Taking their Trek through space far beyond any era we’ve seen in Star Trek, the flagship show Discovery wrapped it’s third season earlier this year and to celebrate, our last issue of Comms took the deepest of dives into the season with reviews, analysis and special features of the crew’s discovering the wonders and threats of the 32nd century.
Strange new worlds and breaking past the final frontier is star Trek’s domain. For Discovery, it’s third season took that to the extreme as the crew ventured beyond their comfort zone, beyond everything they knew to explore the future of the Federation. The third season for Discovery was a new beginning. Again. The show has reinvented itself more than once in it’s just three-season run, from a prequel pilot before even seeing the titular ship, to having a captain who represented everything Starfleet push for a new beginning in it’s second season.
Following the mystery of the Red Angel, the threat of control and the intrigue of a seemingly minor plot – the Sphere data – Discovery’s crew launched themselves far away from danger and into the far future; starting another new era for the ever-evolving show.
In our Disco Inferno issue of Comms, we take a look at every aspect of the season with all thirteen episodes under review one by one to talk about what worked and what didn’t throughout the season. Plus we add some Trek Trivia from each eposide and look at how they connect to the wider Trek world.
Aside from individual episode reviews and trivia, our DoFC looks back at the bigger picture in how each episode connects and the season story plays out as it re-introduced a familiar world in unfamiliar ways…
In giving us a new feel for the future, the writing tea did a good enough job of showing us how this disaster caused a power imbalance. All the familiar worlds we saw were still ticking over, but the Federation weren’t Kings off the Land any more. The Emerald Chain was; a combination off Orion and Andorian’s who took advantage of a destabilised galaxy for their own agenda. For a show pitched as “wagon train to the stars” back I the 60’s, this felt like the wild west. Everyone within it had grown up with the burn,, that hope the Federation or any government offered never existed in their lifetime. It was a galaxy of survivors and desperation.
Our full breakdown includes our first impressions of the 32nd Century and how it helped to offer new challenges to the Discovery crew; a look at the Burn and how the myth was revealed; how the creew’s mission expanded with new faces and more including the struggle for the Captains chair and how Discovery’s core values of hope and redemption come full circle towards the season climax.
Mmbers can discuss further at Starbase Europa or our members Discovery Spoilers & Discussion group. Full information iis available in the Members Hub.In addition to our sdeason reviews, we’ve also thrown in a bunch of freatures celebrating the third season and the new elements of the Trek world it offered to us including;
- By The Book: A breakdown of the new additions to the Discovery cast and how they fit into the show.
- For The Uniform: A bonus final edition of the running feature focusing on the costumes of the 32nd Century
- Tomorrows World: Analysing the new technologies showcases in the season from the Tri-Comm to Programmable Matter.
- It’s About Georgiou: Our running feature focuses on the departing Emperor and where she may show up down the line.
- Number One Choice: While we all had our eye on the Captains Chair, we look at who stood by their side.
Elsewhere in the issue we also look at Star Trek Online’s Janeway Class as it becomes the first 32nd century ship to arrive in the game; Get inspired to look back at all the goods guys that wore the Admirals uniform before Vance in our Fistful Of… regular feature and as we look ahead to the farthest incarnation of Starfleet we’ve ever seen, dedcide to look back to when it was taking it’s first big leap into the unknown as our Retro Review looks at Enterprise pilot Broken Bow.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Disco Inferno” font_container=”tag:h5|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Anton%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]
As always Comms is filled with loads more, from a look around the Star Trek Universe with Lower Decks heading to Prime, Picard to home release and the movie franchise getting a lifeline as well as production struggles during the pandemic. We also look ahead to Strange New Worlds with Number One taking the Spotlight in Who Is….?
Elsewhere oin the wider world of geeky media, we also focus on The Expanse’s fifth season, look back at The Mandolarian’s second outing, the launch of WandaVision and more including a review of the Challenger: Final Flight documentary following the anniversary of the tragedy.
Plus we have our usual game and look reviews, COmic Book Spotlight and a round up of SFCQ2’s year as Churchill’s CO gets put under the microscope in Meet The Fleet!
Comms is available to all members of SFCQ2 now with both the latest issue and our archive available to all registered logged in members. And as we don’t believe fandom comes at a premium, both Comms and SFCQ2 Membership is completely free!
Members can read or download Comms at any time. If you’d like to join SFCQ2, Enlist Today and find out more!
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Behind the Viewscreen: Jerry Goldsmith
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[Treknology] Tea On Demand. The Replicator.
Trekking across the universe needs powerful engines to traverse the vastness of the Galaxy, devastating weapons to survive perilous territory, and all the trinkets to explore every inch of the unknown while making new friends among new civilisations. But the future Star Trek creates isn't just shaped by the tools of the trade for Starfleet and it's various allies and enemies. Some of the more incredibly technologies come from the mundane day to day necessities. Unlike a lot of Trek tech, the Replicator took a while to develop. In the original series food synthesisers were a simple hole in the wall system. Put a card in, open the door and it's dinner time! By the time the Next Generation took over, the hole in the wall had a more appealing visual look and functions that would carry through nearly every […]
Inside Trek/Outside Trek: Colm Meaney
To the entire Star Trek Universe, Colm Meaney will forever be remembered as The Chief. Making his first appearance in The Next Generations pilot as a background character, Meaney soon found himself in the rotating guest cast for the Next Generation as the character O'Brien was fleshed out and used to bridge the next spin off when he became part of the core cast of Deep Space Nine. Becoming a favourite as the mild mannered transporter chief, O'Brien solidified his place in Star Trek history in Deep Space Nine thanks to Meaney bringing a grounded, working-class style into the collection of officers and diplomats around him, kicking and cursing at broken down equipment in DS9's pilot episode and continuing to bring the most human character as a father, husband, mentor and overworked fixer of all things. Beyond Star Trek, […]
[For The Uniform] The Pioneers: Mid 22nd Century
Giving us a glimpse of Starfleet's formative years, Star Trek Enterprise embraced a world before colourful uniforms, flashy computer panels and creature comforts all around. Set a century before Captain Kirk's five year mission and focused on the first line of Starfleet ships built to take on the final frontier, the show focused on Starfleet's first steps into becoming what we all knew and loved.... Offering a dramatic shift in visual identity, Enterprise took a massive step back from the comfortable styles of the Next Generation, and even further away from the colour coded optimism of the original series. Instead of bold colours and hidden zips, designer Robert Blackman took inspiration from his own century, using Enterprise's timeline to bridge the style gap between Kirk's era and our own.Taking inspiration from NASA's flight suits, Starfleet's were idealised as the next […]
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It's been a long road getting from last year to here. But finally Comms is here! And it's the end of an era in more ways than one.
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