History Recap / StarTrekDiscoveryS4E07ButToConnect

* BanOnAI: It's said that while artificial intelligences are relatively commonplace in the future, AI's that have achieved some form of sentience are not allowed full system integration on Starfleet ships (implying ships computers, while advanced, are not considered AI's in the same sense). When it comes to Zora, Zovich eventually rules that her unique mixture of standard Starfleet ships computers with BlackBox technology makes her less of a traditional AI than something unique unto itself, and rules her a new life form entirely. Zora is allowed to enlist in Starfleet and accept the chain of command, [[LoopholeAbuse which lets them get around their normal rules]].

* IdealistVsPragmatist: the core conflict between Book (and the "Let's Blow Up The DMA" faction) and Burnham (and the "Let's Not" faction).

* {{Irony}}: Book advocates for attacking the DMA, which could have potentially catastrophic outcomes or lead to a war. Captain Burnham opposes this, and Book goes rogue to try to make it happen. This is an identical setup to the show's debut episodes, as Book himself points out... only that time Burnham was the one going rogue, and this time she's the one trying to stop her loose-cannon subordinate.

* {{Cliffhanger}}: This episode served as Season 4's mid-season finale, with ''Discovery'' episodes pausing for one month to allow the second half of ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekProdigy'' to air.

* LoopholeAbuse: Federation protocol forbids having sentient AI in control of their vessels, but Kovich rules that Zora is a unique lifeform and thus is exempt, as long as she's willing to hold herself to Starfleet standards.

* {{Irony}}: Book advocates for attacking the DMA, which could have potentially catastrophic outcomes or lead to a war. Captain Burnham opposes this, and Book goes rogue to try and make it happen. This is an identical setup to the show's debut episodes, as Book himself points out... only, that time, Burnham was the one going rogue, and this time she's the one trying to stop her loose-cannon subordinate.

* NoSell: In trying to prove he has the means to destroy the DMA, Tarka points out that one group tried attacking it with [[MacrossMissileMassacre 1600 quantum torpedoes]] with absolutely no effect.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Discussed regarding Species 10-C. As destructive as the DMA is, whoever constructed it could surely design a far more efficient weapon, so it's entirely possible they simply don't realize the damage it's causing.
* TheReveal: Tarka wants to destroy the DMA to get access to its power source, which can be used to access alternate universes, including the one he claims to have come from, and which his fellow refugee may have already returned to.

* ShipTease: Saru awkwardly giving a plant to T'Rina as a gift, the source of the flavor of tea she gave him back in "All is Possible".

** The debate between "destroying the DMA" or "making peaceful first contact" boils down to this. Those supporting the former view argue that the DMA has already destroyed enough, and it needs to be stopped, which no one argues against. However, the latter group also points out that the only way to destroy it is too ecologically devastating, and could potentially rile up Species 10-C into a war they may [[ObliviouslyEvil not realize they're provoking]] if the effects propagate through the wormhole, so establishing FirstContact and reaching out is a better approach. Again, no one argues the risks are great. In true ''Trek'' fashion, diplomacy wins out by a wide margin, but Book and Tarka decide to take matters into their own hands.

* ContinuityNod: Tarka's anti-DMA weapon is a subspace isolytic weapon, the same kind used by the Son'a in ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection''. The side effects of those weapons are brought up as a reason it shouldn't be used, with the Second Khitomer Accords being mentioned by Rillak as why using it at all is illegal.

* HopeSpot: What appears to be the hopeful message of unity saves the day in the midseason finale. Stamets and Zora agree to work with each other on building mutual trust, and the latter rewards his honesty expressing concern over her by finally relinquishing the co-ordinates ''Discovery'' needs and agreeing to take an oath to serve Starfleet. After Rillak pushes Michael into delivering a RousingSpeech at the summit, the vote favors diplomacy over shooting first. Everything’s fine! Then Book teams-up with Tarka in attacking the DMA.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: The debate between "destroying the DMA" or "making peaceful first contact" boils down to this. Those supporting the former view argue that the DMA has already destroyed enough, and it needs to be stopped, which no one argues against. However, the latter group also points out that the only way to destroy it is too ecologically devastating, and could potentially rile up Species 10-C into a war they may [[ObliviouslyEvil not realize they're provoking]] if the effects propagate through the wormhole, so establishing FirstContact and reaching out is a better approach. Again, no one argues the risks are great. In true ''Trek'' fashion, diplomacy wins out by a wide margin, but Book and Tarka decide to take matters into their own hands.

* TheBusCameBack: Behind the scenes artwork identified that the [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Xindi-Insectoids]] were apart of the assembly.

* TheReveal: Tarka wants to destroy the DMA because its power source can be used to access alternate universes, including the one he claims to have come from, and which his fellow refugee may have already returned to.

* HopeSpot: What appears to be the hopeful message of unity saves the day in the midseason finale. Stamets and Zora agree to work with each other on building mutual trust, and the latter rewards his honesty expressing concern over her by finally relinquishing the co-ordinates ''Discovery'' needs. After Rillak pushes Michael into delivering a RousingSpeech at the summit, the vote favors diplomacy over shooting first. Everything’s fine! Then Book teams-up with Tarka in attacking the DMA.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: The debate between "destroying the DMA" or "making peaceful first contact" boils down to this. Those supporting the former view argue that the DMA has already destroyed enough, and it needs to be stopped, which no one argues against. However, the latter group also points out that the only way to destroy it is too ecologically devastating, and could potentially rile up Species 10-C into a war they may [[ObliviouslyEvil not realize they're provoking]], so establishing FirstContact and reaching out is a better approach. Again, no one argues the risks are great. In true ''Trek'' fashion, diplomacy wins out by a wide margin, but Book and Tarka decide to take matters into their own hands.
* TheBusCameBack: Behind the scenes artwork identified that the [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Xindi-Insectoids]] were apart of the assembly

* ContinuityNod: Tarka's anti-DMA weapon is a subspace isolytic weapon, the same kind used by the Son'a in ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection''. The side effects of those weapons are brought up as a reason it shouldn't be used with the Second Khitomer Accords being mentioned.

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: When Burnham finds Grudge and Book's message, she asks Zora where Book is. When Zora reveals that Book is on his ship and is leaving, she can only utter "''[[PrecisionFStrike Shit]]''." before teleporting over there too late.

* HopeSpot: What appears to be the hopeful message of unity saves the day in the midseason finale. Stamets and Zora agree to work with each other on building their trust of each other, and the latter rewards his honesty expressing concern over her by finally relinquishing the co-ordinates ''Discovery'' needs. After Rillak pushes Michael into delivering a RousingSpeech at the summit, the vote favors diplomacy over shooting first. Everything’s fine! Then Book teams-up with Tarka in attacking the DMA.

* NoSell: In trying to prove he had the means to destroy the DMA, Tarka points out that one group tried attacking it with [[MacrossMissileMassacre 1600 quantum torpedoes]] with absolutely no effect.

* ShipTease: Saru awkwardly giving a plant to T'Rina as a gift.

* TheBusCameBack: Behind the scenes artwork identified that the Xindi-Insectoids were apart of the assembly

* {{Irony}}: Book advocates for attacking the DMA, which could have potentially catastrophic outcomes or lead to a war. Captain Burnham opposes this, and Book goes rogue to try and make it happen. This is an identical setup to the show's debut episodes... only, that time, Burnham was the one going rogue, and this time she's the one trying to stop her loose-cannon subordinate.

* NoSell: In trying to prove he had the means to destroy the DMA, Tarka points out that one group tried attacking it with 1600 quantum torpedoes with absolutely no effect.

* TitleDrop: Burnham says to the assembly, "For generations, the Federation has sought out new life, new civilizations, not to destroy, but to connect, even in the face of uncertainty."

* TheBusCameBack: Behind the scenes artwork identified thaat the Xindi-Insectoids were apart of the assembly

* ContinuityNod: Tarka's anti-DMA weapon is a subspace isolytic weapon, the same kind used by the Son'a in ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection''. The side effects of those weapons are brought up as a reason it shouldn't be used.

The Federation holds a summit to figure out what to do about the DMA and its creators. Meanwhile, Zora's sentience poses questions for her continued presence as the ship's computer.

* HopeSpot: What appears to be the hopeful message of unity saves the day in the midseason finale. Stamets and Zora agree to work with each other on building their trust of each other, and the latter rewards his honesty expressing concern over her by finally relinquishing the co-ordinates ''Discovery'' needs. After Rillak pushes Michael into delivering a RousingSpeech at the summit, the vote overwhelmingly favors first contact over Tarka’s plan. Everything’s fine! Then Book teams-up with Tarka in attacking the DMA.

* {{Irony}}: Book advocates for attacking the DMA, which could have potentially catastrophic outcomes or lead to a war. Captain Burnham opposes this, and Book goes rogue to try and make it happen. This puts Burnham in the same position she previously put Captain Georgiou in way back in the pilot when she mutinied in an attempt to preemptively attack T'Kuvma's flagship.

* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Tarka steals the prototype of a next generation spore drive, making it really clear that the only other people who could chase them down is the ''Discovery'' crew themselves. This is less to do with the prototype being irreplaceable than the technology not having advanced beyond the need for a compatible pilot, however.
* NoSell: In trying to prove he had the means to destroy the DMA, he points out that one group tried attacking it with 1600 quantum torpedoes with absolutely no effect.

* TheReveal: Tarka wants to destroy the DMA because its power source can be used to access alternate universes, one of which a partner of his may have already gone to.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Book joins Tarka in destroying the DMA despite the summit voting against it.

* SuperPrototype: The Federation has been working on a next generation spore drive. It functions similarly to the original spore drive and still needs a compatible navigator, but it's been compacted into a device the size of a toaster that can integrate into the navigational array of any ship just by being placed in the right spot.
* TitleDrop: Burnham says to the assembly, "For generations, the Federation has sought out new life, new civilizations, not to destroy but to connect, even in the face of uncertainty."

* HopeSpot: What appears to be the hopeful message of unity saves the day in the midseason finale. Stamets and Zora agree to work with each other on building their trust of each other, and the latter rewards his honesty expressing concern over her by finally relinquishing the co-ordinates Discovery needs. After Rillak pushes Michael into delivering a RousingSpeech at the summit, the vote overwhelmingly favors first contact over Tarka’s plan. Everything’s fine! Then Book teams-up with Tarka in attacking the DMA.

* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Tarka steals the prototype of a next generation spore drive, making it really clear that the only other people who could chase them down is the ''Discovery'' crew themselves.

* SuperPrototype: The Federation was working on a next generation spore drive. Functions similarly to the original spore drive and still needs a compatible navigator, but it's been compact into a device that can simply be installed anywhere on a ship.

* HopeSpot: What appears to be the hopeful message of unity saves the day in the midseason finale. Stamets and Zora agree to work with each other on building their trust of each other, and the latter rewards his honesty expressing concern over her by finally relinquishing the co-ordinates Discovery needs. After Rillak pushes Michael into one of her trademark RousingSpeech at the summit, the vote overwhelmingly favors first contact over Tarka’s plan. Everything’s fine! Then Book teams-up with Tarka in attacking the DMA.

* ObliviouslyEvil: Discussed in regards to Species 10-C. As destructive as the DMA is, whoever constructed it could surely design a far more efficient weapon, so it's entirely possible they simply don't realize the damage it's causing.

* HopeSpot: What appears to be the hopeful message of unity saves the day in the midseason finale. Stamets and Zora agree to work with each other on building their trust of each other, and the latter rewards his honesty expressing concern over her by finally relinquishing the co-ordinates Discovery needs. After Rillak pushes Michael into one of her trademark Big Speeches at the summit, the vote overwhelmingly favors first contact over Tarka’s plan. Everything’s fine! Then Book teams-up with Tarka in attacking the DMA.

* HopeSpot: What appears to be the hopeful message of unity saves the day in the midseason finale. Stamets and Zora agree to work with each other on building their trust of each other, and the latter rewards his honesty expressing concern over her by finally relinquishing the co-ordinates Discovery needs. After Rillak pushes Michael into one of her trademark Big Speeches at the summit, the vote overwhelmingly favors first contact over Tarka’s plan. Everything’s fine! Then Book teams-up with Tarka

* {{Irony}}: Book advocates for attacking the DMA, which could have potentially catastrophic outcomes or lead to a war. Captain Burnham opposes this, and Book goes rogue to try and make it happen. This puts Burnham in the same position she previously Captain Georgiou in way back in the pilot when she mutinied in an attempt to preemptively attack T'Kuvma's flagship.

* TheReveal: Tarka wants to destroy the DMA because its power source can be used to access alternate universes, one of which a partner of his has already gone to.