Star Trek: Discovery season 5 centers around an intergalactic treasure hunt and there are many theories as to what the “greatest treasure in the known galaxy” actually is. Discovery‘s season 5 trailer teased an adventure that sees Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) traverse the galaxy in search of this unknown treasure. Burnham has some rivals on her quest, as other parties become interested in the treasure and its powers. L’ak (Elias Toufexias), and his love interest, Moll (Eve Harlow) are also hunting the treasure, and look to put Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery through their paces.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres on Paramount+ in April, and it will be the final adventure for Captain Burnham and the crew. From the look of Discovery‘s season 5 trailer, the Star Trek show will be going out on a high. Actor Elias Toufexias has promised “pure fun adventure” in Discovery season 5, which is backed up by the various clips and teasers shared so far by Paramount. The synopsis for Discovery season 5 promises that the treasure is linked to “an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries” which sheds some light on what, exactly, Burnham’s prize could be.
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6 A Bajoran Orb of the Prophets
Could we finally get an answer to what happened to the Prophets after Deep Space Nine?
Nothing describes Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Bajoran Prophets better than “an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries.“ The Prophets’ orbs allowed for communication with the Celestial Temple, but they were notoriously picky about who they chose to speak to. Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) was their Emissary, and plunged into the Bajoran Fire Caves to save the Prophets and Bajor from the wrath of the pah-Wraiths in DS9‘s final episode. There has been no mention of the Prophets or the Celestial Temple since Sisko’s disappearance in the 24th century.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is set in the 32nd century, 800 years after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Discovery‘s season 5 premiere teases that the mysterious treasure is first discovered aboard a “mysterious 800-year-old Romulan vessel.” This creates the possibility that the Romulans captured one of the Orb arks at some point after Sisko’s disappearance at the end of the Dominion War. The artifact seen in the preview clip released at San Diego Comic-Con does look like it could be used to hold one of the Tears of the Prophets. The Prophets’ return would be a fascinating way to tie Discovery‘s distant future back to the main Star Trek timeline.
5 The Secret to Multiverse Travel
Multiversal travel was teased in Discovery season 4.
The concept of interdimensional travel was teased in Star Trek: Discovery via the brilliant Risian scientist Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle). Tarka worked on an interdimensional transporter with Oros (Osric Chau) while enslaved by the Emerald Chain. However, this transporter was destroyed in Discovery‘s season 4 finale, leaving Tarka’s fate unknown, and the prospect of multiversal travel seemingly lost forever. However, if the science works, then other attempts may have been made to crack the interdimensional transporter conundrum. The artifact will be discovered aboard what looks like a Romulan science ship from the 24th century.
It’s possible that a team of Romulan scientists attempted to flee the devastating destruction of Romulus by traveling to a universe where the planet was still intact. J.J. Abrams’ first Star Trek movie opened with an elderly Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) inadvertently creating a divergent timeline at the same moment in history. Perhaps the secret to multiversal travel was discovered centuries ago but was kept a secret due to the ramifications involved in hopping between parallel universes. Star Trek: Discovery has constantly been trying to revolutionize space travel, and traversing the multiverse would be the biggest upgrade yet.
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4 An Artifact of the Ancient Humanoids
Could Discovery Season 5 Be A Sequel To TNG’s “The Chase”?
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 6, episode 20, “The Chase”, Captain Jean-Luc Picard discovered that all humanoid life in the universe originated from one ancient alien race. The aliens had seeded their DNA across the galaxy. The aliens hoped that the knowledge of a shared origin would bring peace to the universe, but sadly the Klingons and Cardassians were unwilling to accept the truth. Only Picard and, surprisingly, the Romulans believed the message, sharing the same hopes that one day, peace would come. As with the Bajoran Prophets, the ancient humanoids are a strong candidate for an ancient race who have been hidden for centuries.
800 years later in Star Trek: Discovery, galactic peace is still fragile, meaning that this knowledge could become the “greatest treasure in the known universe.” As the Romulans were the only non-Federation species that believed in the ancient message, it would make sense for them to explore further. Perhaps the Romulans acquired more artifacts from the ancient humanoid race to better understand their origins. Interestingly, Star Trek: Discovery‘s season 5 finale is called “Life, Itself”, drawing a clear link with the origins of humanoid life in the universe.
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3 Discovery Season 5’s Treasure Doesn’t Matter
The greatest treasure in the known universe is the friends they made along the way.
As Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is the final adventure for Captain Burnham and her crew, season 5’s real treasure may be their bonds. Since deciding to strand themselves in the 32nd century, the crew of the USS Discovery have become a strong family unit. It’s their loyalty and respect for one another that has driven them through each threat against the galaxy across the previous four seasons of Discovery. Actor Doug Jones has promised romance for Saru in Discovery season 5, meaning that the hunt for the treasure could take a backseat to the relationships between the characters.
2 A Romulan Interphase Device
Burnham is seen inside a TNG-era Romulan science ship.
The Romulan ship that Burnham investigates in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 looks very similar to a science ship from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Next Phase”. In that episode, Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) became phased out of reality after being exposed to chronitons on a stricken Romulan science ship. The side effect of this was that they were out of phase with the rest of the Enterprise crew, and were effectively ghosts. The effects were reversed, but, interestingly, Discovery is calling back to that particular episode.
L’ak and Molly appear to use interphasic cloaking technology to escape Burnham, and another Discovery preview clip showed Booker (David Ayala) and Burnham face off against a creature that appeared to be cloaked. It’s hard to see how an interphasic cloak that would allow starships and organic material to phase through matter could be described as a treasure. However, interphasic technology would make the Federation a formidable force against future enemies. The motivations of David Cronenberg’s Dr. Kovich have often been hard to read, so the treasure hunt may be a misdirection for Kovich to attain his true prize.
1 Discovery’s Season 5 Treasure Is Linked To A Brand-New Star Trek Species
Discovery is known for expanding Star Trek canon.
Since it began in 2017, Star Trek: Discovery has always sought to expand the canon when it comes to mythology and new alien species. There are many classic Star Trek aliens in Discovery‘s 32nd century, but there are many new ones too. From the Kelpiens to Species 10-C, Discovery has freshened up the Star Trek universe with strange new worlds and civilizations. It’s therefore highly likely that the treasure and the ancient power to which it belongs is something brand new and alien for Burnham and the crew.
The ramifications of Burnham’s discovery could dictate the future of Star Trek‘s 32nd century in the upcoming spinoff, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. As this will be the final season of Star Trek: Discovery, it would be fitting for them to introduce a brand-new game-changing alien species that changes the course of Star Trek‘s future. Whatever the treasure turns out to be, it’s clear that the hunt for the item and its secrets will bring the adventures of Captain Burnham and the USS Discovery to a thrilling conclusion.
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
