Number One, Pike’s XO, a role originated with Majel Barrett, beams aboard the Discovery. What follows is a series of nostalgia lines, as Pike mentions he doesn’t believe no one will live Enterprise more than its incumbent Chief Engineer (who isn’t Scotty) will – and they mention removing the holographic displays from Enterprise because Pike doesn’t like them.
We see the first senior staff meeting in Discovery of the bridge crew plus Linus, talking about the red angel. Pike appears and gives them instructions before showing Burnham the intelligence Number One acquired.
The ship suddenly drops out of warp as a orb like organism stops the ship and holds it in place. The orb responds to hails and ends up spreading a virus in the universal translators, causing everyone to speak in different languages. Saru, a multilinguist, fixes the system on the bridge.
In the spore engineering, Commander Reno is sent by the Chief Engineer to secure the spore lab, and her and Staments have this fantastic snipe off which is a joy to watch
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| Oh I could watch these two forever |
Suddenly the ship lurches and lighting rips through the spore department as the virus spreads. The engineering team’s efforts to contain the lightening backfires and releases the spore bacterium, who latches on to Tilly
Meanwhile Saru reveals in Sickbay he is ill from a terminal condition. It’s not really clear in his explanation, apparently this happens to his species when they are about to be culled by their predators – and the effects of which will kill them if they survive. But it’s not clear if this is a natural process that happens anyway or if it happens in the presence of extreme perceived danger?
Saru develops a theory to develop anti-bodies to fight the virus and goes to help Burnham. The anti-bodies slow down the virus, and Saru and Burnham talk about his condition. Saru asks Burnham to catalogue his logs so when the Prime Directive no longer applies to his species they can use it to guide them. It is revealed to the audience that Saru is a refugee, hence why he is unique in Starfleet.
Burnham turns up to the spore engineering, which is also where the warp core is – I dunno if this is the only engineering but then where is the Chief Engineer then? Like I assumed in main engineering but why is the warp core in there.
Saru hypothesises that the creature came to the ship to die. The engineering team decides to drill into Tilly’s head to connect the communicator. Saru and Burnham appears in the bridge to stop Pike from destroying the creature (somehow people hear what’s happening on bridge before they arrive).
Staments and Tilly have a cute moment where he sings with her just before he drills into her scull. Reno inserts the communicator, allowing May to talk through her. May tells Staments that Discovery’s jumps caused damage to her home. She bursts out of her restraints, and when Reno responds, Tilly starts to become consumed.
The creature dies after sending all its information to the ship. Staments and Reno cut Tilly out of the bacteria. Saru leaves to go die in his quarters. Saru lies topless in his quarters, surrounded by flora from his homeworld. Burnham reassures him of his legacy. Saru asks her to cut his gangalia to euthenise him. After promising to mend her relationship with Spock, Burnham prepares to kill Saru, but his ganglia falls out on their own. Saru recovers and feels stronger. Saru now has to confront the idea that members of his species hold that they are always destined for premature death isn’t true.
The Orb had seen Spock’s shuttle, which has allowed Discovery to track it. Meanwhile trippy things are happening in engineering as the organism shoots spores into the room and Staments and Reno start tripping hard.
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| Thank you for the gift that is this. |
They come down off their high, as Tilly disappears.
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