Perpetual Infinity (211)

[GateWorld]

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY - SEASON TWO
PERPETUAL INFINITY
EPISODE NUMBER - 211

Burnham comes face-to-face with a time traveler, and discovers the truth about her family's tragic past. But while the crew searches for a way to avert a catastrophic future, Leland becomes a pawn of a dangerous foe.

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[P-90_177]

Well I can tell this episode is going to raise a bunch of Borg questions since it seemed like Leland had been assimilated but I think it is made pretty clear that whatever nanotechnology he was injected with its primary role was to biologically duplicate him and wear him like a puppet. Basically like a technological version of what happened to Tyler.

It’s hard to judge this episode since most of it just seemed like set up for the sprint up to the finale. But it did feel to me like it raises more questions than answers. For example one of the recordings noted that she couldn’t avoid control learning about the sphere and so arranged for the sphere and discovery to meet in the hopes that discovery could figure something out on their own. But from our perspective it was only via Discovery’s interaction with the sphere that control learnt about it at all.

There’s still no explanation in regards to the events within the time rift. Yet control makes note of its usage of Airiam which to my mind was the future version of control making use of her to make sure things went as it wanted. Unless what it is now implying is that there was always a dormant version of control within Airiam that the future AI triggered by saying
“hey past control, this is future control. Say you know that sphere you came across not too long ago? There’s some stuff on self awareness on there you’re really gonna want to take a look at.”
And airiam’s dormant version of control was like, “well gee willikers future control. I’ll get right on that. Thanks for the heads up. Toodles. Hail Satan and Death to all living creatures and all that.”

It’s not to say we won’t get an answer to this and other questions but it might have been nice to throw in a little exposition where they’d laid down every thing they know so far and what they still don’t know. Those briefing room scenes in old Star Trek were there for a reason after all.

I loved how they got an actress to play Dr. Burnham who looks so similar to Michael and her interactions with Michael and Georgiou were great. Georgiou was great in general in this one. I think it’s really becoming clear how she’ll be portrayed in her own show. It was great to also see Tyler being more like just Tyler then voq or playing his new s31 role. Really hoping he’s on the Section 31 show. I think he’ll be more use there than in Disco.

Other than that I don’t really have much else to say. The other characters were there and they did... something I guess. I felt like Culber had a nice moment with Burnham and it was good to see him in uniform again. Pike was pike. Spock was Spock. But the absence of a lot of Saru, Stamets and Tilly scenes were very obvious to me. It definitely feels that the show is lacking when they aren’t around.

Control also just bugs me. It made for a fairly cool adversary when it was faceless and just everywhere but by giving it a Leland suit in this one they made it more of a physical enemy and I don’t really think it works.

We’ll see what happens next week. I have confidence that they’ll be able to get the last few episodes back on form but these last two have just felt very much like the writers had an idea of how they wanted most of the first half of the season to go with the search for Spock (heh) and knew how they wanted it to end but couldn’t figure out how to Bridge the two together so they made these two episodes...

[DigiFluid]

I quite enjoyed it. Maybe not an 'absolute favourite of the series' or anything like that, but I found it an enjoyable and engaging hour (45 minutes). I do agree though - a lot of what was going on felt like putting the pieces into place for the final four episodes of the season. Interesting that we still don't know what the red bursts are though....

Oh, and the actress playing Michael's mum was Sonja Sohn - probably best known as Kima Greggs in The Wire or Samantha Baker in Body of Proof. She's also done a bunch of episodes of Burn Notice and The Originals.

[Platschu]

This was an also amazing action-packed episode. Really nice acting, good story, lots of emotion. Well done. I don't know how can people not love Burnham and the actress. She has cried a lot in the last few episodes and she has made a really nice acting. I hope it is not racism what hold back the fans to accept and finally to love her. Her character has gone through a lot this season, I wish the "fans" would understand that she is the main hero in this show.

What I didn't like that they were talking about the time chrystal in front of Burnham. So even she was just a little 10 years old girl, she could have remembered what her parents were doing if they have done their experiments almost in their home. So that part was not so well directed as Dr. Burnham should have used a top secret other facility.

I like the twist with Leland. Maybe he will be a Borg as you have said it before. It is funny to hear the word "Control" as it reminds me to Mass Effect 3 game where one of the outcome was also this violent step.

Since Dr. Burnham has got time, she can visit them even day by day. I know it is not the idealistic solution, but she could come in and go for a few minutes every day. Other question is if she was active in the last 20 years, then why has she not helped her own daughter during the Klingon war? She was in real danger when her energy cell was collapsing in the pilot. I know that the concept of Red Angel couldn't have existed during season 1, just if they introduce such manipulations of time and space, then we could raise this question why she hasn't helped her in season 1.

[DigiFluid]

Other question is if she was active in the last 20 years, then why has she not helped her own daughter during the Klingon war? She was in real danger when her energy cell was collapsing in the pilot. I know that the concept of Red Angel couldn't have existed during season 1, just if they introduce such manipulations of time and space, then we could raise this question why she hasn't helped her in season 1.

Ripples in a pond?

She already knows that the war ends in the Federation's (and Michael's) favour. Why interfere in that and risk altering the positive outcome of the war, risk the possibility that if the Federation lost, its only survivor would be Control--now utterly uninhibited by any Starfleet?

[Platschu]

You are right, that was my conclusion that the Michael helped herself out of the situation. But you know the Federation has lost 8000+ people who could have been worth of saving.

Now Leland have killed a few guards, but they were also not bothered to beam up the corpses at least.

And as much as we like Tyler, it was a bit weird he survived even this stabbing. The Hungarian fans moaned that they knew that Michael won't die either last week, but when I have watched the episode I have tried to forget the outside world and to enjoy the story. It looks like most of the main characters have got plot shields.

Back to Mama Burnham. Does it mean she has seen the TOS and the reboot timeline? So she could have seen the outcomes of Spock's two future. It would have been a nice step to make some hints. I was almost right that they are creating a third timeline, but since she is nonstoply interfering I am not sure if she knows where she belongs now. It must have been sad that she has spent 20 years alone without human contacts, so I am not surprises she jumped back frequently to see her daughter.

[DigiFluid]

You are right, that was my conclusion that the Michael helped herself out of the situation. But you know the Federation has lost 8000+ people who could have been worth of saving.

Sure, but...ripple effect. Saving this ship of 100 people might put it in the wrong spot for that battle and so 200 people you who otherwise lived are now dead, etc. etc.

And as much as we like Tyler, it was a bit weird he survived even this stabbing.

I'm hoping he dies, personally....I liked the character in Season 1, and I like the actor, but he's just got no place this year IMO. If I were literally anybody on Discovery, I wouldn't turn my back on him for a second. This whole slow build toward working together and forgiveness sits completely wrong with me.

Back to Mama Burnham.

That's Doctor Mama Burnham to you!

Does it mean she has seen the TOS and the reboot timeline? So she could have seen the outcomes of Spock's two future. It would have been a nice step to make some hints.

I suppose it's possible insofar as anything's possible in Trek, but I think it very very unlikely.

Point of interest: the Kelvin timeline branched off the Prime timeline in 2233. The Doctari Alpha attack, where she was supposedly (but not actually) killed, was in 2236 in the Prime timeline--so her "death" came three years after the Narada intervention that never happened in this timeline.

I was almost right that they are creating a third timeline

Personally I think it's a little simpler than that.... The potential future where life is exterminated would be a third timeline different than what we've seen before. But her interventions/the actions of the Discovery are going to prevent it and ensure that the Prime timeline we're familiar with from 50 years of the franchise continues on as we already know it to have done.

[Platschu]

But theoratically she can see the events of the future spinoffs already as she has jumped even after them in the future.

On the other hand. What was she eating for 20 years? Has she had food syntetizer? Because if no living soul has left, then nobody will make crops. Even Earth was completly destroyed without any vegetation. How can she move locations? Because I would understand that she showed up in different time periods, but it should happen at the same place, shouldn't it? Maybe this part was not planned so well.

And the biological mark is different between mother and daughter. They have tried to use mythochondiral DNA explanations (like in BattleStar Galactica), but then only a dozen people would exist genetically. Doctor Mama Burnham (DoMaBu ? ) has got different DNA, so this whole explanation is a bit forced.

By the way. When we have seen the Saru episode, then why has she showed up to rescue him? If I remember well Michael was not in danger directly as Saru and his sister were captured by the hostile race. I know Michael was somewhere on the main land, just DoMaBu's intervention was not clearly explained.

[P-90_177]

But theoratically she can see the events of the future spinoffs already as she has jumped even after them in the future.

On the other hand. What was she eating for 20 years? Has she had food syntetizer? Because if no living soul has left, then nobody will make crops. Even Earth was completly destroyed without any vegetation. How can she move locations? Because I would understand that she showed up in different time periods, but it should happen at the same place, shouldn't it? Maybe this part was not planned so well.

And the biological mark is different between mother and daughter. They have tried to use mythochondiral DNA explanations (like in BattleStar Galactica), but then only a dozen people would exist genetically. Doctor Mama Burnham (DoMaBu ? ) has got different DNA, so this whole explanation is a bit forced.

By the way. When we have seen the Saru episode, then why has she showed up to rescue him? If I remember well Michael was not in danger directly as Saru and his sister were captured by the hostile race. I know Michael was somewhere on the main land, just DoMaBu's intervention was not clearly explained.

The events on Kaminar may well have not happened to her yet. I'm still of the belief that Burnham will also end up being the Angel too.

[Platschu]

I could imagine she will sacrifice herself and she will swap position with her mother to rescue her, but then how would they use Burnham in season 3? That is the reason I am a bit sceptical if she is going to be the Red Angel even if it would explain the DNA match what they couldn't understand this stage. But since they have used the mitochondrial DNA explanation, I doubt that the swap will happen. And if she tried it in the future then I am sure her mother has seen all the possible outcomes (like Dr. Strange in the MCU).

Maybe the evolution of Saru's race, the Kelpian will play a key role in something. I wouldn't be surprised if the Control would be the Ba'ul race. So the mud version was the first "body", then the second one was Leland and maybe it will evolve even more into the Borg in the future.

She has seen her many times to die, so I really liked that sceen how she tried to keep away herself from her daughter, but then the feelings have won. I don't know what show the ST fans are watching, but this whole situation was so sad and heart wrecking. When she reminded her that she has seen the highlights of Michael's past, then how they can not touch each other hands. Wow. So much emotions! Both actresses were great. I really don't understand why so many people hate Burnham as Sonequa Martin-Green's performance is outstanding. She could see so many range of feeling : the cynical, the broken, the arrogant, the confident. She is great in this role.

Here you can read a little more about mitochondrial DNA :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_DNA

[BruTak]

I found it interesting that the Starfleet personnel had at least a passing familiarity with the twin concepts of "Taking cover" and "Covering fire".

Something that their forebears aboard the NX-01 and successors on the Enterprise-D, E, USS Defiant, and USS Voyager seemed to have a bit of a blind spot about.

[P-90_177]

I found it interesting that the Starfleet personnel had at least a passing familiarity with the twin concepts of "Taking cover" and "Covering fire".

Something that their forebears aboard the NX-01 and successors on the Enterprise-D, E, USS Defiant, and USS Voyager seemed to have a bit of a blind spot about.

This is true. DS9 did alright with cover though.

[Platschu]

Why has Dr. Burnham the same sentence what Leland said? Is she also part of the Control? Why has Captain Georgiou not revealed this information to Michael? Because she became suspicious about Leland that is fine, but I have felt a greater meaning of this repeated conversation.

Where were everyone else on the Section 31 ship? Only Tyler and Leland? I couldn't even understand why he was transfered back there from Discovery in the first place, but then it served a plot reason, so Tyler can have a fight with Leland.

[BruTak]

There are other people on the Section 31 ship, yes. Did you not see the guy whizzing about in a wheelchair?

[dosed150]

I guess Tyler was the only one on the section 31 ship that knew Leland had been taken over by control, the rest of the crew are unaware so no point putting them off the ship as well