Star Trek: Discovery 3.5 Review: Ups And Downs From Die Trying
With fantastic new ships and a beautiful new HQ, what does Starfleet look like in the 32nd century?
As we reach episode five of the third season of Star Trek: Discovery, the series (and the crew) finally arrives at Starfleet HQ. It is a beautiful configuration, featuring an enormous cloaking device and plenty of new ship designs. There is the return of two very familiar names and there are some excellent guest stars on show.
However, the episode was not perfect. While not a bad episode by any means, there are several plot points that fall slightly flat when compared to others. The central mystery of the episode (not including the Burn, which again we learn nothing new of) is slightly thin. It seems as though it is a problem that could easily be sorted with a replicator.
Then there is the issue of medical advancements in one thousand years. It seems as though only the Discovery can save the refugees, which is akin to a witch doctor coming forward to the 21st century to pray the demons away.
Yet, for the issues stated above, there is plenty to enjoy in this episode. There is (finally) a development in Georgiou's story. Her interactions with David Cronenberg (yep) are a highlight of the episode.
Follow along for all of this week's ups and downs for Star Trek: Discovery - Die Trying.
9. New Starfleet Ships (UP)
This is the moment that the audience has been waiting for in season three: finally, let's see the thing that Star Trek is famous for. Let's see those ships that go out Star Trekking! When Discovery arrives at the (quite cool) shrouded Starfleet HQ, we see several new classes of ships immediately.
The ships on show are the same ones that the audience saw explode in the burn, though this is hardly surprisingly. If Starfleet has been operating at roughly 10% of the capacity it was used to, ship innovation seems low on the priority list.
There is a ship that seems directly inspired by the Xindi Reptillian ships and another that is, as Tilly says, a floating rainforest. However, two ships stood out immediately from the rest.
The USS Voyager NCC-74656-J zooms into view, eliciting a squeal out of this writer. The triangular primary hull is both reminiscent of the famous Intrepid class ship, mixed with the arrow-head design of the USS Prometheus. It is a wonderful nod to wider canon and continuity, while also evoking memories of the Enterprise-J as well.
There may seem to be a disparity in that it took almost a millenium to reach Voyager-J, whereas it took roughly two hundred years to go from Enterprise-E to Enterprise-J, but this is hardly surprisingly when one looks at the mortality rate for ships named Enterprise.
The other glorious moment was the reveal of the other big name on a ship. Resembling the Axiom from Wall-E, the USS Nog is docked at HQ as well. The late, great Aron Eisenberg is beautifully remembered with this tribute, and it is a strong opening to the episode.