Life, Itself (episode)

Trapped inside a mysterious alien portal that defies familiar rules of time, space, and gravity, Captain Burnham must fight Moll – and the environment itself – in order to locate the Progenitors' technology and secure it for the Federation. Meanwhile, Booker puts himself in harm’s way to help Burnham survive and Rayner leads the USS Discovery in an epic winner-takes-all battle against Breen forces. (Series finale)
==Summary==
===Teaser===
===Act One===
===Act Two===
===Act Three===
===Act Four===
==Memorable quotes==
"The crew of Discovery is family to us both, Admiral. We must try… and we have other options."
: - Saru, trying to convince Vance to let him and Nhan attempt to get Tahal to turn her fleet around
"There are tens of thousands of frequencies. How could you possibly know that?"
"I know, I'm a doctor, not a physicist, but this'll work. I can't explain it. I just feel it. Trust me, please."
: - Booker and Culber, attempting to get a tractor lock on the Progenitor's portal
"Look into my eyes and tell me if you see even the slightest glimmer of doubt."
: - Saru, bluffing Tahal
"You're one of the Progenitors!"
"I've been waiting for you."
: - Burnham, meeting a Progenitor
"You didn't build this?"
"We theorize that whoever created this created us. But perhaps it goes even further back. A cycle of creators and creations countless times over. This place predates them all."
: - Burnham and a Progenitor, revealing to Burnham that they did not create the portal
"If I may, sir, Kovich is a code name, isn't it? Who are you, really?"
"My real name is a bit of a Red Directive in and of itself."
"Well, I'm familiar with those now too. Captain Michael Burnham, USS Discovery."
"Agent , USS Enterprise… and other places. Nice to meet you."
: - Burnham, getting Kovich to reveal his true identity
"It has been a hell of a journey."
"Indeed it has. The Federation has so many wonderful possibilites ahead because of you and your crew."
"Because of all of us."
: - Burnham and Zora, in the 33rd century
"All right. Are you ready, Zora?"
"I am."
"Last time, then. Let's fly."
: - Burnham and Zora, taking Discovery out on a Red Directive mission in deep space, last lines of the series
==Background information==
===Title===
* By , this episode's title had been revealed by the Writers Guild of America West. 
* The title was officially confirmed on . 
===Story and script===
===Sets and props===
* The design of the set where Burnham meets with the Progenitor was influenced by MC Escher. 
===Special effects===
* The effects used to create the fire planet were so intense that someone called emergency services to report a fire. 
===Cast and characters===
* Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham) is the only actor to appear in every episode of the series.
* Executive producer and co-showrunner Michelle Paradise has a voice-over cameo role in this episode as the Starfleet officer who informs Admiral Burnham about the shuttle arriving to pick her up.
===Continuity===
* Kovich identifies himself as Agent Daniels of the "and other places". This is a reference to the mysterious time traveler and temporal agent from the 31st century, , who appeared in .
* Among the items on display in Kovich's office are a bottle of , Geordi La Forge's original VISOR, Benjamin Sisko's , and Kathryn Janeway's microscope, implying that Kovich also has a connection to the events of , , and .
* The final scene in which the is returned to its original configuration and sent into deep space on a Red Directive mission to wait for "Craft" is a reference to 's , in which Discovery and Zora, after being abandoned for nearly a thousand years, are found by Craft.
* This episode's opening sequence features visual elements from previous seasons' opening sequences.
===Production===
* The additional sixteen-minute epilogue was added to the episode after Paramount decided not to renew Discovery for another season. It was filmed in late , five months after production wrapped on the episode. 
===Reception===
* An advance screening of this episode took place on , at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills at 9:30 pm. 
* This episode made the list of Nielsen’s Top 10 ‘Most Watched’ streaming shows from -. 
==Links and references==
===Starring===
* Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
* Doug Jones as Saru
* Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
* Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly
* Wilson Cruz as Hugh Culber
* Blu del Barrio as Adira Tal
* Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner
;With 
* Tig Notaro as Jett Reno
;and
* David Ajala as Cleveland Booker
===Guest starring===
* Oded Fehr as Charles Vance
* David Cronenberg as Kovich
* Annabelle Wallis as Zora 
* Rachael Ancheril as D. Nhan
* Tara Rosling as T'Rina
* Eve Harlow as Moll
* Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama as Progenitor
* Sawandi Wilson as 
===Co-starring===
* Emily Coutts as Lt. Cmdr. Keyla Detmer
* Patrick Kwok-Choon as Lt. Cmdr. Gen Rhys
* Oyin Oladejo as Lt. Cmdr. Joann Owosekun
* Ronnie Rowe Jr. as Lt. Cmdr. R.A. Bryce
* Orville Cummings as Lt. 
* David Benjamin Tomlinson as Lt. Linus
* Christina Dixon as Lt. Cmdr. 
* Victoria Sawal as Lt. Naya
* Natalie Liconti as Lt. Gallo
* Zahra Bentham as Cmdr. Lorna Jemison
* Gregory Calderone as Lt. Jax
* Julianne Grossman as EV Suit Computer
* Piotr Michael as Shuttle Computer
* Patricia Summersett as 
* Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon as Duvin
===Uncredited co-stars===
* Arista Arhin as Young Michael Burnham 
* Avaah Blackwell as Lt. Arav
* Pamela Mars as Discovery bridge crewmember
* Shelley Owens as Discovery medical crewmember
* Michelle Paradise as Starfleet officer 
===References===
4 billion years ago; admiral; ; ambassador; Apollo 11; Archer Spacedock; ; Bajoran; ; Berlin; Betazoid; black hole; blood; Breen; Breen dreadnaught; Breen fighter; Breen Imperium; brig; captain; ; commander; commutation; ; ; Craft; Crepuscula; ; dermal regenerator; diplomacy; ; DSC-65; ; ; Eternal Gallery and Archive; event horizon; Federation Intelligence; ; femoral vein; Ferengi rummy; flower; ; galactic barrier; Gexara bee; Grudge; Human; hurricane; ; Jinaal Bix; Kelpien; knife; legal pad; life creation technology; L'Tar Nebula; ; ; Milky Way Galaxy; ; paper; pathway drive; ; pirate; predator; prey; Progenitor; promotion; Q'mau; radiation sickness; rain; Red Directive; refrigeration suit; Ruhn's dreadnaught; Sanctuary Four; Saturn V; ; ; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; Starfleet uniform (32nd century); Starfleet uniform (33rd century); Talaxian; ; tractor beam; trade route; trance worm; ; UFP-47; UFP-99; United Federation of Planets; VISOR; ; Vulcan; wedding; wine; World Root
=== External link ===
* 
Category:DIS episodes
de:Das Leben an sich
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