Summary
I thinkStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2 isStar Trekat its best.Discoverytook the franchise in a new direction, redirecting the focus from canceledStar Trekshows likeThe Next GenerationandDeep Space Nine. Thanks in part to the diversity and complexity ofStar Trek: Discovery’s cast and characters, its first season ushered in a golden era ofStar Trektelevision, ensuring the future success ofStar Trek:Strange New WorldsandStar Trek:Picard. As strong as its first season was,Star Trek: Discovery’s season 2 was even better.
Star Trek: Discoverybroke the franchise’s usual episodic style with a serialized narrative woven through every episode. AfterDiscoveryseason 1’s shocking ending reintroducing the USS Enterprise,Star Trek: Discovery’s Red Angelgave the show a complex mystery that strengthened the season’s emotional value. In addition toStar Treklegacy characters making a comeback,Discoveryseason 2 highlighted its previously established characters and further contextualized their backstories and characterizations. I believeDiscoveryseason 2’s 14 stories are some of the verybest episodes ofStar Trekand set the tone for future seasons and subsequent spin-off series.
8 Ways Star Trek: Discovery Made Star Trek Better
Say what you will about Star Trek: Discovery, but the divisive show undoubtedly added to the infinite diversity of the Star Trek franchise.
5Ethan Peck As Spock Brings Back Classic Star Trek
A fresh new take was just what Spock needed
One ofStar Trek: Discovery’s best aspects was the reintroduction of the Vulcan Science Officer Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck), andDiscoveryseason 2 added a layer of intricate complexity to his character. While J.J. Abrams' rebootedStar Trekmovies satiated nostalgia forStar Trek:The Original Series,Peck revived the character with a fresh take and a stoic but youthful energy. I think Ethan’s portrayal is so good becauseLeonard Nimoy’s Spock is always in Peck’s head, but he still manages to make the character feel classic without his performance feeling like an impression.
I think this exploration, told through flashbacks, is extremely helpful in better understanding the character of Spock, as seen in later timeline versions of the character.
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 2 follows Lt. Spock as he unravels a mystery that has plagued him since he was a boy after the Red Angel visited him. He also reunites with his estranged adopted sister, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). I think this exploration, told through flashbacks, is extremely helpful inbetter understanding the character of Spock,as seen in later timeline versions of the character. Ethan Peck would later join theStar Trek: Strange New Worldscastand reprise his role as Spock, this time back on the USS Enterprise.
4Captain Pike Reminds Us What Starfleet Is All About
Anson Mount’s Pike brings honor back to Starfleet
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 2 also features Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), reviving the character previously played by Jeffrey Hunter inStar Trek: The Original Series. As a fan of the franchise,Mount is proud thatStar Trekcan be different things, and his role inDiscoveryseason 2 proves that. While balancing serial storytelling with characters' arcs can be challenging,Star Trek: Discoveryuses Captain Pike to weave together the show’s plot lines while also focusing on his personal character development. InDiscoveryseason 2’s opener, Christopher Pike takes command of the USS Discovery after the shocking exit of Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs).
Captain Pike proves his motives throughout the season, with honor, loyalty, and bravery remaining integral to his character.
It’s immediately apparent that Captain Pike is the antithesis of Lorca. He has a deeply ingrained respect for his new crew while also harboring love for the Starship Enterprise’s crew he left behind. Pike quickly reminds Discovery’s crew members that he isn’t Lorca and that they can trust him to have their best interests at heart. Captain Pike proves his motives throughout the season, with honor, loyalty, and bravery remaining integral to his character. His allegiance to Starfleet is commendable, buthis willingness to recognize the Federation’s faults makes him the season’s beacon of hope.
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 2 added a twist where Pike learns he will be horribly disfigured inStar Trek: The Original Series, a knowledge that burdens him inStrange New Worlds.
3Star Trek: Discovery’s Red Angel Questions The Morality of Time Travel
The Red Angel explores a classic Star Trek time travel conundrum
Time travel has often been a plot device in theStar Trekfranchise, butDiscoveryseason 2takes it to a whole new level. The Red Angel is the perfect way for the seasonto explore Lieutenant Spock’s childhood and the tragic fate of the otherfamily members ofDiscovery’s Michael Burnham, and the mystery deepens the show’s emotional stakes. With the plot twist of the Red Angel’s identity,Star Trek: Discoveryseason 2 definitely capitalized on a popular trope and made it work in the show’s favor. However, exploring time travel’s morality made the Red Angel aDiscoveryseason 2 highlight.
Commander Burnham’s mother, Dr. Gabrielle Burnham (Sonja Sohn), is revealed to be the Red Angel inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2.Although she’s attempting to help the universe by time traveling, it’s revealed that she has little choice in the matter and has thus far failed to prevent the destruction of the galaxy despite her best efforts.Star Trek: Discoveryseason 2 easily adds a few tales to the list ofbestStar Trektime travel episodesbecause it showcasesthe iffy morality behind having too much control over the past, present, and future.
2Commander Saru’s Transformation Proves Starfleet’s Alien Knowledge Isn’t Complete
Saru’s “death” shows how little Starfleet actually knows about non-Federation aliens
As the first Kelpien in Starfleet, Commander Saru (Doug Jones) is one ofStar Trek: Discovery’s strongest characters and season 2 explored his backstory and gave reason to doubt the Federation’s alien expertise. Some ofSaru’s bestStar Trek: Discoveryepisodeshave proven his strength as a leader and a friend, andthat strength made his seemingly terminal illness in season 2 emotionally difficult for his fellow crew members. According to Saru, Kelpiens undergo a biological process called the Vahar’ai, an excruciating and deadly condition signaling their readiness to be slaughtered by the Ba’ul, the Kelpien’s predators.
When Commander Saru experiences the symptoms of the Cahar’ai, he asks Michael Burnham to cut his ganglia and end his suffering. They both expect Saru to die, but he survives the detaching of his ganglia, and his vitals immediately return to normal.This transformation disproves the common belief that the Federation is an all-knowing entity in the universeand instead offers a new outlook based on an old belief: Starfleet is about exploration, and learning about new species is one of the reasonsStar Trekis so good at examining humanity’s role in the discovery of alien cultures.
1Section 31 Adds A Dark Mystery To Star Trek Canon
The mysterious agency shows the dark side of Starfleet
Star Trek: Discoveryhas humor and wonder innate to the franchise, but I think Section 31 is more critical toDiscoveryseason 2 than lighthearted narratives. Section 31 was introduced in season 6 ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. InStar Trek:Discovery,the shadowy sector of Starfleet is reintroducedand ends up playing a significant role in the season’s events.Section 31’s Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh)and Klingon-turned-human Commander Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) giveStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2 a complexity rarely seen in modernStar Trek. This intricate balance of good vs. evil questions what Starfleet stands for.
Section 31 found both its leader and its villain in Captain Leland (Alan van Sprang), who providedStar Trek:Discoveryseason 2 with a morally gray antagonist. Even before the genocidal A.I. Control took took over Leland, he stood for Section 31’s questionable beliefs and argued them against Starfleet’s best captain, Christopher Pike, who challenged the ambiguity of Section 31. I believeSection 31’s moral middle ground amidst the events ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2 mirrors real-world struggleswith power and highlights Starfleet’s desire to keep the peace, even if it’s by any means necessary.
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Season 2 ofDiscoverycapitalized on its first season’s success by introducing compelling and challenging narratives in its second season. New and old characters both contribute to major plot twists anddemand a deeper look into Starfleet and the Federation itself, offering exciting new aspects forupcomingStar Trekprojectsto explore and build on. WithoutStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2, I don’t think newStar Trekshows and movies would have quite the same grasp on what makes the franchise so exciting and captivating to watch.
Star Trek: Discovery
Cast
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
