Star Trek: Discovery has done the great service of bringing back Trek for a new generation. In the coming years, Trekkies will get Picard, Section 31, and many more series in honor of their favorite fictional universe.

While Discovery is a whole new kind of Star Trek, it does not forget its roots. There are countless old school references and Easter eggs throughout the series. From Vulcans to starships, Discovery respects its heritage. (And we’re not using Captain Pike; that one’s far too easy).

Chateau Picard

Even though Captain Jean-Luc Picard has yet to be born, Captain Georgiou seems to like his family’s wine. Before her untimely passing, Michael Burnham served as her second in command. During their time together, fans can clearly see she has her own bottle of Chateau Picard wine.

Fans knew from TNG that the Picard vineyard was famous, but apparently it was a hit long before Picard or his brother were around. That’s quite the call-forward to the life of an unborn man fans had already fallen in love with.

Spock’s Adventures In Wonderland

Spock, unsurprisingly, became a fan favorite character throughout his run with Kirk on the Enterprise. One thing people always were fascinated about was his half human heritage. While his father was a very typical Vulcan, his mother was soft and loving. One of her favorite things to do when he was a child was read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to him.

Since Michael Burnham is his adoptive sister, Discovery has made a point to reference and expand upon his younger years. Not only is Michael also fond of Wonderland, but he himself shows up in her series. From TOS to the bridge of the Discovery, Spock became a positive addition to the Discovery story.

Section 31

Initially, Section 31 was a covert operations team commissioned by the Federation when it first started, and has since operated separately with little to no supervision. They are happy to work outside of the rules and skirt morality to reach their goals. Fans learned about the group in DS9, where they tried to recruit Julian Bashir. DS9 referenced the group a few more times afterwards, however, it never became a big deal.

Star Trek: Discovery decided to change that. Now, not only was Section 31 a big deal, but they even might be getting their own show. With the mirror universe version of Phillipa Georgiou, who knows what could happen?

Vulcan Science Academy

Throughout Trek, the Vulcan Science Academy was a famous place for all Vulcan to go and learn. It can be compared to the Harvard of Spock’s people.

Before, it was just a place that Sarek, T’Pol, and other Vulcans referenced. In Discovery, this iconic place of learning takes on a larger role. A pivotal moment in Michael Burnham and the Spock family history involved the science academy. Sarek had a choice to either let Michael into the academy, or Spock.

He chose Spock.

If only the great Trek connection didn’t end up so tragic.

Number One

When it comes to Star Trek, the name Number One has become an important, consistent reference. It showed up in early versions of TOS, was vital to Jean Luc Picard and Riker, and now Picard named his new dog Number One.

In true Trekkie tradition, while Michael Burnham served under Captain Georgiou, she also was called Number One.

There are so many characters given that honorable title, and it really proves how far Burnham fell before ending up on the Discovery. She went from having one of the most respected positions in Starfleet to criminal outcast.

Harry Mudd

One of the most infamous TOS villains was a man named Harry Mudd. While Mudd hardly was the most dangerous guy, he was very manipulative and greedy. Maybe more important, though, he was always a joy to watch on screen with Kirk and co. The guy totally knew he was shady and kinda gross, but he reveled in it.

Seeing a younger Harry Mudd show up in Discovery is one of the ultimate tie-ins with the other previous series. TOS had some kooky bad guys that didn’t age well, but Mudd aged fantastically. It’s so easy to cringe at his creepy antics.

Stella Grimes

Speaking of Harry Mudd, an infamous part of Harry Mudd’s backstory is that he was always running from his nagging and shrewish ex-wife, Stella Mudd (nee Grimes). In the end, Kirk creates the ultimate prison for the annoying con-man. He creates a bunch of clones of Stella to serve as his constant wardens for the entire time he serves for his crimes. Spoilers, it’s basically the rest of his life.

In Discovery, fans get to see Stella and Mudd fall in love, before they hate each other. It’s clear why they fell in love, but those problems seeds of their marriage are already there. He’s already manipulative, and she already demands a lot from him.

Sarek Himself

Before Discovery even touched the Spock thing, they heavily involved Sarek in their stories. After all, he was Michael Burnham’s adoptive father.

Sarek has had many roles throughout the Star Trek universe. In TOS, he was Spock’s semi-estranged father. In TNG, he was the revered by mentally deteriorating ambassador. Now, in Discovery he he shows a more human side of him, before he loses his mind. His interactions with Amanda are very wholesome and loving in their own way. Fans can see more into his inner world and how much he actually loves him family.

USS Enterprise (The First)

While Kirk’s Enterprise was most people’s first, or Picard’s, the real first Enterprise was captain Archer’s, in the earliest days of humans exploring the universe. Since that series was created after all the other series, none of them mention it, despite it being so historic.

Lucky for Archer, Discovery was created. Like Zefram Cochrane or other heroes of the Star Trek universe, now Archer and his crew are among the infamous “two real people and a Star Trek character” listings. Isn’t it exciting to hear Discovery crew-members mention the first starship in Trek history to explore the galaxy, the USS Enterprise?

Klingon History

Considering the first season featured the Klingons as the major antagonists, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of mentions to important Klingon history. It would make less sense if they didn’t, right?

Well, the inclusion of Klingon history is more just exciting because of the sheer volume. The show included all the mythos behind Kahless, Klingon Funeral rituals, explored their already speculated history with genetic modifications, and so much more.

While fans may not love the visual thing the creators did with Klingons, at least they went hardcore in including pieces of their culture and unanswered questions. Now, who will unite all the great houses? Hmm?