title: Hulk Hogan

text: As a result, Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after, which was eventually dismissed in 2002. Russo claims the whole thing was a work, and Hogan claims that Russo made it a shoot. Eric Bischoff agreed with Hogan's side of the story when he wrote that Hogan winning and leaving with the belt was a work (devised by Bischoff rather than Russo), and that he and Hogan celebrated after the event over the success of the angle, but that Russo coming out to fire Hogan was an unplanned shoot which led to the lawsuit filed by Hogan. It was the last time he was seen in WCW.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In the months following the eventual demise of WCW in March 2001, Hogan underwent surgery on his knees in order for him to wrestle again. As a test, Hogan worked a match in Orlando, Florida for the Xcitement Wrestling Federation (XWF) promotion run by his longtime handler Jimmy Hart. Hogan defeated Curt Hennig in this match and felt healthy enough to accept an offer to return to the WWF in February 2002.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: At No Way Out in February 2002, Hogan returned to the WWF as a heel. Returning as leader of the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the three got into a confrontation with The Rock and cost Stone Cold Steve Austin a chance at becoming the Undisputed WWF Champion against Chris Jericho in the main event. The nWo feuded with both Austin and The Rock, and Hogan accepted The Rock's challenge to a match at WrestleMania X8, where Hogan asked Hall and Nash not to interfere, wanting to defeat The Rock by himself. Despite the fact that Hogan was supposed to be the heel in the match, the crowd cheered for him heavily. The Rock cleanly won the contest, and befriended Hogan at the end of the bout and helped him fight off Hall and Nash, who were upset by Hogan's conciliatory attitude. After the match, Hogan turned face by siding with The Rock, though he continued wearing black and white tights for a few weeks after WrestleMania X8 until he resumed wearing his signature red and yellow tights. During this period, the "Hulk Rules" logo of the 1980s was redone with the text "Hulk Still Rules", and Hogan also wore the original "Hulk Rules" attire twelve years earlier, when he headlined WrestleMania VI at the same arena, in the SkyDome. For a time, he was still known as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, notably keeping the Hollywood Hogan style blond mustache with black beard while wearing Hulkamania-like red and yellow tights and using the "Voodoo Child" entrance theme music he used in WCW. On the April 4 episode of "SmackDown!", Hogan feuded with Triple H and defeated him for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Backlash, thus becoming the last ever WWF Champion before the initials dispute against the World Wildlife Fund.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On May 19 at Judgment Day, Hogan lost the WWE Undisputed Championship to The Undertaker. After losing a number one contender match for the WWE Undisputed Championship to Triple H on the June 6 episode of "SmackDown!", Hogan began feuding with Kurt Angle resulting in a match between the two at the King of the Ring, which Angle won by submission. On the July 4 episode of "SmackDown!", Hogan teamed with Edge to defeat Billy and Chuck and capture the WWE Tag Team Championship for the first time. They celebrated by waving the American flag as the overjoyed audience sang along to Hogan's theme song "Real American". They lost the belts to The Un-Americans (Christian and Lance Storm) at Vengeance. In August 2002, Hogan was used in an angle with Brock Lesnar, culminating in a main event singles match on the August 8 episode of "SmackDown!", which Lesnar won by technical submission (the match was called after Hogan became unconscious from a bear hug hold). Lesnar became only the second WWE wrestler to defeat Hogan by submission (after Kurt Angle), and the first to defeat Hogan by having the match called. Following the match, Lesnar continued to beat on Hogan, leaving him bloody and unconscious in the ring.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: As a result of Lesnar's assault, Hogan went on hiatus until early 2003, shaving off his black beard and dropping "Hollywood" from his name in his return. Hogan battled The Rock (who had turned heel) once again at No Way Out and lost and defeated Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania XIX in a street fight billed as "twenty years in the making". After WrestleMania, he had a run as the masked Mr. America, who was supposed to be Hogan in disguise, wearing a mask. He used Hogan's "Real American" as an entrance theme and all of Hogan's signature gestures, moves, and phrases. He was the subject of a storyline that took place after Hogan was forced by Mr. McMahon to sit out the rest of his contract. A WWE pre-debut push took place with mysterious Mr. America promos airing for weeks during "SmackDown!". There was also on-screen discussion on "SmackDown!" between then General Manager Stephanie McMahon and other players concerning her hiring Mr. America "sight unseen". On May 1, Mr. America debuted on "SmackDown!" on a "Piper's Pit" segment. McMahon appeared and claimed that Mr. America was Hogan in disguise; Mr. America shot back by saying, "I am not Hulk Hogan, brother!" (lampooning Hogan's use of "brother" in his promos). The feud continued through the month of May, with a singles match between Mr. America and Hogan's old rival Roddy Piper at Judgment Day, a match Mr. America won.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26 episode of "SmackDown!" when Big Show and The World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) defeated Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Mr. America in a six-man tag team match. After the show went off the air, Mr. America unmasked to show the fans that he was indeed Hogan, putting his finger to his lips telling the fans to keep quiet about his secret. The next week, Hogan quit WWE due to frustration with the creative team. On the July 3 episode of "SmackDown!", McMahon showed the footage of Mr. America unmasking as Hogan and "fired" him, although Hogan had already quit in real life. It was later revealed that Hogan was unhappy with the payoffs for his matches after his comeback under the Mr. America gimmick. McMahon terminated Hogan's contract in 2003.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan returned to NJPW in October 2003, when he defeated Masahiro Chono at Ultimate Crush II in the Tokyo Dome.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Shortly after Hogan left WWE, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) began making overtures to Hogan, culminating in Jeff Jarrett, co-founder of TNA and then NWA World Heavyweight Champion, launching an on-air attack on Hogan in Japan in October 2003. The attack was supposed to be a precursor to Hogan battling Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at TNA's first three-hour pay-per-view. Due to recurring knee and hip problems, Hogan did not appear in TNA. Still, the incident has been shown several times on TNA broadcasts, and was included in the TNA DVD "TNA's Fifty Greatest Moments".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On April 2, 2005, Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2005 by actor and friend Sylvester Stallone. At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, Hogan came out to rescue Eugene, who was being attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. The build-up to Hogan's Hall of Fame induction and preparation for his WrestleMania angle was shown on the first season of "Hogan Knows Best". The next night on "Raw", Hassan and Daivari came out to confront and assault fan favorite Shawn Michaels. The following week on "Raw", Michaels approached Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff demanding a handicap match with Hassan and Daivari. Bischoff refused, but told Michaels if he found a partner he would be granted a tag team match. Michaels then made a plea for Hogan to team with him. On the April 18 episode of "Raw", Hassan again led an attack on Michaels until Hogan appeared, saving Michaels and accepting his offer. At Backlash, Hassan and Daivari lost to Hogan and Michaels.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan then appeared on July 4 episode of "Raw", as the special guest of Carlito on his talk-show segment "Carlito's Cabana". After being asked questions by Carlito concerning his daughter Brooke, Hogan attacked Carlito. Kurt Angle then also appeared, making comments about Brooke, which further upset Hogan, who was eventually double teamed by Carlito and Angle, but was saved by Shawn Michaels. Later that night, Michaels and Hogan defeated Carlito and Angle in a tag team match; during the post-match celebration, Michaels performed the "Sweet Chin Music" on Hogan and walked off. The following week on "Raw", Michaels appeared on "Piper's Pit" and challenged Hogan to face him one-on-one for the first time. Hogan appeared on "Raw" one week later and accepted the challenge. The match took place at SummerSlam, which Hogan won. After the match, Michaels extended his hand to him, telling him that he "had to find out for himself", and Hogan and Michaels shook hands as Michaels left the ring to allow Hogan to celebrate with the crowd.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Prior to WrestleMania 22 in April 2006, Hogan inducted friend and former announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2006. Hogan returned on "Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII" with his daughter Brooke. During the show, Randy Orton kayfabe flirted with Brooke and later attacked Hogan in the parking lot. He later challenged Hogan to a match at SummerSlam, which Hogan won.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: After a brief fall out with McMahon and WWE, Hogan was lured to Memphis Wrestling with the proposal of wrestling Jerry Lawler. The match had been promoted on "Memphis Wrestling Prime Time" for several months. On April 12, 2007, Lawler announced in a news conference that WWE had barred him from wrestling Hogan on the basis that NBC performers (including Lawler, on the basis of co-hosting the NBC-owned USA Network's "Raw" and his appearances on the biannual WWE's "Saturday Night's Main Event") are contractually prohibited from appearing on VH1, the channel on which "Hogan Knows Best" airs. The situation resulted in a lawsuit being filed against WWE by event promoter Corey Maclin. Lawler was replaced with Paul Wight. Hogan defeated Wight at Memphis Wrestling's PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007 when he picked up and hit a body slam on Wight before pinning him following his signature running leg drop.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On November 21, 24, 26 and 28, Hogan performed with a group of wrestlers including Spartan-3000, Heidenreich, Eugene, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Orlando Jordan across Australia in a tour titled . The main event of each show was a rematch between Hogan and Ric Flair – the wrestler who defeated Hogan more times than any other. Hogan defeated Flair in all four matches.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On October 27, 2009, it was announced that Hogan had signed a contract to join TNA on a full-time basis. The footage of his signing and the press conference at Madison Square Garden following it were featured on the October 29 episode of "Impact!".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On December 5, 2009, Hogan announced on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)'s "The Ultimate Fighter" that he would make his official TNA debut on January 4, 2010, in a special live three-hour Monday night episode of "Impact!" to compete with WWE's "Raw" (which featured the return of Bret Hart).


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On the January 4 episode of "Impact!", Hogan debuted, reuniting briefly with former nWo partners Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman, the latter two of whom made their returns to the company. He refused to join them for a full-fledged reunion of their group claiming, "it's a different time", and stuck to his business relations with Bischoff, who made his appearance to declare that, the two of them would "flip the company upside down" and everyone would have to earn their spot. Hogan also encountered TNA founder Jeff Jarrett on the broadcast, appearing via video wall and interrupting Jarrett's company success speech, stating that Carter was instrumental to the company's survival, and that just like the rest, Jarrett would have to (kayfabe) earn his spot in TNA.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On the February 18 episode of "Impact!", Hogan took Abyss under his wing, and during this sequence, gave him his Hall of Fame ring and claimed it would make him a "god of wrestling". Hogan made his in-ring return on March 8, teaming with Abyss to defeat A.J. Styles and Ric Flair when Abyss scored a pinfall over Styles. Afterward, the returning Jeff Hardy saved Hogan and Abyss from a beatdown by Styles, Flair and Desmond Wolfe. The storyline became a Team Flair versus Team Hogan situation, with Jarrett and the debuting Rob Van Dam joining Team Hogan and Beer Money (James Storm and Robert Roode) and Sting joining Team Flair. At Lockdown, Team Hogan (Hulk Hogan, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair (Ric Flair, Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm) in a Lethal Lockdown match.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On the June 17 episode of "Impact!", Hogan's alliance with Abyss came to an abrupt end when Abyss turned heel. Abyss later claimed that he was controlled by some entity, that was coming to TNA. The next month, Hogan worked with Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe against Sting and Kevin Nash, who claimed that they knew that Hogan and Bischoff were up to something. During this time, Abyss went on a rampage, attacking Rob Van Dam to the point that he was forced to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and eventually put his hands on TNA president Dixie Carter, which led to her signing the paperwork, presented by Bischoff, that would have Abyss fired from TNA following his match with Van Dam at Bound for Glory. Hogan was set to wrestle with Jarrett and Joe against Sting, Nash and D'Angelo Dinero at Bound for Glory, but was forced to miss the event due to a back surgery. He made an appearance at the end of the event, and turned heel by helping Jeff Hardy win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship and aligning himself with Hardy, Bischoff, Abyss and Jarrett. On the following episode of "Impact!", it was revealed that Bischoff had tricked Carter and the paperwork she had signed a week earlier, were not to release Abyss, but to turn the company over to him and Hogan. Meanwhile, Bischoff's and Hogan's new stable, now known as Immortal, formed an alliance with Ric Flair's Fortune. Dixie Carter returned on the November 25 episode of "Reaction", informing Hogan and Bischoff that a judge had filed an injunction against the two on her behalf over not having signatory authority, indefinitely suspending Hogan from TNA. During his absence, Hogan underwent a potentially career–ending spinal fusion surgery on December 21, 2010.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan returned to TNA on the March 3, 2011 episode of "Impact!", declaring himself as the new owner of TNA, having won the court battle against Dixie Carter. In April, he began hinting at a possible return to the ring to face the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Sting. On the May 12 episode of the newly renamed "Impact Wrestling", Hogan lost control of the program to Mick Foley, who revealed himself as the Network consultant who had been causing problems for Immortal ever since Hogan and Bischoff took over the company. This angle was cut short three weeks later, when Foley left the promotion. During the following months, Hogan continued to interfere in Sting's matches, costing him the TNA World Heavyweight Championship first at Hardcore Justice, recruiting Kurt Angle to Immortal in the process, on the September 1 episode of "Impact Wrestling" and finally at No Surrender. On the September 15 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Sting defeated Immortal member Ric Flair to earn the right to face Hogan at Bound for Glory. On October 4, it was reported that Hogan had signed a contract extension with TNA. After feigning retirement from professional wrestling, Hogan accepted the match at Bound for Glory on the October 6 episode of "Impact Wrestling", while also agreeing to hand TNA back to Dixie Carter, should Sting win the match.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan was defeated by Sting at Bound For Glory, ending his storyline as the president of TNA. After the match, Immortal attacked Sting, but Hogan turned face by turning on Immortal and helping Sting. On the following episode of "Impact Wrestling", Hogan, wearing his trademark yellow and red again, admitted to his mistakes, and put over Sting for winning.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: During TNA's 2012 UK tour, on January 26 and 27, Hogan returned to the ring at house shows in Nottingham and Manchester, where he, James Storm and Sting defeated Bobby Roode, Bully Ray and Kurt Angle in a six-man tag team main event at both events, the latter of which was Hogan's final match. Hogan returned to "Impact Wrestling" on February 2, when he was revealed as Garett Bischoff's trainer. On the March 29 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Hogan returned and accepted Sting's offer to replace him as the new General Manager.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In July, Hogan, alongside Sting, began feuding with a mysterious group of masked men, who had dubbed themselves the "Aces & Eights". The group's attack on Hogan on the July 12 episode of "Impact Wrestling" was used to write Hogan off television as he was set to undergo another back surgery.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In November, Hogan moved into a storyline with Bully Ray after Austin Aries revealed a secret relationship between Ray and Hogan's daughter Brooke. After seeing them kissing in a parking garage on the December 20 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Hogan suspended Ray indefinitely. The following week on "Impact Wrestling", after Ray saved Brooke from a kidnapping by the Aces & Eights, Brooke accepted his marriage proposal. Despite Hogan's disapproval, he still walked Brooke down the aisle for her wedding on the next episode of "Impact Wrestling", during which Ray's groomsmen Taz interrupted and revealed himself as a member of the Aces & Eights, leading the group to attack Hogan, Ray, and the rest of the groomsmen.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On the January 31 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Hogan reinstated Ray so he could take on the Aces & Eights. Hogan named Ray the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the February 21 episode of "Impact Wrestling". At Lockdown, Ray betrayed Hogan, after Aces & Eights helped him win the title, and he revealed himself as the President of the Aces & Eights. Following Lockdown, Hogan blamed Sting for Ray winning the title as it was Sting who encouraged Hogan to give Ray the title shot. Sting returned and saved Hogan from an attack by Aces & Eights on the April 25 episode of "Impact Wrestling". The following week on "Impact Wrestling", Hogan and Sting reconciled their differences. On the October 3 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Hogan refused an offer from Dixie Carter to become her business partner and quit; this was done to officially write Hogan off, as a result of his contract expiring with TNA.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On February 24, 2014 on "Raw", Hogan made his first WWE in-ring appearance since December 2007 to hype the WWE Network. On the March 24 episode of "Raw", Hogan came out to introduce the guest appearances of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joe Manganiello; this was to promote the guests' new movie "Sabotage".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: At WrestleMania XXX in April, Hogan served as the host, coming out at the start of the show to hype up the crowd. During his promo, he mistakenly referred to the Superdome, the venue the event was being held at, as the Silverdome, which became the subject of jokes throughout the night. Hogan was later joined by Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, and they finished their promo by drinking beer together in the ring. Later in the show, Hogan shared a moment with Mr. T, Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper, with whom he main-evented the first WrestleMania.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On February 27, 2015, Hogan was honored at Madison Square Garden during a WWE live event dubbed "Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night" with a special commemorative banner hanging from the rafters, honoring his wrestling career and historic matches he had in the arena.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On the March 23 episode of "Raw", Hogan along with Snoop Dogg confronted Curtis Axel – who at the time had been "borrowing" Hogan's Hulkamania gimmick with Axel referring to himself as "AxelMania". On March 28, the night before WrestleMania, Hogan posthumously inducted longtime partner and rival "Macho Man" Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015. The next night at WrestleMania 31, Hogan reunited with Hall and Nash to reform the nWo, appearing in Sting's corner in his match against Triple H, who himself was joined by D-Generation X members Billy Gunn, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Shawn Michaels.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In July 2015, "National Enquirer" and Radar Online publicized an anti-black rant made by Hogan on a leaked sex tape recorded in 2007. In the recording, he is heard expressing disgust with the notion of his daughter dating a black man, referenced by repeated use of the racial slur "nigger." Hogan also admitted to being "a racist, to a point."


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Once the recordings went public erupting in a media scandal, Hogan apologized for the remarks, which he said is "language that is offensive and inconsistent with [his] own beliefs." Three black wrestlers who worked in the WWF and WCW with Hogan made supportive comments. Virgil commented "Hogan has never given me a reason to believe he is a racist" while Dennis Rodman said he "most certainly is not a racist" and Kamala added "I do not think Hogan meant harm by saying that. Hogan is my brother until he decides not to be." Black wrestlers working in the WWE made different comments. Mark Henry said he was pleased by WWE's "no tolerance approach to racism" response, and that he was hurt and offended by Hogan's manner and tone. Booker T said he was shocked and called the statements unfortunate.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On July 24, WWE terminated their contract with Hogan, stating that they are "committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds," although Hogan's lawyer said Hogan chose to resign. A day prior, WWE removed almost all references to Hogan from their website, including his listing as a judge for "Tough Enough", his merchandise from WWE Shop, and his entry from its WWE Hall of Fame page (he was still listed in the Hall of Fame entry of the official WWE encyclopedia released in October 2016). His DLC appearance from "WWE 2K15" was taken down from sale, and his character was cut from then upcoming "WWE 2K16" game during development.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In response to the controversy, Mattel stopped producing Hogan action figures, while Hogan's merchandise was taken down from online stores of Target, Toys "R" Us, and Walmart. On July 28, Radar Online reported that Hogan had also used homophobic slurs on the leaked sex tape. Days later, it was reported that Hogan had used racist language in a 2008 call to his then-imprisoned son, Nick, and also said that he hoped they would not be reincarnated as black males.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan gave an interview with "ABC" on August 31 in which he pleaded forgiveness for his racist comments, attributing these to a racial bias inherited from his neighborhood while growing up. Hogan claimed that the term "nigger" was used liberally among friends in Tampa; former neighbors disputed this claim.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In the time that followed, numerous African-Americans associated with wrestling expressed some level of support for Hogan including: The Rock, Dennis Rodman, Booker T, Kamala, Virgil, Mr. T, Mark Henry, Big E, and D'Angelo Dinero, who stressed his forgiveness of Hogan, whom he saw as having made a "positive mark on humanity" for over three decades.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On July 15, 2018, Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. Later that same night, he was invited backstage to WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view event and was briefly mentioned on the event's kickoff show. Hogan made his on-screen return on November 2, 2018, as the host of Crown Jewel. Hogan next appeared on the January 7, 2019 episode of "Raw" to present a tribute to his longtime friend and colleague Mean Gene Okerlund, who had died five days prior. It was the first time Hogan had appeared in a WWE ring in North America since his 2015 firing. Hogan subsequently appeared on a WWE Network special where he spoke further of his relationship with Okerlund.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan inducted his Mega-Maniacs tag team partner and longtime friend Brutus Beefcake into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6, 2019. The following night at WrestleMania 35, he made a surprise appearance at the beginning of the show alongside WrestleMania host Alexa Bliss, welcoming fans to the event and parodying his gaffe from WrestleMania XXX, when he incorrectly referred to the Superdome as the Silverdome. On the June 17, 2019, Raw, WWE aired a Hogan interview about the U.S. Women's World Cup soccer team. On the July 22, 2019, Raw, Hogan appeared as part of the "Raw Reunion" special. Hogan was one of the speakers during the "Toast to Raw" segment along with Steve Austin. On September 30, 2019 episode of "Raw", he and Ric Flair unveiled a 10 man tag team match, for Crown Jewel. Hogan and Flair made multiple appearances on shows with their teams leading up to the event, which saw Hogan manage his team to victory.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan made it public knowledge that he hoped to have one more match in the WWE, including during an interview with the "Los Angeles Times". On December 9, 2019, it was announced that Hogan would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame a second time as a member of the New World Order, together with fellow former nWo stablemates Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan made his only appearance of 2020 on WWE's non-WWE Network programming when he appeared via satellite on the February 14, 2020 episode of "SmackDown" to speak about the Hall of Fame. He was interrupted by Bray Wyatt, as Hogan warned him about his upcoming match with Goldberg. The 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony was subsequently delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and aired on April 6, 2021.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan made his first appearance of 2021 on the January 4 episode of "Raw", which was a special Legends Night episode. He opened the show introducing the 'H-Phone,' his spin on an iPhone. He appeared in a backstage segment with Jimmy Hart, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus, where he gave his approval to McIntyre, the current WWE Champion. He also watched the championship main event match between McIntyre and Keith Lee on-stage with the rest of the guest legends.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: It was announced on the March 19, 2021, episode of "WWE SmackDown" he would co-host WrestleMania 37 with Titus O'Neil. Hogan opened both nights of WrestleMania 37 with O'Neil, appeared in multiple segments with Bayley, which led to a return of the Bella Twins, who attacked Bayley, and was introduced during the Hall of Fame celebration with Nash, Hall and Waltman. As of June 2022, it was his final live appearance in front of fans.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan has been described as one of the largest attractions in professional wrestling history and a major reason why Vince McMahon's expansion of his promotion worked. Wrestling historian and journalist Dave Meltzer stated that "...You can't possibly overrate his significance in the history of the business. And he sold more tickets to wrestling shows than any man who ever lived". Hogan's match with Andre the Giant on February 5, 1988 holds American television records for a wrestling audience with a 15.2 Nielsen rating and 33 million viewers.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Fellow wrestler Cody Rhodes has said numerous times that Hogan's WrestleMania X8 match with The Rock is the greatest match in wrestling history and that it epitomized what professional wrestling is.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Fellow WWE Hall of Fame member Bret Hart has been repeatedly critical of Hogan's wrestling abilities, including in 2021 saying that he "didn't know a headlock from a headlamp", and that he was "very limited". Hart had previously referred to Hogan as a "hero" to fans. and previously complimented Hogan's look. "You look at Hulk Hogan, okay? Unbelievable look, 6'8″ with the 24″ pythons, it's an incredible [look]. When he walks in the room, the whole room stops. Like, you see it. He [has] got, like, legs stuck on his shoulders. His arms are as big as somebody's legs.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Former writer Vince Russo, who Hogan had previously sued, said that more wrestlers in 2022 should wrestle like Hogan, as opposed to the modern-day style acrobats.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan himself has previously said he is "number two" behind Ric Flair, who he said is the greatest wrestler of all time.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On February 20, 2019, it was announced that Chris Hemsworth would portray him in a biopic, directed by Todd Phillips.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan created and financed a restaurant called "Pastamania" located in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It opened on the Labor Day weekend of 1995 and was heavily promoted on World Championship Wrestling's live show "Monday Nitro". The restaurant, which remained in operation for less than a year, featured such dishes as "Hulk-U's" and "Hulk-A-Roos".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In interviews on "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", Bollea claimed that the opportunity to endorse what came to be known as the George Foreman Grill was originally offered to him, but when he failed to respond in time, Foreman endorsed the grill instead. Instead, Bollea endorsed a blender, known as the Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer. He has since endorsed a grill known as "The Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In 2006, Bollea unveiled "Hogan Energy", a drink distributed by Socko Energy. His name and likeness were also applied to a line of microwavable hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and chicken sandwiches sold at Wal-Mart called "Hulkster Burgers". On November 1, 2011, Bollea launched a new website called "Hogan Nutrition", which features many nutritional and dietary products.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On New Year's Eve 2012, Bollea opened a beachfront restaurant called "Hogan's Beach", located in the Tampa area. The restaurant dropped Hogan's name in October 2015. Hogan later opened Hogan's Hangout in Clearwater Beach.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In September 2008, Bollea's net worth was revealed to be around $30 million. In September 2011, Bollea revealed that his lavish lifestyle and divorce had cost him hundreds of millions of dollars and nearly bankrupted him.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In October 2007, Bollea transferred all trademarks referring to himself to his liability company named "Hogan Holdings Limited". The trademarks include Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Hulkster, Hogan Knows Grillin, Hulkamania.com, and Hulkapedia.com.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In April 2008, Bollea announced that he would lend his license to video game developer Gameloft to create "Hulkamania Wrestling" for mobile phones. Hogan stated in a press release that the game would be "true to [his] experiences in wrestling" and use his classic wrestling moves like the Doublehand Choke Lift and Strong Clothesline. , Hogan stars alongside Troy Aikman in commercials for Rent-A-Center. On March 24, 2011, Hogan made a special appearance on "American Idol", giving a big surprise to wrestling fans Paul McDonald and James Durbin. On October 15, 2010, Endemol Games UK (a subsidiary of media production group Endemol UK) announced a partnership with Bischoff Hervey Entertainment to produce "Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania", an online gambling game featuring video footage of Hogan.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In October 2013, Bollea partnered with Tech Assets, Inc. to open a web hosting service called "Hostamania". To promote the service, a commercial video was released, featuring Hogan parodying Jean-Claude Van Damme's GoDaddy.com commercials and Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" music video. On November 21, 2013, Hulk Hogan and GoDaddy.com appeared together on a live Hangout On Air on Google Plus, where Hulk Hogan had a casual conversation about Hostamania, fans, and business.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan became a distributor for multi-level marketing company ViSalus Sciences after looking for business opportunities outside of wrestling. Hogan supports the American Diabetes Association.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan's crossover popularity led to several television and movie roles. Early in his career Bollea played the part of Thunderlips in "Rocky III" (1982). He also appeared in "No Holds Barred" (1989), before starring in family films "Suburban Commando" (1991), "Mr. Nanny" (1993), "Santa with Muscles" (1996), and "" (1998). Hogan also appeared in 1992 commercials for Right Guard deodorant. He starred in his own television series, "Thunder in Paradise", in 1994. He is the star of "The Ultimate Weapon" (1997), in which Brutus Beefcake also appears in a cameo.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea also starred in a pair of television movies, originally intended as a pilot for an ongoing series for TNT, produced by Eric Bischoff. The movies, "Shadow Warriors: Assault on Devil's Island" and "Shadow Warriors: Hunt for The Death Merchant", starred Hogan alongside Carl Weathers and Shannon Tweed as a freelance mercenary team. In 1995, he appeared on TBN's "Kids Against Crime". Bollea made cameo appearances in "Muppets from Space", "" (the theatrical cut) and "Spy Hard" as himself. Hogan also played the role of Zeus in "Little Hercules in 3D". Hogan also made two appearances on "The A-Team" (in 1985 and 1986), along with Roddy Piper. He also appeared on "Suddenly Susan" in 1999. In 2001, Hogan guest-starred on an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan has become a busy voice actor in later years making guest voice spots on "Robot Chicken" and "American Dad!" and as a primary actor in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim series "China, IL".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On July 10, 2005, VH1 premiered "Hogan Knows Best" a reality show which centered around Hogan, his then-wife Linda, and their children Brooke and Nick. In July 2008, a spin-off entitled "Brooke Knows Best" premiered, which focused primarily on Hogan's daughter Brooke.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea hosted the comeback series of "American Gladiators" on NBC in 2008. He also hosted and judged the short-lived reality show, "Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling". Hogan had a special titled "Finding Hulk Hogan" on A&E on November 17, 2010.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In 2015, Hogan was a judge on the sixth season of "Tough Enough", alongside Paige and Daniel Bryan, but due to the scandal, he was replaced by The Miz after episode 5.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea released a music CD, "Hulk Rules", as Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band. Green Jellÿ released a duet with Hogan, performing Gary Glitter's song "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)". He has also made cameos in several music videos. From her self-named show, "Dolly" the music video for Dolly Parton's wrestling-themed love song "Headlock on My Heart" features Hogan as "Starlight Starbright". In the music video "Pressure" by Belly featuring Ginuwine, Bollea and his daughter Brooke both made brief cameo appearances.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea was a regular guest on Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show. He also served as the best man at Bubba's January 2007 wedding. On March 12, 2010, Bollea hosted his own radio show, titled "Hogan Uncensored", on Sirius Satellite Radio's Howard 101.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: The Wrestling Figure Checklist records Bollea as having 171 different action figures, produced between the 1980s and 2010s from numerous manufacturers and promotions.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea provided his voice for the 2011 game "" as Angel de la Muerte, a member of the Saints. In October 2011, he released a video game called "Hulk Hogan's Main Event".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On March 27, 1985, just days prior to the inaugural WrestleMania, Richard Belzer requested on his cable TV talk show "Hot Properties" that Hogan demonstrate one of his signature wrestling moves. After consistently refusing but being egged on by Belzer, Hogan put Belzer in a modified Guillotine choke, which caused Belzer to pass out. When Hogan released him, Belzer hit his head on the floor, sustaining a laceration to the scalp that required a brief hospitalization. Belzer sued Hogan for $5 million and later settled out of court. On October 20, 2006, on the "Bubba the Love Sponge Show", it was claimed (with Hogan in the studio) that the settlement totaled $5 million, half from Hogan and half from Vince McMahon. During his June 23, 2008, appearance on Sirius Satellite Radio's "The Howard Stern Show", Belzer suggested that the real settlement amount was actually closer to $400,000.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In 1994, Hogan, having received immunity from prosecution, testified in the trial of Vince McMahon relating to shipments of steroids received by both parties from WWF physician George T. Zahorian. Under oath, Hogan admitted that he had used anabolic steroids since 1976 to gain size and weight, but that McMahon had neither sold him the drugs nor ordered him to take them. The evidence given by Hogan proved extremely costly to the government's case against McMahon. Due to this and jurisdictional issues, McMahon was found not guilty.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In April 2012, a sex tape between Hogan and Heather Clem, the estranged wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, emerged online. On October 4, 2012, Gawker released a short clip of the video. In the video, Bubba can be heard saying that the couple can "do their thing" and he will be in his office. At the end of the video, he can also be heard telling Heather, "If we ever need to retire, here is our ticket". Hogan later told Howard Stern on his satellite radio show that, "it was a bad choice and a very low point" and "I was with some friends and made a wrong choice. It has devastated me, I have never been this hurt". On October 15, 2012, Hogan filed a lawsuit against Bubba and Heather Clem for invading his privacy. A settlement with Bubba was announced on October 29, 2012. Clem publicly apologized to Hogan. In December 2012, a federal court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, found that Gawker's publication of the video snippet did not violate U.S. copyright law. Hogan then joined Gawker in the ongoing action against Heather Clem in state court in Florida, alleging invasion of privacy, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress and seeking $100 million in damages.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On October 1, 2015, the "New York Post" reported that a Florida Judge granted Hogan access to Gawker's computer system for a forensic expert to search Gawker's computers and office.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Hogan sued Gawker for $100 million for defamation, loss of privacy, and emotional pain, and on March 18, 2016, was awarded $115 million. Also, on August 11, 2016, a Florida judge gave Hogan control of the assets of A.J. Daulerio, former Gawker editor-in-chief, who was involved in the posting of Hogan's sex tape.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On December 18, 1983, Bollea married Linda Claridge. They have a daughter Brooke (born May 5, 1988) and a son Nick (born July 27, 1990). Bollea made his personal life the centerpiece of the television show "Hogan Knows Best", which included his wife and two children.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: According to an interview in the "National Enquirer", Christiane Plante claimed that Bollea had an affair with her in 2007 while the Hogan family was shooting "Hogan Knows Best". Plante was 33 years old at the time and had worked with Brooke Hogan on her 2006 album.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: On November 20, 2007, Linda filed for divorce in Pinellas County, Florida. In November 2008, Linda claimed to the public that she made the decision to end her marriage after finding out about Hogan's affair. In his 2009 autobiography, Hogan acknowledged that Linda on numerous occasions suspected he was having infidelities whenever he developed friendships with other women, but denied allegations that he ever cheated on her. Bollea only retained around 30% of the couple's liquid assets totaling around $10 million in the divorce settlement. Hogan considered committing suicide after the divorce and credits Laila Ali, his co-star on "American Gladiators", with preventing him from doing so.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea has been in a relationship with Jennifer McDaniel since early 2008. The two were engaged in November 2009 and married on December 14, 2010, in Clearwater, Florida. On February 28, 2022, Bollea stated on Twitter that he and McDaniel divorced.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea is a Christian. He has spoken about his faith in his life saying, "[I've] leaned on my religion. I was saved when I was 14. I accepted Christ as my savior. He died on the cross and paid for my sins ... I could have went the wrong way. I could have self-destructed, but I took the high road".


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea has suffered numerous health problems, particularly with his back since retiring as a wrestler following the years of heavy weight-training and jolting as a wrestler.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: In January 2013, Bollea filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the Laser Spine Institute for $50 million, citing that the medical firm persuaded him to undergo a half-dozen "unnecessary and ineffective" spinal operations that worsened his back problems. He claimed that the six procedures he underwent over a period of 19 months only gave him short-term relief. After the procedures failed to cure his back problems, Bollea underwent traditional spinal fusion surgery in December 2010, which enabled him to return to his professional activities. In addition, the Laser Spine Institute used his name on their advertisements without his permission.


title: Hulk Hogan

text: Bollea was honored as the 2008 King of the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans carnival organization. Hogan visited the Children's Hospital of New Orleans and rode in the parade where he threw doubloons with his likeness. Hogan received the honor in part because meeting Hogan is one of the most requested "wishes" of the terminally ill children benefited by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (also known as Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker) is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, , and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' production company Bad Robot Productions, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the third installment of the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, following "" (2015) and "" (2017), and the final episode of the nine-part "Skywalker saga". Its ensemble cast includes Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong'o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams. "The Rise of Skywalker" follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they lead the Resistance's final stand against Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and the First Order, who are aided by the return of the Galactic Emperor, Palpatine.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Following initial reports that "The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson would write the script for "Episode IX", in August 2015, Colin Trevorrow was hired to direct and to write with his collaborator Derek Connolly; both ultimately retain story credit with Abrams and Chris Terrio. In September 2017, Trevorrow left the project following creative differences with producer Kathleen Kennedy, and Abrams returned as director. John Williams, composer for the previous episodic films, returned to compose the score—his final score for the franchise. Principal photography began in August 2018 at Pinewood Studios in England and wrapped in February 2019, with post-production completed in November 2019. With an estimated budget of $275 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: "The Rise of Skywalker" premiered in Los Angeles on December 16, 2019, and was released in the United States on December 20. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the acting, action sequences, musical score, and visual effects but criticized the story, pacing and perceived departures from the plot and themes of "The Last Jedi". It grossed over $1.074 billion worldwide, making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2019; although it was the lowest-grossing installment of the trilogy, it turned an estimated net profit of $300 million. It received three nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards (Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Editing) as well as three at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards (also Best Special Visual Effects, Best Original Music, and Best Sound). It won five awards at the 46th Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Following a threat of revenge by the resurrected Emperor Palpatine, Kylo Ren obtains a Sith wayfinder that leads to the planet Exegol. There, he finds Palpatine, who reveals that he created Snoke to rule the First Order and lure Kylo to the dark side. Palpatine unveils the Final Order—a secret armada of superlaser-equipped Star Destroyers—and tells Kylo to find and kill Rey, who is continuing her Jedi training under Resistance leader Leia Organa. Poe Dameron and Finn deliver intelligence from a spy in the First Order that Palpatine is on Exegol; Rey reads in Luke Skywalker's notes that a Sith wayfinder can lead them there. Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, , and depart in the "Millennium Falcon" to Pasaana, to find a hidden clue leading to a wayfinder.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Kylo initiates a Force bond with Rey to discover her location. He travels to Pasaana with his warrior subordinates, the Knights of Ren. With Lando Calrissian's help, Rey and her friends find the clue—a dagger inscribed with Sith text, which programming forbids him from interpreting—and the remains of a Jedi hunter named Ochi and his ship. Rey senses Kylo nearby, and faces him. The First Order capture the "Falcon", Chewbacca, and the dagger. Attempting to save Chewbacca, Rey accidentally destroys a First Order transport with Force lightning. Believing Chewbacca is dead, the group escape on Ochi's ship.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: They travel to Kijimi, where a droidsmith extracts the Sith text from memory, revealing coordinates to a wayfinder. Rey senses Chewbacca is alive, and the group mount a rescue mission to Kylo's Star Destroyer. Rey recovers the dagger and has visions of Ochi killing her parents. Kylo informs her that she is Palpatine's granddaughter. When Palpatine had ordered Ochi to recover the young Rey, her parents hid her on Jakku. General Hux saves Poe, Finn, and Chewbacca from execution, revealing himself as the spy. After allowing the group to escape, Hux is discovered and executed by Allegiant General Pryde. The group fly the "Falcon" to the wayfinder's coordinates on a moon in the Endor system.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Rey retrieves the wayfinder from the wreckage of the second Death Star, but she is met by Kylo, who destroys the wayfinder and duels her. In a dying act, Leia calls to Kylo through the Force, distracting him as Rey impales him. Sensing Leia's death, Rey is overcome by guilt. She heals Kylo and takes his TIE fighter to exile herself on Ahch-To. Meanwhile, Kylo converses with a memory of his father, Han Solo. He throws away his lightsaber and reclaims his identity as Ben Solo. Sensing Leia's death and Ben's redemption, Palpatine sends a Star Destroyer to destroy Kijimi as a show of force. On Ahch-To, Luke's Force spirit encourages Rey to face Palpatine and gives her Leia's lightsaber. Rey leaves for Exegol in Luke's X-wing fighter, using the wayfinder from Kylo's ship.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Rey transmits her coordinates to R2-D2, allowing the Resistance, now led by Poe and Finn, to follow her to Exegol. There, she confronts Palpatine. He demands she kill him to allow his spirit to pass into her, which will allow him to possess her body. The Resistance launch an attack on the Star Destroyers and Lando arrives with reinforcements from across the galaxy. Ben overpowers the Knights of Ren and joins Rey, but Palpatine drains their power to rejuvenate himself due to them both being a dyad in the Force. He incapacitates Ben and attacks the Resistance fleet with Force lightning. Weakened, Rey hears the voices of past Jedi, who give her strength. Palpatine attacks her with lightning, but Rey deflects it using Luke and Leia's lightsabers, killing Palpatine before dying herself. Ben uses the Force to revive Rey and they kiss before he dies. The Resistance defeats Palpatine's remaining forces, while people across the galaxy rise up against the First Order.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: The Resistance celebrate their victory. Rey visits Luke's abandoned homestead on Tatooine and buries Luke and Leia's lightsabers. A passerby asks her name, and seeing Luke and Leia's Force spirits nearby, responds "Rey Skywalker".


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Billie Lourd, Greg Grunberg, and Harrison Ford reprise their roles as Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix, Temmin "Snap" Wexley, and Han Solo, respectively. Additionally, Dominic Monaghan portrays Resistance trooper Beaumont Kin, Shirley Henderson voices Babu Frik, and Nick Kellington portrays Klaud via capture performance. Hassan Taj and Lee Towersey perform the role of R2-D2, while Dave Chapman and Brian Herring return as the puppeteers of BB-8, and director J. J. Abrams also provides the voice for D-O. Martin Wilde, Anton Simpson-Tidy, Lukaz Leong, Tom Rodgers, Joe Kennard, and Ashley Beck appear as the Knights of Ren. Amanda Lawrence reprises her role as Commander Larma D’Acy, while Vinette Robinson plays her wife, Pilot Wrobie Tyce.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Jodie Comer and Billy Howle briefly appear as Rey's parents, while Tom Wilton and screenwriter Chris Terrio briefly appear as the performer and voice for Aftab Ackbar, the son of Admiral Ackbar, respectively; and Mike Quinn and Kipsang Rotich return as the performer and voice of Nien Nunb, respectively. Denis Lawson and Warwick Davis briefly reprise their roles as Wedge Antilles, a veteran of the Rebel Alliance; and Wicket W. Warrick, now the leader of the Ewoks, respectively. Composer John Williams cameos as Oma Tres, a Kijimi bartender, Kevin Smith cameos as a Kijimi inhabitant, and Abrams' frequent composer collaborator Michael Giacchino cameos as a Sith Trooper, while Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeff Garlin both cameo as human and alien Resistance troopers, respectively. Actors making reprisal vocal cameos include: Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader, Andy Serkis as Snoke, and the voices of several past Jedi, including Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi (the latter via digitally altered archive audio), Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus, Olivia d'Abo as Luminara Unduli, Frank Oz as Yoda, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, and Angelique Perrin as Adi Gallia. Ed Sheeran, Karl Urban, Dhani Harrison, Nigel Godrich, J. D. Dillard, and Dave Hearn all cameo as stormtroopers.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: In October 2012, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas sold his production company Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company. Disney subsequently announced the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy. The next month, Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg entered negotiations to write and produce either "Episode VIII" or "Episode IX". Kinberg, Kasdan, and Michael Arndt worked in a writers room to discuss and map out the trilogy. However, these plans did not come to fruition and instead Kasdan co-wrote "" with Kinberg serving as a creative consultant. In June 2014, it was announced that Rian Johnson, writer and director of "", would write a story treatment for "Episode IX". However in April 2017, Johnson later denied involvement in writing the film, claiming the information was outdated. In August 2015, Colin Trevorrow was announced as the director of the film; he was to write the script with frequent collaborator Derek Connolly. Trevorrow and Connolly's script, titled "" after the theme of the same name from "", included elements which were utilized to some extent in the final film, such as Kylo finding a Sith holocron in Darth Vader's castle on Mustafar, the transference of Force energy, the concept of a superlaser-equipped Star Destroyer, Lando leading a galaxy-wide fleet of spaceships to save the day, and Chewbacca receiving a medal.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: In January 2016, Trevorrow revealed he was considering shooting on film and that he had wanted to shoot "on location" in outer space with IMAX cameras. Trevorrow collaborated closely with Johnson whilst developing his script and even requested a scene featuring Rey and Poe be shot for "The Last Jedi". In February 2016, Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger vaguely confirmed that production on "Episode IX" had begun. Carrie Fisher died in December 2016. Prior to the release of the film, Carrie Fisher's brother Todd Fisher, who planned her character General Leia Organa to appear in the film before her death, revealed that "she was going to be the big payoff in the final film" and "she was going to be the last Jedi, so to speak."


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: In late April 2017, Disney announced that the film would be released on May 24, 2019. A month later, filming was expected to begin in January 2018. In August 2017, it was announced that Jack Thorne would rewrite the script. On September 5, 2017, Lucasfilm stated that Trevorrow had left the production following creative differences. Trevorrow's place as director was supposedly on ice since June 2017. "The Hollywood Reporter" reported that his working relationship with Kathleen Kennedy had become unmanageable after failing to deliver a satisfactory script, despite writing several drafts, nor were either happy with Thorne's revisions. Johnson was rumored as the top choice to replace Trevorrow as director, but stated "it was never in the plan for me to direct "Episode IX"." David Fincher had discussions with the studio but would ultimately decline from directing the film.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: The next day, it was announced that J.J. Abrams, the director of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", would return to direct the film, and that the film's release date would be moved to December 20, 2019. The story team met with George Lucas before writing the new script to discuss the nature of the Force. Abrams the script with Chris Terrio, though Trevorrow and Connolly retain story credits. The story was rewritten to some extent before filming was completed. Terrio had written off working on larger-scale films at the time and did not socially know Abrams prior to agreeing to co-write the film with him. The film was produced by Abrams' company Bad Robot Productions, Kathleen Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan. According to Terrio, the film's script had to include certain narrative beats provided by Kennedy and Rejwan, including the redemption of the character Kylo Ren. Abrams had also consulted with Johnson on making a film that both stood on its own but built upon previously established ideas and story elements. Until its official reveal, only Abrams knew the title of the film.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Before filming, "Episode IX" was initially given the working title "Black Diamond", which was then changed to "TrIXie" in 2018, so that the roman numeral "IX" would be included in the working title. The film's title, "The Rise of Skywalker", was announced at April 2019's "Star Wars" Celebration in Chicago.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Carrie Fisher, who played Leia Organa, died on December 27, 2016. "Variety" and Reuters reported that she had been planned for a key role in "Episode IX". In January 2017, Lucasfilm stated that there were no plans to digitally generate Fisher's performance as they had for "Rogue One" (2016). The following April, Fisher's brother Todd revealed that Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, had granted Disney the rights to use recent footage of Fisher. However, a week later, Kathleen Kennedy stated that Fisher would not appear in the film. In July 2018, J. J. Abrams announced that unused footage of Fisher from "The Force Awakens" would be used to help complete the story. In flashback scenes, digital de-aging was used for the appearance of Luke and Leia through the use of facial shots of both characters from the "Empire Strikes Back", and "Return of the Jedi" respectively.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: In July 2018, Keri Russell was in talks to play a part with some "action-heavy fight scenes", and it was confirmed that Billy Dee Williams would return as Lando Calrissian, onscreen for the first time since 1983's "Return of the Jedi" — marking one of the longest intervals between portrayals of a character by the same actor in American film history. At the end of July, Russell was confirmed to have been cast, and there was an announcement of returning and additional new cast members. In late August, "Deadline Hollywood" announced that Dominic Monaghan and Matt Smith had been cast in unspecified roles; in 2019, Smith denied his involvement, but he later clarified that he had been in talks for an unrealized "transformative" part. Early rumors from "Making Star Wars" claimed Smith was set to portray a "dark side acolyte" who gets possessed by Palpatine. Greg Grunberg reprises his role as Temmin "Snap" Wexley.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: At "Star Wars" Celebration in April 2019, it was revealed via the film's teaser trailer that Ian McDiarmid would return to portray Palpatine. Since the event was held after principal photography wrapped, Abrams was thrilled that news of McDiarmid on the set never leaked. Kathleen Kennedy said they decided to reveal Palpatine's return ahead of the film's release because of the characters playing a larger role in the story, having them differentiated from Baby Yoda, the character from "The Mandalorian". Abrams had initially considered Palpatine returning while developing "The Force Awakens".


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Principal photography began on August 1, 2018, at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. Filming also took place in Wadi Rum, Jordan. Oscar Isaac stated that Abrams was allowing more improvised acting than in the previous two films. Due to the tight schedule, some editing took place on set. The crew on "The Rise of Skywalker" had three less months than they had to work on "The Force Awakens" leading to Maryann Brandon being sent in to cut on set a third of the way through production. Scenes detailing Palpatine's return were altered and changed during production as they were felt to "go off topic". The kiss between Rey and Ben was initially going to be excluded from the film, until Abrams decided against it at the last minute. Principal photography wrapped on February 15, 2019. Footage from the film was shown at The Walt Disney Company's annual shareholders meeting on March 7, 2019. Two weeks of reshoots took place at Pinewood involving Hamill, Ridley, and Isaac in July 2019. Another round of reshoots took place at Bad Robot Productions between late September and mid-October. Abrams stated that the film had less reshoots and story adjustments than "Episode VII".


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: The visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic and supervised by Roger Guyett. Last minute ADR was recorded with Adam Driver, in which he recorded his lines in a closet. The film finished post-production on November 25, 2019. After Boyega accidentally left a copy of the script in his hotel room, it was listed on eBay for around £65. A Disney employee identified the script as authentic and purchased it from the seller for an undisclosed sum.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: In January 2018, it was confirmed that John Williams would return to compose and conduct "The Rise of Skywalker". The next month, Williams announced that it would be the last "Star Wars" film for which he would compose the score(though he would later return to compose the theme music for the Disney+ miniseries "Obi-Wan Kenobi"). In August 2019, it was revealed that Williams had written about 35 of an expected 135 minutes of music for the film, which according to Williams' brother Don, would incorporate all of the major themes of the Skywalker saga. Scoring began in July 2019 with Williams and William Ross conducting and orchestrating the sessions over the course of six months. The official soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on December 20, 2019.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Despite staying silent about many details of the film, Abrams expressed his hopes that fans and general audiences would be "satisfied". He headed a panel dedicated to the film on April 12, 2019, during "Star Wars" Celebration in Chicago, where the film's title was revealed.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Additionally, the story events of the Disneyland themed area precede the film, including the motion simulator, which features Chewbacca. On August 24, a new poster and "sizzle reel" was released at D23; the latter was released to the public two days later. The footage includes a montage of the Skywalker saga so far, as well as several new shots from the film.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: A publishing campaign titled "" was announced on May 4, 2019. It includes the novel "", set between "The Last Jedi" and "The Rise of Skywalker", the Young adult novel "Force Collector", the Middle Grade novel "Spark of the Resistance," and various other titles. From December 18, 2019, to March 11, 2020, a prequel graphic novel titled "The Rise of Kylo Ren", telling the story of how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren and elaborating upon the character's backstory, was published by Marvel Comics, written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Will Sliney.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: The official novelization of "The Rise of Skywalker" is by Rae Carson; hardcover and audiobook versions were released on March 19, 2020. The novel details Palpatine's return in more depth: he transferred his consciousness into a clone body following his death in "Return of the Jedi", and his "son", Rey's father, was a failed clone of Palpatine. The junior novel and corresponding audiobook are by Michael Kogge and was released on April 21, 2020. A five-issue Marvel Comics adaptation written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Will Sliney was planned to debut in mid-2020, but this was later cancelled, making the film the first in the franchise not to receive a serialized comic adaptation. A separate graphic novel adaptation was released by IDW Publishing in 2021.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: A story arc of 2020's "Darth Vader" comic ties into "The Rise of Skywalker", utilizing a creature cut from the film as well as Ochi. Further, an upcoming novel titled "Shadow of the Sith", scheduled for mid-2022, will explore the backstory of Luke and Lando as they investigate the dead world of Exegol.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: The video game "Star Wars Battlefront II" (2017) released a free level set on Ajan Kloss. In December 2019, the video game "Fortnite Battle Royale" released several cosmetics featuring character outfits for Rey, Finn, a Sith Trooper, Kylo Ren, and Zorii Bliss along with a TIE Fighter glider, a "Millennium Falcon" glider (which was given to players for free from the Winterfest Event), four emotes, and two free banners. On December 14, "Fortnite" publisher Epic Games released a preview of the film on an in-game theater screen as a live event. At the end of the event, a message from Palpatine (the one mentioned in the film's opening crawl) was heard. To coincide with the release of the film, a trailer for the forthcoming video game, "" was released on the same day.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: The film was originally planned to be released in the United States on May 24, 2019, before being pushed back to December 20. It had its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 16. Unlike most studio films, Disney reportedly did not hold test screenings for "The Rise of Skywalker", instead only showing it to Abrams' friends and family, as well as a terminally-ill fan. Before the film's release, Disney issued a warning that the scenes with strobe-like flashing lights may trigger photosensitive migraines and seizures during some of those scenes.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: "The Rise of Skywalker" was scheduled to be released on Digital HD on March 17, 2020, but was released four days early in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD release was followed on March 31 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The 4K version of the film was also released in "The Skywalker Saga" Ultra HD Blu-ray box set that same date. It was released on Disney+ on May 4, which is reportedly two months ahead of its previously scheduled release date.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" grossed $515.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $558.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.074 billion, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2019. "Deadline Hollywood" calculated the net profit of the film to be $300million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Pre-sale tickets went on sale on October 21, 2019 and the film sold more tickets in their first hour of availability on Atom Tickets than the previous record-holder for ticket sales, "" (2019). It became Atom Tickets' second-best first-day seller of all time behind "Endgame", selling more than twice the number of tickets as "The Last Jedi" sold in that same timeframe, while Fandango reported it outsold all previous "Star Wars" films. Box office tracking had "The Rise of Skywalker" grossing around $205 million in its opening weekend, though some firms predicted a debut closer to $175 million. The film made $89.6 million on its first day, including $40 million from Thursday night previews, the sixth-highest opening day of all time. It went on to debut to $177.4 million, which was the third-highest opening ever for a December release and the 12th-best of all time, and it was also noted that Saturday (which saw a 47% drop from Friday's gross) was the busiest shopping day of the year, likely affecting ticket sales. However, "Deadline Hollywood" did write that "we can't ignore" the less than stellar audience exit scores, which could affect the film's legs moving forward. The film made $32 million on Christmas Day, the second-best total ever for the holiday after "The Force Awakens" $49.3 million in 2015. It went on to have a five-day total of $138.8 million, including $76 million for the weekend. In its third weekend the film made $34.5 million, remaining in first, before being dethroned in its fourth weekend by newcomer "1917" (2019). On January 14, 2020, the film crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming Disney's seventh film of 2019 to do so.


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Worldwide the film was projected to gross around $450 million in its opening weekend, including $250 million from 52 international territories. It made $59.1 million from its first day of international release in 46 countries. The biggest markets were the United Kingdom ($8.3 million), Germany ($7.2 million), France ($5.3 million), and Australia ($4.3 million). In China, the film made $1.6 million (RMB11.6 million) through its first day. It went on to open to $198 million from overseas countries and $373.5 million worldwide, coming in below projections and 47% lower than "The Last Jedi"s total. Its biggest opening totals remained the UK ($26.8 million), Germany ($21.8 million), France ($15.2 million), Japan ($14.6 million), Australia ($12.6 million), and China ($12.1 million).


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of with an average score of , based on reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, ""The Rise of Skywalker" suffers from a frustrating lack of imagination, but concludes this beloved saga with fan-focused devotion." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100 based on 61 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Richard Roeper, reviewing for the "Chicago Sun-Times", gave the film three stars out of four, writing that it "rarely comes close to touching greatness, but it's a solid, visually dazzling and warmhearted victory [for] quality filmmaking." "The A.V. Club"s A. A. Dowd gave the film a C+, stating that the film "is so freighted with obligation that it almost groans under the weight, flashing a weak smile as it vaguely approximates the appearance of a zippy good time." Michael Phillips for "Chicago Tribune" wrote that the film "does the job. It wraps up the trio of trilogies begun in 1977 in a confident, soothingly predictable way, doing all that is cinematically possible to avoid [upsetting the] tradition-minded quadrants of the "Star Wars" fan base."


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Mick LaSalle of the "San Francisco Chronicle" described the film as "a disappointment" and wrote, "For all the movie's faults, it's likely that most people will consider "The Rise of Skywalker" and accept the trade: Sit through a so-so 110 minutes to get to a strong half hour." Owen Gleiberman of "Variety" called the film "the most elegant, emotionally rounded, and gratifying "Star Wars" adventure since the glory days of "Star Wars" (1977) and "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) [...] but given the last eight films, the bar isn't that high." The BBC's Nicholas Barber praised the film's acting and wrote, ""The Rise of Skywalker" has been lovingly crafted by a host of talented people, and yet the best they can do is pay tribute to everything [George Lucas] did several decades ago."


title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

text: Scott Mendelson for "Forbes" described the film as "possibly worse" compared to the previous Skywalker saga films while ending the main saga and "denying this new trilogy its artistic reason for existence". He also criticized the film for retconning "The Last Jedi" and for its conventional plot twists, writing that the film is full of "patronizing reversals in the name of mollifying the fans who merely want to be reminded of the first three movies." Justin Chang of the "Los Angeles Times" described the film as "a "Last Jedi" corrective", which is "the more accurate way to describe it" and represents "an epic failure of nerve". He further wrote it "feels more like a retreat, a return to a zone of emotional and thematic safety from a filmmaker with a gift for packaging nostalgia as subversion." Writing for "The New Yorker", Richard Brody wrote that the film's faults "are those of the franchise over all", as the film's director "J. J. Abrams is mainly a distiller and a magnifier and brings virtually no originality to it". Brody said that it would have been better if a "boldly imaginative vulgarian such as Michael Bay" had instead created a "derisive wreckage" of Star Wars. Brian Tallerico of "RogerEbert.com" critisized the film, giving it 2.5/5 stars, and faulting it for "Terrible dialogue, disinterested performances, and an unconvincing, phony CGI aesthetic." And also critisized it for it's "Misdirection" and calling it "A movie that so desperately wants to please a fractured fanbase that it doesn’t bother with an identity of its own." Though he praised it for its "Remarkable set pieces".<ref>


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Star Trek: Discovery is an American television series created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+). Premiering in 2017, it is the seventh "Star Trek" series and was the first since "" concluded in 2005. It follows the crew of the starship "Discovery", beginning a decade before "" in the 23rd century. At the end of the , "Discovery" travels to the 32nd century, which is the setting for subsequent seasons.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham, a science specialist on "Discovery" who eventually becomes captain. Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Jason Isaacs, Wilson Cruz, Anson Mount, David Ajala, Rachael Ancheril, Blu del Barrio, and Tig Notaro also star. The series was announced in November 2015, with Fuller set as showrunner. He left due to creative differences with CBS and was replaced by Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, with producing support from Akiva Goldsman for the . Berg and Harberts were fired by CBS during production on the second, and Kurtzman took over as showrunner. He was joined by Michelle Paradise beginning with the .


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: "Star Trek: Discovery" is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. It is filmed at Pinewood Toronto Studios in Toronto, Canada, as well as on location around the world. Designs from the "Star Trek" franchise were reinvented for the series to take advantage of modern techniques and visual effects. It premiered on September 24, 2017, on CBS and CBS All Access. The rest of the 15-episode first season was streamed weekly on All Access, ending in February 2018. The 14-episode second season was released on All Access from January to April 2019, and the 13-episode third season ran from October 2020 to January 2021. The 13-episode was released on Paramount+ from November 2021 to March 2022. A 10-episode was ordered in January 2022 and is expected to be released in 2023.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: The series' release led to record subscriptions for CBS All Access, and it became the most viewed original series on both All Access and Paramount+. It has received positive reviews from critics, who have highlighted Martin-Green's performance and the time-jump to the 32nd century, as well as numerous accolades, including Primetime Emmy Awards for its prosthetic makeup and visual effects. The series began an expansion of the "Star Trek" franchise, leading to multiple new series including the companion shorts series "" and the spin-off "". Various tie-in media and two official aftershows have also been produced based on the series.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: The series begins around ten years before the events of "", when Commander Michael Burnham's actions start a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. She is court-martialed, demoted, and reassigned to the USS "Discovery", which has a unique means of propulsion called the "Spore Drive". After an adventure in the Mirror Universe, "Discovery" helps end the Klingon war. In the second season they investigate seven mysterious signals and a strange figure known as the "Red Angel", and fight off a rogue artificial intelligence. This conflict ends with the "Discovery" traveling to the 32nd century, more than 900 years into their future.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: The USS "Discovery" finds the Federation fragmented in the future, and investigates the cause of a cataclysmic event known as the "Burn" in the third season. Burnham is promoted to captain of "Discovery" at the end of the season, and in the fourth season the crew helps rebuild the Federation while facing a space anomaly created by unknown aliens that causes destruction across the galaxy. In the fifth season, the "Discovery" goes on a galactic adventure to find a mysterious ancient power that other dangerous groups are also searching for.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: On November 2, 2015, CBS announced that a new "Star Trek" television series would premiere in January 2017, "on the heels" of the 50th anniversary of "" in 2016. This was the first "Star Trek" series since "" concluded in 2005, and the first series to be developed specifically for the CBS All Access streaming service. Alex Kurtzman, co-writer of the films "Star Trek" (2009) and "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013), and Heather Kadin were set as executive producers. The January 2017 date was the earliest that CBS could release a new "Star Trek" series after an agreement the company made when it split from Viacom in 2005. Showtime, Netflix, and Amazon Video all offered "a lot of money" for the rights to stream the series, but after heavily investing in the new All Access service CBS believed that a returning "Star Trek" could be "the franchise that really puts All Access on the map". In January 2016, CBS president Glenn Geller said the network would broadcast the first episode but was not creatively involved in the series, saying, "It really is for All Access."


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: After beginning his career writing for the series "" and "", Bryan Fuller was announced as the new series' showrunner and co-creator alongside Kurtzman in February 2016. Nicholas Meyer, writer and director of "" (1982) and "" (1991), also joined the series as a consulting producer. In March, Rod Roddenberry (the son of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry) and Trevor Roth of Roddenberry Entertainment also joined the series as executive producers. Fuller said working with people previously involved with "Star Trek" was "really about making sure that we maintain authenticity", and said Meyer—who is widely considered to have made the best "Star Trek" film in "The Wrath of Khan"—brought "a clarity and a cleanliness to the storytelling".


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Fuller had publicly called for "Star Trek" to return to television for years, particularly because of its impact on minority groups, as he explained, "I couldn't stop thinking about how many black people were inspired by seeing Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of a ship. I couldn't stop thinking about how many Asian people were inspired by seeing George Takei and feeling that gave them hope for their place in the future. I wanted to be part of that representation for a new era." When Fuller first met with CBS about the series, the company did not have a plan for what it would be. He proposed an anthology series, with each season being a standalone, serialized story set in a different era. This would begin with a prequel to "The Original Series", followed by stories set during "The Original Series", during "", and then "beyond to a time in "Trek" that's never been seen before". Fuller compared this to what "American Horror Story" did for horror, and described the proposal as a platform for "a universe of "Trek" shows". CBS instead suggested he create a single serialized series to see how that performed.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Fuller began further developing the concept of a prequel to "The Original Series". He announced in June 2016 that the first season would consist of 13 episodes, though he would prefer to produce 10 episodes a season moving forward. A month later, Fuller announced the series' title, "Star Trek: Discovery", and revealed that it would be set in the "Prime Timeline" which includes the previous "Star Trek" series but not the modern reboot films such as "Star Trek", "Into Darkness", and "Star Trek Beyond" (2016). This was to keep the concurrent series and films separate, so "we don't have to track anything [happening in the films] and they don't have to track what we're doing". Also in July, CBS Studios International licensed the series to Netflix for release outside the United States and Canada, a "blockbuster" deal that paid for the series' entire budget (around US$6–7 million per episode at that time). During pre-production on the series, Fuller and CBS had disagreements on its direction. The production began to overrun its per-episode budget and was falling behind schedule due to Fuller supervising all aspects of the series while also showrunning another new series, "American Gods". This caused frustration among CBS executives who felt Fuller should be focused on having "Discovery" ready for release in January 2017.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: By August 2016, Fuller had hired Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, whom he worked with on "Pushing Daisies", to serve as co-showrunners with him. A month later, he and Kurtzman asked CBS to delay the series' release so they could meet the high expectations for it, and the studio pushed the premiere back to May 2017. At the end of October, CBS asked Fuller to step down as showrunner, and announced a restructuring of the production: Berg and Harberts were made sole showrunners, working from a broad story arc and overall mythology established by Fuller; Kurtzman and Fuller would continue as executive producers, but with Fuller moving his attention fully to "American Gods"; and Akiva Goldsman would join as a supporting producer similar to the role he held on "Fringe" alongside Kurtzman. CBS said they were still happy with Fuller's creative direction for the series, but some elements that came from him, including designs and "more heavily allegorical and complex story" points, were soon dropped. Fuller later confirmed that he was no longer involved with the series.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: With production set to begin in January 2017, "careful deliberation" was going into the series' production value and effects. Ted Sullivan joined as supervising writing producer, and CBS Interactive president Marc DeBevoise revealed that the episode order had been expanded to 15 episodes. In June, CBS announced a new premiere date of September 24, 2017, and Kurtzman said he had discussed future seasons with Fuller before the latter's departure. Kurtzman promised that the series' "set-up, character, big ideas, [and] the big movement of the season" were all true to Fuller's original plans. In August, Goldsman said future seasons would have a "hybridized [anthology] approach" with each season having its own story arc and a mixture of new and familiar characters. Kurtzman added that the success of "Discovery" could lead to other new "Star Trek" series.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: By the end of August 2017, Berg and Harberts had developed a road map for a second season and the beginnings of one for a third. It was also revealed that an average episode of the first season had cost US$8–8.5 million, making it one of the most expensive television series ever made. This exceeded the original Netflix deal, but CBS still considered the series paid for due to the number of new CBS All Access subscribers that it was expected to draw. After the series premiere, Kurtzman said the producers wanted to avoid announcing release dates for future seasons due to the external pressure caused by delaying the first season's premiere after it was announced. Despite this, he hoped a second season would be available in early 2019. The second season was officially ordered in October 2017, and consists of 13 episodes. Goldsman did not return for the season after clashing with the series' writing staff, while Meyer was not asked to return for the second season. In June 2018, when production on the second season was underway, CBS fired Berg and Harberts. This was due to the first episode of the season going significantly over budget, as well as alleged abusive behavior by the pair directed at the other writers. Kurtzman was made showrunner and was set to "regroup" the writers room.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: After Kurtzman took over, the second season was confirmed to be on track for a January 2019 premiere, though there ultimately was enough of a delay in production that CBS extended the season's episode count to 14 as a way to amortize the cost of the delays. Shortly after the season premiere, in February, the series was renewed for a third season with writer Michelle Paradise promoted to co-showrunner alongside Kurtzman. In October 2019, Kurtzman said the third season would consist of 13 episodes. Active development on a fourth season had begun by January 2020, and it was officially announced in October. Also in October, Kurtzman was asked how long he intended for "Discovery" to continue, especially with other streaming series being cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and said there were "years and years left on "Discovery"". He also noted the precedent of several previous "Star Trek" series running for seven seasons each. A 10-episode fifth season was ordered in January 2022, which is expected to be released in 2023.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: The series' writers room is based at Kurtzman's Secret Hideout offices in Santa Monica. The titular ship was named after "Discovery One" from "", NASA's Space Shuttle "Discovery", and "the sense of discovery... what [that] means to "Star Trek" audiences who have been promised a future by Gene Roddenberry where we come together as a planet and seek new worlds and new alien races to explore and understand".


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Fuller wanted to differentiate "Discovery" from previous "Star Trek" series by taking advantage of the streaming format of All Access and telling a single serialized story across the entire first season, inspired by the general change in television to tell those kinds of stories rather than the "new destination-based adventure each week" format mostly used in previous "Star Trek" series. Fuller had been one of several writers during the 1990s pushing for "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager" to move towards this style. The producers wanted to build towards Roddenberry's "Star Trek" ideals and show that "you can't simply be accepting and tolerant without working for it", and chose to ignore Roddenberry's longstanding rule that Starfleet crew members not have significant conflict with one another.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Fuller saw the series as a bridge between "Star Trek: Enterprise" and "The Original Series"—which are set around 150 years apart—but set much closer to the latter to allow "Discovery" to use the latter's iconic designs and costumes; the series ultimately moved away from those designs after Fuller's departure. The first season tells the story of the Federation-Klingon cold war that had been mentioned in "Star Trek" before but not depicted on screen. The season finishes with the end of the war, which allowed the writers to move beyond Fuller's established storyline. The second season has a more episodic structure than the first, though it still tells a single serialized story, and it introduces more elements from "The Original Series" including the USS "Enterprise" and its crew. A goal of the showrunners for the season was to "cement "Discovery" firmly in the timeline" by reconciling some of the apparent continuity errors from the first season, such as why "Discovery" characters and more advanced technology are not mentioned in "The Original Series" or other previous "Star Trek" media. They achieved this by having "Discovery" and its crew travel over 900 years into the future at the end of the season which Kurtzman compared to the new timeline created for the film "Star Trek" to avoid established continuity.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Kurtzman felt the jump to the future had opened up new variables and storytelling opportunities that were preventing the series from feeling stale and confirmed that the series would remain in the 32nd century for the rest of its run. Discussing what makes "Discovery" unique among "Star Trek" series, Paradise said it was the mixture of serialized storytelling and a focus on action, adventure, and visual effects. She noted that "Discovery" could feel separate from the rest of the franchise following the time jump to the future but explained that the writers were always looking for ways to connect the series back to past "Star Trek" media to prevent this. Beginning with the third season, astrophysicist Erin Macdonald joined the series and wider "Star Trek" franchise as a science advisor. Macdonald said each series was on a "spectrum of science to fiction" and "Discovery" was "way more on the science side", so to ensure scientific accuracy Macdonald became involved in all aspects of the series from developing plots with the writers room to reviewing that graphics and visual effects were correct in post-production.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: By June 2016, Fuller had met with several actors and said the series would "carry on what "Star Trek" does best" by hiring a progressive, diverse cast, with Kadin confirming that the series would feature minority, female, and LGBTQ characters. In August, Fuller said the series would star a lieutenant commander, to be played by a non-white actress, rather than a captain like previous "Star Trek" series. He also said "Discovery" would include more alien characters than other "Star Trek" series, and would feature at least one openly gay character. Fuller, who is gay himself, had been determined to see this happen since receiving hate mail while working on "Voyager" when a character on that show was rumored to be coming out as gay. Fuller discussed the series' casting with Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space who made a cameo appearance in an episode of "The Next Generation". He anticipated casting announcements in October, but none had been made by the end of that month. The majority of the series main characters were believed to have been cast by then, but no actress had been cast for the series' lead role. This was a source of "internal stress" at CBS. Several African American and Latina actresses were being looked at for the role, with CBS preferring a "fresh face" over an established star. The cast was believed to include a female admiral, a male Klingon captain, a male admiral, a male adviser, and a British male doctor, with one of those male leads played by an openly gay actor.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp were revealed to have been cast in November 2016, respectively as science officers Saru and Stamets. Saru is a Kelpien, an alien race created for the series, while Stamets is the first "Star Trek" character to be conceived and announced as gay. Sonequa Martin-Green was cast in the lead role in December, when Shazad Latif was cast as the Klingon Kol. In March 2017, Jason Isaacs was cast as Captain Lorca of the USS "Discovery", and Mary Wiseman joined as Tilly, a cadet. In April, Martin-Green's casting was officially confirmed and her character's name was revealed to be Michael Burnham. At the end of that month, Latif was recast to the role of Starfleet Lieutenant Tyler. The series reveals that Tyler is the undercover persona of the Klingon Voq, who is initially credited as being portrayed by the invented actor Javid Iqbal to hide the fact that Latif portrays both Voq and Tyler.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Rapp revealed in July 2017 that Wilson Cruz, whom Rapp had previously worked with on the musical "Rent", would portray Stamets' love interest Hugh Culber. The character is killed off during the first season, which was criticized by some as following the "bury your gays" trope, but the executive producers immediately released a statement with Cruz and LGBTQ media monitoring organization GLAAD saying the relationship between Culber and Stamets would continue to be explored. Cruz was subsequently promoted from his recurring guest role to the series' main cast for the second season, in which Culber is brought back to life. After the first season concluded with the "Discovery" receiving a distress call from the USS "Enterprise", specifically from Captain Christopher Pike, Harberts expressed interest in exploring that character; Anson Mount was cast in the role in April 2018, and stars for the second season.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Casting had begun by June 2019 for the new role of Adira, a non-binary character described as "incredibly intelligent and self-confident" with the potential to become a recurring guest throughout the third season. The next month, David Ajala joined the cast as new series regular Cleveland "Book" Booker for the third season. Rachael Ancheril is also credited as starring for her appearances in the season, reprising her recurring guest role as Nhan from the second season. She is written out of the series in the third season's fifth episode. In September 2020, non-binary newcomer Blu del Barrio was revealed to be portraying Adira, the first explicitly non-binary character within the "Star Trek" franchise. They reprised their role for the fourth season, and del Barrio was promoted to the series' main cast along with recurring guest star Tig Notaro as Jett Reno.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Fuller wanted to take advantage of modern effects, production design, and makeup to establish a new look for the series and franchise that previous "Star Trek" media was unable to achieve. Mark Worthington and Todd Cherniawsky served as initial production designers for the series, and Suttirat Anne Larlarb was hired as costume designer. Glenn Hetrick and Neville Page of Alchemy Studios provided prosthetics and armor, with Page having previously designed for the rebooted "Star Trek" films. Mario Moreira served as prop master for the series, with seven art directors, over nine illustrators, more than thirty-five set designers, and over four hundred and fifty painters, carpenters, sculptors, model makers, welders, set dressers, and prop builders all hired for the first season. The designers consulted with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for scientific accuracy. Tamara Deverell took over as production designer during production on the first season, but left after the second. She was replaced by Phillip Barker, who was able to approach the third season as a fresh start due to the new time period. Barker helped develop the new 32nd century technology as part of his design process. Doug McCullough took over as production designer for the fourth season.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Fuller had wanted the series' uniforms to reflect the primary colors of "The Original Series", but this was discarded after his departure, when Larlarb also left the series. Gersha Phillips took over as costume designer. Fabric for the series' Starfleet uniforms was custom-dyed in Switzerland, and was a navy blue specifically mixed for the production. Gold or silver embellishments denoted divisions, while medical officers wear a "hospital white" variant of the uniform. The captain's uniform is the standard navy blue but with additional gold piping on the shoulders. Phillips attempted to create costumes with no seams using "No Sew" bonding techniques such as glue and tape, but the producers rejected this because they wanted to see more details in the costumes. Starfleet insignia badges were molded from silicon bronze, and then polished and plated by a jeweler to create custom colors for the series: gold for command, silver for sciences and medical, and copper for operations. Phillips was able to revisit the colorful uniforms from "The Original Series" with the introduction of the USS "Enterprise" in the second season, applying the colors of those original costumes to the design of "Discovery" uniforms. She was also able to revisit her "No Sew" approach for the future Starfleet uniforms in the third season. These are mostly gray, with divisions represented by a colored stripe, but once the crew of "Discovery" started wearing these costumes the producers realised that they clashed with the "Discovery"s existing gray hallway sets. Phillips designed new uniforms for the fourth season that use the same primary colors as "The Next Generation", with red for command, gold for operations, and blue for science. Medical officers still wear white uniforms.


title: Star Trek: Discovery

text: Veteran "Star Trek" designer John Eaves designed starships for the series with Scott Schneider, and based the USS "Discovery" on an unused Ralph McQuarrie design for the "Enterprise" from the unproduced film "". Fuller compared McQuarrie's design to 1970s Lamborghinis and cars from the "James Bond" franchise. Sets for the "Discovery"s interiors were described as a "tangle of corridors and rooms", and were designed to look like they could believably fit inside the ship. The graphics used for the Starfleet computer systems were designed to be believably more advanced than modern technology, but to also honor the look and feel of the designs used in previous series. These were updated for the third season to reflect the more advanced future technology, when programmable matter was integrated into the "Discovery" design. The opening title sequence was created by Prologue using 2D motion graphics. The sequence depicts elements from throughout the history of "Star Trek"—such as phasers, communicators, and the Vulcan salute—and deconstructs them. Prologue creative director Ana Criado said the producers wanted the sequence to be unlike any previous "Star Trek" titles sequences. A blueprint theme was decided to acknowledge that the series is a prequel, "literally deconstructing "Trek" iconography". The sequence was originally in black-and-white, but Criado said this was too "cold" and was replaced with a Renaissance-inspired sepia look "to make it look like we are designing everything from scratch". The sequence was updated for each season. The third season introduces a new logo for the series to reflect its move to the far future and move away from the Klingon-inspired initial logo.