Answering a distress call sent my Mol and L’ak, Discovery apprehends the treasure hunters only to find themselves staring down one of several Breen overlords looking to get their hands on the duo leading to a potential revival of war against the devastating power of the Breen.
As Burnham and Vance look for a diplomatic answer to a fight they can’t win, Moll looks for a way to escape (of course!) while Stamets rounds up the troops to try and figure out the final clue, including recruiting a bored and frustrated Book…
The kick off to the episode is fairly straight forward and predictable. Thankfully it does manage to surprise as it goes on. Moll and L’ak need help and think only other couriers can hear their signal. Seeing as Discovery is a Starfleet ship who’;s captain moonlighted as a courier and her former love interest and master smuggler are on board and leading most of the series, it’s the usual bad guy mucks up and gets caught opener.
Neither of them are in good shape, though L’ak is worse and will die without immediate treatment. Which Culber tries to muddle through despite there being no one who really knows how the Breen’s physiology works in the Federation aside from some recovered tech from the Dominion war centuries earlier. Which is a nice touch. Star Trek’s always had the super doctors and super engineers and it’s key point in this episode that the specialists are a bit out of their depth.
Of course heading back to the archives at Federation Headquarters to dig out that old Breen tech also turns out to be a bad idea. The Breen are on the hunt for L’ak after he abandoned his lowly post and are sending a ridiculously oversized and overpowered ship to get him. Not nearly having enough firepower to defend themselves against the dreadnought or a Breen Primark despite Rayner demanding full war
The main plot revolves around that scenario. The Breen demand L’akj be handed over. L’ak has to admit to Burnham that he’s royalty and the only way a Primark can gain control is through him. With Saru gone the diplomacy is down to T’Rina, who has her moment to shine without being part of the romance this season, working with Vance and Burnham to find a way forward that won’t get them killed or have Moll and L’akk’s knowledge of the artefact handed over to the enemy.
That story comes with a lot of surprises. L’ak overdosing as a distraction to get Moll out of sickbay was a bit of a surprise, especially as in the end there was no saving him even with the Breen’s help. Rayner gave a little about his past, revealing to Burnham his anger towards the Breen came down to his world being occupied by them before he fled for Starfleet as the sole survivor of his family.
It took two watches to properly enjoy it all, but the way everything played out and the solution being goading the Primark into letting them protect L’ak so other Primark’s couldn’t stake a claim was an interesting choice. Especially as it let T’Rina have her moment, Burnham to have more tension with Book and for Rayner to turn his anger into a useful tool against the enemies in smug deception.
But it was also just nice to see the Breen advance form the powerful enemy turned sidekicks they were in Deep Space Nine and really show how much of a threat they were now. Moll surrendering herself as L’ak’s wife after his death was also a surprising touch and even with her teasing the Breen with her knowledge of the hunt, it leave s feeling of unease over whether the next three episodes will see her join the Breen or be the insider to help Burnham. After all, without L’ak whats the point in cooperating with the family and culture he hated?
Sure, some elements may have been predictable and it’s Star Trek, we know the good guys (mostly) prevail. But despite some over politeness in portraying how civilised Starfleet were against the war lords, this felt like it had more tension than previous instalments and helped to tie a lot together. Especially giving Moll and L’ak some purpose and Rayner some background.
By and large the antagonists of the season have been mildly pointless and their romance a little dull. Having it all end here, in the middle of a political stand off and suddenly making them matter after dropping bits of information was a nice payoff. Even if I suspect it’;s not the end.
In the sub plot everything was fun, but a little bit of a stretching out the season narrative moment. With only one clue left it is of course a difficult one. A bit of metal with symbols leading to an ancient transcript thats impossible to find. Some of its a bit dull. Though bringing Reno is as an expert of ancient books after Zora tells Adira and Tilly that the engineer used to be a smuggler in her pre-Starfleet days did bring an extra bit of fun to it all.
Overall it was a fairly good episode. Admittedly I didn’t think much of it on a first watch as some clunky dialogue put me off. Rayner doing an exact copy and paste of a speech in Deep Space Nine was one of the most obvious, and as Q2 member John Locke pointed out in our post-episode discussion, Moll’s fight scene of taking out Nahn and literally everyone else with relative ease was a bit silly, and a bit of an overused Hollywood trope these days.
As we get to the end of the series though, in a bigger picture it’s a nice piece of the narrative puzzle and where the next clue leads, we’ll follow into the Badlands with likely some more Deep Space Nine references!
About the author
Site & Service Updates July 2026
It's been a strange year as we adapt to then changing landscape of the Star Trek franchise with recent corporate shenanigans in the media industry, as well as adjusting to and anticipating new regulation sin our home base of the UK which has taken up more brain power than we'd expected!Still, despite distractions, we've been working away in the background with a revised Admin schedule to ensure at the very least every Sunday we can check off some items on the to do list and keep everyone updated on the changes whether minor, major or a bit pointless! On Screen Additions After being placed on the low priority list for a while, the On Screen Mission Log section has begun taking shape. Previously the On Screen section had it's own section per show since the launch of Discovery, however with […]
New Unit Application Guide
Account Academy Database Fleet Updates Calendar Latest Entries Explore Database Index Starfleet Academy Help & Support ⯇ DATABASE INDEX ACCOUNT HUB NEw Unit Application Guide Clarification This section is both for information and for making formal applications for creating or importing a new unit into SFCQ2. Applications can also be made directly to Fleet Administration. All applications are considered for review. × JOIN THE CAPTAINS TABLE Every Star Trek fans dreams of being the captain of their own Starship. Although running an SFC Quadrant 2 Unit is (probably) easier than commanding a starship, both roles require commitment and dedication.Unit’s are, and always will be, the core of SFC. It is within them that members can indulge in their shared interests for Star Trek and science fiction while enjoying the company of fellow fans and like minded people. At their best, […]
[Q2&A] Membership Handbook: Revised & Updated for 2026
With over fifty years (and counting) of history, joining SFC can sometimes be a whirlwind and while we're always focused on a more casual experience, tit can sometimes be overwhelming knowing where to start. While we offer our Academy as an induction tour of Quadrant 2's organisation and structure, and are always open to expanding more information in the Fleet Database, our Officers Pack gives you a one stop resource to highlight our core policies, membership information and more; The Membership Handbook/ Membership within Q2 is fairly laid back. But since it's inception - both overall as Starfleet Command as well as the administrative split for Quadrant 2 - out handbook has outlined who we are, how we operate and as a resource for members to be able to understand what membership entails from our core mission statement, to our […]
[Retro Review] The Galileo Seven
Pulled in two directions, the Enterprise has to deliver critical medical supplies to avert a plague and conduct vital research at the same time. Unable to turn down the order, Kirk thinks on his feet by carrying forward to save the planet, while sending Spock to lead a research team on the Galileo shuttle to carry out their mission until the Enterprise has finished it's mission of mercy. It's a good idea. Until it isn't. Isolated form the Enterprise, the Galileo runs into a bit of bother. Thrown off course by plot, the shuttle crash lands on a primitive planet. Alone with a broken ship and a people who are as barbaric as they are terrified by the shuttles sudden arrival, Spock has to lead his own team through fear and frustration with cool and calming logic. On the first […]
A Fistful of O’Brien
Entering the Star Trek world as an unnamed extra with a few bits of dialogue, O'Brien soon became a fixture on the Enterprise D as it's transporter chief before moving to Deep Space Nine to head up engineering and operations on what was thought to be a backwater outpost before it became one of the most strategically important stations in the quadrant!As the only enlisted or non commissioned officer to feature in the main cast of any Star Trek show to date, O'Brien stands as the only working class hero in the Star Trek universe with a vast and varied career taking from the front lines of the Cardassian war as a soldier, to the front lines of the Dominion War as an engineer, retrofitting DS9, keeping the Defiant from blowing itself apart, and even sniping Dominion troops. All in […]
[Q2&A] Career Track
SFC has always structured it's internal reward and recognition system on the command structure of Starfleet on screen. Newbies are cadets. When they become full members, they become Ensigns. And those eager to take on a leadership role can rank up to Commander or Captain. Even the board of directors are mirrored within the theme as Commodores and Admirals! It's always been the way, but the path of an officer isn't for everyone... Despite the original idea of all star ship personnel being highly trained astronauts, therefore nullifying the need for enlisted crew, the enlisted ranks have existed in some form since the original series. More defined in the film era, particularly under the revision of style and structure in The Wrath of Khan, they have been slightly more prominent since. Most notable of the enlisted members of Starfleet was […]
Related
Starfleet Academy Welcomes It’s First Class!
The first batch of cast announcements for Academy focused on veteran actors Paul Giamatti and Holly Hunter, the latter in the role of the new Academy Commandant, but now we're getting a full look at the shows first class of cadets as the first five are ready to enlist!
Paul Giamatti joins Holly Hunter for Starfleet Academy!
Looking ahead to the next generation of Star Trek shows, Paramount and Secret Hideout have already began announcing new cast members to lead the Starfleet Academy series coming to the streaming platform in the near future. News of the show has already turned heads with notes that the new academy campus will be the largest seen on TV so far, being filmed in Pinewood';s largest stage in Canada, though in terms of what to fully expect from the young adult drama, things are largely being kept under Red Directive secrecy. However we now at least know who will be leading the new class ahead of the shows production...
[Review] Life Itself…. Discovery S5E10
Trapped between two black holes, the doorway to the Progenitor's legacy is wide open. Discovery's on guarding duty following Burnham chasing Moll inside while the Breen are recovering to take the technology for themselves before a rival faction finds them. With everything to fight for and the chase becoming a race against time, Discovery's crew enter their final house and a bit to end their five season journey.
[Review] LaGrange Point: Discovery S5E09
All the pieces of the puzzle have been put together. Now with the end in sight, Burnham and her crew are on the edge of their greatest discovery. Yet there are still obstacles in the way with Moll and the Breen having taken possession of the combined Progenitor Artifact, the USS Discovery dead in the water and a potential all out conflict in the background. No wonder Rayner keeps pacing....
[Review] Labyrinths, Discovery S5E08
Hidden behind trials, tests and general annoyances that would drive even a sane person a little bit mad, the final piece of the puzzle is in sight. Hidden within an ancient travelling archive of the galaxy's most prized knowledge, the only problem is figuring out what it all means. Arriving at the Eternal Library, Captain Burnham opens the pages of an ancient Betazoid manuscript looking for the final answer only to find herself trapped in a psychological game where she doesn't even know the question...
[Review] Jinaal. Discovery S5E3
Wasting no time, the third episode of Discovery's final season fires straight into the core mission with Burnham and her crew following the next clue to finding the Progenitors hidden secrets, and that clue takes them to a familiar planet; the Trill home world. There Culber becomes host to a long departed Trill who's consciousness is transferred to him to lead Burnham to the next part of the puzzle... As Discovery races on, and the mission brings closure to Adira's dwindling relationship, Saru faces his own romantic challenges with T'Rina planning to announce their engagement.
