Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–…): Season 2, Episode 4 - Among the Lotus Eaters - full transcript
Returning to a planet that dredges up tragic memories, Captain Pike and his landing party find themselves forgetting everything, including their own identities as he confronts a ghost from his past.
♪
Previously on Star Trek:
Strange New Worlds...
We're going to find a way to
win because it's what's right.
There's the Boy
Scout in you again.
BATEL: I've done everything
in my power to help Una.
But if you take that stand, your
whole crew could be at risk.
The war is over, Joseph.
Yes, but how could it ever be?
LA'AN: The enemy doesn't
care about my feelings,
so I don't waste
my time having any.
Know how you used to brag you
were going to be the best pilot
ever to graduate the academy?
Time to prove it, Lieutenant.
No presh.
Open emotion is dangerous.
It's good to get mad sometimes.
PIKE: Captain's personal
log, stardate 1630.1.
Enterprise is currently
assisting the USSCayuga
in a joint mission, charting
a new binary system.
Captain Batel and I
are taking advantage
by attempting a perilous
maneuver of our own:
- stealing a little personal time.
- [door chimes]
Come in.
Mmm.
Mmm. Is that your
mother's sauce?
- Anything else would be a crime against tomatoes.
- [comm chimes]
UNA: Bridge to captain Pike.
The latest duty reports
- have been finalized.
- Number One,
unless it's a red
alert, I'm incommunicado
for the next half hour.
- Understood, Captain.
- Now,
where were we?
Didn't realize we
were doing gifts.
- Well, you made dinner, so I thought...
- [comm chimes]
UHURA: Bridge to Captain Batel,
theCayuga's hailing you, sir,
- Is it the Admiral calling?
- Negative.
They are asking you to
confirm a course correction.
- It can wait.
- Acknowledge. I will relay.
- It's rude to arrive empty-handed.
- Well...
Where did you...
Found it on Galt.
An Opelian Mariner's Keystone.
BATEL: Ancient Opelian
Captains wore them
to guide lost sailors home.
Yeah. It's amazing.
- Thank you.
- [comm chimes]
UHURA: Bridge to
Captain Batel.
Incoming transmission
from Admiral Eldon.
- Sorry, I have to...
- Yeah, no, go, go.
I've got sauce.
Route transmission
to Captain Pike's
personal station, please.
I understand.
It's just one of those things.
Yes. I'm fine, thank you.
Everything okay?
Yeah, let's just have dinner.
Cayugaexpects me back in ten.
William Geary was
promoted to commodore?
[chuckles softly]
- It's just not my time.
- That promotion was yours.
Well, apparently
there are concerns.
What, do they mean us or...
This is Judge Advocate
Pasalk. He's punishing me.
For Una's trial.
Yeah, so it is about us.
Okay, Chris, can we just eat?
I'm worried.
This is difficult.
Difficult is not the
same as impossible.
- 30 minutes here, ten minutes there, who are we kidding?
- Even if it's just
a moment together, I'll
take what I can get.
Now I'm hurting your career.
That sounds like an excuse.
I'm just...
I'm saying...
May-Maybe we should
pull it back a little.
Your timing is perfect.
I should get back to my ship.
See you when I see you, Captain.
[door whooshes open]
- [comm chimes]
- [door whooshes shut]
UNA: Bridge to captain Pike.
Apologies for the
interruption, but we received
a sensitive communication
from Command.
It's about Rigel VII.
Copy, Number One.
Pike out.
UNA: Rigel VII.
We were there five years
ago as a routine exploration
of a remote M-Class planet.
Then we discovered the Kalar.
Bronze Age society
organized in a caste system.
A formidable warrior class
and a secretive ruling class.
That's it.
We didn't have much time
to do a proper survey.
LA'AN: The entire
mission was only
four hours with an
emergency evacuation?
It was short. Yes.
We had just arrived when
the landing party...
ran into some complications.
We were ambushed. We
lost three people.
Had to get to Vega colony
before Spock's
injuries made it four.
So, why go back now?
Scans can't penetrate
Rigel VII's atmosphere.
Part of why we went in
underprepared last time.
It's documented using
long-range photography
scheduled for observation
every couple of years.
We're here to take photos?
No, a recent flyby
already sent images
to Starfleet a week ago.
The data was analyzed
this morning.
[monitor chirps]
They're using our Delta.
PIKE: We must have
left something behind.
Any level of cultural
contamination needs to be
surveyed and
corrected if possible.
So you need a doctor for
a Prime Directive mission?
I need you.
The initial landing party
will be a small strike team
to assess how bad the
cultural contamination is.
PIKE: Last time we went down
there, we were in uniform.
I am not making
that mistake twice.
This is an undercover
recon operation.
Once we have our intel,
we can devise a plan
- to retrieve any Starfleet tech we can find.
- Let's get to it.
[door whooshes open]
[door whooshes shut]
I noticed the Cayuga
left in a bit of a rush.
She had lots of pressing
issues to manage,
much like Enterprise.
We decided to take
some time apart.
Oh.
- You did that thing you do.
- What thing?
That thing when
someone gets too close.
It's tough, so you panic,
find reasons to push 'em away.
I don't do that.
Do I?
You do that.
Hmm.
I like her, Chris.
I like her, too.
I like her for you.
So do I.
Then why torpedo it?
It's just... it's complicated.
You know how it is
as a command officer.
We're responsible for
other people's lives.
That doesn't leave a whole
lot of time for our own.
Everyone deserves
joy in their life.
Even a captain.
Well, it's not like
I have the luxury
of working it out now.
Rigel VII.
I still think about it.
What could I have
done differently?
- It wasn't your fault, Chris.
- I led the mission.
Whatever we find down
there, it's on me.
If it really bothers
you, I'm sure Command
would understand if
we recused ourselves.
Command offered us this
assignment as a courtesy.
Their way of saying
what we already know.
Enterpriseneeds to
clean up its own mess.
♪
PIKE: Space.
The final frontier.
These are the voyages of
the starshipEnterprise.
Its five-year mission:
to explore strange new worlds,
to seek out new life
and new civilizations,
to boldly go where no
one has gone before.
♪
♪
♪
ORTEGAS: Pilots personal
log. Stardate 1630.3.
I'm Lieutenant Erica Ortegas.
Most of the time,
I fly the ship,
which is cool but
can get boring.
Today is different.
Rigel VII'S atmosphere
is a hot mess
of wind shear, exotic radiation
and heavy particles that jam
the sensors on our shuttles.
Piloting down takes
incredible skill,
which I have, but the best part:
I'm with the landing party,
something I almost
never get to do.
Nice.
You're actually wearing the hat?
Are you kidding?
The hat is supreme.
We're Kalarans now. Recon 101.
The Stecora Debris Field
we observed previously
is descending. By
my calculations,
it will intersect
multiple points
along these ship's
intended orbital plane.
- Debris from what?
- Likely an impact
between two large
celestial bodies
that orbited Rigel VII
several centuries ago.
Can't you just say "two moons"?
I could, but that would be
leaping to a conclusion.
Analysis is underway,
but I would merely characterize
the fragments as volatile.
We get it, Spock.
ORTEGAS: All right,
well, on we go.
Let's get to that shuttle bay
and have ourselves a landing...
party.
PIKE: Maintaining
stability will require
piloting Enterpriseby hand.
Between the fragments
and the gravity shifts,
I'll have to make
manual adjustments
every 20 minutes
or lights out, Enterprise.
I'm glad you get it.
We need you here
keeping Enterprisesafe.
Aye, Captain, but, uh,
who's gonna fly the shuttle
through all that choppy
sky and radiation?
I may not be Erica Ortegas,
but I was a test pilot,
remember? We'll get
you next time, promise.
[shuttle bay door opens]
[door closes]
I was not responsible
for the data.
- It would be illogical to blame...
- Shh, shh.
Just...
learn when to leave
people alone, Spock.
Sorry. I'm working on that.
♪
LA'AN: Hello,
atmospheric disturbance.
I'm guessing that's what messes
with our scans from orbit.
Well, according to the readings,
impact happened
thousands of years ago.
M'BENGA: An asteroid
that size should have
- wiped out half the planet.
- PIKE: Probably did.
The Kalar settlement's
a hemisphere over.
We're flying in
under cloud cover.
So they won't see us coming.
Then hiking 20 kilometers
through hostile territory.
You read the brief. Good.
Now hold on to your saddles,
it's gonna get a little
choppy on descent.
Hold up, I need to fill you in
on a unique condition
of our being here.
We cannot risk any
further contamination,
so we're not bringing
any of the usual tech.
Spock mocked up some
items consistent with
the planet's
current development.
Are you joking?
We just said this is
hostile territory.
I brought the both
of you for a reason.
Kalar warriors are fierce.
M'BENGA: You needed fighters
who can handle themselves
without a phaser.
We've got subdermal
universal translators.
That's all we'll need.
And if things go sideways again?
They won't. But if they do,
I trust the three
of us to handle it.
- You're good?
- I'm fine.
Doctors love being
tasked for a mission
because of their combat skills.
[high-pitched ringing]
[ringing stops]
PIKE [echoing]: La'An.
[echo fades]: Hey, La'An.
La'An.
You all right?
Sorry, what was-what
was I saying?
Lieutenant?
How are you feeling?
Not gonna lie, a
little light-headed,
but, um, I'm past it now.
Do you have any other symptoms?
Maybe...
For a moment, I heard this...
this ringing in my ears.
Tinnitus. Could
be the altitude.
To be sure, I have
to run a diagnostic.
We're six hours from
where we hid the shuttle.
Six hours, really?
It's not too far to go back.
We'd never make it by nightfall.
Temperature drops
drastically, it gets deadly.
No, our best tactical
option is to move forward.
Clear these foothills,
get into the valley.
I'm not so sure.
Is your official diagnosis
that we need to go back?
No.
Her pulse is normal.
Other than momentary confusion,
I see no reason to turn around.
La'An?
I'll be fine, Captain.
All right.
Let's get into the valley.
Find our objective, make
camp for the night there.
Sir.
La'An's breathed
thinner air than this.
I hope it really is nothing.
LA'AN: It's not
just the garden.
They've put the Delta
on the entryway.
PIKE: We need to speak to Kalar
who live outside the palace.
They're more likely
to talk to us.
Maybe they can tell us
what it means to them.
LA'AN: And if that fails,
we blend in as servants,
- infiltrate the castle.
- [brief, high-pitched ringing]
[sharp inhale, exhale]
- You all right?
- [sighs]
Yeah, it's nothing, just a...
headache.
Probably need to eat something.
Or M'Benga was right.
Maybe we lay low tonight,
make for the shuttle at dawn.
No. Captain, you
need to see this.
Spock was bleeding out
when I ordered the evac.
We fought our way back
to the landing zone.
I wasn't exactly tracking
gear at that point.
Captain!
Captain...
we've got company.
Three on six. We've got this.
Let's try diplomacy first.
Greetings.
My friends and I have
traveled far from the north.
We apologize if
we're trespassing.
We mean no disrespect.
[whirring up]
We know you come from Starfleet.
[high-pitched ringing]
GUARD [echoing]:
Get going. Move it.
[ringing, echo fades]
What is this place?
Where are you taking us?
MAN: I saw that little
streak in the sky.
I knew it had to be a shuttle.
When you serve as yeoman
on the Enterprise,
- you become an expert.
- Zac?
You're alive. I-I thought...
Does it ease your conscience?
I-I'm just happy to see you.
Are we meant to
know this person?
He's a KIA from the report.
Only I wasn't killed in action.
- I was left behind.
- PIKE: Zac,
they told me that you went down.
But you never saw
it for yourself.
- You didn't bother to confirm it.
- Zac...
It's High Lord Zacarias.
That's what they call me here.
You'll do the same.
I'm a long way from yeoman.
Arming your men with phaser
rifles probably helped.
PIKE: We're here now.
We can fix whatever
mistakes we made.
- It's a little late for that.
- PIKE: Zac.
W-We saw your
message, the, um...
the Delta in the garden.
It's why we came. Isn't
that why you did it?
The people here adopted
it as my symbol.
I should have known better.
It's all getting
torn out tomorrow.
Look, I understand you're upset.
It must have been hard surviving
here all on your own, but...
[short chuckle]
you managed it.
You have no idea.
This isn't a normal
planet, Pike.
Haven't you noticed how
hard it is to think?
- The ringing in your ears.
- You felt that, too?
ZACARIAS: The radiation
here affects your brain.
First the ringing.
Lost time, fear.
Then, finally, the
forgetting, and...
you're a Kalar.
PIKE: Whatever you're
going through, we can help.
- Come back to the ship.
- I armed the locals
with Starfleet tech
and made myself king.
- There's no going back for me.
- Zac, please listen to reason.
Reason doesn't exist here.
You'll learn that. [grunts]
Feels right...
to watch you suffer like I did.
Enterpriseis in orbit.
They'll be coming for us.
By tomorrow, no
one will remember.
Including you.
- M'BENGA: Captain?
- What are you doing?
Zac, what are you doing?
Zac, you're making a mistake.
Rigel VII changes people.
- [high-pitched ringing] - ZACARIAS
[echoing]: I'm gonna have fun
watching it work its
magic on you three.
[ringing continues]
- [ringing stops]
- What happened?
Where are we?
This is a cage.
We were captured?
My head.
Ow. Mine, too.
If we can find the
source of the-the...
the radiation, it...
Maybe that volcano, um...
The steam vents...
How long has she been out?
[grunts]
- Get away from me!
- [Pike groans] La'An.
Who are you?
- La'An.
- Is that my name?
What's happening?
Time loss. Fear.
And then you forget.
This is what he
was talking about.
Who?
The... the...
Him. The, uh...
H-He said...
he said we would forget,
uh...
Can anyone tell me
what we're doing here?
I don't know.
I don't know.
- [high-pitched ringing] - SPOCK
[echoing]: 67% iron, 80% nickel,
detectable magnesium, radium
and at least three
unidentified elements.
ORTEGAS: Plan on marrying
that debris field, Spock?
UNA: Ensign Uhura, report.
- [ringing, echoing stops]
- Ensign Uhura?
I'm sorry, yes.
Uh, submitting our
situation report
- to the UFP relay.
- Situation report?
I ordered that two hours ago.
Two hours ago?
Really?
This is what happens
when you stay up
translating Tellarite sonnets
instead of getting shut-eye.
Uh...
A-A question, sir.
Did I do it?
Did I transmit the report?
UNA: Ensign Uhura,
I want you to report
to sickbay immediately.
Uh-huh. I-I agree with that.
I'm feeling a
little disoriented.
Maybe someone should make
sure she actually gets there.
UNA: You go. I'll take over.
ORTEGAS: Are you sure? What
about the debris field?
I flew the Enterprise
before you did, Lieutenant.
Right.
Report back on her condition
as soon as possible.
Aye, Commander.
Come on, Nyota. Let's
get you sorted out.
CHAPEL: So, how are
you feeling, exactly?
Uh, at first, there was this
loud ringing sound.
Now I have a headache.
Does that mean something?
Hey. It's gonna
be okay. Relax.
So, does it mean something?
I need to run a complete
neurological analysis.
I've never seen
anything like this.
Synaptic degradation in frontal,
parietal and temporal lobes.
That doesn't sound good.
Hey, you rest.
I'll run some more tests.
Half an hour ago she was fine.
Yeah, and now something's
blocking her neural pathways.
Could be viral, bacterial,
environmental exposure.
She's been at her
station all day.
Maybe a delayed reaction. Hey,
what did you have for breakfast?
Uh...
same thing I always have.
Oatmeal.
Drugs are working.
As long as it stays
isolated to Uhura,
- we should be able to manage it.
- Cool.
- [comm chimes]
- SPOCK: Bridge to sickbay.
We have a medical emergency.
Hi, Spock. What's happening?
I am getting reports
that six crew members
in engineering are suffering
from acute memory loss.
I am having them
come to you now.
Definitely not the oatmeal.
[woman coughs]
[door opens]
Move or starve.
[groans]
Wait. Wait!
It's all right. They've...
they've had a rough forgetting.
There is no totem
here to guide you.
What totem?
- Why are we in a cage?
- MAN: You must have wandered.
These keep us safe at night.
I can help you
re-center, but hurry.
- They don't like to wait.
- I don't know you.
I don't know any of you.
Or maybe we've known each
other our whole lives.
Look at your colors... blue.
That means you work in
the stone quarry, like me.
- My colors are green.
- So you chop the wood.
- Hurry up!
- Okay. All right.
We're coming.
- The three of you...
- Move.
Look at me.
Be in the moment with me.
Follow along.
- How are you so calm?
- I'll show you later, my totem.
I wake every morning to it.
Right now, just
be in this moment.
[grunts]
I don't like not
knowing what's going on.
I don't like being forced labor.
Our work is a blessing.
We have purpose.
That's why we're here.
Is that from your totem?
It's how we all live.
You had a hard
forgetting last night.
Tonight your forgetting
will be easier.
- I'll guide you, all of you.
- PIKE: Forgetting.
Are... are you
talking about sleep?
Sleep is what the
Kalar in the palace do.
We have forgettings.
Okay, listen...
whatever your name is,
thank you for helping,
but unless I get some
straight answers from you,
I'm gonna take this hammer
and get it from those
guards over there.
Please don't. You'll be hurt.
We are the Kalar from the field.
We look out for each other.
Every night, we
have our forgetting.
We don't lose the
deeply known things.
Walking, talking,
other things deep inside us.
But the remembered things...
Who we are, where we live...
Those go away.
Every night?
How does society work?
Well, the Kalar from the palace
keep their memories.
We have pictures and each other
to help guide us.
And...
fruit of the gods.
Its oils help to
create our symbols.
It's how I know my name is Luq.
I don't... I don't have any...
No... no pictures.
Me neither.
And look, these are not hands
that have seen work
in a stone quarry.
Something's not right here.
You aren't from the field.
That's what keeps bothering me.
We don't belong here.
Do the palace Kalar
have pictures?
Maybe that's where we came from.
And, oh, look. I have this.
It, uh, it belongs to someone,
but it's also mine, a gift.
[sighs] There's something else.
Yes, that's how it's done.
Emotions can guide you
where memories can't.
I-I feel like he
also came with us.
We need to get back
to where we came from.
You can chase that feeling and
never find the answer you seek.
The totem says,
"Let go of before.
Live in the moment."
Hey! Back to work.
There's only two guards now.
LA'AN: We could overtake
them, but it doesn't
look like anyone else
wants to fight back.
They've been conditioned.
Maybe one day you fight,
next day you forget why.
You give up.
Move! Faster.
- He's in pain.
- Field Kalar don't talk back.
[grunting]
Look out! [grunting]
What have you done?
Put pressure on the wound.
You know to fix her.
You must be a
healer, uh, a doctor.
Yes, maybe.
I believe I know how
to ease her pain.
We can't stay. We
need to leave now.
She's right. More
guards will come.
We need to find a place
where we can hide,
- stay out of the open.
- I don't even know where we are.
I can help. Follow me.
Synaptic degradation is apparent
across all neural pathways.
And this is
affecting our memory?
Only explicit memory is lost.
Information and-and facts.
Implicit memory...
-uh, procedures we learn
-[high-pitched ringing]
and can recall by
instinct or emotion...
Those all remain intact.
[ringing stops]
Sorry. Explain it again.
I could treat a simple wound.
I've done it a thousand times.
But I won't remember that
it's my job to do it.
And I couldn't perform any
complicated procedures.
Or surgery.
That's what's happening.
And a third of the
crew is already down.
We are forgetting who we are.
- What's this?
- All vital crew members should carry
their personal information
file, in case you forget.
It's a Band-Aid.
It's not a solution.
How long before
it gets everyone?
There's no pattern,
no common denominator
among patients.
But the first
symptom is tinnitus,
followed by an intense migraine.
According to my calculations,
it will be less than an hour
before we are unable to
cover all critical stations.
Theories. What's causing this?
Best guess, some kind
of exotic radiation.
It started when we arrived here.
We were not in orbit this
long on our last visit.
Logic suggests Rigel
VII is the source.
We need to go. But we can't...
[ringing resumes]
leave them. We c-can't
leave the, um...
Do you mean the landing party?
- Yes.
- [ringing stops]
Them and a cap... and
the Captain, and...
- Damn it, I can't think.
- I need to get you to sickbay.
I have no desire to
strand our landing party,
but we must prioritize the
safety of our entire crew.
May I alter course?
Keep us close.
If we have it this bad up here,
who knows how they're
doing down there.
Lieutenant, break orbit and set
a course for the debris field.
That's a terrible idea.
I believe radiation from
the planet's atmosphere
is interfering with
the crew's memory.
Many of the elements
in the debris field
are a natural shield against
radioactive isotopes.
They may protect us.
Before or after
they pulverize us?
Are you not able to safely
navigate through the field?
Hey, now you're being offensive.
- Then plot a course.
- [scoffs]
In case of memory loss.
Right.
I fly the ship.
[sighs] I fly the ship.
LUQ: The sign
matches my symbol.
This belongs to me.
This is my home.
[La'An groans]
Water. Water.
Easy.
Don't strain yourself.
[La'An sighs]
Her wound is deep.
She won't last much
longer without treatment.
I believe I can save her.
But her injury is complex.
I can't treat it by guessing
blindly with hunches.
So you need your memories back.
You need to let it
go, both of you.
Allow her last
moments to be serene,
not anxious and fearful.
I'm not ready to have my
last moments yet, thank you.
This woman...
She's my friend.
I can feel it now.
I have to try.
We can't just let her die.
You are not seeing the point.
The forgetting is a blessing.
Things from the heart,
things that matter...
They don't go away.
But the details, the anguish...
Those will all fade.
- That sounds like a nightmare.
- Why?
Instead of feeling the
pain of her passing,
we will be spared
the memory of it.
Stop saying I'm going to die.
Please calm down.
She's running a fever.
You keep talking about a totem
that-that explains everything.
- Where is it?
- You're standing right next to it.
The story of the Kalar.
It greets us when we rise
and helps make
sense of the world.
What does it say
about the palace?
The gods decided long
ago that there would be
two types of Kalar.
Those who remember
to plan our future
and record our past, and...
and those who forget
to keep the work of
the present continuing.
It's convenient that some do
all the work while others don't.
That is not true.
The palace Kalar remember so
the rest of us can be free.
We have no past, no burdens.
I'll take my burdens if it means
- I can heal people.
- PIKE: Wh...
How do the palace Kalar
hold on to their memories?
I-I... I do not
know for certain.
There's a legend that
the palace Kalars'
memories are protected
inside a casket
hidden in the palace.
Yes, you said we
were from the palace.
Must be, look... We-we
have no calluses.
I said you were
not from the field.
The answers we need
are not on this totem.
Listen to me.
She risked her own
life to save mine.
And right now the only
thing that will save her
is in his memory.
We have to get them back.
You are serious. You
want to save her.
Yes.
Yes, we have to try.
Then we do it now.
Before the next
forgetting starts
and we lose our convictions.
Suddenly, you're okay with this?
You are guided by your emotions.
They are your truth.
I find them
convincing. The totem
teaches that we live in
each moment, embrace them.
If this is your moment,
then I will help.
Yes, this-this is my moment.
I'm going to the palace
to get our memories back.
♪
Here.
Rest.
[La'An groans]
You sure it was
okay to move her?
When I get my memory
back, she should be close.
Plus, if the
forgetting starts...
We won't remember
that she needs help.
Keep her safe. When
we find the casket,
I'll get your memories, too.
LUQ: No.
Leave mine in there.
You don't want to
know your past?
That symbol around your neck...
You said there was
something else about it.
Have you deciphered it yet?
I just know that
it was a-a gift...
from someone I'm connected to,
someone I need to get back to.
I-I feel it. I feel them.
You're talking about love.
It's something that forgetting
can't take from you.
Love.
And its absence.
I inked over them. I
don't remember why.
Even without memories,
pain also remains.
Totems pass from
parent to child,
yet I have no one to give it to.
I don't know the story.
I don't want to know.
I feel the absence,
the loss.
Knowing the story
won't ease my sorrow.
If you still carry the weight...
don't you want to
know what it is?
Would that make it any better?
You're searching for
your lost memories,
but do you really know
what you will find?
We're doing this for her.
And for whomever gave you that.
You're brave to face it.
I am past the need to remember.
I'm too afraid of the pain.
[La'An groans]
Hey, come on.
Stay with us.
I wish I could, but I...
M'BENGA: We'll be back soon.
Give 'em hell for me.
M'BENGA: So,
we're doing this?
We get in close.
[high-pitched ringing]
[ringing continuing]
[groans]
Huh.
- [ringing stops]
- [alarm blaring]
What is this place?
Why have you brought us here?
Me?
Did I do this?
Who are you?
I...
should know, but I do not.
I believe the answer is
here, but I cannot read it.
What is this place?
I do not know.
I feel like we were trying
to make something better.
But somehow...
it got worse.
Plus, I feel
I'm angry at you.
So maybe it's your fault.
Emotions are not facts.
[groaning]
I see you're experiencing
the same cranial
discomfort that I am.
I need to, uh...
I need to get out of here.
Find someplace...
safe.
I do not believe
that is possible.
COMPUTER: Destination?
Hello?
COMPUTER: Please state
your destination.
Me?
Uh...
home.
Take me home.
Deck Six.
[indistinct chattering]
This is home?
Officer's quarters
are on Deck Six.
Where?
Section G, Room 629.
But where is that?
Follow the illuminated path.
Oh.
Right.
Follow the path.
At Junction 6B9, turn right.
Just follow the path.
[chuckles softly]
This feels right.
I feel safe here.
[booming]
Oh...
Please, please make it stop.
Somebody, make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Please, make it
stop. Make it stop.
[high-pitched ringing]
[ringing stops]
[grunting]
[phaser rifle whirrs up]
He grazed my leg.
It's not too bad, but I
can't put weight on it.
We'll just have to
take it slow then.
No, it's getting late.
I've already lost time.
Maybe you have, too.
Hold 'em back as
long as you can.
Then get inside
and lock the gate.
I'll come find you when
I get our memories back.
- [banging, rumbling]
- No. No.
Not like this.
I'm not ready.
Are you still there?
Miss? Ma'am?
Can you hear me?
COMPUTER: Affirmative.
Stop the rocks.
Unable to comply.
Do something with...
Help. We need help.
Do you require
medical attention?
No! Uh, we-we need
to get out of here.
Would you like to plot a course?
Plot a what?
Say that again.
Would you like to plot a course?
I know that.
I don't know who I am.
So why do I know that?
You are Lieutenant
Erica Ortegas,
alpha shift pilot
assigned to the USSEnterprise.
I'm a pilot?
Affirmative.
I fly the ship?
Affirmative.
Wh...
So...
So...
if the ship is gonna get
out of this horrible place,
it's up to me?
Affirmative.
Oh.
Ah.
[short exhale]
I'm Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
Affirmative.
I'm Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
I fly the ship?
I am Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
I am Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
I'm Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
You know how to operate this?
I think so.
It feels like mine.
Emotions are not fa...
I'm the pilot, just trust me.
I feel like I know
how to do this.
And I'm the only one who can.
Yes. Yes, you are.
I believe you.
Now get us out of here.
Abso-friggin'-lutely.
[grunts]
PIKE: I've barred the doors.
It's just you and me.
You aren't supposed to be here.
Well, I am.
You tell me you're in charge?
[grunting]
I yield.
- I yield.
- Where's the casket?
What?
Our memories.
[chuckles]: Oh.
You heard the story.
That nonsense from the totem.
I don't want to hurt you.
But if you don't tell me...
I will.
It isn't real.
Stop lying!
[groaning]
It's all a lie!
You have your
memories and we don't.
How do I get them back?
I can't.
What is it?
A machine?
A chemical that takes them away?
I need our memories!
So far...
so good.
Not too bad.
It would be wise to avoid that.
No time. Got to
thread the needle.
Hang on.
♪
ZACARIAS: There!
That's all I have.
PIKE: These are all...
tools.
I need our memories
to come back.
Don't you recognize
those things?
They feel familiar, but I...
A box can't hold memories.
You know that.
It's a myth.
An asteroid hit this planet
thousands of years ago.
This palace is made of an ore
that protects us
against its radiation.
Like our helmets.
I don't believe you.
- There has to be something more.
- It's true.
But of course you
don't believe me.
Not you.
You know me.
You know who I am?
I thought you would
wander around.
Get lost among the field Kalar.
It figures you'd
start a revolution.
- [laughing]
- My friend is dying.
It'll come back to you soon.
You've been inside the
palace long enough.
[laughing]
Stop laughing.
[groaning]
[giggling]
You fell for that
lame totem story.
[groans]
I just want our memories.
Your-your friend
is going to die.
[continues laughing]
Enough.
No.
Please don't kill
me. I take it back.
[high-pitched ringing]
I take it all back.
[ringing stops]
I'm not gonna kill you, Zac.
You were about to.
All over a fairy tale.
I told you. Rigel
VII changes people.
No.
No, it doesn't.
It shows us who we really are.
I came here to save
my security officer.
The lives of my crew
mean everything to me.
When we left you before, I...
I mourned you.
Zac.
I'm so sorry you
got left behind.
But everything that came
after... That's your own doing.
You cannot blame me for that.
All right.
So, now what?
I'm bringing you home.
Starfleet will decide the rest.
He was right.
Not having a past...
it can be nice for a while.
I know what you mean.
But maybe some memories are
worth the pain of others.
It's good to be back.
Yes, it is.
- You decided to stay.
- [shudders]
You got memories back.
I had a family.
A son.
[chuckles softly]
A lot like you.
[exhales, sniffles]
Thank you for giving
them all back to me.
I was wrong before.
All field Kalar should
know about their past.
The story of your life,
the details...
they matter.
So...
now you know who gave you that.
Who is it?
Someone I need to apologize to.
ORTEGAS: Pilot's personal log,
stardate 1632.2.
As soon as we cleared
the debris field,
our memories came back.
Turns out those unknown elements
Spock found in the asteroids
were causing all the problems.
We went there to save ourselves
but almost lost
theEnterprise instead.
I don't blame Spock.
He's still got a lot to learn.
Plus, he made up for it by
devising a shield harmonic
to protect us from
the radiation.
As for the Kalar on Rigel VII,
Captain Pike has a more
permanent solution in mind.
Shuttles report
tractor locks stable.
You are certain this
is not a violation
of the Prime Directive, sir?
A single asteroid changed the
course of history on this planet
for thousands of years.
That's not natural development.
Your logic...
feels sound to me.
Ready for some
fancy flying, Erica?
No one but you
could pull this off.
Oh, you know I've got this.
♪
When you do the same
thing every day,
it's easy to forget how
important that thing is,
how awesome that thing is.
I won't let that happen again.
I'm Erica Ortegas,
and I fly the ship.
So you diverted two starships
for a routine prisoner transfer?
You know it's more than that.
I read the report.
Sounds like you had a
rough couple of days.
Yeah, I did.
But I learned something.
About me.
Uh, and about us.
Us?
I was wrong.
You tried to tell me
and I couldn't see it.
Instead I acted like an ass.
Can I get that in writing?
Whatever it takes.
Oh, and you were
right about this, too.
[chuckles]
It brings lost sailors home.
I don't know.
You said it yourself...
It's not easy,
whatever this is between us.
Was.
I know.
But... [sighs]
there are only a handful
of people in the galaxy
who get what it is to
be a Starfleet captain.
Who aren't diminished by the
fact that our duties come first,
our crews come first.
That's a strength,
not a weakness.
So where are you
gonna find another gal
who gets you like I do?
You brought me home.
That's what happened
on Rigel VII.
I can't walk away from that.
I know I don't deserve you.
But I'm asking.
Will you forgive me?
[sighs]
Let's see how the
next 30 minutes go
and take it from there.
♪
Previously on Star Trek:
Strange New Worlds...
We're going to find a way to
win because it's what's right.
There's the Boy
Scout in you again.
BATEL: I've done everything
in my power to help Una.
But if you take that stand, your
whole crew could be at risk.
The war is over, Joseph.
Yes, but how could it ever be?
LA'AN: The enemy doesn't
care about my feelings,
so I don't waste
my time having any.
Know how you used to brag you
were going to be the best pilot
ever to graduate the academy?
Time to prove it, Lieutenant.
No presh.
Open emotion is dangerous.
It's good to get mad sometimes.
PIKE: Captain's personal
log, stardate 1630.1.
Enterprise is currently
assisting the USSCayuga
in a joint mission, charting
a new binary system.
Captain Batel and I
are taking advantage
by attempting a perilous
maneuver of our own:
- stealing a little personal time.
- [door chimes]
Come in.
Mmm.
Mmm. Is that your
mother's sauce?
- Anything else would be a crime against tomatoes.
- [comm chimes]
UNA: Bridge to captain Pike.
The latest duty reports
- have been finalized.
- Number One,
unless it's a red
alert, I'm incommunicado
for the next half hour.
- Understood, Captain.
- Now,
where were we?
Didn't realize we
were doing gifts.
- Well, you made dinner, so I thought...
- [comm chimes]
UHURA: Bridge to Captain Batel,
theCayuga's hailing you, sir,
- Is it the Admiral calling?
- Negative.
They are asking you to
confirm a course correction.
- It can wait.
- Acknowledge. I will relay.
- It's rude to arrive empty-handed.
- Well...
Where did you...
Found it on Galt.
An Opelian Mariner's Keystone.
BATEL: Ancient Opelian
Captains wore them
to guide lost sailors home.
Yeah. It's amazing.
- Thank you.
- [comm chimes]
UHURA: Bridge to
Captain Batel.
Incoming transmission
from Admiral Eldon.
- Sorry, I have to...
- Yeah, no, go, go.
I've got sauce.
Route transmission
to Captain Pike's
personal station, please.
I understand.
It's just one of those things.
Yes. I'm fine, thank you.
Everything okay?
Yeah, let's just have dinner.
Cayugaexpects me back in ten.
William Geary was
promoted to commodore?
[chuckles softly]
- It's just not my time.
- That promotion was yours.
Well, apparently
there are concerns.
What, do they mean us or...
This is Judge Advocate
Pasalk. He's punishing me.
For Una's trial.
Yeah, so it is about us.
Okay, Chris, can we just eat?
I'm worried.
This is difficult.
Difficult is not the
same as impossible.
- 30 minutes here, ten minutes there, who are we kidding?
- Even if it's just
a moment together, I'll
take what I can get.
Now I'm hurting your career.
That sounds like an excuse.
I'm just...
I'm saying...
May-Maybe we should
pull it back a little.
Your timing is perfect.
I should get back to my ship.
See you when I see you, Captain.
[door whooshes open]
- [comm chimes]
- [door whooshes shut]
UNA: Bridge to captain Pike.
Apologies for the
interruption, but we received
a sensitive communication
from Command.
It's about Rigel VII.
Copy, Number One.
Pike out.
UNA: Rigel VII.
We were there five years
ago as a routine exploration
of a remote M-Class planet.
Then we discovered the Kalar.
Bronze Age society
organized in a caste system.
A formidable warrior class
and a secretive ruling class.
That's it.
We didn't have much time
to do a proper survey.
LA'AN: The entire
mission was only
four hours with an
emergency evacuation?
It was short. Yes.
We had just arrived when
the landing party...
ran into some complications.
We were ambushed. We
lost three people.
Had to get to Vega colony
before Spock's
injuries made it four.
So, why go back now?
Scans can't penetrate
Rigel VII's atmosphere.
Part of why we went in
underprepared last time.
It's documented using
long-range photography
scheduled for observation
every couple of years.
We're here to take photos?
No, a recent flyby
already sent images
to Starfleet a week ago.
The data was analyzed
this morning.
[monitor chirps]
They're using our Delta.
PIKE: We must have
left something behind.
Any level of cultural
contamination needs to be
surveyed and
corrected if possible.
So you need a doctor for
a Prime Directive mission?
I need you.
The initial landing party
will be a small strike team
to assess how bad the
cultural contamination is.
PIKE: Last time we went down
there, we were in uniform.
I am not making
that mistake twice.
This is an undercover
recon operation.
Once we have our intel,
we can devise a plan
- to retrieve any Starfleet tech we can find.
- Let's get to it.
[door whooshes open]
[door whooshes shut]
I noticed the Cayuga
left in a bit of a rush.
She had lots of pressing
issues to manage,
much like Enterprise.
We decided to take
some time apart.
Oh.
- You did that thing you do.
- What thing?
That thing when
someone gets too close.
It's tough, so you panic,
find reasons to push 'em away.
I don't do that.
Do I?
You do that.
Hmm.
I like her, Chris.
I like her, too.
I like her for you.
So do I.
Then why torpedo it?
It's just... it's complicated.
You know how it is
as a command officer.
We're responsible for
other people's lives.
That doesn't leave a whole
lot of time for our own.
Everyone deserves
joy in their life.
Even a captain.
Well, it's not like
I have the luxury
of working it out now.
Rigel VII.
I still think about it.
What could I have
done differently?
- It wasn't your fault, Chris.
- I led the mission.
Whatever we find down
there, it's on me.
If it really bothers
you, I'm sure Command
would understand if
we recused ourselves.
Command offered us this
assignment as a courtesy.
Their way of saying
what we already know.
Enterpriseneeds to
clean up its own mess.
♪
PIKE: Space.
The final frontier.
These are the voyages of
the starshipEnterprise.
Its five-year mission:
to explore strange new worlds,
to seek out new life
and new civilizations,
to boldly go where no
one has gone before.
♪
♪
♪
ORTEGAS: Pilots personal
log. Stardate 1630.3.
I'm Lieutenant Erica Ortegas.
Most of the time,
I fly the ship,
which is cool but
can get boring.
Today is different.
Rigel VII'S atmosphere
is a hot mess
of wind shear, exotic radiation
and heavy particles that jam
the sensors on our shuttles.
Piloting down takes
incredible skill,
which I have, but the best part:
I'm with the landing party,
something I almost
never get to do.
Nice.
You're actually wearing the hat?
Are you kidding?
The hat is supreme.
We're Kalarans now. Recon 101.
The Stecora Debris Field
we observed previously
is descending. By
my calculations,
it will intersect
multiple points
along these ship's
intended orbital plane.
- Debris from what?
- Likely an impact
between two large
celestial bodies
that orbited Rigel VII
several centuries ago.
Can't you just say "two moons"?
I could, but that would be
leaping to a conclusion.
Analysis is underway,
but I would merely characterize
the fragments as volatile.
We get it, Spock.
ORTEGAS: All right,
well, on we go.
Let's get to that shuttle bay
and have ourselves a landing...
party.
PIKE: Maintaining
stability will require
piloting Enterpriseby hand.
Between the fragments
and the gravity shifts,
I'll have to make
manual adjustments
every 20 minutes
or lights out, Enterprise.
I'm glad you get it.
We need you here
keeping Enterprisesafe.
Aye, Captain, but, uh,
who's gonna fly the shuttle
through all that choppy
sky and radiation?
I may not be Erica Ortegas,
but I was a test pilot,
remember? We'll get
you next time, promise.
[shuttle bay door opens]
[door closes]
I was not responsible
for the data.
- It would be illogical to blame...
- Shh, shh.
Just...
learn when to leave
people alone, Spock.
Sorry. I'm working on that.
♪
LA'AN: Hello,
atmospheric disturbance.
I'm guessing that's what messes
with our scans from orbit.
Well, according to the readings,
impact happened
thousands of years ago.
M'BENGA: An asteroid
that size should have
- wiped out half the planet.
- PIKE: Probably did.
The Kalar settlement's
a hemisphere over.
We're flying in
under cloud cover.
So they won't see us coming.
Then hiking 20 kilometers
through hostile territory.
You read the brief. Good.
Now hold on to your saddles,
it's gonna get a little
choppy on descent.
Hold up, I need to fill you in
on a unique condition
of our being here.
We cannot risk any
further contamination,
so we're not bringing
any of the usual tech.
Spock mocked up some
items consistent with
the planet's
current development.
Are you joking?
We just said this is
hostile territory.
I brought the both
of you for a reason.
Kalar warriors are fierce.
M'BENGA: You needed fighters
who can handle themselves
without a phaser.
We've got subdermal
universal translators.
That's all we'll need.
And if things go sideways again?
They won't. But if they do,
I trust the three
of us to handle it.
- You're good?
- I'm fine.
Doctors love being
tasked for a mission
because of their combat skills.
[high-pitched ringing]
[ringing stops]
PIKE [echoing]: La'An.
[echo fades]: Hey, La'An.
La'An.
You all right?
Sorry, what was-what
was I saying?
Lieutenant?
How are you feeling?
Not gonna lie, a
little light-headed,
but, um, I'm past it now.
Do you have any other symptoms?
Maybe...
For a moment, I heard this...
this ringing in my ears.
Tinnitus. Could
be the altitude.
To be sure, I have
to run a diagnostic.
We're six hours from
where we hid the shuttle.
Six hours, really?
It's not too far to go back.
We'd never make it by nightfall.
Temperature drops
drastically, it gets deadly.
No, our best tactical
option is to move forward.
Clear these foothills,
get into the valley.
I'm not so sure.
Is your official diagnosis
that we need to go back?
No.
Her pulse is normal.
Other than momentary confusion,
I see no reason to turn around.
La'An?
I'll be fine, Captain.
All right.
Let's get into the valley.
Find our objective, make
camp for the night there.
Sir.
La'An's breathed
thinner air than this.
I hope it really is nothing.
LA'AN: It's not
just the garden.
They've put the Delta
on the entryway.
PIKE: We need to speak to Kalar
who live outside the palace.
They're more likely
to talk to us.
Maybe they can tell us
what it means to them.
LA'AN: And if that fails,
we blend in as servants,
- infiltrate the castle.
- [brief, high-pitched ringing]
[sharp inhale, exhale]
- You all right?
- [sighs]
Yeah, it's nothing, just a...
headache.
Probably need to eat something.
Or M'Benga was right.
Maybe we lay low tonight,
make for the shuttle at dawn.
No. Captain, you
need to see this.
Spock was bleeding out
when I ordered the evac.
We fought our way back
to the landing zone.
I wasn't exactly tracking
gear at that point.
Captain!
Captain...
we've got company.
Three on six. We've got this.
Let's try diplomacy first.
Greetings.
My friends and I have
traveled far from the north.
We apologize if
we're trespassing.
We mean no disrespect.
[whirring up]
We know you come from Starfleet.
[high-pitched ringing]
GUARD [echoing]:
Get going. Move it.
[ringing, echo fades]
What is this place?
Where are you taking us?
MAN: I saw that little
streak in the sky.
I knew it had to be a shuttle.
When you serve as yeoman
on the Enterprise,
- you become an expert.
- Zac?
You're alive. I-I thought...
Does it ease your conscience?
I-I'm just happy to see you.
Are we meant to
know this person?
He's a KIA from the report.
Only I wasn't killed in action.
- I was left behind.
- PIKE: Zac,
they told me that you went down.
But you never saw
it for yourself.
- You didn't bother to confirm it.
- Zac...
It's High Lord Zacarias.
That's what they call me here.
You'll do the same.
I'm a long way from yeoman.
Arming your men with phaser
rifles probably helped.
PIKE: We're here now.
We can fix whatever
mistakes we made.
- It's a little late for that.
- PIKE: Zac.
W-We saw your
message, the, um...
the Delta in the garden.
It's why we came. Isn't
that why you did it?
The people here adopted
it as my symbol.
I should have known better.
It's all getting
torn out tomorrow.
Look, I understand you're upset.
It must have been hard surviving
here all on your own, but...
[short chuckle]
you managed it.
You have no idea.
This isn't a normal
planet, Pike.
Haven't you noticed how
hard it is to think?
- The ringing in your ears.
- You felt that, too?
ZACARIAS: The radiation
here affects your brain.
First the ringing.
Lost time, fear.
Then, finally, the
forgetting, and...
you're a Kalar.
PIKE: Whatever you're
going through, we can help.
- Come back to the ship.
- I armed the locals
with Starfleet tech
and made myself king.
- There's no going back for me.
- Zac, please listen to reason.
Reason doesn't exist here.
You'll learn that. [grunts]
Feels right...
to watch you suffer like I did.
Enterpriseis in orbit.
They'll be coming for us.
By tomorrow, no
one will remember.
Including you.
- M'BENGA: Captain?
- What are you doing?
Zac, what are you doing?
Zac, you're making a mistake.
Rigel VII changes people.
- [high-pitched ringing] - ZACARIAS
[echoing]: I'm gonna have fun
watching it work its
magic on you three.
[ringing continues]
- [ringing stops]
- What happened?
Where are we?
This is a cage.
We were captured?
My head.
Ow. Mine, too.
If we can find the
source of the-the...
the radiation, it...
Maybe that volcano, um...
The steam vents...
How long has she been out?
[grunts]
- Get away from me!
- [Pike groans] La'An.
Who are you?
- La'An.
- Is that my name?
What's happening?
Time loss. Fear.
And then you forget.
This is what he
was talking about.
Who?
The... the...
Him. The, uh...
H-He said...
he said we would forget,
uh...
Can anyone tell me
what we're doing here?
I don't know.
I don't know.
- [high-pitched ringing] - SPOCK
[echoing]: 67% iron, 80% nickel,
detectable magnesium, radium
and at least three
unidentified elements.
ORTEGAS: Plan on marrying
that debris field, Spock?
UNA: Ensign Uhura, report.
- [ringing, echoing stops]
- Ensign Uhura?
I'm sorry, yes.
Uh, submitting our
situation report
- to the UFP relay.
- Situation report?
I ordered that two hours ago.
Two hours ago?
Really?
This is what happens
when you stay up
translating Tellarite sonnets
instead of getting shut-eye.
Uh...
A-A question, sir.
Did I do it?
Did I transmit the report?
UNA: Ensign Uhura,
I want you to report
to sickbay immediately.
Uh-huh. I-I agree with that.
I'm feeling a
little disoriented.
Maybe someone should make
sure she actually gets there.
UNA: You go. I'll take over.
ORTEGAS: Are you sure? What
about the debris field?
I flew the Enterprise
before you did, Lieutenant.
Right.
Report back on her condition
as soon as possible.
Aye, Commander.
Come on, Nyota. Let's
get you sorted out.
CHAPEL: So, how are
you feeling, exactly?
Uh, at first, there was this
loud ringing sound.
Now I have a headache.
Does that mean something?
Hey. It's gonna
be okay. Relax.
So, does it mean something?
I need to run a complete
neurological analysis.
I've never seen
anything like this.
Synaptic degradation in frontal,
parietal and temporal lobes.
That doesn't sound good.
Hey, you rest.
I'll run some more tests.
Half an hour ago she was fine.
Yeah, and now something's
blocking her neural pathways.
Could be viral, bacterial,
environmental exposure.
She's been at her
station all day.
Maybe a delayed reaction. Hey,
what did you have for breakfast?
Uh...
same thing I always have.
Oatmeal.
Drugs are working.
As long as it stays
isolated to Uhura,
- we should be able to manage it.
- Cool.
- [comm chimes]
- SPOCK: Bridge to sickbay.
We have a medical emergency.
Hi, Spock. What's happening?
I am getting reports
that six crew members
in engineering are suffering
from acute memory loss.
I am having them
come to you now.
Definitely not the oatmeal.
[woman coughs]
[door opens]
Move or starve.
[groans]
Wait. Wait!
It's all right. They've...
they've had a rough forgetting.
There is no totem
here to guide you.
What totem?
- Why are we in a cage?
- MAN: You must have wandered.
These keep us safe at night.
I can help you
re-center, but hurry.
- They don't like to wait.
- I don't know you.
I don't know any of you.
Or maybe we've known each
other our whole lives.
Look at your colors... blue.
That means you work in
the stone quarry, like me.
- My colors are green.
- So you chop the wood.
- Hurry up!
- Okay. All right.
We're coming.
- The three of you...
- Move.
Look at me.
Be in the moment with me.
Follow along.
- How are you so calm?
- I'll show you later, my totem.
I wake every morning to it.
Right now, just
be in this moment.
[grunts]
I don't like not
knowing what's going on.
I don't like being forced labor.
Our work is a blessing.
We have purpose.
That's why we're here.
Is that from your totem?
It's how we all live.
You had a hard
forgetting last night.
Tonight your forgetting
will be easier.
- I'll guide you, all of you.
- PIKE: Forgetting.
Are... are you
talking about sleep?
Sleep is what the
Kalar in the palace do.
We have forgettings.
Okay, listen...
whatever your name is,
thank you for helping,
but unless I get some
straight answers from you,
I'm gonna take this hammer
and get it from those
guards over there.
Please don't. You'll be hurt.
We are the Kalar from the field.
We look out for each other.
Every night, we
have our forgetting.
We don't lose the
deeply known things.
Walking, talking,
other things deep inside us.
But the remembered things...
Who we are, where we live...
Those go away.
Every night?
How does society work?
Well, the Kalar from the palace
keep their memories.
We have pictures and each other
to help guide us.
And...
fruit of the gods.
Its oils help to
create our symbols.
It's how I know my name is Luq.
I don't... I don't have any...
No... no pictures.
Me neither.
And look, these are not hands
that have seen work
in a stone quarry.
Something's not right here.
You aren't from the field.
That's what keeps bothering me.
We don't belong here.
Do the palace Kalar
have pictures?
Maybe that's where we came from.
And, oh, look. I have this.
It, uh, it belongs to someone,
but it's also mine, a gift.
[sighs] There's something else.
Yes, that's how it's done.
Emotions can guide you
where memories can't.
I-I feel like he
also came with us.
We need to get back
to where we came from.
You can chase that feeling and
never find the answer you seek.
The totem says,
"Let go of before.
Live in the moment."
Hey! Back to work.
There's only two guards now.
LA'AN: We could overtake
them, but it doesn't
look like anyone else
wants to fight back.
They've been conditioned.
Maybe one day you fight,
next day you forget why.
You give up.
Move! Faster.
- He's in pain.
- Field Kalar don't talk back.
[grunting]
Look out! [grunting]
What have you done?
Put pressure on the wound.
You know to fix her.
You must be a
healer, uh, a doctor.
Yes, maybe.
I believe I know how
to ease her pain.
We can't stay. We
need to leave now.
She's right. More
guards will come.
We need to find a place
where we can hide,
- stay out of the open.
- I don't even know where we are.
I can help. Follow me.
Synaptic degradation is apparent
across all neural pathways.
And this is
affecting our memory?
Only explicit memory is lost.
Information and-and facts.
Implicit memory...
-uh, procedures we learn
-[high-pitched ringing]
and can recall by
instinct or emotion...
Those all remain intact.
[ringing stops]
Sorry. Explain it again.
I could treat a simple wound.
I've done it a thousand times.
But I won't remember that
it's my job to do it.
And I couldn't perform any
complicated procedures.
Or surgery.
That's what's happening.
And a third of the
crew is already down.
We are forgetting who we are.
- What's this?
- All vital crew members should carry
their personal information
file, in case you forget.
It's a Band-Aid.
It's not a solution.
How long before
it gets everyone?
There's no pattern,
no common denominator
among patients.
But the first
symptom is tinnitus,
followed by an intense migraine.
According to my calculations,
it will be less than an hour
before we are unable to
cover all critical stations.
Theories. What's causing this?
Best guess, some kind
of exotic radiation.
It started when we arrived here.
We were not in orbit this
long on our last visit.
Logic suggests Rigel
VII is the source.
We need to go. But we can't...
[ringing resumes]
leave them. We c-can't
leave the, um...
Do you mean the landing party?
- Yes.
- [ringing stops]
Them and a cap... and
the Captain, and...
- Damn it, I can't think.
- I need to get you to sickbay.
I have no desire to
strand our landing party,
but we must prioritize the
safety of our entire crew.
May I alter course?
Keep us close.
If we have it this bad up here,
who knows how they're
doing down there.
Lieutenant, break orbit and set
a course for the debris field.
That's a terrible idea.
I believe radiation from
the planet's atmosphere
is interfering with
the crew's memory.
Many of the elements
in the debris field
are a natural shield against
radioactive isotopes.
They may protect us.
Before or after
they pulverize us?
Are you not able to safely
navigate through the field?
Hey, now you're being offensive.
- Then plot a course.
- [scoffs]
In case of memory loss.
Right.
I fly the ship.
[sighs] I fly the ship.
LUQ: The sign
matches my symbol.
This belongs to me.
This is my home.
[La'An groans]
Water. Water.
Easy.
Don't strain yourself.
[La'An sighs]
Her wound is deep.
She won't last much
longer without treatment.
I believe I can save her.
But her injury is complex.
I can't treat it by guessing
blindly with hunches.
So you need your memories back.
You need to let it
go, both of you.
Allow her last
moments to be serene,
not anxious and fearful.
I'm not ready to have my
last moments yet, thank you.
This woman...
She's my friend.
I can feel it now.
I have to try.
We can't just let her die.
You are not seeing the point.
The forgetting is a blessing.
Things from the heart,
things that matter...
They don't go away.
But the details, the anguish...
Those will all fade.
- That sounds like a nightmare.
- Why?
Instead of feeling the
pain of her passing,
we will be spared
the memory of it.
Stop saying I'm going to die.
Please calm down.
She's running a fever.
You keep talking about a totem
that-that explains everything.
- Where is it?
- You're standing right next to it.
The story of the Kalar.
It greets us when we rise
and helps make
sense of the world.
What does it say
about the palace?
The gods decided long
ago that there would be
two types of Kalar.
Those who remember
to plan our future
and record our past, and...
and those who forget
to keep the work of
the present continuing.
It's convenient that some do
all the work while others don't.
That is not true.
The palace Kalar remember so
the rest of us can be free.
We have no past, no burdens.
I'll take my burdens if it means
- I can heal people.
- PIKE: Wh...
How do the palace Kalar
hold on to their memories?
I-I... I do not
know for certain.
There's a legend that
the palace Kalars'
memories are protected
inside a casket
hidden in the palace.
Yes, you said we
were from the palace.
Must be, look... We-we
have no calluses.
I said you were
not from the field.
The answers we need
are not on this totem.
Listen to me.
She risked her own
life to save mine.
And right now the only
thing that will save her
is in his memory.
We have to get them back.
You are serious. You
want to save her.
Yes.
Yes, we have to try.
Then we do it now.
Before the next
forgetting starts
and we lose our convictions.
Suddenly, you're okay with this?
You are guided by your emotions.
They are your truth.
I find them
convincing. The totem
teaches that we live in
each moment, embrace them.
If this is your moment,
then I will help.
Yes, this-this is my moment.
I'm going to the palace
to get our memories back.
♪
Here.
Rest.
[La'An groans]
You sure it was
okay to move her?
When I get my memory
back, she should be close.
Plus, if the
forgetting starts...
We won't remember
that she needs help.
Keep her safe. When
we find the casket,
I'll get your memories, too.
LUQ: No.
Leave mine in there.
You don't want to
know your past?
That symbol around your neck...
You said there was
something else about it.
Have you deciphered it yet?
I just know that
it was a-a gift...
from someone I'm connected to,
someone I need to get back to.
I-I feel it. I feel them.
You're talking about love.
It's something that forgetting
can't take from you.
Love.
And its absence.
I inked over them. I
don't remember why.
Even without memories,
pain also remains.
Totems pass from
parent to child,
yet I have no one to give it to.
I don't know the story.
I don't want to know.
I feel the absence,
the loss.
Knowing the story
won't ease my sorrow.
If you still carry the weight...
don't you want to
know what it is?
Would that make it any better?
You're searching for
your lost memories,
but do you really know
what you will find?
We're doing this for her.
And for whomever gave you that.
You're brave to face it.
I am past the need to remember.
I'm too afraid of the pain.
[La'An groans]
Hey, come on.
Stay with us.
I wish I could, but I...
M'BENGA: We'll be back soon.
Give 'em hell for me.
M'BENGA: So,
we're doing this?
We get in close.
[high-pitched ringing]
[ringing continuing]
[groans]
Huh.
- [ringing stops]
- [alarm blaring]
What is this place?
Why have you brought us here?
Me?
Did I do this?
Who are you?
I...
should know, but I do not.
I believe the answer is
here, but I cannot read it.
What is this place?
I do not know.
I feel like we were trying
to make something better.
But somehow...
it got worse.
Plus, I feel
I'm angry at you.
So maybe it's your fault.
Emotions are not facts.
[groaning]
I see you're experiencing
the same cranial
discomfort that I am.
I need to, uh...
I need to get out of here.
Find someplace...
safe.
I do not believe
that is possible.
COMPUTER: Destination?
Hello?
COMPUTER: Please state
your destination.
Me?
Uh...
home.
Take me home.
Deck Six.
[indistinct chattering]
This is home?
Officer's quarters
are on Deck Six.
Where?
Section G, Room 629.
But where is that?
Follow the illuminated path.
Oh.
Right.
Follow the path.
At Junction 6B9, turn right.
Just follow the path.
[chuckles softly]
This feels right.
I feel safe here.
[booming]
Oh...
Please, please make it stop.
Somebody, make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Please, make it
stop. Make it stop.
[high-pitched ringing]
[ringing stops]
[grunting]
[phaser rifle whirrs up]
He grazed my leg.
It's not too bad, but I
can't put weight on it.
We'll just have to
take it slow then.
No, it's getting late.
I've already lost time.
Maybe you have, too.
Hold 'em back as
long as you can.
Then get inside
and lock the gate.
I'll come find you when
I get our memories back.
- [banging, rumbling]
- No. No.
Not like this.
I'm not ready.
Are you still there?
Miss? Ma'am?
Can you hear me?
COMPUTER: Affirmative.
Stop the rocks.
Unable to comply.
Do something with...
Help. We need help.
Do you require
medical attention?
No! Uh, we-we need
to get out of here.
Would you like to plot a course?
Plot a what?
Say that again.
Would you like to plot a course?
I know that.
I don't know who I am.
So why do I know that?
You are Lieutenant
Erica Ortegas,
alpha shift pilot
assigned to the USSEnterprise.
I'm a pilot?
Affirmative.
I fly the ship?
Affirmative.
Wh...
So...
So...
if the ship is gonna get
out of this horrible place,
it's up to me?
Affirmative.
Oh.
Ah.
[short exhale]
I'm Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
Affirmative.
I'm Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
I fly the ship?
I am Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
I am Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
I'm Erica Ortegas.
I fly the ship.
You know how to operate this?
I think so.
It feels like mine.
Emotions are not fa...
I'm the pilot, just trust me.
I feel like I know
how to do this.
And I'm the only one who can.
Yes. Yes, you are.
I believe you.
Now get us out of here.
Abso-friggin'-lutely.
[grunts]
PIKE: I've barred the doors.
It's just you and me.
You aren't supposed to be here.
Well, I am.
You tell me you're in charge?
[grunting]
I yield.
- I yield.
- Where's the casket?
What?
Our memories.
[chuckles]: Oh.
You heard the story.
That nonsense from the totem.
I don't want to hurt you.
But if you don't tell me...
I will.
It isn't real.
Stop lying!
[groaning]
It's all a lie!
You have your
memories and we don't.
How do I get them back?
I can't.
What is it?
A machine?
A chemical that takes them away?
I need our memories!
So far...
so good.
Not too bad.
It would be wise to avoid that.
No time. Got to
thread the needle.
Hang on.
♪
ZACARIAS: There!
That's all I have.
PIKE: These are all...
tools.
I need our memories
to come back.
Don't you recognize
those things?
They feel familiar, but I...
A box can't hold memories.
You know that.
It's a myth.
An asteroid hit this planet
thousands of years ago.
This palace is made of an ore
that protects us
against its radiation.
Like our helmets.
I don't believe you.
- There has to be something more.
- It's true.
But of course you
don't believe me.
Not you.
You know me.
You know who I am?
I thought you would
wander around.
Get lost among the field Kalar.
It figures you'd
start a revolution.
- [laughing]
- My friend is dying.
It'll come back to you soon.
You've been inside the
palace long enough.
[laughing]
Stop laughing.
[groaning]
[giggling]
You fell for that
lame totem story.
[groans]
I just want our memories.
Your-your friend
is going to die.
[continues laughing]
Enough.
No.
Please don't kill
me. I take it back.
[high-pitched ringing]
I take it all back.
[ringing stops]
I'm not gonna kill you, Zac.
You were about to.
All over a fairy tale.
I told you. Rigel
VII changes people.
No.
No, it doesn't.
It shows us who we really are.
I came here to save
my security officer.
The lives of my crew
mean everything to me.
When we left you before, I...
I mourned you.
Zac.
I'm so sorry you
got left behind.
But everything that came
after... That's your own doing.
You cannot blame me for that.
All right.
So, now what?
I'm bringing you home.
Starfleet will decide the rest.
He was right.
Not having a past...
it can be nice for a while.
I know what you mean.
But maybe some memories are
worth the pain of others.
It's good to be back.
Yes, it is.
- You decided to stay.
- [shudders]
You got memories back.
I had a family.
A son.
[chuckles softly]
A lot like you.
[exhales, sniffles]
Thank you for giving
them all back to me.
I was wrong before.
All field Kalar should
know about their past.
The story of your life,
the details...
they matter.
So...
now you know who gave you that.
Who is it?
Someone I need to apologize to.
ORTEGAS: Pilot's personal log,
stardate 1632.2.
As soon as we cleared
the debris field,
our memories came back.
Turns out those unknown elements
Spock found in the asteroids
were causing all the problems.
We went there to save ourselves
but almost lost
theEnterprise instead.
I don't blame Spock.
He's still got a lot to learn.
Plus, he made up for it by
devising a shield harmonic
to protect us from
the radiation.
As for the Kalar on Rigel VII,
Captain Pike has a more
permanent solution in mind.
Shuttles report
tractor locks stable.
You are certain this
is not a violation
of the Prime Directive, sir?
A single asteroid changed the
course of history on this planet
for thousands of years.
That's not natural development.
Your logic...
feels sound to me.
Ready for some
fancy flying, Erica?
No one but you
could pull this off.
Oh, you know I've got this.
♪
When you do the same
thing every day,
it's easy to forget how
important that thing is,
how awesome that thing is.
I won't let that happen again.
I'm Erica Ortegas,
and I fly the ship.
So you diverted two starships
for a routine prisoner transfer?
You know it's more than that.
I read the report.
Sounds like you had a
rough couple of days.
Yeah, I did.
But I learned something.
About me.
Uh, and about us.
Us?
I was wrong.
You tried to tell me
and I couldn't see it.
Instead I acted like an ass.
Can I get that in writing?
Whatever it takes.
Oh, and you were
right about this, too.
[chuckles]
It brings lost sailors home.
I don't know.
You said it yourself...
It's not easy,
whatever this is between us.
Was.
I know.
But... [sighs]
there are only a handful
of people in the galaxy
who get what it is to
be a Starfleet captain.
Who aren't diminished by the
fact that our duties come first,
our crews come first.
That's a strength,
not a weakness.
So where are you
gonna find another gal
who gets you like I do?
You brought me home.
That's what happened
on Rigel VII.
I can't walk away from that.
I know I don't deserve you.
But I'm asking.
Will you forgive me?
[sighs]
Let's see how the
next 30 minutes go
and take it from there.
♪