Star Trek Discovery has been quite a ride!
I had been anticipating this new series for over a year, but with several production delays, it did not premiere until September 2017. I eagerly watched the first three episodes and felt it was intriguing, although I had some major issues with the feel of it considering it is a prequel to TOS. I basically was having a hard time with a suspension of disbelief that all the changes fit in with the established canon. I then took an extended break from the show, as I was in my last semester of grad school and had to concentrate on my portfolio and final projects. It wasn’t until after Christmas that I binge-watched all the episodes I had missed.
Watching the episodes in a cluster really changed my viewing experience for the better. All of a sudden I was immersed in the Star Trek universe and looked at it as a whole instead of dissecting the parts like I have tended to do in the past. With all of it swirling in my head, I was able to watch the final episodes as they were released and came away pleased with the series.
I read an interesting article “The Fascinating Ways Star Wars and Star Trek Are Challenging Their Own Franchises” which compares the new directions that both Star Wars and Discovery have chosen to take with their leads. I found I have some personal contractions in how I feel about these new antiheroes- for I was aghast at Luke’s portrayal in the recent The Last Jedi but was okay with how Captain Lorca of the U.S.S. Discovery was a warhawk and quite arrogant.
Discovery also changed up the pacing of the series with a prequel to a prequel in the first few episodes, with the series first starting on the U.S.S. Shenzhou and for its lead character not being a captain. The odd pacing also included what seemed to be a season-ending arc concluding a few episodes shy of the finale, with the last two episodes taking a sudden u-turn that seemed to aim toward storylines that might align with TOS.
I think what has tipped the scales for me is the characters. I like the diverse crew. Michael Burnham is an appealing lead, whom I predict will eventually become a captain and be the one that will be included in captain montages with the other Star Trek series leads. Commander Saru is a unique alien that has captained ably, but I worry that his quiet fortitude will be overshadowed by more dramatic staff. Crusty Lt. Stamets and his husband Dr. Culber are a perfect example of showing a loving relationship and Ash Tyler showed male vulnerability (before his huge secret was revealed). Sure, I liked Captains Lorca and Georgiou, but it is the regular crew that has elevated the show for me.
And Tilly- I shall devote a whole paragraph to her! I love her! She is me! She is sweet, and can often be overlooked or not taken seriously because of her kindness. She is curvy and has wild curly hair plus a parent that she never could please. But she is also extremely competent and has a steely resolve that takes some people by surprise due to her being underestimated. When her Mirror Universe counterpart was Captain Killy (she was badass there!) I was thrilled. More Tilly, please!
When I saw the picture below- I teared up in happiness. Included are additional bridge members (the two on the left and the three in the back row on the right) who haven’t had much development yet, but have so much potential! The picture makes me hopeful that the episodes won’t always concentrate on the leads, and that lesser-known ship crew can get their due. They deserve a #DiscoParty!
Was the series perfect? Hell no! I have come to think of it as not quite Star Trek, for it is a grittier and less idealistic show than I have come to expect. Instead, it is a sci-fi adventure show that pays lip service to the series, and I suspend logic (Spock!) for the sake of enjoyment. It is quite rare for me to do, but my tendency to make mountains out of molehills would only do me a disservice and I would miss out on this (very) flawed but interesting new series.
I look forward to season two! In the meantime- live long and prosper!
-Nancy
Graphic Novelty² 
February 23, 2018 at 2:56 pm
So as someone with a fleeting knowledge/understanding of Star Trek, is this a series I should get into? Or would I be more confused if I watched it and then backtracked and watched Next Generation or the Original series?
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February 23, 2018 at 8:28 pm
That is a hard question to answer! Typically I recommend someone who is trying Star Trek for the first time to start with TNG and then try DS9 & Voyager. A visit to TOS is important, as to see what the whole franchise is based off, and to skip Enterprise completely. But this new series isn’t entirely Trekky to me so I don’t know if it would be the best or worst to recommend to someone! If you watched this first (it’s a prequel to TOS) and then watched the other shows it would not make a lot of sense. That’s why I got hung up on canon in the beginning.
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February 25, 2018 at 7:44 am
nuqneH Nancy, the problem I have with all the new prequel movies and TV series is the believability that they take place before the established canon movies and shows. The reason for this is the (for me) jarring differences with the technology and how it is presented. TOS was of course a 60’s series but the 23rd century tech was portrayed in a 60’s sort of way. I find it difficult to watch Enterprise etc and think of it as being set before TOS as all their tech (and costumes) seem much more detailed and advanced. It’s like TOS is the Wright brothers’ flyer then Enterprise is released and looks like Concorde yet we have to believe it predates the flight at Kitty Hawk!
Anyway I have rambled enough, thanks for the review but for now I have to go….HIjol!
p.s. for non Trekkies “nuqneH” is the Klingon word for Hello and “Hijol” is “Beam me up!” ;D
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February 25, 2018 at 7:17 pm
Qatlho’!
I love your Kitty Hawk example- yes! This re-imaging of ships/technology for prequels has been hard to wrap my mind around. I typically have a hard time with suspension of disbelief, but at the end of the season I started to look at the big picture and just accepted that it wasn’t going to fit my definition of a Trekkie show and to just go with it.
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February 26, 2018 at 1:11 am
Hello again, yes I even had a struggle seeing the “new” Enterprise with Chris Pine as Kirk. The first sight of NCC-1701 in the shipyard was so strange to me after knowing the Jefferies’ designed Enterprise for so long. Somehow I managed to shut that out of my mind and enjoyed the story by the end of the film. I think I am going to have to adapt in a similar way to a lot of films in future!
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March 5, 2018 at 12:39 pm
This is a great piece for a lot of reasons but, what struck me to comment, is this is how I’ve had to approach a lot of the new Star Wars material. Seeing it all as a “sci-fi adventure show [or movie or novel or comic or what have you] that pays lip service to the series” is the perfect description. More importantly, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Yay!
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March 5, 2018 at 7:25 pm
This touches on the “head canon” that you recently wrote about. If I keep on harping on the inconsistencies, I ruin it for myself. While I loved how the webseries Star Trek Continues stayed exactly on canon as a tribute to TOS, I need to go with the flow with this newest series and look at it a different way.
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March 5, 2018 at 10:07 pm
I think that’s what we have to do – as far as we can stretch ourselves to do it – in an age where these stories will go on, in as many directions as possible, whether we like it or not. That’s one of the things I love about this post! This is the model. We challenge ourselves to find something to celebrate so we can enjoy it. Otherwise, the “new material” closes itself to us and that’s not fun…even if my crotchityness makes it so sometimes ;).
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