Star Trek: Discovery
Seventh Star Trek series, spanning 23rd to 32nd centuries.
Star Trek: Discovery is a science fiction television series from the United States, created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman. It debuted in 2017 on CBS All Access, which later became Paramount+, and ran for five seasons until 2024. As the seventh entry in the Star Trek franchise, it marked the first new series since *Star Trek: Enterprise* ended in 2005.
The story begins roughly a decade before the events of the original *Star Trek* series, in the 23rd century. The crew of the starship Discovery initially deals with a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, sparked by the actions of Commander Michael Burnham. After a journey into the Mirror Universe, the war ends. In the second season, the crew investigates mysterious signals and a figure called the Red Angel, eventually battling a rogue artificial intelligence. This conflict forces Discovery to jump more than 900 years into the future, landing in the 32nd century, which becomes the setting for the remaining seasons.
In the future, the Federation is fragmented. The third season focuses on the cause of a catastrophic event known as the Burn. By the end of that season, Burnham is promoted to captain. The fourth season sees the crew working to rebuild the Federation while confronting a destructive space anomaly created by unknown aliens. The fifth and final season sends Discovery on a galactic quest for an ancient power that other dangerous groups also seek.
Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham, a human raised in Vulcan culture by Sarek, making her the adopted sister of Spock. She begins as a science specialist on Discovery and eventually becomes captain. The character was given a traditionally male name by co-creator Fuller, who had done the same with female leads on three of his previous shows. Other main cast members across the five seasons include Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Jason Isaacs, Wilson Cruz, Anson Mount, David Ajala, Rachael Ancheril, Blu del Barrio, Tig Notaro, and Callum Keith Rennie.
The series was produced by CBS Studios with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Fuller was initially showrunner but left due to creative differences with CBS. Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts replaced him, with Akiva Goldsman producing support for the first season. Berg and Harberts were fired during production on the second season, a
- field
- Science fiction television
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- First Star Trek series since 2005; serialized storytelling; time jump to 32nd century
- seasons
- 5
- episodes
- 65
- premiere_date
- September 24, 2017
- finale_date
- May 2024
Lore & Background
Star Trek: Discovery was announced in November 2015 as the first Star Trek series since Star Trek: Enterprise concluded in 2005. It was produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Bryan Fuller was initially set as showrunner but left due to creative differences with CBS. He was replaced by Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, with producing support from Akiva Goldsman for the first season. Berg and Harberts were fired by CBS during production on the second season. Alex Kurtzman took over as showrunner and was joined by Michelle Paradise starting with the third season. Filming took place at Pinewood Toronto Studios in Toronto, Canada, and existing franchise designs were reinvented with modern techniques and visual effects.
Reader's Guide
The series begins around ten years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series, when Commander Michael Burnham's actions start a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. After a court-martial, she is reassigned to the USS Discovery, which has a unique spore drive. The crew travels to the Mirror Universe, helps end the Klingon war, investigates mysterious signals and a figure called the Red Angel, and fights a rogue artificial intelligence. This conflict ends with Discovery traveling to the 32nd century. In the future, the Federation is fragmented, and the crew investigates the cause of a cataclysmic event known as the Burn. Burnham is promoted to captain at the end of the third season. The fourth season involves rebuilding the Federation while facing a space anomaly created by unknown aliens. The fifth season features a galactic adventure to find an ancient power. The series' release led to record subscriptions for CBS All Access and became the most viewed original series on both All Access and Paramount+. It received positive reviews from critics, highlighting Martin-Green's performance and the time-jump, and won two Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for prosthetic makeup and visual effects. The series began an expansion of the Star Trek franchise, including companion shorts, a spin-off series, and a spin-off film.
Did You Know?
- Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham, a science specialist who becomes captain at the end of the third season.
- The series features the first openly gay character in a Star Trek series, Paul Stamets, played by Anthony Rapp.
- Discovery travels to the 32nd century at the end of the second season, more than 900 years into their future.
- The series won two Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for its prosthetic makeup and visual effects.
More in Television series set in the 23rd century 1-20
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