Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 First Impressions

Star Trek: Discovery has been the red-headed stepchild of the franchise in the eyes of many fans. Its arrival in 2017 marked a tone and aesthetic shift that is best described as jarring, while the subsequent seasons have suffered from inconsistent themes, character moments that fall flat, and plots that go out with a whimper rather than a bang. It was with trepidation that we hit play on Red Directive, even with our usual 'hope for the best' attitude.

Season five explodes onto the screen with excitement, a genuinely fun opening sequence, and characters that are a truly welcome addition to the franchise. Red Directive is a BIG episode, feeling like the team has pulled out all of the stops so that the final season can hit the ground running.

There is a sense of adventure that is epic, though thankfully doesn't suffer from galaxy-ending tropes. When the stakes aren't universally high, the crew gets a chance to fly. And fly they do - the episode sees the Discovery-A bounce between worlds, Federation HQ, and a mysterious asteroid belt that contains a secret.

There are set pieces here that will widen the eyes with wonder, as well as truly nail-biting chase scenes. Eve Harlow's Moll and Elias Toufexis' L'ak make for a dastardly, yet somewhat endearing, pair. They serve as both catalyst and plot-along in their own way, thankfully rising above 'new villain' syndrome to become truly engaging characters. There is mystery and intrigue there that demand the audience's attention and curiosity - while fans of Starfield will surely enjoy the dulcet tones of Sam Coe slipping out from underneath those prosthetics.

Callum Keith Rennie is a welcome addition to the cast as the Romulan Starfleet Captain Raynor, an officer who is very much at odds with Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham, but none of it feels forced. They make a very interesting pair as the season begins, especially during a climactic scene towards the episode's end.

David Ajala returns as Cleveland 'Book' Booker. We've made no secret here that we struggled with much of his storyline in the fourth season, suffering as it did from Tarka's plot effectively taking over Book's. With that season ending as it did, the question remained: how would Book return to the Discovery? Thankfully, the reason he is back doesn't feel contrived - he feels like he belongs there, and the series is better for it.

Under The Twin Moons keeps that pace of action-adventure going while offering some critical character moments for Saru in particular. Doug Jones remains one of the brightest stars in Discovery and is one the main things that we will miss when the show comes to its end. This outing feels like a strong character piece between Saru and Burnham, with both getting plenty to do.

There is a decision in this episode that does feel a little over-telegraphed, which does make for a bit of an eye-roll moment. There are times in the season when the audience may be a little ahead of the characters, with this being one of those moments, though it becomes a catalyst for much of what follows.

Jinaal gives us some of the finest work that Wilson Cruz has yet offered as Dr. Hugh Culber, which quite frankly is saying something. The character gets to step away from the sickbay, and the ship, offering Cruz the freedom to display his range as an actor. This is possible because of a crucial element to this season: for the first time in Star Trek: Discovery's history, there isn't a giant Sword of Damocles hanging over the galaxy.

Our season-arc mystery is introduced early on, allowing both the characters and the audience a chance to dwell on it. Culber then gets to escape the confines of both the medical bay, and the therapist's chair, to join the away mission and have a bit of fun.

On that thought - FUN is a word that we believe will become interwoven with season five. Though not entirely absent from Discovery of years gone by, the nature of the world-destroying entities and screaming youngsters rarely allowed for belly laughs and play-time. Raynor may frown on too much tomfoolery, but we can say that it is there and there's plenty of it.

The fourth episode, Face The Strange, is both a contemplative look at what we've seen so far, while again offering some truly fascinating character exploration. Though a solid episode for Rennie's Raynor, this is Anthony Rapp's hour to shine - and shine he does, with more than a few knowing winks to long-term fans (and detractors of) Stamets.

There are parts of the season that don't work as well as others and there are certainly missed opportunities. Seemingly obvious plots are queued up, then don't receive exploration - or simply take a different direction that doesn't truly feel worth it. Those who struggled with some of the quieter speeches, or emotional beats, may find themselves revisiting familiar territory in some scenes.

All that to say - this is very much Star Trek: Discovery, yet it also feels like the show has hit its stride. Put aside the knowledge that this will be the final season for a moment and enjoy the fact that all of the actors are more comfortable in their roles, the actual production design seems tighter and brighter (gone is that hazy Drag Race filter that obscured so much of Federation HQ from view in the past!). We'd go so far as to say that this season looks gorgeous - the sets, the set pieces, the away missions - it all feels vast and real.

The AR wall that has been in place since the third season feels less obtrusive than ever, so much so that the scenes that are off the ship don't have that uncanny, flat feeling that can come with shooting in front of it. There is one sequence, featuring the very welcome David Cronenberg, that is truly a feast for the eyes.

Sonequa Martin-Green remains the beating heart of Star Trek: Discovery. Now freed from the near-constant struggle to save the universe, she seems to be truly enjoying herself - both in the Captain's Chair and in starship-chasing, motorcycle-racing glory. Some scenes feel as though the show knew it was coming to an end, which now feels like a sadly prescient piece of writing. But the performances remain the benchmark of quality here - and based on Martin-Green, Jones, and a hugely enjoyable Mary Wiseman - this season will see some of the best character interactions we have yet seen.

Knowing that the show is ending is a bittersweet feeling when viewing these episodes. It feels like they've done it - they've finally hit the mark they'd been aiming for since 2017, only for decisions from on-high cutting their time short. Watching everyone here, it's going to hurt when the credits roll on that last episode at the end of May. We can only hope that some or all of them will feature in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in some form or another.

One thing is certain: they are going out on a high. The first four episodes of Discovery's fifth season rank amongst the strongest that Star Trek has offered since its return, and we can only hope that the season holds this level of quality for the next six episodes.

If there was ever a time to get into Star Trek: Discovery, it's now. It may be a journey cut all too short, but it will be rewarding, it will be exciting, it will have a few nice little connections for long-term fans of Star Trek, as well as offering enough new fun and fantasy for newer viewers too.

Red Directive and Under The Twin Moons premiere on April 4th, 2024, on Paramount Plus, with subsequent episodes released weekly every Thursday.