Star Trek: Discovery’s Incredible Scott Bakula Enterprise Twist Explained

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery’s Series Finale – “Life, Itself”

Star Trek: Discovery‘s series finale dropped a bombshell twist, revealing the true identity of Doctor Kovich (David Cronenberg) that ties the series back to Star Trek: Enterprise and Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). Written by Kyle Jarrow and Michelle Paradise, and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Star Trek: Discovery‘s series finale, “Life, Itself”, saw Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) find and decide the fate of the ancient technology used by the Progenitors to create life, itself. Afterward, Burnham reported to Doctor Kovich and asked who he really is. The bespectacled mystery man obliged with his jaw-dropping real name and rank.

Doctor Kovich was introduced in Star Trek: Discovery season 3 as an official from the 32nd century United Federation of Planets. Kovich personally interviewed the crew of the USS Discovery, who were time travelers from the 23rd century. Kovich took a particular interest in Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), who is from the Mirror Universe, and Kovich also revealed information about Star Trek‘s Temporal Wars, which crossed not just timelines but other realities, like the alternate Kelvin timeline of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies. In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Kovich oversaw Captain Burnham’s top-secret Red Directive mission to acquire the Progenitors’ technology. These were all clues as to who Doctor Kovich really is.

Discovery’s Doctor Kovich Is Daniels – Star Trek: Enterprise’s Time Traveler Explained

“Agent Daniels, USS Enterprise… and other places.”

As Captain Burnham assumed, “Doctor Kovich” is a Red Directive codename. Kovich introduced himself as “Agent Daniels, USS Enterprise… and other places.”This canonically establishes Kovich as the older version Daniels (Matt Winston) from Star Trek: Enterprise. Daniels was a temporal agent from the 31st century who recruited Captain Jonathan Archer due to his importance to Federation history. Daniels was apparently killed by a Suliban named Silik (John Fleck), but the time traveler returned to solicit Archer and the NX-01 Enterprise’s help in fighting Star Trek‘s Temporal Cold War, making 8 appearances in Star Trek: Enterprise‘s 4 seasons.

Agent Daniels identifying himself from the USS Enterprise could mean he sentimentally still considers himself a member of Captain Archer’s crew, as he posed as one of the original NX-01 Enterprise’s personnel. It could also mean Daniels served on a later iteration of the USS Enterprise. But Kovich revealed as Daniels is a jaw-dropper that also makes sense, since it explains his secrecy, his vast knowledge of Star Trek‘s timelines, and Kovich’s vested interest in preserving the Federation from existential threats. As a fellow time traveler himself, Daniels’ interest in the USS Discovery and Captain Burnham, who both impresses and aggravates him, also ingeniously tracks.

Daniels’ Star Trek Easter Eggs In Discovery’s Finale Explained

Doctor Kovich has a lot of Starfleet memorabilia.

Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale, “Life, Itself”, saw Captain Burnham visit Doctor Kovich’s office at Federation HQ for the first time, and his walls were filled with Star Trek Easter eggs. Among the historic artifacts Kovich collected and displayed are the VISOR formerly worn by Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) on Star Trek: The Next Generation, a vintage bottle of Chateau Picard wine, and a baseball that was once the prized possession of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Kovich’s memorabilia denote a life well-lived across a thousand years of travel.

Amusingly, Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise told Screen Rant that David Cronenberg didn’t know who Daniels from Star Trek: Enterprise was. But once Cronenberg understood the reference, he thought it was “really, really cool.”Star Trek: Discovery began planting the seeds for Kovich’s reveal as Daniels early in season 5, showing the Federation official’s preference for writing with paper and pen, which is unusual for a man living in the 32nd century. Star Trek: Discovery revealing Doctor Kovich as Agent Daniels from Star Trek: Enterprise also satisfyingly ties the two farthest points of the Star Trek timeline together, uniting the thousand-year history of the Federation in the form of Daniels, who has seen it all.

Seasons

5

Writers

Alex Kurtzman

Showrunner

Alex Kurtzman

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