star trek season 2 episode 5

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S1.E0 ∙ The Cage

S1.E1 ∙ The Man Trap

S1.E2 ∙ Charlie X

S1.E3 ∙ Where No Man Has Gone Before

S1.E4 ∙ The Naked Time

S1.E5 ∙ The Enemy Within

S1.E6 ∙ Mudd's Women

S1.E7 ∙ What Are Little Girls Made Of?

S1.E8 ∙ Miri

S1.E9 ∙ Dagger of the Mind

S1.E10 ∙ The Corbomite Maneuver

S1.E11 ∙ The Menagerie: Part I

S1.E12 ∙ The Menagerie: Part II

S1.E13 ∙ The Conscience of the King

S1.E14 ∙ Balance of Terror

S1.E15 ∙ Shore Leave

S1.E16 ∙ The Galileo Seven

S1.E17 ∙ The Squire of Gothos

S1.E18 ∙ Arena

S1.E19 ∙ Tomorrow Is Yesterday

S1.E20 ∙ Court Martial

S1.E21 ∙ The Return of the Archons

S1.E22 ∙ Space Seed

S1.E23 ∙ A Taste of Armageddon

S1.E24 ∙ This Side of Paradise

S1.E25 ∙ The Devil in the Dark

S1.E26 ∙ Errand of Mercy

S1.E27 ∙ The Alternative Factor

S1.E28 ∙ The City on the Edge of Forever

S1.E29 ∙ Operation -- Annihilate!

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Star Trek - Season 2

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20 Episodes

S2 e1 - amok time, s2 e2 - who mourns for adonais, s2 e3 - the changeling, s2 e4 - mirror, mirror, s2 e5 - the apple, s2 e6 - the doomsday machine, s2 e7 - catspaw, s2 e8 - i, mudd, s2 e9 - metamorphosis, s2 e10 - journey to babel, s2 e11 - friday's child, s2 e12 - the deadly years, s2 e13 - obsession, s2 e14 - wolf in the fold, s2 e15 - the trouble with tribbles, s2 e16 - the gamesters of triskelion, s2 e17 - a piece of the action, s2 e18 - the immunity syndrome, s2 e19 - a private little war, s2 e20 - return to tomorrow, where does star trek rank today the justwatch daily streaming charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. this includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. this includes data from ~1.3 million movie & tv show fans per day..

Streaming charts last updated: 5:26:19 PM, 05/01/2024

Star Trek is 4579 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The TV show has moved up the charts by 874 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Marcella but less popular than The Wild Life of Dr. Ole.

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 2, Episode 5

Loud as a whisper, where to watch, star trek: the next generation — season 2, episode 5.

Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation — Season 2, Episode 5 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Cast & crew.

Patrick Stewart

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes

Cmdr. William Riker

LeVar Burton

Lt. Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn

Marina Sirtis

Counselor Deanna Troi

Brent Spiner

Lt. Cmdr. Data

Episode Info

'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Spock Gets a Fascinating Lesson in Humanity

A shuttle accident and an encounter with a strange alien life form turn Spock completely human ahead of an important dinner.

Spock has been one of the most beloved Star Trek characters since the franchise first hit the air back in 1966. The latest episode of Strange New Worlds sees Spock's Vulcan DNA temporarily removed, leaving him completely human ahead of an important dinner with his fiancé T'Pring ( Gia Sandhu ) and her parents. In addition to exploring Spock's human side — which truly allows Ethan Peck to flex his comedy skills — the episode also finally addresses the romantic feelings simmering between Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel ( Jess Bush ).

Written by Kathryn Lyn and co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers , "Charades" is a hilarious and heartfelt romp that delivers a unique look at why love for Spock is such an enduring part of this franchise. The episode also brings back Mia Kirshner , who plays Spock's mother Amanda Grayson with an incredibly soft strength as we get a closer look at the deep connection between her and her son. For those excitedly waiting to learn about the ties between Amanda and Pelia, we'll have to wait a little long as Carol Kane isn't in this episode — she does send her regards, despite being away, indicating that the show certainly hasn't forgotten about that bit of information from the season premiere .

"Charades" does a beautiful job of exploring an oft-undervalued part of Spock's identity without devaluing his Vulcan side. While the Vulcan culture can be as harsh and unforgiving as T'Pring's mother, T'Pril ( Ellora Patnaik ), at times, it's still an essential part of who Spock is — one that Chapel risks her own life to restore despite getting the emotional honesty she longs for from human Spock. Spock is both human and Vulcan, and "Charades" teaches him how to see that neither of those identities should be taken for granted.

RELATED: 'Futurama', 'Star Trek' and 'Abbott Elementary' Headline Saturday and Sunday Panels at SDCC

Awkward Tensions Rise Between Spock and Nurse Chapel

Continuing Season 2's trend of spotlighting Strange New Worlds ' incredible ensemble cast, "Charades" opens with a personal log from Christine Chapel. She's en route to the Vulcan system to survey an ancient moon where a civilization once lived before it vanished entirely. There's a strange anomaly nearby that she's hoping will give them answers about the lost alien race – Chapel has a deep love for otherworldly anthropology, and it was mentioned earlier this season that she's planning to apply for an archaeological medicine fellowship on Vulcan that would take her away from the ship for a few months. Pike has decided to survey the moon at impulse speed, essentially giving the crew shore leave without the shore.

Chapel is using her free time to prepare her application by studying with all of her friends, from quizzing herself with M'Benga ( Babs Olusanmokun ), to answering questions while sparring with Uhura ( Celia Rose Gooding ), and playing drinking games with Ortegas ( Melissa Navia ) and La'an ( Christina Chong ). La'an points out that since her interview for the position is with a Vulcan, she should probably be practicing with Spock, but Ortegas explains that things are "weird" between the two of them. Since their impromptu kiss during Season 1's hostage episode , the awkward tension between Spock and Chapel has been almost unbearable, and nearly everyone on the ship has taken note of it.

Meanwhile, Spock has managed to fully suppress his emotions again thanks to therapeutic advice and methods from Doctor M'Benga, and without the distraction of his personal feelings, he's been able to take up new hobbies — like cooking with Captain Pike ( Anson Mount ) . During their latest lesson, Spock explains that he uses nasal suppressants because Vulcans have unusually strong senses, though Pike assures his second officer that he's missing out. Spock is also grateful to be able to suppress his emotions enough not to lash out at annoyances from his fellow officers and to get back to what he considers a normal level of camaraderie with his friends among the crew.

Later, Spock gets a subspace call from T'Pring, with whom he's looking forward to reuniting once they get to Vulcan. Because Spock is half-human, T'Prings's parents — particularly her mother — have qualms about their engagement. To satisfy her mother who insists upon strict adherence to tradition and protocol, T'Pring has scheduled a ceremonial dinner between their two families for when Spock arrives. Spock thinks that it's too soon to have the dinner given that he's not speaking to his father, but T'Pring appears to be at her wits end trying to keep her mother from sabotaging their relationship entirely.

Spock is nervous about the upcoming event, but he brushes it aside so that he can focus on his duties, which turns out to be essential as he's paired up with Chapel in the shuttle mission to scan the anomaly around the moon. Things are still awkward between them, but when Christine points out the tension, Spock pretends he hasn't noticed. They move past it to theorize about what happened to the civilization that disappeared from the moon — their scans pick up a unique energy signature and realize that it's a rupture in space-time which promptly starts to pull their shuttle inside. The two of them lock eyes as they crash directly into the rupture and everything goes white before Spock wakes to find Chapel, M'Benga, and Pike all staring at him in Sickbay. Despite the shuttle accident, they were both healed and returned safely to the Enterprise, however, whoever healed them removed Spock's Vulcan DNA making him entirely human.

'Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Introduces a New Alien Species

Una ( Rebecca Romijn ) and La'an examine the crashed shuttle which appears to have been repaired and deep cleaned when they find a calling card for an alien race they're unfamiliar with. Uhura discovers that they can make a subspace call to the species that left the card, and Pike and Una are practically giddy at the chance to make a new alien first contact. When Uhura pulls up the visuals on the viewscreen, the crew is greeted by a nebulous being that refers to herself as Yellow — she says she's of Kerkhov, the alien civilization that once inhabited the moon they were surveying when Spock and Chapel's shuttle crashed. She tells Pike that remediation has been made per her people's laws and that no further contact is necessary. Quite bluntly she tells the captain that the "beings" contained mixed instructions, but now they match, and because they're both alive Yellow doesn't see any reason that they should continue speaking, and she ends the subspace call. Uhura can't get the call back and Spock is seemingly stuck in his human body.

In sickbay, Spock goes through an incredible emotional rollercoaster from anger to hunger to gratitude that M'Benga is working on finding a way to restore Spock's Vulcan DNA. Pike reminds Spock of his upcoming commitment dinner with T'Pring and her family, and he immediately overreacts, a rarity for Spock, explaining that T'Pring's mother hates him, and she can't know that this has happened. Pike tells him that he informed T'Pring and Amanda that Spock was in an accident, and he's still recovering, and they've simply agreed to postpone the dinner.

Because nothing is technically wrong with Spock, he decides that he'll return to his regular duties, though Pike advises him to take it easy. The episode then takes Spock through a delightful montage as he laughs uncontrollably with friends in the ship's bar, becomes obsessed with bacon during a cooking lesson, and snaps at Sam Kirk ( Dan Jeannotte ) over leaving his breakfast dishes on the conference table during a briefing. Afterward, Spock chats with La'an about the range of emotions that he's going through, and she notes that it sounds like he's experiencing something similar to human puberty. After an awkward moment, she advises him to work on impulse control.

Back in sickbay, Chapel is blaming herself for Spock's current condition and works around the clock to figure out how to restore his Vulcan half. She's worked so long that she realizes she's late for her interview for the archeology fellowship — upon her arrival, she's immediately disappointed as the Vulcan reviewing her application doesn't seem to care about any of the discoveries she's made and dismisses her for taking a unique approach to science and medicine. When she runs into Spock in the hallway later he notices that she's upset and asks what happened. Because he's fully human he doesn't really have the filter he normally would, and he tells her that "Vulcans can be such jerks" and awkwardly offers her a hug. She's grateful for the rare emotional vulnerability from him, but before they can discuss things any further they're interrupted by the news that Spock's mother is beaming aboard.

When Spock arrives to greet Amanda in the transporter room, he's wearing a beanie to hide the fact that his ears are no longer pointy. She thinks it's silly, but the important thing is that she's here to tell him that they can't keep postponing the dinner because T'Pring's mother is threatening to end their engagement. Spock can't suppress his emotional reaction, despite his best efforts, and he has an outburst in front of Amanda. She immediately clocks what's going on and realizes they've got a lot of work to do and very little time to do it in as the dinner with T'Pring's family is now scheduled for the next day aboard the Enterprise. In Pike's quarters, Spock desperately tries to get out of the event entirely, but Amanda explains that to do so, or to reveal that Spock is human, would essentially ostracize T'Pring from upstanding Vulcan society. She decides that it's time to teach Spock about his human side — namely, how to lie.

Spock Learns Lessons in Both Humanity and Vulcan Tradition

M'Benga crafts synthetic earpieces for Spock to wear during the dinner, while Amanda sets about teaching Spock how to be the best Vulcan he can be during their dinner, following all the traditions and rituals that will garner him some good faith with T'Pring's mother. During their lessons, Spock gains a tremendous amount of respect for his mother as she shows him how she's learned to be strong for him. In a hilarious montage that mirrors the series of scenes from earlier in the episode, Spock gets lessons in how to "look more Vulcan" with the help of the crew. His friends teach him how to hold his face and how to not show his immediate emotional reactions. Peck leans hard into the absurdity of the situation, playing Spock with big emotions and adolescent outbursts that only make him more endearing.

Despite the best efforts of both Amanda and the crew, it appears that they won't be able to convincingly pull off a fake mind-meld for the dinner — the most important step in the event. Unfortunately for Spock, Chapel is not only struggling to find a way to heal him, but she's discovered that if she can't change him back soon he's going to be stuck this way forever. In a last-ditch effort to do everything she can to make Spock "whole" again, Chapel asks Ortegas and Uhura to accompany her back to the anomaly to make contact with the Kerkhovians to get a cure.

When T'Pring arrives on board she throws Spock for a loop when she immediately throws protocol out the window, explaining that she's had quite enough of it from her mother. Amanda takes some weight off of her daughter-in-law-to-be's shoulders and offers to greet T'Pring's parents on her behalf, allowing her and Spock to have a moment alone together before the dinner begins. She explains her conflict with her mother, and while it seems like he wanted to tell her, he decides that it would be more difficult for her to have to lie to her mother and keeps the fact that he's human hidden from her too.

The dinner takes place in Captain Pike's quarters with him essentially serving as a pseudo-father figure in place of Sarek . T'Pring's mother comes in with the worst vibes imaginable, somehow finding a way to insult everything about everyone, despite T'Pring's father seemingly being excited to try the food and enjoy the evening with Spock's family. Her complete disdain for humans is on full display as she doesn't hesitate to make Amanda feel less than and turns her nose up at Pike's phenomenal take on traditional Vulcan foods.

Meanwhile, back at the anomaly, Chapel, Uhura, and Ortegas realize that they might be able to fly through the anomaly to reach the other side and contact the aliens. Despite the risks they decide it's worth it, and Ortegas gets to flex her piloting skills. Once they're through the anomaly, they find themselves in interdimensional space with the shuttle nowhere to be found, and no space suits required. They're greeted by another nebulous being who calls herself Blue, Chapel explains that they need their help because they didn't "remediate" Spock correctly. She makes a desperate plea, but the being finds it strange that they're making a complaint outside "the response period."

Spock fights to make it through the rituals, doing a commendable job with the support of T'Pring and Amanda. After keeping a straight face through the tea ceremony, in which he must hold a scalding pot with his bare hands, Spock and T'Pring must listen to critiques from their future in-laws. Amanda tells T'Pring that she could visit more often and have more self-confidence — T'Pril is dissatisfied claiming that Amanda going too easy on her daughter because of her human instincts. She promptly tells Spock that he's a complete disappointment for abandoning Vulcan society for Starfleet, that Sarek is correct to shut him out, and he's unworthy of their daughter. Spock valiantly makes it through without responding emotionally but excuses himself to let out the tension. M'Benga tells him via communicator that Christine has gone to find the cure.

Back inside the anomaly, Yellow explains that "friends" don't have enough connection to each other to justify a complaint in their society. The whole setup is a little ridiculous, in a fun and lighthearted way, as Chapel is pushed to confess her feelings for Spock in order to save him. Yellow deduces that they're each other's caregivers and reveals that during the accident, Spock diverted the shields to her side of the shuttle to protect her. Uhura and Ortegas make it clear that if Christine doesn't sort out her feelings for him now she'll never be able to save Spock. She tells Yellow about their relationship, and while she's been grateful that the way they "fixed" him allowed him to understand her better, she misses the other part of him. Spock has always been a child of two worlds ; his human and Vulcan sides are essential to his very being.

On the ship, Pike attempts to stall ahead of the mind-meld by adding an Earth tradition to the ceremony with a round of charades. T'Pril is not convinced, but it works long enough for Chapel to beam back aboard and arrive with the cure. She and Spock are able to take a moment away under the guise that she's treating his injuries. Spock is delighted that she's returned, and she takes the moment to ask him why he decided to save her during the accident. He explains that it was only logical, despite his complicated feelings. Before he can say anything else, she gives him the cure and walks away.

Spock Learns to Be Proud of His Human Heritage

With his Vulcan DNA restored, Spock is able to perform the mind-meld with Amanda, and reveals that she showed him a memory from his childhood when she took him to school on Vulcan. While T'Pril is ready to criticize, T'Pring speaks up and tells her mother that they've completed the rituals as required. Despite this, she still insists on delivering backhanded compliments to Spock, saying that she's impressed he got through the dinner given his "human handicap." Spock decides to reveal that he's been human this entire time in defense of his mother, calling her resilient, compassionate, and strong for having withstood judgment from Vulcans like T'Pril for him for his entire life.

Despite his impassioned speech, T'Pring is hurt that he would hide something so big from her. Spock explains that he didn't want her to have to lie for him, but she feels like he doesn't see her as an equal partner because he involved his crewmates in the ruse but didn't trust her with the same. She decides that, for now, they should take some time apart. As much as the connection between Spock and Chapel is new and exciting to explore, we can't help but sympathize with T'Pring, who's done nothing but try to meet Spock halfway over and over.

When Chapel gets another call from the Vulcan fellowship, letting her know she can apply again at another time, she turns the situation on its head, as she flexes about her encounter with the Kerkhovians. Meanwhile, as Spock says goodbye to his mother, he asks her why she chose the memory she picked for the ceremony. She tells him that it was the first time she noticed that he felt accepted, and he reciprocates by telling her how seeing through her eyes has enlightened him about all the ways that she's been excluded because of Vulcan culture. Before she beams away, she imparts some wisdom that allows him to better understand Christine, as "it's not easy to be a human who loves a Vulcan."

Later, Spock is pacing in his quarters when Christine arrives, and he explains that he was just on his way to see her too. Inside, he reveals that he and T'Pring are taking time apart and while he feels bad for hurting T'Pring, the break was necessary because he has feelings for someone else. He reveals that he doesn't want to suppress his feelings for Christine any longer, and she finally decides to kiss him. While they both don't know what to make of their attraction to each other, they agree not to think too hard about it and just let themselves feel it for once.

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 arrive every Thursday on Paramount+.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Ethan Peck on Spock’s Love Triangle: ‘I Wouldn’t Consider Him a Player’

Keisha hatchett, staff editor.

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The following contains spoilers from Thursday’s episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Proceed accordingly.

In this week’s episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Spock found himself in a fascinating predicament: made fully human by an unknown being that healed him following a shuttle accident.

“It was really nerve-wracking,” Ethan Peck , who plays the Vulcan science officer, tells TVLine of Thursday’s episode. “Any moment that Spock leans into his humanness is such a challenge for me as an actor. I felt really scared. It felt like a big risk as the actor playing Spock, and it was beautifully handled by [director] Jordan Canning.”

During the hour, we learned that Spock directed all shields to protect Chapel, who was in the shuttle with him, while he bore the brunt of the strange occurrence. After fully recovering with his Vulcan side intact, Spock later confessed his feelings for Chapel, which was sealed with a kiss. Where they go from there, though, remains to be seen.

“I think they have a lot to figure out if they want to make it work,” Peck notes. “It’s going to be very complicated.”

Part of that complication has to do with the fact that Spock is engaged to T’Pring. But after T’Pring realized Spock didn’t trust her enough to tell her what happened to him, she called for them to take a break, and he agreed.

“I think he cares for her deeply and wants to belong with her but knows on some level that he can’t and doesn’t because her family would never accept that part of him, or Vulcan would not accept that part of him that’s human,” Peck explains. “So there’s this desire to be accepted and heartbreak that he can never be, and also probably a celebration at this point.”

Spock may be conflicted about his romantic interests, but Peck notes that the half-Vulcan officer would not be as torn about the Barbie versus Oppenheimer debate. In fact, he believes Spock would see both movies in a double feature.

“Absolutely, because I think Oppenheimer would fulfill the Vulcan side of him, and I think Barbie would fulfill the human side of him,” Peck says.

Note: This interview took place before SAG-AFTRA officially announced a strike on Thursday afternoon.

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SNW has done a great job of making T’Pring a more sympathetic character. With this episode you start seeing how they got to the events in the TOS episode “Amok Time.”

It sucks because I like T’Pring in this show. She and Spock are constrained by the events of canon, so it is what it is, but they could have taken the easy way out and made her some sort of arrogant, icy person that Spock struggled to form any sort of relationship with. Instead, she is shown as being very reasonable, quite accommodating, and she’s literally slipping through Spock’s fingers because he’s got these strong feelings for Chapel. Not that I particularly dislike Chapel, but it kind of hurts to see this happen to T’Pring. If they had made her a character more like her mother, then it would be easier to root against her.

S; “What does this mean?” C:” I don’t know. Shut up.”

This was the first episode this season that I liked, and I loved it! Peck was really great in it, and all the main characters were given time…😍

I really liked season one, but something has been off for me this season. It almost feels like fan fiction rather than a series based in the actual Star Trek universe. Everyone acts like a teenager and while they have redeemable qualities, they only last as long as the story allows before all their intelligence goes out the window to tell a joke or prop up another character. I know times have changed, but the writing should be as good as if not better than The Next Generation. I feel like Enterprise was more Star Trek than any of these new shows. I’m a big Star Trek fan so I’m feeling conflicted on whether it’s me or the show. I guess, at the end of the day, the important part is that people are enjoying it and it’s keeping the franchise alive. But at what cost?

Although I like SNW overall, I agree with you as an old school fan. There is just something “off” with these new shows. People keep telling us that times have changed and we have to move on and this is what Star Trek is now, but sometimes the writing is just…grating. Modern, kitchy dialogue. Modern stylistic choices in terms of behavior. I don’t like it because it doesn’t fit Star Trek. Maybe this is what they felt they needed to do in order to get a new audience, but it just takes me out of the story when it happens. Sometimes I think these writers need to be locked in a room with the older episodes running 24/7 so some of it seeps into their brains via osmosis. I do find the show enjoyable. But the thing is… It could be great. It could be the best thing Star Trek has produced in 20 years. But this modern writing is holding it back.

The characters are less mature, because our society has become less mature.

In the old days, children had to grow up faster and fight their own battles. They had to stick up for themselves, because no one else would do that for them. Now, teachers do it for them. And as a result, children grow up to be adults and in some cases have a terrible time adapting, because when they were children they always had adults around to solve their problems for them. They didn’t learn how to navigate around difficult people. They didn’t learn to develop a thick skin, which helps create self-confidence. Now, any time someone says something that they don’t like they react to it, rather than ignore it.

There has to be a happy medium in there somewhere. I just don’t think society has found it, yet. No one should ever be bullied. The problem is that the definition of bullying has been badly watered down to a point where it seems as though everyone is walking on eggshells.

I have been a Trekkie since watching TOS as a teenager and I think, despite my huge teenage crush on Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, that SNW is a much better show. I love it and not all canon is worth preserving. The Spock/Nurse Chappel storyline in TOS was awful and I love what Ethan Peck and Jess Bush are doing with their characters. TOS opened the door and I will always be grateful for that, but it’s not sacred to me.

The writing and storytelling is excellent, this series is a blessing for us original trekkers. Keep up the Great work.

Did they forget that T’Pring is working on something with Sybok, that, if I’m not mistaken, Spock doesn’t know about.

An upcoming episode of SNW: The Search for Stonn.

I very much enjoyed this episode. That said, Vulcans’ are known for being logical, not emotional. T’Pring acted more human than Vulcan. She was way too emotional.

On a side note, it took me awhile to figure out where I was going wrong watching this series. My vision isn’t the greatest at times due to migraines. I had made the mistake of thinking that this was the third season of the series when it is the actual second season.

After watching the last episode of the first season, the streaming device immediately started to load “Picard” which had aired for two seasons at that point. I hadn’t noticed that the streaming device had started to load “Picard ” (I had shut off the streaming device before Picard had started), and just assumed that it was a continuation of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Recap: Meet the (Disapproving Vulcan) Parents

Star trek: strange new worlds.

“I want to feel this.” That line would be an extraordinary admission coming from Spock in any context, but arriving at the end of “Charades,” an episode in which he’s been roiled by emotional chaos he could not control, it plays like a turning point for the character. Spock knows the cost emotions can exact, even beyond the pause he’s put on his relationship with T’Pring and whatever inevitable fallout that will create. But he’s willing to cast all that aside to be with Chapel. Or at least make the attempt; the episode cuts to black as they kiss enthusiastically, so who knows what happens next? It’s almost beside the point at this moment, however. “Charades” isn’t about consequences, because both Spock and Chapel are choosing to ignore them. It’s about getting them to the point where they can no longer resist one another.

It’s been a long time coming, and finally getting to it in “Charades” requires both Spock and Chapel getting through a lot of complications, some of them created by the innate awkwardness of their situation, some by an encounter with a long-vanished species encountered in the far side of the Vulcan system, specifically the moon of Kerkhov. It was once home to a now-vanished ancient civilization and thus of particular interest to Chapel, who’s in the final stages of interviewing for a Vulcan fellowship in archeological medicine (with, it would seem, the help of every other crew member in her social circle). She’s eager to talk about the principles of her field but less eager to talk about Spock, even though it’s widely acknowledged there’s something “weird” going on between them.

Meanwhile, Spock has begun channeling all that “weird” energy into other interests. With his emotions fully suppressed, he can spend time learning about cooking from Pike. But the thing about repression is it doesn’t really work. Spock can wordlessly clean up Samuel’s messes, but they still annoy him. He can sit stone-faced while others laugh at a joke and pretend he doesn’t wonder what he’s missing, but that doesn’t mean he’s not bothered by the moment. He’s invested all his energy into reuniting with T’Pring, but that’s gotten complicated too. She feels the need to have a ceremonial Vulcan engagement dinner sooner than planned due to Spock’s busy schedule and the fact that her mother, T’Pril (Ellora Patnaik), doesn’t really like Spock. It’s less than ideal timing, but Spock agrees to it anyway. Besides, all he’s got planned is a simple shuttle mission flying by the Kerkhovian   moon .  What could go wrong?

The problems start with the addition of an unexpected companion on the trip: Chapel. That forces them to be alone together, a situation Spock at least has been avoiding. They barely have a moment to deal with the situation before a rupture in space/time — one that may have a connection to the vanished Kerkhovians — disrupts the trip and causes a mysterious crash. Even more mysterious: When Spock wakes up back on the  Enterprise , he’s now fully human, a development he greets with shock and a profanity interrupted by the opening credits.

It’s undoubtedly a WTF situation. Chapel seems fine. The shuttle is in better shape than ever (and has picked up a mysterious alien artifact). It’s only Spock who’s different. When Uhura, using the artifact, reaches out to a previously unknown alien species, “Yellow,” the alien who talks to Kirk, sounds friendly enough, but they also don’t really want to talk all that much. After telling Pike “remediation has been made,” they insist “no further contact is necessary” despite screwing up Spock with, in Yellow’s words, “mixed instructions.” Then they end the phone call, leaving Pike and the others to figure out their own fix for the situation.

Meanwhile, Spock is hungry. And effusive in his gratitude. And freaked out about the engagement dinner. And way too amused at others’ jokes. And super annoyed at Samuel’s messiness. And horny (and not just for Chapel). He’s, in contemporary terms, feeling  all  the feelings, and it’s weirding him and everyone else out. It’s La’an that cracks it: He’s essentially now an adolescent in an adult human body.

While Chapel and M’Benga look for a solution, Chapel has a brief, dismissive interview with the Vulcan in charge of her fellowship application. It bums her out and sends her into Spock’s arms for a nice warm hug. That, Chapel tells him, “wasn’t typical of you.” When Spock asks if that’s okay, she changes the subject. What might seem like an ideal situation for Chapel is anything but. She likes Spock the way he was, with all his frustrating reserve. This human Spock isn’t quite the same, and she wants the old one back. And maybe she’d have some time to explore those feelings if not for another complication: Spock’s mom Amanda (Mia Kirshner) has beamed aboard.

She’s come with some news: The engagement dinner, which has been hanging by a thread due to the frustrations of T’Pring’s family, is still on. In fact, it’s imminent. They’ll be holding it aboard the  Enterprise  tomorrow night. After a futile effort to keep his secret from Amanda, Spock comes clean, removing the stocking cap he’s donned to hide his decidedly un-Vulcan ears. With Pike, they agree to carry on with the (extremely complicated) engagement ceremony by hiding Spock’s humanity doing something alien to his Vulcan nature: faking it.

It requires a lot of preparation. Amanda walks him through a tea ritual that involves carrying a scalding-hot pot without flinching. La’an, Oretegas, Una, and Uhura offer a tutorial in talking like a Vulcan. These are the easy parts. The dinner will also involve listening to a string of criticisms from T’Pring’s parents and acting out a mind meld with Amanda. But no matter how extensive their prep, it doesn’t seem like Spock will be able to bluff his way through it.

It gets worse: Over at sick bay, Chapel has deduced that they’re under the gun in fixing Spock, who’s doomed to be fully human forever if they don’t crack this. She’s got a plan, however, one that involves talking to the Kerkhovians by going back to the site of the crash. After recruiting Ortegas and Uhura for the job, they’re off, and everyone’s fully committed to seeing this attempt through, no matter how much crazy maneuvering it takes. On the other side, Chapel talks to Blue (who sounds a bit like Yellow) about their bungled “remediation.”

Eventually, Chapel gets an audience with Yellow, who’s not happy that this complaint is being lodged outside the response period. But she gives Chapel some information about the crash, specifically that Spock steered into the skid of the crash in a way that would protect her at the expense of his well-being. This confuses Yellow, but it clarifies things for Chapel, making it easier for her to say out loud for the first time that she has feelings for Spock, and for this, she’s rewarded with a cure.

While Chapel makes her desperate attempt, Spock reunites with T’Pring, who almost catches her fiancé in a lie when he laughs at an apparently unintentional joke in which she compares her mother to a creature who eats her young. It’s not a  crazy  comparison, though. When T’Pril and T’Pring’s father, Sevet   (Michael Benyaer), arrives, the air thickens with tension, a situation T’Pril does nothing to alleviate. Sevet   loves Pike’s attempt at Vulcan cuisine, but T’Pril squelches his enthusiasm before plunging directly into the ritual. If this is, in some ways, an engineered disaster, she’s eager to get to its catastrophic end.

And yet, somehow, the catastrophe never arrives. Spock pours the tea and grits his teeth through T’Pril’s criticisms, however deep they cut and even though they conclude with telling him he doesn’t deserve T’Pring. Still, he doesn’t think he can keep it up much longer, prompting Pike to propose a game of charades (as if they haven’t been playing one already). It’s a gambit that buys enough time for Chapel to return with a cure. She wastes no time bringing it to him, but she also wants an answer as to why he protected her during the crash. Spock admits his feelings are “confusing,” but before he can elaborate, Chapel administers the cure, assuring that his human Spock, and the ease with which he expresses himself, will recede.

With his Vulcan nature returned, Spock aces the rest of the ritual and then tops it off with a defense of his mom, his humanity, and humanity in general. This pleases Amanda (especially given the nature of the memory, which she later discusses with Spock) and makes T’Pril seethe, especially since it’s too late to end the engagement. But despite that achievement, T’Pring is hurt when she learns Spock kept his troubles from her and decides it’s best they take a break. She’s not the only one giving up in anger, either. Rejected by the Vulcans, Chapel decides to end the interview with a kiss-off.

Then Chapel and Spock reunite in private, where Spock reveals he and T’Pring are on the outs and that he has feelings for Chapel. Beyond that, he tells her, “I want to feel this.” They kiss and decide worrying about what happens next can wait.

Part farce, part rom-com, part first chapter of an impassioned love story (maybe), this was a fun episode and one with potentially far-reaching repercussions. Written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers and directed by Jordan Canning, “Charades” somewhat unexpectedly brings Spock and Chapel together, but  Strange New Worlds  has a habit of not drawing out any ongoing story lines over  that  many episodes. (See also: M’Benga’s daughter and the secret of Una’s augmentation.) But it doesn’t feel like the end of the story. That’s in part because we know a bit about about the T’Pring/Chapel/Spock story plays out thanks to the original series, but also because it plays fair by T’Pring, who remains an appealing character who seems like a good match for Spock. Or she would if his heart weren’t elsewhere.

• Of course, the fact that these characters have a history that played out in the original series creates some complications. Just as Pike is (unavoidably?) fated to have a horrible accident, thanks to “Amok Time,” we know Chapel and Spock are apparently also fated not to stay together, and Spock is fated not to marry T’Pring. But are they? It seems like the question of whether or not Pike’s destiny is preordained also applies elsewhere to the series. It takes place in the proper  Trek  canon, but this is a branch that also invented a sister for Spock we’d never heard of before. Whether or not it will be beholden to canon or perhaps find some loophole around it remains to be seen. These are the same characters, of course, but they’re also very much different interpretations of the characters. It might be unfair to bind them to what happens in the original series too closely. (Especially since Ethan Peck and Jess Bush have such terrific chemistry.)

• Poor Spock, silently suffering the “scent of humans” for so long. Peck holding molded Vulcan ears, which are almost certainly similar to the ones he wears as Spock, is a nice meta touch, as are the scenes of him getting an acting class on how to behave like a Vulcan.

• Kirshner does some nice work as Amanda and we get a deeper sense of what she’s endured because she loves Sarek. Patnaik’s a lot of fun, too. It’s just a good episode for moms all around.

• star trek: strange new worlds

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REVIEW: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Episode 5 — “Mirriors”

T hroughout its final season, Star Trek: Discovery  embarks on a journey of self-reflection , seeking to emulate the iconic elements and themes of past Trek installments as well as its own. However, in its earnest endeavor to honor the legacy of the franchise, Discovery risks diluting its own distinct identity. As the series navigates the fine line between homage and originality Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 leaves viewers to ponder whether it’s losing sight of what truly makes Discovery stand out.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 opens with Discovery finding an unseen wormhole while trailing Moll ( Eve Harlow ) and L’ak ( Elias Toufexis ). Inside, they stumble upon the ISS Enterprise. This Enterprise will be familiar to fans of Star Trek: The Orginal Series from the episode “Mirror, Mirror” in Season 2, Episode 10. In that episode, a transporter glitch catapults Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura into a parallel universe dominated by an evil Empire. There, Kirk reigns as a tyrant and Spock serves as his cunning right-hand man establishing the Mirror Universe. Since then, the universes have clashed in various Star Trek franchises, including Discovery.

With the Discovery unable to enter the wormhole, they opt to send a shuttle instead. Booker ( David Ajala ) and Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) pilot the shuttle into the wormhole, setting up a showdown between the couples as hinted earlier in the season. Their encounter aboard the ISS Enterprise continues the recurring mirror themes. Before the USS Discovery arrived in the future, Booker and Burnham were couriers together for a year. Burnham, having almost lost hope of reuniting with her crew, would have done anything for Booker. He was essentially her only family in the galaxy , much like La’k is for Moll. The question arises: would Burnham have also pursued Progenitor technology if it meant safeguarding everything she holds dear?

Moll’s connection to Booker adds another layer to the mirror theme. Booker’s mentor was Moll’s father, sparking a complex exploration for the pair throughout the episode. If Moll’s father had stayed with her, she might have lived a much different life, potentially mirroring Booker’s. The question arises: is the man Booker idolized truly as great as he believed? Additionally, Booker was willing to jeopardize the entire galaxy’s fate to prevent the tragedy that befell his homeworld from happening elsewhere. Aware of the Federation’s forgiving nature, he understands Moll’s intentions better than anyone.

Meanwhile, Commander Rayner ( Callum Keith Rennie ) leads the Discovery crew in what’s meant to be a feel-good moment in Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5. Once trapped, he “assists” them in finding a solution to rescue Burnham and Booker from the wormhole. However, it took four episodes for him to build confidence and earn the crew’s favor, even though he wasn’t the one to ultimately solve the problem.

His role this season could have been fulfilled by any existing crew member, potentially allowing more screen time for characters like Dr. Hugh Culber ( Wilson Cruz ). Despite the season acknowledging Dr. Cubler’s struggle to find himself after his experiences, his screen time remains limited to brief moments of self-reflection. Instead, more attention is devoted to developing empathy for Commander Rayner.

To compound matters,  Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 finally delves into Moll and La’k’s backstory . However, it falls painfully flat. When Moll’s motivations for pursuing technology with galaxy-altering potential finally reveal themselves, they lack the depth of the profound love we’ve seen other characters develop throughout the series. It diminishes one of Discovery’s key distinctions from other Star Trek franchises: its adept handling of complex romantic relationships. Instead, the villain’s primary motivation resembles a fleeting teenage infatuation.

While the last two seasons differentiated themselves from previous Trek series, this one is inclined to pay homage. Like other episodes this season, the episode’s title is a direct homage to other Treks with “Mirrors” directly referencing The Orginal Series ‘s “Mirror, Mirror.” This connection to other franchises echoes patterns seen in earlier seasons. However, it is a weak imitation of the rich history it tries to honor, losing what makes the Discovery franchise distinct. This connection to other franchises echoes patterns seen in earlier seasons. It would have been refreshing to see the series strive for something new and set itself apart one last time.

As Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 attempts to echo the Trek that came before it, the portrayal of Moll and La’k as mirrors to Burnham and Booker falls short. With familiar paths continuing to play out, revisiting the episodes that inspired this final season might be more rewarding than the episodes themselves. At the very least, you can skip Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 , where even dialogue recaps the lessons from this episode and previous episodes like an after-school special.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 is streaming exclusively on Paramount+ with new episodes every Thursday.

The post REVIEW: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Episode 5 — “Mirriors” appeared first on But Why Tho? .

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Star trek: discovery season 5, episode 5 ending explained.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 contains two major reveals about the Mirror Universe and the Breen. We break down what the ending means.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"

• Star Trek: Discovery's next clue is hidden aboard the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise trapped in interdimensional space.
• L'ak is a Breen with a blood bounty on his head, and his backstory with Moll is revealed.
• The USS Discovery crew, led by Commander Rayner, helps save Burnham and Book and bring the ISS Enterprise into the Prime Universe, but Moll and L'ak escape.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors," ends with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery's crew grappling with jaw-dropping reveals about the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise, L'ak's (Elias Toufexis) species, and the next clue in the hunt for the Progenitors' treasure. Written by Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan, the thrilling "Mirrors" sends Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) into interdimensional space after Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak and the third Progenitors' clue , but they found a lot more than they bargained for.

In Star Trek: Discovery s eason 5, episode 5, Captain Burnham, Cleveland Booker, Moll, and L'ak are all trapped aboard the derelict ISS Enterprise after Burnham's shuttle and L'ak's ship are destroyed by interdimensional space, a dangerous region between Star Trek 's Prime and Mirror Universes . Michael ingeniously uses the Enterprise's tractor beam to send a distress signal to the USS Discovery, where Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) and the bridge crew find a way to keep the aperture of the interdimensional space wormhole open to fly the ISS Enterprise through. However, L'ak and Moll make their escape, leaving Burnham, Book, and the Starfleet heroes to grapple with the third clue to the Progenitors' treasure, and what they learned and found in the wormhole.

The ISS Enterprise's first and only previous appearance was in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2's "Mirror, Mirror", which introduced the Mirror Universe.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Captain kirk's mirror universe iss enterprise now belongs to 32nd century starfleet, it's been a long road for the iss enterprise.

The Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise becomes the property of the 32nd century's Starfleet and United Federation of Planets at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors." Captain Burnham assigned Lt. Commanders Kayla Detmer (Emily Coutts) and Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) - who don't actually appear in the episode - to fly the ISS Enterprise back to Federation HQ to be put into "storage". However, the acquisition of a major historical find like a 23rd-century Constitution Class starship filled with Terran Empire technology from the Mirror Universe is bound to be of interest to Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg).

After the Temporal Wars, crossing over between the Mirror Universe and Star Trek 's Prime universe is now impossible, but the ISS Enteprise was trapped in interdimensional space for centuries, which crossing over could still happen.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5's ISS Enterprise scenes were filmed on the USS Enterprise sets of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Discovery season 5's production took place at the end of 2022, after Strange New Worlds season 2 had wrapped in June and long before Strange New Worlds season 3 filming started in December 2023. The USS Enterprise's bridge, medical bay, transporter room, and hallways were redressed to turn the starship into its Mirror Universe counterpart.

Commander Michael Burnham previously came aboard Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Discovery season 2.

Star Trek: Discovery's Mirror Universe Revelations

We found out what happened to mirror spock and mirror saru.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5's ISS Enterprise appearance answered some big questions about the events of the Mirror Universe after Star Trek: The Original Series ' "Mirror, Mirror." Cleveland Booker learned from the plaque where the Enterprise's missing crew left their story behind that the Terran High Chancellor was assassinated after making reforms. This refers to the Mirror Universe's Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who was urged by the Prime Universe's Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) to make reforms to prevent the inevitable collapse of the Terran Empire, which happened anyway.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Mirror Universe episodes revealed that the Terran Empire, weakened by Spock's reforms, was conquered by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.

Refugees led by a Kelpien slave-turned-rebel leader - Saru (Doug Jones) - used the ISS Enterprise to flee the Mirror Universe for the Prime Universe in the 23rd century, but the starship was trapped in interdimensional space. The Enterprise's crew eventually used the ship's shuttles and escape pods to abandon the starship in an effort to make it to the Prime Universe. Some did make it through, including the ISS Enterprise's junior science officer, Dr. Cho , who later joined Starfleet and became a branch Admiral in the 24th century.

Jinaal Bix redacted the names of the scientists who found the Progenitors' technology, including Dr. Cho.

Moll & L'ak Escaped Discovery With A Breen Bounty On Their Heads

L'ak is the nephew of the breen primarch.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 revealed the backstory of Moll and L'ak, including the revelation that L'ak is Breen . Years before Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Moll was a courier who sold latinum to the Breen Imperium, where she met L'ak, the nephew of the Breen's Primarch Ruhn (Tony Nappo), who had fallen out of favor and was working in the shuttle bay. Moll and L'ak fell in love , and L'ak committed a crime against the Breen by consorting with "a lesser being" and removing his helmet to show Moll his true face. Confronted by his uncle, L'ak shot the Primarch and fled with Moll.

Moll and L'ak used one of the ISS Enterprise's remaining warp pods to flee capture.

Moll and L'ak both have an Erigah, a Breen blood bounty, on their heads, and they hope that finding the Progenitors' treasure and selling it to the Breen will buy their freedom. Neither Moll and L'ak want the Federation's help offered by Captain Burnham, and they would "rather die" than be separated in a Federation prison. L'ak was injured in a brawl with Burnham, but instead of seeking medical attention from the USS Discovery, Moll and L'ak used one of the ISS Enterprise's remaining warp pods to flee capture. However, this time, Moll and L'ak left behind a warp trail Discovery can follow.

Cleveland Booker Tries To Connect With Moll

Booker's mentor was moll's absentee father.

Cleveland Booker has personal reasons to connect with and save Moll. Moll's real name is Malinne Booker, and she is the daughter of Book's late mentor, Cleveland Booker IV . Moll's father abandoned her and her mother to become a courier and raise the funds needed to move his family to a new home in the Gamma Quadrant. However, Booker IV's dangerous life as a courier and dealings with criminal organizations like the Emerald Chain made him keep his distance from Malinne, who blamed him for leaving her behind.

Moll doesn't want Cleveland Booker in her life.

Moll became a courier like her father to do what he didn't and earn enough latinum to move to the Gamma Quadrant, but Moll's entire world shifted when she fell in love with L'ak and the Breen placed a blood bounty on their head s. Moll doesn't want Cleveland Booker in her life , but she relents when she has the chance to kill the man who took her father's name. Whether Moll will ever come to see Book as the "only family" she has left, the way Book sees her, remains to be seen.

Commander Rayner Got The Best Out Of USS Discovery's Crew

Citrus mash for everyone.

Captain Burnham left Commander Rayner at the conn of the USS Discovery while she and Book went on their away mission, despite Rayner's reservations about leading Burnham's crew. However, Rayner was impressed that Burnhum learned Kellerun literature to connect with her new First Officer. This knowledge was the key to Rayner saving Burnham from interdimensional space. Burnham used the ISS Enterprise's tractor beam to send a signal the Kellerun commander would understand.

Rayner gained a new appreciation for Discovery's crew and how to work with them as his own crew.

Commander Rayner placed his trust in the USS Discovery's crew to "science" a way to open the wormhole's aperture and pull the ISS Enterprise into the Prime Universe. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp). Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), Lt. Commander Gen Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon), Lt. Christopher (Orville Cummings), Lt. Linus (David Benjamin Tomlinson), Lt. Naya (Victoria Sawal), Lt. Commander Asha (Christina Dixon), and Lt. Gallo (Natalie Liconti) all rose to the occasion and found a way to save Burnham and Book. In turn, Rayner gained a new appreciation for Discovery's crew and how to work with them as his own crew.

Dr. Culber Reaches Out To Tilly

Culber has questions science can't answer.

The USS Discovery's counselor, Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), needs a counselor of his own. Culber continues to deal with the unimaginable experience of Trill scientist Jinaal Bix occupying his mind and body in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3, "Jinaal." Being taken over by a Trill has left Culber with existential questions, and he hopes finding the Progenitors' technology will provide him with the answers he seeks.

Hugh finds a sympathetic ear in Lt. Sylvia Tilly.

Unfortunately for Hugh, he doesn't believe he can share his feelings with his husband, Commander Paul Stamets because Paul is a man of science, and Culber's questions are ineffable. Hugh finds a sympathetic ear in Lt. Sylvia Tilly, but the answers Dr. Culber seeks are tied to what the USS Discovery finds when they locate the Progenitors' treasure - or so Hugh hopes. Culber, who has already died and been resurrected, may find himself in a new scenario that has pivotal life-or-death decisions in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Dr. Hugh Culber's dilemma in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a rare attempt by Star Trek to address spiritual questions.

Where Star Trek: Discovery's Next Progenitors' Treasure Clue Leads

The next clue involves water.

Captain Burnham acquired the third clue from Moll and L'ak, which is a vial of water contained within a piece of the Progenitors' treasure map. Burnham is waiting for Commander Stamets to conduct a chemical analysis of the water, which will reveal where the USS Discovery must go next for the 4th clue . However, Michael told Book that Dr. Cho, the former Terran scientist who became a Starfleet Admiral, went back to the ISS Enterprise in interdimensional space and hid her clue to the Progenitors' technology there.

Michael also told Book she saw him in the past during Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange's" time loops, and that they were happy back then.

Burnham and Book mused over the lessons attached to each clue. On Trill, finding Jinaal's clue was dependent on Burnham and Booker proving they value lifeforms other than their own. On Lyrek for the first clue, the lesson was the importance of cultural context. Michael surmised that the lesson Dr. Cho left behind with her clue on the ISS Enterprise was to have the hope to shape your own future in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 as the search for the Progenitors' treasure and the answers to life, itself, continues.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 5 'Mirrors' is a quality installment, but weighed down by another anchor of nostalgia

This entire episode was more than likely written for the sole reason that the sets from "Strange New Worlds" could be utilized.

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

The chase across the galaxy for the Progenitors MacGuffin continues, offering chances to insert stand-alone, episode-length adventures along the way. And this week's installment, entitled "Mirrors" features a brief and very random reminder that the Mirror Universe exists. 

And that alone would've made an genuinely enthralling episode, but...Alex Kurtzman et al could not resist the temptation for an utterly pointless and thoroughly unnecessary throwback to the USS Enterprise. Honestly, these people have a serious problem, they should seek help. 

To put all of this into context, the crew of the USS Discovery continue their pursuit of Malinne 'Moll' Ravel (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) and that chase leads them to er...well, you know, a giant, space-time swirly orifice that fills the viewscreen. Apparently, it's some sort of wormhole that's spectacularly unstable because of the constant matter/anti-matter reactions that are taking place at the opening. It's actually more than a little reminiscent of the inside of the V'ger spacecraft from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and that's just fine. 

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But it's what they find inside that grinds gears. Since the Discovery is too big to squeeze through the constantly opening and closing orifice, Capt. Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Book (David Ajala) take a shuttle through only to find...the ISS Enterprise. Yes, indeed, last seen (and only seen, actually) in the epic "The Original Series" episode "Mirror, Mirror" (S02, E04).

While beaming back to the USS Enterprise during an ion storm, Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura materialize aboard a almost-identical Enterprise in a parallel universe. Here, the United Federation of Planets has been replaced by the Terran Empire and its inhabitants are violent and cruel. Their only hope is to artificially reproduce the effects of the storm to facilitate a return to their own universe. (" I mperial S pace S hip replaces the traditional " U nited S pace S hip.")

And while the idea of finding a derelict, 900-year-old starship from the latter half of the 23rd century is a great idea, in the name of the Great Prophet Zarquon, why-oh-why did it have to be the Enterprise? There are — at least — 10 other Constitution Class starships that could've been potentially chosen and thus still allowing the updated sets from "Strange New Worlds" to have been used. 

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The USS Cayuga (NCC-1557), USS Constellation (NCC-1017), USS Defiant (NCC-1764), USS Excalibur (NCC-1664), USS Exeter (NCC-1672), USS Hood (NCC-1703), USS Intrepid (NCC-1631), USS Lexington (NCC-1709), USS New Jersey (NCC-1975) and the USS Potemkin (NCC-1657). And those are just the ones that are canon. Another new vessel could just as easily have been introduced as it's not unknown for Nu-Trek to bring brand new ships to the line.

And of course Burnham makes reference to the fact that her brother, Spock, served on this ship, which is probably another reason why the Enterprise was forced upon the writers. And according to some extremely rushed exposition, most of the crew escaped the weird wibblywobbly wormhole and went on to lead peaceful and productive lives — we assume somewhere not too far away given how long ago it happened and the current location in deep space — in a somewhat Space Seed scenario. Another interesting throwaway remark from Burnham was, "Crossing between universes has been impossible for centuries now," which shuts down that potential story avenue rather abruptly. 

But let's also focus on why this episode could've been near-faultless if only someone could counsel Paramount showrunners on how to ween themselves off of nostalgia addiction. This week we get to see the whole Moll and L'ak backstory...and it's rather good and to add to that, Book and Moll confront the fact that they're distantly related. You know, because that makes things much more absurd orderly. (See how Burnham had to be related to Spock.)

The pacing of this episode, and with the exception of using the Enterprise, when any other Constitution Class starship could've worked — and served to expand the Mirror Universe a little bit — this is an enjoyable episode. It's a shame though that this is following the same cookie cutter seasonal storyline template by relying very much on a quest to follow while having standalone episode-long adventures to fill in the gaps, but hey, it can't be much worse than last season. So, there's that.

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 US, while "Prodigy" has found a new home on Netflix.  

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the UK 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.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

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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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 Review: The Crew Solves Two of the Series’ Biggest Mysteries

While on the hunt for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5's powerful alien technology, Captain Michael Burnham solves two decades-old franchise mysteries.

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 5, "Mirrors."

One thing about Star Trek: Discovery fans is they are very observant. The big surprise in Season 5, Episode 5, "Mirrors," was slightly spoiled by the trailers, particularly when these eagle-eyed fans captured and examined screenshots. While the return of the ISS Enterprise after 58 years is a big deal, there is more that happens in the episode than solving an old mystery from Star Trek: The Original Series . However, the answer that Captain Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker uncover is a great one, and fans finally get a long-awaited first look at a mysterious alien species.

After dealing with the Time-Bug in the previous episode , the crew of the USS Discovery tries to figure out where Moll and L'ak disappeared to. While the space criminals have been very capable villains (almost too capable), they're not doing very well in the race. "Mirrors" marks the first time that Moll and L'ak put their hands onto one of the pieces of the Progenitors' puzzle before the Discovery crew. Of course, they aren't able to hold onto it for long after L'ak suffered a serious injury. Still, for the first time, both Burnham and Booker talk to their rivals, approaching them with the kind of compassion that Starfleet is known for. However, they still have to accomplish their mission, and L'ak's determination to be there for Moll gets in the way of any common ground they could've found. Thanks to flashbacks, viewers finally learn why the two are so eager to find this treasure, and where L'ak is coming from.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Continues To Put the USS Discovery in Classic Star Trek Situations

“mirrors” shows the crew rising to meet the challenge in classic star trek fashion, star trek: discovery's callum keith rennie shows a new side of starfleet.

From the lack of galaxy-ending stakes and major interpersonal drama among the crew, Season 5 is Stark Trek: Discovery at its most fun. This episode, in particular, is full of classic Star Trek moments, from forcing enemies to work together to sci-fi technobabble that provides a dramatic resolution to a major problem. The impetus for this race for the Progenitors' technology stems from Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Chase (Season 6, Episode 20)," but there are major connections to all eras of Gene Roddenberry's universe throughout the season.

While they don't get a lot of screentime, the USS Discovery's crew under Commander Rayner's authority is an equally interesting part of the episode. The recently-demoted captain is hesitant to take full command of the ship in a crisis. In "Jinaal (Season 5, Episode 3)," he took command while Burnham and the away team were down on the surface of Trill. Yet, as far as he knew, their lives and that of the crew weren't in serious danger. His focus was on finding Moll and L'ak, and personally connecting with the crew in 20 words or less. That's not to say that the stoic commander was above some of the series' most emotional beats.

An early scene in the episode, where Captain Burnham tells her new Number One that she believes in him, was subtle but touching . After Rayner showed that he studied Earth customs and sayings, such as "breaking the ice," Burnham returns the favor and cites a historical epic from the Kellerun people. This comes into play when she's able to reference that story later on as a distress call for herself and Book. Instead of badgering the crew, Rayner uses his newfound personal connections (and a friendly offer of Kellerun Citrus Mash) to inspire the crew to solve the problem. This was as classic a Star Trek moment as any, and one longtime franchise fans will surely love.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Reveals the Face of the Breen Imperium Through Moll and L'ak

Star trek fans have wondered what the breen looked like under their armor for decades, star trek: discovery's mary wiseman, wilson cruz and blu del barrio hype finale.

First introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the Breen Imperium was a galactic seat of power outside of Federation space who allied with the Dominion. The armored aliens look like something out of Star Wars , particularly their helmets, which were reminiscent of Princess Leia's Boussh disguise in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi . The Breen's appearance and who they really were was one of the most enduring mysteries in Star Trek canon. Even the Dominion didn't know what their Breen allies looked like under the armor. Star Trek: Discovery finally reveals the armor keeps their bodies in a translucent, almost liquid-like state. L'ak, as viewers have seen them, are what the Breen call their "other face."

Moll originally teamed up with L'ak to cheat the Imperium out of some faulty dilithium, a commodity that became scarce because of the Burn . They soon fell in love and when L'ak's uncle, the Primarch of the Sixth Fleet, found out, he ordered L'ak to kill Moll. He instead killed his uncle's guards, but spared the Primarch because, as L'ak said, "he raised me." This defiance earned him an "Erigah," a Breen bounty that is impossible to lift. He now hopes that bringing the Progenitors' technology to the Primarch will lift this death sentence.

Moll also bonded with her quasi-brother Cleveland Booker, though he's the fourth to use that name. Her father was the third Booker, which made him desperate to "save" Moll. Knowing that all she really wants is to live a quiet life, "Mirrors" could be the start of Moll and L'ak eventually joining forces with the USS Discovery crew. Captain Burnham is, after all, a big fan of second chances and redemption . If Season 5 is to have a big villainous threat, it will clearly be the Breen trying to collect on L'ak's Erigah, not two petty criminals.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Reveals What Happened to the Mirror Universe Enterprise

The iss enterprise was introduced in star trek: the original series “mirror, mirror (season 2, episode 4)”, star trek: discovery actors doug jones & david ajala prepare for their last adventure.

"Mirrors" also reveals another, older Star Trek secret, specifically the ultimate fate of the ISS Enterprise, formerly under the command of Tiberius Kirk . Previously, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Crossover (Season 2, Episode 23)" revealed what happened to the Mirror Spock and the Terran Empire. He started the revolution that Kirk suggested and was successful in conquering the Terran Empire to usher in galactic peace. Unfortunately, an alliance of Klingons and Cardassians attacked their weakened forces and took over the galaxy -- or at least the sector containing the Cardassian and Bajoran territory. The fate of Spock himself and his flagship was left open for other storytellers to explore.

Star Trek: Discovery still leaves Spock's ultimate fate an open question, though it seems unlikely that he would have fled his universe. His ship, however, became a refugee vessel for Terran reformers who fled, either in the face of Klingon-Cardassian attacks or a resurgence of the Terran Empire's xenophobic and warlike ways . Their goal was to cross over to the Prime Universe, where they knew the universe they hoped to build already existed. Along with Doctor Cho, the Federation scientist who hid the clue, the Mirror version of Saru (who also became a revolutionary) came with them. This placed the crossover sometime in the Kelpien lifespan, but close enough for Doctor Cho to still be alive. The use of the ship at all is mostly fan service, but it doesn't take away from the story's importance.

In Star Trek: Disocovery Season 3, a holographic interrogator told Philippa Georgiou, the former Terran Empress, that there was a subatomic "chimeric strain on the Terran stem cell" which explained their "evil" natures. Georgiou doubted this, and the ISS Enterprise's refugees are more evidence that the Empress was right. The ideal of Star Trek is that anyone welcomed into this utopian society would discover the logic and practicality of Federation morality, and thus abandon their more outdated worldviews. It obviously worked on Dr. Cho, who hid the clue to the Progenitors' technology instead of using it like a Terran out to reshape an ordered universe in their vainglorious image .

Moll & L'ak Are Bigger Wildcards Than Starfleet's 'New' Enterprise

Star trek: discovery season 5 suggests the uss discovery is headed for a confrontation with the breen imperium, star trek: discovery's sonequa martin-green embarks on one final voyage.

Thanks to the crew of the USS Discovery, the Federation is now in possession of a 23rd Century Constitution-class Terran warship. That said, its value is likely little more than that of an ancient relic from the Terran dimension. If anything, the dilithium left in the ship's stores is worth more than the rest of the ship's parts put together. However, one piece of it -- a warp-capable Terran life-support and escape vessel called a warpod -- disappeared with Moll and L'ak inside of it. The Breen's fate is an open question, but Moll will certainly return for the final piece of the puzzle. She doesn't have to solve the clues; she just has to follow Booker.

This episode is the middle point of Star Trek: Discovery 's final season , and the crew are just two pieces away from the full clue device. The race against Moll and L'ak will probably end in three episodes at most, leaving two for a different, more difficult mission. Whether or not L'ak survives, the Erigah placed on his head means that the Breen and the USS Discovery are headed for conflict. It's looking more likely that Star Trek: Discovery is going to go out with a big space battle. Star Trek is a sci-fi action-adventure story, too, which makes episodes like these even more special.

Star Trek: Discovery examines the kinds of big questions that Star Trek is supposed to. A happy ending for some of the "good" Terrans is reminiscent of how Picard brought the Borg into the Federation . In this universe, the heroes don't defeat their enemies; they convince them to become their allies. As Commander Hugh Culber and

Sylvia Tilly discussed in the lounge at the end of "Mirrors," the characters of this universe are essentially going to meet God, and not that phony one on Sha'Ka Ree. The fights ahead will be fun, but the biggest challenge facing Star Trek: Discovery from this episode onwards is making the discovery of the Progenitors' "prize" as meaningful as it needs to be.

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

Star Trek: Discovery

• Moll and L'ak get overdue screentime to tell their side of the story.
• Commander Rayner begins to find his place as a true member of the USS Discovery crew.
• The fate of Mirror Saru and the other Terrans is good Star Trek storytelling.
• Moll and L'ak's escape feels convenient, continuing the 'cards-down' approach to their telling story.
• The use of the ISS Enterprise could reasonably be called 'fan service' because the ship itself means nothing to the characters.
• The choice to keep the sequences on the ISS Enterprise so dark might be visually unappealing to some viewers.