| Star Trek: Discovery | Director | Omar Madha |
| Season 3 | Episode 9 | 60 minutes | Writers | Alan B. McElroy, Bo Yeon Kim, Erika Lippoldt |
| Terra Firma: Part 1 | |
| As Georgiou’s condition worsens, she and Michael seek help on an supposedly empty world. |
After a run of episodes positively packed to the cargo bays with plots and subplots, Episode 9 of Star Trek: Discovery‘s third season feels curiously old school with its focus on one main plot with just a few minor updates to others. Life long Trekkie Iain and (relatively) new-to-the-franchise Bahir share their feelings on this week’s episode. Spoilers dead ahead!
*SPOILER ALERT: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STAR TREK: DISCOVERY FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS!*
Bahir Yeusuff: If this is what a Michelle Yeoh led Star Trek feels like then I am all in. Sorry Picard, but it looks like you’re getting bumped to third, also known as the “I’ll get around to it eventually” spot. This was a great episode.
Iain McNally: Yes! After the “plate setting” of the early episodes, and the “plate spinning” of the last few, this felt like delicious old school TNG to me. One main A-plot had the focus, while some of the side plots developing over the season, got minor updates. It feels like a nice update to the old format, even if it was completely surprising where that main plot went!
Back to the mirror universe! For a two parter! (As far as we know.)
BY: As much as I am interested to find out what the story is with The Burn and that Kelpian, the mirror universe is so much more fun. Seeing villain crew is always a great time. Killy!
A Time To Killy
IMN: The mirror episodes were always like Christmas pantomime for the Trek actors. A fun, semi regular break from work to goof off, and that fun really comes across on screen. The way that mirror Burnham swaggers on screen, all sass and clanging metal! Also EVERYONE has tonnes of eye-liner on. It’s all so over the top and catty!
I do wonder where it is going though. Before you ask I have no freaking clue who Carl is. Not only did he send her back to her universe but he quantum leaped her into a pivotal point in her past. Is it to “set right what once went wrong?”
BY: But the question is, will this change their future? Or is this all just a teaching moment for Georgiou and maybe she should treat the crew better? I don’t know how they plan on resolving this.
IMN: Well, every time anyone in the mirror universe tries to do anything “nice” it ends badly for them. After Kirk’s first visit, Mirror Spock inspired the Terrans to a less aggressive way of life, one that resulted in the fall of the Empire. In DS9 the now human slaves rose up against the tyranny of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. The default setting of that universe seems to be “just plain bad,” and if I recall correctly, Discovery has hinted at that in the past. They can’t help but go bad over there. So I’m not sure what effect a kinder, more compassionate Georgiou would have in a universe that would naturally push back against it.
Maybe the reason why there have been no crossover events recently is because something cataclysmic happened to the mirror universe after Georgiou left and Carl is trying to “fix” that? Perhaps throwing Lorca into the heart of The Charon was a bad idea?
BY: Okay, so we haven’t broken down the main plots of this yet and as you mentioned earlier, there are a few here that have been inched forward.
Section Cronenberg?
IMN: Okay, let’s address those one by one. 1) David Cronenberg is a Star Trek regular now and I look forward to seeing him at Star Trek panels beside Marina Sirtis and Avery Brooks for years to come.
BY: Hah!
IMN: 2) That Kelpian doctor’s ship caused The Burn somehow, right? That has to be where they are going with this?
BY: Either that or the Kelpian’s ship was at the core of The Burn. I’m not sure if they caused The Burn, or were just at the epicentre of it. Being a doctor, however, maybe they were there looking into something that then caused The Burn?
A Call for Kelp(ian)
IMN: They did say they were researching a “dilithium nursery,” so I’m guessing something went wrong with the engines of the ship, they did an accidental technobabble, the words “harmonic resonance” were involved somehow, and they triggered The Burn. Like using a tunic fork to shatter wine glasses, albeit accidentally.
I’m getting my theory out there now seeing as you predicted Georgiou’s condition a few weeks back.
BY: CALLED IT!!!
“BY: Is she just mentally breaking down from not only swapping dimensions, but then jumping 900 years ahead?”
Bahir Yeusuff
IMN: We got some nice scenes between Stamets and Adira, as they come to grips with the fact that despite their vast knowledge they’re still just a kid.
And Booker had “the chat” with Saru. (He forgot to bring Grudge though.)
Grudge Report: Fail
BY: Grudge is just chilling back in the quarters. She doesn’t want to be dragged around to boring meetings. For me, the Adira storyline needs to move along now. I think the thing about them being stressed out with Discovery work and having the voices in their head quiet needs something more.
IMN: Really? I’m quite enjoying checking in with her every so often, to get an idea of how it feels to join this ship and this crew. I’m not too invested in the plotline with their hosts not talking to them, but that’s ok. There’s plenty more going on.
So what did you think of Carl?
BY: I liked Carl!
WHAT DO YOU CALL A CUTE PORTAL? A-DOOR-ABLE!
I am all for lame dad-jokes, but there is something more to Carl that I’m interested in. Suddenly it feels like a omnipotent being showing up. A question of Gods and angels. Carl can’t just be “hologram” techo-babble. This can’t just be a “Carl is part of the Matrix” thing. Carl is interesting.
Very intriguing. In all your Trek experience, has something like Carl ever shown up?
Get in the “Queue,” Carl
IMN: As you’ve not watched much Trek before, you’ve never encountered John De Lancie’s Q have you? Q was a part of a godlike race, also called Q, that challenged Picard in the first episode of TNG, by basically saying humanity wasn’t ready for the stars. He introduced the Federation to the Borg years before they would have encountered each other. He was basically the trickster god Loki in Star Trek, and his relationship with Picard formed a very loose backbone for the series as a whole. Carl could be the Q, or another Q, but they very rarely “help” directly in this manner. They usually turn up to goof off and humanity might learn something by accident at the end of their encounter.
I have a sneaky feeling that Carl may change into John De Lancie by the end of this plot line (because Starfleet have a file on on that incarnation of Q, and he doesn’t have any fun if people know what to expect, or if like the crew of the USS Cerritos from Lower Decks, they just ignore him completely.)
BY: That sounds interesting. But yeah, Carl really feels like he is taking an active role in the Georgiou storyline.
IMN: Perhaps the two universes need to be in some kind of balance and the mirror universe is off kilter? A Q *might* get directly involved if their survival depended on it. Sending someone to do their dirty work is as close as they’d get to getting their hands dirty.
Good Soup!
IMN: The real mystery is the headline on the back of Carl’s newspaper. “Good Soup?” What’s all that about!?
BY: I didn’t realize the Federation still printed newspapers! That was cute. For a split second it felt almost Whovian. Or was that just me?
IMN: It was. It was a nice affectation to get the point across, but worked much better than the three of them huddling around a phone.
BY: That’s true.
IMN: Did you expect Jason Isaacs to turn up, because I got very excited at the prospect.
BY: I think he has to show up eventually, doesn’t he? He obviously is the second cog in this two cog plan (well three, but Stamets got moidered) and now that Michael has been found out, I expect to see him in the next episode. But what is Georgiou’s plan here? To try and change Michael’s mind? Because it really seems like everyone is questioning Emperor Georgiou now, since she isn’t just immediately murdering people.
Vamp It Up
IMN: I’m guessing those flashbacks in previous episodes had something to do with the first time she killed Mirror Michael, and maybe she “caught” “regret” or “remorse” from Discovery’s crew like a virus, and is thinking she can do more? Has she gone soft? I don’t know. Knowing when to question a superior seems to be an evolutionary trait in the mirror universe. Get it right, you can be the boss, get it wrong, you’re dead. Whatever Georgiou’s plan is, all those knowing looks have to mean that Owosekun has one of her own and I’m guessing it doesn’t have Geogiou’s best interests at heart, right?
BY: I think at this point I’m of the belief that EVERYONE in the mirror universe is looking out for themselves in one way or another. Loyalties only last for as long as it fits in a plan.
IMN: Oh that’s true, but only some have PLANS!
Sun God
IMN: You mentioned Stamets earlier and his role as a cog, he WAS around the first time Discovery dipped into the mirror universe and was involved in Georgiou’s downfall, right? I wonder if this has changed that? Might be another point for the “this is just for Georgiou’s benefit and won’t affect the timeline” theory.
BY: Again, I’m not convinced that this is part of any timeline. It really feels like a “Carl simulation” to show Georgiou something.
IMN: Carl’s It’s A Wonderful (Mirror) Life? Okay, now that we’ve covered most of the plot points, I have an update on my Admiral theory.
Admiral Distrust Theory
BY: Okay hit me with that Admiral distrust theory!
IMN: So, every time Discovery has come up against The Chain so far this season it’s mostly been accidental right? Michael went after Booker in the scavengers yard on her own, the admiral sent the ship to Kwejian (Booker’s home planet) as observers only and he wasn’t to know Osyraa would turn up.
There was something in the way the Admiral let Discovery off on this adventure, despite having a nice moment with Saru about making bad calls in his day, the way he said “let me handle The Chain” made me think…
What if this Federation is a front for The Chain?
Like a pizza restaurant used by the mob?
Everyone distrusts them and seems to have good reasons. Could it be that the “helpful” Federation gets involved in issues, calms things down, softens up their defences, and then BAM, they disappear and The Emerald Chain moves in?
BY: That is an interesting theory. And I mean it works for this story because the crew of Discovery don’t know what has happened in the past 900 years. The Federation may no longer be on the side of the angels.
IMN: And why didn’t Discovery just drop off Georgiou and Burnham in Booker’s ship and then jump to check out The Chain?
Either Admiral Vance is keeping them out of dealing with The Chain while other high ranking officials are around, or perhaps he’s planning to use Discovery’s rapid hit and run capability to make his own way to the top of The Chain?
By the way this isn’t all just because I mistrust Admirals. Oded Fehr is giving a really great, nuanced performance that suggests all these hidden depths.
BY: I think the fact that there are all these theories makes the Admiral an interesting character. He can go either way, and both options could take the story to interesting places, which is a great credit to the writers.
This series started a little slow for me but it really is picking up pace. We’re getting stakes, both personal and professional. We’re getting layered performances and storylines. It’s getting into some real solid storytelling right now.
Also, evil Stamets’ poem (?) in honor of Emperor Georgiou was just the lamest but bestest thing ever.
It’s Good to Be the Emperor
IMN: It was right up there with Geogiou’s face as Tilly hugged her and “Good luck emperor – Thank you Captain,” for me as best moments of the episode. We’re spoilt for choice!
I would like to see more stylish shots like that dissolve from the snow on the planet to the star field outside Discovery though. That was gorgeous.
It’s unfair to compare this to The Mandalorian, as they are such different shows with different legacies and goals, but this feels like it’s building more of the confidence of the Disney+ show in it’s own way. It can rely on these characters and plots more and take their time with things.
BY: For me, it’s also about not being so rooted in the past. I remember watching Picard with you guys and both of you would get so worked up about something and I just wouldn’t get it.
IMN: This is doing the same I guess, but the callbacks are to Season 1, which are callbacks to cool stuff in Trek lore that you don’t really need to know too much about to enjoy. You have zero questions about the mirror universe right? It’s all there on screen.
Not-Lost Highway
BY: The callbacks are to things that I have seen and don’t feel like they are deep cuts, even to the Trek fan. Discovery has always felt like my Star Trek, because I bought in to the tone from Season 1, whereas Picard feels too much like a TNG thing, which I know very little about.
I remember you and Uma talking about the museum room that Jean-Luc walks into and you guys were talking about the flags and the banner and the little ships and I was sitting there thinking “he just went into a storage space with his old shit.” I don’t get that with Discovery because I understand Georgiou, I understand the two Michaels, and Stamets’ issues, and his partner dying and coming back.
IMN: I mean who hasn’t been betrayed by their adopted daughter and held a sword to her neck? #Relatable, am I right?
Let’s see where this goes next week and whether Carl turns out to be something for the new viewer, the old viewer, or both!
BY: I say both. It’s always fun to see the old Trek fans get excited. Then I get to learn about the lore a bit more.
IMN: Star Trek: Discovery. It’s like homework, but fun!
Subspace Report
- In David Cronenberg’s lecture on the dangers of mixing temporal and cross dimensional travel, he mentioned that Lt Commander Yor, the Betelgeusian, came from an alternate 2379 caused by the temporal incursion of a Romulan mining ship. This has to be a reference to Eric Bana’s Nero from the 2009 Star Trek film. So Yor came from the movie universe, but not kirk’s time. 2379 would have put him from around the time of Star Trek: Nemsesis, the final TNG film. What would J.J. Abrams Nemesis have looked like?
- In addition to the PADD mode from last week, it looks like the crew’s new com badges also work as Tricorders, as Burnham’s HUD showed it in Tricorder mode this episode. I guess CBS isn’t interested in selling toys.
- “That your computer merged with a sentient intelligence is great for movie night, but it doesn’t mean we should trust it.” David Cronenberg delivering the real “burn” of the series here.
- The planet Dannus V is in the Gamma Quadrant, which is where the “other” end of the Bajoran Wormhole leads to. We’ve no idea how close it is to the wormhole.
- As well as the “Good Soup!” headline, Carl’s “newspaper” also featured a hex crossword and had Vulcan script at the bottom. The front page also mentions a supernova threatening an Empire?
- The prefix codes that Stamet’s mentioned in relation to the sensors on the lost KSF Khi’eth enable other starships to control the ships systems remotely. Captain Kirk memorably used the USS Reliant’s prefix codes to lower the ship’s shields when attacked by Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
- There are even evil drones in the mirror universe! How do I know they’re evil? Just look at those malevolent red eyes!
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