‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Is Quite Good, Even If The CBS All Access Show Is Challenging What Star Trek Means

I’ve been struggling to find a way to kick off this Star Trek: Discovery review that doesn’t lean on cliché. Does the new installment in the franchise “go boldy?” Will it “live long and prosper?” Does it “energize” the beloved science fiction franchise? You get the gist. Star Trek‘s greatest strength, its sprawling tradition, can also be its biggest weakness. In almost every fan conversation I wander into, the battle lines are drawn according to how loyal we should be to tradition, and because Star Trek has existed in various permutations over the year, even that “tradition” is open to debate.

Let’s get this out of the way: So far, Star Trek: Discovery is quite good. It’s gorgeously executed, thrilling to watch, and full of heart. But it’s also a show that clearly pushing against the boundaries of what Star Trek is supposed to be. While other franchises have flirted with incursions and battles for story arcs here and there, Star Trek: Discovery is going to be about what it looks like when the Federation at war. What happens when peace breaks down and the sour parts of human nature take hold? Well, death, pain, and destruction happen. But a lot of good drama happens, too.

For some fans, this is going to be unacceptable. The selling point of Star Trek is that it exists in a utopian bubble, where humanity has learned to put aside their jealousy, avarice, bloodlust, and bigotry to come together to work for the common good. This calm, serene sense of community extends to all of the species in the Federation. So the “drama” on Star Trek usually happens when the Federation’s noble intentions collide with a skeptical, or even aggressive, alien population. Star Trek was often more interested in philosophy rather than feelings.

And that never sat entirely right with me. Even as a child, you could sell me on transporter beams and cloaking devices and a future where the human race could look past prejudice — and that last part was my favorite part. I simply could not believe that petty human drama could ever be completely suppressed. So my favorite Star Trek installments were always the one where the characters had to confront the messy parts of themselves up close. These were the episodes and films where our favorite Starfleet officers had to deal with profound grief, past sins, or the personality-altering effects of some kind of alien pathogen. (I mean, any episode where Spock has to fight with his feelings or Picard has to deal with any sort of regret are usually top notch.)

Star Trek: Discovery is attempting to present us with the best of both worlds, though. Star Trek: Discovery is about a younger, more rambunctious Starfleet. It’s a Federation that’s still rough around the edges, as exemplified by its leading lady, Sonequa Martin-Green‘s Michael Burnham. At first glance, Burnham is a female Spock. Born human, but raised as a Vulcan by none other than Sarek, she seems a loyal, brilliant first officer whose biggest hurdle is that she’s more emotional than she’d care to admit. However, Burnham is more complicated than that. Orphaned by a Klingon raid, she carries with her a swell of rage and fear, and possibly a vendetta against the race. So when she becomes the lone Starfleet officer to encounter a Klingon warrior in a long while, the situation escalates quickly. The actions Burnham takes to do what she feels is right is downright shocking for those of us used to generations of quietly growling First Officers.

Even if Star Trek fans aren’t used to this kind of protagonist, the primary conflict between the Federation and the Klingons should seem familiar. While the Federation wants to fancy themselves explorers who come in peace, Klingon leader T’Kuvma sees their agenda as something more sinister. He tells his people that the Starfleet wants to take away their individuality. It was a striking blow for me because…it’s true. To be a part of the Federation, a race has to agree to exist within the terms of its stifled peace. The idea is that by entering the Federation, you join a kind of idealized space-age co-op where everyone gets along and shares the wealth of their species’ knowledge. We think this sounds hunky dory, but what T’Kuvma points out is that the Federation is a lot like the Borg. I know that the Federation and Borg have been compared and contrasted in metaphoric ways before, but never before did I realize that the Federation’s raison d’etre is kind of the same as the Borg’s. Only, they want to accomplish assimilation organically, and under the auspices of diplomacy.

Star Trek: Discovery wants to poke at the fabric of the Federation, but it also aims to bring the terror and wonder of space back to the franchise. The Star Trek of my own childhood was Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the series hardly ever found the budget to repeat the mesmerizing awe of its opening credit sequence. In complete contrast, Star Trek: Discovery’s title sequence is sparse. It’s just a series of technical drawings for Federation technology being stripped down and built up. The visual fireworks are saved for the show itself. Whether it’s Michael Burnham’s solo journey to investigate that mysterious Klingon object, or the Klingons’ haute couture fashion choices, everything in the show is a feast for the eyes — including the stunning prolonged space battle of Episode 2.

And this is what I like about Star Trek: Discovery so far: It’s brave enough to deconstruct Star Trek at its nuts and bolts, but not out of contempt. Star Trek: Discovery is trying to visually thread the Star Trek of yore with the science fiction of today. Even though the show is not a part of the Kelvin timeline of J.J. Abrams’ films, that new trilogy serves as a welcome visual reference in many scenes. Battlestar Galactica is also a major reference point – and why shouldn’t it be? After all, that series was a way for Star Trek: The Next Generation scribe Ronald D. Moore to exorcise all the pent up messy, grimy human space drama he had to keep from the set of the Enterprise. As it was inspired by Trek, Trek should be inspired by it. Here though, we’re getting less sexually tense boxing matches and more serialized storytelling. That’s not necessarily a bad thing in a time where we’ve become accustomed to binge-watching.

So, yes, Star Trek: Discovery is good, but it’s a wee bit different from the Trek of old — particularly in how it’s being broadcast stateside. I don’t think we can talk about this show without mentioning how CBS is using it to force up CBS All Access subscription numbers. This was always the plan, so I’m not put off by it. As someone who covers streaming services, I just see it as the latest corporate strategy. But I did notice an extra wave of skepticism for the series rolling through my twitter feed last night. I hear it in conversations I have with my Trekkie mother and uncle, too. Fans are so galled by the idea that they need to subscribe to an extra service to watch the show, some of them are undercutting it already. I understand their frustration, particularly because the show is so good so far. If I had to make an early prediction, I would guess that CBS All Access will do better because of this series, but that Star Trek as a franchise will do a little worse.

Nevertheless, as a show on its own, Star Trek: Discovery looks to be a breath-taking ride. But can it keep up the pace?

Stream Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All Access