As we’re now two weeks into Star Trek: Discovery season 3, the full list of titles for the rest of its current run have been released and one of them might just reveal that a sequel to an iconic Next Generation storyline is coming. The seventh episode of this season is titled “Unification III” and those who know their TNG will instantly be reminded of “Unification I” and “Unification II,” a two-part TNG event that celebrated Star Trek‘s 25th anniversary.
The outings saw Leonard Nimoy return as Spock, with the plot involving Jean-Luc Picard and Data going to Romulus in disguise to search for the missing ambassador. It turned out that Spock had joined an underground movement working to reunify the Romulans and Vulcan peoples. His plans were scuppered in this instance by corrupt Romulan Sela, but he elected to stay behind on the planet to continue to foster cooperation between the two races.
Of course, in 2009’s Star Trek, Romulus was destroyed and Spock was thrown into the Kelvin timeline, where he remained until his death. So, he was never able to complete his mission to reunify the Romulans and the Vulcans. But what are we to make of Discovery season 3 titling an episode “Unification III”? Well, maybe it tells us that Spock’s mission will finally be completed by his sister, Michael Burnham.
Now that they’re in the 32nd century, Burnham and the Discovery crew are making it their goal to rebuild the Federation and reignite the spirit of Starfleet. This could lead them to at last unifying the Romulans and the Vulcans, which would be a huge step towards restarting the Federation as well as being a very personal victory for Burnham, who showrunner Alex Kurtzman has confirmed will find out everything that happened to her brother after she was thrown into the future.
Star Trek: Discovery season 3 continues Thursdays on CBS All Access.
