Top 8 Star Trek news stories of 2018 reviewed and updated

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 12: Professor Stephen Hawking attends the New Space Exploration Initiative “Breakthrough Starshot” Announcement at One World Observatory on April 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Those we lost, and the one we left behind

With any franchise that continues over half a century comes inevitable losses, and unfortunately due to the scope and size of this particular franchise the list is quite long every year, so I must apologize up front that it is incomplete, but here’s a few of those we lost this year.

• Writer-Producer, and Hugo award nominee John D.F. Black, who worked on many series including Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. 
• Writer Harlan Ellison, who wrote the classic episode City on the Edge of Forever.
• Director Robert Scheerer, who directed 14 episodes between The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
• Actor David Ogden Stiers, who appeared as Dr. Timicin in the Next Generation episode ‘Half a life’.
• Writer Michael Bischoff, who worked on several Next Generation episodes including ‘Tin Man’.
• Physicists Stephen Hawking, who remains the only actor to play himself in the Star Trek franchise, and had a massive impact on the series.

Memory-Alpha

And finally just a brief note on a death that occurred in 2017 but was reported on heavily in early 2018 as it was ruled that Jon Paul Steuer, who played Alexander Rozhenko had taken his own life.  Unfortunately at this time of the year this is more common. As someone who live in an area where suicide rates are higher than average and has been affected by the loss of good friends I strongly urge you that if you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide please reach out to one of your local help resources or The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.