Despite Star Trek: Discovery centering on the conflict between Starfleet and the Klingons, some of the show’s previous trailers have been all about peace. But in a new trailer for the series, Starfleet isn’t its usual diplomatic self.
What Happened
On September 17, the official Star Trek Twitter account posted a trailer for the series, depicting a more aggressive Starfleet than we’ve seen before in marketing for Discovery. “We are at war,” Captain Gabriel Lorca (played by Jason Isaacs) says in the trailer. “We kill them, or they kill us and everyone we care about.” Lorca’s words are accompanied by scenes of Klingon ships firing on Starfleet, making his point very clear. Later, when Captain Phillipa Georgiou (played by Michelle Yeoh) says, “If they attack, we are the only line of defense,” Michael Burnham (played by Sonequa Martin-Green) tells her, “Not if, when.” And at the end of the trailer, in response to Lorca saying, “You know what we need to do?” Burnham goes, “We need to win,” an answer which is met with Lorca’s approval.
What It Means
In addition to Star Trek: Discovery showing a Starfleet that doesn’t necessarily have the luxury of putting peace first, the trailer shows an interesting contrast between the show’s major players. Lorca and Burnham seem to be on the same page regarding what needs to be done in this conflict with the Klingons, but with Georgiou’s emphasis on being a line of “defense,” this is likely going to be a source of tension on the Starfleet side of things.
What’s Next
Given the tease of Burnham’s role as a “great unifier” in the first-look trailer for the series, there’s likely an event that happens to cause her perspective on the Klingons, or war in general, to shift. Perhaps, Georgiou’s death in the first episode will be what instigates this change. The fact that Discovery’s review embargo will only lift after the show premieres suggests that huge, potentially shocking events (like Georgiou’s death) could be in store, so we may see Burnham do a 180 sooner rather than later.
Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on September 24.
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