‘Star Trek: Discovery’: Enterprise’s Finale Appearance Was Planned From the Start

The arrival of the Enterprise in the Star Trek: Discovery finale may have come as a shock to fans watching at home, but it was no surprise to the producers working behind the scenes.

Speaking on CBS All Access’s Star Trek: Discovery after show After Trek, Star Trek: Discovery co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman revealed that, while the arrival of the Enterprise may have come at the end of the season, it was the starting point for how the season’s story was developed.

“So the whole season was reverse-engineered knowing really at the beginning where we wanted to end,” Kurtzman said. “And from Sonequa [Martin-Green]’s arc to the bridge crew coming together as a family, and knowing that the Enterprise was going to show up as a last frame because obviously, we owe the audience some answers to the question of ‘Why has Spock never mentioned his half-sister before?’ So obviously the Enterprise promises answers to that question.”

Kurtzman’s comments on After Trek echo comments he made in interviews surrounding the finale about the Enterprise’s role in Star Trek: Discovery Season Two.

“The show is called Discovery. It’s not Enterprise,” Kurtzman said. “So yes, the Enterprise will play a part of Season Two but it will absolutely not overshadow Discovery. And I think with Enterprise’s arrival in the finale we recognize that the audience has a lot of questions about our synchronicity with the original series, which really means or synchronicity with canon. So the promise of the Enterprise holds the answers to a lot of those questions, including Spock’s relationship with his half-sister who he’s never mentioned. Which does not necessarily mean you’re going to see Spock, just that we owe an answer to that question.”

Star Trek: Discovery stars Anthony Rapp and Sonequa Martin-Green were in-studio guests during the episode of After Trek, and both feel like their characters would have some fun interacting with the crew of the Enterprise.

“The a certain prickly scientist…pointy ears…” Rapp teased, conveying the similarities between the iconic Mr. Spock and his own character, Lt. (now Lt. Commander) Paul Stamets. “I think they would probably have a meeting of the minds.”

Filming begins on Star Trek: Discovery Season Two in April.