Star Trek: Discovery has some pretty lofty goals to accomplish in its second season, including getting fans to accept a new version of Spock. There's also an ambitious plan to tackle the franchise's canon.

As any Trek fan will know, the 50-plus years of the franchise has left Tribble-sized plot holes that are endlessly debated – and they can be so complex that Star Trek: Discovery's co-creator Alex Kurtzman told us last year that it would be "impossible" to completely fix continuity.

CBS

Yet, in a new interview promoting the second season of Discovery, Kurtzman has revealed that the show tries to do just that in its new episodes by explaining why Spock never mentioned having a sibling bond with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) in the original series.

"We are syncing up with canon [this season]," he told Digital Spy and other media. "We know we’re 10 years pre-TOS but there are a lot of big questions.

"Like, how come Spock is never mentioned as half-sister of Michael Burnham? This season is all about understanding what that relationship is. By the end of the season, we will be synced up with canon."

The task of bridging continuity between the original series and Discovery apparently led to some intense discussions in the writing room for season 2, but ultimately allowed the team to put their own stamp on Trek lore.

CBS

Related: The future of the Star Trek franchise explained: WTF is going on with the TV shows and movies?

"[Canon is] part of the daily conversation," executive producer Heather Kadin explained. "There’s certain people in the room and – I say ‘fights’ very loosely – and fights will break out between them. ‘I want to do this,’ ‘But you can’t do that’ and I think that is also why you’re getting such a specific experience because all of that thought has gone into it.

"We’re always trying to make the best story, you have to also be true to the canon that came before you."

Netflix CBS

"We touch on canonical elements this season, beyond just the characters," Kurtzman concurred. "There are other things that will come into play that you have seen on TOS. Again, the idea is always to build on what came before without negating what came before.

"We mentioned that the Talosians might show up this season. Anyone who knows 'The Menagerie' or 'The Cage' knows what they’re capable of. So it’ll be really interesting to see how they might fit into the world of Discovery."

Although Discovery is only embarking on its second season, Kurtzman hinted that he sees potential for many more adventures to come..

"[The series] can go for a long time," he said. "A lot of the series have gone for a long time. The key is to constantly find a way to reinvent while also always delivering what people expect from the show."

Star Trek: Discovery season 2 begins January 17 on CBS All Access in the US and January 18 on Netflix in the UK.

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