DISCLAIMER: This recap of Star Trek: Discovery holds enough spoilers to keep Section 31 busy for a decade. Jump to black alert at your peril, especially if you’re waiting to watch this season in solidarity with our international fans.
Welcome, Trekkies! The fifth episode, “The Examples,” of Star Trek: Discovery‘s fourth season again deals with serious social issues such as the prison-industrial complex, legal debates about the right to die and a sci-fi version of the savior complex. More importantly, Lieutenant Gen Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon) gets to be a badass.
Ready to dive into this week’s recap? Let’s fly!
RELATED: Star Trek: Discovery Recap: (S0405) All Is Possible
I am a Star Trek nerd, which means parts of episode five blew my mind. Before the action even begins, there were references like U.S.S. Janeway, N.S.S. T’Pau, Wolf 359, Rigel, Denobubla, and Memory Alpha.
Pictured: Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham, David Ajala as Book and Patrick Kwok-Choon as Gen Rhys of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
In the first minute, the DMA vanishes, and Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) takes its place. I josh because mostly, I’m happy to hear the sweet, sweet sound of Notaro’s sarcastic tone. However, before Reno concludes that something can’t disappear in space, the DMA reappears 1,000 light-years from its previous position, again violating the laws of physics.
Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) discusses the new finding with Mr. Saru (Doug Jones), Cleveland “Book” Booker (David Ajala) and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp). They come to the startling realization that the anomaly must be artificial.
Immediately, the Discovery team briefs Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) that the anomaly is on a path toward the Radvek asteroid belt.
Formerly an Emerald Chain colony and inhabited primarily by the Akaali species, who were the first pre-warp civilization discovered by Captain Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise. But by the 32nd century, the Akaali have developed warp technology, and they are in the DMA’s destructive path. So Vance orders Discovery to evacuate the asteroid.
Then, Vance tells Burnham that Starfleet already ruled out all known civilizations with technology advanced enough to create the DMA, like the Iconians, a highly advanced civilization with only a few known survivors, who first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Contagion,” the Nacene, also known as the Caretakers, who transported U.S.S. Voyager to the Delta Quadrant, the Q Continuum, who haven’t made contact with the Federation in 600 years, and the Metrons from The Original Series episode “Arena.”
So, for now, Starfleet wants you to meet: Species 10-C.
Pictured: David Ajala as Book and Shawn Doyle as Ruon Tarka of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
To study Species 10-C, Disco‘s science team must: (1) learn how the DMA works, (2) trace the tech back to its creators, whoever they are and (3) help rescue the Akaali on Radvek V. So soon, Vance assigns the scientist developing the next generation spore drive with season two’s Aurellio (Kenneth Mitchell), Risian scientist Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) to work alongside Stamets on Discovery.
RELATED: The Expanse Recap: (S06E02) Azure Dragon
Saru notices six stationary life signs beneath the colony, far from the evacuation point as the evacuation begins. Captain Burnham speaks to the Akaali Sovereign Magistrate (Jonathan Goad), a political leader used to operating under the brutality of the Emerald Chain, who reveals that he planned on leaving behind inmates, known as “The Examples,” who demonstrate the costs of misbehavior. But leaving them behind to rot in their cells isn’t very Starfleet.
Because Starfleet rescued his family from a very destructive hurricane, Rhys requests to lead the Akaali evacuation. At the same time, Burnham and Book plan to go to the prison and personally rescue The Examples, and Doctor Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) stays onboard to assist with the evacuees’ adjustment period.
Next, Tarka reports to Discovery. Immediately, he ruffles some feathers with rapid-fire insults of his new teammates. He even calls the ship an antique! How Rude, Mr. Risa! Insults aren’t very pleasure-producing unless you have a verbal humiliation kink, which is a-okay too! We are Risa, not Mr. Risa.
Finally corralling Tarka to the science room, Discovery‘s science team briefs him on their findings that a technological device controls the DMA, to which Tarka agrees… And to test the theory, the Risian scientist proposes they create a working miniature model of the DMA controller in engineering, despite the dangers of generating a small wormhole on the ship.
Just as the science heats up, the episode cuts to the evacuation team, who have already successfully rescued some Akaali citizens. But now comes the hard part, saving the prisoners: Burnham and Book encounter an Emerald Chain defense system, mobile landmines disguised as native Akaali life.
Pictured: Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham and David Ajala as Book of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
Burnham disables the matrix controlling the landmines just in time, allowing the duo inside the prison to meet the inmates (Alireza Shojaei, Aldrin Bundoc, Sarah Booth). They were sentenced to life for petty crimes. But before blindly being rescued, the inmates ask questions about the Federation’s intentions, going so far as to demand that Burnham guarantee they won’t return to Akaali custody.
RELATED: Michael Greyeyes Cast in Remake of Firestarter
One of The Examples, Felix (Michael Greyeyes, who got his start at National Ballet of Canada, just like Lieutenant Commander Nilsson actress Sara Mitich), explains that the colony’s political leaders still rely on Emerald Chain penal philosophy.
In the Emerald Chain, everyone is sentenced to life, no matter how small their crime: one prisoner stole food for his family; one prisoner traded in counterfeit latinum; and one prisoner counted cards at a tongo club, a Ferengi game that first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Meanwhile, Culber has a 10-minute therapy session with Doctor Kovich (David Cronenberg), who determines that Culber has requested the meeting because he needs some brutal honesty about why he’s a mess. Telling Kovich that the DMA has brought up a lot of fear and uncertainty for the crew, the medical officer admits he feels he’s been lying to everyone.
“You died and came back to life. Little wonder you’re a mess,” Kovich says to his patient. And then, with the customary absolute honesty of the Qowat Milat, he adds, “And that led you to a savior complex, because if there is no reason, if there is no purpose, then your very existence is a middle finger to anyone who’s ever lost someone. Which is everyone.”
In one final truth punch to the gut, Kovich tells Culber that he uses work to “escape the persistent guilt of being alive.” If the good doctor continues to do so, he will fail himself and his patients.
I like the direction of Culber’s character after the resurrection in the second season. In Star Trek‘s utopian world, species from different worlds are treated as equals, except bridge crew. As Trekkies say, the bridge crew always comes back, which is an enormous privilege if you ask me. Most people don’t get second chances at life, not even in Star Trek.
Pictured: David Cronenberg as Kovich and Wilson Cruz as Culber of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
At the Akaali prison, the Captain searches Starfleet General Orders and Regulations to see if she can grant asylum to The Examples.
Always persistent, but with a ticking clock, Burnham finally finds protocols allowing a captain to grant political asylum in extreme circumstances. Under the Federation regulation, when a criminal sentence is political theater and not justice, a Starfleet captain is permitted to grant asylum as long as the asylum seeker directly asks for it, which all Akaali inmates do.
Before leaving, however, Felix confides in Burnham that he belongs in prison, unlike the other inmates, because he killed someone. During his crime, Felix stole a traditional Akaali heirloom, a lalogi orb, which contained the victim’s heritage record. He hoped to return it to the man’s daughter eventually – and more on this later, but my “Peter Tingle” is tingling here.
Back on Discovery, Saru, Reno, Stamets and Tarka (aka Mr. Gaily Leo) are testing the DMA controller model to collect data that could help them uncover information to understand the DMA tech and figure out who built it. Despite Tarka’s unique argument tactics to push the experiment further, Saru stops it just before the containment field fails. Although the brains come close to killing the entire Starfleet crew, which, as Reno notes, is saying something, they can collect some data about the DMA controller.
And then, THE SCENE happens. I’m surprised that I didn’t see more people talking about THE SCENE. I know it’s couched in Prime Directive speak about agency, but it is a scene about the legal right to die and suicide.
Pictured: Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham and David Ajala as Book of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
Cutting to outside the colony’s prison facility, Burnham has just beamed up the other prisoners, but Felix insists on staying behind. Now alone with Burnham and Book, he asks them to allow him to remain until his jailers return or the anomaly hits because he believes the sentence is part of his penance. But if he stays on the asteroid, he will most likely die.
Book pleads with Felix to come back to Discovery, but he doesn’t waver and asks the captain to return the orb to the victim’s daughter. But to Book, Felix’s decision isn’t agency; it is definite death.
I am a suicide survivor, and I agree with Book’s position. In the chronically suicidal, a desire to die often passes within ten minutes. From what we learn about the Akaali penal system in episode five, likely, Felix has never had therapy to process his crimes. Although he believes he only has two penance options, other than exercising the legal right to die, there might be options available.
RELATED: Yennefer’s Infertility Battle Is Important, Here’s Why
Although the Felix scene feels true to Burnham’s character, the Federation’s principles failed here, and the scene did not work for me. In today’s parlance, Burnham believes in the right to die (learn more here and here). To the Captain, leaving Felix behind is an acceptable risk because scans haven’t confirmed that the asteroid belt will be hit by the DMA and kill him.
So Book and Burnham beam to Discovery, where the bridge crew can only watch as the DMA destroys the colony.
Pictured: Sochi Fried as Akaali woman of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
Done with the evacuation, we go through a series of short scenes of the Discovery crew discussing the day’s adventures. Stamets and Culber debrief each other on their days in their quarters, and it’s lovely to see the couple reconnecting again.
On the bridge, Burnham deals with the unreasonable demands of the Akaali Sovereign Magistrate one last time. And then, somewhat luckily, the captain leaves the bridge to fulfill her promise to Felix. In the lift, Zora (Annabelle Wallis), an entity formed because of the merger of the Sphere data and Discovery‘s computer, confirms the Akaali refugee is on board. Hence, Burnham can return to the orb Felix stole from her as a child.
RELATED: Check out our recaps of Star Trek: Discovery!
When Zora offers her condolences, Burnham is surprised to learn that Zora has recently begun to feel emotions, a revelation that could have tremendous ramifications.
Meanwhile, Tarka finds Book in the Forward Lounge, where the Kwejian does some sleuthing. He finds out that the Risian knows the Metrons, Nacene or Iconians did not create the DMA. Tarka explains that his calculations indicate the actual DMA controller has an energy source equivalent to a hypergiant star (the only other place we’ve seen that kind of power is Star Trek: Prodigy).
New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery are available to stream every Thursday on Paramount Plus.
Mike McMahan Dishes on STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS and Cali-Class Cuisine
- 10 Queer Furry Comics You Should Read - February 5, 2024
- 8 Disabled Horror Films That Dismantle Horrible Tropes - November 3, 2023
- 7 Graphic Novels in Celebration of Trans Day of Visibility - March 31, 2023
