STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season Two
Red Lights Spell Danger
UK/US: Netflix, streaming now Showrunner Alex Kurtzman Cast Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anson Mount, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman
Two things were promised for Discovery’s second season. One was a move away from the war footing of the show’s first year in favour of more actual, y’know, star trekking. The other was that by the season’s end we’d understand how it linked up with the rest of the franchise. While this run of episodes isn’t free of bumps in the mycelial road, it does honour both these pledges.
We pick up immediately after season one’s cliffhanger ending. Discovery is face-to-face with the USS Enterprise under the command of Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). A series of seven “red bursts” have been detected around the galaxy, and Pike’s been tasked with taking charge of the Disco and searching for the truth behind the signals. It’s a mission that forces Michael to face her estranged brother Spock (Ethan Peck) and brings the ship into conflict with the morally murky Section 31 – Starfleet’s weirdly well-known black ops division, and Ash Tyler’s new gig.
From that synopsis alone it’s clear that this is the most fan-friendly the franchise has been since Enterprise’s fourth season. The difference is that Discovery always keeps in mind the mainstream audience. We don’t need to know why Starfleet abandons using holoscreens or even, really, why no one in the original series mentions Michael Burnham, but Discovery mines some pretty compelling drama out of both these elements.
It helps that the new cast members are excellent. Anson Mount plays Pike with infinite sincerity, the show leaning into the tragedy that hardcore fans know is awaiting him in a way that will actively improve future viewings of the original series. Rebecca Romijn’s Number One is only in a handful of episodes, but makes a strong impression, while Peck’s Spock is a younger, more troubled take on the iconic Vulcan than Zachary Quinto’s movie version. Tig Notaro’s Jett Reno, meanwhile, is the show’s new secret weapon, a hilarious, cranky genius who gives Stamets a run for his money.
There is a definite mid-season sag. The Big Bad’s plan never makes a ton of sense, and several episodes have the distinct air of wheel-spinning. But given the troubles behind the scenes (the original showrunners were replaced partway through with new Trek uber-boss Alex Kurtsman), it’s an impressive effort. And in its final two episodes, the show reinvents itself again quite spectacularly. Season three really is going where no one has gone before… and it can’t come soon enough. Will Salmon
Freezeframe Pike’s bio in “Brother” – somehow he has a Cardassian Medal of Valour! Did he lie on his CV?