Logline
A distress call from Lt. Noonien-Singh compels Spock to disobey orders and take the USS Enterprise and its crew into disputed space, risking renewed hostilities with the Klingons in a bid to aid their shipmate.
Written by Henry Alonso Myers & Akiva Goldsman
Directed by Chris Fisher
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Right now, the plan is to post the /c/startrek discussion when the episode drops on Thursdays. Once the global community has had some time to watch and digest what they’ve seen, the /c/daystrominstitute discussion will go live on Sundays for a more in-depth analysis. This is subject to change as we evaluate what works best for the community as a whole.
I think the play is that they’re going to spend an episode or two setting up either withdrawal symptoms, or more likely, a resumption of the guilt he felt after the war (casualties he caused as a result of using the super soldier serum. Perhaps he even created/isolated it in the first place and is disheartened by the violence it enables?).
I don’t think this episode was meant to explore the trauma, but ‘teasing’ future plotlines about M’Benga’s culpability and/or guilt over the stuff. Remember, Chapel reminds him that he hates it and wonders why he keeps some on him, and he responds that while he does hate it , it might come in handy someday.
I think that serum is what gets him demoted. He and/or Chapel are certainly going to use it again in a situation where he can’t just omit it from the after-action report. And if it’s S31, then he definitely will get in trouble for holding some.