Perpetual Infinity (S02E11)

In Discovery’s latest episode “Perpetual Infinity” many questions are answered but more are posed; however, all are leading to the season wrap up – how does Gabrielle Burnham and the Discovery crew stop #Controleland getting the sphere data and save the universe? Much confusion abounds. We would love to know your thoughts and theories on how this will end! 

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Connect with us and let us know your thoughts via Twitter, Facebook or our website. A transcript of this episode is available.

• Mitochondria are “organelles” – self-contained sub-units within a cell – which create adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main energy-storing chemical which provides energy for cell functions. Most but not all kinds of human cells have mitochondria, including neurons, the cells which carry electrical messages through the nervous system and in the brain. (In the Star Trek universe, mitochondria is present in many lifeforms throughout the galaxy.) Mitochondrial DNA is usually inherited entirely from the mother.
• The Virgin New Adventures, or NAs for short, were a series of 61 original Doctor Who novels published by Virgin Publishing. They continue the adventures of the Seventh Doctor (played by Sylvester McCoy) after his final televised story, 1989’s Survival. Story elements created by producer Andrew Cartmell for his planned 27th season of the television programme made their way into the series, including a new mysterious past and possible “true identity” for the Doctor. They also introduced the popular companion Bernice “Benny” Summerfield, an archaeologist from the 26th century who once mistook an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation for a documentary. After the 1996 Doctor Who telemovie, which introduced Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor, the BBC did not renew Virgin’s license in favour of publishing their own range of original novels, but the NAs continued for another two years and 23 books with Benny as the main character. Notable authors included Ben Aaronovitch, Paul Cornell, Russell T Davies and Australian Kate Orman. (Ben would like to add that, despite his joking criticism in the episode, he loved them at the time and still thinks of many of the books fondly now.)
• Ben couldn’t find any specific quotes from either the NAs or the Ninth Doctor era as examples of the above; if you find one, let us know!
• In the 1985 film Back to the Future, high school student Marty McFly accidentally travels back in time thirty years in his mad scientist friend’s time travelling car. The “flux capacitor” which makes time travel possible requires “1.21 jigowatts” of power, and in 1955 the only thing readily available which can provide that much power is a bolt of lightning. Luckily Marty was handed a leaflet in 1985 by locals trying to save the local historic clock tower, which was struck by lightning…in 1955.
• These are a couple of great interviews with Gersha Phillips on her design process for Discovery.There are many more if you give it a Google.
• Ben’s comedy festival show, You Chose Poorly with Alanta Colley, runs from the 1st to the 7th of April 2019 at Campari House in Hardware Lane, Melbourne. Find out more and book tickets here.