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This episode of Star Trek: Discovery was another single storyline episode, for the most part, as Michael is tasked with finding Booker and Ruon Tarka before they blow up the controller of the DMA, thwarting the Federation’s plan to make first contact with Species 10-C and start a potential intergalactic war. The mission is fraught with concerns, notably Saru who confides in Ni’Var President T’Rina his concerns and asks to do a calming ceremony with him. But his mind is too distracted by all that is going on, and to make him even more nervous the president basically asks him out on a dinner date. He seeks some guidance from Dr. Culber who flatly tells Saru that he’s an idiot for not pursuing T’Rina and his feelings. Whether that helped Saru or not remains to be seen because they had to fly into action before the situation with Book escalated.
While Admiral Vance has faith that Burhman can carry out her mission, he is placing an insurance policy on Discovery just in case her heart gets in the way of her duty, in the form of Burnham’s friend Commander Nhan, now a member of the Starfleet security force. Vance felt it would be better if the person who may need to take control of the mission was familiar to Michael rather than a complete stranger, and he was right. Michael thought that Nahn had returned to her home planet to bond with her family, but being unable to tell them that she was from 900 years in the past made it difficult so she returned to her duties at Starfleet. When Michael and Nahn enter the bridge, Michael makes it quite clear to her crew why Nahn is there and should she need to take over, they were to obey her orders. But is it really going to be that easy for Michael to allow someone else, even a friend, take over her mission?
Using the tracking device Michael put on the isolinium, they were easily able to find Book’s ship but its current location would make it impossible for Michael to beam anyone over. Cloaked and invisible to Book’s ship, Michael sends a cloaked shuttle to connect to his ship, the only way they’d be able to enter. But once locked in, the shuttle was beginning to be encased in some rocky substance, a security measure put in place by Tarka without Book’s knowledge. Unable to break free, the shuttle is nearly destroyed but not wanting anyone to die, Book and Tarka are able to lower their shields long enough for Discovery to beam Saru, Hugh, Rhys and Bryce back to the bridge just as the shuttle is destroyed. Prior to this, Rhys had been very vocal in his support of Booker, which Bryce did not appreciate (a little bit of current events snuck into the show with right vs left political views, eh?). But after nearly dying while attached to Book’s ship, Rhys now seems fully on board with Discovery’s mission.
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Book was furious and Tarka never expected anyone from Discovery to find them and get ensnared but it is what it is at this point. No one died, the bomb is ready, so it’s time to move on to the DMA. And poof, they’re gone thanks to the portable spore drive Tarka stole from the Federation. Michael knows that they are headed to the DMA, so they make the jump as well, hoping to put themselves between Book and the controller. Nahn is watching Michael closely, and is beginning to have some doubts that she’ll be able to stop Book. Nahn reveals to her and Saru that she is authorized to perform a last ditch effort that will target one vulnerable spot on Book’s ship (sort of like that exhaust port on the Death Star) and destroy it before they can launch the bomb. Michael assures her that she knows Book and she can talk him out of proceeding. Ah, but can she talk Tarka down as well?
When Book’s ship arrives and sees Discovery blocking the shot, he fires a few warning shots at them to ward them off. Michael, knowing Book’s tactics returns fire, concerning Tarka but Book assures him she is just doing the same thing he is. After a few more back and forths, Tarka has had enough and fires several torpedos at Discovery, which Nahn sees as a true act of aggression. Michael is shocked but is certain Book was not responsible. He won’t answer any of her hails so she does the next best thing — take a shuttle and flies it over to his viewscreen, to talk to him face-to-face. The data she’d previously given him about the DMA being a mining operation didn’t change their minds about blowing it up, but new data gathered by Stamets and Zora conclude that the DMA will remain in this location for a week before its mining operation is complete. No one will die, and Book and Tarka will be held on Discovery — not in cells — until the Federation can begin their First Contact operation. Book agrees, but Tarka tells him he needs to launch this bomb to create the energy he needs to get home. And … he fires the bomb, shocking Book and everyone on Discovery. But Tarka gets the real shock when, after destroying the controller there is no sign of the power source. The DMA is powered from the other side of the wormhole.
It’s unclear what happened to Book and Tarka, but Discovery has returned to Starfleet HQ where Michael has received a message from the USS Mitchell (is this a reference to Kenneth Mitchell, who has played several different roles on the series over the course of its run so far?). Where the DMA once was … is a new DMA, continuing the mining operation. Did they just inadvertently make first contact?
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