Star Trek: Discovery

Previously on Star Trek: Discovery...

Pull up Kwejian on the deep-space array.

What happened? -My ship was hit by something.

They're gone.

Five light-years across.

That's the size of the gravitational anomaly

that hit Kwejian.

The DMA disappeared.

It reappeared 4.2 seconds later,

1,000 light-years away.

The only logical explanation

is someone created it.

For now, we're classifying

those responsible as Unknown Species Ten-C.

Thank you, Commander, for reaching toward me.

What are those? -The coordinates.

-To Species Ten-C. -I'm struggling.

The DMA has brought up a lot of, uh, uncertainty.

You are only human.

If you don't find fulfillment in something other than work,

then you will fail those in the chair in front of you.

And I designed this.

A weapon capable of destroying the DMA.

A "cascading subspace burst" sounds a lot like the result

of an isolytic explosion.

My proposal carries some risk,

but not nearly as much as doing nothing.

We need to defend ourselves.

If we make first contact peacefully,

then we can determine intent before we act.

Introducing the next generation spore drive.

We have 94 seconds before they realize it's gone

and figure out I'm the one who took it.

Next part's all you.

Book. No.

I need Booker's ship found.

Scramble every available vessel.

Eisenbergclass, shuttle, I don't care.

They've stolen classified tech.

Do we have any idea where it is?

Negative, sir. It spore-jumped.

-Any idea where it's headed? -Not yet, sir.

All available personnel are looking.

Can anyone please tell me, how the hell did our prototype

get out in the first place?

Security requires dual authorization, does it not?

Yes, sir. It has dual authorization.

Uh, Ruon Tarka entered his code somehow

in conjunction with, uh...

...yours, sir.

Admiral.

I'll ask you both just once.

Did you have any idea this was coming?

No, Madam President. -Okay, then,

how did you have no idea it was coming?

Tarka was your guy, Admiral.

Handpicked. You gave him free reign.

Barely any oversight.

And it is one thing to miss the capacity

for criminal misbehavior in a professional relationship,

but yours was also personal.

I knew Book was struggling, but he... he gave no indication

that he would do something like this.

Hmm.

That spore drive technology is the closest we have come

to ending our dilithium dependence.

If word gets out that the only functional prototype

has been stolen, it will threaten everything.

Including trust that we have the ability

to pull off this monumental first contact mission

that you just helped to sell a few hours ago.

That doesn't even take into account

the risk we now run of provoking

a highly advanced species who are capable

of destroying us all, if Booker and Tarka succeed.

With all due respect, ma'am,

he's a good man who's not thinking clearly.

He's grieving, he's-he's dealing with unimaginable loss.

He thinks he's preventing another Kwejian.

We are trying to prevent something even worse.

I can get him to see that before it's too late.

In order to build an isolytic weapon,

Tarka needs isolynium.

That's a black-market element that is not easy to track down.

That buys us time to find them.

Discovery'sprimary repairs are done.

We can leave immediately.

I know you want to help, Captain.

But you're too close to this.

You cannot be involved.

I'm told Intelligence has identified four vendors

who are believed to have access to isolynium.

I'm deploying ships to all locations

with orders to detain Booker and Tarka on sight.

Good. In the meantime, I'd ask

that Discoverygather data on Species Ten-C.

We have to prepare for a first contact,

provided our rogue associates don't beat us to it.

I agree.

You have your orders, Captain Burnham.

Dismissed.

So, how'd it feel?

The spore drive.

The interface. Efficiency.

Hit me. Come on, you're the first real beta tester.

-It's impressive. -Oh, come on, now.

Specifics.

It works. It'll help us stop the DMA.

That's all that matters to me.

Can't fault your honesty.

We're safe for now, out of scanner range.

How long do you need to build the weapon?

24 hours should do it.

- -She's hailing you again.

Yeah. And there's this, too.

Well, it's not the most flattering picture of me,

but you, you look fantastic.

It's not lost on me, what you're giving up to do this.

It's worth it, whatever my sentence turns out to be.

Your sentence?

Once billions of lives are saved, you'll be a hero.

That's not how the Federation works.

You had half the assembly eating out of your hand.

-We still lost the vote. -Rillak's a political animal.

Once the DMA is gone,

she'll face political pressure to pardon us.

She'll find a way to explain that, in this case,

the ends justified the means.

Let's just worry about saving the billions of lives first.

Okay?

Very well.

Once you've secured us some isolynium,

-I can finish the third phase of... -Wait, what?

You made it sound like you knew exactly how to get it.

I was counting on the Federation's help.

-We don't have that now. -Unbelievable.

What's the issue here?

I thought couriers could find anything.

Buying something that's dangerous and rare

is never easy, especially with Starfleet on our asses.

I know a place that won't be on their radar.

But it's gonna cost us.

See? That's the spirit.

And don't worry, cost won't be an issue.

-Come. -

Admiral.

I first met Ruon Tarka

when he was giving a lecture ten years ago.

One of the most brilliant minds I've ever encountered.

He had all these ideas for new propulsion systems

and power sources.

Made it sound like anything was possible.

And I believed him.

I still do.

I keep asking myself,

why would he do this?

What am I missing?

Sir, I wish I had answers.

Maybe Tarka couldn't handle the council voting down his plan?

He has quite the ego...

...but I don't think that's it.

I just got my family back, Captain.

The thought that I will have to send them away again,

for their protection, because someone I brought into the fold

might invite a war that we couldn't possibly win...

We will figure this out.

And I will do everything in my power to help make things right.

I think we can both agree that Booker's not foolish enough

to buy isolynium from any of the known suspects.

Sir, you and President Rillak were pretty clear.

Yes, and it's very important for the Federation president and I

to present a united front,

so I would never publicly contradict her.

But I can take a page out of her own book

and encourage you, as one of the most creative

and adept officers in my service,

to do everything you can to stop them

within the parameters of the mission you were given.

You find a way, Captain Burnham.

That's also an order.

[original Star Trektheme plays]

Well, the president wants us to make first contact

sooner rather than later.

What have we found at the coordinates?

Uh, Commander Stamets was just updating me.

But may I say first, we support you, Captain.

We all do.

And, uh,

we hope Book's okay.

Thank you.

What have we got?

Well, unfortunately, not much.

Data on what lies beyond the galactic barrier

is extremely limited.

That gap in the center?

Is that where the Ten-C are located?

Well, um, like I said, it's limited.

But the orbit of the extragalactic stars nearby

indicate a significant gravitational presence.

There's definitely something there.