Star Trek - Discovery - 3.06: Scavengers

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Book's ship appears without him aboard, so Michael disobeys order to launch a rescue operation on a world controlled by the nefarious Emerald Chain.

 

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I'm glad that after all this time the StarFleet decided to upgrade the ship with the latest and greatest, and then call it as their rabid response unit. It is a strange role for a vessel that was designed for exploration and to study fringe science.

Thing is, I'm pretty positive that the Orion Syndicate knows the ship or at least should remember it, since the Section 31 did had ties to that Underworld enterprise. There is no clear indication that the Black Ops side of the Federation disappeared in the Burn. Who knows, maybe they evolved and took over the Syndicate.

"Hello humiez. It is I, your overlord, Grudge. Give your foodz and send someone to clean my litter tray. It is dirty!"

Note also the new alien in the bridge. I cannot recall seeing her before, but getting a cat on the viewscreen is an instant classic. I laughed out so hard. They absolutely do things and they observe what their owners do. So I'd say that it's plausible for Grudge to make a call or fifteen, depending on the emergency.

It's just I would assume that he would be extremely hungry since it took three weeks, not 24 hours for Book's ship to find Discovery. Maybe in the future they've automated the feeding mechanism for the cats and harden it against the cat related exploits. After all, if they can figure things, they will break the system to get the goodies.

Regardless, I think Saru did the right thing by ordering Michael to stand down and to follow StarFleet orders instead of going out there on a rescue job. He is kind of 'by the book' commander, while Michael is the rebellious XO, which is kind of strange since traditionally the role has been give to the commanders.

What I don't get is that why Saru expects Michael to follow his orders, when she has done so much on her own and often going against the official line. I loved that Empress scorned her about it, and then even without she accepted the mission. But to what end, since Georgiou only serve her own interests?

Imagine for a minute that you're a primitive society that hasn't yet reach the age of warp technology, but as you mature you'll find parts of ships raining down on your planet. As the time passes, you'll find a field of wreck floating in space. In itself it would be going against the Prime Directive, since it would be a technology transfer from metallurgy to advanced medicines and warp technology.

Eventually you could probably figure another way to utilise it without the dilithium crystals. But all of that is just a side note of a plausible scenario, since there's these fields all over the galaxy. The criminal proved it by claiming that above is "a private salvage yard."

When the Burn happened and the galaxy lost its watchdog anything can have happened. We know that the Ferengi's most certainly would have paid a lot for the change to exploit all of it. And since they don't really have their own inventors, getting access to the latest and greatest in great numbers would be extremely profitable.

The StarFleet upgraded the Spore Drive? Well, it's interface, but still meddling the unique technology with even solutions that might be proved and tested elsewhere. The engineer in me were screaming, 'You can't do that. It's not tested for compatibility.'

Then Tilly went on to say that she was testing the system, "The NEW spore drive," and I was burying my face. What? How can you do that without consulting Statmets?

In his shoes I would have gone mental, so I assume that they didn't and they were testing the interface. Maybe he did and the production decided to not show his melt down, but instead they gave us Saru's by-the-book explanation for the Admiral.

We are losing her. Man, I know that I didn't wrote about it in the last episode, but I suspected back then that she's losing her quantum connection the MirrorVerse and it is breaking her apart. Back then the connection might have worked, but since she jumped, the StarFleet confirmed that they haven't got a visit.

What I didn't expect was her to get back up and show her wrath to the slavers. Maybe it filled her needs for a long time, maybe it didn't, but regardless I am expecting Discovery visiting the MirrorVerse in this season.

That was kindest bollocking I've seen for a long time. The admiral even relegated the punishment to Saru, probably knowing very well that the Captain won't do anything serious. Michael cannot be the rogue agent, because she has a role in the ship. An important role, which should be setting an example to the crew. But the thing is all Michael is showing is that going rebel is good, instead of something like that will be punished severely.

Saru had only one choice, to relieve her of command, because she clearly can't handle the job. Why he didn't give her brig time is a mystery.

 

[REBerg]

Spectacular rescue of the slave workers.
Booker's got the best butt-kicking little spacecraft since the Rocinante. It can reconfigure its shape to meet combat conditions? That was incredible.
The crew member's ongoing struggle to use his new personal transporter was funny. It's a tribute to the advanced technology that he didn't materialize in a bulkhead or another crew member. At least he only temporarily interrupted Michael and Booker in their romantic moment.

But to what end, since Georgiou only serve her own interests?

I don't think the empress has any motivation beyond relieving her own acute boredom. She answered to no one in the Mirrorverse, and she was eager to join Michael's unauthorized mission.

she's losing her quantum connection the MirrorVerse and it is breaking her apart.

You may be right. The Starfleet shrink did say the two universes are moving more apart and the crossings have stopped. The increasing distance between the two may be the cause behind her PTSD-like symptoms.

Why he didn't give her brig time is a mystery

That would conflict with the stated importance of Michael's role in the crew. They can't say that her absence would jeopardize one mission, then lock her away from her duties. A slap on the wrist was in order.
I suspect her demotion is temporary, although she might be in better position as science officer to do her own thing.

 

[Dave]

Saru did the right thing by ordering Michael to stand down

Yes, and he was also wrong not to consult with the Admiral. The thing I can't understand is the urgency that Michael felt. She twice said something along the lines that the Federation cannot stabilise while they don't know the reason for The Burn. That might be true but it happened, what? two hundred years ago? So, the reason must be found out immediately now! She's been looking for the reason for a year herself, so surely a few more weeks, months, a year won't make a difference. If you want to make a stand and put your job on the line then you need to pick the right moment as well as the right cause.

getting a cat on the viewscreen is an instant classic.

There is quite a lot of humour in this episode. I liked it. Georgiou even used the old 'Self-Sealing Stembolt' joke from DS9 too. I like that Star Trek nerds seem to be writing this series.

I would assume that he would be extremely hungry since it took three weeks, not 24 hours for Book's ship to find Discovery.

Possibly a mistake. As you say, pet feeding technology may have come a long way.

they were testing the interface

I gathered they were testing the interface rather than the Spore Drive itself. While I agree that's not what she said, it is something you might say casually. Like I say "I'm House Painting" when really, I'm painting a kitchen window sill and some walls.

she's losing her quantum connection the MirrorVerse and it is breaking her apart.

regardless I am expecting Discovery visiting the MirrorVerse in this season.

The Starfleet shrink did say the two universes are moving more apart and the crossings have stopped.

The long arc story this season is clearly going to involve the Mirror Universe. Too many hints have bee dropped regarding this.

There is no clear indication that the Black Ops side of the Federation disappeared in the Burn.

As I mentioned last week, there is a great speculation that the David Cronenberg character from last week was Section 31 (rather that a head shrink). He knew too much about Georgiou.

Booker's got the best butt-kicking little spacecraft since the Rocinante

It seems well above his salary grade. I wonder where he got her and whether he stole her?

I suspect her demotion is temporary, although she might be in better position as science officer to do her own thing.

I think it would be better, both for her, and for Discovery, for her not to be Number One. She has never been good following orders. She actually caused a war with the Klingons by disobeying orders. She was stripped of rank and sentenced to life imprisonment for mutiny.

I think her demotion and reprimand was handled correctly by the Admiral and by Saru. What is odd is how Starfleet doesn't seem to care who comes and goes from Discovery. Wouldn't Book's ship be prevented from leaving the Federation hub? And prevented from returning? And no checks on who are aboard? They allow the Andorian, Ryn, when they are supposedly fighting off an Andorian/Orion threat called the Emerald Rim?

Why does the USS Discovery have a NCC-1031-A designation? It was refit. The USS Enterprise kept its original NCC-1701 designation after its refit. It was the duplicate replacement ship that added the “-A.” Is it because the USS Discovery was historically recorded as destroyed?

The “real Dilithium” was especially prized. Is there now some kind of substandard, fake Dilithium? Is this a difference between natural and recrystallized Dilithium? We also learned that The Burn had an origin that it spread out from, rather than happened everywhere at once. This points to a unnatural reason for it, I think.

 

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As I mentioned last week, there is a great speculation that the David Cronenberg character from last week was Section 31 (rather that a head shrink). He knew too much about Georgiou.

Can we call him Glasses, please?

What is odd is how Starfleet doesn't seem to care who comes and goes from Discovery. Wouldn't Book's ship be prevented from leaving the Federation hub?

It not just did find Discovery, but the super secret hub itself, which is strange because it was supposed to be very hard thing to find. It's just I think they've done it for the security perspective, rather than trying to hide the organisation from existence.

What I can gather is that Book's ship docked in the aft bay and it was secured there until Michael and Empress nicked it.

And prevented from returning? And no checks on who are aboard?

How are you going to prevent it, when you don't really have a control tower or patrol crafts? I know that they scanned Discovery once it entered, but as it was outside the hub nothing happened. No scans. No patrols. No questions. No checks.

It could have been clever if they had said that it had tracked Discovery's trail and followed it outside the hub rather than claiming 'it just appeared there.'

We also learned that The Burn had an origin that it spread out from, rather than happened everywhere at once. This points to a unnatural reason for it, I think.

Yeah, unnatural. That I do agree, because the whole event is so suspicious as nothing happens in the galaxy wide scale.

 

[Dave]

We also learned that The Burn had an origin that it spread out from, rather than happened everywhere at once. This points to a unnatural reason for it, I think.

Yeah, unnatural. That I do agree, because the whole event is so suspicious as nothing happens in the galaxy wide scale.

The only problem with it being caused by someone (or something) is who would gain from it? Certainly, no one we've seen so far has profited from it. No one that we've seen is better off, neither financially nor spiritually, or in any material sense. Of course, it may be that we haven't seen the culprit or his descendants yet, but I cannot see any reason for it, other than by some 'James Bond-esque' type of evil villain who does it just because they can. Do such people exist outside of fiction? However, I guess we've had a few in Star Trek before.

 

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The only problem with it being caused by someone (or something) is who would gain from it?

You have to remember that we don't know what really went on before the Burn and what was the power balance in different sectors, but I think we can safely assume that the StarFleet had been in all sectors and established bases in many of them.

In six hundred years they must have encountered species that can rival the Borg or the 'Digital Gods' from Picard. With the rate they'd been going in the technological development I'd assumed that they'd have tried to reach another galaxy.

Of course, it may be that we haven't seen the culprit or his descendants yet, but I cannot see any reason for it, other than by some 'James Bond-esque' type of evil villain who does it just because they can. Do such people exist outside of fiction?

Yes they do. North Korea is a fine example of a nation that thrives from others being in conflict, or it causing distress in other places. In last decade they excelled in the cyber operations, infamously doing the Sony hack and stealing untold amount in bitcoins. To be honest, back in the day when we'd not really identified nation state players they were doing it wherever they could.

If they could cause an EMP strike over Japan, Korea, Taiwan or West Coast US it would shock the IT world in big time and possibly enable them to strike against the South without a need of the Big Brother. Chances are that they could take over Seoul and claim Victory while rest of the world would suffer with the tech component prices going sky high.

CCP could do the same thing with the South China Sea conflict.

There are others and I haven't even started going into the history. But the most recent anarchy can be found in the Armenia/Azerbaizan conflict, where Turkey enabled Azers to take over mountains region known as Nagorno-Karabahin.

You look that region history and it's full of bad blood and invasions going all the way back to days when Khan's were in power and taking over China. Mongols caused a great deal of trouble to the Rome and there was really nothing they could do to stop it.

 

[Dave]

Okay, sorry. I didn't mean to take us into World Affairs because we can't talk about that. However, those examples you gave; those countries did it to gain territory, an economic advantage, or both. (Also, they don't attack themselves at the same time when they carry out a cyber-attack). If some power in the Star Trek universe had tried the same kind of power grab then they would be more obviously present now. Either the Federation would be under it's full control, or else they would say something like, "Ah! yes, the Borg did cause the Burn, but now they've left for the Andromeda Galaxy where the pickings are better." The only power we have heard of is this Andorian/Orion Emerald Rim and it doesn't seem that powerful.

 

[Glaysher]

You have to remember that we don't know what really went on before the Burn and what was the power balance in different sectors, but I think we can safely assume that the StarFleet had been in all sectors and established bases in many of them.

In six hundred years they must have encountered species that can rival the Borg or the 'Digital Gods' from Picard. With the rate they'd been going in the technological development I'd assumed that they'd have tried to reach another galaxy.

Perhaps the Galactic Barrier is still stopping them.

 

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Here's a theory, the MirrorVerse caused the Burn and they too now have a SporeDrive. They used it to jump around the galaxy, releasing a signal that caused the Dilithium to go boom.