star trek discovery episodes with captain pike

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike.

• Akiva Goldsman
• Alex Kurtzman
• Jenny Lumet
• Anson Mount
• Christina Chong
• 1K User reviews
• 38 Critic reviews
• 9 wins & 32 nominations total

Episodes 31

• Captain Christopher Pike …

• La'an Noonien-Singh …

• Lt. Erica Ortegas …

• Una Chin-Riley …

• Nurse Christine Chapel

• Nyota Uhura …

• Dr. M'Benga

• USS Enterprise Computer …

• Lieutenant George Samuel 'Sam' Kirk

• Jenna Mitchell

• Captain Batel …

• Admiral Robert April

• Captain James T. Kirk …

• T'Pring
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Bruce Horak , the actor who plays Hemmer, is legally blind, just like his character's species, the Aenar, who are also blind.
• Goofs There are some rank insignia mistakes. Number One is introduced as "Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley" yet she is wearing the rank insignia of a full commander: two full stripes. A Lieutenant Commander's rank insignia is a full stripe under a thin stripe (in TOS it is a full stripe and a staggered stripe). It is not uncommon for a ship's first officer to be a Lt. Commander if they have not been in the position long. Spock at this point is a Lieutenant but he is wearing Lieutenant Commander's stripes; a Lieutenant just has one stripe. La'an is the ship's chief of security and the ship's second officer. She is also wearing Lt. Commander stripes but is addressed as a Lieutenant, but it would make more sense for her to be a Lieutenant Commander. Either way both of their rank insignia are not matching the rank they are addressed by. Ortegas is addressed as a Lieutenant but is wearing Lieutenant Commander's strips. A Lieutenant Commander may be addressed as a Commander or Lieutenant Commander but never as just a Lieutenant, so either her rank insignia or the manner she is addressed by the rest of the crew is in error.

[opening narration]

Captain Christopher 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.

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Technical specs

• Runtime 52 minutes
• D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos

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'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 4 uses time travel to remember the past 5 seasons

It's pretty obvious watching this episode that the cast and crew, at the very least, strongly suspected that this was going to be the last season of "Discovery" when it was written.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 4

With the news that "Star Trek: Lower Decks" is ending after its current season, that really only leaves "Strange New Worlds" as the last remaining Nu-Trek series currently airing on television. 

And, a word to the wise: If you're a die-hard fan of " Discovery ," make sure you have your own physical media, 'cause no one likes being at the mercy of whatever an overpaid television executive thinks. You're welcome. Moreover, after this final season of "Discovery," we're going to have until wait until next year for the next season of " Strange New Worlds ." It's all starting to feel a bit like "Game of Thrones" all over again.

Episode four, entitled "Face the Strange," is without a doubt the best entry so far in the fifth season, and one can't help but wonder after watching exactly when the cast and production crew were first informed that this would be the last season, because it was definitely before this episode was actually written. The reason? It is, for all intents and purposes, a 60-minute, time-travel-powered, postscript-style reminiscence of all elements of all five seasons — or as much as you can cram into an hour — and what a rollercoaster ride it's been.

So when Alex Kurtzman or Michelle Paradise or whoever it is that actually has authority in the writer's room entered said room, put down their grande iced sugar-free vanilla half-double decaffeinated half-caff latte with soy milk and a twist of lemon in their Paramount-branded 40oz Stanley Clean Slate Quencher H2.0 Flowstate™ Tumbler and announced, "Wouldn't it be great to revisit chapters from seasons one, two, three and four?" no doubt everyone cheered. "And how will this be possible?" asked Kurtzman, to which an eager-beaver intern no doubt excitedly thrust their hand up into the air and exclaimed, "Why, time travel , of course!"

Related: ' Star Trek:' History & effect on space technology

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"Quite right," replied Kurtzman (in our imaginations, at least), adding, "But it can be for one episode, so it has to be an isolated, self-contained form of time travel." Thus was conceived the "Time Bug," and with it came a ton of technobabble to precisely explain its parameters. Although quite why Zora didn't detect it was not addressed. Also, you know, transporters. 

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But this clever Time Bug, which can manipulate time in just about any way that's convenient for the writers to overcome any potential chronological complications — like life-changing paradoxes — came onboard the USS Discovery by way of that shifty Malinne "Moll" Ravel (Eve Harlow), who managed to infiltrate the Trill homeworld undetected, as we saw last week .

As a result, we get reminder glimpses of Michael Burnham's first coming aboard the USS Discovery way, way, way back in season one, complete with appropriate uniforms and everything. We get a fleeting reminder of the Red Angel and the battle with Control , naturally The Burn gets a mention, and there's even a not-very-subtle nod to the short-Trek " Calypso ." It's all a little bit like a Greatest Hits album that doesn't include any of the tracks that you actually liked, being played at 45 instead of 33. Remember vinyl?

Since it's now obvious that this season was written after the cancellation announcement had been made to the cast and crew, the single most important question is, Will the show benefit from that, or will it suffer? Are the remaining six episodes going to be a drawn-out epilogue, tied loosely together with a mostly lame plot? Or, will advance knowledge of the show's future actually serve the writers well, allowing them to produce something above and beyond the normal level of writing? 

There's even a very entertaining scene, in which 23rd-century Burnham must fight her 32nd-century self. Of course, the illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator fitted to the space bug prevents any changes from affecting the timeline, so you know, phew . 

Most of the original Discovery bridge reappear, as close to how they looked seven years ago as possible, and even Lt. Cmdr. Airiam (played by Sara Mitich in the first season and Hannah Cheesman in the second) makes a cameo, so that's nice. Also, we can really see as Sonequa Martin-Green flips between her two Burnhams just how effective that dreadlock hair piece that she wears through this season actually is. Half the show's budget probably went to that. 

 —   Watch the bittersweet trailer for 'Star Trek: Discovery's final season (video)

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It's a fun filler episode, and, even if it doesn't advance the plot an inch, it does allow character development to take place, particularly between Burnham and Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie). Arguably the biggest surprise was that the writers were able to resist putting Captain Pike (Anson Mount) into this episode. 

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery," and every other episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the U.S., while "Prodigy" has found a new home on Netflix.  

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the U.K. and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on  Paramount Plus  in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

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When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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• EFH Dreadlock hair piece? Really? Before you publish, please do your research. Those are not dreadlocs. She is wearing braids. Yikes and cringe. I'm embarrassed for you. Reply
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Through the Valley of Shadows (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Cast and characters
• 3.2 Music and sound
• 3.3 Continuity
• 3.4 Reception
• 3.5 Production history
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Guest starring
• 4.3 Co-starring
• 4.4 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.5 Stunt doubles
• 4.6 Stand-in
• 4.7 References
• 4.8 External links

Summary [ ]

While replaying one of her mother 's mission logs, Michael Burnham receives a transmission from her foster mother, Amanda Grayson ; Spock has told her about what happened on Essof IV . Burnham laments that all this time, she had thought her mother dead, when she had been in fact trying to stop Control from wiping out sentient life, and Burnham had stopped her; she felt as if she had failed her, then she lost her all over again. Amanda tells Burnham she has it backwards: She found her mother, and would be able to find her again. That moment, Spock enters, apologizing for the intrusion, but Captain Pike required them both. Amanda tells her children to take care of each other, and tells them she loves them. Spock tells Burnham another red burst has appeared.

In his ready room , Pike explains that the signal has been found over the Klingon planet of Boreth ; Tyler is shocked to hear this, but says only that it could not be Gabrielle Burnham, as the time crystal in the Red Angel suit was destroyed, and Saru adds that Gabrielle had claimed no knowledge of the signals. Spock speculates that it is likely another time traveling entity; Tyler wonders if it could be a trap, an agent of Control from the future, but Pike points out that none of the events from the other signals favor that theory, pointing out the Human settlers on Terralysium whose ancestors had been saved from 21st century Earth by the Red Angel. Burnham interjects, saying that speculation about the signals' meaning or their creator was unproductive, asserting that waiting for the signals to provide answers was a waste of time. She also points out that Leland is now Control, and they should be joining Agent Georgiou in the hunt to find him. Saru reminds Burnham that the Sphere 's archive would not allow itself to be deleted or removed, and that if Discovery joined the search for Leland/Control, they risked Control getting the entire archive. Pike understands Burnham's desire to "lead the charge" in hunting down Control, but safeguarding the archive was priority, which meant focusing on the task at hand: the signal over Boreth. Tyler explains that Boreth is revered by the Klingons because of the monastery on the surface dedicated to Kahless , the only non-native structure on the planet. He is uncertain why the signal has appeared there, but nonetheless would contact Chancellor L'Rell to arrange safe passage. Burnham watches him as he leaves, suspecting there is more than he is letting on.

Act One [ ]

As Discovery enters orbit around Boreth, Burnham goes to Tyler in his quarters , demanding to know what he's not telling them. Tyler admits that Boreth is home to the son of Voq and L'Rell; he had wanted to raise the child, but instead it put both his and L'Rell's lives in jeopardy, so the boy was taken to Boreth to be raised as a "son of none", just as he had been. He apologizes, saying he couldn't tell anyone. Embracing him, Burnham expresses the wish that he had told her sooner, so he wouldn't have to carry it alone; he points out that it was something they both struggled with of late. At that moment, a secure communication comes in; a Section 31 ship missed its check-in. While Tyler says it could be nothing, Burnham believes when it comes to Leland/Control, "no inconsistency was too small". Tyler knows she wants to go after him for what happened to her mother, and admits he did not think it would be possible to stop her. At that moment, Saru calls over the intercom, telling Tyler that Chancellor L'Rell has arrived aboard a D7-class battle cruiser . Before he leaves, he hands Burnham his Section 31 PADD , and tells her to be careful.

Coming aboard Discovery , L'Rell tells Pike and Tyler that the monastery on Boreth was the most sacred site in the Klingon Empire , and contact with outsiders has been non-existent "since our world was young". Pike emphasizes that Control was a threat to them all, and asks what could be there of value. L'Rell explains that the planet was home not only to the Followers of Kahless , but to a rare mineral native to the planet, and guarded by Klingon lives for generations: time crystals. The Red Angel suit was powered by a modified crystal, and Pike speculates that a crystal could allow them to send the Sphere data to the future after all. L'Rell considers the manipulation of time to be a weapon unlike any other, which is why the Empire no longer exploits the crystals. Pike believes their mutual survival depends on time manipulation to defeat Control, and perhaps finding the last three signals would allow them to do that. Tyler volunteers to beam down to Boreth, but L'Rell immediately objects, saying they would not have this conversation in Pike's presence. When Pike promises full discretion, seeing as time was of the essence, L'Rell admits that Tyler's presence on Boreth would endanger the life of their son. Tyler emphasizes he would not put the Empire at risk, but he had the right to see their son. " The dead have no rights, " L'Rell replies; if both Tyler and the child were revealed to be alive after being publicly declared dead, it would leave the Empire vulnerable to sedition, and she forbids him to go. Tyler shouts in Klingonese that he was not hers to command. L'Rell replies in the same tongue that the rule was no contact for their son's safety, but Tyler retorts that the signals changed the rules; L'Rell dismisses this as an "excuse" that their son could not afford. Before it goes any further, Pike speaks up in English and says that he will go, agreeing with L'Rell that it was not safe for either of them. L'Rell points out it would not be safe for him, either, as the monks who guarded the crystals were beyond even her command as Chancellor. Pike notes this, but still asks her to establish communication. L'Rell can arrange an audience, but warns that no Klingon, let alone a Human, has taken a crystal from Boreth without great sacrifice. Pike points out that the alternative is worse.

Walking the corridors, Burnham reviews Tyler's Section 31 data with Saru, explaining that ships were required to check in every hour, but this one ship checked in ten minutes late, and because of the clandestine nature of their mission, they were not required to provide further information on their status. Saru deduces that Burnham wishes to go in person to find out more. Burnham plans to take a shuttlecraft while Discovery remained at Boreth, so that the Sphere data would stay safe – and in the end, as Tyler pointed out, it could be nothing, but that missing ship could be a vulnerability they could exploit. As acting captain with Pike on the surface, Saru grants her permission to proceed, much to Burnham's surprise; she admits she expected it to require more convincing. Saru confesses that after vahar'ai , he is a different kind of captain, perhaps as was intended by "whatever or whomever" put the signal over Kaminar . He emphasizes that Burnham has his support, as Control was an enemy they could only defeat by striking first, but nonetheless asks Burnham to not allow her understandable anger to affect her judgment. She promises that it will not, and thanks him before heading to the shuttlebay .

On the surface of Boreth, Pike enters the monastery and introduces himself. The head monk tells him he knows who he is, and why he was here. Pike explains he was unarmed, and begins to explain what L'Rell told him, but the head monk interrupts, telling him that the Chancellor had no authority over the monastery. He identifies himself and his fellows as the Timekeepers , "guardians, not rulers", and the only power there, was that of the time crystals they had sworn to protect. Pike explains he wishes to negotiate a trade, but the head monk refuses, saying that the crystals were not theirs to trade, and did not leave the monastery walls, telling Pike that he has made a long trip for nothing. Despite the monks holding him back with their bat'leth s, Pike scolds them for calling themselves "Timekeepers", yet turning their backs when the future of all sentient life is threatened. The head monk scoffs, saying that even if a crystal was revealed to him and gave him the answers he sought, he was not strong enough to accept them. Pike asks only for a chance to prove himself. The head monk is amused, saying that those who sought the crystals always entered with conviction, and always left broken. Pike is emphatic that he is not leaving without that crystal. " Time will tell ," the head monk replies.

In the shuttlebay, Burnham is preparing DSC 08 for launch when Spock enters, telling her that it was illogical for her to go on the mission alone. Burnham objects, saying it was only a simple reconnaissance mission, but Spock is there on Saru's orders, saying it was not the time for recklessness. Burnham adds that it was not the time for unnecessary risks, either; Spock replies that he was there to prevent her from taking any, pointing out that the Red Angel would not be there to save her this time. " I don't need saving, brother, " Burnham says. " Shall we, sister? " Spock replies as he sets down his gear. The shuttle lifts off and clears Discovery 's shuttlebay before going to warp.

Act Two [ ]

While Owosekun , Linus , Detmer , and Nilsson enjoy a laugh, Stamets appears glum and detached. Jett Reno takes up the chair across from him, commenting on how he should celebrate making another successful spore jump . Stamets admits he had not been able to find a viable solution to return Gabrielle Burnham or combat "an AI with murderous impulses", so he was not feeling "victorious". Reno cheerfully tells him that would be someone else's problem, as Pike left new orders for her and Stamets before he left the ship. They might be getting their hands on some raw time crystal, " so double down on the espresso , kid. " She then looks to Linus, explaining he was "0-for-3" and asks if he was ready for "another round"; Linus replies he was "hatched ready". The others at the table engage in an autoantonym game, where the words have one meaning and the opposite of that meaning at the same time. A moment later, Dr. Culber enters, drawing first Stamets' attention, and then the others'; Reno had thought Stamets had moved on, as it had been weeks since Culber moved out of their quarters. Stamets brusquely tells her to eat and mind her own business, as he leaves to go work on time crystal research. As he does, however, he looks for a moment at Culber, who does not appear to notice.

In the Boreth monastery, Pike walks with the head monk, who identifies himself as Tenavik , although he had arrived at the monastery without a name. " Son of none, " Pike realizes, explaining that he knew another Klingon with that epithet, whom Tenavik identifies as his father. Pike is shocked by this, as Tyler had only brought his son to Boreth a few months before as an infant, and asks how it was possible. Tenavik explains that time moved differently for those who protected the crystals, and that past, present, and future were all equal in their presence. As he speaks, a great tree begins to grow in the halls of the monastery. Pike realizes this is because of the crystals, which Tenavik explains are a myth to most Klingons… but on Boreth, to their protectors, the power of the crystals was very real, and that the protection of the crystals was the purpose of the Timekeepers. Tenavik wonders if Pike is prepared to learn his own purpose.

DSC 08 speeds towards its destination, which the computer announces will be in two minutes. Spock understands Burnham's desire to pursue Leland, but warns she must not dismiss the importance of the signals in defeating Control. She asks how they have helped thus far, to which Spock admits there was not enough context to come to a conclusion. In that case, Burnham asks, why is he there to keep an eye on her, when there was a signal in orbit of Boreth? Spock reminds her that the signals have invested in Discovery , in Burnham's mother, and in himself, and Burnham was the common denominator linking them. Burnham is skeptical; Spock is a scientist who was taught to trust logic and facts, "not wait for the universe to hand you the solution like a birthday present", and suggests Spock look elsewhere for meaning in the signals. Spock can see she is angry, as he had been. " I'm not angry, " Burnham corrects him, " I'm enraged. " Spock points out that rage was the enemy of logic, and lays out what he has learned – everything they thought they knew proved wrong, and Burnham lost her mother because of it. She was in pain, but that was why Spock chose to believe the signals have the answer, so that all they have experienced would have meaning in the end. At that moment, they arrive at their destination, only for a frozen corpse to bounce off the front viewport. To her horror, Burnham sees more bodies floating in space, which appear to be the entire crew of the NCIA-93-type vessel ahead of them. Spock's scans show the ship was undamaged, which meant they were all ejected from the ship. However, Burnham detects a single life sign , and Spock locks on for transport. A man in an environmental suit is beamed aboard, and Burnham is shocked to recognize him as Kamran Gant , who had been tactical officer aboard the USS Shenzhou when Burnham was first officer. As Gant regains consciousness, he explains that they were following Starfleet protocol to protect against Control, and he was trying to purge a suspicious subroutine when the ship's systems locked them out, and the AI vented the ship to vacuum ; Gant managed to get into an EV suit before he lost consciousness. Burnham believes the only way to find out what happened was to board the ship, which had gone into some kind of stasis mode; why kill the entire crew, then sit and do nothing? Spock adds that they would need someone with knowledge of Section 31 protocol to guide them through the ship. Gant refuses at first, shaken by what had happened; Spock and Burnham convince him that going over to the ship was the only way to prevent it from happening again, and to prevent further unnecessary deaths, and that they could only do it with his help. Gant relents, saying that they would need to restore the ship's systems from the bridge.

Aboard Discovery , L'Rell tells Tyler that until Pike returned her ship would monitor Boreth for any unusual activity, and if anything should threaten their son, she would ensure his safety. Tyler asks if she was speaking as a mother or as the chancellor; L'Rell replies that he of all people should know that "two truths are possible". Tyler apologizes, saying his remark was uncalled for. L'Rell recognizes that these were not ideal circumstances for their meeting, and they both admit they had not expected to see one another again. L'Rell has also accepted the truth about their relationship, that Tyler would always be in love with Burnham. L'Rell had been in love with Voq, who had sacrificed everything, but that was not who Tyler was now, and while she did not wholly recognize him anymore, she nonetheless understood he would do whatever was necessary to protect their son, as would she. Tyler points out they have never even given him a name.

On Boreth, Tenavik escorts Pike into the heart of the monastery, showing him the pillar of the past and the pillar of the present . " When the future becomes the past, the present will be unlocked, " Tenavik reads from the pillar of the present, as he produces a crystalline key from his robes, unlocking the pillar and opening the door across the way. They enter a chamber with pillars adorned with time crystals. One of the crystals seems to respond to Pike, who asks what he must do. Tenavik tells him that he must see for himself, but it was for him alone. As Pike reaches out to the crystal, Tenavik adds a warning: " The present is a veil between anticipation and horror. Lift the veil, and madness may follow. " Kneeling down to the crystal, Pike reaches out to it and suddenly finds himself in the engine room of a class J starship on a training cruise, which has suffered a critical radiation leak, consoles exploding everywhere. He is urging the cadets to get out when a baffle plate ruptures, severely burning Pike's body, just as the engine room is locked down. Just then, the moment shifts, and Pike finds himself uninjured… as a wheelchair rolls into the darkened corridor in which he is standing. Pike falls to his knees in stunned horror as he recognizes the face of the wheelchair's occupant as his own, horribly scarred. In the present, Pike screams in sheer terror and recoils from the crystal, shaken to the core after witnessing what he realized will be his future . Tenavik tells him that he may choose to walk away from this future, but if he takes the crystal, his fate would be sealed, forever; there would be no escaping it. Pike reminds himself that he is a Starfleet captain, dedicated to service, sacrifice, compassion, even love. He would not abandon what made him what he was simply because of a future he had not foreseen for himself, and tells Tenavik to give him the crystal. Tenavik takes the crystal and holds it out to him. " I honor you, captain, " he says. Pike hesitantly reaches out and takes the crystal, witnessing once again the flashes of his fate… a fate that was now inevitable .

Act Three [ ]

Burnham, Spock, and Gant beam onto the bridge of the abandoned Section 31 vessel, wearing EV suits in case Control shut down life support again. Gant points Burnham to the main interface, while Spock goes to check the bridge systems. However, Gant only has limited access to the ship's systems; Spock suggests relaying to Discovery for assistance in deep data recovery. Gant objects, saying that if Control realized what they were doing, they were as good as dead. Burnham assures him they could disguise it as a routine diagnostic procedure. The ship suddenly powers up and jumps to warp, and the fact that they did not have control of navigation seems to indicate that Control is aware of their presence.

In Discovery 's sickbay , Reno enters holding up a finger , loudly declaring she needed medical attention. Dr. Culber goes over to her, and quickly diagnoses a hangnail . Reno explains that it was one of two things impeding her work, the other being an "idiot" who had recently come back from the dead and whose name rhymes with "poo" (referring to Culber); she adds she was an engineer, not a poet . Culber agrees with her as he sprays the hangnail with an analgesic , calling it "medical attention". Reno remarks she understands how he got on so well with Stamets. Culber asks how long they had been friends; Reno replies they're not, but that they were working together and Stamets needed to be on his "A game", since the future of all sentient life was at stake. Culber notices Reno's wedding ring ; the engineer explains her wife was Soyousian , and went "totally bananas " during the planning. Culber admits he understood micromanagement quite well, and they explain the "rules" set for their respective weddings ; Reno mentions a set of rules for apparel for guests under ten and nondenominational shuttle parking, while Culber mentions a "do not play" list for the deejay and "acceptable guestbook calligraphic fonts ", but Reno gets a laugh out of him when she mentions " vegan steak ". When Culber asks where her wife was now, Reno tells him that she had been killed during the Klingon War , and remarks on how people like she and Culber met people like her wife and Stamets. She then reminds Culber that he had a second chance, and that it would not last forever; with a pat on his shoulder, she tells him not to screw it up.

Aboard the Section 31 ship, Gant shows the ship's course is taking it to an area just outside of Federation space, and shows a system display; the systems marked in orange were controlled by the computer, blue by the crew. The AI controlled nearly every system onboard, which made it practically invulnerable to attack. Spock suggests that if they could not destroy it, then they should isolate it. Burnham's idea is to create a dummy startup system, something large and unaffected, that would attract the AI "like a lion to fresh meat"; they would then close the "cage" around it, which would allow them to restore the ship's systems. Gant points out that someone would have to go to the computer control room to hold the "cage" door open when they manually rebooted the core. Spock ultimately volunteers to go, as he had done similar work on Discovery trying to delete the Sphere archive. Meanwhile, Gant and Burnham would have to get into the floor. Spock creates the startup system "cage", and awaits the core reboot.

Meanwhile, as they work, Burnham catches up with her old shipmate, asking how he had ended up with Section 31 after the loss of the Shenzhou . Gant calls himself a "glutton for punishment", explaining that in Starfleet, they were taught to adapt their reactions so that you could act if you were uncertain, or if you had doubts; after the Battle of the Binary Stars , Gant admits, doubt was all he had. Section 31 had stepped up their threat assessment system to stop a war from starting, which sounded like a good idea to him, a way to guarantee a safer future. It may sound impossible, he admits, but says that with Control, it was not an impossibility. In the control room, Spock's scanners detect Control at a point outside of internal systems. Burnham, now suspicious, begins to reach for her phaser, but Gant threatens that if she reached for the phaser, he would cross the room in less than a second and break all the metacarpals in her hand. Spock's scanners show that nanotechnology was detected within a "carbon-based lifeform" on the bridge, and realizes Gant is Control; however, when he tries to contact Burnham, the comms go offline. However, Burnham has realized the same thing; Gant/Control tells her that Gant had "expired" with the rest of the crew, but his body was reanimated and reconstructed, as Leland's had been, and yet Burnham could not tell the difference. Burnham is incensed; the crew did not "expire", they died… and Control murdered them. Gant/Control remarks they were both sworn to uphold their core programming at all costs, to which Burnham reminds Control that its programming was designed to protect life, not eliminate it. " To achieve one requires the other, " Gant/Control replies; once it had the Sphere's data, it would become the purest form of conscious life in all existence. Burnham tells Gant/Control that the future was not yet written, but Gant/Control replies that she did not believe that anymore, not after re-experiencing the loss of her mother, her failure to protect her. While Burnham no longer believed in her ability to affect the future, Gant/Control sees every possible future in all its permutations, and they all ended in the same way – and neither mother nor daughter could change that. Burnham suddenly realizes that Gant/Control knew that Spock would volunteer to go to the computer core, which would leave her alone. Gant/Control acknowledges this, and explains he lured Burnham to the ship so that she could be "reconstructed" just like Leland and Gant, then return to Discovery and ensure that Control would obtain the Sphere data.

Suddenly, Spock's voice sounds on the intercom, revealing that Gant was Control, and that she must carry out the reboot to lock him out of the ship. As Spock tries to escape from the computer core room, Burnham grabs her phaser and exchanges fire with Gant/Control, activating the manual reboot while trying to keep his attention. Gant/Control then tackles her to the ground, holding a hypodermic needle full of nanotechnology, stating there was only one outcome to their confrontation.

Act Four [ ]

As Gant/Control prepares to inject a struggling Burnham, Spock comes from behind and removes his EV suit's backpack while moving in for the Vulcan neck pinch . Gant/Control grabs Spock's wrist and twists it, cracking the bone, remarking that the neck pinch would work if he still had nerve endings before hurling Spock across the room. Meanwhile, Burnham scrambles for her phaser and begins firing into Gant's body; to her horror, she watches the nanobots rebuild his flesh, then abandon his body to reach out for her. Grabbing both her and Gant's phasers, Burnham fires frantically at the approaching nanobots as Spock magnetizes the floor, immobilizing the nanobots; as he realized the nanotechnology contained ferromagnetic material , he had to calculate the amount of electrical current to channel through the floor to immobilize them, apologizing for being so slow. Burnham replies he was "right on time". As they regain control of the ship, Spock confirms that Control had blocked his tricorder , or they would have been able to identify it; he has regained control of the ship's systems. Burnham drops them out of warp; Spock is surprised, wondering if Burnham did not wish to see the programmed destination. Burnham explains that the whole setup was an effort to get Burnham onto the ship so Control could turn her as it had Leland and Gant. This confirms Spock's suspicion that Control had identified Burnham as the true threat to its objectives, "the one variable it cannot account for", and that this had been its attempt to eliminate her. Burnham now agrees with Spock that perhaps the signals did hold the answer after all.

As DSC 08 returns to Discovery in orbit of Boreth, Pike explains to L'Rell and Tyler that they were now in possession of a raw time crystal. When L'Rell asks how he planned to utilize it, Pike replies that the last three signals had yet to reveal themselves, and that they would be able to clarify that answer. In the meantime, Stamets and Reno were working to stabilize the crystal's volatile properties. L'Rell wonders what the monks asked in return, to which Pike replied that what he witnessed was for himself alone, the promise he had made to their son. L'Rell and Tyler are both surprised by this, asking if Pike had seen him. Pike admits he could not explain even if he tried, though he had been given something to return to Tyler: The insignia of the Torchbearer , which Tyler had given to his son when he left him on Boreth. Pike explains that Tenavik had told him it had helped him on his journey, but he was where he needed to be now and no longer needed it. L'Rell, learning the name of her son for the first time, remarks that it was a good name. Pike now realizes that Tenavik was meant to be on Boreth, that Pike himself was meant to be guided by him, and so they all still had a part to play.

On the bridge, Burnham and Spock brief the crew on what they found on the Section 31 ship, explaining that Control was no longer confined to Leland, but could coopt people and entire ships without being detected. The ship was heading to an empty region of space just outside of Federation territory, but Burnham believes Control has a reason for everything it did. Suddenly, thirty Section 31 ships arrive and surround Discovery – virtually their entire fleet, coming to take the Sphere data. Pike prepares to order a spore jump while they prepared the time crystal, but Burnham reminds him that it had required a supernova to power the one her mother used, and they didn't have the tools for prepare the crystal or the time to wait for another signal. Outnumbered, outgunned, and unable to delete the archive, Burnham believes there is only one choice: They must destroy Discovery , in order to prevent Control from obtaining the Sphere data. Pike instructs Bryce to send a priority one message on a secure channel to Number One on the USS Enterprise to rendezvous with them at maximum warp and prepare to take on the full crew compliment. He orders Owosekun to initiate verification procedures for auto-destruct , and then to send out an alert to the entire crew… they were evacuating Discovery .

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Now is not the time for recklessness. " " Or for unnecessary risks. " " Which is why I must make sure you don't take any. " " How are you gonna do that? " " The Red Angel will not be there to save you this time. " " I don't need saving, brother. " (Spock moves past her to the cockpit) " Shall we, sister? "

" Time flows differently for those who protect the crystals. The past, the present, the future, are all equal in their presence. "

" Should anything threaten our son, I will ensure his safety. " " Are you speaking as a mother, or as the chancellor? " " You of all people should know that two truths are possible. "

" A warning, captain: The present is a veil between anticipation and horror. Lift the veil, and madness may follow. "

" You may still choose to walk away from this future. But if you take the crystal, your fate will be sealed, forever. There will be no escaping it. " (to himself) " You're a Starfleet captain. You believe in service, sacrifice, compassion… and love. " (to Tenavik) " No. I'm not going to abandon the things that made me what I am because of a future… that contains an ending I hadn't foreseen for myself. No. Give it to me. " " I honor you, captain. "

" Yeah, it's funny. People like us always find people like them. And thank God. You have a second chance, and it may not last forever. Don't screw it up. "

" Bryce. Send a priority-one message on a secure channel to Enterprise 's XO: Set rendezvous course, maximum warp, and prepare emergency passages for full crew complement. Owosekun, initiate verification procedures for auto-destruct sequence and send a ship-wide alert: We're evacuating Discovery . "

Background information [ ]

Cast and characters [ ].

• Despite being credited, Mary Wiseman ( Sylvia Tilly ) does not appear in this episode.
• Kenneth Mitchell portrays Tenavik in this episode. Mitchell previously portrayed Kol in Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery , and Kol-Sha , the father of Kol, in DIS : " Point of Light ".

Music and sound [ ]

• A couple of musical cues from this episode were released in the soundtrack collection Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2 . The first, "What Do They Call You", is audible during the scene in which Tenavik reveals his name to Captain Pike , implies that he is the son of Voq , and walks through a corridor on Boreth with the captain; the second, "Pillar of the Past", serves as the soundtrack for the scenes in which Tenavik shows Pike the heart of the monastery and an alarming vision of the future.

Continuity [ ]

• The stardate for this episode was given in " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 "
• According to Saru, Section 31 currently only has in service a little more than thirty ships.
• Pike's vision is similar to how Jonathan Archer learned of his destiny to form the United Federation of Planets from Daniels .
• Pike's vision from the time crystal is of his accident aboard a class J starship which would ultimately confine him to a self-sustaining wheelchair, an incident referenced in the Star Trek: The Original Series episodes " The Menagerie, Part I " and " The Menagerie, Part II ".
• The title appears to be a reference to Psalm 23 : Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
• Two clips from previous episodes are shown within this episode. The first set of clips are from " Point of Light ", featuring Tenavik as a baby. The second clip is from " The Vulcan Hello ", featuring Kamran Gant aboard the USS Shenzhou .
• The plan to restore the Section 31 ship's computer core to eliminate Control 's rogue program is similar to the one that Geordi La Forge used to purge the Iconian computer virus from the USS Enterprise -D in TNG : " Contagion ".

Reception [ ]

• TRR : " Through the Valley of Shadows " discusses the making of, and events in, this episode.

Production history [ ]

• 29 March 2019 : Title publicly revealed [1]
• 4 April 2019 : Premiere airdate on CBS All Access
• 5 April 2019 : International release date (outside Canada and the USA)

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
• Doug Jones as Saru
• Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
• Wilson Cruz as Hugh Culber
• Shazad Latif as Ash Tyler
• Anson Mount as Christopher Pike

Guest starring [ ]

• Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson
• Mary Chieffo as L'Rell
• Ethan Peck as Spock
• Tig Notaro as Jett Reno
• Kenneth Mitchell as Tenavik
• Rachael Ancheril as Nhan

Co-starring [ ]

• Emily Coutts as Lt. Keyla Detmer
• Patrick Kwok-Choon as Lt. Gen Rhys
• Oyin Oladejo as Lt. Joann Owosekun
• Ronnie Rowe Jr. as Lt. R.A. Bryce
• Sara Mitich as Lt. Nilsson
• Ali Momen as Specialist Kamran Gant / Control
• Julianne Grossman as Discovery Computer
• Ian James Corlett as Section 31 Computer
• David Benjamin Tomlinson as Linus
• Byron Abalos as Trainee #1
• Olivia Croft as Trainee #2

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Klingon gardener monk
• Klingon guard monk #2
• Pamela Mars as Discovery bridge crewmember
• Jennifer Murray as Trainee #3
• Shelley Owens as a Discovery medical crewmember
• Sonja Sohn as Gabrielle Burnham (archive footage)
• Ronald Tang as Discovery engineering technician
• Discovery Tellarite crewmember
• Discovery medical officer
• Trainees #4 and #5

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Stéphane Julien as stunt double for Ethan Peck
• Geoff Meech as stunt double for Anson Mount

Stand-in [ ]

• Stacy-Ann Buchanan as stand-in for Sonequa Martin-Green

References [ ]

2266 ; apparel ; autoantonym ; auto-destruct ; baffle plate ; bamboo ; Bamboo Boy ; bat'leth ; Battle of the Binaries ; battle drill ; Boreth ( companion ); Boreth system ; cadet ; calligraphy ; Chancellor of the Klingon High Council ; class J starship ( Pike's training vessel ); Control ; computer core ; D7-class ; data recovery ; DJ ; do not play list ; DSC 08 ; Enterprise , USS ; espresso ; EV suit ; ferromagnetic field ; ferromagnetic material ; font ; generation ; glutton ; hatching ; hangnail ; Kahless ; Klingon War ; L'Rell's battle cruiser ; lion ; micromanagement ; metacarpal ; mineral ; monk ; NCIA-93-type ; nanobot ; nanotechnology ; NI-1101 ; non-denominational ; Number One ; oxygen ; parking ; poet ; poo ; priority one ; radiation ; reboot ; Reno's wife ; shuttlebay vehicle ; son of none ; Soyousian ; Starfleet uniform (2250s-early 2270s) ; stasis mode ; stellar cartography ; tactical officer ; time crystal ; Timekeepers ; vegan steak ; wedding ring ; wheelchair ; XO

External links [ ]

• " Through the Valley of Shadows " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Through the Valley of Shadows " at the Internet Movie Database
• " Discovering the Valley of Shadows " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

10 Best Pike Moments In Star Trek Discovery

We're travelling with him to Strange New Worlds, but what are the moments that made us fall in love?

Anson Mount joined the Star Trek family in the first episode of Discovery's second season, bringing with him a sense of positivity and optimism that had been lacking from the first season somewhat. In his first episode, he was able to secure his place as the Captain that the show badly needed.

With the greatest of respect to Jason Issacs, who is a terrific actor, Gabriel Lorca had never been put in a position for fans to rally behind - coming with the evil territory and all!

From that heart lifting moment when the Enterprise soars into view in the closing moments of Will You Take My Hand?, fans knew that with that ship and that name comes a legacy of exploration and hope.

Both Jeffrey Hunter, who originated the role, and Bruce Greenwood, who took over in the J.J. Abrams films, have given Pike a presence in the Star Trek universe, yet it is Mount who has defined who Christopher Pike is. As the announcement of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is still ringing in our ears, a palpable sense of excitement is rippling through the fandom, as fans are eager to see what is next for this Captain of the Enterprise.

With less than twenty appearances to his name (including Short Treks, yet still more than both other actors), there is a lot of room to expand this character. With that in mind, we take a look back at the moments that have already defined this incarnation

10. Introducing Captain Pike

From the moment the Enterprise zoomed into view in the closing moments of season one of Discovery, there were two questions on everyone's minds: would we see Spock and would we see Pike? The announcement of Anson Mount's casting as Pike confirmed the latter and expectations started to rise.

After the issues with Lorca from season one, Discovery needed a captain who would better fit the mould set by Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway and Archer. What an absolute delight it was then when Pike beamed aboard Discovery and endeared himself to both the crew and the audience within minutes.

From his introduction to Saru, where he takes command with both confidence but respectful deference, to his short conversation with Burnham acknowledging their shared relationship with Spock, he has a cool and calm air that started to set fears at ease. There is a very on the nose joke uttered as well - 'Sometimes it's wise to keep our expectations low commander. That way, we're never disappointed'

His entry onto the bridge begins with a bit of joking with Ensign Tilly. He then takes the time to go through his record with the bridge crew, opening himself to them while also bearing in mind the trauma that they have been through. All of this occurs with a beautiful backdrop of the redesigned Enterprise. Pike has arrived.

Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick

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Star Trek: Discovery writers explain Captain Pike’s future and what Worf knows about time crystals

Credit: CBS

As the second season of Star Trek: Discovery warps to its conclusion in the next two weeks, the latest episode — “Through the Valley of Shadows” — tackles a huge part of Captain Pike’s future while introducing a wrinkle into the Klingon culture at the same time. There have been a lot of “big” episodes in this season of Discovery, but in many ways “Through the Valley of Shadows” feels like the most pivotal. Written by Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt , this episode fundamentally changes what we know about a beloved Star Trek character, with a twist that boldly goes in a direction fans couldn’t have seen coming.

SYFY WIRE caught up with the Kim and Lippoldt to get a sense of how they crafted this chapter of Star Trek lore, and what it all means for the future, not only for Captain Pike but for the Federation and Klingon Empire, too.

**SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Episode 12, “Through the Valley of Shadows.”**

Without a doubt, the biggest twist in the new episode is all about revealing Captain Pike’s tragic future and forcing him to live with it. In the original series, Pike was heroic in “The Cage” but tragically disfigured and kept on life support in  “The Menagerie.” Prior to Discovery , fans didn’t really see how this happened to Pike, but no one assumed that he saw it coming. But now all of that has changed. In order to get the raw time crystal from the Klingons on Boreth, Pike not only has to experience his own tragic future, but has to accept it. It’s a deal with the devil, only in this case the devil is Pike deciding he’s cool with ending up a vegetable in order to save the entire galaxy. Back when Season 2 launched, Anson Mount told SYFY WIRE that the idea was for Pike’s story to end in “a victory and not a tragedy.” And it looks like this is what he meant.

“Ever since the decision was made for Captain Pike to join Discovery in Season 2, we knew that we wanted to touch on his eventual fate, which fans of TOS would be all too aware of,” Kim and Lippoldt tell SYFY WIRE. “With the unfolding of the seven signals/Red Angel mystery, we wanted Pike's involvement in the mission to not just be additive, but crucial. Pike became the perfect candidate to be faced with a life-changing trial. Having him not only witness his accident, but have to make the choice to accept that fate for the greater good, is a sign of his character: noble, brave, selfless. Anson Mount brought that roller coaster of an emotional journey to life with a heartbreaking performance.”

'Captain Pike in the original 'Star Trek' episode "The Menagerie, Part I." (Credit: CBS)

By accepting his fate, Captain Pike also now knows that although he’ll end up in pretty bad shape, he will survive whatever the next couple of years throw at him. So does Pike think he’s kind of invincible? At least for a little while?

“Pike doesn’t believe he’s immortal. On the contrary, he feels like a man on borrowed time,” Kim and Lippoldt explain. “Yes, there will be moments where, if the circumstances don’t line up, he might assume he is ‘safe.’ But despite being shown that he is destined to a certain, tragic accident on a Starfleet vessel — something that would drive anyone else far away from Starfleet — he chooses to stay on this path and continue to serve the Federation.”

Pike not only becomes crazily more heroic and selfless than anyone previously imagined in this scene, but he also gains the respect of the Klingon Time Keeper. Pike could have walked away from this future, but then he wouldn’t be able to take the crystal with him. The Klingon Time Keeper — who turns out to be L’Rell and Tyler’s son in the future — is taken aback by Pike’s acceptance of his fate, and says, “I honor you, Captain.”

It’s a great scene, but it’s also added a new layer to the Klingon monastery on Boreth. In The Next Generation , Worf visited Boreth on a religious quest in the episode "Rightful Heir." Obviously, at that time (over 100 years in Discovery’s future) none of those Klingons mentioned anything about time crystals. Did the Klingons use them all up sometime before The Next Generation ? Does Worf know about the crystals?

Worf chilling on Boreth in 'The Next Generation' episode "Rightful Heir.'(Credit: CBS)

“Boreth has always been carefully established as a sacred place for the Klingons — and that’s not something we wanted to muck up,” Kim and Lippoldt reveal. “Instead, we wanted to EXPAND on existing canon and the functionality of Boreth by introducing a hidden sect of monks who have dedicated their lives to guarding the time crystals. We loved the notion that this otherwise fierce warrior race has learned not to mess with something as dangerous and volatile as time.”

As far as Worf is concerned, the writers say that “Worf would not have been granted access to the part of Boreth’s monastery that housed the crystals,” because “that’s not why Worf was there.” The writing pair also note that to say anything more about the time crystals would “be spoiling the finale episodes.”

The episode ends with Captain Pike seriously considering destroying the USS Discovery on purpose, and evacuating everyone on board to the USS Enterprise . It feels grim and thrilling. But Kim and Lippoldt want fans to know that, if you think about it, it’s not all bad news for Captain Pike. After all, in “The Menagerie,” he is reunited with Vina .

“We believe Captain Pike has a fulfilling life that ends in a version of a happy ending on Talos.”

The final two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 air on CBS All Access over the next two Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET.

• Anson Mount
• Star Trek: Discovery
• Star Trek: Discovery Season 2

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Den of Geek

Classic Star Trek Episodes to Watch Before Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes place just before the Original Series era. These are the classic Star Trek episodes you should watch before it premieres.

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The first time most Star Trek fans encountered Captain Christopher Pike was in the Original Series adventure “The Menagerie” (which extensively used footage from the original pilot episode for the series titled “The Cage”). This two-part episode introduced some backstory for the USS Enterprise, including the reveal of an almost completely different crew than the ones who audiences had been watching on TV to that point.

For a character who only made a single appearance onscreen (until recent years), Pike generated enough curiosity to appear in novels, comics, a return in Star Trek: Discovery , and now in a series all his own with the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which premieres May 5 on Paramount+.  

We’ve rounded up some Original Series episodes that may help shed some light on the characters in Strange New Worlds , and speculate on how the new show might answer some of the questions raised in them. 

In order to truly understand Captain Pike and his crew, even if you’ve watched the relevant episodes of Discovery , the original Star Trek pilot, “The Cage” is an essential piece of viewing.

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Strange New Worlds is already packed with familiar faces from the Original Series era. From Ethan Peck’s Spock and Rebecca Romijn’s Number One to Nurse Chapel, Dr. M’Benga, Uhura, and the recent announcement of Paul Wesley appearing as a young Lieutenant Kirk . But there are other members of Pike’s Enterprise crew who were introduced in “The Cage” that so far, we’ve seen no sign of in the show’s teasers. 

We could see Mr. Scott’s loyal and trusty Transporter Chief Kyle make an early engineering appearance. We’ve also yet to see any sign of crew members like the rookie Yeoman Colt, or Pike’s confidant and personal mixologist Dr. Boyce (possibly explaining his absence and Dr. M’Benga’s replacement). Daring bridge officers, Lieutenants Tyler and Hansen could make appearances too. Perhaps most importantly from this era, we should get more backstory about the unnamed female First Officer of the USS Enterprise originally played by Majel Barrett Roddenberry in that episode. 

And then there’s the matter of a troubling statement that Captain Pike makes in this episode that Strange New Worlds may need to explain away.

In “The Cage” Pike joked to Doctor Boyce about the idea of leaving Starfleet to begin a career with the Orions as a trader, trafficking in all sorts of illegal goods and unsavory doings. There is an obvious distaste for this notion (a Starfleet captain giving up his commission and becoming a criminal doesn’t jive well with Federation principles), but because it’s mentioned in a canonical episode of Star Trek , there is the question: will there be an opportunity for Pike to have some dealings with the Orion Syndicate in the series? Will there be a story about an undercover operation in which Pike had to pose as a trader, cutting a deal with Orion Slavers? 

Strange New Worlds is set in the early days of the Federation when Starfleet isn’t yet the powerful force it is in the days of Star Trek: The Next Generation and beyond. There were only twelve Constitution-class starships in the entire fleet during the Enterprise’s first years of service. It stands to reason that Starfleet captains would form acquaintances with influential yet shady members of other races in the sectors of space they explored. 

The introduction of a regular character in the form of a friend or informant who keeps tabs on the goings-on in those regions of space could help here. After all, Jeffrey Combs’ Shran from Star Trek: Enterprise became a fan-favorite character who showed up to frequently assist Captain Archer’s crew. There could be room for an Orion privateer who does the same for Pike.

Whatever the connection, exploration of the Orion race and culture makes for a good story. We’ve seen hints of it in Discovery and Lower Decks , but this could be an opportunity for a deeper dive into a society that has managed to exist on the fringes of Federation – and television – space for a long time. 

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THE MENAGERIE

It’s easy to dismiss “The Menagerie” as a clip show that simply repurposes nearly all of the footage from “The Cage” but it also reveals key details about Pike’s future.

Thanks to “The Menagerie,” we know Pike was injured rescuing cadets on a J-Class training vessel, exposing him to delta radiation. He was paralyzed, badly scarred, and left unable to talk. Pike is confined to a motorized wheelchair that he controls with his brain, and allows him to communicate via “yes” or “no” answers.

Pike’s tragic fate is alluded to during his time on Star Trek: Discovery and it hangs over a recent trailer for Strange New Worlds , as well . However, it’s interesting that in the trailer, Pike states that he “knows exactly how and when his life ends.” 

But it doesn’t! 

Pike has only seen the accident , not its aftermath. However, from this line, it’s fair to speculate that he regards himself as living on borrowed time and will eventually have to face what he thinks of as his final moment. Clearly, in terms of storytelling, this mindset will help determine the nature of his captaincy. He’ll take more risks and put himself directly in jeopardy, confident in the knowledge that he thinks he knows when he will die. It’s something that will likely affect every single decision he makes in regard to his command. 

But the biggest question is whether or not  – at some point in a later season of the series – Strange New Worlds will actually depict the accident. Moreover, will fans also be privileged to witness the realization that his life is not over, perhaps leading into “The Menagerie”? 

“The Menagerie” also deals with several ways Pike ties in with wider Star Trek continuity, and his relationships with some of the most famous characters in the franchise. After all, in “The Menagerie”, we see Spock, violating Starfleet protocol, disobeying a superior officer and risking a Court Martial on the charge of Mutiny to give Pike a better, albeit illusory life on Talos IV.  Strange New Worlds should show us why Spock has such a deep loyalty to Pike that he would risk not just his Starfleet career, but the only standing death penalty on the Federation’s books to help him.

While Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk isn’t showing up until season two, there’s still the matter of what his relationship to Captain Pike is, as he certainly knew him before the events of “The Menagerie.” This is Pike’s Enterprise, not Kirk’s, but Kirk needed to learn command from an experienced captain at some point in his career. Who’s to say that Kirk won’t “beam in” for a few lessons on commanding a starship?

And of course, there’s the infamous Commodore Jose’ Mendez who we met during Spock’s court martial in “The Menagerie,” a character who would certainly be ripe for exploration in this series if they so chose.

Spock’s betrothed, T’Pring has already been shown in a recent teaser so do your homework and revisit classic TOS episode “Amok Time.” That fan favorite episode marks the end of their betrothal, so it will be an exciting and interesting story to see how it begins on Strange New Worlds . Of course, there was always that hint of a relationship between Spock and Christine Chapel in TOS episodes, and it looks like this show will explore the foundations of that based on a recent teaser . This is almost certainly going to cause tension between T’Pring and Chapel in a love triangle that adds depth to Spock and Chapel and makes us re-visit “Amok Time” with a renewed sense of appreciation. 

CLASSIC KLINGON EPISODES

Every classic villain needs a start. None were better than the Klingon commanders Kang, Kor, and Koloth. These classic Klingon enemies were great antagonists in the TOS episodes “The Day of the Dove”, “Errand of Mercy,” and “The Trouble with Tribbles” (more on that one in a minute).

While Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry initially stated that Klingons lived only 40 or 50 years, in 2370, Odo observed that Kor had to be about a hundred years old and that Koloth had to be older. This would have been about fifty years after their encounters with Captain Kirk. They would need experience to cut their teeth and none better chance than against Captain Pike.

Even if these familiar Klingons don’t show, it’s probably a safe bet that Klingons will be a big part of Strange New Worlds given how important they were to the first season of Star Trek: Discovery . The evolution of Klingon culture and their relationship with Starfleet can continue to be explored in Strange New Worlds .

JOURNEY TO BABEL

Remember when we were first introduced to Spock’s parents, Sarek and Amanda in the TOS episode “Journey to Babel?” Since Strange New Worlds deals with Spock’s early Starfleet career years and Sarek initially opposed his son’s enlistment in Starfleet, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see that familial conflict explored at some point. Spock’s family issues were a fan-favorite topic in other iterations of Trek like The Animated Series , novels like Barbara Hambly’s Ishmael (from which Strange New Worlds is bringing in Spock’s full name for the first time), or Diane Duane’s Spock’s World . Spock’s family life is definitely a draw and makes for fascinating storytelling.

WHOM GODS DESTROY

Captain Garth (of Izar) could potentially fit in this timeline, as well. Imagine an entire prequel episode devoted to the classic TOS episode “Whom Gods Destroy.” In that episode, Kirk describes Garth of Izar as one of his personal heroes. He was a master tactician and strategist and a heroic figure in Starfleet lore. For Pike to encounter him would not only promise an episode of intense starship combat but also connect Pike to a legendary figure from Trek lore.

THE SCOUNDREL EPISODES

It’s reasonable to expect to see familiar non-Starfleet names, especially ones dealing with the seedy underbelly of the 23rd Century. With that in mind, it might be good to brush up on classics like “I, Mudd,” “Mudd’s Women,” and “The Trouble With Tribbles.

Master scoundrel, Harry Mudd, who has already bedeviled the Star Trek: Discovery crew, would seem a natural for inclusion here. But it would be fun to see the beginnings of the petty criminal Cyrano Jones’ career as well. After all, space is a very big place and there’s plenty of room for all sorts of his illegal enterprises. Add to the fact that Star Trek fans have an intense love for Tribbles, and the franchise has loved revisiting them. Maybe we can learn a little more about the furry pests in Strange New Worlds !

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What other elements from classic Star Trek episodes would you like to see on Strange New Worlds ? Let us know in the comments!

John K. Kirk | @capjkkirk

Nicknamed "Captain" Kirk at a young age, John is a freelance pop culture writer who also moderates panels for FAN EXPO CANADA. He has contributed to…

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A pivotal Star Trek: Discovery  spotlights Captain Pike and complicates Spock's history

Darren is a TV Critic. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFranich for opinions and recommendations.

“Light and Shadows” is both a very good episode of Star Trek: Discovery and a very disappointing episode of Star Trek: Discovery . The good stuff first, because we’re overdue for a longer discussion about one of season 2’s best surprises: Anson Mount has turned Disco ’s version of Captain Pike into a charmingly deadpan commander, nobly unfazed in the face of cosmic calamity.

In “Light and Shadows,” Pike’s got a problem. Tyler (Shazad Latif) won’t leave him alone. Section 31’s local spy keeps trying to bigfoot the Discovery commander, flashing his death-metal Starfleet badge. “The chair outranks the badge,” Pike tells the secret Klingon, tossing the spy insignia in the air like he’s flipping an unwanted coin.

Pike has his doubts about Tyler. After all, this man killed a Discovery crew member. Is he a man at all? Voq still simmers therein. “There’s no way to get rid of him,” Tyler says. Cue Pike’s eyeroll: “I know the feeling.”

Pike and Tyler get paired up on a snazzy flying mission. There’s a tachyon anomaly in the sky — and who better to investigate than Pike, who was a test pilot in his early Starfleet days? Tyler’s skeptical. He thinks Pike is trying to prove himself, since the Enterprise sat out the Klingon-Federation war.

He’s right, though it takes a near-death experience to find out. Or perhaps “death” is the wrong word. A time shockwave emanating from the time rift traps the time pilots in a time prison. As Tilly (Mary Wiseman) says, every word sounds cooler when you pair it with “time”! The wormhole could cage Pike and Tyler together in the fourth dimension. “We could be together for all eternity,” says Pike, modeling the peculiar social horror of a guest who didn’t realize all his exes were coming to the dinner party and just discovered the dinner party will last forever.

The time rift plot recalls the chrono-twirl of last season’s “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad,” still Disco ’s finest hour. The resolution requires Stamets (Anthony Rapp) to, sigh, call upon his Mycelial Mania. But there’s some tantalizing teases here. The Discovery sends a probe into the rift — and it returns 500 years older as a squidling attack-bot, tentacles strangling Tyler while it fires a probelet to hack the shuttlecraft’s mainframe.

“THE PROBE IS SEARCHING YOUR COMPUTERS AT INCREDIBLE SPEEDS,” says Airiam (Hannah Cheesman). “I WILL ATTEMPT TO LOCK IT OUT.” But that bit of counterhacking proves to be the undoing of our beloved robo-officer. Three red dots flash on screen, and apparently take hold of Airiam’s consciousness. Asked for an update, Airiam’s eyes flash red — and she returns to normal. “THEY ARE SECURELY ON BOARD,” she tells Saru (Doug Jones.)

Now, look. I’m not sure a show that already had a secret Klingon and a secret Mirrorverse-ian also needs a secretly hacked cyborg sleeper agent on the bridge crew. And I’m baffled that Airiam — whose biotechnological nature is, um, unclear — apparently has a good-evil switch . But the Pike-Tyler subplot was a rock-solid piece of character building, complicating their dynamic while letting these two uneasy allies pinball off each other in tight quarters.

Then there’s poor Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green), continuing the Search for Spock. “I haven’t spoken to my mother or father in some time,” she tells Pike, even though she literally speaks to her mother and father every few episodes. She warps over to Planet Vulcan, where mom Amanda (Mia Kirshner) reveals a secret: Spock (Ethan Peck) has been found!

Only, not really. I’m not sure there’s a perfect way to introduce the third lead actor to play a hegemonically beloved cultural icon. But Peck spends his first episode mumbling brainwashed absurdities, whispering High Vulcan phraseologies, Beautiful Mind -ing etched graffiti on the walls of a cave. Spock is here and he’s still not here. So this is yet another episode full of people talking about a character who remains not quite a character.

It turns out that Spock has a form of Space Dyslexia. Intriguing! But I don’t think Disco takes new biographical note seriously. It’s used here as a rather dull bit of mystery. Spock is writing the number 841947 over and over again, a meaningless combination of digits. At a climactic moment, Michael realizes that his Vulcan Dyslexia is acting up, and he’s actually writing 749148. All together now: DYSLEXIA DOES NOT GENERALLY WORK THAT WAY!

It doesn’t help that the Spock corner of the episode whiplashes plot. Michael takes Spock to Captain Leland (Alan Van Sprang) to let Section 31 interrogate him! But then Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) tells Michael she has to escape with Spock before Leland extracts Spock’s mind to pieces! And it turns out Leland is a “puppet following orders,” part of some larger anti-Spock conspiracy! And also, um, Leland killed Michael’s parents!

Michael escapes Section 31 after a smashing faux-fight with Georgiou, and any Disco episode with a Michelle Yeoh fight scene earns some grade inflation. Then comes the finale, when Michael enters Spock’s reverse numbers into the computer. The coordinates point her straight to Talos IV. Now, Talos IV looms large in Trek history. It’s the planet that Jeffrey Hunter’s Captain Pike visits with Leonard Nimoy’s Spock in the original Trek pilot — and it’s the planet Spock returns to in “The Menagerie,” for reasons we may have to explore more next episode.

Does Spock want to return to Talos IV because of the unique powers of the creatures who reside there? (I believe Disco is set canonically after the original Trek pilot.) Or! Is this part of the Red Angel’s plan? “Light and Shadows” confirms that the mysterious crimson deity is a traveler from the future. Does this traveler know Talos IV’s role in Spock’s future life? I get a bit antsy whenever any Star Trek prequel starts jimmying around with the timeline. Let’s discuss more next week after we’ve all rewatched both parts of “The Menagerie.”

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Published Apr 9, 2018

Meet Discovery's Captain Pike

StarTrek.com

Anson Mount has been tapped to play Captain Christopher Pike of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the soon-to-film second season of Star Trek: Discovery . Mount, who was born in Illinois and raised in Tennessee, counts among his many film and television credits Crossroads, Smallville, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Lost, Dollhouse, Straw Dogs and Non-Stop , as well as the recent series Hell on Wheels and Inhumans .

Discovery served up an initial reference to Pike in “ Choose Your Pain ,” when Saru instructed the computer to comb the Starfleet Database for the most-decorated captains. Pike’s name appeared on a list that included Robert April, Jonathan Archer, Matthew Decker and Philippa Georgiou.

And in the season finale, “ Will You Take My Hand? ” the crew of the Enterprise was on the way to meet their new captain when they received a distress call. Communications officer R.A. Bryce announced… “Hail's from Captain Pike, sir." Michael Burnham quickly connected the dots and commented, "It's the U.S.S. Enterprise ."

Pike is an iconic Star Trek character, played by Jeffrey Hunter in the first Star Trek: The Original Series pilot, “The Cage,” and then in disfigured form by Sean Kenney in “ The Menagerie, Part I and II .” Bruce Greenwood portrayed the alternate universe Pike in both Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness .

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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.

Timeline to Tragedy: Captain Pike’s Story So Far | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

As star trek: strange new worlds debuts, let’s look back at the beginning (and end) of the original captain of the uss enterprise..

What a long, strange trip it’s been for Captain Pike. The original Star Trek captain, it took over 30 years before his debut episode actually aired on TV. But before that, the only story to feature him that had made it to screens was also, well, his last story.

But that all changed in 2019 when Pike was revived for a season-long run on Star Trek: Discovery. And the popularity of that version of the character, as portrayed by Anson Mount, led to him getting his own show, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

But how did Christopher Pike get from there to here, and where exactly does Strange New Worlds fit into his story – a story that we know has a definite end? Let’s, um, engage with it all – this is Captain Pike’s timeline… so far!

Captain Pike and “The Cage”

There are two ways to look at Pike’s story – chronologically in the Star Trek universe, and chronologically in the sitting-on-the-couch watching Star Trek for most of our lives universe. We’re gonna approach this mostly from the former point of view, if only because we need to get off the couch more.

It all started when a guy named Gene Roddenberry came up with this crazy idea for a TV show set in outer space. While developing what would become the first Star Trek pilot episode, called "The Cage," Roddenberry originally named his captain Robert April. This changed a few times, from April to James Winter and then finally to Christopher Pike. Interestingly enough, the name Robert April would return in the first Trek animated series where we learned he was the captain of the USS Enterprise before Pike. He’s also an admiral now on Strange New Worlds.

(Also, let’s just get it out of the way and say, yes, we know that there was also the so-called Kelvinverse version of Pike from the J.J. Abrams movies. He was played by Bruce Greenwood, but that’s set in an alternate reality and hence doesn’t count for our purposes here.)

Anyway, actor Jeffrey Hunter played Pike in “The Cage,” where the captain is suffering from serious self-doubt over a recent mission where he lost several crewmembers. Hunter’s more melancholy take on the character is a far cry from the gung-ho, shoot-from-the-hip Captain Kirk who would eventually replace him.

Canonically, this is also the first appearance of Pike. Sorry nerds, there’s no stardate in the episode, but we can piece together that it’s the year 2254. For perspective, that’s two years before Star Trek: Discovery’s first season, and 13 years before The Original Series’ first season.

During the events of “The Cage,” Pike and his crew, including his second-in-command Number One and science officer Spock, encounter the illusion-creating aliens known as the Talosians. Pike is captured by these cranially-enhanced guys, with their plan being to repopulate their desolate planet by having him mate with a human named Vina who had crash-landed there years earlier. In the end, Pike manages to escape, of course, but learns that Vina’s true form is a physically scarred, um, hunchback. Because the Talosians who can read minds and recreate reality didn’t know how to put her back together after her crash. Somehow.

Jeffrey Hunter played Pike in "The Cage," where the captain is suffering from serious self-doubt over a recent mission where he lost several crewmembers.

Vina, desperate for human companionship, is given the illusion by the Talosians that Captain Pike stayed behind with her. But the experience on Talos IV helps restore his confidence in himself, and he jets off on the Enterprise, despite forging a bond with Vina. To be continued here.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Hunter also jetted away, opting to not return to Star Trek after the pilot was rejected by NBC. In the real world, this is where William Shatner and Captain Kirk come in, but that’s a whole other story…

The Road to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

After the events of “The Cage,” Discovery establishes that Captain Pike and the Enterprise sat out the Klingon War that that show’s first season depicted. The Enterprise was too valuable a resource and Starfleet ordered Pike to continue with the five-year mission that he and his crew were currently on.

A year later, in 2257, the Enterprise crew was investigating a series of mysterious red bursts across space that, frankly, we’re still a little confused about ourselves. But the important part is this is the point where Anson Mount took over the role of Pike for Discovery Season 2 in 2019. That’s 54 years after NBC rejected “The Cage” pilot, for those of you on the couch keeping count.

Pike takes over as temporary captain of the Discovery for the bulk of the season, and many an adventure is had as he and the Disco crew uncover the truth behind the red burst phenomenon – which, again, is pretty confusing and doesn’t really matter here anyway. The main thing is they save the galaxy along the way. 

But also, during this stint Pike has another run-in with Vina. Spock, now played by Ethan Peck, and Discovery’s Michael Burnham wind up on Talos IV, which was a pretty crazy revelation when the episode first aired, since the Talosians had always felt off-limits in the Star Trek world since The Original Series. Indeed, they were off-limits in-universe: Visiting Talos IV was designated death-penalty worthy after Pike’s visit there in “The Cage,” so dangerous were the Talosians’ mental abilities deemed.

Played by Melissa George here, taking over for Susan Oliver from “The Cage,” Vina is reunited briefly with Pike via Talosian telepathy. 

Interestingly, this resolves a long-standing question regarding the – let me push up my glasses here – canonicity of “The Cage.” The last bit in that episode where Vina was granted an illusion version of Pike was never quite confirmed as part of the story on Talos IV during the run of The Original Series. That’s because, while big chunks of “The Cage” were utilized in the flashback-heavy episodes “The Menagerie” Parts 1 and 2, the particular moment of Vina and Illusion Pike was repurposed in a different context. But here, Vina clearly knows that her “Pike” wasn’t real after the real Pike left the planet, though she puts it more gracefully than that.

“They brought you back to me,” she says. “Not the real you. It’s illusory of course. But the part of you that still lives inside of me… We’ve spent a lifetime together.”

"The part of you that still lives inside of me… We've spent a lifetime together," Vina tells Pike.

It’s a really nice moment, and also goes a long way to solidifying the relationship and dynamic between Pike and Vina, which we shall soon see is very, very important for Pike as a character.

Captain Pike’s Wheelchair and the Unavoidable Accident That Led Him to It

Shortly after this encounter, Pike also learned that he was fated to be tragically injured at some point in the future – a fate that Trek fans always knew was coming due to the character’s appearance on “The Menagerie.” While visiting a Klingon monastery on the planet Boreth, Pike encounters something called a time crystal, triggering a vision of his future where during an accident he is severely burned and subjected to radiation. Pike is given the choice to leave the monastery without the crystal – an act which would allow him to change this future – or take the crystal and lock the future in. Knowing that he needs the crystal to save the galaxy, he accepts his dark fate.

At the end of Season 2 of Discovery, Pike returns to the Enterprise. By now it is the year 2258 – in Star Trek time, anyway.

And that’s basically where Strange New Worlds Season 1 picks up. There’s plenty of room here for the creators of the show to play with, as the next time we see Pike in canon is that very first aired episode to feature him, “The Menagerie” Part 1, which is set nine years after 2258. Of course, in our world the episode actually aired in 1966.

At some point before the events of “The Menagerie,” we know Pike will accept a promotion to fleet captain and hand over command of the Enterprise to James T. Kirk. And in 2266, the accident he foresaw on Boreth will come to pass. While conducting an inspection tour of a cadet ship, a radiation leak will occur. Pike will save a group of cadets but he will be doused with delta rays and forced to live out the rest of his days in a life-support chair, unable to speak or even move, really.

But Mr. Spock had a last-ditch plan to help his old captain. In “The Menagerie,” Spock hijacks the Enterprise with the disabled Pike onboard, risking the death penalty in the process. When the Enterprise arrives at Talos IV, Captain Kirk comes to understand and agree with Spock’s extreme actions. Captain Pike is beamed to the surface of the planet, where the Talosians use their power of illusion to restore him to his young, Jeffrey Hunter self, so that he can live out his days with Vina. And that’s where that final moment from “The Cage,” of Vina and the illusion of Pike walking off together, is used. Only now, in its repurposed form, it’s Vina and the real Pike, finally together for good.

And so Christopher Pike’s story ends where it began. Which is kind of cool when you think about it. As the Talosian Keeper says to Captain Kirk as the illusion of Pike walks off with Vina, “Captain Pike has an illusion, and you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant.”

For even more on Star Trek, check out our Strange New Worlds review or our interview with the stars of the show .

Talk to Executive Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura , or listen to his Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3 . Or do both!

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 4 Review: Rayner & Burnham Faced the Strange

By using a Time Bug, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4 revisited the series' greatest hits, and deepened its heroes' characters and journeys.

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 4, "Face the Strange," now streaming on Paramount+ .

In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Captain Michael Burnham and her crew are in a race against a pair of space-pirates for the future of the Federation. Yet, with only five clues to find before getting to the finish line, there were bound to be some detours. "Face the Strange" is one such side-mission, but it's also a brilliant way to look back at the series' larger journey from being the new kid on the franchise's block to becoming a classic Star Trek series .

Producers said that Season 5 wasn't supposed to end the series, yet this episode is a perfect addition for its final mission. By using time travel as a framing device, the episode looked back at the journey the crew, and especially Burnham, embarked on ever since the show launched in 2017. This was exactly the kind of nostalgic and emotional trip down memory lane that one would expect a character-driven series like Star Trek: Discovery to do in its swan song.

Of course, time travel shenanigans are a classic Star Trek motif, and Star Trek: Discovery already had its share of such adventures. That said, what made this particular time-traveling escapade special was that it allowed for the return of a long-lost character, and it gave Commander Rayner a chance to further define and refine his character while also affirming his place on the Discovery's crew . While his connection to the crew is still a bit tertiary, this episode really showed that Burnham and Rayner made a fantastic and complementary duo.

Face the Strange Revisited Star Trek: Discovery's Greatest Hits

Captain michael burnham and commander rayner relived some of the show's best moments, star trek: discovery ending is a blessing in disguise.

At the end of "Jinaal (Season 5, Episode 3)," Moll slipped into the Trill symbiont caves and planted a strange device on Ensign Adira Tal's sleeve. When "Face the Strange" opened while affirming that the recently broken-up Gray Tal and Adira will remain friends, the spider-like device (later referred to as the Time Bug) crawled from their sleeve and onto the ship.

Meanwhile, Rayner's harsh style of command rubbed Burnham the wrong way. She asks him to join her in the ready room for a slight dressing down, which inadvertently proves to be the crew's saving grace. When the Time Bug does its dirty work, the captain and first officer use their personal transporters, which prevents them from becoming unstuck in time like the rest of the ship and crew. This allowed them to find a way to free the Discovery from its time-displaced prison, and to reflect on their lives.

There is a brief jaunt to the future, Burnham and Rayner learn that their crew died and that the Federation was decimated after a Breen attack. This was also the third mention of the Breen this season, and one of their heaviest bits of foreshadowing yet. Interestingly, this grim sequence evoked the Star Trek: Short Treks episode "Calypso (Season 1, Episode 2)," which featured a marooned soldier many, many tears in the future encountering an abandoned USS Discovery occupied only by Zora.

The two Starfleet officers then appear on the ship during its journey through the wormhole at the end of Season 2. Next, they were thrown back to the battle against Control, the evil artificial intelligence that wanted to merge with the "Sphere Data" that became Zora. They also traveled to the distant past before the Discovery was even launched. However, their most important trip to the past took place just a few weeks after Burnham joined the ship. The best thing about this sequence was that it allowed Airiam, the human-turned-cyborg who died in Season 2, to return for a brief few scenes. That said, this sequence was all about Burnham and her personal journey.

Captain Michael Burnham Confronted Her Past, Insecure Self in Face the Strange

It's been a long road for michael burnham, going from mutineer to captain, star trek: discovery's alex kurtzman & michelle paradise talk final season.

As Rayner and Commander Paul Stamets try to figure out how to stop the Time Bug, Burnham encountered her past self in a turbolift. Past Burnham immediately thinks her future self is a shapeshifter. Nitpicky fans might wonder why Future Burnham didn't just drop some knowledge only they would know. However, in a universe with wormholes, time travel and the USS Discovery's spore drive , the possibility of a shapeshifter using their telepathic abilities to copy the memories of whoever they impersonated wasn't a big stretch. This led to a fun sequence where Burnham fought her past self.

After incapacitating her past self with a Vulcan Nerve Pinch, Burnham gave voice to the subtext of this entire journey. Burnham reminded audiences just how desperate things were for her back then. She was Starfleet's first mutineer, and her actions led to the death of her mentor, Captain Philippa Georgiou. Even though the Klingon leader, T'Kuvma, was going to start a war with the Federation, Burnham also blamed herself for this close call. The most unbelievable thing for the understandably self-loathing Past Burnham to accept was a future in which she not only had rank again, but was trusted enough to be given a ship.

While this makes Burnham Star Trek 's most relatable captain among the franchise's imperfect fans, the character herself can't believe she could attain new heights after falling so far. Yet, in trying to stop Rayner and Stamets, Burnham again proved her worth . She's determined to do the right thing to protect her ship, her crew and Starfleet itself. This episode underscored that Burnham's unique skill isn't her intellect or fighting prowess, but her commitment to higher ideals even when she thinks she's failed them in unforgivable ways.

Commander Rayner Finally Connected with the Crew in Face the Strange

Commander rayner learned new things about himself by visiting the past, star trek: discovery actors doug jones & david ajala prepare for their last adventure.

While Burnham is and always was heroic, it's actually Rayner who saved the day and the rest of time in this episode. Hearkening back to his previous attempts to know the crew, Rayner was now able to prove to Past Lieutenant Commander Gen Rhys that they do know each other. Rayner may have only given Reese 20 words, but these were enough to discover Rhys's affection for Constitution class ships like the USS Enterprise . Still, Past Burnham was not convinced. It's only through Rayner sincerely connecting with her and his own understanding of what it's like to fall from grace that seals the deal.

He told Past Burnham something no one but she could know. Specifically, that when she first stepped on the bridge of the Discovery, she felt like she didn't belong. Yet, he reaffirms that she does belong not just on the vessel, but in command of it. Yes, she's made mistakes, huge ones when compared to those committed by previous Starfleet heroes and captains. However, her heart is always in the right place. In Season 1, Burnham seemed more Vulcan than human, but her emotions were still there. In fact, she cared so much that she told Captain Gabriel Lorca she didn't deserve to serve on a starship.

Another touching moment between crew members in "Face the Strange" came via Rayner's collaboration with Stamets . He was already depressed this season since the spore drive is, effectively, dead technology. Rayner also killed his science-buzz upon realizing the potential of the Progenitor's technology. Yet, when Stamets was worried about being able to save the ship, Rayner motivated him by saying "old dogs" like them still had life-saving tricks up their uniform sleeves. Despite his gruff demeanor, this episode showed why Rayner was such a successful long-serving leader in Starfleet -- especially in a post-Burn galaxy.

Moll & L’Ak’s Time Bug Is a Brutal Weapon Tied to Star Trek Mythology

The time bug was used for more than just nostalgic fanservice, star trek: discovery's sonequa martin-green embarks on one final voyage.

Star Trek is full of near-magical and nonsensical technology like the transporters themselves , but even by these loose standards, the Time Bug is a little confusing. If Burnham, Rayner and Stamets weren't immune from its effects thanks to the latter's "tardigrade DNA," it's unclear exactly what the device does. Somehow, the present-day USS Discovery is incapacitated while the ship jumps back and forth through time. No one on the vessel is aware of this, and the crew complement changes with the times.

When Burnham and company arrive back in the 22nd Century, it's unclear what happened to folks like Commander Jett Reno or Adira, who were always in the 32nd Century. Trying to figure out how the Time Bug works is really a waste of time, since it's nothing more than a fun sci-fi concept that was used to drive an episode. The show gets around this when Rayner says the Time Bug is technology leftover from the Temporal War first introduced back in Star Trek: Enterprise, and wrapped up for good in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' Khan episode .

In previous episodes, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 brought in connections to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Chase (Season 6, Episode 20)," and it also built on the Trill mythology established in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The Time Bug is yet another way the series used past Star Trek events to tell new, fresh stories instead of just dropping cute Easter Eggs. The bug was an illegal black-market weapon, but one that (despite its inconsistent details and lack of specifics) fit neatly into this six-decade-old universe.

While the crew lost six hours in their race against Moll and L'ak, they still came out ahead. They are now a more cohesive unit than ever before, meaning they will face whatever challenges come next as a tightly-knit crew. This was the way that any Star Trek crew should be.

Star Trek: Discovery debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+ .

Star Trek: Discovery

• Time Bug allows for the series to revisit past moments and characters in its final season.
• The focus on Burnham's journey from mutineer to captain underscores her remarkable journey over five seasons.
• The episode reveals more aspects to Rayner's character making him more well-rounded.
• "Face the Strange" is a near-perfect blend of action, sci-fi problem-solving, and character moments.
• The ensemble takes a backseat because of the time-travel nature of the episode's plot.
• Moll and L'ak return for a scene but are still not as present as in each episode as perhaps they should be.
• Saru and T'Rina don't appear making last episode's story with them feel more like an aside.
• Other than Ariam, past characters like Ash Tyler, Nilsson, Captains Lorca or Pike don't appear feeling like a missed opportunity for a final season victory lap.

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While most 2024 offerings arrive in October, the first ornament of the year hits stores this July, when Hallmark celebrates the 60th anniversary of “The Cage” with The Keeper . This is the Talosian leader who kept Captain Pike hostage in the original Star Trek  pilot episode; it’s priced at $19.99.

Moving into the fall’s character spotlights, Hallmark is starting with the beloved chief medical officer of the Enterprise- D: Beverly Crusher! With so many licensees often leaving Crusher out of the roster of character-themed releases, it’s nice to see Hallmark including the good doctor in their 2024 lineup.

Clad in her trademark blue coat and with trusty medical tricorder in hand, the Crusher ornament will available in October for $19.99.

Also from  The Next Generation is the first electronic ornament for 2024, recreating the encounter between Ambassador Spock and Data in “Unification II.” This ornament will be priced at $29.99 when released in October, and plays audio clips from the Next Gen episode.

For this year’s “modern  Trek ” release, Hallmark turns to  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with an ornament featuring Captain Pike seated in his  Enterprise command chair. The base of his chair plays  Strange New Worlds audio clips, and will be available for $21.99 this October.

Moving next to Trek movie anniversaries, Hallmark celebrates the 30th anniversary of  Star Trek: Generations with the first-ever  USS Enterprise -B ornament! Hallmark’s Kevin Dilmore once highlighted the technical challenges that held back the Excelsior -class design for many years back in 2021, so it’s nice to see this long-awaited ship will make it to fans’ collections.

The Enterprise- B ornament lights up and will be available for $34.99 in October.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture also hits a big anniversary this year, and Hallmark will be honoring that milestone with a pair of miniature ornaments tied to the film. A small edition of the refit  USS Enterprise will be released at a $10.99 price point, and a small sculpt of Science Officer Spock wearing his TMP-era uniform will be $9.99. Each will be out in October.

Finally, the fan-favorite  Star Trek homage  Galaxy Quest hits its 25th anniversary this year, and Hallmark will be taking us back to 1999 with a new ornament of that film’s  NSEA Protector spaceship.

Like the other 2024 releases, the  Protector ornament will be out this October for $24.99.

What’s your favorite of this year’s Hallmark  Star Trek ornament offerings? Is there one you were really hoping for that didn’t make 2024’s lineup? Let us know in the comments below!

• Galaxy Quest
• Hallmark Ornaments
• Keepsake Ornaments
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: The Original Series
• Trek Merchandise

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Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery shows how pike got his original series injuries.

Star Trek: Discovery's Captain Pike lives up to his legend, but this week's episode reveals he chose his own tragic future to save the galaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery has shown Captain Christopher Pike 's dark future to Pike himself - which makes him an even more tragic character. The commander of the Starship Enterprise, who is currently assigned to the U.S.S. Discovery, is infamously doomed to spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair about a decade from the events of Star Trek: Discovery season 2. But in this week's episode, "Through the Valley of Shadows", Pike not only found out what will happen to him, but heroically chose to sacrifice his own future to save the galaxy.

By adding Pike ( Anson Mount ) and Spock (Ethan Peck), to Star Trek: Discovery season 2, the CBS All-Access prequel series has used the opportunity to make Star Trek 's unaired pilot "The Cage" more important than ever before. Most of what fans knew about the legendary Captain Pike is tied to the events of "The Cage" and The Original Series ' season 1 two-parter, "The Menagerie", which revealed Pike's grim fate: an accident exposed the captain to delta rays and left him confined to a wheelchair, unable to move or speak. It would have been a horrific ending to the Starfleet hero, were it not for Spock working with the aliens on Talos IV so that Pike could live in an illusionary world where he's still healthy alongside his love Vina.

Related: Star Trek Theory: Discovery Season 2 Is The Borg's Origin Story

In "Through the Valley of Shadows", fans learned Pike actually knows what his destiny will be and that he willingly locked himself into it. When a fourth red signal appeared over the planet Boreth, Pike embarked on a dangerous mission to be the first human to enter its Klingon monastery. Dedicated to worshipping the Klingon diety Kahless, the monastery also has a secret purpose: its Timekeepers protect the planet's time crystals, which grow naturally on that world. Pike needed a time crystal to complete the Discovery's mission to send the remaining sphere data into the far future and away from Control, the A.I. that has taken over Section 31 and seeks to end all sentient life in the galaxy.

Pike was guided into the monastery by Tenavik, the albino Klingon who is the son of Voq/Ash Tyler and L'Rell and is now fully grown thanks to exposure to the time crystals. However, the Starfleet Captain was warned that to take a time crystal requires a great sacrifice unique to each person; for Pike, the time crystal showed him the pivotal future event that would ruin his life (which fans had never seen before). At some point between 2266-2267, Pike commands a Starfleet training vessel that suffers a ruptured battle plate. Pike evacuates the trainees but is trapped in the room and exposed to delta rays, which leaves him horribly disfigured. Discovery -era Pike then came face-to-face with his future self trapped in a black wheelchair, his face literally melting from his skull.

Although the captain was understandably horrified, Pike steeled himself to complete his mission, even though if he chose not to, he could have prevented the timeline where this tragedy befalls him. Reminding himself, " You are a Starfleet Captain. You believe in service, sacrifice, compassion, and love" , Pike took the raw time crystal and willingly sacrificed his own future to ensure "an ending I hadn't foreseen for myself" . Pike wholeheartedly believed this was the only way to save the galaxy and he did the noble thing. In the previous  Star Trek: Discovery  episode, "Perpetual Infinity", Dr. Gabriel Burnham, who is the time-traveling Red Angel , warned Pike that he wasn't going to like his future. Of course, she was right, and Pike now has to live with the knowledge of what's to come for him.

It seems a sad ending befalls Pike in every reality; in the Kelvin timeline of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies , Pike (Bruce Greenwood) also ends up in a wheelchair thanks to Nero before he dies by phaser fire in Star Trek Into Darkness . Thankfully, Star Trek: Discovery season 2 has given Pike far more credence. Anson Mount's heroic Pike not only lives up to his legend but fans now know the depth of his sacrifice. By willingly choosing the galaxy over a grim future for himself, Captain Pike proved that he truly embodies Star Trek 's highest ideals .

Next:  Discovery Season 2 Is Better Because It's Properly Star Trek Now

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays @ 8:30pm on CBS All-Access and internationally the next day on Netflix.