“The Vulcan Hello” is episode one of season one of Star Trek: Discovery.
This series of Star Trek starts with words on the screen that translate and someone speaking about how they are coming and will take all that the speaker’s people are. The only way of dealing with the threat is by reuniting the 24 houses of their own empire. The speaker is a Klingon (these Klingons look rather different from any other portrayal; no hair and a more reptilian appearance), and he says that they have forgotten the last one to unify the tribes which is why they are lighting the beacon. To assemble their people against those whose fatal greeting is ‘We come in peace.’
Which phrase is then echoed by two Starfleet officers in hooded robes who are walking through a desert. The officers are Captain Philippa Georgiou and Commander Michael Burnham (despite the name, a woman; perhaps there’s a reason) of the U.S.S. Shenzhou. The two are on the Crepusculan homeworld; an incident has dried up the water source of the inhabitants and they are heading to a well to fix it before a storm arrives.
This works, but the storm has come more quickly than expected and they are unable to beam out. So, the captain has them walk. Not in a circle, as Burnham thinks. As the Shenzhou descends to beam them up, it is shown they have walked in the shape of a Federation symbol. This allowed the Shenzhou to locate them.
Burnham is narrating the first officer’s log. Back on Earth, it’s May 11, 2256. They are on the edge of Federation space at a damaged interstellar relay, repairing it and trying to determine if the damage is deliberate or accidental. Saru, the science officer, doesn’t think it’s natural and he’s worried. Burnham informs the captain that Saru thinks it’s malicious. Georgiou says Saru is a Kelpien; he thinks everything is malicious.
When something goes down, the Federation sends a ship to fix it. This is known. A scan reveals something else out there, an artefact hidden behind a scattering field. It proves impossible to examine it with sensors. Fortunately, the captain has a telescope in her ready room. That works, though they don’t know whose it is. Burnham suggests she fly across to get a closer look. It will have to be a brief look; there is a lot of radiation in the system.
The captain agrees and Burnham flies to the artefact. Interference cuts her communications off from the ship. The object is old, made from stone with metal on the outside. When Burnham lands on it, something activates and the artefact moves. Then another figure appears. A Klingon, who attacks. Following the conflict, Burnham is sent drifting in a damaged suit.
No-one has apparently seen the Klingons in 100 years. They’ve raided and conducted attacks, but not been seen. Is there going to be a reason why these Klingons look so different again? The last time Klingon appearance changed, an explanation was given, albeit much later.
Going by the date, this series is set well after the events of Enterprise and about 10 years before TOS. However, the technology looks far more advanced than was seen in TNG, DS9 and Voyager. This is the same problem that Enterprise had; the less advanced technology looked more advanced. In the DS9 episode, “Trials and Tribble-ations”, Dax did make a comment on the retro design of the technology, suggesting that the appearance was a design choice, but still, having holographic and HUDs in an earlier episode does look out of place.
Burnham’s approach to the Klingons is rather different than that of the Federation or her captain – though her reasoning may well be correct. She also has a connection to Sarek; it looks like she may have been raised partly on Vulcan by Vulcans. The characters have only just been introduced; they are still missing background and information.
Not quite a cliff-hanger, but events continue into the next episode, “Battle at the Binary Stars”.