Top 10 Craziest Star Trek Discovery Theories That Might Be True
For this list, we'll be looking at fan theories about the future of “Star Trek Discovery” and its upcoming sophomore season that could end up happening. Naturally, if you haven't seen season 1 or the season 2 trailer, there could be spoilers ahead.
#10: The Kelvin Timeline Spock Will Appear on ‘Discovery’
Top 3 Things You Missed in the Star Trek Discovery Premiere
Before “Star Trek Discovery” brought a new spin on the familiar universe, the rebooted “Star Trek” films also took a stab at it by altering the timeline. The so-called “Kelvin Timeline” was the result of Romulans altering the past and blaming Spock for their planet’s destruction, with the elder half-Vulcan making an appearance too. However, although the Spock we get on “Discovery” will no doubt differ from his big screen reboot characterization, we think it could be interesting to see this alternate Spock; tying together the timelines even more and building on the themes of multiplicity already seen on the show.
#9: Captain Pike’s Accident & His Tenure
Top 10 William Shatner’s Captain Kirk Fight Moves
Captain Christopher Pike, the man who helmed the Enterprise before one James T. Kirk, is set to captain the Discovery in season 2. Many doubt whether Pike will last long in this position however, as the title ship has not had the best luck with captains thus far and Pike had a similarly short tenure on the original “Star Trek”. Additionally, Pike was shown to be horribly disfigured in TOS, which is allegedly the result of exposure to radiation on a training mission. We’ve got a sneaking suspicion that the previous story was a cover-up and that the real reason will be shown on “Discovery.”
#8: Season 2 Will Be ‘The Search for Spock’
Top 3 Secrets & Easter-Eggs from Star Trek Discovery Mid Season Premiere
No, it won't pull an “Into Darkness” and rehash a Shatner-era film; though that could also be interesting. No, rather we’re entertaining the possibility that Spock, despite appearing in the trailer, will not show up in the flesh for most of the season, and that looking for him could be part of the overall storyline. That’s not to say he couldn’t appear in flashbacks, as depicting him interact with Michael during their childhoods would “logically” help flesh out their sibling relationship; making us more invested to see them finally reunite at the end.
#7: Sybok Appears
Most media tends to gloss over the fact that Michael isn’t Spock's only sibling: he also has a brother. Half-brother. The son of Sarek, Sybok makes his only canon appearance in “Star Trek V”, and was a revolutionary, who embraced emotion instead of logic. He and his followers sought to find God too, and that certainly ties into the idea of there being an “angel” this season. Sybok, whether in flashbacks or in the show itself, could act as an interesting foil for Spock and/or Michael, since, unlike him, both of them adhere closer to Vulcan logic.
#6: Stamets Will Go Rogue to Find His Lost Love
During the first season, Engineer Paul Stamets’ partner, the chief medical officer Dr. Hugh Culber, is murdered. However, thanks to Stamets’ exposure to the spores that power the Discovery’s experimental and incredibly fast propulsion, he’s able to see Culber again in an extra-dimensional space. Although Stamets is able to seemingly move forward with his life after this experience, we wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to use the Discovery’s ability to traverse universes to find one with Culber still living in it. Plus Culber actor Wilson Cruz has been dropping some hints.
#5: The Green Spore Will Affect Tilly
Top 10 Facts You Didn't Know About Star Trek Discovery
On a related note, fans have paid particular attention to a minute detail in the finale of season 1. One of the mycelium spores lands on Cadet Tilly’s shoulder. Instead of the usual blue color, this one is green instead. Many have theorized that the green spore is connected to Culber, or even the Mirror Universe’s Captain Lorca, since both were somehow connected with the mycelial network. Regardless of who or what the spore is, we’re fairly certain that Tilly will be altered in some way by it.
#4: A Familiar ‘Trek’ Face Will Appear
Top 10 Best Female Star Trek Characters
While we’ve seen some familiar “Star Trek” characters on “Discovery” so far, the actors themselves have yet to appear. Granted, given that it’s a prequel, many of the actors from the original series are far too old to play their classic characters in Discovery's time period, but characters from “Star Trek: Enterprise” are definitely feasible, especially if they’re a long-lived Vulcan or other race. Plus, it is a science fiction show: time travel is not out of the question, and we’ve already floated the idea of actors from alternate timelines or universes crossing over.
#3: Burnham Will Finally Be the Captain
Michael Burnham is an unusual protagonist for the “Star Trek” franchise, in that she’s one of the first to not be the captain of a ship. She begins the series as a respected first officer of the USS Shenzhou. However, after her attempted mutiny to prevent the war with the Klingons, Burnham becomes a vilified convict, whose presence on Discovery is barely tolerated at first. However, her growth over the course of the first season leads to a pardon, and while she naturally won’t start season 2 as the captain, we think it's possible that Burnham will finally get her due by its end.
#2: The Red Angel Is No Angel
Top 10 Craziest Family Guy Fan Theories (That Might Be True)
The season 2 trailer features a mysterious, glowing red entity shaped vaguely like an angel, which Burnham and Spock both encounter. Many theories abound as to its identity. These range from someone both of them know, which would explain Michael’s positive impression, to the angel being a member of an oft-mentioned but never shown race of beings called the Iconians. This ancient race was famous for their gateways which allowed for instantaneous travel across the galaxy, which sounds an awful lot like the Discovery’s spore drive. Who or whatever the angel is, we hope the answer is “heavenly.”
#1: Red Bursts = Red Matter
Top 20 Best Star Trek The Original Series Episodes
Another plot point revealed in the trailer is that strange red bursts are occurring all over the galaxy, with the Discovery tasked with investigating them. Some have speculated that these red phenomena are connected to red matter, a substance central to the plot of the rebooted “Star Trek” films, and which can create ways to travel through time, though it has more destructive uses too, such as the creation of black holes. Whether these crimson bursts are red matter or something else entirely, we look forward to discovering the answer.
