Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Discovery | 5x05 "Mirrors"
Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Discovery | 5x05 "Mirrors"
Logline
Captain Burnham and Book journey into extradimensional space in search of the next clue to the location of the Progenitors’ power. Meanwhile, Rayner navigates his first mission in command of the U.S.S. Discovery, and Culber opens up to Tilly.
Written by: Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco
Directed by: Jen McGowan
I’ve got a bit of a spoilery kind of question:
Tap for spoiler
If L’ak is Breen, how come he bleeds after the fight with Burnham? I thought that they don’t have blood, or did I miss something established earlier?
Bashir said in DS9: “In Purgatory’s Shadow” that the Breen didn’t have blood, but considering they never took off their suits, how did he know that? And if they don’t have blood, how does circulation work?
There are animals that don’t have circulatory systems, but they’re usually of a very simple order like sponges, nematodes and flatworms for example.
So either the “fact” that the Breen have no blood is misinformation, or they have something else that substitutes for blood.
Some invertebrates have circulatory systems which carry hemolymph, a fluid made most of water and contains various substances like carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, etc. It’s not blood, but it still serves a circulatory function.
There was also the stuff in this episode about "two faces," one of which they say they have evolved past (or whatever their phrasing was). The Breen of this time could be a little more complicated than the Breen of the DS9 era. I assume we'll learn more about what that's all about later this season.
Maybe
spoiler
Burnham stabbed a pimple.
I would posit that the Solid "face" Breen biology that L'ak is maintaining bleeds, while the transparent gelatinous one doesn't bleed, making the non-bleeding Breen the social norm.
I thought that one was...fine. A perfectly acceptable unit of Star Trek.
I probably would have found it more interesting if Moll and L'ak had been the main protagonists of the episode, spending more time with them on the Enterprise in addition to their flashbacks, with Book and Burnham as the antagonists of the story.
On the other hand, I enjoyed Rayner's B plot, so maybe not.
Edit: and pour one out for our man Rhys, famous Constitution class fan who doesn't get to go on the mission to deliver the Enterprise to Federation HQ.
@ValueSubtracted I definitely agree it was... fine. Which is a shame because there were some great bits and pieces for what felt like it could have been a great episode.
Unfortunately it was quite hampered by Disco's unfortunate habits. There were some real choices made to not let any of the positive elements shine.
I really enjoyed this episode. It was nice knowing that the scientists from the mirror universe were able to make it to Starfleet.
I am curious about the ISS Enterprise however. Does the problem that Georgiou had due to the drift between the two universes not effect the ship? Outside of wear and tear from sitting in that nebula, it looked fine.
Does the problem that Georgiou had due to the drift between the two universes not effect the ship?
Probably not - it sounds like it didn't actually travel through time the way Georgiou did - it just sat derelict in the wormhole for a few hundred years.
I'm kinda left wondering why it needed to be the Enterprise at all, since all we see is the ship, and no one from it. Is it just to give closure in-universe for it? Why couldn't it just be "any" mirror universe ship?
I mean, was Burnham so incurious about mirror Spock that she never checked the records?
I mean, was Burnham so incurious about mirror Spock that she never checked the records?
I don't think that's far-fetched - I probably wouldn't be Space Googling the alternate versions of my loved ones.
As for it being the Enterprise...I guess it's to give us a bit of closure regarding Spock's rebellion. Personally, I think it would've been fun to have seen the modified version of the Defiant that was teased in season one.
Is it not the set from Strange New Worlds? Saves on budget?
Annotations for 5x05 up at: https://startrek.website/post/9566841
I’m getting the feeling that Burnham will set sail with Booker and Rayner gets to be Discovery’s new captain.
Are Breen proto changelings?
800 year old abandoned ship no dust and lights but future Discovery is covered in dust? So time for a 32century upgrade or does it belong in a museum. The world may never know.
Once again your only away team member is your ex. just get back together already .
Maybe the Discovery got contaminated by a nebula or something.
There was another starship that was also covered with dust…. crewmen dust
