***This review contains some spoilers***
Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
After two seasons of trying to be some type of “Star Trek” prequel, “Star Trek: Discovery” seems to have finally found its place in the Star Trek universe by essentially becoming a sequel series. However, it’s a bumpy ride, with an unfocused plot and some odd character moments.
The show took bold leap at the end of last season, and sent Discovery and its crew over 900 years into the future. We quickly learn that things took a few bad turns over the centuries, and something called “The Burn” essentially left the Federation as a shell of its former self. There’s some good material here for a season-long plot, but the execution is lacking. The focus moves from Michael trying to find Discovery, to the crew trying to find what’s left of the Federation to finding out what caused The Burn. And everything is driven by Michael’s almost-obsessive insistence that she knows what’s best. She goes rogue quite often, and oddly enough, reaps the rewards when it’s all said and done.
As far as the other characters go, not many of the regulars get a ton to do. Saru gets to step up and be the official captain, but we’ve seen him as acting-captain enough that it’s not that big of a deal. Ensign Tilly’s promotion to acting-first officer was an interesting choice, but it feels a bit unearned and the plot has to work extra hard to justify that choice. Empress Georgiou has always been a fun wildcard character, and continues so here. Her arc takes a strange twist, and while it’s interesting to see how much she’s evolved, the show bends over backwards to write her off the show. (Presumably to get her the Section 31 spinoff she was supposed to get.) There’s some odd character stuff with minor characters, like where it looks like something sinister is going on with Lt. Detmer, (only for it to turn out to be PTSD), or the Commander Nhan character getting added to the main cast and then just written off after not doing much of anything. We do get to see a much softer side of Lt. Commander Stamets, as he takes on a mentor/fatherly role.
The object of his newfound affection is the new character of Adira. While it’s a decent addition to the show, they bring a lot of baggage to unpack, and having them being able to see their dead boyfriend is an odd choice, even if it works within the joined-Trill logic. It takes almost half the season to introduce the big bad, and Osyraa was mostly underwhelming. While her ultimate goal ended up being fairly-noble, and the end of the day she ended up just being evil and the benevolent storyline seemed to get dropped. And even though he came off unlikable at first, Admiral Vance grew into a solid character.
By moving the stories to the far-future, “Star Trek: Discovery” no longer has to worry about contradicting established Star Trek lore. Unfortunately, an unfocused plot and a somewhat low-stakes mission keep things in first-gear for most of the season. A second-rate villain and a bizarre plot revelation for The Burn mystery almost cause the season to fizzle out at the finish line.
**1/2 out of *****