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Mark Donaldson-

Mark Donaldson

Contributing since March, 2021

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Author Details

Mark Donaldson is a writer, podcaster, and freelance film programmer based in the North East of England, where he lives with his partner and greyhound. When not writing or podcasting about Star Trek or Doctor Who, Mark can be found talking about Star Trek or Doctor Who down the pub. He's also currently working on a documentary about Doctor Who fandom in the 1990s.

Industry Focus

Mark has been with Screen Rant since 2022, and recently became a full-time Core Features Writer, specializing in Star Trek and Doctor Who. Mark has podcasted about Doctor Who since 2014, co-hosting On the Time Lash, and regularly appearing on other Doctor Who podcasts to discuss all eras of the show.

Favorite Media

Mark grew up in the 1990s, which was a rich time for science-fiction on British TV. He was raised on a diet of Star Trek: the Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. These shows have left a profound effect on him, and he continues to enjoy them 30 years later. During the 90s, Mark also became a huge Doctor Who fan, which was difficult because the BBC had canceled it. The lack of new Doctor Who on TV allowed Mark to cultivate a broad knowledge of Doctor Who's entire history from 1963 to 1989, and the extensive spinoff media. It's an obsession that continued when the show returned in 2005.

Latest Articles

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano 1
The Sopranos (1999)
All 8 Characters Tony Kills In The Sopranos (& Why)

As a ruthless mob boss, Tony Soprano orders the deaths of many gangsters during The Sopranos, but he's unafraid to take matters into his own hands.

Dal R'El in the foreground with the Prodigy characters in their Starfleet uniforms behind 1
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021)
Star Trek: Prodigy’s Young Alien Heroes & Starfleet Future Explained

Prodigy's brave young crew of the USS Protostar is made up of new and old Star Trek alien species, all of whom hope to one day join Starfleet.

The USS Protostar in flight and Hologram Janeway from Star Trek: Prodigy 1
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021)
Star Trek: Prodigy Broke Tradition With The USS Protostar

Fitted with a revolutionary proto-drive, the USS Protostar was Prodigy's super-fast hero ship, and it also broke a huge Star Trek tradition.

Three different animated Janeways in Star Trek: Prodigy 1
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021)
5 Janeways In Star Trek: Prodigy Explained

Star Trek has a whole host of Janeway variants, and Prodigy season 1 added four new versions of the beloved Voyager captain to the canon.

Robert Beltran as Chakotay and the cast of Star Trek: Prodigy 1
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021)
Voyager’s Chakotay & What Happened To Starfleet Hero In Star Trek: Prodigy

What happened to Voyager's Chakotay is the biggest mystery of Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, and it will play a major role in Janeway's season 2 story.

Peter Capaldi, Ncuti Gatwa, and Matt Smith at Christmas 1
Doctor Who (1963)
All 17 Doctor Who Christmas & New Year Specials Ranked (Including 2023)

Ncuti Gatwa resurrects the tradition of the Doctor Who Christmas special, but where does Ruby Road sit in the 2005-2023 canon of holiday specials?

Seven of Nine and Chakotay in Star Trek: Voyager 1
Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
Seven Of Nine’s Worst Voyager Relationship Explained By Star Trek Actors

Seven and Chakotay's romance never worked in Star Trek: Voyager and Jeri Ryan and Robert Beltran have been vocal about why their love story failed.

Q, Picard and the Borg Queen in Star Trek: Picard season 2 1
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
10 Good Things In Star Trek: Picard Season 2

Q's plans for Jean-Luc in Picard season 2 may have been illogical, but they don't detract from some great Star Trek moments for the La Sirena crew.

Dev sat in a spaceship with a golden asteroid behind him 1
For All Mankind (2019)
For All Mankind Season 4 Episode 8 Recap: Dev's Asteroid Heist And 4 Other Reveals

As Margo is reunited with an old friend, Dev and Ed put their plan to steal an asteroid in motion as For All Mankind season 4 continues.

Picard, Number One and Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard season 1 1
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
10 Good Things In Star Trek: Picard Season 1

Star Trek: Picard season 1 had its flaws, but there were many good things about how it updated the story of Patrick Stewart's TNG character.

star-trek-voyager-seven-nine-rick-berman-first-choice_ 1
Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
Star Trek Producer’s Surprising First Choice For Seven Of Nine Wasn’t Jeri Ryan

Stars from Babylon 5 and Xena: Warrior Princess auditioned for Jeri Ryan's role, but Rick Berman's first choice for Seven of Nine was closer to home.

John de Lancie as Q in white robes against a green Christmassy backdrop 1
Star Trek
Q Is Star Trek’s Ghost Of Christmas Past, Present And Future

John de Lancie's Q has always been the Christmas ghost to Captain Picard's Ebenezer Scrooge in Star Trek, helping him to become a better man.

TNG's Data and Patrick Stewart as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol 1
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
A Christmas Carol Taught Star Trek’s Data What It Means To Be Human

Picard and Data discussed A Christmas Carol's Ebenezer Scrooge in Star Trek: TNG, highlighting the link between Charles Dickens and Gene Roddenberry.

Kirk and Picard in front of the Christmas tree from Star Trek Generations 1
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Star Trek’s Only Christmas Movie Is Sad & Bleak

Released in winter 1994, Star Trek Generations is franchise's only Christmas movie, but Picard and Kirk's adventure makes the holiday a bleak affair.

A USS Voyager Christmas ornament and Captain Picard in a Santa hat 1
Star Trek
15 Best Star Trek Episodes & Movies To Watch During The Holidays

Christmas isn't widely celebrated in the Star Trek universe, but the franchise has a whole host of movies and TV episodes perfect for the holidays.

star-trek-tng-spock-episode-origin-bad-why 1
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Spock’s Star Trek: TNG Appearance Was “Dark, Flat, Who Cares”, Says Executive Producer

TNG's executive producer Michael Piller believed that Spock's appearance lacked "cosmic significance", but it radically impacted Star Trek's future.

Ed and Kelly are reunited in For All Mankind season 4 1
For All Mankind (2019)
For All Mankind Season 4 Episode 7 Recap: 4 Biggest Reveals

For All Mankind season 4, episode 7 sees the bitter strike on Mars come to a head, as Dev and Ed plot to secure the future of Happy Valley.

David Tennant and Stanley Tucci in Steven Moffat's Inside Man 1
Inside Man (TV Series) (2022)
Inside Man Ending Explained (In Detail)

Steven Moffat's twisty thriller Inside Man ends with some loose ends left to tie up, suggesting another outing for Stanley Tucci's death row Sherlock.

Robert Beltran as Chakotay in Voyager and Nana Visitor as Kira in DS9 1
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
Star Trek: DS9’s Kira Did What Voyager’s Chakotay Never Would

Kira and Chakotay had a history of resisting Cardassian occupation, but there was one line that Star Trek: Voyager's Number One would never cross.

The sopranos tony soprano Vincent Palermo 1
The Sopranos (1999)
The Sopranos True Story: The Real-Life Mob Boss Who Inspired Tony Soprano

The Sopranos was hugely influenced by true crime and fictional gangster movies, but one mob boss believed that he was Tony Soprano's inspiration.

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