“While the drama is good and gripping, the sixth episode of Star Trek: Discovery is a lighter affair than we’ve seen recently.”
After last week’s emotion, action, adventure. And a throwback to the classic series, this week’s Star Trek: Discovery lifts the heaviness. It still contains drama and enough story to keep us entertained. It just isn’t as exciting or action-packed as we are used to. We are once again faced with whether to break the Prime Directive and the dilemma hangs over the episode like a sword waiting to fall. But despite more drama and events that have us worried, it feels like a lull before we start to hit warp speed again.
PREMISE
While undercover in a pre-warp society, Captain Burnham is forced to consider breaking the Prime Directive when a local tradition threatens Tilly’s life. Meanwhile, Culber tries to connect with Stamets, and Adira steps up when Rayner assigns them a position on the bridge.
THOUGHTS
While the cast all excel in their roles. And the drama is heightened at some points, the episode feels like a filler. One that does advance the story the season has been covering but at the same time, doesn’t thrill like it should. With Tilly being in danger, we can try and believe we may be witnessing her demise. But by the same token, we know she will survive. It is a bit to early to kill off any of our favourite cast members just yet. So any threat to the characters doesn’t hold any weight. We find ourselves just waiting for Burnham or someone else to come to the rescue.
Of course, the series can’t go at warp speed all the way through the season. But we expect more than what we get here. However, some points of the episode do hark back to the original series. From the minute Burnham sets off on a different mission on the planet to Tilly, we see the parallels between the episode and several from the 1960s Star Trek. Although I won’t spoil it for you, you can see where the episode is going. And how it will resolve itself.
While it is good, it is perhaps a tad too predictable. The writers did wonders last week by returning to the mirror universe, bringing back the I.S.S. Enterprise and referencing several events from the past. But here, it feels as if they’ve returned to the original series. Plucked a story thread from it and spun a yarn that we’ve seen before. It’s good, but it could have been better.
THE SUBPLOTS
The subplots are interesting this week. The dynamic between Stamets and Culber is a thread that continues to run throughout the season. Hugh is trying to open up to Stamets about what he has experienced, continues to feel and trying to process it. Stamets is trying to understand and to help his lover but he keeps hitting brick walls in his attempts. The connection between the two characters, as in previous seasons, continues to interest and inspire. We know that a breakthrough will come at some point before the climax of the season.
Rayner meanwhile is winning over the crew with every action he performs. From being ice-cold, demanding, and unlikeable, he is now a firm favourite. The crew has warmed up to him, and knows what he expects from them and in turn, he knows the loyalty the crew are giving to him. He knows that he can call on them to perform any duty or action he needs and they’ll do it as quickly and efficiently as they can. Rayner also knows the methods he has used before won’t work on the Discovery crew. But his adaptation to them and they to him continues to be a point of enjoyment every week. While we still miss Saru, Rayner is a brilliant replacement in the series.
VERDICT
While the drama is good and gripping, the sixth episode of Star Trek: Discovery is a lighter affair than we’ve seen recently. Slowing the pace down while still having an interesting and dramatic episode is fine. But we miss the dynamics we’ve been afforded over the past few weeks. We have four more episodes before the series ends and it has a lot to get through before then. The plot threads that have been spun that are the main crux of the season continue to play out. But this week, they feel like a token effort, one that is thrown into the episode and left for us to follow.
The problem is, that the episode is something we’ve seen before. Yes, it remains enjoyable. It is fulfilling. But we have come to expect more than what we get here. It will feed us for a week but we need something a bit more substantial to completely satisfy us. By no means is the episode a bad one. Far from it. It just feels a bit too light, a bit too easy. And the threat to Tilly isn’t really that worrisome to us. While some aspects of the story take us by surprise, it just feels like ‘Been there, done that.’ Enjoyable, frothy fun to be sure. But the remainder of the season can’t follow the pattern that’s been used here. Otherwise, this final season won’t live long and prosper in our minds.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is currently streaming on a weekly basis. You can catch up on the previous four seasons completely on Paramount+.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
