Star Trek: Discovery Review - 6 Ups And 5 Downs From Season 1

Fan-service? Maybe. But there’s no denying that the Discovery’s unexpected expedition to the mirror universe made for one heck of a thrilling arc.

It’s telling that the opportunity to see Terran counterparts of characters we’d only known for half a season was no less satisfying. That speaks to the genuine appeal that Discovery’s cast have managed to convey in such a short time. Who can forget Killy? Or the tragically subservient Kelpiens?

Nothing was held back in portraying the brutality of the Terran Empire. What’s more, the alternate dimension adventures provided the ideal means for the return of Phillipa Georgiou, now warped into a merciless dictator. Michelle Yeoh certainly got a lot of varying material to play with this season.

Finally, the slowly unfolding twist that the Gabriel Lorca we’d known was his mirror counterpart all along made for a bold and dramatic reveal, immediately adding layers to the first season as a whole. Lorca was such a complex, oddly charismatic and well-played role that his execution at Georgiou’s hands was as keenly felt as the loss of a long-beloved character. That’s a testament to the strength of Discovery’s storytelling.