Star Trek Discovery: Season Three

[Zatman]

If the their solution to Burnham being overpowering is to making Tal overpowering instead I'm going to be upset.

Having just seen S3E6...

Erm, aren't you an episode off? Isn't this last one just episode 5?

If the their solution to Burnham being overpowering is to making Tal overpowering instead I'm going to be upset.

Having just seen S3E6...

Eh, this is what happens when I write a post before seeing the whole thing. "We're beaming over the Captain, First Officer, and the person who dominated last episode" reads a little as, "Let's make Tal important."

I think we're going to get an Emperor Georgiou arc this season!

I think we're getting a springboard for Star Trek: Section 31.

Hope not Section 31 should be the bad guys.

Eh, maybe, maybe not. Section 31 is basically the Federation CIA while Federation Security is more analogous to the FBI and Starfleet Security analogous to NCIS/OSI/CID/CGIS while Starfleet intelligence is analogous to the various defense intelligence agencies. Did Section 31 go off the rails in DS9? Yep, no question, then, they were the bad guys. But depending on what canon you prefer, they didn't start that way even if they started off a tad shady. Same with the OSS and CIA. Doing the things that that, right or wrong, are intended to secure the nation. I admit, I've not watched Discovery...ever, except for the TV pilot. I've followed along via reviews and recaps, but S3 is the first season I'm invested enough to subscribe, binge, cancel when the season is over. So, maybe I have some gaps. But it doesn't appear that as of S3E5, the Federation, even with an HQ and a small fleet of ships, is very active. So we don't know what kind of threats they're facing. So I can see them leveraging Georgiou's unique talents and experience to spearhead a covert agency as they try to re-expand. Perhaps even learning from the lessons of the old Section 31 and having more oversight, like the real life CIA does now. Do we as civilians know everything they do? Certainly not. But do we consider them an outright criminal organization? Well, truthfully, not most of us, many do, and I don't want to take this post political, but I hope you catch my drift.

[Link8909]

Having just seen S3E5...

First, it doesn't look like Tal is being overpowering at all. In fact, they were barely even present this episode. If anything, I'm concerned that this interesting character who has a lot of context about the setting won't be made use of. Of course, it's also true that Adira Tal is still a teenage human, even with the lifetimes of memories of the Tal symbiont. I hope they make more use of her.

Indeed, I was surprised we didn't see her again after she went to her debriefing at the start, still there's more to come and I'm sure we'll see more Adira Tal.

In the last few posts, my theory about the "Burnham Fastball Special" being something that everyone on Discovery is afraid of...has panned out in a few different ways. First Saru had to talk Michael out of a harebrained scheme. Next, Lt. Naan stayed behind to short-circuit another self-righteous harebrained scheme (that she gets to escape the potential for Burnham to violently fuck something up isn't mentioned, but I'm willing to classify that as "a bonus"). Lastly, Michael crept fucking close to outright insubordination with the Admiral a few times, because of course she did. She really does not fucking understand socialization on a basic level.

Also, similarly to last time, once again Saru sent Michael off to deal with an immediate problem, presumably to preempt any Burnham Fastball Specials. An idle Burnham, is a dangerous Burnham.

Thinking more about it, I do enjoy this Michael Burnham now over how she was portrayed during the first two seasons, and that's because for lack of tactfulness, she has a personality now, she's a lot more expressive rather than the stoic Vulcan nature she once had, and bolder with problem solving that makes her a loose cannon, something that she learned in her year away from Discovery and must now unlearn to properly come home, gone are the unnecessary pontifications and speeches, now it's "Get its the pool before someone shoots us".

I do like the first seasons story of her redemption arc and her relationship with Spock, but everything about her was event driven rather than by her personality, she herself seemed to be a blank stale by design, for example her quarters were completely bare during seasons one and two as she "expresses herself through her work", but now we see assorts of trinkets and nicknacks, and I think the series has recognised this issue and is building upon it, in "People of Earth" Georgiou points out to Michael that she never really knew herself, and that her time away allowed her to live by her own rules and discover who she really was.

Also I like your earlier description of Michael as "the pure chaos that is Science Commando Burnham."

While this was a tense episode, though, honestly not a whole lot really went down. Sure, the debriefings of the DISCO crew were entertaining (especially Reno), but I think we're going to get an Emperor Georgiou arc this season! Apparently, the bit when Georgiou was being interrogated wasn't just a shrewd interrogator having to work with a most uncooperative subject - just as something was visibly off with Detmer at the start of the season, Emperess Georgiou appears to be in a rough spot of her own. With that said, I think that that's stupid, because this is building off the premise that Terran humans are different from Prime Humans on a biological level, which was one of the dumber S1 retcons.

Yeah, the whole eye thing is annoying, as I felt it was only introduced to be the final piece of the puzzle for Lorca's true nature, and has yet to be brought up again, I get the biological different as that could be the explanation to why the Terrans are more aggressive to humans, but I personally like the idea that there are no biological differences to begin with, as it come down to choice, and the Terrans choose their way of life, and that we are just as capable for their cruelty, but choose to be better.

Still, I do like that Georgiou is going through her own arc now, and isn't just going to be there to kick ass and snark.

Similarly, it seems that Detmer is in fact getting a C-plot for the season of her dealing with her PTSD. With that said, she has friends, colleagues, and allies to help her with that. Hell, the Federation's own sensors clearly showed that Detmer is off!

I'm glade that this is still continuing, while she's accepted that she's not well, Detmer is still far from recovery, and I liked the support Owosekun gave her.

I do like that Discovery's "rebuild the Federation" arc saw Discovery basically trying to prime the Federation itself to rejoin the interstellar community. In fact, if this season has a theme, it's dealing with unhealed trauma - first in Michael, then Detmer, the worlds and peoples that Discovery visits, and next apparently the Emperor. I think this also explains why S3 is of the relatively high quality it is, too - the writers have chosen a theme, are sticking with it, and are executing it using strong character work and a lot less flashy action sequences.

Put differently, S3 is so far the best DISCO season, because it has substance, and isn't relying on SFX to carry the day. I'm glad someone figured that out.

Indeed, season one had different themes, but didn't properly have an end goal for them or develop those themes well, thus was all over the place on what the series wanted to be about, season two while had focus, didn't feel like it was about anything other than an excuse for character moments and special effects, season three so far has a running theme of healing, and thus as you say gives the series focus and substance.

Much like with Star Trek Picard and Star Trek Lower Decks, the creators are going into the series knowing what they want the series to be about, rather than how Star Trek Discovery started with so many different ideas and different creators wanting their own take but lacked focus.

Lastly, I think the Federation is keeping the NCC-74656 Voyager around as a strategic weapon. The last time it was loosed on the galaxy, Janeway left a trail of destruction across the better part of an entire quadrant of the galaxy. Anyone who makes the Federation lose patience will be summarily hit in the face with a Janeway Pi.

On a side note, people have also spotted the USS Nog (NCC-325070) being dock at Federation Headquarters, and was said to be an Eisenberg-class*, that's a very nice nod to Nog and Aron Eisenberg himself.

Overall this was another enjoyable episode.

*http://blog.trekcore.com/2020/11/star-t ... eisenberg/

[Asvarduil]

If the their solution to Burnham being overpowering is to making Tal overpowering instead I'm going to be upset.

Having just seen S3E6...

Erm, aren't you an episode off? Isn't this last one just episode 5?

Aah, well, you see...I was in marching band where we most commonly had to count to 4. Numbers greater than 4 are therefore extremely challenging to me, because of my Marching Band biology.

Hey, if Star Trek can explain stupid things with "...becaues biology!" so can I! ...I'm sorry, that plot point really, really bugs me as I'm sure you can tell. I get to a Sarcasm Level of 0.25 Stamets when I think about that.*

Alternatively, it was an accident. Mea culpa.

*: I also hereby propose a Stamets as a measure of sarcasm. It's unwise to exceed a sarcasm rating of 1 Stamets.

Also I like your earlier description of Michael as "the pure chaos that is Science Commando Burnham."

I'm not going to lie, Burnham frustrates me, especially now that she's had that year to find her own way. If she had jumped immediately alongside Discovery, I could see her keeping her Chaos Commando tendencies...but she hasn't. She's had a boyfriend, she's had a job that caters to her Chaotic Good nature, she was even partied with a fricking druid!

Now, why do I belatedly bring this up? We know for a fact that Book is at least a 6th level Druid, as he casted Plant Growth - a 3rd level Druid spell - as well as Speak with Animals, which is a 1st level Druid spell. I do suspect he's taken at least a level in Rogue as well due to the abundance of non-combat skills he has, as well as the ability to hide an entire starship.

Anyways, not the point. Burnham...what precisely annoys me and gets me to make colorful descriptions of her isn't just that she should know better than to do the crazy shit she does, she actually does know better. Hell, Saru even calls her on this, when attempting to get Burnham to agree to stop needling the Admiral near the end of the episode.

Burnham is basically the perfect crystallization of every point the Vulcans made in Enterprise about the ways that humanity wasn't ready to explore the stars in person. However, she should not be. She should be better, kinder, and saner than she is, as unlike most of the characters of this season, she's - oddly enough - the person currently most-healed of their existing traumas, chaotic alignment notwithstanding.

Which I guess leads to my conclusion. When you really take a look at Burnham...simply put, she's stupid. Not in the "dunce cap" kind of way where the person doesn't know anything and for some reason can't learn, but stupid like Wheaton in Portal 2. Her senses gather information, she uses her intelligence to process it...but she then consistently chooses courses of action with outcomes that are, at least on some level, bad for all concerned, including herself. She - quite literally - knows just enough about things to be dangerous (which, the Discovery crew seem to all agree on, if nothing else.)

GlaDOS: This...statement...is...false! dontthinkaboutitdontthinkaboutitdontthinkaboutit
Burnham: True. I'll go with true.
Every other AI-controlled device in the area short-circuits.

On a side note, people have also spotted the USS Nog (NCC-325070) being dock at Federation Headquarters, and was said to be an Eisenberg-class*, that's a very nice nod to Nog and Aron Eisenberg himself.

Overall this was another enjoyable episode.

*http://blog.trekcore.com/2020/11/star-t ... eisenberg/

That is a seriously cool detail that I missed, and a really awesome sendoff. I'm glad Aaron Eisenberg and Nog got that cameo.

[Thebestoftherest]

If the their solution to Burnham being overpowering is to making Tal overpowering instead I'm going to be upset.

Having just seen S3E6...

Eh, this is what happens when I write a post before seeing the whole thing. "We're beaming over the Captain, First Officer, and the person who dominated last episode" reads a little as, "Let's make Tal important."

I think we're going to get an Emperor Georgiou arc this season!

I think we're getting a springboard for Star Trek: Section 31.

Hope not Section 31 should be the bad guys.

I think that ship has sailed when they are getting their own show.

I'll believe it when I see a trailer.

[clearspira]

The USS Nog is a neat little nod towards Aaron. In-universe though it does beg the question as to why Nog of all people deserves a ship named after him. And would still be known 1000 years later.

[TGLS]

The USS Nog is a neat little nod towards Aaron. In-universe though it does beg the question as to why Nog of all people deserves a ship named after him. And would still be known 1000 years later.

First Ferengi in Starfleet maybe? Maybe named for another Nog?

Of course, the other conundrum is that the ship was most likely commissioned in 2803.

[Link8909]

Hope not Section 31 should be the bad guys.

I think that ship has sailed when they are getting their own show.

I'll believe it when I see a trailer.

Yeah, as much as I want to see any of the new Star Trek series given a shot, I'm not holding by breath for Star Trek Section 31, out of all the new shows announced, we have had the least amount of real news about it, and seems to be pushed back more and more in favor of other projects like Strange New Worlds and prodigy.

Honestly I have mixed feelings on the Section 31 series, on one hand the idea of telling stories from their perspective is an interesting idea, and could lead to some potentially good morally grey style conflicts, but I do feel that Section 31 works better as a foil to the Starfleet heroes, and and having them as the "heroes" could lead to their actions being glorified, the last thing that should be done for a Star Trek series.

The USS Nog is a neat little nod towards Aaron. In-universe though it does beg the question as to why Nog of all people deserves a ship named after him. And would still be known 1000 years later.

First Ferengi in Starfleet maybe? Maybe named for another Nog?

I think it's a safe bet that it's the former, plus on top of being the first Ferengi in Starfleet, he might well have had an illustrious career on top of his time on Deep Space Nine.

I'd also imagine other future starships being named after famous Starfleet officers much like how there are ships named after famous people.

[clearspira]

Hope not Section 31 should be the bad guys.

I think that ship has sailed when they are getting their own show.

I'll believe it when I see a trailer.

Yeah, as much as I want to see any of the new Star Trek series given a shot, I'm not holding by breath for Star Trek Section 31, out of all the new shows announced, we have had the least amount of real news about it, and seems to be pushed back more and more in favor of other projects like Strange New Worlds and prodigy.

Honestly I have mixed feelings on the Section 31 series, on one hand the idea of telling stories from their perspective is an interesting idea, and could lead to some potentially good morally grey style conflicts, but I do feel that Section 31 works better as a foil to the Starfleet heroes, and and having them as the "heroes" could lead to their actions being glorified, the last thing that should be done for a Star Trek series.

The USS Nog is a neat little nod towards Aaron. In-universe though it does beg the question as to why Nog of all people deserves a ship named after him. And would still be known 1000 years later.

First Ferengi in Starfleet maybe? Maybe named for another Nog?

I think it's a safe bet that it's the former, plus on top of being the first Ferengi in Starfleet, he might well have had an illustrious career on top of his time on Deep Space Nine.

I'd also imagine other future starships being named after famous Starfleet officers much like how there are ships named after famous people.

Imagine being the poor sod that gets to serve on the USS Troi.

[Madner Kami]

Imagine being the poor sod that gets to serve on the USS Troi.

I wouldn't mind servicing Troi.

[clearspira]

Imagine being the poor sod that gets to serve on the USS Troi.

I wouldn't mind servicing Troi.

The good ship Troi has some nice upholstery to be sure, but it has a temperamental guidance system that means you have to be wary around planets lest you crash straight into it.