Star Trek: Discovery continued its strong run with two very different episodes that served distinct, but important, roles in establishing the series in its new time and place. With “Die Trying,” the series grounded itself in the 32nd century world of the Federation, providing us a quick, but clear, primer as to what life is like in this new world, while laying the groundwork for the major character developments we would get for both Burnham and Georgiou in “Scavengers.” These two episodes underscore what has made Discovery so successful this season: the series is willing and able to let characters breathe and grow over longer stretches of time while the writers do the hard work of essentially building a new world (or universe in this case) from scratch.
As someone who is willing to watch pretty much anything so long as it has strong, complex, and well-developed characters, this season of Discovery has been a real joy to watch. Sure, some of the plot machinations of “Scavengers” were a tad clunky (we could have used some additional background regarding the salvage operation planet and just how mini-despots like that have sprung up in the former Federation space – although I suppose we can all wager some pretty accurate guesses to fill in the blanks), but it offered some truly great character moments for both Burnham and Georgiou that made up for the chipped exterior of the plot.
For Burnham, it’s been clear since she returned to the Starfleet fold that something intrinsically changed within her during her year on her own. Whether that is simply her single-minded drive to discover the source of The Burn (which, who wants to bet that it has something to do with the lullaby that everyone seems to know?) or if it’s something deeper, it’s clear that Michael Burnham isn’t really fit for a life in Starfleet anymore and should be her own boss. And that is a huge character shift, albeit one that makes complete sense. Burnham has gone from an emotionally closed off woman who never really felt at home with others and hid her emotional wounds behind a tough, emotionless exterior often to her own detriment to a woman driven by her emotions and willing to sacrifice her friendships and career to search for something she believes is necessary. It’s a hell of a change and one that has made the character all the more interesting. I suspect Sonequa Martin-Green is also loving this character development, as she seems far more at ease on screen this season than in the previous two.
On the other side of things, there’s Georgiou, who has always talked a big game in an attempt to shield herself from emotional entanglements – something that was all well and good whilst living in the Terran Empire, but something that doesn’t work nearly as well in her current universe. I’m intrigued with the recent developments with the character, as they could serve to add some key nuance to someone who has been more bluster than depth throughout the last two seasons, or they could absolutely torpedo one of the most interesting Trek characters we’ve ever seen. If there’s one complaint I have about most Trek series, it’s that they tend to shy away from morally gray characters (and, when someone makes a morally questionable choice, the episodic nature of the majority of the shows means that choice will not resonate past that single episode). But morally gray characters are much more interesting than wholly good or bad ones, which is what makes Georgiou so intriguing. Now, I welcome a chance for the series to provide additional character development through these strange memory flashes she’s afflicted by – assuming it’s not a move to put her on the path to discovering her deep well of emotions and turning her into a reformed woman.
The way I see it, there are three options as to where these memories are coming from. Option one, her discussion with David Cronenberg led to him unlocking repressed memories of her own, which is far and away the worst option. We don’t need to have some sob-story for Georgiou to explain how she closed herself off to others and rose to prominence in the Terran Empire. If this were a traditional Trek series, I would be more worried about this option, but Discovery‘s writers have shown that they don’t want to go for the easy and “normal” way out for difficult characters. Option two, the memories are implanted from some random person in an attempt to get her to acknowledge the atrocities she committed (and force her to connect with her emotions again). This one is more promising and very interesting. Trek has done stories in the past where someone is punished for a crime by being forced to relive it or being forced to relive their victim(s)’s experience, so this wouldn’t be particularly novel (Black Mirror also had a similar episode, so it’s been done before in the world of sci-fi/horror). But not making it known that this was occurring? That would be different – and it would paint the new Federation in a much darker light. It would force the character to grapple with some long buried truths, which is never a bad thing, while still keeping Georgiou the same base character we love to watch. The final option is the most intriguing, but I suspect the least likely: The memories are from the original Georgiou and were planted in an attempt to see if Terran Georgiou could be molded into the “correct” one from this universe. Again, this would be insanely interesting, albeit strange, and it would rely a hell of a lot on the relationship between Burnham and Georgiou to make it work (although I suspect any resolution on this arc will be heavily influenced by that relationship), but it would be a hell of a twist.
While we’ll continue to monitor both Burnham and Georgiou’s character development over the coming episodes, I would be remiss if I didn’t touch on the interesting developments with some of the show’s supporting cast. Tilly has found her backbone, which is delightful to see. While I’ll always enjoy watching a fun, silly moment from the show’s sunniest character, I love that we’re getting to see her grow up more and become a real officer. It’s overdue, but a great addition to the series. Then there’s the continuing issues with Detmer. I’m so glad the writers didn’t just wipe away her panic attacks with the acknowledgment that she’s seeking psychological help for them. Showing that she’s still struggling (and that many of her colleagues are also dealing with emotional and physical issues after their trip to the future) is great writing, and it’s a powerful message that challenges don’t simply disappear because you took the huge step to get help. Rather, you need time to work through things, and the support of friends and family – something it’s clear Detmer has from her Discovery family. It’s a really great minor arc and once I’ve really enjoyed a lot. Finally, there’s the decision of Nahn to leave Discovery. While I wasn’t shocked with that development, seeing as the show’s cast has expanded a hell of a lot in the last season and the writers were having trouble getting everyone screen time, it was still a disappointment. Nahn was such an interesting character and we only really got a chance to see her strengths in her final episode. Again, I suspect this was simply a function of having too many mouths to feed (and I suspect we haven’t seen the last of her), but I couldn’t help but be disappointed at the missed opportunities.
So, wow, I remain amazed at how Discovery seems to have really found its footing in season three. The characters are getting more and more complex and interesting, the world building is of a much darker hue than in the past (which, as a huge DS9 fan, I appreciate), and there are so many new and interesting possibilities for the show to tackle in this undiscovered realm of the 32nd century. I find myself looking forward to the episodes each week, which is a new and not unwelcome experience. I’m excited to see where we head next.
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