Star Trek: Discovery 3x5 “Die Trying” Review

 rating: ***

the story: The crew finds it difficult to reintegrate into the Starfleet it finds in the far future.

review: Five episodes into the season, and the arc of the crew finding themselves in a strange far future with a fractured Federation has steadily, and somewhat rapidly, advanced, with the help of one key plot device that has suddenly been turned on its head.

This is the kind of episode you can show the uninitiated that will help catch them up to speed. Key developments that aren’t necessarily essential to the episode, or season, itself, but rather the history of the series, are referenced, and the nature of the spore drive that has been a signature element is turned into an irresistible asset. In the far future the traditional warp engine fans have always known has been compromised. The unique spore drive the crew possesses, once thought if not irreconcilable then at least problematic, is suddenly the only thing the crew has that the Starfleet of this era can appreciate.

Of course, they have to fight tooth and nail to prove it, but it really boils down to a Star Trek staple: an admiral who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with a Starfleet crew. Fortunately, for a change there’s a happy ending to that relationship.

So we’re left with a few other things to dwell on. The first one is that, despite complications it’s nice to see everyone happy when they reach Starfleet headquarters. There’re Easter eggs in the ships (Voyager-J, one named Nog). Another callback is the conclusion of the Temporal Cold War that has left Starfleet paranoid about time travelers. Georgiou has an interesting conversation concerning the fate of the Mirror Universe. Nahn, part of the show’s considerable supporting ensemble, reaching an unexpected and emotional turning point.

And the series is perhaps settling into its oldest and best relationship: Burnham and Saru. Fans love to talk about Burnham’s earliest actions, which are never far from Saru’s thoughts, as well. Yet the two possess a complicated, trusting friendship, a partnership that increasingly feels level, with Saru unafraid to voice, in respectful tones, his hope that Burnham has grown since those early days.

All this and the first time the season tackles a typical franchise episodic element that feels natural, with a ship that has experienced a crisis and our crew needing to help set things right. Very familiar but executed well, and integrated into the rest of the story flawlessly.

criteria analysis:

>franchise - A thrilling chance to see what Starfleet in this time period looks like, with a surprising number of familiar touches.

>series - A nice moment for new and existing fans to catch up with what’s been happening and what sets Discovery apart.

>character - I would’ve wanted a little more individual work, or even sharper ensemble work, to put in a vote for this category. A lot of nice little moments, though.

>essential - There’s a soft emphasis on disfunction in the crew, which actually seems to help, and that’s a nice way to emphasize what sets this series apart, that it sees hope as being possible in such a context, even though Gene Roddenberry famously wanted everyone to just get along.

notable guest-stars:

Michelle Yeoh (Georgiou)

Tig Notaro (Reno)

David Cronenberg

Oded Fehr (Vance)

Star Trek: Discovery 3x4 “Forget Me Not” Review

 rating: ****

the story: Adira’s symbiont memories are unlocked.

review: Last season Discovery received a certain amount of acclaim with “Project Daedalus,” which revolved around background character Aeriam in an ultimately climactic and poignant manner. I myself considered the results underwhelming, believing that too little real investment, even in the episode itself, had justified calling too much attention to the character even then.

Well, “Forget Me Not,” for me, is that same basic story, done right. It’s an instant highlight of the season, perhaps the series, and perhaps the very franchise itself.

Harking back to Next Generation’s “The Host” and Deep Space Nine’s “Equilibrium,” “Forget Me Not” is an unexpected deep and very welcome dive into Star Trek lore that enriches it in the process. It’s the kind of experience that can be many things to many people, but most of all an elegant (a word I seldom favor seeing used, but here absolutely warranted, in the best recent tradition of the best Short Treks) example of finding a truly transcendent story and absolutely nailing it.

Part of the success of it is what always helps Discovery succeed, drawing on the rich depth of its characters rather than taking it for granted, as the last few episodes have. The biggest beneficiary of this is Culber, who is at last emerging as a three-dimensional figure, and a surprisingly insightful one at that. He opens the episode echoing Kirk’s monologue from Star Trek Beyond, where he wonders what a prolonged deep space assignment has done mentally to his crew. The movie itself has become one of my favorites for its ability to reflect the best parts of the franchise, and, I guess, “Forget Me Not” feels like the TV episode version of it, two modern touchstones that resonate with the beating heart of Star Trek’s ideals.

There’s a lot to love here, a disastrous dinner scene hilariously and tragically rife with haiku, echoes of Next Generation’s “Family,” Enterprise’s “Home,” the episode, basically, that absolutely needed to happen in order for the impact of what has happened previously to feel real, and even Georgiou settling into her new quip status (feeling very much like Worf at this point).

And yes, a love story that pushes traditional boundaries, but told in breathtakingly exquisite fashion. As someone on my Facebook feed adds to all their posts, “love is love.” There’s no reason to make a big deal about it, unless it makes you feel visible. The more I experience the more I suspect the tradition we all share is how untraditional we are. It’s just lives being lived, pushing forward, sometimes against incredible odds. That’s what this episode manages to explain for a season that has been floundering for such a statement. 

Yeah, you’ve gotta see this one.

criteria analysis:

>franchise - Perhaps the final word on how important the Trill are to Star Trek lore.

>series - Emphasizes all the right things about the season.

>character - Adira has entered what Gene Roddenberry might have called “beloved character status.”

>essential - Oh, yeah. Tragedy and triumph.

notable guest-stars:

Michelle Yeoh (Georgiou)

Star Trek: Discovery 3x3 “People of Earth” Review

 rating: **

the story: The crew find out what Earth is like in the far future.

review: I don’t know, this is the second episode that feels tepid and lethargic to me, all the more alarming because the season premiere was so filled with energy.

“People of Earth” at once dives right into the arc and meanders. As can be the danger of serialized storytelling, it feels very much as if the writers are concentrating on “what we need to see” without understanding how to make it compelling.

It feels blandly inevitable. Burnham and Saru have a perfunctory discussion about captaincy; Burnham puts on a Starfleet uniform for the first time in a year; she convinces Book to wear one as part of a ruse; we meet the human hosting a Trill symbiont; she has a conversation with Stamets that suggests she’ll be interesting.

And it all just happens. Earth is represented by a new governing agency, at conflict with marauders from Titan. This part of the story is given minimal attention. I saw hot takes that called the resolution a Scooby reveal, but it’s not worth dwelling too much on, as we’re given little reason to care about either faction except as an example of how things have changed.

The pacing of the season is totally off. We had one episode of Burnham adapting to her new life, and then here it’s supposed to, theoretically, feel as weird for the viewer as for Burnham to adapt back into her old life. This is an even bigger problem when Burnham’s new life looks even better in hindsight, and everyone just going through the motions in her old.

So for now I will just keep hoping things become...interesting.

criteria analysis:

>franchise - A bold statement on the fate of our favorite planet! This is what happens when the good guys aren’t around. It’s like Picard if Picard never went back into action.

>series - It’s a good bit for the arc, however ultimately handled.

>character - No one really gets a decent spotlight here.

>essential - The kind of episode that could be omitted from a viewer’s itinerary not out of poor quality but out of general blandness.

notable guest-stars:

Michelle Yeoh (Georgiou)