Spoilers A big hint about the finale/season 3 has dropped...

[Lord Garth]

Three seasons feels short, syndication or not. Especially with seasons of this length. Even when it comes to Netflix Originals (which I know aren't the same as CBS All Access), three seems too short. It's just a general perception at large. If Discovery ended after five seasons, then it would be in that sweet spot of "not too short, not too long".

I'd love if it ran for seven seasons, though. Just to spite the "STD sucks!" crowd.

 

[BillJ]

Yeah, I can see what you're saying. If they change the 23rd century as you describe, but the characters remember, and then Discovery bugs off to the 28th century for good, it mitigates the problem a bit. But, it doesn't feel satisfying to me. Maybe it will work. But, it's hard to get passed the what we saw didn't happen aspect. Like when you're rewatching the first season, nah, none/most of that ended up happening! Maybe just me though.

It will have all happened, just shunted off to alternate realities.

 

[Quinton]

For a total of 40-ish episodes? Tops, 50?
Seems way too short, but I guess it won't live on in syndication anyway like all other Treks... it depends on their endgame. I understand shows will serve as replacements but they've gone through a lot of trouble to establish the ship and crew for a few dozen episodes.

My bet would be 4 seasons of DISCO total.

I've long presumed that some of the clickbait nonsense that certain YouTubers are gonna toss around next year is that CBS is attempting to "cut its losses" somehow by gradually reducing episode count. Season 1 is 15, season 2 is 14, and I think season 3 will be 13 -- because 13 is literally what they've been aiming for each time, haha.

So if Discovery does end after three seasons, I guess we'll probably wind up with a total of 42 episodes. I hope it isn't true, I really do. But I'm sorta bracing for it for numerous reasons.

Three seasons feels short, syndication or not. Especially with seasons of this length. Even when it comes to Netflix Originals (which I know aren't the same as CBS All Access), three seems too short. It's just a general perception at large. If Discovery ended after five seasons, then it would be in that sweet spot of "not too short, not too long".

Oh, I agree. Five seasons for Discovery seems like it would be a good fit. Using my (undeniably unconfirmed) logic above, we might wind up with 68 episodes at that point. Not bad considering how much the television landscape has changed.

There will be certain parties claiming the show was a failure because it didn't even run for as long as Enterprise, but... lol at that.

 

[Terok Nor]

I wouldn't be bothered if Discovery ends after 3 seasons to be honest. It's Michael Burnham's story and we've seen most of it now. She's not that interesting a character to spend countless seasons on. As long as we get Georgiou's show I'm good. I wouldn't say no to Pike either. Both are far more engaging characters and I think their shows would likely be a lot more ensemble than Discovery. We're going to have more Trek than you can shake a stick at so it's inevitable some will be shorter lived than others.

 

[Campe]

I wouldn't be bothered if Discovery ends after 3 seasons to be honest. It's Michael Burnham's story and we've seen most of it now. She's not that interesting a character to spend countless seasons on. As long as we get Georgiou's show I'm good. I wouldn't say no to Pike either. Both are far more engaging characters and I think their shows would likely be a lot more ensemble than Discovery. We're going to have more Trek than you can shake a stick at so it's inevitable some will be shorter lived than others.

I agree. I just dread the response from the gatekeepers of the fan community.

But I do definitely want a Pike show now. I might cry if it doesn't happen. Nobody wants to see that.

 

[Cyrus]

As much as I don't like the idea of Discovery ending after just three seasons, I'm inclined to agree that this is quite possible. Last year, Heather Kadin and Alex Kurtzman were talking about how the Section 31 show may broadcast after Discovery season 3... and in another interview, Kadin (I think) mentioned that some shows will serve as replacements for others. Connecting the dots, I could definitely see that happening.

All they have said is that S31 series goes into production after Discovery season 3. So obviously it will come after season 3. And a CBS executive made a general comment that some of the Trek shows in development (due to long production cycle) may become replacements of existing shows. This comment was not about any specific show, and I think you are connecting the dots incorrectly. Nothing is set in stone. There will be a Discovery season 3. Anything beyond that depends on how popular it is (as far as attracting subscribers) and how well CBS AA is doing.

 

[Cyrus]

There have been recent articles that Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn are not returning for season 3, but no mention of Ethan Peck. And when Ethan was asked about it he refused to answer. So it is possible that if Discovey crew ends up in he future Spock may go with them and still be part of the show, at least for the 3rd season.

 

[Mr Awe]

It will have all happened, just shunted off to alternate realities.

I suppose that's a possibility. Seems like sometimes these things overwrite history and other time it creates an alternate reality. I *think* in ST changes to the timeline will usually overwrite history rather than keeping the original and also creating an alternate one. But, I could be wrong about that.

 

[eschaton]

There have been recent articles that Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn are not returning for season 3, but no mention of Ethan Peck. And when Ethan was asked about it he refused to answer. So it is possible that if Discovey crew ends up in he future Spock may go with them and still be part of the show, at least for the 3rd season.

It's possible Spock gets copied twice over with a TL reset. Though that would mean he needs to do double duty unless the Pike show also doesn't start till season 3 is done.

 

[Mr Awe]

Did the Kelvin movies bother you then? Or the alternate TL episodes of Trek, like Yesterday's Enterprise, Year of Hell, or In A Mirror Darkly?

I like the Kelvin movies, but the Prime universe still "existed." Clearly a case of creating a new timeline rather than overwriting the original. Yesterday's Ent was great, but an individual episode.

I think it would be counterproductive for a series to basically overwrite its own first season, both the events and the character histories. That feels different to me than the other cases you mention. But, I'd give it a shot.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Is there actually proof of any of the claims about a time jump? Because the source seems to be some guy’s clickbait site.

 

[Yistaan]

Is there actually proof of any of the claims about a time jump? Because the source seems to be some guy’s clickbait site.

Kurtzman has said that the finale is a big shock/gamechanger type thing (Doug Jones said he was shocked when he read the finale script), so this is as good a guess as any.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Kurtzman has said that the finale is a big shock/gamechanger type thing (Doug Jones said he was shocked when he read the finale script), so this is as good a guess as any.

That could be literally anything though. Big Bird could show up and it would fit with that. It’s confirmation bias.

 

[Longinus]

I really hope that all this is bogus.

 

[Awesome Possum]

As much as I love pointless geek debates, this does seem like bullshit.

 

[Yistaan]

That could be literally anything though. Big Bird could show up and it would fit with that.

It wouldn't, Big Bird's species has been a member of the Federation for decades. Pike will probably brag about he and Big Bird went to the Academy together.

A game changer would be that the future Burnham's mother is in where Control rules isn't an alternate bad future but THE future seen in TOS, TNG, DS9, and VOY. For Discovery to win, they need to write a whole new timeline that erases that future, and then the show will continue on with the old Prime timeline doomed to a Control-ruled fate. Technically Stewart's Xavier seen in Logan is not the same one who appeared in X-Men 1-3.

The Picard show would be set in this new timeline and only a broad strokes version of TNG happened, allowing canon changes as necessary. Sort of like how Patrick Stewart's movie Logan handled the 2 X-Men timelines. Technically Stewart's Xavier in Logan is not the same Xavier who appeared in X-Men 1-3.

 

[F. King Daniel]

They may jump to the future and tie-in to "Calypso" somehow (next episode ties into "Runaway", after all), but I'm pretty sure it'll be a temporary thing. They'll spore-jump back to the present.

 

[drt]

The Picard show would be set in this new timeline and only a broad strokes version of TNG happened, allowing canon changes as necessary.

This is how Trek continuity tends to work anyway, particularly the TOS movies and TNG towards TOS itself.

 

[Yistaan]

This is how Trek continuity tends to work anyway, particularly the TOS movies and TNG towards TOS itself.

I'd actually approve of a soft reboot that eliminates all of the real world Earth dates but keeps all events the same. Date things from the founding of the Federation, which has no fixed Earth date. Star Trek 2 ran with the throwaway Eugenics War 1990s dates and made them the centerpiece of the entire franchise, which was a mistake and stopped making Star Trek "our" future.

 

[Awesome Possum]

They may jump to the future and tie-in to "Calypso" somehow (next episode ties into "Runaway", after all), but I'm pretty sure it'll be a temporary thing. They'll spore-jump back to the present.

Yeah. Something happens and Burnham is sent into the future. They park the Discovery to wait for her with some way to fly it home. It’s a last minute thing. They think they’re lost her and then someone figures it out in a big damn hero moment.