The Entire Star Trek: Discovery Timeline Explained

Captain Michael Burnham Reacting

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.

Star Trek Discovery's Season 2 Illustrates A Classic Time Travel Paradox

Time travel stories often involve paradoxes, and Star Trek Discovery's second season shows Michael Burnham at the center of one.

The second season of Star Trek: Discovery hinges on the mysteries of time travel . The crew pursues seven red burst signals through the stars, eventually finding they were sent by a time traveler they have named the Red Angel. Michael Burnham and the Discovery crew's relationship with time only grows more complex towards the end of the season, when they decide to send the ship nearly a thousand years into the future to prevent a self-aware AI, Control, from getting its hands on precious data from an ancient life form (the "Sphere"), and evolving to subjugate all intelligent life.

Science fiction's job is to pose questions about the universe, humanity, and evolving technology. Discovery does this in plenty of ways, and when it comes to time travel, it seeks to know: Can our future selves interfere with their own timelines? If they did, would we know it was happening? Are some things predetermined, bound to happen; and if they are, why? The overarching plot of Discovery' s second season explores these questions through a classic element of time-travel stories : the causal loop.

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A causal loop, also known as a bootstrap paradox, is a type of paradox in which a sequence of events begets itself, and as a result, its starting point is impossible to determine. In other words, a specific event occurs and sets off a chain of events. The end result of this chain is the event that caused the sequence to begin in the first place. The question, then, is where did the first event originate? What began the causal loop?

Time-travel stories in fiction are rife with this trope. One famous example occurs in the first Back to the Future film: Marty McFly plays "Johnny B. Goode" onstage while Chuck Berry, the song's original artist, listens over the phone, implying that this is the moment when he got the idea for the song. It then logically follows that Berry recorded the song, resulting in Marty hearing and learning it. Another, simpler example can be seen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , when Harry sees the Patronus charm from across the lake — and then later, after using the time-turner, realizes that it was his own Patronus, and performs the spell to save his past self from the Dementors. As he remarks to Hermione later on, "I knew I could do it, because I'd already done it!"

This line can be applied to Michael's experience in Discovery as well. In "Such Sweet Sorrow (Part 1)," the season's penultimate episode, it is discovered that the bioneural signature of the Red Angel who sent the seven burst signals was Michael herself, not her mother, as was previously thought. This leads to the epiphany that there have been two Red Angels all along. Michael can see that her future self is trying to lead the crew of Discovery to something, she's not sure what — at least not yet. In the next episode, though, she is able to understand.

At this point in the season, the crew has found five of the seven signals: one on a lone asteroid where a derelict ship was stranded, one on the planet Terralysium, one on the Kelpians' homeworld of Kaminar, one on the planet Boreth where time crystals are kept, and most recently, on the planet Xahea. In the midst of battle against the rogue AI Control, Spock comes to the realization that following each signal gave Discovery something they would need for either the battle itself, or to create the Red Angel suit. The signal on Kaminar would lead to the Kelpians aiding them in battle, the signal on Terralysium indicated a place of refuge after sending Discovery into the future, the time crystal was needed to power the suit, etc. When her brother explains this epiphany, Michael realizes that they are in an open loop, and only she can close it by sending the signals now.

Just as Harry Potter knew he could perform the Patronus charm since he had seen it before, Michael only knows when and where to leave the signals because she herself had been following them. At the end of the season, she now knows who and what the crew will need to assemble the Red Angel suit, defend themselves against Control, and send Discovery through the wormhole. She makes her mad dash back through time, sending the five signals seen so far, to provide the crew of Discovery with everything they need to reach the point where they find themselves in the present. Once she returns, she uses the sixth signal as a guiding beacon for Discovery to follow her through the wormhole, and later on, sends the seventh as a signal to her brother that she is safe.

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The question that remains, however, is the one that lingers in all causal loops: what is the point of origin? In a world where the original recording of "Johnny B. Goode" was inspired by a cover performance of the original "Johnny B. Goode," who or what actually wrote the song? In Season 2's finale, Michael sends the signals so that she could see and follow them — and is only able to do so because she had already seen and followed them. So where did her knowledge of those signals truly originate?

As the causal loop paradigm states, the answer is impossible to know — just as it's impossible to determine what would have happened if Michael had not gone back to send the signals. Perhaps the actions of the Red Angel, and therefore the fate of Discovery, were predetermined: to boldly go where no man had gone before , and leap into the unknown future.

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Memory Alpha

  • View history

Burnham sees Spock's vision

A map of the seven red bursts

The red bursts were a series of temporal anomalies first detected by Starfleet and the Klingons in 2257 . Unlike anything Starfleet had encountered before, their precise synchronization all but ruled out natural phenomena being the cause. ( DIS : " Brother ", " Saints of Imperfection ") Ultimately, all signals bar one turned out to have been set by Michael Burnham , the second Red Angel , directing the USS Discovery to a wormhole that led her 930 years in the future to prevent Control from destroying all life in the universe. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

  • 2.1 Signal 01: Interstellar asteroid
  • 2.2 Signal 02: Terralysium
  • 2.3 Signal 03: Kaminar
  • 2.4 Essof IV
  • 2.5 Signal 04: Boreth
  • 2.6 Signal 05: Xahea
  • 2.7 Signal 06: Wormhole
  • 2.8 Signal 07: Final signal
  • 3 Summary of red bursts

Overview [ ]

The first appearance of the bursts occurred in perfect synchronization over a span of 24 hours in 2257. They were scattered across thirty thousand light years of the Milky Way Galaxy and would have required energy beyond Starfleet's understanding to produce. ( DIS : " Brother ")

The Klingons also detected the bursts, and had no explanation for them. High Chancellor L'Rell confirmed to Ambassador Sarek that they were not responsible. Kol-Sha interpreted them as an ill omen for L'Rell's rule: "seven drops of blood " ready to rain down on the Klingon people. ( DIS : " Brother ", " Point of Light ")

Spock had foreknowledge of the red bursts, which he first saw as a child. This prompted him to take a leave of absence from the USS Enterprise . Before his departure, he left encrypted data about the bursts in his final personal log entry, in case he did not return. ( DIS : " Brother ")

The investigation [ ]

The initial set of seven signals appearing in perfect synchronization were picked up by Federation sensors but disappeared again after just enough time to get a reading, with the exception of one signal.

The remaining signal eventually stabilized long enough to get a fix on its position, at which point the Enterprise , captained by Christopher Pike , set out to reach it. Before anything else could be done, the Enterprise experienced a massive systems failure – later blamed by Pike on the holo-communications system. ( DIS : " Brother ", " An Obol for Charon ")

As a result, Pike transferred his command over to the USS Discovery in order to continue the mission. ( DIS : " Brother ")

Shortly after the bursts were detected, the Vulcan High Command directed Sarek to work with Starfleet in assembling a Federation task force. He went on to serve on this task force. ( DIS : " Brother ", " Light and Shadows ")

Signal 01: Interstellar asteroid [ ]

USS Hiawatha wreckage

The Hiawatha on the asteroid's surface

At the source of the burst, Discovery found an interstellar asteroid which contained the crash landed remains of the USS Hiawatha . While attempting to investigate the signal, a landing party consisting of Pike, Burnham, Evan Connolly , and Nhan discovered survivors aboard the Hiawatha including Jett Reno . Despite an encounter with the red angel , the crew was unable to determine who or what generated the signal. ( DIS : " Brother ")

After Discovery departed the region, Starfleet sent a team to investigate the area further. They found evidence of tachyon radiation, suggesting time travel was involved. ( DIS : " Saints of Imperfection ")

Signal 02: Terralysium [ ]

Discovery orbiting Terralysium

Discovery in orbit of Terralysium

Sometime after the initial series of bursts, a second signal was detected. The transmission was too faint to determine the exact coordinates using regular means but was eventually pinpointed to a distant region of the Beta Quadrant . The signal was 51,450 light years away from the location of the ship. Using its spore drive , Discovery was able to reach the location of this new burst, the planet of Terralysium , immediately. Once there, Discovery found a previously unknown settlement of Humans . They were descendants of people saved from World War III by a mysterious entity .

Shortly after arrival, Discovery prevented radioactive debris from wiping out the planet's inhabitants. The burst was also visible from the planet's surface. ( DIS : " New Eden ")

Signal 03: Kaminar [ ]

Kaminar

Red burst in orbit of Kaminar

Discovery detected a third burst in orbit of Kaminar , the homeworld of the Kelpien species, which included first officer Commander Saru . As had been the case on Terralysium, the burst had been visible from the surface; Siranna , Saru's sister and priest of their village, referred to it as a "fiery sign". ( DIS : " The Sound of Thunder ")

DSC-05 headed towards time anomaly

Anomaly orbiting Kaminar

While in orbit above Kaminar measuring the residual radiation from the burst, Discovery discovered an anomaly . While investigating the anomaly in Shuttle 5 , Ash Tyler and Christopher Pike were attacked by an upgraded version of a probe they'd previously launched. ( DIS : " Light and Shadows ")

Essof IV [ ]

Essof IV

Discovery and NCIA-93 in orbit of Essof IV

Discovery and NCIA-93 journeyed to Essof IV to attempt to capture the Red Angel. A landing party consisting of Hugh Culber , Paul Stamets , Philippa Georgiou , Spock, and Michael Burnham beamed down to the surface. While the team worked on the surface, on board NCIA-93 , Ash Tyler and Leland worked to close the wormhole to prevent the Angel from leaving.

NCIA-93 firing graviton beam

NCIA-93 closing the micro-wormhole

After enacting their plan to attract the Red Angel, which involved exposing Burnham to the toxic atmosphere of the planet, they waited for the Angel to arrive. The plan worked, and a burst soon appeared in orbit of the planet. The Angel arrived on the surface and revived Burnham; after which she was captured and revealed to be Burnham's mother . ( DIS : " The Red Angel ")

Holding Gabrielle Burnham and the Red Angel suit on Essof IV caused gravitational distortions. Shortly after the Red Angel was captured, Leland's body was taken over by Control . While pretending to be Leland, Control ordered Georgiou and Tyler to steal the Sphere 's data archive from Discovery . Eventually, Georgiou realized Leland wasn't who he seemed, and she stopped the upload, leading to an altercation on the surface.

Once Burnham's mother was pulled back to the 33rd century , Burnham was beamed up to the Discovery along with Nhan , Paul Stamets and Philippa Georgiou . A barrage of photon torpedoes destroyed the base but "Leland" survived. ( DIS : " Perpetual Infinity ")

Signal 04: Boreth [ ]

L'Rell's battle cruiser and USS Discovery

Discovery and a D7-class vessel in orbit of Boreth

A burst, the fourth of seven, soon appeared over the Klingon planet of Boreth . Discovery used the spore drive to jump to the planet to investigate. While there, Pike went to the monastery to retrieve a time crystal . In the process, he was given a traumatic vision of his future. ( DIS : " Through the Valley of Shadows ")

Signal 05: Xahea [ ]

Discovery at Xahea

Discovery near Xahea

A fifth burst appeared when Captain Pike was unable to destroy Discovery and thus the Sphere 's data. The signal brought Discovery and Enterprise to Xahea , the homeworld of Her Serene Highness Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po . Ensign Tilly , who had previously and secretly met Queen Po, deduced that her friend's engineering genius, evidenced by her ability to recrystallize dilithium , might be the reason for the signal. Queen Po devised a method of charging the time crystal so it could power a new time travel suit. ( DIS : " Runaway ", " Such Sweet Sorrow ")

Signal 06: Wormhole [ ]

The sixth red signal appeared during the Battle near Xahea , the first to appear after Burnham realized she had set the previous signals, intended to guide the Discovery to 3188. Guided by the signal, Discovery successfully went through the wormhole. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

Signal 07: Final signal [ ]

Spock observes the seventh signal

The seventh signal displayed on the Enterprise 's viewscreen

After discovering that Spock would not be able to join the Discovery in their journey to the future due to damage to his shuttle and his unwillingness to risk further damage to Discovery , Burnham promised to send a final signal to confirm the crew's safe arrival in 3188. This manifested near Terralysium four months after the Battle near Xahea, detected by the Enterprise orbiting Earth. After sending the signal, the Red Angel suit self-destructed as per Burnham's orders. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ", " That Hope Is You, Part 1 ")

Summary of red bursts [ ]

  • 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
  • 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation

Sonequa Martin-Green Calls Final Ride of Star Trek: Discovery 'Our Indiana Jones Season'

Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Burnham) dives deep into Discovery's action-packed yet 'bittersweet' endgame.

Sonequa Martin-Green is all kinds of emotional. The Star Trek: Discovery star is jazzed about discussing the action-packed fifth and final season of the hit Paramount+ sci-fi series. But she’s also sentimental about this Trek's end game. “It was certainly sad on the [last] day and bittersweet,” the actor shared about the final shoot in a recent round table interview with journalists. ‘We laughed and we cried, and we sang songs and danced and recited poetry, and everything. We were really there with each other, but thankfully, it's never over, and we don't really have to say goodbye.”

True. Especially in the Trek- verse. Anything can happen. To be sure, it has been a wildly entertaining, if not surprising, run for Discovery or, to use Trek vernacular, Disco. The series was thoroughly embraced when it debuted back in 2017, 12 years after Star Trek: Enterprise bowed. It was also a curious beast, landing on CBS All Access before helping launch Paramount+, becoming its greatest hope for the streamer's future.

It succeeded on that front, paving the way for Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Prodigy . Disco also gave us Michelle Yeoh in its first few seasons. We’re eagerly awaiting Yeoh's stand-alone film on Paramount+, Star Trek: Section 31, which the Oscar winner calls " Mission: Impossible in space." Yet another new series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , is expected to blast off in 2026.

In this wildly inventive final season, Captain Burnham (Martin-Green) and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery race to uncover a mystery about an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. Others are on the hunt for it, too, and that’s not good. In the wrong hands, the power can be destructive. Sonequa Martin-Green reveals more about the season ahead, how playing Burnham changed her, and so much more in this exclusive interview. Dive in.

'This Is Our Indiana Jones Season'

Star trek: discovery.

Read Our Review

In addition to Sonequa Martin-Green, the final season of Disco includes Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Callum Keith Rennie (Rayner). Recurring guest stars Elias Toufexis (L’ak) and Eve Harlow (Moll) are a hoot, recalling some of Trek’s most memorable villains , such as Q, Khan, and Klingon sisters Lursa and B'Etor from TNG . Journalists have vowed to remain tight-lipped about Season 5 until certain episodes air. However, we can say that something from the Star Trek canon takes center stage.

12 Surprising Facts About Star Trek: The Original Series

Beyond that, going into Season 5, none of the cast members knew it would be their last season together. When official word dropped, most of the cast returned to shoot extra scenes. However, Season 5 was intended to stand out from any other season of Disco. Sonequa Martin-Green explained:

“We spoke a lot before we started shooting because, of course, we didn't know that it was our last season, but we knew that we wanted to make a tonal shift. [Executive producer/writer] Michelle Paradise was really vocal about that. She let us in on that process, and she said, ‘We really want this to be an adventure. We want this to be our Indiana Jones season. We want everybody to have fun. We're going to be dealing with some huge subject matter.’ Now, we went even bigger with our subject matter than ever before, which is crazy when you consider the storylines of Seasons 3 and 4.”

The showrunners and actors went “bigger,” but they also brought some levity. “We wanted there to be a sense of thrill, a sense of fun, a sense of joy and adventure,” Martin-Green added. “So, we had to approach it that way. And it's funny…It became a mantra for us . ‘Remember, it's an adventure.’”

How Disco Changed Sonequa Martin-Green

Sonequa Martin-Green became the first African American female captain in Star Trek history. Michael Burnham started as a mutineer, and after Season 3’s 900-year time leap, the character eventually found her way to becoming captain . In between, Martin-Green exhibited remarkable emotional range—from sparring with Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Philippa Georgiou and those scenes as Spock’s (Ethan Peck) half-sister to morphing into the kick-ass captain fans have come to love. When MovieWeb asked how this role stretched her as a performer or as a person, Martin-Green said:

Oh, my goodness, I mean, stretching is what happened… if I started out as a tiny rubber band, I'm a rubber band the size of a room at this point now. It stretched me in every single possible way that you can be stretched

“I had not experienced being the lead of a show before, I did not know what it was like to lead a sci-fi show. I certainly didn't know what it was like to lead a Trek show. I didn't know what being in the Star Trek franchise was like. I didn't know what it would be like to create such an intense character, a character that evolves in such a deep way," she added, saying:

"I didn't know what it would be like to have such a physical component to my performance because it was even more physical than the work that I had done on The Walking Dead , and the stage combat I had done before that… from the very beginning, I knew that I wanted to sort of model, as crazy as this might sound, or as funny, or sort of esoteric as it might sound, I wanted to model my leadership after Christ, because it was like, nobody's better here than Jesus. And the greatest leader is the greatest servant.”

Captain Burnham surely will go down as one of the most compelling, if not gutsy, Star Trek captains in history. Expect more surprises from the character this season. “We all just went in there together and gave our all because we knew that it was important," Martin-Green added. “I grew in every way. I feel that I can handle so much more now as an actor, as an artist, as a Black woman, as a woman, as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as a professional, as a producer, as an executive producer, I feel like it [ Star Trek: Discovery ] was my doctorate degree in this artistry and in this business.”

A Deeper Message Within Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation did a stellar job of setting a certain Trek tone. Sci-fi and action , yes, but it also made a point to include messages about hope, teamwork, and diplomacy. So, what was it like for Sonequa Martin-Green and the cast to produce Disco, especially at a time when the country is so divided?

“I feel that I can speak for all of us [the cast] confidently when I say this… that if you are going to be an artist, then there's an element of activism with it. And I think that that's how it should be. Art in its purest form is there to serve. And it's there to affect positive change. It's there to sort of help people heal… grow… see themselves, see each other, and help people reach higher, right? And if that is what we can achieve as artists, then that is a dream come true. That's the opportunity that we've been given here. That's what Trek has done already."

"Oh, my goodness, we were in desperate need to do it, too," added Martin-Green. "We were in desperate need to contribute to the franchise in that same way and push that needle forward, right? And we all took it seriously. We took it equally seriously. There was no ego. We were like, ‘This is really important. Okay, let's go.’ We hope we do it justice, you know? And I can confidently say, without boasting, I'm so proud of everyone. I think that we did. I hope that people think that we did."

On Co-star Callum Keith-Rennie and Biggest Hopes

Sonequa Martin-Green also shared how excited she was to work alongside Californication alum/ Umbrella Academy star Callum Keith-Rennie, who comes aboard this season as the steely Captain Rayner. Expect some sparring with these two, as well.

“I just love Callum. I love him so much,” Sonequa Martin-Green. “He's such a brilliant actor , and we've been blessed with such brilliant actors coming in and giving their all and making our story what it is, helping us be bigger and better and brighter and deeper. And I also have to give a lot of respect to Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis, who were such a major part of our final season as well… We were all having dinner at the very top of the season… and Callum was looking around, and he was like, ‘So this is for real? So, you guys just like, really love each other? Huh? I don't know about this.’ He was laughing; he was joking. I bust out laughing… by the end of it, we were all hugging and crying together, you know?”

As for what she hopes audiences will get out of Disco's final season, Martin-Green shared:

“So many things. I want them to get everything that we try to give them, you know, because it's such a multi-layered, complex, grand, epic season and we pose some of the biggest questions known to life and to existence. And I hope that people… walk away with a renewed sense of self, with a renewed sense of purpose, with a renewed sense of hope, and with a renewed or an even greater desire to look up. Not just look out but look up as well. That's my hope.” The final season (10 episodes) of Star Trek: Discovery premieres on Apr. 4 on Paramount+.

This New 'Star Trek: Discovery' Character Is a Deep-Cut 'Deep Space Nine' Reference

Callum Keith Rennie's Captain Rayner is not Vulcan or Romulan after all.

The Big Picture

  • Callum Keith Rennie joins Star Trek: Discovery as Kellerun Captain Rayner, revealing the obscure species from Deep Space Nine .
  • Rayner's Kellerun backstory is crucial to Rayner's characterization and mission, with the showrunner promising a focus on his personal history.
  • Discovery continues the tradition of exploring one-off alien races with new characters, adding depth and diversity to the final season.

Veteran actor Callum Keith Rennie will join the cast of the final season of Star Trek: Discovery as the alien Captain Rayner, and now we know what species he is. Fans have speculated that Rayner's pointed ears mark him as a Vulcan or a Romulan, but a new interview reveals that he is a member of the Kellerun, an obscure species from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . TrekCore.com has the details from SFX Magazine's feature on Discovery 's upcoming fifth season , which will premiere on Paramount+ early next month.

Rayner's species will apparently be important to his characterization and the mysterious mission he joins the USS Discovery crew for, as they race against time in the show's final bow. Says showrunner Michelle Paradise , "He’s Kellerun, which is a minor planet mentioned in one of the other iterations… we learn more about his personal backstory and how that plays into who he is, and why he is how he is. We learn about that as the season goes on, and the planet he’s from has a lot to do with that." It won't be the first time an important character on Discovery comes from a one-off alien race; Commander Nhan ( Rachael Ancheril ), who debuted in the series' second season, is a Barzan, a race that had up to that point only appeared in the third-season Next Generation episode "The Price".

Who Are the Kellerun?

The Kellerun made their first and (so far) only appearance in "Armageddon Game", which first aired in 1994 as part of Deep Space Nine 's second season. A species with distinctive large, pointed ears, they had been at war for centuries with their neighbors, the T'Lani, in a conflict that utilized the Harvesters, deadly biological weapons. After the two races made peace with each other, Starfleet sent in Deep Space Nine crew members Dr. Julian Bashir ( Alexander Siddig ) and Miles O'Brien ( Colm Meany ) to help dismantle the remaining Harvesters. However, the Kellerun and T'Lani insist that all knowledge pertaining to the Harvesters must be destroyed - which means killing Bashir and O'Brien, too. The two have to make a desperate race for survival as their friends try to save them from the two alien species.

Although the Kellerun did not appear on the series again, the episode established Bashir and O'Brien's friendship, which endured for the rest of the show's run. Canadian actor Callum Keith Rennie is a veteran of science fiction productions, having starred in Battlestar Galactica , Impulse , The X-Files , Jessica Jones , and The Umbrella Academy . Discovery will be his first Star Trek appearance.

Star Trek: Discovery 's fifth and final season will premiere April 4, 2024 on Paramount+ , wehere past seasons are also streaming. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the trailer for Discovery 's fifth season below.

Star Trek: Discovery

Taking place almost a decade before Captain Kirk's Enterprise, the USS Discovery charts a course to uncover new worlds and life forms.

Watch on Paramount+

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 7 Will Easily Silence the Haters

The optimism has been officially beamed-up.

star trek discovery 7 signals explained

If you haven’t seen Star Trek: Discovery , there are essentially two narratives you’ll get from both casual fans and super-Trekkies. Some will say the show is great and continues the Trek franchise is a bold, unexpected direction. Others will tell you the show is entertaining enough, but that because of its darkness , “it’s not real Star Trek.” But, with the airing of the seventh episode — “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” — Discovery has hit its stride with an episode that is upbeat and charming enough to make even the toughest in that hater camp smile with Trekkie pride.

Spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery episode 7 ahead.

Borrowing heavily from the structure of 1992 The Next Generation episode “Cause and Effect”; this episode finds the USS Discovery caught in time-loop in which the same 30 minutes are repeated over and over again. But, unlike “Cause and Effect,” there’s a dastardly mastermind behind the time-loop. Rainn Wilson is back as Harry Mudd , and yes, he wants revenge because Captain Lorca ditched him in that Klingon prison two episodes ago , but he’s really more interested in making some quick cash. After hiding in the belly of a space whale, Mudd zaps some “time crystals” to create a time-loop for the sole purpose of figuring out how to totally override all of Discovery’s security protocols and take control of the ship so he can sell it to the Klingons. Which is hilarious.

star trek discovery 7 signals explained

Lorca surrenders the Discovery to Harry Mudd in one of the time-loops.

The fact that Mudd uses a really complicated form of time-travel just to figure out how to rip-off a starship is sci-fi comedy gold. Obviously, it’s the most short-sighted use of time-travel of ever, but also delicious social commentary. If actually time-loop causing crystals were available for purchase in real life, you can bet the first people to peddle them would be criminals on the dark web. Mudd using the awesomeness of the time-loop for this petty goal has shades of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams and Biff stealing the Sports Almanac in Back to the Future II. If the pilot episode of Discovery reminded you of the the darker moments of Battlestar Galactica , this episode feels more like Doctor Who.

By making the story contained in a time-loop, this episode gives Michael Burnham the chance to do something great: bond with a few of her crewmates in ways she couldn’t if this catastrophe hadn’t happened. This heartwarming idea is played out with smart Trek precision: the only way for the time-loop to be broken is for people like Burnham and Stamets to get out of their comfort zones and actually get to know each other. The metaphor here is painfully obvious, and Burnham perhaps puts it too on-the-nose in her closing monologue when she says “change begets change.” And yet, in real life, anyone caught in an emotional time-loop of their own making knows that the best way to break those negative cycles is usually through friendship, love, and original thinking. Ah, Star Trek, how we love you with your on-the-nose metaphors.

Scotty and Bones messing around in 'I, Mudd' (1967)

Seeing the crew of the Discovery work together to outsmart Harry Mudd also directly parallels the original series in which Kirk and the gang hand to team-up with Harry Mudd to defeat a bunch of paternalistic androids. And while that episode (“I,Mudd”) bordered on slapstick comedy, this episode plays things a little more straight.

But it’s still a lot of fun. In contrast with the rest of the series so far, this time-loop felt like a much-needed pause in the breakneck action and intrigue. For those watching the show only to gather clues for the season-long mysteries, this episode asked everyone to chill out for a second. Is Ash Tyler a Klingon in disguise? In this story, it didn’t really matter because he was just there to allow Burnham to feel something she’d never felt before; a real human crush.

star trek discovery 7 signals explained

Stamets tries to convince Burnham and Tyler of the time-loop.

There’s a lot that wasn’t addressed from the previous episode this time out. Lorca might still be a doppelganger of himself . No one mentions what happened to Admiral Cornwell after she got captured by the Klingons last week. But that’s all okay. Because for just one little time-loop, Discovery decided it needed to throw a party. And the result was a great science fiction story full of aliens and space whales that had the most human soul of all the episodes yet.

Star Trek: Discovery airs on Sundays at 8:30 eastern time on CBS All-Access*

  • Science Fiction

star trek discovery 7 signals explained

Screen Rant

Explaining star trek: discovery's biggest canon inconsistencies & plot holes.

One of Star Trek: Discovery's biggest criticisms has been an inconsistency with established canon. We explore how the show might close the loop.

Here are the biggest canon inconsistencies in Star Trek: Discovery and the possible ways they could be explained in the narrative. Since debuting in September 2017, Star Trek: Discovery has experienced a very mixed reception from both fans and critics. On one hand, the series has received some very positive reviews and boasts a stellar cast that have delivered a truly modernized iteration of the Star Trek formula. On the other, a vocal section of the fandom haven't warmed to Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman's series, a feeling perhaps magnified by the fact that U.S. viewers can only watch Star Trek:  Discovery on CBS' own in-house streaming service .

One of the overriding criticisms of Star Trek:  Discovery 's first season was the show's apparent deviation from accepted  Star Trek canon. Fans of the franchise are renowned for paying close attention to details and aren't afraid to point out when a new release contradicts established Trek lore. With the arrival of Discovery , these fans have had their work cut out. Set only a decade prior to the original series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy , Discovery has somewhat written itself into a corner in terms of how heavily it can impact the fictional history of the Star Trek universe without consequences rippling through the rest of the franchise.

Related: Star Trek: Michelle Yeoh Spinoff Officially In The Works At CBS All Access

Star Trek: Discovery 's showrunners are not ignorant to this criticism. Producers have not only acknowledged the fact that the series doesn't quite line up with Star Trek canon, but have also promised fans that what appear to be inconsistencies will in fact be addressed in future episodes. With the second season of Star Trek: Discovery soon to air, here are the biggest continuity issues facing the show and some plausible explanations that could solve them.

  • This Page: Klingon Inconsistencies In Star Trek: Discovery
  • Page 2: Changes Star Trek: Discovery Has Made To Spock
  • Page 3: Is Star Trek: Discovery's Spore Drive A Plot Hole?

Star Trek: Discovery's New Klingon Design Contradicts Previous Series

The first sign that Star Trek: Discovery might be taking a few liberties with canon came when images were released during development that showed radically redesigned Klingons . Devoid of their trademark wild hair and sporting more pronounced ridges, these new Klingons were virtually unrecognizable from those seen in any previous big or small screen entry into the Star Trek franchise and there was an immediate backlash, despite the show's reasoning that different Klingon houses may have altered appearances.

While Star Trek:  Discovery 's Klingons were one of the first targets for criticism, they also provided the first sign that there may be more to the show's inconsistencies than simple oversight or a lack of respect for the official timeline. Glenn Hetrick , Discovery 's head of makeup effects and one of the figures responsible for the Klingon redesign, suggested that the reason for Klingons' baldness comes from the tale of Kahless the Unforgettable, in which the titular warrior dips a lock of hair into a lava pit to create a Bat'leth and, ever since, the Klingons have only grown out their locks in times of peace.

Whether or not this explanation fits into canon is certainly up for debate and there are numerous examples of Klingons waging hairy war elsewhere in the franchise, but Hetrick has also promised that there are other reasons for the Klingons' new look that will be explored later in the narrative, stating " I think people are going to freak out when this unfurls in front of them."

Related: Why Star Trek 4 Has Been Canceled

Interestingly, Star Trek:  Discovery season 2 has released images of Mary Chieffo's L'Rell with a brand new mane of hair. Whether fans buy into the " bald in war, hairy in peace " explanation or not, it certainly seems like criticism of the initial design is being addressed in season 2, bringing Discovery 's Klingons closer to what viewers know and love.

The Federation-Klingon War Doesn't Fit The Timeline

It isn't just the design of the Klingons that clashes with canon in Star Trek: Discovery , it's also their role in the series. Much of Discovery 's debut voyage centers around a tough and bloody war between the Federation and the Klingons that almost results in a full-on invasion of Earth. For such a monumental event, it's strange that there's no mention of this war elsewhere in the franchise, particularly The Original Series , which takes place only ten years later.

However, some fans have pointed out elements of the older Star Trek adventures that do hint towards a recently concluded major conflict. These include (via  Inverse ) Kirk's immediate wariness and distrust of the Klingons during their first encounter, Starfleet's relatively small selection of ships in the  TOS era, and the existence of a Klingon Neutral Zone that is located in the same region of space as Discovery 's Battle of the Binary Stars. Not everyone will be convinced that these details can justify Discovery adding a huge war to Star Trek canon so close to The Original Series , but it certainly adds some consistency between shows.

Related:  Star Wars Is Copying Star Trek Now

A further issue with the Federation-Klingon war is the Klingons' use of cloaking technology . In TOS , it's heavily implied that the Romulans are the first race to cloak their ships, or at least the first encountered by Starfleet. While this conundrum certainly poses a challenge to established canon, Discovery wasn't the first culprit, as cloaking actually appeared in Star Trek: Enterprise , a show set in Starfleet's distant past. While there's no obvious explanation as to why Kirk and Spock and so confused by cloaking, Star Trek:  Discovery is arguably only setting a precedent set previously by Enterprise .

Page 2 of 3: Changes Star Trek: Discovery Has Made To Spock

Spock never mentioned his sister before.

Out of all the colorful characters in Star Trek , no one is more synonymous with the franchise than the Enterprise's first officer, Spock. From the very first pilot episode to J.J. Abrams' movie reboot, Spock has never been far from the Star Trek story but, in all that time, not once has the Vulcan ever mentioned having an adopted human sister.

And yet that's exactly who Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham was revealed to be and, unlike her brother, she's not shy about her family connections. Immediately after this was revealed ahead of Star Trek:  Discovery 's debut, fans began to question how they could accept such a deep connection between this new protagonist and Leonard Nimoy's Spock when the latter had never acknowledged Burnham's existence. In all of Spock's arguments with Kirk and Bones about human behavior and emotion, did he really not think to bring up the fact he had a human sibling ?

This concept may not be as far-fetched as it appears. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , it is revealed that Spock has a half-brother called Sybok who, once again, had never previously been mentioned, although, in fairness, Sybok was exiled from Vulcan and Spock's reluctance to reference him could've emanated from shame. It's also worth noting that in "Journey To Babel," Spock fails to mention that the Vulcan ambassador who just beamed aboard the Enterprise is actually his own father, Sarek. Only when Kirk suggests Spock beam down to his home planet to visit his family is this revealed.

Related:  These Awesome Star Trek: Discovery Theories Turned Out to Be TRUE!

Clearly, there is a typically Vulcan disconnect between Spock and his family and it is plausible that, throughout the franchise, Spock would never mention Burnham in conversation because it was never logically necessary. However, producer and creator Alex Kurtzman has promised that this piece of continuity will be addressed in season 2, so there's likely to be a more involved explanation.

Federation Mutiny and Sarek

Never being mentioned by her famous brother isn't the only inconsistency surrounding Michael Burnham. Right at the outset of Star Trek:  Discovery 's story, Burnham commits mutiny on the U.S.S. Shenzhou, attempting to overrule the orders of Captain Georgiou after giving her a Vulcan nerve pinch. Following this incident, Burnham becomes infamous for being Starfleet's first mutineer. This event essentially triggers the entire Discovery story but ignores the fact that in the original 1960s series, it was stated that there had never been a record of mutiny on a Federation ship. Even though Burnham is pardoned by the end of Star Trek:  Discovery 's first season , it would surely be inconceivable that every officer would forget her crime within the space of ten years.

The other significant inconsistency surrounding Burnham concerns the characterization of Sarek. James Frain's version of Spock's Dad is undoubtedly more compassionate, kind and arguably more human than other incarnations, particularly when it comes to his relationship with Burnham. Of all Discovery 's inconsistencies, this is perhaps one of the least notable, but it still contributes to the array of issues surrounding Burnham's inclusion into the Star Trek franchise.

Issues that would all be solved if Star Trek: Discovery concluded with Burnham being erased from history. With all the mirror universe , time-bending science going on in Discovery , it's not inconceivable to think that a person could somehow write themselves out of existence.  Discovery 's producers have promised that the show will sync up to canon at some point and one of quickest ways to do this would be deleting Burnham from time, most likely as the tragic consequence of saving the universe. This would explain why Spock never mentions her, why there's no record of a mutiny and why Sarek seems less compassionate in  TOS than in  Discovery . Such a move could also be used to explain away the Federation-Klingon war, as Burnham wouldn't have been on board the Shenzhou to trigger the conflict.

Page 3 of 3: Is Star Trek: Discovery's Spore Drive A Plot Hole?

Is star trek: discovery's spore drive a plot hole.

Produced half a century after Star Trek began, Discovery was always going to look more technologically advanced than previous series and many fans accept that this aesthetic update isn't a plot hole in its own right. However, several pieces of tech have turned up in Discovery that some argue is beyond what should be available at that point in the timeline. This accusation has been regularly aimed at Star Trek: Discovery 's use of hologram technology, such as battle simulations and holo-communications, as these elements were not present in TOS . They were, however, somewhat present in both Enterprise and The Animated Series , although it is questionable whether the latter should be considered canon.

Undoubtedly the most significant example of Discovery 's overly-advanced tech, however, is the Spore Drive engine. The Spore Drive essentially allows the ship to teleport to a specific location via the Mycelium Network and this has opened up plenty of storylines and points of discussion for Star Trek:  Discovery to explore. The Spore Drive certainly would've been useful during Picard's battle with the Borg or when the Voyager spent several seasons trying to find its way home but, unfortunately, this technology was nowhere to be found and isn't mentioned elsewhere in Star Trek lore.

Read More:  Star Trek: Where Jean-Luc Picard's Story Left Off

Discovery has already explored the negative impact of the Spore Drive on its navigator, namely Paul Stamets, and there is perhaps an implication that the engine would eventually be deemed unsafe and banned by Starfleet. Combine this with the fact that the Spore Drive was developed in secret, and a possible explanation for its absence in later series begins to emerge. Given the power of this technology, however, there are certainly many points in Star Trek history where use of the Spore Drive, even with its inherent risks, could've saved many lives and its introduction in Discovery remains out of sync with the rest of the Star Trek story heading into season 2.

While these explanations offer in-universe explanations for Discovery 's changes, the real-life reasons are far more obvious. The challenge of creating any new television series is tough, but being restricted by over 50 years of fictional history makes the task virtually impossible. This is ultimately why the J.J. Abrams movie series takes place in a completely different timeline . Whatever your opinion on Star Trek:  Discovery , there's no doubt that it's easier to enjoy the series when you ignore the rest of Trek 's timeline and focus solely on the events taking place on screen.

However, it could also be said that adhering to canon is a key part of building a lasting, successful franchise and that Star Trek wouldn't be the cultural behemoth it is today without its rich and detailed fictional world that fans invest so heavily into. It's a fine balance and one that Star Trek: Discovery clearly hasn't got quite right just yet. Still, the show's producers insist that Discovery will make canonical sense eventually , although this might be very difficult to achieve without a big, show-changing reveal along the lines of Discovery actually being set in a third mirror universe . Viewers will soon see whether Star Trek: Discovery season 2 brings the series closer to canon, or pushes it further away.

Next:  Star Trek Movies & TV: What The Franchise's Future Looks Like

Star Trek: Discovery season 2 premieres January 17th on CBS All Access in the U.S. and 24 hours later on Netflix internationally.

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  1. The Meaning of All Star Trek: Discovery's Red Signals (So Far)

    star trek discovery 7 signals explained

  2. Uniformes de "Star Trek: Discovery": ¿cuál es el significado de sus

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  3. STDP 041

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  4. Star Trek: Discovery: Everything We Know About the Red Angel and Those

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  5. Star Trek: Discovery, explained

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  6. The Meaning of All Star Trek: Discovery's Red Signals (So Far)

    star trek discovery 7 signals explained

VIDEO

  1. Star Trek: Discovery

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COMMENTS

  1. Star Trek: Discovery

    Here the six biggest questions about the Red Angel and the Red Signals on Star Trek: Discovery, answered. And, when a specific answer couldn't be found in the show, some speculation made its way ...

  2. The Meaning of Star Trek: Discovery's Red Signals (So Far)

    The red signals have been one of Star Trek: Discovery season 2's primary mysteries, but the penultimate episode, "Such Sweet Sorrow," has now clarified the true purpose of the bursts of light in space. With five of the seven red signals now revealed, we know how they factor into the final battle against the evil A.I. called Control that wants to end all sentient life in the galaxy, and who ...

  3. Star Trek: Discovery's Red Angel Explained: Identity, Alternate

    UPDATE: Star Trek: Discovery's Red Angel Identity Revealed Just what is the secret of the Red Angel in Star Trek: Discovery season 2? This season of Star Trek: Discovery has been a sci-fi mystery set in the Star Trek universe. The crew of the Discovery have been desperately attempting to discover the truth behind seven mysterious signals that flared to life across the galaxy, a mystery that ...

  4. 'Star Trek: Discovery': Red Angel Mystery Explained

    Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) begins the premiere with an old story, an African folktale that depicts the creation of the Milky Way from the perspective of a girl who threw ash into the ...

  5. How does Spock foresee all 7 signals? : r/StarTrekDiscovery

    An unofficial fan community dedicated to discussion and news about Star Trek: Discovery. ... Burnham, however, says she knows nothing about the seven signals. Later, we find out that Michael is the source of the 7 signals, but at no point do we see her go back to share that information with past-Spock. ... It was explained in the show. Watch it ...

  6. Can someone explain a knowledge gap with the seven signals?

    This is not something that is explained in-universe. The fan theory is that its because the signals didn't appear long enough to give a fix on their coordinates, and while this is a serviceable explanation, it doesn't really pass muster: The federation is going to have thousands of observatories scattered across planets, space stations, and basically every spaceship.

  7. The Entire Star Trek: Discovery Timeline Explained

    Here is the entire "Star Trek: Discovery" timeline explained. ... Michael then uses the suit to send signals that appear as red bursts for the crew of the Discovery to follow, defeat Control, and ...

  8. The 7 signals

    I just rewatched the finale and I'm still confused. So in episode 1 "Brother," Starfleet picks up 7 signals across the galaxy that disappear except…

  9. Star Trek Discovery's Time Travel Paradox

    The second season of Star Trek: Discovery hinges on the mysteries of time travel.The crew pursues seven red burst signals through the stars, eventually finding they were sent by a time traveler ...

  10. Star Trek: Discovery

    Related: Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 New Cast and Character Guide. At the end of the Star Trek: Discovery premiere, Burnham asks Captain Pike if she can visit the Enterprise before the two ships part ways, and Pike allows it, but not before letting her know that Spock isn't aboard. A disheartened Burnham goes anyway and searches her brother's ...

  11. Red burst

    Discovery near Xahea. A fifth burst appeared when Captain Pike was unable to destroy Discovery and thus the Sphere's data. The signal brought Discovery and Enterprise to Xahea, the homeworld of Her Serene Highness Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po. Ensign Tilly, who had previously and secretly met Queen Po, deduced that her friend's engineering genius, evidenced by her ability to recrystallize dilithium ...

  12. I don't get the 7 signals of "Star Trek Discovery" season 2

    While the first 7 signals were strong and well received, the 8th signal was largely regarded as weak and badly through out. Burnham Sr - creator of the original signals - has gone on record as saying that, while she gave Michael the basic outline of her intent for the 8th signal, the actual details of her own 8th signal may vary and evolve as she creates it.

  13. Star Trek: Discovery

    Star Trek: Discovery is an American science fiction television series created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+).It is the seventh Star Trek series and debuted in 2017. The series follows the crew of the starship Discovery beginning a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series in the 23rd century.

  14. Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Explained by Sonequa Martin-Green

    Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation did a stellar job of setting a certain Trek tone. Sci-fi and action , yes, but it also made a point to include messages about hope ...

  15. Star Trek: Discovery Season 3's DOT-7 Wall-E Robots Explained

    The Short Treks episode "Ephraim & Dot" affords a DOT-7 top billing, and charts the robot's relationship with a tardigrade. Their adventures in space are heavily influenced by Wall-E's plot, from the protection of a treasured object (the tardigrade eggs/EVE's plant) to the distinctly human emotions displayed by mechanical characters. "Ephraim ...

  16. star trek

    At the end of the last episode of season 2, the seventh signal shows up. As I understand it, this signal is created by . Michael on her return to "the present". Therefore, I would expect the crew of the Enterprise to be way more excited and head straight for her. The only thing is the distance, apparently the signal is 51,000 lightyears away.

  17. I don't understand the Seven Signals (Discovery season 2)

    rextraverse • 4 yr. ago. There are 7 signals, but they only know about 5 of them. The signals don't happen until they get to their location, but they are only going there because they saw the signal. Likewise, I don't understand where the initial set of 7 signals came from, but there were 7 in the end. Jett Reno's Asteroid. Terralysium. Kaminar.

  18. Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Episode 7 Review: …But to Connect

    Star Trek: Discovery heads into its mid-season break with the strongest episode of Season 4 since its premiere, an hour that puts Burnham and Book at odds over foundational questions about the ...

  19. Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Is Still "Fundamentally Discovery," Says

    Captain Rayner, one of the new Star Trek: Discovery season 5 characters, is also a callback to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. At first, Rayner's pointy ears suggested he was a Vulcan or a Romulan. However, Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise confirmed that Rayner is a Kellerun, a race first introduced in DS9 season 5. The 24th century is yesterday in Star Trek: Discovery, but the TNG era ...

  20. This 'Star Trek Discovery' Character Is a Deep-Cut 'DS9 ...

    Star Trek: Discovery's fifth and final season will premiere April 4, 2024 on Paramount+, wehere past seasons are also streaming. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the trailer ...

  21. The Seven Signals : r/StarTrekDiscovery

    The signal appeared, during 2x01. But they are some timey wimey thing going on with them so they weren't quite there. So when they start talked about them appearing, after that point, they meant appear in a way that allowed to pinpoint there location in a less timey wimey way.

  22. Every Star Trek Captain Warp Catchphrase Explained

    The starships of Star Trek have seen many Captains and almost all of them has uttered a catchphrase when preparing the ship for Warp speed. The moment a starship jumps into warp is a moment full of endless possibilities. It seems fitting that most Captains would choose to punctuate this moment with a memorable saying.The warp catchphrase has become such a staple that Star Trek: Discovery ...

  23. 'Star Trek: Discovery' Episode 7 Will Easily Silence the Haters

    Spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery episode 7 ahead. Borrowing heavily from the structure of 1992 The Next Generation episode "Cause and Effect"; this episode finds the USS Discovery caught in ...

  24. Star Trek 4 Is "Final Chapter", Movie Gets Boost As Writer Is Named

    Star Trek 4 may finally take flight as a new screenwriter is penning what is billed as "the final chapter" of the Starship Enterprise crew led by Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk.The J.J. Abrams-produced and Justin Lin-directed Star Trek Beyond was the last Star Trek movie to hit theaters in the summer of 2016.Now 8 years later, this is the longest time there hasn't been a Star Trek movie ...

  25. Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Ending Explained

    The Discovery Goes To The Future - Possibly For Good. Fans had already theorized that bringing the Discovery into the future was Star Trek: Discovery season 2's endgame and the series indeed went full-throttle into the 32nd century. The rationale for such a drastic move was the fact that the sphere data bonded to the Discovery's computer.

  26. Star Trek: Discovery Plot Holes: Explaining The Canon Inconsistencies

    Here are the biggest canon inconsistencies in Star Trek: Discovery and the possible ways they could be explained in the narrative. Since debuting in September 2017, Star Trek: Discovery has experienced a very mixed reception from both fans and critics. On one hand, the series has received some very positive reviews and boasts a stellar cast that have delivered a truly modernized iteration of ...