khaosworks

The title may be a reference to the Aristotelian concept of the common good, although that has been used to justify utilitarian positions, where the correct decision is deemed to be one that benefits the greatest number of members of a given community. Of course, that means that the minority may bear the brunt of the disadvantages.

The synopsis of the episode confirms the spelling of Elborean and Delmonda.

McGivers’ log says it’s the 208th day of the exile, which means about a month has elapsed since the last episode.

Delmonda says a “pandem” is “a collection of minds bonded beyond convenience or aptitude”. Given the literary proximity of Khan’s story to Milton’s Paradise Lost, one can’t help but think of “pandemonium”, which was Milton’s name for Hell, or “the place of all demons” (pan + demon).

The deception that Delmonda detects from Khan is of course his spin on how he came to Ceti Alpha V - not by choice, but because Kirk exiled them there.

Joachim calls the Elboreans “Elbs”. Erica says he’s the best fisherman of their group and the first one to chart the “Sunless Sea”, taking the name from McGivers’ quoting of the opening of Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan”: “Where Alph, the sacred river, ran / Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea.”

Ursula says her and Madot’s baby is due in eight more weeks (two months), which is consistent with it being about seven months since the start of the exile, since the baby was conceived about a week into the exile (KHA: “Paradise”).

Khan says the four most terrifying words in the English language are, “We come in peace.” In DIS: “The Vulcan Hello”, T’Kuvma exhorts his people to “lock arms against those [the Federation] whose fatal greeting is… ‘We come in peace.’”

McGivers alludes to the fairy tale of “Hansel and Gretel” when she says “no wandering through the caverns without breadcrumbs”.

As noted at the start of “Paradise”, in 2287 (six years prior to 2293) an “anonymous source” (or so she told the Starfleet Civilian Resource Allocation Committee) gave Lear McGivers’ logs recorded while on Ceti Alpha V. She now reveals that it was Delmonda.

The title may be a reference to the Aristotelian concept of the common good, although that has been used to justify utilitarian positions, where the correct decision is deemed to be one that benefits the greatest number of members of a given community. Of course, that means that the minority may bear the brunt of the disadvantages.

The synopsis of the episode confirms the spelling of Elborean and Delmonda.

McGivers’ log says it’s the 208th day of the exile, which means about a month has elapsed since the last episode.

Delmonda says a “pandem” is “a collection of minds bonded beyond convenience or aptitude”. Given the literary proximity of Khan’s story to Milton’s Paradise Lost, one can’t help but think of “pandemonium”, which was Milton’s name for Hell, or “the place of all demons” (pan + demon).

The deception that Delmonda detects from Khan is of course his spin on how he came to Ceti Alpha V - not by choice, but because Kirk exiled them there.

Joachim calls the Elboreans “Elbs”. Erica says he’s the best fisherman of their group and the first one to chart the “Sunless Sea”, taking the name from McGivers’ quoting of the opening of Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan”: “Where Alph, the sacred river, ran / Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea.”

Ursula says her and Madot’s baby is due in eight more weeks (two months), which is consistent with it being about seven months since the start of the exile, since the baby was conceived about a week into the exile (KHA: “Paradise”).

Khan says the four most terrifying words in the English language are, “We come in peace.” In DIS: “The Vulcan Hello”, T’Kuvma exhorts his people to “lock arms against those [the Federation] whose fatal greeting is… ‘We come in peace.’”

McGivers alludes to the fairy tale of “Hansel and Gretel” when she says “no wandering through the caverns without breadcrumbs”.

As noted at the start of “Paradise”, in 2287 (six years prior to 2293) an “anonymous source” (or so she told the Starfleet Civilian Resource Allocation Committee) gave Lear McGivers’ logs recorded while on Ceti Alpha V. She now reveals that it was Delmonda.

Sulu dates the scans made by Enterprise of the Ceti Alpha system as Stardate 3143.1. TOS: “Space Seed”, according to the logs, takes place between Stardate 3141.9 and 3143.3. The latter log is apparently recorded just before the hearing where Kirk decides Khan’s (and McGivers’) fate. This is consistent with Kirk already having decided to offer Khan exile before the hearing commences.

The ban on genetic augmentation is such a core part of Star Trek lore now that it’s easy to forget that it was only inserted into continuity in DS9: “Doctor Bashir, I Presume” - Season 5, Episode 15, in 1997. Indeed, in episodes like TNG: “Unnatural Selection”, 9 years earlier, Picard and Pulaski come across a genetic manipulation program on Darwin Station and don’t even blink.

Lear asks why Kirk never checked on the “seeds he planted”, echoing Spock’s last words from “Space Seed”: “It would be interesting, Captain, to return to that world in a hundred years and to learn what crop has sprung from the seed you planted today.”

Ceti Alpha VI’s explosion places this episode six months into the exile, which is about two months after the previous episode where Khan and McGivers are married. McGivers confirms this a few minutes later into the episode.

Khan uses the same phrase (“laid waste”) as he does in ST II to describe the consequences to Ceti Alpha V of Ceti Alpha VI exploding.

Joachim’s advice to Erica about aiming the pointy end echoes a line from The Mask of Zorro, where Alejandro Murrieta is asked if he knows how to use a sword and replies, “The pointy end goes in the other man.”

McGivers relates the events of Zefram Cochrane’s first warp flight, making a warp-capable ship from a nuclear missile, and making contact with Vulcans, as chronicled in First Contact. She would be unaware of the involvement of time-traveling Borg and the crew of Enterprise-E, of course.

“Superior” is an adjective often used by and with Augments. In “Space Seed”, Spock notes that “superior ability breeds superior ambition,” a sentiment Archer echoes in ENT: “The Augments”. Khan describes McGivers as a “superior woman” as he accepts her going into exile with him. In ST II, Joachim and Kirk both refer to Khan as the “superior intellect”, although Kirk does so mockingly.

The alien is Delmonda of Elboria, many thousands of light years away, and they have journeyed two “spans”, presumably meaning years. I am not certain of the spelling of Elboria (and for a minute I thought he was saying El-Auria, i.e. Guinan’s system), but the Alborians are a reptilian race that appeared in the DS9 YA novel The Pet, and they don’t fit the description of these aliens.

McGivers quotes the first lines of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1797 poem “Kubla Khan: or A Vision in a Dream”. Famously, Coleridge claimed he composed the entire poem in an opium-induced dream, but only managed to get a few stanzas down before he was interrupted by a “man from Porlock” on business, causing him to forget the 200-300 line poem.

The lines are also used in Orson Welles’ 1941 classic Citizen Kane to describe the opulent estate of the titular Charles Foster Kane, an extension of Kane’s ego and hubris but ultimately a crumbling ruin where he dies in isolation - foreshadowing the fate of Khan’s colony, perhaps?

Sulu dates the scans made by Enterprise of the Ceti Alpha system as Stardate 3143.1. TOS: “Space Seed”, according to the logs, takes place between Stardate 3141.9 and 3143.3. The latter log is apparently recorded just before the hearing where Kirk decides Khan’s (and McGivers’) fate. This is consistent with Kirk already having decided to offer Khan exile before the hearing commences.

The ban on genetic augmentation is such a core part of Star Trek lore now that it’s easy to forget that it was only inserted into continuity in DS9: “Doctor Bashir, I Presume” - Season 5, Episode 15, in 1997. Indeed, in episodes like TNG: “Unnatural Selection”, 9 years earlier, Picard and Pulaski come across a genetic manipulation program on Darwin Station and don’t even blink.

Lear asks why Kirk never checked on the “seeds he planted”, echoing Spock’s last words from “Space Seed”: “It would be interesting, Captain, to return to that world in a hundred years and to learn what crop has sprung from the seed you planted today.”

Ceti Alpha VI’s explosion places this episode six months into the exile, which is about two months after the previous episode where Khan and McGivers are married. McGivers confirms this a few minutes later into the episode.

Khan uses the same phrase (“laid waste”) as he does in ST II to describe the consequences to Ceti Alpha V of Ceti Alpha VI exploding.

Joachim’s advice to Erica about aiming the pointy end echoes a line from The Mask of Zorro, where Alejandro Murrieta is asked if he knows how to use a sword and replies, “The pointy end goes in the other man.”

McGivers relates the events of Zefram Cochrane’s first warp flight, making a warp-capable ship from a nuclear missile, and making contact with Vulcans, as chronicled in First Contact. She would be unaware of the involvement of time-traveling Borg and the crew of Enterprise-E, of course.

“Superior” is an adjective often used by and with Augments. In “Space Seed”, Spock notes that “superior ability breeds superior ambition,” a sentiment Archer echoes in ENT: “The Augments”. Khan describes McGivers as a “superior woman” as he accepts her going into exile with him. In ST II, Joachim and Kirk both refer to Khan as the “superior intellect”, although Kirk does so mockingly.

The alien is Delmonda of Elboria, many thousands of light years away, and they have journeyed two “spans”, presumably meaning years. I am not certain of the spelling of Elboria (and for a minute I thought he was saying El-Auria, i.e. Guinan’s system), but the Alborians are a reptilian race that appeared in the DS9 YA novel The Pet, and they don’t fit the description of these aliens.

McGivers quotes the first lines of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1797 poem “Kubla Khan: or A Vision in a Dream”. Famously, Coleridge claimed he composed the entire poem in an opium-induced dream, but only managed to get a few stanzas down before he was interrupted by a “man from Porlock” on business, causing him to forget the 200-300 line poem.

The lines are also used in Orson Welles’ 1941 classic Citizen Kane to describe the opulent estate of the titular Charles Foster Kane, an extension of Kane’s ego and hubris but ultimately a crumbling ruin where he dies in isolation - foreshadowing the fate of Khan’s colony, perhaps?

The title refers to Khan and McGivers’ discussion about the importance of memorialising the dead, which he describes as magical thinking - the state of mind that connects seemingly unrelated events or phenomena, usually with supernatural causes. In psychiatric terms, it is thinking that one’s inner beliefs and thoughts can influence external events.

Khan says he knows what Ursula is doing in the medlab. In the previous episode, Madot and Ursula had successfully made Madot pregnant.

Khan asks Ivan, “My brother, what have I done?” and Ivan replies, “What you always do. Guided us, inspired us, protected us.” In ST III, after destroying Enterprise, Kirk asks McCoy, “My God, Bones, what have I done?” and McCoy replies, “What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live.” This is the second time the series parallels Khan with Kirk, the last episode noting that when things don’t go according to plan, Khan changes the plan, much like Kirk changing the rules when faced with a no-win situation (ST II).

Ursula’s medical analysis translated says Richter died from a broken neck, and that he suffered fractures to his arm and legs before his death. She notes his age at 16 and his race as Caucasian.

Ursula’s description of the Ceti eel is consistent with Khan’s own description of them to Chekov and Terrell in ST II.

Paolo extended his dynoscanners’ range last episode by scavenging a Starfleet part - a coil - that he found in McGiver’s quarters.

Madot’s suggestion to use diatomaceous earth is a good one. It’s used for pest control even today in exactly a manner as she says.

Lear says Reliant’s mission to the Ceti Alpha system in 2285 was “5 years ago”. It is clearly rounding, since the current year established in the first episode was 2293. Lear’s skepticism about Reliant not noticing a missing planet or Enterprise being unaware of Ceti Alpha VI’s instability are questions that occasionally pop up in fan discussions about ST II.

McGivers’ recording now jumps to Day 119, nearly 4 months into the exile.

Ursula says McGivers’ HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, known as the pregnancy hormone) levels are over 30,000. At 6 weeks of pregnancy, the expected HCG level is between 152 to 32,171 mIU/mL.

McGivers says that in 4 months they’ve only lost 3 to the eels. Counting Richter as one of them, that means two more of the colony have died, which would bring the numbers down to 67.

Marla tells Khan how the Prime Directive is drilled into them, specifically not to provide advanced technology to those who haven’t developed it themselves.

Khan weds Marla, the ceremony officiated by Ursula, transforming her status from Khan’s Woman to his wife, as he called her in ST II.

The title refers to Khan and McGivers’ discussion about the importance of memorialising the dead, which he describes as magical thinking - the state of mind that connects seemingly unrelated events or phenomena, usually with supernatural causes. In psychiatric terms, it is thinking that one’s inner beliefs and thoughts can influence external events.

Khan says he knows what Ursula is doing in the medlab. In the previous episode, Madot and Ursula had successfully made Madot pregnant.

Khan asks Ivan, “My brother, what have I done?” and Ivan replies, “What you always do. Guided us, inspired us, protected us.” In ST III, after destroying Enterprise, Kirk asks McCoy, “My God, Bones, what have I done?” and McCoy replies, “What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live.” This is the second time the series parallels Khan with Kirk, the last episode noting that when things don’t go according to plan, Khan changes the plan, much like Kirk changing the rules when faced with a no-win situation (ST II).

Ursula’s medical analysis translated says Richter died from a broken neck, and that he suffered fractures to his arm and legs before his death. She notes his age at 16 and his race as Caucasian.

Ursula’s description of the Ceti eel is consistent with Khan’s own description of them to Chekov and Terrell in ST II.

Paolo extended his dynoscanners’ range last episode by scavenging a Starfleet part - a coil - that he found in McGiver’s quarters.

Madot’s suggestion to use diatomaceous earth is a good one. It’s used for pest control even today in exactly a manner as she says.

Lear says Reliant’s mission to the Ceti Alpha system in 2285 was “5 years ago”. It is clearly rounding, since the current year established in the first episode was 2293. Lear’s skepticism about Reliant not noticing a missing planet or Enterprise being unaware of Ceti Alpha VI’s instability are questions that occasionally pop up in fan discussions about ST II.

McGivers’ recording now jumps to Day 119, nearly 4 months into the exile.

Ursula says McGivers’ HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, known as the pregnancy hormone) levels are over 30,000. At 6 weeks of pregnancy, the expected HCG level is between 152 to 32,171 mIU/mL.

McGivers says that in 4 months they’ve only lost 3 to the eels. Counting Richter as one of them, that means two more of the colony have died, which would bring the numbers down to 67.

Marla tells Khan how the Prime Directive is drilled into them, specifically not to provide advanced technology to those who haven’t developed it themselves.

Khan weds Marla, the ceremony officiated by Ursula, transforming her status from Khan’s Woman to his wife, as he called her in ST II.

It’s been a busy week, so I apologise for the lateness of the annotations.

Lear estimates the opening recording (Tape CA5-29-4), where Khan admits he lied to Joaquin about the circumstances of his father Joachim’s death, between Day 6000 and 6500 of the exile, which makes it about 16.4 to 17.8 years after, or around mid-2283 to late 2284. This is assuming that TOS: “Space Seed” takes place in early 2267, given that it was the last episode of Season 1, which mostly takes place in 2266, and was broadcast on 16 February 1967.

This brings the years in line with the now-accepted 2285 dating for ST II, rather than taking Kirk and Khan’s statement that 15 years have passed literally. That would have been true if you took the real world time span between 1967 and ST II’s release in 1982, but the preponderance of evidence places ST II in 2285 - not least the 2283 vintage of McCoy’s Romulan Ale - rather than 2282.

Lear then cross references between Days 30 and 45, the former of which is one day after the events of the previous episode.

“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown,” is from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 2, Act III sc i.

Khan’s recording continues to state it’s been more than 15 years since it rained on Ceti Alpha V. Ceti Alpha VI exploded six months into the exile, laying waste to Ceti Alpha V, so that is another indication that the 15 years statement in ST II should no longer be literal.

Richter becomes the first victim of the Ceti eel. Khan states in ST II that they eventually kill 20 of his group, including McGivers. Incidentally, they are not named in the movie, but are named in the script. The name is also present in the novelisation by Vonda M. McIntyre and then picked up by Shane Johnson (as she then was) in the 1989 Star Trek: The Worlds of the Federation and also in Greg Cox's 2005 To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh.

Dynoscanners were first mentioned in ST II, when Reliant picked up signs of life on what they thought was Ceti Alpha VI. Dynoscans were also mentioned in TNG: “Reunion” and TNG: “Ethics”.

McGivers says that when things go wrong Khan changes the plan. This reminds me of Kirk’s penchant of changing the rules in order to win, something Saavik comments on in ST III.

Richter’s compulsion to obey Khan’s commands is an effect of the Ceti eel, as Khan explains in ST II. But eventually as the larva grows, comes madness and death.

McGivers says it is Day 41 of the exile, with just about 3-4 months to go before Ceti Alpha VI explodes. However, this must be a mistake, because she also says Khan and Richter have been missing for two days, which makes it Day 31, since the hunting party left on Day 29.

Ursula calls for 10 ccs of “coranaline” to treat Richter, which I don’t believe has been mentioned before, but from the context could be a sedative or analgesic.

Sylvana and Richter are the next deaths, bringing the numbers down to 69.

It’s been a busy week, so I apologise for the lateness of the annotations.

Lear estimates the opening recording (Tape CA5-29-4), where Khan admits he lied to Joaquin about the circumstances of his father Joachim’s death, between Day 6000 and 6500 of the exile, which makes it about 16.4 to 17.8 years after, or around mid-2283 to late 2284. This is assuming that TOS: “Space Seed” takes place in early 2267, given that it was the last episode of Season 1, which mostly takes place in 2266, and was broadcast on 16 February 1967.

This brings the years in line with the now-accepted 2285 dating for ST II, rather than taking Kirk and Khan’s statement that 15 years have passed literally. That would have been true if you took the real world time span between 1967 and ST II’s release in 1982, but the preponderance of evidence places ST II in 2285 - not least the 2283 vintage of McCoy’s Romulan Ale - rather than 2282.

Lear then cross references between Days 30 and 45, the former of which is one day after the events of the previous episode.

“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown,” is from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 2, Act III sc i.

Khan’s recording continues to state it’s been more than 15 years since it rained on Ceti Alpha V. Ceti Alpha VI exploded six months into the exile, laying waste to Ceti Alpha V, so that is another indication that the 15 years statement in ST II should no longer be literal.

Richter becomes the first victim of the Ceti eel. Khan states in ST II that they eventually kill 20 of his group, including McGivers. Incidentally, they are not named in the movie, but are named in the script. The name is also present in the novelisation by Vonda M. McIntyre and then picked up by Shane Johnson (as she then was) in the 1989 Star Trek: The Worlds of the Federation and also in Greg Cox's 2005 To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh.

Dynoscanners were first mentioned in ST II, when Reliant picked up signs of life on what they thought was Ceti Alpha VI. Dynoscans were also mentioned in TNG: “Reunion” and TNG: “Ethics”.

McGivers says that when things go wrong Khan changes the plan. This reminds me of Kirk’s penchant of changing the rules in order to win, something Saavik comments on in ST III.

Richter’s compulsion to obey Khan’s commands is an effect of the Ceti eel, as Khan explains in ST II. But eventually as the larva grows, comes madness and death.

McGivers says it is Day 41 of the exile, with just about 3-4 months to go before Ceti Alpha VI explodes. However, this must be a mistake, because she also says Khan and Richter have been missing for two days, which makes it Day 31, since the hunting party left on Day 29.

Ursula calls for 10 ccs of “coranaline” to treat Richter, which I don’t believe has been mentioned before, but from the context could be a sedative or analgesic.

Sylvana and Richter are the next deaths, bringing the numbers down to 69.

The tape Lear is listening to is from Day 29 of the exile. Lear mentions that the stardate is unknown. While this may harken back to the TOS Writer’s Guide where (to let writers off the hook for not being consistent with stardates from episode to episode) they say that stardates depend on a variety of factors, including the velocity of the object and its positioning within the galaxy, surely the position of Ceti Alpha V would be known? Unless Lear is just being lazy and not wanting to calculate it.

McGivers says Khan avoided her for three weeks after discovering her communicator, which happened last episode. That means that KHA: “Paradise” (and Hugo’s death) took place about a week, give or take, into the exile.

Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan, near the Kazhakstan border. As far as I’m aware, although there are forests in the mountains nearby, there were no jungles filled with deserters and death squads in the 1990s, although car bombs in 1999 were attributed to Islamic militants.

Richter’s flower is identified by Ivan as a corpse flower, or a carrion flower, which describes several species which smell of rotting flesh to attract flies for pollination. His description of a red flower about three feet around is similar to Earth’s rafflesia kerrii, whose blooms are about that size.

Richter and Sylvana allude to a place where he was bullied, and possibly raised. In “Paradise” we find out that Khan liberated child Augments from a laboratory, and in SNW: “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” we see the Noonien-Singh Institute where a young Khan lives, c.2022, together with a cohort of at least 6 other children.

McGivers tells the Augments the tale of Scheherazade, the storyteller of the Arabian story cycle The Thousand and One Nights, which gives the episode its name. McGivers also echoes the senior staff of Enterprise are discussing Khan from TOS: “Space Seed”, namely that there were no massacres under his rule, and no wars until he was attacked, although Spock points out that there was little freedom as well.

Socrates was indeed accused of not worshiping the gods of Athens and corrupting the minds of the city’s youth. What Khan and McGivers leave out is that he was tried and sentenced to death for that, of which he executed the sentence by drinking a cup of hemlock. Plato was Socrates’ pupil, and one of the main sources for an account of the latter’s life.

McGivers’ observation that Kirk didn’t even know her name before that day is essentially correct, as Kirk mispronounces her name to Spock as “McGIHvers”.

The theme of a seeming paradise hiding dangerous lifeforms is a feature of TOS: “The Apple”. The “insect” that attacks Sylvana is christened the Ceti eel, which will of course eventually be Ceti Alpha V’s only surviving indigenous lifeform and the cause of McGiver's death.

Hugo and Joaquin have died so far, bringing the population of Khan’s colony down to 71.

The tape Lear is listening to is from Day 29 of the exile. Lear mentions that the stardate is unknown. While this may harken back to the TOS Writer’s Guide where (to let writers off the hook for not being consistent with stardates from episode to episode) they say that stardates depend on a variety of factors, including the velocity of the object and its positioning within the galaxy, surely the position of Ceti Alpha V would be known? Unless Lear is just being lazy and not wanting to calculate it.

McGivers says Khan avoided her for three weeks after discovering her communicator, which happened last episode. That means that KHA: “Paradise” (and Hugo’s death) took place about a week, give or take, into the exile.

Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan, near the Kazhakstan border. As far as I’m aware, although there are forests in the mountains nearby, there were no jungles filled with deserters and death squads in the 1990s, although car bombs in 1999 were attributed to Islamic militants.

Richter’s flower is identified by Ivan as a corpse flower, or a carrion flower, which describes several species which smell of rotting flesh to attract flies for pollination. His description of a red flower about three feet around is similar to Earth’s rafflesia kerrii, whose blooms are about that size.

Richter and Sylvana allude to a place where he was bullied, and possibly raised. In “Paradise” we find out that Khan liberated child Augments from a laboratory, and in SNW: “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” we see the Noonien-Singh Institute where a young Khan lives, c.2022, together with a cohort of at least 6 other children.

McGivers tells the Augments the tale of Scheherazade, the storyteller of the Arabian story cycle The Thousand and One Nights, which gives the episode its name. McGivers also echoes the senior staff of Enterprise are discussing Khan from TOS: “Space Seed”, namely that there were no massacres under his rule, and no wars until he was attacked, although Spock points out that there was little freedom as well.

Socrates was indeed accused of not worshiping the gods of Athens and corrupting the minds of the city’s youth. What Khan and McGivers leave out is that he was tried and sentenced to death for that, of which he executed the sentence by drinking a cup of hemlock. Plato was Socrates’ pupil, and one of the main sources for an account of the latter’s life.

McGivers’ observation that Kirk didn’t even know her name before that day is essentially correct, as Kirk mispronounces her name to Spock as “McGIHvers”.

The theme of a seeming paradise hiding dangerous lifeforms is a feature of TOS: “The Apple”. The “insect” that attacks Sylvana is christened the Ceti eel, which will of course eventually be Ceti Alpha V’s only surviving indigenous lifeform and the cause of McGiver's death.

Hugo and Joaquin have died so far, bringing the population of Khan’s colony down to 71.

The stardate is 3165.2. Batel was given the post of JAG director by ADM Pasalk in SNW: “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans”. 

Uhura pulls the same prank on Scotty as Ortegas did to her at her first Captain’s Table in SNW: “Children of the Comet”, telling him to dress formally. Scotty’s outfit is based on the one in TOS: “The Savage Curtain” as worn by James Doohan, and the tartan is indeed one of the ancient patterns representing the clan Scott. 

Pelia says “time-tra…” and then corrects herself to “doctor”. Considering the appearance of the TARDIS in SNW: “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail”, it’s not a leap to consider this a reference to the time-travelling Doctor of Doctor Who.

This is the first mention of the Ba-Dates system and the planet Skygowan. The Vezda-possessed Gamble said “Cali-katchna! Mika-tah, vezda-pah,” to Batel, who was seemingly driven by Gorn instinct to attack Gamble (SNW: “Through the Lens of Time”).

Korby continues his obsession about species with immortality, which will lead him to his final fate in TOS: “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

The Vezda in its containment orb was dematerialised and kept in the transporter buffer at the end of “Through the Lens of Time”, where it was seen to take over the sickbay computer.

The data screen for Skygowan reveals it is an M-class planet, with a rotational period of 25.1 hours, a year of 355 days, a mean surface temperature of 14.1° C and an atmosphere close to Earth-normal.

Skygowan is not warp-capable but is aware of interstellar life (as they do trade with the Orions), like the inhabitants of Capella V in TOS: “Friday’s Child” or the Organians in TOS: “Errand of Mercy”. Tyree of Neural (TOS: “A Private Little War”) was aware that Kirk was not native to the planet, but it did not seem this knowledge was imparted to his people as a whole. A data screen on Cali-katchna indicates they have access to Orion warp technology. 

Vadia IX is the ancient homeworld of the Q (SNW: “Wedding Bell Blues”) and was where the Vezda possessed Gamble in “Through the Lens of Time”. 

M’Benga references a previous adventure on Rigel. However, Rigel is not a planet but a star system, and considering that in Star Trek about 12 planets belonging to the system are mentioned, it’s not clear which one he’s talking about. 

La’An demonstrates the Vulcan neck or nerve pinch. Non-Vulcans who have been able to perform it include Data (TNG: “Unification II”), Jean-Luc Picard (TNG: “Starship Mine”), Michael Burnham (DIS: “The Vulcan Hello”), Jonathan Archer (ENT: “Kir’Shara”), Odo (DS9: “Babel”) and Seven of Nine (VOY: “The Raven”). 

Pelia calls Spock “Spock-O”. Years later, Kirk would also use the nickname when speaking in the gangster patois of Sigma Iotia in TOS: “A Piece of the Action”.

Ley lines are alleged lines of energy running through the Earth, with people claiming that sacred sites are built along them or in places where they intersect and attributing all kinds of paranormal phenomena to them, including postulating it as some kind of fast-travel network. This is the first time they’ve been mentioned in Star Trek and the first time it’s been suggested they exist in space. Using it to apply to space seems odd, since the word “ley” is derived from “lea”, as in a grassy area, and there’s no grass in space. 

That being said, the existence of inter-dimensional express routes provides an explanation as to why travel times in Star Trek don’t usually match up with warp speeds given the immense distances traversed. Fans have long speculated about tachyon eddies (DS9: “Explorers”) and other quick routes through subspace for that purpose. 

The star chart displayed is based, as always, on Geoffrey Mandel’s Star Trek: Star Charts and shows Enterprise in the vicinity of a wormhole (perhaps the base graphic was made for SNW: “Terrarium”?). It shows the locations of the Talarian Republic (TNG: “Suddenly Human”) and the Tholian Assembly (TOS: “The Tholian Web”). Also of note is the presence of Cardassian space just “north” of Talar, and oddly, the presence of a “demilitarized zone”. 

The DMZ we best know between Cardassian and Federation space was established in 2370 by treaty (DS9: “Whispers”), although it was indicated on maps in *Section 31*, which is supposed to take place around 2324. This shows the presence of a DMZ 63 years before that, even, which is either that its presence in this map is in error, or conflicts between Cardassia and Federation have been going on for well over a century relative to DS9’s time. 

Eyelessness seems to be a thing for Vezda, as we see several aliens sporting the same look as Gamble. Gamble chants, “demittis tenebris”, which means “bring down the darkness,” in Latin. He adds, “interitus vide clara,” meaning “see the destruction clearly.” Why the Vezda is using Latin, a distinctly Earth language, is not explained.

Enteprise saved Farragut and her Vulcan captain V’Rell, in “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Own Tail”.

Batel’s patient records detail her treatment for the Gorn infection, and concludes with her having a unique hybrid of Gorn, Illyrian and Human DNA. But her going on to say that she contains every race that has ever faced evil seems to be a bit of an exaggeration.

Pike paraphrase Clarke’s Third Law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

This is the first time Spock has called Kirk “Jim.” I feel a disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Trekkies suddenly squeed. Even Ortegas is thinking, “Get a room.”

“Let’s light this candle,” was said twice by Ortegas in SNW: “Terrarium”, and as noted there was first said by astronaut Alan Shepard in 1961. And yes, chill, Pelia, you’re laying on the analogy of Kirk and Spock moving in synchronicity a bit thick. 

The initial vision takes place on what appears to be Pike and Batel’s second wedding anniversary (cotton), in Pike’s cabin in Bear Creek, Montana, which we first saw in SNW: “Strange New Worlds”. This would then be around 2263. 

The second part of the vision sees Pike in a Fleet Captain’s uniform and black FCPT backing on his delta (first seen in SNW: “Lost in Translation”). His mood is because he realises he’s about to meet his fate (as seen in TOS: “The Menagerie”), being exposed to delta rays due to ruptured baffle plates while saving cadets on a J-class training vessel (first named here as Lucas). This would be around 2266, five years in the future. Pike and Batel’s daughter is named in closed captioning as Juliet, although she seems older than 3 years old. 

Pike is rightfully concerned about the consequences of avoiding the accident because of what he learned in SNW: “A Quality of Mercy”, namely that his survival will doom Spock, who is needed for his actions in the future. 

In the third part of the vision, Elijah April is wearing a cadet’s badge with four lines indicating he’s in his senior year (making him at the minimum 20-21 years old). Juliet called Spock, “Uncle Sock”, so it appears in this vision Spock has avoided being doomed. Batel is now an admiral. This would place this segment around 2283, but Elijah’s uniform doesn’t match what we would expect from cadet uniforms of this era as seen in ST II which takes place in 2385.

The repeated knocking on the door in the segments is reminiscent of a motif used during the Tenth Doctor era of Doctor Who. There, a series of four knocks is connected to the Master, as well as a prophecy that the same ominous sound heralds the end of the Tenth Doctor’s life.

The trope of having an entire simulated life lived in a matter of moments is an old one, most obviously in TNG: “The Inner Light”. Other examples in film where the protagonist dreams a life before dying include An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge and Jacob’s Ladder. In Neil Gaiman’s short story set in the Matrix universe, “Goliath”, a man is given skills in the Matrix by the Machines so he can pilot a ship to destroy aliens attacking the Earth in the real world. Once he has accomplished his mission, he is told there is no return, but the Machines reconnect him to the Matrix so that, in the hour before dying, he can live out 15 years of a happy life.

The song played over the montage is M83’s “Wait”, which has the lyrics, “Send your dreams where nobody hides / Give your tears to the tide / No time / There’s no end / There is no goodbye”, reinforcing Pike’s monologue.

La’An needn’t be too worried about Kirk’s insight into Spock’s mind. Despite the meld (the apparent contradiction with TOS: “Dagger of the Mind” where Spock claims he’s never probed a human before notwithstanding), Kirk evidently doesn’t pick up anything intimate like pon farr, Spock’s parentage or siblings since he remains ignorant of them in TOS: “Amok Time”, TOS: “Journey to Babel” and ST V.

The stardate is 3165.2. Batel was given the post of JAG director by ADM Pasalk in SNW: “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans”. 

Uhura pulls the same prank on Scotty as Ortegas did to her at her first Captain’s Table in SNW: “Children of the Comet”, telling him to dress formally. Scotty’s outfit is based on the one in TOS: “The Savage Curtain” as worn by James Doohan, and the tartan is indeed one of the ancient patterns representing the clan Scott. 

Pelia says “time-tra…” and then corrects herself to “doctor”. Considering the appearance of the TARDIS in SNW: “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail”, it’s not a leap to consider this a reference to the time-travelling Doctor of Doctor Who.

This is the first mention of the Ba-Dates system and the planet Skygowan. The Vezda-possessed Gamble said “Cali-katchna! Mika-tah, vezda-pah,” to Batel, who was seemingly driven by Gorn instinct to attack Gamble (SNW: “Through the Lens of Time”).

Korby continues his obsession about species with immortality, which will lead him to his final fate in TOS: “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

The Vezda in its containment orb was dematerialised and kept in the transporter buffer at the end of “Through the Lens of Time”, where it was seen to take over the sickbay computer.

The data screen for Skygowan reveals it is an M-class planet, with a rotational period of 25.1 hours, a year of 355 days, a mean surface temperature of 14.1° C and an atmosphere close to Earth-normal.

Skygowan is not warp-capable but is aware of interstellar life (as they do trade with the Orions), like the inhabitants of Capella V in TOS: “Friday’s Child” or the Organians in TOS: “Errand of Mercy”. Tyree of Neural (TOS: “A Private Little War”) was aware that Kirk was not native to the planet, but it did not seem this knowledge was imparted to his people as a whole. A data screen on Cali-katchna indicates they have access to Orion warp technology. 

Vadia IX is the ancient homeworld of the Q (SNW: “Wedding Bell Blues”) and was where the Vezda possessed Gamble in “Through the Lens of Time”. 

M’Benga references a previous adventure on Rigel. However, Rigel is not a planet but a star system, and considering that in Star Trek about 12 planets belonging to the system are mentioned, it’s not clear which one he’s talking about. 

La’An demonstrates the Vulcan neck or nerve pinch. Non-Vulcans who have been able to perform it include Data (TNG: “Unification II”), Jean-Luc Picard (TNG: “Starship Mine”), Michael Burnham (DIS: “The Vulcan Hello”), Jonathan Archer (ENT: “Kir’Shara”), Odo (DS9: “Babel”) and Seven of Nine (VOY: “The Raven”). 

Pelia calls Spock “Spock-O”. Years later, Kirk would also use the nickname when speaking in the gangster patois of Sigma Iotia in TOS: “A Piece of the Action”.

Ley lines are alleged lines of energy running through the Earth, with people claiming that sacred sites are built along them or in places where they intersect and attributing all kinds of paranormal phenomena to them, including postulating it as some kind of fast-travel network. This is the first time they’ve been mentioned in Star Trek and the first time it’s been suggested they exist in space. Using it to apply to space seems odd, since the word “ley” is derived from “lea”, as in a grassy area, and there’s no grass in space. 

That being said, the existence of inter-dimensional express routes provides an explanation as to why travel times in Star Trek don’t usually match up with warp speeds given the immense distances traversed. Fans have long speculated about tachyon eddies (DS9: “Explorers”) and other quick routes through subspace for that purpose. 

The star chart displayed is based, as always, on Geoffrey Mandel’s Star Trek: Star Charts and shows Enterprise in the vicinity of a wormhole (perhaps the base graphic was made for SNW: “Terrarium”?). It shows the locations of the Talarian Republic (TNG: “Suddenly Human”) and the Tholian Assembly (TOS: “The Tholian Web”). Also of note is the presence of Cardassian space just “north” of Talar, and oddly, the presence of a “demilitarized zone”. 

The DMZ we best know between Cardassian and Federation space was established in 2370 by treaty (DS9: “Whispers”), although it was indicated on maps in *Section 31*, which is supposed to take place around 2324. This shows the presence of a DMZ 63 years before that, even, which is either that its presence in this map is in error, or conflicts between Cardassia and Federation have been going on for well over a century relative to DS9’s time. 

Eyelessness seems to be a thing for Vezda, as we see several aliens sporting the same look as Gamble. Gamble chants, “demittis tenebris”, which means “bring down the darkness,” in Latin. He adds, “interitus vide clara,” meaning “see the destruction clearly.” Why the Vezda is using Latin, a distinctly Earth language, is not explained.

Enteprise saved Farragut and her Vulcan captain V’Rell, in “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Own Tail”.

Batel’s patient records detail her treatment for the Gorn infection, and concludes with her having a unique hybrid of Gorn, Illyrian and Human DNA. But her going on to say that she contains every race that has ever faced evil seems to be a bit of an exaggeration.

Pike paraphrase Clarke’s Third Law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

This is the first time Spock has called Kirk “Jim.” I feel a disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Trekkies suddenly squeed. Even Ortegas is thinking, “Get a room.”

“Let’s light this candle,” was said twice by Ortegas in SNW: “Terrarium”, and as noted there was first said by astronaut Alan Shepard in 1961. And yes, chill, Pelia, you’re laying on the analogy of Kirk and Spock moving in synchronicity a bit thick. 

The initial vision takes place on what appears to be Pike and Batel’s second wedding anniversary (cotton), in Pike’s cabin in Bear Creek, Montana, which we first saw in SNW: “Strange New Worlds”. This would then be around 2263. 

The second part of the vision sees Pike in a Fleet Captain’s uniform and black FCPT backing on his delta (first seen in SNW: “Lost in Translation”). His mood is because he realises he’s about to meet his fate (as seen in TOS: “The Menagerie”), being exposed to delta rays due to ruptured baffle plates while saving cadets on a J-class training vessel (first named here as Lucas). This would be around 2266, five years in the future. Pike and Batel’s daughter is named in closed captioning as Juliet, although she seems older than 3 years old. 

Pike is rightfully concerned about the consequences of avoiding the accident because of what he learned in SNW: “A Quality of Mercy”, namely that his survival will doom Spock, who is needed for his actions in the future. 

In the third part of the vision, Elijah April is wearing a cadet’s badge with four lines indicating he’s in his senior year (making him at the minimum 20-21 years old). Juliet called Spock, “Uncle Sock”, so it appears in this vision Spock has avoided being doomed. Batel is now an admiral. This would place this segment around 2283, but Elijah’s uniform doesn’t match what we would expect from cadet uniforms of this era as seen in ST II which takes place in 2385.

The repeated knocking on the door in the segments is reminiscent of a motif used during the Tenth Doctor era of Doctor Who. There, a series of four knocks is connected to the Master, as well as a prophecy that the same ominous sound heralds the end of the Tenth Doctor’s life.

The trope of having an entire simulated life lived in a matter of moments is an old one, most obviously in TNG: “The Inner Light”. Other examples in film where the protagonist dreams a life before dying include An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge and Jacob’s Ladder. In Neil Gaiman’s short story set in the Matrix universe, “Goliath”, a man is given skills in the Matrix by the Machines so he can pilot a ship to destroy aliens attacking the Earth in the real world. Once he has accomplished his mission, he is told there is no return, but the Machines reconnect him to the Matrix so that, in the hour before dying, he can live out 15 years of a happy life.

The song played over the montage is M83’s “Wait”, which has the lyrics, “Send your dreams where nobody hides / Give your tears to the tide / No time / There’s no end / There is no goodbye”, reinforcing Pike’s monologue.

La’An needn’t be too worried about Kirk’s insight into Spock’s mind. Despite the meld (the apparent contradiction with TOS: “Dagger of the Mind” where Spock claims he’s never probed a human before notwithstanding), Kirk evidently doesn’t pick up anything intimate like pon farr, Spock’s parentage or siblings since he remains ignorant of them in TOS: “Amok Time”, TOS: “Journey to Babel” and ST V.