Magical Thinking

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I have never lied to my people, but I cannot let them see the bodies of Richter and Silvana. The horror of it. will implant itself in their minds and grow like the parasite that drove him to murder Sylvana in madness. I told him to fight it. I fear he misunderstood. In the end, I alone must carry this truth, for should it become known... Who's there? My lord, I beg you to honor me with this task. Ivan, you don't even trust me to dig two graves? You've heard that.

Mado asked me to remove Silvana's remains from the med lab. Ursula has begun to... I know what she has begun! Are any of the others aware? They know Richter was severely injured. They will not question his death and none will hear the truth from my lips. And Silvana? She too might have been infected. What is the saying? Three may keep a secret as long as two of them are dead. You need not command me to do what I already know is right. We are your sworn people. It's an odd feeling.

compelling those I lead to lie on my behalf. I know that what I did was right, was necessary. It had to be done. Why then should I fear the judgment of others? It is not our place to judge you, only to follow where you lead us. My lord, I have walked by your side into hell and back. I have been your most loyal soldier. My brother. What have I done? What you always do. Guided us. Inspired us. Protected us. We will require another shovel. For once, I thought ahead.

Caucasian male, age 16. Cause of death, severed spinal cord due to acute fracture of vertebrae C2 through C4. Multiple antemortem injuries, fractures to left tibia, left ulna, and right femur. Here we are. Thank you, Mado. Hello, MacGyvers. You wished to see me? I apologize for disturbing your beauty sleep. Ursula, you can ask for my help in the middle of the night.

Or you can insult me, but you can't do both. A2, my love. Sorry. Show her what you drew. Obviously, these are from memory, but this is what I saw. The larvae were little more than dark, splotchy worms. They came out of the joints of the exoskeleton. A type of arthropod then? These are excellent, actually. and confirm my suspicion. I found this wrapped around Richter's cerebral cortex. Length, nine centimeters, partially scaled with two large...

The larva entered through the ear and traveled to the base of the brain. fed on the host as it developed, releasing a constant low-level toxin that rendered the subject incredibly susceptible to hallucinations and suggestion. Did Richter survive the extraction? I found this on autopsy. Given its size, it's a miracle he lasted as long as he did. They grow quickly. Does Silvana know?

That's all I need from you for now. Thank you, MacGyvers. She's Khan's woman, Ursula. Then he can tell her if he chooses to. I don't understand what you're afraid of, Ursula. I would never do anything to undermine Khan or any of his people. Your loyalty is a matter of necessity and isn't even two months old. Fine. You need me to prove it? Consider it done. Wait, where are you going?

Our people are threatened. We need to protect ourselves. To do that, you need to examine and dissect several specimens of these SETI eels. Correct? I believe so. My specialty is history. But I was given the same training as every other Starfleet officer. It's about to come in handy. We can't just let her- No. I can't just let her. You, my love, will remain here, where you and the baby will be safe. That's it. Next time you're carrying the baby. MacGyvers.

If you're determined to do this crazy thing, why don't we wait until morning? The only time we encountered them above ground was in the evening. They're nocturnal. This is the best time to find them. So we're just gonna wander around in the dark and hope we don't get attacked? No. Gods, that's a bright light. Starfleet issue. Nothing but the finest. And I'm not wandering. I'm hunting.

If I can calibrate the scanner properly, I should be able to detect them, even underground. I don't need your help. Really? I just wish the range of this device was a little longer. It's meant for up-close analysis. Huh. What? Come with me. Paolo, get up. Wait, what? What's happening? Did it explode? Nothing exploded. But we need your dino scanner. Why? Ursula, this thing is picking up about a million life signs. What the hell did...

Aulo, due to it, expanded its range. Impressive. I just need to narrow the search parameters. What am I looking at? Those are SETI eel signatures. There are dozens of them. I know, but most are at a depth of three meters or more. There, that one. See? It's moving up toward the surface. Don't move. MacGyvers, wait! What are you-

What the hell is that? Oh, this? It's nothing. Is that why you didn't want me to come along? It's a phaser. A weapon of self-defense. I set it to stun so the creature's still alive. I assume it also has a setting to kill. It does. But please. No one can know I have this, Ursula. Not even Khan. You don't trust us either. Do you? I wish I could. Your secret is safe with me, Marla. Thank you.

Silvana came to visit Richter after we had him stabilized. Medow and I left them alone for just a moment. Richter went insane and... Killed her. And then Khan killed Richter. I see. Thank you for telling me, Doctor. You're welcome.

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As you can see, multiple larvae under its scales just like the other specimens. Each one a death sentence for even the strongest of us. But they are so small. Not for long. Once they latch onto a host's cerebral cortex and begin to feed, they grow fast. Turning people into mindless puppets as they do so. These things are everywhere in the jungle. They surround us.

We need a way to defend ourselves from them. Then we need a way to exterminate them. These creatures have exoskeletons, like insects or other arthropods. We can keep them out of our living pods and other spaces by creating internal barrier layers out of diatomaceous earth. Di-a-what? A natural form of silica. On Earth, it consisted of microscopic fossils of ancient single-celled algae known as diatoms. How can that help? It's like billions of microscopic shards of glass.

It'll shred the creature's shells, rip up their joints, and kill their larva. Like an insecticide. Better. It's not a chemical, so they can't evolve a resistance. It's a physical defense. So we... Dump this into their nests? It doesn't work like that. It's a defense, not a weapon. Wind can blow it away and it's useless if it gets wet.

But if we pack it into insulated layers inside the walls of all our new permanent structures, it can stop these things from getting inside. Then it will be done. Do we have any of this substance on hand? No, but we can synthesize it from the shells of local marine life. This planet's sea life makes shells with silica extracted from the seabed. Then it will be done.

Until our new defenses are ready, I want patrols inside the colony and along the perimeter, around the clock. Kill these things on sight. Understood? Yes, Khan. Maddo? You shall direct the collection of shells and production. Thank you, Khan. And you, Mala? Would you walk with me, please? Of course.

Ursula told me that you led the expedition to collect her samples. Did she? You must know I would never have approved of you putting yourself at risk like that. Why do you think I didn't bother asking? Is that how it is to be between us? You do as you please, whether I will it or no. Just as you do. But I am Khan. And I am Marla. Yes, you are. But I am unaccustomed to. Aren't you the one who said that in time, customs can change?

I did. And in the future, I will make certain to choose my words more carefully. There is something I want to ask. Now she asks. It's... your people. Our people have suffered a great deal since we arrived. The losses of Hugo, Joaquin, and now Silvana and Richter... Why are you bringing up the losses of... Civilized...

Cultures develop rituals and ceremonies to acknowledge and process loss. It reminds them that they are united in their grief, that no one suffers alone. We do not engage in superstitious rites. The body is a shell. When it is gone, that is the end of it. It is the end for those who have passed. For those that remain, it is the beginning of a long road toward acceptance. I have lost hundreds who I once commanded.

And the names and faces of every single one of them are burned into my mind. They will never leave me, and in this way, they live on. Tell that to Joachim. He's angry right now. And Erika was very close to Silvana and Richter. This is how we survive. We go on. We don't look back. The young ones will learn by the example we set.

But... That is enough. Khan, you can't just... Do not tell me what I can and cannot do. Or how best to lead my people through difficult times. Since we first opened our eyes, we have known nothing else. But we have endured. There's a difference between enduring and thriving. What are you so afraid of? Believe in me, because I never give them cause to do otherwise. The kind of magical thinking that gives rise to the belief systems you suggest.

are born of fear and doubt. I will not nurture those things here. I'm not asking you to. I'm asking. That you recognize the suffering of your people and lead them through it. Show them that they are not alone in their grief. I will think on what you've said. Thank you. Will you join us at the fire tonight? If that is your wish. It is. Make way!

Make way for Khan! Good evening, my friends. I wish to offer all of you my thanks. Six fields. Cleared and planted. In a few months their bounty will supplement the fish and seagrass our young men and women collect daily to keep our bellies full. Our camp is safe.

Thanks to the constant vigilance of our night watch. Our supplies have been inventoried and stored. Our doctor keeps us strong and healthy and each day oversees the growth of what would be soon the first full augment child born outside Cap... But these hard-won accomplishments have not come without a price. As you've no doubt heard, we lost our dear brother Joaquin to a wild boar in the jungle. I ask his son, Joaquin, to step forward. My lord.

Your father was both one of the fiercest fighters and gentlest spirits I have ever known. You are so like him. I grieve with you. I grieve with you as well. As do I. Erika, please step forward. Yes, Khan. You were raised with Silvana and Richter. I remember the day I freed you all. As do I, my lord. Richter's gifts may not have been valued by those who created us, but I knew well the importance of those with the vision to translate the experience of living into beauty. Silvana, strong.

vibrant, passionate Silvana was by his side to the last. Such was the fierceness of her heart. I grieve with you. I grieve with you. We will remember our fallen friends. When the history of our empire is written, it will be noted that it rose from the blood of great men and women, brothers and sisters whose names will never be forgotten. Never.

Despite the pain of these losses, they have exposed threats that this world had hidden from us until now. We will not be taken by surprise again. Comfortable as our camp has become, we now understand that only fortified structures and constant vigilance will truly secure our safety. Tomorrow, each of you will be assigned new responsibilities to build what is required to hunt down

and exterminate all existential threats, so that we may continue to live and prosper without fear. I see your willingness to rise to this challenge in every pair of eyes. Let me hear it in your voices! CON! CON! continued. From that day on, everything changed. If there was a council, I was invited. Everyone, including Khan, expected me to join them around the fire each evening. And I spent more nights with Khan.

than I did in my pod. Once the permanent structures were completed, I moved most of my belongings into what became our home. In the eyes of our people, there was no doubt that I had become Khan's woman. And strangely, I didn't mind it as much as I once thought I would. Offensive as the term is to my ear, progress begins by meeting people where they are. The truth was that...

He had become my con. Computer, pause. Come in. Dr. Lear? Yes, thank you, Ensign. The computer said you were in your quarters, so I assumed you were off duty. Don't you find it the littlest bit invasive, maybe even creepy, that your ship's computer can tell anyone exactly where you are at all times? I do not.

But what if you were doing something... indelicate? The odds that I would do anything inappropriate while on or off duty are vanishingly small. The odds that I might be in danger, however, are significantly higher. in which case the location ID function could save my life. You really are no fun at all. Not as a rule, no. Okay, can you access classified records?

Not unless I'm granted permission for a specific mission. Who on this ship can? Captain Sulu. What is it you wish to see? I want to see the Enterprise's scans of the SETI Alpha system taken just before Khan was exiled to SETI Alpha 5. All information on the Enterprise's initial contact with Khan in the Botany Bay were stricken from official records, but included in Captain Kirk's personal logs. Why would he do that? Captain's prerogative.

Was there something in them he would have preferred others not know? Something indelicate? Or something more sinister. Such as? Such as intentionally consigning a small group of augmented humans to a world he knew was about to be destroyed. While your research on Khan and his people has been exhaustive, your study of Captain James T. Kirk has clearly been...

cursory at best. Either that, or you suffer from significant conscious and unconscious bias when it comes to Starfleet. Kirk's logs indicate that Khan and his people would have more than a fighting chance to survive on SETI Alpha 5. So they didn't even bother to look at SETI Alpha 6. Standard protocol dictates that the entire star system be evaluated prior to its selection. And yet, SETI Alpha 6 exploded six months after the Augments arrived. An unfortunate incident.

which clearly could not have been predicted. Had Kirk detected that SETI Alpha 6 was in imminent danger of destabilizing, he would have chosen a different world. And five years ago, when the Reliant was exploring this system, searching for a suitable planet to test the Genesis device, they just... Forgot that there used to be six planets there? Or they couldn't count that high? Where did you acquire that information? I don't have to reveal my sources.

You are asking me to advocate for you to access classified information in the absence of verifiable proof that such access is warranted? Yes. What did you estimate your odds of success would be? Vanishingly small, but non-zero. I will consider your request. Thank you. 119 of exile. My study of history's tyrants led me to believe that they ruled by fear. No doubt, many do. But Khan's people do not fear him.

They love him. Almost like children love a parent. If they fear anything at all, it is failing to live up to his expectations of them. In a little less than four months, they took a roughshod campsite and transformed it into a safe, functioning colony filled with permanent structures and erected a gated wall to secure it. All because he believed they could. But I see the parts of him he dare not show the others. I worry that my love for him...

And his, for me, might make him vulnerable in ways he has never known. And happy as I am right now, I fear I'm about to make that worse.

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You were right. I was. Your HCG levels are over 30,000. It's been, what, six weeks? Just about. And I assume Khan is the happy... I've been set to bring this one to you. It's bigger than the others. Where do you want it? Just put it on the lab table and get back to work, Paolo. We were hunting these things all night. I get to sleep now. Also, you're welcome. Hi, Marla. Hi, Paolo. You sick? No. Okay. Wow, that is a big one. Would you hush? Hang on. What are those? What?

Those white masses... I've never seen those before. They look like... but that doesn't make any sense. What do they look like? Some kind of spermatophore. They're used to transfer genetic material. I thought the eels reproduced asexually. I thought they did too, but this one isn't carrying any larvae either. I think it's a male. Does it matter that there are male and female eels? Can you find Con and Ivan for me, please? Right away.

You don't understand. This changes everything. The colony structure, the nesting habits. We have found dozens of nests. No, you haven't. It's a single colony and it's huge. We've never seen a male before and that makes sense if, as in many insect colonies, the males are essentially drones who exist only to fertilize a queen. Why was I not born an insect?

It's not as great as it sounds. Usually they die in the process. So you believe there is a single creature who is responsible for giving birth to all of the eels in this area? I'm sure of it. We capture and kill the females all the time because they are the workers, the ones sent out with the larva to find hosts for them. The males stick close to the nest because they have but one job. And if we find and kill...

The whole colony might collapse. Ivan, where did you find this male? Edge of the jungle, not far from the mesa. Excellent. Tonight we hunt a new kind of prey. Gather your men. Don't do this. Your fear is understandable, but misplaced. It's been four months, and in all that time we've only lost three to the eels. You believe I should wait until the number is higher? Tell me, my dear one, how many must I lose before I end this threat once and for all?

None of those attacked were inside the camp. With the gate and the new walls and structures, we're safe here. It's our world, not theirs. I will not allow these mindless beasts to determine the limits of my empire. But you're talking about a queen. Who will be surrounded by hundreds or more of her children. A queen whose reign must end if we are to survive. But think of what you're risking. We can't lose you. Not now. You won't. Khan...

I'm pregnant. You tell me this now? I wasn't sure until a few days ago. Ursula verified it this morning. I was going to tell you after dinner. My love, how do you feel? Are you well? I'm fine. A little tired. But also filled with a savage need to protect what I love. I know that feeling well. It never leaves me. But what I do now, I do for you and all of our people, but mostly for our child. I do, but... No buts. Not tonight. We will celebrate properly when I return. Please. Please.

Until tonight, my darling. We go to the jungle. We find the bitch that makes these eels, and we destroy her! Move out!

Ivan! Ivan! Squad on me! You see it? That large mound? That! The nest! There must be a dozen ways in and out, all filled with young eels. The Queen will be deep below the surface. We'll flush her out. The flamethrower. We'll use it to flood the nest with liquid napalm. Once it's filled... The rest of you move back and stand ready to kill any that try to flee. Blades only! Fire in the hole! Kill the wretched beasts! Save your arrows! Well done, my brothers and sisters!

The queen! Yes, the queen. Greetings, your majesty. Dear gods. Huge! Ivan! The blade-thrower! Again! Take cover! Ready rifles! Weapons ready! Watch out! Fire! The bullets are bouncing right off him! What the hell was that? Mahana?

I still can't believe Ursula didn't tell you about the phaser. She said it was a matter of trust between you, which I appreciate. But why did you not tell me you had such a weapon? Habit, I suppose. You have a habit of keeping things from me? It's ingrained into us from the moment we enter Starfleet Academy. We don't share advanced technology with those who have yet to develop it themselves.

You insist the odds be even before you conquer them. We don't conquer other people. And yet so many have joined your federation. Of their own free will. Because they share our values. And whose values will we be sharing when we raise this child you carry? Ours. Mona. Are you not happy about this? Of course I am. But I'm also afraid. I imagine everyone in my condition worries about the world into which they bring a child. Thanks to you, it's a much better world now.

Are you going to tell the others about the baby? No, not yet. Why not? Because there is something we must do first. What? Do you remember when you told me that our people require ceremonies and rituals to mark significant moments in our culture's history? Uh, I remember you calling such things magical thinking. I might have been wrong about that. Be still my heart. The Great Khan. Wrong about something. Wait, what are you doing? I believe it is customary to Neil at such moments.

Are you certain about this, my lord? As certain as I have ever been. Very well. Ivan? My brothers and sisters, we gather tonight to bear witness to the bond forged between Khan Noonien Singh and Marla MacGyvers. and the eternal commitment to which they now pledge themselves. Do you, Khan, take this woman, Marla, to be your beloved wife? I do. And do you, Marla? Take Khan to be your beloved husband. I most certainly do.

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But he's not even close to the person that I thought he was. When you do break up with Brandon, that is when the stalking begins. I just knew something perfect was about to happen. I saw the devil in his eyes. We're gonna tell everyone what he did. Don't Date Brandon. Now streaming on Paramount+. Star Trek Con is based on a story by Nicholas Meyer, written by Kirsten Beyer and David Mack. Produced by iPodcast Productions, Inc., Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment. Production by Realm.

Directed by Fred Greenhalgh. Executive producers for Secret Hideout, Alex Kurtzman and Aaron Byers. Executive producer, Kirsten Byer. Executive producers for Roddenberry Entertainment, Eugene Roddenberry and Trevor Roth. Executive producers for Realm, Molly Barton. Carly Migliori, and Fred Greenhalgh. Co-executive producer, Robin Johnson. Co-producer, Greer Mathiat. This podcast is based upon Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry. Starring Naveen Andrews as Khan.

Ren Schmidt as Lieutenant Marlo MacGyvers. Sonya Cassidy as Dr. Rosalind Lear. Tim Russ as Ensign Tuvok. And George Takei as Captain Sulu. Also starring... Oli Haskovi, Maury Sterling, Mercy Malik, Zari Washington. With additional voices by Phaedra Alkaisi, Hayden Bishop, Paul Castro Jr., Chad Chennai. Ethan Dubin, Aaron Fors, Juan Francisco Villa, Juliet Golia, Aaron Hendry, Cynthia Hood, Tina Ivlev, Adriel Jovianarez-Riviera, Alina Kang, Jacqueline Jackson, Jeremy Maxwell.

Christina Oates, Hamie Sturgeon, Regina Toffin, Maxwell Whittington Cooper. Casting by Mick Moorman CSA and Sunday Bowling Kennedy CSA. Looping group casting by Barbara Harris. Sound design and mixing by Daniel Grunel. Additional sound design by Jonathan Roberts. Original score by Marcus Thorne Bagala and Sam Bagala. Production manager, Devin Shepard. Production coordinator, Chad Shunai.

Additional writing by Mac Rogers. Dialogue editing by Gordon Bramley. Original song, You'll Be With Me, written and performed by Lisa Carbet and Jean-Pierre Duran. Recorded at Mark Krause Studios, The Invisible Studios, Real Voice LA, Adrenaline Studios, and City Vox, New York. This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFRA agreement. Copyright 2025 CBS Studios Inc. All rights reserved.

This program is protected under the laws of the United States of America and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution, or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution. Star Trek and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.