Episode Review – Discovery Season 3 Ep 6 – "Scavengers"

Episode Review – Discovery Season 3 Ep 6 – “Scavengers”

I am continuously astounded by the way Star Trek: Discovery seems to be able to tap into the prescient matters of 2020 despite being written and made over a year ago before the pandemic began and life as we knew it changed. Because this week, we see characters not only learning to adapt to their changing world but also having to accept that they can’t go back to how things were, just like we may all have to learn in real life.

It’s been three weeks since Discovery has returned to Starfleet and the Federation, and during that time the ship has gone through numerous upgrades. The programmable matter has been added, the ship is now the Discovery-A, and we even got to see the detached nacelles. I know they say the nacelles are for better manoeuvrability in flight but I will be seriously disappointed if at some point this season the nacelles don’t actually just fly off on their own to smack some enemy ships!

While we the viewers stare in glee over the shiny new upgrades that no doubt many fans will pour over in detail in the coming days, the crew themselves are feeling the same sort of glee as they get their new consoles and badges. There is something really beautiful in seeing this bridge crew being giddy like kids on Christmas, especially after all the trauma they’ve been through and what they have given up. A moment of fun and excitement is just so much appreciated, as is Linus’ (David Benjamin Tomlinson) inability to work out his personal transporter.

(CBS) U.S.S. Discovery’s Retro Fit

But unfortunately, the fun doesn’t last as the crew receives a hail from Book’s ship, plastering Grudge the cat’s image all over the viewscreen and leave us gobsmacked at how a cat figured out how to use the controls. It seems that three weeks ago, Book (David Ajala) had heard about someone finding a ship’s black box in Emerald Chain territory and he’s gone off to look around. As he didn’t come back in 24 hours, the ship was programmed to go back to Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green) with Grudge. Immediately, Michael is concerned, insisting to go look for Book and the black box. The mystery of The Burn still eludes Michael and the black boxes could be the key to answering what happened as they tell of a ship’s last moment and should have stopped recording all at the same microsecond yet Michael has found that they didn’t, pointing to The Burn not happening all at once but with a point of origin. Saru (Doug Jones), however, is not a game for this mission. Having seen the precarious position that the Federation and Starfleet seem to be in, he is resolute on staying to do their duty as they must be ready to go on a mission to the planet Argeth at any time. Michael does not take well to simply resuming her duties when a friend is in trouble. So, she recruits Georgiou to run off with her on an unsanctioned rescue and retrieval mission.

Now, there’s been much talk about Michael’s tendency to break with orders, some have even called her not fit for Starfleet and the worst officer. Yet, the history of Star Trek is filled with officers who disobey orders because they thought they needed to do what was right instead of what they were told. In fact, fans celebrate Kirk ignoring orders and stealing the Enterprise to help McCoy and Spock in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock. If anything, breaking the chain of command seems to be a staple of Star Trek protagonists who often find little to no consequences for their actions at all. Michael is one of the few characters who’s actually suffered consequences for her actions. I can’t help but notice that fandom has little condemnation for numerous White (and often male) protagonists disobeying orders, yet much anger is placed on the sole Black female protagonist. It seems to me that many may have forgotten that Star Trek’s message is not to blindly follow every order given, but that Starfleet officers should critically think about their orders and question them when necessary to do what’s right. After all, even soldiers in today’s world are expected to question and disobey illegal and immoral orders.

Despite all of that, Michael’s unsanctioned mission does put Saru in hot waters. As Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) noted, he is trying to prove his legitimacy and can’t have his Number One running around the galaxy behind his back. And as Tilly (Mary Wiseman) also astutely points out, Saru doesn’t have a choice but to inform Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) of Michael’s rogue actions or else the entire crew would be painted with the same mistrusting brush. One might be tempted to say that having Michael and Saru coming in conflict again over the issue of trust seem to rehash their dynamic from Season one, but I would disagree that it’s the same because in this case, Saru does understand Michael’s intentions and he is not against her on those principles, but he also has to know that she will not simply say one thing and do another without telling him. He does not expect her to always be in lockstep with him, but he does expect her to be honest to her word. While I dislike seeing the crew in conflict, this ultimately serves one of the themes of this season about reconciliation and trust.

(CBS) Adria and Stamets Grow Closer

Speaking of trust, Adira (Blu del Barrio) is finding themselves trusting Stamets (Anthony Rapp) more and more. It brings a smile to my face to see Adira opening up instead of just locking themselves away from the world. As Gray (Ian Alexander) even points out, there’s basketball and bocce, a whole new amazing moving world and they can make new memories instead of staying in place seeking the same routine and normalcy. Adira is brilliant with so much to give, even more than just their skills at improving the spore drive and helping Stamets in removing the arm shunts. They just have to give themselves a chance and step into the world. It is really sweet to see Stamets taking in this young person and really relating to them and speaking to them honestly and openly. Sometimes all we want is to be heard, to be understood, and have someone be there so the world doesn’t seem so scary and lonely. And when Stamets started to talk about life and death as not a linear thing as he thought, that life can always surprise him, I found the sentiment to be powerful and fitting especially in the Star Trek universe where death is not the end of one’s story. Perhaps, this might even hint to Gray’s eventual return to life?

I also love just seeing the moment of Stamets and Culber (Wilson Cruz) in bed talking as any couple would do after a day of work. In this case, the normalcy of this moment is so welcomed, especially after everything they’ve been through that they get to just be together and talk, to be with each other, and to support each other.

Away from the near tranquillity of Discovery crew’s day, Michael and Georgiou are embroiled in their own drama with rescuing Book and getting the black box, that is if Michael doesn’t strangle Georgiou to stop her from teasing Michael about her feelings for Book. Though, to be fair, Georgiou is not wrong about the state of Michael’s love life after what happened with Tyler (Shazad Latif) in the last two seasons. I wouldn’t blame Michael for being reticent at seeking out a new romance. But as anyone can see, she does have feelings for Book, very deep feelings too. They get to Hunhau, a planet controlled by Osyraa and her Emerald Chain organization where workers are enslaved to do salvage work, and pretty much starts up a rebellion. Georgiou is having fun bullying the Orion in charge on the planet, while Michael finds Book by reverse-engineering the cat collar signal used to find Grudge. Book is of course not exactly thrilled that Michael had put herself in danger when he told her not to come, but with her help and that of an Andorian named Ryn (Noah Averbach-Katz – Real-life husband of Mary Wiseman) who had once tried to start a rebellion as well, they managed to shoot up the place and save the day, though Ryn is injured taking a shot for Book.

(CBS) Book and Ryn Get Ready To Escape

The mission and rescue are pretty textbook. However, an interesting wrinkle presents itself when Georgiou keeps having visions or flashbacks, calling out to someone named San and seeing blood. While we still don’t exactly know what is going on, if she’s been implanted with something or she’s simply experiencing PTSD that she doesn’t know how to handle, we do know that San was someone who was beloved to Georgiou in the Mirror Universe and long dead. Georgiou has a dream about San in the Discovery novel “Die Standing” by John Jackson Miller. Last season, a book detail from the novel about Tilly’s earlier life found its way into the show, but it seems that this book detail may play an even larger role in Georgiou’s arc for this season and the book lover in me finds all of this even more exciting than ever before!

When Michael gets back though, it’s time to face the music, but not before finally getting a kiss with Book, hilariously interrupted by Linus popping in at an inopportune time. I’m thrilled about this relationship. I’ve wanted nothing more since Season 1 to see Michael be happy, to break free from the burdens that so many people have laid on her. With Book, she gets to be free and joyous. She gets to be who she is without anyone judging her and expecting something of her. They just fit and the chemistry between Sonequa Martin-Green and David Ajala is just dynamite.

Ultimately, the conflict of this episode comes down to Michael and Saru’s handling of Michael’s unsanctioned mission. Admiral Vance is not pleased with all, he basically chews out both Michael and Saru for their errors in judgment. He even states that if they had come to him first and asked, he might have deemed the intel worth the risk. The breakdown of trust isn’t just between Michael and Saru, but also between them and this new Starfleet. Falling back in line is harder than both Michael and Saru thought it would be. And really, Vance is not being evil or mean or cruel, his reasons are completely justified and understandable. Starfleet is still in triage mode, searching about the source of The Burn is not exactly a luxury they could afford when they have hundreds of fires to put out every day, and he can’t have people disobeying orders and undermining authority when they are as fragile as glass. If Michael is concerned about the Federation never being able to be back together if the mystery of The Burn isn’t answered, then Vance is concerned there may not be a Federation to put back together if anything goes wrong and what they have left is put at risk.

(CBS) After Their Debrief Saru Must Administer Burnhams Punishment For Breaking the Chain Of Command

Still, Vance doesn’t put Michael in the brig because she did save lives, and that is something that still matters to Starfleet and the Federation, so he leaves Saru to make the decision on what consequences Michael’s decision will have on her. Sadly, Saru determines he must relieve her of Number One duties and restricting her to Chief Science Officer duties only. He does not take pleasure in doing this, he gets why she ran off on her own, but her actions did breach a trust he thought he could place in her. In their attempt to seek normalcy, they’ve ignored that things have changed. After all, Michael was ambivalent about accepting Number One position in the first place and Saru did not want to see it. And now they must both see the truth, even if it’s not what they wanted. Michael says Saru is doing the right thing, and I think she is right because as Saru transports out, Michael looks almost relieved as she takes off the badge. She’s tried to squish herself back into the Officer Michael Burnham mould and it’s clearly not working. She doesn’t want the responsibilities looming over her shoulder, monitoring her and restricting her, and now she is free in a way, free to pursue what she needs to do.

The script by Anne Cofell Saunders is simple and straightforward, but so many beautiful little character moments elevate the episode. From Linus popping in and out of places he’s not supposed to be, to Tilly’s whole sequence dealing with Grudge, to just seeing Gray, Adira, and Stamets just laughing and enjoying the moment, to Michael trying to help Georgiou deal with her problems, and to the inclusion of the U.S.S. Le Guin, named after famed author Ursula K. Le Guin. The character work continues to shine in this episode as we get stories where actions have consequences, and the past is not just reset or forgotten in some temporary weekly amnesia. Doug Aarniokoski gave great direction, and I especially love the nod to the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film “The Running Man” as a worker was forced to run to the perimeter fence at Emerald Chain salvage yard before getting his head blown off. Jeff Russo’s music continues to make my heart swell with emotion in all the right moments. And the VFX team once again, along with the production design team, perfectly upgraded the Discovery for this new era.

The themes of this season just continue to be one of its great strengths, and I can’t help but feel how this episode resonates with real life right now under this pandemic. We as human beings desire stability, routine, and a sense of normalcy. We yearn for things to get back to the way they used to be. But as Saru aptly points out at the end of this episode, we must all eventually learn to accept that things are not as they were anymore and there is no going back. The change is here to stay, and we must all find our place in this new world.

Be sure to tune into season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery which airs Thursdays on CBS All Access in the USA, CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada and on Fridays internationally on Netflix

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