The Star Trek: Discovery's season 4, episode 3 contains information that should be avoided. They wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex after entering through the ears.
"Choose To Live" is the third episode of the fourth season of "Star Trek: Discovery" and it's very different from last week's episode.
"Star Trek: Discovery" is going up against some of the best sci-fi currently on television. The third and final season of "Lost in Space" will be available on the internet. The sixth and final season of "The Expanse" will be available on Amazon. "The Book of Boba Fett" is on Disney Plus. "Discovery" is going to have to work hard to keep up with the other shows that are similar to it, because they represent consistent high-quality, well-written science fiction. The fourth season premiere scored a 5.8 and last week's episode scored a 5.2, both significantly below what the fans expect and what Paradise was hoping for. If you're behind, here's how to catch up on Star Trek: Discovery. There are tips on how to see the rest of the Trek franchise in our full streaming guide.
We open with a brand new, previously unseen starship, which is always nice. When Commander Fickett is about to deliver some dilithium, the engineering section is suddenly overrun by Space Ninjas who have beamed in, waving their Ninjat swords about and causing a fra We talked last week about the absence of an evil force, but could these warriors represent a larger evil force like the Emerald Chain from last season? This particular subplot potential is explored and ended in this one episode, but more on that later.
She has four detached warp drive nacelles and two others. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
It seems that they're going to take the dilithium and a few of the Starfleet officers aren't going to stand in their way. During the altercation, the Commander fights hard, while another seems to pass out. It looks like he was the victim of a Vulcan neck-pinch. The Commander gets skewered like a shish kebab.
The security camera footage that we are seeing transforms into the "security camera footage" that we see in the briefing room. There have been a number of similar thefts across Federation space, but the killing of a Starfleet officer is new.
This is a really nice idea. Many species would be desperate to get their hands on some dilithium in order to escape or even evacuate their home worlds if word had traveled about the approaching anomaly. It looks like this sub-plot was started, explored and ended in this episode. It's a recurring theme in this week's episode. It's not clear if this idea is developed beyond this episode, but if it isn't, it feels like a wasted opportunity.
The officer first appears to faint, but after closer inspection, he's stuck by a neck pinch. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
The assassin is a citizen of Ni'var and a member of the Qowat Milat. She ordered her mercenaries to operate under her orders. The tracker that was planted in the dilithium gave her coordinates. Someone thought to put a tracker in the dilithium. J'Vini has provided a platform for several people, including the Federation President, Laira Rillak.
Who is the representative of the Qowat Milat? The last time we saw Michael's mum was in the episode "Unification III". She insists that this matter be supervised by the order of Romulan warrior nuns, but agrees to have Burnham and the Discovery represent Starfleet on this politically-problematic joint-mission. As everyone leaves the briefing, Rillak reminds Burnham that it's critical J'Vini faces Federation justice for her crimes, setting up a potential clash of priorities later in the episode. The opening credits are rolled.
Another sub-plot is set up in which Tilly is looking for new experiences outside of her comfort zone. There isn't really an adequate explanation as to why she feels she needs to do this, and it provides the comedy relief for this episode. She asked if she could mist the plants in the quarters, but he warned her not to touch the swampkelp, which is in bloom.
In defense of the Star Trek movies.
Let's see, it's dy/dx, carry the 4 and I get Energy equal to Cats per square Ironing Board. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
Book is shown for the first time in this episode and learns that a few weeks have passed, so at least he is believable in his ongoing grief. There is a brief but tender moment between Book and Burnham. Stamets has come up with a neat and tidy abbreviation for the Season 4 primary plot driver (DMA, for Dark Matter Anomaly), but also a new theory: primordial wormhole.
There are facts about these particles.
The shape of the well, the ability to change direction, and the amount of dark matter are all evidence that the evidence is there. Otherwise it would be cut and dry. The tinfoil hat theory was thrown out last week because it was linked to the "lightning storm in space" phenomena used by Ambassador Spock and Nero in the first "Star Trek" movie. George Lucas likes to have everything connected, so we've seen how much Alex Kurtzman likes to have everything connected. It feels like this is one step closer to being the case. It's really bad.
Stamets and Book have continued to build on their friendship and Book asked if he could go with Stamets to the Ni'var Science Institute. Book's ship can be borrowed for the mission. It doesn't seem to have a name, so look for that to change later this season for marketing reasons. Who knows.
Commander Jett Reno hasn't been seen yet this season, maybe she'll show up later if her schedule permits.
Will Gray Tal have the strength to compete in the Olympics? The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
Gray Tal's consciousness is being transferred into a golem in the next scene. Adira, Dr. Culber, and the Trill High Council are all present in the strong Season 3 episode "Forget Me Not."
It feels like the transference of Gray Tal has been slowed down and drawn out. We could've had a more in-depth look at the previous hosts of Tal, since that's all it really needed. It would be great to see this incorporated later in the season, but we're not holding our breath. Adira waits patiently by Gray's bedside to cut back to a set piece where the transference can succeed without a host to guide Tal.
We return to Tilly's story by way of a conversation between the First Officer of the away team and the captain of the home team about how to ensure that the mission doesn't go wrong. The whole point of her subplot was to suggest that Tilly go, and this is the perfect opportunity for her to do that.
The Star Trek movies are in chronological order.
The role of Saru has sadly been kept to a minimum, serving as a source of exposition and a plot driver. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
It seems like a normal episode with a normal amount of story, including the Dark Matter Anomaly, Book's ongoing grief and Gray Tal's consciousness transference.
We're on Book's ship and we're having a discussion about J'Vini. When she first arrived in the future in 3188 using the Red Angel time suit, she was instrumental in nursing her back to health. There's a personal element to the attempt to capture the outlaw. There is a new element in the culture of Qowat Milat, which is the need to save a lost cause. J'Vini's mother was once his lost cause, and now she fears that J'Vini is fighting for a new cause.
In order to make the fight scenes more interesting, phasers should be left behind and Ninjat-like swords should be carried. They arrive at their destination, which is a seemingly barren, deserted and inhospitable planetoid, but they detect a faint signal from the dilithium tracking device in a giant cavern under the surface. Two of J'Vini's cohort attacked at that point. They were killed along with a token red shirt-equivalent member of the away team. The fight is well choreographed and great to watch, but that's why the story included a reason why phasers had to be dropped. It's not clear why they didn't jump over to the weapons locker and get a whole clip of forced plasma particles on the Space Ninjas, since they hadn't actually left Book's ship yet.
Stagecraft's virtual wall technology has helped the alien worldbuilding. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
The process of transference continues and the unjoining of Gray Tal from Adira has been a success, now we must wait to see if the consciousness settles in the synthetic body.
We're inside the barren, deserted and inhospitable planetoid. The ruins of an ancient temple or mausoleum and an alien covered in J'Vini's cloak are what our three-woman away team discovers. The conflict of interest sub-plot develops further here as they argue over whether or not J'Vini's intentions warrant punishment. Suddenly, the ground shakes as dilithium is being used to power up a massive set of engines, which is a space station ship. They locate the dilithium and take an ancient turbolift up to a giant platform high above them to show us a glimpse of the cavernous interior.
We are at the Ni'var Science Institute and we are back to Stamet's Theory. The other representatives don't seem to share his sense of urgency and they begin to meditate on the matter. It could be argued there's an underlying ignore-science-at-your-peril theme.
The Admiral doesn't have a lot of screen time, but he does get some great lines. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
While we're here, we dive a little deeper into Book's storyline and it's probably a highlight of the episode. T'Rina suggests Book look at the tragedy from a different perspective, since it was not his fault. He requires freedom from his guilt, but he insists that if he'd only seen a sign, he could have saved his family.
Stamet's theory isn't plausible when the scientists are awake. T'Rina reminds them that tachyons are superluminal and that if they hit the atmosphere of that planet, they would create a blue cast to the sky. That's right. Stamets objects to the idea of a mind meld with Book, saying he shouldn't have to relive the trauma of the experience.
It's an interesting approach to dealing with loss. It only works if the last memories of the one you lost are not the same as the ones you were suffering from. T'Rina doesn't see a blue cast to the sky because he doesn't see the destruction of his home world. D'oh.
This is what it feels like to be lost in a sea of sadness. David Ajala has done a great job so far. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
Book asked if he could see a little more before T'Rina could end the mind meld. He remembers the last time he saw his nephew and brother. Book is reassured that Leto knew how much he was loved by his uncle, as Leto's face displays the signs of emotional happiness. I would like to be able to know this with certainty, and to be able to prevent the loss from beginning with. It's quite an emotional scene, as the book is extremely fortunate.
Back inside the moon-ship, Tilly sabotages the engines to shut them down, and Burnham discovers carvings in the rocks and stones showing a supernova and a moon leaving the world it once circled. They think that it's not a mausoleum, but thousands of cryostasis Pods. This is J'Vini's cause. It's only a matter of time before she beams to their position and the inevitable dual with Gabrielle ends when the rogue Qowat Milat sister disarms the mother of the boy and holds a sword to her neck. The diplomacy part of the mission begins.
As Burnham negotiates with J'Vini, Tilly begins to repair the damage she's caused. The vessel contains the last of the Abronians, a species that is unknown to the other aliens. J'Vini says that she felt love, community, family and suffering as if someone was begging her for help when she was travelling through the star system. She knew that she had to help and she accepted the cause as her own. The dilithium was in case the DMA swung by in that direction before they were revived. It can now be used as an escape vehicle.
A Lurian is hunched over his drink and a Ferengi bartender is nearby. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
The Abronians are revived when the engines are repaired. J'Vini accepts that her cause is complete and she is handcuffed. The Abronians leave the moon-ship and travel toward the surface of their new homeworld after returning to Book's ship.
We used to see new alien species every week in "The Original Series," but that was followed by an episode, not a season story, and it felt like we had been short changed to have been introduced to, learned a bit about and then said see ya to.
Adira is on the Discovery and is worried about the transference. Culber's improvised role as ship's counselor is complemented by the fact that he chats in the gorgeous setting of Discovery's Ten-Forward-like lounge and recreation facility, complete with open fires and a rustic, steak restaurant aesthetic.
300 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and a huge hologram of home are some of the things that make you happy. The credit is given to Paramount Plus.
The process of wrapping up every storyline begins. The transference of Gray Tal is a success, the Abronians are starting to settle in, and Tilly learns a little more about the way of the Qowat Milat. Book, who is wearing his Ikhu Zhen amulet once again, comes out with a beautifully written line. He told Burnham he had a memory back. Someday, if I am lucky, the grief will fade. If I don't want my other memories to fade with it, I'll have to open myself up to them. Good and bad.
There was a lot of stories this week. This episode is enjoyable, but there's just too much in it. It's more like a full-length feature film than the previous two offerings, and it's certainly been written like one. It's not a good idea to have so many disposable sub- stories in a movie, but not a television episode or an episode of "Star Trek." We had a full Thanksgiving dinner in front of us this week, which is similar to when we were fast last week. With all the things.
Life of ignorant bliss on Talos IV.
It's nice to see a new ship.
The sword fighting was cool.
Book insisted on coming with Stamets to Ni'var.
Discovery's bar has a nod to "Deep Space Nine".
"Star Trek: Discovery" is owned by David Ajala.
Death by a disruptor.
Many of the subplots won't be explored further.
It's a bit of a downer that there's so much loss and grief this season.
The Discovery airlock set looks a lot like the Credence interior.
There are many subplots.
Always with the tachyons.
The rating was 6/10.
The first three episodes of the fourth season of "Star Trek: Discovery" are available to watch now on Paramount Plus in the US and Canada. Outside of North America, the Pluto TVSci-fi channel is available.
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