aunching as a two part story, Discovery’s final season looks to be reinventing itself for the last time by dropping all the background drama for a more uplifting mission this time round. Where last season felt like things were settling down – perhaps a little too quickly – with the Species 10C story bringing together the fractured factions of the Federation past and present, the story veered more into the style of classic slow-burn sci fi.
In just two episodes it feels like they’re ready to do what Discovery’s always done best while doing something it’s largely avoided; following another mystery but this time finding the time to have fun. So far the 32nd century feels very sombre, not helped by a pacing that mirrored films like Contact or even The Motion Picture itself. Within the opening moments it feels like the shows ready to embrace the action and fun we’d seen back in Season 2 as it kick started with a flash of Burnham clinging onto a ship as it races through deep space with a grin on her face despite almost dying.
During the run up to the season premiere both cast and crew used “Indiana Jones” as a comparison. Just watching the opening scene, it was an obvious inspiration and almost homage to Indy racing across the train in Dial of Destiny and in the flashbacks of Indy’s youth in The Last Crusade.
Following the trend, the two episodes lay the groundwork for a mission Henry Jones Jr would instantly sign up for while digging up Star Trek’s own past. Which is actually quite impressive. Not by the premise, but for how up front they are about the mystery this time. While previous seasons would let things linger this one pulls up the file straight away. Once upon a time Captain Picard and other explorers discovered a race they called the Progenitors; an ancient people who spread life throughout the galaxy. This means many species had the same starting point and an ancient genetic marker, giving a link between humans, Klingons, Romulans and more.
In the Next Generation episode’ The Chase’, several factions raced to find the answer to Professor Galen’s (Picards mentor) work. The episodic nature of the show meant that we got to this massive revelation that there was a genetic family that linked half the known galaxy and it never came up again. Until now. That revelation was buried in time and now, centuries later, the mysterious knower of nearly everything Dr Kovich is sending Burnham on a quest to find a Romulan scientists work and recover the technology of the race that started everything.
A mysterious ancient relic? A hung to find it while questionable characters are also looking for the same thing? Yeah. Thats pure Indy Jones. And I kind of love it. What I love more is that for once we’re not teasing the starting point. Bucking the trend of hiding a secret in plain sight, the first two episodes throw out the big answer: What we’re looking for. Who this race is. We even get a skip to the end recap with a picture of Picard as well.
While each episode has it’s own strengths and weaknesses, it’s hard to separate them as they both serve to set up the season. We recap where the characters are – from Stamets feeling irrelevant due to his Spore Drive now being made redundant to Tilly coming on board as a temp with significantly more confident. Even Book getting dragged back works after betraying Burnham. It’s not just her emotional ties to him, but the fact the other group looking for the artifacts are rouges just like him. Insight aplenty.
Also joining the team is Captain Raynor, a bit of a rogue himself who tried to better Burnham and loses everything. Who would seem fascinating as an addition to replace Saru, who’s joining the diplomatic arm of the Federation in order to be closer to T’Rina, but despite the series not having plans to wrap up at the time it was filmed, there is a finality in it all. It might be some post-cancellation editing, but it all feels like one last wild ride while seeding final challenges and happy endings.
Together the episodes deliver a lot of fun showing a lighter direction that Season 4, and just lay the groundwork very clearly to expand on an untouched bit of Star Trek lore. Some stuff feels there for the cool factor – like how to stop a rock slide! – and some stuff feels a little convoluted. Saru made a point about second chances, but Raynor still seems a bit of a dick when where are better options for XO
But overall this merged the best of both worlds. The insanity of overpowered 32nd century world building, while reinjecting Discovery with a sense of joy that seemed to have been sterilised with the jump to the future.
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[Retro Review] Errand of Mercy
Relations between the Federation and the Klingons are in tatters and the prospect of an all out war casts a shadow over the region. To help prepare for the worst, Kirk and the Enterprise are sent to Organia, a planet populated by inherent pushovers right on the border between Federation and Klingon space. With the prospect of the Klingons getting a foothold that would help their war efforts, Kirk's job is to negotiate a protection order, getting the Organians on their side before the Klingons annexe the planet as a launching pad for conflict. Problem is, the Organians are hardcore pacifists and their native tech is limited. They don't want to be part of any war, and they don't want to change their values to resist. Which becomes a bit of a problem when the Klingons arrive ready to occupy the […]
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