Ko'Zeine (episode) — memory alpha

Real world article

(written from a production point of view)

As the cadets return home for their first school holiday, they must choose between what their families expect of them and their own dreams for the future – including an aspiring captain who's secretly willing to risk everything to re-write her own past, and an aristocratic cadet called to serve his planet way before he's ready.

Summary

Teaser

It is the first day of All-Worlds Day break at Starfleet Academy. While the other cadets return home, Caleb Mir records a message for Tarima Sadal on Betazed where she recovers from the incident on the USS Miyazaki just over one month ago, but deletes it. While SAM and Genesis Lythe discuss plans, SAM glitches due to her injury on the Miyazaki. She assures Lythe her visit to the Holo-tech Rehab Spa in Denver. Before Lythe can transport to Mumbai to meet her father, Captain Nahla Ake pulls her aside to compliment her on her actions during the Miyazaki incident and nominate her for the pre-Command Track. Lythe enthusiastically accepts. Darem Reymi and Jay-Den Kraag discuss Kraag's plan to accompany Kyle Jokovich to the island Ibiza. They acknowledge B'Avi's loss and Jokovich's emotional state before parting ways.

Later, Mir helps Ake pack her bag and discuss his visit to a host family in Dakar, Senegal. Ake points out Mir is just upset with her for not asking Nus Braka about his mother and encourages him to go to Dakar. When Mir states again that he wants to stay at the Academy, and Ake finally relents. Before leaving, Mir shares that he doesn't know how Sadal is or how to help her.

As Reymi returns to his quarters, he is interrupted by gold Khionian pebble rolling into the hallway. He exhibits dismay before being assailed by two individuals. One of them renders him unconscious, but before they can escape through an artificial single-point wormhole, Kraag follows them.

Act 1

Kraag steps through the wormhole to Sunset Moon of the Khionian Realm and hears shouting in the distance. He arms himself with a rock and storms into a gazebo-like structure to attack the two individuals with Reymi. They turn to defend themselves, but Reymi stops them by naming Kraag his "ko'zeine."

Back at Starfleet Academy, Mir rests and meditates in the sun in the middle of the walkway. Lythe suddenly appears, explaining she snuck back to avoid a boring trip with her father to "Ursa Nowhere." They modify their respective plans. They play a "science lab roulette" game Lythe invented called "Toxic or Non-Toxic." They begin to discuss the Miyazaki incident and Mir's relationship with Sadal when they accidentally release a warp-capable slug from its sample container. It escapes the lab.

In the Khionian Realm, Reymi explains that he's about to go through a Khionian wedding ceremony, called a "sealing." He explains there is a private family ceremony on the Khionian matrimonial moon, and the next day features a party with parades, fireworks, and a lot of drinking. Reymi's impending spouse, Kaira, and her ko'zeine, Quill, interrupts them. Kaira admits that the speed and surprise with which the wedding is to happen is her fault. Reymi stops Kraag from divulging he was unaware Reymi was royalty, and that he wasn't intended to be Reymi's Ko'zeine, and suggests they catch up instead. Kaira apologizes to Reymi for the "absurd" surprise marital abduction and promises that tradition will be eliminated her first day as queen. She explains the that, due to her mother's health, both of her parents decided to abdicate immediately. As leading Khionia is a two-person job, the timeline for their sealing is accelerated. Though she gives Reymi the option to think about whether he still wants to be sealed, he immediately confirms he's ready.

Act 2

Reymi begs Kraag to stay and be his ko'zeine. He appeals to Kraag's regard for family, saying he needs the sealing to "go off flawlessly" for Kaira's sake as well as for his parents'. Kraag is uninterested in performing the traditional toast, and repeatedly reminds Reymi that he is supposed to be on Ibiza with Jokovich. Reymi leaves the decision to him, and goes to see the officiant.

Lythe and Mir chat after catching the slug, with Lythe pressing for details on Sadal. She notices Mir has only spoken to her brother, Ocam Sadal, and hasn't spoken to Tarima in a full month. She scolds him for not reaching out to her personally, and Mir admits his discomfort with Tarima telepathically seeing his history. Lythe shares that Ake is nominating her for pre-Command Track, and that she feels as if all her skills and victories have been given to her due to who her father is. She asks Mir to go with her to sit in the USS Athena's captain's chair while no one else is there, to prove she can feel comfortable there on her own, though Mir reminds her they can be court-martialed for that.

After Kraag dresses for his role as ko'zeine, and Reymi explains the symbolism of the fabric their clothes are made of. As he scolds Kraag for adjusting his shirt, he rips the mantle he's wearing and begins to panic. After Kraag tries to reassure him, Reymi admits that he doesn't want to leave the Academy, but also acknowledges his people need him. When Reymi decides he has to stay on Khionia, like how he perceives Kraag of abandoning his people, Kraag decides to go back to Earth.

Mir hacks the door to the bridge of the Athena, where Lythe takes the captain's chair. They run pre-launch diagnostics, load navigation systems, activate impulse engines, and calibrate subspace sensors. When Lythe activates the warp core, Mir shuts it down. While he is busy shutting down all systems, Lythe sneaks behind him to use his programmable matter to create a programmable key. Mir catches her, and demands to know why she wants the key. Lythe refuses to tell him. Unfortunately for them both, Commander Jett Reno catches them on a spot check.

Act 3

After the sealing ceremony, Reymi stands to make the toast for his ko'zeine. Kraag surprises him by coming to make the speech. He tells those gathered about Reymi's heroic and honorable actions at the Academy, and his confidence that Reymi would put aside his own needs and desires for those he loves. He wishes them well, and Reymi tells Kaira he loves her as she considers Kraag's speech.

Ake returns early to Starfleet Academy and expresses her disappointment in both Lythe and Mir. Lythe admits that going to the bridge was her idea, and that she intended to delete the letters of recommendation from her application because she altered the originals. All of her references named fear as her driving motivation, and she doesn't know if she belongs at the Academy. Ake tells Lythe she won't expel her, but will not nominate her for pre-Command. Ake gives both of them academic probation and two-hundred hours of menial service, effective immediately.

Back at Reymi's sealing, Kaira tells Reymi she wants him to abdicate so she can have the marriage annulled. She tells Reymi she can't have a partner who's trying to make everyone else happy. She didn't recognize Reymi in Kraag's speech, and doesn't want them to start their life together with the lie that Reymi would rather be with her than somewhere else. Kraag returns to Reymi's side to tell him they should go home.

On the day the cadets return to the Academy, Reymi thanks Kraag for being there and apologizes for his treatment of Jokovich before immediately returning to mocking him. Lythe and Mir pause cleaning the floor to discuss what they learned. Lythe asks Mir to call Sadal. While the other cadets watch a meteor shower, Mir sends an honest message.

Log entries

Memorable quotes

"I believe it is called beachwear. Kyle wants to show me an island called Ibiza."
"Klingons on Ibiza. That is not a sentence I– anyone ever imagined could exist."

- Jay-Den Kragg and Darem Reymi, discussing visiting Ibiza

"I don't think Darem likes me."
"No one likes Darem, so this is the universe balancing itself."

- Kyle Jokovich and Jay-Den Kragg

"I declare only that it is a good day to die!"

-Jay-Den Kragg, in response to a Khionian royal guard demanding that he declare himself

"Leadership is a battle within yourself."

- Chancellor Ake

"Here's the lesson: we are all wildly flawed. And we have to learn to carry that."

- Chancellor Ake

Background information

Cast and characters

Oded Fehr (Charles Vance) and Robert Picardo (The Doctor) do not appear in this episode, and are not credited. Zoë Steiner (Tarima Sadal) only appears in flashback shots via archive footage from the previous episode, "Come, Let's Away", and is also not credited.
Gina Yashere (Lura Thok) only appears in a voiceover.

Soundtrack

The Theme from Star Trek is musically referenced while Captain Ake describes the rigorous demands of the pre-command track to Cadet Lythe.

Continuity

Caleb Mir notes it's been one month and two days since he last spoke to Tarima Sadal and the events of "Come, Let's Away". Combined with the intertitle noting "Spring Semester" has started, this episode takes place in either January or February.
Reno mentioned she should have gone into medicine. When she was first introduced in "Brother", Reno managed to sustain injured crew members of USS Hiawatha for ten months and eleven days despite lacking medical training and resources before being rescued by USS Discovery.