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Published Oct 9, 2021

Star Trek: Discovery Season Four Trailer Wows Audiences at NYCC

The season four key art also debuted during the panel

StarTrek.com

Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, today revealed the official trailer for season four of its hit original series Star Trek: Discovery . The trailer was introduced by series star Sonequa Martin-Green during the series’ New York Comic Con panel at the Javits Center. The upcoming season’s official key art, featuring Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham, also made its debut during the panel.

Season four of Star Trek: Discovery finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all. Season four of Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on Thursday, Nov. 18, exclusively for Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S.

The Star Trek: Discovery panel featured series stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, David Ajala, Blu del Barrio and showrunner and executive producer Michelle Paradise. The panel was moderated by culture journalist Karama Horne.

Star Trek: Discovery Season Four Trailer

The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers; Paradise also serves as showrunner.

Star Trek: Discovery season four cast members include Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and recurring guest star Ian Alexander (Gray).

Star Trek: Discovery currently streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. Internationally, the series is available on Paramount+ in Australia, Latin America and the Nordics, and on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Discovery is distributed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Debuts Season 4 Trailer and Premiere Date

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

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Star Trek Discovery Sonequa Martin-Green

“ Star Trek : Discovery” will go where no “Trek” show has gone before, in more ways than one, in its fourth season, as the newest trailer for the Paramount Plus series revealed.

Season 4 of “Discovery” picks up after Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) was promoted to captain in the Season 3 finale, the first time a Black woman has sat in the captain’s chair in a live-action “Trek” series.

Set nearly 1,000 years further into the future than any other “Trek” series, Season 4 will find the crew of the Discovery contending with a massive anomaly that is five light-years in size, threatening to destroy life throughout the galaxy. The event is so catastrophic that it pulls together worlds that are in the Federation and outside of it.

Season 4 will premiere on Nov. 18 on Paramount Plus in the U.S., on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and the Crave streaming service in Canada, and on Netflix in 190 other countries.

Along with Martin-Green, the rest of the main cast from Season 3 is returning, including Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira), and recurring guest star Ian Alexander (Gray). Filmmaker David Cronenberg is also reprising his role as the mysterious Federation operative named Kovich .

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Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth are executive producers on the show, and Paradise is the series’ showrunner.

During the “Star Trek Day” celebration on Sept. 8 , Cruz, del Barrio and Alexander talked about the unique — and historic — relationship between Adira and Gray, who are the first regular characters on a “Trek” project who are, respectively, non-binary and transgender. Cruz said in Season 4, Dr. Culber will fulfill his promise that Gray will have a corporeal body. (Through a particularly “Trek”-ian plot twist, Gray spent the bulk of Season 3 as a non-corporal being perceptible only to Adira.)

“It’s been a really fantastic way to spend a season, to create this family where people are relying on each other and supporting each other and creating the world that we all deserve to live in,” Cruz said.

Watch the trailer, which debuted at New York Comic-Con on Saturday, below:

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Star Trek: Discovery season 4: everything we know

Spoilers ahead

The cast of Star Trek: Discovery, which is returning for season 4 on Paramount Plus in 2021.

Release date

Star Trek : Discovery season 4 will warp onto Paramount Plus on November 18, 2021, and a new trailer has dropped as the date gets closer.

With Michael Burnham now installed as the captain of the ship – the show's fourth commanding officer in as many years – Star Trek: Discovery season 4 will see the crew continuing to explore the distant future of the 32nd century. Having solved the mystery of the so-called “Burn” that had rendered warp travel impossible, and defeated the criminal empire of the Emerald Chain, attentions should now be turning to restoring the Federation to its former glories. Unfortunately, it sounds like a new antagonist is about to get in the way, in the form of a dangerous gravitational anomaly five light years across.

With Saru, Tilly, Stamets, Culber and all the principal bridge crew back in action, Star Trek: Discovery 4 is set to continue the franchise's ongoing adventures on the final frontier. Here's everything you need to know, but be warned – Spoilers lie ahead for anyone yet to watch the previous seasons.

Release date: Star Trek Discovery season 4 will release on November 18 in the US. The show will roll out on Paramount Plus in the US, and is expected to stream on Netflix elsewhere.

Story: With Burnham now installed as captain, as mentioned above, the USS Discovery will contend with a massive gravitational anomaly in the 32nd century – the idea is that the crew is dealing with a massive problem to solve this season rather than a specific villain.

Is there a trailer? Yes. A first teaser for Discovery season 4 debuted in April 2021, and another full trailer dropped in October 2021.

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Star Trek: Discovery season 4 release date

It was confirmed at the Star Trek Day event on September 8 that Star Trek: Discovery season 4 will debut on November 18 in the US.

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The show will release on Paramount Plus , the rebranded version of CBS All Access. Outside the US we expect that – like the previous seasons – the show will stream on Netflix, where it's usually available within hours of its American debut.

The previous season had barely even started airing when Star Trek: Discovery season 4 got the official greenlight on October 16, 2020. Two weeks later, on November 2, production got underway at the show’s Toronto base, and continued until August 2021 – the end of shooting was confirmed in a tweet from showrunner Michelle Paradise .

Inevitably, Covid-19 restrictions were a major factor in the shoot. For starters, as dictated by Canadian rules, the cast had to isolate for two weeks before coming to set.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 also reportedly took advantage of a pipeline put in place for the previous season, after coronavirus restrictions kicked in. “Our editors, miraculously and heroically, took their editing bays into their living rooms,” Alex Kurtzman, executive producer and overseer of Star Trek’s current raft of TV shows, told IndieWire . “We also scored the entire season [3], mixed the entire season, color-timed the entire season, all from [a] laptop .”

Reports suggest the process was further refined on Star Trek: Discovery season 4, with Space.com revealing that the show will make use of the groundbreaking augmented reality LED screens pioneered by The Mandalorian . Suddenly the fact that travel for location filming was off the table didn't seem quite so much of a problem...

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 trailer

"We are not in this alone." Star Trek: Discovery season four, coming soon ✨ #StarTrekDiscovery #FirstContactDay pic.twitter.com/ZRoI2QRNqp April 5, 2021

A first teaser trailer for Star Trek: Discovery season 4 was unveiled at the First Contact Day virtual event in April 2021 – watch it above. A second, fuller trailer dropped at New York Comic Con 2021, which you can check out below.

Let’s fly ✨ #StarTrekDiscovery #StarTrek https://t.co/NUVqZXAdrS pic.twitter.com/ZqJvodfqft October 9, 2021

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 cast

This is the current roll call for Star Trek: Discovery season 4:

Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham
Doug Jones as Saru
Anthony Rapp as Lt Cmdr Paul Stamets
Wilson Cruz as Dr Hugh Culber
David Ajala as Book
Mary Wiseman as Ensign Sylvia Tilly
Blu del Barrio as Adira
Ian Alexander as Gray
Oded Fehr as Admiral Charles Vance
Oyin Oladejo as Lt Joann Owosekun
Emily Coutts as Lt Keyla Detmer
Patrick Kwok-Choo as Lt Gen Rhys
Ronnie Rowe as Lt R.A. Bryce
Sara Mitich as Lt Nilsson
David Cronenberg as Kovich

It’s a case of ‘as you were’, with most of the established cast returning for another tour of duty – presumably they’re excited to be wearing new-look, Trek-appropriate primary-colored uniforms that don’t look quite so much like tracksuits.

It goes without saying that Sonequa Martin-Green is back as Captain Michael Burnham, and even though her predecessor in the big chair, Saru, has relocated to his home planet of Kaminar, Doug Jones still has a part to play. “It felt important for all of our characters to find new layers for them, to find new place for them to go, new things for our actors to play, and new ways for the characters to go,” showrunner Michelle Paradise told TVInsider . “[In season 3 we highlighted] that Saru hasn’t had a huge connection to Kaminar since leaving, and in a season that is all about connection – family connection and cultural connection – it seemed like an organic place to explore that theme with him.”

Among the lead cast, Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz reprise their roles as Lt Cmdr Paul Stamets and Dr Hugh Culber, while season 3 standout David Ajala is back as the 32nd century’s most famous feline owner, Cleveland ‘Book’ Booker. (Sadly, a Grudge the Cat spin-off is yet to be announced.) And surely Mary Wiseman’s Sylvia Tilly will be looking to make the First Officer role her own.

“[Saru] sees strength in [Tilly] she doesn’t quite see in herself necessarily,” Paradise said in TVInsider. “Then, [we watched] her over the course of the season become more confident in herself to the place where she’s ultimately able to serve as Number One, and having to essentially be acting captain in this crisis situation, where she handles herself beautifully. What does that mean to come is, I’m sure, a question she’ll be asking herself and we’ll be exploring in Season 4.”

The supporting bridge crew will surely be hoping to have a few more stories of their own, continuing their slow evolution from background players to actual characters – now we know that Lt Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) can hold her breath for 10 minutes, the sky’s the limit. It’ll be interesting to see what – if anything – is in store for Lt Keyla Detmer (Emily Coutts), Lt Gen Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon), Lt R.A. Bryce (Ronnie Rowe) and Lt Nilsson (Sara Mitich).

Third season newcomer Blu del Barrio also returns as Adira, human host of the Trill symbiont Tal, along with their boyfriend, Gray (Ian Alexander). Dr Culber’s efforts to give Gray – who can only be seen and heard by Adira – physical form will be a big part of the season, as Gray becomes more and more integrated with the crew. “For season 4 I’ve had a lot more hands-on involvement, like my suggestions for the future of Gray,” Alexander told Inverse . “They already have so much planned. Michelle [Paradise] and Alex [Kurtzman] already have this vision that I’ve very, very excited for everyone to be able to see.”

“Culber does make a promise in our season three finale to Gray that, ‘You will be truly seen,’” Paradise said on a Discovery panel at Outfest (via TrekMovie ). “And we absolutely do pay that off in season four. That storyline and making sure we pay it off is hugely important.” It was confirmed by Wilson Cruz (Dr Culber) at Star Trek Day (via Variety ) that Gray will be gaining a corporeal form in Star Trek: Discovery season 4.

Anthony Rapp, who plays Stamets, added that Stamets, Culber, Adira and Gray will become a family in Star Trek: Discovery season 4: “Parenting – they’re not children but they are young people – the pressures of how to be available to be a mentor or guide or parent in the face of job responsibilities and sort of crises, that’s an interesting sort of sub-thread through the through the season… There’s more in the ways Paul and Hugh continue to evolve in their relationship. This is certainly explored also in this season.”

And there’ll be at least two familiar faces at Federation headquarters, where Oded Fehr (Admiral Charles Vance) and legendary movie director David Cronenberg (the mysterious Kovich) will be pulling some strings behind the scenes.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 plot

Star trek: discovery season 4 plot: what can we expect to see.

Michelle Paradise is keeping her cards closer to her chest than The Next Generation crew at one of their regular poker games, though she did admit to TVInsider in January 2021 that the Discovery crew are hanging around in the 32nd century, rather than looking for a way back to their original pre-Kirk-and-Spock timeline. “I don’t expect that,” she said. “All of [the crew] knew going into that at the end of season 2 that this is a one-way trip. Now that they are here, we’re not looking to go back.”

What does that mean for plotlines? “I don’t want to speak specifically to themes, but we do have them!” she joked to ComicBook.com . “I think season 4 will absolutely continue the kinds of things we were doing in season 3, in that we do have very strong themes that we’re exploring. Star Trek: The Original Series explored present-day things via sci-fi. And that’s what we did in season 3, and I think that’s just baked into what Star Trek does.

“Ultimately the thing that really resonates, I think, with people is, what are our characters experiencing? What are they going through? How are they connecting with one another? What are the challenges they’re facing and how do they overcome them individually and then as a family? All of that I think will continue.”

With the Emerald Chain out of the way, it looks like the threat in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 will be rather different this time out. The trailer reveals that the crew is dealing with a gravitational anomaly “five light years across”, rather than a specific human or alien foe – a force that, as Tilly explains, “could go anywhere, and we may not have any kind of warning at all”.

“We’re actually exploring – we’re diving deep into science – in the fourth season, in a kind of new and interesting way,” said Kurtzman in a panel hosted by Deadline (via TrekMovie ). “There have been many kinds of villains over the course of Star Trek. What happens when the villain is not actually any kind of living, breathing entity, but something else? How do you solve that problem?”

Could we be looking at something technological Discovery season 2's hostile AI, Control? Or a lethal inorganic structure like the Crystalline Entity from Star Trek: The Next Generation? ScreenRant has suggested the rather plausible theory that the anomaly could be V’Ger, the rogue space probe from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In the finale of that movie, V’Ger merged with USS Enterprise first officer Will Decker to attain a new level of consciousness – who knows what it might be capable of nearly a thousand years later...

We can expect Star Trek: Discovery season 4 to follow a similar structure to previous years, with each season based around a self-contained story arc, with just a few loose ends left untied.

“Discovery has that sort of serialized, season-long story baked into its DNA,” Paradise said in an interview with Inverse . “We also wanted to give the show a more episodic feel in season 3. We got to explore a story of the week or a villain of the week – it gives us time to explore some of our characters who we normally wouldn’t have time to explore. That was definitely a choice on our part and will continue on our show.”

What questions does Star Trek: Discovery season 4 need to answer?

With the origins of the so-called ‘Burn’ revealed – who’d have guessed it was caused by a grieving kid with a symbiotic relationship to a planet made of dilithium? – and Osyraa and her Emerald Chain defeated, Star Trek: Discovery season 4 flies into uncharted waters.

Hopefully that means that Discovery and the crew can use the spore drive to truly explore the strange new worlds of the 32nd century – though, given this show’s love of callbacks to earlier series, it’s almost inevitable we’ll meet some familiar faces and species. (The presence in the trailer of a Federation official – possibly the president – who has a mix of human and Cardassian facial features suggests that those long-standing Deep Space Nine foes may be up for a comeback, this time in the Starfleet camp.)

Part of Starfleet's remit will be rebuilding a Federation that's a shadow of what it was 900 years earlier. The trailer suggests that many worlds will have to pull together to defeat a threat that affects Federation and non-Federation “equally” – as Burnham puts it, “We are not in this alone”.

“The Federation is coming back together but it’s not fully back together,” Kurtzman told the aforementioned Deadline panel. “And so the continued mission of bringing other worlds in and meeting the criteria and standards of what it means to be a member of the Federation but also not to rob other cultures of their identity is something that we’ll explore.”

The biggest ongoing question Star Trek: Discovery season 4 needs to address is the nature of the ‘Sphere Data’, the ancient alien intelligence now integrated with Discovery’s databanks. Protecting it was the reason the ship made the one-way trip to the future in the first place, and it seems to be repaying the favor – first by helping the crew’s mental wellbeing, then by helping Tilly to forcibly eject the Emerald Chain from the ship. It’s a story that seems to be heading towards Short Trek episode ‘Calypso’, set in a distant future where Discovery is run by a sentient computer.

“‘Calypso’ is incredible,” Paradise told ComicBook.com . “And it is now a part of Trek canon , but specifically our show’s canon. It takes place many, many years beyond where our heroes are right now, and at some point, we will absolutely have to match up with that so that Discovery as a whole, including ‘Calypso’, all fits together as a piece.

“Certainly, bringing in that voice in episode four and having – we’ll call her Zora, she doesn't have a name at this point – but having her hide in the DOTs [helper robots on board Discovery] and be part of the story is the beginning of driving toward that. And eventually – who knows when? – we will absolutely have to make sure that we sync up with that.”

And then there’s the small matter of Stamets having issues with the way Burnham left his husband, Dr Culber, in a radiation-filled nebula in the season 3 finale. “I think that’s one they’ll get past in time,” Paradise said in TVLine .

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Richard is a freelance journalist specialising in movies and TV, primarily of the sci-fi and fantasy variety. An early encounter with a certain galaxy far, far away started a lifelong love affair with outer space, and these days Richard's happiest geeking out about Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel and other long-running pop culture franchises. In a previous life he was editor of legendary sci-fi and fantasy magazine SFX, where he got to interview many of the biggest names in the business – though he'll always have a soft spot for Jeff Goldblum who (somewhat bizarrely) thought Richard's name was Winter.

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Star Trek Discovery season 4 trailer, release date, cast, and more

Star Trek Discovery is coming back, and here's what we know so far

The bridge crew in star trek discovery season 4

Star Trek Discovery season 4 is coming, and it’s coming very soon. The show that helped restart the franchise for television is still going strong, and is making itself at home on Paramount Plus.

This new season continues the adventures of the Discovery after a 900 plus year trip into the future, where they discovered the Federation in ruins and Starfleet only a shadow of its former self after a galaxy-wide cataclysm known as "The Burn."

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Nobody could have expected what the source of the Burn was, but the Discovery crew were instrumental in figuring it all out. What’s more, in the process they found a source of enough dilithium fuel to power the galaxy’s warp drives for years. Something that finally brought Michael Burnham into the Captain’s chair.

Here’s everything we know about Star Trek Discovery’s fouth season, including cast, plot, release date, and more.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 release date

As part of the ‘Star Trek Day’ celebrations on September 8, Paramount announced that Discovery would be returning on November 18 in the United States. Since CBS All Access rebranded as Paramount Plus earlier this year, that’s where Discovery will make its home in the United States.

Internationally (except Canada), Netflix holds the rights to Discovery, and typically releases new episodes within 24 hours of their U.S. debut. Canadians can watch the new episodes on the CTV Sci-Fi channel, and in the past new episodes have aired on the same day as in the U.S.

In other words everyone, no matter their country, will get to watch new episodes almost as soon as they’re available.

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Discovery has accumulated rather a large cast over the years, including a handful more after the crew jumped into the future. But we do know that all the major players from the previous seasons will have parts to play, including former Captain Saru who was seen leaving the ship during the third season’s finale.

Ian Alexander has also confirmed his character, the Trill Gray, will have a larger presence in the story going forward, despite officially being dead and visible only to his partner Adira — since Gray’s consciousness stored inside the Tal symbiont.

Finally Kenneth Mitchell, who played various different characters in the first three seasons of Discovery, has confirmed he will also be returning in a brand new role. However this role will be “unique” in his words, to account for the fact ALS has limited his ability to move and speak unaided. Since Mitchell’s character Aurellio, the Emerald Chain scientist working to uncover the secrets of Discovery's spore drive, survived season 3 in tact, it’s possible he may also return in some capacity.

Book’s cat Grudge is also returning, which is the most important piece of news of all.

Star Trek Discovery season 4 trailer

While Star Trek Day 2021 didn’t bring a new Discovery trailer along, we got our first look at the fourth season back in April.

The trailer reveals that there are some pretty high stakes this season (again), and shows off some of the familiar faces returning to the final frontier.

Star Trek season 4 plot

There’s a lot we still don’t know about Discovery’s fourth season, though the trailer revealed that the high-stakes antics of the crew never seem to end. This season is focussing on some sort of gravitational anomaly in space, which seems to have the ability to cause all kinds of havoc.

It’s also five light years wide, which is pretty darn big, possibly even planet-killing big, should it wind up in the wrong place.

Unfortunately that’s about all we know regarding the season’s plot, and there’s not much to speculate on either. That said it seems likely there’s going to be a lot of action, which Discovery has always been heavy on, and no doubt Burnham will clash with her superiors several times — like she always does.

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‘star trek: discovery’ season 4 trailer teases a destructive new threat.

Sonequa Martin-Green's Captain Burnham faces a new threat unlike any the Federation has encountered in this new season four teaser trailer.

By James Hibberd

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'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 4 Trailer Revealed

Captain Burnham is taking charge in the first teaser trailer for Star Trek: Discovery season four.

The first look, below, revealed during Paramount+’s First Contact Day virtual events on Monday shows the USS Discovery crew worried abut a gravitational anomaly that’s five light-years wide. The anomaly seems to be wrecking havoc with the ship as there’s also lots of destructive bridge pyrotechnics going on. There’s also shots of Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) , newly promoted to captain at the end of season three, taking the captain’s chair in a new red uniform.

“We are facing something we don’t understand, something that could tear us all apart,” Burnham intones.

According to the season’s official description: “ Season four of Star Trek: Discovery finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.”

Season three of Discovery was considered by critics to be the Paramount+ show’s strongest season yet, and the flagship has spinoff Strange New Worlds starting production this month . Another Trek series, Star Trek: Picard , is expected to return for season two in 2022. Paramount also released a teaser trailer for the next season of Picard that revealed the return of the popular franchise character Q (John de Lancie).

Discovery season four will premiere later in 2021.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Trailer's Biggest Revelations and Hints at What's To Come

The new trailer for Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery has dropped. Here's a breakdown of all the tidbits and details it contains.

With a November 18 release date for its fourth season, Star Trek: Discovery continues to lead the way for the latter-day Star Trek series. An April teaser hinted at the new season’s defining storyline, as did various members of the cast on Star Trek Day on Sept. 8. A new trailer was released in conjunction with a cast panel at New York Comic-Con that reveals a good deal more not only about the fate of the Discovery but about the 32 nd -century universe , which the show is in the process of defining. Here’s a breakdown of some of the key information the trailer reveals.

Discovery Season 4 Finds Michael Burnham Defying Orders, Again

The new trailer features a headcount of the various Discovery crew members, including Saru, who took temporary leave of the crew at the end of Season 3 to care for his fellow Kelpien, Su’Kal. Michael Burnham became captain of the Discovery at the same time – completing a long journey from wrongly convicted prisoner to ship’s commander—but as the trailer shows, she hasn’t stopped questioning authority in the name of the greater good. She orders the Discovery into a strange anomaly that’s threatening the galaxy, and as suggested in a few tantalizing clips, she’s doing so in direct violation of her orders.

RELATED: Star Trek: Discovery Gets First Trailer and Premiere Date

Discovery Season 4 Will Go 'Where No One Has Gone Before'

Each of Discovery ’s previous three seasons has centered around a single season-long plot arc, usually either a mystery or a galaxy-altering dilemma. Season 4 entails a colossal “anomaly” wreaking colossal havoc through civilized space. In order to find the cause and presumably disable it, Burnham intends to enter the anomaly with the Discovery. A shot from the trailer shows her promising the crew that they will go “where no one has gone before” and implies some manner of world or dimension within the anomaly that the ship and its crew will explore. The trailer includes a few brief shots of the anomaly itself. The most intriguing shot resembles that of a gigantic eye, suggesting some kind of cosmic entity at the heart of it all. It’s also a callback to Discovery ’s opening credits sequence, which similarly toys with perspective.

Discovery Season 4 Will Feature Numerous Returning Characters

Beyond the core crew of the Discovery itself, the trailer confirms the return of several key supporting characters. Chief among them is Cleveland Booker and his cat Grudge, who appear to be full-time members of the Discovery crew. Booker doesn’t wear a uniform in the trailer, however, suggesting that his place among the crew is informal and outside the chain of command. In addition, Adira’s deceased lover Gray appears again, confirming details shared on Star Trek Day about creating a body for the departed Trill’s still-living soul. Other supporting characters from the trailer include David Cronenberg’s icy Federation agent Kovich, Starfleet Admiral Charles Vance, Vulcan President T'Rina and Michael’s mother Gabrielle who belongs to the Romulan Qowat Milat order of warrior nuns.

RELATED: Star Trek: Discovery Announces Season 4 Premiere Date, Debuts New Image

Discovery Season 4 Confirms a Cardassian Character

The original teaser for Discovery Season 4 featured an intriguing figure in the form of an unnamed female civilian – likely a political leader of some sort – featuring Cardassian ridges on her face. According to a tweet by Trek Central , she's the President of the Federation and a human-Cardassian-Bajoran hybrid. it raises many intriguing questions about where the Cardassians stand in the 32 nd century . In the new trailer, this character appears to stand in the way of the crew acting to stop a galactic threat, comparing their activities to that of a wrecking ball and calling for “balance.” This is in keeping with the previous depiction of Cardassians in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as politically manipulative and authoritarian by nature.

Discovery Season 4 Shows the Ferengi in the Federation

One of the most talked-about Easter eggs in Discovery Season 3 was the USS Nog, a Starfleet vessel that appeared in Season 3, Episode 5, “Die Trying.” It’s a nod to the late Aron Eisenberg’s character on Deep Space Nine , the first Ferengi in Starfleet, who distinguished himself by fighting alongside Ben Sisko in the Dominion War. The ship’s name suggests that the Ferengi joined the Federation sometime between the 24 th and the 32 nd century . While the trailer doesn’t formally confirm that, it does include a brief shot of a Ferengi in a Starfleet captain’s uniform. Even if the species as a whole isn’t part of the Federation, there are enough of them in Starfleet to merit at least one captain.

Star Trek: Discovery premieres its fourth season on November 18, exclusively on Paramount+.

KEEP READING: Every Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Detail We Know (So Far)

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Watch ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4 NYCC Trailer

| October 9, 2021 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 147 comments so far

Today at the New York Comic Con Star Trek: Discovery panel, Paramount+ revealed the full trailer for season four.

Season 4 Trailer

The new trailer was introduced by Sonequa Martin-Green (now Captain Michael Burnham) during the NYCC panel at the Javits Center in New York City. (Trailer also available for international viewers on Instagram and startrek.com )

Captain Burnham faces a new threat

Here is the latest official synopsis for the upcoming season:

Season four of Star Trek: Discovery finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.

Discovery season four cast members include Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Ian Alexander (Gray).

Season four of Discovery arrives on Paramount+ on Thursday, November 18.

Analysis to come… but Ferengi Captain!

There is a lot to go over with this new trailer, so stay tuned for the traditional TrekMovie screencap/analysis. But yes, that was a Ferengi Captain seen at Starfleet HQ.

Paramount+ also revealed new key art for season four.

More to come from NYCC

The Discovery panel featured series stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, David Ajala, Blu del Barrio and showrunner and executive producer Michelle Paradise. TrekMovie will have a recap of all the news and highlights coming up soon. We will also be giving full coverage to tomorrow’s Prodigy panel, along with any new releases. So stay tuned to TrekMovie for our full NYCC coverage .

ICYMI – First Contact Day Teaser Trailer

The NYCC trailer follows the shorter teaser for season four which was released on First Contact Day in April. For more check out our full screencaps analysis .

Star Trek: Discovery streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. In Canada Discovery is broadcast on CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. It is also available on Netflix in 190 countries around the world.

Keep up with the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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Go Captain Burnham!

Let her FLY!!!!

Did they update the Ferengi design? (0:42)

Looks like it. Not a huge fan. I froze on that frame to get a better look.Maybe its how Ferengi look 1,000 years from now? Maybe they have found some genetic enhancement that was profitable. But the tips pointed on the ears look like the original Andrew Probert sketches of Ferengi before TNG production started.

On another note, I hate these uniforms. Too busy and ornate. The insignia has the delta shield barely visible in that oval. Meh.

But I’m excited to see the adventures of Captain Burnham and crew!

After 800 years, the Ferengi genome might well have become mixed with that of other species. This captain may be mostly Ferengi in ancestry, but with a few ancestors from other species (Yridian, perhaps?).

Or maybe Magog :-)

The uniforms actually look a little like a future version of the TOS ones. With the gold and red swapped. Never understood why TNG made that switch but they did. Would be a nice little nod to switch it back since they are in the far future…

It’s my understanding that the change was made because red didn’t work very well with Data’s gold make-up.

and maybe due to the movies using red for command (and everything else)

I have seen early test shots of Patrick Stewart in a gold/yellow uniform, so they did originally plan to use it, but I think they also decided he looked better in red.

They can’t help themselves.

Holly crap… Is THAT what that is? I thought it was some new fangled Star Trek Discovery alien we’ve never seen before.

Yes and it looks great.

Oh my… is that a Ferengi Redesign? eww lol

It actually looks closer to the original design outlined by Roddenberry.

They couldn’t make it work with the prosthetics of the day.

Not sure I like it, but what was originally called for was even more bat-like.

Everyday I learn something new. Very nice they still go back to Roddenberry for the original concept for this Ferengi.

He looks darker. At first I thought he was a Ferengi Klingon. I had to pause the trailer to see what exactly happened. Then I realized the ridges are in his nose. :P

I see a familiar species in his face. Not quite sure which, but looks very familiar.

Not too different. I wasn’t sure about the pointed lobes but I just has a look back at Grand Nagas Zek and he had quite a point on his. So I wonder if its just an older Fereng?

so a world universe threat again and saving the galaxy again and phew phew phew and more fights and explosions.

So don’t watch. Nobody is going to force you to do so.

It’s like it’s an action/adventure show or something.

It’s like virtually every other action / adventure show or something. Now exactly groundbreaking.

It’s like we have a wealth of Trek that has expanded to different genres and we get to pick which shows w/ which genre focus to watch, since nobody’s forcing us to watch them all.

Do we? Those three Discovery Seasons and Picard hat pretty much the same plot, when you look at the big picture. The only real difference ist Picards terrible Production Design, wheras Discovery at least looks good.

The only show that is different ist Lower Decks, which pretty much uses the old Star Trek Formula but doesn’t really have a lot of its own original ideas on top of that (a bit like the Orvilles first season)

Oh well. Guess you’ll have to find a new hobby.

I kinda wish they’d kept the old 32nd century uniforms and updated the bridge to reflect the new era/technologies instead, but I get the real life reasoning that it is cheaper to change outfits than redesign a set.

I also wish Disco would slow down a little. As much as I enjoy it, I agree with others that not every season needs to be about saving the universe.

But it’s the chosen one meets galactic threat version of Trek.

It’s a niche, but I hope that Secret Hideout understands that it doesn’t need to be the template for the entire menu of shows.

It’s always go-go-go! One thing I’m enjoying about Lower Decks is that show actually makes time to explore the characters a lot more and not make every episode some level 5 crisis. Now I’ll be fair and say if you look at the episodes individually with Discovery, it’s not a big crisis every episode, but it always looms in the background or they always felt under some kind of threat. That was also the odd thing about season 3, the Burn happened a century ago and yet they still treated it like it had to be solved tomorrow. They could’ve took their time and given us more character based episodes that didn’t have to feel like it was life or death stakes.

I will say this.. The tech in their new time frame feels WAY behind what it probably should be. I mean, things in that era really should be looking like complete magic to us. But that’s yet another flaw with Star Trek Discovery.

Maybe this anomaly will take them to the Picard era. Where their ship will feel more at home.

Awesome trailer. Can’t wait to watch the new season!

Laughed out loud when I saw the new Ferengi design. They just can’t help themselves. Special effects look OUTSTANDING as usual; espeically that zoom out shot of Discovery entering the black holes things, but I’m not interesting in sitting through another season-long mystery big bad that’s threatening the entire galaxy/universe plot device. Can’t they come up with anything else?

How was anything in S1 or 3 about a big bad threatening the entire galaxy? The Klingons just fought a war against the Federation. And Su’Kal was not a big bad and this accident happened over 100 years ago. Restoring warp capability WAS that “anything else” you are asking for.

S2 and CONTROL, there you are right, but this graviton anomaly does seem to be a different, more natural non-sentient issue.

They cannot just make a season-long storyarc about Book’s ascension or Kelpien drug issues… DS9 had the Dominion War, ENT S3 the Xindi threat… That’s how storyarcs work… they are about a big threat. I’m more than happy if this threat doesn’t always turn out to be a malicious cardboard villain as it happened so often in the movies…

Season 1 it was the Klingons followed by Lorca and the Mirror Universe (season 1 was a mess).

Season 2 it was Control.

Season 3 it was ‘the big scream’.

Season 4 is, well, it’s a bit vague but it’s having a negative impact on everyone and only Burnham and the crew of Discovery can save us all. Again.

So, Trekutopia isn’t wrong and at the center of each story is a mystery or plot twist at the heart of it all.

What might be more interesting is to remove any sense of mystery and focus on how the situation will be resolved. Just put it out there at the beginning of the season. It doesn’t always have to be a threat on a galactic scale, it could just be something that impacts a mission faced by Discovery and its crew and we know what that problem is right from the start.

The running joke used to be that there was an immediate threat and only the Enterprise was within range. On Discovery each season a story unfolds that threatens life as we know it on a galactic scale and only the crew of Discovery can save us all. We all know it’s going to work out because we have no reason to believe that it won’t.

Didn’t Season 1 also have the threat of something big and bad is gonna happen to the mushroom multiverse network and if we don’t stop it all life in EVERY universe will die or something? I vaguely remember that being a trailer line at some point.

I’d almost forgotten about the issue with the spore drive.

Agreed I’m sure they will have a few other things going on as they try and figure out this Anomaly. I also believe that Season 4. Like Season 3 of TNG and DS9 and Season 4 of Enterprise is where this show really takes off. So let’s hope.

The design is not that different at all imo

Ferengi? Meh…..DS9 wore that species out for me. No desire to see them again

So don’t watch.

How is this a helpful reply? I don’t understand why when someone just expresses an opinion about an aspect of something they’re underwhelmed by, the general response is, “Don’t watch the show.” So should people watch something only when they love EVERYTHING about it?

I so agree with you. The “don’t watch” mantra is very cringe-inducing yo me. People should be able to share their criticisms. I enjoy reading and actually responding to other people’s opinions.

It’s Star Trek, no species will ever just disappear. If you don’t like them, understandable, but fans HAVE to accept this one reality: Nothing ever goes completely away in franchises, especially decades old species or characters. People who keep hollering they don’t want to see ‘so and so’ back again like the Q, Borg, Klingons, whatever, it all makes it way back eventually because it’s part of the mythology of Star Trek now. It doesn’t mean they will have huge roles but they will always be there in some fashion.

And also the reality is we haven’t seen a lot of these species in a loooong time, many since Voyager ended frankly. Only the last few years starting with Picard to now are we seeing more of them again. And that’s obviously because we are back in a post-Nemesis time frame so once again you can include anyone you want. When we were in prequel land with Enterprise, Kelvin Timeline and early Discovery, yeah it was harder to present so many. But now the floodgates have been opened again and it’s not closing for a long time.

Was that a half-Cardassian woman?

During the panel Michelle Paradise said the character who also is the federation president is part Cardasian, Bajoran, and Human

Actually that is something I should expect much more of in the far far future. A LOT more mixed races. It just makes sense as more beings start interacting with each other. It’s happening for real here on Earth. My son is a mixed bag. And his kid will be, too. Eventually it will be more the norm than just a single racial bloodline.

Maybe the Ferengi we see in the trailer is also a mixed bag.

I believe she’s quarter-Cardassian. But the UFP president is certainly part Cardassian…

Oh, man. I don’t know why but for the first time it occured to me that Cardassian sounds a bit too much like Kardashian. Oy.

Why does the galaxy always need to be saved?

S1 was NOT about saving the galaxy. It was “just” an interstellar war. If anything it was about winning that war.

S2 turned out to be about saving the galaxy but not the way we supposed to. Instead of the Red Angel, the rea threat was the Terminator stand-in…

S3 was about a disaster that had happpened over a century ago. There was no “saving the galaxy” plot. Restoring the Federation to new power, yeah, but that’s a different thing…

So two out of four seasons actually got a “saving the galaxy” plot.

And THIS one feels a lot like V’Ger on graviton addiction. I like it :-)

But seriously, how can a season-long plot arc not be about something important and big? In order to avoid such stories they’d have to switch to episodic storytelling. I’d welcome that but as long as they do storyarcs, they have to be about something huge…

As I recall, the first season involved saving the universe or multiverse or whatnot from ultimate mycelial destruction, as well as saving the Federation from ultimate destruction. So you can update your figure to 3 out of 4.

“the first season involved saving the universe or multiverse or whatnot from ultimate mycelial destruction”

But that wasn’t the season’s focus but a minute sideplot…

It wasn’t that minute since it impacted virtually everything that would unfold.

When you’ve ditched episodic storytelling for season long arcs, each season has to avoid echoing what has been done previously.

Because it makes good drama. If only the story warranted it and didn’t waste our time on pretty visuals and likable characters , but loud and obnoxious without anything to say. Maybe this season will actually be Star Trek. The last season was so absurd it strained all belief. A crying child blew up all dilithium and almost ended the Federation. I mean okay it is better than another Space Revenge plot, but only barely.

I like Discovery from lat’s say season 2-3 onwards, but please why do they use the same quarry location again, what is it like the 6th time? I know Stargate SG1 used the same Canadian forest for its entire run, but the quarry with the same walkway in the middle,… When I watch a Sci-fi show I like to be taken to another place, not the same one again and again ;)

So, you won’t be cheering when we see the Vasquez rocks yet again in Picard. (I agree they were overused in the classic five series, and it was too coy to locate Raffi’s trailer in front of them.)

Yes, I agree that the Lafarge quarry in Ontario is getting old, but it was only used for the winter environment with the Guardian last season. And it was used only one time in each of the first two seasons.

With the exception of us northern climate types who can convert from clear ground to snowscapes in our heads, I doubt most viewers noticed that the GoF was at the quarry site.

The other rocks we have seen have been various Ontario locations including the Scarborough bluffs in Toronto, some Canadian Shield shots in the Muskokas in fall colours, and the Escarpment in season one.

Much of Ontario has exposed bedrock near the surface. The Canadian Shield is a major geographic feature created by the retreating glaciers. The Escarpment runs from east of Toronto to north of Lake Michigan. There’s lots of variation.

To be fair pretty much every nearby location in SoCal has been used to death since the TV industry was headquartered there many many decades ago. So very many locations have been used over and over and over again. I’ve seen the Disney Ranch, the Vasquez rocks, Bronson Canyon, Toluca Lake, the LA harbor, little valleys near Lancaster… They’ve all been done to death over the decades and I have gotten to recognize them pretty easily.

At least the Toronto locations aren’t quite as well known. But give them more time as they exhaust their locations. As more TV and movie work is done there it will happen too. Unless blue screens with fake backgrounds help them.

Though a popular shooting location, the most recognizable of the Vasquez rocks was only featured prominently in “Arena” and was immediately recognizable by multiple generations of Star Trek fans. That particular location wasn’t featured in a Star Trek series again until “Picard” over 50 years later and that was entirely intentional callback to the original series.

The Vazquez Rocks cover a large area and can be used repeatedly as a shooting location and never look the same twice. For the Lafarge quarry it may be less about the location but a sameness in how director’s choose to shoot it.

Actually the Vasquez area and the caves were used frequently by Voyager and also by TNG and DS9.

But yes, the unique angle of the rocks wasn’t specifically used as much.

Again, the Lafarge quarry was used exactly twice in summer – for the Mirror Universe resistance camp in S1 and for Talos V in season 2. The winter scenes with the Guardian were under snow and from a different angle as far as I could tell.

I wonder what other episodes you’re thinking of.

Other series, not Star Trek specifically. Westerns, sci fi series and a bunch of other stuff.

Looks like more of the same crap.

Then don’t watch it?

Why even watch the trailer? You clearly don’t like the show. Plenty of others do. It’s subjective. I don’t watch trailers for programmes I don’t like/watch and then shit on them. Move on.

warning for trolling

Paused a bunch during the trailer. One thing I picked up on is that – well, I believe, at least – representatives of the Qowat Milat journey into the anomaly alongside the Starfleet crew and prove instrumental in repelling humanoid foes at least once. I’m getting “the MACOs during the Xindi conflict” vibes here, except… cooler?

Wow that’s interesting. I really like the Qowat Milat and would be fun to see them in full offense mode.

New threat = the multiverse of madness

At last, a season where the fate of the entire galaxy is at risk from some unknown anomaly. I feel like this is a first for Trek in general and Discovery in particular!

Explosions and bang bang, CHECK Burnham looking smug, CHECK Burnham quivering bottom lip about to cry, CHECK Burnham about to break the rules again, CHECK Burnham dominating the trailer and everyone else in the crew looking like lost puppies CHECK LGBT characters looking like they will have nothing to do except emote CHECK Tilly to provide ‘comic’ relief LIKELY Burnham going to single handedly save the galaxy again with her intellect and superior everything, HIGHLY LIKELY

Good analysis, Commander. Looks like all the boxes have been checked. They are ready to go!

The trailer had very little representation of men, so I am guessing now that Stamets and Saru will increasingly be marginalised and phased out.

Is that a joke? I hope it is. Does it really offend you to see women taking centre stage in a trailer?

Warning for trolling.

I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand those who hate Discovery continually watching it and posting in these forums how much they hate it. I can understand to an extent when Discovery was the only new Trek on the air, but that’s no longer the case. There is simply no shortage of Trek at this point.

In other words, if you hate Discovery, just stop watching it! You’ve still got Lower Decks (a fantastic homage to TNG-era Trek), Picard (season 1 certainly had its issues, but it was great to have some stories post-Nemesis, and it’s always a treat to have Sir Patrick Stewart back), the upcoming Prodigy (while obviously aimed at kids, the few looks we’ve gotten look beautiful), and of course Strange New Worlds which very much sounds like a return to some old-school episodic Star Trek.

I think a lot of it has to do with how Discovery has impacted virtually every aspect of Star Trek since it launched. Everything now has to match the aesthetic and story elements introduced in Discovery, retconning much of what had been established in TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager and even Enterprise, from makeup of familiar species, ship design and even character histories (look no further than Picard which shows the retconned Enterprise from Discovery and not Kirk’s from TOS).

I actually tapped out of Discovery after season 2 and my excitement for Picard waned when the series hit the midway point and hit a wall with the season finale (that standoff between Riker and the Romulan fleet was never supposed to be there).

Ultimately, I think there’s just a lot of frustration that Star Trek, which was always the gold standard for groundbreaking, though provoking storytelling, is now just another sci fi show.

Personally I find it a little bit of a middle finger to TOS fans when the Picard holo ships showed his E-D exactly the same but the original E was the Secret Hideout version. I would guess I’m not alone in that.

Oh wow, I didn’t even notice that (just rewatched the scene). Yeah, that kinda is a bit of a middle finger. Not sure if was simply a time constraint issue, wherein a CG model of the Discovery version of the original E already existed whereas the VFX crew would need to redo the original-original E (as the current CG model was a good 10 years old at the time of PIC season 1); a legitimate oversight by the production crew; or an edict by Secret Hideout that this is what the original E now looks like.

I was actually hoping that we’d see a revised E in Strange New Worlds that hews more closely to TOS, so 🤞

My guess is it was more like they wanted to remain consistent with what they showed on Star Trek Discovery. But my point is they altered the original E. Why wouldn’t they alter the E-D? I mean if there was ever a ship that needed an upgrade, that was it. That thing never looked good. But still… It felt like a giant FU to TOS.

I should’ve been a bit more specific in my criticism of…well criticisms. I have zero issue with people criticizing Discovery, but I get frustrated with certain forum members who complain about the same things whenever there’s a Discovery update – things that are just inherent to Discovery and aren’t going to change at this point.

And that’s the crux of the issue for me. Discovery is a known quantity at this point, the things that people didn’t like in the first 3 seasons (its focus on Burnham, some feeling like Burnham is a “Mary Sue,” the constant updates to character design that rub some people the wrong way, the heavily serialized story telling with a focus on a big bad/catastrophic event, etc…) are still things that exist and things that those same people aren’t going to like.

Again, criticize Discovery all you want, but after a certain point you just need to admit this isn’t the Star Trek show for you and move on.

Spot on post. I read the reviews, episode summaries and feedback but after season 2 it just wasn’t for me so I moved on. Reading reactions has proven to be far more entertaining at times!

The forums that existed in the 90s were often dominated by the fans who hated just about everything Voyager and Enterprise, and cursed Berman and Braga’s names as The Powers That Be. Some would gleefully point out flailing ratings every week. But most still kept watching. Doctor Who fandom has had a similar faction living to criticize the lead creatives, no matter who they are, for decades.

For me, I have an overriding love of the franchise which makes me loathe to part ways with it – I still want to know the complete story and I adore the universe. It pains me to see the writing suffer because I want it to succeed, creatively. I try to reconcile the franchise’s need to evolve with what I see and recognize that the shows aren’t just for me, and millions are enjoying what I don’t, which is great for them. But I have such issues with the dark and depressing tone of the shows, the overwrought and portentous emotions, the trite take on identity politics, the Mary Sue characters, the lack of clever storyarcs, the unmemorable dialogue, the overdone VFX and the terrible villains. It’s frustrating that Lower Decks is the only show which has solid characterization and real heart and joy at its core.

Those who write comedy or spoof popular franchises tend to have a far better understanding of the source material,

You hit the nail on the head. For most long time fans (people whose been watching since the 90s and of course many, especially here, has been watching much longer than that), they want to continue to see the universe change or evolve because its been part of their lives for so long. The issue is many are not liking what it’s changing or evolving to.

Personally for me, I did have a LOT of issues with Discovery first season. It actually wasn’t that it looked too advanced or different. I talked a lot about that, but I also said I can LIVE with it because it’s a show for modern audiences and they wanted to do something different. I still think they could’ve just called it a reboot and do whatever they wanted, but I digress. But Discovery did have a lot of problems. People who liked it out of the gate wanted to pretend it was just a small whiny vocal group on the internet but clearly it wasn’t and why just three seasons later it almost looks and feels like a totally different show. First season it was a much darker show with that looked completely different from the past shows and set pre-TOS but with a more BSG vibe than a Star Trek one. Now it has felt lighter, feeling much more like Star Trek IMO and in a more appropriate setting where they can make it as advance as they always wanted but was held back due to its setting. The show is different for sure, but for some fans it’s still not enough.

And frankly it just comes down to the writing is still not great, the characters are growing but still not a lot of fan favorites so far and yes the stories themselves are still pretty bad overall. Some individual episodes has been amazing and has definitely equaled some of the better stories in TOS, TNG, DS9, etc. But it’s still very few overall. And because it’s serialized people focus less on individual episodes like what most of classic Trek is and the season as a whole and where it’s really hurting it.

I personally think Discovery has improved every season than the last, the problem is still not enough to get the naysayers on board and maybe it never will. But not everyone will be won over. There are still naysayers for Voyager, Enterprise, even DS9 and they still watched every episode too. It’s not like every classic show has become beloved with everyone, just more accepted overall and a lot of that has to do with time. Nostalgia just sets in. That may happen with these new shows but it’s also a different time with social media everywhere and some people are just prone to hate things.

But people also have to admit some of the shows themselves could just be a lot better too. Discovery HAS improved but it’s still low on the totem pole when it just comes to basic story telling. End of the day, that’s what keeps more fans interested more than anything, just good stories. Everything else is second place.

Absolutely agreed. The way which Discovery came out of the gate really did set the tone. It’s gotten better for sure, but old habits die hard both for fans and for the production team.

I still get the sense no one besides Bryan Fuller has ever had a handle on how best to handle Burnham, but Fuller’s vision of the show was hardly inspiring based on the pilot. The show has rarely pulled at my heartstrings, whereas I remain totally invested emotionally in the likes of Amok Time/Family/The Inner Light/The Offspring/Reunion/Duet/The Visitor/The Die is Cast/The Voyage Home/The Wrath of Khan/Someone to Watch Over Me/Drone/Twilight/wej duj/ etc.

There were no hamfisted “I love you aaallll” declarations, no forced scenes of applause by crewmen for moments that don’t deserve it, fewer attempts to retrofit character growth when the work wasn’t done (Emperor Georgiou being passed off as a beloved colleague was laughable, and her evolution as a reformed character was almost entirely portrayed in her last two episodes only). Allegories were often blunt, yet subtler than making Gray a walking “We see you” metaphor.

I get a sense the producers think they are making tv consistently as good as the best of the 90s output, just because it’s got a diverse cast, LGBT characters, and they are being given obscene amounts of ViacomCBS’ money to spend. I’m sure it’s a very fun and thrilling show to produce and write, but the actual writing is bog standard anonymous genre fare bereft of a lot of joy, with the occasional moment or two that remind us what good Star Trek can be.

I don’t criticize from a place of thinking I could do better in Alex Kurtzman’s shoes, but I think after so long, I’ve developed a strong sense of what makes for good drama, particularly when it comes to Star Trek. So many simple ingredients are being omitted these days, and it’s frustrating.

Isn’t Star Trek filled with “Mary Sues?” Isn’t that kinda part of the point? Picard or Kirk are among the ultimate examples of one.

I’m tired of the denigration, y’all.

I wouldn’t call a character who has already become who they are to be a Mary Sue. The Mary Sue applies to a character who has things happen to her and without any real hardship reaches full potential. We usually see a Mary Sue’s journey from at or near the beginning. Like Rey in the SW sequels. Kirk and Picard were introduced already having reached their full potential. It was presumed that they started out raw, inexperienced and worked their way into their positions while discovering who they were along the way. If they were Mary Sues it wasn’t shown on screen.

The main character of Lower Decks is pretty obviously a Mary Sue character. I like what you said but Lower Decks suffers from the same as Discovery. There is no solid characterization and there is absolutely no joy in its heart. It’s just one big fangasm. I’ve just started watching season 2. Through a few episodes now and it’s still just an animated “how many old references can we squeeze in” show. While a little clever at times it’s monumentally predictable and and full of failed gags.

Mariner is arguably a Mary Sue, though they do make a point of having her be fallible. Most Trek characters tend to be very good at their jobs, it’s when they’re never allowed to be wrong or vulnerable that it gets ridiculous.

That’s why Burnham frustrates me – Bryan Fuller created her and had a handle on how to characterize her and what her arc should be. Say what you will about his other ideas that didn’t work in Discovery, but he immediately started the show by having Burnham make a terrible mistake that was difficult to justify and come back from. That was daring and different. Every showrunner since has retreated from that decision and ignored it, preferring to make Burnham so infallible, she makes Teflon Janeway look like Ally McBeal.

As for Lower Decks… I would maintain there’s real love and joy at its heart. The characters are bonding, have well-defined dynamics and development now, and beyond the myriad in-jokes and references are small real heartfelt moments that certainly affected me more than Discovery or Picard have ever done. That last episode was a wonder IMO.

Well, to counter that I don’t think anyone has a right to say what people should or shouldn’t watch. Humans are weird creatures, they can like something or not like something and still watch it. Besides I feel like since people here are Trek fans here they feel like they need to watch everything which is kind of understandable in the long run.

I’m not a fan of people telling others what to not watch as well. It’s like telling a fan of a ball club that sucks to stop following the team. Stop watching the games. Someone who says that to another I think just doesn’t understand the concept of fandom.

It’s called being a fan. Just because your team sucks doesn’t mean you stop watching them.

You are right that there is some Trek content on P+. Not a lot. The seasons are awfully short so even though it sounds like a lot of content it really isn’t. But the real problem is that so far nothing that has streamed has been any good. Everything Secret Hideout has made as been sub par at best. Gawdawful at worst. Lower Decks says they are aimed at adults but obviously it’s aimed at children. Picard was bad and the upcoming trailers don’t look promising and this upcoming season of Discovery doesn’t bode well either.

Our only hope lie with the two we haven’t seen yet. SNW looks promising but the final product remains to be seen. And Prodigy looks like it will be far more mature and fun than Lower Decks. But again, we must wait to find out. It I were a betting man I wouldn’t bet very much on either show being better than average.

Well. This looks good. I have high hopes for this season. Some good Trek on the way. Picard season 2 and Strange new worlds. A Good time to be a Trek Fan,

As a Kid Growing up in the 70s. All we had was TOS and TAS Now. We have so much moore.

“Season four of Star Trek: Discovery finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.”

WIth a few tweaks you can use this same synopsis for seasons two and three:

“Season three of Star Trek: Discovery finds Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery in a distant future, facing a threat unlike anything ever encountered. With a diminished Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.”

Season two of Star Trek: Discovery finds Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery under the command of Captain Pike, facing a threat unlike any they’ve encountered; a threat from within and of the Federation’s own design. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must work with unlikely allies as well as those unknown, working together to ensure a future for all.

Planet of the week has given way to threat of the season.

I wish I could say this trailer makes me more excited about the upcoming season but personally these galactic wide threats are feeling a bit tired. The trailer was fine but I wasn’t excited about it at all. Of course it was an extension of the first trailer we got on First Contact day, but I was hoping it broaden the season a little more. I do like there is no perceived villain for a change (or at least we haven’t been introduced to yet) but it would’ve been more interesting to do smaller stories. Still with an arc but maybe just something about rebuilding the Federation and the obstacles of trying to do that when planets have been cut off from each off for so long. Something that also about, well, exploration.

And to be fair maybe the season will focus on that. I can’t imagine 13 episodes of just chasing down an anomaly so we may get something more. But when the trailer focuses solely on that, it leaves me a little cold. The thing is I really really want to like Discovery. And I do in general, but it’s still so far down the ladder in terms of strong story telling and execution. And I was generally very excited about both season 2 and 3. I couldn’t wait for either. But they both felt disappointing by the end. A big problem being they set up these grand mysteries and both fell flat to me. And here we are, yet another grand mystery, end-of-the-world stakes but this time only feels so-so out of the gate. Hopefully my mind will change when the season begins.

But to end this on a positive note. I do love stuff like having a Ferengi captain and a Cardassian UFP President. I’m hoping we get to see a lot of aliens we haven’t seen in awhile. Little stuff like this seems to excite fans more than the main story line. I truly do love this new setting. This is what I wanted from Star Trek since Voyager ended, so I hope they don’t squander it.

I thought the focus would be about rebuilding the Federation but, nope, no time for that. THAT would make for some interesting storytelling but now the show taking place in the future is merely incidental. This threat will predictably lead to the welcoming of some worlds back into the fold (storytelling shortcut) but it would be far more interesting to have stories where there is a reluctance of former member worlds to return after centuries of existence independent of the Federation. How do you rebuild an alliance which had had no relevance for centuries? And is it possible that some of these civilizations collapsed without the aid and support of the Federation?

This is a playground that a number of former Star Trek writers would thrive in.

Agreed. I think they could’ve done somethin more in this direction, focus on where the Federation is today and how they go about getting it to its glory days. Of course there has to be conflict and problems but I would have liked it to have been on a more social/political basis which Picard SORT OF did in its first season before it went all genocidal by the end.

It would’ve been nice to do what Enterprise did in season 4 and break up the stories to 2-3 parters while having an overall arc. That’s why that season was so good, it was secretly about forming the Federation but all the while dealing with smaller stories leading in that direction, especially the three part Vulcan and Andorian story lines and finally the Demons/Terra Prime finale. That was setting up things really nicely while having the stories feel a little more self contained. Think a little more out of the box, deal with specific Federation planet story lines and build up to a bigger story in the background but not an end of the universe crisis every damn season.

I like the idea of Enterprise season 4. I can’t help but think that the writers have other stories they would like to tackle over the course of the season.

I agree of course, I’m really hoping we’re getting just different stories in general. And I think that’s why people are responding the way they are, it feels like everything will come down to this anomaly. Again, if people didn’t feel so let down the last two seasons in how they wrapped up their big mystery boxes, then maybe it would be a very different reaction overall. I think a lot just feel it’s all going the same direction as before. But I really hope I’m wrong.

But Enterprise season 4 was really done so well IMO. It doesn’t mean every episode was great. Like many, I could’ve done without the Augment Klingon episodes completely. And I try to block out TATV as much as possible (like the last five minutes though). But I just loved how they were quietly setting things up in the background, especially with the Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites and Romulans but still told a myriad of different stories with so many other species and groups. And if you REALLY hated that Klingon augment story or the Alien Nazis opener, you can SKIP those stories and still feel like you got a solid season and some great worldbuilding and character development. With Discovery, sometime it feels like its all or nothing.

Or why can’t the problem be saving themselves from something? I think the problem is deep down producers and writers know that these characters just aren’t good enough to carry a personalized story of any kind. If the issue was the ship caught in some weird void or something with some sort of ticking clock few would care because few actually care about the characters. So they need to come up with stakes that are not connected to characters. Now the stakes must be universe shattering.

Well they should at least try first. But that’s the other problem with the show, characters are just not given personal episodes like the old shows did or at least the spin offs. It’s really hard to do a one off adventure of Tilly and Burnham getting lost on a planet when you’re trying to throw in all the other plots from previous episodes. You may be right and few would care but that’s partly because they never gotten a chance to just do things as a normal character after 3 seasons. It’s kind of crazy but 3 seasons in and we have not seen anything like a simple shore leave episode yet. Because these people never have time for ANYTHING outside of the mission and that’s sad to me. That’s what I mean by they just can’t be normal people with outside lives. Even Picard went on shore leave. Sure he was forced to go but he still had some lol.

Again, people used to complain about the ‘filler’ episodes in Star Trek and those were usually just smaller character episodea that I really appreciate having today. I know, I rewatched over 750 episodes recently. Some were definitely painful to watch but I enjoyed most of them because once you like a character enough you can still get into the story even if the stakes are very low or none at all.

Add to that the one character where they showed something about an off main character was the one they killed her in. Like they were trying to get the audience invested in someone so it would be a bit of a gut punch when she bit it. It didn’t work.

Can they really not think of anything better to do with the Burnham character than “You’re a loose cannon, Burnham!”? How many times can we watch a character go through the same arc about learning not be be a self-centered rogue?

You would need to shake up the writer’s room or bring in a new showrunner.

I really disliked the redesign of the Klingons and hope they go back to a TNG look. However, I do think the redesign of the Ferengi is pretty good. The TNG version wasn’t quite realistic enough and if you watch TNG and DS9 closely enough the prosthetics on many species are easily visible without being in HD.

I appreciate the return to the various department color uniforms. They do look a little too militaristic, but will have to see. People said that about the movie maroons but they were my favorite.

I think the haters keep watching hoping for the series to improve as the other series did as they advanced in years. There are certainly elements of DISC, Picard, and Lower Decks I don’t like and some that I do. Whether the good outweighs the bad is sometimes debatable. If you don’t like the season’s arc it’s easy to give up on the whole thing when there were many good episodes or elements. I really have high hopes for SNW and returning to episodic stories. TOS and TNG both had plenty of good episodes with some not so great scattered throughout. ENT had the Xindi arc that was ok while the series continued improving toward a much better season 4. DISCO season 3 I felt explored the politics and races of the 32nd century very well, however I felt the reason for the burn was not sophisticated enough and detachable nacelles not believable.

I really hope the new take on the Ferengi takes their culture back to their “last outpost” roots

The new Ferengi character is a Starfleet officer. You can’t be anymore different than how we saw the Ferengis in The Last Outpost. ;)

I remember watching that episode when it first aired and thinking, “They seem more amusing than threatening.”

Yeah and probably why they were turned comedic later. Like a lot of people, really didn’t like them until we got them on DS9 where they really developed them and made them completely comedic.

DS9 gave us a much better sense of who they were and one of my favorite exchanges on the series was between Quark and Sisko:

“The way I see it, Humans used to be a lot like Ferengi: greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We’re a constant reminder of a part of your past you’d like to forget…Humans used to be a lot worse than the Ferengi: slavery, concentration camps, interstellar wars. We have nothing in our past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see, we’re nothing like you. We’re better.”

Ds9 didn’t feature a single energy whip though. Except for the one the Marauder Mo action figure had. I hope this Ferengi captain has an energy whip for a sidearm.

That actually would be fun to see.

The thing that I did like about their first appearance was how alien they acted. They were constantly moving and scattering. Not just standing around like previous aliens were. But the problem was they mentioned the Ferengi in such a way that they created certain expectations. And when they were finally introduced it was a bit of a let down. They probably would have been better off had they not mentioned them at all before we met them.

We don’t know how far they’ve regressed in 9000 years. Maybe the reforms put in place by Grand Nagus Rom ended up with a Ferengi society with no rules to guide it (since acquisition became less important) and the Ferengi had to become feral in order to survive. A lucky few joined Starfleet but even if this particular Ferengi in the trailer was jumping around and hissing and so forth, Starfleet tolerates all cultural diversity so we might see a representation that’s true to Gene’s vision!

Predictions: I’m imagining that this trailer is about the mystery during the first two episodes and that once they start searching the inside of this mysterious anomomly, those adventures will end up taking up the entire season.

I also predict that Saru was left off world on Kaminar to study Su’Kal, and once Saru is will be aboard for the trip – he may be testing out new powers of his own which could be useful inside the Anomoly.

It is illogical to judge a series by the trailer.

I’m excited for S4. I felt S3 wasn’t as good as S1-2, but the sci-fi mystery behind the burn was awesome!

Let’s Fly!

Rejected Burnham catch phrases:

Let ‘er rip!
Spin that sh*t!
Make ship go!

LMAO! I just laughed so hard reading this. And what is with the obsession with these warp out catch phrases? I don’t remember any of the old shows so focused on it. Picard of course had ‘engage’ but I don’t remember Janeway having one. Or Kirk or Archer. I think Archer said ‘Let’s go’ and even then I don’t remember how often he said it if he said it much at all.

Suddenly that’s a thing. Kinda started with “engage” but then Pike said “Punch it” in the Kelvin movie and here we are. I don’t recall Kirk having one. I think he said engage from time to time but often it was just “take us out of orbit, Mr Sulu. Warp factor 2.” And that was that. Sulu just did it without Kirk telling him when to “engage”.

Yeah I don’t think anyone had one in the classic shows other than Picard. And that was just a phrase endeared to the character that they kept using. As you said most of them just told whoever was piloting the ship to go to Warp something or head to a certain direction.

Bur you’re right, Pike used one in the first Kelvin movie and it sort of became a thing from then on out.

Out there, Mr. Sulu. Thataway.

She really doesn’t need a catch phrase.

You should write for Lower Decks. Your post made me laugh harder than anything I have ever seen on LDX. I mean, Make ship go is a perfect fit for Discovery!

LOL. Thanks!

I don’t love the look of the new Ferengi’s lobes, but otherwise its a good design. It will be exciting to see the Ferengi again in live action, anyway.

The Ferengi captain looks almost exactly like Zek, the grand nagus with just slightly smaller/more pointed ears. Hardly a ‘redesign’ at all, since it was already established that all ferengi didn’t look like Quark/Nog.

The trailer was visually stunning, i’m cautiously optimistic. Hopefully the writing is as good as the visuals and we don’t get another dumb thing like the Burn or the Emerald Chain. The cast is fantastic. They keep getting bogged down trying to come up with an exciting story to frame the action on. It hasn’t worked for any of the seasons so far. Last season the plot was so boring and uninspired i really wondered if they knew what they were doing. It is weird since they added new characters who were all well defined and very good. But the entire arc of the season was random, and it went nowhere.

Well… Looks like they are still overreaching with this show. Why can’t they just dial things back a little?

Warning: The following comment is based on the quality of the previous 3 Star Trek Discovery seasons.

Even if the show manages to get into some deep sci-fi Trekky kind of concepts, the core problem is the main characters are nearly all boring and extremely shallow to the point of not really caring what happens to them or what they go through. They are duller than the TNG characters. And that is saying something. The trailer even looks like a sub par show with a huge production budget. The fact that they throw a lot of money to make the show look slick doesn’t mean the show will be good. As season’s 1-3 have proved.

I agree with this, well put.

Ugh, why do they keep changing the design of well established alien races.

That started with the Klingons a long time ago. Romulans have changed. Vulcan ears have been adjusted. Ro’s nose changed in between seasons – do did Worf’s forehead. Trills were introduced with foreheads and then suddenly had spots and we just pretend they always did. Make-up is always adjusted. It has been since TOS ended.

I wonder what aliens would say if they would visit earth in 1900 and 2020. And seeing different cultures on earth.

I finally got around to watching the trailer today and give it an unenthusiastic 3 out of 5. It was okay, but nothing too exciting. IMO, the season long story-arc although it worked okay in the first couple fo seasons, is growing a little tiresome for Discovery. Especilly with both SNW and LDs being episodic (allowing me to tune into to LDs every now and then without missing a big part of the story).

Of course I will watch Discovery S4, but I am really looking foward to seeing SNW S1 and the second season of Picard and the return of Q, even if it remains serielized.

Unless things change drastically for Disco, I think it’s destined to never be a big legacy fan favorite show, but will be the trailblazing and inclusive series that paved the way for Picard, SNW and all the other interations of Trek that follow for CBSAA and P+. I am happy it exists because it opened a new golden age of Star Trek and I am sure it also brought in new younger fans who did not watch Star Trek before.

Picard, SNW, LDs etc., MAY have eventually existed without Discovery, but I doubt we would have got them as quickly as we have.

Ultimately, I hope S4 of Disco proves me wrong. The series has definitely improved since early to mid S1, but for this older fan, not as much as I hoped. There are many episodes I will watch as a repeat (sort of an easy way to know whether or not I like a show), but that percentage is probably lower than any series since TOS. All that said, I will be watching when S4 premieres next month.

I had a hard time following it.

While I feel Discovery has made progress season by season, this isn’t drawing me in.

Anybody do a cliché count on this trailer?

The Ferengi are very difficult to modernize, the makeup was always something of a joke and it certainly doesn’t look good by modern standards. The redesign may not be as successful as the Andorian or Tellarite redo, but I get it and I really like it. There is room for some tweaking, the coloring and bat-tip ears are where things go a little far.

Roddenberry originally described the Ferengi as having bat-tipped ears but the make-up designers couldn’t make them work with 90s tech.

So it seems fairly obvious that this update is a nod to the original direction from the Great Bird himself whatsoever we may think of that.

Looks awesome

Although I’ve already disconnected Discovery’s previous seasons from my own favourite versions of ‘Star Trek’, I’ll still watch it as a stopgap before the episodic stories of the Strange New Worlds show come around.

But this time, I’m going to imagine that this is the FIRST season of Discovery to see how it goes….one which is introducing us to it’s already established ship’s Captain and crew for the very first time….and will hope for a better conclusion to it’s latest season-long ‘galaxy-threatening’ storyline this time around. Hopefully, a lot of the baggage of the previous seasons with be hardly mentioned, and I can look on any ‘call-backs’ as just being (offscreen) ‘background info.’ for Burnham and the crew as it goes along.

By viewing this next one as a ‘standalone’ introduction to these characters, I may just enjoy this storyline more if if it has a reasonably satisfying conclusion this time around! :)

Thanks for the interesting perspective. I too am really looking forward to others shows like SNW and Picard and am just lukewarm to Disco S4. That said, I will be watching Discovery.

Others have also suggested the show should have always been set in the future right from day 1, so perhaps it makes sense that I look at this season as the true start to the series without the baggage of seasons 1-3. I hope that reset and fresh perspective breathes some new life into Discovery, at least for me.

I love a lot of the actors and the characters. But the writing is atrocious. But i will still watch it because i have hope it will improve. I have hope it will finally graduate to being a Star Trek series in more than name. Usually it takes 3 or 4 seasons for a Trek show to get good. So here is hoping.

Another universe ending crisis.

Maybe the galaxy ends this time?…….nah….

I wish I could feel more excited about Discovery. But with all the other Trek now available I just don’t get that hyped anymore. And this trailer really didn’t do much to change those feelings. It felt like more of the same. I’m much more excited about the new season of Picard and the launch of SNW. Although I am fearful that SNW will fall into the same trap that Discovery did by trying to be way too advanced for the period in which it is set. At least Discovery fixed that particular problem, but then they double down on changing classic alien races like the Ferengi. It’s almost like they have an itch to fix what isn’t broken.

Ho hum….another galaxy ending threat. Will it succeed?

Michael is still rocking her braids and still making rebellious questionable decisions. Yes!!! I’m so happy. Stay reckless, Michael!! I am very much looking forward to seasons 4 and beyond.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 4 Trailer Sees the Crew Confronting an Unknown Anomaly

Season 4 premieres Thursday, November 18, exclusively on Paramount+.

Star Trek fans have been treated to an all-new look at Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery — the first trailer for the upcoming season has been unveiled courtesy of the show's New York Comic Con Panel, and now we have even more of a sense of what lies ahead for Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) and the crew of the U.S.S Discovery. Star Trek: Discovery will officially premiere on Thursday, November 18, exclusively on Paramount+.

Confronting the mysterious anomaly is the story element that looms over Burnham and crew this season, and if the trailer is to be believed, the Discovery's crew truly is about to go where no man has gone before. And nothing is more terrifying than the unknown, but the longer they avoid tackling it straight-on, the more lives that could be put at risk. And it wouldn't be Star Trek: Discovery if our motley crew wasn't disobeying direct orders and jumping straight into the fray — although it's always fun to hear a wearied Tig Notaro in any situation.

"The future remains uncertain, but the Captain in me knows anything is possible," Burnham says, and with her loyal crew behind her, it seems there's nothing this group can't do.

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 4 Sets Production Start — Dare We Have Hope for the Future?

Discovery was officially announced as coming back for Season 4 back in November , when the cast was reported to have returned to begin production, and cast member Doug Jones , who plays the Kelpien Saru, confirmed that filming had wrapped on the fourth season back in August . In addition to Martin-Green and Jones, Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery brings back several DISCO crew mainstays, including Paul Stamets ( Anthony Rapp ) and Sylvia Tilly ( Mary Wiseman ), and Season 3 newcomers David Ajala , Blu del Barrio , and Ian Alexander will also be coming back for the fourth season.

The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman , Michelle Paradise , Heather Kadin , Aaron Baiers , Olatunde Osunsanmi , Frank Siracusa , John Weber , Rod Roddenberry , and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers; Paradise also serves as showrunner.

Season 4, as mentioned before, will premiere November 18 on Paramount+. Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-3 are streaming now. Check out the trailer and synopsis for Season 4 below:

Season 4 of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.

KEEP READING: How to Watch Paramount+: Pricing Details, What’s on It, and More

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Star Trek: Discovery’s season 4 trailer features the anomaly and the return of David Cronenberg

There’s no rest for the crew of the USS Discovery

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Captain Michael Burnham in Star Trek Discovery

A gravitational anomaly, the return of David Cronenberg, and a Ferengi — there’s a lot to unpack in the official trailer for Star Trek Discovery season 4, which debuted to a full audience at New York Comic Con 2021. Members of the cast gathered in person for the first time in two years to discuss the upcoming season, which debuts on Paramount+ on Nov. 18. The trailer was so nice, in fact, that Discovery star Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber) demanded that the audience get to watch it twice.

While the return of director Cronenberg’s character, Kovich, is intriguing, the anomaly is the biggest conflict facing the crew in the new season.

“I think I can speak for all of the characters when I say I don’t think any of us expected to have a threat this big so soon after jumping to this future,” said Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham). “That was huge, and then I know at least for Burnham it’s a lot. Here we are again with a threat of great, great magnitude.” In the upcoming season, she said, “you see these people find out exactly how they can choose both [duty and joy] in their own ways.”

However, fans of the series who have watched the crew of the USS Discovery face multiple disasters may be less surprised that they’re in this position yet again. Potentially galaxy-ending threats seem to follow this crew. “Tilly’s great at science,” said Mary Wiseman (Tilly). “So that helps.”

Threats aside, the biggest pull of the new season is Burnham, who started out the series as a commander and first officer before finally becoming the captain for real, not in a mirror universe. She’s finally putting her leadership skills to work.

“I do appreciate Burnham’s hands-on approach,” said Martin-Green. “I appreciate how Burnhan has been written.” With this new role on the USS Discovery, Martin-Green became the first Black woman to play a captain on a live-action Star Trek series. “I think that everything that has happened in my life, everything has led to this moment. Everything has led to sitting down in that chair and assuming that role. Of course I know what it means to me, for all the obvious reasons historically speaking and culturally speaking.”

In season 3, Star Trek Discovery also welcomed the franchise’s first transgender and nonbinary characters, played respectively by transgender and nonbinary actors Ian Alexander (Gray) and Blu del Barrio (Adira Tal). A good portion of the panel was dedicated to welcoming and praising del Barrio’s debut.

“That has a lot to do with Jonathan Frakes being my first director,” del Barrio said. They went on, laughing, “I was so incredibly nervous that I tried to make a joke with him and he said ‘fuck off’ and I said ‘okay’ and then it was fine.” But while Star Trek veteran Frakes gave them a hard time, everyone else on set was buzzing about how good del Barrio, who also makes their professional acting debut on Star Trek Discovery , was in their scenes. They are a “truth teller,” Martin-Green said.

As for Gray’s corporeal form? Alexander was not on the panel, but his presence was felt and arc teased in the trailer. “When Dr. Culber makes a promise he keeps that promise,” said Cruz.

Then Cruz and his on-screen husband Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets) nearly got into a marital spat. Wiseman and Martin-Green started singing about how much they loved acting together. It’s clear, in the trailer and the way the Star Trek Discovery cast interacted with each other on stage, that the crew of the USS Discovery is a family, making season 4 that much more exciting to look forward to in November.

Polygon at NYCC 2021

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‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed For Season 4 At Paramount+

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for Season 4 at Paramount+, despite currently being in production on its third season.

On the other hand, it has been revealed that the animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks , will end with Season 5 on the streaming platform. The final season will premiere this fall.

Strange New Worlds centers around Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is the USS Enterprise commander at this point in the Star Trek universe. He is joined by younger versions of several legacy characters, including Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and Kirk (Paul Wesley).

It debuted in 2022 and had an epic second season that included a musical episode and a crossover episode with Lower Decks , helping it climb aboard Nielsen’s chart of the 10 most-watched streaming original series over multiple weeks.

“On behalf of the cast and crew of ‘Strange New Worlds,’ we are thrilled and grateful to continue our voyages together,” said executive producers and showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, along with executive producer Alex Kurtzman in a statement according to Variety . “We can’t wait for you to join us and the crew of the Enterprise on another season of exploration and adventure.”

Lower Decks is set in the years following the feature film Star Trek: Nemesis and centers around the junior officers of the USS Cerritos: Beckett Mariner ( Tawny Newsome ), Brad Boimler ( Jack Quaid ), D’Vana Tendi ( Noël Wells ) and Sam Rutherford ( Eugene Cordero ).

The series also featured voice cameos from several Star Trek alumni including George Takei , Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, John de Lancie, Will Wheaton, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, and Robert Duncan McNeill.

Although some aspects of the storyline make it appropriate to conclude the show, Kurtzman and executive producer and showrunner Mike McMahan are leaving the hull open for future iterations.

“We remain hopeful that even beyond Season 5, Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and the whole Cerritos crew will live on with new adventures,” they said in a message to fans. “While five seasons of any series these days seems like a miracle, it’s no exaggeration to say that every second we’ve spent making this show has been a dream come true.”

Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is slated to premiere in 2025.

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed For Season 4 At Paramount+

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 4 uses time travel to remember the past 5 seasons

It's pretty obvious watching this episode that the cast and crew, at the very least, strongly suspected that this was going to be the last season of "Discovery" when it was written.

You're not seeing double…well, actually you are, as 23rd century Burnham must fight her-32nd-century-self.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 4

With the news that "Star Trek: Lower Decks" is ending after its current season, that really only leaves "Strange New Worlds" as the last remaining Nu-Trek series currently airing on television.

And, a word to the wise: If you're a die-hard fan of " Discovery ," make sure you have your own physical media, 'cause no one likes being at the mercy of whatever an overpaid television executive thinks. You're welcome. Moreover, after this final season of "Discovery," we're going to have until wait until next year for the next season of " Strange New Worlds ." It's all starting to feel a bit like "Game of Thrones" all over again.

Episode four, entitled "Face the Strange," is without a doubt the best entry so far in the fifth season, and one can't help but wonder after watching exactly when the cast and production crew were first informed that this would be the last season, because it was definitely before this episode was actually written. The reason? It is, for all intents and purposes, a 60-minute, time-travel-powered, postscript-style reminiscence of all elements of all five seasons — or as much as you can cram into an hour — and what a rollercoaster ride it's been.

So when Alex Kurtzman or Michelle Paradise or whoever it is that actually has authority in the writer's room entered said room, put down their grande iced sugar-free vanilla half-double decaffeinated half-caff latte with soy milk and a twist of lemon in their Paramount-branded 40oz Stanley Clean Slate Quencher H2.0 Flowstate™ Tumbler and announced, "Wouldn't it be great to revisit chapters from seasons one, two, three and four?" no doubt everyone cheered. "And how will this be possible?" asked Kurtzman, to which an eager-beaver intern no doubt excitedly thrust their hand up into the air and exclaimed, "Why, time travel , of course!"

Related: ' Star Trek:' History & effect on space technology

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closeup of a humanoid cyborg from a star trek tv show.

"Quite right," replied Kurtzman (in our imaginations, at least), adding, "But it can be for one episode, so it has to be an isolated, self-contained form of time travel." Thus was conceived the "Time Bug," and with it came a ton of technobabble to precisely explain its parameters. Although quite why Zora didn't detect it was not addressed. Also, you know, transporters.

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But this clever Time Bug, which can manipulate time in just about any way that's convenient for the writers to overcome any potential chronological complications — like life-changing paradoxes — came onboard the USS Discovery by way of that shifty Malinne "Moll" Ravel (Eve Harlow), who managed to infiltrate the Trill homeworld undetected, as we saw last week .

As a result, we get reminder glimpses of Michael Burnham's first coming aboard the USS Discovery way, way, way back in season one, complete with appropriate uniforms and everything. We get a fleeting reminder of the Red Angel and the battle with Control , naturally The Burn gets a mention, and there's even a not-very-subtle nod to the short-Trek " Calypso ." It's all a little bit like a Greatest Hits album that doesn't include any of the tracks that you actually liked, being played at 45 instead of 33. Remember vinyl?

Since it's now obvious that this season was written after the cancellation announcement had been made to the cast and crew, the single most important question is, Will the show benefit from that, or will it suffer? Are the remaining six episodes going to be a drawn-out epilogue, tied loosely together with a mostly lame plot? Or, will advance knowledge of the show's future actually serve the writers well, allowing them to produce something above and beyond the normal level of writing?

There's even a very entertaining scene, in which 23rd-century Burnham must fight her 32nd-century self. Of course, the illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator fitted to the space bug prevents any changes from affecting the timeline, so you know, phew .

Most of the original Discovery bridge reappear, as close to how they looked seven years ago as possible, and even Lt. Cmdr. Airiam (played by Sara Mitich in the first season and Hannah Cheesman in the second) makes a cameo, so that's nice. Also, we can really see as Sonequa Martin-Green flips between her two Burnhams just how effective that dreadlock hair piece that she wears through this season actually is. Half the show's budget probably went to that.

— Watch the bittersweet trailer for 'Star Trek: Discovery's final season (video)

— Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

— Star Trek's Seven of Nine returns in new novel 'Picard: Firewall' (exclusive)

It's a fun filler episode, and, even if it doesn't advance the plot an inch, it does allow character development to take place, particularly between Burnham and Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie). Arguably the biggest surprise was that the writers were able to resist putting Captain Pike (Anson Mount) into this episode.

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery," and every other episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the U.S., while "Prodigy" has found a new home on Netflix.

Internationally, the shows are available on Paramount Plus in Australia, Latin America, the U.K. and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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EFH Dreadlock hair piece? Really? Before you publish, please do your research. Those are not dreadlocs. She is wearing braids. Yikes and cringe. I'm embarrassed for you. Reply
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Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery season 5 episode 4 ending explained.

Moll and L'ak send Burnham, Rayner and Stamets hurtling through their past, present, and future as Star Trek: Discovery's treasure hunt continues.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange".

Captain Burnham and Commander Rayner navigate through time to stop the time bug, showcasing their growth and teamwork.
A Voyager connection reveals the menacing Krenim "time bug" and its catastrophic effects on the USS Discovery's crew and timeline.
Burnham reflects on her journey as she faces challenges from her past while navigating through alternate futures in "Face the Strange."

Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) find themselves hurtling through the USS Discovery's past, present, and future in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange". Written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose, "Face the Strange" demonstrates how far Burnham and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) have come since Discovery season 1 . It's also a chance for Burnham and her new Number One, Rayner, to finally work as a team, as they literally race against time to get Discovery 's hunt for the Progenitors' treasure back on track.

"Face the Strange" reveals that Moll (Eve Harlow) planted a Krenim " time bug " on Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio) at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3 . Having worked its way into the USS Discovery's systems, the time bug traps the crew in their own history, randomly cycling the ship through the past, present, and future, freeing Moll and L'ak to retrieve the next clue . Burnham, Rayner, and Stamets are unaffected and work together to get the USS Discovery back to the 32nd century in time to stop Moll and L'ak from completing the next step in Discovery 's treasure hunt.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

How burnham, rayner & stamets beat star trek: discovery's time bug explained.

The time bug in Star Trek: Discovery is a particularly nasty piece of temporal technology, which proves hard for Burnham, Rayner, and Stamets to beat. Their first attempt to nullify the device fails, because time inside the surrounding field is moving at a rapid pace. Anything that enters the field to remove the time bug will cease to exist within seconds , forcing Stamets to come up with a far riskier strategy.

the warp bubble is what protects the crews of Star Trek 's starships from the effects of relativity...

The trick to beating the time bug is to reduce the flow of time in the surrounding field , but to do that, the USS Discovery has to break the warp bubble and throw relativity out of sync. As they travel faster than the speed of light, the warp bubble is what protects the crews of Star Trek 's starships from the effects of relativity . Abruptly breaking the warp bubble means that the time bug has less time to readjust to relative time outside the USS Discovery. This would weaken the surrounding field for long enough for Rayner to remove the time bug.

The main issue with Commander Paul Stamets ' plan was that the time-traveling trio were in the worst possible time period when it comes to Burnham's standing aboard the USS Discovery. The time bug's final cycle took Burnham, Rayner and Stamets to an early point in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, when Michael was still seen as a dangerous mutineer. For Stamets' plan to succeed, Burnham had to make her way to the bridge, fight and incapacitate her younger self, then successfully convinced the bridge crew to follow the orders of their future captain .

A line of dialog places these scenes at some point between episodes 3 and 4 of Star Trek: Discovery season 1, as Commander Landry is said to still be alive.

Star Trek: Discovery's Time Bug Is A Voyager Connection

Commander Rayner reveals that the time bug is a " Krenim chronophage " left over from Star Trek 's Temporal Wars . The Krenim are a technologically advanced species first introduced in Star Trek: Voyager 's season 4 two-parter, "Year of Hell." The USS Voyager's first encounter with the Krenim went so badly wrong that it created an alternate timeline that descimated the majority of the ship's crew .

This forced Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to make the ultimate sacrifice to restore history. Hailing from the Delta Quadrant, the Krenim had devastating temporal weapons that were capable of removing entire species from existence. While Star Trek: Discovery 's time bug is much smaller, it can still have a devastating impact on its victims , as shown by what will happen if Moll and L'ak get their hands on the Progenitors' technology.

Voyager Is Why Star Trek Is Replacing Discovery’s Spore Drive

Burnham and stamets’ time travel shows how much they've changed on star trek: discovery.

Burnham and Stamets are forced to relive some painful moments from their pasts, but these incidents remind viewers just how far the Star Trek: Discovery characters have come. Stamets hilariously draws on his angrier, snarkier past self from Discovery season 1, which helps him swiftly empty engineering. It's a fun callback to the person that Stamets used to be, before his tardigrade DNA made him more mellow, making him a better husband to Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) and a father figure to Adira. However, Stamets' tartigrade DNA has one drawback; he still experiences the pain of being impaled during the Battle of Control .

Burnham also gets a welcome reminder of how far she's come, courtesy of the Krenim time bug and some words of encouragement from Rayner. Rayner reminds her that she never gave up on her path from prisoner to starship captain , and so she shouldn't give up when faced with their bleak alternate future. Captain Burnham stirring the crew of the USS Discovery on the same day that her younger self came aboard as a prisoner is a strong affirmation of her journey between Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 5.

Burnham's awkwardness around Book seems more rooted in her suppressing her attraction than trying not to change the future

Burnham also gets a chance to reflect on her relationship with Booker (David Ajala), when she meets his past self, fresh out of the shower. Burnham's awkwardness around Book seems more rooted in her suppressing her attraction than trying not to change the future. It's another hint that Burnham and Book's Star Trek: Discovery love story isn't over yet.

Star Trek: Discovery Finally Solves Its Biggest Short Trek Mystery

In the fan-favorite Short Trek , a soldier, Craft (Aldis Hodge) was picked up by the USS Discovery after his escape pod had drifted through space for a month. Craft formed a bond with Zora (Annabelle Wallis) who had been left behind by the USS Discovery a thousand years earlier. For years, fans speculated over where "Calypso" fitted into the Star Trek: Discovery timeline, something that the showrunners promised would come further down the line. Now, Discovery season 5, episode 5 "Face the Strange" provides the answer. "Calypso" takes place in an alternate version of the 42nd century, a thousand years after the Progenitors' technology had fallen into the wrong hands .

Star Trek Needs To Bring Back Short Treks

Burnham and Rayner's jump into the future reveals that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Breen got hold of the Progenitors' technology and used it to destroy Starfleet and the Federation. As the USS Discovery hangs in space, Burnham and Rayner look out at a devastated Federation Headquarters, as Zora pleads with them to change the future. The use of a calypso version of Doris Day's "Que Sera Sera" is Star Trek: Discovery 's subtle confirmation that it's this catastrophe that left Zora abandoned for a thousand years before Star Trek: Short Treks .

Did Star Trek: Discovery Retcon Airiam’s Season 2 Sacrifice?

While convincing the crew of the USS Discovery to help with her plan to return to the 32nd century, Captain Burnham reveals that Lt. Commander Airiam (Hannah Cheeseman) will sacrifice her life to save her crew mates. Airiam accepts Burnham's future knowledge, because she knows that she would sacrifice her life in those circumstances. Airiam's knowledge of her own future is what eventually convinces her to follow Burnham's orders by breaking the warp bubble . In normal circumstances, knowledge given to her by a time-traveling Burnham would mean that Airiam will sacrifice her life in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 because she knows she has to.

However, due to the nature of the Krenim time bug, and Stamets' solution, Burnham telling Airiam about her tragic future doesn't retcon Star Trek: Discovery season 2. By removing the time bug before the next loop, Burnham, Rayner and Stamets negate everything that they did, meaning that, for example, young Burnham won't remember her fight with her future self. This means that Airiam will still make the decision to sacrifice her life in Discovery season 2, independently, not because she was inspired to do so by Captain Burnham .

Rayner Is Finally “Connecting” With USS Discovery's Crew

Callum Keith Rennie's Commander Rayner continues to go from strength to strength in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. Following Burnham's orders to " connect " with the Discovery crew in the previous episode, Rayner demonstrates how much he was paying attention during his brisk one-on-one meetings. Not only does Rayner give Burnham the encouragement she needs not to give up, he and Stamets appear to bond over being " old dogs " who specialize in " gruff candor ".

Why I'm On Rayner's Side In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

Rayner's most notable connection is with Gen Rhys, whose theory about Moll and L'ak he brusquely dismisses at the start of the episode . Thrown back into time when Rhys was just a lieutenant, Rayner gets through to the young officer by bonding with him over a love of Constitution-class starships. Rayner's connection with Rhys is enough to convince the officer to lower his phaser and let him and Stamets proceed with their plan. Back in the 32nd century, Rayner finally acknowledges the value of Rhys' tactical assessment that Moll and L'ak would just follow Discovery to the next clue .

Rayner also tells Rhys that he's lost his family, teasing more about the new Star Trek: Discovery character's backstory.

Where Have Moll And L’ak Gone In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5?

The Krenim time bug caused the USS Discovery crew to lose six hours to Moll and L'ak in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 . Returned to Tzenkethi space in the 32nd century, Lt. Commander Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) picks up Moll and L'ak's trail, but it quickly stops dead , meaning that they've seemingly disappeared. A starship trail that drops dead just before an episode called "Mirrors" would certainly play into Star Trek: Discovery season 5's Mirror Universe theory . Perhaps the reason that Moll and L'ak's trail stops dead is because they've phased into another reality altogether.

It's possible that Moll and L'ak picked up more than a Romulan puzzle box...

Alternatively, given Star Trek: Discovery season 5's Romulan connection, their ship could have used an interphasic cloak, first seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Next Phase". Interphasic cloaking technology effectively turned Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) into ghosts, unable to be seen by their crewmates. It's possible, therefore, that Moll and L'ak picked up more than a Romulan puzzle box in Star Trek: Discovery 's season 5 premiere, meaning that they could have a considerable tactical advantage over Burnham and the crew in the next stage of the treasure hunt.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

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