ā¢ āUnder the Cloak of Warā. The flashbacks in this episode are set during the Federation-Klingon War seen during DIS season one, and a large part of that conflict was the new Klingon cloaking devices that TāKuvma, and then Kol installed on their various ships. Get it? Yeah, you get it.
ā¢ This episode was written by Davy Perez, who also wrote āAll Those Who Wanderā and co-wrote āMemento Moriā and āAmong the Lotus Eatersā.
ā¢ Jeff Byrd directed the episode; he also directed the DIS episode, āRosettaā.
ā¢ Pike gives us the stardate 1875.4 in his captainās log. MāBengaās CMOās log records the stardate as 1875.8.
Episode | Stardate |
---|---|
āThe Broken Circleā | 2369.2 |
āAd Astra per Asperaā | 2393.8 |
āTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrowā | 1581.2 |
āAmong the Lotus Eatersā | 1630.1 |
āAmong the Lotus Eatersā | 1630.3 |
āAmong the Lotus Eatersā | 1632.2 |
āCharades | 1789.3 |
āLost in Translationā | 2394.8 |
āThose Old Scientistsā | 2291.6 |
ā¢ We are introduced to the USS Kelcie Mae NCC which, based on its appearance, answers the question, āIf there is a Utopia Planitia Shipyard, does it not follow that there is likely also a Dystopia Planitia?ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ It used to be that when you saw a ship like USS Buran (āBest of Both Worlds, Part II), or the USS Curry (āA Time to Standā), or the USS Yeager (āDoctor Bashir, I Presumeā) you knew that the design team was basically fishing for parts at the bottom of the box of leftover Federation starship bits, and hastily gluing them together so there could be something that resembled a Federation ship in the background of a shot for a fleeting half moment. But with the USS Kelcie Mae someone used the most powerful 3d design software available to create an entirely new ship to be front and centre on screen.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ I will never again complain about the Sombra-class from āAll Those Who Wanderā being a Constitution-class ship with a bit of blue paint instead of read, and a slightly larger bridge window.
ā¢ Prospero is the protagonist of Shakespeareās āThe Tempestā. Data once portrayed the character on the holodeck while studying humanity in āEmergenceā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Prosperoās lines from the play are also quoted by:
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Miranda Jones - āIs There In Truth No Beauty?ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Chancellor Gorkon - āStar Trek: The Undiscovered Countryā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ General Chang - āStar Trek: The Undiscovered Countryā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Jean-Luc Picard - āEt in Arcadia Ego, Part IIā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Beckett Mariner - āCrisis Pointā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The Emergency Janeway Hologram - āKobayashiā
ā¢ Starbase 12 is has been mentioned mentioned in a number of episodes across multiple series, including SNWās āThe Serene Squallā but was first named in āSpace Seedā.
ā¢ The H16 Starfleet boatswainās whistle is slightly different from the C18 that appeared in āStar Trek: The Undiscovered Countryā and the C19 from āThe Next Generationā.
ā¢ Among DakāRahās crimes Ortegas mentions the siege of Athos. Athos is apparently a colony on the JāGal. However, there is also a planet named Athos IV in the Badlands where the Maquis had a hidden base, seen in āBlaze of Gloryā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Captain Archerās dog, Porthos, had a littermate named Athos.
ā¢ Klingons call DakāRah āThe Butcher of JāGalā. We learned in āThe Broken Circleā that Doctor MāBenga was stationed at JāGal during the Federation-Klingon War.
ā¢ Spock and lieutenant Mitchell attempt to synthesize raktajino, a Klingon coffee. The mug thatās produced appears similar to the ones frequently seen in DS9, though more ornate.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Mitchell states of their first attempt to create a raktajino that we see, this oneās cold.ā According to āThe Passengerā, Jadzia occasionally enjoyed her raktajino iced, with extra cream.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ With the second attempt, we see a cartridge of some sort lower into the bar, as the raktajino is produced. In some TOS episodes, such as āTomorrow is Yesterdayā and āAnd the Children Shall Leadā we characters with flat, coloured disks into a slot on a food synthesizer to produce the desired meal.
ā¢ *āOn a recent mission, Spock was able to parlay with a Klingon captain.ā Number One is referring to Spockās encounter with Captain DāChok in āThe Broken Circleā.
ā¢ Shuttlecraft 12648, is very different from the Class C shuttlecraft that were aboard the USS Discovery in this era, but it does have the same paint colours as those ships.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Shuttlecraft 12648 has a registry number, NCC-7901, presumably for the starship it is usually berthed on, which seems pretty high for this era.
ā¢ The Starfleet officers we see in the flashbacks to JāGal are all wearing tactical vests that were introduced in SNWās āMemento Moriā, not the ones worn through seasons one and two of DIS, introduced in āThe Battle of the Binary Starsā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The badges everyone is wearing are also the ones the introduced with the Enterprise crew in season two of DIS, not the split delta design of DIS which everyone other than the Enterprise crew woreā¦
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The badge Trask is wearing when he shows up does not have a division logo on it. Chapel says that he is special forces.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Similarly, the black uniforms are new, but appear to be the same cut as Chapelās white jumpsuit, rather than resembling the ones worn in DIS which would have been common during the Federation-Klingon War.
ā¢ Doctor Buck is played by Clint Howard who previously appeared as:
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Balok - āThe Corbomite Maneuverā
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Grady - āPast Tense, Part IIā
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Muk - āAcquisitionā
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ A character credited as Creepy Orion - āWill You Take My Handā
ā¢ It cost Doctor Buck a case of Romulan ale to get Chapel assigned to JāGal as head nurse. Romulan Ale is illegal in the Federation, and was first named in āStar Trek: The Wrath of Khanā but might have been the blue beverage the Romulan commander served Spock in āThe Enterprise Incidentā.
ā¢ āDoctor, I need a doctor.ā Chapel is a doctor, as established in āStrange New Worldsā, but presumably Alvarado would not benefit from epigenetic treatments.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ By āStar Trek: The Motion Pictureā Chapel will also be an MD.
ā¢ Doctor MāBenga suggests keeping Alvarado in suspended animation in the transporter buffer, a technique he will later use on his own daughter aboard the Enterprise as seen in āGhosts of Illyriaā. The first time we saw it used in Trek was in āRelicsā where Scottyās pattern was able to remain stable for 75 years aboard the USS Jenolan, but not ensign Franklinās. āHe was a good lad.ā
ā¢ āThe Gorn attack as Finibus III,ā Doctor MāBenga mentions in his log was seen in āMemento Moriā.
ā¢ Pike shows up in sick bay looking for Deltan parsley. In āThe Enemy Withinā the aggressive Kirk went to sick bay demanding Saurian brandy from Bones.
ā¢ Due to protests at DakāRahās previous transport, Starfleet command has decided that veterans of the Federation-Klingon War are required to interact with him and make him feel welcome. For other ridiculous command decisions by the Starfleet admiralty, see: all of Star Trek.
ā¢ In flashback we see Doctor MāBenga tell Chapel to use her hand to manually pump their patientās heart as part of their efforts to save him. In āSecond Contactā Tendi had to manually pump Stevensā heart to keep him alive.
ā¢ āConvincing Propero Alpha to agree to an armistice was like getting a Tellarite to give a compliment.ā The contentious nature of Tellarites was established in āJourney to Babelā when Sarek generalized the entire people.
ā¢ āWe all just call it the Moon.ā In āValiantā Collins tells Jake Sisko that ānobody whoās ever lived on the Moon calls it Luna, either. Thatās just something they say on Earth.ā
ā¢ We learn that Doctor MāBenga has āThe most hand-to-hand kills confirmed.ā
ā¢ Doctor MāBengaās wheatgrass shot seen in āThe Broken Circleā is called protocol 12, and heās the one who designed it.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Doctor MāBenga says that protocol 12 is, āadrenaline and pain killers,ā and not just the āgreen juice, extra greenā that Tilly ordered from the food synthesizer in āLetheā. Itās not canon, but the current storyline in the ongoing comics, āStar Trekā and āStar Trek: Defiantā involve the followers of Clone Emperor Kahless injecting the Red Path sacrament, a mixture of Klingon adrenaline and some chemical found in ketracel white.
ā¢ DakāRah speaks of a chancellor who asked him about a Klingon speaking on behalf of the Federation, and he uses masculine pronouns while doing so. The title of chancellor has been used to describe a variety of positions, but I suspect that I am not the only one who initially assumed DakāRah was speaking of the chancellor of the Klingon Empire, their head of state. Last we saw, LāRell was still chancellor, after having taken over in āWill You Take My Hand?ā
ā¢ ātlhIngan maH taHjaj.ā Ortegas recites the rallying cry of TāKuvmaās followers from āThe Vulcan Helloā, āRemain Klingon.ā
ā¢ Uhura learned about Aenar philosophy from Hemmer in āMemento Moriā, and we learned that theyāre pacifists in āThe Aenarā.
ā¢ Doctor MāBenga and Laāan have been practicing Mokābara, a Klingon martial art Worf taught aboard the USS Enterprise D as seen in āCluesā. As per āThe Vulcan Helloā, prior to the Federation-Klingon War, there was effectively no contact between the Federation and the Empire for 100 years, which does raise the question of how two Starfleet officers would have been able to learn Mokābara.
ā¢ The red martial arts uniforms Doctor MāBenga and DakāRah wear for their MokāBara sparing session resemble the ones we see worn in āCharlie Xā when Kirk is showing Charlie Evans some throws in the work facilities. Except those uniforms had tight leggings, an a Starfleet delta on the chest.
ā¢ In the flashback to JāGal, we see the Klingons there all wore their hair long. Every Klingon we saw in season one, from heads of Great Houses to guys urinating in back alleys, was bald, and in āPoint of Lightā we learned that it was specifically because they were at war, first with other Klingons, and then with then with the Federation. We also so that each House had individual customs for dress and body modification, so unreasonable to assume that whichever House DakāRah and the other Klingons who held JāGal were loyal to did not engage in such tonsure.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The Klingon warlords we see Doctor MāBenga kill in the flashback are wearing the same armour as DāChok in āThe Broken Circleā.
ā¢ The Dāk thag dagger was introduced in āStar Trek: The Search for Spockā.
ā¢ According to Doctor MāBengaās service record, he was born in 2223, meaning he would be 36 years old.
ā¢ The subtitles for the episode call the Klingon homeworld āKronos,ā but fortunately the map Number One gives to Pike has it labelled āQoānoS,ā as it should be.
ā¢ āHow can we represent a Federation that believes in peace if we say some people arenāt allowed to make up for their past.ā For example, Pike will probably be very grateful that during the events of āThe Menagerie, Part Iā the Talosians choose not to display the moment where he claimed, āItās just that I canāt get used to having a woman on the bridge.ā Look how far heās come in only five years!
ā¢ Doctor MāBenga tells DakāRah, āYou turned me into a monster.ā In āThe Woundedā, Chief OāBrien tells a Cardassian officer, āItās not you I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you.ā
ā¢ DakāRah accidentally stabs himself during the struggle with Doctor MāBenga. In āThe House of Quarkā, a Klingon named Kozak accidentally stabbed himself while fighting Quark, an in āThe Vulcan Helloā, the Klingon Torchbearer stabbed himself after ambushing Michael Burnham.
This is the first time weāve seen Ortegas in the captainās chair.
She was in the captainās chair in the pilot episode, and it wasnāt her first time either. When the alien escaped from sickbay she said something along the lines of āthis always happens when Iām in the captainās chairā.
Thatās right! Thanks for the correction.
Iām only here to say thanks.
I love these posts. They drive my engagement and become required reading after every episode.
These posts are a boon to the community, so thanks for making them.
Wow didnāt realize how many times a Klingon ends up stabbing himself in the trek universe. All that aggression must really cause a lot of accidental deaths in the Klingon empire.
Iāll have to rewatch that scene but Iāve watched the episode twice. It wasnāt my impression that he accidentally stabbed himself but that MāBenga was pushed to defend himself and stabbed him, thus finishing his mission on JāGal.
I know some people feel that MāBenga killing DakāRah felt disingenuous to Trek but I actually liked seeing that even though these characters are diplomatic and controlled have their limits of humanity and right and wrong and that some atrocities truly are unforgivable. The characters arenāt perfect and make mistakes and I like that - I feel like itās a more accurate representation of humanities struggle for peace.
Nurse Chapel confirmed Doctor MāBengaās story. You donāt think she would lie, do you?
Ok ā¦ so Iām not on top of stardates in Trek so Iāve been ignoring this ā¦ but, and sorry for my ignorance ā¦ whatās up with the startdates in this season? Are they doing something intentionally here?
Are they doing something intentionally here?
Violence. Against me. Personally.
But also, as others have pointed out, in TOS there was very little rhyme or reason to the Stardates, and SNW seems to have embraced that. Itās actually seems to be less non-sequential this season than in the first.
My personal headcanon is that after the Klingon, Starfleet implemented a sort of two factor authentication to the stardates so theyāre somewhat randomized, and canāt be properly pieced together with the proper ākeyā that lets you know the actual sequence of events.
in TOS there was very little rhyme or reason to the Stardates
The explanation Roddenberry gave was that a stardate was dependent not just on time but location, but the real world reason was that the episodes were aired out of production order.
Roddenberryās memo about stardates being the episode producerās birthday multiplied by the shipās distance from Earth was a joke.
However even when you order the episode by production date the stardates still donāt line up. Even in season three where the episodes were aired in production order, the stardates still bounce around a bit.
@maegul @USSBurritoTruck @startrek Itās probably an homage to TOS. Their stardates were famously not consistently kept in any kind of order either.
The stardates have been wonky since season 1. It might be intentional or maybe they just donāt care. Either way the randomness aligns with TOS.
I really love this episode, love all these canon references
Am I alone in not carding about about inter-series continuity?
Not a criticism. Just wondering if Iām the odd one?
A lot of the people whoāve made Star Trek over the years did not care about continuity from one episode to the next, let alone between series.
Personally I find long running media franchises with ongoing continuity fascinating. Itās like the Winchester Mystery House; a beautiful maze like construct with sudden dead ends, doors to no where, abandoned additions, inconsistent design, and occasional Shakespeare quotes. Except instead of one mourning woman directing all the construction, itās been 56 years of countless writers, directors, production designers, and showrunners all contributing to Trek continuity.
Itās fun to see how everything fits together, and those spots where it does not. Thatās just my take, anyway.
I guess the times turned. I remember that before 2010 āweā fans cared a lot about inter-series continuity and had an absolut blast in favrious discussion groups if these where honoured.
Seems like āweā have turned to be the odd balls and people seem to care a lot less these daysā¦
I guess the times turned. I remember that before 2010 āweā fans cared a lot about inter-series continuity and had an absolut blast in favrious discussion groups if these where honoured.
Seems like āweā have turned to be the odd balls and people seem to care a lot less these daysā¦
Wait! There are Star Trek comics?
Yeah. Some of them are a lot of fun, too.