Augmented Vulcans…?

In the new episode, Pike, Uhura, Chapel, and La’an Noonien-Singh all undergo genetic modification to temporarily become Vulcan. Pike, Uhura, and Chapel, come out Vulcan. But that’s not exactly what happens to La’an. She comes out Romulan. That’s very heavily implied.

While the plot point is pretty large for the episode, they spent no time on the broader implications for the entire universe. La’an’s lineage carries Khan’s augment DNA, and the fact that this process pushes her toward Romulan physiology, instead of Vulcan, suggests something we’ve never been led believe before: Romulans might actually be descendants of augmented Vulcans.

If that’s the implication, it explains a lot, like why they’ve always been more secretive and insular than Vulcans, why their physiology differs just enough to stand out, and maybe even why Starfleet’s obsession with banning augmentation runs so deep. It would tie together the Vulcan/Romulan schism, Khan’s legacy, and a century of Federation policy in one subtle plot point.

It could just be a throwaway detail… but it really doesn’t feel like one. Especially considering the depth we’ve gone in to with Una’s augmentation. Do you think this is deliberate? If it is, it certainly recontextualizes everything we thought we knew about Romulan origins.

Hypothesis:

WE are the Borg - literally. And we just witnessed the Borg origin story. Human beings are Borg species 0001.

The writers on this show are absolute geniuses. In this post, I'll refer to the Scavenger ship and crew as SCAV.

Facts:

1. SCAV was launched in the mid-21th century, populated by humans, and without warp drive.
2. In ST:SNW (around 2259) roughly 200 years later, SCAV has warp drive. This would imply that SCAV assimilated the technology from other species. Note that Enterprise discovered many kinds of known (e.g., Klingon D7 Battle Cruiser) and unknown "ancient" ships inside SCAV. The Borg also assimilate technology from other species.
3. SCAV's mission was to "carry humanity to civilizations in other worlds."
4. SCAV wasn't interested in the Farragut because they had no power and all systems were down. This is aligns with Borg behavior.
5. SCAV went after Enterprise because they still had full power. SCAV released tendrils to capture the Enterprise to drain it's energy and access its computer, stealing technology. This is similar to how the Borg developed assimilation tubules to integrate people and technology.
6. Captain Pike stumbled across the two SCAV crew members. The SCAVs did not react until Pike shot first. This is classic Borg behavior.
7. After a SCAV disarmed Pike, he did not kill him because he no longer posed a threat. Again, classic Borg behavior.
8. When the SCAV were shot on stun, their technology absorbed the phasor fire and they were unharmed. They each wore a pink pentagon-shaped power module which looks like an earlier version of the Borg's red power module (see pics).
9. The SCAV umbilical tendril glows blue, red, and ultimately green (see pic). This may foreshadow the evolution of humans beings into Borg.

Let's review some of this episode's dialogue which suggests a Borg origin story.

• La'an: "Consuming resources from planets and any ship unlucky to cross its path."
• Scotty: "The scavengers, they take what they please from ships - damn the crew - and pervert the tech into their own."
• Kirk: "What went wrong? How did they go from that (i.e., humans) to whatever it is they became?"

In the episode's conclusion:

• Pike: "Whatever journey they had been through the last 200 years, it broke them."
  
• Kirk: "When they left Earth, they were the best humanity had to offer. They weren't monsters."
• Kirk: "Is that what we would become in the same circumstances?"
• Pike: "I'd like to believe we wouldn't."
• Kirk: "Why not?"
• Pike: "Because of how you're feeling right now. Because the next time you're in that chair, you will remember we are often not that different from our enemy."

Perhaps these scientist came across the same ancient and advanced alien machine civilization that changed the Voyager probe into V'Ger? Lastly, with so many sightings from so many species, I seriously doubt this is the only SCAV ship. Maybe there are more...heading for the Delta quadrant.

I believe this line is being used to explain why: the Gorn looked different in the Arena; and, why Kirk did not recognize them in that encounter. I know there are other loose strings that could explain this as well like Batel. But I do think that this line from the Metron is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

I say we riot. I mean seriously, they have been amazing at slowly introducing a new generation of the original cast. Cast. Sure. Haven't met sulu yet but I'm sure it's coming. To that end, we all knew that this was a limited thing because we all know the fate of Captain pike. But this show is amazing! It's the best Star Trek since, I can't remember when. So when this show ends, and the new original cast is all in place, if they don't start a new 5-year mission? Mission? Well...

Based on the way they look, I would say that the Vezda and the Gorn (Cali-katchna?) have same ancestors, but they both percieve time differently. The prison, then, would be of ancient Gorn architecture.

Or like Q are to humans, Vezda are to the Gorn.

Also typed out what N'Jal says to Spock

"Tika-mak chan tario pik-tah
Vika, chan tario tah.

Eek lok to, ma vika tario."

"My people have a deep desire.
We wish to know the core of our being.

What is N'Jal's species have to do with them? Maybe they just happened to evolve at the same planet at the Vezda's prison.

Pelia referencing "the time-traveling Doctor I once knew." 0_0

Idk why but i got this sudden rush of “i retire next week” coming off of her if that makes sense.

They have had some amazing character development for La’an over the seasons and i think its gonna end in our collective heart break.

She isnt a character we know lives into the future so nothing is stopping them from killing her off.

I dont want it to happen and ill be heartbroken if it does but im calling it now, La’an Noonien-Singh wont live to see the end of the next season finale.

On ancient earth, in traditional landline systems, the dial tone is generated by the central office or PBX as a specific combination of frequencies. For example, in North America, it's a combination of 350 Hz and 440 Hz. What made Pelia’s phones sound like that?

In "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail" I seriously thought that ship was the beginning of The Borg civilization -- or at least one of their early ships:

• It had advanced technology that Federation ships couldn't fight against
• It consumed other ships and adapted their technologies
• Their ship was orders of magnitude larger than regular ships, similar to a Borg cube
• They were found in the outer reaches of the galaxy (such as if they were sent from the Delta Quadrant, or perhaps later migrated to the Delta Quadrant)
• Their crew members were decked head-to-toe in mechanical suits that had strong electronic shielding

I mean, it all seemed to fit for an origin story of The Borg. I was truly expecting this to be fleshed out in later episodes or for someone to discover some marking or something that indicated they were The Borg.

(Of course, the episode did leave open the question: "What caused them to become that?" So there's still a little room for that interpretation.)

Anyway, anyone else have that thought?

From TrekMovie:

Co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers said during the panel that Darby is playing “a character that will be familiar yet completely new to folks that know Star Trek.” He added “If you know Star Trek, you will have a lot of fun with him and we had more fun than I could possibly imagine with him.”

So who (or what) could he be?

My fear? Q. Not John de Lancie's Q, obviously. But a different Q. I don't want that.

Please. Let me hear other theories to push that one out of my mind.

1. The quarry they were shooting in for the excavation looked just like the one they used to use all the time in Stargate.

2. When they first showed the small statue with the bubble above it, it almost looked like a DHD.

3. Cmon. Those were TOTALLY Goa'uld!

My wife and I were just rewatching SNW and I was wondering about Chapel's "real" motivation to break up with Spock. She just got into the 3-month-research-program and uses this as an excuse to break up with Spock, but I really can't understand her. We're just talking about three months and having their history in mind, one would think that they would at least try a long-distance relationship. Again, we're talking about only three months. My wife went studying in another country for 9 months and we tried long-distance ... And it worked.

So if I assume that Chapel isn't cold hearted, the only logical alternative is that both, Spock and Chapel, already felt insecure about Boimler's comments on Spock's "weird" emotional behavior and the fact, that he won't show any emotions in the future. Then it would make a bit more sense that Chapel is able to give up on their young relationship that easy. What do you think?

If hybridization of only three species effectively makes you the Chosen One because "something something epigenetics" (which makes zero sense since Trek has always been full of interspecies hybrids) then shouldn't a force that is able to assimilate the "biological distinctiveness" of just about every species they come across be the Vezdas' final boss?

Did anyone in the writers' room think this episode through?

So we've seen that Batel has already had off screen conversations with M'Benga and Chapel about her medical treatment for the Gorn babies. Especially since in Shuttle to Kenfori not only has she already told them everything Pike was about to say but also M'Benga tells Pike the treatment was her choice. The lack of use of the transporter buffer might not be an oversight on the side of the medical team but instead a direct offscreen decision by Batel after being offered the option by M'Benga and Chapel. But hey, that's just a theory, a Star Trek theory.

The Astrovore runs on a mineral call Aldentium. It's also called "The Eater of Worlds." Setting aside any references the name of the ship may make to mythology, fiction and/or history, it does like to eat. Like, a lot. Y'know what else gets eaten a lot? That's right: pasta! And what's the "best" way to enjoy said pasta? Cooking it al dente! The term "al dente" literally translates as "to the tooth." The Astrovore has a face on it, and teeth.

So, here's my theory: The writers invented a mineral to use as fuel for a whole new propulsion system which the Astrovore and, as Scotty implies, other species in the galaxy (which we fans have yet to encounter) rely on other than warp, just so they could make a food-based pun out of its name and (turn your references back on) the actual bringer of the apocalypse! Nerds 🤓

I love this series SOOOO much!

That said, i'll be eagerly waiting to hear how in two-hundred years, the Astovore crew went from not being warp capable to fielding a gravitational weapon more powerful than ever before encountered. (I assume it's cause "big ship, perversion of other tech?" But wait... then they should have warp technology. I'm confused. Anyone else have a theory?)

I absolutely loved Hemmer in Season 1, and even years later, I still can’t get over his death. I know his character was created to be a mentor figure for Uhura, and that his sacrifice played an important part in her arc — but I can’t help it, I still want him back.

And honestly… they never really showed him die. We saw him fall, but not die. He’s from a species that thrives in cold environments, and he even mentioned that the icy wind on that planet reminded him of home. What if — just maybe — the cold killed the Gorn but kept him alive?

In my headcanon, Hemmer’s been surviving on that frozen planet this whole time, using his engineering skills to stay alive. Maybe one day he’ll find a way off the planet and return just in time to save the crew during their next clash with the Gorn. I can dream, right?

I loved Bruce Horak’s cameos — especially as a Klingon — but Hemmer will always be my favorite. In my version of the story, he’s still out there. Always.

...but Lanthanites, and Pelia's hiding it? It would explain why she kept using the word "us", how they somehow made it off planet less than 10 years after WWIII but before Cochrane's flight and how no one remembered hearing about them at all in a history class at the Academy. They seem to be natural junkers, just like Pelia. They had consumed Fed tech before but never tried to make contact? Sounds like they yeeted off planet and she stayed behind. PS I love that none of this is Prime, btw, because the changes are great but would drive me batshit if they tried to shoehorn all this into the main timeline.

In "Shuttle to Kenfori," Spock mind-melds with Batel and says the line, "When we joined minds, I absorbed your pain."

It didn't hit me at the time, but that exchange was included in the "previously on" this week and it struck me: That sounds positively Sybokian, does it not?

It's not something mind-melds are generally described as doing, but it's very explicitly what Sybok does to his weird cult of followers.

I am currently not sure how much I trust the writers of this show, but I'm curious whether anyone else thinks the line held any import or whether I'm just grasping at straws.

Think about it; your entire being at the atomic level splits apart so you are by definition not existent at that point and then those randomized atoms are supposed to make the same puzzle again.

But what's the difference between that and getting other atoms; you were already dead; they just made the same puzzle again.

The only "concession" I'll make is that in a sense ..we DIE every single moment in our reality, because of quantum indeterminancy.

This week's episode wasn't the first time Una put Spock in an awkward situation.

In the Discovery short "Q&A" which has Una guiding Spock through his first day on the Enterprise. The two get stuck in a turbolift and to pass time, they do 20 questions.

Spock opens up about his human/Vulcan conflict, to which Una tells him to "get comfortable with 'Freaky'".

Spock: I've been doing that all my life

Una: I know...

Spock: do you? Then that leads to the next logical question

Una starts singing and convinces Spock to join in

It seems that Una does take pleasure in getting on Spock's nerves in a "big sister" affectionate way

EDIT: In hindsight, I would speculate that Spock knew Una wasn't human from the get-go but kept it secret out of mutual sympathy

Title says it all really. I vaguely remembered someone with three arms in the Animated Series and used google-fu to find out the species name

Like the Garden, the prison for the Vezda is an a-temporal extra-dimensional prison created by angels to imprison ancient evil, with a Guardian who there to keep an eye on them. In Wynonna we watch as waverly realizes that she's a human-angel hybrid and that (she thinks) her destiny is to go into the Garden to seal away the Original Evil, and in fact is the inspiration of the story of Good and Evil.

The beats have been reordered very slightly, and it was only two episodes instead of a season, but, it feels like we've seen Melanie Scrofano go through this exact process before in Wynona, only this time she's the Waverly, and Pike is probably not about to stage a "rescue".

Premise: The show is presented in a visual medium to an audience that is mostly sighted, and takes advantage of modern production technology to very much show off some pretty stunning visual effects. 

We are a visual species and English is replete with phrases and idioms referencing vision/sight.

That said, this season contains a LOT of visual references to the point that it presents as an overarching theme culminating in the imagery of the final episode.

“Hegemony II”

• Scotty describes his gadget to hide from the Gorn as “like a cloaking device”
• Gorn communication is based on light/optics

“Wedding Bell Blues”

• We are introduced to Beto Ortegas and his intrusive camera
• As Batel considers her assignment options (after Pike asks her “So, what are you looking for?” she notes that the options are less than ideal because taking those assignments means “Then I never see you.”
• Scotty: “A sensor ghost outside the hull. Nothing to see here.”
• We see the “Vulcan bartender” through Spock’s eyes/reflected in a mirror, but as viewers of “reality” we see that he appears to be a standard issue human male.  We later learn that other characters see this character as Andorian. 
• Trelane: “Well look at that. My own little Vulcan terrarium.”
• Much of the episode takes place in a seed pod biome, which functionally is a giant terrarium, and the cinematography emphasizes this. 

“A Space Adventure Hour”

• Spock (correcting La’An for looking away during their tango, noting that she herself had instructed him thus): “Eyes up, Lieutenant. You told me the eyes are the anchor of the tango, are they not?”
• The Holodeck learns about La’An both by watching her prior to the exercise via the monitoring pin she wore, but very obviously during the simulation by very blatantly observing her and “Spock” interact through the eyes of the Maxwell Saint character while he is questioned by them.
• The plot is a show within a show, and Scotty can only communicate with La’An by “hiding in plain sight.”

“Through the Lens of Time”

• “Lens,” right there in the title
• Beto’s “lens” displays the characters in the same space despite the fact that they themselves cannot perceive this
• Gamble/Vezda loses his freaking eyeballs
• Spock sees Vezda through magic goggles
• N’Jal has face markings reminiscent of goggles/eyepiece
• We are left with the impression that the Vezda could have infiltrated the ship’s computer and is “watching” things

“The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail”

• Una: “Who needs sensors? We have eyes”
• Uhura establishes ship-to-ship ”line of sight communications”
• Kirk: “We don’t need aldentium, just need to look like we do.”

“What is Starfleet”

• The entire episode is about observation

“Four-and-a-Half Vulcans”

• La’An renders herself invisible to Scotty/ship's sensors. Guys, she cloaks herself.
• The first scene in Pelia's quarters (for the conspiring/plotting scene) opens with a zoom out from a round glass/ball which is reflecting a red light, and it reminds me of HAL spying on Dave and Frank in 2001: A Space Odyssey

“Terrarium”

• The entire episode is about observation

“New Life and New Civilizations”

• Too many instances to count, but I liked the many callings of Captain Batel:
  • Beholder
  • Warden (from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to watch, guard" (from suffixed form of PIE root *wer- (3) "perceive, watch out for"))
  • Sentry (shelter for a watchman)
  • Advocate ( past participle of advocare "to call (as witness or adviser)) (and thus, as the ultimate JAG, her destiny is to deliver judgment on the Vezda)
• Pike reiterates that he will meet his fate on “an observation exercise.”
• Batel: “I never thought we’d see this.”

Edited to Add:

What Gamble/Vezda chants to the crowd, right before the eye stabbing, seems to translate thusly:

Demetis tenebris

From the harvest of darkness

interitus

destruction

vide clara

See clearly!

In conclusion, maybe: We're all aware that some scenes in TOS and beyond are invalidated by occurrences in SNW. That's not new to Star Trek or any other series, but I feel we're playing a part in a Heisenberg Uncertainty scenario by which our act of observing this series alters the in-universe future of Star Trek allowing more flexibility in a potential TOS reboot show.

Newer to the Star Trek universe so apologies if this is a dumb theory but i’ve seen people mention the Gorn is in a few different Star Trek shows & they have all presented/acted a little different.

I found it interesting that they use other creatures around the galaxy as their breeding pods yet also have a breeding planet with young as well.

Is it possible that the Gorn genetically blend with whatever animal, human or aliens they use as their breeding sack? Meaning there could be different types of Gorn or a “caste” system of gorn depending on their genetic build and intelligence they receive from their hosts? Explaining how they can be both uncontrolled creatures and simultaneously have enough organization to be space capable?