Round Two: Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery: Season 1, Episode 3 “Context is for Kings” (B)

I want to like this show, both because I think it has potential and because I think it’s going to be very popular with audiences. This episode was decent, though I found it to be very expository, not quite getting to where it needs to be just yet. What struck me most about this hour is that the name of the ship is emblematic of this show’s style, which is to present exploration of the galaxy and charting new, untraveled territory that might in fact be quite dangerous. This reminded me of a really disturbing young adult novel that I once read which was supposed to exist in a Star Trek/Marvel crossover universe that had much darker themes than it should have had for its intended audience. Back to this show, there was no way that Michael was going to spend her life in prison, and now she’s back in an official Starfleet role thanks to Jason Isaacs’ Captain Lorca, who doesn’t let his life be ruled by fear and instead indulges his impulses to utilize talent around him. Isaacs is a great actor and this seems to be a superb role for him, with plenty of mystery to it as he tried to bait the captive beast that took out the Klingon after he convinced Michael to stay by showing her the potential of the work they were doing. I like Anthony Rapp’s Lieutenant Stamets, who is not a fan of Michael at all, and I think they’ll do good work together if they can manage to find common ground in the science of it. Mary Wiseman, who I guess I recognize from her role as Meg on “Longmire,” is another great addition as Cadet Tilly, and I enjoyed her direct reference to Michael’s unusual name, a Bryan Fuller tradition of giving female characters traditionally male monikers, and her unsuccessful plan to call her “Mickey” instead.