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One Star Trek myth is not at all true, and another is as true as ever. Captain Kirk never actually uttered a phrase widely considered to be part and parcel of Star Trek lore: “Beam me up, Scotty.” However, Dr. McCoy did declare, “I’m a doctor, not a…” on multiple occasions. And by Dr. McCoy, we mean both the Og ship’s medic, DeForest Kelley, and the Kelvin timeline’s iteration, Karl Urban.

Here are three of our favorite instances of McCoy barking “I’m a doctor, not a…” Please note that we are not including variations of the line from The Original Series, like “What am I, a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?” (from “The Corbomite Maneuver”) or “I’m not a magician, Spock, just an old country doctor” (from “The Deadly Years”).

McCoy, in “The Devil in the Dark,” expressed exasperation at being ordered to “Help it.

One of the most enduring heroes in all of science fiction is James Tiberius Kirk, protagonist of "Star Trek: The Original Series" and its accompanying films. Iconically played by William Shatner for much of the character's history, Kirk's legacy has spread into subsequent "Star Trek" shows and movies. While actors like "Star Trek" 2009's Chris Pine and "Star Trek: Discovery" cast member Paul Wesley have provided their own modern depictions of Kirk, Shatner's confidently assured captain is still the gold standard for the character. As the captain of the USS Enterprise, Kirk leads his crew to explore the galaxy and spread the United Federation of Planets' ethos of peaceful coexistence.

For the foundations of what makes Kirk such an effective sci-fi character, there are plenty of "Tos" episodes highlighting his qualities and Shatner's performance. These range from showing the more action-ready side of the venerable Starfleet officer to his more vulnerable and compassionate moments.

Despite being nominated for three Academy Awards, Star Trek: The Motion Picture wasn't a fan favorite film. Though the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series were reunited onscreen for the first time in ten years, the movie wasn't the best it could have been for some fans. There were criticisms about the characters and how most of their time was spent staring at a screen. That was a concern for the actors, too.

In The Fifty Year Mission The First Twenty-Five Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, DeForest Kelley was quoted as saying "the characterizations were not there." He was worried about what this would mean to the film, and so were William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. So the actors chose to intervene.

Kelley said "We had to put up a great fight. I think anyone will tell you that if the actors hadn't fought like hell to reestablish those relationships,...

Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek became a pop cultural phenomenon upon release back in the ‘60s. Despite only lasting three seasons, the story of space exploration in the future and diplomatic missions became extremely engaging to fans and the core cast like William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy became legends.

The original series had always been a story of three: Shatner’s Kirk, Nimoy’s Spock, and DeForest Kelley’s McCoy. The latter reportedly faced the brunt of the stardom as he only got typecast in McCoy-esque roles after his tenure in Star Trek. The actor mentioned that he was taken by surprise as he felt he had the most human character in the series.

Actor DeForest Kelley regretted one thing about being a Star Trek actor A still from Star Trek | Credits: Paramount

William Shatner has been in multiple shows such as T.J. Hooker, The Practice, and its spinoff show Boston Legal.

Star Trek: The Next Generation had some notable guest stars over its seven season run, including Dwayne Johnson, Teri Hatcher, Mick Fleetwood, and Seth MacFarlane. Star Trek: The Original Series actor DeForest Kelley even put in an appearance in the pilot episode "Encounter at Far Point" before three other iconic characters from The Original Series made their debuts. Mark Lenard [Sarek], Jimmy Doohan [Scotty], and Leonard Nimoy [Spock] were all part of the series, with Nimoy in a two-part episode.

Not all of the actors on The Next Generation had the opportunity to work with the actors from The Original Series, and for Marina Sirtis, she was very hurt, according to an interview in the August/September 1997 edition of Star Trek Communication, The Magazine of The Official Star Trek Fan Club, that she never got to work with Leonard Nimoy.

Sirtis filmed a scene with Doohan that was deleted, and she...

Star Trek: The Original Series had a formula that worked for it at the time. The main focus of the show was on Captain James T. Kirk [William Shatner] leading the Enterprise into space battles with Mr. Spock [Leonard Nimoy] being the voice of reason and the font of scientific knowledge. Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy [DeForest Kelley] was usually part of the three, playing wonderfully off Spock's irritating logic. But in the three years the series was on the air, we never really got to know the characters.

Their pasts came out in bits and pieces, with the exception of Bones, who we never really got to know at all. DeForest Kelley said essentially the same thing in an interview with Dan Madsen in the July/August 1995 edition of Star Trek Communicator, the magazine of Star Trek: The Official Fan Club. "I never felt that he [Bones] was utilized to his fullest,...

In the "Star Trek" episode "The Empath", Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) are on an away mission when they are abruptly kidnapped by off-screen aliens and deposited in a mysterious, blackened chamber somewhere beneath the planet's surface. While trapped, they encounter a mute woman in purple whom McCoy names Gem (Kathryn Hays). Gem, they find, has an extraordinary superpower. When someone is injured, Gem can heal them by absorbing their wounds into herself. She feels an equal amount of pain. The wound is then healed rapidly.

Gem ends up having plenty of opportunities to use her superpowers as the four characters are repeatedly tortured by evil, large-skulled aliens called Vians (played by Alan Bergmann and Willard Sage). The Vians spend the bulk of the episode tormenting and injuring the Enterprise crew members, sometimes while Gem watches. Gem, meanwhile, offers to heal them each time,...

With the Paramount+ streaming movie Star Trek: Section 31 premiering on January 24th, anticipation for an exciting new addition to the Star Trek universe is high. Academy award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou heads the cast as leader of the Terran Empire from the Mirror Universe. Yeoh is reprising her role as the complicated, battle-ready leader who was introduced in the series Star Trek: Discovery. Section 31 refers to a covert intelligence organization that carries out shadow missions outside the jurisdiction of the United Federation of Planets, that has been in existence since the beginning of Starfleet in the 22nd Century.

According to Inverse, Section 31 will occur in the 24th Century. It will reveal where the intrepid mirror Georgiou ended up after stepping through the Guardian of Forever in Season 3 of Discovery. This standalone movie was originally slated to be produced as a television series, but it’s my bet...

Star Trek has only hinted at the events of Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the USS Enterprise's "lost years". In Star Trek's timeline, the 5-year mission of Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise seen in Star Trek: The Original Series took place from 2265-2269. Star Trek: The Motion Picture picked up in the 2270s, and the rest of the Star Trek: The Original Series movies follow a relatively tight chronology from 2285-2293, when Kirk and his Enterprise crew permanently go their separate ways.

Star Trek's 23rd century is well-documented overall. Although the events of the first four and a half decades of the 23rd century are largely unrecorded, between Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: The Original Series, and the first six Star Trek movies, there is a clear picture from the mid-2250s to 2293. However, in...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has introduced a classic legacy character in both of its season finales thus far, so who should appear in season 3? Set years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series, Strange New Worlds follows the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise. Eventually, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) will take over command of this iconic starship from Captain Pike. Strange New Worlds' season 1 finale introduced Paul Wesley as an alternate future version of Captain Kirk and as Lt. James T. Kirk in a photo.

With a more substantial role in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, Paul Wesley has made the character of James Kirk his own, while still honoring the actors who played the role before him. Ethan Peck's Lieutenant Spock was introduced in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 and remains central to Strange New Worlds.

Star Trek: The Original Series can be viewed in two different orders, but which one is best? With its premiere in 1966, Star Trek: The Original Series launched a franchise that is still going strong nearly 60 years later. Following the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise, Star Trek introduced the world to Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision for the future. Captain Kirk, Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) quickly became a beloved and iconic trio who left their mark on popular culture.

Whereas heavily serialized, binge-worthy shows dominate the television landscape today, this was not the case during the 1960s. Television shows of that era were episodic, meaning each episode followed its own self-contained story. Star Trek: The Original Series followed this model, making the viewing order ultimately less important than it is for many modern shows. Still, some...

Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) served as the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Enterprise-d for six out of Star Trek: The Next Generation's seven seasons, but her Starfleet rank was rarely mentioned. Introduced in Tng's first episode, Gates McFadden was a Star Trek: The Next Generation series regular. Dr. Crusher was one of the original crew members of the Enterprise-d, serving under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Crusher and Picard had romantic feelings for one another, although they didn't officially embark on a romance on screen. Crusher lived on the Enterprise with her child-prodigy teenage son, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton).

Throughout her six seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beverly Crusher treated the injuries and illnesses of the USS Enterprise-d's crew. Dr. Crusher was a skilled scientist who helped investigate strange phenomena and helped find cures for alien ailments that infected the Enterprise. On...

With its premiere in 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture launched the Star Trek franchise into a new era of big-screen adventures for Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew. In the opening sequence of director Robert Wise's special effects extravaganza, a massive space cloud easily destroys three Klingon vessels before continuing its course to Earth. When the Starfleet monitoring station, Epsilon IX, informs Starfleet Command of this approaching cloud, they assign the newly retrofitted USS Enterprise to intercept the entity before it reaches Earth.

With its stunning visuals and quintessentially Star Trek story, Star Trek: The Motion Picture set box office records at the time of its release. However, the film was met with mixed reviews, with some critiquing its slow pacing and reliance on visual effects. Still, Star Trek: The Motion Picture remains beloved by many fans, and it remains a crucial part of Star Trek's timeline.

Star Trek's Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard) was not always a great father to his son, Spock (Leonard Nimoy), but he became one of the most influential Vulcans of all time. Despite Sarek's rigid adherence to Vulcan logic, he fell in love with and married a human woman named Amanda Grayson (Jane Wyatt). With a Vulcan father and a human mother, Spock felt caught between two worlds on Star Trek: The Original Series. Ambassador Sarek wanted his son to embrace his Vulcan side and reject human emotion, but this did not come naturally to Spock.

Sarek and Amanda first appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 10, "Journey to Babel," when they traveled to a conference aboard the USS Enterprise of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Throughout his long career as a Vulcan Ambassador, Sarek helped negotiate numerous treaties and aided in the initial peace talks between the...

Star Trek: The Original Series had three core characters that most of the episodes were based around—Captain James T. Kirk [William Shatner], Mr. Spock [Leonard Nimoy], and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy [DeForest Kelley]. The remaining cast were supporting characters that were offered little in the way of character arcs.

To one Star Trek: Enterprise actor, Anthony Montogmery, who portrayed Travis Mayweather for four seasons, Enterprise became just like The Original Series. In an interview Montgomery gave Trekmovie, when asked if they [his fellow actors Connor Trinneer, John Billingsley, and Dominic Keating] had any knowledge about the potential plans for their charactes had the series been renewed for a fifth season, he said he would have liked to have learned more about his character. He followed that desire with a statement of how things had unfolded on Enterprise, "You guys saw Enterprise, our series became likeThe Original Series. It was about the captain,...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is primed to answer one of the biggest mysteries from William Shatner's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Although Sybok (Lawrence Luckinbill), the older, Vulcan half-brother of Spock (Leonard Nimoy), was ostensibly Star Trek V's villain, Shatner's movie unveiled the film's true antagonist: a malevolent alien posing as God (George Murdock). Surprisingly, Strange New Worlds reintroduced Sybok to its pre-Star Trek: The Original Series era. Maybe Strange New Worlds can do the same for "God."

Sybok's quest in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier led him to hijack the USS Enterprise-a commanded by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Sybok needed Kirk's starship to transport him and his followers to Sha Ka Ree, a fabled planet at the center of the galaxy protected by the Great Barrier. Sybok believed Sha Ka Ree was the source of all creation, the equivalent of what humans call Eden,...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has yet to introduce the iconic Star Trek: The Original Series character, Hikaru Suku, who could be the perfect rival for Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia). As a prequel to Tos, Strange New Worlds has introduced updated versions of beloved characters alongside some great new faces. From Celia Rose Gooding's Lt. Nyota Uhura to Christina Chong's Lt. LA'an Noonien-Singh, Strange New Worlds has done an excellent job casting Star Trek characters both old and new.

While several characters from Star Trek: The Original Series have already appeared on Strange New Worlds, a couple of the biggest names have yet to debut. Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) was a key part of Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) Starship Enterprise crew from the beginning and became most well-known as the ship's pilot. Sulu was initially conceived as a physicist and wore science division blue,...

Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31, streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Sophy Holland/Paramount+

Paramount+ revealed the official trailer for its original movie Star Trek: Section 31 during the Paramount+ presentation at Ccxp in São Paolo, Brazil. The movie will premiere on Friday, January 24, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and international markets where the service is available.

In the movie, Michelle Yeoh reprises her fan-favorite role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou – a character she played in Star Trek: Discovery – who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.

Star Trek: Section 31 also stars Omari Hardwick (Power), Emmy® winner Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso), Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim), Kacey Rohl (Hannibal), Sven Ruygrok (One Piece), James Hiroyuki Liao (Barry), Humberly Gonzalez (Ginny & Georgia) and Joe Pingue (The Expanse). Miku Martineau (Kate) portrays a young Philippa Georgiou.

Star Trek: The Original Series produced some incredible episodes throughout its three-year run, making it difficult to narrow a best-of list down to 10. The Star Trek franchise has become a pop culture juggernaut, but it all began with the iconic adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley). Gene Roddenberry depicted a utopian future where humanity's main goal had become exploration. While Roddenberry's vision may have been limited by the culture of the 1960s, Star Trek nevertheless presented a revolutionary and incredibly progressive view of the future.

Star Trek: The Original Series holds up well nearly 60 years after its premiere, thanks largely to the strength of its characters and stories. Characters like Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) and Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) may not have gotten as much screen time as the main trio, but they became iconic in their own right.

"Star Trek" is a rich and sprawling corner of the media landscape. Countless shows and movies have popped up every few years ever since Gene Roddenberry came along with the idea for the franchise -- that and when Lucille Ball put everything on the line to make the original "Star Trek" series a reality over half a century ago. That three-season show has since become a staple item for sci-fi fans of all walks. It features classic characters like William Shatner's rule-breaking Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy's stoic Mr. Spock. It also kicked off with Captain Christopher Pike, a Starfleet commander who has resurfaced in the presently airing, nostalgia-laced spin-off series "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

While the original "Star Trek" series as a whole is hallowed ground for sci-fi aficionados, there's one episode in particular that stands out from the rest: "The City on the Edge of Forever.

Fashion in Sci-Fi movies has always played a crucial role in setting the tone and immersing audiences in otherworldly experiences. However, it is far more than a simple glimpse of the future — sci-fi costuming is key to bringing characters and their environments to life, whether they're dystopian or ideal. When it comes to alien depictions in sci-fi movies (such as the Xenomorph from Alien), it doesn't always feel exciting to imagine actually living in such a future.

On the other hand, there are movies where costume design is taken to the next level, making the viewer not only appreciate the world on screen but also wish they could be part of it. Personally, certain outfits have completely pulled me into these futuristic visions. While the exotic fabrics, unusual cuts, and often unconventional silhouettes might not be realistic in our current world, the future might just hold a space for them.

Star Trek: Enterprise's Jonathan Archer was Captain of the Enterprise in the 22nd century, but it's possible Archer could cross over into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Archer's pioneering voyages commanding the Nx-01 started in 2151, with a jump ahead in Star Trek: Enterprise's series finale showing Archer delivering a speech that would mark the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161. However, there is a chance Jonathan Archer is still alive in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' 23rd century.

Humans in Star Trek don't have the lifespans of Vulcans, but advanced medicine of the future, good genetics, and a lot of luck have allowed some humans to live over a century. In Star Trek: The Next Generation's series premiere, an elderly Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) visited the USS Enterprise-d in the 24th century. Bones was 137 years old in Tng. Means like being trapped in a...

Star Trek 4 has been delayed for over 8 years, but if it happens, the fourth J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek movie can finally introduce Nurse Christine Chapel. Abrams successfully rebooted Star Trek in 2009 and proved that the iconic characters from Star Trek: The Original Series could be recast with younger actors. However, one significant Tos character who hasn't been seen in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek is Nurse Chapel.

Originally played by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, Nurse Chapel was the main assistant to USS Enterprise Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in Star Trek: The Original Series. Chapel was primarily known for her unrequited love for Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has revitalized Nurse Chapel. Played by Jess Bush, Strange New Worlds has given Chapel a richer character and more agency so that Christine is now a brilliant, resourceful, and determined Starfleet Officer who...

Star Trek: The Original Series first aired in 1966, over fifty-eight years ago. The series starred William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Majel Barret-Roddenberry, James Doohan, and George Takei. Although the focus of the show was mainly on Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley, the other actors appeared in many of the series' seventy-nine episodes. And it's been a long while since we've seen all of them together on the original bridge of the Enterprise.

In Ticonderoga, NY, you can tour the set of the series which has been painstakingly recreated using blueprints and thousands of photographs. It was there that a picture was taken of the three surviving members of the cast—Shatner, Koenig, and Takei, and it was shared to Twitter/X by a Star Trek fan back in September of this year.

The last surviving members of the original “Star Trek!” pic.twitter.com/ZagKec1nlP...

Nurse Christine Chapel has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in the 2009 Star Trek movie. Nurse Chapel was a fixture of Dr. Leonard McCoy's (DeForest Kelley) sickbay, often standing by to provide assistance (or pine after Leonard Nimoy's Spock) in 25 episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series. In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Dr. Christine Chapel easily falls into her old role as McCoy's trusted nurse. The prequel Star Trek: Strange New Worlds improves Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush), making her a brilliant scientist with her own character arc.

Director J.J. Abrams' Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movies reimagined classic Star Trek: The Original Series characters for a new chapter of cinematic Star Trek. Familiar names matched with new faces: Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, and Zoe Saldaa as Nyota Uhuranow with a confirmed first name. Bruce Greenwood was there as Captain Christopher Pike,...

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew met several god-like beings on Star Trek: The Original Series, including the tragic Greek god Apollo (Michael Forest). As the USS Enterprise explores the galaxy in Tos season 2, episode 2, "Who Mourns for Adonais?," a giant green hand suddenly grabs the ship, holding it in place. Captain Kirk and his crew try various ways to free the ship, but ultimately give in to the demands of the powerful being and prepare to beam down to the planet.

Captain Kirk leads a landing party consisting of Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Chief Engineer Scotty (James Doohan), Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), and Lt. Carolyn Palamas (Leslie Parrish). The landing party arrives on the planet to find an ancient Greek temple and a humanoid man who claims to be the Greek god Apollo. Although Dr. McCoy's tricorder reads Apollo as human, the supposed...

Diana Muldaur joined the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation in season 2 as Dr. Katherine Pulaski, replacing Gates McFadden's Dr. Beverly Crusher. During Tng's first season, the writer's room gained a reputation in Hollywood because writers came and went with such frequency. This led to an inconsistent season as the show struggled to define its characters and find its footing. Still, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew proved interesting enough to hold viewers' attention, and Tng went on to become one of the most beloved science fiction shows of all time.

Introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation's feature-length premiere, Dr. Beverly Crusher was the Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise-d. Beverly lived on the ship with her child-prodigy teenage son, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), and had an interesting past with Captain Picard. Tng season 1 hinted at romantic feelings between Crusher and Picard, but...

Warning: Spoilers For Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 3 - "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"Star Trek: Lower Decks has finally revealed Gallamites, a species Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) dated on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and it's a shocker. Jadzia was the Deep Space Nine space station's Science Officer and a close friend of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). Before Dax's tragic death and Terry Farrell exiting DS9 when season 6 ended, Jadzia was a beloved Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast member with a fun-loving, generous spirit.

In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 3, "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel," Lieutenant Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) joins Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) and Lt. Commander Andy Billups (Paul Scheer) on an undercover mission. The USS Cerritos' trio is on the hunt for Starfleet Admiral Milius (Toby Huss), who went Awol and hid somewhere aboard the Cosmic Duchess space station resort.

For its 100th episode, Star Trek: Voyager copied one of the greatest episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series in a unique way. "Timeless," aired at the beginning of season 5 and is still seen as one of Voyager's best episodes. The plot featured a twist on the franchise's usual time travel storyline, set mainly in an alternate future 15 years ahead where Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) were attempting to send a message back through time to stop Voyager's cast of characters from going through with a plan to get home that would end in disaster.

The Tos episode that "Timeless" attempted to copy was "The City on the Edge of Forever," the penultimate episode of season 1 and one of the best Star Trek episodes in TV history. "The City on the Edge of Forever" featured Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) using the Guardian of...

Throughout his impressive Star Trek career, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has time-traveled more than most. After his introduction on Star Trek: The Original Series, Spock quickly became one of the franchise's most popular characters. Because Spock was half-Vulcan and half-human, he felt caught between two worlds. Spock chose to embrace his Vulcan side, valuing logic above all else, but sometimes his emotions peeked through. As the Science Officer and First Officer of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock often accompanied his captain on away missions.

Time travel has long been a staple of science fiction, and Star Trek has certainly embraced this classic trope. Every Star Trek series has featured stories that involve time travel in some way, meaning many Trek characters have ventured beyond their own time periods. Even among these many time-traveling Star Trek characters, Captain Kirk and his crew...

When you’re 93, your perspective in life is at another stage. Everything you’ve done comes running back to you. For William Shatner, it must be a mixed bag, having seen both the highs and lows the Industry has to offer.

Having made his mark with his role of Captain Kirk in the Og Star Trek series and movies, Shatner was acting royalty back in the end. And he still is, with a legacy like no other. But there are moments which he must have undoubtedly regretted, including lashing out at a sound engineer once.

William Shatner was the man in the 70s-80s William Shatner was at the helm of a successful ship of Star Trek || Image by Super Festivals, licensed under Cc By 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

To the 70s-80s kids, William Shatner was the man. Even if Star Trek might have lost some of its shine in today’s age.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was the last film in the Star Trek franchise that included all members of Star Trek: The Original Series. It was the send-off for all the characters, the last time we would see most of them onscreen. And, for the most part, it was a solid goodbye. The ending was especially poignant and left fans wanting more adventures. Apparently, at least one actor was left with wanting more for his character to do in the final movie.

Walter Koenig, who portrayed Ensign Pavel Chekov beginning with season two of The Original Series, didn't get much screentime either on the series itself or during any of the movies, although he did have more quality time during Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. But for the actor, Star Trek VI was a painful reminder that Ensign Chekov was only a secondary character as the film didn't...

There are fascinating Star Trek: The Original Series characters Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3's guest star, Rhys Darby, could play. Along with releasing a new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 premiere clip at New York Comic Con, Rhys Darby was announced to join season 3 as a "familiar but different" Star Trek legacy character. Given Strange New Worlds takes place only 6-7 years before Star Trek: The Original Series, there are some intriguing options for Rhys Darby to embody.

The New Zealand-born Rhys Darby is best known for playing Stede Bonnet in HBO's pirate romantic comedy series Our Flag Means Death, which also stars and is executive produced by Taika Waititi. Darby and Waititi worked together on the feature film What We Do In The Shadows which preceded Hulu's half-hour vampire comedy. In Flight of the Conchords, Darby portrayed band manager Murray Hewitt. Rhys has numerous TV...

A Star Trek: Voyager character was originally meant to be Captain Kathryn Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) version of Spock (Leonard Nimoy). On Star Trek: The Original Series, the half-Vulcan/half-human Spock represented the outsider and many fans related to him because of this. Spock was caught between two worlds and sometimes felt like he didn't truly fit in either one. Spock also acted as a foil for Captain Kirk, as the Vulcan's logical stoicism balanced out Kirk's more impulsive tendencies.

Nearly every Star Trek show since Tos has had a similar outsider character, whose presence allowed the show to dive deeper into what it means to be human. Star Trek: The Next Generation had the android Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), who wanted nothing more than to be human. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had Constable Odo (Ren Auberjonois), a Changeling who struggled to find his identity. And Star Trek: Voyager...

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Nicholas Meyer's 1991 film "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" was a good sendoff for the original cast of "Star Trek." It had been 25 years since "Star Trek" debuted, and the franchise had already found new footing with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a series that was in its fourth season when "The Undiscovered Country" came out. The film was about the collapse of the Klingon Empire and the beginning of a new era of peace. Naturally, there were secret bad actors afoot who wanted to keep the Cold War between the Federation and the Klingons raging, and the sixth flick in the franchise follows the fallout after an assassination attempt. It's just as much Tom Clancy as it is a space adventure.

The film ended with the U.S.S. Enterprise saving the day, and the crew — Walter Koenig,...

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) encountered many Klingons throughout Star Trek: The Original Series, but some proved to be more formidable than others. Since their debut in Tos season 1, episode 26, "Errand of Mercy," the Klingons have become one of Star Trek's most iconic alien species. Although Klingons became allies by the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation, they were one of the United Federation of Planets' most formidable foes during Captain Kirk's time on the USS Enterprise.

In Star Trek's first Klingon episode, Kirk faced off against Commander Kor (John Colicos), who proved to be a clever and unforgiving opponent. In Tos season 2's "The Trouble with Tribbles," Kirk and his crew run into Koloth (William Campbell), which results in an all-out brawl. In Star Trek's final season, Kirk goes head to head with Kang (Michael Ansara) in "Day of the Dove." Klingons also...

Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike know that Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) referred to the U.S.S. Enterprise's chief medical officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) as "Bones." The two characters were good friends, so it made sense that they should have nicknames for each other. Indeed, Dr. McCoy more frequently referred to Kirk as "Jim" than "Captain." Among the senior staff, non-mission-based conversations were kept casual.

Why was Dr. McCoy called "Bones?" It comes from "Old Sawbones," a nickname given to all doctors in the mid-19th century. During various wars of the era, you see, doctors were frequently called to the front to tend to wounded soldiers. In many cases, the soldiers' wounds were not being treated, and became infected with gangrene. Doctors, not having modern surgical equipment or sterilization methods, had to amputate limbs to prevent the infections from spreading. Some doctors were able to saw through a leg — no anesthesia!

With nearly 1,000 episodes of television among all of the various Star Trek shows, it's no surprise that some stories have courted controversy. Star Trek has always been ahead of its time with its optimistic view of the future and celebration of diversity. While Star Trek: The Original Series undoubtedly remains a product of the 1960s, the show was progressive for its time and was no stranger to controversy. Star Trek has been responsible for several television firsts over the years and has developed a widespread and passionate fanbase with very strong opinions.

Any franchise with so much content and such passionate fans will inevitably produce some stories that spark strong reactions. Every Star Trek series since Tos has had episodes that got people talking, and modern Star Trek remains as controversial as ever. Since Star Trek: Discovery brought the franchise into the streaming era in 2017, the show has been met...

Although it became something of a pop culture catchphrase, Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) only said "He's dead, Jim" four times throughout "Star Trek." He does say variants like merely "He's dead" or "He's dead, captain" a few times, however. This is all to point out that people die frequently on "Star Trek," as being a Starfleet officer is a dangerous job. One cannot serve on the Federation flagship without encountering life-threatening danger on a weekly basis.

Indeed, many Trekkies became flippant about the deaths on "Star Trek" to the point of finding them a little risible. The word "redshirt" -- a slang term for a doomed, nameless pawn -- entered the lexicon when Trekkies noticed how often supporting players, usually in red uniforms, bit the big one under the command of Captain Kirk (William Shatner). McCoy may have only said "He's dead, Jim" four times, but 24 redshirts died on his watch.

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"Star Trek: Enterprise" was the first "Star Trek" series to look backwards into history, not forward into the future. A prequel series set in the 22nd century, it followed the crew of the original Starship Enterprise (designation Nx-01). Despite its unexplored setting (no Federation yet!), the series often felt like it was playing the "Trek" beats. Even series star (as Captain Jonathan Archer) Scott Bakula has expressed some disappointment with "Enterprise," from iits demanding 26-episodes-a-season length to the most panned "Star Trek" finale since "Turnabout Intruder," "These Are The Voyages."

The fourth and final season of "Enterprise" is its best. It's also the one that leaned most heavily on fanservice (your call on if those two facts are coincidence). Human augments like Khan, Brent Spiner as Data's ancestor, Orion slave girls, Romulan villains, Tholians, and the Mirror Universe -- "Enterprise" season 4 had it all.

Star Trek: The Next Generation eventually became one of the best science fiction television shows of all time, but it did not get off to a very strong start in season 1 Tng ushered in a new golden era of Star Trek, introducing the world to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise-d. With stories recycled from Star Trek: The Original Series and cliches that were outdated even in the 1980s, many of Tng's early episodes fell flat. Thankfully, fans stuck with the show, and it went on to produce some truly great television.

As the first live-action Star Trek show since the end of Star Trek: The Original Series, many fans were weary of Star Trek: The Next Generation from the start. People were not sure how a Star Trek show would work without Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr.

This classic and somewhat controversial episode of Star Trek: The Original Series is William Shatner's favorite. William Shatner became a household name thanks to his role as Captain James T. Kirk, the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise. Throughout Tos' three seasons, Captain Kirk and his crew traveled the galaxy seeking out new life and encountering all manner of fascinating alien creatures and cultures. Along with his Science Officer Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Kirk eventually became one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in science fiction.

Star Trek: The Original Series endures and withstood the test of time while undoubtedly being a product of the 1960s. Thanks to the compelling characters and well-written stories, many Tos episodes hold up well today. William Shatner has a personal reason for choosing this late season 1 episode as his favorite, which he speaks about in his 1993 memoir,...

William Shatner directed Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek's most noble movie failure. Released June 9, 1989, Star Trek V marks its 35th anniversary in 2024. Shatner picked up the reins of the Star Trek movie franchise from Leonard Nimoy, who directed the successful Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and the blockbuster Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. From a budget of $33 million, Star Trek V enjoyed a $17 million opening weekend before negative reviews and bad word of mouth sank William Shatner's lone Star Trek movie, which tapped out with a worldwide gross of $70 million and nearly ended the Star Trek movie franchise.

Director William Shatner also conceived the story of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, often summed up as 'the crew of the Starship Enterprise meets God.' Shatner was inspired by the televangelists of the 1980s to create a villain named Zar (later renamed Sybok...

In Leonard Nimoy's 1984 film "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," the Vulcan officer Saavik (Robin Curtis) was tasked with exploring and mapping the Genesis planet, a brand-new world that had been instantaneously formed by the Genesis Device, a terraforming widget introduced in the previous movie. The Genesis planet, she found, was evolving at too rapid a pace, rotating through seasons at an hourly rate. It was hot and muggy one hour, then snowy the next. By the end of the movie, the Genesis world will prove to be unstable, crumbling from within. It was too good to be true.

The deterioration is only one of several tragedies that occur throughout the film. During a rescue operation, Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) has to destroy the U.S.S. Enterprise, and his son David (Merritt Butrick) is murdered by Klingons. Saavik, being an emotionless Vulcan, witnesses these tragedies with a stone face.

Whether due to casting troubles or story issues, several Star Trek characters have been replaced throughout the franchise's long history. From the beginning, Gene Roddenberrys original concept for Star Trek went through several changes. Most of the characters from Star Treks first pilot, The Cage, were replaced by the now iconic cast of Star Trek: The Original Series. In some cases, the replacement characters became even more popular than the originals, while at other times the opposite was true.

Characters are always coming and going within the Star Trek universe, but some have more obvious one-for-one replacements than others. Aside from the first cast shake-up, most of the later character changes had more to do with the actors playing them. Some actors decided they wanted to move on to other projects, which often meant their character had to be replaced. Still, most of these actors remain a part of the Star Trek family,...

When Star Trek: The Original Series' first pilot, "The Cage," was shot down by NBC, there was no guarantee the series was going to get off the ground even though it was given a second chance to prove itself with a new pilot. Jeffrey Hunter, the actor who played Captain Christopher Pike in the original pilot, elected not to return for another shot at the show so a new captain had to be found, and William Shatner was cast.

And while some actors who worked with Shatner on the set complained about his need to be in front of the cameras as well as other issues dealing with ego, one writer, David Gerrold, who penned the famously popular "The Trouble with Tribbles" came straight out and said that Star Trek: The Original Series and the movies were successful because of Shatner.

In The Fifty-Year Mission The First Twenty-Five Years by...

Captain James T. Kirk (WIlliam Shatner) refused to share his innermost pain in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, but what was he hiding from Sybok (Lawrence Luckinbill)? Directed by William Shatner from a story Shatner conceived, Star Trek V celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2024. While not considered among the finest Star Trek movies, Shatner's film harbors ambitions and concepts not fully realized due to myriad issues such as the film's budget, lackluster visual effects, and Shatner's own inexperience in directing feature films. But William Shatner certainly understood Kirk, and why the Captain of the Enterprise would never yield to Sybok.

Star Trek V: The Frontier introduced Sybok as the heretofore unheard-of half-brother of Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Sybok was a Vulcan criminal and a self-styled holy man searching for God in the fabled world of Sha Ka Ree at the center of the galaxy. Sybok used his Vulcan powers to "share the pain" of others,...

Star Trek: The Original Series was always meant to be an ensemble show with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley as the triumvirate. Though Shatner was the star of the show, that didn't mean he would get all of the big scenes or every episode would be solely about him. As Spockmania grew, more fans were tuning in for Leonard Nimoy's depiction of Spock, which caused some issues among the actors. By August 1967, tensions had grown between the stars of The Original Series to the point where Gene Roddenberry felt he had to step in.

In a scathing letter, he made it quite clear that Shatner was the lead of the series, but he also made it abundantly clear that he would be Roddenberry's version of the lead and not Shatner's. Roddenberry clarified Nimoy as "a strong, effective, and integral second lead." So, in sounds like there really were two leads to the series,...

It's time for another edition of Star Trek Explorer Magazine, and issue #12 will be on sale September 24th. For all of you who subscribe, you should have it in your mailboxes or email inboxes by now. Each quarter the magazine brings you a compelling variety of interviews with the actors, the behind-the-scenes team like the artists and creators, exclusive fiction, and so much more.

On top of that, the creative talents of the writing team are put to the test to bring fans the best news, reports, updates, and opinion pieces, and they never disappoint. In this issue, for example, Jay Strobie, a prolific writer for Startrek.com and Star Trek Explorer, delves into the Top Ten Star Trek Moments. You might be surprised at some of the ones chosen to be highlighted.

Titan Comics, the publisher of Star Trek Explorer, was, as always kind enough to provide us with...

The romance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds which has proven to be controversial among fans is actually an established canon event from the 1960s. When the spin-off series of Star Trek: Discovery was revealed to be a prequel to the beloved 1960s era of Star Trek, many people were skeptical about the show's ability to capture the essence of Star Trek: The Original Series characters. However, Strange New Worlds quickly became a hit thanks to the portrayal of legacy Star Trek characters like Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck), Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush).

A romance between the younger versions of Lieutenant Spock and Nurse Chapel was introduced fairly early in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the pairing received mixed reviews. Seeing a softer side of Spock was endearing to some, but others claimed it was out of character. Nurse...