The Burn

In 3069, almost all the dilithium in the galaxy suddenly went inert. Every starship with an active warp core at that moment exploded, killing countless people in a single instant. With dilithium already scarce and warp travel now dangerous, interstellar contact broke down.

The United Federation of Planets, which had relied on its fleet to hold its worlds together, began to unravel. Member planets, including Earth and Vulcan, withdrew, and Federation headquarters went into hiding. Criminal syndicates such as the Emerald Chain filled the void, and for more than a century the cause of the disaster remained unknown.

When the USS Discovery reached the 32nd century, its crew traced the origin of the Burn to a dilithium-rich planet in the Verubin Nebula. There, a Kelpien child named Su'Kal, whose cells had been altered by radiation in the womb, had a subspace connection to the dilithium; his anguish at his mother's death triggered the catastrophe. Discovery rescued him, making it possible to restore safe warp travel.