Beacon 23 Episode 3 was a worthless addition to the list as it didn’t take the story any further. However, it also makes us believe that there isn’t really any story to tell in this show, and it’s just beating around the bush in order to stretch the narrative. Nevertheless, a key character from Aster Calyx’s past makes an appearance in Episode 3 and sheds some light on Aster’s previous life and her character. Before her arrival, Aster and the AWOL soldier, Halan Kai Nelson, were having a good time and getting really close to each other until Manager Coley changed the dynamics between them. So, what really happened? Let’s explore it through a detailed recap of Beacon 23 Episode 3.
Spoiler Alert
Who is Manager Coley?
In the previous episode, a group of “Wreckers” infiltrated the beacon and attacked Aster and Halan in order to steal the Qubits, but the two dealt with the adversaries and killed those mercenaries. The third episode begins with Aster and Halan disposing of their dead bodies in a sort of space burial ceremony. Soon after, the two started repairing the beacon, which had been hacked in Episode 1. Halan went to the deck below the living quarters in order to manually restore the light when he was suddenly attacked by a woman dressed in a specially designed war suit. It was none other than Aster’s romantic partner and her senior from QTA who had arrived on Beacon 23 in order to retrieve the special rocks. Manager Coley told Halan that she worked for ISA, which was a lie, and even Halan could see through it. Nevertheless, Aster quickly intervened and stopped them from killing each other.
As the episode progressed further, it was revealed that Coley’s father was a retired soldier in the army, because of which she despised a deserter like Halan. She contacted the base and gathered all the information about Halan in order to find out his real identity. Even though Coley and Halan didn’t really like each other, Aster requested that Coley drop Halan off at a safe location so that he could restart his life somewhere really really far. But Coley, apparently, had some other plans in mind.
Did QTA try to kill Aster?
In the previous episode, Minister Rojan Kandeddy told Aster that it was QTA that had hired the wreckers to stay onboard The Crest and wait for further instructions. When Aster revealed the same to Coley, the woman wasn’t surprised at all, as if she knew about the entire conspiracy from the get-go. At the end of the episode, Coley finally spilled the beans and told Aster that the company had done a psychic evaluation of the previous beacon keeper, Smythe Solomon, who wouldn’t have let The Crest come aboard the space outpost. It was for this reason that they staged the space shuttle explosion so that Solomon would be forced to rescue Aster and would later share the reports about the minerals with her. However, the company wasn’t aware of the fact that Solomon was already dead and had been replaced by an AWOL soldier. The new revelations put a dent in their well-crafted plan, because of which Coley had to make some sudden changes in order to deal with the situation.
What Did Aster Find Out About the Rocks?
As mentioned in the second episode, Aster belonged to an isolated planet on the outer ring named Menelaus. In her previous life, she used to work as a mineralogist for mining companies while smuggling special stones from one place to another. This piece of information establishes the fact that Aster is obsessed with the special rocks that Solomon had found, which is the reason why she demanded the mission from QTA. It can also be speculated that Coley met with Aster while she was on one of her smuggling missions, but instead of arresting her, Coley brought her to QTA so that the company could use her talent. Coley and Aster had been together for some 10 years, but Coley still doubted their relationship as she felt that Aster was using her for her own reasons.
Beacon 23 Episode 3 further revealed that the atomic structure of the special rocks is extremely identical to the symbol on Aster’s pendant, which was given to her by her late mother. It paves the way for the theory that maybe Aster’s mother knew about these rocks or what they were capable of.
Additionally, it is these special rocks that serve as a connecting link between Aster and Halan. As mentioned in the previous episode, these rocks trigger something inside Halan’s body, because of which he starts getting visions as soon as he comes in contact with these minerals. It is also revealed that it was because of these rocks that Halan had to desert his entire crew and run away during a combat operation on DX-113. When Coley confronts Halan with this information, he starts getting visions of his past lover, Gashade. All these flashback sequences suggest the theory that these special rocks have the power to make a human being unconscious and probably kill them upon longer exposure. The same was witnessed in the second episode, and perhaps it was the reason why he traveled 84,000 star systems away to leave them behind. However, fate had something else in store for him. He traveled four hours to reach an isolated lighthouse, only to find out that its keeper had been hiding these special rocks all along, and a horde of people would come looking for them. But why QTA and Aster are so obsessed with these minerals isn’t revealed in the third episode either, and maybe the upcoming episode will shed some light on it. We’ll wait.
How Did Manager Coley Die?
During Beacon 23 Episode 3’s ending, Aster finally figures out that QTA and Coley had sent her on a suicide mission so that they could fulfill their own ulterior purpose. Even her lover, with whom she had spent 10 years of her life, was ready to take a chance on Aster’s life so that she could fulfill her objectives. The reality hit her hard and changed everything she felt for Coley so far. But the last blow came from Coley herself, who tried to tranquilize her so that she could do the dirty job in her absence. Coley and her company believed that Halan was after the rocks as well, or he might become a hindrance to their plan in the future; because of which they wanted to get rid of the ex-soldier as soon as possible.
In the meantime, Halan stole Coley’s space access key from her bag to escape the lighthouse, as he didn’t trust Coley any longer. And he was right. However, the space shuttle had some access recognition program, which sent shock waves down Halan’s body and threw him to a distance when he tried to use Coley’s key. Coley quickly arrived near the airlock chamber to finish her job, but Halan intervened once again, and this time, she stabbed Coley instead of saving her. But she was sedated, right? It is possible that her personal AI, Harmony, had printed a stimulant before Aster fainted completely, and therefore, she was able to save Halan’s life, thereby paying off her previous debt. However, the way Aster strangled the already bleeding Coley only underlines the fact that the woman in front of her wasn’t the same woman she once loved. Instead, Coley had become the monster who tried to kill her own lover in order to aid her company’s mission, and that was enough reason for Aster to mercilessly kill Coley without giving it a second thought.
With Coley out of the picture, it could be speculated that it would be Halan who would fill the void and start a romantic relationship with Aster in the future. Both of these deserters have lost their lovers and their faith in their institutions, which makes them perfect partners in crime. Additionally, the mystery of the special rocks is somehow related to Aster’s past, which goes way back to her home planet, and therefore, it is only Aster who could help (or save) Halan from the effects of these minerals. But what really are they? Do they pose any greater threat to humanity? Why does QTA want them so badly that they are ready to shed blood for it? Perhaps the next episodes will try to answer these questions better.
