Previously on
Star Trek: Discovery...
Captain Christopher Pike
requests permission
to come aboard.
Im here at Starfleets order to
take command of the
Discovery.
Over the past 24 hours,
Federation sensors
picked up
seven red bursts spread out
across more than
30,000 light-years.
And right now this little dot
is the only one willing to
tell us where it is. Hit it.
Pike to
Discovery.
Get us out of here.
Wait!
I need a sample
of that asteroid.
If my theorys correct,
well be able to interact
with dark matter, sir.
The asteroid has been shedding
rocks all over the place.
We still have time
to reach one of them.
Its in the bay.
Whats your status?
The shuttle bay
needs a little TLC,
but all is well, Commander.
I saw you die.
I watched Tyler k*ll you.
I held your body in my arms.
I believe in you,
Paul. I love you.
Id like to go
to
Enterprise,
sir.
Im sorry, Burnham,
but Spocks not there.
A few months ago
I felt something shift in him.
Its as if hed run into
a question he couldnt answer.
He asked me for time,
and I gave it to him.
Spock.
SPOCK:
As a child, I had what
my mother called "nightmares."
She taught me to control
my fear by drawing them,
rendering fear powerless.
The nightmares have returned.
The same vision,
again and again.
I now understand its meaning
and where it must lead me.
I have encoded it
within this audio file
in the event of my death.
This may be my last entry
aboard the
Enterprise.
Spock has had this tablet
since he was a boy.
I took it from his quarters.
He drew these signals two months
before they appeared to us.
Computer, show me Starfleets
rendering of the seven signals.
Rotate 90 degrees
counterclockwise.
Its damn near identical.
There any more sketches
like this one?
No.
Sir, my brother
sounds deeply troubled.
I know hes on leave, but
we need to contact him,
find out what he knows
about these signals.
I know where Spock is, Burnham.
Have a seat.
Your brother...
is in the psychiatric unit
on Starbase 5.
Since about a week
after he took leave.
Committed to the facility
at his own request.
Why werent my parents or I told
about this request?
Its Starfleet protocol
to reach out to the families...
Unless the patient
doesnt want that,
and Spock said no.
Emphatically.
With that said,
his association
with these signals
outweighs his desire
for absolute privacy.
You could extend an olive branch
to your brother,
but hell need to decide
whether or not to take it.
He wont.
At least not from me.
The way I left things
with my brother...
We havent spoken in years.
Family dynamics
can be complicated.
My father was a
science teacher,
and when he wasnt doing that,
he taught comparative religion.
It was a confusing
household, and...
We didnt agree on a lot.
Look, Ive shared with
you everything I know.
Trust you can do the same
with me.
If theres ever anything
you feel you ought to tell me...
Sir, when we were
on that asteroid...
I...
I never properly thanked you
for coming back to get me.
Youre welcome.
Captain Pike
to the bridge immediately.
Captain on
the bridge.
Ah, Captain. Another signal
has just appeared.
The transmission
is too faint to determine
the exact coordinates.
Excuse me, Commander
Burnham. I was using
your station to run
calibration modeling programs.
Let me just close some
of this stuff out.
Ensign Tilly had a notion
to pinpoint the signals.
I gave her permission to try it.
Excellent.
Im modulating
Discoverys
deflector dish.
The idea is that well create
gravimetric distortion
that will act like sonar.
Thats a good plan,
but the signals too
far away to register.
If we were closer,
we might be able to detect
gravitational redshift
and use that to calculate
its exact position.
I suggest we go to
warp momentarily,
then target it with long-range
sensors as soon as we drop out.
Detmer, take us to maximum warp
for five seconds.
Aye, sir.
Signal coordinates received.
And its in the Beta Quadrant,
51,450 light-years away.
At top speed,
that would take us
150 years to get that far.
My unborn childrens children
would be lucky
to get there. Ideas?
The spore drive.
But until a nonhuman interface
is found,
Starfleet has decommissioned it.
Or its navigator, really.
In order to guide us
through the mycelial network,
Commander Stamets injected
himself with Tardigrade DNA,
a violation of Starfleets ban
on genetic manipulation.
They were willing
to overlook this
during the w*r, however.
A Tardigrade?
I suppose you had to be there.
Getting to the bottom
of these signals is of utmost
importance to the Federation.
They let you use the drive
to fight the Klingons.
Theyll give us
dispensation now.
How long before
it can be operational?
Once I begin prepping
Commander Stamets, 20 minutes.
Get to it.
Bet youre glad
you stayed on board, right?
Hmm?
Being back in the saddle.
You and me.
Doing our thang.
I thought the jump
to QonoS would be the last time
in a long time.
Whats wrong?
I saw Hugh in the network.
What? You mean, after he...
after he d*ed?
Yes. When I was
trapped there,
he comforted me.
He pushed me to escape
when I was ready to give up.
Discovery
out
of the Terran universe, Tilly.
He saved us all.
I...
I-I know how this sounds.
At first, I told myself it was
a fabrication of my own mind
culled from my memories
by the mycelia,
but since then,
Im not so sure.
I didnt see him
the last time I jumped,
but knowing its
a possibility...
I would think that possibility
would make you happy.
Astromycology has taught me
that nothing is ever truly gone.
Fungi are the
universes recyclers.
This is how termination
begets creation.
Its why life is eternal.
And my place is on this
side of that cycle.
If I return to the network
and see him again...
PIKE
We good to go, Mr. Stamets?
MALE All personnel,
prepare for black alert.
This is not a drill.
Repeat, this is not a drill.
Spore drive is on line.
Spore drive is ready, Captain.
Questions or concerns
before we depart, Captain?
If youre telling
me that this ship
can skip across the universe
on a highway made of mushrooms,
I kind of have
to go on faith.
Be bold.
Be brave.
Be courageous. Black alert.
All personnel, black alert.
Lets jump.
You never forget
your first, sir.
Ah.
Commander Stamets...
Not now, Tilly.
Theres no sign of the signal.
Are we where
were supposed to be?
Affirmative.
Report.
Class-M planet.
No power signatures
or starships
in the area.
No one scanning us
from the surface.
Wait, I detect
human life signs.
No humans have settled this
far out in the Beta Quadrant.
Captain, Im picking
up a transmission
from the surface.
Send it through, Bryce.
Were under att*ck!
Were holed up inside.
A few hundred souls:
men, women and children.
Red alert.
Ready photon torpedoes.
Are you sure theres
nobody else out there?
Were alone, Captain.
Pinpoint the distress call.
Show me where its coming from.
Enhance.
They do not seem to be in any
sort of distress, Captain.
Can you trace any
warp signatures
or starships near the planet?
Not a single one.
I can, however, confirm that,
based on audiophonic
degradation,
the transmission has been
broadcasting on a loop for...
200 years.
Thats before warp
was even invented.
Somebody want to tell me
how they got here?
♪
♪
♪
(original
Star Trek
theme
plays)
The arrival of those people
on the planet directly coincides
with World w*r III on Earth-
a nuclear cataclysm that
left 600 million dead
and governments destroyed.
The broadcast frequency
from the surface is obsolete,
too weak for interstellar
communication.
Its all coming
from this structure here.
Its a church, Burnham.
Yes, sir.
Theyre speaking
Federation Standard.
They had to have a starship
to get out this far.
Hell, the only way we got here
was by using a spore drive.
Yet with the roughly
11,000 people,
spread over ten settlements
across the planet,
there is no ship
or power signature to speak of.
They dont even use electricity.
Since their society
is pre-warp, we have to assume
General Order 1 applies.
Why did that
second signal want us
to come here?
As science officer,
I would advise restraint
in ascribing motivation
to what are now simply
unidentifiable energy bursts.
"There are more things in heaven
and earth, Horatio..."
I know my Shakespeare, Captain.
Are you suggesting that
some kind of divine intervention
put those people
on the planet?
I assume youre familiar
with Clarkes Third Law?
Yes.
In the 20th century,
Arthur C. Clarke said that
"Any sufficiently advanced
technology is indistinguishable
from magic."
The law was debated
by scientists
and theologians alike,
and later reinterpreted to say:
"Any sufficiently advanced
extraterrestrial intelligence is
indistinguishable from God."
I have no idea
how or why theyre here,
but I highly doubt
its by accident.
Certainly a bold
interpretation, sir.
What else do we know
about the planet?
It is surprisingly Earth-like.
However,
the interweaving orbital rings
are comprised of
radioactive debris.
Quite unlike anything
weve ever seen before.
Figuring out how these people
got there may shed some light
on the nature
of the signals themselves.
Whos best suited to come
with us to the surface, Burnham?
Lieutenant Owosekun.
She grew up in a Luddite
collective on Earth.
Shell know how to embed,
per General Order 1.
Brief her and lets move.
Your personal shielding
is phase-locked
with the gravity simulator.
Any change in this gravimetric
stability will result in...
Boom.
Confirmed.
As theorized, there are
periodic concentrations of
metreon particles.
Yeah. Here looks promising.
Okeydokey.
Activating laser core sampler
and corresponding
internal artificial grav.
And according
to my calculations,
one cubic centimeter of
metreon-charged asteroid
weighs in
at a portly
one point five metric tons.
Metreon fluctuation detected.
Adjust grav sim.
Project termination advised.
Not yet.
Metreon-charged dark matter
is our only lead
in finding
a new spore-drive interface,
and Commander Stamets
needs this.
Got it.
Secure sample.
Hello, gorgeous.
Alert. Energy discharge
of unknown origin detected
in main shuttle bay. Engineer...
No life signs inside.
Set phasers to stun.
Keep em handy
but out of sight.
Have either of you ever been
in a church?
No. My family are
non-believers.
Im familiar with the
texts of Earths religions.
All right.
Lets find out
who these people are and why
theyre calling for help.
This glass is two centuries old.
It represents
not just Christianity, but
Judaism, Islam, Hinduism,
Buddhism,
Shinto and Wicca.
The distress call is
coming from beneath us.
Ill look for
the basement.
"For those
who live the old way burn.
"Those who
sin against us shall be cut down
by our gods."
Thats light and welcoming.
"When those who believe
in our signs come to thee,
say, Peace be upon you."
Anthropologically speaking,
it appears that
they cobbled together a religion
based on the primary faiths
of Earth.
This book is some sort
of new scripture.
It might be their historical
record. Ill scan the text.
Or we could look
at the pictures.
That was the original purpose
for a window like this.
To teach the gospel
to those who couldnt read.
Why arent you in the fields?
Were not from here.
Uh, my name is Christopher.
This is Michael and Joanne.
Is this your first time
in New Eden?
Yes.
Were from the north.
The All-Mother
will want to see you.
We welcome our new friends
from the northern territory
and pledge gratitude
to our Creators
for their love and deliverance
to New Eden
on our planet Terralysium.
Tonight, on the harvest moon,
we remember
that over 200 years ago,
in 2053,
the First Saved, soldiers
and civilians among them,
took cover in the white church
from the devastation
of World w*r III.
Jets overhead
dropped nuclear bombs.
Our ancestors knew
death was coming,
but just before
the explosions,
an angel appeared to them,
surrounded by pillars
of fire,
and delivered our church
and those taking shelter in it
here to Terralysium.
They awoke here
and founded New Eden.
But who should they
thank for this salvation?
Which God?
There were so many
faiths among them,
how would they solve
such a quandary?
By combining all religions
into one.
Say my religion is science.
Has anyone used it
to find an alternate answer
to how our ancestors got here?
How, without the proper
technology?
All weve got are
decaying relics
that came with
the First Saved.
For years,
Jacob and Rose
have tried to get
the church lights back on.
Since the battery units d*ed,
and the windows went dark,
pilgrimages to our shrine
have dwindled.
Still, there must be
some rational theories
about how the church
was transported here.
A camera attached
to a soldiers helmet exists
from that time, but
its broken.
We have no
need for proof.
We are guided by
the existence of something
greater than ourselves-
our faith.
Its getting late.
Were setting out
early tomorrow.
Would you mind if we take
shelter in your church?
Of course not.
Thank you for the fellowship.
Peace be with you.
And also with you.
Tilly?
Tilly, wake up.
What? Where am I?
Dont worry.
Theyre helping you.
I was there when
you got hurt.
It was so scary.
I thought I lost you.
Oh, you shouldnt
do that. Oh, no.
Help!
Whats going on?
Ensign
Tilly, dissecting
a highly unstable interstellar
asteroid by yourself?
This lapse in judgment
put your shipmates at risk
and nearly got you k*lled.
Will you corroborate
that, Dr. Pollard?
Hes correct.
Almost dead. You.
But youre gonna be okay.
Sorry, sir. I was trying
to help Commander Stamets.
I do not see how one
leads to the other.
I took an asteroid sample
in the hopes
that I could design
a coherent resonator
to work with the spores instead.
Essentially building
a dark-matter
navigational interface
so that Commander Stamets
will no longer have
to interface with
the spore drive?
Before we can care for others,
we must care for ourselves.
Has this jeopardized
my placement
in the Command Training Program?
It has not, as long as
it is not an indicator
of more reckless behavior.
You are the youngest candidate
ever accepted into the CTP.
Being the only
Kelpien in Starfleet,
I know how it feels to
want to prove your worth.
I was so determined to be
a good example of my race,
I learned 90 different
Federation languages.
Fluently?
My point is,
I put an inordinate
amount of responsibility
on these slender shoulders,
often to my detriment.
I expect you
to take better care.
You are important.
Mr. Saru
to the bridge immediately.
Report.
Sensors detecting
a massive spike
of ionizing radiation
in the upper atmosphere.
Theres been a disruption
in the gravitational stability
of the planets outermost ring.
This could relate
to the signals.
Radioactive particles
from the ring are on the way
to the planets surface.
Levels?
Bad.
Bad?
Really bad. In 64 minutes,
the radiation will reach
the upper atmosphere, causing...
an extinction level event.
Um...
tell transporters
to stand by.
Bryce, please contact
the captain.
Not possible, sir.
The radiations interfering
with our communication.
We wont be able
to transport either.
Shall I send a shuttle
to get them, sir?
No. The shuttles
ionized carbon exhaust
will create a runaway
positive feedback loop
that will accelerate
the particles arrival.
I heard there was a problem.
Happy to have you,
as always, Mr. Stamets,
especially now.
Its highly unlikely
that they can see the outer ring
from the planets surface.
Theyll never know
whats coming until it hits.
Time?
62 minutes
before nuclear winter
becomes irreversible.
If we were
brought here,
perhaps this is why.
We are responsible
not only to our landing party
but to every living being
on that planet.
Discovery
will not allow
a catastrophe on her watch.
Clock is ticking.
Let us get to work.
Clearly, that distress
beacon has been broadcasting
without these people
even knowing it.
Well turn it off so
no one else disturbs this place
and then beam out.
I isolated
the distress beacon signal.
Its coming from down here.
Lets hope
that helmet cameras here, too.
Im sorry, sir.
You cant be suggesting
that we leave them here.
Find that
beacon, please,
Owosekun.
Before we
transported down,
you said you had a hunch
the signal we were following was
leading us to a rescue mission.
No one needs rescuing, Burnham.
This place
really is a new Eden.
Amesha and the others
are kin to us.
They deserve to be reintegrated
into modern society.
By their own account,
they left Earth in 2053.
They did not use a starship.
That makes them pre-warp,
subject to General Order 1.
We cannot interfere
with their natural development.
But they believe Earth and
the human race were destroyed.
Theyre wrong.
Worse, the faith
they cling to is a lie.
Can you prove that?
What I will prove
is that none of this happened
because of some miracle.
Got it!
The batterys dead,
but...
This is strange.
Someone jury-rigged it
to continue transmitting
the distress call.
And you answered.
There were scientists
among the First Saved, too.
My family. For generations,
we tended to that beacon.
No one else knew it was
here, and you found it
with that incredible device.
My ancestors were right,
werent they?
The Earth
wasnt destroyed.
Mankind evolved.
Jacob...
...this-this device,
this has- its always been
in my family.
Its for navigation.
Since the other day,
when the red burst appeared in
the sky, I knew you were coming.
That was the light
from your ship, right?
Your hands,
your skin,
unravaged by the labor
we do here.
Youre not from
Terralysium.
I can see the truth
in your eyes.
Jacob, listen to me.
You are mistaken.
No, Im not.
I have been waiting for
this day for a long time.
For our true salvation.
Lets go.
Were sorry for trespassing.
No, wait, wait, no.
Dont go. Wait.
Wait! Stop!
Ah. Its locked.
If its just a slide bolt,
I can use a magnet
to get us out.
Our utility bags are gone.
Jacob must have taken
all of our tech.
To prove his case
to the others, no doubt.
Ah-ha. Got it.
Yep. I can feel it...
God or no God, we are still
bound by General Order 1.
You will not break cover
under any circumstances.
Do you both understand?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
If "X" doesnt work, try "Y."
If "Y" doesnt work, try "Z."
If "Z" doesnt work,
try drowning your ineptitude
in a Risan mai tai.
Where the hell is Burnham?
I need her to, like, be here
and "yes and..." me.
Can I help you with something?
Yes. Yes, thank you.
Im-Im supposed to be
on bed rest,
but that is practically an
affront to my very existence,
cause the ships on high alert,
the captain, Burnham, Owo,
not to mention an entire planet,
might be nuked,
and that is not happening.
Why are you looking
at me like that?
Youre May, right?
Am I talking too fast?
Im problem solving.
Ive had espressos.
In sickbay?
Yeah.
Lives are at stake.
Its always better to ask
for forgiveness than permission.
Exactly. Ive been trying
to figure out a way
to stop the downflow
of radioactive debris,
and then it occurred to me
if we could target the source
of the debris...
The ring itself.
Yes.
Thank you. We could-
We could pull the debris
away from the planet.
And then, were alive.
And alive is optimal.
Ive been running models
using a tractor beam, but...
Discovery
wouldnt
be able to generate
graviton beams powerful enough
to change the course
of the debris field.
You read my mind.
Your mind is so much fun.
If only there were
something on this ship
that could generate
a massive gravitational field.
The asteroid. Dark matter.
In the shuttlebay.
Its-its-its...
A little, tiny piece of it
destroyed an entire table.
It was awesome.
Youre a genius.
No, youre a genius.
The rings radioactive
wave will hit the planet
in four minutes, 32 seconds.
What if we throw all
auxiliary power to phasers?
Destroy the radioactive debris
before it reaches
the lower atmosphere.
That would only give it
a greater concentration.
I got it!
I got it, I got it.
Ensign Tilly, how many times
in a single day
must we have this conversation?
No, no, please, please, sir,
just-just hear me out, okay?
The dark-matter asteroid,
all right, its massive.
And the more mass an object has,
the greater its
gravitational pull, right?
You-you know this.
Can I just, um, scooch in there?
Thank you. Yeah.
So, if we launch the dark-matter
asteroid from the shuttlebay
on just the right trajectory,
its gravity will pull
the radioactive debris
away from the planet like a,
uh, invisible magnet.
See?
For the asteroid
to exit at the correct angle,
I would have to execute
a sustained circular drift.
A donut.
You would be doing
a donut in a starship.
Thats true.
Is this possible?
Yes. Except no.
Wed have to launch the asteroid
from within the center
of the rings debris field.
There is no way I can
pilot us from in there.
I can.
We could jump.
You have exactly
two minutes, 11 seconds
before the wave
of radioactive debris crosses
the point of no return.
Run, Mr. Stamets.
Tell Engineering to ready
the spore drive.
The visitors are from
the first Earth.
They brought amazing things:
communication devices,
scientific-data collectors.
Look inside. Youll believe.
What happened to
"Thou shalt not steal"?
I just want her
to see the truth.
The truth is that
he att*cked us.
He violated everything
that the Faith holds dear.
You give us back what you took,
and well leave.
Listen to me.
They came on a starship.
They can take us back home.
We can experience
the real Earth.
This is your home.
You are living by the corrupt
way of the old Earth, Jacob.
Youre the scientist.
Tell her Im right.
Look.
Captain! No!
No!
Hes dying.
Save him. With your technology,
I know you can.
We-we need to get him
to the church
and pray for another
deliverance.
Yes, okay.
STAMETS
Bridge, we are ready to jump.
And are you ready, Lieutenant?
Had my pilots license
since 12, sir.
Black alert.
Airiam... now.
Detmer!
Initiating donut maneuver, sir.
♪
Its working, sir.
Let us get our
landing party. Now.
Wait, wait, no. Let me in!
Jacob, no. Jacob!
The gods have answered
our prayer.
The angel returned
to save them.
Transport confirms
all are on board.
The asteroid successfully
diverted all the debris
from the planets atmosphere.
Yes!
Perhaps you should
disobey my direct orders
more often, Ensign.
No, I think your orders
are probably really good.
I need to pass out now.
Do you need assistance?
No, Im good. Im just...
straight to bed.
Way to go, Stilly.
Stilly?
Wait, are you...?
Welcome back, Captain.
You made it. But your ribs,
theyre gonna feel
like the xylophone
in a Klingon marching band.
Consider yourself
lucky to be alive.
Musk Junior High
School, Class of 2247.
Signatures page.
Name: May something.
Stilly, what the heck?
Youre moving again?
Its only been six months.
Youre the nicest person Ive
ever met at this awful school.
Ill miss our lunches.
They were like
little earthquakes.
"Bounce, bounce, bounce."
Please, stay in touch.
Love, May Ahearn.
Ahearn.
Knew it.
Computer, locate quarters
for "Ahearn, May."
Ships manifest
has no such name.
Computer,
search Federation database
for the whereabouts
of "Ahearn, May,"
originally from San Francisco,
California, Earth.
Working.
"Ahearn, May Theresa."
Born April 30, 2236.
Deceased June 9, 2252.
Come.
You wanted to see me?
Yes. And dont make me laugh.
Fortunately for you,
I was raised on Vulcan.
We dont do funny.
Maybe I should just shut up.
I wanted to thank you
for following orders
and maintaining our cover
despite your captains
impairment.
And by impairment,
I-I mean having a phaser
go off in my chest.
Well, sir,
I learned the hard way
what not following orders
can lead to.
In fact,
you asked earlier if there was
anything I ought to tell you.
There is, and I didnt.
The angelic being
they worship on Terralysium,
it appeared to me,
on the asteroid.
Why didnt you say anything?
I was injured.
I thought I was hallucinating.
That cant be a coincidence.
Two signals,
two angel sightings.
With all due respect, sir,
the word "angel"
does carry with it
certain implications.
I saw a form.
It hovered above me,
and it was...
to be completely honest,
quite beautiful.
But beyond that,
I wouldnt ascribe to it
divine properties.
Those people in New Eden do.
And they would find
your experience
to be quite a revelation.
Is that how you see it, sir?
As a revelation?
At the very least,
this new information
creates more context.
And the context
can alter our perspective.
Well, what about Jacob?
Isnt he entitled
to a little context?
He knows in his heart
who and what we are.
And we chose to lie to him.
We have the power
to help him solve a mystery
thats plagued his family
for 200 years.
We could alter
his
perspective.
Look, I feel for the guy, too.
But even angels are no excuse
for violating General Order 1.
Yeah, well, I have a better
excuse: his helmet camera.
Jacob said it recorded
whatever was in that church
the day they
were taken.
And as I see it, sir,
the urgency of our mission
directly contradicts
Starfleets first rule.
To serve one goal,
the other has to be sacrificed.
But thats a choice
only a captain can make.
I lied.
To protect the others
from the truth.
The truth is...
you were right about us.
I-I know what its like
to live with doubt,
and I guess I-I didnt
want that for you.
Howd you get here?
Beam of light?
Yes, actually.
Its called a transporter.
It converts a-a person or an
object into an energy pattern,
then "beams" it to a target,
where its eventually
reconverted back into matter.
Do you have a ship?
Do you, uh, fly among the stars?
Yeah.
And...
Earth?
Well, were-were part
of a galactic federation now,
dedicated to peace, exploration
and protecting places
such as your planet.
Jacob,
we cannot intervene.
Your society
has to evolve
in its own way.
My entire family spent
their whole lives
hoping to get a confirmation
that what we believed was true.
And you...
gave me that answer.
Something none of
them ever got.
And that is enough for me.
Thank you.
Because of you,
were not lost anymore.
How about this power cell,
with a very long lifespan,
in exchange
for a soldiers broken camera
circa 2053?
I hope we meet again, Jacob.
I know we will.
You might want to stand back.
Pike to
Discovery,
one to transport.
Okay...
MAN
Were under att*ck!
Holed up inside. A few hundred
souls: men, women and children.
Wait...
Somethings happening...
Take cover! Protect the young!
Oh! Blinding light!
Oh, my gosh!