[S4E10] A Safe Word And A Rib Eye

Thank you so much for posting all these quotes. I am a quote fanatic, have over 5000 written down, and so many of the ones here I did not have and very much love. Thank you for the addition to my quote collection that has become the bible by which i live my life and the words which describe my essence.

[S4E10] A Safe Word and a Rib Eye

The cold open is fantastic, however. Toby shows Michael a flaw in his conference room presentation. And before Michael can even finish saying the words "get out," Toby is already at the the door. It's great to watch Toby manage to get a win and know exactly how Michael is going to react.

Best Quote: "The Schrutes have a word for when everything comes together in a man's life perfectly: Perfectenschlag. Right now, I am in it. I finally get a chance to prove myself to corporate. I am assembling a competent team. I am likely a father. I am so deep inside of perfectenschlag right now. And just to be clear, there is a second definition, 'perfect pork anus,' which I don't mean." - Dwight

Best Quote: Michael, about seeing Jan on Valentine's Day: "This is a business trip. I would have to be a raving lunatic to try to talk about what happened between us...Her words, not mine. She sent me an email this morning. But it is Valentine's Day. New York. City of love."

Best Quote: "Yeah, Ryan snapped at me, but there was this twinkle in his eye that I picked up on, which said, 'Dude, we're friends. I'm doing this for appearances. I am the big boss now. And I have to seem like an ogre. But you know me and you trust me. And we like each other. And we'll always be friends. And I would never take you for granted in a million years. And I miss you, man. And I love you.'...His words." -Michael

There's all that. But it's the small moments that make the episode safely a top one-third offering. It's Michael being so thrilled to be invited that he tries to start happy hour at midday. Phyllis talks about going to bars with Bob Vance (Vance Refrigeration) just to pick fights.

Best Quote: "It's a bold move to Photoshop yourself into a picture with your girlfriend and her kids on a ski trip with their real father. But then again, Michael's a bold guy. Is bold the right word?" -Jim

The three are briefed by Commander Stamets, who reveals that the new DMA controller is the same size, but significantly more powerful than the one Booker and Tarka destroyed, and was churning through space at a faster rate. He estimates that the DMA would move to a new harvesting location within the next 12 hours, at most. Vance asks if this was a prelude to retaliation, but Stamets has no way to know. Rillak also asks if there has been any contact from Booker, but Burnham has not received any word from him; she believes it was imperative that they begin the first contact mission as soon as possible. Rillak reminds her that a number of delegates are en route, including the representative from Ni'Var, but is forced to agree with Burnham: they cannot afford to wait. Vance asks Burnham when she can be ready to depart, and Burnham answers she can leave in two hours, once her crew finishes loading supplies and says their goodbyes; she and Stamets leave to return to Discovery. "It's a hell of a thing," Vance concludes, and Rillak agrees. She then tells the admiral that it was her constitutional duty to inform him that she was transferring her powers temporarily to the Vice-President, as she was intending to leave with Discovery. Having been the Federation's top ambassador for twenty years, she believes that her experience would be ideal for the mission, given the complexities they faced. Vance protests, saying that Discovery was leaving the galaxy, something that had never been done, and that they might not come back. He tells her that she is essentially the Federation now, but Rillak counters that this was why it was crucial that she be there when contact was made. Vance can see he cannot talk her out of it; Rillak praises his efforts thus far as Starfleet's commander in chief, and is confident that whatever came next, he would get them through that as well.

In her ready room, Burnham asks to speak frankly, before making clear that she did not want Rillak questioning her orders on the bridge. Rillak had thought they were clear between asking a question and questioning. Burnham confirms they are, but also points out that introducing doubt among the crew would endanger the ship. Both make sure their purviews are clear to the other: the ship and crew was Burnham's concern, diplomacy and delegates were Rillak's. The parameters set, Burnham returns to the bridge, where Saru reports the additional supplies were loaded, and the delegates had been settled in, though he refers to an Earth adage about "herding cats". Lieutenant Commander Nilsson reports that the mycelial network would thin the closer they got to the barrier, so Stamets would bring them four light years from the edge, and proceed on warp drive from there. Burnham orders Lieutenant Commander Detmer to take the ship to safe distance, and Lieutenant Christopher to open a ship-wide channel. Addressing the crew and delegates, Burnham reminds them that many had dreamed of "going where no one has gone before" when they were young, but had not expected to do so under the circumstances they were in. Once they entered the barrier, they would be beyond comms contact and on their own, while innumerable worlds waited for them to make contact with the 10-C and ensure the DMA does not do any more harm. It would not be easy, but with this ship and its crew united, Burnham is confident they will succeed. She then orders black alert. Vance watches from Federation Headquarters as Discovery activates its spore drive, and quietly wishes them Godspeed.

Saru encounters Dr. Culber in the corridors, and begins to ask him to spread the word about the situation when much to his surprise, he spots T'Rina; he had not expected her to join the mission. The delegate from Ni'Var did not arrive before Discovery left, and so T'Rina chose to represent Ni'Var herself. Culber is amused as he realizes Saru expressed his feelings, but Saru replies he would not have done so if he had known she would be on board, and cannot conceive of any situation more awkward. Culber remembers when he first met Stamets, he was taken by his blue eyes, and obsessed over his every word. Saru is somewhat reassured that he is not the only one made to feel foolish by his feelings, and continues with Culber to inform the delegates.

Meanwhile, on an unknown planet, Booker reminds Tarka that he had told him the programmable antimatter couldn't be beamed up, but he didn't see any shield generators preventing that. As they get closer, Booker sees a spire stretching into the sky, and in a rage draws his phaser, demanding to know what Tarka is playing at. He recognizes the structure as part of an Emerald Chain work camp. Tarka insists it was not what Booker was thinking, and that the camp had been out of commission for years. Booker realizes this was the work camp that Tarka escaped from, nearly ten years before, and wants to know the story before they proceed. In a series of flashbacks, Tarka tells him about when he was put in with another scientist working on a dilithium alternative, Oros, the friend Tarka had mentioned at the summit at Federation Headquarters. He saw that Oros had been put to work on the same project he had, but saw equations he didn't recognize, intended for travel. He admits they had not been friends at first, but both of them found it a relief to have someone else to talk to again. Tarka saw him sitting up in bed one night, running galactic distance equations, but using a variable he didn't recognize; when Oros was surprised, Tarka reminded him he had been alone in a cell and needed to pass the time, so he ran numbers too. Oros asks how long he had been alone, and Tarka admits he had lost track, but thought it was four or five years. He used to talk to himself, narrating his day, just to hear words aloud. Oros comments on how that meant he had forgotten how to interact with others or respect boundaries, and Tarka laughingly admits he has. He suggests a trick he uses to fall asleep: counting the digits of the golden ratio. When Oros thinks that too easy, Tarka suggests using every third digit. As they count off to one another, Oros soon falls asleep. In the present, Tarka explains it took a year, but they became friends; under Osyraa and the Chain, they were all they had. Booker finally relents, and asks how much farther to the programmable antimatter stash; Tarka replies it was just beyond the trees. Booker finally lowers his phaser, and both proceed.

Owosekun reports the shields were ready, and Nilsson confirms all systems were nominal. However, Saru notes the negative energy concentrations were higher than anticipated, meaning the shields might not hold out even with the upgrades. Stamets is already working on it, noting that if they made it through, they should thank Heisenberg rather than him for that. He reports that vacuum-state fluctuations are creating discrete bubbles that pass through the barrier at random intervals, comparing them to spacial cells. If they could position the ship inside one of them, they should be able to ride it through to the other side. Burnham points out the lack of consistency in the spacial cells, and Stamets confirms this, with 95 percent of them being too unstable, showing up in grayscale, the negative energy not concentrated enough to achieve equilibrium; the "colorful ones" were the best bet, and Zora had found one nearby that would work, sending the coordinates to the helm. Burnham orders Detmer to plot a course. Detmer warns that the ride will be bumpy. Burnham orders red alert, as Discovery moves in. As they enter the barrier, the crew's visual spectra is affected, turning to grayscale as well, which would change back as soon as they were through. The shields quickly begin to drop; the spacial cell was not large enough to contain the ship, and Saru estimates another twenty seconds. Lieutenant jg Linus warns of gamma rays from a radioactive burst approaching from port, and Detmer adjusts course to ride it out. The cell forms in front of them, and Detmer is able to bring them inside safely. Burnham orders repairs made to the shields, and to hold position. Just then, Rillak arrives on the bridge, needing a word. When Burnham protests it was not an ideal time, Rillak explains she had received an encrypted message just before they entered the barrier, for both her and Burnham's eyes only. 041b061a72