By Dan Ortiz

For a franchise known for exploring the unknown, Star Trek made another big leap in the most recent episode of Star Trek Discovery: “Forget Me Not” marked a franchise-first in showing a romance between a non-binary character (Adira, played by Blu del Barrio) and a trans actor (Ian Alexander).

Del Barrio and Alexander play two young Trill characters - Star Trek’s race of humanoids that exist as human hosts to symbiont lifeforms that retain the host’s memories and characteristics as the symbiont passes from host to host.  

The Trill have long been a part of the Star Trek universe, most notably in the form of long-running Deep Space Nine character Jadzia Dax (Terry Ferrell) who later took the form of Ezri Dax. However, the Trill began back in 1991’s Next Generation episode “The Host” which presented the Trill as a deeply complex race with a unique lineage and characteristics that would shape not just Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, but future generations of Star Trek to come. 

Creator of the Trill and writer of “The Host,” Michel Horvat, took some time to reflect on the creation of the Trill in “The Host” and what they meant not just for that episode but for Star Trek as a whole.

Q: Where did the idea for the Trill come from initially? Did you originally envision that the Trill would eventually become a lens through which Star Trek could further explore complex issues of sexuality, gender, and identity? 

Horvat: I had a saltwater aquarium. I was fascinated by the symbiotic relationship my fish and my cleaner shrimp displayed as one cleaned the other and the other provided a food source from itself while getting cleaned.  Mutually beneficial.  That got me thinking about us as humans and the sides of ourselves that we fight or with which we cooperate. 

Couple that with my own sexuality, acceptance thereof, and struggles therein. I also had a name that was French for the first 10 years of my life. I was born of European parents in Chile and went to French school. Then, we came to the United States, and all of a sudden I was deemed to have a "girl's name” after that. It was not easy navigating people's ignorance, cruelty, and prejudice. (A Boy Named Sue). In many ways, I felt like a fish out of water which prepped me to explore these themes. 

Perhaps like Jamal Malik, the main character in "Slumdog Millionaire," my entire life and formative years contributed to the moment where I was uniquely placed to create this species, just as the main character's entire life was uniquely built around having just the right answers when it came time to play the game.  Perhaps the uniqueness of my experience allowed my creativity to flourish in this way and to come up with The Trill.

I remember thinking of the Walt Whitman quote from the epic poem "Song Of Myself":  "I contain multitudes..."  There was something there.  So, my thinking was what if a joint species has found peace in both parts of itself and has found a deeper understanding of those parts by virtue of their interchangeability and that they (The Trill) accept that very interchangeability and concentrate on what is immutable?  The memories the emotions, the relationships...these elements as the essence of self and not the body?   

However, the overriding importance as a writer at the time was challenging the series regulars to face parts of themselves that would further reveal their humanity and allow the show to move forward with the growth that comes from that. That’s what made The Next Generation special, it challenged us by challenging them, so we became more invested in their struggles.  

I noticed that Crusher had lacked an engaging story involving her personal life for quite a while - if at all - and I also knew, having seen all episodes thus far, that Riker and Crusher had played only casual scenes together. So, those avenues had never been explored.  As such, I fought to have Crusher and Riker be forced into a situation that they would normally never be in.  It was all about the emotional engagement of the series regulars through an external influence.  The Trill was the device.

Q: Once Odan’s symbiont was implanted into Riker, Odan was challenged with convincing the people of Alpha and Beta moons with accepting Riker as Odan. Was that intentional as an allegory to societal acceptance - the feeling that queer people regardless of label or, in this case, a host are ‘still the same’ inside?

Horvat: Precisely.  While I may not have articulated that to myself at that time, it was all about accepting the changing form of Odan (the name was an intentionally slightly changed Adam – the first male in the Bible).  This was step one of dismantling the self into another self.  When Alphans and Betans saw that Odan was “still in there” they relented.  His skill as an ambassador overrode his external representation and perhaps their initial prejudice melted away. 

Likewise, with Crusher, I used a writing convention of holding a particular and precise wording to signify that Odan was “still in there.”  His calling Crusher “Dr. Beverly” was not just an endearing non-sequitur, it was a specific writing device and the most efficient method of instantly signaling that Odan resided in Riker and ultimately in Kareel.  The moment you heard any of the actors use “Dr. Beverly” you knew that the essence of Odan was preserved and present. Also, as a Trill, he did not concentrate or care about lineage (a last name) but only of the individual.  It was a particularly Trill idiosyncrasy. 

Q. Dr. Crusher is initially angry with Odan for him “not telling her what he was” - Odan responds that “this is what I am,” and asks Dr. Crusher why she never revealed to him that she was only a single being. Could you please explain your thinking behind Odan making this point?

Horvat: For Odan, being a joint symbiont was as natural as humans having a body and also a mind.  Now Odan did not want to disclose why exactly he did not want to beam down to the planet, but that was about being protective of the symbiont joining and its delicate structure and being leery of the beaming technology and its possible effect on the symbiont. Again, another device to add intrigue to what he might be hiding.  Hinting at possible nefariousness, as it were.  After all, I placed Odan’s undulating tummy scene where something is lurking under the surface right before the commercial break.  You gotta love a good hook, right? 

For me, Odan and The Trill knew that it was difficult for non-Trill to understand and appreciate their joint species, so they were somewhat circumspect of revealing the joining.  They were also a relatively new addition to the Federation and were being cautious of this sacred unique co-existence.  They didn’t want to experience prejudice any more than an LGBT person wants to experience recrimination for who they are once they reveal it. 

So, he could have "come out" to Crusher from the beginning, but since it was so natural to him, it did not seem necessary.  A similarly annoying question to humans would be, “What made you gay?” or “What made you straight?”.  We don't think about being one way or another throughout the day, we just are.

Transgender people know intrinsically what sex they are – their bodies simply don’t agree with that understanding.  It is perhaps the freedom of that tension that might very intensely resonate for people when it comes to The Trill, in that there is a fluidity of self-understanding inherent in the species.  Otherwise, there could never be an acceptance of the joining.  That might feel like ultimate freedom to some.

I was adamant and continue to be around calling The Trill just that. Never adding an “s” at the end.  They are a joint species making one, not The Trills, but The Trill.  That pertains to a single joint Trill and of the species at large. This further elucidates this self-understanding as a single while joint creature. It actually makes me a little crazy when I read them described as The Trills because it defeats the purpose of their own self-understanding. My original title for the episode was “E Pluribus Unum” “Out Of Many, One” It’s The Trill.

The mystery of The Trill was their strength, like Two-Spirit individuals in the Native American traditions, it was the unknown and the strength of the Two Spirits that made them special.  The Trill have the collective knowledge of their previous hosts and their previous incarnations to rely on, that’s what makes them such great ambassadors and peace negotiators. They know what it means to embody different perspectives. 

The revealed truth made them vulnerable.  Coming out can feel very much like that.  The idea of passing, of being accepted was being challenged there.  And frankly, if a singular species like the Alphans and Betans of Peliar Zel or humans for that matter are working with an ambassador, they expect constancy.  A singular bodied species would initially be put off by external changes to their arbiter mid-negotiations.   Now that the cat is out of the bag, as it were, it is not so much of an issue, but back then they were a private species.

And the practical implications were that I needed to have Riker be engaged in the dangerous choice of temporarily adopting the symbiont to bring intrigue and further explore The Trill mentality both at the negotiating table and Crusher’s bedside.  No danger, no intrigue, no show.

Q: Once Odan’s symbiont reaches its new host in the form of female host  Kareel, she approaches Beverly with the intention of continuing their relationship in her new female form. Did you encounter any challenges writing that into the script?

Horvat:  I insisted and had to convince the producers to make the final recipient host female.  That was the final payoff for the episode, I believed.  Otherwise, it would have been a tepid, uninteresting ending without any punch or food for thought.  

This was also a way to seal the deal for that romantic relationship, first, the body would die then the symbiont would live but in a differently sexed host body.  It would be too much for Crusher and therefore she would be released to carry on with the show as before, without attachment. 

That was the coup de grâce of the episode as far as I'm concerned.  I decided to come at this part of the story with the producers as a writer, neutral - not as an LGBT person or advocate with some specific agenda, which I really didn’t have.  I just had a point of view and a curiosity and a desire to tell the most compelling story I could.  I knew that my strongest hand was as a creative, not as a biased point-maker.  

The producers were reticent but intrigued (as you mention it was 1991) but I persisted – and they were frankly quite courageous to agree.  It was also much easier to sell two women kissing on screen at the end than two men. That would have been impossible in 1991.  Maybe because straight males, historically the main Star Trek audience base, would more readily accept the fantasy of two women together. So, inherently there might have been an easier road to sell that concept. I don’t know. But two men kissing would have been a non-starter – I knew that much. 
 
Just like in TNG’s “The Outcast” Riker’s love interest could have been played by a male actor that got feminized through makeup instead of a female actress that got masculinized.  Because the suspension of disbelief would have been too disturbing for audiences if a feminized male was Riker’s love interest.  And frankly, I don’t know if it would be accepted even today.  The male series regular would forever be pegged as questioning or confused or unsure, less than masculine or less effective.  Labels still haunt us.  

I knew that many questions would emerge, what it is to be Trill and by extension, what it is to be human.  I saw some of that exploration in Deep Space Nine but none that resonated with what I knew was the full potential of the species as a vehicle of exploration until Discovery revisited the Trill again. I also read in an article that it was a question whether the producers intended for this to be a source of exploration. The Star Trek: Next Generation producers might not have, but as the creator of the Trill, I certainly did. I just had to wait 29 years to see it happen.  

By Dan Ortiz

Throughout the Final Frontier, actors and actresses of stage and screen brought something special to the beloved franchise. Out of hundreds of episodes and dozens of films, Star Trek’s acting bench has turned in several unforgettable performances. So, today we look at some of the Final Frontier’s most striking and emotional performances.

Selection criteria: Instead of a “best of” list, I focused on a collection of my favorite moments and those that might not make more traditional “best of” lists.  My only criteria were moments that stood the test of time, served their ultimate stories and featured great performances by those involved. I’m sure there are great choices out there! Please post yours in the comments! 

First Contact: Picard’s Final Line
Setting the scene:  As the Enterprise E faces ultimate defeat at the hands of the Borg, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and 21st-century denizen Lily (Alfre Woodard) go head-to-head over the course of action:  stay and fight or self-destruct and run to safety?  

Why this scene:  Woodard and Stewart’s face-off provides one of the best and most emotionally-charged  monologue moments of the Final Frontier. Stewart’s Moby Dick monologue in particular is a franchise feat that’s yet to be beat. 

Generations: Time Is A Predator
Setting the scene:  Faced with the possibility of entering parallel universe “The Nexus,” mad Scientist Dr. Soran (Malcolm McDowell) is attempting to justify to Captain Picard his planet-killing super weapon, which serves as the entry into he Nexus’ heaven-like bliss. 

Why this scene:  McDowell’s piercing performance underscores the film’s undercurrents of destiny, fate and family. 

Wrath of Khan : The Game’s Not Over
Setting the scene:  As the crippled USS Reliant faces certain defeat, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montablan) takes his last breaths and attempts to cement his obsessive ambition to see Kirk and crew dead. 

Why this scene:  Khan’s death rattle is forever seared into my memory for its passion and high drama. Montablan’s inspired and powerful (but never overblown) performance set an impossibly high bar for Star Trek villains. You can practically feel his searing hatred through the screen.​

The Original Series : Edith Keeler Must Die
Episode: The City on the Edge of Forever
Season 1, Episode 28

Setting the scene:  After the crew of the  Enterprise finds itself stuck in the early 20th century (don’t ask), Kirk, Spock and McCoy encounter pacifist social worker Edith Keeler (portrayed masterfully by guest star Joan Collins).  

However, upon learning that Keeler’s pacifist actions will irreparably damage the flow of history by affecting the outcome of World War II, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are faced with Star Trek’s primary time traveling maxim - that no action taken in the past can affect the future.  So, Spock, McCoy and Kirk inevitably arrive at the conclusion that Edith Keeler must die.  

Why this scene:  After realizing their grave discovery, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are forced to watch as Keeler is struck by an oncoming car. The scene particularly resonates because most of the acting is a prime example of “Show Don’t Tell” as the action (and more importantly, the acting) plays out on our heroes’ faces. 
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Another well-known Star Trek law is - the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. Yet, this scene remains a heartbreaking reminder of the cost of sacrifice for the greater good.  

Deep Space Nine : Sisko Goes Beyond The Stars
Episode: Far Beyond The Stars
Season 6, Episode 13

Setting the scene: As the brutal, bloody Dominion war wages on, Captain Sisko suffers the loss of a friend aboard the USS Cortez, ostensibly lost with all hands in a firefight with the Dominion.  

In the wake of his loss, Sisko contemplates resigning his post, but not before suffering hallucinations and falling into a fever-like trance as the result of abnormal brain activity. He envisions himself and his crewmates as writers in 1950s New York City, with Sisko appearing as aspiring science fiction writer Benny Russell, who is told that no one will read “stories written by Negros.” 

While working on the story of a far-flung space station set amongst the stars, Sisko is persistently harassed, marginalized and ignored while writing the story of his lifetime (almost literally), one in which men and women of all colors will find their place in the stars. However, after ultimately refusing to rewrite the captain character as white, he's told to put the manuscript away for 50 years or “however long it takes for the human race to catch up.”

Why this scene:  Benny’s ultimate meltdown upon finding his story has been shelved was a tour de force moment for Avery Brooks, who gives a performance that was equal parts prescient and passionate. It still resonates today, almost 22 years later. 

Deep Space Nine : Sisko In The Pale Moonlight
Episode: In The Pale Moonlight
Season 6, Episode 19

Setting the scene:  As the Dominion War continues to exert its toll on Captain Sisko and the Federation-Klingon alliance, casualty lists continue to grow, and morale begins to sink. Sisko engages in subterfuge to lure the Romulans into the fight that ultimately blows up in his face - most literally when the Romulan target of the scheme is found dead in an exploded shuttlecraft.  Ultimately, the ploy works in the favor of the Alliance but not without a great emotional toll on Sisko. 

Why this scene: Avery Brooks delivers a powerful final monologue that lays bare a haunted Sisko’s ambition to win at any cost.    

Voyager : Assimilation: Complete
Episode: Dark Frontier, Pt 1
Season 5, Episode 15

Setting the scene:  Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) has returned to the Borg Collective - seemingly of her own will. Now back under the heel of the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson taking over Queen duties from First Contact’s Alice Krige), Seven is forced to resume assimilation of a helpless species. Upon seeing the horrors of assimilation again up close, Seven sets some of the captives free, leading to a showdown with the Borg Queen herself.  

Why this scene: Jeri Ryan plays off of Thompson’s Queen incredibly well. Their war of words waged in a novel mix of ideology and wry humor.  

Voyager : Seven Learns to Trust Again
Episode: The Voyager Conspiracy
Season 6, Episode 9

Setting the scene:  Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) suffers a critical error with her regeneration alcove, which accidentally feeds her cybernetic brain a high volume of Voyager’s computer data. Unable to process the sudden influx of information, Seven begins making wild connections and theories, which lead to her lash out against Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and crew.

Why this scene:  In the midst of the wild conspiracy theories and accusations, the two women share a tender moment in which Captain Janeway lovingly reminds Seven of her journey. Jeri Ryan applies just the right amount of nuance and vulnerability to this scene to make it truly heartwarming.   

Deep Space Nine : Around Every Corner
Episode: Homefront
Season 4, Episode 11

Setting the scene:  As Shapeshifters begin encroaching on Earth as a prelude to the Dominion War, Sisko and Starfleet Command become increasingly paranoid of changelings infiltrating the Federation, which leads to this explosive confrontation between father and son. 

Why this scene:  Brock Peters’ steely performance as Joseph Sisko was always a series highlight, but this one scene really allowed him to plumb into a deep well of emotion while playing off of the always great Avery Brooks. It makes this scene a chilling and thrilling knockout.