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The end is near for Star Trek: Discovery, as Season 5 premieres on Paramount Plus, with 10 more episodes before it's time to say goodbye to the popular spin-off series forever. Fans have had to wait over two long years for this season to arrive, and episode 1 really doesn't disappoint with some jaw-dropping action, and a more serialized story that looks set to end the show on a high.
Sonequa Martin-Green reprises her role as Captain Michael Burnham, alongside Callum Keith Rennie, Doug Jones, Elias Toufexis and Eve Harlow. The story sees an 800-year-old Romulan vessel found by Burnham, and the Discovery is sent to retrieve it, but the artifact inside of it is stolen, which brings about an epic battle to find it, and the prospect of them coming up against some of the most evil characters in the Star Trek universe.
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What happened in Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 1?
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 1 | |
|---|---|
Title | Red Directive |
Written By | Michelle Paradise |
Directed By | Olatunde Osunsanmi |
Episode 1 of Season 5 is titled "Red Directive" and it opens with Captain Michael Burnham on board an unknown ship.
It cuts to a flashback of the beginning of her night at a reception aboard the Disco celebrating Federation Day. The Kelpien has some big news: he has been offered a job as a Federation ambassador, but he is conflicted about leaving the Discovery. Vance takes Burnham away to Kovich’s super double secret “Infinity Room” for a briefing about a 24th-century Romulan science vessel which was found at the edge of the Beta Quadrant. She declares the mission a “Red Directive”.
Elsewhere, Vance orders the Antares and the Discovery to head to Q’Mau. Before she leaves, Burnham gets Sylvia Tilly to do some database investigation at Fed HQ to get around Kovich.
The thieves head to the desert planet and find Fred, who it turns out is an eccentric android. He is interested in the puzzle box, which he opens and speedily reads the old journal of Romulan scribbles and diagrams. He offers three bars of latinum in a risky deal. Moll and L’ak choose to get shot, but Fred’s henchmen end up dead, and the synth is left with a big hole in his chest. The Federation arrives too late, but they beam what remains of Fred up to the ship as they split up to find the bad guys.
Back at the Academy, Tilly gets caught hacking, but Vance covers for her, as he’s growing tired of Kovich’s behavior as well. She finds an old recording of a Romulan scientist talking about the secrets he has written in the journal, dropping clues about “twin moons” and an “ancient technology” that “cannot fall into the wrong hands.”
How does Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 1 end?
Michael, Book and Rayner head into the desert for a bike chase, while Moll and L’ak get to their ship and plan an escape with the use of some tunnels. The trio debate over how to counter this move, with Burnham warning Rayner that if they order the Antares to close the tunnel, it could trigger an avalanche that could destroy the town.
Rayner decides to take the risk, and avoids an avalanche of epic proportions, but the thieves decide to trigger one anyway. They try to figure out a way to save the town, and figure the only logical solution is to use both ships as giant sand wedges to build a shield wall. However, Rayner isn't convinced about the plan, but agrees to it when she is reminded that Starfleet is all about saving innocent people. The ships save the town, and the locals cheer in relief. However, Rayner doesn’t join in with the celebrations as Moll and L’ak have escaped again.
Disco returns to the space dock and reflects on the day’s events and realizes his future lies with T’Rina. Meanwhile, in sickbay, Hugh and Paul are sorting through Fred’s positronic brain, when Burnham spots a clue that identifies the “twin moons” location, which gives her justification to confront Kovich, who is looking at the wrong planet. He briefs her on what’s really going on. Turns out, the long-dead Romulan scientist was named Dr. Vellek, and he was present when Captain Jean-Luc Picard found a message left by ancient beings who created “every humanoid species in the galaxy.”
Vellek found their technology and now “the greatest treasure in the known galaxy” is up for grabs and Moll and L’ak are already in line to find it. However, Michael and the Disco are competing with them to get there first.
Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
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