In May 2005, I sat down to watch the last two episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, which were broadcast on UPN as a double-feature. I watched live on a CRT TV in standard definition, recording the episodes to VHS with the fancy “commercial skip” option turned on. They would be the last Star Trek productions in who knew how long. At 15 years old, it felt like the end of an era. My entire life, Star Trek had always been on TV.
Twelve years later, after a trilogy of reboot films that launched Star Trek into the mainstream, the experience of watching a TV show is fundamentally different. I watched the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery on a laptop using a streaming service. Instead of catching the episodes at a specific time on live TV or waiting for the DVDs to be released, the show was available at my fingertips, along with a functionally infinite supply of content from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc. Watching TV just feels different from even a decade ago. It’s more diffuse, scattered, harder to focus on each individual episode. The primary unit of TV has expanded from the episode to the season. Episodes are just chapters to be binged at the viewer’s discretion. None of this is a complaint, necessarily, just an observation: that the viewing experience of Star Trek: Discovery will be radically different from any previous Star Trek show, just as its storytelling style is different. But for all the change, I was thrilled, and a little relieved, to see that Discovery is recognizably Star Trek.
Chapters in a Story
Though the Star Trek series have largely been composed of standalone episodes, they have flirted with, and occasionally embraced, full serialization. Seasons 6 and 7 of Deep Space Nine contained extended story arcs told chapter by chapter. Seasons 3 and 4 of Enterprise took a blended approach, with season 3’s mix of “arc” episodes and standalones, and season 4’s attempts at two- or three-episode arcs. But Discovery commits to a full season of serialization like no previous Trek show has. Partly this is a reflection of our era; every TV show needs to have an arc these days. (I once tried to introduce a friend to the Original Series, but its standalone storytelling style turned her off: “I only like TV shows with a continuing story.”) But even though Discovery’s storytelling style seems like an obvious choice for our current TV era, I’m still excited to see Trek explore new frontiers: new approaches to storytelling along with new worlds.
A Tale of Timelines
At the beginning of Star Trek (2009), a mysterious vessel emerges from empty space and destroys the USS Kelvin, thereby creating an alternate timeline that the rest of the reboot films inhabit, separate from the “original” Star Trek timeline. The geeky fan names for this temporal nonsense:
- The Prime Universe = the original timeline, containing The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Star Trek films 1-10
- The Kelvin Timeline = the new timeline containing Star Trek (2009), Into Darkness, and Beyond, so named because the destruction of the Kelvin diverged the timelines
Questions have been swirling around Discovery ever since it was announced: which timeline would it inhabit? Fans (including me) who weren’t entirely happy with the new films hoped it would be set in the Prime Universe, but the Kelvin Timeline looked more likely, if only because it would be easy for CBS to lure in new fans who’d been introduced to Star Trek through the reboot movies (plus the behind-the-scenes involvement of screenwriter Alex Kurtzman and J.J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot).
As it turns out, Discovery splits the difference. The producers have stated that the show is set in the Prime Universe, but the series completely commits to the aesthetics established in the reboot films: the starship designs, the warp effects, the design of the Vulcan classroom from Burnham’s flashback. Unlike previous Trek debuts, “The Vulcan Hello” makes no attempt to introduce viewers to the Star Trek universe. In fact, it throws them into the deep end, with the first scene entirely in subtitled Klingon! The unspoken assumption is that new viewers have at least seen the reboot films. My guess is that Discovery will skirt around the issue; fans will know that it’s set in the Prime Universe, but the show won’t try to confuse people by overexplaining the timelines. Which is fine by me.
Return to Wonder
One common complaint about the reboot films, which I shared, was that they sacrificed Star Trek’s sense of wonder and exploration in favor of space fantasy action. Which is entirely understandable: space fantasy action plays better to a mainstream audience on the big screen. One of my hopes for Discovery was that it would return to the thoughtful themes that make Star Trek what it is.
Not only does “The Vulcan Hello” reestablish this sense of wonder, it even overemphasizes it. Burnham’s first log entry ends with an extended paean to the wonders of the universe, which is lovely even if it labors to establish a thematic point:
“Despite the risks of our mission, I remain optimistic. It’s hard not to be in the face of such beauty – in this case, a binary star system. Around these two suns, ice, dust, and gasses collide to form planets future generations will call home. A humbling reminder that all life is born from chaos and destruction.”
Later, when Burnham jets around the Klingon relic in a spacesuit, she provides a running narration about the object’s mystery, beauty, etc. Indeed it is gorgeous (as are the episode’s visual effects and production design throughout), but we don’t need to be told in so many words. Still, I appreciate the intent. Similarly, the sequence where Burnham launches from the Shenzhou is dripping with the kind of geeky detail and technical dialogue that wasn’t present in the reboot films. Discovery’s return to hard(er) sci-fi, even if it’s heavy-handed at times, is endearingly earnest.
Our New Characters
Another striking element of Discovery’s debut is how few characters it introduces. Only three Starfleet characters get proper introductions: Burnham, Georgieu, and Saru. This is all for the better. With its extended story arc, Discovery has the time to introduce its characters slowly and build its world piece by piece. We get just enough information to tantalize us: Saru’s species is bred to sense the presence of death, Burnham is an orphan raised by Vulcans with a close mentor/mentee relationship with Spock’s father Sarek. Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham is immediately arresting, with an engaged, active humanity combined with a sense of Vulcan calm and logic. Michelle Yeoh is authoritative as Georgieu, and the Burnham/Georgieu relationship establishes a close mutual respect.
At this point, though, the Klingon characters are more of a question mark. We’re introduced to T’Kuvma, a cult leader attempting to unite the warring Klingon houses under the banner of religious figure Kahless, and an albino Klingon who gains T’Kuvma’s respect. Though I appreciate the show’s commitment to making these scenes feel alien, especially the fully subtitled dialogue, the Klingon scenes have the potential to be ponderous and one-note. We’ll see how this storyline develops.
Let’s Talk About the Action
Another way that “The Vulcan Hello” departs from the reboot films’ style is by shifting the focus from action to dialogue. The entire episode is about Burnham and Georgieu’s reaction to one situation: the discovery of the Klingon relic and ensuing standoff with T’Kuvma’s ship. The episode’s only action sequence is Burnham’s zero-g fight with a spacesuited Klingon, and otherwise, it’s talk, talk, talk, in the best Trekkian tradition. Even the teaser holds back on the action quotient. Where the last three Trek series have started with an action sequence (the Battle of Wolf 359 in Deep Space Nine’s “Emissary,” the Cardassians chasing the Maquis in Voyager’s “Caretaker,” and a farmer chasing a Klingon through a cornfield in Enterprise’s “Broken Bow”), Discovery’s teaser consists of Burnham and Georgieu just walking around a desert. Reportedly, Discovery’s story arc involves the escalation of war between the Federation and Klingons, so more action is likely ahead. Still, Discovery’s first episode is surprisingly, and refreshingly, dialogue-based.
My hope for Discovery is that in the midst of its tightly serialized story, we’ll have time to slow down and explore the characters. “The Vulcan Hello” plays well as a Burnham character story, showing how she makes her choice to defy Georgieu’s authority. Since she’s our protagonist, she rightly takes the focus here. But I look forward to seeing Discovery’s entire ensemble developed. Deep Space Nine successfully pulled off a sweeping war story while leaving time for intimate character moments. I hope Discovery can do the same.
Miscellaneous notes:
- Apparently, no one has heard from the Klingons for a century, which is odd considering their frequent presence on Enterprise. Undoubtedly, more Klingon lore is on the way.
- The title sequence is gorgeous, playing with Star Trek’s most iconic visual elements: the Starfleet delta, the silhouettes of starships, the communicator, the Vulcan hand sign, possibly as a way to welcome new fans.
- Burnham’s instantanous holographic call to Sarek strains credibility. Does he just stand around his hologram all day?
- The dialogue is stilted at times, and the attempts at comedic camaraderie between Burnham and Saru feel forced. Burnham’s precise vocabulary is a nice way to establish her Vulcan upbringing, but there are still moments that jar the ear.
- The episode is refreshingly devoid of nostalgic references to the old shows, with the exception of Georgieu’s dramatic act-out declaration: “We have engaged the Klingons,” a possible callback to Picard’s iconic line from The Next Generation’s “The Best of Both Worlds:” “We have engaged the Borg.” Fun for the fans.
Next episode: “Battle at the Binary Stars“