History Recap / StarTrekDiscoveryS3E03PeopleOfEarth

* UnroboticReveal: Georgiou tears off Wen's robotic-looking mask, revealing thta he's a normal human.

There's also the issue of who should take command of the ship. Burnham insists Commander Saru should be the captain. After an encouraging speech, Saru orders a spore drive jump to Earth's solar system, then an approach by sublight speed to Earth proper.

Instead of a hero's welcome, the strange Federation ship is treated as an intruder by Earth's defense force. Captain Ndoye (Creator/PhumzileSitole) of the defense force leads a boarding party to inspect Discovery.

Reunited with Burnham, ''Discovery'' heads to Earth to find out what has happened to the Federation in the last thousand years.
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!!Tropes in this episode:
* ActuallyIAmHim: Adira reveals that they actually are Admiral Tal. He was a Trill with a symbiont that they are now host to.

* ActuallyIAmHim: Adira reveals they actually are Admiral Tal. He was a Trill with a symbiont that they are now host to.
* ArbitrarySkepticism: Stamets doesn't think any force could affect all dilithium everywhere. Georgiou points out he can jump a starship through mushroom space.
* BatmanGambit: Burnham's plan to scam Wen relies on the knowledge that Saru would be willing to risk ''Discovery'' to protect her without being told of her plan.
* TheCaptain: Saru is still a bit reluctant to take up the big chair now that Burnham is back, but she insists that he's the one most qualified for the job and it's his by chain of command anyway.

-->''"Personal log, Commander Michael Burnham. Stardate 865211.3. Automatic transmissions to USS Discovery, wherever or whenever it might be. I'm sending you this message because you need to know what I've learned here. I hope that by some miracle you will receive it some day. Seven hundred years after we left, dilithium supplies dried up. The Federation trialed alternative warp drive designs but none proved reliable. Then came the Burn. No one knows how or why it happened but in an instant, all dilithium went inert. Any ship with an active warp core detonated. The Federation, as we know it, disappeared overnight. It's now just a shadow of its former self. We didn't give everything for this version of the future and I'll be damned if I let it stand. I've become a courier. I transport goods in exchange for dilithium to keep exploring sector by sector. Searching for clues as to what caused the Burn. Answers that might help to bring the Federation together again. Wherever I go, look at you, my friends. I listen for any sign of your arrival but communication remains severely limited. Even if I did find you, I know it would be different, because I am different. But I will always love you. I've had to accept I may never see you again. You can love someone and still let them go. It feels like a dream, this world. A strange, terrible, beautiful dream. Luckily, I'm not alone on this journey. I found a friend in the truest sense of the word. This is my life now and I..."''

* TheConstant: At the end, while visiting the former Starfleet Academy, the bridge crew are delighted to find a tree they used to study under still standing. Although, after 930 years, it's a lot bigger than it was.

** With Earth no longer part of the Federation, the crew is greeted (well, intercepted would be a better description) by the United Earth Defense Force, a callback that hearkens all the way back to ''[[Recap/StarTrekS1E2CharlieX Charlie X]]'' and the United Earth Space Probe Agency.

** ''Discovery'' left its home time before the events of "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E23TheHost The Host]]". So while Michael recognizes Trill as a species, she doesn't know they have symbionts.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: ZigZagged. The ''Discovery'' crew is -- of course -- largely lost in the political landscape of the 32nd century, and everyone they ever knew and loved is long, long gone. That said, Tilly and the rest of the bridge crew get to beam down to Starfleet Academy, across from UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco, and sit under a tree they studied under 930 years ago.

** ''Discovery'' flies past Saturn on the way to Earth. Not long after, Wen shows up and somehow knows ''Discovery'' arrived in the system very suddenly. Its largest moon, Titan, turns out to be Wen's place of origin.

* GenerationShips: Saru claims ''Discovery'' is this, blaming sublight travel for why an ancient Starfleet vessel is just now showing up.

* InternalReveal: The existence of Trill symbiosis was unknown to Starfleet in the 23rd Century (revealed in [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'s "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E23TheHost The Host]]", set in 2367), but the Sphere knew, and the data trove it left in the ''Discovery'' computer elucidated Saru about them after Adira revealed they're joined to one.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Adira covertly sabotages the deflector array to block the personal transporters so they can spend more time on ''Discovery''. When Wen's forces show up and the inspectors try to retreat, they assume ''Discovery'' is responsible for the sabotage.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Wen isn't just another raider -- he's the human leader of the remainder of Titan's human research colonies, which declared independence a century ago. An industrial accident caused serious damage to the colonies, and when someone went to Earth for help, they were shot down by the jumpy United Earth government. They've been fighting each other ever since.

* RevealingSkill: Stamets and Tilly realise there's more to Adira than they appear because their sabotage of the deflector array and ability to recognize the configuration of the spore drive controls suggests a familiarity with 23rd Century Starfleet technology they simply should not have.

* SeriesContinuityError: Burnham tells Book -- much to his annoyance -- that the stuff he's been drinking is synthehol. The ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E4Relics Relics]]" established that synthehol wasn't introduced to the Federation until well after the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]'' era, as Scotty was unfamiliar with the alcohol substitute until Data explained it to him. Given that it's 3189, it makes sense that Burnham might have learned about it, but it ''doesn't'' make sense that ''Discovery'''s replicators have been programmed with it in the two seconds Burnham's been aboard. You'd also think Book would be able to recognize the difference, having been downing shots of it for a while, since Scotty was able to instantly recognize that what he was drinking was not normal alcohol.

* TakingTheBullet: ''Discovery'' intercepts a torpedo attack from the United Earth ships meant for Book's ship. Burnham anticipated this, betting it would light a fire under Wen to accept their deal and get him to lower his shields so they can kidnap him.

* UnroboticReveal: Georgiou tears off Wen's robotic-looking mask, revealing he's a normal human.

* WhatTheHellHero: Though Saru makes Burnham his NumberOne, he makes it clear he is annoyed that she didn't bring him in on her plan to outwit Wen.
* YouAreTooLate: ''Discovery'' arrives at Earth looking for the Federation, based on a transmission Burnham picked up from Starfleet Admiral Senna Tal, sent 12 years ago. They learn that the Federation left Earth a century prior, and Tal died in a shuttle accident two years ago without leaving any hint as to his destination. Fortunately, being a joined Trill, his symbiont survived and was implanted into Adira, who joins ''Discovery'' to help them.

* NotSoDifferent: When Georgiou and Burnham meet once more, Georgiou is able to instantly recognize how Burnham's time away from Starfleet has changed her, because Georgiou knows exactly what it's like.

* ActuallyIAmHim: Adira reveals she actually is Admiral Tal. He was a Trill with a symbiont that she is now host to.

* InternalReveal: The existence of Trill symbiosis was unknown to Starfleet in the 23rd Century (revealed in [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'s "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E23TheHost The Host]]", set in 2367), but the Sphere knew, and the data trove it left in the ''Discovery'' computer elucidated Saru about them after Adira revealed she's joined to one.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Adira covertly sabotages the deflector array to block the personal transporters so she can spend more time on ''Discovery''. When Wen's forces show up and the inspectors try to retreat, they assume ''Discovery'' is responsible for the sabotage.

* RevealingSkill: Stamets and Tilly realise there's more to Adira than she appears because her sabotage of the deflector array and ability to recognize the configuration of the spore drive controls suggests a familiarity with 23rd Century Starfleet technology she simply should not have.

* ContinuitySnarl: Burnham tells Book -- much to his annoyance -- that the stuff he's been drinking is synthehol. The ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E4Relics Relics]]" established that synthehol wasn't introduced to the Federation until well after the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]'' era, as Scotty was unfamiliar with the alcohol substitute until Data explained it to him. Given that it's 3189, it makes sense that Burnham might have learned about it, but it ''doesn't'' make sense that ''Discovery'''s replicators have been programmed with it in the two seconds Burnham's been aboard. You'd also think Book would be able to recognize the difference, having been downing shots of it for a while, since Scotty was able to instantly recognize that what he was drinking was not normal alcohol.

** ''Discovery'' left before the events of "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E23TheHost The Host]]". So while Michael recognizes Trill as a species, she doesn't know they have symbionts.

* ActuallyIAmHim: Adira reveals she actually is Admiral Tal. He was a Trill with a symbiote that she is now host to.

* ContinuitySnarl: Burnham tells Book -- much to his annoyance -- that the stuff he's been drinking is synthehol. The ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E4Relics Relics]]" established that synthehol wasn't introduced to the Federation until well after the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]'' era, as Scotty was unfamiliar with the alcohol substitute until Data explained it to him. Given that it's 3189, it makes sense that Burnham might have learned about it, but it ''doesn't'' make sense that ''Discovery'''s replicators have been programmed with it in the two seconds Burnham's been aboard. You'd also think Book would be able to recognize the difference, having been downing shots of it for a while.

** With Earth no longer part of the Federation, the crew is greeted (well, maybe intercepted) by the United Earth Defense Force, a callback that hearkens all the way back to ''[[Recap/StarTrekS1E2CharlieX Charlie X]]'' and the United Earth Space Probe Agency.

* ContinuitySnarl: Burnham tells Book -- much to his annoyance -- that the stuff he's been drinking is synthehol. The ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E4Relics Relics]]" established that synthehol wasn't introduced to the Federation until well after the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]'' era, as Scotty was unfamiliar with the alcohol substitute until Data explained it to him. Given that it's 3189, it makes sense that Burnham might have learned about it... but it ''doesn't'' make sense that Book hasn't, and even less that ''Discovery'''s replicators have been programmed with it in the two seconds Burnham's been aboard.

* ContinuityNod: With Earth no longer part of the Federation, the crew is greeted (well, maybe intercepted) by the United Earth Defense Force, a callback that hearkens all the way back to ''[[Recap/StarTrekS1E2CharlieX Charlie X]]'' and the United Earth Space Probe Agency.

* ContinuitySnarl: Burnham tells Book -- much to his annoyance -- that the stuff he's been drinking is synthehol. The ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E4Relics Relics]]" established that synthehol wasn't introduced to the Federation until well after the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]'' era, as Scotty was unfamiliar with the alcohol substitute until Data explained it to him.

* GenerationShips: Saru claims ''Discovery'' is this, having traveled to Earth at sublight speeds following the Burn to explain why an ancient Starfleet vessel is just now showing up.

* YouAreTooLate: ''Discovery'' arrives at Earth looking for the Federation based on a transmission Burnham picked up that was sent 12 years ago. They learn that the former left Earth a century prior, and the man who sent the latter died in a shuttle accident two years ago without leaving any hint as to his destination. Fortunately, being a joined Trill, his symbiont survived and was implanted into Adira, who joins ''Discovery'' to help them.

* ContinuityNod: With Earth no longer part of the Federation, the crew is greeted (well, maybe intercepted) by the United Earth Defense Force, a callback that hearkens all the way back to ''[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekS1E2CharlieX Charlie X]]'' and the United Earth Space Probe Agency.

* ColonizedSolarSystem: Wen turns out to be from [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]], Saturn's largest moon, which is impoverished following an industrial accident.

-->''"Personal log, Commander Michael Burnham. Stardate 865211.3. Automatic transmissions to USS Discovery, wherever or whenever it might be. I'm sending you this message because you need to know what I've learned here. I hope that by some miracle you will receive it some day. Seven hundred years after we left, dilithium supplies dried up. The Federation trialed alternative warp drive designs but none proved reliable. Then came the Burn. No one knows how or why it happened but in an instant, all dilithium went inert. Any ship with an active warp core detonated. The Federation, as we know it, disappeared overnight. It's now just a shadow of its former self. We didn't give everything for this version of the future and I'll be damned if I let it stand. I've become a courier. I transport goods in exchange for dilithium to keep exploring sector by sector. Searching for clues as to what caused the burn. Answers that might help to bring the Federation together again. Wherever I go, look at you, my friends. I listen for any sign of your arrival but communication remains severely limited. Even if I did find you, I know it would be different, because I am different. But I will always love you. I've had to accept I may never see you again. You can love someone and still let them go. It feels like a dream, this world. A strange, terrible, beautiful dream. Luckily, I'm not alone on this journey. I found a friend in the truest sense of the word. This is my life now and I..."''

* ContinuitySnarl: Burnham tells Book -- much to his annoyance -- that the stuff he's been drinking is synthehol. This is despite the fact that, in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E4Relics Relics]]", [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Scotty]], who was from after ''Discovery'''s time, didn't know what synthehol was.