We are quickly approaching the end of the second season for Discovery. Let’s dig into this third from final episode.
1. Emotion
In last week’s episode, Michael Burnham found her mother, only to lose her once again. In this week’s episode, Burnham feels as if she’s failed her mother by losing her, but it’s her adopted mother, Amanda, who attempts to soothe her concerns by telling her it’s the opposite; She found her mother after all these years, and can find her again. We’ve seen Burnham fluctuate between logical consideration and emotional reactiveness over the course of Discovery,. But she’s human, and she is ruled by her emotions in this episode. Burnham wants to chase Control in order to find her mother; she’s not thinking logically, and as Spock notes, his sister is angry, Michael tells him he’s wrong. She’s enraged.
2. Logic
Spock was on the lam for at least half of this second season of Discovery. During this time, Spock attempted to shun his human side and rely solely on logic. But his emotions shined through, particularly his anger with his sister, Michael. Now, Spock has regained his logical composure and is taking his skills with him on an adventure with Burnham; he insists on boarding her shuttle and going with her to check out a marooned Section 31 ship in order to seek out Leland…and Control. The siblings have reversed roles. Spock is now the one joining Burnham in an attempt to even out her emotions and in an attempt to prevent her from harming herself. The duo stumbles upon a space wasteland of bodies surrounding Section 31’s ship, with one remaining survivor, a former crewmate of Burnham. I should have seen it coming — this guy is Control. It gets Burnham alone to tell her one thing: she is the key to to all of this, to Control getting the data it needs from Discovery. Basically he wants to assimilate her. Borg alert. Control does use a form of nanotechnology to take over human bodies, so the Borg connection is strong. It would be cool to explore the genesis of the Borg on Discovery. I guess it could be a logical next step.
3. Pike
But the true star of this episode is Captain Christopher Pike, a character we met way back in 1966, confined to a wheelchair, possessing a disfigured face, the result of a radiation leak. An accident left him in this wretched state. But now, we’ve gotten to know Pike, the active captain, through Anson Mount’s performance, and this makes his future accident all the more heartbreaking. Pike learns of his fate while on the Klingon holy planet, Boreth, where Klingon monks guard a hoard of time crystals, crystals similar to the one that powered the Red Angel’s suit. In order to secure a crystal for Starfleet, Pike must accept the future the crystal shows him within the walls of the monastery. That future shown to him is the radiation leak, the face-melting, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark-style, accident. But as Admiral Cornwell states, Pike is the best Captain in Starfleet has, and Pike accepts his horrific fate in order to save the galaxy and defeat Control. Knowing Pike makes this a heartbreaker, but at least he has the opportunity to make his own self-sacrificing decision.
4. Klingon bummer
The mythology created in the episode is pretty darn interesting. The monastery on Boreth. It’s purpose being the protection of the time crystals. The idea that time behaves differently within the monastery, as demonstrated by L’Rell and Voq’s grown son, Tenavik. Even the reunion between L’Rell and Tyler after the pain of losing their son is an interesting plot point. But somehow, this Klingon story falls flat. I think I have to go back to the different Klingon look in this series. I wasn’t a fan of the change in season one, and I’m struggling to force myself to like the change now. There’s just no emotion coming from those new Klingon faces. The prosthetics seem to make it impossible. I love Mary Chieffo. I follow her on social media and she is adorable, she is enthusiastic, and she is so very knowledgeable about the Trek universe, especially the Klingons, but her performances this season have fallen flat for some reason. I’m still willing myself to like these Klingons despite everything. Qapla’.
5. Jett Reno is back, back again
Tig Notaro is a bright spot in this episode. She confronts both Stamets and Dr. Culber about their relationship in an effort to lead them towards reconciliation. In order to do so, she reveals to Culber that her wife passed in the Klingon War, and that he has the opportunity to take advantage of a second chance with Stamets; he shouldn’t screw it up. Star Trek hasn’t exactly been representative of gay characters over the past 50 years of the series’ existence. It is difficult to believe, that after traveling across the galaxy and discovering various species, that everyone just happens to be straight. It appears Discovery is attempting to make its galaxy more welcoming by putting its gay characters front and center, by developing these characters, and by casting gay actors in gay roles. I know it’s been said a million times already, but representation matters, and I’m glad Discovery is representing. More Jett Reno, please.
