Star Trek: Discovery continues this week with “Through the Valley of Shadows,” the twelth episode of the season, as the mysterious Red Signals from the future guide the Discovery crew back to the Klingon Empire, and the monastery at Boreth.
This week features the return of Klingon High Chancellor L’Rell (Mary Chieffo) back to the show, two months after she fully claimed her title of ‘Mother’ back in January’s “Point of Light,” set to reunite with Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) and their child on Boreth.
The franchise last visited the monasteries on Boreth back in 1993’s “Rightful Heir,” the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode which introduced the planet and where Worf encountered a clone of the long-dead Kahless the Unforgettable. (Back in “Point of Light,” with the help of Section 31, L’Rell and Tyler secretly hid away their infant with the clerics there to protect him from would-be enemies.)
We also see that Chancellor L’Rell beams aboard the Discovery as the ship enters Klingon territory, encountering Captain Pike (Anson Mount) for the first time.
Below decks, the Discovery crew, including Kayla Detmer (Emily Coutts) and Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), sits down for a meal in the mess hall, and off-ship, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Spock (Ethan Peck) visit a Section 31 vessel… where former USS Shenzhou crewman Kamran Gant (Ali Momen), last seen in “The Vulcan Hello” / “Battle at the Binary Stars” series pilot — appears to be part of the clandestine organization.
And in case you missed it, here’s the video preview for the episode, which features the new Empire-uniting Klingon D7 battle cruiser flying tandem with the Discovery, a ship first seen in hologram form back in “Point of Light” — and the continued impact of Control’s hold over Section 31, seemingly venting the crew of the organization’s ships into space.
THROUGH THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS — A fourth signal leads the U.S.S. Discovery to an insular world, where Pike is forced to make a life-changing choice. Burnham and Spock investigate a Section 31 ship gone rogue, leading to a discovery with catastrophic consequences.
The episode features a story from Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt and is directed by Douglas Aarniokoski, the team who previously crafted the Kelpien-centric Short Trek “The Brightest Star” and “The Sound of Thunder” earlier this season.
“Through the Valley of Shadows” debuts this Thursday on CBS All Access and Space, and beams to Netflix around the world on Friday.