Star Trek: Discovery – Who (or what) is the Red Angel?
As we continue to go where no man or woman has gone before (with the news that it's been commissioned for a third season), season two of CBS'Star Trek: Discovery is another thrilling watch that expands the mythos of Gene Roddenberry's world. Going back further than Star Trek: The Original Series, Discovery's sophomore year has tied directly into the Shatner/Nimoy/Takei years with the introduction of Anson Mount as Captain Pike.
After leaving behind the Terran Universe, brushing up against the USS Enterprise and crossing paths with Philippa Georgiou (again), the big mystery of season two is the identity of the Red Angel. So, if you're ready to hit warp, let's look at the candidates.
1. Prime Lorca
Somewhere down the line, Star Trek: Discovery is probably going to introduce Prime Lorca. Basically the 'good' version of the villainous Gabriel Lorca who hoodwinked Burnham and co in season one, there are plenty of theories that Prime Lorca is out there in the cosmos.
Admiral Cornwell briefly mentioned that she thought Prime Lorca was dead, but there's still enough leeway for a return. Despite promises that Lorca won't be back in season two, Jason Isaacs has been coy about his future involvement in the show. It isn't too much of a stretch to see Lorca return as Burnham's guardian angel to make up for the torment his Terran counterpart put her through.
2. Number One
There's also something strangely suspicious about Rebecca Romijn's involvement in Discovery so far. Swapping blue paint and baring all for the X-Men movies, Romijn is a pretty big name to cast in Discovery.
So far, though, we've only seen Romijin's Number One interact with Pike and don't even know her real name. It's obvious there's something more to her relationship with Pike, but maybe we're reading into it too much? It could be a leap based on her villainous past as the shape-shifting Mystique, and maybe we just want to see more of Number One, but watch this space.
3. Future Spock
Kickstarting the extensive list of 'future' possibilities, the Red Angel's time-travel ability and hidden face suggests it's probably someone audiences have already met. How about Spock from the future appearing to his younger self?
It's important to remember that Alex Kurtzman co-wrote JJ Abrams' 2009 Star Trek and that the movie included a Spock/time-travel twist. Coincidentally, Leonard Nimoy's Spock made his way through the stars using something called Red Matter – Red Matter, red signals... Red Angel.
This one would be hard to pull off after the death of Nimoy, but there are ways around it if we never see Future Spock in the flesh.
4. Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Fans were surprised and overjoyed to hear that Sir Patrick Stewart will reprise his legendary Star Trek role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Stewart might not be tipped to appear on Discovery, but plenty of Trekkies would love to see that brilliant bald head beneath the Red Angel's suit.
There are only a few sketchy details about how Picard will get to lead his own post-The Next Generation series and nothing about whether any of his former crew will also take part. A frankly genius idea could set up the Picard standalone by having Sir Pat be the name behind the Red Angel's identity.
5. Future Pike
Heading back into the history of Star Trek, few characters have as grim an ending as Captain Pike. Famously scrubbed from existence when Roddenberry's original pilot failed, Jeffrey Hunter never had time to get comfy on the bridge of the Enterprise before William Shatner replaced him as Captain Kirk.
Classic episode 'The Menagerie' left Pike (now played by Sean Kenney) in a badly damaged body but with an active mind, only able to communicate through a series of beeps emitted by his electronic wheelchair.
It's one of The Original Series' most iconic moments, but wasn't exactly cheerful. In the episode, the Talosians of Talos IV promised Kirk and Spock they'd take care of Pike. Maybe they were advanced enough to use some of their futuristic tech to send the captain hurtling back through time?
6. Discovery's AI
What if the Discovery managed to gain its own sentient AI and then hurl through time and space doing good deeds? It might seem a little out-there, but one of the Short Trek spin-offs provides a pretty major clue in this direction.
Created to accompany the main series, the Short Trek episode 'Calypso' revealed that the ship was eventually abandoned and evolved its own computer into an advanced personality.
This Short Trek named the Discovery's 33rd Century computer Zora, then saw it take on a life of its own. It might be a little underwhelming to introduce a side character only a few hardcore Trekkies have heard of as the Red Angel, but there's plenty of potential with Zora.
7. An Iconian
A pretty solid (if underwhelming) theory involves the Red Angel being an Iconian.
For anyone who isn't up on their Trek knowledge, the Iconian race was an advanced civilisation that fell around 200,000 years before the events of The Original Series. As well as setting up a network of gates that allowed them to instantly transport across space, the Iconians also look a lot like the Red Angel.
Although Iconians are only a small part of Star Trek lore, they played a major part in the Star Trek Online game. Star Trek: The Next Generation, though, branded Iconians "Demons of Air and Darkness", which doesn't really fit with the Red Angel's kind nature, and considering Star Trek Online isn't in official Trek canon, it also makes the theory a little unlikely.
8. Future Burnham
We're calling it right now – the most logical person to be revealed as the Red Angel is Michael Burnham herself.
Sonequa Martin-Green is the de facto main character of Discovery and it's clear she has some sort of affinity with the Red Angel. It raises plenty of paradoxes, but remembering that the Red Angel saved young Burnham, you'd be pretty stupid to let your past self perish.
Bearing in mind also that Spock has seen the apparition since he's a kid, if he realised it was Future Burnham, it might explain his frostiness toward his adopted sister. Tying together the Red Angel appearing to her, its human female appearance, and the connection to Discovery, should we be preparing to meet older Burnham?
Putting Sonequa in prosthetics is one option, but ex-series boss Bryan Fuller previously said he’d love to cast Angela Bassett in Discovery – just imagine that for a moment.
Star Trek: Discovery streams on CBS All Access in the US and on Netflix in the UK and internationally.
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