Welcome to another week where we recap, react to, and ruminate about Star Trek: Discovery. Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Episode 6 was an emotional one and will strike a chord with people who have lived a life filled with trauma.
This post will contain minor spoilers. So, don’t read ahead until you have watched Episode 6.
As with previous posts in this Star Trek: Discovery series, there won’t be a lengthy recap, but instead of we will focus on the basics of what we learn. Once again, I’ll be pulling reactions and ruminations from my Star Trek community.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Episode 6: “The Sound of Thunder” Recap
This week, I can’t give too much of a recap, otherwise, I’d be giving away the entire plot. Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Episode 6 focused on one major storyline this week, after touching on a couple of other things.
The crew of the Discovery is busy unraveling all the data given to them by the ancient galaxy being.
Culber is in sickbay getting checked out. Mentally, he’s in a very bad way, which is at odds with his brand-new body. The doctor and Stamets aren’t even trying to understand what’s going on inside of Culber right now. Saru reaches out and validates Culber.
The signal appears and the Discovery is off to Kaminar—Saru’s home planet—and that is really all I can tell you without spoiling the whole episode. I think it’s safe to say that a huge truth is uncovered that forever changes things on that planet and happened without General Order One being broken.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Episode 6: “The Sound of Thunder” Reactions
Again, reactions to this episode were mostly positive, but Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Episode 6 wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
I’m just going to share one reaction this week because of a prediction it holds. My reaction will be discussed in the ruminations:
David Chilson: I must be honest that after last weeks episode, I was about to give up on the series, but I feel Episode 6 is a major improvement compared with the previous episodes as it had one cohesive story instead of following the style common with sitcoms where you have like three or four stories going at one time. The planet beach scenes were beautiful, but I wish they’d get rid of the JJ-style warp effect and go back to the moving starfield seen in TNG.
I’m gonna make a prediction, I think the Red Angel is gonna turn out to be Captain Janeway as, she’s female, has “Red” hair, wears a “Red” uniform, gets mixed up with time travel (willing or unwilling), uses advanced technology (compared to Discovery), says the word Tachyons just as frequent as the phrase “Coffee, Black.”
Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Episode 6: “The Sound of Thunder” Ruminations
Yet again, this episode was a very emotional episode for me. Last week’s episode was emotional because finally Culber is back, and seeing how distressed he was hit me at my very core.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Episode 6 was emotional for me because the overall theme was once again about Complex-Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. This week, this topic was expanded on with an added truth: How the friends and family you make after you are removed from the trauma will help to reshape you as you move through dealing with the aftermath.
At the very beginning of the episode, Burnham’s monologue was about how the events from early life have a long and lasting impact on your life. They shape you. There is this thing in psychology about how when siblings grow up in the same environment—whether healthy or traumatic—it’s their un-shared experiences that have a bigger impact and will play a big role in how they integrate those experiences.
This episode was so many layers of this aspect of psychology and trauma. There was a moment when Saru had to make a very important decision—one that could have cost him his career in Starfleet if he reacted with returning the pain to those who traumatized his entire species. Instead, he pulled on his chosen family and those experiences to take a different course of action.
Neither decision is right or wrong. Had he gone the road that would have led to jeopardizing his career, I would have understood that from the very depth of my soul. I also understand, from the depth of my soul, the decision he made and how the strength you get from those around you, those who hold you up when you can’t do it yourself, reshape you.
I’m not even sure I like the word reshape. I’m the same person I’ve always been. But without my chosen family, I don’t think I would have allowed the true me to be shown to the world.
There was a lot of raw emotion and naked truth in this episode. It was difficult to watch, yet very affirming. This is yet another episode that I’m very thankful for its existence.
The only issue I had with this episode was how they started with Culber and then kind of just left it, but maybe they’ll focus on that next episode. I wanted to yell at the doctor and Stamets because they aren’t even trying to understand what is going on inside of him right now. Saru was the only person to let Culber know that he has some understanding of what is going on inside of Culber and acknowledged that horrible pain he must be in.
I’m hoping that this disconnect between Culber and Stamets will lead to some very emotional yet honest episodes about how trauma affects intimate relationships. They have both suffered horrific traumas. Now that Culber is back, it appears as if Stamets just wants to bury it while Culber needs someone to see him and validate him and work through with him all the stuff he must be feeling. This has to lead to conflict in their relationship.
While most probably want them to just jump to “and they live happily ever after,” that wouldn’t be an honest depiction of a relationship that has suffered a trauma. The happily ever after needs to come after they work through what comes next.
As an end note, my Star Trek community is in the process of moving with the upcoming shutdown of Google+. You can find us and join us at The United Federation of Planets. It’s free to join but there are paid options with extra features to help offset the costs of hosting and building the apps. In the next couple of weeks, there will be both an Android app and iOS app for the forum functionality of the site.
Until next Sunday, Live Long and Prosper!
