"Star Trek: Discovery: Season Three" (Blu-Ray) Review (Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Star Trek: Discovery: Season Three Blu-Ray

Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery had the opportunity to be a gamechanger for the entirety of Star Trek. Set 930 years in Kirk's future, it's literally boldly going where no-one has gone before. I will not say the season wasted the opportunity, but the series ultimately did. I feel like Season 3 build the groundwork for an interesting new dynamic in the future Alpha Quadrant, that both Season 4 and 5 didn't bother following up on in any acceptable way. The cast got adjusted TOO easily to the future in those seasons. The Federation’s journey back to greatness was TOO easy past this season. We learned TOO few updates about what life was like in the 32nd Century for many of Star Trek's future aliens like the Klingons.

This had the potential to politically realign the ENTIRE Alpha Quadrant in the Star Trek Universe, and set up Deep Space Nine-level intrigue and drama. And it just didn't. It pisses me off in hindsight, especially because the third season at least understood the assignment.

But Season 3 at least laid the proper groundwork. It would be petty, not to mention improper, for me to blame this season for the series winding up such a disappointment. It did its job setting all of this up okay. The fact that the series ultimately couldn't stick the landing is not really on this season. But beware, my review of Season 4 is going to be unbelievably harsh.

Best episodes of the season are the introduction of the nonbinary half-human, half-Trill character Adira (People Of Earth), the follow-up to the famous Next Generation 2-parter from 1991 (Unification III), and the Mirror Universe conclusion that shockingly turns into the reveal of the return of the Guardian of Forever (Terra Firma, Part 2). Scanning through my reviews I see there are no actual bad episodes this year. Season Overall: ****.

That Hope Is You, Part 1

I remember this episode drove me a little crazy over the air. And it really SHOULD have as it answered SO few questions about the 32nd Century. Frankly, that was a flaw of the entire last three seasons so the show still isn't off the hook for it.

But to see it years later, with every episode following it ready to be viewed is a bit more enjoyable experience. I will probably have a few things to say.

Mark Okrand works on the show with languages now. That's really cool.

The opening scene with the liaison Sahil is amazing for hinting what technological advancements the 32nd Century has to offer, and no lie, the earlier part of Season 3 leaned into that HEAVILY. But as the show went on, the sci-fi stuff seemed to settle back down into recognizable Star Trek stuff, which is understandable. Make things TOO advanced, problems get solved too easily. Boxes the writers in.

The scene attempts to do two opposing things at once: Amaze the viewer and get across how mundane Sahil views this existence. Gotta say, that second thing? Didn’t remotely play. Not when you have a color changing holographic parakeet clock. I do not accept a supposed dreary lifestyle in that scenario.

I love when Michael first meets Book she kicks every square inch of his ass. I also love that her reaction to finding out life exists in the galaxy and that their mission to stop Control was successful is that she screams and weeps in joy.

Sonequa Martin-Green's reactions were great in general in the episode. Her high on the truth serum was hysterical, and I laughed when she was eaten and then puked up by the space worm.

I also love how she and Book decided to fight together. She laughs and says "Oh, man..." and he winks at her. And then they're a team.

I also like when she speculates that since Book's cargo is both valuable and temperature-sensitive, it's probably ice cream.

"Sticky" being the code word is weird, but apt.

It's a cool visual effect that guts and water stick to the camera in a couple of action shots. Especially because neither thing is actually there.

I like that Book has a Very Large Cat. She is named Grudge because she is very large and entirely his. Although if he actually believes the second thing, he doesn't really understand cats. If anything, she owns him.

But she IS a Queen.

A Lurien (Morn's species on Deep Space Nine) is present. Deep Trekkie Cut.

The Gorn destroyed subspace. Strange New Worlds REALLY makes me curious about THAT specific backstory (which I don't believe we ever got.).

Michael fiercely talking about the Federation's ideals showed to Book that she was exactly the same as the zealots he looked down upon. Until maybe the ending.

The last scene is amazing because if you think about it, nothing important happened that day. If King George wrote about it, for once, he'd be right. I mentioned the believers in the Federation had become zealots? Yeah, and sometimes two believers form a religion. And though she's just one person, and the Federation is so far-gone she probably in reality does NOT have the current rank and privileges to offer Sahil a Starfleet commission, them going through the rituals, which he waited his whole life for, meant everything anyways. The thing with the flag and the commission was almost make-believe. Its importance and significance is only shared by Michael and Sahil alone. In reality, it meant nothing. In the hearts and minds of these two lost souls it meant everything. And that is an interesting notion and a scary motion. And on some level, it's a wonderful notion too.

I like this more than I did back in the day, but truthfully, I expected to, so it doesn't get HUGE props for that. Yet. ***1/2.

Far From Home

The episode is pretty much a Western.

The fact that Zareh is literally the second 32nd Century human we meet (after the Liaison Sahil last episode) is provocative. He's a sociopath and everything bad about what humanity "used to" be. He suggests humanity has devolved in Star Trek. That's the message, right?

I'm betting Gene Roddenberry would sure see it that way, and object to it, but I don't see it that way at all. What it suggests to me is that humanity's evolution is the future is not a supernatural or magical thing. There are no underpants gnomes involved in the socialist utopia. Instead, humanity grew and changed because enough progress was being made that they wanted to. Sisko famously said it was easy to be a saint in paradise. And while that is true, it doesn't explain Zareh. What does is the notion that humanity becoming evolved was a real thing, not a fake fantasy thing like Gene Roddenberry said it was, and because it's not our actual bodies or minds that evolved, in a nature vs. nurture scenario, of COURSE plenty of humans are gonna turn out shitty. And that real-world believability makes the idea of Starfleet and a good future credible because it says it's ALWAYS going to be a struggle and the struggle is the part of the human future.

Gene Roddenberry thought it would be comforting to suggest humanity never had to struggle with itself or its inherent ugliness ever again. I found it utterly unrealistic and it made it so I could dismiss his optimism as not just unattainable, but as underpants gnomes shit. Zareh is a part of the question mark between underpants and profit. He's not the answer but he's part of the process. And that's a future I want to fight for. To know that humans still have to face their demons is believable. I want to believe in a future in which MOST of them can successfully do the moral thing. If they ALL can, I don't believe it, because it's not real.

To be blunt, I was on Georgiou's side of wanting to kill Zareh after this was over because it was the safest course of action, and I found Saru's insistence on adhering to Starfleet ideals every bit as dangerous and naive as Captain Georgiou refusing to fire first on the Klingons 100 years ago was. The difference is Saru's foolish mercy impresses the right people who see it. Maybe not Zareh. But he's not the guy they needed to impress.

Nhan seems a little shocked Saru takes Tilly along for the First Contact but I am not. Saru calling her a good example of Starfleet is right, but it's not really saying the reason why she is. When Tilly says them holding the phasers on them is really scary THAT'S why. It's because Tilly is nonthreatening, and for that reason, instantly trustworthy, and makes a good impression to strangers. Jett Reno is ALSO the best of Starfleet. But I sure as hell wouldn't send her on THIS specific mission.

Speaking of Nhan, I have NO freaking idea why Rachael Ancheril is made a series regular here. She actually leaves the show in a few episodes. Considering the dramatic weight Lt. Detmer's trauma is being portrayed as here, Emily Coutts probably would have been a better choice of recurring guest star / featured player to promote to series regular.

Then again, it's not like the series actually knew what to do with that plotline. Star Trek doesn't usual handle trauma portrayals all that well and Detmer was no exception.

I love Georgiou playfully suggesting to the guy to ask why Zareh was gonna get him killed. She having fun and in her element, and it's clear this guy is out of his.

Zareh’s biggest regret in the episode is probably the fact that he never got a rematch with Georgiou. She was pretty much the entire reason he wanted vengeance on Discovery in the first place and by the time he shows up again, she’s already gone. He will AWLAYS be her punkass bitch.

Is Georgiou actually flirting with Linus? That’s pretty hilarious.

Reno being a pain in the ass to Stamets doesn't get old. I love when Gene testily tells him her name she says she's already forgotten it. Jett Reno is the kind of future human being I believe is worth fighting for. Also in her favor is when Culber yells at Stamets in the Jeffries tube, she sticks up for Paul and suggests he's in a bad spot, and Hugh should save it for when he's out of it and safe. Goddam, I love Jett Reno. Where was Star Trek hiding this magnificent woman? And she's human! How great is that?

Fuck it, I'll say it. Jett Reno is not remotely the greatest Star Trek character. But in my opinion, she's the greatest HUMAN Star Trek character, Before I thought that was either Picard or Sisko, but neither constantly surprised me or made me laugh as much as she does. She's amazing.

Bobcat? I don't know. She doesn't know what she's saying because she's on drugs. I adore this chick.

I love her telling Lt. Nilsson they are at "the knee-high ultra of personal satisfaction". Say it just like that. Where has Star Trek been hiding this woman?!

When it comes to Star Trek TV Captains Saru will sadly rank near the bottom of the list. But he's not entirely useless, and higher up than Archer, Janeway, and Lorca because he was still able to get Georgiou to put down the phaser. That's not nothing. She never would have listened to Archer or Janeway and Lorca would have permitted her to kill him. The only other Star Trek Captains I believe could have actually gotten her to lower that phaser are Picard, Pike, and future Captain Burnham herself. Saru managing it despite being Kelpian is especially impressive for that reason.

Speaking of The Burn, the Season sure did The Slow Burn over the air, and it killed me to death from week to week. Years later I understand why I was so frustrated. What absolutely annoys me in hindsight is that I don't feel Discovery properly explored 32nd Century Star Trek at ALL during this season, or Seasons 4 or 5 either. Discovery ultimately sucked because it handed the canon the single greatest twist in Star Trek history, did absolutely nothing interesting with it, and wasted the potentially greatest Star Trek series in history.

Luckily, because it did that, Starfleet Academy pretty much has that Narrative field to itself. But I would have preferred they could have built on the awesome scenarios Discovery should have cooked up. It annoys me they are essentially gonna have to start from scratch. The episode is GOOD frustrating, but it led to the show becoming BAD frustrating. ****.

People Of Earth

I think the moment where Burnham and Saru find out Earth left the Federation is played as heartbreaking for them. "Earth can take care of itself," is the worst thing they could have ever heard from one of their formerly progressive species.

Me? Speaking as a 21st Century Human Bean? I am a bit relieved. Because in 2025 Earth CAN'T do that. Whether or not this is a backwards regression from Burnham's time or not (and it is) it's still leaps and bounds above OURS and something worth striving for. I think that was a clever way for the show to have its cake and eat it too about the Federation's fall from grace. Perhaps humanity itself is still relatively fine. But relative is relative in the galaxy at large.

And the thing that makes it a great twist is both the Roddenberry and Berman eras suggested Earth was the Federation's rock. Other planets within it occasionally struggled, including Vulcan. Earth was the immovable rock the episode refers to. And now... it's just not. I recognized Burnham's despair. It's not for Earth. It's for the Federation. How can the organization that she gave up her entire life and future for possibly come back from losing the ONE thing that always promised would never abandon it? It's a brilliant twist to suggest this is the galaxy's loss, rather than humanity's loss.

Adira being a Trill Symbiont host despite being human is a great twist. One of the few future aspects of the show that led interesting places. Also interesting that the first vibe we get of seeing Adira in that militaristic Earth uniform is that of a Hitler Youth. Very subversive way to introduce them.

Book may hate the uniform, but if you ask me, he cleans up good.

I love when Captain Endoye tries to throw her weight around during the crisis Saru says in that persnickety voice of his that she has no authority on his ship. It's funny because it's true.

Wenn is played by Christopher Heyerdahl who I have always found to be an excellent character actor. He was amazing as a deaf serial killer vampire on “Van Helsing” (don't ask).

Tilly's grief over the loss of everyone they knew is I believe something that should have affected the crew more than it did. The end of them under that same tree 930 years later is a good moment for the crew for that reason. It's amazing that outside of Tilly that Big Moment is largely shared by the recurring featured actors rather than the stars themselves. I love that Discovery gives the bridge officers earlier shows have ignored so much face time and development. I don't know THAT much about Rhys or Bryce. But I know more about them than I do Lt. Raeger from The Next Generation. And that is a very good thing. The tree moment for the crew was beautiful.

The episode being so good kind of makes me miffed. It's like if the revelations of the 32nd Century had come at this pace and been this interesting this would have been the greatest Star Trek show of all time. Because it decided being the greatest Star Trek show of all time wasn't actually a worthwhile pursuit is why I think Discovery was ultimately a shitty show. If it didn't waste all the potential it created for itself, I would never be as furious as I wound up being.

But yeah, this is good stuff. ****1/2.

Deleted Scene

Scenes of Michael engaging in criminal activity. In truth it doesn't matter it was cut because it's neither here nor there, but it bothers me a little that they might have simply cut it because it's bad messaging. But if it is, that's why they ought to have kept it. This season starts off badly and showing why that is is entirely appropriate. ***.

Forget Me Not

Adira has the most interesting backstory of all of the Discovery characters, and their romance with Gray is absolutely sweet.

I think Paul misread Detmer's thing talking about his blood. Because Stamets is a bit of a narcissist at times, he believes it's a joke at his expense. Really, it's Detmer having a psychotic break. And if Stamets were even a slightly more user-friendly person, he would have known that.

You know what though? Dettmer's psychosis turning into anger at him still felt justified. His outrage was through that lens of narcissism and that bit wasn't lost on me either. Plus, he was a dick to Tilly earlier on in the episode so the Old Paul made an unwelcome comeback there.

Honestly, that scene is probably the biggest bit of cringe in Star Trek history. I don’t mean embarrassing cringe like “The Way To Eden” or racist cringe like “Code Of Honor”. I mean in Star Trek characters behaving completely socially awkwardly. They’re humans though, right? That was bound to happen eventually.

It's inexcusable Reno is not present for the dinner. Why isn't she? Because the show could not afford ALL the actors at once. Have how I mentioned before how much I hate Television? I believe It's Been Remarked. That's why.

That dinner was Tuesday at the Tillys, and that's one reason I pity Sylvia Tilly.

If you ask me Trill is in far worse shape at the beginning of this episode than Earth was. Sure, they are friendly to the Federation, but their truth is their former spirituality has devolved into fundamentalism. And I think the galaxy is probably worse off for that.

I miss seeing the late Kenneth Welsh in stuff. The Twin Peaks actor deserved a bigger career than what he got. It’s really cool how warm and grandfatherly Admiral Senna Tal was. Windom Earle was pure nightmare fuel.

Saru always second-guessing himself is why he's in the lower tier of Star Trek TV Captains. Whether the dinner was a fiasco or not (and it was) the group fight was definitely needed.

Really, the dude is seeking out captaincy advice from the ship’s computer. And it’s not the first time he’s done that. It’s kind of pathetic. I never would have done that if I were the writers. Back in Season 1 the writers showed MANY demonstrable ways Gabriel Lorca was a secretly shitty Captain. That’s what this shit does to Saru, except the show actually expects me to root for Saru. Because of shit like that, it’s very hard to at this point. Huge unforced error and probably the biggest example of poor writing in the entire season.

Didn't dig Hugh's narration at the beginning. Ship's logs have always been a weak point on this show. They use them a little too much and for too personal reasons. They usually feel trite. The first five series always believed Less Is More there, and they were right.

The show messed up some Trill continuity. It claims the majority of the Trill capable of joining were decimated in the Burn. But Deep Space Nine's "Equilibrium" provocatively said Trill's dirty secret is that 3/4ths of the entire population was capable of joining. The secret was kept because it would have threatened the stability of the Symbionts and started some weird black market. But the Trill hierarchy definitely knew and so would these guys. The idea that the Burn randomly destroyed most of the 3/4ths capable of joining is actually technically possible. But freaking mathematically improbable and unlikely. Calling it a plothole instead. Especially because the events of "Equilibrium" aren't made to fit, but ignored instead. Definite slip there.

Also, Riker was briefly joined. Adira is NOT the first human to go through this. Although in fairness, almost every aspect of The Next Generation's "The Host" has been completely ignored by Deep Space Nine and any series dealing with the Trill. It doesn't fit with anything else. Neither the look of the Trill nor how the Symbionts worked.

The twist of Head-Gray being present at the end was a really cool idea. It's one of the few weird ideas I believe the show paid off properly down the road.

I have a really hard time imagining a roomful of people in the future laughing uproariously at a Buster Keaton film. Yeah, I just went there. Those old-timey movies are cute and clever, but they are not gutbusters, and certainly they aren't gutbusters for more sophisticated audiences. The show is usually better about pop culture than this.

First appearance of Zora, the A.I. first introduced in the Short Trek "Calypso". The fact that "Calypso" was NOT simply being ignored at this point made it so I was very legit worried about Discovery's future at this point in time. God bless Dr. Kovich / Agent Daniels. A Temporal Cold War Did It.

Solid. ****.

Deleted Scene

I'm guessing it was deleted because this goes over stuff we already knew, and the new information we DO get (that there is no record of a Trill Symbiont surviving a non-Trill host for longer than 96 hours) is neither here nor there. Wise cut. **1/2.

Die Trying

Vance is a much bigger hardass to start out with than I remembered. His instant distrust of the crew shows exactly how the mindset of the Federation has changed.

It's weird, I have a character names Charles Vance in Lace Doilies. That fact is a complete coincidence.

David Cronenberg as Dr. Kovich wound up one of the best additions to Discovery. Discovery has always excelled at human characters, and like the great characters of Stamets, Tilly, and Reno, Kovich is entirely a different kind of human than we met before.

The debriefings were funny, especially Reno's. She wants snacks because she's a person.

I find Kovich's scenes with Georgiou whenever they pair up interesting. Very cat-and-mouse. He is the only person she has never rattled, and the only person who NEVER falls for her manipulations. And the show has value for understanding how interesting it would be to introduce one character who never does either of those things. It's probably the most interesting thing about him in Season Three.

What’s also interesting about Kovich is although Vance acts like he’s in charge, I get the sense Vance might answer to Kovich. Hell, the entire Federation might actually answer to him. Nothing in the next two seasons remotely disproves this idea, but the biggest thing to suggest to me that whatever Kovich says goes is him being the one to debrief Georgiou. Her debrief is literally the most important of ANY of the crew, and filled with landmines no matter how it turned out. And it’s automatically his. That suggest juice BEYOND Starfleet, the Federation, Section 31, or The Bureau of Temporal Investigations. He’s operating on some entirely different level.

And the glasses definitely make him look smarter. They also weirdly make him look more nondescript which is definitely a facet Agent Daniels would be wanting to lean into centuries later.

He had an interesting way to describe the Terran philosophy: “Because I feel like it.” Maybe Terran evil is less due to malice and more to do with selfishness. This suggests a race of beings who are pure id, which is pretty interesting in Star Trek.

Loved the appearance of the Voyager-J. 11th Generation. That’s some serious legacy right there.

We learned more about Barzan this episode than we ever have before. I mentioned there was NO reason for Rachael Ancheril to be made a series regular in Episode 2. It's Episode 5 and she's already gone. Something tells me this exit was last minute due to scheduling conflicts and they initially had a bigger arc planned for her.

I think Hugh is kind of right that Nhan wasn't being honest with the guy, but that's from a human perspective (which I have). She's absolutely right not all species have the same perspective about death.

But frankly, Hugh is being too judgmental about Barzan society. I get he's both human AND a doctor, but this kind of thing is common to the franchise, it's never properly corrected by the other characters, and why the show saying the Federation is a place that accepts all different creeds and beliefs never actually seems genuine to me. During the Next Gen era, the Federation DID admittedly give a LOT of leeway to the Klingons. No other species on any of the other shows were ever given that level of doubt. Hell, the Klingons don't enjoy it in this franchise anymore either. Just something I noticed.

Burnham says Discovery saved all organic life from being destroyed by Control. I don't believe this is as retcon. I believe it's an actual mistake. Control only attempted to destroy all SENTIENT life. That distinction was made a pretty big deal of last year.

Burnham tells Book there is only one “Aye” because they are not pirates. Good line.

32nd Century nuggets. Here we go. What we've learned.

Both Kaminar and Barzan joined the Federation at some point.

There hasn't been an incursion with the Mirror Universe in over 500 years.

Only 38 known Federation planets now, down from 350 at the organization's peak.

This new timeframe is new and exciting and I wish the show had wound up doing better things with it. At this stage of the game things were still promising. ****.

Scavengers

This bit is not actually Saru's fault, but one of the reasons I count him among the lower tiers of Star Trek Captains is because Michael felt license to do what she did. She never would have dared with either Pike or Lorca. To be absolutely fair, she wouldn't have accepted them giving that order either. But she would have bothered brainstorming a third option. She knows Saru is such a soft touch she doesn't need to.

Honestly, I think the demotion is too good for her.

I especially love that Tilly is the one who insists Saru go to Vance about this. Specifically because she loves Michael.

But really, what Michael did was entirely selfish. That’s what angers me the most.

Vance is a thankless role, especially since for most of the season the audience is predisposed to dislike him. Which is why it is not lost on me Oded Fehr is amazing in the role. Finding actors to give great portrayals of admirals is almost a losing battle in Star Trek. Fehr as Vance is literally the best one we’ve ever gotten.

In fairness, Jayne Brooke was also great in the first two seasons. But simply put, not at this level. Plus, as great as Cornwell was, she was great because she worked so well in the field. Vance’s strength is adding gravitas and weight to a guy always riding the desk. That’s a bigger lift in a lot of ways.

Georgiou is great at undercover not just because she lies so easily. But because her harshness scares strangers and gives her authority and benefit of the doubt someone who abided social niceties would never enjoy. I sadly recognize this from real-world sociopaths, but it's interesting this sort of toxicity is working for the good guys for once.

This show has the best design of the Andorians.

The Orion Tolor really has the sociopathic haircut thing going for him.

Grudge is totally a blob. I like that Tilly doesn't like her. Grudge is a far better and more interesting cat than Data’s cat Spot was on “The Next Generation”. I think the quiet joke is that Spot is supposed to be boring, but that’s not how most cats actually are. Grudge has personality. And yes, weight. And her own gravitational pull (great line).

The guy's head exploding was unusually gruesome for this franchise.

Georgiou said the cruel thing she did to Michael at the end because she knows she CAN trust her, and she doesn't like that fact at all. She's deliberately pushing her away for that reason. Michael almost wants to say something back but decides not to at the last second. That was an interesting way for Sonequa Martin-Green to play the scene.

Stamets is adorable with Adira and Gray. Of course, he immediately believes them and I like that Gray digs him too. Gray really seems to be enjoying him in that moment which is fun.

I love the notion that Osyraa made Book's Andorian friend Ryn put the collars on the other workers as a way to turn them against him. That is both very cunning and cruel.

Book screaming in joy at his ship coming in for the rescue is why I watch television. That’s the good shit. I’m there for it.

I do have to point out that on Star Trek: Enterprise it's stated that if you cut off an Andorian's antennae, it will grow back.

The episode uses modern phrases like "You had me at..." and "shit gets real" and "the bomb", which is something the Roddenberry / Berman eras frown upon. I don't actually have a problem with it although the "You had me at..." thing is the most problematic because it's a movie reference.

It’s kind of fun to see the crew geeking out at the new toys at the beginning. The audience enjoys it too, although I have to say it partly feels a bit self-indulgent on the show’s part, and a way for the producers to show off to the audience too. I’m with Bryce in expressing his delight in a very realistic manner (unusually so for characters of color on Star Trek; this is first time I remember Ebonics being permitted) but the truth is the moment almost felt like commerce rather than art. At some point a lot of good franchises wind up selling themselves shamelessly on a good day, and selling out on a bad one. That’s what the Vulcan IDIC pins on The Original Series were actually about. While Playmates never made figures or accessories for these new toys is still feels like merch to me. Just the way it’s handled makes me feel like the show is trying to sell me something.

“You know you’re crazy, right, Matt?” You know I’ve never denied that, right, Reader?

Interesting episode. ***1/2.

Unification III

Who imagined we'd get a direct sequel to a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1991?

Credit where credit is due. I have been EXTREMELY frustrated and angry at Michael's shady behavior all season, and this episode decided that was the point, and had her own mother call her on her shit.

Invoking the quorum she did was presumptuous and vulgar, and I love Gabrielle pointing out that she was trading on Spock's name to emotionally manipulate the Ni'Var. Because that's what she was doing. I HATED Gabrielle Burnham in Season 2. She's now pretty much my favorite person ever.

I love that they brought back the notion of "Absolute Candor" from Star Trek: Picard. I always thought that was a cool notion, and always thought the polarizing first season of that show was actually very underrated.

It is sometimes hard to accept both this show AND Strange New Worlds as an actual part of the Prime Timeline. That Leonard Nimoy footage helped. A LOT.

The monologue is pure brilliance, written by the late, great Jeri Taylor. Spock at his best. It says Picard recorded the conversation. When and how? He wasn't exactly holding a camera on Spock in "Unification II" and it was never mentioned in the episode. Plot hole? Yes. Will I forgive it because I love the moment so much? Also, yes.

I just realized Book has a REALLY nice smile. A girl could fall for it.

I kind of wish the negative political fall-out would have been explored more. I think President T'Rina pretty much was like "Do you understand the damage you will do to us if it turns out SPOCK'S fucking sister is a dissembler?” I wish that had been explored, not just because the idea is fascinating, but because Burnham was essentially dissembling to the quorum anyways because she didn't appear to understand the weight and gravitas of those words. It's good she had Gabrielle to steer her right, but her initial performance was an absolute disaster.

Speaking of T'Rina, while there is no reason or indication I should ship her and Saru at this stage of the game, what I like about their relationship is it reminds me that Saru is a shitty Captain. What he would EXCEL at is being a diplomat. Sometimes you get people great at the Captaincy but shitty at diplomacy (Sisko). Sometimes you get one great at both (Picard and Pike). But truly, Saru's gifts of gentle persuasion belong in an ambassador's role rather than that of a Captain. Doug Jones plays it like the guy is choosing his words carefully and precisely, and even if I don't agree with everything he says (he doesn't know enough about the current Federation to boost it so unequivocally) I feel HE believes them, which is what is convincing. I don't remotely believe the current Federation is benign yet. And I believe he does. That second thing DOES matter in a diplomat, even one who might turn out to be wrong.

But... But... How is Saru SO sure the Federation can be trusted about this? This bothers me because just based upon what we’ve seen, they shouldn’t be. A very unpleasant character facet both Michael and Saru share (and one shared by MANY Star Trek characters, including Jean-Luc Fucking Picard) is their fundamentalist belief in the Federation’s righteousness. It goes beyond actually believing in the organization and often sounds closer to dogmatic zealotry. Worse, as far as Picard was concerned, a LOT of his speeches building up both the Federation AND humanity are racist at their essence when you listen to the words objectively, and how they could potentially come across to the nonhumans listening to them. I’d almost be inclined to say that’s because Gene Roddenberry was a shitty writer and most of Picard’s worst moments of that occurred under his direct watch. But no, Michael and Saru are also the people who chant (or rather parrot) “We are Starfleet!” as if that truly means something. Saru thinks telling you he sells propane and propane accessories tells a person everything they need to know about him. Not even. I have some freaking follow-up questions there.

Here’s something. Michael’s place and worthiness to Ni’Var is in question for the entire episode. Even with the viewer. What I find interesting is that Gabrielle’s placement in the Qowat Milot is never called into question, and the fact that she’s a human is never ONCE held against her. Even from the Vulcan purist. I’m sorry, that society has CHANGED, and for the better. Burnham rattling the cages there feels especially foolish for this reason.

Speaking of changes for the better, T’Rina sharply telling Saru that tragedy and bad times makes people distrust and want to move on from hoary old proverbs is another Vulcan change for the better. For a species that supposedly valued logic over everything else, a LOT of their arguments relied less on science, and more on homilies. I like T’Rina’s discomfort there because it suggests the Ni’Var have evolved enough that this old habit of the Vulcans is currently embarrassing. It also show that as diplomatic as he is being, in his own way Saru is being just as presumptuous about the Ni’Var as Michael is.

Stamets saying it would be weird taking orders from Tilly is his version of Absolute Candor. He's not wrong. It IS disturbing. The expression on his face when she told him was a great reaction shot too.

32nd Century nuggets

Spock's dream of Vulcan and Romulan Reunification was realized. The reunited planet is now called Ni'Var although both Vulcans and Romulans still refer to themselves in those societal terms.

Ni'Var left the Federation a century ago after The Burn. Mostly because they believe Ni'Var caused The Burn because of Federation orders and the Federation couldn't be trusted. Upon finding out Romulans live on what used to be Vulcan and that the Ni'Var left the Federation, Michael foolishly jumps to the conclusion that they were the ones who caused the split. And Vance reveals they were actually the ones who wanted to stay in the Federation, which is awesome, and the kind of awesome thing the show rarely wound up doing with the time jump scenario, especially after this season. It kind of makes sense to me that the Romulans themselves would find themselves serious Federation converts after joining it. Their interactions with both Kirk and Picard suggested more of a curiosity to humanity than outright dislike. What I'm saying is it fits.

I really dug this. ****1/2.

Deleted Scene

Unnecessary, both narratively and dramatically. **.

The Sanctuary

I love that the cat freaks out Ryn. I think cats freak out all of us. "Is it supposed to be a pet?" No Ryn, it considers US that.

Seriously, though Ryn is cool. And once he knows Osyraa is coming, he understands staying on the ship is the safest bet. Detmer's empowerment of him is cool too.

Georgiou's stuff is SO good. I love when Georgiou says if she had the time she'd poison Culber's kids, he retorts that if he had the time, he'd have them.

By the way, Michael? Georgiou DID kill her mom. For the record.

As far as sociopathic Star Trek villains go, Osyraa is on the scarier side. She did that to her own nephew. Worse, she's actually competent. I never got that sense from either Gul Dukat or Kai Winn. That's why she's gonna be legit trouble.

Adira's scene about pronouns with Paul is great. I thought his reaction was very sweet.

Book’s family drama is kind of lame. I don’t like the actor who plays his brother.

On the other hand, Michael telling his nephew he could peel off a piece of Linus’ skin was funny.

Is it just me or does it almost seem like Owosekun seems like she has romantic feelings for Detmer? And maybe vice versa? I don't recall that specific 'ship ever being made canon, but I could be wrong, and it can certainly be read that way anyways.

Georgiou's nightmare flashbacks are kind of vague, but what's cool about them is the story is expanded on in the film Section 31. They were probably vague to give that movie some narrative leeway and I think in hindsight it actually worked.

Saru's handling of Vance shows he remains an excellent diplomat.

I thought it was pretty great. ****.

Terra Firma, Part 1

Georgiou returning Tilly's hug was a big moment.

I love Carl not just because he's funny and awesome. But because of who he turned out to be. The fact that he enrages Michael tells me I'm right to like him. It's ironic and telling Philipa herself doesn't seem to have a negative reaction to his riddles. Because she instinctually understands she is supposed to be here.

I will say this. When Carl shrugs off the things he says as humor, I do have to crossly point out his cute wordplay isn't actually funny. It's not actual humor by any real definition.

Hannah Cheesman plays a non-Cyborg Mirror version of Airiam here.

First time we've seen the Kelvin Timeline cross over with ours. That's pretty cool. When Kovich describes the timeline diverging due to a "Romulan mining ship" I'm like, "Ooooh!" The Yridian we see is the first time we see someone from the Next Gen era in the Kelvin Timeline. Like the other uniforms in those films, this feels a bit "off" as well.

Georgiou's reactions about returning to her time and Universe are interesting because if she was in front of OUR Michael, she never would have done them. She would never directly let Michael know she actually appreciated her and the Federation and wanted it deep down. She's only making the moves she is because nobody she actually knows can see her do it.

Her relationship with Saru is interesting, as are his frightened reactions.

I love the way Sonequa Martin-Green says “I was MASTER of that trash heap!” It’s one of the few things Martin-Green did in the Mirror role that I liked. She sucked at pretty much everything else.

Also interesting is that usually Star Trek cuts back and forth from A and B plots. Once Georgiou hits the past Mirror Universe the story is stubbornly stuck there. Interesting way to not just make HER feel trapped, but perhaps the audience too.

One of the reasons I think Saru is a shitty captain is because he actually had to be told from Vance that you gotta help out the crew whenever possible to earn their loyalty and trust. And it's like the only reason he did the opposite is because he thought that's what Vance would have wanted. Remind me again, Saru, about how and why the Federation can be trusted. Because even if that's true (and Vance's stance here suggests it is) Saru himself clearly doesn't believe it deep down.

Big episode that the next episode still manages to blow outta the water. ****.

Deleted Scene

It's a nice scene. It was probably cut for time. ***.

Terra Firma, Part 2

Deep Space Nine is not just my favorite Star Trek show. It's one of my favorite shows of all time. Why? Because it had a gift that TV either no longer possesses or doesn't understand the value of. It consistently surprised me. No big deal, right? Shocking plot turns are pretty much currently genre's bread and butter.

Except DS9 didn't kill off a bunch of characters for shock value. More often than not, the surprises were mindblowing twists that made me happy, and in the best cases, filled with evil joy.

I can safely say the reveal of Carl as the Guardian of Forever is very much in that exact vein. It is the single most geeky and surprising thing this show ever did, and one of my all-time favorite moments.

I love Carl. When Georgiou miserably says she failed, he's like "You tried". And for a "weighing", that actually matters.

I think the best thing about the Kurtzman stuff going back to the Temporal Cold War is that Enterprise fucked up the concept because it answered nothing. For this show, Strange New Worlds, and even Picard, it answers a TON of questions we had, not just about Khan. But what happened to a sentient portal like the Guardian of Forever, who was probably one of the most hunted beings in existence while that was going down. A Temporal Cold War Did It, isn't just a cop-out to explain sloppy continuity. On a very real level, it explains a LOT about Star Trek lore and its inconsistency, and also how revised timelines actually work. I am totally on-board the concept the way I was not during Enterprise.

I guarantee you if THIS show had created Futureguy, we would have learned their identity by the end of it. Enterprise not being smart enough to understand they NEEDED to do that is why every inch of that show was horrible, the worst Star Trek show of all time, and one of the worst SCIENCE FICTION shows of the aughts. It's amazing and appalling it lasted a year longer than The Original Series. It was truly atrocious on every conceivable level.

Georgiou talking about the world being better shows why she can't go back to the Terran Empire. It's no longer good enough for her. Worse, there is nothing she could actually do to help it. When it comes to preaching reforms, apparently Georgiou is NO Mirror Spock.

I found what happened with Saru redemption for her character for the very thing she was actually unforgivable about. It bothers me not knowing if that timeline was really changed or not. But it does change things for ME at least. At least a little.

This would have been the perfect episode for Jason Isaacs to come back, but he is a VERY in-demand actor, and was probably very busy. Still, him being mentioned so heavily and never seen feels really noticeable.

Loved the negative, upside-down main titles. Star Trek: Enterprise also changed up their main titles for the Mirror Universe episodes (and definitely put more effort into it) but maybe they were overthinking it. Of course, this show wasn't stuck with "Faith Of The Heart" as its shitty theme song so maybe they weren't.

I liked Reno admiring how Georgiou lacked tact until I realized I don't think I ever previously saw them share a scene. They really ought to have! Reno just proved why.

There is a bad thing I cannot gloss over. Sonequa Martin-Green's performance is legit terrible. The Mirror Universe characters are designed to be played over the top. Hamminess in the performance is part of the territory. But Martin-Green's stuff crosses the line from hamminess to shittiness, pretty easily, and with little about it to actually enjoy, or even defend. She's legit bad in the role.

I like when Our Michael and Philippa say goodbye for the final time, Michael gives her the Vulcan salute and Georgiou give her the Terran one. Very appropriate.

Still, "I am the Guardian of Forever!" makes this a five-star episode. *****.

Deleted Scenes

A LOT of stuff was cut. And it's all stuff that SHOULD have been cut. I think the show thought it might be fun to see the Terran characters engaging in and truly enjoying brutality. The problem is the audience already KNOWS they enjoy brutality so it's eating up a TON of time on scenes that teach us nothing about the characters and add NOTHING to the story. And considering how long the last two scenes are, I'm wondering how they ever made it to film to begin with. Talk about being neither here nor there. **.

Su'Kal

Osyraa taking over Discovery feels wrong on every level. She is a uniquely loathsome character for this franchise.

Tilly handled her headgames all right using Freud, but ultimately Osyraa got the better of her because she's a pure asshole. Also, as good as she is at trashtalk, Tilly gave several revealing tells using her facial expressions. She’s still new at this.

I like that Saru will take the lullaby.

It was really cool seeing Doug Jones out of make-up. He is a very emotive actor, and a hundred times that without make-up. That fact is probably why he's so good at emoting in that make-up to begin with.

Don't much like Su'Kal and I never wound up doing so.

I love that the holograms clap when Saru says to the program they are there to rescue the child.

I feel like Michael was being a manipulative liar by the way she was pretending to Su’Kal to be the program. It’s something about the character I don’t like.

Interesting enough, but not my favorite episode of the season. ***.

Deleted Scenes

Very cool. The first scene between Saru and Michael is neat but I really like the second scene where we learn stuff about the different Star Trek aliens. Humans have a more sensitive sense of touch (and worse vision) than Kelpians, Bajorans have better senses of hearing and smell, and Trills have a higher metabolism. Interesting. ****1/2.

There Is A Tide...

Die Hard In A Spaceship. All in.

Also, Frakes again.

I love that it turns out Admiral Vance is a good guy. The episode is trying to make Osyraa's demands sound reasonable, which is an actual controversy while she has done the things she's done. When Vance demands she turn herself in for her crimes, you realize it's never been about peace for her and he just cleverly proved that. I was very impressed.

And Osyraa kills Ryn because she's an actual bad guy. Her scientist boyfriend Aurellio is learning swell new facets about her today.

Speaking of Aurellio, he is a wonderful final role for the late Kenneth Mitchell. Star Trek is and always has been amazing to people with disabilities.

The thing that infuriates me most about Ryn's death is it's freaking unnecessary. And maybe that fact makes it badly written. Which I don't love. But the fearless hero’s death was at least the RIGHT way for him, if not the show.

What I do love is Vance revealing replicated food is composed of shit. "It's pretty good for shit." I love that because the old Star Trek weirdly refused to discuss waste management. Forget the symphonies in Ten Forward or the boring Sherlock Holmes Holodeck programs. The real thing that alienated Star Trek viewers from seeing the crew as real people is the fact that bathrooms were never seen in the first five Trek series. It was a running gag among the Okudas and the behind-the-scenes crew. But it's not funny. It's fucking stupid.

You can almost excuse The Original Series there. There might have well be censor notes about it in the 1960's. But the fact that that idiocy carried over to the Berman era which lasted until fucking 2004 is ridiculous. The fact that Geordi thinks Zefram Cochrane referring to peeing as "Taking a leak" is a funny joke in First Contact shows the Berman era was not to be taken remotely seriously. Nobody talked like an actual person. And the bathroom stuff was a major part of that.

Also impressed at the clever way the crew escaped. Morse code is handy.

I know Hugh and Adira survive, but if they hadn't, Paul's fury at Michael's betrayal would have been righteous and justified. I was angry too, to be honest. They followed her to the future for this. How dare she?

Michael's trick with the fire suppressors was kind of awesome. Zareh is getting increasingly alarmed because he knows what his failure means.

Speaking of Zareh, this episode is helping me understand why he used to boss around dregs. They were all he could handle. He’s legit incompetent at his job. He’s being asked to finally play in the big leagues and fucking absolutely everything up.

I love when Book calls him Sweetheart. He even smiles at that.

Osyraa talking shit about Tilly's command abilities (she thought it was so easy to take over the ship she worried it was a trap) would probably sting more if it turns out Tilly and the crew were simply hostages and at her mercy from that point forward. Since they are fighting back, Osyraa's shade is entirely premature.

Speaking of characters starting with the letter Z, we are seeing more of the actual beginning of Zora from Short Trek's "Calypso" here. Pretty cool.

Liked the penultimate episode. ****.

Deleted Scene

It's tense, which lead me to believe the producers removed it because doing so would make the episode even MORE tense.

Storytelling is fun. ****1/2.

That Hope Is You, Part 2

So, the show is serialized and this was the first season NOT to end on a cliffhanger. So arguably it's the first real ending in the show's history.

Relatively satisfying, I think, but I feel like Osyraa being the main villain of the season was a bit disappointing, as was the notion that Su'Kal was the cause of the Burn.

I honestly don't like Su'Kal much. Yes, he's essentially a child, but I don't like the fact that we have to be terrified every time he gets angry.

It's cool he's Mr. Noodle though.

I'm glad Osyraa died. She was pretty much showing her true colors and Aurellio finally understood his place. He didn't seem too broken up with her death for that reason.

Hugh promising to help Gray was amazing, and I LOVE that Paul refuses to forgive Michael. Do you know why he didn't? Because she didn't deserve it. About time Star Trek showed people with real hurt feelings without suggesting they were weak for them.

But I am so happy Gray is not alone anymore.

You know Zareh's final mistake, right? Threatening the cat. Yeah, man, you don't do that. That's why you're dead. It's weird you thought it would end differently after doing something that dumb. Book bellowing she's a queen AGAIN felt right.

David Ajaya is a GREAT actor to torture. You think I'm joking, but the dude can give good scream like nobody's business. Spittle is flying, veins are popping, he'd make a good Final Girl in a horror movie. Of course, because he's Black he would never be permitted that, which is why I think this show is lucky to have him instead.

Good hero moment for Owosekun at the end. Demerits for actually giving her a "No, we did it," (that's even more dirty pool than threatening Grudge, at least narratively). I've always thought there was an unspoken love and romance between her and Detmer and I always felt it was a shame it was never explored.

So, I checked. Adira is supposed to be Xahean in the holo chamber. So where are the sideways blinks? Majorly disappointing. That was the best thing about Po.

Making Michael the Captain felt right and was a long time coming. She's a much better character when she actually gets to call the shots. Vance’s moment at the end with her felt very gracious which was needed for the both of them.

The Zora bots are so cute.

I love the Original Series Theme being played over the end credits. It told us everything. Back to exploring for the franchise. About damn time.

On both The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, whenever shit hit the fan, it was always rewarding when an unheard-of fleet of Klingons and / or Romulans showed up to lend a hand when Starfleet really needed it. The arrival of Ni’Var’s fleet here is satisfying for similar reasons, except the political implications are a LOT bigger (and frankly better). I loved that moment.

I believe it was Season 4 where I lost all patience with the show. And yes, this finale underwhelmed me at the time, and I think probably should have been a red flag that Discovery was going to wind up wasting the premise. I'm glad Trill rejoined (Ha!) the Federation but the fact that the show isn't ALWAYS that which is why it was the biggest missed opportunity in Star Trek history. I can only hope the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, set in the same time period, doesn't make the same narrative mistakes. ***1/2.

Deleted Scene

The effects aren't finished in this scene. ***1/2.

Writer's Log: Michelle Paradise.

I believe this is Star Trek's first video blog ever. To be blunt, I don't tend to like video blogs because they tend to be overlong. For whatever reason, this one wasn't. ***1/2,

Star Trek: Discovery: The Voyage Of Season 3

It was really cool to learn the process of the pronouns of both Adira and Blu Del Barrio themself. I thought the show was cool knowing Del Barrio wasn't fully out when they were cast.

Good featurette. ****.

Stunted

Season 2 kind of focused on Spaceship battles, but for the most part Season 3 pulled back to firefights and fistfights on the ground.

Michelle Yeoh is a Godsend and a legend on this show for that reason.

I see how amazing these stunts are compared to how bad they were on the Original Series, and realize every single question about who could beat Captain Kirk in a fight is actually ridiculous. Philippa Georgiou and Michael Burnham would both eat him alive and wear his ass as a hat. And that's not even a question. ***1/2.

Being Michael Burnham

Half-video blog, half-interview with Sonequa Martin-Green. This one DOES feel a little long. ***.

Kenneth Mitchell: To Boldly Go

This was SO heartbreaking watching Mitchell talk about his struggles with ALS. What kills me was his admirable refusal to be stoic. He was rightly upset. He was in tears and not remotely okay.

And you know what? He shouldn't have been. Just because he was brave and facing something none of us will ever have to doesn't mean he wasn't allowed to be upset. I loved that the man as so honest and in tune with his emotions, and yeah, I understand this is the type of person who would LOVE Star Trek.

God, that really got to me. Mitchell was amazing. He died in 2024. *****.

Bridge Building

Frakes knows TNG dropped the ball with its bridge crew, which is why it's so important this show got it right. The only other Star Trek cast I've seen beside The Next Generation entirely lacking egos and who all get along is on this show. And that says something about the kind of producer Alex Kurtzman is. Ironically, there was some misbehavior from writers from the first couple of seasons. Instead of being indulged, they were fired. I get the sense the set became a very safe place for the actors which is not just rare for television, it's even rare for Star Trek. ****1/2.

Gag Reel

Sadly, since Anson Mount and Rainn Wilson are not present, this year's batch of bloopers are nowhere NEAR as funny as last year's. I didn't actually laugh once. **.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season One Blu-Ray Trailer

I never really dug the trailers for this show. I course I never dug the trailers for Galaxy Quest either. I wonder if those two things are related. **1/2.

Star Trek: Picard: Season One Blu-Ray Trailer

One the other hand, Star Trek: Picard trailers always got me amped. You can argue Season One didn't live up to the hype, and I'll argue right back that it's actually far better than its detractors always claimed it was. This trailer is still awesome. *****.

Blu-Ray Menus:

A bit of a disappointment. Still animated, but not individually based on the season like Seasons 1 and 2 were. ***1/2.