Synopsis: The Federation and Captain Ake are put on trial by Nus Braka while the Starfleet Cadets work together to save them.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of the importance of neurodiversity as a natural form of human biodiversity.
In “Rubincon,” on the now separated saucer section of Athena, Fleet Admiral Charles Vance and Commander Lura Thor informed Captain Nahla Ake that Nus Braka was trying to organize a cartel of non-Federation worlds and that one signal was in charge of all the Omega 47 mines. Braka fired on the saucer section of the Athena and then transported onto it. He was surprised that Anisha Mir was still alive and to find her with Ake. He took Anisha Mir and Ake with him, leaving Commander Jett Reno in charge of the cadets. She ordered Cadet Tarima Sadal to scan for the subspace signal that controlled the mines. Cadet Genesis Lythe took the conn while Reno and Cadet Caleb Mir tried to fix the warp drive.
On the atrium of the Athena, which Braka had altered, he was with Ake and Anisha Mir. From this location he was airing a live transmission throughout the quadrant. Braka gave a speech about how the Federation never helped his family when he was young. He said he was fed up and he was putting the Federation on trial for crimes it had committed, and that Anisha Mir would be the judge and jury. Ake stated that Starfleet has never fired on civilians, that they had been studying Omega 47 as an energy source. Braka admitted that he had locked the Federation behind a wall and told Ake that she had given Caleb Mir the choice between Starfleet Academy and jail. In response to Braka’s accusation that the Federation did not come to the aid of his planet, she said that Starfleet went to the planets that were in the direst of circumstances. And that if Braka’s planet had a Stronitium mine and ore to trade, then his planet was much better off than some others. Anisha Mir ordered Ake to admit that she jailed her and tracked down her son. Anisha Mir told Ake that what she needed was understanding and decency. Ake said she tried. Anisha Mir wanted Ake to see how she let her down.
Meanwhile, on the saucer section of the Athena, The Doctor was damaged but was trying to communicate information that would help them about how Rubin particles were used to make Omega 47 more stable. Glutons were added to increase the strength of the molecular bonds. Cadet SAM had the idea that a specific concentration of Rubin particles would stabilize the Omega 47 to make it inert. Caleb Mir asked Sadal to trust him. In their minds they go to the flower field where she has gone before to feel safe. Caleb Mir told her every ounce of struggle in herself brought her to this point. Caleb Mir told her that he would let her into his mind so that she could find his mother to lead them to Braka. Sadal took off her neural inhibitor and found the atrium of the Athena.
On the atrium of the Athena, Ake asked Anisha Mir about the pilot that was murdered and caused her to be sent to jail. His name was Lt. Akamu Lee and he was from Sol III – Earth. He was on his last mission before retiring. Ake asked Anisha Mir if she could have saved her life. Anisha Mir admitted maybe. Anisha Mir pronounced Ake guilty. Braka exclaimed that the Federation was guilty. A shuttle containing Caleb Mir approached them. Caleb Mir was brought to where his mother was and asked her to listen. He told her that he loved her, but that the academy kept pushing him until he became someone. That the cadets all live for something bigger than themselves. That he could be part of Starfleet without forgetting where he came from. Braka called this brainwashing. Ake asked Caleb Mir what color Stronitium burns. Caleb Mir responded that it burns red. Ake stated that Braka said that it rained red on his colony. Ake added that it was Braka’s father who built a weapon with the only thing he had. Ake told Braka that his entire world view was built on a lie. Braka tried to ignite the mines, but SAM had stabilized the Omega 47. Starfleet came to the rescue and Braka was arrested.
In this episode, when Caleb Mir told Sadal that everything that she was had prepared her for what she could do at that moment, he was expressing the importance of neurodiversity in the evolution of humanity. He could also have said that everything he and the other cadets had gone through had also prepared all of them for what they needed to do at this time. This illustrates that neurodiversity is just another type of diversity among many human diversities, and necessary for our survival. This belief is based on the neurodiversity paradigm, which is the viewpoint of the Neurodiversity Movement, a social justice effort seeking full societal inclusion for neurodivergent individuals.
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