As the year comes to an end, Caleb must choose between the life he thought he wanted and the life he’s built for himself at Starfleet Academy. Meanwhile, Nahla breaks protocol in one final gambit to keep a promise to Caleb.
Written by: Kirsten Beyer & Kenneth Lin
Directed by: Jonathan Frakes
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Doing my rewatch now, and you’re correct. So it serves as an indicator that he’s changed as he’s grown up (and it’s not actually related to Anisha breaking out of prison, since he didn’t learn of that until months later), and also that she doesn’t expect him to have changed.
Good point. There are repetitive signals that her expectation is that he hasn’t materially changed.
Beyond the ‘you grew up’ startlement at his physical growth and development, she expects his temperament, preferences ambitions and values are exactly the ones she saw in him at six years old.
She’s not just missed the past year as a cadet in Starfleet, they both have missed his entire adolescent experience of youth separating themselves from their parents.
Interestingly, the challenge of needing to catch up with who someone has changed into is foreshadowed by Caleb and the others’ difficulties in understanding who SAM is now - and her own struggles to reconcile who she was with who she is.
Very good points, both of you. Especially the reflection of Caleb’s and SAM’s experiences. One hasn’t seen his mum in 16 years, the other grew up with only her dad* for 17 years. Clever juxtaposition, that.