Starfleet Academy’s “Come, Let’s Away” in Review
The sixth episode of the newest Star Trek series features the reappearance of an antagonist from the pilot episode. How does the character’s return here hold up to that initial appearance?
Log Entry
Intimacy between the Human Caleb Mir and the Betazoid Tarima Sadal leads to Caleb’s quarters aboard the USS Athena. Tarima triggers his memories of being separated from his mother, shocking him. She apologises and leaves.
Gathered in the Athena’s atrium are Starfleet Academy Chancellor Nahla Ake, her crew and cadets, and her War College counterpart, Chancellor Kelrec, with his cadets. This is for a training exercise in which half the cadets will remain on the Athena while the other half will board the USS Miyazaki, which has been adrift in space since an accident with its singularity drive 125 years ago. Both groups consist of a mix of Starfleet Academy and War College cadets.
Led by their instructor – Lieutenant Commander Tomov – the away team to the Miyazaki includes Jay-Den Kraag, SAM and Caleb. Among the cadets remaining on the Athena are Genesis Lythe, Darem Reymi and Tarima.
The away team arrives on the Miyazaki and restores the ship’s power. Meanwhile, the Athena detects new readings, including a jamming field which surrounds the Miyazaki. Communication is then initiated by a group who call themselves the Furies – space pirates who seize the Miyazaki and kidnap the away team.
Chancellors Ake and Kelrec have a meeting with Admiral Vance in which they consider asking Nus Braka to help combat the Furies. These vicious hybrids eject Tomov into space, prompting Ake to agree to consult Braka. Greeted at an airlock by Ake and two armed War College representatives, Braka boards the Athena.
In Ake’s office, Nus Braka engages in a tense conversation with first Vance, then Ake. Retreating to the Miyazaki’s bridge, the endangered cadets seek guidance from a comic book about the ship’s history but Caleb is distracted by Tarima trying to contact them telepathically. While this goes on, Braka continues his strained conversation with Ake, realising Caleb is trapped aboard the Miyazaki.
After the crew and cadets figure out how to disable the jamming field, Tarima volunteers to use her telepathic connection with Caleb to relay to him the instructions, which involve activating the stricken ship’s engines from the bridge. Contacting him requires Tarima to deactivate her inhibitor, a risky procedure requiring The Doctor’s supervision in sickbay. Ake pressures Nus Braka into revealing the Furies are vulnerable to sonic weaponry. He is then permitted to leave in a shuttle.
Tarima passes the instructions onto Caleb. On the Athena’s bridge, Genesis Lythe seems to locate the Furies’ ship. However, the situation turns out to be a trap set by Nus Braka – like him, the revealed vessel is Venari Ral. It destroys a nearby Federation starship, the USS Sargasso, before departing.
Aboard the Miyazaki – with bridge control of the engines established – the jamming field deactivates. Vulcan War College cadet B’Avi is killed by one of the Furies. Tarima defeats the Furies psionically, saving the other cadets, who are beamed back to the Athena. Nus Braka, now a wanted fugitive, sends Ake a final threatening message.
Status Report
Designed not to disappoint, this story of teamwork demonstrates how sometimes alliances can be forged in the most unusual places. Although sex scenes are notoriously difficult to get right, the one at the beginning is done very tastefully. It doesn’t detract from the episode as a whole and is only used to establish the intimate link between Caleb and Tarima, laying necessary groundwork for later in the episode. At the start, the use of a pop song (“UFO”, by singer Olivia Dean) lets us know we’re about to watch a scene involving two young people and works well for the scene’s intimacy.
The use of Star Trek comic art to illustrate the history of the Miyazaki is ingenious. Showing the faces of previous generations of Miyazaki crew makes it more personal. It’s also an effective way to condense the ship’s vast history.
Once again, Paul Giamatti seems to enjoy himself playing Nus Braka but, this time, his performance is more understated. His scenes with Holly Hunter as Nahla Ake are reminiscent of the dynamic between Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko and Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat in the Deep Space Nine episode “Waltz”. One difference here is that both parties are interested in rescuing the trapped cadets, whereas Dukat wanted to ensure that Sisko would never be rescued. Also, Braka isn’t affected by mental illness like Dukat was. He still appears to have the upper hand over Ake, who (unlike Sisko) is not a prisoner but chooses to be in the same room as her nemesis. In an interview, Paul Giamatti has cited Dukat as an inspiration for portraying his character. It’s not hard to see why; for a start, both characters love the sound of their own voices.
Although the rescue of most of the cadets is neatly wrapped up, the death of the Vulcan War College cadet hits hard. Death at such a young age is tragic but this event also underscores the high-risk dangers the cadets will face as they progress through their studies at Starfleet Academy. Tarima’s telepathic link with Caleb and the affects of the suppression of her inhibiter are left hanging. Hopefully these aspects will be developed in more detail as the series continues, as will the character of Nus Braka. It will be interesting to see how the relationship between Caleb and Tarima will develop over time and whether or not it will last.
