“What’s Past is Prologue” concludes the Mirror Universe arc pretty much how I expected: an action-packed romp that’s shallow but pretty to look at. I’m not sure if Discovery has found a groove or if I’ve adjusted my expectations to its level. If that sounds like a backhanded compliment, so be it. I enjoyed watching this episode. It’s fun if you turn your brain off. The trouble is, the reason I love (or used to love) Star Trek is that I like leaving my brain on.
What I Liked A.K.A. The Good in the Mirror
Let’s give credit where credit is due: this climactic episode summons the full impact of quick cuts, bright flashes, and solid punchy sounds to deliver some spectacular action scenes. The fight in the Emperor’s throne room is riveting, with swift, brutal fight choreography. It’s hard to believe that Kirk’s fight with the Gorn in TOS’s “Arena” takes place in the same universe. (Laughably, “Arena” is supposed to take place ten years after this episode.) So the punchy stuff is good, and the starships whizzing around is also good. The episode’s climax, where Discovery destroys the spore generator and rides a mycelial wave back to “our” universe, is genuinely exciting and makes great use of intercutting. The visualization of the spore network is particularly gorgeous: a series of infinitely branching tunnels, with Stamets barely picking the right path each time. No wonder it’s such a strain on him.
Characters also have good moments. With Burnham gone and Lorca evil, Saru gracefully settles into the captain’s seat and gives a nice inspirational speech about how the ship isn’t Lorca’s anymore; it belongs to the crew. Burnham and Georgieu have some good interplay, particularly Burnham’s line: “You lost a daughter and an empire. I lost a captain and a life.” With all this talk of the Mirror Universe as destiny, it seems that fate has balanced the scales for both of them. Mirror Lorca is a two-dimensional villain, which (deep breath, repeating myself from last week) is disappointing considering the extended setup and potential squandered etc. But he has an interesting speech where he lays out his philosophy: “The strong and the capable will always rise.” He believes the universe would be better if everyone accepted that the strong and capable should rule. At least he has a philosophy, unlike the boring-as-shit Kol from the first half of the season. (“Who?” asks half the audience.)
The episode also lays on the references to contemporary issues pretty thick. Not only does Lorca accuse Georgieu of “letting aliens spill across our borders,” but literally concludes a rousing speech with “make the Empire glorious again.” Along with the Klingons and Vulcans, that makes three alt-right populist factions on this series! Also, Stamets, Tilly, and Saru have a scene that practically screams “CLIMATE CHANGE” in capital letters. They discuss how the Terran plan to harness the spore network is resulting in its destruction, gradually draining precious resources that cannot be managed “sustainably.” “How could they be so shortsighted?” Saru sighs dramatically. (“GET IT?” screams the script.) Though both these scenes are obvious and heavy-handed, I appreciate the effort.
What I Didn’t Like A.K.A. What’s Behind This Mirror?
Scratch the surface and you won’t find much beneath. Once you get past the superficial whiz-bang, the fact remains that this is a series riding on spectacle and big twists, trying to distract us from the fact that it was never built on a solid foundation. Throughout its entire run, the series has kept careening ahead, never giving us time to settle down and bond with these characters. Remember TNG’s “Encounter at Farpoint” and how it devoted entire plot-irrelevant scenes to watching Riker and Data hang out in the holodeck? Or Picard and Crusher tentatively acknowledging the death of Beverly’s husband? When I try to think of similar “hangout” moments in Discovery, all I come up with is Tilly and Burnham running through the halls in “Lethe.” (The party in “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” doesn’t count because it’s wrapped up in the time loop.)
I like Saru and Stamets and Tilly and Burnham. But so frequently, they’re swept away by a torrent of plot incidents: pieces on a constantly shifting chessboard. And as for the Mirror Universe characters? Except for DS9’s “Crossover,” MU people aren’t meant to be real people, so they can only go so far in engendering our sympathy or disgust. By spending four entire episodes in the MU, the series has hung a lot on Mirror Lorca and Georgieu, and they can’t sustain the weight because there’s nothing there. “They’re just evil” is pretty much all there is to them. This show’s much-touted narrative arc has proven to be its own worst enemy.
Now we’re back to “our” universe with Mirror Georgieu in tow, plus presumably some Tyler / L’Rell stuff to work out (neither appeared this week). With only two episodes to go, Discovery has precious little time to wrap things up, or God forbid, extend important story arcs into the second season. Because I’m already eager to leave spores, secret identities, and the whole bloody Klingon war far behind.
Miscellenous Notes:
- Saru has a great captain’s log voice! An important prerequisite for a Starfleet captain.
- I admit that Lorca’s ironic death by spore generator was satisfying.
- Mirror Landry shows up. Unfortunately, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between her and Regular Landry, because the latter honestly felt like a Mirror Universe character to begin with!
- We’re back to the Klingon war stuff. My reaction: a shrug. Just a shrug.
Previous episode: “Vaulting Ambition”
Next episode: “The War Without, The War Within”