Rough thoughts on the fourth season finale of Discovery, second season of Picard, first season of Strange New Worlds...

 I haven't written a review since the beginning of March...As it turns out when you start slipping it becomes easier to slide.  I have continued to watch.  This blog features reviews for every episode and movie of the franchise, so of course the plan is to catch up again.  Actually, some of the time since then was filled by rewatching the entirety of the original series, and I've wanted to write about that, too, as there are many episodes I haven't seen since I was a kid, so that was certainly interesting.

And a lot of new Star Trek has since happened, including the release of the first season finale of Strange New Worlds a few days ago.  I just finished catching up on the last three episodes of the season.  I thoroughly enjoyed Strange New Worlds, not just for the callbacks (the strongest by far of which was getting to see Spock interact with T'Pring) but the new elements as well.  I may endlessly sound as hopelessly biased (I have yet to see an incarnation of Star Trek I have not been able to enjoy in some capacity), but that was as strong a first season as I've seen.

The second season of Picard was much more problematic for me, with much of the problems centering around its inability to nail one of its central callbacks (the characterization of Guinan), as it struggled to make relevant observations about the present while explaining its vision for the tragic backstory of its lead character.  I adored the first season, and the second was already sold with its inclusion of Q alone.  In the last episode I think things were salvaged sufficiently (Q got a better goodbye, ultimately, than Data did, and that wonderful cameo from Wesley Crusher), so even though the season, once I write it up, will get a much-dreaded "worst episodes" tag (my list is different than the average fan's), which I haven't employed often or very recently (there're fourteen episodes, and while the most recent one is from Voyager's unpopular sixth season, it's not even an episode fans ever discuss among the franchise's worst, none of which, actually, make mine).

Discovery ended on a fine cerebral note, its fourth (!!!) season, and while social media tried to make a big deal out of a cameo from Stacey Abrams, I don't see it as any kind of problem.  

They say filming has already ended, on the third (and final) season of Picard, second season of Strange New Worlds, at least.  It's still incredible to think that we've gotten so much new Star Trek in recent years.  A new movie is finally in the works (Beyond was released in 2016, which gives us about one more year before a new record gap between entries happens), with the Kelvinverse crew returning (probably).

Star Trek may still linger significantly behind Star Wars in pop culture credentials (witness how visible interest in the latest Disney+ series was, as has been the case with all of them), but...you know, it really doesn't matter.

Star Trek: Picard 2x1 "The Star Gazer" Review

rating: ****

the story: Picard finds himself drafted into a most unexpected scenario, and then, of course, things spiral out of control...

review: The focus of this review will be the window into the background of Jean-Luc Picard that "The Star Gazer" uses for its title, the relationship with his mother that we're allowed to see for the first time.  This is an essential contribution to the character's lore.

Storytelling in the franchise originally focused only on the moment.  Any information about biographical details surfaced in dialogue.  There were never flashbacks.  The first exception to this occurred in Deep Space Nine's pilot, "Emissary," in which the Prophets grant Sisko, and the viewer, a vision allowing him to revisit how he met his wife Jennifer, and of course the first moments of the episode, in which we see how she died, during the Battle of Wolf 359.  Later, in Voyager, Tuvok's past is glimpsed in "Gravity," and "Flashback" provides a visit into his early Starfleet career.  The precedent to all this was The Animated Series' "Yesteryear," in which Spock visits himself when he was a child.  It wasn't until Star Trek, though, that the storytelling was allowed to be a truly organic element, where the narrative was able to jump from one time period to another, from the moment of Kirk's birth to Spock's formative years as he struggles to reconcile his Vulcan and human halves.

In "The Star Gazer" we see our first-ever look back at Picard in a similar manner.  Through the rivalry with his brother, explored in "Family" from Next Generation, we knew something of his origins, and we had even seen both his mother and his father in various visions.  In this episode, however, we see Picard as a child, interacting with his mother.  Interestingly, this sequence even evokes the Picard we hear about in Nemesis, whose conversations with Shinzon explore how he became interested in space.  The rest of the episode, as has the series itself, is steeped in more of his career than the mere fact that he was once in command of a starship that was lost in battle with a mysterious foe (that turned out to be the Ferengi!).

So yes, this is not Next Generation Part 2, but very much its own story, very much centered on Picard, for anyone still confused about this.  And this is the episode some of us have been really clamoring for, a visit with Guinan!  It happens to delve into the nature of Picard's romantic aloofness, as he happens to be falling in love with the nice Romulan lady who assists him at the vineyard and still trying desperately to deny such a thing could be happening...

The cast of the first season returns and they're all off on new adventures of one variety or another...until the final moments of the episode, in which the Borg are once again rearing their technological and biological distinctiveness and...Q!  Even more than Guinan, true aficionados have been craving for another clash between Picard and Q ever since 1994.  So it is very much cause for celebration.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - A relatively new tradition of allowing a character's full history to be seen and entered into canon is embraced.
• series - Picard, for all intents and purposes, fulfills several long-held desires by welcoming both Guinan and Q into the fold.
• character - Picard, as never before, blossoms as a fully-dimensional character free from the typical constraints of franchise storytelling.
• essential - Perhaps more so than Kirk and Spock's arcs in Star Trek, seeing this come about at the end of a long life is if anything even more rewarding.  This is historic in all the right ways. 

notable guest-stars:

Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)

John De Lancie (Q)

Star Trek: Discovery 4x11 "Rosetta" Review

rating: ***

the story: Burnham leads an away team that explores a planet that may be the key to understanding Species 10C.

review: This is the kind of episode that should absolutely happen in a serialized version of Star Trek that nonetheless still has to have episodic elements.  Too often Discovery has stumbled on such elements, especially ones that try to simulate classic franchise material, and yet this time everything works quite nicely.

The away team (as with the rest of the season, a spotlight is given to one of the bridge crew, this time Detmer, who ordinarily have mere supporting roles in the background) experiences strange sensations that might have played out in a more outlandish fashion had the episode not managed sufficient control of itself (actually, I've often yearned for this when watching Star Trek in general), moving on rather than lingering on a given element.  To wit: Saru is the first affected by the elements on the planet, but quickly enough Burnham and Culber are, too, and then they realize why, and solve the problem, and make further breakthroughs.

This whole process is mirrored by how Reno is featured in the episode.  Reno has been considered a regular member of the ensemble this season despite this being only her second appearance so far, and even in this one she doesn't seem like her usual self, initially, just an excuse to be present and accounted for, until the twist at the end that adds a much-welcome further wrinkle to the season arc.  To know more about that you'll just have to wait and read the review of the next episode, if you haven't by then caught up.

So for me it's quite a rewarding episode, including how the delegates are used.  It's very much a Xindi Council, third season Enterprise kind of experience for me, and as a fan of that season and series, it's nice to be able to say that.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - By side-stepping the typical pitfalls in Star Trek storytelling, it actually transcends them in a very welcome way.
• series - Which further distinguishes Discovery as blazing its own path.
• character - Detmer might end up feeling the most organic use of background characters in the foreground this season, though the Reno twist is my favorite, as it has far more potential.
• essential - The plot advances on a few levels, one in a very unexpected but very welcome way.

Star Trek: Discovery 4x10 "The Galactic Barrier" Review

rating: ***

the story: The crew reaches, well, the Galactic Barrier.

review: They aren't looking for God!  I know any fans (who are probably shuddering to do so, given its terrible and not totally earned reputation) making the association with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier can't help but think exactly that (but we still haven't identified Species 10C!), so let's just get that out of the way.

For me, the season just keeps getting better with these latest episodes.  I really wanted to grant "classic" status to this one, but decided it lacked the killer moment(s) that would truly warrant it, except for a wealth of character moments, chiefly among them Tarka's surprising backstory and Burnham burying the hatchet with President Rillak (finally putting her name in these reviews!), plus Saru in arguably his first real character arc, continuing along the journey to finding love with T'Rina (the actors playing all these recurring characters are omitted from the "notable guest-stars" section in large part because Discovery's use of such characters, from the first season onward, has been so much more steady than even Deep Space Nine's deep roster ever managed; I've instead been employing, for this series, the appearances of famous actors, which is why Oded Fehr regularly appears in it despite the fact that Vance is otherwise indistinguishable from the frequency of use as the others).

But Tarka!  Unexpected!  To say the least!  A very welcome one indeed, kind of the reverse of Lorca, in that he appeared to be a basically villainous character and now we see, apparently, that he's actually a good guy (mirrored by Rillak's arc, of course) looking for a little redemption.  For me it elevates the whole season, in addition to other pieces of the episode, including the delegate who cracks funny so randomly early on.  Often the series can labor on a fairly dour tone, when it's so often at its best in characters like Reno or the brilliant scientific minds getting to sound brilliant (I honestly don't believe any incarnation of the franchise has so successfully pushed science as being this cool, not since the original series, which famously did so with the introductions of so many gadgets like the transporter and communicator).

So an episode that doesn't seem overly eager to advance the season arc instead pushes all the right character buttons, which itself has been a significant goal of the season.  

criteria analysis:

• franchise - This is where I "deduct a point" in the inconclusive experience with the galactic barrier, which would itself have been the big deal in most other versions of this story.
• series - This is how confident the storytelling is, that it can hit that note without obsessing over it, because there's more to focus on, so much so that Kovich can actually suggest there's more stuff to worry about besides the DMA without giving so much as a hint as to what it is!
• character - Tarka, who wins distinction as a recurring character who essentially has his own episode, more directly than Airiam in the second season, more like Nog from Deep Space Nine.
• essential - It's the deft handling of all the characters that helps the episode shine, when there had been points earlier in the season where this much emphasis nearly sank the storytelling.

notable guest-stars:

Oded Fehr (Vance)

David Cronenberg (Kovich)

Star Trek: Discovery 4x9 "Rubicon" Review

rating: ****

the story: Burnham duels with Book on the cusp of Tarka's weapon being deployed.

review: Most fans will consider Wrath of Khan to be the ultimate test of wills in the franchise, and yet for me it has long been "For the Uniform," the Deep Space Nine episode in which Sisko matches wits with Eddington, the security officer who joined the Maquis right under his nose and got away with it.  The whole episode is Sisko trying and failing to get his revenge; Eddington refers to their new relationship as Javert and Valjean from Les Miserables, rather than the Moby-Dick references of Khan and First Contact.  

And anyway, watching the maneuvering between Burnham and Book in "Rubicon" feels gloriously to par with that.  The feeling of betrayal has been a major part of the season since Book split off with Tarka, and Burnham couldn't fathom how this had happened, and ever since the season has been referencing a period from just after the start of the previous season that viewers never actually got to witness, the time where they shared adventures together before the rest of the Discovery crew showed up in the 32nd century.

(Other viewers have been keeping track of what exactly Species 10C, who set up the DMA, has been mining, which is Voyager's omega particle; Tarka's weapon runs on the same isolytic weaponry featured in Insurrection.  I don't often feature enough details in these reviews.  But I like franchise links, and it's definitely worth referencing that. The mining nature of the DMA evokes not only the classic "Devil in the Dark," but Nero in Star Trek, although of course there are still plenty of episodes left in the season to wait and see what Species 10C is actually like; the naming scheme for them also evokes Species 8472, also from Voyager.)

I'm dubbing the results a classic for that reason.  I don't think the episode is overall as crisp as other Discovery entries I've granted that status, but I think the thrill of the encounter is good enough, something the season has been chasing, and also badly needed, to nail the arc, and to give weight to Book, his arc, and even Burnham, who to this point had been defined by relationships with characters like Georgiou, Spock, and Tyler, all of whom ended up going in their own directions.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - Fans should see welcome echoes in the showdown at the heart of the episode.
• series - One way or another "Rubicon" advances the season arc in a definitive way.
• character - Probably a defining moment for both Burnham and Book.
• essential - Wait, what am I saying, probably?  Absolutely!  It absolutely is!

notable guest-stars:

Oded Fehr (Vance)

Star Trek: Discovery 4x8 "All In" Review

rating: ***

the story: Burnham and Book pursue their separate goals at the same poker table.

review: I loved that the episode hinges on a (space) poker game.  As a franchise fan, it evokes Next Generation too easily to be ignored, and unlike that series, it's a game with truly high stakes.  While the episode sort of coasts along, that sequence, and how lively Burnham is (arguably the most lively she's been to date, in the whole series), it's very easy to love.  I think if the creators were paying attention to this production, they may've stumbled upon something very crucial to the continuing adventures of this crew.

It's a waltz, really, between Burnham and Book.  Book is an incredibly reluctant villain at this point, and for whatever reason once again reverting to a lethargic persona, which has been crushing his appeal all season.  Call it malaise, PTSD, or just uninspired acting, but it sets off Burnham's energy as never before, so I guess there's some positive to it.

Star Trek visits another attempt at the Star Wars cantina, and with all the moody (read: very, very dark) lighting, it's hard to really get into it, but the guy with all the goods is nothing like Quark in Deep Space Nine (but, and this is relevant because there's a Founder in the episode! Odo never let him get away with quite this much), and adds the same kind of energy as Book's other running mate, Tarka (although even he doesn't have much to do this episode), and Vance, who arguably has his best appearance to date feeling rotten he put so much faith in that guy.

The sequence with the bot Culber won't just clean like it desperately wants to is a nice touch, too, and how everyone finds what they're looking for, including the location of the unknown species and what their actual (probable) motivations are is handled so well, if Book hadn't turned so stubbornly into Eeyor I would've really loved this one.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - It feels like a nod to Next Generation, that epic (space) poker game.
• series - Several big developments for the season arc this episode.
• character - Arguably the most fun Michael Burnham has ever been.
• essential - Taking everything down a notch is the gloom in both the cinematography and the general character of Book.  

notable guest-stars:

Oded Fehr (Vance)

Star Trek: Prodigy 1x10 "A Moral Star, Part 2" Review

rating: ***

the story: We find out the Diviner's motivations.

review: The internet very troublingly suggested there might actually be merit to the Diviner's actions, that they represent a viable alternative look at the Federation.  I'm here to state categorically, as presented in this episode, this could not be farther from the truth.  He's no different from Nero in Star Trek attempting revenge without the least bit thinking it out, lashing out like, well, a villain.  

To put it simply, the Diviner is a time traveler who is attempting to gain revenge on the Federation for his homeworld's first contact, which led to a devastating civil war.  The Diviner assigning blame to the Federation, rather than his people, is absurd.  We've seen nothing noble about this guy, no redeeming quality, not even love for his daughter Gwyn (instead a possessiveness hinged only on her representing one last member of his species, after himself).

So that's what we learn this episode.  Very begrudgingly, he reveals all this to Gwyn, even as the rest of the good guys are mounting a plan to get the ship back.

The clever thing the episode does is tell the viewer what it needs to know, but prevent the characters themselves from knowing, which leaves a climactic moment free to leave an explosive dangling plot for when the series picks back up again in the fall.  We think they won!  They're getting what they wanted!

Well, careful what you wish for...

The episode ends as we meet up with the real Janeway, who will hopefully help all of us solve the mystery of what exactly happened to Chakotay.  Truthfully, I've watched the last few episodes expecting to learn something, anything, about that, but the series itself went in a different direction.  I really do hope the Diviner arc is over, at least with his active participation, at least in the snarling role he's had.  

criteria analysis:

• franchise - The sort of amazing that I want is perhaps a little impatient.  It doesn't want to wait so long for Chakotay.  
• series - One way or another, this is a definitive turning point for the series.
• character - He turns out to be very much a villain, but at least we get to see why the Diviner is one.
• essential - Hey, and they even have their own nifty uniforms now, too, I might add.  The show has found its stride.