Star Trek: Discovery (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 4 - An Obol for Charon - full transcript
Previously on
Star Trek: Discovery...
BURNHAM:
With the
Enterprise
in Spacedock,
Captain Pike
and
mission
to find any
rational explanation
for the seven signals
continues to escape me.
And with it, perhaps,
any chance
of a relationship
with my brother Spock.
Computer, show me Starfleets
rendering of the seven signals.
Spock drew these signals
two months
before they appeared to us.
Its damn near identical.
Amanda?
I stole
Spocks medical file.
Ive been waiting for an update
on my officer, Spock.
Your guy is wanted for murder.
Killed three of his doctors,
then fled the starbase.
I thought
that he had left it in the past,
but its back.
What is it?
Your brother called it
the Red Angel.
That vision changed him forever.
It wasnt because of a vision.
It was because of me.
What did you do?
I will find him.
No.
I will.
Got it.
After the dark matter hit me...
Its me.
...I started to see a ghost.
Her name was May,
but shes dead.
Tilly.
I am losing it, Michael.
You dont need sickbay.
You need Stamets.
We should have results
in one second.
There he is.
Thats the captain.
Thats where he flies.
Just as I suspected.
You are hosting a
eukaryotic organism.
A fungus?
This might hurt a bit.
Security breach by unknown
alien species in Engineering.
Engage quarantine protocol
Alpha-Omega.
Energize.
Teleporter incoming.
Captain.
Welcome aboard
Discovery,
Number One.
The failures cascaded
through all our primaries.
Helm, nav, both impulse
and warp drive. Chief Louvier
has an engineering team
working round the clock.
I dont think
Enterprise
will
ever have a chief engineer
more in love with his ship.
Apparently,
Enterprise
is the only ship
in the fleet
thats had any problems.
You know, he warned me.
The damn
holographic comm system.
Tell Louvier to rip
out the entire system.
From now on well communicate
using good,
old-fashioned viewscreens.
Truth is I never liked
the holograms.
They look too much like ghosts.
He told you Id say that.
No. I told him.
Cheeseburger. Fries.
Habanero sauce.
You want to order
some lighter fluid with that?
That goes with the shake.
Sorry to keep you in Spacedock.
Ive made use of
the time, Captain.
Youve been looking into
the allegations against Spock.
Its hard to comprehend,
let alone believe,
that he murdered three people
at the psychiatric
facility on Starbase Five.
Hows the crew taking it?
They dont know the details.
Only that hes in trouble.
Theres something else.
Tell me.
Starfleets classified
his case Level One.
Line officers dont usually
warrant that kind of scrutiny.
Its unprecedented. Which is why
Ive done a little digging.
Sanctioned?
Better you dont know the answer
to that.
Before I look at that,
I need to know why you saw fit
to detour Federation protocols.
Something about this
investigation isnt adding up.
Im not letting him go
without a fight.
As usual, we agree.
MALE OFFICER
Captain Pike to the ready room.
Im late for a briefing.
Im glad you came.
Im sorry you cant stay longer.
Next time.
Be careful, Captain.
You, too, Number One.
We should give it a name.
Other than May.
I know it looks like a blob,
but this is one of the most
sophisticated life-forms
Ive ever encountered.
It has sentience,
intention.
Tilly, the mycelial network
doesnt just connect life.
It contains it.
Its an incubator.
You mean, like,
um... like a home?
Ive been wondering why
it appeared to me as May,
which got me thinking
about the real May
that I met when I was, um, 14.
I was, um... I was a weird kid.
You know?
Like, not a lot of friends
and nobody who really
believed in me, including me.
But... she did.
She wanted to connect to
me, and she tried so hard.
But I dont really think
I was the friend to
her that she needed.
Im certain
you were much kinder than
you give yourself credit for.
You always are.
Thank you, but...
I didnt even know she died.
I feel like I took her
for granted.
That girl
who thought I was special.
Oh!
Ive cross-referenced
what were calling the Red Angel
with all known winged
and avian life-forms
in the Federation.
So far, Ive found nothing.
Sorry.
The universal translator
sometimes has trouble
reconfiguring my lingual
clicks and pops.
My answer to you was, "Nothing
in the known universe."
Which might suggest
its not a species.
Maybe one of a kind.
A mutation.
Well, whatever it is,
figuring out how its connected
to these signals
will help us identify it.
If only we knew what it needs.
Commander Nhan, USS
Enterprise.
Glad to be here.
Welcome back aboard.
Could you pass the salt?
Commander Saru,
can you shed any light?
My apologies.
I woke up this morning fighting
an acute rhinovirus.
So you have a cold.
I had a cold last week,
which sucked.
Saurian. Six nasal canals.
It happens to the best of us,
Linus.
Everyone to your stations.
Detmer, set a course
for 108 mark four.
Maximum warp.
Aye, sir.
Mr. Saru, you look like hell.
Youve been burning the candle
at both ends lately.
Go get some rest.
As you wish, sir.
Burnham. A word.
I understand your first officer
is on her way to Spacedock.
Was her visit informative?
Number One is very resourceful.
People have a tendency
to end up owing her favors.
She uncovered
some classified information
on Starbase Five.
That is the warp signature
of the shuttle
that Spock stole
from the psychiatric facility.
I put us on an intercept course.
We should reach his position
in the next few hours.
S-Sir,
after everything
thats happened,
I need to excuse myself
from seeing Spock.
Not sure I follow.
I dont want
to make things worse for him.
Hes a fugitive,
whatever the circumstances.
And as Amanda suggested...
Im probably the last person
who should insert themselves
into this problem.
I disagree.
He is lost, Captain.
You are better suited
to help him.
Ive thought this through.
Please, trust me.
My abiding trust in you
doesnt eclipse
the mission at hand.
Facing whatever happened
to Spock,
its not gonna be easy
for any of us.
Reaching him
has to be the priority.
Detmer, status?
Something has grabbed us
out of warp, sir.
Speed dropping to sub-light.
Helm going unresponsive.
Shields up.
Red alert. Owosekun,
are we talking tractor beam?
More powerful than that, sir.
Im unable to raise shields.
Preliminary analysis indicates
a multiphasic stasis field.
Its disrupting
our shield harmonics.
Were at
a full stop, sir.
Whatever has us,
w-were locked into place.
Like a damn fly in a web.
And there is the spider.
♪
♪
♪
(original
Star Trek
theme
plays)
BURNHAM:
Starfleet has never
encountered anything like it.
565 kilometers in diameter
with a mass of 6.39 x 10 to
the 20th power kilograms.
It melds organic and
nonliving matter.
Its also ancient.
Initial scans put it
at 100,000 years old.
"Organic"?
Are you saying its
some kind of a life-form?
Maybe it is a damn spider.
I hate spiders.
It is premature to assign
any anthropomorphic
distinction or intent.
As of yet, it hasnt
responded to any hails.
But there is this.
The sphere is vibrating.
The computer extrapolated
what it might sound like
based on the surrounding
ambient radiation.
Well, it has my ship,
and I dont know what
in the hell it wants.
Communicate with it or
disable it. And quickly, please.
Captain Pike.
Saru.
Confirmed.
Did it work?
Yes. I can understand you.
I still cant
read my controls.
I think this is Tau Cetian.
Am I the only one who bothered
to learn a foreign language?
I have localized
the backup bridge translator.
For the time being,
everyone who speaks
Earth English can communicate.
The rest of the crew and
Discoverys
computer
are another matter.
The bridge may be temporarily
fixed, but the virus will continue
spreading through
our comms system.
I can try purging it
from the translators
main interface.
We have to be able to talk
to the computer
and the rest of the crew
to have any chance
of breaking free
from that sphere. Do it.
Yes, sir.
Ill go. You should stay
and monitor bridge stations.
I have placed all systems
on... automatic.
And given
our current circumstances,
you will need a translator
just to operate the turbolift.
Are you sure you can do this?
We are wasting time.
Weve run
a full diagnostic, Captain,
and this section
remains unaffected by the virus.
I will update you
if anything changes.
Thank you, Ensign.
If we cant fly this thing,
Commander,
we may have to jump away.
The spore drive
will be ready, sir.
Bring the drive online,
and then well couple
the shunts to me,
in case weve got
to skedaddle.
♪ Da, da, da,
da, da, da. ♪
The universal translator
for this section is
no más.
Can I... help you?
Uh, unless you can reroute
the plasma regulator
to silo off the relay
junction, then,
uh, no.
Youre, um...?
Jett Reno, from the
Hiawatha.
I hitched a ride
off that asteroid.
Chief engineer sent me
to firewall off
the critical
propulsion systems.
I didnt realize a greenhouse
could be "critical"
or
"propulsive,"
but, hmm, what do I know?
Im just a gearhead,
not a farmer.
A... farmer.
Oh, please, let us know
what you think, because we care.
You should.
Antimatter and dilithium
might be old-school,
but they dont let you down.
Why soar when you can crawl?
You dont know me, Doc.
Im un-insultable.
Especially by a guy
who thinks he can run a ship
on mushrooms
that I pick off my pizza.
Spores are clean, renewable.
Yeah, do they come
with house dressing?
Do you have any idea
how many planets
have been ruined
by dilithium mining?
How many battles
were fought
to corner its supply?
Of course you dont.
Youre one of those people
who never even consider it.
And youre one of those people
that does the ha-ha jokey thing
and then gets all huffy
and in high dudgeon
when you cant think
of a comeback.
Do you have gum?
Grape. I...
You know, it was only a
couple centuries ago that
the Earth nearly choked
to death on pollution.
Then we all woke up,
and within a generation,
everything from a
truck to a toaster...
Do you want...
Sorry. Sorry
...was covered
in solar panels.
Yesterdays solar panels
are todays fungi.
Hmm.
I can fix stuff
with duct tape,
if you want.
Do you think May had anything
to do with the sphere?
What a giant entity
from our universe
and a mycelial species
from the network?
Well, they have
as much in common
as me and that grease monkey.
I could fix that analogy
with duct tape, too.
Burnham to bridge.
The universal translator
is back up and running ship-wide
on all systems.
Saru! What is going on?
This is not just a cold.
No, it is not.
Whats that hum?
Get down!
Okay, theres more
where that came from.
Weve got a hundred-
giga-electron volts
surging through
the local relays.
Computers isolated
the compartment
in order to contain the damage.
Weve still got
our life support.
Yeah, but...
it could kill us.
If our oxygen ignites,
well cook like french fries.
Well, we could divert
the power to act like a...
a-a lightning arrestor.
We could use
the door
as a ground.
Then the surge would
dissipate through the frame
of the ship.
The question is,
how do we conduct the surge
from there to there?
No, a gas could,
once it ionizes.
I infuse the spores
with an argon-xenon mixture
to slow decay.
We could link up
the canisters
to contain the gas,
our version of a lightning rod.
Thats actually
not a stupid idea.
Its my version
of the house dressing,
but it saves your life.
Huh.
Bridge. What happened?
Did the sphere fire on us?
Negative.
EPS conduits are overloading.
Systems are going haywire.
The virus is spreading.
What is happening
to the ship?
We... have to get
to the bridge.
No, no, no, no, no.
Right now
we got to get you to sickbay.
Gas her up.
Gas transference at 100%.
Youre gonna do that manually?
Uh, yeah,
cause obviously youre not.
Flick the switch.
Are you okay?
I feel like
Ive been hit by lightning
for the second time this week.
Reno?
Reno? Reno, are
you all right?
Weird... dream.
I was playing drums for Prince,
and there were doves
and a parade.
Okeydoke.
Wait.
Its gone.
Tilly!
She wont let...
she wont let go!
She wont let go.
Whats happening to him?
Im hoping Dr.
Pollard can tell us.
Well, comms is down, so I need
to see what the situation is
in sickbay, anyway.
Triage plasma burns
on level one.
Send non-critical
to sickbay two.
Doctor.
Bring him here.
Elevated heart rate,
spiking adrenal levels,
increased
neural activity.
The pain would render the
average humanoid unconscious.
What do we do
about those?
Nothing.
It is an effect of...
my condition.
Ocular discomfort?
No. Kelpiens can see
far deeper
into th-the light spectrum
than humans.
I keep seeing flashes
of ultraviolet light,
invisible to you, but...
quite the opposite
for me.
Are these symptoms
common among Kelpiens?
This is pointless.
And the ship is being
further immobilized
as we waste time.
There is no reason to believe
the sphere is benevolent.
Now, please...
Commander.
Dr. Pollard is
trying to help you.
Yes. It is unique
to my people,
and it is terminal.
Are you certain?
I have never been more certain
of anything in my life.
When I awoke
in discomfort this morning...
I hoped it was just...
a passing cold.
But now I have
to face the truth.
I do not understand why...
but I am beginning to think that
the sphere is...
is triggering
the Kelpien biological
process known as...
Vaharai.
It is the event that signals
when Kelpiens are ready to be...
culled for slaughter by...
the Baul,
the predator species
on my homeworld
of Kaminar.
But there are
no Baul here.
It does not matter.
Kelpien ganglia only enflame
in this manner...
as we near our end.
I am a...
a slave to my biology.
We are not gonna let you die.
There has to be something
that we can do.
There is not.
Kelpiens
undergoing
Vaharai
either die in the culling
or... are driven to madness
by the effects
of
Vaharai.
Either way,
death is inevitable.
The mycelial entity
has attached itself to Tilly.
Were trying to free her.
Engineering to bridge.
Engineering to bridge.
Come in.
Comms are down.
Along with most of the ship.
Dont feel bad.
I know you have to
keep me in quarantine.
Orus.
I feel a
little weird.
I should...
I should be terrified,
but Im not.
May means me no harm.
Are you able to see May again?
How do you know this is benign?
May was scary,
and she was clingy, and she,
like, never shut up, but...
she never hurt me.
She said she had a plan for me.
She said that I was
her only chance.
Did you ever think
she was manipulating you?
Thats what she said
you
were
doing- she said that you...
you were trying to
poison me against her.
Okay, if that thing
wasnt freaking me out,
is.
The blob seems to be secreting
a psilocybin hallucinogen
to influence her emotions.
So youre saying
shes on a bad trip?
Or maybe its just trying
to calm her down
so she wont be scared.
Or so she wont fight back?
If Saru thinks
that somehow the...
the sphere
triggered
Vaharai,
maybe escaping its grip would
stop whats happening to him.
The problem is
freeing ourselves
before it
destroys the ship.
If it wanted to destroy us,
why the slow attack?
Its inefficient, right?
It must need something.
Its taking what it needs.
Without the computer,
all our primary systems begin to
fail, including the warp core.
The EPS grids unstable,
and its cutting off
entire sections,
including Engineering.
Life supports down to 60%,
but whos counting?
It is not logical
for a virus to kill its host.
Youre attaching a known medical
diagnosis to an unknown entity.
There may
be a way to...
slow the virus.
If we can analyze
its properties,
we may be able to develop
digital antibodies.
That could give us back enough
control to break the ship free.
In theory,
but it will be
a slow process, like...
army ants eating
a water buffalo.
Im on it.
Going to the science lab.
You will need my help.
Saru, Commander Burnham
can handle this.
Theres no reason to risk
your health any further.
I...
am dying, Captain...
but I am most
certainly not... dead.
The antibodies
are s-slowing
the viruss progress.
Life support at 47%.
You are wondering
why I kept this from you.
You dont have
to bear it alone.
How...
do I explain...
to the woman
who has fought
over and over for the right
to take her next breath
that I come from a race
that submits?
Im your friend.
There will never be
judgment between us.
Well, to my shame...
hiding is my nature.
I have learned
multiple languages,
yet never shared my own,
fearful of revealing
my own...
alienness.
May I...
request a favor?
Of course.
Anything.
I have kept
detailed personal logs
since joining Starfleet.
I would ask you...
to officially catalogue them,
so that when...
General Order 1 no longer
applies to the Kelpiens...
they will know
a journey like mine...
is possible.
It would be my privilege.
Did you record your life
before Starfleet?
Uh, you might say
my life began
when I was granted refugee
status by the Federation.
While being processed
at Starbase Seven...
...I saw for the first time
life-forms
from across the universe,
some with less than I had,
yet, with a dream
of something better.
I listened.
Every story I heard...
...created... a space inside me
to feel more, to...
love
more.
I joined Starfleet
to help those in need
the way I was helped.
You are...
the most
empathic
soul...
I know.
There was just one...
painful caveat to my signing up.
I could never return home.
Why?
Oh.
More flashes
of ultraviolet light.
They are... growing
in... strength and frequency.
Ill get something from sickbay.
No. No.
I will be fine.
The captain asked you
to return to the bridge
as soon as possible.
I can continue
the work here.
Spock is still
at maximum warp, Captain.
If were stuck here much longer,
were going to lose him.
Reallocate power
from the transporters
to long-range sensors.
I dont want to lose contact
with his shuttle.
Even with sensors at max,
we wont be able
to track him for much longer.
Contact Engineering.
See if they can reroute
impulse power to the deflectors.
If we can raise shields,
we might be able
to disrupt the stasis field
just enough to break free.
If so, can we
jump away?
Negative, sir.
We dont have enough power
to create the necessary
hull cavitation.
Comms are still down
in Engineering, sir.
Security protocols
are also malfunctioning,
locking off parts
of the ship.
How are we doing, Commander?
The digital antibodies
are doing their job,
but progress is sluggish.
Im running out of options.
If we lose Spock, we lose
any chance of protecting him.
Permission to go to Engineering.
We cant talk to
them here, but maybe
I can help them
get power to shields.
Permission granted.
Whats wrong?
The doors wont open,
and that thing reattached
itself to Tilly.
Can you detach it?
I could cut it off. She wouldnt
even lose a freckle.
Bad idea.
If its a symbiote,
removing it might kill her.
Well, thanks for stopping by.
I came to see if we can find a
way to boost power to shields.
No. With the systems
fluctuating,
this section is partitioned off.
We cant get to the warp core.
Michael...
I feel really tired.
What is happening?
That blob is sending her
in and out of consciousness.
Why is it doing that to her?
Its not like we can ask it.
Actually, we can.
This is a harmonic interface.
It-it links my neurons
to the mycelial network.
With modification,
it could link May to Tillys
central nervous system.
Let May speak
using Tillys mouth.
Wait. What did you say?
Were gonna talk to it.
We need it to tell
us what it wants.
So do we.
The sphere- its been trying
to tell us something,
and we havent been listening.
Well, damn, woman, go!
We got her.
Saru,
could the sphere be
trying to talk to us?
Using the virus as a way
to make first contact?
Yeah. Yes, of course.
Ive been so blind.
The ultraviolet wavelengths
are repeating, like...
like letters would in...
in a sentence...
everywhere.
Okay, Saru. Saru, stop.
Youre hurting yourself.
No, no. No.
You called me
an "empathic soul,"
and it is true.
My ganglia
respond to shifts
in my environment,
like an early-warning system.
So it is... it is no coincidence
that I started feeling sick
just before...
the sphere engaged us.
Why would...?
I know what it is trying to say.
Not first contact, Burnham.
Last
contact.
I think it came to us to die.
May?
Still me.
Signals piss-poor.
We need to
amplify it.
Cortical implant.
What, youre talking
about trepanation?
Drilling a hole in her skull?
Yeah.
Are you gonna fix her up
with duct tape after?
Maybe.
Commander?
I think shes right.
And I think you think that, too.
Then we do this together.
This is all I had
laying around.
Please tell me
you have a laser scalpel.
No. Were gonna do this
old-school.
We need to sterilize
that drill bit.
First aid kits over there.
I was able
to raise shields.
Weve gained some
ground, but were still
being held by
the stasis field.
Power levels coming
and going, Captain.
Security reports two dozen crew
still trapped below deck.
Life support failing.
Im reading an energy buildup
from inside the sphere.
Spiking 10,000 degrees
Kelvin and rising.
Is it powering up weapons?
Reading no
identifiable weapons,
but its internal temperature
is now 20,000 degrees Kelvin.
Divert all non-essential power
to weapons.
Lock on that things
radial axis and prepare
to fire photon torpedoes
on my order.
Aye, sir. Arming torpedoes.
Captain,
hold your fire.
I do not believe
the sphere means us any harm.
All evidence to the contrary.
That things about
to destroy us.
Its not destroying
us, Captain.
Its trying to
send us a message.
We received its message.
Im about to send our reply.
Captain, what if
Vaharai,
my death process,
was triggered because
the sphere is also dying?
You want to run that
by me again?
We Kelpiens have
a defining trait
hard-wired into our DNA:
empathy.
I can feel the sphere
reaching out,
trying to share something
before it expires.
Sir, I trust Sarus feelings
implicitly.
That sphere didnt
come to attack us.
Captain,
I believe I have discerned
its means of communication.
Detmer,
status on Spocks shuttle?
Exits our sensor range
in six minutes.
Once we lose his
warp signature,
we wont be able
to reacquire it.
Set an intercept course.
I want us hauling ass
the second we break free.
Aye, sir.
Keep talking
and make it fast.
What if the sphere
was not attacking
our universal translator,
but attempting
to teach us
its
language
because it wants
to be remembered,
to preserve its history
using
Discovery,
but it cannot unless
we power down and let it in?
That thing snatched us out of
warp and almost gutted the ship.
What if we lower shields,
and thats exactly what it needs
to end us?
Computer, adjust
viewscreen display
to ultraviolet.
That is the light pattern
I have been seeing
everywhere,
repeating again
and again, generated
by the spheres virus.
Computer, run the light pattern
through the universal
translator.
Captain, I believe
we are looking
at a multitude
of languages
so advanced,
and knowledge so vast
that it simply
overloaded our system.
This sphere is
100,000 years old.
Imagine what it knows,
what its seen.
Captain, this falls
under
Discoverys
original mission
statement
as a science vessel.
Well, Ill be.
An amplified cortical implant.
Hey, kiddo.
Whats your favorite song?
What?
Your favorite song-
sing it for me.
♪ Though Im past
one hundred thousand miles ♪
♪ Im feeling very still
♪ And I think my spaceship knows
which way to go ♪
♪ Tell my wife
I love her very much ♪
♪ She knows.
May?
You wanted to talk to me?
Here I am.
What do you want?
Who are you?
Im from a species
known as the JahSepp.
We lived harmoniously until an
alien intruder began to arrive
at random intervals,
ravaging our ecosystem
irreparably.
So, you came for help
to rid your species
of a destructive alien presence?
You
are the destructive
alien presence.
The-the... the jumps?
Discoverys
jumps?
I broke through the
confines of the network
to reach you,
at great risk.
Risk? You infected
my friend.
You dont belong
inside of her.
You fly the ship from within
the cube, I can reach you.
In Tilly, I found the memory
of May Ahearn, someone I knew
shed be sympathetic to,
if given a second chance.
Once she trusted May,
I planned to persuade her
to deliver my
message to you.
Oh, I can only ask
for your forgiveness.
I knew better.
I
know
better.
Ill do whatever it takes
to fix this.
All I ask is
that you let Tilly go.
I cant.
I have other plans for her.
Wrong!
Oh. No!
Tilly!
The spheres
internal temperature
is approaching
ten-to-the-sixth-power Kelvin
and rising.
Our weapons will just
disintegrate in that heat.
Solar temperatures.
A sign of core collapse.
Captain, if we are correct,
once the transmission is
complete, the sphere can die
knowing that it will live on
after it is gone.
We can choose to fulfill
our part in its destiny,
or simply let it fade away
unremembered.
Spocks shuttle is almost
out of sensor range, sir.
Prepare to lower shields.
If this goes south,
overload the warp core
and eject it at the sphere
on my command.
Even at half the distance,
the blast will decimate it.
When it lets go, we divert
all power to shields
and try to ride the shock wave
to a safe distance.
Assuming it doesnt
vaporize us first.
If theres even half a
chance youre correct,
Im bound by my
oath and conscience
not to let it
vanish forever.
Commanders,
take your stations.
Ill follow your lead.
Lieutenant Detmer,
lower shields.
Aye, sir. Shields down.
Bryce,
all channels open.
Owosekun,
divert all computing
resources to Communications.
Yes, Commander.
Here goes nothing.
Transmission is downloading.
All library computers
are processing
at 20% above maximum.
Whatever the sphere is saying,
were getting all of it.
How long until it blows?
Seconds. Power
and energy levels
are off the chart.
Detmer, can you put enough
distance between us in time?
Negative, sir. Were still being
locked by the stasis field.
Transmission complete.
Detmer, eject the warp core.
Computer controls
not responding, sir.
Detonation confirmed.
Hard astern. Full impulse now.
Ah.
It is so beautiful.
The light is almost like...
music.
Yes, it is.
Im at a loss as to how
were still alive to see it.
The spheres stasis field
reversed polarity
a nanosecond
before detonation...
and pushed us clear.
Its final act was to save us
so we could tell its story.
Hand me the damn torch.
Tilly.
Breathe. Breathe, Tilly.
Breathe.
Breathe, breathe. Slow it down.
Breathe. Come on, youre okay.
Youre still you.
Tilly.
Slow. Shh.
Stamets to Burnham.
We got Tilly.
Shes okay.
Now it is my turn.
Take me to my quarters, please.
I left home
with a handful of seeds.
Is this from your homeworld?
It is the blossom
that marks the...
the passing of seasons
on Kaminar.
Somewhere along the way,
I... I lost who I was.
So focused on being
the best Kelpien in Starfleet.
Defined by my rank
and uniform...
...until that is all I became.
You are wrong.
Look at what
youve achieved.
You found yourself
among the stars.
You found your bravery.
Your strength.
Youve saved so
many lives, Saru.
Including mine.
It is time.
In that first drawer,
you will find a Kelpien knife,
a keepsake I use
to prune my flowers.
I need you
to... to sever my ganglia
and end my suffering.
I need your help
so that I can die now,
peacefully,
before the pain and madness
overtakes me.
Thank you, Michael.
Do we have to do this?
Is it truly inevitable?
I am sorry.
I know how hard
this is for you.
How many people
youve already lost.
I would do it myself, but...
I am too weak.
After all this time...
...after everything that we
have been through together...
...I realize now
that you are my family, Saru.
I feel the same...
about you.
You are the only one
who knows me.
You replaced the sister I had
on Kaminar.
Siranna.
That knife was hers.
I left her
without so much as a good-bye.
You promise me-
no matter how frightening
or painful it may be-
promise me
you will
mend your relationship
with Spock.
If you and I can build
this type of bond,
Im certain
you can do the same with him.
Please.
I promise.
Good-bye, Michael.
I love you, Saru.
Michael? What is wrong?
I-I bare... I barely touched it.
They fell out
on their own.
I... I, uh...
dont understand.
I should be...
POLLARD:
Your vital signs
have returned to normal.
How are you feeling?
I have never felt
this way before.
Fear has always been the
governing principle of my life.
But now...
it is gone.
More than that,
I feel...
...power.
My own power.
Well,
consider yourself certified
for duty, Commander.
Despite speaking 94 languages,
there are times when
words are not enough.
Initial reports
are coming in
from the science teams.
The sphere didnt just give us
its language.
We have recorded everything
it has seen and experienced
the last 100,000 years.
Its legacy.
And your legacy
has a new chapter.
A new and deeply troubling one.
The Kelpien way of life
has always been oriented
toward death
and the role the
Baul play in it.
My people call it
"The Great Balance."
It is our central,
organizing truth.
But you proved it wrong.
Precisely.
And you asked me before
why I could not go home.
It is because I made a promise
to Captain Georgiou
to uphold General Order 1,
not to interfere
with the destiny of my species.
But now,
knowing that what my people
have accepted as the truth
is a lie?
What does this mean for us?
For my species?
My... my planet?
The war between
the Quaternary star systems
and the Roquarri Imperium
lasted a solar cent...
From the sphere?
The computers translation.
Its like weve found
our galaxys Dead Sea Scrolls.
Federation scientists will be
studying this for centuries
thanks to you and Saru.
I hope it was worth the cost.
Cost us nothing, sir.
I combed through the
spheres sensor records
and found the last
thing that it saw:
Spocks shuttle.
I was able to track it
beyond our sensor range.
Conn,
Commander Burnham
is sending you
the coordinates
of Spocks shuttle.
Plot a course,
and dont spare the horses.
Aye, sir.
From now on,
Ill work to keep you clear
about whatever happens
with your brother.
Thank you, Captain, but I have
had a change of heart.
I cant abandon him.
No matter the mistakes
that Ive made,
I need my brother to know that
I will always be there for him.
No matter what.
We need to close the
door to the network.
Forever.
Just making
final calculations.
Hi, hi. Hello? Hello? Its me.
Did you see that?
See what?
May.
She was there,
and then she was gone.
Um...
...you might still be coming
down off your hallucinogen.
No, I swear. I swear.
Yeah.
No, its natural to be paranoid
in your condition.
Something is not right.
Somethings not right.
Hello?
Tilly. Hello?
Tilly. Hello, hello...
Wow.
Have you always been
a superior being?
MAY
Hi. Hello? Hello?
Because...
the harmonics
in your aura...
You know, I was thinking
the exact same thing
about your aura.
Whats that dust on your face?
...dust on your face?
Its on yours, too.
STAMETS
...yours, too.
That tastes like...
Psilocybin?
It dosed us. It dosed us.
Slap me really hard.
Whyd I do that?
To get me focused enough
to find the med kit.
I need to hit us both
with a shot of impedrizine
so we can come down.
Now I need to
give one to Tilly.
Wait a minute. Where is she?
Tilly?
Wait.
Oh, my God,
they took her.
No. No, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no.
Tilly?
No!
Captioning sponsored by
CBS
Star Trek: Discovery...
BURNHAM:
With the
Enterprise
in Spacedock,
Captain Pike
and
mission
to find any
rational explanation
for the seven signals
continues to escape me.
And with it, perhaps,
any chance
of a relationship
with my brother Spock.
Computer, show me Starfleets
rendering of the seven signals.
Spock drew these signals
two months
before they appeared to us.
Its damn near identical.
Amanda?
I stole
Spocks medical file.
Ive been waiting for an update
on my officer, Spock.
Your guy is wanted for murder.
Killed three of his doctors,
then fled the starbase.
I thought
that he had left it in the past,
but its back.
What is it?
Your brother called it
the Red Angel.
That vision changed him forever.
It wasnt because of a vision.
It was because of me.
What did you do?
I will find him.
No.
I will.
Got it.
After the dark matter hit me...
Its me.
...I started to see a ghost.
Her name was May,
but shes dead.
Tilly.
I am losing it, Michael.
You dont need sickbay.
You need Stamets.
We should have results
in one second.
There he is.
Thats the captain.
Thats where he flies.
Just as I suspected.
You are hosting a
eukaryotic organism.
A fungus?
This might hurt a bit.
Security breach by unknown
alien species in Engineering.
Engage quarantine protocol
Alpha-Omega.
Energize.
Teleporter incoming.
Captain.
Welcome aboard
Discovery,
Number One.
The failures cascaded
through all our primaries.
Helm, nav, both impulse
and warp drive. Chief Louvier
has an engineering team
working round the clock.
I dont think
Enterprise
will
ever have a chief engineer
more in love with his ship.
Apparently,
Enterprise
is the only ship
in the fleet
thats had any problems.
You know, he warned me.
The damn
holographic comm system.
Tell Louvier to rip
out the entire system.
From now on well communicate
using good,
old-fashioned viewscreens.
Truth is I never liked
the holograms.
They look too much like ghosts.
He told you Id say that.
No. I told him.
Cheeseburger. Fries.
Habanero sauce.
You want to order
some lighter fluid with that?
That goes with the shake.
Sorry to keep you in Spacedock.
Ive made use of
the time, Captain.
Youve been looking into
the allegations against Spock.
Its hard to comprehend,
let alone believe,
that he murdered three people
at the psychiatric
facility on Starbase Five.
Hows the crew taking it?
They dont know the details.
Only that hes in trouble.
Theres something else.
Tell me.
Starfleets classified
his case Level One.
Line officers dont usually
warrant that kind of scrutiny.
Its unprecedented. Which is why
Ive done a little digging.
Sanctioned?
Better you dont know the answer
to that.
Before I look at that,
I need to know why you saw fit
to detour Federation protocols.
Something about this
investigation isnt adding up.
Im not letting him go
without a fight.
As usual, we agree.
MALE OFFICER
Captain Pike to the ready room.
Im late for a briefing.
Im glad you came.
Im sorry you cant stay longer.
Next time.
Be careful, Captain.
You, too, Number One.
We should give it a name.
Other than May.
I know it looks like a blob,
but this is one of the most
sophisticated life-forms
Ive ever encountered.
It has sentience,
intention.
Tilly, the mycelial network
doesnt just connect life.
It contains it.
Its an incubator.
You mean, like,
um... like a home?
Ive been wondering why
it appeared to me as May,
which got me thinking
about the real May
that I met when I was, um, 14.
I was, um... I was a weird kid.
You know?
Like, not a lot of friends
and nobody who really
believed in me, including me.
But... she did.
She wanted to connect to
me, and she tried so hard.
But I dont really think
I was the friend to
her that she needed.
Im certain
you were much kinder than
you give yourself credit for.
You always are.
Thank you, but...
I didnt even know she died.
I feel like I took her
for granted.
That girl
who thought I was special.
Oh!
Ive cross-referenced
what were calling the Red Angel
with all known winged
and avian life-forms
in the Federation.
So far, Ive found nothing.
Sorry.
The universal translator
sometimes has trouble
reconfiguring my lingual
clicks and pops.
My answer to you was, "Nothing
in the known universe."
Which might suggest
its not a species.
Maybe one of a kind.
A mutation.
Well, whatever it is,
figuring out how its connected
to these signals
will help us identify it.
If only we knew what it needs.
Commander Nhan, USS
Enterprise.
Glad to be here.
Welcome back aboard.
Could you pass the salt?
Commander Saru,
can you shed any light?
My apologies.
I woke up this morning fighting
an acute rhinovirus.
So you have a cold.
I had a cold last week,
which sucked.
Saurian. Six nasal canals.
It happens to the best of us,
Linus.
Everyone to your stations.
Detmer, set a course
for 108 mark four.
Maximum warp.
Aye, sir.
Mr. Saru, you look like hell.
Youve been burning the candle
at both ends lately.
Go get some rest.
As you wish, sir.
Burnham. A word.
I understand your first officer
is on her way to Spacedock.
Was her visit informative?
Number One is very resourceful.
People have a tendency
to end up owing her favors.
She uncovered
some classified information
on Starbase Five.
That is the warp signature
of the shuttle
that Spock stole
from the psychiatric facility.
I put us on an intercept course.
We should reach his position
in the next few hours.
S-Sir,
after everything
thats happened,
I need to excuse myself
from seeing Spock.
Not sure I follow.
I dont want
to make things worse for him.
Hes a fugitive,
whatever the circumstances.
And as Amanda suggested...
Im probably the last person
who should insert themselves
into this problem.
I disagree.
He is lost, Captain.
You are better suited
to help him.
Ive thought this through.
Please, trust me.
My abiding trust in you
doesnt eclipse
the mission at hand.
Facing whatever happened
to Spock,
its not gonna be easy
for any of us.
Reaching him
has to be the priority.
Detmer, status?
Something has grabbed us
out of warp, sir.
Speed dropping to sub-light.
Helm going unresponsive.
Shields up.
Red alert. Owosekun,
are we talking tractor beam?
More powerful than that, sir.
Im unable to raise shields.
Preliminary analysis indicates
a multiphasic stasis field.
Its disrupting
our shield harmonics.
Were at
a full stop, sir.
Whatever has us,
w-were locked into place.
Like a damn fly in a web.
And there is the spider.
♪
♪
♪
(original
Star Trek
theme
plays)
BURNHAM:
Starfleet has never
encountered anything like it.
565 kilometers in diameter
with a mass of 6.39 x 10 to
the 20th power kilograms.
It melds organic and
nonliving matter.
Its also ancient.
Initial scans put it
at 100,000 years old.
"Organic"?
Are you saying its
some kind of a life-form?
Maybe it is a damn spider.
I hate spiders.
It is premature to assign
any anthropomorphic
distinction or intent.
As of yet, it hasnt
responded to any hails.
But there is this.
The sphere is vibrating.
The computer extrapolated
what it might sound like
based on the surrounding
ambient radiation.
Well, it has my ship,
and I dont know what
in the hell it wants.
Communicate with it or
disable it. And quickly, please.
Captain Pike.
Saru.
Confirmed.
Did it work?
Yes. I can understand you.
I still cant
read my controls.
I think this is Tau Cetian.
Am I the only one who bothered
to learn a foreign language?
I have localized
the backup bridge translator.
For the time being,
everyone who speaks
Earth English can communicate.
The rest of the crew and
Discoverys
computer
are another matter.
The bridge may be temporarily
fixed, but the virus will continue
spreading through
our comms system.
I can try purging it
from the translators
main interface.
We have to be able to talk
to the computer
and the rest of the crew
to have any chance
of breaking free
from that sphere. Do it.
Yes, sir.
Ill go. You should stay
and monitor bridge stations.
I have placed all systems
on... automatic.
And given
our current circumstances,
you will need a translator
just to operate the turbolift.
Are you sure you can do this?
We are wasting time.
Weve run
a full diagnostic, Captain,
and this section
remains unaffected by the virus.
I will update you
if anything changes.
Thank you, Ensign.
If we cant fly this thing,
Commander,
we may have to jump away.
The spore drive
will be ready, sir.
Bring the drive online,
and then well couple
the shunts to me,
in case weve got
to skedaddle.
♪ Da, da, da,
da, da, da. ♪
The universal translator
for this section is
no más.
Can I... help you?
Uh, unless you can reroute
the plasma regulator
to silo off the relay
junction, then,
uh, no.
Youre, um...?
Jett Reno, from the
Hiawatha.
I hitched a ride
off that asteroid.
Chief engineer sent me
to firewall off
the critical
propulsion systems.
I didnt realize a greenhouse
could be "critical"
or
"propulsive,"
but, hmm, what do I know?
Im just a gearhead,
not a farmer.
A... farmer.
Oh, please, let us know
what you think, because we care.
You should.
Antimatter and dilithium
might be old-school,
but they dont let you down.
Why soar when you can crawl?
You dont know me, Doc.
Im un-insultable.
Especially by a guy
who thinks he can run a ship
on mushrooms
that I pick off my pizza.
Spores are clean, renewable.
Yeah, do they come
with house dressing?
Do you have any idea
how many planets
have been ruined
by dilithium mining?
How many battles
were fought
to corner its supply?
Of course you dont.
Youre one of those people
who never even consider it.
And youre one of those people
that does the ha-ha jokey thing
and then gets all huffy
and in high dudgeon
when you cant think
of a comeback.
Do you have gum?
Grape. I...
You know, it was only a
couple centuries ago that
the Earth nearly choked
to death on pollution.
Then we all woke up,
and within a generation,
everything from a
truck to a toaster...
Do you want...
Sorry. Sorry
...was covered
in solar panels.
Yesterdays solar panels
are todays fungi.
Hmm.
I can fix stuff
with duct tape,
if you want.
Do you think May had anything
to do with the sphere?
What a giant entity
from our universe
and a mycelial species
from the network?
Well, they have
as much in common
as me and that grease monkey.
I could fix that analogy
with duct tape, too.
Burnham to bridge.
The universal translator
is back up and running ship-wide
on all systems.
Saru! What is going on?
This is not just a cold.
No, it is not.
Whats that hum?
Get down!
Okay, theres more
where that came from.
Weve got a hundred-
giga-electron volts
surging through
the local relays.
Computers isolated
the compartment
in order to contain the damage.
Weve still got
our life support.
Yeah, but...
it could kill us.
If our oxygen ignites,
well cook like french fries.
Well, we could divert
the power to act like a...
a-a lightning arrestor.
We could use
the door
as a ground.
Then the surge would
dissipate through the frame
of the ship.
The question is,
how do we conduct the surge
from there to there?
No, a gas could,
once it ionizes.
I infuse the spores
with an argon-xenon mixture
to slow decay.
We could link up
the canisters
to contain the gas,
our version of a lightning rod.
Thats actually
not a stupid idea.
Its my version
of the house dressing,
but it saves your life.
Huh.
Bridge. What happened?
Did the sphere fire on us?
Negative.
EPS conduits are overloading.
Systems are going haywire.
The virus is spreading.
What is happening
to the ship?
We... have to get
to the bridge.
No, no, no, no, no.
Right now
we got to get you to sickbay.
Gas her up.
Gas transference at 100%.
Youre gonna do that manually?
Uh, yeah,
cause obviously youre not.
Flick the switch.
Are you okay?
I feel like
Ive been hit by lightning
for the second time this week.
Reno?
Reno? Reno, are
you all right?
Weird... dream.
I was playing drums for Prince,
and there were doves
and a parade.
Okeydoke.
Wait.
Its gone.
Tilly!
She wont let...
she wont let go!
She wont let go.
Whats happening to him?
Im hoping Dr.
Pollard can tell us.
Well, comms is down, so I need
to see what the situation is
in sickbay, anyway.
Triage plasma burns
on level one.
Send non-critical
to sickbay two.
Doctor.
Bring him here.
Elevated heart rate,
spiking adrenal levels,
increased
neural activity.
The pain would render the
average humanoid unconscious.
What do we do
about those?
Nothing.
It is an effect of...
my condition.
Ocular discomfort?
No. Kelpiens can see
far deeper
into th-the light spectrum
than humans.
I keep seeing flashes
of ultraviolet light,
invisible to you, but...
quite the opposite
for me.
Are these symptoms
common among Kelpiens?
This is pointless.
And the ship is being
further immobilized
as we waste time.
There is no reason to believe
the sphere is benevolent.
Now, please...
Commander.
Dr. Pollard is
trying to help you.
Yes. It is unique
to my people,
and it is terminal.
Are you certain?
I have never been more certain
of anything in my life.
When I awoke
in discomfort this morning...
I hoped it was just...
a passing cold.
But now I have
to face the truth.
I do not understand why...
but I am beginning to think that
the sphere is...
is triggering
the Kelpien biological
process known as...
Vaharai.
It is the event that signals
when Kelpiens are ready to be...
culled for slaughter by...
the Baul,
the predator species
on my homeworld
of Kaminar.
But there are
no Baul here.
It does not matter.
Kelpien ganglia only enflame
in this manner...
as we near our end.
I am a...
a slave to my biology.
We are not gonna let you die.
There has to be something
that we can do.
There is not.
Kelpiens
undergoing
Vaharai
either die in the culling
or... are driven to madness
by the effects
of
Vaharai.
Either way,
death is inevitable.
The mycelial entity
has attached itself to Tilly.
Were trying to free her.
Engineering to bridge.
Engineering to bridge.
Come in.
Comms are down.
Along with most of the ship.
Dont feel bad.
I know you have to
keep me in quarantine.
Orus.
I feel a
little weird.
I should...
I should be terrified,
but Im not.
May means me no harm.
Are you able to see May again?
How do you know this is benign?
May was scary,
and she was clingy, and she,
like, never shut up, but...
she never hurt me.
She said she had a plan for me.
She said that I was
her only chance.
Did you ever think
she was manipulating you?
Thats what she said
you
were
doing- she said that you...
you were trying to
poison me against her.
Okay, if that thing
wasnt freaking me out,
is.
The blob seems to be secreting
a psilocybin hallucinogen
to influence her emotions.
So youre saying
shes on a bad trip?
Or maybe its just trying
to calm her down
so she wont be scared.
Or so she wont fight back?
If Saru thinks
that somehow the...
the sphere
triggered
Vaharai,
maybe escaping its grip would
stop whats happening to him.
The problem is
freeing ourselves
before it
destroys the ship.
If it wanted to destroy us,
why the slow attack?
Its inefficient, right?
It must need something.
Its taking what it needs.
Without the computer,
all our primary systems begin to
fail, including the warp core.
The EPS grids unstable,
and its cutting off
entire sections,
including Engineering.
Life supports down to 60%,
but whos counting?
It is not logical
for a virus to kill its host.
Youre attaching a known medical
diagnosis to an unknown entity.
There may
be a way to...
slow the virus.
If we can analyze
its properties,
we may be able to develop
digital antibodies.
That could give us back enough
control to break the ship free.
In theory,
but it will be
a slow process, like...
army ants eating
a water buffalo.
Im on it.
Going to the science lab.
You will need my help.
Saru, Commander Burnham
can handle this.
Theres no reason to risk
your health any further.
I...
am dying, Captain...
but I am most
certainly not... dead.
The antibodies
are s-slowing
the viruss progress.
Life support at 47%.
You are wondering
why I kept this from you.
You dont have
to bear it alone.
How...
do I explain...
to the woman
who has fought
over and over for the right
to take her next breath
that I come from a race
that submits?
Im your friend.
There will never be
judgment between us.
Well, to my shame...
hiding is my nature.
I have learned
multiple languages,
yet never shared my own,
fearful of revealing
my own...
alienness.
May I...
request a favor?
Of course.
Anything.
I have kept
detailed personal logs
since joining Starfleet.
I would ask you...
to officially catalogue them,
so that when...
General Order 1 no longer
applies to the Kelpiens...
they will know
a journey like mine...
is possible.
It would be my privilege.
Did you record your life
before Starfleet?
Uh, you might say
my life began
when I was granted refugee
status by the Federation.
While being processed
at Starbase Seven...
...I saw for the first time
life-forms
from across the universe,
some with less than I had,
yet, with a dream
of something better.
I listened.
Every story I heard...
...created... a space inside me
to feel more, to...
love
more.
I joined Starfleet
to help those in need
the way I was helped.
You are...
the most
empathic
soul...
I know.
There was just one...
painful caveat to my signing up.
I could never return home.
Why?
Oh.
More flashes
of ultraviolet light.
They are... growing
in... strength and frequency.
Ill get something from sickbay.
No. No.
I will be fine.
The captain asked you
to return to the bridge
as soon as possible.
I can continue
the work here.
Spock is still
at maximum warp, Captain.
If were stuck here much longer,
were going to lose him.
Reallocate power
from the transporters
to long-range sensors.
I dont want to lose contact
with his shuttle.
Even with sensors at max,
we wont be able
to track him for much longer.
Contact Engineering.
See if they can reroute
impulse power to the deflectors.
If we can raise shields,
we might be able
to disrupt the stasis field
just enough to break free.
If so, can we
jump away?
Negative, sir.
We dont have enough power
to create the necessary
hull cavitation.
Comms are still down
in Engineering, sir.
Security protocols
are also malfunctioning,
locking off parts
of the ship.
How are we doing, Commander?
The digital antibodies
are doing their job,
but progress is sluggish.
Im running out of options.
If we lose Spock, we lose
any chance of protecting him.
Permission to go to Engineering.
We cant talk to
them here, but maybe
I can help them
get power to shields.
Permission granted.
Whats wrong?
The doors wont open,
and that thing reattached
itself to Tilly.
Can you detach it?
I could cut it off. She wouldnt
even lose a freckle.
Bad idea.
If its a symbiote,
removing it might kill her.
Well, thanks for stopping by.
I came to see if we can find a
way to boost power to shields.
No. With the systems
fluctuating,
this section is partitioned off.
We cant get to the warp core.
Michael...
I feel really tired.
What is happening?
That blob is sending her
in and out of consciousness.
Why is it doing that to her?
Its not like we can ask it.
Actually, we can.
This is a harmonic interface.
It-it links my neurons
to the mycelial network.
With modification,
it could link May to Tillys
central nervous system.
Let May speak
using Tillys mouth.
Wait. What did you say?
Were gonna talk to it.
We need it to tell
us what it wants.
So do we.
The sphere- its been trying
to tell us something,
and we havent been listening.
Well, damn, woman, go!
We got her.
Saru,
could the sphere be
trying to talk to us?
Using the virus as a way
to make first contact?
Yeah. Yes, of course.
Ive been so blind.
The ultraviolet wavelengths
are repeating, like...
like letters would in...
in a sentence...
everywhere.
Okay, Saru. Saru, stop.
Youre hurting yourself.
No, no. No.
You called me
an "empathic soul,"
and it is true.
My ganglia
respond to shifts
in my environment,
like an early-warning system.
So it is... it is no coincidence
that I started feeling sick
just before...
the sphere engaged us.
Why would...?
I know what it is trying to say.
Not first contact, Burnham.
Last
contact.
I think it came to us to die.
May?
Still me.
Signals piss-poor.
We need to
amplify it.
Cortical implant.
What, youre talking
about trepanation?
Drilling a hole in her skull?
Yeah.
Are you gonna fix her up
with duct tape after?
Maybe.
Commander?
I think shes right.
And I think you think that, too.
Then we do this together.
This is all I had
laying around.
Please tell me
you have a laser scalpel.
No. Were gonna do this
old-school.
We need to sterilize
that drill bit.
First aid kits over there.
I was able
to raise shields.
Weve gained some
ground, but were still
being held by
the stasis field.
Power levels coming
and going, Captain.
Security reports two dozen crew
still trapped below deck.
Life support failing.
Im reading an energy buildup
from inside the sphere.
Spiking 10,000 degrees
Kelvin and rising.
Is it powering up weapons?
Reading no
identifiable weapons,
but its internal temperature
is now 20,000 degrees Kelvin.
Divert all non-essential power
to weapons.
Lock on that things
radial axis and prepare
to fire photon torpedoes
on my order.
Aye, sir. Arming torpedoes.
Captain,
hold your fire.
I do not believe
the sphere means us any harm.
All evidence to the contrary.
That things about
to destroy us.
Its not destroying
us, Captain.
Its trying to
send us a message.
We received its message.
Im about to send our reply.
Captain, what if
Vaharai,
my death process,
was triggered because
the sphere is also dying?
You want to run that
by me again?
We Kelpiens have
a defining trait
hard-wired into our DNA:
empathy.
I can feel the sphere
reaching out,
trying to share something
before it expires.
Sir, I trust Sarus feelings
implicitly.
That sphere didnt
come to attack us.
Captain,
I believe I have discerned
its means of communication.
Detmer,
status on Spocks shuttle?
Exits our sensor range
in six minutes.
Once we lose his
warp signature,
we wont be able
to reacquire it.
Set an intercept course.
I want us hauling ass
the second we break free.
Aye, sir.
Keep talking
and make it fast.
What if the sphere
was not attacking
our universal translator,
but attempting
to teach us
its
language
because it wants
to be remembered,
to preserve its history
using
Discovery,
but it cannot unless
we power down and let it in?
That thing snatched us out of
warp and almost gutted the ship.
What if we lower shields,
and thats exactly what it needs
to end us?
Computer, adjust
viewscreen display
to ultraviolet.
That is the light pattern
I have been seeing
everywhere,
repeating again
and again, generated
by the spheres virus.
Computer, run the light pattern
through the universal
translator.
Captain, I believe
we are looking
at a multitude
of languages
so advanced,
and knowledge so vast
that it simply
overloaded our system.
This sphere is
100,000 years old.
Imagine what it knows,
what its seen.
Captain, this falls
under
Discoverys
original mission
statement
as a science vessel.
Well, Ill be.
An amplified cortical implant.
Hey, kiddo.
Whats your favorite song?
What?
Your favorite song-
sing it for me.
♪ Though Im past
one hundred thousand miles ♪
♪ Im feeling very still
♪ And I think my spaceship knows
which way to go ♪
♪ Tell my wife
I love her very much ♪
♪ She knows.
May?
You wanted to talk to me?
Here I am.
What do you want?
Who are you?
Im from a species
known as the JahSepp.
We lived harmoniously until an
alien intruder began to arrive
at random intervals,
ravaging our ecosystem
irreparably.
So, you came for help
to rid your species
of a destructive alien presence?
You
are the destructive
alien presence.
The-the... the jumps?
Discoverys
jumps?
I broke through the
confines of the network
to reach you,
at great risk.
Risk? You infected
my friend.
You dont belong
inside of her.
You fly the ship from within
the cube, I can reach you.
In Tilly, I found the memory
of May Ahearn, someone I knew
shed be sympathetic to,
if given a second chance.
Once she trusted May,
I planned to persuade her
to deliver my
message to you.
Oh, I can only ask
for your forgiveness.
I knew better.
I
know
better.
Ill do whatever it takes
to fix this.
All I ask is
that you let Tilly go.
I cant.
I have other plans for her.
Wrong!
Oh. No!
Tilly!
The spheres
internal temperature
is approaching
ten-to-the-sixth-power Kelvin
and rising.
Our weapons will just
disintegrate in that heat.
Solar temperatures.
A sign of core collapse.
Captain, if we are correct,
once the transmission is
complete, the sphere can die
knowing that it will live on
after it is gone.
We can choose to fulfill
our part in its destiny,
or simply let it fade away
unremembered.
Spocks shuttle is almost
out of sensor range, sir.
Prepare to lower shields.
If this goes south,
overload the warp core
and eject it at the sphere
on my command.
Even at half the distance,
the blast will decimate it.
When it lets go, we divert
all power to shields
and try to ride the shock wave
to a safe distance.
Assuming it doesnt
vaporize us first.
If theres even half a
chance youre correct,
Im bound by my
oath and conscience
not to let it
vanish forever.
Commanders,
take your stations.
Ill follow your lead.
Lieutenant Detmer,
lower shields.
Aye, sir. Shields down.
Bryce,
all channels open.
Owosekun,
divert all computing
resources to Communications.
Yes, Commander.
Here goes nothing.
Transmission is downloading.
All library computers
are processing
at 20% above maximum.
Whatever the sphere is saying,
were getting all of it.
How long until it blows?
Seconds. Power
and energy levels
are off the chart.
Detmer, can you put enough
distance between us in time?
Negative, sir. Were still being
locked by the stasis field.
Transmission complete.
Detmer, eject the warp core.
Computer controls
not responding, sir.
Detonation confirmed.
Hard astern. Full impulse now.
Ah.
It is so beautiful.
The light is almost like...
music.
Yes, it is.
Im at a loss as to how
were still alive to see it.
The spheres stasis field
reversed polarity
a nanosecond
before detonation...
and pushed us clear.
Its final act was to save us
so we could tell its story.
Hand me the damn torch.
Tilly.
Breathe. Breathe, Tilly.
Breathe.
Breathe, breathe. Slow it down.
Breathe. Come on, youre okay.
Youre still you.
Tilly.
Slow. Shh.
Stamets to Burnham.
We got Tilly.
Shes okay.
Now it is my turn.
Take me to my quarters, please.
I left home
with a handful of seeds.
Is this from your homeworld?
It is the blossom
that marks the...
the passing of seasons
on Kaminar.
Somewhere along the way,
I... I lost who I was.
So focused on being
the best Kelpien in Starfleet.
Defined by my rank
and uniform...
...until that is all I became.
You are wrong.
Look at what
youve achieved.
You found yourself
among the stars.
You found your bravery.
Your strength.
Youve saved so
many lives, Saru.
Including mine.
It is time.
In that first drawer,
you will find a Kelpien knife,
a keepsake I use
to prune my flowers.
I need you
to... to sever my ganglia
and end my suffering.
I need your help
so that I can die now,
peacefully,
before the pain and madness
overtakes me.
Thank you, Michael.
Do we have to do this?
Is it truly inevitable?
I am sorry.
I know how hard
this is for you.
How many people
youve already lost.
I would do it myself, but...
I am too weak.
After all this time...
...after everything that we
have been through together...
...I realize now
that you are my family, Saru.
I feel the same...
about you.
You are the only one
who knows me.
You replaced the sister I had
on Kaminar.
Siranna.
That knife was hers.
I left her
without so much as a good-bye.
You promise me-
no matter how frightening
or painful it may be-
promise me
you will
mend your relationship
with Spock.
If you and I can build
this type of bond,
Im certain
you can do the same with him.
Please.
I promise.
Good-bye, Michael.
I love you, Saru.
Michael? What is wrong?
I-I bare... I barely touched it.
They fell out
on their own.
I... I, uh...
dont understand.
I should be...
POLLARD:
Your vital signs
have returned to normal.
How are you feeling?
I have never felt
this way before.
Fear has always been the
governing principle of my life.
But now...
it is gone.
More than that,
I feel...
...power.
My own power.
Well,
consider yourself certified
for duty, Commander.
Despite speaking 94 languages,
there are times when
words are not enough.
Initial reports
are coming in
from the science teams.
The sphere didnt just give us
its language.
We have recorded everything
it has seen and experienced
the last 100,000 years.
Its legacy.
And your legacy
has a new chapter.
A new and deeply troubling one.
The Kelpien way of life
has always been oriented
toward death
and the role the
Baul play in it.
My people call it
"The Great Balance."
It is our central,
organizing truth.
But you proved it wrong.
Precisely.
And you asked me before
why I could not go home.
It is because I made a promise
to Captain Georgiou
to uphold General Order 1,
not to interfere
with the destiny of my species.
But now,
knowing that what my people
have accepted as the truth
is a lie?
What does this mean for us?
For my species?
My... my planet?
The war between
the Quaternary star systems
and the Roquarri Imperium
lasted a solar cent...
From the sphere?
The computers translation.
Its like weve found
our galaxys Dead Sea Scrolls.
Federation scientists will be
studying this for centuries
thanks to you and Saru.
I hope it was worth the cost.
Cost us nothing, sir.
I combed through the
spheres sensor records
and found the last
thing that it saw:
Spocks shuttle.
I was able to track it
beyond our sensor range.
Conn,
Commander Burnham
is sending you
the coordinates
of Spocks shuttle.
Plot a course,
and dont spare the horses.
Aye, sir.
From now on,
Ill work to keep you clear
about whatever happens
with your brother.
Thank you, Captain, but I have
had a change of heart.
I cant abandon him.
No matter the mistakes
that Ive made,
I need my brother to know that
I will always be there for him.
No matter what.
We need to close the
door to the network.
Forever.
Just making
final calculations.
Hi, hi. Hello? Hello? Its me.
Did you see that?
See what?
May.
She was there,
and then she was gone.
Um...
...you might still be coming
down off your hallucinogen.
No, I swear. I swear.
Yeah.
No, its natural to be paranoid
in your condition.
Something is not right.
Somethings not right.
Hello?
Tilly. Hello?
Tilly. Hello, hello...
Wow.
Have you always been
a superior being?
MAY
Hi. Hello? Hello?
Because...
the harmonics
in your aura...
You know, I was thinking
the exact same thing
about your aura.
Whats that dust on your face?
...dust on your face?
Its on yours, too.
STAMETS
...yours, too.
That tastes like...
Psilocybin?
It dosed us. It dosed us.
Slap me really hard.
Whyd I do that?
To get me focused enough
to find the med kit.
I need to hit us both
with a shot of impedrizine
so we can come down.
Now I need to
give one to Tilly.
Wait a minute. Where is she?
Tilly?
Wait.
Oh, my God,
they took her.
No. No, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no.
Tilly?
No!
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