WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 6, “Whistlespeak”.
Star Trek: Discovery pays tribute to Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) with a new Betazoid character who plays an integral role in season 5’s treasure hunt. Six scientists were tasked by the Federation President to research the existence of the Progenitors and their technology. When one of these scientists was killed by the Progenitors’ technology, it was up to the other five to hide its location. In Discovery season 5, episode 6, “Whistlespeak”, written by Kenneth Lin and Brandon Schultz, directed by Chris Byrne, the identities of these five 24th century scientists are revealed by Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg).
Star Trek: Discovery‘s five scientists hail from different alien species popularized by a variety of shows, from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Trill to Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Denobulans. Discovery season 5, episode 6 also confirms that one of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Betazoids holds the fifth and final clue to the location of the Progenitors’ treasure. Dr. Hitoroshi Kreel’s clue is a metal card with a Betazoid inscription, which points the way to the final clue, and a scientist whose name links her to TNG‘s Deanna Troi.
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Star Trek: Discovery’s 5 TNG Progenitors Scientists & Clues Meanings Explained
Star Trek: Discovery revealed the five scientists who hid clues to the Progenitors’ treasure, and they all have links to Star Trek’s legacy.
Star Trek: Discovery’s Betazoid Scientist Is A Tribute To Star Trek: TNG’s Marina Sirtis
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 19, “The Chase”, so it’s fitting that it contains a tribute to Deanna Troi actress Marina Sirtis. As Marina Sirtis’ namesake, Discovery‘s Betazoid scientist, Dr. Marina Derex is clearly a tribute to Star Trek‘s most famous Betazoid. Dr. Derex’s spiritual connection to Deanna Troi could provide clues on what the next lesson could be on the road to recovering the Progenitors’ powerful technology. Each of the four previous clues to the Progenitors’ treasure has come with a lesson, most recently, the responsibility involved with new technology.
Progenitors Scientist Team | Species | Clue Hidden Location |
|---|---|---|
Vellek | Romulan | Lyrek |
Jinaal Bix | Trill | Trill |
Carmen Cho | Terran | ISS Enterprise |
Hitoroshi Kreel | Denubulan | Halem’no |
Marina Derex | Betazoid | ??? |
Unnamed Scientist | Unknown | Deceased |
Betazoids are empaths, which was why Counselor Troi was always on hand to provide counsel to her fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation characters. It’s likely, therefore, that the next lesson in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 will be related to empathy for others, a vital quality for anyone hoping to wield the Progenitors’ technology. How this lesson will manifest itself remains to be seen, but it may be that the USS Discovery will be bound for Betazed after dealing with Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis) in Discovery season 5, episode 7, “Erigah”.
Counselor Troi’s Memory Lives On In Star Trek: Discovery’s Dr. Culber
Star Trek: Discovery‘s chief medical officer, Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) is the show’s natural successor to Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Counselor Deanna Troi. Gene Roddenberry devised Counselor Troi because he believed that good mental health in the 24th century would be just as important as physical wellbeing. This is a belief adopted by Discovery‘s Dr. Culber, who regularly counsels the Discovery crew, and provides more than just medical assistance. Most recently, Culber and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) teamed up to build a psychological profile of Discovery villains Moll and L’ak.
As Counselor Deanna Troi regularly gave Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) psychological insight into various enemies in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Culber is keeping that tradition alive. TNG is clearly a huge influence on Star Trek: Discovery season 5, from its continuation of “The Chase” to Betazoid scientist Dr. Marina Derex. These connections are an affirmation that, despite being set 800 years in the future, Star Trek: Discovery is inextricably linked to the wider Star Trek timeline.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Discovery
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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.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
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Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.
