It's been a long time since fans of Star Trek: Discovery got their hands on new episodes, as Season 2 aired almost a year and a half ago. And "long time" is certainly going to be a theme for Season 3 of the sci-fi series, as the titular crew has jumped nearly a millennium into the future.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming third season of Star Trek: Discovery.
Discovery Is Taking a Big Leap Forward
Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 will take place 930 years after the events of Season 2, making this the further the franchise has gone into the universe's future. The last season ended with the U.S.S. Discovery being taken into a wormhole to prevent the vast amount of information about the history of the universe it acquired previously from falling into the hands of the malevolent A.I. Control.
Star Trek's Federation Is No More
When the Discovery crew lands in 3188, they'll discover one large cog in the machine of the past is missing: Starfleet. According to new character, Book, the galaxy took a "hard left" with an event called "The Burn." Since then, the Federation has collapsed, leaving the galaxy a lawless place. Its long-abandoned stations still float in the stars, a symbol of what's gone by. It seems like Season 3 will focus on the main characters searching the galaxy for those who still believe in Starfleet, and attempting to rebuild its structure.
Discovery's Captain's Seat Is Still Up for Grabs
With Captain Pike leaving the Discovery at the end of Season 2, the question remains as to who will sit in the captain's chair: First officer Saru or main character Michael Burnham. Actors Sonequa Martin-Green and Doug Jones have said that the title will remain a hot topic in the third season, as the two vie for becoming the ship's leader for different reasons.
The Cast Has Slimmed Down
With the jump to the future, many of the characters established from the 2200s of the first two seasons will not be appearing. That includes Ash Tyler/Voq (Shazad Latif), Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), L'Rell (Mary Chieffo), Sarek (James Frain) and Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner). Luckily, Pike, Spock and Number One will be appearing in their own Trek series with the recently-announced Strange New Worlds.
There's a Host of New Characters
Season 3 will introduce Cleveland "Book" Booker, a cat-loving courier who welcomes Michael to 3188. Blue del Barrio and Ian Alexander will play Adira and Gray, a duo that also hails from the 32nd century. The latter will be a Trill character, the first main one since Jadzia and Ezri Dax in Deep Space Nine. Adira and Gray are also the franchise's first non-binary and transgender characters, respectively. Several other actors have been announced to appear in unannounced roles, including Adil Hussain and Kenneth Mitchell, the latter of whom will be playing a non-Klingon for the first time in Discovery.
Discovery Has Reportedly Already Been Renewed for Season 4
While Discovery Season 3 hasn't yet premiered, Season 4 was listed as already in development by Production Weekly, though CBS has yet to make any announcement about it. Although the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic obviously put a pause on that production, it means that the crew is likely to get at least one more trip around the stars after Season 3 concludes.
Streaming on CBS All Access, Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Commander Michael Burnham, Doug Jones as Commander Saru, Anthony Rapp as Lt. Commander Paul Stamets, Mary Wiseman as Ensign Sylvia Tilly, Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber, David Ajala as Cleveland "Book" Booker, Blu del Barrio as Adira, Ian Alexander as Grey, Tig Notaro as Chief Engineer Reno, Ethan Peck as Spock and Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou. Season 3 premieres October 15.