TV Review — ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Continues To Rely Heavily On Nostalgia In Season 5, Episode 5
by Frank Martin
Audiences knew to expect that the final season of Star Trek: Discovery was going to be heavy in nostalgia for the show. But it’s surprising just how much nostalgia is inserted into the season for Star Trek as a whole. The year’s main plot stems from something that occurred in Star Trek: The Next Generation and this episode brought back plot threads that were first explored in Star Trek: The Original Series. The episode does a decent job balancing those plot threads with an original storyline so that long time fans of the series can recognize the Easter eggs while newcomers won’t be confused or lost by their inclusion.
Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Booker (David Ajala) head into a wormhole to pursue the next clue in their celestial scavenger hunt. This leaves Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) in the captain’s seat, which he was hesitant and nervous to do following his demotion. Inside the wormhole, they find a version of the Enterprise from the mirror dimension. In a very daring plan, Rayner manages to bring the crew together to pull the Enterprise out of the wormhole. All of this action takes place while flashbacks from Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak’s (Elias Toufexis) first meeting are finally revealed.
Other than the nostalgia for Star Trek‘s past, this episode was a worthwhile entry if not all that exciting. Other episodes this year rank above it. While there were certainly some fun moments with action and character drama, Moll and L’ak just aren’t the kind of villains to carry an entire season. They are fine characters on their own, but they don’t rise to the level of notorious villainy or nuance that a final season should have. Their love is admirable and it was nice to see how they met. But for a final season, a treasure hunt in a race against time with those two just isn’t as compelling as some of the past Discovery seasons.
Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.