Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 4x10 - "The Galactic Barrier"

[The Wormhole]

And also an arc that is fairly similar to last season's arc. "Last year – the whole galaxy is under threat from a negative space wedgie and only the crew of Discovery can prevent it from happening again, for some reason, because everyone else in the 32nd century apparently doesn't know how to do basic Starfleet things any more! This year..."

Season 3 seemed to follow the franchise's message that "military=evil, peaceful explorers=positive results" in that 32nd century Starfleet had turned more militant focused solely on defense and protection at the expense of science and exploration who find themselves overwhelmed with the current state of the galaxy as a result of the Burn, a mystery they've never been able to solve a hundred years later because they've forsaken science. Then Disco arrives with its crew of peaceful explorers from the Federation's halcyon days and within a matter of months they use science to figure out the cause of the Burn, find dilithium to restore the Federation to its former glory and defeat the Emerald Chain.

This year seems to be following a similar mentality with several 32nd century characters even favoring the Disco crew on matters because the fact they originate from a time period before the Burn allows them a unique perspective not possible for everyone else who lived in a post-Burn universe.

 

[Photoman15]

He is the new Stewey ( wonder how many people get this reference) but less interesting and more annoying.

Get what? Who are you referring to?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

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Great minds think alike, I guess.

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Post proof or retract of any "Great Minds" or "Thinking" taking place in creating these videos or blindly parroting their content here, because these seem like incredibly shallow, kneejerk videos whose premise is often incredibly exaggerated or just flat out wrong, and you put no effort into adding to them or supporting them.

The fact that the mycelial network thins in one area around the Galactic Barrier does not preclude or contradict its existence "spreading out across the universe", nor do various biological metaphors being used by different people represent a contradiction or mistake.

Likewise, politely asking a leader to step aside in private to remind them of the need for respecting the proper chain of command aboard a military vessel in time of crisis is not "bossing them around", it's being responsible and a direct response to prior incidents (like Nhan recently) where the captain's orders have been questioned at the wrong time and caused hesitancy and confusion. The President is indeed the commander in chief of the military and of the overall mission, but they are not in command of a particular vessel in the middle of a combat situation. That's still the purview of the captain. Burnham paid the President compliments and they came to a mutual understanding like adults, it was hardly "bossing her around." It's like he doesn't even watch his own videos to see if what he's posting matches the title.

I have told you several times not to spam the forum by posting these shallow negative videos with little or no additional content of the your own, so that's a Warning for spamming. Comments to PM.

 

[Mike Doyle]

The barrier is. Why question it's purpose when dealing with a larger problem?

Imagining a group of soldiers having to climb over a wall.

“Hey who built this thing, let’s investigate”.

 

[SJGardner]

Why do I have a feeling that the kind of people who complain about Burnham "bossing the president around" would cheer for Sisko or Picard using much harsher language towards Admiral Nechayev or a female head of state and would praise it as "the professional and rational hero putting the unlikable, confrontational and hostile woman in her place?"

It was a dialogue and they reached an understanding.

Seriously, I'd rather gush about Saru awkwardly being in love or Keyla and Owo drinking Mai Tai and going snorkeling on Hawaii instead, but I don't think most people would want to sit through pages of that. So, in order to keep things interesting, included below is my three-page rant on how the Galactic Barrier going from pink to fiery orange-red raped my childhood and is a sure sign that the talentless hacks helming this series know literally nothing about Star Trek.

[REDACTED]

 

[Tuskin38]

The tower that Book spots on the planet, we saw them all over the scrap planet in Season 3. Nice continuity.
https://twitter.com/gaghyogi49/status/1497678356015300608

The cloaked ship was also seen in that episode.
https://twitter.com/gaghyogi49/status/1496908785553661955

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Man, to be able to identify a cloaked ship like that either means that guy has a really good eye, or they have a really terrible cloak.

 

[Deks]

It is quite funny that they don’t even follow their own continuity now.
If they just said the galactic barrier interfered connecting to the network outside the Galaxy, it would have made more sense.

They COULD still get away with this because they said the mycelial network thins out the closer you are to the barrier (hence about 4 - 9 ly's limit to how close you can approach with the Spore Drive).

That wouldn't necessarily mean the network doesn't exist INSIDE the barrier... its just inaccessible to ships inside the barrier due to the interference the barrier projects (its enough to keep the galaxy in one piece and functioning still - would be interesting if they expanded on this and say that damage to subspace from Warp engines would normally not happen if the barrier wasn't in place - but as it is, the repair in the Milky Way is very slow due to the galaxy being 'cut off' from the rest of the universe - its as if nutrients are still coming in to the body, but at a very slow rate, keeping it alive and functioning yes, but wouldn't be on the same level as other galaxies), but once you clear the barrier and warp away 4-9 ly's from it (as we saw at the end of the episode with Burnham and the President watching out the window) a ship shoud/would be able to re-engage the Spore Drive (unless the writers decided to limit the Spore Drive to the Milky Way... which wouldn't make sense to introduce that kind of limitation given what was said in Season 1 that the Mycelial network is what holds the galaxies together and spans the entire universe).

So, the writers might end up saying the Spore Drive can be used outside the galaxy, but only if you're 4-9 ly's away from the Milky Way barrier.
Other galaxies shouldn't have their own version of a galactic barrier (which could set up the mystery for Season 5 as to why does the Milky Way have one in the first place).

 

[DaveyNY]

Man, to be able to identify a cloaked ship like that either means that guy has a really good eye, or they have a really terrible cloak.

I'm thinking that their cloak probably doesn't' work anywhere near as well in an atmosphere as it does in the mostly empty vacuum of space.

(more dust and such in the air that would visibly interact with the energy of the cloak)

 

[Deks]

Why do I have a feeling that the kind of people who complain about Burnham "bossing the president around" would cheer for Sisko or Picard using much harsher language towards Admiral Nechayev or a female head of state and would praise it as "the professional and rational hero putting the unlikable, confrontational and hostile woman in her place?"

It was a dialogue and they reached an understanding.

Seriously, I'd rather gush about Saru awkwardly being in love or Keyla and Owo drinking Mai Tai and going snorkeling on Hawaii instead, but I don't think most people would want to sit through pages of that. So, in order to keep things interesting, included below is my three-page rant on how the Galactic Barrier going from pink to fiery orange-red raped my childhood and is a sure sign that the talentless hacks helming this series know literally nothing about Star Trek.

[REDACTED]

Honestly, I had no issues with Burnham asking the President before the mission began that they each focus on their roles for this mission.
I remember when the President pulled Burnham to the side on the bridge when the anomaly first struck that deep space station and she 'criticised' Burnham's course of action in front of the crew (meanwhile, time was of the essence and she just decides to talk about this in a moment where no time could be wasted?).

So, if you ask me, that made sense and avoids the problem that happened before. I don't think Burnham overstepped here. Plus, I wouldn't have liked/approved Sisko, Picard or Janeway to use harsh language towards their respective Admirals.

 

[jackoverfull]

They COULD still get away with this because they said the mycelial network thins out the closer you are to the barrier (hence about 4 - 9 ly's limit).
That wouldn't necessarily mean the network doesn't exist INSIDE the barrier... its just inaccessible to ships in that area due to the interference the barrier projects

Fair enough.

I'm thinking that their cloak probably doesn't' work anywhere near as well in an atmosphere as it does in the mostly empty vacuum of space.

they don’t make cloaks like they used to anymore…

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

As would I.

Is this what it's come to? TNG tried to convince us we shouldn't grieve over a parent's death ("The Bonding"), now we're not allowed to be attached TO OUR HOME PLANET?!? What the is that all about? What, does Earth deserve to be destroyed because it left the Federation? Book, understandably, gets to grieve over the loss of Kwejian, but Discovery's human crewmembers are supposed to just sit back and ing TAKE it? Is DSC now so far in the future that the very concept of a home planet is obsolete? Not even GR, in all of his late-80's psychobabble lunacy, would have gone this far.

Besides, we almost never visit Earth in Trek anyway. Why destroy a planet that we never see?

Paraphrasing like that to twist someone's view is a dirty sleazy move.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

They COULD still get away with this because they said the mycelial network thins out the closer you are to the barrier (hence about 4 - 9 ly's limit to how close you can approach with the Spore Drive).

That wouldn't necessarily mean the network doesn't exist INSIDE the barrier... its just inaccessible to ships inside the barrier due to the interference the barrier projects (its enough to keep the galaxy in one piece and functioning still - would be interesting if they expanded on this and say that damage to subspace from Warp engines would normally not happen if the barrier wasn't in place - but as it is, the repair in the Milky Way is very slow due to the galaxy being 'cut off' from the rest of the universe - its as if nutrients are still coming in to the body, but at a very slow rate, keeping it alive and functioning yes, but wouldn't be on the same level as other galaxies), but once you clear the barrier and warp away 4-9 ly's from it (as we saw at the end of the episode with Burnham and the President watching out the window) a ship shoud/would be able to re-engage the Spore Drive (unless the writers decided to limit the Spore Drive to the Milky Way... which wouldn't make sense to introduce that kind of limitation given what was said in Season 1 that the Mycelial network is what holds the galaxies together and spans the entire universe).

So, the writers might end up saying the Spore Drive can be used outside the galaxy, but only if you're 4-9 ly's away from the Milky Way barrier.
Other galaxies shouldn't have their own version of a galactic barrier (which could set up the mystery for Season 5 as to why does the Milky Way have one in the first place).

Let's do a hypothetical and pretend that the "Galactic Barrier" is a Natural Phenomenon of the spatial anatomy of a Galaxy. That every single Galaxy in our Universe has their own "Galactic Barrier" of similar composition.

That the "Galactic Barrier" stops/seperates/severs the Mycelial Network from inside a Galaxy to Outside the Galaxy. Whatever the reasoning, you can't use the Mycelial Network within 4-9 ly of the Galactic Barrier.

The Galactic Barrier could be a similar natural construct to our Star System with it's own Heliosphere. The HelioSphere has a edge layer known as the HelioPause that surrounds our Star System. But within the Heliopause, there is a Spherical region known as the "Termination Shock"

I wouldn't be surprised if our own Galaxy has it's own Spheriodial or Ellipsoid "Galactic Barrier" that our current sensors couldn't observe from Earth.

But given the nature of the "Galactic Barrier", it's more of a nuisance than a real imposition.

Discovery is the most recent StarFleet vessel to cross the "Galactic Barrier", and at the location that it crossed, probably closest to Species 10-C's location, there seemed to be a large gap / bubbly frothing opening at the point in the Galactic Barrier that Discovery chose to cross.

I wouldn't be surprised if the effects of the DMA's WormHole punched a massive hole right through the "Galactic Barrier" and left it in the state that we see it in. Which could be the Galactic Barriers natural way of returning to equilibrium.

Anyways, the "Galactic Barrier" is barely a imposition to Inter-Galactic Travel in the grand scheme of things, even if every Galaxy has their own "Galactic Barriers".

All that means is that once you reach the edge of a Galaxy, you gotta hop out of FTL into normal space, slowly pass through the local "Galactic Barrier", then go back to FTL speeds once you're inside or outside the Galaxy.

It's hardly a real problem, more of a nuisance / toll booth for FTL Space Travel where you have to slow down temporarily.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Earth will get destroyed, mark my words.

Nah, I don't think that will happen at all. It's just your standard ticking clock and to provide motivations to characters like Ndoye and T'rina. We've already seen that Ni'var being under threat brought T'rina and Saru closer together, it will be interesting to see how it motivates Ndoye.

We know from Vance that ships are on their way to support Earth and Ni'var. My guess is that Earth will be in the greatest danger and Starfleet will defend Earth from the worst of the debris headed it's way. The fact that Starfleet stepped up to protect Earth, most likely losing a large number of ships in the process, will be what drives Ndoye to become to the leading proponent for Earth rejoining the Federation.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I've been enjoying this season for the most part, although I do wish they'd kinda get on with the 10-C part already.

I also understand that being flung this far in the future, all of Discovery just really has themselves as family, so I understand the constant emotional support they can provide one another.

BUT

am I the only one who kind of misses the dickish Stamets from season one? I'm a fan of the curmudgeony characters like McCoy/Worf/Odo and I liked that aspect of Stamets

 

[Deks]

Let's do a hypothetical and pretend that the "Galactic Barrier" is a Natural Phenomenon of the spatial anatomy of a Galaxy. That every single Galaxy in our Universe has their own "Galactic Barrier" of similar composition.

That the "Galactic Barrier" stops/seperates/severs the Mycelial Network from inside a Galaxy to Outside the Galaxy. Whatever the reasoning, you can't use the Mycelial Network within 4-9 ly of the Galactic Barrier.

The Galactic Barrier could be a similar natural construct to our Star System with it's own Heliosphere. The HelioSphere has a edge layer known as the HelioPause that surrounds our Star System. But within the Heliopause, there is a Spherical region known as the "Termination Shock"

I wouldn't be surprised if our own Galaxy has it's own Spheriodial or Ellipsoid "Galactic Barrier" that our current sensors couldn't observe from Earth.

But given the nature of the "Galactic Barrier", it's more of a nuisance than a real imposition.

Discovery is the most recent StarFleet vessel to cross the "Galactic Barrier", and at the location that it crossed, probably closest to Species 10-C's location, there seemed to be a large gap / bubbly frothing opening at the point in the Galactic Barrier that Discovery chose to cross.

I wouldn't be surprised if the effects of the DMA's WormHole punched a massive hole right through the "Galactic Barrier" and left it in the state that we see it in. Which could be the Galactic Barriers natural way of returning to equilibrium.

Anyways, the "Galactic Barrier" is barely a imposition to Inter-Galactic Travel in the grand scheme of things, even if every Galaxy has their own "Galactic Barriers".

All that means is that once you reach the edge of a Galaxy, you gotta hop out of FTL into normal space, slowly pass through the local "Galactic Barrier", then go back to FTL speeds once you're inside or outside the Galaxy.

It's hardly a real problem, more of a nuisance / toll booth for FTL Space Travel where you have to slow down temporarily.

Yes, you do make a fair point about other galaxies having their own barriers similar to what our Star system in real life fas.
I still maintain the premise that the Mycelial network would have to exist inside the barrier but that its just not accessible to ships as a means of transport via the Spore Drive because of how the barrier affects ships... and that Disco (and other ships with a spore drive) can simple re-engage the Spore Drive once they move away 4-9 ly's at Warp (or other form of FTL that uses subspace) away from the galactic barrier.

Its still 'convenient' that subspace seems to be perfectly fine and accessible to ships within a short impulse reach of the barrier, but the mycelial network is not.

At any rate, you also made a good point that the galactic barrier doesn't really present much of a problem for ships... but the writers did make it unnecessarily difficult to cross too in the 32nd century.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Everyone's given up on the badge teleporters. "Captain to the bridge immediately!" goes Saru. Does she beam into place? Nope, takes a walk and a turbolift...

 

[fireproof78]

I would have.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Yes, you do make a fair point about other galaxies having their own barriers similar to what our Star system in real life fas.
I still maintain the premise that the Mycelial network would have to exist inside the barrier but that its just not accessible to ships as a means of transport via the Spore Drive because of how the barrier affects ships... and that Disco (and other ships with a spore drive) can simple re-engage the Spore Drive once they move away 4-9 ly's at Warp (or other form of FTL that uses subspace) away from the galactic barrier.

Let's do ANOTHER Hypothetical: StarFleet & the UFP aren't under "Crisis Mode" and have time to do tests.

The Test Results are in:

They find out EVERY method of known FTL propulsion/travel through the Galactic Barrier is "Impossible" due to the damaging nature of the "Negative Energy Barrier".

You name it:
- Classical Warp Drive
- Borg-Style TransWarp Tunnels
- Voth-Style TransWarp Speeds
- Quantum SlipStream (Ver.1 & Ver.2)
- Spore Drive
- CoAxial Warp Drive
- SubSpace Vortex Generators
- Graviton Catapults
- GeoDesic Fold
- CareTaker Displacement Wave
- Soliton Waves
- Temporal Drive
- QUAHSSI-Driver <- My own Head Canon new FTL solution

Every single method fails horribly when sending in a automatic remote test vessel at FTL to cross the "Galactic Barrier".

Then what?

Just hop out into Normal Space and cross it like everybody else.

It's not a Big Deal.

Galactic Barriers are just Inter-Galactic Toll Boothes that you have to deal with by slowing down and finding your way through it.

Crossing the Galactic Barrier could even become a popular business venture once it's well understood.

You could see many private enterprises selling you services to take your vessel across.

Maybe make specially designed "Ferry StarShips" that are large & cavernous to fit your smaller StarShip inside and transport you across.

Its still 'convenient' that subspace seems to be perfectly fine and accessible to ships within a short impulse reach of the barrier, but the mycelial network is not.

Regular Warp Drive isn't Time/Energy efficient for covering the distances you need to travel from "Earth to the Edge of the Milky Way Galaxy".

I wouldn't be surprised if the Galactic Barrier has different affects for different forms of FTL.

But at the end of the day, you can use classical Warp Drive to get to the Door Step, which is fine.
Classical Warp Drive is a Good Enough of a method of FTL to cover the last few light-years.

At any rate, you also made a good point that the galactic barrier doesn't really present much of a problem for ships... but the writers did make it unnecessarily difficult to cross too in the 32nd century.

The Protagonists / Discovery crew are under a "Time Crunch" due to the DMA crisis.

So they slap together what they can to make it work instead of having the luxury of time to devise a more solid, fool proof plan to get through.

#1, Having only 1 layer of shields, seriously?
Given the rate of Shield Damage by the Galactic Barrier's Negative Energy, you only got 1 layer of shielding?

#2, Single Warp Core only? What if the Warp Core failed while you were traversing and you didn't make it to another Safe-Space bubble, you'd be up shit creek.

#3, You don't use Drones to help you create more layers of shield bubbles outside your bubble?

#4, Small Worm Holes obviously work for the DMA to transmit small amounts of Boronite Matter across vast distances, if you can fit small amounts of matter, you can create a small Micro-Worm Hole just outside of the Galactic Barrier using a smaller mini DMA like Worm Hole. Tarka was able to make one inside the lab of Discovery. I'm sure they can make one to cover the short distance that is the thickness of the Galactic Barrier & Maintain said Worm Holes, so they can transmit Subspace Radio messages via a giant Mesh Network of SubSpace Relay stations spread across the Spherical Galactic Barrier.

There was an entire plot around the Bajoran Wormhole and finding a way to transmit Subspace Radio signals through it. In the end, they only had to maintain a TINY, microscopic opening. That was enough to allow Subspace Radio waves to pass through to the other side.

Boom, you solved (Inter/Intra)-Galactic Subspace radio communications.

It ain't cheap or easy, it'll take alot of maintenance and ALOT of SubSpace Relays, but it'll get the job done.

 

[Search4]

Did anyone think they wouldn’t make it through the barrier? No? What’s the point of making it much harder than every other crossing seen?

It would have been much more interesting if they could not make it through and had to actually figure out a next step. Like, maybe, traversing the wormhole we know exists from the DMA to 10C?