Battle at the Binary Stars
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 24 September 2017
- ON
- CBS All Access
- STARDATE
- None given
- DIRECTED BY
- Adam Kane
WRITTEN BYTeleplay by Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts; story by Bryan Fuller
With Burnham confined to the brig, the Shenzhou faces a Klingon armada as T'Kuvma rallies the great houses for war, and Starfleet's attempt to keep the peace begins to unravel.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
Burnham is locked in the brig for mutiny as T'Kuvma addresses the leaders of the 24 Klingon houses, urging them to unite against the Federation. When Starfleet reinforcements under Admiral Anderson arrive, Georgiou tries to talk, but the Klingons attack. A cloaked Klingon ship rams the USS Europa, and the Shenzhou is left crippled. Burnham escapes the brig with Sarek's telepathic guidance and returns to the bridge, where she persuades Georgiou that capturing T'Kuvma alive would deny the Klingons a martyr. The two women beam aboard T'Kuvma's flagship, but the plan goes badly wrong. Georgiou is killed by T'Kuvma, and Burnham, in her grief, shoots him dead, making him exactly the martyr they feared. Afterwards Burnham faces a court martial. She pleads guilty to mutiny, is stripped of her rank and is sentenced to life in prison.
- 01The writers planned the first two episodes as a prologue, with the third episode serving as the series' real pilot.
- 02Concept illustrator John Eaves said more Starfleet ships were needed for the battle. Many were given names drawn from test pilots and space pioneers.