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Published May 17, 2024

RECAP | Star Trek: Discovery 508 - 'Labyrinths'

Long will he reign!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery.

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Previously, Paul Stamets reminds Sylvia Tilly that they must get to the Progenitors' power first and keep it safe , with their latest clue — a metallic card with a Betazoid text inscription of Labyrinths of the Mind on it — as the most important thing to the Federation at the moment. Focusing on the clue, Tilly and Adira seek out Jett Reno, due to her illustrious past, on how can they locate the very specific handwritten Betazoid manuscript. The engineer suggests they try the Eternal Gallery and Archive, which changes its location every 50 years or so. Its current location may be in the Badlands.

Unfortunately for Discovery , a Breen dreadnaught is heading their way with Primarch Ruhn demanding the fugitives Moll and L'ak handed over to them, lest the Federation risk a war with the Breen Imperium. Burnham deduces Ruhn cannot assume command without L'ak, who reveals he's the Scion — the direct descendant of the late Breen emperor. However, he succumbs to his injuries following a skirmish with Burnham and exacerbated by an overdose of tricordrazine.

In L'ak's final moments, his wife tearfully tells him this was not how their story was supposed to end. Moll strikes a desperate deal with L'ak's uncle telling him the Federation is hiding a power so strong they won't need the Scion to claim the throne. She can help him secure that power if they take her with them. Ruhn tells the Federation the price to avoid war with the Imperium is to hand over Moll. Nhan relays Dr. Vellek's belief that since the Progenitor technology could be used to create life, it might also be used to revive the dead, which is what Moll is truly after. Despite Book's pleas to not hand Moll over to the Breen, T'Rina states that there is much to be lost if the Federation keeps her.

In Episode 8 of Star Trek: Discovery , " Labyrinths ," when Captain Burnham is trapped within a "mindscape" designed to test her worthiness to retrieve the Progenitor's powerful technology, Book, Rayner, and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery must hold off the Breen long enough for her to escape.

• Moll (Malinne Ravel)
• Primarch Ruhn
• Michael Burnham
• Sylvia Tilly
• William Christopher
• Hy'Rell
• Cleveland "Book" Booker
• Dr. Hugh Culber
• Paul Stamets
• Lorna Jemison

• Breen Dreadnaught
• U.S.S. Discovery -A
• The Badlands
• The Eternal Gallery and Archive

Legions of Breen soldiers strike their truncheons against the deck of Primarch Ruhn's flagship, its cavernous shuttlebay buzzing with smaller vessels. On a platform far above, Ruhn presides over L'ak's funeral, his nephew's face masked by a helmet and his body covered by a sheet bearing the Breen Imperium's symbol. Moll steps forward, quietly promising L'ak's lifeless form that she will fix this. Ruhn silences his troops and states that, while the Scion defied them in life, they will nevertheless honor him in death. The Primarch orders Lieutenant Arisar to remove Moll from L'ak's side, but the Breen officer does so with a surprisingly compassionate demeanor.

Ruhn begins speaking in Moll's language as a courtesy to her, announcing that L'ak's murder will galvanize the other factions behind them. With the power promised to them by Moll — L'ak's joined — they will defeat all who stand against them. A soldier initiates a chant of "For the Scion!," but his subordinates' devotion to L'ak infuriates Ruhn. Sensing the discord, Moll cries out that she can bring their Scion back. Helmeted heads turn to her in unison as she details the potential for the Progenitors ' tech, citing Dr. Vellek's belief that it could "renew life." The courier raises her shackled hands, requesting that the Primarch set her free so that she may assist in the noble quest to restore the Scion. Under the scrutinous gaze of his troops, Ruhn acquiesces. However, once the cuffs are removed, the Primarch whispers in Moll's ear and threatens to eviscerate her if she ever speaks to his soldiers again. Her value to him does not extend beyond her ability to help him obtain the Progenitors' technology

"Labyrinths"

The U.S.S. Discovery -A jumps to the Badlands, where a communications buoy beeps in close proximity to the largest plasma storm in the quadrant. On the Bridge, Captain Michael Burnham gathers with Commander Rayner, Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly, and her Bridge crew — Lieutenant Commanders Gen Rhys and Asha, as well as Lieutenants Linus, Christopher, Gallo, and Naya. Tilly describes the Badlands as kind of beautiful in a twisted sort of way. Gallo notes the presence of the communications beacon, and Naya reports that it is made from the same alloy as the Betazoid library card. As Tilly transmits a scan of the card to the beacon, Rayner mentions that Ruhn is almost assuredly on his way there.

The Archive hails Discovery , and a robed Efrosian figure* appears on the Bridge in holographic form. Hy'Rell, one of the sworn order who tend to the Eternal Gallery and Archive, prepares to deliver a cheery speech which describes the Archive as having the largest known collection of historical and cultural artifacts in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. Aware that the Breen are in pursuit, Captain Burnham politely interrupts and explains they are in a hurry. Unperturbed, Hy'Rell sends coordinates and velocity adjustments, though she warns them to precisely follow her instructions — the Archive is not responsible for any damage, dismemberment, or death that may result from their failure to do so. The hologram of their guest vanishes, and Rayner wonders whether her comment was a joke.

The Discovery heads into the tumultuous, orange-hued plasma storm, its Bridge crew listening as Hy'Rell's voice recounts how the Archive has made its home in the Badlands for nearly a century and uses its uniquely treacherous environs to help protect its collection. As the storm rocks the ship, Burnham requests that the archivist permit them to focus on their journey. Sparks fly, radiation levels rise, and shields drop to 75 percent. Hy'Rell tells them to cut engines, so the ship coasts on its current momentum. Energy discharges strike Discovery and bridge stations flicker, all while radiation levels continue to rise and shields fall to 25 percent. The raucous turbulence ceases as the vessel reaches an oasis within the Badlands.

Discovery approaches the Archive, a gigantic-yet-elegant facility with tall spires and large domes awash in a blue glow. The ship took a beating, but Rayner relays that there are no significant injuries or damage. High levels of Cherenkov radiation — a byproduct of the plasma activity — will prevent them from cloaking, but the Breen won't be able to cloak either. Archivist Hy'Rell returns, overjoyed to see that the visitors made it all in one piece. She will have the Archive lower its shields, but has a small favor to ask. Scans show that there is a Kwejian aboard Discovery , and the Archive has an item from Kwejian in its possession. As it is one of the last remaining artifacts from the planet, they request for Cleveland "Book" Booker to accompany the captain and provide some context on the piece. Burnham promises to check with Book, then stands and hands the conn over to Rayner.

Soon after, Book responds to Burnham's call and enters the Ready Room. The captain conveys the Archive's appeal regarding the Kwejian artifact, and after a moment of disbelief passes, Book appears pleased to accept. He reflects back to when the Federation transferred Moll into Breen custody and apologizes for his outburst. Burnham stands by her tough decision to support the move, though she emphasizes that she does care about Book and what is important to him. Her statement is met with silence, so she leads him to the exit.

Countless stacks of books and artifacts extend to unimaginable heights — and depths — within the Archive's immense library as numerous archivists traverse its floors. Hy'Rell escorts Burnham and Book through the aisles, seemingly unconcerned about the looming Breen threat. The Breen are contributing members of the Archive, and the facility has extensive experience in dealing with cultures in active conflict with one another. The Archive is here to serve everyone, as long as everyone follows the rules. Those who disobey will be sent to the dungeon — well, it's actually more of an oubliette . Burnham and Book exchange quizzical looks before being guided to one of the Archive's many viewing rooms. 

A thick bound book — Labyrinths of the Mind , the manuscript the captain had requested — sits on a simple wooden table. The Archive's records indicate that Burnham is the first person to have come looking for the tome, which was written by Dr. Marina Derex of Betazed. An accomplished neuroscientist, Derex became an archivist later in life and lived out the remainder of her days in The Archive. Hy'Rell walks Book out in order to take him to another viewing room, leaving Burnham to comb through the text's paper pages. She finds a metal panel concealed within and touches her finger to its center. Light radiates across it…

Meanwhile, Book and Hy'Rell arrive in an identical space. The archivist is amused at the idea of a "Book" visiting her at the library for a change, turning to gesture toward a small case that sits on the room's table. Book wraps his hands around the box, smiling as he realizes it's made of Tuli wood. Emotion overwhelms him as he opens it, only to discover that it contains a cutting of a Kwejian World Root. Hy'Rell tells Book that the item was given to the Archive long ago, and they had recently moved it to a place of honor — it is part of every archivist's sacred duty to ensure that cultures that are lost are never forgotten. Book is free to take the World Root with him, as the Archive considers it his right as one of the last living Kwejian. He holds the box to his chest, agreeing to return someday to let them know what has become of it. Book and Hy'Rell proceed back to Burnham's room and are startled to find the captain lying unconscious on the floor…

Burnham opens her eyes, visibly confused and completely alone in her viewing room. In fact, the entire Archive is devoid of other lifeforms, and Discovery does not answer her hail. She calls out once again, though she is shocked when she hears someone making a shushing sound behind her. Burnham turns to find Book reading a book while wearing an archivist's robe. The captain gives the situation some thought and deduces that this isn't real. "Archivist Book" confirms that her consciousness has been transported into a mindscape, a virtual space created from what her neural activity indicates as the most important place in her life.** Archivist Book is a program fashioned by Dr. Derex, and his form was generated from Burnham's subconscious. The captain gazes around the library, recognizing that this is a test — as with the other clues, she must pass in order to get out. Burnham claims she's ready, so Archivist Book directs a desk lamp in her direction…

…just as Dr. Hugh Culber evaluates Captain Burnham's physical body in the real world. She's stable and still unconscious in her viewing room, where Commander Rayner stands with Book and Hy'Rell to inquire what happened. Culber notices what appears to be some sort of nucleonic emitter connected to Burnham's frontal lobe, and it seems to be running a program in her mind.** Transporting her to Discovery could disrupt the nucleonic beam, which might be fatal. Determined to go in after her, Book presses the metallic transmitter hidden in the manuscript, but there is no reaction. The doctor hypothesizes that, since each clue has had a challenge so far, they must assume that this is another test. Unwilling to sit around, Rayner springs into action, sending Hy'Rell for biographical data on Derex.

Within the captain's mind, Burnham wanders the library's enormous collection alongside Archivist Book, who relays that — while the clue is the objective — she needs to figure out the test on her own. Sadly, the manifestation is not allowed to give hints, though he might be able to answer some yes or no questions, depending on what the questions are. Growing frustrated, Michael mutters that her mind should've picked Tilly as her archivist. She perseveres, reasoning that Derex would've included a way to narrow the search. Burnham spots a cabinet which catalogs the library's collection by topic and is enthused by the "HISTORY" section.  

The scientists started the clue trail during the Dominion War , but Jinaal said they wanted it found during a time of peace. The only way to make progress like that happen is by learning from the past — "those who learn history aren't doomed to repeat it" — so Burnham intends to read The Archive's books on the Dominion War. Her archivist slows her momentum when he mentions that, should Burnham fail, the mindscape will shut down and her brain functions will cease. He's apologetic over the security precaution, but Burnham credits Jinaal's willingness to let an itronok devour her as a sign of the extent to which the scientists wished to protect the Progenitors' tech. This is her last chance to turn back and guarantee her own survival, yet the captain is resolute and wishes to continue.

Hy'Rell rushes into the Archive's actual viewing room, presenting Book with a device containing Dr. Derex's biographical data and a list of all materials she accessed during her residence. Book skims through the information, disheartened by the number of texts that Derex had opened while serving as an archivist. Hy'Rell has more bad news — the Breen Dreadnaught has arrived at the beacon. Rayner insists they refuse entry to the Breen, but the Archive does not want to be perceived as taking sides. The commander contacts Discovery and orders the ship to go to Red Alert.

In the Breen Dreadnaught's command area, Moll listens as Primarch Ruhn converses with Hy'Rell in a ferocious manner. The Breen tracked Discovery 's jump signal here, and Ruhn takes a menacing tone with the archivist. Hy'Rell's patience is clearly waning, and she points to the many priceless Breen artifacts, which are kept in The Archive. The Primarch draws concerned looks from Moll and his subordinates when he threatens to turn the library and its collection into ash should his demands not be met. Hy'Rell denies the request and suspends Breen privileges, ending her commentary by saying, "May you gain knowledge elsewhere." The channel is closed, but the Breen have already tracked her signal.

Ruhn commands his crew to enter the plasma storm, but they are hesitant. Moll seizes the chance and remarks that L'ak once told her the Breen have great reverence for their culture and history — but Ruhn does not. In order to locate the Progenitors' tech, the item they seek must be combined with the other clues in Discovery 's possession. The Primarch is irritated that Moll has waited to tell him that they need to recover those clues from the Federation ship, and he reaches out to grab the human by the throat. She falls to her knees, and he cautions her not to test his patience again. Moll catches her breath, stealing a look at Lieutenant Arisar, who — despite his helmeted visage — is clearly bothered by Ruhn's outburst.

Trapped within the confines of her own mind, Captain Burnham believes the library's lights have gradually been getting dimmer. She's seated on the floor, surrounded by various books that she’s pulled from the shelves. Archivist Book is too busy reading to pay much attention to her observation, but the captain voices her inability to find any pertinent information in any texts concerning the Dominion War, Betazed history, Trill history, or the Mirror Universe. She turns to her archivist, and he confirms that she's going the wrong way. Burnham is annoyed that he didn't alert her to this earlier, though he reiterates that this is her mindscape — he can help her, but he cannot solve it for her.

Burnham's focus returns to the task at hand, questioning why her subconscious chose the Archive for the test. It's the mission! The mission is here, and that is her priority. Speaking proactively, Archivist Book says that she may be onto something. He holds up Labyrinths of the Mind , causing the captain to assume that the library itself is a maze. She must find her way back to the reading room where this all started in order to retrieve the clue, right? There are mathematical methods for solving mazes, including Trémaux's algorithm. In need of a way to mark her path and eliminate routes, Burnham is pleased when the archivist manifests a sand-filled bucket. She's grateful for this "helpful" version of Book, though he states that Archivist Tilly would have been just as frustrating. Burnham sets to work, pouring sand to denote her path through the aisles.

As Dr. Culber continues to keep a close watch over the captain's body in the real-world Archive, Book and Rayner dive into Derex's reading list — A Comprehensive Guide to Talaxian Hairstyles , Hupyrian Folk Tales , Euclidean geometry — the neuroscientist seemed to have loved to learn new things. A discordant alarm suddenly rings out, and Hy'Rell scrambles back into the room. The Archive's conversation with the Breen did not go well, so the facility has raised its shields. Transport back to Discovery will be impossible for the time being. Book follows the archivist out to assist her in preparing defenses, while Rayner checks in with the Bridge. The Breen Dreadnaught has been detected about two minutes out, and the Federation ship will need to find a way to conceal itself. Unable to cloak, Discovery uses natural cover and retreats back into the plasma storm just before its Breen counterpart emerges into the oasis.

Additional lights fade out in the captain’s mindscape, where Burnham has narrowed down her search for the exit with the bucket of sand and her holopadd's mapping function. She endeavors to eliminate more routes, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally spies the door to her destination. Triumph transforms into tragedy upon entry, as she finds herself back in her subconscious' reading room rather than its reality-based counterpart. Archivist Book chastises her for pursuing an incorrect solution, proclaiming that the scientists who hid the clues did not ask for her. They wanted the technology in the right hands where it could be protected, but who is to say Burnham is one of the "good guys." The captain permits his words to sink in, then comes to the realization that the library's lights are going out. Speaking in an ominous tone, the archivist acknowledges that Burnham is running out of time.

In the physical realm, an urgent notification beeps from Dr. Culber's medical equipment. He informs Rayner that Burnham's cortisol levels are rising — whatever she's experiencing in her mind, she's stressed and scared. The viewing room quakes and its lights flicker. The Breen Dreadnaught has established an energy connection between itself and the Archive. A rotating green beam looks to be drilling into the Archive's shields. The first officer recognizes it as shield-tunneling technology designed to get troops inside and recalls Book to aid him in delaying the Breen forces.

Within the captain's mindscape, the library's shelves are bathed in deep shadow. As Book pages through the manuscript, Burnham paces in an effort to discern what the test may actually be. A glimpse of Labyrinths of the Mind sparks an idea — is she the test? It's her mind, and it picked a construct of Book as her guide because she had spoken to him earlier and was unable to fix things. She goes "more psychobabble" — must she admit that her job is everything or that not completing the mission will leave her uncertain of who she is — desperately grasping for any hint of how to get the clue. Archivist Book's stoic face initially remains unchanged, though he concedes that she has yet to deduce the answer. More lights shut down, but the captain pursues her train of thought. Burnham must go out every day and prove why she deserves her uniform and rank — that she can be counted on and won't fail again. Archivist Book considers her use of the word "again," evoking a harsh retort from the captain and prompting her to opt to find her own way out.

As Discovery hides within the plasma storms, Commander Paul Stamets collaborates with Commander Jett Reno and Ensign Adira Tal in Engineering. How can they disrupt shield-tunneling technology they've never encountered before from a species they know almost nothing about? Adira analyzes a schematic of the Breen Dreadnaught, highlighting that the tunnel has a periodic fluctuation. They're using a harmonic resonance — Adira and Stamets call out in unison — to match the Archive shield frequency ! If they make the Breen system think the frequency has changed, it would remodulate and close the tunnel. However, the Breen use difficult-to-hack base duodeca coding.

Reno weighs in, referencing all the odd jobs she had and remembering her stint fixing comms relays near Hysperia.*** She laughs — Hysperians really know how to party. She utilized concentrated positron beams to make remote repairs, which could be set to pulse at any frequency. If they direct such a beam to where the tunnel meets the Archive's shields and set it to a different frequency — Adira and Stamets together again — the tunnel would automatically close ! The astromycologist praises Reno, who replies with, "I live to serve." As the plasma storm continues to rattle Discovery , they get to work implementing their solution.

Phasers drawn, Rayner and Book navigate the Archive's aisles in a bid to buy their science team time. Guessing the Breen will assault them in groups of four, they select a tactical position with clear sightlines and adequate cover. Book declares that Rayner thinks like a hunter, and the first officer responds that he had to in order to survive the Breen. Stamets communicates that the tunnel has been closed, but some of the soldiers made it into the library. Rayner and Book steel themselves for battle.

On the Breen Dreadnaught, Primarch Ruhn orders his subordinates to repair the tunnel. Moll directs them to a status hologram, which maps Breen invaders within the Archive. A soldier's signal disappears as someone commences with dispatching Ruhn's forces. They tap into the helmet feeds of his boarding party, only to see Book and Rayner taking down Breen — who the Kellerun refers to as "gelatinous assholes" — one by one. Ruhn denies Moll's plea to send her to confront Starfleet, preferring instead to sacrifice as many of his troops as it takes. Moll employs the Primarch's indifference to her advantage, telling Arisar that Ruhn does not "give a shit" about L'ak or any of the Breen under his command.

Rayner and Book burst into the Archive's reading room. The Kwejian has been shot, and the first officer provides support to assist him through the door. Culber inspects the wound — it's a blast to Book's abdominal cavity, and it must be treated in Discovery 's Sickbay. The bad news flows in — Captain Burnham's status is unchanged, the Breen have nearly repaired the tunnel, and Discovery is being battered by the plasma storm. Rayner concentrates, concluding that they'll give the captain five more minutes to regain consciousness. If she's not awake by then, Starfleet will evacuate. The clue won't matter if they’re all dead. Book objects to the notion of putting Michael at risk by transporting her, but Rayner apologetically feels this is the only way.

The captain's mindscape is submerged in near complete darkness, as the only illumination emanates from the light fixtures embedded in the room's wooden table. Burnham returns and takes a seat. There's nothing else for her to do, and she confesses that she does not want to die in here. Archivist Book asks if she is afraid of death. Burnham admits she is afraid of a lot, but not of death. She recounts her fear of failing and of not being enough — a good enough captain, friend, partner. Her voice just a whisper, she divulges that the fear sometimes drives her, and she hates how small, weak, and ashamed that makes her feel. Burnham brushes away a tear, disclosing that she's working on it. The captain finds relief in saying it out loud, even if the archivist isn't actually Book. Burnham wishes she had told the real Book that is why she pulled back, but she was too afraid to do so.

Resigned to her fate, the captain asks Archivist Book what the true test was. He simply closes the manuscript before him and declares that she has passed. The Archive's lights pulse back to life, and awe covers Burnham's face. The archivist clarifies — if she is to be the one to protect what the Progenitors left behind, she will need to know and be honest with herself. Reflecting on fear, guilt, and whatever else she may be vulnerable to indicates that Burnham can be trusted to do the right thing with so much power. The manifestation thanks and congratulates her, proclaiming that there is a crystal in Viewing Room 7. When the captain wakes up, she just needs to go in, get it, and break it open. Burnham stands to leave, but the archivist says he must share one last thing about her final destination — the way to get through it.

Captain Burnham's eyes blink open in the physical realm, and Book moves swiftly past Culber to embrace her. As Rayner provides her with a status update on the Breen, Burnham springs into action and guides them to Viewing Room 7. With seconds left until Breen reinforcements reach them, the captain grabs a delicate crystal and smashes it on the floor to reveal the final clue. Breen soldiers transport in and start to fire, but Discovery beams Burnham, Rayner, Book, and Culber out before the deadly energy blasts can strike them.

Burnham and Rayner materialize on Discovery 's Bridge, while Book and Culber are sent down to Sickbay. With the room awash in the plasma storm's glow, Burnham secures herself in the captain's chair and orders Commander Lorna Jemison to have Gallo's team route all available power to the ops station. Its shields bolstered, Discovery charges into the oasis to defend the Archive. Burnham's hails the Breen Dreadnaught and attempts to redirect the Imperium's attention to the Starfleet vessel. Ruhn threatens to destroy the Archive and its 1,000 innocent inhabitants if Discovery does not beam over the entire set of clues. The Dreadnaught charges an energy weapon and emits an explosive warning shot into one of the Archive's domes that causes significant injuries to its residents.

Backed into a corner, Discovery 's Bridge crew looks to their captain for guidance. Burnham mulls over her next move, ultimately requiring Ruhn to swear a tergun — a sacred Breen oath — and promise he will not harm the Archive any further. Incredulous, Ruhn nevertheless takes a moment to consider it. The Primarch speaks to Moll and Arisar on the Dreadnaught, vowing that the Federation's compassion has always been its weakness — to save the few, they will risk the many. Ruhn reopens communications with Burnham, granting her the tergun in exchange for the clues. The captain tells him to stand by for transport.

Tilly beams onto the Bridge with the key containing the other four clues, and Burnham fits the last one into place. Energy crackles up the device's sides, and then the key projects a vast map containing the coordinates to the Progenitors' technology. They make a copy of the map for Stamets and ready themselves for a jump. The captain orders her crew to prepare to vent Discovery 's Main Shuttlebay and all plasma from both nacelles. The completed device is transported to Ruhn aboard his Dreadnaught, and Moll authenticates it. Satisfied with the map, the Primarch commands his ship to fire on Discovery . Moll objects, stating that a war with the Federation could draw all Breen factions in and cause them to turn against "us." Offended that Moll considers herself a Breen, Ruhn clarifies that she is the wife of the dead Scion.

The Dreadnought locks onto Discovery — on the Bridge, Burnham readies her crew to vent plasma and make a spore jump simultaneously. Two beams from the Breen ship stretch out and rip into Discovery , and the Starfleet vessel returns fire as its structural integrity begins to weaken. Shields start to collapse, and Discovery jumps just as incoming Dreadnaught blasts ignite the vented plasma.

Discovery emerges from its spore jump with significant damage to its hull. Burnham and her senior staff compose themselves after the harrowing ordeal and find that they've arrived 22 light-years off target. The Breen assault caused the spore drive to malfunction, and the ship can't jump again until it is fixed. Asha reports that the warp drive is also down, but considering it will take the Breen Dreadnaught roughly six hours to reach the map coordinates at maximum warp, the captain gives her team five hours to make repairs. Rayner commends Burnham's gambit to make Ruhn believe they are dead. She offers a knowing smile and replies, "Someone once told me never turn my back on a Breen." The captain learned a piece of vital information in her mindscape, and she can't imagine the Primarch ever figuring it out. But Moll?

On the Dreadnought's command deck, Ruhn and Moll gaze at a scan of Discovery 's last position. Debris and traces of warp plasma convince them that the Starfleet ship has been destroyed. Moll appears disheartened, but the Primarch turns his ire on the Archive. His order to fire upon the library provokes Moll, who demands that he set course for the coordinates — the goal is L'ak. Ruhn retorts that the goal is whatever he says it is, and he executes a Breen soldier who tries to voice dissent over his order to confine Moll. The human refuses to be silenced, relaying that destroying the Archive would also incite other Breen factions to pursue Ruhn as revenge for his dishonor. Even though he has yet to acquire it, the Primarch is relying on the Progenitors' technology to keep his foes at bay.

Ruhn materializes his staff, responding to Moll's pressure by pronouncing that he does not need L'ak — or her — any longer. Moll underscores his admission, pointing out that he does not give a damn about his Scion, his oaths, or the lives of his soldiers. Speaking to Ruhn's soldiers, she asks if L'ak would ever be this selfish. L'ak loves her, but he left the Breen because of Ruhn. The Primarch moves aggressively towards her, but Lieutenant Arisar draws his own weapon to defend Moll. The human pivots and kicks Ruhn, stealing his staff from him and discharging two lethal blasts into him. Ruhn's soldiers take aim at Moll and form a circle around her.

Moll assesses her situation, and asserts that she is the wife of L'ak — Scion and true ruler of the Imperium. Turning to Arisar, she pledges that they will get L'ak back and says, "Long will he reign!" She lifts Ruhn's staff in triumphant fashion. Arisar hesitates, then chooses to respond by raising his arm and repeating her words. The other Breen soldiers follow suit, striking their weapons on the deck and following Moll's lead with chants of "Long will he reign!"

* Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home — The Efrosians, a humanoid species part of the Federation, first appeared in this film, with an Efrosian member later serving as Federation President in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

** " The Inner Light " — When Captain Jean-Luc Picard is hit by a nucleonic beam, the captain finds himself as a resident of Kataan, living out an entire lifetime. However, it turns out this lifetime was in actuality just 20 minutes of a simulation in his own mindscape.

*** " Where Pleasant Fountains Lie " — The Cerritos chief engineer, Andy Billups, was revealed to be Hysperian crown prince, next in line for the throne. His homeworld Hysperia preferred to rename everything technological to sound like magic.

• Written by Lauren Wilkinson & Eric J. Robbins
• Directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Star Trek: Discovery

Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien.

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• Trivia The Starfleet vessels seen in the first season, including the Discovery, the Shenzou and the redesigned Enterprise, were all designed by production artist John Eaves. Eaves' work with Star Trek spans three decades. Probably his most notable contribution was the design of the Enterprise-E for Star Trek: First Contact (1996) .
• Goofs With Michael being the adoptive sister of Spock, the series has many flashbacks to their childhood and upbringing on Vulcan. Spock's Vulcan half-brother, Sybok, does not appear nor is mention during these scenes. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) , Spock says that he and Sybok grew up together. However, since it's never stated when Sybok joined Sarek's home - only that he did so following his mother's death - or when he was exiled from the family, it's not impossible Sybok moved in after Burnham, and left before she graduated (the two extremes of the flashbacks). Also, since Sybok was never mentioned before Star Trek V, it seems reasonable the family never spoke of him again after his estrangement.
• Alternate versions The serif-font legends and subtitles in the "broadcast" episodes are absent from the DVD versions, where they are replaced with the standard DVD subtitles.
• Connections Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Female Lead TV Shows You Should Be Watching in 2017 (2017)

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• September 24, 2017 (United States)
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The 10 Best Episodes of 'Star Trek: Discovery' (So Far)

Star Trek: Discovery finally returns to Paramount+ on Thursday, November 18th for its fourth season. The series that heralded a new era of Trek follows mutineer-turned-Starfleet Captain, Michael Burnham, and the Starship USS Discovery as they face a completely changed galaxy after traveling into the future.

Discovery has consistently taken Star Trek to new heights, featuring a Black woman as the protagonist, Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green), and other diverse and queer stories among its supporting cast. While it may not be the series for every Trek fan, Discovery goes in bold new directions while still appealing to those who love Star Trek lore, new and old.

Here are our top episodes of Star Trek: Discovery (so far) and don’t forget to check out our Season 3 recap !

1. “The Vulcan Hello” (Season 1 Episode 1)

“The Vulcan Hello” is one of the most memorable episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, at the very least for its world-building and re-introduction to the Star Trek universe after 15 years. This episode introduced completely new but bold technology, uniform, and species designs. In addition, this episode introduces a new type of protagonist, one who isn’t a Captain. It’s complicated enough getting a normal pilot right, but this episode also had an entire franchise on its shoulders. “The Vulcan Hello” is a strong introduction to Star Trek: Discovery, Michael Burnham, an early iteration of Klingons, and new, fascinating species such as the Kelpien. It handles more than almost any episode of Discovery, save for, perhaps, “That Hope is You, Part 1.”

2. “Lethe” (Season 1 Episode 6)

“Lethe” is a deep dive into Vulcan society and tells the story of Sarek ( James Frain ) as much as it does Burnham. Expanding on Katras and Vulcan politics, Burnham must face Sarek’s decisions and how his one preferential decision affected the entire route her life took. Martin-Green gives a strong performance in this episode, as her Human inclinations slowly begin to seep into her Vulcan behavior and expressions more with this turning point. Even if many of the relationships on Discovery may not be typical crew relationships, like this one, Discovery ’s inclusion of these familial and nostalgic relationships and characters help liven and diversify the environment of Star Trek for the better. With the engaging flashback and Katra dynamics, “Lethe” is not only emotionally gripping but aesthetically attention-grabbing.

RELATED: Doug Jones Reveals What It’s Really Like Behind-the-Scenes Making ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, Teases What's Next in Season 4

3. “What’s Past is Prologue” (Season 1 Episode 13)

“What’s Past is Prologue” is the explosive conclusion to the mirror universe arc, one of the best mirror universe outings the entire Star Trek franchise has seen. This episode is great from the start to the satisfying cliffhanger that closes the episode, igniting the fire that burns through the rest of the season. Not only does “What’s Past is Prologue” deepen the immensely complicated relationship with Emperor Georgiou ( Michelle Yeoh ), but it utilizes other supporting and recurring characters that make each death hurt, despite the ideals of the Terran Empire. This episode finds the perfect balance of goofy and dramatic, creating a formula that Star Trek will undoubtedly follow in the future.

4. “An Obol for Charon” (Season 2 Episode 4)

“An Obol for Charon” introduces the sphere which would later give Discovery the Sphere Data. This almost becomes a character itself throughout Season 2. The discussion around the sphere and the way Discovery should proceed is engaging, but Discovery ’s biggest success in this episode is with Saru ( Doug Jones ), his relationship with Michael, and the twist in the Kelpien lore. His induced Vahar’ai gives the opportunity for an incredible scene with Michael, taking advantage of their fantastic on-screen (platonic) chemistry, and Saru’s story leads to even bigger possibilities with the reveal of his survival. “An Obol for Charon” is an essential episode for Saru’s growth and tells a poignant story about confronting fear -- one of the powerful ideas Discovery explores as a whole.

5. “The Sound of Thunder” (Season 2 Episode 6)

“The Sound of Thunder'' is almost a continuation of Saru’s story told in “An Obol for Charon,” featuring another great plot twist of the Kelpien being the apex predator of Kaminar in the past. This brings a new meaning to Saru, combined with his newfound confidence since his Varah’ai. This is the most complex backstory given to a species in Star Trek: Discovery and also features the most tumultuous change, sending an entire planet into turmoil. “The Sound of Thunder” shows how important the Kelpiens are to Discovery and how the cycle of violence perpetuates itself. Before Season 2, Saru was just the different bridge member (Spock, Data, T’Pol, etc.), but it was through the liberation of his people that Saru made it clear that he could distinguish himself from the other characters through his own story, and not just his diversity.

6. “Through the Valley of Shadows” (Season 2 Episode 12)

“Through the Valley of Shadows” is a fantastic episode, and even better for fans of the original Star Trek series. Christopher Pike ( Anson Mount ) takes the Captain’s seat (structurally) in this episode as it follows him to receive a time crystal from a secluded Klingon Monastery. As Pike must face his future disability, Discovery dips back into the events of Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 Episodes 10 and 11 “The Menagerie,” a treat for any fan of the overall franchise. Pike is a noble character, and his choice to face his future head-on for the crew is admirable and although “Through the Valley of Shadows” includes other great aspects such as Voq’s son and Burnham and Spock’s fight with control, it's Pike’s journey that elevates this episode.

7. “Such Sweet Sorrow” (Season 2 Episodes 13-14)

“Such Sweet Sorrow” has everything you could ask for in a Star Trek finale: the Enterprise, conciliations, emotional good-byes, a massive space battle, a zero-gravity fight, time travel, and even a reference to the Spock-Kirk relationship. This finale put a neat bow on the end of a fantastic season, one that is a vast improvement on Discovery ’s first. Shifting a series into a different millennium is a bold, but daunting task and “Such Sweet Sorrow” moves all the chess pieces into place for victory. On top of the character beats that make this episode an emotional rollercoaster, Discovery is also able to clear up the discrepancies that might arise if Spock’s sister and a spore drive were to remain in the Star Trek: The Original Series timeline.

8. “That Hope is You, Part 1” (Season 3 Episode 1)

“That Hope is You, Part 1” not only opens the third season but also puts Star Trek in an era it hasn’t explored before. While this episode does solid world-building, what stands out about this episode are the performances from Sonequa Martin-Green who can emote like no other, and newcomer David Ajala as Book, Burnham’s new ally. These two have instant chemistry and based on their beginning interactions, it’s no surprise Discovery pairs these two up romantically. Michael’s journey throughout this episode arc also stands out, as she experiences the highs and lows of surviving her passage to the future. Her scream of joy when she figures out that their sacrifice was worth it and the future holds life ranks as one of the best moments of the entire series.

9. “Die Trying” (Season 3 Episode 5)

“Die Trying” looks like a normal midseason episode, but everything “Die Trying” does, it nails. This episode is thematically balanced, featuring a new beginning and a perhaps-too-soon goodbye. Not stringing the audience along too long, Discovery finally introduces the new Starfleet, and though given 900 years to grow, Doug Jones remains one of the MVPs in this episode, showing Saru to be the most Starfleet of them all. On the other side, “Die Trying” also sends Nhan off in a story that shows how much time travel has changed all of the Discovery crew, as she chooses family over duty, something unexpected from the character. On top of a strong story, this episode introduces a host of new eye-grabbing visuals, making this episode one to remember.

10. “Unification III” (Season 3 Episode 7)

“Unification III” is titled and posed as a thematic sequel to the two-parted that aired during Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is a quiet episode, opting for conversation and nostalgia instead of action, but it’s all the better for that choice. This episode delivers what fans want from a season set almost a thousand years in the future from the previous canon -- updates and mentions on our favorite Star Trek species and characters. There is news for the characters, too, as Michael discovers the fate of her brother. This highly emotional moment puts Sonequa Martin-Green’s acting chops on display, as her brother inspires her to unify in more ways than one, exploring this episode’s themes to the fullest, societally, individually, and of course, familially. “Unification III” is emotional, engaging, and a fine tribute to the ideas and characters that helped make Star Trek what it is today.

KEEP READING: Sonequa Martin-Green on ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ and Becoming Captain on ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4

• Entertainment

Everything we know about 'Star Trek: Discovery' so far

From Klingons to starships, warp through all the known details of "Star Trek: Discovery" and its new crew of space explorers.

Warning: Possible spoilers ahead for " Star Trek : Discovery."

Get ready for aliens, starships and all new space adventures. The next chapter in the Star Trek universe arrives on Sept. 24 with the premiere of " Star Trek: Discovery ," a prequel CBS series that takes place about a decade before the five-year mission of the original 1960s " Star Trek ." Here are all the important details we know so far. (Disclosure: CBS is CNET's parent company.) 

On Aug. 30, CBS released a teaser for the show, with a new look at Klingon T'Kuvma.

The age of Discovery is born. #StarTrekDiscovery streaming September 24 on CBS All Access: https://t.co/DYR7oy7Dyw pic.twitter.com/nsmhFwh5Ln — Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) August 30, 2017

Meet Michael Burnham

In a Star Trek first, the lead role will be a first officer, not a captain. Sonequa Martin-Green of " The Walking Dead " takes on the character of First Officer Michael Burnham . Showrunner Aaron Harberts revealed some of Burnham's backstory to Entertainment Weekly : The character is the first human to attend the Vulcan Science Academy. The series starts with her as the first officer of the USS Shenzhou, a plot point that appears in the show's trailer , but she ends up serving on the USS Discovery under Captain Gabriel Lorca, played by Jason Isaacs of " Harry Potter " franchise fame. 

Martin-Green revealed in July her character was raised from a young age on Vulcan by Spock's father, Sarek (James Frain), and his mother, Amanda Grayson, which would essentially make Burnham Spock's adopted sister. We'll have to wait to see how Burnham's absence from Star Trek canon so far is explained in the show. 

An interesting twist to Burnham's backstory came out in an  SFX Magazine interview with Frain , who says her parents were killed during a Klingon attack. In an interview with CBS This Morning , Martin-Green confirmed her parents were killed while on a Vulcan outpost and that Burnham has had "a serious Vulcan indoctrination."  

A  clip from "Discovery" reveals Burnham specializes in xenoanthropology (the study of alien cultures). 

Martin-Green's starring role will make her the first black woman to take the lead in a Star Trek series. This is a natural expansion on the work of Trek founder Gene Roddenberry, who introduced a diverse cast in the original 1960s show as a vision for the future. "Discovery" lives in this world. "Diversity is inherent," Martin-Green told CNET . "It's not something that needs to be discussed or something that has to be fought for." 

About that name

Burnham's unexpected first name traces back to original showrunner Bryan Fuller, who left "Discovery" in 2016 to focus on other projects. Fuller has given typically male names to female characters in the past. Knowing this,  Harberts suggested "Michael" as a double tribute to rock bassist Michael Steele from The Bangles and Chicago Sun-Times journalist Michael Sneed.  

Two starring starships

The USS Discovery may get top billing, but there's another key Federation starship in play for "Discovery." The Shenzhou is helmed by Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh from " Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon "). 

We get some good looks at the Shenzhou in the trailer and in an early peek at the ship's intriguingly designed transporter room , but the Discovery, registration number NCC-1031, is still pretty much under wraps for the moment. We do know what it looks like from the outside based on an early teaser . It has an iconic saucer section and dual nacelles, but with a much flatter overall design than the first USS Enterprise.

Look for original-series characters

The show's time period makes it ripe for introducing earlier versions of characters made famous by the original "Star Trek." So far, we know Spock's father, Sarek, will appear, with actor James Frain (" Orphan Black " and " Grimm ") taking over as the younger Vulcan. This makes sense knowing Burnham spent a lot of time on Spock and Sarek's home planet. Sarek's presence also hints that Amanda Grayson, Sarek's human wife and Spock's mother, could show up.

Conman and criminal Harry Mudd, who guest-starred in two episodes from the original series, will also show up in the first season, this time with   "The Office" actor Rainn Wilson in the rakish, trouble-making role. Both Mudd and Sarek should provide a strong link to the existing Star Trek canon.

Everything we've seen from 'Star Trek: Discovery' so far

There will be Klingons

The most famous aliens in the Star Trek universe will figure prominently in the first season of "Discovery." In the trailer, Shenzhou's Captain Georgiou announces, "Contact Starfleet Command. We have engaged the Klingons." 

CBS announced the casting of three Klingons , to be played by Chris Obi (" American Gods "), Shazad Latif (" Penny Dreadful ") and Mary Chieffo (known for her stage work). Obi notably plays Klingon leader T'Kuvma. (Latif was later recast as Lt. Tyler, a Starfleet officer.)

We must fight for one thing above all: to remain Klingon. https://t.co/zyUNS2I9Af #StarTrekDiscovery pic.twitter.com/gviA8SP8co — Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) August 25, 2017

What really stands out in the trailer is the radical redesign of the Klingons' look. They're different from the early original Klingons (known for looking more human-like) and the later Worf-style Klingons with ridged foreheads and luxurious hair. The actors will speak in Klingon while subtitles will keep the audience on pace with the dialogue.

These Klingons are hairless, have deep furrows across their entire faces and sport almost Gothic-looking outfits while hanging out in ornate rooms. They wouldn't look out of place on " Game of Thrones ." The showrunners for "Discovery" promise an explanation for the reimagined Klingons that will fit in with previous Star Trek lore. 

The  late-August teaser  above highlights the ridges and spikes on the new Klingon uniforms and includes a voice-over with this hint as to the aliens' motivations: "We must fight for one thing above all: to remain Klingon."

A behind-the-scenes photo of Chieffo in costume as commander L'Rell shows off both the details in her uniform and the elaborate design of the set around her:

Today's @startrekcbs #bts @marythechief between takes pic.twitter.com/p7S5Nki7Of — Ted Sullivan (@karterhol) September 9, 2017

The Klingons won't be portrayed as just straight-up villains.  Chieffo tells CNET , "You really get to see the nuance and vulnerability in Klingons that you haven't seen before."  

Doug Jones plays a member of a new alien species, a Kelpien.

A brand new alien species

Klingons and Vulcans have long been established in Star Trek, but "Discovery" will also introduce us to an entirely new race as Doug Jones ("Hellboy," "Pan's Labyrinth") takes on the physically challenging role of Kelpien Lt. Saru, the Discovery's science officer. Kelpiens have hoofed feet. Special shoes give the already tall Jones a lilting, gazelle-like walk to go along with a sculptural face. 

We know from a "Discovery" trailer that Kelpiens are "biologically determined" to sense the coming of death. That makes it sound a little like Kelpiens are a more goth version of the telepathic Betazoid aliens from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The actual explanation is  Kelpiens are a prey species on their home planet and are under threat from a more dominant predator species. That has required them to develop high-level survival instincts.

There's an openly gay character

Anthony Rapp plays astromycologist Lt. Stamets.

John Cho's Hikaru Sulu in the reboot Star Trek movies is gay, a decision that attracted some controversy based on the character's history. As we learned at Comic-Con in July during the "Discovery" panel , the series will feature Anthony Rapp in the role of openly gay Lt. Paul Stamets, an astromycologist (fungus expert) on board the Discovery. Stamets' partner is the ship's medical officer, Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz).

"You see my character in a relationship with my partner, who's a man," Rapp told TV Guide . "And there's no commentary about it, and there's no issue about it among my captain or my crewmates or anything like that. It just is."

The new cast knows (some) Star Trek history

Cast members from "Discovery" tackled a series of Trek trivia questions in honor of Star Trek Day on Sept. 8, which marks the franchise's 51st anniversary in 2017. Most of them can field basic queries on the original ship, the Vulcan salute and Star Trek's creator with no problem. Mary Wiseman, who plays Cadet Sylvia Tilly on the Discovery, is the only one who knows Spock is half-human and half-Vulcan. See the whole video here:

Play along with the cast of #StarTrekDiscovery as they tackle trivia from the series. #StarTrekDay https://t.co/kObpXgPtgX pic.twitter.com/IiGLRPOoub — Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) September 8, 2017

Modern movie magic will reign

Though "Discovery" takes place before the original "Trek," the filmmakers aren't trying to go retro with the props, uniforms or special effects. The series' first-look trailer shows sweeping panoramic shots, epic space views, immersive alien makeup and elaborate sets.

"Discovery" writer and producer Ted Sullivan got permission to tweet a behind-the-scenes photo on Star Trek Day, Sept. 8. It showcases the futuristic starship bridge design where the displays look way more high-tech than the now-dated versions seen in the original Trek series:

So... in honor of #startrekday I've been told by Powers That Be that I can share a #startrekdiscovery #BTS pic #gettingclose @startrekcbs pic.twitter.com/oL3bqrkMRG — Ted Sullivan (@karterhol) September 8, 2017

Some design aspects will look familiar to original-series fans. The communicators keep the old flip-style look, but the prop designers fit them with Apple iPod Nanos to play back images or video as needed. 

The new Federation uniforms have clean lines and metallic accents that hint at some of the details of the very first "Trek" uniforms, but feature a much more refined, futuristic design than those sported by Captain Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy. These outfits make sense as an evolution of the uniforms seen in the "Enterprise" prequel show. 

One big change fans should watch out for is the use of copper-color uniforms for the security division , which means all your red-shirt jokes might have to become copper-shirt jokes.

More 'Star Trek: Discovery'

• Second 'Star Trek: Discovery' trailer has big stakes, even bigger explosions
• 'Star Trek: Discovery' lead gets surprising character name
• 'Star Trek: Discovery' first look reveals officers in costume

The trailer drops some hints

The two-minute first-look trailer tells us the USS Shenzhou is visiting "the edge of Federation space." Burnham is in contact with a hologram version of Sarek, who seems to be a mentor figure to her. There appears to be a flashback scene depicting Burnham as a young child on Vulcan, showing her deep history with the desert planet. 

The trailer also generates a lot of questions. Are Burnham and Georgiou strolling around on Vulcan? Who's the "great unifier" Sarek refers to? What's the "object of unknown origin?" And what's in that crazy floating sarcophagus-looking thing the Klingons have?

Expect "Discovery" to embrace a serialized storyline spanning its episodes, rather than a fully contained story-of-the-week format. That will make it more spiritually akin to " Star Trek: Deep Space Nine " than the Kirk-led series or " The Next Generation ." 

Comic-Con: The concept art of 'Star Trek: Discovery'

Burnham's journey and character development will be key to the new show.  CBS sums up the season by saying "'Star Trek: Discovery' will follow the voyages of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new lifeforms, and one Starfleet officer who must learn that to truly understand all things alien, you must first understand yourself." 

We come from a tradition of tolerance, freedom, and justice. https://t.co/QXPckoVa1P #StarTrekDiscovery pic.twitter.com/anlhzOdiSP — Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) August 23, 2017

This is war

"Discovery" will jump right into one of the show's main conflicts: a war between the Klingons and the United Federation of Planets. 

Be prepared. Your favorite characters might not survive the conflict. "It's wartime; not everyone makes it,"  co-executive producer Aaron Harberts told CNET .  Harberts promises the wartime story arc will wrap up by the end of the season. 

CBS All Access shared the titles of the first four episodes on Sept. 18: "The Vulcan Hello," "Battle at the Binary Stars," "Context is for Kings" and "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry." That last title sounds particularly ominous.

The theme music should sound familiar

The main title theme for "Discovery" hits some familiar notes thanks to the work of composer Jeff Russo. Portions of the theme echo the famous Alexander Courage intro from the original Star Trek television show. "There is a beautiful segue in and out of the original theme into the more modern theme," says "Discovery" co-creator Alex Kurtzman in a preview video showing the full-orchestra recording session for the new music.

How to watch the new Star Trek

The debut season of "Discovery" will span 15 episodes, with the premiere episode appearing on CBS broadcast television in the US on Sept. 24 and the rest streaming through the CBS All Access subscription service. Canadian viewers can catch it on the Space channel . Fans outside the US and Canada will be able to watch the show through Netflix. 

The first season is divided up into two chapters with the first eight episodes playing through Nov. 5 and the second half picking up in January.

Up close and personal with Star Trek: Discovery props at Comic-Con

First published, July 1, 6 a.m. PT. Update, Aug. 30 at 1:17 p.m. PT: Adds new details about the upcoming show.  Update, Sept. 8 at 2:23 p.m. PT:  Adds details about Burnham, the Klingons and the cast.  Update, Sept. 11 at 9:05 a.m. PT:  Adds details about the plot and characters.  Update, Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m. PT: Adds details on Burnham, episode titles and theme music.

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The Entire Star Trek: Discovery Timeline Explained

For a series ostensibly about exploring the galaxy and meeting new lifeforms in the hopes of sharing knowledge and resources, there sure is a lot of time travel in "Star Trek." It's been present from the very beginning, as even Kirk and crew visited the past multiple times . Two of those adventures resulted in the iconic episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "Star Trek 4: The Adventure Home."

Modern "Star Trek" adventures have embraced this aspect of the universe, as time travel was also the direct cause of the Kelvin Timeline featured in the 2009 "Star Trek" film and its sequels. When the Romulan Nero traveled back in time and destroyed the USS Kelvin, killing James Kirk's father, he accidentally contributed to the creation of a new universe running parallel to the prime timeline. Ultimately, time travel has become every bit as important to "Star Trek" as exploration.

"Star Trek: Discovery" is no exception to this. Initially a prequel series set ten years before the original series, it soon became a sequel set further into the future than any other "Star Trek" installment. Time travel tends to muddy the narrative progression of a story, so we will be looking at where "Star Trek: Discovery" started to shed some light on where it ended up. Here is the entire "Star Trek: Discovery" timeline explained.

A visit to Talos

"Star Trek: Discovery" is set ten years before what is now referred to as "Star Trek: The Original Series." However, one episode of "The Original Series" actually occurs before "Discovery." In many ways, it is the beginning of the entire "Star Trek" franchise. While most viewers back in the late '60s probably remember it as the story told in the exciting two-parter "The Menagerie," which reuses the footage captured for the original "Star Trek" pilot called "The Cage."

We have to begin here because these events play a crucial role in "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 2. "The Cage" sees the Enterprise crew, led by Captain Christopher Pike, visiting Talos IV, encountering a strange alien race. These are the Talosians, telepaths who experience life by manipulating beings they keep in their menagerie. By forcing Captain Pike to endure multiple illusions of their creations, they hope to understand love, anger, fear, excitement, and other emotions they forfeited by choosing to further develop their mental abilities.

Years later, after Captain Pike temporarily assumes command of the USS Discovery, he is forced to revisit Talos IV to cure Spock of his current mental disorder. Not only is it a chance to save Spock's life, but it also allows Pike to seek out closure regarding his past experiences on the planet.

The Battle at the Binary Stars

"Star Trek: Discovery" officially begins with a huge two-part story called "The Vulcan Hello" and "The Battle at the Binary Stars." This is where we meet the star of the show, Commander Michael Burnham, the first officer of the USS Shenzhou. While most "Star Trek" shows tend to be ensemble pieces, "Discovery" belongs to Burnham and it is her arc that we follow.

This opening episode sees Starfleet encountering Klingons for the first time in about a century. An extremist group of Klingons led by the xenophobic T'Kuvma engaged in a devastating battle with the USS Shenzhou after an altercation with Burnham resulted in the death of one of their own. This opening battle becomes a war between the Federation and the Klingons, the effects of which are still being felt during "The Original Series" and the six original "Star Trek" movies .

Following this battle, Michael Burnham is stripped of her rank and sentenced to life in prison — which leads to the true beginning of the show.

Six months later

Following Michael's sentencing, the show jumps ahead six months. While being transferred to a new prison, there's an emergency and the Discovery arrives to save her. While on the ship she meets its captain, a dark and elusive man named Gabriel Lorca, and its crew. She also reunites with her old friend from the Shenzhou, Commander Saru. Healing their relationship following her mutiny is a major part of the first two seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery." 

Lorca believes that Michael's knowledge and experience could be of some use to them on the Discovery, so he invites her to unofficially join them as a specialist. The reasons behind Lorca's decision to go out of his way to save her, and why he wants her working with him on the Discovery, is another major element to the first season. His character comes off as a little strange right away, as Starfleet captains tend to be fairly approachable and diplomatic. However, Lorca is intimidating, conniving, and a little too adept at war to fit the typical captain archetype.

Taking Control

To correctly understand the timeline of "Star Trek: Discovery," we next need to dive into some events that are revealed during Season 2 but take place in Season 1. 

Section 31 is the secret Black Ops division of the United Federation of Planets . They operate in the shadows, carrying out missions the Federation doesn't want to be made public. They feature heavily in "Star Trek: Discovery" and its second season. Following the events of "The Battle at the Binary Stars," Section 31 starts using a threat assessment artificial intelligence called Control in the hopes of preventing wars.

The idea is the Federation would give Control information regarding potential threats, and Control would then provide suggestions on how to proceed. As often happens in science fiction when artificial intelligence is involved, things go haywire when Control decides it no longer needs human beings to implement its suggestions. Instead, it assumes "control" of human beings to enact its agenda. This leads to the massive time jump the USS Discovery would take into the future during the end of Season 2.

Into the Mirror Universe

The USS Discovery has an experimental new system called a spore drive. It allows the Discovery to travel along a microscopic network spread throughout the universe, effectively making instant travel possible. It's an incredibly complex system, one that Forbes notes was inspired by a real-life mycologist, which can be used to break the barriers between realities.

The idea is proposed to astromycologist Commander Paul Stamets by Captain Gabriel Lorca. Stamets is considering leaving Starfleet, but Lorca convinces him to stay on to try one final experiment to see if it truly is possible to visit alternate realities. The experiment works, and the entire crew of the USS Discovery is transported into the classic evil dimension of the "Star Trek" universe — the Mirror Universe .

In the "Star Trek" Mirror Universe the heroes are villains and the villains are heroes, and it is soon revealed that this is where Lorca is from. He arrived in the prime timeline, took over the original Gabriel Lorca's life, and orchestrated events to unite with Michael Burnham — who was his lover in the mirror universe — and use the spore drive to return to his universe and overthrow Emperor Georgiou.

While the time the crew spends in the mirror universe might seem brief, it turns out that nine months pass during that time. 

Nine months later

When Gabriel Lorca dies in the mirror universe, the crew of the USS Discovery returns to their native universe — but they've brought the emperor with them. 

One of Michael Burnham's defining character traits is parental issues. She lost her human parents at a very young age. She was then adopted by the Vulcan Sarek and his human wife, Amanda. They raised her on Vulcan with their son Spock, effectively making her Spock's human step-sister .

Although she tried to live like a Vulcan, her human emotions were far too powerful. As a result, when she joined Starfleet and was assigned to serve on the USS Shenzhou, she gravitated to its human captain Phillipa Georgiou, seeing her as a maternal figure. Tragically, Georgiou died in the Battle of the Binary Stars, and the guilt of her loss has tortured Burnham ever since. Upon arriving in the mirror universe and finding another Georgiou, she can't help but try and bring her back to the prime timeline, hoping to correct her biggest regret.

Back in the prime timeline, they discover that nine months have passed and the war has not been going well. Discovery is boarded by Sarek and Admiral Cornwell, who informs the recently-returned crew that the Klingons have almost won the war.

The mystery of the Red Angel

By the end of Season One, the Klingon War is over, and there is an uneasy peace between the two sides. However, the crew of the Discovery doesn't have long to reflect on these events, as they soon encounter the Enterprise and are boarded by Captain Christopher Pike. Pike has been directed to temporarily assume command of the Discovery to research red burst anomalies that have been popping up all over the galaxy.

The red bursts are caused by an entity referred to as the Red Angel. The identity of this entity and the reasons for its actions are complex but intimately related to Michael. It turns out that there are two Red Angels — one is Michael Burnham's mother, Gabrielle, and the other is Michael herself. The form of the angel is actually a suit capable of traveling through time developed by Michael's parents as a project for Section 31.

At some point, Gabrielle decides to use the suit to escape an attack from Klingons but winds up in the distant future. She sees that the AI system Control has taken over the galaxy, so she uses her suit to jump around in time in the hopes of preventing Control from evolving and spreading across the galaxy. Michael then uses the suit to send signals that appear as red bursts for the crew of the Discovery to follow, defeat Control, and travel to the future.

The all-knowing Sphere

Season 2 of "Star Trek: Discovery" is full of big, wild ideas that could serve as the basis for a film or an entire series. The first, of course, is the threat of Control. The second is the Red Angel. The third is a sentient, planet-sized lifeform called the Sphere.

This Sphere has spent hundreds of thousands of years exploring the galaxy, collecting information and experiences. It has existed for such a long time that it is now dying. With such a wealth of knowledge and experience, it doesn't want to be forgotten, so it transfers its memory to the Discovery's computers.

As wonderful a find as this is, it is also incredibly dangerous. When Airiam, a cybernetic member of the Discovery crew, is infected by a future version of Control, she is directed to transfer all the sphere data on artificial intelligence to the current form of Control. With that information, Control will be able to gain full sentience and take over the galaxy — just as seen in Spock's vision from the Red Angel.

Defeating Control

For any "Star Trek" fans upset that "Star Trek: Discovery"  takes place 10 years before "The Original Series" but the technology is significantly more advanced — or that Spock never mentioned having a human step-sister — their fears were partially quelled when the ship made the jump ahead almost one thousand years.

By the end of Season 2, Control was defeated, the mystery of the Red Angel was solved, and the need to get the sphere data to a safer time period arose. With the data merging to Discovery's computers, the decision was made not to try and delete the data but take it into the future. Using the Red Angel suit, Michael Burnham drags the USS Discovery into a time in a future not yet explored by the "Star Trek" franchise .

Once Discovery is gone, the Federation decides to clear the ship's existence from all Starfleet records and never speak of it, the crew, or its mission again. Thus, Michael Burnham is never mentioned, nor is the Discovery or its experimental spore drive. 

The future of Starfleet and the Federation

The jump to the future is successful, but Michael arrives there alone. Since she was towing the ship, not riding in it, the trip was different for her. Immediately upon arriving, she rams into a ship piloted by Cleveland Booker before being pulled in by a nearby planet's gravity, regaining control of the Red Angel suit only seconds before splattering on its surface.

At first, she is panicked that Discovery won't answer her call but is soon thrilled by the knowledge that there is life on this planet. She eventually meets Cleveland Booker and discovers that the Federation barely exists anymore. The reason for its diminished size and influence was something called the Burn. In the 31st century, nearly every warp core installed in Federation ships exploded, wiping out swaths of life and nearly destroying the Federation. Exactly what caused this "burn" is the central mystery of Season 3. 

One year later

In this new world, where dilithium is more precious than ever, Michael travels the galaxy, trading it for goods and services. She spends an entire year recording her experiences and searching for any sign of the Discovery. Finally, her search efforts pay off, and she is reunited with her crew. In a completely new headspace, Michael isn't sure about serving on the Discovery any longer. True, she earned back her respect and rank but is she is more interested in solving the mystery of the Burn and restoring the Federation rather than limiting herself to a single ship.

By the end of Season 3, the mystery surrounding the Burn is solved, the Federation is in the early stages of reconnecting with its lost members, and Michael joins the crew of the Discovery again. This time, however, she isn't a specialist or a first officer — she is the captain. 

Season 4 is still set in the 32nd century and Michael is now known as Captain Michael Burnham. Her arc mirrors the real-life arc of the show. She started as a first officer who lost everything and worked her way back to a command position, while "Star Trek: Discovery" began life as a prequel with a dubious connection to canon and became a sequel that takes the franchise to brand new heights.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 – The Story So Far

Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-3 and the trailers and teasers for Season 4.

As we welcome the month of November, Star Trek: Discovery’ s fourth season is now only a couple of weeks away! With the season fast approaching I thought it would be a good idea to recap, as succinctly as possible, the story so far. Michael Burnham and the rest of the crew have been on a wild ride that’s seen them face off against militant Klingons, a Mirror Universe impostor, a rogue AI, Section 31, and a journey into a future that none of them expected to find.

If you haven’t re-watched Discovery since Season 3 ended just after New Year, I hope this recap of the story so far will be helpful going into Season 4. If for some reason you haven’t seen Discovery yet, well this recap might help you get acclimated with the show and some of the characters – but there’s still a couple of weeks to watch the show’s forty-two episodes… so you’d better get on with it!

As I’ve said previously, the show’s first season didn’t get off to a great start story-wise. As things settled down, though, Discovery told a creditable story over the course of the season, one which hit a lot of the right notes in terms of “feeling like Star Trek.” But Season 2 was leaps and bounds ahead of where Season 1 had been, with noteworthy improvements in writing and characterisation to tell a truly exciting and engaging story.

Season 3 was a risk in some respects, but in others it was clearly designed to answer criticisms from some quarters about the show’s place in Star Trek’s broader canon. Shooting the ship and crew almost a thousand years into the future meant abandoning the 23rd Century – and everything else familiar about Star Trek’s galaxy. However, this decision opened up Discovery to brand-new storytelling ideas, and gave the writers and producers far more creative freedom. The show was pioneering new ground instead of trying to walk an occasionally awkward line between the franchise’s established history and bringing new ideas to the table.

There were some great successes in Season 3. For the first time we got standalone episodes – or at least semi-standalone episodes in which the main story of the season took a back seat. We also got spotlight moments for more of the ship’s secondary characters, some of whom had barely had more than a line or two of dialogue despite being fixtures on the bridge. Though I have criticised the Burn storyline – which was the most significant aspect of the season’s story – for having a number of issues, overall Season 3 was a success.

Discovery has been “the Michael Burnham show” since its premiere episode – for better and for worse. The first three seasons can thus be viewed as Burnham’s ascent to the captain’s chair, and the rocky road she took to get there. Though there has been development of other characters – Saru, Tilly, and Mirror Georgiou stand out in particular – the show’s focus has often been on Burnham.

So let’s head back to the beginning and run through all three seasons as briefly as possible! I’ll try to hit all of the most important and relevant points as we go to get you ready for Season 4.

Season 1 began with Michael Burnham serving as first officer to Captain Georgiou of the USS Shenzhou. Saru was also a member of the crew, as was helm officer Detmer. After being called to a region of space near the Klingon border, the Shenzhou encountered a new Klingon leader who had a plan to unify all of the Klingon Great Houses by going to war with the Federation. In a moment we’ll charitably call “confusion” (as opposed to other, harsher terms we could use) Michael Burnham attempted to stage a mutiny against Captain Georgiou and fire the first shot at a large Klingon fleet.

After the arrival of Admiral Anderson and Starfleet reinforcements, a battle broke out between the Federation and Klingons – the opening engagement of a year-long war. Georgiou and Burnham led an away mission to attempt to capture the Klingon leader, T’Kuvma, but the mission ended with both Georgiou and T’Kuvma dead and war assured between the two sides.

The Klingon war led to Starfleet accelerating work on the Spore Drive – a new method of traversing the galaxy that relies on a kind of fungus. The Spore Drive was installed aboard two ships – Discovery and the USS Glenn. Engineer Paul Stamets was in charge of the Spore Drive aboard Discovery under the command of Captain Gabriel Lorca, but the technology wasn’t effective at first.

The crew of the USS Glenn discovered that a tardigrade – a space-dwelling lifeform – could be used to navigate the mycelial network and might be the key to making the Spore Drive operational. However, the crew were killed when the tardigrade got loose, and the ship was destroyed to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Initial experiments using the tardigrade were promising, despite the dangers it posed, but when it became clear how painful the process was for the creature, Stamets merged his DNA with the tardigrade’s so the creature could go free. Stamets thus became Discovery’s navigator and the Spore Drive became fully functional.

At the same time, Michael Burnham – now a prisoner following her mutiny – had been brought aboard the USS Discovery by Captain Lorca. She was assigned a cabin with Cadet Sylvia Tilly, and employed as a “mission specialist.” Lorca suggested to Burnham that this could be a way to atone for her role in the outbreak of the war, and she played a role in helping get the Spore Drive operational.

Captain Lorca was captured by the Klingons, but was able to escape thanks to the assistance of Ash Tyler – a fellow Starfleet prisoner. Tyler joined the crew of Discovery as Lorca’s new security officer – despite clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress as a result of his abuse and torture by the Klingons.

The USS Discovery was sent to the planet Pahvo, where a crystalline transmitter was located. The transmitter could be used, Starfleet believed, to detect cloaked Klingon ships. When the mission went wrong and the native energy-based Pahvans summoned the Klingons to their planet, Captain Lorca disobeyed orders to implement a new plan. Outwardly his plan was to use multiple Spore Drive jumps to unlock the secrets behind the Klingons’ cloaking device – but in reality his plan was to use the Spore Drive to return to the Mirror Universe.

Captain Lorca was later revealed to be a native of the Mirror Universe, having crossed over inadvertently to the Prime Universe. While in the Mirror Universe the crew of the USS Discovery had to try to fit in as soldiers of the Terran Empire. Burnham and Lorca travelled to the capital ship of Empress Georgiou, where Lorca attempted to rally his forces and stage a coup.

Lorca was killed during his coup attempt, but Empress Georgiou’s reign was over anyway; other plotters were already eyeing her throne. In a moment of unthinking impulse, Michael Burnham chose to save Georgiou’s life and transported her to Discovery. After investigating how Lorca was able to use the Spore Drive to jump between universes, the crew were able to reverse the process and return home – only to discover that the Klingons had reached the edge of victory in their absence.

A mad plan cooked up by Empress Georgiou and Admiral Cornwell saw a bomb transported to the Klingon homeworld, one which would have devastated the planet if it had been set off. Leading a second, pro-Starfleet values mutiny, Burnham rallied the crew of Discovery against the bomb plot and instead saw the super-weapon turned over to L’Rell – who went on to become the new Klingon Chancellor and ended the war.

After the war ended, Burnham and the crew received medals for their roles. Burnham was also reinstated at the rank of commander. Following a computer failure aboard the USS Enterprise, Captain Pike was assigned to the USS Discovery and given temporary command of the ship for his mission to chase down an ambiguous entity known as the Red Angel. The Red Angel had been generating anomalies known as Red Bursts at locations across the galaxy.

The Enterprise’s science officer – and Michael Burnham’s adoptive brother – Spock, had gone missing at the same time. The Red Angel was revealed to be a time traveller – someone with the ability to travel into the past and far into the future. A mysterious figure from Spock’s youth – and who had once intervened to save his life – was revealed as the Red Angel and thus connected to Spock’s disappearance.

Meanwhile on the Klingon homeworld, Ash Tyler – whose true identity as a Klingon had been discovered – was able to leave the planet with his “son” thanks to the help of Section 31. The son of Voq and Klingon Chancellor L’Rell was taken away to the Klingon monastery on Boreth to be raised with the monks, and Tyler rejoined Section 31 – which counted ex-Empress Georgiou among its new recruits. Captain Leland tried to maintain the peace aboard a state-of-the-art Section 31 vessel.

Section 31 had come to rely heavily on an artificial intelligence named Control during the Klingon war, and it had become routine for Starfleet admirals to run all of their mission data through Control. Unbeknownst to any of them, Control had aspirations of its own, seeking to become fully sentient and to wipe out its creators. Somehow it discovered the existence of an entity known as the Sphere – a planetoid-sized lifeform that had spent more than 100,000 years studying the galaxy and accumulating vast swathes of data on all of its inhabitants.

By merging its programming with the Sphere data, Control would be able to become fully sentient, and it set out to acquire the Sphere data. Thanks to the time-traveling involvement of the Red Angel, the USS Discovery came to possess the Sphere data, and thus became a target for Control.

After Michael Burnham was able to rescue Spock from Section 31, she took him to Talos IV where the Talosians were able to help “unscramble” his brain, leading to Spock explaining as much as he could about the Red Angel, its origins, and its connection to him. The Red Angel was revealed to be a human.

The USS Discovery became a fugitive after rescuing Burnham and Spock from Talos IV; hunted by Control, and thus by Section 31 and all of Starfleet. Control was able to kill off many Section 31 leaders and operatives, and used nanites to “assimilate” or possess the body of Captain Leland – but thankfully left Ash Tyler and Georgiou alone!

The crew of Discovery studied scans of the Red Angel following a mission to Saru’s home planet (in which they rescued his people from subservience to the Ba’ul, a second sentient race present on the planet). Saru underwent a transformation to his “evolved” form, losing much of his fearfulness in the process. Scans of the Red Angel revealed that the time traveller was, to everyone’s surprise, Michael Burnham.

After a side-story involving native beings in the mycelial network and Tilly, Dr Culber – who had been killed by Tyler/Voq – was able to be rescued from the mycelial network and brought back to life. Meanwhile a plan to lure the Red Angel and trap her ended up proving that Burnham wasn’t the Red Angel – her long-lost mother was.

Dr Gabrielle Burnham had been using the Red Angel suit to interfere in the timeline after getting trapped in the 32nd Century. She arrived there by accident only to find all sentient life in the galaxy gone thanks to Control, which had acquired the Sphere Data and evolved itself. She began taking action to thwart Control, including giving the Sphere data to Discovery to keep safe. She was later pulled back to the 32nd Century; her presence there ultimately determined the ship’s destination at the end of the season.

Control was hot on Discovery’s heels, and using Captain Leland attempted to gain access to the Sphere data. Pike and the crew realised the data couldn’t be destroyed – it was protecting itself – so they made a plan to send the data into the far future, securing a time crystal from the Klingon monastery on Boreth in order to build a new Red Angel suit. During the mission to Boreth, Captain Pike made a great sacrifice to acquire the crystal – cementing a future for himself of devastating disability.

While preparing for a last stand against Control and a fleet of Section 31 ships under its command, the crew of Discovery raced to build a second Red Angel suit. After Control arrived and a battle raged, Michael Burnham used the completed suit to travel back in time and set the Red Bursts – making the whole story somewhat circular – before leading the USS Discovery (now under Saru’s command) into the future. Captain Pike and Spock remained behind in the 23rd Century.

Arriving 930 years later, Michael Burnham was initially alone and crash-landed on the planet Hima. There she met Cleveland Booker who told her about the Burn: a galaxy-wide catastrophe in which many starships were destroyed. The Federation had also disappeared – at least from the local region of space – and though Book initially appeared antagonistic and out for himself, he eventually agreed to help Burnham and took her to a Federation outpost.

There was no sign of Discovery, however, and it was a full year later before the ship emerged from the time-wormhole. After a rough landing on a planet named the Colony, Acting Captain Saru and the crew came into conflict with Zareh, a courier working for a faction called the Emerald Chain. Thanks to the timely arrival of Book and Burnham, Discovery was rescued and proceeded to Earth using the Spore Drive.

In the 125 years since the Burn, however, many changes had taken place. Earth was just one of many planets to have quit the Federation, retreating to an armed isolationist stance that even saw the planet unwilling to communicate with human colonies inside the Sol system. Searching for a Starfleet Admiral named Senna Tal seemed fruitless at first, but Tal’s Trill symbiont had been transferred to a human named Adira.

After helping the people of Earth reconnect with their fellow humans on Titan, Discovery visited the Trill homeworld to help Adira – and to learn the location of Federation HQ, which was no longer on Earth. Burnham and the crew were able to help the Trill, who had been suffering from a shortage of suitable candidates for their symbionts, and also helped Adira in the process. Discovery was then able to travel to Federation HQ – a cloaked space station that housed the remnants of both the Federation government and Starfleet.

Having peaked at around 350 members, by the time of Discovery’s arrival the Federation was down to a mere 38 remaining worlds, some of which were out of contact due to the Burn’s lingering effects and damage to subspace communications. The ship undertook a short mission to recover some seeds from the USS Tikhov – a Starfleet seed vault – in order to provide medical care. Nhan, a Barzan officer, remained behind on the Tikhov.

The USS Discovery then underwent a retrofit, one which kept the familiar interior look of the ship but which upgraded many of its systems to 32nd Century standards, including detached nacelles and programmable matter. The crew were permitted to remain together under Captain Saru’s command, but Discovery was seconded to Federation HQ as a “rapid response vessel” thanks to its Spore Drive.

Michael Burnham and Georgiou undertook an off-the-books mission to rescue Book, who had been captured by the Emerald Chain. The upshot of Book’s rescue was the discovery of a Starfleet black box, and the data inside proved that the Burn did not happen everywhere simultaneously, as had been theorised. Instead it had a point of origin – but without more information it wasn’t possible to pinpoint it.

SB-19 was a project run by Ni’Var – the renamed planet Vulcan following reunification between Vulcans and Romulans – in the years before the Burn. Ni’Var had come to believe that SB-19 was responsible for the Burn and were unwilling to share any details about the project, even though Burnham asked them to share it to help pinpoint the Burn’s source. Eventually, however, the reappearance of Dr Gabrielle Burnham, who was now a member of the Qowat Milat, an order of armed Romulan nuns, showed Burnham the way to get the information and recommit herself to Starfleet following a year away from the ship.

After acquiring the SB-19 data, Discovery undertook a mission to Book’s home planet of Kwejian. Threatened by the Emerald Chain and its leader, Osyraa, Book’s brother attempted to turn him over to the faction in exchange for protecting the harvest and thus Kwejian’s food supply. Piloting Book’s ship, Lieutenant Detmer was able to damage the Emerald Chain flagship while the crew of Discovery found a way to protect Kwejian’s food supply without the need to rely on the Emerald Chain.

Mirror Georgiou had fallen ill, and a mysterious Federation figure named Kovich knew why – travelling through time and travelling across from a parallel universe leads to a painful and fatal condition which he believed to be incurable. The USS Discovery undertook a mission to a planet near the Gamma Quadrant to help Georgiou, and she was able to travel to a parallel universe very similar to the Mirror Universe.

While in the Mirror Universe, Georgiou attempted to make changes. Having spent time with Burnham and the Federation she had become more compassionate and less quick to violence than before, and though she ultimately failed to bring about major reforms to the Terran Empire, she was deemed “worthy” of a second chance by the entity which sent her there – an entity which subsequently revealed itself to be the Guardian of Forever.

Georgiou was able to use the Guardian’s portal to leave the 32nd Century and thus save her life – but she had to say goodbye to Saru, Burnham, and the rest of the crew. Her destination isn’t clear – but if the Section 31 series gets off the ground in future we may just find out! Don’t hold your breath for that, though… it’s feeling less and less likely as time goes by!

With the data from the black boxes and SB-19, Burnham and the crew were able to triangulate the source of the Burn: the Verubin Nebula. Inside the nebula was a crashed Kelpien starship, the KSF Khi’eth, and a life-form was detected on board despite the dangerous radiation from the nebula. Discovery made another jump to the nebula, and Captain Saru left Ensign Tilly in charge while he went to save the lost Kelpien.

The Emerald Chain took advantage of this situation to capture the USS Discovery, wanting to keep the Spore Drive technology for themselves. Leader Osyraa then set course for Federation HQ, keeping Discovery’s crew hostage while she tried to force the Federation into an alliance. Admiral Vance called her bluff, and Osyraa attempted to escape. In the meantime, though, Michael Burnham had jettisoned poor Stamets off the ship, and without him to control the Spore Drive Discovery was forced to rely on warp.

Following a battle with the Emerald Chain both in space and aboard Discovery, Book was able to kill Osyraa’s lieutenant Zareh and Burnham was able to kill Osyraa herself, while Tilly and other members of the bridge crew regained control of the ship. Book’s empathic abilities allowed him to use the Spore Drive, transporting Discovery back to the Verubin Nebula just in time to save Saru, Culber, Adira, Gray, and Su’Kal – the Kelpien who was accidentally responsible for the Burn all those years ago.

Su’Kal had developed a telepathic link with dilithium thanks to the Verubin Nebula’s radiation and because the Khi’eth had crashed on a planet composed largely of the valuable fuel. When Su’Kal’s mother died while he was still a child, a telepathic shockwave that Su’Kal accidentally unleashed led to the Burn. By taking him away from the Verubin Nebula, any prospect of a repeat of the Burn was nullified.

A short epilogue to the season showed us that Trill had rejoined the Federation and that the Federation was hoping to use the dilithium in the Verubin Nebula to bring hope back to the galaxy. Ni’Var was considering rejoining too, and Saru took a leave of absence to go to Kaminar with Su’Kal. In his absence, Burnham had been promoted and assumed command of Discovery.

And that’s the story so far!

We now know that Captain Burnham and the crew will have to contend with a gravitational anomaly in Season 4; an uncharted, never-before-seen phenomenon that appears to be threatening the Federation and all of known space. How that will play out isn’t clear at all right now, but we don’t have to wait too much longer to find out!

I hope that this recap of the story so far has been useful. I didn’t include everything – this article would have been far too long if I’d tried to include every character moment and side-story. But I think I hit the most important story beats from all three seasons. I’d encourage you to check out other story recaps from other places to make sure you’re getting a full picture, though! Or you could just go back and re-watch Discovery … two episodes per day will get you pretty close, and then binge-watch the final few!

Going back to the stories of earlier seasons was a bit of fun, and it’s helped get me back into a Star Trek mood in time for Season 4, which will be upon us before you know it! I’m currently not writing up reviews of Prodigy episodes, as you may have noticed – the series is unavailable here in the UK and I see no point in covering a show that ViacomCBS doesn’t see fit to make available to Trekkies internationally. However, I will cover Discovery’s fourth season in-depth, including weekly episode reviews and theory posts, as well as other occasional articles on topics of interest while the season is ongoing. So I hope you’ll stay tuned for all of that here on the website in the weeks ahead.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-3 are available to stream now on Paramount+ in the United States and on Netflix internationally. Season 4 will begin on the 18th of November in the United States and the 19th of November internationally. The Star Trek franchise – including Discovery and all other properties mentioned above – is the copyright of ViacomCBS. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.

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Star Trek: Discovery Timeline Breakdown

Now that Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 has gotten all timey-wimey on us, we revisit the question of just when this series takes place.

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains MAJOR spoilers through Season 3.

Star Trek: Discovery  is officially in its third season and, timeline-wise, it has been a  ride . We’ve traveled to the Mirror Universe, we’ve traveled to the future, and we ended up in the 32nd century. If you’re a bit confused about when exactly Discovery takes place, here’s a breakdown of what we know so far and how it all changed in Season 3.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 & 2 Timeline

The first episode of Star Trek: Discovery takes place in 2255, a decade before the events of The Original Series . This means the first two seasons are set roughly 110 years before the events of The Next Generation , and roughly 100 years  after  the events of Enterprise . Here’s the full breakdown:

• Star Trek: Enterprise  (2151-2161)
• Original unaired Star Trek Pilot (2254)
• Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 1&2)  (2255-2259)
• Star Trek: The Original Series  (2265-2269)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series  (2269-2270)
• Original  Star Trek  movies (2273-2293)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation  (2364-2370)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  (2369-2375)
• Star Trek: Voyager  (2371-2378)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks  (2380)
• Star Trek: Picard  (2399)

At the time of  Discovery , the Federation of Planets is almost a century old and, while not as powerful as we see it at the time of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine , is still one of the dominant forces in the Alpha Quadrant.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Timeline

At the end of Season 2 , everything changes. Burnham and the Discovery jump through a wormhole and travel 930/931 years into the future to an undiscovered part of the Trek temporal frontier. This puts them in the 32nd century for Discovery Season 3 . Michael presumably arrives in 3188 and spends a year in this new timeline without her crewmates before they arrive. This means, the rest of the Discovery crew arrives and is reunited with Burnham in 3189.

When Did The Burn Happen?

What is the state of the Federation right now? Um, fam, it’s not good. Seven hundred years after Discovery jumped (so around 2959), the dilithium reserves dried up and the Federation began testing alternative warp design designs.

Then, “The Burn” happened , instantly killing millions of people aboard Federation ships when the ships’ warp cores simultaneously exploded. Book tells us that this happened 100-150 years before the events of Season 3. (Can’t be more specific there, Book?), which would place the mysterious event anywhere from 3038-3088. Roughly.

Short Treks “Calypso” Timeline

The Short Treks episode “Calypso” takes place in the 33rd century, which places it at least 10 years after the events of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 so far, but could place it as many as 110 years after. The episode shows us the relationship between a human named Craft and the A.I. sentience of the Discovery computer, known as Zora, after Discovery finds Craft floating in an escape pod. At last year’s NYCC, Alex Kurtzman teased the possibility of the episode coming into play in Discovery Season 3.

When “Calypso” takes place, the Discovery has been abandoned, with Zora ordered to maintain position by her previous captain. Craft thinks the captain “has been dead for a thousand years,” but it’s not clear if he’s correct. It’s also worth noting that Craft is from a planet called Alcor IV and, prior to his arrival on Discovery, he has been fighting for 10 years in the war against the V’draysh. It has been confirmed that the “V’draysh” is a syncope for “Federation,” which means that it’s possible that, somewhere out there in the Discovery Season 3 time, whatever is left of the Federation is fighting Craft.

Kayti Burt | @kaytiburt

Kayti is a pop culture writer, editor, and full-time nerd who comes from a working class background. A member of the Television Critics Association, she specializes…

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THEORY: Did ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finally Resolve The “Calypso” Mystery?

| April 23, 2024 | By: Iain Robertson 35 comments so far

“ Face the Strange ,” the fourth episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s  final season, gave us a fun, old-fashioned Trek time travel adventure, but one scene in particular seems to tie into an intriguing and previously unexplained look into the far future.

Playing the long game with Short Treks

In “ Calypso ,” the second episode of Star Trek: Short Treks , we were presented with a vision of a future USS Discovery where the ship had been abandoned for almost 1,000 years. The ship’s sole inhabitant was Zora, a sentient AI with a penchant for watching musicals from Hollywood’s Golden Age to pass the time. While season 3 of Discovery partially delivered on the showrunner’s promise to provide a link to “Calypso” by showing how Zora emerged from the “ Sphere Data ,” just how the USS Discovery ended up abandoned in that far future has remained a lingering mystery.

Zora’s POV in “Calypso”

“Face The Strange” didn’t see Burnham and Rayner jump anywhere near that far—just to the year 3218, 30 years or so into the characters’ futures. In this dark future, the Breen had obtained the Progenitors’ technology from Moll and L’ak and used it to launch a devastating attack on the Federation. Burnham and the rest of Discovery’s crew had been dead for decades, and Zora was again the ship’s lone occupant, with a penchant for the music of Doris Day.

Zora’s musical taste and familiar shots of her “Zora Vision” POV suggest an attempt to resolve the remaining mystery linking the Short Treks episode to Discovery . One big clue is that “Face the Strange” was written by Sean Cochran, who co-wrote “Calypso” with Picard co-creator Michael Chabon. So if we accept that the callbacks to “Calypso” were deliberate, what can they mean?

Zora’s POV in “Face the Strange”

Let’s take a look at three potential possibilities…

THEORY 1: “Calypso” is part of the same alternate future

The first and most obvious explanation is that “Calypso” is a continuation of the possible future shown in “Face the Strange.” The Discovery’s crew are killed by the Breen, who succeed in conquering the Federation. Zora is then left on the deserted ship for the next 1,000 years (which would place it around the 43rd Century), whiling away the centuries listening to Doris Day and watching musicals—in particular, the Fred Astaire/Audrey Hepburn classic Funny Face —until she encounters the character of Craft (Aldis Hodge).

Zora’s musical tastes, the abandoned ship, and the “Zora vision” scenes would definitely suggest “Calypso” as a continuation of this particular future. Since Burnham and the Discovery crew are fighting to find the Progenitors’ technology before Moll and L’ak  (and likely to succeed), this would mean that future would cease to exist, and “Calypso” is an intriguing never-to-be alternate future, similar to the outcome of episodes like Voyager’s  “Timeless” or  Next Generation’s  “All Good Things.”

There are however some inconsistencies between the two futures.

Firstly, the version of Discovery seen in “Calypso” is the 23rd-century version, prior to its 32nd-century refit. Most notably, the ship clearly has the original NCC-1031 designation, missing the ‘A’ that was added in the refit. Of course, the obvious, real-world reason is that “Calypso” was made between seasons 1 and 2 of Discovery , before the show’s jump to the future and redesign of the ship. This doesn’t make sense in-universe, but Short Treks has some other canon hiccups, so trying to explain away the missing “A” designation may be asking too much. The ship seen in “Face the Strange” is also in worse condition, but it’s likely Zora had Dots available that could repair the ship.

The Discovery in “Calypso” – No bloody A, B, C or D

Another inconsistency is that in “Calypso,” Zora tells Craft “the crew is away at present,” and says she has orders to maintain her current position, which doesn’t match with the events shown in “Face the Strange,” where she clearly stated that the crew had died. However, we don’t know what 1,000 years of isolation may have had on Zora. As a sentient life form, it’s possible by the time of “Calypso” she’s been experiencing some kind of AI senility or has repressed the traumatic memories of the crew’s demise. It’s also possible that she incurred some damage over the centuries, making her misremember the events.

In “Calypso,” Craft states he’s a soldier fighting the “V’draysh,” which is a bastardization of “Federation,” according to Michael Chabon. This doesn’t make sense if the Federation was defeated 1,000 years earlier; would the name still be in use? The name “V’draysh” was used once in the third season of Discovery, where it indeed related to the Federation.

Federation HQ destroyed in “Face the Strange”

While it’s possible that “Calypso” is a continuation of the alternate timeline established in “Face the Strange,” there are enough inconsistencies that we should consider some alternative scenarios.

THEORY 2: “Calypso” is Zora’s dream

One new piece of information we find out about Zora in “Face the Strange” is that she dreams. Her first line to Burnham is “Captain, is that you? Or is this another dream?” Although we’ve no idea when this started, it seems the years of isolation coupled with Zora’s continued development have led to her having dreams. Obviously, this isn’t unprecedented in Trek. Data eventually evolved to the stage where he could dream, so it follows that Zora can too.

Could the events of “Calypso” be Zora dreaming of some company after years of isolation? It’s certainly a possibility, and dream logic is a good way of explaining away the inconsistencies, such as the USS Discovery’s appearance and the whereabouts of the crew. “Calypso” was an atypical, sometimes surreal Star Trek story, and having it be a dream does make a degree of sense, with Zora its unreliable narrator.

Zora wonders if she is dreaming in “Face the Strange”

There could also be a clue in the music Zora’s listening to in “Face the Strange.” “Que Sera Sera” is a song about a girl asking her mother about the future and what will happen to her. Is this a hint that the Zora we see past this point is her guessing about her future?

One major argument against the dream theory is that “Calypso” isn’t Zora’s story, it’s Craft’s. It starts with him and follows his time on Discovery and his odd love story with Zora. The story is told from his viewpoint. The only time this switches to Zora’s point of view is at the very end when Craft leaves Discovery and the camera remains behind, revealing Zora has named his shuttlecraft “Funny Face” and then returning to the bridge where Zora is again playing the movie. Although possible, the majority of dreams are in the first person. It would be unusual to dream a story from someone else’s viewpoint where you’re a secondary character. Then again, Zora isn’t human. Who knows what AIs dream of. Electric sheep maybe?

Craft says goodbye to Zora in “Calypso”

THEORY 3: “Calypso” is still in the future and episodes aren’t linked

It’s also possible that beyond the aforementioned links, the timelines from “Calypso” and “Face the Strange” are not directly linked. Zora’s musical tastes and use of her “Zora Vision” POV is something that will evolve regardless and so the future seen in “Calypso” is still to come. To completely tie it into the canon, some explanation could be made for why the ship had to be de-retrofitted before being abandoned for the best part of 1,000 years. The Discovery team didn’t know season 5 would be their last, so tying up the “Calypso” loose end and directly linking to Discovery’s final fate probably wasn’t a part of the plan.

The Discovery crew faces their future at the end of “Face the Strange”

Whatever will be, will be

There is a nice poetry to the “dream” theory, so that is our preferred way to look at it. The most likely explanation is that we’re not supposed to know. “Calypso” is an intriguing (and, to be honest, beautifully told) look at the Discovery’s possible future. While it’s been hinted at in Discovery , the Short Treks episode probably works best as a fun “what if.” The sequence in “Face the Strange,” besides serving as a warning to Burnham and Rayner of the price of failure in their mission, also offered Sean Cochran and the show’s producers a fun tip of the hat to “Calypso” as well as offering an enigmatic hint as to its connection to Discovery .

From Short Treks “Calypso”

But what do you have to say? Let us know in the comments below

Keep up with the latest about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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definitely on the “Dream Team”, it’s the only one that makes sense

Is it just me or was there some exciting plan to jump forward where the Federation was so gone what was left had gone wrong and only the Discovery reunited with the crew could rekindle it, then they chickened out all “there is no way we can do a Trek show without mommy Starfleet Command there to help!!”

I definitely sense a tension along those lines. The beginning of s3 certainly seemed to point in that direction. They could’ve been Robin Hoods.

You’ve nailed the particular item about TREK that has frustrated me endlessly since the mid-80s. I never felt it had to be adventures set within Starfleet. After they went rogue in TSFS, I thought the crew should live out their golden years on the BoP/Bounty, and that the money production saved on matte shots and other earthcentric filler like spacedock could be put into showing some actual strange new worlds. Would also allow more time for the supporting cast and for a genuine ‘band of bros and sis’ feel among them. (and frankly, Starfleet didn’t deserve them after all the political paranoia evinced post-Genesis … suddenly this evolved future civilization is coming off contemporary, feeling more shadowy-Watergate than I could see as remotely credible.)

The key bit that informs my take on TREK comes from David Gerrold when he talked about how good drama revolves around ‘Kirk has a decision to make’ and not ‘Kirk is in danger.’ The original series buttressed that by often having the ship out on the rim where he couldn’t rely on timely responses from the hierarchy and had to make hard calls on his own. What better way to take that further than to have them on the Bounty, getting into situations and making ethical choices that DON’T have to cowtow to a distant and possibly unreliable bureaucracy?

I also though DS9 (which I really really like, far above any other followup to TOS), should have turned a corner with Sisko supporting the Maquis, not hunting them down like Starfleet’s pit bull. But again, that would have put them outside the auspices of ‘mommy Starfleet’ as you say.

I don’t know if I’d have stuck with DSC in s3 even if they had upheld this ANDROMEDA-style take on things, just because TPTB didn’t have the golden-platinum crutch of Anson Mount to keep the show going in spite of the bad writing. But I’d have probably at least considered watching it, just to see how they dealt with things.

I think that is the problem with Trek now… e instant communication and thousands of starships to back you up, and the adventures of your single starship on the frontier just don’t seem to matter as much. In TOS, Kirk makes the wrong decision and it’s intergalactic war and millions of lives on the line. In TNG the best episodes is where Picard is compromised by the Borg and they get to take over or destroy the starfleet. DS9 rectifies this by letting Sisko basically command the entire fleet (though it sure looks silly when space combat is lines of thousands of ships just running into thousands of other ships). I feel someone in Discovery was trying to fix the problem of being “out there” again (probably whoever put color into the big E bridge) and then got overruled (along with boring down of the big E bridge). Calypso basically hinted they would be left out there alone in some primitive starship. The fate of the entire Federation depending on their ability to rebuild alliances, rebuild ideals. You could explain the lack of far off magical tech by the fall. Instead they chickened out, I don’t know why, but it’s condemned Discovery to rather the rather bland where they literally have to have the Federation fall apart AGAIN to fix it. Anyone play Star Control 2? They need to make that into a TV show lol

kmart — I LOVE what you wrote here regarding the events post ST3:TSFS and really everything you said here. VERY insightful!

Thanks. As you come across my postings here, you’ll see I’m very big on exploring ‘treks not taken,’ including what they could have done with an Enterprise-B limited series.

Michael Chabon was the worst choice to write any Star Trek story. “Calypso” don’t fit in any possible way to canon.

Calypso was a great episode of Trek, and fairly beloved based on reviews at the time. Sorry it wasn’t for you!

“Calypso” is one of Star Trek’s best episodes, and it was written before later seasons of Discovery made it not fit canon.

Yeah, he’s terrible lol look at Picard Season 1? Embarrassingly bad.

He wrote the two best episodes of SHORT TREKS, “Calypso” and “Q&A.” He also did a great job with PICARD season one.

The first season of Picard was fantastic up until the two-part finale when it was (somehow) simultaneously drawn out and rushed. It felt like the original plan was for Picard to fully and truly die, but then either Stewart decided he wanted to continue with playing Picard, or TPTB intervened, but that was by far the biggest misstep in season 1.

Unfortunately, while season 1 was lauded by critics, it was mostly derided by fans. As such, subsequent seasons largely ignored some of the more intriguing idea introduced in season 1 – exploring the state of the Romulans post supernova (is the empire completely gone, are they trying to rebuild, etc.); exploring a bit more of the Zhat Vash (i.e. did it survive after the events of the finale) – but not too much more; what’s the general state of the Federation as it appears to have entered a bit of an isolationist state; and what’s up with the scary AI things as seen in the premonition and briefly in the season finale.

Alas, I highly doubt any of those ideas will be explored at this point.

Why does it need to fit into canon? It’s 1,000 years in the future.

Canon is overrated. Calypso was a lovely story and exactly what Trek should be doing.

I have very little confidence they’ll resolve this storyline between short treks & season 5. They would have explicitly made it apparent they were connecting to that short trek in that episode & not be so nuanced.

I’m imagining the extra shooting they did to make it a “fitting series finale” is along the lines of Poochie from the Simpsons…I have to go now, my planet needs me. [poochie died in space during his trip home].

I hope they never clearly explain it and leave a sense of mystery. “Calypso” was so lovely, partially because it wasn’t concerned with overly pat canon connections.

To this day I always wondered how this story came around? It seems weird it would be a coincidence Chabon set this story so far in the future a season before it happened on the show itself. But then you have to wonder if he was told directly the plan then what were the parameters? How far could he go with it? Did they always know it was something they would have to deal with and had a plan or was it all after the fact?

I would love if someone just talked about the short and how it came about? Maybe we get it after the show ends.

My guess is that Chabon et al. wanted to create a wild future possible story line for Discovery that was outside any continuity restraints or existing plans they had. Maybe Calypso served as a pilot for where Discovery eventually went with its future jump, even if the details were ultimately quite different.

As you note, maybe Chabon will someday do a commentary track on the story and reveal its origin. He was quite communicative about his work on Trek while he was doing it.

There’s also still the open question, who upgraded the probe that Pike and Tyler fought with

Wasn’t it just Control in the future?

I’m squarely in the camp that I just don’t care to see it explained in any way. Whatever plan Chabon had to tie in this flash forward was dropped a long time ago, and it will be nothing more than a shoehorn explanation, at best.. with no story payoff. Just let it be, and make up your own head canon if you want to.

Yep. I still wish Enterprise hadn’t felt it necessary to explain the Klingon foreheads.

I generally find a lot of these genre “and that’s why x has y” explanations pretty thin. I don’t need to see how Indiana Jones got his scar, how Nick Fury lost an eye or how McCoy got his nickname.

There’s something to be said about leaving some things to the imagination.

Small point to respond to but just gotta say – I actually kind of like the Enterprise explanation for the ridges. I just don’t think they needed to bend over backwards to explain it away. A simple dialogue exchange in a random episode would have been enough.

I loved Calypso and I am VERY OK with it having been Zora’s dream, or in-universe really happening in that alternate future with a few inconsistencies. I have a feeling (no idea) that this is all we will get regarding Calypso and I’m OK with that — not everything needs to be explained.

Calypso was one of the most beautiful, artful pieces of Trek ever made. I almost wish it had been expanded into some kind of standalone feature-length piece.

Agreed, it was beautiful!

Based on what happened in Season 2, Calypso was seemed to be a red herring for the crew abandoning the Discovery with the Sphere data, which allowed it to gain sentience. It was a possible future that was averted when they took the Discovery into the far future.

It was a lovely episode, but it really didn’t fit into continuity, both before and now.

For me, it makes more sense that “Calypso” be in the same time-line as season 2 if the Red Angel had not changed time by jumping into the 32nd century. No jump, no refit.

I was wondering what they’d do, as two of the other three first season Short Treks did, indeed, tie in.

But I always saw the thousand year reference, together with “V’draysh” being used in Season Three, as pointing to an abandoned option for Season Three- they jump forward, the crew temporarily abandons the ship, the Federation has gone bad (or is seen as having done so), Calypso happens, the crew returns, and we pick up from there.

There is a possibility that Zora de-evolved the ship during repairs as she became more senile after 100s of years of isolation and being alone. We’ve seen the DOTS repair and repaint many times. Maybe, with Zora’s confused directions, they repaired the ship to its earlier version. You’ve gotta love Star Trek! There are always possibilities.

Yeah the DOTs and programable matter means Zora could have refit Disco back to the earlier form as she got sentimental in her old age and Isolation. I just view it as, yes, it was an extension of the “bad future” seen in this episode.

I remember enjoying this short when it came out. It would probably be cool to leave it as-is, not explain anything at all. A mystery piece.

I agree, Calypso was an intriguing and beautifully told story.

If it’s all Zora’s dream—and the writers don’t bother to clue us in to that, a la Data getting a whole episode where it is made very clear that he is experimenting with dreaming—that’s super lazy writing . I’ll come back to this.

I could be fine with ‘What if?’ Trek stories that show us events in an unexplained, divergent timeline. I will point to Marvel’s animated What If? show as proof of the viability of this storytelling approach for a modern, expansive, TV & film franchise.

I have just one, big problem: the entirety of Star Trek as a franchise, to date.

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Star Trek TV and movies haven’t historically done pure ‘What If?’ storytelling. In fact, Trek writers across the decades have worked hard to preserve the coherence of the ‘Prime’ timeline and any offshoots or variations we see.

Starting with Mirror, Mirror and all the way through Discovery’s adventures in the mirror universe, Trek TV writers have bent over backwards to help us understand what we were seeing, whenever we saw a divergent timeline.

For all the many time travel stories (and all of Janeway’s headaches caused by temporal paradoxes), the writers have always tried to connect the dots for us.

Even the Kelvin-verse movies spent precious screen time showing how that alternate timeline diverged from Trek ‘Prime.’ We got a passing-of-the-torch scene with two Spocks (Nimoy and Quinto) and so forth, to really make sure we understood.

This is important because as the audience, we want to enjoy time with these characters we love. When an incoherent storyline distracts us from going on the adventure with these beloved characters, we get frustrated. The plot can be twisty and momentarily confusing, but it ultimately exists to provide opportunities for Kirk, Sisko, Burnham, et al to face challenges, be heroic, and grow—not make us go, “well I’ve seen the whole show, and it just doesn’t make any sense.”

The so-called ‘beta canon’ of books, comics, fan-made productions, etc. is another animal, of course. There, anything goes. And it has to be this way because after so many hundreds of TV episodes and so many movies, it gets really hard for writers to keep it all connected. I think a fair argument could be made that there is now way too much canon to keep tying everything together perfectly and tell exciting, new stories with familiar characters. That’s fine for books and comics and whatnot. There you have the freedom to take our familiar characters and play with them in a new sandbox if you want to.

But the TV and movie writers have always given us exposition—and a fair amount of technobabble—at least attempting to preserve a unified chronology of the Star Trek universe. They didn’t alway succeed 100%, but we’ve never seen them just throw in the towel on trying to make it all make sense.

If Calypso ends up being an unexplained ‘What if?’ it would be a first for ‘alpha canon’ Trek, I think.

I don’t hate the idea of Star Trek doing this, but could the writers / producers maybe give us a heads-up that they’re going this way? Or do it with some consistency instead of a one-off Short Trek that leaves fans wondering and theorizing?

Back to Marvel’s What If? series—there at least you have The Watcher giving you some intro voiceover explaining what’s going on. You see Timmy, audiences like mystery and surprise, but also really appreciate it when you make things understandable .

My conclusion: in the context of Star Trek, this is just lazy writing and/or a willful disregard for the unwritten rules of logical storytelling that Trek has established with its fan base for decades. It seems especially lazy or careless since Face The Strange bothers to hint at some answers, but doesn’t actually give us any that make sense.

Granted, we still have a few Disco episodes to go. They might surprise us by revisiting this whole debacle and clearing things up, Trek-style. They’d have to jump through some hoops to reconcile the discrepancies, but we’ve seen plenty of crazy stories. It’s sci-fi, anything can happen. It was a chroniton explosion. Q’s son did it. Whatever.

Somehow, I doubt these writers care . Discovery has always been a show that prioritized ham-fisted emotionalism over logical storytelling. I think that will be its legacy. Prove me wrong, Discovery writers! Time is running out, and as far as I know there’s no alternative timeline in which you will get a season six to be entertaining and coherent.

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Star Trek: Discovery Introduced A Better Vacation Spot For Picard Than Risa

Star trek: discovery revealed season 5’s true villain (& it's not the breen), is book the last kwejian in star trek: discovery.

The first half of Star Trek: Discovery 's season 1 has already flown by at warp speed. The first Star Trek television series in over a decade, Discovery has dazzled fans with visual effects that rival the J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek feature films. Set in 2256, a decade before the events of the original Star Trek , Discovery has blazed its own unique creative direction while still honoring the mission of exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new civilizations that is the essence of Star Trek. Discovery 's first 9 episodes comprise the first half of season one before the series returns with its latter 6 episodes on January 7, 2018. As the series jumps into its hiatus during the holiday season, here is a captain's log of the characters, conflicts, and voyages of the U.S.S. Discovery so far.

Related: 15 Things You Completely Missed in Star Trek: Discovery

Michael burnham.

There's never been a lead Star Trek character like Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). Infamously known as Starfleet's first mutineer, Burnham is a human who was raised on Vulcan by Ambassador Sarek (James Frain), the father of Spock. When she was rejected by the Vulcan Expeditionary Group because of her humanity, Sarek sent Burnham to Starfleet, where she served on the U.S.S. Shenzhou for seven years under Captain Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh).

Burnham's metroric rise to become the Shenzhou's first officer came to a tragic end when she turned on her captain in hopes of preventing a war with the resurgent Klingon Empire. Instead, war commenced and the initial conflict, dubbed the Battle of the Binary Stars, claimed the life of Captain Georgiou and saw the destruction of the Shenzhou. Burnham was court martialed for mutiny and sentenced to life in a Federation penal colony. 6 months into the war, Burnham found herself unexpectedly brought aboard the U.S.S. Discovery.

Burnham now has a chance for redemption by servicing as Discovery's Science Specialist. She has been instrumental in the perfection of Discovery's greatest weapon, its mycelial spore displacement drive. Though she has made a few friends - her roommate Cadet Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) considers Burnham her mentor - and she is valued by her new Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs), Burnham struggles with living life once more aboard a starship and is haunted by her mistakes. She dreads her eventual return to prison to serve out the rest of her sentence once the war is over.

The father of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the husband of the human Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner), Ambassador Sarek's fondness for humans has made him a target of Vulcan logic extremists. Sarek nearly died until he was rescued by Burnham and a team from the Discovery. This was thanks to a special bond between Sarek and Burnham: when she was a child, Sarek shared his katra (or Vulcan soul) with Burnham to save her life. Sarek's katra allows him to communicate with Burnham and share emotions, especially distress, even across the galaxy. At this point in Star Trek history, Sarek exhibits a closeness to his adopted daughter he doesn't share with his son Spock, who is currently serving aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike.

Related: Discovery Reveals How Michael Plays Into Spock's Past

Captain georgiou and the shenzhou.

The warm-hearted and courageous Captain Phillipa Georgiou mentored Michael Burnham for seven years, grooming her to one day command a ship of her own. Burnham's mutiny was her attempt to save the life of everyone aboard the Shenzhou when she realized the Klingons were feigning peaceful overtures but actually looking to start a war.

Despite Burnham assaulting her with a Vulcan nerve pinch, Georgiou eventually heeded Burnham's hunch about the Klingons' true intentions. Together, they beamed aboard the Klingon Sarcophagus ship to fight their new enemies. The Klingon leader T'Kuvma (Chris Obi) killed Georgiou in battle; Burnham in turn killed T'Kuvma but was beamed back aboard the Shenzhou, leaving Georgiou's corpse behind to a grisly fate .

Months later, Burnham would receive an inheritance from Georgiou's last will and testament on board the Discovery; her mentor left Burnham her prized telescope.

The Klingon War

The Klingons have been the most controversial aspect of Discovery . The fearsome warrior race has been radically re-imagined to bear little resemblance to the Klingons fans know and love. In Discovery , the Klingons were a divided empire until T'Kuvma, styling himself as successor to the Klingon messiah Kahless the Unforgettable, sought to unify the 24 Great Houses and conquer the Federation.

T'Kuvma's death at the Battle of the Binary Stars eventually saw Kol (Kenneth Mitchell) assume the leadership of the Empire. With the Klingon sarcophagus ship under his control, Kol now has cloaking technology , which he gave to the Klingon houses who pledged loyalty to him. The ability for Klingon ships to cloak have been a decisive weapon against Starfleet in the war.

Other Klingons of note are L'Rell (Mary Chieffo) of House Mo'Kai, a Klingon dynasty of spies , and Voq (Javid Iqbal), T'Kuvma's torchbearer. L'Rell and Voq left aboard the derelict wreck of the Shenzhou by Kol, but L'Rell mysteriously reappeared later, serving under Kol. Little does Kol know, L'Rell hopes to defect to the Federation, which she revealed to Starfleet Admiral Cornwell (Jayne Brook), a prisoner of war, after she kills Kol and ends his rule. Instead, Kol saw L'Rell's ambitions and took her prisoner. As for Voq's whereabouts, there is a popular theory among fans about him... (See Lt. Ash Tyler's entry.)

Captain Lorca and the Discovery

The U.S.S. Discovery (NCC-1031) didn't appear until the third episode but has since become the most important starship in Starfleet. Formerly a science vessel, the Discovery was re-commissioned as a warship, which doesn't sit well with its crew of starry-eyed explorers. Nevertheless, the Discovery is now Starfleet's greatest weapon against the Klingons because of the unique technology on board.

Discovery is commanded by Captain Gabriel Lorca , a controversial figure to say the least. Lorca suffers from a painful sensitivity to light, an injury he sustained when he lost his previous command, the U.S.S. Buran, at the start of the war. Now at the helm of the Discovery, Lorca has been granted an unusual amount of power in how he chooses to fight the war. Among his many questionable decisions is commissioning Michael Burnham to serve on his ship.

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A hard-driving wartime captain, Lorca collects an arsenal of the most dangerous weapons in the universe, which he studies looking for an edge against the Klingons. Admiral Cornwell, his old friend, discovered Lorca is actually unfit for duty. Lorca lied during his psyche exams after the Buran was lost, a secret he continues to hide from his crew and the rest of Starfleet as he desperately does anything he needs to do to stay in Discovery's captain's chair.

The Mycelial Spore Drive

As Lorca described Discovery's spore displacement drive, they're "inventing a new way to fly." Invented by Lieutenant Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), the spore displacement drive allows the Discovery to travel in the mycelial network, a superhighway that connects the entire universe. When the spore drive is functioning properly, Discovery enters 'Black Alert' and can instantaneously jump to any point in the known universe and back again. This experimental technology is incredibly dangerous, however (and is cited by many fans as an example of technology Starfleet shouldn't have in this era). An accident with an identical spore drive destroyed Discovery's sister ship, the U.S.S. Glenn.

On board the Glenn was a giant Tardigrade monster, which was later named Ripper by the late Commander Landry (Rekha Sharma), who died trying to attack it. Lorca had the alien beast beamed onto his ship to study as a weapon. Burnham soon discovered the Tardigrade is actually the missing component of the spore drive; when it is plugged into the drive, the Tardigrade served as the ship's navigator. Unfortunately, the Tardigrade was slowly dying from the constant exposure to the spore drive. After extracting DNA from the Tardigrade, Burnham, Tilly and Stamets released it back into space. In turn, they found a replacement for the spore drive: Paul Stamets himself.

Will The Real Paul Stamets Please Stand Up

By fusing the Tardigrade's DNA with his own (a eugenics experiment which is illegal in the Federation), Stamets was able to interface with the mycelial network in the alien's place and successfully serve as the Discovery's new navigator. There were side effects, however. Stamets was rude, ill-tempered and single-minded in his pursuit of science. After exposure to the mycelial network, Stamets came out changed: he became warm, friendly and happy-go-lucky. His crew mates noticed the difference but couldn't complain about this improvement to Stamets' personality. Stamets even received implants in his arms from his partner, Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), to better allow him to interface with then spore drive. Stamets eventually reverted back to his tempermental self and confessed the problems he is having to Tilly.

There is also the shocking mirror incident at the conclusion of the fifth episode; the day after he first connected to the spore drive and survived, the mirror image of Stamets was shown to move independently from Stamets himself. This fuels speculation that Stamets has somehow entered or been replaced by his counterpart from the Mirror Universe , which Discovery will visit later this season.

Related: Star Trek: Discovery Needs To Be Set In The Kelvin Timeline

Who is lieutenant ash tyler.

In Discovery 's fifth episode, Captain Lorca was captured and imprisoned in a Klingon Bird of Prey. His cell mates were the intergalactic criminal Harcourt Fenton Mudd (Rainn Wilson) and Lieutenant Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif). Formerly of the U.S.S. Yaeger, Tyler had been a P.O.W. for seven months after the Battle of the Binary Stars. He claims he only survived because the Klingon captain L'Rell had taken a sexual liking to him. Tyler helped Lorca escape confinement and together they made it back to the Discovery. After checking Tyler's backstory to his satisfaction, Lorca made Tyler Discovery's new Chief of Security, replacing the late Captain Landry.

Despite behaving in a heroic manner, such as piloting Burnham's shuttle on their successful mission to rescue Sarek, Tyler is the subject of one of Discovery 's biggest fan theories: that Tyler is actually the surgically-altered Klingon Voq and is acting as a spy aboard the Discovery. This is certainly a possibility, as much of Tyler's backstory and revelations about himself could be interpreted both ways, but it could also be a misdirect . However, Voq also had access to the Shenzhou's computer files during his exile and could have accumulated enough information to pass as a human Starfleet Officer.

Complicating matters is the burgeoning romantic relationship between Tyler and Burnham.

Mudd's Revenge

A popular villain from Star Trek : The Original Series, Discovery re-imagined this younger version of Harry Mudd played by Rainn Wilson ( The Office ) as a more dangerous scoundrel. Mudd harbors a special hatred of Captain Lorca for leaving him behind when he escaped from the Klingon prison ship. Soon, Mudd made a bargain with the Klingons to steal the Discovery and sell it to the enemy empire. Mudd exacted his revenge by using a stolen time crystal to trap the Discovery in a 30 minute causality time loop. Utilizing dozens of repeating 30 minute cycles, Mudd learned step by step how to take over Lorca's starship, making sure to murder Lorca each time as well.

The crew of the Discovery were having a party and unaware they were trapped in time and gradually losing their ship, until Stamets revealed what was happening. Because of his connection to the mycelial network, Stamets somehow was able to perceive Mudd's time loops. Stamets was able to convince Burnham what was happening and together with Tyler, Lorca and the rest of Discovery's crew, they eventually turned the tables on Mudd. After the ship was returned to the timeline, Mudd was captured and released to the custody of his wife Stella and his father-in-law Baron Grimes.

Related: No, The Orville Is Not Better Than Star Trek: Discovery

The sounds of pahvo.

The Discovery's ability to sneak attack the Klingons thanks to its spore drive turned the tide of the war to Starfleet's favor, but the Klingons' proliferation of cloaking technology swung the pendulum back. Cloaked Klingon ships began to lay waste to Starfleet's ships, so the Discovery was sent on a secret mission to the planet Pahvo. On Pahvo, everything emits a vibrational sound; Starfleet wanted to harness these constant sonic vibrations to develop a sonar that could pierce through Klingon cloaking devices.

Leading the away team on Pahvo, Discovery's First Officer Saru (Doug Jones), a Kelpian whose species lives in a constant state of fear, made contact with the biological entities on the planet. Dedicated to fostering harmony, the Pahvo healed Saru's fear and gave him harmony for the first time in his life. In turn, the Pahvans not only learned about Saru's fears, but also about the war between the Federation and the Klingons. The Pahvans then contacted the Klingon Empire, inviting them to come to Pahvo, where the Discovery was also waiting, thus igniting a direct confrontation between Starfleet's most important starship and the Klingon Ship of the Dead.

Discovery 's fall finale 'Into the Forest I Go' brought the Klingon conflict to a head and addressed every major storyline of the series thus far. Ordered to jump back to Federation space and leave Pahvo at the mercy of the Klingons, Captain Lorca disobeyed orders and instead demanded his crew innovate a solution to the Klingon cloaking device. Saru and Burnham designed a system requiring Burnham and Tyler to beam on board the Ship of the Dead to plant sensors, while Stamets was asked to risk his own life to navigate the spore drive to make 133 jumps that would allow Discovery to pinpoint the Ship of the Dead's exact position. (After Stamets discussed the possibility of jumping to parallel realities with Lorca.)

Related: Star Trek: Discovery's Deep Space Nine and Klingon Connection

While on board the Klingon ship, Tyler and Burnham discovered Admiral Cornwell is still alive. Tyler confronted L'Rell and went into shock from PTSD. We glimpsed Tyler's memories of not just sex with L'Rell but also torture and what looked like surgery. With Tyler incapacitated, Burnham proceeded with her mission, eventually confronting Kol in physical combat to buy Discovery time to complete its jumps by revealing herself as the killer of T'Kuvma. While Burnham battled Kol, Discovery finished its spore jumps and was able to break the Ship of the Dead's cloak. Making sure to retrieve Captain Georgiou's Starfleet badge, which Kol had taken as a trophy, Burnham was beamed back aboard Discovery, along with Tyler, Cornwell, and L'Rell, who forced herself into the transport and is now a prisoner of war. Discovery destroyed the Ship of the Dead and Kol along with it, striking a decisive blow towards ending the Klingon War.

Due to the massive trauma he has endured in the spore drive, Stamets planned to retire from Starfleet so he could be examined medically by Starfleet's finest doctors, but not before promising to guide Discovery towards one last jump to Starbase 46. Instead an accident occurred, and Discovery ended up... someplace else that the ship's sensors couldn't identify. Discovery is now lost... somewhere.

The answers to all of fans' questions will surely be revealed in the final 6 episodes of season 1 when Star Trek: Discovery returns on January 7, 2018. In the meantime, share all of your theories about Discovery in the comments!

NEXT: STAR TREK: DISCOVERY OFFICIALLY RENEWED FOR SEASON 2

Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream on CBS All-Access, on Space in Canada, and internationally on Netflix.

• SR Originals
• Star Trek: Discovery (2017)

Why Michael Burnham Was Right to Violate Star Trek's Most Sacred Rule

In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Captain Michael Burnham violates a major Federation rule, but was right to do so for a reason that's not so obvious.

• Star Trek: Discovery explores the consequences of violating the Prime Directive in Season 5, offering a unique perspective on moral decision-making.
• Breaking the Prime Directive is often portrayed as the morally right choice for Starfleet characters, despite being against official protocol.
• "Whistlespeak" highlights the complicated nature of Prime Directive violations, showing that even good intentions can have unintended negative effects.

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery , Season 5, Episode 6, "Whistlespeak," which premiered on Paramount+ on May 2, 2024.

As Star Trek: Discovery plays out its final season, the sixth episode of Season 5 is a fresh take on a classic franchise premise. In Episode 6, "Whistlespeak," Captain Michael Burnham and Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly undertake an away mission on a planet that has not yet discovered warp drive. They are not the first Federation people to visit, and the scenario they face is one not seen since The Original Series . Michael Burnham violated the Prime Directive, Starfleet's most sacred rule, and she was probably right to do it.

When the Prime Directive was first instituted in Star Trek it was a unique statement against colonialism in the 1960s when America was looking spread "democracy" everywhere. Many of the stories in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and even new series like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds bring up the Prime Directive in order to break it. While this is not the right thing to do in the eyes of Starfleet, it is often painted as the morally right decision for the characters. Even the second reboot film, Star Trek Into Darkness , begins with Captain Kirk and company violating the Prime Directive to save both an indigenous population from destruction and Commander Spock. However, the far-future setting of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 allowed the storytellers to offer a unique perspective on the consequences of the Prime Directive well after the moral intervention first takes place.

Why Michael Burnham Violated the Prime Directive on Star Trek: Discovery

A 57-year-old star trek mystery has finally been solved.

In "Whistlespeak," Burnham and company have to find the fourth piece of the puzzle that will lead them to the technology of the Progenitors. These ancient aliens are the founders of all humanoid life in the galaxy, and two space-pirates named Moll and L'ak are looking for it to sell to the highest bidder. The situation that leads them to the planet of Halem'no, where advanced technology is the only thing keeping its indigenous population from dying in planet-wide storms. These weather control towers were built by Denobulans, the species of Dr. Phlox from Star Trek: Enterprise . Apparently, their planet faces similar weather troubles. The Denobulans built the towers, itself a Prime Directive violation.

It's not clear if the Denobulans were caught in the act. The "Mother Compeer," whose fatal journey inspired a sacrificial ritual, may have been aware of this technology. In order to fix it, she sacrificed herself and the people built a religion around it. Michael only reveals the presence of the USS Discovery and that the towers are technological in order to save Tilly . She won this race in order to find the clue, not knowing it would end with her death. But in doing so, Burnham and the Discovery crew can help the locals learn to fix the towers rather than needlessly sacrifice themselves.

Over the centuries, four of the five weather control towers stopped functioning due to lack of maintenance. Perhaps the Denobulans would secretly return and repair them, until "the Burn" made warp travel all but impossible. They also may have thought in the intervening 800 years the society would advance enough to figure out how to fix them on their own. The opposite happened. The towers' failure led them to create a brutal ritual and build a religion around it. This is the cost of violating the Prime Directive even for the best of reasons. It also suggests once Starfleet's General Order Number One is violated, it's best for them to come to clean to the people on the planet.

Starfleet Has an Exception to the Prime Directive

How star trek: prodigy improved a discarded deep space nine premise.

In Star Trek: The Original Series the USS Enterprise is sent to check in on a pre-warp culture that was contacted by early Earth travelers before the Prime Directive. Season 2, Episode 17's "A Piece of the Action" revealed the people of Sigma Iota III based their entire society around a book the explorers left behind about Chicago organized crime in the 20th Century. This was very much like what happened to the people of Halem'no with a key difference: the Denobulans didn't reveal themselves. For all the downsides of the Sigma Iotian culture, being a gangster wasn't a religion. With no answers for how the "High Summit" protected them, the people of Halem'no had to create a mythology around it.

The Denobulans saved these people without fully violating the Prime Directive, but they did not foresee the consequences of doing it. Kirk and company were allowed to visit the Sigma Iotians because the Prime Directive had been, essentially, violated . Since the Denobulans kept themselves a secret, Captain Burnham and Tilly couldn't fully help the people understand what they needed to do to fix their weather and, possibly, reclaim the land lost to the "dust" when the other four towers failed. Just as Kirk and company likely affected the culture after their visit, Burnham and her crew do the same on Halem'no.

In fairness to the Prime Directive purists, Ohnahz told Burnham that attempts to stop the sacrifices led to violence among the people before. Yet, this was because there was no answer to replace the mythology. Now that they know shifting around some iso-linear chips can fix the towers, there would likely be less discord among the inhabitants. Burnham broke the Prime Directive out of desperation to save Tilly, but the effects of her doing so might be even more positive than the Denobulans only half-breaking it .

Countless Starfleet Crews Break the Prime Directive for Good Reasons

How star trek: discovery's trill story connects to dax on deep space nine.

In "A Piece of the Action," Kirk, Spock and McCoy use the culture they developed to try to push the people towards a more sensible societal order . Burnham and the others were less aggressive in this approach, but it was ultimately what happened. In the first Prime Directive-breaking episode, "Return of the Archons," Kirk and Spock destroy a computer controlling a society. After he's successful in talking the computer to death, the Enterprise leaves Starfleet personnel behind to help guide the culture , much in the way Burnham promises to teach Ohnahz and the others to repair the weather control towers.

In Star Trek: TNG's "Who Watches the Watchers," Starfleet observes a pre-warp culture from an invisible "duck blind." The plan inevitably goes awry, and Captain Picard becomes the subject of worship by the culture. Rather than letting the religion continue, he dissuades the culture by revealing the truth . If the Denobulans had done something similar, countless more lives could have been saved because the other four towers wouldn't have failed. Again, it's possible the Denobulans had a contingency for tower maintenance that was disrupted when the Burn happened, making warp travel difficult.

What makes "Whistlespeak" such a fresh take on this concept is the addition of time. To the Denobulans in the 23rd or 24th Century, saving these people was an unquestionably moral good. They could help and, thus, they should. Yet, in only half-violating the Prime Directive, they may have impeded the society's technological development. Instead of scientific advancement, they believed feats of endurance and sacrificing their lives was what pleased the "gods," the language they used to describe the effects of technology. While Michael Burnham was right to come clean with Ohnahz, the episode also suggests saving a culture for the right reasons may not be "saving" them at all.

How the Prime Directive Is Both Good and Bad In Star Trek

Discovery's michael burnham deserves her own star trek movie.

The Prime Directive, like many of Star Trek 's best concepts, came from an idea of Gene Roddenberry's that was developed in scripts by the "other Gene," Gene L. Coon . In the 1960s, many Westerners thought it was a moral duty of developed cultures to bring education (and, usually, a religion of their own) to "primitive" cultures. This almost always leads to Imperialism, which is what Star Trek 's Genes were railing against . Anti-colonialism was not a popular way of thinking in the 1960s, and the kind of message that sci-fi allegory is perfect to explain. In The Original Series' "A Private Little War," Kirk regrettably breaks the Prime Directive to arm a society in an allegory for the Vietnam War.

The Prime Directive is mostly broken for Spider-Man's favorite reason . With the great power of Starfleet's technology, they have an equally great responsibility to use it to help those in need. "A Piece of the Action" is meant to show what happens when cultural influence is used irresponsibly. However, "Whistlespeak" presents a scenario where even responsible Prime Directive breaking can have a deleterious effect . The indigenous people of Halem'no likely prefer their brutal religious practices to total annihilation. Yet, the episode reveals that something as simple as mechanical entropy can make breaking the Prime Directive for "good" reason equally problematic.

Star Trek: Discovery debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Why Zachary Quinto's Spock Is So Different to the Others

Quick links, quinto's spock is a member of an endangered species, quinto's spock has a different relationship with his family, quinto's spock is in a long-term relationship with uhura, quinto's spock is younger, but learning lessons quicker.

May 8th marked the 15-year anniversary of the release of J.J. Abrams's Star Trek . The film was the highly anticipated reboot of the popular science fiction franchise, one whose plot was surrounded by mystery up until the film's release. The film not only had the monumental task of reviving the Star Trek franchise for a modern audience but also recasting some of the biggest names in popular culture. Names like William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were so linked to Kirk and Spock's characters that it seemed impossible to imagine anyone else in the role.

Now, though, both have been recast twice. Spock himself can be seen on the Paramount+ streaming series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , played by Ethan Peck . Yet before that, the actor who first had to fill the boots of the legendary Leonard Nimoy was Zachary Quinto . Fans flocked to Quinto as the perfect actor to take up the role of Spock almost immediately after his debut as Sylar on Heroes in November 2006. By the following year, he was cast as Spock, and when the film opened in 2009, fans, critics, and Nimoy himself praised Quinto's performance.

While Quinto certainly gets many of the Spock hallmarks down, he is also a very different take on the character. Here is where Zachary Quinto's Spock from the Kelvin timeline differs from Nimoy's and Peck's versions from the Prime timeline.

Release Date May 6, 2009

Director J.J. Abrams

Cast Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Chris Pine, Karl Urban

Rating PG-13

Runtime 126

Main Genre Action

Writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Gene Roddenberry

Easily, the biggest change from the two timeline versions of Spock is that in the Kelvin timeline of J.J. Abrams's reboot, Spock's homeworld of Vulcan is destroyed. Vulcan is a significant planet in the Star Trek franchise. It was frequently seen in the original series and was vital to the plot of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , and subsequent Star Trek material featured the planet. Vulcans are one of the most recognizable and recurring alien species in Star Trek .

But in the Kelvin timeline, Nero destroys Vulcan using red matter that creates a black hole at the center of the planet. Spock estimates that no more than 10,000 Vulcans survived the planet's destruction, which makes Spock a member of an endangered species . While the older Spock from the Prime timeline does find a planet to set up a new Vulcan colony, this changes Spock's journey in the Kelvin films. In both Star Trek and Star Trek Beyond , Quinto's Spock feels like he must serve his duty to the Vulcan species whereas Nimoy's and Peck's versions were more than free to do their duties to Starfleet.

It is only on the advice of Nimoy's Spock in the first film, informing him how valuable the friendship with Kirk will be, and then having that friendship in action in Star Trek Beyond , that Spock makes a decision for himself. While Nimoy's Spock famously said , "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one," Quinto's Spock has done something for the needs of himself, which will be for the betterment of many.

As seen in both Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Spock has a complicated relationship with his father, Sarek, but is more open with his mother, Amanda Grayson, a human, which is where Spock gets his half-human nature. This dynamic is similar to that of 2009's Star Trek , but the destruction of Vulcan causes Amanda Grayson to die . Whereas Spock's mother didn't die until he was much older in the original timeline, here he loses her as a much younger man and in the act of war.

This now only draws a parallel to Kirk, as now both men have lost a parent in this timeline that they did not in the other thanks to the time-traveling villain Nero, but it forces Spock and his father to open up to one another. Previously, Amanda Grayson often acted as a buffer between Spock and Sarek, the two men must now take comfort in one another without her.

In one of the best moments in the franchise, Sarek and Spock finally have a heart-to-heart following Spock's outburst when Kirk got him to show he was emotionally compromised on their mission by insulting his mother. Sarek tells Spock it is never unwise to speak his mind, and Spock opens up with the human emotion of anger, wanting to take revenge on the person who killed his mother. Sarek tells Spock he is proud his son can be half-human and half-Vulcan , allowing these two men to become closer than they were in the original timeline. When Sarek finally answers Spock's question from earlier in the film about why he married a human, Sarek responds with a very emotional answer: he loved her. While Spock loses his mother at a young age in this new timeline whereas his older counterpart got to spend many years with her, that loss brings father and son closer together.

One of the most controversial decisions in J.J. Abrams's Star Trek was not the destruction of Vulcan, but the reveal that Spock was in a relationship with Lt. Nyota Uhura . In the original series, the two are no more than co-workers, and this is carried over into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which shows Uhura's earliest missions aboard the USS Enterprise in the original timeline. In Star Trek: The Original Series and Strange New Worlds , Spock is engaged to a fellow Vulcan, T'Pring. T'Pring is not present or mentioned in the Kelvin timeline films.

All Roads Lead to Discovery: The Full Star Trek Timeline, Explained

Spock's relationship with Uhura is a major part of his arc in three recent live-action Star Trek films. Star Trek Into Darkness deals with the troubles the two face in a relationship, while by the time Star Trek Beyond begins, the two have broken up, only to reconcile by the end of the film. This romantic relationship does a lot to humanize Spock and draw a contrast with the past incarnations that highlight this younger version of the character.

Of course, Spock's age difference is a major part of what separates him from the other versions. Spock is born in 2230. 2009's Star Trek takes place in 2255, meaning Spock is only 25 during the events of the movie , a much younger character than when audiences first meet him in Star Trek: The Original Series , which took place between 2266 and 2269 when Spock was between 36 and 39 . The youngest that audiences see Spock in the original canon is during Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, which is between 2257 and 2258, placing Spock at about 27. That means his youngest canon appearance in the original timeline is still older than Spock during his massive adventure in 2009's Star Trek .

Because of this change in the timeline, Spock has to experience many major events at a younger age. A great example of this is his first meeting with his future best friend, Captain Kirk . In Star Trek , Kirk meets Spock in 2255 during an academic trial where Spock (rightfully) accuses Kirk of cheating on a test. The two start out as adversaries but eventually grow to respect one another. Their meeting in the original timeline does not happen until four years later, as seen on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , where they are at the bar onboard the USS Enterprise and the two have a more relaxed, friendly encounter.

Star Trek: 10 Facts About Spock You Probably Didnt Know (Or Forgot)

In addition, Spock does not die at the wrath of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness like his prime self does in the appropriately named Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , but instead, it is Captain Kirk, when they are both much younger men. In Wrath of Khan, the death highlights the long friendship between Kirk and Spock, and Spock's sacrifice is meant to humble Kirk and make him realize that he can't always win, flipping the script and having it be Kirk die (if only briefly) at the early part in his and Spock's friendship in Star Trek Into Darkness gets Spock to open up and admit to Kirk that he is his friend .

He becomes overwhelmed with anger and goes on to chase Khan down, giving into his violent urges until Uhura stops him, informing him they need Khan alive to save Kirk. This is a Spock who is still struggling to handle his emotions, and while he might appear like the classic Spock on the surface when he is prone to moments of emotion, they are bigger.

It is clear that Zachary Quinto's Spock was going on a journey to grow into the version Leonard Nimoy played while also forging his own path. Certainly, the long and many delays to Star Trek 4 have certainly stalled more major developments than this version of Spock would have. Hopefully, Paramount can get that fourth film in the Kelvin timeline off the ground, bring back the cast, and give Quinto at least one more outing as everyone's favorite Vulcan.