TV Talk - Star Trek: Discovery Season 2

Well, it’s that time of the year where I get to gush (?) a bit on sci-fi related stuff. I don’t know where a bounty hunter looking for a rouge Jedi fits on that list, but I can fit it on there, dang it! Before I get to the thing that may have wrecked my wrist, I think it’s time for some more Star Trek.

If I remember correctly, Star Trek: Discovery didn’t start out well. While I liked the first season, I’ll admit that it had some pretty big problems. While you’d think I’d itch and moan about its canonicity (is that a word?), the fact that the suits looked different was the least of its issues. At the end of Season 1, we got an inkling of something cool: the original USS Enterprise (Constellation-class, by the way). Yeah, it was updated a bit, but my baby looked good! During the break, we got more behind-the-scene stuff coming out. Honestly, I mostly blocked most of it out, but the whole thing about the writers was pretty messed up. When it started to air on All Access, I was in for it all especially since they took no breaks this time.

Now this is what I call a remix!

The biggest news that came out of the break was that we’d be seeing some old characters return. It was revealed that Anson Mount would be playing Captain Christopher Pike and that he would be a major part of the series. I had only seen Mount on Inhumans, so I didn’t know what to expect. We also found out that Spock would be around and he would be played by Ethan Peck, the grandson of actor Gregory Peck. I think everyone was worried about this one since we got another one in the iconic role. We also got an inkling that things could start to look more familiar. Did they succeed in making a better season?

So, where has Burnham gotten herself this time?

Season 2 starts off right after the end of Season 1. Since the USS Enterprise is somehow damaged, Capt. Christopher Pike is given temporary control of the USS Discovery. His mission is to investigate seven time anomalies that have recently sprung up across the galaxy. He also reveals to Michael Burnham that her adoptive brother, Spock, has gone on leave for some reason. It gets revealed (pretty early so it really ain’t a spoiler) that Spock is somehow connected to these anomalies and something called “The Red Angel.” We then get a season that searches for answers, displays fan service, makes explosions, tells some dang good stories, gives us an awesome captain in Pike, sticks to the freakin’ landing in the end, and does annoy me in some places. This is a second season Trek, after all.

PROS

A nice blend of old and new.

I now realize why I kept All Access around. While it has some shortcomings, this was a good season for Trek. Things just fit better here than in the previous season. The creators did their best to spruce things up and stay true to classic Trek. As I said before, we see the original Enterprise. We also get modern variations of classic suits. Even things from the previous season that felt out of place are adjusted to fit in this modernized version of Classic Trek.

Not only did they get the visual feel better, the narrative feel is much more tight this season. While there is a long storyline, most of the episodes feel pretty standalone. Case in point, one of the ship’s missions involves them going to a faraway planet that strangely has human life on it. Even if some of these elements feel like “filler,” they all has some part to play in the season as a whole. While we get some action here and there, we also get some exploration of the unknown which was somewhat lacking in the last season. To be fair to Season 1, they were at war. While there are some big stakes towards the end of the season, things feel a little less heavy and grim. The ending of the season was also something that felt well earned. As I said above, they did that ending justice.

The crew in general is handled better here.

We got some good characters this time around. The ones who I really liked in the previous season like Saru, Tilly (well, at times anyway), Georgiu, and someone else (not revealing spoilers) continued to grow on me. Even Stamets and Tyler were better here. I can finally say that I like Michael Burnham since she has really came around this season. I also liked that we got to see more of the bridge crew being used. The writers actually made a point to let us see these people more. We even got to see what was up with Arium, the robot lady on the bridge. I also liked Jet Reno, a new character, and Leland, the leader of Section 31.

Of course, there’s Pike who’s played awesomely by Anson Mount. They took a character who we’ve only seen one episode of and made him into one of cooler Trek characters we’ve gotten. Pike felt like a mish-mash of Kirk and Picard, and they get to do things with him that I didn’t expect. As for my favorite character, Ethan Peck did Spock good. I was pretty afraid that they’d screw this up since so much has been done with the character. Luckily, they were able to stick to the landing with Spock and they explained what his relationship with Burnham was like. Without spoiling anything, they felt like brother and sister.

While the Klingons were still... that, Tenavik on Borath looked pretty cool. Yeah, he looked like another species, but the p'tak wasn't half bad.

As usual, the special effects and visual effects were pretty good. While I may pick on the Klingons in a minute, there were a couple that looked good. The music is pretty much on par with the previous season. The Intro’s still the same. And Yes, I did like Spock’s beard. What is it with folk complaining about that? It’s not like there’s some rule book about Vulcans having facial hair! Shoot, I can see the logic in growing a manly beard during the winter! Besides… Riker!

Okay, I’m just being funny about the beard.

CONS

Ash trying to tell L'Rell that the make up is still not that great.

Now that I’ve thrown some love to this show, I do need to list some shortcomings. I wasn’t a fan of the main threat, Control. Without spoiling anything, this is a threat that comes towards the end of the season. It’s not a bad threat, but the story potential is kind of rushed over. Luckily, they didn’t go down a route that would’ve really ticked me off. Let’s just say that Control has some similarities to a well-known villain in Trek. You’ll see what I mean. Also, I still have to pick on the Klingons’ makeup here. While they finally got hair, they gotta do something with those faces, man. At least one of them looked on model. L’Rell and a couple of others didn’t.

One thing that annoyed me especially in the early part of the season was the fast pace. The show wouldn’t slow down at times. They’d just go from point A to point F. They didn’t do this a lot, but I felt some plots suffered because of this. Luckily, they didn’t do it when it really mattered. I also wish we got to see more interaction with the crew. Even though we’re seeing more of the crew, things still feel a little empty especially when some big stuff happens. One more thing: the Short Treks they released before Season 2 were kinda “meh.” They weren’t horrible, but you can only do some much with 15 minutes of plot. Luckily, they did serve some sort of purpose for the season.

FAVORITE EPISODES

Finally, here are my 6 favorite episodes of the season:

1. If Memory Serves – Burnham takes Spock back to to… a pretty familiar place in Trek lore. Look, you got Pike right here, so that’s all you’re getting out of me for now.
2. Through the Valley of Shadows – Another signal appears over Boreth, a Klingon planet. While Pike goes to retrieve an important artifact, Burnham and Spock try to figure out Control’s next move.
3. Such Sweet Sorrow – The season finale of Season 2. The future hangs in the balance as the Discovery and other allies must face Control.
4. An Obel for Cheron – The Discovery runs into a planet like sphere in space. Not only does is screw with the ship, it triggers a life-threatening condition in Saru.
5. The Sound of Thunder – One of the seven signals leads to Kaminar, Saru’s homeworld that is under occupation from a powerful force.
6. Brother – The season premiere. Here, Captain Pike takes temporary command of the Discovery.

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In the end, season 2 of DSC was pretty good. Of course, it had its issues, but it was definitely an improvement over Season 1. If you haven’t checked it out, try it out at least. I know Season 1 chased some folk off with its style, but Season 2 may be your cup of tea, I don’t know. Anyway, I’m off to bed, so Peace, God Bless, and remember to pack your power cord. It’s not a Trek thing, but it probably shows up somewhere in the franchise.

Yeah, I see. Riker would be proud.