Context Is for Kings 

Burnham finds herself aboard the U.S.S. Discovery, where she quickly realizes things are not as they seem, including the mysterious Captain Gabriel Lorca.

Director:

Akiva Goldsman

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (based upon "Star Trek" created by), Bryan Fuller (created by)

Stars:

Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Sonequa Martin-Green	...	Michael Burnham
Doug Jones	...	Saru
Shazad Latif	...	Ash Tyler (credit only)
Anthony Rapp	...	Paul Stamets
Mary Wiseman	...	Sylvia Tilly
Jason Isaacs	...	Captain Gabriel Lorca
Rekha Sharma	...	Commander Landry
Emily Coutts	...	Keyla Detmer
Julianne Grossman	...	Discovery Computer (voice)
Grace Lynn Kung	...	Psycho
Devon MacDonald	...	Engineering Officer
Sara Mitich	...	Airiam
Oyin Oladejo	...	Joann Owosekun
Conrad Pla	...	Stone
Ronnie Rowe	...	Shuttle Pilot (as Ronnie Rowe Jr.)

Storyline

Burnham finds herself aboard the U.S.S. Discovery, where she quickly realizes things are not as they seem, including the mysterious Captain Gabriel Lorca.

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Plot Keywords:

fortune cookie | reference to alice in wonderland | reference to the geneva convention | prison transport | time jump | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Klingon

Release Date:

1 October 2017 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roddenberry Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Executive Producer Aaron Harberts explained that the episode title "Context Is for Kings" related to "trying to see what Starfleet and the Federation are up against in this particular context" and the idea that Lorca was "a captain who really almost could only exist in this particular context," with Starfleet at war.

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Goofs

The computer program source code Michael is working on is obsolete as of 2017. The visible LPWSTR keyword means Long Pointer to Wide character STRing. Pointers are potential security breach points, and have been found the cause of many flaws in contemporary (2017) software. They are being phased out in favor of self allocating/reallocating/deallocating objects. It is unlikely that software from 2256 would still rely on a programming concept that would be ancient by then.

Besides, LPWSTR is a keyword invented by Microsoft and used solely within their programming tools. Considering the philosophy of United Federation of Planets / Starfleet, open source software would be more accurate choice over proprietary one.

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Quotes

Captain Gabriel Lorca: I did choose you, but not for the reasons you think. Your assumption that the Klingons were waiting in ambush at Binary Stars was predictive. You chose to do the right thing over what was sanctioned, even at great cost to yourself. And that is the kind of thinking that wins wars. The kind of thinking I need next to me. Universal law is for lackeys. Context... is for kings. Now, what's it to be, Michael? What's in your future?
[offering her a fortune cookie]
Captain Gabriel Lorca: What do you wish for? Atonement? ...

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Connections

Featured in Star Trek: Discovery: Vaulting Ambition (2018)

User Reviews

Boldly going where no one went before

Kings understand the whole ... okay, you convinced me. Star Trek Discovery set a great way forward. Lewis Carroll, Section 31 ... this third episode was the best possible surprise for those who enjoy science fiction. Yes, now I see the spirit of Star Trek on the scene, boldly going where no one went before.