WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7, “Erigah”.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7, “Erigah” reveals that, 800 years after it ended, the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Dominion War still matter. In “Erigah”, written by M. Raven Metzner and directed by Jon Dudkowski, the Breen Imperium pays a visit to Federation Headquarters to negotiate for the release of Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis). First introduced in DS9, Discovery has updated the Breen considerably, by revealing more about their political structure, and has even shown what a Breen looks like without their helmet.
Star Trek: Discovery has also revealed that the Breen are just as dangerous to the Federation 800 years after they fought against them in the Dominion War. The Breen joined forces with the Dominion in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, bolstering the war effort against the combined forces of the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Star Empire. Allied with the Dominion, the Breen struck several devastating blows against the Federation, and Discovery season 5, episode 7, “Erigah”, reveals that the damage can still be felt 800 years in the future.
As Federation Headquarters prepared to welcome the Breen delegation, there were repeated references to the “last time” that the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine villains paid a visit. This refers to the devastating attack launched against the site of Federation Headquarters and Starfleet Academy in 2375. The Breen attack on Earth in DS9 resulted in heavy civilian casualties, and major structural damage to the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite it being 800 years ago, this attack is at the front of everyone’s minds during Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7.
With the attack on the 24th century’s Starfleet Academy on her mind, Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) takes arms and prepares to leave the USS Discovery to protect her students. Meanwhile, Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) was prepared to make a last stand against the Breen to protect the USS Discovery’s mission. By the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7, an agreement has been reached between the Breen Imperium and the Federation, just as a fleet of Starfleet ships arrived to defend Federation HQ. Satisfied that they’d averted history from repeating itself, the Discovery crew returned to their hunt for the Progenitors’ treasure.
By the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7, “Erigah”, the Federation is in a race with the Breen Imperium to secure the Progenitors’ powerful technology. This means that an attack on Federation Headquarters has only been delayed by handing over Moll to the Imperium. In Discovery season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange”, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) witnessed an alternative future where the Breen Imperium used the Progenitors’ technology to obliterate the Federation.
This dark future is still a very real possibility as long as Moll is working alongside the Breen Imperium to secure the Progenitors’ technology. Moll believes that it can resurrect L’ak, which means that she’s willing to ignore the galactic implications of the Breen getting their hands on the Progenitors’ technology. Engaged in a race against time to secure both the secrets of life itself and the safety of the Federation, the USS Discovery could soon find themselves defending Fed HQ from the Breen for a second time in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 streams weekly on Paramount+.