One of Star Trek: Discovery’s largest themes has at all times been the significance of togetherness in instances of disaster—from Klingon wars to Mirror Universe incursions, from being flung into the long run to the battle with the Emerald Chain, it’s a subject the present has proselytized time and time once more. It’s a lesson price repeating some instances, however in some circumstances, returning to it may possibly really feel prefer it’s simply spinning the wheels.

“The Galactic Barrier,” the tenth episode of Discovery season 4, feels way more just like the latter than the previous, as Burnham ready the crew to breach the identified fringe of the galaxy and eventually come head to head with the 10-C, the mysterious species behind the Dark Matter Anomaly. Spread between the occasions aboard the ship because it navigated the galaxy’s edge (sorry, flawed franchise) and Tarka and Book’s personal makes an attempt to discover a technique to do the identical after they went even rogue-er final week, there’s little in the way in which of ahead momentum right here because the season will get nearer and nearer to its conclusion, even when some ahead momentum is a fairly literal free description of the episode’s plot. The Discovery begins the episode at one finish of the galactic barrier, and finishes it on the opposite aspect.

So in between that little, literal ahead motion, what’s there to provide “The Galactic Barrier” some thematic meat on its bones? A lesson that Discovery loves, and has already instructed a number of instances this season, not to mention throughout the assorted crises Burnham and her crew have confronted within the present at giant: placing apart variations and having religion within the individuals prepared to face subsequent to you in a disaster is what is going to assist issues end up all proper. From Burnham and President Rillak (who indicators herself up for Discovery’s doubtlessly one-way journey to first contact because the Federation’s former prime ambassador), to the lingering romantic subplot blossoming between Saru and Ni’Var’s President T’Rina, from Tarka and Book, to the flashback-revealed bond Tarka had together with his former fellow Emerald Chain prisoner Oros, the episode is targeted on these pairs of individuals and their initially rocky connections with one another being strengthened within the face of impending disaster.

Rillak and Burnham, for instance—hardly essentially the most pleasant of pairs after the previous has, a number of instances this season, pissed off Michael as she maneuvered the Discovery captain for her personal political agenda—find themselves butting heads once more when they’re despatched confidential data mid-mission that the DMA has moved into the Sol system, and is simply days away from doing irreparable hurt to Ni’Var and Earth. Rillak needs to maintain the data from the crew, Michael needs to inform them in order that they know the true stakes of the already high-stakes first contact mission they’re on, and as soon as once more the duo’s loggerheads are over the mantle of command, civilian or in any other case, and belief within the individuals whose job it’s to comply with them. Meanwhile, as Tarka and Book return to the Chain encampment the previous escaped from at the price of forsaking one in every of his solely pals, we get to study the rogue scientist’s backstory and simply why he’s prepared to danger a lot to discover a technique to cease the DMA and flee to the life he had imagined together with his former scientist pal. Surprise! It’s one other story about two individuals who at first, couldn’t belief one another—Oros, as a result of he was searching for a technique to escape the Emerald Chain to a parallel universe; Tarka, as a result of he was assigned to work with the engineer as, initially, a secret Chain plant to gauge Oros’ loyalty—discovering frequent floor and in the end persevering by a disaster with the energy of their bond.

“The Galactic Barrier” is that this lesson instructed time and time once more, in scales massive and small—even the in any other case light-hearted will they/received’t they awkwardness between Saru and T’Rina turns into poignant, when the Kelpian gives to sit down with T’Rina and luxury her after studying that Ni’Var is underneath menace of destruction. And it’s not essentially a foul lesson for Discovery to show—it’s been a significant theme throughout the complete present. But it’s one this season alone has leaned on a number of instances already, stretching out its wider plot arcs to maintain returning to this effectively. Each time it does so once more, with out actually having way more to say than “it’s good when people work together when the shit hits the galactic fan,” the impression of that final message feels undermined. In season 4, we’ve already had this lesson put on the forefront of the present’s storytelling with Michael and her mom, after which once more when the Federation determined to vote for peaceable first contact makes an attempt with the 1o-C only a few episodes in the past. It’s additionally powered the rift between Michael and Book, as they’ve gone down their divergent paths to discover a technique to cease the specter of the DMA.

With only a handful of episodes left within the season to sort out some fairly very important components—we nonetheless know nothing concerning the DMA’s actual function, or the species behind it, nonetheless with its unofficial designation—this rehashing of acquainted themes and probably not having extra to say about them feels like Discovery is simply treading water earlier than it enters one other, presumably explosive endgame. Time will inform as we head into these last few episodes of the season if taking one other break will assist or hinder the bigger story Discovery is attempting to inform. With the crew on 10-C’s doorstep ultimately now, there’s no extra time to go over classes the present has effectively and really realized—solely time to place that educating into apply.

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