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.
About the author
A Fistful of SNW Episodes to Rewatch Before Season 3.
In just a matter of weeks we'll be off to venture more Strange New Worlds as Captain Pike and the Enterprise crew return for their third season. Last we left them, the crew were in the middle of a Gorn crisis as a personal mission that could risk all out war resulted in the crew being split in two with half safe and sound on the Enterprise with the others in enemy hands with Pike left to decide what happens next as all odds are against them. It's been a long wait since seeing Pikee staring into space trying to decide on the next move. Especially with writers strikes pushing back filming. But now we're almost there, we've picked out some key episodes to rewatch ahead of the launch! Hegemony (S2E10) May be an obvious one, but with Season 3 […]
What If…. there was no Next Generation?
On the announcement of a new Star Trek show there was a lot of pushback. Most were excited at the idea of a new era, but some felt a new rehash of the concept was a mistake. It'll never work. The dynamics weren't right. They'd missed the point of what Star Trek was. It wasn't in the spirit of what came before. The casting was wrong, none of the new cast seemed likable It was doomed before it even began. And no, this wasn't Discovery. Nor the series of films introducing an alternate reality that played on the idea of Kirk and Spock fulfilling their destiny despite their radically changed origins. This was 1987 before the Star Trek Universe even existed. As of now (June 2025), Star Trek as an overall franchise consists of 818 episodes of live action over […]
The Final Frontier for Strange New Worlds & A Legend Revived! Across the Universe June 2025!
As we wait impatiently for the launch of Strange New Worlds third season, and the resolution to the dramatic cliff-hanger that saw the Enterprise crew separated in a battle against the Gorn, Paramount has given the bittersweet news that the series end is in sight by announcing earlier this month that it's fifth season would be it's last. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqPH7UhKYI In a joint statement, the executive producers – Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers – focused on the adventures to come whilst being thankful for the journey so far. “ “We’re deeply grateful to Paramount+ for the chance to complete our five-season mission, just as we envisioned it, alongside our extraordinary cast and crew. And to the passionate fans who’ve boldly joined us on this journey.” Some time and a couple of Hollywood strikes ago, SNW's third and fourth […]
[Retro Review] Timeless. Voyager S5E06
Voyagers mission was to find a way home. And Harry Kim found one. Using found slipstream technology as well as time sensitive components to make it work, Kim proposes a risky plan to build the drive and race the crew home. When his space bestie Tom points out it's a stupid plan due to variables they haven't been able to counter, Captain Janeway give sit the rubber stamp anyway on the condition Chakotay fly ahead in the Delta Flyer with Kim so they can feed back course corrections so Voyager doesn't explode. Thankfully, it doesn't explode. Yet fifteen years later, Chakotay and Kim are the sole survivors of the mission; the Flyer being small enough to navigate the slipstream variances while Voyager was thrown out of the stream and crash landed on an ice planet, killing the entire crew. Now […]
Meet The Fleet Support: Final Positions Confirmed.
For anyone who'd missed it in previous Fleet Alerts or announcements; one of our main goals in 2025 was to build a new support team for Q2. Since our mass fleet redevelopment ten years ago, we've seen things changes, people come and go and the entire landscape of humanity shift twice while the franchise that brought us all here to begin with grew and evolved multiple times. Enter Fleet Support. At it's heart, SFCQ2’s Fleet Support division has been designed to aid and supplement membership opportunities and solidify a helpful, informative and supportive structure. Each role acts as a secondment to allow members to continue to be an active part of their unit while representing and supporting the fleet at an ‘HQ’ level. While we figured out two of the five positions fairly quickly, the two roles we've been most […]
[Ships of the Line] The Einstein Class / Kelvin Type
A relic of one of Starfleet's lost experimental era's, the Einstein Class was in service into the 2230's as a replacement for the Daedalus explorers. Going back to a more traditional saucer for the ships primary hull, a core feature of Starfleet's first exploration vessels, the NX Class, it was a larger and chunkier configuration to allow more internal for an adaptable range of mission specifications. Similar to standard scout ship designs, such as the USS Archer, the Einstein featured a singular warp nacelle protruding below the wide saucer housing two semi circular dual warp coils powered by four reactors allowing the vessel to reach warp 7 speeds with it's base early 23rd century configuration. While similar designs had limited and condensed warp drive housing, the Einstein hosted a secondary hull connected above the saucer via a thick spine; the […]
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...
