‘Star Trek: Discovery’: 7 Questions Raised by the Finale

Star Trek: Discovery‘s season finale wrapped up many loose ends, tying up narrative threads that were lingering and plugging a few continuity holes.

All that said, the episode still left many wondering what could be next for the CBS All Access series and the crew of the USS Discovery.

The episode brought the war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire to a close in an unexpected way. It was Starfleet who gave the Klingon L’Rell the power to forcibly unify the 24 great Klingon houses. Unification is what T’Kuvma, Voq, and L’Rell always wanted. Now they have it, at least for now, which gives the Federation a chance to rebuild.

This all follows a multi-episode jaunt to the mirror universe. It was revealed that Captain Gabriel Lorca was actually a native of the mirror universe who staged a coup against the Terran Emperor. Lorca died during Discovery‘s attempt to return home, but the Terran Emperor came along with them. All knowledge about Discovery‘s jump to the mirror universe was classified, explaining why Kirk’s crew had never heard about it before their transporter mishap.

With the war over, all visitors from the mirror universe either dead or going about their own business, and Burnham’s Starfleet rank reinstated, all Discovery needs is a new captain. The ship sets a course for Vulcan, traveling via warp, to pick up their new commanding officers.

The trip is interrupted by a distress call from a Starfleet ship. Not just any starship, but the USS Enterprise NC-1701. The ship even gets a hail from the ship’s captain, Christopher Pike.

Naturally, Star Trek fans have a lot of questions about what’s next for Star Trek: Discovery. Here are the ones most pressing on our minds.

Star Trek: Discovery Season Two begins production in April.

What Role Will the Enterprise Play?

Naturally, the biggest question on every fans mind revolves around that last-minute appearance of the USS Enterprise.

Since Star Trek: Discovery is set a decade before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series, the Enterprise is not yet under the command of Captain Kirk. Instead, Captain Christopher Pike commands the vessel.

Practically all we know about the Enterprise of this era comes from the original, rejected Star Trek pilot episode “The Cage.” The events of “The Cage” took place about two years before the Battle at the Binary stars that kicked off Star Trek: Discovery‘s first season.

So why is the Enterprise, one of the crown jewels of Starfleet, sending out a distress call? And what role will the ship play in Star Trek: Discovery‘s future?

Will we see Captain Pike and Spock?

And then there’s the question of the captain himself, as well as his science officer, the famous Mr. Spock.

The Star Trek: Discovery showrunners have made it clear that the fact that the Enterprise is involved in the show’s second season doesn’t necessarily mean that the ship’s most famous crew members will appear as well.

“Yeah, we can’t talk about specifics too much, but I think that because we are in canon, we look at things we know, and things we don’t know… and then there are the things we don’t know about the things we know!” showrunner Gretchen J. Berg said. “And there, often, you’ll find great opportunities for storytelling. But it is intriguing. It’s one of the fun things about playing within this box that is the timeline where we are.”

Who is Discovery’s New Captain?

Changing focus back to the show’s titular starship, there’s a major vacancy on Discovery’s bridge.

Gabriel Lorca was in command of Discovery through most of the first season, right up until he was revealed to be a native of the mirror universe.

After that reveal, his first officer, Saru, took command of Discovery and saw that its crew returned home safely.

Once the ship returned to the prime timeline, Admiral Cornwell stepped in and took command of the ship. She then handed it over to the former Terran Emperor Phillipa Georgiou, who was masquerading as her prime timeline counterpart.

Now the Georgiou is gone and Cornwell has returned to her duties as admiral, the ship is without a captain. Discovery was traveling to Vulcan to pick up its new commanding officer when the distress signal from the Enterprise came in. Will the show ever actually introduce this new captain? Is the captain Vulcan? How will that affect the crew’s dynamics?

What is Discovery’s New Mission?

Assuming that Discovery finds its new captain, what will it do then?

When Discovery was introduced, it was presented as a fresh off the lot advanced science vessel with a very specific purpose, to develop and perfect Lt. Paul Stamet’s spore drive in an attempt to win the war against the Klingon Empire (and secretly to give Lorca a ride home).

That worked for the show’s first season, which was specifically about the war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. But where does that leave Discovery now?

Discovery is one of the most advanced ships in Starfleet, so it should presumably have a pretty lofty mandate from Starfleet Command.

Is the Spore Drive Gone for Good?

One of the major continuity complications that fans struggled with in the Star Trek: Discovery’s first season was the implications presented by the existence of Discovery’s spore drive.

The spore is incredibly powerful, allowing for practically instantaneous travel through space. So then why doesn’t anyone ever mention or use the technology in the future?

The Star Trek: Discovery season finale may have given the series an out. Since the Klingon Empire has been defeated there’s less pressure on Stamets to make the drive work. Starfleet also seems to have recommitted itself to its ideals, and so they’ve taken the spore drive offline until a non-human interface can be developed.

Theoretically, research into a non-human interface could hit a wall that Starfleet never overcomes, or they could decide that developing one would cut too much of the benefits of the drive. This works, but it does seem like such powerful technology would be revisited at some point.

Have we Seen the Last of Phillipa Georgiou?

Discovery may have left the mirror universe but Michael Burnham took a souvenir home with her.

The deposed Terran Emperor Phillipa Georgiou was brought to the prime timeline. At first, she was a prisoner. Then she was a dubious ally sent to do Starfleet’s dirty work.

In the end, Burnham traded Georgiou her freedom in exchange for the safety of Qo’noS.

So what does a former emperor do with so much free time on her hands? The season finale episode showed that Georgiou has a taste for some good old fashion debauchery, but how long can that keep her busy for?

Georgiou did have a “come to the dark side” moment with Burnham where asked Burnham to join her in ruling both the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Could she rediscover some of that old ambition?

What Role Will the Klingons Play Going Forward?

The war with the Klingon Empire is over but anyone who knows Star Trek knows that even at the best of times relations between the Federation and the Klingons are tense.

The first season of Star Trek: Discovery ends with L’Rell essentially giving the Klingon houses an ultimatum: unify or perish. That ultimatum was always the basis of T’Kuvma’s preaching – either the Klingon Empire must unify or it will be eliminated by the Federation. Now, its L’Rell who can do the eliminating.

L’Rell may have control for the moment, but that one bomb under Qo’noS isn’t going to keep the Klingons in line forever. So what role will L’Rell, and the Klingon turned human Ash Tyler, play in the future of Star Trek: Discovery?