The coming of a new year always comes with a feeling of new beginnings. Whether it’s hearing the bells at midnight or planning a list of new years resolutions to forget about by February, the changing of numbers and another year ahead can bring us a sense of starting over. To commemorate another year passing, and the beginning of a new Star Trek milestone, we’re kicking off with our usual list looking at five times Star Trek itself was able to give itself a fresh start.
GROWING THE BEARD
Between the first and second seasons of The Next Generation, things changed. A lot. A lot of the Next Generation was just carrying over from the abandoned Phase II and Roddenberry’s constant rewrites led to a very inconsistent start for the show. By the second season things has calmed down a little bit and after finding their feet, and with slightly less backstage chaos, the show came into it’s own, delivering episodes like Measure of a Man and thankfully never going back to the embarrassment of Angel One or Code of Honour.
Something else changes between seasons, though. Commander Riker’s striking young look was now hidden behind a beard. Later on Riker would say it was an intentional change to build a more mature presence. In reality, Jonathon Frakes just grew a beard and everyone went with it. Yet for all that changed in the shows production ahead of season 2, the beard was given credit for the massive jump in quality and now, decades later, is still the go-to term no matter the genre for a TV show that survives a poor first season to find success later on.
STARFLEET IS A PROMISE
Discovery as a show was filled with firsts. It was the first show to have a lead star that wasn’t in charge, the first to begin without it’s leading ship and of course the first F Bomb among much more. But it was also a show about reinvention…
Leading the USS Discovery, Captain Lorca always seemed a bit off. A damaged and calculating Captain with a more tactical mindset than most. Oh, and also turned out to be a Terran imposter using the scientific mission to cross back into his universe and overthrow the Empire. The effects of Lorca’s style and eventual betrayal were summed up with Saru rallying the crew at the end of the season, but it wasn’t until the second that the crew had a Captain who could inspire more than intimidate.
Instantly changing the tone, a brash and confident Captain Pike pushed to focus on everyones skill, knowledge and strength as a collective turning Burnham, Saru and the rest of Discovery from on-edge tension by the design of their former captain, to inspired rising stars ready to walk a remarkable journey together.
THE TONE OF KHAN
Captivating a growing audience with it’s over the top style and bright colour palettes, the original series was reimagined with a stylised neutral tone in the Motion Picture that never quite lived up to the iconic style of the 60’s. Normally that means you pivot from the beige back to the bold colour choices. Yet for the Wrath of Kahn, the style of Star Trek took an even more dramatic shift…
Giving up the bright white sets for a darker tone and tighter framing, the Enterprise went from a feeling of spacious comfort to claustrophobic submarine style to mirror the change in it’s character traits; Kirk was past his prime with his past coming back to haunt him, giving the story a more grounded feeling along with the style changes.
The biggest change though were the uniforms; a massive departure from the originals, the uniforms were now formal and militarised with inspiration from ancient naval looks instead of 60’s futurism. While the look became iconic, the characters became even more so focusing on friendship, personal struggles and growth and more grounded conflicts with both personal stakes and more personal consequences – a move that helped to redefine and extend the Star Trek name for new generations.
VOYAGER AND THE BORG
Part of Star Trek’s formula has often focused on the outsider. Spock, the rational alien. Data the naïve android who can’t quite grasp humanity (at first). Even Deep Space Nine had it’s Odo and Enterprise it’s own iteration of the Vulcan trope in T’Pol. Voyager had it’s stand in’s, but they never quite fit the mould until Seven of Nine changed the cast dynamic.
Often overlooked for the obvious Berman-era sex appeal, Seven’s impact on Voyager went well beyond the catsuit. She was the missing ingredient. Assimilated as a child, Seven’s knowledge of humanity was largely what came from a shared database. After being a mindless drone for most of her life, her story of reintegrating and learning what it was to be both human and part of a community was key to changing and humanising the show after her arrival.
Seven was smart and capable in being the de facto science officer, but her lack of understanding on social dynamics or seeing the bigger picture – combined with her severe inability to be anything but blunt and direct – would often put her at odds with Janeway, challenging the Captain in ways no one else could. The conflicts added to her re-learning of what it was to be human, sometimes having to learn when to walk away, and sometimes having to put a mirror up to the biases of others, helping to create a fascinating character that enriched the show with a lasting legacy.
THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR
Considered the odd one out when it was first launched, Deep Space Nine has over time been regarded as one of the franchise’s best entries thanks to it’s leaning towards more serialised story telling and a growing list of interesting characters who change and grow throughout the series. But while a lot of the foundation was laid in earlier seasons, it wasn’t until the fourth that the show escaped the Next Generations shadow and was given new life with a new arrival.
In Way of the Warrior we see Captain Sisko embrace the bald as he prepares for an inevitable conflict with the Dominion and a new Klingon problem as Gowron decides to get involved under the belief that Cardassia’s already been infiltrated. To help guide them forward, Sisko calls for Word, now out of a job thanks to the destruction of the Enterprise and mirroring Sisko’s journey in the early days as he’s looking to leave Starfleet.
Bringing in the Klingons was a bit of a side step to the Dominion plans, but it worked. With Worf joining the cast and bringing the political chaos of the Empire with him, the show found a new beginning as it mixed familiar foes with DS9’s already messy backdrop and helped push the show into a more action-centric set of plotlines that would increase the stakes, the drama and the quality of the show to all new levels thanks to lead producer Ira Stephen Behr realising that with TNG over and Voyager far from home, the Federation was their playground now and they could start to show the ugly side to the utopian vision…
It’s reinvention has always been seen as a second pilot and helped escalate DS9 to becoming a huge influence on future generations that brought a true sense of reality to the otherworldly conflicts of the final frontier.
About the author
Welcoming Our New Fleet Development Officer
To quote Heraclitus, the only constant in life is change. Quadrant 2 has been through many changes before and with the recent appointment of a new Admiralty Board, we're looking ahead with more changes to the fleet structure. With Piers Drinkall joining the board alongside David Shires, there were some discussions about what to do with Piers' Fleet Development role and after some serious thinking, a decision was made. After aiding in Piers' efforts within the Command Training Program, and being a solid right hand on the USS Sovereign, we're pleased to welcome Karl Drinkall to the Fleet Development position. Karl is a sharp mind with a lot to give to the fleet and a clear grasp of our aims and goals in the coming months and years. With his dedication and string mindset, it was an easy decision to […]
[Retro Review] Errand of Mercy
Relations between the Federation and the Klingons are in tatters and the prospect of an all out war casts a shadow over the region. To help prepare for the worst, Kirk and the Enterprise are sent to Organia, a planet populated by inherent pushovers right on the border between Federation and Klingon space. With the prospect of the Klingons getting a foothold that would help their war efforts, Kirk's job is to negotiate a protection order, getting the Organians on their side before the Klingons annexe the planet as a launching pad for conflict. Problem is, the Organians are hardcore pacifists and their native tech is limited. They don't want to be part of any war, and they don't want to change their values to resist. Which becomes a bit of a problem when the Klingons arrive ready to occupy the […]
Dude, Where’s Your Shuttle? Human Best Friend; Strange New Worlds S4E03
It's been a stressful few months for the Enterprise crew and they want, well, demand, shore leave. Choosing a tech-free planet with natural psychedelics in the atmosphere, the command crew take a shuttle down, take in all the wonders the world provides. And then it all goes a bit wonky... Writers: Kathryn LynDirector: Yana Gorskaya Engineers and pilots hate each other. It's the rules. Scotty and Ortegas have been following those rules to the letter, with the bickering pair opening with a dual monologue highlighting how irritating they are to each other between Scotty setting up alerts and alarms to keep the engines in check, and Ortegas duct tapping over the console to get rid of them so she can push the limits freely.While they're constantly irritating each other, the rest of the Alpha shift command team are exhausted. Months […]
Admirals Blog: Gamma Quarter 2403
To say it’s been a sad few weeks for Q2 would be an understatement. There have been fewer constants than Mark Mitchell within the past, Gods knows how many years. The rulebooks? Thats him. Academy? Thats all Mark. Sure, things got updated and edited over the years, but he’s been the backbone of the fleet for as long as I remember. Mainly as I remember him making my Academy exam when I joined the fleet on a whim. It’s because of people like Mark that I stayed. The fleet has always been the people. And he was one of the best people. I was honoured and humbled by the amount of people who went to say their goodbyes to him and while I felt a real sense of loss, it was also a day filled with joyful memories. When it […]
A Fistful of Down To Earth Adventures
Warping through the stars always searching for the next adventure, it's rare that Star Trek ever comes home to Earth. Through all the series, and highlighted in Enterprise, the third rock from our sun is kinda important in the grand scheme of things but our eyes are always far beyond the stars. So for no particular reason at all - certainly not any recent new series launching - we're taking a look at Trek's more Earthbound moments.... Homefront/Paradise Lost Deep Space Nine Season 4 The Founders said they were everywhere. Now we know they're on Earth. Recordings revealed a founder during the bombing of a Federation meeting on the home-world and Sisko is recalled. His knowledge and experience with the Dominion is vital to securing Earth against the inevitable war. But while the Dominion may be the enemy, they aren't […]
Some Scary Ship! The Griffin Incident; Strange New Worlds S4E02
Returning from a conference for future leaders of Starfleet, Spock and La'an (with Kirk hitching a ride) find a long-lost ship adrift. The USS Griffin's disappearance nine years prior had never been explained, becoming a bit of folklore within the fleet. Stum,bling upon it by chance, the trio board the ship hoping to find an answer to the mystery only to get more than they bargained for... Writers: Robbie Thompson Director: Axelle Carolyn I'll preface this now by pointing out I love creepy sci fi settings.. The isolation of being trapped on a derelict ship with no escape and no one to call for help has always been something I've enjoyed from the obvious Event Horizon, even to old classics like The Thing. So I was excited for this one by the trailer alone and can't say I was disappointed! […]
Related
A Fistful of Down To Earth Adventures
Warping through the stars always searching for the next adventure, it's rare that Star Trek ever comes home to Earth. Through all the series, and highlighted in Enterprise, the third rock from our sun is kinda important in the grand scheme of things but our eyes are always far beyond the stars. So for no particular reason at all - certainly not any recent new series launching - we're taking a look at Trek's more Earthbound moments.... Homefront/Paradise Lost Deep Space Nine Season 4 The Founders said they were everywhere. Now we know they're on Earth. Recordings revealed a founder during the bombing of a Federation meeting on the home-world and Sisko is recalled. His knowledge and experience with the Dominion is vital to securing Earth against the inevitable war. But while the Dominion may be the enemy, they aren't […]
A Fistful of ‘Spirk’
We've been spoiled with Spock in the past few years with Discovery introducing a younger iteration of the character long before he became the refined man of logic that made him famous, and continued that story through Strange New Worlds and his time under Captain Pike's command. As Strange New Worlds continues, giving more history to the original series line up and the early meetings of Spock and Kirk as it makes way for the beginning of the Kirk era, we thought we'd look back at some moments that made the partnership one of the most popular combinations in science fiction. JOURNEY TO BABEL TOS Season 2 Spock's got a bit of an issue with sharing. Secret brother who was shunned. Secret sister who's fate was classified. And despite trusting the Enterprise crew with his life, it was clearly only […]
A Fistful of O’Brien
Entering the Star Trek world as an unnamed extra with a few bits of dialogue, O'Brien soon became a fixture on the Enterprise D as it's transporter chief before moving to Deep Space Nine to head up engineering and operations on what was thought to be a backwater outpost before it became one of the most strategically important stations in the quadrant!As the only enlisted or non commissioned officer to feature in the main cast of any Star Trek show to date, O'Brien stands as the only working class hero in the Star Trek universe with a vast and varied career taking from the front lines of the Cardassian war as a soldier, to the front lines of the Dominion War as an engineer, retrofitting DS9, keeping the Defiant from blowing itself apart, and even sniping Dominion troops. All in […]
A Fistful of Justice
Although it's one of the worlds most legendary science fiction shows, Star Trek has always dabbled with format and genre's, all dressed up behind deep space adventures. Whether using the holodeck for a touch of fantasy, or diving into the horrors of war through Deep Space Nine's run, the variety of story telling never seems to fit one mould. But out of all the different tales told in the wonderful world of Starfleet, one that always promises to deliver is the court room drama. This month we're diving into the most captivating of Star Trek's courtroom drama's with a Fistful of Justice! AD ASTRA PER ASPERA Strange New Worlds, Season 2 One of the most modern examples of Strar Trek's court room drama saw Pike's own Number One, Una-Chin Reilly, under court martial for a serious breach of Starfleet regulation […]
A Fistful of Sisko
In the past few years, Star Trek has made several nods to it's past. But while The NExt Generation and Voyager had their continuations, Deep Space Nine continued to 'black sheep' of the family with it's history and name drops being few and far between. Until Academy when we had an entire episode based around the legend of Starfleet's most complex captains. Starting his show as a widower and single parent, Benjamin Sisko started his time in Star Trek as a reluctant hero turned religious icon who's become a prime figure in Bajoran history, the Federation-Dominion war and much more. If you missed his series, first of.... why?! And also, if you want a quick intro - here's our Sisko top five to see what the fuss is all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzBkvzPoofQ IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT Season 6, Episode 13 Lets […]
A Fistful of Honour Beyond Bloodshed
Feared throughout the galaxy due to being fearless warriors who thrive on battle and bloodshed, the Klingon's are one of Star Trek's most iconic races and yet, with all their history, perhaps the most misunderstood. Starting off in the original series as authoritarian and distrustful antagonist, they were written as a parallel to Russia with the Klingon Empire in a cold war with the Federation following a long conflict. The Klingons would have a bit of reinvention in the movies thanks to higher budgets giving the producers a chance for a more alien look, while their culture and history would get a little more depth on The Next Generation thanks to the inclusion of Worf, the first Klingon member of Starfleet. But Worf's views on the Klingon culture weren't quite spot on. From a noble house, Worf was displaced and […]
