Star Trek: Discovery - Season 4 (With Spoilers)

[Deledrius]

I think they confirmed that this entity is probably artificial in nature. Knowing Michael though, they're probably going to use the Starfleet gospel to fix the issue, not shoot it in the face.

They didn't confirm that it's artificial, they asserted it. The characters (and I presume, the writers) apparently think that the anomaly moving as it did is sufficient evidence to exclude all other hypotheses, but there's absolutely no reason for that to be the case; there are in fact several examples in Trek to the contrary.

Hopefully it won't end up being relevant and it'll just be a mildly annoying plothole, but it's one of those things that makes a mystery story weaker than it could be. Characters jumping to correct conclusions not based on the evidence they have isn't as satisfying to watch when they solve it. Unfortunately some people are better than others at keeping the meta-information out of their characters' minds.

It's still going far better this season than previous ones, so I'm more willing to cut them slack when they slip up.

[Mabus]

Episode 8:
-Ah yes, Starfleet apparently now has computer security... which ofcourse can be easily broken... and somehow some random crazy scientist was able to get hold of the big admiral's security code... let me guess, it was 12345? Have you people not heard of MFA/2FA? Security tokens? Automatic notification whenever the security code was used? YOU'RE 1000 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE AND YOU HAVE LESS SECURITY THAN THE BANK FROM MY SHITTY TOWN!
-"You gave him free reign. Barely any oversight" Jesus, we get it. Starfleet is run by morons with the competence of Tommy Wiseau. Can we move on to something better? Please?
-"In order to build an isolytic weapon, Tarka needs isolynium" And atom bombs need the rare material called atomium.
-"Michael, you cannot be involved in this because... nah, who am I kidding, you will get involved regardless of what I say"
-Wait, hold on, you're telling me that once Tarka stole the mini-spore drive prototype, that's it, Starfleet doesn't have the plans for it? No backups? Nothing? I know they haven't solved the pilot thing, but did no one else tried? Use a telepath maybe?
-So Tarka decided to go rogue so he can build a super bomb... and he hasn't secured any raw materials for said bomb? Big brain move there Tarky.
-Vance talks about his family... so is he gonna bite the dust soon?
-Jesus, can any character not talk how awesome Michael is for 5 fucking minutes?
-"Captain, we have some info about this unknown God-like species, but before we report, I just want to say we all support you" Jesus, the opening credits just ended, wait at least 5 minutes before you praise The Almighty Burnham!
-"I know someone who knows everyone, meaning he also knows Booker, which is convenient for the story"
-Oh look, another discount Star Wars Cantina... no wait, it's the dollar store version of that casino planet floating city from PIC, Freedomcloud or something... only now it's called Karma Barge, really...
-"Throw these two men outside that I have no use for, but not immediately, so that I can conveniently need their help"
-"Why me" Because Tilly isn't around anymore and you're the second most known character from the bridge, after Detmer
-Ah yes, a holographic leviathan, best security system ever, I mean, no one uses sensors anymore, so I guess that works too
-Why are you two morons still wearing your Starfleet uniforms? After you specifically mentioned that the Federation is not looked kindly there?
-"How did you find me?" "You need to ask?"
-And the "which Dis character should act like a dickhead" wheel spins to... The Doctor! Again! And this time, it's for 2 minutes! And then just doesn't appear in the episode anymore... what?
-Ahahahahaha! Really? Every time I saw one of those cheesy B movies where the hero gets beaten seriously by the villain, only to immediately recover and defeat the bad guy, I joked how the villain was actually charging the hero by bunching him, like the hero is some battery... but this is ridiculous. Owo was barely breathing and was all bruised up, and all of the sudden she defeats the guy by what, punching him in his balls first, before hitting him in the organs? He's not a human! "Not Everybody Keeps Their Genitals In The Same Place Captain"? Hello? Why was she so certain it would have worked?
-So... how was this guy a fighter if he falls so easily from a few swings? Sure he got beaten up a few minutes ago, but there's no reason why he shouldn't have some quick healing tech at his disposal since you know, he's a street fighter and that's a very risky business, but Jesus, this moment is now in top 10 dumbest things in STD.
-Oh wow, so the Changelings now resort to cheating on a remote casino to get money... how the mighty have fallen... probably don't have enough money to fix their shitty CGI morphing and have to get funding somehow...
-So why does anyone let Michael speak? It's clear to anyone with half a functional brain that she's trying to tamper with the game. And if the two numbnuts are remnants from the Emerald Chain, they would know that both Burnham and Booker worked in the past together and both work for Starfleet now, more or less. So they're not the least suspicious?
-"And you are?" Hey, cut her some slack, she'd gotten more screen time this season than in all the previous seasons combined. Today, we even learned that she can box... after previously we learned that she can hold her breath for a long time... and had another trauma in her childhood... still counts as something!
-"Goodbye" Wait, so they can beam away now? Or did the orange bad alien beamed her away?
-"Oh no, now that we removed our competition, now we have to compete each other! How could this have happened?"
-Oh please, the Admiral and the Federation President admire you Mickey, just compare them to bloodworms and they'll forgive Booker, with tears in their eyes and all.
-Congratulations little worm, you won your acrylic encased piece of rebar!
-What? Burnham was inspired from someone else? Heresy! Vance said he was inspired by Burnham! Madam President, do you want to die? No one questions our Lord and Savior Michael Burnham!
-Ah, the convenient tracking device that the orange bad alien somehow doesn't detect... of wait, no one has sensors anymore... the Changeling, sure, those guys are experts at hiding from sensors, but this? This would have been avoidable with something as simple as a security camera!
-"Even when I lose I still win" Fuck off Burnham!
-"It's a blob that blocks all the radiation coming from the inside, like a cloaking bubble, unlike anything we've seen before, you know, like that shitty cloaking shield Stafleet used to have until not long ago, only somewhat bigger and more advanced"
-"Boronite! Of course!" Of course it's boronite! Why won't it be boronite! Boronite is everything! Boronite is life! Boronite is no moronite! ... what is boronite again? *looks up on Memory-Alpha* Wait, it's used in the creation of the Omega molecules? And somehow Starfleet isn't activating the Omega protocol? Fucking hell, they should beg Tarka to blow up the gravitational anomaly ASAP!
-"Mr. Saru, if you don't mind?" What, did Stamets consumed his daily word limit? Why can't he speak further, he clearly knows what boronite is! Holy shit, Starfleet officers really are paid by the letter!
-Wait, hold on a second, I have trouble understanding this bullshit: So the bubble aliens need large amounts of energy to maintain their bubble, and are using massive amounts of energy to create the giant ass anomaly which is meant to mine for "moronite" to... create more energy? What? Don't they already have a star inside that bubble? How much more energy do they need?
-"It's not a weapon. It's a dredge" It's OK everybody, the Hutu guerrillas only have machetes with them, not guns. They're tools, not weapons. They clearly don't mean harm. We're all OK!

So... the DMA is a dredge... which destroys everything in its path to acquire "moronium"... this is gonna be a Green Aesop, isn't it? "Destroying the environment is bad because it kills people you see".

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I'm on the third episode. As a serial I am following along fine with drama. Not sure how it's gonna play out, seems paced.

[Mabus]

Episode 9:
-"It's encrypted, so it can't be traced" Don't you mean it's redirected through multiple relays?
-"I really thought it would make a difference if he knew it wasn't an attack" I don't see how Book would have second thoughts if he learnt that the anomaly is just a mining tool and not a weapon. Knowing that your planet was destroyed due to carelessness isn't much better compared to being destroyed by malice. If anything it would make him more determined to destroy it, since it's clear to him that these aliens are OK with genocide if it gets them their precious resources.
-"He too is close to book, is he not?" And by close you mean he was with with him in the same shot?
-Oh great, the Yum-yum lady is back, anyway...
-"Covert ops" You mean you hid in the bushes until The Burnham saved the world, right?
-So after Trill telepathy, now Vulcan telepathy can also be transmitted via hologram?
-"You are having difficulty focusing focusing" Really Einstein, you needed a palm meld to know that? He told you like a minute ago that he needed Vulcan meditation to help his mental state because he was "unsettled"!
-"My ward, Su'Kal... he is deeply worried about the anomaly" Hey, Discovery, ever heard of the expression "Show don't tell?" Maybe the scene would have had a bigger emotional weight if the crybaby had a cameo where he talked to Saru about his worries. But nah, a throwaway line is cheaper.
-"Hey Saru, you know what helps with anxiety? Taking a break, having hobbies, just ignore the flowers you're taking care of in your quarters, that's not a real hobby"
-Oh my God, the bridge nameless characters actually have dialogue! They actually gave dialogue to the Asian guy... Brian or Benny or whatever his name is, and to the blonde woman... Betty or... Beth? The show actually remembered they exist!
-"Feel free to ignore me" To quote Jett Reno, another character ignored by most, "I've already forgotten that"
-"Book's ship has a built-in security disruption field, so we can't beam directly on board" Unless of course you're a stupid Space Nun Ninja, they somehow can beam anywhere apparently. Also, how nice that said technology isn't available on Starfleet ships, surely it would have come in handy during an invasion, like, oh I don't know... when Orions beamed on board the Discovery in the previous season finale?!
-Wait, why are you bringing now the mission to contact the anomaly aliens now?
-Oh yes, let's send the doctor in a dangerous mission, because what, he taught Book how to build sandcastles a few episodes ago?
-OH NO, MORE BACKGROUND BRIDGE CHARACTERS ARE STARTING TO TALK! WHAT IS GOING ON? SOMEONE STOP THEM, THEY MIGHT GROW A CHARACTER! Also, why does everyone suddenly care about Booker? How many scenes did they share with the guy? Oh yeah, that's right, zero.
-Hey guys, keep your eyes on the road, don't turn around to argue with the backseat passengers, what the fuck is this? It's not like you're navigating through a dangerous asteroid fields while cloaked... oh wait, YOU ARE DOING EXACTLY THAT!
-Wait, so who is Rhys and who is Bryce? They both talked when Saru talked to them? Now I'm really confused.
-Lmao, so Discovery couldn't scan the ship to see if there was some secret security system? Surely no one could have suspected that Tarka could have installed something, but why didn't consider the possibility that maybe Booker decided to take extra precautions?
-Oh what, now they can't handle a little vacuum? Or is Burnham the only character that can survive a bit of vacuum?
-Isn't the anomaly like 5 LY in diameter? How the fuck are they gonna be near the puny "DMA controller"?
-Nilsson! Yes! That's the name of the blonde bridge lady! Now I know!
-Wait, so the Federation knows how the mini-spore drive can be taken out, meaning they still have the schematics for it, but they still need that prototype? Why can't they just replicate another?
-So what's even going on here? Booker somehow finds Discovery, how convenient, now they want to disable his ship's sensors and now they ignite hydrogen with... magnesium? Also, how convenient that it takes 20 seconds for the blast to happen, enough to allow Michael to come up with a counterplan.
-"Dive in low" Ahahahaha, lady you're in space, there is no "low"!
-"Gigaquads of data"
-Wow, shields are down 50% from the first salvo, Discovery is the worst ship ever! also, no, you should return fire, you can still disable his ship you know.
-Ahahahahahaha, the weapons consoles on Booker's ship can be activated by another person by just punching said controls? What the fuck is this?
-Well, how nice of Book to not go around Discovery while Burnham just sits around and doing nothing.
-BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, hey Burnham, Booker's ship may not respond, but that doesn't mean you can just leave the bridge, what if he decides to go past you while you're not on the bridge and then fire the weapon? And how do you suddenly know that it wasn't him that fired the quantum torpedoes?What am I even watching?
-Really, you're flying a shuttle near him to talk him out of this? Oh wait, that is supposed to work, the VFX team put to much effort into this.
-And Booker all of the sudden changes his mind because crazy guy scientist fires some torpedoes that only superficially damaged Discovery... yeah...
-So the DMA controller is on the other side of the galaxy? in that case, shouldn't they have detected that? Oh right, no one uses sensors anymore, unless the plot says so.
-Well, that went nowhere, what a complete waste of good plot.
-Now they're shipping Saru and T'Rina apparently.
-Oh look, a new CBS logo, guess we won't be getting rid of it any time soon.

Well that was a complete waste, the 10C alien reveal better be good, but given what has happened so far, I'll lean towards it being one big meh, mainly since so far all they've done is endless teasing, and that's never a good sign.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I thought it was overall more easy to gel with the character development as they've trimmed that down in order to fit them into the cohesive story. Sideline episodes were pretty good. It was interesting to see them do the teamwork building and adding different personality types into the fold. Tilly's character is getting good writing.

The show balances the natural animosity of going 900 years into the future with the prosperity of being able to make a difference in the world you find yourself in.

I though Bernham had a lot to work with for plot and character growth. Her relationship with Brook was pretty strong, and he made for a good anti-villain. On paper it doesn't seem like the most groundbreaking resolution to the entire conflict, but I do find it refreshingly intuitive in execution of diplomatic theme. I felt she tends to make things work out for legal adversaries rather conveniently, though that's consistent with arcs we see with Picard and Kirk.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

This season gets my vote in the one episode per day binge category.

[Mabus]

Episode 10:
-"DMA controller was destroyed" Wait, I thought it wasn't, it was stated that it was on the other side of the "wormhole"? "It's powered from the other side of the wormhole" It was even said in the teaser!
-"How would the 10-C know the difference?" Umm, yeah, unless you tell them, they'd have no way of knowing, or maybe they do, but then why would they care?
-Yo, what's with the way the scene cuts so suddenly? I felt I had a blackout! Don't scare me like that, TV show!
-So what was funny when the old Starfleet officer began laughing? And has Starfleet forgot that there have been plenty of species in the past that couldn't be understood using the universal translator? So why is it necessary for the random new Starfleet officer to laugh at the situation?
-Wait, hold on, the Starfleet brass is worried that the first contact might be problematic due to... language? Political misunderstandings? How is that any different than before? It's not the first time Starfleet made first contact with a species far more powerful than they are.
-"You're not coming" "Sorry, but these cameos are expensive for the show's budget and I don't do recorded cameos"
-"I need to go on the mission, that way I'll be on the Discovery, just like in the beginning of the season"
-No Discovery, STOP IT! You do not understand what science is! Stop butchering science!
-Oh, so now the power source wasn't destroyed and it's actually outside the galaxy?
-"PrOgRaMmAbLe AnTiMaTtEr" Really now, is "programmable" the new "quantum"?
-"I know where there's a stash" Oh, so now you know where you can find hard to find materials? Great.
-NOOOOOOOO! Commander Bryce is leaving the ship! Maybe even the show! And even after 4 years I still know nothing about him! Oh no... anyway...
-Oh come on, is there any point in this pointy ear/pointy man romance? Even in Twilight the main characters had more interaction than these two... Jesus, now I'm using Twilight as a better romance story...
-Oh look, the pointless needs kid is back, because now the plot needs Adira... not when the ship was invaded or damaged...
-AHAHAHAHAHAHA! So... this is what the writers understand by "character development"? That the Federation president has finally accepted not to question our Lord and Savior Michael Burnham? And that Burnham still hasn't done anything wrong? Yup, the show hasn't changed one bit.
-How interesting that the mycelial network can connect different universes, but outside the galaxy? Nope, it doesn't exist...
-No Burnham, shut the fuck up, please! Your childhood doesn't make any sense in any way.
-Really? They had no idea what to do with the character of Dr. Hirai so they just have him munching food? Actually, he has more characterization this way than half the Discovery bridge after 4 years.
-Wow, the show actually remembered that Starfleet ships have warp drives. Impressive.
-Oh come on, the Vulcan delegate did not arrive so the President decided to just go on a possible suicide mission? What, the delegate got trapped in the toilet? WTF is this?
-"Anyway, how's your sex life?"
-Flashback time for the crazy scientist guy and his new best friend!
-Oh fuck off Discovery, REALLY? THAT'S NOT HOW SCIENCE WORKS! You can't just scribble numbers in air with your fingers and expect people to suddenly understand you! Do these people even understand how math works?
-Yeah, I too fall asleep if I try to concentrate on math equations...
-"Discovery can pass through the barrier if we put it into a safe space"
-"We need an excuse to give the show a Zach Snyder color filter"
-Oh great, so what, you found the Cenobite universe or something? Just go to the Nexus, it should still be somewhere in the galaxy roaming around.
-Wow, so it's that easy to get rid of those head bomb implants? You just fry them? That's the dumbest thing I've seen in the last 5 minutes.
-Ahahahahahahahaha WTF! So the mad scientist guy leaves the other alien scientist in the enemy lab, even though he's nearly half-dead due to the beating he got to fix the machine and leave the universe, just like that? And apparently it worked, even though all it needed was geothermal energy and a warp core? Why does Tarka need an uber power source again?
-BWHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my God, the random bridge bunnies are starting to randomly talk about their hobbies while the ship is about to be destroyed! Oh come on, do the writers don't understand how humans work?
-So the entire reason why the scene with the bridge bunnies suddenly talking about where they'll go on a vacation on Earth exists is because they needed another reason for Burnham to tell them about the Anomaly about ot hit Earth? WTF? Really?
-More pointless talk between The President and Burnham
-"It's weird to see so few stars" Well yeah, cause if you're outside the galaxy, you'd be seeing the galaxies outside the Milky Way... Also, does light pollution no longer exist on Earth?
-The Earth is under threat from the DMA, so I'll just tell everyone about it randomly
-"You're a good doggy, Madam President, I like you!"
-Aaaand, that's it... that's how the season ends... on a cliffhanger...

Jesus fucking Christ, I literally fell asleep half-way through the episode, and I kept falling asleep during the second half. I can't believe how boring the show became. It's literally no different than the previous episodes, if anything it reminds me of that episode where they go into that space hole and need to get out of it. What was the point of this nonsense? Christ, what are they gonna do for the final three episodes?
But hey, at least now I know how to cur my occasional insomnia, I just watch Discovery and fall asleep.

[McAvoy]

Mabus,

I think for the rule of thumb for you is that you are not exactly biased to Discovery.

The breakdowns you do really could be done to any Trek episode.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Mabus,

I think for the rule of thumb for you is that you are not exactly biased to Discovery.

The breakdowns you do really could be done to any Trek episode.

I'm just not sure that lampooning a feature is a valid form of formal criticism. I'm starting to feel that way at least.

[McAvoy]

Mabus,

I think for the rule of thumb for you is that you are not exactly biased to Discovery.

The breakdowns you do really could be done to any Trek episode.

I'm just not sure that lampooning a feature is a valid form of formal criticism. I'm starting to feel that way at least.

Well I feel that if you do a minute to minute breakdown of any Trek episode you could come come up with alot of criticism. Chuck does that in the form of jokes for example. Some Youtubers do the same thing too.