All language subtitles for Star.Trek.Discovery.S03E05.1080p.WEB.H264-CAKES-HI

Previously on
STAR TREK: Discovery...

BURNHAM: Identify space-time location.

You have reached year 3188.

BURNHAM: The Federation as
we know it disappeared overnight.

But I did find
part of a transmission.

This is Admiral Senna Tal.

The Federation lives on.

I am Admiral Tal.

SARU: Although human,

young Adira has been joined
with a Trill symbiont.

Welcome to the circle.

SARU: Once they join with a host,

that host has the ability

to access the memories
of all former hosts.

BURNHAM: Including Admiral Tal's.

That's beautiful.
What is it?

A lullaby.

(GRUNTS)

Are you okay?

No, obviously.

What the hell
are you doing here?

Besides saving their asses.

NHAN: I stayed for Airiam.

She was a science officer,

but she paid the price
of a soldier.

I felt like someone
should honor that.

I am grateful for your support
of my captaincy.

It would be my privilege
to be your Number One.

ADIRA: Senna knew the algorithm we
need to find Federation headquarters.

These coordinates...

They'll take you
where you need to go.

SARU:
Captain's log, supplemental.

After a journey of 930 years...

And a return to Earth that
we could not have anticipated...

We are finally on the verge
of reaching our destination:

Federation
and Starfleet headquarters.

Separate entities
that must now abide together;

A sign of this new time,
I suppose.

I can only hope that they are
as eager for us to arrive

as we are to be home.

- Captain.
- Number One.

(LAUGHS SOFTLY)

Every report, record and log
that you asked for

is ready to be handed over
to Starfleet.

Words aren't enough.

Are they?

930 years...

I trust that what matters most
will have endured.

I know
that there will be protocol.

I know that we'll have a lot
of questions about The Burn.

But there are other things
that...

I'd like
to inquire about, as well.

You are thinking
about your mother.

Yes, sir.

And I know that I'm lucky

to have someone to hope for.

I believe that here,

there are answers for you,

and solace for all of us.

BURNHAM: I really hope so, sir.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Lieutenant Detmer,
status report?

Captain, we're here.

Federation headquarters.

Must be some kind
of distortion field.

It is a security measure
designed to mask their location.

But they are expecting us.

You may proceed.

Aye, sir.

♪ ♪

(GASPS SOFTLY)

(LAUGHS):
Wow.

We wouldn't have made it
without you.

Without everybody.

BURNHAM: Fascinating.

The distortion field seems
to be sustained

by the collective energy
of every ship within it.

Detecting neutronium-alloy
fibers.

Those-those
used to be theoretical.

Some of these hulls are organic.

Some-some are
completely comprised

of holographic-containment
walls.

OWOSEKUN:
Is that a new Constitution?

I bet it can sleep a crew
of a thousand!

No, 2,000.

Detached nacelles? Where do they
even put the warp core?

Must be a scout.
Wonder what its range is like.

♪ ♪

That's a flying rain forest.

(LAUGHTER)

♪ ♪

(EXCITED CHATTER)

(CHATTER CONTINUES)

TILLY: The USS Voyager.
Ho!

"J." That's-that's
ten generations of evolution?

OWOSEKUN: 11.

Would love to hear
those stories.

SARU: Mr. Bryce,

hail Federation headquarters.

And tell them the USS Discovery

is reporting for duty.

Aye, sir.
Hailing now.

- Sir, they're scanning us.
- Oh, as expected.

They require a moment
to process the arrival

of a thousand-year-old ship.

Captain,
I no longer have control.

On comms, sir.
They'll be docking us remotely

and request that the captain,
first officer, and... Tal

prepare to be beamed over
from here.

Their scans must be advanced
enough to pick up her symbiont.

(LAUGHS)

- They're ready, sir.
- Ah.

Lieutenant Nilsson,
the conn is yours.

(LAUGHS SOFTLY)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(ORIGINAL STAR TREK THEME PLAYS)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

♪ ♪

You picked a hell of a day
for a homecoming.

Charles Vance, commander
in chief, Starfleet.

This is my chief security
officer, Lieutenant Willa.

Captain Saru, USS Discovery.

Commander Michael Burnham.
First officer.

At ease.

I can't say we've come across
many Kelpiens out here lately.

Has there been any kind of...

disturbance on Kaminar?

Status quo last we checked.
They're just far enough away

that contact's been limited
since The Burn.

That's pretty much the case
with most.

Federation planets these days.

Kaminar joined the Federation.

Sir, the Cuyahoga is reporting.

Orion and Andorian vessels
in the Sigma Draconis system.

It's the Emerald Chain.

Osyraa's been becoming
more brazen by the day.

- I want updates in real time.
- Yes, Admiral.

You're Senna Tal.

Per the scans.

Uh, Adira Tal, now, sir.

Senna never meant
to keep you waiting.

He just couldn't bear
to leave Earth

without seeing snow
one last time.

Well, he was, uh...

always sentimental.

But let's keep this clear.

He and I were familiar,
you and I are not.

Uh, yes, sir.

Lieutenant Willa,

take Adira Tal to medical
for a full diagnostic.

Sir, the situation
with the Kili refugees

has gotten worse.
Sickbay is overflowing.

We're having to perform triage
in the corridors.

MALE: Patient three just
started seizing, Doctor.

ENSIGN: Dr. Eli says they
have four hours left, at best.

VANCE: Is there a diagnosis yet?

ENSIGN: Cascade failure
of the nervous system

brought on
by misfolding proteins.

Something called "prions."

They're not contagious,
but there's no cure yet, either.

There won't be until you find
out where they became infected.

We could help you
analyze their travel.

We're already in their logs,

compiling a roster
of every planet

they visited
before they came here.

See what you can do to help.

My apologies if I overstepped.

Uh, simply put, we are anxious
to help our Federation family.

Of course.
I appreciate

the offer,
but a debrief must come first.

Your journey here
must be quite the story.

A story we are eager to tell,
Admiral.

Not as eager as I am to hear it.

BURNHAM: We're still analyzing

the cause of the spatial
and temporal...

...variances
in our exiting the wormhole.

Early indications suggest

that Discovery may have
hit a pocket

of abnormal gravity waves.

And this "Red Angel" suit
of yours...

It's no longer accessible?

I sent it back into the wormhole
to initiate the final signal.

It was then programmed
to self-destruct.

There was but one time crystal,
Admiral.

It was always going
to be a one-way trip

for the Sphere data
and for all of us.

And what exactly is this data
we're now accountable for?

BURNHAM:
The Sphere is a benevolent

life-form that merged
with Discovery.

Its data is a record
of everything seen

and experienced by this entity

in the 100,000 years
leading up to our departure.

100,000 years. Well.

Discovery's just full
of surprises, isn't she?

You may be the last Kelpien
who still retains

biochemical traces of Vahar'ai.

And your limbic system's
been getting

quite a workout, Commander.

Are you prone
to emotional exaggeration?

Our AIs have evolved
quite a bit since your day.

ELI:
My primary diagnostic scanners

can read anomalies as small

as aberrant protein coding
in your neurons,

so you can't lie to me.

That'll be all, Eli.

Admiral, if-if we may,
we have a few questions

- of our own.
- I bet.

Given what you shared
of Kaminar, I am curious

as to what remains
of the rest of the Federation.

38 member worlds
that we're aware of.

Down from 350 at its peak.

There may be others, but since
the subspace relays went down,

we're having difficulty
finding each other.

Where we sit now represents

not just the headquarters
of Starfleet Command,

but also the entire
civilian government

of the United Federation
of Planets.

And it's been that way
since The Burn.

BURNHAM: Sir, if I may ask,

- regarding The Burn, we...
- I am not at liberty

to discuss intelligence
with you yet, Commander.

You're not lying to me,

but there is nothing
in our database

to verify a Red Angel
or a Control.

Our intelligence says that.

Discovery was destroyed
in 2258, with no mention

of a displacement-activated
spore drive.

So,

two truths now exist
in one space.

That never goes well.

Starfleet's operating procedures
would have included the erasure

of any files related
to our vessel,

to eliminate the possibility
of a recurring threat.

We came here to ensure
that Control did not evolve.

I can't possibly
corroborate that.

A quick history lesson.

The Federation has spent
most of the 30th century

fighting a war
to uphold the Temporal Accords,

an interstellar treaty outlawing
time travel to prevent anyone

from the past from changing
the future, and vice versa.

Your presence here,
by definition, is a crime.

Everything we have ever done
has been in accordance

with the ideals
of the Federation, sir.

If we hadn't made the jump,

all organic life in the universe
would've ended.

And we wouldn't be having
this conversation,

- Admiral.
- If that's true,

then we owe you
a debt beyond words.

But from where I sit,
and I sit here,

trusting you is a risk
I cannot take without evidence.

The safety and security
of whatever's left

of the Federation must take
priority over everything else.

And so, until we sort
through this,

I'll be requisitioning Discovery
for analysis and retrofit.

- Admiral...
- Not open to debate, Captain.

We'll also be looking
through your logs

and debriefing your crew,

and assuming their stories
match yours,

determine where
they can be reassigned.

Reassigned?

Uh, sir, may I ask why?

No.

Now, you claim you're acting

in accordance
with Federation ideals.

I would ask that you continue
to do so,

by putting the needs
of Starfleet

ahead of the needs of your crew.

BURNHAM: The Federation that I remembr

would understand that there

is no other crew
with our experience.

And certainly no other crew that
can operate the spore drive.

Correct on both counts.

Why aren't you fighting
for us to stay together, then?

We are no longer
"out there," Michael.

We serve Starfleet by executing
the admiral's orders.

Vance should make use of who we
are now, not diminish us for it.

Well, that is entirely his call.

Then let's help him
make the right one.

- I understand his motives.
- Well, so do I.

But I also know that if
this crew gets pulled apart now,

some of us might never recover.

Now, if we can just get
our hands on the roster

of where the Kili have been,
then we can help isolate

the origin
of the infectious protein,

we can jump there,
we can find a cure,

we can help make a difference
for the Kili

and show the admiral
why we need to stay together.

"Get our hands on"?

I believe we are in
a unique position to help,

and we will do so by requesting
the roster via proper channels.

Our first Federation act will
not be to pilfer its property

and violate a direct order.

That is a lesson

I thought you would have
learned by now, Commander.

Of course.

DETMER: They're breaking us up?

SARU: There is no precedent for...

- us.
- (MURMURING)

So please, I ask you
to trust the process.

What is truly important is
that we are all back home now.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

We'll be calling you in
by department.

Engineering,
spore drive specialists,

- operations, tactical...
- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

So you were... dead?

Yes. As I said.

- Clinically dead?
- Well, I was

emotionally dead, too...
and I was murdered.

That can really do
a number on you. (CHUCKLES)

But my murderer
and I are good now.

So, you were on
an asteroid and...?

Commander Burnham fell out
of the sky. With Captain Pike.

It was raining
Starfleet officers.

Did you bring any snacks?
I'm-I'm starving.

So you would consider yourself
"essential personnel"?

Have you been talking to Detmer?

Because I can't seem to get away
from this question.

What do you know about
the Emerald Chain?

What is that...
Some sort of Risan

- party drug?
- It's the Andorian/Orion syndicate.

I've never heard of them.

I'm gonna need
something to drink.

All this is after
I got my hair blown out

and became a Terran
captain/dominatrix,

and before we jumped through
a wormhole into the future.

(LAUGHS):
So, I mean,

I love Starfleet, I really do,

but ask me if any
of this was in the handbook.

Was any of this in the handbook?

No.

Nhan. Security officer,
USS Discovery.

SFB534-0679.

Failure to comply
is insubordination.

I'm sorry.

Now,

how long was
the duration of the...

Nhan, D. Security officer,
USS Discovery.

Throw me in the brig, hologram.

Lieutenant Willa,
we submitted a request

to see the roster of planets
the Kili refugees visited.

We've not yet heard back.
If we know where they went,

we could find out
what caused this.

We're a science vessel.

And the situations
we've encountered...

Sorry, Commander.
We're still in the process

of determining
your intentions here.

We are not temporal agents,
Lieutenant.

We need more
than your word, Captain.

Lieutenant Willa...

I'm sure we would
respond the same way

if the situation were reversed.

But one fact is unassailable: We
have a spore drive and it works.

We can travel anywhere
in the blink of an eye.

And we want to help.

All we are asking is to be
permitted to look at the roster.

Best case, you save lives.

Worst case, you hate us a little
more for wasting your time.

I'll need to speak
with Admiral Vance.

HOLO SECURITY OFFICER:
Our scans picked you out right away.

A rigorous debrief
is protocol for Terrans.

HOLO SECURITY OFFICER 2:
We also know you're a murderer

in at least two universes.

Don't look at him.

- Look at us.
- So, this will be your second universe,

your third timeline.

Depends on how you look at it.

I like to look at it like this.

- Why are you blinking?
- Why aren't you?

- What was your connection to Control?
- We dated.

All Terrans are duplicitous
by their biology.

Or biplicitous by our duology.

Neither "ology"
has anything to do with it.

You may not be aware,
but in the past hundred years,

we've discovered
a chimeric strain

on the subatomic level
in the Terran stem cell.

Silly holo.

You cannot rattle me
by introducing a completely

fabricated biological component
to my nastiness

and inherently bad behavior.

I'm extremely wicked,
even for a Terran.

Who are you?
What if you're not a holo?

- Make her stop.
- What if you're a human

programmed to think he's a holo?

- (CHUCKLES)
- You broke my holos.

Blinking at their harmonic rate
disrupts the holo protocols,

creating a reference loop
that shuts them down.

Upgrade your programs
and stop wasting my time.

Why are you wearing glasses?

Um, they make me look smarter.

I like 'em.

I might decide to like you.

Debrief as you will.

FEMALE (OVER P.A.):
Trauma unit to medbay 6.

- Vitals are dropping.
- (ALARM SOUNDING)

(GROANING) Pressure is
spiking, heart rate is climbing.

MALE: Scan again.

FEMALE:
Two more cc's, right away.

♪ ♪

VANCE: You believe
they became ill on Urna?

That planet's been deserted
for centuries.

Y-Yes, but Urna is... well,
once was an industrial seat.

A hub for the enrichment
of unstable metals.

The Federation was just
beginning to sound the alarm

about toxicity
a thousand years ago.

The atmosphere was thinning,

and they feared high
concentrations of UVB radiation

would mutate the biology
of everything on the surface.

And that is what happened.

If the Kili stopped there,
they scavenged there

for indigenous plants, fruit,
any kind of nutrition.

And whatever they ate
was mutated.

It was infected
with misfolding proteins

that have been spreading
in their bodies ever since.

How do we fix the problem?

We need a healthy protein sample

of the plant they ingested
to make an antidote.

But as all of Urna was affected,

such a sample no longer exists.

In the 23rd century, there was
a Federation seed-vault ship,

the USS Tikhov.

It held samples
of every plant in the galaxy.

If it still exists,
it will have seeds

from before the planet's
environmental collapse,

and we can synthesize
an antidote from that.

The Tikhov is still around,
but it's five months away.

Our spore drive can get us there
and back in plenty of time.

Your ship can get us there

with that one man... Stamets.

Willa, download Discovery's
specs.

Everything on the spore drive,
and scramble a Federation team

to pilot her.
I want it flying in an hour.

- Yes, sir.
- Admiral!

You have a crew ready
and able to fly now.

You're going
to waste precious time teaching

a new crew the ins and outs
of a thousand-year-old ship

flying through
a mushroom network?

Watch your tone, Commander.

You're not home yet.

SARU: Admiral,

I would ask
that you allow Discovery

to serve as she is able.

It and Commander Burnham

are ideally suited
for this kind of away mission.

Understanding it is
a matter of trust,

I will remain here with you
to assist.

Lieutenant Willa and two
of our security officers

will go with Commander Burnham.

Get back fast.

Otherwise, it comes down on him.

♪ ♪

DETMER: Undocking is
complete, Commander.

Bring us to safe distance,
please.

Hope this fossil of a ship can
do what you say it can.

Welcome aboard,
Lieutenant Willa.

We're ready to go, Commander.

We have three hours left
to retrieve the seed sample

and create an antidote
for the Kili.

Let's show them who we are.

You might want
to hold on to something.

Black alert.

(ALARM SOUNDING)

- Whoa.
- OWOSEKUN: We're at the programmed coordinates,

but there's no sign
of the Tikhov.

Scans show an ion storm
in range.

Bring it up.

OWOSEKUN: If these were the last-known

coordinates of the Tikhov,
it must be in there.

Yellow alert.

Lieutenant Rhys,
prepare tractor beams.

We'll have to pull it out
of the storm

before we can beam on board.

- Aye, Commander.
- Lieutenant Detmer, get us over there.

- Aye, Commander.
- It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Shields up.

♪ ♪

Shields holding at 90%.

Commander, I've located
the Tikhov. Magnifying now.

It's running on auxiliary power.

Warp drive is off-line.

There's unusual radiation.

That must be interfering
with our scans.

I can't get an accurate read
of life signs.

How are we doing
on tractor beams?

- Not steady enough.
- I'm working on it.

(THUNDEROUS CRASH)

(FRANTIC CHATTER ECHOING)

Shields are holding. You've got
time. You've got this.

- Lieutenant?
- Engaging reverse thrusters.

I just need to get us clear.

(THUNDEROUS CRASH)

- Go.
- Locking on.

RHYS: Got her.

Pulling her out now.

And we're clear.

Bryce, have Dr. Culber report
to the bridge.

Nice work, Keyla.

(QUIETLY):
Hey, you did great.

A closer call
than it should have been.

Owo, what's the toxicity
of the radiation on that ship?

Scanner says it's non-ionizing,

so it shouldn't be a threat
to health.

But its composition is just odd.

- Tilly?
- Already analyzing it.

Who needs what?

There may be a medical emergency
on the Tikhov.

For the last 500 years,
each planet of the Federation

has taken turns keeping watch
over the seed vault.

Looks like a Barzan family
was most recent.

- We joined the Federation?
- In the 25th century.

Never imagined.

I haven't seen a Barzan
since I joined Starfleet.

You will today.
I want you with us on this.

We don't have time
to play catch-up,

so get your "hellos"
out of the way fast.

Anyway, the atmosphere
on board is attuned

to Barzan biology,
so we'll need breathing devices.

So I can lose mine.
First time for everything.

The seed vault itself

can only be accessed
by beaming into and out of it,

so the transporter chief
will need to stay at the ready.

Understood.

Tilly, let me know what
you find on radiation.

And, Rhys, you have the conn.

Let's go.

CULBER: What the hell?

BURNHAM: Someone must
have compromised the seed vault.

None of these plants
should be here.

Barzan atmosphere lends itself

to a more accelerated
plant growth.

Your eyes.

Real air, real me.

Well, radiation's nominal.
Whatever the source,

it's dissipated.

Levels are safe.

- How many in the family?
- Four.

Parents are scientists.
They have two kids.

- (BEEPING)
- Oh, that's weird.

A life sign just blinked on,
and then off again.

Residual radiation
must still be interfering

with our instruments.

We might not be able
to rely on them.

Okay, seed vault
should be this way.

(BEEPING)

You're curious about my badge.

I'm bored. I thought I could
break it down for parts.

Play with it.

It's clear, Emperor,
what you're capable of.

What's not clear to me is
why you chose to come here.

- I have a curious nature.
- Really?

April 5 is my birthday.

A Terran holy day.

April 5, 2063...
First-ever contact

between Terrans
and a Vulcan survey ship.

But then your people slaughtered
everybody on board.

Vulcans need to learn
to stay in their lane sometimes.

And it's not like
it's a high holy day.

I've been fascinated by Terran
history and methodology

since I was a boy.

There are very few species

that do things
simply to do them.

We're mostly untroubled
by pesky motivations.

Except for revenge.

We do like that one.

It seems you've created
an empire based on the maxim,

"Because we feel like it."

So why would you ever join
a Starfleet crew?

If you simply wanted
to butcher them, you would have.

Much as I enjoy
being fetishized...

And I do...

I'll answer your questions
if you answer mine first.

No, you won't really do that.

- Correct.
- And even if you did, you'd lie.

So the only way
I'll glean any information

is via the questions you ask me.

So, please.

Who's really in charge now?

The Burn appeared to have been
quite the humbling experience

for the Federation.
Who was responsible?

- That's two questions.
- Pick one.

There are conflicting theories,

but no hard proof

pointing at any one
particular bad guy.

Sounds like the Federation
lost a step.

Or five.

And yet it endures.

Unlike the Terran Empire,

which fell centuries ago.

Were you aware
that the distance between

our two universes
started expanding

sometime after your departure?

There hasn't been
a single crossing

in over 500 years.

You didn't know that, did you?

You're all alone now.

I think...

you and the Federation
are afraid.

Because whoever did this
must be merciless.

A threat to whatever
or whomever you hold dear.

The weakness of people

is generally other people...

isn't it?

You're not wrong.

But that could also explain

why you'd fall in line
with Discovery.

There's a person

on the crew...

you care about, isn't there?

(FEMALE HUMMING FAINTLY)

The family.

Behind us.

(LAUGHTER, INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(HUMMING GROWS LOUDER)

(HUMMING CONTINUES)

(PLAYING SAME MELODY)

Adira played that same melody.

How is that possible?

What?

(LAUGHTER)

Nothing.

See if you can find
any sign of the family.

I'm going in the vault.

(COMM CHIRPS)

Burnham to Discovery.
Do you copy?

I'm right outside
the seed vault.

- One to beam in.
- Aye, Commander.

(EXHALES)

Wow.

(LAUGHTER)

You okay?

I wish I'd gone home.

Before we came to the future.

My species is known
for two things:

Diligence and poverty.

What little we get,
we invest in our children.

Your family must have been so
proud when you joined Starfleet.

They were devastated.

I can only imagine
when they heard about my death.

(SOFT LAUGHTER)

When was the last time
you heard your own language?

Now.

Now is the last time.

CULBER:
I'll check in with Burnham.

If you want to search the logs,
I'll be fine.

Yeah?

Yeah.

ATTIS: Personal log, Dr. Attis.

Stardate 802861.

Living aboard the Tikhov

and caring
for the Federation seed vault

these past four months
has brought us closer than ever.

Get out of the ion storm,
distress calls

go nowhere, still can't identify
the light that hurt them.

I'm trying. I'm trying!

The vault.

I must find a cure...

(SPEECH DISTORTED)

CULBER: Nhan, come here.

The rest of the ship
is on auxiliary, but...

whatever's behind here
seems to be...

NHAN: Running on full power?

(QUIETLY):
Do it.

Cryostasis is normally used

to preserve the living
for revival, but...

- they're already gone.
- You're sure?

Attis.

Attis is alive.

He's still trying to save them.

That's what all these plants
are about.

He broke open the seed vault
trying to grow a...

a cure.

I think you mean a miracle.

And if he's still alive,
where is he?

COMPUTER VOICE: Verbalize code for entry.

Uh...

- Access denied.
- Damn it.

Access denied.

No, the seeds are not yours!

They're ours.
They need them.

- They're going to come back.
- Please, we're here to help!

What?

BURNHAM: He was fighting me.

He didn't want me
to get to those seeds, and...

there was something
about his face.

It... folded in on itself
before he disappeared.

It was as if his entire body was

out of phase, somehow.

I saw something like that
on the log.

It was like he was out of sync
with himself.

Well, any ideas as to what
might have caused this?

Well, I'd have to examine him
first, but I'm not confident

he'd be able to fill in any more
than we already know.

But from what you're saying,

his grief seems to have
disconnected him from reality.

He hasn't gone crazy, if that's
what you're suggesting.

Well, his family
is clearly deceased,

and he won't accept that.

Barzans don't have the same idea
of death as humans.

If there's logic
to his behavior,

then maybe we can reason
with him.

And we need his voice code
to access the vault,

or those refugees are
as good as dead.

The admiral has given us
this chance.

We can't fail.

Any ideas on how
to stop the phasing

long enough to talk to him?

The phasing itself...

It might explain why he survived
and his family didn't.

If we can figure out
what happened,

then maybe we can fix him.

The team should be nearly done

analyzing the radiation.

Are these values from a magnetic

or a mass spectrometer?

TILLY: Duh.

Which means magnetic.

I know what "duh" means.

Can we just irradiate
your entire personality?

Calibrating for cosmic
background radiation.

I was just going to
ask you to do that.

- Ask me to do that?
- Duh.

Your relationship
isn't very professional.

It's how we work.

I've been trying
to raise the bar.

- BURNHAM: Tilly?
- Yes, hi, Michael.

I'm here. You also have.

Commander Stamets
and Commander Reno.

We're analyzing the radiation.

BURNHAM: Listen.

Dr. Attis is the only survivor.

He described the ship being hit
by a bright light

and the bodies of his family
are showing

high concentrations
of beta particles.

Well, that could be
any number of things. I mean...

He's also phasing
uncontrollably.

Okay. Now we're on to something.

Beaming is the only way
in or out

of the seed vault, right?

I'm gonna look
for the nearest star.

You're thinking CME.

- Yup.
- What am I missing?

The ship may have been hit
by a CME...

A coronal mass ejection.

Kind of like a star burp.

TILLY: "Burp" in this instance would be

a-a massive radioactive
proton storm.

It should kill anyone instantly,
but if Dr. Attis was

in the process of beaming into
the vault when the CME hit,

the protons would've interfered
with the ship's magnetic

shielding and destabilized
his body's polarization on

a quantum level.

- Right.
- Bingo!

Oh, yup, CME almost,
uh, six weeks ago.

And now his body's in limbo.

May I never say
the same about myself.

Is there a way to bring him
back in phase?

TILLY: I think so.

But I'm pretty sure
he's not gonna like it.

- (ALARM SOUNDING)
- COMPUTER VOICE: Warning.

Power failure.

Warning.

Power failure.

(GRUNTING)

Warning. Power failure.

No! No, no, no, no, no, no!

Warning. Power failure.

Tilly, do you have him?

TILLY: Boosting our
transporter's magnetic field

to match stable radiance.

You should see him...

...now.

Got him, thank you.

Dysfunction aside...

you all make a pretty good team.

Dysfunction is the team.

We've just accepted it.

No, we haven't.

NHAN: We're not trying to stop you

from finding a cure.

We just need one set of seeds.

There are other families
in trouble.

We want to help them, too.

You need to talk to him.

I couldn't even come close
to understanding him

- the way Nhan does.
- That's my point.

It's too personal for her.

Because they share
the same ethos,

she's not being honest with him.

He needs to know
that his family is gone,

however brutal that may be,

and that if he doesn't get
help soon, he's going to die.

He has limits.

And the Kili do, too.

Dr. Attis, it's time to let go.

Your family's gone.

And I think you know that.

Just like I think you know
there isn't anything

on board that can change that.

But there is something on board

that can help other families.

Like yours.

I know you had
to watch them die.

I'm sorry.

No one should ever have
to go through that.

But there are others
that are about to walk

where you've been walking,

and you have
a chance to stop it.

Please help us.

Help them.

♪ ♪

(SNIFFLES)

COMPUTER VOICE: Verbalize code for entry.

Amma.

Tolpra.

Amma and Tolpra.

Two most beautiful moons
in our entire star system.

They're my daughters.

Dr. Attis...

thank you.

(WHIRRING)

♪ ♪

Tilly, prepare to beam Dr. Attis
directly to sickbay.

No.

- I won't go.
- CULBER: Dr. Attis,

you are severely irradiated
from the original CME.

All of your internal organs
will have been damaged.

Without treatment,
you will die within days.

I won't leave my family.

That man in there is incapable
of making rational decisions

about his own health.

Just because you don't
understand a choice

doesn't make it irrational.

Well, think
of the ship itself, then.

It contains a living history
of the Federation.

We need that now more than ever.

We can't take him
against his will, either.

He expressed his wishes clearly.

Since when does Starfleet not
consider cultural mitigations?

Hugh, why don't you take
these seeds back to Discovery,

start working on an antidote?

Thank you.

One to science lab.

I respect Dr. Attis's
personal choice,

but Starfleet has always had
its own mores.

One of them being never
to leave a person behind.

So it's him
versus Starfleet, then?

Sometimes there is
no good choice.

Only what you can live with.

I don't think
that I can live with letting

part of the Federation's history
die with him.

Then I'll stay.

Nhan, if you stay,
you'd be giving up your career.

Considering
what Airiam and I went through,

let's just say...
I'm good here.

I'll make sure Attis's family
gets home for a proper burial.

And that the first Barzan watch
is completed successfully.

And I'd like
to see my home again.

I never thought I would.

Are you gonna argue with me?

(BOTH LAUGH)

A year ago, I would have.

You know, I have never forgotten

what you said
at Airiam's funeral.

That one of the reasons
we join Starfleet is

to reach for the best
in ourselves and each other.

And I have never seen

anyone reach for the best in
others quite like you, Michael.

Don't ever stop.

(SNIFFLES)

(WHISPERS): I really hope
our paths cross again.

Me, too.

(COMM CHIRPS)

One to beam back.

It's my understanding,
per Lieutenant Willa's report,

that Lieutenant Detmer and...

Lieutenant Owosekun successfully

took Discovery into an ion storm
to get to the Tikhov.

BURNHAM: Yes, sir.

And Commander Nhan remained on
duty there for the Federation.

SARU: Our entire crew understood

the mission and were prepared
for any potential implications.

We stand ready for more.

Well, you should know we don't
have five-year missions anymore.

Exploration is a-a luxury
we cannot afford.

Admiral, are you familiar

with Earth's
Renaissance painter Giotto?

Where are you going with this?

The period before
the Renaissance

was referred to
as the "Dark Ages."

A frightening time.

Humanity was under siege
from wars

and plagues and was,
well, losing its way.

Giotto helped spark
the Renaissance

when, with his art,
he helped create

the three-point perspective.

He saw depth.

SARU: He saw entirety.

And he gave what he saw
to the world.

It made a difference.

For the first time in
a long time, humans looked up.

Discovery is a servant
of the Federation, but I believe

that our unique perspective
from a revered time may...

May help us to look up.

Yes, sir.

We have been in triage
for a long time.

Sir.

We have a spore drive
that can take us anywhere,

and a crew that operates
as one breathing organism,

and Sphere data that offers
thousands of years of wisdom.

Keep us together
and let us help.

That's all we ask.

But your crew...
They're only now beginning

to wrangle with the trauma
they went through.

Your pilot Detmer...

Her baselines are unsteady,
to put it mildly.

We've all put our lives
in Detmer's hands,

and we'd do it again, sir.

All right.

But you go where I say,
when I say.

We're not
in the Renaissance yet.

BOTH: Yes, sir.

Anything else?

- No, sir...
- The Burn.

Sir.

Are you at liberty
to discuss it with us now?

We have more theories than ships
in the fleet at the moment.

The Federation never found

enough data to support
one over the other.

- Which theory do you believe?
- Doesn't matter.

Unless you have a new piece of
evidence that has gone unnoticed

for 120 years...

we have
far more immediate concerns.

Challenge accepted.

And understood, sir.

Captain. Commander.

Welcome home.

(SOFT GROANING)

Oh, Lieutenant Willa.

Did you find anything about that
music that I asked you about?

Nothing to find.

Half the people here know some
version of it, including me.

Don't you find that strange?

The Barzan planet, the Tikhov,

they're unimaginably far away
from here without dilithium.

And there's no way Dr. Attis

could have come
anywhere near this sector.

How is it that everyone
knows the same piece of music?

Some things get in the ether.

BURNHAM: Philippa.
Let me run

something by you.
There's this piece of music...

Philippa.

Philippa?

Are you okay?

Michael.

I asked if you were okay.

Why would you ever, ever
ask me a question like that?

SARU: Does it feel like home to you?

Not yet.

But I truly hope it will.

The Federation is an ideal
that saved my life.

Not once, but many, many times.

It's the people who saved mine.

Over the last year,
I've come to realize that...

the Federation is its people.

I can't separate
the two anymore.

One living organism?

(QUIETLY):
Yeah.

I do value
your perspective, Michael.

But I would ask that you choose
your words more carefully

with the admiral than you did
before your departure,

or it will impact us both.

Yes, sir.

So much we still do not know.

But I am certain of one thing.

We are both looking up.

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