Short Treks - Season 1 Review

As the second season of Star Trek: Discovery is right around the corner, we fans have been treated to something new in the form of what is being called “Star Trek: Short Treks”, a series of four stand-alone short episodes that gives us little snippets of the characters we have come to love since Discovery began. The episodes are around the 15-minute mark and give us a quick tale that (so far) has had no impact on what is happening in Discovery. Season 1 has given us four tales, each one focusing on a specific character from the show. I thought I would take a little look at these mini-episodes and give some thoughts on them.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about these mini-episodes. Discovery has a flaw for me, and that is I miss having episodes that can stand by themselves without having to be a big part of an over-arching story. This is something that I have come to accept as how television in general has evolved over the last couple decades, but it is something I miss in Trek. Short Treks remedies that to an extent. You don’t miss out on the overall story of Discovery if you don’t see these, and they are a bit more reminiscent of some of my favorite Trek episodes. The production quality is quite good, the stories have interesting premises, and each one gives us a bit of a surprise by the end. Each has a different flavor to it, which should appeal to a wide variety of fans. Where it doesn’t quite work for me is that these are so short that developing a character or telling a very compelling story fully fleshed out is difficult to achieve. Don’t get me wrong, they are good stories, and since we know something about most of the central characters it doesn’t leave us confused, but at the end of each story I was left with the feeling of “That’s it?”. In some cases, it felt rushed and thereby left the story unnecessary for me. In others, I wanted to know more, which could be a good thing. Let’s look at each one and I can give more specifics on them.

Episode 1 – Runaway

It seems fitting that the first episode revolves around who many have labeled the heart of Star Trek: Discovery. Ensign Tilly has just had a frustrating conversation with her mother over her life choices, and she heads to the mess hall to unwind and lower her stress levels. There she meets and befriends a strange teenaged alien named Po. The two bond and learn some valuable life lessons before Tilly learns that Po is destined to become the queen of her people. It’s a quaint little story, but as I mentioned earlier, it is so short that when it is finished, I couldn’t help but think “So what?” The story is not very original, doesn’t make you think about things much, and it’s over before you can really invest emotionally in it. Again, it wasn’t a bad story, the acting was great, and the character of Po is fascinating in her look and background, but the tale is done so quickly that I just felt a bit underwhelmed.

Episode 2 – Calypso

This story is the first new Trek since Star Trek: Nemesis to occur in the future. It is a distant future, and the character we have come to know is the Discovery herself. We are introduced to a new character, Craft, a human soldier that has been adrift in space for a long time and is picked up by the Discovery. Discovery is run by its AI unit, named Zora, and she develops feelings for Craft. As the two bond, we learn that Discovery has been abandoned for centuries, making us wonder what happened to the ship. Unlike “Runaway”, we are given this unanswered question as something we can think about, speculate on, and therefore it stays with you longer. Again, it was over quicker than I would have liked, and again I felt that the story could have been stretched out more to leave me feeling more satisfied, but at least here there is more meat for us to chew on. There are a lot of questions that this gives us, such as what happened to the Federation, what is the status of humanity, and why is Discovery by itself for so long. I would say that I am a bit concerned for the future of humanity given this little snippet, and hopefully we are not all doomed as science-fiction trends seem to be showing us, but “Calypso” does tell a charming tale of two characters brought together for a period of time. I liked the Betty Boop and Fred Astaire footage that were used, and overall enjoyed this episode a lot.

Episode 3 – The Brightest Star

Here is the episode I was most excited about. We are given the origin story, as it were, of Saru. We see his home world of Kaminar and meet his sister and father. We are given insight into the Kelpian people, and learn that their prey-status has more to do with ritual than ecology. Saru finds himself at odds with his father and society when he chooses to not be a part of the ritual and works on some recently discovered technology. He uses it and contacts an alien culture, whereupon he meets Lieutenant Phillipa Georgiou of the USS Shenzhou. That was a nice connection to Discovery. I enjoyed this episode a lot, but again felt that a few added minutes to further investigate the Kelpian culture would have been nice. I am a big fan of Saru’s character, and was pleased to see where he came from. What I truly appreciate in this episode is that it gives a good explanation as to why Saru is the only Kelpian we have seen in a Trek series. It makes sense that such a race would be constrained to their home planet, so those who are sticklers for canon adherence should be satisfied with that little bit of information. This episode left me wanting more, but in a good way. I want to see more of Kaminar and what befell Saru’s family. Maybe we will get some of that in future Discovery episodes.

Episode 4 – The Escape Artist

Ah, Harcourt Fenton Mudd. I have really enjoyed Rain Wilson’s take on this classic character and the many hat-tips to Mudd’s roots in the Original Series are greatly appreciated. As Mudd is handed over to a Tellarite bounty hunter, we are given a recap of many of Mudd’s misadventures. Issues with Klingons and Orions are shown, and Mudd is trying his best to fast-talk his way out of all of them. The big reveal at the end, that the Harry Mudd we have seen in this episode is actually one of many Mudd androids that the real Mudd is giving to bounty hunters, is such a classic move by this scoundrel that leaves him even more endeared to us fans. This is the perfect story for Mudd, and Rain Wilson does a great job as both the star and the director. 

Overall, Short Treks biggest failing for me is that the episodes are what they say they are: short. I think each episode could have benefited from having them stretched out more. I like feasting on good story-telling, and Star trek rarely disappoints in that regard. With these episodes, I feel more like I am given a light snack with little to really chew on or grow with. I do not think that was the intent of this mini-episode anthology series, so I cannot hold a grudge against them for being exactly what they say they are. The episodes are fun, quirky, and each has its own unique feel to them, so that works. It’s nice seeing the stories that we do. Some, like “Runaway”, add very little, while others, like “the Brightest Star”, give us some depth to significant characters. Overall, I am happy with the offering for what it was, and if anything, it left me hungry for more Discovery.

Here's to a (hopefully) successful second season.

Discovery Episode Reviews, or Why I Have Been Largely Silent on Discussing Discovery

Hello friends. I thought I would take a moment and address the episode reviews, or should I say lack of, for the newest incarnation of our beloved franchise, Discovery. This article is going to be part explanation, and part getting something off of my chest that has been building over the last few weeks, so bear with me.

In the last few months we fans have finally received what we have been asking for, and that is new Trek on TV. As I have written a lot of episode reviews of all the different series (I am quickly zeroing in on my 100th episode review), there are some who are wondering why I have yet to do an official review for anything from Discovery's first season. Incidentally, I will refer to Discovery from here on as DIS as it follows the short-hand I have used for the other series. I am fine with DSC and DISC, but find STD to normally be used as a derogatory abbreviation that often implies a distaste and even hatred for the new show.

Discovery episode reviews are coming, just not soon.

I have a few reasons for holding off on my reviews for DIS. One is logistics. One of my scoring criteria is for the reviews is how relevant the episode is with respect to other episodes. For example, there are several stand-alone episodes that if you miss will not leave the viewer feeling confused about things later on. This includes relevance between the different series. Seeing Mirror Tuvok in a DS9 episode, for example, connects the two different series. With DIS it is far too early for me to include its relevance with other series. Some things may not be so obvious now, but will become very relevant later on. I already have to go back and update preexisting reviews to accommodate DIS plot lines, so I figured to save myself some time and wait until either the season or a few seasons are done. With all of the other series I have the benefit of hindsight in looking at the whole big picture, and I just don't have that with DIS at this time. I truly want to do my reviews justice by not rushing through them until I can also look at DIS with the big picture in mind. There are a lot of fan theories out there (the Ash Tyler-Voq connection being one of my favourites) and I don't want to get caught up in those in my reviews. I also respect that the producers have stated that there will be explanations as to why certain elements of canon have appeared to have been ignored. Continuity is another category that I have in my reviews, and if they can produce a good explanation later on as to why the Klingons look so different, why there are holodecks in TOS era that were only first seen in TNG, and why nobody else has ever heard of a spore drive, then I want to give them that chance without having to rewrite that section of my reviews.

Second reason is that there is already a plethora of episode reviews out there, and many of them I have enjoyed. Writing the reviews for me is a labour of love, but it is not my career choice. In addition to this blog I have a full-time job (teacher) and a full-time family. While there are others who may have a similar situation as myself, I frankly don't have the time or energy to be the "first on the scene" with my reviews. Since there are so many reviews out there already, I am content to let those voices be heard. 

Finally, I would like to address incorrect reasons as to why I have not written reviews on DIS. It has nothing to do with my opinion of the show. I am not intentionally ignoring Discovery because I do not like it, nor do I consider it to be "not true Trek". I will be honest, Discovery is something I am struggling with. This show is nothing like what has come before (much like DS9 was, which is my favourite of the series). There have been elements of it which I have been disappointed with. Let me reveal my cards here and now. I am not a fan of the look of the new Klingons, their ships, and their weapons. I wish they had kept more of it the same. I also am disappointed that this show has used profanity and nudity at levels that I do not like. For me (and I emphasize, this is for me only), those elements were things that I was happy were usually not included in Star Trek and felt that they are out of place. I think the level of violence has been ramped up a bit outside my preferences as well. For me, I wish that the tone was lighter.

Well, maybe not quite this "light".

Having said that, let me make something perfectly clear (and this is the "getting things off of my chest" portion truly begins). These are my thoughts and opinions. These are my disappointments. I am glad that there are many fans that are OK and even happy with those changes. I do not think we need the cardboard sets from TOS or that everything has to be exactly the way it was from an aesthetics point of view. I am even OK if the Klingons looked like TNG era and not TOS. I love many other things about the new show. I love the character of Saru. He is unique and refreshing. I enjoy the fact that Lorca breaks the mold of traditional starship captains. I love the darker, edgier Harry Mudd. Michael Burnham's character intrigues me as well. Sure, there are things I would have changed, but that is true of every series within the franchise. I find many episodes in TNG and TOS to be slow and cumbersome. I hated Bashir in the first two seasons of DS9, and found Avery Brooks to be a poor actor at times early on in the series. With Voyager I thought that the Doctor was going to be a horrible character, and I grimaced at the "gel scene" with T'Pol and Tucker in the pilot episode of Enterprise. With each of those disappointments in the other series, I stuck with it and grew to love the series. TOS and TNG ended up having great episodes. Bashir grew on me and Avery's acting improved as he became more familiar with his character. The Doctor became my favourite Voyager crew member, and the envelope that Enterprise pushed with the gel scene was not pushed much beyond that throughout the series.

Not all Trek was good

My point is, with the disappointments I have had with Discovery, I know that many people do not share them. Some think it's about time for the F-word to be used in Star Trek, and the darker tone is just an indication of the darker society we now live in. That's perfectly acceptable. What I love about Discovery is that it is attracting a new group of fans to all the shows I grew up watching. I get that shows evolve, and that it is OK for me to not be blissfully enamored with every generation's Star Trek series. As much as fans have been responsible for the success of Star Trek, we often make the mistake of feeling entitled to define what is Star Trek for everyone. On the social media circuits I hear over and over "This is not Star Trek" in variations too numerous to track. As always, those who have disliked something make their voices loud and clear. I feel that we collectively need to be reminded that Star Trek does not belong to us fans and us fans alone. As much as we would love to have a say in every step of development, we have to understand that right now the people that are allowed the privilege of deciding what is and isn't Star Trek are either the Powers That Be that work for Paramount (the current movie series) and that work for CBS (Discovery and any future television series). As the franchise grows more fans will find themselves not liking more aspects of the growth. This does not mean that Star Trek is dying, but that it is evolving. Some of the changes will be for the better, some will not, but there will be change.

Some changes are good, some not. You decide for yourself.

A concept tossed around a lot these days, and I am just as guilty of it as any, is the concept of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination, or IDIC. It is not a perfect concept, but it does bear some weight in these discussions. A significant portion of the fan base need to take a good look at what IDIC is about and decide where they will stand on it. For those, like myself, who find disappointments and faults with DIS, we need to respect that many of our fellow fans are enjoying the changes. Just because we think Klingons should look like some sort of space Mongol for continuity or canon sake does not make those who embrace the new look as anything less than a true fan. Perhaps we need to check our egos at the door more. Perhaps when in our Facebook groups we find a thread on how great Discovery is, we need to stop spamming the comment sections as if we are members of the Order of the Bat'leth whose honor has just been challenged. On the flip side, if a person, like me, who enjoys Discovery is tired of the negativity being shown towards the show, perhaps we too should just keep scrolling past the negative posts. We, too, need to more fully embrace IDIC by accepting that not everyone is going to love the show. If someone says that they are disappointed with the use of stronger profanity than Trek has ever seen, can't we just let them have their voice without flooding them with even more vulgar comments? Some of our fellow fans are heart-broken that their own individual interpretation of what Trek is to them is not being followed with the new show. Maybe they are like me and are waiting to see the whole story unfold, but have some reservations. I have talked to fans who, with every incarnation of this franchise, just could not buy into what was being sold. Do we have to berate them for having an opinion that is not shared by the rest of us? Why are we so offended about people being offended? Why are we disappointed when others are disappointed?

Why, WHY, this again?!?

So for the time being I am holding off on Discovery. I can't wait to see the big picture unfold, and when I do start the episode reviews of this polarizing show, I will do my best to keep my own disappointments in check and be fair. I am still hopeful that DIS will worm its way more fully into my heart, but if it doesn't, then that's OK. There is no rule that states one must rank the current product at the top of their list in order to be a fan.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Star Trek: Discovery (Season 1)

OK, I have stated in the past that I was going to hold off on doing episode reviews of DIS episodes until more of it had rolled out. I also didn't want to get caught up in the whole week-by-week breakdown of the show, as I only do this blog in my spare time and I just can't keep that kind of commitment. However, now that Season 1 is in the bag, I can give you a look back at the season as a whole, in a little piece I am going to call "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". Each section is not limited in the amount of points that I can make, and some points might fit in more than one category. So, without any further ado, here we go.

The Good

• Special Effects! - Gotta admit that the effects of the show are great. I know this gives some fans a lot to complain about, but it adds to some great aesthetics. Things look sleeker and more modern, which is what is necessary for the franchise to continue to boldly going forward. While I appreciate how some fan shows are paying attention to details that keep the same look as the original series (hats off to you, Star Trek: Continues), I just don't think that the show would be successful if everything looked like it did in the 60s. 

• Interesting characters - While not every character has endeared themselves to me, I do like many of the ones that they brought into the universe. Personally, Saru is my favourite. I have seen a lot of great growth as he went from timid science officer to capable first officer to decisive Acting Captain. I also enjoyed the characters of Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber (more on them in a moment). Lorca is most assuredly a different type of captain, Tilly is the heart and soul of the show, and Ash Tyler gives us one of the most complex characters ever. Of course, there is Michael Burnham (played by star Sonequa Martin-Green). A first for a Trek series, focusing on not the captain but on a crew member. Burnham is likely one of the most complex characters that we have ever seen. Definitely divides the fan base, but I see a lot of promise being delivered. It also looks as if we will see Georgiou again, and that should be interesting. We also have some well developed recurring characters is Sarek, Mudd, and Cornwell that look like they could add some spice to the future of the show. While not every character is a home run, it definitely makes things interesting.

• One of the Best Relationships is Trek - Paul Stamets, the first main character that is openly gay on Star Trek, is involved in one of the most real and lovely relationships we have seen in Star Trek. His love, Doctor Hugh Culber, is a perfect yin to Stamet's yang. I have noticed that some shows include a same-sex couple and make such a big deal about it that it comes across as forced and phony. This is not the case here. Their relationship, as tragic as it becomes, is so simple and yet sincere. The fact that there is no big deal made out of the fact that they are gay just adds to the power of this duo. Sadly, with death of Culber, this relationship is looking like it's done, but it gave us some great touching moments while it lasted. Here's hoping that Paul will find love again.

• Hat Tips to the Past - Some have argued that Discovery spits in the face of the past. I disagree. They have paid great homages to the past. Noticed the list of "Great Captains" that Saru asked for in "Choose Your Pain"? Johnathan Archer is a throwback to Enterprise, Robert April to the Animated series, and Christopher Pike and Matt Decker to the Original series. Did you notice the Gorn skeleton and in Lorca's ready room? All cool little nods to what has come before. Plus, there are the familiar characters with new faces (Sarek and Mudd) that give us more to love. And, of course, the last scene of seeing the USS Discovery nose-to-nose with the USS Enterprise was a great way to end the season.

The Bad

• New Klingons - There is an old saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I get that we can have updates to the look of Klingons, but do we have to go so far away from what has been established? Yes, the look of the Federation's favourite foes-turned-allies changed a lot from the Original series to the movies and TNG, but at the time it was understood that it was due to progress and increased budgets over 20 years. Enterprise even gave us a plausible explanation for the difference in the look. And yet, once again, the look of the Klingons underwent a major change that, in my own humble opinion, was unnecessary. I could have bought that T'Kumva's group were on a generational ship that was far away when the Augment virus hit, but they then took the look to all Klingons in the established universe, and I just really do not like the look. The look of the Klingons has become as iconic as the Vulcans, so I really don't get why they have to go such a drastic route as they did. 

• Failed Hat Tip - Even though I mentioned that the hat tips were a good part of the season, there was one that just seemed a bit pointless. Lorca had a pet tribble. Cool, a tribble! But, why? Tribbles have become a bit of an inside joke among fans, and given what we learned about Lorca it made little sense that he would have one. If it had served a plot device, such as exposing Tyler as a Klingon, that would have been better. Plus, if he had a bowl of fortune cookies on his desk all the time, what would have stopped the little furball from snacking on them and becoming a ready room full of tribbles? I like nods to the past, but I prefer it if they actually mean something and are not on the superfluous side. 

• It's Been a Long Road - One of the biggest complaints about Discovery was that for many fans it just didn't feel like Star Trek. Starfleet officers were not acting like we had come to expect. Yes, it was war time, and that led to more grit. Yes, we saw some very un-Starfleet actions by officers in the past (Sisko and Janeway have both made some questionable choices in the past). Yet it seemed that it took a while before I myself could say "Now this feels like the Star Trek I knew and loved". I felt a little bit of it in the pilot episode, and then when Burnham mutinied and tried to take control, it went out the window. It wasn't until "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" did I start to feel it again, and then it took me until the last two episodes where I could see the Trek moments of humanity bettering themselves really take shape. There may have been other examples of this in other episodes, but they were overshadowed by the desperation and darkness that dominated this season.

• Who Are You Guys? - This is not so much as "bad", but it is something I really hope gets explored and developed moving forward. I get that in this new current format of story-telling on TV that the ability to develop characters becomes limited. In Discovery, the focus was on Burnham, Lorca, Saru, Stamets, Tyler, and Tilly. Other recurring characters, such as Sarek, Mudd, Cornwell, Huber, and Gerogiou, were given their moments. Then, there was the rest of the bridge crew. They showed a lot of diversity, (as well as a lot of looking at each other on the bridge) and yet we had very little knowledge of them. Airiam, Demeter, Owosekum, and Rhys all appeared in most of the episodes, and yet very little information about them was provided. I get that they had to tell a story and that these characters were largely in the background, but I wish that we could have learned a bit more about them. Hopefully, some if not all of these characters will be given some more attention in future seasons.

The Ugly

• Unleash the Trolls - Without a doubt, the ugliest thing that DIS has brought out are the small yet vocal cadre of fans that have taken it upon themselves to sully the name "Trekkie". There are two groups in this. First, there are those that have decided that DIS is utter garbage, but instead of turning the channel or popping in a DVD and watching something they enjoy, they take it upon themselves to ensure that everybody knows about it, and that they insist that people who do enjoy it are not "true fans". Second, there are those that love the show, but as soon as someone expresses an opinion or thought that is a criticism of the show, they turn into ravenous foul-mouthed lunatics who will spam said offenders with venom and vitriol. I get  that Star Trek is a passion for many people, but come on guys, do we have to be so negative that we create a toxic environment for everyone? I have seen a lot of fan groups on social media that have been overtaken by this type of trollish behavior, and it really doesn't put Trekkies in a positive light. 

So now that Season 1 is in the bag, how do I feel about the series and season as a whole? Overall, I liked it. I think the good far outweighed the bad, and I think the first season has been strong. I will freely admit that I miss a more optimistic Star Trek, and the dark mood that DIS sets is not my favourite. I also accept that there are some fans who cannot get over the disappointment of their expectations not being met, and to them I would offer that they have a right to those feelings and a right to offer them up in a manner that is respectful without having disrespect thrown at them. I also accept that there are fans who love the show, that this is the best Trek for them yet. There are a lot of us that fall in between. I hope that in the future, the good gets better, the bad improves, and the ugly (which is what we fans have the most control over) goes away. The only complaint that I have at this point is that we have a long wait until Season 2. Until then, live long and prosper my friends.