Ad Astra Per Aspera

A beautiful title, I remember watching the anime Ad Astra a few years back. They had a ROUGH time.

Through hardships, to the stars.

You had your playtime, acting like one of them. Accept your dismissal, take your licks and go home.

Una: No. (Why not?) Because I shouldn’t have to hide anymore. None of us should. I know I should have done better. I didn’t stand up when I should have. I’m standing up now.

YES! GIVE ME THAT STRENGTH!

So it was either dishonorable discharge OR Dishonorable discharge with 20 years in a penal colony.

That’s a rough decision.

GIVE EM HELL UNA!

So La’An has an idea that the evidence against Una might have been illegally obtained. This is going to be a really in depth court drama from Star Trek!

La’An: We need to find out who turned her in. It might well be the only way to save her.

But Uhura strictly refuses La’An’s illegal order. :|

Counselor: Admiral, it would seem that the rules of Starfleet only apply when a captain deems that they do. (Robert April: Is there a question Counsellor?)

You have shown that you have been repeatedly willing to break the very first order of starfleet and you are hailed a hero. you can break the law if you so choose. So, hiding behind order and protocol to explain why you would not have admitted Una Chin-Riley to Starfleet is a sanctimonious falsehood, is it not?

And of course the JAG gets pissed off at that type of reasoning, how convenient.

Counsellor: My client did not ask to be genetically modified. It is an Illyrian cultural practice done to children before they are even born. It is done for survival and yet she has been arrested because of a violation of a law. But the Admiral has just shown us that Starfleet regulations are are flimsy and subjective at best.

Spock’s line about what una was hiding OMG!!!

Spock: Yes, I did get the feeling that she was hiding something.

Neera: What was she hiding?

Spock: An affanity for Gibert and Sullivan musicals.

A BRITISH TAR IS A SOARING SOUL AS FREE AS A MOUNTAIN BIRD HIS ENERGETIC FIST SHOULD BE READY TO RESIST A DICTACTORIAL WORD

Spock: Perhaps. Although I think it is illogical for Starfleet to punish itself.

Neera: I’m afraid I don’t understand.

Spock: The loss of Una would be destructive to Starfleet as an organization. She is an extraordinary officer.

Una: She is a Mentor Spock: I have learned a great deal about leadership by serving under her.

M’benga: She puts the lives of her crew above her own. Always.

Spock: She is a friend.

La’An: Family. Una is Family.

And we get more into exactly That.

Counselor: Could it be that you carry your family’s augmentations, and you believe that because of them you may become dangerous?

Una: Yes, I do.

OH MY GOOOOOOD…

Counselor: There is nothing wrong with you Lieutenant, no hidden monster inside. But I do know how they make us feel. They look down at us for so long that we begin to look down at ourselves. Genetics is not our destiny despite what you may have been taught. The fear of yourself it’s not your own. It was drilled into you. You’re not born a monster. You were just born with a capacity for actions, good or ill. Just like the rest of us… i guarantee you are not the the person who leaked Una’s true identity to Starfleet.

“Ad Astra per aspera”

To the stars through hardship.

…

Una: My family, we went to the non-illyrian city. You see, some of us could pass. We could blend in, so we did. We left everyone else behind. Our families. Our friends… We left them all. I regret it to this day.

…

I wanted my crew to know who me for who I really was. I thought maybe if they did, I would finally be safe. And starfleet would finally understand Illyrian’s better.

So it was four months in between Ghosts of Illyria and last season’s finale.

Neera: She believed in the best of Starfleet, and that through it she could find salvation from the hardship and danger of her everyday life. Danger she faced just for being born an Illyrian. Dangers born on prejudice. Spurred on by laws against people like her. But through her hardhsips, Una saw the stars. Una joined Starfleet because she believed it was the only thing that could save her life. She fled persecution, and within Starfleet she sought safettu. She Asked for Asylum and Captain Pike granted it.

What an amazing courtroom episode! Did a lot of work for equality in the current moment.

I was recalling a lot of the classic courtroom episodes too, The Menagerie, Drumhead, Measure of a Man. This is top tier stuff.

I also feel relevant to our current controversies.

The Broken Circle. Back to Strange New Worlds and Pike’s Dilemma and Una being arrested. Oh no.

Beautiful opening shot of the station! wow!

“Pike: … But even from afar I sense a tension here among the brass that I can’t pin down.”

I know how you feel Pike. gestures vaguely at how we are currently at rebellion with our former ‘home’

“Pike: Hey, you won’t have to leave space dock.”

“Spock: What is the human expression? Famous last words.”

Some foreshadowing there? Is Spock just going to have an easy time relaxing in Spacedock?

Dr: M’benga: "When you unleashed your anger to combat the Gorn, you removed those blocks. Now all your emotions are flowing more freely. "

Oh shit, is this setting up some more aggressive spock?

“Dr. M’benga: You’ll just have to learn to live with them. Like we all do.”

YES! THE HARP!

Uh oh, distress signal from La’An and Spock has to help out!

“The answer is obvious. We must STEAL THE ENTERPRISE”

OH YEAH! HERE WE GOOOOOOO!

“… Yes, you can always count on a Vulcan’s inability to lie. Another things I know about Vulcans. They don’t do things without a good reason. Do you have a good reason to steal the ship?”

“Spock: I am having what humans call, a ‘hunch’”

“A vulcan with a hunch, that’s a new one. And not just any Vulcan. Amanda Grayson’s Son.”

Well shit, she knows Spock’s mom. What’s up?

“If you’re going to steal a Starship, do it correctly!”

I love this lady’s very dry sarcasm!!!

“OH PLEASE. WE CAN SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THIS. OR WE CAN GO. You decide.”

“Spock: Vent the Nacelles on my mark.”

HERE WE GOOO

“Oh I just noticed you don’t have a chief engineer!”

"Be happy to sub in. Been a /Hundred/ years since I’ve gone out with Engines of my own. (A hundred years? Really?) It’s a long story. A really long story.

“Spock: The Starbase will have to wait. Cajitar system. Warp factor 5. …”

"Ortegas: You going to say it? Your thing?

“Spock: My what?”

“Ortega: Your thing. You know. Everyone in the chair has their thing.”

“Uhura: Captain Pike always says: ‘Hit it’”.

"My last captain liked to say “Zoom”

“Spock: Do you have a thing?”

“Ortegas: Well, I’ve been workshopping… ‘vamanos’ but it’s supposed to be about you. What kind of commander are you? All that. So no presh ;)”

“Spock: I would like the ship to go. Now.”

GOOOOOOOOOOOO

Those Klingon ridges are GORGEOUS

I like how La’An was surprised by Uhura’s promotion, “Wait, you’re ensign now?!”

“Chapel: Are you sure you want to do this again?”

“M’benga: Again, no. But I’m not seeing a better choice.”

And they hypospray themselves with that stuff that alters their physical power and kick Klingon ass wow.

Chapel’s in serious distress, and M’benga has the really intense look in his eyes.

Ortegas as snappy as ever, “70%” "Ortegas: Copy. That is the last time they dent our paint job. "

M’benga being EXTREMELY practical about getting off the stolen (and soon to be destroyed) ship

"M’benga: I can use the altitude jet to guide us away from the ship. (Only we’ll be dead) Not necessarily. It’ll take almost a minute for us to freeze to death. Don’t worry. We’ll pass out after 15 seconds. I know it’s a terrible idea. (Chapel: Yeah, it’s terrible. Let’s get to it then. )

OH MY GOD THEY DO A TRANSPORTR PERSPECTIVE YAYY!!

… and they’re FROZEN. And Chapel’s nearly dead :(((( Spock’s giving it his all!!

“Spock: I waited for you. You do not die!”

And we have an episode of near death! Our main characters are not immune from rough times. :|

Spock plays negotiator real well with the Klingons, and all he had to do was throw down the bloodwine.

“You drink bloodwine?”

“Spock: I have been known to.”

“This is something I must see. You’re no typical Vulcan.”

"Spock: No. It would seem I am not.

And our engineer has an ear for Klingon language.

"Well, uh, listen, I think my Klingon might be a little rusty, but did he just say, “May your blood scream”?

Spock: A Klingon toast the true meaning of which is becoming clear to me.

“You want to know the worst thing about living almost forever? (The loss of those you love?) Oh you sweet un-vulcan Vulcan, no. That’s a pain shared by all who live with even a half-open heart. No. It’s BOREDOM. And on that ship of yours, there seems to be a shortage of that. I like it. I might even stick around.” … TO THE VULCAN WHO ACTS NOTHING LIKE A VULCAN!

But alas, that Bloodwine resulted in quite a hangover.

"April: Consider that hangover your punishment. But next time, it’s your commission.

I like how we opened with a very contained episode. We got a lot out of M’benga and Chapel’s history.

Poor Chapel recovering rom being frozen in outer space… And Spock’s doing his best to calm his emotions with music. May he develop some deep meditative songs to heal this ache.

A beautiful dedication for our original communications officer.

"For Nichelle, who was first through the door and showed us the stars.

Hailing frequencies forever open."

Beautiful start to the season.

I guess Una’s trial is coming up.

It was literally only good to keep your brain hooked and building that karma. Clever assholes. Glad to get rid of that site.