• The first major Star Trek Lego set
• It's 3,600 pieces
• A full complement of characters and some surprises

Fans of the nearly 60-year-old franchise have waited decades for this: a Lego Icons set based on one part of the iconic sci-fi series, and now we have it, a 3,600-piece, 10.5 in high by 23.5 in. long by 18.5 in wide buildable depiction of the Star Trek: The Next Generation. U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D starship, an icon in the long-running series and films that followed.

The arrival of the Enterprise comes just months after Lego and Paramount, which owns the franchise, finally joined forces to start delivering what is sure to be a series of incredible Star Trek-based kits. Prior to this, buildable, block-based kits for the sci-fi franchise have been handled primarily by companies like Mega Blocks. They were fine, but never captured the cachet, design expertise, or sheer audacity of a Lego kit.

Within the limits of the largely square, rectangular, and triangular building pieces, the Lego Icons U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D is a striking replica of the ship from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the series that arguably relaunched the franchise for a new, er, generation in 1987. The vessel features a detachable command saucer, the nacelles with all the right colors and detailing, and a secondary hull. The shuttle bay opens to reveal two mini shuttlepods.

Once you're done building, you'll have all the key characters in Lego form. Of course, this includes Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Riker, Lieutenant Worf, Lieutenant Commander Data, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, Counsellor Deanna Troi, Bartender Guinan, and Wesley Crusher. They'll even carry their own accessories, including phasers, tricorders, and an engineering case.

The set is designed for adults 18 and over and, naturally, includes a display stand. It ships on November 28 and will retail for $399.99. / £349.99 / €379.99.

Lego is planning a splashy Black Friday launch video that will include a guest appearance by Number One and frequent Star Trek director Jonathan Frakes, who signed one U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D set, which one lucky viewer or fan will have a chance to win.

Lego is adding a few more Dilithium crystals to the whole affair, offering anyone who orders the starship between November 28th and December 1 a free Lego Icons Star Trek: Type-15 Shuttlepod.

This pod is a true Lego set unto itself, with 261 pieces, opening wing doors, and a rear hatch. Perhaps best of all, it'll include a mini figure of Ensign Ro Laren, a character who figured prominently in a few memorable episodes of the TNG series and even returned in Season 3 of Picard.

For Star Trek fans, this is like the start of a new mission (perhaps five years, depending on how long it takes you to build the Enterprise). There will be this and other models, perhaps even one of the original, 1960s series Enterprise and all its characters. There could be models for the space station from Deep Space 9 or the sleek Enterprise from the Enterprise series from the early aughts. Maybe some vehicles from the J.J. Abrams films? The galaxy's the limit.

Who knows where Lego will next boldly go? Whatever it is, sign us up, Captain, we're ready to engage.

After a busy few weeks in the world of streaming, it's been relatively quiet on the new movies and TV shows release front over the past few days.

The world's best streaming services have released some new content for you to enjoy, though, including the return of a big Amazon TV Original and three wildly different shows on Netflix. So, no matter what type of entertainment fare and/or genres you're into, there's something in this week's recommendations article that'll appeal to you. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 (Prime Video)

Prime Video takes centre stage following the release of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3, aka one of the best Prime Video shows' final season.

If you thought Belly had found her soulmate at the end of season 2, think again, because she's not quite done with the Fisher boys yet. However, while the show is based on showrunner Jenny Han's book series namesake, it's taken some creative liberties that make it diabolically different from the books.

Regardless of the adaptation's differences, the 'will they, won't they' trope is firmly keeping us glued to the screens to see what surprise twists might unfold during this next long vacation. After all, it's not summer until we get to Cousins Beach. – Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor

• Watch The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 on Prime Video

The Amateur (Hulu/Disney+)

A remake of Robert Littell's 1981 novel and its movie namesake that arrived that same year, 20th Century Studios' retelling of The Amateur has finally landed on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally).

Mr. Robot and James Bond alumnus Rami Malek plays CIA cryptographer Charlie Heller, who takes matters into his own hands after his wife is killed by terrorists and his own agency refuses to help him find those responsible because it'll impact a wider investigation into the criminal network. Laurence Fishburne is among its starry cast,

The Amateur's 61% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes suggests it shouldn't infiltrate our best Hulu movies and best Disney+ movies lists, but its 88% audience score indicates it might. Keep your eyes and ears out, then, to see if it'll stealth its way onto one or both guides. – TP

• Watch The Amateur on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally)

Untamed (Netflix)

Ready to marvel at giant granite cliffs and redwoods from the comfort of your home? Netflix's new murder mystery drama Untamed will take you to the wilds of Yosemite National Park.

The six-episode series sees Eric Bana (Dirty John; Troy) play a ranger/special agent of the National Parks Service who gets swept up in an investigation over a brutal death that ends up leading him down a much darker path that isn't just vistas and pretty scenery.

Creators Mark Smith (The Revenant, American Primeval) and Elle Smith (The Marsh King’s Daughter) are no strangers to gritty dramas, so we can expect this potential addition to our best Netflix shows list to be as gripping as it is beautiful. – AS

• Watch Untamed on Netflix

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 (Paramount+)

It's time to hop back on board the USS Enterprise as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 has launched. One of the best Paramount+ shows was renewed for a fourth season in April, too, so fans can rest assured there's more to come.

This installment in the sci-fi franchise has been met with critical acclaim and has a fresh 85% Rotten Tomatoes score, so this Paramount+ TV Original is a must-watch for Trekkies across the globe.

Anson Mount's Captain Christopher Pike is back to lead weekly adventures throughout the cosmos alongside Ethan Peck's Spock, Jess Bush's Christine Chapel, and the rest of the crew who are on hand to help out. It's both new and comfortingly familiar with outfits, characters, and references that long-term Star Trek fans will adore. – Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

• Watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 on Paramount+

Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO Max)

HBO Max is sitting down with the Piano Man this weekend, with a two-part documentary exploring the life and career of musician Billy Joel.

Early reviews are very positive indeed and, while there might not be much here for non-fans, it'll be a real treat for those keen to learn more about the singer-songwriter.

Indeed, fans can tune in to an "expansive portrait of the life and music of Billy Joel, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting". You can expect to see exclusive performances, home movies, and one-on-one interviews in this week's and next week's installments. – LB

• Watch Billy Joel: And So It Goes on HBO Max

Trainwreck: Balloon Boy (Netflix)

From Poop Cruise to The Cult of American Apparel, Netflix's Trainwreck docuseries has been beyond unhinged. Even so, Balloon Boy might just have them all beat as it tells the story of 6-year-old Falcon, who was allegedly stuck inside a gas balloon resembling a UFO built by his parents.

Don't panic: the story doesn't have a tragic ending, but rather a completely bizarre one. Falcon's balloon plight turned out to be an elaborate hoax, supposedly the brainchild of parents Richard and Mayumi Heene. The reveal that Balloon Boy is actually a publicity stunt won't spoil your watch – the horror is in the detail of how it came to be. Plus, we're finally getting the full account from the Heenes themselves, which seems to be brilliant news to Falcon. – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment writer

• Watch Trainwreck: Balloon Boy on Netflix

Sakamoto Days season 1 part 2 (Netflix)

You thought Taro Sakamoto was done after merely 10 episodes? Taro Sakamoto is never done, even when he says he is.

The hit Netflix anime, which follows a former hitman who ditched his high-profile life to raise a family, and now has his former colleagues are after revenge, took off with its first half earlier this year. It's as endearing as it is exciting, revolving around the idea that family isn't something you're born into, but something you choose.

Sakamoto Days perfectly toes the line of drama and comedy, punching out something heartfelt, high-octane, and genuinely laugh-out-loud with each landed blow. In part 2, we're expecting to see a set of death row inmates freed in order to try and kill Sakamoto, if the manga is anything to go by. – JV

• Watch Sakamoto Days season 1 part 2 on Netflix

For more streaming suggestions, read our guides on the best Netflix movies, best Disney+ shows, best Prime Video movies, and best HBO Max shows.

Another week has ended and, two of the world's best streaming services aside (step up your game, Hulu and Disney Plus), there's something new to watch on their rival platforms this weekend.

Indeed, from a couple of new movies that originally released in theaters in late 2024, to a bunch of new shows (and the return of a smash-hit Netflix series), there's plenty for you to wrap your eyeballs around over the next few days. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

The Night Agent season 2 (Netflix)

From The Recruit to Black Doves, Netflix has slowly been building out its back catalog of fun, dramatic, and thrilling spy genre shows. Few are more popular on the service, though, than The Night Agent, whose first season was a surprise overnight hit for the streaming titan and earned it a spot on our best Netflix shows list.

Two years on from that unprecedented success, the spy thriller is back for its second season. This time around, trust is in short supply for newly-minted Night Agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), who becomes embroiled in another wild conspiracy that'll force him to question who he can really rely on. I'll be tuning in to see if Netflix's seventh most-watched English TV Original of all-time can build on its debut season's almighty performance. Before you do likewise, get the lowdown on the show's return with our The Night Agent season 2 hub. – TP

• Watch The Night Agent season 2 on Netflix

Prime Target (Apple TV Plus)

Apple TV Plus keeps its busy start to 2025 going with new espionage thriller Prime Target, which stars One Day actor Leo Woodall alongside Quintessa Swindell from Euphoria. In the Apple TV Original, Woodall plays a math genius, who's working on a secret research project to discover patterns in prime numbers that eventually catches the attention of Swindell's NSA surveillance operative.

The idea that the story is built around is the fact that prime numbers form the basis of the world's most common types of encryption that are still widely used today, which is why a Cambridge graduate cracking the code is of seismic global proportions in this new series. The best way I can think to describe it is the Da Vinci Code meets Good Will Hunting and, while it might not rank among the best Apple TV Plus shows, it's an absorbing watch no less. – Amelia Schwanke, entertainment editor

• Watch Prime Target on Apple TV Plus

The Wild Robot (Peacock)

One of the best 52 movies of 2024 has finally made its streaming debut – well, in the US (sorry, UK and Australian readers). The Wild Robot is an absolute joy of a film, with its gorgeous, painterly art style and wonderfully realized animation, emotionally resonant story, and top-tier voice acting making for a perfect, easy-to-watch flick on Peacock this weekend.

Marvel star Lupita Nyong'o voices Roz, a service robot who becomes shipwrecked on a remote island that's inhabited by talking animals. Unsurprisingly, she's viewed as an outsider by the creatures that live on it. But, armed with a steely determination to adapt to her environment, plus the fact that she becomes the adoptive mother of an orphaned goose called Brightbill (Heartstopper's Kit Connor), Roz resolves to not only ingratiate herself with the locals, but also become their protector-in-chief. A beautiful movie in more ways than one that deserves to be seen. – TP

• Watch The Wild Robot on Peacock (available to rent on Amazon, Apple TV, and more services in the UK and Australia)

Gladiator II (Paramount Plus)

Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated follow-up to iconic 2000 movie Gladiator is now available on Paramount Plus (again, only in the US, though). If you weren’t among those who took part in last year’s unexpected double bill Glicked (that’s Gladiator II and Wicked), you can bring the thrill of the Colossuem to your home. It hasn’t performed as well as Wicked, which was recently nominated for Best Picture, but its 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating means it could be worthy of a spot on our best Paramount Plus movies round-up.

With a brilliant ensemble cast like Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Derek Jacobi, the movie is set 15 years after the first and is definitely worth your time if you are a fan of the original. It’s perfect if you’re looking for an action packed movie this weekend. Altogether now: are you not entertained!? – Lucy Buglass, entertainment writer

• Watch Gladiator II on Paramount Plus

C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart (Max)

Max is now home to the TV adaptation of controversial author J. K. Rowling’s novel series of the same name, which were published under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The series follows private detective Cormoran Strike who teams up with his assistant Robin Ellacott to take on cases that have baffled the police, hoping they can finally get to the bottom of what happened. It’s no easy task and they work out of a cramped office, but they get the job done.

There’ll be weekly episodic releases for this one, and the series has already premiered in the UK where it’s been met with some seriously mixed reviews. It’s Rotten Tomatoes score is too low to guarantee a spot to our best Max shows, but you might have a good time with it regardless. – LB

• Watch C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart on Max

Star Trek: Section 31 (Paramount Plus)

Paramount Plus has released its first-ever made Star Trek TV movie; a 100-minute spin-off of galactic proportions that focuses on the secret Star Fleet agency called Section 31. Star Trek: Section 31 sees Michelle Yeoh reprise her role as emperor Philippa Georgiou who we met in the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery before she eventually becomes a member of the special ops division.

It's a little different to your usual Star Trek movies, with Yeoh previously describing it as a mix of Mission: Impossible and Guardians of the Galaxy, which makes sense with the plot's merry band of mercenaries that get caught up in a heist to defend the United Federation of Planets against multi-universal threats. It's been through a lot of iterations to get here (it was originally going to be a series), which means that "there was so much more" that was left out, Yeoh's fellow star Sven Ruygrok told us. That might be why long-time Trekkies and newcomers alike have absolutely slammed it, with many labeling it one of the franchise's worst-ever projects. Ouch! – AS

• Watch Star Trek: Section 31 on Paramount Plus

Harlem season 3 (Prime Video)

The third and final season of Harlem is out now. Prime Video’s beloved comedy series is coming to an end, but I’m sure the Amazon TV Original will go out on a high. You’ll get two episodes each week until the finale on February 6, and I’m sure this will beat the January Blues some of us might be feeling.

The iconic cast made up of Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Shoniqua Shandaie, Jerrie Johnson, Tyler Lepley and Whoopi Goldberg are all back, with a few surprises and new faces teased for the final instalment. We’ve got plenty of great comedy recommendations on our best Prime Video shows round-up if you need to fill the Harlem shaped hole in your heart, though nothing can quite compare to how great this is. – LB

• Watch Harlem season 3 on Prime Video

For more streaming suggestions, read our guides on the best Netflix movies, best Prime Video movies, best Disney Plus shows, and best Hulu movies.

Warning: minor spoilers ahead!

Star Trek: Section 31, Paramount Plus’ first-ever Star Trek streaming film, just launched on the streaming service and while it seems it’s been ambushed by a critical cloud of polarizing opinions on what actually constitutes true Star Trek and whether or not the risky project respectfully represents it.

Despite the critical wave of reviews, this rowdy space opera directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi (Star Trek: Discovery, Falling Skies) is a harmlessly entertaining romp into the more foreign corners of Gene Roddenberry’s final frontier.

• Watch Star Trek: Section 31 on Paramount Plus now

Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh looms over this pricey production playing Emperor Philippa Georgiou, who was last seen in the debut season of Star Trek: Discovery commanding a starship as Captain Georgiou and who later emerges in the far future’s Mirror Universe as the heartless ruler of the Terran Empire.

Now stuck back in the Discovery timeline, she's recruited to join Starfleet’s hush-hush black ops division, the clandestine spy organization known as Section 31 that protects the United Federation of Planets from the shadows.

When Section 31's Alpha Team leader Alok (Omari Hardwick) is dispatched to hunt down a black market weapon called The Godsend, he and his motley crew of bickering commandos lures Georgiou back into the fold from the glitzy space station nightclub that she’s been running.

The ensuing heist to defend the Federation against Multi-universal threats results in a plot that will be compared to a low rent Guardians of the Galaxy or The Suicide Squad, so won't be one of the best Paramount Plus movies but it’s still good fun!

Meet Section 31's lively Vulcan operative, Fuzz

One of the breakout characters that makes up this merry band of Section 31 mercenaries secretly working under the auspices of Starfleet is a lively Vulcan operative named Fuzz. He’s portrayed by mercurial British actor Sven Ruygrok in a riveting performance delivered with reckless abandon. Fuzz appears to be a stoic Vulcan agent with one key difference in that he is actually just a mechanized android shell piloted by a crazy nano-sized alien creature inside!

“All names were shrouded in mystery, but I initially got the sense off the page that there was this tiny microscopic being driving a Vulcan conveyance,” Ruygrok tells TechRadar regarding his first reading for the mysterious Nanokin role. “And that’s as much knowledge as I had going in. When I discussed it a little bit further with Olatunde we had a whole backstory."

Because initially this was a series and there was an entire episode dedicated to the Nanokin species, which we don’t get to explore. It was really up to me and Craig [screenwriter Craig Sweeny] and what was going on in his head to flesh out what we see now in the film. Fuzz is a wildcard and completely unhinged but there’s a lot of joy and you don’t quite know what you’re going to get.”

Providing the character with a thick Irish accent, Ruygrok layers Fuzz with a playful dimension unlike any Vulcan ever seen in the Star Trek realm. We’re so conditioned to seeing Vulcans as controlled emotionless persons (unless under some spell or on special occasions), that seeing the familiar pointy-eared exterior exhibiting wild swings of witty emotion is enjoyably jarring.

“While I was auditioning for Section 31 I was doing a stage production of a Martin McDonagh play, which was The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” he explains. “He’s done In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin. So I’m doing this play and the accent that was required was that they were from Galway, so it’s Ireland. Having Colin Farrell’s voice in the back of my mind helped. Saoirse Ronan was another strong contender, in terms of hearing the liltingness of the accent. I drew a lot from that. In terms of Fuzz himself, I think there’s a humanness to him and he speaks a lot about his hatchlings. So many hatchlings. And the reality is that in my life I’ve also got hatchlings. I’ve got five kids and they were there with me and present in the scenes. I knew that was something that had to ground him. He’s this outlandish person/thing/entity/species in space.”

Working with director Olatunde Osunsanmi, executive producer Alex Kurtzman, and the entire cast including Kacey Rohl (Rachel Garrett), Sam Richardson (Quasi), Robert Kazinsky (Zeph), and Humberly Gonzalez (Melle) resulted in ample ad-libbing, something he recalls fondly from his time on set while filming in Toronto, Canada.

“There was so much improvising,” he recalls. “What you see is not really what we shot. There was so much more. What was so beautiful and the gifting of Olatunde as a director is that we had what we needed on page and he made sure you got that. Then he would come individually and just whisper something and we’d all get super excited. This would mean something was about to happen. Small things like, ‘go crazy,’ or, ‘now do something you’ve never done before.’ So that gave you the license and the freedom to play. And then having the cast and crew being able to play with you was such a gift. I was so helped by family and that for me is Star Trek.”

Star Trek: Section 31 is available now to stream exclusively on Paramount Plus, and once you've finished there why not go back and watch all the Star Trek movies and shows in order.

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How to watch Star Trek: Section 31 online

Set phasers to stunned as Paramount Plus continues to beam up more Star Trek spin-offs with this action-packed new movie focussing on the shadowy Starfleet agency. Keep reading as we explain how to watch Star Trek: Section 31 online from anywhere in the world,

Section 31 will see the return of Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou. While Georgiou was originally introduced as the well respected Captain of the USS Shenzhou in Star Trek: Discovery, that version of the character was swiftly dispatched in a shock season 1 twist. Later, however, the crew of the Discovery met the Mirror Universe version of the character – a ruthless Terran emperor. Making her way back to the Prime Universe, after a whole bunch of space shenanigans that we won’t spoil here, Mirror Georgiou eventually became a member of Starfleet’s special ops agency, Section 31.

The fourteenth Star Trek movie may be the first to go direct to streaming, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be any less of a spectacle than we’ve come to expect from the Federation’s ‘big screen’ outings. With a promise that the sins of Georgiou’s past are finally starting to catch up with her.

You won’t want to miss the franchise’s first movie in nearly a decade, so read on for how to watch Star Trek: Section 31 online and from anywhere.

How to watch Star Trek: Section 31 from anywhere

For those away from home looking to watch Star Trek: Section 31, you may be unable to watch the show like you normally would due to annoying regional restrictions. Luckily, there’s an easy solution.

Downloading a VPN allows you to stream online, no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home.

Use a VPN to watch Star Trek: Section 31 online from anywhere:

How to watch Star Trek: Section 31 around the world

Where to watch Star Trek: Section 31 online in the US, the UK and everywhere else

What you need to know about Star Trek: Section 31

Star Trek: Section 31 trailer

Who is in the cast of Star Trek: Section 31?

• Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou
• Omari Hardwick as Alok
• Sam Richardson as Quasi
• Sven Ruygrok as Fuzz
• Robert Kazinsky as Zeph
• Humberly Gonzalez as Melle
• Miku Martineau as young Georgiou

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Apple TV Plus has bolstered its movie library with the addition of over 50 licensed titles from studios including Universal, Sony, and Warner Bros. Pictures.

Last Friday (March 1), the tech giant revealed its Great Movie feature – a collection of third-party films that are now available via its streaming service's back catalog. Films joining Apple TV Plus' movie roster include award-winning and classic flicks like Titanic, Tobey Maguire's first two Spider-Man movies, Saving Private Ryan, and Kill Bill volumes one and two (i.e. two of the best Quentin Tarantino movies). To see what other titles are available, head to Apple's dedicated Great Movies webpage.

Those subscribed to one of the world's best streaming services can enjoy the aforementioned titles and many more at no extra cost, too. So, if you've been looking for a reason to use your Apple TV Plus free trial, or if you've exhausted every Apple TV Plus film option available, you've got plenty more content to stream now.

Unfortunately, there are two big caveats to Apple's Great Movies initiative. As the X/Twitter post (above) revealed, these 50-plus films can only be streamed on Apple TV Plus in the US. They're only available for a limited time, too – Variety reporting that some flicks will depart just a few weeks after landing on the platform, with the rest set to leave sometime in April.

TechRadar has reached out to Apple for an official comment on whether its Great Movies feature will be rolled out internationally in the future. We've also asked if more licensed films will replace the initial line-up once they depart the service. We'll update this article if we receive a response.

A step in the right direction, but Netflix won't be concerned

It's pleasing to see that Apple is open to expanding its film library beyond its own in-house originals. Indeed, until recently, the tech behemoth seemingly had no interest in licensing other studios' films on its streaming platform. Our best Apple TV Plus movies list, then, was – and still is, to be perfectly honest – home to Apple TV film originals.

As Variety's aforementioned article reminds us, though, Apple has offered some licensed titles on Apple TV Plus in the past. It added a small selection of Jennifer Lawrence-starring movies to its film catalog when her Apple-developed movie Causeway was released. It did likewise with a small collection of Sidney Poitier films when its docufilm Sidney also launched on the platform.

Apple, then, has previous form for bringing third-party movies to its userbase. However, the nature of its 'limited time only' deals means it'll continually struggle to compete with some of its biggest streaming rivals, such as Netflix and Prime Video, on the film front.

Indeed, while Apple TV Plus can boast about its highly-rated collection of movies, including 2022 Best Picture Oscar winner CODA – that made it, not Netflix, the first streamer to win this prestigious award – its discernible lack of licensed content is holding it back. Why would potential subscribers open an Apple TV Plus account for $9.99 / £8.99 / AU$12.99 a month when its library is tiny compared to Netflix and Prime Video? These streaming titans offer so much more value for money – albeit on their cheaper ad-supported tiers – than Apple with their thousands-strong film and TV show line-ups. A quick look at our best Netflix movies and best Prime Video movies guides serve as proof of that.

Unless Apple commits to bringing more licensed films and TV series to its streaming platform, it'll continue to lag behind the aforementioned duo, as well as Max, Disney Plus and Hulu, whose film libraries are also much larger. Sure, it deserves credit for building up an impressive suite of first-party content but, if you has ambitions on replacing Netflix as the world's most popular platform, Apple needs to bite the bullet and give its userbase more to watch, even if it is licensed material.

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Star Trek: Infinite sure is boldly going, but where it’s going to is a place I'm familiar with. It feels lazy to point at the empire-building 4X strategy (the 4 X’s stand for explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) Infinite and mention that it’s just a reskinned version of Paradox’s own space-based Stellaris but after 25 hours with the game, I’m fairly convinced this is little more than a $30 licensed mod for that game. 

The thing is, if you’re okay with the deep sci-fi and you don’t need a lot of people prancing around in red leotards to have a good time Stellaris is already a fantastic Star Trek game. You explore galaxies, make first contact with a host of different alien races, and ally up in big federations to bend the galaxy to your will before inevitably teaming up to contend with one of several end game crises, the sentient species desperately banding together to try and survive. 

Want to be the bad guys? Since Stellaris was released back in 2016 several official expansions have fleshed out every part of the game so the only real caveat is… how bad do you want to be? Want to be a people-eating machine horde? A shadowy megacorporation? A warlike race of mushrooms that are trapping any worlds in impenetrable bubbles that doom them to life on a single planet? You can do all of those.

For Star Trek fans, the universe often remixes itself with the only true thread being a love of big philosophical questions and space lasers. Stellaris has all of that, so a cut-back version that has a license and a slightly off-brand Picard in the keyart feels somewhat superfluous. 

But that’s what we’ve got. The key art Picard looks a bit uncanny valley, and Star Trek: Infinite has just four playable races (evil Vulcan Romulans, the boring good guys the Federation, my eternal warbuds the Klingons, and the Cardassians) and it feels so limited compared to the two existing Star Trek total conversion mods that already exist for Stellaris I’m not really sure what the point is. 

Set phasers to… eh 

Unrelated, but did I mention that Star Trek: Infinite costs $30? While the total conversion mods for Stellaris are free and don’t make Paradox any extra money? I did, and that’s because it’s hard to think about anything else after a few hours of playing Infinite. 

There are a couple of twists on the formula, but the biggest change is also the worst: play Stellaris and you’ll start on a single planet and slowly map the stars. Pick one of the four races in Infinite and you’ll drop into a universe that’s already carved up, and it feels like you’ve dropped into someone else’s run at a grand strategy game, robbing you of the early exploration and instead, the game asks you to immediately grapple with running a handful of planets straight off the bat. God, running the Federation just seems like a lot of work, and it’s stifling. 

In Star Trek Infinite you juggle several different resources and take your empire to dominance in the universe, whatever dominance looks like for you. This might involve you wanting to be an economic powerhouse, militant warmongers, or stealthy diplomats. The beauty is that there are so many different ways to “win”, you can kind of pursue your own path.

In a more granular sense, this involves building out a network of space stations to control your territory and then settling inhabitable planets and constructing a series of civic districts, erecting specialty buildings to enhance their strengths. One world might exist to generate energy credits for you, while another might exist to pull together metals and alloys to build out ships.

If you’re wondering how resource management is happening in a Star Trek game when, famously, Star Trek is set in a universe with no system of currency and the complete absence of scarcity, then I would suggest you just roll with it because it would be an incredibly boring strategy game otherwise. Optimizing these planets and creating a material lead to get you a key scientific breakthrough or a bigger fleet to beat your enemies with is the real meat of Star Trek: Infinite.  

Story time 

While this is happening, narrative events are popping off left and right. You start at a huge canon event in the Star Trek universe, the Khitomer Massacre, and you work through from that point with a series of different narrative beats. Get it right and, depending on who you’re playing as, you can follow the canon along and eventually get your hands on the USS Enterprise and several named characters to tool around the galaxy with. In my first game, where I played as the fighty Klingons, this event led to a jumping-off point for the the race and it was easy to say how the atrocity could cause the Klingon civilization to diverge. 

These beats are handled fairly well. Playing as the Romulans will let you feel like a space meanie with the mechanics and narratives coming together to fulfill that fantasy. If you have no imagination you can play as the Federation and be nice to everyone before - presumably - daydreaming about Riker lunging his way around a spaceship bridge. It’s not 100 percent accurate to the events, but that’s often because the races themselves are all pursuing their own goals and things never play out the way they do in the series’ canon. This doesn’t grate too much, but it does mean certain moments like building the Enterprise don’t have the heft they should have.

However in just two games and 30 hours of playtime, I feel like I’ve got the bearing of two of Infinite’s races, and there are currently just four. I’m worried there’s just not enough depth here, especially when - and I’m sorry to bring it up again - Stellaris has a stack of these races and you can even jump into a randomly-generated race and just see what that opens up for you.

I love Star Trek because of that thrill of exploration and the feeling of discovering brave new worlds. You can do that here, but it feels like those far-off stars are just a little too familiar. Paradox famously reinvent their games and work on them over a long time so if I were charitable I could say that this Trek-’em-up will undoubtedly get a host of improvements. I don’t think they’d convince me to return though: the infinite expanse of space already feels very limited indeed.  

Accessibility features

As a strategy game with variable time controls, you can pretty much play Star Trek: Infinite at your own pace. There are very few additional accessibility options on offer here though, largely comprised of some multiplayer text-to-speech options and the ability to rescale your UI and subtitles.  

How we reviewed Star Trek: Infinite

I played 30 hours of Star Trek: Infinite on PC, spreading my time between a meaty 20-hour save playing as Klingons and a smaller game playing as The Federation. I also re-watched several episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which isn’t strictly necessary, but felt like a good companion to several narrative chains in the game that referenced those events directly.  

Our list of the best PC strategy games is bound to provide you with a new game to sink some hours into. 

Paradox Interactive has announced that its upcoming Star Trek grand strategy game, Star Trek: Infinite, will be releasing for PC and MacOS on October 12. 

The Swedish developer has also announced a range of pre-order bonuses for the game, as well as a digital deluxe edition, which includes a digital artbook, the game's soundtrack, and an in-game music pack featuring famous tracks from across Star Trek history. 

Those who pre-order the game will get access to a bonus ship, the U.S.S. Cerritos, as well as crew uniforms from the acclaimed comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks. For the more martially inclined, the pre-order also comes with a new voice line for the advisor of the Klingon faction.

Star Trek: Infinite is a grand strategy adaptation of the sprawling sci-fi universe first created by Gene Roddenberry in 1964. In Infinite, players will take control of one of the setting's great galactic powers, guiding every aspect of the faction's development from diplomacy to warfare. 

From trailers and preview material, it's clear that the game shares a great deal with Stellaris, Paradox's existing sci-fi strategy. However, this is no bad thing, since the delicate politics, knife-edge diplomacy, and occasional dramatic spaceship battles of Star Trek lend themselves well to the Stellaris formula. Easily one of the best PC strategy games, Stellaris' sophisticated systems for diplomacy, espionage, warfare, and economics, complimented by a spontaneous events system reminiscent of Crusader Kings 3, all serve to offer a top-notch 4X experience.

Though the similarities between Star Trek: Infinite and Stellaris are so on the nose that the former seems like it could be DLC for the latter, the prospect of playing out your own version of Star Trek history is exciting for fans old and new. According to Paradox Interactive, the game offers "fresh avenues for adventure" encouraging players to deviate from Star Trek canon and blaze their own trails into the future. For those invested in the Star Trek universe, it's a golden opportunity to make your mark on one of sci-fi's most beloved franchises.

Looking for more immersive titles? Check out our list of the best story games as well as our guide to the best single-player games.

Looking for the best Paramount Plus movies? You’re in the right place. There’s an overwhelming amount of films on the streamer, which is why we’ve narrowed down the finest choices to just 22 of the best. Our selection spans multiple genres, too, from action to comedy, and sci-fi to fantasy, plus so much more. However, while most of these titles are available to stream worldwide on Paramount Plus, note that only US subscribers will be able to stream every single title in this list.

Paramount Plus adds new titles to its catalog every month; for an idea of what's recently been added, check out everything new on Paramount Plus in January 2025. Movies not your thing? Don't worry, we've got you covered with our best Paramount Plus shows picks.

So, if you’ve found yourself looking for something old or new, there’s sure to be a movie pick for everyone on our list. No wonder one of the best streaming services has coined itself as a 'Mountain of Entertainment'. We can’t deny that, and neither will you, when you peruse our selection of the best Paramount Plus movies.

Best animated movies on Paramount Plus

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Age rating: PG (US); PG (UK)
Main cast: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, and Seth Rogen
Directors: Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears
RT (Rotten Tomatoes) score: 95%

• Watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem trailer on YouTube

Rango

Age rating: PG (US); PG (UK)
Main cast: Johnny Depp, Gore Verbinksi, Bill Nighy, and Abigail Breslin
Director: Gore Verbinski
RT score: 88%

• Watch Rango on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Rango trailer on YouTube

Best action movies on Paramount Plus

Top Gun: Maverick

Age rating: PG-13 (US); 12A (UK)
Main cast: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, and Jon Hamm Director: Joseph Kosinski
RT score: 96%

• Watch Top Gun: Maverick on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Top Gun: Maverick trailer on YouTube

The Mission: Impossible movie collection

Age rating: PG-13 (US); 12 (UK)
Main cast: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson
Director: Brad Bird (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation), (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One)
RT score: 93% to 97%

• Watch Mission: Impossible on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Mission: Impossible trailer on YouTube

Gladiator

Age rating: R (US); 15 (UK)
Main cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, and Richard Harris
Director: Ridley Scott
RT score: 80%

• Watch Gladiator on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Gladiator trailer on YouTube

Saving Private Ryan

Age rating: R (US); 15 (UK)
Main cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, and Edward Burns
Director: Steven Spielberg
RT score: 94%

• Watch Saving Private Ryan on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Saving Private Ryan trailer on YouTube

Best comedy movies on Paramount Plus

Mean Girls

Age rating: PG-13 (US); 12 (UK)
Main cast: Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler
Director: Mark Waters
RT score: 84%

• Watch Mean Girls on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Mean Girls trailer on YouTube

School of Rock

Age rating: PG-13 (US); PG (UK)
Main cast: Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman, Mike White
Director: Richard Linklater
RT score: 92%

• Watch School of Rock on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the School of Rock trailer on YouTube

Best drama movies on Paramount Plus

The Godfather trilogy

Age rating: R (US); 18 (UK)
Main cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Andy Garcia, and Talia Shire
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
RT score: 86% to 97%

• Watch The Godfather on Paramount Plus now
• Watch The Godfather trailer on YouTube

The Wolf of Wall Street

Age rating: R (US);18 (UK)
Main cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and Matthew McConaughey
Director: Martin Scorsese
RT score: 80%

• Watch The Wolf of Wall Street on Paramount Plus now
• Watch The Wolf of Wall Street trailer on YouTube

Best fantasy movies on Paramount Plus

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Age rating: PG-13 (US);12A (UK)
Main cast: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant
Directors: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
RT score: 91%

• Watch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves trailer on YouTube

Labyrinth

Age rating: PG (US & UK)
Main cast: Jennifer Connolly, David Bowie, Shelley Thompson
Director: Jim Henson
RT score: 77%

• Watch Labyrinth on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Labyrinth trailer on YouTube

Best horror movies on Paramount Plus

Scream (2022)

Age rating: R (US); 18 (UK)
Main cast: Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
RT score: 76%

• Watch Scream on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Scream trailer on YouTube

Smile

Age rating: R (US); 18 (UK)
Main cast: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, and Kal Penn
Director: Parker Finn
RT score: 80%

• Watch Smile on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Smile trailer on YouTube

A Quiet Place 

Age rating: PG-13 (US); 15 (UK)
Main cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe
Director: John Krasinski
RT score: 96%

• Watch A Quiet Place on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the A Quiet Place trailer on YouTube

Rosemary's Baby

Age rating: R(US); 18 (UK)
Main cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Ruth Gordon
Director: Roman Polanski
RT score: 96%

• Watch Rosemary's Baby on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Rosemary's Baby trailer on YouTube

Best romance movies on Paramount Plus

Past Lives

Age rating: PG-13 (US); 12 (UK)
Main cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, and Moon Seung-ah
Director: Celine Song
RT score: 95%

• Watch Past Lives on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Past Lives trailer on YouTube

Supernova

Age rating: R (US); 15 (UK)
Main cast: Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Pippa Haywood
Director: Harry Macqueen
RT score: 89%

• Watch the Supernova trailer on YouTube

Best sci-fi movies on Paramount Plus

Star Trek

Age rating: PG-13 (US); 12 (UK)
Main cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, and Eric Bana
Director: J. J. Abrams
RT score: 94%

• Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Star Trek trailer on YouTube

Arrival

Age rating: PG-13 (US); 12 (UK)
Main cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker
Director: Denis Villeneuve
RT score: 94%

• Watch Arrival on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the Arrival trailer on YouTube

Best thriller movies on Paramount Plus

To Catch a Thief

Age rating: PG (US); PG (UK)
Main cast: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, and John Williams
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
RT score: 92%

• Watch To Catch a Thief on Paramount Plus now
• Watch the To Catch a Thief trailer on YouTube

The Lincoln Lawyer

Age rating: R (US); 15 (UK)
Main cast: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei, and Katherine Moennig
Director: Brad Furman
RT score: 84%

• Watch The Lincoln Lawyer on Paramount Plus now
• Watch The Lincoln Lawyer trailer on YouTube

How we choose the best Paramount Plus movies

Paramount Plus has thousands of movies and classic films, but not all are the best. To be considered the best and earn a place on this list, the movie must have a Rotten Tomatoes score from the critics of at least 80% and be recommended by one of the members of the TechRadar streaming team. Armed with this information, you'll know that only the best Paramount Plus films have been included in this guide.

With an abundance of new movies being added every month, our entertainment experts are on-hand to keep you up to date with the very best titles that are worth your time so check this list every month to see which new additions have been added or removed if they don't fit the criteria.

If you're interested in subscribing to Paramount Plus, you can find out how much Paramount Plus costs and check out our latest Paramount Plus coverage to get up to speed on everything happening on the platform.

Ever since the launch of its own streaming service, Paramount Plus, Paramount has slowly been reclaiming its shows and pulling them off rival streaming platforms. 

One of the longest goodbyes has been to the plethora of the company's Star Trek shows and movies, which have existed on other streaming platforms for almost a decade. 

Netflix has, at one time or another, had access to six Star Treks series, but Paramount has slowly drawn them back, one by one. This started all the way back at the end of 2019, with the departure of Star Trek: The Animated Series, which was followed in October 2021 by the exit of the original series, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: Voyage. Then, in April of this year, Netflix subscribers said goodbye to Star Trek: The Next Generation, and now, the last of the shows has an end date.  

That one remaining show is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which is finally leaving Netflix on July 2, a full decade after it first appeared on the platform. 

Deep Space Nine ran between 1993 and 1999 with 176 episodes across seven seasons. The show starred Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig and Nana Visitor. 

It followed the adventures of the crew onboard Deep Space Nine, a spaceship stationed near an outpost right next to a stable wormhole on the far reaches of explored space.

Set in the 24th century, the crew are under the command of Captain Benjamin Sisko, who has been given a mandate to protect a planet named Bajor and the station from any unwelcome visitors. But, after they discover the wormhole (which is, naturally, a shortcut through space that leads directly to uncharted territory), Sisko and his crew have their work cut out trying to keep on top of all the hostile nasties that keep turning up. 

One of the best reviewed Star Trek franchises, with 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, Deep Space Nine's departure truly is the end of an era for Netflix, which will soon find itself without Star Trek for the first time in 10 years. 

What about internationally?

For now, all of the shows, with the exception of Star Trek: The Animated Series, remain on Netflix internationally. 

However, with the imminent launch of Paramount Plus in the UK and mainland Europe this summer, we strongly suspect that this isn't going to be the case for much longer. 

That said, Paramount Plus launched in the US in March of 2021, and it has taken over 18 months for the network to slowly reclaim the rights to the various different Star Trek shows, so their departure from Netflix internationally is unlikely to be imminent. 

Still, if you're a Netflix subscriber internationally and you want to work your way through the Star Trek seasons, we'd recommend getting a shift on (or waiting for Paramount Plus, of course...).

• Everything leaving Netflix US in the coming weeks

Paramount Plus' Star Trek series, Picard concluded its second season this week, and the 10-episode run has felt like a real slog. 

After announcing in 2018 that Paramount had tempted back Patrick Stewart to play Jean Luc Picard once again, there was a hope that we would not only see Picard in his twilight years to get the bad taste of Star Trek: Nemesis out of our mouths, but to see what that world has been up to since we last saw them.

While there have been some high points, mainly from the performances of all the actors, the majority of the series has been riddled with plot inconsistencies, jerky twists that don’t lead anywhere, and camera angles so silly they are reminiscent for Adam West's crash, bang, wallop days as Batman. 

With the finale of Season 2 wrapped up, we wanted to go into what’s missing from the show, alongside some thoughts of the viewers who have also been invested in Picard, and the series of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

A little bit of history...

I first watched Star Trek on Sunday afternoons with my family in the late 1990s, where Voyager and Next Generation would play in marathons while others would watch the EastEnders omnibus on another channel.

I don’t class myself as a hardcore Star Trek fan - more of a casual watcher who enjoyed the serialized stories. But it seems as though there’s been a big misunderstanding as to why those Star Trek shows worked so well in the 90s.

I watched the remainder of Picard out of pure curiosity - to see just how more nonsensical the stories can become. In one episode we’re watching Picard and company look for ‘The Watcher’, but instead, we see the police, twice put Picard and Cristóbal Rios in jail with their missing comms link, which is the badges on all Trek uniforms.

We then get a younger Guinan, normally played by Whoopi Goldberg, advancing the plot, very slowly, over three episodes. Then followed by Dr. Soong, an ancestor of Soong who created the android Data and Lore, who is also making an early synthetic of his daughter. There’s also Q who appears to be dying. Also, the Borg Queen is involved with Agnes.

It’s a lot. The early Trek series had a more procedural feel, a new adventure each week with a much neater feeling, whereas with Picard, there’s an overarching story to save the future. That arc has made the show feel so long-winded and lacking the efficiency of the early series. This storyline could have easily been a two-parter if The Next Generation (TNG) was still going.

The advent of streaming services have been wonderful, but with a captive audience already in place and without the fiery breath of executives demanding high ratings to sell back to advertisers, you can start to see storylines become bloated.

The wrath of plot holes

The first episode of Picard Season Two was a marked improvement - there was structure and a plot you could understand, with every character having a purpose. But once episode 2 arrived, we were brought to the many plot strands that yet again, made you care less for the characters.

While the finale tied up the many plots into a bow, even with Elnor having been resurrected by Q, as Rios decided to stay behind, I watched the credits with the same frustrations I had, rather than being moved.

I decided to ask a few viewers who had also been on the same journey as me, just to make sure that it wasn’t me thinking that I was becoming out of touch with television.

Richie Morgan is a freelance videographer and podcaster, and I asked him why he put up with watching it, regardless of knowing the show’s flaws. “I keep getting annoyed while watching it and yet I return every week. Maybe I love the characters and want to see them again?” Morgan wonders. “That might be the case if anyone remembered how to write or play those characters.  Maybe it's just because it's Star Trek, but it’s not with Picard here. Even at its darkest, whatever form it has taken, Star Trek was about optimism and utopian ideals either thriving or trying to thrive in the darkest places.” Morgan explains.

“Now I'm just tuning in every week to see returning characters tortured to death, or exploring their hideous retconned traumas, or in some cases committing actual murders.”

I’ve read high-praise of the show, but I can’t help but think that this is from wearing rose-tinted nostalgia glasses, in awe of the fact that Admiral Picard is back after 20 years. But without a coherent story, the series is already on course to be worse than Star Trek: Nemesis, the final film for The Next Generation crew.

Another viewer is a reader of TechRadar who got in touch after watching the penultimate episode of Picard towards the end of April. Ian Hicks sent in what he thought of Picard as a whole. “Whereas other Star Trek shows don’t hit the heights of TNG, it at least had all of the formulaic aspects of a typical star trek show. A thirst for discovery, a higher purpose and logic.” Hicks explains.

“Picard has none of these. It’s clear Sir Patrick Stewart can’t even himself recall what the character stood for. Where’s the unwavering authority, the moral righteousness, and virtue that made Picard such a beloved captain? It’s a hollow ensemble of lifeless hollowed-out Star Trek characters, that are thrown together into a story that makes no sense and goes off on so many confusing tangents, that it makes Season 1 look well-written.” Hicks continues. “Character traits flip flop to further the inane script rather than for development. It’s a show that tries to be everything and ends up being nothing.”

To boldly, go?

Season 3 of Picard is not only commissioned, but already filmed, as it was in production soon after Season 2 had been filmed halfway. With the cast of TNG coming back, I asked Richie Morgan again as to what he’d like to see in this final series of Picard, with himself being a lifelong Trek fan.

“I'm telling myself now that I don't care what happens in the next season. I'll just be happy to see everyone again.” Morgan reveals. “In an ideal world, I'd love to see an exploration of late 24th century Trek again. Maybe a stop to Deep Space Nine - perhaps a plot as to how the Alpha Quadrant rebuilt itself after the Dominion war?” Morgan wonders. “Or what's happening with the Klingons, the Romulans, or even the Ferengi!  An exploration of what it is to be an intergalactic hero in the twilight years of your life. Let's acknowledge their age and really tell that story. I want to believe they can do it." Morgan hopes. "I want to believe every character won't return with a miserable back story. That Geordie LaForge married Leah Brahms and she didn't immediately die.”

As we head into a story where the Borg is part of the Federation, sudden plot points may rear their heads once again, as the third season hasn’t had the chance to breathe and look at the feedback of its fans.

But with this clearly being the final season of Picard, not just the series but the character, there could always be a glimmer of hope that we can say a proper goodbye to this part of Star Trek, and see what else the franchise can offer.

That said, with the lazy plotting and non-sensical decisions made in the show's second season, I'm not hopeful. 

• How to watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds online, wherever you are

The best Paramount+ shows are found by sorting through the streaming platform’s vast library. Luckily for you, we’ve already done that, with shows spanning the gamut of genres including cult classic comedies, adult animations, Western dramas, romantic dramedies, and much more.

Paramount+ offers not only fan favorites, but their own original content, which makes it one of the best streaming services around. New titles are added to the Paramount+ library every month, so if you want an idea of what's recently been added, check out these five new movies with over 92% on Rotten Tomatoes or everything new on Paramount+ in June, as well as the best Paramount+ movies if you're wanting something longer to watch.

Of course, the epic rebranding from CBS All Access to Paramount+ has had a part to play in the platform’s growing success but, by also offering a lot of content to viewers, it’s certainly found a way into our homes and hearts. So, whether it’s something old or something brand new, here are the best Paramount+ shows to stream today.

Best animated shows on Paramount+

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Seasons: 3
Age rating: TV-Y7 (US); U (UK); PG (Aus)
Main cast: Jack De Sena, Zach Tyler Eisen, Dante Basco, and Michaela Jill Murphy
Creators: Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko
RT score: 100%

• Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Avatar: The Last Airbender trailer on YouTube

The Legend of Korra

Seasons: 4
Age rating: TV-Y7 (US); U (UK); PG (Aus)
Main cast: Janet Varney, David Faustino, P. J. Byrne, and Logan Wells
Creators: Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko
RT score: 89%

• Watch The Legend of Korra on Paramount+ now
• Watch The Legend of Korra trailer on YouTube

Daria

Seasons: 5
Age rating: TV-PG (US); PG (UK); PG (Aus)
Main cast: Janet Varney, David Faustino, P. J. Byrne, and Logan Wells
Creators: Glenn Eichler & Susie Lewis Lynn
RT score: 94% (Season one)

• Watch Daria on Paramount+ now

Best action shows on Paramount+

Halo

Seasons: 2
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
Main cast: Pablo Schreiber, Shabana Azmi, Yerin Ha, and Olive Gray
Creators: Kyle Killen and Steven Kane
RT score: 80%

• Watch Halo on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Halo trailer on YouTube

SEAL Team

Seasons: 6 (only two seasons available in UK)
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
Main cast: David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, AJ Buckley, and Toni Trucks
Creator: Benjamin Cavell
RT score: 83% (audience)

• Watch SEAL Team on Paramount+ now
• Watch the SEAL Team trailer on YouTube

Best comedy shows on Paramount+

Cheers

Seasons: 11
Age rating: TV-PG (US); 12 (UK); PG (Aus)
Main cast: Shelley Long, Ted Danson, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman
Creators: Glen and Les Charles, James Burrows
RT score: 87%

• Watch Cheers on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Cheers trailer on YouTube

Frasier

Seasons: 12 (including 2023 revival)
Age rating: TV-PG (US); 12 (UK); PG (Aus)
Main cast: Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce, and John Mahoney
Creators: David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee
RT score: 95%

• Watch Frasier on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Frasier trailer on YouTube

Freaks and Geeks

Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 12 (US); M (Aus)
Main cast: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, Martin Starr, Jason Segel, and James Franco
Creator: Paul Feig
RT score: 100%

• Watch Freaks and Geeks on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Freaks and Geeks trailer on YouTube

Why Women Kill

Seasons: 3
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); M (Aus)
Main cast: Lucy Liu, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Alexandra Daddario, Sam Jaeger
Creator: Marc Cherry
RT score: 76%

• Watch Why Women Kill on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Why Women Kill trailer on YouTube

Best drama shows on Paramount+

Billions

Seasons: 7
Age rating: TV-MA (US)
Main cast: Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff and David Costabile.
Creators: Brian Koppelman, David Levien and Andrew Ross Sorkin
RT score: 87%

• Watch Billions on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Billions trailer

School Spirits

Seasons: 2
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); M (Aus)
Main cast: Peyton List, Milo Manheim, Sarah Yarkin, and Spencer MacPherson Creators: Megan Trinrud and Nate Trinrud
RT score: 83%

• Watch School Spirits on Paramount+ now
• Watch the School Spirits trailer on YouTube

The Curse

Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 13+ (Aus); TBC (UK)
Main cast: Nathan Fielder, Emma Stone, and Benny Safdie
Creators: Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie
RT score: 93%

• Watch The Curse on Paramount+ now
• Watch The Curse trailer on YouTube

The Good Wife

Seasons: 7
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 12 (UK); M (Aus)
Main cast: Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, and Graham Phillips
Creators: Robert King and Michelle King
RT score: 93%

• Watch The Good Wife on Paramount+ now
• Watch The Good Wife trailer on YouTube

The Good Fight

Seasons: 6
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); M (Aus)
Main cast: Christine Baranski, Cush Jumbo, Sarah Steele, and Rose Leslie
Creators: Robert King, Michelle King, and Phil Alden Robinson
RT score: 95%

• Watch The Good Fight on Paramount+ now
• Watch The Good Fight trailer on YouTube

Tulsa King

Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); M (Aus)
Main cast: Sylvester Stallone, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, and Jay Will
Creator: Taylor Sheridan
RT score: 89%

• Watch Tulsa King on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Tulsa King trailer on YouTube

Twin Peaks

Seasons: 3
Age rating: M
Main cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook and Richard Beymer
Creator: Mark Frost and David Lynch
RT score: 91% (season 1)

• Watch Twin Peaks on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Twin Peaks trailer

Yellowstone

Seasons: 5
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
Main cast: Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Luke Grimes
Creators: Taylor Sheridan and John Linson
RT score: 84%

• Watch Yellowstone on Paramount+ now
• Watch the Yellowstone trailer on YouTube

1883

Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
Main cast: Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Isabel May
Creator: Taylor Sheridan
RT score: 89%

• Watch 1883 on Paramount+ now
• Watch the 1883 trailer on YouTube

Best fantasy shows on Paramount+

The Twilight Zone

Seasons: 5
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 12 (UK); M (Aus)
Main cast: Rod Serling, William Shatner, and Robert McCord
Creator: Rod Serling
RT score: 92%

• Watch The Twilight Zone on Paramount+ now
• Watch The Twilight Zone trailer on YouTube

Aeon Flux

Seasons: 3 (only one season available in the US)
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); M (Aus)
Main cast: Denise Poirier and John Rafter Lee
Creator: Paul Chung
RT score: 90%

• Watch Aeon Flux on Paramount+ now
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Colin from Accounts

Seasons: 2 (only season one available on Paramount+ currently)
Age rating: TV-MA (US)
Main cast: Harriet Dyer, Patrick Brammall, Zak Feddersen, and Emma Harvie
Creators: Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall
RT score: 100%

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Fellow Travelers

Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
Main cast: Jonathan Bailey, Matt Bomer, Allison Williams, and Jelani Alladin
Creator: Ron Nyswaner
RT score: 91%

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Best sci-fi shows on Paramount+

Star Trek: The Original Series

Seasons: 3
Age rating: TV-PG (US); PG (UK); M (Aus)
Main cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, and George Takei
Creator: Gene Roddenberry
RT score: 80%

• Watch Star Trek: The Original Series on Paramount+ now
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Star Trek: Picard

Seasons: 3
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
Main cast: Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Isa Briones, and Michelle Hurd
Creators: Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, and Alex Kurtzman
RT score: 89%

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Yellowjackets

Seasons: 2
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
Main cast: Ella Purnell, Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, and Sophie Thatcher
Creators: Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson
RT score: 96%

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Evil

Seasons: 4
Age rating: TV-14 (US); MA15+ (Aus)
Main cast: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, and Kurt Fuller
Creators: Robert King and Michelle King
RT score: 96%

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How we choose the best Paramount+ shows

Paramount+ has thousands of shows on offer from CBS, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, and more – but not all of them are the best. To earn the title of being the best Paramount+ show, each series must have a Rotten Tomatoes score of 80% or higher and be recommended by a member of the TechRadar streaming team.

There's a constant swathe of new content being added to the streaming platform every month, but you can rely on the entertainment experts to keep you updated with the best titles worth watching. So check this list every month to see what's been added or removed if they don't fit the criteria.

If you're interested in subscribing to Paramount+, you can find out how much Paramount+ costs and check out our latest Paramount+ coverage to see all the latest news on the platform.

Spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery season 4 follow.

Without futuristic technology, there would be no Star Trek. Sure, the innovative stories and famous Kirk/Spock/McCoy axis had something to do with the show’s early popularity. But, if the Enterprise didn’t have transporters, warp drive and subspace communication, its original five-year mission would have floundered before it had even left Spacedock.

Back then, boundary-stretching tech was a narrative-driven and practical necessity. 1960s network TV budgets wouldn't allow a spaceship to land on a new planet every week. Meanwhile, forcing viewers to watch the crew on decades-long voyages between worlds – waiting years for Starfleet to respond to their enquiries – would have been commercial suicide. But beaming up and hitting warp factor five soon became integral to the franchise’s DNA, and the ground-breaking tech would later be joined by the holodecks and LCARS displays seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

When Star Trek: Discovery travelled to the 32nd century at the start of season 3, however, the tech content went up to another level. Beyond exploring even stranger new worlds and seeking out newer life and civilizations, Michael Burnham, Saru and the rest of the crew suddenly found themselves in a universe where programmable matter, portable transporters, and phasers that materialize in the palm of your hand are taken for granted.

None of that’s a problem in itself, of course – the morphing starships and floating computer displays look amazing, while expecting nothing to have changed in the 900 years between Discovery’s original time zone and the 32nd century would be as ridiculous as suggesting that our present looks the same as Richard the Lionheart’s.

But, when technology can do anything, anytime you want it to, it has a tendency to suck the drama out of a story more quickly than a malfunctioning airlock.

A kind of magic

2001: A Space Odyssey author Arthur C. Clarke famously said that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” But this is the plane of existence on which Star Trek: Discovery now resides; its tech so sophisticated and ubiquitous that the crew’s gadgets are essentially spells, charms and incantations wrapped up in sci-fi clothing. When Commander Stamets casually uses his personal transporter to travel from Engineering to the Bridge in a blink of an eye, he might as well be apparating out of a fireplace with Harry Potter and the Weasleys – he doesn’t even need to say a magic word to do it.

Ironically, the show’s writers seemed to acknowledge the pitfalls of pushing the technological envelope too far when they first transported the show to the 32nd century. The future Federation that the Discovery crew first encountered was a shadow its former self, the so-called Burn having rendered all warp travel impossible. With that minor inconvenience now resolved, however, travel between worlds is back on the agenda and there are seemingly no limits to what Starfleet can do.

While many fantasy writers are wise enough to understand that sorcery has the potential to overpower a story without rules to restrict its use, there’s little evidence Star Trek: Discovery is applying similar restraint with the technological witchcraft at its fingertips. 

The tech is also used in a frustratingly inconsistent manner. In season 4 episode ‘Anomaly’, for example, Stamets accompanies Cleveland Booker on a dangerous mission to gather information on a vast, mysterious entity – except he doesn’t, because he’s actually back on Discovery, neural-linked to a holographic version of himself. 

This poses a huge question for the future of the show: if it’s possible for a member of the crew to work from home, projecting themselves into an avatar that responds to its surroundings in real-time, why would anybody ever leave the ship on a risky away mission? 

And why did Captain Burnham, just a week earlier, abandon her place on the bridge to fly into a debris field when her virtual self could have done it instead? Okay, we wouldn’t have seen her undeniably cool spacesuit materialize from the ether with the elegant ease of Iron Man’s nanotech outfit, but you can’t help feeling the use (or non-use) of the tech is based on the whims of the writers’ room rather than the needs of the story. 

In fact, they effectively have to contrive a situation to remove that technological safety net – when the only thing a crew has to worry about is a planet-gobbling mass of dark matter, Star Trek is entering perilous territory.

Tech's appeal

The show is now so futuristic that it’s in danger of losing any connection to the real world. While Star Trek has always stretched the laws of physics, often by necessity –curse you, Einstein, with your troublesome relativity and your E=mc2 – there’s traditionally been some effort to explain away the made-up science in almost-plausible terms

In Discovery, however, tech-magic is so integral to the fabric of the show that it seems to exist almost for its own sake. Indeed, when Burnham creates a forcefield around herself to make a private call in ‘Anomaly’ – a rip-off of Get Smart’s intentionally ridiculous Cone of Silence – you can’t help wonder why she didn’t just take it in the next room. Is walking no longer the done thing in the 32nd century?

Discovery forgets that technology that works shouldn’t be more than set-dressing; a tool to establish a sense of time and place, but never the story in itself. It’s worth remembering that most of sci-fi’s best tales about future tech delight in telling us what happens when it goes wrong – it’s pretty much the entire reason for Black Mirror’s existence.

The show’s expanding toolkit of programmable matter, morphing starships and holographic stand-ins is in danger of being to Trek what the Sonic Screwdriver too often is to Doctor Who – a magic wand that can do whatever the writer needs to resolve a tricky plotline.

There are countless examples of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager crews pulling some piece of technobabble from thin air to solve a problem – or inventing some miraculous piece of tech to save the day – but there’s usually at least a hint of scientific reasoning to help it make sense. If Discovery continues to use its tech-magic without restriction, the lines between sci-fi and fantasy will start to blur.

So maybe it’s time for the writers’ room to pin that famous Arthur C. Clarke quote to the office wall, because Star Trek is better off leaving the magic to Star Wars.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 4 stream on Paramount Plus in the US on Thursdays. The show airs on Pluto TV in the UK.

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Bad news, Trekkies: Netflix has officially lost the rights to Star Trek: Discovery, with the show now exclusive to Paramount Plus in every region. 

The popular sci-fi series has always been exclusive to ViacomCBS’ new streamer in the US, but international viewers had been able to enjoy seasons 1 to 3 on Netflix – under the Netflix original banner – given the absence of Paramount Plus overseas.

It was hoped that season 4 would continue that arrangement, but a new deal means Star Trek: Discovery will henceforth be a Paramount Plus exclusive across the globe. The problem, though, is that the service won’t be rolling out to Europe and other markets until 2022 – leaving many Star Trek fans reeling with the wrath of Khan.

To make matters worse, the announcement was made just days before new episodes of the show were due to land on Netflix, with non-US Star Trek fans now forced to wait a still-unknown amount of time before they, too, can access Star Trek: Discovery season 4.

“A confounding and hugely misjudged decision,” one fan wrote on Twitter. “A huge amount of non-US fans will now pirate the season. Revealing this THREE DAYS before the series premieres, after months of fans expecting it this week, is hugely disrespectful.”

“Paywalling it behind a service non-US fans can’t use? Ugly, nasty, greedy. So un-Star Trek,” said another. 

Not only does the move mean Star Trek fans outside of the US won’t get to see Star Trek: Discovery season 4 as early as their counterparts across the pond, it also speaks to a growing frustration surrounding the confusing nature of streaming services in 2021.

The streaming multiverse of madness 

With rival platforms locked in a constant battle for audience share, popular IP is now scattered between a headache-inducing number of services – each with their own subscription cost.

Fancy watching some Marvel, Star Wars or Disney content? You’ll want a Disney Plus subscription. Popular sitcoms like Friends or Seinfeld? Netflix is your best bet. The latest Warner Bros. blockbusters? HBO Max is the answer. Star Trek fans? Well, we don’t need to repeat ourselves. Even James Bond is soon to become a Prime Video exclusive, and we haven’t even mentioned the likes of Apple TV Plus, Shudder or Hulu yet.

The point being, if audiences hope to enjoy a truly extensive range of movies and TV shows nowadays, it’s no longer adequate to subscribe to a single streaming service. And since the average cost of a monthly subscription for any given platform sits at around $10 / £10, streaming bills can quickly reach into triple figures – on top of existing cable subscriptions. 

Nobody expects on-demand entertainment to come cheap, but when sci-fi fans are forced to navigate five different services in order to access some of the most beloved franchises in pop culture history, there’s clearly a problem.

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It won't be a revelation to anyone that global pandemics and mass gatherings are a bad mix – it’s been a fact of life since the world went into lockdown in early 2020, with comic cons and other fan events becaming a casualty of the Covid-19 world.

Bringing thousands of people together from all over the world, squeezing them into cramped indoor spaces, and inviting them to mingle is traditionally part of the con experience. But it's not a brilliant idea when there’s an infectious novel virus on the loose and, even in non-pandemic times, people coming home with undefined “con flu” goes with the territory.

Movie studios and streamers were quick to adapt to the new world order, coming up with alternative plans to ensure upcoming releases remained part of fan conversations. Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen an explosion of virtual events including DC FanDome, Star Trek Day, Netflix’s Tudum and the recent Disney Plus Day, as well as an online-only version of San Diego Comic-Con, Comic-Con@Home.

Much like their live-action counterparts, these virtual events have unveiled new trailers and footage, announced upcoming projects, and assembled stars and creators to talk about their projects. 

When most of us were trapped in our homes, they were a great way of maintaining a sense of connection. But, now that the world is approaching a semblance of pre-coronavirus normality – with live events back on the calendar – it would be a shame if online-only events became the norm. Yes, the convenience of participating on our phones, tablets and laptops is a bonus – but we’d be losing a lot more than we gain.

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The real thing

Viruses aside, live-action events aren’t without their drawbacks. Tens of thousands of people making a beeline for a single destination translates into a sizeable carbon footprint, while even the biggest venues have restrictions on their capacity. This means cons are inherently exclusive, the sort of events most people get to experience via a lucky few telling you how cool they were. Learning that the attendees of the San Diego Convention Center’s vast Hall H have been treated to exclusive, never-to-be-seen again clips from the next MCU movie is a peculiarly cruel form of torture for a fan. 

But the ‘real thing’ is so much more rewarding than sitting in front of your computer, watching a montage of famous faces on YouTube, or monotonously tapping refresh until the next Twitter update appears. 

In the same way that live music and comedy are infinitely more exhilarating than watching a gig on TV, the shared enthusiasm of a crowd can be – for want of a better word – infectious. Being at San Diego when Kevin Feige unveiled the original Avengers line-up on stage for the first time was a real “I was there!” moment. It’s a shared experience, where the audience is engaged with what’s happening in the room, rather than splitting their attention across multiple screens, or responding to an announcement on social media.

Then there’s everything else that happens at conventions away from the presentations on the main stages: con floors packed with exhibits and obscure merchandise you never knew existed, or the chance to socialize with like-minded fans or associates. Events like San Diego and New York Comic-Con are where significant amounts of business are done. Sure, lockdown has proved that much of this stuff is feasible over Zoom, but the curated, ‘everything under one roof’ ethos of a good convention is almost impossible to replicate online.

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Taking back control

Perhaps the most significant development in the era of online-focused events, however, is the fact that each company can control its own bespoke conventions. 

This is nothing new for Disney, who’ve been hosting their own D23 live events for years. But with notable, fan-friendly exceptions like the Star Trek franchise, few other media entities have a fanbase big and engaged enough to make similar gatherings worthwhile. On the face of it, then, going online lowers the bar for entry.

But this isn’t quite the great democratisation it appears. Instead, you risk a 'survival of the fittest environment' where viewers happily tune in for Disney, Netflix and Warner/DC presentations, but smaller players struggle to get a look in. One of the best things about a big, non-brand aligned convention is that you can wander between genres and studios – sometimes you might learn about a really exciting indie project while you’re waiting for the blockbuster attraction you came for. If you only get to see the franchises you already know, you’ll never discover anything new.

And as attendees make the shift from participants to viewers, the more the line between conventions and keynote presentations starts to blur. Disney’s Investor Day in December 2020 – which featured appearances from Kevin Feige and Kathleen Kennedy, the respective overlords of Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm – never hid the fact it was business oriented. It gained as many column inches as a convention – announcing numerous Marvel and Disney projects is going to have that effect – but definitely wasn’t a convention. A con should do more than simply supply you with information, and having fans in the room adds to the experience.

Asking the right questions

Of course, the practical benefits of going digital are obvious to a studio. Telling a load of stars and creatives to spend an hour in front of a web cam is rather easier than driving or flying them across the country – or even the world. They also get to deliver a carefully managed PR message.

But if participating talent only answers pre-orchestrated questions, you tend to end up with a more sanitised, boring presentation. Indeed, you can rest assured that attending journalists and fans will ask more interesting questions than what’s been fed to a moderator – even an “I can’t answer that…” non-answer to a spoilerific question can tell you something. And no, submitting your query in advance via an online forum is not the same as asking it in a live auditorium.

There are plenty that conventions can learn from the online experience, and inviting fans to view the action from around the world is one of the benefits of a connected digital world. But as soon as an event goes online only, and fails to replicate that instant human element, you can no longer call it a con. Online events have been a wonderful way to get us through lockdown but they should only be viewed as a stopgap. As long as live, in-person events are safe and practical, they should go back to being the norm – with online bits and bobs as a handy bonus.

The adventures of the USS Enterprise didn’t start with James T Kirk. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set around a decade before he embarked on the most famous five-year mission in TV history, and puts his predecessor – Christopher Pike
– back in the captain’s chair.

Pike first appeared in original Star Trek pilot ‘The Cage’ back in 1966, but it was his comeback in Star Trek: Discovery’s second season (where he was played by Anson Mount) that earned him his own spin-off show. Pike and fellow ‘Cage’ veterans Number One (played by Rebecca Romijn) and Spock (Ethan Peck inheriting the role made famous by Leonard Nimoy) proved so popular with fans that Paramount Plus decided to make Star Trek: Strange New Worlds the latest addition to Trek’s rapidly expanding shared universe.

And when it launches later this year, the show will feature a few more iconic names from the ’60s, including Nurse Chapel, Dr M’Benga and a genuine Trek legend in the form of Uhura. There’s also a mysterious crew member called La’an Noonien-Singh, whose surname has a special resonance for fans of the final frontier.

With producers promising less serialized storytelling than Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds looks set to get back to the cosmos-exploring traditions of the Original Series and The Next Generation. Here’s everything we know so far – hit it!

What is it? A Star Trek: Discovery spin-off following the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike, science officer Spock and first officer Una Chin-Riley (better known as Number One) on the USS Enterprise, around a decade before James T Kirk takes command. 

Release date: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will beam onto Paramount Plus on May 5, 2022 – after Star Trek: Discovery season 4 and Star Trek: Picard season 2 have finished boldly going.

Cast: Alongside its familiar trio of lead characters (still played by Discovery's Anson Mount, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn), six new crew members will be taking their places on the Enterprise bridge. Read more about them below. 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds release date

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds release date: May 2022

It's so long ago that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds got its greenlight (May 2020) that Paramount Plus was still known as CBS All Access at the time. 

Unfortunately, coronavirus significantly delayed its departure from Spacedock, and the show didn't make it in front of the cameras until March 2021. Production on Strange New Worlds' 10-episode first season eventually wrapped in October 2021, as confirmed in a video announcement from star Anson Mount:

Now the wait for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is almost over. StarTrek.com confirmed on January 18, 2022 that the new voyages of the USS Enterprise will boldly go onto Paramount Plus in the US on Thursday May 5, 2022 – coinciding with the conclusion of Starfleet stablemate Picard's second season. 

Jess Bush, who'll play Nurse Christine Chapel in the show, celebrated the announcement by posing in one of the Enterprise's Jefferies Tubes with co-star Christina Chong (La'an Noonien-Singh).

While we know Strange New Worlds will stream on Paramount Plus in the US, it may vary depending on where you are. The streamer is set to launch in the UK in 2022, and we'd expect to see Strange New Worlds debuting on there – especially after the recent controversial announcement that Discovery's fourth season has been shifted from its traditional international home on Netflix, to help launch Paramount Plus around the world.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds trailer

Is there a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds trailer?

There's no sign as yet, but with less than three months until the series' launch, it can't be long until we get to see a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds trailer. Indeed, with Star Trek: Discovery returning from its mid-season break and Picard's second season kicking off in early March, Paramount have a pair of tentpoles they can hang a promo off.

That said, journalists at the show's Television Critics Association panel on February 1, 2022 were treated to first-look footage focussing on Cadet Nyota Uhura (played by Celia Rose Gooding), the character made famous by Nichelle Nichols in the Original Series. Den of Geek reported that most of the bridge crew were also accounted for in the clip.  

Back in September 2021, the Star Trek Day event also unveiled a brief teaser introducing the cast. It contains a few stills from the new series, including a glimpse at the new-look USS Enterprise uniforms – a modern riff on the classic gold, blue and uniforms we saw in ’The Cage’ and the original series.

Going back even further in time, leads Anson Mount, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn beamed in an announcement video in May 2020:

As you’d expect, the party line was very much that the show exists because of fan demand. “Without you this wouldn’t be happening,” says Peck, while Mount explains a bit about the tone of the series. “[It’s] a classic Star Trek show that deals with optimism and the future.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds poster: the frontier is waiting

While Paramount are keeping us waiting for a trailer, the tantalizing new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds poster is doing more than enough to get us excited about the show. It features Captain Pike on horseback in what looks like his home in the Mojave desert – but the real excitement comes from what's in the sky above him. The iconic USS Enterprise is hovering in front of a pair of alien worlds – and, no doubt, several new life forms and new civilizations. 

If the "The frontier is waiting" tagline isn't enough to get Trek fans firing up their warp drives, chances are nothing will.

“We wanted [the poster] to reflect that the [concept] of the final frontier is at just the beginning,” executive producer (and Star Trek's de facto commander-in-chief) Alex Kurtzman told the show's TCA panel (via Syfy) . “We think it brings the sense of nostalgia hope, optimism, exploration and sense of adventure."

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast: who’s beaming onto the Enterprise bridge?

The principal Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast looks like this:

• Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike
• Ethan Peck as Mr Spock
• Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley/Number One
• Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel
• Christina Chong as La'an Noonien-Singh
• Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura
• Melissa Navia as Lt Erica Ortegas
• Babs Olusanmokun as Dr M'Benga
• Bruce Horak as Hemmer

Ever since Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was confirmed in 2020, we've known that three actors would be reprising their roles from Discovery.

Anson Mount is back in the captain’s chair as Captain Christopher Pike. Meanwhile, after proving himself worthy of donning the pointy ears that once belonged to Leonard Nimoy, Ethan Peck returns as Spock. Rebecca Romijn continues as first officer/helmsperson Number One.

A ‘start of production’ video released in March 2021 introduced five other members of the cast: 

The five new additions to the USS Enterprise bridge crew are Melissa Navia (from Dietland), Celia Rose Gooding (Jagged Little Pill), Christina Chong (Doctor Who, Line of Duty), Babs Olusanmokun (Black Mirror), and Jess Bush (Skinford). 

At the Star Trek Day panel in September 2021, it was finally confirmed who each of them would be playing.  We also learned that the full name of Number One is Una Chin-Riley – the first time this has been confirmed in the character’s 56-year history.

Intriguingly, three of the new cast members are playing characters who – like, Pike, Number One and Spock – were first established in the 1960s. 

The most famous of these roles goes to Celia Rose Gooding, who plays a younger version of Nyota Uhura, the Enterprise communications officer famously portrayed by Nichelle Nichols in the original series and first six Star Trek movies. (Guardians of the Galaxy's Zoe Saldana took on the role in JJ Abrams' rebooted Trek.) 

Gooding explained to the assembled journalists at the TCA event in February 2021 that this will be a much less experienced version of the communications officer we saw serving alongside Captain Kirk in the Original series. 

“Nichelle had a level of understanding and clarity [in her portrayal], but we're showing different parts of her humanity, which isn't as sure and asks questions as we go along,” the actress explained. “Getting to represent an iconic character in a multi-faceted way is an honor and now we're getting to see other sides of Uhura that go outside of the limitations set for Black women in the '60s."

Babs Olusanmokun plays Dr M'Benga (originally played by Booker Bradshaw), a character who filled in as the Enterprise's chief medical officer when Dr McCoy was absent in the original series. Jess Bush, meanwhile, inherits the role of Nurse Christine Chapel, who worked alongside McCoy in the Enterprise Sick Bay. 

Chapel is one of two Strange New Worlds characters who were originally played by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry back in the 1960s – the other is Number One, who made her one-and-only vintage Trek appearance in 'The Cage'. (Barrett-Roddenberry also went on to play Lwaxana Troi and voice the Enterprise computers in The Next Generation.)

Of the Starfleet newbies, Bruce Horak's Hemmer is a member of the Andorian species. The fact he's wearing a red shirt – aka Star Trek's sartorial kiss of death – doesn't bode well for his life expectancy. The same could be said for Melissa Navia's Lt Erica Ortegas.

The most mysterious addition to the cast, however, is Christina Chong's La'an Noonien-Singh. The fact she shares a surname with The Wrath of Khan's Big Bad can't be a coincidence, but seeing as Trek canon tells us the cryogenically frozen 20th century villain won't be thawed out until after Kirk has taken command of the Enterprise, it's unclear how they're linked – but there definitely is a connection. 

"She's related to Khan for sure, and, uh, the deal will unfold...” co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman confirmed at a Television Critics Association panel in February 2022 (via the Hollywood Reporter).

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds already has its first great mystery...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds story

What can we expect to see in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds story?

Star Trek: Discovery spoilers ahead – proceed with caution if you haven't seen season 2.

Pike, Spock and Number One have been part of the Star Trek story even longer than James T Kirk – they were on board the Enterprise in original Star Trek pilot ‘The Cage’, unaired in the ’60s and set more than a decade before Kirk’s famous five-year mission. Jeffrey Hunter, Leonard Nimoy and Majel Barrett originated the three roles.

While we know that the trio have been together at least three years by the time Star Trek: Strange New Worlds kicks off and that a tragic fate awaits Pike – more on that later – most of their voyages remain undocumented. That means it’s prime storytelling territory and – after the more serialized Discovery and Picard – a chance for Trek to get back to the standalone stories of its earlier years. 

“We’re going to try to harken back to some classical Trek values, to be optimistic, and to be more episodic,” executive producer Akiva Goldsman (and director of the Strange New Worlds pilot episode) told Varietyin May 2020. “Obviously, we will take advantage of the serialized nature of character and story building. But I think our plots will be more closed-ended than you’ve seen in either Discovery or Picard.”

The ability to visit a huge galaxy of, well, strange new worlds, should allow the show to feel different from week to week – after all, this versatile formula is a big reason for the franchise’s longevity.

“We want to do Star Trek in the classic mode; Star Trek in the way Star Trek stories were always told,” fellow EP Henry Alonso Myers said at a Star Trek Day panel (via TrekMovie). “It's a ship and it's traveling to strange new worlds and we are going to tell big ideas science fiction adventures in an episodic mode. So we have room to meet new aliens, see new ships, visit new cultures..."

Strange New Worlds won't be entirely devoid of serialization, however, as writer Akela Cooper explained: “While we'll have individual one-off plots, the character arcs are what's going to carry us through in a more serialized fashion. There's probably one point that we will be sprinkling through this series until we actually get to the episode. And that's all I can say about that.” 

Goldsman explained a bit more about the structure of the show in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter in April: “If you think back to the original [Star Trek] series, it was tonally more liberal – I don‘t mean in terms of politics but it could sort of be more fluid. Like sometimes Robert Bloch would write a horror episode. Or Harlan Ellison would have ‘City on the Edge of Forever’, which is hard sci-fi. Then there would be comedic episodes like 'Shore Leave’ or ‘The Trouble with Tribbles’. So [co-showrunner] Henry Alonso Myers and myself are trying to serve that. We’ve all become very enamored, myself included, with serialized storytelling. Picard is deeply serialized but Strange New Worlds is very much adventure-of-the-week, but with serialized character arcs.”

Going on Mount’s performance in Discovery, Pike is the ideal captain for an optimistic mission of exploration. 

“The writers have done a magnificent job of establishing this captain as his own iteration of what a Starfleet captain should be, independent of other captains in canon,” the actor said at the TCA panel (as reported by Syfy). “Humility is a big part of his character. And his father was a science teacher and scholar of comparative religion, so exploration is a big part of Pike. He’s looking at the things that made us see what’s next over the horizon? Are we searchers or conquerors?”

We can also expect to see a Spock more prone to displays of emotion than his Original Series counterpart, as the younger version of the character struggles to balance his logical Vulcan side with his human urges.

Indeed, in ‘The Cage’, Number One was the more buttoned-up, logical member of the crew – her personality traits passing to the Vulcan when Star Trek went to series. “She's way more complex than y'all know,” actor Rebecca Romijn teased in the cast introduction video released on Star Trek Day, and she expanded on the theme in the panel.

“'The Cage' being such an old pilot, the writers have this very unique opportunity where they've had this character that's existed since the beginning of the canon, but she's never been written,” Romijn pointed out. “I can't wait to find out how vast her skill set is. What are the arrows in her quiver? My number one question is, 'What's her backstory?’ [The writer's room] floated an idea for Number One's backstory that I'm not going to share right now because it blew my mind when they said it.”

Despite being made more than half a century after the Original Series, the look of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will echo those early ’60s designs – from the Enterprise starship interiors to the Starfleet uniforms. 

“It’s a fine line because, obviously, we want to keep continuity with the storytelling and the style, but we also want Strange New Worlds to be a different show,” Goldsman told the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s not Discovery. There are a few more reach-backs [to the Original Series] and the uniforms have been adjusted slightly, the sets are slightly different. Remember, the Enterprise existed as a little piece [of Star Trek: Discovery], but now it’s its own object. When you close your eyes and think of the key sets and situations that you think of the Original Series, that’s what we’re looking to do.”

Intriguingly, at this point in the Star Trek timeline, Kirk and other members of the original crew must be out there somewhere in the universe, so the smart money would be on a few headline-grabbing (recast) guest appearances – as the older members of the Original Series line-up, McCoy and Scotty would seem prime candidates.

If a few familiar faces do turn up, however, we may have to wait a while to see them, with Goldsman telling the TCA panel that bringing classic characters back into the fray isn't a priority.

“We’re starting wth this crew and don’t want to bring folks into the show to be splashy,” he said. “We want to dig deeply into the characters in this ensemble. We’re open to widening our arms, but right now, and this is said in the best possible way, what you see is what you get."

Perhaps the biggest elephant on the Enterprise bridge, however, is Pike’s tragic story…

When we meet him in Original Series two-parter ‘The Menagerie’, it’s revealed that he’s been left severely disabled by a radiation leak. In Discovery, he’s forced to endure a vision of that future, so it'll be intriguing to see how that knowledge preys on his mind, and how much it plays into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ story.

“The most honest thing I can say is, I'm still figuring out,” Mount explained at Star Trek Day. “Pike didn't just learn how he dies, he learns in what circumstances. So we do know that at some point he's going to be presented with a promotion opportunity to Fleet Captain. And he has to accept that in order for the fate to come into existence. So what is it that's going to allow him, both in terms of circumstance and emotion, to accept that promotion? It's a tough question but I think we'll figure it out together.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 is already confirmed

The show hasn't even aired yet and Strange New Worlds: season 2 has already been confirmed by Paramount Plus via StarTrek.com. In fact, the streaming service is so engaged by the prospect of a follow-up season that it's already shooting – one journalist at Strange New Worlds' TCA panel on February 1, 2022 noted that Ethan Peck was wearing his Vulcan ears and costume because he was already working on the new season. 

Star Trek: Picard season 2 has a stardate! The ongoing mission of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (retired) will resume on Paramount Plus in March 2022.

Jean-Luc will be joined on his sophomore voyages by some familiar faces from The Next Generation era – both friends and foes.

Most excitingly, John de Lancie is back to cause trouble as the omnipotent Q, but we’ll also see returns for the Borg Queen (now played by Annie Wersching) and Whoopi Goldberg’s Guinan. Brent Spiner, best known for playing android officer Data, is also back in a new, but as-yet-unidentified, role.

The Star Trek: Picard season 2 plot is set to take the former captain of the USS Enterprise-D where he’s never gone before – our present. He’ll travel back to 2024 to fix a 24th century that’s turned into a “totalitarian nightmare”, and he’s taking Cris Rios, Agnes Jurati, Seven of Nine and the rest of the newly assembled crew of La Sirena along for the ride.

With Picard’s latest adventure approaching Paramount Plus at something close to warp speed, we’ve analyzed Starfleet’s databanks to tell you everything you need to know about Star Trek: Picard season 2.

As a certain former Enterprise captain was so fond of saying: engage!

Spoilers lie ahead if you're yet to watch Star Trek: Picard season 1. 

Release date: Star Trek: Picard season 2 will debut for US viewers on Thursday March 3, 2022. It'll stream on Paramount Plus in the US and Amazon Prime Video in other territories.

Story: Jean-Luc Picard and the ragtag crew of La Sirena travel back in time to the 21st century to fix the timeline – with a bit of help/hindrance (depending on your point of view) from the god-like Q, Guinan and a Borg Queen.

Is there a trailer? A new Star Trek: Picard season 2 promo was unveiled in January 2022, in addition to the trailer that launched at September 2021's virtual Star Trek Day event, and two earlier teasers.

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: everything we know about Starfleet's new mission
• How to watch Star Trek in order

Star Trek: Picard season 2 release date

Star Trek: Picard season 2 release date: March 2022

Star Trek: Picard season 2 was originally supposed to go before the cameras in June 2020 – just a couple of months after the first season ended – until Covid-19 put everything on hiatus. Production on the 10-episode run eventually got under way in California in February 2021. 

That delay means we'll have to wait a little longer than we'd originally hoped to see Jean-Luc back in the captain's chair, but our patience will soon pay off.

Star Trek.com confirmed in January 2022 that the Star Trek: Picard season 2 release date is Thursday March 3, 2022. New instalments of the 10-episode run will be available on Paramount Plus every week and – as with season 1 – the show will stream on Amazon Prime Video the following day.

This is slightly later than the February 2022 launch date announced at September's Star Trek Day event. The tiny hold-up means Picard's second season will overlap for a few weeks with Star Trek: Discovery season 4, which returns from a brief hiatus on February 10. 

This is undoubtedly good news for Trek fans, however – this brief double hit of boldly going harks back to the glory days of the 1990s, when The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager ruled the stars.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 trailers

Star Trek: Picard season 2 trailers: see Guinan and Brent Spiner’s latest Trek role 

The first teaser for Star Trek: Picard season 2 was released during the First Contact Day event in April 2021. Alongside numerous Next Generation Easter eggs (including a model of Picard's first starship command, the USS Stargazer) the major reveal was that John de Lancie will be reprising his role as omnipotent superbeing Q. 

A more full-featured trailer featuring Stewart, de Lancie and other members of the cast was released on June 16, 2021. It doesn't give much away about the plot, other than suggesting that Picard and company are trying to stop a dark future from coming to pass. 

We learned even more about Star Trek: Picard season 2 in the longer trailer unveiled at Star Trek Day – including a sighting of the Borg Queen...

And Paramount Plus have continued to spoil us, bringing out yet another trailer in January 2022. This one sees Whoopi Goldberg reprising her Next Generation role as Guinan – her request for “some tea, Earl Grey, piping hot” suggests she hasn't forgotten Picard's beverage of choice – and former TNG regular Brent Spiner playing a new character who looks a lot like an older version of Data. The question is, why is he talking with professional trickster Q? 

Star Trek: Picard season 2 plot

Star Trek: Picard season 2 plot: Jean-Luc's new mission involves traveling back to 2024

Red alert! Big spoilers for Star Trek: Picard season 1 follow – change course now if you haven’t seen it yet.

Jean-Luc Picard will be a new man in Star Trek – literally. When Picard’s human body succumbed to terminal Irumodic Syndrome, his consciousness was transferred into to an artificial ‘golem’ body created by Dr Altan Soong, the biological son of Data’s ‘father’, cybernetics genius Dr Noonian Soong. Although Soong Jr made it clear that the new body is effectively identical to the old one – it will still age and die, for example – it’s going to have an effect on the way the 90-something character approaches his life. 

“I wanted to know exactly what they had done to me when they saved [Picard]’s life,” Patrick Stewart said in an interview with Gold Derby. “Was there any chance that this might have an impact on Picard’s personality or behaviour? [Executive producers Terry Matalas and Akiva Goldsman] felt it probably wouldn’t, but it lies there as an option should we need to take it. But also there is another human aspect being introduced in season 2, which I am not allowed to talk about. But it’s going to have, I think, quite an impact.”

With the first year’s main story arcs about a the Romulan Zhat Vash’s efforts to wipe out all Synthetic life and the reclaimed Borg Cube (now crash-landed on the Synthetic homeworld of Coppelius) now seemingly done and dusted, Star Trek: Picard season 2 is primed to seek out all-new worlds – and civilisations.

“Despite 178 episodes of TNG [The Next Generation] and four feature films, there are events coming up in season 2 that have never been seen before,” Stewart teased at First Contact Day.

It’s clear that not everything will be new, however, now that we know Q is back in Jean-Luc Picard’s orbit. A member of the omnipotent Q continuum, the mischievous character cropped up regularly in The Next Generation (and spin-off shows Deep Space Nine and Voyager) to make life as awkward as he could for Starfleet. He always took a particular interest in Picard, having put humanity on trial in TNG pilot ‘Encounter at Farpoint’ – an arc that was only partially resolved in series finale ‘All Good Things’. 

It looks like Q will be continuing his self-convened legal proceedings in Star Trek: Picard season 2. “Do you recall what I said, Jean-Luc, when last we parted ways?” Q asks Picard in the latest season 2 trailer. “The trial never ends.” Not only do we learn that Picard and Q haven't met in the more-than-two-decades since Jean-Luc's days on the Enterprise-D, we know that the former Starfleet officer is “way too old for [Q’s] bulls**t.”

“Q's arrival is, as it often was, is unexpected,” said Stewart. “But it also comes at a shattering moment in the episode. And I do mean a shattering moment. Whether it's directly connected to Q or not, I'm not sure, but there is significant trauma. And in fact at the moment, I'm working on how the trauma of this moment hangs around Picard for quite a substantial part of the episode and then – there [Q] is.”

“In the same way that we have tried to do with Picard himself, Terry Matalas and I don’t pretend that the interstitial years [between The Next Generation and Picard] didn’t happen,” executive producer Akiva Goldsman told the Hollywood Reporter. “Obviously, chronological time is less relevant to Q. But we definitely chose to follow suit when it came to him, so as we tried to evolve the other characters, the same is true of Q. This is a show of a different time with actors of a different age. We’re now talking about the issues that come up in the last [stage] of your life. We wanted a Q that could play in that arena with Picard.”

Goldsman also described Q as a “trickster god” and expanded on the importance of Picard’s relationship with Q. “There’s a lot of discussion in [Star Trek: Picard] season 2 about the nature of connectedness,” he said. “Q’s kind of a great lightning rod for that because in some ways he’s one of Picard’s deepest… not deep in the same way that Riker is or Beverly Crusher was but in its own [way, a] uniquely, profoundly deep relationship.”

Picard's relationship with Q may be deep, but it's also problematic. In the Star Trek: Picard season 2 trailer that debuted in September 2021, Jean-Luc says that "Q went back in time and turned our world into a totalitarian nightmare,” amid scenes of a drastically changed 24th century. Seven of Nine – now without the residual Borg implants on her face – points out that “time has been broken”. Picard adds that, “The only way to heal our future is to go back and repair the past.”

This means a trip back to 2024, where Picard and his newly formed crew will have “three days before the future is changed irrevocably” – and Seven of Nine will have to take a crash course in driving a car. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise unveiled in the Star Trek: Picard season 2 trailers is that Jean-Luc's route back to the 21st century involves the Borg Queen – though it's yet to be revealed whether this is the Borg Queen from Star Trek: First Contact, the one presumed dead after Voyager's return from the Delta Quadrant, or some other incarnation. It could just be that we're guilty of thinking in [merely] three-dimensional terms...

Whichever Borg Queen it is, time travel is familiar territory for Star Trek, the most famous examples coming in Star Trek 4 (where Kirk and crew travelled back to 1980s San Francisco) and First Contact (where Picard fought the Borg in 2063). Expect plenty of culture clash comedy/drama as Jean-Luc and his highly sophisticated 24th century companions get used to slumming it present-day Earth.

One major difference between Star Trek: Picard season 2 and its first year is that this time Jean-Luc – now long-retired from Starfleet – has his own crew. We probably shouldn't be surprised, then, if the new season feels more of an ensemble show, with more time devoted to Cris Rios, Raffi Musiker, Soji Asha, Dr Agnes Jurati, Elnor and Seven of Nine. Integrating all of them – and new characters – into the narrative will be one of the new season’s hardest missions.

“It has to be focused on Picard but have room for all the other characters,” season 1 showrunner Michael Chabon told the Hollywood Reporter. It’s never going to be just a show about the crew of a starship that's part of Starfleet and everyone's wearing uniforms and they're flying around, encountering alien life and weird planets. Those are the challenges we face going into season 2, and I'm so excited about the story we’ve come up with.”

And for any viewers who were left underwhelmed by the season 1 finale, the production team have hopefully found a solution going into Star Trek: Picard season 2. 

“Figure out the end earlier!” Goldsman said when the Hollywood Reporter asked what the team had learned from their first year. “If you’re going to do a serialized show, you have the whole story before you start shooting. It’s more like a movie in that way – you better know the end of your third act before you start filming your first scene.” 

Surely that's good advice for every screenwriter.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 cast

Star Trek: Picard season 2 cast: Q, Guinan, the Borg Queen and other returning characters

This is the crew manifest for Star Trek: Picard season 2 as it stands:

• Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
• Alison Pill as Dr Agnes Jurati
• Isa Briones as Soji Asha
• Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker
• Santiago Cabrera as Cris Rios
• Evan Evagora as Elnor
• Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
• John de Lancie as Q
• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan
• Annie Wersching as the Borg Queen
• Brent Spiner as a new member of the Soong dynasty

The show was always built around the star power of Sir Patrick Stewart, and we don't expect that to change second time out. He’ll be joined in the Star Trek: Picard season 2 cast by his regular La Sirena crew: Michelle Hurd (Raffi Musiker), Santiago Cabrera (Cris Rios), Evan Evagora (Elnor), Alison Pill (Dr Agnes Jurati), and Isa Briones (Soji Asha). Star Trek: Voyager veteran Jeri Ryan will also be back as former Borg Seven of Nine.

It was confirmed at September's Star Trek Day that Seven will come face-to-face with another former member of the Collective, as the trailer introduced the latest iteration of the Borg Queen. Annie Wersching (Tess in the The Last of Us videogame) takes over the role from Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Voyager) and Susanna Thompson (Star Trek: Voyager).

In addition to the returning John de Lancie as Q, there are some other The Next Generation veterans heading back to the Final Frontier.

The first is Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan. 

Stewart formally invited his former co-star to join the Star Trek: Picard season 2 cast during an appearance on Goldberg’s US TV show, The View. “It was wonderful having you, and we cannot wait to have you with us again one more time," said Stewart.

Officially the bartender in Ten Forward, the Enterprise-D’s bar/relaxation area, Guinan (a centuries-old El-Aurian) was Picard’s confidante. She also had little time for Q, so it’ll be intriguing if they end up colliding with each other in the new season.

And although Brent Spiner said he'd played the android Data for the last time in Star Trek: Picard's first season – “I wouldn't really entertain the idea of doing [Data, an ageless character] again because I just don't think it would be realistic,” he told TV Guide – he is back in season 2. So who's he playing?

“I can tell you I'm not Data,” Spiner told Inverse. “I know they haven't revealed much about me being in the show. I can tell you I'm a member of the Soong family. And, that I'm not playing a character I've ever played before.” 

In the words of Data himself, this is "most intriguing". 

Alongside his most famous role as the Enterprise's resident artificial human, Spiner has also played Data's android ‘brothers’ Lore and B-4 – as well as their creator, Dr Noonian Soong and his 22nd century ancestor, Arik Soong. He also appeared in Star Trek: Picard season 1 as a new member of the family (and AI expert), Dr Altan Inigo Soong. 

So who is this mysterious new character? We're ruling out a new model android, because if Spiner's too old to play Data, he's too old to play another robot. But could the character be Altan's human brother in the Picard era, a new person in the new, alternative, dystopian 24th century, or a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent (approx) living in the 21st century? The latest trailer certainly suggests the latter and – seeing as both Picard and Soji (one of Data's daughters) have connections to Data – they'd surely have an interest in meeting an ancestor.

As for the rest of the Next Generation crew, the one star certain to return is Jonathan Frakes – though not necessarily on screen. He confirmed to TrekMovie that he’s back to direct a pair of Star Trek: Picard season 2 episodes, but claimed that he wasn’t sure whether he’d be back on screen as Captain William Riker after his memorable appearances in the debut season. 

The time travel element of the story may make make bringing the Next Generation cast harder this time out, but if Riker does return, it’s a safe bet Marina Sirtis will be back as his screen wife, Deanna Troi.

But what about Worf, Geordi LaForge and Dr Crusher?

Thanks to the amount of time the role requires in the make-up chair, Michael Dorn said he’d only be up for returning as the Federation’s resident Klingon, Worf, if it was really worthwhile.

“I’m only interested in if it’s something really interesting,” he told Inverse. “If the character was a major part of the franchise or whatever the show is. He’s not just going to show up, beat somebody up, and then go home.”

While Worf’s status is ambiguous, two cast members have seemingly ruled themselves out of a return.

In April 2021, LeVar Burton told Whoopi Goldberg on The View (via TrekMovie) that, “I can say unequivocally that I am not doing season 2 of Picard” – though it’s important to add that he hasn’t ruled out an appearance as Geordi La Forge in a future season.

And there’ll be no return (yet) for Gates McFadden – which means that Star Trek: Picard season 2 won’t be able to explore the status of Jean-Luc’s will they/won’t they relationship with Dr Beverly Crusher.

“I’m not in the second season,” she told TrekMovie. “I’m sad that I’m not. I’m disappointed because it would have been so much fun to just work with those people. But we’ll see. I have no idea…”

But don’t give up hope just yet, because this could be a clever deployment of smoke and mirrors. Marina Sirtis claimed she wasn’t going to be in the first season of the show and look what happened there…

Star Trek: Picard season 3 has also been confirmd

Star Trek: Picard season 2 won't be the end of Jean-Luc's story – the show's Star Trek Day panel confirmed that a third season has been given the greenlight by Paramount Plus.

StarTrek.com confirmed in January 2022 that season 3 is currently in production, and it's likely to be the show's last. "The plan was always three,” co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman told TrekMovie.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 showrunner: there's a change at the helm

According to an interview in Variety, Michael Chabon won't be as heavily involved in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard as he was in the first. While he's shifted much of his attention to a Showtime series based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, however, he will continue to give notes to the writers. 

"I’m still an executive producer on Picard," he said. "I’m writing two episodes. I was there breaking the second season, all the way through. I was engaged, I think, to exactly the same degree as I was on the first season."

Terry Matalas, a veteran of Twelve Monkeys and MacGyver will take over as the Star Trek: Picard season 2 co-showrunner, alongside the returning Akiva Goldsman.

Star Trek: Picard will be available to watch from February 2022, on Paramount Plus in the US and Amazon Prime Video in the rest of the world.

• How to watch Star Trek in order
• Everything we know about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 lands on Paramount Plus in the US on November 18 (with a simultaneous Netflix release internationally), and now the streamer has released an effects-packed new trailer for the upcoming series.

In season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery, the crew of the titular vessel is facing off against a deadly space anomaly this time, rather than a specific villain. It's an event that threatens both Federation and non-Federation worlds, according to Paramount Plus, and sounds like an interesting way to escalate the stakes of a show that's always going bigger and bigger.

The trailer shows the Discovery crew about to head into the anomaly – with Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) shrugging off orders, as usual.

"Leadership is about balance," Burnham is told. "Your acts of bravery are huge swings of the pendulum. There is a very fine line between a pendulum and a wrecking ball." That sums up much of Burnham's journey in the show to date. 

We also spot a redesigned Ferengi in the trailer, as well as the return of Kovich, played by phenomenal filmmaker David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, The Fly). 

Check the trailer out below:

Episodes will roll out weekly, as is always the case with the Trek shows on Paramount Plus. 

• How to watch Star Trek in order
• What we know about Star Trek: Picard season 2
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds explained

When are all the new Trek series arriving?

Star Trek: Discovery rolls out on Paramount Plus on November 18, but it's not going to be alone – the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy, featuring the return of Kate Mulgrew as Janeway, kicks off before that on October 28. That show very much looks like the Star Trek universe version of Star Wars CG animated series like The Clone Wars.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 is landing in February 2022, which shouldn't be too long after Discovery ends. A third season is filming back-to-back with the second, and is expected in 2023 – hopefully that'll allow for a more consistent show about the character of Jean-Luc, after a slightly bumpy finale in season 1.

Meanwhile, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a Discovery spin-off that's promised to be like old Trek in feel – that one has no release date yet, but we'd expect it to follow Picard in the middle of next year. Filming on that ended in July, for the most part. 

Finally, the animated series Lower Decks is coming back for a third season at some point, after airing its second this year. 

The strategy is clear, for Paramount Plus: if you're a Trek fan, you'll always want to stay subscribed to this service. 

If you live outside the US, following Trek is a more scattered affair. Picard lives on Prime Video in the UK, while Discovery streams on Netflix, and Prodigy is set to release on Paramount Plus UK in 2022 – not quite as convenient, but it does mean you can enjoy several big hitters without an additional subscription.

• Best Netflix UK shows

Over the past five-and-a-bit decades, Star Trek crews have repeatedly faced off against warmongering Klingons, calculating Romulans, and the technological might of the Borg. On all their voyages, however, they’ve never met a recurring foe quite like Q.

An omnipotent member of the Q Continuum, this mischievous superbeing likes nothing more than tormenting Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. And he’s all set to make a nuisance of himself once again, as it’s been confirmed he’s returning to resume hostilities (in the most charismatic way possible) in the upcoming Star Trek: Picard season 2.

But who is Q? What are his powers, and is he a hero or a villain? And why is he so obsessed with Jean-Luc Picard? Answers to all these questions and more can be found below…

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds explained
• How to watch Star Trek in order
• Star Trek: Discovery season 4: all the latest from the 32nd century

Who is Q?

Along with the assimilation-obsessed Borg, Q is the most enduring antagonist introduced by Star Trek: The Next Generation. In fact, he was a thorn in the side of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D from day one, cropping up in pilot episode ‘Encounter at Farpoint’ to put humanity on trial.

A member of the omnipotent Q Continuum (every one of its members is also known as Q), he considered the human race warlike and barbaric, and told Picard that his crew’s actions on their mission to Deneb IV would determine the fate of the entire species. Although the Enterprise passed this particular test, Q vowed to keep his eye on them – a promise he’d go on to keep throughout The Next Generation, and beyond.

Who plays Q?

American actor John de Lancie played Q in eight episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation – episode titles often featured a shameless pun on the letter Q – and also reprised the role in Deep Space Nine and Voyager. More recently, he had a voice cameo in Lower Decks: season 1, and will soon be seen sparring with Jean-Luc once again in Star Trek: Picard season 2 when it drops in February.

Away from the final frontier, de Lancie has also had significant roles in Stargate SG-1, Torchwood: Miracle Day, and Breaking Bad, where he played the air traffic controller father of Jessie’s late girlfriend, Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter).

What are Q’s powers?

Like all members of the Q Continuum, Q is effectively a god. As an extra-dimensional being, he is ageless, and could manipulate time and matter with a mere snap of his fingers decades before Thanos dreamed of pulling on an Infinity Gauntlet.

Is Q good or bad?

That’s the billion-dollar question.

While Q is undeniably an antagonist in the eyes of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, his actual motives are a little harder to pin down. The best way to describe him is as a mischievous agent of chaos, in the same mould as Loki. As such, his whims are driven as much by personal amusement – or selfishness – as the pursuit of some higher purpose.

He largely sees the Enterprise and its crew as a play thing, notably when he decides (in The Next Generation season 1 episode ‘Hide and Q’) to put First Officer Will Riker through a series of tests to decide if he’s worthy of membership of the Q Continuum. It’s of no consequence to Q that Worf and Wesley Crusher are killed in the process – particularly as Riker is able to magic them back to life instantly.

In season 4 episode ‘Qpid’, meanwhile, Q transports the Enterprise crew to Sherwood Forest for a romantic Robin Hood-themed adventure. It’s important to note that Worf is not a merry man.

Despite the tomfoolery, some positives do occasionally arise from Q’s actions. In The Next Generation season 2 episode ‘Q Who’, for example, Q offers to act as the Enterprise’s guide through uncharted regions of space. When Picard rebuffs his offer – under the somewhat arrogant assumption that his crew are ready for anything – Q transports the Enterprise light years across the galaxy for their first encounter with the Borg. While Q’s behavior is rather petulant, there’s no denying that he gave Starfleet a crucial heads-up about the Collective’s existence.

And Q sometimes takes on a management role within the Q Continuum, notably in season 6 episode ‘True Q’, when he arrives on the Enterprise to assess whether a Starfleet intern is actually another Q. (It turns out her parents were a pair of Qs disguised in human form.)

Does Q have any weaknesses?

Aside from the hubris and his obsession with taunting humans and other “lesser beings”? Not really – Q is pretty much impervious to conventional weapons. He is, however, at the mercy of other members of the Q Continuum.

In season 4 episode ‘Deja Q’, he’s stripped of his powers as punishment for his repeated misbehavior, and arrives on the Enterprise looking for asylum. He finds himself at the mercy of creatures he’s wronged in the past, including bartender Guinan (who stabs him with a fork), and a gaseous species called the Calamarain who do what they can to eliminate him. When his presence puts the ship in danger (Data is almost killed by Q’s assailants), Q leaves on a shuttlecraft to protect the crew – a selfless act that prompts the Continuum to reluctantly welcome him back for a second chance.

What about Q’s other Star Trek appearances?

While Q’s relationship with The Next Generation crew is his defining experience with Starfleet, he also crossed paths with the crews of both Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

DS9 episode ‘Q-Less’ picks up the story of Vash, the former love interest of Picard who left with Q to explore the Gamma Quadrant at the end of ‘Qpid’.

In Voyager episode ‘Death Wish’, Q turns up when a Q imprisoned in a comet asks Captain Janeway for asylum. In ‘The Q and the Grey’, Q returns to Voyager asking Janeway to be the mother of his child. She declines the request but, when he has a baby with another Q, she agrees to be the child’s godmother. Q and his godson subsequently returned in ‘Q2’, with the undisciplined kid played by John de Lancie’s real-life son, Keegan.

As well as his recent cameo in Lower Decks episode ‘Veritas’, Q has appeared in several novels (I,Q was co-written by de Lancie himself), and videogames.

How will Q fit into Star Trek: Picard season 2?

Both trailers so far hint Q will be pivotal to the new season. All the clues suggest that some serious damage has been done to the space-time continuum, with Picard seemingly finding himself in a world he doesn’t quite recognize. Indeed, we're shown a vision of a totalitarian future that Picard has to undo by traveling back to the past – it's strongly suggested that much of this is Q's doing.

When Q arrives on Jean-Luc’s doorstep, telling him “you’re a bit older than I imagined” and welcoming him “to the very end of the road not taken”, it’s not entirely clear whether he’s the cause of the former Enterprise captain’s predicament – or the solution.

Either is plausible. 

Over the years of The Next Generation, Q became somewhat obsessed with Picard – even more than he was with the Enterprise as a whole. In season 6 episode ‘Tapestry’, Q showed Picard an alternative version of his life where he hadn’t been critically injured in a bar brawl. In last-ever episode ‘All Good Things’, meanwhile – one of the all-time great series finales – he helped Picard leap back-and-forth through time on a mission to save the whole of existence.

There’s clearly affection there and – while Picard has always shown a degree of ambivalence towards his omnipotent sparring partner – the duo are undoubtedly a great double act. The Picard production team will undoubtedly be hoping for sparks to fly once again.

Star Trek: PIcard will air on Paramount Plus (US) and Amazon Prime Video (internationally) in February 2022. 

Episodes of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager are available to stream on Paramount Plus (US), and Netflix (US and UK).

If something’s been a hit in Hollywood, you can guarantee it won’t be long before everyone else is trying to replicate its success. So as soon as Marvel proved that a rich guy with robot armor, a Norse God, a World War 2 hero and a green giant with anger issues could form a successful supergroup, shared universes were all the rage.

Unfortunately, it’s since turned out that wrangling numerous disparate characters into a continuous, interweaving story arc isn’t quite as easy as the MCU repeatedly makes it look.

Marvel’s distinguished competition at DC abandoned their attempt to emulate the Avengers when the original Justice League floundered at the box office. Universal’s Dark Universe, meanwhile – an ambitious plan to bring together Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, the Invisible Man and other classic literary monsters – didn’t even make it past the Tom Cruise-starring The Mummy. Only the Godzilla/Kong fronted Monsterverse and the creepier, lower budget Conjuring movies (with their Annabelle, The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona spin-offs) could claim to have played at Marvel’s game and won.

But on the small screen, the rejuvenated Star Trek franchise (the flagship of the relaunched Paramount Plus) is showing there’s another way to do a shared universe. Rather than trying to get every one of its TV series overlapping, with stars popping up in each other’s shows, Trek has pursued variety – with different kinds of storytelling, set across a variety of time periods. And unless you’re Marvel – and let’s face it, conventional rules don’t apply to the MCU – this may be the best way to ensure your franchise lives long and prospers.

The current Star Trek crop of Discovery, Picard and Lower Decks – soon to be joined by the upcoming Strange New Worlds, kids’ cartoon Prodigy, and (eventually) Section 31 and a rumored Starfleet Academy series – aren’t Trek’s first warp flight into shared universe territory. Back in the 1990s, Star Trek: The Next Generation spawned a couple of spin-offs that operated in the same period of Federation history, with the three shows’ storylines operating concurrently.

References to the events of the other shows were a regular occurrence, with characters like Q showing up on multiple starships and space stations. Captain Jean-Luc Picard had a cameo in the Deep Space Nine pilot, while bartender Quark found his way into both The Next Generation, and the Voyager pilot. Klingon officer Worf’s post-TNG posting to Deep Space Nine subsequently forced the writers to deploy some narrative sleight of hand to get him back on the Enterprise for First Contact and the other movies. Kathryn Janeway even popped up for a brief appearance in Star Trek: Nemesis, though she probably regretted it later.

• How to watch Star Trek in order

Those were the voyages

But as great as this shared DNA was for Trekkies, the homogeneous approach proved to be the franchise’s – albeit temporary – undoing. With each crew wearing similar uniforms, operating the same computer interfaces on broadly similar starships, everything started to feel a little samey. 

Not even Deep Space Nine’s admirable experiment with a space station setting and more serialized plotting could mask the fact that after 14 years in the 24th century, we’d seen a lot of tachyon pulses and malfunctioning holodecks. Even the composition of the crews – with their then-standard comedy alien sidekicks and characters who longed to be more human – had become formulaic.

There’s more than one way to expand a franchise, however, and the current wave of Trek TV is taking a much broader approach to universe-building – it’s so logical that even Mr Spock would approve.

“We’re aiming to have our shows feel unique and different from each other,” Star Trek overseer (and former leading light on the short-lived Monsterverse) Alex Kurtzman told Variety in February 2021. “We want to give everybody a reason to watch each show.”

Discovery was the flagship that relaunched the franchise, and on the surface its first two seasons are pure Trek – but its arc plotting and more cynical tone made sure it brought the franchise into the 21st century. Picard then told the story of a Starfleet legend whose best years are way behind him, before Lower Decks became the franchise’s first-ever comedy. The incoming Strange New Worlds, featuring the pre-Kirk Enterprise, promises to be another evolution, much more of a throwback to the original series’ episodic mission to explore the cosmos.

Crucially, the connective tissue between the shows is not the characters, stories or settings, but the vast shared universe they exist in. Indeed, while Kurtzman has said there’s an “interconnectedness” between the TV empire he oversees, he’s not planning on telling an MCU-like story building up to an epic Avengers-style conclusion. “That’s a lot of fun,” he admitted, “but our goal is not to make it so insular that if you haven’t seen the show you’re lost when you watch another show.” 

In other words, there's no reason a fan of the anarchic, brash Lower Decks has to also follow the slower, more thoughtful Picard.

Exploring strange new worlds

Perhaps the most important part of the masterplan, however, is the prime directive to explore different periods in the Trek timeline.

It’s over five decades since Gene Roddenberry first launched the USS Enterprise on its famous five-year mission. The subsequent 800-plus TV episodes and 13 movies mean there's a hell of a lot of Trek canon out there, and that’s something of a double-edged sword. Sure, it’s great for fans if you can lean into existing stories – such the ‘Guardian of Forever’’s pivotal appearance in Discovery’s third season – but it’s also a big showrunning headache if you want to avoid contradicting what’s come before.

Ultimately, it’s about respecting canon without being a slave to it. And given the choice, why would you confine yourself to a tiny corner of a vast chronology when you have so much unexplored territory at your disposal? Just because every story Star Wars has ever told on screen has been confined to a comparatively brief, 70-year period doesn’t mean that Trek has to do the same.

Before Picard, for example, canon had never addressed what happened after the events of Nemesis – aside from the destruction of Romulus in JJ Abrams’ first Star Trek movie. Now the Sir Patrick Stewart vehicle is plotting all-new co-ordinates in the 25th century. And while Discovery started out relatively close to the Original Series’ sector of the timeline, it’s now blasted off so far into the distant future that Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway have been consigned to ancient history. Even Discovery spin-off Strange New Worlds will have the best part of a decade of empty space before it starts overlapping with the events of the Original Series.

So there’s no need for a Picard end credits sequence to tee-up Strange New Worlds, nor for Michael Burnham to have face-time with Jean-Luc, because these TV incarnations already exist in a fully functioning shared universe. Kurtzman and co are following a blueprint that allows Trek to continue boldly going where no Trek has gone before – and surely that’s what storytelling, and successful franchises, are all about. Make it so.

Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks are all available on Paramount Plus in the US. Viewers elsewhere can see Discovery on Netflix, and Picard and Lower Decks on Amazon Prime Video.

Star Trek's TV overseer Alex Kurtzman has struck a massive deal to work with CBS Studios until 2026. This is significant for Trek fans, in the sense that Kurtzman has led the franchise's revival on the small screen as a producer – starting with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, and soon growing it to five totally different shows, including the upcoming Strange New Worlds. 

The deal is apparently worth around $150 million, according to Deadline. Kurtzman doesn't just work on Trek, hence his high value. His studio, Secret Hideout, has also produced TV series The Comey Rule, and he's also filmed a new TV version of The Man Who Fell to Earth starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. 

Star Trek, though, is clearly very important for Paramount Plus, as it represents the majority of the rebranded streamer's biggest exclusive shows. Alongside Picard, Discovery, Strange New Worlds and the animated adult comedy Lower Decks (which returns for season 2 on August 13), a new kid-friendly series called Star Trek: Prodigy is also in the works. Deadline's report also mentions that Section 31 is in development, a long-gestating Discovery spin-off.

"Alex’s vision and leadership of the Star Trek franchise and his ability to create artistic and commercial series across all platforms put him in a special class of creative talent," said George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS. 

Kurtzman's previous deal was apparently worth around $25 million – the escalation in his value is no doubt motivated by the success of Trek and his other projects, but it's also a reflection of the bidding wars streamers are having on major behind-the-scenes talent. Ryan Murphy, for example, the creator of Ratched, has a $300 million deal with Netflix. It's a hot market, and the $150 million deal reflects that.

It's likely more Trek shows will follow in future. "I think we’re just getting started," Kurtzman told The New York Times as the deal was announced. "There’s just so much more to be had." 

Intriguingly, he references a pitch for a Worf-focused project from Portlandia writer Graham Wagner, which suggests they're on the lookout for more Trek shows. 

Kurtzman says if it was up to him, he'd be pushing the boundaries of Trek further than "most people" would actually want, and be doing stranger stuff with it. "I think we might get there. Marvel has actually proven that you can. But you have to build a certain foundation in order to get there and we’re still building our foundation."

Trek, then, looks like it has a healthy future on the small screen. 

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Analysis: How Kurtzman came to lead Trek

Kurtzman's got an interesting history leading up to Trek. Early in his career, he was a writer on the series Alias with future Star Trek movie director JJ Abrams – this led to him co-writing the screenplay to the very Alias-esque movie Mission Impossible 3, and eventually, co-writing Abrams' 2009 Star Trek reboot starring Chris Pine.

He also cut his teeth as a director: first on the so-so drama People Like Us, also starring Pine, and then with the Tom Cruise dud The Mummy back in 2017. 

In 2009, Kurtzman started working with CBS, when he co-created the successful Hawaii Five-0 reboot for the network. It was in 2015, though, that he was tasked with revitalizing Trek for the small screen – by which point he'd worked on the script for the second Abrams Trek movie, Into Darkness. 

When Star Trek: Discovery premiered in 2017, it led to the biggest day, week and month of sign-ups for the then-named CBS All Access streaming service – which is now called Paramount Plus. From there, Kurtzman's Trek footprint has only grown, with a vast network of collaborators helping to bring the different projects to life.

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Ever since Star Trek: Beyond hit theaters in 2016, the series hasn't been seen on the big screen – which is a shame, but has been somewhat remedied by the sudden volley of Trek shows on streaming services, like Discovery and Picard. 

Now, a new Star Trek movie is finally moving ahead, according to a new report, with WandaVision director Matt Shakman behind the camera.

Previous efforts to make a new Star Trek film have stalled. At least three different versions of a follow-up to Beyond have existed, and not all of them were sequels. Quentin Tarantino famously pitched a take on Star Trek that never really seemed like it would materialize into an actual film – and indeed it hasn't so far, with the director saying in 2020 that he decided not to move ahead with it, though a script was written by The Revenant's Mark L. Smith. 

A direct sequel to Beyond was once down to be directed by SJ Clarkson (Jessica Jones), and was written by JD Payne and Patrick McKay. That was due to bring Chris Hemsworth back into the movies – he'd previously played Kirk's dad in the memorable opening to 2009's Star Trek movie, but that version never ended up happening.

Now, five whole years after Beyond, this one sounds like it'll really get made. Shooting starts on Shakman's movie in 'Spring' 2022, according to Deadline, so some time in the second quarter of next year. The movie is written by Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet.

It's unclear if the movie will star the cast of the previous trilogy. Back in December, the rebooted movies' Captain Kirk, Chris Pine, told Comic Book that he was unclear on the series' future – but sounded positive about returning to his most famous role. "But I love the character, I love the universe, I love my friends in it, you know, to have a Quentin take on it would be tremendously interesting and entertaining. You know, look, whatever happens, if I come back or not, it's a great universe, it deserves to have a future, and I hope that is the case."

We'll let you know when we know more about this new movie. 

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• How to watch Star Trek in order
• What we know about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Does Star Trek need to return to the big screen?

At its '90s height, Star Trek was releasing movies and TV shows concurrently – a testament to just how popular the franchise was. Then, by the early '00s, the demise of Star Trek: Enterprise and the box office failure of Star Trek: Nemesis put the series on ice for a few years.

Now, Star Trek has three shows running on the streaming service Paramount Plus – with a fourth, Strange New Worlds, set to join it. Featuring movie-quality effects, it's harder to delineate the shows and the films than it used to be. A Star Trek movie, then, needs to show us something we can't get on TV.

Shakman seems like a great fit. The visual imagination of WandaVision made it unlike anything else we've seen on the small screen, as it transitioned between replicating the style of different classic sitcoms – according to Deadline, this was just one of the projects he was offered after WandaVision. Clearly, he must be excited by what he saw on the page.

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Amongst the many features of Microsoft’s Windows 11 is its new look, which has largely been received well by the Windows community. However users have been confused about the system requirements of the upgrade, alongside other aspects of which Microsoft haven’t rectified as yet.

There’s an old myth that says – as with Star Trek films – you can tell the quality of a good Windows update by whether it falls on an odd or even number.

Both Windows 8 and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier both weren’t received well, but Windows 7 and Star Trek VIII: First Contact were received well – and it’s a dilemma that’s lasted for years.

However, it looks as though Microsoft wants to bring back Windows Vista for a new audience, and it seems like it  could be on the right track, as long as communication with users is clear.

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The good cop, bad cop routine

If you were following news of Windows almost twenty years ago, there’s a good chance you would have heard about Longhorn. This was the sequel to Windows XP, released in 2001, which would bring a whole load of next-generation features, such as:

• A new look called Slate
• A new file system to replace Explorer codenamed WinFS (Windows Future Storage)
• 3D effects across the user interface

However, development was reset in 2005, with many features, including WinFS, scrapped. What we got was unfortunately a bloated release in late 2006 in the form of Windows Vista, with widgets (called Gadgets in Vista) that were barely useful for the desktop, with a huge installation size for its time as well as an Aero interface that demanded a lot from many graphics cards than what was needed – and that’s not even the whole list of complaints.

This was known as the sixth version of Windows, so some users weren’t holding out much hope for this update anyway, and their doubts were only proven when Vista was not well received. It wasn’t long until Windows 7 arrived in 2009 to a more positive reception.

However, while Vista brought a lot of baggage, it did have potential at the time. For all of its troubled development and bloated features, it hinted at something more. While Windows 8 was the true fork in the road with its huge start screen and the desktop relegated to a tile, Vista was a trier.

Windows Vista 2.0

This brings us to Windows 11, which has another redesign, alongside being another release that features widgets (actually called widgets this time), but with system requirements for TPM and CPU eligibility that have confused many users and vendors alike.

However, most of the reception to Windows 11 has been positive, especially as Microsoft were adamant in 2015 that there would not be a Windows 11 or 12. While the upcoming update of Windows 10, called ‘Sun Valley’ was showcasing some redesigned icons and explorer windows, Windows 11 looks to be a substantial update, justifying the name.

If Windows 11 proves anything, it's that the last few months have shown me that the reception of Windows Vista could have been so much better if development went smoother, and the communication was once again clearer.

Both Vista and 11 are two sides of the same coin to me – both with similar aims, but with muddled communication from Microsoft.

The company should clear up the confusion of the processor requirements and TPM fast. Even almost two weeks on since the announcement, we’re not crystal clear on just which PCs are eligible for an update.

Windows Vista showed promise but faltered at the last hurdle with a bungled rollout, high system requirements and a bloated operating system. Windows 11 shows even more promise, but risks tripping up if Microsoft still isn't clear as to whether TPM will really matter once it's released later this year.

As Star Trek’s Mister Spock once said, in a twist to his catchphrase: ‘The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many’. And it seems like Microsoft may be relying on its high-end users here to update to Windows 11, even at the expense of more casual users who don’t update their machines every year and may miss out on a useful update such as Windows 11.

Microsoft has been known to learn from their past mistakes, such as Windows 8 and the announcement of the Xbox One. But with the release of Windows 11 already looming, users will be looking to see if the company will release clearer information on how to upgrade their machines, and avoid the repeat of Windows Vista.

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Section 31 is a long-touted spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery that was supposed to film after season 3 ended production last year. It was set to star Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou from the show's Mirror Universe, and sees her being recruited by the titular Federation intelligence agency.

The problem is, Section 31 didn't feature in Star Trek's recent online event, which revealed a first teaser for Picard season 2 – and this spin-off has now been years in the making. It didn't play a part in the marketing for streaming service Paramount Plus, either, which is Star Trek's de facto home in the US. 

This week, THR asked Picard and Strange New Worlds producer Akiva Goldsman if the spin-off was still going ahead. 

"I don't know. I believe so," he says. "Alex [Kurtzman, executive producer] has a plan. You know, Picard wasn't supposed to be a series. It was just a one-off scene in a Short Trek. He wasn't even going to be played by Patrick Stewart. They were going to have a young Picard at the end of a short we were making up. Then Alex was like, 'What if it was Patrick Stewart? … What if it wasn't one scene?' Alex has a plan, and it's pretty cool."

Section 31 was announced back in January 2019, around the time Discovery season 2 aired. It had a writers' room by February 2020, was reportedly set to film in May last year, too – although that was before the pandemic upended production schedules across the industry.

In February, a Variety report stated that there likely won't be more new Trek series until one of the existing shows – Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds or Prodigy – ends its run. At that point, Trek overseer Alex Kurtzman and Paramount Plus programming chief Julie McNamara said there are still "conversations" about Section 31. 

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What happened to Section 31?

Based on the history of how the show has been discussed publicly, it seems like at one point, the plan was for Section 31 to push ahead. Now, for whatever reason, it seems like those ambitions have been dialed back. 

Our take is that five Trek series is probably enough for the time being; if their popularity continues to grow in the streaming space, though it's not inconceivable that Paramount could double down on more of it. 

We were very fond of Yeoh's role in Discovery, but it's hard not to see the premise of Strange New Worlds being more appealing to viewers than Section 31. A more traditional, episode-of-the-week Trek show should be a nice tonic to the more serialized Discovery and Picard.

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Star Trek: Picard drew a mostly positive reception from critics during season 1, but fan opinion seems slightly more mixed, looking at the user ratings on sites like Rotten Tomatoes. Now, executive producer Akiva Goldsman has weighed in on what the producers learned from season 1 that they're taking into the now-filming Star Trek: Picard season 2. 

"Figure out the end earlier," Goldsman tells THR. "If you're going to do a serialized show, you have the whole story before you start shooting. It's more like a movie in that way – you better know the end of your third act before you start filming your first scene."

Star Trek: Picard season 1 felt like it had a planned end point – certainly, by ending with the resurrection of Picard in synthetic form in episode 10, it felt like the writers had a plan for Jean-Luc, who was revealed to be dying over the preceding episodes.

Goldsman was asked about fan feedback to the shows, and criticism that Picard and certain seasons of Discovery had been too complicated for fans. "After season one, I started trying to excavate this Picard idea. But no, I think where our storytelling is complicated, if it is frustratingly so, it's just our own fault for not doing it well enough."

Goldsman says that one choice made by the creative team is to ensure the shows are welcoming to fans, regardless of whether they have a history with Trek or not. "We want to welcome somebody who knows Trek and make it even better because of the things we have, but we don't want to alienate those who don't." He notes that knowing the background of Star Trek: The Next Generation still makes watching Picard more fun, of course.

Elsewhere, Goldsman was asked if the original plan to film Picard seasons 2 and 3 back to back was still intact after the pandemic – but he couldn't comment on that. 

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Q joins Picard

The big news for Picard season 2, of course, is that actor John de Lancie is reprising his role as Q from TNG – which feels like a larger effort to tie the show back to its predecessor. "We're now talking about the issues that come up in the last [stage] of your life," Goldsman tells THR about bringing Q back to the show. "We wanted a Q that could play in that arena with Picard."

Picard season 2 will apparently deal with themes of "connectedness", which is why bringing Q into the show makes sense.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 is officially scheduled for 2022 on Paramount Plus, and is expected to release on Prime Video internationally.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has almost finished filming its pilot for Paramount Plus, and now executive producer and director Akiva Goldsman has revealed a lot more about the writers' approach to the show. 

Basically, if the original 1960s series' approach to storytelling was more to your tastes than the current crop of serialized Trek shows like Discovery and Picard, this show will be for you. Strange New Worlds had previously been teased as a more traditional-style Trek show, but now Goldsman has gotten more specific about how that will be manifested on-screen.

"Like sometimes Robert Bloch would write a horror episode [for The Original Series]," he tells THR. "Or Harlan Ellison would have 'City on the Edge of Forever,' which is hard sci-fi. Then there would be comedic episodes, like 'Shore Leave' or 'The Trouble With Tribbles'. So [co-showrunner] Henry Alonso Myers and myself are trying to serve that."

Goldsman says to expect adventure-of-the-week episodes, but with serialized character arcs. "When you close your eyes and think of the key sets and situations that you think of The Original Series, that's what we're looking to do." 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be about the further adventures of the Enterprise under Captain Pike (Anson Mount), and will feature Discovery's versions of Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn).

Some tweaks have been made to the uniforms and look of the Enterprise since Discovery season 2, which is when these versions of the characters were introduced. 

No release date has been set for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, yet, but we're expecting to see it either at the end of 2021, or towards the beginning of 2022. The show will release on Paramount Plus in the US, with other territories to be announced. 

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The right move for Star Trek

Even when it comes to newer Trek shows, episodic storytelling often works best – and sometimes serialized storytelling ends up creating pacing problems, where a series can move with too much momentum (Star Trek: Discovery) or not enough (Star Trek: Picard). 

Indeed, Discovery season 1's time loop episode 'Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad' is still one of its best to date – if Strange New Worlds can give us anything close to that level each week, we'll be in for a treat. 

Hollywood's overall obsession with serialized prestige TV over the past couple of decades has yielded many successes and failures, and it's actually refreshing now when we get to enjoy a high-end show where the episodes are self-contained. Hence why The Mandalorian was able to win our affections on Disney Plus. 

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Star Trek: Picard season 2 will release in 2022, it's been confirmed, and the show is in full production. In addition, a new trailer for the show – which doesn't feature any characters appearing in person – reveals that The Next Generation's fan favorite character Q, again played by John de Lancie, will appear in Picard season 2.

This was confirmed as part of a Paramount Plus presentation on the various Trek series. Star Patrick Stewart wouldn't say much about what's to come in season 2, other than that Jean-Luc would experience some serious trauma in the next set of episodes, but de Lancie was the big reveal.

"I wish I could sit here and blurt out to you all the new storylines, and situations and times that you're going to be seeing in this second season," Stewart says. "Despite 178 episodes of TNG [The Next Generation] and four feature films, there are events coming up in season 2 that have never been seen before."

"Q's arrival is, as it often was, is unexpected. But it also comes at a shattering moment in the episode. And I do mean a shattering moment. Whether it's directly connected to Q or not, I'm not sure, but there is significant trauma. And in fact at the moment, I'm working on how the trauma of this moment hangs around Picard for quite a substantial part of the episode and then – there [Q] is." Certainly, de Lancie sounded delighted to get the call. Q most recently appeared in the animated sitcom Star Trek: Lower Decks, again played by de Lancie. 

Here's the teaser, which isn't short on classic Trek iconography:

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Hopefully we'll see Picard season 2 land early on in 2022. The show will release on Paramount Plus in the US, and is expected to launch on Amazon Prime Video in the UK. 

What we want from Picard season 2

Season 1 of Picard worked hard to separate itself from the older Trek series in tone and storytelling, which would've worked more effectively if the show had a cast as likeable as TNG did. Unfortunately, not all of the crewmates of the La Sirena clicked for us, and the series struggled to make us as invested in their stories as we were in Picard's.

That said, there's plenty of territory here for a great follow-up, and season 1 was relatively reserved when it came to big cameos from past Trek series – offering brief appearances from Brent Spiner's Data, Jonathan Frakes' Riker and Marina Sirtis' Troy, as well as a longer arc for Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine. 

There's room to push that a bit further next year, for sure, and reintroducing Q seems like a step in the right direction. 

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Star Trek: Section 31 will be fronted by her Most Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominus of Qo’noS, Regina Andor… But you know her best as Philippa Georgiou.

Currently in development, the latest series in Paramount Plus’s rapidly expanding fleet of Trek TV shows promises to give the brilliant Michelle Yeoh top billing as Georgiou. Having established herself as one of the standout players as Star Trek: Discovery mapped out the new frontier of the 32nd century, the former totalitarian ruler of the Mirror Universe’s Terran Empire will be back in more familiar territory in this spin-off. She’ll be returning to the ranks of Section 31, the morally questionable intelligence agency that operates in the shadows of the Federation.

With Star Trek: Section 31 still waiting for a greenlight (and an official title), plot specifics are currently under wraps, but there’s still plenty of information out there about a series destined to become the 12th Star Trek TV show. 

Here’s everything you need to know about The Further Adventures of Philippa Georgiou, aka Star Trek: Section 31 – on a need-to-know basis, obviously…

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – what we know
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• What we know about Picard season 2

Star Trek: Section 31 release date: when will the show get an official stardate?

While Star Trek: Discovery season 4, Picard season 2 and Strange New Worlds are already in production, Section 31’s exact status is more of a mystery – who knows, maybe that’s appropriate for an organization that deals primarily in secrets.

In December 2020, Michelle Yeoh told TV Insider that, “I know the EPs [executive producers] and writers and my team are still working very hard because we have a lot more stories to tell. I hope it will be very soon.”

A Star Trek: Section 31 release date may not be quite as soon as she hoped, however.

When asked by Hollywood Reporter in April 2021 whether Section 31 was still on the Federation agenda, Akiva Goldsman (a co-showrunner on Picard and Strange New Worlds) said, “I don't know. I believe so.” He added that, "Alex has a plan,” referring to Alex Kurtzman, the executive producer charged with overseeing the TV branch of the Trek franchise.

Meanwhile, Shazad Latif – who played Ash Tyler in the first two seasons of Discovery, and is likely to be one of the stars of Star Trek: Section 31 – has said that, “It’s just been slight yeses, slight questions, but I've no idea. I think it's down to people's schedules.”

Hardly words that suggest production on the new show is imminent.

In fact, we may be talking years rather than months. That’s because Section 31 is part of streaming service Paramount Plus’s grand, overarching strategy for the TV future of the franchise – and the new show is effectively waiting for an empty slot to appear on the roster.

“We’re very careful about curating the pacing – the number of shows at any given time – and what those shows are, so that we make sure that it’s always exciting when there’s a new show coming out,” Paramount Plus programming boss Julie McNamara told Variety in February. She added that the service is looking to debut “a new Trek [show] a quarter”, and that “conversations” about Section 31 are still happening.

This suggests that Paramount Plus won’t be looking to expand on the current Trek slate of Discovery, Picard, animated comedy Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds and upcoming kids’ cartoon Star Trek: Prodigy until one of the existing shows runs its course. It therefore seems likely the Star Trek: Section 31 release date is still a long way down the line – our most optimistic guess is mid-to-late 2022, though it could be as far away as 2023 or beyond.

That said, McNamara did hint that nobody at Paramount is expecting Star Trek: Picard to go on forever: “Perhaps an older lead is only committed to a certain number of seasons and therefore we move on from that,” she teased. If Picard runs its course in, say, three seasons, the turbolift doors would open for Section 31 much sooner.

Expect to watch Star Trek: Section 31 on Paramount Plus in the US. With other Trek shows spread across Netflix and Amazon Prime Video internationally, it’s still unknown where the new show will materialize in other star systems and territories.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A Star Trek: Discovery spin-off featuring Philippa Georgiou, former Emperor of the Terran Empire, that doesn't technically have a title yet. It's informally referred to as Section 31, however.
• Where can I watch it? Like all of the Star Trek shows, it’ll almost definitely be available on Paramount Plus (formerly CBS All Access) in the US. Broadcasters in other territories are TBC.
• When can I watch it? With production yet to get underway, that’s still classified.

What is Section 31?

Section 31 is an undercover intelligence organisation in the Star Trek universe.

Although the United Federation of Planets traditionally portrays itself as a benign, utopian society, there are darker forces operating behind the scenes. Formed under ‘Article 14, Section 31’ of the Starfleet charter, Section 31 was permitted to carry use “extraordinary measures” in the name of protecting the Federation’s lofty ideals. In other words, morally dubious behaviour comes as standard.

Section 31 made its first screen appearance in Deep Space Nine season 6 episode ‘Inquisition’, when Agent Luther Sloan arrived on the station, suspecting one of the crew of being a Dominion spy.

It’s since been revealed that Section 31 had been in operation for years, all the way back to the early days of Starfleet. In the pre-Kirk and Spock Star Trek: Enterprise, security officer Lt Malcolm Tucker turned out to be a Section 31 agent, while it was Section 31 who recruited John Harrison (aka Khan) to help beef up Starfleet’s defenses in the alternative ‘Kelvin’ timeline of Star Trek into Darkness.

The agency was also a major antagonist in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, when they investigated Spock’s escape from a psychiatric hospital, and accused him of murdering three doctors. In fact, Section 31 was so persistent that the USS Discovery had to go rogue from Starfleet to protect Spock from their clutches.

It later turned out that Section 31 was operating under directions from Control, the Federation’s Skynet-like AI that would ultimately prove a threat to all life in the galaxy – until Discovery carried the vital ‘Sphere Data’ into the future.

• What we know about Star Trek: Discovery season 4

Star Trek: Section 31 cast: who will star in the Discovery spin-off?

The new show will be built around Philippa Georgiou (played by Tomorrow Never Dies/Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Michelle Yeoh), the former Emperor of the Terran Empire who crossed universes to join the Discovery crew – and became the most memorable, most quotable character on board the ship.

“The truth is that for Section 31 the idea of doing that show, it was Michelle Yeoh’s,” Star Trek overseer Alex Kurtzman said in a 2020 Variety Screening Room Q&A (via TrekMovie). “She deserves all the credit for that. She actually came to me about it before we even aired the first season of Discovery. She loved playing the character and she said, ‘I know that there are a lot of young women who grew up like I did and did not see somebody like me on screen and I want to be that person.’ And I said, ‘That sounds amazing! Let’s do it.’

“But we didn’t know if people were going to like Discovery, so I said, ‘Let’s see how it works, and if we can get there let’s get there.’ She killed it. She did amazing work on the show. And then in season 2, we really started digging into the mythology of Section 31, which had been dealt with on other shows. And we started seeing a way to do it. And so we got there.”

Yeoh’s played two versions of Philippa Georgiou in Discovery. The first was the respected captain of Starfleet’s USS Shenzhou, Michael Burnham’s mentor who died at the ‘Battle at the Binary Stars’ that kickstarted a Federation/Klingon war.

We met her doppelganger when Discovery’s spore drive accidentally carried the ship into the Mirror Universe we’d previously visited in the original Star Trek, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise. Here Georgiou was the Emperor of the totalitarian Terran Empire, an organization where any sign of weakness is punishable by death.

After the Discovery crew took down her flagship, the ISS Charon, Georgiou offered to sacrifice herself to aid Burnham’s escape – the pair share a bond across universes – but Burnham opted to take her back to her ship.

Once the Mirror Georgiou was resident in the Prime Universe, Section 31 wanted to capitalize on her moral flexibility and unique set of skills, so recruited her to their ranks. This brought her back into Discovery’s orbit, but she ultimately turned on her Section 31 masters when Control took, well, control. She remained on board Discovery when it travelled to the distant future of the 32nd century.

This left many Trek fans wondering how Georgiou could possibly appear in the Star Trek: Section 31 spin-off, but luckily the Discovery showrunners had a plan. As Georgiou’s body started to be torn apart in the future, phasing in and out of reality, future-Starfleet intelligence guy Kovich explained that the fact her molecules had crossed universes and travelled centuries through time had made her body inherently unstable. Unlikely salvation came in the form of Original Series portal/plot device the Guardian of Forever (from classic episode ‘The City on the Edge of Forever’), who offered her a chance to travel closer to the time she came from…

Beyond Yeoh, casting is TBC, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see a return for Shazad Latif as Ash Tyler. The Klingon/human hybrid was in charge of Section 31 when Discovery blasted off to the future – he’s also one of the few people aware of the ship’s true fate – so it’s logical that he’d be Georgiou’s first point of contact. Assuming, of course, the Guardian of Forever sent her back to her original time.

Star Trek: Section 31 plot: what will the new show be about?

That’s the big question, because aside from the fact it’ll feature Georgiou and involve Section 31, the new show is something of an open book.

We do know it'll be different to any Trek we've seen before. “We’re aiming to have our shows feel unique and different from each other,” Kurtzman told Variety. “We want to give everybody a reason to watch each show.”

He also added that, while there'll be an “interconnectedness” between each Trek series, you won't have to watch everything to keep up as you do with the Marvel Cinematic Universe: “Our goal is not to make it so insular that if you haven't seen the show you're lost when you watch another show.”

It seems most likely the Guardian of Forever sent Georgiou back to a time just after she and the Discovery crew travelled to the 32nd century. With Section 31 decimated by all those issues with Control, rebuilding will almost certainly be at the top of the agenda – and who better to help Tyler than Georgiou?

“I hope in the short time she was [in the future], being the amazing engineer and smart cookie she is, she would’ve learned a lot about that time period that she would be able to take with her,” Yeoh told TV Insider. “Can you imagine what she could bring back to the past? Without changing the future, of course. Developments that could make a huge difference, and if it was Section 31, that’s what Section 31 is all about, isn’t it?”

In fact, her resumé is going to be attractive to any 23rd century HR department. Not only does she have experience of the future and managing an interstellar empire, her time on board Discovery has softened some of her more psychotic edges.

“She’s definitely had a change of heart,” Yeoh explained in an interview with Bustle. “She had an awakening in the sense that she realized yes, you could rule with fear and tyranny, but only for a short period. This was what she learned from being in the Prime Universe. It’s about compassion, about hope. It’s about when people have nothing to lose, then they don’t care anymore. And when you don’t care, you don’t have a future.”

There may also be some rebuilding to do in the Mirror Universe, so don’t rule out the prospect of Georgiou finding a way back to her original home. Indeed, after Kovich revealed that the Terran Empire had collapsed long before the 32nd century, she may see this as an opportunity to reshape it in her own image.

“The Terran empire disappeared 500 years ago,” Yeoh said in TV Insider. “There were no more crossings, we were never heard from again, and the only thing you can come away with that is that we destroyed ourselves. I think she realized that when she went back to Michael Burnham and she said, ‘How many more times are people going to revolt against us? If we don’t give the people some kind of peace and harmony, we are just going to kill ourselves.’ She learned that just by killing, that was not the answer or the way to rule moving forward.”

• Best Netflix shows

Throughout 2020, we didn’t need to take a trip to the cinema or fire up Netflix to experience a dystopian, sci-fi nightmare – it was all around us. We can only hope some of the political turmoil, grief, questionable tech ethics and pandemic-induced chaos of the past year will fuel new science-fiction stories in years to come. 

But for now, let’s remember that science-fiction is always at its best when it inspires our future, shows us what it means to be human in worlds filled with machines, robots or aliens and gives us hope for what’s coming next. With that in mind, here’s our pick of the science-fiction we’re most looking forward to that’s beaming down in 2021. 

We’ve included the biggest blockbusters we’re all on the edges of our seats waiting for (we’re looking at you Villeneuve), fun animation about super robots, just-announced TV shows that we couldn’t find many details about but can’t wait for all the same and a selection of books that cover all kinds of sci-fi goodness, including the death of all men, brain implants, android clones and everything in between.

Because productions, cinema release dates and publishing houses are all behind schedule due to Covid-19, we’ve written the expected release date with all of our choices below. It’s safe to say a few of these will be pushed back further, but we’ll change the details as soon as we hear anything. 

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• Best films on Amazon Prime Video

Movies

1. Dune

Expected release date: October 1, 2021

We’ve been waiting for Dune for a long, long time as it was pushed back (and back again) due to Covid-19. Now we can say with some confidence that it’ll arrive in 2021. Although whether it’ll be safe enough to watch on the big screen or you’ll have to settle with streaming it at home still remains to be seen. 

Director Dennis Villeneuve (Arrival, Enemy, Blade Runner 2049) has imagined Frank Herbert’s science-fiction fantasy classic Dune with an all-star cast behind him, including Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica.

Anyone who’s read Herbert’s book won’t be surprised to learn that taking this epic story with all its rich detail from page to screen is one hell of a monumental task – just ask David Lynch, whose 1984 version was panned but is actually bizarrely brilliant. However, Villeneuve has more than proved he’s up to the challenge and handles thoughtful sci-fi, character depth and fantastic set design exceptionally well. This might be one of the most hyped-up sci-fi movies of all time, but it’s at the top of our list because we’re just as excited as everyone else.

2. Bios

Expected release date: April 16, 2021

In Bios, Tom Hanks plays an inventor and engineer who is (maybe?) the last man on Earth after a solar event has caused global havoc. Finch builds an android to keep his dog company in case something happens to him and the story follows the three of them as they journey across the country. There aren’t many more details available just yet, but this sounds like an interesting dystopian sci-fi story with a lot of heart – or at least that’s what we can infer from the fact that Tom Hanks stars in it and a dog is one of the main plot points. 

3. Chaos Walking

Expected release date: March 5, 2021

Based on the science-fiction book The Knife of Never Letting Go (which is part of the Chaos Walking trilogy) by Patrick Ness, Chaos Walking stars Daisy Ridley, Tom Holland and Mads Mikkelsen.

The premise might be a little strange to anyone who hasn’t read the books, but it's really compelling – even if the main thing you ask yourself is: how the hell do they show that on screen? A woman (that’d be Ridley) crash lands on a planet where there are no other women and men have something called 'the Noise', which displays their thoughts.

It’s going to be great to see another one of Patrick Ness’ stories imagined on film – the 2016 movie A Monster Calls was based on his novel of the same name. However, Chaos Walking, like so many movies recently, has been hampered with problems, not to mention significant reshoots and rewrites. We’ve got everything crossed that means it’ll be exceptional when it comes out – even though the release date was pushed back again at the time of writing.

4. Infinite 

Expected release date: May 28, 2021

Infinite is based on D. Eric Maikranz's 2009 novel The Reincarnationist Papers. The premise is a fairly simple but tantalising one: Evan McCauley learns his hallucinations are actually visions from past lives. There’s not much information around about how the movie will pan out, but the book follows Evan’s discovery that he’s not the only person able to glimpse into these former versions of himself.

The movie was initially meant to star Chris Evans in the leading role, but due to conflicting schedules, Mark Wahlberg is now playing Evan. What’s exciting about Infinite is Antoine Fuqua is directing it. He’s probably best known for directing Training Day, but has also made a bunch of great action movies over the years, including Shooter and The Equalizer.

5. The Matrix 4

Expected release date: December 22, 2021

Matrix 4! Another Matrix! This is huge, huge news for fans of the original trilogy. Especially because both Lily and Lana Wachowski have been insistent there would be no more, but here it is! Finally! Well, almost. As we all know, the events of 2020 have pushed back schedules, but the we've got everything crossed that the long-awaited fourth instalment of The Matrix franchise will be released at the end of 2021 as planned. 

As you might expect, the details of The Matrix 4 have been mostly kept under wraps. What we do know is that Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss and Jada Pinkett Smith will be returning. What's more, a number of photos have been shared of the cast and crew filming in the streets of San Francisco and it’s tantalising to guess where the fourth installment might be taking them. Will there be a new Matrix? Are there other simulated realities the characters will find themselves in? 

There’s such rich material to draw from here and we’ve got sky-high hopes for Lana Wachowski, who will be directing the movie without her sister Lily this time. The only bad news is, according to reports, it won't have Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus) in it, which is a huge shame.

6. Connected

Expected release date: TBC 

There are a lot of heavy science-fiction movies on the cards for 2021, so we breathed a sigh of relief when we learned about Connected. This is a computer animated family comedy with a great cast, including Maya Rudolph, Danny McBride and Olivia Colman. It's a different take on the big scary robot uprising storyline as it puts a family at the front and center of the action. The trailer (above) is great, there's a scene in which robots can't work out if a pug is a dog, a pig or bread, which is brilliant and laugh out loud funny.

7. Reminiscence

Expected release date: 16 April, 2021

The movie press was full of details about Reminiscence when it was first announced back in 2019, but like a lot of things, has been eerily quiet ever since. However, it looks like the movie is still on the cards and will be released in Spring 2021.

It's all about memories and an excellent piece over on Deadline explains it's a thoughtful exploration of memory, memory-retrieving tech and romance. 

The basic premise is a kind of memory-searching private eye (played by Hugh Jackman) recaptures treasured memories for his clients by helping them delve into their past. It also stars Rebecca Ferguson and Thandie Newton, so not only does the story sound like a gripping one, that's one hell of a great cast too.

What's more, the film is both written and directed by Lisa Joy who is the co-creator and executive producer of Westworld, so expect cerebral science-fiction with lots of twists and turns.

Books

8. The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

Expected release date: April 27, 2021

If you feel like it's way too soon to be reading about fictional pandemics, keep scrolling. If you were one of the many, many people who heard about Covid-19 and immediately put on the movie Contagion, this might be for you.

The End of Men is set in 2025 when a mysterious virus that kills only men is sweeping across the globe. The story unfolds in a series of first-person narratives told by scientists and those developing a vaccine. The result is a book that's already received a bunch of glowing reviews and is bound to do well when it's released in Spring 2021. 

9. Under the Blue by Oana Aristide

Expected release date: March 11, 2021

Set in a post-pandemic world – which is extremely prescient right now for all too obvious reasons – Under the Blue weaves two narratives together. In one, an artist travels across Europe in search of somewhere safe. In another, computer scientists feed their baby, Talos. Except Talos isn't a baby at all, but an advanced AI programme created to predict what's next for the human race. 

The blurb for Under the Blue on Amazon ends with this line: "an apocalyptic road novel to frighten and thrill," which couldn't be more mesmerising. We've had this one preordered for months.

10. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Expected release date: May 4, 2021

Andy Weir wrote The Martian, his best-selling first novel, which was adapted into a movie starring Matt Damon. Since then, he's written Artemis and his latest space story is called Project Hail Mary, which is released in Spring, 2021.

Project Hail Mary is about an astronaut who's on an extremely important mission but wakes up to find his crew dead and everything else in turmoil. It's described as "part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey", and, like his other novels, is sure to appeal to those who like their science-fiction based more firmly in science rather than the fantastical.

11. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

Expected release date: February 16, 2021

Sarah Gailey's best-selling novel debut, Magic For Liars, was published in 2019. Now just two years later they've followed it up with The Echo Wife. This is a dark comedy, romance and sci-fi story rolled into one unputdownable novel. A truly billboard-worthy review on Amazon reads: "The Echo Wife is a speculative thriller reminiscent of Ex Machina that'll have dark thoughts sliding under your skin and remaining there indefinitely." We preordered this so fast after reading that endorsement we nearly sprained a finger.

12. The Effort by Claire Holroyde

Expected release date: January 12, 2021

This is a heartfelt take on the comet-hurtling-towards-Earth concept. A group of scientists, researchers and engineers come together to try and figure out what can be done at the same time as the story follows other people all over the globe coming to terms with an uncertain future, including a photographer keen to capture the beauty of the natural world before it's gone, as well as a marine biologist who falls in love for the first time. 

13. The Future is Yours by Dan Frey

Expected release date: Feb 9, 2021

There's a new technology in town and it shows you what life will be like one year from now. Ben and Adhi, the brains behind the revolutionary start-up who created the future forecasting computer, are suddenly the hottest commodities in Silicon Valley. But, as you might expect, when you can predict the future with the touch of a button, things are likely going to go very, very wrong. This is a story that unfolds through emails, texts and blog posts. In a time when we're only just waking up to the immense, unfathomable power tech companies wield, this is an interesting look at what happens when innovative ideas go one step too far.

14. We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

Expected release date: May 11, 2021

This is a story about brain implants, which you might think you've read about before or seen covered a few times on Black Mirror and the like, but this is a very personal and thoughtful look at the implications of bringing a new technology into your home, your family and your mind. 

One Amazon reviewer writes: "We Are Satellites will drill a tiny—entirely painless—aperture in the side of your skull, snake its way inside, and rewire how you think about the lines between yourself, technology, and those we love.” Sure few of us are contemplating brain implants these days, but we could all do with taking a more critical look at the role technology plays in our lives, so this couldn't have come at a better time. 

15. Alien (comic)

Expected release date: March, 2021

In Summer 2020, Marvel announced that it'd be launching three new comics properties: Alien (!), Predator (!) and Alien vs. Predator (!). 

There have been a number of Alien comics in the past from Dark Horse comics, but this is the debut of the Alien franchise (not just the Alien comics) from its new owners: Disney. There's a lot of pressure for Disney to do something awesome with it straight out the gate and with Eisner-nominated writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Empyre: Captain America, The Last God) and artist Salvador Larroca (Doctor Doom, X-Men, The Invincible Iron Man) creating the new comic, we have high hopes. 

According to Marvel, the all-new Alien comic will feature a Weyland-Yutani mercenary named Gabriel Cruz as he has to contend with a new breed of xenomorph. Marvel promises there'll be a mix of new and classic characters, so the hope is it'll keep both longtime fans and newcomers happy.

TV Shows

16. Stranger Things, Season 4

Expected release date: TBC

There's no official release date for Stranger Things, Season 4 just yet, but we've got everything crossed we won't have to wait too long. We're not sure what to expect from the next season as both the cast and crew have been secretive, revealing just enough to keep us tantalisingly hooked on any scrap of news. But we know one thing: Hopper's alive! He had to be really, didn't he? But it was hit and miss for a minute there. 

We've got an extensive Stranger Things, Season 4 guide here on TechRadar, which you should check out for all the latest news and rumors about what happens next to our favorite kids from Hawkins, Indiana, now they're not all in Hawkins anymore.

17. Foundation

Expected release date: TBC

Foundation is an upcoming TV series that, like most on this list, doesn't have an official release date yet. What we do know about this new series, however, is that Foundation is based on famous sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy of books.

The Foundation trilogy is an intricate saga about humans who are scattered on multiple planets throughout the galaxy and all live under the rule of the Galactic Empire. If that sounds familiar, it's because a lot of later sci-fi – yes, including Star Wars – was likely influenced by Asimov's stories.

According to Deadline, numerous attempts have been made to adapt the books over the years but this series has been snapped up by Apple TV and has screenwriter and filmmaker David S. Goyer (Blade trilogy, the Dark Knight trilogy, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and screenwriter and producer Josh Friedman at the helm.

18. Station Eleven

Expected release date: TBC

Brace yourselves, it's time for yet another pandemic-themed story. This mini-series is based on the award-winning 2014 novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel. It's about the 'Georgia Flu', which has ravaged the world and killed a huge amount of the population.

Station Eleven was ordered by the streaming service HBO Max and although filming began in early 2020, there's no word on a release date just yet. What we do know is that Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate, Blade Runner 2049) and Himesh Patel (Yesterday, Tenet) have starring roles.

19. Picard, Season 2

Expected release date: TBC

The first season of Picard divided Star Trek fans. Some loved it and the extra layers it added to what we already know about the Jean-Luc Picard universe, others thought it was a step too far. We're die-hard Trekkies, love anything to do with ancient myths and prophecies and would happily sit and listen to Patrick Stewart read a shopping list, so we were hooked from the start.

The bad news is, we're not sure when to expect season 2 of Picard. Although originally planned for 2021, we wouldn't be surprised if it's pushed back into 2022 at this rate. At the time of writing, filming is set to begin at the start of 2021.

20. The Expanse, Season 6

Expected release date: TBC

Season five of the Amazon Prime Video hit science-fiction TV series might not have landed at the time of writing, but the creators have already revealed there will be a sixth season – and it might even be with us as soon as the end of 2021 if everything goes to plan. That's the good news. The bad news is this is expected to be the final season of the show. 

For those who haven't fallen for the crew of the Rocci yet, this is science-fiction at its best. Based on the series of novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey, The Expanise is set in a fictional future in which humans have colonised most of the solar system but have taken all of their feuds, racism and greed with them. 

21. Marvel's TV shows: WandaVision, Loki, etc

Expected release date: January 15, 2021

We were going to add each new Marvel TV show on the cards for 2021 to this list, but it would take up most of it. So here, in the final spot, let's take a quick look at all of the new Marvel TV shows that'll be landing on Disney+ in 2021.

All part of what's known as the MCU Phase Four TV slate, the upcoming TV shows include WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye.

WandaVision is the first to land on our screens on January 15, 2021 and will focus on, you guessed it, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). The six-hour series has an interesting premise – and goes some way to explaining the cheesy 50s-style press shots Disney has been sharing. Wanda and Vision are trying to conceal their powers and find themselves in what an EW article calls "a strange fantasy world of suburban bliss".

• New Star Wars movies and TV shows: every announcement explained

The third season of Star Trek: Discovery is upon us. While we knew the October 15 release date already, though, we have now been treated to a two-minute trailer that gives us our best look yet at what's befallen the beloved, dysfunctional crew.

For those who don't remember, season two ended with the Discovery being transported centuries into the future, to the year 3188. While it's a big leap for the series, it also allows for a clean break of sorts, after two seasons that often veered into overcomplicated plotting.

It doesn't look like the action is letting up, though, with the galaxy having taken "a hard left" in the interim centuries, as voiced by new cast member David Ajala (Supergirl, Nightflyers) – who appears to be a large presence in season 3.

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Most of the key cast from the last season are still here, including lead Sonequa Martin-Green, who informs us in the trailer that "We traveled into the future. 930 years. A one way trip. No going back."

The Federation appears to be in bad way, in that it "mostly collapsed" after something called "the burn" – described as "the day the galaxy took a hard left." We'll no doubt find out more when the first trailer drops this October, though it's obvious the crew of the Discovery hasn't been able to run from their problems.

As Michael Burnham says at the close of the trailer, "the problems often seem insurmountable, but haven't we always risen to meet them?"

Ok, so let me watch the trailer!

The trailer can be watched above, after a short intro. Just go to the 0:37 mark to start watching it. You can also enjoy a subsequent panel with the cast to celebrate Star Trek Day, if you so wish. 

If you'd rather just watch the trailer without scrolling to a specific time stamp, you can do so on the official Star Trek website here.

• Star Trek: Discovery season 3: release date, trailers and more

Star Trek: Discovery season 3 has at last been given a release date by CBS All Access in the US. The show will return on October 15 in the US, with episodes rolling out weekly.

Internationally, Netflix still has the rights to show Discovery season 3 – it hasn't announced a release date yet, but we'd expect new episodes to debut the day after they release in the US, or at least in the same week. 

This third season of Discovery has been a long time coming. The second season concluded back in April 2019, and while filming for this new set of episodes finished filming before the current health crisis kicked off, post-production work has continued in the months since. 

For those who have finished watching Star Trek Discovery season 2, this season moves the crew of Discovery 900 years into the future, which is deeper into into the franchise's timeline than we've ever seen explored before. 

Netflix confirmed it had the international rights for Discovery season 3 last year. 

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• What we know about Star Trek: Picard season 2

The future of Star Trek

Discovery season 3 won't be the next Star Trek series to release, though: animated comedy Lower Decks begins on August 6. Following those, numerous other new Star Trek shows are in the works as part of this fictional universe. 

They include Star Trek: Picard season 2, a Discovery spin-off called Section 31 starring Michelle Yeoh, another Discovery spin-off called Strange New Worlds featuring Spock and Pike, and a Nickelodeon animated series called Star Trek: Prodigy. In addition, one other live-action show hasn't been announced yet. The intention is that there'll always be something Star Trek-related to watch on CBS All Access. 

Trek fans have a lot to look forward to. 

• Best TV shows of 2020 so far

It's a rich time for new Star Trek content, with streaming service CBS All Access building much of its content strategy around expanding the sci-fi franchise. If you're outside of the US, too, it's been pretty easy to keep up with it all, since Picard has released internationally on Amazon Prime Video, while Netflix has the rights to Discovery.

In April 2019, overseer Alex Kurtzman told THR that "The idea is to always have something" Star Trek-related on TV. "Two years from now, a show will end, there will be a little breath and then another show will begin."

While that ambitious plan for 2021 might be slowed down by this year's coronavirus-based TV production headaches, there's no doubt that CBS has enough content in the pipeline to back that up. Seven Star Trek shows are publicly known right now, though a couple don't have titles or even a premise yet, and this includes ongoing seasons of Picard and Discovery.

Do Star Trek fans like the shows being made? As with any franchise that has a long and complicated history, it's really hard to figure out what the consensus is on Trek as it stands. But the volume and tonal range of what's in the works surely has to excite an audience that once enjoyed 18 years of unbroken Trek shows.

We expect to learn a lot more about these series when Star Trek takes over a whole series of panels at Comic Con at Home, starting on July 23. 

Below, we'll talk you through every Star Trek TV show currently confirmed to be in the works, so you can figure out if you want to watch them or skip them. 

• How to watch Star Trek in order
• The best TV shows of 2020 so far
• What we know about Star Trek: Discovery season 3

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Release date: August 6

Getting Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahan was quite a win for this first adult animated Star Trek series, which takes place on the lower decks of the Cerritos, a less important Starfleet vessel. It's the first Star Trek animated series in decades, and features a pretty big name voice cast, including The Boys' Jack Quaid. 

McMahan wrote one of the all-time best Rick and Morty episodes, Total Rickall, and co-created the recent Hulu series Solar Opposities, so hopefully the end result here will be good. Two seasons are on the way.

We're not sure where it'll be streaming outside of the US yet, though.

Star Trek Discovery season 3

Expected release date: late 2020

A third season of CBS All Access' flagship show Star Trek: Discovery finished filming a while back, and post-production has been ongoing. We're expecting this one to debut some time after Lower Decks has finished rolling out its 10 weekly episodes. 

Star Trek: Discovery season 3 has a killer hook, taking viewers 1,000 years into the future of the Star Trek timeline, which will presumably give the writers a lot of scope to tell big stories without any lore-based restrictions. 

Season 2 spent a little too long in the shadow of legacy characters, as well-acted as they were, so hopefully this season will shift focus back to the Discovery's own extremely likeable crew. 

Star Trek: Picard season 2

Expected release date: 2021

Star Trek: Picard season 2 is officially happening, but where the story will go is something of a mystery after the series' eventful finale, as Picard survived (sort of) the Romulans' attack on the synthetic world of Coppelius. In season 2, expect the show to deal with the fact that (spoiler alert!) Picard now has a synthetic body, as he found a way to cheat death. We're expecting more TNG cameos in season 2, after season 1 gave fans all-too-brief glimpses of Riker and Troi. We also know Whoopi Goldberg will be reprising her role as Guinan from that series. 

Our hope is that the writers will focus on making the crew of newer characters on the La Sirena a little easier to like; Star Trek: Picard doesn't yet have the complete-feeling ensemble that Discovery does, and that's a challenge they need to overcome. 

Filming on Picard season 2 was meant to happen this June, but has been delayed for obvious reasons. We still expect to see it next year at some point, though.

Section 31 (working title)

Expected release date: 2021

The most intriguing spin-off in this list, and reportedly the next one in line for filming after Discovery season 3. Michelle Yeoh will reprise her memorable role as the Mirror Universe's version of Philippa Georgiou, who joined the titular mysterious Federation organization in Discovery. Section 31 operates autonomously in protection of the Federation, and is commonly known as an extreme group that works for what it perceives as the greater good. This should show a side of the Star Trek universe we haven't seen yet.

Reports suggested Section 31 was supposed to film in May of this year, but naturally that's bound to be impacted by the current global health crisis. 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Expected release date: 2021 (or later)

Star Trek Discovery season 2's versions of Captain Pike, Spock and Number One were evidently popular enough that they're getting their own spin-off. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds features Anson Mount, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn reprising their roles in what's been described as a 'classic' Star Trek series with an angle of optimism, which should sit nicely alongside the more densely serialized likes of Discovery and Picard. As a more direct prequel to the Original Series, it'll be about the crew of the Enterprise in the pre-Kirk days.

Nickelodeon Star Trek animated series

Expected release date: 2022

Star Trek has so far lacked a counterpart to Star Wars' Rebels and The Clone Wars animated series, but that's set to change. A so-far untitled Star Trek CG TV series is coming to Nickelodeon in the US, and as of July 2019, it had a writers' team in place. Dan and Kevin Hageman, who worked on the excellent Netflix series Trollhunters, are the key creatives behind the show, suggesting that something of a high quality that doesn't talk down to its audience is in the works here. 

Little is known about the show, but it will have serialized storylines, and Kurtzman has suggested we might not even see it in action until after 2021. Like Lower Decks, two seasons of it have been ordered, which is partly motivated by the long lead times needed on animated series.

Untitled live-action show (possibly Star Trek: Starfleet Academy)

Back in January, series overseer Alex Kurtzman explained (as captured by Trek Core) that two more live-action Star Trek series were yet to be revealed. 

With Strange New Worlds' later announcement, we found out about one, but what about the other? It remains a mystery, but a younger-focused series called Starfleet Academy was reportedly in the works back in 2018, from the Gossip Girl duo of Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. An old Variety report about Kurtzman's work on Trek also suggested it was possible a series about the antagonist Khan Noonien Singh was also in the works.

We'll just have to wait and see on this last one. It might even be a different project we haven't heard about yet.

One thing's for sure, though: you'll get all the Star Trek you can handle over the next couple of years.

• How to watch the Star Wars movies in order

CBS All Access has revealed that its next Star Trek TV series will be the animated comedy Lower Decks, from Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahan. It's been given a release date of August 6, with 10 episodes rolling out weekly every Thursday. 

We expect that this means the wait for Star Trek: Discovery season 3 will be extended into later this year, since it's unlikely the streaming service will release two weekly entries from the Star Trek franchise at the same time. Unless CBS decides to make them overlap, which is possible, this probably means we won't see Star Trek: Discovery's return until October at the earliest.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is, as the name suggests, focused on the lower-level crew on the USS Cerritos, and it's set after the movie Star Trek: Nemesis (but before Picard). It's an adult animated comedy, and the first Star Trek animated series since 1973. There's no trailer for it, yet, but we're expecting something with an Adult Swim-style tone, based on McMahan's involvement and the visual style of the show. The voice cast includes The Boys' Jack Quaid. 

It's unclear where Star Trek: Lower Decks will stream in the UK and Australia, but past seasons of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard have released on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video respectively. Hopefully it'll land on one of those sooner rather than later.

CBS All Access has shown off the series' animation style in more detail. Here are a couple of images to give you an idea of what to expect:

• How to watch Star Trek in order
• Star Trek: Discovery season 3: what we know about the show's return
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will focus on Pike and Spock

Which other new Star Trek series are in the works?

A lot of new Trek projects are on the way. As well as Discovery's third season and Star Trek: Picard season 2, a Discovery spin-off about Michelle Yeoh's Mirror Universe character Philippa Georgiou is in the works called Section 31. 

Earlier this year, a new Enterprise-based series called Strange New Worlds was announced, too, focused on Captain Pike's era at the helm of the iconic Starship. That is also a Discovery spin-off.

On top of that, a kid-friendly animated show is coming to Nickelodeon, which doesn't have a name yet, though it's speculated the series will be called Star Trek: Prodigy. 

Finally, one more unannounced live-action show is apparently in the works. We know this because executive producer of the franchise Alex Kurtzman revealed in January that two shows had yet to be announced. One was Strange New Worlds, but the other remains a mystery for now.

That's a lot of Star Trek.

• The best streaming services compared

Is it just us or is figuring out how to watch Star Trek in order getting more and more complex with each passing year? The prospect of watching Star Trek in order would be daunting for even the most decorated of starship captains with multiple series being brought to life on both the big and small screens. But fear not Trekkies - we've got you covered!

If you've ever tried to watch the Marvel movies in order, you'd be forgiven for thinking that was the most complicated franchise on the planet, but we kid you not - it has nothing on Star Trek. The 55-year-old sci-fi franchise includes nine (soon to be 11) TV shows and 13 movies and it spans 1000 years, making for one super complicated and vast timeline.

So, what is the best way to watch Star Trek in order? Well, that depends. For you purists out there, you might like to opt for viewing this franchise by release date, just like all the original Trekkie fans did back in the day. This will allow you to follow along as they did and get a similar experience. While the timeline does jump around, (Star Trek: Discovery, for example, is set at the end of the 32nd century but was released before Star Trek: Picard, which is set in the 24th century), it gives you a more complete picture. 

Because the Star Trek franchise involves movies and TV series that take place at different times, another option is to watch everything in chronological order. This means you get to start with something a little bit more modern, but the one problem with this is that references will often be made to films you've not yet seen, which could make certain elements difficult to follow. 

To be honest, just like we recommend in our guide to how to watch the Star Wars movies in order, it really is a matter of personal preference. As long as you have one of the best TVs, you'll find you enjoy this franchise no matter what order you decide to watch it in.

So, without further ado, here's how to watch Star Trek in order - based on release date and in-universe continuity...

Star Trek TV shows and movies in chronological order

This is probably the list you're looking for if you're trying to figure out how to watch Star Trek in order. It's where things get really interesting, as Star Trek movies and TV shows have a habit of jumping around the franchise's chronology with sequels, prequels and bits in between. There are even two distinct timelines – but don't worry, we'll explain all that.

The original ‘Prime’ timeline was started by the Original Series, the Next Generation-era TV shows, and the first ten movies, The alternative ‘Kelvin’ timeline, meanwhile, was created in JJ Abrams’ first Star Trek (2009) to allow the familiar Enterprise crew of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura and Chekov to have new adventures without contradicting canon. To avoid confusion, we've defined the two timelines as separate entities below.

This list doesn't, however, include all of the brief Short Treks – short stories which are mostly set around the Star Trek: Discovery era – and adventures where Starfleet crews time-travelled to the eras before any of the shows/movies are set (eg visits to 1986 in The Voyage Home and 2063 in First Contact). We've also left out upcoming Discovery spin-off Star Trek: Section 31, since it's not yet in production. (Also, we're not entirely sure exactly when it'll be set.)

Let's start with everything in one big list. 

• Star Trek: Enterprise (seasons 1-4)
• ‘The Cage’
• Star Trek: Discovery (seasons 1-2)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
• Star Trek: The Original Series (seasons 1-3)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series 
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture 
• Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan 
• Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock 
• Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home 
• Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier 
• Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country 
• Star Trek: Generations (opening sequence)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (seasons 1-5)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (seasons 6-7), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (seasons 1-2)
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (seasons 3-4), Star Trek: Voyager (seasons 1-2)
• Star Trek: First Contact 
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (seasons 5-6), Star Trek: Voyager (seasons 3-4)
• Star Trek: Insurrection 
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 7), Star Trek: Voyager (season 5)
• Star Trek: Voyager (seasons 6-7)
• Star Trek: Nemesis 
• Star Trek: Lower Decks
• Star Trek: Prodigy
• Star Trek (2009) – Prime timeline sequences
• Star Trek: Picard
• Star Trek: Discovery (season 3-)
• Short Treks: 'Calypso'

If you watch in the order given above, you'll get a continuous ‘history’ of the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 32nd centuries according to the Star Trek timeline. That said, you will notice some odd discrepancies – thanks to the time in which respective shows were made, the technology in prequel show Star Trek: Discovery is significantly more advanced than what Kirk and Spock used in the Original Series.

Below, we'll explain how the different eras of the shows and movies break down for context. 

Note that Gene Roddenberry's original pre-Kirk Star Trek pilot, 'The Cage', is counted as an instalment of the Original Series. You'll usually find it listed as a bonus episode as part of season one when you're watching it on streaming services.

Star Trek: Enterprise era (22nd century)
Begins and ends with: Star Trek Enterprise seasons 1-4

About a century before James T Kirk and his crew embark on their famous five-year mission in Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain Jonathan Archer leads Earth's first steps into the wider universe.

Star Trek: The Original Series era (23rd century)
Begins with: 'The Cage'
Ends with: Star Trek: Generations (opening sequence)

For many this is the most familiar era of Star Trek, since it involves Kirk, Spock and the classic Enterprise crew.  

This section of the Trek timeline kicks off with the original unaired Star Trek pilot, 'The Cage'. Next up in franchise chronology are the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, which work as a prequel to the Original Series (they even feature a younger version of Spock), but it's all change in season 3 – the events of the season 2 finale send the crew into the distant future of the 32nd century. More on that later...

Upcoming spin-off Strange New Worlds will follow the adventures of Captain Pike, Number One and Spock on the Enterprise after the USS Discovery travelled to the future. And at some point after that, Captain James T Kirk will take command of Starfleet's most famous ship – a role he filled throughout The Original Series, The Animated Series and the first six Star Trek movies (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country).

The latest point we've seen (so far) in the 23rd century era is James T Kirk being taken away by the Nexus ribbon in the prologue of Star Trek: Generations. This is the event that allows Kirk to meet Picard when the Next Generation crew take on the mantle of headlining the big screen franchise.

Star Trek: The Next Generation era (24th century)
Begins with: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Ends with: Star Trek (2009) – Prime timeline sequences

The richest, most complicated period in Star Trek chronology. During The Next Generation era, Star Trek was experimenting with the idea of a shared universe years before Marvel got in on the act, with three TV shows (TNG, Deep Space Nine and Voyager) and four movies (Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis) interweaving through the same timeline – Voyager's Captain Kathryn Janeway even shows up in Star Trek: Nemesis as a newly promoted admiral.

New animated comedy spin-off Lower Decks is set a year after Picard and the Next Generation crew's final mission in Star Trek: Nemesis, while Nickelodeon kids' cartoon Star Trek: Prodigy will see Kate Mulgrew reprising her role as Voyager's captain, Kathryn Janeway. That suggests it will presumably be set at a similar point in the Star Trek timeline.

In JJ Abrams' first Star Trek movie (2009), the destruction of Romulus and Spock Prime's accidental trip back to the pre-Original Series era (in the Kelvin timeline) also take place after the events of Nemesis.

In the list above, we've shown how the movies (roughly) fit into the chronology of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. 

Picard era (turn of the 25th century)
Begins with: Picard
Ends with: ???

Aside from glimpses of the destruction of Romulus in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Picard gives us our first post-Star Trek: Nemesis look at what the United Federation of Planets has become. 

Since we last saw Jean-Luc Picard, he's retired to his vineyard in France, an android uprising on Mars has led to a ban on all synthetic life, and a disabled Borg Cube (known simply as the 'Artifact') is being mined for technology.

Distant future (32nd century)
Begins with: Star Trek: Discovery season 2 (finale)
Ends with: ???

In order to save the galaxy, the brave crew of the USS Discovery set off on a one-way mission 900 years into the future in Star Trek: Discovery's season 2 finale. Their 32nd century destination is new territory for Star Trek – thanks to the mysterious 'Burn', most of the dilithium in the galaxy has been destroyed, making warp travel impossible. As a result, the Federation is a shadow of its former self – even Earth has decided to go it alone.

This isn't, however, the furthest Star Trek has ventured into the future – Short Trek 'Calypso' is set on the Discovery in a distant future where the ship's computer has become sentient.

Star Trek's alternate 'Kelvin' timeline explained

In 2009's Star Trek movie directed by JJ Abrams, Spock Prime tries to save Romulus from a supernova, inadvertently creates a black hole while doing so, and gets pulled into the past, along with Romulan mining vessel the Narada. Once there, the Narada attacks the USS Kelvin on the day James T Kirk is born. The ship is destroyed as Kirk's father, George, sacrifices himself to save the rest of the crew. 

When all that happens, the alternative ‘Kelvin’ timeline is created, with events unfolding in parallel (but with remarkable similarity) to the original Prime timeline.

Got all that? There are just three movies set in the Kelvin timeline:

• Star Trek (2009)
• Star Trek into Darkness
• Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek TV shows and movies in release date order

• Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
• Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
• Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock (1984)
• Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986)
• ‘The Cage’ (previously unavailable Star Trek pilot from 1965, given VHS release in 1986)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
• Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier (1989)
• Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
• Star Trek: Generations (1994)
• Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) 
• Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
• Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
• Star Trek (2009)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)
• Star Trek: Discovery (2017-)
• Short Treks (2018-2020)
• Star Trek: Picard (2020-)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-)
• Star Trek: Prodigy (2021, TBC)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TBC)

Considering The Original Series was cancelled after just three seasons in 1969, it's remarkable that Star Trek is still around half a century later. But as the show's popularity grew in syndication on US TV, Trek fandom became a big enough force for the five-year mission to resume via Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1973. Most of the original cast – with the notable exception of Walter Koenig (Chekov) – were enticed back to voice their characters. 

Then, helped by Star Wars turning sci-fi into the hottest genre in Hollywood, Star Trek beamed onto the big screen with 1979's The Motion Picture. The original crew headed up five more movies (The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country) before bowing out in 1991. The ’80s also gave the world a hint of the Star Trek that never was when 'The Cage', the original unaired pilot, was released on VHS in 1986 (it appeared on TV two years later). Of the pilot crew, only Leonard Nimoy's Spock went on to reprise his role in the TV show, though footage from 'The Cage' was used extensively in the Original Series’ only two-parter, 'The Menagerie'. 

While the Enterprise was making it big in cinemas, the franchise returned to its TV roots in 1987 with The Next Generation. Set over 70 years after Kirk and Spock's final mission, it featured a new crew – led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard – on board a new starship Enterprise. The Next Generation was arguably even more successful than the Original Series, spawning two spin-off series: Deep Space Nine (which began in 1993) played with the Trek format by focusing on a space station, while Voyager (1995) dumped its crew on the other side of the galaxy, hundreds of light years from home. 

The Next Generation crew also fronted four movies of their own (Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis) between 1995 and 2002.

After Voyager came to an end in 2001, Star Trek left the Next Generation era behind, and went in a completely different direction – Star Trek: Enterprise was a prequel set a century before Kirk and Spock's adventures. Enterprise lasted only four seasons, however (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager all made it to seven), and was canceled in 2005.

These were also dark times for the movie branch of the Trek franchise, as the disappointing box office performance of Nemesis had put the film saga on hiatus – it wasn't until 2009 that Star Trek warped back onto the big screen. 

Future Star Wars: The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams (already hot property as director of Mission: Impossible 3 and co-creator of Lost) gave the franchise an action blockbuster makeover, recasting Kirk, Spock and the rest of the original crew as rookies on their first mission. The reboot, simply titled Star Trek, made more than twice as much at the box office as any of its predecessors, and two sequels (Star Trek into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond) followed. 

Star Trek belatedly returned to TV in 2017 with Star Trek: Discovery. Set a decade before the Original Series, it was a darker, more serialized Trek than we’d seen before – more in tune with the prestige shows of the so-called Golden Age of TV. As it’s turned out, it was just the beginning of Star Trek's renewed assault on TV...

A series of brief Short Treks appeared online ahead of Discovery's second season, while The Next Generation follow-up Star Trek: Picard left spacedock in January 2020. Animated series Lower Decks followed in August 2020, and Discovery spin-off Strange New Worlds – featuring Anson Mount's Captain Pike, Rebecca Romijn's Number One and Ethan Peck's Spock on the pre-Kirk Enterprise – is now in production. 

There's also another cartoon offering heading for the Alpha Quadrant, in the form of animated kids show Star Trek: Prodigy.

And there's potentially even more to come, as the much-talked about Michelle Yeoh vehicle Section 31 is still in development. But with Paramount Plus programming boss Julie McNamara telling Variety that the streaming service's current aim is to debut "a new Trek every quarter", we may have to wait for Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks and/or Strange New Worlds to stand aside before we get a new TV iteration of Trek.

To keep things simple, all the shows above are listed by the date their first episode aired. While the chronology does jump around if you watch Star Trek in order of release date, there are some benefits. For example, the prequel shows assume a fair bit of knowledge of earlier series, like the Borg's appearance in Star Trek: Enterprise episode 'Regeneration', or Star Trek: Discovery's revelations about the ultimate fate of Christopher Pike (the Enterprise captain in 'The Cage', who later shows up in 'The Menagerie'). Moments like that undoubtedly make more sense in the context of later events in the Star Trek timeline. 

How to stream Star Trek TV shows and movies

If you just want to know how to stream the 13 Star Trek movies and eight TV shows in the US and the UK, we've laid it out below. 

In the US, the newly rebranded Paramount Plus (formerly CBS All Access) is definitely the place to go, with every TV show available to watch. In the UK, Netflix hosts all the Star Trek series except for Picard and Lower Decks.

Watching the 13 Trek movies is a rather more complex affair, with the films spread across numerous streaming services in the US and UK – and some of them you'll have to pay to rent/buy.

The TV shows

• Star Trek: The Original Series (US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series (US: Paramount Plus UK: Netflix)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
• Star Trek: Voyager (US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
• Star Trek: Enterprise (US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
• Star Trek: Discovery (US: Paramount Plus UK: Netflix)
• Star Trek: Picard (US: Paramount Plus UK: Amazon Prime Video)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (US: Paramount Plus US: Amazon Prime Video)

The movies

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Only available to rent/buy)
• Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
• Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock (US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
• Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
• Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier (US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Only available to rent/buy)
• Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Only available to rent/buy)
• Star Trek: Generations (US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
• Star Trek: First Contact (US: Paramount Plus UK: Only available to rent/buy)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Only available to rent/buy)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Only available to rent/buy)
• Star Trek 2009 (US: DirectTV UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (US: FX Now UK: Amazon Prime Video)
• Star Trek Beyond (US: Amazon Prime, Hulu UK: Amazon Prime Video)

A new Star Trek TV show has been announced for CBS All Access called Strange New Worlds. It's a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, technically, as it features versions of classic characters seen in season 2 of that show, including Spock (Ethan Peck), Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn). It's set 10 years before Kirk and Spock's adventures, and will feature the characters exploring new worlds on the Enterprise.

The news was revealed with a video message from the cast, who describe Strange New Worlds as a show that deals with "optimism and the future". Behold how extraordinarily handsome Anson Mount looks with a gray beard below:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is largely being produced by the same team that made previous Trek series for CBS All Access, including executive producer Alex Kurtzman. The series pilot is written by Akiva Goldsman, who also worked on the recent Star Trek: Picard series, according to StarTrek.com. 

No release date has been set for the show yet.

• How to watch Star Trek in order
• Star Trek: Discovery season 3: what we know about the show's return
• Expect to see Star Trek: Picard season 2 in 2021 at the earliest

A lot more Star Trek

CBS All Access has a lot of new Star Trek coming up. As well as season 3 of Discovery and a follow-up year of Picard episodes, it has animated comedy Lower Decks in the works, as well as a series with the working title Section 31 starring Michelle Yeoh. 

Finally, a CG series aimed at kids is being made for Nickelodeon. Even with all of that in the works, though, release dates for each show have been fairly spread out so far, with around a year separating Star Trek: Discovery season 2 and Star Trek: Picard. 

Clearly, CBS All Access intends to have a lot more Star Trek to look forward to down the line. 

• The best TV shows of 2020

Binged your way through Amazon's Picard? Looking for some more 4K trekking to tide you over until Picard Season 2 engages? Fans of classic Star Trek series Star Trek Voyager may be in luck then.

Star Trek fan Billy Reichard has kicked off a project to get the 90s era show remastered in 4K, using an AI machine learning engine.

Taking six hours per episode to process, Reichard has produced five episodes so far, working from a DVD source. Take a look at the early results in the YouTube upload below:

• How to watch Star Trek in order, including Picard
• Star Trek Picard season 2: release date predictions, story and more
• What is 4K resolution?

Troubleshooting

As you can see, the results are pretty special. As a show that kicked off in 1995, Star Trek Voyager's 4:3 ratio can't be extended for modern widescreen displays – but the machine learning engine does a great job of sharpening the existing picture and interpreting further details than were present in the original.

The main issue is audio syncing, as Voyager wasn't filmed at a fixed frame rate – which Reichard's method can't automatically fix, and thus needs manual tweaking.

Will Star Trek Voyager license holders CBS allow this project to continue? It's unlikely, but it would be a shame to see it shut down, as an official remaster would be difficult to achieve. With its effects shot on video rather than added afterwards, touching up the original source would be a painstaking job. For now, Reichard's glimpse at what might be is the best we're likely to get.

• How to watch Star Trek Picard online
• Everything we know about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Spoilers follow.

Narek flees from his synth captors and meets with Rizzo, who has been hiding out in the ruins of the Artifact. Narek loads up on explosives and heads out, followed closely by Elnor. Meanwhile, Picard is still imprisoned in Coppelius Station, and tries to convince Soji to stop the beacon, which she's currently helping to build. In Soong's lab, we're reminded of his plan to download a human consciousness into a synthetic body. And on the grounded La Sirena, Rios repairs the ship's engines by simply imagining them being fixed, using a device given to him by Saga, the synth Sutra and Narek murdered. There's a lot going on in this episode.

Narek turns up at the La Sirena and tells Rios, Elnor, and Raffi about the synths and their beacon, and how allowing it to be completed will result in all organic life in the galaxy being eliminated. They reluctantly agree to help him. Elsewhere, Soong watches a recording of Saga's last moments, realising Sutra was involved in her murder. He confronts her, angered by her actions, then knocks her unconscious. Pretending Narek is their prisoner, Rios and the others gain access to Coppelius Station. Soong spots them, but after being stung by Sutra's betrayal, he's now on their side.

• How to watch Star Trek in order
• Star Trek: Discovery season 3: release date predictions and what we know
• What we know about Star Trek: Picard season 2

Rios tosses a bomb hidden in a soccer ball at the beacon, but Soji catches it and throws it to safety before it has a chance to destroy it. In orbit, the Romulan fleet finally arrives, led by Commodore Oh. She orders the fleet to sterilize the planet as Picard – who escaped captivity with a little help from Jurati – pilots the La Sirena. Just as the Romulans are about to scorch the planet, Jurati has a brainwave. She uses Saga's repair tool to create thousands of clones of the La Sirena. Oh orders the fleet to attack them instead, buying enough time for Starfleet to arrive with a fleet of its own.

On the crashed Artifact, Seven of Nine kills Rizzo before she has a chance to engage its weapons and help the Romulan fleet. Above, Will Riker, who has returned to Starfleet as an Acting Captain, orders the Romulans to stand down. On the planet below, Soji completes the beacon and giant centipede-like machines (presumably sent by the 'higher beings' who created the Admonition) begin to spill through a portal. But Picard manages to convince Soji to stop it, saying if she does she'll become the 'destroyer' the Romulans said she would be. The portal snaps shut as the beacon is shut down, taking the machines with it. The Romulans stand down and warp away. Picard thanks Riker for always having his back.

Picard collapses. The brain condition his doctor warned him about has become critical, and he dies. Or does he? He wakes up in a strange house, with Data sitting across from him. They're inside a quantum simulation, Data says, and he has a favour: he wants Picard to shut his consciousness down, because dying gives life meaning. Picard wakes up, his mind transferred to a synthetic body designed to look and age exactly like his old one. He removes the device keeping Data's consciousness active, and we see a vision of him aging like a human, and dying peacefully with Picard by his side. The crew of the La Sirena gathers on the bridge and heads off into space, ready for more adventures in season two.

Verdict: There have been some dips in quality throughout Picard, but they really nailed the finale. This is as thrilling, emotional, and visually spectacular the series has been. The scenes between Picard and Data were beautifully written, and seeing Riker leading a Federation fleet was a stirring moment. Picard's mind being transplanted into a near-identical synthetic body was a bit of a shock, but it does mean he's fit and healthy for another season – and we'll definitely be watching it whenever it arrives.

Extra data

• We see a riff on the famous Picard Maneuver in this episode. This risky battle tactic saved Picard's old ship, the USS Stargazer, from a Ferengi attack: an event recalled in the TNG episode The Battle (S1E9).

• Data says he downloaded his memories to B4, a prototype Soong-type android that looked exactly like him, but had none of his personality or individualism. He appeared in the movie Star Trek: Nemesis.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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Spoilers follow.

After a bumpy ride, the La Sirena emerges from the Borg transwarp conduit and arrives at Soji's homeworld, Coppelius. Picard notes that by using the conduit, the ship has travelled 25 light years in just 15 minutes. Narek appears, opening fire, but Seven of Nine and her newly-acquired Borg Cube, the Artifact, intervenes. Then, suddenly, giant orchid-like flowers rise from the planet and grab hold of the La Sirena, the Cube, and Narek's Snakehead, dragging them down to the surface of Coppelius.

Everyone survives, but the La Sirena is out of action. Before they leave on foot to find a nearby settlement, Picard tells the crew about the terminal brain condition he learned about in episode 2. He says there's no effective treatment, but he doesn't want to be treated like a dying man. They exit the ship and find themselves in a desert, and later enter the wreckage of the crashed Artifact. Elnor and Seven of Nine are alive, and both say their goodbyes to Picard. He says Elnor must stay there and protect the ex-Borg. Raffi accesses a Borg computer and is troubled by the discovery that a fleet of 218 Romulan Warbirds is on its way to Coppelius.

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Picard and the others finally arrive at the settlement where Soji was created. The place is populated almost entirely with matching pairs of organic synths. Some of them – likely earlier models than Dahj and Soji – are closer to Data in appearance, with a golden shimmer on their skin and yellow eyes. A man introduces himself as Dr. Altan Inigo Soong, the son of Noonian Soong, the cyberneticist who built Data. A woman called Sutra who looks remarkably like Soji, but with Data's eyes, has learned how to perform a Vulcan Mind-Meld and uses it on Jurati to see the Admonition that Commodore Oh forced her to watch at the beginning of episode 7.

It seems the Admonition, on which the Zhat Vash based its entire anti-synth philosophy, was never meant for organic life. Sutra, a synth, sees the vision much more clearly. It's revealed to be a message left by a mysterious race of higher synthetic beings, as a warning for other synths. They say that eventually organics will turn on their creations, seeing them as a threat, and if that happens, these beings can be summoned to intervene. "Your evolution will be their extinction." Later, Sutra tries to convince Soji that summoning these powerful beings is the only way they can save themselves, even if it means wiping out all organic life in the galaxy.

Narek is captured by the synths, but is secretly released by Sutra, and he kills one of them in the escape. The last we see of him, he's running towards the Artifact. At a funeral for the murdered synth, Sutra reveals her plan to summon these higher beings. Picard is horrified and pleads with her to reconsider. He says he can keep them safe, make a deal with the Federation, but Soong laughs it off. Soong says they haven't listened to Picard since the attack on Mars. Picard is imprisoned by the synths as the massive Romulan fleet, led by Commodore Oh, approaches Coppelius.

Verdict: This episode sets the board for the season finale, feeling like the calm before an inevitable storm. The truth about the Admonition is a big moment, even if an advanced synthetic race wiping all organic life from the galaxy is hardly an original sci-fi concept. The highlight of this episode is Sutra, the Data-eyed Soji lookalike who has a real evil streak in her. And it's great seeing Brent Spiner again, playing another member of the Soong clan. This is a solid episode, but I really hope they stick the landing.

Extra data

• On the crashed Borg Cube, a former drone seems to recognise Picard and calls him Locutus. In the classic Next Generation episode The Best of Both Worlds (S3E26), Picard is captured and assimilated by the Borg and given this name, which is Latin for "the one who speaks."

• Altan Inigo Soong is the son of Noonian Soong, the brilliant Federation cyberneticist who created Data in his own image. Noonian Soong (played by Brent Spiner) has appeared in Star Trek several times, most notably the TNG episode Brothers (S4E03), where Data meets his maker.

• Altan Soong tells Picard about Sutra's fascination with Vulcan culture, and notes that she can play the ka'athyra. In the original 1960s Star Trek series, Spock could often be found playing this lute-like instrument, which was designed by legendary prop maker Wah Ming Chang.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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Spoilers follow. 

On Aia, a planet with eight suns, a group of hooded Zhat Vash – including Oh, Rizzo, and Ramdha – take part in a ritual. They touch an artifact, the Admonition, which gives them apocalyptic visions. They say it's a warning from a long extinct race about the perils of developing synthetic life. The visions drive some of the group to suicide. On the Borg Cube, Rizzo talks to a comatose Ramdha, who was apparently driven mad by the ritual. We also learn that she took Rizzo and her brother Narek in when their parents died. Elsewhere on the Cube, Elnor is overwhelmed by Romulans, but Seven of Nine appears and kills them before they can finish the job.

The crew of the La Sirena learns that Jurati had been implanted with a tracker, and had injected a hydrogen compound to neutralize it. The ship's EMH also informs them that she killed Maddox by disabling his life support. Picard asks Admiral Clancy for help, and she agrees to send a squadron to a nearby starbase, Deep Space 12. While on the Cube, Raffi noticed a symbol being drawn by the Romulans. The ship's Emergency Navigation Hologram thinks it could be an octonary star system; a planetary system with eight component stars. Raffi wonders if this is the Conclave of Eight, a term she heard while trying to find out who attacked Mars. On the Borg Cube, Seven of Nine activates its regeneration systems, and we see swarms of mechanical insects repairing the broken sections of the destroyed ship.

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Soji and Picard talk about Data over dinner. Picard says he was brave, curious, gentle, and unclouded by bias or habit, with a child's wisdom. He made the crew of the Enterprise laugh, except when he was trying to get them to laugh. Soji seems reassured by this, realizing that being synthetic doesn't mean she's worthless. Raffi learns from the La Sirena's engineering hologram that the chances of an octonary system forming naturally are basically zero, implying that if this place exists, it would have been created to draw attention to itself. In his quarters, Rios looks through a box of memories including his old Starfleet uniform, a photo of an older man, and a drawing of himself and someone who looks a lot like Soji.

On the Cube, Seven of Nine tells Elnor that she might be able to take control of the drones in stasis and create a micro-collective, turning them against the Romulans. On the La Sirena, Raffi gathers the holograms and asks them why Rios has sealed himself away in his quarters. They reveal that something happened on his old Federation ship, the USS Ibn Majid, but that it's been marked as classified. In sickbay, Jurati wakes up and confesses to killing Maddox and working for Oh. She tries to tell Picard about the visions Oh showed her, but says a psychic block has been placed on her. She tells Picard about Seb-Cheneb, the Destroyer, and says Hell is coming.

Rios opens up to Raffi about what's been troubling him. When he was serving on the Ibn Majid, his ship encountered two beings in a ship: one called Beautiful Flower, and one called Jana, who looked exactly like Soji. But as first contact was being initiated, the captain – the older man in Rios's photo – was ordered by Starfleet to kill them. They were synths, and the person who gave the order was Oh. On the Cube, Seven of Nine wakes the sleeping Borg drones up, but Rizzo responds by opening an airlock and blowing them out into space. On the La Sirena, Raffi, having figured out what the Zhat Vash are and believe, and how Oh infiltrated Starfleet, tells the crew. She confirms the Romulans were behind the attack on Mars, which was staged to justify a galaxy-wide ban on synthetic life.

A Romulan fleet gathers near the Cube, beaming Rizzo away and warping to Soji's homeworld, the location of which they learned through her dream. Picard reassures Rios that his captain was a good man, and was betrayed by Starfleet. Soji, whose memories are flooding back, uses the Borg's transwarp conduit network to go to the same planet the Romulans are racing towards. She wonders if the Zhat Vash are right, and she is the Destroyer. Picard says that happened 200,000 centuries ago. The past is written. But they have the tools to change things: positivity and curiosity. The La Sirena enters the warp conduit, with Narek's ship following close behind.

Verdict: This is perhaps the most revelation-heavy episode of Picard yet, laying out the motivations and history of the Zhat Vash, and what their next move is, in detail. It's also one that doesn't give Picard much to do, focusing largely on Raffi, Rios, and his crew of holograms. But Patrick Stewart steals the episode when he fondly remembers his relationship with Data, which is a hugely satisfying moment for Next Generation fans.

Extra data

• Picard learns that Soji was implanted with a viridium tracker. A version of this device first appeared in the 1991 movie Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country. One of them was used by Spock to rescue Kirk and McCoy from a penal colony on the planetoid Rura Penthe.

• Rios has a book in his quarters called Surak and Existentialism. Surak was a legendary Vulcan philosopher, who is mentioned in too many Star Trek episodes to count. In the Enterprise episode Awakening (S4E8), Surak appears to Jonathan Archer in a vision, played by Bruce Gray.

• Picard and Rios briefly talk about a Federation captain, Marta Batanides, who Picard says he went to Starfleet Academy with. This character plays a major role in the TNG episode Tapestry (S6E15), in which the mischievous Q gives Picard a chance to relive his youth and alter his past.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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Spoilers follow. 

At the Daystrom Institute, Commodore Oh – Starfleet's Director of Security, but really a Zhat Vash agent – approaches Dr. Jurati on her lunch break. She tells Jurati about Picard's mission to rescue Soji, and asks her to accompany him as a spy. Jurati protests, but Oh uses a Vulcan Mind Meld to show her what will happen if Soji and other synthetic life are allowed to exist. She sees apocalyptic visions of Earth being destroyed. This is apparently what she meant when she told Bruce Maddox that she wished "he knew what she knew" before she cut off his life support in episode 5.

Back in the present, the La Sirena escapes the Borg Cube, tailed by Narek. On the Cube, Rizzo kills reformed Borg one by one in an attempt to get Hugh to reveal where Soji and Picard escaped to. He refuses, but she can't kill him because he's protected by the Federation. On the idyllic planet Nepenthe, Picard introduces Soji to some old friends from the Enterprise: Deanna Troi and William Riker, who are now married and living there with their daughter, Kestra. Picard tells Riker that he may be in danger, and Riker orders his house's computer to bring shields online and enable perimeter scans. He seems prepared for this kind of thing.

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Despite his best efforts, Rios can't shake off Narek, who is still closely tailing the La Sirena. On Nepenthe, Riker makes pizza for everyone, and Kestra forges a close bond with Soji. She tells her about her father, Data, and what a great man he was. But just as Soji is getting comfortable on Nepenthe, she remembers that her entire life is a lie, and wonders if this is all just another attempt to manipulate her. Picard tries to make light of her concerns, as if the very idea is ridiculous, but Troi scolds him for it. Soji has been tortured, she says, and Picard needs to be more like he was on the Enterprise: compassionate, patient, curious. "And useful." he adds.

Back on the Borg Cube, Hugh tells Elnor about his plan to take it back from the Romulans – which Rizzo unfortunately overhears, and claims strips away his Federation protection. Elnor steps in to protect him and he and Rizzo engage in a spot of hand-to-hand combat. During the scuffle, Hugh gets a throwing knife in the neck and dies, and Rizzo beams away. Aboard the La Sirena, Jurati begins to crack under the stress of the last few weeks. Raffi comforts her by replicating a few too many slices of red velvet cake, and chocolate milk to wash it down, which she pukes up.

At the Riker household, a more trusting Soji tells Picard about the planet she saw in her dream – the one with two red moons and lightning storms. Kestra locates the planet – which only has a number, not a name – with help from a friend, Captain Crandall, who may also be able to get Picard and Soji off Nepenthe. Riker suggests this planet is where Maddox made Soji. On the La Sirena, Rios suspects Narek is tracking the ship – and tells Jurati he thinks it's Raffi. Knowing it's actually her, thanks to a tracker given to her by Commodore Oh, the guilt seems to get to her, and she injects herself with a chemical that doesn't kill her, but puts her in a coma.

Verdict: This episode is a frustrating mix. Picard's reunion with Riker and Troi is easily the highlight, with some of the best writing and acting we've seen in the show so far. But killing off Hugh felt contrived and unnecessary. We already know Rizzo is evil, yet the show insists on proving it repeatedly. And Elnor continues to be wasted, hanging out on the Borg Cube for no real reason. But the Riker/Troi scenes ultimately win out, and I almost wish the whole series was as slow and character-focused as this.

Extra data

• Kestra, who seems to idolise Data, asks Soji if she loves Sherlock Holmes as much as he did. In the TNG episode 'Elementary, Dear Data' (S2E3), Data plays the role of the famous detective in a holodeck simulation that goes awry when villain Professor Moriarty becomes self-aware.

• Picard mentions his artificial heart, the story of which is told in the TNG episode 'Tapestry' (S6E15). As a young, reckless cadet, Picard started a bar brawl and ended up with a knife through the heart. This ultimately led to him maturing and becoming the man he is today.

• Riker and Troi's late son was named Thaddeus. In the Voyager episode 'Death Wish' (S2E18), in which Jonathan Frakes makes a cameo appearance, we learn that one of Riker's ancestors, Thaddeus Riker, was a colonel in the American Civil War, and fought for the Union Army.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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Star Trek has a long history of visualizing the future, creating worlds where advanced tech like transporter beams, tricorders and phasers has become commonplace. The franchise’s latest iteration, Star Trek: Picard, is going where no one has gone before, however, exploring a time period two decades after The Next Generation crew’s final voyage in Star Trek: Nemesis. 

For production designer Todd Cherniawsky, visualizing this strange new world is “a dream job and definitely a highlight of the career” – but it’s one that brings a unique set of challenges…

“Very quickly you realize that with it comes a tremendous amount of responsibility!” he laughs. “Touching any franchise is both an honor and a curse. You’re getting that opportunity to contribute to the canon, but the frightening thing is that you’re also contributing to the canon! What you’re adding to or subtracting from the past is sometimes quite daunting.”

That’s especially true now that the differences between our present and Star Trek’s future aren’t as stark as when Captain James T Kirk boldly went in the 1960s. Yes, transporter beams and interstellar travel are still the stuff of science fiction, but today’s computer tech makes the whirring, flashing lights of the original USS Enterprise bridge look rather out of date.

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“The future is now,” Cherniawsky tells us. “Our smartphones have almost risen to the level of what we have in the Star Trek world with the communicator and the tricorder. Granted, we’re not doing interstellar communication and we’re not diagnosing cancer with them, but let’s just cut to 25 or 30 years from now and we could be in a place where smartphones evolve into field instruments that can diagnose very rapidly. The tricky thing I always find with doing science fiction or forward-thinking films is trying to propel yourself into balancing what’s next, while also considering what’s current.”

The desire to keep things accurate meant that extensive research was a key part of the gig, as Cherniawsky and his team worked to keep on top of what’s happening in the real world.

“It’s about staying up-to-date with what futurists are predicting and what is happening with current science,” he explains. “Then the other 20% of the sauce is dreaming where it goes to next. In some ways Picard is like an industrial design or packaging exercise. We’re just trying to miniaturize or create better interfaces for [things that already exist]. It’s a bit of a perplexing assignment because as soon as you start to do research, magnificent new things are already being developed.”

As well as making sure that the tech of Star Trek: Picard is consistent with today’s, Cherniawsky had one eye on what existed in universe of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Particularly integral to the mix was LCARS (Library Computer Access/Retrieval System), the iconic touchscreen interface that powers Starfleet’s computers – and whose influence can arguably be seen in the modern-day Windows operating system.

“There were a handful of anchors that we did not deviate from,” Cherniawsky admits, “specifically [TNG production designer] Michael Okuda’s graphic design for LCARS. I had no interest in disrupting that or starting from scratch, but I was interested in thinking about how those interfaces would be further refined over the following 20 years so that a user could pick them up even more easily.”

With Jean-Luc Picard now retired from Starfleet, he has to hitch a ride on Cris Rios’s civilian ship, La Sirena. It’s the first time a non-Federation vessel has been the central location of a Trek TV show, and its interior is quite a departure – instead of that familiar bridge layout with the captain’s chair surrounded by multiple workstations, Rios’s craft is much more open plan.

“Rios is really a trucker in space and La Sirena is essentially meant as a kind of locomotive engine,” Cherniawsky points out. “It’s a freight delivery vehicle in its original design, hence its warehouse appearance. The idea is that it could both tug large containers or, if it had precious cargo, have it beamed into the ship. That’s why the transporter pad is based on the old-school freight transporter as opposed to the transporter for living beings with the familiar circular discs.”

Rios also flies the ship via a new kind of interface, using virtual, holographic controls to tell La Sirena what to do.

“That came from a lot of our research into what’s being done at places like Caltech, MIT Media Lab, Stanford, Oxford or any of the other high-tech labs,” Cherniawsky says. “With what they’re doing in experiments, we’re already into tactile interfaces based on light and touch. It just seemed like a natural progression to migrate towards holographic technology. That was a very early decision [in the development of the show].”

Another marked shift from previous Star Trek shows is the amount of time Picard has spent on Earth. In addition to Jean-Luc’s vineyard in France, we’ve visited Boston, San Francisco, Paris, and Okinawa, and all feel like recognizable locations given a slightly futuristic spin. We also get a glimpse of the more mundane side of life, with everyday items like taxis and even e-cigarettes receiving a 24th century makeover.

“That gets back to what I was mentioning about repackaging things that current and contemporary,” says Cherniawsky. “For example, Raffi’s living in a futuristic version of a trailer – it’s an old Federation feed container that she’s converted into an apartment and essentially dropped into the middle of the California desert. Things like that are always really enjoyable moments for a designer – putting them into the future, but keeping that ‘now’ familiarity.”

Tech’s involvement in the show isn’t just about the aesthetics, either, as Cherniawsky feels the gradual evolution of the gadgetry throughout the season is an important part of the storytelling.

“The word ‘grounded’ was used very early on,” he reveals. “Now that Picard has retired to his winery, he’s trying to follow a very traditional way of making wine, and it was very deliberate that we kept him a little bit shuttered in the past – we wanted to have the visual contrast with the end of the season, where we’ll see some pretty fantastical and wonderful things. For someone who was getting off the couch back onto a starship, there needed to be a proper dramatic arc. I think Sir Patrick Stewart was looking at Picard being to Star Trek as the movie Logan was to the X-Men universe – you’re not trying to get right into the flash-bang immediately.”

And when it comes to visualizing iconic science fiction worlds Cherniawsky should know what he’s talking about – he’s in the privileged position of having worked in both the Star Trek and Star Wars galaxies, having been supervising art director on The Last Jedi. So what’s the difference between designing for Star Wars and Star Trek?

“From a kind of cinematic definition, Star Trek is science fiction, Star Wars is science fantasy, so they have intrinsically different rules which you can move around in,” he explains. “My approach in Star Trek has been about not trying to bend the rules. 

“For example, phasers have a legitimate science to them, while a lightsaber does not – there is no world in which the rules of physics allow you to create a beam of light where you contain the photons to the level of energy that they’re talking about. With a phaser, however, we do have weapons – granted they’re the size of a large lorry – that have the ability to cut through steel, melt things or explode things that have water in them. That’s the big difference. You’re still trying to keep one foot in reality with Star Trek.”

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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Spoilers follow. 

Soji is dreaming. She's a young girl, walking through her house at night. She approaches her father working in a room filled with orchids. He calls her name and she wakes up. She tells Narek that she keeps having the same nightmare. On the La Sirena, Jurati lies to Picard about Maddox's death. He's uneasy about having to visit the Borg Cube where Soji currently is, noting that the last time he visited one it wasn't voluntary. Picard is angered by Jurati's claim that the Borg might have changed, and as he cools off in his holo-vineyard, Jurati and Rios sleep together.

Rizzo and Narek meet. She notices that he's always playing with a device that appears to be a kind of Romulan Rubik's Cube – which she calls a toy and he calls a tool. Narek says Soji's recurring dream is the key to discovering the location of "the homeworld", and if he can get her to tell him about it, he might be able to get the information without her activating her defense subroutines. On the La Sirena, a drunken Raffi, still depressed about her encounter with her son last week, calls an old friend at the Federation and gets Picard 24-hour diplomatic access to the Borg Cube.

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Narek confronts Soji and tells her that whenever she contacts her mother, the call always lasts precisely 70 seconds. Soji says she always falls asleep before the call ends. She returns to her quarters and calls her mother, and even though she tries to fight it, she falls asleep again. As she drifts off, the image of her mother flickers, making it fairly obvious to us that she's some kind of construct. Soji wakes up and scans objects from her childhood, which the computer reveals are actually only three years old.

Picard beams aboard the Borg Cube and is haunted by visions of his assimilation. He meets with Hugh – a Borg drone he rescued when he was captain of the Enterprise, now director of the Borg Reclamation Project – and they embrace warmly. He asks Hugh about Soji, who knows who she is, and correctly guesses that she's in danger. Elsewhere on the Cube, Narek takes Soji to a chamber where Romulans practice a form of meditation called a Zhal Makh. He takes her through the process, during which she recalls her dream in greater detail – including looking through a skylight and seeing two red moons, and violent lightning storms.

Rizzo has been secretly watching the ritual and relays this information – likely a clue to the location of the mysterious homeworld they're looking for – to her Zhat Vash superiors. A tearful Narek locks Soji in the chamber with his cube, which releases gas. But before it can kill her she activates, just like Dahj did before her, and punches a hole in the floor, escaping. Picard locates her and tells her why he's here. She decides to trust him and they escape to a distant planet together using a Spatial Trajector—a secret transporter used by the Borg Queen with a range of 40,000 light years. Elnor tells Picard he's going to stay behind and defend him, and the screen fades to black as the Romulans approach the transporter.

Verdict: The highlight of this episode was Picard revisiting his assimilation by the Borg; the focus of the classic Next Generation two-parter The Best of Both Worlds. We loved seeing him being reunited with Hugh, one of the few characters in this series who actually respects him. But there were a few less successful moments in the episode – particularly Jurati seducing Rios, which seemed wildly out of character, and Elnor's baffling decision to stay and fight the Romulans, despite the fact that Picard was already light years away.

Extra data

• Picard has flashbacks to his encounter with the Borg Queen. The Federation defeated the Queen during the events of Star Trek: Voyager, infecting her with a pathogen that ultimately killed her. It's unlikely she'll reappear in Picard, at least not in the present timeline.
• In Soji's dream she sees orchids in her father's lab. Her father was a xenobotanist, and the genetically-engineered orchids we see are named Orchidaceae Dahj Oncidium – after her sister. Of course, after this episode, how much of this is true is now up for debate.
• In the Borg Cube, Picard sees rows of regeneration alcoves. These are essentially charging stations for Borg drones, built using a technology that Data described as "far beyond our capabilities" in The Next Generation. Seven of Nine had to use one periodically aboard the USS Voyager.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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Spoilers follow. 

We're on the barren planet Vergessen, in a facility called The Seven Domes, and a man in a Starfleet uniform is being brutally operated on by an unknown party. His eye is removed, and we see that it's cybernetic – revealing that he was, at one time, assimilated by the Borg. It's clear from the flippant tone of the 'doctor' that this operation is being performed against the man's will. Suddenly, Seven of Nine appears. She kills everyone in the room, then weeps over the man on the table. "I'm so sorry, my child." she says as she mercy kills him.

It's 13 years later, the present day, and in Stardust City bar, a dishevelled Bruce Maddox sits in a booth. A woman approaches and he tells her that his facility was destroyed by the Tal Shiar, and that he doesn't know how he'll ever repay her loan. She offers him a drink and he accepts, choking and collapsing after taking a sip. Aboard the La Sirena, Seven of Nine and Picard meet in his holo-study and discuss his mission to find Soji. On the bridge, Raffi and Rios talk about Seven, noting that she used to be a Borg, and Dr. Jurati smiles as she watches a home video of her and Bruce Maddox baking cookies. Seems they were an item.

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Finally arriving at Freecloud, the crew of the La Sirena hatches a plan to extract Bruce Maddox from the clutches of Bjayzl, the woman who poisoned his drink – and the head of a powerful Stardust City crime syndicate. Seems Bjayzl is interested in Borg implants, especially if they're in a living body, and Seven agrees to pretend to be traded for Maddox. The crew beams down to the city in disguise, and Picard – wearing an eyepatch and sounding like Werner Herzog – presents Seven to Bjayzl, who recognises her. Elsewhere in Stardust City, Raffi locates her estranged son, Gabriel, who doesn't want her back in his life.

Back at the exchange, Seven suddenly grabs Bjayzl by the neck and tells Picard to take Maddox and go. It's revealed that Bjayzl was the one responsible for mutilating Seven's friend in the intro flashback, and many other former Borg, to harvest their parts. She's here to settle a score. Picard tells Seven there's no solace in revenge, and after a scuffle they all beam back to the La Sirena with Maddox. Seven says her goodbyes to Picard, but beams back to Stardust City and confronts Bjayzl. Despite Picard thinking there's a place for mercy in the galaxy, Seven disagrees and violently kills her old enemy.

In the sickbay of the La Sirena, Maddox is in bad shape. He tells Picard that Soji is aboard the Artifact – the Borg cube captured by the Romulans – and that he sent her and Dahj to find out the truth about an anti-synth conspiracy involving Starfleet. He says this is the same group that is now hunting Soji, and that they're hiding something about the ban on synths. Then, in the show's most shocking moment so far, Jurati cuts off Maddox's life support and kills him. "I wish you knew what I know." she says to him, her eyes filling with tears.

Verdict: Picard is really hitting its stride now, and we loved seeing the Blade Runner-esque Stardust City. Usually when we visit planets in Star Trek, it's clearly just a forest outside Los Angeles, or a cardboard set. But now with a modern TV budget, we're seeing the Trek universe as we never have before. This was a great caper episode, and we enjoyed the more light-hearted tone – at least until that grim ending.

Extra data

• In this episode Seven of Nine is revealed to be a member of the Fenris Rangers, an independent group of peacekeepers trying to maintain law and order in the Neutral Zone – including, with increasing difficulty, the troubled planet Vashti, which we visited last week.
• Brian Brophy played Bruce Maddox in Next Generation episode The Measure of a Man, but sadly not in Picard. He's now played by jobbing TV actor John Ales, who recently appeared alongside Bryan Cranston in cancelled Amazon crime drama Sneaky Pete.
• Seven of Nine mentions the USS Voyager, a Federation starship that, while it was lost in the Delta Quadrant, liberated her from the Borg Collective. She returned to the Alpha Quadrant aboard Voyager and lived on Earth, before later joining the Fenris Rangers.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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Looking for the Star Trek: Picard episode 5 release date? The latest show in the long-running and ever-popular Star Trek series releases every Thursday on CBS All Access in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video in international territories, which includes the UK and Australia.

By now you've seen episodes 1-4 of Picard, and JL is finally having Star Trek-shaped adventures on other planets. After a slow burn start to season 1, Picard looks like he's just acquired two new crew members, including Seven of Nine from Voyager and the Romulan Elnor. There are 10 total episodes in Star Trek: Picard season one that will release weekly, and a season 2 has already been confirmed. 

Below, we'll explain when you can watch Star Trek: Picard episode 5, and when we expect the reason of season one to arrive on CBS All Access and Amazon Prime Video. 

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When is the next episode of Star Trek: Picard?

Star Trek: Picard releases every Thursday on CBS All Access in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally. CBS All Access released Star Trek: Picard episodes 1, 2 and 3 at midnight PT, so we expect Star Trek: Picard episode 5 to be released on February 20 at midnight PT / 3AM ET. 

In international territories where Star Trek: Picard broadcast rights are owned by Amazon Prime Video, Star Trek: Picard is released the day after. So expect to see episode 5 on February 21. That said, Twitter users reported seeing the first episode drop at 11PM UK time on the Thursday, so it's possible you'll see each episode a little earlier. 

Star Trek: Picard release schedule

The show will release every Thursday throughout the next month or so. We've listed US dates followed by international dates below, and while they're subject to change, there's no reason to believe the schedule will be altered. 

• Star Trek: Picard episode 1: 'Remembrance' – 23 January (CBS AA), 24 January (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 2: 'Maps and Legends' – 30 January (CBS AA), 31 January (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 3: 'The End is the Beginning' – 6 February (CBS AA), 7 February (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 4: 'Absolute Candor' – 13 February (CBS AA), 14 February (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 5: 'Stardust City Rag' – 20 February (CBS AA), 21 February (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 6: 27 February (CBS AA), 28 February (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 7: 5 March (CBS AA), 6 March (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 8: 12 March (CBS AA), 13 March (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 9: 19 March (CBS AA), 20 March (Amazon)
• Star Trek: Picard episode 10: 26 March (CBS AA), 27 March (Amazon)

Star Trek: Picard season 2 is coming, too

Star Trek: Picard was renewed for a second season before the show even aired. Whoopi Goldberg will return as Guinan from The Next Generation for season 2, but otherwise we won't know what the producers have planned until season one is over. 

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Spoilers follow. 

On a desert planet called Vashti, Picard visits some of the Romulan refugees he's been helping to resettle. This was 14 years ago, when he was still an admiral with Starfleet. He meets with Zani, the leader of a group known as the Qowat Milat – Romulan warrior nuns and, as we learn later, enemies of the Tal Shiar. They're looking after a boy, Elnor, whom Picard seems to have a fondness for. He reads to him from The Three Musketeers and they enjoy a spot of play-fencing. Then Picard receives a call from Raffi: synths have attacked Mars.

Back in the present day, Picard explores a holodeck recreation of his vineyard on the La Sirena. Raffi is furious to discover that Picard has asked Rios to take a detour to Vashti. The planet is very different now, she says, ruled by warlords and protected by an impenetrable web of killer drones. Raffi softens when she realises that losing Dahj has made Picard think about his relationship with Elnor.

On the Borg cube, Soji watches a holo-recording of Ramdha talking about Ganmadan, the Day of Annihilation. She and other Romulans believe that "shackled demons" will one day break their chains and "answer the call of the Destroyer", which Soji has been referred to as several times—including once to her face by Ramdha.

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Troubled by this discovery, Soji meets with Narek and asks him what happened to Ramdha's ship, the Shaenor. He says that information is classified, stored on the Borg cube's computers, but that he might know someone who can access it. Soji also reveals to Narek that she knows he's spying on her. In turn, he says there are details about her past that don't add up. But before they can delve any deeper into their respective secrets, they goof around in an air vent together, sliding up and down it in their bare feet. Narek seems to be falling for Soji.

Picard beams down to Vashti and instead of the hero's welcome he got in the flashback, he's met with sneers and suspicious looks. A sign on a cafe reading ROMULANS ONLY is another clue that things have taken a turn for the worse here. He receives a warmer welcome from Zani, who is pleased to see him. She asks Picard to take Elnor, now a Qalankhkan, a mercenary, on his mission with him. She says he's grown into a formidable fighter. Elnor initially refuses, saying Picard abandoned him. But when Picard is almost killed by some angry Romulans, Elnor steps in and saves him, and agrees to "bind his blade" with him.

Back on the cube, Zhat Vash agent Rizzo is once again hassling Narek about his lack of progress in his mission. The goal, she says, is to kill "them all", and to find out where "the others" are. This is our first clue that there may be other Maddox-brand organic synths out there, not just Dahj and Soji. Narek is told he has one more week left.

Above Vashti, the La Sirena flees from a pursuing Romulan Bird of Prey, flown by a local warlord called Kar Kantar. Things are looking hopeless, but an unknown ship flies in and gives them a window to escape. Just before this mystery craft is destroyed by the Romulans, the pilot is beamed aboard the La Sirena and is revealed to be none other than Star Trek: Voyager's former Borg, Seven of Nine.

Verdict: This is the most Picard has felt like classic Star Trek, which may be a result of it being directed by series veteran Jonathan Frakes. We're no closer to Bruce Maddox, but this detour is worth it for the addition of both Seven of Nine and Elnor to the crew. Elnor is the star of the show here, being essentially a sci-fi Legolas from Lord of the Rings, and I can't wait to see more of him in future episodes. 

Extra data

• You can learn more about Picard's new allies, the Qowat Milat, in spin-off novel The Last Best Hope, written by Una McCormack. This group of warrior nuns believes in absolute truth, which makes them natural enemies of the shady, secretive Tal Shiar. 
• This is the first episode of Picard directed by Jonathan Frakes, who played William Riker in The Next Generation. Frakes has a long history of directing Star Trek, including episodes of TNG, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and Discovery. He also directed the movies First Contact and Insurrection, and PC game Star Trek: Klingon.
• Elnor briefly mentions Spot, Data's cat. According to the TNG short story anthology The Sky's the Limit, Worf took ownership of her following Data's death. After helping Worf sniff out an alien infestation on the Enterprise, he came to respect her as a warrior.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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A new 3D printing technique allows for the creation of small, finely detailed objects in under 30 seconds from start to finish.

EPFL’s Laboratory of Applied Photonics Devices has made the advance which is based on the principles of tomography (commonly used in medical imaging), and published the findings in the Nature Communications journal. A spin-off outfit, Readily3D, has already been formed to further develop and market the system.

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The process is a new spin on stereolithography (SLA), whereby instead of a single laser, multiple lasers coming from different directions simultaneously are used to form the item from liquid plastic (or a biological gel).

Paul Delrot, CTO of Readily3D explains: “The laser hardens the liquid through a process of polymerization. Depending on what we’re building, we use algorithms to calculate exactly where we need to aim the beams, from what angles, and at what dose.”

The end effect is that the object being printed appears to be produced out of thin air in a matter of seconds, like something out of a sci-fi show (Gizmodo, which spotted this development, likened it to Star Trek’s replicator).

Massive potential

At the moment, the system can be used to make tiny objects with very high levels of detail. It’s capable of printing objects of 2cm in size with a precision of 80 micrometers (that’s about the same thickness as a strand of hair, in case you were wondering).

In the future, it’s expected that bigger objects will be feasible as the team develops the capabilities of the system, with sizes up to around 15cm.

Potential applications for the printing process include interior design and medical use, including the possibility of producing the likes of mouthguards, or even human tissue and organs.

Damien Loterie, CEO of Readily3D, noted that they’ve already worked with a surgeon to make 3D-printed arteries, and that “trial results were extremely encouraging” by all accounts.

3D printing is already making major strides regarding the possibility of making human organs, with Chinese researchers developing a method using a fluid matrix.

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Spoilers follow. 

At Starfleet HQ in San Francisco, Picard talks to Raffi, the woman he met in the desert at the end of the previous episode. This is a flashback, and they're both still members of Starfleet. The official explanation for the synths going rogue on Mars was a fatal error in their OS, but Raffi thinks that's bullshit. She suspects the Tal Shiar. Back in the present day, at her home by the famous Vasquez Rocks, Picard asks her to help him find Bruce Maddox. She's angry, blaming him for her losing her job at Starfleet. But she knows a good pilot, Rios.

At the Romulan reclamation site, a derelict Borg cube, the executive director of the project, Hugh, praises Soji for her work. They meet with a Romulan woman, Ramdha, who is recovering from Borg assimilation. Soji is confused that she suddenly knows everything about the woman; that she was on the last ship to be assimilated by the cube. And she's even more confused when the patient says she knows Soji, that she remembers her "from tomorrow." She calls Soji "Seb-Cheneb, the Destroyer" and angrily asks which sister she is.

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At the Daystrom Institute, Jurati is approached by Starfleet Commodore Oh – who was revealed to be an undercover Zhat Vash agent last week. She wants to talk to Jurati about her recent visits with Picard. In a starship orbiting Earth, Picard meets with his roguish new pilot, Rios. He once served as XO aboard a Federation ship, the Ibn Majid, but for reasons yet to be revealed, Starfleet erased all records of it. Later, Rios's Emergency Navigation Hologram, who looks just like him, recounts Picard's many achievements. "Arbiter of Succession for the Klingon Empire. Chief contact with the Q Continuum. Saviour of Earth from Borg Invasion." Well, at least someone remembers.

Just as Picard is saying his goodbyes at the vineyard, ready to head off into space to find Bruce Maddox, more of those black-clad Zhat Vash assassins appear. But, luckily, Laris and Zhaban are there – former members of the Tal Shiar, the Romulan secret police – and they fight the killers off with relative ease. One survives and they tie him to a chair and interrogate him. He refuses to talk, but when Picard asks why they killed "the girl", Dahj, the assassin says she's no girl. She's not what he thinks she is, he says. She's the end of all, the Destroyer. Before they can ask any more questions, the assassin gruesomely kills himself.

Back at the cube, Narek tells Soji he's falling in love with her. But we know from last week that he's playing her, secretly working with the Zhat Vash. He meets with Narissa Rizzo, who says Soji is an "extraordinary piece of machinery." Narek says she doesn't know what she is yet, and that it might be best to keep that information from her for now. Maybe he really is falling for her? Back on Rios's ship, the La Sirena, Jurati joins Picard, saying she'll be an asset to the mission. We also see that Raffi has come aboard, and has located Maddox in a place called Freecloud. As Picard gives his first engage order of the series, the ship warps away from Earth, out into the stars.

Verdict: After a fast-paced first two episodes, things have slowed down. We learn a little more about the Romulan reclamation project, but the introduction of the mystery patient, and her knowledge of Soji, raises a lot more questions. Picard finally gets a ship, but we've yet to see him back where he belongs, in space. This is a good episode, but feels like a build-up to something more exciting next week. 

Extra data

• Hugh, whose face has traces of Borg assimilation, has appeared in Star Trek before. In the TNG episode 'I Borg', the Enterprise rescues him from a crashed starship, and he ends up leading a group of renegade Borg who have been freed from the influence of the Collective.
• Rios seems to like hanging out with holograms, including his ship's EMH, or Emergency Medical Hologram. The most famous of these is undoubtedly The Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, who was forced to step and become the lost ship's chief medical officer.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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Spoilers follow. 

We begin with a flashback, 14 years ago, to the Utopia Planitia shipyards on Mars. It's First Contact Day, a celebration of the day humanity first made contact with the Vulcans. In the shipyards, humans work alongside primitive androids: so-called Synthetic Labour Units. One of these androids, F8, seems to have a playful relationship with his fleshy colleagues – although some are more mocking than friendly. But then his eyes suddenly begin to flicker and he uses a computer console to lower the facility's deflector shields. As alien ships attack, F8 brutally kills his co-workers, then turns the phaser on himself.

At Château Picard, Laris, Zhaban and Picard watch a recording of the attack in San Francisco. There's no trace of Dahj, as if she's been somehow erased. Laris, a former member of the Tal Shiar, the Romulan secret police, tells Picard that the group might be responsible. She says they have a deep loathing of synthetic life, noting that there are no androids in Romulan culture. At Dahj's apartment in Boston, Laris determines that the assassins wiped any clues to the crime, but finds a reference to Dahj's twin, Soji, in her call records. She's off-world somewhere, but they don't know where.

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At the Romulan reclamation site – which we now know to be the remnants of a Borg cube – Soji and Narek, a Romulan, share a bed. She refers to the cube as 'the artifact' and notes that it has been severed from the Borg collective. He suggests that Narek isn't really his name, and that them sleeping together has to be kept secret. Back at Château Picard, Picard's doctor – an old friend with whom he served on his first ship, the Stargazer – tells him he has an abnormality in his brain that will eventually kill him. Undeterred, Picard asks the doctor to clear him for Starfleet duty so he can go and find Dahj's twin.

Picard travels to Starfleet HQ in San Francisco. He meets with an Admiral Clancy and asks to be reinstated to Starfleet, saying he's happy to be demoted to captain. Clancy angrily refuses his request, accusing him of hubris and calling him a "once great man desperate to matter." At the reclamation site, Soji prepares to enter the Grey Zone on a research mission, where she is "likely to encounter former members of the Borg collective." If her safety badge flashes green, she has one simple instruction: run. We also learn that Narek is the director of this project. Why are the Romulans so interested in the Borg?

Dr. Jurati from the Daystrom Institute arrives at the vineyard. Picard catches her leafing through an Isaac Asimov book, but says he never really cared for science fiction himself. Jurati tells Picard that Dahj's identity was too perfect, indicating that it was fabricated – and as recently as three years ago. Later, Picard is in his study and removes an item from a box: his old Starfleet badge, which he pins to his chest. He taps it, contacting someone, and says he needs a ship, and we hear echoes of the Next Generation theme. Seems Picard is going back into space, with or without the help of Starfleet.

At Starfleet HQ, Admiral Clancy tells her superior, a commodore, about Picard's request. The commodore seems concerned that Picard knows so much about Dahj and Soji, and about Bruce Maddox's experiments with organic synthetics. She calls in a Lieutenant Rizzo, and it's revealed that they're both undercover Romulans working with the Tal Shiar – and that they were behind the attack on Picard and Dahj in the previous episode. "Your team destroyed the thing before it could be interrogated." she says angrily, referring to Dahj. The commodore says Rizzo has one more opportunity; Rizzo says her best man is on it.

It seems Narek is not just the director of the reclamation site, but also a part of the Tal Shiar conspiracy. Rizzo appears in his quarters through a holo-communicator and asks him if he's found the nest yet, and whether "the machine" (presumably Soji) has given up the location of "its fellow abominations" yet. Narek says he hasn't, and Rizzo indicates that if he doesn't get results soon, she'll have no choice but to try her approach. Back on Earth, Picard is in the desert and approaches a phaser-toting woman who orders him to leave. She lowers the weapon when Picard mentions the Romulan assassins he encountered, and the offer of a bottle of his vineyard's wine sweetens the deal.

Verdict: This is another great episode, with revelations you'd expect to see later in a season, not two hours in. A conspiracy at the heart of Starfleet is a shocking and unexpected twist, and Picard's newfound awareness of his fragile mortality will give Patrick Stewart plenty to chew on. 

He remains superb, and seeing Picard digging out his old Starfleet badge was a cathartic moment. The most intriguing thing in this episode is what exactly the Romulans want with the Borg cube, and why Soji refers to it as 'the artifact' with such reverence.

Extra data

• When Picard meets his new ally in the desert, her home is next to a very familiar-looking rock formation. This spike of rock has appeared in countless films and TV shows over the years, and is where Captain Kirk famously fought the Gorn in classic Trek episode 'Arena'.
• You can learn more about Laris and Zhaban, and why they're so loyal to Picard, in the prequel comic series Picard: Countdown. The comic also reveals more details about Picard's controversial formation of a rescue armada in the wake of the destruction of Romulus.
• The Tal Shiar, an elite Romulan intelligence agency, has appeared, or been mentioned, in Star Trek before. In the Next Generation episode Face of the Enemy, Deanna Troi finds herself posing as a Tal Shiar agent, having been surgically altered to look like a Romulan.

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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If you've been watching Star Trek: Picard, you may have a few questions about Data, the android who appears in Picard's dreams – and who may very well be the 'father' of new characters Dahj and Soji. Data was an important character in The Next Generation, which this new series is a direct continuation of, and he led an interesting life. So here's everything you need to know about Lieutenant Commander Data, including how he ultimately died in the movie Star Trek: Nemesis.

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Who is Data?

Data was an android designed by Dr. Noonian Soong, a brilliant cyberneticist. Other androids exist in the greater Star Trek universe, but Data's positronic brain gave him a greater depth and nuance of personality – to the point where the Federation considered him sentient, with the same rights as any biological being. 

Data was unable to feel emotion, however, and struggled to understand the many idiosyncrasies of the human race. But he was still capable of loyalty, wisdom, friendship and sensitivity, which earned him many friends when he served aboard the Federation starship Enterprise.

How did Data join Starfleet?

A mysterious alien life-form known as the Crystalline Entity destroyed a colony on the planet Omicron Theta, and Data's deactivated body was discovered among the debris by the USS Tripoli. He was revived by the Federation, and was accepted into Starfleet Academy when it became apparent that he had achieved a level of sentience never before seen in a synthetic being. 

Data graduated, despite the social challenges of being the only android in the academy, and served as an ensign aboard the USS Trieste, before being assigned to the Enterprise-D in 2364 – which is where we meet him in The Next Generation.

How did Data die in Star Trek: Nemesis?

Nemesis was the last of the Next Generation movies. Released in 2002, it starred Tom Hardy as Shinzon, a clone of Picard who stages a violent coup and becomes leader of the Romulan Empire. At the end of the movie, Data sacrifices his own life to save Picard's, destroying Shinzon's ship in the process. Before he died, Data downloaded his memories into a prototype Soong-type android, B-4. But this model's positronic brain was not as advanced as Data's, meaning he had none of his brother's individuality or personality: just raw memories.

How can Data be in Star Trek: Picard?

Brent Spiner reprises his role as Data in Star Trek: Picard, only in dreams so far. Picard is still haunted by the loss of his friend, and the heroic sacrifice he made to save his life. So whenever you see Data in the new series, it's Picard experiencing a vision; an echo of the past. But who knows what the rest of the series has in store? Perhaps we'll see a return of the old Data at some point in this story – although that might cheapen his sacrifice in Star Trek: Nemesis somewhat.

Is Data still alive in Star Trek: Picard? 

Alas, the Data we knew from The Next Generation is gone forever. But a major plot point in season one of Picard is his memories – the ones he downloaded to B-4 – being used to create two 'daughters', Dahj and Soji. These android twins were designed by Dr. Bruce Maddox, a cyberneticist, using a process called fractal neuronic cloning. So while Lieutenant Commander Data of the USS Enterprise, lover of cats and Sherlock Holmes, is no more, his spirit lives on in them.

Star Trek: Picard is released every Thursday on CBS All Access in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime internationally. 

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Spoilers follow. 

Bing Crosby croons his 1946 hit Blue Skies as we swoop towards The Next Generation's Enterprise-D, looking every bit as majestic as it did back in the '90s. Jean-Luc Picard is playing poker with Lieutenant Commander Data – his old android friend, who sacrificed himself at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis. Data vanishes and Picard looks through a window, realizing the ship is orbiting Mars. Then, an explosion. A big one. Picard wakes up, climbs out of bed, and looks over the idyllic vineyard he's retired to. Just a bad dream. Or was it?

In Boston, a woman called Dahj and her boyfriend celebrate. She says she's just been accepted into the Daystrom Institute as a research fellow in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Consciousness. But the celebration is rudely interrupted by black-clad assassins. Dahj's boyfriend is killed, but before they can finish the job, something stirs within her. One of the assassins yells "She's activating!" Suddenly, Dahj is a martial arts expert, killing the assassins like she's done it a thousand times before. Then she has a vision: it's Picard, staring back at her.

Back at the vineyard, Picard is being interviewed live on TV. It's the anniversary of the destruction of the planet Romulus; a tragedy that saw Picard leaving the Enterprise to command a rescue armada. Picard says it was the right thing to do, despite the fact that the Romulans are the Federation's oldest enemy. Then the reporter throws a curveball that makes him visibly uncomfortable. Rogue synthetics attacked Mars, destroyed the Federation's Utopia Planitia shipyards, and wiped out the rescue armada—leading to a ban on androids. "Did you ever lose faith in him?" the reporter asks, referring to Data. "Never," says Picard.

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Dahj wanders the rain-soaked streets of Boston, scared and confused, when she sees Picard's interview on a TV screen. Recognizing him from her vision, she makes her way to the vineyard and confronts him. "Do you know me?" She tells Picard about the assassins; about her newfound abilities. She says she knows Picard, not from his reputation as a legendary Starfleet captain, but in a way that is "older, deeper." That night, Picard has another dream about Data. The android is painting a picture: a hooded woman in white by a stormy sea. Picard wakes up in his study, turns around, and sees the very same painting hanging above his desk.

Picard travels to the Starfleet Archives in San Francisco. In a room filled with artifacts from the past, including a model of the Enterprise, a Klingon bat'leth, and a banner celebrating 'Captain Picard Day', he unfurls an old painting. It's the woman in white again, but in this painting, which is titled Daughter, her head is turned towards us—and she looks exactly like Dahj. Later, Picard suggests that Dahj is artificial; that she could be Data's daughter. She insists that she's human and says that if she is a synthetic, then her life is meaningless. "You are the daughter of a man who was all meaning," Picard reassures her. "All courage. Be like him."

Their conversation is interrupted by the return of the assassins—who are revealed to be Romulans. Dahj fights them off valiantly, but one of their phasers self-destructs, causing a massive explosion that engulfs her in flames. Picard wakes up in the vineyard and swears to find out who killed her and why. "I haven't been living," he says, in the episode's most stirring moment. "I've been waiting to die." Knowing that Dahj was accepted into the Daystrom Institute in Okinawa, he travels there and meets with a Dr. Agnes Jurati, an expert in synthetics.

Picard asks Jurati if it's possible to create an android from flesh and blood. She says it's impossible, but that a scientist, Bruce Maddox, was close to creating an android with the same depth and nuance of personality as Data using the part of his neural net – which he uploaded to a prototype Noonian Soong android called B-4 before he died. Maddox has since gone missing, but Picard seems to think Dahj may be the result of these experiments – that Data's essence was in her, that she was created by Maddox in the image of Data's painting. Jurati also reveals that these androids were created in pairs. "So there's another one." says Picard.

At a Romulan reclamation site – an immense structure with warbird starships coming and going – a man approaches a woman, Dr. Asher. She turns around and we see that she's the exact double of Dahj. The man says his name is Narek, that he has questions for her. There's something sinister about him, but she doesn't seem to notice. He tells her about losing his brother last year, but stops himself, saying a doctor must be sick of hearing people's sob stories. "Guess again," she says with a smile. Then the camera pulls back out of the structure, revealing what it really is: a Borg cube, seemingly being reconstructed by the Romulans.

Verdict: This is a strong first episode, and we're relieved Picard isn't just a series of nostalgic moments aimed at Next Generation fans. It uses the original series as the basis for a fresh, exciting new story, and we love how the destruction of Romulus—a major event in the 2009 JJ Abrams film—has been woven into the plot. 

Patrick Stewart is, predictably, superb. Picard is wiser and wearier, but still has that old fire in him—the urge to rise above and do the right thing. His relationship with Data was a highlight of the old show and we're delighted it's being explored more here. We're also intrigued by the appearance of that derelict Borg cube, and whether Picard's assimilation by the Borg in The Next Generation will return to haunt him once again.

Extra data

• The Daystrom Institute is named after Dr. Richard Daystrom, an influential human scientist who appeared in The Ultimate Computer, a 1968 episode of the original Star Trek TV show. The Daystrom Institute is also mentioned many times in The Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine.
• Spock attempted to prevent the destruction of Romulus, but ended up being transported to the alternate timeline established in the 2009 Star Trek reboot. In Picard we see the fallout from the disaster, and how it affected the so-called Prime timeline – which this new series takes place in.
• Bruce Maddox was a Starfleet cyberneticist who appeared in the classic Next Generation episode, The Measure of a Man. He was seeking to reverse-engineer Data's brain; a train of thought that seems to have, in a roundabout way, led to the creation of Dahj. Will we see him in future episodes?

Star Trek: Picard is available to watch on CBS All Access every Thursday in the US, and every Friday on Amazon Prime Video internationally.

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