NOVEMBER 29, 2021 - The planet Ni’Var comes front-and-center in the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s fourth season, according to official pictures released on StarTrek.com. The episode, entitled “Choose to Live,” features Ni’Var President T’Rina, who previously offered the resources of the Ni’Var Science Institute to help decipher the destructive anomaly, which at the end of last week’s episode showed itself to be more deadly and unpredictable than first thought.

The images show a meeting with Vulcans on Ni’Var attended by Stamets and Book, fresh from their bonding moments in “Anomaly.” At one point, T’Rina mind-melds with Book, while in other images Stamets addresses the council. 

The focus on Ni’Var takes on added significance when the episode title is taken into account. “Choose to live” is the plea offered by the Qowat Milat, Romulan warrior nuns first introduced in Star Trek: Picard, famous for taking up lost causes. In one of the still photos, a group of Qowat Milat appear to be meeting with Captain Burnham and other members of the Federation, including President Rillak. In the exclusive sneak peek offered at the end of the most recent episode of The Ready Room with Wil Wheaton, President Rillak speaks of a joint mission that she hopes will cement Ni’Var as a Federation ally:

“This joint mission is a political necessity. Ni’Var and the Qowat Milat must feel respected […] This anomaly, it is the biggest threat we have faced since the Burn. This is our moment to serve and show why restoring the Federation is so critical. We cannot do that without Ni’Var.”

You can check out the photos on StarTrek.com, which also feature Dr. Culber’s continuing efforts to help Gray, and you can watch The Ready Room on the Paramount+ YouTube channel. “Choose to Live” drops this Thursday on Paramount+.