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Mark Donaldson-

Mark Donaldson

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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

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’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.

Larry David returns for Curb Your Enthusiasm season 12 1
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12: Release Date, Cast, & Everything We Know

Curb Your Enthusiasm season 12 has been officially confirmed by HBO, but what else do we know about Larry David's next series of misadventures?

Eli and Margo in For All Mankind season 4, episode 6 1
For All Mankind (2019)
For All Mankind Season 4 Episode 6 Recap: Margo's Future & 4 Other Reveals

Margo makes her first public appearance in 8 years as the M-7 nations discuss mining the Goldilocks asteroid in For All Mankind season 4, episode 6.

Sisko And Picard in front of DS9 1
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
Star Trek: DS9 Copied A Pivotal Picard Episode For Sisko

Sisko and Picard had their differences, but the similarities between a Star Trek: DS9 episode and a classic TNG episode give them common ground.

A Cylon stands in the middle of the cast of BSG 1
Battlestar Galactica (2004)
Battlestar Galactica Reboot Update Exposes The New Show's Biggest Problem

Sam Esmail is aware of the difficulties in matching Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica, highlighting a major problem with the planned reboot.

Kira in season 1 and Odo and Kira dueting in DS9 season 6 1
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
DS9 Season 1 Secretly Revealed Kira Knew Odo Was In Love With Her

It took Kira a while to acknowledge Odo's feelings for her in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but a season 1 episode hinted that she knew all along.

Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier and Doctor Who's UNIT helipad 1
Doctor Who (1963)
Doctor Who's New UNIT Freely Admits The Modern Version Betrays The Brigadier

Doctor Who's modern UNIT is very different from the one led by the Brigadier, but there are good reasons for betraying the old soldier's vision.

Doctor who 60th anniversary the toymaker 1
Doctor Who (1963)
The Toymaker: Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary Villain Origin, Powers & Return Explained

NPH is rumored to be playing a beloved one-shot Doctor Who villain, but who is the Toymaker, and what does their return mean for the future?

Captain Sisko and the USS Defiant 1
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
Sisko Had A Bond With His Defiant No Other Star Trek Captain Can Match

Captain Sisko had a deep connection to the USS Defiant in DS9 which was unique to those between his Star Trek predecessors and their starships.

Kate Stewart, the Fifteenth Doctor, and Melanie Bush 1
Doctor Who (1963)
8 Ways Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary Has Set Up A Disney UNIT Spinoff

Doctor Who's final 60th anniversary special, "The Giggle" feels like a backdoor pilot for a UNIT spinoff starring Bonnie Langford and Jemma Redgrave.

David Tennant regenerating into Ncuti Gatwa 1
Doctor Who (1963)
Doctor Who's Shocking New Bi-Generation Explained

David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa have made Doctor Who history with the Doctor's first ever bi-generation, but what does it mean for the future?

Danny in For All Mankind season 3 and the bedraggled and bearded Danny in For All Mankind season 4 1
For All Mankind (2019)
Danny’s Fate In For All Mankind Is So Much Worse Than We Imagined

For All Mankind finally reveals what happened to Danny Stevens after season 3, and it's more brutal and tragic than anyone could have imagined.

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