This article will talk about when Star Trek: Discovery takes place and what that means. When does Star Trek: Discovery take place? The answer is… a lot!
Star Trek: Discovery is currently set on the 23rd century, around the time of the Federation’s first contact with the Klingon Empire. However, this meeting took place over a decade before the series began, so what we see now as technology is new to humans.
Many years have passed since then, and humanity has developed much more advanced technology. This includes warp engines, time travel, and other concepts we don’t fully understand yet.
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The war with the Klingons continues
Despite having the Delta Flyer, Lieutenant Michael Burnee and her crew are forced to stay behind on Earth when it becomes clear they won’t be needed to fight in the war against the Klingons.
She is trapped on Earth with no way back to Star Trek.
This is where we go to learn more about Burnee and her crew as they return home after defeating the Klingons. We also learn more about what happened while they were away and how they changed as a result.
Burnee returns home with some new friends she met while travelling, who become like family to her. She also begins a new life without Star Trek behind her, making this an emotional return for her.
Characters reference the Battle of the Binary Stars
A Star Trek: Discovery reference is rare, especially when it concerns a specific episode. The series does not air until September 13, but you can find all the latest Star Trek: Discovery news and updates here.
This Is A Time Of Crisis
The event referenced in this episode is known as the Battle of the Binary Stars. It took place around 30 years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series and was a war between two species that lived in close proximity to one another. The conflict was over resources and who had access to them. It was one of the most defining episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series.
The binary star system that hosts Raza is named after this event and features two distinct species who came into violent conflict with each other. One of them, the Raza, fled there to hide from the fighting. Eventually, they negotiated an uneasy peace, but only due to cooperation between the two groups.
Discovery takes place roughly ten years before Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is set in the 24th century, long after humans have developed technology and spaceflight. That makes Star Trek: The Original Series, its prequel, the only Star Trek series that takes place in the present day.
However, past episodes of Star Trek take place in the immediate past. In a sense, Discovery is an episode of The Original Series that happened first on Earth and then went to orbit.
This is why there are old people and things are run down. Earth was once a very important planet with strong cultures and societies before it became isolated from others via spaceflight.
People who watch The Original Series reruns sometimes get confused about when things take place. They think they’re watching modern episodes because they’re run down and old!
Discovery takes place roughly ten years before Star TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, so some elements of contemporary society do exist. For example, technology has been around for a long time.
Lieutenant Commander Michael Burnham is the first officer of the U.S.S. Shenzhou
She is a new Starfleet officer who has just been promoted to lieutenant commander. She is also the first officer of the Shenzhou, a new ship in Star Trek Discovery.
She will take on the role of captain when she goes into battle, as she assumes command at an important time in her ship and crew’s lives.
When does Star Trek Discovery Take Place?
Discovery takes place about a year after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. That is not too long in television time, but it is a little longer in real life.
Since The Original Series ended more than 20 years ago, there are some continuity issues that need to be resolved. Some of these issues were never addressed during production or casting, which is why some episodes are so long and complicated.
These continuity issues stretch beyond just episodes and affect future episodes as well as old ones.
Captain Gabriel Lorca is the captain of the U.S.S. Discovery
He is a former Starfleet officer who has joined the new Federation as its first captain. He also served as chief of operations for the U.S.S. Enterprise before joining the new series as Lorca’s main antagonist.
Lorca was a central character in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he served as second officer under Captain Picard and later First Officer under Commander Jean-Luc Picard. While on The Next Generation, Lorca earned several honors including an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his work as a character actor.
After TNG, Lorca starred in several other series including Criminal Minds and Suits before returning to Star Trek this year with his new show, Star Trek: Discovery.
As the ship’s captain, Lorca guides Discovery through its missions using logic and reason instead of gut instinct.
The spore drive transports a ship via jumping through spores in space
The spore drive is a technology that was standard equipment on almost all vessels in the 22nd century. It allows a ship to jump through space and time.
This technology was developed by the Federation as a way to transport large numbers of people and things with minimal resources.
Only select vessels were equipped with the spore drive, and only when necessary. Early on in Star Trek history, it wasn’t always available.
Some ships used subspace communications channels, but no communication grid or transportation system was constructed. These ships had to be prepared for any emergency scenario.
The spore drive was very expensive technology, so only certain captains needed access to it. Theoretically, anyone could use it, but transportation systems must be in place for a captain to turn it on or off.
There are tardigrades in Star Trek Discovery
Tardigrades are another member of the kingdom of life-supporting, microscopic life-forms. They can survive in extreme conditions, and that includes broadcast television.
Star Trek has featured many kinds of creatures, and some have become staples in the franchise. The water hag is one such creature, appearing many times over the course of Star Wars and Star Trek.
Water hags are an ancient species with a long history behind them, some of whom appear in Legendarily Old Stories to Modern Wisdom. One such story mentions a creature that lives in a tree and transforms into a spring when it rains.
The water hag is one of these stories, which mentions that it protects its well-earned name from predators by transforming into a dry branch as protection against them. This may also help it to project an impression of safety and comfort.
Discovery has more explicit violence than previous series or films in the franchise
Although the first Star Trek series didn’t feature much violence, there were still some instances where something unexpected happened.
In the original series, violence was kept to a minimum as it was considered a serious topic. There were also social impacts of violence that were discussed, making it less impactful than today.
But today, we are in a time where gender and race inequality are still prevalent. And while Star Trek wasn’t necessarily about social issues, they still mattered to someone at some point.
Gender equality is still a topic that matters today and people watch to learn new things about people and how they live their lives. This is true for Star Trek as well!
Discovery takes place two years after the events of The Original Series and features new characters who have been impacted by what happened back then.