Star Trek: Discovery – Unification III/The Sanctuary Review

Another strong set of episodes from Star Trek: Discovery this time around, albeit two very different types. “Unification III” was a great character showcase for Burnham, providing a long overdue discussion (and resolution) to the continuing conflict between the Vulcan elements of Bunham’s personality and her humanity while laying out her current conundrum regarding her connection to Book and her role on Discovery. Yes, the episode churned the plot forward, but it was meant to illuminate the conflict churning within Burnham more – and it succeeded with aplomb. “The Sanctuary,” on the other hand, was a standard table setting episode disguised as a character episode. Sure, we learned a bit more about Book (more on the issues with those elements of the tale in a bit), but the goal of the piece was to introduce us to Osyraa, our presumed Big Bad for at least the remainder of the season. Nothing wrong with a table setting episode, I just wish it had focused more on introducing us to our villain than on trying to flesh out Book’s character this late in the game.

One of Discovery‘s more troublesome quirks over the past three seasons was its penchant for putting Burnham in emotional turmoil and then never allowing the character to fully process her feelings by hand waving toward her Vulcan background and pretending everything was fine. Obviously, we learned over time, everything was not fine with Michael Burnham, but the series continued to cycle through the same song and dance, which never allowed the character or Sonequa Martin-Green a chance to really grow and learn from the often difficult and painful experiences she went through. Which is why an episode like “Unification III” was so darn great: Burnham finally got a chance to work through her emotional turmoil. Sure, I suspect she would have preferred having those personal revelations in a less public area, but so much of what was frustrating about the character in seasons one and two was cleared away with how Kirsten Beyer’s script approached the character this time around. Yes, Burnham was indelibly formed by her time on Vulcan, but allowing her to reckon with her hopes and fears – confronting parts of her that she would prefer to ignore and push away – was the final key to unlocking the character in a way that has been missing for so long. What a wonderful episode to showcase who Burnham is now, who she might become moving forward, and how great Martin-Green is in the role.

Now, the character development for Burnham was great, but what I enjoyed the most was that the show and the character openly admitted they weren’t sure exactly where her place was within the series now. A year on your own, away from all those you know and love – and away from the regimented life of the military – can change a person. And, as we were reminded in the episode, Burnham has chaffed under the structure of Starfleet in the past, so the chance to operate as a true free agent was likely intoxicating and something she never imagined possible. So, to be yanked back into that world couldn’t have been easy, and it’s no wonder she isn’t exactly adjusting well. We saw in “The Sanctuary” that Burnham has decided her place, at least for now, is on Discovery working for Starfleet, but I suspect this won’t be the last we hear of her desire to see what she can accomplish away from Starfleet’s rules and regulations. After all, there’s a reason she is continually drawn to Georgiou that goes beyond her guilt over the role she played in her Georgiou’s death – she’s tempted by the idea that she could go off and do what needs to be done without having to stick to protocol. My hope moving forward is that the series will continue to explore this pull Burnham feels to buck against the yoke of Starfleet.

Now, the Book conundrum. The issue with a newly introduced character on any series is that the writers need to take the time to develop him while continuing to allow the show’s already established characters enough screen time to keep the audience content. Most show’s only have a handful of characters with which to share time, but a show like Discovery has a hugely deep bench in addition to juggling five main characters (six if you count Georgiou). That’s a lot of mouths to feed. And this isn’t a complaint – I’m thrilled the writers have taken the time to start fleshing out more of their supporting cast. It’s been the highlight of this season, having so many unique and interesting characters getting a chance to shine (and, just in “The Sanctuary” alone we were treated to subplots with Georgiou, Detmer, and Adira – all of which were far more interesting than the Book arc). But when you position a character like Book to be so central to the main arc of the season (largely thanks to the romantic relationship with Burnham), he needs to be a fully fleshed out character by this point. Otherwise you run the risk of him simply taking up space from characters with more depth.

Take Adira: They were introduced a couple episodes ago and already they have had significantly more character development than Book, which is great for Adira, not so great for Book. It was nice to learn a bit more about Book’s homeworld and his family, but it didn’t feel all that organic. And it was pretty clear that the episode was far more concerned with setting up Osyraa than it was with helping us to get to know Book. Everything we learned about him beyond surface facts were things the series already told us – he’s a great guy who  wants to protect those who need protection. I’d love to know some real key character beats instead of just rehashing what we already know. Perhaps let him spend some time with characters other than Burnham (dinner with Tilly would be a hoot). Then we would be able to get some organic development. I want to get to know Book, I really do, but throwing in some facts in the background while introducing the season villain isn’t the best way to do so.

Final Thoughts:

— So, something seems to be really wrong with Georgiou, which strikes me as a bit odd. A spin-off series starring the character as a agent of Section 31 had been greenlit, and I haven’t heard that it was pulled at this point, so killing off the character would be an odd choice. That being said, I love getting to watch Michelle Yeoh play the more vulnerable elements of the character. Her bravado faltering in the face of the terrifying results of her tests was a hell of a thing to see. Kudos also to Wilson Cruz for going toe-to-toe with Yeoh and really being a badass. I loved it.

— More kudos to the series for handling the addition of Adira’s pronouns so smoothly. I’m thrilled with their addition to the series, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for them as the season wraps up.

— Detmer finally getting her groove back by getting to fly rogue was a great way to tie up that particular arc. I’m happy the writers kept with it and allowed the character to find her own way to get over the hump. That’s a smart bit of writing, and while it’s a minor element in the grand scheme of things, it’s a sign that the writers are committing to taking the time to build their characters this time around in a way that was missing in past seasons.

— Nice to see another appearance of a Qowat Milat, although I’m starting to question their role in working with lost causes considering both Burnham here and Picard on Picard ended up being victorious in the end. For an order of Romulan nuns I hadn’t really heard of to make two high profile appearances in Trek in the span of a year is a curious thing. Still, it was nice to see Gabrielle once more – and to have her get the chance to be the mother to Burnham she wasn’t able to be in the past, even if only for an episode. Although, I’m sure we’ll see her again before the season is through.

— Tilly as First Officer is fun on paper, but really makes next to no sense in practice. Unless that role is more a secretarial position (like it was shown in “The Sanctuary”), there’s absolutely no way the ship should be trusted to her in a crisis. She just doesn’t have the experience to command Discovery if and when she needs to. I assume the series is setting up just this issue, but still, not a fan of it.