‘Star Trek Discovery’ Season 3 Episode 3: People of Earth
The U.S.S. Discovery’s journey into the heart of the Federation leaves more questions than answers.
The Federation, or United Federation of Planets, is a central planetary union based on principles of liberty, rights, and equality. The interstellar government aims to share knowledge and resources in scientific development and peaceful cooperation, once encompassing over eight thousand light-years with over one hundred and fifty member worlds. At least that’s what it was at its peak, before the burn. The 32nd century tells a much different tale, with the once heralded organization now only a glimmer of its former self, as Discovery travels to the former heart of the Federation, Earth, to get some questions answered.
Season 3, Episode 3: People of Earth
People of Earth starts with a montage of what Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) has been up to during the period in which the U.S.S. Discovery had yet to emerge from the wormhole. With the law of temporal mechanics at play, determining Discovery’s arrival time was impossible. With that in mind, Burnham assumed the life of a courier with her new friend Cleveland Booker (David Ajala). Continuing on in the off chance that Discovery would return in her lifetime, all the while amassing information on the burn, the whereabouts of her mother, and the current state of the Federation. One year later, Discovery pops up on long-range sensors, and Burnham rejoins her crew.
After embracing her shipmates, Burnham updates the crew on her finding. We find out the burn resulted in the destruction of any ship running on dilithium that had an active warp core at the time the event occurred. And if the situation wasn’t bad enough, the Federation’s previous attempts to find a viable substitute to dilithium as a primary power source for warp travel proved unsuccessful; resulting in any remaining dilithium being the most precious resource in the galaxy.
Then there’s Gabrielle Burnham (Sonja Sohn). After Michael emerged from the wormhole momma-Burnham was nowhere to be found, but for obvious reasons as Burnham’s time jump did not land her on Terralysium. While too far to travel to Terralysium with limited dilithium supplies, Burnham is able to send a message to the planet, but no one has seen or heard of her mother. I’m sure we’ll be revisiting this revelation sometime later in the season. Maybe it will even tie into the greater plot of the burn.
Next, there’s the current state of the United Federation of Planets, to which Burnham finds hope by way of a twelve-year-old transmission on an obsolete Starfleet channel. The contents thereof, leading Burnham and the Discovery to the former heart of the Federation itself, Earth.
“This is Admiral Senna Tal. I will wait for any who would join us on Earth. Anyone who still believes in us.”
At this point, you have to ask yourself, how much of Burnham’s life over the past year has changed her? The life of a full-time courier, part-time trans-worm smuggler, could not have been one that would hold true to Starfleet values. So much of what has defined Burnham over the years is her adherence to her Vulcan upbringing and her belief in Federation principles, but the absence of those anchors has changed the commander, and this episode emphasizes that change.
The Discovery’s arrival to the former home of Federation was meet with the surprising appearance of a planetary defense grid, along with the stern rebuke from an intense earth officer, Captain Ndoye (Phumzile Sitole). Ndoye is not a member of the Starfleet, but she is an officer of the United Earth Defense Force. We quickly find out earth is not fooling around, using its 32nd-century technology to easily beam aboard the U.S.S. Discovery, commencing with an inspection of the vessel.
Not only does Captain Ndoye inform Captain Saru (Doug Jones) that the Federation headquarters is no longer on the planet, but also that earth is no longer a member of the Federation; stating that the burn left the Federation crippled, with a target on earth’s back. The result of which is earth drastically increasing defenses, with the aim of defending the planet against any would-be thieves and raiders for its remaining supply of dilithium and other resources.
It doesn’t take long for Captain Ndoye and her officers to figure out something is not quite right about Discovery. On the bridge, Ndoye questions Saru about his mission and why they’ve been away so long, while in engineering, a young officer whom we come to know as Adira (Blu del Barrio), quickly recognizes Discovery is a very old ship, and she has a surprising knowledge of its interworkings, wondering how it has been kept in such pristine condition.
It’s obvious there is much more to Adira than is initially let on, and Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) sees right through it all. He finds himself telling Adira all about the Discovery; including a synopsis of the displacement-activated spore hub drive and the fact that the Discovery is from the past. Paul’s trust in Adira with this information allows the officer to open up about themself, telling Stamets that they know Admiral Senna Tal; in fact, they are Senna Tal, as they are host to the trill symbiote. By the end of the episode, Adira leaves with Discovery in order to find out more about themself, and help the crew find the Federation.
The central plot of the episode is all about the current state of the earth, and the lessons lost in the absence of the Federation. Mainly the directive to share knowledge and resources in scientific development and peaceful cooperation. The aftermath of the burn has left earth an alienated society looking to only protect its borders and hoard its resources; forgoing the forward-looking values of the organization that was once not only a beacon to the planet but also a beacon to the galaxy. The formation of the United Earth Defense Forces was a result of the earth's core pursuit of survival, a pursuit that has left them at odds with anyone who would appear to threaten the planet. Not least of which is Wen and this small contingent of raiders.
As Ndoye explains, Wen and his group of raiders been attacking earth in an effort to get dilithium. The tragic piece of irony is that one of Wen’s vessels was destroyed when initially only approaching the planet in need of help. What’s greater is that Wen and his supposed raiders were actually a group of humans from a self-sustaining colony on the planet Titan, who came to earth in an effort to ask for relief after an accident destroyed a third of their habitat, making it barely liveable. The ultimate message conveyed in the episode is all about diplomacy. An effort that our Starfleet officers of the past are primed to employ. There is something very special about seeing officers from a forgotten era be the catalyst in solving this future’s problem; executing the Federation directive of diplomacy.
One of the more touching moments in the episode is the solidification of Saru as captain of the U.S.S. Discovery. Not long after Burnham returns to the ship, Saru asks Michael to the ready room in order to discuss the decision on who would be the captain going forward; a discussion they had planned to have once they made it to the future safely. Burnham’s reaction is simply, “It’s you Saru.”
The concession by Michael is followed by a passionate speech from Saru as he takes the captain’s chair as the official captain of the U.S.S. Discovery for the first time; followed by a collective Aye-Captain from the crew.
“It's you Saru. I’m not sure it’s ever been me.”
The episode is also filled with many light-hearted moments, such as Booker in a Starfleet uniform, Adira calling the Discovery a museum, and Georgiou giving Booker the third degree. I found myself really loving those funny moments that allowed for an overall brighter tone to the episode.
Equally as enduring are the moments between Burnham and Booker. The show did a wonderful job of establishing the bond formed between the two over the past year. Amid rescuing trans-worms and having a fair amount of named tricks for getting out of sticky situations, we get the impression they’ve become a team if not more.
So, what’s next for Discovery? At the top of the docket is visiting the planet Trill in order to resurface Adira’s memories in order to find the whereabouts of the Federation headquarters. I’m sure the journey there will uncover plenty of clues to help send our heroes along a new path. I’m personally wondering will Adira will have any ties to other trills we know about in Federation history, though I believe the average lifespan of a trill is about five hundred-fifty years.
Then there is the mystery with Keyla Detmer (Emily Coutts). In this episode, she is hesitant to put the Discovery in the path of the United Earth Defense Force’s fire, leading me to believe it’s gonna be more post-traumatic stress disorder than anything to do with a return of Control. The only thing that gives me pause there is that Stamets is able to bounce back really quickly from his traumatic experience. I’m sure this will be addressed at some point since they are putting so much emphasis on the whole ordeal. Added to the already palpable mental drama of the journey itself, Ensign Silvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) comes to the realization that everything she knew has been gone a long time now, though a glimmer of hope if attained by the visit to the former Starfleet campus.
As an aside, I can’t wait to see more of this new Michael Burnham. Like one of my Discussing Trek cohosts stated, “She’s a lot dirtier.” I too feel she has gained a certain amount of true grit by being forced to forge her own path in Discovery’s absence. The relationship between Burnham and Book leaves me to believe that maybe the best of both characters may have rubbed off on each other, leaving Burnham with a more wild-west mentality that should be a fun thing to watch.
Finally, Star Trek: Discovery continues to up the ante. I’m hoping for more lessons in Federation principals. The current state of the galaxy isn’t perfect, but I’m totally engrossed in this new reality, and maybe that’s the point. This future world allows Discovery to toss away the shackles of the 2250s and play around in a sandbox that is all their own. And I’m here for it.
