Star Trek: Discovery had a lot going for it in the beginning. There was a great war that could have fueled several seasons of strong, serialized plot. There was complexity, and conflicts that often had no clear right or wrong answer. There was a morally ambiguous anti-hero captain, dealing in shades of grey. There was some fantastic build-up...
...followed by disappointing, weak-sauce payoff.
What was set up so meticulously in the first half of the season, was then carelessly squandered in the second half. Moral ambiguity was replaced by heavy-handed preaching about Starfleet idealism. Dark and nuanced characters got killed off or Put on a Bus. The war got an anticlimactic and contrived resolution in a rushed and lackluster finale. In short, in its first season alone, Star Trek: Discovery got rid of all of its strongest assets.
It's almost like the writers got scared of this bold, brave direction they initially chose for this new Star Trek, and decided to backtrack on it to please the old fans. And, sure enough, those who spent the show's run complaining about the "grimdark" and how it wasn't "their Trek" seem pacified and pleased with how it turned out.
Don't get me wrong. It's still an entertaining, competently made and well acted show. It's just that it had the potential to be much better, if the writers stuck to their guns.
As things stand, those in love with Treks of the old may look into the future seasons with hope, but as a fresh fan who liked what the first half of Discovery had brought to the table, I see the show as a sad bundle of wasted potential.
Discovery, season 1: good build-ups, weak payoffs
Star Trek: Discovery had a lot going for it in the beginning. There was a great war that could have fueled several seasons of strong, serialized plot. There was complexity, and conflicts that often had no clear right or wrong answer. There was a morally ambiguous anti-hero captain, dealing in shades of grey. There was some fantastic build-up...
...followed by disappointing, weak-sauce payoff.
What was set up so meticulously in the first half of the season, was then carelessly squandered in the second half. Moral ambiguity was replaced by heavy-handed preaching about Starfleet idealism. Dark and nuanced characters got killed off or Put on a Bus. The war got an anticlimactic and contrived resolution in a rushed and lackluster finale. In short, in its first season alone, Star Trek: Discovery got rid of all of its strongest assets.
It's almost like the writers got scared of this bold, brave direction they initially chose for this new Star Trek, and decided to backtrack on it to please the old fans. And, sure enough, those who spent the show's run complaining about the "grimdark" and how it wasn't "their Trek" seem pacified and pleased with how it turned out.
Don't get me wrong. It's still an entertaining, competently made and well acted show. It's just that it had the potential to be much better, if the writers stuck to their guns.
As things stand, those in love with Treks of the old may look into the future seasons with hope, but as a fresh fan who liked what the first half of Discovery had brought to the table, I see the show as a sad bundle of wasted potential.