'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 3: Did 'Voyager' already predict the Burn happening in 'The Omega Directive'?
With Control taken care of, and their future secured, the biggest mystery that the Discovery has to solve is just how the future took such a hard left - to get to the bottom of the mystery of the Burn. A seemingly impossible universal event destroyed nearly all of the universe's dilithium supplies, at the same time. This was the event that led to the end of the Federation – and an answer to just how this may have happened may be explained by an old episode of 'Star Trek: Voyager.'
In 'Voyager' Season 4, Episode 21 of S 'The Omega Directive', the Voyager comes across something known as an Omega Particle - the knowledge of which is restricted to the highest level of Starfleet secrecy. However, as the specialized Omega team that usually handles these particles is unavailable, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) reveals its secrets to her crew - the Omega Particle is a unique substance that contains tremendous energy. Too much energy for any singular civilization to handle.
In fact, destroying the particles is one of Starfleet's highest priorities - so much so that it even takes precedence over the Prime Directive. Prior civilizations who have experimented with the particle have destroyed subspace - the thing that makes it possible for warp-capable ships to travel through, and achieve faster than light travel. Captain Janeway notes that if a serious enough Omega Particle accident occurs, it could end all faster than light travel in the universe - a situation similar to the one that the 32nd Century finds itself in. Now, in 'Discovery', it's dilithium crystals that exploded - not subspace - but it's trekmovie.com that pointed out a significant phrase from 'Voyager' that might connect to the future.
Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) notes that the Borg has assimilated cultures that have worked with this particle before, including legends of it in their oral history. Speaking of a species the Borg classified as "Species 262", she said that "their oral history referred to a powerful substance which could burn the sky" - "burn" being the keyword here. While subspace appears to be intact in the 32nd Century, given that those who do manage to scrounge up dilithium are still able to achieve warp speeds, it's possible that subspace still connects to the universe's dilithium. A certain Omega Particle accident might, theoretically, trigger a simultaneous dilithium explosion throughout the universe - and in some places, even causing a "burn" in the sky.
For now, however, no mention of Omega Particles has been made, as the crew continues to investigate what could have led to the explosion, but 'The Omega Directive' remains one of the series' best clues so far.
The next episode of 'Star Trek: Discovery' airs November 5, on CBS All Access.
