Captain Lorca and the Star Trek: Discovery crew harnessed a powerful new form of transportation this week… but, like a lot of things on this show, it came at a steep price.
Burnham’s now a full member of the Discovery crew, with a uniform and everything. (She also has a package from the late Captain Georgiou that she refuses to open.) Saru and his threat ganglia still think Burnham should be headed to prison, but Lorca gives her an assignment: He shows her the bloodthirsty slug-like creature he has trapped in a containment pen, and orders her to find out how it was able to kill a dozen Klingons without suffering so much as a scratch. Landry calls it a “ripper,” but Burnham’s not so sure it’s a natural predator. There was no hull breach on the Glenn… so how did it get onboard?
Meanwhile, the Discovery receives a distress call from Corvan 2, a mining planet that’s under attack by Klingons. Corvan 2 is a chief dilithium producer for Starfleet, and no other ships are close enough to help, so Lorca volunteers to fire up that experimental spore drive of his and zip right over. One problem, though: They have no idea where they’ll end up once they spore-jump, Stamets warns. They recovered some device from the Glenn, but they don’t know how it works. And when they try to spore-jump to Corvan 2, they end up in the gravitational pull of a very hot star, nearly burning up before they can pull away.
Burnham notices that the slug creature cried out when the spore drive was activated, but Landry’s run out of patience: She sedates the creature, planning to chop off its claw and find out how it got so strong. But the sedation spray doesn’t work, and the creature ends up tossing her around the room, killing her before Burnham can get it back in its pen. Was it just an act of self-defense, though? Burnham notices that Saru’s threat ganglia don’t react when the creature is nearby, and takes a chance by presenting the creature with a pod full of spores. Rather than attacking, the creature lets out a purr — and just about cuddles with her.
Calling the creature a “Tardigrade,” Burnham presents her findings to Stamets, and together, they release the Tardigrade into the ship’s spore forest, where it seems to communicate with the spores in a form of symbiosis. When they transport the Tardigrade into the room with the Glenn device, it hooks into the creature, bringing up a navigation system with every star system known to Starfleet. Here’s the navigation system they’ve been looking for! They’re able to zap over to Corvan 2 and destroy the Klingons, saving the poor miners.
Burnham notices that the spore jump took a serious toll on the Tardigrade, though; the poor thing was suffering. She brings it some more spores as an apology… but will the Tardigrade end up sacrificing its life for Starfleet’s ambitions? Oh, and Burnham finally opened that package from Georgiou: As part of her will, she left Burnham a hologram message encouraging her to “keep your eyes and heart open, always.” And she left her that old-school telescope — so she’ll always keep exploring.
Elsewhere in the episode:
* The Klingons continued their internal warfare, with Voq the white Klingon and his female ally L’Rell getting usurped by Kol after fetching a dilithium processor from the hollowed-out Shenzou. L’Rell stole a ship, though, and will leave Voq with the matriarchs of the Mokai to plot his vengeance. This week’s biggest Klingon revelation, though: They ate Georgiou’s dead body (!!). Yeah, sorry, that kind of thing is not helping me identify with these Klingon characters.
Got thoughts on tonight’s Star Trek: Discovery? Beam down to the comments.
The eating Captain Georgiou thing was a bit surprising, I mean sure they are known to eat the HEARTS of their enemies, but have never heard of them eating sentient beings. I really dislike these Klingons, they lack the joie de vivre that Martok, Gowron, Kang, Kor, Koloth, and even Worf have
I agree. And I still find the way the facial prosthetics inhibit speech very aggravating. The scenes take twice as long as they would otherwise because they talk so slowly!
Tonight’s episode of Discovery was totally wicked and intense. I was on the edge of my seat. I loved it. It just keeps getting better.
I get it the Klingons are the enemy. Nothing says we’re not coming to a peaceful resolution more than you ate my mentor.
That part completely destroyed my theory that they were holding her prisoner and she’d make a triumphant return later in the season, lol.
I think the show is getting better each episode but I just don’t like these Klingons
It’s a throw back to the original series, watch an episode and you will see just how much they resemble the klingons in Discovery. They don’t bother me that much. I think people are expecting them to look like Worf and Torres, but this is supposedly way before time. Also, Worf explains in TNG that they went through a transformation.
We are supposed to like the Klingons!
Some are thinking it. I am saying it. Discoveries bigest WTF is the bleak vibe over the show. I love they show tech that was just a bad idea, and some new stuff though. Spore Drive Potentially cool awesome. It amuses me they basically use a large alien dog to get around with.
This show is terrible. Poorly written, acted, with insufferable unlikable characters. They missed the target with this one.
I don’t agree with that set of comments at all. And let’s be honest, it’s already better than TNG’s firs episodes, and we loved that show.
The writing is fine. Its not boring like i found most star trek series to be and that’s good enough for me. But the characters are unlikeable and I can’t watch a show with unlikeable characters.
Yeah that’s my problem with it r
too.
This was my last episode. Ugh!!! terrible writing and characters. We all hung in with TNG as it was the only hope for a Trek series that had come along in 20years. There were no alternatives and nothing to compare it to. The bar is much higher today
Thats my main issue as well.. I’d like at least one sympathetic character to root for… but they are all pretty much jerks.
I disagree about the characters. I like Saru and look forward to learning more about his species. I know that Lorca has more layers and secrets to him that will be explored. Burnham’s character is still a little rough but has potential.
I think back to the first season of Next Generation. The writing and acting was rough and unpolished. But look at Picard or Data in the final seasons – smooth and believable.
FYI Crack is Whack!
^
Who played the admiral who appears as a hologram in this episode – it is driving me crazy – and she’s not listed in the IMDb credits.
I know her as Josh Charles’ sister & Christina Applegate’s nemesis on Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
Jayne Brook
She was in GOT!
Just cant get into this mis-mash of every incarnation of Trek in existence, while not being true to its alleged timeline of 10 years prior to Kirk. They need to get this crap together or dump it.
Is it me or does the First Officer sound just like Data from the Next Generation?
I’m gonna be honest, these Klingons aren’t doing it for me. They aren’t the fun, honorable Klingons we know and love. These are dark Klingons, who I don’t like, am frankly bored with, and THEY ATE MY FAVORITE CHARACTER OF THE WHOLE SHOW!!!! I like the show. I understand it’s set at a very dark time. I get that. There does need to be some lightheartedness soon though, and we could scrap the whole Klingon arc. Their part in the pilot makes sense, because it started the war and all, but I’m just bored with that plot.
+1 Adrienne, considering all that must have gone into the creation of this show, did the bosses skip the meeting about the Klingons or what??
The Klingons you (possibly?) grew up with, from TNG and on, aren’t the same as the Klingons of the TOS era. Roddenberry based those Klingons loosely on the Communist Chinese, who were at that time (1960s) regarded as dangerous, shifty, untrustworthy, bent on world domination, and I’m sure you can expand the list. The Klingons eventually ally with the Federation, due in part to economic reversals (see Star Trek VI), and when this happened the writers changed their culture incrementally into what you remember.
I truly cannot stand the new reimagined Klingons and their langue is horrible.
I hit the mute button on those parts.
I’m enjoying the show but it doesn’t feel like Star Trek. This could be any sci fi show. Also the Klingon scenes feel lazy. The writers can stretch a 30 second dialog into 3 minutes due to subtitles.
this episode was great and this new star trek is getting better and better, but the only think I didn’t like was by killing of commander Landry and she was great and I liked her a lot and I think it was big mistake killing her off and it will be hard to replace her.
I imagine that’s what the new character introduced in this Sunday’s episode, Ash Tyler, will do.
TREKCORE: And what’s your position on board?
LATIF: I’m a security officer.
The young girl saying ‘Who saved us?’
Bad
This does not feel like Star Trek at all. The way people talk, the way they behave… it just doesn’t fit. That they’re at war is not a good explanation. Deep Space Nine had a war too, and took place on an alien station even, and yet the Start Trek feel was fully there.
I’ll also echo what a few other comments have said already in that there isn’t a single likeable character among the bunch. Cadet Tilly is the only one that sorta qualifies, but even she is more annoying than adorkable.
And the Klingons, not feeling them either. Where’s the spark, the fire in their eyes? I kinda like the “Remain Klingon” sentiment, but everything else about them is… depressing.
I’m having exactly the same reaction to this series so far, even though I’m trying very hard to like it. However, I do like the techy look and feel of the ship itself, though it seems far more advanced than ships in TOS.
Yes they don’t seem to have learnt from Enterprise, that the advanced FX seem out of place with the original ST time period.
Even the films have the look of the Kirk era down even though the FX are modern.
This should be set after Next Gen and about exploring the Federation after events of DS9.
Yet the cheesiness of the TOS sets were never what I thought a 23rd century starship should like. If Discovery is 100 years after Archer’s Enterprise – and a highly secret science vessel – it seems appropriate. The TNG Enterprise looks right for a science ship with families.
The visuals, if looked in isolation, are impressive yes. But they don’t fit a prequel. Heck, then don’t fit even a non-prequel. Too gritty. Which is just a further reason this show does not feel like Star Trek.
As muchildren as I really want to like it I’m still not sure about Discovery. It feels like a decent enough to bit of sci-fi TV but it dosent feel like Star Trek. I find the Klingons grating, bordering on boring and can’t understand the need for their complete redesign. The whole thing feels so completely at odds with what has gone before that I don’t see how it can be accepted as cannon. Surely given the tech that’s on display this would have worked better as a sequel to the other shows rather then another prequel. I’ll keep watching (for now ) but week by week my heart sinks and little more at what they are doing.
I love Discovery! The reimagined Klingons work for me. The cast is excellent overall and I think Lorca is going to be a Trek legend. Just wondering how the producers are going to link the developing storyline to the original Trek though…the spore propulsion system kind of makes it hard I think…let’s see!
How in the universe did Captain Georgiou’s telescope make into to Burnham? The Shenzhou was abandoned. Obviously Starfleet never returned to the battle, because the Klingon ship was still there the whole time getting repaired. And if Starfleet did return to the battle site, they would have salvaged or scuttled the remaining ships to prevent the Klingons from getting Federation tech/files. So during the abandon ship order, who ran into the captain’s quarters, was able to enter without permission, to get an obsolete tech device from a dead captain, just to give to Burnham, who was technically still en-route to prison when it arrived on the Discovery?
I wonder if the Klingons would have worked better as some long past fad (shaving the head) These would totally work as their weird cusins the Quvos, and Felar(named after their guardian to Neibelhein and Hades) Waaay WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAy in the long distant past (where ultimatly were seen as to mischevius to rely on) THAT would’ve worked. As someone pointed out on Den of Geek the writers (or suites) for what ever reason are doing to much of the daaaark and emooo goooth (said in my razzing mumbling drawing out voice) and that doesn’t work for Trek. DS9 Showed that. Trek does space opera adventure, and silly. It simly is not dreary C. Nolan muted. IMO