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The Roddenberry Archive is a collaboration between the estate of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and computer graphics company OTOY to digitally preserve assets related to the Star Trek franchise. It was announced in August 2021 by Gene's son Rod and OTOY founder and CEO Jules Urbach. Longtime Star Trek production artists Mike and Denise Okuda, Doug Drexler, and Daren Dochterman were curating the archive by then. It was made available in 2024 as The Archive, a mixed reality app for the Apple Vision Pro.

In addition to preserving documents, images, blueprints, and models from Gene's career, the archive team began digitally recreating the starship USS Enterprise and other aspects of Star Trek stories. The archive also has featurettes made from interviews with various people connected to the Star Trek franchise, and several documentaries related to the digital recreations. Additionally, the archive team have created a series of short concept videos which use new technology to visualize previously un-filmed Star Trek imagery, most notably the 2024 short "765874 – Unification" which received significant attention from fans and commentators.

History

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Announcement and first project

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Picture of Michael Okuda
Picture of Denise Okuda
Picture of Doug Drexler
Picture of Daren Dochterman
Longtime Star Trek production artists Mike and Denise Okuda, Doug Drexler, and Daren Dochterman were curating the Roddenberry Archive by August 2021

In August 2021, around the 100th birthday of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry who died in 1991, the Roddenberry Estate and computer graphics company OTOY announced a "multi-decade collaboration" called the Roddenberry Archive. OTOY founder and CEO Jules Urbach was a childhood friend of Gene's son Rod,[1][2] and OTOY worked on the Roddenberry Vault Blu-ray that was released for the 50th anniversary of the first Star Trek series, Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969).[3] The Roddenberry Archive was being curated by longtime Star Trek production artists Mike and Denise Okuda, Daren Dochterman, and Doug Drexler. Key documents, images, blueprints, and models from Gene's career were captured digitally using OTOY's LightStage scanning software and stored on the company's RNDR blockchain computing network. OTOY previously announced archives for the art of Mike "Beeple" Winkelmann, an OTOY board member, and illustrator Alex Ross; Winkelmann joined the Roddenberry Archive as a creative consultant and Ross provided new art for it.[1][2]

In addition to recording behind-the-scenes materials, the archive team wanted to capture completed visuals from the franchise. Urbach said they thought a full internal digital recreation of the starship USS Enterprise would be an "ambitious but doable" first project, and chose to base this on the ship's appearance in the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) because that version, the refit NCC-1701, had the most available data to allow a "complete [recreation] down to every hallway and nook and cranny".[4] The team worked with holographic display company LightField Lab on the recreation, which was described as a "fully immersive holographic installation experience". It includes all rooms seen in the film as well as others based on reference designs, blueprints, and research from throughout the archive team's careers.[2] The digital model was featured during Apple's October 2021 keynote event.[5] While working on the Enterprise recreation, the archive team decided to expand the scope of the Roddenberry Archive. Urbach said they wanted it to be a full "history of Star Trek, not just the assets, not just the props, but the stories—the timeline in visual form—to the best of our abilities." They made a goal to eventually recreate every version of the Enterprise.[4]

"The Cage" project and first concept videos

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The Roddenberry Archive announced a project in May 2022 dedicated to "The Cage" (1964), the first pilot episode for The Original Series. Sets, props, costumes, and characters from the episode were recreated virtually, including a life-size version of the Enterprise's original bridge set. The episode's director, Robert Butler, provided hours of behind-the-scenes material to the archive and reviewed the recreated sets in March of that year. Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023) production designer Dave Blass had joined the archive team by then. Lora Johnson, author of the reference book Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise (1987), was consulted for the starship recreations. In addition to Butler, interviews took place on the recreated sets with: Christopher Hunter, the son of Jeffrey Hunter who played Captain Christopher Pike in the episode; Sean Kenney, who replaced Jeffrey Hunter as Pike for later episodes of The Original Series; and Sandra Lee Gimpel, who portrayed a Talosian in "The Cage".[5][6] Footage from these interviews was included in "supplemental video logs" released later in the year.[7] Laurel Goodwin, who played J. M. Colt in the episode, was expected to be interviewed for the project but died earlier that week.[4] After noticing a resemblance between Urbach's wife Mahé Thaissa and Goodwin's portrayal of Colt, the archive team had planned to accompany Goodwin's interview with new footage of Thaissa as Colt on the recreated sets, filmed using virtual production techniques.[3][4] Carlos Baena, who joined OTOY as a freelance director in early 2022, directed a short concept video featuring Thaissa as Colt that was released under the title "765874".[4][8]

The archive's recreations of "The Cage" sets and assets were made available for fans to explore using a television and game controller at the 56-Year Mission: Las Vegas fan convention in August 2022. Urbach reiterated their plan to eventually use immersive technologies, such as holographic displays, to allow people to walk through the recreated sets in a similar way to the franchise's holodeck technology.[9] Also at the convention, a panel was held with members of the archive team. Moderated by Gates McFadden, who plays Beverly Crusher in the franchise, they discussed their progress with the archive and showed a new concept video, "765874 – Memory Wall", which expands on the first video. In addition to Thaissa as Colt, the second video features Lawrence Selleck as Spock. Prosthetics and digital technology were used to recreate the appearance of original actor Leonard Nimoy, who died in 2015. Both characters are shown at different stages of the Star Trek timeline using scans of real costumes plus some concepts and imagery from un-filmed projects. Visual effects company BLR VFX worked on the video. The archive team also showed test footage of their technology being used to recreate Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–74) in live-action with visuals that are consistent with The Original Series.[7][9][10] The use of digital technology to recreate an actor's likeness was compared to similar, controversial examples in feature films, such as the re-creation of Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin for the film Rogue One (2016). Urbach felt there was a difference with their usage of the technology, because they were doing it for preservation rather than a commercial enterprise. Selleck said his role was a "holy endeavor" in the eyes of Star Trek fans and he did not take it lightly.[9]

Generations shorts and The Archive

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Following the release of Star Trek: Picard's series finale in April 2023,[11] the Roddenberry Archive's digital collection was made available through an online web portal for three weeks. It had more than four million visitors in that time.[12] The site included full digital recreations of every Enterprise bridge. Also released were: a documentary about the history of the Enterprise bridges, narrated by John de Lancie who portrays Q in the franchise; a featurette that previews an hours-long interview with original Star Trek actor William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk; a featurette about the USS Enterprise–D from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) and its recreation for Picard, with The Next Generation director James L. Conway, director-producer David Livingston, program consultant David Gerrold, illustrator Andrew Probert, and production designer Herman Zimmerman, as well as Picard's showrunner Terry Matalas; and a third short in the concept video series, "765874 – Regeneration", which is connected to the film Star Trek Generations (1994).[11][13] The short features original music by Johan Söderqvist.[4] The archive team also announced that they had recreated the voice of Gene's wife Majel Barrett, who played various characters in the franchise including the voice of the Enterprise computer, based on phonetic recordings that she made before her death in 2008. Rod was pleased that the archive could continue his mother's legacy in addition to his father's, and fulfill her wish to continue voicing the Enterprise computer after her death.[11][13]

The digital collection was again made available in February 2024 through the web portal as well as The Archive, a new mixed reality app for the Apple Vision Pro headset. The app was launched in conjunction with Paramount Game Studios, and Rod described the immersive experience as "a remarkable milestone in realizing [Gene]'s vision for the holodeck". It was accompanied by new featurettes based on interviews with Gerrold and original Star Trek actor Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov.[12][14] An expansion of The Archive was announced in April, coinciding with the release of the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery. A new documentary exploring the creation of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) and its titular space station was also released, narrated by Deep Space Nine star Armin Shimerman who portrayed Quark in that series and other Star Trek media.[15][16] Another expansion, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Generations, was launched in November 2024. This focused on a new concept video titled "765874 – Unification" which features Thaissa as Colt, Selleck as Spock, and Sam Witwer as James T. Kirk. Practical and digital prosthetics were used to recreate the appearance of a younger Kirk as portrayed by Shatner. Gary Lockwood and Robin Curtis reprised their respective Star Trek roles as Gary Mitchell and Saavik for the video, which was filmed with a combination of location photography, virtual production, and computer-generated set extensions. The project was executive produced by Shatner and Susan Bay, the widow of Leonard Nimoy. Michael Giacchino returned from previous Star Trek media to compose original music for the video. Additional featurettes, including a retrospective interview with Shatner, were also released.[17][18]

The Archive

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The Archive is a mixed reality app featuring real-time, 3D, immersive "spatial experiences" in 4K resolution. The app was created using OTOY's rendering software and the open source framework Universal Scene Description (USD) specifically for the Vision Pro, which is described as a spacial computing platform. Artists using OTOY's tools are able to upload and share their own immersive creations through the app, while Apple's SharePlay function allows users to livestream their in-app experiences over FaceTime.[12][14]

The app launched in February 2024 with nearly two hours of experiences available, covering hundreds of virtually recreated locations and items from throughout the history of the Star Trek franchise. These included Captain Kirk's quarters, Quark's Bar, and the hangar bay of the USS Enterprise–D. Some assets could be resized and placed in the user's home environment, including a model of the Enterprise. Portions of the app feature narration by the digitally recreated voice of Majel Barrett. In addition to digital assets and locations, the app launched with the Roddenberry Archive's previously released featurettes, documentaries, and short concept videos which were remastered for the Vision Pro. Newly restored archival footage was also featured, including excerpts from interviews with filmmaker George Lucas and comic book creator Stan Lee discussing Gene Roddenberry's influence on their work. The app also contains content from other OTOY archive collaborators such as filmmaker Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995).[12][14]

In April 2024, The Archive was expanded with several new spatial experiences, including: the bridge of the USS Discovery from Star Trek: Discovery; the interior of the IKS Amar, the Klingon K't'inga class battlecruiser from The Motion Picture; and the promenade of the Deep Space 9 space station from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Several new starship models from various eras of the franchise were also added to the app.[15][16] The expansion in November for the 30th anniversary of Star Trek Generations included recreations of sets, props, and locations from that film as well as new featurettes and the "765874 – Unification" concept video. Locations from the video were recreated digitally using scans and digital set extensions, while major scenes were filmed twice so they could be mastered for the Vision Pro.[17][18]

The Archive was named one of the best Vision Pro apps by BGR,[19] AppleInsider,[20] and 9to5Mac.[21] AppleInsider said even for non-Star Trek fans it was an "impressive technical demo" for the Vision Pro.[20]

Featurettes

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The Roddenberry Archive has released several featurettes made from interviews with various people.[11] Urbach said they intended to interview "every living person that could speak to the history" of Star Trek.[4]

Roddenberry Archive interviews
No.TitleGuestsOriginal release date
1"The Gene Roddenberry Archive"–August 12, 2021 (2021-8-12)
2"The Cage"Robert Butler and Sandra Lee GimpelMay 4, 2022 (2022-5-4)
3"The Cage – Supplemental Log: Starring Jeffrey Hunter"Christopher Hunter and Robert ButlerAugust 26, 2022 (2022-8-26)
4"The Cage – Supplemental Log: Casting The Cage"Robert ButlerAugust 26, 2022 (2022-8-26)
5"The Cage – Supplemental Log: The Menagerie"Christopher Hunter and Sean KenneyAugust 26, 2022 (2022-8-26)
6"William Shatner: Reflections on the End of an Era"William ShatnerApril 27, 2023 (2023-4-27)
7"Creating the Next Generation"Terry Matalas, James L. Conway, David Livingston, David Gerrold, Andrew Probert, and Herman ZimmermanApril 27, 2023 (2023-4-27)
8"Walter Koenig: Rejection and Redemption on the Final Frontier"Walter KoenigFebruary 2, 2024 (2024-2-2)
9"In Conversation: David Gerrold – Part 1"David GerroldFebruary 2, 2024 (2024-2-2)
10"In Conversation: David Gerrold – Part 2"David GerroldFebruary 2, 2024 (2024-2-2)
11"In Conversation: William Shatner"William ShatnerNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)
12"Robin Curtis: Becoming Saavik"Robin CurtisNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)
13"George Takei: Remembrance of Gene's Gift"George TakeiNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)

Documentaries

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Several supplementary documentaries have been released by the Roddenberry Archive alongside their efforts to recreate and preserve elements of the Star Trek franchise.[11][15]

Roddenberry Archive documentaries
No.TitleNarratorOriginal release date
1"Evolution: The Enterprise Bridge"John de LancieApril 27, 2023 (2023-4-27)
An exploration of the starship Enterprise's bridge, from its inception in 1964, through decades of television and films, to the latest incarnation on the Enterprise–G in the finale of Star Trek: Picard.
2"Deep Space Nine: A Stroll Down the Promenade"Armin ShimermanApril 5, 2024 (2024-4-5)
A history of the creation of the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and a virtual tour of its titular space station, with an especial focus on Deep Space 9's famous promenade.
3"Return to Tomorrow: Virtual Exploration of the World of Star Trek"John de LancieJuly 30, 2024 (2024-7-30)
An introduction to and exploration of the Roddenberry Archive's virtual recreations of starships, other locations, sets, props, and more from across the Star Trek franchise.

765874 shorts

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Rod Roddenberry wanted the archive to highlight Star Trek's spin-off fiction that had not been visualized in live-action and was deemed to be outside of official Star Trek canon. Urbach said they wanted to take some of those stories that "highly influenced the lore" as well as unrealized projects and "bring them into the live-action realm and give them this elevated stature".[4] When approaching the first concept video, "765874", they looked to J. M. Colt's role in a 1998 comic book story published by Marvel Comics in Star Trek: Early Voyages. In the comic, Colt time travels to the future and when she returns to her own time she "sees all of Star Trek's timeline. It's this 'awakening' and seeing everything and having that experience." Urbach expanded on this, treating Colt as an "observer" who has seen different moments throughout Star Trek history.[3] The video's title is a reference to Colt's in-universe Starfleet serial number.[citation needed] The second video, "765874 – Memory Wall", builds on Gene Roddenberry's novelization of The Motion Picture (1979) which describes Spock's mind meld with the entity V'Ger as an "awakening", allowing him to be treated as another "observer". Urbach thought bringing together two characters who had "seen sort of outside of the margins" aligned with Star Trek's theme of exploration, saying: "Not everything is necessarily a new alien. Some of it is like opening your mind."[3] The second video recreates imagery from the Early Voyages comic book as well as the 2015 comic book Star Trek: Captain's Log – Pike from IDW Publishing.[7]

The third short is set after the events of Star Trek Generations, which saw the Enterprise–D crash-land on the planet Veridian III where Captain James T. Kirk is later killed and buried. The third season of Star Trek: Picard (2023) reveals that Starfleet recovered the crashed ship and Kirk's remains sometime after the events of the film. "765874 – Regeneration" depicts Starfleet's efforts to recover the ship, and also shows Spock visiting Kirk's grave. The latter sequence visualizes imagery from Shatner's novel The Ashes of Eden (1995), the first in a series known as the Shatnerverse that imagines a resurrected Kirk's life after the events of Generations.[13][22][23] The short was deemed to be a touching and fitting epilogue to the film.[22][24] Urbach said the short concept videos were not expected to "attract widespread attention from fans", but each received millions of views on YouTube.[4]

Urbach said "765874 – Unification" was the culmination of everything that would happen with the two characters and they did not intend to continue the story after this point, but they were open to telling more stories including filling in more details about what leads up to Kirk and Spock's reunion.[3]

Roddenberry Archive shorts
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"765874"Carlos BaenaJules UrbachMay 3, 2022 (2022-5-3)
J. M. Colt sees flashes of light and then images of several locations around San Francisco, including shuttlecraft flying near the Golden Gate Bridge and the USS Enterprise docked beside a building.
Cast : Mahé Thaissa as J. M. Colt
2"765874 – Memory Wall"Carlos Baena and Jules UrbachJules UrbachAugust 26, 2022 (2022-8-26)
Spock does a mind meld with Colt, accessing her memories. He sees her on a high rock pillar looking at an eye-shaped pool inside a circle of stones, and also sees a starship crashed in an arctic landscape. Colt probes back, seeing quick flashes of the Enterprise crashing, the planet Jupiter, the Voyager 6 space probe, an injured Captain Christopher Pike, and other moments from Spock's life. Spock's voice says "remember".
Cast : Lawrence Selleck as Spock and Mahé Thaissa as J. M. Colt
3"765874 – Regeneration"Carlos BaenaJules UrbachApril 27, 2023 (2023-4-27)
Starfleet recovers the crashed saucer portion of the USS Enterprise–D from the planet Veridian III. Elsewhere on the planet, Spock approaches the grave of his friend James T. Kirk and retrieves the latter's Starfleet badge.
Cast : Lawrence Selleck as Spock
4"765874 – Unification"Carlos BaenaJules UrbachNovember 18, 2024 (2024-11-18)
Kirk walks through a garden and sees a group of people standing by a fountain, including Saavik and her son Sorak. At the fountain is Starfleet officer Yor, who gives Kirk the Starfleet badge that Spock recovered. Kirk is then in a passageway where he sees earlier versions of himself. This leads him to a room where an elderly, dying Spock lies in a bed. Kirk takes Spock's hand and they share a smile before watching the sunset together.
Cast : William Shatner and Sam Witwer as James T. Kirk, Lawrence Selleck as Spock, Robin Curtis as Saavik, and Gary Lockwood as Gary Mitchell

References

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  1. ^ a b Donnelly, Matt (August 12, 2021). "'Star Trek' Creator Gene Roddenberry's Estate Brokers Sweeping Digital Archive Deal With OTOY (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "The Gene Roddenberry Estate and OTOY Preview 'The Roddenberry Archive' – 100 years after the birth of Star Trek's creator – in anticipation of the Century Ahead" (Press release). Los Angeles, California: OTOY. August 12, 2021. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Pascale, Anthony (November 27, 2024). "Exclusive: "Unification" Producer Breaks Down OTOY's Star Trek Short Giving Kirk And Spock A Final Goodbye". TrekMovie.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Failes, Ian (August 10, 2023). "OTOY's virtual journey into the world of Star Trek". befores & afters. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Donnelly, Matt (May 3, 2022). "Cast and Crew of Original 'Star Trek' Pilot Reunite for Virtual Set Recreation by Otoy". Variety. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  6. ^ "The Roddenberry Archive recreates Star Trek's 1964 Pilot episode as a life-size holodeck simulation" (Press release). Los Angeles, California: OTOY. May 3, 2022. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "OTOY and The Roddenberry Estate Unveil the First Immersive Roddenberry Archive Experiences, Multi-year Roadmap to Preserve the History of Roddenberry's Star Trek Work across Movies, TV and Literature" (Press release). Las Vegas, Nevada: OTOY. August 25, 2022. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  8. ^ Patton, Joshua M. (March 3, 2025). "'It Mattered That Much': Director Carlos Baena On Star Trek Unification". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on March 3, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Smith, Matthew S. (October 7, 2022). "Digital Resurrection Brings Star Trek Back to the Future". IEEE Spectrum. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  10. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 25, 2022). "The Roddenberry Estate & Otoy Unveil First Immersive Roddenberry Archive Experiences, Multi-Year Roadmap To Preserve History Of The 'Star Trek' Universe". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e Grobar, Matt (April 27, 2023). "The Roddenberry Archive & OTOY Unveil New Virtual 'Star Trek' Experience Allowing Trekkies To Examine Every Evolution Of The Starship Enterprise Bridge & Even Walk Across It". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d Grobar, Matt (February 2, 2024). "'Star Trek' Spatial Experience Set To Launch On Apple Vision Pro". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c "The Roddenberry Archive brings every iteration of Star Trek's USS Enterprise bridge to life – with William Shatner, Terry Matalas and John de Lancie" (Press release). Los Angeles, California: OTOY. April 27, 2023. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c "OTOY Launches Groundbreaking Multi-Hour Star Trek Spatial Experience for Apple Vision Pro, in Partnership with Paramount Game Studios and Roddenberry Entertainment" (Press release). Los Angeles, California: OTOY. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c Whitbrook, James (April 5, 2024). "Go On a Tour of One of the Greatest Sets in Star Trek History". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  16. ^ a b "OTOY, Roddenberry Entertainment, and Paramount Game Studios Unveil Major Expansion of The Archive on Apple Vision Pro" (Press release). Los Angeles, California: OTOY. April 5, 2024. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Whitbrook, James (November 18, 2024). "William Shatner's Captain Kirk Faces a Long Goodbye in This Stunning Star Trek Anniversary Short". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  18. ^ a b "OTOY, in association with William Shatner and the Nimoy Estate, releases '765874 Unification,' commemorating 30th anniversary of "Star Trek: Generations"" (Press release). Los Angeles, California: OTOY. November 18, 2024. Archived from the original on November 18, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  19. ^ Adorno, José (February 2, 2024). "13 best visionOS apps to download when you get your Apple Vision Pro". BGR. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  20. ^ a b Wuerthele, Mike; Hilliard, Wes (April 10, 2024). "Best Apple Vision Pro third-party apps in April 2024". AppleInsider. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  21. ^ Hall, Zac (December 5, 2024). "Best Apple Vision Pro apps". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  22. ^ a b Whitbrook, James (April 27, 2023). "This Bittersweet Star Trek Short Imagines the Rebirth of the Enterprise-D". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  23. ^ Lovett, Jamie (May 2, 2023). "New Star Trek Short Sees Spock Visiting Kirk's Grave and Starfleet Retrieving the Enterprise-D". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  24. ^ Patton, Joshua M. (May 16, 2023). "Star Trek: Generations' Most Controversial Moment Got a Touching Epilogue". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
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