While we wait for upcoming Star Trek shows and movies, exciting things involving the franchise are happening in the animal world. It turns out there's a new species of frogs that were discovered, and they're reminiscent of a specific franchise that's available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription. That's right, after decades of seeing stars and planets named after the best Trek characters, we're getting frogs named after them too!
The news comes to us from EurekAlert!, which mentions an international team of researchers who made this discovery in Madagascar. Seven new species of the Boophis frog were discovered, and their croaks sound very similar to classic Star Trek sound effects.
For that reason, these frogs have all been given scientific names that honor each leading captain of a live-action Star Trek series. So now we have Boophis kirki, Boophis picardi, Boophis siskoi, Boophis janewayae, Boophis archeri, Boophis pikei, and Boophis burnhamae as part of the frog species (via PopSci.com), and that's not the only reason this is fitting. Senior author of the study, Assistant Professor Mark D. Scherz, explained why naming these frogs after the sci-fi series is so fitting:
Not only do these frogs sound like sound-effects from Star Trek, but it seems also fitting that to find them, you often have to do quite a bit of trekking! A few species are found in places accessible to tourists, but to find several of these species, we had to undertake major expeditions to remote forest fragments and mountain peaks. There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.
I don't believe a Star Trek episode has ever centered around Madagascar, but there's no denying that exploration and science are core elements of the franchise. Now I'm hoping that there's enough time for Starfleet Academy to include these frogs in a lesson. Perhaps one of the legacy characters returning, such as the EMH, can explain why they were discovered and later named after all of these Captains?
We need something positive for amphibians in Star Trek after an appearance by one species led to one of the most WTF moments of Voyager. In the infamous episode "Threshold," Captain Janeway and Tom Paris turned into Salamanders, mate, and have three children. The two are later returned to their human forms, with no mention of what happened ever again. Should a story get told about these frogs, can we please avoid that?
Star Trek still has the premiere of the final season of Lower Decks on the way to close out its offerings for 2024, but there are more new shows on the way. It'll be exciting to see how this franchise continues evolving. I'm hoping for more new shows than frog species for selfish reasons, but I'll take what I can get.
Make sure that Paramount+ account is up to date for the two-episode premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks on Thursday, October 24th. In the meantime, be sure to check out what else is on deck on the 2024 TV schedule, as we have some exciting dramas and more arriving in the fall season.
