On September 8, 2022, the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California became the host venue for Star Trek Day. Star Trek Day is the annual celebration for current and upcoming Star Trek. Here is a recap of the news and announcements that were dropped that day from across the Star Trek Universe.
Cast Members of the Star Trek Universe and Fans Celebrate During the Annual Star Trek Day Event
The Star Trek fandom has reached and influenced millions across the globe. And in order for fans to feel more inclusive of the day’s events, Paramount+ live-streamed the event as it was happening.
A tribute video montage for the fans was shown to the audience in attendance. Along with clips of the various Star Trek shows to recognize the global reach and inspiration of Star Trek.
The event, hosted by Paramount+, was kicked off with special guests Jackie Cox and Mary Chieffo of Star Trek: Discovery. The pair co-hosted the live streamed event on a purple carpet.
Fans and attendees enjoyed fun Trek-themed pre-show activations. Among those were a celestial aura photo opp, airbrush art, a henna station, and a golden Vulcan salute statue photo opp. In addition, there were stations that featured Trek-inspired food and drinks. All of these made a great addition to the vibe and atmosphere.
It felt as if you were immersed in the Trek Universe. One needed mention as a giveaway for all in attendance at the event was a box of “Boimler Family Farm Raisins,” a hilarious themed box of raisins inspired by the premiere episode of Season 3 of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Scroll down further for photos of the activations and the Trek inspired goodies.
Star Trek Day Announcements and Panels
After the purple carpet pre-show event, Tawny Newsome (Star Trek: Lower Decks) and Paul F. Tompkins (Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: The Pod Directive) co-hosted and shared some of the responsibilities of hosting the different segments of the show that featured interviews with cast members and announcements across the various shows and media of the Star Trek Universe. Reggie Watts (Band Leader from The Late Late Show with James Corden) was also present to provide some of the musical backdrop and Trek-inspired soundtracks in between each segment. Backstage, legendary voice actor Fred Tatasciore (Lieutenant Shaxs on Star Trek: Lower Decks) lended his voice talent to assist in making some of the Trek announcements alongside the different panels.
Here’s a breakdown of the Announcements made for the several panels at Star Trek Day:
New Clip Reveals and Image
A preview of an upcoming episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks was shown with an appearance and new image of the Star Trek ship, the U.S.S. Wayfarer. The clip shows the crew of the Starfleet ship, The U.S.S. Cerritos in a conflict with The Romulans when the U.S.S. Wayfarer is led by a very familiar Captain who looks much like Boimler.
Sneak Peak and Surprise Character Announcement
STAR TREK: Strange New Worlds a spin-off featuring characters from Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Short Treks premiered this year, and was well received amongst fans. The entire first season is available to stream on Paramount+. On Star Trek Day, Paramount+ got to show fans a clip of an upcoming episode on the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Along with this clip came a surprise announcement that Academy Award nominee Carol Kane will join season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with a recurring role as Pelia. Here is a first look at the clip and new image released for Season 2 along with a photo of the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds at Star Trek Day.
Announced Mid-Season Return and Return of Classic Character
A breakout and animated hit in collaboration with Nickelodeon, Star Trek: Prodigy will make its mid-season return this year on Thursday, October 7. Fans who have watched the kid and family friendly series may notice familiar characters, especially from the Star Trek: Voyager series crossover into this animated world of Star Trek. One of the biggest announcements made during this segment was the return of actor Bruce Campbell, who will make his mid-season return as a recurring character and will reprise his role as Thadiun Okona, a roguish space captain who’s constantly outrunning trouble caused by his own tactics and made his original appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The exclusive clip also reveals a huge transformation taking place for the beloved alien, Murf. A clip and still of the crew of Star Trek Prodigy can be watched below:
https://youtu.be/AsgEONjoEjY
“Star Trek: Discovery” Behind-the-Scenes Feature and New Image
Absent from the events at “Star Trek Day” was the cast from Star Trek: Discovery. However, in a video shared during the live stream and to the audience of the celebratory event, Cast Member, Wilson Cruz, who plays Dr. Hugh Culber, stated that the cast was unable to make an in-person appearance due to their current filming of Season 5 in Canada. Therefore the video gave a nice inside glimpse on set filming Discovery while showing some of the preparation work, set, and some moments of the cast having fun while filming. The only preview that was shown of the upcoming season was an image of actress Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham in action. See the behind-the-scenes footage and image below:
New Podcast Announcements
Afterwards, Nicholas Meyer, the writer, and director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, surprised fans with his appearance to make an announcement on the expansion of Star Trek’s current podcast programming with Khan – Ceta Alpha V. This is Star Trek’s first scripted podcast, which will examine what happened in the years after Captain Kirk left Khan on the untamed world of Ceti Alpha V and tells the story of Khan and his followers prior to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Star Trek currently has its official podcast, Star Trek: The Pod Directive hosted by Tawny Newsome and Paul F. Tompkins. The first two seasons of the podcast are available now. In addition, the third season was announced to make its return in 2023. Fans can listen to STAR TREK: THE POD DIRECTIVE wherever you get your podcasts and via StarTrek.com.
Also adding to the various official Star Trek fan media is the return of Season 3 of Star Trek: The Ready Room, a web-based talk show hosted by Wil Wheaton who played Ensign Wesley Crusher and had a recurring role on several episodes from The Next Generation--era. The Ready Room is a show featuring interviews with Star Trek cast members, behind-the-scenes features, and all things Trek. The show can be watched on the official StarTrek.com website and on the official Paramount+ Youtube page. The new trailer can be watched below:
Tribute to the Legendary Nichelle Nichols
In addition, Star Trek Day would not be celebrated without the mention and tribute to the recent passing of Nichelle Nichols, who played the much-loved character, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura from the Star Trek: The Original Series and the Star Trek films featuring the cast of The Original Series. The tribute video can be watched below:
Fans can watch and stream all series and episodes on Paramount+ and the entire Live Stream of the “Star Trek Day” panels and announcements can be watched on the official Paramount+ Youtube
What are you most excited about and want to see from Star Trek?
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