Ep 11. Su'Kal

In Star Trek: Discovery season 3 episode 11, titled "Su'Kal," the crew of the USS Discovery lands on a mysterious planet to discover new intel regarding the Burn. They come across an alarming mystery of a life sign emanating from the planet, which leads them to a crashed Kelpien vessel, and the source of the signal: a Kelpien named Su'Kal.

As the crew tries to find a way in to help Su'Kal, they soon realize that they are not alone on the planet. A few opportunistic raiders have also landed on the planet, and they resort to stealing whatever they can get their hands on, including tech from the crashed Kelpien vessel and the supplies from the Discovery. With the Discovery's dilithium reserves depleted, they must find a way to find what they need for their travels without falling victim to the raiders.

As the crew works to deal with the raiders on the planet, they also try to gain the trust of Su'Kal, the sole survivor of his prior crew. They must find out why he has been alone on the planet for so long, and what he knows about the Burn in order to help their own cause. However, as they spend more time on the planet, they soon discover that Su'Kal is not quite like any Kelpien they've encountered before.

This episode focuses heavily on Su'Kal's backstory, and why he has been stranded on the planet for such a long time. We see flashbacks of his time aboard the crashed vessel and witness the series of events that led him to be the only survivor. Through these flashbacks, we see the toll that extreme solitude has taken on Su'Kal and the emotional damage that his experience has left him with.

As the episode progresses, we see Su'Kal's relationship with the crew develop and his trust in them grow. They are eventually able to obtain the information they need from him, but not before they discover the true extent of his powers. Su'Kal's abilities turn out to be crucial in helping the crew escape the planet and continue their journey to uncovering the mysteries of the Burn.

Overall, "Su'Kal" is a standout episode in the third season of Star Trek: Discovery. It provides an in-depth look at a previously unknown character and offers important insight into the overarching plot of the series. The episode also features excellent performances from the cast, with Doug Jones delivering a particularly emotional and impactful performance as the eponymous Su'Kal.