star trek phaser technology

Phaser Technology

From star trek: theurgy wiki.

Phasers (an acronym for PHAS ed E nergy R ectification) were the most common and standard directed energy weapon in the arsenal of Starfleet and several other powers. Most phasers were classified as particle weapons and fire nadion particle beams. Based on the intensity and field of the beam and a variety of adjustments, a wide variety of effects could be achieved. All Starfleet phasers followed a similar naming convention, with the lowest being handheld and each higher number becoming more powerful and larger in size. After the Type-III, Phasers were too unwieldy to be hand operated and required such power that they were only suitable to be attached to vehicles, vessels, or outposts.

• 1.2.1 Type-II Pulse Phase Pistol
• 1.3.1 Type-III EVA Variant
• 2 Phaser Rifle Evolution
• 4.1 Type-IV Phaser Bank
• 4.2 Type-V Phaser Bank
• 4.3 Type-VI Phaser Bank
• 4.4 Type-VII Phaser Array
• 4.5 Type-VIII Phaser Array
• 4.6 Type-IX Phaser Array
• 4.7 Type-X Phaser Array
• 4.8 Type-XI Phaser Array
• 4.9 Type-XII Phaser Array
• 4.10 Type-XII Pulse Phaser Array
• 4.11 Type-U Pulse Phaser Cannon
• 4.12 Type-U+ Pulse Phaser Cannon
• 4.13 Type-I Rawley Heavy Pulse Phaser Cannon
• 5 Disclaimer Notice

Handheld Phasers

Utilized primarily in defensive situations, Handheld phasers had several applications, from use as a weapon to use as a cutting tool, explosive device, or energy source. Storing considerable energy, most phasers were distinguished by their size and firing capabilities, with all models able to output a focused energy discharge in the form of a beam or steady stream.

Colloquially know as the "Cricket", the type-I phaser was the smallest, most basic weapon carried by Starfleet and other Federation personnel. Easily concealable, the type-I was able to be programmed to fire automatically at set intervals. However, due to the lack of its operating capabilities, longevity, and diversity when compared to its larger brethren, the type-I phasers were typically only carried when it would be inappropriate to carry a larger weapon, such as on diplomatic missions. Because of this, the type-I was synonymous with secret missions and seldom seen in active use.

The type-II was the standard weapon used aboard all Starfleet vessels and bases, as it offered a very favorable compromise between size and power. Originally designed to encompass the type-I, the type-II held a pistol-like grip. By the 2360s, the type-II had evolved past that configuration, becoming a sleek, silver-colored device with a handle flowing into the form of a muzzle cowling and emitter. The type-II phaser was a required piece of equipment for most Starfleet away teams, and was the basic sidearm of Starfleet security teams

With two small buttons for beam width and intensity control and a large one to fire the device, the type-II featured a large, illuminated power level readout. The phaser retained the functionality of the previous designs, but increased the power and versatility. Like their predecessors, these units could be adjusted for use as cutting tools or power sources. They could also be set to overload, becoming a powerful explosive device.

In addition to more variable power settings than the Type-I, Type-II Phasers were able to be set for a "narrow" (affecting a single target) or "wide" beam (affecting two or more targets over a certain area). The frequency of the beam could also be adjusted to make it more effective against certain types of shields and/or force fields.

Type-II Pulse Phase Pistol

During the Dominion War , it became apparent that single beam particle weapons were ineffective against groups of Jem’Hadar. As such, Starfleet Security desired the ability to fire multiple short pulses of energy. The Type-III rifle was easily modified with a change of beam emitter, but due to the smaller size, the Type-II was unable to be modified in such a way.

With the need of a small weapon for use in close quarter situations, this handphaser variant Type-II Pulse Phase Pistol was created. Not only to be easily distinguishable between the conventional Type-II and this pulse fire variant, but to also account for an increased need for stability and accuracy, this new weapon took design elements of more traditional handheld weapons, incorporating a pistol-like grip and hard sight points along the top of the device.

Because of the difference in shape and fire pattern, Starfleet Personnel required further training on this weapon in addition to standard phaser profiency. As such, the type-II Pulse Phase Pistol was standardly reserved for Security and Tactical Conn personnel.

The largest standard phaser issued to Starfleet personnel, the Type-III (or simply referred to as the phaser rifle) was a two handed weapon capable of greater accuracy and longevity than its type-II counterpart. Even though the type-III had a much greater energy reserve, this only translated to an increase of longer periods of fire rather than any rise in output levels over one-handed phasers. Phaser rifles were not standard landing party equipment aboard Starfleet vessels. Typically, rifles were equipped only when firepower heavier than that of the type-II phaser was required.

Originally a bulky device with the capability of its rear handle to be rotated into a shoulder stock, the type-III was more streamlined and smaller by the 2360s. In the early 2370s, the need for accuracy caused the design aesthetic of the weapon to change once again, this time the rifle returned to having a shoulder stock but also incorporated a rear pistol-like and front under barrel grip, a combined sight and tactical light, and an integrated shoulder sling for ease of carrying.

The outbreak of the dominion war caused a need for weapons to fire in multiple bursts rather than just a single beam of energy. Starfleet Security created two new weapons for this purpose - the Type II Pulse Phase Pistol and the Type-III Phaser Compression Rifle. By 2375, the Compression Rifle was removed from service, due to comparable capabilities produced from the standard type-III with a change to its beam emitter. The switch between the angular and smooth beam emitters on the type-III rifles allowed the weapons to fire both single beam and pulses of energy at will by the operator.

After the completion of the dominion war, in the late 2370s, Starfleet Security updated the sights of the type-III to a red holographic style allowing for great accuracy and target acquisition. The integrated flashlight was unaffected.

Type-III EVA Variant

During the 2370s, Starfleet produced an additional variant of the type-III specifically designed for EVA missions. This rifle had unique features including, two pistol-like grips for ease of handling, no trigger guard to allow for use by personnel wearing EVA Suits , and magnetic areas allowing the rifle to be attached to a ship's hull.

This variant was later removed from service by Starfleet ; however, due to its popularity among officers, there were still many units available in the field. Before the acquisition of the Accipiter rifles Ryuan Sel , the Mistress-of-Arms of the USS Theurgy was known to prefer this weapon.

Phaser Rifle Evolution

All handheld Phasers used a common scale to denote the power output of the weapon, however, not all phasers could achieve the highest settings. Type-I Phasers were only able to reach settings 1-8, whereas type-II and type-III are able to make use of all sixteen.

Vessel-mounted Energy Weaponry

Directed energy weapons projected bolts or beams of focused energy or energized particles at a target. These weapons were commonplace, with most cultures having some form or another of directed energy weapon as the typical armament of their spacecraft, and they drew upon the abundant energy that starships generated. Energy weapons were composed of a type and a delivery method. Federation starships rarely used any other kind of directed energy weaponry than phasers. The delivery method of a phaser described how the emitters were arranged, and how the weapon was set-up to fire.

Cannons were close range, rapid-firing weapons that projected pulses or bolts of energy rather than consistent beams. These were inaccurate at longer ranges, but the volley of quick pulses could be devastating. Banks were a collection of emitters used early on by Starfleet , designed to fire in unison. They produced a focused beam of energy that could inflict considerable damage. Arrays were a more advanced technology, with long strips of linked emitters that shared a power feed, allowing the ship to fire from any point along the strip. This allowed the ship to fire in multiple directions at once, or to adjust and fire on moving targets repeatedly in quick succession.

Originally, starships used phaser banks. Each bank contained one or more phaser emitters from which the beam energy was released. These systems shared common power sources and targeting systems. In the 2270s, phaser power systems of Federation starships were redesigned to channel power directly from the warp core, thereby increasing the power output of phaser banks.

By the 24 th century, the number of emitters in each bank had been increased to the point where they were laid out in long strips called phaser arrays. The arrays aboard a Galaxy-class starship could channel vast energy in a short time frame, capable of cutting through a mile of solid granite in seconds. Starship-mounted phasers were normally set to fire steady streams of phaser energies that would travel along the emitter strip and converge at the best position for targeting. Following the Battle of Wolf-359, Starfleet Engineers were also able to reconfigure the emitters in a different layout that allowed the phaser bank to rapid-fire as phaser cannons.

In addition to the powerful settings, the ship's phasers also had a stun setting that could be used to render lifeforms unconscious when fired at a planetary surface from orbit. It was also possible to configure starship phasers to also fire energy beams for power transfer.

There were many different type-of phasers mounted to starships. As new phaser technology became available, it was placed onto the ships being built at the time. Below are a few examples of phaser types mounted to various ship at the time of their initial construction.

Type-IV Phaser Bank

The smallest phaser bank currently deployed in the Federation , the Type-IV was markedly superior to the Type-III phaser rifle, providing more power, range, accuracy and adaptability. As such, it had been the workhorse of Starfleet 's auxiliary craft fleet for decades, as well as being mounted on a number of ground based vehicles. Only by 2381 is it being replaced by the Type-V array, a weapon of comparable simplicity but greater ability. It was not a very strong offensive measure but was capable of warding a small craft from many natural threats, such as asteroids and debris, and similar sized craft. Type-6 Shuttlecraft were known to operate with Type-IV Phasers.

Type-V Phaser Bank

A phaser bank generally found on small but high-powered Starfleet shuttlecraft, the Type-V was generally considered to be the next feasible replacement for the Type-IV array found on several thousand shuttles throughout the Federation . While not as powerful as the Type-VI or Type-VII, what it lacked in strength and longevity was more than made up for in its simplicity. Indeed, it rivalled even the modern Type-IV variant commonly found on shuttlecraft for ease of construction, maintenance and repair.

Type-VI Phaser Bank

The second largest bank used on small craft such as runabouts, the Type-VI phaser bank was undeniably more powerful than its more dimunitive counterparts, with faster recharge rates, ranges and, of course, offensive capabilities, but lacked several of the advantageous maintenance and power factors found in its Type-VII fellow. Most remarkably, the Type-VI's increase in power over its smaller counterparts was less than the equivalent difference between it and the Type-VII, a characteristic explained by the (then) advanced techniques used in its construction and new methods of energy dissipation.

The Type-VI was not as commonly found as any of its counterparts, primarily due to the detailed work required in constructing it and the real but admittedly barely significant advantage in tactical situations it provided over the Type-V. It had, however, been found to be a suitable armament for some shuttlecraft, its intricate composition easily adaptable to some shuttles' requirements.

Type-VII Phaser Array

The largest emitter used on small craft such as runabouts and light escorts, the Type-VII phaser array was considerably more powerful than its more dimunitive counterparts, with faster recharge rates, ranges and, of course, offensive capabilities.

Recent advances in technology had allowed Starfleet to decrease the overall size of the Type-VII, thereby allowing it to be employed on vessels previously considered to be much too small to cope with the necessary machinery. As such, the Type-VII was markedly superior to the Type-VI phaser array but, due to practical issues, fell a bit short of the standard Type-VIII arrays being deployed on starships as of 2381.

Type-VIII Phaser Array

The Type-VIII was the phaser armament of choice for most of Starfleet 's small-to medium-sized ships. While varying degrees of power and capabilities could be found from class to class - even from ship to ship - the general Type-VIII operating principles remained the same and any deviations in any regard were usually negligible. This phaser type-provided excellent offensive and defensive capabilities for many ship classes that, due to their size, required significant quantities of internal volume for other operations which would otherwise be consumed by larger phaser weaponry.

Originally these weapons were installed in phaser banks aboard ships like the Excelsior-class and Constellation-class. Ships equipped with them as of 2381 were set in the standard array package. The only fighters that held dedicated Type-VIII phaser emitters were the AC-477 Mk I Valravn fighters, and those emitters were prototype-technology as of 2381, mounted on only twenty constructed fighters. On these fighters, the warp drive plasma conduit ran through the primary phaser coupling to double the power of the beams. It is as of yet unknown how the emitters would last in a prolonged engagement.

Type-IX Phaser Array

This was the armament of choice for many of Starfleet 's larger vessels and some of its medium-sized but patrol/combat-oriented craft. While bulkier and more complicated than its Type-VIII counterpart, the Type-IX provided excellent firepower with an impressive rate of fire that could only be bettered by Type-X, Type-XII or Type-U weapons.

Recent advances in weapons technology had allowed Starfleet to reduce the operating size for the Type-IX's components, allowing for this array to be employed as the new phaser weaponry of even refitted 23rd century starships.

Type-X Phaser Array

Until the development of the Type-XII, the Type-X was the heaviest weapon in use aboard Federation vessels, comprising the main armament of the Galaxy class starship. The Type-X had since seen its incorporation into other ship classes, providing significant firepower to some of Starfleet 's largest vessels. Galaxy and Intrepid-class vessels were originally fitted with Type-X Phasers.

Type-XI Phaser Array

Type-XI phaser was used normally for planetary defense. The emitters were designed to minimize atmospheric blooming of the beam. The phaser emitters in the carriages, embedded into the habitat ring of Deep Space 9 , were of this type, modified for use in space.

Type-XII Phaser Array

Previously designated as the 'Type-X+' for security reasons, the Type-XII phaser has been used in dedicated planetary defence arrays and as the main armament of heavy fortified starbases since 2363. It was considered that the Type-XII was unsuitable for use on a starship because the power requirements were too high and the support systems too bulky. However, by 2368 technical improvements had allowed for considerable shrinkage in the size of the equipment, and ship power systems had become capable of supporting the weapon. The main phaser armament of the new Sovereign-class starship therefore comprised Type-XII phaser arrays, as did the armament of the Prometheus -class. These are the most powerful phaser beam emitters currently in use by the Federation , the pulse phaser variant not withstanding.

Type-XII Pulse Phaser Array

This was the kind of phaser arrays that the USS Theurgy had installed, where there were two firing options available. Either beam emission or phaser pulse, depending on the situation. See Type-U below for more info on the pulse phaser kind of setting.

Type-U Pulse Phaser Cannon

A relatively new development in phaser technology , the Type-U pulse phaser was the most combat-focused development of the phaser to date. It combined large, nearly flawless emitter crystals with rapid-discharge EPS banks and high-speed beam focusing coils. The system allowed the charge to be stored in the coils for a few nanoseconds, then released it as a layered pulse. Due to its nature, shields and armour had a harder time dispersing the pulse, resulting in more damage to the target. Pulse phasers were first deployed on the USS Defiant , where they managed to cause significant damage to Jem'Hadar fighters in a short space of time.

Type-U+ Pulse Phaser Cannon

This weapon worked on the same principles as the Type-U but at a much smaller scale as well as 40 % of the yield. It was an armament commonly found on the Federation 's fleet of fighters and a number of auxiliary craft. The first iteration of the U+ could be seen on either side of the AC-307 Mk II Valkyrie fighter, but a second version was made to be wing-mounted on the AC-409 Mk III Valkyrie . It was the same technology in both versions of the U+ cannons, only on the Mk III , the entire weapon system was mounted on the wings instead of being inside the fuselage of the fighter (as it is in the Mk II ). Furthermore, while the technology was the same, as an upgrade from the Mk II , the warp drive plasma conduit ran through the primary phaser coupling to increase the power of the Mk III ’s phaser cannons, giving it 50 % yield compared to the Type-U.

There were pulse or beam firing options available. Bolts had a firing rate of 5 per second. The beam setting had lower yield but longer range.

Type-I Rawley Heavy Pulse Phaser Cannon

Like the AC-409 Mk III Valkyrie 's wing-mounted pulse phaser cannons, the first and only iteration of the heavy Rawley cannon was also wing-mounted, and it demanded that the warp drive plasma conduit ran through the primary phaser coupling. Unlike the Type-U+, the Rawley cannon had a tendency to overheat during prolonged engagements, instead made for quick strikes and a mandatory cool-down period between such strikes. The benefit was that its yield was higher than the Mk III 's phaser cannons, at the lower firing rate of 3 bolts per second. Their yield was approximately 60 % of the Type-U pulse phaser cannons.

The Rawley cannons did not have a beam firing option available, and they were mounted as standard armament on the AC-347 Knight-class Interceptor . After the refit of the SS Sabine NX-59846 , it also had two of these cannons mounted underneath its wings.

Disclaimer Notice

Some info on Vessel-mounted Phasers used with permission of USS Wolff CO - granted Jan 30, 2017

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In the world of Star Trek, there can be found a plethora of incredible science fiction technology. Innovations range from warp drives that bend space to allow faster-than-light travel , all the way to the replication of food and drink from light. But while many of these technologies are used primarily for science, exploration, or recreation, the standard issue Starfleet Phasers are creations of attack and defense. So how exactly do these laser beam firing devices work?

At first glance, these weapons seem fairly simple in their application. They can stun an opponent in defense, or on the rare occasion, kill. However, they are interesting as they are far more multipurpose than they appear. Over the years, they have become somewhat of a Starfleet officer's multi tool. They can not only incapacitate enemies, but the technology is also used for a variety of purposes. They are able to melt metals together, heat things up, and even create artwork: burning marks onto canvas with precision.

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The Weapon Of Starfleet

In terms of their destructive power, as phasers are used mainly as weapons, they are capable of a wide variety of things. On a low setting, they can be used to stun. Depending on the exact level of power the user specifies, this can mean anything from throwing a person backwards to knocking them out completely. A mighty Klingon , for example would be able to withstand a much higher degree of power from a phaser than a human would.

The stun setting on a phaser seems to be an impressive piece of technology . Trained officers must fine tune them to create the desired effect, much like an officer of today knowing the degree of electrical charade to pulse through a taser. On a high setting, these tiny devices are capable of large scale destruction. They can be used to kill, but also completely disintegrate a person if the setting was put high enough, rendering them to Endgame style dust . In the shows, they are suggested to be able to destroy buildings. Commander Data showcases this in the Season 3 The Next Generation episode "Ensigns of Command," where he uses a phaser to destroy an aqueduct.

In addition to their ability to vary their potential destructive capabilities, phasers can also vary their precision. These pocket-sized devices use particles instead of the more traditional energy, or ‘laser beam’ technology. As such, they rely on wavelengths to produces their desired effect. These wavelengths can be altered by the user, much like how a disruptor or works, producing a wave that can affect either a small or large area. This allows the user to aim at very specific targets without affecting anything around it. Phasers are precise enough for a protagonist to cross the line and completely disintegrate a person, without harming those standing directly next to them.

The Creation & Philosophy Of The Phaser

The devices were created, like many other Star Trek technologies, at last minute and with little explanation of how they worked. Rather, the technical details were added as the show developed over time. This is no criticism of The Original Series , as many other shows at the time functioned similarly due to time or budget restrains. When the creators were first fleshing out the idea, the producers had the cast carry what were essentially tranquilizer b-b guns, which would shoot small sedative pellets. This quickly proved to be a terrible idea, as the pellets were stopped by even the most primitive of armor or even clothing. They required skin contact to work (or at least make sense), so the producers chose to make them lasers.

Laser weapons were not only visually interesting, but also made sense for the these futuristic explorers. The issue, however, was that a laser was just as lethal as a gun. Roddenberry wanted the show to highlight his utopian vision of a future that favors peace over violence ( despite Starfleet ultimately being the Federation's Military ). To resolve this, he created a laser that could vary its power. Like many things in Star Trek, there was no real science behind this, at least at the start. Writers later scrambled to try and explain how this could work. They came up with the idea of a particle known as a nadion, and the complex science behind the phasers was born. One technical manual within canon gives the following explanation, and even then the majority of it is technobabble with no further explanation:

‘The Phaser (or the Phased Energy Rectification) uses the Rapid Nadion Effect to transfer and liberate strong nuclear forces through a super-conducting crystal. After this, the energy then passes through a Kawamura-Franklin Circuit, which then monopolarically phases it.’

Phasers have become a staple of the show ever since their introduction. They are both a device of violence, as well as a symbol of a more peaceful future for humanity . While soldiers of today are given guns whose only purpose is to kill, a phaser is a much better alternative. It is able to kill only when necessary, while also providing non-lethal means to incapacitate a foe. It is used as a form of defense, rather than offense. While the technical mechanics of the device have never been fleshed out (and seem to vary from show to show) their core message is a good one. There are always alternatives to killing, something Star Trek holds as one of its core messages.

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Orange River Media – The Science of Star Trek’s Phasers

Hey guys, Tyler here. Phasers are one of the most iconic pieces of technology in Star Trek . A common standard sidearm in the arsenal of Starfleet and other spacefaring powers, phasers are what are called directed energy weapons.

They inflict damage via a beam or pulse of electromagnetic radiation or high-energy particles. Introduced in Starfleet during the 23 rd century, both phasers and disruptors (a higher-powered weapon class) superseded projectile weapons, which were considered more “primitive.” While most phasers are classified as particle weapons, others are classified as plasma weapons and utilize a completely different form of energy.

Regardless, phasers can pack a powerful punch, with settings ranging from “stun” to, well, “vaporize” and everything in between. But how can a handheld weapon like this store so much energy and inflict so much damage? Today, I’ll attempt to answer this question using both in-universe and real-world scientific concepts. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Predecessors

Before there were phasers, a wide variety of other energy weapons were used by humans during the mid-22 nd century. One standard issue sidearm used by members of both Starfleet and the Earth Cargo Service during this period is the EM-33 pistol. The EM, of course, stands for electromagnetism. We see in other Trek shows that electromagnetic pulses are used to disable enemy weapons, disrupt sensor grids, jam communications, and trigger solar flares.

But based on the special effects in the Enterprise pilot “ Broken Bow ,” the ammunition that EM pistols use is actually the plasma bullet, later identified in “ Shadows of P’Jem .” Indeed, the full name of the EM-33 is the EM-33 Plasma Pistol. Rick Berman and Brannon Braga stated that they intended the EM-33 to be a type of “pulse gun,” the same class that includes plasma rifles.

Plasma weapons are shown to not be particularly high yield but are still capable of killing a target. These weapons seem to be an intermediary step between traditional projectile weapons and phase weapons.

As the name suggests, plasma weapons fire a bolt or stream of plasma, an excited state of matter that consists of ionized gas. Plasma is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, and it is usually associated with stars.

Other common generators of plasma include lightning strikes, but they can also be artificially generated by subjecting a neutral gas to heat or electric current such as in neon signs. In Star Trek , plasma is used to channel power to systems aboard a starship, and it can be stored in canisters or infusers before being installed in plasma weapons.

Even in the early seasons of Enterprise , though, we see that some plasma weapons like the EM-33 have fallen out of use by the 2150s. The EM-33 in particular has the disadvantage of the user needing to compensate for particle drift. Even after the EM-33 and its ship-mounted counterpart, plasma cannons, are phased out, other plasma weapons like the pulse rifles do stick around.

But the primary replacement for EM pistols and the like appear to be phase-modulated energy weapons or phase weapons. Besides phase cannons mounted on starship hulls, handheld phase weapons generally come in two varieties: particle rifles and phase pistols. Used by both Starfleet and MACO personnel, these weapons utilize a phase modulator to control the blast yield.

While particle weapons generally operate under the same principles as laser phasers—that is, bombarding targets with destructive particle streams—the main differences seem to be general energy output and maximum damage.

Phase pistols have a particle yield that is usually kept under five megajoules, though it can be set as high as ten megajoules. Now, if you’re like me, saying “X number of megajoules” doesn’t really conjure up anything specific. So here are some examples. Five megajoules is higher than the energy released by the explosion of one kilogram of TNT, enough to destroy or even obliterate a small vehicle.

Furthermore, the NX-01’s phase cannons have a maximum power output of 500 gigajoules , equivalent to the yield of the 2020 Beirut explosion. This event killed at least 218 people, injured over 7,000, and further displaced over 300,000, causing $15 billion in property damage.

Phase-Pistols to Phasers

Okay, before this gets too far out of hand, let’s reign things in a bit. We’ve talked about the yields of phase pistols and pulse rifles and all that good stuff, but what exactly is the difference between 22nd-century phase weapons and 23rd-century phase weapons? As it turns out, the main characteristics that separate these two types of weapons are power output and the types of particles that make up the blast stream.

Typical Starfleet phasers invented in the 23 rd century and still used in the 24 th century, known as type 2 phasers, are nadion-based particle weapons. The nadion is a fictitious subatomic particle that, according to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual , is capable of liberating atomic nuclei. The manual indicates that phasers release a beam of nadions that are refracted through superconducting crystals, much in the same way that dilithium crystals help regulate the matter-antimatter reactions in warp cores.

As for power output, as far as I can tell, we’re never explicitly told what a standard-issue phaser’s maximum yield is, but phaser rifles —or type 3 phasers—can output 1.05 megajoules per second. Type 3 phasers also have sixteen power settings, including stun and kill.

They also have fully autonomous recharge capability, multiple-target acquisition, and gyro-stabilization. The much smaller type 1 phaser, which is often used as a “concealed carry” option on more diplomatic missions, has eight power settings that also include stun and kill.

Type 1s are also much less powerful—for example, in the 23 rd century, type 1s lack sufficient power to harm a silicon-based life form such as a Horta. Additionally, 24 th century type 1s can be programmed to fire automatically at set intervals. Oh, and unlike phase-pistols of the 22 nd century, all of these more advanced phasers are powerful enough to vaporize or disintegrate a person.

Real-World Direct Energy Weapons

Another pressing question remains, though—one that in large part motivated me to make this video in the first place: how is it possible for handheld weapons like phasers or even phaser rifles to have such a staggering yield? Keep in mind the analogies I drew earlier when discussing the output of phase pistols and phase cannons.

These weapons operating in the multi-megajoule range may seem like a bit of a pipe dream, given that current efforts to produce weapons of this magnitude involve industrial-sized devices like railguns.

Case in point, in my research, two particular projects caught my eye: the United States Air Force Research Laboratory’s MARAUDER and the United States Navy’s various experiments with laser weapons. Now, I should note that laser weapons have their limits—the Navy’s XN-1 Laser Weapon System only has a yield of 30 KILOWATTS— less than three per cent of the yield of a regular phaser—and concepts for 60 and 100kW upgrades still pale in comparison to their more futuristic counterparts.

This is why even in the 1960s, the writers of forward-looking sci-fi like Star Trek had the foresight to opt for particle weapons instead of laser weapons, whose limits had already become evident. Good on them. But another intermediary concept, the coaxial plasma railgun, has shown some promise. As I mentioned earlier, there’s the U.S. Air Force’s MARAUDER project, which stands for a Magnetically accelerated ring to achieve ultrahigh directed energy and radiation (damn, my government’s at least good at one thing: coming up with acronyms) .

It was designed to accelerate plasma to as fast as 3% the speed of light with a maximum power output of… wait for it …five to ten megajoules. Nice. Now, the only problem is that, like other railgun concepts, MARAUDER has remained at the “R&D” stage for decades , and it’s unclear whether such railguns will actually ever be deployed for practical military use. But initial tests pointing towards success indicate that, at the very least, the theory behind these weapons is sound.

The U.S. Department of Defense also experimented with particle beam weapons as part of Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, or “Star Wars” program, in the 1980s. A prototype neutral hydrogen beam launched into space successfully operated for four minutes before returning to Earth intact. The weapon is operated by ionizing hydrogen atoms, stripping electrons off atoms or allowing atoms to capture extra electrons.

The charged particles were then accelerated and neutralized again by adding or removing additional electrons. The electrically charged neutral beam of high-energy protons could thus proceed in a straight line at or near the speed of light and smash into its target to damage it. The pulsed particle beam emitted by such a weapon could theoretically contain over a gigajoule of kinetic energy.

As with plasma railguns, besides initial tests in the latter half of the 20 th century, it’s uncertain if or when large-scale deployment of particle weapons will become a reality. One reason for this? Overheating.

Miniaturization and Thermal Management

Remember, these weapons operate in a manner similar to particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider. Particle accelerators use electromagnetic fields to accelerate and direct charged particles along a predetermined path, and they use electrostatic “lenses” to focus these streams to produce collisions.

For example, a cathode ray tube, widely used in many twentieth-century TV and computer monitors, is a very rudimentary type of particle accelerator. But the types of experiments done at the LHC are meant to recreate the conditions that were present at the Big Bang—producing energy yields on the order of…*checks notes*…insane, and temperatures as high as…*checks notes again*…like a bazillion degrees.

One application of particle weapons would be to damage or destroy a target by simply overheating it until it’s no longer operational—something we see quite frequently in Star Trek . But with the power to destroy your target comes the power to destroy yourself.

High-powered particle accelerators are extremely massive—the LHC has a diameter of several kilometres—with highly constricted construction, operation, and maintenance requirements. Thus, it would be very difficult to weaponize such technology in the present or near future. Difficult…but…maybe…not impossible.

It’s perhaps a bit of a stretch, but if the miniaturization of other technologies like transistors has taught us anything, it’s that, “if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.” Wait, no…that’s not right. “If you can’t stand the heat, innovate ways to manage the heat.” Thermal management is arguably one of the most pressing challenges of the modern-day given our reliance on electronics.

Because the amount of heat output is equivalent to power output, we’ve had to develop techniques for cooling such as heat sinks, thermoelectric coolers, fans, heat pipes, and others.

In the future, it’s likely that we will continue to master engineering on increasingly smaller scales of the universe. Beyond nanotechnology lies pico technology and femtotechnology, which refer to engineering on the scales of 10 -12 and 10 -15 meters respectively.

In theory, by the 23 rd century, even as concepts like Moore’s law reach their physical limits, our materials science may be advanced enough to manage the heat produced by handheld particle weapons. We could manipulate special metals to act as ultra-powerful heat sinks or cold plates, facilitating heat dissipation to cool the components of a phaser or cannon.

These metals would work in conjunction with superconducting crystals to manage the flow of nadions from the energy source towards the target. This complex system of moving parts would be essential in turning the equivalent of a thermonuclear explosion into something more…reasonable.

Admittedly, I mainly focused on Federation weapons in this video, even though phaser technology is quite diverse among various alien races. But the bare-bones, and basic principles are largely the same across different cultures.

Hopefully, this video did serve as an effective overview of how phasers work, the tremendous power they yield, and how future materials science could allow us to manufacture something like them in real life. Just hope you’ll never have to see one pointed at you.

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The phaser (an acronym for PHAS ed E nergy R ectification) is a standard weapon that has been issued to Starfleet personnel since the 23rd century .

Phasers project subatomic-particle beams (technically, nadions) which produce a wide variety of effects, ranging from Stun (technically, bioelectric shock) to Vaporization (technically, subatomic disruption).

Phasers can be fired in beams or pulses. They can also be set on overload to detonate like mines or grenades.

• 1.1 Hand-held weapons
• 1.2 See also
• 1.3 Starship weapons
• 1.4 Heavy phaser beam turret
• 1.5.1 Earth and Federation phaser types
• 1.6 Phasered people
• 1.7 See also
• 2.1 External link

History [ ]

Hand-held weapons [ ].

A type-1 phaser from the year 2367 .

A type-2 phaser from the year 2374 .

A type-3 phaser from the year 2367 .

Phaser weapons have a heritage as far back as the 22nd century when Earth Starfleet began replacing its standard issue EM-33 plasma weapons with phase weapons. ( ENT episode : " Broken Bow ")

By the 23rd century Starfleet had developed laser weapons. ( TOS episode : " The Cage ")

The first weapons to actually be designated phasers were invented in 2256 , introduced in the 2260s , and have continued to be used through various designs well into the 24th century . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook )

See also [ ]

• Phase pistol
• Laser pistol
• Type-1 phaser
• Type-2 phaser
• Type-3 phaser rifle

Starship weapons [ ]

The USS Enterprise firing phasers

Following a similar lineage to hand held weapons, starship phasers date their ancestry back to the 22nd century when Earth Starfleet introduced phase cannons . By the 23rd century these had developed into phaser banks which were fitted on most Starfleet vessels and could fire pulses and beams of phaser fire.

By the 24th century Starfleet vessels were as standard, fitted with phaser arrays , arrangements of phaser emitters positioned in strips along starships hulls to fire beams of phaser fire from all over the ship.

The USS Defiant firing its pulse phaser cannons

By the late 24th century, Starfleet phasers were capable of "thwarting" the creation of Tholian webs , however, the Tholians improved the web technology in order to be effective again. ( TNG comic : " A Handful of Dust ")

Following the Battle of Wolf 359 Starfleet concentrated its defensive strategies, part of which involved the development of the Defiant class which was fitted with pulse phaser cannon , weapons capable of producing powerful concentrated blasts of phaser fire.

Heavy phaser beam turret [ ]

Federation and other types

Earth and Federation phasers [ ]

Earth and federation phaser types [ ].

• Thomas Paine -class class IX frigate

Phasered people [ ]

• Geordi La Forge was struck by a phaser blast set to kill in 2364 . He spent some time comatose, near death, before Beverly Crusher 's sensors finally lost his life readings. La Forge recovered around the same time that a number of members of Q Continuum visited the USS Enterprise . (DC TNG miniseries)
• excavation phaser
• phase cannon
• phaser emitter
• phaser cannon
• phaser bank
• phaser array
• pulse phaser
• phaser turret
• surface-to-space phasers

Connections [ ]

External link [ ].

• Phaser article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Eclipse class
• 2 Cetacean Probe
• 3 Timot Danlen

Energy or Particles?

Firing nanoprobes, vapourisation.

Range Limits

Firing through shields, transporting phaser beams.

Firing Underwater

Beams and pulses.

Phaser Overload

Wide Angle Beams

Off Axis Firing

Who Watches The Watchers?

The mind's eye, photon comparison, a matter of time.

10 Star Trek Phasers, Ranked

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Star Wars may have lightsabers, but Star Trek has unquestionably cornered the marker on cool ray guns. Like so many other parts of the franchise, phasers have developed a lexicon and terminology all their own. In addition, timeline changes and the need to make each new Star Trek series distinctive have resulted in numerous versions of the same basic gizmo.

Phasers are divided into three basic categories. Type I phasers are about the size of a garage door opener and are designed for concealment. Type IIs are larger and have a pistol grip, with more power and a longer range. Type IIIs are rifles, used only in times of war or when facing a serious threat. Below is a loose list of the 10 best in the franchise.

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10 Star Trek: Picard Assault Phaser Rifle

Star Trek: Picard moved the franchise's timeline to the very end of the 24th century, about 20 years after the final Next Generation movie ended. That meant new updates to the weapons, most notably the phasers.

Season 1, Episode 5, "Stardust City Rag," revealed an "assault phaser rifle." It was blockier than the Type IIIs it replaced, with a sighting array further down the barrel. It benefited from a wild introduction, as Seven of Nine took one in each hand to ruthlessly cut down a squad of attacking minions.

9 Star Trek: Discovery 32nd Century Type II Phaser Pistol

Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery launched the crew into the 32nd Century to find the Federation shattered and Starfleet all but nonexistent. Weaponry of the time had changed, of course. Sleeker and simpler than earlier phasers, it emphasized the firing port more than the controls, stressing just how much damage it could cause.

It also acknowledged that there were limits to how the basic design could be improved. While Discovery made innovative technical leaps for things like transporters and starship shields, the phasers still looked more or less like they always had. The ray-gun notion could never be entirely vanquished.

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8 Star Trek: First Contact Type II Phaser Pistol

The Next Generation went through a series of designs for their phasers, which often looked difficult to hold. It eventually resulted in the "boomerang" phaser, first introduced in Star Trek: First Contact. The curved handle matched the aesthetic of the phasers used in The Next Generation while making it a little more stylish.

The design proved durable and was used throughout the remainder of The Next Generation 's feature-length films. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager also used it. That makes it emblematic of the franchise's "renaissance" period in the mid-to-late 1990s.

7 Star Trek: Enterprise MACO Pulse Pistol

Star Trek: Enterprise took place in Starfleet's infancy, and as such, the protocols were much different. MACOs -- Military Assault Command Operations -- served as de facto marines onboard ship. They were beholden to a different chain of command and used more effective weapons than their colleagues in Starfleet.

That included the pulse pistol: a precursor to the phaser based on the slightly friendlier versions used by Captain Archer and his crew. They had a mechanical look that spoke to new technology. More importantly, they looked dangerous, something that rarely comes to mind with other phaser designs.

6 'The Cage' Type II Phaser Pistol

The original Star Trek pilot "The Cage" drew heavily on previous space opera epics for its aesthetics, including the likes of Forbidden Planet and the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s. The franchise's very first phasers retained a larger-than-life look but were also clearly human in design, avoiding excessively outlandish touches.

It made for a strong opening statement on the issue and helped pave the way for the classic phaser design of The Original Series . More importantly, it looked cool, and its stylish design helped it hold up in the ensuing decades.

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5 Star Trek III Type II Phaser Pistol

Phasers didn't really appear in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, while Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan went with an updated look that felt more of a kind with its predecessor. For Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , the saga went back to the phasers from The Original Series , with a slight update and redesign.

The new versions worked for the next three movies before more or less retiring with the original crew. And like Picard 's phaser rifles, they benefited from a memorable introduction. In their case, it was Commander Uhura, suddenly turning on her overconfident coworker.

4 Star Trek Enterprise MACO Pulse Rifle

Even more than the pistols, the MACO's pulse rifles spoke to how dangerous the Final Frontier could be. They resembled modern assault rifles rather than sleek laser emitters, with a two-handed grip reminiscent of the far less endearing Type III rifles of The Next Generation .

Over and above their immediate purpose as deadly weapons, the pulse rifles helped draw a sharp distinction between the MACOs and the Starfleet officers around them. That paid narrative dividends when the two sides came to loggerheads. It also stressed how far humanity still had to go before the utopia of The Original Series.

3 The Original Series Type III Phaser Rifle

Nowhere can Star Trek 's space opera roots be more clearly seen than in its Type III phaser rifle. It became a part of the series very early: the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." And while it was rarely used, it was invariably a lot of fun.

The phaser rifles of The Original Series had recognizable technology -- the coils powering it, for example -- to give the notion of a viable piece of machinery. But the long barrel and radar-style tip added the right sense of retro style.

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2 Star Trek: First Contact Type III Phaser Rifle

While the boomerang design for the Type II phasers in First Contact was serviceable at best, the movie struck gold with the rifle variant. Previous versions of the Type III used a pair of pistol grips, essentially making it a jumped-up Type II. It worked in terms of world-building -- the technology was of a kind with the Type IIs -- but it also looked very awkward.

First Contact brought a sleeker, cooler design to the rifles. A stylized grip and butt for shoulder firing tapered down to a sleek barrel. It felt very utilitarian, but also undeniably Star Trek . Like the film's Type II design, it soon became the standard for the Trek TV shows of the era.

1 The Original Series Type II Phaser Pistol

Several subsequent Star Trek projects have tinkered with the basic look of The Original Series Type II, but nothing really compares in terms of evoking the Final Frontier. Like so much else with the first show, it came to define the aesthetic of the whole franchise.

Its stylized look hasn't aged a day. The design fit a removable Type I within it, emphasizing its practicality. Yet it also had the style of the older Flash Gordon -esque ray guns to lend the show a sense of the exotic. It's no surprise that new variations from the likes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the Kelvinverse are still just imitations.

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Star trek: discovery season 3's future technology explained.

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Star trek: discovery proved burnham’s starship is better than uss enterprise in 1 big way, i love how star trek: discovery season 5 celebrated science & spirituality.

Star Trek 's amazing technology received an imaginative upgrade in Star Trek: Discovery season 3's 32nd century. Since its beginnings, Star Trek has been an appealing vision of the future where starships traverse deep space in warp speed while their crews have food automatically dispensed, can talk to each other with handheld communicators, and can beam on and off planets in seconds. However, as the real world's technology began to catch up to Star Trek 's, Discovery was able to up the ante by jumping 930 years into the future.

In Star Trek: The Original Series , the Starship Enterprise 's giant viewscreen and communicators foresaw today's flatscreen HDTVs and smartphones. Star Trek: The Next Generation 's most provocative new concepts were human-like androids like Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and the holodeck, which could realistically replicate any person and environment. Star Trek: Voyager took the hologram even further by introducing the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH) played by Robert Picardo, who was one of the series' core characters. Yet some of Star Trek 's innovations, like the alcohol substitute Synthehol , seem less appealing. But in 2020, Star Trek 's 24th-century future technology started to seem a little quaint, although Star Trek: Picard pushed the envelope with more complex holographic characters and synthetics like Soji (Isa Briones) who are indistinguishable from humans.

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Now that season 3 is set in the year 3189 — the farthest Star Trek has ever explored —  Star Trek: Discovery 's tech indeed raised the game, and the show's most ingenious new invention is programmable matter. Composed of millions of nano molecules that learn and change into pre-determined shapes, programmable matter can become anything from furniture to starship controls that read and adapt to its unique users' bio-signs. Programmable matter feels cool and smooth like glass to the touch, but its varied uses and ultimate potential have only been touched upon by Star Trek: Discovery  since programmable matter seems to be in use all over the galaxy in the 32nd-century. Meanwhile, some vessels like Cleveland Booker's (David Ajala) starship, not only boast programmable matter but parts of it are also detachable and reconfigurable.

Transporters are still among Star Tre k's technology that the real world hasn't duplicated but, as innovative as beaming on and off of starships is,  Star Trek: Discovery now lets everyone teleport at will thanks to personal transporters. No longer needing to rely on transporter rooms or external devices is a tremendous breakthrough in transportation, plus beaming via personal transporters is instantaneous compared to the many seconds it takes to use a transporter (and the potential for accidents) Trekkers have seen in Star Trek 's 23rd and 24th centuries. Personal transporters are now standard for Starfleet Officers and are equipped in their delta badges , which are also holographic tricorders and communicators with universal translators.

Star Trek: Discovery' s 32nd-century weaponry doesn't seem to have substantially changed: Phasers simply look different and are presumably more powerful. The Andorian and Orion syndicate called the Emerald Chain use phasers that completely cover the hand and they also have a device that emits a pulse wave that blows targets back. Although 32nd-century starships still use phasers and photon torpedoes as armaments, the starships themselves have undergone major upgrades; 32nd-century Starfleet vessels boast hulls made up of combinations of force fields, neutronium, and organic materials, while warp nacelles are now detached for increased speed and maneuverability. The U.S.S. Discovery was retrofitted with this advanced technology , which complements its spore displacement hub drive — a device no one else in the galaxy has.

However, despite all of its technological advancements, the 32nd century is still reeling from the permanent effects of The Burn, which decimated the galaxy's dilithium supplies a century prior. This set the 32nd century backward in crucial ways, from the collapse of the United Federation of Planets to the loss of long-range communications and warp drive, which means planets and star systems are more isolated than they have been in centuries. Without warp travel, long-distance space flight is now conducted via generation ships . This means that even though it's a thousand years old, Star Trek: Discovery 's eponymous starship can do what no other vessel in the 32nd century can thanks to its spore drive, which makes it the most important ship of Star Trek 's far future.

Next: Discovery Season 3 Changes Star Trek's Original Mission

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 streams Thursdays on CBS All-Access and Fridays internationally on Netflix.

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Type 2 phaser

The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 used hand phasers [1] during an attempt to rescue Captain Christopher Pike from the Talosians in 2254 . Phasers could be set to overload, causing an explosion. [2] In the 2260s, Type 1 phasers (sometimes called "Phaser 1") could be attached to a larger mounting frame that increased its capabilities, turning the unit into a Type 2 phaser (aka "Phaser 2"). On Stardate 1672.1 , Lieutenant Sulu used a phaser to heat rocks in order to provide warmth in the subzero temperatures of planet Alfa 177 . [3]

Image Gallery

Hand Phaser ( 2254 ) ( TOS 01 )

Hand Phaser ( TOS 06 )

Type 2 Hand Phaser ( SD   1207.3 ) ( DSC 01 )

Type 2 Hand Phaser ( SD   1207.3 ) ( DSC 02 )

Type 2 Hand Phaser ( SD   1672.1 ) ( TOS 05 )

Type 2 Hand Phaser ( SD   1513.1 ) ( TOS 06 )

Type 2 Hand Phaser ( TOS 07 )

Type 2 Hand Phaser ( TOS 15 )

Notes and References

• ↑ Although the script and dialogue for "The Cage" referred to the energy weapons as "lasers," this was changed retroactively to "phasers" when the series went into production, as the properties of lasers were already a known quantity in the real world, and the writers and production team did not want to restrict future stories. The design of the "lasers" from The Cage was echoed in Star Trek: Discovery , where the weapons were referred to as phasers, reinforcing this retcon .
• ↑ Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Cage" . Star Trek , season 0, episode 0 (Production number 01). Directed by Robert Butler . Written by Gene Roddenberry . Released 1986 . Desilu Productions . 1965 .
• ↑ Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Enemy Within" . Star Trek , season 1, episode 5 (Production number 05). Directed by Leo Penn . Written by Richard Matheson . Desilu Productions . 6 October 1966 .
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Warp Drive & Transporters: How 'Star Trek' Technology Works (Infographic)

The original "Star Trek" television series featured technology that had first appeared decades earlier in science fiction stories. Pulp heroes had been wielding ray guns, flying faster than light and teleporting from place to place since the 1930s. But perhaps the true inspiration of Star Trek’s superscience is the revolutionary physics discoveries of the early 20th century. Relativity, discovered by Albert Einstein and quantum physics, pioneered by Max Planck  revealed a universe far different than ordinary human experience might suggest.

Although Einstein’s theory  forbids matter to accelerate past the speed of light, the demands of sci-fi storytelling require that people be able to travel between the stars in a reasonable amount of time, usually hours, or at most, days. Enter the space warp drive, or as it was called in "Star Trek’s" pilot episode, "hyperdrive."

Warp drive in Star Trek  works by annihilating matter (in the form of deuterium, a kind of hydrogen gas) and antimatter in a fusion reaction mediated by dilithium crystals. This produces the enormous power required to warp space-time and drive the ship faster than light.

The Evolution of 'Star Trek' (Infographic)

The crew of the Enterprise measures velocity in warp factors. Warp factor 8 equals the cube of 8 (8 times 8 times 8), or 512 times light speed .

Even this velocity is too slow to allow starships to travel as quickly as they appear to on TV. In reality, the script writers arbitrarily allowed the Enterprise  to get to wherever it was going, as fast as was convenient for storytelling. By the era of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the warp speed scale was recalibrated. Under the new scale, a starship could get from Earth to Alpha Centauri  in about 37 hours at warp factor 8.

USS Enterprise Evolution in Photos (Gallery)

Science fiction author E.E. "Doc" Smith describes a spaceship traveling at a speed "thousands of times greater than that of light" in his novel "Skylark of Space," written between 1915 and 1921 and serialized in "Amazing Stories" magazine in 1928.

The technology and style of " Star Trek " was influenced by the 1955 film "Forbidden Planet." United Planets Cruiser C-57D (above) used its quanto-gravitic hyperdrive to greatly surpass the speed of light. The cruiser travels to the star Altair, 16.7 light-years from Earth, in 378 days.

In 1994, Miguel Alcubierre proposed moving not a spaceship, but space itself, faster than light. All that would be required is to distort the fabric of space-time into a bubble surrounding a spaceship. Enormous energy would be required, but once created, the bubble would move independently of the rest of the universe, even faster than light.

The bubble moves by compressing the space-time in front of it and expanding the space-time behind it.

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NASA scientist Harold "Sunny" White believes as-yet-undiscovered "negative energy" could be used to create the space-warp bubble , using a smaller amount of total energy than Alcubierre thought possible.

A plausible alternative to traveling across space is the wormhole, a shortcut between two widely separated points in space-time. Scientists Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen first proposed the wormhole, or "Einstein-Rosen Bridge," in 1935. Wormholes have not yet been observed in nature, but they are not forbidden by our current understanding of physics.

If they exist, wormholes would permit travel faster than light and backward through time (at least to the time when the wormhole was created).

In "Star Trek's" Transporter device, normal matter is converted temporarily into energy, then beamed to a target point for restoration to its original pattern and structure. The Transporter has a range of about 16,000 miles (25,750 kilometers).

The "Vibra-Transmitter" described in Frank K. Kelley’s 1933 story "Into the Meteorite Orbit" functions similarly to Star Trek’s Transporter. The human body is "reduced to vibration traveling on a wave-channel" and then reintegrated into matter in a receiving chamber.

In real-world science, subatomic particles can be quantum teleported, but this only transmits a quantum state between a pair of entangled particles, not the particles themselves. The human body contains an immense number of atoms, about 10^27 (one followed by 27 zeroes). Recording the quantum states of all these atoms would require an unrealistic amount of data storage. Even worse, quantum physics prevents the precise measurement of the individual atoms.

Deflector shields (or "screens") are an invisible force-field barrier activated automatically by the ship's computer when needed. Screens can be maintained continually for 20 hours before the ship’s power is exhausted. Transporters cannot be used when the screens are enveloping the ship.

Navigational deflector beams sweep the space ahead of the ship to shove aside obstacles such as small asteroids. Anything too large to be deflected triggers the ship’s computer to change course to avoid collision.

In earlier sci-fi, deflectors for diverting meteoroids out of a spaceship’s path show up in "The Ethical Equations” by Murray Leinster, published in "Astounding Science Fiction" in 1945. 

Lawrence Krauss, in his book "The Physics of Star Trek," supposes that to bend light (or phaser beams), deflector shields would have to warp space-time around the starship. But if warp drive is possible, deflector shields that work this way are perhaps also possible.

Tractor beams are a form of reverse deflector beam, pulling instead of pushing. The tractor beam has a range of about 100,000 miles (160,930 km).

E.E. "Doc" Smith uses the exact term " tractor beam " to describe force beams for grabbing objects in space in his 1931 story "Spacehounds of IPC," published in "Amazing Stories."

In real-world science, microscopic particles of matter have been manipulated in the laboratory with laser beams. Starships are much more massive. Tractor beams that work on an electromagnetic principle might be plausible in theory. However, Newton’s laws require that if the Enterprise pulls on another object with its tractor beam, the Enterprise itself will be moved toward the object. The Enterprise must fire thrusters to remain in place during the operation.

A phaser is an energy beam that can be "phased" to interfere with the wave pattern of any material object. Settings include dematerialize (converts matter to energy), disrupt (breaks down molecular cohesion), heat (increases molecular velocity) and stun (impacts the nervous system of a living target). Phasers can also be adjusted for use as cutting torch or welder.  A phaser set to overload creates a powerful explosion. The ship's main phaser batteries can destroy matter over vast distances and are powered directly by the warp engines. 

The Martian heat ray in H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel " The War of the Worlds " is very much like a ray gun or death beam. In the 1920s and 1930s, some scientists, including Nikola Tesla, believed that a death ray capable of killing at a distance was feasible. Toy Buck Rogers guns began appearing in the 1930s, one of which was called a “disintegrator pistol.”

Weapons exist today that are capable of stunning the human nervous system (the taser, for example). However, tasers require physical contact to deliver their charge. Due to the inverse square law by which energy decreases as distance increases, to disintegrate matter at a distance a phaser weapon would have to generate an incredible amount of energy. Military research continues into developing directed energy weapons capable of shooting down missiles.

A photon torpedo is an energy pod of matter and antimatter separated by a magno-photon force field. They can be fired directly as torpedoes, laid in a mine field or scattered in an enemy’s path like modern-day depth charges. Electrochemical, proximity and other fuses are available. 

Photon torpedoes require a quantity of antimatter. Generating even a few atoms of antimatter uses up an enormous amount of energy. The starship’s warp drive, powered by antimatter, also has this problem.

In theory, the explosive yield of one gram (0.04 ounces) of antimatter and an equal quantity of matter is about 43 kilotons (possibly lower in actual practice). Background material for the Next Generation series says that photon torpedoes carry 1.5 kilograms 3.3 pounds) of antimatter. 

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A Real-Life ‘Star Trek’ Phaser Is Looking Possible Some Time In The Near Future

For as long as science fiction has existed, it has helped to keep our collective minds dreaming of the stars and for advanced technology. Some technology may still be out of reach, like flying cars, hoverboards or even faster-than-light travel, but sci-fi franchises like Star Trek have been fueling innovation for years now . Using powder-driven, bullet-based weapons doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in the vacuum of space, so science fiction has enamored us all with the idea of the laser gun for decades .

Now that technology is getting even closer to fruition, although it’s not quite there yet. Scientists at Lockheed Martin have been working to build laser-powered defense systems for use on the battlefield and while they haven’t quite shrunk down the power source to a handheld phaser like in Star Trek just yet, they have taken what once was a power source the size of a 747 and gotten it down to a trailer hitched to the back of a truck.

While that might sound like an actual, hand-held phaser is quite a ways away, that is still a huge leap in technology in a period of just a few years, meaning that as technology continues to get better, power sources continue to shrink and lasers continue to get more powerful this technology will be within our grasp. Of course, we’ve yet to come anywhere near ships hurtling through space at warp speed, never mind warp 4 or higher, meaning that we’re still a ways off from the Vulcans making first contact with us.

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Published May 31, 2024

RECAP | Star Trek: Discovery 510 - 'Life, Itself'

The Discovery's last dance.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery.

StarTrek.com

After chasing clues across the galaxy, taking on a Red Directive mission, it all comes down to the final challenge. Unfortunately for Captain Burnham and the Discovery crew because Breen forces are on their tail.

In the series finale episode of Star Trek: Discovery , " Life Itself ," trapped inside a mysterious alien portal that defies familiar rules of time, space, and gravity, Captain Burnham must fight Moll – and the environment itself – in order to locate the Progenitors' technology and secure it for the Federation. Meanwhile, Book puts himself in harm's way to help Burnham survive and Rayner leads the U.S.S. Discovery in an epic winner-takes-all battle against Breen forces.

• Michael Burnham
• Moll (Malinne Ravel)
• Sylvia Tilly
• Lorna Jemison
• William Christopher
• Charles Vance
• Cleveland "Book" Booker
• Paul Stamets
• Dr. Hugh Culber
• Keyla Detmer
• Joann Owosekun

• Infinity Tunnel
• U.S.S. Discovery -A
• Federation HQ
• Pathway-Drive Shuttle
• Discovery Shuttle
• Inner Sanctum
• Sanctuary Four

As the Progenitors ' portal hovers between two black holes, echoing voices stir Captain Michael Burnham back to consciousness within its interior. Burnham stands, taking in the marvelous sight that surrounds her. An open corridor extends as far as the eye can see, and the illuminated path is outlined by views into other worlds. The captain calls out to the U.S.S. Discovery -A, but her appeals go unanswered. Burnham begins to describe the experience in the event that anyone can hear her. Her tricorder picks up an energy signature, and she heads off toward a bright light which she assumes contains the Progenitors' technology.

"Life, Itself"

Although the captain notes she has yet to encounter Moll or any of the Breen who preceded her into the portal, she draws her phaser just to be safe. A scan for lifesigns yields inconclusive readings, and Burnham kneels to pluck a lush green leaf from a plant. She describes the gateways to other vistas as windows, theorizing that this location was a lab where the Progenitors tested lifeforms in different environments or a hub for them to seed the humanoid form throughout the galaxy. Burnham takes in a mountainous view through a window below her before turning to a stormy setting displayed beside the path. Stowing her weapon, she watches as a leaf is slowly pulled toward a clear, fluid-like barrier. The leaf floats through, so the captain reaches her hand out to test the permeable wall… and is immediately pulled into a rain-soaked maelstrom.

Captain Burnham crashes to the ground, bracing herself against the wind and spotting a dead Breen soldier with a green body fluid leaking from its helmet. She shelters behind a large boulder and spies the window she fell through resting far above her. Burnham marches on, an air of surprise about her as another Breen soldier rushes at her from the darkness. Her offer to help the Breen goes ignored, and she is tackled to the ground. As the two engage in a desperate hand-to-hand battle, hurricane wind speeds nearly sweep them both away. Burnham and the Breen clutch to the nearest boulder, their bodies flailing in the gusts. The Breen continues to fight, and the captain's phaser is knocked away. However, she manages to dislodge her opponent from the rock, sending the Breen tumbling into the distance.

The wind subsides, but Burnham prepares herself to harness the next burst. As speeds increase once again, the captain launches herself into the air and is carried back up to the window she fell from. Pulling herself back onto the path, she has only a moment to rest before a third Breen readies themself to charge at her. An energy blast radiates out and strikes the Breen down, and Burnham turns to find Moll floating down from another window. Blood streams from a gash on Moll's leg, and the captain observes that someone nicked her femoral vein. Moll considers it a fair trade, as she had bashed that Breen's helmet in. Moll trains her Breen weapon on Burnham, but the captain materializes a dermal regenerator from her kit. She tosses it to Moll, who uses it to close up her wound.

Since Captain Burnham followed the entire clue trail, Moll reasons that her adversary knows how to navigate the portal. Burnham admits she may have learned something, but offers a condition — she won't help Moll as her prisoner and asks her to drop her weapon. The captain reminds Moll that working together is the only way she'll get L'ak back, a reality which prompts the courier to lower her weapon. Pleased with the compromise, the two set out to locate the Progenitors' technology and begin walking down the portal's path.

Meanwhile, the U.S.S. Discovery -A is rocked by debris from the black holes as it approaches the portal. On the Bridge, Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly tells Commander Rayner that there's still no sign of Captain Burnham from within the artificial gateway. Seated in the captain's chair and surrounded by the Bridge crew — Commander Lorna Jemison; Lieutenant Commanders Gen Rhys and Asha; and Lieutenants Gallo, Naya, Christopher, and Linus — the first officer listens to status reports. Gravitational fields are causing too much interference for a transporter lock on the portal, so Discovery must get within tractor beam range. The Breen Dreadnaught is still dealing with the damage the Starfleet vessel inflicted on it, but Primarch Tahal's fleet will arrive in 60 minutes. Rhys relays that the Dreadnaught has sent out at least 40 fighters, and the incoming vessels come in with their weapons hot.

At Federation Headquarters, Admiral Charles Vance updates Ambassador Saru and Commander Nhan on Discovery 's condition. Hoping to prevent Tahal from learning about the Progenitors' power, Saru believes his strategy will convince the primarch to turn her fleet around. Vance questions Saru's decision to disable his shuttle's photon torpedoes, but the ambassador is certain that diplomacy can not succeed if both parties threaten violence. Nhan remarks that the admiral doesn't need to order her to accompany Saru, as she volunteers for the mission. The crew of Discovery is family to both Saru and Nhan, and the shuttle's pathway drive has been calibrated. They are ready to go, and Vance emphasizes that the Federation is counting on them.

Within the Progenitors' portal, Moll complains that — regardless of how far they walk — they don't seem to be getting any closer to the end of the tunnel. Burnham states that nothing in nature is truly infinite, then turns the conversation toward the Progenitors' tech. She assures Moll that the Federation will help her bring L'ak back, but only after it learns how to safely use it. Moll responds that she doesn't trust the Federation or the Breen, though at least the Imperium has a vested interest in her getting what she wants. Burnham counters by conveying the devastation she witnessed in an alternate future where the Breen obtained the power — the captain defiantly proclaims that there’s no way she's letting the Breen anywhere near it.

Moll is doubtful, and Burnham strikes out at the courier during the unguarded moment. As Moll struggles to regain her composure, the captain propels herself up to a window on the tunnel "wall." Moll pursues her, and the variable gravity between environments allows them to grapple for the Breen weapon while being suspended in midair. The weapon discharges and falls away, leaving Moll to kick Burnham through a gateway and into a vibrant, purple-hued forest. Their intense fight continues until they both return through a window and land back on the path. The courier knees Burnham, sending the captain rolling into an ash-strewn environment with flames leaping about. Their unrelenting battle rages on. 

In the space outside the portal, the Breen fighters swarm around Discovery as the Dreadnaught closes in on the Starfleet ship. On the Bridge, Cleveland "Book" Booker joins Rayner and the senior staff as they brace themselves for a torpedo impact. The deck shakes and shields drop to 60 percent. Naya registers a region of high-energy plasma orbiting one of the black holes, meaning one spark too many will cause the whole thing to blow. Asha alters the vessel's course, but the situation is dire. The first officer reflects back to the avalanche on Q'Mau, where Captain Burnham was quick to notice that the mission had changed. If they keep up with this strategy, the Breen will get the captain and the Progenitors' tech. Rayner announces a change of plans — they'll take out the fighters first and come back for the portal. The crew exchanges skeptical looks, and Book asks for a shuttle so that he can handle the portal. The Kwejian is adamant that he can succeed, so Rayner grants the request and orders Engineering to find a way for Book to not get irradiated to death.

Book beams down to Engineering, where Commander Paul Stamets and Ensign Adira Tal present him with a device to attach to his shuttle's deflector array. It will boost the craft's built-in radiation protection, but at a certain point, Book just won't survive. Adira attempts to reassure him by divulging that it will increase the absorption capacity of the shields against high-velocity subatomic particles for at least an hour. Dr. Hugh Culber hurries in with a hypospray, injecting Book with a treatment to counteract radiation sickness. The doctor also shocks those around him when he pronounces that he's going to accompany Book on the perilous endeavor. Dread fills Stamets' face, but Culber insists that he somehow knows Book is going to need him on this mission. Ever since his zhian’tara with Jinaal, Culber has been trying to figure out what the change inside of him means. This may not give him the answers, but it might . Stamets reluctantly relents, kissing his partner farewell. Culber attests to Adira that he'll be okay.

Still clashing within the portal, fatigue grabs hold of Burnham and Moll. Out of breath, they pause for a moment. The captain insists that this brawl will only result in them becoming trapped and dying in the tunnel. Burnham resolves to get them out, gazing at Moll before admitting that she also knows what it’s like to lose somebody who means everything to her. Pain crosses Moll's expression, and Burnham confides that she was lucky to get that person back. Because of this, the captain promises that she will do everything within her power to help Moll and L'ak. Moll is hesitant to trust the Federation, but Burnham insists she just needs to trust her . The captain gives the courier her word. Moll considers the offer, ultimately opting to accept it.

Before Burnham will disclose how they can get through this situation, she has Moll relinquish the blade she has stashed in her right boot. Moll tosses it away, but she declines to remove the pattern buffer that's affixed to her wrist. If she had any weapons in there, she insists she would have used them already. The self-conscious manner in which Moll eyes the buffer allows a sudden realization to dawn upon Burnham — L'ak's body is being stored within it. The captain understands Moll's stance on the issue, permitting her former foe to keep the buffer as she starts to lead the way along the tunnel’s path.

As displays flicker on Discovery ’s Bridge, Book's shuttle successfully exits the ship and gets clear of the Breen fighters. Rayner is determined to switch from defense to offense. When Tilly puts forth a crazy idea, he states that she doesn't need to qualify it — just spit it out. Since there are too many fighters to pick off one by one, Tilly thinks there's a way to utilize the plasma region against the Breen. Naya chimes in excitedly, noting that they could ignite the plasma and take out all the fighters at once. The timing would need to be perfect, but in this "us or them” scenario, the plan seems viable.

While walking along the tunnel within the Progenitors' portal, Captain Burnham explains that every step of the trail required her to think like the individual who hid each clue. They must do the same here and think like the Progenitors. Moll points out that they went extinct four billion years ago, but the captain observes that gravity and space function differently inside the portal. This suggests that the Progenitors existed beyond the dimensions that humans do, so they have to look past three dimensions and find what’s beyond what they can see. Burnham's inquisitive nature permits her to spot negative space along the edge of each light illuminating their path. There's a shadow, but nothing to create it. The captain initially believed it to be an optical illusion, but she presses her hand through and pulls the barrier to the side. An astounding sight emerges, as they are greeted by a large field of yellow flowers extending to a distant horizon. They glance at each other and step through. 

As Primarch Tahal's fleet of three Breen Dreadnaughts warps through deep space, Saru and Nhan's shuttle employs its groundbreaking pathway drive to swiftly catch up to the starships. They take a position within the fleet's formation, prompting the Dreadnaughts to arm their weapons. Saru opens a channel to Tahal, introducing himself as an Ambassador from the United Federation of Planets and highlighting the fact that his shuttle's weapons are not armed. After a long pause, Tahal grants his request for a conversation. The Breen primarch's helmeted visage appears as a hologram above the shuttle's controls, and she greets him by asking him if he's insane. Saru responds that, to the best of his knowledge, he is not. Since Tahal refused President Laira Rillak's invitations to communicate, Saru's actions were necessary. The ambassador agrees that the Federation doesn't typically have a role to play in a confrontation between Breen primarchs, but the engagement between a Starfleet vessel and another Breen Dreadnaught has changed the circumstances. Tahal's arrival would risk escalating that conflict into a war with the Federation, so Saru suggests it would be prudent for her to return her attention to the Imperium's throne.

Incredulous, Tahal wonders why Saru and Discovery would each engage with vastly superior Dreadnaughts. Something of great interest must be located near the black holes. Saru claims that, while Tahal speaks of "maybes and mights," he offers certainty — if she reverses course, the Federation will establish a formal trade route from Tahal's border to the L'Tar Nebula. Sole access to this route would bolster her claim to the throne, but the primarch declines and ends the transmission. Saru eases Nhan’s visible concern by cryptically asserting that Tahal supplied them with all the information they need. Now he must determine how to use it.

Captain Burnham and Moll wade through the field of flowers they uncovered within the Progenitors' portal toward a place where three paths converge in a circular platform. Burnham realizes they are standing on the technology — it's the entire place. Moll questions the strange placement of a nearby pile of rocks, but the captain believes it is a monument to the 24th Century scientist who was killed here. They step up to the center disc, and a translucent interface coalesces in its center. As nine triangular pieces appear on its surface, Burnham must stop the courier from immediately shifting them around. Taking a breath, Burnham relays that she was given a phrase when she found the last clue — "Build the shape of the one between the many." Assuming the triangles are "the many," Moll suggests they use them to build one large triangle with the many. Doubtful, the captain stresses that the message said between the many, not with. Given the precise manner in which the scientists offered cultural context, honored differences, and stoked self-reflection with every clue, Burnham does not believe this is a translation error.

The captain proposes that they need to get this power back to the Federation before they try to use it, but her train of thought is interrupted by a static-filled communication from Book. She can make out that the Kwejian is coming to retrieve them, but as she opens her tricorder and tries to amplify his signal, Moll moves in from behind and knocks her unconscious. Burnham's body collapses into the flowers below, leaving Moll to activate her wrist-mounted pattern buffer and materialize L’ak’s body on the platform. She kneels beside him, vowing to figure out this technology and bring him back from the dead. Moll walks to the interface and rearranges the nine pieces into a single large triangle. Brilliant light radiates around her, but she grimaces as energy cascades over her hands and locks them to the surface. Moll screams, and three powerful pulses strike the edges of the field.

With sparks erupting around Discovery 's Bridge, Rayner receives a report from Book's shuttle — something is happening to the portal. Using the black hole as some sort of power source, the portal draws in matter and energy around itself. If one black hole loses mass, it would throw the entire area into gravitational chaos. Citing Book's "gravity problem," Rayner asks the Kwejian to try to secure the gateway. At that moment, Asha detects that the last of the Breen fighters have followed them into the plasma region. Rhys launches a spread of photon torpedoes which lash out and set the plasma ablaze. Several tense seconds pass, but the tactical officer joyously states that every enemy ship was destroyed. His exuberance fades when he sees that the Breen Dreadnaught is back in commission and will beat Discovery to Book and the portal. Interstellar debris prevents them from jumping ahead of them, so Rayner orders the helm to set an intercept course with the Dreadnaught.

Aboard the shuttle, Book and Culber hear about Discovery 's "Dreadnaught problem." With the cockpit bathed in light from the spectacle before it, the doctor notes that whatever process the portal just initiated is pulling it toward the black hole — if it crosses the event horizon, it'll be gone for good. Book engages a tractor beam, but it fails to lock on. The portal repels the beam, mystifying Book. A smile slowly spreads across Culber's face, and he tells the Kwejian to synchronize to the aperture's subspace resonance frequency — 5.1732. Although there are tens of thousands of frequencies and Culber admits his experience on such matters is limited — "I'm a doctor, not a physicist" — he implores Book to trust him. Believing in his friend, Book follows Culber's direction and lets out a jubilant cry as the tractor beam successfully grabs hold of the portal. Needing all available power to keep the portal steady, the shuttle is unable to pull away from the black holes. Aware that Michael is inside the gateway, Book declares that he's not letting go.

Saru and Nhan confer aboard their own shuttle, where Primarch Tahal has provided a grim ultimatum — leave within 30 seconds or be destroyed. Saru takes a belligerent posture and opens a channel to Tahal. The ambassador chastises the primarch for being as cowardly as the Federation's admirals believed her to be. The insult provokes an angry response from Tahal, but Saru threatens that his death would merely ensure that she would never take the Imperium's throne. Adopting a menacing tone, Saru emphasizes his Kelpien heritage — he's a predator who has studied Tahal like prey. Federation Intelligence had suspected that the primarch maintained bases in the L'Tar Nebula, and her refusal to accept a trade route in that area served to confirm their existence.

The ambassador professes that he has the ear of numerous planets in that region who are preparing to attack Tahal's bases without mercy. Although they would lose thousands of lives, Tahal's forces would be weakened enough so that the other primarchs could strike. Turning her fleet around would prevent such an outcome, but she suspects that Saru is bluffing. His resolve soars, and he commands that she look into his eyes and let him know if she sees even the slightest glimmer of doubt. Concluding that Saru is insane, Tahal closes the channel and has her vessels change their course. Impressed by Saru's clever performance, Nhan intends to avoid playing him in Ferengi rummy. The Kelpien shakes his head and exhales, sensing that Tahal won't leave this matter alone. The shuttle drops out of warp and cloaks so that it can monitor the situation — Discovery may yet need their assistance.

As Moll remains affixed to the portal's interface, a transmission from Book rouses Captain Burnham from her unconscious state. Composing herself, Burnham is alerted by the contents of Book’s message — something the portal is doing is causing gravitational chaos. The captain moves toward Moll, risking her own life to grasp the courier's shoulders and free her hands from the surface. An injured Moll crumbles to the floor, and Burnham hurries back to the interface in an effort to help Moll and her friends outside of the aperture. Hoping to stop whatever the portal is doing, she reflects on the phrase she learned from the mindscape. Every clue has prepared her for this last test, so the captain pauses to center herself and meditate on the phrase. Repeating "the one between the many" to herself, her eyes spring open as she recalls the negative space shadow behind the light.

Inspired by this revelation, she shifts the small triangles around to form an outline of an empty triangle on the interface's surface. The negative space between them glows with a magnificent light, but Burnham quickly finds herself surrounded by a tranquil night sky peppered with falling star-like streaks. The captain turns to see a figure approaching, astounded to observe a Progenitor greeting her with a warm smile. The Progenitor has been waiting for her. While the Progenitor's species went extinct billions of years ago, her mind occupies this liminal spacetime adjacent to her own. It is her duty to share instructions on how to operate this technology, and it will take Burnham some time to learn. The captain interjects, asking if what the portal is doing to her spacetime can be stopped. By activating the interface without engaging the safety protocol, Moll endangered Burnham's friends.

The Progenitor assures Burnham that Moll will likely survive and her crew will have time, as time functions differently in this space — in the captain's present moment, the technology is merely gathering the power it requires to perform its function of designing and creating life. Burnham inquires as to whether the tech can be used to restore life. The Progenitor replies that, while a new being can replace a lost one and be genetically identical to the original, it would lack its memories and fundamental essence. The Progenitor comments that the speed and scale of creation are adjustable, causing the captain to realize that someone could use the technology to engineer an army. The Progenitor points out that a brick is just a brick — it can create a home or destroy a body. This is why the Progenitors chose only to seed life, as demonstrated by the vistas in the tunnel that brought Burnham here.

Captain Burnham is taken aback by the Progenitor's next confession — her species did not create those worlds, they found them here. The Progenitors did not build the portal, but they theorized that whoever constructed it could have been the ones who created them. Or perhaps it goes even further back, a cycle of creators and creations countless times over. The portal predates them all. As Burnham lets this startling disclosure set in, the Progenitor guides her toward something she’d like to show her....

In the cockpit of Book's shuttle, warnings and alerts blare to inform him that shields are at five percent. Book presses a control to silence the computer, resolving to hold on until Discovery gets there or the shuttle falls apart. He urges Culber to beam to safety, citing the doctor's family. While Culber will go if he has to, he will stay as long as he can. The two consider the doctor's insight into grabbing the portal, and Culber credits his actions to a memory belonging to Jinaal . The scientists ran into the same problem when they sought to build a structure around it. Even though Culber doesn't have access to Jinaal’s memories, he was nevertheless aware of that piece of information and knew that he had to accompany Book. Culber laughs at his failed attempt to find an answer that doesn't exist, but that truth no longer drives him crazy. Despite his progress still being a process, the doctor wonders if there is something that is kind of beautiful about the mystery. Book ponders Culber's words, and the two share a friendly fist bump of solidarity.

As the shuttle desperately continues to cling to the portal, the Breen Dreadnaught closes in on its position. The Discovery -A swoops in on a course that will take them between the shuttle and the Dreadnaught in approximately five minutes. On Discovery 's Bridge, Rayner takes a call from Ambassador Saru. While Primarch Tahal and her fleet had reversed course, she left behind a cloaked scout vessel to investigate the conflict at the black holes. They must prevent that ship from learning about the Progenitors' power. Unable to destroy the Dreadnaught or let the scout report to Tahal, Rayner elects to take both pieces off the field of battle. The first officer directs his attention to Tilly, asking her if disabling all of the spore drive's safeguards would permit them to jump something that's not Discovery . The lieutenant replies, "Absolutely not… maybe."

Stamets and Adira react in a similar manner from Engineering, declaring it to be impossible… unless, in theory, they quantum entangled the spores and separated them by distance. If Discovery jumped, the spores would behave as they always do and jump whatever was between them. In need of two poles to extend the entanglement field between, Tilly submits that they separate the saucer from the secondary hull and place them on either side of the Dreadnaught. On the Bridge, Rayner approves and orders them to do it within three minutes — well, two and a half, but who’s counting?

Stamets questions where they should jump the Breen to. Sweat covering his brow, Rayner closes his eyes to concentrate on the inquiry — they'll send the Breen to the Galactic Barrier. It'll take them a couple of decades to get back, but they'll live. That's more than the Breen gave to Rayner's family on Kellerun. The first officer opens a shipwide channel, announcing the risky plan and proclaiming that he appreciates the trust the crew had placed in him. Rayner takes his place in the captain’s chair, and the bridge officers ready themselves at their stations. Rayner contacts Saru, requesting that the ambassador lure Tahal's scout into the vicinity of the Dreadnaught. As Discovery goes to Black Alert, Nhan decloaks Saru's shuttle and opens fire on the scout to draw its attention.

Captain Burnham takes in the majestic view within the portal, and the Progenitor informs her that she is only the second being to make it to her. Dr. Derex was the other, though she did not believe that civilization was ready for the technology at the time of her visit. The Progenitor agreed to wait, so long as the Betazoid scientist built a path to better prepare the next visitor for the responsibility. Now that Burnham is here, she will become the technology's steward. In awe of the scope of such a task, the captain remarks that no single being should control such power. Having discussed the path with Dr. Derex, the Progenitor believes that Burnham's ability to travel it has demonstrated that she has learned its lessons and faced her darkest sides. Speaking in a whisper, the captain affirms that she is far from perfect — she is afraid and lost at times. The Progenitor acknowledges that every sentient being, herself included, is all of those things, yet some strive to be the best of themselves. She sees that effort in Burnham.

The captain presses on with her argument, conveying that this isn't just about her. Right now, a battle is waging in space — the Discovery is seen separating its saucer from its secondary hull as the scout ship fires upon Saru's shuttle on its approach to the Dreadnaught. Burnham's crew is risking their lives to protect the portal and this technology, yet how can she or any other individual know how to use this power to bring peace and not more conflict? The Progenitor considers it a question that only a steward can answer. Captain Burnham must ask herself what is most meaningful to her.

The Progenitor presents several options: the advancement of science — Stamets and Adira prepare Discovery 's spore drive; a devotion to duty — Saru and Nhan weather the scout's relentless weapons fire; through connection and love — Book holds his shuttle's course; in the beauty of the unknowable — Culber stares in wonder at the sight before him; in family and community — Discovery 's bridge officers crew their stations; or in the capacity for change — Rayner delivers the command to jump. Outside the portal, Discovery 's saucer and secondary hull rotate on either side of the Breen Dreadnaught, the spore drive's signature blue energy spinning the enemy ship until it vanishes toward the Galactic Barrier. Triumph rings out across Discovery and the two Starfleet shuttles.

Back within the starry portal, the Progenitor observes that there is strength in the face of great challenges. She found her meaning in embracing difference. The Progenitors were alone in the cosmos — a single sentient culture whose wish was to create a diversity of beings in the galaxy with richness and variation. Captain Burnham struggles to decide what is most meaningful to her, requiring time to think it over and needing to know that her friends are safe. The Progenitor agrees to return the captain to her present moment, advising her that all she needs to do in order to stop the technology is remove her hands from the interface. It's that simple, as the important things always are. The Progenitor divulges that they will finish Burnham's training when — or if — she rejoins her in the portal. Having faith that Burnham will choose wisely, the Progenitor places her hands on the captain's temples. Visions flash before Burnham's eyes, bestowing a view of planets being born, life forming, and civilizations rising. 

A tear streams down Captain Burnham's cheek as the overwhelming experience concludes. She finds herself back at the interface, now among the field of flowers once more. She moves to help Moll up, and the courier asks her a heartbreaking question — can she save L'ak? The captain answers with the harsh truth, explaining that nothing here can bring him back. Burnham returns L'ak's body to Moll’s pattern buffer and helps Moll to her feet. They walk away from the interface, which disappears upon their exit.

As Book's shuttle maintains its grip on the portal, the Kwejian realizes that the gravitational disruptions have stopped. He's now picking up two lifesigns within the aperture, excitedly beaming Burnham and Moll aboard. Keeping Moll upright, the captain hands the courier over into Dr. Culber's care. Discovery is beaten up but okay, so Burnham breathes a sigh of relief and takes a seat next to Book at the helm. Having heard Book's messages in the portal, she thanks him for holding on. He replies with a grin and says, "Always." Rayner opens a channel, letting the shuttle know that Discovery is on its way and will secure the portal in its Shuttlebay.

Captain Burnham transports to her Ready Room, where she finds Rayner and Saru already waiting for her. Burnham and Saru share a friendly hug, and the captain suspects that "Action Saru" came out today. Saru sheepishly notes that he may have, inspiring a laugh as Stamets and Adira enter the room. Having reviewed the data from Burnham's tricorder, the enthusiastic astromycologist comments that it is not hyperbole to say that this is the greatest scientific discovery of their lifetime. Burnham's somber reaction perplexes those gathered, and she relays that she met one of the Progenitors in the portal and saw the last four billion years. Witnessing all the incredibly complex events that had to happen for each one of them to be alive was powerful. She realized that the galaxy already has infinite diversity in infinite combinations — there’s no need for this technology anymore.

However, Burnham is not implying they should leave the portal here. Believing it to be too powerful for one person or one culture to have access, or control, the captain thinks they must let it go. Always attuned to his duties, Rayner opines that they have orders. Stamets desperately clings to his wish to study and understand the portal, but Saru interjects — this is not about the astromycologist's legacy. Captain Burnham silences the discussion, citing the Progenitor's trust in her to make this decision. She will talk to Admiral Vance and President Rillak, but she knows they'll agree that this is the right thing to do. Saru and Rayner, as well as a reluctant Stamets, opt to place their faith in their captain. As Burnham exits with Saru and Rayner, Stamets stares silently out the Ready Room's viewports. Adira approaches him carefully, claiming that Stamets has learned a lot from the amazing mission. Maybe that's enough. Moved by the ensign's efforts to comfort him, Paul reaches up to Adira's cheek and asks them when they got so wise. 

Some time after the Ready Room meeting, Captain Burnham takes to the ship's comm system and commends the crew on a job well done. The portal is released from the Shuttlebay, Discovery 's tractor beams guiding it toward one of the black holes. Burnham is proud of her team for safeguarding this technology by placing it beyond the event horizon. They trust that what the Progenitors created for them is enough… and those that came before and developed this power must have the ability to recreate it should they still exist. A flash signals the portal's final journey through the black hole, and the Federation starship maneuvers away from the coordinates.

Discovery jumps back to Federation HQ, where a small fleet of vessels are assembled around the space station. Book heads down to the ship's Sickbay, finding Nhan watching over Moll in a biobed. The courier seems more open to his friendliness, joking that she found out her room in the brig has a window. Book shifts the conversation to a more serious matter, recalling that losing everything left him wondering how he'd find his way again. But he did, and he hopes that Moll will too. He promises that he'll always be here if she needs him, offering that she might even stop hating the name Cleveland Booker one day. She laughs, telling him not to count on it. Book moves to the door to join Nhan, who says that her orders are to bring Moll to Dr. Kovich after she completes her sentence.

"The Examples"

Captain Burnham beams over to Kovich's ornate office in Federation HQ, finding him scribbling a note at his desk. As she takes a seat, Kovich advises her that the Red Directive has officially been closed. All records will be classified, and no one will know the technology existed — a protocol which Burnham is very familiar with. The captain mentions Moll, and Kovich acknowledges that the courier is a capable individual who could prove to be useful. He states that Moll will be given a choice, prompting Burnham to produce the small device Kovich used to call her to the Infinity Room. While Kovich has lived many years and many lives, he's met few people who’ve impressed and aggravated him as much as Captain Burnham. She smirks at his analysis, and he urges her to keep the Infinity device — just in case.

Burnham's eyes turn to the collection of items adorning the wall behind Kovich's desk — a bottle of Chateau Picard, a VISOR worn by Geordi La Forge, and a baseball favored by Benjamin Sisko. The captain guesses that Kovich is actually a codename, but the doctor professes that his real name is a bit of a Red Directive in and of itself. Burnham stands and extends her hand in greeting, introducing herself as Captain Michael Burnham, U.S.S. Discovery . Kovich reciprocates, identifying himself as Agent Daniels, U.S.S. Enterprise … and other places.* Their cordial handshake radiates with respect.

Several weeks later, Discovery 's crew joins Admiral Vance, President Rillak, Lieutenant Jax, and other officials to Ambassador Saru and President T'Rina's elegant beachside wedding. At the event's reception, Duvin announces the newlyweds' arrival to the cheerful crowd. As applause engulfs the room, Saru and T'Rina thank their loved ones for attending. Wearing her dress uniform, Captain Burnham congratulates them on a beautiful ceremony. The celebration makes Saru think of the Progenitors and their shared ancestor — they are all connected in the most fundamental ways.  

Vance makes his way up to convey his own felicitations, and Burnham retreats to find Rayner chatting with Tilly. The lieutenant sees that Rayner has grown so much since he became Discovery 's first officer, and his relationship with Burnham reminds her of her relationship with Adira — but with ages reversed and more crabbiness. The dynamics between Burnham and Rayner, as well as their one-on-one connection, inspired Tilly to realize that those traits are what Starfleet Academy has been missing. Her plan to start a mentorship program at the Academy earns her a high five from Burnham and approval from Rayner, although the Kellerun teases her for calling him crabby.

Captain Burnham maneuvers through the crowd, welcoming other members of her crew before noticing that Book has just made a late entrance to the party. The Kwejian claims he had a run-in with some Talaxian pirates on his way back, and the captain voices how impressed she is by Book's dapper clothing. Book states that he planted the world root clipping he obtained from the Eternal Gallery and Archive in Sanctuary Four, the same place they took Molly the trance worm years ago.

Rather than participate in the wedding festivities right away, Book requests time alone with the captain. They take their conversation to the water's edge, where the distant sun hovers just above the horizon. Book expresses his thanks, as the mission helped him find his way and gave him renewed hope. As of yesterday, his sentence had been commuted. He and Grudge are figuring out what’s next for them, and the future is still a bit of a scary word. Burnham gazes out over the ocean, eventually confessing that the future is also a scary word for her. She considers herself to be lucky and grateful that Book is here and alive. They stand before one another, and Michael takes the bold step of proclaiming that she "never stopped." Book smiles in understanding, declaring, "You love me." The captain nods, and the two look into each other's eyes as they exchange "I love yous."

Book adds that his love for Michael possibly extends all the way to the moment they met, leading the captain to comment that he was "annoying as hell" back then. Book playfully notes that she still loved him, and they kiss passionately under the sunlight. The Kwejian asks whether they can just do this? Just the two of them, no matter what. Michael responds with a jovial sneer and adds, "And Grudge." Book agrees with her reasoning, aware that Grudge might claw the captain's leg to bits in her sleep. "You, me, and Grudge it is," whispers Michael, and they share another kiss until a sound from the captain's Infinity device interrupts them. Kovich has impeccable timing and another mission. Burnham looks at Book with hope, inviting him to join her on the adventure. Book believes it could be fun and that Saru would understand, then draws attention to their fancy attire by commenting that it never hurts to look good wherever you go. They join hands and resolve to see what the future holds, taking several steps down the beach before beaming away.

Some years later, a rustic room overlooking Sanctuary Four's red-leaved forests is serenaded by birdsong. A quiet fire crackles in the fireplace, and both Book's Tuli wood box and Burnham's Infinity device rest on a bedside table. Michael Burnham arises from her slumber and puts on her slippers, her slightly graying hair indicating that a significant amount of time has passed since Saru and T'Rina's wedding. As she enjoys the view of nature, an elder Book walks up with a mug of foamy coffee. He presents her with their first honeycomb from their very own Gexara bees. He places it in her drink but is disappointed when it sinks to the bottom. Michael is not bothered by the wax in her beverage, suggesting that the honey flavor could make it tasty. She takes a sip, quickly realizing that the blend is not as appealing as she had anticipated. Book wraps his arm around Michael's shoulder, offering to come with her on her "big day." She politely declines, feeling as if she should go alone. Book jokes that the rejection stemmed from the fact that he put wax in her coffee, and she agrees in the same jocular tone.

Now fully dressed, Michael carries lumber through the courtyard outside of her home. A Starfleet insignia is emblazoned on the ground, and she secures the post to a section of the fence. An incoming transmission calls out to her, and a voice tells Admiral Burnham that her shuttle is arriving momentarily. A four-legged hoofed creature meanders up to the barrier, and Michael apprises "Alice" that the area is fenced for a reason. As Burnham turns back toward the house and waits by the Starfleet logo, the arrival of a shuttle sends Alice running back into the forest. The Federation craft hovers over the yard, and a uniformed officer transports down. Michael is pleasantly surprised to see the face of her son Leto, who she believed would be on his way to Crepuscula by now. Book exits the house to join the reunion, pronouncing that there will be no hugging without him.

Freshly promoted to the rank of captain, Michael and Book's son brushes his shoulder off and insists that he's trying to "up his swagger a bit." Michael describes Leto as his father's son, and Book advises him to "Go get our swagger on in outer space, young man." Michael says that she will see Book in a couple of days, responding to his acknowledgment of "Aye, aye, Admiral" by reminding him that there's only one "aye." Michael taps her chest, causing her admiral's uniform to replace her casual clothing. As Book smiles upon Michael and their son, the two officers beam up to the shuttle. The craft flies low over the foliage, passing over a family of trance worms before jumping into deep space.

En route to their destination, Captain Burnham tells his mother that Tilly — now the longest tenured Starfleet Academy instructor ever — says hi. He ran into her while he was meeting with Admiral Vance at Federation Headquarters. As the shuttle continues on its journey, Michael senses her son is a bit nervous about getting his own command. He concedes that he's been thinking about what to say in his first speech to his crew. Vaguely referencing the still-classified incident with the Progenitor, Michael says that someone once asked what was most meaningful to her. She had always sought it in her missions, counseling her son that the captain's pips can bring pressure — they're supposed to. At the end of the day, every member of his crew will have to find their own sense of meaning. Leto is interested in how his mother would answer that question now, and Michael answers that sometimes life itself is meaning enough. How they choose to spend the time that they have and who they spend it with — her son, Book, and the family she found in Starfleet — are what is most important. Michael promises her son that his crew will become a family one day, and he interprets this as a way of saying he's got this. Michael confirms that Leto can handle this, and they bump fists over the shuttle's controls.

The shuttle drops to sublight speed, allowing Captain Leto and Admiral Michael Burnham to take in a miraculous view of Starfleet Headquarters. There are now three stations resembling the old Federation HQ, numerous starships surround the facilities, and the U.S.S. Discovery -A sits in drydock. As the shuttle closes in on the vessel, DOT-23s can be seen removing the “A” from the ship's hull registry. Remarking that this is the "last dance," Michael is glad that she is the person leading Discovery on its final mission and will have a chance to say goodbye.

Now alone aboard the ship, Admiral Burnham steps onto its shadowy Bridge. The lights and displays spring to life, and Zora welcomes her back. Michael notes that it's been too long as the words, "Resetting For Mission Protocols," flash across the screens. Discovery 's interior has been reconfigured to its original 23rd Century form, and the admiral relays that she'll be taking the ship to a set of coordinates in deep space. Michael and the crew will then leave, and Zora's assignment will be to wait.** This is a Red Directive, so the admiral doesn't know much about the mission. However, she did hear a word in passing — "Craft." Unsure if that is a person or a vessel, Michael opines that she's going to miss Zora, as her wait will likely be longer than the admiral's lifetime.

Zora has mixed feelings about that truth, but Michael points out that everything ends some day. There will be a new beginning when Zora returns, and she can look up the crew's descendents and meet the next generation of her extended family. The admiral refers to their time together as a "hell of a journey," allowing Zora to respond that the Federation has so many wonderful possibilities ahead because of Burnham and her crew. The admiral corrects her, stating that it is because of all of them. With the ship nearly ready for departure, Burnham gleefully takes a seat in the captain's chair. The station feels like home, and the distant echoes of her crew’s voices spring to her mind. She has a vision of herself turning to find Saru and taking the Kelpien's hand, suddenly rejuvenated to the age when she served as Discovery 's captain. Awash in affection and embraces, an otherworldly glow casts light upon a gathering of her closest friends — Tilly, Rayner, Stamets, Culber, Adira, Rhys, Linus, Commander Jett Reno, and Lieutenant Commanders Joann Owosekun, Keyla Detmer, and R.A. Bryce

"Life, Itself'

Admiral Burnham's focus returns to the present day, the fond memories flooding her senses. She settles in for the mission, and Zora assures the admiral that she is also ready. For the last time, Michael Burnham delivers her signature command from the center seat — "Let's fly." Its exterior now reset to its previous 23rd Century condition, the U.S.S. Discovery departs drydock amidst an honor guard consisting of a massive formation of shuttles and an armada of Starfleet vessels. Upon reaching open space, its spore drive activates. Blue energy envelops Discovery , and it spins at an increasingly rapid rate until it jumps away to its final destination. Headquarters and the assembled fleet remain in its wake as a monument to the Federation's rebirth and a testament to the contributions of Michael Burnham, the U.S.S. Discovery , and its crew.

* " Cold Front " — The temporal agent, Daniels, was first introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise 's first season. From the 31st Century, he would frequent the 22nd Century to assist Captain Archer and his crew whenever forces attempted to rewrite history.

** " Calypso " — In this Star Trek: Short Treks short, after waking up in an unfamiliar sickbay, Craft finds himself to be on board a deserted ship, the U.S.S. Discovery , his only companion and hope for survival, an A.I. computer interface, Zora.

• Written by Kyle Jarrow & Michelle Paradise
• Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Phase cannon

• View history

Phase cannons being deployed

Phase cannons firing

A phase cannon was a phase-modulated directed energy cannon weapon , a type of particle weapon which served as a successor to plasma cannons and as a precursor to the phaser of the 23rd and 24th centuries . The prototypes of ship-mounted phase cannons were first introduced by Starfleet in the mid- 22nd century , designed as the primary defense of NX-class starships and serving as a supplement for the lacking spatial torpedoes of the time. The first NX-class vessel to test and actively use phase cannons in battle was Enterprise NX-01 .

• 2.1 Initial test and early use
• 2.2 New protocols
• 2.3 Later uses and applications
• 2.4 The Expanse
• 3 Alternate timelines
• 4 Background information

Specifications [ ]

Phase cannon schematics

Designed as a starship-based version of the hand-held phase-pistol , the phase cannon was rated for a maximum power output of 500 gigajoules . The cannons of NX-class starships were mounted on retractable turrets which extended from the ship's hull when deployed and rotated as they were being targeted. Like phase-pistols, phase cannons emitted a concentrated beam of energy that could be set at different yields. ( ENT : " Silent Enemy ")

Aboard an NX-class vessel, the assembly was located on F Deck and could be accessed through a hatch within the armory . Instead of drawing power from the EPS grid , as they were designed, armory officer Lieutenant Malcolm Reed tied the turret relays directly into the impulse engines to increase their yield by eighty percent. Inverters were installed to cut in at the first sign of an overload. ( ENT : " Silent Enemy ", " Horizon ") These phase cannon assemblies were equipped with multiphasic emitters and could produce a beam with the maximum yield of 500 gigajoules. ( ENT : " Silent Enemy ") Later it was indicated that they could only emit 80 gigajoules.( ENT : " Cogenitor ") The cannons could also be overloaded by many times their normal maximum output, though this could cause significant feedback damage.

Reed and Tucker examine the phase cannon assembly

When initially installed on the first NX-class vessel in 2151 , the phase cannons were located on the ventral side of the ship. Two were placed at the bow of the vessel, while one was placed at the aft on the ship's starboard side. ( ENT : " Silent Enemy ", " Fallen Hero ") By 2152 the first vessel of this class, the Enterprise NX-01, was outfitted to hold at least four cannons on the dorsal saucer section ; two at the bow and two closer to the stern , with one on each of the catamaran-like sections. ( ENT : " Shockwave, Part II ", " Singularity ") An additional ventral aft cannon was added on the port section of the NX-class some time after the first cannons' installation. ( ENT : " Future Tense ", " Similitude ") Two more cannons were installed on the ventral part of the saucer section, only closer to the bow than the first cannons. ( ENT : " Bounty ", " Storm Front, Part II ") Yet two more pairs of cannons were added to the dorsal and ventral side of the nacelle pylons , near the impulse rockets , some time prior to 2154 . ( ENT : " E² ", " The Aenar ")

Enterprise fires its aft cannon

Phase cannons were generally more powerful than spatial torpedoes and were therefore more effective in a firefight. Initially, Enterprise 's phase cannons could not be fired while the vessel was at warp , as doing so would cause the weapon's particle discharge to destabilize the ship's warp field . This, in turn, would result in serious damage to both of the ship's warp nacelles , and could possibly even destroy them. ( ENT : " Fallen Hero ") By 2152, Enterprise armory officer Malcolm Reed had corrected this problem as the ship was able to fire its phase cannons at warp while it was pursued by a Suliban fleet. ( ENT : " Shockwave, Part II ") Phase cannons took some time to charge when manually activated. This issue was resolved with the implementation of Reed's tactical alert , which brought the weapons automatically online after the alert was given. ( ENT : " Singularity ")

Despite their power, phase cannons were sometimes unable to penetrate the defenses of other alien vessels. Not only did they prove relatively powerless against the shields of the first vessel they were used against, but it would have also taken a sustained beam to punch through the hull of a D5-class battle cruiser . That was assuming, of course, that the battle cruiser remained still long enough, which was unlikely. ( ENT : " Judgment ", " Silent Enemy ") Likewise, the cannons could be easily taken out with a single photon torpedo shot from a Klingon Bird-of-Prey . ( ENT : " The Expanse ") Because of this, Klingons regarded the cannons, which they identified as "low-yield particle cannons", to be of little threat. ( ENT : " Judgment ")

History [ ]

Initial test and early use [ ].

The first phase cannon test…

…and the explosive results

Enterprise was originally designed to carry three phase cannons. However, due to Enterprise 's premature launch in 2151, Jupiter Station did not get the chance to install the cannons, though Enterprise was given one of the prototypes. On August 30 th , 2151, Malcolm Reed and Trip Tucker were given the job of installing the prototype, as well as building two more from scratch. Leading the Engineering team, they were able to accomplish the installation – two forward cannons, one aft – in 48 hours, a job that would have taken the armory team at Jupiter Station at least a week.

The initial test of Enterprise 's phase cannons was conducted on September 1 st , on an lifeless moon . The first shot was only to have "shaved" a few meters off the top of a mountain peak equivalent to Mount McKinley , but the blast was so powerful that it formed a new crater on the surface. The resulting overload of the phase modulators caused a plasma recoil that blew out relays across decks C and D. Following this, it was determined that the blast yield of the shot was ten times what was expected. It was then that the crew realized that the cannons had been manipulated by a mysterious alien race.

When the alien beings attacked Enterprise , the cannons proved ineffective against the alien vessel's shielding. Reed and Tucker then caused another overload, this time intentionally, while repolarizing the gravity plating to absorb the plasma recoil and shunt the resultant energy to strengthen structural integrity . The resulting overload again increased the cannon's blast yield, which disabled the aliens' shields and allowed Enterprise to gain the upper hand. ( ENT : " Silent Enemy ")

In February of the following year, Enterprise used its aft phase cannon to disable the shields and engines of a Mazarite ship, although Enterprise had to drop to impulse to do so. Travis Mayweather recounted this incident to his brother, Paul , in January 2153 . ( ENT : " Fallen Hero ", " Horizon ")

Shortly thereafter, the forward cannons were used to disable a cloaked Suliban vessel hidden within a binary star system . While an assault team was on the ship acquiring information, the cannons were again used on the Suliban ship to collapse a corridor containing several Suliban, clearing the way for the assault team to escape. ( ENT : " Shockwave ")

Later, while escaping the Suliban helix , Enterprise used its aft cannon on the pursuing Suliban cell ships while at warp speed. The cannons destroyed at least one of the ships. ( ENT : " Shockwave, Part II ")

New protocols [ ]

Phase cannons fire on an asteroid

In August 2152, Reed proposed new tactical protocols that would increase the efficiency of Enterprise 's weapons, including the phase cannons. While under the influence of radiation emitted from a nearby singularity , Reed implemented the new protocols without Captain Archer 's permission.

Later, with the rest of the crew having succumbed to the radiation, Archer and T'Pol attempted to navigate Enterprise away from the singularity as quickly as possible by piloting the starship through a field of debris. When the need arose to use weapons against a large meteoroid that was in the ship's path, T'Pol worried that the phase cannons could not be charged in time. However, when a smaller piece of the meteoroid collided with the ship, Reed's tactical protocols initiated and the phase cannons were automatically brought online. T'Pol then used the cannons to destroy the remaining meteoroids, allowing Enterprise to safely escape the singularity. Following this incident, Reed's new security protocols were made standard procedure. ( ENT : " Singularity ", " Cease Fire ")

Later uses and applications [ ]

The following month, the cannons were used in an attempt to disable the engines of a Retellian freighter which had captured Commander Tucker. Although the cannons appeared to disable the freighter's port warp nacelle, it was merely a ruse by the freighter's pilot, Goff , to disable Enterprise 's own warp engines. ( ENT : " Precious Cargo ") Later, Commander Tucker threatened to use Enterprise 's cannons on Vulcan and Andorian vessels if they attempted to enter orbit of Weytahn . ( ENT : " Cease Fire ") Not long afterwards, a vessel crewed by noncorporeal beings were able to take Enterprise 's cannons off-line and capture the ship, although Enterprise ultimately escaped. ( ENT : " The Crossing ")

The ship's aft phase cannons were later used in defense against a group of Suliban cell ships which were pursuing Enterprise in an attempt to capture the Earth vessel in the ship's launch bay . The cannons destroyed at least one cell ship; several Tholian ships took care of the rest. ( ENT : " Future Tense ")

The cannons were later used in battle against a Klingon Bird-of-Prey commanded by Duras , although they did negligible damage. ( ENT : " Judgment ") In March 2153 , the cannons were used to disable the weapons of Arctic One , which had been taken over by the Borg . Later, after several spatial torpedoes were used to weaken Arctic One , a single, final shot from a phase cannon destroyed the transport . ( ENT : " Regeneration ") Later that same month, the cannons were used to destroy a decoy device which was generating a false Tellarite warp signature and preventing Enterprise from locating the Tellarite ship which had captured Captain Archer. ( ENT : " Bounty ")

By 2153, phase cannons were installed on several other classes of Starfleet vessels as well, including Intrepid -type and another type of starships. ( ENT : " The Expanse ")

The Expanse [ ]

Phase cannons proved to be vital part of Enterprise 's weapons complement during the starship's search for the Xindi weapon in the Delphic Expanse . ( ENT Season 3 )

During the Xindi incident , a phase cannon emitter aboard Shuttlepod 1 was used to destroy the locking mechanism of a Delphic Expanse sphere so the vehicle could gain entrance. Later, Enterprise fired its cannons at the sphere to lure an Osaarian pirate ship into close vicinity of Enterprise so Hoshi Sato could download information on the Xindi from the pirate ship's computer banks. Although the first attempt using a single, minimum yield blast from one cannon did not succeed, a second blast using both cannons destroyed the sphere's portal and got the Osaarians to attack Enterprise , allowing Sato to successfully download the information they needed. ( ENT : " Anomaly (ENT) ") The cannons were later used against two Xindi-Reptilian vessels who were attempting to retrieve their spy, Rajiin , from Enterprise . ( ENT : " Rajiin ")

Phase cannons used on particles covering the ship's hull

Several months later, when Enterprise entered a polaric field and its hull was bombarded with nucleonic particles , the aft cannons were redirected towards the back end of the hull and used to blast away the particulates which had accumulated on the ship's launch bay doors. This allowed for the launch of the ship's shuttlepods , which were then used to tow Enterprise a small distance, giving the larger vessel a strong enough momentum to clear the polaric field. ( ENT : " Similitude ")

The cannons were later used to quell attacking Triannon ships who were defending themselves against Enterprise while the starship was under the control of D'Jamat and his religious sect. After Archer reclaimed command of Enterprise , he had the cannons powered down to prove the starship was no longer a threat. ( ENT : " Chosen Realm ")

As Enterprise pressed forward into the Delphic Expanse in search of the Xindi weapon , the ship came into contact with a number of debilitating spatial anomalies . One severe encounter in December 2153 disabled all of the ship's weapons, including the phase cannons. Fortunately, the Andorian warship Kumari , under the command of Shran , was nearby to lend assistance. Shran assigned his tactical officer , Lieutenant Talas , to assist Lieutenant Reed in repairing the weapons. With Talas's help, the phase cannons were not only operational within a short period of time, but were also working at 94% efficiency. This was an improvement, as Reed was never able to exceed 93% efficiency from the cannons. Soon after the phase cannons were brought back on-line, they were used to disable two Xindi-Reptilian vessels, allowing the Kumari to seize the prototype of the Xindi weapon. ( ENT : " Proving Ground ")

Shortly afterwards, the cannons were again used to disable another Xindi vessel, this time belonging to the Xindi-Primate Degra . He and his crew were then captured in order to gain information on the whereabouts of the Xindi weapon. ( ENT : " Stratagem ") The following month, the cannons were again used in an attempt to disable the engines of a Xindi-Insectoid vessel, but they proved ineffective. ( ENT : " Hatchery ")

Enterprise suffered severe damage following a battle with Xindi-Reptilian and Xindi-Insectoid vessels near the red giant , Azati Prime , resulting in the loss of the ship's weapons, including phase cannons. Following their repair, the cannons were used against an Illyrian starship while an Enterprise boarding party stole the alien ship's primary warp coil . During the assault, T'Pol had Reed adjust the cannons to a narrow confinement beam and disable the Illyrian ship's power junction, allowing the boarding party to remove the warp coil and transport it and the party back to Enterprise . ( ENT : " Azati Prime ", " Damage ") Nonetheless, at least two of the front cannons were not operational until two days after the Xindi attack. ( ENT : " The Forgotten ")

Phase cannons strike the Xindi weapon

Later, the cannons were deployed as defense against a group Kovaalan ships within a nebula . Disturbance from the nebula interfered with the cannons' targeting scanners, making it necessary for its target to be within close range. ( ENT : " E² ") Soon after, Enterprise participated in a major battle in which the starship's phase cannons were used against Xindi-Insectoid and Reptilian vessels as they escorted the weapon away from the Xindi Council planet . At least one Insectoid ship was damaged after being struck by a phase cannon beam. ( ENT : " The Council ") A short time later, Enterprise 's original forward phase cannons (coupled with photonic torpedoes ) were used in an attempt to destroy the Xindi weapon before it could be launched against Earth. Again, at least one Xindi-Insectoid ship was destroyed by the phase cannons during this battle. Also during the battle, phase cannons were used in defense against the lead Reptilian ship while a team of MACOs infiltrated the ship to rescue Ensign Sato. ( ENT : " Countdown ")

By the time Enterprise had completed its mission in the Expanse and returned to Earth in 2154 , Starfleet, upon the recommendation of Captain Archer, had developed pulsed phase cannons . These advanced phase cannons were installed aboard the Columbia NX-02 . ( ENT : " Home ")

During the Augment Crisis of May 2154, Captain Archer was trapped within the central core of Cold Station 12 , where he was in danger of being infected with the thousands of deadly pathogens stored there. With interference from the core preventing his transport , Enterprise 's phase cannons were used to open the core's outer hatch, decompressing the core and blowing Archer into space. After being exposed to the vacuum of space for only an instant, Archer was transported back to the safety of Enterprise .

Klingon Bird-of-Prey struck by a phase cannon

Later, Enterprise was able to stop the Augments from using pathogens stolen from the station to infect a Klingon colony . In retaliation, the Augments – aboard a stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey – attacked Enterprise , disabling all weapons save for the ship's aft cannon, which was then used to destroy the Klingon ship's main plasma junction and disable the vessel. ( ENT : " The Augments ")

Enterprise later employed the cannons against a fleet of Vulcan warships which attacked the Starfleet vessel to drive it away from their planet , as per orders from Administrator V'Las . However, Enterprise proved to be no match for the Vulcans and was forced to retreat. ( ENT : " Awakening ") A short time later, the cannons were again used against the Vulcans to defend Andorian ships during a skirmish near Regulus , but the weapons were unable to penetrate the Vulcan ships' shields. ( ENT : " Kir'Shara ")

In November of that year, Enterprise used the cannons in an attempt to disable what appeared to be an Andorian warship which had attacked them without provocation. The cannons proved ineffective against the Andorian ship's shields, and even after Commander Shran supplied Enterprise with the coordinates for the attacking vessel's shield generator , the shields remained intact. The attacking vessel was ultimately forced to withdraw due to a fluctuation in its power grid, and it was later discovered that it was actually a drone ship controlled by the Romulans and capable of disguising itself as other vessels using holographic technology . ( ENT : " Babel One ")

The drone ship was able to simulate phase cannon fire using tri-phasic emitters , as evidenced by its attack on a Rigelian scoutship while disguising itself as Enterprise . Later, the real Enterprise intercepted the drone ship a second time, using phase cannons to disable its holographic emitters. Without its camouflage, however, the drone ship proved far too maneuverable for Enterprise to lock onto it in order to disable the drone's weapons. This forced the Starfleet vessel to shut down its own weapons and divert power to its hull plating . ( ENT : " United ") Enterprise later employed phase cannons when facing off against two drone ships, but it was only through the assistance of Jhamel and the sacrifice of Gareb , two Aenar , that the drone ships were destroyed. ( ENT : " The Aenar ")

Later that month, Enterprise fired phase cannons at a Klingon Bird-of-Prey which had attacked the Starfleet vessel near the wreckage of a Rigelian freighter , but they were unable to prevent a Klingon boarding party from transporting aboard Enterprise and sabotaging its warp matrix . ( ENT : " Affliction ")

Both Enterprise and Columbia used their phase cannons against three Klingon battle cruisers that were attempting to eradicate Qu'Vat Colony . Although Columbia managed to disable one of the Klingon ships, the cannons for the most part were ineffective against the battle cruiser's shields. Retaliation from the Klingons resulted in the loss of Columbia 's weapons and Enterprise 's aft phase cannons. Ultimately, however, a peaceful resolution was found and the colony was spared. ( ENT : " Divergence ")

In December 2154, Captain Archer, while under the influence of pheromones secreted by the three Orion slave girls aboard Enterprise , ordered Reed to fire the phase cannons at an attacking science vessel despite the fact that it was of no threat to Enterprise due to its low-yield weaponry. Because a single phase cannon hit would destroy the vessel, Reed refused to follow Archer's orders. Archer began to aim the cannons himself, but, as T'Pol had predicted, the science vessel ceased its attack and moved off. ( ENT : " Bound ")

In 2256 , the USS Shenzhou was known to have been armed with phase cannons. First officer Michael Burnham suggested they be targeted at an unknown object of possible Klingon origin as a way of luring the Klingons out from hiding. ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ")

Alternate timelines [ ]

The two ventral bow cannons hit a Stuka

In 1944 of an alternate timeline in which Earth's history had been altered as a result of the Temporal Cold War , Enterprise 's original forward phase cannons were used in an attempt to prevent Shuttlepod 1 , which had been hijacked by Silik , from reaching Earth. The cannons managed to damage the pod, but it was able to land on Earth nonetheless. ( ENT : " Storm Front ") Soon after, the cannons were used to subdue a squadron of Stukas , allowing Enterprise to destroy the facility housing the Na'kuhl and their temporal conduit and returning the timeline to normal. ( ENT : " Storm Front, Part II ")

In 2154, an Enterprise from an alternate timeline carried the same complement of weapons as Enterprise of 2154, despite the former vessel having been in existence for 120 years. Thus, the alternate Enterprise continued to use phase cannons, although they now fired a blue beam of energy rather than an orange beam. ( ENT : " E² ")

In an alternate timeline in which Earth was destroyed by the Xindi weapon, phase cannons were still a Starfleet vessel's primary line of defense in 2165 . In that year, Enterprise 's cannons were used to knock out the engines of a Yridian ship. Later, Enterprise and the remaining Starfleet vessels used phase cannons against invading Xindi-Reptilian and Insectoid warships. Enterprise 's cannons were disabled in the attack. ( ENT : " Twilight ")

Background information [ ]

Phase cannons were introduced in " Silent Enemy ", twelve episodes into Star Trek: Enterprise 's first season . Prior to this, Enterprise utilized plasma cannons (seen only once, in " Broken Bow "). The phase cannons were designed as an early version of the ship-mounted phaser technology seen on Star Trek: The Original Series , the Star Trek: The Next Generation -era series, and the Star Trek films .

There is much confusion as to exactly how many phase cannons were installed aboard Enterprise during the course of the series. In "Silent Enemy", it was specifically stated that Enterprise had been designed to carry three cannons. The ports for these cannons were located on the ventral (bottom) part of the ship, with two at the bow and one at the aft (the latter seen in " Fallen Hero "). One of the cannons initially installed was a prototype built by Starfleet engineers; the other two were built from scratch by Tucker and Reed. However, in " Shockwave, Part II " (the opening episode for season two ), phase cannon-like beams were fired from several areas on the dorsal (top) section of the ship. These weapons were later specifically referred to as phase cannons in " Singularity ". This would seem to imply that at least two more cannons were built from scratch and Enterprise refitted to carry them.

Phase cannons were also seen being fired from the very front of the bottom part of the saucer section near the end of season two. There were also cannons seen fired from ship's warp nacelle pylons during season three , but whether these were also made from scratch or whether they were installed during the ship's refit in preparation to search for the Xindi weapon is not clear.

There is a possibility that some of the phase cannons seen fired were the result of special effects errors. Another possibility is that some of the energy beams seen were actually the plasma cannons which Enterprise had utilized prior to the installation of the phase cannons, although the effect used was the sustained, orange beam associated with the phase cannon as opposed to the short, red bursts seen used by the plasma cannon. For this reason and those listed above, and because most were specified as being phase cannons, we must assume that all these energy effects shown were meant to be phase cannons. Then again, the shuttlepods had similar effects for their weapons, but these were specifically referred to as plasma cannons in " Awakening ".

Complicating matters, however, is Reed's line in " The Expanse " (the last episode of the second season) stating that a shot from a Klingon vessel had taken out "both forward phase cannons", after which the ship must go straight to firing torpedoes. Then there is T'Pol's line in " The Forgotten " (a third season episode) in which she states that Reed had been able to bring "both forward phase cannons online". These lines of dialogue suggest (although they do not confirm) that the ship still only had two phase cannons at the front of the ship; this, however, contradicts what was seen in previous episodes. Further complicating things is Reed's line in " The Augments " (a season four episode) in which he states "the aft cannon [is] online, but just barely". Again, this indicates the ship still only had one aft cannon as in the beginning despite visual evidence to the contrary. It also contradicts dialogue from later episodes (specifically " Divergence " and " Bound "), in which Reed uses the plural form for the aft cannons, proving the ship does indeed have more than one aft cannon. Also, rotating phase cannons are clearly seen on the far bow of the ship's ventral (in front of the originally-installed forward cannons) in " Storm Front, Part II ", although it can be assumed that they were installed sometime between "The Forgotten" (when there were apparently only two forward cannons) and " Storm Front ".

The last reference to the ship's phase cannons occurred in " Bound ", set in 2154. It is unclear whether or not the cannons continued to be used afterwards, although the presence of phase-pistols in the 2161 -based holodeck scenes in " These Are the Voyages... " make it likely that phase cannons were used until at least that point. It is unknown at which point in time phase cannons were replaced, or if the laser weapons seen in the pilots for the original series were their immediate successor.

• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

Eve Harlows Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Villain Could Have An Unexpected Future

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery's Season 5 & Series Finale - "Life, Itself"

• Moll's determined pursuit of Progenitors' technology leads to a captivating battle with Captain Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery's finale.
• Dr. Kovich has mysterious plans for Moll's future, potentially involving time travel and becoming an agent in the Star Trek universe.
• Moll emerges as one of the best villains in Star Trek: Discovery, driven by love and intelligence, with the potential to join the side of heroes.

Star Trek: Discovery 's series finale set up an intriguing future for Eve Harlow's Moll. Moll spent most of Discovery season 5 in search of the Progenitors' powerful technology. She and her Breen lover, L'ak (Elias Toufexis), proved to be incredibly resourceful and determined in their pursuit of the treasure, evading the USS Discovery multiple times. After L'ak's death, Moll becomes even more determined to find the Progenitors' technology, believing that it will allow her to resurrect L'ak. Moll allies herself with the Breen, gaining their allegiance because of her marriage to L'ak, their beloved Scion, and her promise to bring him back.

In Star Trek: Discovery's series finale, "Life, Itself," Moll battles Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) for the Progenitors' technology, but in the end, she learns that it cannot be used to resurrect L'ak. After Moll is injured trying to access the technology, Burnham communicates with one of the Progenitors (Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama), but ultimately decides that the power to create life is too much for any one person, or culture, to control . After the dust settles, Moll is treated for her injuries and taken into custody. Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril), however, reveals that Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg) has mysterious plans for Moll's future.

Written by Kyle Jarrow and Michelle Paradise and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, "Life, Itself" impressively wraps up Star Trek: Discovery season 5, while also serving as a send-off for the USS Discovery and her crew.

Star Trek: Discovery Showrunner Answers The Series Finale's Burning Questions

Screen Rant interviews Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise about the biggest questions left behind by the series finale.

How Moll Could Appear In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

What exactly does dr. kovich have planned for moll.

Star Trek: Discovery creative team did not know that season 5 would be the show's last season while they were in production. While they likely had plans to bring Moll back for Star Trek: Discovery season 6, that is no longer an option. Still, Moll could make an appearance in Discovery's upcoming spin-off, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, or another future Star Trek project. In Discovery season 5's finale, Dr. Kovich tells Captain Burnham that Moll is "a capable individual" who could "prove useful." Kovich then reveals his true identity as temporal Agent Daniels to Burnham, which makes Moll's potential future even more interesting.

Introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise, Agent Daniels was an operative from the 31st century who played a major role in the Temporal Cold War.

If Kovich recruits Moll to be one of his agents, he could presumably give her the ability to travel in time. This opens up the door for her to pop up in nearly any Star Trek project, regardless of where it takes place in the timeline. Even if Moll does remain in the 32nd century, she could serve as Kovich's agent on Starfleet Academy . While not much is known about this series, it will reportedly involve a threat to the Federation, possibly something Moll could help fight against. Although Moll does not seem like the Academy instructor type, she could be brought in to offer lessons on self-defense or even advice on how to catch renegades like herself.

Moll Was One Of Star Trek: Discoverys Best Villains

Moll joins captain lorca and emperor georgiou on the list of great star trek villains..

No other Star Trek: Discovery villain has quite lived up to Jason Isaac's Captain Gabriel Lorca or Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou from the show's first season. And while Moll is a completely different kind of villain from either of those two, she brought an exciting and fun energy to Discovery's fifth and final season. Not only is Moll intelligent and resourceful, but she can also hold her own in a fight and easily command a room. Moll single-handedly took control of a Breen faction, using just her knowledge, speaking skills, and manipulation tactics.

Moll is driven by her love for L'ak, and she has understandable reasons for being hesitant to trust anyone else.

While Moll may technically have been the main villain of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 , she is not evil or unnecessarily cruel. Moll is driven by her love for L'ak, and she has understandable reasons for being hesitant to trust anyone else. Although only fragments have been revealed about Moll's past, it seems like she did the best she could with the hand she was dealt. In the end, Moll accepts her fate, but it seems that Star Trek may not be done with her just yet. Whatever Kovich has planned for the former courier, Eve Harlow's Moll became one of Star Trek: Discovery's best villains, and there's still a chance for her to join the side of the heroes.

Cast Blu del Barrio, Oded Fehr, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Callum Keith Rennie

Where To Watch Paramount+

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Adventure

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Alex Kurtzman

Directors Jonathan Frakes, Olatunde Osunsanmi

• June 3, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Season 2 Coming To Netflix In July
• May 31, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Says Farewell To ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ With “Life, Itself”
• May 30, 2024 | Alex Kurtzman Explains Why ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Is Set In The ‘Discovery’ Era
• May 30, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Pulls It All Together For “Life, Itself”
• May 29, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 4 Filming Set For 2025; Anson Mount Thanks Fans For Patience

Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finds The Right Balance In “Lagrange Point”

| May 23, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 105 comments so far

“Lagrange Point”

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 9 – Debuted Thursday, May 23, 2024 Written by Sean Cochran & Ari Friedman Directed by Jonathan Frakes

The penultimate episode of the season sets up the finale with a great mix of action, heart, and even some fun.

I know you missed me.

WARNING: Spoilers below!

“What do we do now?”

We begin with Ambassador Saru returning to HQ, flowers in hand (aww), only to have his romantic moment with T’Rina diverted to a crisis meeting with the Prez. Rillak briefs the group on the last episode: Moll killed Ruhn, now Primarch Tahal’s fleet is heading to claim his dreadnaught, and it would be really bad news if she found out about the Progenitor Tech. On the Disco, they are still fixing the ship but risk using the spore drive to beat Moll to the coordinates. Upon arrival, they’re immediately pulled into a black hole—right next to another one. “That’s interesting.” Not now, Tilly! She rallies and sciences a way out of them being spaghettified , and the crew battles their way to safety, quickly spotting a curious cylinder in the Lagrange Point (title alert!) point between the holes, which must be what the 24 th -century scientists built to hide the Progenitor tech. They take in the moment to be dazzled by the awesome majesty of these binary primordial black holes as the secret home to the power of creation. This why they went into the final frontier, to find strange new… Oh shit, the Breen show up and tractor the cylinder into their shuttle bay. Zoink! You snooze you lose, space nerds.

I did miss you!

“I think they can do it.”

The Breen use the map as a key to open the container, revealing an extra-dimensional portal, so Moll starts sending Breen red shirts scientists in to figure it out. She doesn’t have the cryptic clue Michael got from Avatar Book, so the good guys have time if they can figure out how to beam the cylinder to the Disco. Adira suggests attaching transport locks, but how to get close enough? Cue the heist movie montage! The plan is to sneak a shuttle through a shield weak point to insert two teams dressed as Breen: Alpha to go to bridge and shut off shields, Beta to attach the transport lock. After some protective dad objections, Adira (with Rhys as security backup) are Alpha and Michael leads Beta, bringing Book along as pilot. Cleveland assesses the plan as “insane,” proven right as they fly into the dreadnaught’s exhaust with only seconds  before they are “deep fried.” Both teams beam in at the last moment… right next to some soldiers demanding answers. Banking on strict Breen hierarchy, Burnham chastises the soldiers and evokes the Scion, using the old fake it till you make it strategy of infiltration. Alpha team heads to the bridge, where they order a lowly officer away from his station with Adira sympathizing, “Everyone always picks on the ensign.” Beta heads to the shuttle bay with their usual banter, but take a quick sidebar so Michael can tell Book about the emotional epiphany she had in the mindscape last episode. Nice, but do you need to do this now?

Rhys and Adira prepare to drop some beats.

“This is getting weird.”

Back at HQ, Rillak is getting ghosted by Tahal so they debate dispatching the USS Mitchell to waylay the Breen Primarch, then settle on sending a less provocative shuttle with the same cool new Pathway Drive. Before T’Rina can provide a list of who could head up the mission, Saru volunteers. Later, they finally get their nice romantic moment and come to an understanding of how in their line of work they will always be faced with balancing their love with the logic required to choose duty over emotion. Speaking of duty, Rayner continues to pace the Disco bridge as he readies the crew for action and he isn’t about to sit in the captain’s chair, making it clear to acting first officer Tilly that he has no need for her “warm and fuzzy encouragement.” Stay gruff, my friend. On the dreadnaught, Michael and Book bluff their way through a checkpoint, knocking out the guards to get into the shuttle bay to see another Breen scientist sacrificed to the mysterious glowing cylinder. They need to shut off a quarantine field, so Book is tasked with distracting a guard and he goes with… flirting. No helmet and refrigeration suit can hide the sexy. As he agrees to a group hook-up at the oil baths, Michael gets to work on that field, but on the bridge, Captain Moll gets wind of the missing shuttle bay guards. She orders a total lockdown as more soldiers head towards the precious cylinder… too many even for Book to seduce.

Those DJs are really kicking it.

“I always knew my crew would come for me.”

Beta Team needs a distraction, so Rayner hails Moll, revealing the Disco wasn’t destroyed last week but fibbing that Captain Burnham was killed. He warns Tahal is coming for Ruhn’s dreadnaught, but Moll rejects the offer of protection from the Federation. The former courier soon finds Alpha Team, unmasks them, and grabs the transporter lock before it can be used. Michael and Moll trade barbs, but Rayner is listening closely and understands the coded message from his captain.  The crazy plan is to fly the Disco through the Breen shuttle bay containment field and beam Michael, Book, and the cylinder over when they get flung into space. Sure, no problem. Alpha Team drops the shields, but that gets unwanted attention, so Rhys jumps into action and even Adira gets in some hits before they’re beamed away to safety. Moll sorts out what the Starfleeters are doing and decides her best hope is to go through the interdimensional gate herself (with L’ak’s body safely stored in a portable pattern buffer). Burnham can’t let her get the tech, so she decides to follow, sharing one last poignant look with Book before being zapped away. Discovery dives through the energy barrier and all hell breaks as the cylinder floats out into space and disintegrates, revealing the pulsating glowing portal from within. Book’s now on the bridge (having found the time to change back into his cool leather coat, perhaps due to some transporter tech?) and reveals the captain is inside the portal. Scanners find nothing, so Tilly sums up: “She’s just gone.” Not on Rayner’s watch. The commander rallies the crew with a fine “ failure… not an option ” speech. They are going to get her and the tech back, period. To make his point, he (finally) sits in the captain’s chair with, “Let’s do this”… next week.

I’ll sit down when I am damned ready.

That was exciting

What an exciting episode, nicely setting things up as a first part of the two-part finale while still being a complete package on its own. Time flies by with good pacing from director Jonathan “two-takes” Frakes. He leans into the season’s pivot in tone with a sense of adventure and even some fun with heist movie motifs. Sneaking on board alien ships in disguise is classic Trek going back to “The Enterprise Incident,” but this time with a Breen twist, evoking Kira Breening up in DS9’s “Indiscretion.” The stakes are huge as the season plot comes to a head with Moll and now a looming new Breen threat potentially taking the Progenitor tech, and these bring along the VFX moments and dramatic bridge scenes we should expect from big-budget Star Trek. But this is also Discovery, and so what is woven throughout are key character moments driving home the season’s theme of connection. This may be exemplified best by the very welcome return of Doug Jones, who is giving us the perspective from Starfleet HQ as Saru and T’Rina find love in between moments of high-tension statecraft and diplomacy.

Michael senses she only has one episode left.

“Lagrange Point” pays off several character arcs that have been playing out this season, leaving Saru and T’Rina’s big day (presumably) for the season finale. Here there were more quick and even subtle moments that were still quite satisfying, especially seeing Adira come into their own by going on an away mission based on their own crazy idea, with the nervous but proud space dads sending them off like it was the first day of school. Adorable, yes, but it was also great to see Blu del Barrio show more range, with bits of humor—and it was really them doing the action scenes (check back later for Blu’s TrekMovie interview about this episode and more). The episode did make a big deal out of Rayner taking the chair, but it built up to this by picking up on threads from the season as he has earned the trust of the crew as expressed by Tilly, even as they hung a lantern on the show’s penchant for being all touchy-feely. The biggest payoff was for Michael and Book, broken up at the start of the season, now clearly realizing they are still in love. However, Discovery can’t help itself by having an inappropriately timed feelings discussion with Michael and Book on the Breen ship. This kind of thing isn’t really necessary and could have played better if she’d tried to have the conversation but was cut off, leaving everything that needed to be said in that brief beautiful moment they share only with looks before she goes into the portal.

Do they have Breen suits in my size?

Breen to be wild

It looks like they are saving all the big reveals about the Progenitors and their tech for the rest of the finale, but the ability to put their portal into the Lagrange Point of two primordial black holes is literally awesome, and Tilly seemed to imply the Progenitors may have even created those black holes, once again telegraphing this god-level tech probably shouldn’t end up in anyone’s hands. Season 5 also adds more to the lore when it comes to the Breen, although they do remain mysterious. It’s hard to grasp how Moll is now in command instead of Arisar, Ruhn’s top lieutenant who backed her coup. But there does seem to be a cult-like worship of the Scion and her association is the source of that power. More importantly, Moll seems to remain singularly focused on L’ak, but Eve Harlow’s over-the-top performance risks what we can assume is a coming redemption with Book in the finale. They were careful to show that even though she had little regard for Breen scientists, she had not gone full evil, saying she planned to drop Michael and Book off at some planet instead of killing them. We also learn that the Breen are polyamorous, like Denobulans, and they relax with oil baths, like Star Wars droids. Like with other little beats in the episode, they pick up on things established earlier in the season, like using the “anchworm” insult to good effect on the ship. This, as well as the nod to the Kellerun Ballad of Krul and “osikod” code from Burnham to Rayner, are little examples sthat show how this season is tied together more effectively than previous ones.

The Breen aren’t into walls.

For the setup to a season finale, there was a surprising amount of action, and not just with the spectacular space effects of the two black holes and battle with the Breen. The fight scenes on board the Breen ship with accompanying bluff-the-bad-guys moments were a bit familiar, but perhaps that was intentional as the episode had no time to waste. That said, there were moments that felt like they were skipping a step; after the Discovery crashes into the shuttle bay, the next moment Book is on the bridge wearing a new outfit. If you rewind and look VERY closely, you will see in the chaos of flying debris a tiny beam-out effect, but it felt like we missed something there. And if they could easily nab Book while he was in the shuttle bay, why not the cylinder as well? But it was still effective when the episode slowed down for some moments, including those back at Starfleet HQ, which added emotional beats and more context to the larger plot.

You’ll be back next week, right?

Final thoughts

In the end (and little nitpicks aside), “Lagrange Point” is a taut episode that stands on its own, but will likely be seen later as just part of the larger season finale as it ends on a cliffhanger. The balanced mix of action and emotion sprinkled with humor is the sweet spot for this series that we’ve been seeing throughout the season.

You better come back, the deposit on the wedding venue is nonrefundable.

• This is Jonathan Frakes’ 31st Star Trek directing credit and 8th episode of Discovery .
• At 46:57, it is the shortest episode of the season.
• A Lagrange Point is a real thing in celestial mechanics.
• Primarch Tahal leads the “3rd Flight” of the Breen factions.
• Once again Michael showed off her expertise in xenoanthropology (revealed in the series premiere) by knowing “Sarkaress” was a Breen festival, although it’s not clear why the universal translator didn’t know that as well.
• The vulnerability of an unshielded exhaust port is likely a reference to the Death Star from Star Wars .

Stamets is still shrooming.

More to come

Every Friday, the TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek Podcast  covers the latest news in the Star Trek Universe and discusses the latest episode. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Pocket Casts ,  Stitcher and is part of the TrekMovie Podcast Network.

The fifth and final season of  Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery  will also premiere on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuts on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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One More Ride. LET’S GO!

I can’t recall offhand, but did we ever see Discovery’s engine room? I think they just showed the spore drive engine but never the warp engine.

It’s one of those things (like with who is chief engineer and who is chief medical officer) they never decided on. First it was ‘a’ science lab, then it was engineering.

Yeah, that was definitely one of the series’ major flaws.

Early on, they acted like we hadn’t, and that we would, but we never did.

I seem to recall this room being called engineering this season or last. It’s clearly at least an offshoot.

In Season 3 they, briefly, showed the Warp Core.

I’m pretty sure Stamet’s Lab became Engineering. You can sometimes see what’s supposed to be the core through the window.

No, and it really wasn’t necessary. The ship has engines, we get it.

And with that, there goes how many TOS eps right out the window?

Every show minus DS9 the engine room is a big part of the show and stories. This is the only one who apparently forgot they even had one.

TOS never showed the warp core.

They did, it just looked different, more like a particle accelarator then the one from TNG which set the standard, where Scotty would always be

Actually The Motion Picture set the standard. It may not have had the exact look of the core from TNG, but it did have the cylinder and lighting effects that were passed on to TNG.

I find the simple pulse lighting on TNG and DS9 cores to be very corny/dumb-looking compared to the TMP/VOYAGER cores. TMP’s is just endlessly cool-looking, and I just wish they did more with the set (like a zoomlens/dolly ‘warp’ shot a la VERTIGO or JAWS, which could have worked for a running scene or an attack.)

Decades back, when fluorescent tubes started to fail, they’d go through a phase with very weird pulsations that could last for weeks before they completely died, and it was great fun to try to photograph that and then project it into a scene. The TMP engine room sometimes reminds me of that look. In fact, if you remember the moment Enterprise phasers go into and through RELIANT’s nacelle in TWOK, that has a very similar kind of fun kinetic energery, and I always wished that shot went on a bit longer.

One more episode of this extremely disappointing season to go. This one was moderately better than some of the others, but at this point I can’t imagine how they could possibly pull off a good season finale with this dull concept.

> extremely disappointing

How the fuck high are your standards?

(Go ahead and delete this, mods. I don’t blame you.)

To each their own. I really enjoyed the episode and it has been one of the best season we’ve had. I think we all get it. Discovery just isn’t your thing. That’s fine – you are entitled to your views. But there are quite a few of us that are actually enjoying this season. The writing have been fantastic this season (talking as a writer myself), the pacing has been great, and the acting has been wonderful.

What is the point of saying “We all get it?” I’m expressing my opinion, the same as anyone else here. If you don’t like my opinion, feel free not to read it. But there’s no need for that kind of response, and there is no “we”–you speak only for yourself. In any case, you enjoy the writing and acting this season, and that’s cool. I, for the most part, do not.

Oh, I seem to have touched a nerve. I only say that we all get it is because you have mentioned it several times before. Twice in this thread. That is all. “We get it” that you do not generally like Discovery – you have been quite vocal about it. And “WE”, meaning “others” understand that too.

But perhaps you should have read what else I said in my post… “to each their own”

No need to get snappy with me.

I have never said I dislike Discovery. On the contrary, I’ve said many times that I like some aspects of it, and have been consistent in saying so since season one. What I dislike are the needless melodrama, the whisper-acting, and how thin the plots have been since season three. That doesn’t mean I dislike the show. I’d argue it means the opposite. I keep watching because there are aspects I find enjoyable, and I keep hoping the show will finally rise up and meet its enormous potential.

Unfortunately, this season’s storyline doesn’t work for me. That is not the same as me not enjoying the show. I loved seasons one and two, and I thought season three had a lot of great things about it, too. It’s just four and five that have generally disappointed me. But there have been moments of greatness from time to time, even in these two disappointing arcs.

As for my getting snappy, I was responding in kind to “We all get it.” But that’s fine, I’m moving on

Thank you for moving all… from all of us.

You’re welcome–and I do mean you, since you don’t speak for anyone else.

Yes, but the guy is right, you do make that quite clear in your posts. They are more negative than positive. I think I read that you liked 2 episodes. But even then, you tend to focus on the negative aspects than celebrate the positive ones. But I get it. It’s your thing to nit-pick. I, for one, never understood your obsession with what you call whisper acting. Don’t really get it. But you do you. But I think that got you called out for trolling once.

I have pointed out many, many good things about the show, particularly in the first three seasons, so I don’t know what you mean. I loved Sarek and Amanda. I loved Lorca. I loved the mirror universe. I loved the Harry Mudd episodes. I loved the Ash/Voq arc. I loved the redesigned Klingons, and especially L’Rell. I loved Nhan. I loved Saru. I loved the diversity. I loved Stamets and Culber. I loved Reno. I loved Book during his first season. I loved Kovich.

I loved how Discovery introduced Strange New Worlds, and I loved the casting of Pike, Number One, and Spock. I loved Burnham’s mom. I enjoyed Control, despite thinking that concept fizzled out in the end. Last season, I made it clear I enjoyed the new characters. It was just the ending I didn’t like. I am a fan of Discovery and have never said otherwise. I like every Star Trek show, or else I wouldn’t be watching them, and I wouldn’t be commenting here.

As for the whisper-acting, it’s absurd to call it MY obsession. First, I’m not obsessed about it. Second, a ton of people–here and on other websites and in podcasts and on YouTube and in blogs and reviews, etc.–have pointed out how annoying the constant whispering is. So your point is moot.

As for my being a troll, I’m clearly not. I’ve been here for years and have been an active member of this board. I’m a lifelong fan and have been since the 1970s. There are people who come here and trash other people just because they like or dislike the show. I never do that. Those are the trolls, not me. I’m here for discussion. That’s the purpose of the board.

You tend to always focus on the negative when you post. Your comments tend to all have a “but” to them. “I love this…but…”

You tend to be the only one that talks about whisper acting. Haven’t seen anyone else talk about it here or on other boards. You got called out from the admin for troll like behavior mentioning this a few episodes back. No, my point is not moot at all.

You’ve been pissing on this since the first episode, so I guess you need to finish strong. By most accounts this has been a great season, and people are watching. So there’s that.

“Most accounts” is very subjective and kind of moot. I’ve read a lot of negative reactions to this season. Mine are hardly unique.

I will say looking at the reviews for IMDB the ratings are a lot lower than I expected GIVEN that people seem to at least like it. But the highest rated episode so far is episode 4 with a 7.1 which is decent but that’s the HIGHEST so far. The lowest rated is episode 6 with a 5.7 rating. In fact all the other episodes are in the 5s and 6s. That’s LOW.

Just for comparison sake SNW season 2 highest rated episode was TOS with a 9.0 rating. The lowest rated was subspace Rhapsody with a 6.9. But all the other episodes are in the 7 and 8 ranges which are sold ratings overall.

Now we’ll come to the most highly rated season in modern Star Trek so far with Picard season 3. The highest rated episode there is still the finale with a 9.4 which is still insane to me a year later but there it is. The LOWEST rated episode are episodes 2 and 7 tied at 8.2. Let that sink in that’s the Lowest rated episodes of the season. Picard season 3 are all rated 8 and 9. That’s abnormally high for any Star Trek show.

So your assessment is accurate. The season is rated higher than the last two but just barely. It’s shocking with people people fawning over how much they are loving this season but yet not a single episode has reached anything close to an 8. To clarify there isn’t a rating for this episode yet so maybe it will be higher.

But the REALITY is this season is still very mixed overall in the fanbase. I certainly do think a lot of people like it more, certainly more than last season. But Picard season 3 this is NOT!

I think what is happening is the people who isn’t loving it as much simply isn’t talking about it as much either. At least not here. But I could be wrong. That’s my only theory because the season is still rated fair to low on both IMDB and RT which currently has a 30% audience score. But I focus more on IMDB since the episodes are individually rated.

But you’re 100% right, yours is not unique in the slightest.

Another reminder that imdb as a metric has to be tempered due to review bombing. They’ve removed transparency to see the percentages of how people vote, but it’s guaranteed there’s a slew of unreasonable 1’s in the mix there.

This is why it’s hard to have an honest discussion about the show – people started review bombing it the second they added trans people to the cast, which makes it more difficult to talk about how at the same time the writing did change noticeably.

I know this but it’s season 5. I mean at this point it’s all been laid out.

Picard season 2 for example has the WORST ratings of any of the modern shows after the first two episodes. But then season 3 as said now has the highest.

So were people just review bombing season 2 of that show? Because it has lower ratings than even Discovery. Or maybe people just generally thought it sucked? That seems to be the consensus everywhere at the time.

At some point we just have to also admit maybe the majority of down votes are just people unhappy with the show?

And here is the biggest irony. The highest rated season of Discovery is actually season 1, the season that easily had the most acrimony and bitterness from fans since Enterprise season 1 lol.

Oddly that season is decently ranked today. It’s highest rated episodes are 12 and 13 tied at 8.1.

The lowest rated that season is #8 with a 6.8. In fact most of the season are in the 7 range. Not amazing but not awful either. Basically average which MOST Star Trek seasons are rated actually across the entire franchise.

So obviously it’s not like every season has been pounded into oblivion either.

But look these discussions really frustrates me because everyone wants to argue the online ratings .. when they are bad. NO ONE argues about them when they are good lol

If I came and posted every episode this season got an 8.1 everyone would be saying “SEEEE! People love this show!!!!”

And I only posted this because of Lorna Dune said that his view wasn’t in a tiny minority and he’s right… it’s not.

But yes people certainly love it here more than him which I think is accurate and fair. But other places online it is MUCH more mixed and those ratings are bearing it out.

As far as the Trans issue sorry I just don’t buy that. Were there any Trans characters in the first two seasons of Picard because those are rated just as bad as Discovery is minus a few stand out episodes.

And I went and looked at SMW episode that featured a Trans character in episode 7. It’s rated at a 7.2. Not amazing but decent right? And it’s not the lowest rated episode of the season either.

So sorry I don’t think it’s that. Some people YES, there are certainly the anti Woke idiots around, no doubt. But no not the main issue for its lower ratings. People have been complaining about this show for five seasons and we know it’s not those issues why most think it’s bad.

The IMDb ratings start to collapse the second they introduce Gray. Could be a coincidence, but my faith in people has been dashed. When they were visible, these numbers were filled with “1” ratings. It’s just skewing the numbers too much. I think the show got worse in seasons 3 and 4. But as bad as the numbers from IMDb fanboys who can’t even bear to rate When Harry Met Sally above a 7.7? Nah. There’s a mean-spirited agenda at work.

Ok fine and you could certainly be right. But again you also said the show just got worse in those seasons as well… which most people here (who didn’t like them) have also said.

Yes maybe that did have something to do with it but I think it’s clear it’s not the only thing either.

I was the guy saying Michelle Paradise should be fired because of HOW disappointed I was over seasons 3 and 4 and it obviously had nothing to do with Grey. I just thought it was generally bad outside of a few standout episodes.

The IMDB ratings are really just a self-selecting group of poll-takers who are motivated by having their likes and dislikes noted, somewhere. (Yeah, I doubt even Terry Matalas would rate the Picard finale that highly.) I wouldn’t put all that much stock in them, in any case.

We have this conversation every season lol.

And I say the same thing EVERY season, if you’re going to just dismiss every online poll then how do we rate anything???

When someone says people are loving or hate such and such show, OK, fine but where is it coming from? TikTok videos, viewing ratings, what people on a message board says?

Because here is a shock, every metric is online.

Look no one has to believe it, I say that all the time too lol, but for me these ratings seem to bare out what people are saying online most of the time. People seem to love SNW, guess what good ratings for the show in every poll. Not always amazing but decent. People think Nemesis was a bad movie, rating for that movie… not so decent lol.

I guess what I’m saying is I would like to see a pill that is completely left field of what people are saying online. I mean an EXTREME view.

And it’s not like Discovery is hated overall. The show has a 7.0 rating overall. It is the lowest rated show in the franchise but guess what 7 of the shows are all rated in the 7s, just higher than Discovery. The only shows that are rated 8 or higher are TNG, TOS, DS9 and SNW.

That sounds about right to me BASED on discussions on these shows everywhere.

But if people really hated Discovery or just review bombing it seems like it would be in the 5 or 6 range category.

Oh and lastly, I actually agree with most people here. I thought it was a pretty good episode and gave it an 8/10. I had some issues with it but it set things up well for the finale at least.

All said and done I was just defending Lorna Dune. Phil said he was the only one giving the season crap and while I knew that wasn’t completely true since it has been more mixed in other places for sure it’s hard to just base that any one place obviously.

But that’s the problem with message boards, right? You can go to one place and find people fawning over an episode. You can then go to another place and find the opposite responses on literally the same episode.

So yes your point isn’t wrong but that’s EVERYWHERE online today, right? So how do you determine how much something is liked consensus wise anywhere today? Especially something so subjective as a TV shows and movies?

But his view wasn’t coming out of a vacuum either and that’s all I was really trying to highlight. I haven’t even looked for any ratings for this season until today and yeah even I was a little shocked by it .. but not totally either.

I’ll make a deal with everyone now. Stop saying every one loves or hates something and I won’t post any of these polls. But you can’t keep saying “Well everyone truly loves such and such show except the vocal minority” but then dismiss ANY data that contradicts that U-N-L-E-S-S you have proof your statement can actually be validated. Fair right?

And guess what however it is validated will be 100% from online sources and we’re back where we started anyway.

Keep on posting your data Tiger please. You are by far the sanest person on these boards, I agree with you about 98% most of the time.

Thanks dude! I always appreciate it.

As I said I just wanted to present a more balanced picture and it wasn’t to prove that people thought the season actually sucked, simply that’s it’s probably a bit more complicated as well. That’s all.

I don’t doubt the season is more popular, especially when compared to last season which is EASILY the lowest rated season of the series.

But of course none of it matters just your personal feelings about it. But Lorna Dune is disappointed in the season probably moreso than a lot of people here including me. But he’s certainly not alone as proven and has the right to express it just the same.

Agreed to your terms about not assuming my preferences are shared by everyone, sir. But then, I never did. 😊

Yeah why I really enjoy talking to you because you really only discuss YOUR opinion and not obsess with other people’s thoughts.

For the life I just don’t understand why is it so hard to just to give your opinion about something without being so triggered over what anyone else says or that you feel your opinion has to part of some consensus to matter? But we see it over and over again lol.

Negative comments coming from the same people…over and over again… often in the same threads.

This episode was a really enjoyable one i loved every minute of it though i was a little disappointed by the shortness of it. Compared to the rest of the season that had episodes that were over 50 minutes long so i hope the final is a lot longer.

Jonathan Frakes again proves he is fantastic as a director and i hope he gets to direct some episodes of Starfleet Academy. The shot of Discovery cloaked and escaping the black hole’s gravity was gorgeous. A big thumbs up for the VFX team and their hard work.

Saru bringing flowers to T’rina was cute and great to see him again and President Rillak. I always enjoy seeing an away team infiltrating another ship. As it helps us the viewers get to know little more about the other team as in this case we get to know more about Breen culture.

The CGI shots of Discovery attacking the Breen Dreadnought and blasting/crashing it’s way into the shuttle bay was another gorgeous sequence. I hope we get a few more shots like that in the final.

They called this a two part finale, and… ok, sure. It’s really just episode 9 on a serialized show, so I don’t think it matters to call it a two part finale when every episode already connects.

100% this – Disco has always been a 6 episodes too many movie each season (same w/ Picard for that matter)

Something is telling me someone is about to become the new Emissary to the new worm/black hole aliens.

Sisko to return?! Whoa!

Not a chance.

lol.. yeah.. just being funny

lol if they did that I would be saying to Disco:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okMuq-NSq0M

No haha, but I was feeling some parallels. Let’s see what’s behind the portal next week.

I quite enjoyed it. It was a bit of a stretch with how many times they needed to fool the Breen crew… I’m a bit torn about DSC finishing next week. I feel bad for the fans who say this is “their Star Trek…” They’ll miss the show. I won’t miss it… I feel the show has run its course…what’s left to do??? (FWIW, I watch each episode as they drop. I support the franchise. When DSC is successful, it helps the franchise succeed…) I’m grateful for DSC’s success in bringing us SNW, LDS, and Prodigy. One more to go…finish strong DSC, finish strong…

I am with you. No matter what you think of it now, Discovery gave us a lot!

I agree. I hope they apply what they’ve learned about how to do a season to SNW, but I don’t think very many in this writers room are moving over there. That show needs some help. But DSC Season 5 feels like they looked at PIC S3 and took some good lessons about what made it so great without feeling like they copied it. There’s a lot they dialed back on this one, and that’s appreciated.

I won’t miss it… I feel the show has run its course…what’s left to do???

One thing is setting up the new Academy show, although they may have already done that a couple seasons ago with the Tilly Academy episode.

I actually agree with your view. I am constantly up and down with this show. I am certainly a little more up with this season but it’s still not amazing for me but yes decent.

I think it will take a few years after this show is over for people to assess it better. And I will say this, based on all the past shows it will probably bold well for Discovery in the end because so far every past show seems much more loved today vs when it was on minus TOS and TNG. I separate those because I think they were just as adored when they went off the air as they are today.

The others needed more time but all seems to be generally loved today if still not by everyone obviously. Maybe that will ultimately happen with Discovery as well.

Solid episode, right in line with the season. Nothing revelatory, but adequately fun for sure, which is all I’m hoping for at this point.. Action / Adventure has made this series work for me this season in a way it never has. I’m very worried that whatever is behind the curtain will be underwhelming and / or unimaginative. We’ll see.

Have we ever seen Discovery in battle mode? Cause if not, I thought it was pretty cool with the nacelles sitting on top of the secondary hull!

I noticed that too!! I was hoping someone else spotted it too. What a neat trick with the detached nacelles.

I can’t remember seeing it in any previous episode but then again I didn’t notice it during my first viewing of this episode so it’s possible I’ve missed it before.

Naturally, now that the series is in the bin, the show finds it’s groove. But that’s tradition, I guess. This one went a lot harder than I expected. Rayner brings that ‘Lorca’ energy the series has been missing since S1. Excited for the resolution, and overall conclusion… the only real criticism being pulling Book aside, mid-mission, for one of those patented Discovery heart-to-hearts, but at least Michael lampshades that before doing it. ;)

The only good thing about this episode is that we have to endure this stupid plots for just another one. This series can’t end fast enough, because the good episodes ended in season 2, and that was a long time ago.

Is Kovich inside?

That would be something haha, if the portal leads to the infinity room.

100% Saru dies in the finale. It couldn’t be more telegraphed

Very, very doubtful.

Remember it wasn’t filmed as a finale.

Maybe not this episode, but it’s been clearly stated that there were re-shoots for the finale. I also got the vibe that we may lose Saru, but I think the finale will play out the wedding as a way to wrap everything up – think Nemesis and Troi and Riker’s wedding (just at the end, not the beginning).

Rayner DESERVES a spinoff!

I’m on board with that. I had a few moments of questioning where I stand on him around mid-season, but after this episode, I have to say I will miss him when he’s gone. Keep him and Admiral Vance, and I think you’ve got a winner.

If it wasn’t for the fact that she’s 89 and probably not in the mood for a full head of makeup anymore, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they find Salome Jens inside that thing.

I’m not sure but was this the first time we saw those blue phaser beams fired by Discovery? They had a wonderful TOS feeling about them and finally, none of those ugly pulse phasers but a clear and continuous phaser stream like in the old days! Just a tiny detail but those are the things I get hooked on…

Weren’t Discovery’s Phasers blue when it faced off with Control?

Star Trek is so synonymous with beam weapons. Never made sense to shake that up the way JJ Trek and Discovery did.

Anthony, your recaps are always excellent and appreciated, your comment, “ They take in the moment to be dazzled by the awesome majesty of these binary primordial black holes as the secret home to the power of creation. This why they went into the final frontier, to find strange new… Oh shit, the Breen show up and tractor the cylinder into their shuttle bay. Zoink! You snooze you lose, space nerds.” — That REALLY made me laugh out loud. Well done sir!

You can always tell when he’s the writer. There’s just a different feel to his recaps.

I know NOTHING abut the finale but there are definitely hints that the Progenitor Tech is too much power for anyone to have, too much “God-Power” and I have a feeling after the awesomeness of the Progenitor Tech is fully revealed, I believe there will speeches about “No planet, no race, no person should this much power” and I’m guessing the Disco crew somehow destroy the Progenitor Tech for good so that no one can ever “Genesis” the universe(s) and then we see the new series finale, guessing there will be lots of hugging and crying, and that’s cool, that’s what this show does, it’s about the FAMILY.

…in which case the entire season will have been pointless.

Why would it be pointless? Why should the Federation have that much power? Isn’t there something about absolute power corrupts absolutely? I might have gotten the exact quote wrong. Burnham and the Disco crew should absolutely destroy the tech if given the chance … but I’m guessing there will be a big reveal where Burnham is given the opportunity to try and make peace with the Breen ..

Not remotely .

or they’ll take it all the way back to the start of time and they’ll become the Progenitors etc etc…they probably won’t let much of the crew or the ship keep kicking around in the future

I’m putting money on it taking them back to the moment Picard finds out about the progenitors at the end of “The Chase” and we encounter a CGI de-aged Picard who secretly begins the process of hiding the progenitors tech by meeting with all the scientists mentioned through the past Discovery season and showing that he ultimately inspired the whole process.

Yep, that’s what I’m thinking too. I’m also betting on a fast resolution to the progenitor problem that happens in the first 20 minutes, and then the last 30+ is the touchy/feely wrap up of the series.

Or maybe Burnham will finally find her inner strength inside and maybe she will forgive herself and stuff. Pure poetry.

Craft services on this show is awesome apparently ,…….Tilly , Adira , Helm officer , President of the Fed all look well fed …very well fed

You mean they look like …real people?

Here’s a fun fact: Powerlifters often look very round, because their musculature is adapted to lifting heavy weights above their head. They often do carry a healthy amount of fat because that’s the fuel for their muscles.

Having visible abs is a result of dehydration. That’s why bodybuilding is not the same as athletic training; it’s to create a look, not serve a purpose.

Even Olympic athletes come in different sizes and shapes, and have musculature / fat percentages attuned for their sport. Simone Biles is small and lithe, and Brittney Griner is tall and lean. One is trained to run and do springy flips across a mat, the other has to do a lot of start-and-stop running, passing and throwing.

Chase Ealey, the US women’s shot-put champ, is curvy and stocky, and incredibly strong. I’m sure she could lift you over her head before dropping you, but you seem to have already been dropped on your head as a kid.

This sort of sexist commentary isn’t welcome here.

Drop a selfie my dude.

I’m bothered by the fact that while Burnham and crew are standing around gazing at and pondering the cylinder before them, the Breen just pop in and grab it. C’mon, Discovery should have just yanked it the second it was in sight. Similarly with the transporter lock, the second it’s attached to the cylinder ZAPPP, just beam immediately!! Instead they wait around, and give Moll a chance to remove it. They just move soooo slowly, the ensuing complications are totally of their own making.

or just destroy the first part of the map in episode 2 and the universe is safe

The Breen grabbing the cylinder is the worst part of the episode if not the worst moment from the whole season. If they didn’t know the Breen were coming, that would be one thing. But knowing that they just barely beat them, they should have jumped on it as soon as they figured it out. But also, it’s a bad moment based on the fact that the Breen should not have had an easy time just warping in between two black holes and grabbing the thing that easily.

The blocking on that was really, really bad.

Is it the blocking or just the script? If the script doesn’t have them doing things like voicing concern about yanking it, there’s only so much you can do to enrich a scene like that.

The script could have cleaned up a bit I guess, but really, the scene needs to show that they’re out of range of the tractor beam and closing in as fast as they can. So yeah, they could have scripted it that way, but they also could have blocked the scene to show they were doing it. That there was urgency, that they were trying to get there and busy and talking while in action, instead of waiting on it. As it is, It makes the characters look incredibly stupid.

Yes! The Breen are right behind you; grab the thing as soon as you see it. Sheesh.

Wow, watched it again last night on CTV Sci-Fi, really enjoyed it again. Even though it was a shorter episode, the pacing really kept it fresh. The editing was superb and kept that tension going. Absolutely LOVED the chemistry between Tilly and Rayner in that scene on the bridge. I have said this before, but the addition of Callum Keith Rennie has been a huge win. He is an incredible actor. There is so much to say about this episode but it has definitely been my favourite of the season. Frakes did a wonderful job directing as always. He knows how to build tension and balance out a story. Well done!

Interdimensional god-tribbles are on the other side of that portal.

Well, well, well, another decent episode. Careful DIS, you may pull off a good season! ;)

I jest! I jest! – though loved seeing/hearing the upgraded phasers firing of the Discovery, was a cool shot. Plus, Rayner, honestly, that dude deserves a spin off or something. We’ve had more character growth and backstory for him in 9 episodes, then we have for most of the Discovery crew in 5 seasons! Hope he AT LEAST pops up in the Academy show.

Was the episode amazing? No. Was it Berman Era good? No, but DIS’ format is so different to those days, so a tad unfair. Was there some typical DIS cringy parts? Yes, BUT the positives outweighed the negatives and was a good romp. Here’s hoping the series finale pulls off a good landing.

What if Burnham actually finds a smiling koala on the other side of the portal? That would tie things up pretty neatly, I’d say…

Thank goodness for Callum Keith Rennie

***Once again Michael showed off her expertise in xenoanthropology (revealed in the series premiere) by knowing “Sarkaress” was a Breen festival, although it’s not clear why the universal translator didn’t know that as well.***

UT doesn’t translate or contextualize proper nouns.

Don’t know if this has been raised yet, but I wonder if the saltly interplay between Rayner and Tilly might be setting the stage for Rayner to be the head honcho in the upcoming Starfleet Academy series. I think he would be terrific.

Never mind. Just read that Holly Hunter will be top dog at The Academy. C’est la vie.

Not bad. Loved the shot of Discovery breaking into the shuttle bay. Exquisite high end VFX right there.

The story was well paced, just a few points off for Burnham and Book taking valuable time out of their dangerous and time sensitive mission to tell each other their feelings. It’s always so hamfisted. Ditto a little bit when Culber came to see his husband at the end and Stamets took time out from solving how he’d save the day… to reassure him. It’s nice on a human level, just clunky in a dramatic tv show with stakes (and professionalism) on the line.

Acting was solid form most of the cast. Tilly and Rayner are good together, Mary Wiseman’s line deliveries were delightful. Still do not find anything compelling about Moll or Eve Harlow’s performance.

Intrigued to see what they find on the other side of the portal!

Building on the idea that the Federation (or even just Discovery’s command crew) will realize that the Progenitor tech is too much for anyone in 3191 to be trusted with, and needing to keep it out of the Breen’s reach, my prediction is that the Discovery will be sent on yet another one-way trip – far into the future (~1,000 years or more, exact date unknown) with minimal or no crew at all, there to hold and protect the technology from falling into unworthy hands.

Maybe it will be just Burnham or Rayner who accompanies Discovery to the future. They will order Zora to maintain position and then set off to explore the future. But if Book is along, perhaps they will set off to reestablish a new Kwejian using the cuttings of the World Root, which Book received from Hy’Rell. (This may or may not require making use of the Progenitors’ tech – better if it doesn’t.)

Regardless, by some odd requirement of the time travel method employed for this trip, Discovery’s original nacelles will need to be restored as well.

And this, I submit, is how Discovery (and Zora) will – or at least could – be there waiting for Craft in Short Treks’ Calypso.

Fade to black, cue the credits.

Update 66 Patch Notes

By rebekah 7 May 2024

Gorn Invasion, Pt 2

“My crew is a damn fine crew, just as capable, if not more so, than any other crew in the fleet.”

It’s a big galaxy. Maybe too big sometimes, especially when you are far away from your friends and family. For Captain Pike and the crew of the Enterprise, this seems truer than ever.

Nurse Chapel, on a mission to tend to a criminal Klingon’s wounds, finds herself stranded with her charge on a distant planet, pursued by his enemies, and unable to contact Pike. Doctor M’Benga must leave the Enterprise and fly with the Independent Commander, searching the galaxy for a rare herb that will save the life of a young girl. Spock is seconded to a Federation vessel crewed only by Vulcans and is taught an unexpectedly singular lesson about logic, pride, and emotion.

There are times, however, when distance is not so much physical as cultural. The Enterprise learns this firsthand when it encounters a world that is both reliant on fossil fuels and on the brink of catastrophic environmental collapse. But perhaps nothing speaks to the alien more than the Gorn, as the Independent Commander discovers when they confront the brutal reptilian race and its horrifying new technology.

“It is simply logical to prepare for the future.”

The month of May brings the second part and conclusion of this SNW arc.

Update 66 Includes:

• New Ship: The Gorn Eviscerator
• New Monaveen Refit
• New Officers
• New Missions
• New Cosmetics
• New Battle Pass

The Gorn Eviscerator

Update 66 will introduce a new ship to players Operations 40 and above: the Gorn Eviscerator . Expanding on the groundwork the Discovery ship laid, the Gorn Eviscerator is able to open “Spatial Rips” for quick movement between systems, enabling players to bring their Alliance members to the Spatial Rip location instantly. This is the first ship with passive Isolytic abilities, making it ideal when going up against Gorn Hunter Hostiles.

This Gorn-themed ship encompasses 15 tiers with level ranges 40-65. Its “Spatial Rip” allows the player to create a temporary 1-way portal to the system they are in. Once this portal is opened, a message in the alliance chat is sent. The portal will only appear in the player’s system – (no interactable system entities), and an ally will need to open the System Viewer of system A to be able to use the portal and insta-warp to it.

The Spatial Rip will only last for X duration, disappearing when closed, and will have a usage counter – tracking how many ships can use it. Players can travel to any system within their grade or below. Ships that travel through a wormhole get a free, one-time Insta-recall.

Tiering up the Ship will increase the number of ships that can pass through the Spatial Rip, as well as allow the Spatial Rip to stay open longer. 

Players Operations 10+ can use the promo code: EVISCERATOR to gain 24,000 Event Store currency, approximately 30min after event reset. This code will not work prior to this time. 

There will also be a weekly “Gorn Technology” Event that all players will be able to participate in that will reward players with blueprints – Date TBD.

Passive Abilities

This new ship also possesses a couple of passive abilities: Hunt the Hunters and Rigorous Extraction . Hunt the Hunters is a passive ability that increases Isolytic Damage against Gorn Hunters. Rigorous Extraction, the Gorn Eviscerator’s second battle ability, will amplify that Apex Isomatter when you defeat a Gorn Hunter while using the ship. Tiering up the ship will increase that isolytic damage, and these abilities become critical to the Gorn Eviscerator refinery bundles which have been added to the Isomatter tab located in the Eviscerator Refinery.

Effect on Gorn Hunter Hostiles: 

The Eviscerator Refinery will provide you with the Gorn Eviscerator Parts needed to upgrade the ship, as well as other rewards such as:

• PvP Isolytic Defense artifact Shards
• Update 65 and Update 66 Officer Shards

Check out this video and blog article about the Gorn Eviscerator for more details.

Monaveen Refit

• Sigma Resources added to Queen’s Favor claims
• Burning to PVE Hostiles

Two new officers will be joining our SNW crews in Star Trek Fleet Command. 

Epic SNW James Kirk

In “ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ,” James Kirk is portrayed as a charismatic and capable young officer, exhibiting many of the traits that define his iconic character in later years. Kirk is shown as courageous and often willing to put himself in harm’s way to protect others and fulfill his duties.  In the same way, SNW James Kirk shows us that when he assumes the position of the Captain’s chair, he will not back down from a fight. 

Captain’s Maneuver: Command Prodigy

• -40/30/15% 

Officer Ability: Phaser-Bank Operator

•   +200/600/1200/2000/3500% 

Rare Officer: Pelia

Pelia is characterized as a resourceful and enthusiastic officer, contributing her expertise and skills to the Enterprise’s various missions. Her role adds to the overall dynamic and synergy of the crew, much like her entrance into Star Trek Fleet Command.

Pelia will provide boosts focused on ISO Hostile combat, and when paired with Sam/SNW James Kirk, M’Benga, or Chapel, Pelia will round out the crew to provide maximal synergy for awesome power vs Iso Hostiles.  

Officer Ability: Brain-Melting Secrets

• -2/5/10/15/20%

Below Deck Ability:  Perpetually Bored

• +10/25/45/70/100%

25 missions are rolling out in this update, including 20 new Core missions and 5 new missions to introduce the new Gorn Eviscerator ship. 

Core SNW: All the Feels

5 Missions | Level 34+

Spock has been seconded to a Vulcan vessel when it suddenly comes under a strange neurological attack that leaves the entire Vulcan crew slaves to uncontrollable emotions. The only one unaffected is Spock, who finds himself in the unenviable position of having to babysit a bunch of emotional Vulcans. 

Core SNW: Bedside Manners

Nurse Chapel has to take care of a Klingon who doesn’t want but very much needs her help, as the two of them are trapped in a shuttlecraft. 

Core SNW: Healing

A dying girl needs treatment that can only be synthesized from a rare herb. The journey there and back will take too long, so M’Benga must take her with him as he searches for the herb. 

Core SNW: Connivance

The Enterprise crew is sent to investigate a potential first contact situation. They find a planet reliant on fossil fuels and on the brink of environmental collapse. The crew must investigate the death of a prominent politician and uncover a dark conspiracy to keep newly discovered warp power hidden from the public.

Intro Missions: New Ship Interaction (Eviscerator)

5 Missions | Level 40+

There have been reports of increased Gorn activity throughout the sector. The crew discovers that the Gorn are using one-way portals to attack colonies. They create a trap in order to obtain and study this new technology – the Axion Engine.

Two brand new primes are in this update, as well as extensions to 4 pre-existing ones: 

• Research Cost Efficiency
• Prime Wartime Morale
• FKR Tribute Primes – level 6 & 7
• Prime Temporal Disruption

Prime Wartime Morale – While you have Morale, +20% Isolytic Damage

Prime Temporal Disruption – Increases Temporal Disruptors Daily Claim by +300%

Extensions:

Prime Research Cost Efficiency now has a level 2 extension, up to +450%, G3-G5

FKR Tribute Primes – levels 6 & 7

• 200/350% more reputation from killing hostiles, and the free claims contain 1000/2000 faction credits, and 12.5M/50M reputation

Battle Pass and Cosmetics

A new battlepass launches this month, and players will have the ability to earn 4 new avatars and 3 new frames this update, including:

• Gorn Hatchling
• Gorn Eviscerator
• Spatial Rip
• Majalan Machine
• Gorn Devourer

Make sure you keep an eye open on our official channels for any updates related to this month’s event schedule. 

Improvements

• New in-game toggle in the General Settings of the user profile that allows opting out of displaying their username in the “Alliance Rewards” screen when making purchases
• The text “Wave Defense formed! Join it here” appears when sharing coordinates in the GC or Alliance chats when doing wave defenses
• Fixed an issue with the Kir’shara artifact where the attack button appeared for a fraction of a second instead of the queue attack button
• Fixed an issue with the Kir’shara queue mechanic not completing the queue due to an invalid hostile
• The “eye” button to inspect faction store bundles is back!
• Fixed an issue where the Warchest points were using an exponential notation instead of a whole number
• Fixed an issue with the Voyager Astrometric Sensor refit not being displayed in system view for the USS Voyager’s 3D model
• Fixed an issue where the percentage in the tooltip was missing from Phlox’s ability “Denobulan Threat Response”
• Fixed an issue where Nurse Chapel’s officer ability was not being consistent
• Fixed a text consistency issue with the FC Captain Spock’s description for Alloy Metallurgies
• Fixed an issue with the “From Ashes” mission, where the donation objective of 25M Dilithium wasn’t consistent with the mission dialogue, which was asking for 200M Tritanium
• Fixed a text consistency issue with the “Escalation” mission, where the description appeared as “Upgrade Operations to level 60” instead of “Upgrade Operations to level 61” which was inconsistent with the mission objective
• Fixed an issue with the mission “The Meaning in the Message Part 4” wherein the character art for Phelps wouldn’t appear in the dialogues
• Fixed a consistency issue with the mission “Cover-Up Part 2” where the description wasn’t matching the end objective
• Fixed an issue where the systems Pteros and Rioha were displaying more planets than usual
• Fixed an issue where a wrong planet name was appearing in the system Cirriped: “Broix” instead of “Borix”
• Fixed a placeholder text for a planet in the system Gawen
• Fixed a graphic issue with the icons overlapping the Ship ability text on the details panel when exiting the “Assign Officers” Screen
• Fixed an issue where USS Voyager’s ship damage animation was misplaced
• Fixed an issue with the “Select” buttons within the Fleet Bar remaining on screen when selecting a ship ability and staying idle for a period of time without actually selecting anything
• Fixed an issue where the player was not being redirected to the research node when hitting the back button after deciding not to make a prime purchase

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We begin right where we left off in “Lagrange Point,” as Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin Green) emerges into the Progenitor’s realm: a seemingly endless space filled with floating walkways that reach to the horizons and windows leading to other worlds.

It’s sleek and high-tech, but there are natural elements as well. It’s very cool looking and well designed, and aesthetically and mechanically it immediately feels like a videogame. I don’t say this as a criticism — I spend a lot of time playing and enjoying video games — just that it’s where my mind went.

Burnham’s fights with one of the Breen who first entered the portal (and later Moll), using wind-gust-enabled super jumps and the strange gravity of the place only reinforced that impression for me. It’s the first time in my many decades of watching Star Trek that I’ve thought, “This is a video game!” It’s after this elaborate fight that takes Burnham and Moll (Eve Harlow) from the “lobby” through to other worlds and back again that the two finally settle on a truce — if they’re focused on fighting each other, neither of them are ever going to get out of here, much less find and activate the Progenitors’ technology.

Outside the portal, Discovery watches as the Breen dreadnought quickly recovers from its skewering to be a threat again, both the ship itself and also the swarm of small fighters it launches.

Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) wants to be able do it all — stay near the portal, keep the dreadnought away from the portal, keep those fighters at bay, try to communicate with and/or recover Burnham, and stay alive and in the area for when Tahal arrives in a dreadnought of her own — but realizes that he’s got one too many things on his plate. He’s going to need to drop one if he wants to keep everyone alive.

With the opportunity to kill multiple fighters with one detonated plasma cloud too good to pass up, Rayner decides he can’t afford to keep Discovery near the portal. Book (David Ajala) and Culber (Wilson Cruz) of all people — who insists against Stamets’ objections that he needs to come along — stay behind in a shuttle to guard the Progenitor portal.

Meanwhile, Saru (Doug Jones) and Nhan (Rachael Ancheril) are doing their part to defuse the situation as well. Talking to Tahal while he heads to the black holes at high warp, Saru offers her an exclusive trade route in exchange for her turning back from Ruhn’s dreadnought. When she declines, Saru goes in for the kill, calling her a coward and telling her he knows about her secret bases in that same stretch of space. If she doesn’t turn back now the Federation will destroy those bases and will start a war with the Breen.

He’s later described as ‘Action Saru’ again, but really this is Predator Saru. “Look into my eyes and tell me I’m not serious.” Oh he is, and she turns away, leaving just a small cloaked (but detected) scout ship in the area.

Saru’s shuttle, and Book’s as well, saw the NX-02’s distractingly-flashy bridge lighting and said “Hold my Romulan ale.” I already wasn’t a fan of that shuttle design (why is it so empty and cavernous inside?) but now that they’ve added a huge panel of pulsating lights that sits right in the middle of the frame I really don’t care for it.

Combine this with director Olatunde Osunsanmi’s decision to film much of Saru’s scene through a constantly moving sea of flashes and streaks and what looks like rippled, warped plexiglass, and I found parts of the sequence to be visually unpleasant.

Back in the portal, Burnham and Moll have finally found the Progenitors’ technology. The console is simple, just a surface with nine moveable triangles on it. Burnham shares the final clue (or riddle, really) with Moll, that they need to make the one between the many. Moll interprets this one way, but Burnham’s not so sure. Not wanting to wait any longer, Moll knocks Burnham out and gets to work at the controls. Oops, her solution is wrong, and things start to hit the fan.

I understand how and why the five scientists created tests of ethical and moral fortitude to safeguard the Progenitors’ technology — and ensure that only someone trustworthy would be able to find and access it — but the fact that they added one last obstacle that entirely hinges on just how literally someone is going to be with an abstract riddle is a little strange. Moll’s solution, to make a solid triangle with the pieces, is perfectly reasonable; any “chosen one” of otherwise impeccable character who had passed all the other tests could easily have made the same mistake without any bearing on their worthiness to wield Excalibur, as it were.

I know we’re supposed to see that Moll is being punished for her impatience, but really it seems like a flip of the coin whether the “good” person is or isn’t going to pick the right solution to an open-ended riddle. “Ah, so close, we think you’re great… but it’s actually a young woman instead of an old crone so we’re going to have to kill you now.”

Moll’s incorrect usage of the console kicks it into life, but in what appears to be an uncontrolled way. Outside in space, the portal starts drawing energy (and mass) from one of the black holes, pulling it closer and closer to the event horizon and threatening to destabilize the system.

From his shuttle, Book struggles to get a tractor lock on the portal, but Culber comes to the unlikely rescue. In a moment of epiphany which seems almost magical, he pulls a precise harmonic frequency out of the ether and it works, allowing the shuttle to hold the portal in place and stop its fall.

Was this a moment of divine inspiration? A glimpse of the universe telling Culber its secrets? Well, no, it’s actually just a surfaced memory from his Trill zhian’tara experience with Jinaal, who’d found himself in the same scenario 800 years prior. While this is a perfectly good, logical explanation for Culber’s actions in the moment, is that really it for his larger story arc? Has Culber been dipping his toe into existential questions of religious faith all season because of one nagging Trill memory, or is there more to it?

It feels as if the show wanted something bigger and grander and more mystical to be happening, and then remembered at the last minute that this is Star Trek and we don’t do that here. If this was a plotline I cared more about I would be disappointed with its conclusion, but as it is my response is just a big “Okay.”

Even with the Breen fighters destroyed, the dreadnought — and Tahal’s lingering scout ship — are still a big problem, so Rayner comes up with an equally big solution. Separating Discovery’s saucer and the drive sections and maneuvering them into position on either side of the dreadnought, he essentially uses the ship a huge pattern enhancer, “beaming” the dreadnought to the galactic barrier by initiating a spore jump between Discovery’s two sections. It’s crazy, it looks cool, and it works.

It’s also a harbinger of how Discovery is going to address the other of its two big storylines: simply erasing it from the board.

Inside the portal, Burnham regains consciousness, removes Moll from where she’s been stuck to the console, and comes up with the correct configuration of the little triangles (negative space triangle instead of Moll’s positive space one)… and a Progenitor (Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama) appears.

This is it, the moment the entire season has been leading up to, and it is suitably profound. We watch Burnham have a conversation with someone who’s been dead for four billion years about the nature of life itself, and the revelation that the Progenitors didn’t create this technology — but instead found it just the way Burnham has — hints at the existence of (a) God and also makes me want to play through the Mass Effect trilogy again.

There’s a wrinkle in all of this, though: according to the Progenitor, for completing the quest to access the technology, Burnham is the person who can it. That’s a lot. It’s, understandably, too much. She doesn’t have to use it now, she can come back later, but she cannot, it seems, hand this off to someone else within the Federation. It cannot be a collective venture, it is power for Burnham to wield alone.

And so, she decides to destroy it.

Her reasoning for not wanting to use the technology is valid — and strongly Star Trek . We already have infinite diversity in infinite combinations, and thus we don’t have need for the power of creation. There’s nothing that needs to be added. That works for me as an overarching explanation for why Burnham doesn’t start spinning up new planets for fun.

We know from the Progenitor that the technology can’t really bring people back from the dead — sorry L’ak! — but maybe it can cure disease? Solve any lingering scarcity problems? Something else noble and positive and exhilarating? As Stamets  (Anthony Rapp) excitedly announces, it represents the most significant scientific discovery of their lifetimes.

From a storytelling perspective, the decision not to use — and in this case going even further and deciding to destroy — the Progenitors’ technology is kind of the only choice they have. If the technology is really as powerful as it seems, it comes with the thorny side affect of either solving all plots before they exist or making all plots about itself. It’s not uncommon for television shows to introduce notably powerful characters or objects and then, once their immediate dramatic purpose is fulfilled, de-power or defuse them.

Sending the spore drive into the 32nd century where it can’t “bother” any of the rest of Star Trek ’s long history of traditional warp drive is a perfect example of doing just that. But Stamets is also right in his disappointment, this is a scientifically unsatisfying conclusion and one that, the more I think about it, becomes a narratively unsatisfying one as well.

What are we doing here narratively if, after all the effort to get there (both in-universe but also in the crafting of the story itself) we end up at “Eh, never mind!” after 30 seconds of thought? A story is much more than its ending, but if, as this one was, it’s a story predicated on solving a puzzle and finding an answer, it does need a meaningful conclusion of some sort to be satisfying.

If the presence of the Progenitors’ technology was really such a problem for the story, maybe the writers should have chosen a different puzzle to solve in the first place. Instead, it seems as if Discovery is saying that yes, all jokes aside, the enormous godlike power and incredible scientific breakthroughs really are the friends we made along the way.

This is not the first time Star Trek has shown its characters, who are otherwise on a mission of exploration and the pursuit of knowledge, decide to turn away from that knowledge because gaining it is simply too dangerous. Captain Janeway does just that in “The Omega Directive,” stating that it would be “arrogant” and “irresponsible” to “risk half the quadrant to satisfy [their] curiosity” about the Omega molecule, the most powerful substance known to exist at the time.

But that was one installment of episodic television, not the conclusion to a highly serialized season-long arc, and the Omega molecule remains in existence as something that can be studied at a later date. Not to mention, the central purpose of the story is the discussion of scientific ethics. It’s not an afterthought, it’s front and center and characters spend time debating it.

The Breen have been dispatched with, the Progenitors’ technology is gone, Moll is in custody, and the Red Directive is over. Things are settling back down, so it’s time now for the epilogue, tying things up for our characters and the series as a whole.

And then it turns out that Kovich (David Cronenberg) is actually Daniels , the futuristic temporal agent who visited Captain Archer throughout the four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise ! I never thought we’d hear about this guy ever again! His time-traveling ways explain a lot about his collection of era-spanning relics, his knowledge of centuries of Starfleet history, and his love of black outfits. (I asked for a bit more background to flesh out Kovich, and the  Discovery writing team certainly delivered, dang.)

Several weeks later, Saru and T’Rina (Tara Rosling) are having lovely beachside wedding. Saru’s wedding attire is gorgeous, T’Rina’s is suitably bizarre — Vulcan’s are, for all their claims of logic, big fans of “more is more” when it comes to women’s fashion and we love them for it — and everyone’s in a good mood at the reception discussing their future plans. It sounds like Rayner (who survived, thank you!) is getting roped into a mentorship role at Starfleet Academy, and Burnham and Book are officially back together.

They talk of the future and literally walk off into the sunset together as they head toward whatever the next mission brings. The end… wait, that wasn’t the epilogue? There’s more? Why is there more? That was a perfect ending!

ONE LAST DANCE

The show jumps decades into the future, as we find a grey-haired Burnham and Book living a semi-retired life on the red-forested planet first visited back in “That Hope is You, Part 1.” Book has planted the last bit of Kweijanian World Root, Burnham is good at mending fences from interloping space deer… and then their grown son, a Starfleet captain, arrives to ferry Admiral Burnham to another Red Directive mission.

I’ll be blunt, I really don’t think show needed this epilogue. It was fine — nothing that happened was terrible — but it seemed completely unnecessary for the episode, the season, and the series as a whole. Watching the pair walk down the beach wondering what the future holds would have been a perfectly satisfying ending, leaving viewers with the hint that the exploration of the galaxy will go on, and that our characters will be the ones doing it, but without creating an unrealized cliffhanger.

Instead, we get a 20-minute setup for 2018’s “Calypso.” Really? The Short Trek that had already been given a perfectly satisfying nod earlier in the season when Zora asked if seeing Burnham and Rayner in the disastrous future was another dream — not to mention that many viewers around the world never even saw “Calypso” thanks to the limited Paramount+ distribution at the time, and minimal DVD release outside of North America.

Yes, there is more to the epilogue than that, but none of what we see is particularly unexpected, nor does it really tie up any loose ends. Burnham and Book live happily ever after? That was implied by them walking away together on the beach, thanks. Tilly (Mary Wiseman) teaches at the Academy still, decades later? Okay cool. Starfleet continues to cycle through new uniforms? Got it.

Burnham sits in the captain’s chair one last time to send Zora (Annabelle Wallis) and an un-refitted (antefitted?) Discovery off to sit somewhere so an 18-minute Short Trek from six years ago can occur, she drifts off into memories of her time aboard Discovery — and then shifts into a recollection of the crew that has the unfortunate feel of someone with dementia recalling people they used to know, but can’t quite remember the context for anymore.

It’s clear that this was not a memory of an actual occurrence, but instead Burnham’s mind lining up her former crew for one last mental goodbye, everyone laughing at jokes that no one’s told, bathed in glowy golden light, sharing hugs that don’t feel rooted in any real event. The whole thing goes on far too long and feels incredibly strange.

Burnham just talked with Tilly last week, why is she remembering their younger selves saying goodbye to one another? Is Discovery , the ship, being put out to pasture, or is Burnham?

OBSERVATION LOUNGE

• Fan-predicted things that did NOT happen this episode: none of the notable Discovery characters were killed, L’ak was not revived, and Book did not use the Progenitor’s technology to restore the Kwejian homeworld.
• This episode’s opening credit sequence includes elements from all four prior seasons of the show. A spacesuit helmet , Klingon weaponry , and an Original Series communicator  represents Season 1; the Red Angel suit, the Enterprise captain’s chair, the transporter room animation and the original Starfleet delta emblem represent Season 2; Book’s ship represents Season 3; the Zora voice modulation graphic represents Season 4.
• Those portable pattern buffers sure are handy. Phasers, dermal regenerators, ham sandwiches — something for every situation!
• L’ak’s body makes an appearance, but actor Elias Toufexis did not actually return to Toronto for this episode, he revealed on social media. 
• Culber gets a nice little McCoy homage with his “I’m a doctor, not a physicist” line.
• Nhan tells Saru, “Remind me to never play you in Ferengi rummy,” a game never previously mentioned in Trek .
• Stamets, Tilly and Adira (Blu del Barrio) find a way to quantum entangle the spore drive’s magic mushrooms, split the ship in two, and surround the Breen dreadnaught to jump it away from the dual singularities. Federation starships really do move at the speed of plot!

• Discovery separates its saucer and secondary hull for the first and only time in the series. (I don’t think we even knew the ship was capable of separation!)
• Force-jumping the Breen dreadnaught was ridiculous, but man did it look cool!
• When the Progenitor gives Burnham a taste of the technology’s power, she sees many past versions of herself: as a young girl, in her Season 1-2 uniform and hairstyle, wearing her yellow Starfleet prison jumpsuit from “Context Is for Kings,” and her Season 3 courier look.
• A reversed clip from Season 1’s “Will You Take My Hand?” is used in the Progenitor sequence — specifically the pullback from 23rd century Paris into Earth orbit, showing Spacedock under construction.
• It seems like the Discovery writing team seemed to have completely forgotten that Adira Tal hosts a Trill symbiont, with the many lifetimes of knowledge and experience that come with a joining. “When did you get so wise?” Stamets asks. Um, when they got a Trill symbiont two seasons ago, people!
• Familiar Star Trek items seen in Kovich’s office include a Terran Empire dagger, a TNG Season 1 “dustbuster” phaser, a bottle of Chateau Picard wine (vintage 2249), and a VISOR like the one worn by Geordi La Forge.
• Agent Daniels’ last appearance — prior to Season 3’s “Die Trying,” where we first met Kovich — was the 2004 Star Trek: Enterprise episode “Storm Front, Part 2.”

• I’m happy for T’Rina, but I did NOT love her wedding hair — yikes! I don’t know if her wig was slipping back under the weight of the headdress or if they just decided to give her a new haircut, but man those bangs were severe.
• Book mentions that he encountered a group of Talaxian pirates on the way to Saru and T’Rina’s wedding.
• The Starfleet officer who notifies Admiral Burnham that her shuttle is about to land is voiced by Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise .
• The space deer outside of Burnham’s fence is named Alice, named for the main character of Burnham’s favorite childhood book.
• The 33rd century coda introduces yet another new Starfleet uniform design, complete with rank pips under the wearer’s chin (uncomfortable when looking down, no doubt), upside-down trapezoids on the arms, and one more Starfleet combadge redesign. An Admiral’s badge can even initiate an entire costume change, apparently!
• Captain Leto Burnham (Sawandi Wilson) is named for Book’s nephew Leto, who perished when Kwejian was destroyed in Season 4.
• Leto’s next mission is to the planet Crepuscula , which is the desert world where Burnham and Captain Georgiou were visiting in the opening moments of “The Vulcan Hello.”

• Admiral Vance remains on active duty in the 33rd century, and Tilly is the longest-serving Starfleet Academy instructor in history. (Gee, I wonder if she’ll be in the Starfleet Academy series? Hmmmmm!)
• The USS Discovery’s physical arrangement is fully reverted to its original configuration — including the elimination of programmable matter and the “-A” designation on the outer hull, and restoration of the original command chair control panels — to align with the continuity of “Calypso,” which was filmed between Seasons 1 and 2.
• It seems kind of cruel to leave Zora alone for 1,000 years just to wait for Craft , right? Like, she’s a computer but she’s still a sentient being!
• Due to scheduling conflicts, Wilson Cruz was not available when the final ‘crew reunion’ on the Discovery bridge was filmed in 2023. Culber is represented by a stand-in during wide shots and a digital composite of Cruz from archival footage in his close-up — with his white uniform CGI’d in place.
• Detmer (Emily Coutts) and Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) both say the word “happy” when we see them during the farewell montage. Are they happy… together???
• It may have taken five seasons and 900+ years, but as we see Discovery fly out to complete its last mission, somebody FINALLY remembered to shut the cargo bay door.

Discovery ushered in the modern era of Star Trek , something I truly never would have thought possible before it was announced back in 2015. I simply didn’t think there would ever be any new Star Trek after Enterprise ’s fourth season came to an end in 2005.

I am so grateful for Discovery , not only for opening the door to so much new Trek —  but also for bringing so many new fans into the fold. I know so many people in my personal life who started with Discovery and have gone on to watch and love everything else Star Trek as well. That’s huge, and  Discovery did that.

Despite my personal quibbles with elements of “Life, Itself”, it feels like the right finale for Discovery — an episode that only this series would build towards and do. Lest anyone think I’m giving a backhanded compliment here, I’m not.

“Life, Itself” is the show that Star Trek: Discovery set out to be, unapologetically, and how great is it that it got the opportunity to realize itself?

Star Trek: Discovery may be over, but later this year we’ll be back with episodic reviews of Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy when their next seasons debut.

• DSC Season 5
• Life Itself
• Star Trek: Discovery

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