Star Trek Discovery: 3x06 (Scavengers)
Nov. 22nd, 2020 05:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
4thofelevenIn which you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villiany.
So, let's get the big complaint out the way first: It is inconcievable that Tilly isn't a cat person, and this sort of nonsense is exactly why nuTrek is doomed! #NOTMYSTARTREK!!1!
Way back when the show first started, I compared Burnham to Ensign Ro from TNG, and I think we're seeing those aspects of her character come back to the forefront. Increasingly, the question has to be asked – is she suited for Starfleet? I think the episode does a great job of allowing us to sympathise with Burnham's motivations, while also understanding that she put Saru and Tilly in a very difficult place, and her unreliability as an officer means that Saru had little choice but to remove her from her position in the chain of command. Yes, we've seen characters go against orders before, but rarely in such a way that their crewmates are left to shoulder the responsibility for their absence. Burnham's behaviour is far more akin to some of Seven of Nine's actions than Jim Kirk – and Seven, at least, had the excuse of being a civilian who never had any formal responsibilities to Starfleet itself.
I liked the detail that the admiral admitted that, if he'd been informed of the intel, he might well have authorised a mission to retrieve it – Burnham's fault wasn't her actions, it was her insistence on acting without working with anyone else. She reminds the Emperor that opening up to other people isn't a weakness; perhaps she needs to take that lesson herself.
And, of course, speaking of the Emperor – what the hell is going on here? Is the blood on her hands her own, or one of her many victims? Is her conscience finally catching up on her, or has something been done to her? For the last year, it seems she's been able to treat her adventures in the Prime universe as a wacky adventure and a fun diversion from the Imperial throne, but it seems everything is now starting to catch up with her again. For the first time since season one, she's acknowledged the betrayal of her Burnham, and maybe it's finally sinking in that she can never go home again.
Perhaps future Starfleet should look into assigning a permanent counsellor to Discovery; it seems PTSD is a recurring theme this season. For all its flaws, Discovery has generally dealt with the aftermath of trauma with appropriate weight, so I'm interested to see where this is going.
And speaking of the aftermath of trauma, it's delightful to see Paul and Adira interacting. It's always nice in Star Trek to see characters recognise that they live in a crazy universe, and just accepting other people's bizarre experiences as real and worthy of respect. It's also good to see more of Paul and Hugh together; I'd really like to know what was going on last season, if there was a scheduling conflict that made Hugh almost absent from much of the season, even in episodes where it seemed like he should have been a strong presence, and it's good that the show is making up for the lost time.
In minor notes:
Was one of the syndicate guards an Aenar, or just a very pale Andorian?
One of the aliens at the Starfleet meeting appears to be Cardassians; I believe this is the first time we've seen one in Starfleet!
So, let's get the big complaint out the way first: It is inconcievable that Tilly isn't a cat person, and this sort of nonsense is exactly why nuTrek is doomed! #NOTMYSTARTREK!!1!
Way back when the show first started, I compared Burnham to Ensign Ro from TNG, and I think we're seeing those aspects of her character come back to the forefront. Increasingly, the question has to be asked – is she suited for Starfleet? I think the episode does a great job of allowing us to sympathise with Burnham's motivations, while also understanding that she put Saru and Tilly in a very difficult place, and her unreliability as an officer means that Saru had little choice but to remove her from her position in the chain of command. Yes, we've seen characters go against orders before, but rarely in such a way that their crewmates are left to shoulder the responsibility for their absence. Burnham's behaviour is far more akin to some of Seven of Nine's actions than Jim Kirk – and Seven, at least, had the excuse of being a civilian who never had any formal responsibilities to Starfleet itself.
I liked the detail that the admiral admitted that, if he'd been informed of the intel, he might well have authorised a mission to retrieve it – Burnham's fault wasn't her actions, it was her insistence on acting without working with anyone else. She reminds the Emperor that opening up to other people isn't a weakness; perhaps she needs to take that lesson herself.
And, of course, speaking of the Emperor – what the hell is going on here? Is the blood on her hands her own, or one of her many victims? Is her conscience finally catching up on her, or has something been done to her? For the last year, it seems she's been able to treat her adventures in the Prime universe as a wacky adventure and a fun diversion from the Imperial throne, but it seems everything is now starting to catch up with her again. For the first time since season one, she's acknowledged the betrayal of her Burnham, and maybe it's finally sinking in that she can never go home again.
Perhaps future Starfleet should look into assigning a permanent counsellor to Discovery; it seems PTSD is a recurring theme this season. For all its flaws, Discovery has generally dealt with the aftermath of trauma with appropriate weight, so I'm interested to see where this is going.
And speaking of the aftermath of trauma, it's delightful to see Paul and Adira interacting. It's always nice in Star Trek to see characters recognise that they live in a crazy universe, and just accepting other people's bizarre experiences as real and worthy of respect. It's also good to see more of Paul and Hugh together; I'd really like to know what was going on last season, if there was a scheduling conflict that made Hugh almost absent from much of the season, even in episodes where it seemed like he should have been a strong presence, and it's good that the show is making up for the lost time.
In minor notes:
Was one of the syndicate guards an Aenar, or just a very pale Andorian?
One of the aliens at the Starfleet meeting appears to be Cardassians; I believe this is the first time we've seen one in Starfleet!