Title :
Ad Astra per Aspera
Series :
Rating :
Overall Ep :
12
First Aired :
22 Jun 2023
Stardate :
2393.8
Director :
Year :
Writers :
Season Ep :
Factoid :
This episode is a nominee for the DITL "
Best of Trek" award.
Plotline
Pike encourages Illyrian civil rights attorney Neera Ketoul to act as defence counsel for Number One. The prosecution, is being led by Pike's girlfriend Captain Marie Batel, who easily builds a case that Una violated Starfleet's anti–genetic modification laws by hiding her identity as an Illyrian. Ketoul argues that the law is unjust and inconsistently applied, pointing out that other Federation laws are often violated by Starfleet when circumstances require it. She points out that Admiral April has violated the Prime Directive, the Federations highest law, when he believed it was the right thing to do.
La'an investigates how Starfleet learned of Number One's status, worried that the information was taken from her own personal logs.
Number One testifies about the oppression and marginalisation Illyrians faced in her childhood, explaining that she joined Starfleet because she believed it celebrated diversity. She reveals that she was the one who provided her own genetic status to Starfleet once it was known to the crew. Ketoul argues that Number One can be construed to have been seeking asylum when she joined Starfleet, which would provide an exception to the law. The judges accept this interpretation and acquit Number One, allowing her to return to duty on the Enterprise.
