This week Season 2 of Star Trek Discovery kicked off with an interesting first episode. We left the crew at the end of the Klingon War on their way to Vulcan to pick up their new Captain when the Enterprise appeared in dire need.
Season 1 had its problems, there were issues with continuity both visual and script wise that made it hard for all fans to get on board. The makers assured us that they understood our misgivings and to trust them that things would start to line up. Does this ring true in light of this first episode?
First of all the story was solid and I like the exploratory nature of the overall theme for the series. The hunt for these red lights and what they mean is very Star Trek, character wise Pike is a breath of fresh air, an experienced CO who knows how to handle a crew and all of the minor bridge crew glaringly underused in the last season were given more screen time.
The show managed to balance light moments such as the Engineer on the Hiawatha with some deep emotional scenes such as those with Stammets explaining why he has to leave Discovery.
The visuals are amazing, dislike the aesthetic if you must but their were film quality shots and action scenes throughout the episode. There are still problems with some visual scenes, the spinning ships made no sense whatsoever and the indoor shots of the turbolift were ludicrous portraying the inside of the hull being empty. Additionally and more worryingly the interior of the wrecked USS Hiwatha looked more like an industrial warehouse like the dreadful engine room sets of the Kelvin-verse Enterprise.
The elements containing Burnham and Spocks past were not too laboured and left me wanting to know more about this relationship. How do we get from Cage Spock to TOS Spock and to a Spock who never mentions a foster sister.
The episode didn’t solve all the problems of the past but it was a solid step in the right direction. My advice for them to find someone who really know trek, consult them on continuity and listen to them.
It is a strong opening to a second season and given most other series didn’t get running until its third season I get the feeling that Discovery is exactly ahead of the game in this respect. I m looking forward to next weeks episode.
Into the Nebula 
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