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I have two big questions going into the season finale ofStar Trek: Discovery. 1.Does anything that has happened since the Battle of the Binary Stars actually matter? 2.Does this show think that Starfleet needs to cowboy the f up? Credit: Jan Thijs/CBS The first question is about plot, the second focuses on theme. I assume that the writers ofDiscoverybelieve the answers are, respectively, yes and no. Discoveryloves curveballs, has built a narrative foundation on ever-shifting quicksand....

High on resolution, but low on drama, Will You Take My Hand? took some convenient narrative liberties to wrap up the first seasons plot arc a littletootidily. Georgiou as Discoverys captain ahead of a crucial mission to the Klingon homeworld of QonoS. Credit: Jan Thijs/CBS But as some of the crew knew, Starfleet actually knowingly gave the ships command to the Terran emperor. Theres another way, Burnham says, taking Georgiou to Tylers quarters....

Star Trek: Discoveryended its second season Thursday with a twist that could decisively alter the prequels troubled course. When the budget allows,Discoveryhas shown itself more than capable of delivering spacefight thrills. Then he arrived, and everything became about the sphere. Credit: John Medland/CBS She seemed more excited, in fact, about getting her hands on some raw time crystal. The addition of Captain Pike (Anson Mount) was also a bright spot....

And here comes Point of Light, a pulpy, blood-slashing tale of man buns and fungal glorpghosts. (Or rather spoiler alert for all information about decapitated extraterrestrial infants onefakedead baby head.) Osunsanmi previously helmed Whats Past is Prologue, the exuberant conclusion to last seasons Mirror Universe plot. Credit: Michael Gibson/CBS The first bridge scene in Point of Light features a long camera movement twirling aroundDiscos officers. Unfortunately, most of the action onboardDiscothis week is blah serialized water-treading....

This is a TV show airing on a streaming service in the Year of our Spacelord 2019. If it wants to rewrite the rules of this franchise, okay! Still, I dug how Thursdays episode, New Eden, conjured up some classicalTrekqualities. Credit: Russ Martin/CBS Captain Pike (Anson Mount) tells Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) theyre going to investigate on the surface. Its an away mission! Turns out Owosekun was raised in a Luddite collective, so shes an ideal envoy to a pre-technological society....

Star Trek: Discoverywas a bit of a diet beverage in its first nine-episode chapter. It chased two polar instincts, cutesyandmilitaristic, combining nonsensical fan service (hello, offscreen step-brother Spock!) and empty PG-14 subject matter (neck snaps and f-bombs!). Credit: Jan Thijs/CBS The fascistic faux-Starfleet is engaged in all-out war with the united non-humans of the galaxy. Its an oppressive, racist, and xenophobic culture, explained Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). The Terran culture gives the impression of predicated upon an unconditional hatred and rejection of anything and everything Other....

An Obol for Charon is a very bad episode of television. The episodic plot is static, and pointless. The poor young half-Vulcan is infecting every scene of this show, like some kind of cosmic fungus. Credit: Michael Gibson/CBS Special Guest Star Rebecca Romijn plays Special Guest Original Pilot Character Number One, and talks about Spock. Saru prepares to die, and his last words are about Spock. All is Spock, Spock is all....

Anything you want to add on that?We planned the finale from the beginning of the season. LRell is very mistreated and disrespected and demeaned over the course of the season. What we didnt get this season was an explanation for why wed never heard of Burnham via Spocks family. Credit: Jan Thijs/CBS We always knew wed platforming an answer thats coming inseasons. We started out really loving the idea of having long scenes that were entirely subtitled in Klingon....

With Sundays fifth episode, Choose Your Pain,Discoverycontinued to loosen up, albeit in small ways. Now that the show has introduced key players and themes, episodes can revolve around characters and smaller-scale stories. (Characters now seem to conveniently label the technology an s-drive.) Credit: Jan Thijs/CBS As becomes increasingly evident in Choose Your Pain, each jump exacts a heavy toll on Ripper. The episode begins with examinations of the relationships between two primaryDiscoverycharacters and Ripper....

The Discovery faces a new paradigm as it embarks on the second half of its debut season. Discovery returned Sunday night after nearly two months away for viewers, at least. Despite Yourself explains that absence: Discovery has crossed into a parallel universe where the Federation doesnt exist. Credit: CBS However, the decision to revisit the Terran Empire which Spc. The crew doesnt immediately realize where theyve arrived, of course. Upon completion of their ill-fated jump, Capt....

Starfleet and the Klingons face off in an action-packed midseason finale. When I took command of this vessel, you were a crew of polite scientists, Capt. Now, I look at you, and you are fierce warriors all. Credit: Jan Thijs/CBS No other Federation vessel would have a chance of pulling this off just us. Discovery saved Pahvo and ended the Klingon war. The tension between science and violence and a deftly paced episode made for compelling viewing....

Logic extremists wreak havoc on interstellar politics. Thrilling as they were, the episodes felt mildly lacking in the interpersonal department. Its as good an hour as the show has produced yet. Credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/CBS Sarek, Spocks biological father and Burnhams surrogate parent, is departing Vulcan with a companion, Adjunct VLatak. VLatak blindsides the eminent Vulcan when he declares that Sareks fascination with humans can no longer be tolerated. The explosion rocks Burnham, literally....

En route to the bridge with Tyler, Burnham bumps into Stamets. These are the moments that make life so gloriously unpredictable! With an eye roll, Lorca gives the go-ahead. Credit: Michael Gibson/CBS Needless to say, things dont go as planned. The timeline then snaps back to the party. The engineer proves the key to Discoverys ultimate triumph over Mudd. Initially, Stamets attempts to stop Mudd fall on deaf ears. Burnham and Tyler still doubt him, but Stamets tells them it all starts with the gormagander....