Season One
Creator(s) – Bryan Fuller (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dead Like Me) and Alex Kurtzman (Sleepy Hollow, The Mummy)
Starring – Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead, Space Jam: A New Legacy), Doug Jones (Hellboy, Crimson Peak), and Anthony Rapp (Dazed and Confused, Adventures in Babysitting)
Release Date – 2017
Rating – 4/5
Tagline – “At the edge of the universe, discovery begins”
I’m not the most avid Star Trek fan but I did spend a good bit of my childhood watching reruns with my grandmother while my dad was out of town. We mostly watched the original series but I’ve spent my fair share of time watching Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.
In recent years I’ve become obsessed with the new Star Trek trilogy along with the newer series. Over the last few years I’ve been lucky enough to review the first season of Picard and Lower Decks. Both are fantastic series that takes on on different parts of the Star Trek universe. I had heard of Star Trek: Discovery before as well but I had never had the chance to see it until I was sent the first three seasons for review. While I was on Thanksgiving vacation I decided to tackle it and it was a fantastic show.
**Spoiler Alert** This season follows Michael (Martin-Green) who is raised by a Vulcan and his human wife after her family was killed by Klingons. He raises her to use logic over emotions which serves her well when she enlists in the federation. However, she is headstrong and her impulses leads to the death of her captain and a war between the Klingons. Six months passes and she is transported to the Discovery to help the captain while she is in prison for treason. This leads them on several missions before the entire vessel finds themselves in a parallel universe where the federation is an empire that kills all alien species. **Spoiler Alert**
I’m loving the new Star Trek series. Picard was fantastic and visually stunning while Lower Decks was the Star Trek for fans of adult animation. Discovery was just as visually stunning but the story and characters are the part that is the most compelling. I absolutely loved it and couldn’t stop binging it. This is not your typical Star Trek series but it does feel like Star Trek.
The acting in this one is nothing short of brilliant. The series features so many amazing cast members that has made a name for themselves in horror and sci-fi. We have Doug Jones who is known for his work with Guillermo del Toro along with Sonequa Martin-Green from The Walking Dead, Anthony Rapp from Dazed and Confused, Shazad Latif from Black Mirror and Penny Dreadful, and Jason Isaacs from the Harry Potter series. Also, the film brings several new faces that I was unfamiliar with and everyone delivers unforgettable performances. Discovery did bring Mary Wiseman to my attention who is now my new crush. The story for this one is exactly what you would expect from Star Trek.
The story is fully submerged in the federation but we get other aspects from various other series like the Vulcans, Klingons, and other fan favorites. With that being said, the story takes us through parallel dimensions, war, and the federation hierarchy. I fucking loved it and couldn’t look away even if I tried. Finally, the series is absolutely beautiful. The visual effects are top notch and never show a sign of weakness while the make-up and creature effects were great as well. Overall, season one of Discovery is an unforgettable and an important part of television history. I highly recommend this for any sci-fi and Star Trek fan.
Season Two
Creator(s) – Bryan Fuller (American Gods, Mockingbird Lane) and Alex Kurtzman (Sleepy Hollow, The Mummy)
Starring – Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead, Space Jam: A New Legacy), Doug Jones (Z Nation, Hellboy), and Anson Mount (Inhumans, Hood of Horror)
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 4/5
Tagline – “Discover the next adventure”
Over Thanksgiving break I took a 5 day vacation and spent that watching season one of Star Trek: Discovery. I was absolutely hooked on the show and couldn’t wait to dig further into it. Sadly, my vacation came to an end and I had to return to work to manage the store during Black Friday and the subsequent weekend. I couldn’t stop thinking about that first season so this obsession soon took over forcing me to take one of my personal days off from work to dig into the second season. This show is insanely good and the second season does not disappoint.
**Spoiler Alert** This season once again follows Michael (Martin-Green) who is searching for her foster brother Spock who was investigating a series of signals that coincide with the “Red Angel.” She finds her brother along with who the real Red Angel is along with news that all sentient life will be destroyed by an AI forcing several members of Discovery and Enterprise to make sacrifices. **Spoiler alert**
Season Two is a bit different than the first season. While it gives us an epic sci-fi adventure that pulls the viewer in, it also brings us moments from the original series to not only give older fans something but newer fans a link to the older shows. I really enjoyed it but I can see why older fans would be a little bitter about it.
The acting in this one is absolutely amazing. Martin-Green, Jones, and the others bring our favorite characters from the first season along with new faces like Anson Mount. Mount really surprised me here. He doesn’t really look like Pike from the original series but his mannerisms are down perfectly. With that being said, he will always be the racist piece of shit from Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror to me.
The story for this one takes the characters from the first season and puts them in yet another dangerous mission. I really liked the direction the show took but I will say it feels goofy at times when it tries to tie itself to the original series. I liked it in a lot of way but in a few instances it felt extremely awkward.
Finally, the series has some bloody moments, some great practical make-up effects and seriously stunning props and sets. However, the visual effects in this season really impressed me. It’s impressive how great some of these visuals looks. Overall, season two of Discovery is just as perfect as the first season. It’s an amazing story with an amazing cast that fits in perfectly with the Star Trek universe. I highly recommend it.
Season Three
Creator(s) – Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Star Trek: Voyager) and Alex Kurtzman (Clarice, Tales from the Darkside)
Starring – Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time..), David Ajala (Doctor Who, The Dark Knight), and Blu del Barrio (The Ready Room)
Release Date – 2020
Rating – 3.5/5
The last week or so I’ve been spending all my spare time watching Star Trek: Discovery. As I stated in my season one review, I wasn’t the most avid Star Trek fan but I do enjoy most of the series and films that I’ve seen with Picard rekindling that spark. However, Discovery is a new obsession that I’m struggling to kick. Hell, I even took personal time from work to watch season and three. After binging the third season I have to admit that I’m still obsessed with the series but the third season is the weakest so far. It’s not bad but it’s not as riveting and indulging as the first two seasons.
**Spoiler Alert** This season begins with Michael (Martin-Green) and the crew of the Discovery 900 years into the future. The Federation is just a fraction of it’s former self after a catastrophic disaster where ships carrying dilithium crystals exploded killing millions. Many planets under the Federation has left blaming them for the cause. Now ships are struggling with space travel due to the lack of dilithium. Michael and the rest of the Discovery crew set out to uncover the real cause of the event, known as The Burn, to clear the Federation’s name in order to bring peace and preservation back to the galaxy. **Spoiler Alert**
Discovery has some seriously dedicated fans along with Star Trek fans that dislike the show for trying to shoehorn itself into Star Trek mythos. I understand where the second people are coming from but I fucking love this show. This particular season doesn’t really try to force itself into existing Star Trek mythology and creates it’s own. I liked it but it does struggle a bit.
The acting in this one is consistent with the other two seasons. The characters are unforgettable and the cast dives deep into their roles. It’s hard to see where the acting ends and the character begins. I love the casting and the new characters introduced has just as much personality as the existing characters. A lot of great casting and writing went into this.
The story for this season does step away from the bright future and happy endings of the previous seasons to a more bleak and unpredictable future where the Federation and what it once stood for is now in question. I did like this direction but it does take a long time for it to pick up. In fact, it doesn’t really pick up until the 10th or 11th episode. While it does a great job at creating character and story development but the action doesn’t really pick up until the later episodes.
Finally, the film is still as visually stunning as the first two seasons. We get fantastic make-up effects, amazing sets and wardrobe, and the visuals are outstanding. Overall, season three is still an amazing season but it does lack that kick that the first two seasons had. I highly recommend it.
