Note: this article was written by a TrekMovie contributor who has not seen an advance screener of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5/series finale.
As Star Trek: Discovery approaches its fifth season (and series) finale this Thursday, fans are buzzing with theories about how this thrilling *ahem* chase will conclude. We have been making predictions on the All Access Star Trek podcast all season long, as well. Based on the events so far, we’ll run through some fan theories and a few of our own. Since the writers didn’t know the series would end with season 5, the predictions are limited to the season finale and not the extra series finale epilogue shot later. Some of these theories are mutually exclusive, and some are more likely than others… but let’s just have some fun with it.
This analysis may contain potential spoilers for season 5 so if you aren’t caught up, please stop reading now and go watch it!
Saru and T’Rina get married
This one is a no-brainer. Assuming “Action” Saru survives his encounter with the Breen (would the writers really kill him off?), one could expect a Star Trek wedding the likes of which have not been seen since Worf and and Jadzia in DS9, or even Riker and Troi in Star Trek Nemesis.
Michael and Book rekindle their romance
Their relationship has been tumultuous over the last two seasons, but in a show that often highlights redemption and second chances, the likelihood that these two will end up together is very high. Especially after their (inappropriate?) encounter on the Breen ship in episode 9, you can book it.
Kwejian will be restored
Is the Kwejian World Root gifted to Book in episode 8 foreshadowing a rebirth of Book’s home planet that was destroyed by the DMA back in season 4? It’s been established that the Progenitors’ tech can not only create life but possibly restore it. This could close “the book” on his story.
Kovich’s story will be revealed
Kovich has been a mystery since Discovery introduced him in season 3. Theories abound, with possibilities including being the head of Section 31, “Future Guy,” a time traveler from 21st century, a long-lived species (like El-Aurians), an evolved Soong-style android overseeing mankind (a nod to Asimov’s R. Daneel Olivaw), and beyond. It’s time for answers. Also, they should explain what the deal is with his infinity room.
Someone will have to guard the Progenitor tech… forever
This whole season has been all about a quest to find and secure the Progenitor tech that created humanoid life in the galaxy. But there have been hints that this tech is too powerful for mere mortals, so it will be decided none of the the galactic powers should have control over it. This decision probably won’t sit well with Kovich, potentially leading to the above revelation. It’s possible the tech can’t be destroyed but perhaps someone will become its guardian… forever, maybe even merging with the tech ala Decker with V’Ger. This could tie into the above mentions of the recreation of Kwejian or Kovich’s infinity room, with either location used to hide the tech away with its new guardian. If they knew season 5 would be the last, this would have been the perfect time to explain away Zora being left alone on the Discovery in “Calypso.”
Someone is going to sacrifice themselves
The needs of the many will outweigh the needs of the few (or the one). Star Trek has a long history of characters sacrificing themselves for the greater good… Could we see one in the Discovery finale? Who do you think it could be?
Culber will find god
What does God need with a doctor? Culber’s spiritual journey hints at a profound revelation or encounter, possibly linking to ancient or divine aspects of the Progenitors’ technology. It seems he is destined to meet his makers, or the closest thing… the Progenitors. This puts Culber on the shortlist for the aforementioned sacrifice.
Moll redeemed
Moll’s dilemma between resurrecting La’ak and preserving the Progenitors’ tech could culminate in a heart-wrenching decision. Is redemption in the cards for her, or is she hell-bent on doing whatever it takes to get what she wants? It seems that Book’s arc is tied to her accepting him as a surrogate father, but she should also be on that sacrifice shortlist.
Rayner restored
Assuming he isn’t the one making a sacrifice, then Rayner’s classic hero’s journey comes full circle as he is promoted back to Captain. Perhaps we could see him at Starfleet Academy with his new BFF, Lt. Tilly? Or maybe he gets to be captain of the Voyager-J, the job Burnham turned down at the end of season 4.
ISS Enterprise returns… under new command
The ISS Enterprise, last seen in episode 5, “Mirrors,” is still out there. The finale will presumably feature a showdown between the USS Discovery and the Breen, and Starfleet will need all the help it can get—hopefully from Detmer and Owo, who are off studying the ISS Enterprise (and possibly upgrading it with 32nd-century tech). They are primed to swoop in for a last-minute rescue (in a great Trek tradition). Maybe one or both have been promoted to captain, too.
There will be a legacy Star Trek cameo
Since this entire season is based on the TNG episode “The Chase,” it would make sense for a TNG character to appear in the finale. Salome Jens (who played the Progenitor in “The Chase”) is a possibility, but she is almost 90 and hasn’t worked in the last decade. Could there be a Captain Picard hologram appearance? Riker is another option, especially as Jonathan Frakes directed the penultimate episode of the season. This season hasn’t been shy with nods to Trek lore, so why not end with a bang?
The finale will set up Tilly for the Starfleet Academy series
While Mary Wiseman has not officially confirmed she will star in Starfleet Academy, Tilly’s all but certain to appear in the new show alongside Holly Hunter. It makes sense for her to end up in San Francisco, the setting for the new Academy for the upcoming series, and for them to set her up for the spinoff. By the way, whatever happened to that guy she met in episode 1?
What say you?
Do you agree with some of these predictions or do you have another suggestion? Sound off in the comments below.
Thursday!
The season finale, “Life, Itself” debuts on Paramount+ on Thursday, May 30. In case you missed it, here is the episode trailer…
Keep up with the latest about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
I’d give some of these a bigger chance if they knew they were ending the series when they wrote it. I’m expecting to be a bit underwhelmed because of that but I hope that means I’m setting myself up to be pleasantly surprised.
This. I just can’t see them wrapping up all the loose ends in a neat bow by simply adding an additional 10 – 15ish minutes on, and it feel like anything other than a tack on. I could be wrong. I also don’t think they had a plan for all this.. like.. who Kovich was when they introduced him. I think some of those answers will get punted to the Academy series. So I guess we’ll see what we find out. I don’t know.
I wonder how long the epilogue footage will be…? I have really enjoyed this season, with Saru, Book, Tilly and Rayner (also Jett Reno) being my character highlights. Glad to know that Discovery will continue it’s legacy in the spore-off show Academy, and can’t wait to see what this finale brings!
My thoughts exactly. I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Rayner.
He really is a great character, made ecxeptional by the actor.
The show is Burnham’s story. I have a feeling if there’s any “sacrifice” that occurs it will either be her or her and Book that do it.
My pure guess:
Discovery began with a lot of speculation that the ship was based on the Enterprise designed by Ralph McQuarrie for Roddenberry’s “Planet of the Titans” script.
In that story, the crew of the Enterprise would be in a race with the Klingons (and I think one other race) for control of the technology of a legendary race called the “Titans.”The twist of the story is that through some timey-wimey turns of space-time, it would be revealed the crew of the Enterprise were the Titans all along.
That’s how I think this will probably resolve itself. That either Burnham, Burnham and some of the crew, or Burnham and everyone on Discovery are pulled through the portal and we find out the crew of Discovery are the Progenitors. That they used the spore drive to seed the Milky Way galaxy in the past. And the Ancient Humanoid in TNG’s “The Chase” is Michael after being mutated for this purpose. The clues were not clues to a treasure. They were tests to prepare Michael for this purpose.
There’s probably a montage of them in the far past doing this while we watch Saru get married in the 32nd century.
I like it. That’s a pretty awesome theory.
I love this theory, too. I’ve always hoped PLANET OF THE TITANS would make it onto our screens one day — it’s a truly thought-provoking, hard sci-fi story that, if executed well, would make a worthy sequel to TMP, in a way that none of the other movies really have.
The problem: they didn’t know this was the last season. I suspect they wouldn’t have wanted to end Michael Burnham’s story now.
While this is an intriguing theory I REALLY hope not.
that kind of did that already in Season 2, when the red angel they were pursuing turned out to be Burnham.
that would be a compelling end.
I had never heard of Planet of the Titans. But this theory makes tons of sense. I had a similar take, but with a different mechanism to get Discovery to be the Galaxy Seeding device. My head will explode if it actually happens!
Not that it can’t be done in the coda.. but they brought the cast back for additional filming, and reportedly not reshoots of the existing. So you’ll get the ending they planned for this episode, and then we’ll get the ending for the series finale. How much those will intertwine is the question. But I guess I just don’t see Burnham being the sacrifice here.
As much as I have disliked Discovery overall, I have enjoyed this season. I’ve always thought those who cried “xxx ruined my childhood,” were drama queens, this scenario would do that for me.
Those are all good suggestions, though it’s too much to pack into one episode. Sadly, I have a feeling we’ll never know what the heck was going on with Kovich–unless they’re saving that for SF Academy, which I have a feeling will be the case. The rest of it is very likely.
Maybe Kovich is best left a mystery? I mean there’s still a lot we don’t know about Guinan or El Aurians in general.
Kovich and Rayner could have their own streaming movies down the line or be part of the Academy show. It would be kind of fun if they get Cronenberg himself to direct a Kovich movie.
My prediction for the end of Disco:
In a final F.U. to all the people who complained that Discovery always had to SAVE the World, or the galaxy or the UNIVERSE at the end of a season… at the end of this season The Discovery will save the creation of humanity itself by becoming the vessel the Progenitors used to originally seed the Galaxy. Hear me out:
After they find the tech, the final clue triggers a message that informs them that the mission isn’t over, billions of years ago, the progenitors did not have the technology to travel the vast distances necessary to seed the entire galaxy… but they hoped that someday someone would come along who could. Burnham and team realize they are part of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
They retrofit Discovery back to how she looked when she first arrived in the 32nd century (attached nacelles, etc), and send it back to the time the Progenitors describe in the Chase when “our scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds.” They’re going to use Discovery to do that! It will use the spore drive to jump, jump, jump, jump all over the galaxy spreading progenitor DNA.
Of course, at least ONE of the crew has to go back with Zora… and I think it’s Stamets or Dr. Culber. Something is up with them… their relationship isn’t gonna make it through the end of the season (only one of them is going to Starfleet Academy, I think). I feel like it’s Stamets who goes back, because he invented the spore drive and all and he’s feeling like his career is over (Luminary)… also he could join SNW.
So, in the end… for Discovery, the progenitor tech wasn’t the treasure after all. It was the friends they LITERALLY MADE along the way.
OK… so that is my crazy, ridiculous, absolutely-NOT-going-to-happen prediction for the end of Discovery.
It’s so crazy, and just the kind of Mary Sue thinking that plagued this series for so long, that I could see that being true. That they have to make THIS show, the reason that the Trek Universe exists.
Star Trek Online devs(who get ship models early) said they scrambled their ship release schedule because a ship wasn’t revealed when they thought it would be, I wonder if the ISS Enterprise will get a programmable matter refit like Disco did and become the Enterprise 1701-Q or whatever letter they’re on in the 32nd Century
Well since I have been the one advocating for the Infinity Room theory (where the too powerfull pregenitor’s tech needs to be kept safe) I still think that’s the most likely solution. Possibly needing someone to scrafice themselves to lock it from the inside so to speak, them having the last remaining key. Heck, they might already be in it since they stepped through the ‘portal’. If you wanna talk Kovich: he might actually BE a pregenitor.
If I were a cynical person, I’d say that might be too clever a resolution for the writers to come up with, but season 5 showed us they might just be clever enough.
Regarding the other ‘theories’, well, they aren’t all theories, are they. At least not theories concerning the outcome of the main story. Culber’s journey (which I still don’t understand where it all comes from tbh) feels more like a thing they thought about and kept in the back of their mind to, possibly, return back to in the next season. Not to be resolved during season 5. So with what we know now, I don’t think we’ll see the conclusion to that (on the regular bit of the finale episode). Also: I don’t think they’re going to give the ‘big thing’ to anyone but Michael. I mean, she has to save the universe won’t she?
I think I feel the same about the Kwejan reboot theory. I think it’s a possibility, but it might have been something the writers wanted to save for season 6. So again: no resolution. And it feels too much to do in just the epilogue.
The best thing about it is: it can go any way! I loved the last cliffhanger, because I really had no (certain) idea. If they end up bringing Salome Jens back, I for real am going to scream! But like you said: she’s nearly 90. It’s hard to imagine.
I’m looking forward to the conclusion a lot. And although all things must come to an end… endings are a special kind of feeling, aren’t they?
Good predictions. One modification- I think Rayner will become the Discovery’s new captain, and Burnham will leave Starfleet to help Book rebuild his civilization.
Except they didn’t know this was going to be the last season…
Yes but they reshot some scenes when they did find out it would be the last season. So it is still possible.
They probably just gathered them all in the lounge for a final round of drinks made by Reno, while enjoying some hugs and goodbyes before leaving for new assignments.
The end credits will roll with a rotating overhead shot.
It’s been said that they weren’t reshoots, but additional footage to put a fitting end to the series… That could still happen, mind you.. but it sounds like we’re going to see a clear delineation to what as the episode originally filmed, and what was done for this ‘coda’.
Yes, they had to reshoot the ending as well as some scenes to flow with the reshot ending.
I think there is going to be some kind of twist with the Progenitor tech that requires the destruction of life to create new life or something and that one of the characters will need to sacrifice themself.
They didn’t know it would be the last season, so if there is any sacrifice, then it will probably be Moll.
Reversing the Burn would be a nice ending too.
To quote a possibly deaf alien with highly pronounced ear lobes speaking to Dr. McCoy at a bar on Earth in Trek III: “GENESIS!!?!!”
The Progenitor Tech will be in great hands with the Prophets and The Sisko. Can you imagine!?
The cameo has to be Riker. Can’t break that streak.
NCC-1701-P, the “Picard” Enterprise
First of all … please no Riker cameo. This last episode was originally filmed as a season finale, not a series finale. There may be extra at the end to wrap it up, but shoehorning Riker (or any other TNG character in) would feel cheap. I mean, Berman and Braga have already admitted that was a mistake; let’s not repeat it.
I think the character to sacrifice himself will be Paul Stamets. 1) At the beginning of the season he expressed doubt about his legacy with the spore drive soon-to-be discontinued. 2) We haven’t really touched on that since episode 501 because it’s been all about Hugh and Adira (to a lesser extent). 3) We know that Stamets has traveled the mycelial network. What if, to keep the Progenitor’s tech out of everyone’s hands, he takes it into the mycelial network?
Totally into these, especially the restoration of Kwejian, the Guardian of Progenitors’ tech, and origin of Kovich. It would be a great thing if there is a strange connection between Progenitors, Kovich and god-like entities like Prophets (weird theory, I know): Like Kovich being a Prophet existing in our universe to guard over Progenitors’ tech but need to join the other Prophets and don’t want to leave Progenitors’ tech unguarded. Also revelation of the fate of our universe’s Capt. Gabriel Lorca in ISS Enterprise’s history logs. Or connection between Guardian of Forever and the Progenitors. Too much theories in mind, sorry.
CAPT RIKER: Computer, End Program.
The bridge of the Discovery and its crew dissolve and disappear, and the grid of the holodeck is revealed, as is the audience, and a panel of admirals seated at a table. TROI is in the audience, smiling.
RIKER: The fragments of logs uncovered in the aftermath the final Borg incursion and data forensically recovered from Daystrom Station provided us with what we believe is the most probable fate of the USS Discovery. Our holo-specialist (nods to the EMH Doctor) has painstakingly constructed a future history, if you will, of its crew.
Admittedly, some aspects of the narrative have been filled-in, and may be colored by some artistic license, but we believe that this is largely what happened, what will happen to the USS Discovery.
All of these scenarios are plausible, but I would love to see Sisko make an appearance while Burnham is in the portal to guide her through her final challenge.
I have griped about Discovery ever since it came out. The first four seasons have been spotty at best and at times downright terrible. This one has been a pleasant surprise. Like Picard, they waited until the end to get it right. Just don’t kill Rayner off….I am hoping we see him as a captain again with Rhys as his first officer.
I’m sorry, but “someone protecting the tech” sounds very much like “Loki protecting the timelines.”
Sounds right, Stamets becoming the “God of Stories.”
Kovich needs a position at Starfleet Academy so I hope he makes it through. I want to see him and Holly go pick and choose favorite students. If I can’t get Star Trek: Mad Men, maybe I can hope for Star Trek: Succession…. (which Holly Hunter was in).
Has anyone suggested Holly Hunter might appear in this episode?
Rayner is dead.
Look, all of these theories discussed in the article and in the comments are nice and all, but…
WHAT LETTER IS THE U.S.S. ENTERPRISE AT IN THE 32nd CENTURY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Based on Picard and Memory Alpha:
U.S.S. Enterprise History
*Clearly rechristened as NCC-1701-A, no idea, canon-wise, what she was prior. U.S.S. Yorktown?
**As U.S.S. Titan NCC-80102-A: 2396-2401. Although she was officially launched in 2401, I guess the keel was laid down in 2396, and from 2398-2401 components of the U.S.S. Titan NCC-80102 were added.
We’re looking at NCC-1701-P at the earliest (one Enterprise per century, which, based on her history, is highly unlikely). Are we gonna see the NCC-1701-Δ?
They have to show us the Enterprise!!!!!111!!!!one!!!!!!!🤯
Great show! Very sorry to see it end🤗l will miss you, Captain Michael Burnham!