Captain Burnham’s new mission in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a Red Directive, but has a Red Directive come up in Starfleet before?

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 – “Red Directive”

Captain Michael Burnham’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) new mission in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is classified as a Red Directive, which hasn’t come up in Star Trek before. Written by Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Star Trek: Discovery‘s season 5 premiere, “Red Directive,” launches Burnham and the USS Discovery on a mission to a derelict 800-year-old Romulan starship. This kicks off an intergalactic treasure hunt that sets Discovery season 5 as a sequel to the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6 episode, “The Chase.”

Captain Burnham is summoned to her Red Directive mission by Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) and Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg) in Star Trek: Discovery‘s season 5 premiere. Burnham is given her orders in a secure location called the Infinity Room. The USS Discovery’s Red Directive mission must succeed at all costs, and Dr. Kovich even personally oversees Captain Burnham’s efforts. Even as Burnham and the crews of the USS Discovery and the USS Antares led by Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) risk their lives, Kovich maintains the Red Directive’s secrecy until Burnham finds her own answers to force Kovich into cooperation.

It’s a different Starfleet in the 32nd century

There’s a simple explanation for Star Trek fans who may be wondering why they’ve never heard of a Red Directive before: the Red Directive is an invention of Star Trek: Discovery season 5. There have certainly been countless Starfleet priority one classified missions, but a Red Directive takes secrecy and urgency to another level. Red Directives are also indicative of how different Starfleet is in the 32nd-century era of Star Trek: Discovery, which would naturally have different protocols following crises like the Temporal Wars and the Burn.

Captain Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery know of Red Directives despite being time-traveling transplants from the 23rd century. This is likely because, during Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Burnham and Discovery’s crew were integrated with the 32nd-century Starfleet. Discovery’s crew gained new uniforms and tech like personal transporters, and their ancient Crossfield Class starship was upgraded with detached nacelles and programmable matter. Discovery‘s crew got up to date on current Starfleet protocols, especially Burnham following her promotion to Captain.

What Star Trek: Discovery’s Red Directive’s Rules Are

A Red Directive can’t be questioned

Star Trek: Discovery’s Red Directive might be the most severe and uncompromising protocol seen in Starfleet yet. The mandate for Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s Red Directive comes from the United Federation of Planets itself, and Starfleet Officers were kept in the dark about the actual details of their mission. Not only did Captain Burnham not know what her actual mission was, but Dr. Kovich had the authority to withhold vital information from the head of Starfleet, Admiral Vance.

The imperative of a Red Directive is that the mission must succeed and anyone and anything can be sacrificed to make it so. Lethal force is also authorized and is a first resort. Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s Red Directive is indeed a jaw-dropper. With Captain Burnham searching for the technology of the Progenitors, the Ancient Humanoids introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “The Chase” who created all humanoid life in the galaxy, whoever controls the Progenitors’ secrets can decide the course of life itself. There can’t be bigger stakes for Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s Red Directive.