Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Preview Teases Spock, Enterprise and Section 31

After starting, and ending, the Federation-Klingon War and visiting the fan-favorite Mirror Universe, all within its first season, Star Trek: Discovery closed out its maiden voyage with the surprise arrival of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The iconic vessel brings with the promise of not only a stronger connection to the 1960s Original Series -- Discovery is set about a decade before that five-year mission -- but also a tense reunion between Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham and her adoptive brother, Spock.

CBS All Access announced the start of production on Season 2 late this week with a video that pulls back the curtain on the sci-fi drama, with glimpses of sets under construction, aliens coming to life and scenes being filmed. However, more than that, it offers some tantalizing clues about what to expect from Discovery's sophomore outing.

Familiar Uniforms

Some longtime franchise fans weren't particularly enamored with the Starfleet uniforms on Star Trek: Discovery, as the don't remotely resemble those of the Original Series, set about a decade later, or even that show's unaired first pilot. But with the surprise arrival of the U.S.S. Enterprise in Discovery's Season 1 finale comes some more familiar attire.

But the detail shots and concept art in the production video reveal that they're not mere replicas of the uniforms from the 1960s series; the designs are more intricate, with piping that echoes the tunics of Discovery's first season, and undoubtedly looks better on modern screens. The big question for Star Trek devotees, however, will undoubtedly be how the series explains the discrepancies between the uniform styles.

These Are the Voyages ...

The behind-the-scenes video offers plenty of footage of sets being constructed, but this is the first confirmed image from aboard the Enterprise in Season 2. Note the sleek design of the panel, more in keeping with those of Discovery than the brightly colored consoles of The Original Series, with their raised buttons and flashing lights.

It was recently revealed the producers of Discovery had to redesign Enterprise's exterior because of the division of property rights between CBS and Viacom. But here we see the interior also gets a makeover, which only makes sense, given that exact replicas of the TOS bridge, corridors and sickbay would be a jarring departure from the aesthetics of Discovery. The differences between the two vessels are more likely to be conveyed through color schemes and technology, such as transporters (Discovery employs the lateral vector transporter), and uniforms.

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Section 31 ... Finally?

Early in Star Trek: Discovery's first season, it was widely theorized that the titular vessel and its captain, Jason Isaacs' Gabriel Lorca, were part of the Starfleet black-ops division known as Section 31. Given the secrecy surrounding Discovery's experimental spore drive, and Lorca's willingness to disregard Federation principles for the sake of the mission, it certainly made sense. Plus, there was such seeming clues as black badges and the ship's registry number, NCC-1031. Of course, Lorca's secret ran for deeper than Section 31 ...

However, the CBS All Access series may not be forgetting about the clandestine organization. The video reveals a shot of construction plans labeled as "Section 31," and possibly "BridgeLab." It may simply designate the section of the set, but surely the producers wouldn't troll fans like that. Would they?

L'Rell's Story Isn't Quite Finished

The Season 1 finale saw the brutal Klingon-Federation War brought to end not by the planned Starfleet invasion of Qo'noS but by the Klingon warrior L'Rell (Mary Chieffo), who's given the detonator to a hydro bomb planted deep within the planet. With her new bargaining chip, she wrests leadership of the fractured Klingon Empire. But if we thought Star Trek: Discovery might be finished, at least temporarily, with L'Rell's story, this image demonstrates otherwise.

It's the plan for L'Rell's chambers and garden, presumably constructed at least partly from one of the Season 1 sets; the Klingon sarcophagus ship seems a likely candidate. It's safe to assume, then that Season 2 will also follow the journey of Voq/Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif), even if his path doesn't intersect with Michael Burnham's again.

Captain on the Bridge

The figure in the gold tunic is no doubt Anson Mount (Marvel's Inhumans, Hell on Wheels) as Captain Christopher Pike, who commanded Enterprise before James T. Kirk. Jeffrey Hunter originated the role in the unaired 1965 original pilot for The Original Series, footage from which was used in the two-part Season 1 episode "The Menagerie."

Despite the arrival of Enterprise in the Season 1 finale, and the promise of Pike and Spock in Season 2, the show's producers have promised the focus will remain on the crew of Discovery.

Predator, Prey or Saurian?

It's impossible to not see physical similarities between this new alien and Commander Saru, the Kelpien portrayed by Doug Jones. We know Saru's home world is divided into predator and prey, with the Kelpiens as the latter, leading them to develop heightened senses and even detect "the coming of death."

There are relatively few Kelpiens -- in the Mirror Universe, they're considered a delicacy -- but is it possible this is one of the species that hunt them? The introduction of the primary predator of the Kelpiens would certainly reveal another facet of Saru. However, it's also been theorized that this alien could be a Saurian, the lizard-like species first seen in 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

A Family Reunion

We can tell this is the interior of Enterprise because of the 1701 registry number on the wall. However, if we delve a little deeper into Star Trek lore, we can identify this as the entrance to a familiar location: Spock's quarters, established in the Season 2 Original Series episode "Amok Time" as 3F 125 (we learn in the same episode that he's been promoted from lieutenant commander to commander because of the nameplate by the door).

We know already that franchise veteran Jonathan Frakes will direct the second episode of the season, which features flashback sequences involving young Spock and Burnham. But it's clear the two will also interact in Discovery's present; if they didn't, viewers would undoubtedly feel cheated and writers would have to twist themselves into knots to explain why Burnham would, or could, board Enterprise without meeting with Spock. "[W]e owe the audience some answers to the question of ‘Why has Spock never mentioned his half-sister before?’" co-creator Alex Kurtzman said. "So obviously the Enterprise promises answers to that question.”

Streaming now on CBS All Access, Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Shazad Latif, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Mary Chieffo, Jason Isaacs and Michelle Yeoh.