Star Trek: 10 Most Shocking Returns
5. Daniels (Star Trek: Discovery)
Star Trek: Enterprise may have only run for four seasons, yet its impact is still being felt twenty years after it finished its run. The Temporal Cold War was a controversial inclusion in the show's first season, one that suggested a slight lack of confidence in the prequel setting. While there remains a question of just how well that overall arc was handled, we were gifted with Matt Winston's Daniels, the time-travelling hero.
He was both a part of the action and often a source for exposition in the show's first two seasons. His primary point of contact was Captain Archer, with both of them acting as a kind of secret ops team, battling the other factions in the War. Daniels died and returned to life (standard Tuesday in Star Trek), with that death signalling the end of the War.
Through the lens of Enterprise, we saw a young Daniels, working tirelessly to right the wrongs of these battles. Though the audience wouldn't discover it until Life, Itself, Daniels returned to Star Trek in Discovery's third season episode Die Trying, now sporting the name of Dr Kovich.
For Discovery's 32nd Century arc, Kovich acts as a serious, if sardonic, liaison between the ship and Starfleet, interviewing the crew and, in particular, paying close attention to Emperor Philipa Georgiou. His enigmatic depiction suggests something a little outside of the usual structure of Starfleet, so when he is revealed as an older Daniels in the finale, things finally make sense.
This was no mere inclusion for inclusion's sake. Enterprise had seen several nods and references through Discovery's run, with Daniels' return cementing that show's place in the franchise's history. Of course, it would be Daniels to guide (albeit with a lack of gentility) the 23rd Century crew into the future. With his wall of relics behind him, it was a real treat to see the man again, bouncing from time to time like a certain Doctor.