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Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Building a New Era
*written after series finale*
This Star Trek show, whether you liked it or not, catapulted this beloved franchise into a new era. This show was far from perfect. However, we see from this show similar beliefs. We see a hope for the future where all can live in peace, even if that peace seems unreachable. We see connection, celebration of both similarities and differences, and we see a world where you can be you (with a little too much political movement here and there).
Season 1: This season started out very wobbly. It was good quality, but it struggled to find its footing and place within the Star Trek universe. We are introduced to both the Shenzhou and the Discovery. We have some amazing Mirror Universe episodes. We have Captain Killy! We get a season that tries to bring about a new era, and the storytelling works, even though it doesn't feel like it fits in just yet.
Season 2: This season is one of the best of Star Trek's third era (Top 5). Discovery finds its feet in the canon and sees itself for what it truly is. The addition of the Enterprise crew was simply genius, and brings about clarity and a new sense of connection and division. I absolutely love the plot of this season, and the finale, Such Sweet Sorrow, is one of the greatest 3rd era Star Trek finales ever. This is peak Star Trek.
Season 3: After a phenomenal season, Discovery moves to the future after much criticism of the show feeling too futuristic and not well put within the canon. This season starts out decently well, but falls apart as it goes on. We have some amazing episodes (Terra Firma) and some terrible ones (Su'kal). Unification III is a great successor to the original two-parter. The penultimate episode, There Is a Tide, is great! The finale is okay.
Season 4: This season manages to fall far lower than the previous. In my opinion, this is the worst season of Star Trek we have ever had. The opener, Kobayashi Maru, is near atrocious, and it manages to get worse. The removal of Tilly is the last straw, destroying it all. The finale goes way too far into messaging and ruins the story with its ending. However, there are two good episodes from this season: "Stormy Weather" and Species Ten-C. Stormy Weather perfectly balances emotion and makes it fell well put within the episode (which was a big problem with this season). Species Ten-C matches the energy of Star Trek beautifully.
Season 5: Ending this show, this season finally brings back the quality of the first two seasons, while still falling into the pitfalls of the later two. We see a beautifully made season, even though fire IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY! The opener, Red Directive, starts in shambles, but itself back together to make something amazing by the end. The season continues, with Under the Twin Moons, which is very sweet and action-packed. Jinaal drops a little, but it picked back up with one of the top ten best Discovery episodes "Face the Strange." The series continues, falling terrible with Whistlespeak. The reintroduction of the Breen and the development of their culture and identity if very well done. "Life, Itself" is a beautiful finale, and captures the essence of Discovery incredibly well.
Overall, this series started amazing, fell apart, and rebuilt itself. It ended with a triumphant season that defied to odds to bring back good content. I will miss you, Discovery, for I can still remember the days when I smiled watching the first two seasons. Now, I have the memories of the final season, which are nearly as good.
All good things must come to an end, and we look back to what we leave behind, seeing how we show look at life, itself. Let's fly...
Star Trek: Discovery: Life, Itself (2024)
Life, Itself
This week, we reach the finale of the divisive Star Trek: Discovery. In my opinion, the first two seasons were phenomenal, even though the first did struggle to find its footing. The third was a vast drop in quality (cough cough, Su'kal), but the fourth came to what I believe is the worst season of Star Trek. The fifth season brought a lot of hope, and I am glad that it somewhat delivered. This season while not as good as the first two, was easily the best of 32nd Century seasons.
This episode brings Discovery to its resolution. Though this was not the intended ending, I believe this episode works very well in ending the arcs of these characters for not knowing that the show would end. This season worked very well in feeling like an ending, and I'm not quite sure how you would move beyond this one.
Olatunde Osunsanmi directs beautifully as the gravity of everything changes, both emotionally and physically. This show, which was centered around how the heart reacts to the threats of the universe, keeps that same ideal throughout all of its seasons, successfully or unsuccessfully.
We say goodbye through the windows into time, through what seeded generations of creators, cycles of building life in our universe. We say goodbye to these characters who have been with us since 2017. We say goodbye to the days where we would dread that the next episode was here (or be excited depending on the season).
Here we are, now, after the show that revitalized Star Trek in the modern era is over. All I know to say, and both Captain Burnham and Zora would agree with me on this, let's fly!
Star Trek: Discovery: Lagrange Point (2024)
Lagrange Point
This week, Jonathan Frakes beautifully directs a decently well-done episode. Even though the writing could have been better, the episode opens up the ending of Discovery rather well. It leaves us with many questions, but they will hopefully be answered in the finale.
The direction of this episode was amazing, and it serves as the highlight of this episode. The special effects also do a good job with many of the scenes.
But, why are they waiting? They constantly are standing around when they could be acting. This season was pitched as an Indiana Jones-type adventure. When does the adventure and action stop in Indiana Jones? Why are they just waiting around when they could have got the Progenitors tech 15 seconds before? The notice the Breen. All Rayner has to say is tractor beam (instead of just watching as a massive ship comes out of warp and slowly takes a pile of space debris that holds the truth of what created humanoid life)! This is a problem we have seen all season (not just with Rayner, but with all the characters).
This episode still keeps interest in the season's plot, which is much more than can be said for last season. This episode is also an improvement from last week's disappointing execution. Overall, Frakes directs a beautifully made episode that suffers from some bad pacing at times, but is able to keep this world interesting, and the looming discovery of what created us is still on our minds. Next week, we will see that power, and we will see the end of this mediocre show. All I know to say is 'Let's fly.'
Star Trek: Discovery: Labyrinths (2024)
Labyrinths
This episode leads us down a path through the maze known as the Eternal Gallery and Archive. This week, we get a flawed episode that suffers from moments of poor writing, sloppy plot development, and lacking character growth.
The plot at the beginning was running all over the place, attempting to build context and complexity, but only made it rather hilarious. The quick addition of Book, the sloppy scene where he talks to Michael, doesn't get its retribution until near the end of the episode. As Michael reveals what has plagued her, we see what our protagonist has been facing. This provides an amazing scene in a mediocre episode.
The plot was also very predictable. This has been done before in many shows, and the spins it attempted to take were mostly for naught.
The character, Hy'rell, who I believe shares the same species as the Federation President from The Undiscovered Country, was rather annoying. She doesn't fit the role of a librarian or historian. She acts more like a popular cheerleader that was forced to do community service.
Overall, this average episode falls on the shorter side of this season. This season hasn't quite returned the formula of Discovery so far. Instead, it feels like a slightly better third season, but this season's lower episodes hit rock bottom (Whistlespeak). In the end, we as treated with another flawed episode as my perception of this season slowly goes more and more downhill. Let's hope this ends well. Riker directs next week!
Star Trek: Discovery: Erigah (2024)
Erigah
This week, we are treated with an episode that continues the story of the Breen. We learn more about their political situation and the importance L'ak holds to their survival. This episode does this very well, providing suspense and great scenes that unite characters and build a strong story. However, it does have a few flaws.
Why not just lock the sickbay doors? That doesn't make L'ak and Moll's escape impossible, but it makes it much less likely. Instead, they post two guards who were taken in just a few seconds by Moll. It isn't the smartest idea...
However, bringing Nhan back was a great move. Now, the purpose was not for ending the series and bringing cohesion, but it works that way in the end. She provides a great supporting character role and a great way to unite the seasons together.
The tag team of Tilly, Reno, and Adira worked really well. I have never been a fan of Adira, but they weren't bad here. The lines showed much improvement compared to last week. I do disagree that they show great skill and possibility, though.
This episode has some minor flaws, but they are vastly covered by a mystifying and excellent story. We are treated to a spectacle of possibilities. Now, we go on to search for the final clue in an archive, which I imagine will have something to do with labyrinths (since the next episode is called such). Whether that be inside the book or the archive, I do not know. But, whatever happens, this episode has rekindled my hope that Discovery will end on a good note. Let's fly.
Star Trek: Discovery: Whistlespeak (2024)
Whistlespeak
This episode deals with finding the next clue, located on a planet known as Halem'no. I have relatively enjoyed this season so far, but this episode tanked in the level of writing and acting. This is not what I was hoping for.
I still will start out with what I liked. I enjoyed the scene with Culber's abuela until his discovery of finding some physical problem with himself. That's literally what he went to Starfleet Academy for. Tilly still manages to be a good character, and she provides some of the only great scenes. Her line that refers to Newton's first law was amazing and provided an essential comic and sanity relief.
I dislike how they have added new characters. Replacing Detmer and Owosekun, we have two new officers. I feel like this was a bad choice. We already didn't know the previous characters that well, and these are changing a dynamic in its final season (I know that it was not planned that way).
This episode has an amazing premise, but the opening scene and many others ruin this episode. This episode places very low out of even the Season 4 ones. Adira is again incompetent, showing that they should not be working on the bridge or in Starfleet.
I do enjoy the connection to the Denobulans, but I doubt this will lead anywhere.
After this episode, I fear for what might be to come. This episode, described by Michelle Paradise, is a classic TOS adventure. Yes, it is. It is one of the bad ones. We are treated to an episode of inner terror and terrible writing. I had hope, but this episode is easily the worst of the season. Let's hope that next week's Breen episode will put things back on track. Let's hope.
Star Trek: Discovery: Mirrors (2024)
Mirrors
This week, we dive into interdimensional space to discover the backstory and motivations of our antagonists. We are on a journey of remembrance in this season, connecting together the previous seasons. We see how the characters have grown, and how they have survived, and we learn about how the antagonists became the enemy.
First of all, we finally canonically know what the Breen look like! I had suspicions that L'ak was Breen, but this episode proves it. The Breen redesign was also very well done, keeping the core tenets of their old uniforms, while moving away from Leia's helmet rip off and showing evolution within this state that has changed from confederacy to imperium, most likely by the attempted dominance of factions that had been working in a confederation during DS9. L'ak is Breen royalty during this imperial time, which helps to build the character. We also learn about Erigahs (Breen blood bonds), why they are on the run, and why the Breen might win the galaxy. This episode goes to amazing and mostly successful lengths to make the Breen into a fearsome opponent.
This episode is not perfect, but it continues upon the success of last week's episode. This episode does reuse the SNW Enterprise set, but this doesn't bother me. TV shows are expensive, and they were still able to create a good story. Even though the action in the present is not the main focus, we are building the bonds between Moll and Book that could lead in Discovery's favor later on. At points, the dialogue becomes cringey, and I am disappointed that Rhys was not allowed to lead the away mission, even though they made a massive deal about him loving the Constitution-class design.
This week, we saw these characters look at themselves in the mirror, gazing into time to see what was before them, realizing who they are and why they have become these characters. We are treated with an intriguing and philosophical episode that has deep meaning in our lives. Who are we? What has made us into who we are?
So, next week will lead us further into the bounds of the 32nd century. And, as Captain Burnham thought wrong, hit it.
Star Trek: Discovery: Jinaal (2024)
Jinaal
In this episode, we are faced with finding the second clue to discover what created all humanoid life in the galaxy, a technology descending from long ago, created by a species now only known as The Progenitors. We are faced with a problem. As told by the fifth and final verse of the Romulan poem, they are meant to go to Trill. They must find someone who had a specific pattern of spots, which they discover was Jinaal Bix. He is dead.
This episode takes a slower pace than the previous two, yet still fast in comparison to the last season. This episode delves deep into understanding the meaning behind understanding what created us. Burnham and Book beam down to the planet, alongside Adira, who will confront her emotions for Gray. While they do that, Burnham and Book go on a mission with Jinaal, the man they were meant to find, through the process of zhian tara, which moved his consciousness from the symbiont to Dr. Culber.
I enjoyed the acting by Wilson Cruz as he portrays this character, freed from the shackles of a symbiont to now getting to walk in a body he says really works out. The delivery of lines was very well done and the clear differences between him and Culber are intriguing.
I was worried, based upon the clip shown in The Ready Room, that this episode would be much worse. We have seen terrible writing surrounding the experiences of Gray and Adira. This wasn't as bad, but it still wasn't great. When they discussed ending their relationship, I found Gray's attempts to twist their ending into a new relationship very manipulative, especially since only a few lines before he seemed to understand why Adira wanted to separate from him. He seemed to force a confession out of her. This is the ending of a relationship, not a Cardassian interrogation.
The scenes between Rayner and the rest of the crew were amazing and the prime reason why I give this episode a higher rating. Callum Keith Rennie and Mary Wiseman have phenomenal chemistry as actors, and their lines bounce off each other quite well. Tilly continues to be amazing, as usual, and this episode had some of her best scenes of this season so far.
Even though I continue to be disappointed with Ian Alexander's acting (especially his very fake smirk), I still enjoyed this episode. I feared the worst, and it rose above my expectations. I'm still excited for what is to come. Let's keep flying.
Star Trek: Discovery: Under the Twin Moons (2024)
Under the Twin Moons
This episode continues the success presented in this season's opener. Now, we see the last mission Saru will have as the first officer of Discovery, where him and Burnham head to the planet Lyrek. We are confronted with the growth of these character's relationship, from rivalry to fear, and now to the deepest friendship. We are heading into a season of memories.
First if all, the delivery of comedy in this episode was amazing! I really enjoy how they have infused comedy into this season to confront the dark and deeply philosophical themes they are exploring. The season provides a fast-paced adventure to cover these deep meanings, which allows the mind to dig deep into understanding these episodes.
We learn the nickname "Action Saru" in this episode, which is a carrying example of Saru's attitude in this episode. He explores the fear he once felt universally. He explores the risks he must take in order to survive the necropolis with Burnham.
As we try to find the progenitor's technology, we are again pressed with great references to TNG. We dive deeper into Romulan culture and tradition. While we look for the answer, we see what has been made because of the action. We see what the universe has become because of the Progenitor's actions.
This episode does a great job of developing the story of this season, connecting and reflecting upon Saru and Burnham, and keeping the pace and tempo at least allegro. Let's see if our hope is not in vain.
Star Trek: Discovery: Red Directive (2024)
Red Directive
This episode begins the final season of the divisive Star Trek: Discovery. While I have had mixed opinions for the third and fourth seasons, this episode brought back a lot of hope! I'm wonderfully excited for where this could go!
I start with my dislikes in this episode. The beginning of the episode has very similar writing to the worst scenes of the past two seasons. The moments with Adira and her problem with the drinks are a little weird and make her seem very oblivious.
However, the episode recovers, and from then on, it is amazing! Tilly returns with new elements, yet the same character can be seen. A possible love interest shows themselves early on. Moll and L'ak provide interesting new additions to the fandom as antagonists. The references to Soong-type androids and other TNG elements are great.
Captain Rayner is an amazing new character, and I am very excited for his possible effects on this final season. He is a very different person to Burnham, shedding away emotional connection in favor of control through unyielding authority.
The return of the Progenitors is another amazing callback to TNG. It provides amazing possible stories that could be told about how we came to be and what the purpose of our existence is. I expect many philosophical questions, even through this Indian Jones-esque season.
Overall, I am very excited for this final season, and I can't wait to see where it will take us. Let's fly!
Star Trek: Discovery: Face the Strange (2024)
Face the Strange
This episode was phenomenal! I was not a big fan of seasons 3 and 4, but season 5 has improved drastically. While not quite the levels of the first two seasons, this was the best episode of this season yet!
This episode deals with the legacy of Discovery and its effect upon the Star Trek universe. Whether you have loved or hated this show, this ship and this crew have ventured into crazy scenarios that have changed the timeline of this galaxy forever. We venture to pinnacle moments in Discovery's history, such as the events of Such Sweet Sorrow. We see the extent that Michael Burnham has evolved as a character.
This episode is amazing at having us reflect upon what has happened, but it also succeeds in advancing this season's plot. It develops what might occur in the future and helps bring clues to what defeat would mean for the universe, raising the stakes in much better ways than the past two seasons.
The moments with all characters showing how they evolved and how they remember themselves now are chilling. I had goosebumps all throughout this episode. The scenes with Airiam were so well done and an amazing message to the character to sacrificed their life so that this crew may continue to fly.
Now, this episode does not make up for the bad writing of the past two seasons, but it's a start. I so glad that we might still end up as friends, Discovery. But, that hope rests with you.
Star Trek: Discovery: Kobayashi Maru (2021)
4.01 Kobayashi Maru (Rewatch)
This episode had a lot of weaknesses, but ultimately isn't "terrible." The episode has moments of terrible dialogue and terrible situations. The situation at the beginning of the episode with the emperor was very weird, but could have worked much better if the episode was centered around it (and possibly the season).
Its strength is from a couple of characters and situations, including Tilly and the new Federation president, Laira Rillak. A couple of interesting premises are put on display, but few quickly grabbed my attention, instead turning me away with cheesy and uncomfortable dialogue.
The new Archer Spacedock provides the only amazing scene in this episode, with a few others scattered around. Those others come from the World Root Scene and the Voyager Captaincy scene.
I'll see if this season is better than I remember, but by watching this, I certainly have doubts.
Doctor Who: The Timeless Children (2020)
I Really Want to Hate This Episode...
"The Timeless Children" has completely changed the lord of Doctor Who. Most of the Timeless Child arc is really interesting, and I think it could work really well. I don't mind the Doctor having a previous set of regenerations. I'm don't mind Tecteun and the Gallifreyans having been non-regenerative beings.
However, the Timeless Child shouldn't have been the Doctor. I think the Doctor Who universe would really have a better chance to expand if it had been the Master. Directly from this episode, the pain would have been swapped, with the Doctor having an identity crisis, now knowing that the Master is the progenitor. We could still have a conclusion such as the speech Jodie gives about her past making her stronger. She could still have had a past set of regenerations, and her friendship with the Master caused the Time Lords to wipe the Doctor's brain, having them begin life again.
And with the concept of bi-generation, it seems pretty likely that the Master could have bi-generated, with one dying off with Missy, and the other continuing on. Maybe the Time Lords took the Master again at an age after the First Doctor and experimented with the biology of the Time Lords, giving the ability to bi-generate. This could have been given to the Doctor at the end of "The War Games", with part of the Doctor's time before arriving on Earth as Jon Pertwee's 3rd Doctor being them receiving the ability to bi-generate.
But, the Timeless Child looks to be the Doctor. I really want to hate this decision, but I just can't muster up that hate. Yes, this ruins what we knew of the Doctor being a person who had failed and achieved nothing at home rising to help people in times of need, but we are seeing a new perspective. Give it time to set in, and I think this will be looked upon somewhat more highly.
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road (2023)
Time and the Sundays
"The Church on Ruby Road" is a great Christmas Special and is a well-built first full episode for the new Doctor. This episode had a lot less going on than what we have seen in previous specials such as "Resolution", but it maintains a Doctor Who feel and keeps your eyes glued to the screen.
Ncuti Gatwa is great in this episode, developing his incarnation beautifully. The writing is pretty good, with some parts a little cringy, but still fun. Millie Gibson is the star of this episode, showing off her character's strengths and overall motives.
The incorporation of time travel is a great way to introduce a new viewer and also a new companion. With Ruby still trying to understand what is going on at the end of the episode, we can see room for growth in her character. The Goblins being the enemy of this story is a fun idea to connect it to higher fantasy while keeping a very sci-fi tone.
Overall, this episode is a great opener to this new Doctor/Companion setup, providing a more easily understandable episode that should ease in new viewers of this era while keeping true to the lore and fan base of Doctor Who.
And who is Mrs. Flood? I can't wait to figure out!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Lost in Translation (2023)
Xenobiology, Communication, and Fan Service all in one!
In this week's episode, Uhura finds herself hearing disturbing noises and is seeing visions. With the help of Lt. James T. Kirk, they discover they are a form of communication for an alien species. They live near stellar nursery in a large area of deuterium. When the ship opens its Bussard collectors, these aliens experience tragedy, with many of their species in pain. These communications to Uhura are an act of desperation. They show her scenes that she soon associates with words. Once she connects these pieces, she discovers that the species is being killed. This resurfaces a lot of memories of her past, now released in the moment.
Una and Pelia resurface old memories and argue with each other over certain items. Eventually, Pelia discovers hints of sabotage on the station they are helping become operational. When they arrive at the area, they find Ramon, an officer experiencing the same discomfort as Uhura.
To save the species in the deuterium, Ramon blasts open the port nacelle to help them end their pain. Uhura, who tried to convince Ramon to stop, is nearly killed, being transported away by Kirk.
Calling back to the third episode, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", Kirk and La'an meet for the first time in this universe. This is also the first time Paul Wesley portrays Kirk in this timeline, with his appearances in the aforementioned episode and "A Quality of Mercy" being in other timelines.
To save the day, the Enterprise empties its deuterium stockpile and evacuates the station before destroying it. The haunting vision of Hemmer, being used to communicate the feelings of the species to Uhura, becomes the Hemmer she knew again. He vanished, going back to his life in peace.
The final scene in the bar of the Enterprise provides every Original Series Fan with joy. Kirk and Spock meet for the first time, and they shake hands! Uhura, Spock, and Kirk sit around a table together, not knowing that one day, on that very ship, in that very room, they would again sit as crew mates, as senior officers.
If you are an Original Series fan, this episode will warm your heart. If you love the idea of communicating with aliens, this episode will be one of your favorites of the season. If you love xenobiology, this episode is amazing at the pursuit of science and fact. Though they aren't charting unknown territories and battling aliens, this is one of the best episodes of this season. It opens our eyes to the possible and lets us dream of this future. It helps us see that trauma and pain are aspects of life. This is an episode that does explore the final frontier, not just in space, but in the heart.