Star Trek: Age of Discovery Gary Anderson, Star Trek: Age of Discovery, Addell Austin Anderson

This week, Addell and Gary tackle a double feature. They break down Episodes 7 and 8, "Erigah" and "Labyrinths." Together, these two episodes showcase Sonequa Martin-Green and add intriguing new wrinkles to the conflict at the center of this season. On another level, the thinking behind the scientists who hid the Progenitor Technology is becoming clearer with each test solved.

Michael and Tilly go in search of the fourth clue on a pre-warp planet that has one surviving settlement. They have to get into a huge tower built by the Denobulans to produce rain for under-developed planet. The civilization values connection, cooperation, and sacrifice for other. When Tilly finds out that by entering the tower she has sacrifced her life, its up to Michael to find a way to save her.

Michael and Booker enter interdimensional space, chasing after the next clue piece. They encounter Moll and L'ak on a damaged I.S.S. Enterprise - the same starship first introduced in the Original Series episode "Mirror, Mirror.". Mirror reflections and distortion are presented as the two couples try to negotiate to get off the doomed ship before it crashes into the aperture of the wormhole.

Captain Burnham, Commanders Rayner, and Stamets must manage their way through a series of time jumps through Discovery's past and possible future as they attempt to disarm a dangerous time weapon. The device traps the ship in a time cycle related to its 900+ year history. Only Michael, Rayner, and Stamets know what is happening, so they must find a way to break the cycle without significantly altering the known timeline.

The Discovery crew travels to Trill for another clue to solve the Progenitor mystery. Captain Burnham, Dr. Culber, Book, and Ensign Adira seek information about a 24th-century Trill scientist named Jinaal, who was part of a group of researchers studying the Progenitor technology believed to be responsible for all humanoid life. The scientists decided the technology was too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. Thus, they decided to each take and hide a map piece that would disclose the Progenitor technology's location. To preserve his knowledge, Jinaal joined with a Bix symbiont.

Today, we’re analyzing the premieres of the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery's fifth and final season — “Red Directive” and “Under the Twin Moons.” We’ll end our podcast with the latest Star Trek News.

Also, our podcast has a new format to afford a freer flow of discussion for the analysis. Once we list the production credits, provide a synopsis, and establish the episode’s theme, we will each discuss standout moments and thought-provoking questions and raise story or character challenges in a segment titled "Where is this Going?"