Context Is for Kings

"Context Is for Kings" is the third episode of the American television series Star Trek: Discovery, which is set roughly a decade before the events of the original Star Trek series and explores the war between the Federation and the Klingons. The episode was written by showrunners Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, and Craig Sweeny, from a story by series co-creator Bryan Fuller, Berg, and Harberts. It was directed by producer Akiva Goldsman.

Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham, the first Starfleet mutineer who began the war. Series regulars Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, and Jason Isaacs also appear in the episode. The series' writers consider this episode to be the show's equivalent of a pilot, introducing the majority of its main cast, the titular starship Discovery, and the beginning of the season-long story. The episode reused the series' starship sets for both the Discovery and its sister ship Glenn.

"Context Is for Kings" was released on CBS All Access on October 1, 2017. The episode's release was believed to have caused record subscriptions for All Access, and received mostly positive reviews from critics for the new status quo established after the prologue of the previous two episodes. The new cast additions were also praised, particularly Isaacs.