Previously on Star Trek: Discovery...
I need a team around me that's gonna help me
carry the day.
And that includes you.
I accept.
(screams)
Getting out of here was always a two-man job.
(yells)
(roars)
LORCA: The last chief of security and I
went through a lot together.
I need someone I can trust.
Someone that understands war.
I think that's you.
I'd be honored to serve on the Discovery.
We are creating a new way to fly.
The Discovery can be anywhere
and gone in an instant.
That's how you beat the Klingons.
Greetings from the United Federation of Planets.
♪ ♪
(original Star Trek theme plays)
This is Captain T'Shen Kovil
of the Federation Starship Gagarin.
We are under attack.
I repeat,
we are under attack
by six Klingon vessels.
Any Starfleet ship in range,
please respond.
LORCA: This is the USS Discovery.
We got your back.
Klingon vessels locking weapons on us, sir.
Detmer, evasive pattern beta nine.
Acknowledged.
Mr. Rhys,
could I trouble you
to fire at something?
I see them, Captain.
Owosekun, you got anything?
Negative, sir.
I have power signatures that are off the charts,
but our sensors can't seem to isolate
individual ships
when they have those invisibility screens up.
They can't fire till they're visible.
Just keep our fingers on the trigger
and get ready to move quickly.
Understood?
ALL: Aye, Captain.
Hard to port, Detmer. Mr. Rhys,
lock on the Bird-of-Prey targeting Gagarin.
Shields holding at 70%.
KOVIL: Thanks for the assist, Discovery.
Doesn't look like a fair fight to me, Kovil.
Can you go to warp?
Warp engines are down.
Our shields are almost gone.
Sir, the Klingon destroyer has just de-cloaked
OWOSEKUN: We've picked up
two battle cruisers. They're flanking us, sir.
Just concentrate fire on the destroyer.
Shields holding at 32%.
Two Birds-of-Prey approaching, sir.
All right, get us in between the Klingons and the Gagarin.
Aye, sir.
(grunts)
Direct hit, Captain.
Shields below ten percent.
Did we get both torpedoes?
Did we get 'em both?!
RHYS: I don't know, sir, I can't...
LORCA: The Gagarin is gone.
It's over. Black alert.
And get us out of here.
COMPUTER: Black alert. Black alert.
LORCA: Bridge to engineering. You ready to jump?
Lieutenant?
I'm ready.
Aye, Captain.
Spore drive ready.
Go.
There will be time to grieve.
But this is not that time.
I want a full damage report immediately.
Airiam, you have the conn.
Aye, Captain.
(sighs)
Feel all right, Lieutenant?
What are you doing down here, Captain?
Sorry, what?
What?
Did you just call me Captain?
That's absurd.
Why would I do that?
I- I must've misheard.
Are you daydreaming on the job?
Are you... are you so bored here
that your mind is wandering?
I'm sorry. I didn't, uh, mean to...
Well, then, don't.
Where were the other ships patrolling the sector?
Why were we the only Starfleet vessel
able to render aid?
The Hoover and the Muroc were simultaneously ambushed
along with the Gagarin.
All were destroyed.
How many of the Klingon ships you engaged
were equipped with invisibility screens?
All of them.
All six.
Then our latest intelligence reports are confirmed.
Kol of House Kor has managed to revive
the Klingon Ship of the Dead
and is now sharing its stealth technology
with any house that will offer him fealty.
Eventually every ship in the Klingon armada
will be able to attack us out of nowhere.
That makes your mission at Pahvo
Starfleet's highest priority.
What is your team's status?
They transported to the surface 18 hours ago
and have maintained radio silence
to avoid the chance
of detection by the Klingons.
TERRAL: We lost 462 souls today, Captain.
And that number will increase exponentially until we are able
to detect those invisible ships.
I'm certain I have made myself clear.
Abundantly.
BURNHAM: Personal log. Specialist Michael Burnham.
Stardate 1308.9.
We landed on Pahvo 18 hours ago.
It's a seemingly uninhabited planet,
but a unique and, for us,
strategic one.
Every tree, rock, and blade of grass here
vibrates with its own specific tone.
Together, these combine to form a kind of music,
the signature sound of the planet
heard everywhere on the surface.
The sound is even broadcast into space
by a towering crystal structure,
a sort of naturally occurring transmitter.
It is Starfleet's plan
to modify the electromagnetic frequency
of Pahvo's signal and harness it
as a form of sonar that can detect the presence
of the cloaked Klingon vessels decimating our fleet,
make them visible to our sensors,
and turn the tide of war in our favor.
SARU: The transmitter is still 8.4 kilometers
north, northeast.
You've been setting an accelerated pace
since we got here.
I know it's unfortunate that the transmitter's interference
meant that we had to beam down 30 kilometers away,
but look around. It could be worse.
Yeah.
It's two days until pickup.
We're making great time.
Perhaps it's a great time for you humans.
I, of course, could make it there in 15 minutes.
Didn't know you were such a sprinter, Mr. Saru.
Kelpiens pursued by apex predators
have exceeded speeds of 80 kilometers per hour.
They can also sense predators
from a distance of as much as ten kilometers.
And we particularly enjoy being discussed
in the third person while present.
I'm sorry.
But you are accurate.
I possess visual, auditory and tactile receptors
more acute than yours,
which is why
I am being tortured
by this planet's constant noise and you are not.
(warbling)
Well, I can hear that. What's going on?
Keep this pointed at the ground.
Greetings.
We are explorers
from the Federation Starship Discovery.
We come in peace.
I thought this planet was uninhabited.
It's not registering as a life-form, sir.
According to this,
it's actually not distinguishable
from the rest of the forest.
Uh, I believe
it wants us to accompany it.
The transmitter's in the opposite direction.
(speaking Klingon)
(growls)
(warbling)
TYLER: What's it saying?
(beeping)
Universal translator's got nothing.
I don't think they mean us any harm.
You can't know that.
If their intentions were nefarious,
I would be the first to sense a threat.
We need to establish communication.
I... am Commander Saru.
As a first contact specialist, I would like permission
to analyze the sound you are emitting,
to determine if it is a form of language.
(warbling)
(gasps)
Are you all right?
It was not painful,
just disorienting.
I believe I felt their intentions,
their desire to converse.
This will take some time.
We can't touch that transmitter now.
General Order One?
No. Order One restricts us from revealing ourselves
to sentient beings that aren't warp capable.
We're well beyond that.
Now our duty is to follow first contact protocol.
And we can't borrow or alter their property
without them understanding our objective
and agreeing to it.
(grunts)
Scream.
I said,
"Scream."
(screams)
(guard laughs)
(footsteps retreating)
Good.
You were convincing.
The guard is gone.
Now we can talk.
TYLER: Do you think Saru can make the Pahvans understand
why we need their transmitter?
BURNHAM: He's got to.
Convincing them to let us complete our mission
is the only way.
Then, we defeat the Klingons.
And the war ends.
Easy.
When all this fighting is over,
I got big plans.
I own a place at Lake Shasta.
Take a little sailboat on the water.
Lake's full of trout this time of year.
Ever had fresh-roasted trout?
I haven't.
What?
It's actual heaven.
And I'll camp on the beach.
Watch the stars fall.
Sounds perfect.
What?
Our futures look different.
You go back to your lake house.
And I go back to prison.
My sentence was life.
This is just temporary.
Well, maybe we just leave that transmitter alone.
You can't go back to prison if we're still at war.
The needs of the many...
Are worth fighting for.
Are worth dying for.
But so are the needs of the few.
Or the one.
♪ ♪
(male speaking indistinctly over P. A.)
Okay. What is going on with you?
Excuse me?
At first,
the Tardigrade DNA booster seemed like a good thing,
but now you're back to your old persnickety, grumpy self.
So what's the deal?
Nothing.
You're dismissed, Cadet.
(female speaking indistinctly over P. A.)
Okay, I'll admit
that something has been happening to me.
One minute,
I know wh-where I am,
who you are, what I'm doing,
and then, all of a sudden,
what I know changes.
It gets... jumbled.
Have you told Dr. Culber about this?
That would put Hugh in an impossible position.
As a medical officer, it would be his duty
to report the effects of my genetic manipulation.
I'd be sent to a Federation lab
to be poked and prodded.
On the other hand,
if he doesn't tell, and Starfleet finds out,
his career would be ruined.
Either way, I hurt him.
Um, okay, well,
we'll monitor these episodes.
Hopefully, they'll pass, right?
You don't seem reassured.
Usually I'm-I'm pretty good at providing that.
(laughing): That's kind of my thing.
(male speaking indistinctly over P. A.)
L'RELL: What happens to those
who Starfleet captures?
In war?
They're imprisoned.
Interrogated humanely.
Eventually, they're returned to their people
as part of any final peace settlement.
So you do not... execute them?
The Federation has no death penalty.
I wish to defect.
There's nothing here for me now.
The p'taQ my people now follow has no honor.
It is because of Kol, I am alone.
I had like-minded brothers and sisters.
Even the one chosen by Lord T'Kuvma
to be his successor.
But he was... chased away.
Forever gone.
Everyone is gone.
My vessel is in a nearby hangar.
Kahless willing, we will use it to both escape with our lives.
And you will guarantee me safe passage onto your ship.
My ship?
Discovery.
I know its shuttle delivered you
to the trap on Cancri IV.
Why should I trust you?
Because we need each other, Admiral.
And what other option do you have?
BURNHAM: How far did you get?
We are still establishing
a vocabulary, so not very far.
Are they native to this planet?
They... are the planet.
Everywhere you go, you can feel the symbiosis
between nature and the living spirit.
Amazing to think that while we fight our war,
a place of peace and harmony
not only survives, it thrives.
Is the transmitter their creation?
I can't be sure, but they desperately
want to know others and to be known.
And have been trying to share who they are
with the rest of the universe since...
since the beginning of their existence.
(sighs)
You look exhausted.
It's the constant noise
generated by this planet.
It's better when I'm with our Pahvan friend,
but still it is ubiquitous.
Do you think you can relay
the details of our mission to it
before the Discovery comes back to collect us?
Well, I sincerely hope so.
For now,
I think it would be best to call it a night.
(dissonant ringing)
(gasps)
(ringing continues)
(warbling)
Can you please make it stop?
Even for a moment?
(warbling)
(gasps)
We were biologically determined
for one purpose and one purpose alone...
to sense the coming of death.
I sense it coming now.
We have come to Pahvo for your help.
We have come to end this war.
I'm so afraid.
So afraid.
♪ ♪
(sighs)
(insects trilling)
Oh, hello, Commander.
Looks like someone got some sleep.
You do seem better.
I am. Thank you.
I just apprised the captain
of our new circumstances.
TYLER: Well, how did you do that?
Discovery's not supposed to be in comm range right now.
Oh, a simple modification.
I altered the frequency of my communicator,
linking it to the planet's transmitter.
It boosted the signal sufficiently.
Our new friend was okay with that?
The Pahvans are incredibly hospitable.
They will grant us anything we want.
So you're saying we have permission
to complete our mission as planned?
Some parameters of the mission have changed.
I require your communicators.
Thank you so very much.
What are you doing?
Oh, do not be alarmed.
These are no longer necessary.
The Pahvans have invited us
to remain here with them.
We can't do that, Commander.
you will experience this world as I do.
You must remain open to it.
Even your limited sensory abilities
will improve, eventually.
something has happened to you.
You are not thinking clearly.
Not at all.
The Pahvans have found a way
to exist in perfect balance,
in absolute harmony with their world.
They have already achieved
everything we say we seek
through our exploratory and diplomatic efforts.
The only answers we require
for the advancement of all species
is here.
And it's ours for the taking.
I must go tell our hosts we have accepted their offer.
(softly claps hands)
They will be so happy.
Well, one thing's for sure.
He lied about the captain.
There's no way he'd cut us loose.
Obviously, Saru has been compromised.
I'm not sure we actually have the Pahvans' permission.
You want to wait for the Pahvans' permission?
There won't be any Pahvans if we don't proceed.
You know the Federation has procedures.
No starship may interfere with the normal development
of any alien life or society.
Saru said they would grant us anything, right?
Well, modifying the transmitter is included in "anything."
But we can't trust anything that he says right...
way of ending the war.
This isn't up for debate.
Given Saru's condition,
I'm the senior officer now.
You're certain we can get to your ship undetected?
I know this vessel as if it were my home.
It was my home, once.
First I am ensuring the end of Kol's days.
He neglected T'Kuvma's message.
He desecrated this vessel with his fetid presence.
Before we depart, I will set the ship's warp core
to overload.
He really disappointed you.
(groans) He disgusts me.
My only regret is that I will not be able to see
his pretty, painted face as he takes his final breath.
You were not what I expected.
Neither were you.
(both grunting)
At least you won't die in a cage, Admiral.
(roars)
SARU: There will be no
synthetic protein rations tonight, Lieutenant.
Where's Burnham?
We had a fight.
She's walking it off.
I am sorry.
But soon you will know what it means
to exist without conflict.
I'm going to find Burnham. She must be starving.
Uh, Commander.
Can I ask you something?
When we first came here, the sounds of this place,
you said, were like a physical assault.
What changed?
I believe I was the problem.
I did not understand what I was perceiving.
I was not yet...
in harmony.
The Pahvans...
helped me.
Sounds like you were fighting something,
then you just stopped.
Yes.
I don't know how to do that.
What is it you are fighting?
Well, everybody wants to defeat the Klingons.
I...
I want to hurt them.
They tortured you.
The feeling is understandable.
But all that is past now.
No, you don't just forget something like that. You can't.
What's the other option?
Allowing it to transform you into something worse
than those who did this?
If it means I can make them suffer
like they made me suffer...
then yes.
Come here, Lieutenant.
The Pahvans gave me something you might find useful.
Understanding requires
a common frame of reference.
Try to feel the harmony,
the peace this world offers.
(sighs)
(gasping)
Your intentions are false.
You've been trying to distract me.
To delay me.
Where is Burnham?
Where has she gone?!
♪ ♪
Come on, come on, come on.
Yes.
(tricorder steadily pulsing)
♪ ♪
(trilling)
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
(sighs) Michael Burnham to Discovery.
Discovery, do you read me?
(phaser trilling)
(shrill chiming)
(groaning) Saru,
please... stop.
(groaning)
(both grunt)
(panting)
(mechanical buzz, squeal)
(panting)
Saru, this isn't you.
(groans)
(panting)
Is this what harmony and balance look like?
Where is the peace you say you found here?
You have taken it from me.
(panting)
You won't stop taking!
I would give anything
for a second, a millisecond of peace.
But until the war is over, none of us can have it.
Saru, staying here...
it's not gonna fix anything.
We have the power to end this conflict.
Saru,
we need you.
You will not take this away from me, too.
(warbling)
Burnham, are you okay?
(warbling)
I- I am sorry.
I was trying to protect you.
You have to make them all understand.
We were wrong to come here.
Our war is not your mistake to correct.
Please listen.
Saru told you who we are,
and like you, we seek harmony.
But we face a threat that doesn't share that same goal.
(warbling)
But with your help and our technology,
we can put an end to this conflict.
Isn't that why you exist? To keep harmony and peace?
You have to help me finish what I've begun.
If the Klingons discover you've helped us, they will hurt you.
Please, don't do this.
(warbling)
LORCA: Discovery to landing party.
We have a lock on your coordinates.
Prepare for transport.
No, please!
No!
(sighs)
Oh.
(indistinct chatter)
Keep it brief.
Thank you.
Saru.
Please look at me.
(sighs)
Are you all right?
I lied to you...
and Lieutenant Tyler.
I attacked you.
I could have killed you.
You weren't yourself.
But I was.
We are born afraid, we Kelpiens.
It's how we survive.
As such... my whole life,
I have never known a moment
without fear.
The freedom of it.
Not... one... moment.
Until Pahvo.
L'Rell.
(growls)
(indistinct, distant chatter)
(growling)
(growls)
(growling)
LORCA: You said the adjustment
to the Pahvan transmitter was a success.
I thought it was, sir.
The Pahvans repaired our signal inhibitor
after Saru destroyed it.
I watched it happen.
The signal strength
has increased by a factor of ten to the 12th power.
The music's gone.
All that's being transmitted now is a massive
Captain, I don't understand.
I thought the Pahvans...
Sir, Specialist Burnham
integrated our technology exactly as ordered.
We should now be able to detect any invisible Klingon ships
within range of the Pahvan signal.
Apparently not.
The transmitter is now sending out a new signal
limited to two subspace bands... ours and the Klingons'.
What you did, Burnham,
was invite the enemy to join us here.
No.
The Pahvans did that.
Their entire existence is an effort
to bring harmony to discord,
and they know about our conflict with the Klingons.
They're trying to bring us together.
They think they're helping.
RHYS: Captain, long-range sensors
have detected an incoming Klingon vessel
entering the system at high warp.
Can you identify what it is?
It's the Ship of the Dead, sir. The sarcophagus.
We're the Pahvans' only line of defense.
We have to protect them, sir.
We have to fight.