'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 3: Strange lullaby masks a distress signal offering clues to the Burn
Spoilers for 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 3 Episode 8 'The Sanctuary'
The mysterious lullaby that's somehow endemic to all of the 32nd Century has come up again, this time in more of a direct connection to the Burn. Using the data gathered from the past several episodes by Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), the science team of the Discovery has not only been able to trace the source of the Burn, but to also recognize a deliberate signal that's being sent from the area. Whoever caused the Burn, they're still there, and they're sending out a distress signal cloaked in a lullaby that's been heard around the universe.
We've talked before about the significance of the lullaby, but this episode makes it clear that it and the Burn are closely linked. After having tracked the Burn's source to the Verubin Nebula, the team was able to locate a signal coming out from it — one that's being beamed deliberately. Though it's largely distorted, they're able to match it to the lullaby that's been appearing everywhere. Saru's (Doug Jones) unique Kelpian ears help him identify another soundwave beneath the song — a distress signal from a Starfleet vessel, that needs decoding.
It's unclear what this all means, exactly. Is a Starfleet ship responsible for the Burn, and has it been trapped in the Verubin Nebula for the past hundred years? Or did another Starfleet vessel followed the same clues that Burnham did, only to find themselves trapped by whatever caused the Burn that awaited them in the Nebula? One thing is clear, however — there's a reason why the lullaby is so prevalent in the 32nd Century. If it was being broadcast for over a hundred years, it's not that far-fetched to imagine it seeping into the cultural consciousnesses of the entire universe.
This does imply, though, the existence of signals coming out of the Verubin Nebula having a near-simultaneous universal reach, which tracks with the fact that the Burn's origin came from there. The Discovery has made a major step into uncovering the mysteries of the Burn — but has been introduced to all new ones along the way.
The next episode of 'Star Trek: Discovery' airs December 10 on CBS All Access.
