A Klingon narrator gives us a new perspective on the mission of the Federation. From their viewpoint, Starfleet’s desire is to basically assimilate the Klingon Empire into their culture and destroy their uniqueness. Star Trek Discovery, dropped us at warp speed into the Prime timeline again, but with a different twist. When the Federation says, “We come in peace,” the Klingons see it as a precursor to war. Ten years before Captain Kirks and his crew come on the scene, the galaxy is having some rough times ahead.

Michael Berman is a human women raised by Sarah, father of Spock, in the Vulcan culture. She had seen her life violently break apart at the hands of the Klingons. So, Berman has already brought some issues into her stint as a Starfleet officer. She struggles with her human desire for justice while attempting to apply the cool logic of reason to her actions. It cost her a trust relationship with her captain, marked her as a traitor, and has possibly caused the lives of everyone into turmoil.

The Klingons are broken into their houses. They are not a united people and actually fear for their future as a species. One Klingon, T’Kuvma, sees that if they do not unite they will cease to be themselves. Their fractured race sees that one person can unite them and change the course of their history. He embraces what most people cast off. This shakes up the Klingon status quo as it stands.

What happens when broken people face off? It never is perfect and often leads to conflict. Berman seems to do everything wrong, but did so with the right reasons in her mind. The Klingons see their only course of action is all out war with the Federation. Like piles of dry tinder, one person can ignite this conflict. Berman’s decision to avenge her captain turns the Klingon’s messiah T’Kuvma, into a martyr. The war begins at her hands. Talk about making a bad situation even worse.

Brokenness is the state of mankind. We build with things that don’t line up, tools that are faulty, and designs that are skewed. It can be the perfect recipe for disaster or the place where God can move a heart. In our season of conflict and chaos, the stories around us will go on one of those two directions. I pray that if you feel life is breaking in pieces, don’t cash it in, give it up to the only one who holds it all together.