Commentary: ‘Star Trek Discovery’ And Appreciating Clever Dialogue
by Frank Martin
Stories are often so big that audiences can’t help but look at the big picture when judging them. This includes deep character moments, huge action sequences, and breathtaking special effects. But storytelling is made up of very minute parts that come together to form a spectacular whole. In terms of a television show, these are set pieces, costumes, and stage directions that may go unnoticed by the audience. In fact, a script is made up of singular lines of dialogue, every one of which was given care and thought by a writer. This is a fact that’s taken so for granted that great lines aren’t given the respect, attention, and praise they deserve. But there was one such line in season two of Star Trek: Discovery that was clever enough audiences should take notice.
The series runs on a fairly complicated narrative surrounding a science fiction concept they call the Mycelial Network. Basically, this is a mysterious phenomenon that the ship uses to travel through space. Because it’s almost mystical in nature, the network interacted strangely when faced with Dr. Culber’s (Wilson Cruz) dead body, causing his mind or even his spirit to become trapped in the network. Through a weird organic transporter that’s connected to the network, the doctor’s consciousness was reformed in a new body, essentially bringing him back to life.
Having died and then been resurrected, Culber has a very unique place in the world that he’s struggling to come to terms with, especially in regards to his boyfriend, Lt. Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), who devised the ability to use the network in the first place. When talking about it with Admiral Cornwell (Jayne Brook), she says Stamets “knew him” most, purposely using the past tense. Culber questions this choice of word by asking, “knew?” The admiral responds, “well you are new aren’t you?” This line is an extremely clever play on words. Culber is “knew” in the essence that he’s not the same as he was before. That’s why he’s in the past tense. But he’s also “new” in that this isn’t the old Culber. He is a completely changed and different person now. It’s a very subtle line of dialogue that may slip under the audience’s radar, but it was meticulously crafted and should be praised as such.
Star Trek: Discovery is now streaming on Paramount+.
