Just as Michael Burnham had crash landed out of the vortex and into the future, so too does Discovery. But where it’s science officer experienced isolation and uncertainty, Discovery’s crew venture into the 32nd century in a far better position; they still have each other.
Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Written By: Michelle Paradise & Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman
Doing back to back stories of the outsiders venturing into an unknown landscape could seem repetitive. Thankfully the story was fresh enough, with a more balanced perspective pushing it forwards and a focus on the rest off the crew instead of one lost in time.
Exiting the wormhole in the future, Discovery’s crew find themselves nosediving into a planet below. With the battle against Control still fresh, and the now understaffed sickbay overwhelmed with the fallout off that conflict, Detmer managed to steer the ship to relative safety on the surface, but the impact is still felt. For Detmer, that meant crashing to the floor in a traumatic head injury while the ship takes on damage beyond their ability to repair it themselves. Whats worse is that they’ve landed inside parasitic ice thats growing and enveloping Discovery and if they don’t fly away soon, the pressure from the ice will crush the hull and leave them all for dead.
Requiring rubidium to fix her up, Saru sets his crew to work on the repairs as he ventures out yonder. By chance, the planet has enough to mine from and settlements nearby look to be the best place to get the parts they need. What he finds is more akin to the old west than a future haven and there’s no sheriff in town.
The episodes main plot was layered in Western vibes fitting of a show half pitched as a space western back in the 60’s. Right down to Saru and Tilly following a mysterious figure only to be transported to the local hub; a saloon where the miners would hang out. In contrast to Burnham being an outsider whisked away for the ride, Saru shows his cool and controlled side, slowly learning about this new world and what it has to offer while calmly trying to negotiate. But like any backwater town in a Western that looks to be in a slump, thats all caused by a looming shadow; Zareh, who’s been fleecing the colony for years with no Federation or Starfleet to stop him.
One of the more cliché parts of this meeting between Saru and the locals was Kal, a young idealist who hopes that one day Starfleet will be back to save them. That is what Saru’s presence represents, more of that hope. But of course, as Zareh arrives his hopes point towards a swift death sentence and Saru has to hold strong against what should be an easy baddie to beat; but one with weapons and tech well beyond Saru’s knowledge.
Mirroring Burnham’s entry, Saru’s understanding of the 32nd century becomes less frantic and generally a lot more low key. He and Tilly learn of the dilithium shortage because they have it, and it’s all they can trade with. And of course, if they have it, Zareh wants it which ties it all together nicely and gives them a reason to have conflict. He also has Georgiou who defies orders to stay on board Discovery and not start a fight. So of course she blatantly ignores Saru and does the one thing his Starfleet diplomacy can’t; kick the teeth out of the bad guy and help save the day.
Aside from a different introduction and landscape for Saru’s welcome to the future, the dilemma on Discovery helps break up the tension of the story and double down on creating a distance between the two opening episodes. The interactions from the crew are a lot of fun from the start, from Georgiou’s snark to Reno just being, well, Reno. Nahn seems to be fully pulled into the crew dynamic as she tries (and fails) to keep Georgiou in check, and there are some serious sides with Detmer showing signs of trauma, but thats buried within a good chunk of comedy. Particularly with Reno pairing up with a reluctant Stamets who she has to guide through repairs after throwing her back out.
Hanging the comedy moments in there made this entry into the future a lot more fun and exciting with Tig Notaro and Anthony Rapp being a standout duo that needs significantly more screen time together. IT also highlighted the core of the crews close relationship, which began forming once the crew escaped the shadow of Lorca back in the first season and has slowly progressed into a group who care about and have fun with each other. As it should be considering they all chose to go on this magical mystery tour into the future and leave their lives behind.
The teases off what happened to the Federation were few as the immediate learning experience for Saru was knowing that Dilithium was in short supply; making Discovery’s own dilithium vault a valuable target. But where Burnham’s hope was finding a quiet remnant of the Federation, the theme here was all about Saru standing tall in the face of danger and showing that, even if it’s just one old ship, Starfleet was alive, well and here to help. Even if he did need a little bit of backup from a morality free Terran who couldn’t help but charge in with fists and feet flying.
Overall it was a nice touch to show the Discovery crew pulling together to get out of a crisis before finding their feet in the 32nd century; showcasing each of their strengths and togetherness while showcasing the strength of leadership we’ve seen Saru begin to build ever sinnce saying his parting words to Lorca.
The ending was a bit predictable. Thankfully. As Discovery struggled to break free from the evil ice thingy, a mysterious ship jumps in to help them and hey! Burnham! Due to timey wimey shenanigans they left the wormhole at different times, so she’s been waiting a year hoping they’d show up. Which is a bit of a relief. Sure, it might have been cool to have each side searching for the other for a few episodes and show how much they miss not being “whole”. But the last thing we need is to spend half the season wondering when they’ll cross paths and now everyone together, we can begin to explore the new world.
Far From Home was a fairly good companion piece to the first episode; just with a lot more fun to join the tension and the chance to give the rest of the crew their own spotlight.
Full Season Reviews will be available in our next issue of Comms. To find out more about Comms of SFCQ2 Membership, Enlist Today!
About the author
Resistance Is Optional: Choose Your Adventure!
Our trials of bringing the fleet together have been hit and miss with scheduling and dates being a bit slim. So we're opening the floor to the fleet to pick the next date and theme! You can make your selection below on what works best for you ahead of our next fleet event! The final outcome will be shared at Europa on Facebook and in Fleet Alert in the Officers Hub as soon as we have a comfortable number of notes. For more information or to get direct updates on non-Discord online events, you can the subscribe to Twitch channel, visit twitch.tv/sfcq2. Google Meets events are hosted by our google account - you can add sfcquad2@gmail.com to your whitelist to ensure direct notification. Info and invite confirmations may also come from jt@sfcq2.com directly.
Sixty Year Mission…
It's been a really weird year already for the world of Star Trek fans. We started 2026 with a new venture into a strange new future with Starfleet Academy. Then just as the show had won people over, we found out it's the latest in a long list of recent productions to get a cancellation order, is a bit of a weird way to start the 60th anniversary of a legendary franchise. The past few years we've kind of spoiled. Growing up it was exciting to have Deep Space Nine run alongside the Next Generation. In modern times we had multiple shows going at once with Discovery's launch spawning a new world of story telling from revisiting Picard in his post-Starfleet years, to animated comedy with Lower Decks, to finally telling the story of Captain Pike and even a peek […]
[Retro Review] Let This Be Your Last Battlefield
Often shown in highlight reels and quoted in discussions about Star Trek's more forward thinking messages, Let This Be Your Last Battlefield is at it's simplest, a story of the ridiculousness of segregation. En route to a vital mission of mercy, Kirk and his crew end up in the middle of a political minefield. Interrupted in the mission by a stolen Federation shuttle carrying an injured alien, Lokai from the planet Cheron, they're soon further interrupted by Commissioner Bele, an official representing Cheron who announces Lokai as a political traitor and demanding custody. One asylum request later, Kirk's stuck between the two trying to find the right course of action knowing he has orders to follow beyond the situation. The separation between Belle and Lokai is a simple context. And also a strangely charged one looking at it from a […]
[Treknology] The Holodeck
An immersive experience in itself, the Holodeck is one of the many creature comforts that help bring comfort and entertainment within the life of a starship years from home that not only acts in creating a live action gaming environment, but as a useful tool for educational simulations, experiments and the occasional Hirogen nightmare! The holodeck is a complex device. Essentially a simulated environment generator, the holodeck is usually a vast room that used a combination of forcefields, matter replication and visually manipulative holographic systems to create an immersive environment that one or multiple people can use to not only see and hear, but physically interact with. Able to replicate anything from historical settings to an entirely original landscape, the holodeck ios Knightmare in ultra high resolution without a headset or guide, but a physical interaction with a created world […]
A Fistful of Sisko
In the past few years, Star Trek has made several nods to it's past. But while The NExt Generation and Voyager had their continuations, Deep Space Nine continued to 'black sheep' of the family with it's history and name drops being few and far between. Until Academy when we had an entire episode based around the legend of Starfleet's most complex captains. Starting his show as a widower and single parent, Benjamin Sisko started his time in Star Trek as a reluctant hero turned religious icon who's become a prime figure in Bajoran history, the Federation-Dominion war and much more. If you missed his series, first of.... why?! And also, if you want a quick intro - here's our Sisko top five to see what the fuss is all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzBkvzPoofQ IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT Season 6, Episode 13 Lets […]
Starfleet Academy to end with with Season 2
Announced first by Variety, it's been announced that Starfleet Academy will end with Season 2. Having just launches in January with the first season finale receiving positive reactions, and it's second season now in post-production following the completion of filming, the announcement comes at an unsurprising time with Paramount undergoing new ownership under Skydance and more business shenanigans with further consolidation in the works with plans to absorb Warner Brothers into the mix. Set in the 32nd century and using Discovery's season 3 'Burn' storyline as a reset point, Starfleet Academy was focused on new original characters who had signed up to be the new stewards of Starfleet's future to rebuild the strength and vision of the Federation. Opening strong, Academy improved throughout it's first season and used it's setting to help strengthen the hopeful vision of the future and […]
Related
Starfleet Academy Welcomes It’s First Class!
The first batch of cast announcements for Academy focused on veteran actors Paul Giamatti and Holly Hunter, the latter in the role of the new Academy Commandant, but now we're getting a full look at the shows first class of cadets as the first five are ready to enlist!
Paul Giamatti joins Holly Hunter for Starfleet Academy!
Looking ahead to the next generation of Star Trek shows, Paramount and Secret Hideout have already began announcing new cast members to lead the Starfleet Academy series coming to the streaming platform in the near future. News of the show has already turned heads with notes that the new academy campus will be the largest seen on TV so far, being filmed in Pinewood';s largest stage in Canada, though in terms of what to fully expect from the young adult drama, things are largely being kept under Red Directive secrecy. However we now at least know who will be leading the new class ahead of the shows production...
[Review] Life Itself…. Discovery S5E10
Trapped between two black holes, the doorway to the Progenitor's legacy is wide open. Discovery's on guarding duty following Burnham chasing Moll inside while the Breen are recovering to take the technology for themselves before a rival faction finds them. With everything to fight for and the chase becoming a race against time, Discovery's crew enter their final house and a bit to end their five season journey.
[Review] LaGrange Point: Discovery S5E09
All the pieces of the puzzle have been put together. Now with the end in sight, Burnham and her crew are on the edge of their greatest discovery. Yet there are still obstacles in the way with Moll and the Breen having taken possession of the combined Progenitor Artifact, the USS Discovery dead in the water and a potential all out conflict in the background. No wonder Rayner keeps pacing....
[Review] Labyrinths, Discovery S5E08
Hidden behind trials, tests and general annoyances that would drive even a sane person a little bit mad, the final piece of the puzzle is in sight. Hidden within an ancient travelling archive of the galaxy's most prized knowledge, the only problem is figuring out what it all means. Arriving at the Eternal Library, Captain Burnham opens the pages of an ancient Betazoid manuscript looking for the final answer only to find herself trapped in a psychological game where she doesn't even know the question...
[Review] Erigah: Discovery S5E7
Answering a distress call sent my Mol and L'ak, Discovery apprehends the treasure hunters only to find themselves staring down one of several Breen overlords looking to get their hands on the duo leading to a potential revival of war against the devestating power of the Breen. As Burnham and Vance look for a diplomatic answer to a fight they can't win, Moll looks for a way to escape (of course!) while Stamets rounds up the troops to try and figure out the final clue, including recruiting a bored and frustrated Book...
