star trek tng jonah

Den of Geek

Revisiting Star Trek TNG: Suddenly Human

Star Trek: TNG delivers a bottle episode so called because you need a bottle to get through it. Here's James' look at Suddenly Human...

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This review contains spoilers.

4.4 Suddenly Human

After stumbling upon a Talarian starship which has suffered an engine malfunction, causing injury to the small crew, the Enterprise rescues the injured to discover that one of the five boys isn’t a Talarian at all – he’s a human!

The boy, named Jono, is initially defiant. He and his shipmates do nothing but rock and howl, like Wesley before his latest Starfleet entrance exam. Only when Picard arrives and is identified as the Captain do they engage with their rescuers, and Jono makes a formal request to return home. Meaning with the Talarians. At first, Picard is unsure what to do.

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An investigation by Dr. Crusher has discovered evidence that Jono has suffered multiple severe injuries over the last few years, and she believes that his captors brutalised him. They discover his real/previous identity as Jeremiah Rossa, the believed-dead grandson of a Starfleet Admiral. So as if this wasn’t a difficult enough situation, Picard now has to deal with pressure from his boss to not give away her miraculously-resurrected grandchild. He resolves to help Jono find his human side, and despite his protestations, Troi points out there he’s the only one there qualified to do it.

What follows is basically a montage of odd-couple type scenes where Picard stumbles over Jono listening to weird teenager music, or getting upset because Jono’s touching the priceless knick-knacks he keeps lying around his quarters. Although the two don’t get on, Jono has a grudging respect for Picard, and slowly rediscovers his lost humanity through the medium of collapsing and screaming, clutching his head as he remembers the Talarian attack that killed his parents so many years ago.

Unfortunately there’s only one therapist on board and Troi’s already used her strange administrative powers to defer responsibility onto Picard. Because hey, there’s nothing else he has to be doing (apparently).

Eventually a Talarian rescue ship arrives and Picard hands over the four Talarians they rescued (oh yeah, those guys) but insists Jono stays with them. The captain, Endar, reveals that he’s Jono’s adoptive father and explains that he took the child under Talarian custom after humans killed his son. Picard is confused by this moral ambiguity, and accuses Endar of injuring the boy. Endar explains that Jono wasn’t beaten, he’s just a bit rough on the old space-football pitch. Picard accepts this, but informs Endar that Jono will be reunited with his human grandmother.

Understandably, Endar is upset and threatens war with the Federation, then gives Picard an arbitrary amount of time to decide, so that the episode can proceed unhindered by plot logic. With this window of opportunity, Picard and Jono head off to play racquetball then follow it up with a banana split in to Ten-Forward – you know, normal human activities. Jono causes much hilarity when he covers Wesley in banana dessert, and then Riker has to explain “slapstick” to Starfleet’s most advanced robo-mind. It’s good that they’ve got time to laugh in the face of war.

That night, a confused and conflicted Jono decides to stab Picard while he sleeps. Crusher saves his life and Jono is arrested. Endar chooses now to demand the return of his son, and Riker informs him that he’s now in jail. Endar responds by giving them 5 minutes to comply with his request, or a space-battle will occur!

Worried for the show’s budget, Picard speaks to Jono, who expects that he’ll be put to death. This convinces Picard his values and beliefs are so Talarian that he belongs with his loving, caring, non-abusive adoptive family. You know, like he did all along. Endar calls off the attack, Jono thanks Picard for seeing sense, and at last, everyone is happy. Except Jono’s grandmother, who’s been kind of out of the loop on this.

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TNG WTF: This episode marks the first appearance of the futuristic sport, racquetball, or as I like to think of it, tri-dimensional racquetball. It bears some resemblance to actual racquetball which seems to be quite similar to squash. It also seems to be a product of the peculiarly American trait of playing completely different sports to the rest of the world, which makes me think it’s slightly wishful thinking to imagine it being played several hundred years in the future. I have no idea whether the TNG version is anything like the real one, but then it’s likely no-one on TNG knows either.

TNG LOL: Troi’s dressing-down of Picard is pretty funny, not least because she treats him like a child and then basically says “lol get over it” before flouncing out of his office while he scowls. I laughed, anyway.

To boldly go: The episode opens with them responding to the initial distress call. No word on what mission they’re interrupting to do so, but hey, those gaseous anomalies will still be there in the morning.

Who’s that face?: Admiral Connaught Rossa was Mildred Potter in the first season of AfterMASH. As august a role as anyone could hope for.

Time until meeting: 26:14. Picard, Troi, Endar and Jono meet to discuss Jono’s fate.

Captain’s Log: You may have noticed that this episode is a bottle show. So-called because a bottle’s the only way you’re getting all the way through it. This is an episode with all the worst excesses of TNG ‘s didacticism on show. Everyone knows what’s best for the boy, and even when they change their mind they don’t seem to address the consequences of their suddenly-corrected decision. Presumably Admiral Rossa, having had a single communication with her long-lost grandson, is going to be sending Picard a very stern letter of disapproval when she figures out what he did.

I mean, I get the conflict at the heart of the episode, and understand that it’s largely hinged on the relationship between Picard and Jono, but nothing surrounding that works. At the end of the episode I don’t feel like Picard has really connected with Jono (not least because of a murder attempt that comes out of nowhere) and the progress made reconnecting Jono with his human side is completely ignored. You can’t put that genie back in the bottle, especially when he’s clearly having PTSD-style flashbacks to his supposedly-forgotten attack. The ideas are there in the script, but the details don’t sell it at all. And for that matter, neither does Jono, whose acting inexperience really can’t stand up against Patrick Stewart.

Read James’ look-back at the previous episode, Brothers, here .

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• Galaxy Brains

Star Trek: First Contact is a meta movie about the creation of the Trek franchise

John Hodgman joins the Galaxy Brains podcast to explain

by Dave Schilling

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The 25th anniversary of Star Trek: First Contact , easily the best Next Generation movie of them all, has prompted many articles, essays, and podcast episodes about why this particular movie worked, and the other Picard-led films were varying levels of bad. Was it the Borg? The time travel element? The humor? Jonathan Frakes’ direction?

The easiest, most likely answer is that it was the only one with a truly excellent script. The ingenious idea of splitting up the crew, the breathless pacing, and the clever action set pieces set it apart not just from the other TNG movies, but from many of the other Star Trek films too.

But what has always piqued my interest most is the performance of Academy Award nominee James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane, the irascible, alcoholic inventor of warp drive that is sort of the MacGuffin of the entire film. The story revolves around whether or not he can get it together and go on his historic warp flight. I’ve always thought of Cochrane as a stand-in for Star Trek’s own inventor, Gene Roddenberry, and that First Contact is really a movie about the creation of Star Trek itself — a kind of futuristic roman a clef about a deeply flawed man who changed the world.

A far-out theory? Welcome to Galaxy Brains , guys. C’mon.

On this week’s show, Jonah Ray and I are joined by comedian, author and long-time Star Trek fan John Hodgman to discuss whether or not Star Trek: First Contact is a sneaky Gene Roddenberry biopic.

As always, this conversation has been edited to sound less weird.

Dave: I think a lot about Gene Roddenberry as the creator of Star Trek when I watch this movie. Zefram Cochrane in the context of the meta movie that we are watching is the creator of Star Trek. He says the words “Star Trek” in the movie. He invents warp drive. He meets a Vulcan for the first time. He’s this volatile human being with a lot of flaws, who meets his very logical person, and they have a moment of understanding. I always have thought of Zefram Cochran as basically just a stand-in for Gene Roddenberry. Gene Roddenberry has been said by many people, including his assistant Susan Sackett, in her book , and a lot of other people who’ve worked with him that he was kind of a volatile, difficult man. And that’s kind of what Zefram Cochrane’s arc is. He starts off as this guy who’s just trying to make money and make a buck. Star Trek was a means to an end for Gene Roddenberry. But then it becomes this cultural phenomenon, and he changes the world in a lot of ways. Do you see any of this parallel or am I completely off base? John Hodgman: To continue your sports metaphor, you are on base. You are safe. Dave: I know you love baseball, John. John Hodgman: I love you, love baseball, and I love it. You just threw a home base. I mean, you did a good job. Touchdown, indeed. Yeah. I’m not completely familiar with the behind the scenes true life of Gene Roddenberry, but I’m certainly familiar with his deification, you know, and the shadow as a creator that he cast and whether certain storylines would be considered “Gene enough” or “not Gene enough.” Yeah, there’s definitely I mean, whether it’s acknowledged or not, there’s definitely a feeling of, you know, don’t meet your heroes. They’re flawed people. They’re human beings. That’s not even subtext in the movie. Jonah: It’s text. More than 10 years prior to this was, I think, the big cultural shift in the culture of Star Trek, which was the Saturday Night Live sketch, with William Shatner yelling at the fans to get a life . It did remind me of that thing of just these all the nerds coming up to Cochrane and, you know, being excited and him going like, What’s wrong with you? Dave: He’s a statue, and he’s so horrified to get the statue at some point since he doesn’t see himself as that important. And I think that’s probably true of most people that we deify. John Hodgman: I mean, Gene Roddenberry created a calm, egalitarian socialist utopia of tolerance, probably because that didn’t exist in his own mind. That was a projection of something that he wished for, that he didn’t have peace of mind. Jonah: Something that Dave and I talked about earlier is maybe money did fucking make him an irritable drunk. Maybe he really thought, like if only money didn’t exist , I wouldn’t have to worry about this stuff all the time . There is something to that, like getting rid of money. John Hodgman: Yeah, right? I was just going to say it’s part of our cultural moment now. It’s like, well, after we shut down the economy for a year and people don’t feel like going back to work at those shitty jobs, we’re all of a sudden thinking, like, is there another way to do this? Dave: And Gene Roddenberry also created a world where sex was completely different than how we perceive it now, and the idea of sexuality is more just like, yeah, we have sex and we can have sex with lots of different people or aliens or whatever. It was more chill in that respect. And that was something that he was projecting in the real world, too. John Hodgman: Yeah, he wanted to have sex with everybody. He wanted everybody to have green skin. He wanted to have sex with them.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Full Cast & Crew

• 51   Metascore
• Drama, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
• Watchlist Where to Watch

A new crew boards a revamped USS Enterprise in the first spin-off from the '60s cult classic.

Screenwriter

Sound effects, special effects, executive producer, co-producer, line producer, cinematographer, production company.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The Next Phase

• Episode aired May 16, 1992

A transporter malfunction, combined with a Romulan ship under stress and a damaged cloaking device, creates the illusion that Ensign Ro and Geordi are dead, but Geordi doesn't believe it to ... Read all A transporter malfunction, combined with a Romulan ship under stress and a damaged cloaking device, creates the illusion that Ensign Ro and Geordi are dead, but Geordi doesn't believe it to be so, and he acts accordingly. A transporter malfunction, combined with a Romulan ship under stress and a damaged cloaking device, creates the illusion that Ensign Ro and Geordi are dead, but Geordi doesn't believe it to be so, and he acts accordingly.

• David Carson
• Gene Roddenberry
• Ronald D. Moore
• Brannon Braga
• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• LeVar Burton
• 18 User reviews
• 9 Critic reviews

Top cast 44

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker

• Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge

• Lieutenant Worf

• Dr. Beverly Crusher

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Commander Data

• Ensign Ro Laren

• Chief Brossmer

• Ensign McDowell

• Ensign Gates
• (uncredited)
• Operations Division Officer

• Ensign Armstrong
• Crewman Nelson

• Starfleet Ensign
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia This episode was originally intended to be a cost-cutting "bottle show". It wound up being one of the most expensive episodes of the season.
• Goofs When the phased Ro Laren visits the bridge, she visibly touches the navigation console, which she should not be able to do.

Lt. Commander Data : In almost all societies, it is traditional to say a ritual farewell to those you call friends. I never knew what a friend was until I met Geordi. He spoke to me as though I were human. He treated me no differently from anyone else. He accepted me for what I am. And that, I have learned, is friendship.

Lt. Commander Data : But I do not know how to say goodbye.

• Connections Featured in re:View: More Rich and Mike's Top Ten TNG Episodes (2020)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User reviews 18

• celineduchain
• Feb 12, 2022
• May 16, 1992 (United States)
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Zodiac Signs

Jonah aka chat_ensorceler  made the zodiac signs as characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation! They also have a little personality trait horoscopes to go along with them. Is yours accurate?

Source:  chat_ensorceler

Is your Star Trek: TNG zodiac  sign accurate? Let us know in the comments below!

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation , often abbreviated to TNG , is the second live-action Star Trek television series, and the first set in the 24th century . Like its predecessors, it was created by Gene Roddenberry . Produced at Paramount Pictures , it aired in first-run syndication , by Paramount Television in the US, from September 1987 to May 1994 . The series was set in the 24th century and featured the voyages of the starship USS Enterprise -D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

The series led to four spin-offs set in the same time period: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , which it ran alongside during its final two seasons, Star Trek: Voyager , Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Picard . It is also the beginning of a contiguous period of time during which there was always at least one Star Trek series in production, ending with Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005 .

• 2.1 Starring
• 2.2 Also starring
• 3.1 Season 1
• 3.2 Season 2
• 3.3 Season 3
• 3.4 Season 4
• 3.5 Season 5
• 3.6 Season 6
• 3.7 Season 7
• 4.1 Remastering
• 5.1 Performers
• 5.2 Stunt performers
• 5.3 Production staff
• 5.4 Companies
• 6 Related topics
• 8 External links

Summary [ ]

Star Trek: The Next Generation moved the universe forward roughly a century past the days of James T. Kirk and Spock . The series depicted a new age in which the Klingons were allies of the Federation , though the Romulans remained adversaries. New threats included the Ferengi (although they were later used more for comic relief), the Cardassians , and the Borg . While Star Trek: The Original Series was clearly made in the 1960s, the first two seasons of The Next Generation show all the markings of a 1980s product, complete with Spandex uniforms .

As with the original Star Trek , TNG was still very much about exploration, "boldly going where no one has gone before". Similarly, the plots captured the adventures of the crew of a starship, namely the USS Enterprise -D . Despite the apparent similarities with the original series, the creators of TNG were adamant about creating a bold, independent vision of the future. The public did not widely accept the show on its own terms until the airing of " The Best of Both Worlds ", which marked a shift towards higher drama, serious plot lines, and a less episodic nature. This helped pave the way for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and its two-year-long Dominion War arc and preceding build-up, as well as the third and fourth seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise . Star Trek: Voyager capitalized on the heightened crew relationships and familial bonds first seen on The Next Generation. DS9, on the other hand, balanced political intrigue, character development, and series-long plot threads with a rerun-friendly format.

As with the original Star Trek , TNG's special effects utilized miniatures, but due to great advancements in computerized effects and opticals, the show leaped ahead of its predecessor in terms of quality effects. This series marked the greatest surge in Star Trek 's mainstream popularity, and paved the way for the later televised Trek shows.

Four of the Star Trek motion pictures continued the adventures of the TNG cast after the end of the series in 1994. Star Trek Generations served to "pass the torch" from The Original Series cast, who had been the subject of the first six motion pictures, by including crossover appearances from William Shatner , James Doohan , and Walter Koenig ; it also featured the destruction of the USS Enterprise -D. Star Trek: First Contact , released two years later , was the first of the motion pictures to solely feature the TNG cast, transferred aboard the new USS Enterprise -E and engaging with one of their deadliest enemies from the television series, the Borg. Star Trek: Insurrection followed in 1998 , continuing certain character arcs from the series. In 2002 , Star Trek Nemesis brought some of these character arcs and plot threads to a seemingly definite conclusion, although some cast members expressed hope that future movies would yet pick up the story. Regardless, a new generation of actors appeared in 2009 's Star Trek , which created an alternate reality and returned the films' focus to Kirk and Spock .

On television, characters from TNG appeared in subsequent series. Recurring TNG character Miles O'Brien became a series regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , as did Worf in DS9's fourth season . Jean-Luc Picard appeared in Deep Space Nine 's pilot episode , and supporting characters from TNG appeared occasionally on DS9 (specifically, Keiko O'Brien , Lursa , B'Etor , Molly O'Brien , Vash , Q , Lwaxana Troi , Alynna Nechayev , Gowron , Thomas Riker , Toral , and Alexander Rozhenko ). Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi appeared several times each on Star Trek: Voyager , and Troi and William T. Riker appeared in the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise , which was primarily a holographic simulation set during the TNG episode " The Pegasus ". However, Star Trek Nemesis was the final chronological appearance of the Next Generation characters for over 18 years, until Star Trek: Picard , which focused on the later life of Jean-Luc Picard. Riker, Troi, Data , and Hugh also appeared in Picard .

In 1994 , Star Trek: The Next Generation was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. During its seven-year run, it was nominated for 58 Emmy Awards, mostly in "technical" categories such as visual effects and makeup; it won 18.

Main cast [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. j.g. / Lt. / Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Denise Crosby as Lt. Tasha Yar ( 1987 - 1988 )
• Michael Dorn as Lt. j.g. / Lt. Worf
• Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher ( 1987 - 1988 ; 1989 - 1994 )
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
• Wil Wheaton as Ensign Wesley Crusher ( 1987 - 1990 )

Episode list [ ]

Season 1 [ ].

TNG Season 1 , 25 episodes:

Season 2 [ ]

TNG Season 2 , 22 episodes:

Season 3 [ ]

TNG Season 3 , 26 episodes:

Season 4 [ ]

TNG Season 4 , 26 episodes:

Season 5 [ ]

TNG Season 5 , 26 episodes:

Season 6 [ ]

TNG Season 6 , 26 episodes:

Season 7 [ ]

TNG Season 7 , 25 episodes:

Behind the scenes [ ]

Star Trek: The Next Generation was originally pitched to the then-fledgling Fox Network . However, they couldn't guarantee an initial order greater than thirteen episodes, not enough to make the enormous start-up costs of the series worth the expense. It was then decided to sell the series to the first-run syndication market. The show's syndicated launch was overseen by Paramount Television president Mel Harris , a pioneer in the syndicated television market. Many of the stations that carried The Next Generation had also run The Original Series for a long time.

According to issues of Star Trek: The Official Fan Club Magazine from early 1987, TNG was originally planned to be set in the 25th century, 150 years after the original series, and the Enterprise would have been the Enterprise NCC-1701-G. Gene Roddenberry ultimately changed the timeline to mid-24th century, set on board the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, as an Enterprise -G would have been the eighth starship to bear the name and that was too many for the relatively short time period that was to have passed.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was billed initially as being set 78 years after the days of the original USS Enterprise . [1] (p. 16) However, after the series' first season was established as being set in the year 2364 , this reference became obsolete as dates were then able to be set for the original series and the four previous films. When this happened, it was established that the events of the original series were about a hundred years before the events of TNG. With TNG's first season being set in 2364, 78 years prior would have been 2286 . Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home partly takes place during this year along with the shakedown cruise of the USS Enterprise -A .

On the special The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation To The Next , Gene Roddenberry commented, " On the original Star Trek , I practically lost my family from working so many twelve-hour days, fourteen-hour days, seven days a week, and I told them, 'You can't pay me enough to do that.' But then they said, 'Hey, but suppose we do it in a way in which' they call syndication, 'in which we don't have a network and we don't have all those people up there?' And Paramount was saying to me, 'And we guarantee that you will be in charge of the show.' "

Andrew Probert was first hired by Roddenberry in 1978 . However, not until 1986 , when Roddenberry was preparing to launch a new show, entitled Star Trek: The Next Generation , did he call upon Probert to take a lead design role. Everything had to be rethought, imagined, planned and redesigned. As the vision evolved in the designers' minds, the evolution was charted in successive sketches and paintings.

Among Probert's creations, in addition to the new Enterprise starship and many of its interiors including the main bridge , are many other featured spacecraft. The Ferengi cruiser , and even the Ferengi species, are Probert designs.

Roddenberry originally insisted on doing a one-hour pilot and assigned D.C. Fontana to write the episode, first titled Meeting at Farpoint . However, the studio was keen on having a two-hour pilot, mainly because they wanted something big and spectacular to launch the series, especially considering first-run syndication. Roddenberry himself volunteered to extend Fontana's script to two hours, eventually adding the Q storyline to it.

Ronald D. Moore commented, " Gene did not want conflict between the regular characters on TNG. This began to hamstring the series and led to many, many problems. To put it bluntly, this wasn't a very good idea. But rather than jettison it completely, we tried to remain true to the spirit of a better future where the conflicts between our characters did not show them to be petty or selfish or simply an extension of 20th century mores. " ( AOL chat , 1997 ) Rick Berman explained, " The problem with Star Trek: The Next Generation is Gene created a group of characters that he purposely chose not to allow conflict between. Starfleet officers cannot be in conflict, thus its murderous to write these shows because there is no good drama without conflict, and the conflict has to come from outside the group. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 8)

Roddenberry tried to recruit many production staff members from The Original Series to work on the new series. These included producers Robert H. Justman and Edward K. Milkis , writers D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold (who served as the main creative force behind the formation of the series), costume designer William Ware Theiss , assistant director Charles Washburn , composer Fred Steiner , set decorator John M. Dwyer , and writer John D.F. Black . Roddenberry also tried to bring back cinematographer Jerry Finnerman , but he declined the offer, being busy working on Moonlighting at the time. However, all of the above people finished working on the series after or during the first season.

Unit Production Manager David Livingston was responsible for hiring Michael Westmore for the pilot episode. ( ENT Season 3 Blu-ray , " Impulse " audio commentary )

Remastering [ ]

After several months of speculation and partial confirmation, StarTrek.com announced on 28 September 2011 (the 24th anniversary of the series premiere) that The Next Generation would be remastered in 1080p high-definition for release on Blu-ray Disc and eventual syndication, starting in 2012 . The seventh and final season was released on Blu-ray in December 2014 .

Cast and crew [ ]

The following people worked on The Next Generation ; it is unknown during which season or on which episodes.

Performers [ ]

• Antonio – background actor
• Charles Bazaldua – voice actor
• Terrence Beasor – voice actor (17 episodes, including the voice of the Borg )
• Libby Bideau – featured actress
• Brian Ciari – background actor: Cardassian ( TNG Season 6 or 7 )
• Amber Connally – background actress: child
• Phil Crowley – voice actor
• Vincent DeMaio – background actor: Enterprise -D operations division officer
• David Dewitt – background actor
• Gregory Fletcher – background actor Borg
• Dan Horton – background actor
• Carlyle King – voice actress
• Mark Laing – featured actor
• Daryl F. Mallett – background actor
• Tina Morlock – background actress
• Jean Marie Novak – background actress: Enterprise -D operations division officer
• Rick H. Olavarria – background actor (1988)
• Jennifer Ott – background actress: Enterprise -D command division officer
• Richard Penn – voice actor
• Judie Pimitera – background actress: Ten Forward waitress
• Paige Pollack – voice actress
• Jeff Rector – background actor: Enterprise -D command division officer
• Gary Schwartz – voice actor/ADR voice
• Beth Scott – background actress
• Steve Sekely – background actor
• Andrea Silver – background actress: Enterprise -D sciences division officer
• Oliver Theess – recurring background actor (around 1990)
• Richard Walker – background actor
• Harry Williams, Jr. – background actor
• Bruce Winant – supporting actor
• Stephen Woodworth – background actor

Stunt performers [ ]

• Laura Albert – stunts
• John Lendale Bennett – stunts
• Richard L. Blackwell – stunts
• John Cade – stunts
• Chuck Courtney – Assistant Stunt Coordinator
• Terry James – stunts
• Gary Jensen – Assistant Stunt Coordinator
• Lane Leavitt – stunts
• Pat Romano – stunts

Production staff [ ]

• Joseph Andolino – Additional Composer
• David Atherton – Makeup Artist
• Gregory Benford – Scientific Consultant
• Steven R. Bernstein – Additional Music Composer/Orchestrator
• Les Bernstien – Motion Control Operator
• R. Christopher Biggs – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Howard Block – Second Unit Director of Photography
• Stephen Buchsbaum – Colorist: Unitel Video (Four Seasons)
• Alan Chudnow – Assistant Editor
• Marty Church – Foley Mixer
• Scott Cochran – Scoring Mixer: Advertising Music
• Robert Cole – Special Effects Artist
• Sharon Davis – Graphics Assistant
• David Dittmar – Prosthetic Makeup Artist
• Dragon Dronet – Prop Maker: Weapons, Specialty Props and Miniatures
• Jim Dultz – Assistant Art Director
• Shannon Dunn – Extras Casting: Cenex Casting
• Chris W. Fallin – Motion Control Operator
• Edward J. Franklin – Special Effects Artist
• Lisa Gizara – Assistant to Gates McFadden
• John Goodwin – Makeup Artist
• Simon Holden – Digital Compositor (between 1989 and 1994)
• Kent Allen Jones – Sculptor: Bob Jean Productions
• Michael R. Jones – Makeup Artist (early 1990s)
• Jason Kaufman – Prop and Model Maker: Greg Jein, Inc.
• Nina Kent – Makeup Artist
• David Kervinen – Visual Effects Illustrator: Composite Image Systems (4 Seasons)
• Andy Krieger – Extras Casting: Central Casting
• Tim Landry – Visual Effects Artist
• Lisa Logan – Cutter/Fitter
• Jon Macht – Post Production Vendor
• Gray Marshall – Motion Control Camera Operator: Image "G"
• Karl J. Martin – Digital Compositor
• Belinda Merritt – VFX Accountant: The Post Group
• John Palmer – Special Effects Coordinator: WonderWorks Inc.
• Frank Popovich – Mold and Prop Assistant
• Molly Rennie
• Chris Schnitzer – Motion Control Technician/Rigger: Image "G"
• Steven J. Scott – Digital Compositor
• Bruce Sears – DGA Trainee
• Casey Simpson – Gaffer
• Ken Stranahan – Visual Effects Artist
• Rick Stratton – Makeup Artist
• Greg Stuhl – Miniatures: Greg Jein, Inc.
• Tim Tommasino – Assistant Editor
• Peter Webb – Digital Compositor
• Gregory A. Weimerskirch – Assistant Art Director
• Bill Witthans – Dolly Grip

Companies [ ]

• Bob Jean Productions
• Movie Movers
• Newkirk Special Effects
• WonderWorks Inc.

Related topics [ ]

• TNG directors
• TNG performers
• TNG recurring characters
• TNG studio models
• TNG writers
• Character crossover appearances
• Undeveloped TNG episodes
• Star Trek: The Next Generation novels
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics, volume 1 (DC)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics, volume 2 (DC)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics (IDW)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation soundtracks
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on VHS
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on Betamax
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on LaserDisc
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray
• Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball machine

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: The Next Generation at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at StarTrek.com
• 1 Bell Riots
• 2 Christopher Russell

I Can't Believe Star Trek Only Teamed Up These 2 TNG Characters Once

• Data & Q should have been paired more - their dynamic is compelling.
• Characters Data and Q have fascinating conversations in their limited interactions.
• Data taught Q about selflessness.

I wish Star Trek: The Next Generation had teamed up two of my favorite characters more often than they did. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D, Star Trek: TNG 's cast of characters was one of the franchise's most beloved. When I first watched TNG, the android Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) quickly became my favorite character. With his childlike curiosity and desire to be human, Data was always observing and learning from the people around him.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 13, "Deja Q," John de Lancie's Q is dumped on the Enterprise after being stripped of his powers. As the Enterprise works to save a nearby planet from its falling moon, Picard has bigger things to worry about than Q's troubles. Although Picard initially throws Q in the brig, he later allows Q to help the engineering team work on a way to save the planet. To keep Q from getting into trouble, Picard assigns Data to watch him. Q and Data have an incredibly compelling dynamic, leaving me wishing TNG had paired the two up more often.

25 Best Star Trek: TNG Episodes Of All Time

Star Trek: The Next Generation produced some of the best and most beloved science fiction television of all time. Here is TNG's best of the best.

Star Trek: TNG Should Have Brought Data & Q Together More Than Once

Data was the perfect person to give q a lesson in humanity.

Upon being assigned to basically babysit Q, Data comments on the irony of achieving "in disgrace" what Data has "always aspired to be." Q does not understand Data's fascination with humanity , remarking that humans are "commonplace little creatures." Still, throughout "Deja Q," Q learns a lot from Data about what it means to be human, proving that Data has always understood humanity better than most. I love the dynamic between Data and Q, and they have some fascinating conversations that offer insight into both characters.

Brent Spiner and John de Lancie are both strong actors who understand their respective characters well, and every scene with the two of them works.

Data treats Q the same way he treats everyone else and has endless patience for Q's complaints about being human. When Q is attacked by one of his many enemies, Data risks his own life to save him. Q has difficulty understanding why Data would do this, and he eventually comes to the surprisingly self-aware conclusion that he does not have what it takes to be human. Q then decides to risk his own life with the hope of saving the Enterprise, which so impresses the Q Continuum that they restore his powers.

I Really Hope Future Star Trek Projects Revisit Data & Q's Dynamic

Q should reach out to the newly upgraded data.

Throughout his eight appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Q was most often paired with Captain Picard, as John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart played off of one another particularly well. In Star Trek: Picard season 2 , Q reunited with Picard, sending his old friend/enemy into the past to confront his childhood trauma. When Q believed he was dying, he and Jean-Luc shared a heartfelt goodbye, but despite Q's "death," he popped back up at the end of Picard season 3. Of course, Q does not experience time linearly, so he could appear in any future Star Trek project.

Data finally received the ultimate upgrade in Picard season 3, becoming as close to human as he could ever hope to be. I hope Star Trek continues to explore Data's journey in some way, and that he gets the chance to reunite with Q. At the end of "Deja Q," Q grants Data the gift of laughter, and it would be a nice callback for Q to meet a version of Data who can laugh on his own.

Data taught Q how to be selfless, ultimately helping him regain his powers, which seems like something even Q would not forget. As the characters had such a fun dynamic on Star Trek: The Next Generation, I would love to see Q check up on the newly upgraded version of Data.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Star Trek's Jonathan Frakes Knows How He Wants The TNG Story To Continue After Picard

"Star Trek: Picard" ended in 2023 following three successful seasons. However, while the show provided some moments of closure for fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Jonathan Frakes hopes to see some of the other characters from that series continue the story.

While speaking to SFX Magazine (via Winter Is Coming ), the actor best known for playing Commander William Riker noted that it isn't likely that the "TNG" players will return for a movie. Still, he believes the ending of "Picard" Season 3 left the door open to more adventures for the crew. "I'm certainly optimistic. I think it may be the end of the Picard story, but I'm not sure it's the end of the Next Generation story. That's the vibe. I'm an eternal optimist. I'm sure it's what [showrunner] Terry [Matalas] would like!"

The "Picard" series finale sees Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) take charge of the Enterprise and recruit Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut), and Raffi (Michelle Hurd), teasing more journeys throughout the frontier. That said, will a show centered around these characters happen down the line?

Star Trek: TNG fans shouldn't get their hopes up

Jonathan Frakes believes that "Star Trek: Picard" created a pathway for more stories about these beloved characters. Showrunner Terry Matalas doesn't disagree with this sentiment either, as he told TVLine following the series finale. However, he said that the reality of a new show depends on certain variables matching up.

"Well, really, it was an ending to Picard, which was a proper beginning. That was what was designed to be the most satisfying thing: the passing of the torch. So, having said that, it does feel like something new, with Captain Seven and her crew. It feels like a new mix. I don't know how much everyone would be involved, but it definitely feels like a mix and match of old legacy and new."

Despite the tease, Matalas added that there are no immediate plans to continue the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" story. The "Picard" showunner said that the ending was created to give fans something to contemplate despite the unlikelihood of those dreams ever being realized. However, his words suggest he's open to the idea if the cast members are keen on reprising their roles.

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Broncos' Courtland Sutton 'More of a No. 2 WR' Than a Star?

Nick kendell | aug 18, 2024.

• Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos entered 2024 riddled with questions. Most eyeballs will rightfully be on rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Will he wind up being the quality of quarterback that gives Denver its first long-term option at the position since Peyton Manning and someone who can give the team a fighting chance against the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert going forward?

Early indications are that Broncos head coach Sean Payton might have found an ideal fit for his offense as Nix has impressed in preseason and training camp overall. If Nix is the guy, though, the Broncos will likely need to improve upon their passing weapons to maximize the young quarterback on his rookie contract.

Wide receiver, specifically, is a question for the Broncos this season. With Courtland Sutton back following a restructured contract, the rest of the receiver room is replete with unknowns.

Given the lack of sizzle at the position, the 33rd Team' s Ian Valentino ranked Denvers’ wide receiver room as the 22nd-best group in the NFL entering 2024.

"In theory, the Denver Broncos have a receiving corps worth this ranking. Courtland Sutton is more of a quality No. 2 receiver than a star, and Tim Patrick was a good player before missing the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

"Josh Reynolds was a valuable piece in Detroit and will play a role in Denver. Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims were good and productive in college, but one or both need to make an impact right away for Denver to justify being over teams with a better No. 1 option," Valentino wrote.

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With Sutton having been plagued with subpar quarterback play, a variety of different schemes with a revolving door of coaching regimes, and having to come back from a significant knee injury, it's unfair to box him as purely a quality No. 2 receiver. He was on the receiving end of many of last year’s improbable Russell Wilson completions, hauling in a whopping 10 touchdowns.

At this point in his career, perhaps Sutton is best served as an X and a high-end No. 2, but with better (and more consistent) quarterback play and a renowned offensive play-caller in Payton, there could be some WR1 upside there — even if Sutton does not become a superstar playmaker.

After Sutton, though, who else steps up and emerges remains to be seen. Patrick was a really promising find by the Broncos when he was handed a new contract in the 2021 season.

However, after suffering season-ending injuries in back-to-back training camps, forgive Broncos Country for being a bit guarded before believing in a healthy over-30 Patrick emerging as a big-time contributor for the team.

It's Mims whom the Broncos need to take a large step up this season. The 2023 second-rounder is coming off of a Pro Bowl/All-Pro season as a special teams returner, but it will be his ability as a receiver that will determine most of his value and worth, as Denver traded up to acquire him, after all.

While Mims caught a touchdown pass in preseason Game 1 against the Indianapolis Colts and got an early rep with the ones, he was relegated to the second team earning snaps behind Sutton, Patrick, and Reynolds.

Can Mims emerge as a top-three receiver and an explosive play threat the Broncos desperately need on paper? Time will tell.

Reynolds appears to have been a savvy signing by the Broncos. He's solid, versatile, big, and physical. He may have mistimed a possible touchdown from Nix against the Colts, but he provides an excellent floor as a player with many unknowns.

However, a glance at Reynolds' contract, in comparison to the current eye-popping wide receiver market, should cap expectations that he'll be a massive difference-making playmaker. Signing for a two-year, $9 million contract, his $4.5-million-per-year deal ranks 51st amongst wide receivers in the NFL. It's a contract and market that would indicate he's a useful player but not someone likely to be the type of dynamic playmaker teams covet.

After those four, it really could be anyone to earn the last roster spot or two. While Franklin was coveted enough by Denver to move up for early Day 3, he has been reportedly up and down leading up to the start of the season.

Apparently, the other receiver from Denver's draft class — Devaughn Vele — has been more of a standout so far. Perhaps David Sills, Jalen Virgil, Brandon Johnson, or Lil’Jordan Humphrey will take one of the last spots. Special teams will play a big role in the last receivers to make the 53-man roster.

The Takeaway

Overall, the Broncos' wide receiver room has options and names, but after Sutton, who emerges and what quality of play they provide remains to be seen. Luckily for Denver, Payton hasn't traditionally needed a plethora of weapons to scheme players open and field a plus-offense.

With Payton’s play calling, a smart and accurate quarterback, and an offensive line that can dictate on the ground and keep the quarterback upright, Denver might not need a star-studded cast of pass-catchers. Still, the room doesn’t look outstanding on paper and is a position to monitor going forward this season.

Follow Mile High Huddle on  X  and  Facebook  and subscribe  on YouTube  for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!

NICK KENDELL

Nick Kendell is a Senior Analyst at Mile High Huddle and has covered the Denver Broncos, NFL, and NFL Draft since 2017. He has covered the NFL Scouting Combine on-site, along with college pro days. Nick co-hosts the popular podcast Broncos For Breakfast and Building the Broncos. 

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Where lsu's 2025 recruiting class ranks after latest commit, share this article.

LSU added to its stellar 2025 class over the weekend, flipping four-star cornerback Kade Phillips from Texas . According to On3, Phillips is the No. 7 ranked corner in the country and No. 65 overall recruit.

The Industry Rankings slate Phillips 164th overall, making him the 13th top 200 recruit to join LSU’s class.

With the addition, LSU’s class remained at No. 3 in the nation, but the Tigers closed the gap with Alabama and Ohio State . Just .079 points separate LSU and Ohio State’s classes now.

247Sports agrees with On3, ranking LSU at No. 3 too.

Phillips is LSU’s 16th blue-chip recruit of the class, which ties Ohio State for most in the country.

As far as average recruit rating goes, LSU ranks third, too. Oregon leads the country with an average rating of 92.79, followed by Ohio State at 92.28 and LSU at 91.76.

Flipping Phillips was the second Texas flip of the cycle for LSU. Earlier this summer, the Tigers managed to swing four-star defensive tackle Brandon Brown .

LSU recruiting is on a roll right now and the Phillips addition keeps LSU in the race for the top overall class. The Tigers are still chasing some of the nation’s top prospects with safety Jonah Williams and wide receiver Jaime Ffrench still on the board.

Contact/Follow us  @LSUTigersWire  on Twitter, and like our page on  Facebook  to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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Colts rookie report: Breaking down how Laiatu Latu, Adonai Mitchell and others played

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts draft class got its first taste of action in a 34-30 preseason loss to Denver on Sunday, a game dominated by playing time for the younger players on the roster.

Especially for the rookies.

Indianapolis sprinkled its draft class among the first two units, allowing fans to get a glimpse of just about everybody.

Colts score: Colts lose 34-30 to the Broncos in the preseason opener with Anthony Richardson starting

Laiatu Latu, DE

Latu, the team’s first-round pick in April, did not play much on run downs with the first-team defense, but he did substitute into the game in pass-rushing situations, his likely role once the season begins.

Working a lot against Denver’s starting left tackle, Garett Bolles — the Broncos left their starters in the game longer than Indianapolis — Latu had at least three pressures, mostly on outside moves, although he did get caught in traffic a couple of times.

When the starting defense left, Latu got his chance on run downs, and he made a nice tackle on one play, holding his ground, disengaging and making the tackle for a short gain.

Colts vs. Broncos: 10 Colts thoughts on Anthony Richardson, Laiatu Latu, Nick Cross, more in preseason opener

Adonai Mitchell, WR

Mitchell played the first three series of the game, catching an out-breaking comebacker from Joe Flacco for 11 yards, then failing to wall off a defender on his second target, allowing the ball to fall incomplete.

Ultimately, Mitchell’s early-season role may have been altered considerably when slot receiver Josh Downs suffered a high ankle sprain in practice earlier this week. If Downs has to miss regular-season time, Mitchell might factor into the picture in the slot, although he mostly played outside in the preseason opener.

Matt Goncalves, T

Goncalves, who is battling with Blake Freeland for the swing tackle job, played most of the first half in relief of Braden Smith at right tackle and acquitted himself well, finishing blocks. On a day when Freeland had some rough moments, Goncalves turned in a nice day.

Tanor Bortolini, C

Bortolini, the likely backup center to Ryan Kelly after Wesley French suffered a season-ending ankle injury this week, spent most of the first half snapping the ball to Joe Flacco or Sam Ehlinger. The fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin delivered a key block on Evan Hull’s touchdown run in the first half, driving a Broncos defender.

Anthony Gould, WR/KR

Gould, the fifth-rounder Indianapolis drafted in part because of his return skills, gave the league one of its first highlights in the new dynamic kickoff, taking a second-half offering and returning it 49 yards.

The Colts kickoff return got off to something of a slow start, but Gould finished with five returns for 138 yards, an average of 27.6 yards per return. The rookie also returned one punt for 9 yards, the kind of performance that should encourage special teams coordinator Brian Mason.

Gould did not have a catch or carry on offense despite seeing action with the starters.

Jaylon Carlies, LB

Carlies, a fifth-rounder, was held out of Sunday’s game due to a lingering hip injury.

Jaylin Simpson, CB

Simpson, a fifth-round pick out of Auburn, was flagged for defensive holding on a deep route, displayed solid coverage skills on one route near the sideline and finished with two tackles.

Micah Abraham, CB

Abraham might be the big winner for the rookies. Drafted as a developmental nickel behind entrenched starter Kenny Moore II, Abraham made one of the biggest defensive plays of the game, forcing a fumble, picking it up himself and returning it 45 yards for a score.

The diminutive sixth-rounder (5-10, 185 pounds) also showed he has some of Moore’s trademark toughness, racking up six tackles and a tackle-for-loss while playing most of the second half.

Jonah Laulu, NT

Offered a chance to get some work against Denver’s starters in the first half, Laulu made two tackles at the point of attack.

Undrafted standouts

Dalton Tucker, a guard from Marshall, entered with the second-team offensive line and showed nice mobility on a run to the outside, pulling to level a blocker. … Kansas quarterback Jason Bean, who the Colts would also like to develop as a wide receiver, entered the game last and directed a touchdown drive, completing 4 of 6 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown to Laquon Treadwell, as well as leading Indianapolis with 24 rushing yards.

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3 star trek casts that sadly can’t have a full reunion like picard.

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How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order

Star trek 4 is “forever tainted” but simon pegg would love to do it, star trek officially brands a surprising deep space nine hero as a war criminal.

• Star Trek: Picard season 3's TNG reunion wowed fans with a reunited crew saving the Federation and defeating the Borg.
• Some Star Trek legacy casts may still come back together, but other casts sadly can't reunite.
• Hope remains for Star Trek: DS9 and J.J. Abrams' movie comebacks, but the loss of key actors makes full reunions impossible.

Star Trek: Picard season 3's reunion of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's actors sadly can't happen with 3 Star Trek casts. After Star Trek: Picard seasons 1 and 2 focused on new characters teaming up with Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), as well as Star Trek: Voyager 's Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Star Trek: Picard season 3's showrunner, Terry Matalas, wanted to bring back the entire main cast of TNG . The result was Star Trek: Picard' s most acclaimed season, as the united crew of the USS Enterprise-D saved the United Federation of Planets and defeated the Borg once and for all.

Star Trek: Picard season 3's reassembled Star Trek: The Next Generation cast also delivered nostalgia while updating where each USS Enterprise-D member was in their lives decades after TNG ended. Naturally, Picard 's widely popular TNG reunion sparked fan interest in seeing other Star Trek legacy casts come back together. Some have the potential to: Star Trek: Voyager' s cast is still active and many have joined Kate Mulgrew's Admiral Kathryn Janeway in Netflix's animated Star Trek: Prodigy . Another crew fans want to see make a comeback is Star Trek: Enterprise . While some Star Trek legacy actors have moved on from Star Trek or from acting, there is still potential for them to return. Unfortunately, 3 Star Trek casts can't ever fully reassemble because of actors who have sadly passed away.

The Star Trek TV franchise has existed for 57 years and consists of 12 shows (and counting). Here's how to watch them all in timeline order.

3 Star Trek: The Original Series Cast

William shatner, george takei, and walter koenig have outlived their cast mates.

Star Trek: The Original Series ' cast first came together in 1966 and set the gold standard for what has become a nearly 60-year legacy of Star Trek television series and movies. Together, the original Star Trek cast played the iconic crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 for 3 seasons of TOS and 6 Star Trek movies. The last time the original crew shared the screen together was in 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Today, a full Star Trek: TOS reunion is impossible because most of the cast has passed away.

Star Trek's original cast is now the stuff of legend.

William Shatner is still going strong at 93 years old , and George Takei and Walter Koenig are thankfully still with us. However, DeForest Kelley passed away in 1999, followed by James Doohan in 2005. Majel Barrett-Roddenberry joined her late husband, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry , in 2008. We lost Leonard Nimoy in 2015, and Nichelle Nichols also passed away in 2022. Star Trek' s original cast is now the stuff of legend.

Although William Shatner hasn't portrayed Captain James T. Kirk since 1994's Star Trek Generations, the character lives on in a younger version played by Paul Wesley in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . In fact, Star Trek: The Original Series ' characters found a new lease on life in J.J. Abrams' rebooted Star Trek movies. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is gradually reintroducing the TOS cast, with only Dr. Leonard McCoy, Hikaru Sulu, and Pavel Chekov yet to be seen in Paramount+'s prequel.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Not available

2 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Cast

Rene auberjonois and aron eisenberg have passed away.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's cast assembled in 1993 as the first spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Main characters like Michael Dorn's Lt. Commander Worf joined DS9 while others, like Terry Farrell's Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax, left the series. Still, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is heralded for having the most expansive and exotic cast of any Star Trek series , with numerous ancillary characters so well-written and so popular, that they were able to carry their own episodes.

Nicole de Boer joined Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7 as Lt. Ezri Dax to replace Terry Farrell's Jadzia Dax, who was killed off when she left the show.

While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is at the top of fans' lists for a comeback, a full cast reunion is now, sadly, impossible. In 2019, both Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog, and Rene Auberjonois, who played Constable Odo, passed away. We also lost Louise Fletcher, who portrayed the diabolical Kai Winn, in 2022. In addition, Avery Brooks, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' s Captain Benjamin Sisko , has retired from acting and distanced himself from Star Trek , although hope remains he could be coaxed back to play Captain Sisko again.

Fans still hold out hope that the remaining Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast can come back.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's 2019 retrospective documentary, What We Left Behind , reassembled the show's writing team to conjecture what DS9 season 8 could be like. Their ideas brought back everyone, including Nog, Odo, and Captain Sisko. Unfortunately, such a reunion can't happen today . However, fans still hold out hope that the remaining Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast can come back, be it in a live-action event or in animation.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

1 j.j. abrams’ star trek movie cast, rip anton yelchin.

J.J. Abrams achieved a miracle when he cast Star Trek (2009) . Conventional wisdom held that it would be impossible to find actors to embody and replace William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series . With ingenious casting choices, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Star Trek (2009)'s cast brought new life, youth, and vitality to the iconic crew of the Starship Enterprise . Abrams' Star Trek cast matured into their roles in the sequels, 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016's Star Trek Beyond.

Simon Pegg wants to return for Star Trek 4, but a USS Enterprise reunion wouldn't be the same after the tragic loss of Anton Yelchin.

Nearly a decade after Star Trek Beyond left theaters, audiences and the actors still hope Star Trek 4 can bring one more voyage of the USS Enterprise. Tragically, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek cast will never be complete again. In 2016, Anton Yelchin lost his life in a terrible accident. Star Trek Beyond was dedicated to Yelchin's memory , as well as to Leonard Nimoy, who passed away the previous year. Sofia Boutella's Jaylah is a natural replacement for Ensign Chekov, who won't be recast, but Star Trek 4 , if it happens, will always be missing one of its key crew members.

Star Trek Beyond

How the 2028 Olympics could actually break L.A.’s car dependency

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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Aug. 14 . Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• L.A. promises a car-free 2028 Olympics. We’ll see about that!
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Car-free L.A. Olympics? The city has a plan for that.

When the Olympic flag passed from Paris to Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass reiterated the pledge that L.A. would host a “ no-car Games ” in four years.

That will require getting millions of people to take public transit instead of driving during 2028’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. That’s how Paris tried to keep the city running smoothly this summer.

But L.A.’s rail network pales in comparison to the City of Light ’s.

I spoke with a Metro official and local transit advocates to see whether a car-free (or even car-lite) Olympics is possible.

L.A.’s 1932 and 1984 Olympics were actually pretty car-free

In 1932, Los Angeles boasted one of — if not the best — transit network in the world. Spectators were encouraged to take the popular red car system to venues and the city operated more buses on dedicated roadways.

By 1984, freeways and wide streets had replaced that impressive rail network . But the feared Olympic traffic apocalypse never materialized. Instead, the streets were an “automotive nirvana,” one L.A. Times reporter wrote at the time.

One big reason: The city deployed a massive fleet of buses on dedicated lanes to take spectators and workers to venues.

Congestion on many local roads fell. Fast, frequent bus service helped defeat soul-sucking traffic. But those bus-only lanes were removed when the Olympics left town.

Transit advocates hope that this time, the Olympics can help usher in permanent changes.

A ‘catalytic moment’ to change L.A.’s car culture

L.A. aims to have key projects ready before the 2028 Games arrive. That includes finally bringing rail service directly to LAX , extending the D Line subway further into West L.A. and adding bus-only lanes on highly congested corridors .

Laura Raymond, the director of Act-LA , which advocates for transit and housing improvements, told me she’s hopeful the Olympics represent a “catalytic moment” for L.A. to build itself out of car dependence.

“We need to make sure [the Olympics] is benefiting Los Angeles and not the other way around,” she said.

Creating more permanent bus-only lanes will be key to achieve that, Raymond said. So would improvements to the city’s crumbling sidewalks , inequitable tree canopy and deep deficiency of public bathrooms .

The car-free goal is “appropriate and audacious and awesome,” Alissa Walker told me. Walker has reported on transportation in Los Angeles for 20 years and recently launched Torched , a newsletter chronicling L.A.’s road to the 2028 Olympic Games.

“It’s a really good way to start framing not just how we plan for this big party in ‘28, but how we think about how we want to get around our city every day,” she said. “Fewer cars is really the only path we have forward as a region.”

But Walker worries that some of the public and private money pouring into L.A. ahead of the Games won’t actually help achieve long-term mobility goals.

“People are going to use this ‘car-free’ label to try to sell their ideas,” she said, pushing “solutions we didn’t ask for.” Two examples she’s keeping an eye on: air taxis and autonomous vehicle fleets.

Car-free is in the eye of the beholder.

Olympics organizers will be using cars and trucks to move athletes, coaching staff, International Olympic Committee officials and equipment.

“Some venues will have ample parking, others will not,” The Times’ David Wharton reported last week . “Organizers say no one will be told they cannot drive to a competition, but public transportation might be an easier option.”

Some L.A. leaders have adjusted their language to frame the Olympics as “transit-first,” which is different from car-free, Walker noted in a recent edition of her newsletter .

According to Seleta Reynolds, Metro’s chief innovation officer, the agency and its regional transit partners “are absolutely focused” on getting Olympic spectators and workers to and from venues without cars.

Since several major Olympic venues don’t have direct connections to rail, Metro will once again turn to the humble bus to close gaps and get people to events, many of which will be inaccessible by car because of security protocols. The agency plans to borrow about 2,700 buses — in effect doubling its current fleet — and add temporary bus-only lanes to a number of freeways during the Games.

“We know that’s not enough,” she said. The agency also aims to expand bike lanes, create “mobility hubs” where people can switch from cars to other modes of transportation and make the system easier to navigate for foreign tourists.

Metro is no stranger to cost overruns, construction delays and other roadblocks that stretch project time lines.

The agency proposed in 2018 28 transit projects to complete by 2028 . But the list has been amended and scaled back over the years.

Five projects have been completed, nine are under construction, and the remaining projects are in some phase of planning.

The agency’s “real north star” for the next four years, Reynolds said, is a separate “ wish list” of transportation and mobility improvements .

But it still needs about $3 billion to close a funding gap, Reynolds said. It has secured $17 billion already.

While securing funding and community buy-in remain big hurdles, Reynolds said, coordination between siloed agencies “has always bedeviled us.”

She hopes that the Olympics can change that by giving the government bureaucracies that manage transportation in L.A. County a common goal to strive for.

“This deadline is fixed,” she said. “The Games are coming.”

Today’s top stories

Kamala Harris leads the polls in California

• Poll: Harris and Walz build huge lead among likely California voters .
• As a Minnesota ‘climate champion’, Gov. Tim Walz looked to California for inspiration.
• Harris offers ‘freedom’ and contrast to Trump , but not many policy details.
• Trump, meanwhile, promises to ‘save’ America with mix of lofty, vague, legally dubious policies .
• A dangerous L.A. fault system rivaling the San Andreas is tied to recent earthquakes.
• Some danced, some ducked and covered, others evacuated when quake jolted L.A. schools.
• Here’s how to get California’s early warning earthquake alerts.

Excessive heat, hydrogen cars and climate

• Death Valley National Park claimed another life in blistering summer heat.
• Refueling a hydrogen car in California is so annoying that drivers are suing Toyota .
• Billionaire accused of stealing sand from Malibu’s Broad Beach , lawsuit says.

Pro-Palestinian protesters

• San Francisco’s district attorney brought charges against pro-Palestinian protesters who blocked Golden Gate Bridge .
• Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down 405 Freeway in West L.A.
• A judge ordered UCLA to ensure equal campus access to Jewish students after pro-Palestinian protests

More big stories

• Thousands are housed as L.A. County makes progress on Skid Row.
• Paramount shutters television studio, begins major layoffs ahead of Skydance merger.
• Human Rights Watch slammed L.A. and California for criminalizing homelessness

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Commentary and opinions

• Mary McNamara: How Kamala Harris and the Paris Olympics saved us from a summer of doomscrolling .
• Mark Z. Barabak: What Trump’s crowd obsession says about him — and the race for the White House.
• LZ Granderson: We know the sort of policies Harris will promise. The question is how she’d pay for them .
• Jonah Goldberg: Trump turned politics into reality TV. Now Harris is the show to watch.
• Jackie Calmes: Donald Trump’s state of mind should be under debate.
• Michael Hiltzik: Trump says Harris stole his idea for exempting tips from tax, but her version beats his .
• Sammy Roth : Don’t worry, it was only the second-hottest month ever .

Today’s powerful reads

Demand for off-brand Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs is skyrocketing. But are they safe? As consumers seeking to lose weight face Ozempic shortages, many are turning to a booming, less regulated market for compounded versions of the drug.

Other great reads

• Isaac Psalm Escoto finds the intersection between L.A.’s art galleries and graffiti .

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected] .

For your downtime

• 🎩 The hootin’-hollerin’ allure of Knott’s Berry Farm’s summer staple Ghost Town Alive!
• 🎨 The woman who forged her path producing “Heathers,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Beaches” turned to painting as a form of solace after her husband died. A new gallery show is part of that healing .
• 🎤 Chappell Roan can’t be stopped.
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for Sesame Cold Noodles With Crab and Crunchy Vegetables .
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games .

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

Today’s great photo is from Al Seib for The Times, capturing transitional kindergarten student Sarai Matel’s excitement as she flashes a peace sign while entering Main Street Elementary School in Los Angeles on the first day of school .

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter Defne Karabatur, fellow Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor and Saturday reporter Christian Orozco, assistant editor Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

Check our top stories , topics and the latest articles on latimes.com .

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Ryan Fonseca writes the Los Angeles Times’ Essential California newsletter. A lifelong SoCal native, he has worked in a diverse mix of newsrooms across L.A. County, including radio, documentary, print and television outlets. Most recently, he was an associate editor for LAist.com and KPCC-FM (89.3) public radio, covering transportation and mobility. He returns to The Times after previously working as an assistant web editor for Times Community News, where he helped manage the websites and social media presence of the Burbank Leader, Glendale News-Press and La Cañada Valley Sun. Fonseca studied journalism at Cal State Northridge, where he now teaches the next generation of journalists to develop their voice and digital skills.

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