star trek discovery omega

Why Star Trek just brought back tribbles, changelings, and a random Voyager molecule

The dangerous Dark Matter Anamoly in Discovery Season 4 is connected to a Trek episode from the ‘90s.

The secret purpose of the Dark Matter Anamoly has been revealed. For half of its fourth season, Star Trek: Discovery has been unpacking the mystery of the DMA plaguing the entire galaxy. In the final moments of its mid-season return, “All In,” the crew finally realizes what the DMA is really doing. But within that revelation, there’s a massive deep-cut reference to Star Trek lore.

We asked Discovery writer Sean Cochran about the connections between the DMA and a specific 1998 episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Here’s what he said.

Spoilers ahead for Discovery Season 4, Episode 8, “All In.”

Seven (Jeri Ryan) and Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) race against time to stop Omega.

At the very end of this week’s episode, we learn the DMA’s purpose is to mine a substance called “boronite.” At first, President Rillick is confused as to why this unseen space substance is such a big deal, but then Saru explains, “It can be synthesized into some of the most powerful substances in existence.”

Offhand, this might not seem like a big deal, but before this Discovery episode, boronite was only ever mentioned before in the Star Trek: Voyager episode, “The Omega Directive.”

Voyager’s new Discovery connection

Voyager’s “The Omega Directive” episode revealed that all Starfleet captains were always under strict orders to destroy an Omega particle. An Omega molecule is so destructive and so rare that Starfleet can’t mess around and try to harness its energy.

In the same episode, Seven of Nine reveals the “perfect” Omega structure makes it the science-y holy grail for the Borg, and at one point, the Borg tried to create their own Omega molecule, using — you guessed it — boronite! The possible destructive powers of boronite were introduced and then forgotten. Until now.

“Yes, it's that very same boronite,” Discovery writer Sean Cochran tells Inverse . However, he adds that this boronite will perhaps be used for a different purpose.

The Borg were only able to construct an Omega molecule using boronite for a couple of seconds. But now on Discovery , Burnham points out that an unknown alien species, “10-C,” is destroying entire planets as a “dredge” to mine large quantities of boronite. What this means is simple: The abilities of species “10-C” are way beyond anything anyone has encountered in Star Trek ever.

Kirk is buried in Tribbles!

Discovery brings back a Tribble and Changeling

On top of the deep-cut (and game-changing) Voyager reference, this episode also brought back two classic Star Trek aliens at the very same moment. While Book and Tarka are trying to figure out which aliens are cheating in a certain gambling den, it turns out one specific person was impersonating multiple people at once because they’re a Changeling. In order to cut and run, this shape-shifter briefly turns into a tribble and rolls like hell to make their escape.

Famously, a tribble is a furry, round creature that breeds very quickly, as made famous in “The Trouble With Tribbles” in The Original Series . When asked why the Changeling turned into a tribble (albeit briefly), Cochran says:

“It felt like the Changeling would need to pull out all the stops if they wanted to get away from some pursuers who are more than capable. So turning into a tribble felt like the ultimate Hail Mary pass. And then I also thought, hey, if you get the chance to put a tribble in your episode — do it.”

Canonically, the idea of a large, humanoid-ish Changeling transforming into a smaller creature is a classic Trek move. In two episodes from Deep Space Nine (“Past Prologue” and “The Circle”), beloved Changeling Odo (Rene Auberjonois) disguised himself as a rat. We don’t know much about this new Changeling, but the makeup suggests this is the same species of Changelings as Odo, sometimes known as “the Founders.”

One of “the Founders” and Odo, both Changelings, in Deep Space Nine.

The Changeling’s existence also suggests that passage between the Gamma Quadrant and the Alpha Quadrant is still happening via the Bajoran wormhole in the 32nd century of Discovery . In Deep Space Nine , the Federation would have never encountered the Dominion and the Changelings without that wormhole. So, does it still exist in the era of Discovery ?

As of now, Cochran has one answer: “No comment.”

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 airs new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Click here for the full Star Trek 2022 schedule.

This article was originally published on Feb. 10, 2022

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Star Trek: Discovery’s Big Threat Has a Major Voyager Connection

What Is Star Trek: Discovery ’s Dark Matter Anomaly?

In the past few weeks since Discovery returned from its mid-season hiatus , we and the crew of the the titular vessel have come to learn more and more about what the “Dark Matter Anomaly” actually is. Early in the season, we discovered that the anomaly isn’t actually anomalous at all , and instead a manufactured tool being used by a mysterious species from beyond the galactic barrier, currently only known to the Federation by the designation “10-C.” It turns out that the anomaly isn’t a weapon of war, even if its appearance in the Star Trek galaxy has brought with it gravitic waves powerful enough to tear planets near to the teleporting, massive storm apart wherever it finds itself travelling. It’s actually a highly advanced mining tool, and it’s being used to harvest an incredibly rare element with a name familiar to diehard Trek fans: boronite.

What is Boronite, and Why Is It Important?

Boronite was first introduced in the 1998, season-four Star Trek: Voyager episode “The Omega Directive.” An element that only naturally formed in incredibly small quantities across the known universe, boronite was a key component in synthesizing an incredibly powerful molecule known only as the Omega molecule. Omega molecules were theorised to be capable of storing incredibly vast amounts of energy — at the time of Voyager ’s setting in the late 24th century, the Federation believed a single molecule contained the equivalent energy of a fully powered starship warp core, and even small chains of Omega could provide energy to entire civilizations for generations.

Omega’s big problem was that it was also almost impossible to keep in a stabilised state for any period of time. Experiments with Omega in secret by Federation scientists in the 23rd century were able to synthesise a single molecule that destabilized in an instant, and did so violently. Not only did the ensuing explosion destroy the research station the experiment was conducted aboard, killing hundreds of people, the real threat of Omega was revealed to have lasting implications beyond the immediate explosive aftermath of destabilization. Omega’s destruction left a tear in the fabric of subspace in its wake, a rupture that, even from the fallout of a single molecule’s destabilization, stretched lightyears from the the origin point of the explosion. The rupture in subspace prevented conventional warp travel technology — the creation of a stable bubble to allow for safe FTL travel — from being used, and with the rupture seemingly irreparable, warp travel in the aftermath of an Omega detonation became impossible seemingly forever.

In the wake of its tragic research on the molecule, the Federation immediately enacted a cover-up, classifying the subspace rupture as a natural phenomenon, and made the very existence of Omega molecules a classified secret known only to Starfleet ship captains and other high-ranking flag officers in the organisation. Known as the Omega Directive, the general Starfleet order overrode even the organisations’ most vaunted rule, the Prime Directive, and tasked Starfleet captains with the authority to destroy a detected Omega molecule by any means necessary. Omega, as rare as it was, represented the greatest threat to the Federation imaginable — if even a handful of molecules were synthesized and destabilized, the damage to subspace rendering long-range communication and warp travel impossible could end spacefaring civilisation as the Federation and most known species perceived it forever.

What Could Omega Molecules Mean for Star Trek ’s Future?

If Species 10-C is mining what rare natural instances of boronite are even available in the known galaxy, there’s a good chance they might have done what no civilisation in the Federation, or even beyond it, has ever been able to: create a sustainable energy source from properly stabilised Omega molecules. Even in the advanced future of the 31st century that Discovery has found itself set in since the climax of season two, such a revelation would reflect one of the greatest leaps in technological capability Star Trek has seen from its usual 22nd-24th century settings in other series. Even beyond all the other technological advances we’ve seen in Discovery ’s recent seasons, it’d be one of the few reveals to really hit long time fans with a show of just how far things have come — even if that technology is still even wildly beyond the capacity of the Federation in that time.

But the inherent power of Omega molecules, if that is what 10-C are using their mined boronite for, could be implemented just as destructively, too. If the Federation’s first contact with the species goes bad — and it might, considering last week rogue scientist Ruon Tarka destroyed the first DMA with a very illegal weapon — weaponised Omega could do untold damage to the Federation and the galaxy at large. Beyond just the potency of its energy release, Omega’s ability to destabilize subspace could plunge the Federation into a dark age even worse than the effects of the Burn — which, at the very least, was an non-permanent barrier to most warp travel, and some degree of communication was still available across vast passages of space. Widespread detonation of Omega molecules could cut off the civilizations of the galaxy from each other forever, effectively bringing an end to the Federation as an entity in the process.

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Recap / Star Trek Voyager S 4 E 19 The Omega Directive

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The Omega particle is known to Starfleet captains and admirals, but not to any lower ranking officers or enlisted. Since Seven of Nine was in the Borg collective, which has assimilated Starfleet officers like Captain Picard, Seven knows about the Omega directive. She also knows that the Borg revere the Omega particle for its perfection.

Back in the Alpha Quadrant, Janeway would have help dealing with Omega. In the Delta Quadrant, she has her crew, but still feeling guilty about stranding them on the other side of the galaxy, decides she and Seven should go at it alone, just the two of them. But as work on the project reveals that there are many more factors of Omega particles than can be practically neutralized, Janeway decides to involve her senior staff into working on a more effective solution. Between the Borg technology that Seven has acquired, and the crew working in tandem on a containment unit, they quickly work on a better solution. But trouble still looms ahead, as the alien civilization who created Omega won't give up without a fight, and then Seven can't give up on her notion that she get Omega to stabilize in perfect harmony...

All hell breaks loose as the Voyager crew beams up Omega into the containment unit and they start the process to destabilize the molecules. The enemy ships' weapons risk destroying both Voyager and the subspace in the quadrant. As the procedure continues, Seven is shocked when she manages to witness the Omega molecules achieve harmony without any explainable reasons. Despite the achievement, Janeway orders to have the containment unit beamed into space and destroyed, as a minimum safe amount of the Omega molecules have now been safely neutralized. Voyager manages to warp away as the explosion goes off, with the aliens pre-warp vessels unable to pursue.

The episode ends with Janeway and Seven in da Vinci's workshop on the holodeck, as they ponder over the past few days of events. Seven explains that she was delighted to finally witnessing her personal goal of perfection (seeing the stable formation of Omega), but she's left with more questions now than answers. When inside the Collective, they generally decided on which ideals made the most sense, but now that she's alone she can't come to a reasonable conclusion as to what she believes now. Janeway simply reassures her by saying, "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you just had your first spiritual experience."

Contains examples of:

• Ain't Too Proud to Beg : Seven's voice cracks as she asks Chakotay to authorize her plan to stabilize the Omega molecule, adding "Please" despite showing No Social Skills throughout the episode.
• Alien Non-Interference Clause : Explicitly overruled in matters of Omega.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking : Seven plans to work, eat, exercise, and read A Christmas Carol .
• Artistic License – History : Albert Einstein never worked directly in the development of atomic weapons, although his theory of mass-energy equivalence (e=mc squared) laid the groundwork for them, and he did sign a letter advising President Franklin Roosevelt that American research into the area be accelerated as World War 2 neared. His only regret in that regard was from encouraging such research, as it became clear after the war neither Germany or Japan had the resources to construct atomic bombs, and Soviet Russia only figured it out from spying on America's efforts, which led to the Cold War.
• Artistic License – Space : The alien moon is said to have an atmosphere eleven thousand kilometers thick. For context, the entire planet Earth has a diameter of 12,800 kilometers.
• The "Be Careful!" Speech : Janeway demands a hypospray of Fantastic Radiation Shielding , and curtly overrules the Doctor when he objects that it's dangerous. However the Doctor earns a Gooey Look when he gives this trope.
• Bittersweet Ending : The Omega particles, which could be used to power civilizations, had to be destroyed; but for a few precious seconds, Seven glimpsed perfection.
• Butt-Monkey : Seven engages in her usual Harry-bashing, even going so far as to "demote" him in as part of her work detail.
• Blunt "No" : Harry : Wanna know what I think? Tuvok : No.
• Tuvok is playing kal-toh with Ensign Kim, which they started doing at the end of "Alter Ego".
• Carol Marcus and her Genesis Device is mentioned.
• Cargo Cult : The Borg have one for Omega, considering it the epitome of perfection to which they strive.
• Classified Information : Everything about the Omega particle is restricted to Starfleet Captains and Flagship Officers. The crew are understandably annoyed at this , given that they're effectively told to do tasks without being able to use their Gadgeteer Genius skills. Seven is brought into Janeway's confidence, as she already knows about the Omega Directive from Starfleet captains who've been assimilated by the Borg. However these rules have been written for the Alpha Quadrant, where a Starfleet captain would call in a specialized Starfleet team to deal with the crisis. Janeway is convinced to include the senior staff when the crisis turns out to be bigger than she expected.
• Eldritch Abomination : Of a sort; Omega's true nature can't be known, and it's responsible for much destruction and loss of life, including the potential to destroy subspace - the medium of the universe which enables warp speed. Its very existence is considered the Godzilla Threshold by Starfleet. On seeing its creation, Seven even has the sense that it may be self-aware enough to study her in response.
• Expy : In-universe, Seven creates one of a Hive Mind to build and maintain the resonance chamber, even demoting Harry when he refuses to play along!
• Famous, Famous, Fictional : When discussing the potential of the Omega Particle, Janeway mentions Einstein and the atom bomb (famous), and Carol Marcus and the Genesis Device (fictional).
• For Science! : Averted; Omega is so dangerous that Starfleet wants it destroyed. Alien scientist: Small-minded creatures! You destroy whatever you don't understand!
• Starfleet procedure goes out the airlock when Omega is involved. Captain Janeway is set on destroying a dangerous phenomenon instead of investigating it, keeps the crew out of the loop, and the Prime Directive is superseded.
• Janeway eventually letting the senior crew know what's up. Seven is already aware of Omega and the Omega Directive because the Borg assimilated knowledge of it, likely from Picard and the victims of Wolf 359, and Voyager , being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, has no access to Starfleet resources, forcing Janeway to throw together an Omega Directive squadron from her own personnel.
• Just as Janeway has been authorized to destroy Omega at all costs, Seven says that Borg drones have been instructed to assimilate it at all costs.
• The species developing the Omega molecule. Their resources are drained and they don't have warp technology, so can't get outside help.
• Gone Horribly Right : Along with Marcus, Janeway thinks of Einstein and the atomic bomb when comparing peoples' reactions to the revolutionary devices which they helped create, but could be (and were) perverted into deadly weapons; Janeway can understand how they must have felt, and Ketteract must have felt the same about Omega shortly before the end of his life.
• Headbutting Heroes : Averted during the final Janeway/Seven confrontation in Cargo Bay 2. Unlike in "Prey", this time Seven does understand Janeway's perspective, and steps aside to allow the captain to destroy Omega.
• Holy Grail : Janeway calls Omega this for the Borg. Seven doesn't get the reference.
• Hyperspeed Escape : When pursued by sublight spacecraft, Voyager can't flee because of the damage from the Omega explosion . They escape the region Just in Time to detonate the Omega particles and jump to warp.
• If I Do Not Return : And for once this trope is meant to be taken seriously, as Chakotay would have only ten seconds to pull a Hyperspeed Escape before Omega created a No Warping Zone , if Janeway's shuttle mission didn't succeed. Averted in the end as she involves more of the crew and Voyager itself.
• In Harm's Way : Janeway would rather go on a Suicide Mission than put Voyager 's crew at risk. Fortunately Chakotay convinces her to at least bring the senior officers into the problem; however, this also leads to them realizing they'll need Voyager itself to pull off the mission.
• Insufferable Genius : Seven effortlessly completes the kal-toh game Harry has been working on all night, saying it's "elementary spatial harmonics". Kim asks what Seven needs the rest of the crew for, only to get a Meaningful Look from Seven. "Forget I asked." Seven of Nine: The modifications require several complex calculations. Assist me. Captain Janeway: I guess I will .
• Lock Down : The moment the sensors detect the Omega shockwave Voyager automatically drops out of warp with all sensors shut down, and the computer can only be accessed by the captain.
• Mad Lib Thriller Title : Going by the name, you'd be forgiven if you thought this was a Robert Ludlum joint.
• The Main Characters Do Everything : Janeway and her senior staff are the ones most involved in destroying Omega. This is justified for two reasons: the extreme need-to-know nature of the Omega Directive (which Janeway is already bending to a serious degree) and the fact that Voyager is the only ship around to deal with things. Janeway even explains that if this were in the Alpha Quadrant, Starfleet would be sending a specialized team to destroy Omega.
• Male Gaze : The camera drops to show Seven's ass as she's walking away from the audience while in the cargo bay.
• A Million Is a Statistic : The Borg consider 600,000 dead drones an irrelevance in their quest to stabilize the Omega particle. They also assimilated a number of primitive species just to follow the chain of evidence to Omega.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast : Nothing good will come from something named after the last and most ominous letter in the Greek alphabet.
• No Man Should Have This Power : How Starfleet feels about Omega.
• No Social Skills : Lampshaded by the Doctor when Seven tries to barge into his Sickbay and interrogate a barely conscious patient. He promises to teach the subject on her next course.
• No Warping Zone : A single Omega particle detonation can destroy subspace across an entire sector, making warp travel impossible throughout said sector (which has already occurred in the Lantaru Sector, with Starfleet officially declaring it a natural phenomenon), and a large enough chain reaction could do the same to an entire quadrant . This is why Starfleet is freakin' scared of Omega and wants it destroyed at any cost.
• Oh, Crap! : Many times throughout the episode, especially as the molecule count goes from one to dozens to hundreds to over two hundred million.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business : Former science officer Janeway wants Omega destroyed without bothering to study it. Seven's desire to gaze upon it is compared to religious fervor.
• Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions : Averted; Seven dismisses speculation by primitive species (including human ) about the nature of the Omega particle, yet the Borg quest also has religious overtones. She appeals to Chakotay's beliefs when begging him to let her stabilize the molecule, and at the end of the episode compares her gazing on a fully formed Omega molecule to a religious epiphany. Seven: This simulation contains many religious components. I was studying them to help me understand what I saw in Cargo Bay two. Janeway: The data isn't clear why Omega stabilized in the last few seconds. The chances are it was simply a chaotic anomaly, nothing more. Seven: For three point two seconds I saw perfection. When Omega stabilized, I felt a curious sensation. As I was watching it, it seemed to be watching me. The Borg have assimilated many species with mythologies to explain such moments of clarity. I've always dismissed them as trivial. Perhaps I was wrong. Janeway: If I didn't know you better, I'd say you just had your first spiritual experience.
• Properly Paranoid : Omega is Classified Information because of the risk that the information will be taken by force, which has already happened with the Borg.
• Rule of Funny : The work 'collective' Seven forms on Voyager . Giving everyone Borg designations would actually be less efficient, but sets up a gag involving Harry Kim getting "demoted".
• Rule of Symbolism : In-Universe when Seven studies the religious symbols in the Da Vinci holo-program, in order to come to grips with the experience of witnessing perfection.
• Schizo Tech : The species that was working on Omega have fast sublight ships with weapons that are a legitimate threat to Voyager ...and are a pre-warp civilization . Justified in that their solar system has an ample supply of the rare substance required to synthesize Omega, and their local subspace may have been damaged, producing false negatives in warp tests, well before the Voyager crew showed up.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! : Convinced of the necessity, Janeway violates orders and tells only her senior staff about the Omega particle in detail.
• Janeway being so impressed with Seven's containment device that she leaves the Omega project (which is meant to destroy the particle) in her hands. Fortunately Seven proves loyal, despite admitting that she had every reason and opportunity to disobey orders.
• The species who produced the Omega molecules are doing this too, as if the Borg find any evidence whatsoever about them discovering Omega, their civilization is going to be assimilated down to the last person.
• These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know : Janeway: The Final Frontier has some boundaries that are not meant to be crossed.
• Title Drop : Computer: Implement the Omega Directive immediately. All other priorities rescinded.
• Ultimate Life Form : The Omega molecule is infinitely complex, yet harmonious; representing true perfection. It's speculated that a natural particle created the universe with the Big Bang , making it literally God.
• Unobtanium : Boronite ore, the material needed to synthesize the Omega molecule, is suggested to be very rare — the Borg only had enough within their vast territory to synthesize a single, ultimately unstable, molecule
• Visual Gag : Chakotay says "Try to shake them off" just before a Screen Shake .
• Weapon of Mass Destruction : The ability for the Omega molecule to become this is lampshaded, though the emphasis is on the accidental damage it might cause by destroying subspace across half the Quadrant, throwing all spacefaring civilizations into a pre-warp state. Kim and Tuvok are shown loading a gravimetric charge into a torpedo, which Kim claims is powerful enough to destroy a small planet . Sure enough a moon is being used for Omega experiments, and at one point Tuvok suggests using the torpedo to destroy the experimental chamber, which presumably would have destroyed the moon as well .
• Wham Line : Janeway and Tuvok examine the area where the Omega molecules are being contained, and they decide on a way to safely access Omega and remove it forcibly from the laboratory: Tuvok: Captain, I'd be negligent if I didn't point out that we're about to violate the Prime Directive. Janeway: For the duration of this mission, the Prime Directive has been rescinded . Let's get this over with.
• With or Without You : Janeway: I'm going to neutralize this threat, Seven, with or without your help.
• With Us or Against Us : Janeway gives Seven a choice between helping her destroy Omega or being confined to quarters. Seven is not intimidated, but cooperates because she desires to see Omega for herself.
• You Are Number 6 : When Seven of Nine is put in charge of building the containment unit for the Omega molecules, she assigns Borg-style designations to each group member to "improve efficiency". Seven of Nine : Six of Ten, this is not your assignment. Harry Kim : Please, stop calling me that. Seven of Nine : You are compromising our productivity. I am reassigning you to chamber maintenance. Your new designation is Two of Ten. Harry Kim : Wait a minute, you're demoting me? Since when did the Borg pull rank? Seven of Nine : It's Starfleet Protocol I adapted. I find it most useful.
• You Talk Too Much! : When planning her daily activities, Seven allocates 3 hours, 20 minutes for a task she's working on with Ensign Kim, plus an additional 17 minutes for his "conversational digressions". Later Captain Janeway cuts off Kim when he asks who developed the Weapon of Mass Destruction they're planting into a photon torpedo. "Mr Kim, you ask too many questions." The moment she leaves, Kim engages in rampant speculation on what the captain is up to.

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The Omega Directive

• Episode aired Apr 15, 1998

Detection of an Omega particle puts all other priorities and Starfleet directives on hold. Janeway is duty-bound to destroy that particle above all else, but Seven objects. Detection of an Omega particle puts all other priorities and Starfleet directives on hold. Janeway is duty-bound to destroy that particle above all else, but Seven objects. Detection of an Omega particle puts all other priorities and Starfleet directives on hold. Janeway is duty-bound to destroy that particle above all else, but Seven objects.

• Victor Lobl
• Gene Roddenberry
• Rick Berman
• Michael Piller
• Kate Mulgrew
• Robert Beltran
• Roxann Dawson
• 10 User reviews
• 7 Critic reviews

• Capt. Kathryn Janeway

• Cmdr. Chakotay

• Lt. B'Elanna Torres

• Lt. Tom Paris

• Seven of Nine

• Ensign Harry Kim

• Alien Captain

• Voyager Computer

• (uncredited)
• Alien Scientist
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Roxann Dawson (B'Elanna Torres) went into labor during the production of this episode. That is why B'Elanna is seen in Engineering towards the beginning of the show, but is strangely absent when Captain Janeway briefs the senior officers during the special meeting about Omega.
• Goofs Seven of Nine makes a personal log entry, but she gives the date as "Stardate 15781.2," transposing the first two digits. It should have been "Stardate 51781.2."

[last lines]

Seven of Nine : For 3.2 seconds, I saw perfection. When Omega stabilized, I felt a curious sensation. As I was watching it, it seemed to be watching me. - The Borg have assimilated many species, with mythologies to explain such moments of clarity. I've always dismissed them as trivial. Perhaps I was wrong.

Captain Kathryn Janeway : If I didn't know you better... I'd say you just had your first spiritual experience.

• Connections Featured in Star Trek: Nemesis Review (2009)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: Voyager - Main Title (uncredited) Written by Jerry Goldsmith Performed by Jay Chattaway

User reviews 10

• MiketheWhistle
• Feb 21, 2020
• April 15, 1998 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Discovery Added A New Wrinkle To Star Trek's Biggest Moral Dilemma

Black alert! This article discusses  spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Discovery."

There are two undeniable givens in the "Star Trek" universe: all Starfleet captains must accept the inevitability of encountering a no-win situation (aka the Kobayashi Maru test ), and you never,  ever violate General Order 1, aka  the Prime Directive . While both are entrenched parts of franchise lore, the latter has always added a unique moral dilemma that transcends each captain and crew. For the technologically advanced societies that make up the backbone of the United Federation of Planets, there's nothing more detrimental than meddling with the development and evolution of pre-warp civilizations. ("Voyager" took this to even greater lengths with the introduction of the Temporal Prime Directive, which added a time-travel component to the usual doctrine of noninterference.) Despite expectations for officers to treat this directive with the utmost seriousness, however, time and again "Trek" writers have sought to bend and even break the property's most unbreakable rule.

This week, "Star Trek: Discovery" all but jumped at the chance to completely upend established tradition in episode 6, titled "Whistlespeak." While following the breadcrumbs that will eventually lead the USS Discovery to the Progenitors' technology , Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Tilly (Mary Wiseman) make their way to a more primitive planet perpetually at risk of destruction due to extreme weather patterns. What the inhabitants don't realize, however, is that their religious pilgrimage to the sacred "High Summit" (in actuality, one of several weather-monitoring stations discreetly planted by the Progenitors and the location of the next clue) has been infiltrated by a pair of benevolent aliens seeking a way inside. Tasked with accomplishing their mission without giving away their true identities, Burnham and Tilly soon confront the limits of the Prime Directive -- and make a surprising choice.

Read more: The Main Star Trek Captains Ranked Worst To Best

In Discovery, The Ends (Sometimes) Justify The Means

Although it's not exactly novel for "Star Trek" characters to take the constraints of the Prime Directive and throw them out the window when circumstances call for it (the legendary James T. Kirk practically turned this into his own personal hobby throughout "The Original Series"), "Discovery" takes an even more interesting route on its way to a familiar destination. Rather than a Captain contorting themselves to come up with a different interpretation of the general order or search high and low for a convenient loophole, the typically impulsive Burnham makes another choice entirely. She simply takes responsibility for intentionally violating the biggest rule in Starfleet and accepts the consequences that may fall her way. In other words, she owns it.

The impetus for this brazen act comes from the fact that, naturally, lives are at stake. While Tilly respectfully adheres to the customs of the indigenous people to gain access to the weather station (which involves a punishing race through an arid environment without the benefit of water), Burnham and her Discovery crew hidden in orbit work on a way to beam the Captain inside. What the two outsiders don't fully grasp until it's too late, however, is the disturbing twist that Tilly and her new friend Ravah (June Laporte) have actually volunteered to sacrifice themselves to the gods. Facing the impossible choice of letting them die needlessly versus exposing themselves to less-developed beings, Burnham disregards the concerns of the prickly Commander Rayner  (Callum Keith Rennie) and reveals the truth to Ravah's devout father, Ohvahz (Alfredo Narciso).

In the process, the episode firmly -- and perhaps controversially -- comes out in favor of the idea that the ends (saving lives) fully justify the means (breaking Starfleet's most sacred rule).

Will Burnham Face Consequences?

Compared to countless instances in "Star Trek" past where characters in similar predicaments have made essentially the exact same call that Burnham does, it's fair to ask why this development in "Whistlespeak" should feel especially audacious. Previously, characters flagrantly breaking protocol regarding the Prime Directive typically came prepared with a logical justification or by pointing out some arbitrary ambiguity in the letter of the law that allowed them to skate by on, essentially, technicalities. The writers in this latest episode of "Discovery" don't even try to come up with a similar convenience, however, perhaps implicitly acknowledging the creative idea that rules are meant to be broken in order to maximize drama and, as a result, adding a fascinating new wrinkle to the franchise's longstanding tradition.

Namely, viewers are left wondering whether Burnham will face actual consequences for defying Starfleet protocol. For a series that began with our main hero coming under fire for staging a mutiny against Discovery's then-Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), wouldn't there be a fitting sense of poetry in having the final season once again hold Burnham accountable for her (arguably) reckless actions? Admittedly, the episode nods towards this possibility in dialogue near the end, but this wouldn't be the first time "Trek" breezed past the messiness of its own characters for the sake of moving things along and tacitly endorsed their actions by, well, ignoring that they ever happened in the first place. As serialized as this series in particular has always been, not a single Trekkie would be surprised to tune in next week and discover that Burnham only received an off-screen slap on the wrist, at most. Episode 7 now has a prime opportunity to do something different.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery" stream on Paramount+ every Thursday.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

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• May 2, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Goes On A Spiritual Journey In “Whistlespeak”
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Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Goes On A Spiritual Journey In “Whistlespeak”

| May 2, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 101 comments so far

“Whistlespeak”

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 6 – Debuted Thursday, May 2, 2024 Written by Kenneth Lin & Brandon Schultz Directed by Chris Byrne

A classic Trek setup delivers a solid episode exploring character arcs and big ideas.

Hey, I’m in this episode too!

WARNING: Spoilers below!

“The most important thing is to work in harmony”

Picking up on the clue they nabbed in the previous episode, Paul and the geek squad run into a science wall deciphering the simple vial of water so the captain suggests they try cultural analysis instead before she pops off to the mysterious Infinity Room. Kovich tells her that another ship is tracking Moll and L’ak, and the Disco has to stay on task for the Progenitor Tech. He does offer a bit of help, providing a list (on actual paper!) of all the scientists from Vellek’s team. Returning to the science lab the team quickly sorts out which scientist left the water clue, it was a Denobulan named Dr. Kreel who designed rain-making weather towers. A bit more detective work narrows things down to an arid world on an old Denobulan trade route and presto shroomo, they arrive at Planet Helem’no. The good news is they found one of Kreel’s weather towers. The bad news: the tower is surrounded by some “weird energy” preventing scans… and a pre-warp society. The captain flexes her xenoanthropology, revealing Helem’nites have three gender identities and no concept of class status; sounds like just the kind of place a Denobulan would party. Tilly is tagged to join on the field trip and so it’s good ol’ alien disguise time!

On the planet, they have a bit of a hike to get to the tower so they walk and talk about Tilly’s new life as a teacher at Starfleet Academy, where she is concerned one of her students is thinking of leaving. Soon enough they follow some “whistlepseak” (title alert!) leading to a group of pilgrims, only to witness one collapse due to spending too much time in the dust storms. Michael and Tilly struggle over that old Prime Directive, but the local woman ends up being saved by High Priest Ohvahz and his cool “sound cure,” which has the surprise side effect of knocking Michael out. She wakes up to find Tilly making friends with the priest’s kid Ravah who is super excited to get to the temple at the high summit, which is actually an 8-century-old Denobulan weather machine. Shhh. There is a traditional “Journey” race with the winner getting the honor to enter the temple and so Michael and Tilly sign up as a way in to search for the clue. Ravah signs up too, but priest dad is suspiciously not into the idea. Tilly encourages them, seeing the same kind of ambition she admires in her cadets. Michael takes a surreptitious sidebar to talk to Rayner and the gang on the Disco. Adira discovered more old (and broken down) weather towers and this last one is about to fritz out too. This fun day trip just turned into one of those “everyone is going to die if we don’t fix it” kind of things.

Why am I getting a sense this is no “fun run.”

“Let’s go meet the gods together”

Meanwhile on Discovery, Culber is still feeling a bit off. He decides to get counseling from a holo grief program based on his own abuela, who was known to dabble in the spiritual. He is looking for answers to what’s been happening to him since he merged with a Trill , but grandmother reminds him she was also a doctor, suggesting he stop trying to examine his soul before examining his body. So he grabs his hubby and they head to sickbay because “nothing is as romantic as a neural scan.” Aww. All Paul can detect is Hugh’s brain is normal, and of course “handsome.” Adorable. Culber was hoping for more, revealing ever since Trill he feels “more connected” to something big, but he just doesn’t know what to do it about. Is someone about to meet a Koala ?

Michael has a curious chat with the cured woman from earlier talking about how she really misses her old friend who won the last big race. Like priest dad, she suggests there are other ways to show devotion besides participating in the Journey ritual. Hmm. The race begins with the sucking of a cube that parches the competitors as they head up a course lined with water bowls, which they can’t drink without being disqualified. After spotting some mutated moss, Michael leaves the race to find the radiation-leaking control panel. Eventually, Tilly and Ravah are the only two left, both tripping big-time with dehydration. The ritual now calls for carrying water bowls, which seems particularly cruel. Ravah drops theirs and Dad is elated, but Tilly steps up and shares her water with her new little protégé, and they continue to the high summit together. Teamwork! They tie up and both get to enter the temple. As Ravah takes in the spiritual moment, Tilly uses her cool new retinal tricorder but isn’t finding any clue. Priest dad shows up looking miserable, telling the winners their sacrifice will bless Helem’No for many seasons. Sacri-whatnow?

Upon reflection, fire was not a good call for the vacuum chamber.

“Beliefs can evolve”

As the walls are about to literally close in on Tilly, Michael gets some tech support from Adira to fix the weather system’s control panel, which is in the middle of the forest for some reason. The ensign is still feeling out of sorts since letting the time spider on board (not their fault) but Rayner rallies them so after some technobabble, the system is fixed. Tilly is now trapped in a vacuum chamber and can’t be beamed out so Michael breaks the Prime Directive and beams into the room right next door where Priest Dad is hanging out. With the air escaping, Ravah is now having second thoughts as Michael goes all in with their father, revealing his whole world is a lie so he should just open the door. Yeah, that didn’t work so Michael makes contact through the impenetrable wall using her subcutaneous communicator and starts humming a song she hears from Ravah that their mother used to sing. That gets Ohvahz’s attention and with “I am not a god but maybe I was sent here by one,” he opens his mind to a new reality… and the door. By this time Ravah has collapsed but Culber’s medical team can now beam in for the save. Heisenberg be praised!

As Culber and his team work everyday miracles, Ohvahz takes in the wonder of a hologram of his planet as he learns aliens called Denobulans saved them centuries ago. Now it’s his job to keep their technology working… no prayer required. Michael plays agnostic on whether this big reveal disproves the divine, leaving him with the thorny issue of getting his society to stop the pointless (yet popular) sacrifices. As Dad and Ravah reunite, Tilly has big news, showing Michael wall markings matching those on that persnickety water vial clue. They are in the wrong tower, but the next map piece and clue is in tower #5. Back on the ship, Book is sulking for not getting picked for the fun away mission, doing what dudes do… playing video games – technically shuttle combat simulation, but it looked just like Asteroids . Culber joins to cheer him up with a snack and to find a new outlet to talk about his burgeoning “spiritual awakening.” The former courier offers solace saying it’s okay for Hugh to have a part of his life he doesn’t share with Paul, while Book inadvertently shares how much he misses what he had with Michael. As the boys share a nice moment, Tilly and Michael have one too as they put the fourth piece of the map in place and ponder the big picture, and how each of the scientists seems to be sending them a message through time, warning of the “massive responsibility” of the Progenitor tech. Before they work all that out, the word comes that Moll and L’ak have been found. Black Alert!

Wait ’till I tell you about Denobulan marriages, it’s going to blow your mind.

Faith of the heart

“Whistlespeak” is a decent mid-season episode that takes a moment to pause and reflect on the season’s themes and impact on the characters. The pacing was slower by design, giving time to take in the location, performances, and character development. And they threw in the world-ending stakes to keep it interesting. Like other season 5 entries, the premise is classic Trek with an actual visit to a strange new world. Exploring a pre-warp society and coming into conflict with the Prime Directive, evokes episodes like “Who Watches the Watchers,” “The Paradise Syndrome,” and many others. You may not even notice it but the facial markings and even Tilly’s hairstyle were added as they beamed down, a subtle 32nd transporter tech upgrade to having the doctor handle alien disguises. It’s always hard to come up with a new culture on Star Trek but keeping it simple worked for “Whistlespeak.” The events on Helem’No were also a bit of a microcosm of the season itself, a race to receive the grace of the gods is not so different than the USS Discovery’s race to find the Progenitor’s tech. Like the Progenitors, the Denobulans played God with this planet but there is a warning about even good intentions can have unintended consequences. Confronting the Prime Directive — one of the core tenets of Federation philosophy — isn’t so different than how the High Priest had to evolve his worldview. The season’s focus on connection was nicely woven throughout the various plots and stories with a strong emphasis on the recurring theme of exploring spirituality without getting too heavy-handed, showing respect, and learning lessons from different points of view, which is all very Star Trek.

This was a great episode for Mary Wiseman as she showed off all the familiar aspects of Tilly from her dry wit to her whip smarts, with the season’s added layer of her growing into a mentor figure, such as how she immediately bonded with Ravah, ably played by guest star June LaPorte. And once again this final season reminds us where it all started, bringing back some of the Michael/Tilly bonding seen in the first couple of seasons, including a bit of running together as they used to do around the USS Discovery. Extended scenes with Wiseman and Sonequa Martin-Green have been missed. But as this was a Tilly-focused episode, the show could have held back some of its tendencies, giving her more of the “aha” moments to move the plot along. Burnham will also be the hero, but share the character wealth. Wilson Cruz also stood out as we explored his character’s spiritual awakening. This storyline has been playing along nicely and seems to be setting something up. Simple things like paying off namedrops of his abuela show how much Discovery has improved on layering in these season-long character arcs.

Tilly is concerned about her listing on ratemyprofessor.com.

Reach for any star

While the intriguing big Breen reveal from the previous episode was set aside for this week, the search for clues structure continues to allow for these nice little episodic adventures. It’s always great to meet a new culture and expand on the canon. Once again the season doesn’t shy away from utilizing franchise lore, in this case bringing in a few bits of Denobulan society through Dr. Kreel. However, after we got to (sort of) meet the first two Progenitor research scientists in episodes 1 and 3, the show is missing an opportunity to continue that by introducing the others. Instead of just talking about Denobulans, it would have been a treat to actually get to see Dr. Kreel (and Dr. Cho in the last episode, too), and that could have also helped sell some of the episode’s themes. On the other hand, it’s always great to get to learn more about the enigmatic Dr. Kovich, with David Cronenberg continuing to intrigue us with more tidbits about his character who has a penchant for old legal pads. This and his “Infinity Room,” all feel like it is leading somewhere and hopefully this series doesn’t wrap up without finally explaining what is his deal.

Of course, the episode also has some of the usual frustrations. Discovery needs to find some more creative ways to explain away when and how and where the 32nd technology doesn’t work. It seems every episode has some weird energy field preventing the transporters from working so that the episode can progress at the desired pace, specifically a walking pace. That being said, the retinal tricorders were a nice new bit of tech, although perhaps not discreet enough if someone checks out what’s happening with one of your eyes. And while it may only be the “Prime Suggestion” to many Trek captains, it still isn’t clear if the season plot “Red Directive” supersedes the Prime Directive, but for obvious reasons, it’s not likely Burnham will face the same kind of tribunal as (formerly) Captain Rayner. The disruption to this society was pretty profound and they probably should have noted that Starfleet would be back to check in to make sure they didn’t just kick off a religious war. By the way, why didn’t the Denobulans ever check in after leaving all their tech running? These quibbles are not episode breakers but are the usual kinds of things that Discovery doesn’t seem interested in tying up, and perhaps they are a bit nitpicky, but that too is a Trek tradition. Finally, this may not be a nitpick, but the crew seems a bit blasé in how they treat the slowly-assembling map, which seems to be left around various parts of the Discovery. Like every hero ship before, the USS Discovery has been boarded by the bad guys on several occasions, so maybe this is setting up for a coming heist.

The most important thing in the Federation makes for a nice conversation piece.

Final thoughts

This (dare I say) “filler” episode was a solid outing that delivered some classic Star Trek to Discovery . With four out of five pieces of the map assembled in six episodes, it feels like we are making progress without getting sidetracked. The pivot in Season 5 continues to be finally finding the sweet spot in episodic adventures, serialized plot, and character development.

Only four more, y’all.

• For the third episode in a row, Doug Jones is not credited. Saru is confirmed to appear in at least the finale episode, so he will be back.
• The actual whistlespeak heard in the episode was performed by professional whistler Molly Lewis .
• Michael studied xenolinguistics on Vulcun under a Dr. T’Prasi.
• Denobulans use silver iodine to make it rain on Denobula, which is used today in cloud seeding .
• The walls of the Denobulan vacuum chamber were made of solid Tritanium , which was commonly used by Starfleet in the 24th century, but perhaps the thickness prevented beaming.
• The (replicated) Culber family Mofongo con pollo al ajillo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish with rice, chicken, and garlic.
• The “sound cure” bowls used by the Hilem’No are like so-called Tibetan “ singing bowls ” which have been used in the modern era for “ music therapy .”
• The sound wave pattern shown during the “sound cure” is a real phenomenon called cymatics .
• The weather control interface was in the Denobulan language , first seen on  Star Trek: Enterprise .
• If Kovich’s 21st century legal pad is made of acid-free paper, then it could indeed survive for centuries .
• Vellek (Romulan)
• Jinaal Bix (Trill)
• Carmen Cho (Terran)
• Hitoroshi Kreel (Denobulan)
• Marina Derex (Betazoid)… obviously named in honor of Marina Sirtis .

Four more?… for you maybe.

More to come

Every Friday, the TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek Podcast  covers the latest news in the Star Trek Universe and discusses the latest episode. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Pocket Casts ,  Stitcher and is part of the TrekMovie Podcast Network.

The fifth and final season of  Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery  will also premiere on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuts on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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It’s a good stand-alone ep. It proves you don’t need bad guys chasing for the same relics. I realized how unnecessary they are.

I echo that sentiment, big-time!

The best Trek is without “bad guys”. Always has been. Too bad modern writers don’t get it. This was a gem of an episode.

Great episode i really enjoyed the slow pacing of it and i always like a episode involving a trip to a pre warp society.

It’s great that they have gotten 4 of the 5 pieces of the puzzle already and not leaving it to the penultimate episode.

I do agree with the review that it would be nice to see the rest of the scientists and i hope when they do find the Progenitor Tech we find get some form of flashback with the scientists finding the tech.

I really like it when NuTrek references Enterprise.

What do you mean, exactly? I didn’t get get it

Possibly he’s referring to the Denobulans.

This is like the trill episode. A lot of other stuff happens with a minimal plot advancement. I’m ok with that, if it’s interesting. If you’re going to recycle and re-use tropes, it needs to be interesting. This was largely, not. I found it more interesting than the Trill episode, and I loved the delivery of the message Burnham gives at the end. That why I found this episode better than that one. But still wasn’t all that great.

I was bored rigid. This is what happens when you take 45 minutes of plot and stretch it out over 10 episodes.

I finally started watching Slow Horses on the weekend – and ended up binging all three seasons this week.

Six 40ish-minute episodes a season, no filler, complex plots and solid characters, writing and acting.

I wish Trek could pull that off.

Great show.

This is my main problem with it, yes. I loved episodes 1 and 2, but from after that it started going downhill for precisely that reason: because there’s not much of a story here. So we get a whole lot of filler scenes, scenes about people being unsure of themselves (this must be the most emotionally fragile crew in the history of Starfleet–it’s getting kind of ridiculous at this point), and minimal plot advancement. Meanwhile, all the focus is on Action Hero Michael every single episode, with Saru, Stamets, the entire bridge crew, and Reno doing almost nothing all season. Tilly has had more to do this season, which is great. But other than Michael, Book, Culber, and Saru, everyone else has done almost nothing since season two. I really wanted to like this season, and when it started I very much did. But it’s going nowhere fast.

You nailed it.

Wow you said everything I been thinking too. The season is feeling more and more flat and the characters outside a few of them just has nothing to do.

Started off great but halfway through now and I’m getting bored again because it doesn’t feel compelling enough.

Yeah, they took what might have been a solid four-hour story and turned it into ten hours, and they gave us two entirely lackluster villains. One thing that has been a big problem on Trek for a while now–on Discovery, as well as on Picard–has been utterly forgettable and boring villains. Not one of them has really stood out to me on either show, other than Lorca.

This has been the problem with almost all of these. I go back to, if you’re going to deviate a bit, it’s ok.. but it better be engaging.. better be interesting. With Star Trek, you really have to make the theme feel original. None of that happens here. I don’t have a problem with what they’re trying to do.. I have a problem with the execution of it. And that’s the same problem with most of Discovery for me.

agree. I wonder what the financial upside would be if they had the courage to write the main story they want to tell and film it. This should be the benefit of the streaming platform model. If it’s 5 episodes, it’s five episodes but – if they are a great five episodes, wouldn’t that be better for the franchise than 10 of mediocre quality?

Pssst… not sure if you are aware of this or not. But that was the whole premise of the show from the start. It was… and is… about Michael. It was never going to be a cast show. It is a show about Michael. And that is why she is predominately the focus in the episodes.

Bit behind on this series and just watched episodes 2 and 3 this evening., but Culber had a big part in episode 3 in my opinion. Also it seems to me that Captain Rayner has a big part. It isn’t just the Kirk, Bone, Spock show to me with Discovery this season.

This sounds lovely and wonderful! I think I’ll finally break down and join Paramount+ instead of waiting for the DVD release! (And I’m a Tilly fan, too :)

My least liked episode of the season. It was a filler episode without any meaningful filler.

Yeah they found the next clue in the end but it went sideways at times with Tilly and Culber having some kind of personal crisis that went nowhere. .In my opinion, it wouldn’t be noticed if this episode were accidentally skipped. It is a standalone episode that stands still.

Maybe this show is better if the seasons are watched in one sitting?

Hopefully the next episode will advance the plot more than this one did.

To my happy surprise, I enjoyed Tilly’s involvement a lot. I don’t always like her. But here, I thought she worked well. The rest of the episode? Pointless.

So Betazed is the location for both a red herring AND a real clue? Moll and L’ak are going to be pissed they missed it. I mean, they had to have missed it or they would have had no motivation whatsoever to return to Lyrek.

I think that’s more because the clues left for the Trill episode pointed toward the Trill and not the Betazed clue though too. Although, yeah I’d be irritated too.

Anyone else find it interesting though that whatever they’re making they are finding the pieces right in the order they appear in the circular puzzle?

Seems intentional in-universe; the only way to not start at the beginning would be to luck into a random clue and somehow see it for what it is without the Romulan journal providing context and the official starting point.

Does anybody know why Doug Jones is absent for so much of this season? Was he off making a movie or something? It seems odd that he is not actually in the series that he is one of the main stars of…

This season is peculiar because of the missing regular cast, hard to believe they couldn’t get commitments from the actors unless the show simply couldn’t use them or didn’t want them. I suspect it has something to do with controlling the budget or other contractual issues.

It’s peculiar, I agree. Discovery has become the Michael-Book-Culber show, with most of the characters under-utilized and ignored. That, for me, has been its greatest failing in the past couple seasons, but especially in this one.

Tilly was similarly absent for most of last season. It’s keenly felt because it’s a small cast to begin with. That’s part of my frustration with how they never really promoted any of the bridge crew to be a more impactful and fleshed-out character. There’s been plenty of time to do it.

Doug Jones posted that he was out for most of this season due to Hocus Pocus 2.

Thanks for the information, William. I was going to say it was weird that he chose to be absent from a big chunk of the last season of his show, but then remembered that he did not know it was the last season.

Seems like Hocus Pocus 2 came out waaay before this and that wouldn’t have been filming anywhere close to each other – dates in Wikipedia indicates HP2 was done filming by the time Disco 5 was even ordered

But – time is an illusion. Tea time, doubly so.

This is his Twitter post: https://twitter.com/actordougjones/status/1784136793753042992

He was promoting Hocus Pocus 2 while S5 was being filmed.

That’s not how contracts work, though. If they wanted him for episodes of Trek, he’d have had to skip the press tour. This means they let him out of any contract he had, presumably; which in turn likely means they were find with paying him for fewer episodes.

I agree on the statement about how contracts work and it probably was a cost saving measure for them. There’s also the possibility that Doug Jones original contract for Hocus Pocus included sequel clauses and promotional requirements.

This current era of Trek though does seem willing to let their players go do other things. Saru in Season 5 with Hocus Pocus, Tilly in Season 4 with her play, Bryce for his BET show.

It was a descent episode. And since you guys were discussing what a ‘filler’ episode is on you and Laurie’s (amazing) podcast, I too wanted to say: this is a classic filler episode. Nothing really happened but it was injoyable on its own. Funny enough, I give this one an enjoyable 7, where last week was a frustrating 7.

Some of the repeating things are getting annoying:

• Michael headlining EVERY episode.
• Transporters not working.
• Talking about characters but not showing them (at least here it was an unknown).

I still don’t understand what they’re trying to do with Culber and his so-called spiritual awakening. Like you said, it must be going somewheren, because, what else is the point. I’m juist not seeing (or getting) it yet.

I’m shocked you didn’t mention the perfectly machine-made wooden water bowls by the way. That one bugged me, for such a primitive people.

And I cringed at the Marina tribute, because it was just too on the nose as a literal first name of a person.

By the way, regarding Kovich: there might be a chance he’s from the department of temporal whatsit. Although not the same suit as temporal agents on SNW season 2, it is about the same color.

Yeah, I’ve always assumed Kovich could time-travel, so that’s how he gets the paper.

Correction: The episode happened in and around tower #3, the clue was in tower #5

I only mention that because I read somewhere how nitpicking is part of Trek … :)

I guess the fact that the winner of the race was sacrificed was supposed to be a surprise? When the priest tried to talk his child out of it, and the person Burnham saved talked about how the friend who’d won the race she ran when she was young was dead, I was sure that the winner would be sacrificed. If it was obvious to ME, how did Burnham and Tilly miss it?

I know Burnham decided to break the Prime Directive for what she thought was a good reason, but I’m amazed that she decided to show the priest his planet from space. Wait, once it’s broken, you can go whole hog? There’s no attempt to maybe limit the damage?

I’m an atheist because of Occam’s Razor, and I’m always uncomfortable when Star Trek tries to get spiritual. I grew up on Kirk’s unmasking false gods and tearing down computers who pretend to be gods, so NuTrek’s careful tiptoeing around gods always makes me long for a little Jim Kirk. Apollo’s just an alien with an extra organ in his chest, damn it! :-)

I didn’t even like it when DS9 turned the franchise more toward a distinctly non-Roddenberrian spirituality, much less when Discovery does it. That said, I enjoyed this episode.

The extended impact of Culber’s experience on Trill could have played out in a very cliche way, so at least this is different. I suspect his “new outlook” will have a place in the resolution of the Progenitor tech. It’s also sort of retcon of his rebirth, which never really was “used” properly. So far, I am liking this… and I definitely come to Trek to should down alien gods!

Mankind has no need for gods we find the one quite adequate Captain Kirk

McCOY: We were speculating …’Is God really out there?’ KIRK: Maybe He’s not out there, Bones. Maybe He’s right here …in the human heart. …Spock?

SPOCK: I wish we could have examined that belief of his more closely. It seems illogical for a sun worshiper to develop a philosophy of total brotherhood. Sun worship is usually a primitive superstition religion.

UHURA: I’m afraid you have it all wrong, Mister Spock, all of you. I’ve been monitoring some of their old-style radio waves, the empire spokesman trying to ridicule their religion. But he couldn’t. Don’t you understand? It’s not the sun up in the sky. It’s the Son of God.

KIRK: Caesar and Christ. They had them both. And the word is spreading only now.

MCCOY: A philosophy of total love and total brotherhood.

Kirk or Sisko wouldn’t have asked the dad to open the door. They would have blasted it with their phaser.

Could Kovich be a Supervisor ala Gary Seven and Tallinn?

I was wondering – or a Q?

I think he’s a time agent. His suit is different than the time agent in SNW but basically the same dark grey.

Technically he can’t be a time agent. They said in Season 3 that there were temporal accords that prevented those types of personnel in Starfleet.

Future Guy from ENT

He managed a staples in 2004.

Two ‘meh’ ones in a row. Who Watches the Watchers this is NOT!

Sure, It’s great to see a pre-warp prime directive story again and I liked that Burnham revealed herself in the end to save Tilly and the girl. That’s always a Trek trope and I’m trying to think of any episode where they managed to stay completely hidden the whole time. Anyone have any examples?

But this episode just really lacked for me. Not awful just not very interesting either. It tried but just felt pretty flat overall.

As for finding pieces of the progenitor tech, it’s become pretty formulaic now and very little of a challenge. The clues are all easily found and it’s literally like putting together a Jinga puzzle. It just feels too easy. And Moll and Lak doesn’t feel threatening at all. They are just there so they can have some conflict in the story but it also feels so meh, similar to the Book and Tarka’s ‘chase’ last season.

I know they are trying and want to give us this grand adventure story but it’s still Discovery falling back to the same issues again and again. And this show keeps stretching five minutes of plot into an hour story. I wish I could care more about Culber’s ‘spiritual journey’ but yeah I just don’t.

Anyway four more episodes. Trying to stay positive but sadly I think I’m just back for the show to end. Hopefully things will finally start to ramp up and the Breen becomes a bigger part of the story.

Some great acting and character moments happened throughout this episode. But I was amused that violating the Prime Directive is just a matter of paperwork now.

I also always wonder how Michael and Tilly communicated with the people on the planet. Of course they had their universal translators and could understand them, but the people they were talking to didn’t have them.

I was surprised by the Prime Directive being paperwork too, especially after Rayner seemed to lose his command over what they were considering a Prime Directive issue.

yeah, the prime directive stuff is eye rollingly bad. It’s really there for the exact reasons they violate it in this episode. It’s stupid.

That has always been a problem with the universal translator on Trek. The concept works fine over a comms channel. But as soon as people are in direct communication the concept (as presented on all the shows) kind of falls apart, especially if only one side of the conversation even has such a technology.

I rewatched the Enterprise Incident a few weeks ago where Kirk sneaks onto the Romulan ship and fully disguise as a Romulan but oddly talks to everyone in English. Seems like that would be the biggest giveaway he’s really not a Romulan lol.

Yeah it’s always been a problem from the very beginning. The later shows have tried to find ways to explain it a little better but I don’t remotely buy you can just pretend you sound like a native speaker when A. You just met a race for the first time and B. That they wouldn’t know you’re speaking through some device.

Forget pretending it can just deduce an an entire new language after hearing a couple of words. I don’t buy that regardless the century they are in and it happens on every show.

Sure it’s a stretch that a computer can decipher an unknown language after a few words. But at least it’s technically easy to swap out audio during the transmission. It falls apart when people talk to each other directly. Unless you assume they have a chip implanted in their brains that intercepts the nerve signals from the ears. Plus another chip in their vocal chords that translates outgoing speech. The universal translator exists so that we as the audience don’t need to read subtitles, the actors don’t need to learn made-up languages and the plot doesn’t have to come to a grinding halt each episode while the characters learn how to communicate. Having the universal translator fail and dedicating an episode to showing how people actually figure out how to communicate is interesting from time to time but the majority of the audience would probably grow tired very quickly if this took up substantial time in every single episode.

Of course I get all of that. I was just agreeing how it sometimes make no sense in the story itself. But it’s all fiction and most of us just accepted it at this point.

I am thoroughly enjoying this season of Disco. Possibly because I am not hunting for anything and everything to criticize. Among other things, I think it is nicely balancing the slower pace of a serialized format while also having more episodic stories. It reminds me a lot of DS9 in this regard without having as many episodes per season to work with.

I am also interested in how well they will explore the topic of spirituality, another commonality with DS9. Although in the end I don’t think DS9 quite succeeded in this because the viewers could just dismiss Bajoran Faith as ignorance of the “true” nature of “The Prophets” as “wormhole aliens.”

Looking forward to see how it all turns out, though I wish this were not the final season as the series really seems to have hit its stride. But all good things…

I thought it was “ok.” Definitely tried to be a more traditional Star Trek episode, but I often feel when Discovery, and to a lesser degree Strange New Worlds, tries to do traditional Trek it just feels shallow. Like they are following a recipe to the letter but not adding any of the zest that really makes it stand out. I was also confused why they made such a big deal of the “whistle speak,” and then have it play almost zero role in the plot. Finally, it was really convenient that Michael and Tilly just happened to arrive at the exact perfect time to join the race to enter the temple. I wish I could master the art of perfect timing so well :-)

I though it was pretty clear that the young woman wanted to become and adult and requested the race because she thought she could beat “foreigners” in the race.

But I also thought it was going to become a battle to the death. They never went that far – only starving their competitors!

Ah, could be. I plan to watch it a second time and will look for that… thanks!

Making the race a battle to the death doesn’t really make sense because the winner of the race was actually going to be sacrificed.

I would like some Saru, Owosekun and Detmer now please.

I’m sure they’ll show back up at the end with a refitted ISS Enterprise.

The music in this episode was outstanding.

Is it now a Star Trek trope to show a member of a pre-warp society a view of their planet from space?

Whistlespeak is about caretaking.

Did this week’s episode begin a deeper, exploration of what this all could really mean? Power? Responsibility? Her trepidation is a nice way to end the episode.

I’m in love with the whole idea of sound as language. I wanted SNW’s musical episode to be totally like what we see in this episode – so it was a nice kick for me to get a taste .

That Denobulan’s name Hitoroshi Kreel….Hoshi Sato. Why do I feel like that might be another Enterprise reference?

47 comments so far. Discovery is quite the barn-burner! ; )

Maybe people are just annoyed by all the whining that people post in here.

People keep saying this and yet so far this has been generally a very positive season so what are we missing??

Even this episode, while more divided there are just as many people who liked it as many who didn’t (and unfortunately I am in the latter personally). Actually I would probably say more liked it than didn’t.

This idea that its been nothing but constant hate this season is not remotely any basis in reality. Most people seems to be more positive than negative over it. The real possibility seems to be many have just stopped caring in general as there is a lack of discussions everywhere online besides here and probably why the lack of postings this season.

I’m not sure what you’re reading, but it’s been nothing but negative comments from season one. People are sick and tired of the same comments over and over again. I know many people have stopped commenting due to this. But would be interesting to see what the site traffic numbers are and to see if the site traffic is gone down or just the comment section. It’s honestly the same people saying the same thing over and over and over… Yawn.

The real strength of this season so far is that they have not teased something they cannot deliver. I have really enjoyed each episode without worrying that the characters were going to do something stupid just for the sake of stuffing the plot with action. Seems pretty sad that they are largely “getting it right” and no one wants to celebrate that.

I literally counted the number of positive vs negative posts in the episode 4 thread when someone suggested this and it was 24 positive posts about an episode vs 3 negative ones.

Go back to the first two episodes of the season. Again it was overwhelmingly positive. Nearly everyone liked those. The outliers were the people who didn’t.

I just counted the number of people who were positive about this episode vs the people who weren’t. And I only counted the ones who directly said they liked or hated it.

The people who said they liked it are 13 people. Now some some of those were mixed feelings for sure but if they said they ultimately liked it then it counts. But half of those considered it outstanding. As for the ones, like me, who didn’t like it are 7 people. So again that’s more people here saying they liked it than didn’t correct? So what am I missing?

Every episode this season there has been way more positive posts than negative overall. Yes I get your bigger point people have been putting down the show since the first season which is definitely true lol but it didn’t stop people from talking about the show in droves for YEARS. And your argument doesn’t hold water this season because most people who are commenting seems to LIKE it, right? The minority comments so far are the people who still thinks the show sucks.

And even the people who don’t they are just giving their opinions about it and not attacking or challenging anyone who DID like it. That’s actually one thing I have been noticing about this season and there isn’t a lot of infighting about the show. Again look at this thread, besides me and you lol, who is arguing about it? There is no big debates or people being triggered. The people who said they liked it aren’t being challenged over it no more than the people who said they hated it.

Isn’t this is what we want on a message board? People being civil and not attacking others? And one such troll was finally banned here a month ago who IRONICALLY kept attacking anyone who was being negative about the show and turning everything into a ridiculous fight in every thread; so that probably has helped the civility here a great deal now he’s gone regardless of your personal thoughts about the show.

So I don’t remotely buy this argument. The reality seems to be a lot of people have just moved on from the show in general. When you look at the level of discussion about the show in its first three seasons vs the last two the gap is very obvious.

Again maybe many people are still watching the show. Unfortunately we don’t have any data on that. But we know how this works when people are passionate for a show on the Internet it’s very very easy to see everywhere.

Picard season 3 is the perfect example. I went and checked how many posts its episode 6 got here (since this episode 6 of this season) and it was 450 posts and that was just a year ago. And people slammed season 2 like no one’s business lol.

I don’t think this season has even gotten that many posts if you combined all the episodes.

I’ve also said this before as well and the show had been off the air for two years now. Yes we’re used to seasons having longer gaps these days but that’s still very long even for today and a lot of people could’ve just moved on or lost interest.

“Again maybe many people are still watching the show. Unfortunately we don’t have any data on that.”

Actually I have to correct myself on that because I forgot Paramount+ is part of the Nielsen ratings for streaming. But I have no idea exactly how in-depth they make it publicly. I only know how well a show is doing here when this site reports it.

And maybe Discovery will enter the top 10 this season. Now let me make this very very very clear, even if it doesn’t it doesn’t mean the show is failing in terms of views obviously. When there are 200 streaming shows these days and many on much bigger sites to boot it’s a miracle for any Trek show to be in the top 10 lol. And those listings are very skewed in my opinion since the only ‘top 10’ list we ever see are original shows. So while I’m happy to see Trek on any top 10 lists it still doesn’t tell us the whole picture just much these shows are truly being viewed.

And Paramount+ still avoids releasing any numbers independently unless a show is huge like some of the Yellowstone spin offs.

“Every episode this season there has been way more positive posts than negative overall.”

Hmm, maybe that’s the real problem and it’s all the negative and bitter haters that just finally left haha.

But don’t worry I still show up as much as possible! 😁

I’m teasing I’m actually enjoying the season for the most part but agree I think most people just lost interest. Obviously the people who always loved it are probably still devotely watching but it is probably the fence sitters and the people who always hated it who ultimately moved on which would make sense.

And I have seen people say they just have no interest to watch the show week to week anymore after being burned every season and just plan to binge it when this season was over. I even remember reading you were thinking of doing that so that could be another issue.

“Isn’t this is what we want on a message board? People being civil and not attacking others? And one such troll was finally banned here a month ago who IRONICALLY kept attacking anyone who was being negative about the show and turning everything into a ridiculous fight in every thread; so that probably has helped the civility here a great deal now he’s gone regardless of your personal thoughts about the show.”

This is really is the biggest irony out of all of this. A lot of these comments section does get inflated when you had people like that guy being triggered all the time, making the same 20 posts a day over anything he didn’t like (how many times did he utter the phrase ‘ROTJ’ in every Picard post 🙄) and literally went on constant tangents how people here were just coming here to drown the boards in hatefests?

Instead that lunatic was removed and ironically this place has been the most relaxing in years lol. The very fact as you pointed out no one is spending time arguing with others over their opinions is another reason there are fewer posts because no one cares anymore lol.

I think everyone just resigned to the fact the show is now done and everyone’s views are baked in so what’s the point arguing over it anymore?

And when you remove the disruptive people who wants to act like insullen babies like that guy and Alpha Predator, REGARDLESS how they feel about a show, good or bad, surprise surprise you get a more civil and balanced discussion and board now.

Yeah … shocking! 😉

“And I have seen people say they just have no interest to watch the show week to week anymore after being burned every season and just plan to binge it when this season was over. I even remember reading you were thinking of doing that so that could be another issue.”

Yes this is possible as well. In fact another member here said they were thinking to do just that after they watched the first episode of the season but didn’t like it.

And yes I too was considering it because of just how bad season 4 felt by the end. I was even thinking of doing the same thing with Picard season 3. But once I heard it was the final season (and Picard was bringing back the TNG cast) it’s no way that would happen. And I don’t know if I would’ve done it regardless because I have zero willpower lol.

I guess I’m just surprised because I really expected the opposite for three big reasons. A. Being the final season of course. B. Being so closely connected to a big and popular TNG episode and C. The early reviews were solid.

So I just thought it was going to be a big party lol. Not at the level of Picard season 3 but at least at the level of SNW.

But instead of a party it feels more like a funeral. Or maybe someone on their death bed is a better morbid term lol. Just sorta here waiting for it to end and not really hyped up about the season.

As far as your last point, agreed. No matter what these boards have been a lot more fun and relaxing to write on.

I have said it before in the past it is really strange the lack of discussion around this season. Outside of this site I also post on TrekCre as you know and Reddit (but under a different handle there) and it’s obvious how much the discussions have fallen off at those places too. It’s not a lot of people at TrekCre so the posts were already less but the more popular stuff like Picard and SNW still got decent traction. It just doesn’t feel the same way with Discovery this year and I post there a few times a week as I do here.

Reddit it’s very obvious though. There are times you can’t even view all the responses because there was so many especially the first few seasons. Now it’s much more manageable.

It is a little disappointing because this will probably be my favorite season (that’s not really hard though lol) and like you I expected to see a lot more debate and discussion considering we’re dealing with such a big storyline.

But I imagine the audience has peaked for this show years ago and it’s just the hardcore mostly watching. There is no hype for it outside the usual places like here.

Good for you. You counted the comments the last couple of episodes. What about all the past seasons? Have you gone back and counted all that? People just don’t want to bother with all that negativity. It’s like the movie BEYOND, a far better movie than INTO DARKNESS. But less people went to see because they felt it would be bad like ID. Same thing here. Because of all the negativity last season in the posts, less people are reading and posting comments. Like I said, would be interesting to see if the traffic on this website reflects the comments. My guess, the same amount are hitting the page but less commenting. And the ones that are commenting, are the same usual suspects. People can’t be bothered reading the toxic comments spewed towards the actors, the writers and the producers. Same old blah blah from the same old people. Yawn.

I’m going to say it again.

A. This is NOT the only place that has less discussions. I keep saying this and it keeps getting ignored lol. This is across the board. A great example is Reddit. It’s easily the biggest Trek board. Until this season most Discovery threads had 600+ posts when an episode review was posted. Now most of them are under 500 which is not horrible but it already tells you a huge gap Discovery has when you compare it to the bigger shows like Picard and SNW which easily goes into the thousands. It’s the same with TrekCre, Trek BBS, etc. The show has less people talking about it these days.

B. Your logic doesn’t make sense because if the more negative posts drove away the more positive posts then why are there still more positive posts?? And literally on every review thread. How do you derive at that conclusion if more people are actually saying nice things about it? Wouldn’t it be the opposite then? Or at least a bigger subset of those posts? Help me out here?

C. I have been saying these boards have been negative since 2009. You just made the point for me with STID. That time was brutal lol. Way worse IMO because there were so many more people at the time.

People go on and on about how much hate Discovery gets here but very few threads ever went into the THOUSANDS of people fighting over it like what happened with STID… for years after it came out.

But you’re also right yes less people discussed Beyond when that came around but I don’t think you can blame that all on STID either. I think people grew tired of those movies in general and Beyond just didn’t grab people on its own (and had a HORRIBLE marketing campaign), hence a big reason why it bombed. I don’t think you can blame this board for that lol. In fact I think less postings was simply an reflection that less people had interest in the movie in general and its box office indicated that.

I’m saying the same thing has happened with Discovery. It’s not just ONE thing. I do agree that the negativity has maybe driven some people away. I also think the show itself has driven people away too for those people really unhappy with the last few seasons. It CAN be both right? Just like what happened with the Kelvin movies.

D. How is it any different than all the derision Picard got in it’s first two seasons? And yet season 3 had the highest number of people posting probably simce STID. And most people seem to think season 2 wasn’t just the worst season of that show or even NuTrek but one of the worst Trek seasons ever.

It didn’t stop anyone talking up season 3 to death and not everyone loved that season either.

You can repeat it until you’re blue in the face. Whether it is hear or on other boards… The same repetitive negative people here are the same repetitive negative people on other boards. People are tired of hearing the same drivel no matter where you go because it’s all the same people.

Do you actually believe that people don’t go to multiple platforms? Come on. People are mean. People are arrogant. People are negative. It’s repetitive drivel.

My logic makes perfect sense. And I would put money on that the traffic on the site hasn’t dropped. The articles are still good. Fans want to read them. But people just don’t want to deal with the same crap all the time. How many times does Emily have to say how much she hates nostalgia and legacy before you are sick of hearing it. How many time does Lorna have to slam Martin-Green’s acting and “whisper speaking” before you get sick of it? And the list goes on. Blah blah blah over and over.

I’m going to repeat myself. How come the last season of Picard didn’t get the same problem? You can admit season 2 was blasted as much as season 4 of Discovery was right? I think even worse. It didn’t stop anyone from talking about season 3 in droves.

And I seem to recall others still repeating themselves who still hated that show too.

As far as Discovery It’s probably a show that has been falling in the ratings awhile, hence it’s cancellation before season 5 even aired. My guess has always been by the end of season four a lot of people had simply stopped watching it because there were people, some on this very board, said they stopped watching it lol.

Again it CAN be both things right? Yes you can be right but what’s weird is you seem to acknowledge a lot of the negative feedback but you don’t acknowledge that maybe many of those same people have simply stopped posting or watching on their own as well.

It IS possible right?

I mean the show is now halfway over. There has not been a single article ANYWHERE discussing the metrics of the show. Not one press release by Paramount that the show is hitting any admirable numbers even if they don’t tell us what they are. This is the one frustrating thing about the streaming era.

And maybe it’s really doing great but the deafening silence is telling.

So I’m going to say it again could you be right, yes. Is that the ONLY reason though, no I don’t think so. Not by a long shot.

But listen if you really feel that way fine. But I’m also the SAME guy who has been begging for an IGNORE BUTTON more times than I can count. I get accused of saying the same things over and over again too and believe me I have said that the most out of everything else lol.

Personally I don’t have an issue what people say here but yes I am sadly more on the negative side of Discovery. I don’t WANT to be but sadly yes although I am still liking this season, but it’s starting to lose me.

I’m not just talking the negativity about Discovery… I’m talking about the negativity towards Trek in general ever since Discovery debuted…all all the shows thereafter. It’s too much dude. Way too much negativity towards Trek in general now. It’s fine to dislike a show regardless if it Discovery, SNW or lower decks… But coming on and slagging the shows ENDLESSLY is tiresome. You even have people PRE-hating the academy series before it’s even shot! Mention section 31 and you get the “space Hitler” people coming out of the woodwork. So no, it’s not just the hate of Discovery, it’s the constant hate of everything new. So that’s why people don’t bother. Enough already.

Which I LITERALLY said has been happening here since 2009 did I not?

Look I don’t know what you want me to say but this isn’t a new thing. We obviously agree on that lol.

Same time though we just have different philosophies on it. I have no problem of people saying whatever they want AS LONG AS they don’t attack others for their opinions or try to argue with them over everything because they don’t like their opinions and trying to shut them down.

And yes that has happened PLENTY of times here but thankfully those people have mostly been banned.

But outside of that this is how message boards operate. People are abandoning this site NOW after nearly 15 years of negativity? What took them so long lol.

And dude I’ve asked you this three times now if that’s the case then why did season 3 of Picard get so much fanfare then? Or season 1 of SNW?

Again I get what you’re saying but you seem to discount all the times fans are generally excited and positive about things here. It’s not all bad all the time INCLUDING with Discovery. Whenever they like something about it people shout it from the rooftops. Remind me how we got SNW again?

I remember having this SAME discussion with TG47 (another guy who looks like took off for good and yes probably due to the negativity) when he complained about people being too negative over SNW. I didn’t see that at all because the MAJORITY of people liked the show, but they still pointed out some of its flaws as they should.

I guess I just don’t know what people expect? Do you seriously just want to come to a board where everyone loves every show only say glowing things about it? OR are you saying that these shows don’t have any flaws for people to be that critical about? I don’t think the answer is yes to either of these questions, so what is the answer.

All I can say is I remembered waaay back in the 90s when fans were crucifying Berman and Braga saying that Voyager and Enterprise were horrible shows, DS9 was a slap in the face to Gene’s ‘vision’ and Nemesis were so bad it killed the franchise.

I didn’t see any of that on this board because it didn’t exist then. But I saw it in plenty of places. And it went on and on until Enterprise was cancelled. Doesn’t mean everyone felt that way(I personally loved DS9 and VOY from the start; no comment on Enterprise or Nemesis;)) but none of this is new bro. It’s been going literally since TNG first aired to be honest. We just didn’t have the Internet then to wallow in the hate lol.

Oh there was a lot of hate going on for Picard season 3. All the people complaining about it being nothing more than nostalgia. Saying the writing was crap and so on. And there were a lot of criticism about SNW and how it doesn’t look like it’s before TOS and how come the Enterprise looks like potato peeler. And so on. Yes, people are finally tired of it. Frankly, so am I. I have actually stopped going to other boards for that very reason. Why wait until now? Well it’s because there were literally years… YEARS… between Trek 2009, ID and Beyond. Barely anything happened on the boards. I actually thought the site would close. Now, with so much continuous Trek and Trek news, you see the whiners and complainers and haters so much more. Back during TNG and the TNG movies, DS9, etc… the internet was as it is now. You would barely hear anything from the fans unless you were at a convention. People were buying magazines and read those articles. So you didn’t see the hate and negativity like you do now. It’s so easily accessible. Anthony, if you are reading, what are the site traffic numbers like? Is there a decline like in the comments? Or are the numbers stable with only the comments dwindling?

Ok I get your point. I guess I’m just decencitize to it lol. But as I said I’m not as bothered. For example I loved season 3 of Picard. It’s my favorite season in NuTrek in terms of live action at least. It brought me back to a time where Trek was very special for me.

But same time I read all the same criticisms as well it was too much nostalgia, a lot of memberberries etc. And I didn’t really disagree with that sentiment but didn’t have any real issues either. I understand people just have issues with the show and I had a few as well but more minor.

Same with SNW, I generally think it’s a good show but I get the criticisms for that one too especially the canon ones which drives me crazy lol. But that’s why we come to places like this, to hash out stuff out with fellow fans. If others are getting triggered over it because some of is just want to discuss these things then OK but this isn’t the place for them obviously.

And no maybe it wasn’t as in your face in the 90s because obviously the Internet as big as it is now. Social media didn’t exist. I always remind people YouTube started the last year Enterprise was on. But still there were PLENTY of places to talk Star Trek and by the late 90s it became very negative by then. It’s worst now in terms of much is out there but the vitriol was still pretty bad. Type in Berman’s name on this site and you will see it here circa 2007 and on.

But if you need a break for awhile certainly understandable.

Even if there was hate for Picard season 3 it wasn’t the majority who felt that way, far from it and tons of people still discussed it. In fact the sole reason I joined this board was to just discuss that season. I really planned to stop posting here once it was over. But hardly anyone is discussing this show this season which is odd since most who is watching it at least seems to like it.

And I used to be a huge NuTrek hater. Guilty as charged lol. I had no problems being cynical about it because we are now paying for these shows full time and the Internet is the place to vent and debate this stuff. No one I know in real life outside 1 or 2 people knows these shows exist much less watch them. Oddly Star Trek feels more niche today even though there is so much of it on right now.

But anyway these sites are the places fans come to be honest about their thoughts. I was very disappointed with JJ verse, Discovery and especially Picard and have no problem saying so. But I didn’t want to hate any of them but overall they all been mostly disappointments. Obviously not just to me but a lot of people. I will say the JJ movies were more popular with newbies but clearly not enough cared after awhile and why Beyond ultimately failed but that’s a different thread.

As far as the shows themselves I have been open-minded about all of them and oddly they always started off strong but end in a winper.

But even that has changed since I love he animated shows out the gate and SNW finally feels like 90s Star Trek again which a lot of people like me was missing.

Now oddly I’m on the other side of it and considers myself a NuTrek lover. Who knew that was possible lol. But it proves I was never out to hate anything; it just sucked IMO.

Like I said I’m even enjoying Discovery now, my worst show in the entire franchise. But I understand if others still think they are bad and just want to vent. I can’t be a hypocrite about it. If I could get online and spew why I thought shows like Discovery and Picard were total trash then I have to allow others say that about shows I truly like like SNW or LDS.

That’s how it works right? I believe message boards are here to hash everything out regardless my personal feelings about it. Some people oddly can’t seem to understand this basic reality when they decide to join a board and that’s why they get banned or everyone hates them; not for their opinions but constantly trying to censor others over theirs.

Sure you may be right and people are sick of the negativity. But we’re Star Trek fans, this is how we usually roll! 😂

But yeah I get it it can feel too much at times but I’m actually with Tiger2 on this one most people seems to be a lot more positive lately. The last year has been really fun to talk about Star Trek thanks to LDS, Prodigy, Picard season 3, SNW and now even this show. Of course there will always be naysayers but they don’t overrun these boards either. It’s not YouTube lol.

Amazing episode again. This season the show is just knocking it outta the park! Wish it wasn’t the last season.

Admittedly this is kind of a paint-by-numbers Star Trek episode, but I enjoyed it quite a bit if largely for Tilly’s charisma. I do find the ongoing Culber existential crisis a little off balance, feels like we’ve already been here before with him after a far more significant event. But I do like aspects of his crisis, especially the tug between the scientific and the spiritual and how that’s expressed in his conversation with the analytical (yet caring) Stamets. Like much of Discovery’s writing, the story does take some logic shortcuts that I find distractingly convenient, but at least it fills in most of the gaps. On a side note, although I have a very high end sound system that sounds phenomenal with most streaming content, Discovery has uniquely terrible onset audio, it’s been a constant problem for the show (and seemingly all Toronto-based productions), but this season is by far the worst. It’s making it really hard to understand every word being spoken, I’m constantly rewinding to listen again and I just straight-up miss things all the time because the voices are often garbled.

While I certainly did not dislike this episode, I still found its resolution to be kinda lacking. It left me wondering whether they couldn’t have found a way to bend the Prime Directive instead of outright breaking it (even though, arguably the DISCO-crew weren’t the first to do so but rather the Denobulan scientist who installed those weather towers in the first place). It seemed like they just took the easiest possible route there… Also: Why was the episode even called “Whistlespeak”? Was there any sense in introducing that culture’s whistle language at all? I was honestly flabbergasted that there was no mention of such means of communication actually existing on Earth (on the Canary Island of La Gomera) and it existing on that planet could’ve been a nice setup for another linguistics-centered episode (not necessarily another “Darmok”, but maybe something akin to SNW’s “Children of the Comet” – you know like, a linguistic problem interwoven with a bunch of other problems). However, upon closer inspection, the whole introduction of that concept just went absolutely nowhere. A bit of a pity if you ask me.

Loved this episode. Very smart writing and continued with a great pacing. It had quite the TNG feel to it as well as feeling like a really Star Trek-y episode.

Really loving this season. The writing has been very solid as has been the acting.

For how much I dislike this season, I must admit this was actually a good episode to watch. As usual too many shared emotions, but the plot and the story was enjoyable for once.

I know I have mentioned this before but the dearth of posts this season is really surprising.. It’s the middle episode of the final season and its barely gotten 60 posts so far after a day. And again this is not TM alone. The show has lacked discussion everywhere and nowhere close to the kinds of discussions SNW season 2 and especially Picard season 3 got.

Maybe its getting more viewings than the discussions themselves are suggesting but if not it’s probably was a good idea to end the show after this season. I think a large part of the fanbase have simply moved on.

Yeah, I was curious about this and went back to check. Each recap/review article for SNW and Picard got hundreds of comments.

Yeah! And to be more fair I went and checked how many views those shows previous seasons got in the seasons run to correlate with the current episode of this season and for episode 6 Picard season 3 had 450 posts (which is pretty insane lol). For SNW season 2 it had around 240 posts which to be fair is the more common number for most live action shows.

Picard was more of an outlier for the obvious reasons. But then again it’s also PROOF when people are excited or passionate about a show or season you see it reflected.

It’s not nearly the same for this season. Many seem to like it overall and I include myself in that even if I’m starting to feel more mixed about it, but no one is really jumping up and down about it either.

I noticed this as well, engagement is very low which I suspect is reflected in the viewership. Part of this is probably the long 2-year hiatus and the cancellation, not to mention lack of promotion. This season also seems to lack a hook like the previous season, I know my interest was very low because I felt this story had been told and there really was nothing noteworthy this time. However, this season has been significantly more interesting than I expected because it’s so smart about its canon, for once! I’m really enjoying the work put into building this world and telling a story within the Star Trek mythos.

I think you nailed it. Viewership is just probably much lower these days which shouldn’t be surprising since they cancelled the show lol.

But ironically this is the most I have enjoyed the show so far and that’s probably because they are really embracing canon these days. I love we have the Breen back finally and I have loved how they dived into stuff like the Dominion war, Trill mythology, and the Progenitors. Every episode has been a link to old school Trek connections like how this episode linked the Denobulans (would’ve been cool if we saw actual Denobulans though).

It hasn’t all been winners like the Mirror universe stuff and the ISS Enterprise connections felt really weak and shoehorned like many have said; but I still applaud them for the effort. But overall it sadly doesn’t feel like many people care anymore. I remember how much fun it was here and other places to talk about Picard season 3. There was real excitement about it.

Oddly there is none of that here this season. People seem to like it, comment what they like but no real exchanges about any of it. I think the two year wait including how disappointed people were with last season just made the reception to this season feel very ho hum so far. I can’t believe it’s already passed the halfway mark.

It actually reminds me how Beyond was received. It came out, most people, at least old school fans, seem to at least like it (it’s my favorite of the three) but it was obvious the hype was over because no one really talked about it much after the first few weeks after it came out. And of course it bombed which was more odd because it was a decent movie but a lot of Trekkies and newbies had moved on.

This feels very similar.

That’s a good comparison. I liked Beyond too, but sometimes even I forget it exists.

Also, I wonder if Culber’s holo-Grandma is going to be the medical-holo on Academy. This seems like a perfect set up.

This one reminded me of first couple seasons of Enterprise. Not because of the Denobulan references but because it was uninspired, pointless, and painfully boring.

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Published May 3, 2024

RECAP | Star Trek: Discovery 506 - 'Whistlespeak'

A body in motion remains in motion.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery.

StarTrek.com

Previously, Dr. Hugh Culber confides in Sylvia Tilly that his experiences on Trill, inhabited by Jinaal Bix , along with their quest to find the thing that created them has been weighing heavily on him. Plus, Paul Stamets hates the unknown; they've always sought out answers together, but he doesn't know how to talk to his partner about any of this. Meanwhile, Adira feels immense guilt for bringing the time bug aboard the ship and trapping the ship in a time loop.

Following her run in with Moll and L'ak on the I.S.S. Enterprise ; Captain Michael Burnham secures the next clue, while L'ak made a bad call and ends up severely wounded. With the clue in Discovery 's possession, Stamets begins running a full chemical analysis of the vial found within the clue.

In Episode 6 of Star Trek: Discovery , " Whistlespeak ," while undercover in a pre-warp society, Captain Burnham is forced to consider breaking the Prime Directive when a local tradition threatens Tilly’s life. Meanwhile, Culber tries to connect with Stamets, and Adira steps up when Rayner assigns them a position on the bridge.

• Paul Stamets
• Sylvia Tilly
• Michael Burnham
• Dr. Hugh Culber
• Dr. Mikaela Suãrez (Culber's abuela)
• Cleveland "Book" Booker
• William Christopher

• U.S.S. Discovery -A
• Halem'no

A polychromatic glow envelops the U.S.S. Discovery -A's Engineering section as Commander Paul Stamets places the vial retrieved from the I.S.S. Enterprise into the scanner for analysis. He is joined by Captain Michael Burnham and Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly, and they all remain frustrated that the clue has stalled them for two days. A hundred other tests have already yielded the same result — the vial's composition is generic and the water inside is pure, inert, distilled… and wet. Burnham notes a scratch on the container and wonders if the damage might indicate that a piece is missing. The modified spectral analysis is completed, but Tilly dejectedly announces that the fluid still reads as distilled water. 

The room's illumination is raised to normal levels as the captain begins to pace around the sample. The other clues had words and symbols, yet Stamets assures her that his review of scans from the Enterprise did not reveal signs that anything else was ever affixed to the vial. An attempt to fabricate the map's final two pieces also failed, so solving this clue is the key to finding the next two and reaching the Progenitors' power. Burnham suggests they pivot from chemistry and try history and anthropology — planets where distilled water had cultural or symbolic significance 800 years ago, as well as worlds with severe droughts that would have required rainwater alternatives.

Captain Burnham beams out of Engineering for a scheduled meetup with Dr. Kovich in the sterile confines of the Infinity Room. She assumes he brought her here because there is a new lead on Moll and L'ak, but Kovich sits at a desk and informs her that the U.S.S. Locherer is handling the search. Finding the Progenitors' tech is the Discovery 's mission, and Kovich appears dissatisfied with their lack of progress in tackling the most recent clue. The scientists who hid the technology's location each made their own piece of the clue trail in secret, so Kovich proposes that each individual likely employed their own expertise in the process. He slaps a 20th Century legal pad on the table, having demonstrated his resourcefulness by recovering the scientists' names. The eccentric man tears off a sheet of paper — genuine, not replicated — and hands it over to the captain.

In his office aboard Discovery , Dr. Hugh Culber converses in Spanish with a holographic representation of his abuela . He requests the recipe for their mofongo so he can make it for Paul, but his abuela laughs off the notion. The dish they made was inedible. When Culber would fall asleep, she would throw out their concoction and replicate the food instead. He asks Zora to pause the program and send a message to Dr. Pollard; they might be onto something with this grief alleviation therapeutic, as the brainwave patterning is incredible and the holo of his grandmother is exactly as he remembers her.

Culber's joyful expression fades to uncertainty, and he has Zora restart the program. He mentions his experience with the Trill zhian’tara to her and underscores an indescribable feeling that has emerged in its aftermath. She cradles his face with her hands but cannot help him understand it. They had often spoken about her spiritual practices, so her inability to answer confuses Culber. His abuela speaks up, clarifying that she trained him to be a doctor — a man of science. She questions how he can consider the soul when he has not examined the body, and Culber's features light up with inspiration and comprehension.

"Whistlespeak"

Captain Burnham presents Kovich's list of the scientists' identities and homeworlds to Tilly and Stamets in Engineering. Three names are crossed off — Vellek of Romulus , Jinaal Bix of Trill , and the Terran defector Carmen Cho — leaving Marina Derex of Betazed and Hitoroshi Kreel of Denobula. Burnham bets that the vial is related to Dr. Kreel, whose specialty was designing weather modification towers to generate rain. Denobulan weather towers seed clouds with silver iodide, but the vial's water is free of contaminants. Kreel also did work for other worlds, and especially arid planets would need to extract water from the air at a molecular level. Zora relays that there were 15 M-class worlds on Denobulan trade routes in Kreel's lifetime, but only one — Halem'no — had needed to harvest water in that way. The breakthrough earns a smile from the captain.

Discovery jumps into orbit around Halem'no, where a lush green region stands out from the rest of the planet's bare surface. Long-range scans show a Denobulan weather tower that manufactures rain and emits a low-grade force field to shield the lone habitable region from dust storms. On the Bridge, Commander Rayner is curious as to why Kreel would make such a tower look like a mountain, so the captain turns to Ensign Adira Tal at their science station. Nervous to be assigned to such a prestigious duty, Adira reports that pre-warp and pre-industrial humanoids inhabit the protected area. Given the lack of an electrical grid and surveys which show the storms have increased in severity over the years, they posit that Kreel hid the tower so as not to violate the Prime Directive.

Burnham and Rayner are pleased by Adira's response, and the first officer tells the captain that he honored the ensign's request for more time on the Bridge because he felt they were ready. Adira isn't so sure, but Rayner declares that there's no time like the present. Burnham emphasizes the need to abide by the Prime Directive and conceal their technological capabilities from the locals. An unusual energy field around the tower prevents beaming in or scanning for the next clue, so Burnham states that she'll head to the surface with Tilly while Rayner commands the ship.

A soothing whistle fills Discovery ’s Science Lab, where the captain researches the "whistlespeak" component of the Halem’nite language. Tilly enters, and both officers are now dressed in attire that will allow them to fit in on the planet. Zora can convert the whistlespeak into Federation Standard, but the Halem'nites don't always whistle. They have a phonetic language for day-to-day interactions, but the whistlespeak lets them communicate across great distances. The ability to learn about a society by how its individuals speak sparks enthusiasm from the captain’s inner xenoanthropologist. The Halem'nites don't have any terms to denote societal status or class, but they do recognize three distinct gender identities and prize connection with one another. Amazement washes over her and evokes memories of her time in Dr. T’Prasi's xenolinguistics seminar on Vulcan.

Tilly is thrilled by Burnham;s happiness and comments that they could really use her at Starfleet Academy. The captain asks her friend how things are going there, but their chat is postponed by an update from Rayner. Subcutaneous comms have been loaded into the transport system, and Ensign Tal has included Starfleet's latest retinal tricorder mod. Burnham thanks the commander and beams down alongside Tilly. They materialize in a quiet forest under the cover of night and marvel at the size of the tower constructed by Kreel, which the locals refer to as the High Summit and visit in an effort to commune with their gods.

The two officers begin walking to their destination, and Michael revisits the chat about Starfleet Academy. Tilly just received a message from Cadet Ross, one of her students who had served drinks at the Millennium Celebration. Ross is considering leaving the Academy to accept a position on a cargo vessel, so she wanted Tilly's advice on the matter. Aware that Ross isn't the first cadet to be confronted with this dilemma, the lieutenant is unsure how to respond. Tilly voices her concern that the Academy isn't providing what the cadets need, but she turns her attention to the sound of whistlespeak resonating through the woods. The universal translator deciphers the exchange — travelers from the dust storms are being greeted with hospitality in the direction of Burnham and Tilly's destination.

Back on Discovery , Cleveland "Book" Booker catches up with Dr. Culber in a corridor and expresses his desire to contact the ship's counselor on the Locherer . While Book wants to brief them on Moll and L'ak's full background, Culber insists he must accept there's nothing for him to do right now. The doctor urges Book to focus on something that will allow him to recharge himself, and the former courier playfully ponders whether Culber ever gets tired of having all the answers.

Culber continues to Engineering, where he discovers Stamets toying with the three interlocking clues that have already been recovered. He consults his partner about his desire to do a full neural scan on himself, a revelation which instantly generates a worried look on Paul's face. Culber guarantees that everything is fine and he merely wishes to collect data on the neurological aftereffects of zhian’tara . Stamets realizes Hugh's interest likely stems from real-world symptoms, and the doctor reluctantly confesses that aftereffects might be present. Optimistic about the opportunity to work together — "nothing as romantic as a neural scan" — they express their love through a kiss and resolve to get to work in the morning.

On the surface below, Burnham and Tilly introduce themselves to the group of compeers they had heard from afar. They're greeted warmly, though an elder compeer, Anorah, suffers from a severe cough caused by a dust storm in the drylands. Those gathered proceed toward the High Summit and listen as the elder shares her selfless story of risking time in the storms so that another would not have to take her place. A lengthy drought has been upon them, but the elder points out that only the chosen devout may enter the High Summit's temple to pray for rain. The captain claims that she has come from the east and lived too far away to have witnessed the Summit before.

A friendly voice calls out to the travelers, and a young compeer named Ravah approaches them bearing a smile and holding a lantern. As they welcome the group, their cordiality transforms into concern for the elder, who has begun coughing once again. They head to the healing grove and rest the elder on a wooden bed, but her medicine is nowhere to be found. Alone for the moment, Burnham and Tilly quietly analyze the situation — a sonic percussion wave would easily dislodge the dust in the elder's lungs, but breaking the Prime Directive is not an option. They roll their patient onto her side and administer compressions to her back.

Ravah's father rushes over, and Ravah distributes metal bowls to everyone present. They form a tight circle around the elder and use pestle-like tools on the dishes to generate a high-pitched sound wave. The vibrations rattle nearby surfaces and permit Anorah to cough up dust, but their power overwhelms the captain and renders her unconscious. Burnham awakes a short time later on a bed of her own, pleased to see that the elder has survived. Ravah's father is seated by her side and apologizes for not warning her about the intensity of the sound cure.

Tilly and Ravah join them, and the young compeer shares that their father Ohvahz — the Priest of the Summit — brought them to this settlement after their mother died. They are eager to take their turn and clear dust on the frontlines, though their father is less enthusiastic about the prospect. He is perplexed by Burnham's desire to enter the temple and proclaims that she does not need to do so in order to give thanks to the gods. Ravah eagerly chimes in, stating that one can get in by completing the Journey of the Mother Compeer — a grueling race and test of devotion which makes the gods happy. Only the victor is worthy of going inside the temple and asking for the gods' blessing. To the priest's chagrin, Burnham makes a formal request to partake in the Journey.

The next morning, numerous participants assemble at the base of the Summit. The atmosphere is festive, and Ravah lightheartedly teases that they are destined to win the race. Their father is clearly concerned about their decision to partake in the event, arguing that they are too young to take the journey. Ravah wears their mother's bracelet in the hopes that she will watch over them, but the priest remains distressed. Tilly steps forward, noting that Ravah's voracity is reminiscent of one of her students "back east." As a teacher, it can be difficult to step back, and she can't imagine how arduous it would be as a parent. Ravah heeds the advice and admires their father, but wants to show him that they can be great too.

Burnham approaches and asks to speak to Tilly for a moment, and the two officers move away to discreetly communicate with Discovery 's Bridge. Rayner gives the stage to Adira, whose scans led them to believe that Halem'no might have had other weather towers in the past. A team of DOTs scoured the surface and located four more towers — over time, their energy distribution matrices fell out of alignment. The High Summit is experiencing the same effect, and that failure is producing the energy field surrounding the tower. Finding the auxiliary control panel would allow them to correct the problem by resetting the components. If they don't fix the technology, those living near the High Summit will perish — just as the settlements surrounding the other towers had. Burnham resigns herself to the truth that one mission has become two.

In Discovery 's Sickbay, Culber sits up on a biobed as Stamets divulges that no biological, chemical, or genetic anomalies appear in the doctor's brain scan. The astromycologist quips that his partner has a perfectly typical, healthy, and — glimpsing the holo of Culber's results — rather handsome human brain. No lasting neurological effects of the zhian'tara are detected, yet Hugh is disappointed that the scans have not provided a physiological cause for what he's feeling. Ever since Trill, he has felt more connected and attuned to something greater than himself. Paul reasons that it's a spiritual quandary, and the doctor nods. Stamets looks on the bright side by highlighting Culber's health and suggests he just enjoy the sensation. He pronounces that the human brain is one of the most complex things in the known universe and places a reassuring hand on the doctor's arm.

On Halem'no, Captain Burnham approaches Anorah who she helped save the previous night. Unlike those excited by the prospect of the race, this compeer reflects on the journey she and her friend Vohrahli had participated in during their youth. Vohrahli won, but the compeer wonders what it’d be like if she and her friend could be wrinkled old elders together. She shares a laugh with Burnham then observes that one doesn't need to go to the High Summit to be with the gods — they are with them when they do good for each other, just as Burnham saved her — though she accepts Burnham's determination to run.

The captain makes her way over to Tilly at the starting line, and the priest regales the runners with the legend of the Mother Compeer as they are each given a cube to consume. In ancient times, warring Halem'nites lost the favor of the gods and were punished with the dust storms. The Great Mother Compeer rescued her people from thirst by showing the gods the Halem'nites' true selves and venturing out into the storms to find water — as he speaks, several competitors begin coughing and grasping at their throats. The Mother Compeer's lungs filled with dust on her journey home, but she resisted the urge to drink, saved the precious liquid for her children, and died in the process. The gods were so moved that they brought back the rains.

The cube's deleterious effects take hold of Burnham and Tilly, a dry cough and terrible thirst manifesting as compeers fill bowls of temptingly refreshing water on pedestals. The Journey replicates the trial the Mother Compeer endured in a bid to earn the gods' merciful rain. Two compeers can't bear their discomfort any longer and drink from the nearby bowls. Ravah taunts their friends, and the two Starfleet officers take off as the competition begins. The runners jog through the Summit's trails, and several are disqualified when they imbibe from the water dishes they pass along their route.

Slightly winded, Captain Burnham pauses to rest as Tilly circles around her. They press forward, but Michael notices some of the blue moss on the side of the trail has turned yellow. Aware that such a genetic mutation could be caused by radiation leaking out of the tower's malfunctioning control panel, Burnham expects the path of yellow moss to guide her to the controls. In case she's wrong, Tilly — the Queen of Endurance — will stay in the race. The lieutenant is emboldened by the mantra "a body in motion remains in motion," while the captain refreshes herself on the nearest bowl of water.

Further up the Summit, Tilly's exhaustion almost leads to her collapse, but Ravah hurries back to motivate their friend. As the only two runners left, they volley competitive banter back and forth before resuming their jog. Meanwhile, Burnham pursues the yellow moss to a boulder, her retinal tricorder glowing blue as it scans the object's surface. There is a mechanism inside, and pressing the large rock's exterior opens an access panel. The captain alerts Discovery and transmits a holo schematic of the controls to Adira, who informs her that she'll need to rebuild the motherboard without shutting it down. The ensign directs Burnham to a red isolinear chip among a sea of others, and she commences swapping them out.

Creeping ever closer to the finish line, Ravah and Tilly are forced to carry bowls of water to symbolize the relief that tempted the Mother Compeer. They resist the tantalizing liquid, but Ravah is disqualified when they stumble and spill their dish. The priest pleads with them to drink, but Tilly retreats and fills Ravah's bowl with some of her own water. They stand and lock arms, completing the race together as the other compeers clap and cheer them on. 

Adira and Discovery 's Bridge crew listen to their captain's updates from orbit, and Rayner addresses the ensign's lingering doubts. He affirms that the time bug was not their fault, encouraging them to tell Burnham the last step in the repair process and "bring it home." The panel's lights shut off when Burnham yanks out the auxiliary power circuit, but the controls hum to life moments later. Adira is elated, and the captain is able to contact Tilly, who has entered the temple with Ravah. There are no signs of the clue, but with the energy field now gone, Discovery can beam a team over.

Tilly's attention is drawn to the voice of Ravah's father, Ohvahz, who comments that their sacrifice will bless Halem'no for many seasons to come. The phrasing startles Tilly, and the young compeer returns their mother's ornate bracelet to their father. As he strains to hold back his tears, Burnham orders Tilly to get out of there. However, when the priest departs the room, the door is sealed and prevents the lieutenant from being transported out. Thick stone walls descend around the Summit's windows, trapping them both inside the temple.

Burnham, Tilly, and Discovery 's Bridge crew attempt to find a workaround, but the walls are solid tritanium and too dense for a transport lock. Rayner pulls up a temple schematic — Tilly is in the vacuum chamber where chemicals rise to mix with air and be shot into the atmosphere. The reaction produces rain, but all the oxygen will be sucked out of the room. Ravah overhears Tilly coordinating with the ship, but the lieutenant remarks that she is praying to the gods. More stone slabs cover the light shining in from above, draping the chamber in darkness. Although Ravah expresses gratitude for Tilly's help in getting here, the Starfleet officer is distressed by her role in the young compeer's impending sacrifice.

As Ravah takes Tilly to pray by the serenity wall, Captain Burnam has Discovery beam her as close to the temple as possible. A lifesign — Ohvahz — is detected in the control room next to the vacuum chamber, and Rayner raises concern about the Prime Directive. Burnham repeats her order to transport her over. Weakened by the lack of air, Tilly asks Ravah about the symbols carved into the temple's wall. They are numbers which represent the five serenity prayers. Ravah translates the ancient Halem'nese, stroking their hand across the symbols for "one," "two," and "three" — they are in the third Summit. Tilly turns to the markings for "four" and "five," suddenly realizing that the fifth symbol looks very familiar.

Ravah continues to speak about sacrifice, but they withdraw from the wall to kneel on the floor. They cry to themselves, overcome by the reality of death. They admit they do not wish to die, and Tilly moves to comfort them by cradling them in her lap. Tears also pour from the eyes of the priest, who prays to Ravah's mother in the control room and apologizes for failing to protect their child. Burnham materializes behind him, her unorthodox entrance inspiring confusion and fear in the Halem'nite. Urgently needing him to open the door to the chamber, the captain tries to reach him by explaining that they are standing inside of a machine. This gains his attention, and Burnham clarifies that the sacrifices don't bring the rain, the technology does.

The momentary connection between them evaporates into disbelief, prompting Burnham to hurry to the door and frantically search for the mechanism to activate it. Tilly overhears their discussion through the comm channel and asks Ravah what they remember about their mother. The young compeer hums a song their mother sang to help them sleep. The captain seizes the chance and hums the tune to Ohvahz, who instantly recognizes it. Shocked, he listens to Burnham's words once again — technology allows her to hear his daughter in the other room, and they don’t want to die.

Burnham makes it clear that she is a person, not a god, and she has come from far away to help. The rains will come whether or not Ravah perishes, and she requires his assistance to ensure they live. Ohvahz springs into action, extracting a control handle from the floor and rotating it. The temple is filled with the rumble of stone in motion, and air streams into the vacuum chamber. Burnham and the priest scramble over to their unconscious companions, and Dr. Culber beams in to resuscitate Ravah.

Soon after, Ohvahz marvels at a holographic depiction of Halem'no and is struck by its beauty. Crouching by Ravah, Culber signals that the young compeer will recover. Though relieved, the priest must now confront the Summit's true origins. Burnham details the value the Denobulans place on one another, and much like Halem'no, the massive storms of Denobula required them to build weather towers in order to survive. She supposes the Denobulans felt a connection to the Halem'nites during their travels. The tower will stop functioning eventually, but Burnham will teach them how to maintain it.

The priest is appreciative, but questions whether or not his gods are actually real. The captain counters, stating that nothing she has shown him proves that gods do not exist or that the Journey of the Mother Compeer did not occur. It simply means there are also people from other worlds. Concerned about what to tell his people, Ohvahz is uncertain how they can find a common purpose without the sacrifices. Burnham references Anorah, the woman he healed, who appeared ready to move beyond the sacrifices. Beliefs can evolve, and maybe more Halem'nites are prepared to understand that. Dr. Culber informs them that Ravah will wake soon, and their father moves to put their mother's bracelet back on his child before they stir.

Burnham converses with Tilly about her Prime Directive violation, but the lieutenant has insight that will improve the captain's mood — the symbol for "five" on the temple's Serenity Wall matches the scratch mark on the vial of distilled water. The next clue must be in Tower Five! They turn as Ravah calls for their father, who settles their concern about defying their faith by saying, "Perhaps devotion means being able to hear when the gods tell us something new." He boasts about the pride he feels for them, and they embrace. A roar of thunder clatters above them, and a wealth of rain falls on the entire region.

Parked in a shuttle aboard Discovery , Book tests his piloting skills in a flight simulation. The program ends when Culber enters carrying two covered dishes, the doctor having brought his grandmother's mofongo con pollo al ajillo — replicator fresh. They take a seat to dine, and Book savors the delicious smell. Culber brings up Book's joke that the doctor has all the answers and vows that he does not. As they both enjoy the food, Culber notes that he's either having a "spiritual awakening" or seeing a truth he's always known. Book believes it sounds kind of wonderful and asks why Hugh is upset that Paul may never understand this feeling. Humans have an odd quirk — a tendency to consider something to be less meaningful if it's just for yourself. Book recalls Michael dealing with a similar struggle, and Culber can see that the former courier misses what he had with the captain. It's unknown whether the two can get their relationship back.

Having recovered the next clue from Tower Five, Burnham and Tilly lock it into the map alongside the three previous pieces. The latest device had a metal card attached featuring a Betazoid text inscription. Stamets is currently analyzing the writing, so the two officers take a breather in Engineering and theorize about what Dr. Kreel had intended to teach them with his clue. The scientists couldn't have known the weather tower would lead the Halem'nites to sacrifices, but the lesson may reside within the notion that technology is a massive responsibility. When Discovery finds the Progenitors ' creation, its crew will need to be incredibly careful. Lieutenant Christopher contacts them over the comm system, relaying that the U.S.S. Locherer just found Moll and L'ak. Admiral Vance wants Discovery to jump there immediately. As the starship leaves orbit and activates its spore drive, the serene sound of whistlespeak echoes out from the planet.

• Written by Kenneth Lin & Brandon Schultz
• Directed by Chris Byrne

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Bad batch's epilogue sets up omega's jedi future & tragic fate - thrilling star wars theory explained.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch ended without solving the mystery of Omega's possible Force sensitivity, which could mean a tragic end in Omega's future.

• The Bad Batch season 3 hinted at Omega's potential as the first Force-sensitive clone, leaving her future with the Jedi uncertain.
• Omega's increased midi-chlorian count raised questions about her Force sensitivity, as the show left her abilities unconfirmed.
• Joining the Rebellion may lead Omega to a future encounter with Luke Skywalker, potentially becoming his first official Jedi student.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch has officially concluded with the Bad Batch season 3 ending , but one unanswered question may point to a devastating Jedi future for Omega. The Bad Batch was an incredible addition to Star Wars , fleshing out the stories of clone troopers following the events of Order 66, and The Bad Batch season 3 was particularly exciting. The show's final season followed Project Necromancer and Palpatine's resurrection plan , which involved testing on clones in an attempt to increase their midi-chlorian count. Fascinatingly, Omega was the only clone whose m-count was increased successfully.

This would make Omega the first clone with the Force in Star Wars' movies and TV shows ; however, season 3 didn't confirm whether Omega could use the Force. Although there was a plotline in which Asajj Ventress returned to test Omega's Force sensitivity and seemed to be hiding the fact that she indeed had abilities, the show ended without circling back on that loose end. Now, based on the show's finale, it seems Omega could have a future as a Jedi in Star Wars ; however, given what is to come for the Jedi, this could be bad news for Omega.

Does [SPOILER] Have The Force? The Bad Batch Season 3 Twist Explained

Does omega have the force.

Omega's increased m-count was a true shock in The Bad Batch . Although the clones had a longstanding (and very complex) history with the Jedi, both the Jedi and the Force hadn't been very involved in The Bad Batch's first two seasons. The show really focused on the clones and their experiences in the early Dark Times. Moreover, it seemed impossible that the clones could develop the Force; none, Omega included, had ever exhibited any Force sensitivity.

Of course, m-counts don't equate to Force sensitivity in all cases . Instead, they are a metric by which someone's potential with the Force can be measured. As shown with Sabine Wren's Force abilities in Ahsoka season 1, anyone can use the Force. M-counts perhaps just increase that likelihood. However, this made the turn for Omega all the more exciting. While, yes, this same logic could theoretically be applied to Omega—that anyone can use the Force—this increase in her midi-chlorians made it much more possible.

It also seemed as though this would become a central plotline in The Bad Batch's final season, particularly when Asajj Ventress made her reappearance. Although that was a thrilling cameo, though, it was relatively brief, and Ventress never confirmed that Omega had the Force. She seemed highly suspicious when she told Clone Force 99 that she found no signs that Omega had the Force, but that alone isn't proof.

All the more confusing, The Bad Batch then seemed to step off that plot somewhat. Instead, the show's final episode transitioned to a focus on the Force-sensitive children who were kidnapped by the Empire for Project Necromancer experiments. Despite expectations being high that this plotline would be addressed before The Bad Batch's finale, the final episode left the question unanswered.

Despite expectations being high that this plotline would be addressed before The Bad Batch's finale, the final episode left the question unanswered.

Omega's Next Star Wars Story Could Reveal Her True Force Abilities

Although The Bad Batch season 3 didn't confirm whether Omega has the Force, it certainly left the door open for future Star Wars projects to reveal Omega's Jedi path . Specifically, the Bad Batch's season 3 finale included a time jump, in which an adult Omega revealed to a much older-looking Hunter that she was going to join the Rebellion as a pilot. Not only does this suggest that Omega will return in Star Wars , but it also means Omega may come into contact with some of Star Wars' biggest heroes.

Not only does this suggest that Omega will return in Star Wars , but it also means Omega may come into contact with some of Star Wars' biggest heroes.

Joining the Rebellion would put Omega in the same sphere as Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo, and the point at which she would be joining the Rebellion in the Star Wars timeline supports that possibility even more. In fact, particularly given her interest in becoming a pilot, this could mean Omega's story will directly intersect with Luke's. Were that the case, there would be no better character than Luke to then identify Omega's potential with the Force and offer to train her as a Jedi .

Omega Could Join Luke Skywalker's Jedi Temple

Luke skywalker.

If Omega did encounter Luke, and he identified her Force abilities, it could mean Omega being welcomed into his Jedi Temple . This would make the most sense, given that Omega would have few other options for a Jedi mentor. While Ventress did appear in The Bad Batch , and that would make an incredible team-up, Luke was the only character throughout that era who ended up formally training Jedi.

While this would almost certainly take place following Return of the Jedi and the fall of the Empire, as it seems very unlikely Luke would have had time to take on a Padawan during the original trilogy timeline, this would also make sense. The Book of Boba Fett revealed that Luke's Temple hadn't exactly had a boom in students in the early days of the New Republic Era . In fact, in The Book of Boba Fett saw Luke with no students after Grogu left the Temple and rejoined Din Djarin.

This could be an exciting opportunity for Omega to act as Luke's very first official student , seeing as Grogu had left before really being trained. This would also be a very interesting connection. Omega is technically Boba Fett's sister, and she has an incredible history with the Clone Wars' clone troopers, having been raised by several of them. Were Omega to become Luke's student, this would be a fascinating connection between these Star Wars eras.

Luke Skywalker's Jedi Order Has A Very Dangerous Destiny

Of course, if Omega did become Luke's student, this wouldn't bode well for her . The Star Wars sequel trilogy already revealed that Luke's Jedi Temple was destroyed by Ben Solo, who became Kylo Ren, and no students survived the attack. It's unlikely, given that, that Omega would have a happy ending to her story. Indeed, unless Omega had a similar departure to Grogu—which wouldn't be very good storytelling—she would either die in this attack on the Temple or die beforehand.

It remains unclear whether Omega has the Force and whether there is more to come for her story. The Bad Batch season 3 concluded the clones' stories beautifully, yet the reveal that Omega joins the Rebellion suggests her Star Wars story isn't done. Moreover, it would be odd for Star Wars to drop hints about Omega's Force sensitivity but never follow up on it. However, was Omega to have the Force and join Luke's Jedi Temple, this could mean a terrible end for one of the most beloved characters of Star Wars: The Bad Batch .

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an action-adventure animated series set after the events of The Clone Wars, following Clone Force 99 (a.k.a. the Bad Batch.) Finding themselves immune to the brainwashing effects of Order 66, the Bad Batch become mercenaries for hire while outrunning the empire, now seeing them as fugitives of the law.

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Boronite is an element that forms naturally in infinitesimal quantities. A sufficient amount of it could be synthesized into some of the most powerful substances in existence, such as the Omega molecule . ( VOY : " The Omega Directive "; DIS : " All In ")

The Borg once used a quantity of boronite ore to synthesize a single Omega molecule, but were unable to repeat the experiment as they never found another source of the ore. ( VOY : " The Omega Directive ")

A Vostigye space station destroyed in 2373 by astral eddies was constructed from sarium , boronite, and carbon-60 composites . ( VOY : " Real Life ")

The Dark Matter Anomaly , discovered in 3190 , was found to have removed boronite from the regions of space it passed through. This led to the hypothesis that it was mining the substance to serve as an energy source for its creators, Species 10-C . ( DIS : " All In ")

After the first DMA was destroyed, Commander Paul Stamets collected a few samples of boronite from the implosion site. Later, when the USS Discovery was brought into Species 10-C 's hyperfield within an orb , Captain Michael Burnham had the boronite particles beamed onto the orb membrane as a goodwill gesture. ( DIS : " Species Ten-C ")