Star Trek: Discovery’s Timeline Confirmed

It’s official: Star Trek: Discovery marks the franchise’s return to the original, prime Star Trek timeline

While Star Trek: Discovery has always been described as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, and therefore presumably a part of the same timeline, fans have been so taken aback by how different the show looks from previous Star Trek series and hung up on certain continuity questions that many have asserted the show must take place either within the Kelvin timeline, the alternate universe of the Star Trek movie reboot, or an entirely new timeline.

During the CBS All Access Television Critics Association presentation, executive producer Akiva Goldsman confirmed that Star Trek: Discovery is indeed set in the same universe as Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and all of the other Star Trek television series that followed.

Star Trek: Discovery takes place a decade prior to the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. That is an era that has been explored previously in Star Trek novels, but Goldsman made it clear those novels are not a part of the same continuity as Star Trek: Discovery.

“We are considering the novels not to be canon, but we are aware of them,” Goldman said, adding: “It is its own standalone story with its own characters and its own unique vision of Trek.”

Set 10 years prior to the five-year mission of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Discovery follows the adventures of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new lifeforms, and one Starfleet officer who must learn that to truly understand all things alien, you must first understand yourself. The series will feature a new ship, new characters, and new missions while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers.

Star Trek: Discovery‘s cast also includes Jason Isaacs as the starship Discovery’s Captain Lorca, Rainn Wilson as Star Trek: The Original Series character HarryMudd, James Frain as Sarek, Spock’s father, and Michelle Yeoh as CaptainGeorgiou, the captain of another Starfleet ship, the Shenzhou, which will be important to the plot of Star Trek: Discovery. Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp both play science officers. MaryWiseman will play a final year Starfleet Academy cadet.

Star Trek: Discovery was created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman. Fuller was originally intended to be Discovery’s showrunner but was forced step down due to commitments to Starz’ adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts have taken over as showrunners.

Star Trek: Discovery premieres Sept. 24, 2017.

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