Story arcs

Real world article

(written from a production point of view)

The promotional logo for DS9's "final chapter" story arc

Story arcs are story lines in Star Trek that are told over the course of multiple episodes. They are not simply two-parters or recurring characters and themes, but rather plots that are interwoven with other arcs and plot threads. An example of this is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's introduction of the Dominion and the eventual Dominion War. Story arcs often take precedence over other plot elements and consume a series for several consecutive episodes, but in many cases (such as the Dominion War) they may take a back seat and re-enter the picture later on.

Prior to DS9, story arcs were a relatively minor part of the Star Trek universe. Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation both largely restored the status quo ante at the end of each episode, and even two-part episodes were somewhat rare. This changed due to the stationary nature of space station Deep Space 9, which did not simply move on to the next adventure each week; characters' actions had lasting consequences, and the events of one episode directly influenced the next. At the time, Ira Steven Behr had to fight with Viacom over making the show so serialized. [1]

Star Trek: Voyager took the idea of the story arc in a different direction by setting itself aboard a starship as per the traditional Trek formula but stranding its crew in the distant Delta Quadrant. This both enhanced and reduced the prevalence of story arcs; while alien races such as the Kazon and Borg appeared in multiple episodes, the show was hampered by its very nature: the object was to leave familiar elements behind, which meant each plot thread had a limited life span.

Star Trek: Enterprise, like DS9 before it, often relied on story arcs such as the Temporal Cold War and the Xindi arc that took up the entire third season. By the show's fourth season, Enterprise wrapped up these story arcs and instead refocused on the show's prequel concept with a series of "mini arcs." Most season four episodes are two- or three-part story lines, with few stand-alone episodes.

Feature-length episodes

These episodes are originally broadcast in two hours, as opposed to the standard one hour. After their original run, feature length episodes are re-cut as two part episodes (see below), but are usually released in their original broadcast format as a single episode. They include:

• TNG:
  • "Encounter at Farpoint"
  • "All Good Things..."
• DS9:
  • "Emissary"
  • "The Way of the Warrior"
  • "What You Leave Behind"
• VOY:
  • "Caretaker"
  • "The Killing Game" (United Kingdom only)
  • "Dark Frontier"
  • "Flesh and Blood"
  • "Endgame"
• ENT:
  • "Broken Bow"

"The Killing Game" and "The Killing Game, Part II" aired on the same night in their premiere in the United States but were not edited into a single episode. A feature-length version was broadcast by the BBC on its first airing on 5 September 1999, and formed part of the UK VHS release Star Trek: Voyager - Movies.

Two-part episodes

These episodes air separately, but tell the same story. It is typical for the first part to end with the line "To Be Continued...". They are frequently used to end and begin seasons. Two-part episodes include:

• TOS:
  • "The Menagerie, Part I" and "The Menagerie, Part II"
• TNG:
  • "The Best of Both Worlds" and "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"
  • "Redemption" and "Redemption II"
  • "Unification I" and "Unification II"
  • "Time's Arrow" and "Time's Arrow, Part II"
  • "Chain Of Command, Part I" and "Chain Of Command, Part II"
  • "Birthright, Part I" and "Birthright, Part II"
  • "Descent" and "Descent, Part II"
  • "Gambit, Part I" and "Gambit, Part II"
• DS9:
  • "The Maquis, Part I" and "The Maquis, Part II"
  • "The Search, Part I" and "The Search, Part II" (see below)
  • "Past Tense, Part I" and "Past Tense, Part II"
  • "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast"
  • "Homefront" and "Paradise Lost"
  • "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light"
  • "Favor the Bold" and "Sacrifice of Angels" (see below)
  • "Image in the Sand" and "Shadows and Symbols" (see below)
• VOY:
  • "Basics, Part I" and "Basics, Part II"
  • "Future's End" and "Future's End, Part II"
  • "Scorpion" and "Scorpion, Part II"
  • "Year of Hell" and "Year of Hell, Part II"
  • "The Killing Game" and "The Killing Game, Part II"
  • "Equinox" and "Equinox, Part II"
  • "Unimatrix Zero" and "Unimatrix Zero, Part II"
  • "Workforce" and "Workforce, Part II"
• ENT:
  • "Shockwave" and "Shockwave, Part II"
  • "Storm Front" and "Storm Front, Part II"
  • "Affliction" and "Divergence"
  • "In a Mirror, Darkly" and "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"
  • "Demons" and "Terra Prime"
• DIS:
  • "The Vulcan Hello" and "Battle at the Binary Stars"
  • "Such Sweet Sorrow" and "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"
  • "Terra Firma, Part 1" and "Terra Firma, Part 2"
• PIC:
  • "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1" and "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2"
• LD:
  • "First First Contact" and "Grounded"
  • "The Inner Fight" and "Old Friends, New Planets"
• PRO:
  • "A Moral Star, Part 1" and "A Moral Star, Part 2"
  • "Supernova, Part 1" and "Supernova, Part 2"

Notably, DIS Season 3 was bookended by episodes titled "That Hope Is You, Part 1" and "That Hope Is You, Part 2", though the two were not a single "episode" composed of consecutive episodes in the same series. That season also featured "Unification III" despite "Unification II" being an episode of TNG Season 5.

Similarly, "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus" also served as a sequel to "Crisis Point" but did not immediately follow that episode.

Three-part episodes

Three consecutive episodes that air separately, but tell the same story.

• TNG:
  • "The Best of Both Worlds", "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II", "Family"
• DS9:
  • "The Homecoming", "The Circle", and "The Siege"
  • "The Jem'Hadar", "The Search, Part I", and "The Search, Part II"
  • "Tears of the Prophets", "Image in the Sand", and "Shadows and Symbols"
• VOY:
  • "Scorpion", "Scorpion, Part II", and "The Gift"
• ENT:
  • "Borderland", "Cold Station 12", and "The Augments"
  • "The Forge", "Awakening", and "Kir'Shara"
  • "Babel One", "United", and "The Aenar"

Multi-episode arcs

Multi-episode arcs tell a continuing story and are spread out through several different episodes throughout one or multiple seasons.

The Next Generation

• Q and the Enterprise
  • "Encounter at Farpoint"
  • "Hide And Q"
  • "Q Who"
  • "Deja Q"
  • "Qpid"
  • "True Q"
  • "Tapestry"
  • "All Good Things..."
• DaiMon Bok
  • "The Battle"
  • "Bloodlines"
• The Crystalline Entity
  • "Datalore"
  • "Silicon Avatar"
• Alien neural parasites infiltrate Starfleet Command
  • "Coming of Age"
  • "Conspiracy"
  • "The Drumhead"
• Sela
  • "Yesterday's Enterprise"
  • "The Mind's Eye"
  • "Redemption"
  • "Redemption II"
  • "Unification I"
  • "Unification II"

Deep Space Nine

• Bajor's entry into the Federation
  • "Emissary"
  • "Rapture"
• Anti-alien sentiments on Bajor
  • "Emissary"
  • "Past Prologue"
  • "In the Hands of the Prophets"
  • "The Homecoming"
  • "The Circle"
  • "The Siege"
• Kira and Dukat
  • "The Maquis, Part II"
  • "Civil Defense"
  • "Indiscretion"
  • "Return to Grace"
  • "In Purgatory's Shadow"
  • "A Time to Stand"
  • "Sons and Daughters"
  • "Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night"
  • "Covenant"
• Quark and Grilka
  • "The House of Quark"
  • "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"
• Kira and Odo
  • "Heart of Stone"
  • "Crossfire"
  • "Children of Time"
  • "Call to Arms"
  • "His Way"
  • "Chimera"
  • "What You Leave Behind"
• Changeling infiltration
  • "The Die is Cast"
  • "The Adversary"
  • "The Way of the Warrior"
  • "Homefront"
  • "Paradise Lost"
  • "Apocalypse Rising"
  • "In Purgatory's Shadow"
  • "By Inferno's Light"
• Klingon War
  • "The Way of the Warrior"
  • "Return to Grace"
  • "Sons of Mogh"
  • "Rules of Engagement"
  • "Broken Link"
  • "Apocalypse Rising"
  • "Nor the Battle to the Strong"
  • "By Inferno's Light"
• Eddington vs. Sisko
  • "For the Cause"
  • "For the Uniform"
  • "Blaze of Glory"
• Dominion Invasion
  • "In the Cards"
  • "Call to Arms"
  • "A Time to Stand"
  • "Rocks and Shoals"
  • "Sons and Daughters"
  • "Behind the Lines"
  • "Favor the Bold"
  • "Sacrifice of Angels"
• O'Brien and Liam Bilby
  • "Honor Among Thieves"
  • "Prodigal Daughter"
• Nog and AR-558
  • "The Siege of AR-558"
  • "It's Only a Paper Moon"
• The Final Chapter
  • "Penumbra"
  • "'Til Death Do Us Part"
  • "Strange Bedfellows"
  • "The Changing Face of Evil"
  • "When It Rains..."
  • "Tacking Into the Wind"
  • "Extreme Measures"
  • "The Dogs of War"
  • "What You Leave Behind"

DS9's "The Final Chapter" is the only story arc given any official titling in on-screen promotional advertisements, presumably because these episodes not only ended the Dominion War, but brought the entire series to a conclusion. It appeared only in commercial previews for the final nine episodes, listed above.

Voyager

• Voyager vs. the Kazon
  • "Caretaker"
  • "State of Flux"
  • "Maneuvers"
  • "Alliances"
  • "Meld"
  • "Lifesigns"
  • "Investigations"
  • "Basics, Part I"
  • "Basics, Part II"
• Q Civil War
  • "Death Wish"
  • "The Q and the Grey"
  • "Q2"
• The Hirogen
  • "Message in a Bottle"
  • "Hunters"
  • "Prey"
  • "The Killing Game"
  • "The Killing Game, Part II"
  • "Flesh and Blood"
• The Silver Blood
  • "Demon"
  • "Course: Oblivion"
• Barclay and the Pathfinder Project
  • "Pathfinder"
  • "Life Line"
  • "Inside Man"
  • "Author, Author"
• Fair Haven
  • "Fair Haven"
  • "Spirit Folk"

Enterprise

• Temporal Cold War
  • "Broken Bow"
  • "Cold Front"
  • "Detained"
  • "Two Days and Two Nights"
  • "Shockwave"
  • "Shockwave, Part II"
  • "Future Tense"
  • "The Expanse"
  • "Carpenter Street"
  • "Harbinger"
  • "Azati Prime"
  • "Zero Hour"
  • "Storm Front"
  • "Storm Front, Part II"
• Vulcan vs. Andoria
  • "The Andorian Incident"
  • "Shadows of P'Jem"
  • "Cease Fire"
  • "Proving Ground"
  • "The Forge"
  • "Awakening"
  • "Kir'Shara"
• Journey to Risa
  • "Fallen Hero"
  • "Desert Crossing"
  • "Two Days and Two Nights"
• Romulan Minefield
  • "Minefield"
  • "Dead Stop"
  • "Marauders"
• Archer's trial by the Klingons
  • "Judgment"
  • "Bounty"
  • "The Expanse"
• Xindi War
  • "The Expanse"
  • "The Xindi"
  • "Anomaly (ENT)"
  • "Extinction"
  • "Rajiin"
  • "Impulse"
  • "Exile"
  • "The Shipment"
  • "Twilight"
  • "North Star"
  • "Similitude"
  • "Carpenter Street"
  • "Chosen Realm"
  • "Proving Ground"
  • "Stratagem"
  • "Harbinger"
  • "Doctor's Orders"
  • "Hatchery"
  • "Azati Prime"
  • "Damage"
  • "The Forgotten"
  • "E²"
  • "The Council"
  • "Countdown"
  • "Zero Hour"
  • "Storm Front"
  • "Storm Front, Part II"
  • "Home"
• Xenophobic Humans
  • "Home"
  • "Demons"
  • "Terra Prime"

Discovery

• Federation-Klingon War
  • "The Vulcan Hello"
  • "Battle at the Binary Stars"
  • "Context Is for Kings"
  • "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry"
  • "Choose Your Pain"
  • "Lethe"
  • "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad"
  • "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum"
  • "Into the Forest I Go"
  • "The War Without, The War Within"
  • "Will You Take My Hand?"
• The Red Angel
  • "Brother"
  • "New Eden"
  • "Point of Light"
  • "An Obol for Charon"
  • "Saints of Imperfection"
  • "The Sound of Thunder"
  • "Light and Shadows"
  • "If Memory Serves"
  • "Project Daedalus"
  • "The Red Angel"
  • "Perpetual Infinity"
  • "Through the Valley of Shadows"
  • "Such Sweet Sorrow"
  • "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"
• The Burn
  • "That Hope Is You, Part 1"
  • "Far From Home"
  • "People of Earth"
  • "Forget Me Not"
  • "Die Trying"
  • "Scavengers"
  • "Unification III"
  • "The Sanctuary"
  • "Terra Firma, Part 1"
  • "Terra Firma, Part 2"
  • "Su'Kal"
  • "There Is A Tide..."
  • "That Hope Is You, Part 2"
• The Dark Matter Anomaly
  • "Kobayashi Maru"
  • "Anomaly (DIS)"
  • "Choose to Live"
  • "All Is Possible"
  • "The Examples"
  • "Stormy Weather"
  • "...But to Connect"
  • "All In"
  • "Rubicon"
  • "The Galactic Barrier"
  • "Rosetta"
  • "Species Ten-C"
  • "Coming Home"

Picard

• Synth mystery
  • "Remembrance"
  • "Maps and Legends"
  • "The End is the Beginning"
  • "Absolute Candor"
  • "Stardust City Rag"
  • "The Impossible Box"
  • "Nepenthe"
  • "Broken Pieces"
  • "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1"
  • "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2"
• Q's alternate timeline
  • "The Star Gazer"
  • "Penance"
  • "Assimilation"
  • "Watcher"
  • "Fly Me to the Moon"
  • "Two of One"
  • "Monsters"
  • "Mercy"
  • "Hide and Seek"
  • "Farewell"
• Borg-Changeling attack
  • "The Next Generation"
  • "Disengage"
  • "Seventeen Seconds"
  • "No Win Scenario"
  • "Imposters"
  • "The Bounty"
  • "Dominion"
  • "Surrender"
  • "Võx"
  • "The Last Generation"

Lower Decks

• Pakled conflict
  • "No Small Parts"
  • "Kayshon, His Eyes Open"
  • "The Spy Humongous"
  • "wej Duj"
  • "First First Contact"
  • "Grounded"
• Nova One attacks
  • "Twovix"
  • "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee"
  • "Something Borrowed, Something Green"
  • "Empathological Fallacies"
  • "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place"
  • "A Few Badgeys More"
  • "The Inner Fight"
  • "Old Friends, New Planets"

Films

• Spock's death and resurrection, and the consequences thereof
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
  • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Subject arcs

Section 31

22nd century episodes

• ENT:
  • "Affliction"
  • "Divergence"
  • "Demons"
  • "Terra Prime"

23rd century episodes

• DIS:
  • "Point of Light"
  • "Saints of Imperfection"
  • "The Sound of Thunder"
  • "Light and Shadows"
  • "If Memory Serves"
  • "Project Daedalus"
  • "The Red Angel"
  • "Perpetual Infinity"
  • "Through the Valley of Shadows"
  • "Such Sweet Sorrow"
  • "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"

24th century episodes

• DS9:
  • "Inquisition"
  • "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"
  • "Extreme Measures"

"The Enterprise Incident", Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and "The Pegasus" have often been referenced in non-canon literature as having Section 31 involvement. "These Are the Voyages..." also references a "secret section of Starfleet Security", which is often retconned into a reference to Section 31.

See also: Section 31 episodes

The mirror universe

• ENT:
  • "In a Mirror, Darkly"
  • "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"
• DIS:
  • "Into the Forest I Go"
  • "Despite Yourself"
  • "The Wolf Inside"
  • "Vaulting Ambition"
  • "What's Past Is Prologue"
  • "Terra Firma, Part 1"
  • "Terra Firma, Part 2"
• TOS:
  • "Mirror, Mirror"
• DS9:
  • "Crossover"
  • "Through the Looking Glass"
  • "Shattered Mirror"
  • "Resurrection"
  • "The Emperor's New Cloak"

See also: Mirror universe episodes

The alternate reality

• Star Trek films
  • Star Trek
  • Star Trek Into Darkness
  • Star Trek Beyond

Q

Q-related episodes

• TNG:
  • "Encounter at Farpoint"
  • "Hide And Q"
  • "Q Who"
  • "Deja Q"
  • "Qpid"
  • "True Q"
  • "Tapestry"
  • "All Good Things..."
• DS9:
  • "Q-Less"
• VOY:
  • "Death Wish"
  • "The Q and the Grey"
  • "Q2"
• LD:
  • "Veritas"
• PIC:
  • "The Star Gazer"
  • "Penance"
  • "Assimilation"
  • "Watcher"
  • "Fly Me to the Moon"
  • "Mercy"
  • "Farewell"
  • "The Last Generation"

See also: Q episodes

Multi-series arcs

Starting in...

The Original Series

• The Talosians
  • TOS: "The Cage"
  • DIS: "If Memory Serves"
  • TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Menagerie, Part II"
• Mission to Rigel VII
  • TOS: "The Cage"
  • SNW: "Among the Lotus Eaters"
• Harry Mudd
  • DIS: "Choose Your Pain", "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad"
  • ST: "The Escape Artist"
  • TOS: "Mudd's Women", "I, Mudd"
  • TAS: "Mudd's Passion"
• Polywater intoxication
  • TOS: "The Naked Time"
  • TNG: "The Naked Now"
• Shore Leave Planet
  • TOS: "Shore Leave"
  • TAS: "Once Upon a Planet"
• The Gorn
  • SNW: "Memento Mori", "All Those Who Wander", "The Broken Circle", "Lost in Translation", "Hegemony"
  • TOS: "Arena"
• Khan Noonien Singh and Augments
  • PIC: "Farewell"
  • ENT: "Borderland", "Cold Station 12", "The Augments"
  • SNW: "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"
  • TOS: "Space Seed"
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  • Star Trek Into Darkness
• Kor
  • TOS: "Errand of Mercy"
  • TAS: "The Time Trap"
  • DS9: "Blood Oath", "The Sword of Kahless", and "Once More Unto the Breach"
• The Guardian of Forever
  • TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever"
  • TAS: "Yesteryear"
  • DIS: "Terra Firma, Part 1" and "Terra Firma, Part 2"
• Tribble troubles
  • ST: "The Trouble with Edward"
  • TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles"
  • TAS: "More Tribbles, More Troubles"
  • DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"
• The USS Defiant
  • TOS: "The Tholian Web"
  • ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly", "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"
  • DIS: "Despite Yourself", "The Wolf Inside"

The Next Generation

• The Traveler and his interactions with Wesley Crusher
  • TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before", "Remember Me", and "Journey's End"
  • PIC: "Farewell"
• Lore
  • TNG: "Datalore", "Brothers", "Descent", and "Descent, Part II"
  • PIC: "The Bounty", "Dominion" and "Surrender"
• Professor James Moriarty
  • TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data" and "Ship In A Bottle"
  • PIC: "The Bounty"
• Thadiun Okona
  • TNG: "The Outrageous Okona"
  • LD: "An Embarrassment Of Dooplers"
  • PRO: "Crossroads", "Masquerade"
• Borg and First Contact (the Borg's involvement with Earth's first contact in 2063 and the repercussions which followed)
  • TNG: "Q Who"
  • Star Trek: First Contact
  • ENT: "Regeneration"
• Arridor and Kol
  • TNG: "The Price"
  • VOY: "False Profits"
• Vash and her relationship with Jean-Luc Picard and Q
  • TNG: "Captain's Holiday" and "Qpid"
  • DS9: "Q-Less"
• Worf vs. Duras
  • TNG: "Sins of The Father", "Reunion", "The Mind's Eye", "Redemption", "Redemption II"
  • DS9: "Past Prologue"
  • TNG: "Firstborn"
  • Star Trek Generations
  • DS9: "The Sword of Kahless"
• Vulcan/Romulan Reunification
  • TNG: "Unification I", "Unification II", "Face Of The Enemy"
  • DIS: "Unification III"
• Thomas Riker
  • TNG: "Second Chances"
  • DS9: "Defiant"
• Nova Squadron and Nova Fleet
  • TNG: "The First Duty", "Lower Decks", "Journey's End"
  • LD: "Twovix", "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee", "Something Borrowed, Something Green", "Empathological Fallacies", "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place", "A Few Badgeys More", "The Inner Fight", "Old Friends, New Planets"
• The Progenitors
  • TNG: "The Chase"
  • DIS: "Red Directive", "Under the Twin Moons", "Jinaal", "Face the Strange", "Mirrors"
• Riker and the Pegasus
  • TNG: "The Pegasus"
  • ENT: "These Are the Voyages..."

Deep Space Nine

• The Maquis' struggle for self-determination
  • DS9: "The Maquis, Part I", "The Maquis, Part II"
  • TNG: "Preemptive Strike"
  • DS9: "Tribunal", "Defiant"
  • VOY: "Caretaker", "Parallax"
  • DS9: "Heart of Stone"
  • VOY: "Learning Curve", "Dreadnought"
  • DS9: "For the Cause", "For the Uniform", "Blaze of Glory"
  • VOY: "Worst Case Scenario", "Extreme Risk", "Repression"
  • PIC: "Imposters"
• Genetic engineering restrictions in the Federation
  • SNW: "Ghosts of Illyria", "A Quality of Mercy", "The Broken Circle", "Ad Astra per Aspera"
  • DS9: "Doctor Bashir, I Presume", "Statistical Probabilities", "Chrysalis"

Short Treks

• Rise of the Kelpiens
  • ST: "The Brightest Star"
  • DIS: "The Sound of Thunder", and "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"
• The Conclave of Eight attacks Mars
  • ST: "Children of Mars"
  • PIC: "Broken Pieces", "Absolute Candor", PIC: "Maps and Legends", and "The End is the Beginning"

Films

• Sybok
  • SNW: "The Serene Squall"
  • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• The destruction of Romulus
  • Star Trek
  • PIC: "Remembrance", "The End is the Beginning", "Absolute Candor"