Everything we learned from the Star Trek Discovery season 3 SDCC 2019 panel - including the return of Spock in Short Treks

Star Trek Discoveryy season 3 SDCC 2019
(Image credit: CBS)

The Star Trek SDCC 2019 panel did not disappoint. Not only did we find out that Spock and Captain Pike will return in Short Treks (more on that later), but we now know exactly when Star Trek Discovery season 3 is set. On top of that, a new Discovery cast member was announced. Our sister publication, SFX, was there to log everything down.

New cast member

David Ajala, who previously appeared in The Dark Knight and the Fast and Furious series, will be joining the cast in Star Trek Discovery season 3 as Cleveland "Book" Booker. The official description for his character reads: "Smart and capable, Book has a natural charisma and devil-may-care attitude that tends to get him into trouble as often as it gets him out."

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Elsewhere, Alex Kurtzman, who is overseeing the current slate of Star Trek TV shows, confirmed that the events of the Star Trek Discovery season 2's finale means that season 3 will actually boldly go where no Star Trek show has gone before - 1000 years into the future. 

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Kurtzman also revealed that Short Treks, the 15-minute long mini-episodes that flesh out secondary characters and stories, will also be returning for a six-episode run. They're not your run-of-the-mill episodes, either. Ethan Peck is back as Spock in one, as is Anson Mount's Captain Pike. The final Short Trek will act as Picard TV show teaser, and two other Short Trek's will be animated. 

The titles for the shorts are as follows: “Ask Not,” “Q&A,” “The Trouble with Edward,” “The Girl Who Made the Stars,” “Ephaim and Dot” and “Children of Mars.”

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To make sure you don't miss a thing at SDCC be sure to check out the San Diego Comic Con 2019 schedule and our comprehensive San Diego Comic Con 2019 trailers hub.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.