It could have taken us till Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Episode 11, however the sequence lastly managed to make me cheer out loud.
We will lastly cease pretending to love Tyler and Sarek with a goatee and … oh my god… EMPEROR GEORGIOU?!?
It could be as a result of I by no means watched the Star Trek Enterprise Mirror Universe arc, however I freakin’ LOVE studying in regards to the Terran Empire.
There’s one thing so… simple a couple of tradition so fully, unblinkingly, unapologetically, TERR-ible. 🙂
Executions for thought-crimes. Enslaving whole species just like the Kelpians to the aim of private groomers?
Agony chambers for prisoners. Promotions by means of homicide. It is the handbook on the way to run an environment friendly empire on the gasoline of worry, hate, and ambition.
An oppressive regime is, by nature, a fearful regime.
Saru
The one factor the Terrans could be applauded (?) for is that their command construction appears to have achieved some gender equality. It most likely helps that the Emperor is a girl.
And it is such an excellent system to make use of to deliver again the actors we loved in Chapter One whose characters received killed. Alas, poor Connor wasn’t lengthy for the world in both universe.
Unquestionably, the singular spotlight of this journey was placing the Voq-ler storyline out of its distress. As soon as they’d confirmed what the Web had whispered from the start, I used to be executed executed DONE with Mr. “I will All the time Defend You” and his pie-in-the-sky pleased endings.
There’s some irony in the truth that L’Rell was unable to interrupt Burnham’s “tether” on his humanity, however when confronted (!) together with his Mirror-self main the insurgent Coalition of Hope and sharing a desk with Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites… nicely that was a bridge too far. Hate overriding … affection, I assume.
Cleverly, the emergence of the Voq id actually answered Burnham’s questions at the start about how deep you’ll be able to disguise your true self earlier than you give in to the charade.
Are you able to cover your coronary heart? Are you able to bury your decency? Are you able to proceed to fake to be one in every of them? At the same time as, little by little, it kills the particular person you actually are.
Burnham
And utilizing his execution to smuggle the intel on the usS. Defiant to Saru? It was very handy and paying homage to Georgiou’s tactic on the Battle of the Binary Stars to seed the Klingon our bodies with warheads. A conflict crime that Mirror-Voq appeared to attribute to Mirror-Burnham’s CV of dangerous acts. Butcher of the Binary Stars, certainly.
If something on this season of Discovery will make me cry, I am positive it’s going to be one thing to do with Stamets. I discovered myself in complete emotional denial when he flat-lined. Thank goodness that paid off for me. And I’ve a sense that Mirror-Stamets may be as superior as Kaptain Killy.
Talking of which, it is so gosh-darned good that Cadet Tilly is getting an opportunity to indicate her chops within the mycelial area (and hopefully earn that all-important advice to the Command Program). Nonetheless, I actually get pleasure from her extra when she’s cussing and threatening folks.
Admittedly, having Saru mentor her whereas she has to masquerade because the captain is a sublime technique to deliver the 2 collectively when their respective roles usually would not intersect.
It additionally appears that she will higher assert herself to Saru than to every other commanding officer she’s handled to date.
Yay for private progress.
Burnham’s parley with the rebellions’ leaders illustrated how the writers might juggle a number of goals in a single scene. Moreover triggering Tyler’s assault on Mirror-Voq, it revealed so much about how the Terran Empire has develop into a unifying agent for the rebels.
It additionally demonstrated how Mirror-selves aren’t essentially a easy good-evil flip. Mirror-Voq has the identical motivations however extra self-control and company than Prime Voq-turned-Tyler-because-L’Rell-told-me-to.
Since Sarek is assiduously impartial within the Prime Universe, his inverse remains to be impartial (even with the goatee) within the Mirror Universe. Evidently logic is the proper zero of morality. And but, Mirror-Sarek’s account of what he present in Burnham’s thoughts is sort of poetic too, which belies pure logic.
I see a world bursting with potential… a toddler molded by knowledge and a seemingly unimaginable depth of human compassion.
Sarek
Ever because the Voq-ler Principle was confirmed, the Web has moved on, and plot speculations at the moment are Lorca-centered. I will admit that I would want that he be precisely who we predict he’s. It might be a little bit of an eye-roller if there have been ANOTHER wacky reveal earlier than the season wraps up.
His time within the agony chambers clearly impacts him and his capacity to strategize successfully. Whereas he is by no means been the gold commonplace when it comes to protocols, his recommendation to offer the command to destroy the insurgent base planet was startlingly pragmatic.
We’re all human right here. All of us begin out with the identical drives, the identical wants. Possibly none of us, it doesn’t matter what world we’re from, actually know what darkness is ready inside.
Burnham
My solely quibble with this episode was Saru’s query to Burnham about Kelpians. Contemplating how xenophobic the Terran Empire is, why would he even ask if a non-human was aboard the Shenzhou?
It appeared a really contrived technique to get Burnham to interrupt the oath she made to him on the finish of Star Trek Discovery Season 1 Episode 5, all the time to inform him the reality.
I can not suggest sufficient to watch Star Trek: Discovery online since there are such a lot of nuanced particulars and wonderful little moments all through.
Sure, they basically ran with 4 DIFFERENT plot-lines, however they OWNED them. I used to be by no means unclear as to what was occurring.
The large query is: What occurs subsequent?
How do you suppose the L’Rell-Voq reunion goes to go within the brig?
Who do you suppose managed to flee Harlak earlier than the Emperor’s ship blew it up? How does that have an effect on Burnham’s avenue cred?
What’s subsequent for Stamets? I REALLY wish to hear your theories on this one!
I think Mirror-Saru would possibly show (much more) vital shifting ahead. Ideas?
Did anybody else discover it attention-grabbing that Mirror-Detmer has had extra traces in Chapter Two than in ALL of the primary half of the season?
Diana Keng is a employees author for TV Fanatic. Observe her on Twitter.