Though the current project started as a series of posts charting my grief journey after the death of my mother, I am no longer actively grieving. Now, the blog charts a conversation in living, mainly whatever I want it to be. This is an activity that goes well with the theme of this blog (updated 2018). The Sense of Doubt blog is dedicated to my motto: EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY. I promote questioning everything because just when I think I know something is concrete, I find out that it’s not.
Hey, Mom! The Explanation.
Here's the permanent dedicated link to my first Hey, Mom! post and the explanation of the feature it contains.
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3996 - Star Fleet Academy in the Star Trek Timeline and Reviews
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3996 - Star Fleet Academy in the Star Trek Timeline and Reviews
Interrupting this BOWIE MONTH for some Star Trek love.
Also, not COMIC BOOK SUNDAY, but that will return next week.
I had a Bowie post scheduled for today, but I exhausted my views and hit a pay wall.
HOWEVER, I started watching Star Fleet Academy.
And since I had not finished Discovery, I had no idea what "the Burn" was.
OR when the new show -- Star Fleet Academy -- fits in the Star Trek timeline.
Here's answers.
Thanks for tuning in.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set in the 32nd century, specifically beginning around 3195, roughly four years after the conclusion of Star Trek: Discovery season 5. It takes place in the far future of the Prime Timeline, during a period of rebuilding for the Federation following the catastrophic, galaxy-altering event known as "The Burn".
Key details regarding the timeline placement:
Post-Discovery Era: The series continues the arc established in Discovery (which established the 32nd-century setting).
Rebuilding Phase: The academy is reopening during a time when the Federation is struggling to recover and regain its status as an institution of hope and exploration.
Exact Timing:
While the show premieres in 2026, plot details suggest the main storyline starts in 3195
.
Context: The show focuses on a new class of cadets, with storylines expected to bridge the gap between the chaotic post-Burn era and the future of the Federation.
What is the Burn in Star Trek and why is it important to Starfleet Academy?
By Samantha Nelson Published Jan 15, 2026, 9:57 AM EST
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy explores a dark era of the franchise timeline: the 32nd century. After lying dormant for a century, the San Francisco school for aspiring space explorers welcomes a brand new class. What caused both this long gap in enrollment and the weakened status of the United Federation of Planets in general? The answer to both is the Burn, a cataclysmic event first introduced in season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery. While Starfleet Academy faculty explain the significance of the Burn to their students (and to viewers who didn’t watch Discovery) you may still have some questions about this mysterious, apocalyptic event. Lucky for you, we did the homework, and we’re sharing our answers below.
How warp drives work in Star Trek
Most starships in Star Trek are able to travel across the galaxy at faster-than-light speeds through the use of warp drives that warp spacetime. The invention of this technology is viewed as so key to a species’ development that the Vulcans only made contact with humans after they observed Earth’s warp drive test, setting a precedent for not interfering with pre-warp civilizations.
Warp drives work through a reaction between the matter and antimatter forms of deuterium stabilized by dilithium crystals. Dilithium crystals are rare, only found in significant quantities on a few planets in the galaxy, but they became especially scarce in the 30th century, pushing the Federation to search for new sources of the mineral and experiment with engine designs that wouldn’t need them at all.
The Burn
Disaster struck in 3069 when all dilithium seemingly became inert at once, causing every active warp core to fail and explode. The event, which became known as the Burn, killed millions and destroyed countless ships, including most of the Federation’s fleet. Because no one knew what had caused the Burn or if it would happen again, everyone was hesitant to rebuild. The Vulcans even seceded from the Federation because they thought the Burn was caused by one of the Federation’s experiments on a dilithium alternative.
Without warp technology to connect its planets and a strong fleet to defend it from other factions, the Federation crumbled, dropping from 350 member planets to 38 within a century. Even Earth turned its back on the organization, forcing the Federation to relocate its headquarters to a space station.
What caused the Burn?
Star Trek: Discovery began in the 24th century as a prequel to the original Star Trek, but the ship traveled 900 years into the future in season 3. Flying without fear of another Burn because their starship was powered by fungal spores, the crew of the Discovery set about trying to solve the mystery of the cataclysm. They eventually learned that it was caused by Su’Kal, a young Kelpian who was exposed to dilithium radiation in utero while his mother was exploring an area that was rich in dilithium.
That exposure created a psychic connection between Su’Kal and the mineral, which he accidentally activated when he watched his mother die, causing a chain reaction that spread throughout the galaxy. It’s a pretty baffling explanation, but it meant the Discovery crew could prevent another Burn by sending Su’Kal far away from any sources of dilithium he could activate.
That came as a big relief to the Federation, which could finally begin to rebuild. Over the course of the next two seasons of Discovery, Earth, Trill, and Ni’Var (formerly Vulcan) rejoined the organization. Starfleet Academy kicks off with a fresh class of cadets from around the galaxy coming together to build the future of the Federation, though they’ll face plenty of challenges trying to bring old allies back into the fold while under threat from new enemies.
By John Orquiola Published Jan 19, 2026, 7:34 PM EST
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's exact date in Star Trek's timeline is revealed in a Starfleet Officer's personnel file. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's two-episode premiere on Paramount+ has received a warm reception from Star Trek fans.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's series premiere didn't establish an exact Stardate on-screen. The only date given was "Fifteen Years Later" after the prologue that saw young Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) separated from his mother. Anisha Mir (Tatiana Maslany). Starfleet Academy is set after the end of Star Trek: Discovery, although how long after isn't clear.
Jörg Hillebrand, who was a renowned researcher for Star Trek: Picard season 3, found the answer to whenStar Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place, and it's a bit of a surprise. Hillebrand translated Commander Lura Thok's (Gina Yashere) Starfleet file read by Captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter), but Lura's age and birthdate unlock Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's exact date. See below:
If Commander Lura Thok was born in 3145 and the hybrid Klingon/Jem'Hadar is 50 years old, then Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 begins in 3195. That's 4 years after the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, which took place in 3191. Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) arrived in the 32nd century in 3188, with the USS Discovery following a year later. Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3 to 5 take place from 3188 to 3191.
Tracking backwards from 3195, Caleb Mir's prisoner file before Captain Ake recruited him into Starfleet Academy stated that he's 21 years old. That means Caleb was born in 3174, which puts Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's premiere prologue as happening in 3180. Captain Ake quits Starfleet that same year in protest of the United Federation of Planets separating a mother and her young child.
3195 also allows us to work backwards to find out Captain Ake's birthdate. The half-Lanthanite Starfleet Academy Chancellor is 422 years old. This means Nahla was born in 2773 in the 28th century. Captain Ake was presumably part of Starfleet during major galactic events, like the Temporal Wars in the 29th and 30th centuries, and The Burn in the 31st century.
It was logical to assume Star Trek: Starfleet Academy begins around 3192, about a year after Star Trek: Discovery, but the 3195 date puts more distance between the two series. Unless Star Trek: Starfleet Academy contradicts and establishes a different 'present day' date on-screen, Captain Ake's show is set after what would have been Star Trek: Discovery season 6 and more voyages of the USS Discovery-A.
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2601.25 - 10:10
- Days ago: MOM = 3859 days ago & DAD = 514 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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