Star Trek: Discovery Episode 3.7 Review: Ups And Downs From Unification III

7. Leonard Nimoy And Unification Legacy (UP)

Star Trek Discovery Spock Book And Burnham
CBS

With an episode named Unification III, this was quite clearly aimed at connecting Star Trek: Discovery to the wider Star Trek universe. While Michael Burnham has been connected to Spock since the pilot, that has drawn a lot of ire from detractors of the show.

Why must she be his sister? Why did he never mention her?

While at this stage, one either accepts that she is a member of the family or not. For this episode, we get our first glimpse of Leonard Nimoy as Spock, through archive footage from Unification. It is actually an extremely heartwarming moment in the episode, watching Burnham react to this footage. Sonequa Martin Green sells the scene completely, expressing emotion in almost silence while Spock speaks.

While it doesn't technically count as a cameo, with it being archive footage, it is still fantastic to see Leonard Nimoy and the wider Star Trek legacy appear on-screen, even if just for a moment.

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"