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4thofelevenIn which I completely forgot to post about this episode.
I thought this was a really stand-out episode in a season that's generally been above average. There's a real lot to like here in both storylines, in a story that, in the best Star Trek tradition, doesn't really have a villian, just opposing viewpoints and values.
Zora's continued development is a nice twist on the stories we've seen before about artificial intelligence. Unlike Data or the Doctor, the question isn't whether she possesses sapience, it's how best to accommodate her unique abilities and needs. Data was essentially human-shaped and acted like one; give him regular quarters and a uniform, and you're ready to go. As pure software, Zora really can't be treated that way, and in some ways, it feels a bit like a metaphor for disability rights - determining what is and isn't possible for her to do and negotiating how best to make accommodations for her differences.
Cronenberg as Dr. Kovich continues to be a great addition to the supporting cast. It's great to see this sort of story where Starfleet command and the Federation aren't the bad guys; Kovich is familiar enough with synthetic life and accepts it, and as it turns out, his real role is to ensure everyone else will accept Zora as well. We haven't really had a story where Discovery's crew have come across as backwards or primitive compared to the Federation of a thousand years later, so it's nice that while Stamet's concerns are treated as valid, it's also portrayed as a sign that he's behind the times, and isn't quite as open to the possibilities of what life could be as the Federation has become.
Meanwhile, the big conference goes ahead, and I was a little disapointed how few familiar faces there were among the delegates; given that 'all four quadrants' were represented, I really wish they'd thrown a Vorta into the crowd. I did spot a Ferengi and a Cardassian, and according to the vote display, the Xindi were also present. I did think it was a nice touch that some of the delegates were species previously only seen in the crowd in “Beyond”; it's nice to see Kelvan-timeline designs show up in the Prime timeline.
(I also loved the look of the Orion delegate – very stylish!)
Amusingly, I didn't initially recognise the Earth General from last season, and actually spent a moment trying to work out what species she was meant to be. It's pretty funny how marginalised and irrelevant Earth has become by the 32nd century; their role here is mainly to show just how big a deal this conference is – even the humans got an invite!
The building tensions between Burnham and Booker have been building all season, and I think they've been handled very well; there's been no dramatic moment of them turning on each other, just a slow build-up of them each making decisions that, while completely understandable, put them on opposite sides of an issue. And now it comes to a head, with each of them having to serve as the voices of the two opposing approaches to the crisis. And, as I said, it'ce nice that there is no villian here – we really don't know enough to know what the right approach is, whether it's better to hope that diplomacy will work – and for that matter, that there is a culture capable of negotiating that's controlling the DMA – or whether it's better to eliminate the threat first and then worry about its creators.
And we get an explanation of what Ruon Tarka's real goal is. And it's not that villainous, just selfish – he wants to get out of the universe and, hopefully, get back with his boyfriend. He reminds me a little of Soran from Generations – brilliant, driven, but ultimately solipsistic in his desires, driven only by a desire to get away from the problems of the real world rather than face them or solve them. It makes me wonder – will Book be similarly tempted once he realises that Tarka's universe is, presumably, one where Kwejian survived?
I thought this was a really stand-out episode in a season that's generally been above average. There's a real lot to like here in both storylines, in a story that, in the best Star Trek tradition, doesn't really have a villian, just opposing viewpoints and values.
Zora's continued development is a nice twist on the stories we've seen before about artificial intelligence. Unlike Data or the Doctor, the question isn't whether she possesses sapience, it's how best to accommodate her unique abilities and needs. Data was essentially human-shaped and acted like one; give him regular quarters and a uniform, and you're ready to go. As pure software, Zora really can't be treated that way, and in some ways, it feels a bit like a metaphor for disability rights - determining what is and isn't possible for her to do and negotiating how best to make accommodations for her differences.
Cronenberg as Dr. Kovich continues to be a great addition to the supporting cast. It's great to see this sort of story where Starfleet command and the Federation aren't the bad guys; Kovich is familiar enough with synthetic life and accepts it, and as it turns out, his real role is to ensure everyone else will accept Zora as well. We haven't really had a story where Discovery's crew have come across as backwards or primitive compared to the Federation of a thousand years later, so it's nice that while Stamet's concerns are treated as valid, it's also portrayed as a sign that he's behind the times, and isn't quite as open to the possibilities of what life could be as the Federation has become.
Meanwhile, the big conference goes ahead, and I was a little disapointed how few familiar faces there were among the delegates; given that 'all four quadrants' were represented, I really wish they'd thrown a Vorta into the crowd. I did spot a Ferengi and a Cardassian, and according to the vote display, the Xindi were also present. I did think it was a nice touch that some of the delegates were species previously only seen in the crowd in “Beyond”; it's nice to see Kelvan-timeline designs show up in the Prime timeline.
(I also loved the look of the Orion delegate – very stylish!)
Amusingly, I didn't initially recognise the Earth General from last season, and actually spent a moment trying to work out what species she was meant to be. It's pretty funny how marginalised and irrelevant Earth has become by the 32nd century; their role here is mainly to show just how big a deal this conference is – even the humans got an invite!
The building tensions between Burnham and Booker have been building all season, and I think they've been handled very well; there's been no dramatic moment of them turning on each other, just a slow build-up of them each making decisions that, while completely understandable, put them on opposite sides of an issue. And now it comes to a head, with each of them having to serve as the voices of the two opposing approaches to the crisis. And, as I said, it'ce nice that there is no villian here – we really don't know enough to know what the right approach is, whether it's better to hope that diplomacy will work – and for that matter, that there is a culture capable of negotiating that's controlling the DMA – or whether it's better to eliminate the threat first and then worry about its creators.
And we get an explanation of what Ruon Tarka's real goal is. And it's not that villainous, just selfish – he wants to get out of the universe and, hopefully, get back with his boyfriend. He reminds me a little of Soran from Generations – brilliant, driven, but ultimately solipsistic in his desires, driven only by a desire to get away from the problems of the real world rather than face them or solve them. It makes me wonder – will Book be similarly tempted once he realises that Tarka's universe is, presumably, one where Kwejian survived?
no subject
on 2022-01-23 10:08 pm (UTC)