In the aftermath of Book and Tarka's rebellion, the two rogues attempt to secure a supply of isolynium for Tarka's isolytic weapon. Discovery is assigned to investigate the nature of Species 10-C. Following a hunch, Captain Burnham tracks Book to an old haunt from their courier days and gets drawn into a high-stakes competition for the critical mineral supplies.
Tropes Featured in this Episode:
- Absence of Evidence: Stamets is able to deduce the nature of the cloaking field by the complete absence of readings at its location. A natural phenomenon would have some sort of output.
- All for Nothing: Subverted. Rillak complains that Burnham's Loophole Abuse amounted to nothing, as she failed to secure the isolynium and didn't capture Book and Tarka despite their proximity. Burnham then explains that she tagged the isolynium with a tracking device so the pair could be captured in less hostile territory.
- Beware the Silly Ones: When Book and Tarka arrive at the Karma Barge, Book warns Tarka that Haz Mazaro is "fun until he isn't".
- Breather Episode: though the stakes remain high, this episode is primarily focused on Casino Hijinks In Space, with rigged prize-fighting, the need to counter cheaters, and a poker game to culminate.
- Brick Joke: Burnham is nicknamed "Right Hook" by Mazaro, which she dismisses as a "story for another time". When she decks Owo's prize fighter opponent with a single punch, Owo gets where the nickname came from.
- Call-Back:
- The tracking device Burnham sticks on the isolynium is the same kind that was used to track the stolen dilithium in "Choose to Live".
- Boronite ore was previously brought up in VOY: "The Omega Directive" as a means to synthesize Omega molecules. While the molecules themselves aren't brought up by the characters directly (understandably so, as Burnham is the only one authorized to know about them by the standard established in that episode), merely that the substance is used to manufacture great sources of power, this would more than cover the power requirements of a solar system cloaking field.
- Continuity Nod: The Changeling takes the form of a tribble while escaping.
- Didn't Think This Through: Tarka admits that he doesn't actually have the isolynium necessary to finish the anti-DMA weapon, having expected the Federation to procure that for him and just assumed that Book would be able to find a source on the black market. Lucky for him, Book does know a source off the Federation's radar.
- Enemy Mine: Book and Burnham help each other out several times throughout the episode, in particular when teaming up to prevent a pair of Emerald Chain holdouts from getting the isolynium.
- Fantastic Nuke: Tarka is seeking the isolynium to complete the isolytic weapon with which he apparently intends to destroy the DMA.
- Hustling the Mark: With very little (if any) money to her name and wanting to buy the isolynium out from under Book and Tarka, Burnham agrees to Owosekun's participation in a cage match. Owosekun feigns losing to her opponent, allowing Burnham to convince others to bet against her, and then turns the fight around, winning and netting Burnham the money they need.
- Literal Metaphor: Rillak complains that Burhan "literally bet it all and lost", in reference to losing the final poker hand and the isolynium.
- Loophole Abuse: President Rillak orders Burnham and Discovery to gather data on Unknown Species 10-C, with the explicit intent of keeping her away from the situation with Book. After Rillak leaves, Admiral Vance orders Burnham to follow the President's orders in whichever way allows her to try to stop Book along the way. This earns both of them a chewing out at the end.
- The Magic Poker Equation: Burnham tells Rillak that she knew she would lose because Book's a better poker player than her. The way Book being a "better poker player" manifests, however, is apparently just being dealt a better hand at the crucial moment.
- Moving the Goalposts: Book and Burnham each fulfill their end of the bargain at the same time, so Mazaro holds a poker tournament as a tie breaker, with the added wrinkle that there are two additional buyers who could win the isolynium out from under them.
- Obliviously Evil: Species 10-C are revealed to be this, as previously speculated, inflicting Class X Apocalypse Hows without a thought or perhaps without even noticing for the purpose of mining a specific, extremely rare ore. In addition to raising the specter of them being genuine Starfish Aliens, it raises another question: if their mining equipment can cause Earth Shattering Kabooms, what can their actual weapons do? It also further raises the stakes of attacking the DMA, as the aliens would no doubt treat the disruption of an incredibly important resource as a grave provocation.
- Pun: Mazaro eventually deals with the conflict between Michael, Book and the two Emerald Chain hold-outs by making them play a card game called Leonian Poker for the isolynium. This sounds like a reference to the "leonine contract", which is a contract in which one partner stands to win all of the potential profits while the other must cover all of the potential losses. In common law countries, leonine contracts, except in very unusual circumstances, are usually considered "unconscionable", meaning that courts will refuse to uphold them as inherently immoral.
- Readings Are Off the Scale: Zigzagged. Species 10-C have created an Invisibility Cloak large enough to hide an entire solar system, and powerful enough to make Stealth in Space a reality— as in, no radiation of any kind is getting out. The lack of readings are the Absence of Evidence which reveal that Species 10-C's Power Levels are far beyond Starfleet's reckoning.
- The Reveal: The DMA is actually a sophisticated means of extracting boronite from space and planets, which is then used to power a cloaking device that hides an entire solar system.
- Sea Monster: Karma is cloaked by a holographic field which generates the illusion of a large sea creature, presumably a native of the planet. Flying into the field betrays the illusion, assuming you know that it is one.
- Shipper on Deck: Mazaro is not happy that Book and Burnham have broken up, even if he is happy to play them against each other (and against the Emerald Chain) to raise his own profit margin, and sincerely tells Burnham that he hopes they can work things out.
- Spotting the Thread: Owo is able to deduce part of Tarka's motives by gauging his reactions to her questions. Tarka refuses to simply answer her, however, only insisting that she'd do the same in his position.
- Strange Cop in a Strange Land: Karma is located well outside of Federation territory, so the Starfleet uniform and badge bring no authority with it. Burnham and Owesekun have to play by the local rules to accomplish their mission.
- Tracking Device: Burnham anticipated that she'd likely lose the isolynium to Book, so she tagged it with a tracking device that can be detected multiple sectors away.
- Two-Keyed Lock: The prototype spore drive was supposed to require dual authentication to remove. Vance is furious when he learns that Tarka somehow spoofed his credentials to get around that.
- Wretched Hive: The Karma is a massive barge housing a seedy casino. However, it's beyond Starfleet's purview and it's a dead zone, meaning that weapons and communications are useless.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Rillak tears into Burnham and Vance for letting Book and Tarka dupe them all. Later she gives them another round for using Loophole Abuse to try to get around her orders.
