star trek discovery titles

Star Trek: Discovery

• Sonequa Martin-Green as Cdr. Michael Burnham
• Doug Jones as Cdr. Saru
• Anthony Rapp as Cdr. Paul Stamets
• Mary Wiseman as Ensign Silvia Tilly
• Shazad Latif as Lt. Ash Tyler / Voq [ 1-2 ]
• Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber
• Rachael Ancheril as Cdr. Nhan [ 2- ]
• Michelle Yeoh as Capt. Philippa Georgiou
• Jason Isaacs as Capt. Gabriel Lorca [ 1 ]
• Anson Mount as Capt. Christopher Pike [ 2 ]
• David Ajala as Cleveland Booker [ 3 ]
• Emily Coutts as Lt. Keyla Detmer
• Patrick Kwok-Choon as Lt. Gen Rhys
• Oyin Oladejo as Lt. Joann Owosekun
• Sara Mitich as Lt.Cdr. Airiam [ 1-2 ] / Lt. Nilsson [ 2- ]
• Ronnie Rowe Jr. as Lt. Ronald Altman Bryce
• Tig Notaro as Jett Reno [ 2- ]
• James Frain as Sarek [ 1-2 ]
• Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson [ 1-2 ]
• Jayne Brook as Adm. Katrina "Kat" Cornwell [ 1-2 ]
• Mary Chieffo as L'Rell [ 1-2 ]
• Ethan Peck as Cdr. Spock [ 2 ]
• Alan Van Sprang as Capt. Leland [ 2 ]
• Blu del Barrio as Adira Tal [ 3 ]
• Oded Fehr as Adm. Charles Vance [ 3 ]

Star Trek: Discovery

• View history

Star Trek: Discovery is the seventh series set in the Star Trek universe. Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman , Discovery was originally set roughly a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series , set primarily aboard the starship USS Discovery , before jumping from the 23rd century to the 32nd century .

The series was announced by StarTrek.com on 2 November 2015 . According to the press release, " The brand-new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966 . " [1]

It is produced by CBS Studios and Secret Hideout ; the executive producers are Fuller, Kurtzman, and Heather Kadin .

The first series to be developed for the CBS All Access subscription platform, it began airing on 24 September 2017 , with a preview broadcast of the premiere episode, " The Vulcan Hello ", on the CBS network ; the second episode being released on All Access on the same day. In the US, subsequent episodes were released exclusive to CBS All Access. The first season ran for a complete fifteen episodes, being released on successive Sundays, finishing on 11 February 2018 , with a mid-season break between November and January. [2] [3] The second season ran for fourteen episodes, between 17 January 2019 and 18 April 2019 , again released via CBS All Access, this time on successive Thursdays. The third season ran for thirteen episodes, also on Thursdays, from 15 October 2020 to 7 January 2021 .

Outside the US, the series was available on Netflix from 25 September 2017 and ending on 16 November 2021 , except in Canada, where Space and Z carry the series in English and French, respectively. The series was slated to begin a global rollout on Paramount+ in 2022. [4] However, on 24 November 2021 , it was announced that the program would instead release beginning on 26 November 2021 with the first two episodes in all markets where Paramount+ is currently available, with new episodes releasing weekly. In those markets still without the service, it will be made available on the free ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV on the same timetable. [5]

CBS aired the first season of Discovery on terrestrial broadcast, beginning on 24 September 2020 , exactly three years after " The Vulcan Hello " first aired. [6]

Discovery was the first official Star Trek live-action production the former franchise owner, Paramount Pictures , neither owned nor was involved with on any level (although since Viacom and CBS re-merged to form ViacomCBS in 2019 , Star Trek television is once again under the same corporate umbrella as Paramount – a distinction made even less significant after ViacomCBS rebranded itself as Paramount Global in February 2022 ).

On 2 March 2023 , it was announced that the series' fifth season would be Discovery 's last and will air in 2024 . [7] [8]

• 1.1 Special guest star
• 1.2.1 32nd century
• 1.2.2 23rd century
• 2.1 Season 1
• 2.2 Season 2
• 2.3 Season 3
• 2.4 Season 4
• 2.5 Season 5
• 3.1 Writing
• 3.4 Casting
• 3.5 Participation interest
• 3.6.1 Tie-ins
• 3.6.2 Products
• 4 Reactions
• 5 Related topics
• 7 External links
• Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
• Doug Jones as Saru
• Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
• Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly
• Wilson Cruz as Hugh Culber (2019–)
• Shazad Latif as Ash Tyler (2017–2019)
• Rachael Ancheril as D. Nhan (2020)
• Blu del Barrio as Adira Tal (2021–2024)
• Tig Notaro as Jett Reno (2021–2024)
• Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner (2024)
• Jason Isaacs as Gabriel Lorca (2017–2018)
• Anson Mount as Christopher Pike (2019)
• David Ajala as Cleveland Booker (2020–2024)

Special guest star

• Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou / Philippa Georgiou (mirror) (2017–2020)

Recurring characters

32nd century.

• Ian Alexander as Gray Tal
• Andreas Apergis as Xi
• Noah Averbach-Katz as Ryn
• Avaah Blackwell as Ina
• David Cronenberg as Kovich
• Orville Cummings as Christopher
• Luca Doulgeris as Leto
• Shawn Doyle as Ruon Tarka
• Oded Fehr as Charles Vance
• Rothaford Gray as Tareckx
• Eve Harlow as Moll
• Ache Hernandez as Kyheem
• Chelah Horsdal as Laira Rillak
• Vanessa Jackson as Audrey Willa
• Hiro Kanagawa as Dr. Hirai
• Janet Kidder as Osyraa
• Ian Lake as Tolor
• Alex McCooeye as Lee'U
• Linford Mark Robinson as L'Teis Kardashev
• Seamus Patterson as Harral
• Katherine Trowell as Bandra
• Tara Rosling as T'Rina
• Phumzile Sitole as Diatta Ndoye
• Giovanni Spina as Sta'Kiar
• Elias Toufexis as L'ak
• Jake Weber as Zareh
• Annabelle Wallis as Zora
• Adrian Walters as Taahz Gorev

23rd century

• Jayne Brook as Katrina Cornwell
• Mary Chieffo as L'Rell
• Conrad Coates as Terral
• Emily Coutts as Keyla Detmer
• Raven Dauda as Tracy Pollard
• James Frain as Sarek
• Riley Gilchrist as Shukar (mirror) / Shukar
• Harry Judge as Gorch (mirror) / Gorch
• Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson
• Patrick Kwok-Choon as Gen Rhys
• Clare McConnell as Dennas
• Kenneth Mitchell as Kol , Aurellio
• Sara Mitich and Hannah Cheesman as Airiam
• Sara Mitich as Nilsson
• Ali Momen as Kamran Gant
• Chris Obi as T'Kuvma
• Oyin Oladejo as Joann Owosekun
• Ethan Peck as Spock
• Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley
• Ronnie Rowe, Jr. as R.A. Bryce
• Christopher Russell as Milton Richter
• Damon Runyan as Ujilli
• Sonja Sohn as Gabrielle Burnham
• Hannah Spear as Siranna
• Alan van Sprang as Leland
• Terry Serpico as Brett Anderson
• Rekha Sharma as Ellen Landry / Ellen Landry (mirror)
• David Benjamin Tomlinson as Linus
• Sam Vartholomeos as Danby Connor
• Chris Violette as Britch Weeton
• Romaine Waite as Troy Januzzi
• Bahia Watson as May Ahearn
• Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd

Episode list

DIS Season 1 , 15 episodes:

DIS Season 2 , 14 episodes:

DIS Season 3 , 13 episodes

DIS Season 4 , 13 episodes

DIS Season 5 , 10 episodes [9]

Development

William Shatner claimed that a " 3 movie deal and then a new series [has] been in the cards since 2007 - 2008 . " [10] After the release of the Star Trek reboot in 2009 , Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci pitched an animated series to CBS, similar to their series Transformers: Prime for The Hub (now Discovery Family). [11] However, Orci said the success of the first film did not indicate whether a new show would be viable, explaining, " One movie doesn't make a trend. Two movies starts to indicate that there is a trend and it's viable. It will become more real as the year goes on. " [12]

By 2009, Bryan Fuller desired to produce a new live-action Star Trek series. " I told my agent and told the people of J.J. Abrams ' team I want to create another Star Trek series and have an idea that I'm kicking around, " he explained.

" I would love to return to the spirit of the old series with the colours and attitude [...] [of] the '60s fun and I would love to take it back to its origin [...] Star Trek has to recreate itself. Otherwise, all the characters start to feel the same. You always have a captain, a doctor, a security officer, and you have the same arguments based on those perspectives. It starts to feel too familiar. So all those paradigms where it takes place on a starship have to be shaken up. " [13]

In 2013 , after the release of Star Trek Into Darkness , a CBS Broadcasting representative reiterated interest in reviving Star Trek for television, in response to a comment from Abrams that he had heard the studio was not interested. [14] On 19 January 2014 , Fuller stated he "would drop everything" in order to become the showrunner for a Star Trek television series, commenting,

" I think it's finding a philosophy about it [that would be important], and I think there is such an interesting philosophy happening now with our identity as a planet and taking responsibility for what's happening on the planet, and I think I would make it about identity, in a specific way. " [15]

Meanwhile, however, Brannon Braga mentioned "the word on the street" was that " they probably won't do one until the movies have run their course, " while Rod Roddenberry concurred with this by saying he believed there would not be another series until after the conclusion of the films. [16] [17] In an October 2015 interview, comics writer Mike Johnson suggested the Tholians might "cause major trouble for the Federation" in the next Star Trek television series. ("Top 50 Alien Species!", Star Trek: Ongoing issue #50, " Live Evil, Part 1 ") Another idea for a new live-action Star Trek series, conceived by Worf actor Michael Dorn , would have focused on Worf as a captain . As early as 7 November 2015 , Dorn confirmed the newly announced series will not be the concept he had wanted. [18]

Netflix , Amazon , and Hulu all offered money to distribute the show, [19] but CBS Corporation President and CEO Leslie Moonves opted to develop the series as CBS All Access' first piece of original content, anticipating that millions would subscribe to watch the show. He also revealed,

" Our international distribution guy is going crazy; he can't wait to get out to the marketplace and sell [it]. Right away, we're more than halfway home on the cost of the show from international alone. The risk is small in seeing the track record. " [20]

Robert Hewitt Wolfe speculated the decision also " allows for good budgets so it makes sense for Star Trek." [21]

On 9 February 2016 , it was officially announced that Bryan Fuller would serve as showrunner on the new Star Trek series. David Stapf, President of CBS Television Studios, explained,

" When we began discussions about the series returning to television, we immediately knew that Bryan Fuller would be the ideal person to work alongside Alex Kurtzman to create a fresh and authentic take on this classic and timeless series. Bryan is not only an extremely gifted writer, but a genuine fan of Star Trek . Having someone at the helm with his gravitas who also understands and appreciates the significance of the franchise and the worldwide fan base was essential to us. "

Fuller himself said, " It is without exaggeration a dream come true to be crafting a brand new iteration of Star Trek with fellow franchise alum Alex Kurtzman and boldly going where no Star Trek series has gone before. " Added Kurtzman,

" Bringing Star Trek back to television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan's devoted care. His encyclopedic knowledge of Trek canon is surpassed only by his love for Gene Roddenberry 's optimistic future, a vision that continues to guide us as we explore strange new worlds. " [22]

On 26 February 2016 , it was announced that Nicholas Meyer would be joining the show as a consulting writer and producer. [23] In an interview conducted the next day , Meyer expressed hope in getting to write some episodes, but was not yet sure how big the writing staff would be. Still to begin work on the show, Meyer said he was waiting to be notified when to do so. He did, however, have some ideas about what the new show would entail. Meyer elaborated,

" I think it's going to be a different Star Trek . It will go in a different direction. And I think that is probably good. Because the thing that mainly troubles me about Star Trek is the fear of it being maybe re-treads of itself [....] And I think that Bryan [Fuller] – who is a very clever fellow – has ideas – some of which I’ve heard – that are innovative and different. Different is what got me interested. "

Meyer also said Fuller considered Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country to be his touchstone for the new series. [24]

On 3 March 2016 , it was announced that Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth would be joining the show as executive producers. [25]

On 17 March 2016 , two photographs apparently showing behind-the-scenes test shots surfaced, but were later proven to be from an unrelated project. [26]

On 22 April 2016 , Pop Goes The News reported that it would be filmed in Toronto, Canada, saying CBS had booked studio space back in September 2015. [27] According to CBS' VP of communications Kristen Hall, however, CBS hadn't yet confirmed the shooting location by this point. [28]

Also in April 2016, Mark Worthington was confirmed as the series' production designer. Worthington's resume, in addition to confirming his own involvement, also revealed that Alex Kurtzman would direct the pilot episode. [29]

On 30 April 2016 , it was reported that the show would be filmed at Toronto's Pinewood Toronto Studios . [30] On 2 May 2016 , the Toronto location was confirmed in a tweet by CBS. [31] This marked the second time (after Star Trek Beyond ) that a Star Trek live-action iteration was not to be produced physically in Hollywood, [32] in itself a further indication of the diminishing relevance of Hollywood as a motion picture production hub, a trend that had set in in the early 2000s. [33] [34]

On 3 May 2016 , it was reported that the show would be available in weekly installments rather than a whole season all at once. Its premiere would simultaneously air on CBS' TV network and All Access, with subsequent episodes exclusive to All Access (for US viewers). [35]

On 18 May 2016 , the first teaser trailer, along with the logo for the show, was released, simply naming the series as " Star Trek ". [36]

On 6 June 2016 , it was reported that the project's code name might be "Green Harvest". [37] The Canadian industry union IATSE 873 confirmed the working title as "Green Harvest" and dated the filming between 26 September 2016 and 15 March 2017 . [38]

In a red carpet interview at the Saturn Awards on 22 June 2016 , Fuller revealed that the first season would be comprised of a thirteen-episode story arc. Filming was scheduled to take place from September 2016 to March 2017 . [39] This was to be the second season-long story arc in Star Trek history, the first having been in season 3 of Enterprise .

Fuller noted, " We are not subject to broadcast standards and practices. So we can have profanity if we choose – not that I want to see a Star Trek with lots of profanity. But we can certainly be more graphic than you would on broadcast network television. " [40] That also meant episodes could be longer than a typical broadcast show. [41]

On 18 July 2016 , Netflix was announced as the international broadcaster for the series in countries where it is available outside the US and Canada. In Canada, the series would air on Space in English and on Z in French. [42]

On 1 August 2016 , Bryan Fuller suggested that the series would be set prior to The Original Series , stating that the registry number of the Discovery was a clue as to the placement of the series in the timeline. He also stated that it would be possible to read a connection, "or not", to Section 31 in some aspect of the first season. [43]

On 8 August 2016 , Bryan Fuller tweeted a picture on Twitter for a makeup test for Discovery which was possibly a hint for the inclusion of an Andorian . [44]

On 10 August 2016 , Bryan Fuller announced that the series would take place in 2255 . [45] According to Fuller, the basis for the first season would incorporate "an incident in the history of Starfleet that had been talked about but never fully explored." [46]

In a radio interview on 27 August 2016 , Fuller revealed more details. The female lead would be the first officer of the Discovery and referred to as " Number one ", honoring Majel Barrett-Roddenberry 's character from TOS : " The Cage ". [47]

On 9 September 2016 , Fuller tweeted that the events of TOS : " Balance of Terror " would provide the "touchstone" for the series' story arc. [48]

On 14 September 2016 , Fuller announced that the series premiere would be delayed until May 2017, in order to ensure the quality of the show was not compromised. CBS agreed with the move. [49]

Variety reported, on 26 October 2016 , that Bryan Fuller would no longer oversee day-to-day operations on the show, but would remain executive producer. He was to remain involved in breaking stories and providing support for showrunners Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts . Sources indicated that CBS, while satisfied with the materials he had created, was concerned that Fuller had too much on his plate with his involvement in other work. This included Starz's then-upcoming drama American Gods . [50] Akiva Goldsman joined the show to provide additional support. [51] Fuller later clarified with Newsweek , on 2 December 2016 , that he was no longer involved with the production. [52]

According to issue #1 of the 2017 Emmy Magazine (p. 21), Star Trek: Discovery has a reported budget of US$6 to US$7 million per episode. [53]

At the CBS upfront presentation on 17 May 2017 , it was announced the first season had been extended to fifteen episodes. Talking Trek (now After Trek ), a post-episode discussion show, was also announced. [54]

The premiere date for the series was announced on 19 June 2017 , when it was revealed that the first season would be split into two airing blocks. [55]

On 23 October 2017 , it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which began filming in April of 2018. [56] [57]

On 27 February 2019 , it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third season, with Michelle Paradise becoming co-showrunner with Alex Kurtzman . [58]

The renewal for the series' fourth season was announced on 16 October 2020 ; the renewal for the fifth season was announced on 18 January 2022 . [59] [60]

Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg have said the characters will be more conflicted and not as perfect as characters from previous Star Trek series. Harberts said they would hold true to Gene Roddenberry's idealised view of future Humans with " how we solve those conflicts. So we do have our characters in conflict, we do have them struggling with each other, but it's about how they find a solution and work through their problems. " [61]

Having the female protagonist be given the traditionally male name of Michael is one of Fuller's signature motifs: other examples include Chuck in Pushing Daises and Jaye on Wonderfalls . [62]

In contrast to previous shows, the writers are ready to kill off characters even if their actors aren't planning to leave the series. [63]

Due to Gene Roddenberry 's belief religion would die out by the 23rd century , writer Kirsten Beyer felt references to God should be avoided, quipping to Jason Isaacs when he ad-libbed on set "for God's sakes", that "for f–'s sake" would be more likely. [64] Gretchen Berg later clarified, " I don't necessarily agree with [Isaacs'] quote. On a show about diversity and with different points of view, I feel like you have to accept that some people believe in God, some people want to worship a potato, and some people don't want to believe in anything. I think there is room for that on Star Trek . " [65] Harberts later confirmed that the incident had been taken out of context and was specific to Lorca at that juncture, not the show in general. He also expressed interest in exploring the issue of faith or lack of it in later episodes. [66]

Even when the series was yet to begin airing, a second season had already been mapped out, with a third season beginning to be mapped out. [67]

The writers regularly consult Memory Alpha. According to Harberts, the series' writing team are themselves "fanatical" about fact-checking the information they discover on the wiki. For example, they sometimes rewatch, or ask researcher Anthony Maranville to rewatch, an entire episode based on a single detail from one of Memory Alpha's many entries. [68]

Writing for Season 2 began in January of 2018. [69]

In August 2020 Kurtzman said that writing for Discovery had continued during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the writers' room meeting via Zoom. [70] On 16 October 2020 Season 4 was officially announced.

The teaser title card for Discovery

Bryan Fuller was adamant the Klingon make-up be updated for the show. Aaron Harberts noted, " In the different versions of Trek , the Klingons have never been completely consistent. We will introduce several different houses with different styles. " [71] According to Neville Page , who also designed the Klingons for Star Trek – though the Klingon scenes were cut from that film as released – and Star Trek Into Darkness , Fuller mandated most of them should be bald. [72] Page, and fellow lead designer, Glenn Hetrick  continued to identify the baldness as an enduring part of Fuller's intentions for the Klingons, allowing them to reveal what was on their heads (such as in AT : " Lethe ").

The lead costume designer is Gersha Phillips . The Starfleet uniforms were originally similar to those in the original series. [73]

The teaser clip presented at the San Diego Comic-Con on 23 July 2016 was scored by Fil Eisler as an audition for the show. At the following year's panel, Jeff Russo was announced as the series' composer, and it was revealed that he had already completed work on the Discovery theme. [74] Russo recorded the theme, along with the score for the first episode, with a sixty-piece orchestra in Los Angeles on 27 July 2017 . [75]

Russo returned for Season 2. [76]

The show was announced to have a female lead. [77] The first cast member, Michelle Yeoh , was revealed by Nicholas Meyer in an interview on 22 November 2016 . [78] Anthony Rapp and Doug Jones were confirmed the following week. [79]

Bryan Fuller commented that the cast should be diverse. "Star Trek is a show of firsts. And in researching the characters for this new iteration of Star Trek , I've been talking to Mae Jemison , who's the first black woman in space, and who saw Star Trek in the '60s and who saw Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of a ship and said, 'I see myself in space.' So there's something wonderful about the legacy that Nichelle Nichols represents as giving a gift to people who weren't previously able to see themselves in the future. We are going to be continuing that tradition of progressive casting and progressive character work to be an inclusive world. " He also said "eventually, eventually" there will be appearances from previously established characters. [80]

On 24 May 2016 , it was reported that some fans wished to see Castle and Firefly alumnus Nathan Fillion in the series. [81] It was even suggested that this was why Fillion ended his commitment to Castle . [82] Bryan Fuller ideally wanted Angela Bassett and Rosario Dawson ; Bassett declined due to prior obligations, and there is no evidence Dawson was ever approached for consideration. [83]

Star Trek alumnus Tony Todd also expressed interest in working on the new series and even confirmed he is on a casting list of the studio. [84] [85]

In late October, it was reported the cast would feature, in addition to the female lead, an openly-gay male lead, a female and a male admiral , a male Klingon captain, and a British male doctor. [86]

Early news stories of Sonequa Martin-Green's casting in December 2016 identified her character as "Lieutenant Commander Rainsford"; [87] CBS' official announcement on 3 April 2017 changed the name to "Burnham".

On 28 April 2017 , it was announced that Shazad Latif had been re-cast as Lt. Tyler, being replaced in the role of Kol by Kenneth Mitchell. Three other cast members were also added: Rekha Sharma as Commander Landry, Clare McConnell as Dennas, and Damon Runyan as Ujilli. [88]

Wilson Cruz's casting as Dr. Culber was revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con panel on 22 July 2017 .

Participation interest

Marina Sirtis has expressed interest in reprising her role as Deanna Troi in a phone interview with MZNOW , saying, " I loved playing her... It would be interesting to me to go back now, twenty years later and kind of go 'who did she become? Who is she now?' I would find that very interesting, and I would love to do that. " [89]

Both Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan have expressed interest in reprising their roles as Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine respectively. In an interview with the TODAY show, Mulgrew said, " I want to be the admiral and I want to boss them around. " Ryan, in an interview with Digital Spy , said, " My understanding is that it's in a very different world from any of the previous shows – but never say never. It'd be fun to just drop in and revisit her – not that I want to revisit her all the time! " [90]

Scott Bakula , Jonathan Frakes , and Nichelle Nichols have also expressed interest in appearing on the series. [91] [92] [93]

In an interview with "Variety", Martin-Green's Walking Dead co-star Andrew Lincoln expressed his desire to appear on the show, possibly with alien make-up on. [94]

According to Michael Dorn 's publicist, brief discussions were held between Discovery producers and Dorn about a possible role on the show, but that there are no plans for him to appear on it at this time. An Orlando Sentinel writer expanded on the publicist's statement by stating that Dorn was offered less than one percent of what he had been paid for his last appearance as Worf. [95]

Robert Duncan McNeill has stated that he had to turn down the chance to direct an episode of Discovery due to being unavailable but that he would "love to do it". [96]

The show's title was revealed by Bryan Fuller at the San Diego Comic-Con on 23 July 2016 with a clip of the title ship, the USS Discovery (NCC-1031). [97] [98] The promo was produced in three weeks and scored by Fil Eisler as an audition for the show. It greatly resembled the Ralph McQuarrie concept art for the canceled film Star Trek: Planet of the Titans , which the staff could not confirm at the time for legal reasons. [99]

Fuller also announced, at a press junket immediately thereafter, the show would be set in the prime timeline, though Fuller declined to say exactly when in that timeline it would be set.

↑ John Van Citters has chosen "DSC" as the series' official abbreviation. [100] This is consistent with the studio's use of "VGR" for Star Trek: Voyager , but MA will use the abbreviation "DIS" for Discovery , for consistency with using "VOY" for Voyager .

On 31 January 2017 , a trailer was released, showing behind-the-scenes footage of early filming. [101]

Ahead of the CBS upfront presentation on 17 May 2017 , the first official promotional image of the series was released, featuring Yeoh and Martin-Green in character on location in Jordan. [102] At the presentation, Martin-Green appeared to debut the first full trailer for the series, which was released online immediately afterward. [103] A trailer featuring the same footage recut was released by Netflix at the same time. [104]

The first official teaser poster for the series was released alongside the trailer, with a second released to accompany the announcement of the season premiere date. Two further limited edition posters were released at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2017 . At the Discovery panel on 22 July 2017 , a second full trailer debuted, featuring the first footage of Isaacs' Captain Lorca and Wilson's Harry Mudd. The trailer was released online shortly after the panel. [105] [106]

The overall first year publicity efforts of CBS Television Studios on behalf of Discovery were coordinated by its Vice President Communications Kristen Hall , [107] which earned her an industry award nomination in 2018, the ICG Publicists Award; she did not win, however. [108]

Season 3 title card

At the Mission New York convention in September 2016 , it was announced that IDW Publishing would produce comics (written by Mike Johnson ) and that Gallery Books would produce novels (the first by David Mack ) tying into the series. Both tie-in lines are coordinated with the events of the series, and are supervised by Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer. [109]

In August 2017 , it was announced that Star Trek Timelines would be updated to include characters and ships from Discovery , including Philippa Georgiou, Michael Burnham, and Saru. [110] [111] In October 2017 , more Discovery characters were added to the game including Gabriel Lorca, Ash Tyler, and Harry Mudd. [112] A month-long event, Discovery: A New Frontier , gave players the opportunity to acquire other characters and ships from the series. [113]

In September 2017 , to mark the start of the series, Perfect World made Discovery 's Starfleet uniform available to players of Star Trek Online for a limited period. [114] In January 2018 , the publisher announced that the " Discovery Lock Box" would be added to the game, giving players the chance to win ships, weapons and equipment based on those of the series, including the Crossfield -class , the Sarcophagus , and the Walker -class . [115] Starting in the autumn of 2018, Age of Discovery allows players to create a character from the Discovery era. [116] Later additions include the uniforms worn by the crew of the ISS Charon and ISS Shenzhou and several weapons used by the Emperor .

Under Eaglemoss Collections ' Hero Collector imprint, Penguin Random House published the Star Trek: Discovery Designing Starships volume of the Designing Starship reference book series on 3 September 2019 . From an in-universe perspective, a number of DIS ships are also covered in the Star Trek: Shipyards - Starfleet Ships 2151-2293 volume from the Shipyards series. Starfleet ships from the show's third season will also be covered in the second edition of the Star Trek: Shipyards - Starfleet Ships 2294 to the Future reference book . [117]

Anovos produced a phaser pistol prop replica in December 2017 [118] and released a phaser rifle late in 2018. It began to retail Starfleet uniforms (replica costumes) in the summer of 2018 [119] and markets upscale "Studio-Scale Filming Miniatures" of the USS Discovery , USS Shenzhou , and USS Enterprise ( as seen in DIS ) along with a number of Eaglemoss and QMx products. [120] [121] Rubie's Costume Company also produces DIS costumes.

In January 2018, Eaglemoss Collections ' Hero Collector brand premiered the Star Trek: Discovery The Official Starships Collection partwork , featuring starship miniatures , dedication plaques , and a figure from the series. Other ships from the series were also released as larger models within the Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , and polyresin busts of DIS characters were featured in the company's Star Trek: The Official Busts Collection . Following the release of its 33rd (numbered) issue in 2021, the company's DIS starships will be marketed as part of the Star Trek Universe: The Official Starships Collection .

QMx debuted its magnetic DIS Starfleet insignia badges at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2017. FanSets launched its first wave of collectible Discovery pins in August 2017. [122]

Hallmark released a Keepsake Christmas ornament depicting the USS Discovery in July 2018. Another DIS ornament that featured Commander Saru and Michael Burnham was released a year later.

Beginning in August 2018, McFarlane Toys began to retail a series of seven-inch articulated figures which will eventually feature characters from DIS. [123] [124] [125] Toy weapons and accessories for role-play were planned but the production of phaser pistol toys was halted after regulatory issues (and the ensuing retailer reticence) came to light, due to the toys' perceived resemblance to real firearms.

Titan Merchandise debuted DIS "Titans" vinyl figures at a 2018 convention and planned to put them into wide retail release during 2019. [126]

Gentle Giant released a Saru bust in the summer of 2018, followed by figurines of Michael Burnham and the Torchbearer. Its toy division, Gentle Giant Toys , announced that it planned to release Fleet Flyers "starship danglers" in the autumn of 2018 but they did not reach retail and had been placed "on hold" as of February 2019. [127] [128] [129]

Branded as Polar Lights products, Round 2 began to release plastic model kits (and display models) of DIS starships in early 2019. [130]

Ukonic/Robe Factory released a USS Discovery pizza cutter in 2021.

On 13 July 2021 , ViacomCBS Consumer Products and Playmates Toys jointly announced that the latter had acquired new licensing for " action figures, vehicles and ships, role play and other toy categories ", and slated the first of these products for retail release in 2022. Among other Star Trek series and films, this licensing encompasses Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Lower Decks , Star Trek: Picard , and Star Trek: Prodigy . [131]

Rick Berman responded to the new series with cautious optimism. On his Twitter feed, he tweeted, " I wish them nothing but good luck and smooth sailing. Just hope it stays true to Gene's vision. " [132]

Brannon Braga likewise wished the new series well, commenting on his Twitter feed, "Star Trek is a vast canvass with many artists. Constantly evolving. Godspeed to Mr Kurtzman. " [133] Braga additionally remarked, " Hopefully with the new series they can get back to more meditative storytelling. " In Braga's opinion, the new series is vital to ensuring Star Trek continues for another fifty years. He stated, " It's all about making sure the next television show is really good and finds a new generation of viewers to keep it going. " ( SFX , issue 270, p. 68) He later commented, " With Discovery , I am honestly as excited to see it as any other Star Trek fan. I devour each new trailer the moment it comes out. " [134]

Robert Hewitt Wolfe admitted to not knowing anything about the new series, apart from having read about it online, and stated he is currently too busy to write for it. He also commented, " Sounds like it could be great though. " As for the way the new series will be released, he stated, " Subscription streaming is an extremely successful model & allows for good budgets so it makes sense for Star Trek." Wolfe tweeted a "congrats" message to Bryan Fuller, upon him being named as the series' showrunner, adding, " You have the conn. Do us proud. " [135] [136] [137]

David A. Goodman reacted to news of the series by saying, " Hope it's good, will watch it even if it's bad. " [138]

As for whether he and wife Denise Okuda will be involved in working on the new series, Michael Okuda remarked, " We'd love to be involved. Kurtzman already has a talented, experienced team from the last two films, but who knows? " [139] Regarding the announcement that the series will be run by Bryan Fuller, Michael Okuda stated, " Congrats, Bryan! Go boldly! " [140]

Rene Auberjonois dismissed the notion that the new series will feature himself and Nana Visitor portraying their respective Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters of Odo and Kira Nerys . [141]

On Seth MacFarlane 's Twitter feed, he recommended, " Let's make this new Star Trek series optimistic, eh? I think we're all dystopia'd out. " [142] MacFarlane incidentally, actually put his money where his mouth was, as he is the creator/star/producer of the Star Trek: The Next Generation inspired science fiction series The Orville , adopting the former's upbeat tone and which almost simultaneously premiered with Discovery in September 2017 on FOX TV, thereby de facto becoming a competitor for the latter, as it has inevitably led up to many fans and reviewers making head-to-head comparisons between the two. The overlapping airings continued when the respective second seasons of both series started their run in January 2019.

Former Star Trek , but now- The Orville , science consultant André Bormanis has stated, " When it comes back to TV, I hope they do something more in the spirit of the original. Everybody in Hollywood who has ever had even the smallest association with Star Trek I'm sure has a 'How would you do the next Star Trek ?' answer. I would probably do something a little more like Captain Pike's adventures. Go back to that era where it was a little more rugged, a little more fifties' sci-fi sensibility. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 39)

Press reactions to the series' announcement pondered how Star Trek could appeal to a new generation and compete against darker, more mature shows of the 21st century, like Game of Thrones , The Walking Dead , and Ronald D. Moore 's reboot of Battlestar Galactica . [143] [144] [145] [146] National Post felt there was no need for a new series, arguing Star Trek had become a quaint retrofuture series akin to Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers . [147] The Independent was one of the few to argue the optimistic future of Star Trek would make a welcome antidote. [148]

Other articles concentrated on the decision to produce the series for streaming, with some expressing deep cynicism over the idea. [149] [150] [151] Others noted the decision was a win-win in terms of keeping the series going. [152] [153] [154] [155]

Den of Geek and io9 noted most fans would prefer the show be set after The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Voyager instead of in the same timeline as the film series. [156] [157] UK magazine SFX reported that was the most wanted request for the series. Other requests, in order of most desired, included: having the new crew undertake a multi-year mission in a starship rather than having them occupy a space station; focusing on controversial social issues; retaining a sense of fun; and introducing new alien species and technology. The magazine also determined that their readers' "dream cast" for the series included Dan Stevens as the captain, Rooney Mara as the first officer, Gina Torres as the doctor, Nick Frost as the engineer, and Wil Wheaton as the Federation President . ( SFX , issue 270, pp. 36-37) USGamer expressed hope that the series' success could revive interest in Star Trek video games after the failure of the movie tie-in . [158]

During an interview given at CinemaCon (11-14 April 2016), Brent Spiner commented that "looking at such a pedigree" working for the show, he thinks it is going to be fantastic. He also remarked that J.J. Abrams allegedly just became a producer of the show. [159] In an interview with SFX magazine (issue 275, p. 67) that was published around the same time, Spiner remarked, laughing, that all the new series had to do in order to work in the 21st century was simply "to be there." He added, " And just be entertaining [....] And I think there's a good chance it'll work. There's a really great bunch of people attached to that project, really talented people. I have no doubt that's going to be a really huge success. "

A lawsuit alleging that elements of Discovery had been copied from an unreleased video game called Tardigrades was filed on 19 August 2019 , and dismissed on 20 September 2019 . The judge found that Discovery "is not substantially similar to [ Tardigrades ] as a matter of law." Memory Alpha was cited in the finding. [160] The case was appealed, but on 17 August 2020 the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the lower court's decision. [161] [162]

In April 2021 , the third season of Discovery won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series. The show had previously been nominated in 2018 and 2019 for each of the first two seasons. [163]

As of 2021, Discovery has been nominated for ten Emmy Awards , mostly in "technical" categories such as visual effects and makeup. It has won two: "Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special" and "Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Single Episode".

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While it’s of course still very possible that these final episode titles may change between their 2022-2023 registration dates and the April 2024 airings, here is what’s been listed as of this week:

Season 5 begins with “Red Directive”  (Episode 501) by Michelle Paradise, followed by  “Under the Twin Moons” (502) by Alan McElroy and “Jinaal” (503) by the Kyle Jarrow and Lauren Wilkinson.

The season continues with  “Face the Strange”  (504) by Sean Cochran,  “Mirrors” (505) by Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco,  “Whistlespeak” (506) by Kennith Lin and Brandon A. Schultz, then “Erigah”  (507) by M. Raven Metzner, and then  “Labyrinths”  (508) as a second entry from Lauren Wilkinson, joined by Eric J. Robins.

Discovery’s  final entries are known to be a two-part story, with “Lagrange Point” (509) directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Sean Cochran and Ari Friedman, while the concluding  “Life, Itself” (510) is scripted by Kyle Jarrow and showrunner Michelle Paradise, and directed by longtime supervising director and executive producer Olatunde Osunsanme.

There’s already been plenty of speculation in the Trek community about these titles over the last few days, but we’ll throw in our ideas as well.

• “Under the Twin Moons” may be a Saru-focused episode, as his homeworld of Kaminar is known to have two moons (as seen in “The Brighest Star” and “That Hope is You, Part 2”).

• “Face the Strange” is likely a reference to David Bowie’s song “Changes,” where listeners are told to “Turn and face the strange.”

• Perhaps “Whistlespeak” might refer to whale song… if Discovery decides to check in on the Whale Probe aliens from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in the 32nd century? (This one’s pretty unlikely, we’ll admit!)

Keep checking back to TrekCore as we get closer to the show’s return for more on the closing chapter of the  Discovery story!

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Published Sep 24, 2017

Discovery Main Title Sequence

The Star Trek: Discovery main title sequence has just been released. And it's 95 seconds of superb music, some of which strikes iconic notes, and colorful animation that builds out elements of the show -- including ships, weapons, an EV suit and more -- that will soon become very familiar to viewers.

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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.

Star Trek: Discovery Unveils Episode Titles For Season 5

The roster of episode titles serves as a roadmap for the final chapter of Star Trek: Discovery.

The titles for the upcoming episodes of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 have been revealed.

During the CCXP event in Dec. 2023, Paramount+ shared a preview of Season 5 along with the announcement that the final installment of the series is set to premiere in April. The Writers Guild of America directory later provided the episode titles and their respective writers. Michelle Paradise, co-showrunner of Star Trek: Discovery , is credited with writing the Season 5 premiere and co-writing the finale, which will also serve as the series finale.

Which Star Trek Series Had the Best Mirror Universe Episodes?

The list of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 episode titles includes "Red Directive," written by Michelle Paradise, "Under the Twin Moons," written by Alan McElroy, "Jinaal," written by Kyle Jarrow and Lauren Wilkinson, "Face the Strange," written by Sean Cochran, "Mirrors," Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco, "Whistlespeak," written by Kenneth Lin and Brandon A. Schultz, "Erigah," written by M. Raven Metzner, "Labyrinths," written by Lauren Wilkinson and Eric J. Robbins, "Lagrange Point," written by Sean Cochran and Ari Friedman, and "Life, Itself," written by Kyle Jarrow and Michelle Paradise.

The USS Discovery Makes Its Final Voyage in Season 5

Star Trek: Discovery premiered on CBS All Access (now rebranded as Paramount+) in Sept. 2017. Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, the series is set about a decade before the events of the original Star Trek series. The story follows the adventures of the USS Discovery, focusing on Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), who initially served as the first officer on the USS Shenzhou. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when she becomes involved in a conflict with the Klingon Empire, leading to a war that has far-reaching consequences.

A Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Is Bad News for Star Trek

One of the most distinctive elements of Star Trek: Discovery is its serialized storytelling, which differs from the more episodic nature of previous Star Trek series . The series introduces new characters each season and revisits familiar species and story arcs of earlier shows. The series initially received mixed reviews from fans. While some praised its updated take on the classic franchise, others were unhappy with its departure from the franchise's traditional storytelling.

However, the series has developed a dedicated fan base over time and has contributed to the enduring legacy of Star Trek . Season 5 was confirmed in Jan. 2022, with filming taking place in Toronto, Canada, from June to Nov. that same year. In March 2023, Paramount+ revealed that Star Trek: Discovery would conclude with the next 10-episode installment.

Star Trek: Discovery will debut on Paramount+ in April 2024.

Source: Writers Guild of America directory

Star Trek: Discovery ( 2017 )

We come in peace, that's why we're here. Isn't that the whole idea of Starfleet?

How do you boldly go where many have gone before? After six television series, thirteen feature films, and countless other pieces of media, Star Trek ’s fabled final frontier is now well-trodden ground. For Star Trek: Discovery , the seventh TV series in the long-running Trek franchise and the first to take to the airwaves – or rather streaming services – since the conclusion of the last television series   in 2005, that was the question.  

Set roughly 10 years prior to the events of the original 1960s Star Trek series, Discovery follows Starfleet science officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) during the events of the Federation-Klingon War of 2256, a devastating conflict that she inadvertently helped to provoke. For those keeping track, this new prequel series is set in the so-called Prime timeline that all previous Trek TV shows have occupied to date and not the alternate timeline established by J.J. Abrams’ 2009 film Star Trek and its sequels. Although Discovery occupies a setting that will be familiar to longtime fans of the franchise, the new series shares the sleek aesthetic and kineticism of the Abrams films, the primary difference being fewer lens flares. It’s a hybrid Star Trek series – a fascinating mix of new and old – and a new type of Trek necessitated a new kind of introduction. Star Trek: Discovery ’s title sequence fits the bill. It acts as both an annotated history of the future, or at least the future depicted by Trek , and a window into the life experience of the troubled but talented Starfleet officer who serves as the show’s protagonist.

Star Trek: Discovery (2016) international trailer

“The Discovery main title makes wonderful use of graphic iconography of Star Trek , immersing the viewer in Gene Roddenberry's universe in much the same way that Montgomery/Cobb's brilliant main title for Star Trek: Enterprise retold the history of exploration and flight, leading up to the first starship Enterprise ,” said Michael Okuda , Star Trek ’s longtime lead graphic designer and a technical consultant with screen credit on more Trek productions than anyone except creator Gene Roddenberry. Okuda was not involved in Discovery or its title sequence, but anyone who works on the franchise in a design capacity owes a debt to his work from S tar Trek: The Next Generation onward. As one of the keepers of Trek ’s design flame, so to speak, he’s is uncommonly qualified to weigh in. “These titles captured the spirit of Star Trek in unexpected, but satisfying styles.”

The task of capturing the spirit of Trek for Discovery ’s opening fell to venerable design studio Prologue . They faced the same conundrum the series’ showrunners did: how do you add something new and exciting to a 50-year-old franchise while still honouring what came before? The main title that Prologue ultimately produced for this latest iteration of the popular sci-fi franchise is a brilliant piece of design, one that answers that question by presenting the story of the discoveries that would ultimately lead humanity to the stars.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

The first step for the team at Prologue on their journey to create Discovery ’s main titles was to reexamine the core ideas that formed the foundation of Star Trek – and, in the case of Spanish-born Creative Director and Designer Ana Criado , step one was to get better acquainted with the series.

Star Trek: Discovery (2016) Creative Director and Designer Ana Criado

Like many, Criado was familiar with Star Trek but had never seen an episode in its entirety. The Discovery main titles were her first real opportunity to explore the final frontier in a more meaningful way. “Ever since I was a kid, I have always been fascinated by the aesthetics of Star Trek , specifically that of the technology they use in the show,” said Criado. “When we got this project, I finally had the chance to look closely and investigate the way that all of this tech had been designed on The Original Series and beyond.”

Having not grown up watching Trek , Criado was completely free from decades worth of continuity baggage coming into the project. However, for the rest of the team the storied franchise loomed large, particularly for Prologue co-founder and Creative Director Kyle Cooper and Writer/Historian Kurt Mattila , who both grew up watching The Original Series and later Star Trek: The Next Generation . “Both of them impacted me in different ways, but especially the former,” said Cooper. “I always loved that right off the bat, with The Original Series , you got that mission statement: ‘To boldly go where no man has gone before...’ You didn’t have to worry about continuity or missing episodes. Any new viewer could turn on any episode of Star Trek and immediately have all of the themes established for them during that one simple sequence.”

Any new viewer could turn on any episode of Star Trek and immediately have all of the themes established for them during that one simple sequence.

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) season 1 title sequence

Mattila, an avowed Next Generation fan and a creative director and title designer in his own right, joined the team as a consultant of sorts, becoming Prologue’s resident Trek guru for the project. Part of his job was to ensure that Discovery ’s opening title sequence adhered to the established universe, characters, and canon as much as possible. “My role was basically ‘How do we take this great idea and make it relevant to Star Trek ?’ said Mattila. “It was like Sarek, I was like the ambassador to this portion of things.”

“Space: the final frontier...” Whether spoken by William Shatner’s Captain Kirk or later Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard those iconic words have transcended the Star Trek franchise and title sequences, becoming so ingrained in Western pop culture that they’re arguably more famous than the shows themselves – and, for that matter, similar phrases uttered by real-life space explorers.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) season 3 title sequence

As a result of Trek ’s large cultural footprint, the series’ various openings are some of the most well known title sequences ever created for television or film. This placed an enormous burden on the designers and directors tasked with creating the titles for the latest iteration of the series. When Prologue landed the project, the team’s reaction was, as one might imagine, a mix of trepidation and excitement. “I was very happy… and then I realized the timeline we were supposed to keep to and the massive responsibility of appeasing millions of Star Trek fans all around the world,” recalled Criado. “Whatever we created needed to be both tremendous and memorable.”

Prologue's  Star Trek guru  Kurt Mattila

Like Criado, Mattila also felt a huge burden – both as a designer and a fan – but, after the initial shock wore off, he began to view the project as an opportunity to check something off of his bucket list. “When I got back up off the floor and sat back into my chair it was kind of like ‘Uh… What?!” said Mattila with a laugh. “In the world of science fiction, doing the opening crawl to Star Wars or a Star Trek title sequence – if you can hit one of those two or be a part of the team that does one of those, that’s pretty good!”

Set years before the time of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy – between Star Trek: Enterprise and The Original Series – Star Trek: Discovery is uncharted territory for seasoned fans and newcomers alike. Despite his own strong attachments to the franchise, Cooper saw the new show’s unexplored setting as a chance to try something different with the main title sequence. “It’s interesting because while there is a long history, this particular series takes place relatively close to the beginning of it,” said Cooper of Discovery. “Being a prequel became almost an advantage because it let us start from such a different place creatively – we didn’t have to worry about establishing everything that had happened in Star Trek because most of it hadn’t happened yet.”

FIRST CONTACT

With that relatively clean slate as their starting point, the team from Prologue met with Discovery ’s producers and writers to begin developing the concept for the new main title sequence. “What was very apparent on this project when we got involved was that the bread was still cooling,” said Mattila. “They weren’t quite sure what the sequence needed to be.”

While the show’s staff were initially uncertain about the direction Discovery ’s opening should take, according to Criado that first meeting established the parameters for what they didn’t want the sequence to be. “They wanted it to look kind of vintage and distinct from previous title sequences,” she said. Mattila recalled the specific mandate set forth by the showrunners: “We don’t want where we were, we want to go past it… Boldly go where no Star Trek has gone before!”

Star Trek: Discovery (2016) Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman

Both Criado and Mattila characterize those early discussions with the producers as a very collaborative process that laid the groundwork for what the title sequence would become, but despite a few promising starts during this phase more work was needed to hammer out the final concept. “We all – including series co-creator Alex Kurtzman – had ideas and they were grounded in Star Trek ,” Mattila said. “We had this whole piece that was like an ode to beaming. You would have all these beautiful moments and characters that kind of get beamed to one side of the lens to the next and that kind of becomes the bed for the sequence.”

Although Discovery ’s title sequence did not end up becoming the homage to the vaunted transporter device that Mattila described, the technology-focused concept struck a chord with the team. The primary challenge early on, according to Cooper, was finding a way to capture the “mystery and hopefulness” inherent in Trek while acknowledging the history of the franchise in some way. Trek tech turned out to be the answer. With the majority of Star Trek ’s canonical future still ahead of it, the discussions shifted from transporters to other innovations that helped get Starfleet – and in turn the crew of the USS Discovery – to this point in time, specifically the technological advancements that made humanity’s voyages of exploration possible to begin with. “The phrase that came out that we all latched on to – Kyle, Ana, and me – is that this is the second renaissance of man,” Mattila said. And with that idea in mind the concept for the title sequence began to take shape. “Our concept was to show how the starship Discovery and its crew came to be a part of this new adventure,” said Criado. “To do so, we decided to take things back to the drawing board, literally.”

A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

When faced with the challenge of adding something new to a constantly evolving, decade-spanning media franchise like Star Trek – a work of fiction with legions of fans who have very specific ideas about what does and does not qualify as Trek – a pair of fresh eyes is an invaluable asset. For the Discovery main titles, Criado was that perspective and much more. Her status as a non-Trekkie combined with a design sensibility almost completely at odds with everything one might consider traditionally Star Trek helped the team and Discovery ’s showrunners reassess the tropes central to the franchise.

It was as if the graphics themselves tipped their hat to the show’s history.

Examples of the “Blueprint” concept in the  Star Trek: Discovery  main titles.

“It was as if the graphics themselves tipped their hat to the show’s history and the ephemeral process that went into the design and creation of all of the equipment blueprints and devices over the years,” said Cooper of Criado’s approach to Discovery , noting that her early concept boards presented the material in a completely unorthodox manner. “There was no inky black void of space, no fleets of ships whirring around. It was a bit like the first Marvel logo flipbook animation we worked on, where you felt the analogue history of the brand.”

Criado’s blueprint concept allowed the team to work through the idea of the “second renaissance” in a very direct way. Through this concept the main titles could metaphorically hit on every major scientific breakthrough and exploratory milestone that had happened in Trek canon up until the beginning of the show, and at the same time transfigure the tenets central to Kirk’s famous mission statement into something the viewer could actually see. “We recognized that this was a very strong concept straight away, and poured all of our efforts and resources into realizing it,” said Criado. From there designing the sequence became a process of posing questions and figuring out what the answer might look like. “How does a bidimensional sketch transform into a complicated starship? What were the original designs for a phaser, a communicator, etc.?”

The iconic phaser weapon as it appears in the Star Trek: Discovery main titles.

As the concept continued to develop, Prologue’s Trek expert (Trekspert?) Mattila found himself having to keep his inner geek in check. “In the opening bit where the blueprints of the ship come on and you see all these crystals go by, those are dilithium crystals – that’s the stuff that powers the warp drive,” explains Mattila. “Ana didn’t know that those crystals go in the ship, but she made this beautiful field of crystals and we were all like ‘That’s awesome!’” It was here that Criado’s unfamiliarity with Trek collided head on with Mattila’s depth of knowledge on the subject. “I felt myself turning into a nerd, but then it was like ‘It’s a metaphor, just go with it!’” he said. “That’s what I’ve learned from Kyle over the years: the best thing you can do as a creative director or an art director is not stand in way of something that’s naturally evolving.”

Dilithium crystals in the  Star Trek: Discovery  main titles.

Over the next few months, from the beginning of pre-production in March 2017 through to early June, Discovery ’s title sequence slowly but surely started to take shape. A shower of dilithium would represent the warp drive, humanity’s first contact with an alien species would be represented by the well-known Vulcan salute, the discovery of the Klingons would be symbolized by the bat'leth sword, and so on. The team also highlighted the creation of various pieces of key Star Trek technology, such as the communicator, the phaser, and the transporter, often using the devices and their functions as transitional elements between the vignettes.

THE DIE IS CAST

As the broad strokes of Discovery ’s main titles came together, the team was simultaneously trying to figure out the context that the sequence would be presented in. “One of our main discussions was establishing a point of view – whose perspective was this opening going to be from?” said Cooper. “Unlike past series, Discovery is really rooted in one specific character and her journey instead of an ensemble, which called for a different approach to the title sequence.” The team soon realized that a traditional introductory mission statement accompanied by a series of vignettes wouldn’t work here because at its core Discovery wasn’t a traditional Star Trek series.

Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) from Star Trek: Discovery

“This is actually not about a captain,” said Mattila, noting that the main character of every previous Trek series had either been a starship or space station captain. “From moment one we’re entering this universe from a new perspective, you’re following the path of Michael Burnham, who’s a first officer.” There was also the somewhat pressing issue that Discovery ’s commander, Lorca (Jason Isaacs), was not exactly the selfless, by the book Starfleet captain viewers were accustomed to. “Reading the scripts you quickly realized ‘Wow. Well, we can’t really have the captain say any of this!’” he said. “The captain turns out to be kind of an asshole, so you don’t want him giving the mission statement. So what do you do?” The fix, according to Criado, was to turn their history of mankind’s fictional future into what amounted to a history lesson of sorts. “We wanted to illustrate the learning process of [Michael Burnham], and bring [the viewer] into this complicated world the same way... one piece at a time.” That decision transformed Discovery ’s main titles from a visually arresting historical compendium into a fascinating window into Burnham’s character – an ambitious young officer with more education than actual experience. “She doesn’t have a captain’s log but maybe she has a first officer's log,” said Mattila. “[Burnham] is a great student of Starfleet history, so it would stand to reason that she would be gathering these blueprints and studying those.” The suggestion that what was being seen on screen were more than just blueprints, that the viewer was looking at essentially study notes with scribbles in the margins, allowed the team to further expand the notion of a renaissance, specifically, the Renaissance.

Pages from the Codex Leicester , one of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks.

The combination of handwriting, diagrams, and colours referenced the sketches of artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, while the shot of the two spacesuits reaching out to one another, much like Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” fresco, hammered the point home.

Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Rome, c. 1512

Although at this point in the process it might seem as though Discovery ’s main titles didn’t share much visual DNA with the other Trek openers, an iconic sequence from the first act of 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture , a favourite of both Cooper and Mattila, did factor into an early cut of the sequence. “I always liked the scaffolding in [ The Motion Picture ], where they first see the Enterprise ,” Mattila said. “There was an earlier version [of the main title] where the blueprint lines were like the scaffolding that sort of broke apart as the ship formed.”

The USS Enterprise reveal sequence from Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

“The biggest challenge was making sure the look didn’t seem like an animatic.” Mattila said there was concern that the wireframes in the sequence might have suggested something that was half-built or unfinished. That was not the idea the team was trying to convey with the blueprint concept, but it ultimately fit quite nicely with Discovery ’s narrative. “That’s the story of Michael career – at the start of the show she’s not done, she’s finding her way in Starfleet.”

FIRST FLIGHT

With the concept and designs locked in, production on S tar Trek: Discovery ’s title sequence began in early June 2017. It was at this point in the process that Editor Rachel Fowler became actively involved in the project. “I actually didn’t grow up watching the Star Trek television series or films,” she said. “The second we started working on this project, I jam-packed the entire Star Trek canon into my brain in about three days.” Once Fowler had finished that cram session, her initial task was to assemble a rough cut of the sequence – a timing animatic – using the frames the team had developed. This animatic would not only help the team establish an overall cadence for the sequence but allow them to determine the placement of each credit. “We knew the sequence had to be 90 seconds and that we had to fit 35 credits in that duration,” Fowler said. “Each credit needed to be a certain hold duration – either 36 frames or 48 frames. From there, you try to break down the sequence into chunks like a jigsaw puzzle.”

Stills from the Star Trek: Discovery  main titles.

That puzzle turned out to be more of a challenge than anyone expected due to the sheer number of credits that needed to be included in the sequence. “35 credits is a very high credit number for an opening title sequence for TV, so it was a daunting task,” Fowler explained. “You want to avoid wall-to-wall credits and you don’t want to have repetitive animations of cards, so you have to be careful about the rhythm of where those cards fall and how they animate on and off.” According to Criado, determining the various credit placements while trying to preserve the flow of the sequence became something of a team effort.“We needed to work very closely with each other,” she said. “I mean literally close, physically, as we figured out the choreography of our designs together.”

Appropriately the thread that helped the team tie the entire Discovery title sequence together was an element central to every Star Trek opening: the titular starship. “Let’s do the opposite of what Next Generation did,” explained Mattila. “Instead of the closeups of the ships passing by the lens – let’s still represent the ships and not throw out the history of these sequences completely – but let’s make it really small in the background.”

Where previous Trek main titles, like The Next Generation ,  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or Star Trek: Voyager , made the USS Enterprise or other titular craft seem like the massive vessels they were, here the team opted for a different tack. The USS Discovery is dwarfed by the universe it inhabits, sometimes nothing more than a speck amongst the galaxy and the figurative history of the Federation – until the end when it’s given the customary flyby. “It’s this little line that guides you from moment of discovery to moment of discovery, and then at the very end we let it come towards lens and fly past us.”

And with that last and most iconic element in place, Discovery ’s title sequence started to take on its final form. Fowler again likened this stage of the process to building a puzzle. “When putting together a puzzle, I’ll usually do the corner pieces first, and then move to the middle,” she said. “It’s the same kind of breakdown for my brain when it comes to editing, except you also have to take the musical score into account.”

THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT

When it came to Discovery ’s music, the team, especially Mattila, hoped the showrunners would take a cue from the previous Star Trek series, Enterprise , and choose the piece of music very carefully. To this day, the Enterprise title track “Where My Heart Will Take Me” – a cover of Rod Stewart’s 1998 Adult Contemporary chart topper “Faith of the Heart” – remains deeply unpopular with many Trek fans and even sparked protests and petitions shortly after the show premiered in 2001.

We knew this piece was going to live or die if the wrong music was there.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) main titles, designed by Montgomery/Cobb

“We knew this piece was going to live or die if the wrong music was there,” said Mattila, referencing the Enterprise title sequence debacle. “[ Enterprise ], on paper, is a great idea: the history of aviation and exploration from the Wright Brothers to the first Enterprise . Great concept, let’s look at it – ‘Who the heck put this song on here?!’”

Fortunately for Prologue (and for many Star Trek fans), composer Jeff Russo had been hired by the production to give Discover y’s opening a more traditional, orchestral sound reminiscent of older Trek themes. Russo also provided the team with a temp track early in the process which allowed them to time out the sequence so that specific credits would correspond to certain musical hits.

Star Trek: Discovery (2016) main title recording session

“Jeff gives us this track that was one of these weird, wonderful, serendipitous things,” said Mattila. “It had this percussive energy that really felt like machines, it felt like stuff being designed and being worked on.” According to Mattila, the fact that Russo’s score and their early animatic aligned so well was a happy accident and nothing more, as the composer hadn’t actually seen any of Prologue’s work at that point. “He did not score to the edit. He gave us 90 seconds of music and just anticipated things happening,” said Mattila. “When I saw things line up I got really excited... I was just like ‘Wow guys, the spirit of Gene Roddenberry is working here!’”

Not everything worked as well as the team had hoped though. “The biggest hurdle we faced was at the end of the sequence,” said Fowler. “There was an obvious moment at the end of the music bed where the score crescendos before entering into Russo’s beautiful homage to the [original Star Trek theme]. This had to be where our logo would sit.” What was to be the opening’s denouement was complicated by the fact that the team still needed to include five more credits after the main title card. “We had no time in the score to do this without the credits feeling rushed.”

Image set: Title cards that appear after the Star Trek: Discovery logo

The solution? Prologue was afforded the comparatively rare opportunity to work directly with the composer to adjust the timing of the music. “We ended up collaborating with Jeff to see if we could slide the crescendo a few beats earlier so that the final five credits could breathe,” Fowler said. But as she and the team quickly discovered, that slight change created a cascade effect that threw off other elements in the title sequence. “It moved around some other beats that we had locked in,” she explained. “At this late stage, we couldn’t open up our animation comps to hit at the new moments, so we ended up adjusting our credits to follow the new rhythms of the melody.”

Star Trek: Discovery ’s main titles are a modern television title sequence in every sense, more concerned with establishing the tone and themes through music and strong visuals than with effects-driven flybys or a high-minded mission statement. And yet despite the absence of those recognizable tropes, the essence of Star Trek is still communicated to the viewer. It will feel familiar for longtime fans and fresh and exciting for newcomers. Discovery ’s title sequence honours the rich history of the franchise – both literally and metaphorically – and sends the new TV series on a voyage distinctly its own.

Star Trek: Discovery (2016) title sequence (textless version)

For the crew at Prologue, working on this sequence was its own journey of discovery. ”We were [all] surprised with how well it all flowed together when we finally assembled the sequence,” said Criado, who described the project as both fun and challenging. “I was a bit surprised by how much we were all able to accomplish working together.” Mattila, too, seemed very happy with the end result, in particular Criado’s inspired interpretation of the material. “I didn’t want to stand in the way of the progress and the process,” he said. “I was there to help fill in the blanks.”

Cooper believes Criado and Mattila’s two vastly different takes on the source material helped the Discovery title sequence become what it needed to be. “There was something kind of retro about Ana’s point of view… I felt like it went against the obvious ways of presenting this material,” he said. “[Kurt] had nothing but baggage and perspective. So that became a useful balance for us to maintain.” Editor Rachel Fowler, who was also a Trek neophyte at the outset but came away a fan, takes a more pragmatic view of the project: “At the end of the day, if the puzzle is put together, you aren’t missing any pieces, and the final image makes sense, you can consider it a job well done.”

Studio: Prologue Creative Director/Designer: Ana Criado Creative Director/Producer: Kyle Cooper Design: Ana Criado, Christian Antolin and  Fernando Domínguez Cózar Animation and Art Direction: Francisco Sánchez de Cañete , Nader Husseini Editor: Rachel Fowler Writer/Historian: Kurt Mattila 3D Support: Rodrigo Lescano

Music: Jeff Russo

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Star Trek: Discovery Continues A Famous Trek Tradition

Spoiler shields up! This article discusses events up to and including episode 3 of "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5.

Who knew we'd been watching an origin story? Last week, "Discovery" dropped the surprise reveal that the newly-introduced (former) Captain Rayner had been carefully maneuvered by the writing team to serve as a potential replacement to Mr. Saru (Doug Jones) in the position of Number One, despite firmly establishing himself as something of an antagonistic and far more reckless counterpoint to Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) during their near-disastrous away mission. It isn't every day that a Starfleet vessel recruits a new bridge officer at the onset of a critical assignment of top priority, let alone someone who was only just forced into early retirement after a scathing inquiry into his actions. But Burnham saw something in him (even if Ensign Tilly still can't figure out what that is) and with Saru off playing politics as a Starfleet diplomat, Rayner was exactly the wild card that the Discovery needed.

In the midst of all this, this final season has brought a classic "Star Trek" tradition right back to the fore: the weight and responsibility of a ship's Number One.

To date, this role has been filled at one point or another in "Discovery" by Saru, Una Chin-Riley ("Strange New Worlds" star Rebecca Romijn), and even Burnham herself. Various other "Trek" shows have seen many famous faces come and go, all adding their own unique flavor and leadership approach to complement their respective captains. Here, however, the prickly dynamic between Burnham and Rayner adds a much more combative twist than any we've previously seen. Time will tell if this turns out for the better or worse.

A Captain's only as good as their Number One

Where's Commander Will Riker when you need him? Considered by many to be the gold standard for Number Ones, the famous "The Next Generation" hero embodied all the ideals of Starfleet while never once letting Captain Jean-Luc Picard down — even though he disagreed with his friend and even questioned his orders on several occasions. What Commander Rayner has brought to this season of "Discovery," however, is something else entirely.

To his credit, it's not like Rayner ever pretended to be anything but what he is.  If even a thirty-year friendship with Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) couldn't prevent him from changing his mind about his methods and his vision for Starfleet — episode 2 establishes that he views diplomacy as a fruitless endeavor when the organization ought to be preparing for war, instead — what hope could Burnham or anyone else on the Discovery have of tempering his more volatile instincts? Although Rayner is forced to make certain strides in episode 3 to connect with his new crew, the results are pretty much exactly what we'd expect them to be. As he puts it himself early on with Burnham, "Connection is not exactly where my skillset lies."

We've yet to see how Rayner fares under Burnham's command while out in the field, where his ability to mesh with his Captain and augment her leadership style will be truly tested. Spock's cool-headed logic balanced out Captain Kirk's need for action, while Riker's decisiveness oftentimes brought out the best in Picard's tendency towards caution. What happens when Burnham's already-reckless unstoppable force meets the immovable object that is Rayner's disregard for rules and protocol? We can't wait to find out.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery" stream on Paramount+ every Thursday.

Why ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Built Season 5 Around a Classic Episode From a Legacy Series

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

• ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Getting Bloody, Live-Action Film ‘The Last Ronin’ 2 days ago
• Why ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Built Season 5 Around a Classic Episode From a Legacy Series 1 week ago
• ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Star Sonequa Martin-Green on the Show’s Unexpected Final Season, the ‘Pressure’ of Representation and Taking the ‘Trek’ Cruise 1 week ago

SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments in Season 5, Episode 1 of “ Star Trek : Discovery,” now streaming on Paramount+.

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Kovich’s explanation evokes the classic “ Star Trek: The Next Generation ” episode “The Chase” from 1993 in which Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) — along with teams of Romulans, Klingons and Cardassians — learn that all humanoid life in the galaxy was created by a single species that existed billions of years earlier, and seeded thousands of planets with the DNA to pass along their legacy. (Along with presenting a profound vision of the origins of life, the episode also provided an imaginative explanation for why almost all the aliens in “Star Trek” basically look like humans with different kinds of forehead ridges.)

Kovich tells Burnham that the Romulan scientist was part of a team sent to discover exactly how these aliens — whom they call the Progenitors — made this happen; the object they’re seeking winds up being one part of a brand new “chase,” this time in the 32nd century, to find the Progenitors’ technology before it can fall into the wrong hands. 

“I remember watching that episode and at the end of it just being blown away that there was this huge idea where we all come from,” Paradise says. “And then they’re going to have another mission the next week. I found myself wondering, ‘Well, then what? What happened? What do we do with this information? What does it mean?’”

Originally, Paradise says the “Discovery” writers’ room discussed evoking the Progenitors in Season 4, when the Discovery meets an alien species, the 10-C, who live outside of the galaxy and are as radically different from humans as one could imagine. “As we dug deeper into the season itself, we realized that it was too much to try and get in,” Paradise says.

Instead, they made the Progenitors the engine for Season 5. “Burnham and some of our other characters are on this quest for personal meaning,” Paradise says. Searching for the origins of life itself, she adds, “feels like a big thematic idea that fits right in with what we’re exploring over the course of the season, and what our characters are going through.”

That meant that Paradise finally got to help come up with the answers to the questions about “The Chase” that had preoccupied her when she was younger. “We had a lot of fun talking about what might’ve happened when [Picard] called back to headquarters and had to say, ‘Here’s what happened today,’” she says. “We just built the story out from there.”

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When does the final season of 'Star Trek: Discovery' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch

It's time for U.S.S. Discovery's final mission.

Paramount+'s hit TV series "Star Trek: Discovery" is returning for its fifth and final season this week and there is a lot to look forward to.

"The fifth and final season will find Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries," says Paramount+ about the upcoming season. "But there are others on the hunt as well…dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it."

"Star Trek: Discovery" debuted in 2017 and is the seventh in the Star Trek series. Here's everything you need to know about the final season of the series.

When does 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 premiere?

The finale season of "Star Trek: Discovery" is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ on Thursday, April 4.

The first two episodes will be available to stream on the premiere date, with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays. Paramount+ did not specify what time the episodes will be available on their platform.

'Star Trek: Discovery' on Paramount+: Subscribe

Kenneth Mitchell: 'Star Trek: Discovery' actor, dies after battle with ALS

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 episodes

Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery" has 10 episodes in total. The first two will be available to stream on April 4, with the remaining dropping weekly on Thursday on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 cast

Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery" brings back new and old faces along with recurring guest stars. Cast members include:

• Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham
• Doug Jones as Saru
• Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
• Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly
• Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber
• David Ajala as Cleveland “Book” Booker
• Blu del Barrio as Adira
• Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner.
• Elias Toufexis as L’ak
• Eve Harlow as Moll

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 trailer

Paramount+ dropped the official trailer for Season 5 on Feb. 23.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

Star Trek: Discovery Ends an Era With Season 5

The showrunners and stars on how they’re taking the disco to the final frontier one last time..

Seven years ago, Star Trek: Discovery debuted as the seventh Star Trek series in the illustrious and long-running science fiction franchise. Discovery, or Disco as it is affectionately known, was also the first Trek anything to debut on a streaming service. Its success made episodic Star Trek viable again after a 12-year dry spell, and now fans have a robust lineup of all kinds of Trek series on Paramount+ as a result.

But all starship missions eventually come to an end. So with Season 5 of Discovery, Captain Michael Burnham and her USS Discovery crew embark on their final adventure. We spoke to some of the creative team about what’s coming for Burnham, Book, Saru and more.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Images

From Season Finale to Series Finale

After the turmoil and complex resolution of the Dark Matter Anomaly story arc in Season 4, the fifth season opens with many Discovery characters contemplating both personal and professional change.

While showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise told IGN that they didn’t go into writing the season knowing it would be the show’s last, their instincts to create transition points for much of their ensemble ended up lending itself to a consequential final season.

“Alex and I talked about it,” says Paradise. “And this season we explore such big themes and such big ideas. And in some ways, it felt like if [the end] were going to happen, this was the right season for that to happen because it feels almost like an ending.”

While the showrunners didn’t find out that this was the last season of the show until they had already finished shooting the body of the season itself, the studio wanted to give Captain Burnham and the Disco crew a proper send-off. And so they let Paradise, Kurtzman, and the team fine-tune the Season 5 finale so that it could also serve as a series finale.

“The studio and the network were kind enough to allow us to go back and shoot some additional material so that we could wrap up the series itself,” continues Paradise. “So I feel like if people didn't know that, they would come in thinking that we had planned from the beginning to make [it] the final season. And it's exciting that the way it ends feels satisfying and fulfilling in that way.”

For Sonequa Martin-Green, who stars as Captain Burnham, wrapping up the show was the culmination of an experience for the actress that she’ll always feel lucky to have had.

“My goodness, the journey of growth, the journey of evolution – you can parallel Burnham's life with my own, this time that I had as Michael Burnham and then as Captain Michael Burnham,” says Martin-Green. “My goodness, I'll never be the same again. And I am just grateful because I feel that God blessed me with an opportunity to act out some of the things that he was teaching me.”

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The Captain Conundrum

A starship operates only as well as its captain, which bodes well for both Discovery and Captain Michael Burnham, who is arguably hitting her professional stride at this point in aiding Earth’s re-entry into the Federation. Personally, it’s a little more complicated as she’s still wrestling with the open-ended separation from her partner, Cleveland "Book" Booker (David Ajala), after he chose to leave and help those impacted by the Dark Matter Anomaly last season.

“Stepping into Season 5, that relationship is fractured, and will it heal?” ponders Ajala. “Knowing these two individuals, I think they will put their best foot forward to try and make it happen. But there's still creases in the relationship. However, the two of them believe in each other. And so far as there's life in Book's body, he will always support all of Michael Burnham's endeavors. And likewise, she would do the same for him. So having said that, these two were just meant to be kindred spirits.”

Surprisingly, matters of the heart are also top of mind for Discovery Captain… err, First Officer Saru. But first, Doug Jones, who plays the Kelpien character, told us that rank issue is also complicated.

“I had reached captain status in Season 3, and I was captain of starship Discovery,” explains the actor. “And then in Season 4, with our special mission that we were on with the 10-C and exploring all that… I felt that I was needed and that Michael Burnham, with our brother/sister supportive relationship, that I would not be a captain, but be her Number One. Is it logical to keep two captains on the bridge of a ship? Can it go on forever? Should it go on forever? So Season 5 is an exploration of what else can Saru do.”

And what would any new position mean for the deepening relationship between Saru and the Vulcan President of Ni'Var, T’Rina? First introduced in Season 3, T’Rina has become an increasingly important part of Saru’s life.

“I have been courting the lovely President T'Rina this whole time, played by Tara Rosling, whom I adore,” says Jones. “And so, yes, that's evolving at the same time as the career. Can they evolve together? Can we find a blend in the two? That's our struggle, and that's our little issue to get through. It's kind of like a Hallmark movie.”

What's your favorite Star Trek show ever?

The Disco’s Crew Highs… and Cast Lows

One of the strengths of Disco has been its varied crew of characters with their own stories and arcs that have kept audiences invested in the show. One of the best relationships that has unfolded across all five seasons has been the partnership between Paul ​​Stamets and Hugh Culber, played by Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz.

In this last season, Cruz said their unique relationship continues to grow, but Culber will get his own solo adventure that will surprise long-time viewers.

“I'm excited for people to see a different, new side of Culber,” says the actor. “I can say that. He has definitely experienced a lot of insane things in the five seasons and Season 5 is definitely up there with it. So I'm excited for [fans] to see him in a new light.”

With Lt. Silvia Tilly, actress Mary Wiseman remains a little giddy about her character’s love for her Captain, Oh Captain Burnham, and an upcoming memorable away mission together.

“I'm excited for people to see Tilly go on a very special adventure with her best friend, Michael Burnham,” says Wiseman, while Blu del Barrio promises that, much like Culber, their character Ensign Adira Tal will get to experience a shift that will challenge how everyone sees them going forward.

“Adira [goes] on a mission that they would probably, maybe from the past seeing Adira since they joined the ship, would probably imagine anybody else on the ship being in that position before they were in that position,” says del Barrio.

Of course, series ending also mean some of the cast’s wish-list episodes or arcs will remain unexplored. While much has been covered by the cast over the past seven years, there are a few clear, if good-natured grievances to be aired about what might have been if Discovery continued to cross the galaxies.

“How is it that we did not get the musical episode!?” laughs Cruz, clearly referring to the Strange New Worlds musical episode from last year. “I'm pissed off, O.K.!”

“I did not ever get to have a mirror Universe Adira and I'm so sad about that,” adds del Barrio. “It breaks my heart!”

But as any true Trekker knows, never say never with any crew in the Star Trek universe…

For even more on the new season, check out our Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 review for Episodes 1-4.

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Star trek: discovery season 5, episode 3 ending explained.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's treasure hunt brings the USS Discovery to Trill for the next clue, but Moll and L'ak may be one step ahead of Burnham.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 3 - "Jinaal"

• Moll and L'ak are setting a trap on the USS Discovery - Adira may be in danger.
• The Progenitors' treasure was safeguarded by six secret scientists in the 24th century.
• Commander Rayner struggles to connect with the crew - Burnham seeks answers beyond the treasure.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3, "Jinaal", brings Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery one step closer to finding the Progenitors' treasure, but little do they know Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) are making insidious moves against them. Written by Kyle Jarrow and Lauren Wilkinson and directed by Andi Armaganian, the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 splits the action between the planet Trill and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Renne) and Ambassador Saru (Doug Jones) having difficulty adjusting to their new assignments.

Captain Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) pass a test created by Jinaal (Wilson Cruz) with flying colors. Jinaal was the host of a Trill symbiont who was alive in the 24th century, and he was part of a coalition of scientists, which included the Romulan Doctor Vellek (Michael Copeman) who hid the Progenitors' technology to protect the galaxy. A Trill ritual allowed Jinaal to occupy the body of Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), and the Trill took steps to ensure Burnham and Book were "worthy" of finding the Progenitors' treasure. However, Discovery's crew may unwittingly be walking into a trap set up by Moll and L'ak.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

What did moll attach to adira at the end of star trek: discovery season 5, episode 3, moll and l'ak are making a move on the uss discovery.

After Jinaal departed Dr. Culber's body and he, Captain Burnham, and Cleveland Booker beamed back aboard the USS Discovery, Moll secretly placed a device on the arm of Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio). The Trills were warned by Burnham that Moll and L'ak would come seeking the clue hidden on Trill, but Guardian Xi (Andreas Apergis) was certain Trill would withstand any aggressive act. But what the Trill didn't anticipate was Moll, who is human, infiltrating the Trill during their ritual and planting something on Discovery's young Ensign.

32nd-century technology in Star Trek: Discovery is made of programmable matter, which explains why Moll's device disappeared.

The tiny device Moll hid on Adira's arm quickly vanished, but there are a few possibilities for what the tech could be. The device could be a tracker of some sort ; since Moll knows Burnham found the clue on Trill, she could be ensuring that she and her lover, L'ak, will be able to follow the USS Discovery wherever it jumps to next. The device could also be some kind of communicator or a weapon that could incapacitate Adira. It may also be a tiny transporter that would allow Adira to be beamed to L'ak's ship where they could be held hostage.

Moll, who likely was incognito in the Trill caves for the duration of Star Trek: Discovery, probably overheard Adira's conversations with their love interest, Gray Tal (Ian Alexander), and their decision to break up. Adira, who is young and inexperienced, is the ideal target for Moll and L'ak to plant a device on. This may be the end of Adira and Gray's Star Trek: Discovery love story . Their breakup is also an interesting juxtaposition to Moll and L'ak, who are lovers themselves but are committed to each other and are on the same journey, unlike the young Trill and Ensign.

Everything Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 3 Revealed About The Progenitors' Treasure

Great steps were taken to protect the ancient power to create life.

Jinaal provided a wealth of new information about what happened to the Progenitors' treasure after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase." According to Jinaal, in the 24th century, the President of the United Federation of Planets - possibly Jaresh-Inyo (Herschel Sparber) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - secretly assembled a team of 6 Federation and non-Federation scientists , including Jinaal and Dr. Vellek. After years of researching the Progenitors' message, they found the ancient technology in a sector of deep space. One of the scientists died horribly when they tried to activate it.

The scientists made it their life's work to safeguard the Progenitors' technology.

The scientists decided to hide the Progenitors' treasure instead of turning it over to the Federation. At this point, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Dominion War engulfed the Alpha Quadrant, and anyone could be a Changeling. Jinaal and his colleagues made a pact and lied to the Federation about the treasure while redacting themselves from every database. The scientists made it their life's work to safeguard the Progenitors' technology, eventually creating a series of clues which they determined would deem whoever could find the treasure "worthy" of having it.

Meanwhile, on the USS Discovery, Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) decoded Dr. Vellek's Romulant tricorder and learned more about the Progenitors' treasure. Stamets was excited about the applications of the Progenitors' technology, which is billions of years old. The Progenitors could "design new lifeforms, accelerate evolution, modify ecosystems." Stamets added, "If it can create life, then, in theory, it might also be possible to re-animate dead organisms."

The Progenitors' technology sounds like the Genesis Device from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan but with even more potential to create - or destroy - life.

Saru Made A Faux Pas About Announcing His Wedding To T'Rina

Saru has a lot to learn about love and politics.

The newly-minted Ambassador Saru performed well in his first delegation meeting about the rising threat of the Breen , but he made a faux pas when it came to announcing his engagement to President T'Rina (Tara Rosling). T'Rina's political aide, Duvin (Victor Andres Trelles Turgeon), became concerned about the optics of the President of Ni'Var siding with the Kelpien Ambassador, especially when the news of their engagement becomes public. Saru listened to Duvin and got cold feet about announcing his engagement to T'Rina.

Duvin feared T'Rina's Presidential power weakening among Vulcan purists if she marries an offworlder.

Ultimately, T'Rina made Saru realize that making a public announcement is better than news of their engagement leaking out, which would make it seem like the couple were hiding something scandalous. Saru confessed his inexperience in romance and politics, but T'Rina has enough savviness for them both. Saru and T'Rina's wedding is on, and will likely take place sometime during Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Commander Rayner Will Have Trouble Fitting In With The USS Discovery Crew

Rayner's not looking to connect and make friends on discovery.

Now demoted to Commander as the new First Officer of the USS Discovery, Rayner was ordered by Captain Burnham to meet with and forge connections with the USS Discovery's crew. But Rayner was more interested in hunting Moll and L'ak , and he only met with Discovery's crew members for brief, unfriendly intervals, to the disgust of Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman). Rayner made no real inroads in connecting with Discovery's personnel, although he paid attention and made insightful observations about each Starfleet Officer.

Commander Rayner not immediately fitting in on Discovery is more realistic.

Tilly was right that Commander Rayner, who was on a new ship after an embarrassing demotion, compensated by acting boorishly to hide how difficult it was for him. To Star Trek: Discovery season 5's credit, Commander Rayner not immediately fitting in on Discovery is more realistic than the Kellerun Starfleet Officer being welcomed with open arms. Rayner will have a long road to earning the respect of the USS Discovery's crew, and vice versa, although Captain Burnham may not be pleased with how her new Number One alienated himself from her friends and family aboard the Disco.

Rayner explained he purposely kept a professional distance from his crew when he was Captain of the USS Antares.

Captain Burnham Is Searching For Something Bigger Than The Progenitors' Treasure

Michael has big questions she needs answered.

At the start of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 2 , "Under the Twin Moons," Captain Burnham confessed that she used to find purpose in her missions, but now she is searching for something more. A greater meaning. Jinaal assessed this about Burnham on Trill, and Michael related the same to Dr. Hugh Culber. For Burnham, the Progenitors' treasure isn't just technology that can alter the destiny of the Federation, but it could mean answers Michael is seeking about the meaning of life, itself.

Captain Burnham's quest may reflect Star Trek: Discovery looking inward for something more profound.

Interestingly, Captain Burnham's spiritual journey in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 loosely echoes someone from her adoptive Vulcan family: Sybok (Lawrence Luckinbill). In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Spock's criminal older half-brother sought God in the mythical world of Sha Ka Ree. Sybok's quest was fueled by his own hubris, but the Vulcan truly did want to see and gain answers from the divine. Michael wants different answers than Sybok did, and Captain Burnham's quest may reflect Star Trek: Discovery looking inward for something more profound than its nature as an action-adventure Star Trek series.

Where The Next Clue To The Progenitors' Treasure Will Take Discovery

Discovery may take a pause in the treasure hunt.

Interestingly, Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3's ending, doesn't directly lead to the USS Discovery's next destination after they depart Trill. Captain Burnham told Dr. Culber that the clue Jinaal gave them was being analyzed, but leads to the Tzenkethi system . However, Discovery is stymied by red tape as diplomats sort out the legalities of entering the Tzenkethi system. This could indicate a pause in Star Trek: Discovery season 5's treasure hunt in episode 4, "Face the Strange."

The Tzenkethi were a race that was never seen but was mentioned as enemies of the Federation on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , furthering Star Trek: Discovery 's DS9 connections.

However, it's a safe bet whatever Moll planted on Adira will lead to the next crisis Captain Burnham will have to contend with . With three more pieces needed to complete the map to the Progenitors' treasure and 7 more episodes to go in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Captain Burnham's hunt may take its first, strange detour.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 3 Ending, Explained

Star trek: discovery.

Release Date: 2017-09-24

Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama

Rating: 7.1/10

Creator: Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman

Network: CBS

Number of Episodes: 55

Streaming Service(s): Paramount+, Paramount+ with Showtime, fuboTV, Spectrum

Quick Links

What happened in star trek: discovery episode 3, how does star trek: discovery episode 3 end.

Episode 3 of Star Trek: Discovery continues on Paramount Plus , after airing with the first two episodes last week. The sci-fi spin-off series will consist of ten episodes, and will continue to air once a week for the rest of the fifth and final season. The show began in 2017, and Season 5 will bring the successful series to an end. Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Callum Keith Rennie, Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp.

The third episode of Star Trek: Discovery 's final season sees the team arrive on Trill, and Captain Burnham, Book, and Culber must pass a dangerous test to prove themselves worthy of discovering the next clue. Elsewhere, Adira reconnects with Gray and Saru's first day as ambassador is complicated by his engagement to T'Rina.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 2 Recap

In Star Trek: Discovery episode 3, the crew prepare to travel to Trill to seek out the next quest clue. Culber and Book brief Captain Michael Burnham on the potential threats, with some new background details on Moll courtesy of Book. Burnham’s criminal ex is trying hard to get his life back, and he wants in on the Trill landing party even though he isn’t a Starfleet member.

Adira and Tilly identify a Trill spot pattern on the map puzzle piece, and it leads them to a 24th-century Trill named Jinaal. (the name of this episode) Captain Rayner comes aboard, and Burnham orders her new first officer to get to know the rest of the crew. Stamets is focusing on trying to unlock the secrets of Dr. Vellek’s old tricorder, and he ignores Adira’s clear stress after seeing Gray again. Things are running relatively smoothly until the crew arrive on Trill, and Burnham solves the riddle quickly and heads down to the Caves of Mak’ala with Adira, Culber, and Book, and they meet an old Trill.

Jinaal reveals that the next clue is close by, and takes Burnham and Book with him. Upon their arrival at the canyon, Jinaal tells the group about how he, Dr. Vellek and four other scientists found the Progenitor technology, but they decided it was too dangerous to hand over to the Federation in the middle of the Dominion War.

Burnham and the team end up being hunted by giant “Intronok” predators, and once they arrive at the location of the clue, a monster gets in their way.

Back at Starfleet, Ambassador Saru is settling into his new office with the help of his fiancé, T'Rina. They plan to make their wedding announcement before heading into a resource meeting, where Saru argues for more allocations to the small worlds he represents, which successfully ends in a compromise with others who are concerned.

T’Rina’s aide, Duvin tells Saru that he is concerned about how the wedding announcement will affect the Ni’Var politics, but when Saru raises the issue with T'Rina, she doesn’t react well.

Back on Trill, Book attempts to use his glowing forehead empathy connection, but all he gets from the monster is that it’s rather annoyed. Book then tries some distracting techniques, while Burnham heads to the rock with the clue symbol on it to retrieve the big prize. However, things do not go as planned, and they get hit. They are subsequently pinned down as a second monster shows up to cause havoc.

Burnham holsters her phaser, showing the utmost respect to the Intronoks, who are now calming down somewhat. Book does the same and communicates that they just want to leave as they slowly back off. Sonn after, they find Dr. Hugh Jinaal on a rock, quipping, “I see you survived.”

Turns out, Jinaal drew them to the nest after suggesting they arm their phasers. By connecting them instead of shooting, they have passed another test. Jinaal was willing to let them die just to see if there was “goodness” in them. However, they did survive, which results in them winning the prize: the clue and the second map piece, which was hidden under a different rock.

After Culber gets swapped back, he heads back to the ship to recover from being possessed. When Burnham catches up with him in the lounge, they contemplate the spiritual implications of the journey they are on, and they seek the technology of the gods.

Back at HQ, Saru apologizes to T’Rina for all the politics that were getting in the way, and they make up with one another.

The episode ends in the Trill caves with Bix returning to the symbiont pool and Adira and Gray saying farewell. Turns out, Moll is disguised as a Trill, and she puts something onto Adira’s sleeve before the ensign beams back to the Disco.

Star Trek 4: Paramount Needs To Let This Sequel Die

• April 12, 2024 | Interview: Wilson Cruz On How “Jinaal” Sets Up The Rest Of The Season For Culber On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
• April 12, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed For Season 4; ‘Lower Decks’ To End With Season 5
• April 12, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Goes To Trill With ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ For “Jinaal”
• April 11, 2024 | Paramount Pictures Officially Confirms Star Trek Origin Movie For Its Upcoming Film Slate
• April 11, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Tries Too Many Connections In “Jinaal”

Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Tries Too Many Connections In “Jinaal”

| April 11, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 54 comments so far

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 3 – Debuted Thursday, April 11, 2024 Written by Kyle Jarrow & Lauren Wilkinson Directed by Andi Armaganian

Strong performances and fun moments of lightness and lore make up for a mixed bag of stories jumbled into a single episode.

Yes, you can come on the mission… to the friend zone.

WARNING: Spoilers below!

“Connection isn’t a skill, it’s a choice.”

As Discovery preps to head to Trill for the next quest clue, the crew settles into their season positions. Culber and Book brief the captain on the adversaries, with new details on Moll thanks to Book recognizing a personal connection in the previous episode. Michael’s felonious ex is trying hard to get his life back, so he really wants in on the Trill landing party even though he isn’t Starfleet—as if that has ever stopped them before. Adira and Tilly have identified a Trill spots pattern on the map puzzle piece found last week, leading them to a 24 th- century Trill named Jinaal (episode title alert), and maybe his Bix symbiont is still around. Former Captain—now Commander—Rayner comes aboard, and Burnham orders her new first officer to get to know the crew whether he likes it or not. As for Stamets, he continues to be a bit lost, so he’s focused on trying to unlock the secrets in Dr. Vellek’s old tricorder, ignoring Adira’s clear discombobulation over seeing Gray again. It takes Reno going full “woo-woo a-hole” to snap spacedad out of it. So things are more or less running smoothly until they arrive on Trill, when Guardian Xi goes full Monty Python bridge-keeper . Thankfully, Michael answers the riddle quickly (it’s Betazed!) and she pops down to the Caves of Mak’ala with Adira, Culber, and (of course) Book… where they meet what may be the oldest Trill ever.

Kalzara Bix tells the gang she has been waiting nearly her whole life for a “worthy seeker.” For more questions, they can ask Jinaal directly via that Trill ritual we all remember from DS9. Culber steps up as a temporary vessel since “Emotionally overwhelming is what I do best.” Et voilà, Hugh is a whole new man, who immediately comments about how he really works out (someone has been tracking his Gram ). This very jaunty Culber-Jinaal says the next clue is nearby, and today is a great day for a walk, so he takes Burnham and Book with him. Upon their arrival at the canyon, Jinaalber opens up with some exposition about himself, Dr. Vellek, and four other scientists who found the Progenitor tech but decided it was way too dangerous to hand over to the Federation in the middle of the Dominion War. So they created a fun quest, planting a “path” of clues to be followed. He’s skeptical the 32 nd century is ready for the awesome power (despite Starfleet’s snazzy new uniforms), but Michael makes the case that the good outweighs the bad. BTW, they are being hunted by giant “Intronok” predators, so the quasi Trill recommends phasers ready. Once they arrive at the clue’s location, a plasma-spewing monster gets in their way… and Hughbix peaces out. Dude!

You two go ahead… I’ll just strategically hide behind you.

“We literally used to be connected.”

Back at Starfleet HQ the newly minted Ambassador Saru is settling into his new office with a little help from his Vulcan fiancé. They plan their wedding announcement before heading into a resource meeting, where he successfully argues for more allocations to the small worlds he represents, forging a compromise with others who are worried about the Breen (hmm). T’Rina’s aide Duvin takes Saru aside to say he is concerned about how the wedding announcement will impact delicate Ni’Var politics, but when the Kelpien brings this up with his beloved, she doesn’t take it well. “What would have given you the impression that I am in need of a caretaker?” she asks. Ouch. Navigating Federation diplomacy (and a starship) was a lot easier than understanding a Vulcan heart.

On the Disco, Saru’s replacement isn’t having it any easier. For some reason, temporary science consultant Tilly is organizing Rayner’s one-on-ones. He really doesn’t want to do them, but agrees for the sake of “crew cohesion” and gives everyone “20 words” to reveal something interesting about themselves. Cue the montage as we learn fun new tidbits for the folks at Memory Alpha to add to the pages for Rhys, Christopher, Linus, Pollard, et al. When Stamets shows up and actually shows some enthusiasm for the first time this season (he was able to crack Vellek’s PADD), Rayner practically ignores him and Tilly has finally had enough. She lets the new XO know he is being a giant… well she ran out of her 20 words so we will have to fill in the blank.

One person who misses out on this (not) quality time with Rayner is Adira. They are busy reconnecting with Gray on Trill, who is loving life as a trainee Guardian. Now that each of them has their own body, they realize they both have been growing apart and following separate paths. So season 5 gets its second breakup following Mike and Book… could T’Rina and Saru be next? Noooooo.

What do you mean, no diving?

“Analyzing is not the same as connecting.”

Back to the important stuff, Book tries his glowing forehead empathy connection but all he gets from the monster is that it’s “really pissed off.” Duh. In a replay of the action from last week, Book does some distracting under fire while Michael heads to the rock with the clue symbol on it to get the big prize. Things do not go as planned, and he gets hit. They are pinned down as a second monster shows up. But the creatures aren’t looking at the Starfleet duo as food, just protecting their nest of monster eggs. Aww. Time for Plan B. Michael again remembers her xenoanthropology and holsters her phaser, showing respect to the now calming Intronoks. Book does the same and communicates they just want to leave as they slowly back off… and soon enough they find Dr. Hugh Jinaal casually lounging on a rock, quipping, “I see you survived.” Michael sorts it out: He drew them to that nest after suggesting they arm phasers. By connecting instead of shooting, they passed another test. He was willing to let them die just to see if there was “goodness” in them, but they survived, so they win the prize: the clue and the second map piece, hidden under a totally different rock. Sneaky Trill.

After Culber gets swapped back he heads back to the ship to decompress from a big day of being possessed. Michael catches up to him in the lounge, where they contemplate the spiritual implications of the journey they are on, seeking the technology of the gods. Tilly is also there, and Rayner arrives to let her know he gets it—there is some value in showing respect to the people under his command. Oh and back at HQ, Saru apologizes to T’Rina for Kelpiensplaining Vulcan politics, and she’s totally cool about it, so they’re fine. Things wrap up in the Trill caves with Bix returning to the symbiont pool and Adira and Gray saying goodbye as well. But wait, what’s that? It’s Moll! Disguised as a Trill, she surreptitiously puts something onto Adira’s sleeve before the ensign beams back to the Disco. Dun dun duuun !

What about a four-shift rotation?

After two strong episodes, things are more mixed for episode 3. The blend of plot, character, and action was not as finely balanced, mostly due to carrying the load of four separate storylines. This kind of multi-POV storytelling has always been a challenge for Discovery , but there were some big highlights that kept the episode a winner overall. The MVP is Wilson Cruz, who finally got the opportunity to step out of his Hugh Culber and play a different character, a time-honored Trek tradition. His Jinaal was believably a unique individual, down to his speech pattern and gait, with a clear motivation. This storyline tied into all of the others with the not-very-subtle theme of connection; however, there was a more nuanced exploration for Culber and Burnham about the season’s bigger questions about science and faith that was more interesting. And the riddle for passage bit was a nice classic quest beat, evoking ancient adventures. The action sequences felt a bit repetitive after last week, but they made up for it with some fun as Sonequa Martin-Green and David Ajala again demonstrated their playful chemistry.

The Rayner storyline was also a high point.  He continues to be a great addition to the show, bringing all sorts of Jellico, Lorca, and even some Shaw vibes, but still being his own man (sorry, Kellerun ). Callum Keith Rennie and Mary Wiseman showed they have their own delightful dynamic. It may not have made sense for Tilly to act as HR for the ship (especially as she’s only on loan as a science advisor from the Academy), but all of these scenes were still refreshing as we got to add little bits of dimension to members of the crew from Linus’ pride over three clutches of eggs to Rhys lusting over the fine curves of old Constitution classes… and the gruff-off between Rayner and Reno was all too brief. But there was a point to all of this, showing welcome growth for both Rayner and Tilly and the rest of the gang too, although it is not clear why the new characters of Gallo and Asha had to sub in for Owo and Detmer.

Contemplating the meaning of life?… Or if he can skip leg day?

Things started going off the rails with the Saru and T’Rina storyline, which started to feel like an unnecessary distraction. Giving him this new post as ambassador is a good way to shake things up as well as to do some world-building for the show, something that may prove useful for the upcoming Academy series as well. But instead of Federation West Wing, things got more alien I Love Lucy with Ambassador Saru having some ‘splaining to do. Doug Jones and Tara Rosling did their best with the material but the rigmarole about their marriage announcement was low stakes at best, even if this bit about Vulcan purists is setting something up for later. As for the Gray and Adira storyline, it felt like this was mostly just going through the motions, but at least it established that Adira is now fully independent, confirming their new agency. Blu del Barrio’s performance was grounded, making all of this more relatable. But trying to balance these two extra storylines definitely did not help the episode when it came to pacing.

Even with all these character stories, there was some season plot development. We learned key bits about Moll, while L’ak remains a mystery, but that’s okay for now. The origins of the quest are also coming into focus with the story of the six scientists and a reasonable explanation for why they can’t just jump to the end. It feels like we will learn more about the other four scientists as we pick up more pieces of the map. And there was also a bit more worldbuilding as another hint of a coming Breen threat was mentioned. And dare we hope the mention of the Tzenkethi means we will finally see them in canon? Fans were rewarded with plenty of nods to lore, with the main plot structured around the Zhian’tara ritual from DS9’s “Facets,” and the addition of new Trill canon. Nods to Tongo and Bynars along with deeper cuts to Selay , Vavinit plants , cabrodine , Slug-o-Cola , bore worms , and more should have resulted in plenty of Rick Dalton meme moments , especially for Deep Space Nine fans. While it all seems like a lot, these were mostly Easter eggs to reward fans without turning into the dreaded “fan service.”

Now on the runway, Ambassador Saru sporting the new Diplomacy in Blue line.

Final thoughts

Even with all the juggling, episode 3 still was self-contained while carrying on the serialized story. While not as strong as the first two episodes, season 5 still remains entirely entertaining. The show has nicely pivoted with clearer themes, a fun tone, and better connections to lore while still servicing the characters and their emotional stories.

You can really taste the algae.

• A USS Locherer could be seen at Starfleet HQ, named in honor of camera operator J.P Locherer , who passed away in 2022.
• The previously unnamed bar lounge is called “Red’s,” possibly named for the Ferengi bartender, who got their first line in this episode.
• The Osnullus bridge officer’s name is Lt. Arev.
• Lt. Christopher confirmed that Lt. Commander Nilsson has been reassigned to the USS Voyager-J .
• Christopher also reassured Rayner his pet tribble (a gift from Nilsson) was neutered.
• The Trill canyon was shot at Lafarge Quarry , which Discovery (and Strange New Worlds ) have used before on a few occasions.
• Trill spots are as unique as human fingerprints, as are Saurian dorsal ridges.
• In addition to the Selay, the ambassador meeting also included a Facian .

The Selay ambassador is upset this committee doesn’t warrant those cool floating chairs.

More to come

Every Friday, the TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek Podcast  covers the latest news in the Star Trek Universe and discusses the latest episode. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Pocket Casts ,  Stitcher and is part of the TrekMovie Podcast Network.

The fifth and final season of  Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery  will also premiere on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuts on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

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

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I really enjoyed this episode it had alot of character moments/growth and it was great to see the Trill again espicially gray as i miss his charcter.

Wilson Cruz was on fire this episode as he really pulled off the charcter of Jinaal.

Raynar is still a bit of a jerk but hopefully what Tilly said to him get through to him.

Looking forward to the next episode and i hope we get to see the Tzenkethi.

“ it was great to see the Trill again espicially gray as i miss his charcter. ”

Wow, you don’t read that very often .

This made me smile some. Thanks.

I enjoyed this one, but anyone else thinking animals that can cloak themselves are becoming a bit too common?

I think in this era, current showrunners meet and share an idea and are tempted to grab it for another show. Synths, Picard and Discovery. Copy and Paste Starships, Picard and Prodigy. From previous shows is more natural, but for current productions is amusing.

It was more of a “cut and paste” Trek story idea. They watched the Devil In The Dark..Oh yeah! they’re protecting the eggs! That’ll satisfy the dumb Trekkies.

And even there the Horta was not just some animal. Spock even commented that it was not behaving like one at all.

The thing is, these are animals. In fact, they came across as borderline insects. They should not be reacting like a sentient being would. They would only be operating on instinct. There is no reason whatsoever they would let Book and Burnham go. They simply wouldn’t comprehend anything beyond ‘these creatures are near our eggs’.

Now if they were a sentient being who share the planet with the Trill, that would be another matter. But that’s not how they were presented to us.

See, using Dax here would have been perfect. Imagine it; Jadzia Dax finding the Progenitor tech with Vellek.

I feel this season they want to avoid all kind of risks. I would also would love to see Dax. But for sure, critics will complain about it.

Hitchcock said, “What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out” – I think this was a wasted opportunity to not reintroduce the Dax symbiont and give Discovery an intimate connection to the greater Star Trek universe. For those who say it’d just be fan service: how does the ISS Enterprise get a pass , but a Dax at the Trill pools is jumping the shark? Just saying, it wouldn’t have been dull. And yes, if a quahog can live for hundreds of years in the ocean, I think Dax can survive 1,000 years in Hugh Hefner’s former grotto.

An unnamed Romulan played by an unknown extra being given more importance than Jadzia Dax is weird…

I don’t think that’s weird. It speaks to a greater universe than just the named characters in the opening credits of those shows we know. Those on the periphery, they’re people too.

After the way Jadzia was unceremoniously killed off, though, she deserved better. This was a chance to increase her importance.

Add to that that by having her in Discovery in one form or another it would have really tied up several Trek series since she was also present during TOS twice; once as the host of the Dax symbiont at the time and again during Trials and Tribble-lations.

With the potential era of the initial investigation being the Dominion War it would’ve been awesome for Dax to be revealed as one of the scientists. It’s give her a stronger legacy than being killed by possessed Dukat.

Exactly. Having her literally take the secret to the grave would have been perfect.

I’d love to see Dax too, but I think it would have just been to unbelievable for Jadzia to have taken a sabbatical from DS9 during the Dominion War (and right after her wedding) to go on a secret mission with a bunch of scientists to set up an elaborate quest.

What about after the Dominion took over DS9? That is a large-enough window of time for her to have been off on such a mission.

I can’t see her leaving the Defiant at such a critical time.

Great episode. I really enjoy the new tone/vibe/pace of the show. The script as well. Big improvement from previous seasons.

We used to watch these relationship dynamics in almost every episode of Star Trek, but what I watched in this episode, reminds me STNG and DS9, with Discovery fast pace.

Really like these relationship/character growth balance between scenes. Great lines for Tilly, the writers nailed it giving all characters exactly what they needed.

Three great episodes. Can’t wait for episode 4.

Totally missed to add…great GREAT ending. They are wrapping up each episode nicely!

Didn’t we see Lt. Commander Nilson in a Twitter post?

After the exciting first 2 episodes, this one was a letdown.

I have to agree that this episode turned out to be a “mixed bag of stories jumbled into a single episode”.

Also, I’m still not liking the very unprofessional vibe of Discovery’s crew. That ship literally has no command structure as evidenced by Tilly’s example. It really destroys any feeling that they are even a Starfleet crew. But this is Discovery so whatever, I guess.

I hope the next episode is more coherent.

but they connect and feel and live their own truth so – like, that’s just your opinion man….

I can only speak from my experience, but when I was an Air Force officer, our unit’s general vibe was pretty similar to what we see on Discovery . I wouldn’t go so far as to say we had “no command structure” but things were pretty loose. As a matter of fact, we tended to get a bit annoyed when someone acted “too military”. I can give you an example: myself and another second lieutenant were walking into our wing HQ building when we passed a guy who had just “pinned on” first lieutenant. He demanded we salute him and we just kind of told him “c’mon, man” and went our way, because there’s just no real distinction between a second lieutenant and a first lieutenant. Broadly, lieutenants and captains (at least the ones a few years out from making major) tend to view each other as peers.

I guess I am too used to what has previously been shown on TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT as the standard of professional behavior on Starfleet ships, that the loose and casual office behavior on DSC seems out of place.

I Get it can be relaxed, as Will is relating.. but it’s not always one or the other. I woul like to see more nuance in all characters. Tilly doesn’t always need to be always funny and freewheeling. I’d like to see her be more professional. Most people in any walk of life aren’t one way all the time. But most of these are written as charactures and not actual people.

It’s a fair point about Tilly. She’s a lieutenant with limited experience and she’s telling off a superior officer in a way that would make even Will Riker blush. Imagine her meeting Captain Jellico…

I get it, although it could ebb and flow. One of the things Roddenberry supposedly didn’t like about the Gene Coon era of TOS was the characters’ loose, familiar attitude. During the brief period of time he actively worked on the third season, he insisted on changing all that. The characters are much more formal in season 3.

See I disagree with the review- I thought the episode balanced its four plot strands really well and it was a wonderful character focused episode. Each to their own, I guess.

This was a connector episode, and not a lot happens. I go back to.. when you only have 10 episodes, you better make best use of your time. This was a relationship stuff… it would help if it covered relationships I cared about, but it’s just overly emotive junk that isn’t interesting to me at all. Which is funny when you consider one of those relationships features a Vulcan. While I like Sara and T’rina as a couple, they are boring. Gray and Adira, it’s just a lot of awkward teen stuff. I get it.. they’re having trouble.. just way too much time spent on that. At least Stulber has chemistry.. Book and Burnham have chemistry. But this was a waste of an episode.

Gray and Adira were miscast physically. I’d like to explain that DSC is a big visual show. When there is a wide shot, both Gray and Adira seem too small and too far away. We get to see their acting talents in the scenes where they are in a two-shot or a medium-shot. In my opinion, Blu’s acting is MUCH better this year. Ian Alexander’s acting is just too small for me. It must be difficult to frame the shots he is in, due to his physical size, which is a testament to the show’s production challenges. When you see how athletic Culber is compared to Gray? It’s just too jarring for me. His character doesn’t grab your attention. Let me be clear: I’m beyond happy about the LGBTQ representation DSC is showing. I’m glad the LGBTQ community can see themselves on TV. FWIW, I notice the same things in SNW. Peck and Mount are very athletic buff actors. In a wide shot, they can tend to dwarf smaller actors.

Sorry was not a big fan of this one at all. So many cringy moments and it went back to the usual stalling with barely any real plot at all. I had so many problems with this one but happy others liked it.

But per usual it moved at a snails pace with a lot of mostly forgetful dialogue.

And when did Trill turn into the cave and quarry planet? It’s a very developed planet with cities and people living in houses. But the two episodes we seen of it on this show you would think Trill is one big national park or something.

I think Trill’s budget was spent on the cloaking monsters.

Yeah I think that segment ran a bit too long for me. I feel like the point about the cloaking monsters could have been made sooner and they could have spent their time on giving some screen time to others.

Overall, this episode definitely struggled with too many plot points. The individual pieces weren’t bad but together they didn’t always form a cohesive whole. I like Rayner as a character and I like his more professional take on being a Captain vs. Burnham’s more personal take. Neither is inherently wrong, just different. I feel Tilly etc are too quick to judge him. He clearly had a reason for his 20 words or less and I got what that was. Although I didn’t like that the background actors only got some throwaway facts told about them. Then again they usually don’t get that! Culber did a great job portraying Jinal. He really felt like a different person. Adira and Grey wrapped up which I think is a good thing. They are better apart than they are together. I am still not sure about Book’s loyalty to the ship and its crew. Glad Saru and T’Rina are moving forward and we are getting some more backstory to this time period.

Stalling is a great way to put it. I think it boils down to if you like the characters and relationships they’re focusing on. If you’re going to focus on character, it had better be compelling but it was pretty banal and uninteresting. Saru and T’rina are focused on a wedding.. seriously? Gray and Adira are having your normal teenager type trouble. Both sets of circumstances were so blah.. if this were the best they can do with portraying whats happening with young people, Academy is in serious trouble.

Yeah this one frustrated me a bit. I am fine with a character episode but the character work was too telegraphed (Gray browbeating the theme of the episode at the end and Stamet’s ongoing arc where he obsesses over his legacy were feeling especially contrived). At least the Rayner scenes worked for me and made for a better use of Tilly than usual.

…although if they lead to Rayner just embracing the tactic of being an emotional support First Officer, I’ll be annoyed. Butting heads with Tilly worked, I just am probably on the losing side of, “His POV is valid and they could all learn a little from him. Not every connection needs to come from laying bare emotional trauma and being super chummy.” Characters who keep a professional distance but have personal depths that shine through are compelling and a Trek staple.

I actually liked this episode better than the first two. It felt more like a story and less like a bunch of action setpieces strung together.

I’m afraid I have to disagree with our eminent reviewer where he says, “ It may not have made sense for Tilly to act as HR for the ship (especially as she’s only on loan as a science advisor from the Academy).” No, that’s EXACTLY why it makes sense for HER to be the one to let Rayner know his style won’t work with this particular crew. She won’t have to work with him in the future, so she’s the one who can tell him he’s being a jerk without poisoning their future relationship.

I REALLY liked it that the true test wasn’t “Can you hike this canyon” but rather “Can you empathize with the creatures who live in it?” Very Star Trekky!

I loved the Saru/T’Rina stuff, both her standing her ground when Saru tried to be protective, since she’s the PRESIDENT of a freaking PLANET, for heaven’s sake. And also her saying that conflict was inevitable and not to be feared.

Wilson Cruz! So good! More of him, please.

I thought Rayner’s twenty-words thing was a little over the top; it made him seem like a parody of a crusty old guy, rather than a real person. I don’t mind being emotionally manipulated by Star Trek, but the wires shouldn’t be quite THAT visible. :-)

So, how could Moll possibly have gotten to Trill long enough before the Discovery to go undercover as one of those red-robed people? She and La’k didn’t dig up the thingy that gave them the fifth line of the poem until long after Burnham and Saru did, so how did they even know to go to Trill, much less get there so fast? Doesn’t Discovery’s spore drive get them places MUCH faster than any other ship?

The one thing I really didn’t like was that the lighting in the canyon was so dark that I couldn’t SEE anything during that whole scene. I’m glad the dialogue told me enough about what was happening that I didn’t have to actually see it to know what was going on.

Very astute observations Corylea, and well stated as usual. Couldn’t agree more!

Aw, thanks so much!

Oh.. and the repeat of the Fal Tor Pan ceremony really was annoying. They really could have mixed it up q lot better. It felt like a cliche.

Engaged couple bickering over their wedding announcement… This is exactly the sort of thing that’s kept me tuning in to Trek for all these decades…

And I don’t care how exaggeratedly mean the Rayner character is written, there is no way in real life that a Lieutenant speaks to a Commander/superior officer the way Tilly did. Totally strains credulity.

Starfleet is different from modern militaries. Starfleet officers’ feelings aren’t so fragile that they get upset when a subordinate speaks impolitely to them.

I think TMP nailed how these interactions are supposed to go down and it avoids this perception of insubordination: “Permission to speak freely, sir?” Done and done. The answer is almost always going to be yes.

I thought this was a very strong episode…and I didn’t like the first two of the season at all!

The character dynamics almost all worked for me this time. Burnham seemed like a real person rather than a screenplay with limbs; Rayner was great; Culber, who I have loved even when this series was at its worst, was great. Heck, I even liked Tilly this week, which is not typical. I got some chuckles out of Saru stepping in it, too.

I’ve loved and defended Disco since day one, but I have to say I’m having a hard time getting excited about this season’s Big Hunt For The Puzzle Pieces. But I was thrilled to see Wilson Cruz get to really shine as an actor in this one.

I believe this is the standard now, and it’s very very low .. the story is starting to be so boring .. always the same cave .. everybody keep sharing their emotions in every scene .. and the stubborn unfriendly character destined to change.

If only there wasn’t the “Star Trek:” in front of the series title I would had bailed long ago.

I am really loving this season. The latest episode really took on a lot, but it delivered for me. The pacing was good for each story and keep the mystery alive. Loved the adventure on Trill. Wilson Cruze did an amazing job in the episode with his portrayal of Jinaal. I absolutely love the addition of Rayner – the opposites of Rayner’s tough command style and the way Discovery is – works for me. Already looking forward to the next episode.

Yes, a very scattered episode. The twenty-word bit with Rayner was a poor writing choice. I don’t see how someone would rise to Captain without listening to his senior crew.

I think the bar scene got across that he was astute in learning about his crews quickly. He just didn’t hold their hands and talk about how much of a family they all are.

In other words, Discovery discusses their feelings ad nauseum yet again