Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 4, Episode 12 - "Species 10-C"

The USS Discovery's extraordinary First Contact with Species 10-C also highlighted how Star Trek: Discovery is struggling between the classic Star Trek style and its own established rhythms as an action-packed space epic. Coming face-to-face with a member of Species 10-C, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the United Federation of Planets' delegates relied on the expertise of their crew to establish First Contact. Meanwhile, Dr. Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) unilaterally decided to attack the Dark Matter Anomaly's controller within Species 10-C's hyperfield to stop the DMA's attack on Earth and steal its energy to jump across the Multiverse.

The entirety of Star Trek: Discovery season 4 built up to Burnham and her crew's First Contact with Species 10-C, a totally alien race that resides in a different galaxy altogether. As the first new Star Trek series since the 2005 cancelation of Star Trek: Enterprise, the serialized Discovery was modeled after the blockbuster visual style of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies. While Discovery still honored Star Trek's tropes, it prioritized visceral action and breakneck adventure over classic Star Trek's more stately style of exploration and seeking out new lifeforms. However, in a tonal shift that took cues from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Discovery season 4 radically changed its style in favor of more cerebral storylines and plenty of scientific discussions about Species 10-C and the DMA. There was far less blasting of phasers in Discovery season 4 and more emphasis on examining both science and individual characters' relationships and fragile emotional states.

Related: Discovery Passing Through The Galactic Barrier Changes TOS

Star Trek: Discovery's newfound philosophical style has culminated in the Federation's First Contact with Species 10-C. Physically outmatched by the aliens, Burnham and Discovery focused on finding a common context to communicate with the enigmatic, extragalactic aliens. Discovery's crew learned that Species 10-C has a complex emotional structure based on hydrocarbons, and they used that to 'crack the code' on how to begin speaking to the aliens, whose brain patterns and language can't be deciphered by Starfleet's Universal Translators. Instead of relying on action set pieces and Burnham's resourcefulness like previous seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, season 4 has instead embraced Star Trek's core values of seeking out new life and new civilizations as the basis of First Contact with the utterly alien Species 10-C. As a result, Star Trek: Discovery season 4 has embraced Gene Roddenberry's original vision like never before.

Discovery Species 10C first contact

However, Star Trek: Discovery also can't shake that it's a J.J. Abrams-inspired action show at its core, and this is evidenced by season 4, episode 12's cliffhanger of Dr. Tarka going rogue to attack Species 10-C. This sets up a physical conflict between Tarka, who commandeered Cleveland Booker's (David Ajala) starship and wields a doomsday weapon against the DMA, and Captain Burnham's Discovery, which has to stop the mad scientist before Tarka sparks a war between Species 10-C and the Federation just moments after a baseline of communication has been established. Star Trek: Discovery has to fulfill its action mandate and seemingly cannot be a wholly cerebral Star Trek series like TNG was.

To its credit, Star Trek: Discovery season 4 cast Tarka and Book as instigators of the action instead of Burnham. In prior Star Trek: Discovery seasons, Burnham would have been the one taking an insane risk against Species 10-C, but Michael has grown into the Captain's chair and the responsibility and level-headedness command of a starship demands. Star Trek: Discovery season 4 has set a fascinating new paradigm where Burnham wants to emulate the classic Star Trek style of exploration, casting Tarka and Book in the roles of the rebels who want to use J.J. Abrams-style violence to save the Federation. This conflict represents Star Trek: Discovery's own duality as it's caught between its original nature as an action-adventure series and Discovery's apparent desire to be more like classic Star Trek. Which style of Star Trek Discovery will ultimately emulate is the question, but perhaps Star Trek: Discovery will try to be the best of both worlds in season 5.

Next: Discovery Season 4 Finally Pays Off Burnham's Biggest Klingon War Lesson

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.