Star Trek: Discovery 3.1 Review - Ups And Downs From That Hope Is You

First teased during the Star Trek Con Panels by Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman, it was surprising to learn this early into the season what the Burn refers to. The day the galaxy took a hard left is actually the day that seemingly all active dilithium crystals on all starships suddenly exploded, destroying many vessels and killing a lot of people.

As Burnham then realizes, that means an effective end to warp travel, although Book is quick to point out that dilithium is not gone - its just as rare as anything at this stage. The loss of space travel in force though caused the Federation to collapse in on itself - presumably because they could no longer ensure the security of their borders, not ensure that their supply lines remained open.

This then poses the question - what about the races who don't rely on dilithium crystals for power? The Romulans, for example, use a forced quantum singularity to power their vessels. Is that still the case in the future? Are they now the last remaining space bound empire? And what other kinds of travel are there - Book mentions Quantum Slipstream drive, so how widely used is this?