Star Trek: Discovery could have revolutionized the five-year mission from Star Trek: The Original Series, but the show has so far failed to accomplish this during its run. Premiering in 2017, Discovery was the first Star Trek TV show to air since Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled in 2005. The show ushered the franchise into a new period of growth and development, facilitating the creation of several other series and bringing together old and new audiences alike. Discovery's fifth and final season is set to air in early 2024.
Although a significant time jump to the 32nd century ensured that everything from Star Trek: Discovery season 3 onward has been set in the far future, the show began as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, exploring the Federation a decade before Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew embarked on their five-year mission. The crew of Discovery was never tasked with a similar mission, but the ship had the potential to live up to those ideals much better than the USS Enterprise ever did, thanks to the spore drive. Developed by Discovery's astromycologist Lt. Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), the spore drive allowed Discovery to travel instantaneously over vast distances of space using the mycelial network.
