10 Times Streaming Era Star Trek Went Apocalyptic

5. Control Taking The Sphere Data - Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2

Star Trek Discovery Perpetual Infinity Leland
CBS Media Ventures

Star Trek: Discovery never met a stake it couldn't make higher, so when the second season dawned, it seemed only natural that a galaxy-ending threat would pop up quicker than you can 'Sphere Data.'

In some rather questionable logic, Section 31, the Galaxy's least-secretive secret organisation, deferred all of its intelligence decisions to a program called Control. This program, by design, analysed threats to the Federation and advised accordingly. So far, so Skynet. 

Though never achieving true sentience, Control evolved beyond the control of Section 31, killing all of the operatives it could get its digital hands on. Once it learned of the existence of a huge repository of knowledge, obtained by the Discovery from a galactic sphere (just go with it), it knew that surely in there were the ingredients to true living. 

Thus began a hunt, culminating, after visits to Klingon moons and Vulcan's surface, in a battle between the Discovery, the Enterprise, and a fleet of ships under Control's...control. Visually spectacular, the battle seemed fairly one-sided until the Klingons and Kelpians joined the fight. 

There was no ambiguity in Control's ambitions. While it wanted life, it also sought to rid the galaxy of organic life, deeming it too great a risk to leave unchecked. When one looks at the damage the human race has done to a single planet today, one has to admit - Control, while misguided, certainly made a compelling argument. 

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"