James Bond Exists In Star Trek & Discovery Proved It

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4 – “Face The Strange”

It has long been suspected that James Bond exists in Star Trek‘s universe, and Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange” proved it. Written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose, Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, is an extraordinary time travel romp as Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) cycle through key events in the USS Discovery’s past and potential dark future. Among the surprises is an unexpected shout-out to 007 by Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro).

Star Trek is set in the future, but pop culture inevitably woven its way into the various Star Trek series and movies. For instance, Star Trek: Discovery season 2 saw then-Lieutenant Paul Stamets and Ensign Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) sing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” together. Alcohol consumption certainly has been a part of Star Trek since the saga’s original pilot episode, “The Cage.” Still, the signature cocktail of James Bond, the most famous secret agent in pop culture, being name-dropped in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 came out of nowhere, but it confirms the long-held belief that 007 exists in Star Trek’s universe.

Discovery Proves James Bond Exists In Star Trek

The Vesper martini is Jett Reno’s cocktail of choice

In one of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4’s time jumps, Captain Burnham and Commander Rayner are sent back to the events of Star Trek: Discovery season 3’s finale when Osyraa (Janet Kidder) and the Emerald Chain attacked the USS Discovery. Burnham and Rayner take out Osyraa’s goons, but Michael makes herself scarce so as not to disrupt the timeline by being seen by Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro). After saving Rayner’s life, Reno suggests he buy her a drink – “Vesper martini – ice cold”. The Vesper martini is the signature cocktail invented by James Bond (Daniel Craig) in Casino Royale.

James Bond’s creator Ian Fleming introduced the Vesper martini in the first 007 novella, 1953’s “Casino Royale.” The exact recipe is “Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.” Until the 2006 Casino Royale movie which also introduced the Vesper Lynd character, the previous versions of James Bond only ordered vodka martinis “shaken, not stirred”. Commander Jett Reno specifically requesting a Vesper martini makes her a James Bond fan, or at least a fan of his favorite drink, and verifies that 007 and Casino Royale exist in Star Trek‘s universe.

Star Trek’s Greatest James Bond Homage Was On DS9

“Our Man Bashir” is a classic DS9 episode.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine homaged 007 in the classic season 4 episode, “Our Man Bashir.” Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) unwinds in Quark’s (Armin Shimerman) holosuite by play-acting as “Julian Bashir: Secret Agent,” a spy who lives in the 1960s. Bashir’s holosuite program is clearly based on James Bond as Julian takes on the kind of international crisis 007 would typically face. With Garak (Andrew Robinson) in tow, Julian Bashir saved the world from destruction at the hands of the evil Dr. Noah (Avery Brooks).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s “Our Man Bashir” premiered just two weeks after GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan’s first film as James Bond, in November 1995. Although James Bond was never name-dropped – and he still wasn’t in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 – “Our Man Bashir” is an obvious ode to 007 that played into the classic James Bond tropes even more than GoldenEye did. Because James Bond lives in an era vastly different from the space-faring universe of Star Trek, it makes sense that characters like Jett Reno on Star Trek: Discovery indulge in the old-school fantasy and luxurious trappings of James Bond, like his signature Vesper martini.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+