Star Trek: Discovery opening title sequences

The opening title sequences for Star Trek: Discovery were produced by the design studio Prologue, and featured technical wire-frame outlines of tools like phasers, communicators and the USS Discovery, morphing into symbols representing life, belief, and exploration. Picturemill redesigned the titles for the third and fouth seasons based on those from the first two seasons.

The Prologue team that produced the original sequence included creative directors Ana Criado Zahonero and Kyle Cooper, designers Ana Criado Zahonero and Fernando Domínguez Cózar, animation and art direction by Francisco Sánchez de Cañete and Nader Husseini, editor Rachel Fowler, and writer Kurt Mattila. [1]

The score by Jeff Russo, featuring a sixty-piece orchestra, opens and closes with nods to the original Star Trek: The Original Series score by Alexander Courage. [2]

Season 1[]

For DIS Season 1, imagery included Star Trek: The Original Series-style phaser and communicator, a hand performing the Vulcan salute, and two near-touching hands in Starfleet environmental suits, referencing The Creation of Adam by Michaelangelo.

The rippled sand formation Discovery flies over is taken from actual imagery of the Victoria Crater on Mars. [3]

Discovery nacelle comes into view through a field of (green) dilithium

Aft view of Discovery forms from technical wireframe

Main Bridge comes into view

Discovery three quarter view

Season 2[]

The DIS Season 2 opening was released on 15 January 2019, two days before the second season premier "Brothers". [4] The new sequence featured several changes including the addition of the USS Enterprise command chair, the Red Angel out of focus, the IDIC, Section 31 badge, and a transporter room ("invented by Emory Erickson.")

The Red Angel figure is replaced by a clearer Red Angel suit in the opening of "Light and Shadows", following Saru's observations in "The Sound of Thunder".

The Enterprise command chair

The mysterious Red Angel figure (out of focus)

Starfleet badges (used aboard the Enterprise) morph into badges used aboard Discovery, on a transporter

The Red Angel suit ("Light and Shadows" onward)

Season 3[]

StarTrek.com released the DIS Season 3 opening title sequence on 14 October 2020, the day before the release of the season premier "That Hope Is You, Part 1". [5]

New featured graphics included Booker's ship, the 32nd century Starfleet phaser, and the sequence featuring Starfleet badges over a transporter was changed to feature generic 2250s badges morphing into 32nd century-style badges. The sequence ends depicting entry into a wormhole, referencing the crew's time travel to the future as the premise for the season.

Discovery nacelle comes into view through a field of (red) dilithium

A 2250s-style phaser morphs into a 32nd century phaser

Booker's ship comes together

The opening titles were vertically mirrored and color-inverted for "Terra Firma, Part 2", an episode that began and was primarily set in the mirror universe.

Discovery three-quarter view, inverted

Discovery over a planet, inverted

32nd century tricom badges, inverted

The space-time wormhole, inverted

Season 4[]

As had been done with prior seasons, the DIS Season 4 opening title sequence included several new and revised visuals alongside some that had carried over from prior seasons. All visuals of Discovery now reflect its refit design with disconnected warp nacelles. New visuals include: a graphic representing Zora, the destruction of Kweijan, and the DMA.

Season 5[]

New visuals for this season include: the twin moons of Lyrek, the key to the Infinity Room, Moll and Lak's ship, and Progenitor architecture. A depiction of the clue to the Progenitors' technology grows more complete as the season progresses.

The opening for the series finale, "Life, Itself", includes clips from the openings from all previous seasons.

External link[]

• Star Trek: Discovery "Art of the Title" interview