‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Recap – ‘The Examples’

Written by Shae Rufe

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 405 of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’.

The DMA is moving, but Stamets and others are now able to track the anomaly through its energy signatures. All is going well, until the DMA disappears for 4.2 seconds. It literally just vanishes from all scans, only to appear a thousand light years away from where it had been. After talking it over with Book and Captain Burnham, they realize that the DMA is not a naturally occurring phenomenon. That’s right, it was made and by some unknown entity. As it stands, the DMA is going to hit a system, and Captain Burnham has been sent to lead the evacuation of the colonies it would hit. This leaves Saru in charge of the conn.
 
They also bring aboard Ruon Tarka, a scientist on the cutting edge of technologies who's there to help determine who made the DMA, much to Stamets’ dismay. Still, Paul is a professional and is all too unhappy to get Tarka up to speed on what they’ve discovered so far. Tarka, is an eccentric person who doesn’t quite grasp certain niceties and purposefully discards them in favor of results. Tarka has already seen everything Stamets has to offer on the DMA, so he shuts him down quickly and proposes his own theory. They need to build an active model of the DMA to really see how it’s working. Stamets agrees, because he’s curious himself and desperate to find an answer, especially for Book.
 
Saru stands watch with Reno, ready to step in and shut things down when needed. The experiment is of course on the smaller scale compared to the real thing, even so it requires a lot of power. So much so, they reconfigure a few things to get the power they do need. It’s not enough. The experiment isn’t stabilizing. With just 5% of the containment field intact, Saru cuts the power completely and shuts down the experiment. It’s enough for Tarka to know just how much power is needed to make the real thing work. Whoever made the DMA, is possibly using a hyper giant star. That’s not good.

As for Captain Burnham, she and Book take to the surface of the Radvek Chain. The people there have 6 prisoners they keep underground, and they refuse to release them. The magistrate claims that they’re examples, and it keeps crime down. Burnham sees them as people and refuses to leave them to die, regardless of their crimes. She and Book not so easily break into the prison and free the prisoners. That’s when Burnham learns that their crimes were petty. Stealing food in an act of desperation, counting cards, literal petty crimes that do not deserve a life sentence.

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One prisoner, Felix, speaks out as an advocate for the other 5. He will not let them go back to rotting in prison for crimes that don’t deserve it. Burnham reviews the Federation rules and realizes that she can help these people. Their cases would be taken to the Federation and not the magistrate. They all agree that they want their cases reviewed and Burnham takes them on as refugees. All but one. Felix refuses to go with them. Turns out he is the only one who deserved his punishment, in his eyes at least. He killed a man who had helped him. In his own self-appointed punishment, he refuses to leave the colony.
 
Book is not okay with leaving Felix to die, but Burnham realizes it’s neither of their choices to make. Felix gets to decide how he lives or dies, and she isn’t going to impose her will on another. Book isn’t so understanding. Sadly, the DMA hits the colonies and pushes them into the nearby star. The Discovery escapes just in time to avoid the DMA altogether. Burnham then returns an item Felix gave her; it belongs to one of the women they rescued. At least she fulfilled Felix’s final wish.

With all this going on, realizing the DMA was created by someone and not naturally occurring, Dr. Culver is stretched a little thin. He seeks council himself, mostly because he feels like he’s lying to everyone and failing them. Being the ship’s Doctor and therapist is weighing heavily on him, and Hugh isn’t sure how much more he can take. Realistically, not much. He isn’t okay and he needs to step away for his own health. However, he’s throwing himself heavily into his work to avoid dealing with his own unresolved feelings.
 
Turns out dying and coming back to life is a hard thing to come to terms with. Hugh is struggling way too much with that very thing and he isn’t really talking about it, and he’s even more not dealing with it. It’s only a matter of time before he can’t run anymore. At least he confides in Paul a bit at the end of it all. He really does need a break from being therapist and doctor. Perhaps a dedicated ship’s therapist isn’t such a bad idea after all.

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