In what century does the episode “Calypso” of Short Treks take place?

Question

It is clear that Craft is on Discovery after rescued from his pod. He wears the sand t-shirt Michael and Sylvia wear while running laps on board with the label “DISCO” (likely short for the ship’s name); the few pictures we see of its body and interior also affirms this.

The ship’s computer system appears self-conscious, and exhausting the definition of general artificial intelligence. The acts we have been seeing of Discovery throughout the episodes since it obtained the data of the 100,000-years-old organic celestial body also indicate that the data itself has already gained such level of intelligence (think actions made to prevent its deletion).

Discovery was not present for a rough 7 or 8 centuries of the 3rd millennium, and the first about 150 years of the 4th. Yet, Zorah still tells Craft the it has been abandoned for a thousand years. Considering the build year and its disappearing in the future, it is clear that it this episode does not take place in the 3rd millennium. The fact that Craft used a pejorative pidgin slang for the federation also corroborates that it is the same universe where the Federation 1) exists or existed and not the mirror universe of the Empire 2) that the Burn occurred and caused the collapse of it at one point.

It is questionable that the Burnham crew knowing what data it stores would abandon that ship on their own cognizance in fear of any malicious AI obtaining the data. If I’m not mistaken the 32nd century federation admiral was also briefed of the reasons why they needed to time travel the ship so the federation should have had the information about the importance of the data on Discovery and could reasonably assumed to protect it if it is within its power.

Considering all, one theory I would have is that they somehow made it back in the 23rd century, something happened there, and the ship was left adrift for a thousand years so we are back in 3255 or later.

If Discovery never makes it back into the 3rd millenium, and was abandoned then, that must mean that this Short Trek is sometime no earlier than the mid-43rd century.

Is there any direct evidence to this or the contrary?

Answer 1

The actual line from Zora is this

Craft: How long you been out here alone, waiting for the crew to return from wherever they went?
Zora: Almost a thousand years.

The only context we have for when Discovery was abandoned is this line from later on

But there's only one [shuttlecraft] left and it was never flown. We had just taken delivery. It didn't even have a name yet. It's been sitting idle for a thousand years.

The problem is that shuttle seems to be a 23rd century shuttle. So... it's not much of a clue.

The best we can surmise is that the goal of the episode is to let the audience of the show know that

1. Discovery really can't be destroyed. We saw that on-point in Season 2 (DIS: Such Sweet Sorrow, pt 1), so this just broadens that context
2. The sphere data is causing the Discovery computer to evolve. We've already seen Burnham in S4 calling the computer Zora.

As to your guess

It is questionable that the Burnham crew knowing what data it stores would abandon that ship on their own cognizance in fear of any malicious AI obtaining the data.

We don't know the context, but given #1 above, it's certainly possible that they need to ensure nobody can find Discovery (i.e. a hostile race wants the data) and flew the ship somewhere remote, where she would be hard to detect. Since Zora indicates that Craft is the first person to be on Discovery since then, it seems their plan was successful.

DIS: …But to Connect (S4E7) makes it clear that Zora

is now considered by the Federation to be a life form, and her preferred form is the ship itself, meaning that they could not, and would not, destroy the ship willingly.

The only guess we can make, based on the episodes of ST: Discovery thus far (mid-season 4) is that it takes place nearly 1000 years from the late 32nd century, making it somewhere in the late the 42nd century. This is all subject to change, but it's the only conclusion we can draw.

Answer 2

Discovery started on the TOS era and jumped some 900-1000 years into the future at the end of season two. Putting it in its era past any that we had explored in any star trek series/movie before.