Discovery seasons
Star Trek: Discovery is set in the 2250s, ten years before TOS. The show is a prequel to TOS and a sequel to Enterprise.
It was intended to be set in the original canon, but unlike its five predecessors, Discovery unapologetically breaks a great deal of visual continuity, selectively choosing what to preserve and what to discard, which has proven to be an enormously controversial decision, one which we strongly disagree with and believe harms the long-term health of the Star Trek franchise.
As a result of Discovery's intentional choice to break with canon in significant ways, it is the editorial stance of this publication that Discovery and its sequel Strange New Worlds exist in an alternate universe similar to the Kelvin timeline. An in-story (spoiler-filled) justification for this determination exists in Discovery 2x11's review which splits off Discovery from the main canon after Ent but before TOS similar to the Kelvinverse. While this stance on canon is not supported by Star Trek's producers, it is the best way to resolve the substantial problems that Discovery and Strange New Worlds present to Star Trek's overall canon, so we must hope the producers endorse it some day or at least avoid contradicting it.
Discovery begins by chronicling how the war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire got started and is notable for being a dark, heavily serialized drama similar to the later seasons of DS9 and Enterprise. Each of Discovery's five seasons follows a mystery box-style plot arc that begins with the first episode of the season and is resolved in the season finale. In the third season, the setting jumps all the way to the 32nd century, which is a much better setting for a show like Discovery and the overall quality of the storytelling improves a bit.
Reviews of Discovery are still in the process of being written, so check back each week for reviews of new episodes.
See the publishing schedule for more information about what new episode guides and reviews are coming. Follow us on @SpaceOperaGuide@mastodon.social and @SpaceOperaGuide@x.com or subscribe to the mailing list to get updates on when new content is available.