Latest 'Star Trek' Short Boldly Goes Further Into the Future than Ever Before

"Star Trek" has always been an exploration of the future of mankind, but it's never gone this far into the future.

After years of keeping things relatively close to the original and "Next Generation" timelines -- or somewhere in between as "Discovery" sits -- the latest "Short Trek" takes viewers a millennium into the future.

In the trailer for "Calyspo," dropping November 6, Aldis Hodge ("Straight Outta Compton") wakes up on a dust-coated Discovery with a giggling A.I. and a severe case of the lonelys. A title card tells us this is taking place "1,000 years after Discovery."

Now, "Discovery" takes place ten years after the original "Star Trek." We also know that an episode of "Voyager" shot ahead in a flash-forward to the year 3074, but that was all beta quadrant and we're already in way too deep for most of our readers, so let's keep it simple.

The bottom line is that this story inexplicably takes place 1,000 years after the events of "Star Trek: Discovery," which puts it well after the events of "Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager" as well. What is left of the Federation? How is the Discovery still in operation after 1,000 years when we can't get a coffee maker to last more than ten?

These questions will probably not all be answered on "Short Treks: Calypso," but we're pretty sure that giggling A.I. has gone insane with no one to talk to, or at least become fully sentient a la Data from "TNG." But our money is on crazy, and that might be worth tuning in to watch. Maybe they'll recreate "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Even better, these short films are meant to tease and connect to upcoming storylines on "Star Trek: Discovery," which means we might get a more substantial visit to this far-flung future with Hodge, one of television's most under-appreciated actors.

"Short Treks" is a series of short episodes revolving around "Discovery" and teasing upcoming adventures on the series. "Calypso" premieres November 6 on CBS All Access.

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