Star Trek Discovery: Every Easter Egg & Hidden Reference From 'That Hope Is You'

Book gives Michael a little of the backstory of the 32nd century and (kinda) answers the lingering question we've had since the second trailer dropped last month: What is the Burn?

According to Book, about a century prior, the galaxy's dilithium crystals destabilized, destroying Starfleet's ability to traverse space and ultimately leading to the collapse of the Federation. Now, dilithium crystals are a rare commodity, but still apparently the only way to focus matter/anti-matter reactions for warp flight.

Due to the damage inflicted on the Nautilus by Michael's out of control exit from her space-time anomaly, Book says he needs to "whip-up" a dilithium recrystalizier, technology that just so happens to have played a big role in the Star Trek: Short Treks episode "Runway" and Star Trek: Discovery's "Such Sweet Sorrow, Parts 1 and 2 ".

Offhandedly, Book also mentions benamite crystals, which were the driving force behind quantum slipstream technology in Star Trek: Voyager's “Timeless” and trilithium, the compound that could stop all fusion within a star from Star Trek Generations. But don't get him started on that stuff.

Book also mentions tachyon solar cells which were used by ancient Bajoran solar sail ships as seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Explorers" and "Accession".