Star Trek Just Had Its Best Captain Catchphrase Since Picard's "Engage"

15 hours ago 3

The warp catchphrase has become an increasingly vital addition to any Star Trek captain's arsenal. It was Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard who popularized the trope in Star Trek: The Next Generation by uttering "engage" with his trademark air of authority.

The responsibility of shepherding hormonal cadets has left Holly Hunter's Captain Nahla Ake with little time to establish her own warp catchphrase on the USS Athena, but Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's final episode gives another officer a signature line that's a stroke of utter brilliance.

Jett Reno Gets A Truly Great Warp Catchphrase In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Tig Notaro's Jett Reno doesn't typically find herself occupying the captain's chair, but by virtue of being the last remaining adult standing on the bridge in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's final episode, she assumes command of the USS Athena... or what remains of it. As such, it's Reno who gets the honor of ordering Cadet Reymi to warp the Athena into battle and save the day by disarming Nus Braka's wall of Omega 47 mines.

Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment The Final Frontier
Trivia Challenge

🚀ShipsEnterprise!

⭐CrewMake it so

☠EnemiesResistance is…

⚡TechWarp speed!

📖LoreLive long…

ENGAGE →

The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?

ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656

✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.

✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.

Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?

AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek

✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.

✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.

Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?

AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive

✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.

✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.

“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?

AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472

✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”

✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”

Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?

AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula

✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.

✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.

Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?

ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive

✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.

✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.

At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?

AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru

✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.

In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?

AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat

✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.

✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.

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Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty?

↻ RE-ENGAGE

The pressure of the captain's chair affects people in strange ways - as demonstrated by Cadet Lythe's sudden urge to urinate - and it's clear that Reno didn't have anything prepared for such a momentous occasion. Notaro's character comes up with an off-the-cuff command that manages to both raise a smile, and perfectly sum up Jett Reno's personality.

"Now show me pretty streaks of light" is every bit as dry, sarcastic, and humorous as Reno herself. It's long and awkward compared to other captain catchphrases, but that works perfectly with Reno's unbothered delivery and aversion to social niceties. It's an anti-catchphrase in the same way that Reno is a very atypical Starfleet officer.

Starfleet Academy Has Been Huge For Tig Notaro's Jett Reno

Tig Notaro's Jett Reno was always a welcome presence in Star Trek: Discovery, offering a grounded, sardonic dose of reality in a galaxy of madness. With such a large ensemble to play with, however, Notaro was never one of Star Trek: Discovery's leading cast members, and moments of character development were few and far between for Jett Reno.

It probably isn't an exaggeration to say that Reno gets more characterization in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 than she did during her entire stint on the Discovery. Just switching careers to become a teacher coaxes unseen qualities out of Reno - a more nurturing, wiser, "proud parent" persona emerges. Notaro's character was always more of an abrasive, anti-establishment rebel aboard the Discovery.

Then there's the romance with Lura Thok. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy only shows glimpses of their relationship, but the moments we do get suggest a sweet, deeply caring, somewhat unique bond between two unlikely lovers. Although it's not mentioned explicitly in Starfleet Academy, it's important to note that Lura Thok is part-Klingon, and Jett Reno lost her wife during Star Trek: Discovery's Klingon-Federation war.

Finally, as Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's climactic battle commences, Jett Reno the leader comes to the fore. She's still not one for rousing speeches or gushing praise, but as she commands the Athena, Reno proves adept at knowing what her cadets need to hear at any given moment, whether that's a dose of self-effacing humor when she recalls crashing shuttles in her youth, or a shot of pragmatism to keep Caleb Mir's mind focused on the task at hand.

It's clear that Jett Reno is one of Star Trek's most underrated characters, but her exemplary take on the captain's warp catchphrase is a moment that will live on for years to come. Now, show me pretty streaks of light.