Star Trek: Discovery recap — "Sanctuary"

Welcome to the second edition of my newsletter! I recap the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery for you below, but first: If you’re into The Mandalorian, Preeti Chhibber and I discuss the show in detail on our podcast, Desi Geek Girls. We did a special episode on the latest installment, “The Jedi,” so check it out if you’re so inclined.

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🚨🚨 Spoiler alert: The rest of this email discusses the most recent episode of Star Trek: Discovery, “Sanctuary” in detail 🚨🚨

Credit: Michael Gibson / CBS

We knew this conflict was coming. From the first moments we heard about Osira and the Emerald Chain (the Orion–Andorian alliance), it was clear a head-on confrontation was inevitable. And it finally happened in this episode, called “Sanctuary.”

First, though, let’s talk about that episode opening. Burnham finally dragged Georgiou, who was probably kicking and screaming, to Dr. Culber to figure out what in the world is going on inside her head. And it’s a testament to how scared she is that she actually finally went. 

What becomes increasingly clear that something is very, very wrong with Philippa, but what is it? We see more of the vision that’s been haunting her — wearing a black suit and getting stabbed — but I’m still not sure what it all means. Philippa seems convinced that she’s dying, based on the data she hacks into, but Hugh thinks it’s more complicated than that. I’m really curious to see where this thread goes, and what it means for Philippa. My gut here tells me that whatever is happening has something to do with her being out of her universe, and the distance that’s grown in Discovery’s now-present between the Mirror Universe and ours.

We also got to see a little more of Saru and Tilly’s rapport. People always seem to underestimate Tilly, so it was incredibly rewarding to see her given a heap of responsibility and rise to the occasion. Her kicking ass at her new role is something I’ll never get tired of seeing (though “Execute” is not going to work, Saru, sorry to break it to you.)

Credit: Michael Gibson / CBS

The two stop in Engineering to consult with Stamets and Adira, who had my favorite storyline of this episode. They’ve discovered more information in the SB19 data and specifically, pinpointed a point of origin for The Burn: the Verubin Nebula (I have to wonder if this is a shoutout to Vera Rubin, who discovered dark matter!) Not only is something within the nebula transmitting a signal, which is the melody that Burnham discovered in a previous episode and everyone somehow seems to know, but there’s a Federation distress signal emanating from it, which means there’s a ship in there. This is good plot thickening stuff, and I’m absolutely living for the hints and clues we get in each episode about this overarching storyline.

As Stamets and Adira continue to work on the data together, the two have developed a wonderful rapport. Adira feels comfortable enough with Stamets, then, to tell him something that they have only ever told Grey: They don’t feel comfortable with she/her pronouns. Blu del Barrio is excellent in this scene; the way their eyes won’t meet Stamets’, that they’re looking anywhere but at him makes it apparent just how hard it is for Adira to confide in anyone. Paul’s simple, open, and accepting response, “Okay,” is quite perfect.

We knew this was coming at some point, given that CBS made it clear that Blu del Barrio, a nonbinary actor, was playing a nonbinary character on Discovery. My hesitation was that Adira would decide they were nonbinary after being joined, and as a result, their gender exploration could be attributed to the symbiont/alien influence. We need room to tell these stories as human beings, and in the end, I like the way this was handled. Adira told Grey about their pronouns, which to me means that they’ve been feeling this way longer than they’ve been joined.

Speaking of Grey, he’s no longer speaking to Adira, which I find very interesting. First, it implies that Grey has a mind of his own; he’s not just some sort of manifestation of Adira, a creation of their brain to process the trauma they’ve been through. This gives Grey agency. Second, it’s clear that he’s going through his own issues. It can’t be easy to only exist where one person can see you, and be confined to whatever they choose to do or choose to be, even if it’s someone you love dearly.

We’ve seen Stamets in a lot of modes over the years on Discovery, but I am living for proud dad. He’s been a mentor before, but his relationship with Tilly was different. I think it’s partially because she’s older, and also partly because Stamets is incredibly salty and doesn’t open himself up to just anyone. Adira has struck a chord in him, and it’s so wonderful to see the soft dad he’s becoming (and kudos for Anthony Rapp for playing Stamets so well. He’s such a multidimensional character.)

Credit: Michael Gibson / CBS

I guess at some point I actually have to talk about the main storyline of the episode! This wasn’t my favorite episode admittedly (it wasn’t bad, just not as memorable as previous ones), though it was nice to learn more about Book and his family. And it was incredible to see Detmer really just face her trauma head on and come out on top. I absolutely loved seeing her at her best in this episode, along with Ren, and her and Owo are absolute friendship goals.

Despite Saru trying to keep the Federation out of any conflict with the Emerald Chain, it looks like he was unsuccessful, which makes sense. Osira isn’t a government leader, and demoting or otherwise disciplining Detmer as a “rogue officer” wouldn’t satisfy her. But Ren’s confession to Tilly is telling: The Emerald Chain is running out of dilithium. Sure, they have recrystallizers, but you have to have real dilithium to begin with in order to recrystallize it. If you run out of that, it’s not good, and Osira may be less willing to take on the entire Federation than she appears.