History Series / StarTrekDiscovery

The show is set in the "prime timeline" of the ''Star Trek'' universe (as opposed to the [[Film/StarTrek2009 Kelvin timeline]]), about ten years before the five-year mission on the original ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheOriginalSeries}}''. It follows the voyages of the Federation starship USS ''Discovery'', with its experimental new "spore drive" propulsion technology that enables instant teleportation. Unusually for a Star Trek show, the main characters do not mostly consist of the ship's senior staff with the captain as the main hero. The lead character is [[ScienceHero Science Officer]] Michael Burnham (Creator/SonequaMartinGreen), a human raised by Vulcans. Other main characters include [[NumberTwo First Officer]] Saru (Creator/DougJones) of the previously-unseen Kelpien species; spore drive engineer Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp); EnsignNewbie Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman); Lt. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif), a security officer; Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), a medical officer and Stamets' life partner; and Captain Gabriel Lorca (Creator/JasonIsaacs). Creator/MichelleYeoh also appears as Michael's mentor, Captain Phillipa Georgiou of the USS ''Shenzhou''. The second season sees the addition of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage Captain Christopher Pike]] (Creator/AnsonMount) to the main cast, and the third season introduces Cleveland "Book" Booker (Creator/DavidAjala).

''Star Trek: Discovery'' is the sixth live-action ''Franchise/StarTrek'' television series. It premiered on September 24th, 2017 and has been renewed for a fourth season. It was co-created by Creator/BryanFuller and Creator/AlexKurtzman, with creative contributions by Creator/NicholasMeyer; Kurtzman is the current co-showrunner with Michelle Paradise. Developed by Creator/{{CBS}}, ''Discovery'' airs in the United States on their streaming service Creator/ParamountPlus,[[note]]Originally named CBS All-Access.[[/note]] as well as in Canada on Creator/SpaceChannel and [=CraveTV=]. In other territories, the show's first three seasons were also broadcast to the rest of the world (bar Mainland China) on Creator/{{Netflix}}; the show exited Netflix in November 2021. It was previously announced that the series would not become available to international customers again until Paramount+ launches internationally in 2022, [[LateExportForYou delaying the launch of season 4]] in those regions. However, on November 24, 2021, in response to widespread fan outrage, Paramount announced that the program would release instead on November 26, 2021 in all markets in which the service is currently available. For those markets currently without the service, the episodes will instead premiere on the free ad-supported streaming service Creator/PlutoTV on the same timetable.

''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', was announced in May 2020 and premiered 2 years later. In this SpinOff of Season 2, Mount, Romijn and Peck reprise their roles, depicting their adventures aboard the U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' in the years preceding [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James Kirk's tenure as captain]]. Announced even earlier than this was a show starring Michelle Yeoh's Phillipa Georgiou and concerning Section 31, but it was put into DevelopmentHell, to be revived after this show and/or ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' completes its run.

* SoloMissionBecomesGroupMission: There have been at least three instances of this in the second season of the show:
** 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.
** Lt. Spock is accused of multiple murders of superior officers in the course of escaping a Starfleet mental health facility. [[ClearTheirName Firmly convinced he is innocent]], Michael Burnham finds Spock and takes him to [[SinisterSpyAgency Section 31]], believing he needs psychiatric treatment and they can help him. However, she's warned that they intend to extract his memories regarding [[LivingMacGuffin the Red Angel]] and possibly leave him brain damaged. With a [[MakeItLookLikeAStruggle little help from former Emperor Georgiou]], she breaks him out of the Section 31 ship and they go on the run. When Captain Pike finally catches up to the duo, they have to outsmart Section 31 to rescue them. By bringing them on board, the whole ship is in defiance of Starfleet orders and [[FugitiveArc will need to go on the run]], leading to the following interaction:
---> '''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 ''Discovery'' 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.

# 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 (Chris Obi), a charismatic visionary who wants to unite the 24 warring clans into one cohesive empire; L'Rell (Mary Chieffo), a Battle Deck Commander on his ship; and Voq (Javid Iqbal), a clanless and albino Klingon who serves him as "Sech qengwI'" (Torchbearer). Other recurring characters include ConMan Harry Mudd (Creator/RainnWilson), security chief Commander Landry (Creator/RekhaSharma), [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Admiral]] Katrina Cornwell (Jayne Brook), and none other than [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Spock]]'s parents Sarek (James Frain) and Amanda (Creator/MiaKirshner), the people who adopted Michael.
# 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 (Creator/EthanPeck) becomes a recurring character, as does Pike's NumberTwo [[NoNameGiven Number One]] (Creator/RebeccaRomijn); other new faces include engineer Jett Reno (Creator/TigNotaro), security chief Nhan (Rachael Ancheril) and Section 31 operative Leland (Alan van Sprang).
# 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" destroyed all dilithium, the {{Phlebotinum}} which makes warp drive possible. Burnham, Cleveland Booker and the crew of ''Discovery'' attempt to get to the bottom of the situation. New recurring characters include the amnesiac Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), Trill initiate Gray (Ian Alexander), Head of Starfleet Adm. Charles Vance (Creator/OdedFehr), historian Kovich (Creator/DavidCronenberg), and ArcVillain Osyraa (Janet Kidder).
# The fourth season features the spectre of an EarthShatteringKaboom as a NegativeSpaceWedgie, the "DMA" (Dark Matter Anomaly) sweeps through the galaxy, threatening to destroy all in its path while everyone tries to figure out what it is, where it came from and how to stop it. Opposing it is Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) and MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Ruon Tarka (Creator/ShawnDoyle).

''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', was announced in May 2020 and premiered 2 years later. In this SpinOff of Season 2, Mount, Romijn and Peck reprise their roles, depicting their adventures aboard the U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' in the years preceding [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James Kirk's tenure as captain]]. Announced even earlier than this was a show starring Michelle Yeoh's Phillipa Georgiou and concerning Section 31, but it was put into DevelopmentHell, to be revived after this show or ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' completes its run.

A {{Spinoff}}, called ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', was announced in May 2020 and premiered 2 years later. It centers around Pike, Number One and Spock, played by Mount, Romijn and Peck, and their adventures aboard the U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' in the years preceding [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James Kirk's tenure as captain]]. Announced even earlier than this was a show starring Michelle Yeoh's Phillipa Georgiou and concerning Section 31, but it was put into DevelopmentHell with the intention of rescuing it once one of the other shows of the Secret Hideout era (''DSC'', ''SNW'', ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'', ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekProdigy'') completes its run.

The show is set in the "prime timeline" of the ''Star Trek'' universe (as opposed to the [[Film/StarTrek2009 Kelvin timeline]]), about ten years before the five-year mission on the original ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheOriginalSeries}}''. It follows the voyages of the Federation starship USS ''Discovery'', with its experimental new "spore drive" propulsion technology that enables instant teleportation. Unusually for a Star Trek show, the main characters do not mostly consist of the ship's senior staff with the captain as the main hero. The lead character is [[ScienceHero Science Officer]] Michael Burnham (Creator/SonequaMartinGreen), a human raised by Vulcans. Other main characters include [[NumberTwo First Officer]] Saru (Creator/DougJones) of the previously-unseen Kelpien species; spore drive engineer Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp); EnsignNewbie Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman); Lt. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif), a security officer; Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), a medical officer and Stamets' life partner; and Captain Gabriel Lorca (Creator/JasonIsaacs). Creator/MichelleYeoh also appears as Michael's mentor, Captain Phillipa Georgiou of the USS ''Shenzhou''. The second season sees the addition of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage Captain Christopher Pike]] (Creator/AnsonMount) to the main cast, and the third season introduces Cleveland "Book" Booker (David Ajala).

# 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" destroyed all dilithium, the {{Phlebotinum}} which makes warp drive possible. Burnham, Cleveland Booker and the crew of ''Discovery'' attempts to get to the bottom of the situation. New recurring characters include the amnesiac Adira (Blu del Barrio), Trill initiate Gray (Ian Alexander), Head of Starfleet Adm. Charles Vance (Creator/OdedFehr), historian Kovich (Creator/DavidCronenberg), and ArcVillain Osyraa (Janet Kidder).
# The fourth season features the specter of an EarthShatteringKaboom as a NegativeSpaceWedgie, the "DMA" (Dark Matter Anomaly) sweeps through the galaxy, threatening to destroy all in its path while everyone tries to figure out what it is, where it came from and how to stop it. Opposing it is Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) and MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Ruon Tarka (Creator/ShawnDoyle).

* RankUp: In contrast to other ''Star Trek'' series, this happens to the characters on a fairly regular basis. Generally justified in-universe on account of AsskickingEqualsAuthority.

* DiplomaticBackChannel: President Rillak often invokes this trope. As the President of the United Federation of Planets, she has specific restraints on what she can and cannot do. More than once she has asked Michael Burnham and/or Saru to use their personal connections to massage diplomatic impasses that she cannot broach as the Federation President, particularly when dealing with Ni'Var (the combined governments of Romulus and Vulcan) and the United Earth, both of which had [[WeUsedToBeFriends withdrawn from the Federation.]]

* ThematicSequelLogoChange: Each season changes the visual elements during the main title sequence to reflect elements of that season (such as having a picture of the Red Angel in Season 2, or changing from a 23rd century phaser pistol to a 32nd century one in Season 3). Also the series title was rendered in a harsh, Klingon-like font for the first two seasons, but changed to a rounder, more "futuristic" one starting in Season 3 to reflect the setting change to the 32nd century.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The spore drive itself. It proves quite useful for HitAndRunTactics throughout the Klingon War -- and gets taken UpToEleven when ''Discovery'' uses it for a TeleportSpam attack that [[spoiler:takes down the Klingon flagship]]. That said, one of its major drawbacks is that it requires a sentient, organic navigator to function, and only two have been utilized -- a giant tardigrade and an enhanced human, both of whom were pushed beyond the limits of their endurance and almost killed. In addition, it's discovered that improper use of the mycelial energy has deleterious effects on the entire network, which would not only render the spore drive useless but also bring destruction to the entire multiverse. It is therefore no surprise that once the Klingon War ends, Starfleet effectively decommissions the spore drive.

* BlingOfWar: Starfleet uniforms, despite Starfleet not being a "military" organization, use this trope, with bronze, silver, or gold piping to denote Operations, Science, and Command specialties. The MirrorUniverse Terran Empire takes this UpToEleven, with captains wearing full-on gold vests with ShouldersOfDoom.

** Numerous times, we're treated to a view of ''Discovery'''s labyrinthine turbolift tracks. It's difficult to imagine that such a network could fit inside the relatively compact hull of the ship. Taken UpToEleven in the season 3 finale, where the [[http://blog.trekcore.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/chasm.jpg post-refit turbolift tracks]] could easily be mistaken for a ''Film/BladeRunner'' cityscape.

* TheFutureIsNoir: Frequently used, especially around Captain Lorca, whose eye condition makes him sensitive to bright light. Taken UpToEleven in the mirror universe.

** This trope gets taken UpToEleven between the third and fourth seasons. By the fourth season premiere, "Kobayashi Maru", Stamets and Culber are now commanders, Detmer, Rhys, Nilsson, Bryce and Owosekun are ''all'' lieutenant-commanders, Tilly is now a full lieutenant, and Dr. Pollard has jumped all the way from originally being a lieutenant junior-grade to ''[[CommandingCoolness full commander]]''[[note]]''three'' grades, for anyone keeping count[[/note]].

# 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 (Chris Obi), a charismatic visionary who wants to unite the 24 warring clans into one cohesive empire; L'Rell (Mary Chieffo), a Battle Deck Commander on his ship; and Voq (Javid Iqbal), a clanless and albino Klingon who serves him. Other recurring characters include ConMan Harry Mudd (Creator/RainnWilson), security chief Commander Landry (Creator/RekhaSharma), [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Admiral]] Katrina Cornwell (Jayne Brook), and none other than [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Spock]]'s parents Sarek (James Frain) and Amanda (Creator/MiaKirshner), the people who adopted Michael.

A {{SpinOff}}, called ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', was announced in May 2020. It centers around Pike, Number One and Spock, played by Mount, Romijn and Peck, and their adventures aboard the U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' in the years preceding [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James Kirk's tenure as captain]]. Announced even earlier than this was a show starring Michelle Yeoh's Phillipa Georgiou and concerning Section 31, but it has disappeared into DevelopmentHell.

* AscendedExtra: As the series starts out as a series-long LowerDecksEpisode, much of the bridge crew and senior staff are barely more than a RecurringExtra, particularly Detmer, Airiam and Owosekun. In the second season, starting [[spoiler: with Airiam's episode where she dies]], they start to become more developed and involved with the stories rather than being seat fillers.

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene:
** In "Battle at the Binary Stars,” T'Kuvma pulls an ISurrenderSuckers on [[spoiler:Admiral Anderson and the U.S.S. ''Europa'']]. Captain Georgiou retaliates by [[spoiler:having a photon torpedo warhead attached to the corpse of one the dead Klingons doing some DramaticSpaceDrifting, and then detonating it as a TrojanHorse when T'Kuvma retrieves the bodies after the battle with a TractorBeam]]. It's a mixture of CombatPragmatism and ensuring that the Federation protagonists are at least "[[GoodIsNotNice grey]]" in the BlackAndGrayMorality that dominates the Klingon War storyline.
** Six months later in-universe, in "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry,” L'Rell and Voq casually discuss how they and their shipmates [[spoiler:consumed [[ToServeMan Georgiou's corpse]] during a dire food shortage aboard their disabled ship]].