Summary
With its premiere in 2017,Star Trek: Discoveryended a 12-year gap betweenStar TrekTV shows and was met with mostly rave reviews. By introducing an all-new starship, a complex crew, and a twisting, serialized plot,Star Trek: Discoverysolidified its place in theStar Trektimelineas one of the franchise’s boldest and most fascinating stories. Along with new additions to theStar Trekcanon,Star Trek: Discoveryalso reached towardsStar Trek: The Original Seriesfor familiar visuals, tropes, and characters.Star Trek: Discovery’s first two seasons gave life to new characters while reintroducing familiar characters with new and younger faces.
After all,Star Trek: Discovery’s charactersare a big reason for the show’s success and contribute to the emotional stakes of its many twists and turns. These plot twists helped keep viewers interested, especially whenStar Trek: PicardandStar Trek: Lower Decksbegan airing in 2020.Star Trek: Discoverywent back to the roots ofStar Trekto boost its appeal, but as the show continued, things got a little more complicated with the introduction of 2018-2020’sStar Trek: Short Treksto bridge gaps for certain characters and set up storylines.. TheStar Trek: Discoverysaga spans thousands of years and several TV shows, so watching it in chronological order means going back and forth.
Star Trek: Discovery Ends As A Top 10 Streaming Show
Star Trek: Discovery lands in the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 for the final time, although Disco’s finale isn’t bigger than Picard or Strange New Worlds.
1Star Trek: Short Treks: “The Girl Who Made The Stars”
This short is set during Michael Burnham’s childhood in the 2230s
Star Trek: Short Treksincludes mini-episodes of one-offStar Trekstories set in many different places and time periods in theStar Trekcanon, and they add to the complexity of other, larger stories by giving background information. In “The Girl Who Made The Stars,” an animatedMichael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) as a young girlhas nightmares about being afraid. Her father, Mike Burnham (Kenric Green), tells Michael a story about a little girl who conquered her fears. Her father’s words would one day closely relate to Michael’s life: “Even though she was scared, she kept going.”
Soniqua Martin-Green and Kenric Green are married off-screen and have both appeared inStar TrekandThe Walking Dead.
2Star Trek: Short Treks: “The Brightest Star”
In 2239, Saru confronts his suspicions about the Ba’ul on the Kelpien homeworld of Kaminar
Commander Saru’s (Doug Jones)backstory takes the spotlight inStar Trek: Short Treks, “The Brightest Star.” On the Kelpien homeworld Kaminar, Saru battles with his suspicions about a biological process called the Vahar’ai, a deadly condition signaling a Kelpien’s readiness to be harvested by the Ba’ul, the Kelpien’s predators. Saru’s suspicions are refuted by his father, who says it would be an honor to be chosen. Saru disagrees, and when he finds a broken piece of Ba’ul communication equipment, he sends a simple message into space.Lt. Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) responds, and Saru leaves with her to join Starfleet.
So You Never Watched Star Trek’s Mini Episodes? Short Treks Are Now Must-See
Many viewers skipped Star Trek: Short Treks, but current series like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Prodigy made these mini-episodes essential.
3Star Trek: Discovery Season 1
Discovery Season 1 takes place in 2256 and 2257
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 1melds classicStar Trekwith modern production and sophisticated plot lines. A diverse cast of characters interacts with familiar faces, and theStar Trekcanon is pushed to its limits with an alternate universe and a new, controversial form of warp travel. Although some fans accused its technological advancements of being too advanced for the timeline’s canon,Star Trek: Discoveryincluded reasoning for all of its choices.The Klingon War is the focal point ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 1, with a multi-episode arc in the Mirror Universe introducing Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou.
4Star Trek: Short Treks: “Ephraim And Dot”
This sweet, nostalgic tale takes place between 2266 and 2285
In one of the firstanimatedStar Trekepisodes to air since the end ofStar Trek: The Animated Seriesin 1974,Star Trek: Short Treksgoes on a nostalgic journey in “Ephraim And Dot.” A tardigrade named Ephraim tries to find a place to hatch her eggs, and when she sees the USS Enterprise, she finds a DOT-7 robot, “Dot,” who stops her. A chase ensues, and even after Ephraim finds a place for her eggs, Dot continues to chase her. During their chase, classic moments fromStar Trek: The Original Seriestake place, unbeknownst to Ephraim or Dot.
5Star Trek: Short Treks: “The Escape Artist”
Harry Mudd avoids justice in the 2250s
Harcourt Fenton “Harry” Mudd, the infamous conman and swindler, was first played by Roger C. Carmel inStar Trek: The Original Series. Rainn Wilson would later play the role inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 1, and he returns inStar Trek: Short Treks, “The Escape Artist,” which follows Mudd through several sticky situations. In hisShort Treks,Mudd avoids justice several times despite having neither the reason nor the resources to do so. This slippery nature connects to Mudd’s appearances inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 1.
Star Trek: Short Treks"The Escape Artist" was written by Mike McMahan, who went on to create and executive produceStar Trek: Lower Decks.
6Star Trek: Short Treks: “Runaway”
In 2257, Tilly meets an unexpected visitor on the USS Discovery
After a distressing call from her discouraging mother, Ensign Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) wallows with an espresso. Unbeknownst to her, an unknown stowaway has escaped from the cargo bay and soon meets Tilly in the mess hall. The food synthesizers malfunction and spew food everywhere. Tilly learns that the intruder is a teenage Xahean named Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po, or “Po” for short. The Queen of Xahea, Po explains that her people stole her new invention in a greedy grab for warp technology despite it destroying their planet. Po and Tilly relate to each other regarding being unheard of and part ways as friends.Po’s appearance inStar Trek: Short Trekssets up why Xahea is so crucial toStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2’s ending.
7Star Trek: Discovery Season 2
Captain Pike and the USS Discovery crew investigate the Red Angel between 2257 and 2258
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 2 picks up where season 1 left off afterCaptain Gabriel Lorca’s (Jason Isaacs) exitfrom the eponymous starship. Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) replaced the lying captain and became a fan favorite due to his charm and kindness. Newly introduced iterations of Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One, Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijin) also gave the season a nostalgic kick fromStar Trek: The Original Seriespilot, “The Cage.“Star Trek: Discoveryseason 2’s ending marked a monumental shift where the USS Discovery leaves the 23rd century for good to travel to the 32nd century 930 years in the future.
I Think Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Is Star Trek At Its Best
Star Trek: Discovery includes some of Star Trek’s best characters and narratives, both old and new. I think season 2 is Star Trek at its best.
8Star Trek: Discovery Season 3
The USS Discovery crew ends up in 3188 and 3189 in season 3
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 3 permanently brings the crew of the USS Discovery over 930 years in the future.Discoveryseason 3 explores a distant future in which the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet have nearly been obliterated by amysterious event known as “The Burn,“causing an explosion of the galaxy’s dilithium supply. Without fuel, starships were severely damaged, and the galaxy was quickly plunged into chaos. Discovery season 3 also introduces new and diverse characters, including Cleveland “Book” Booker (David Ajala), asCommander Burnham and the USS Discovery solve the mystery of the Burn and bring warp travel back to the Federation.
Commander Michael Burnham is promoted to Captain of the USS Discovery at the end ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 3.
9Star Trek: Discovery Season 4
The 32nd-century adventure continues in 3190
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 4 revolves around a vast, mysterious gravitational anomaly called the Dark Matter Anomaly (DMA). The USS Discovery’s crew quickly moves to investigate the DMA because it poses a dangerous and immediate threat to the galaxy, causing catastrophic destruction on a planetary scale. The crew builds new alliances and faces individual growth through grief and love alike, eventually overcoming seemingly impossible challenges and circling back to the core values ofStar Trek. By theend ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 4, the USS Discovery traveled to another galaxy and made First Contact with the DMA’s creators, Species 10-C.
10Star Trek: Discovery Season 5
The USS Discovery’s story ends in 3191
Star Trek: Discovery’s final season has the twist of being a sequel toStar Trek: The Next Generation’s “The Chase”.Discoveryseason 5 follows Captain Michael Burnham’s search for the Progenitors' ancient technology. This search leads to exciting adventures that connect toStar Treklore in surprising ways. The advanced technology is eventually destroyed by Captain Burnham, who deems it too dangerous for anyone to use.Star Trek: Discoveryendswith a peaceful epilogue set 30 years in the future in which Burnham and Book’s son, Leto (Sawandi Wilson), is a Starfleet captain. Admiral Burnham sends the USS Discovery on its puzzling final mission: to wait in deep space.
Star Trek: Discovery’s “Calypso” Short Trek & Finale Epilogue Reveal Explained
Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale epilogue puts the pieces in place for Star Trek: Short Treks “Calypso” to happen in the future.
