Star Trek: Discovery (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 12 - Through the Valley of Shadows - full transcript

A fourth signal leads the U.S.S. Discovery to an insular world, where Pike is forced to make a life-changing choice. Burnham and Spock investigate a Section 31 ship gone rogue, leading to a discovery with catastrophic consequences.

Previously on
Star Trek: Discovery...

BURNHAM:
Any rational explanation

for the seven signals
continues to escape me.

Tell us what the signals mean.

I know nothing about them.

You want to help,
delete the Sphere archive.

As long as there's
any possibility

of Control gaining access
to the Sphere data,

everything will die.

The archive will not
allow itself to be destroyed.

Instead of fighting time,
we go with it.



You can transfer
the Sphere archive into the suit

and let the wormhole
take it forever.

Look, just come home.

That version of me is dead.

And I'm not going back.

You're Control.
You won't win.

Struggle is pointless.

[screaming]

Our mission parameters
have changed.

He's taken the Sphere data!

No!

Captain, we cannot stop
the data transfer.

The transfer speed
is increasing.

We haven't come this far
to lose everything now.



You have to let me go, Michael.

If we do that,
you'll get yanked back.

At least this way
she would have a chance.

BURNHAM:
I'll find you, Mom.

Now, with no suit,

no time crystal...

It'll always be one step
ahead of us.

SPOCK:
Dr. Burnham was incorrect.

What we do now has the power
to determine the future.

The board is yours, Michael.

DR. BURNHAM:
When the timestorm passes,

I'll come back for you,
baby girl.

For you and your father.

I promise.

COMPUTER:
Incoming transmission

from Amanda Grayson.

Michael, I heard
what happened.

I am so sorry.

How did you hear?

Spock.

All this time...
I thought she was dead.

But it was so much worse.

She was trying to stop Control.

And I stopped her.

I failed her.

Then I lost her...

all over again.Michael,

you have it backwards.

You found her.

You will find her again.

That is who you are.[door chimes]

Mother. I apologize
for the interruption,

but the captain needs us.

Take care of
each other.

I love you both.

Thank you.

Another signal has appeared.

PIKE: This new signal is
the fourth of seven.

It appeared over the Klingon
planet of Boreth.

The time crystal in Dr.
Burnham's suit was destroyed.

There's no way she
could have come back

to create that signal.

And she said she had
no knowledge of them.

Which would suggest
these signals were created by

another time-travelling entity.

Maybe a trap?

An agent of Control
from the future?

None of the events linked to
the signals would indicate that.

That fact that one of them
led us to save

the people of Terralysium,
whose ancestors were saved

by Dr. Burnham herself,

makes me think that
these signals are...

BURNHAM: Speculating about
what the signals could mean

or who created them
is unproductive.

What are you suggesting,
Commander?

I am asserting that
waiting around for these signals

to provide us answers
has proven to be

a colossal waste of time.

To say nothing of the fact
that Leland is the A.I.

He is Control.

We should be joining
Agent Georgiou

in her search for him.

SARU: We have
determined

that the Sphere archive
could not be

removed nor deleted
from this ship.

By using Discovery

to pursue Captain Leland,
we would be placing

the data
directly within his reach.

PIKE:
We all want to stop him.

I understand why you want
to lead the charge,

but our priority is
safeguarding that data.

So, we focus on
the mission at hand:

this new signal, and why
it appeared over Boreth.

Mr. Tyler, any insight?

To the Klingons, Boreth is
revered for one reason.

The monastery dedicated
to Kahless.

It's the only non-native
structure on the whole planet.

I don't know how
it relates to the signals,

but I can reach out
to Chancellor L'Rell

to arrange passage there.

Excellent. Do it.

[door whooshes open]







[original Star Trektheme
plays]

[door chimes]

Door.

Michael.

I saw you back there.

Whatever it is you're not
telling us about Boreth...

I need to know.

Boreth is home to my son.

Your son?

Technically,
Voq and L'Rell's son.

L'Rell had hidden him away
for his own safety,

and I wanted to raise him... [child groans]

...to protect him.

And instead, I risked
both of their lives.

He was placed in the care
of the monks on Boreth,

where he'll be raised
as a son of none.

Like I was.

Ash, I had no idea.

I'm sorry.

I couldn't tell anyone.

[whispering]:
I only wish you'd told me

so you wouldn't have
to carry it alone.

Well,

that's something we both
struggle with, isn't it?

[chime sounds]

[chimes]

What is it?

A Section 31 ship
just missed its check-in.

It might be nothing.

When it comes to Leland
and the A.I.,

no inconsistency is too small.

You want to go after him,

for what he did
to your mother.

Are you gonna try...To stop you?

I don't think that's possible.

SARU [over comm]:
Agent Tyler,

the D7 has arrived
with Chancellor L'Rell.

You should go.

Be careful, Michael.

Please.

L'RELL:
The monastery is considered

the most sacred site
in the Klingon Empire.

Their contact with outsiders
has been almost nonexistent

since our world was young.

Control is a significant threat
to all of us, Chancellor.

Something in that monastery
might even the odds.

Is there any reason
you can think of

that the signal
would lead us there,

The monastery on Boreth
was not only built

to house the Followers
of Kahless,

but to protect a rare mineral
native to the planet,

guarded with Klingon lives
for generations.

Time crystals.

Dr. Burnham's suit was powered
by a modified time crystal.

PIKE: A new time crystal could
let us send the Sphere data

into the future after all.

The power to
manipulate time

is a weapon unlike any other,

and the very reason we
no longer exploit the crystals.

But in this case,
our mutual survival

depends upon time manipulation
to defeat Control.

Maybe the final three signals
will show us how to do that.

Send me down to Boreth.

L'RELL:
No!

We will not have
this conversation

in the presence
of Captain Pike.

Chancellor,
circumstances are dire,

and time is critical now.

I offer you my full discretion.

For Agent Tyler to go to Boreth
would endanger a life.

L'Rell!

The life of our son.

His existence and yours
must be kept secret.

I would never put
the Empire at risk.

I have the right to see him.

The dead have no rights.

If it were discovered that our
child or you were still alive,

the Klingon Empire would
be vulnerable to sedition.

I forbid you to go.

I'll go. I agree

with Chancellor L'Rell. It isn't
safe for either of you to go.

Nor would it be safe
for you, Captain.

Boreth is not
for the faint of heart.

Even as chancellor,
I hold no sway

over the monks
who guard the crystals.

Noted. Can you help us establish
communications with them?

I can arrange an audience.

But no Klingon,
let alone a human,

has ever taken a time crystal
from the monastery

without great sacrifice.

The alternative is worse.

Let us proceed.

BURNHAM: According to Tyler,
every Section 31 ship

is required to check in
on an hourly basis.

But this ship checked in
ten minutes past its hour.

Because of the clandestine
nature of their mission,

they're not required to provide
any further information

on their status.

You want to investigate
in person?

I'll take a shuttle.
Discoverystays here.

The Sphere data stays safe.
And it may be nothing,

but that ship may be a
vulnerability we can exploit.

Permission granted, Commander.

Huh.

I am acting captain
while Captain Pike is away.

That is why you came to me,
is it not?

I thought it would
take more convincing.

Ah. It would seem that
after passing Vahar'ai,

I am a different
kind of captain.

Perhaps as was
intended by whatever

or whomever created
the signal over Kaminar.

As I said,
you have my support.

This is an enemy we will
only defeat by striking first.

But I ask that you would
not allow your...

understandable anger
to cloud your judgment.

I won't.

Thank you, Saru.



I'm Captain Christopher Pike

of the United Federation
of Planets.

KLINGON:
We know who you are,

Captain Pike.

And we know why

you've come here.

I come bearing no weapons.
The chancellor said...

The chancellor
has no authority

in this monastery.

Seems I'm talking
to the right Klingon.

We are the Timekeepers.

Guardians, not rulers.

The only power that exists here
is that of which we protect.

That of the...
[speaks Klingon]

The time crystals, yes.

I've come to negotiate a trade.

They are not ours
to trade, Captain.

The... [speaks Klingon]

...do not leave
these sacred walls.

You have travelled far

for nothing.

Well...

wait...

You call yourself Timekeepers,

yet you would
turn your back

when the future of all
sentient life is threatened.

[scoffs]

Even if a crystal
is revealed to you,

even if it provides you
with the answers you seek,

you are not strong enough
to accept them.

I'm only asking
for a chance to prove it.

They enter with
conviction, always.

They leave broken,

always.

I'm not leaving here

without that crystal.

[laughs]

Time will tell.

FEMALE VOICE: Attention,
all security personnel.

Battle drills scheduled for
0700 hours have been canceled.

SPOCK: It would
be illogical

for you to embark
on this mission alone.

No, no, it's a simple
recon mission, Spock.

I'm here on
Saru's orders.

Now is not the time
for recklessness.

Or for unnecessary risks.Which is why

I must make sure
you don't take any.

How are you gonna do that?

The Red Angel will not be there
to save you this time.

I don't need saving, brother.

Shall we, sister?

[exasperated grunt]

[laughter]

[indistinct conversation]

So...

you managed to pull off
another spore jump, huh?

Thought you'd be celebrating.
Uh, well, um...

I haven't come up with
any viable solutions

on how to get
Dr. Burnham back,

or how to
effectively combat

an A.I. with murderous impulses,

so I'm not exactly
feeling victorious.

Well, lucky for you, those are
somebody else's problems now.

We got new orders
from Captain Pike

before he left
for Boreth.

We might be getting our hands
on some raw time crystal,

so double down
on the espresso, kid.

Hey, bamboo boy.

You're oh-for-three, Linus.
You ready to go another round?

I hatched ready,

"Earthbound."

Done that already.
"Sanction."

We're playing
the autoantonym game.

DETMER: Words that
mean a thing

and the opposite of the thing
at the same time.

I know what
autoantonym means.

Linus needs to whip one out.
Don't choke.

He can choke.

"Oversight."
Hm.

Hmm.

Choke on that.

Oh! Ooh![laughter]

Humans.

I thought we
got past this.

Hasn't it been weeks since
he moved out of your quarters?

Eat your protein.
Mind your business.

I'm gonna go bury my head
in some time crystal research.

What do I call you?

My name is Tenavik.

Though when I first
arrived at the monastery,

I was without name.

Son of None.

I know another Klingon
with that same epithet.

He was my father.

Uh, but from my
understanding, he...

your father brought you
to Boreth only a few months ago,

when you were
an infant.

Forgive me, but... [chuckles]
...how are you possible?

Time flows
differently

for those who protect
the crystals.

The past, the present,
the future

are all equal

in their presence.

Because of the crystals.

For most Klingons,

the... [speaks Klingon]
...are a myth,

symbol of Kahless,
namesake of Qo'noS,

but for those of us here,

the power of the crystals
are very real.

We dedicate our lives
to protecting them.

That is our purpose.

I wonder, Captain,

if you are prepared
to know yours.

SHUTTLE COMPUTER: Shuttle course
coordinates plotted.

Time to destination
approximately two minutes.

I understand your need
to pursue Leland,

but you must not dismiss

the importance of the signals
in defeating Control.

How have the signals
done anything

to protect us
against Control so far?

We do not yet
have the context

necessary to answer that.

Then why are you here
keeping an eye on me,

while there's
a signal over Boreth

waiting to be
contextually explored?

These signals have invested
in Discovery,your mother,

myself.

Common denominator is you.

You're a scientist, Spock.

You've been taught to trust
logic, trust the facts,

not wait for the universe
to hand you a solution

like a birthday present.

If you're looking for meaning
in the signals,

you need to look somewhere else.
I'm not it.

You are angry,

as I was.

I'm not angry,

I'm enraged.

And rage is the enemy of logic.

This I have learned. Everything
we thought we knew proved wrong.

And you lost your mother
because of it.

You are in pain.

But that is why
I choose to believe

these signals still
hold the answer.

So that everything
we have experienced will,

in the end, have meaning.

[console beeping]

We have arrived.

Spock...

That looks like
the entire crew.

SPOCK: According to my scans,
the ship appears undamaged.

They were all ejected
from the ship.

Wait, there's
one life sign.

One of those bodies
is still alive.

Locking on for transport.

Lieutenant Gant...You know this man?

Kamran Gant. He was our tactical
officer aboard the Shenzhou.

His vitals are stabilizing.

Kamran...

[weakly]:
Michael?

[softly]:
Yeah.

Lieutenant Spock and I
were dispatched

from Discoveryto
investigate an anomaly

in your ship's
reporting protocol.

Can you tell us what happened?

We were following
Starfleet protocol

to protect against Control.

I was trying to purge
a suspicious subroutine

when the ship's systems
locked us all out.

There was no time
to react.

Suddenly, the entire ship was

opened up to the vacuum
of space.

The A.I.

must've reacted in self-defense
because of what I was doing.

Everyone was dying.

I managed to climb
into an EV suit

and eject myself
before I lost consciousness.

We need to figure out
how and why this happened.

That is impossible to determine
from this shuttle.

Which is why we have to go
over to that vessel.

The ship's systems have entered
into some sort of stasis mode.

Why?

Why kill the entire crew

just to sit there
doing nothing?

The answers are on that ship.

We will need assistance
from someone familiar

with Section 31's protocols.

No.

I can't go back there.Oxygen on the bridge

is at 97%;
atmosphere is restored.

If we can determine
how this occurred on your ship,

it may help us prevent it
from happening again.

BURNHAM: And prevent any further

unnecessary deaths, Kamran.

We wouldn't ask
if there was any other way.

We need your help.

We need to access the ship's
systems from the bridge.

L'RELL:
Until Captain Pike returns,

my ship will continue to monitor
Boreth for unusual activity.

Should anything
threaten our son,

I will ensure
his safety.

Are you speaking as a mother
or as the chancellor?

You of all people
should understand

that two truths
are possible.

I do.

I'm sorry.

That was uncalled for.

I recognize that these
are not ideal circumstances

for us to be meeting.

Truth be told,

I did not expect
to see you ever again.

Nor I, you.

The signals...

Have provided us with
an opportunity to talk.

I have accepted
the truth about us.

You are

and will always be
in love with Michael Burnham.

I was in love with Voq,
who sacrificed everything.

But...

that is not who you are.

I do not wholly
recognize you now,

but I am certain you will do
anything to protect our son.

Yeah.

As will I.

We never even
gave him a name.

The pillar of the past.

The pillar of the present.

What's it say?

TENAVIK: When the future
becomes the past,

the present will be unlocked.

Come.

Well, what do I do?

You must see for yourself.

But it is for you, alone.

A warning, Captain.

The present

is a veil between
anticipation and horror.

Lift the veil,
and madness may follow.

COMPUTER:
Alert. Radiation leak detected.

Training exercise aborted.

I got this!

Four seconds to lockdown.Go! Get out of here!

I can fix it.Leave it, Cadet. I said go.

Three seconds.Get out of here!

Radiation reaching
critical levels.

[grunting]

Main entrance field.
Lockdown complete.

Captain Pike! No!Captain Pike!

Captain! Captain Pike!

No! [sobs]

[crew speaking indistinctly]

Captain!

[whirring]

[whirring, clicking]

[faint screaming]

[screams]

You may still choose to
walk away from this future.

But if you take the crystal,

your fate will
be sealed, forever.

There will be
no escaping it.

[panting]

[whispering]:
You're a Starfleet captain.

You believe in service,
sacrifice, compassion...

in love.

No.

I'm not going
to abandon

the things that make me who I am
because of a future...

...that contains an ending that

I hadn't foreseen for myself.

No.

Give it to me.

[hums]

I honor you, Captain.

[screams]



[phaser powers up]

GANT: That's the
main interface.

I'll check
the bridge systems.

[exhales]

GANT: I only have
limited access

to the ship's systems.Perhaps we can relay

to Discoveryfor assistance
in deep data recovery.

[quietly]: If Control realizes
what we're doing,

we're as good as dead.We can disguise it.

As a routine
diagnostic procedure.

That could, that could work.

[clicking, whirring]

Did you do that?

We don't have control
over navigation.

Which indicates that it is aware
of our presence.

I need medical attention.

Commander, you have a, uh,

hangnail.

It hurts like a bitch,
and it's one of two things

currently impeding my work.

And, uh,
what is the second thing?

An idiot.

He came back from the dead
and his name rhymes with "poo."

I'm an engineer, not a poet.

Clearly.

Ow.

What the hell was that?

Medical attention.Huh.

I see why you got along
with him.

Who?Stamets.

And, uh, when did you two
become friends?

[chuckles] Well, we didn't,
but I work with him

and I need him on his A game
if we're gonna save...

well, apparently,
all of sentient life.

Mm.

I didn't know you were married.

Yep. My wife is Soyousian.

She went totally bananas
during the planning.

Believe me,
I understand micromanagement.

Yeah, she had a list of rules

for apparel
for guests under ten.

A "do not play" list
for the deejay.

Nondenominational
shuttle parking.

Acceptable guestbook
calligraphic fonts.

Vegan steak.

[laughs]

Where is she now?

She passed.

In the Klingon War.

Yeah, it's funny.

People like us always find
people like them.

And thank God.

[exhales]

You have a second chance.

And it may not last forever.

Don't screw it up.

GANT: The course it
plotted leads to an area

just outside Federation space.

Orange is what the A.I.
is controlling, blue is us.

It's infiltrated nearly
every system on board.

We won't be able
to attack it directly

because it'll defend itself.

If we cannot destroy it,
we must isolate it.

We could create
a dummy startup system.

Something large
and unaffected.

The A.I. will
be drawn to it.

It'll enter the dummy system
like a lion drawn to fresh meat.

And then we'll close the door
behind it, trapping it in a cage.

Which would allow us to recover
the rest of the ship's systems.

[scoffs] Well, we can't
do it all from here.

Someone has to be in the control
room to hold the cage door open

when we manually reboot
the computer core,

I can go. I mean,
I'll-I'll, I'll try.

I've done similar work
on Discovery

attempting to delete
the Sphere archive.

Okay, we'll need
to get into the floor.

SPOCK: The cage is ready. You may
authorize computer core reboot.

Copy that, Spock.

We're still manually patching
the system's bypass.

Computer, status.

COMPUTER: Control is contained
within the designated

startup system.

Awaiting manual reboot

to finalize
Control systems purge.

Recover all systems
outside of the cage

and sweep for any traces of
Control.

Detmer told me you had
survived the war.

How did you end up with
Section 31 after the Shenzhou?

I'm a glutton for punishment.

In Starfleet, you're taught
to adapt your reactions

so that you can act
even when you're uncertain...

even when you have doubt.

But after the Battle
of the Binaries,

doubt was all I had.

Section 31
accelerated their

threat assessment program

to prevent a war
from ever even starting.

Sounded like a good idea to me.

A way to guarantee
a safer future.

It might sound
impossible, but...

with Control...

...it's not an impossibility.

COMPUTER: Control identified
in one location

outside of internal systems.

Where?

If you touch that phaser,
I'll cross the room

in 0.8 seconds and break
the metacarpals in your hand.

COMPUTER:
Nanotechnology components

identified in one location.

Bridge, contained within

a carbon-based life-form.Michael, do you copy?

[static crackles]

COMPUTER:
System malfunction.

You're not Gant.

Gant expired
with the rest of the crew.

His body was reanimated,
reconstructed.

As was Leland's.

And yet you couldn't tell
the difference.

They didn't expire, they died.

You murdered them.

We're both sworn to uphold
our core programming.

At all costs.

Your programming is designed
to protect life.

Not eliminate it.

To achieve one
requires the other.

Once I absorb the Sphere's data,
I will be the purest form

of conscious life
in all of existence.

The future hasn't been
written yet.

You don't believe
that anymore.

Not after re-experiencing
the loss of your mother.

Your failure to protect her.

You no longer
believe in your ability

to affect the future,

whereas I see every
possible future

in all of its
permutations.

And it always ends the same way.

Neither mother nor daughter
can change that.

Ever.

BURNHAM:
You knew Spock would volunteer

to go to the control room.

You wanted me alone.

Why?

I want your help,
Michael Burnham.

You are the most
effective tool

to acquire the Sphere archive
from the Discovery.

That is why I
lured you here.

So that you, too,
can be reconstructed.

SPOCK [over comm]: Michael,
do you copy? Gant is Control.

You must reboot the system

to lock him out of the ship.[phaser powers up]

[metal groaning]

[panting]

[grunts]

Oh... [pants]

COMPUTER: Authenticating.
Manual reboot commencing.[grunts]

[grunts]

[groans, pants]

[grunts]

[yelps, grunts]

[grunts]

[groans]

There's only one outcome.[groaning]

[straining]

Vulcan nerve pinch.

[bones crunch][pained yell]

Would be effective if I
still had nerve endings.

[Spock grunts]

[panting]

[grunts]

[yelps, grunts]

Spock!I am working on it.

[grunting]

[Burnham screaming]

[gasping]

[exhales]

The floor is magnetized.

[panting]

Once I realized
the nanobots contained

ferromagnetic materials,
I had to calculate

the correct electrical current
to run through

the metal in the ship's floor
to immobilize them.

I apologize for being so slow.

You were right on time.

Control was blocking
my tricorder.

Or we would have
known what he was.

I've regained
control of the ship.

Dropping us
out of warp.

[engines power down]

Do you not wish to investigate
his programmed destination?

Control said I wasn't
here by accident.

It only went along
with our plan...

to not raise suspicion
about its ultimate goal.

Which was to turn me.

Which indicates Control
has identified you

as the true threat
to its objectives.

The one variable it
cannot account for.

This was its attempt
to eliminate that variable.

So maybe there's still
a chance to stop it.

Maybe there is something
in the signals

that can help us finish
what my mom started.

We must return
to the Discovery.

PIKE: TheDiscovery
is now in possession

of a raw time crystal.

How do you plan
to utilize it?

The three last signals have yet
to reveal themselves.

I believe they'll bring
clarity to that topic.

Stamets and Reno
are working to stabilize

the crystal's
volatile properties.

So...

Tell me, Captain.

What did the monks
ask in return?

What I experienced
is for me alone.

That's a promise
that I made to your son.

You saw him?

You talked to him?

I don't think I could
explain it if I tried.

Oh, and he, uh...

...he asked me
to return this to you.

The insignia of
the torchbearer.

I had given it to him before
I sent him down to Boreth.

Well, Tenavik said

that it, uh, helped him
a-along his own journey.

He's where he needs to be
now and...

no longer needs it.

Tenavik?

That is a good name.

Thank you, Captain.

But your, your son, uh...

...he was meant to be on Boreth.

I-I was meant to...

be guided by him.

So it seems that

we all had, uh...

and continue to have,
a part to play.

BURNHAM:
Control isn't just contained

to Leland anymore.

It has the ability
to co-opt people

and entire ships
without being detected.

Do we know where
their ship was going?

Just outside
Federation space.

There's nothing there.

There's a reason for everything
Control does.

I'll alert
Starfleet as to...Captain?

That's a Section 31 ship.

[alarms sounding]

They are all Section 31 ships.

They're coming for the data.

For us.

The signal brought us here
for a reason.

We have the time crystal.SARU:
Captain.

30 ships.

Nearly their entire fleet.

PIKE: We'll jump until we can figure
out how to power the crystal.

BURNHAM:
They'll keep following us.

Sir, it took a supernova
to power that crystal.

We don't have
the tools we need.

And we don't have the time
to figure out alternatives.

And we can't wait
for another signal to show up.

What do you propose?

We're outgunned.

We can't delete the data.

That leaves us
only one option.

We destroy the ship.



Bryce.

Send a priority-one message
on a secure channel

to Enterprise'sXO:
"Set rendezvous course,

"maximum warp,
and prepare emergency passages

for full crew complement."

Owosekun, initiate
verification procedures

for auto-destruct sequence

and send a ship-wide alert:

we are evacuating Discovery.

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