Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) s04e07 Episode Script

Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass

Previously on
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
SPOCK: Apologies. My mind has
not been easy to quiet lately.
[grunting]
LA'AN: We've been heading
in different directions for a while now.
SPOCK: I should have been there for you.
LA'AN: Spock, there's no tragedy
in a romance reaching
its natural conclusion.
- UNA: Want to talk?
- PIKE: How can we love
the people in our lives so deeply
- How?
- JULIET: Here!
- Hey! Get in here.
- Hi, Dad.
PIKE:and then, one day,
simply never see them again?
I don't know what happened.
The thought of losing you gave me
the power I needed to open up
the fabric of space and time.
PIKE: Maybe memory is
as real as the present
and no one we have ever
loved is truly gone.
- M'BENGA: Captain.
- [muttering]
You had us all worried.
Follow my light.
What happened?
You were in a terrible shuttle accident.
I was?
Everything looks so different.
So
It's bright and I don't know hazy?
Did you change the lights?
Do you remember anything?
You were caught in an asteroid belt.
The dreaded Abbott-Chancellor Collision.
It's a good thing you were
once an ace test pilot.
Otherwise you'd be dead.
Now tell me, what is the
last thing you remember?
Oh. Uh, hosting a captain's
table after we returned
from the Kiriaki mission.
That was two weeks ago.
Two weeks? What?
Your injury is worse than I thought.
- It can only mean one thing.
- What?
You have
cosmic amnesia.
[dramatic sting]
PIKE: Do you hear that?
Oh.
Are we back in the musical?
Doctor. I have an update
on Lieutenant Spock.
Oh, thank God.
What? What happened to Spock?
He was with you on the shuttle.
I know you did everything
you could, but
he suffered severe blunt force trauma
to his torso, where his heart is located.
He went into cardiac arrest.
And to save him, I had to
Y-You had to what? What-what
is with the dramatic pauses?
Both of you. Come on.
I had to induce a coma.
Has he been here this entire time?
You did what you had to do.
He'll need
a heart transplant.
Really? But he looks fine.
There is one hope.
An experimental surgery.
A living heart transplant.
The risk is enormous.
To clone a living donor's heart
What are you looking at?
both patients could die.
Or worse.
CHAPEL: La'An thinks
she's found a donor.
She's taken a shuttle
to go and get them.
- Computer, am I in a simulation?
- [computer chimes]
COMPUTER: Negative.
No simulation detected.
What?
Captain, you leave me no choice.
Until you complete a full
cognitive evaluation,
I must relieve you of duty.
Okay. All right.
This is going too far.
It is necessary.
I will set up an appointment
with Dr. Chivers.
The ship's counselor?
CHAPEL: Oh, she is brilliant.
You are in good hands.
Uh-huh. And, uh
what about Spock?
CHAPEL: Once La'An gets back,
we can start the procedure.
I'm discharging you for now.
But I need you to rest.
Doctor's orders.
Off you go.
Computer. [stammers]
Scan for any and all anomalies
on board Enterprise, please.
COMPUTER: Processing.
Good afternoon, Captain Pike.
Dr. Chivers.
Well, I'm surprised you recognize me
after canceling so many
of our appointments.
Okay. Well, um
y-you're a therapist.
Can I ask you a question?
What might cause someone to act
melodramatic?
Captain, I need you to
focus on these tests.
Because if you don't
perform satisfactorily,
you could be removed from duty.
Permanently.
Great.
[sighs] Like chronitons
through the hourglass,
so are the days of the Enterprise.
- Cue credits.
- [snaps fingers]
PIKE: Space.
The final frontier.
These are the voyages of
the starship Enterprise.
Its five-year mission:
to explore strange new worlds
to seek out new life
and new civilizations
to boldly go where
no one has gone before.
I came as soon as I got your message.
Am I a potential donor?
I know the live transplant is risky, but if
it means saving Spock's life, I'm ready.
Nyota, you're not a match.
But your DNA test
did reveal
something else.
What is it?
I'm breaking Starfleet
protocol by disclosing this.
It's no mistake.
I confirmed it.
How is this possible?
LA'AN: La'An to Enterprise.
I have Spock's donor.
Setting return course.
[male groans]
Oh, you're up.
About time.
What's wrong?
Cat got your tongue?
Now,
to what do I owe the pleasure of the best
prison break I have ever been party to?
And I assure you,
I have been party to many.
Did I say you could talk?
I broke you out of that
prison for one reason.
To save your brother's life.
Sybok.
Your latest mission was less than
48 hours after your previous mission.
- That seem like a fast turnaround?
- No. [stammers]
Are we done here?
None of this is relevant to
what's happening on the ship.
Do you believe that your
duties take precedence
- over your well-being?
- That's the oath.
Federation, Starfleet,
and my crew come first. Yes.
Personal leave is part of conditioning.
Even for captains.
COMPUTER: Scan for anomalies
aboard USS Enterprise complete.
There are zero anomalous entities
found on the USS Enterprise.
I need to figure out what's going on.
Captain, we're not do
- Captain, I need to talk to you.
- You see it, too, right?
Everyone acting weird?
Please tell me you do.
Sir?
No. This is
personal.
- I'm not even sure how to tell you.
- What?
Captain.
I'm your daughter.
This is not happening.
La'An just sent a message.
She has the donor.
[chuckles softly]
What a genuine miracle.
I must prepare immediately.
We cannot afford even
the slightest error.
Joseph, is something wrong?
[grunts]
I left some additional
notes in my quarters.
Prep the second surgical station.
I'll be back shortly.
[door whooshes open]
Captain. I'm your daughter.
You're my daughter. Heard you the
first time. You're my daughter how?
I was just as surprised as you
when Christine told me about our DNA.
But you had parents.
Yes.
It's true.
I lost my family in a
shuttle accident years ago.
I was adopted.
I never knew my birth parents.
The only clue I had was this
old recipe book left with me
at the orphanage.
I spent my whole life wondering
who lovingly wrote out these recipes.
And now I know.
It was you, Captain.
CHIVERS: That was very brave of you.
Why don't you sit.
Oh. No, no.
No, no, no, no. No.
We're not doing this. [stammers]
Nyota, I read your file.
You're not adopted.
And even though I
think of you
really, the rest of the crew
as family
I don't have a daughter.
But whatever's making
you think that I do
is real. It-It's affecting the ship.
Nothing looks the way it's supposed to.
No one's acting the way
that they're supposed to.
And even though the scan
turned up no anomalies
I've seen this before.
Our lives turned upside down
by a higher-dimensional being
who can evade those scans.
This
fancy coat god
guy.
COSMIC ENTITY: Could Captain
Pike please stick to the script?
You're surprised Lieutenant
Uhura is your daughter,
but, ultimately, you do believe her.
All right.
Show yourself.
Ball of energy.
Whatever you are.
The name is Tre
Don't really care.
Why are you torturing my crew again?
Oh, no, no. This is nothing
like my last visit.
No, that was based on
pettiness and spite.
I've grown.
What you are witnessing now
is my Great Human Experiment.
Of late, I've been studying your
breed in a more formal capacity.
And during my erudition,
I fell in love with an art
form that explores the raw,
unrepentant beauty of human emotion.
It is
body cleaning theater.
You turned Enterprise into a soap opera.
[music swells]
Will you stop that?
Oh. So you are familiar.
Good. 'Cause I feel you humans
have very high potential.
And I'll be defending that
thesis to my proctors.
You turned us into a soap
opera for a school project?
It's more of a dissertation.
The premise
The premise is simply
space adventures leave little time
for humans to deal with
their inner struggles.
So I've crafted some
individualized situations
just to get around all that.
Think of it as a gift.
For last time.
Apology not accepted.
Now put back our reality
and leave Enterprise immediately.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
For one, there's my evaluation.
And, also, there's that other hiccup.
What other hiccup?
You, Captain Pike.
You see, while the other storylines
are snapping along spectacularly,
you, for some reason, seem to
realize that you're in an experiment
and you're not playing ball.
You didn't do this to me on purpose?
No. Of course not.
I learn from my mistakes, Captain.
But, unfortunately, until you
figure out your internal struggle,
I cannot end the experiment.
So we're trapped.
Believe me, I'm as unhappy as you are.
Because if you fail, I fail.
And if I fail, well,
you might become a stone.
Or perhaps a squid.
Or maybe even that chair.
Then fix this.
You first, Captain.
So, what, I'm supposed to help Uhura
with her whole father-daughter problem?
Well, that's a start.
And we'll be right back after
this word from our sponsors.
[snaps fingers]
Captain, if you'll have a seat.
I think it's time for a
family therapy session.
A family therapy session
is a great idea.
This is a big discovery for both of us.
You know what, I agree.
Unfortunately, there's a reckless
entity back on the ship,
and I have to go deal
with that right now.
But, afterwards, we could really have
- a conversation
- [fingers snap]
A family therapy session
is a great idea.
This is a big discovery for both of us.
Nope.
[fingers snap]
Fine. I get it.
The only way out is through.
That's the spirit, Captain.
A family therapy session
is a great idea.
- This is a big discovery for both of us.
- A big discovery for both of us.
I agree. Let's start.
- Hmm.
- CHIVERS: Uhura, why don't you start.
The captain seems like a man who
needs a little time to warm up.
UHURA: Sure.
I guess I want to know
what anyone would.
Why did you abandon me?
Abandon your daughter?
I promise not to judge.
I just need to know.
[Pike sighs]
This is crazy.
I always thought my
real father would have
- the decency to be honest with me.
- I'm trying to.
But in the present moment,
it's kind of impossible.
Honesty's never impossible!
That's something you teach
every ensign on this ship.
You want honesty?
Okay.
A child-god-like being has
come back to Enterprise,
and, this time, it's turned
us into a soap opera,
which is why I have amnesia
and you think I'm your father.
You'd rather pretend like we're facing
some reality-shifting anomaly
than accept me as your daughter?
This is becoming a trend.
If some part of you didn't want me to
find you, then why leave me this? Hmm?
You circled page 28.
Coq au vin. You wrote,
"A perfect meal to make
with a perfect daughter.
Stardate 1443.2."
Every page is blank.
Look.
Fine.
If you want to pretend I don't exist,
I'll just show myself out.
[doors whoosh shut]
That was real anger.
COSMIC ENTITY: Oh. This is delightful.
They were supposed to just hug
and reconnect and blah, blah, blah.
But this?
You can't plan for this type of drama.
Did you not plan for this?
[sputters]
Of course I did.
It's high drama.
The layered emotions of humans.
It's what this is all about.
I'm just having a difficult
time focusing on my assignment,
with you lording over me
in your extensive robe-age.
I mean, don't get me wrong
th-they're lovely, lovely robes.
Cut to camera one.
SYBOK: Save my brother's life?
Why in this vast and turning
universe would I ever do that?
If Spock doesn't get a
living heart transplant
in the next four hours, he will die.
And whether you like it or not,
you're his only hope.
So I'm giving him your heart,
even if I have to tear
it out of you myself.
Hmm.
While I would love to see that trick,
I am afraid I have to take a rain check.
- How did you get my phaser?
- You conveniently left it in reach.
LA'AN: But Vulcans can't
engage in subterfuge.
You have me confused with my brother,
who exemplifies that myth.
Which is why I am willing
to make you a deal.
[scoffs]
Kal-toh.
The Vulcan game of logic and patience.
If you can achieve order
from this chaos before I can,
I will give you my heart.
Willingly.
Chapel said you rushed out of sickbay.
She's very worried.
I'm fine, Una.
I just needed some air.
You don't have to face this alone.
Whatever it is.
M'BENGA: I have
space madness.
[gasps]
Well, today has been productive, but
Does that mean I'm being reinstated?
It doesn't look good.
You know
in certain types of amnesia,
there is a consolidation event.
The last memory has significance.
You said that, for you, it was
the captain's table two weeks ago.
Can you describe that to me?
It's like a family dinner.
For the bridge crew.
Interesting.
If you want my professional opinion,
you're repressing something.
And it's tied to two weeks ago.
I'll get back to you.
- [door whooshes open]
- Computer,
bring up all existing files
on our last encounter
with the cosmic entity.
COMPUTER: Missing files may only be
accessed by acting captain Una Chin-Riley.
I'm going to convince
someone to open those files,
and we're going to stop you.
And now I'm talking to myself. Great.
Okay, door. Here we go.
[fingers snap]
SYBOK: You were playing so well.
But now you're second-guessing yourself.
I know why, La'An.
And
you're not alone.
Everyone hides a secret pain.
It must be exposed and reckoned with.
It must be dragged from the darkness
and forced into the light.
Share your pain.
Share your pain with me
and gain strength from the sharing.
It's just
so overwhelming.
Kal-toh.
[chiming]
Deal's a deal.
Time to go and save your brother's life.
[phaser whirring]
[scoffs]
You were never going to help Spock.
No. But thank you for the shuttle.
I can plot a course to
the Arachnid Nebula.
Home of the lost colony
of V'tosh ka'tur,
a paradise of knowledge forbidden
to Vulcans but now free to me.
I will leave you on the nearest moon
for the next Federation ship.
Or you could come with me.
[scoffs] What?
Don't return to that ship where
they'll extinguish your fire.
Run away with me, La'An.
Let it burn.
[breathing heavily]
Run away with me, La'An. Let it burn.
Run away with you?
You're a liar and a cheat.
And you haven't said no.
I can't abandon Spock.
He's more than just logic,
more than a Vulcan
struggling to find his way.
He is deeply kind and deeply good.
We can have it all, La'An.
Vulcan logic is cold, harsh.
It leaves no room for
kindness or compassion.
Logic allows Spock to
see without judgment.
It gives him empathy and grace.
It shows him the best in
people and the best in himself.
And yet,
it stops you from taking
what you really want.
[sighs]
Computer, new course.
The Arachnid Nebula.
I will fight you if I must,
but I am not leaving here
without Spock's heart.
You mean my heart.
I, um Hi.
I just wanted to apologize for before.
It's, uh, it's been a strange day.
Tell me about it.
You know, um,
I've been thinking about
that recipe you want to make.
Particularly, the date.
That's the date of your parents'
shuttle crash, isn't it?
I always thought the
coincidence was odd.
The "perfect meal on the
perfect day." That day.
Fate can be cruel sometimes.
Maybe.
But then, I thought,
maybe there might be a reason.
You know how I've been
trying to mentor Cadet A'Sha?
Yeah, I noticed. I like the initiative.
I've been trying to move into
that next phase, you know?
I'm not a cadet anymore.
I wanted someone else to look at
me like the adult in the room.
But being a mentor is
such a big responsibility,
I'm just afraid I'm
gonna steer her wrong.
Space adventures leave us little time
to deal with inner struggles.
Excuse me?
Just something someone said recently.
You were, um
Wow, you were 16 when your parents died?
Right on the brink of adulthood, huh?
I guess.
Sometimes, I feel like
I'm still stuck there.
But when I found out
that I was your daughter,
it was like, yes.
Of-of course, this makes sense.
The captain I already respect so much.
Nyota.
Whether I'm your real father or not,
I am here for you.
I'll tell you what. Uh
Let's just, let's make that meal.
Then, we'll talk over dinner, huh?
What do you say?
I appreciate the gesture,
but what you said earlier really hurt.
I'll need some time to think about it.
I understand, but listen,
if you change your mind,
you know where to find me.
[laughs] That's right, Captain Pike.
You made your bed,
now you must lie in it.
I think she's right.
Oh. Go ahead.
Talk to the screen if you feel
so compelled by the tapestry
of hope, love, courage.
Oh, you're no fun.
Camera four, back to the drama.
Are you sure it's space madness?
I have the key symptom.
I can't ignore it.
It's caused mostly by being
adrift in space for too long.
But there are other
ways that I am adrift.
I've lost my feelings of
connection with Starfleet.
You'll always be a healer, Joseph.
If you decide to leave Starfleet,
I support you, but
also I'll miss you.
And not just because
you're the best doctor
I've ever worked with.
ORTEGAS: Commander.
Comms are out on the bridge.
A mysterious alien shock
wave is heading our way.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
There is no emergency, is there?
Oh, I'm sure she's needed on the bridge
for one reason or another.
I heard everything.
I know you have space madness.
I find it deeply irritating
that so many people,
people like you, love my brother.
A man who does not value
emotions does not deserve
the most precious one of all.
Computer, set course for Enterprise.
You'll do the transplant?
But we've taken so long,
the danger of the
procedure has increased.
I understand the risks.
What made you change your mind?
Spock isn't the only son
of Sarek who can be
good.
You could die.
I know what you're going through, Doctor.
Because
I also stopped trusting myself.
You did?
When?
The tremors started after I
escaped the Gorn ship last year.
Why didn't you come to me?
Fear.
Stigma.
Flying is who I am.
But a pilot with tremors?
[sighs]
And it was a heavy
weight to carry alone.
So, lately, I have been
trying something new,
allowing myself to be vulnerable,
trusting other people.
[chuckles]
This disease will ravage you
- if you don't have the support.
- Hmm.
But if I can pilot the
Enterprise with space madness,
you can do a living heart transplant.
And if you ever doubt yourself,
remember who you are,
and look to your friends.
We'll be there.
[sighs] Okay, I did it. Now what?
Come on. I get it.
Uhura's going through some stuff.
I tried to help her.
Hello? Why are we still like this?
Uhura.
I thought about it.
And I'm still angry.
But what daughter isn't angry
at her father from time to time?
So, let's do it.
[sighs] Let's cook, Dad.
Can
Do I call you "Dad" now?
Well, I'm-I'm just glad
you changed your mind.
But you're definitely gonna have
to walk me through this recipe.
- [chuckles]
- Can't read the book, remember?
We'll consider it our
first bonding experience.
[chuckles] Page 28, right?
Mm-hmm.
Captain?
Um
I have to go.
[door whooshes open]
What is he doing?
He can't leave the scene.
Apparently, he can.
[sighs]
We'll be back after a
word from our sponsor.
[beeps]
The donor heart is in place.
And I must connect the blood vessels.
If we don't continue,
Spock's body will
reject the donor heart.
ORTEGAS: Remember, all you got to do
is look to your friends.
[whirs softly]
[slicing]
Vitals are stable.
It worked.
[biobed beeping rapidly]
Sybok's heart.
He's gone into V-fib arrest.
We're losing the patient.
Clear the room.
What?
No!
Doc.
Oh, Captain.
- You look like you could use a drink.
- Yeah. Can I ask you a question?
How can something be
both real and not real?
Is this about "the ship being
trapped in a soap opera"?
Yeah.
And what if it is?
You've already dealt with time travel,
Klingon zombies, with Batel's ascension.
Even in the most unusual
twists of fate
a surprise child, a medical secret,
an evil twin
there is truth.
I don't know if Uhura is your daughter,
but I do know that her-her
emotions are real.
As are yours.
And I know that you would rather face
a reality-shifting phenomenon
than deal with your emotions.
Well, I-I'm not
I'm not, I'm not sure
that's true, actually.
The search for emotional truth
and scientific truth are the same.
You just have to want to see it.
Juliet?
Who's Juliet?
JULIET: Dad, you're back.
Juliet.
Thank goodness, thought I'd have to make
this coq au vin by myself,
which would be bad because you
know I always turn the chicken purple.
I know, I know, "I'll get the
wine proportion right when"
"When you're old enough
to drink the leftovers."
Well, guess what?
Happy birthday to me.
Well, I mean, you know.
Two weeks ago, but
cheers.
Two weeks ago? Right.
The inflection point.
Are you really here?
Dad, come on. I always visit
when Enterprise is near Galor III.
You were excited that this time would
be so close to my birthday, remember?
Jules.
I've missed you so much.
Clearly. You were choking me.
Your mom is gone.
The life we had with you isn't real.
But it was all just a
cosmic hallucination.
You can't be here.
Yet, here I am.
I want this to be real.
God, I want it so badly.
I-I know.
Sometimes, I-I
I wish our life was the real one
and not this other one I'm living.
Just because it didn't happen
doesn't mean it wasn't real.
Everything we shared
the joys, the sorrows,
even when I lit the stove on fire.
[laughs]
- Right, the-the salmon.
- [laughs] Yeah.
God, I can still smell
the charred oven mitts.
It was real, wasn't it?
All of it.
Just in a different way.
But what if I forget?
What if I-I wake up one day,
and it's all just
We forget details,
but never the feelings.
I'll always be here.
I'll always love you, Dad.
Even if it gets a little fuzzy.
You just have to want to see it.
I have to go.
My shuttle will be here soon.
- I'll see you in a few months.
- Yeah.
Hey, um
[sighs]
That pilot, he better know his stuff.
He does, Dad,
but no one's as good as you.
Fly safe, kid.
I love you.
A real daughter, this whole time.
I did not see that coming.
How imperfectly perfect.
I want to thank you for bringing
these ants to our attention.
They are more complex than expected.
Perhaps worthy of more
careful observation.
Satisfactory marks.
In human terms, a solid B-minus.
Good.
[squeals]
[clears throat]
And credits.
PIKE: Captain's log. Stardate 2654.9.
The spell that the cosmic entity
had us under has been lifted.
We all remember everything,
and we're all left to
reckon with what was real
or merely a play.
For my part, I know there
was no shuttle accident,
and I never had amnesia,
but the emotions this
collective fever dream
forced us to confront
are indeed very real.
So there was no living heart transplant?
No such thing as a
living heart transplant.
- Yeah.
- M'BENGA: I certainly didn't
rip open Spock's ribcage.
And I don't have secret backups
of everybody's brains stashed
in the supply closet
You guys didn't see that part.
Never mind.
Well, the conversations were real.
I remember everything.
If anyone feels like
smacking me, I get it.
M'BENGA: Many of us were
acting outside of ourselves.
But I, for one,
am grateful for you, Erica.
And to you.
PIKE: Spock and I have confirmed
all higher-dimensional beings
appear to have vacated.
And hopefully, for good.
Hey.
Why don't we make that meal sometime?
Talk over dinner?
I'd like that, Captain.
Hey.
I feel like I missed an
important part of your story.
What happened?
Let's grab a drink later.
I'll tell you all about it.
But I have to do something first.
[door whooshes open]
I'm glad you're okay.
I never was in any danger.
All this time, I was merely asleep.
Was Sybok even here?
No.
He is still incarcerated.
He must have been
created from my memory.
He is not my twin.
In fact, ship's sensors indicate
that you never left the shuttle bay.
If he was created from your mind,
in a sense, he was you.
I could not speak to that.
And I would encourage you not to
read too much into what happened.
It was, by nature, contrived.
Maybe.
But I recognized parts of you in him.
That seems unlikely.
My brother and I are quite opposite.
Perhaps you merely saw
what you wanted to see.
Yes.
Yes. I know.
Spock.
I I don't regret our breakup.
But
I don't think I realized how
much I'm going to miss you.
I thought our intention
was to stay friends.
Yes. Of course.
It's just
[sighs]
Goodbye, Spock.
Very well.
Goodbye, La'An.
[Pike clears throat, sniffles]
- Captain Pike.
- Yeah?
Are you ready to begin?
Mm-hmm.
I'd like to talk about loss.
Right.
Loss.
I lost Marie.
Is that what you want to talk about?
'Cause
I already let Marie go.
I said goodbye, so
[sighs] You know.
When we lose someone
we don't just mourn
that person, we
we mourn the loss
of a future with them.
Juliet, um
Juliet was our daughter. Um
And we had a whole life together.
And I know that-that-that doesn't
make sense, like,
it couldn't be real, but it was.
She was real.
Well, she was real in your world.
She had green eyes.
Oh, a
little [laughs]
A little freckle that
appeared next to her nose
on her second birthday.
I taught her to read. [sniffles]
I walked her down the aisle.
[crying]
I miss her.
I miss her so much.
Sub extracted from file & improved
And now for our commercial.
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