guinan on star trek

The Untold Truth Of Star Trek's Guinan

Star Trek: The Next Generation doesn't boast as many recurring characters as other Star Trek shows , but what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality.  TNG 's recurring characters are some of the most memorable of the franchise. There's the trickster Q , the cybernetic Borg, and one of the most intriguing characters in the history of  Trek  — Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan.

Introduced early in  TNG 's second season, Goldberg would reprise the role close to 30 more times during the series, as well as in the Star Trek movies Generations and Nemesis . In all that time, few recurring  Trek  characters proved as mysterious as the  Enterprise 's bartender. As much as we know about Guinan, there's so much we don't. Even though her official role on Starfleet's flagship doesn't go beyond serving drinks, time and again she not only proves herself capable of so much more, but it's hinted she knows and can do more than any of us have ever imagined. So let's do our best to chip away at the edges of this enigmatic figure and see how deep we can get into the untold truth of  Star Trek 's Guinan.

Guinan is part bartender, part therapist

As the Enterprise 's bartender, we usually find Guinan in Ten Forward, the bar/lounge where many of the ship's crew members go to relax and where Guinan sees what's troubling them, no matter how hard they try to hide it. After all, Guinan is part of a nomadic species called El-Aurians. Her people are known as listeners, and members of other species often find themselves compelled to unload their problems on any nearby El-Aurians. It's not a trait all El-Aurians value, but Guinan embraces her role and offers her centuries-won wisdom whether it's asked for or not.

Guinan somehow knows exactly what demons are at her patrons' doors, and she always knows what to say and exactly how to say it. When she sees Worf's (Michael Dorn) adoptive parents gazing out the window of Ten Forward in "Family," she knows they need a friendly stranger to tell them just how constant they are in their son's thoughts. In "The Measure of a Man," when Captain Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) fights to protect the rights of his synthetic officer Data (Brent Spiner) , it's Guinan's words about how Data's potential status as Starfleet's property could lead to "whole generations of disposable people" that help Picard realize what's at stake. 

Sometimes, Guinan's silence speaks louder than anything. In "Evolution," when Wesley (Wil Wheaton) confides in Guinan that a high-tech project of his may be wreaking havoc on the Enterprise  and asks her not to tell anyone, it's Guinan's silence that reminds Wesley that he already knows what he should do.

She's a woman of many years and many talents

We don't know how old Guinan is, but we know she's old —  very  old, by human standards. With a few noteworthy exceptions, at any given time she's likely  the  oldest person on the  Enterprise . In the two-part "Time's Arrow," Data finds Guinan in 19th-century America as an acquaintance of the famous author Samuel Clemens, better known as his alias Mark Twain. So she's at least 500 years old, and it's likely you can add at least 100 or so years on that since she's an adult when Data sees her while time-traveling. From her cameo in  Star Trek: Nemesis , we know she's been married 23 times, and while we don't know exactly how many children she has, towards the end of "Evolution," she puts the number roughly at "a lot." 

Guinan's many years have afforded her time to learn a lot of things you wouldn't necessarily expect of her upon first glance. For example, during  TNG , she proves that she's not timid about using firearms under the right circumstances. In "Redemption," when she interrupts Worf's shooting range program to remind him of his responsibilities to himself and his son, she first asks to join him in target practice. When Worf warns her that he practices at level 14, Guinan says, "I guess I could come down to that level for a while." She beats his score easily, before doling out some much-needed wisdom.   

Guinan has a mysterious sixth sense

Guinan has a mysterious sixth sense, and the members of the  Enterprise  crew have learned to trust it. For example, in "Q Who," when Geordi (Levar Burton) notices that Guinan seems preoccupied, he asks her if everything is alright. She says, "I don't know," and even though he's off-duty, that brief answer is all Geordi needs to hurry back to engineering to check on the ship.

Guinan's intuition is more important than ever in one of the very best TNG episodes , "Yesterday's Enterprise," when the arrival of the time-lost Enterprise -C changes the timeline so that, among other things, Starfleet is fighting a losing war against the Klingons and Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) — who was killed in the first season — is still alive. While all of the other characters react as if the events of their time are normal, Guinan is overcome with the sense that something is wrong. In particular, the presence of Tasha disturbs her, as Guinan intuitively senses Yar doesn't belong there. 

Some fans believe her sixth sense is explained by 1994's Star Trek: Generations . Early in the film, Guinan and other El-Aurians are beamed out of a place called the Nexus, in which time has no meaning. When Picard later enters the Nexus, he finds an "echo" of Guinan there. It's the existence of this echo that some people think allows her to sense when there's something wrong with the timeline.

For unknown reasons, she's an enemy of Q

More than any other scene in  TNG , an interaction in season two's "Q Who" hints that there's a lot more to Guinan than we know. When the trickster entity Q (John de Lancie) brings Captain Picard to Ten Forward, Guinan and Q recognize each other, and they're  not  buddies. Q calls Guinan "an imp" whom trouble follows. When he hears Picard use Guinan's name, Q asks if that's what she's calling herself now — suggesting she's used other names in the past. 

But arguably the most intriguing thing about the scene is that Q seems genuinely threatened by Guinan. He offers to remove her from the Enterprise ,   and Guinan raises her hands in response, suggesting she could somehow protect herself from Q. Considering the absolutely godlike things we've seen Q accomplish, the notion that Guinan could defend herself against such unthinkable power is very intriguing.

During her time on the  Enterprise , Guinan doesn't reveal darker feelings for many people, but Q is a definite exception. In the later episode "Deja Q," when Q says he's been de-powered by the Q Continuum, Guinan tests his claim by stabbing him in the hand with a fork. However, we never learn exactly how Q and Guinan first met or under what circumstances, though at the 2016  Star Trek  50th Anniversary Convention, Whoopi Goldberg suggested they may have dated, even joking one of her children could be half Q.

Her ties to Picard go 'beyond friendship, beyond family'

There's been a good deal of speculation about the nature of the relationship between Guinan and Jean-Luc Picard. And as most things go when it comes the enigmatic El-Aurian, we don't have any firm answers. 

A few hints are dropped here and there during  TNG  that Picard and Guinan's relationship might have at one point been romantic. After Picard is assimilated by the Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds," Guinan tells Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) that her ties to Picard go "beyond friendship, beyond family." Granted, that doesn't necessarily mean there's anything intimate going on. Guinan could just mean they have a very close friendship. However, in the earlier episode "Booby Trap," as she's talking to Geordi about his relationship woes, Guinan confesses she's attracted to bald men, and of course,  TNG  does have one pretty well-known bald guy.

But Goldberg has a different insight. The actress said Gene Roddenberry had suggested to her that, because of Guinan's age, she could be the ancestor of other characters on the show. At the 2016  Star Trek  50th Anniversary Convention,  she told the crowd , "I always assumed Picard was one of my great-great-great-great-great grandkids." Though never confirmed in any of the series or movies, it's an interesting idea, and were it to prove accurate, it opens up the question of whether or not Picard knows she's his ancestor.

Whoopi Goldberg was inspired by another Star Trek character

One of the main reasons Goldberg worked so hard to get a role on  TNG  was the inspiration she found in the form on Nichelle Nichols' Lt. Uhura. The communications officer on the first  Star Trek  series was a rarity in 1960s television — a black woman who wasn't only in space, but who was one of the most important members of the crew.

Nichols told NPR in 2011 that she had the chance to meet Goldberg for the first time while the latter was working on  TNG . She said Goldberg told her when the young actress first saw Lt. Uhura on TV, she happily ran through the house yelling that there was a black woman on TV, "and she ain't no maid." Nichols said, "And that did something to my heart, so I knew that I had made the right decision."

By "the right decision," Nichols referred to an encounter she had with Martin Luther King, Jr during which the historic activist insisted she could not — as she was considering — leave the cast of  Star Trek.  King told Nichols that because of her presence on the show, for the first time on television, African-Americans were "being seen the world over as we should be seen." He added because of her,  Star Trek  was the only show he and his wife allowed their children to watch. 

Guinan was one of Gene Roddenberry's last gifts to us

Gene Roddenberry, the creator of both  Star Trek  and  TNG , died in 1991, a little over a month before the release of the final original crew-only  Trek  film,  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .  TNG  continued on for three more years ,  and more regular series and films would be inspired by the utopian narrative Roddenberry forged in 1966. 

And on a 2020 episode of  The View , Goldberg and Patrick Stewart confirmed that the enigmatic alien bartender who gave so much of her wisdom to the  Enterprise  crew was the last recurring character Gene Roddenberry created for  Trek  before his passing. On The View ,   Goldberg said , "I think [Guinan] might have been the last character that Gene created. That he actually created. I think that might be mine." Stewart agreed, saying, "I would say the true lasting character that we saw again and again and again." And it's fitting that a man whose creative expression was so concerned with the future would create, for his final addition to  TNG , a character who would potentially see further into the future than any of his other  Trek  creations.

We almost met one of her sons

If you've watched  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , you almost met one of Guinan's children. In the DS9  second season episode "Rivals," we encounter Martus Mazur (Chris Sarandon), an El-Alurian con artist. Mazur doesn't embrace his species' role as "listeners." For the most part, he uses his "listening" to con strangers out of as much money as he can get, but otherwise, he resents being the object of unwanted conversation. According to  The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , Mazur was originally meant to be Guinan's son. Goldberg was going to reprise her role as Guinan in the 1994 episode, presumably to help clean up after the havoc Mazur wreaks. When scheduling prevented her from appearing, all mention of Guinan was removed from the script. 

It's possible Mazur was at least partly conceived much earlier than his DS9  appearance. In the 1989  TNG  episode "Evolution," when Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) asks Guinan if she had trouble relating to any of her children, Guinan says there was one who "wouldn't listen to anybody." She adds it took "several hundred years" before she "managed to bring him around." Maybe she didn't "bring him around" as well as she thought she did? The fact that Michael Piller is one of the two credited writers on both "Evolution" and "Rivals" adds at least a little fuel to the theory. 

She was named after an old-timey actress

Because of her reputation as a comedic actor, Whoopi Goldberg's early campaigning to join the cast of  TNG  wasn't taken seriously . When Gene Roddenberry realized Goldberg wasn't playing a practical joke on the Trek  crew, he chose a name for Goldberg's character that not only reflected Guinan's profession but had meaning for women in film.

The Enterprise  bartender Guinan is named after the real-life Texas Guinan , a vaudeville actress, film producer, and speakeasy hostess and singer. The real Guinan appeared in over 30 silent films between 1917 and 1921. She also appeared in a pair of sound films, 1933's  Broadway Thru a Keyhole and 1929's  Queen of the Night Clubs. In the 1929 film, she played a fictionalized version of herself. 

It's most likely that Roddenberry was tapping into her "queen of the night clubs" reputation when naming Goldberg's character. Texas Guinan's prohibition-era hostess work included her well-known catch phrase, "Hello, sucker! Come on in and leave your wallet on the bar." Goldberg's Guinan never got to use that line, though considering her different tone — and the fact that money apparently doesn't exist in  TNG 's Federation — it's probably for the best.

Guinan wants to be on Discovery

The 2017 premiere of  Star Trek: Discovery  began a new era for the franchise's television life, and that fact didn't escape Whoopi Goldberg. As early as a year before  Discovery 's release, Goldberg made it clear she wanted to be a part of this new age of  Trek  storytelling. At the 2016  Star Trek 50th Anniversary Convention, Golberg told the crowd she was campaigning for a spot on the new series, and that she was starting a new Twitter hashtag —  #BringBackGuinan  — to help her cause. Rod Roddenberry, the  Star Trek  creator's son and a producer on  Discovery , was there and seemed receptive to the idea. 

While Discovery takes place before the events of the original Star Trek series, there's no reason Guinan's appearance on Discovery would hurt continuity or need any kind of time travel to be facilitated. As Goldberg said, "The great thing that Gene did for me was he wrote a character that can appear anytime, anywhere." From  TNG 's two-parter "Time's Arrow," we already know Guinan was alive during Earth's 19th century. If that's the case, then she's  somewhere  in the galaxy during the events of  Discovery . Time will tell if we ever get to see the El-Aurian interact with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) or anyone else on the  Discovery  crew.

Guinan will return in Star Trek: Picard

In January 2020,  Star Trek: Picard premiered on CBS All Access with Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard, now retired from Starfleet but called back to adventure after a mysterious young woman shows up at his home in France. The day before  Picard 's premiere, Stewart appeared on  The View  —  of which Whoopi Goldberg is a co-host —   and he didn't come just to promote but to recruit. 

Shortly after sitting down, Stewart said, "I have something I need to bring up, if that's okay. I'm here with a formal invitation." The invitation was for Goldberg to reprise her role as Guinan on the second season of  Star Trek: Picard . Goldberg's response was immediate and emotional. She shouted, "Yes, yes!" and embraced Stewart. During the rest of the segment, she seemed to be having trouble holding back tears. " Star Trek was one of the great experiences from the beginning to the end," Goldberg told the audience. "I had the best, best, best time. Best time ever."

As of the writing of this article, the first season of  Picard  has yet to conclude. So we'll have to wait and see how much time Guinan gets in season two and whether or not any of the many questions about Guinan will be answered. Considering the mystery surrounding the character is one of her more appealing traits, it's tough to decide whether we want any answers or not.

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Star Trek: Picard : Whoopi Goldberg to Return as Next Generation ‘s Guinan in Season 2 — Watch a New Trailer

Keisha hatchett, staff editor.

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Another familiar face is headed to Star Trek: Picard in Season 2.

Paramount+ has dropped the official trailer for the upcoming season, which you can check out above, featuring Whoopi Goldberg reprising her Next Generation role as Guinan.

The sneak peek finds Picard turning to his longtime friend for advice after Q presents him with one of his signature enigmatic tests.

See below for a full photo of Guinan back in action.

Goldberg recurred as the beloved bartender in Star Trek: The Next Generation Seasons 2-6, and appeared in the films Star Trek: Generations  and Star Trek: Nemesis .

New episodes of Picard , premiering Thursday, March 3, take the legendary captain and his crew on a journey into the past. Picard must “enlist friends both old and new to confront the perils of 21st century Earth in a desperate race against time to save the galaxy’s future — and face the ultimate trial from one of his greatest foes,” per the official description.

The upcoming season will see John de Lancie reprise his role as Q, the omnipotent shapeshifter who reveled in testing Picard. Plus, Annie Wersching ( Bosch , The Vampire Diaries ) will recur as the Borg Queen, the infamous villain first introduced in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact (played then by Alice Krige).

The Season 2 cast also includes Alison Pill (back as Dr. Agnes Jurati), Isa Briones (Dahj and Soji Asha), Evan Evagora (Elnor), Michelle Hurd (Rafaella “Raffi” Musiker), Santiago Cabrera (Cristobal “Chris” Rios), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), Orla Brady (Laris) and Brent Spiner (Data/Dr. Altan Inigo Soong).

Are you excited for Whoopi Goldberg’s return in Star Trek: Picard ? Sound off in the comments.

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51 comments.

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Oh boy, a full-on time travel plot. Ambitious, but risky. Some of Trek’s most memorable moments have been time travel adventures, but also its least scientifically plausible. We’ll see how the concept holds up under modern storytelling sensibilities. I suppose it helps that Q is involved. That really lets them do whatever they want and then just literally hand-wave it away.

I like that Q has always had a soft spot for humanity and that his tests always have a purpose.

I had always liked Guinan on the original TNG series but Goldberg’ss acting in this new trailer was stiff and felt uninspiring. I just remember some of Guinan’s memorable speeches to Picard, especially in the episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise”. It’s painfully obvious that the new writers for these rebranded ‘Star Trek’ streaming shows are just as uninspiring as their writing and the acting. They should have left these legacy characters where they were and not have brought them back. Least STD doesn’t use legacy actors who portrayed their characters.

Worst mistake ever to bring Goldberg on to the show. Lost me as a viewer.

Worst mistake ever? You make it sound like they cast Bill Cosby or something. I feel like most true TNG fans have a soft spot for Guinan, and for good reason.

Guinan was everything to the crew that Troi should have been. . Loved her and can’t wait for this.

Why do I get the feeling that WD doesn’t realize that Whoopi has been a part of Star Trek since 1988?

Either that, or whatever grudges he has against her (whether they are racial, gender, or politics-based) would also apply to half of the other actors in Hollywood too, but he’s chosen to focus his prejudices on Ms. Goldberg for whatever reason?

Star Trek is based on tolerance and diversity. If you’re not a fan of those, you really don’t understand the franchise.

Not to mention her character has a timeless friendship with Picard. Wasn’t it something like 18th Century England when they first encountered one another?(At least to her?). She waited a generation to be aboard his ship and for him to be born and reunite with him. Time stuff works so weird haha.

as it was mentioned she recurred from seasons 2 to 6 and also was in the first and last next generation

Would bet cash that his issue is that she’s liberal.

The entire cast of Star Trek shows are liberal which is true to the characters they play too.

I’d be careful with that whole “entire cast of Star Trek shows are liberal” comments. Marina Sirtis (Troi) showed her true colors on twitter last year when she came out in defense of not only Piers Morgan, but defended Prince Andrew against the s** trafficking allegations. I would hardly call a royalist who defends a man’s rantings, railings, & attacks against a black woman AND defends a pedo****, a liberal.

Sirtis has been very vocal about her anti-Trump and anti-Brexit feelings. The only thing she agreed with Piers Morgan about was Harry & Megan—and she prefixed that agreement with “What is the world coming to? I agree with [Piers Morgan]” So yeah, she’s pretty unabashedly liberal.

For whatever reason I can’t reply to Simon’s comments so my follow up goes here:

She agreed with a man when he said a woman was lying about her mental health. She defended a pedo****. Being anti-Tump and anti-Brexit does not automatically equate to liberal. JKR is very vocally anti-Trump and she is most certainly NOT a liberal.

“Hey ⁦⁦@tedcruz⁩, lefty liberal here holding her OWN Bible. Didn’t have to borrow one like the president.” -@Marina_Sirtis Jun 2, 2020 . But sure, @Web you *definitely* know her politics better than she does herself. SMH.

The husband is a HUGE fan of Whoopie’s daytime show, only him and he never misses an episode, but he never watches scifi stuff. I am the one that read every scifi short story and novel since the beginning of the genre way back when up to the 80’s and a real scifi tv junkie. There might be other things at play with that comment, here. Peace, Man/Everyone! Super cool the Guinan character is back. With everyone rushing around, it was always fun for a take-a-deep-breath character.

OP doesn’t like Whoopi Goldberg and you basically call him a racist. Newsflash: people are allowed to dislike actors without it being about race. People like you who make unsubstantiated claims of racism are as big a problem as racists themselves.

@Ellen – The OP has not provided any explanation for why tons of other former ST actors have returned to Picard but somehow Whoopi doing so is “the worst mistake ever.” You may theorize it’s a simple matter of “dislike,” but there’s no particular reason why that guess should be any more accurate than other explanations offered—especially given the OP’s evident rancor.

People often hide racism under thinly veiled criticism because they don’t want others to see them for what they are.

@Snow: So very true. You see it here quite often. There is one female poster here who gets bent out of shape if there is one gay character or if an interracial relationship is depicted. I don’t understand these people. But hey, I have given up trying to do so.

And u were the most important viewer according to you .. LOL

Seven of Nine looks like she kicks serious butt this season

“Video not available”.

check youtube

Thanks – found it😀

Aahhh! That just made me more excited than I thought I would be

Love that Guinan will be back! Whoopi playing Whoopi? Looks like it will be a great season.

❤ EGOT winning Whoopi… anywhere is always better with her unparalleled talents on display!

She’s not really an EGOT. Her Emmy is actually a *daytime* Emmy. Those are a joke and don’t really count.

Bitter, party of one!

Apparently those ‘joke awards’ matter to show biz historians (and every performer/crew talent who was ever nominated and/or won). But thanks for your condescending opinion, Amanda. How is it up there in the ivory tower?

Happy to see Guinan again. Let’s learn more of Guinan’s past and give her some powers. She was supposed to have powers in the original.

Whoppi back as Guinan? I’m in. I loved the first season of “Picard.” Looking forward to this season.

Awesome, can’t wait!

Didn’t Patrick Stewart appear on The View and invite Whoopi to appear on Picard? IIRC, she quickly said yes to him.

Yes, I watch The View every weekday and remember that episode well. Whoopi was giggling while the audience (they had one in studio that day) applauded wildly and chanted in encouragement. Whoopi and Sir Pat are longtime genuine buddies in real life, too.

Yes, I was watching that day as well.

They already had me sold on Season 2 with Q. I’ve always loved his character. :D I needed nothing else. Guinan is a bonus. Huzzah!

Agree completely.

So excited! Both Q and Guinan are back!

I hope they will expand on the relationship between Guinan and Q. The two have an unspoken history I would love to see explored.

I’m hoping we learn about their history as well as more about Guinan’s past. I’m truly excited to see her again with Picard.

I’ll admit this looks intriguing. I just hope it’s better than the disappointing first season.

to each hir own I guess….with the exception of that ‘Casino Boogie Nights’ episode, I thought S1 was solid…it was definitely JEAN-LUC 2.0 without being TNG 2.0 (which I wouldn’t have minded)

Yay for more Laris! What about Zhaban? Be good to see both of them featured more prominently in season 2.

Agreed! I loved Laris & Zhaban together. Laris & Picard have a special friendship as well, like chosen family. Here’s hoping they’ll be around for more than one episode.

Heck yes..What took so long? Guinan has always been a mystery character in the Star Trek universe. From a wise, long living race of star seekers forced to do so when their homeland was destroyed. Not to mention the mysterious connection that is still unspoken between Picard and Guinan. How are they related? She has always been like his physical subconscious mind in order to reach a solution in a crisis. An unspoken language between the two of them. Bravo! Brava! Writers hop to it. “Make It So!”

Much more excited about Guinan than Q! . And you can never have too much of Seven of Nine kicking ass.

Thrilled! LOVE Whoopi & Guinan was my favorite character on TNG after Picard. They work together so well, especially the mystery element of their past. Look forward to see where Picard 2 goes with this.

Star Trek Picard season 2 it’s not about race.

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Published Nov 13, 2023

The Art of Guinan’s Aphorisms

Let’s take a look at some words of wisdom shared by Guinan that had an impact on those around her.

StarTrek.com

Guinan, who was first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation and reintroduced in Star Trek: Picard , is several centuries old and full of wisdom which she does not mind sharing with the Starfleet crew. The El-Aurian bartender was invited to be a crew member on the U.S.S. Enterprise -D, directly by Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

The owner of the famous 10 Forward bar also served as the unofficial therapist to Starfleet staff, always available to anyone in need.

In celebration of Whoopi Goldberg's birthday, let's revisit some of Guinan's most poignant observations.

My name Is Guinan. I tend bar and I listen.

Guinan, "Rascals"

"Rascals"

In Star Trek: The Next Generation sixth-season episode "Rascals" episode, Guinan, Captain Picard, Ro Laren, and Keiko O’Brien materialized as their 12-year-old selves due to a transporter accident. Just as they are attempting to get ahead of what is happening, the Enterprise is boarded by Ferengi invaders and the crew devises a plan to outsmart them. The Ferengi are apprehended and the crew, is able to take back control of the ship.

I haven't been young for a long time, and I intend to enjoy every minute of it.

Guinan, "Ensign Ro"

"Ensign Ro"

A warrior for her crew, Guinan also saved the REM sleep-deprived crewmembers by using an energy-beam rifle to escape the Tyken’s Rift. In "Night Terrors," the Enterprise searches for a ship that released a signal for help and were all of their crew has died. Sometime after searching the doomed ship, the Enterprise crew start to feel unwell while also displaying strange behavior following sleep loss.

Dr. Troi starts to have nightmares that actually end up being a message in her subconscious that contains a warning about what actually happen to the other ship’s crew. With this new information, Guinan is able to use the rifle to disrupt the energy and free the crew from the sickness.

The idea of fitting in just repels me.

Guinan, "Hollow Pursuits"

Guinan — The Enterprise's Secret Weapon

Human intuition and instinct are not always right, but they do make life interesting.

Guinan, "The Loss"

"Watcher"

In Star Trek: Picard 's second-season "Watcher," Guinan's younger version is reintroduced and is reunited with her friend Jean-Luc Picard. She is able to offer him wisdom as he navigates new adventures and challenges, just as she did in the earlier series. The evolution of their friendship progresses forward and throughout Season 2, we are able to see just how they were able to sustain their relation over the many years.

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Candice E. Lewis is a cinephile and writer from Chicago, IL.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Patrick Stewart Invites Whoopi Goldberg to Join ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

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In an emotional moment on Wednesday’s episode of “ The View ,” Patrick Stewart invited Whoopi Goldberg to appear on the second season of CBS All Access’ “ Star Trek: Picard ,” reprising her character of Guinan from “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Goldberg — who quickly and gladly accepted — appeared to be totally surprised by Stewart’s offer, which he said was a “formal invitation” from himself and “Picard” executive producer Alex Kurtzman.

“‘Star Trek’ was one of the great experiences from the beginning to the end,” Goldberg said with an enormous grin. “I had the best, best, best time. Best time ever!”

“Well, it was wonderful having you, and we cannot wait to have you with us again one more time,” Stewart replied.

Goldberg’s first joined “The Next Generation” in 1988 for the show’s second season as Guinan, the bartender of Ten Forward, the social nexus of the Enterprise, and the character quickly became a regular fixture on the show. Goldberg appeared in 29 episodes over the seven-season run of “TNG,” including some of the most beloved “TNG” episodes of all time — “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” “The Best of Both Worlds” and “I, Borg” — as well as the feature films “Star Trek: Generations” and “Star Trek: Nemesis.”

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The series premiere of “Picard” debuts on CBS All Access on Thursday, but last month the streamer renewed the show for a second season. Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, Michelle Hurd, Alison Pill, Harry Treadaway and Evan Evagora also star on the show, and “Star Trek” alums Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Jeri Ryan and Jonathan Del Arco will all reprise their roles on Season 1.

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When “The View” co-host Joy Behar asked Stewart if Goldberg would have to lose the blonde twists in her hair, Stewart made clear the terms of Goldberg’s appearance.

“She can do whatever the hell she wants,” he said.

You can watch the full exchange below.

. @SirPatStew officially invites @WhoopiGoldberg to join season two of #StarTrekPicard : “It was wonderful having you, and we cannot wait to have you with us again one more time.” https://t.co/f8u2wbJuik #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/mxOtyJxF63 — The View (@TheView) January 22, 2020

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Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Guinan

The enigmatic bartender is still a great mystery in Star Trek, but what we learned along the way?

At TrekCulture we have previously listed several of the biggest mysteries about Whoopi Goldberg's beloved El-Aurian, yet what have we learned in the years since?

This earlier article was composed before the character's appearance in the second season of Star Trek: Picard , so has much changed on this front? If so, has it been for the better, or for the worse?

Since her first appearance in The Child, we have seen her rootin' tootin' with a rifle, we have seen her concoct the perfect cocktail, and we've even seen a change of faces as time went forward...and backward...and somewhere in between. But whatever else, Guinan remains one of the most intriguing characters from the entire franchise, embodying Dr. Boyce's original line:

Sometimes, a man'll tell his bartender things he'll... never tell his doctor.

10. A Question Of Q

One of the early mysteries that surrounded Guinan was her relationship with a certain trickster. Q, Who introduced the fact that these two characters knew each other, though at that time exactly how was unknown. There was, however, enough animosity to give even a being as powerful as Q room for pause.

This was further explored in the second season of Star Trek: Picard . It turned out that far from Guinan and Q being personal enemies, the entire Q Continuum and the El-Aurian race had engaged in a 'cold war' for many years. This war was brought to a close, as many often are, over a bottle.

In this case, that bottle was quite literal. The El-Aurian people saw 'unity through food and drink,' and therefore had evolved to capture a moment of time within a bottle. This bottle could then be used to summon those directly affected by it - as was demonstrated to varying levels of success in Monsters  and Mercy.

Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick

The Real Person Who Inspired Guinan On Star Trek

If you're a "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fan, you know the character of Guinan played by Whoopi Goldberg. She's the bartender and host of the Ten Forward aboard the USS Enterprise -D. Guinan is hundreds of years old, and from a race of "listeners" called the El-Aurian. It makes her the very best person on the Enterprise to go to for advice. Everyone has been in front of Guinan at some point, particularly Captain Jean-Luc Picard who considers her to be closer than family. She'll return in " Star Trek: Picard " season 2 .

Goldberg got the job when her co-star LeVar Burton let the executives know that she was interested in being on the show. When she spoke to "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, he rewrote the role of the Enterprise bartender for her. 

What you might not know is that the role is based on a real bartender, actress, and entrepreneur named Texas Guinan. 

From Showgirl to Movie Star and Back Again

Texas Guinan was born Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan in Texas on January 12, 1884, and was set on becoming an actress. She grew up on a ranch, learned to shoot and rope and ride horses. She attended the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago for two years, and then joined a " Wild West " show. She married John J. Moynahan in 1904 — but it only lasted for two years. (Guinan on "Star Trek" was married 23 times .) 

Texas Guinan moved to New York City to pursue her dream of performing and was often in vaudeville's "Gibson Girl" shows. Though she performed a lot, she was lured away by a talent scout and moved to Los Angeles in 1917 to be a movie star. The nickname "Texas" had by then become the name she was known by.

In Hollywood, she did a few films, primarily playing a female gunslinger, and ended up starting her own production company, Texas Guinan Productions in 1921. Unfortunately, it only lasted a year. At that point, Guinan moved back to New York and ended up signing at the Beaux Arts Hotel , where she managed to become the emcee of ceremonies — something women rarely did at the time. 

Hello Suckers!

What Texas Guinan is really remembered for, however, is her work in speakeasy clubs in the 1920s. She'd already gotten a reputation for saying, "Hello suckers," when people came in — and became famous for that line in the process. She moved from club to club  for a while, but after meeting bootlegger and racketeer Larry Fay, she joined his El Fay Club . There, she sat on a stool in the center of the room with a whistle. She coined another phrase during that time, calling someone from out of town spending big a "Big butter-and-egg-man." (We'd probably refer to them as "weekend warriors" today.) 

The police closed the El Fay, and Guinan ended up at the Del Fay, then the Texas Guinan Club, the 300 Club, the Club Intime, and Texas Guinan's Salon Royale. Hey, you've got to stay ahead of the law, right? She didn't always manage it, though — getting arrested more than once for working and operating a speakeasy, but nothing stuck. 

In an interview with MyHarto , Goldberg mentions one of her famous catchphrases. Goldberg says, "He [Gene Roddenberry] wrote my character, Texas Guinan, she's based on, who had a great bar in New York in the '20s and she greeted everyone by saying, 'Hello suckers' ... So we couldn't do that to the extraterrestrials."

Texas Guinan returned to the stage and had her own review called "Padlocks of 1927," and made two more movies before taking her review on the road. France wouldn't let her perform the show there, so she decided to call it "Too Hot for Paris," and toured the Western United States and Canada. Unfortunately, she eventually contracted amoebic dysentery and passed away at the age of 49 in 1933.

Texas Guinan's life may have been significantly shorter than the "Star Trek" version of Guinan, but oh my, did she make the most of her life.

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Whoopi Goldberg returns as Guinan to host Star Trek: The Next Generation reunion on The View

EW has an exclusive preview of the cast reunion and The View set's stellar makeover.

Whoopi Goldberg 's love for Star Trek: The Next Generation is written in the stars. The Oscar-winning actress held an epic cast reunion for the beloved sci-fi series on The View — and EW has an exclusive first look at the talk show's transformation for the stellar event.

Airing on Thursday's episode of the ABC talk show as a special pre-recorded edition, the reunion features Goldberg reprising the role of Guinan — whom she played on The Next Generation between 1988 and 1993 — to welcome her Star Trek franchise costars Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher), and Michael Dorn (Worf) to the set.

The View stage also underwent a transformation into the Ten Forward lounge, the famed Star Trek locale where the cast will reflect on their time filming the series together as they prepare to launch the final season of Paramount+'s Star Trek: Picard .

Dorn will seemingly receive a commemorative honor during the segment — co-hosted by Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin — as he's pictured holding a trophy signifying "Most Appearances in Star Trek History."

Stewart previously made headlines for his January 2020 appearance on The View , when he asked Goldberg to come back to the series to play Guinan on Picard 's second season. A shocked Goldberg embraced Stewart as the studio audience erupted with applause.

"I've said this on the show before, but Star Trek was one of the great experiences, from the beginning to the end," Goldberg said as tears welled in her eyes. "I had the best, best, best time ever."

Goldberg ultimately accepted Stewart's offer, appearing in two episodes of Picard in 2022.

The View 's Star Trek: The Next Generation cast reunion airs tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET on ABC. See EW's exclusive photos from the episode above and below.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Watch Whoopi Goldberg lose it as Patrick Stewart asks her to join Star Trek: Picard season 2
• Picard season 3 is the final adventure The Next Generation cast never got
• Star Trek: Picard cast reminisce on The Next Generation and reuniting for final season

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Star Trek: Guinan & El-Aurians, Explained

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Most Star Trek aliens are created to serve a specific purpose in an episode or story arc and are gradually fleshed out over the years. Some don't get the benefit of future adaptations. The rare exceptions often involve a fan-favorite newcomer from an unnamed species. Guinan was introduced without any suggestion of her species, but the series gradually unveiled the El-Aurians she came from.

Guinan is one of the most beloved supporting characters of the Star Trek franchise. Those who haven't seen much of the series might not know her name, but they've seen Whoopi Goldberg in her collection of hats. She was a considerable draw, regularly bringing in more viewers when she appeared. Her role in the show was small, but her story was revealed slowly.

RELATED: Star Trek: Who Are The Devidians?

Who are the El-Aurians?

Of all the alien species on Star Trek , few look as human as the El-Aurians. There are no visible biological differences between El-Aurians and humans. They easily blend into groups of humans . Long before humans knew about the existence of aliens, El-Aurians visited Earth and mingled. El-Aurians even possess multiple genetic phenotypes with distinct eye, skin, and hair colors. This is somewhat rare among Star Trek aliens, as most share almost identical traits. Though El-Aurians look exactly like humans, they possess unique abilities that set them apart.

El-Aurians are known for their perceptive abilities. El-Aurians can hear and see beyond the bounds of time and space. They can detect fluctuations in the timeline and disruptions in history. El-Aurians are frequently negatively affected by temporal disturbances. They experience "time sickness," the way many feel motion sickness . Their listening skills don't end at the boundaries of time and space. They can find the specific sonic resonance of any action or word. El-Aurians can manipulate reality through sound. They can also experience limited telepathy and project themselves into the minds of others. Their lives tend to be hundreds of years long. A lot of El-Aurians used their power to act as advisers or confidants, while others became con artists.

Who is Guinan?

Guinan is best known as the bartender of Ten Forward, the finest lounge on the USS Enterprise-D. She dispenses sage advice to the crew, often helping people when they need it most. Her identity was unclear in her early appearances, but many argued that she was more complicated than she seemed. Guinan was born sometime around the 1800s. She first met Data, Picard, and their friends in 1893, when the Enterprise crew went back in time. She and Mark Twain helped everyone get back to their correct timeline. In 2024, she opened up a bar at 10 Forward Avenue in Los Angeles, California. She met Picard there again in a snafu with an alien-obsessed FBI agent. Jean-Luc's ancestor Dr. Renée Picard frequented her establishment. Guinan's unique relationship with Jean-Luc Picard defined her time with Starfleet.

Guinan and Picard shared a decades-long relationship that appeared hard to pin down. It was described as more than friendship and beyond the bonds of family. The show occasionally teased a romantic element to their partnership, but it's usually framed as a platonic partnership. Picard recommended Guinan for the Enterprise after years of quiet friendship. She picked up fencing and chess, befriended most of the crew, and gave excellent advice to whoever would listen. She stayed part of the captain's life well into Star Trek: Picard .

What happened to the El-Aurian?

Around 2265, while Guinan lived far from the El-Aurian homeworld, the Borg Collective attacked . Many El-Aurians were assimilated, but many more died fighting. The unknown population of El-Aurians in the universe was reduced to hundreds. Over 400 refugees tried to escape to Earth in 2293. They were exposed to the Nexus, which corrupted most of their minds. The 47 who could be convinced to leave were saved in a mission that almost killed Captain Kirk . The few remaining El-Aurians were scattered across the universe. Though their population was decimated, El-Aurian's long lives allowed them to change that. Guinan, for one, had at least 23 husbands over her long life. She never revealed how many children she had, nor were they depicted in any media, but she admitted to mothering many kids. The El-Aurian suffered much, but long lives allowed them to bounce back more easily than most.

Guinan is an unexpected icon of the Star Trek franchise. Her species offers many unique and interesting elements to the universe. Writers could find many fascinating stories in the lives of El-Aurians. Their powers remain partially unexplored, and any series could use a character like Guinan in a supporting role. Star Trek has an impressive ability to turn characters that could feel one note into beloved icons and expand their stories into something that affects the entire universe. The El-Aurians may have been absent from most of the series, but they had a tremendous impact on the main cast.

MORE: Star Trek: Who Is Mirror Spock?

• Movies & TV

El-Aurians were a spacefaring humanoid species originating from the El-Aurian system . A long-lived race of "listeners", they possessed perceptive abilities that extended beyond the normal space-time continuum .

• 5.1 Appearances
• 5.2 Background information
• 5.3 External link

History [ ]

The El-Aurians were a widely traveled people who spread themselves across many parts of the galaxy and beyond. At least one El-Aurian, Guinan , visited Earth in 1893 , before Humans had any common knowledge of alien species . ( TNG : " Time's Arrow ", " Time's Arrow, Part II ") Another region which the El-Aurians visited was near System J-25 . ( TNG : " Q Who ")

Guinan's visit to 19th century Earth is the earliest contact between the El-Aurians and Humans depicted in canon . However, according to a story Guinan told Bill Sutter in the second draft script of TNG : " Imaginary Friend " (which had the working title "Invisible Friend"), the first contact that her people had with Earth took place even earlier, as her parents purportedly visited the planet during her childhood, for what Guinan uncertainly recalled may have been a political conference. Guinan wasn't clear about when this occurred, saying only that it had taken place "a long time ago" and making clear that she had been a child at that time.

In the distant past, the El-Aurians engaged in a long cold war with the Q Continuum , which was ended with a truce struck over a bottle of liquor . The moment of the truce was captured within the bottle, which could subsequently be used to summon a Q . The bottle was in Guinan's possession as of 2024 . ( PIC : " Monsters ")

Around 2265 , when Guinan wasn't present, this species was the victim of a major attack by the Borg , with all but a handful of El-Aurians being assimilated or killed and all El-Aurian cities being destroyed. ( TNG : " Q Who ", " Ensign Ro ", " I Borg ") The El-Aurian fatalities numbered in the millions, which included Tolian Soran 's wife and children , and the loss of their homeworld scattered the survivors throughout the universe. ( TNG : " Q Who ", " The Best of Both Worlds ", Star Trek Generations ) On the other hand, by resisting when the Borg came to assimilate them, the El-Aurians defied their attackers' motto that "resistance is futile." ( TNG : " I Borg ")

Very few details about the El-Aurians' disastrous encounter with the Borg were given in the first draft script of "I Borg". According to that teleplay, the El-Aurians had tried to stay away from the Borg but without success. Some of them had been assimilated into the Borg Collective but many had died resisting. The only other details provided were that this species had been "destroyed" by the Borg during the attack, which had taken place "a few" centuries prior to 2368. In the earlier-produced episode "Q Who" (set in 2365), however, the attack is said to have taken place a century before that episode, canonically establishing it as having happened in 2265 or thereabouts.

Even less information concerning the species was presented in the third draft script of "I Borg", which contained only two lines of dialogue about them. More specifically, Guinan stated that the attempted assimilation of her people by the Borg had taken place "long ago" and that some of her "ancestors" had managed to escape, proving that resistance wasn't futile and suggesting that the reason she wasn't present during the incident was because she hadn't been born yet.

This idea was forwarded in the fourth draft script of "I Borg", in which the El-Aurians who had been attacked by the Borg were referenced collectively as having been ancestors of Guinan; she even stated outright that, without them managing to escape, she wouldn't have survived. The timing of the incident was again said to have been an indiscriminate number of centuries before 2368. In the final draft of the "I Borg" script, the El-Aurians involved in the attack were still referred to as having been Guinan's "ancestors". [1]

A group of panic-stricken El-Aurians surround Chekov in 2293

In 2293 , a group of 415 El-Aurian refugees were traveling to Earth, following their escape from the Borg, transported on two ships , the SS Lakul and the SS Robert Fox , when they were caught in the Nexus energy ribbon near the Sol system . None of the El-Aurians wanted to leave the Nexus, despite it endangering and eventually destroying their transport ships . The USS Enterprise -B was able to rescue 47 of the refugees, including Guinan and Dr. Soran. The survivors were in a state of panicked confusion and had at least some minor injuries . In the Enterprise 's sickbay , they were given medical assistance and assured that everything would be alright by Pavel Chekov and a group of journalists who served as a makeshift medical team (although the mission cost the life of James T. Kirk , or so it was thought). ( Star Trek Generations )

In the first draft script of Generations , the El-Aurian survivors were instead treated by Doctor Leonard McCoy and Chekov. As McCoy later reported in an official medical log aboard the Enterprise -B, the survivors had all been exposed to the Nexus and were therefore exhibiting signs of "extreme dementia , paranoia , and violent tendencies." McCoy recommended full psychological evaluation for them all. The first draft and final draft of the Generations screenplay established that Guinan could remember all 415 of the El-Aurian refugees. Also in both drafts, her "echo" in the Nexus explained, " When the Enterprise -B beamed us off the Lakul , we were partially in the Nexus. The transporters locked onto us... but somehow everyone left a part of themselves behind. " [2]

By 2368 , there were still very few El-Aurians left, due to the Borg, and those who were still alive remained scattered throughout the galaxy , with no collective home any more. ( TNG : " I Borg ") While Guinan became the bartender aboard the USS Enterprise -D in 2365 , Soran, following the Enterprise -B rescue, dedicated the next seventy-eight years (until his apparent death in 2371 ) to finding a way to return to the Nexus. ( Star Trek Generations ; TNG : " The Child ") Martus Mazur , another El-Aurian refugee, visited Deep Space 9 in 2370 . ( DS9 : " Rivals ")

In the fourth draft and final draft of the script for "I Borg", the El-Aurians who were still alive in 2368 were described as not even having each other. [3] However, that idea isn't in the final edit of "I Borg".

Biology [ ]

Guinan, as she looked in her childhood

Externally, the El-Aurians were physically identical to Humans, in structure and even the range of racial phenotypes. ( TNG : " The Child "; Star Trek Generations , et al. ) El-Aurians had rybo-viroxic-nucleic sequences in their genes (similar to other humanoids, including Humans and Bajorans ). ( TNG : " Rascals ")

A significant physical difference between Humans and El-Aurians was in the aging process, as the extremely long El-Aurian life span covered many centuries. One particular El-Aurian male was known to be a father of an adult when he was around two hundred years old in the 19th century, and to be in virtually perfect health at the age of around seven hundred years old as of the 24th century . This longevity also afforded them the opportunity to have many children. ( TNG : " Time's Arrow ", " Rascals ", " Evolution ") According to Guinan, El-Aurians only age when they choose to. ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ")

A Devidian temporal vortex suddenly being opened could potentially injure an El-Aurian more than it could a Human, knocking the El-Aurian unconscious and wounding them in such a way that the El-Aurian couldn't walk thereafter unless they received medical treatment. ( TNG : " Time's Arrow, Part II ") El-Aurians might also suffer from more common physical sensations, such as thirst and tennis elbow . ( TNG : " Time's Arrow, Part II ", " Suspicions ")

El-Aurians were empathic , and also possessed a limited form of telepathy whereby they could, with difficulty, project an image of themselves into the mind of another person. ( PIC : " Mercy ")

El-Aurians had an awareness that superseded the normal flow of time and space , allowing them to be extraordinarily sensitive to the space-time continuum itself. ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ") Guinan was able to perceive the change from the regular timeline to the aforementioned alternate one and back again, switches that occurred in 2366 , due to a disruption in the history of the starship USS Enterprise -C ; the changes were felt by both the Guinan of the alternate timeline and that of the regular timeline. ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ", " Redemption II ") After Data postulated his theory about El-Aurians being able to intuitively detect such alterations, the Jean-Luc Picard of that timeline admitted there were many things about El-Aurians which they couldn't easily explain. However, the faith he had in Guinan's "special wisdom", as he called it, was instrumental in resetting the timeline. ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

El-Aurians could be physically affected by changes in the timeline, with symptoms ranging from general feelings of unease to severe nausea and vomiting. These physiological effects were called Af-Kelt , or "time sickness". ( PIC : " Watcher ")

According to the novel The Buried Age , Guinan's special abilities and perceptions in regard to time and her ability to perceive Q were due to the echo of her left within the Nexus. This concept originated in unfilmed dialogue from the Generations screenplay, which also suggested that Dr. Soran was likewise given special insights about people thanks to having been in the Nexus.

The notion that this species slept was suggested in the second draft script of TNG : " Imaginary Friend " (while it had the working title "Invisible Friend") and the first draft script of "I Borg".

Culture [ ]

El-Aurians described themselves as a race of "listeners", by which they meant that they could "hear" the world like music . To them, every action and word vibrated with a specific resonance , and they could further manipulate reality by finding and plucking the "right chord ". ( PIC : " Monsters ")

Some El-Aurians used their abilities to help others, acting as advisers or confidants. A few turned their talent to more dubious pursuits, becoming con artists and tricksters, such as Martus Mazur, while Dr. Soran used his abilities to help bring his genocidal plan to re-enter the Nexus to fruition. ( DS9 : " Rivals "; Star Trek Generations ) El-Aurians usually didn't experience difficulties with parents relating to their children, as El-Aurian children were usually good at listening to their parents. ( TNG : " Evolution ")

The El-Aurians believed that they were united by food and drink . Using their abilities, they could capture the half-life of a moment in time within physical objects. ( PIC : " Monsters ")

The second draft script of "Imaginary Friend" (meanwhile known as "Invisible Friend") suggested that this species practiced heterosexual monogamous relationships, as Guinan referred to her " mom and dad" in that script. Also, both that script and the first draft script of Generations suggested that El-Aurians had regular bedtimes and that it was typical for a father to tuck his children into bed at night, although the former source additionally implied that El-Aurian children didn't play with teddy bears .

The first draft script of TNG : " Time's Arrow " referred to Guinan's people as "a high tech culture", though they were not described that way in the final draft of that episode's script. [4] In fact, the only technological aspects of their culture that have been specifically attributed to the El-Aurians are their transport ships, the Lakul and the Robert Fox . It wasn't even established whether the species was warp-capable . However, the fact that the Borg considered them eligible for, in some cases, assimilation during their early history implies that they were, even then, probably at some level of technological advancement.

• Martus Mazur
• Tolian Soran
• Unnamed El-Aurians

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Child " (Season Two)
• " The Outrageous Okona "
• " The Measure Of A Man "
• " The Dauphin "
• " Evolution " (Season Three)
• " Booby Trap "
• " Yesterday's Enterprise "
• " The Offspring "
• " Hollow Pursuits "
• " The Best of Both Worlds "
• " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II " (Season Four)
• " The Loss "
• " Galaxy's Child "
• " Night Terrors "
• " In Theory "
• " Redemption "
• " Redemption II " (Season Five)
• " Ensign Ro "
• " Imaginary Friend "
• " Time's Arrow "
• " Time's Arrow, Part II " (Season Six)
• " Rascals "
• " Suspicions "
• DS9 : " Rivals "
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek Nemesis
• " The Star Gazer "
• " Watcher "
• " Monsters "
• " Farewell "

Background information [ ]

El-Aurian-playing actors Whoopi Goldberg and Malcolm McDowell , with Director of Photography John A. Alonzo

Descriptive text about Guinan in the internal reference work Star Trek: The Next Generation Writers'/Directors' Guide stated that several El-Aurians met Jean-Luc Picard while he was serving as a lieutenant on board the USS Stargazer and that they fascinated him at that point. The description also explained that the fact they were often described as a group of listeners was because something about the species "encourages others to be honest when they speak." ( [5] ; Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 012)

The first canonical evidence of this species were references to Guinan not being Human. Wesley Crusher mentions in TNG Season 2 opener " The Child " that the crew of the Enterprise -D are curious as to where she has come from (Crusher saying he has heard that a rumored answer to that mystery is Nova Kron ), and in later second season installment " The Outrageous Okona ", Guinan makes a joke in which she refers to herself as a humanoid. Her "people" were first referred to in " Q Who ", later in the same season, which also introduced the Borg. The first time Guinan's people were referred to as a species of "listeners" was in TNG Season 3 opener " Evolution ".

In the writer's first draft of the script for TNG : " Rascals " (which had the working title "Maker of Dreams"), Guinan's people were referred to as having encountered a shapeshifter who, in the story, called himself "Caliban", in reference to a character from Shakespeare 's The Tempest . The script established that Guinan's people commonly referred to him as a "Maker of Dreams".

According to the reference book Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 3rd ed., p. 319, the El-Aurians were named after an "angel of flame" from ancient Hebrew lore. Though many people think the name of the species was first established in Star Trek Generations , it actually originated in DS9 : " Rivals ". However, the name was likely taken from early drafts of Generations , which were definitely in circulation around the Star Trek office at Paramount by the time "Rivals" entered production. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 109) The name wasn't included in the first draft script of "Rivals" (dated 14 September 1993 ), which instead referred to Martus Mazur as being from one of numerous races of Listeners (the script didn't specify how many there were, nor what any of them were called). At one point in the same first draft script, Odo commented, " You Listener-types are the worst, " to which Mazur replied, " I beg to differ, constable . Listeners – my race included – are the finest diplomats , counselors , advisors – " but Odo interrupted, ending the sentence with " – and con-artists in the galaxy. " The references to Martus as an El-Aurian were added into the script by the time the final draft was submitted (on 18 October 1993 ) [6] , by which point the name had already been featured in the first draft screenplay of Generations (dated 1 October 1993). Although early reports regarding Soran claimed he was a Vulcan , Rick Berman confirmed he would be an El-Aurian (in Star Trek: The Official Fan Club Magazine  issue 97 , dated June / July 1994 ). [7]

With Guinan having set a precedent of virtually always wearing elaborate hats, the El-Aurians in Star Trek Generations had to be effectively styled. Upon introducing them in the film's script, the screenplay physically described them as "humanoid and dressed in distinctive clothing." [8] El-Aurian hairstyles in the film were designed by Key Hair Stylist Joy Zapata . ( Star Trek Generations production notes) Meanwhile, Costume Designer Robert Blackman was assigned the task of designing individual costumes for thirty El-Aurians. This challenge was welcomed by Blackman, as working on Star Trek: The Next Generation had involved him encountering tight budgets and schedules that usually didn't allow for more than seven alien individuals to be shown per episode. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission , p. 231)

Whereas the first draft script of Star Trek Generations called for a series of "photos and biographical information" of the El-Aurian survivors from the Lakul to be shown on a screen aboard the Enterprise -D, El-Aurians other than Guinan and Tolian Soran are ultimately shown in only one scene of the film, to depict them panicking but being aided by Chekov and the journalists in the Enterprise -B's sickbay. The master version of this scene, used in the first edit of the film, spotlighted all of these individuals. [9] (X) This is also the only time when any El-Aurian other than Guinan, Tolian Soran, and Martus Mazur has appeared on camera.

External link [ ]

• El-Aurian at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Bell Riots
• 2 Obi Ndefo
• 3 Gabriel Bell

This Overlooked Character in Star Trek: The Next Generation Deserved Better

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A polar opposite among others, chemistry, comedy, and a sweet spot for chocolate, lost potential or limitations that were previously set.

Star Trek has captivated multiple generations with brave new worlds and iconic characters who have secured a legacy that extends far beyond the stars. The launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation gave creator Gene Roddenberry a new vehicle for the social commentary he had developed in the original series. The second coming of the continuing voyages of the Enterprise portrayed hope for a future where diplomacy and exploration would be guided by technological wonders that took humanity to places they had never been.

Many of the different characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation embodied the traits of the original cast, as well as other notable figures from folklore. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was a modern incarnation of Captain Horatio Hornblower, and Data personified the razor-sharp logic of Mr. Spock. Proof that peace between adversaries could be accomplished took the form of Lt. Worf, a proud Klingon raised by human parents who continually seeks to uphold his people's traditions and maintain the decorum of a Starfleet officer.

One character who had the potential to be much more was the ship's counselor, Deanna Troi, portrayed by Marina Sertis. The emotional core of the crew, and often one who ended up as either a setup for comic relief or sexual tension, there was much more that could have been done with Deanna Troi as a character.

Female characters on Star Trek have continually been examples of independent thinkers and strong-willed personalities. In the original series, Lt. Uhura broke down barriers and provided thoughtful insight. Nurse Chapel was a welcome opposite to the eccentric and short-tempered Dr. McCoy. Even in Star Trek: The Next Generation , there were female characters who carried on unique roles in various capacities. Fans of the early seasons will remember Tasha Yarr, the headstrong security officer, and Dr. Pulaski, who, along with Dr. Crusher, served as beacons of morality and intellectual prowess in healing the sick and caring for others.

Deanna Troi possessed many qualities that made her an interesting character and a strong asset to the crew on the bridge. As an empath who could sense strong feelings in others, she played a pivotal role in the fragile diplomacy that existed between the other civilizations that came into contact with the Enterprise . Still, in a show that was known for its complex characters and stories that probed emotional depth, Deanna Troi sometimes felt underutilized. The insightful nature and guidance that could have been deeply established in Deanna Troi was often displayed through Guinan, portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg. Even in Star Trek: First Contact , the most memorable scene involving Deanna Troi was her sitting at a bar suffering the effects of too much tequila.

10 Sci-Fi Shows Like Star Trek That Aren’t Star Trek

A bunch of other sci-fi series have carried on Star Trek's legacy of world-building and proven that it's left plenty of room behind for exploration.

There were certainly a lot of moments when Troi proved to be an invaluable member of the crew and an exemplary part of solving the complex situations that the Enterprise would find itself in. Despite these attributes, many of the moments that even the most avid fans of the show remember involve her irrepressible mother, Lwaxana Troi , the sexual tension that she had with various members of the crew, and an obsession with chocolate.

Lwaxana Troi, played by Majer Barret, who had portrayed Nurse Chapel in the original series and provided the voice for the computer in both incarnations of the show, was, for the lack of a better term, the comic relief in the episodes in which she appeared. Constantly pursuing Picard and being the epitome of every overbearing and embarrassing parent, Lwaxana Troi was on par with Q as the series' most memorable and recurring character. Deanna Troi would often be the incidental character to set up these comedic moments with her mother . The sexual tension that involved Deanna Troi impacted multiple characters, such as Riker and Worf, and the most comedic of these appeared in an episode where Lt. Barclay imagined Troi, in a recurring holodeck fantasy, as the "goddess of empathy."

That's not to say that these moments ruined Troi as a character at all. Far from that. If anything, these moments certainly made Troi a memorable part of the crew. When aspects of romantic chemistry, dessert, and a boisterous parent overshadow the qualities that make someone an invaluable asset, especially when compared to so many other iconic characters who have flushed-out development and complex backstories known to serious and casual fans alike, it feels like there's so much more that could have been accomplished .

Star Trek: Deanna Troi’s 16 Best Quotes from the Franchise

The beloved half-Betazoid character is empathic, willful, playful, sarcastic, and wears her heart on her sleeve. Here are Deanna Troi's best quotes.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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The question that should be asked is whether Troi could have been developed further or whether the character's pre-existing limitations hindered said development. It's difficult to say. On one hand, there were multiple occurrences where Deanna Troi played a critical role in dealing with the complex emotions of the crew, particularly in the relationship between Worf and his son Alexander and the child of a recently deceased crew member. The capacity to heal and strengthen emotional bonds among so many different personalities isn't just something that's essential for a television series, but the human experience as well.

Deanna Troi played a pivotal role in the series, but the negative aspects that became associated with her as a character hindered not only her development but the perception among casual and avid viewers of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Considering how female characters were presented in later series, such as Deep Space Nine and Voyager , it appears that there's much more that could have been accomplished with Deanna Troi.

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Every Star Trek Character Killed By Ron Moore

Every star trek episode & movie directed by david carson, why star trek: the next generation's enterprise had a rarely-seen second bridge.

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 15, "Yesterday's Enterprise" remains one of the series' most highly acclaimed episodes, but there are some fascinating things many viewers may not know about this iconic story. "Yesterday's Enterprise" begins like any other episode of TNG , with the USS Enterprise-D encountering a seemingly inexplicable galactic phenomenon. Suddenly, the battle-damaged USS Enterprise-C emerges from a wormhole, and everything on the Enterprise-D changes. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) now sits on a darkly lit bridge and Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) stands at the tactical station.

Captain Picard then meets the injured Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O'Neil) of the USS Enterprise-C, informing her that she and her ship have journeyed 22 years into the future. The United Federation of Planets is now at war with the Klingons — a conflict even Captain Picard fears they will soon lose — which forces Garrett to make an impossible decision. With compelling guest stars and a fascinating glimpse into the history of ships named Enterprise, "Yesterday's Enterprise" remains an incredibly memorable episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and more than earns its reputation. However, many pieces had to fall into place for "Yesterday's Enterprise" to make it to the screen in the first place.

7 "Yesterday's Enterprise" Combined Two Different Star Trek: TNG Story Ideas

Tasha yar was added to a time travel story.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, the producers of the show began accepting scripts from outside writers. This policy led to the show receiving over 5,000 scripts in a year. One of those scripts, written by Trent Christopher Ganino, caught the eye of one of TNG's producers. While this story included the USS Enterprise-C, it did not feature Tasha Yar or Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) , and included an ensign who panicked after learning the fate of the Enterprise-C. Ganino later struck up a friendship with TNG pre-production associate Eric A. Stillwell, and the two began working on ideas for new stories.

They eventually pitched a story that involved Tasha Yar, as well as Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), the Vulcan father of Spock (Leonard Nimoy). In this story, a Vulcan science team accidentally altered the future by causing the death of Surak (Bruce Gray), the founder of Vulcan philosophy. This led to an alliance between the Vulcans and the Romulans, who then declared war on the Federation. The Klingons later replaced the Vulcan/Romulan alliance, and this idea was then combined with a time-traveling Enterprise-C to eventually become "Yesterday's Enterprise."

6 "Yesterday's Enterprise" Almost Involved Star Trek: TOS' Guardian Of Forever

One version of the story included spock's father, sarek.

When working on the Sarek time travel story, Ganino and Stillwell wanted to incorporate elements from several classic episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, including "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "Mirror, Mirror." The idea of an altered militaristic universe came from "Mirror, Mirror," while the actual Guardian of Forever originally played a role in the time travel part of the story. The Vulcans were investigating the Guardian of Forever when they traveled to the past and inadvertently altered history their own history.

The Guardian of Forever returned in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, in the form of Carl (Paul Guilfoyle), who sent Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) back to the past.

According to the book The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise by Eric A. Stillwell, TNG season 3 showrunner Michael Piller feared that the Guardian of Forever was too much of a gimmick, and he wanted to stay away from too many references to TOS. This story idea also saw Sarek travel back in time to replace Surak, thus restoring the correct version of the Star Trek timeline. The idea of someone going into the past and replacing a historical figure was later used in the excellent Star Trek: Deep Space Nine two-parter, "Past Tense," which saw Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) take the place of Gabriel Bell (John Lendale Bennett).

5 5 Writers Worked On Star Trek: TNG's "Yesterday's Enterprise" Script

Each writer wrote a portion of the script.

To accommodate the schedules of both Denise Crosby and Whoopi Goldberg, the production of "Yesterday's Enterprise" had to be moved from January 1990 to December 1989. This meant the teleplay had to be written very quickly over the Thanksgiving weekend of 1989. In order to accomplish this, the story was divided among four members of Star Trek: The Next Generation's writing staff — Ira Steven Behr, Hans Beimler, Richard Manning, and Ronald D. Moore . According to an article published in Star Trek Magazine, Ira Steven Behr said the writers enjoyed the darker material in "Yesterday's Enterprise," even if they did have to work over a holiday weekend.

Ronald D. Moore sent many big-name Star Trek characters to their final frontier during his time on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine...

Michael Piller reportedly polished the final script before production but was not included among the credits as the Writer's Guild only allowed four names. Because of the rushed nature of the script, many of the writers feared the final episode wouldn't work. Despite having five writers and being written so quickly, very little about "Yesterday's Enterprise" feels disjointed or out of place. When it first aired, "Yesterday's Enterprise" performed better in the ratings than any other episode in TNG season 3.

4 "Yesterday's Enterprise" Had A Bigger Star Trek: TNG Budget

Space battles, new ships, & guest stars require bigger budgets.

With an impressive guest cast, an entirely new Starship Enterprise, and a climactic final battle scene, "Yesterday's Enterprise" required a larger budget than most Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Thankfully, the episode was due to air during the time period when Nielsen collected viewing data from households across the United States. Because this was an important time for television studios to do well in the ratings, Paramount Studios increased the budget for the episode.

This extra money gave the production team more leeway to create new sets and ship models for the USS Enterprise-C and completely redress the bridge of the Enterprise-D. Much of the budget was spent on crafting a model of the Enterprise-C and ensuring that the Warship Enterprise-D looked suitably different from its Prime Universe counterpart. Despite this increase in budget, some scenes during the final battle sequence had to be cut, partly for budgetary reasons and partly for time. "Yesterday's Enterprise" was filmed in only seven days, from December 11th to December 19th, 1989.

Some of the expanded budget also went to hiring new guest actors, including Tricia O'Neil as Rachel Garrett and Christopher McDonald as Richard Castillo. Both actors were Star Trek fans prior to being cast.

3 USS Enterprise-C Model Built For "Yesterday's Enterprise" Inspired Ships In Later Star Trek: TNG Episodes

The enterprise-c model had to be built quickly.

The Ambassador-class USS Enterprise-C was designed to be the logical step between the Excelsior-class USS Enterprise-B and Galaxy-Class USS Enterprise-D. A small sketch of the ship had been done during TNG's first season as part of an image depicting the lineage of ships named Enterprise . However, illustrator Andrew Probert, who designed the Enterprise-D, had already left the show. Illustrator Rick Sternbach built on Probert's original concept to create the final version of the Enterprise-C.

Due to time constraints, Sternbach simplified Probert's original design so that the model could be constructed more quickly. Artist and model-maker Gregory Jein then created the $10,000 shooting model of the battle-damaged Enterprise-C. The design model for the Enterprise-C was later modified to appear as various Ambassador-class starships in other episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, including "Data's Day."

2 "Yesterday's Enterprise" Was Director David Carson's 2nd Star Trek: TNG Episode

David carson directed star trek generations.

Director David Carson had only previously directed one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation — TNG season 3, episode 7, "The Enemy." Because of this, he had few preconceived notions about how "Yesterday's Enterprise" should be shot. This likely allowed him more freedom, as he focused on emphasizing the darker, more militaristic nature of the alternate universe. From the lighting to the uniforms to the extra security, nearly everything about the warship Enterprise-D feels different from the normal one. Even Captain Picard appears much more exhausted and battle-hardened than he ever has before.

Director David Carson helmed several acclaimed episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, DS9, and the feature film Star Trek Generations.

David Carson went on to direct two more episodes of TNG and four episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, including the show's feature-length premiere, "Emissary." After proving his directing ability over the course of these eight episodes, Carson was chosen to helm the first TNG film, Star Trek Generations. Generations was the first of three feature films Carson would direct, followed by Letters from a Killer in 1998 and Unstoppable in 2004.

1 Time Constraints Cut Several "Yesterday's Enterprise" Scenes

Wesley & data almost died along with riker.

In the original teleplay for "Yesterday's Enterprise," several more USS Enterprise-D crew members met somewhat grisly untimely ends. The only main TNG cast member who died in the final episode was Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes). As the Enterprise-D fights off three Klingon battlecruisers, the ship takes heavy damage, and Riker is killed when his console explodes, prompting Picard to jump over the barrier and take over at the tactical station.

The original script featured an extended battle sequence (courtesy of Ronald D. Moore) that included scenes of Ensign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) having his head blown off and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) being electrocuted. Time constraints or not, it's likely some of these scenes would have pushed the limits of what the studio would have allowed anyway. Regardless, this more gruesome end to the Enterprise-D and its crew never made it on screen, but "Yesterday's Enterprise" still remains one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's most memorable and lauded episodes.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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