WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, “Mirrors”!
The crew of Star Trek: Discovery should think themselves lucky that they’re facing the Breen and not some of Star Trek: Voyager‘s more dangerous enemies. It’s now confirmed that the Breen Imperium will be the larger antagonists in the second half of Discovery season 5, following the revelations about Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis) and the Erigah placed upon them. Discovery season 5, episode 5, “Mirrors” revealed that Moll and L’ak were seeking to hand over the Progenitors’ technology to the Breen, to erase their blood bounty. With the Progenitors’ technology, the Breen will be able to destroy the Federation.
Carlos Cisco, who co-wrote Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, “Mirrors” with Johanna Lee, discussed the Breen on The 7th Rule podcast. While discussing Discovery‘s new “jelly Breens“, Carlos Cisco revealed that the Star Trek: Voyager villains, the Vidiians were considered as possible season 5 villains. Given that the Vidiians were seemingly cured of the Phage in Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 20, “Think Tank”, it’s hard to see what would be driving them to secure the Progenitors’ technology 800 years later. So, while Discovery was probably right not to choose the Vidiians, there are some other Voyager villains that are more than a match for the Breen.
The USS Voyager ran afoul of the Krenim in the season 4 two-parter, “Year of Hell”. Commanded by temporal scientist Annorax (Kurtwood Smith), the Krenim Time Ship was able to force entire species out of the space-time continuum, creating alternate realities as they did so. Annorax wanted to restore the Krenim Imperium to power by reshaping history in his own image, but he never quite worked out the calculations, meaning that he only made things worse. Each change that Annorax made to the established timeline, the further he seemed to get from restoring the power of the Krenim Imperium in Star Trek: Voyager.
Star Trek: Discovery confirmed the Krenim’s role in Star Trek‘s Temporal Wars when one of their Chronphage weapons found itself aboard the USS Discovery. With temporal technology outlawed, the Krenim Imperium may be looking for other ways to reestablish their dominance. Therefore, the Progenitors’ technology would provide an ideal way to restore power to the Krenim Imperium. It can both create and destroy life, meaning that the Krenim would no longer need to rely on temporal technology to erase their enemies from the space-time continuum.
The Kellerun and arguably even the Breen are deep cut Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aliens that feature in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. So Discovery season 5 could certainly have brought back the deep-cut Star Trek: Voyager villains, the Vaadwaur. The snake-like aliens existed in the early 15th century, using subspace corridors to attack multiple planets, including Talax, the home world of Neelix (Ethan Phillips). Eventually, a coalition of races formed against the Vaadwaur, seemingly driving the race to extinction.
The USS Voyager recovered surviving members of the Vaadwaur 800 years later, in Star Trek: Voyager season 6, episode 7, “Dragon’s Teeth”. Manipulating the crew of Voyager, the Vaadwaur tried to use the ship to strike back against the races that had risen up against their imperialism. They were prevented from launching another attempt to dominate the galaxy, but their ability to navigate subspace corridors, combined with the powers of the Progenitors’ technology in the 32nd century could easily have led to the rise of a second Vaadwaur empire in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.
The Voth weren’t especially dangerous in their one and only Star Trek: Voyager appearance, however there was one big warning sign. A species that was believed to have originated from Earth’s dinosaurs, the Voth left Earth and eventually established themselves in the Delta Quadrant. The existence of the Voth, and their genetic connection to Earth’s dinosaurs means that the Progenitors’ effectively took their planet from them by seeding humanoid life there. This could have set up a fascinating dynamic where the Voth, perhaps fleeing devastation in the Delta Quadrant, could have tried to reclaim Earth with the Progenitors’ technology.
The new Star Trek: Voyager aliens were largely depicted as religious extremists in “Distant Origin”, as many Voth refused to believe they originated elsewhere in the galaxy. Such zealotry could easily be tipped the other way, with the Voth in Star Trek: Discovery‘s 32nd century becoming convinced that possession of the Earth is a divine right. Possessing the Progenitors’ technology would also give the Voth power over their human successors, making them a deadly potential foe with fascinating motivations as villains.
Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 20, “Think Tank” revealed that a cure for the Vidiian’s virus, the Phage, had been found by a group of hyper-intelligent aliens. Whether this was true or not, 800 years have passed since the end of Voyager, meaning that the plague-stricken Vidiians could have found history repeating itself in Star Trek: Discovery‘s 32nd century. Voyager established that the Vidiians would stop at nothing to mitigate the effects of the Phage, from harvesting organs to conducting horrific scientific experiments.
While there were sympathetic Vidiians like Dr. Danara Pel (Susan Diol), who was one of the love interests of Voyager’s Doctor (Robert Picardo). However, the majority of Vidiians encountered in Star Trek: Voyager were keen to harvest innocent people in their never-ending battle against the Phage. As a humanoid race, the Vidiians would have a strong cause for seeking the Progenitors’ technology, as they could presumably use it to erase all illness in their species. It seems unlikely that the Vidiians would stop there, potentially using the technology for larger, more nefarious goals.
The Hirogen were a nomadic alien species that lived for the hunt, and anyone or anything was fair game in the Delta Quadrant. To try and assuage their murderous impulses, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) gave the Hirogens holodeck technology. However, this went wrong when the hunter species changed the programming to make more suitable prey, resulting in a hologram uprising in the movie-length Star Trek: Voyager episode, “Flesh and Blood”. Giving the Hirogen the ability to create their own prey with the Progenitors’ technology in Star Trek: Discovery is a very chilling thought.
Creating sentient life purely for the purposes of hunting them is unbelievably cruel, but it would also be on brand for the Hirogen. Throughout Star Trek: Voyager, the Hirogen proved that they placed the hunt above all else, meaning that the galaxy would get caught in the crossover of such a rampant expansion of their hunt. While the Hirogen aren’t as likely to burn the Federation to the ground as the Breen Imperium, a massive expansion of their hunt could create a moral and diplomatic nightmare in Star Trek: Discovery‘s 32nd century.
Star Trek: Voyager‘s Species 8472 villains were incredibly powerful beings that were able to defeat the Borg Collective. Existing in fluidic space, Species 8472 had immensely powerful biotechnological abilities, and even possessed the power to shape-shift. While Captain Janeway eventually negotiated peace between Species 8472 and humanity, averting a full-blown invasion of Earth, it’s still possible that future events could lead to hostilities resuming. Species 8472 were one of 1990s Star Trek‘s most outright alien villains, so they’d likely have different intentions for the Progenitors’ technology.
Star Trek: Discovery‘s updated Breen aren’t straightforwardly humanoid, but they’re also far less alien than Species 8472. An alien race that didn’t originate from the Progenitors, with the ability to wipe out all humanoid life in the galaxy is a terrifying prospect for the 32nd century. Thankfully, Janeway’s peace with Species 8472 appears to have lasted long into the 32nd century, meaning that the Star Trek: Voyager villains aren’t appearing as Discovery season 5’s major antagonists.
Given the success of Star Trek: Picard season 3, it’s probably for the best that the Borg Collective don’t feature in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. It’s one of many lessons Discovery learned from Picard season 3, however it’s worth pondering just what the Borg could do with the Progenitors’ technology. The ability to create life with the Progenitors’ technology would give the Borg Collective a never-ending stream of drones with which to assimilate the entire galaxy. It’s just as well that Admiral Picard finished what Janeway started in the Voyager finale, by killing the Borg Queen once and for all.
A Borg Collective presumably still exists in Star Trek: Discovery‘s 32nd century, led by Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), who wanted to use their technology to heal, rather than destroy. Even though Jurati had more benevolent intentions in Star Trek: Picard, the Progenitors’ treasure combined with Borg technology is a frightening concept. Such a combination could have been a recipe for the bad old days of Star Trek: Voyager‘s treacherous journey through the Borg Collective’s native territory of the Delta Quadrant. Starfleet, and the Breen, just wouldn’t stand a chance.
Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
