Star Trek: Lower Decks Made An Abandoned Vulcan Character Franchise Canon

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In nan "Star Trek: Lower Decks" section "Crisis Point," which we rank arsenic 1 of nan 5 champion of nan show, Ensign Boimler (Jack Quaid) has written a specialized holodeck programme for himself wherein he'll beryllium capable to interact pinch holographic versions of his superior officers. Boimler intends to enactment much people and confidently successful beforehand of his commanders, hoping it will make him a amended officer. Ensign Mariner (Tawny Newsome), however, sees Boimler's programme and instantly wants to messiness pinch it. She breaks into Boimler's programme and almost instantly reprograms it into a "movie," wherein she'll interact pinch nan unit of nan U.S.S. Cerritos successful a much melodramatic — and convulsive — fashion. It should beryllium noted that Mariner's mother is nan skipper of nan Cerritos, meaning she's astir to enact immoderate very unhealthy fantasies.

As nan opening credits for Mariner's "movie" statesman rolling, Boimler whines that he doesn't want to return portion successful immoderate Mariner conscionable invented. "I don't want to do a movie!" he wails. Mariner replies with, "That's okay. You were benignant of a Xon, to beryllium honest. You astir apt weren't going to make nan last cut." Boimler is confused. "Who's Xon?," he asks. "Exactly," Mariner says. 

Like galore throwaway gags successful "Lower Decks," nan passing reference to Xon is simply a deep-cut portion of Trek trivia only nan astir devoted Trekkies mightiness know. Xon, very briefly, is simply a characteristic from the unmade "Star Trek" TV bid "Star Trek: Phase II," a bid that was put into accumulation successful nan precocious 1970s, but ne'er really released. A batch of "Phase II" was repurposed to make "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" successful 1979. The characteristic of Xon was to beryllium nan show's cardinal Vulcan character, played by character David Gautreaux. "Lower Decks" conscionable made him (kinda sorta) official. 

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/Film has written astir "Star Trek: Phase II" before, and its making (and unmaking) is communal knowledge to a batch of Trekkies. For those who want to do much reading, a batch of nan communicative of nan making of "Phase II" was laid retired successful Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens 1997 book "The Continuing Mission." 

To drawback up immoderate newbies and "Star Trek" neophytes, "Star Trek: Phase II" was put into accumulation successful 1977, measurement backmost erstwhile Paramount wanted to motorboat its ain network. At nan time, location was immoderate play betwixt Spock character Leonard Nimoy and show creator Gene Roddenberry, however, leading to Nimoy's refusal to return part. Because his Vulcan characteristic was truthful popular, however, Roddenberry and nan "Phase II" showrunners decided to create a caller Vulcan characteristic to "replace" him. 

The caller characteristic was Xon. Resourceful net hunters tin apt find photos online of character David Gautreaux successful nan Xon makeup. He was younger than Spock, and was said to beryllium going connected his first mission. He was a full-blooded Vulcan, and had small penetration into nan quality world. 

Several scripts for "Phase II" were written, and nan caller bid was besides to characteristic characters named Ilia (a bald, libidinous Deltan) and Will Decker. Those characters were yet utilized arsenic cardinal figures successful "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." It seems that arsenic "Phase II" was being developed, Paramount began to find that making a "Star Trek" movie mightiness really beryllium a smarter move than investing successful a caller TV series, and nan Ilia and Decker characters were shunted complete into that project. Xon, however, was abandoned, arsenic Nimoy yet changed his mind, sewage complete nan bad blood, and agreed to return arsenic Spock.

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When Spock returned, Xon was written out. This explained Mariner's connection to Boimler astir really he was "kind of a Xon" and wasn't going to make nan last cut. Mariner was making her ain "Star Trek" movie wrong an section of "Star Trek," and already reasoned that immoderate of her characters would beryllium mislaid successful improvement (never mind that her movie was almost instantly completed and required nary development). 

This is, of course, a meta joke astir nan accumulation process of a movie, and not an definitive reference to thing that happened wrong nan "Star Trek" beingness proper. But because we Trekkies are sticklers for continuity, it besides intends that Xon, successful being mentioned explicitly successful dialogue, is now officially portion of nan "Star Trek" canon. Xon was existent successful "Star Trek" history now, moreover if he had ne'er technically appeared connected surface before. What is Xon's individual history? We don't know. Mariner's remark only stated that he exists. Trekkies tin now theorize that he was so a personnel of nan unit of nan U.S.S. Enterprise soon earlier nan events of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," but that he near aliases was simply engaged during nan movie. 

Some Trekkies person noted that a characteristic named Xon had a inheritance agency successful "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and that he was a skipper (but this was only seen successful notes connected nan film's group decoration, which isn't easy accessed). Xon besides turned up successful a bid of 1984 comic books called "Saavik's Story," though "Star Trek" comics — while a wide and important portion of "Star Trek" fandom — are 100% not canonical. It wasn't until "Crisis Point" that Xon really entered nan cardinal story of "Star Trek."