A transporter mishap leaves Boimler phasing in and out of reality and sends him to a Starfleet medical facility, while Mariner works under a temporary captain.
Testing Rutherford's transporter upgrade leaves Boimler phasing between states of matter, and he is sent aboard the USS Osler to the Farm, a Starfleet medical facility, along with a dog Tendi has genetically engineered. His fellow patients fear the Farm is a place of no return and turn mutinous, but when the ship arrives it proves to be a luxurious spa planet, and the cured Boimler is sent home.
On the Cerritos, Freeman leaves on a covert mission and Mariner's old friend Captain Amina Ramsey takes temporary command. Mariner pretends to be incompetent to avoid being promoted, but she has to step up when the crew finds the USS Rubidoux being torn apart by a hatching space creature.