‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Recap – ‘All Is Possible’

Written by Shae Rufe

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 404 of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’.
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There are always those who believe that there are things always beyond that which we can grasp; and then there are those who believe that all things are possible. In the end there is only one truth and that is dependent upon each individual. Yet, possible is always a matter of perspective. It is one thing to say all things are possible and it is another to believe it. What if all things actually are possible? What happens when we choose to believe in this sentiment? In the case of this crew of the U.S.S. Discovery, there is a split between beliefs. Dr. Culber is very busy with crew members and their various existential crises while Discovery stays in Ni’Var’s orbit. Ni’Var is in talks with the Federation about rejoining them. The crew is ordered to take some more down time to help with their mental health, and Dr. Culber is playing both CMO and Therapist.
 
I’m not saying that’s a huge conflict of interest or overextension of duties… but it is both and that is worrisome. Still, he’s doing his best to help Tilly and Book. Tilly’s struggles are a little easier to deal with. She’s struggling with still feeling off and lost, so he sends her back to the Academy to assist in training exercises. He even encourages her to bring Adira along, which she happily does. Adira reluctantly goes, they’re not the most outgoing when it comes to meeting new people, not that anyone can blame them. They’re used to having Grey around all the time. Grey is the more adventurous of the two, however it’s time for Adira to shed some of their co-dependence and branch out.

Tilly is happy to escort a small team to a class M planet for some team bonding. The Federation is struggling after the Burn with team morale and even recruitment. It’s hard for a lot of different species to come together after what happened. Harder still when so many were isolated from each other for so long. A lot of humans haven’t experienced meeting other life forms, and this is a huge problem. The team Tilly is assigned is clearly struggling to acknowledge each other let alone get along long enough to communicate. Tilly struggles to get any of them to talk during the mission, that is until their ship crash lands on a class L planet. Things are still a little wonky in space, and these things tend to happen. If Starfleet could also invest in seatbelts, that might help cut down on crew injuries during emergencies. As is, one Cadet doesn’t survive the crash.
 
Tilly has the misfortune of discovering this as she tries to save him. Now down to three Cadets and one Ensign, Tilly takes charge the only way she knows how. With pure authority. Tilly, the usually bubbly, happy, Lieutenant, is much more serious during this crash landing. Getting everyone out alive is always her top priority and she knows when to turn off the silly and bring that commanding presence out when needed. The moon they are stranded on is home to a giant jellyfish like monster that is really comprised of a bunch of tiny life forms that make one big one. Later it splits into two, and it hunts by sensing radio waves and frequencies.

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This means they can’t risk turning the ship on. They have to abandon the shuttle and figure out how to get a signal to the U.S.S. Armstrong, the ship they were originally supposed to meet up with after this mission. There is danger, and Adira almost dies, but is saved by the Cadets and Tilly. They all finally open up to each other and manage to actually bond and become friends, even learning to get over some wrongful misconceptions they had about one another. Tilly saves the day by distracting the monsters long enough for the Cadets to get ahold of their rescue ship and get beamed out, and of course Tilly isn’t far behind them.

With all this, Dr. Culber is also working with Book on his grief. He even shares bits of his own personal life to really relate to what Book is going through. Losing an entire planet is different than losing an uncle, but the point is the traditions of how we honor the dead. Culber finally talks Book into doing his own grief ceremony, knowing full well the traditional one from his home planet will forever be lost. That doesn’t mean he can’t recreate it to the best of his abilities or even create a new method for mourning the loss. Grief never goes away we just learn how to manage it. That is the whole point of this exercise. Learning to manage your own grief in a productive way.

Meanwhile, Captain Burnham and Saru get thrown into the political ring as mediators between President Rillak and President T’Rina over the reintegration of Ni’Var into the Federation. Ni’Var wants a clause within their agreement that allows them to pull out of the Federation at any time if they see fit. This is due to a lack of trust in the Federation. Rillak refuses these terms. It leads to a very interesting statement. T’Raina gravitates towards Saru and vice versa when it comes discussing the possibility of a compromise. Rillak isn’t budging on her stance either and she’s more than happy to tell Burnham how she really feels about all this. Burnham and Saru come up with the perfect way to solve this. Burnham will act as an independent council in between the Federation and Ni’Var, until she is no longer needed. Being a moderator could easily be added to her title. It’s enough of a compromise to get Ni’Var to agree to rejoin the Federation at last.

As for Tilly? She’s finally made up her mind on where she truly needs to be and what would make her the happiest. She’s going to become a teacher at the academy. Burnham is obviously upset but extremely supportive of her decision. Truthfully speaking, this whole crew needs to retire, with everything they’ve already experienced. The ship also needs a dedicated therapist because Dr. Culber is definitely going to snap at some point. Either way, we have to say goodbye to Tilly when we’ve already lost so much. It hurts, but sometimes, a new path is the best path. All things are possible if you choose to believe it.

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