Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 3x07 - "Unification III"

These psychological terms are used in the series. Post-traumatic growth was mentioned in "Forget Me Not" and messianic complex was used in this last episode. If you have an issue with the psychology, take it up with the writers.

 

Huh, I didn't know this. Love this kind of stuff.

 

Maybe Tilly is a traveler like Wesley is

 

Saru/Burnham should've told her: "Shut up, Tilly!!" the next time she's hyper-ventilating while techno-babbling

 

Really liked the episode. The new Vulkan Romulan dynamic was fantastic. Really hope we see more of this. The Spock and Picard nods were great.

The Tilly promotion really hampered this episode for me. Thought it was very silly. As people have said if Saru is out injured during a battle do you want Tilly running the ship as opposed to Culber or Stamets for example. And she was an ensign come on Saru.

 

Everyone is going to get hung up on First Officer Tilly, aren't they?

In a universe where an academy dropout can become Chief Engineer and a literal terrorist by Federation standards can become a First Officer, promoting an academy graduate who shows a lot of potential to be acting First Officer is pretty low on my list of potential grievances.

 

Agreed. Stamets declined to be considered as an acting XO (despite being the 2nd most senior ranking officer) because he thought he's ''too weird''

Well, back in the early years of TNG I used to think Data looked so weird . Yet even then he was the Enterprise's Third Officer and served with distinction as Acting Captain and Acting XO from time to time.

If I were Saru I should've just told him: "'Shut up, Stamets! You're my acting XO now! That's an order!!"

 

This episode was fun. They made nice use of Burnham's backstory with Spock and Vulcan.

I like what they did with the Vulcans and Romulans. It makes sense, post-Picard, that the displaced Romulans would end up coming home to Vulcan. Renaming the planet Ni'Var is a wonderful touch and a lovely tribute to the ladies of early Star Trek fandom.

I adore that Vulcans have a ritual for challenging scientific consensus- sort of a sciencey Pon Farr. Although this one ended up being more about gaining their trust than about the science.

It's a bit silly that Burnham's mother became a Qowat Milat... but I was so convinced that she would be running the Emerald Chain or the cause of the Burn that I'm absolutely delighted with what we got. Plus it gives Burnham a new tie to Ni'Var and reason to return.

I'm glad they thought to throw I'm a line acknowledging that the Discovery crew wouldn't know about the Romulan/Vulcan connection, even if the crew didn't have much of a reaction to it.

Tilly as "number one" works dramatically but it doesn't make a lot of sense for the least experienced officer on the ship to become first officer. Although we did see Ensign Mariner named number one by her buddy from the academy on Lower Decks, so at least there's some Star Trek precedent for that now. New Trek seems to be treating the number one role more like Assistant to the Regional Manager than like the ship's first officer.

 

Sorry to the nay-sayers .... but this one made me CRY.

 

One thing I give DSC credit for and am happy about is the fact that in three seasons up until this moment there has been no mention of the Romulans. Like, at all. For all the questionable adherence to TOS continuity that gets brought up by fans and detractors alike the creators have been slavish in their respect of canon in the case of the Romulan Star Empire. Not one reference or appearance of a single Romulan in the series until today, and in a setting 900+ years removed from the Star Empire's reemergence from isolation in "Balance of Terror(TOS)."

Saru's wide-eyed surprise that the Romulans and Vulcans are related was very fun to see. Nobody in his era save for certain Vulcans and the deepest echelons of Starfleet Intelligence should have even an inkling of what a Romulan is, and in the case of non-Vulcans in that intelligence work only that they were an enemy defeated almost a century earlier and one that had a form of invisibility technology.

 

Wow, I really was impressed by this episode! Everything in it sounds right. The tie-in with "Picard" is nicely done, I was half expecting Michael's Mom to say "Choose to live and..."

The "Unification III" obviously refers to the two-parter of TNG... Has someone made that connection already? I can't be the only one.

I give it a ten!

 

We know that pretty much everybody on Discovery either "loves" and/or respects Tilly.
(even though Stamets loves to smack her down occasionally, he still respects her as a person)

In my view, at this point she's the perfect choice.
Everyone deserves a chance to prove their worth.

And since Saru actually said she would be the "Acting" First Officer, if she can't handle it for whatever reason, he will appoint someone else.

This is a natural step in her actual stated goal to reach being a StarFleet Captain.
We've known since we first met the character that she is in the Command Training Program, so eventually being given the chance to be a "First Officer" is a logical outcome.

It's not like she just walked out of Starfleet Academy, she's been onboard Discovery going through the Command Training for about four years now.
(give or take a few centuries)
Also, even though things are a bit dire where they are now, it's not like they are going to be constantly in battle and need someone who is an expert at Sun Tzu commanding the ship.


BTW: This episode was a 9 for me.

 

Between 40 Eri and Wolf 487 (AKA GJ 3788, and assuming that Jed Whitten guessed the intent of Mandel and company correctly)...? What's the direct-line distance, assuming they don't have to deke around many systems en route?

Celestia suggests 112 light-years, but the database it uses is pre-GAIA DR2, so...?

Does anyone have a working copy of Gaia Sky? I've been downloading it, but it keeps crashing on launch on my computer.

 

How about disabling 32nd century Starfleet holograms, tasked with matters of security during a time a crisis, just by blinking at them?

 

10. The hearing was living 3-dimensional chess. Michael vs. her mother vs. the representatives of Ni’var. Further, the 3 members of Ni’var represented their three distinct aspects of Vulcan, Romulan and Romulo-Vulcan hybrid philosophies quite adeptly. I was thoroughly enraptured by the interaction between the groups and subgroups. Very well played by everyone there. Cool use of the Picard-originating Qowat Milat as well. When I first saw Burnham’s mom, my initial reaction was “shit, small universe syndrome”, but they succeeded (IMO) in making her reintroduction believable and organic. The moments between the two were both touching and riveting. Momma definitely has the concept of “absolute candor” down pat!

The scene at the end with Tilly and the senior officers’ acceptance of her as first officer (finally they use this instead of the ubiquitous “Number One”) was amazingly touching and well-written.

This episode was firing on all cylinders, as is this season - superior in pretty much every way to what’s come before in this series. And Saru is quickly becoming one of my favorite captains of the entire franchise. His newfound inner strength post-vahar’ai is on full display and its fantastic.

Did I say a 10? Yep!

 

NI' VAR = NImoy's Vulcan And Romulus.

 

As for Tilly. First, she's on the Command Track.
I think the reason Saru made her No.1 is for morale. The crew all seem to like her and know that she IS really smart. And it's temporary.

 

I kept wondering how exactly captain Picard obtained footage of ambassador Spock talking to him in private with no recording equipment. I guess since canon doesn't matter, Picard was a sly vlogger all along?

 

Guardian of Forever footage.

 

Thanks for acknowledging.