Star Trek: Everything We NOW Know About The Lost Era

10. Looking Forward To Look Back - The Truth Of Ceti Alpha V

If we consider the revelations from Star Trek: Khan as a prelude to the Lost Era, understanding the events that transpired during the Augments' exile on Ceti Alpha V provides more context for the subsequent events. 

We have long known that Khan and his remaining followers commandeered the USS Reliant in 2285, with the ensuing battles resulting in the death of Spock. Until 2025, Khan was a single-minded villain, ushering in a new era for Starfleet. 

By the time the Excelsior heads to Ceti Alpha V, months after James Kirk 'died' in 2293, the records surrounding Khan's exile had been sealed. This was, we discovered, part of the standard process of classifying any deceased captain's logs. Dr Rosalind Lear, though her motivations were self-serving, was instrumental in clearing Kirk's name of any wrongdoing in regards to the exile. 

In short, the decades-long debate as to how the Enterprise didn't know Ceti Alpha VI was unstable is settled. There were instabilities, but nothing to suggest an explosion so soon after Khan's arrival. 

While these discoveries do nothing to exonerate the Augments who murdered the team on Regula 1, marooned the crew of the Reliant, and caused the deaths of so many aboard the Enterprise, they do help to explain what drove them to madness. This mission, coming so soon after the events of Star Trek: Generations opening act, is crucial to understanding the foundations of the Lost Era.