Star Trek: Discovery will end after Season 5, but thankfully, it's getting a proper conclusion. Those who have stuck with the series that ushered in a new era of Star Trek shows will get to see Michael Burnham and the crew get a fully thought-out finale, which is said to be in the works at the moment. This means it may not be too late to get some requests in about the things I hope to see, and I have plenty of ideas.
As a longtime fan of Star Trek: Discovery, and someone very much invested in the long-term health and future of the franchise, I'm watching this with a close eye. As such, I have some hopes for how Discovery will close out, and I'm crossing all of my fingers and toes hoping the creative team is already steps ahead and making sure some of these things are addressed in the finale.
A Way For Discovery Characters To Travel Through Time
Star Trek: Discovery has gone forward in time and sent Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou back in time. These were one-time deals, however, and we still haven't seen a consistent way for anyone in Discovery to travel back to their own time period, or another, if they wanted to. For a show that's currently set well beyond any other currently-airing show, that's going to make it really hard for any Discovery characters to pop up in other Trek shows.
Thanks to Star Trek: Enterprise, we know that the technology for time travel was at least present in the 31st century. I don't think it's out of the question to suggest that the same tech could be present for 32nd-century Starfleet and give other characters a chance to return to their former lives. This opens up the door for Michael, Saru and others to appear on other Trek shows, and leaves the burden off of those shows from explaining how it would happen.
A Happy Ending For Michael Burnham
Michael Burnham has really gone through it through the first four seasons of Star Trek: Discovery. She's been a prisoner and an outcast, had her heart broken and left her family behind right after reforging broken bonds. All of that has ultimately shaped her into a Starfleet Captain capable of rebuilding the organization back to its former glory in the 32nd century, but when will she get her happy ending?
It's my hope that we'll see that happen in the Season 5 finale. If Cleveland Booker and Michael Burnham are destined to be together, then dammit, we better see it happen on camera. This franchise has been around too long not to tie up loose ends, and while I get that not everything can be settled, Michael deserves a good ending.
A Resolution For Calypso
It has been years since Star Trek: Short Treks aired its "Calypso" short, but the diehard Discovery fans haven't forgotten its existence. For those who don't remember, the short followed a man who stumbled upon the Discovery in the future, seemingly abandoned by the crew. Fans have long speculated when this short will be addressed or resolved, and Season 4 took a big step forward by officially bringing in the ship's sentient A.I., Zora.
CinemaBlend received confirmation that Season 5 will contain some reference to "Calypso," but that was before the news the series was ending. It's hard to say if this reference will be enough to put all questions about the storyline to rest or if it'll factor into the yet-to-be-filmed finale in any way.
Promotions For Discovery Characters
Remember when Star Trek: Voyager started and Harry Kim was an ensign? Ok, now remember when Star Trek: Voyager ended, and Harry Kim was still an ensign? The Discovery crew has been through a lot in its four releases seasons, and I think more than a few people onboard have gained some recognition for it. Wouldn't it be nice to see the supporting characters of Discovery's bridge crew get a promotion or two?
After all, you'd think the crew that played a large part in helping rebuild Starfleet would deserve a chance to further their careers and grow elsewhere once they're more settled into life in the 32nd century. I'd like to see Detmer, "Owo" and others move on to bigger and better things, especially if it means more adventures for them in expanded material.
A Way For Stories In The 32nd Century To Continue
The most exciting thing about Star Trek: Discovery was it brought the sci-fi franchise to the 32nd century. By Discovery's end, we'll have seen three seasons of adventures in this drastically different time compared to The Next Generation and The Original Series time periods. We'd only begun to scratch the surface of what was happening at this time, and now the ride is coming to an end.
My hope is that Star Trek will continue depicting adventures in the 32nd century and should have an easy enough time doing that using comics and novels. The real question is if we'll ever get another show set in this period again or if the franchise will try to stay within the range of TOS and TNG periods for all future projects. I'm hoping the latter isn't the case, and that we'll get another series or two set in the 32nd century to give us fresh information and lore to enjoy.
A Setup For A Movie
Not every Star Trek series has gotten a movie. In fact, out of the shows set in the prime timeline, only The Original Series and The Next Generation made it to the silver screen. These days, we'll be lucky if Star Trek 4, a.k.a. the fourth Kelvin movie, ever officially makes it into production, so it's fair to say that times have changed since those movies were made.
To flip the script on that argument a bit, Paramount+ allows for movies that don't have a broad mainstream appeal to thrive. The streaming platform is planned to be Star Trek's exclusive home for years to come, so it's basically the perfect place for a Discovery movie to air one day.
Making a Star Trek: Discovery movie with even half of the budget of an average season could make for a pretty awesome project and be less of a commitment for the cast after moving on from the franchise to other things. Plus, all you really have to do is establish the Discovery crew has at least one more story to tell at the end, and the stage is set. I think it would be silly to try and deny fans the opportunity for more adventures, especially with the awesome playground the franchise has opened up in the 32nd century.
Fortunately, we still have a while to go until the end of Star Trek: Discovery. Season 5 is set to arrive on Paramount+ in early 2024, but there are plenty of reasons to have a Paramount+ subscription in the meantime if you're a Trek fan thanks to the vast library of shows.
