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Star Date: September 9, 2021. Star Trek Day 2021 was held yesterday. Our mission was to observe everything the makers of the various Star Trek tv series have to offer in the upcoming year for their viewers. I say myself down with a nice tall cup of raktajino and witnessed the annual event.
For the first time since its inception last year in 2020, the show was actually held in person instead of via digital webcams. Hosted again by Wil Wheaton (formerly Wesley Crusher of Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Mica Burton (daughter of LeVar Burton AKA Geordie La Forge of Star Trek: The Next Generation), they welcomed guests onto the stage for various panels concerning Star Trek tv series past, present, and future. In between panels, viewers were treated to a live orchestra playing theme songs from the Star Trek shows. The evening promised lots of surprises and this was a promise that was kept.
The evening started off with a panel from Star Trek: Prodigy. This is the first ever Star Trek series that was created more for younger viewers as a team up between Nickelodeon and CBS. During this panel we were first treated to a surprise image of the official artwork for this series. After a little bit of a discussion between Mica and the cast/crew of Prodigy, we were treated to the first full length trailer that was introduced by Captain Katherine Janeway herself, Kate Mulgrew. The trailer showed off the newest Star Trek crew flying in their new ship the USS Protostar as they escaped the planet in which they were all previously being held prisoner. The final surprise came in the form of a premiere date of October 28. That puts us at just over a month until we get to finally see the return of Captain Janeway and her young crew. This show definitely promises to be one for both the young and the young at heart; a show the entire family can enjoy. View the first full trailer below.
The next panel on stage centered on Star Trek: Discovery which included cast members Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, and Ian Alexander. The main point of discussion concerning Discovery was that of found families. Specifically that of Dr. Hugh Culber and his partner Paul Stamets having a new found family with Adira and Gray. This expanded even further when they talked about found family within the actual crew of The Discovery since they are now living so far in their future and away from all the friends and family they knew. During the discussion we were told a few minor spoilers (spoiler alert here!!!). First we were informed that Gray will become corporeal so that everyone on ship can see him and then the panel chatter turned towards Dr. Culber’s expansion from ship’s doctor to also ship’s counselor. Lastly we were also told that Saru will be returning to the upcoming fourth season, although in what format or when, was not disclosed. The big news came at the end of this panel when it was revealed that season four will be premiering on November 18. You can check out the Discovery panel in the YouTube video below.
Following Discovery was one of the more exciting panels of the evening which revolved around Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This show is being very anxiously awaited by all the Trekkies out there. During the panel which included crew members Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Spock), and Rebecca Romijn (Una Chin-Riley/Number One). During this discussion we were told to keep our eyes open for the sets on the show because they were able to take the visuals of the 60s and modernize them a bit. Also, we were told that this show will be different from all the other recent series in which the story arcs will be episodic (similar to what was shown on Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation). The major surprise during this panel came in a short video clip which unveiled brand new characters to the show which included legacy characters and new ones. Amongst the legacy characters revealed were Celia Rose Gooding who will play Cadet Nyota Uhura, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga, and Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel. Among the new characters to this series we have Christina Chong as La’an Noonien Singh, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas, and Bruce Horak as Hemmer. Unfortunately we were not given a trailer or a release date yet but that should be soon to come as they are in the midst of production as of the posting of this article. Check out the exciting character reveal trailer below.
The next show up for discussion was Star Trek: Lower Decks. As of the posting of this article, we are officially mid-way through the second season of this show. The cast and crew came on the stage to discuss how the show is doing so far. And then we were treated to a mid-season trailer to show us what to expect in the next 6 episodes. Needless to say, Lower Decks promises to make the back half of season 2 even more exciting than the back half of its first season. This show will packing a huge bang before the season ends. Check out the action-packed mid-season trailer below.
And last but not least was a panel regarding yet another show all Trekkies are waiting for another season of which is Star Trek: Picard. Cast member Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) came up on stage and surprised all the fans by revealing the first full trailer of the upcoming second season of the show. In the trailer we got our first look of Annie Wersching as the Borg Queen and a sneak peek of what the story line of season two will be about. Seems like Picard and the crew of the Serena will be going back in time thanks to the reappearance of Q (John de Lancie) who states “the trial is never over.” Jean-Luc Picard and his team will have to correct some wrongs in the past so that their future can remain the way it was. This panel did not end without 2 more surprise announcements. First we were told that season two of Picard will premiere early next year in February and secondly that the show has been officially picked up for a third season. We have a lot more to see of Jean-Luc Picard and his cohorts and hopefully the return of some more legacy characters from The Next Generation. Check out the exciting season 2 trailer below.
Star Trek Day 2021 definitely proved to be an event worth watching. From the panels discussing all 5 new/current Star Trek series, to the surprise information and trailers, to the amazing music by the live orchestra on stage, to cast members of prior series monologuing about their shows, it was non-stop entertainment from start to finish. Now that we know a lot of the amazing information the show runners were able to share, we just have to wait very patiently for the premieres of these shows. All the Star Trek series listed in this article can be found on the Paramount+ streaming media app (subscription fees apply). And if you want to see the full Star Trek 2021 broadcast you can also see it on the Paramount+ app or in the YouTube video below. Also please don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list and to follow me on my social media accounts to keep up to date on when new articles are posted. And please comment below on what you thought about this article. I always love hearing your feedback and opinions. One last thing my Pop Clouds: if you like what you read here, you do have the option to send cash tips to help support the site. You can use the PayPal button below the video or Cash App at $PopCloudBlog or Venmo at @ThePopCloudBlog. Every little bit helps to keep this site active. Thanks for any contributions you may send my way. It’s much appreciated. Have a great day my Pop Clouds!
Hey there. Pop-culture addict here. On my blog site you will find articles written about my favorite pop-culture topics which include but are not limited to: Star Trek, Marvel/DC super heroes, video games, RuPaul's Drag Race, Disney, and music. I live in South Florida and love to spend my free time enjoying pop-culture in its many various forms, hanging out with friends, and walking/biking in local parks.
