After a long wait, Trekkies that have been anxiously awaiting for a new Star Trek show to hit the airwaves now have Discovery. Too bad its only available online! But did that hinder fans from watching? Not at all.
CBS all access released its Pilot Episode 1 entitled “The Vulcan Hello” last night (September 24). And let me tell you – it was quite a show. This new series developed by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman featured new ship designs (USS Shenzhou), new uniforms, new alien species, and a revamped look for the Klingon Empire. But no USS Discovery….
This is but one aspect of the new show that left me a bit confused…..I mean if you are going to name the new show Star Trek Discovery, shouldn’t there be a Spaceship called Discovery? It could be that the USS Discovery is off somewhere else in space and Micheal Burnam and Captain Philippa Georgiou have yet to set foot upon the ship. Or perhaps will it be answering the distress call of the USS Shenzhou?
Another item of the show that was confusing was the new first officer Michael Burnam. In the show she appeared to be speaking with Sarek (Spock’s Father) via hologram. It even appeared she had some familial connection with Sarek. Star Trek fans like myself were probably asking the question “when did Spock have a human sister?” From what I gathered, she was adopted by the Vulcan Sarek. If this is the case then why is she called Michael? And If she is human and was adopted shouldn’t she have a human female first name? Maybe they’ll explain that part in a later episode.
Character development is one of the many things I know from experience that new shows need time to build. With the introduction of so many new characters, its hard to shine a light on each and every one of them. Burnam and Georgiou seem to be the only characters the Pilot focused on. However they did introduce Commander Saru who seems to be an interesting character. Perhaps we will learn more about him in the episodes that follow.
One of the last things I wanted to point out was that Star Trek Discovery was missing the traditional Star Trek “connection.” For trekkies, you know that I am referring to those moments when past characters connect with the new crew in some way. In Star Trek the next generation, it was Doctor Leonard McCoy walking the halls with Data exploring the new enterprise. In Deep Space Nine, it was Captain Jean Luc Picard meeting with Commander Benjamin Sisko. Voyager had Quark intimidating Harry Kim until he was saved by Tom Paris. And who could forget the Zephram Cochrane bidding the crew of NX-01 good journey on their maiden voyage.
Don’t get me wrong. The show was quite enjoyable. From the saving of the primitive life on the desert planet to the mutiny instituted by Burnam – the show in itself shows alot of promise. Of this new show, my advice is that if you haven’t seen Star Trek Discovery yet, you are in for quite a treat.