Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 3, "People of Earth"

"People of Earth" is an apropos title for Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 3 because the eponymous starship returned to the Terran homeworld, only to find Earth has radically changed in the year 3189 from what they remember in their 23rd-century timeline. In fact, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Captain Saru (Doug Jones), and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery were shocked to find the unthinkable: Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets are no longer based on Earth, which had severed ties with both!

The history of Earth has been aspirational ever since Zephram Cochrane (James Cromwell) made first contact with the Vulcans after achieving warp capability on April 5, 2063, as seen in Star Trek: First Contact. After surviving the Eugenics Wars and World War III, the human race, with the help of the Vulcans, managed to end hunger, poverty, disease, and the desire for the acquisition of material wealth within a hundred years. Establishing the United Earth government, Starfleet was then created to implement the human race's quest to explore deep space, which was spearheaded by the NX-01 Enterprise led by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). In 2161, Archer helped found the United Federation of Planets, which began with four core member worlds, Vulcan, Andor, Tellar, and the United Earth. The Federation then spent the next few centuries expanding, with hundreds of member worlds joining the foremost galactic power in the Alpha Quadrant. UFP and Starfleet Headquarters were also based on Earth, which cemented it as the most important planet in the vast interstellar union.

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However, nearly a thousand years after the Federation was founded, the Burn led to its collapse towards the end of the 31st century. The galactic cataclysm caused every starship powered by dilithium in their warp cores to simultaneously explode, and the Federation lost nearly its entire Starfleet in an instant. The various parts of the UFP were isolated from each other and the Federation became a shell of its former self, unable to govern or enforce its rules across the galaxy without starships or long-range communications. As for Earth, the Terran homeworld was forced to make difficult choices to preserve itself and its people without Starfleet and with no United Federation of Planets to oversee an increasingly dark and hostile galaxy.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 3, the U.S.S. Discovery returned to Earth for the first time since the end of season 1 when Michael Burnham's rank as Commander was restored and she gave a stirring speech about reclaiming the virtues of the Federation to mark the end of the Klingon War of 2256-2257. But 930 years later, Earth is markedly different, as the Discovery found out when they were intercepted by Captain Ndoye (Phunzile Sitole) of the United Earth Defense Force, and they learned they were not welcome on their own homeworld. Though the crew of the Discovery did achieve friendly relations with the United Earth, this is no longer the same planet they or Star Trek fans recall from how it has been depicted in the rest of the franchise.

Earth Has Left The United Federation of Planets

Star Trek Discovery Future Federation Flag

Soon after the Burn happened, United Earth banished the Federation and Starfleet from the planet. As Captain Ndoye explained, no one knew if the Burn was an attack and the majority of starships that were destroyed belonged to the Federation and Starfleet. In order to protect their homeworld, the United Earth decided to end its membership in the United Federation of Planets - which is mind-boggling since Earth has always been synonymous with Starfleet and the Federation.

The Federation President's office was located in Paris, France while the Federation Council, Starfleet Headquarters, and Starfleet Academy were based in San Francisco, California, with the entire planet connected and accessible via transporters. Earth was the foremost core member world of the Federation; United Earth seceding from the UFP no doubt hastened the already weakened Federation's fall as a galactic power. Incredibly, United Earth became one of the first civilizations to no longer be "true believers" in the Federation.

Related: Star Trek: Every Change To The Galaxy In Discovery's 32nd Century Future (So Far)

Earth Has Returned To Its 22nd Century Designation: United Earth

Star Trek United Earth

It's important to note that during the entire duration of its membership as a founding world of the Federation, the Earth was always known as the United Earth, and the homeworld of the human race became synonymous with the UFP. So, it was the United Earth that broke off from the Federation and decided to place its survival into its own hands. After leaving the UFP, United Earth also ended its reliance on Starfleet. Instead, the Terran homeworld established the United Earth Defense Force as its military arm responsible for the defense of the planet and its people.

Earth Isolated Itself From The Rest Of The Galaxy

Star Trek Discovery Earth 32nd century

After the Burn prompted them to formally break away from the Federation as their government, United Earth decided to "focus on what we had," as Captain Ndoye explained. So, United Earth rebuilt their planet to be self-sustainable and they designed orbital force field generators to literally seal the Earth off from the rest of the hostile galaxy. As the former home base of the Federation, United Earth understood that they were fortunate to be wealthy in technology and natural resources - and protecting what they had from other civilizations who would want what Earth has in abundance became paramount.

This is a stunning reversal of policy from the generosity and openness that defined Earth and the human race as part of the Federation, but the Burn changed the rules of the galaxy. United Earth is now an isolationist society uninterested in seeking out new life and new civilizations or boldly going where no one has gone before, which were the noble credos of the Federation and Starfleet. However, United Earth felt this was no longer realistic or advantageous in a post-Burn galaxy.

Earth Is At War With Dilithium Raiders

Star Trek Discovery People of Earth

One of the reasons United Earth is so paranoid about and hostile to outsiders is that they possess their own supply of dilithium, which makes them a target. United Earth's main enemies are dilithium raiders led by Wen (Christopher Heyerdahl) who attack their ships and try to steal the precious element. But after Michael Burnham and Cleveland "Book" Booker (David Ajala) captured Wen, they exposed him and the dilithium raiders as humans posing as aliens.

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Wen and his people are actually humans living on a settlement on Titan when the Burn happened. They were cut off from their homeworld and tragic accidents devastated their population and left their settlement barely livable. But their attempt for one of their starships to make contact with Earth was met with aggression and their vessel was destroyed. This prompted decades of conflict between the increasingly desperate dilithium raiders. Although the Discovery's crew were able to bring Ndoye and Wen together to negotiate peaceful terms, the reality is United Earth will continue to be a tempting target by any warp-capable species that intends to steal its dilithium and plethora of our natural and technological resources.

Earth Is Still A Paradise

Star Trek Discovery Crew Earth

In Star Trek, Earth is a paradise free of crime, hunger, and disease where the human race is dedicated to the pursuit of their own betterment. Some Starfleet Officers in the 24th century felt Earth was a boring place that couldn't compete with exploring strange new worlds but, after the Burn, United Earth's main concern was protecting their homeworld's paradise and it seems they did succeed.

After Captain Ndoye allowed the Discovery's crew to visit the planet for shore leave, Ensign Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and the bridge crew beamed down to what was once Starfleet Academy and Headquarters in San Francisco. They found it to be the same lush blue and green world they remembered and, although many things were different, Earth appears to still be a paradise. Since the mission of Star Trek: Discovery season 3 is to reunite the broken remnants of the Federation, if Michael Burnham and her crew succeed, the question of whether United Earth will be willing to take its rightful place as the heart of the Federation once more will be a fascinating one for the series to answer.

Next: Star Trek: The Real Reason Why Discovery's Antique Tech Is So Valuable