Star Trek: Discovery aired on CBS last night and brings with it a welcome return to the world of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY RECAP

This is the first Star Trek television series since Enterprise ended in 2005 after four years. It takes place 10 years before the original series, and is the first franchise series to have it’s main character be a first officer as opposed to a captain. Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, plays the number one to Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) of the USS Shenzhou, a ship that may not be long for the series.

The USS Discovery is where the series will take place, but we have yet to get there in the pilot episode. “The Vulcan Hello” begins with a group of Klingons uniting the various Klingon houses to be one united race. Burnham and and the Shenzhou come across a floating artifact in space, and Burnham, a xenoanthropologist, can’t help but head out on an away mission to collect data. While there, a Klingon attacks her, but she accidentally kills him with his own Bat’leth.

She returns to the ship with severe burns and injuries, but is insistent on speaking with the captain. She insists she saw a Klingon but the rest of the bridge crew doesn’t believe her, as Klingons haven’t been seen in Federation space for hundreds of years.

Burnham, we learn, was raised on the planet Vulcan by Spock’s own parents, the Vulcan Sarek and human Amanda Grayson. She is human herself, but exhibits very stick Vulcan traits. She calls upon Sarek for help, and he tells her how the Vulcans and Klingons came to good terms in the past. She takes this information to the captain and insists that they must shoot first to gain Klingon respect, as they are a race of warriors. Of course, being a member of Starfleet, Georgiou cannot comply. Burnham uses a Vulcan pinch to render her unconscious and takes command of the ship, only to be stopped in the end by the captain and crew.

Right at the end, we see that Burnham was right, as nearly a dozen Klingon ships emerge via warp speed and seem set on attacking the Shenzhou.

The special effects in the pilot alone were incredible, and the rest of the series should do well in this area. The show also promising to be fierce and fun, with a diverse cast and crew. The remaining episodes can be viewed only on CBS All Access, which costs either $5.99 or $9.99/month.

“Thank you. All of you. CBS, writers, producers, directors, crew and cast. For your gifts and fervor. And thank you, those watching. For tuning in. For your passion, support and love. I. Do. NOT take it lightly. I thank God for you. And I’m excited to take this journey with you. #letsboldlygo #StarTrekDiscovery,” wrote Martin-Green on her Instagram page as the pilot aired last night.

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Hillary Luehring-Jones

Article by Hillary Luehring-Jones

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