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Oh man.  You were showing such promise, 'Star Trek Discovery' – what happened?  The two-office story 'Light and Shadows' and 'If Retentiveness Serves,' where the serial took the franchise dorsum to Talos IV, seemed like things were moving in the right management, in terms of hitting a thematic stride and accurately linking the prove up to the larger approved Star Expedition universe.  But then terminal week's episode took a step in the wrong management, going back to the Michael Bay-ish nonsense of emphasizing activeness and 'splosions over plot and character development.  Then came this calendar week's episode: the accented worst, cocky-serving, nonsensical, steaming pile of targ dung the series has ever delivered.

Warning: Spoilers for this episode of 'Star Trek: Discovery' lie ahead, obviously.  If you lot haven't seen the episode and don't wish for any of its content to be spoiled for you, the time to turn back is Now!

Epitomize : A brusque epitomize here, considering I have lots to say in the next department.  Plus, for all the ridiculous corporeality of moving parts and plot sub-threads 'Discovery' tried to cram downwards our throats in this installment – and absolutely none of them getting the attention or intelligence they warrant – this dumb episode can be summed up rather succinctly.

Airiam is given a proper Starfleet funeral, which is odd because A) we as the audience know practically nothing about her and accept no emotional connection to her at all, and B) how many other periphery characters and Starfleet officers take nosotros seen dice so far in this series, and no one else got this kind of highlight.  We get it, 'Discovery' creative team, yous remember Airiam was cool.  Let it get.

Tilly finds some stuff in Airiam's files nigh how the Ruby-red Affections is Michael.  The "human DNA patterns match perfectly, one of a kind," says the obviously-qualified, recently-resurrected-and-confused-as-all-Hell-about-everything-else Md Culber who's on duty for some reason.  Michael is ostensibly coming from the futurity to assistance avert the big universe-ending catastrophe… her missions are vital to the ongoing prophylactic of the unabridged galaxy, probably should let her keep doing what she'south doing to help.  What's that, Discovery senior staff and definitely-articulate-headed Section 31 goons?  You lot think the best thought is to capture the Red Angel and interfere with her missions merely so you lot can ask her what's up with her?  Okay then.

That's it, really.  A agglomeration of other background nonsense happens – people get upset with each other, people are suspicious of each other, people kiss, Section 31 goon Leland reveals he inadvertently got Michael'southward parents killed – who were besides secretly Section 31 operatives because reasons (at this point, I take to believe Section 31 is larger than the actual Starfleet itself, based on resources they have and amount of people who cheerfully participate in the group).

Yadda yadda yadda, science science scientific discipline, Ruddy Angel is captured.  Information technology was definitely, 100%, beyond of a shadow of a doubt Michael who was the Red Angel, right?  Nope!  It's her Mom.  Because this is the most cocky-important family unit in Star Trek history that you've never heard of.  Get aptitude, Kirks!

OBSERVATIONS :

  • Airiam'due south funeral is well-shot, but hollow for the viewers because we didn't know the character – this is a complete fail on the artistic team's role.  Everything that her fellow officers are saying most her is really squeamish, simply THAT'S the stuff nosotros needed to be shown in this series, non told now in retrospect.  Show, don't tell – one of the oldest idioms in entertainment.
  • Tilly said she institute the Cherry Angel info while looking through Airiam's digital files – they were all erased past Starfleet to cease potential Command control, so…
  • If you couldn't tell from the recap higher up, I am not of fan of many things on this show, but Section 31 being shoved down our throats again just completely undermines everything existing Trek canon has established about it being a shadow-type organization.
  • There is 1 in-joke that I will give the 'Discovery' creative team credit for.  The sometime department 31 base is on Essof four – this information is get-go told while talking to Stamets & Culber, played by Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, our two Broadway Rent-ers… Essof spelled backwards is Fosse, as in Bob Fosse, famous Broadway choreographer.  Cheeky, just as has been outlined many times over, there are several other areas that the creative team should probably be focusing their efforts.
  • Await, and so everyone knows that Georgiou is the evil Terran version of herself at present?  I thought this was not common knowledge?  Much similar the existence of Section 31, evidently it's cool for everyone in the universe to know everything nearly everything.
  • WHAT IS ALL THIS 'TIME CRYSTAL" BULLS—?  Practise Yous Fifty-fifty STAR Expedition, BRO?  Tachyons, slingshot maneuvers, chroniton particles, the Orb of Time, a chrono-deflector, the Guardian of Forever, a red-matter black pigsty, the Nexus – at that place are dozens of existing approved means to fourth dimension travel, employ one of them, not some lazy-writing magical crystals!
  • Why is Spock not in uniform?  He's on duty, clearly, and Admiral Cornwell states in this episode that he'due south been cleared of any wrong-doing by Starfleet.  And side note: do all not-Starfleet personnel accept to wear black leather in the time to come?
  • Culber on Essof 4 as the emergency counter-measure, actually?  Why is the physician who's not actually even a Doctor right now – or even a Starfleet officer on agile duty – the one to be on standby to salvage Burnham's life?
  • Still trying to forcefulness the Burnham/Ash dearest thing, creative team?  Allow's forget the parts last season where he tried to actually murder her or have a Klingon baby with Fifty'Rell, okay?  Okay, nifty, glad nosotros agree.
  • TYLER [trying to tell Michael that he loves her]: "Michael…" BURNHAM: "I know, Ash." It'southward swell enough that they're dumping on Star Trek canon, just now they are stealing Star Wars' all-time lines too?
  • Tilly is literally the worst Starfleet officer I've ever seen.  Her nonsense is non endearing, it'southward unsafe and reckless for the loftier level of responsibilities she is apparently carrying in her duties aboard a Starfleet vessel.  And that's all I have to say about that.
  • Let's get 1 thing straight: Sonequa Martin-Green can ACT, and she does a hell of a job in 'Star Trek Discovery.'  But, in a series where everything else around her is so caricature-ized and over-the-peak ridiculous, her piece of work comes across with shades of the same, unfortunately.

Endmost THOUGHTS : UGH.

Principal Cast FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE :

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
Doug Jones equally Lieutenant Saru
Anson Mount equally Helm Throughway
Anthony Rapp every bit Lieutenant Stamets
Mary Wiseman as Cadet Tilly
Wilson Cruz as Dr. Culber
Ethan Peck as Spock

'Star Trek: Discovery' features new episodes Thursday nights at 8:thirty pm online via CBS All Access.