10 Biggest Star Trek Moments Of 2021

5. Shaxs' Return

Star Trek Lower Decks Shax
CBS Media Ventures

This writer stands a bit of Shax. His death at the close of the first season of Star Trek: Lower Decks was a shocking, emotional gut-punch to end the year on. Therefore, when some eagle-eyed fans spotted him standing in a crew line-up in one of the early trailers for season two, interests were immediately piqued. Then, a red herring was thrown into the mix with the arrival of Kayshon.

Shax was then suddenly back on the USS Cerritos in the early episodes of the second season. Initially, people simply acted like everything was normal. So much so, in fact, that Rutherford was driven demented trying to find out exactly what happened. Was Shax a clone? Was he a mirror universe counterpart? Was he a hologram that had gained sentience? What happened, dammit?

Well, the audience never truly finds out - other than the fact it involves a mountain of some sort. But viewers were treated to Rutherford's slowly dilating pupil as he is told, filling him with horror, how senior officers are brought back to life. He swears that he will hold on to the secret, and Mike McMahon delivered one of the most hilarious rug-pulls of the year.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"