Star Trek: Discovery 3.5 Review: Ups And Downs From Die Trying

7. Dragging Out The Burn (DOWN)

Star Trek Discovery The Burn
CBS Media Ventures/Paramount A Skydance Corporation

They're going to do this for the whole season, aren't they?

One thing that has been made clear is that a mystery works while it remains interesting. The Burn is running the risk of becoming annoying, and it is not handled particularly well in this episode. In the beginning, Admiral Vance refuses to discuss the Burn with Saru and Burnham as 'he is not at liberty to discuss intel'. Frustrating, but fair enough.

At the close of the episode, once Discovery has proved its worth and things have relaxed a little, Vance changes his story to having many theories but no real clue as to what caused the Burn.

The central mystery for the season now seems to be what caused this cataclysm, and yet in over 100 years, Starfleet hasn't been able to narrow it down. While that may be explained away with resource issues, it really just feels as though the season will tumble toward a giant 'reveal' later in the show - one that would want to be very good to pay off.

As it stands, the Burn is getting old, fast.

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"