It would have been interesting if they used the Burn as some global warming analogy. Like, maybe once enough dilithium is being simultaneously utilized across a wide area of space, it impacts all other dilithium, which then causes some sort of subspace catastrophe which blows everything up. And it's inevitable it's going to keep happening, again and again, if warp travel recovers fully. Indeed, this is why there's not so many old civilizations banging around in the galaxy.
But then they discover a dilithium planet anyway.
The Federation would have to make some hard choices in response. Is it better to try and live frugally today, in hopes of a better future? Or should the Federation live high on the hog while it can for a few centuries, hoping to somehow find another method of propulsion once everyone is all linked up again?
But then they discover a dilithium planet anyway.
The Federation would have to make some hard choices in response. Is it better to try and live frugally today, in hopes of a better future? Or should the Federation live high on the hog while it can for a few centuries, hoping to somehow find another method of propulsion once everyone is all linked up again?