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For years, Star Trek: Tng’s most underutilized character remained so, despite being a fan favorite. The beloved Reginald Barclay, a.k.a. Lt. Barclay, was the bumbling and anxious engineer aboard the Enterprise, who first became famous for his borderline creepy holodeck recreations of the bridge crew. However, he has since risen to legendary status.

Trekkies always loved Barclay because he was like them: socially anxious and awestruck by the people he looked up to the most. While most creators try to insert themselves into their creations (called a Mary Sue character), Star Trek: Tng introduced a character that best represented a typical Trekkie, and Barclay immediately became a hit.

Related: 34-Year-Old Star Trek: Tng Episode Earns Praise for Its Brilliant Costume Design

He was the audience proxy, and though he did some shameful things, he was brought back multiple times. However, the franchise failed to utilize him well,...

Star Trek: Tng was one of the biggest hits for the franchise. Due to the spinoff show, a whole new generation of fans got introduced to the Federation, the Enterprise, and an interstellar adventure of a lifetime. While the futuristic show explored many deep themes, sometimes the episodes were just light-hearted and fun.

One such episode was the season 4 one ‘QPid’, which saw John de Lancie’s Q play cupid to Sir Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard and his romance with Vash. The episode sees Q transport the entire bridge crew and Vash to a Robin Hood-themed forest. The costumes are incredibly done and give a fun edge to the otherwise militaristic bridge crew.

Star Trek: Tng’s Robin Hood-themed episode gets fans’ approval on costumes A still from Star Trek: Tng | Credits: Paramount

You wouldn’t know it, but this bridge crew would fit right in at your local Renaissance Fair.

Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner love Star Trek: Lower Decksand called it "the best show ever" for breaking one of Star Trek's rules. Star Trek: Lower Decks ended on Paramount+ in December 2024 after five seasons. Jonathan Frakes was the first big name from Star Trek: The Next Generation to appear on Lower Decks, voicing Captain Will Riker in seasons 1 and 2. Brent Spiner joined Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 and voiced an alternate universe (and purple) version of Lt. Commander Data's head.

Appearing at South Texas Comic Con together, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner were asked about their stints voicing Riker and Data on Star Trek: Lower Decks.Brent and Jonathan effusively praised Mike McMahan's animated comedy, with Frakes explaining how Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid guest-starring in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crossover episode Frakes directed broke a long-held rule in Star Trek about 'no improvisation.'...

On May 24, 2025, author Peter David passed away after a long series of health maladies. He was 68. David was best known to Trekkies as the writer of the best "Star Trek" tie-in novels, usually bringing a whimsical sense of humor and a lot of larger, headier concepts into his books. David penned the well-known "Star Trek: The Next Generation" novels "Imzadi," "Vendetta," and "Double Helix: Double or Nothing," along with the Q-related books "Q-Squared," "Q-In-Law," and "I, Q," which he penned with actor John de Lancie. He also wrote the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" novels "The Siege" and "Wrath of the Prophets," and three spinoffs of the original series called "The Rift," "The Disinherited," and "The Captain's Daughter." 

Most notably, David created his own "Star Trek" spinoff series in the form of "Star Trek: New Frontier." David assembled multiple supporting characters from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and put...

Star Trek: Tng gave us some of the most unforgettable characters in the history of television. But even such great shows have moments that age poorly, and one of Tng’s biggest missteps still doesn’t sit right with me. While much has been said about Captain Picard’s traumatic transformation into Locutus, there’s another storyline that quietly did far more damage to Geordi.

The writers should have handled the plot with care, but instead, they turned it into something that made him look like a total creep. And sadly, he didn’t deserve what he got.

The one Star Trek betrayal that still infuriates me isn’t about Picard

Look, I’ve always had a soft spot for Star Trek: The Next Generation as it gave us some of the most memorable characters in sci-fi. But there’s one thing that boils my blood every time I think about it – and no,...

Peter David, the beloved and prolific author, whose work included many Star Trek novels and comic books, has died at the age of 68, according to a statement from his wife posted on social media. Kathleen O’Shea David wrote, “Since it is out there. Peter David passed away last night. We are devastated. More when I can write about it.” Based on the timing of the note, David passed away on Sunday, May 23.

David penned more than 75 Star Trek adventures over the years. His books included titles in The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, New Frontier, Starfleet Academy, and Mirror Universe series, including Imzadi, a Tng novel widely considered one of the best, if not the best, of any Star Trek tales ever told, and several Tng books focused on Q, the audionovel versions of which Q actor John de Lancie provided the narrations. He wrote 25+ Star Trek...

Despite once seeming doomed to fail, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" remains one of the best entry points for new fans open to trying out a "Trek" of their own. The Enterprise D, with its carpet floors, body-hugging uniforms, and a thoughtful, almost philosophical mid-'90s liberal approach to exploration and society is showing its age, but it remains less of a time jump than the original series. While "Deep Space Nine" is finally gathering the audience it deserves for its prescient (and better handled than "Section 31") commentary on the deeper issues hiding under the Federation's facade of utopia, it's still a show that rests on what "The Next Generation" prepared for them.

Above all else, it's the crew that makes this show so cozy a landing zone. That's not to say Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) and the rest of his adoptive family are perfect -- as the...

The third season of Star Trek: Picard memorably brought back the majority of the cast of The Next Generation, a move that was celebrated by fans. Season 3 drew a near-perfect score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, which was firmly the highest of all three seasons.

There was a downside to bringing back the stars of The Next Generation, even if it resulted in very high acclaim. Per ScreenRant, Terry Matalas was doing an interview for The Sackhoff Show when addressed becoming sole showrunner for Season 3 after serving as co-showrunner alongside Akiva Goldsman for Season 2. He remembered having a vision to make Season 3 feel more like The Next Generation, and from there, all it took was getting Patrick Stewart on board. Unfortunately, the budget would not allow for Stewart's co-stars from the first two seasons to return, meaning that "sacrifices" had to be made.

"We got to the end of [Picard Season 2], and Akiva’s like,...

Star Trek: Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas explained why it was "terrible" to lose Picard's original actors to make way for the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Santiago Cabrera, Allison Pill, Isa Briones, and Evan Evagora were Star Trek: Picard season 1 series regulars alongside Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Jeri Ryan. However, only Ryan and Hurd joined Stewart for Star Trek: Picard season 3, which reunited Admiral Jean-Luc Picard with his crew from the USS Enterprise-d.

Appearing on The Sackhoff Show to discuss his career, including Marvel Studios' Vision Quest and 12 Monkeys, Terry Matalas explained how he joined Star Trek: Picard as co-showrunner for season 2 with Akiva Goldsman. As sole showrunner for Star Trek: Picard season 3, Matalas told host Katee Sackhoff about having to convince Stewart to bring back the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but that season 3's budget required the "sacrifice" of losing...

Kate Mulgrew created history as the first female Captain to lead a Star Trek show with Voyager. While not as popular as Captain Kirk or Picard, Kathryn Janeway had her own impact in the world as she inspired countless women to go for Stem fields. The impact was nothing less than incredible, despite the show’s relative less popularity.

It was her experience as the face of such an inspirational message that made her doubt if the opportunity to come back to the Star Trek franchise was worth it. Alex Kurtzman, who has been producing the new era of the franchise, offered her the role of Admiral Janeway in the kids’ animated series Star Trek: Prodigy.

Kate Mulgrew was not sure of returning to Alex Kurtzman’s Star Trek series after headlining Voyager Kate Mulgrew in Star Trek: Voyager | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Alex Kurtzman helped reviving the Star Trek franchise...

Star Trek is one of the most famous sci-fi franchises in Hollywood, and with Star Wars, it is right at the top. The franchise has been going on since the ‘60s and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016. Since The Original Series aired in 1966, there have been several spinoff shows, which have enjoyed varying degrees of success.

While many breakout stars have been created due to Star Trek, William Shatner has been its richest actor. The actor who played Captain Kirk in the original series came back with the rest of the cast to star in the six original movies. He also starred in a few more shows and became a prominent public personality.

William Shatner made a huge fortune from his role in Star Trek William Shatner in Star Trek | Credits: Paramount Pictures

The Star Trek franchise has given some great stars to Hollywood and has made talented actors into household names.

Breaking Bad is inarguably one of the greatest shows of all time, with its writing and performances elevating it to a whole new level. The series had assembled a stellar cast led by Bryan Cranston, with several cast members delivering memorable performances.

One of the lesser-known performances from the series came from actor John de Lancie. The veteran actor is best known for his role as Q in the Star Trek franchise. The Next Generation actor delivered a stellar performance as this mostly forgotten character, and here is everything you need to know about his short-lived Breaking Bad stint.

Star Trek: Tng‘s John de Lancie played this Breaking Bad character

Actor John de Lancie is known for playing the role of Q, an extra-dimensional being of unknown origin. The character was first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, with de Lancie appearing in eight episodes.

John de Lancie...

Jeri Ryan addresses what Captain Seven of Nine's unheard warp command is at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3 and the "evil genius" plan she heard about Seven's mystery tagline. Seven of Nine was promoted to Captain of the USS Enterprise-g at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3. However, when the moment came for Captain Seven to order the newest Enterprise to jump to warp speed, Picard season 3 cut away, leaving behind a mystery that has kept fans wondering for over two years.

ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns caught up with Jeri Ryan about her role in Leverage: Redemption season 3, and asked the Star Trek: Voyager fan-favorite about Captain Seven's warp command in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Ryan says there was a greater idea about Seven's warp order that would have kept the mystery going. Check out her quote below:

We didn't [see it in Picard season 3], but I've kind of heard...

Star Trek: Tng became a global phenomenon in its third season, but its previous seasons had some incredible episodes too. The Patrick Stewart starrer was probably the most successful of the Star Trek shows, and its success also led to the creation of four original movies starring the same cast, and spinoff shows like Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

Several alien species have graced Star Trek and have made themselves at home when they cross paths with the Federation. While Tos had Vulcans and Romulans, creator Gene Roddenberry was reportedly not keen on repeating the same species in Tng, and hence, the Borg came into existence. They were introduced in one of the best episodes of the show.

Star Trek: Tng’s incredible episode introduced one of the greatest villainous alien species A still from Star Trek: The Next Generation | Credits: Paramount

When it came to Star Trek: The Next Generation,...

Kevin Spacey has not taken on a single role since 2017 due to his s*xual assault allegations, but this was not the case back in the day. The New Jersey-born actor was killing it in the 90s with action-packed roles like John Doe in David Fincher’s movie Se7en (1995), Kevin “Verbal” Kint in The Usual Suspects (1995) a movie by Bryan Singer, and Lester Burnham in American Beauty a film by Sam Mendes, to name just a few.

The actor has an amazing filmography and has bagged two Oscars as well. He is someone whose name in the cast would fill up theaters. However, even a great actor like Spacey can mess up in selecting his next role and miss out on movies that go on to become hits. This often happens in Hollywood—actors rejecting scripts or, at times, being rejected by casting crews or directors.

Let’s look at...

Last week, we shared the news that Full Moon is bringing their 1992 film Bad Channels and 1990 film Crash and Burn to Blu-ray, with copies available through their site FullMoonHorror.com and available for pre-order on Amazon. (Links can be found in our article.) Now, we have more Full Moon Blu-ray news to share, as the company will be giving director Albert Pyun‘s 1993 sci-fi horror film Arcade a Blu-ray release on July 15th! Copies can be pre-ordered through Amazon at This Link.

Directed by Pyun from a screenplay by David S. Goyer (and a story by Full Moon founder Charles Band), Arcade has the following synopsis: All the kids in town are dying to play the hot new video game “Arcade”. Trouble is once you play the game you can kiss reality good-bye. Arcade has seven levels of excitement, adventure, and terror for its players. The game transports you to...

The game is about to begin, because Arcade is coming to Blu-ray on July 15 via Full Moon Features.

The 1993 sci-fi thriller has been remastered in high definition from the best available elements.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary with Producer Charles Band and Actor Megan Ward VideoZone Featurette Interview with Actor John DeLancie Rare VFX Reel Original Trailer Full Moon Trailers

Albert Pyun directs from a script by David S. Goyer, based on a story from executive producer Charles Band.

All the kids in town are dying to play the hot new video game Arcade. Trouble is once you play the game you can kiss reality goodbye. Arcade has seven levels of excitement, adventure, and terror for its players. The game transports you to another world with its stunning graphics, thrilling sound effects, and virtual reality simulation. It is the ultimate experience in a video game.

But excitement like this doesn’t...

Jonathan Frakes may have joined the Star Trek franchise as an actor, playing William Riker. But he will forever be attached to the franchise due to his contributions as a director too. Along with his The Next Generation co-star LeVar Burton, Frakes directed multiple episodes of the franchise, with his work being as recent as Strange New Worlds.

Frakes also reprised his role as Riker in several other shows, including the ill-fated series finale of Enterprise. The prequel series’ premature cancellation led to a hiatus in the franchise that lasted more than a decade, and the ending was quite controversial. Frakes agreed and mentioned that his appearance was unnecessary.

Star Trek: Enterprise wanted to please fans and brought in Jonathan Frakes in the finale A still from Star Trek: Enterprise | Credits: Paramount

When the going gets tough, a good cameo can fix anything (just look at the MCU). After the...

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

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

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

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

Picture this, you’re a Starfleet officer, standing on the deck of the Enterprise, doing whatever serious space stuff you do, probably staring at blinking lights and pushing buttons that may or may not destroy a planet. Suddenly, boom! Some guy in a flamboyant robe appears out of nowhere, floating mid-air, smirking like he just pulled off the best prank in the universe.

That, my friends, is Q. The ultimate cosmic troll, the intergalactic trickster, the omnipotent being who could wipe out entire civilizations with a snap of his fingers, but would rather turn Captain Picard into Robin Hood instead. Now, imagine if Q had been just another grim, brooding, all-powerful entity. No fun, no mischief, just another godlike alien wagging a condescending finger at humanity.

John de Lancie as Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Boring, right? Well, that’s almost what we got. When...

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In the "Star Trek: Picard" episode "Penance", Admiral Picard (Patrick Stewart) is visited by the impish cosmic deity Q (John de Lancie) for the first time in decades. Q, for reasons all his own, has decided to test Picard's cleverness and resolve, and has orchestrated a little game for the Admiral. Q whisks Picard into a parallel universe wherein Earth is ruled by evil, xenophobic, genocidal tyranny. Picard finds that his parallel self is a mass-murdering general who keeps the skulls of his enemies in his den, and that all of Earth's resources are now devoted to tracking down and killing other species. It's pretty bleak. Picard finds that this evil timeline began sometime in the year 2024, and he gathers his compatriots to travel back and time to figure out what went wrong. 

Curiously, the tyrant timeline in "Picard" isn't...

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"Star Trek: The Next Generation" was, by all measures, far more successful than the original "Star Trek" that preceded it. The original series wasn't a big hit when it first aired in 1966, and didn't become popular until Trekkies discovered it in reruns in the mid-1970s. By the mid-1980s, the series not only had a passionate following, but several hit "Star Trek" feature films had been made, ensuring that the franchise was long-lasting and widely celebrated. Creator Gene Roddenberry, wanting a project he could more closely oversee, launched the first spinoff "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1987, fast-forwarding the timeline of the franchise by about a century. The new show featured a new cast of characters, a new ship, and a new tone. This was, by Roddenberry's orders, to be even more diplomatic and peaceful than even the original show.

Star Trek: Picard may have only lasted three seasons, but how they rank is notable!

Star Trek has had more than its share of big shows over its long existence, yet Picard was still a huge one. At long last, Patrick Stewart would reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard in a series set decades after Star Trek: Nemesis. Besides showcasing Stewart, it would also rewrite the Trek universe with a new canon taking place of the old after the various shows, as well as showing how the galaxy evolved.

The show had an interesting arc, with the first two seasons seen as rough despite Stewart's fine performance as the elder Picard. The third season was hailed for being a terrific sequel to The Next Generation with some bold twists. So, here's a quick look at how each season of Star Trek: Picard ranks for anyone who wants to catch up on this series!

In the "Star Trek: Picard" episode "Watcher", Picard (Patrick Stewart) travels back to the year 2024 to investigate a strange case of futuristic causality. His investigation took him to a bar in Los Angeles located at 10 Forward Ave., a bar that was overseen by a younger version of Picard's old friend Guinan (Ito Aghayere). The timeline is a little screwy in "Picard," as Trekkies already knew that Guinan (based on a real person) already looked like Whoopi Goldberg in the year 1893. But whatever. Mere details. This is an alternate version of Guinan. 

Guinan and Picard connect frequently at 10 Forward to discuss his time-travel mission, and how it connects to the trickster deity Q (John de Lancie), an old foe of Guinan's. While they are having their discussion, a man swings by the bar to pick up Guinan's pet pitbull, Luna. The man has a beard, wears a snapbrim, and sports a...

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When the Borg were first introduced in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Q Who", they were ineffable, mysterious, and terrifying. They were a race of cyborgs that were bound by a single machine consciousness, existing only to grow and expand. They did this by stealing resources from others. When the Borg encountered a starship, they would scan it, find technology they didn't have, carve it up, and absorb its pieces into their own cube-shaped craft. To shore up their numbers, they would kidnap humanoid species as "assimilate" them. That is: implant their bodies with tubes and computers and force them to serve as mindless robot drones. 

The Borg returned throughout "Next Generation," and each time were described as having a collective consciousness. It wouldn't be until "Star Trek: First Contact" in 1996 that the Borg would be likened to a beehive.

Every "Star Trek" fan has a favorite Captain, to varying degrees of actual rank. It might be James T. Kirk, it might be Benjamin Sisko. For a lot of us, it's hard to overcome the legacy of Jean-Luc Picard, formerly of the Enterprise-d. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star Sir Patrick Stewart introduced himself with chilly efficiency at first, a man seemingly so rigid that having an empath around made sense. But Picard, like the rest of his crew, was flawed and human. Behind the noble French-English veneer was a man with a lifetime of troubled relationships, and a soul scarred deep by the Borg.

Picard brought with him quirks that became fandom legend, like the Picard Maneuver, which seems him snappily tugging at his tunic whenever he gets out of his chair, or the barked words "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot," at irregular intervals. He also brought us one of...

It’s downright terrifying to think that Star Trek: Voyager is celebrating its 30th anniversary, which we believe makes it the perfect moment to look back at the show’s scariest episode. Though some fans might cite “Threshold,” in which Tom Paris and Captain Janeway evolved -- or, rather, devolved -- into creatures that resembled a cross between slugs, salamanders, and lizards, that was scary mostly because it was such a freaky image in an atrocious episode. If we’re talking about good, old-fashioned scary, then “The Thaw” earns that honor.

The episode debuted on April 29, 1996, during Voyager’s second season, and was directed by Marvin Rush, who served as a director of photography on The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. Upn’s publicity department provided the media with an extensive advisory/synopsis that read, in part, “Voyager activates an automated message from members of the Kohl settlement who,...

Gene Roddenberry created the Star Trek franchise with the original series taking flight in 1966. Given its popularity, several iterations have continued to follow keeping Roddenberry’s vision and passion for sci-fi alive. As a result, almost every entry in the franchise has featured one classic Roddenberry element that the creator popularized in the franchise’s early days.

Gene Roddenberry created the Star Trek franchise (Credit: Paramount TV).

In the Star Trek shows, a common visual of the ship’s crew playing a game of poker can be seen. During an interview, Roddenberry reflected on making poker one of the go-to board games for the Starfleet crews while traversing space there was a deeper significance behind its addition. Here is why Gene Roddenberry added poker to almost every Star Trek series.

Star Trek creator revealed why almost every series in the franchise features poker

Created by Gene Roddenberry, the Star Trek...

Filmmaker George Lucas directed 1977’s Star Wars, which changed the face of this sci-fi genre with its critical and commercial success. The film launched the epic space opera franchise that has lasted well over five decades and continues to thrive even today. However, Lucas’ creation wasn’t the first sci-fi franchise to captive fans across the world.

George Lucas created the Star Wars franchise (Credit: HBO).

Almost a decade before Lucas took the world by storm, Gene Roddenberry dared to go where no man had gone before with the ambitious sci-fi television series Star Trek. Over the years, fans of both franchises have debated which is better. However, Lucas has himself admitted that Star Wars wouldn’t exist without Gene Roddenberry’s work on Star Trek, and here is what he had to say.

George Lucas credits Star Trek for the success of Star Wars

George Lucas is arguably one...

One of the core tenets of "Star Trek" is an undercurrent of pacifism. The ships we see in any given "Star Trek" series are usually research vessels devoted to missions of exploration and study. Just as often, they do repair work on distant worlds, help planets in severe environmental trouble, or taxi diplomats to important peace talks. And while the U.S.S. Enterprise is equipped with weapons like phasers and photon torpedoes, they are only very rarely assigned a mission of combat. More often, the crew of the Enterprise will threaten a potential battlefield foe while still doing everything they can to avoid war.

The core tenets of pacifism, however, are typically ignored in many of the "Star Trek" feature films. Because of their medium, the "Star Trek" movies typically demand larger-scale stories and easily consumed conflicts that can be satisfactorily wrapped in about 100 to 120 minutes. This demand often...

While the age-old adage "less is more" is sound filmmaking advice, the opposite applies to Jason Statham's relentless action movies. A case in point is Crank 2: High Voltage, a balls-to-the-wall action sequel that goes so far over the top that it dwarfs the absurdity of the original to leave a big, fat grin etched on the faces of hardcore Statham fanatics. Critics were also impressed, giving Crank 2 slightly better reviews than its predecessor.

Boasting a wild premise that forces Statham's Chev Chelios into a ticking-clock health scenario, Crank 2's high-voltage electricity derives from the extreme plot, flagrant fight scenes, hyper-violence, morbid humor, kinetic camerawork, Statham's breathless stunt work, and more. With the film recently celebrating its 15th anniversary, it's time to hook up the jumper cables and bring Crank 2: High Voltage back to life.

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John de Lancie has had an illustrious career on television, with roles in prominent shows like Star Trek: Tng, Breaking Bad, and Stargate. The actor played Q, the immortal yet mischievous being who is a huge obstacle for Sir Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

De Lancie returned to the role after decades in Star Trek: Picard. However, Q had a few updates in his characterization and some of his traditional whimsy had taken a backseat. This was reportedly done on purpose as the actor laid out a condition that he would not return if he was made to wear tights again.

John de Lancie had only one condition to return as Q in Star Trek: Picard John de Lancie and Sir Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Tng | Credits: Paramount

John de Lancie’s Q is one of the primary antagonists for the Starfleet crew in Star Trek: Tng.

In the second season of "Star Trek: Picard," the good admiral (Patrick Stewart) is approached by his old rival, the trickster space deity Q (John de Lanice), about a new challenge. Q snaps his fingers and flings Picard into an alternate universe where Earth had become a galaxy-wide tyrannical power, devoted to the extermination of its perceived enemies. Earth had already driven the Romulans and the Klingons to extinction, and is now gearing up to execute the last-known Borg (Annie Werching). It's pretty grim. Picard, occupying the space of his tyrannical interdimensional counterpart, has to gather his friends (Q conveniently teleports several of them to the evil universe as well), and then travel back in time to the year 2024 to figure out how the evil universe came to be.

At the end of the season, it's revealed that Q only played his little time-travel game with Picard as a sort of wistful farewell.

As each new year begins, folks celebrate, sometimes with great relief, the passage of time and the cultural highs that held us aloft. Looking back means not quite being ready to look forward, which helps explain the phenomenon of bad movies that plague theaters every January, a notorious dumping ground...

Star Trek: The Next Generation makes for the perfect binge-watch, but not all of the seasons are created equal. With its series premiere in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced the world to an entirely new Enterprise crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Well before binge-worthy television became the norm, Tng was one of the most-watched television shows of its time. Over the course of Tng's seven seasons, the crew members of the USS Enterprise-d became just as beloved as Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew had been.

The landscape of modern television is significantly different than it was in the 1980s and 1990s, with much more emphasis on serialized storytelling. Star Trek: The Next Generation told mostly episodic stories, restoring the status quo by the end of almost every episode. Despite this, the show lends itself to binge-watching thanks to one major element — the characters.

Writer and showrunner Terry Matalas sneakily included a backdoor pilot into the final season of "Star Trek: Picard." At the end of the series, after a grand threat from the Borg has been quelled, the action fast-forwards a year for a teary epilogue. It seems that the previously roguish Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) had been rushed through Starfleet Academy and was now ready for his first starship assignment. His father (Patrick Stewart) and mother (Gates McFadden) accompanied him to his first ship, the U.S.S. Titan-a, the ship on which the bulk of "Picard" season 3 took place. But, in a fit of nostalgia, the Titan-a had been rechristened the Enterprise-g.

The Enterprise-g was commanded by Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), who had recently been recommended for captaincy by her deceased commanding officer. Seven's first officer was her ex-girlfriend Raffi (Michelle Hurd), and her crew included numerous "Picard" supporting players,...

One alternate reality version of Star Trek: Lower Decks' Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) is a brilliant callback to a version of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, "Fissure Quest", sees Lieutenant Brad Boimler's (Jack Quaid) transporter clone, Captain William Boimler, leading a crew of doppelgängers from all over the Star Trek timeline. When the crew of Boimler's starship Anaximander rescue Ensign Beckett Mariner, clad in an operations gold Starfleet uniform, William finds that this Mariner's temperament is milder than he was expecting.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 15, "Tapestry", Q (John de Lancie) offers a dying Captain Picard the chance to go back to 2327 for a do-over of Picard's early Starfleet career. After avoiding the fight with a Nausicaan that necessitated Picard's artificial heart in the first place, Q returns Picard to the present-day...

After thirty years of deep dive interviews, trivia, behind-the-scenes information, and more details about Star Trek than we could evver hope to find ourselves, Star Trek Magazine, rebranded as Star Trek Explorer, publishes its final issue this month. And though there won't be any more magazines after this, Explorer is going out on a high note, with an interview with the first Captain James T. Kirk, William Shatner. It's an informative interview with Shatner discussing his friendship with Leonard Nimoy, how he got the part of Captain Kirk, and even how he got the part of his Emmy-winning role, Denny Crane, on Boston Legal.

Star Trek Explorer | Titan Comics

Along with Shatner, there's a compelling interview with John de Lancie about his time as Q, and that's followed up with a look at some of the other "Qs" on Star Trek, including an honorary Q—Trelane played by William Campbell...

The Star Trek franchise's impressive lifespan perhaps makes it surprising that the space opera has never engaged with one of the biggest TV tropes, but there's actually a very good reason why Gene Roddenberry's long-running sci-fi saga has never produced a Christmas special. Although the Christian festival has been mentioned in passing and referenced a few times in the movies and TV shows that combined to form the Star Trek timeline, it is never really addressed head-on or with any real commitment.

While this could easily be viewed as a missed opportunity, it wouldn't really make sense to write a Star Trek Christmas episode from a canonical perspective. Instead, the Star Trek TV shows generally tend to sidestep Christmas while supplying the audience with cryptic explanations as to why. Similarly, the Star Trek movies, as a rule, are pretty bereft of festive cheer. That being said, the feature-length productions...

Michelle Yeoh's Paramount+ movie, Star Trek: Section 31, would be the perfect way for Star Trek to introduce a younger Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). In Section 31, Yeoh reprises her role as Star Trek: Discovery's Emperor Philippa Georgiou. After the USS Discovery jumped to the 32nd century, Georgiou needed to return to a time when the Prime Universe and Mirror Universe were closer together. The Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle) sent Philippa Georgiou back to the early 24th century—also known as Star Trek's "Lost Era", between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Few Star Trek projects have been set in the "Lost Era" before Star Trek: Section 31, but Star Trek: The Next Generation has occasionally referenced this elusive part of the Star Trek timeline. Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 14, "Tapestry", spends a significant amount of time in...

Star Trek may not have a dedicated Christmas episode, but some episodes still channel the holiday spirit. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry intentionally created a future where humanity had largely abandoned organized religion. Because of this, Christmas is rarely mentioned throughout the Star Trek timeline, and none of the franchise's main characters are shown openly celebrating the holiday. Still, if the Christmas season is about celebrating friends and family and the beauty of human connection, then Star Trek has plenty of episodes for that.

From Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his Starship Enterprise crew to the lower deckers of the USS Cerritos, Star Trek has always been a celebration of found families and the progress that can be achieved by working together. Every Star Trek series has episodes that highlight the camaraderie and celebration often associated with Christmas. Some of these Star Trek episodes take inspiration directly from...

The creation of Q, the trickster god first seen on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," was not born entirely of creative necessity. It seems that back in 1986, when "Next Generation" was still being developed, there was some debate whether the pilot episode — called "Encounter at Farpoint" — would be an hour long, 90 minutes, or a full two hours. If the show was 90 minutes, then teleplay writer D.C. Fontana would be paid a negotiated rate. If it was two hours, she would get a bonus.

Show creator Gene Roddenberry encouraged Fontana to keep the "Farpoint" script to 90 minutes, and she happily complied. But then, without working with Fontana, Roddenberry swept in and wrote 30 additional minutes of "bookend material" for the episode, expanding it to two hours. The "bookend material" was actually all the scenes involving Q. Roddenberry, because he was now the co-author of "Farpoint," got the aforementioned bonus, and Fontana did not.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was not one to hold grudges, but one betrayal on Star Trek: The Next Generation hit Jean-Luc so hard that he remained upset for over 30 years. Although Jean-Luc Picard cared deeply about his crew members aboard the USS Enterprise-d, he kept himself emotionally distant from them. Picard devoted his life to Starfleet because he truly believed in Starfleet's mission, and he did his best to uphold their ideals. Picard had to learn the hard way that not every Starfleet officer shared his faith in the organization.

When Star Trek: The Next Generation began, Gene Roddenberry envisioned no major conflicts among the Starship Enterprise's crew. This rule was limiting from a storytelling perspective, but it became more lax as the show progressed. Early in Tng season 5, a new confrontational character joined Star Trek: The Next Generation's cast, shaking up the established dynamic of the crew.

The second season of "Star Trek: Picard" started promisingly, but ran out of steam pretty quickly. At the start of the season, the impish all-power trickster Q (John de Lancie) appears to an elderly Admiral Picard (Patrick Stewart) and announces that he'd like to play a game. Q then teleports Picard to an alternate timeline, very much like the Mirror Universe, where everyone is evil. Earth has become a galactic force for tyranny and spends all its resources hunting and killing all other living beings in the galaxy. Picard finds that his alternate self is a dangerous general who keeps a collection of skulls belonging to his fallen foes. 

Picard gathers his closest compatriots, also all transported into the Fascist Timeline, and aims to travel back in time to the point where the fascist regime began. Something happened, he finds, in the year 2024, and he needs to investigate the streets...

A new Star Trek show is in the works. It's called Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and it takes place about 900 years after the events of Star Trek's The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Prodigy, Lower Decks, and Picard. It's a spinoff show of sorts to Star Trek: Discovery, with both shows taking place in the same time period.

With such a huge time jump, you'd think the only returning characters would be from the recent seasons of Discovery after the ship jumped into the future permanently. That's not true, however. Despite the advancement in the timeline, the show will in fact bring back one character from the previous era of Star Trek.

After featuring in a starring role in Voyager and later Prodigy, Robert Picardo is set to return to Star Trek once again. He returned to the franchise after nearly 25 years with Prodigy, reprising his role from Voyager.

The last we saw of Q, [John de Lancie] the eternal being who was Jean-Luc Picard's constant pain in the side, he was warning Jack Crusher [Ed Speleers] that trouble was just around the corner, so to speak. Originally, Q "died" in season two of Star Trek: Picard, but the third season brought him back to let us know that he wasn't really gone, and a new descendant of Picard's would have him to contend with. That was a perfect set-up for Star Trek: Legacy, but that hasn't happened yet.

We already know that Q can go anywhere he wants. He even popped up on Star Trek: Voyager which was stranded in the Delta Quadrant, and we already know he has no issues manipulating time as in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Tapestry" where he shows Picard [Patrick Stewart] how different his life could have been.

All this goes...

This article discusses mental health struggles, abuse, and suicide.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 dove into the backstory of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), revealing the tragic story of his mother, Yvette Picard (Madeline Wise). In its second season, Star Trek: Picard sent Jean-Luc and his friends into the past to correct changes to the timeline caused by Q (John de Lancie). While trapped in the 21st century, Picard revisited his childhood home and confronted the demons of his past. He remembered his father, Maurice Picard (James Callis), as being abusive towards him and his mother. The truth, however, was a bit more complicated.

Yvette Picard struggled with her mental health, experiencing mood swings and other symptoms she refused to treat. Maurice tried to help her however he could, which sometimes involved locking her in her room for her own safety. On one of these occasions, a young Jean-Luc unlocked his mother's door,...

John de Lancie's Q popped up in every season of Star Trek: The Next Generation to annoy Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), but he never appeared in any of the Tng films. Introduced in the feature-length premiere of Tng, Q became one of the show's most beloved recurring characters. Although Q initially took on an antagonistic role, he eventually became more of a nuisance for Captain Picard and his USS Enterprise-d crew. John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart played magnificently off of one another, making all of their scenes incredibly fun to watch.

After Star Trek: The Next Generation came to a close with its seventh season, Captain Picard and his crew jumped to the big screen. The four Tng films not only passed the metaphorical baton from Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) to Captain Picard, but they also incorporated several elements that had been introduced on the show.

On Star Trek: The Next Generation, Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan introduced a new alien species called the El-Aurians. Guinan joined Tng at the start of the show's second season after Whoopi Goldberg reached out to producers requesting a role on the series. Guinan was an enigma upon her introduction, and Tng took its time revealing more about her, only dropping teases and hints about her past. Guinan had known Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) for some time, and she was one of the few people he trusted for honest advice.

After appearing in 29 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and two of the Tng films, Guinan returned in Star Trek: Picard season 2. In two different timelines, Guinan (portrayed in the past by Ito Aghayere) helped Admiral Picard and his motley crew restore Star Trek's proper Prime timeline after it was changed by Q (John de Lancie). Guinan remains...

Sons of Anarchy features many characters who are both fan favorites but also irredeemable. Set in a world of crime and chaos, bad situations lead to even worse choices. Before anyone realizes, things are too far gone to be saved.

Shows with no redeemable characters have their own charm. They tend to tackle dark and forbidden topics like revenge, cannibalism and war. Many shows have irredeemable characters like Jax. They may have done one really bad thing, or they have done several over the course of the entire series. From House of the Dragon to Yellowjackets to Breaking Bad, these pitch-black and morally grey characters have caused fans to think about the damning choices they made.

Walter White Is Far Gone in Breaking Bad

As Breaking Bad's protagonist, Walter White is a sympathetic character, similar to Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy. However, throughout the course of the crime series,...