Story: An Obol for Charon
Written By: Alan McElroy & Andrew Colville
Series: Star Trek: Discovery
Year: 2019
This is what I'm talking about. I was disappointed in last week's episode, because it felt like a retread into the dark tone of Season 1, and as it seemed to be built on Season 1 storylines, as opposed to this season's current arc, it just felt like such a shame to go back there. But this is the kind of Trek I want to see from Discovery, sure the have a season arc, but it is essentially a standalone episode, with it's own story, and it is a damn good one at that.
The Discovery is attempting to chase down Spock based on some info gathered by the Enterprise's Number One, and he is in a shuttle on the run after escaping a psych ward and allegedly killing three doctors. But the ship is pulled out of warp and stopped by an exploding sphere, which disrupts many Discovery systems, including the Universal Translator...and locks them in place. Saru's knows 94 languages, which helps, but he is also increasingly ill, a condition which he knows is terminal for his people. Meanwhile Stamets and Tilly are trying to deal with the May spore creature and keep it contained, but when the systems go down they got locked in the spore room with Engineer Jett Reno.
The spore stuff is pretty great actually, because it gives us some much needed fleshing out of Reno who is played so wonderfully by Tig Notaro (who is hilarious by the way, check out her stand-up), and it leads to a major plot element going forward I am sure. Before things get to crazy Stamets and Reno argue about dilithium warping vs traversing the universe via mushrooms. Reno thinks that the spore business is a little wacky and isn't as reliable, Stamets points out that mining for dilithium has destroyed planets, much as Earth once nearly did with fossil fuels (heads up we are still on that track let's fix that!). But as the Spore Creature (or May) escapes containment and attaches to Tilly, it voices it's own concerns. It comes from the Mycelial Network, and lived in harmony with other beings like itself...until Stamets and his spore drive began hopping randomly in and out, and their home began to crumble. It turns his argument against dilithium on it's head...he realizes he has been presumptuous and his own work has down harm in much the same way. We are well on our way to this spore drive being permanently mothballed all those fans who want to know why Voyager didn't try to use it to get home!
Back to the A-story, what I loved about this episode is that as it progressed it became increasingly clear that the sphere that trapped them is sentient, and it wasn't trying to attack them at all...but communicate with them. The sphere (or maybe a sentient planet?) is dying and has lived for centuries, and it wished to pass on it's knowledge...and when Burnham and Saru figure this out, and when Pike decides to risk lowering the shields and letting this being pass it's knowledge o nto them...or possibly destroy them, all in the name of scientific discovery? Well goddamn we got ourselves a Star Trek! The sphere passes on it's knowledge, and the nit explodes, but uses it's final moments to push Discovery clear, ensuring not only the ship's safety, but that it's knowledge will live on. This is the most classic of Star Trek storytelling. Meet an adversary, try to communicate, struggle to figure out it's intentions, and before blowing it up...finding that it is actually not evil, and can lead to new experiences. I loved the whole damn thing. Don't return me to the Klingons please!
After the sphere explodes, Saru believes it is his time to go as well. Burnham helps him to his quarters, and he asks her to cut of his ganglia, to end his suffering and let him die. It is the way of his people, he isn't getting killed by the baddies from his home planet...but it is time for him to die nonetheless. But she doesn't get the chance. Before she can...they fall off. And he feels better. This is good because I love Saru, but it is also an issue for Saru going forward. He left his world knowing that a meaningless death awaited them all and he wanted more. His planet is pre-warp so he can't go back and tell them that they are living a lie and that they could live longer...but how can he go forward knowing something is probably taking advantage of his race and lying to them.
This episode has a ton of greatness to it. I really liked "New Eden" but this has already usurped it as my favorite episode of this particular Trek series. It is an episode in which the crew finds a strange new world, new life and civilizations...it is exactly what Trek's credo is. I know we are gonna probably get more Klingon and Section 31 stuff going forward. I am pretty sure I saw Georgiou and Section 31 in the teaser for next week. But I hope that the positive reaction to episodes like this will have the show lean more into story's like this than the grandiose dark and grimy Klingon stuff. I like L'Rell and Tyler/Voq well enough, but they aren't nearly as interesting as the new paths they are starting to open up. Maybe save some of those stories for the Section 31 show I already don't care about!
NEXT TIME: Tilly Kidnapped by Spores
Written By: Alan McElroy & Andrew Colville
Series: Star Trek: Discovery
Year: 2019
This is what I'm talking about. I was disappointed in last week's episode, because it felt like a retread into the dark tone of Season 1, and as it seemed to be built on Season 1 storylines, as opposed to this season's current arc, it just felt like such a shame to go back there. But this is the kind of Trek I want to see from Discovery, sure the have a season arc, but it is essentially a standalone episode, with it's own story, and it is a damn good one at that.
The spore stuff is pretty great actually, because it gives us some much needed fleshing out of Reno who is played so wonderfully by Tig Notaro (who is hilarious by the way, check out her stand-up), and it leads to a major plot element going forward I am sure. Before things get to crazy Stamets and Reno argue about dilithium warping vs traversing the universe via mushrooms. Reno thinks that the spore business is a little wacky and isn't as reliable, Stamets points out that mining for dilithium has destroyed planets, much as Earth once nearly did with fossil fuels (heads up we are still on that track let's fix that!). But as the Spore Creature (or May) escapes containment and attaches to Tilly, it voices it's own concerns. It comes from the Mycelial Network, and lived in harmony with other beings like itself...until Stamets and his spore drive began hopping randomly in and out, and their home began to crumble. It turns his argument against dilithium on it's head...he realizes he has been presumptuous and his own work has down harm in much the same way. We are well on our way to this spore drive being permanently mothballed all those fans who want to know why Voyager didn't try to use it to get home!
Back to the A-story, what I loved about this episode is that as it progressed it became increasingly clear that the sphere that trapped them is sentient, and it wasn't trying to attack them at all...but communicate with them. The sphere (or maybe a sentient planet?) is dying and has lived for centuries, and it wished to pass on it's knowledge...and when Burnham and Saru figure this out, and when Pike decides to risk lowering the shields and letting this being pass it's knowledge o nto them...or possibly destroy them, all in the name of scientific discovery? Well goddamn we got ourselves a Star Trek! The sphere passes on it's knowledge, and the nit explodes, but uses it's final moments to push Discovery clear, ensuring not only the ship's safety, but that it's knowledge will live on. This is the most classic of Star Trek storytelling. Meet an adversary, try to communicate, struggle to figure out it's intentions, and before blowing it up...finding that it is actually not evil, and can lead to new experiences. I loved the whole damn thing. Don't return me to the Klingons please!
After the sphere explodes, Saru believes it is his time to go as well. Burnham helps him to his quarters, and he asks her to cut of his ganglia, to end his suffering and let him die. It is the way of his people, he isn't getting killed by the baddies from his home planet...but it is time for him to die nonetheless. But she doesn't get the chance. Before she can...they fall off. And he feels better. This is good because I love Saru, but it is also an issue for Saru going forward. He left his world knowing that a meaningless death awaited them all and he wanted more. His planet is pre-warp so he can't go back and tell them that they are living a lie and that they could live longer...but how can he go forward knowing something is probably taking advantage of his race and lying to them.
This episode has a ton of greatness to it. I really liked "New Eden" but this has already usurped it as my favorite episode of this particular Trek series. It is an episode in which the crew finds a strange new world, new life and civilizations...it is exactly what Trek's credo is. I know we are gonna probably get more Klingon and Section 31 stuff going forward. I am pretty sure I saw Georgiou and Section 31 in the teaser for next week. But I hope that the positive reaction to episodes like this will have the show lean more into story's like this than the grandiose dark and grimy Klingon stuff. I like L'Rell and Tyler/Voq well enough, but they aren't nearly as interesting as the new paths they are starting to open up. Maybe save some of those stories for the Section 31 show I already don't care about!
NEXT TIME: Tilly Kidnapped by Spores
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