Yes, Star Trek: Discovery’s Plot Hole needs filling. I said it! But seriously, Discovery is about to end its impressive run as a Star Trek series. Season 5, which arrives April 4th, will be the last adventure for the series that launched modern Star Trek onto our screens. However, the fifth and final season has many questions to answer. One of these plot holes concerns a Star Trek: Short Trek adventure called “Calypso“.
Of course, I’m talking about Zora, the USS Discovery’s onboard computer system. Zora, combined with the USS Discovery being “abadoned” in the far future, presents a large plot hole for Discovery. The computer system developed artificial intelligence after the Crossfield-class ship jumped to the 32nd Century. But “Calypso” presents us with the idea that, for some reason, the USS Discovery was abandoned by her crew and Starfleet in the far future.
Discovery’s Far Future
The stardate of Discovery’s “Calypso” adventure has not been dated. Additionally, the placement of the adventure is complicated by Discovery’s jump to the 32nd century. For example, Zora mentions that the USS Discovery has been abandoned for “almost a thousand years.” If we try to calculate this roughly, it seems Discovery might have been abandoned in the 42nd century. Then again, as research suggests, it could be much further into the future.
Some have speculated that the Short Trek of “Calypso” could mark the latest known events in Star Trek’s in-universe chronology. The possible exception to this would be a Star Trek: Voyager episode. The “Living Witness” episode also occurs in the far future at an unconfirmed date. “Calypso” actually references some things we’ve seen in Discovery’s new time placement.
Discovery’s Plot Hole Remains Unsolved
Star Trek: Discovery took a new direction with the third season. Taking the USS Discovery and its crew to the 32nd century provided new ground for the series. However, as mentioned, this did complicate the setting of “Calypso“. Still, Discovery’s Showrunners have previously said they want the series to connect with the Short Trek adventure. In an interview with the BlerdGurl Podcast in 2021, Alex Kurtzman said they wanted to lean into the plot element for season three.
We definitely knew that we wanted to connect “Calypso” to Discovery. And, obviously, we did because we did it in “Calypso.” “Calypso” ends with a big open mystery, which is: how did how did this voice end up on the ship and why is the ship empty? So we have a lot to answer there. We love connecting Discovery to the trek to the Short Treks.
Alex Kurtzman via BlerdGurl Podcast
The process of solving the “Calypso” plot hole began in Season 3. Once the USS Discovery was in the 32nd Century, we saw the Zora evolve closer to the version we know from the Short Trek adventure. Even more so, the sphere data, aka Zora, took over the DOT-23 robots in the final episodes of season 3 and helped the crew retake the ship.
One of the big issues is the look of Discovery itself. With the ship rejoining Starfleet in Season 3, the Discover is updated to match its new time era. As such, the registration is changed to NCC-1031-A, and the ship looks brand new. Yes, even those new fancy nacelles. But the problem here is the 32nd-century refit does not match the USS Discovery seen in “Calypso“
Will Season 5 Solve Star Trek: Discovery’s Plot Hole?
Honestly, I hope and expect Season 5 to solve Star Trek: Discovery’s Plot Hole. I’ll be a little disappointed if it does not. But then again, leaving it somewhat open could also work for the sake of future stories with the USS Discovery. However, it seems director Olatunde Osunsanmi has some thoughts on the “Calypso” storyline for Discovery. Osunsanmi actually directed the Short Trek “Calypso”. He’ll also be returning to direct the Star Trek: Discovery series finale. Season 5 Episode 10 is titled “Life, Itself”.
Speaking with CinemaBlend in March 2022, Osunsanmi said the following:
Yeah, I think Zora is about all we got in Season 4. You know, you’re gonna have to ask Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman, but I’ve been wondering too. Because, as you know, I directed ‘Calypso,’ and it’s always nice to see the two worlds collide. So, Zora was really exciting. You know, I think [Michelle] might have something planned for that in Season 5, but I’m not entirely sure. We haven’t seen the whole season yet. But yeah, I couldn’t agree [more]. It would be nice to see how that all dovetails together.
Olatunde Osunsanmi via CinemaBlend
Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery evolved Zora more but still did not address “Calypso”. As such, we must wait and see if the upcoming Season 5 of Discovery will finally address the big plot hole many are waiting to see solved. Honestly, I hope they do. At this point, it’s a massive mystery for Star Trek: Discovery. Especially the question of why the ship has been left alone for almost a thousand years. Why would Starfleet leave the ship out there with no crew? Hopefully, we will find out!
Bonus points if you made it this far and got a laugh out of the title of this article!
Set Course for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5!
Star Trek: Discovery streams via Paramount+ in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Latin America, France, Germany, Brazil, South Korea (via Tving), France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It is also available on CTV Scifi / Crave in Canada and TVNZ in New Zealand. The show is also available on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Central and Eastern Europe.
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