The Star Trek universe boasts a rich and intricate timeline filled with enigmatic occurrences that have a profound impact on the lives of numerous sentient beings. While the franchise typically focuses on local issues within a planet or system, a significant event such as the Burn can instantaneously alter the fabric of reality.
Out of all the contemporary Star Trek series, Discovery has garnered the most positive reception. Despite criticism from long-time fans regarding the franchise's ongoing attempts at revival, Discovery has found favor among viewers and critics alike. The show has been praised for its groundbreaking approach to exploring new eras while simultaneously clarifying and refining significant aspects of the franchise's lore.
What is The Burn?
Dilithium crystals play a crucial role in regulating the matter/anti-matter reaction that powers most large-scale technology in the Star Trek universe. The element's unique crystalline structure repels anti-matter when energized, creating a permeable barrier between deuterium gas and its anti-matter equivalent. Without dilithium, faster-than-light travel and high-yield explosives would not be possible. Unfortunately, dilithium became scarce in the mid-30th century, and attempts to create a substitute for warp drives proved unsuccessful. The Burn, a galaxy-wide shockwave, destabilized dilithium, causing every space vessel with a functioning warp drive to ignite and explode. The catastrophic event destroyed almost every active Federation vessel and put planets off of their axis, making it one of the most disastrous events in the franchise's history.
The Burn's immediate impact was devastating, but its lasting consequences proved to be even more catastrophic. The once powerful United Federation of Planets, which had stood for nearly a millennium, was left incapacitated. Blame was tossed around recklessly, causing planets to withdraw from the organization. In the following 120 years, the Federation saw a staggering loss of approximately 90% of its member worlds. Despite launching an extensive inquiry into the cause of the Burn, answers were not forthcoming for over a century. However, the Federation did eventually uncover the root cause of this cataclysmic event.
What Caused the Burn?
As the story goes, the catastrophic event that shook the galaxy was triggered by a rather ordinary incident. The Burn was caused by the emotional distress of a young boy named Su'Kal, who lost his mother at a very tender age. Su'Kal was a Kelpien child born to a scientist named Doctor Issa, who was part of a research team aboard the KSF Khi'eth, sent to explore a massive natural dilithium deposit in the dangerous Verubin Nebula. Unfortunately, the Khi'eth crashed on an unknown planet within the nebula, and the USS vessel that received their distress signal failed to rescue them. On this undiscovered planet, Issa gave birth to Su'Kal and created a virtual world and helpful programs to raise him. The boy grew up in a dilithium nursery, surrounded by radiation, and developed a unique connection to the element. After Issa died from radiation poisoning, Su'Kal emitted a psychic scream that destabilized all the dilithium in the galaxy.
After 120 years of searching, the source of the Burn was finally uncovered by the Federation thanks to the investigation of recovered black boxes by the USS Discovery crew. The crew discovered that the Burn did not occur simultaneously throughout the galaxy, as the shockwave took time to travel. Through this realization, Su'Kal was located and brought into the fold by Captain Saru, who prevented a potential second Burn. Su'Kal was given a new home and the galaxy began to rebuild with the help of his massive dilithium nursery. Despite the widespread destruction, the galaxy is slowly but surely recovering from the devastating effects of the Burn.
