“Rubicon” is Everything Right and W≠rong with Star Trek: ‘Discovery’
As the entire Federation hurtles towards certain doom, can Michael stop Book from destroying the DMA this time? The answer won’t surprise you.
It’s the ninth episode of Star Trek: Discovery‘s fourth season. We are, more or less, exactly where we were before the show went on winter break. Book and Tarka still have their DMA-destroying weapon. Michael and the rest of the Federation still don’t want them to use said weapon. And we are still waiting for when the weapon inevitably does get used so we can move on.
Fortunately, by the end of DISCO‘s latest episode “Rubicon” we do get to move on. Unfortunately, that first means another episode full of surprising twists and turns that aren’t terribly surprising, twisty or turny.
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To Boldly Recap
Last week, we found out that the DMA isn’t an intentionally deadly weapon so much as it is an accidentally deadly shovel. This week, we find out that Michael shared this information, but Book and Tarka don’t care. The pair are still bent on chucking their sci-fi pebble at the seemingly indestructible super beings.
The plot of “Rubicon” goes thusly: Discovery is instructed to stop Book and Tarka at all costs. In order to make sure both Michael and Saru’s relationships with Book don’t cloud their judgment, the Federation assigns Commander D. Nhan (more on her later) to oversee the decision making.
Michael’s plan is to have Saru, Culber, Rhys, and Bryce (more on those last two also later) sneak aboard Book’s ship and stop he and Tarka. Tarka however installed a new security measure that nearly kills the entire away team.
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In Case of Emergency, Break Everything
Nhan reveals that Starfleet has instructed her to utilize a for emergencies-only tactic. The plan will destroy Book’s experimental spore drive. The plan will also destroy Book’s ship and Discovery along with them. Michael hatches a new plan: calculate how much boronite fuel the DMA has left to see if a decision regarding the DMA actually needs to be made immediately.
Discovering that the DMA won’t need more boronite for another week, Michael takes a shuttlecraft over to Book’s ship so the two can communicate face to face. She tells Book they have a week to figure everything out before the DMA destroys another world. Starfleet will attempt to make first contact, but, if that doesn’t work, they will back Book and Tarka’s play to blow the DMA up.
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Book And Tarka’s Very Dramatic Breakup
Book loves this plan so much it seems like he wants to marry it. Unfortunately, this means that Tarka wants a proverbial divorce. He let’s Book know by firing off the DMA-destroying weapon anyway. The DMA goes boom, but a few minutes later a brand new one takes its place.
First contact is now made with Species 10-C by way of an act of ineffective aggression. The Federation is boned.
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To Boldly Review
In forty plus minutes, “Rubicon” displays everything I both love and do not love about Star Trek: Discovery. The series continues to wear its emotions on its sleeve. The question of how to deal with the DMA dovetails nicely with our own real life conflicts. The DMA may as well be COVID-19. Both are big problems that would likely already be resolved if there was a plan and people stuck to it.
I like all of those things about DISCO. However, at the heart of the show’s latest season-long arc is also the show’s biggest flaw. The DMA, like “The Burn” and “The Red Angel” before it, shouldn’t require a full season’s worth of resolution. This problem is especially obvious when watching episodes “All In” and “Rubicon” back to back.
DISCO only has 11 episodes to work with in its fourth season. The show squanders too much of its time on one plot thread and the cost is character development. We get some character growth for Owosekun during “All In”. Similarly we get a little time for Nhan, Reese, and Bryce during “Rubicon” but it isn’t enough to really know them. In short: the characters almost entirely serve the season arc – and that’s the exact opposite of how things ought to be.
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Hey, Remember Nhan?
The return of D. Nhan as played by Rachael Ancheril is a big deal provided you remember who she is. We initially met her during DISCO’s second season. Nhan is a Barzan who transferred from the Enterprise to Discovery along with Christopher Pike. Like Saru, Nhan left her planet and all her people behind in order to join Starfleet. When last we saw her in season 3, Nhan decided to meet up with her fellow Barzans who are now part of the Federation.
On paper, Nhan returning to DISCO in this moment makes perfect sense. Nhan knows and cares about the Discovery crew. However, a year away from the crew gives her necessary, objective distance. She is needed to bring this DMA conflict to a fair and equitable conclusion. Nhan’s involvement pushes the plot forward while adding interpersonal tension to the proceedings.
All that said, I kept asking myself the same question over and over again – who is Nhan? There are these great, tense scenes where Nhan and Michael argue over the best way to stop Book and Tarka. Even better are the scenes where Nhan opens up and talks to Michael. We find out how much she’s struggling to reconnect with her own people.
The conflict between Nhan and Michael and its eventual resolution is good. Imagine how much better this character dynamic would be if an entire episode was dedicated to it! That is the problem with DISCO – it needs more episodes about specific characters so we really know who they are.
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Rhys and Bryce Do a Disagreement
Nhan is not the only character who we do not know nearly well enough. While on the initial away mission to stop Book and Tarka, Rhys and Bryce argue over whether or not destroying the DMA is actually the right decision. Dissent in the ranks is natural and worthy of exploration, but who are Rhys and Bryce? Why do these two characters differ in their opinions on how the DMA should be handled?
There are so many crew members on the Discovery bridge, but we know so little about most of them. An episode dedicated to Rhys and Bryce would give so much more meat and meaning to their disagreement in “Rubicon”. As it stands we know little to nothing about them. Some days it feels like DISCO cast all these people of color and queer performers and patted themselves on the back before they told us who the heck any of these people are!
And that doesn’t even touch on a bridge member like Nilsson who doesn’t even have a first name listed on Memory Alpha! If you held a gun to my head and said “name one thing about Nilsson” I couldn’t. She’s blonde and… nice? That’s all I’ve got.
I like Star Trek: Discovery! I would like it a lot more if there were more stand-alone episodes where the characters drive the plot and not the other way around.
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Stray Observation Deck
The container Book and Tarka put the isolynium in looks like a clear plastic jewelry box. Aw! He went to Jared!
The way Michael and Book simultaneously fight and help each other is adorable, but gosh do they need therapy! Like, tick, tick…. BOOM! therapy.
Saru and President T’Rina are going on a date. If anything comes in the way of their happiness I will destroy the Federation myself!
Did anyone expect Tarka to be chill? Why Book didn’t immediately launch that man into space is beyond me!
Questions, Queries, Quibbles
With only four episodes left, how will Discovery prevent total annihilation? Who is species 10-C? Will we get a Tarka backstory or will he die first? If 10-C sees Saru and T’Rina kiss, will they melt into a puddle of goo and let everyone live? Tell us what you thought of this episode and share your theories. We’ll see you next week!
Until then, this is your humble recapper signing off. Computer: end program.
