Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 4, Episode 11 - "Rosetta"
When the USS Discovery makes First with Species 10C, Species 10C, who created the Dark Matter Anomaly, live within an impenetrable hyperfield, and the Discovery has no clue how to get in to make First . However, if and when they do meet the powerful aliens, Discovery thankfully doesn't intend to do so blasting phasers and quantum torpedoes.
Star Trek: Discovery rewrote the book on Star Trek TV shows by emulating J.J. Abrams' Species 10C as an opposing force too powerful for Starfleet to match. Captain Burnham, United Federation of Planets President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal), and the other characters have argued that diplomacy is the best course of action.
In Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 11, "Rosetta," Captain Burnham, Captain Saru (Doug Jones), Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), and Lt. Commande Keyla Detmer (Emily Coutts) traveled to the abandoned homeworld of Species 10C to search for clues on how to communicate with aliens they know nothing about. What Discovery's Away Team found was psychotropic dust that hinted at Species 10C's emotional spectrum. Burnham and her crew learned that Species 10C experience love and fear, and that they also value and care for their young. As such, Discovery and the Federation's delegates gained crucial context on how to find common ground and communicate with Species 10C. While it isn't much, it's enough of a start that can hopefully lead to a peaceful First and negotiation that would reaffirm Star Trek's core values of seeking out new lifeforms and new civilizations.
With the knowledge that Species 10C has basic human-like qualities and emotions, even if they turn out to be anything but humanoid, Discovery can potentially build a bridge with the 10C based upon the Federation's tenets of inclusivity, acceptance, and respect for other races and cultures. Otherwise, the Federation would be powerless against Species 10C's might. After all, Star Trek: Discovery season 4's logic follows that a civilization that can build a mining tool as massively powerful as the DMA likely has even more staggering weapons. Dr. Ruon Tarka (Sean Doyle) destroying the original anomaly led to the appearance of a second DMA now headed towards Earth and Ni'Var. This cemented how, throughout season 4, Star Trek: Discovery has been building to the idea that the Federation's weapons will be useless against Species 10C.
Of course, Star Trek: Discovery may still fall back on the series' trademark action in season 4's final episodes so that Burnham and her crew use blistering violence to resolve the Federation's issue with Species 10C. Yet there has been markedly less violence and more episodes emulating the more philosophical approach of Captain Burnham ignores the lessons she's learned and relies on phasers and quantum torpedoes against Species 10C instead of diplomacy and the affirmation of Star Trek's message of understanding and friendship.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.