Star Trek Day's 'Star Trek: Discovery' Panel Provides Glimpse Of What's To Come In Season 3

For Star Trek Day (September 8 since that is the date that the first released episode “The Man Trap” aired in 1966), fans were treated to an all-day marathon as well as a few virtual panels. One of these panels was focused on Star Trek: Discovery, which ushered in a new Star Trek renaissance after 12 years of the franchise being off of the small screen (though there were three films, in the meantime). Seasons 1 and 2 took place prior to The Original Series, but at the end of season 2, the Discovery crew was thrust to the future. The panel touched upon this time period, even releasing the trailer below:

As is said in the trailer, the crew has been sent 980 years forward in time, ending up in the year 3188. This is further into the future than any main setting of any previous Star Trek series. Having the show this far removed from the others allows for lots of possibilities. Star Trek franchise overseer Alex Kurtzman explained that something happens to their ship that makes it “impossible” for the crew to get back up in the air. So they need to explore a new world and see what they can do about the problem.

Seeing things play out this far into the future may lead viewers to wonder what has become of the Federation. In the trailer, there is also a menion of an event called The Burn, which seems to have diminished the Federation. During the panel, Michelle Paradise, who joined Kurtzman as co-showrunner for Discovery, explained that the Federation still exists, but that it is “very much in survival mode.”

David Ajala is a new series regular for the season, playing Cleveland “Book” Booker. His first interaction with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is described as being romantic, and includes “throwing cuffs and fists.” The panel teased that while Burnham seems selfless and Booker seems selfish, they actually have more in common than they realize initially. Booker provides a perspective of the world in which the Discovery crew have found themselves, and they bring in their own collective perspective of what they knew things to be back in their own time. It should be interesting seeing how the different perspectives clash. To Ajala, Star Trek is about diversity, hope, and family.

Other newcomers include Adira (Blu del Barrio) and Gray (Ian Alexander). The panel revealed that the former appears in the season’s third episode, while the latter appears in the fourth. There was some tip-toeing around specific details about the characters, but we were told via the panel that the characters’ relationship will be a unique one. Longtime Star Trek fans may notice that Gray is a Trill, and Trill characters have been known to carry symbiotic organisms that carry memories from when they were part of previous hosts. There is speculation as to whether this could provide Gray perspectives of what the Federation was and what it is now like. But again, the panel did not provide specific details.

Kurtzman explained that he loves being able to work on Star Trek because it gives hope to the fans. In this world we now live in where the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on, hope is certainly what is needed. Star Trek has a reputation of being all about optimism when it is at its best, so it is great to hear that the sense of hope is at the forefront of those working on the franchise.

Star Trek: Discovery season 3, which will consist of 13 episodes, premieres October 15 on CBS All Access. You can watch the full panel below:

Written By Steven Shinder

Syndicated From Culture Slate