10 Times Streaming Era Star Trek Went Apocalyptic

8. The DMA - Kobayashi Maru

Star Trek: Discovery's fourth season opened with a bang, though that bang was the sound of a planet going boom. After the riddle of the Burn in the previous year, as well as the rescue and removal of Su'Kal, the show opted to go big or go home. The Dark Matter Anomaly was introduced in Kobayashi Maru, much to Book's chagrin.

Though the true nature of the DMA wouldn't be known until later in the season, the debut episode closed with Book's home planet of Kweijon in its direct path. While home with his brother and nephew, Book took his ship into the atmosphere to investigate some strange readings. Those readings went from strange to devastating before the scene cut to black. 

Next thing the audience knows, Book has arrived at Discovery, asking them to scan Kweijon. What they find is debris, death, and nothing more. The DMA has since moved on, terrifying them all. Something that is roughly five light-years across can vanish (and appear) in an instant. They haven't the time to dwell, as Book, now aboard the ship, looks on in disbelief and horror. 

Kweijon has been utterly ruined, with Book himself now a member of an endangered species. Much of the rest of Discovery's fourth season puts him on a voyage of destruction, seeking to take vengeance against those behind the death of his world. Although Star Trek encourages the audience to adopt a scientific approach, in this case, it's hard not to take his side.