‘Discovery’ watch – my thoughts and reactions – Part 3: Choose Your Pain

A narmy dream sequence opens this week’s episode as Burnham dreams she is torturing her self in the spore chamber, much like Ripper was last week. Burnham (still devoid of a badge which is going to drive me crazy) confides in Dr. Culber. Culber promises to do some tests, but only after responding to Burnham listing the symptoms of stress by postulating that Ripper might not feel pain like they do (I mean … sure, I guess screaming out and then acting sluggish afterwards could be a response to an extreme pleasure sensation but …). 

Lorca has a meeting with several flag officers, who order him to withdraw Discovery from engaging in as many missions until they are able to replicate the spore drive (which is a completely valid and sensible tactic). Lorca whinges like a spoilt child who has been put on the bench. 

Tilly has lunch with Burnham, trying to get her to open up about what is worrying her (because Burnham is usually so outgoing and personable). When Burnham refuses to confide, Tilly takes it personally, believing that it’s because Burnham has found other friends. I mean, look, I know what insecurity and loneliness feels like (although, nothing so far has implied that Tilly is ostracised by the crew), and then there’s taking someone you’ve literally just met, that you know has some trauma, is an infamous criminal, is considered with disdain by the crew, and assume the reason they are clammed up is because they’ve ‘found someone else’. 

And I Swear To God the Next Words Out OF BURnhAm’s Mouth is ‘It’s not you it’s me’ and I actually had to go down to my kitchen, pour myself a drink and take a swing for a drinking game I’m not even playing because the writers actually decided to non-ironically use that line. 

Cue crappy title sequence. 

Cornwell informs the bridge crew of Lorca’s abduction and tasks Saru with rescuing him. Saru, surprisingly does not flee and wet his pants, and efficiently orders commands as his ganglia alert him to Burnham appearing on the bridge. In Lorca’s absence, Burnham expresses her concern about making multiple jumps and the strain on Ripper. Saru finds her concern unhelpful without any concrete evidence. 

Saru asks his computer to list the most decorated captains in Starfleet to date (he doesn’t tell the computer exactly how many mosts he wants out of all the captains, I’ll point out).

Saru asks the computer to cross reference the attributes often cited as the success of those captains, and to monitor his performance and let him know when he performs an action either like or unlike that of a successful captain (he essentially asks the computer to write a program to help him not doubt himself which – yeah, same). 

Lorca meets Mudd on a Klingon prison ship, who captured him when he was escaping people he owes money. Also in the cell is another Starfleet officer, groaning in pain. A Klingon arrives and asks Mudd to choose his pain. Mudd points to the officer, who the Klingons beat to death. Mudd explains to Lorca the Klingon force their prisoners to choose who gets beaten up between them to prevent them from bonding. I mean, having separate cells would also do that, but sure. Lorca is notably not very put out by the fact that Mudd is comfortable with condemning other people to death instead of him. 

Burnham and Culber speak to Stamets about their concern for the creature, citing their examinations which prove brain damage, and tactfully explain that not only does this put the creature in danger but by extension his spore drive (a nice, postmodern twist here – usually the side asking for creatures not to be exploited only cry out ‘think of the animals’, while failing to point out that if they can’t safely sustain the animal crucial to the equipment, then the equipment will fail as well, which of course the other side will have an invested interest in).

Culber goes to attend to other duties (interestingly he is not the CMO of the ship, furthering Discovery‘s new direction of focusing on the ‘lower deck’ characters more than the bridge officers), while Staments points out that the creature was Burnham’s idea. Burnham ‘swallows the urge to set the record straight’ in order to work with Staments to fix the issue (I mean, she could have pointed out that Staments is correct but that doesn’t change anything anyway, it doesn’t matter whose idea it was). 

Lorca finds another officer in his cell (who swears upon realising he’s with a captain). He is Lt. Ash Tyler, the final of our main cast to be introduced. Tyler was captured at the Battle of the Binary Stars, where his captain was killed. He has only survived seven months as the captain of the prison ship has taken a ‘liking’ to him. A small spider creature (Mudd’s pet) steals what’s left of Tyler’s food and gives it to Mudd, who accepts it with unashamed pragmatism. 

In a very cool, explainy scene with badass music, Staments, Burnham and Tilly recap what they know about the spore drive (good, coz I had to read like ten articles online to understand it from previous episodes), and postulate that if they are able to copy Ripper’s ability to communicate with the spores to a willing living creature, it could solve their issue, leading Tilly to say the lines which have spawned about a dozen articles on the subject:

“Guys, this is so fucking cool!”

Yep, it’s taken 51 years, one month and fifteen days, but Star Trek has finally dropped the F-bomb, in its attempt to be a more adult version of the show (I’m not sure why it’s trying to be, but)

An English-speaking Klingon has an interrogation with Lorca (I think it’s L’Rell, these new Klingons, who are meant to look more distinctive, just end up looking all the same because I can’t see enough of their actual face now ….). Lorca, quite easily, manages to rile up L’Rell by mocking her attraction to Tyler. L’Rell props open Lorca’s eyes and shines bright lights into it (apparently to trigger his photosensitivity, but I mean you shine bright lights into anyone‘s eyes and force them to stare it’s going to hurt).

As Saru prepares to jump to where they think Lorca is being held, Staments takes the drive offline to try and find a compatible species. They are unsuccessful in finding a match when an angry Saru walks in. He berates Burnham for not dropping the matter (and she doesn’t point out that she now has medical evidence proving the tardigrade is suffering ¬_¬ ), and gets even more riled up when Burnham says they need to inject a highly advanced sapient creature with alien DNA. Burnham (addressing Saru as Captain Saru, for some reason, even though he hasn’t been promoted – he’s captaining the ship, sure, but I’m pretty sure his rank is still Commander, although the damn rank insignia are so hard to see who knows!) explains she understands Saru is having a crises and that he is naturally cautious, which (and to be fair, understandably, as it wasn’t the most tactful of responses) offends Saru. Saru points out Burnham’s behaviour is similar to what killed Georgiou – which is a leap but okay. He orders Staments to prepare Ripper for a jump and orders Burnham to confine herself to her quarters. 

Lorca arrives back from his torture and immediately picks up on the fact that Mudd was a Klingon mole, using a bug in his pet bug to transmit what the prisoners say to them. Apparently this is true, because Mudd doesn’t object.

I mean – there are several problems here. One, why does the bug need to be on the bug, rather than Mudd himself? Or actually, why not just in the walls of the own cell? It IS the Klingon’s own ship after all??? Why do they need to subterfuge their own cells. You could say if the officers knew they were being bugged they wouldn’t say anything – I’m pretty sure, when you’re in a enemy prison cell, you shouldn’t say anything anyway and assume you are being listened to. That is common sense? No? Anyone? Writers??

Mudd gets his own back by revealing to Tyler that Lorca was a sole survivor a ship that attacked in the first month of the war. Lorca reveals that not only was he the sole survivor, he also deliberately blew his own ship up to prevent his crew from being captured, to spare them from Klingon torture and execution. 

Saru brings the ship to Black Alert as they prepare to jump. Ripper screams as the ship jumps (and it’s baffling no one else saw the creature scream out in pain and were like, eh guess he’s fine, until Burnham realised). He faints, bringing the ship out of jump early. The creature shrinks into itself, expelling water. Culber and Staments report the creature has gone into a self-induced hibernation, dehydrating itself to only having 1% water concentrations. Saru orders them to rehydrate the creature, but Culber points out that that would not be a simple procedure and could kill the creature. Saru accepts all responsibility for his orders, stating it is a risk that must be taken to protect the ship’s crew. Culber refuses to murder the creature, but Staments accepts the order. 

Lorca and Tyler overpower their guards, leaving Mudd behind. L’Rell and Tyler get into a fight that ends when Lorca injures her (but because she’s a supporting antagonist, he doesn’t kill her), and make their way to a weird feathered ship. 

Saru deduces that Lorca is on one of the raiders by the way the other raiders are appearing to be hunting it, and beams out Lorca and Tyler (it’s not clear – one shot clearly shows the ships in visual range of each other, however dialogue from multiple officers imply the Klingons hadn’t detected the Discovery, which doesn’t have any sort of visual cloak?).

When asked if the tardigrade can make a jump, Staments carefully replies that a jump can be made, and they do so. However Staments life signs register as weak and it is revealed that Staments had injected himself with the DNA compound and directed the jump himself. Staments wakes up on the giggling with joy after a successful jump. ]

Saru comes to visit Burnham and they have a candid conversation. Saru reveals he is not afraid of Burnham. Rather, he is angry and jealous that he never got the chance to learn how to be an executive officer from Georgiou like Burnham did, that because Burnham never got promoted to her own command, he never got the chance to take her place, which he felt would’ve prepared him more for the events of today. Burnham takes a step forward to Saru (I’ve noticed that’s a common direction so far – Saru says something to Burnham, Burnham, neck craning up because he’s so tall, takes a meaningful step forward and replies) and says he did very well, and that Georgiou would have thought so. She reveals Georgiou’s telescope and gives it to Saru, saying it belongs to him. 

Saru warmly says he needs Burnham’s help, that they don’t have a claim to the tardigrade’s soul and she is ordered to save them. Burnham gives the tardigrade some spores and then releases it into space, where it jumps into the network. 

Saru activates his performance review, but then cancels it, saying that he ‘knows what he did’. Staments tells Culber about his experience seeing the network. After telling Culber he feels okay, he walks away from the mirror, leaving his reflection behind, who turns and walks away a second later.