What I’m Watching: Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery: Season 1, Episode 8 “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” (B-)

This episode picks up right after the events of the sixth hour, forgetting entirely the time loop that everyone was stuck in last week. That is, except for Lieutenant Stamets, who Tilly is noticing is starting to act a little weird, something he can’t quite describe but is definitely cause for concern. I’ve grown very, very tired of all these Klingon antics, namely the extra-large subtitles and my inability to distinguish any of the Klingons from the pack. Admiral Cornwell appears to have met her end pretty quickly during an escape attempt she didn’t even engineer, though I suppose it’s possible that she’s actually still alive, not that she has any true hope of getting off the ship. Michael really is one for procedure, and not being able to use the technology of a species not really capable of communicating normally without getting their express permission was inconvenient to say the least. It was interesting to see Saru turn on Michael and Ash when the serenity of the planet and its music-inclined species got to him, and for him to use his abilities to realize that Ash was lying to him. Ash had a far more relaxed position about this war, ready to leave the transmitter so that the war could continue to prioritize the needs of the few instead of him going back to his lake house and her going back to prison. After she successfully got them rescued, Michael also managed to have the planet of Pahvo put out a call to bring the Klingons to the Discovery’s doorstep, which should make for a moderately enticing fall finale.