Star Trekhas explored almost every science fiction idea one could imagine. With a dozen TV series and a film franchise, countless writers, actors, directors, and producers have pitched concepts into the franchise’s endless expanse.Star Trek: Discoverygave the franchise five seasons of new ideas and fresh takes on familiar tropes. One of the most engaging concepts that barely got the attention it deserved wasDiscoveryseason five’s Eternal Gallery and Archive, better known as the Archive.
History is a fascinating topic in theStar Trekuniverse. Their timelineincludes a ton of events, people, places, and concepts from reality, but they shift sharply after Earth makes first contact with aliens. SomeStar Trekstories add fun details to humanity’s past. Beyond that, the franchise has endless species and planets with similarly complex fictional backgrounds. Someone should be keeping track of this theoretically infinite source of stories and subjects.
What is the Eternal Gallery and Archive?
The Archive is the ultimate repository of historical records, antiques, and artifacts in the known universe. In its seemingly endless halls, the Archive holdsany and all information. The Archive rests on a massive space station, which deliberately relocates every fifty years or so. The enormous catalog of items contained in the Archive remains largely unknown, with the series depicting only a few key examples. Objects and records find their way to the shelf through many distinct journeys. Noted Starfleet officer and former smuggler Jett Reno mentions running obscure paperwork in or around the Archive in her dealings with a mysterious antiquarian archivist. The Archive remains politically neutral in all matters. They stand apart from all interspecies conflicts and take no sides, regardless of context. Any living being could freely access the Eternal Gallery. Some special items remained walled off, available only to those with a special metal library card. Ifa species or grouprepeatedly targeted or threatened the Archive or its employees, they could lose access. Some notable items in the Archive include:
Who worked at the Archive?
The Eternal Gallery and Archive holds a permanent staff of 1,000 beings. This includes archivists, pilots, collectors, scientists, experts in every field, and the usual crew one would need tooperate a large space station. Those who work at the Archive hold lifetime positions. They live in the mobile library, expanding their collection and attending to the guests. Every employee considers their work to be a solemn vow. They behave like an order of scribes, dedicated to the pure and noble goal of gathering knowledge and making it available to all. Though the show explains that the Archive maintains exactly 1,000 employees, it only shows fans two of them. Hy’Rell is the perfect example. She’s an Efrosian archivist. Her species appeared exclusively as background characters, including the Federation President, in thefourth and sixthStar Trekfilms. Hy’Rell is charming, funny, and excellent at her job. She jokes around with her guests, excitedly gushing about the endless options available in the Archive. She’d be a great character to have around in future works.
The other known Archive employee is Doctor Marina Derex. Derex was a Betazoid neuroscientist who, along with a team of other professionals, discovered the hidden portal that led herto the Progenitors. After meeting the ancient aliens who seeded the universe with DNA and led to the birth of most humanoid species, she learned of their advanced technology. Derex argued that the universe wasn’t ready to wield that power. The Progenitors agreed but asked Derex to spend the rest of her time helping to make them ready. Derex wrote a manuscript, hid clues to its location on a faraway planet, and buried a test inside her book. Everything led back to the Archive, whereMichael Burnham eventuallysolved the clues, met the Progenitor, and came to the same conclusion. Derex worked as an archivist for the remainder of her life, living aboard the space station while she waited for someone to discover her work.
The Eternal Gallery and Archive is one of those science fiction ideas that could spawn its own franchise. Life aboard the Archive, the endless texts within its walls, the process of gathering new material, the work of givingthings back to their rightful owners, and every other aspect of the Archive deserve an explanation. ThoughDiscoverysweeps through the Archive in a hurry, it would be lovely to see a futureStar Trekwork explore it in greater detail.
