‘Discovery’ watch – my thoughts and reactions – Part 47: ‘Rosetta’

I literally just finished watching the new episode of Star Trek: Picard and now there’s even more Star Trek!

GRUNGE! N’awwwww she’s chilling on Burnham’s bed. What a good cat.

Oh and also a whole bunch of planets and people are at risk, as Burnham reminds us.

Burnham, Saru, Detmer and Culbert dramatically walk in slow-mo to their mission.

Erm … I mean. It’s a bit cheesy, and I don’t know if there’s meant to be.

Book is watching the ship secretly. Tarka suggests they hitchhike on Discovery to get through. They plot to sneak onto Discovery to install a patch that will let them sneak through. The Away Team on Discovery have finished their dramatic walk. Rellik objects to both the Captain and XO coming on the mission, but for once Burnham has a great and concise rebuttal. The representatives wish them luck, apart from the United Earth representative who feels its a gamble to do a recon mission before finding the 10-C.

A bumpy ride into the dead planet, which was destroyed 1,000 years earlier. They arrive on the planet weapons drawn. Their sensors are impacted, as they can’t even detect themselves. Suddenly Saru is triggered and hears loud noises and is disorientated, including hallucinating. He dismisses the concerns the Team.

The Team find giant bones of a creature that would have floated in the atmosphere, and realise not all of 10-C made it off.

Book and Tarka infiltrate Discovery, as Hirai plays Wordle Scrabble. Rillak tells him off for his attitude earlier. Book and Tarka eavesdrop on Ndoye and T’Rina’s conversation. The Away Team explore a section full of jelly-fish like … things? I like their new sleek EV outfit, it looks more comfortable and flexible, but it has light strips all over it, very Tronesque … not very tactical. Culbert touches Saru and starts having the same hallucination.

Book wants to recruit Ndoye to their team, and so goes off to find her. Suddenly Burnham experiences the same panic. They realise they are being influenced by something and start to attempt to figure it out. Tal discusses with Deno their wish to be more like Detmer, less anxious and full of self-doubt (lmao same).

The Team work out its the weird silver dust causing the reactions, and change their suit settings to filter it out. Tarka sabotages several replicators to distract Engineering to install his patch. Meanwhile, Book finds Ndoye. At knife point, he makes a fairly obvious pitch in my opinion, but she continues to listen. Ndoye actually doesn’t agree straight up, which I appreciate from a storytelling point. She tells them they need to give the diplomatic mission a chance, and stand down if it works, but she’ll help if it doesn’t.

The Team discover a nursery and, receive confirmation that the 10-C value life as the nursery is reinforced, so they have a mutual cultural understanding. Burnham deliberately contaminates herself with some of the dust around the nursery, and is overwhelmed by a feeling of being nurtured and loved. Detmer in particular reacts, as she grew up with a widowered father with a dementia-like illness, so finds the feelings new for her. They realise that both 10-C and the Starfleet species clearly all feel emotions the same, which gives them a mutual starting point.

Earlier Reno discovered Tarka and we’ve not gone back to that scene in a while and I’m getting very worried.

The crew discuss emotions on their way back, and their importance. They discuss whether the 10-C can therefore be convinced to stop should they understand the hurt they have caused, or if they already know and do not care. After a briefing, Staments thanks Burnham for giving him hope for the first time in a long time. After he leaves, Burnham takes a moment to herself, unaware Book is watching her take that moment. Tal attempts to make conversation with Detmer, awkwardly but actually quite smoothly.

Culbert and Burnham discuss his mental health, which Discovery has done a few times and I always like how much they normalise it. Like it doesn’t even need to be the focus of the episode, it can just be brought up the same way that normal health is. It’s great and I’m grateful for it.

Oh and back on Book’s ship Book discovers Reno as a hostage – although, she seems happily quippy about it, so all’s good.

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