‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Recap – ‘Unification III’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 307 of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’.
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There is no stranger feeling in this world, then the day that we wake up and feel lost in life. Because we spend years chasing our goals and our plans in the hopes that we will find purpose and direction and a sense of belonging, but alas, the world and its chaos always finds a way to muck that up. For unexpected moments and trial and tribulations, sow doubt and fear into our minds so that we feel as though we don’t belong in our current role or no longer fit into the world, we created for ourselves and that’s a terrifying feeling to have wash over one’s soul. Because it leaves us wondering if everything, we’ve worked for is a lie and whether or not we need to leave it all behind in order to find ourselves and our true path.
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But what’s truly fascinating about these particular thoughts and feelings, is that they are often times nothing more than a lie. The kind that are precipitated by fears and unresolved issues in the back of our minds and until we handle/resolve/face them, we will in fact continue to feel lost and listless in life and really, all of this is relevant to today’s discussion, simply because this particular conundrum served as one of the key focal points of this week’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery. For ‘Unification III’ saw Commander Michael Burnham deal with this exact problem, since she no longer knew if staying aboard the U.S.S. Discovery or working with Starfleet was a path that she wanted to follow, and the only way to be certain was to face her concerns head on, and that particular journey, made for one fascinating tale. 

For Michael had in fact, come to learn that The Burn was indeed a phenomenon that didn’t happen all at once and that there was sensor data out there that would allow for her to potentially pinpoint the source of The Burn. But in order to get that data, she would have to negotiate with the people of a world that were on poor terms with the Federation, despite the fact that they were a founding member of it. But despite the sour feelings present between this world and the Federation they left behind, there was chance that Commander Burnham could get these people to surrender the data in question. After all… her brother helped to make Ni’Var what it is today: a world where Vulcans and Romulans were finally living in peace together. Which was a stunning and beautiful surprise to offer the audience and that led to the exploration in question.

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For the Discovery’s voyage to Ni’Var not only allowed for Michael to reunite with her mother, who became a member of the Qowat Milat. But it finally forced her to face her unresolved issues at last. Because a hail mary attempt to get the data from the Vulcans and Romulans, put Michael’s motivations for saving the galaxy on the spot and such an act allowed for her to learn that her concerns and feelings came from a place of great fear. Because there was no safety net for her to work with anymore, just raw danger and the potential for failure and that kind of fear is what has left her in such a jittery place and wondering if she is up to the challenge of her chosen path. But once Michael faced her fears and came to realize that she and this intrepid crew had nothing to lose and had faced great challenges before… she was able to finally resolve these feelings and forge ahead, with the data she so desperately sought.
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Which means it likely won’t be long now before the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery has solid intelligence upon the origin of The Burn, a reveal that will undoubtedly pull us into this story further since we’ve all been dying to know the truth about this cataclysmic event. But before we get to that point, it’s best we celebrate one engrossing tale. One that absolutely provided us with the right kind of fan service. Because it was just incredible to learn that Spock’s reunification efforts were successful long after his disappearance in the Hobus Supernova incident, and to see that he remains a critical fixture of Ni’Var’s new history for his efforts. Plus, it was equally as wonderful to see Michael be reunited with her mother and finally make peace with her fears and her worries so that she can now be focused upon rebuilding hope in the galaxy.

Also, we would be remiss to not discuss the other wonderful surprise in this story, specifically Ensign Tilly’s promotion to Acting First Officer. Because it’s a wonderful call back to her season one discussions about someday becoming the next great captain in Starfleet and undoubtedly, her promotion will serve her well in achieving that goal and well, in the end, this was simply a wonderful episode through and through. For it really did a wonderful job of bringing together some important plot points from the franchise’s rich history, all while exploring the human condition in a dynamic and relatable way and it should be interesting to see if what happened in this tale, will help to bring Ni’Var back into the welcoming arms of the Federation, once the mystery of The Burn has been revealed and resolved at last. Until next time.  

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