Starfleet Academy’s “Ko’Zeine” in Review
The seventh episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy continues the focus on the first group of cadets to enter Starfleet Academy since the Burn. It also brings the future of Darem Reymi’s Starfleet career into question. How has witnessing their compatriots be killed and injured in the previous episode changed him and his classmates?
Log Entry
Spring semester has ended. Caleb Mir records a message for Tarima Sadal, who is receiving treatment on Betazed after what happened aboard the USS Miyazaki. Starfleet Academy is meanwhile preparing to close its doors for the All-Worlds Day holiday. During it, most students will either return home or live with a host family on Earth. Caleb deletes the recording without sending it.
Academy tutor Jett Reno sees cadets off as they depart. The cadets are still reeling from the events on the Miyazaki. Nahla Ake takes Genesis Lythe aside to inform her that her performance during the recent training exercise didn’t go unnoticed and that she has been recommended for the pre-command track, which Genesis is eager to accept.
Jay-Den Kraag is planning to go on a trip to Ibiza with his boyfriend, Kyle. Darem Reymi and Jay-Den remember B’Avi as a hero.
Ake has arranged for Caleb to stay with a host family on Earth but Caleb refuses. He insists Ake should have questioned Nus Braka about his mother. Ake reassures him that she is looking for her. Instead of visiting the host family, Caleb wants to stay aboard the Athena. Ake relents, permitting him to remain there, and asks after Tarima. Caleb admits he’s unsure how to help her.
In a corridor, Darem Reymi is dragged away by a pair of abductors through a strange portal. Jay-Den witnesses this and follows them through, abandoning his Ibiza trip. The portal closes.
In an instant, Jay-Den finds himself on a Khionian moon orbiting Darem’s homeworld of Khionia. At first, the abductors assume Jay-Den is an intruder until Darem refers to Jay-Den as his “Ko’zeine”, or best man.
Caleb is sunbathing in the Athena’s atrium when Genesis approaches him. She has likewise decided to remain aboard, explaining it’s because her father is attending a symposium she would find boring.
Darem has been preparing for his wedding day or “sealing”. Jay-Den realises he’s trapped in Khionian space with Darem, who is about to enter into an arranged marriage with a Khionian woman called Kaira.
Caleb and Genesis revise together while playing a game, during which they go through The Doctor’s cabinet of scientific anomalies. When Genesis asks about Tarima, Caleb tells Genesis it’s none of her business but that Tarima is recovering. Mid-conversation, Genesis and Caleb accidentally set a warp-slug free.
On the Khionian moon, Darem and Kaira have a private discussion. Kaira explains her parents deciding to abdicate early is why the wedding – or sealing, in Khionian culture – has been accelerated. Darem says nothing has changed for him, ready to go through with the ceremony.
Genesis and Caleb are still trying to capture the escaped slug. Walking nearby, Jett Reno is talking to Lura Thok. Caleb and Genesis hide. They successfully freeze the slug while Jett and Lura keep talking.
On the Khionian moon, Jay-Den attempts to leave but Darem says he needs Jay-Den for the sealing to go ahead without fault. Darem vows not to disappoint his people.
Caleb and Genesis continue spending time together. After discussing Tarima, Genesis suggests they sit in the captain’s chair on the Athena’s bridge and divulges about being recommended for the pre-command track. Admitting uncertainty, she implies she wants to see if she feels comfortable in the captain’s chair.
Darem starts to panic and Jay-Den tries to calm him down. They argue over whether Darem is ready for marriage. Jay-Den walks out on Darem, adamant about returning to Earth.
Caleb and Genesis enter the Athena’s bridge, where Genesis sits in the captain’s chair and starts the pre-flight procedures. Caleb catches Genesis in the act of stealing a programmable key. She explains she’s desperate to access her application to Starfleet. They are caught by Jett Reno.
Darem’s sealing goes ahead with Jay-Den as Ko’zeine, or best man. Jay-Den makes a speech, describing Darem as an honourable person who prioritises other people before himself. Jay-Den acknowledges he will miss Darem but can’t think of a better reason for them to part.
Answering to Ake, Genesis admits she suggested sneaking onto the bridge because she wanted to doctor her application, since it described her as driven by fear. Ake opts out of nominating Genesis for the pre-command track and sentences both of them to menial service.
Kaira dismisses Darem, seeing the value of him continuing to pursue his Starfleet career. Darem and Jay-Den return to the Academy, where Jay-Den is reunited with Kyle and Caleb sends a voice message to Tarima.
Status Report
After the high-stakes drama of the previous episode – “Come, Let’s Away” – this episode feels flat. This time, Paul Giamatti is not there to save it. It’s not always easy to keep track of the two storylines, although the episode provides a bit of light relief, particularly Genesis and Caleb trying to hunt down the slug. The Doctor’s cabinet of scientific anomalies is reminiscent of the menagerie kept in sickbay by Doctor Phlox in Enterprise.
The main theme of this episode is how other people’s expectations can conflict with an individual’s ambitions and desire. This is definitely the case for Genesis Lythe and Darem Reymi, who both have heavy expectations put on their shoulders. In the end, they both have to decide what they want out of life for themselves. Sometimes living up to someone else’s expectations is not enough and it’s a relief that both Genesis and Darem learn this before it’s too late.
Although this episode is less enjoyable than the previous one, Genesis and Darem are forced to re-examine what’s important to them in their own lives. This seems promising as to how their characters will develop as the series progresses.
