TV Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Kicks Off Final Season With Action And Nostalgia
by Frank Martin
A final season of television is always a strange thing to begin. Right from the start, the show knows it’s coming to an end. So there is a heavy emphasis on nostalgia, sentiment, and feeling the need to wrap things up. In its previous seasons, Star Trek: Discovery was already very melodramatic with its character pathos. If the first episode of Season 5 is any indication, this is going to last all the way through to the end. Fortunately, there was tons of action in the premiere, more than enough to indicate that this will be a thrilling journey compared to the previous season.
The season begins as Kovich (David Cronenberg) brings a mission to Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the Discovery crew. It’s a “Red Directive,” — a mission of the utmost importance concerning a high-level threat to Starfleet security. They are to retrieve an object, which is unfortunately intercepted by a pair of couriers instead. A chase begins that results in Starfleet having to save people instead of pursuing the thieves. The episode ends as Kovich finally reveals the nature of the mission to Burnham: the object will eventually lead to a machine that can create life.