The world of *Star Trek* has traditionally avoided strong language. The future imagined by creator Gene Roddenberry was generally optimistic and didn’t feel suited to characters using harsh profanity. When *Picard* began using more swearing, many articles appeared online defending Roddenberry’s original vision and arguing he wouldn’t have approved. However, even before *Picard* uttered its particularly strong insult, another *Star Trek* series had already started incorporating more profanity into its dialogue.
In 2017, the fifth episode of *Star Trek: Discovery* featured a guest appearance by Rainn Wilson as the classic, but often overlooked, *Star Trek* villain Harry Mudd. The episode also addressed a key problem with the ship’s spore drive, finding a way to use it without needing Ripper, the unusual alien creature. This led to a surprising moment for the series, as Cadet Tilly (Mary Wiseman) exclaimed, “You guys, this is so f*cking cool!” when Stamets proposed using Ripper’s blood in another host. This was unusual for the generally conservative *Star Trek* universe, as strong language was rare, even in the films, and a word like “f*ck” had never been used before. The use of the profanity even caused one television channel to face repercussions.
Star Trek Discovery Got Space TV In Trouble
Tilly’s emotional reaction – which Anthony Rapp’s character, Stamets, repeated back to her as he stepped up to host – received a lot of criticism. Many felt it went against Gene Roddenberry’s hopeful vision for the future of *Star Trek*. Roddenberry had a strong rule that characters in the *Original Series* shouldn’t have conflicts with each other, reflecting the idea of more advanced societies. However, Captain Kirk actually used the word “hell” as an exclamation in the *Original Series* episode, *The City on the Edge of Forever*, proving Roddenberry wasn’t always strict about avoiding strong language.
It’s likely more accurate to say profanity isn’t used in Star Trek because characters *choose* not to swear, rather than being unable to. This idea is demonstrated in moments like Kirk calling the Klingon Kruge a harsh name after his son’s death in *The Search for Spock*, and Data’s use of a swear word in *Generations* – both instances felt natural to the situation. Similarly, Tilly’s outburst was a release of pent-up emotion, emphasizing the intensity of the moment. *Discovery* also had more leeway due to its streaming format. As co-executive producer Aaron Harbets explained, they could use stronger language because it was a celebration among scientists, a moment of triumph where “nerds unite, kicked a, and dropped a few F-bombs.”
The situation wasn’t straightforward, though. The Canadian channel showing *Discovery* aired the episode without any edits at 8 pm, which violated broadcasting standards because viewers weren’t warned about the strong language with a proper icon. As a result, the channel was required to broadcast an official apology twice during prime time the following week. It came out that the channel deliberately chose to air the unedited episode and explained their decision in a statement to TrekMovie.
After previewing the episode, Space admitted the use of the word “f*ck” was unexpected, considering the show and its franchise had been generally free of strong language for over 50 years. Knowing *Star Trek* has a dedicated and passionate fanbase, they carefully considered how the language was used and ultimately decided to broadcast the episode without any cuts or censorship, to provide viewers with the experience they anticipated.
Interestingly, Tilly wasn’t meant to be the first character to use that strong language. The original plan was for a garbage collector in *Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home* to exclaim a curse word, but it was changed to “hell” before the movie was released.
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2025-10-16 01:41