Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery’s Season 5 & Series Finale - “Life, Itself”
Summary
The USS Discovery battled the Breen inStar Trek: Discovery’s series finale, and the fight ended with a shoutout toDiscoveryseason 4. ThroughoutStar Trek:Discovery’sseason 5, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew have been searching for the powerful and potentially dangerous technology of the Progenitors.Thanks to renegade courier Moll (Eve Harlow), the Breen learned of this treasure and also wanted to get their hands on it.This conflict came to a head inStar Trek: Discovery’sseries finale, as the titular ship went head-to-head against a Breen dreadnought to reach the portal to the Progenitors' technology.
Although the Breen dreadnought was damaged at the end ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 5, episode 9, “Lagrange Point”, the massive ship sends out a wave of fighters. The USS Discovery cannot hold off the fighters and get the Progenitors' portal at the same time, soCleveland Booker (David Ajala)and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) take a shuttle to rescue Burnham from the portal.In command of Discovery, Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) leads the charge against the fighters,eventually taking them all out thanks to Lt. Syliva Tilly’s (Mary Wiseman) quick thinking. Unfortunately, the Breen dreadnought reenters the fight and far surpasses Discovery’s firepower. But Rayner quickly proves Tilly’s not the only quick thinker, as he comes up with a crazy plan of his own.
Written by Kyle Jarrow and Michelle Paradise and directed by Olatunde Osunname,Star Trek: Discovery’sfinale, “Life, Itself,” wrapped up the Breen’s conflict with the Federation, but still left many unanswered questions.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Finale Ending & Shocking Epilogue Explained
Star Trek: Discovery comes to an end with season 5’s finale wrapping up the Progenitors treasure hunt and an epilogue concluding the entire series.
USS Discovery Beating The Breen Was A Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Callback
Commander Rayner sent the Breen dreadnought to the galactic barrier.
Facing down the Breen dreadnought, Commander Rayner realized that the ship needed to be removed from the field of battle entirely.He then questions whether the USS Discovery’s spore drive can be used to jump something other than the ship itself.Although Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) initially insists this to be impossible, he reconsiders with a plan that involves quantum entanglement and theUSS Discovery executing a saucer separation. When asked where to send the Breen, Rayner hesitates before ordering them sent to the galactic barrier. It will take them around two decades to get back, but they will survive, which, as Rayner points out, is"more than they gave [his] family."
The USS Discovery was the first Starfleet ship to completely cross through the galactic barrier, although the USS Enterprise entered it twice inStar Trek: The Original Series.
Near theend ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 4, the USS Discovery crossed the galactic barrier in search of Species 10-C, the mysterious aliens that created the Dark Matter Anomaly (DMA). Surrounding the edge of the Milky War Galaxy, the galactic barrier is incredibly treacherous to cross.Discovery made the difficult journey through the barrier into another galaxy and found the homeworld of Species 10-C.After some initial confusion, Captain Burnham and her crew eventually figured out a way to communicate with Species 10-C to let them know about the damage the DMA was causing. Discovery’s spore drive allowed the ship to travel to the galactic barrier in an instant, but it takes years for most ships to travel to the edge of the known galaxy.
Star Trek: Discovery Never Revealed What Happened To Species 10-C
The crew of Discovery never even learned the proper name for Species 10-C.
Not only did Species 10-C inhabit an entirely different galaxy, but they were also truly alien in every way. As a collective of non-humanoid lifeforms, Species 10-C had no concept of the individual, and they did not realize that Captain Burnham and her people were even sentient.It took several Federation scientists and members of Discovery’s crew to find a way to communicate with these strange aliens,using hydrocarbons to convey emotional meaning. Species 10-C used the DMA to harvest the boronite they needed to power the hyperfield that protected their planet, completely unaware of the harm they were causing.
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 5 didn’t follow up on what happened between the Federation and Species 10-C.
After an impassioned plea from Cleveland Booker, Species 10-C agreed to stop using the DMA, and the Federation’s successful First Contact seemed to open the possibility of a further relationship between the neighboring galaxies. And yet,Star Trek: Discoveryseason 5didn’t follow up on what happened between the Federation and Species 10-C.While it’s possible contact with Species 10-C continued, no new information about the extragalactic aliens - includingwhat Species 10-C actually call themselves- was found inDiscoveryseason 5. Now thatStar Trek: Discoveryhas officially come to a close, however, the ultimate fate of Species 10-C may remain a mystery.
