The Progenitors Seed the Galaxy

Roughly four billion years ago, an ancient humanoid species found itself alone in a galaxy that had produced no other beings like it. Before fading away, these beings, later called the Progenitors, scattered their own genetic code across countless young worlds, steering life on each of them toward a body plan similar to theirs.

The secret surfaced in 2369, when archaeologist Richard Galen died while assembling fragments of DNA hidden in the genomes of many species. Jean-Luc Picard completed his work in a tense race against Klingon, Cardassian and Romulan crews. On a dead world the combined code triggered a recorded message explaining the ancestors' intent: a shared origin and a hope for mutual understanding.

The discovery offered a scientific explanation for why so many species in the galaxy look alike and can even have children together. In the 32nd century the crew of the USS Discovery tracked down technology left by the same civilisation, capable of creating life itself, and chose to place it beyond anyone's reach rather than let it become a weapon.