SUBO STAR TREK

“Any, um, words of wisdom?”

“Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness-”

“-Thereby, you can be the director of your opponents’ fate. I’m surprised a Kelpien, of all beings, has studied Sun Tzu.”

“I’m surprised a Terran is surprised by anything.”

Well... it’s impossible to talk about this finale episode without discussing the ending, but I’ll try to refrain. For now.

Let’s back up a bit. I don’t know about you, but for me, the Red Angel reveal was phenomenal. The concept of this woman, engineering fate with nothing but her time-jumping suit and the crushing weight of all her failures; it’s the kind of thing I wish was made into a game, and exactly why last season’s “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” was such an exceptional episode.

About predictions, this episode doesn’t really throw any curveballs. Red Angel is Discovery’s avatar to fight Control? Check. Discovery is in a causality loop? Check. Signals were meant to guide Discovery towards its fate of defeating Control? Check. Yet, in the context of the episode, it all works magnificently. It really comes down to the execution: the conviction of the actors and the characters, the structuring of the season (part of the reason why we made those predictions was because they came from character and plot developments, and to abandon them in an attempt to flip the script really wouldn’t work), and the haunting beauty of the jump scene, simultaneously serving as recap, climax, and conclusion.

So yes; as an episode alone, “Such Sweet Sorrow” is fantastic.

Now let’s talk about the ending, and the show’s role in all this.

Again, this ending was... kind of inevitable. All the way back to “Context Is for Kings”, I suspected that Discovery and the Prototaxes stellaviatori was destined to become classified information, the only question being “at the end of which season”. The thing is, I didn’t want it to be the case, because A: continuing the first season, I found no real canon contradictions, and B: It felt like such a plot development would be conceding defeat to the fandom purists, who sang their “STD IS NOT CANON” chorus ever since the show was announced in 2016.

And today, the purists just won an Austerlitz-sized decisive victory.

My problem isn’t that the ending happened, it’s that they went so overboard with it. Discovery, sent into the far future, all records of it erased, with any mention of the ship punishable by treason; the ship might as well have never existed in the first place. That’s exactly what the naysayers wanted, and more.

I really don’t want to say that I’m disappointed, because we got such a great episode and a wonderful finale to the season, but these developments are... discouraging, to say the least.

I assessed this episode at a 5/5 and enjoyed it at a 4/5, returning a final rating of 4.5/5.

I assessed this season at a 4/5 and enjoyed it at a 5/5, returning a final rating of 4.5/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: So what is Season 3 going to be about? If “Calypso” is any indication and it’s about the V’draysh, then there’s a lot of implications about both the series and Trek canon as a whole. The Enterprise-J, in the 26th century, is already going intergalactic. Where would a 32nd century humanity be at? Or, is it like a Warhammer 40k situation, where humanity has been stagnating?

2: Continuing off that point: Bryan Singer once pitched “Star Trek Federation”, about a decaying Federation in the 30th century and a new Enterprise’s efforts to revitalize the nation.

3: Theory time: Craft is actually from Terralysium, known as Alcor IV in his time. Also, “V’draysh” refers not to the original Federation, but to the neo-Federation founded by the population of New Eden after developing warp.

What if the V’draysh is at a similar technology level to the 23rd century Federation?

4: What character dynamics have been abandoned in favor of this twist? No more Georgiou/Burnham, no chance of finding Prime Lorca, no possibility of Mirror Discovery.

God damnit.

May might still be alive, though.

5: Was that stuff between Hugh and Paul real, or was it just delusions brought on by his impending death?

6: Rebecca Romijn is simply perfect. With her conspicuous hiring and the ending of the episode, maybe they really are doing a Pike show.

“Listen to me, little brother. There is a whole galaxy out there, full of people who will reach for you. You have to let them. Find the person who seems farthest from you... and reach for them. Let them guide you...”

“...I will. I only wish I could be certain of your safety.”

“You will. I’ll send the last signal. I’ll send it through the wormhole when I get to the other side.”

“I will watch the stars for it.”

“You better be saving every single moment with me.”

“Actually, those memories are always the first to go.”

“Oh? Lucky you get to delete everything you want to forget. If I could do that, I would probably forget my mother.”

“You would be less envious if you had to go through the process each week. It can be tedious.”

I love character episodes. One person, bared from naissance, as if they are reviewing their life for the last time before they must face Eternity.

Of course, this episode makes that metaphor much more overt. Airiam categorizes her memories with mechanical objectivity, but it’s obvious that they are still treasured.

I assessed this episode at a 4/5 and enjoyed it at a 4/5, returning a final rating of 4/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: The minefield scene. Damn. Again, another knockout moment in Season 2.

2: The sphere really could have worked as just a mysterious one-off thing, but it’s great how the season is expanding its impact in intriguing ways.

3: A causation loop is going to factor into this.

4: Cornwell is always nice to see. If Saru doesn’t become Captain, she should.

5: Spock and Michael airing out their differences went exactly as we should have expected, but they’re getting there.

“Your species is Barzan, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Your augmentation allows you to breathe in our atmosphere?”

“And why are you asking?”

“...Curiosity...”

“I don’t suppose the Red Angel offered you any advice on how to handle a situation like this.”

“No. But my limited experience as a fugitive offers only one course of advice. We run.”

“...I can’t ask any of you to participate in what is clearly an act of disobe-“

“-Course heading, sir?”

Discovery soars in a stellar episode, one that brings the series’ inclusion of Pike front and center.

I wasn’t quite sure how they were going to integrate the Talos IV into the story (mostly because, both in-universe and out, The Cage is rarely discussed), but here, they succeed by committing to it fully. If Memory Serves basically a full-fledged continuation of The Cage, down to the very real feelings that Pike still holds for Vina.

I assessed this at a 4/5 and enjoyed it at a 5/5, returning a final rating of 4.5/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: ILLUSION 100

2: Holy crap, Ethan Peck is fantastic. We finally get to see a lucid Spock, and while Peck doesn’t quite nail the voice (a problem no doubt solvable by smoking two packs a day), he’s able to convey a vulnerability that is heartbreaking to watch.

3: I love how they’ve been handling Culber. It would have been so easy to get back to the relationship fluff and basically ignore his months of perdition, but if Culber cannot get over it, nobody in the ship can. It also raises the question: is this really the original Culber, or merely his body and memories?

4: Pre-Vahar’ai Saru would have definitely made a different call. I didn’t even think about that aspect, so when Pike brought it up it caught me completely by surprise.

5: Hail Mary Theory: Sending the probe into the time distortion is what causes the future crisis, and the Red Angel is the chosen avatar of the Discovery crew, determined to fix their mistake.

The corvettes of the crisis bear a strong resemblance to the probe, suggesting either common ancestry (Humans, maybe even the Mirror Universe?) or that their technology was reverse-engineered from it. Perhaps Discovery finds out about this and in trying to rectify it, creates a causality paradox and must fulfill the role of the Red Angel throughout history.

“You allowed the fight to proceed.”

“I believe the confrontation was a necessary and avoidable catharsis. For both men.”

“Hardly an example of by-the-book conflict resolution.”

“Ugh, the Starfleet manual provides no regulatory guidelines for interactions between humans with Klingons grafted to their bones, and a ship’s doctor returned from the dead...”

“Then, occasionally, we have to make it up as we go along.”

“That is the situation in which we find ourselves, yes.”

“This is not intended with any judgement, Saru, but I suspect that before your own evolution, you might have made a different call?”

“Perhaps, Captain.”

“I’m impressed you found Spock before we did, and that you used your own mother to do it! I would have enjoyed a manipulating mind like that. If she had lived a little longer.“

“Did you kill her?”

“...It’s a blur...”

Light and Shadows intrigues in the long term, but doesn’t work as well in the moment.

Spock’s family is always great to see, and the Spock subplot is strengthened with robust character dynamics; real friction between Sarek and Amanda, Michael showing emotion around Spock, and the complex resentment between Georgiou and Burnham. The weak link, however, is the story back on Discovery. The friction between Ash and Pike doesn’t work nearly as well, and barring the drone, not much happens with the time anomaly that isn’t setup for future episodes.

Also, some of the revelations were a little... curt? Like the Leland reveal at the end and “the numbers are backwards”. Not enough to ruin the episode, but I still wish that they were handled with a lighter touch.

I assessed this episode at a 3/5 and enjoyed it at a 4/5, returning a final rating of 3.5/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: Michelle Yeoh has so much fun being Georgiou that it’s impossible not to grin when witnessing her terrible antics. Only her specific blend of malice and mischief can pull off lines that should be utterly corny in any other context, such as the above quote and Episode 5′s snake hiss.

2: Despite this episode offering mostly intrigue and revelations, these reveals were indeed goddamn intriguing. Are we going to get some Airiam character development? What’s going to happen on Talos IV? What if the Red Angel is a future human, determined to shape the course of human civilization to her will? Is the 500 year jump significant, and does it have anything to do with Calypso?

3: Talosians are looking great, by the way.

4: Oh, come on! Let Tilly say fuck! Let Tilly say “fucking fuck shit cuntballs”!

“But that’s for another time. For now, you’re going to attack me and rescue Spock, which is good for you. That will make Leland look bad, which is good for me.

Ten seconds, Michael. So what will yo-”

“Trying to make it look good!”

“Not bad. Once more, with feeling!

“Your lies no longer work on me. I survived my Vahar’ai, and I know that it means not death but evolution, an evolution you murder my people to suppress!”

Another knockout episode!

The mystery of the Kelpiens has been looming over Discovery since the series began, and today we got some more concrete answers about the entire endeavor. What could have been a self-contained episode instead integrated the season’s events seamlessly, and the result is wonderful.

Before we continue, let me say: The Brightest Star was fantastic. I love, love, love how that Short Trek told things entirely from Saru’s point of view, making the beauty of Kaminar, the shadow of the Ba’ul, and the grand mystery of the Federation so much more compelling.

I love how this episode instead told things from Discovery’s perspective, expanding upon the emotional and tonal mastery of The Brightest Star in the absolute best way; the objective, almost dismissive tone of protocol clashing with the emotional reality of Saru and his upbringing, and an outsider’s records on the eternal conflict between predator and prey.

Saru has always been one of this series’ best characters, and his mysterious upbringing has been one of his strengths, but there’s something to be said about a show that not only dares to unveil the mystery behind a character, but also expand it into a bold new future for them and their people.

I enjoyed and assessed this at a 5/5, returning a final rating of 5/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: I suspected that the twist would be that the Ba’ul were post-Vahar’ai Kelpiens.

That would have been kinda lame.

To be honest, the twist we got was also kinda predictable, but this show (and especially Doug Jones) has worked hard as hell to earn the Kelpien happy ending. So I’m not complaining.

2: Not much Culber, but it’s great to see that he’s healthy and functioning at normal levels.

3: Weekly “I want more Sarcastic Genius Mom” reminder.

4: Ash/Voq has lived the most sad, pitiable life. Nothing’s ever worked out for him, he’s never belonged anywhere, and I interpreted his suspicions around the Red Angel as him trying to convince himself to fit the mold of Section 31; forcing a square peg into a circular hole, as it were.

5: I am very, very impressed with how they’ve been using the Red Angel. Something I’ve noticed is that all the places it appears are not only about salvation, but also about obscuration; the Kelpiens learned about their true maturation processes, and the scientist in New Eden discovered the truth behind human civilization.

 “I must stay for my people. There is a long road ahead; our minds must truly be free before Kelpien and Ba’ul accept each other. But I am happy, brother. I know that you did not leave Kaminar in fear, but in hope. And you brought that hope back with you. You and your Red Angel.”

“If you lay a hand on my brother-”

“You’ll what? Oh, now here’s the woman I recognize.”

“Shuttlebay’s through there. I’m sure you need to get back to your... snakepit.”

This episode plays almost like a midseason finale, converging much of the character and plot development seen in the prior episodes while paving a clear way for the main plot to enter critical mass.

But wow, this was beautiful. The Saints of Imperfection is the best episode of the season so far. Fates converge, wills collide, and I absolutely loved it.

Once again, I have to give it up for the actors. The acting has always been Discovery’s greatest strength, but here it’s a standout even among their uninterrupted string of exceptional performances throughout Season 2.

I enjoyed and assessed this episode at a 5/5, returning a final rating of 5/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: I was worried that May would bond with Stamets and become Hugh.

That would be weird as shit.

The method they ended up choosing was far better.

2: But, I still want May to return. The bond between her and Tilly has been so special, and I can see it blossoming into a healthy, even lifelong relationship. She should join the Discovery as one of its crew! What if she becomes Starfleet’s first fungal recruit?

3: So many characters! Admiral Cornwell, Ash, Georgiou, basically everyone is here except for Spock. Each one of them gets some time to shine. Literally the only thing that could have made this episode even better would be Jet Reno.

4: This was the most literal “sinking ship” I’ve ever seen in Star Trek.

5: Loved the little combadge cameo.

6: Michael is such a great character. She’s able to

“If I have a path, I’m still searching for it. We all are; that’s how we find our way. By choosing to walk forward. Together.

And if there is a greater hand, leading us to an uncertain future... I can only hope it guides us well.”

subodc.tumblr.com

“I’ve been wondering why it appeared to me as May, which got me wondering about the real May I met when I was 14. I was, you know, a weird kid; not a lot of friends, and... nobody who really believed in me, including me. But she did. She wanted to connect to me, and she tried so hard. But I don’t really think I was the friend to her that she needed.

“I’m certain that you were much kinder than you give yourself credit for. You always are.”

“I didn’t even know she died... I feel like I took her for granted. The girl who thought I was special.”

Okay, the giant sphere is kind of weird, and Number One (played by the stunning Rebecca Romijn) barely appears for a scene, but this episode was so full of amazing moments that I’m just gonna jump into them right now.

One, the return of Sarcastic Genius Mom. Yes.

In Season 1, Lorca was the foil to Stamets, and since he kicked the bucket Jet Reno has stepped up to the plate, continuing in the tradition of giving Stamets everything from annoyance to aneurysms. She’s a goddamn delight, managing to strike a perfect, razor-thin balance between deliberate trolling and complete dismissive indifference. It’s fun as hell to watch, but you also kinda feel bad for Stamets, whose warmer side comes out around Tilly; as such, he took the full brunt of the Reno train.

Two, the Babel scenes. Yes.

It’s such a simple concept, but in a show with as much diversity as Star Trek, they take it to the chaotic extreme and it’s glorious. Even the computer joins in on the fun.

Three, Saru and Burnham. Yes.

Saru got to save the day again. But more importantly, watching Saru and Burnham throughout the series has been wonderful. They inspire each other. There’s a level of trust and admiration between them that’s so touching to see, and seeing Michael break down as Saru enters his final moments was heartbreaking. If Spock is her Vulcan sibling, then Saru is her human one.

I assess this episode at a 4/5 and enjoyed it at a 5/5, returning a final rating of 4.5/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: Sure, Saru surviving was kind of predictable, but that revelation at the end. Perhaps the Kelpiens only carry their ganglia for the first stages of their maturity, and once they reach a post-adulthood (Kelpien menopause?) they’re supposed to shed them and live the rest of their lives without fear. What if the Ba’ul’s interference in this natural cycle - harvesting the Kelpiens during this transition - have caused the Kelpiens to forget its true purpose, and thus regard the transition with fear? Star Trek is always about putting science in the context of society.

2: The May plot continues to twist in unpredictable ways. Remember the TNG episode Force of Nature, where it was revealed that warp was damaging subspace? That episode was kind of balls, but here they have an opportunity to do it in a better, weirder way. The Prototaxites stellaviatori probably form a kind of eusocial heirarchy, like those of bees, ants, or naked mole rats, but it would be crazy (and dope as hell) if there was a civilization of fungi in the mycelial network and they sent May, their most capable agent, to pinpoint and end the source of the devastation.

3: Saru wishing for his records to be published upon Kelpien warp capability is one of the most earnest and humbling scenes in this series so far.

“The sphere didn’t just give us its language. We have recorded everything it has seen and experienced the last one hundred thousand years. Its legacy - and your legacy - has a new chapter.”

“A new, and deeply troubling one. The Kelpien way of life has always been oriented towards death, and the role the Ba’ul play in it. My people call it the ‘Great Balance’. It is our central, organizing truth.”

“But you proved it wrong!”

“Precisely. And you asked me before, why I could not go home. It is because I made a promise to Captain Georgiou to uphold General Order 1, not to interfere with the destiny of my species. But now, knowing that what my people have accepted as the truth is a lie, what does this mean for us? My species, my planet?”

“Why have you been spying on me?”

“Don’t be cranky about it. We have to ensure that she stays in the chancellor’s seat.”

“Who’s ‘we’?... Emperor-”

“You have me confused with someone else! I’m Philippa Georgiou, retired captain of the USS Shenzhou, now Starfleet security consultant!”

...Huh.

Compared to the well-paced episodes of the last two weeks, this episode was a little... overstuffed?

Point of Light did quadruple duty as an episode, covering Tilly, Burnham, Georgiou, and the Klingons. Honestly, this episode could - and probably should - have been split into two. The Klingon political situation is one of the biggest questions following Season 1, and while did get plenty of information, it should have been the focus of the entire episode. Individual scenes are very strong, I just wish there were more of them.

I assessed the episode at a 3/5 and enjoyed it at a 4/5, returning a final rating of 3.5/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: Huh. So she doesn’t really have anything to do with the lights.

May Ahearn is one of the best parts of Season 2. She’s so intriguing, and Bahia Watson steals the show every time she appears. What if she becomes the pilot of the spore drive?

2: I’m guessing this is a backdoor pilot for Section 31? Maybe we’ll get more answers then, but it’s still cool to see Georgiou return.

(Also, the Section 31 ship looks like a saucer-separated Shenzhou. Heh.)

3: Um... I was worried that the split had something to do with Spock’s Pon Farr, but what Burnham is hinting towards might be even worse.

I’m worried.

4: Anyone else bummed that the episode titles aren’t as dope anymore? Season 1 had fantastic episode titles, and Season 2 has just reverted back to regular-ass titles. Boo.

“I’ve started to see... a ghost. She’s a girl I knew when I was a teenager. Her name was May, but she’s dead. A-and the May that I knew was really neat, and, uh, kinda goofy when you got to know her, but this May is different. She’s insistent. She’s grooming me for something.”

“For what?”

“She hasn’t said.”

“Because you’re ignoring me, and I’m getting scared. We need a new plan!”

“So, if we launch the dark matter asteroid from the shuttlebay in just the right trajectory, its gravity will pull the radioactive debris away from the planet, like a... a, a invisible magnet! See?”

“For the asteroid to exit at the correct angle, I would have to execute a sustained circular drift-”

“A donut! You would be doing a donut! In a starship!”

“...I guess so...”

New Eden is definitely the most Classic Trek-like of the Discovery episodes to date. Humans where there shouldn’t be humans, repressive religions, rationally-thinking dissenters, there’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before in Star Trek.

Despite this, it still works well due to several reasons:

1: It contextualizes the society of New Eden within the overarching mystery of Discovery, where previous societies were usually attributed to one-time beings or corrupt clergy.

2: New Eden is not repressive to the point of self-parody (unlike a certain other show that features corrupt religions). The citizens are depicted as thankful and positive instead of evangelizing and dismissive, even showing eagerness to repair old technologies.

I enjoyed this episode at a 4/5 and assessed it at a 4/5, returning a final rating of 4/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1: An unfortunate side effect of invoking the Prime Directive is that it often creates a sense of condescension. New Eden tries really, really hard to avoid it, and while it’s still there to a degree, this was one of the better Prime Directive episodes in recent memory.

2: Looks like Sarcastic Genius Mom won’t be joining us for our journey. Damn, too bad.

3: Tilly is the best thing ever ever ever in the universe and anyone who talks shit about her will have Ripper sicced on them in the middle of the night.

4: Continuing off of that, her talk with Saru was beautiful.

5: I’m starting to realize how much potential the Red Angel has as a character and a fictional force. And this makes me kind of worried, because the Red Angel is fundamentally a weird-as-shit concept. It’ll be too easy for the writers to throw up their hands and make the Red Angel another godlike being that vanishes after one appearance (which the current era is ripe with). Another issue is with the spore drive and the mycelial network; if the Red Angel has nothing to do with the Prototaxites stellaviatori, then the show will have two sources of recurring mysticism, but if it has everything to do with the spores, then it’ll just feel too convenient.

But the scenes with Tilly’s late friend showed potential (Yeah, I’m pretty sure that stuff also has something to do with the Red Angel). If they stick the landing, the Red Angel will be a fantastic stepping stone to explore guilt, loss, second chances, while connecting the second season with the first.

I have faith.

“Jacob, we cannot intervene. Your society has to evolve in its own way.”

“My entire family spent their whole lives, trying to get a confirmation that what we believed was true... and you gave me that answer. Something that none of them ever got. That’s enough for me. Thank you; because of you, we’re not lost anymore.”

“Commander Reno, the war is over.”

“...nobody’s speaking Klingon, so... we won?”

“There was an armistice. We’re at peace.”

“An armistice with the guys who drink bloodwine?”

“Yes.”

This episode was great! Anson Mount is perfect as Captain Christopher Pike, and the returning cast all pick up right where they left off with passionate, compelling performances. Tig Notaro as Sarcastic Genius Mom Jet Reno is a standout, and once again Tilly shows that she’s the most perfect being in the galaxy.

Make way, for the Discovery has returned.

I enjoyed this episode at a 5/5 and assessed it at a 4/5, returning a final rating of 4.5/5.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1. I was worried that the episode (and the season as a whole) would be completely unable to escape the shadow of the Enterprise. From what I’ve seen, I’ve been proven wrong. Personally, I didn’t mind the “room of reverence” stuff that was going on (as some on Twitter have put it), as the episode seemed to move on decently quickly.

2. The split between Burnham and Spock... I’m worried that it’s going to have something to do with Spock’s Pon Farr.

Let’s hope that it isn’t.

3. MORE BRIDGE CREW MATERIAL YES YES YES SIGN ME UP

TRUST US, DISCOVERY HAS YOU