WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors"
Summary
- "Star Trek: Discovery" reveals Breen's true form, undermining DS9 mystery of enigmatic warrior race.
- The Breen design in "Discovery" is a missed opportunity for alien creativity, as they just turn out to be green humanoids.
- L'ak's face reveal in "Discovery" challenges perception of secretive Breen aliens from DS9, adding complexity.
reveals about DS9's Breen aliens, including that L'ak himself originates within the Breen Imperium.
For the first four episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, audiences saw L'ak as a hulking green villain, determined to protect his lover Moll at any cost. Now, Discovery season 5, episode 5 reveals that audiences have been seeing the true face of one of the enigmatic Breen aliens from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In DS9, Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) stated that no outsiders had seen what a Breen looked like under their armor and lived to tell the tale. Barring Fred (J. Adam Brown) and his guards from Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive", this is no longer the case.
“Jelly Breens”: Star Trek Writer Deep Dives Into Discovery Season 5’s Breen Villains
Star Trek: Discovery has reintroduced the Breen as season 5's villains, and writer Carlos Cisco gives behind-the-scenes details on creating the Breen.
Discovery’s Breen Reveal Undermines A Big DS9 Mystery
There's no question that updated 32nd century design of the Breen refrigeration suits is a great upgrade for Star Trek: Discovery season 5. The loss of the helmet's odd beak from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine design makes them look sleeker and more like the armored warrior race that their reputation suggested. The main issue with the Breen in Discovery is that what's underneath the mask undermines the huge mystery that has surrounded the Breen since their introduction in DS9. For years, Star Trek fans have speculated about what a Breen looks like underneath their armor, and now they discover it's a creature made of green Jell-O.
Every Star Trek Show To Feature The Breen |
Number Of Episodes |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
10 Episodes (Seasons 4 to 7) |
Star Trek: Voyager |
1 Episode ("Flesh and Blood") |
Star Trek: Lower Decks |
1 Episode ("Trusted Sources") |
Star Trek: Discovery |
5 Episodes And Counting |
Worf's assertion that nobody had ever seen the face of a Breen and lived is undermined by Star Trek: Discovery season 5's love story. While the Breen remain secretive in "Mirrors", the very fact that L'ak shows his face out of love for Moll undermines the idea of an isolationist and secretive warrior race. Instead, it suggests that these implacable Star Trek: Deep Space Nine villains just need someone to love. This, combined with the confusing physiology of the newly-revealed Breen, means that the Discovery don't solve the mystery satisfyingly.
An abandoned plot for Star Trek: The Next Generation's season 6 finale would have introduced the Breen as major antagonists for TNG's final season.
Star Trek: Discovery’s Breen Design Is A Missed Opportunity
Star Trek: Discovery's Breen design is a missed opportunity when compared to some of its other work in creating alien species. For example, Discovery season 4's antagonists, the non-humanoid Species 10-C felt alien in a way that Star Trek aliens had rarely felt since the days of TOS. With that in mind, Discovery could have really thought out of the box when it came to what was inside the Breen's refrigeration suits. Sadly, that isn't the case, as they're revealed to be that most enduring of sci-fi archetypes; the green man from outer space.
In an interview with The 7th Rule, Carlos Cisco spoke of the design of the Breen being inspired by "transparent deep sea fishes."
The fact that the Breen are green humanoids is a missed opportunity, because the teases of the Breen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine always hinted that they may not be a humanoid species at all. Their lack of circulatory system and reliance on refrigeration suits implied they were potentially higher beings that forced themselves into a humanoid form. While that's sort of the case with the gelatinous beings that have "evolved" past a solid form in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, it's hard not to feel underwhelmed by the Breen turning out to be yet another humanoid alien species in the canon.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.
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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
