Star Trek: Discovery Episode 3.6 Review: Ups And Downs From Scavengers

7. Burnham Going Rogue Again (DOWN)

Star Trek Discovery Burnham
CBS

How many times are the writers going to do this? Will this simply be something that needs to be ticked off on the Burnham seasonal checklist? This is seriously getting old.

To be clear - Sonequa Martin Green sells the heck out of it again, but the idea of Burnham doing a bunk again and landing her captain in a hot mess just reeks of forced storytelling.

Part of her journey from season one to season three was learning to live with the guilt of her decision to commit mutiny aboard the Shenzhou (which gets a nice shout out this week), a decision which resulted in the death of her captain. This has been, partly at least, the crux of her relationship with Emperor Georgiou.

So, for her to simply walk out, take Book's ship and leave Saru to explain what has happened to Admiral Vance is so far beyond tearing up her character development that it is almost offensive. Yes, it is absolutely fair to bear in mind that she has spent a year with Book. It is not so much saving Book that is the issue. It is that, yet again, Burnham has decided that the rules do not apply to her, no matter how much lip service she pays.

'I would rather regret something I've done than something I didn't do.'

That is a sentence that, unfortunately, rings hollow.

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"