‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Recap – ‘Kobayashi Maru’

Written by Shae Rufe

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season four premiere of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’.
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Kobayashi Maru actually means little wooden boat in Japanese, which is both fitting and unfitting when it comes to what that name means for Star Trek fans. The Kobayashi Maru is a test most cadets will face when in Starfleet, the whole point of this simulation is to learn to deal with failure. As we all know, the Kobayashi Maru is a no-win situation where the outcome always results in failure. Being a captain means making hard decisions and facing some hard truths along the way. No win scenarios are the literal baseline for life and this often happens in Starfleet. Making difficult calls is a captain’s job, but so is excepting them. Captain Michael Burnham is not one to accept no win scenarios as an option. Much like another infamous Captain, she is not one to just sit back and let things happen. Burnham is the type of Captain we’d all like to have on our side, smart, resourceful, and loyal to the point of self-sacrifice. Isn’t that what all captains should strive for? Burnham as the Captain of the Discovery is a very fitting combination.
 
This season starts off with a diplomatic mission gone awry. The Discovery has a lot of Dilithium to hand out to struggling planets and help regain the trust of allied planets with the fragile Federation. Only, the Federation isn’t exactly on the best of terms with some of these planets. Captain Burnham and Booker manage to avoid being shot as the natives’ attack, Burnham refusing to return fire in any capacity. After all, firing back would not broker peace, nor would it help regain trust in the Federation. When all is said and done, Captain Burnham has managed to not only save herself and Booker but also deliver the Dilithium and fix the satellites around the planet before getting back aboard the Discovery.
 
She’s a very hands-on Captain and we see that from the very start of the season. Michael isn’t one to really just sit back and let others do things for her. While her methods are unconventional, they certainly work as her crew is very loyal and tightly knit. With the olive branch extended to one planet, it’s time to head back to earth for the re-opening of Starfleet Academy. Burnham has the privilege of introducing the new President of the Federation, and that does not seem fun or anything she’s interested in. The politics of Starfleet are far from appealing, and Burnham makes it clear that she doesn’t approve. Booker on the other hand is more than happy to leave to his home planet of Kwejian for a family affair.

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While introducing the new President, Starfleet receives a distress signal from a space station near Kwejian, of all places. Burnham and her crew are assigned to the rescue mission and the new President decides she wants to tag along. Burnham is even more displeased about this whole situation but has no choice. The station has been hit with something unknown and his spiraling violently around in space. Not only has it lost life support functions in most of the station, but its long-range communications and its main controls are down. Whatever hit the Station really threw it off its orbit. Burnham sends Tilly and Adira to help get the station back in working order. Nothing is every easy, though, and space debris is making everything harder. Just as they get some functions working, they’re knocked out again, and this time, they’ll have no choice but to evacuate as the Station is now being hit with tons of debris.
 
The Discovery positions itself in front of the stationary Station and puts her shields up to protect themselves and the Station. However, it’s the debris that’s causing some serious issues. they aren’t able to get the escape pods working. Adira can reprogram the pods to return to the station after they get to the Discovery, but first they need the debris cleared. Burnham is all too happy to do that, despite the President’s objections. Burnham disregards her and does it anyway. As she’s about to get the last of the debris cleared, her ship is destroyed. Again, Burnham is not the conventional Captain. She risks it all in just a space suit to get the job done. Which she does like the bad ass she truly is.
 
Adira did a great job, and everyone is able to be evacuated. Just as the last shuttle is boarding the Discovery, whatever hit the Station seems to hit the ship just as the shields finally fail. Meanwhile Kwejian is experiencing some strange phenomenon and Booker heads up in his shuttle to see what’s going on. Just as the strange anomaly hits. Booker’s shuttle makes it back to the Discovery on autopilot, only 9 of the 10 crew members aboard the Station survived, and the President doesn’t think Burnham is ready to captain a much bigger ship, like the ​Voyager. Burnham dismisses the President’s blatant underestimation of her in favor of seeing what’s happened with Booker. Booker is shaken, his ship damaged, and Kwejian? Well…it’s not where it had been. The planet has been thrown beyond its natural orbit, and worst of all? It’s… gone. Well, the planet is still there, but it’s a torn, tattered, flaming shadow of the once vibrant planet it was just moments ago. So, what’s really going on in this area of space? What force is big enough to move a planet with little trace left behind? Hopefully we find out soon.

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