In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “By Any Other Name,” the crew of the USS Enterprise encountered a group of beings from the Andromeda Galaxy—powerful, non-humanoid entities called the Kelvans, who took human form to survive in the Milky Way. Their mission? Reconnaissance, conquest, and eventual colonization of our galaxy, as their own was becoming uninhabitable.
But after tasting the extremes of human emotion (and a little bit of Scotch whisky), their leader Rojan decided against conquest. Instead, they agreed to live in peace among us. And then… nothing. No follow-up. No mention of whether the Andromeda homeworld ever got the message. Just silence.
Enter Star Trek: Discovery, a series that has pushed the boundaries of time, space, and galactic politics more than any other Trek installment to date. Set first in the 23rd century and later flung nearly a millennium into the future, Discovery has the perfect opportunity to revisit the Kelvans—and to do it in a way that reflects the unique challenges of intergalactic communication.
📡 The Message That Took Centuries
In “By Any Other Name,” it was stated that a signal sent to the Andromeda Galaxy would take thousands of years to reach its destination. That one line alone could be the seed of a Discovery storyline: imagine a Kelvan fleet finally arriving—not in Kirk’s time, but in the 32nd century—following a centuries-old message to “prepare for colonization.”
The wrinkle? The original message was never sent, or it was ignored or misinterpreted. Perhaps the Kelvans on Andromeda assumed the silence meant the team was lost or Earth’s resistance was successful. So now, in the far future, a new Kelvan expedition arrives—not as invaders, but as desperate refugees from a galaxy in collapse.
🚀 Discovery’s Role in the Story
Discovery thrives on moral dilemmas, high-stakes diplomacy, and reimagining Star Trek lore. A Kelvan arc would deliver all three:
- First Contact 2.0: What does it mean to make contact with an ancient race from another galaxy—one that once tried to conquer us but may now need our help?
- Technological Evolution: What if the Kelvans have advanced beyond the Federation in some areas? How would a rebuilt Federation in the 32nd century respond to a civilization with non-humanoid biology and alien ethics?
- Cultural Echoes: Perhaps Michael Burnham stumbles across the logs of Kirk’s encounter. Maybe Kelvins preserved fragments of that experience themselves, remembering the bizarre and intoxicating phenomenon of “emotion.”
🌌 A Chance for Reconciliation—or Catastrophe
This could be a multilayer arc:
- Episode 1: Discovery finds a derelict Kelvan ship on the galaxy’s edge—crew dead, records damaged. A mystery begins.
- Episode 2: A working Kelvan ship appears, seeking asylum. The Federation debates letting them in.
- Episode 3: A radical faction of Kelvans still wants conquest—and they’ve brought Kelvan tech capable of reshaping matter on a planetary scale.
- Finale: Burnham and her crew must broker peace, proving once again the power of understanding and emotion over fear and control.
🧠 Why This Matters
Revisiting the Kelvans would allow Discovery to connect the dots across Trek history, using a single TOS episode as a launching pad for new philosophical, emotional, and political explorations. It’s also a rare chance to delve into the long-term consequences of a decision made in Kirk’s time—one that could echo across galaxies and centuries.
In an era where nostalgia is being blended with new storytelling (see: Strange New Worlds), bringing back the Kelvans isn’t just fan service. It’s an invitation to finally close the loop on a forgotten piece of Trek lore—and to do so with the heart and complexity that Discovery excels at.
Make it so, CBS.
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