Mothra wrote:Re: 3x12, "There is a tide...":
I know there was never any possibility that Discovery would resolve anything with diplomacy rather than a big, dumb, overlong action slog wherein everyone on the bad guy side is killed, but, why even tease us with the full third of this ep being devoted to negotiations with the Emerald Chain?
Admiral Salt & Pepper must’ve known that the Emerald Chain lady would never willingly make a deal where she would be tried for her crimes, right? Seemed like the best deal you’re going to get? You abolish slavery across the entire Chain and the Chain stops exploiting pre-warp civilizations?
I also can’t parse if this was actually supposed to be the Emerald Chain lady trying to cut a deal with the Federation? Everything she did leading up to that, including busting in to the Federation secret base with a ruse, implied she was just trying to destroy the Federation. But then she’s actually legitimately here for negotiations? And then Admiral Salt & Pepper doesn’t budge on anything, until she storms off in an outrage? The fuck was the point of any of that?
My prediction for the final episode: Su'Kal will have an emotional reaction that will unintentionally destroy a shitload of dilithium, vaporizing the Emerald Chain lady's entire ship, killing her and all of her jack-booted stormtroopers cleanly. Then they'll bring him back to the Federation, explain the cause of the Burn, and give the Federation spore drive technology. They'll then go back through time again, to places unknown.
MAYBE the guy in the wheelchair will take on ownership of the Emerald Chain and agree to all Federation terms. That's if they remember.