Where No Series Has Gone Before: A Star Trek- Discovery Review
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Season one of Star Trek: Discovery was a little turbulent; that goes without saying.
In fact, there were a few episodes- including the opening two-parter- which seemed to do everything they could to distance themselves from the franchise in which they claimed to belong. Of course, by the end of the season, there were some explanations for some of the inconsistencies, but by and large it was Trek in name only.
Never would I have expected that the second season of the very same show would be some of the best Star Trek I’ve ever seen.
As I write this opening, we are two days away from the season finale. Yes, I decided that the review couldn’t wait, and neither did it hinge on how all these things come together. Regardless of how Thursday’s episode wraps things up, it won’t change the fact that this has been one of the most exhilarating seasons of television in recent history.
Changing Course
If season one can be accused of veering too far from the franchise- my uncle, the biggest Trekkie I know, said that The Orville was more Star Trek than season one of Discovery- then season two could likewise be accused of diving head first into the mythology.
But that’s not a complaint; far from it. It brought us glimpses of the Enterprise (and that redesigned bridge is gorgeous), Klingons with hair, and fantastic new additions to the cast, including brilliant portrayals of Spock and Pike via Ethan Peck and Anson Mount (seriously, if we don’t get a Captain Pike spin-off, CBS has gone mad). We’ve even spent time with the elusive Section 31, and with it, Control. But we’ll get to that.
Frankly, Discovery season two finally tapped into the power of having a continuous narrative course for the season, and it has only improved with each additional episode.
