Title :
The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry
Series :
Rating :
Overall Ep :
4
First Aired :
8 Oct 2017
Stardate :
Unknown
Director :
Year :
Writers :
Season Ep :
Plotline
Despite the urgency of getting the spore drive working, Captain Lorca assigns Burnham to study the creature he brought onboard from the USS Glenn, hoping to use its biology as a new weapon. She soon discovers that it appears to be a giant Tardigrade.
Starfleet command contacts Discovery and orders them to the dilithium mining colony on Corvan II, which is under attack by Klingons. Stamets is reluctant to make such a long jump using the spore drive as they haven't ever been able to make the navigation system work correctly over any great distance. When ordered to proceed anyway, the drive is activated and the ship nearly collides with a nearby star.
Lorca sends Commander Landry to ensure that Burnham's research is progressing. Landry attempts to sedate the Tardigrade, that she has nicknamed "Ripper", so that she can cut off its claw. As soon as the forcefield holding Ripper is lowered the creature escapes and kills Landry. Burnham believes that Ripper was acting in self-defence, and is drawn to the spores used in the new drive system.
Hoping that it might be the missing link they have been looking for Stamets and Burnham transport the creature to Engineering. There it connects to the spore drive and interfaces with the navigation system. The ship successfully makes the jump to Corvan II and they are able to save the colony.
Meanwhile, back on T'Kuvma's disabled ship. Kol, leader of one of the Klingon houses, earns the loyalty of T'Kuvma's desperate followers. He leaves Voq to die in the wreckage of the Shenzhou. L'Rell, a Klingon who is loyal to Voq, secretly transfers over with him and promises him a way for them to win the war for the house of T'Kuvma.
