netgirl_y2k (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
netgirl_y2k) wrote2021-01-20 01:56 pm
netgirl_y2k) wrote2021-01-20 01:56 pm
Disco S3
I have taken to watching an episode of Star Trek: Discovery with my morning beer - I've been working nights, so that isn't as bad as it sounds - and I've just finished season three. Which was, you know those seasons of tv where you enjoy every episode individually, but get to the end and it's like: Was that it? Well, this was one of those.
First of all, I uncomplicatedly love Book as Michael's new love interested. The actor is charming and nice to look at, he and Michael have great chemistry, and he doesn't have the hangover from that weird Voq plot hanging over his character. Good stuff. I love Grudge, who is indeed a queen.
Actually, after the first episode I would have been totally on board with a show which was just Michael, Book, and that one guy who didn't even know if the Federation still existed but was keeping the flame lit all the same rebuilding the Federation brick by brick. And that kept happening, this season the show kept almost being a more interesting version of itself and then swerving away. Like, with the Burn. So much of Star Trek's utopia is rooted in it being a post scarcity society, so exploring what the Federation looks like when that's no longer the case could have been really interesting, except no, the last episode solve was 'idk, just find more dilithium' which, eh... The other thing that made the resolution to the Burn mystery kind of blah is that there's nobody else who can move like Doug Jones does, so whenever the show tries to do something with other Kelpians they don't look alien like Saru does, they look like Star Trek actors in rubber masks.
I'm really happy that the season ended with Michael as captain, finally! But, damn, it's telling that it took three seasons for the black female protagonist to get to sit in the captain's chair, after Lorca, Pike, Saru and even Tilly! Look, I love Tilly, and I don't want to gripe too much because in the Nu movies Kirk got to skip every rank that wasn't captain, but you can really tell that the writers have dug themselves into that hole where they have a fan favourite character who doesn't have an obvious role on the show and they're struggling with what to do with her.
I really liked the two-parter that seemed like a set up for Georgiou's spin-off, although it is a bit weird that she got more of a character arc in the two episodes that preceded her leaving the show than anyone else in the supporting cast got in the whole rest of the season. They hinted at doing something with Detmer and trauma in the first few episodes and then pulled back from it. Also, I'm struggling to think of a more charitable explanation for why they don't pull the trigger on Detmer and Owo being a couple that isn't 'we already have one same sex couple in out supporting cast, thanks.'
Like, I should reiterate that on an episode by episode basis I enjoyed every single moment of this season, I just wish they hadn't made what felt like really bold choices, and then hit the big red reset button on all of them....
Oh. It's just hit me. Discovery is Voyager for the streaming era. That explains everything.
First of all, I uncomplicatedly love Book as Michael's new love interested. The actor is charming and nice to look at, he and Michael have great chemistry, and he doesn't have the hangover from that weird Voq plot hanging over his character. Good stuff. I love Grudge, who is indeed a queen.
Actually, after the first episode I would have been totally on board with a show which was just Michael, Book, and that one guy who didn't even know if the Federation still existed but was keeping the flame lit all the same rebuilding the Federation brick by brick. And that kept happening, this season the show kept almost being a more interesting version of itself and then swerving away. Like, with the Burn. So much of Star Trek's utopia is rooted in it being a post scarcity society, so exploring what the Federation looks like when that's no longer the case could have been really interesting, except no, the last episode solve was 'idk, just find more dilithium' which, eh... The other thing that made the resolution to the Burn mystery kind of blah is that there's nobody else who can move like Doug Jones does, so whenever the show tries to do something with other Kelpians they don't look alien like Saru does, they look like Star Trek actors in rubber masks.
I'm really happy that the season ended with Michael as captain, finally! But, damn, it's telling that it took three seasons for the black female protagonist to get to sit in the captain's chair, after Lorca, Pike, Saru and even Tilly! Look, I love Tilly, and I don't want to gripe too much because in the Nu movies Kirk got to skip every rank that wasn't captain, but you can really tell that the writers have dug themselves into that hole where they have a fan favourite character who doesn't have an obvious role on the show and they're struggling with what to do with her.
I really liked the two-parter that seemed like a set up for Georgiou's spin-off, although it is a bit weird that she got more of a character arc in the two episodes that preceded her leaving the show than anyone else in the supporting cast got in the whole rest of the season. They hinted at doing something with Detmer and trauma in the first few episodes and then pulled back from it. Also, I'm struggling to think of a more charitable explanation for why they don't pull the trigger on Detmer and Owo being a couple that isn't 'we already have one same sex couple in out supporting cast, thanks.'
Like, I should reiterate that on an episode by episode basis I enjoyed every single moment of this season, I just wish they hadn't made what felt like really bold choices, and then hit the big red reset button on all of them....
Oh. It's just hit me. Discovery is Voyager for the streaming era. That explains everything.