Star Trek: Discovery proves the art of inter-species interaction isn’t as straightforward as The Original Series often made it look. When Star Trek began its 3-season mission in 1969, Gene Roddenberry’s concept demanded humanity be united, and that any threats emanate from outside rather than within. At the core of Roddenberry’s premise was the Federation – a coalition of at least 150 worlds united under common goals and values. These planets included Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, Tellar Prime, and many others.
Even in Star Trek: The Original Series, however, disputes between species weren’t unheard of, and season 2’s “Journey To Babel” highlighted just how tricky diplomacy between Federation members can be (especially when a dead body turns up). Star Trek: TOS is also packed with examples of Spock’s Vulcan heritage driving a wedge – or more specifically a lirpa – between friends. The vast majority of the time, however, Federation allies were exactly that – firm friends, despite obvious differences in culture and appearance. Star Trek immediately normalized that mingling of alien species, most notably with Spock’s presence on the Enterprise bridge, and how the other main characters communicated with him so naturally.
Star Trek: Discovery season 4’s “All Is Possible” suggests the Federation (and, by proxy, the audience) might’ve taken for granted how much hard Federation graft was required to reach the point where species can live, work, and prosper alongside countless others. As explained by David Cronenberg’s Kovich, the Burn decimated Federation membership, and isolated species for over a century after the simultaneous dilithium explosion removed everyone’s capacity for warp travel. The current batch of Starfleet cadets is starting from square one, treating each other like, for want of a better word, aliens.
And we’re not just talking the diplomatic squabbles and cultural misunderstandings that James T. Kirk and the gang would navigate in Star Trek: The Original Series – this is outright unease simply being near Starfleet recruits from other planets. Tilly’s group of students are an eclectic bunch featuring humans, Orions, Tellarites, and a Trill symbiont host – all of whom are innately distrustful of each other. The Tellarite (Taahz Gorev) blames his Orion colleague for crimes committed by anyone with green skin, and even states, “Sure as hell would be easier if we didn’t have to count on an Orion.”
These pronounced, widespread divides among the Federation’s finest are a far cry from Star Trek: The Original Series. Back then, bickering was the exception to a peaceful, cooperative norm. In Star Trek: Discovery‘s 32nd century, the opposite is true – most cadets are skeptical of other species, if not outright discriminatory, whereas harmonious relationships are the rarity. As Kovich points out, “They grew up isolated and disconnected. Many of them find it hard to function as a team… especially those of species they’ve never encountered.” Cronenberg’s enigmatic doctor also believes overcoming this hurdle is imperative if Starfleet means to survive into the future.
The Federation’s troubles in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 offer a peek behind the curtain of the Federation’s formation. Many centuries prior, Starfleet would’ve encountered these exact same obstacles of mistrust, stereotypes, discrimination, and the inability to communicate off-screen. These problems would be ironed out (more or less) in time for The Original Series, to the point where a Vulcan and a human working together on a Starfleet bridge looks like the most natural thing on Earth – or anywhere else, for that matter.
Star Trek: Discovery releases Thursdays on Paramount+.
