'Star Trek: Discovery' Recap - 'Choose Your Pain'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

I think it's safe to say that fans everywhere are really enjoying Star Trek: Discovery. After all, it's loaded to the brim with quality writing, fascinating stories and characters and most importantly, it's Gene Roddenberry's vision come to life on the small screen once again and it's simply wonderful to have Star Trek back on the air. But despite all the wonder and joy that this show is providing the fans and this writer as well, I came to realize as I re-watched the fourth episode one more time to refresh my brain before last night's new episode...that one particular element is missing from this series, the tale of redemption it hinted at a few weeks ago. 

Sure, we've been enthralled and impressed with the time this show has taken to explore the darker sides of war and the impact it's had upon the United Federation of Planets, driving this proud organization to places we never thought it could go, but that's about as far as we've gotten. Commander Michael Burnham hasn't really started her long road back from the darkness she has surrounded herself with, and as I settled in to watch last night's episode, 'Choose Your Pain', it appeared that we were most certainly in for more of the same; because this particular tale started off in some supremely dark territory, with Captain Lorca finding himself captured by the Klingons. 

That came about due to the fact that the U.S.S. Discovery's success with the Spore Drive finally caught the attention of the Klingons and they sought out the Captain to learn more about said Drive and well, while it was indeed disturbing to see how the Klingons treat their prisoners by forcing them to do as the title describes by either taking a beating or passing it along, it was a touch difficult to not geek out during this segment of the story since Lorca found himself in captivity with a true Star Trek legend in Harcourt Fenton Mudd. Yes, that's right, Harry Mudd made his triumphant return to this storied saga and it was simply wonderful to see this intergalactic charlatan appear on the screen once again and kudos to actor Rainn Wilson for bringing him back to life with an enriching performance that did Roger C. Carmel, the original actor to portray this iconic character, proud. 

However, once you get past the wonder of Harry Mudd, there was the unpleasant matter of Lorca's incarceration to deal with and well...this is where the episode surprised me in a way I never expected. Because this episode bucked the storytelling trends we've become accustomed to by bringing the notion of redemption right back to the forefront of the story, starting with the captain, since we learned last night that Lorca's determination and focus on winning the war by any means necessary, comes from a regrettable act in that, he destroyed the U.S.S. Buran, his former command to spare his crew a fate worst than death on Qo'noS and it's clear now that to honor their lives, Lorca will do whatever it takes to end the war and while his ends may not always be justified by his means, his heart is in the right place and there's something comforting in knowing that Lorca is also seeking atonement for his sins. 

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But Lorca's story was merely the beginning of a more hopeful storyline, because while the captain worked on figuring out how to escape his captors, Burnham ran into a new and pressing matter aboard the Discovery that brought forth a grand debate revolving around one of the Federation's most important ideals...the value of life. Because Michael came to discover that the jumps were having more than a mere emotional impact on the Ripper, they were slowly killing the creature, forcing her and Lieutenant Stamets to try and find an alternate source to make use of the Spore Drive and unfortunately for these two, despite their best efforts to find a replacement being for the Drive, with the captain missing, the poor creature was forced into service, one more time.  

Now what made this part of the story so compelling and so hopeful, was the fact that Burnham inspired the best parts of everyone when it comes to this revelation. Everyone rallied behind the notion of taking the high road and preserving the creature's life, and Lorca's for that matter as well and it was simply refreshing to see the crew concerned with something other than the war effort and dedicate themselves to preserving a life and finding a better way. Thankfully, the creature was eventually freed back into space where it thrived once again and for that matter, Burnham's quest to save the Ripper inspired Stamets to use himself as the conductor for the drive, giving the crew more options at last. 

In fact, the more I think about this part of the story, the more I love it because it was so supremely Star Trek. Here you had a crew with an impossible task before them, and rather than fight and divide, they figured out a way to handle this mess and for the first time in the short history of the series, they were unified and I loved the feeling of family that came with this, and that for the first time in a while, we enjoyed a happy ending on this series, wherein Captain Lorca returned home safe and everyone put aside their differences, especially Burnham and Saru for that matter as well since they managed to bury the hatchet over all the unprofessional and angry things that Saru has said to Michael. 

However, not everything in this episode was wrapped up in a neat little bow. There is the building mystery of what brought about the strange echo of Lieutenant Stamets that we were privy to in the closing moments of the episode and of course, the secret is out about the Discovery and what she can do and that will no doubt come back to haunt the crew. But in the end, this episode simply blew me away. This is what we've been waiting for, that perfect of blend of hope and grit and if this is the series finding its stride, well it means we're in for some incredible storytelling down the line. But above all, the most rewarding part of this episode, is the fact that at long last, Commander Burnham is no longer giving in to her fears and is starting her journey back into the light and I cannot wait to see what progress she makes toward becoming a hero that inspires in the weeks to come. Until next time. 

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