Star Trek: Discovery introduced some fascinating new aliens to the Star Trek universe and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy should continue to explore the weirdest ones. After five seasons, Discovery has come to a close, but the 32nd-century adventures will continue in the upcoming Star Trek spin-off, Starfleet Academy. Following a group of Starfleet cadets, the young adult-focused show will offer a glimpse of life at the Academy and involve a threat to the Federation itself. While little has been revealed about the upcoming show, Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter has been cast as the show’s lead and the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy.

In its fifth and final season, Star Trek: Discovery set up several storylines that could continue on Starfleet Academy. Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) has been involved with the Academy since it reopened following the Burn, so it would make sense for her to make the jump to the new show. Tilly already has plans to start a mentorship program at the Academy, which could see other characters from Discovery join Starfleet Academy’s cast as mentors. As for what the cadets will be studying, Discovery season 4 introduced one strange alien species that definitely needs to be further explored.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Is Perfect For Discovery’s Species 10-C

Many Questions About Species 10-C Remain Unanswered.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 4, Captain Burnham and her crew investigate the Dark Matter Anomaly (DMA) that destroyed Cleveland Booker’s (David Ajala) home planet of Kwejian. As the crew of the USS Discovery studied this strange phenomenon, they eventually discovered that it had been created by a species they dubbed Unknown Species 10-C. Burnham and her crew then traveled to the edge of the galaxy, crossed the treacherous galactic barrier, and found a way to communicate with Species 10-C. Non-humanoid and highly advanced, Species 10-C was unlike any alien Discovery had previously encountered.

Although Burnham, Booker, and their friends eventually convinced Species 10-C to stop using the DMA, much about the strange aliens remains a mystery. Species 10-C did not have a spoken language, and they existed as a connected group, with no concept of an individual existence. Considering the pure alienness of Species 10-C, not to mention their advanced technology, the Federation would likely want to learn all they could about them. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the perfect show to explore Species 10-C, as the aliens could be studied by instructors and cadets alike.

Starfleet Academy Can Answer Other Star Trek: Discovery Questions

Discovery Left Several Storylines That Could Continue On Starfleet Academy

The producers behind Star Trek: Discovery did not know that season 5 would be the show’s last season as they were making it, meaning they had to wrap up the story quickly. While Discovery’s series finale emotionally feels like an ending, the episode leaves many questions unanswered. As a direct spin-off of Discovery, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy now has the chance to answer at least some of those questions. Throughout Discovery season 5, renegade courier Moll (Eve Harlow) and her Breen husband, L’ak (Elias Toufexis), became thorns in Discovery’s side during the search for the Progenitors’ technology.

After L’ak’s death and Moll’s failure to revive him, Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg) revealed he had plans for Moll. Starfleet Academy could reveal Kovich’s plans, which could potentially involve recruiting Starfleet cadets for secret missions. Although the Breen did not gain access to the Progenitors’ tech, they remain a threat to the Federation and could also pop up on Discovery’s spin-off. Discovery also mentioned a new propulsion system called the Pathway drive, but never fully explained how it worked. Whichever threads Star Trek: Starfleet Academy chooses to pick up, Star Trek: Discovery left plenty of questions for the spin-off to address.