Star Trek: Discovery 3.2 Review - Ups And Downs From Far From Home

8. Characters Get A Bit Of Rapid Development (Up)

Owesukan Star Trek Discovery
CBS

One very fair criticism of Star Trek: Discovery's first two seasons has been its lack of true character development for the supporting cast. One character more than any other has suffered from this, though we will get to that shortly.

In this opening scene however, after the ship has successfully landed on the planet, the bridge crew, after regaining their composure, breaks into applause for Detmer for getting them down safely. Around the bridge, people are able to express themselves a little, freed from the usual confines of 'do whatever your character needs to do'.

Saru snaps into Captain mode, while Owosekun, Rhys, Bryce and Reno all show a bit of relief at their situation. Both Detmer and Tilly appear badly shaken by what has just happened (fair) and, between this scene and the few that follow, the audience is treated to a few moments of development where the crew actually get to say something.

Star Trek has always survived on the banter between the crew and if this episode is anything to go by, the audience may finally be getting that in Discovery's third season.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"