10 Oldest Characters In Star Trek Universe
4. The Sphere
Said to be hundreds of thousands of years old, the Sphere
was encountered in its dying hours by the USS Discovery, thanks to the
intervention of Gabrielle Burnham. It was comprised of both living and
inorganic material, making it a hybrid of sorts. Its primary function had been
analysis and the gathering of data, though as it began to break down it badly needed
to transfer this knowledge to something else.
Initially, it attempted to teach its language to the Discovery by use of the universal translator, though it overloaded that program. Saru was able to discern ultraviolet light as a means of communication, allowing them to better understand the will of the Sphere. Saru advised dropping the shields to allow it to complete its transfer.
While Captain Pike allowed this, it put the ship at extreme risk as the internal temperature of the Sphere began to build to critical levels. As its core began to explode, in the last nano-second it reversed its own polarity to push the ship clear of the blast, saving the crew from certain destruction.
The knowledge that the Sphere transferred to the Starfleet
ship would go on to have major repercussions for Discovery’s crew in the
future.