“Rubicon”

Star Trek: Discovery puts Burnham in a difficult position as she has to work to prevent Book and Tarka from destroying the DMA.

One of the things that impresses me most about this season is how relatively downplayed the threat of the DMA is compared to the personal stakes brought on by its existence. The meat of the story isn’t about a destructive anomaly tearing through space, it’s about the characters and how they deal with the challenges associated with it. Specifically in this case the tension and drama comes from Book trying to destroy the DMA and Burnham trying to stop him. It’s meaningful because of their relationship and the damage that has been done to it due to Book’s choices. The DMA is a catalyst for that rather than the story itself. Arguably that downplays the threat it represents but character driven conflict is far more relatable and more compelling as a result.

Most of the episode deals with Burnham and Book working to outmanoeuvre each other using the knowledge they have of each other to inform the actions they take. This is a dance with each decision following naturally from the previous one in ways that highlight the strength of Book and Burnham’s connection. Dialogue details past experiences that inspire a particular move so their history is very much at the forefront which celebrates the well developed relationship, shows them both to be resourceful as well as intelligent and reinforces that they do have a history that they both value. It’s excellent grounding for conflict and enjoys a great deal of nuance because it isn’t as simple as them being enemies.

Book’s innately good nature is referenced a number of times in an obvious attempt to hammer home the idea that he isn’t a bad person. He’s acting out of anger and grief so has convinced himself that what he is doing is the right thing. Book is willing to suffer consequences if it means that others don’t have to endure the same kind of loss he did. The narrative makes a big deal out of a knowledge gap that Book has due to not being a formal part of Starfleet and the Federation. He doesn’t quite understand that destroying the DMA can be interpreted as an act of War that invites retaliation and that offensive action should be considered a last resort when all attempts at peaceful contact have failed. He sees a threat that he can do something about and doesn’t consider the wider implications of dealing with that. Once again this is driven by grief but it’s also an example of the difference in values between Book and Burnham as his life experience has taught him to be more forceful.

The resolution comes from helping Book to understand that point of view to some extent though this is framed around removing the urgency associated with the threat of the DMA. For now it is in an uninhabited region of space meaning that it poses no immediate threat to anyone. Stamets and Zora calculate that this will be the case for a week as it won’t change location until the area has been depleted of the Boronite being mined. Book may be emotionally driven but he’s still reasonable and agrees to stand down for a week to let the Federation try to reach out peacefully. The confirmed lack of urgency allows Book to take a step back and consider alternatives. This furthers the notion of understanding the nature of a problem being crucial to overcoming it.

Book and Burnham’s interplay through this conflict is excellent. Most of the time they are talking about each other to reinforce how well they know one another and they interact at key points in order to underline Book being a fundamentally good person. For example when his ship’s defences destroy one of Discovery’s shuttles he answers a hail to check if those onboard are safe. His constant refusal to intensify his attacks on Discovery also show this. There is also a playfulness to Book and Burnham’s final interaction in particular where they congratulate each other on being a worthy challenge. On a visual level they literally see eye to eye with Burnham in a shuttle and Book in his ship. All told it’s impressively deep character driven conflict that doesn’t fall into the trap of Book’s decision causing Burnham to turn her back on him.

Complicating matters is Tarka who has less altruistic reasons for destroying the DMA. He is driven by a self serving desire to find a way back to his home universe and he’s willing to do just about anything to ensure he achieves his goal. His impatience when Book is trying to stop Discovery without damaging the ship or harming any of the crew shows his frustration and his more violent attack on them following Book’s comparatively gentle nudges. He doesn’t place any value on the safety of Discovery’s crew because he feels that the destruction of the DMA is worth the collateral damage of lives lost on a Federation ship. He acts as the Devil on Book’s shoulder encouraging him to forget about his feelings for Burnham in service of what must be done.

Deploying the weapon after Book promised to stand down is proof of how self serving Tarka is. The realisation that the power source is on the other side of the wormhole makes it clear to him that all he has worked for and sacrificed has been irrelevant because there’s no way he can take what he wants. Earlier in the episode he mentions that this has been a ten year plan so there’s a tragic element to seeing it all blow up in his face with the consequence of him being a wanted man cut off from any resource he once had. In a way it’s what he deserves for his selfish attitude and dangerous behaviour but there is complexity to be found in the work done to make Tarka sympathetic in prior episodes. He has lost people important to him and is separated from his home universe so it’s easy to follow his motivation even if his actions and attitude risk making him unsympathetic. Tarka is a fascinatingly complex character who lives in that grey area.

The destruction of the DMA proved pointless as Tarka threw the most powerful weapon available at it which did succeed in destroying it but another one was almost immediately deployed. Species 10C aren’t hurting for resources and the destruction of the DMA barely slowed them down so it’s clear they are an adversary far beyond anything the Federation can throw at them. As Burnham points out they have now made First Contact and the first move is an aggressive one which risks setting the tone for their interactions. It’s frustrating that there was no further debate around Species 10C and the purpose of the DMA as the reveal in the previous episode didn’t even scratch the surface. There is far more to unpack and analyse that hasn’t yet merited a mention despite the glaring questions and concerns that should be hotly debated.

Commander Nhan’s return to keep an eye on Burnham in case her personal connection to Book clouds her judgement allows for exploration of Burnham’s mindset as she struggles with the conflict between duty and emotion. Nhan is antagonistic to a degree but her being chosen to take on this role has the benefit of her knowing Burnham and trusting in her. In theory this is great because it brings back a familiar character in an uncomfortably pseudo-antagonistic role creating drama through the audience wondering if she will be impartial enough to call Burnham out when she’s going too far. In practice having this work require a pre-existing relationship that just doesn’t exist. Most episodes would have the viewer believe that the crew of Discovery are a close knit found family who trust each other implicitly because of what they have been through together. That’s certainly true on a very high level but the show has never earned that status quo. The audience is constantly told this without having seen them reach this point. When Nhan left she had never been anything more than a background character who fades into the backdrop just as most of the secondary characters do so her return doesn’t have the resonance that it needs to.

As such her presence is functionally meaningless because anyone could have inhabited that role. In terms of a defined relationship with Burnham, Vance would have been a better candidate as it would have allowed for further development with their connection. He could see how she operates in the field and pass comment on her handling of the situation. Rillak similarly would have been a good candidate for this role particularly with the friction between them explored earlier in the season. Nhan is a strong presence and Rachael Ancheril is very good in the role but the foundation of their relationship is very shallow which means that any reference to how well they know one another stands out.

When I reviewed Supergirl I often pointed out that one of the conceits of the show is accepting that wearing glasses is a disguise that fools everyone. If you can’t get past that then you can’t watch the show. The same is true to an extent when it comes to the bridge crew on this show. One of the conceits is accepting that they are an effective team who also consider each other family. Since there appears to be no interest in earning that relationship enjoying the show means accepting that claim at face value. Most of the time I can do this but when a major aspect of an episode relies on a well developed relationship then it stands out. There is no prior evidence of the trusting professional and personal connection shared by Nhan and Burnham so this aspect of the episode doesn’t work in the way that it needs to.

There is some greater emphasis on the bridge crew as a whole by giving them opinions on the current situation. It’s nothing more than characters voicing a specific viewpoint on what they’re dealing with so it doesn’t qualify as extensive development but it does make them a little bit more than extras supplying reports on the functionality of systems or what has been picked up on sensors. A small step is still a step even if it doesn’t begin to solve the problem.

The variance in opinion also sets up the point of resolution. This starts when Culber weighs in on the debate over whether Book is doing the right thing by suggesting that they focus on where they agree in order to get the job done. Saru takes inspiration from this and uses it to stop a circular argument between Nhan and Burnham which then facilitates action through compromise. Finally the same method is deployed on Book to reach the compromise that has him agree to stand down for a week. It’s a simple yet strong multi-purpose solution promoting the idea of cooperation being possible even when outlooks differ.

Burnham and Nhan’s dynamic doesn’t come to a great deal because the point is never reached where Burnham has to make a difficult decision that tests her commitment to her orders. The last resort of destroying Book’s ship is teased but never deployed so it takes the form of an unresolved Chekhov’s Gun. It stands out because it is so prominently featured. Burnham constantly displays unwavering professionalism with repeated insistence that she is fully committed to the mission but won’t take drastic action unless she sees no alternative. Nhan always ends up trusting Burnham’s knowledge while serving reminders that the time for difficult decisions may soon be coming.

One thing that isn’t made enough of is the fact that Nhan is compromised before starting this mission. Her prior relationship with Burnham is an accepted factor that everyone seems fine with but there is mention of a recent mission where her hesitation resulted in loss of life. This sets up a realisation from both of them that failure and success isn’t a simple binary. There is a grey area and losing some people doesn’t mean failure as others survive. There has been a loose arc associated with Burnham this season around accepting that it’s not always possible to save everyone. It hasn’t been covered since the first episode but this counts as a continuation of it as begins to understand it through advising Nhan that she should focus on those she saved rather than those she lost. It loops round to her taking her own advice and accepting that loss is an unfortunate part of command. On screen it’s a good moment between Burnham and Nhan but getting to it is forced as it relies on information from Nhan that comes from nowhere.

Despite the weaknesses in the Burnham/Nhan connection the episode is generally among the stronger entries. The pacing was excellent, the action was exciting and it plays to the shows strengths in terms of capitalising on one of its best developed relationships. It’s an important episode in the context of the season as failing to stop the weapon being deployed puts Burnham and the Federation on less than ideal footing when it comes to making First Contact with the enigmatic Species 10C.

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Verdict

A good episode that capitalises on one of the show’s best developed relationships, is excellently paced and boasts exciting action. Book and Burnham working to outmanoeuvre one another works really well because the conflict is informed by the strength of their connection. Their history is at the forefront and the value they place on it is evident from both sides. It’s far from as simple as them being enemies and takes the form of a dance with each decision flowing naturally from the previous one. Book’s innately good nature is repeatedly referenced as is hit motivation for the decisions he has made. Much is made of Book’s gaps in knowledge and how his life experience informs his actions with the resolution coming from removing the urgency associated with the threat of the DMA. Once he knows that it’s not an immediate threat he agrees to stand down until it is. Book and Burnham’s interplay throughout the episode is excellent and serves to underline that Book is fundamentally a good person. Tarka complicates matters through his frustration and less than altruistic motivation. He is driven by a self-serving desire to find his way back to his home universe and he’s willing to do anything in order to achieve that goal. Tarka places no value on the safety of Discovery’s crew and feels that the destruction of the DMA is worth the collateral damage. He acts as the Devil on Book’s shoulder. Deploying the weapon is proof of how self serving he is. The realisation that the power source is on the other side of the wormhole makes it clear to him that all he has worked for and sacrificed has been irrelevant. In a way it’s what he deserves due to his selfish attitude and dangerous behaviour but there is a tragic aspect to it due to the work done developing his character. Tarka is fascinatingly complex and lives in that grey area.

The destruction of the DMA proved pointless as another was deployed almost immediately. It’s clear that Species 10C are beyond anything the Federation can throw with them. As Burnham states, First Contact has been made and the first move is an aggressive one. It’s frustrating that there was no further debate around Species 10C and the purpose of the DMA especially given how much there is to unpack and analyse. The return of Commander Nhan to keep an eye on Burnham in case her personal connection to Book clouds her judgement allows for the exploration of Burnham’s mindset. Nhan is antagonistic to a degree but her being chosen to take on this role has the benefit of her knowing Burnham and trusting in her. In theory this is great as it brings back a familiar character in an uncomfortable pseudo-antagonistic role creating drama through the audience wondering if she can be impartial but in practice the required pre-existing relationship simply doesn’t exist. The crew of Discovery as a close knit found family who trust each other implicitly is something the show hasn’t earned as it hasn’t been developed. As such, Nhan’s role could be filled by practically anyone and someone like Vance would have worked better. There is greater emphasis on the bridge crew to be found in this episode through opinions on Book’s decisions being articulated. It isn’t extensive development but it’s more than extras delivering reports. The differing opinions also sets up the point of resolution starting with Culber encouraging those in conflict to find where they agree and work from there. This carries into Burnham and Nhan differing and finally feeds into Book agreeing to stand down. Burnham and Nhan’s dynamic doesn’t come to a great deal as the point where difficult decisions need to be made is never reached. The last resort of destroying Book’s ship is teased but fizzles out. One thing that isn’t made enough of is Nhan being compromised. Burnham and Nhan’s shared realisation that not saving everyone doesn’t mean failure. They both learn that success and failure isn’t a simple binary which feeds into Burnham’s loose arc around understanding the burdens of command. It’s a good moment between the two characters albeit forced.

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