“Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” means “if you want peace, prepare for war” and that prepares the viewer for the ending of this instalment as it leads into the Fall finale of season one of Star Trek: Discovery!
This episode re-introduces a familiar Trek trope – the away mission. Burnham, Tyler and Saru are on the planet Pahvo in an attempt to find a way to counteract the Klingon ships’ cloaking technology.
However, Saru’s contact with the planet (which results in true peace – something he has never experienced before) leads him to want to remain on Pahvo and abandon the mission.
In the meantime, there is a sub-plot brewing on the Klingon ship where Admiral Cornwall is interrogated by L’Rell. Sadly, this plotline is rather confusing and hopefully pans out in the Fall finale next week.
In any case, the end result is that the planet Pahvo draws that same Klingon ship to itself and also the Discovery, of course. A mid-season finale not to be missed!
… still there’s more …