Star Trek : Discovery Episode 1 & 2 Review – To boldly go where no show has been before
Warning this review does contain spoilers of Star Trek : Discovery Episodes 1&2
Star Trek: Discovery’s journey to our screens has at times been turbulent. Originally scheduled to premiere in January of this year, the show’s arrival was pushed back multiple times and for a variety of reasons, whether it be to accommodate Sonequa Martin-Green’s role on The Walking Dead or to regroup after the departure of co-creator Bryan Fuller.
To paraphrase the song “its been a long time comin’, but change is gonna come”
Its been 12 years since Star Trek : Enterprise ended after 4 seasons, largely due to lack of interest from the viewing public. Like Enterprise, Discovery is a prequel making 2 series in a row which the supposedly futuristic series is looking back on its past. But unlike Enterprise, which is set 100 years before The Original Series, Discovery is set only 10 years earlier.
How it begins…..
In the first episode we meet Michael Burham (Sonequa Martin-Green) a first officer on the starship, Stenzhou under the command of her mentor and friend Phillippa Georgiou, played by Michelle Yeoh as a captain with Picard’s steady and good humoured nature.
Burham, a human raised on Vulcan after her parents were killed by the Klingons is a bit of a loose canon and slightly more impetuous than her mild mannered Captain. Despite being raised by Sarek (James Frain) she quite frequently struggles between her human emotions and her rational upbringing.
Vulcan Anchor
Sarak, in case you’re new to canon, is Spock’s father. He was first introduced to us during the original series episode 2×10 “Journey to Babel”. Despite living to well in the 24th Century, he has never previously mentioned raising a human child, but again he didn’t say he didn’t have one either. Interestingly the Vulcan learning pods Michael is shown to use are a design first seen in the Abramsverse, so clearly this show isn’t going to be previous about continuity.
“There’s Klingons on the starboard bow”
That backstory leads Burham into an intergalactic conflict when the Shenzhou runs into a Klingon ship on the outskirts of Federation territory where T’Kumva (Chris Obi) is trying to unite the 24 houses of the Klingon Empire. You’ll notice immediately that the Klingons have been given their own sexy makeover. It amazes me that every time the Klingons are depicted in a series their look is altered. 10 years later in The Original Series the Klingons have lost their head ridges and look more like very tanned cats. In Discovery their redesign means they are now hairless, with massive forehead ridges and purple tinged skin that glows as though to some Klingon day spa.
Aboard T’Kumva’s ship, we’re subjected to long sequences of English subtitled Klingon in which he tries to persuade the other houses to “Remain Klingon” a slogan that series co-runner Aaron Harbarts has acknowledged as a nod to “Make America Great Again”. In the case of the Klingons this means rejecting any peace offered by the Federation.
Bye Bye Rule Book
Burham’s accidental encounter with this group in the first episode leads to some very un-Star Trek like thinking on her part as she insists that the Shenzhou fire on the Klingons first out of an act of self preservation. This suggestion is overruled by Georgiou who believes in Starfleets non-violent principles. So in the first hour of Discovery, the writers have completely thrown the Roddenbury rule out the window, which forbids serious conflict within Starfleet’s supposedly Utopian ranks. While I can hear Trekkie or Trekers gasping all over the globe, it does make for a supremely juicey story-line. This storytelling evolved to see our main protagonist become a full blown mutineer (Riker would never do that)
This decision by Burham shows her clearly unpredictable nature, making her a real wildcard and I’m exciting to see how she goes forward with her character.
“I believed saving you and the crew was more important than Starfleet’s principles” she tells Georgiou “was it logical? Emotional? I don’t know”
Star Trek but not as we know it….
If there was any doubt that Discovery would be the darkest, gritty or most heavily action Star Trek series to date “Battle of the Binary Stars” should put that to rest. Diehard fans may take issue with that development or with the fact that the series doesn’t look like Star Trek. Not only are the ships and uniform designs new (and oh so sexy) but the series has also introduced some new technology, including the use of hologram to communicate (not invented yet) and makes liberal use of lens flare, very Abrams. But there is room in the universe for THIS Star Trek. The episodes do very much feel like a prequel to the prequel, we haven’t even seen the Discovery yet or met its Captain.
Summary
The first 2 episodes feel very uneven, but which pilot Star Trek series wasn’t a little shifty and then turned into a show you couldn’t live without? The difference is with Discovery, CBS or Netflix in the UK is making you pay for the privilege of watching it.
On the whole I thought it was ok. I’m a Star Trek purist, I heart Captain Picard and hate the Abrams movies. I don’t like people messing with canon, but I will stick with Discovery to see how it evolve. I need Star Trek in my life.
Lets see what episode 3 brings, let me know your thoughts on Star Trek Discovery’s first 2 episodes.
Easter Egg
Captain Georgiou has a bottle of Chateau Picard wine in her ready room. Although the bottle is dated 2267, and the episode is set in 2256.
