For our review of the last episode of Star Trek: Discovery, click here.
Synopsis: A surprise visitor to the U.S.S. Discovery brings shocking news about Spock and dredges up past regrets for Burnham. Following the asteroid incident, Tilly struggles to keep a grip on her reality. L’Rell’s authority on Qo’noS is threatened. (IMDB)
Writers: Sean Cochran and Michael Chabon
Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 44 mins
“Point of Light”starts off with Burnham trying to decipher the seven signals and her disconnection with Spock. Tilly takes part in the Commander program’s half-marathon when her visions of May become worse. She wins the race, but continues to deal with her invisible friend. The Discovery is hailed by a mysterious ship and upon further investigation it is revealed to be Sarek’s diplomatic ship. Captain Pike fears Sarek has come to berate him for letting Spock admit himself to a psychiatric facility. As Burnham prepares to greet her adoptive father, she is surprised to find Amanda who has asked Burnham to help her with Spock.
Amanda is concerned because at the psychiatric facility, they wouldn’t give her any information about Spock. So she stole Spock’s medical file and brought it for Burnham to decrypt. They sit down with Pike who suggests they message the Captain of the base. Through their conversation, they learn Spock killed three of his doctors and fled the base, but Amanda and Burnham don’t believe that is who Spock is.
Pike agrees and orders Burnham to break into the medical file so they can help Spock before the Federation finds him. The file states Spock is going through psychopathy and can’t empathize with anyone. Amanda blames herself for blocking his human emotions, but Burnham reassures him that it isn’t her fault. They notice some of Spock’s drawings in the file that look like Burnham’s angelic figure and Amanda knows them as the Red Angel.
Meanwhile, Saru is putting the commander participants through the shadow program. May continues to distract her, looking for the captain and calls Pike a fraud. This causes Tilly to lash out at Pike and reveal her current instability before quitting the program. She returns to her quarters and reveals the ghost situation to Burnham. They question why this is happening to Tilly and realize the asteroid reacted with the spores in Tilly’s system. This is a job for Stamets! He discovers a fungus organism living inside Tilly while May calls Stamets the captain she’s been looking for. They use a supersonic vacuum to suck the spore mass out of Tilly and contain it in Engineering.
Back at the Klingon Empire, Voq and L’Rell are dealing with tension between the united houses as they question Voq’s involvement in their culture. They see the seven signals as an omen that Voq and L’Rell’s regime is cursed. Voq questions why L’Rell treats him like a human when she tries to get romantic with him, but his human side feels violated. He contacts Burnham as they catch each other up on their lives and he feels like he is a vulnerability for L’Rell. She tells him to take his leader at her word.
Voq questions the secrecy of some of the Klingon leaders, including L’Rell uncle. However, the truth is revealed when he learns of his secret baby with L’Rell. They discuss this revelation and while she sees it as a vulnerability, he questions why she never told him. She believes his time there is temporary, especially with his calls to Burnham, but he promises a new love story and a family. They head to their baby, but they find L’Rell’s uncle dead and the baby missing, stolen by one of the disgruntled Klingon leaders.
They confront him and his followers and engage in a fight-to-the-death to reclaim their child. Unfortunately, the leader shocks them into paralysis and tries to claim the title of chancellor for himself. This ceremony is interrupted when a mysterious assassin arrives and saves the day and reveals herself to be Emperor Georgiou. She came because her employers want to make sure that L’Rell stays in power. That means ridding herself of all liabilities including her family.
She ends up disowning Voq, and decapitating him, for fraternizing with the humans and killing her child. She wants the Klingons to not call her chancellor, but mother. Emperor Georgiou returns to her ship, part of Section 31, with a very much alive Tyler and his child. He opts to leave his child with Klingon monks while trying to find himself. A crewmember asks Georgiou to recruit Tyler to the crew and she states he’s already in.
Captain’s Log
- What is the angelic figure?
- Would the fungus prove to be a replacement source for the spore drive?
- Can it bring people back? Like say a dearly missed medical officer?
- How did Spock predict the signals?
- What do the red energy sources mean?
- Will Jett Reno and Nhan stay onboard the Discovery?
- Will Tyler join Section 31 with Georgiou?
The pace changes with a focus back on the antagonists of the first season, the Klingons, but with a revamped look. The tragic story of L’Rell and Voq has provided some closure to one of the biggest plot holes of season one. Meanwhile, it has also set up the mysterious spin-off series surrounding Section 31 which will be a formidable addition to the Trek universe. Burnham’s story and the red signals take a back seat this week in favour of developing her surrogate family’s dynamic which adds to the complexity of her character and how she was raised. The spore mass in engineering could prove vital in not only re-harnessing the power of the spore drive, but also maybe being able to bring some previously dead crewmembers back.
Overall, Point of Light was a solid episode. It returns to the Klingon Empire and the fallout of the war while also advancing the stories surrounding the seven signals and the spores. Each subplot has its own emotional moments while also tackling ethical and moral debates surrounding leadership, family and science showing a continued focus on the strong themes of good Trek TV.
Score: 8/10
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