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)
