News

Director Jonathan Frakes reveals new details about the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Set in the 32nd century, the Paramount+ series follows a new generation of Starfleet cadets as they train at the legendary Academy for the first time in over a century. Unlike previous Trek series, this show will primarily take place on Earth. The cast is a mix of veteran Trek actors and newcomers, with Holly Hunter playing the Academy’s chancellor and Paul Giamatti cast as a recurring villain. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's cast also features franchise stars Oded Fehr, Tig Notaro, Robert Picardo, and Mary Wiseman.

During a Star Trek panel hosted by Collider at the Indiana Comic Convention, Frakes confirmed that Starfleet Academy had completed filming and assured that it will resonate with longtime fans. Frakes, who is set to direct several episodes of the series, also revealed that Starfleet Academy has an impressive set design,...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

When Patrick Stewart was approached to play Professor Charles Xavier in Bryan Singer's 2000 film "X-Men," he admitted that he knew nothing of the character. He only knew that Professor X was a powerful telepath who was frequently surrounded by costumed superheroes, which sounded unbearably boring to the actor. Stewart had just ended a decade-long stint playing Captain Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and wanted to take a break from sci-fi, fantasy, zip-up costumes, and telepathy. However, he changed his mind when Singer explained that, despite sporting similar bald heads, Captain Picard and Professor X were wholly different characters, and that "X-Men" was nothing like "Star Trek." Stewart agreed. He would go on to play Professor X in several additional films.

The casting of Stewart in the role of Charles Xavier fulfilled many dreams. For years, X-Men fans...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

At the end of Stuart Baird's 2002 flop "Star Trek: Nemesis," the brave android Data (Brent Spiner) sacrifices his life to blow up the Scimitar, a weaponized Romulan ship that was on the brink of destroying the U.S.S. Enterprise. Data always aspired to be more human, and his sacrifice was the ultimate expression of his humanity. It also fulfilled Spiner's desire for Data to be killed off, something he had been asking for since "Star Trek: Insurrection."

Spiner, however, got to have his cake and eat it too. The actor also played B-4, an android prototype built before Data. B-4 was discovered early in "Nemesis," and Data reassembled his long-lost android brother, finding that his brain was a rudimentary version of his own. B-4 was childlike and nonperceptive but showed potential. The film ended with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart...

When reviewing movies, the website Rotten Tomatoes is certainly one of the most recognizable and acclaimed. Since 1998, Rotten Tomatoes has been using a rating system of aggregating positive reviews from its roster of film and television critics, where its famous Tomatometer designates a film's tomato status.

A film can be designated as "Rotten" with less than 60% of reviews being positive, "Fresh" with at least 60% of reviews being positive, or "Certified Fresh" with 75% or higher scores from at least 5 of their top critics. Let's see which Star Trek films are "Fresh" and which ones are not.

#14 – Star Trek: Section 31 (2025) “Rotten” – 19% Tomatometer

With a “Rotten” Tomatometer score of 19%, the Michelle Yeoh-led Paramount+ streaming film centers around a secret mission orchestrated by a team of agents who work for a black ops organization called Section 31. Section 31 is a clandestine organization within the Federation that carries out secret missions to save the galaxy,...

There have been 14 Star Trek films released since 1979. Those films have covered four distinct periods of the franchise while highlighting distinct crews across that time period. We started with William Shatner's James Kirk and the rest of the original series crew for the first six films. Then we jump to Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard and the rest of the core Next Generation cast across the next four. After that, we return to James Kirk but this time featuring Chris Pine and the rest of the aptly named Kelvin crew. Finally, in what is likely a one-and-done situation, Star Trek: Section 31 featured Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, likely closing out her run with that character.

The last film so far was a disaster of a film that fairly sits at the worst-reviewed film in franchise history. Is it in fact the worst Star Trek film of all time?...

Soap opera veteran Bruce French has died. The actor who portrayed Father Lonigan on Passions was 79 years old. French was the husband of Days of Our Lives alum Eileen Barnett.

Rest In Peace

The Hollywood Reporter reported that French passed away on Friday in Los Angeles due to complications from Alzheimer’s. He was diagnosed with the disease four years ago. French was born on July 4, 1945, in Reinbeck, Iowa. He earned a degree from the University of Iowa, and he served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Finally, French studied acting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

On Passions, French portrayed the blind Father Lonigan for the show’s entire nine seasons from 1999 to 2008. On the soap, baddie Alistair Crane (David Bailey; John Reilly) caused the Father to lose his sight.

He began his acting career in 1972 in the off-Broadway play, The Shadow of a Gunman.

It is a huge responsibility and commitment that Starfleet captains take on the duty and honor of commanding a starship. One can imagine it’s daunting and likely immeasurable given their oath to the Federation; the lives of their crew literally in their hands; and not to mention their diplomatic and political responsibilities to engaging Federation and non-federation planets and species across the galaxy.

As such, a well-deserved furlough is certainly in order for starship captains, and what better way to lounge in Starfleet style than a starship-to-shore leave excursion in a luxury captain’s yacht. However, in Star Trek canon there are only random mentions of a captain’s yachts and only one on screen movie deployment of a captain’s yacht. Given the scarcity in Star Trek canon, here are a few examples when captains' yachts have surfaced in Starfleet storylines.

Captain Picard's yacht the "Cousteau"

In...

Bruce French, a veteran of the stage and prolific character actor who worked with David E. Kelley and appeared in NBC’s aughts soap Passions across the entirety of its nine-season run, died Feb. 7 at the age of 79.

He died in Los Angeles of complications from Alzheimer’s (with which he was diagnosed around four years ago), longtime Days of Our Lives actress and French’s wife of 34 years, Eileen Barnett, told The Hollywood Reporter.

“The world is a dimmer place today, missing this amazing light that has gone out,” French’s niece, Claire French, wrote on Facebook. “We will miss Uncle Bruce tremendously, but are confident that he is joyously reunited with his beloved mom and in the seat he told my dad to save him...

Character actor Bruce French, best known for playing Father Lonigan in the NBC soap Passions, has died. He was 79.

French passed away Friday in Los Angeles due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease, his wife and Days of Our Lives vet Eileen Barnett told our sister site The Hollywood Reporter. TVLine has reached out for confirmation.

More from TVLineDavid Lynch's Cause of Death RevealedJohn Erwin, He-Man Voice Actor, Dead at 88 - Read Tributes From CastmatesDick Button, Olympic Figure Skating Champion and TV Analyst, Dead at 95

The actor recurred as Father Lonigan, the blind priest who had premonitions of evil,...

Bruce French, the dependable character actor who did lots of work for the theater and portrayed Father Lonigan, the blind priest on the soap opera Passions who somehow could sense that evil was imminent, has died. He was 79.

French died Friday in Los Angeles of complications from Alzheimer’s, his wife of 34 years, longtime Days of Our Lives actress Eileen Barnett, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Iowa native, who has more than 150 acting credits on IMDb, guest-starred for David E. Kelley on such shows as L.A. Law, Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Public and Boston Legal, and he appeared on three Star Trek series — The Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise — and in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection.

Plus, he played the wealthy neighbor of Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver’s shifty characters on both seasons of the 2007-08 FX drama The Riches.

French recurred as the kind-hearted...

"Star Trek" hasn't always been on the smoothest of journeys. "The Original Series," the best of "Trek," only lasted three seasons on NBC before the network axed it due to low ratings. Fans were bereft, but they kept the flame burning for a decade (and made do with two seasons of "The Animated Series"), and celebrated when director Robert Wise brought the crew of the Starship Enterprise back for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." But when the movie failed to perform up to Paramount Pictures' box office expectations (grossing $83 million in the United States on a budget of $44 million), the franchise appeared to be on the ropes again.

Fortunately, director Nicholas Meyer came along and righted the starship with the more sensibly budgeted "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan," which grossed $79 million in the U.S. and set the franchise on a profitable course that made "The Next Generation" viable; from there,...

Jonathan Frakes directed Star Trek: First Contact (he was nominated for a Saturn Award for this one) as well as Star Trek: Insurrection. He's since gone on to direct almost thirty episodes of Star Trek, including Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and there's more coming with Starfleet Academy. Prolific as a director, Frakes has stayed more behind the camera than he has in front of it, and it's paid off. He knows good Star Trek (you can't really count the bad episodes like Sub Rosa from Star Trek: the Next Generation against him), and one can't help but wonder what Section 31 would have been like had Frakes been behind the camera.

Prior to writing Section 31, Craig Sweeney had written one episode of Star Trek for Discovery, which was the series third episode in its first season. That doesn't seem like enough experience to be handed the reins of a Star Trek movie.

Time to boldly stream, what no man has streamed before. “Star Trek” is set to have a banner year in 2025, with almost every iteration of the hit franchise available to stream on Paramount+.

For any longtime or new Trekkie, Paramount+ is going to be an almost one-stop shop for an upcoming “Star Trek” binge. Buckle up for a content overload if you’re waiting for “Star Trek: Section 31,” “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” or the new season of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” because essentially every piece of “Star Trek” story is available watch online.

Here’s where to stream all the movies and TV shows in the “Star Trek” franchise. Live long and prosper!

Where can you stream all the “Star Trek” TV shows?

When it comes to streaming “Star Trek” TV in 2025, then Paramount+ is essentially a one-stop shop. Here’s where every “Star Trek” show to date is available.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

From low-budget romps to high-energy blockbuster films, Star Trek has become one of the most influential sci-fi franchises of all time. While Trek has decades worth of TV, film, and animated iterations that might rival Star Wars, it also has its own unique legacy and long-time, passionate cult following (and merch).

In the past few years, the Trek television universe has become one of the highlights of original programming on Paramount+.

Star Trek disappointingly has no new upcoming TV shows about its best and most popular era, Star Trek: The Next Generation's 24th century, which continued into the 25th century in Star Trek: Picard. Tng kicked off the most expansive era of Star Trek. Overseen by executive producer Rick Berman, the 24th century spanned Tng, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and 4 Star Trek: The Next Generation movies. Star Trek on Paramount+ continued Tng's era with Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Prodigy.

2025 won't be entirely lacking in Star Trek: The Next Generation-era representation. Star Trek: Section 31 is set in the "lost era" of the 24th century decades before Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, after Section 31, Star Trek on Paramount+ has no new projects scheduled or in production that take place in the late 24th century or early 25th century. Similarly, with...

When considering the legacy of Star Trek movies, one title consistently stands above the rest as the one true Tng film that still holds real consequence — Star Trek: First Contact. It's the second of four films in the Tng series, released after Star Trek Generations and before Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis.

First Contact received positive reviews when it came out in 1996. It's always difficult to know how a movie will hold up over time, but out of the four Tng films, First Contact is the one that remains relevant in the Star Trek universe, and it's easy to see why.

Why Star Trek: First Contact Is The Only Tng Movie That Still Matters Its Place In Star Trek History Remains Secure

While the other Tng-era films have faded into obscurity, Star Trek: First Contact remains a touchstone for fans and creators alike, thanks to its deep connections to Star Trek’s lore,...

The fourth and final Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, Star Trek: Nemesis, put a nail in the coffin of what was—at the time—a dying Star Trek franchise. Star Trek: Nemesis saw Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) confront a younger clone of himself, Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who had been created by Romulans to secretly replace Picard. Shinzon had been discarded to the mines of Remus before becoming the new Romulan Praetor to exact his revenge. Star Trek: Nemesis' subplot featured the discovery of B-4 (Brent Spiner), an inferior Soong-type android built before Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner).

In theory, Star Trek: Nemesis' high-stakes cinematic action, with a screenplay and story by Academy Award-nominated John Logan with Brent Spiner, was designed to draw casual moviegoers. Further, Star Trek: Nemesis' themes of identity and duality in its Picard and Data storylines were supposed to create that cerebral Star Trek touch.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Few enterprises (no pun intended) in the history of pop culture have managed to endure the way that "Star Trek" has. Though it had relatively humble beginnings as a 1960s sci-fi television series, Gene Roddenberry's beloved creation eventually blossomed into a massive multi-media franchise that has been going strong for nearly 60 years at this point and shows no signs of slowing down.

Even though "Star Trek: The Original Series" was canceled after just three seasons, the show ultimately found great popularity in syndication. That opened the door for new life, one that would take shape on the big screen. Beginning with "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979, Trekkies have long enjoyed the exploration of deep space with various captains of the U.S.S. Enterprise in movie form, in addition to the many different TV shows that have hit the airwaves over the years.

Warning: Spoilers For Star Trek: Lower Decks' Season 5 Finale - "The New Next Generation"Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 revealed the answer to a big question about the Captain of the USS Enterprise. The USS Enterprise-e briefly returned in Star Trek: Lower Decks' explosive series finale, but the flagship of the United Federation of Planets does not arrive in time to save the day. Nor did "The New Next Generation" show the Enterprise's Captain or crew. While this might seem like Star Trek: Lower Decks leaves the question about who is in command of the Enterprise-e up in the air, the show actually answered that question two seasons ago.

When a massive and unstable quantum fissure threatens to destroy Star Trek's entire Prime Universe in Star Trek: Lower Decks' finale, Starfleet has no choice but to rely on the USS Cerritos. In the end, the Cerritos crew rallies together...

Warning: this article contains spoilers for the "Star Trek: Lower Decks" series finale.

In the final episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," titled "The New Next Generation," the U.S.S. Cerritos is tasked with sealing up a massive rift in the space-time continuum. Although the ship is dated and under-equipped, they're the only Federation vessel in range, and if the rift isn't dealt with post-haste, it could rend the very fabric of space-time asunder. It's all very serious, so the Cerritos bravely charges to the rescue.

As the Cerritos crew approaches the rift, however, they have to sail through waves of twisted semi-interdimensional space. Each wave is a potential cataclysm, as they change the Cerritos into various parallel universe versions of itself. The crew remains largely intact, protected by special shielding, but the ship itself changes its class and size several times within the span of a few minutes.

Prior to the Kelvin universe created by J.J. Abrams in 2009, the "Star Trek" movies were said to operate on an odds-bad, evens-good schedule. Any movie with an odd number in its title (including "Star Trek: The Motion Picture") would invariably disappoint, while those with an even number would be worthy of the franchise's good name. Aside from being way too hard on the cinematic "The Motion Picture", this rule of thumb generally held true through ten films.

Generally.

In 2002, armed with a screenplay from "Gladiator" co-writer John Logan and a fiery villain played by pre-stardom Tom Hardy, "Star Trek: Nemesis" appeared poised, as the tenth film in the franchise, to course correct after the silly, weightless, and cheap-looking "Star Trek: Insurrection." It was to be a "Star Trek" film of consequence, with real danger posed to its core characters and a big adventure built for the big screen. Technically, it was all of these things.

Jonathan Frakes' 2004 kid-friendly sci-fi flick "Thunderbirds" had everything going for it. It was based on the cult Supermarionation series "Thunderbirds," created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson in 1964, a puppet-based adventure show that had a notable cult following among Gen-x TV addicts. The movie also leaned really hard into the show's colorful vehicle fetish, spending a lot of time looking at the five giant Thunderbirds rescue craft, all but assuring little kids would want toy versions of each. "Thunderbirds" also sported a notable cast, with Bill Paxton as the patriarch of the Tracy family, Anthony Edwards as the bookish tech guru Brain, and Ben Kingsley as dark-eyed villain Hood. Then-teen-star Vanessa Hudgens had a bit part as the girl Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet) had a crush on. 

The premise of "Thunderbirds" is pure Saturday morning: on a remote Tropical island, the Tracy family operates a freelance rescue organization called International Rescue.

These days, for better or worse, it's hard to imagine the movie and TV industries without Rotten Tomatoes. The review aggregator has become the go-to vibe-check for the majority of audiences, as well as a huge gauge for studios of how their latest projects are faring. Some would argue that the site's binary fresh/rotten review scale is simple to the point of harming discourse, and many users still don't fully understand how Rotten Tomatoes' scores and badges actually work. That said, it's impossible to deny the site's impact, and we might not have it at all if not for the Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker-led 1998 action-comedy "Rush Hour."

As explained in a 2021 Rotten Tomatoes editorial, founder Senh Duong was a huge Jackie Chan fan. "Rush Hour" marked the actor's first major North American release, which gave Duong a thought -- it was difficult to find different critical thoughts...

Star Trek: The Next Generation's coolest invention mostly disappeared from Star Trek movies after Star Trek: First Contact. Set about 100 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, Tng introduced an entirely new cast of characters and also brought several new futuristic technologies to Star Trek canon. The USS Enterprise-d of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was much larger than its predecessors and had numerous features earlier versions of the Starship Eneterprise lacked.

The most versatile and impressive new technology introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation was the holodeck. With a combination of replicator, transporter, and holographic technology, the holodeck could create a virtual world that felt realistic in almost every way. Starfleet's Galaxy-class ships like the Enterprise-d were equipped with holodecks that could be used for training exercises, combat practice, and recreation. The holodeck also allowed Tng to explore different genres of storytelling, as the crew could visit...

Star Trek: First Contact proved to be the gold standard that Star Trek: The Next Generation's movie franchise could never top. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, Star Trek: First Contact premiered on November 22, 1996. Grossing over $92 million at the North American box office, Star Trek: First Contact was the highest-earning of the four Star Trek: The Next Generation movies. First Contact is also the most popular Tng big-screen adventure among Star Trek fans and is considered one of the best overall Star Trek movies.

Star Trek Generations ushered in the Star Trek: The Next Generation movie franchise in 1994, with Captain James T. Kirk (WIlliam Shatner) passing the torch to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Star Trek: First Contact did better business than Generations and was a hit with critics and audiences. However, Tng's movie dominance would take a downturn. 1998's Star Trek: Insurrection was less well-received than First Contact, and 2002's...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine never jumped to feature films, but a movie crossing over DS9 and Star Trek: The Next Generation could have jumpstarted the Star Trek film franchise after Star Trek: Insurrection. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired for 7 seasons in syndication from 1993-1999. DS9 didn't achieve the popularity of Star Trek: The Next Generation, while Star Trek: Voyager was considered as Tng's heir apparent by Paramount. After Tng, no other Star Trek TV series leaped to movie theaters. A DS9 and Tng crossover was a missed opportunity.

1996's Star Trek: First Contact was the apex of the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies. Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) big-screen battle with the Borg grossed over $92 million and was a smash with audiences. 1998's follow-up, Star Trek: Insurrection, was a downturn, earning only $70 million and disappointing fans. It would be four more years until the final Tng movie,...

When it debuted on September 22, 2001, "Star Trek: Enterprise" was meant to be a bold new step for the "Star Trek" franchise. "Star Trek: Voyager" had ended its seven-year run the previous May, marking the closure of a three-series orgy of "Star Trek" shows that began in 1987. "Star Trek: The Next Generation," set almost a century after the events of the original "Star Trek" series, proved to be unexpectedly popular, introducing a whole new 24th-century vernacular into the "Star Trek" mythos. That show spawned "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in 1993, another show set in the 24th century, and that shared a few characters with "Next Generation." After completing its run in 1994, "The Next Generation" moved onto feature films, with "Voyager" debuting in January 1995. It, too, was set in the 24th century. The 1990s were a good time to be a Trekkie.

"Enterprise" was made by much of the same production staff as the previous three shows,...

Star Trek: The Next Generation star Levar Burton believes that it makes sense to follow through with the rumored Star Trek: Legacy, a sequel series to Star Trek: Picard. Star Trek: Legacy, a title coined by showrunner Terry Matalas, would follow the events of Picard season 3, and would focus on Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), and Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), on the newly rechristened USS Enterprise-g.

Speaking with TV Line to promote his hosting duties on the new CW game show, Trivial Pursuit, Burton was asked about the possibility of returning to the Star Trek universe after he and his Star Trek: The Next Generation co-stars Gate McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner joined Patrick Stewart for the third and final season of Picard. Specifically, Burton was asked to respond to Stewart's statement that the Tng cast would...

Warning: Spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 Episode 1 - "Dos Cerritos" and Episode 2 - "Shades of Green"Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 is doing the Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) story that Star Trek: The Next Generation didn't do. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 is the animated comedy's final season on Paramount+. Lt. Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) got a taste of commanding the USS Cerritos as Acting Captain at the end of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, and he's now concerned with how to travel the long road to become the Captain of his dreams. Boimler's solution: grow a Riker-like beard to gain command confidence.

Commander William Riker's beard is instantly recognizable and iconic. Originally, Riker was clean-shaven in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1. When Tng returned for season 2, Jonathan Frakes had grown a full beard over the hiatus. Frakes intended to shave, but Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry...

Star Trek 4 gets a new update, with a report claiming that Zoe Saldaa is now signed on to star in the project. After two successful Star Trek reboot films starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Star Trek Beyond hit theaters in 2016. Despite positive reviews, the film was a soft performer at the box office, and a potential Star Trek 4 has been stuck in development hell ever since, with conflicting updates emerging about the project over the past few years.

A new report from Variety now sheds some light on Star Trek 4, claiming that Saldaa is signed on to return as Uhura in the film. Saldaa also shares some of what she hopes to see from Uhura in the upcoming sequel, which includes more of an exploration of her dynamic with Zachary Quinto's Spock:

Shes a xenolinguistics master, but I would like her doing something else.

"Star Trek" fans really had it all in the mid-1990s. The "Star Trek: The Next Generation" movies carried on the adventures of the Enterprise at the cinemas, while "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager" told new stories of Starfleet on the television each week. It was truly an amazing time to be a "Star Trek" fan, although occasionally it could feel like "The Next Generation" got preferential treatment above the other two series. That was especially true when it came to how the events of "Deep Space Nine" were depicted in the "Next Generation" movies.

You see, the events of "Star Trek: Insurrection" take place during the Dominion War, which is the main arc of the final few seasons of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Lieutenant Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) went from serving on the Enterprise to the space station Deep Space Nine when "The Next Generation" went off the air,...

A Star Trek fan theory may solve Star Trek: Picard's mystery of what happened to the USS Enterprise-e, which Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) claims was not his fault. Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 9, "Vox," saw the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation come aboard the rebuilt USS Enterprise-d. En route to the Enterprise's dock at the Fleet Museum, however, Worf's Tng friends teased him about the fate of the Enterprise-e, and the Klingon insisted, "That was not my fault." What happened to the Enterprise-e remains an open question Star Trek: Picard left behind.

The Sovereign Class USS Enterprise-e was launched in 2373 prior to Star Trek: First Contact. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) commanded the Enterprise-e in three Star Trek: The Next Generation movies, including First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis. Star Trek: Picard season 1 revealed that Captain Picard received a promotion to Admiral in 2381 to...

Parker Finn's 2022 horror film "Smile" has a novel premise and a monster that is difficult to describe. The film begins when the lead character, a therapist named Rose (Sosie Bacon), has a strange encounter with a student, Laura (Caitlin Stasey). Laura is in a panic, having spent several day beset by hallucinations. She has been seeing people she knows appearing out of nowhere and grinning at her fiendishly. She knows these people are, in fact, a singular shapeshifting demon of some kind, and it is encouraging her to die by suicide. Then, as she predicted, Laura also pastes on a bleak, intense smile, and slits her throat right in front of Rose.

Rose soon begins experiencing similar hallucinations, wherein people she knows appear in her mind's eye, all of them wearing a scary rictus. Rose soon discovers that the grinning entity is an ancient supernatural creature that feeds on trauma.

If you're even a little bit familiar with "The Big Bang Theory," you know that it's always been sold as a "show about nerds" — so it makes sense that it featured a whole bunch of actors who also appeared in the "Star Trek" franchise.

Chuck Lorre's hit sitcom, which ran for 12 seasons and stars Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Kaley Cuoco, Melissa Rauch, and Mayim Bialik — who play Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, Raj Koothrappali, Penny Hofstadter, Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, and Amy Farrah Fowler, respectively — featured many, many cameos from pop culture icons, including the late James Earl Jones, Stephen Hawking, and even Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee. Throughout those 12 seasons, a lot of "Star Trek" veterans also showed up in cameo roles. So, who were they, and what did these "Star Trek" actors do during their appearances on "The Big Bang Theory?"

Read more: The...

Riker & Troi lost their son Thad to a rare disease, unable to cure him due to the Federation ban on synthetics. Ba'ku's regenerative properties could have saved Thad, but possible events may have changed its effectiveness. Riker and Troi likely had a valid reason for not taking Thad to Ba'ku, despite their willingness to do anything to save him.

As revealed in Star Trek: Picard, Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) lost their son, Thaddeus, to a rare disease, but why didn't they take him to Star Trek: Insurrection's Baku? Picking up twenty years after the events of Nemesis in the Star Trek timeline, Picard season 1 checked in on Riker and Troi and their daughter, Kestra (Lulu Wilson). Riker and Troi had settled on the planet Nepenthe because of the planet's healing properties, in an attempt to heal their son, Thad.

Thad contracted a disease known as mendaxic neurosclerosis,...

Captain Picard's Enterprise faced 4 evil villains in Star Trek: The Next Generation's movies,. Tng's movie villains were mostly attempts to recapture the menace of Khan in Star Trek II. Soran, the Borg Queen, Ru'afo, and Shinzon are all major leage Star Trek movie villains, but here's who is best.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) faced four major league villains in Star Trek: The Next Generation's movies, and here they are ranked worst to best. Starting with 1994's Star Trek Generations, directed by David Carson, the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation took over the Star Trek movie franchise. Three more films followed; 1996's Star Trek: First Contact and 1998's Star Trek: Insurrection, directed by Jonathan Frakes, and 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, directed by Stuart Baird.

Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), the eponymous villain of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, looms over the cinematic adversaries Captain...

The first two seasons of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" were a fraught time in the franchise's history. Show creator Gene Roddenberry wanted to retain total control over the proceedings, leading to a lot of head-butting between him and the other executives working on the show. To make matters worse, Roddenberry's personal lawyer, Leonard Maizlish, was sneaking into offices at night and changing already-approved scripts to his own liking. "Next Generation" gained a lot of attention in its first two years, but many Trekkies will say without hesitation that they are the worst seasons of the show.

It certainly didn't help matters that the Writers Guild of America went on strike in March 1988, lousing up production on "Next Generation." Season two debuted on November 21, 1988, and the rest of the season was rushed or had to use incomplete scripts. The season is only 22 episodes, rather than the standard 26.

Producer Maurice Hurley...

While Gene Roddenberry would not have approved of interpersonal conflicts and romances among the Starfleet crew, Star Trek: The Next Generation and its subsequent films did have these ideas and plots. Apart from Jonathan Frakes’ William Riker and Deanna Troi sparking a romance, Patrick Stewart and Beverley Crusher too were often implied to have feelings.

However, Stewart seemed to have one issue with romance on screen, as three of his kiss scenes were cut. One of the most disappointing cuts reportedly occurred in the film Star Trek: Insurrection, causing actress Donna Murphy to be annoyed at the deletion.

Patrick Stewart’s Kiss Scene From Star Trek Film Being Cut Annoyed His Co-Star Patrick Stewart and Donna Murphy in Star Trek: Insurrection | Credits: Paramount

Despite being the pinnacle of diplomacy and discipline, Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard was but a human with feelings, and he has been shipped with multiple...

Stream all 13 Star Trek movies for free on Pluto TV, from the originals to the reboot films. Includes iconic titles like "The Wrath of Khan" and "First Contact," spanning different Star Trek eras. Enjoy adventures with Kirk, Picard, and the Kelvin timeline crew at no cost for a limited time on Pluto TV.

All 13 Star Trek movies are streaming free on Pluto TV for a limited time. Star Trek officially became a movie franchise in 1979 with the premiere of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Five more movies starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series followed until 1991. Patrick Stewart and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation then took over the franchise for the next four films from 1994-2002. Director and producer J.J. Abrams then took over with three rebooted Star Trek movies from 2009-2016.

For a limited time, all 13 Star Trek movies...

Patrick Stewart’s name is prominent in the sci-fi genre having played a significant part in the Star Trek and X-Men universes. Talking about Star Trek, the franchise has built itself a name over the years and is known as one of the best entries into the sci-fi world. Patrick Stewart plays the role of Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the Federation starship USS Enterprise (Nvv-1701-d).

Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Insurrection | Paramount Pictures

Needless to say, Patrick Stewart has a huge hand in making Star Trek what it is today. Therefore, when he vetoed the involvement of a certain group of villains in his third film, screenplay writer Michael Piller had no choice but to adhere to his harsh criticism.

How Patrick Stewart Stopped the Romulans from Entering Star Trek: Insurrection

The Romulans in Star Trek universe | Paramount Pictures

The primary villains in Star Trek: Insurrection were the Son’a,...

Patrick Stewart vetoed the involvement of the Romulans in Star Trek: Insurrection, pushing for new villains like Admiral Dougherty, the Son'a. Michael Piller's original concept for Insurrection drew inspiration from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Stewart's Romulan veto led to the Son'a as villains in Insurrection, reducing Insurrection's impact on the wider Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Insurrection almost had more compelling villains than the Son'a, but they were turned down by Patrick Stewart. Released in 1998, Insurrection was conceived by Rick Berman and Michael Piller as a lighter movie, following the dark tone of Star Trek: First Contact. However, the development of the third Star Trek: The Next Generation movie was a somewhat tortured process.

Michael Piller's posthumously published book Fade In: From Idea to Final Draft details the various treatments he wrote for Star Trek: Insurrection, many of which sound better than the finished film. Piller's...

Paramount’s free streaming service Pluto TV has revealed its August highlights. Pluto TV is boldly going where no streamer has gone before, becoming the first service to offer the entire Star Trek film series for free!

Pluto TV has long been home to a galaxy of science fiction entertainment, and now all of the cinematic adventures of the Star Trek Prime Universe (William Shatner and Patrick Stewart) and the Kelvin Universe (Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto) are beaming up to your favorite device. Also joining Pluto TV in August are Alien Nation by Dust and three new channels from Fox.

Pluto TV is the leading free streaming television service, delivering hundreds of live, linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience. The Emmy Award-winning service curates a diverse lineup of channels in partnership with hundreds of international media companies.

Pluto TV offers various genres, languages, and categories featuring movies,...

Patrick Stewart has been an icon in Hollywood for decades. Over the years, he has starred in some of the most iconic projects of all time, being everything from Captain Jean-Luc Picard to the head of the X-Men. Through his various beloved characters, he has become embedded in the very fabric of the film industry, with his professional life being the inspiration of many who want to follow in his footsteps.

Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Insurrection. | Paramount Pictures

While his career has always been something to marvel at, his personal life brings about a certain kind of controversy. The actor and his wife have been married for over ten years. However, it is difficult to ignore the age gap between them.

Patrick Stewart and Sunny Ozell’s Age Gap

Sunny Ozell and Patrick Stewart tied the knot in 2013, having stayed close and strong since then. However, many fans have...

If Star Trek is a representative of the sci-fi space genre, Sir Patrick Stewart is its face. Stewart’s role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard has established him as a revered figure among Trekkies worldwide, but there’s something about the character that bugs even the most stalwart of them.

Jean-Luc Picard and his crew| Paramount

In Star Trek: The Next Generations, Picard has been vehemently described as French. However, we see him speak English with a perfect British accent. Why is that?

Jean-Luc Picard might actually be speaking French

Jean-Luc Picard’s choice of language has always been a bit of a mystery to fans. Though many would assume the accent we hear on the show might be the result of his education and constant practice, or his parents moving to the UK from France in his early years, there’s one more theory that uses a Star Trek element to explain the issue.

Actor Jonathan Frakes gained fame as the USS Enterprise-d’s first officer William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He starred along with Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton, and Brent Spiner among others in the show and even returned for the films. He also directed multiple episodes in the series.

Frakes helmed the third film featuring the Tng cast Star Trek: Insurrection. The film saw the Enterprise rebel against the Starfleet after knowing that they would be aiding in the Son’a’s conspiracy to steal resources from the Ba’kus. Frakes mentioned that after showing a cut to the studio they had one demand from him and he had to fulfill it.

Jonathan Frakes Was Asked To Include More Action In Star Trek: Insurrection Jonathan Frakes in Star Trek: Insurrection | Credits: Paramount Pictures

The Star Trek: Tng films have been considered a hit or a miss with fans.

Numerous Trekkies were heavily disappointed when Brent Spiner’s Data faced his end in Star Trek: Nemesis. Fans were united on the point that a character like him deserved a more respectable death. Interestingly, the makers had a more bizarre plan to show the character’s end even before Nemesis in the ninth film Star Trek: Insurrection.

Data in Star Trek: Insurrection | Paramount Pictures

After the massive popularity of Star Trek: The Next Generation series, the makers decided to give four theatrical flicks to Patrick Stewart and his co-stars. Among the four films, Star Trek: Insurrection is often counted as the worst one on the list. However, the writers of the film later revealed that their initial plans for the film were much different and darker than what we saw in the final cut.

Why was Star Trek: Insurrection‘s story changed?

A still from Star Trek: Insurrection | Paramount Pictures...

There is little doubt that Star Trek: Insurrection remains one of the most poorly-arted movies across the entire Star Trek franchise. The movie currently has a 6.4 IMDb rating and a 55% Tomatometer score, and fans consistently view it amongst the most irrelevant projects that have featured in the franchise.

Star Trek: The Next Generation | Paramount Television

Boasting little narrative depth or progress, Insurrection was more akin to a longer television episode, and may as well have resulted in a catastrophic loss for the franchise in itself. Both Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart, the faces behind the iconic characters of Data and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, considered quitting during the filming of Insurrection.

Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner considered quitting their characters during filming of Star Trek: Insurrection

Brent Spiner in Star Trek: Insurrection | Paramount Pictures

Both Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart went on to play their roles for multiple projects after Insurrection.

LeVar Burton is a jack of many trades, given that he’s an award-winning actor, director, and education advocate. While the actor has been a part of numerous movies and shows, he’s globally famous for playing Kunte Kinte in Roots and Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show ran for a total of seven seasons, and Burton directed some episodes of it as well.

LeVar Burton in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) || Paramount Pictures

In the show, his character, Geordi La Forge, has been blind since birth, and to tackle this, he uses an advanced Visor instrument. However, this visual tool also had additional repercussions for the actor, compelling him to experiment with a different acting technique.

LeVar Burton tried out a new method of acting due to his Visor

The Visor was connected to the character’s optic nerve and further allowed him to see and perceive the world.

Sir Patrick Stewart has enjoyed a career that many others only end up dreaming of. From theatrics to movies to being part of some of the biggest cinematic franchises of all time, Stewart has been the recipient of several awards and accolades. While he has portrayed several brilliant roles, the actor received widespread acclaim when he joined the Star Trek franchise as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard | Roddenberry Entertainment

Starting from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stewart has appeared in many other movies and series set in the sci-fi universe. Yet, there was one project that convinced him to almost end his Star Trek journey.

The Star Trek Project That Made Patrick Stewart Leave the Franchise

Tom Hardy and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Nemesis | Paramount Pictures

Sir Patrick Stewart has enjoyed a splendid career, full of some astounding projects and roles. Yet, among the many characters he has essayed,...

Imagine Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard fighting against Brent Spiner’s Data in the Star Trek franchise. The fight is not some casual or lightweight training but a fight to the death! Well, that was one of the ideas for a Star Trek film that didn’t make it past the producers!

Colm Meaney and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation | Paramount Domestic Television

The ever-expanding franchise started in 1966 with Star Trek: The Original Series. The series received a sequel titled Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 and it was after this show that an idea for a film was made for the franchise.

Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard Was Going To Kill Data!

In the show, Patrick Stewart portrayed the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the ship USS Enterprise. Alongside the captain, an ensemble cast of characters and actors worked and the show ran for 7 seasons.