After seven years and five seasons, Star Trek: Discovery has ended with the episode “Life Itself.” As the series headed into the homestretch, the writers decided to reveal one prominent character on the series has actually been around for a lot longer than most Star Trek fans watching ever knew. While the main overarching plotline this season has ties to Star Trek: The Next Generation, the final episode revealed that a character who has been on Discovery since season three has ties to the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise. And that character is Dr. Kovich, portrayed by legendary film director David Cronenberg.
At the climax of the last episode, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) solves the season-long mystery of the Progenitors. These are the ancient beings that seeded life in the galaxy. Burnham decides their advanced technology is too dangerous to be in the hands of any sentient beings in the galaxy to study, including the Federation. She has a meeting with the bespectacled Dr. Kovich, who has been a mysterious figure since Discovery’s third season, when the crew arrived in the 32nd century from the 23rd. It is unknown what his exact position is within the Federation or Starfleet. Yet he was able to issue a “Red Directive” this season, supplanting the authority of even the highest Starfleet admiral.
Dr. Kovich Is Really Agent Daniels From Star Trek: Enterprise
Kovich, not the warmest person in the cosmos, congratulates Burnham on a job well done. As she looks around his office, she sees many historical items familiar to Star Trek fans. There’s a bottle of Jean Luc Picard’s family wine, and Geordi La Forge’s original visor. A baseball, presumably belonging to Deep Space Nine’s Captain Ben Sisko, is also among the items. He had previously mentioned a love of history in previous episodes. Burnham then realizes something — Kovich is a code name. She asks him to reveal who he is, and he says he’s lived “many lives.” He tells her that his name is Agent Daniels, of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and “other places.” This reveals him as an older version of a character who played a key role in Star Trek: Enterprise, which ran from 2001-2005.
Star Trek: Discovery Addresses the Temporal Wars From Enterprise
One of the main plot points in the early seasons of Enterprise was the Temporal Wars. Although Enterprise took place in the late 22nd century, it was a key period for this conflict. The Temporal Wars were a conflict that spanned centuries, with different factions fighting to control their version of the timeline. Agents from many sides appeared in different key moments in history, hoping to bend events to their preferred outcomes. These factions had to abide by the Temporal Accord, although more than once, they broke the Accord.
Daniels is a temporal agent from the 31st century who appears aligned with Earth/the Federation. The time-traveling Daniels appeared in eight episodes across four seasons, first posing as a crewman on the Enterprise NX-01 in the 22nd century. After several fakeout deaths, he eventually reveals to Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) that he is from 900 years in the future. They sent him back in time to make sure history flows properly, as an agent of the Temporal Wars. Among these tasks is assuring Captain Archer helps guide events toward the formation of the United Federation of Planets, among other things.
Discovery Shows What Became of Dr. Kovich After the Temporal Wars
Daniels was portrayed as a man in his thirties, and the time period of his birth was given as the 31st century. It’s implied that the 31st century is the launch point of the wars. The only mention of the Temporal Wars on Discovery came early in season three. It’s revealed to Burnham that time travel is now banned, as a fallout of the Temporal Wars a century earlier. So they couldn’t simply travel back in time to their era, they were stuck now in the 32nd century. It’s during this era that the Discovery crew met the elderly gentleman and Starfleet representative named Kovich, who sent them on several missions. Now we know that Kovich is really an older version of Daniels, who survived the Temporal Wars to help guide the Federation into a new era.
Will Dr. Kovich Appear in Starfleet Academy?
Although Kovich looks like a man in his seventies or eighties, he is clearly much older. We’re not sure what this reveal means for the future of Star Trek, if anything. It may just be a fun Easter egg for fans of Enterprise. However, it does tie in the two series in a neat way. It also addresses a plot point from Enterprise many had believed forgotten. With Starfleet Academy taking place roughly in this time period, who knows, we might see Daniels/Kovich again. That is, should David Cronenberg choose to reprise the role. There is still much we don’t know about the Temporal Wars, and maybe we’ll learn more in Starfleet Academy. Maybe the Temporal Wars are a course the students take? If Kovich is an instructor, then sign us up for class.