Synopsis: The U.S.S. Discovery crew is sent to assist a Deep Space repair station.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of James Hillman’s concept about the relationship between the opposing powers of the Puer, or eternal youth, and the Senex, or wise elder archetypal energies inside a human psyche.
In “Kobayashi Maru” the U.S.S. Discovery crew, now captained by Michael Burnham, is sent to investigate and assist Deep Space Repair Beta Six, after Federation Headquarters receives a distress call from there. Federation President, Laira Rillak, tells Burnham that she is going along on the mission. Once there, the rescue of the personnel off of the damaged repair station goes awry and Burnham tells the crew that she will take a worker bee craft to assist. Rillak questions the order, but Burnham proceeds. In the end, all personnel are safely rescued from Deep Space Repair Beta Six, except for its commander, Nalas. However, Rillak tells Burnham that the lesson behind the Kobayashi Maru test is that Starfleet officers will know how to make decisions in a no win scenario, and that leadership requires balance, which is something that Burnham is yet to learn. She also tells Burnham that she has a pathological need to save everyone, which she considers a dangerous mindset.
In this episode, the confrontation between Rillak and Burnham after the mission is completed, can be compared to the oppositional energies of the Puer, or eternal youth, and the Senex, or wise elder in all human psyches. The Senex tells the Puer that there is still so much that the Puer needs to learn before being able to take charge of a situation. The Puer wanting nothing to do with the limitations being placed upon the individual by the Senex. When Rillak tells Burnham that leadership requires balance, she is correct, but it is nothing that Burnham can hear yet. This represents the constant give and take between the Senex and Puer energies inside all our psyches. The negotiation between us asking ourselves do we know enough to proceed, and the desire to proceed regardless. Hillman believed that the relationship between these two type of archetypal energies was so central to self-knowledge that it could be used to explore all the remaining relationships between opposing powers in our psyches.
mydailysoultrek 