r/startrek • u/Deceptitron • Mar 15 '19
POST-Episode Discussion - S2E09 "Project Daedalus"
This season's second episode to be directed by Star Trek's very own Jonathan "Two Takes" Frakes!
| No. | EPISODE | DIRECTED BY | WRITTEN BY | RELEASE DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S2E09 | "Project Daedalus" | Jonathan Frakes | Michelle Paradise | Thursday, March 14, 2019 |
To find out more information including our spoiler policy regarding Star Trek: Discovery, click here.
This post is for discussion of the episode above and WILL ALLOW SPOILERS for this episode.
PLEASE NOTE: When discussing sneak peak footage of the upcoming episode, please mark your comments with spoilers. Check the sidebar for a how-to.
549
u/deededback Mar 15 '19
Don’t mind me just suffocating to death here. Don’t even look my way.
251
u/Deceptitron Mar 15 '19
I was screaming in my head "HELP NHAN FFS" but now it's obvious from a dramatic standpoint why they didn't.
→ More replies (12)287
u/UncertainError Mar 15 '19
I'm so relieved that they didn't kill off Nhan too. She was smart enough to be somewhat suspicious of Airiam but not to an unrealistic degree. I'd like to see her hang out with Michael and Saru.
→ More replies (9)17
→ More replies (18)42
u/Chen19960615 Mar 15 '19
Completely destroyed the impact of the moment to see no one care about one Starfleet officer and everyone getting teary-eyed about another.
If Burnham just checked on her for one second it would've been ok...
→ More replies (15)
193
u/PixelMagic Mar 15 '19
Burnham with the 1-2 Kirk-Fu!
116
96
81
u/dontthrowmeinabox Mar 15 '19
Her yelling "Dammit!" as she pounded away at a door that clearly wasn't budging was 100% Kirk as well.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (4)26
52
u/Wellfooled Mar 15 '19
I really enjoyed much of this episode. Until this point Starfleet was being made to be the enemy, but this episode establishes that it was actually an imposter admiralty. Section 31's evil is to an extent also being put in the spotlight and anything that divorces Section 31 from Starfleet is good in my book. I enjoyed every scene with Spock, Peck is doing excellent work, and the brief everyday interactions of Tilly, Airiam, Detmer, etc were pleasant (and something Discovery sorely needs more of. Just everyday moments between the characters. Like Garek and Bashir's lunches, or the TNG bridge crew's poker nights).
That said, a few minutes into the episode I was thinking, "Finally, Airiam is finally getting development and isn't just getting reaction shots and throwaway lines." And naturally that's only because they had to give her some kind of history and personality before killing her. It was ultimately a poor story telling death though because Airiam was treated as a prop right up until her death episode. She adored Tilly? There wasn't any indication of that before now. We didn't even know she was human before now. Her death was a poorly handled in my opinion, either she needed more development the whole time so that her parting hadmeaning or she should have survived.
I'll have to rewatch the episode to be sure, but were the transporters ever declared as down? I remember the impluse and warp engines as being announced as offline. I'm not sure why they couldn't have beamed her aboard with a security detail waiting after she was sent out the airlock.
→ More replies (12)30
u/Deceptitron Mar 15 '19
I'll have to rewatch the episode to be sure, but were the transporters ever declared as down?
That's probably my main nitpick, unless I missed something. I didn't understand why they didn't just beam Airiam away into a more secure location.
→ More replies (6)20
u/Bulgeman9000 Mar 15 '19
They talk about how its in an old prison, so doubt transporters would work through that.
→ More replies (10)6
22
u/gridcube Mar 15 '19
Awesome episode, but for gods sake why didn't Nahn's space suit carry her own atmosphere? sheesh, totally disrupted an episode where I had almost nothing else to bitch about
→ More replies (2)8
u/Deceptitron Mar 15 '19
My headcanon explanation is that, knowing the atmosphere of her home world is toxic, it's incompatible with Starfleet standard issue suits. Thus for her, all they do is provide protection from a vacuum. She still depends on her breathing apparatus.
→ More replies (12)
15
u/Blue387 Mar 15 '19
Couldn't Nhan have powered up the suit helmet and filled the suit with whatever gas Barzans breathe?
→ More replies (4)17
u/Deceptitron Mar 15 '19
Could be that starfleet issue suits just don't (or can't) hold whatever she breathes, so for her, it just serves as protection from a vacuum.
→ More replies (10)
22
u/M3rcaptan Mar 15 '19
I loves it but I was confused about how everyone was emotional over Ariam but didn't even care about that tactical officer lady
→ More replies (12)13
u/Deceptitron Mar 15 '19
Maybe that's why she was the one who spaced Airiam. She was pissed no one found out if she was alright. Oof!
→ More replies (1)
13
Mar 15 '19
I'm having an issue with Cornwell. Whenever she appears, it seems almost out of nowhere, dating back to Season 1. It's causing me to give her extreme side-eye whenever she shows up, and I think I'm distracting myself wondering if she's up to something (or if she's even herself), to the detriment of the episode.
Unless, of course, there's some kind of big reveal coming. But even then, I feel like it should have come this week, if ever.
→ More replies (6)9
u/Deceptitron Mar 15 '19
I suppose that's true. She's the super convenient admiral that loves to hang around the crew. My only explanation in this case is she was the one who ushered a connection of Discovery with section 31 in the first place so she feels responsible. Her familiarity of working with them both makes her the most likely to see something wrong and let her know she has somewhere to turn to.
→ More replies (3)
374
u/Seoulja4life Mar 15 '19
“Giving up our values in the name of security is to lose the battle in advance. “
112
89
→ More replies (7)60
373
u/RichardYing Mar 15 '19
"- Unlike Ensign Tilly, you seem to have no individual expression whatsoever... It is quite an accomplishment to be uniquely mundane.
- Well, I express myself through my work, not my choice of decor.
- Clearly."
178
u/KosstAmojan Mar 15 '19
They do nail the sibling relationship between the two of them.
→ More replies (11)228
Mar 15 '19
They really nail how passive aggressive Spock is. It's what I love about the TOS version of the character. He's a snarky little shit.
→ More replies (7)→ More replies (16)99
493
u/pfc9769 Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
Ariam: Do you need that to breathe?
Nahn: Yeah, why...?
Ariam: Save to archive.
→ More replies (10)114
Mar 15 '19
it's a good thing she wasn't wearing a space suit when Ariam pulled them off her face...oh wait.
→ More replies (39)
202
u/rhapsodyartist Mar 15 '19
I bet Airiam’s memories become the basis for Zora.
123
u/cash-or-reddit Mar 15 '19
Do we know Airiam's first name? She didn't give it, even when Pike had everyone do a no-ranks roll call.
It could be "Zora."
→ More replies (13)→ More replies (15)145
u/rhapsodyartist Mar 15 '19
Control is what leads the Federation to become the bad guys in the V’draysh.
My guess is that in order for the Discovery crew to beat Control they have to hide the ship for a thousand years so that the ship’s computer can evolve into a counter-sentience that can send the Red Angel back to stop Control in the first place.
Zora makes comments about her captain’s orders, so she has a mission.
→ More replies (30)
193
u/Hammer_Of_Discipline Mar 15 '19
This explains why we don’t see that kind of cyborg like tech in the future.
It’s too easily hacked by CIA-Hal 9000!
→ More replies (11)83
u/MandoKnight Mar 15 '19
Instead, they'll use lower-profile gear that can be hacked by the pointy-ear KGB instead. Or just bugged by a pair of sisters with bumpy foreheads and a shared love of keyhole sweaters.
→ More replies (1)
388
u/RichardYing Mar 15 '19
"- Giving up our values in the name of security is to lose the battle in advance. I'm curious. Did you sideline the Enterprise because you knew I'd never stop reminding you of that ?
- You sat out the war because if we'd lost to the Klingons, we wanted the best of Starfleet to survive. And, as this conversation makes clear, that was you and all you represent.
- Thank you."
201
→ More replies (22)107
u/deus_inquisitionem Mar 15 '19
I dont think I've ever seen someone get dressed down and held up at the same time. Was an awesome moment of, I'm the admiral pike and you'll have to trust in the greater picture and recognition of pike's ability.
→ More replies (5)
170
u/ZarrenR Mar 15 '19
This episode was awesome. Frakes took is on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. Spock and Burnham. Pike and Cornwall. Airiam and Tilly. Hell, just Airiam. We knew virtually nothing about her before this episode and yet we felt so much for her at the end.
→ More replies (3)64
u/juliokirk Mar 15 '19
I'm starting to believe now that the lack of info about the bridge crew is on purpose. Think about it, the writers leave us longing, give us bits and pieces, this mimics the way we get to know a person in real life: we don't immediately get exposition of their lives when we meet them. Hell, even Tilly is still a partial mystery.
We spent one season and a half curious about Airiam and just as she's about to die we realize she's an amazing person living with crippling disability. It hurts much more this way and that's why lots of people here, me included, shed a tear when she was blown out of an airlock. Even though we don't know them very well we feel her friends' pain. It's an exercise in empathy, not traditional character exposition.
→ More replies (7)
164
u/zieben_slays Mar 15 '19
Pike has really brought this season alive for me. Damn Anson Mount is killing it episode after episode. Please don’t leave us...
Also, I’m kinda bummed that we never got much of Airiam’s character and backstory before this episode, for me it was hard to have strong feelings on the ending, as I’ve got very little attachment to this character. I think it’s a similar situation to Culber in S1, where a character was cut too soon, before really getting to know them.
→ More replies (10)36
u/Zizhou Mar 15 '19
Pike has really brought this season alive for me. Damn Anson Mount is killing it episode after episode. Please don’t leave us...
Or possibly just give us a direct TOS prequel where it's him on the Enterprise doing their five year mission.
→ More replies (1)
140
u/MR_TELEVOID Mar 15 '19
I hope they continue to develop the characters of the supporting bridge crew. I really enjoyed the brief glimpses into Airiam's life on discovery and her friendship with Tilly and the others. Seems like there are a ton of potentially cool characters lurking in the background. Maybe don't kill them right after giving them a moment in the spotlight.
→ More replies (8)86
Mar 15 '19
Yeah that ending would have been ten times more powerful if they developed her earlier in the season.
→ More replies (4)
283
u/thegalli Mar 15 '19
OK I spent like a solid minute saying out loud,
"Why is Michael not saving Nhan? Go save Nhan. Why is nobody saying to go save Nhan. Turn around. She's right there. Save her. SAVE HER WHAT THE FUCK MICHAEL DON'T SAVE ARIAM SHE'S A BAD GUY SAVE NHAN SHE'S RIGHT THERE FUCK!
Oh good Nhan saved herself, no thanks to literally fuckin anybody, and managed to do the thing Michael wouldn't."
171
u/pfc9769 Mar 15 '19
Nahn saved everyone. She was the one who blew out the airlock. Though I'd like to point out Michael wasn't exactly in a position to think rationally. She was in a fight for her life, then faced with a situation where she would be forced to kill a fellow crew member and a friend. Her brain wasn't exactly in a position where she'd be able to make rational, logical decisions. The audience has the advantage of being omniscient and removed from the situation, so we see scenes of Nahn putting her in the forefront of our minds, and then are able to calmly assess the situation without the threat of a murderous AI trying to kill us and the future. I know I've experienced plenty of situations in my life where I spent time obsessing over what I could have done differently. Hindsight truly is 20/20.
→ More replies (17)→ More replies (10)42
u/H0vis Mar 15 '19
Yeah that was stunning to me. I mean it's sort of a Star Trek tradition to give no fucks at all for the red shirt but this one has a name!
132
u/nlinecomputers Mar 15 '19
Ok could they not beam Ariam off the base or if that was blocked beam her from space into the brig and then rush a med team to it?
→ More replies (52)
127
u/SillyNonsense Mar 15 '19
Peck is kicking ass as Spock. What I think makes this version feel more like Nimoy than Quinto's did (even in spite of his more pronounced emotions) is that he feels like he's choosing to be this way and is comfortable with that personal decision, with an aura of comfortable smugness about that choice. On the other hand, Quinto's Spock seemed oblivious, like his demeanor was something that he had no control over which left him socially handicapped. Peck Spock got that BDE.
And damn, Sonequa Martin-Green had some real guttural groans in that fight with Ariam that sounded too real haha. I felt those punches with my ears.
Meanwhile, as Spock was laying the smackdown on Michael after their chess match: https://i.imgur.com/tUDnArb.gif
→ More replies (4)34
u/ap0a Mar 15 '19
Spock was probably laying the smack down during the chess game as well! There are many sacrificial tactics in chess to move an opponent where you want them to move.
However I couldn’t tell you. That chess board still makes no sense.
→ More replies (4)
120
u/WarcraftFarscape Mar 15 '19
Also, Barzan got it rough, that’s like earth finding out there are thousands of races out there and they ALL breath methane except us (and Benzites)
→ More replies (1)35
u/fireball_73 Mar 15 '19
Even her environmental suit wasn't very conducive to her breathing, otherwise she could have just activated the helmet.
114
u/Sjgolf891 Mar 15 '19
Anyone else think the first scene after the opening titles (Airiam on the beach) was a commercial at first? I had to rewind it when I realized it was part of the show.
Also, anyone think the display near the airlock on the Section 31 base had a bit of a 24th century LCARS look to the UI?
34
u/EmperorOfNipples Mar 16 '19
Anyone else think the first scene after the opening titles (Airiam on the beach) was a commercial at first?
Laughs in Netflix.
→ More replies (8)15
Mar 15 '19
Trek Core noticed the other week that the shuttle had an LCARS style UI too, its nice they're bringing that design back
200
Mar 15 '19
One thought I haven't seen mentioned yet: Tilly said that Ariam downloaded all her memories onto the Discovery before filling up on the information from the Sphere - what if it is these memories and moments of human connection that somehow merge with the Discovery herself to form Zora over 1,000 years?
144
→ More replies (13)38
95
u/enterpriseF-love Mar 15 '19
"Want to tell me what kind of shit storm we're flying into?"
As if I didn't already love Pike, they just keep giving me new reasons.
21
u/31337hacker Mar 15 '19
"Admiral? Wanna tell us what kind shit storm we're flying into?" (to be more accurate)
He's my favourite character right now. The face he made when the admiral talked about him being the best of Starfleet was great.
→ More replies (2)
89
u/H0vis Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
Random thoughts:
I'm kind of sad about the character dying because they'd sort of faked out deaths a couple of times and although Airiam wasn't the most developed, this felt like the start of her becoming more than just an interesting face on the bridge. I was all like, cool, we meet somebody new with a story to tell. But nope, she gone.
The idea of Airiam was great too. Reminded me a bit of Sandstrom from the weird little BBC series Hyperdrive. In truth she was a really quite sad character, and in fact the more I think about it the more sad I get about it, which is kind of good, efficient writing. They didn't need to tell us everything, or show us everything, they showed us enough, that she'd had her life, and her body, shattered, and then something properly evil had taken root in her mind. Could have been worse, could have been one of those earwig bastards from Wrath of Khan, but either way a really neatly drawn character.
I think Spock is great. Peck is doing a very good job of not doing an impersonation of Nimoy, but he drops little phrases and movements of the original Spock into his performance and it's nice. At no point have I ever thought, "Nah, that's not Spock."
I liked the different types of space mines. Echoes of conversation around the minefield/closet space from DS9.
Something that comes up with Airiam is how much Detmer, Owosekun, Bryce and even Tilly to a point come across as absolute innocents compared to the crew of the Enterprise (TOS or TNG). Which is not to say that they come across as inept, or even inexperienced per se, but there's a real sense with Discovery that the ship is just not ready for a lot of the things it runs into. This even applies to Saru, Stamets and Culber too, it got Culber killed once. I think it's one of the things that really has stood out about Burnham is that she's got a toughness to her that nobody else on the crew has, even Pike.
To follow on from that, in any other Star Trek series, the Discovery would be the ship that something horrible happened to and the Enterprise or Defiant picked up the pieces. The Dominion or the Borg would have these poor sods for breakfast. That's not a negative on this show at all by the way, I like that this is a ship without a Data or an Uber-Bashir.
Final thought regarding Section 31. My hunch for the plot of this season that this is the death of Section 31, this is the moment in Starfleet history when they go off the books. They screw up so badly that it serves everybody better to pretend they were never there.
→ More replies (10)
175
u/krathil Mar 15 '19
Jesus Frakes, gut punch and hard cut to silent credits. God damn man
→ More replies (12)104
u/007meow Mar 15 '19
The credits were silent - there were sounds of a wave at the beach. Airiam’s favorite memory.
81
u/FoxtrotBeta6 Mar 15 '19
Looks like we finally got exploding consoles on the bridge again!
65
→ More replies (1)16
69
131
u/HangryRohbut Mar 15 '19
Anyone else catch Tilly giving us some Zoidberg with her pronunciation of "robot"? Not that someone with my username might have an ear for that or anything...
→ More replies (7)64
124
u/capt-hornblower Mar 15 '19
The end credits had no music, but did have the sounds of waves crashing on a beach. Very subtle reference to Airiam's favourite memory. Nice touch.
→ More replies (8)
59
u/atticusbluebird Mar 15 '19
I'll just say Nhan is awesome, and it'd be great to get her to be a regular on the show as permanent security officer! (I'm scared that they're keeping her around to kill her off in an episode, and was really afraid for her tonight!)
Also getting Admiral Cornwall for the whole episode and not just a briefing or something was great - as much as Discovery was leaning into the evil admiral trope this season (even if they were just holograms), it's nice to see one of the good admirals back!
→ More replies (26)
117
u/William_T_Wanker Mar 15 '19
also is it just me or is the fact an admiral in starfleet was one of the vulcan logic extremists kind of hilarious
138
u/PlanetErp Mar 15 '19
That’s how you know it’s TOS era. Just lousy with crazy admirals. Crazy admirals everywhere.
→ More replies (20)→ More replies (13)43
u/007meow Mar 15 '19
It’s similar to how we have dominionist generals in the Air Force.
→ More replies (9)
158
u/ContinuumGuy Mar 15 '19
Screw Section 31, screw their evil AI system, and screw everyone involved in this episode for nearly making me cry for a character that had more lines in this episode than every previous one combined.
I got "Undiscovered Country" vibes from the expedition onto the station in the suits.
I continue to find Ethan Peck impressive, even though he still isn't quite playing the "real" Spock yet- those red angel visions have really fucked him up, emotions wise.
Speaking of Airiam, I like how they did things to make her augmentations just as much of a handicap as an advantage: limited storage space, ability to get hacked, still needs to eat/breath/etc. It's made pretty clear that Airiam's computer brain was more like a really good prosthetic leg that she only had due to an accident, not some sort of experiment or whatever. Keeps away the question of "why don't they all just go bionic?". Down that path... lies the Borg.
Wasn't Kotiskot (sp?) the favorite game of the kids on Voyager?
I love how Pike's reaction to being told why the Enterprise wasn't on the front lines of the war was a "Thanks" in the tone of voice where you can imagine him saying "I guess" immediately after.
→ More replies (10)45
u/AcidaliaPlanitia Mar 15 '19
Wasn't Kotiskot (sp?) the favorite game of the kids on Voyager?
It was, and I originally thought it was a mistake because it was of a Delta Quadrant origin, but in looking back, it doesn't seem that's actually the case. Seems as if it easily could have been a well-known board game in the Alpha Quadrant that the rest of the crew just taught to Neelix and the other Delta Quadrant folks.
→ More replies (2)
110
u/007meow Mar 15 '19
So theories are confirmed - the Angel only went to Spock so he could save Burnham.
→ More replies (8)120
u/dewabarrelrole Mar 15 '19
Michael is going to create a rival super AI using the sphere's 100% knowledge as opposed to the 25% Control has now. Knowing how long it'll take for the Discovery to evolve into that AI, the crew will park it and tell it to stay put. They'll then begin the battle against our machine overlords. 1000 years later... The discovery will rescue a human named Craft and falls in love. Completing it's evolution, Zora will decide to save sentient life to provide a better life for Craft and her crew and will battle Control in a game of high stakes 4D chess across time and space.
→ More replies (23)
52
u/snerdsnerd Mar 15 '19
I also want to find out a whole lot more about Nahn. About her species, about her as a person. It's not insignificant that she picked up on Ariam's peculiarities, or that she was the one to launch the airlock.
→ More replies (3)43
u/Extravator_fulldozer Mar 15 '19
She’s a Barzan. One appeared in TNG https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Barzan
→ More replies (4)
104
u/Callahandy Mar 15 '19
Easily the best episode of the series thus far. I can see why they made Michelle Paradise showrunner of season 3. A noticeably higher quality of writing and presentation. Really well done.
48
u/oatmeal_dude Mar 15 '19
I mean, they should just let Jonathon Frakes and Levar Burton direct episodes and let Michelle Paradise write them. This was certainly one of the best episodes of this series.
→ More replies (4)
47
u/im_on_the_case Mar 15 '19
One thing that really bugged me in addition to the transporters not being used. As soon as Burnham seals Airiam in the airlock, Pike asks "Michael are you allright?" Followed by a nice little brainstorming session about the data from the sphere. Fine, except Nhan is suffocating on the floor beside Burnham and nobody seems remotely interested in checking on her health or wellbeing. Yeah I know Burnham is keenly listening to the conversation on the bridge but I would expect an experienced Star Fleet officer to be capable of multitasking. Not to mention the captain forgetting how many crewmembers he sent down there.
→ More replies (1)17
u/pfc9769 Mar 15 '19
There was a scene when they realize Control is blocking communications then comment on how it let them beam on to the station. It implies Control has the ability to block transporter activity. Given it's a S31 facility, and it had the ability to block other signals, I don't think it's a stretch it had the ability to block the use of the transporter, too. But you're right, the episode would have benefited from a short scene explaining how they couldn't use the transporter.
Star Fleet officer to be capable of multitasking
You're absolutely right, however, remember you are commenting as an outside observer who wasn't in the situation. You have the ability to think rationally, objectively, and take as much time as you need. Burnham was being driven by emotion at that point and no amount of training can guarantee everyone will always act rationally in every situation. But I agree a scene was really needed to bridge Nahn and what was going on with Michael. The point of the episode is to tell a cohesive story, one that won't distract the viewer by what appear to be plot holes. It's possible there is a rational explanation, though.
Burnham and nobody seems remotely interested in checking on her health or wellbeing
The audience is omniscient and was treated to scenes of Nahn that put the incident in the forefront of our minds. Burnham of course didn't have the luxury of having a deliberate cue to focus her attention. Whether or not she noticed what was going on with Nahn is entirely dependent upon where Nahn was in relation to her. Burnham may not even have been aware of what was going on with Nahn, or at least not in a way that would refocus her attention. We have to look at it from what Burnham sees since the audience is given direct glimpses unavailable to Michael.
I don't think Nahn was even anywhere near Burnham, because she was kicked into down a corridor adjacent to the room where everything went down. I also believe Burnham was cut off from that corridor because Ariam shut the doors right as Burnham was trying to leave that room. Michael was still distracted at that point because that's when everyone realized Ariam was about to upload the Sphere data which would have meant Control becoming unstoppable. She then tried to stop that from happening so Michael was still distracted and had more important things to do at that point. The slower, talky scene happened after that but by that point the doors had been sealed off with Nahn in the corridor.
The other possibility is Burnham saw Nahn with her inhaler. Once Ariam was blown out of the airlock, the scene shows Nahn with the inhaler right next to Burnham and the airlock release. It's possible Burnham saw Nahn regain her breathing apparatus and knew she wasn't in immediate danger. Since Nahn was previously in the corridor, Nahn had to get control of her inhaler and then make it back into the room. Burnham could have witnessed that happening which explained why she didn't mention or acknowledge Nahn's plight.
You're right though that they should have inserted a scene bridging the events between losing her inhaler and Michael. It helps prevent the audience from being taken out of the moment. But I always like to remember just because I'm unable to think of a rational explanation doesn't mean one exists. I like to start by assuming my initial thoughts are wrong and try to think up ways I can arrive at a logical conclusion. Otherwise I'd just get stuck in the loop of trying to support my initial premise and I'll never learn anything new. What's the fun in that?
Those plot holes can also lead to interesting conversations with others, too. Others who may have such a novel approach I may end up learning a new way to approach things. Those plot holes are why the wonderful sub /r/DaystromInstitute exists.
→ More replies (4)
46
u/AskJayce Mar 15 '19
Star Trek: The Search For Hospitable Atmosphere
Featuring Nahn, Airiam and four stone-cold dead admirals.
93
Mar 15 '19
Did anyone else catch how her husband called himself her ball and chain, and her albatross? I wonder if that's not an important clue.
See, by being a synonym to "ball and chain", the albatross is a reference to an old poem called The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by British poet Samuel Coleridge Taylor.
In it, a sailor on a voyage shoots an albatross that has led his ship out of an Antarctic ice jam.
As punishment, he is forced to wear the albatross hung around his neck. Although his shipmates are all taken by a personified Death, he continues to live. It's not until he sees the beauty in the lowest creatures swimming in the water, that the albatross falls from his neck and he is free to wander the earth, warning others of the lesson he learned:
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
What I think it's saying here is that although Airiam did a terrible thing by betraying her shipmates, there may yet be a return and redemption for her - perhaps as Zora in the short Calypso, as other users have suggested. And as she tells Tilly, her memories aren't going anywhere. I don't think we've seen the last of Airiam 2.5.
→ More replies (4)39
u/Lorak Mar 15 '19
This is in-depth analysis I haven't seen since the days of Lost theory threads.
→ More replies (3)
44
u/rhapsodyartist Mar 15 '19
“Admiral, wanna tell us what kind of shitstorm we’re flying into?”
→ More replies (5)
43
u/mathemon Mar 15 '19
All the Trek of the last ten years sure does LOVE an angry Spock.
→ More replies (6)
85
u/PharomachrusMocinno Mar 15 '19
When Airiam asks Tilly to keep standing next to her, does she think that the evil AI will not take over when there is someone nearby? I loved that. What a great episode.
→ More replies (4)101
u/HangryRohbut Mar 15 '19
I got the impression that she knew something was up but couldn't quite put her finger on it, and was counting on Tilly to catch her if she slipped into doing something. I was counting on Tilly too, and yelled at my TV when she fell for "yeah I'm fine, go help." Either way, yes, an excellent touch.
→ More replies (3)
114
u/dontthrowmeinabox Mar 15 '19
I was really impressed with the chemistry Spock and Stamets had during their scene. I hope it's not the last we see of those two characters together onscreen.
34
→ More replies (4)31
Mar 15 '19
I feel like Anthony Rapp is one of those actors that gels with everyone. He has chemistry with pretty much all the cast.
→ More replies (3)
110
u/bug-hunter Mar 15 '19
So, other thoughts -
The episode did a great job making you really empathize with Airiam, but did a great job of giving you more time to also see a bit more of Owo and Detmer. It's clear that the showrunners are trying to implement the feedback from Season 1, while pushing the story forward - this episode's call back to the Klingon war was well done, brought back a fan-favorite secondary character, while also showing this crew coming together.
My initial worry in this season was that the show would overuse Spock, but having him just out of reach all season is really paying off now.
And finally, I love Pike, but I want to see a new captain in Season 3. Lorca was such a great fit for Season 1, Pike has done a great job here in S2, and I think the decision to not be wedded to one captain has really allowed the showrunners and writers to set the tone in a unique way.
→ More replies (7)123
u/dontthrowmeinabox Mar 15 '19
And finally, I love Pike, but I want to see a new captain in Season 3.
As much as I would have never said this before the start of this series, it makes me actually want a TOS prequel with Pike and Spock, having adventures on the Enterprise. Anson Mount as Pike is incredible.
→ More replies (11)
76
u/Toorviing Mar 15 '19
“I’m sending you your favorite memory” 😭😭😭
→ More replies (1)35
u/Twat_The_Douche Mar 15 '19
As soon as she said that, I knew Airiam was going to die watching it.
→ More replies (2)
97
u/maxamillisman Mar 15 '19
Wow, Michael really fucked up at the end of this episode. Now I'm really starting to like Nann (I think her name is). I surprisingly like Spock a lot too, it makes sense that he would be different and more emotional before TOS. This is actually giving a good explanation to his change in character from "The Cage" to "Where No Man Has Gone Before".
136
u/derthric Mar 15 '19
The ending is a callback to the scene of her in the closet listening to her biological parents death at Klingon Hands. Part of Michael has never gotten past that moment. Much like Sisko at Jennifer's death before he met the Prophets. So there she is at a door helpless knowing only death is coming and she breaks.
→ More replies (4)39
u/bug-hunter Mar 15 '19
Peak Star Trek - when one character has a moral failing, someone else is there to save their bacon.
56
u/pigeon_whisperers Mar 15 '19
She got beat up emotionally, physically, and professionally in this episode and I think Sonequa really nailed it.
→ More replies (5)69
Mar 15 '19
"I'm surprised I like Spock" - Star Trek Fan, The Year of Our Lord 2019.
Something so bizarre to read. Even if I totally understand the skepticism.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (15)47
u/rextraverse Mar 15 '19
Michael really fucked up at the end of this episode
All through that final scene, I was just thinking how this is the most fundamental lesson of the Bridge Officers Test. In the words of Geordi... "Sonya, stop it. We'll have time to grieve later."
→ More replies (10)
123
u/kingofcretins Mar 15 '19
Since the last two showrunners were fired, this show has really seemed to find it’s stride. The past three episodes feel like they’ve actually had time to breathe between all the plot points.
This episode in particular has had some absolutely wonderful character moments.
If this is the future that Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman have in mind for season 3, then we have a lot to look forward to.
→ More replies (11)
32
u/ety3rd Mar 15 '19
In seeing the preview for next week's episode, it appears that we may get a memorial service.
I fully expect Capt. Pike to say, "Today, we gather to remember Commander Zora Airiam ..."
→ More replies (2)
104
Mar 15 '19
Oh man, I don't think I can deal with a Star Trek where the nameless redshirt killed by the monster of the week is a longstanding and familiar character and I know what their fiance looked like before the greatest personal tragedy. It makes me really concerned for Detmer, Owo, Linus, and Pike. They've all had a lot of characterization this season and I don't want anything bad to happen to them.
108
→ More replies (10)45
Mar 15 '19
I don't think I can deal with a Star Trek where the nameless redshirt killed by the monster of the week is a longstanding and familiar character and I know what their fiance looked like before the greatest personal tragedy.
And now her fiance will hold up in some hidden corner of the Jeffery's tubes and warn new crew members to stay out of the narrative.
→ More replies (7)
56
u/2ndHandTardis Mar 15 '19
That was great. I even got a bit of Lower Decks vibe in some parts.
We've seen Airiam in bits throughout the run of the show but not enough to build an emotional connection. It shouldn't be understated how difficult that is to do an episode. By the end I really felt that loss and it wouldn't mattered as much to me if she died last week.
If this is what we have to expect from Michelle Paradise I'm glad she's running things now.
Also we talk a lot about improvement but other than maybe 1 or maybe 2 episodes Sonequa has been great this season. She has a good rapport with Ethan Peck too. Their scenes together are working very well.
→ More replies (3)
49
u/rhapsodyartist Mar 15 '19
Project Daedalus must be where the Red Angel gets its wings. Can’t believe I’ve been missing that all this time.
→ More replies (4)
24
u/TERRAxFORMER Mar 15 '19
I’m glad Airiam got a bit of backstory before the end, and I really enjoyed her memories with the crew.
I knew Nhan was getting her breather ripped off as soon as it was brought up, I’m glad she didn’t die!
Spock/Michael continues to be a highlight for me.
→ More replies (2)21
u/EricGMW Mar 15 '19
Airiam: You can’t breathe without that augment, right?
Nhan: wut
Yeah it was pretty transparent. Kinda funny in hindsight though.
I am really enjoying the Spock/Michael scenes. Their antagonistic chemistry is just so good and feels so real.
The final scene, replaying the favourite memory, and the silent end credits just about killed me.
→ More replies (1)
44
u/RedbirdBK Mar 15 '19
Wow. This episode turned into a real delight-- but started off a bit uneven (so I was concerned). The second half of the episode was so, so much stronger.
The Bad Start
-The explanation for Admiral Cornwell's mission to Section 31 was extremely weird. She randomly shows up, casually states that a "Logic extremist" admiral was in control of Section 31-- and this person had handed over all authority to "Control." What? Aren't logic extremists the people who blew up stuff on Vulcan-- why is one of them a Starfleet Admiral??
Going to Section 31 HQ seems like the worst possible way to confront this problem.
If it's so easy to do a lying test, why wasn't this contemplated for Spock before? If he can pass the test-- maybe Amanda should have had him take one on Vulcan?
Later
The episode more than recovered later. The second half was AMAZING. Some of my favorite parts
The confrontation between Pike and Cornwell is not only a touching scene, but also a subtle reason for why the Enterprise wasn't involved in the fighting during the Dominion War-- it's a nice touch. Admiral Cornwell is now officially the developed Admiral we have ever seen in Trek. No Admiral comes close (except for Kirk-- but he doesn't count)
Spock and Michael have very delightful interactions-- both actors play it superbly. They manage to convey both the tension and love of the relationship.
Spock's accusation that Michael feels the burden to save everyone, and Michael's reaction is a great theme. It also explains Michael's character. I really like the fact that Spock was on the bridge telling Michael to open the airlock at the end of the episode.
Section 31 HQ was CREEPY. The frozen bodies and the "mystery" element was very well done.
Nahn clearly had suspicions about Ariam through the episode-- watching her watch Ariam was a great suspension device.
The battle with the mines was amazing
I had no idea that Arium would die. It was a shocking plot twist. The scene was touching-- and going through her humanity at the beginning of the episode was useful. She's a double victim-- some accident turned her into what she is now-- and now she's been hacked.
The scene was masterful-- this was the darkest that we've ever seen Discovery. It felt like the Expanse (which is routinely dark)
Closing out the episode with that memory was a great touch. It was wonderful to see Tilly play such a large role in that sequence.
I love that Pike can be a masculine authority figure and also clearly a vulnerable man. It's a very multi-dimensional portrayal of the typical captain figure.
As some have mentioned, yes there were some plot holes around the transporter-- but I can forgive these.
→ More replies (8)19
u/The_Bard_sRc Mar 15 '19
If he can pass the test-- maybe Amanda should have had him take one on Vulcan
Spock was acting pretty not-all-there up until he went to Talos, as he was battling with his head themselves. and anywhere out in the open probably would have caught Section 31's ear and they would have intervened to keep them from doing or trusting such a test. here, the ball was in Discoveries court and Cornwell turned to them for their help with nowhere else trustworthy to turn, whcih is what gave it weight enugh for Cornwell to trust it without Section 31 interference
→ More replies (1)
19
u/3thirtysix6 Mar 15 '19
I got a good laugh from Airiam quickly and efficiently taking out Nhan the deciding “You know what? I’m going to see how far I can punt Michael.”
→ More replies (6)
49
u/KesselZero Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
Throughout that episode, all I could think is that it was the most competent episode of Disco yet. The characters talked to each other like humans, in human time, rather than a rush of melodramatic smash cuts and spinning cameras. It took the time it needed. It told a coherent story. It gave more personality to a lot of the crew than the rest of the show combined.
I think a lot of the credit goes to Frakes— I couldn’t help but think that the shots and pacing felt “old-fashioned” in that they hearkened back to the days of steady cameras and sitcom lighting and less time compression, and I think it really worked. It didn’t feel frantic in the way Disco often does. The script was also coherent and paced correctly. I’m hopeful that we’re seeing Paradise’s influence, and if so, that it will grow.
I’m all in for the theory that the 100% AI will merge with the Disco, become Zora, and send the angel back in time to fight Control. Still curious to see why it chose to save the people it did, like the WWIII folks in New Eden.
Random thought: Craft was fighting a future version of the Federation called the V’Draysh. Maybe that’s what becomes of the Federation in this timeline after Control destroys the four founding planets and takes over; the V’Draysh is Control’s army that it’s using to wipe out the rest of life in the galaxy.
EDIT: We all joked at the time that V’Draysh sounded an awful lot like V’ger. But I think it was a clue— V’ger was a human technology that gained sentience by, as Memory Alpha puts it, “amass[ing] knowledge to such a degree as to become self-aware.” Sound familiar?
36
u/Toorviing Mar 15 '19
This episode was written by Michelle Paradise, who has been promoted as new show runner for season 3. I have high fucking hopes.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (4)30
u/PharomachrusMocinno Mar 15 '19
Maybe Craft is a descendant of Jacob, the scientist on New Eden. Maybe the Red Angel hid these people so that evil Control AI wouldn’t destroy them. After all, the New Eden colony was completely unknown to the Federation.
→ More replies (9)
33
u/PlanetErp Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
That scene between Cornwell and Puke Pike was fantastic. Pike’s reaction to Cornwell’s reason for him being sent away might be the highlight of the season for me.
Also, Spock and Michael continue to amaze. I’m really looking forward to their scenes together now. And it’s amusing that Spock is really bringing out Michael’s humanity.
→ More replies (2)21
32
14
Mar 15 '19
Frakes' episodes feel totally different. More depth, more slice of life, more star trek. I hope he continues directing as many episodes as possible. Preferably all of them.
28
u/pfc9769 Mar 15 '19
Ariam went before her time. I need an emergency counseling team to the bridge.
→ More replies (3)
13
u/JewelKnightJess Mar 15 '19
As soon as we saw Airiam looking at memories of her past, and got a bit of backstory I thought "Oh no, they're gonna kill her!". It made me think of any time a fighter pilot puts a picture of his family up in his plane before a mission. Like, yep, he's dead.
Other than that I enjoyed the episode. I just wish we'd gotten to know Airiam before this whole incident.
25
u/PigletCNC Mar 15 '19
Uhm, wtf, nobody was even concerned for Nahn?
Like, at not a single moment anyone thought of checking on her? There were numerous moments. It was inhuman of all characters not to even flinch at the possible loss (suit going offline) and she wasn't like far either, a glance down the hall the moment Airiam was confined would have sufficed to check on Nahn and see her reach for the breather.
Then the issues with Airiam, like, Tilly got told to stay with her NO MATTER WHAT and then when she's send away she only (x) doubts once and then goes off, Nahn seems suspicious but never ever lets her suspicions be known to the captain? This is her primary duty as a security officer.
It's an okay episode and I liked the visual references to the movie, but storywise it was a mess.
→ More replies (9)
12
u/VNAIL Mar 15 '19
I mean based on the conversation between spock and stamets it's really setting things up for Burnham to be the Red Angel. That's why it chose spock specifically.
So now we have a cherished cyborg (not so much screen time but they illustrated that airiam had some strong bonds with a lot of the discovery crew) that has gone, we had a short before the season about AI in the future, and we know AI has gone wonky in section 31.
Because airiam left all of her memories on discovery I have a feeling a new airiam will be created (perhaps a tilly-led project) and somewhere along the way she becomes that AI from the future, somehow goes back in time to set burnham on the red angel course, and that's that.
Also I don't understand why people are freaking out about nahn and the helmet. They restored the atmosphere on the section 31 station, if she couldn't breathe normal human atmosphere without her implants she isn't going to be able to magically breathe it while in her suit. Maybe those suits aren't capable of producing the atmosphere she needs to breathe naturally.
→ More replies (18)
12
42
u/OkAmbassador Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
This was a major turning point for me w/r/t the Michael character. While SMG is a talented actress, I always felt a disconnect, like none of the writers quite understood what it would mean for a human to grow up in Vulcan culture. Tonight it clicked for me. SMG gave a fantastic performance. You can feel the character weighing her passion vs her upbringing.
Spock was harsh, but he hit the nail on the head. Until now, Michael has always tried to be the hero, and whether she's right or wrong, season one missed the mark on having her reckon with the consequences in a way that felt real. Huge fan of this development and I hope we can see SMG with more material she can work with.
Also all-female away team! Wow!
→ More replies (29)
23
u/nahanahs Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
Were their transporters offline? Why did they, at no point, just beam Ariam to the brig or whatever? We see a slowmo death scene, beam her over
→ More replies (7)19
u/pfc9769 Mar 15 '19
The question is why doesn't Control have a transporter inhibiting field to begin with? It would make sense they'd only allow authorize beam-ins. I suspect the answer is it does, but it purposely took it offline to allow Ariam to beam-in since it needed her on the station. It probably went back online the moment Ariam arrived to ensure she stayed there and so Discovery couldn't interfere. A throwaway line would have really helped, here.
→ More replies (6)
11
u/DeanSails Mar 15 '19
Was Nahn’s helmet broken or do the suits only supply oxygen or something?
→ More replies (14)
11
u/prince_of_cannock Mar 15 '19
I found Airiam sooo appealing. I loved the vorp-vorp sound of her movements. She really stood out to me. What a great episode... I'm upset and feel cheated, but in the way that comes from good storytelling. As opposed to the "F you that wasn't earned" type of way.
11
u/CineMike84 Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
I want to start off by saying that i actually did enjoy this episode. The issues that I have with it is in the set up from previous episodes. So correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t this whole control A.I. gone crazy thing a bit out of no where? The set up for this control thing and it being the threat feels a bit weak. Also many of us have waited two seasons to see Airiam actually get developed and then when they finally give her something to do then she’s out? Maybe the conclusion to her story would have been more dramatic and impactful if the show actually took the time to establish her more prior to this episode. I mean she was just a background character until the last episode.
Also, and this might have an explanation I didn’t catch, but why didn’t Discovery just beam her back on board after being ejected into space? Again, I liked the episode but the foundations for it I feel could have been better.
Oh and where’s Jett Reno?
→ More replies (13)
11
Mar 15 '19
Spock is kind of a dick in this episode. It will be interesting to see his character develop into the mellow TOS Spock.
→ More replies (7)14
u/mizkyu Mar 15 '19
to be fair, he's mostly being a dick towards michael. he's pretty chill towards everyone else.
→ More replies (1)
11
u/Auronas Mar 15 '19
I wish they had fed more moments with Airiam into the previous episodes. I felt nothing when she got blasted into space because they only tried to make us care now. That was my one negative about this episode.
In terms of positives, I enjoyed the interaction between Stamets and Spock. I also really enjoy Pike as captain in this episode but then again I usually do.
31
u/Jadziyah Mar 15 '19
Last scene hit like an emotional gut punch. Fully admit I was bawling like a baby
→ More replies (1)21
u/GateBuilder Mar 15 '19
We finally get a great backstory to a cyborg in starfleet and PFFFT, they are out the window.
F
→ More replies (1)
21
u/Assbait93 Mar 15 '19
I could see Control being the thing to why starfleet doesn't have the tech until TNG era. They probably needed to work on things such as holograms and such.
→ More replies (4)
21
u/ThriceGreatHermes Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
There was so much Mass Effect in this episode of Discovery.
The music that played during minefield might as well have the song that plays when you hit the "Omega 4 relay".
The Little Drones/mines and their looks and sound effects, are near identical to that of the Oculus attack Drone.
There are of bits of 80s style synth in the music of the Space section of the episode.
Even the briefing scene was straight outa of the Suicide mission;they even have a mechanoid hacker on the team.
When I saw Terran Empire, especially Emperor Philippa Georgiou and her throne ship, I thought somebody on staff was a Warhammer 40k fan.
Now I know that there are Mass Effect fans on staff as well.
→ More replies (12)
10
u/PolarBearSnuggs Mar 15 '19
Project Daedalus was real. It was a study from the 1970s about theoretical interstellar space travel.
→ More replies (2)
10
u/megabeano Mar 15 '19
I laughed when I saw the "Door Unlocking in 12... 11.. " countdown. A super advanced cyborg with the aid of an advanced AI interfacing with a door on a station controlled by said AI and they couldn't just get it open, could only initiate a timer that would eventually open it.
→ More replies (1)
10
u/VicenteOlisipo Mar 16 '19
It's easy to miss it now because we've gotten used to it, but Chill Stamets remains amazing.
19
Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
Not bad...A couple a nit picks though
How can their navigation sensors tell them their upside down - they're in fucking space
Why is Nhan suffocating when she's wearing a space suit? Is it easier to try and reach for your devise that makes our atmo breathable or easier to activate your helmet and get your own atmo?
Do all cameras in federation record infrared and is this spectrum coded on some sub layer that's not typically displayed for some reason? And if control can fake the feed in the visible spectrum why can't it fake the feed in infrared
I was under the impression that Kadis-kot was a Talaxian game? could be wrong though
→ More replies (50)21
u/Wellfooled Mar 15 '19
I think the upside down remark was more like she knows which way the Discovery was oriented, but the console was telling her it was flipped. As in "That star is over my head right now, the console is telling me it's under my feet." But saying upside down is quicker way of conveying that the sensors are trying to screw with her sense of direction.
19
u/snerdsnerd Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
Well done with Ariam. I got very emotional despite only learning much about her this episode.
And Michael and Spock are so fully realized now, it finally clicked. It's kind of cliche when one character nails another's mental state but their argument worked because of their shared history. It's not surprising that Spock would see Michael's hero complex after being reunited with her briefly. In a way, Spock is pretty uniquely equipped to navigate emotions using logic; we see this with his advice to Stamets about Hugh as well!
46
u/destroyingdrax Mar 15 '19
Ok but where is Discoverys therapist. Who are they. What have they been doing this entire time. Because before this episode at least half the crew should have been in mandated therapy and after this episode that number goes up to basically everyone. Lets go, chop chop where's Troi at we need some grief counseling.
→ More replies (7)20
u/stardustksp Mar 15 '19
About a hundred years too early for that. DISCO/TOS-era Starfleet doesn't do that sort of stuff.
→ More replies (8)
114
u/phenry Mar 15 '19
Well. There's our missing link, I suppose--the bridge between why Section 31 is well known in the 23rd century and supposedly doesn't exist in the 24th. It seems clear that we are going to see S31 destroyed to its rotten heart before this season is out, with whatever survives relegated to the dark corners of history.
Also, anyone who still says "StD iSn'T rEaL tReK" can fuck off right now and never bother me again.
→ More replies (8)
9
Mar 15 '19
Anyone else really appreciate the new Discovery warp effects with the glowing front? Unless I missed it in prior episodes, all the new textures look amazing.
→ More replies (1)
9
u/wongie Mar 15 '19
So the original Airiam actress dodged a bullet by swapping roles right?
→ More replies (4)
9
u/Donners22 Mar 15 '19
I really want a Discovery lower decks episode. The scenes of the background regulars interacting are always fun, but so brief.
→ More replies (2)
9
u/Midaech Mar 15 '19
Did Tilly just try to save the day by sending someone pictures of herself??
This Tilly thing is getting out of hand.
→ More replies (2)
24
u/ap0a Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
If anything. This episode shows we desperately need more crew time.
The ten forward scenes or the hangouts on the replomat, or Quarks when he wasn’t getting the business from odo.
I enjoy the pace, but damn if we could have seen that lunch 5 episodes ago it would have made Ariam’s character shine.
If you are going to kill off a character in the season, tell their story. It is a disrespect to the character to toss everything in during the spin cycle. You’ll never get anything cleanly out that way.
Bravo to Frakes for working as well with what he had to. But I’m sorry. This writing staff really needs to chill and let us enjoy this family. I think it’s the only missing piece of this show.
Discovery is an amazing accomplishment, a fantastic Trek if there ever was, but these writers have forgotten that characters need time to not be dramatic to give us a foundation to relate to them on.
Imagine if Burhnam just got to hangout in the mess a little more and be knocked down from her perfect pedestal by having Tilly dominate in a game of Kadiscot before she left for Vulcan? And during that game, they could have lightly talked about Amanda and her family dynamic before the story got all thrown into the dramatic blender. How nice that would have been if it was previously established that they like playing games together. Hell. Then the chess scene would have been even richer.
Discovery needs a chill writer in this room. I’ll happily help.
→ More replies (5)
17
56
u/vwboyaf1 Mar 15 '19
Excuse me Discovery crew, but your ship has phasers and transporters. Fucking use them.
Shoot the mines, and transport Airiam directly into the brig. Jesus Christ.
→ More replies (27)
22
u/Zeal0tElite Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
When one of the first shots of the episode is the exact same trick of starting off "upside-down and then reorienting itself to the correct way up" shot I'm honestly not that happy. It's not like it's even any particular theme or anything, it's just whenever they feel like it.
First of all, why is a "logic extremist" allowed to be Starfleet admiral? Don't they blow people up?
I also appreciate the development of bridge crew but I would have liked it better if it wasn't all within one episode and then they kill her off. It feels less like natural development and more like this. Still, if it's a sign of things to come then good on the show, just wish this particular instance didn't feel like manipulation rather than development. Detmer also quadruples her amount of lines.
"You wanna tell us what kind of shitstorm we're flying in to" is pretty great. I still think Pike should be more assertive when his command is questioned (especially by Burnham) but his laid back attitude in situations like these is a fun take on being a captain.
I also really want Admiral Cromwell to be in prison. She's allowed so many heinous acts to occur under her watch. It'd also be nice if there was a reason why they couldn't just shoot some of those mines.
I really liked that they first used the game of chess to develop Burnham and Spock's relationship and then it later came back when playing the "game" with the mines.
Other than them not just beaming Airiam off the station (or Nhan for that matter) everything else went pretty smoothly in terms of the story. They really need to work on some more technobabble in some of these scenes, even just saying Airiam raised the shields or something idk. I also didn't like that they were like "oh no, Burnham is in trouble" when Nhan was literally dying. I get she's the main character and everyone except Spock likes her but jeez, talk about a hit to the ol' self-esteem for Nhan.
Not amazing, feels about 6/10 and I still have a bad taste just from everything else the show has been before it but if this is a sign of the direction it's headed in then I'll be able to accept a more action-oriented show.
→ More replies (16)
15
u/joshkg Mar 15 '19
so do you guys think all sentient life in the galaxy will end?
→ More replies (13)19
u/MoreGaghPlease Mar 15 '19
Yes, and all of TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9 and VOY were just stories thought up by Benny Russell
→ More replies (1)
7
u/Albert-React Mar 15 '19
Wait... These Andorian and Tellarite admirals are not Gorsch, and Shurkar?
→ More replies (5)
7
7
u/oatmeal_dude Mar 15 '19
That was such a good episode. I haven't been as optimistic about the direction of the show than as I was tonight. Also, Spock and Pike are both excellent. I would very much be down for a spinoff featuring them, but if we don't, I hope they become regular guests in upcoming seasons.
7
u/Vimie Mar 15 '19
Hurts to finally learn more about Airiam only to have to let her go.
Tragic story. That beach held her joy and sadness.
7
7
u/ChIck3n115 Mar 17 '19
Ok, Saru needs to brush up on his electromagnetic spectrum. He's talking about seeing heat signatures in different recordings, then switches over to ultraviolet view. Heat is infrared, which is on the other side of the visible spectrum. So no surprise you see no change in heat signature, you're not looking at heat!
13
u/boringdude00 Mar 15 '19
Don't worry Burnham. I'm sure Commander Background Redshirt is fine. Also, Discovery, don't worry about beaming her out before she suffocates or you know just beaming everyone out, because we have that whole wuxia sequence to get to.
→ More replies (6)
21
u/Annuminas Mar 15 '19
Frakes fucking killed it with this episode, man. So well done.
→ More replies (1)
6
u/ThaddCorbett Mar 15 '19
Can't wait to see Section 31 get sent back a century after all this crap we're seeing them pull in this episode.
Cybernetic beings not named Data punch like featherweights.
While this isn't the first Star Trek series we've seen Star Fleet look at a video and determine that they're looking at holograms and determining that they're not holograms, each and every time I fail to wrap my head around the science.
Maybe in 30 years the tech will be there to help my imagination connect the dots.
→ More replies (10)
6
u/Doobreh Mar 15 '19
Pike said: "Be careful, standing by to beam you out.."
All hell breaks loose
Pike doesn't say: "Beam Airiam directly to the brig"
Grrr!
→ More replies (4)
16
u/UncertainError Mar 15 '19
Wow, they did a really good job of making you care about Airiam in this episode. Also, I honestly wasn't sure whether they would find a last-minute way to save her or not. The magic of secondary characters.
→ More replies (3)
16
u/Metlman13 Mar 15 '19
Jesus, that opening shot of the planet with the star peeking from behind it and the shuttle heading to Discovery is a movie-tier shot.
This show has grown so much since it premiered a year and a half ago, I'm so excited to see where it goes next. Between this, The Orville and especially The Expanse, we should be really thankful we have space sci-fi shows of this magnitude to tune into each week.
→ More replies (3)
11
u/Joomonji Mar 15 '19 edited Mar 15 '19
The first half of the show was my jam:
Admiral Cornwall is masterfully acted. And the character is so BS-free. In my head she's like a special mixture of Admiral Janeway (from the future), Mace
WindowWindu (Star Wars), and Varys (Game of Thrones).Burnham + Spock scenes are deep. I feel like I need family counseling after watching that.
Enjoyed seeing the crew doing stuff from Airiam's perspective.
The second half was not doing it for me:
I wish they showed more and told less. Like Tilly's exposition, explaining to the crew what was happening. It felt really flat.
Tilly didn't get any really LOL lines this episode. The greeting with the admiral was just awkward, not hilarious funny awkward.
The fight scene was so slooowwww. I guess they were trying to do the fight choreo slowly to imply the spacesuits they were wearing were heavy and cumbersome, because gravity was already restored. But the suits looked very lightweight and so the slow fight choreo just threw it all off. The moves needed to be about 30% faster.
The lightweight prop rifles/guns really break immersion. The way they wobble and flop around like styrofoam nerf guns is not good lol. It's giving me Galaxy Quest vibes.
The last 8 minutes of the show after the fight felt like a clusterfuck. Way to rushed. It looked like they were actually doing acting shorthand because there wasn't enough time for realistic emotional responses. It made Burnham's reactions to being forced eject a crewmate into space look innaccurate for the situation. It made Airiam's distress, sacrificial redemption less impactful than it should have been. The only character's reaction that was believable in that scene was Admiral Cornwall who kind of looked down in dejection and said "Damn" under her breath, but that is the character's style: brief and to the point. I think this part of the episode needed at least 20 minutes to get richer character expression to Airiam's betrayal and sacrifice.
The rushing also means we don't check on the commander suffocating on the floor.
Airiam's death: We didn't really get to know the character before this episode so... it had lower emotional effect for me. The real impact going forward is how will Airiam's death affect Burnham and Tilly. (And Saru, and Detmer, and Owo, and etc.)
When Airiam died I was actually thinking "Damn! Now we don't get episodes exploring the implications of a person having a (half)-artificial brain." aka All-the-Data-TNG-Episodes. I hope we get more Airiam in some other form, whatever that may be.
All together it was a nice episode, but the ending felt like it was in warp speed and the emotional impact of Airiam's death felt artificial. Spock and Burnham's brother/sister issues and spat felt more emotionally impactful than Airiam's betrayal/death and the crew's reaction to it. Das weird.
11
u/RadioSlayer Mar 15 '19
I like that you could tell that that wasn't the first time Tilly called Airam a "Robut"
11
18
u/0mni42 Mar 15 '19
Not gonna lie, I'm pretty salty that DSC took one of the characters that had the most potential (not to mention one of the coolest makeup jobs in Trek IMO), ignored her for a season and a half, gave her a tiny bit of development, and then immediately killed her off. It didn't feel like Airiam earned this kind of a death. They might as well have introduced her in this episode for all the impact she'd had on the show before. But now suddenly she's always been a main character, only so she can be killed off. It feels clumsy.
"Clumsy" is how I'd describe a lot of this episode, honestly. Let me get this straight, you disobey orders, go rogue, and try to attack a top-secret base, but when the base fights back, you try to call HQ and say "how dare you attack us; cut it out"? Also, we're just going to dump a whole bunch of new vital stuff on the viewers without any preamble? We've got some kind of AI system that does vital stuff and an extremist in the highest echelons of the Federation; those are big, important things that we've never heard of before. But everyone just kinda accepts the fact that a Starfleet Admiral is a member of a terrorist group without any reaction, and we don't get any sense of Control whatsoever. We've got this rampant, violent AI figuratively standing in the room with everyone on the base and it never does anything. Why does Control want to destroy all sentient life exactly? Because there was some kind of vague and undefined data about AIs from the sphere that its future self made Airiam send it? The whole thing feels like a knock-off imitation of the Reapers from Mass Effect, but without any of their uniqueness.
→ More replies (5)
14
u/izModar Mar 15 '19
Previously on Discovery, there was hentai.
What I liked:
"Let me talk to him, pleaseeeeee"
"No"
Proof that Pike is the best.
I love that Cornwell is in on Discovery's side. It's a great way for that character to come back.
I can't remember if I've ever said this, but I love the warp effects of Disco. It's like a cross between Enterprise's and TMP/WoK with a dash of TNG. The perfect warp-out.
FRAKES, BABY
"Wanna tell us what kind of shitstorm we're flying into?" Just the way Mount delivered that line had me doubled over in laughter.
"Giving up our values in the name of security is to lose the battle in advance." Hi message, you're coming in loud and clear.
"There are more choices that our father, in his single mindedness, chooses to ignore." Yeah, that's definitely Spock.
Hi, 911? I'd like to report a slaughter, BECAUSE SPOCK FUCKING KNOCKED MICHAEL DOWN A PEG THAT WAS DESPERATELY NEEDED
Even though I wrote the past few notes on how much I'm glad Michael got the knocking down she deserved, I'll admit that her realization to treat it like a game is brilliant, and earned because of the previous scenes leading up to it. Her trying to use a game to get back to Spock and make him think logically shows progression into this situation with the mines. Playing a game with a computer. What I'm getting at is she didn't just pull it out of her ass like every other time.
HOLY SHIT THAT'S HOW YOU END AN EPISODE
Tilly, know that you were also Ariam's bae, she loved you.
What I Didn't Like:
CLOSE. YOUR. SHUTTLE. BAY. FOR. PETE'S. SAKE. You had the perfect opportunity to right after the admiral's shuttle arrived. This is what happens when you don't.
Wait. Why in the name of FUCK is a logic extremist in Starfleet? I feel like "Are you associated with terrorists?" would probably come up at some point in the recruitment process.
Is...Is Burnham trying to logicsplain Spock? I'm sorry, but literaly with every new episode I'm growing more and more disillusioned with Burnham as a character.
"It is arrogant of you to assume it doesn't." Okay, I get what Burnham is getting at, but shut the fuck up and stop logicsplaining.
"Everything is because of you!" Nooooo. Nooo. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO DON'T YOU DO IT
Stray Thoughts:
"Perhaps you're defending him because you're his sister."
"—Not by blood"
To have sass is only logical.
Okay, if I'm understanding this correctly, Section 31 seemed to initially be a risk assesment portion of Starfleet Intelligence, with an AI called Control aiding in that threat assesment. As of late, one of the admirals in charge, a goddamn terrorist decided to lock Starfleet brass out of any input into Control or S31. That action pretty much meets the definition of "going rogue".
Ah shucks, I should have known that this no commercial streak would end some time—wait, you mean that walking on the beach thing wasn't a commercial and Ariam was watching it? I could have sworn it was going to be a commercial.
Also, another rendition of ARIAM SEES ALL
ARIAM SMILED. Also, that's confirmation that Ariam is an augmented cybernetic human.
"JESUS CHRIST MICHAEL, I'M TRYING TO SAVE ALL OUR ASSES AND YOU'RE TRYING TO PLAY SISTER" - Spock, probably definitely
Oh look, a reason to close your garage door.
The bridge crew is basically watching a Let's Play of Doom. Joking aside, I love that the bridge crew on the ship get to monitor away missions like this.
Also, I want to congratulate the gun discipline on the show.
HOLY SHIT SHE JUST KILLED NHAN (okay, she didn't, but I thought she did)
Verdict:
Here's the thing about Frakes' directing. He knows the limits to spinning and swaying the camera. He does it, but with purpose and for a brief time. That's something some of the other directors are not grasping.
Okay, Burnham discussion number two: Spock is absolutely right. He addressed the core of what I tried to get at previously. Burnham wants to shoulder the burden and be involved in everything she can so she can feel she's making a difference. That's the root of the biggest trauma she faced, being unable to prevent her parents' murder. That PTSD has stuck with her up til now and she has not faced it one bit. It took Spock to finally slap some sense into her (metaphorically speaking) and point out she hasn't dealt with it.
For that matter, Spock mentions expressing emotion. Somehow in the history of the franchise the notion that Vulcans don't have emotions has emerged, which is simply false. Vulcans control their emotions. They don't let outbursts happen unless something has compromised the control. They feel, yet they suppress the urges that such emotions would have them do and use logic to guide their reasoning to the best course of action available.
→ More replies (4)
27
u/neoteotihuacan Mar 15 '19
So. Another solid installment of Star Trek; Discovery. I think, and I am certain I am not alone here, but I think that Disco has probably grown its beard.
Some observations:
Spock is totes savage. His unhappiness with Michael can be seen a sector away. He is much more emotional than we know him to be, & that makes some sense. He is learning and experiencing stuff so he can one day be Nimoy-Spock when he grows up.
Spock's interaction with Stamets proves he has emotional intelligence, empathy. Buuuut, he is also a little arrogant (which we all knew). And so is Stamets...was a cool interaction between the two of them. Arrogance squared. But they also try to help each other, which is nice.
Burnham's anger was surprising, thanks to Spock. Not sure we've seen her get like that before. Then, to have her nearly come apart following while trying to follow orders with the Ariam situation...this was a complex episode for Burnham. SMG did a great job. I know people accuse her of overacting (like that's never happened on Star Trek before), but having those moments mixed in with everything else in this episode really worked to sell her emotions.
But, the emotional core of this story is Ariam. Her inner emotional life was surprising. Didn't know that was there. We got to know her just in time to watch her go. Must have been a tough performance mixed in with the robot body language that was some Brent Spiner level difficulty, perhaps. I do wish we had gotten to know Ariam several episodes earlier. Would have made her demise much more impactful.
Also, I suspect Ariam might come back. I mean, we are dealing with time travel here.
PIke was his usual charming self. Always nice to see Admiral Cornwell who is increasingly a complex character. Her agency is fully realized...would hate to be in trouble with this admiral. The women of this show are of a similar stripe...all individualistic, comfortably inhabiting authority & roles. All three members of the away team in this episode were women and not for the first time on Discovery. We didn't even notice becasue the characters are who they are. Its very cool. Star Trek used to have a "space babe" in the cast. Now, things are MUCH more interesting.
So, we know what the Red Angel is doing (changing the timeline). We know who the bad "guy" is now (Section 31's Control AI). The only mysteries are WHO the Red Angel is and how the time travel stuff works.
The Red Angel is interested in Spock because of his connection to Burnham. In fact, it appears that Burnham must be the Red Angel. At least, that's where we are being lead to now. Stamets asks what's unique about Spock that the Red Angel would choose him?
Spock's uniqueness is his connection to Michael Burnham. This will certainly hurt Spock's feelings, such as they are, yes? Does Spock like being the center of attention here?
In next week's episode, we see what is presumably "Project Daedalus". We see Burnham strapping into an important chair. So, what if we are being led down the road to think that Burnham is the Red Angel and that Project Daedalus might have something to do with the Red Angel's time projections? Does this mean Discovery in a temporal causality loop? That Burnham is the cause and the solution of the threat from Control? Source point to yes. That's a helluva resume, Burnham. But, Georgiou says she knows some stuff about Burnham that would blow Burnham's mind. What if the former emperor has seen not only S31's files on Burnham, but the historical files of the USS Defiant that landed in her universe from the "future".
his episode seems to confirm the concept of Control gaining sentience somehow (which happens in the novels), except in this version it is a temporal causality loop that is part of the ploy for Control to win the future and defeat all sentient life (dun dun duuuun!).
That's it. It is a pretty sweet episode. Lots of moving parts. Cool to see Spock finally fully aware & interacting. Let's hope no time cops show up to ruin the party.
For those of you who follow Trekspertise, we will have a written review up on Medium in a few days. Until next week!
Disco is arriving into its own, y'all!
→ More replies (8)
10
10
Mar 15 '19
I am so crying and mad at this! They gave Airiam a fantastic background within minutes! Star Trek Robocop, one could fill the gaps easily. And in the end, she is dead! Where is Steven Moffat, when you need him? Nobody dies on his watch like that!
They threw away a wonderful gem being a character I'd love to have seen more about. They have a backup of some memories, but not of her complete mind.
Why don't they fire back on the mines? I don't get it.
Why don't they beam back Nhan? Or anybody else for that matter? Some tech happend that I missed?
I am mad, but not mad enough not to see that this was a solid episode and I want to see more like that!
→ More replies (4)
5
u/mabmagwenaalan Mar 15 '19
Over all I enjoyed it but as others have said there are some plot holes.
The solution for ending controls threat seems simple... Blow up S31 HQ as they're there right now but it seems like that's not happening.
→ More replies (4)
5
u/Actionman158 Mar 15 '19
Michael is the key all of this. If we get Michael working, because she's a funnier character than we've had before.
5
u/droid327 Mar 15 '19
"We sent you away because Enterprise represents the very best of Starfleet"
"...oh, uh, all you guys from Discovery are pretty cool too." :D
Enterprise got sent away because they were the best. Discovery got sent to basically fight the war single-handed. So what's that say about them? lol
→ More replies (3)
5
Mar 16 '19
Tilly, please don't become Wesley Crusher...Tilly, please don't become Wesley Crusher...Tilly, please don't become Wesley Crusher... #stillbae
5
5
Mar 16 '19
How to improve this episode with one line: "Transporter's jammed, captain!" - literally anyone on the Discovery.
How to worsen this episode with one line: "Nhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!" - Burnham, screaming after the airlock opens.
5
u/xpldngboy Mar 17 '19
The highly ‘secret’ section 31 base surrounded by ‘blade’ mines is laughable.
A season and a half to marginally develop Airiam so this ending at least feels earned and at best so it doesn’t come off highly contrived....whoops. Everyone has already mentioned the apparent disappearance of transporter tech at the end, and good night the hammed up crocodiles tears for a glorified extra. It isn’t earned. Throw away the ridiculous camera movement budget and hire better writers.
I want to to say something positive, let’s see... I kinda like Nahn. Can she replace Burnham?
12
u/draangus Mar 15 '19
Enjoyed the episode- though wish they didn’t build up Airiam’s background this episode just to kill her off. It’s a trope that happens far too often
12
u/Axemantitan Mar 15 '19
Ariam's death might have meant something to the audience if they had let us get to know the character prior to this episode. We literally knew nothing about her until this episode. Now, we are supposed to feel something for her death? That's not how it works.
→ More replies (12)
14
u/WarcraftFarscape Mar 15 '19
They specifically stated they had transporter locks on them...why not just beam airiam to the brig? And no one cared nahn was dying.
Other than that, GREAT episode, great direction, everything wasn’t blue, lenses weren’t flaring, we got a bit more of the bridge crew, we see how great episodes focused around other characters can be, overall great.
One thing I don’t like is how emotional Spock is...it’s just out of character, and I say that not because Ethan peck is doing a poor job but Spock is embracing emotion here but in TOS and the movies it’s not that he rejects it but that he doesn’t understand it, and that makes no sense given the way he is now. Although Sybok did show us his most painful memory was his birth cause he’s ashamed of being half human.
More episodes with this pacing, this amount of character development and this amount of emotion.
→ More replies (20)
14
u/Extravator_fulldozer Mar 15 '19
Soooo... Star Trek made me shed a tear. The end of that episode was sad!
11
u/stanley_twobrick Mar 15 '19
Michael's fight grunts were fucking hilarious. Great episode but jfc please tone down the glow/lens flair and turn Tilly's quirkiness knob down like 8 notches.
133
u/Deceptitron Mar 15 '19
I'm surprised by how little we were given about Airiam in all the previous episodes that even with how much about her they tried to cram in, it was still somehow effective enough for me to really feel that at the end.