History Series / StarTrekDiscovery

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Gabriel Lorca is a deconstruction of the post-9/11 [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer]]/ CowboyCop archetype. When he is first introduced, he is very much framed as a hard-nosed badass who's willing to do whatever's necessary to save lives and protect the Federation from its enemies. It's only as the series develops that it becomes clear that, in fact, [[spoiler: he's actually just a power-hungry fascist who cynically appeals to his officers' sense of duty and idealism in order to pursue his own ends.]]

* BackFromTheDead:
** Invoked with [[spoiler: Emperor Georgiou]]. Since the events of the [[spoiler: Mirror Universe]] are classified, the Federation tells everyone else that she is actually [[spoiler: Prime Georgiou]] to cover it up.
** [[spoiler: Hugh]] somehow wound up trapped in the spore network and was retrieved by Michael and Paul.
** [[spoiler: Gray's soul]] is placed into a synth body in Season 3.

* AnythingThatMoves: [[spoiler: Emperor Georgiou is pansexual and likes kinky sex and multiple partners. Some of her escapades involve multiple threesomes with Mirror Hugh and Mirror Stamets (who were pansexual in her universe). In the prime universe, she has a threesome with a male and female Orion on Qo'noS. She flirts heavily with several crewmembers and enemies in her time on the U.S.S. Discovery in the prime universe.]]

** YMMV but the relationship between Adira Tal and Gray is also this, given that [[spoiler: Gray is dead by Adira's introducing in late season two, but all of the story of their relationship is when they both were alive. However, after Adira integrates with their symbiote and starts seeing Gray again, things are up in the air for fans of the romance. Crosses over with DeathByFlashback]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/startrekdiscovery_4.jpg]]

A spinoff, called ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', was announced in May 2020. It centers around Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew aboard the U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' in the years preceding [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James Kirk's tenure as captain]]. Also confirmed to reprise their roles are Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Spock.

Each season is built around a season-long serialized StoryArc. The first season concerns the Klingon Empire emerging from a century of isolationism to embark on a brutal crusade against the Federation. Notable recurring Klingon antagonists include T'Kuvma, a charismatic visionary who wants to unite the 24 warring clans into one cohesive empire; L'Rell, a Battle Deck Commander on his ship; and Voq, a clanless and albino Klingon who serves him. Other recurring characters include ConMan Harry Mudd, security chief Commander Landry, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Admiral]] Cornwell, and none other than [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Spock]]'s parents Sarek and Amanda. The second season moves on from the interstellar-war premise of the first as it involves ''Discovery'' investigating the mystery of seven strange red signals that have appeared across space and their link to a mysterious figure called the Red Angel. A younger Spock becomes a recurring character; other new faces include engineer Jett Reno, security chief Nhan and Section 31 operative Leland. The third season features a major status-quo shift as ''Discovery'' travels forward in time 930 years to the late 32nd century, a time when the Federation has [[VestigialEmpire diminished]] after a galaxy-wide disaster known as "the Burn". New recurring characters include the amnesiac Adira and Trill initiate Gray.

A spinoff, called ''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'', was announced in May 2020. It centers around Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew aboard the U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' in the years preceding [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James Kirk's tenure as captain]]. Also confirmed to reprise their roles are Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Spock.

* ForgottenPhlebotinum: The main source of conflict in Season Three is [[spoiler:the Burn having destroyed most of the galaxy's dilithium (and through that, most warp-capable starships). But the Romulans use tame black holes to power their warp-capable ships, logically freeing them from reliance on dilithium[[note]]though they still mine it from planets like Remus, as established in ''Film/StarTrekNemesis''[[/note]]. This is never brought up, and indeed the unified Vulcan[=/=]Romulan government of Ni'Var seems to have been hit as hard by the Burn as everyone else, when they should have easily slipped into the role of the new galactic superpower. It's also mentioned that dilithium mines were drying up before the burn, and many projects to find alternate means of powering warp drives were sought, but the Romulan's singularity reactors are not mentioned.]]

* TheRemnant: In Season 3 TheFederation has been reduced to this, and the eponymous ship is key to rebuilding it BackFromTheBrink.

** The combined crews of Discovery and Enterprise realize that the only way to keep the [[MacGuffinEscortMission sphere data]] truly safe and out of [[AIIsACrapShoot Control]]'s reach is to take it into the distant future. [[{{Determinator}} Michael Burnham]] is prepared to go alone. However, the [[FireForgedFriends core of her crew volunteers]] to go with her, even knowing that it's a one-way trip, meaning they'll be leaving everyone and everything they've ever known and loved 900 years behind.

--> '''Pike:''' I can't ask any of you to participate in what is clearly an act of disobedience...
--> '''Detmer''': Course heading, sir?
--> '''Tilly:''' Does feel like we should get moving, like, now.
--> '''Burnham:''' I think you have the crew, sir.
--> '''Pike:''' Helm, get us out of here.
** After Ensign Tilly is pulled into the mycelial network by [[ItMakesSenseInContext a fungal spore posing as her dead middle school friend]], the astro engineering team is confident she's still alive and can be saved. They convince Captain Pike to make a [[{{Teleportation}} spore jump]] wedging the Enterprise half in the mycelial network and half out, while [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind Stamets attempts to locate and extract Tilly]]. This plan is dangerous to both the ship and the crew, but even more so to whoever goes into the mycelial network. Stamets intends to carry out that part of the plan by himself, but Burnham insists on going with him.

* DeconReconSwitch: ''Discovery'' starts off far more violent than past Star Trek shows, and the main conflict kicks off when a character believes in peace and diplomacy so much, they walk right into a trap that starts a terrible war. The main characters end up being crew with a strong 'ends justify the means' attitude, with a captain working on ethically-ambiguous technology and a security officer who treats others as subhuman. However, things start to change as [[spoiler:the security officer's own arrogance gets her killed]], a different solution is found for the [[spoiler:experimental technology]], and the turning point in the war comes when [[spoiler:the heroes disobey orders in order to defend a peaceful planet]] even after it betrayed them. In the first season finale, [[spoiler:Michael reminds the crew and Admiral Cornwall that Starfleet's principals are important, even in times of war. The conflicts against Emperor Georgiou and the Klingon Empire are resolved through diplomacy, which is in keeping with the values of the franchise.]] Still fully deconstructed is the idea that "humanity has evolved beyond our darker impulses" (early ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'', and what Burnham attempts with Vulcan training), but the new message is that humans ''can'' keep those impulses from controlling them in each moment (while the MirrorUniverse is presented as a warning of the downward spiral of fear that results when they don't).

* DoomedHometown: [[spoiler:Kwejian, Book's homeworld, is utterly destroyed in the first episode of Season 4, soon after he reconciled with his family in Season 3.]]

** In the ''Shork Trek'' the "Trouble with Edward,” the moment Edward mentions that the Tribbles have a low breeding rate but that he can modify them to change that, you know that he will [[ExplosiveBreeder with dire consequences.]]

* EvolvingCredits: The first season opening credits feature images related to the season's plot, like Klingon mek'leths, while the second season opening credits change to show the captain's chair of the ''Enterprise'' and the Vulcan IDIC symbol, among others. The credit sequence also evolves within each season, adding elements as the story arc progresses.

* EvolvingCredits: The first season opening credits feature images related to the season's plot, like Klingon mek'leths, while the second season opening credits change to show the captain's chair of the ''Enterprise'' and the Vulcan IDIC symbol, among others.