User Reviews

Looks like the season has launched with probably one of the best of the series so far. Had a cinematic feel to it and the action, character interaction and script was top notch. Aspect ratio is also different, shot at 2:35:1. Not to give anything away, but it totally ignored the uniform color theory from the original series.. 😊 Hopefully the series will continue in this direction. Nice to see Captain Pike in action as well!!

They fixed one issue I had with season 1: They spent more time introducing the characters better. Smart was how they introduce the staff to Captain Pike (and the audience too).

But the plot was pretty absurd. How likely is it that there is a special event within a special event regarding the special event of the special event?

And exactly this is what they tried to sell us here. A mysterious signal, special event 1. An asteroid smashes that signal, special event 2. Oh, it's not a normal asteroid either, it's something unheard of! Special event 3. And of course there is a Federation vessel entrapped on that asteroid, special event 4.

That's just ... too much. Far too much. And I probably forgot some smaller "special events".

A new season, a fresh start. I was somewhat hopeful, at least curious. Then I was annyoyed. I said to myself, ah, come on, it's just a couple minutes in, keep going. Then I was annoyed again. And again. And Again. The writing is moronic. Send me the scripts, I make them 20% less laughable for free.

Morse code. Really? WOW. Apart from the lack of logic (not a standard to be found here), is there any older trope for ingenuity? The entire scene is ridiculous, uh, action drama, we can't communicate, let's loose our excrements, oh wait, Pike beams over, all cool. Then elevator slapstick.

The tone and pacing is all over the place.

Everybody solemnly pledges to never leave nobody behind, because that's what Star Fleets "moral authority" is all about...

Half-witted officer dies, no one even mentions him again. Cool. Must have been the mark by the snot of death (bodily fluids humour is exactly not what they should have copied from the Orville).

They came up with a new version of the "enhance image" trope, it's Saru's eyes! He is the only one able to take advantage of the Discovery's screen full resolution, but only if specifically told to look closely. Obviously.

Of course everybody talks fantasy-techno-babble, but the actors can't convincingly sell it because there is zero research behind the words, so they are not even remotely grounded in current understanding of physics. Sure, who cares, the average Star Trek fan wouldn't even know the difference, right?

So what is this even about? Some mysterious signal..ok. Let's explore. A red angel?? Premonitions? Ugh, come on, how clichée can you get?

Ah, I don't want to waste any more time on listing stupidity. Its sad that the excellent visuals and production value get wasted on those scripts. As if no one switches on their brain and actually reads before making it.

Even sadder, Alex Kurtzman, director of this episode and co-writer of the J.J. Abrams Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, oversees everything Trek. That is the direction. It is no mistake. It's popcorn movies.You like the last Star Trek Movies? That is what Discovery is going to be.

Discovery, after surviving a Klingon war, a mirror universe, a captain from the mirror universe, a crazy Klingon woman who chopped up her lover and sewed his bones into a human, Harry Mudd, and an evil twin of Michael's original captain, now comes to the aid of NCC 1701, "no bloody A, B, C, or D (or E)."

After a brief amount of introspection with some of the characters including Tilly and Stamets, who is still pining away for Hugh, it's a collision course with just another brand new conundrum. And this one is a doozy.

We get to see more of that tech that people complain about with this series, which is allegedly a lot more advanced than what they had on the original Enterprise (which was not the original). And they forget that in the first two pilot episodes of the original series, they show Mr. Spock controlling his library computer by using gestures of his hand. So I am just going to go out on a limb here and say, they had the technology even back then, but they just never showed it in the original series. Because after the pilot episodes, Spock went back to accessing his library computer by flipping switches and Voice Commands. But in reality it's as simple as this: that was 1966, this is 2019. And you know what happened between then and now? A lot of the gadgets that they used on Star Trek actually became things that have become commonplace.

It's interesting to revisit these characters from the original series because there is certainly a lot of story that can be told about them especially the 13 years prior to the time Captain Kirk took command of the enterprise.

This was a very enjoyable episode, and when Michael gets into Spock's cabin on the enterprise, well you are in for a little treat. And also maybe a small hint of where this season is going to be going.

There is also a lot more participation from the bridge crew, who participate in a rescue op on a crazy asteroid. Even the people in the shuttle bay seem to be a bit more participatory when kidnapping a magic chunk of rock. A rock that gets Stamets' attention.

I will have to admit I was very apprehensive about watching this but the wait has been worth it.

Season two of Star Trek Discovery is back and in spectacular form, weaving the fine thread of incorporating the old and beloved with the new flashy cinematic take on the property that has been around for over fifty years.

But wasn't that what season one was all about? Well, kinda. The huge difference here is that season two is taking it a step further in that direction, introducing our beloved ship the Enterprise, as well as a beloved captain in Captain Christopher Pike.

So much has happened since the airing of the first season finale of Star Trek Discovery. Canon was promised to be rectified, "Short Treks" have come and gone, and more spin-offs than you can shake a stick at have been added to the docket, including a new series from the honorable Sir Patrick Stewart. Huge things have been a flutter.

After the outright denial of even the appearance of Mr. Spock ever in the Discovery series, Spock, along with a few of the friends from the first Star Trek pilot, "The Cage", have not only been introduced into Star Trek Discovery season two, but look to be a very big part of the season. Enter the title of premiere season two episode, "Brother".

The episode opens with a Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) voice-over and flashback. Leading off with the famous words "space the final frontier", then transitioning into Burnham' introduction to the Sarek family-including her introduction to Spock, which begins what appears to be a very tumultuous relationship.

After the flashback ends, we see the Discovery hailed and rendezvous with the USS Enterprise. Captain Pike and team beams aboard, though a very special step-brother is absent from the boarding party. Captain Christopher Pike wastes no time invoking regulation 19 section 3, allowing him to take command of the USS Discovery under Starfleet orders.

Did anyone see that visor guy in the transporter room?

Anson Mount feels born for the role. He echos many of the same sensibilities - and looks for that matter - that Jeffrey Hunter did in the originally commissioned Star Trek pilot, "The Cage" back in 1965.

Seeing the character brought back to the small screen in a big way was a huge joy in viewing the episode, filling in some of the gaps that faithful fans may have been wondering about for over fifty years. What was the Enterprise and crew up to before Kirk and crew began their five year mission? Discovery season two is awarding us a peek into that time period, though I know some books have covered this in the extended universe.

Pike's first few moments commanding the Discovery was about the assurance that he was not Lorca, and Pike being able to truly trust the crew. And the message from the fortune cookie found under Lorca's old desk was not lost on me, "Not every cage is a prison, not every lost eternal." An obvious tribute to Jeffrey Hunter.

Not every cage is a prison, not every lost eternal.

There is certainly a "brother-in-arms "mentality echoed throughout this episode. Most notably when Pike doesn't want to leave any survivors of the USS Hiawatha behind, even though they may be trapped in a rather impossible situation aboard an asteroid hurtling toward a pulsar. Also we see Pike returning to save Michael Burnham on the asteroid surface, once again echoing the oft used brother-in-arms motto nemo resideo, "leave no one behind."

What looks to be the big mystery this season is introduced early on in the episode when Pike takes command of the ship from Saru. Seven red bursts scattered roughly thirty light years apart throughout the galaxy have presented a new mystery in which Chris Pike - and now the crew of the Discovery - have been ordered to investigate. And while we didn't get any real resolution as to where or whom these burst came from, we do know that a vision received by Burnham may be the first piece of the puzzle in unlocking the source of the phenomenon.

The other big mystery lies in Spock. Burnham learns that Spock has taken a leave of absence from the Enterprise, but for what reason Captain Pike does not even really know. A trip to Spock's quarters aboard the Enterprise reveals that Spock may have known about the bursts all along.

Most of the crew we know and love are back from season one, with the absence of Lieutenant Ash Tyler and Hugh Culber for obvious reasons. Burnham is her usual intelligent self, always three steps ahead of potential problems, while Saru commands the ships with the carefully crafted logic we has grown accustomed to.

Detmer, pump the brakes.

A point is made by Pike to get a sound-off from each of the bridge crew members. Re-introducing each of the crew members that may have gotten little to no fan-fair in season one. I'd have to say Airiam was my favorite, which could be slightly colored by what I know of her role in the mirror-universe comics. Oh, and Airiam is the Cyborg-lady.

And we can't forget about the additional of Tig Notaro and the overall more lighthearted nature of this first episode. While Tilly may have been the comedy relief in the first season, seems that are making a concerted effort to add more comedic moments into the episode. The fact that we are not in a time of wars allows the crew to be a bit goofier, providing the occasional laugh that lightens up the show.

Meanwhile Stamets voices that he leaving Discovery for a teaching post at the Vulcan Science Academy, due to the fact he cannot stand to remain aboard the Discovery in wake of Hugh Culber's death.

The aesthetic of the show continues to scream high-budget cinematic production, in every way. You can't help to continue to love how they have managed to somehow balance the old with the new in a way that still seems somewhat true to the original. What the production team continues to put together is something to be applauded. A high-budget space serial for "television" done to this magnitude is not something you see everyday.

"Brother" proves to be a great start for season two, setting up the season to be a fun ride with plenty of mysteries in tow. This new found threat that has become the focal point post Klingon-war aims to take the Discovery all throughout the galaxy, giving us a reason to go to new and exciting places, exploring new worlds. Then there's the addition of Anson Mount. Captain Pike has injected fresh new life to the show, bringing a bit of the fun and hopeful energy as the crew sets out to figure out what's behind this new found threat.

There is no doubt that this show continues to look amazing but even though visually this is the best scifi show I have ever seen the terrible writing continues to let this show down.

The show starts with running into the Enterprise which is disabled in a way that will take so long to fix Captain Pike abandons it at the end of the episode to Captain the Discovery. Though from the outside the ship looks perfectly fine and the entire crew is alive. What actually happened to the ship to magically damage it is never figured out through the entire episode and no one seems to actually care.

Pike beams over to the Discovery and takes over as Captain to continue the mission of finding mysterious blinking lights. I guess leaving the Enterprise and crew behind to deal with whatever happened to there ship on their own. It also seems a bit bizarre that Pike brings along the engineer from Enterprise. I guess he really hates his crew and wants them to drift in space while he investigates some lights in space.

While investigating the blinking lights they discover a crashed federation ship. They get into some kind of strange pods that have never existed in the Star Trek Universe (or even season 1) and fly through the asteroid field spending about 3 million in CGI effects in the process. Then they just use the transporters on the crashed ship to transport back. Again if the way of getting off the ship was that easy they should have just sent some probes down to see if anyone was alive or figured out a way to communicate with people on the crashed ship. Then they could have just transported them off. This show creates needless drama for no real reason and the entire flying through asteroids with the pods is a perfect example.

Then after they save the people on the ship they capture an asteroid the size of the cargo bay. Which again doesn't make sense since Tilly just wanted a sample and Michael had planned to bring back a rock smaller than her hand. But in the span of a couple minutes a small rock is no longer enough and they need a giant one (without explanation) just to add yet more pointless tension to the story.

Then Michael is just let into Spocks quarters and is free to go through his Personal logs at her will.

2.01 "Brother"

Captain Pike comes aboard Discovery and takes command after a mysterious force he was investigating diables his Enterprise. Now it's up to the crew to help him with his mission to discover the origin and purpose of the mysterious signals that have popped up all around the galaxy. But things are personal for Burnham, as these mysterious signals appear connected to her foster brother, who also happens to be Pike's science officer and a character with whom Trek fans are intimately familiar.

Bringing Spock into the show was inevitable from the moment Burnham was retconned into his family. It is something I have simultaneously dreaded and looked forward to since early in season 1. The Abrams movies took great liberties with Spock's character, making him far more emotional and irrational than he was when played by Leonard Nimoy. In terms of style and tone, DSC has gone down a similar path as the Abrams films so I have very little faith in the show's ability to respect the legacy of Nimoy or his character. That said, with a few exceptions I have been pleased with James Frain's portrayal of Sarek, so I am willing to give this version of Spock a chance. And Spock is one of the best and most complex characters in all of Trek, so I am cautiously excited to see what new chapter this show will add to his already-great story.

However, the details of that will have to wait for a future ep when adult Spock actually makes an appearance. For now, let's get into this ep a bit.

THE GOOD

-No boring Klingons, no soap opera-level bickering between characters, and no in-your-face political correctness agendas. Also no spore drive (for now, anyway; I notice they are keeping it in their back pocket as a nice deus ex machina once the writers write themselves into a corner). Already this episode is miles ahead of season 1 in terms of direction.

-Aside from a brief glimpse of it in the episode on Pahvo, the show named Discovery has in fact featured NO discovery thus far. False advertising, to be sure. However, that appears to be changing in this ep. The sense of mystery and wonder that makes Star Trek so special can be felt a little in this ep and it looks to be the direction of the season as a whole.

-Pretty cool scene in Spock's quarters. It may be blatant pandering to fans but I can't help but feel happy nostalgia for great TOS eps that took place on that set, namely "Amok Time."

THE BAD

-Pacing of the episode was not great. Some scenes were too long or pointless, while other aspects could have been developed more. I definitely wanted more details about the mysterious signals, and while I'm sure we will learn more as the show progresses, there's far too little said about there here, especially considering they currently seem to be the main driving force for the plot.

-The scenes involving the asteroid debris were difficult to watch. Weird lighting and jumpy editing made it impossible to follow what was happening. And the arrogant science officer getting killed was unnecessary. Everything involving him seemed unnecessary.

THE UGLY

-We need to talk about dark matter for a second. First of all, the term 'dark matter' doesn't refer to its color. Dark matter is shorthand for a hole in the current scientific understanding about either the composition of the universe or the laws governing it. Basically, what we know about gravity is either wrong, or it is telling us that we can only detect 15% of the matter in the universe and the other 85% is referred to as "dark". A combination of those two possibilities could also be responsible. IF dark matter exists, nearly all of it probably exists in non-baryonic forms. Tilly and Burnham even hang a lantern on this by referring to the asteroid chunk as non-baryonic dark matter. Here's the problem with that: baryons (protons and neutrons, specifically) are what make up atoms. Atoms are necessary for matter to exist in any chemical/elemental state (such as what rocks are composed of). So therefore, the rocks of the asteroid cannot, by definition, be non-baryonic dark matter. Unfortunately, because scientists themselves don't know what dark matter is (nor can they prove that it even exists, despite great efforts to do so), some crackpot scifi writers will use it to be whatever magical thing they want it to be. That unfortunately appears to be the case here.

-The writers don't seem to have ANY clue what to do with Stamet's character. His personality went from an obnoxious petulant baby to a drugged out hippie to a fairly normal and well-adjusted person in a very short time, and now he is threatening to leave the ship. I've never seen a character handled so sloppily.

Great start, just visual transitions from one scene to the other seem abrupt in certain places. Great new captain. Good try in the intro of bridge crew. Still dont know them all.

I do like Discovery, it's fun, exciting and the story keeps you watching. This new series started off well, although it has become apparent, that there is only room for one male lead on board, the rest have to be women, empowered, kickass women. Any other man around is an idiot, quiet or just non descript. Yes you may say, this is how women were treated back in the day...that may be, but in this era of equality, there should be an equal amount shouldn't there? Not, we're getting our own back?! This is the problem I have with PC in TV and Movies, and in life in general, they preach equality, but in reality, they really want to get their own back on who has been 'oppressing' them, equality for all is the furthest thing from their mind. Anyway, I've seen worse, in many other shows, and I do enjoy this.

I honestly don't think there was a single scene that made sense from beginning to end in this entire episode. Logic? What's logic?

It certainly looks pretty. I might watch another episode just to look at it. It would probably be more enjoyable if I mute it, though.

Just... I don't even know where to begin. The Enterprise is massively disabled by some vague incident that may be related to the vague signals. Let's not investigate that before charging ahead, let's just go. It is towed somewhere to be fixed by someone. So there are lots of ships nearby? Who's this engineer? Why did she come with? Is she the chief engineer? Why isn't she fixing her ship? The Discovery already has engineers. Does she know something useful? If so, why doesn't she say anything? Was that a picture of the whole galaxy with the red bursts spread around it? It takes years to get around just one quadrant. That's why the Enterprise was on a 5-year mission. So we're like two hours from the one burst that stayed on? Why did we come out of warp a kilometer from this thing, surrounded by debris? Let's not quantify risks, but just charge in cause we're manly, and because Michael can do anything. Why does the Discovery conveniently have incredible pods? Again, if you're going to put your show in an existing universe, in a period that's already been explored, have some respect for the source material. Why do those pods have some crazy tubular launching mechanism? If you're on autopilot, why is the science officer doing his own custom calculations? Calculations? Of what? Why does nobody listen to Pike? Why does nobody care when the science officer dies? How can Pike's pod fly on a straight line for three minutes without hitting anything when he loses control? Why does the deceleration of stopping from extreme speeds not harm Michael and Pike? How has the engineer survived for ten months with only injured crew members on a wrecked ship? Why did she feel the need to create hovering robots? Why didn't they use the pattern buffers to beam out Michael as soon as the pad went down? Why did they need to send Pike back before beaming her out? Why isn't the rock stuck in her leg a sample for Tilly? Why do they have to capture THIS random piece of huge asteroid, and not any of the other million pieces floating around? Why does Pike say his mission is complete, when they still don't know anything about the signals? Why does Pike encourage Michael to snoop around in Spock's room? Why does Michael think it is okay to listen to Spock's personal logs? Why was Michael taken to Vulcan as an orphan instead of Earth? Why is Spock a little jerk?

I feel like I could keep going.

This was trash. There was no thought put into any of these scenes. How can they spend untold wads of cash on these amazing visuals, but not have someone with a shred of logic in their brains even give the script a once-over?