Brother

“It’s the power of math, people!”

This Story: Season 2 Episode 1 (production code 201)
DSC Overall: Episode 16
Trek Overall: Story 699, Episode 742
Airdate: 17 Jan 2019
Written by Ted Sullivan, Gretchen J. Berg, & Aaron Harberts
Directed by Akiva Goldsman

Notes

• The first episode of Season 2, and the beginning of the “Red Angel” arc.  The opening titles are slightly altered with some new items in them.
• The first episode for Anson Mount as Christopher Pike and Ethan Peck as Spock, although Spock is only as a voiceover here, he does not appear (yet).
• Wilson Cruz is added to the main cast, and therefore the opening credits despite his character currently being dead.
• The Discovery bridge character Ariam had to this point been played by Sara Mitich.  From this point forward, the character is played by Hannah Cheesman.
• The first episode for Tig Notaro as Jett Reno.  Should play this character for a total of 18 episodes on Discovery, as well as 7 (as of this writing) on Starfleet Academy as well.
• The first (of 28) appearances by David Benjamin Tomlinson as Linus – the somewhat insectoid looking crewman with the giant eyeballs.
• The hologram that appeared in the teaser flashback with young Spock was supposed to be a Le-matya from the TAS episode “Yesteryear“.  The idea was dropped when they couldn’t work out the design properly.
• Sarek & Amanda’s house is a real life building.  It is called Intregal House in Toronto.
• We see Geordi’s visor here on someone else.  It’s not focused on, and could just be a background thing, I don’t think it’s supposed to be the SAME one.
• The first live action reference to the original captain of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 is made here (Robert April).
• The events of the first two episodes of Discovery are touched on here by Pike.
• Stamets accepts a job at the Vulcan Science Academy, one that eventually turns down as he doesn’t in fact leave the ship.
• The first episode (of seventeen) for Rachael Ancheril as Commander Nhan a security/engineering officer. I wish she stuck around longer. Liked the character, and (won’t lie) thought she was cute.
• There is a scene where Pike makes the bridge crew say their names out loud. I always felt that was for the audience, cuz there’s no way Pike would have NOT known that.  I appreciated the effort since I couldn’t have told you their names otherwise.

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