Episode 15 of Discovery, with spoilers

Feb 18, 2018 17:03

CBS All Access is now streaming all 15 episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.  However, I would not recommend binge watching too many at a time.  The series descends into some dark plot lines a number of times.  Essentially, during the season this is NOT anything like the original Star Trek or many of its sequels.  It's an arc that goes all season (something neither M nor I particularly care for) and take some getting used to.

Then -- SLIGHT SPOILER -- on the 15th and final episode of the season, all of a sudden all sorts of things are wrapped up, good pretty much wins out over evil, Wesley saves the Enterprise and Data falls over (sorry, that last thought came from a hilarious description of far too many The Next Generation episodes -- a description that M and I use throughout life to designate something that conveniently ended too quickly and too conveniently.  And that was my primary complaint about episode 15 -- it would have made a fine two-parter but they shoehorned all the action into one episode and it was simply too convenient.

SPOILER;  Michael Burnham, the chief protagonist and lead of the series (who is a "she" by the way), ultimately has her record cleared and returns to command level status.  This was not a surprise to me -- with all she's done throughout the 15 episodes, it was clear that the writers were going in this direction.

SPOILER:  The season-long war with the Klingon Empire ended.  That was way too fast for me and didn't quite mesh in my mind with where the Klingons were in TOS...so possibly more happens (at least in some writer's mind) between episode 15 and TOS.

NOT REALLY A SPOILER:  For me, episode 15 was more like an original Trek episode than most of the previous 14 eps.  There was much humor - beginning with a joke right out of the gate with the line "Previously on Star Trek Discovery" at the beginning of the episode that got me laughing so much I had to pause and restart the show.  That was one bookend to the episode that, for me, helped make it so good.  The other bookend -- comes at the very end.  Well, technically AFTER the very end.

SPOILER:  Last scene of the show, the Enterprise (yes, THE Enterprise) pulls up to the Discovery after issuing a distress call.  This Enterprise is commanded by Captain Christopher Pike, who was in charge prior to J.T. Kirk.  Is Spock onboard?  We don't know yet and the writers aren't telling.  That scene ends with the Trek fanfare...

SPOILER:  Which moves into the best part -- a new orchestration of the Original Star Trek Theme.  Yes, my friends, that is what tripped my trigger and brought me to tears.  It's very well done, I've listened about a half dozen times but cannot get a clean copy because the #$@%*& All Access system cuts it off before it ends.  (Yes, I'm paying for this and yes, they will be hearing from me.)  It's sort of a blend of first and second TOS season themes.  Very nicely done, as has been much of the music for Discovery.

MINOR SPOILER:  The episode includes appearances by Sarek and Amanda (Michael's adoptive parents and, of course, Spock's parents).  Plus an appearance by Clint Howard, who previously appeared in several Trek incarnations over the years including as a very young actor in TOS episode "The Corbomite Maneuver."  (Don't confuse Corbomite with Carbonite, which was from a Star Wars film and later a computer backup program.)  (GEEKY ENOUGH FOR YOU???)  Pretty much everything in the season was wrapped up -- they may not have known they were going to be renewed when this was filmed.

SPOILER:  If you've been following the season, Discovery needs a new captain, but he or she has not yet been named.  Do the writers know?  Or (Gary asks snarkily) have they not completed contract arrangements with somebody?

In my opinion, the series has been entertaining, a bit too dark in places, and could have used a few more episodes and lots more humor.  But M and I enjoyed it and are looking forward to future episodes. 
This entry was originally posted at https://garyomaha.dreamwidth.org/278854.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

trek

Previous post Next post
Up