Synopsis: Captain Lorca is abducted by Klingon forces while on Discovery, the condition of the tardigrade deteriorates.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of James Hillman’s acorn theory, that just as an acorn has everything inside it to become an oak tree, humans have an inner daimon, that has all the information we need to become who we are meant to be.
In “Choose Your Pain”Captain Gabriel Lorca is abducted by Klingons. Meanwhile, aboard Discovery, Michael Burnham is concerned about the condition of the tardigrade. She enlists the aid of Dr. Hugh Culber to examine it. He concurs that continuing to use the tardigrade to navigate the spore drive is harmful. But in order to rescue Lorca, it is necessary. The tardigrade is forced to make one more jump and then collapses into itself. After Lorca is successfully back aboard Discovery, Command Saru orders Burnham to save the tardigrade’s life. Burnham does so by giving it some mycelial spores and then freeing it into space, where it quickly recovers its health.
In this episode, the tardigrade and how it eventually is granted the freedom that it needed, can be seen as an example of the acorn theory at work. The tardigrade knew what it needed and what was harmful to it, and it took action. Burnham recognized this, listening to her own inner daimon, and both were the better for it.
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