhaps best illustrated by their choice of catchphrase to illustrate their personality.

The OG Captain Kirk was known for his command, “Execute!” In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , he uses the decisive phrase twice .

Slightly less cool was Edward Jellico, captain of the USS Enterprise-D, who liked to tell Riker and Troi to “Get it done!”

An inexplicable standing ovation resulted when Kirk uttered his less-used “Take us out!” among reporters in Star Trek Generations .

Generations also found Captain Picard using a phrase he wasn’t usually known for: “Just do it!”

Captain Lorca kept it simple in Star Trek: Discovery . When he wanted to activate the spore drive, he commanded, “Go!”

Star Wars may have originated the phrase “Punch it!” but in the 2009 Star Trek reboot movie, Captain Pike used the command twice.

Anson Mount’s Captain Pike prefers “Hit it!” which is likely to be heard again in Strange New Worlds in 2021 or 2022.

Captain Freeman of the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks experiments with catchphrases, including “It’s warp time!” and “Warp me!”

Captain Janeway of Star Trek: Voyager said “Do it!” in a forceful way that almost commanded immediate compliance.

Michael Burnham debuted her Starfleet captain catchphrase recently on Star Trek: Discovery , commanding, “Let’s fly!”

Captain Jean-Luc Picard corners the market on catchphrases with his Star Trek: The Next Generation usage of “Make it so!”

This utterance is second only to Picard’s other well-known command, perhaps Star Trek ’s greatest catchphrase: “Engage!”

READ MORE:  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Optimistic Science Fiction

READ MORE:   Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Optimistic Science Fiction

READ MORE: Star Trek: Picard ’s Possible Discovery Crossover

The Origins of 11 Famous Star Trek Lines

By rick marshall | nov 6, 2015.

Few franchises have had the cultural impact of the various Star Trek television series and movies, and nowhere is that more evident than in the snippets of dialogue that have become a part of the American vernacular—and in some cases, found their way abroad, too. Here are 11 of the most notable Star Trek catchphrases, as well as a little more information about their origins.

1. "Live Long and Prosper"

The Vulcan greeting and the finger-separating hand gesture that accompanies it first appeared in the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series , during an episode titled “Amok Time.” Spock himself (actor Leonard Nimoy) has made no secret of the fact that the gesture and phrase were his idea, and that he based them on Orthodox Jewish blessings he remembered from his childhood. In the Jewish blessing, the position of the fingers forms the Hebrew letter “Shin,” which represents the name “Shaddai” (Almighty God). Nimoy put his own spin on the traditional gesture by holding up just one hand (instead of both) and changing up the verbal blessing slightly.

2. "Highly Illogical..."

While Spock never shied away from questioning the logic of those around him—usually Kirk—it wasn't until the second season that he took things up a notch and deemed the actions of the native inhabitants of planet Omega IV “highly illogical” in the episode titled “The Omega Glory.” Previously, it had always just been “illogical” or, in rare cases, “most illogical,” but it took a pair of natives attacking Kirk in a jail cell for Spock to pair his trademark raised-eyebrow reaction with the term “highly illogical.” The phrase would then be repeated in several more episodes, as well as the subsequent films and J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise.

Bonus: “Highly Illogical” was also the name of Leonard Nimoy's 1993 music album featuring several songs he recorded in the 1960s (including “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”) as well as a few new tunes.

3. "Beam Me Up, Scotty"

One of the most interesting aspects of this phrase—a request directed at Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott for transport back to the USS Enterprise—is that it was never actually uttered in any of the Star Trek television series or movies. More often than not, the command was akin to “Three to beam up” or more directly, “Beam them up,” with the closest approximation being “Beam us up, Scotty” in a few episodes of the Star Trek animated series. However, William Shatner did say this line while reading the audio version of his novel Star Trek: The Ashes of Eden .

4. "I'm A Doctor, Not A..."

Everyone knows that Dr. Leonard McCoy is not an engineer, a coal miner, or an escalator, but that never stopped him from reminding his fellow crew members. The first time DeForest Kelley uttered his famous catchphrase as we know it was in a first-season episode titled “The Devil in the Dark.” In that episode, McCoy saw fit to let Kirk know that he was a doctor, not a brick-layer. It's worth noting that an earlier episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver," had him asking Capt. Kirk, “What am I, a doctor or a moon-shuttle conductor?” but it wasn't until much later in the season that we got the full line that would later be heard in just about every subsequent series, as well as the Star Trek films. The line even made it into J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot, with Karl Urban (as McCoy) exclaiming, “I'm a doctor, not a physicist!”

5. "Make It So"

Captain Jean-Luc Picard's signature line was a part of Star Trek: The Next Generation from the very start, with actor Patrick Stewart uttering what would become his character's most memorable catchphrase in the pilot episode, “Encounter at Farpoint.” The episode was written by Gene Roddenberry himself, so it's likely that he wrote the line for Picard, though the phrase has been in use for quite a while in military circles as a way to tell someone to proceed with a command.

6. "To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before..."

The infinitive-splitting opening narration for each episode of Star Trek: The Original Series (with the exception of the pilot episodes) was famously recited by William Shatner, but the actual origins of the line are uncertain at best. Some reports suggest that it was inspired by a 1958 White House press booklet promoting the space program, though some have speculated that it came from a statement made by explorer James Cook following an expedition to Newfoundland. Writer Samuel Peeples, who authored the pilot episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” is often credited with the decision to make the phrase such a significant part of the series. The line was eventually repeated—with a few minor tweaks—in each iteration of the series and films.

7. "Khaaannnn!"

Possibly the most meme-friendly line of dialogue ever to come out of the Star Trek universe, this scream of rage originated in (no surprise here) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Left marooned on a dead planet by the evil villain Khan then taunted about his predicament, Kirk let loose with a primal roar—and the rest was viral-video history.

8. "I'm Givin' Her All She's Got, Captain!"

Much like “Beam me up, Scotty,” this famous catchphrase often associated with USS Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in Star Trek: The Original Series was never said in this exact form by actor James Doohan in the series or subsequent films. The closest approximation is a line in the second-season episode “The Changeling,” when Kirk asks Scotty to divert more power to the ship's shields. Scotty responds with, “Giving them all we got.” However, Doohan did utter every word of the famous line as part of a cameo in 1993's Loaded Weapon , in which he turns up as a panicky police officer trying to fix a coffee machine. Similarly, Simon Pegg used the same line “I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain!” in 2009's Star Trek reboot, in which he plays a young Montgomery Scott.

9. "Nuclear Wessels"

Russian crew member Pavel Andreievich Chekov's inability to pronounce the letter “V” became a recurring joke after the character was introduced in the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series as the ship's navigator. While it made for some funny moments throughout the series and subsequent movies, one of the most memorable pronunciation gaffes occurred during Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , when Chekov begins asking passers-by in 1980s San Francisco where he can find “nuclear wessels.” Even though Walter Koenig had been playing the character for almost 20 years before The Voyage Home hit theaters, the two-word line soon became indelibly connected with his portrayal of the character.

10. "Resistance Is Futile"

This famous line was first uttered by robotic aliens The Borg in the epic third-season finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation , titled “Best of Both Worlds, Part 1.” Not only did the 1990 episode offer up one of the greatest cliffhangers in television history, but it also coined a phrase that would live forever in the nightmares of fans—mainly because it was recycled for use in countless other series and films down the road.

11. "Set Phasers To Stun"

It was established early on in Star Trek: The Original Series that the phasers used by the crew of USS Enterprise had a “stun” setting (as mentioned in “The Man Trap” episode), and both Kirk and Spock often found themselves instructing their crewmates to use the non-lethal capabilities of their standard-issue weapons. However, it wasn't until the second season of Star Trek: The Animated Series that we first heard Kirk issue the command “Set phasers to stun.” The line eventually became an oft-repeated order in subsequent series, turning up in both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation , as well as many of the movies (including 2009's reboot).

This article originally appeared in 2013.

Every Star Trek Captain Warp Catchphrase Explained

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Star Trek Week: 28 Universally Known Star Trek One-Liners

Every corner of fandom has one-liners that have seeped into the consciousness of society, becoming universally recognizable. Of course, Star Trek is no different.

Here is a list of 28 Star Trek one-liners of which most people are aware. Some of these quotes have made their way into other areas of pop-culture. Some of these quotes have been paraphrased. Some have been used by judges when giving verdicts. There may be one, or two, on the list that escape some people.

1. Space: the final frontier. – Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the opening title sequence for Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation

2. KHAAANNN! –Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

3. What does God need with a starship? –Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

4. Fascinating. – Mr. Spock in numerous episodes and movies.

5. Highly illogical. –Mr. Spock in numerous episodes and movies.

6. Live long and prosper. –Mr. Spock in numerous episodes and movies.

7. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. –Mr. Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

8. I have been and always shall be your friend. –Mr. Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

9. He's dead, Jim! – Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in many episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series

10. I am a doctor, not a brick layer. * –Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Devil in the Dark

11. I'm a doctor, not an escalator. –Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode Friday's Child

12. I'm a doctor, not a mechanic. –Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Doomsday Machine

13. I'm a doctor, not an engineer. –Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode Mirror, Mirror

14. I'm a doctor, not a coal miner. –Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Empath

15. I'm not a magician, Spock, just an old country doctor. –Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Deadly Years

16. Dammit, Jim! –Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in many episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series and the movies.

17. Treat her like a lady, and she'll always bring you home. –Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Encounter at Farpoint

18. I canna' change the laws of physics. – Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Naked Time

Amit Katwala

Andy Greenberg

Caroline Haskins

19. I've giv'n her all she's got captain, an' I canna give her no more. –Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in many episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series

20. There be whales here! –Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

21. Engage! –Captain Jean-Luc Picard in many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

22. Make it so! –Captain Jean-Luc Picard in many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

23. Shut up, Wesley! –Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Datalore

24. There are four lights! –Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Chain of Command

25. Inquiry. – Data in many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

26. I am not a merry man! – Worf in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Qpid

27. It is a good day to die/ Perhaps today is a good day to die! –Worf says variation of “a good day to to die” a number of times. “It is a good day to die” was said in the Star Trek: The Next Generataion episode Sins of the Father . Worf says, “Perhaps today IS a good day to die!” in Star Trek: First Contact

28. Resistance is futile. – The Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager , and Star Trek: First Contact

The most misquoted popular one-line from Star Trek is, “Beam me up, Scotty.” Variations of this line are spoken, but not once was that actual line used.

What are some of your favorite one-liners?

__*__The “I'm a doctor” meme is also used by Doctor Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , The Doctor (EMH) in Star Trek: Voyager, and Doctor Phlox in Star Trek: Enterprise .

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Julian Chokkattu

Star Trek (film)

Star Trek ( Paramount Pictures , 2009 ) is the eleventh feature film based on the popular science fiction television series , Star Trek: The Original Series . The film takes place in an alternate time line and explores the backstories of James T. Kirk and Spock , before they unite aboard the USS Enterprise to combat Nero, a Romulan from the future (thus creating the alternate timeline) who threatens the United Federation of Planets .

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Which Star Trek Captain Has the Best Managerial Technique?

It’s impossible to be objective when selecting your favorite Star Trek captain. It requires making a call wrapped up in sentiment and timing. Which captain did you first encounter? Which one best reflected back to you the person you wanted to be? It’s easier to try to attempt a clear-eyed consideration of which one would be the best boss. Sure, there are captains sure to take you on wild adventures, but would you enjoy the ride if your life depended on their decision-making? On the flip side, there are captains that could get the job done without really inspiring that much enthusiasm, the Starfleet equivalent of a decent boss who clearly spends the back half of every shift with an eye on the clock.

It’s a worthwhile thought exercise, and one at the heart of Star Trek: Discovery , which focuses not on a captain but Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), a science officer struggling to work her way back from a snap judgment that ended with her in disgrace. Burnham has so far served under several captains, and the series has depicted the effect this has had on both her and the officers around her. (And, thus, has more entries below than any other version of Trek .) We considered the captains featured in various film and TV branches of the Star Trek universe, including Star Trek: Lower Decks ’ animated captain, and tried to rank them based on who would provide the best work experience — and who would be most likely to bring you back home in one piece.

12. Captain Philippa Georgiou, Mirror Universe (Michelle Yeoh)

Seen in: star trek: discovery.

Managerial style: Imperious and unforgiving, though that description is complicated by the fact that being imperious and unforgiving is baked into her main mirror universe job as emperor of the Terran Empire. (Or, more accurately, her job as Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominos of Qo’noS, Regina Andor, Philippa Goergiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius.) There, she fought for and won the top spot in a kill-or-be-killed system in which might makes right, and deception and backstabbing are the norm; to that end, she expects those working under her to understand the rules of the game. In other words, she’s awful. But, on the other hand, she really seems to enjoy being awful, not to mention the fringe benefits of having clawed her way to the top (fine food, sex slaves, etc.). Those who can get on her murderous wavelength might also have a good time — for as long as it lasts.

Key career moment: When the always adaptive Emperor Georgiou made her way from the mirror universe to the prime Star Trek universe she used the opportunity to save the day after getting thrown into a battle between the Federation and the Klingons. But this wasn’t a simple heel-face turn; as always, it was more a matter of calculation than altruism. The move won her freedom from those who knew her true origins and earned her a spot in the Federation’s super-secretive deep-state operation Section 31. What could possibly go wrong?

Would she be a good boss? Put simply, working for this Philippa Georgiou, at least in the mirror universe that made her, would mean constantly fearing for your life as part of a pitiless, fascist organization hell-bent on conquering the universe with little regard for its employees’ quality of life. (Actually, when it’s all spelled out like that, it sounds like a pretty easy transition from corporate America.)

11. Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs)

Managerial style: In a word, cryptic. After she’s accepted aboard the Discovery following her mutinous turn against her mentor Captain Georgiou (the prime universe one, not the evil dictator; more below), Michael Burnham spends much of Discovery ’s first season trying to figure out what’s up with her new captain, a man fond of fortune cookies and averse to bright lights and chairs. Pro: Lorca took a chance on her when no one else would. Con: He also seems kind of evil. That likelihood aside — and it’s eventually revealed that, spoiler ahead, he made his way to the prime universe from the mirror universe after somehow taking the original Lorca’s place — he commanded the Discovery with curiosity, a sure hand, and an apparent sense of fairness. Shame about all the murder and scheming.

Key career moment: The season one episode “Into the Forest I Go” captures every side of Captain Lorca as he bravely goes into battle against Klingons, questionably decides to risk the health of a crew member (and with him, the whole crew) to win the battle, then takes everyone into the mirror universe to further his scheme of galactic conquest. It’s quite a journey, and one that reveals his true self at the end.

Would he be a good boss? No, but serving under Lorca would never be boring.

10. Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter)

Seen in: star trek: the original series.

Managerial style: Glum as hell. Some behind-the-scenes info: Jeffrey Hunter’s Captain Pike was supposed to be the protagonist of the original Star Trek series. NBC passed, but gave Gene Roddenberry the unusual opportunity to make a second pilot, this one featuring the now-familiar classic series cast (with only Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock sticking around). But Roddenberry wasn’t done with Pike or the original pilot. It became central to the two-part episode “The Menagerie,” which recounts Pike and the Enterprise ’s adventures on Talos IV, home to the Talosians and their reality-bending psychic powers. Hunter’s a fine actor, but it’s not hard to see why NBC was reluctant to green-light a series focusing on Pike, who’s introduced complaining about the burden of command. “You bet I’m tired,” he tells the ship’s doctor. “Tired of being responsible for 203 lives. Tired of deciding which mission is too risky and which isn’t and who’s going on the landing party and who doesn’t. And who lives … and who dies.” He sounds ready to boldly curl up in a fetal position.

Key career moment: The signature moment for this incarnation of Pike comes at the end of the episode when, having been burned and disfigured beyond recognition, he’s allowed to return to Talos IV and live out his days in the unreal paradise he rejected years before, even though he already seemed pretty much over reality as we know it from the start.

Would he be a good boss? Spock and the others seem to respect him, so perhaps his doubts don’t interfere with his ability to command, even if working under him seems like it would make for a pretty weary trudge through the cosmos.

9. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula)

Seen in: star trek: enterprise.

Managerial style: Archer’s chill, which is both his greatest strength as a leader and occasionally his greatest weakness. A former Boy Scout, lifelong water-polo enthusiast, and caring dog owner, Archer sometimes seems like he’s happy enough to be exploring the stars but might be even happier if he was just hanging out and shooting the breeze with some pals. This might be more impression than reality; Star Trek lore has him going on to become a decorated admiral and to be regarded as one of the greatest explorers in the early days of Starfleet and he certainly does a lot of exploring during the show’s four-season run. But Scott Bakula rarely plays him as a man who has greatness in his future. Archer usually seems a little annoyed that the Enterprise ’s adventures have cut into his downtime. He’s not as melancholy as Jeffrey Hunter’s Captain Pike, but he occasionally seems just as checked out. Nonetheless, he was always good in a crisis, and could be a surprisingly shrewd diplomatic. It just always seemed to take a major event to stir his interest.

Key career moment: In the second-season episode “A Night in Sickbay,” Archer hangs out with his ailing dog Porthos when he should be tending to his diplomatic duties. It borders on dereliction of duty, even if it is pretty endearing. It’s also a pretty good encapsulation of how Archer’s mind works.

Would he be a good boss? Sure. Probably. Why not? He’d be okay enough.

8. Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine)

Seen in: star trek , star trek into darkness , star trek beyond.

Managerial style: If you like predictability, order, rules, regulations, and military precision, the last place you’d want to be is the Kelvin Universe Enterprise under the command of James T. Kirk. Chris Pine’s just-getting-started Kirk is young, impetuous, and brilliant — but mostly young and impetuous. It’s smart work, playing like the Kirk we know from the original Star Trek run before any of the rough edges had gotten sanded off. Pine’s Kirk is a lot of fun to watch, but it also seems like serving under him would be terrifying most of the time.

Key career moment: Forced to choose between rescuing an alien race and violating the Prime Directive in the opening scenes of Star Trek Into Darkness , Kirk barely seems to consider it a choice at all. It’s just the first of many times he breaks the rules over the course of the film (plus its predecessor and successor). Sure, it all works out (even if Kirk does briefly wind up dead later in the movie), but it could have gone horribly wrong. This Kirk commands from the gut, occasionally while listening to Beastie Boys. He’s cool and fun, but…

Would he be a good boss? … Do you really want to work for a Starfleet captain best described as “cool” and “fun” while exploring the furthest reaches of a dangerous universe?

7. Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis)

Seen in: star trek: lower decks.

Managerial style: Directness defines Captain Freeman’s command style. She knows exactly what she wants and she’s not afraid to ask for it, sometimes forcefully. She’s no-nonsense but not in a power trip–y way. She just wants things to run smoothly even if experience has taught her that it never does. (Or, at least it never does onboard the second-tier U.S.S. Cerritos , the California class starship she commands.)

Key career moment: Commanding a ship on which her gifted-but-rebellious daughter, Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), is serving as an ensign has been a continual challenge for Captain Freeman, forcing her to balance her duties as captain against her concerns as a mother. She’s mostly opted to model good behavior for her daughter by following the rules of Starfleet. In Lower Decks ’ third-season premiere, Mariner and her pals take desperate, and illegal, measures to clear Captain Freeman of a crime she’s been wrongly accused of. Ultimately, the system works, making Mariner’s misadventures unnecessary. Mother/Starfleet knows best.

Would she be a good boss? Probably. She’s terse but fair and clearly knows what she’s doing. But as the head of a ship prone to animated high jinks, it’s tough to judge Captain Freeman against other Star Trek captains. Her informed, steady-handed command doesn’t always work in her favor when dealing with some of the cartoonish absurdity the Cerritos keeps encountering. On the other hand, nothing truly terrible ever happens to those under her command, so serving on the Cerritos would likely be one of Starfleet’s safer assignments.

6. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)

Seen in: star trek: the original series , star trek: the motion picture, star trek: generations.

Managerial style: You’re probably better off working for the slightly older Kirk played by William Shatner in Original Series and its accompanying film series. (Okay, he’s significantly older in the film series.) This Kirk hasn’t lost the spirit evident in the younger Kirk, only it’s now tempered — at least a bit — by experience. Working for this Kirk isn’t without dangers of its own, particularly if you’re wearing a red uniform. He’s perfectly willing to send an away team into danger. Just as often, however, he’s the one leading the team, and it’s hard to underestimate the esprit de corps created by a leader willing to put himself in harm’s way mission after mission. Prepare to work hard, and maybe die, but feel like you’re part of a mission that could change the universe for the better.

Key career moment: Prepare also to listen to speeches. Kirk is a man of action and a man of romance, but above all, he’s a man of ideals who’s willing to go to great lengths to protect those ideals. But first, he’ll try to persuade his opponents with words. In “The Omega Glory,” for instance, Shatner’s Kirk lectures the primitive residents of a planet whose development paralleled Earth until it took a wrong turn on the glories of the U.S. Constitution, and he does it one emphatic syllable at a time: “We. The People …” Etc.

Would he be a good boss? Chances are you’d love working for Kirk up to the moment he got you killed.

5. Captain Philippa Georgiou, Prime Universe (Michelle Yeoh)

Managerial style: Collegial but firm, the prime universe Georgiou might rank even higher on this list if we had a large sample of what she was like as a captain. In the early episodes of Discovery she appears to be competent, respected, quick on her feet and close to her crew, especially Michael Burnham.

Key career moment: But not apparently close enough to stop Burnham from committing a mutinous act that she deems necessary to prevent a war with the Klingons. Whether this is a failure on Georgiou’s part — a missed chance to take a key suggestion from a subordinate — or overzealousness on Burnham’s remains a question left open by Georgiou’s subsequent death.

Would she be a good boss? It seems like she would, especially since her death continues to haunt Burnham throughout the series. On the other hand, maybe listen to your trusted shipmate when she says she knows what she’s talking about?

4. Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks)

Seen in: star trek: deep space nine.

Managerial style: Firm, fair, and perpetually distracted. Burned out on Starfleet life after losing his wife in the Battle of Wolf 359, Sisko only reluctantly takes command of Deep Space Nine, a space station located close to a galactic hot spot near a wormhole and, until shortly before he assumed command, ruled by the Cardassians. But Sisko soon finds himself drawn into the leadership of the station and the politics of the region when the spiritual leader of nearby Bajor names him the Emissary of the Prophets. It’s all a lot to balance, even before new adversaries start to show up from the Gamma Quadrant — and on top of it all, Sisko has to serve as a single father to a teenage son. Maybe that’s why he sometimes seems so overworked. He’s a fine, inspiring leader, but he also has a lot on his plate, running a space station while also acting as the first line of defense against enemies known and unknown — and maybe serving as messiah to a whole race of people. Many Deep Space Nine stories require Sisko to be reactive rather than proactive, whether dealing with a tavern keeper running a black market under his nose or the outbreak of a full-scale war. Strong and competent, Sisko could handle anything, but the series made him handle an awful lot.

Key career moment: Deep Space Nine introduced shades of moral grayness to Star Trek only suggested by its predecessors, never more than in the course of the protracted Dominion War arc, a dangerous conflict in which Sisko sometimes had to cheat and bend the truth for the greater good. Brooks’s performance always suggested that Sisko did a lot of soul-searching before making any decision, but once made he never looked back, the mark of a strong leader if ever there was one.

Would he be a good boss? Chances are that, apart from the occasional curt acknowledgment, you might only talk to him once or twice as he moved from one crisis to another. Still, you’d end up respecting the hell out of Sisko.

3. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)

Seen in: star trek: the next generation, star trek: generations, star trek: nemesis, star trek: picard.

Managerial style: Picard manages like a benevolent but firm god. Speaking in an authoritative voice (the accent helps), his every directive sounds as if handed down from above. But there’s a difference between having the trappings of authority and having the record to back it up, and from his first outing on the Enterprise — in which the decision to separate the starship’s saucer section showed just how many lives were depending on him making the right choices — he makes it clear how seriously he took his job and how seriously he expects others to take theirs.

Key career moment: In some respects, the definitive Picard moment can be found in Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s final episode, “All Good Things …” in which Picard, for the first time, joined his senior staff for their regular poker game, with an expression of regret that he’d never gotten around to it before. Except in rare moments, Picard always holds himself at a distance as captain, even if Stewart’s performance always emphasizes the complex, passionate human beneath the commanding exterior. He stays remote by design and it worked, but that choice isn’t without consequences.

Would he be a good boss? Picard would be an awe-inspiring boss in every sense. You’d learn a lot working with him, even if you never felt like you truly knew him.

2. Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount)

Seen in: star trek: discovery, star trek: strange new worlds.

Managerial style: In sharp contrast to Hunter’s Pike, Anson Mount plays Christopher Pike as a man who’s just happy to be out among the stars with shipmates he considers to be more like friends than co-workers. Where on Discovery, Pike was reminiscent of a cool camp counselor who just wants everyone to have a good time — as long as they follow the rules and listen to his orders — Strange New Worlds has layers of soulfulness and empathy only glimpsed before. (Maybe learning you’re headed to a horrific fate does that?) In moments of crisis, Pike comes off as unshaken but commanding, and willing to use force against his enemies when necessary. He’s easygoing until circumstances force him to be otherwise. Then he’s not. He carries himself around his crew with authority while still radiating concern. This is a self-assured, modern captain who cooks an amazing gumbo and doesn’t worry that his subordinates will lose respect if they see him wearing an apron.

Key career moment: In Strange New Worlds ’ first-season finale, Pike believes he’s found a workaround to avoid the accident in which he’ll sacrifice his well-being to save others. Then Pike is visited by an older version of himself who confirms that, yes, he can escape maiming before taking the captain on an It’s a Wonderful Life –like tour of the future created by his attempt to escape his fate. It’s not pretty and it means others will suffer in his place. So, of course, he resigns himself to his destiny without telling anyone. Always the greater good with this guy.

Would he be a good boss? Working for Pike seems like a dream, honestly. He seems like the kind of boss who’d teach you new skills and then suggest unwinding with a game of ping-pong that he wouldn’t try all that hard to win (though he totally could if he wanted to). Two seasons into Strange New Worlds, and the series keeps revealing new layers of competence and compassion. Call him No. 2 with a bullet (or a phaser blast, if that makes more sense).

1. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew)

Seen in: star trek: voyager.

Managerial style: Democratic, at least up to a point. Forced to navigate an unexplored quadrant of the galaxy while commanding a crew made up of enemies forced to work together in an attempt to find their way home, Janeway has the highest level of difficulty of any of the captains on this list. She rises to the occasion by hearing out all points of view, reconciling opposing stances when possible, working toward compromise, then ultimately making an informed decision after listening to her crew. Stuck in an impossible situation, she stays coolheaded and thoughtful no matter how trying the circumstances become.

Key career moment: The biggest challenge faced by Janeway and the Voyager crew comes not in the form of hostile races or dwindling supplies — though those don’t help — but from the many moments that invite them to abandon their principles. In the second season’s “Alliances,” Janeway seeks a way to sidestep conflict with the Kazon (sort of the Gamma Quadrant’s dollar-store version of the Klingons). She considers first an alliance with a Kazon faction, then teaming up with the Trabe, a seemingly much more civilized race. Then, despite the wishes of a faction of her officers, she ultimately rejects both choices when she learns the Kazon can’t be trusted and that the Trabe are just as bad in their own way. It might mean taking longer to get back home, or maybe never getting home at all, but she remains determined that her crew hang on to their best selves no matter what.

Would she be a good boss? Yes. Janeway would be the sort of boss you might have to complain about behind her back, but she’s also the sort of boss you’d end up naming your first child after.

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Star Trek Voyager: Captain Janeway's 10 Best Quotes, Ranked

The introduction of Star Trek: Voyager's Captain Janeway brought a whole new vibe to the franchise, and she left a lot of poignant quotes in her wake.

The Star Trek franchise presented audiences with female captains and officers since the original series debuted in the 1960s. When it came to central protagonists, however, Starfleet seemed to reserve the important command positions for men. Fans followed Captains James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard into the Final Frontier, then watched as Commander Benjamin Sisko oversaw the safety and protection of the Deep Space Nine station beside a wormhole. While those men worked side-by-side with some incredible women, it wasn't until the U.S.S. Voyager set out from DS9 to search the Badlands for the Maquis under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway, portrayed by Kate Mulgrew , that Star Trek truly allowed women to step into the spotlight.

Since Voyager , the franchise has taken strides for both women and people of color, bringing captains like Phillipa Georgiou and Michael Burnham front and center. Janeway may have served after Georgiou and Burnham in the official Star Trek timeline, but she paved the way for both the future and the past. Her wisdom, demeanor, and dedication to her mission and crew grant her a well-earned place among Starfleet's greatest officers.

Fans today look eagerly for her return to the screen. Though she does appear in the Paramount+ original animation, Star Trek: Prodigy , as a training hologram, the Vice-Admiral herself made an animated appearance. The inclusion of Voyager's Chief Security Officer, Tuvok, in the final season of Picard gave fans a pinch of hope that even the mere mention of her would lead to an appearance. Despite the disappointment of her absence, fans still hold onto hope that Mulgrew will return as Janeway one day. She was like a mother to many of her crew as they drifted so far from home, a friend and a leader. Today, Janeway's words of wisdom continue to resonate across the stars. Here are 10 of her most memorable quotes, ranked.

10 "One voice can be stronger than a thousand voices."

The addition of Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) to the Voyager crew wasn't an easy transition for Janeway or Seven in the beginning. In fact, it took quite some time for the two incredibly headstrong women to find common ground. Once they did, a powerful bond that would not only shape who Seven would later become but loom large over her future, was forged between them.

Captain Janeway worked hard to remind Seven that she didn't need the Borg to define her future. She was an individual, and her singular voice was far stronger than the Collective could ever be. It took a lot of convincing over the years, but as evidenced in Picard Season 1, Seven went on to become an exceptional individual. It's all but guaranteed Janeway had a hand in that.

9 "You and I know that fear only exists for one purpose: to be conquered."

Fear was a central theme across Voyager 's seven seasons. A crew stranded 70,000 light years from home, traveling back to their own quadrant will take at least 75 years. They've left behind family, loved ones, hopes, and dreams, and the chances of ever seeing home again are slim to none. There was a lot to be afraid of in the Delta Quadrant, but when Voyager happened upon a planet that suffered an ecological disaster years earlier, they hope to revive the survivors who put themselves into stasis. After filling the two empty pods and connecting to the central mainframe, crew members B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) find themselves face-to-face with a terrifying clown in a virtual reality.

Offering herself in exchange for the aliens held hostage, Janeway enters only as a hologram. She tricks the Clown and conquers the fear it had been feeding on to sustain itself. A lesson that can easily be applied to nearly every situation they face in the Delta Quadrant, she is a constant source of inspiration and empowerment.

RELATED: 21 Ways Star Trek Predicted the Future

8 "You can use logic to justify almost anything. That's its power. And its flaw."

In Season 1, Episode 10, Janeway and Voyager encounter a highly advanced race with the technology to transport them 40,000 light years closer to home. Much like Starfleet's Prime Directive, however, they don't share their technology for fear of it falling into the wrong hands. Even as Janeway notes it being the first time she's come down on the other side of the Prime Directive, they must respect their point of view. Behind Janeway's back, members of the crew make arrangements to steal the technology, an action supported by Tuvok (Tim Russ,) but when the technology backfires and the truth outs, a furious Janeway counters Tuvok's justification of logic as his reason for ignoring her command.

Relative to almost any situation, this quote is incredibly profound. Vulcans have long been known for building their culture and society on the foundation of logic. However, logic can be used to justify any number of actions, no matter how dangerous or morally wrong, and therein lies the problem.

7 "You can't just walk away from your responsibilities because you made a mistake."

A resident of the Delta Quadrant, Neelix (Ethan Phillips) was a valuable asset to the Voyager crew after they were stranded. While he made himself useful in other ways, including providing home-cooked meals and morale-boosting antics, he feared becoming useless when he was no longer able to provide accurate information about areas of the Quadrant he wasn't familiar with. This led him to cutting a deal with someone he knew to be of questionable character. When his efforts failed, he was sure he was no longer of value and intended to leave Voyager.

Janeway's advice to his illogical response goes a long way in every situation. Mistakes are a part of everyday life, and if giving up were the solution, nothing would ever get done, and life would be incredibly unfulfilling.

6 "Who are we to swoop in, play god, and then continue on our way..."

When B'Elanna finds herself repairing a sentient robot, it asks her to help restore its race. Asking Janeway for permission, her request is denied, as Janeway believes it to be a violation of the Prime Directive. At one point, the captain poses the question: "Who are we to swoop in, play god and then continue on our way without the slightest consideration of the long-term effects of our actions?"

This very poignant observation sheds light on the Prime Directive in one of the most understandable ways. Across the many branches of the Star Trek Universe, crews have found themselves avoiding interactions with certain planets and races because the nature of their technology would be too much for those societies to handle. In essence, they seem like gods to these underdeveloped civilizations, lifting them higher than any one species has the right to be.

5 "I'm your captain. That means I can't always be your friend."

On such a strange and prolonged journey, the lines between superior officer and friend sometimes felt blurred for a lot of the crew. This was especially true for Seven of Nine, who, despite her many protests to the contrary, looked up to Captain Janeway as a mentor, leader, and friend. Having spent the majority of her human life in the Collective , it wasn't always possible for her to make sense of basic human concepts, like friendship. In Season 4, Episode 26, "Hope and Fear", Seven was forced to face the overwhelming fear of rejoining human society when the possibility of Voyager arriving home sooner than anticipated crops up.

Seven was often at odds with Janeway, whose patience as her friend and mentor was only overwritten when she needed to play the role of captain. This was something she didn't believe Seven understood. The former Borg's response that they would understand one another when they were assimilated proved that, despite their differences, Seven felt comfortable enough with her friend and her captain to make such a grim joke.

RELATED: Exclusive: Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn Say Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Is Bigger and Better

4 "Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised… I beat the Borg with it."

Coffee played a major role in shaping Captain Janeway's character. Without it, she felt hopeless and defeated, and was often known to have upwards of four cups on really stressful days. One of her funniest directives even sent the crew into a dangerous nebula in search of coffee to replenish their stores, but maybe it wasn't so funny after all. She did use coffee once to poison and defeat the Borg, after all. As it turns out, they have a unique sensitivity to caffeine, so coffee kept Janeway alive in more ways than one, despite the Doctor advising her to give it up for her health.

3 Now this is how I prefer the Borg. In pieces!

The Borg have been a looming threat in space for as long as anyone can remember. Being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, where the Borg hailed from, Voyager had its fair share of encounters with them. It is, after all, how they came to welcome Seven of Nine among them. Some could even reason that Janeway's mission to return Seven to her human life that forced her to become especially vicious when it came to the Borg.

Relying on Seven to lead them to a damaged Borg sphere where they can obtain a transwarp coil, the damaged Borg provokes one of Janeway's most memorable lines. She is not the only one who prefers disassembled, but the number of encounters she had with them in the Delta Quadrant almost certainly made her want to wipe them out almost as much as Captain Picard.

2 "There are three things to remember about being a starship captain."

Captain Janeway had a lot of good advice to offer across Voyager's seven seasons in the Delta Quadrant. Not only did she give advice, but she was pretty solid when it came to practicing what she preached. Her three things to remember about being a Starship Captain, which she imparted to the first child born on Voyager, included keeping your shirt tucked in, going down with the ship and never abandoning a member of your crew.

Save for rare moments of downtime, she was always appropriately dressed when on deck. She absolutely intended to go down with the ship when it came down to it. She never abandoned a single member of the crew, not even when Harry Kim thought to join the unique race that claimed his as one of their own, or when Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) was accused of murder.

1 "Set a course... for home."

Five little words, and yet they meant so much. Considering everything Voyager went through on their journey to find a way home, few actually believed they would ever see their friends or family again. In this incredibly memorable last line of the series, Captain Janeway says the words everyone has been waiting to hear from the moment they became trapped on the other side of the galaxy. When the crew finally came up with a solution to get themselves back to the Alpha Quadrant, there was a palpable sense of relief that even fans could feel when the captain finally issued the command, "Set a course... for home."

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Star Trek: The Captain's Table

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In 2005, Pocket Books revisited the Captain's Table with an anthology Tales from the Captain's Table , featuring the captains who'd been added to the Trek pantheon in the years since the original miniseries: Jonathan Archer ( Enterprise ), William T. Riker ( Titan ), Kira Nerys ( Deep Space Nine ), Chakotay ( Voyager ), Elizabeth Shelby ( Star Trek: New Frontier ), David Gold ( Star Trek: SCE ), Klag , son of M'Raq ( Star Trek: IKS Gorkon ), and Demora Sulu ( Star Trek: The Lost Era ), plus a story of Jean-Luc Picard and the Stargazer .

Premise [ ]

The Captain's Table is a mysterious bar, run by a being known only as "Cap". Only captains (or people who were at a time acting captains) are entitled to enter the establishment. Traditionally, new captains are brought to the bar by their friends or former commanding officers; Captain Picard introduced Captain Riker upon his promotion.

The bar appears to exist in another dimension because its door can appear anywhere around the galaxy , and it is visible only to captains. This is corroborated by the fact that the bar door could not be seen by Tom Paris when he was on an away mission with Captain Janeway ; it appeared to the young M'k'n'zy on the planet Xenex, and even to Captain E.J. Smith of the RMS Titanic while aboard his vessel.

Drinks in the bar are provided free of any monetary charge; the "payment" required by the proprietor is for the captain to tell a story to the rest of the patrons. This story does not necessarily have to be about the captain, nor does it have to be true; Captain Archer entertained the bar with a suspense-filled (and, from the perspective of the reader, plainly false) tale of his first meeting with "Porthos the Great", portraying the beagle as a famous spy-dog.

Thus, the Captain's Table novels are a collection of short stories, each told by a captain or commander from Trek lore, bookended by short sequences taking place inside the Captain's Table bar.

The author of each book can be seen as a background character in the cover art.

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• Star Trek: The Captain's Table at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
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Published Apr 16, 2024

WARP FIVE: Callum Keith Rennie on Discovery's Gruff First Officer

The Star Trek: Discovery actor talks Rayner's second chance, command style, and more!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for the fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery.

Getty Images / StarTrek.com

Welcome to Warp Five, StarTrek.com's five question post-mortem with your favorite featured talent from the latest Star Trek episodes.

We're only three episodes into Star Trek: Discovery 's final season, but the stakes could not be higher. Not long after saving the entire galaxy from the Dark Matter Anomaly, Captain Michael Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery is handed a Red Directive mission from Dr. Kovich.

An 800-year-old science vessel was found on the edge of the Beta Quadrant. Aboard that ship is "something vital to the security of the Federation." They are to retrieve that artifact; however, they're not the only ones on the hunt for the artifact's ancient power. While chasing two criminals in the fifth season opener, " Red Directive ," Burnham comes across Captain Rayner and the U.S.S. Antares who is also hot on their trail and unwilling to let Moll and L'ak go as easily as the Discovery captain.

StarTrek.com had the opportunity to speak with actor Callum Keith Rennie on making first contact with Star Trek , demotions and second chances, his approach to Discovery 's newest distinguished yet gruff first officer, and more.

Point of First Contact

"Under the Twin Moons"

StarTrek.com

Like many others, Rennie was first introduced to the franchise with The Original Series in his youth.

"My first contact with Star Trek was watching it on TV with the original," remembers Rennie. "That's the one that I always reference. If it comes on, I watch it still. For me, I did see all of those other variations as they came out, but I held onto my Spock and my Jim Kirk."

For the Love of the Federation

"Red Directive"

In "Red Directive," as Burnham and Discovery is in hot pursuit of this season's main antagonists, Moll and L'ak, they soon learn that the Antares captain has been pursuing them for quite some time, and he refuses to let the slippery pair go each time they're within grasp.

When asked how big of a threat Moll and L'ak, as well as the Progenitor tech, pose to the Federation? Rennie teases that more will be revealed in time, "He has a history [with them] that will be explained later."

Speaking on the choices we've seen Rayner make in response to the two criminals, he shares, "That's Rayner's style of command. His is, 'We're to get those people; we're not to make concessions.' There's no other way outside of what he wants to do. His drive is to succeed; 'Pick a thing, I'll go do it.' That's what he knows how to do."

The distinction is clear; Rayner is a gruff, smart Starfleet captain who holds a clear line between commander and crew — he leads, they follow. His approach is, you get the job done and apologize later.

In an earlier discussion with StarTrek.com , executive producer and co-showrunner Michelle Paradise noted, "What's interesting about [Captain Rayner] is that he is going to be a bit of an antagonist, but not in a bad guy way. He's going to push Burnham, and we'll get to see new sides of Burnham and new growth in Burnham because of her interactions with him."

He has a storied track record of wartime success. In " Under the Twin Moons ," Federation president Rillak has to remind him that times have changed and they're no longer at war. However, the Antares captain sees threats everywhere, arguing that the Breens are in-fighting, the Orions are regrouping, and war is always a possibility. Not only that, Moll and L'ak now have a head start at retrieving a piece of technology with unbelievable power. He wants everyone to stop living in a "candy-colored holo fantasy."

The Fallout of Q'Mau

During Burnham and Rayner's first run-in, while Discovery 's captain sabotages the fleeing thieves' ship while on the hull of their ship, she tells the Antares captain to release its tractor beam hold as the enemy vessel's warp bubble is starting to collapse and her ship can't beam her out to safety while she's in the diminishing bubble. Then, while on Q'Mau together, Rayner continues to pursue Moll and L'ak on his own leaving Burnham and Cleveland 'Book' Booker behind; stating he doesn't have time for their "strategic advantages." Rayner plans to thwart their getaway by detonating the explosive charges hidden in a mountain's entrance, risking the potential of harming those living on the settlement of Q'Mau. Burnham reminds him they're on a non-Federation planet undertaking a highly sensitive and classified mission. When the detonation spirals into a fast-moving avalanche that would decimate the local inhabitants, Discovery requests Antares aid them in creating a shield to block the avalanche as there is not enough time to evacuate. However, Rayner holds off on letting Antares leave orbit at the risk of allowing the two thieves to evade them again.

When Rayner is held accountable for his actions as Federation Headquarters holds an inquiry to the events on Q'Mau. Despite his commendable 30 years of service to Starfleet, and his longstanding friendship with Admiral Vance, the Antares captain was forced to take an early retirement.

"Here's a guy who's been in command for 30 years," Rennie distills. "He goes in to help Burnham and her crew, and then the next thing you know, he's dismissed. So, all of that is bad. If he didn't show up to participate in any of that, he would still just be running his own crew and doing his own thing. He'd be happy on the Antares until the end of time. But he went to help, he made a decision that caused a problem, and then he was fired, sent out to pasture, and he has to make a decision to go, 'Am I done or am I not done?'"

Second Chances and Second Contacts

"Jinaal"

Valuing Rayner's aid he provided her crew while she was on Lyrek, Captain Burnham tells Rayner she'd like for him to be part of her crew — her first officer position has opened up — and she knows he's not ready to end his Starfleet career here. After all, no one understands the value of a second chance more than Burnham herself.

Reflecting on the opportunity presented to his character Rayner, Rennie notes, "He wants to try to be a better person. He's looking at his stuff going, acknowledging at times that he's been too impulsive and doing the the thing that he shouldn't have done, and but doing it anyway."

On his second chance, Rennie adds, "Does he want to be retired or does he still want to be part of the Federation and Starfleet? And he makes that choice, believing, 'What's the worst that can happen? They'll fire me again.'"

An important component of modern Star Trek has been to show the many facets of Starfleet and the Federation. It's not a monolithic institution incapable of faults.

"You do the best job you can at the given moment, and sometimes that works out and sometimes that doesn't," reflects Rennie. "You have to be, 'Well, let's take that risk.' From a commander standpoint, nothing's infallible. There's certain missions that only certain people will be assigned to because of their style. He's the man for the job," before teasing, "You'll soon discover why he's a little harsh at times."

In " Jinaal ," while Burnham heads to the surface of Trill to unlock their latest crew, Rayner is tasked with getting to know the senior crew better. While his first impression wasn't great, he now has the opportunity to make a second first impression. Unfortunately for him, his second contact isn't off to a great start when he offers the crew 20 words to provide him insight into them.

It's not going to be an overnight scenario for Rayner to change his ways. "He doesn't want to participate with the Discovery crew the way Burnham wants him to be a team player," he explains. "He's not in that space yet. He's not good at, 'Let's all be friends.' It's not his style."

Joining the Discovery Family

Rennie's experience joining a series in its final season mirrors Rayner's experience joining a tight-knit crew.

"Coming into a show, you're a new kid in school, you don't know who you're going to be friends with," states Rennie. "You don't know if you're going to get along with anybody. Much like Rayner is there to do his work, I'm there to do my work. But, my [personal] experience was fun. Episode to episode, time spent with everyone, you warm up. There's a warmth that just grows as you move along [with Sonequa Martin-Green and this cast], and you've become part of something."

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

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: Discovery' Season 5's Captain Rayner Ran His Ship Like a Pirate

Callum Keith Rennie also discusses coming into 'Discovery's final season, getting into prosthetics, and how much he has in common with Rayner.

The Big Picture

• Callum Keith Rennie's Captain Rayner brings conflict and depth to Star Trek: Discovery 's final season.
• Rennie discusses his experience on Star Trek: Discovery , praising the supportive cast and crew, despite the initial challenges of joining an established series for its last season.
• In Season 5, Episode 4 "Face the Strange," Burnham and Rayner must work together within a time bubble to save the universe.

As Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) embarks on one last adventure with her crew, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is bringing a few new characters along for the ride. Chief among those newcomers is the blunt, war-worn Captain Rayner. Played by Battlestar Galactica alum Callum Keith Rennie , Rayner is Burnham's new second in command on the Discovery , taking over after Saru ( Doug Jones ) took a different position at Starfleet.

Having lived through The Burn, Rayner doesn't have time for niceties and butts heads with Burnham almost immediately — so naturally, she takes it upon herself to give him a second chance when Starfleet is ready to cut him loose. Last week's episode saw him, rightfully, put in his place a bit as Tilly ( Mary Wiseman ) attempted to help him connect with the crew, much to his chagrin. In Season 5 Episode 4, "Face the Strange," Rayner and Burnham are thrown into a time bubble, forcing them to work together if they ever want to get back to the correct timeline and prevent the universe from being destroyed.

Ahead of the episode, I sat down with Rennie to dig into Rayner's backstory, what we can expect from him in the rest of the season, and what it will take for Rayner to truly connect with the crew of Discovery . During our conversation, we also discussed Rennie's history with sci-fi, what it was like joining Discovery for the show's final season, and what he's taking away from the whole experience.

Star Trek: Discovery

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

Rennie is no stranger to science fiction, having had roles in such series as The Umbrella Academy , Jessica Jones, and Battlestar Galactica. As Battlestar Galactica was the series that turned me into a sci-fi fan, and perhaps Rennie's most recognizable role, I had to ask him about being a part of such massive and beloved franchises within the genre. "It's amazing," he said. For Rennie, even though Battlestar was also a reboot of a classic series , the show's success was a lot less predictable than the mainstay that is Star Trek . He explained, "Like, say Battlestar , when I started on that I had no idea where that one was gonna go. Discovery was already very established , but I actually didn't let any of that into my [head], because I went, “That's not gonna help.” So, I didn’t. Now, I'm feeling the world of it. Now, I'm sensing what the world of Discovery is and how many people love it, and how it fits. "

Discovery also isn't his first experience with Star Trek , "I watched the original. That was my thing, and that was it," Rennie told me. While he may have missed some of the series' in between, saying, "There's big chunks of time where I just didn't watch a lot of TV, so I missed all of the other stuff," he'll always make time for The Original Series when he comes across it, "even if the old Star Trek comes on, I'll still watch it because that was my Star Trek . Jim Kirk, and all of that. "

While we've gotten a pretty good sense of who Rayner is in these first four episodes, most of his backstory remains a mystery. Rennie revealed that "some backstory comes up in a few episodes." Part of his gruff exterior will be explained as we'll "get a sense of why he's maybe got a chip on his shoulder and has some unprocessed resentments about a bunch of things that maybe have played out in his work in a negative way."

Rennie Calls 'Star Trek: Discovery's Latest Episode "Amazing"

"Face the Strange," is such a classic Star Trek episode, employing the ever-entertaining sci-fi trope of sticking our main characters in a time loop, both to put an obstacle in their path as well as to bring them face to face with some of their own demons. For Rennie, the episode really put the science in science fiction. "It was like, 'Whoa! What's happening? I don't get it.' There's just so much science stuff and talk, so much jumping about to places and history and stuff." But he had high praise for his fellow castmates as well as the crew behind the camera." Lee [Rose] being the director, you're in great hands. Being in scenes with Sonequa, you know that you're gonna be in it , and it was great. I watched it again last night, and there’s just an amazing amount of stuff in there. It was just an amazing episode. "

In this episode, Burnham and Rayner are tossed back in time to the first season of Discovery , bringing them both face to face with the version of Burnham who's fresh off her own demotion in Starfleet . Throughout the episode, it becomes quite clear that Burnham and Rayner have a lot more in common than either of them might have realized. When asked if this experience might put them more on equal footing, Rennie confirmed that "he's learned an understanding of the crew." He went on to point out that we haven't seen the relationship that Rayner had with his own crew.

He explained: "We're not on the Antares talking about his crew, which I think is an important part that we missed, where you go, 'How did I see my people on my particular ship? And how well did I know them?' No one's asking me how well I knew everybody because I did, but if I've only been there a brief time, you're only gonna have facts." He admits that it is important for Rayner to connect past the surface level. "Through that particular episode, you learn and go, 'Yes, it is good to know what people are up to and where they're from,' because in that particular instance, it saved us. So, I learned a thing, and I give a, 'Yes. Got it. Thank you.'"

Rayner Will Have to Shorten the Distance Between Himself and the Discovery Crew

While it doesn't sound like we'll be getting any flashbacks to Rayner's time on the Antares Rennie believes that he'd spent a similar amount of time with that crew as Michael has with hers. "We didn't get to inhabit that, I get to make it up in my own mind," he said. "But for me, it was more like a pirate ship that I had. " While Rayner comes off as the more stubborn, stick-to-the-mission Captain between him and Burnham, Rennie doesn't think he was quite so strict on his own ship. He said:

"That's the way I perceived it. It wasn't some rigid, completely stoic, boss fest, but a little bit of a wild card ship. We're gonna go into things that nobody else wants to go into, or knows how to deal with, but we would. "

While the walls around Rayner are still pretty high, Rennie explained that we will see him "shorten the distance" he's put between himself and the crew of the Discovery. "There's a great bit, there's an episode where Burnham leaves me again to take control of the ship. There's an interaction with everybody in a certain way because they don't like me yet. [Laughs] And I need some help a little bit, but I've created a distance, and I have to shorten that distance between everybody." He went on to say there are plenty of "fun dynamics" to look forward to and Rayner's insistence on keeping everyone at arm's length will likely come back to bite him.

Star Trek has quite a long list of original alien species created for the franchise, and Rayner just happens to be a Kellerun, a race that hasn't been seen since Deep Space Nine . In classic Trek fashion, Kelleruns appear mostly human with the most visible difference being the shape of the ears. As he follows in the footsteps of the likes of Leonard Nimoy and any actor who has ever played a Vulcan or a Romulan, I asked Rennie about getting into prosthetics for the role. "Those guys are great. Rocky [Faulkner] was great, Nicola [Bendrey] was great." While it was certainly an extra step the process was brief enough that it didn't bother him to come to set a bit earlier than usual. "That was probably an hour, and I really didn't think about that enough to go, 'Oh, that's right. I have to get up earlier.' But I think we got it down to an hour and a bit for just the ears because there’s a lot of stuff on them."

Despite the agonizing wait of sitting in front of a mirror for an hour, Rennie noted that Faulkner and Bendrey made the make-up experience as fun as it could possibly have been. He said: "I don't love just sitting there looking at myself for an hour, but there's music and great company and coffee, and it became a really sweet part of the day, and then another sweet part of the day where I download. " It wasn't his first time getting into prosthetics, but his previous experience had been brief. After playing Rayner across an entire season, Rennie admitted by the end, removing the glue actually started to feel like you'd expect pulling costume glue off your ears to feel. "There was a point near the end where the glue-on, glue-off became quite painful for a while."

The Support of the Cast and the Fans Are Highlights of Rennie's 'Star Trek' Experience

While this is Rennie's first season on the show, it's the final bow for Star Trek: Discovery . When asked what he'd be taking away from this experience, he had nothing but high praise for the cast and crew. As a newcomer on a well-established show, jumping into the fifth season had a bit of a learning curve. "I found that coming into the show was difficult for me because it was unlike a show that I'd been on before. It was already very well established." He went on to say:

"I pat myself on the back because I made it through, and there was this wonderful group energy that helped me do that. The good naturedness of the show was something that I maybe haven't worked on. There was a wholehearted goodness about it, which was quite nice, which overlapped into how people treated each other and mutual respect. Also, I kind of blocked out all Star Treks in my mind, so I'm there not thinking of Star Trek history. I'm just doing scene-to-scene and working on this stuff, and then it finishes, and then I forget that there's an incredible vast following of the show that somehow you are now part of it like that. All of that, this is all relatively new to me."

As a new addition to an already established group, I pointed out that it seemed as though Rennie's experience mirrored that of his characters, and he agreed. "I'm excited for people to see the season. And then, coming into it playing, “I don't want to be liked. It doesn't matter if I'm liked. I'm there to do my job, like Rayner, and I'm doing it. And then there's the after-effect of an incredible fan base that seems to be very supportive ."

You can watch our full conversation in the player above, and catch the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery now on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 Review: One Hell of a Final Ride

Watch on Paramount+

"Star Trek: Discovery" makes a case for Michael Burnham as the last great Starfleet captain

Our "discovery" protagonist was never going to have it easy. the start of her last run solidifies her greatness, by melanie mcfarland.

Michael Burnham's " Star Trek " journey was destined to be among the franchise's toughest and most complex. Some of us knew this from the moment Sonequa Martin-Green was cast to play her, especially Black women who are sci-fi geeks. We have never been few, but until recently, we were far less visible than we are now.

To some, this visibility symbolizes everything that has supposedly gone wrong with this franchise and others. The reach of " Star Trek: Discovery " goes even further by assembling a truly inclusive cast that blew apart the original series' longstanding heteronormativity.

All this further angered culture war trolls and self-appointed arbiters of what is so-called "real" "Star Trek." These people have a vested interest in downvoting any such divergences from what has gone before.

Mainly it was — as it continues to be — the purists who wrote off "Discovery" as "not Trek" during  its first season in 2017 . Looking back from its final season — and from the perspective of Burnham's 900-year journey — we can say that despite how its thematic shading looked to us then , "Discovery" never abandoned Gene Roddenberry's optimism . It has simply evolved its interpretation.

In the first season, not even Burnham would believe this to hold true. A human raised on Vulcan by Spock's  father, Sarek, and as his sister, Burnham earns her first officer role through superior conduct and logic, divorcing herself from sentiment.

Burnham's smug sense of rectitude gets her superior officer killed. She is charged with mutiny, stripped of her rank and sentenced to life in prison.

From there, she stops a rogue galactic A.I. from annihilating the Federation and leaps nine centuries into the future (thereby largely freeing herself and the show from restrictive canon) to find a universe where Starfleet as it used to be is a dream, and the Federation and its ideals are broken.

"Discovery's" swansong season finds Burnham in the year 3191, with enough of the Federation's trust to take on a highly classified mission alongside Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), who has already earned the same commendations as Kirk and Picard. His reputation precedes him, in other words. Their quest relates to a Picard-era discovery that Starfleet fears can be used to eradicate all humanoid life in the universe.

"Discovery" never abandoned Gene Roddenberry's optimism. It has simply evolved its interpretation. 

Their success should place her on par with the greats, an honor that showrunner Michelle Paradise and the show's co-creator Alex Kurtzman have been driving toward all this time.

Some indicators of that goal aren't as obvious as others, like the sequence in which Rayner defies Burnham during an away mission, trusting in his overconfidence instead of her strategic acumen. His snap judgment endangers a planet's civilian population, leaving her to fix the crisis he has created.

Women watching this — especially Black women, I would wager — might have experienced a slight rage triggering in their soul that was mollified by Burnham pulling the very Obama-esque move of asking Rayner to replace her trusted friend Saru (Doug Jones) as her first officer. (The job was coming open, anyway; Saru is shifting into diplomacy mode and getting married.)

This is the move of a great leader. Then again, like Kate Mulgrew's long underappreciated Captain Janeway, it may not be appreciated by the fandom for many, many years.

Burnham's arc contradicts what we know about the great Starfleet captains profiled in this franchise, most of whom are white and male.

Burnham's arc contradicts what we know about the great Starfleet captains profiled in this franchise, most of whom are white and male, though if that were the extent of what differentiates her from the rest, it would barely be worth mentioning.

Records of their histories come to us as snippets of dialogue from secondary characters or contextualizing conversations from what the official logs have to say about past missions. We hear about who served under whom, granting legitimacy to the likes of, say, Christopher Pike to claim the captain's chair long before Anson Mount made us ecstatic to see that happen.

Burnham's path to the helm's command begins with what should be a life- and career-ending mistake. It's constantly defined by humility and doubt. No one is harder on Burnham than she is on herself — and nobody takes as many risks with their career or reputation to keep their crew alive. Her optimism is one guided by the hope that all obstacles can be overcome and all outcomes are possible, including for herself.

Despite all of this, it will take a lot of convincing for some people to consider Burnham among the top ranks of Starfleet captains in those occasional fan polls that tend to place Jean-Luc Picard or James T. Kirk in the top positions, though Captain Pike has offered stiff competition since "Strange New Worlds" first aired.

But our relatively newfound love of Pike and that show wouldn't be possible without "Discovery" venturing into the unmapped asteroid field that is the public's willingness to boldly go back to a dormant franchise in a wildly disunified era.

This doesn't merely refer to the role of "Discovery" introducing Mount's Pike, in addition to launching every other new "Trek" spinoff along with the streaming service currently known as Paramount+ . It did all this along with shouldering the more precarious mission of serving as the franchise's vanguard in a cynical age.

If you love "Lower Decks" and "Strange New Worlds," this is in part due to the producers' listening to the fandom's programming desires accordingly. Notice, for example, how unlike the first season of "Picard"  is from the third . Initially, "Picard" tried to do something different with the beloved character. It ended his adventures by reassembling the band for the spectacular last ride their films denied them. The new "Star Trek" series have a goal of delivering something for everyone, including kids. "Discovery" helped its custodians figure that out.

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And if you love "Discovery," its devotion to showcasing those who long felt unseen in this franchise may kindle that affection. "Discovery" gave us an Asian woman as a Starship captain in Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou and a happily married duo to root for in Wilson Cruz's Dr. Hugh Culber in Anthony Rapp's Paul Stamets.

It introduced Tig Notaro in its second season as Jett Reno, a decision for which everyone should be grateful. The third gave us the franchise's first transgender and non-binary characters in Ian Alexander's Trill Gray and Blu del Barrio's Adira Tal.

Through it all, we have also entirely fallen for Mary Wiseman's Sylvia Tilly, a woman who also knew a few things about self-doubt and, therefore, values being understood.

What some would cite as humanizing traits, others might write off as maudlin, along with the fact that Burnham was able to experience a fully realized love affair that began with a partnership of equals with a courier named Booker (David Ajala).

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter , Crash Course.

It's only one of the many ways that "Discovery" is consciously disparate from "Star Trek" as we have long known it, daring to change everything from the look of the Klingons to its star character's role in igniting a war between them and the United Federation of Planets.

That was then. Hundreds of years after that moment, Captain Burnham has figured herself out, proving to the many who doubted her that she deserves to be there.

She has traveled the longest road through imposter syndrome of any Starfleet captain — most of a millennium, actually — and we have witnessed every major moment that forged her. Burnham may never win the major "Star Trek" popularity contests for favorite captains, but without a doubt, she's the last great one we may ride with in this universe.

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

stories about "Star Trek"

• "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" considers the weight of Khan's wrathful legacy
• How "Strange New Worlds" uses Rebecca Romijn's Number One to place prejudice on trial
• "Pike made jambalaya": How "Strange New Worlds" Captain Pike expresses care and diplomacy with food

Melanie McFarland is Salon's award-winning senior culture critic. Follow her on Twitter: @McTelevision

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‘Star Trek’ Fan Leaves Behind a Collection Like No One Has Done Before

When Troy Nelson died, his shelves were filled to the rafters with memorabilia from the popular franchise. Soon, the massive collection will be boldly going, going, gone.

Evan Browne said her brother Troy’s love of “Star Trek” began with the original series, which he and his siblings watched at dinnertime. Credit... Connie Aramaki for The New York Times

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By Sopan Deb

• Published April 1, 2024 Updated April 3, 2024

Editors’ Note, April 2, 2024: After publication, The Times learned that Troy and Andrew Nelson were named in a civil lawsuit filed in Pierce County Superior Court in 1998, in which they were accused of molesting three disabled adults in a state-licensed facility that they operated. After a six-week jury trial, Washington State was ordered to pay $17.8 million to the plaintiffs. The state said it intended to appeal but missed the deadline and paid the victims. The Nelson brothers denied the allegations and were never criminally charged.

Troy Nelson and his younger brother Andrew were almost inseparable.

The two youngest of six, they were born two years apart. They lived together in their childhood home in Bremerton, Wash., for more than half a century. Near their home, there is a park bench on which they carved their initials as young boys.

The Nelson brothers never married or had children. They worked together at the same senior home. They even once, as teenagers, dated the same girl at the same time while working different shifts at the same pizza shop. This lasted a week until they realized it.

“Two parts of one body,” Evan Browne, their older sister, said of their relationship in an interview.

On Feb. 28, Andrew Nelson, who had been treated for cancer for years, went to feed the chickens and ducks that were gifts from Ms. Browne to her brothers. He had a heart attack and died. He was 55. Just hours later, Troy Nelson, who was stricken with grief, took his own life. He was 57.

“He had talked about it before,” Browne, 66, said, tearfully. “He said, ‘Hey, if Andrew goes, I’m out of here. I’m checking out.’ Andrew would say the same thing, and then it really happened .”

What Troy Nelson left behind has become a sensation. After his death, family members posted pictures on social media of his massive — and, really, the keyword is massive — collection of “Star Trek” memorabilia, which have now been shared thousands of times.

The items took up two living rooms and a bedroom, all lined with bookshelves, according to Elena Hamel, one of the brothers’ nieces. The centers of the rooms were lined with additional bookshelves — all packed to the brim — to create aisles. There were jewelry cabinets serving as display cases.

The shelves contained action figures. Dolls. Models of ships. Posters. Ornaments. Lunchboxes. Legos. Several toy phasers and tricorders. (For non-Trek fans, the phaser is a weapon, and a tricorder is, essentially, a fancy smartphone.) Multiple “Star Trek” lamps. (Yes, there are “Star Trek” lamps.) Trading cards. Comic books. Trek-themed Geeki Tikis (stylized tiki mugs). Life-size cutouts of famous characters. A life-size captain’s chair.

While it’s impossible to account for every private collector in the world, Troy Nelson’s collection is almost assuredly among the largest — if not the largest.

The last additions to the collection came in the final weeks of his life: Stuffed rabbits in “Star Trek” uniforms. “I’ve never seen a collection that size,” said Russ Haslage, the president of the International Federation of Trekkers , a “Star Trek”-themed nonprofit that Haslage founded with Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise.

Haslage’s organization opened in 2020 a “Star Trek” museum in Sandusky, Ohio, that has received donations of memorabilia from estates. Those collections “pale in comparison” to Mr. Nelson’s, he said. (Haslage has reached out to the family to ask about donations from the collection.)

The older brother’s love of “Star Trek” began with the original series, which he’d watch with his siblings.

“It was our dinner meal,” Ms. Browne said. “When we had dinner, we were sitting in front of ‘Star Trek.’”

Troy Nelson began collecting in the late-1970s. His first acquisition was a model version of the Starship Enterprise. Then came Star Trek conventions. Why the franchise was such a draw to him remains a mystery to his family.

“I really can’t say. I mean, other than the fact that he was brainwashed with it at dinner time,” Browne said, laughing. “That sounds ridiculous. When we grew up, it’s like, ‘Dinner is at this time. And if you don’t get here at this time, you don’t get dinner.’ So it might’ve been a comfort for him .”

Troy Nelson would often monitor sites like eBay for items he didn’t have. On several occasions, he would express frustration on losing out on an item before being able to bid on it. Until he found out the reason.

“Andrew already got it for him,” Ms. Browne recalled.

Obsessive “Star Trek” fandom has long become an indelible part of pop culture, especially as the franchise — which has spawned several television series, movies, novels and comics — has been a long-running institution. There have been documentaries that have studied the subject, such as “Trekkies” in 1997. It’s been lampooned on “The Simpsons,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Family Guy,” and become a story line in an episode of “The West Wing,” among many others. For dedicated fans, accruing collectibles isn’t uncommon.

“When you collect these things, you’re closer to that genre that you enjoy so much,” Haslage said. “When I first started in 1979, I was grabbing everything I could get my hands on because it was cool, and it was a piece of the whole ‘Star Trek’ mythos. If you have these pieces, you’re a part of that universe in some way.”

It turns out that collecting is a pursuit that runs in the family.

Andrew Nelson collected mall swords, Ryobi-branded tools and statues of warrior women, like Xena, the warrior princess .

Browne’s house has a wall with thousands of smashed pennies and her living room windows are full of glass sugar and creamer bowls.

Browne’s father, Bud Peers, collected salt and pepper shakers, guns and knives. Troy and Andrew’s father, Norman Nelson, collected scrap metal and wood.

Hamel has 17 Christmas trees, all fully decorated with separate themes.

Browne’s son, Michael, who is 36, collects anything and everything related to black bears.

“ When you have a large collection like that and it’s displayed like that,” Hamel said, “and it’s something that is important to you, it’s often really calming to be in a space like that. It’s just all the things that you love. It’s soothing.”

As far as Browne knew, Troy had no history of mental illness or any previous suicide attempts. After Andrew died, she received a distraught and frantic call from Troy with the news. She told him that she was on her way.

Ms. Browne said she called him when she got to the Tacoma Bridge. No answer. And then again, at the Manette Bridge. No answer. When she reached their home, the back door was open. And then she found him. The phone call was the last time they spoke.

Troy Nelson did not leave a note, but did leave some things meticulously arranged by his computer, including a key to the house, burial plans for the two brothers, and bills.

“ I don’t know really what I thought,” Ms. Browne said. “All I could do was just scream.”

The Nelson family is boxing up Troy’s “Star Trek” collection to prepare it for auction. Andrew’s ashes will be placed in an urn carved in the likeness of the supermodel Bettie Page . (He was a fan.) Troy’s ashes will be placed in a “Star Trek” lunchbox.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.

Sopan Deb is a Times reporter covering breaking news and culture. More about Sopan Deb

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4 Exclusive Clip

Posted: April 17, 2024 | Last updated: April 17, 2024

On the way to the next clue, the U.S.S. Discovery is sabotaged by a mysterious weapon, leaving Captain Burnham, Rayner, and Stamets as the only crew members who can possibly save the ship in time.The fifth and final season of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well … dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.STAR TREK: DISCOVERY season five cast members include Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Callum Keith Rennie (Rayner). Season five also features recurring guest stars Elias Toufexis (L’ak) and Eve Harlow (Moll).The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Sonequa Martin-Green, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers. Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise serve as co-showrunners.

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Sonequa Martin-Green bids farewell to historic role on "Star Trek: Discovery"

By Analisa Novak

April 4, 2024 / 12:07 PM EDT / CBS News

As "Star Trek: Discovery " ventures into its fifth and final season, Sonequa Martin-Green is preparing to say goodbye to her groundbreaking role as Captain Michael Burnham, the first Black female captain in the franchise's storied history.

Martin-Green recalls the weight of realizing she was making television history. 

"It was overwhelming at the time. And I it was heavy, but God really blessed me with it, and I learned so much from it. I learned so much about who I am as a Black woman. And I learned that I don't have to fight for my value or my worth, because I definitely felt that way," she said.

When she first started in the role in 2017, Martin-Green said she still had a lot of internalized racism she had to navigate. But just like the show, Martin-Green said she has always been about pushing forward with hope. 

"At the time, I thought, 'This is all about hope.' Hope is at the center of this franchise. It's our responsibility to keep that moving forward. People can think what they want to think but they need a chance to grow," she said.

In addition to her on-screen achievements, Martin-Green has also made significant strides behind the camera, ascending from lead actor to executive producer. Her dual role has allowed her to shape the series' direction.

Martin-Green said that the final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" will go "bigger than we had ever done before." Despite not knowing it would be their last season, the team, led by showrunners Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman, fought for and received the opportunity reshoot the series' finale.

As "Discovery" comes to a close, Martin-Green hints at the possibility of continuing the story through a feature film.

"We love these characters. We love the people. We love the story," she said. 

Analisa Novak is a content producer for CBS News and the Emmy-award-winning "CBS Mornings." Based in Chicago, she specializes in covering live events and exclusive interviews for the show. Beyond her media work, Analisa is a United States Army veteran and holds a master's degree in strategic communication from Quinnipiac University.

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