‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Recap – ‘Far From Home’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 302 of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’.
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At this point in time, it is outright safe to declare, the season three premiere of Star Trek: Discovery as downright brilliant. Because not only did this particular premiere catapult us into an era of the future that the Star Trek Universe has never explored before, it also set up some juicy mysteries for the season ahead. For at this point, we simply don’t know what is left of the once powerful United Federation of Planets and its exploration/defense arm; Starfleet. Plus, we also haven’t a clue what caused the mysterious ‘Burn’ that destroyed so many ships when their dilithium stores detonated in the void of space. Nor did we gain an understanding, as to the fate of the intrepid U.S.S. Discovery, since Commander Michael Burnham was the only member of that ship’s crew to make it through the Temporal Rift. 
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Well as it turns out, the next episode in this dynamic new season, was eager to resolve at least one of those mysteries, the easiest one to handle, in fact. For ‘Far From Home’ wasted no time in informing us as to the fate of the crew of the Discovery, and for the most part, this brave and bold crew made it through the rift in one piece. But it didn’t take long for trouble to find them, because their ship was still badly damaged from the battle with Control and it was careening toward an icy world and thanks to the efforts of everyone, the ship was able to crash land on this void of a rock. Which gave the crew a few moments to breathe and heal their wounds, something that was outright necessary for so many of them, and it also allowed for them to assess the damage to the ship and that led to quite the conundrum for the crew.

Because in order to properly repair internal communications, supplies from the planet were needed, and that motivated Saru and Tilly to head out into the landscape to not only get what they need, but to get an idea of what the future looked like. And after finding a nearby settlement that had the necessary supplies, they quickly came to learn that the future was quite grim. For the Cordians that lived in this remote outpost, were without hope and filled with fear. Because they were being terrorized by a ruthless courier named Zareh who didn’t give a damn about anything but himself and his haul, and they were eager to see Saru and Tilly leave so that trouble didn’t come their way. But one particular Cordian, named Kal, was eager to have this tiny away team in his presence. For while he and his friends and family were aware of the fact that the people standing before them were Starfleet, only Kal was aware of what that truly meant: help. For this remote outpost needed dilithium, in order to be free from Zareh’s madness and that was something that Saru was willing to offer in exchange for the supplies.

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But while it seemed for a brief moment that this exchange of favors was going to be nothing more than a quick learning experience for Saru and Tilly, it grew into so much more. For it turned out to be a learning experience on what Starfleet stands for and what the future is in need of, thanks to the arrival of Zareh. For he knew that getting his hands on a disabled Starfleet vessel would offer him riches untold and much needed dilithium, and since he was well aware of the fact that the crew was on their own, there was no need to fear Saru and Tilly, or their shipmates and that motivated him to bring out his cruelty and fury in order to engender fear and control. But what he didn’t count on in regard to his plan to rob the Discovery of its precious resources, was Emperor Georgiou. Since she was quick to arrive and beat the holy hell out of him and his lieutenants and her arrival, and outright bloodlust; is what led to the lessons in question.

For Georgiou saw their current situation as a grand opportunity to do whatever was necessary to survive and thrive, and if that meant violating protocol and outright decency, she was fine with it. But Saru was quick to remind her, broken future or not, she was still Starfleet and still a member of the Federation and those ideals still took precedence regardless of the situation. And eventually she acquiesced to his teachings and that in turn, inspired the Cordians to the do same and believe in something more and that really was quite wonderful to say the least. But before we reflect a little further on the overall meaning of this moment, we need to discuss the ending of this tale. Because thankfully, the crew was able to escape their icy calamity with the help of an old friend, Commander Michael Burnham. Who revealed to her friends that she waited a year for their arrival and now that they are reunited; the importance of those lessons came to light. 

Because it is clear now that the 32nd Century is a time in the galaxy, without hope or direction. Where the various species of the galaxy are just eager to eat another meal and survive to see another day; a far cry from the era that Burnham and the crew left behind. But what Saru did in this episode, was outright inspire hope that the galaxy can be a better place. And if the crew can unite the remnant of the Federation and remind those who still fly starships of that fact, then perhaps it won’t be long before aliens and humans are once again looking at the stars and pondering upon the possibilities of what is out there and when considers the fact that next week’s episode appears to be a return to Earth, this storytelling possibility isn’t out of reach. Either way, it will be quite interesting to see what the crew of the Discovery will find when they return home and just how many people on Earth still believe in something more, and are willing to fight for it. Until next time.     

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