04x01 - Valles Marineris

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

Last season on
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds...

BATEL: Do you really
still believe our futures

are written in stone?

PIKE: All I know is that

I'm not ready to let you go.

BATEL:
Everything that happened to me

was so I could do this.

No, this is... Marie...

It's my destiny.

You, of all people,
can understand that.

UNA: You have to tell me why
things are so weird with you and Spock.

LA'AN: Spock and I made it very
clear with each other... no labels,

no complicated expectations,
just fun times.

UNA: Is this

a "hit it" situation?

PIKE: It's a new future.

It's whatever kind of adventure
we want it to be.

PIKE: Captain's personal
log. Stardate 2491.5.

We're at the end of
a routine mission on Tulaxar...

our 15th in a row...
and if I'm being honest,

this may well be
my favorite part.

♪♪

♪♪

Were you followed?

-LA'AN: No, sir.
-And the meds?

Handed off more than enough
to save the planet.

Any issues being discovered?

LA'AN:
Nothing I couldn't handle.

Four of the ones she drank with

might need a day or two
to sleep it off.

[scoffs] Lightweights.

-[comms chime]
-[chuckles]

UNA:
Captain, we are in position.

Ready to beam you up

-on your order.
-Copy that, Number One.

You know what?

We, uh...

we might ride a little more.

If you say so, Captain.

You know, just to be safe.

-[horse neighs]
-Hyah.

♪♪

SPOCK: Welcome back, Captain.

I can take
your saddle, if needed.

PIKE: Well, I, uh,

prefer to carry my own gear.

But thanks, Spock.

But you knew that already.

I felt it important to be here

as soon as you returned
to the ship.

You wanted to see me
in my outfit, didn't you?

Perhaps.

Follow me
to my quarters, Mr. Spock.

These boots
are hard to take off alone.

UNA: Six months, Chris, nonstop.

That's a lot
of missions in a row.

I'm just worried the crew

is starting to feel
the strain, that's all.

Look, they came to Enterprise
to see things, to...

do things.

And the more you see
and do in the moment,

the less you have to think
about the past, right?

We all need weekends
once in a while.

Even you.

Understood, Number One.

Not to mention, as much
as I enjoy having the conn,

I wouldn't mind a little time
on-planet once in a while.

Next mission, I promise.

That might be
sooner than you think.

Admiral April
is on his way to see you.

I told you, Bob,

I'm not looking for a promotion.

Well, regardless of intent,

you're being considered for one.

To commodore.

And that, as we both know,

is a stepping stone.

Look, I felt the same way
when I was captain.

You just need to think about it.

Really think.

You just might
surprise yourself.

How long do I have to consider?

We'll need an answer when you
get back from the next mission.

Where are you sending us?

This is a fun one.

Really?

You haven't heard
the constant noises?

Scotty acts like every time
I steer the ship,

it makes his job harder,
so he added endless beeping

to literally make my job harder.

Are you listening?

Sorry. I just have to get
prepared for my mentee training.

Right, your new Academy cadet.

When I got to Enterprise,

I didn't know
anything about anything,

and all of you helped me.

I just want to pass
that on to the next person.

I've been practicing my Vulcan
with Spock to improve it.

[sighs]

[clears throat]

Taz Nyota Uhura dwi-mâsh.

Tan-fi bo-shish
ner gab-no-vet âs

dwoz nufezh po nen lhi-de-mosh.

Please do not speak Vulcan.

Your accent is improper.

I thought I got that right.

I am fully versed
in all human dialects.

That is all that is required
for us to communicate.

Right. Let me start again.

I am Ensign Uhura, but you
can call me Nyota, if you like.

I was at the Academy
just a few years ago,

so I know exactly
how you must feel.

You are several years older
than I am,

and since you are human,
it is unlikely

you know how I feel.

Were you present
for the K'thonia disaster?

Or the FFakisha conflict?

That all happened after I left.

Your Vulcan
is poorly pronounced,

your time at the Academy was
completely different than mine.

It appears we do not have
many shared experiences at all.

[mouths]

PIKE:
This is an unusual mission.

We are to face a category ten
interstellar squall,

something we rarely see
in the Alpha Quadrant.

PELIA: I-I've seen one once,

a long time ago,
but not from this close.

I think I was
in a phone box at the time.

SPOCK: Such distortions
are often briefly occurring.

This one has appeared
around the star Ithaxus.

No explanation.

Doesn't look like it's safe
for us to get near it.

LA'AN: Any inhabited planets

nearby
we should be worried about?

UNA: None.

Thank goodness.

And that's the key element
of this mission.

No one we have to protect.

We are here to observe
an unusual stellar display.

That is all.

PELIA: Oh, it sounds like

we're going to the theater.

Minus the Playbill.

SPOCK:
A theater that would likely tear

our ship into small particles
of subspace

should we get too close.

Come on, Mr. Spock.
Where's your sense of adventure?

Perhaps I did not
clearly state the part

about being torn into
small particles of subspace.

Interstellar storms
are like space-time gone wild,

the very stuff of the universe.

Don't you think a glimpse

is worth a little risk?

See? Now, that's the spirit.

[Pelia chuckles]

Keep us at arm's length, Erica.

ORTEGAS: Aye, sir.

Very long arms.

LA'AN: I wish we
could get closer, though.

It's absolutely stunning.

UHURA: I understand the feeling.

To actually see
something like this.

Digital data is more relevant.

SPOCK: Sensors are active.

-Data is cogent.
-If you had to give up

seeing this kind of thing
all the time,

would you miss it?

Every day.

Yeah.

[comms chime]

Sir, I'm getting a comm signal.

-Location, Nyota?
-The signal's erratic,

but it seems to be coming
from inside the storm.

It's a mayday, sir.

A ship is stuck
inside the storm?

That's what the signal's saying.

Take us closer, Erica.

But keep your foot
on the brakes.

Understood, Captain.

[alert trilling]

Not now, Scotty.

♪♪

Deeper scans suggest
signal origin

is a buoy inside of the storm.

-A buoy?
-UHURA: It's a starship distress buoy,

but I can't get
a lock on the signal.

Any sign of the source
of the buoy? Any ships?

Scanning, Captain.

[alarm sounds]

Uh-oh.

The storm is undergoing
exponential expansion.

You think?

-Reverse course, Erica, fast.
-Already on it.

[alert chimes]

We have life support.

Unfortunately, that is
the extent of the good news.

No weapons functionality. Zero.

Long-range comms are down.

SCOTTY:
Transporters are offline.

Not sure when they'll
be fixed, or if.

PELIA:
We have only the barest amount

of impulse power. For now.

-Warp?
-SCOTTY: Out of the question.

Look, our problem is,

we lost all our iridium.

Without it, we can't ignite
the warp engines.

We're basically stuck here.

And do we know where "here" is?

All we've been able
to determine is,

the stellar storm somehow pulled

the ship into a warp field.

The stars aren't lining up
to give us a location,

but we think it's just the main
computer coming back on line.

Okay.

Deploy a locator and send
out a mayday. Let's use a flare.

-On it.
-SPOCK: Short-range scans

suggest we can only
extrapolate our position.

Of the four planets
scanned so far,

three are M-class.

Inhabited? Anyone who

-might give us a hand?
-Impossible to tell,

given our current
sensor capabilities.

But we have detected iridium
on the nearest M-class planet...

a few hours' journey with
our current impulse engines.

SCOTTY: And one of our
shuttles is still functional enough

to get us to the surface,
I think.

[exhales sharply]

Well, Number One,

you wanted a mission
on a strange new world.

Looks like you got one.

PIKE: Curie, this is Enterprise.

You are now entering
the planet's upper atmosphere.

LA'AN: Heading towards
the last known iridium location.

The land mass
is quite choppy down there.

We're five-by-five.
We might have to land

pretty far from the signal.

There aren't any closer options.

[animals chirping, calling]

♪♪

The iridium's over there.

ORTEGAS: Near what
is definitely a volcano.

♪♪

Um...

I'm detecting life signs.

What kind of life signs?

Large.

Taller than us?

Much taller.

[creature stomps, growls]

Is there a way around that?

No.

We want the iridium,

we have to get past that.

-[creature roars]
-[creature 2 shrieks]

Great news.

I've got a fix on the creature.

That's not the problem.
It's, uh...

trying to do something about it.

-Can't you just stun it?
-Well, if I had

phasers, sure. Um...

I might be able to send a bolt

of electricity, but
I don't want to k*ll the laddie.

We should probably determine
what it can withstand first.

What are you doing?

[creature growls]

Why did you just sh**t it?

Wha... I was on stun.

And you saw. Nothing happened.

[imitating Scotty's accent]:
The laddie may be a wee bit

stronger than we anticipated.

"Laddie"? You think
that's what I talk like?

-That's totally -what you talk like.
-Fine.

-[loud crash]
-[grunts]

[alarms sounding]

Something's just
grabbed the ship.

PIKE: Space.

The final frontier.

These are the voyages
of the starship Enterprise.

Its five-year mission:

to explore strange new worlds...

to seek out new life

and new civilizations...

to boldly go
where no one has gone before.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[alarms sounding]

[Pelia grunts]

Where did they come from?

SPOCK: Unclear, Captain.
Our sensors are functioning

below normal parameters.

PELIA: They seem to
have attached some kind

of energy tendrils.

SPOCK: They are similar to
our tractor beams, but the style

is one I am not familiar with.

Do we have any weapons? Shields?

PELIA: No, the shields are still

not functioning, Captain,
and Scotty cannot

repair the weapons
without iridium.

We-we are crippled.

They're literally
towing us away.

Do we have impulse? Anything?

PELIA: No, using impulse engines

would be like trying
to free ourselves from a boat

using a pair of flippers.

Small flippers.

Flippers that could be
lost at any time.

Comms are
still functioning, sir.

As is our universal translator.

Does anyone recognize that ship?

SPOCK: I do not,

and it does not exist
in our database.

Hail them, Nyota.

Let's try the friendly approach
first. We don't have much else

-to work with.
-Hailing them, sir.

This is Captain Christopher Pike

of the starship Enterprise.

You seem to have...

you seem to have accidentally
taken hold of our ship.

Anything?

They're responding, sir.

[alien language translating]

CASSELL:
I am Battle Commander Cassell.

We didn't attach
our tethers by accident.

We seized
your damaged ship as salvage.

Your ship and its resources
are now our property.

Still nothing from the ship.

Scotty said
he'd come right back.

He didn't. Typical.

I don't like it.

We may be on our own,
at least for now.

We need to get a better idea
of what we're facing.

What about the new...

vaporization thingy?

You know what it's called.

Scotty's not even here
to get annoyed.

Just makes me feel better.

The phasers have been modified

with a contained
disintegration function.

We need to get a clear shot
at that copse of trees.

Maybe we can see the "laddie"
that's hiding behind it.

PIKE: Commander Cassell,

we are members of Starfleet.

Any actions against us
will be seen

as actions against the
United Federation of Planets.

CASSELL: We aren't
familiar with your Starfleet

or Federation, but if you're
in league with the Dol'drm,

we will destroy you.

[comms chime]

What?

Be careful
what you say, Captain.

If they are not familiar
with Starfleet,

it is possible
that they are pre-warp.

They may be seizing our ship
to learn about our technology,

which is strictly
against our prime directive.

They have the ship, Spock.

Right now talking
is our only way out.

Allow me to scan it further.

Perhaps you could stall.

[comms chime]

We are not familiar
with the Dol'drm.

We're new
to this region of space,

and if you don't know
the Federation,

we also don't know you.

We are at w*r, Captain,

with a terrible
and destructive enemy,

and as part
of our wartime covenants,

we have seized your ship
as scrap for our w*r effort.

If you are not aligned
with the Dol'drm,

you will be released
when we return home.

You can't just take our ship
without consequences.

And yet you have shown us none.
This discussion is over.

Commander, we do have weapons,

and Starfleet has more...
a lot more.

Do you really want us
to turn all of them on you

just to prove our point?

Why don't you come aboard?

I can show you myself,
and we can discuss ways

that the Federation
can help you.

I don't think
this will be useful.

But if you have weapons
to show us, personally,

I'll come on board to see them.

That-That's not exactly
what I said. I...

End communication.

[comms chime]

Okay, not ideal.

[phaser charges]

You sure this is going to work?

Not in the slightest.

Well, at least we're talking.

SPOCK: I am afraid
our circumstance is...

slightly more complicated
than we realized, Captain.

I have determined
our current location.

Scans have revealed that
we are in the Sol system.

Sol?

Spock, this
doesn't make any sense.

Three M-class worlds?

The stellar storm created
an incredible amount of energy,

far beyond
what our ship is capable of.

However, where it sent us
is less relevant than when.

Currently, we are


The planet Commander Cassell
is dragging us toward is Mars.

Mars?

Then that would mean the planet
that Una flew the shuttle to...

Is Earth, Captain.

[growls]

[roaring]

ORTEGAS: So, according
to Enterprise, we can't harm

any native life because doing so
could wreck the future.

LA'AN: Unfortunately,
the dinosaurs do not share

our temporal prohibitions
when it comes to eating us.

[dinosaur bellows in distance]

I have an idea.

But I don't think either of you
are gonna like it.

ORTEGAS: Oh, we are way

-past that.
-Yeah.

What you got, boss?

[phaser charges]

M'BENGA: They have never heard

of Starfleet or the Federation

because neither will exist

for millions of years.

It may be challenging

to form a shared frame
of reference, Captain.

It shouldn't be that different
from any first contact

with a pre-warp species.

Except you invited her
on board your starship.

Yeah, there is that.

Look, by the time
our present comes around,

Mars has been lifeless for eons.

I'm going to wager
that nothing we say here

is going to change the future,

so long as she doesn't leave
the ship with anything material.

Alternatively,
any single one of our actions

could result in
our future never occurring.

Okay, so out of
an abundance of caution,

we'll keep her from...

Everything?

It feels like
you're not helping.

-[instrument beeping]
-That's odd.

Scanners seem to have detected
something on the hull.

COMPUTER: Possible
hull breach on Deck Seven.

We're on Deck Seven.

No adjustment
in air temperature. Strange.

Where?

Corridor.

[whooshing]

PIKE: Commander Cassell.

I'm Captain Pike.

You are... short.

Our-our planet's
a little heavier than yours.

Hence this unpleasant
artificial gravity on your ship?

-Too unpleasant? We can adjust.
-No need.

We're obviously considerably
stronger than you are.

How did you get inside our ship?

We phased through your wall.

Do you not have
phasing technology?

Well, no, but we have
transporters which allow us...

Which we can gladly discuss
at a later juncture.

PIKE: Allow me to introduce
our science officer Spock,

Dr. M'Benga,
and our engineer Mr. Scott.

Forgive me if I don't.

My guards
are under standing orders

to k*ll anyone
who comes too close.

Okay.

PIKE: I assure you, that won't
be necessary, Commander.

-You're here as our guests.
-We're here as your captors

to see your weaponry,
Captain Pike.

Commander, you are not
our enemy.

That assessment is mine to make.

You would do the same
in my position, would you not?

Our transporter typically
sweeps our visitors

for health and safety.

Would you permit me
to examine you?

To ensure you haven't brought
any pathogens aboard

and that you can handle any
you might find aboard as well.

Well, I am confident
our biological prophylaxis

will keep all parties safe.

However, given I also
trained in medicine,

I am curious
to see what technology you have.

After that, we will see
your weapons systems.

ORTEGAS: Stun?

Your plan is to get close
and just use stun?

-UNA: That is correct.
-LA'AN: I'll remind you,

we tried it.
It didn't faze it one bit.

I mean, we could just
disintegrate it,

if it wasn't for, you know,

the whole "destroy
the entire future" part.

UNA: I'm going to get close
enough so it opens its mouth,

sh**t in its soft palate,
and hope it works.

And that it doesn't decide
you're maybe a delicious snack

with several more
yummies nearby?

We'll k*ll it
if it gets to that.

UNA: Don't.

We genuinely don't know
the future effects

of anything we might do here.

I'll stun, and then we run.

ORTEGAS: Crazy.

Dangerous.

Maybe even insane.
But I'm kind of impressed.

Is that weird?

[pterodactyls squawking]

[growling]

Hey! Dinosaur!

You there!

[phaser charges]

[bellows]

[squawking]

[roars]

[growling]

[grunts]

[phaser charges]

[roars]

[Una grunts]

[groans]

Did it eat her?

It's not chewing.

[snoring]

UNA: It's asleep. Stun worked!

And you didn't k*ll him.

Nice work.

Let's move. Before she wakes up.

-She?
-Yeah.

It's not a "laddie,"
it's a "lassie."

CASSELL: There are many
different types of people on this ship.

SPOCK:
In this room alone, we have

humans, Vulcans and Tellarites.

As members of Starfleet,
we've encountered

countless other species.

We come from different planets,

but we have ways
to work together.

And none of these countless
species wish to destroy you?

-Members of the Federation, no.
-Ah,

but I get the feeling others do?

Well, those that don't like us

aren't against just one of us,
they're against all of us.

Our unity is our best deterrent.

Again, because of your weapons?

Federation members do bring
weapons to the table,

but that same unity means we
often do not have to use them.

I must admit,
I have difficulty imagining

such an alliance as this.

Many worlds working together.

CHAPEL: Technically, we...

we don't just
work together, we...

we pick up a lot of stuff
from each other.

CASSELL: None of those others

are concerned that you'll turn
their weapons against them?

Sometimes it's just recipes.

Or...

music. Whatever we share,

it tends to add up

to more than
the sum of its parts.

I only know my world

and the Dol'drm.

"Alien" to me means evil.

PIKE: Humans

have a way of saying,
when it comes

to facing an enemy,
the carrot or the stick.

What is a carrot?

Is it a weapon of some sort?

I imagine it is more persuasive
than a stick.

[chuckles] Yeah, it is,

but not in the way
that you're thinking.

No, um, you eat a carrot.

It's a reward.

Uh, it helps
to form an alliance.

No, the stick
is the only weapon.

So you're benevolent
until that no longer works,

and only then are you hostile?

It's a strategy of sorts.

M'BENGA: I'm happy to say

we have no issues
of contamination.

You clearly dedicate
many resources

to this medical facility.

Frankly, it's
something of a wonder

to see so few occupied beds
or injuries.

Captain Pike,

perhaps I have been too quick
to judge you and your crew.

It appears
you are not the enemies

we perceived you to be.

Glad to hear it.

But appearances
can be deceiving.

Do you have this saying, too?

Take me to your weapons systems,

and then I may better
understand what this alliance

with its many points of view

and carrots and sticks
has to offer.

Of course.

CASSELL: Phasers and photon
torpedoes are your ship's primary weapons?

PIKE:
But not the part most used.

I assume you are referring
to defensive systems?

You mentioned
the use of shields.

Our shields are damaged.

Given time,
our engineering station

or our science station will find
ways of repairing our systems.

What is the main purpose
of your science station?

Is it to assess
the vulnerability

of potential enemies?

Science allows us
a broad understanding

of every culture we encounter
so we can share strengths

and compensate for each other's
respective weaknesses.

Understanding other cultures
has allowed us

to advance faster
than if we were alone.

I am sorry for your loss?

You used the word "alone."

Our people

have ten individual words
for such a state,

differentiated
by emotional inflection.

I'm sorry, I don't follow.

Your translating machine
used the word "widower."

And so my condolences.

Our captains are not permitted
relationships during w*r.

They leave us vulnerable,
too hesitant to sacrifice.

And we have always been at w*r.

Well, isn't love
part of what we fight for?

If not that, then...

Have you ever seen
my homeworld of Mars?

We are not familiar with
the current condition of Mars.

If the ship's scanners
are repaired,

will you pull it up on-screen?

Please.

-It's beautiful.
-Yes.

But there is something
more important for you to see.

Turn the planet view


Valles Marineris.

That crater was caused
when the Dol'drm crashed a ship

onto the surface
and fed on our world.

The only way to stop them was

to tear away
the very land around them.

The invaders died.

But that crater and two million
lives is the price we paid.

-That's horrible.
-That's why your discussions

of cultures, of science,

although kind and hopeful,

are not relevant.

What we need to do
is destroy the Dol'drm

before they devour
the rest of our planet

and turn it all
into a red wasteland.

Well, have you ever tried
communicating with the Dol'drm?

We cannot. They are insects.

They do not speak
or reason as we do.

They simply feed
and move forward.

You may have other options.

Some on our planet argued this.

They believed there were
other ways to deal with them.

As they talked, we died.

There's only one thing
that's ever worked.

Force.

What if we
could offer you something

that would work without weapons?

Something only Starfleet's
resources can provide?

The Federation have met maybe



Of those, 17 of them don't
use sonic communication,

like us.

This is where
xenoanthropology helps.

We've been able to design
multiple systems

that work for creatures
who communicate

using light, touch or,

in one particularly
difficult case, smell.

Which stunk. [chuckles]

But it did allow us,
eventually, to speak with them.

Fascinating.

PIKE: You keep
insisting it's impossible

to communicate with the Dol'drm.

If we find out we can,
maybe we could find a way

to stop them without weapons.

What if we could end your w*r?

What if we could
offer them something?

Isn't it worth
a brief consideration?

Brief.

PIKE: You have an update?

As more systems come on line,
the introduction of variables

still generates
a consistent outcome.

Quantum entanglement
has Enterprise firmly anchored



You're saying we're stuck here?

Yes. And also no.

The nature
of quantum entanglement

could theoretically snap us

right back
to the moment we left.

Well, that seems good.

However, to do so would require

the power equivalent
of a supernova,

the very same amount
that sent us here.

Without it,
we are trapped in the past.

-Less good.
-Indeed.

[comms chime]

UHURA:
Captain, Commander Cassell

and her guard have left the lab.

-Where did they go?
-I don't know.

They just phased
through the floor and were gone.

-Engineering.
-Pike to Engineering.

What's happening down there?

SCOTTY:
That tall, scary Martian lady

just came right through
the bulkhead and took it.

-We couldn't stop her.
-Took what?

PELIA: The ship's
primary antimatter fuel cell.

SPOCK:
Cassell's location keeps moving.

Deck Ten.

Deck Nine.

Deck Eight. She's headed
for her egress point.

I'm not armed.

I just want to talk.

We were helping you,

and now you're taking
our fuel cell? Why?

Captain...

I have been nothing
but honest with you.

And consistent.

You, however,
have not been equally truthful.

What are you talking about?

You spoke to me of Starfleet,

of all that you've achieved.

It was easy to get a sense
of your respect for your values,

your deep feeling for those
you have fought for and loved.

With these things
you were frank.

You also spoke to me
of where you are from.

But you failed to explain when.

Your Federation doesn't exist.

-That's not entirely true.
-Yet.

It doesn't exist yet.

You showed me your computer

so I could speak
with the Dol'drm.

It was simple
to understand from there

how you determine time with it.

Your Federation won't exist
for millions of years.

And by then
my civilization will be gone.

I'm sorry.

Our regulations...

they forbid me
from telling you that.

But that doesn't mean
that we can't find a way

-out of this for both of us.
-Captain.

I understand you are trying
to save your people.

As I am doing for mine.

But we live now,
not in the future.

Your ship's given us
exactly what we need

to win our w*r.

I'm sorry.

Commander...

[whooshing]

[thunder cracking]

UNA: This wreckage is
apparently the source of the iridium.

ORTEGAS: And that's,
like, an alien spaceship.

On Earth.



I have to say this
out loud to believe it.

Those burns... a weapon did that.

ORTEGAS: It was shot down.

-Our Martian friends?
-Mm-hmm.

The iridium's inside.

No life signs, but there
might be an engine compartment.

Wait here.

[chittering]

LA'AN: All these cryobeds?

I think this was a colony ship.

Must have all died on impact.

[creature screeches]

[exhales]

[scoffs]

Reflexes.

They must all be dead.

If they were settlers,

I'm not sure
if I should feel sad or...

relieved.

Whatever the reason
they were in cryosleep,

they were shot down and died
on a planet far from home,

headed who knows where.

They may be
different from us, but...

they wanted to survive, too.

Iridium fuel pod.

The only one
that wasn't damaged.

LA'AN:
Let's hope Scotty and Pelia

can jury-rig it
to the Enterprise.

Can we go now, please?

This place
is giving me the creeps.

Yeah.

-[creature screeches]
-[La'An grunts]

[creature whimpers]

[snarls]

[chitters]

[laughs softly]

You just punched it.

Yeah, well, I didn't have time
to sh**t it in the mouth, did I?

Well, if you two are finished
just standing here...

SCOTTY [over comms]: Hey, I've managed
to hook up the backup antimatter pod.

You gotta hurry up
with that iridium.

Yeah, yeah, we're coming. Geez.

CHAPEL: You punched a dinosaur?

[exhales]

M'BENGA: Well,

I'm sure it had it coming.

[laughs]

What is it?

It's just, I broke my hand
and I don't feel any pain.

Well, how is that possible?

It isn't.

The truth is,

I've felt different
for a while now.

I-I've always had
elevated strength and reflexes,

but now it's-it's almost like

my whole body
feels more attuned.

And your mind?

Confused.

Look, I carry
recessive augmented DNA, right?

Now, is it possible that somehow

all I've been through has
activated those recessive genes?

Are you going to try
and take over the galaxy now?

I don't know.

Hey. You may be carrying
enhanced warrior genes,

but it's not who you are.

I've got to go.

[boatswain's whistle blows] -Iridium
is installed and ready to function,

as long as we don't want
to double-check it.

Do we need to double-check it?

We need to get a fix
on that Martian ship.

Are you concerned
or are you worried, Mr. Scott?

Just worried, sir.

Good man.

UNA:
Bridge is coming back on line.

-Long-range sensors?
-SPOCK: Reinitializing.

-PIKE: Time?
-15 seconds.

PIKE: Every second could
be getting Commander Cassell

closer to detonating
that antimatter.

SCOTTY: Well, I can't get
power to the ship's systems

any faster, Captain.

-Screens are working, Chris.
-Great. How about

-long-range comms?
-On and functioning, sir. Orders?

Connect the Martian ship.

Hailing them.

And initializing
ship-to-ship visuals.

Commander Cassell,
this is Captain Pike

of the USS Enterprise.

I should have told you where...

when we're from.

I should have been honest,
because then you might have

believed me
about everything else.

There are other ways
of solving conflict.

I understand how you...

CASSELL: Captain, you
have lost crew mates?

-Friends?
-Yes. Many.

Imagine those losses
a thousandfold.

Imagine a wound on your planet
that will never heal.

A memorial to millions of dead
etched in rock and blood.

I know you believe
that what you're doing is right.

But I have seen a future
where species can coexist.

And I have seen one
on your computers

where my homeworld
is a barren red wasteland.

Can you tell me the Dol'drm
are not responsible for that?

No, I can't.

But I can tell you
that if you use our technology

to change the future,
millions of lives may be lost.

And millions of lives
may be saved.

The lives of my people.

Isn't that what a captain does?

Save her people?

Wouldn't you?

Uh, she shut off her comms.

And they're not
responding to hails.

-Engines?
-SCOTTY: Half-impulse.

Erica, plot an intercept course.

We're gonna try
to stop them from using

-our antimatter.
-UNA: The only question is,

where are they planning
to use it?

They don't have warp.
Where is this enemy planet?

SPOCK: Long-range
sensors are fully operational.

Extrapolating their course.

They are headed for
the fifth planet in the system.

-Jupiter?
-No, this planet is much smaller.

Similar to Mars.

At a distance of


and 120 million kilometers
from the Martian solar rotation.

But there's no fifth planet
like that in our solar system.

SPOCK: The planet is
populated by billions of life-forms.

An arachnid species.

That's what we found crashed
on Earth, with the iridium.

The fifth planet
of our solar system

is the Dol'drm homeworld.

Captain, the Martian warship
is approaching

the fifth planet
at high impulse.

On screen.

SPOCK:
We will be in firing range

of the Martian ship
in less than one minute.

SCOTTY:
Phasers aren't working yet.

PIKE: We just need to disable

the Martian ship.
Can we try a tractor beam?

-There's not enough power at this range.
-Photon torpedoes?

We need something.

-Checking.
-SPOCK: Captain,

my calculations indicate
that if the Martians

detonate our antimatter pod
at their current proximity,

they will be unable
to escape the expl*si*n.

It's her only way
to guarantee a k*ll shot.

She's gonna sacrifice
her ship and her crew

to destroy the planet.

LA'AN: Captain, I think
we have enough power

-to fire one photon torpedo.
-As soon as we're in range.

UNA:
The Martian ship just activated

a m*ssile launcher.

[weapon fires]

They have deployed
the antimatter.

PIKE: Can we sh**t it
down without detonating it?

Yes, but we're still
not in range.

PIKE: Spock, how long to impact?

-SPOCK: 30 seconds.
-Erica,

give it everything you've got.
Push it right to the edge.

-We have to get in range.
-Aye, sir.

Come on, baby. You've got this.

-SPOCK: 20 seconds to impact.
-PIKE: Erica?

Pegging the red line, sir.

There's a reason
for those lights.

-Shut them off, Scotty.
-LA'AN: Sir, we're in range.

Locking photon torpedo
on target.

-SPOCK: 12 seconds to impact.
-Target locked.

We've got it, sir.

Captain.

Fire, sir?

Do not fire.
Repeat, do not fire.

-But, sir...
-UNA: Captain, that planet's about to be destroyed

by our technology.

Our future's at stake.
We must fire.

You heard my order. Hold fire,
stand down photon torpedo.

Chris, our future
notwithstanding,

we can't just sit here and let
that entire planet be destroyed.

In our future...

there is no fifth planet.

SPOCK: Three seconds.

Two. One.

♪♪

[softly]: I'm sorry.

ORTEGAS:
That blast wave's gonna hit us.

But I think I can outrun it.

No. We should not run.

We need to head
into the blast wave.

UNA: Head into that?

You saw what just happened
to the Martian ship.

We may be able to use it
to send us back to our time.

The antimatter expl*si*n,
combined with the expl*si*n

of the planet's core,
has created the necessary energy

to free Enterprise
from this temporal anchor point,

snapping
the quantum entanglement

back to the exact point
we came from.

Before the blast wave
tears our ship apart?

Unknown.

But it is our only option
if we intend to go home.

Erica, come about.

Take us straight
into the blast wave.

Spock, if you have any
calculations, now's the time.

Helm, come to course 1-4-7,
mark 2.

Roger that.

Everybody, hang on to something.

Anything.

Everything.

♪♪

♪♪

SPOCK: After running
multiple simulations,

I determined that a fragment
from the Dol'drm planet

is the Chicxulub asteroid.

LA'AN: The one that hit Earth



UNA: And led to the
extinction of the dinosaurs.

Does that mean...

Yes.

The remaining debris,
less than four percent

of the planet's original mass,

eventually became part
of the asteroid belt

as we have come to know it.

Furthermore,
the absence of the planet

caused a gravimetric shift
in the system,

moving Mars
further from the sun.

Its atmosphere cooled to become
the Mars we know today.

Earth also cooled,
ushering in the Cenozoic Era,

and eventually...

The evolution of humanity.

Even I remember a part of that.

ORTEGAS: So, we only exist

because of what we did?

I think we might exist
because of what we didn't do.

The Martians
had to take our weapons.

And we had to let them destroy
the Dol'drm planet.

Because they always have.

We were always there.

So we were never in danger
of changing anything?

O-Or were we?

CHAPEL:
What about Commander Cassell?

Did she destroy her own planet?

I think...

we could all use a night off.

[Uhura mutters]

ORTEGAS: Yeah, I heard it.

Let's go before
he changes his mind.

UHURA: Mm-hmm.

You're all dismissed.

Thank you.

Commander Cassell.

She just wanted
to save her own people.

I would have done
exactly the same thing.

And now they're all gone,

without a trace
of their ever having existed.

Not entirely.

I ran Cassell's DNA
through our database.

It appears that Martian DNA
is present

in innumerable species
throughout the galaxy.

They escaped?

Some, at least.

The commander
may not have survived,

but her people did.

And the Dol'drm?

If their planet
had remained in the system,

entire histories
would be erased.

Trillions of lives.

Evolutions undone.

Yeah, but...

I didn't know that in the moment
that I made that call.

It was a hunch...
it was a good one, but...

but I had no data.

You, more than anyone
that I know,

have thought about the past
and the future a great deal.

But most of us live in the now.

I guess...

never slowing down,
never stopping...

it's been quieter
than being in my head.

A bit of unsolicited advice.

Find a way to make peace
with both.

[door whooshes open]

[door whooshes shut]

A Princess of Mars.

Who knew that book
would be so prophetic?

[laughs softly]

"I have ever been prone
to seek adventure

"and to investigate
and experiment,

where wiser men would have
left well enough alone."

Love this book.

My father... he-he always
laughed at the idea

of Martians existing
before Federation terraforming.

-Ugh, if I could just go back and tell him now.
-[chuckles]

I think one time-travel
adventure a day is enough.

And this one needs
to stay a secret.

Thought you'd say that.

Well, if it were up to me,
everyone would know

that the Enterprise
was responsible

for humanity's origin.

But the Federation Council
might want us to pause

before we rush in
to amend history books.

So, what do we say?

The truth.

We lost contact with your ship
for a few moments.

Then the solar storm collapsed,
exploded and vanished.

By the time the ensuing
gamma-ray burst had dissipated,

communication with the
Enterprise was reestablished.

And what about...

us answering our own Mayday

from a subspace buoy we deployed


One sent here
by a storm that we created

after it sent us back in time.

[Pike laughs softly]

Chris,

everything happened
as it was meant to.

That much is clear.

So don't overthink it.

What about the promotion?

Hmm? Had any time to consider?

Yeah.

I saw the past,
present and future

in a way that I never
thought possible.

I want to focus on my now,

and that's here with Enterprise.

I'm not ready for the promotion.

But...

I know someone else who is.

[gasps] I... That's...

Chris.

Eh, you don't have
to say anything.

So I'll say it.

To Commander Una Chin-Riley.

Congratulations
on your promotion.

You more than deserve it.

One step closer to captain

and your own starship.

[Pike chuckles]

Cadet.

I wanted to see
how you're feeling

after your first real adventure
on the Enterprise.

I have learned that Starfleet
is not what I expected.

Oh, it can surprise you.

My family was disappointed
that I was not placed

at the Vulcan Science Academy.

I thought this would be
a good alternative.

Well, it very well could be.

It is not.

I now understand why
my parents were disappointed.

This is a chaotic place.

It likely helps that Spock
is part human.

I, however, am not.

Thank you
for your questions, Ensign,

but any further
are not necessary.

[stammers]

[sighs]

ORTEGAS: Honestly?

She might just be very Vulcan.

-That's all.
-[laughs softly]

It's gonna be a long year.

Come on. La'An and Una and I
are gonna talk about dinosaurs.

Way more worth your time.

[both grunt]

Scotty.

Are you gonna...

Say sorry?

You wrench jockeys are kind of
sensitive, aren't you?

-[sighs]
-Frickin' engineers.

Bloody pilots.

[indistinct chatter]

So...

are you guys gonna tell us
about the dinosaurs?

SCOTTY: Oh, yeah.

[soft laughter]

Come on.

It was... something.

We've seen a lot
of strange new worlds,

but we'll never see something
like this again.

♪♪

[low bellowing]

[screeching]

[squawking]

[chittering]

[roars]