Star Trek: Who Is Agent Daniels?

The Star Trek franchise can be a massive network of TV shows, each of which could stand on its own. They aren’t often that episodic, at least not in the modern era. Like most massive entertainment brands, part of the appeal is constant references to previous outings. One of the most interesting new developments in Star Trek: Discovery is a cross-over concept tying the series to Enterprise. Specifically, the show just revealed that Dr. Kovich has been temporal agent Daniels all along.

One of the unique elements of writing a TV series is real-time feedback. Showrunners, writers, and directors can see the reaction to a new batch of episodes before they finish the next few. That allows creators working on programs like Star Trek to assess the popularity of story elements and decide which stories to focus on. Star Trek: Enterprise tells several stories, many of them separated by years, but its most notable arc is now an ongoing concern.

Where did Daniels first appear?

Daniels first appeared in the eleventh episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. It’s the second entry in the series’ Temporal Cold War arc. Daniels would return for seven episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. Daniels posed as a Starfleet crewman aboard the Enterprise in 2151. He pretended to be a steward, serving food to the other people aboard the vessel. His true assignment came from the mysterious temporal agents. Daniels worked with enigmatic forces from the far future, working to combat all sides of the Temporal Cold War. Unbeknownst to contemporary people, many military groups from the future sent emissaries back in time to rewrite history in their favor. Daniels was one of many agents working to prevent tampering with the timeline. His first known mission saw him hide in plain sight aboard the Enterprise to ambush and capture the leader of a terrorist group called the Cabal. The Cabal got its orders from an unnamed voice from the 28th century. Daniels worked with Captain Johnathan Archer to capture the Cabal’s enhanced commanding officer, Silik. Unfortunately, Silik shoots Daniels, seemingly killing him.

Daniels returned a year later, unwilling to explain how he’d survived. He interfered with Enterprise business several times over the following years. Daniels accidentally traps himself and Archer in the 31st century after fleeing through time to avoid a Cabal attack. The knock-on effect destroyed Daniels’s civilization, forcing them to employ elaborate trickery and innovation to get home. Daniels later gave Archer and T’Pol a time-travel mission that involved marking things out of place in 2004. They got the job done, allowing Daniels to place them back in 2153, only moments after they’d left. Daniels next dragged Archer to watch a 26th-century conflict between the Federation and the Sphere-Builders. He explained that the Sphere-Builders used time travel to arrange an invasion by the Xindi to trick Archer into a suicide mission, altering the timeline so that the Federation would never come to be. This convinced Archer to push for a treaty and make peace with the Xindi. Finally, Daniels brought Archer to an alternate 1944. The Na’kuhl accidentally trapped themselves on Earth during World War II, prompting them to partner with the Nazis. Archer and the Enterprise crew destroy their time machine, fixing all the alterations that caused the Temporal War. Daniels leaves the Enterprise, promising Archer that the war is over.

Who is Kovich?

Doctor Kovich is a mysterious Federation official, physician, and cognitive scientist who appears in Star Trek: Discovery. He seems to have several skillsets, but his enigmatic presence in the show remains vague. The final episode of Discovery reveals that Kovich is an assumed name and that Doctor Kovich is actually Agent Daniels. He’s lived several lives in various locations, many of which must have placed him in contact with Starfleet. Operating as Kovich, he sent Burnham on a mission to find the alien organisms that created human life. He developed a strange adversarial relationship with Burnham, eventually deciding to reveal his secret to her. His big reveal could have massive implications for future Star Trek shows.

Who plays Daniels and Kovich?

Matt Winston portrayed Crewman Daniels in Enterprise. Winston is the son of special effects legend Stan Winston. His acting career began in the 1990s with roles in slashers like Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. He recently appeared in Harbinger Down and the TV series Raising Hope. With over 100 credits under his belt, his career is fascinating. Decades later, beloved horror director David Cronenberg picked up the mantle by portraying Kovich. Cronenberg needs no introduction. He’s the filmmaker who made body horror one of the most prominent and iconic film subgenres in modern media. He’s best known as the director of classics like The Fly, Scanners, and Videodrome. Cronenberg regularly acts in his own films, but he also has small parts in dozens of other projects. He has central roles in Alias Grace and the fourth season of Slasher.

Daniels is a fascinating character who pops in on several occasions. Tying the mysterious Doctor Kovich back to this forgotten figure certainly made a splash among Star Trek fans. Daniels is essentially a time cop for the Star Trek universe. His return to the franchise could be a bizarre new curveball for future outings.