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.
Welcome, Trekkies! As of December 3, Paramount Plus has released the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s fourth season internationally. During episode four, “Choose to Live,” Captain Burnham, Lieutenant Tilly and the science team must come to terms with the end of their respective paths as other members of the U.S.S. Discovery crew must take the first steps down the road the less traveled.
Ready to dive into this week’s recap? Let’s fly!
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The episode opens on a transport deck of the U.S.S. Credence? And in a kind of predictable storytelling move, despite the crew’s lofty goals to deliver a dilithium shipment to a world in dire need of the energy source, the redshirt version of a bridge crew (aka unknown bridge crew) is soon sacrificed at the end of a Qowat Milat’s blade.
As one surviving Starfleet officer scrambles along the floor, the Qowat Milat says, “Please, my friend, choose to live.” In predictable Starfleet bravado, he doesn’t.
At Federation HQ, Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) is briefing President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal), Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Ni’Var’s President T’Rina (Tara Rosling), and the Qowat Milat nuns, including Doctor Gabrielle Burnham (Sonja Sohn), Michael’s mother, about the recent series of attacks on Starfleet. According to Vance’s intelligence, this is the fourth and most recent in a series of dilithium thefts, although it is the first time anyone from Starfleet died.
The Federation has also learned the killer is a Ni’Var citizen and a Qowat Milat nun known as J’Vini (Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves), and she’s working with mercenaries under her orders. “This is an internal Qowat Milat matter, and as such, we ask that Starfleet turn her coordinates over to us,” says Gabrielle. “We believe J’Vini most likely is acting as a galankhkan on behalf of a lost cause.”
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The LOOK Burnham gives her mother is kind of priceless. I keep thinking of Star Trek: Picard, then thinking that Burnham’s reaction to her mom’s request shows her lack of command experience.
I spent a hot second at the Public Defender’s Bureau of Investigation, which inspired me to try helping people as an American criminal defense lawyer, which is a whole load of bulls**t designed to make the good ones leave before they even start.
The white knights of justice rule American criminal law, and there’s nothing worse than a white knight of justice, so hopefully, Burnham gets that out of her system by the season’s end, better yet, by the episode’s end. Yes, I’m only saying this because she gets some of that attitude out of her system by the episode’s end. Thank g-d.
Reviewer’s note: Murder is a word with significant consequences, Captain Burnham, and I object to its constant casual use thanks to greenhorn bravado.
Anyway, back to the Federation meeting, Rillak makes a diplomatic offering: although the crimes were committed on Starfleet vessels, the Federation will not respond without Ni’Var’s guidance. T’Rina responds in kind: Ni’Var’s Science Institute will receive Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) to study the anomaly’s movements and nature.
But on one condition, the Qowat Milat must be involved in J’Vini’s capture (the nuns used to be the Tal Shiar’s most feared enemies, so they’re capable of bringing her in alive). Because she’s clearly into antiques and plays “Diplomat,” Rillak suggests making the capture a joint mission, a venture of mutual goodwill between Ni’Var and the Federation.
Back on Discovery, Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) walks up to Mr. Saru (Doug Jones) in the mess hall. At Doctor Hugh Culber’s (Wilson Cruz) suggestion, the theoretical engineer is trying to replicate mac n’ cheese again – even though she dislikes cheese, a rarity among humans – and wants to try something new with Saru’s help. Because, ya know, we all get by with a little bit of help from our friends.
Meanwhile, Burnham is in science ops having a conversation with Cleveland “Book” Booker (David Ajala) about the very fun topic of tachyon particles (read this science lesson here). He tells her Discovery’s astromycologist has a new theory: a primordial wormhole (more science lessons here).
“Four out of five factors point to yes,” Stamets says about the primordial wormhole, or the Dark Matter Anomaly (DMA) as he calls it. “One: Gravitational distortions are consistent with wormhole behavior. Two: So is the shape of the gravitational well. Three: Its ability to change direction.
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Four: It contains a massive amount of accreted dark matter.” But there is one missing factor; there are always tachyons present at the birth of a wormhole. “Without evidence of tachyons… We’re back to square one.”
After Stamets finishes his long-winded – but helpful and on-point – scientific explanation, Burnham requisitions Book’s ship for the mission, which she says is: Starfleet and Qowat Milat only, a.k.a, you’re not invited, dude. So Book, desperate to help, insists on going to the Ni’Var Science Institute with Stamets.
Now in sickbay, the synth body is in the final stages of being crafted for Gray (Ian Alexander, who is trans nonbinary). Mostly coming from outside of the trans community, some people online were confused about Gray coming out as a trans character last week. “Transitioning, I had bigger things to think about,” said Gray in episode two. “If I get another chance to remake my body, why not get rid of all the things that are not totally me?”
Introduced last season and always supportive of Ensign Adira’s (Blu del Barrio) nontraditional joining with the Trill symbiote, Tal, Guardian Xi (Andreas Apergis) was ultimately commended for sponsoring their joining because he proved the viability of non-Trill hosts.
It’s great to see Guardian Xi return for Gray’s incorporation, even if he comes bearing grim news: Gray’s consciousness could have trouble finding the synthetic body without a host’s mind to guide him in, so failure could mean he’s lost forever.
I am bigender and married to a trans woman, and I love to see trans rep on screen. But my gripe is the Soong Method uses the golem metaphor.
Although in the second episode, Gray indicates his transition is separate from his incorporation, it doesn’t sit right with me. In Judaism, Golems are Davids and Goliaths, and transitions are like Lieutenant Reginald Barclay’s vision of Counselor Troi as the Goddess of Empathy. However, this is a minor gripe.
Now on Book’s ship’s bridge, we learn some vital information.
“When I first came to this future, I was broken. A Qowat Milat sister nursed me back, unwavering, for more than a year. That sister was J’Vini. I was once her lost cause. She gave everything to heal me,” says Gabrielle.
As they approach an inhospitable-looking chunk of rock, Daughter Burnham acts *proves Rillak right* about her guns. But luckily, Tilly’s intuitive diplomatic skills kick in to save the day and give everyone a big belly laugh – oh, and the best part is, she finds the dilithium tracker.
WARNING! INTRUDER ALERT! It’s mercenaries! The mercenaries go down, but not before the (headcanon) lesbian Qowat Milat dies.
J’Vini transports into the middle of the carnage, gasps and looks distraught at her sister’s death before saying, “I didn’t want more blood to be spilled. That can stop right now. Choose to live by leaving immediately. Come after me; your lives are forfeit.”
And, Starfleet, being Starfleet, completely ignores the warning.
Back in Discovery’s sickbay, Guardian Xi assures everyone that the unjoining was a success, but Adira’s struggling with the emptiness they’re feeling after the incorporation procedure. Dr. Culber and Guardian Xi continue to assure them, “The process can take time.”
Cutting back to the away team, the three surviving members have just transported into a desolate cavern. Here, the show’s designers did a great job replicating the feel of a mausoleum. “Why would J’Vini bring dilithium to a crypt?” Captain Burnham asks.
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After briefly exploring the moon, the away team’s first guess: J’Vini is using the uninhabited moon as a safe house for her lost cause, the desiccated pods of an unknown alien species.
However, suddenly, the ground rumbles, and just as the away team settles on their first theory, they come up with a second one: they’re on a ship, not a moon.
At the Ni’Var Science Institute, Stamets explains the DMA’s nonlinear behavior and topological structure to President T’Rina and a group of Ni’Var scientists. Then, he asks them to look at his evidence for the primordial wormhole theory. They agree to look at the evidence.
As the team of scientists ponders the problem in a deep meditative state, T’Rina and Book discuss his recent trauma. Book is still struggling with his emotions, and he asks T’Rina to learn about the practice of disconnecting from the feelings of passion and guilt. But she turns him down, “As a Kwejian, emotion is as essential to you as air and blood, rendering the suppression of guilt inadequate. What you require is freedom from guilt.”
Meanwhile, in the Discovery bar, Mr. Jack of All White Coats, Dr. Culber, plays Adira’s trans-friendly therapist and tells them that Gray’s incorporation wasn’t their decision to make. Still wanting to help Gray, Adira decides to visit him in sickbay to be his light in the dark. “I’m here, reaching,” says Adira. “I’ll be here until you come back. So… so please come back.”
Cutting back to the away mission, Tilly goes outside of her comfort zone to serve as bait for J’Vini. The plan works, and the warrior-nun arrives, and as Tilly 100% chooses to live, two Burnhams charge in to rescue her, allowing Gabrielle to fight like a badass even if J’Vini eventually gets the upper hand.
J’Vini is protecting Abronians, who are the last of their kind. They have traveled far, and they have been continually at risk from grave robbers because their biomatter has high concentrations of latinum. Then, because of the gravitational anomaly, J’Vini needed extra dilithium to protect the Abronians from harm if it had come towards their ship.
Burnham asks J’Vini why she didn’t request dilithium, and the warrior-nun says, “I did ask.” The exchange prompts an aside from Tilly, who explains Starfleet’s dilithium dispensation policy. For me, this part was interesting because an avenue should exist for J’Vini to ask for dilithium without revealing the Abronians existence. Since it didn’t, she didn’t have much choice.
Ultimately, everyone comes to a comprise, with Burnham fixing the cryo system to help the Abronians wake, fulfilling J’Vini’s oath. It also allows Burnham to fulfill her oath, bringing J’Vini in. As she informs J’Vini her path has ended, she produces a pair of Starfleet handcuffs.
Back at the Ni’Var Science Institute, the scientists cannot identify any factors to indicate the presence of tachyons. But there is another way to obtain proof, a mind-meld with a witness. Because tachyons are superluminal, upon hitting Kwejian’s atmosphere, they would have created a brilliant blue cast to the sky.
Book agrees to help and asks to see more of his memories from that day than necessary for the scientific investigation. Book says, “There’s this moment of Leto I keep seeing. The last moment I saw him.”
The mind-meld proves there was no qualitative evidence of superluminous radiation, meaning no tachyons were present. Hence, it’s not a primordial wormhole; it was a healing experience for Book: he learned that Leto knew he loved him.
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Back at Federation HQ, Burnham and Burnham are debriefing the top brass on their mission to bring J’Vini in and the details of her crimes; however, Captain Burnham would like to request that mitigating circumstances are accounted for during sentencing formally. However, Captain Burnham’s request isn’t necessary as Starfleet is remanding the prison to Ni’Var’s custody. Yes, Burnham’s face does twitch when she hears the news, and it’s classic.
New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery will stream every Thursday on Paramount Plus.
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