10 Events That Changed Star Trek Forever

The answer to the question only René Picard had been asking – what if all active warp cores suddenly exploded because dilithium stopped doing its job – 'The Burn' was the great mystery plot-arc of Star Trek: Discovery's season three. To say it had a disappointing dénouement would be the biggest understatement since Captain Janeway said, "I think I'm going to start doing something a little different with my hair," but we've moved on from the Kelpien catastrophe now.

Pre-Burn (which was mid-31st century), and pre-arrival of the Discovery (which got to the future in the 32nd century), dilithium was already a scarce commodity, and technological alternatives to the problem were the object of intensive, but ultimately fruitless, and even controversial, research. One such solution, SB-19, proved so divisive that Ni'Var (formerly known as Vulcan), feeling they were responsible for the Burn because of SB-19, seceded from the Federation. Ultimately, the cause of the Burn was the botched hunt for dilithium itself… and the angry Kelpien.

Beyond Ni'Var, the after-effects of the simultaneous explosion of the vast majority of Federation starships were pretty much what you'd expect them to be – almost no more Federation, significantly diminished with only 38 worlds of the prior 350 remaining in the organisation. Even Earth left, and Starfleet and the Federation, barely able to run their remaining ships, became more and more isolated from the rest of the galaxy as a new criminal coalition, the Emerald Chain, rose to power in the fight for resources.

But, have no fear, Disco's here! Mystery solved, case closed, happier Federation families (eventually).